Brink of Delusion; Crystal's Shine ((Full))

[Scythe de Zaran]

Rigo knew the entity had dodged his question yet again. There was no need to tell him to protect Gio. The way the entity spoke of the crystal's effect was disheartening, but it didn't seem Gio would be turning into a crystalline structure as the mantis had... or at least Rigo assumed that was the case because the entity said Gio was a vessel and had shoved shards into Gio's heart, as strange as that looked.

"Someone's father?" Rigo stared at Jolyre and her outburst. He had no idea that her father had been the assassin at the event. He only knew that the assassin had been an Angeal. Thus, he was completely confused on what her outburst stemmed from. He did not know she was referring to a result of that event two years ago.

And then the entity spoke again, and before Rigo could say anything, Gio was back. The Nero Angeal rushed to Gio and knelt down, supporting his brother. "Yes, he did. The creature is gone, and the lady had a hand as well." He eyed Jolyre, hoping she wouldn't let out any more outbursts for now in front of Gio, who was extremely weak. The look in his eyes promised her that he would talk with her about whatever it was she was referring to later and not in front of Gio. Gosh, he still didn't even know her name.

Rigo did not hear Harrier's footsteps approaching them in the area.  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Harrier A'Cal

Harrier made a brisk walk all the way to the bridge that led to Ezera, from there he went down. After a couple of twists and turns he saw a group of three people up ahead; all with their backs to him. It looked like they were in a fight of some sort; he felt the remnants of shards, although he didn't know exactly what was there.

He quickly drew his Selkin swords from his back, just in case.

“Hey, you there,” Harrier said in a rough voice, startling the troupe, “are you all right?”

He took a moment to scan them. Two winged people, maybe Angeal, he wasn't sure. And a young human boy, he was injured, he saw the blood on his limp left shoulder.

Damn, he didn't have any water or supplies with, he left it at the outpost in his hurry. In Harrier's moment of thought he noticed that the pulling stopped.
Guess this is the right place, he bitterly chuckled.

He took a quick look to make sure there were no more monsters around before putting up his swords and walking towards them.

“The boy needs help, there's an outpost nearby. We can get there in a few minutes, you can tell your tale later.”

Exit- Harrier A'Cal  

[Jest_A_Clown]

"This is really getting to be too much..."

Suri barreled through the crowded alleyways before him, people either moving aside for him or being tossed aside like rag dolls. Hiding was no longer a viable option, hard enough since his tall form stood a head above most. His iron-studded boots thudded heavily upon the walkways of Metrino. But many more boots were resounding behind him.

"He went this way! Stop him before he reaches the docks!!!" a harsh voice yelled at the end of the alley Suri had entered.

"Accursed Blackhands!" Suri thought sourly. "Don't they understand I'm not some some tool to be used to murder others? Even if I am half-metal, I've still got a human mind and a human soul in me." he grumbled as three Blackhand members closed in from the alleyway, heading directly towards Suri. For them, it was a very very bad move.

Suri lowered his form a bit and picked up speed and momentum, his cloak whipping out behind him as the rest of the people in the alley suddenly found someplace better to be than between a freight train and a few bowling pins. Too late did the Blackhands realise they weren't going to be stopping Suri in this manner, just moments before he ploughed into them, knocking the outer two into the alley walls with a solid and satisfying crunch. The middle one he grabbed by the neck as he dashed by, trailing the unfortunate member's struggling body like a sack of cotton. Suri had chosen him because he had the most cybernetic machinery on him, even skull-plating and a cyber-eye. "What luck!" Suri thought devilishly as he burst from the alley.

The Airship Docks were just ahead, but they had forseen his escape and the main entrance was blocked by a hefty group of Blackhands, armed ones, mostly cyborgs suited for military engagement. Not bothering to stop, he kept his speed and shifted the hapless body in front of him as a shield, though in truth, he didn't intend to use it as one. A cold voice gave the command to halt, under threat of death, but Suri wouldn't be stopping now. His target was the top of the steps they were guarding, where the doors to the Docks beckoned. Hearing the sounds of multiple weapons being primed and raised, Suri gripped the other cyborg by the skull with his hands, perfectly functional metal counterparts of a human hand, with some extra strength of course. Shining through the sparse fabric covering his chest, an orange-yellow glow flared up, his hands emanated a similar color as he began drawing all the electrical energy he could from the Blackhand member's body.  

[Draconia Crystalis]

Giovanni felt relief as his brother supported him under his good shoulder, and told him of the good outcome of the events. But there was something he didn't understand, if they had beaten the monster, and everyone was safe now, then how come the two of them were so tense? Did something happen that he wasn't aware of? And how come the girl looked about ready to rip the two of them to shreds?

"W-what's going--?" he asked the two of them, but cut short as he felt a strange, tugging pain in his heart. "W-What?!" he whispered, "Something else? Here?" It was the same sort of feeling that had drawn him to this canyon, only now he felt it stronger and more prominently than before.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a man's voice. Someone had found them, and fortunately enough, it was someone looking to help. The man had both swords drawn, but that was likely just precaution. Gio could feel from this man that he wasn't by any means going to hurt them. However, he wasn't getting a very comforting feeling from the girl, and that troubled him. Why would she be mad at him when he had just gotten badly hurt to protect her? Sure, he wasn't expecting unending gratitude or anything, but this was a little bit of the extreme opposite.

Still, who was this new guy? And why did he feel drawn to him, just like the feeling from before. Was this destiny? Was he being constantly pulled to people of importance? Nah, he couldn't be that special as to be included in something as grand as "Destiny".  

[Jest_A_Clown]

The unfortunate victim in the grasp of Suri was helpless to stop the energy conversion that began happening. It felt like the life was being sucked out of him...but it was only affecting his robotic parts. Thankfully, he didn't have a cyber-heart, so he wouldn't die from this, but he had a few key components embedded in his brain. The Blackhand member slipped away from conciousness as the electrical impulses were drained away from his body and transferred directly to Suri.

Feeling an almost euphoric sensation as he absorbed a good deal of electricity, Suri dropped the limp body, which rolled and skidded to a halt after several feet, as he continued his high-speed advance toward the Docks and the group of cybers guarding it. A few stray bullets, bolts, and even a net whizzed past him, the Blackhand faction of Metrino preferring a wide array of weaponry. Waiting until the last possible moment, where the guards would have been able to hit him with little problem, Suri launched himself into a dive.

The dive carried him forward, just a few yards from his opponents, before his hands shot out onto the ground. Simultaneously, as his hands made contact with the metal walkway, he discharged a large amount of energy from both hands. The result was, instead of a regular handspring, Suri turned it into a flying handspring that vaulted his large form clear over the heads of the guards and releasing a shockwave that traveled quickly through the metal flooring to stun them. Unfortunately, Suri mis-calculated just how much energy to release and instead of making a flashy landing at the top of the steps, he went sailing right through the doors to the Docks with a crash that resounded up and down the street.

Picking himself up from a now-crushed stack of cargo crates, Suri groaned and shook himself off. "Gah! Too much again! This Crystal is almost more trouble than it's worth!" He said as he took off down the wide room, trying to reach on of the side-hangars where he could hopefully snag a skiff and escape. As he ran by, crowds of Metrinos, Moogles, and the odd Angeal here and there looked on in puzzlement. They just as quickly found their jobs particularly interesting and turned their backs when the remaining troupe of Blackhand members came trailing in after him moments later.  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Harrier A'Cal

Harrier did a double take on the troupe as he came closer to them; the black Angeal looked happy enough to see help, so did the boy, but the female...

She looked like she'd rather bit Harrier's head off. And the other two males.

He mentally shivered.

“Can he travel on his own?” He asked, indicating to Giovanni, “I think a sand storm is going to come in soon, best we leave now.”

It was near obvious that something strange happened here. The people looked as though they had just seen a ghost that insulted their mother; and the air pulsed with a strange vibe. But that last part could just be Harrier, his skin felt itchy since the first sight of them; even though the pulling stopped.
The skies clouded over, the wind picking up. They could be lucky and the high winds just be that, or it could pick up dust and sand from the eastern lands and turn into a sand storm.

Better not chance it, Harrier thought, might have to call in Alane. If she's even out.

Exit- Harrier A'Cal  

[Scythe de Zaran]

((Black Claided Cat, I want to give Lythe a chance to respond before I post since Jolyre is angry at Rigo and Gio.))  

[Black Claided Cat]

Scythe de Zaran

((Black Claided Cat, I want to give Lythe a chance to respond before I post since Jolyre is angry at Rigo and Gio.))

((Yup, I understand.))  

[Jest_A_Clown]

He didn't have to look far to find a suitable ship to carry out his escape. A small-sized airship used to convey messages between the many nations lay just on the other side of a slightly larger ship...one that bore the Blackhand's business logo. "Can my luck get any worse today?! Gah!" he yelled in frustration as he saw his pursuers enter the far end of the hanger, closing in fast, but luckily out of weapons range for now.

He had a few small moments before he would be forced to commandeer whoever's ship that was, so he decided he'd use them productively. He dashed to the nearest pile of cargo crates and began hurling them as fast as he could into the thrusters of the Blackhand ship, using a relatively small amount of energy to lift the heavy objects. Seeing his time had run out, he hurled a few crates straight into his pursuers, scattering them and giving Suri enough time to make a mad-rush to the edge of the docks and leap abord the Envoy ship. Before slipping inside, he sneaked a look at his handiwork on the Blackhand ship. It looked like he had completely crushed the right thruster and done a good whallop to the others. He wouldn't have to worry about that ship coming after him.

Getting inside wasn't a problem, neither was starting the thing and getting it moving, but as for how to actually fly the thing? That was a big problem. Suri only had rudimentary knowledge of how to work airships and as he took off out of the docks and into the dark and cloudy sky of Metrino, any idiot on the ground must have thought the pilot was drunk. But he managed to keep the thing from stalling and crashing, and made somewhat of a course in the direction of Tylem. He had nothing with him other than his clothes, the pack on his back, ...and the Crystal in his chest. "At least I won't be weighed down with a bunch of useless stuff like food." He remarked, solidly thumping his metal abdomen. "At least there are some advantages to being half machine. I wonder- OH CRAP! UP UP UP!" he yelled as his ship began to dip down, in danger of hitting one of the watchtowers at the edge of the main city of Metrino. He only just managed to pull the main body out of harm's way, but succeeded in shearing off a chunk of his left wing. "Blasted good for nothing accursed machines from hell! Why don't you ever work when I need you to!!!" he ranted as he now struggled even harder to fly the tiny craft. After some time, he was clear of Metrino and well on his way to Tylem.

Suri didn't notice the airship trailing him in the distance. Though Suri's ship was smaller and speedier, his labored flying had allowed the Blackhands time to procure a smaller vessel from the Docks and track his smoke trail through the storm now brewing over the border of Tylem. They had some motivation to catch him before the dust storm blew in. Returning empty-handed to their boss would cost them dearly.  

[MadameDPomp]

(Sorry for the delay...this weekend didn't quite go as I had planned :/)

"This had to happen eventually, better now than later. All of you, Gio as well, need to confront the past and move to the future. This is far from over."
Jolyre's lips were parted in rage and gave an angry twitch now and then. The Nero Angeal's eyes pleaded with her but she was far from a merciful mood. If the ragdoll boy was weak, if ever was indeed the sniveling ragdoll he appeared to be and not a murderer, then that was one last fight she'd have to partake in. From side-by-side, to enemies in five seconds.
Two years.
Two years have I hunted this scum
Her eyes glared, teeming with menace, and her hands wrenched into fists. The last battle and massive end attack had taken it of her, sure, but here, fueled by angry adrenaline, Jolyre was ready to fight again. They would die like her father.
Forget the entity...that despotic enigma. She didn't need a lecture on killing lightly; that was something she never did. She killed brutal, hard and heavy.
Interrupting her oncoming outburst was a ranger, it appeared, from Tylem. “The boy needs help, there's an outpost nearby."
"He'll need a casket when I'm done." Jolyre hissed, using every ounce of discipline ever drilled into her to not leap and and try to slash them all to searing bits. She caught Gio looking at her. Her blue eyes glinted dangerously. A mental message: Look at me again...I'll break your spine in half.
"A sandstorm is the least of their worries." Jolyre snapped, with acid in her vocal cords, eyes never un-narrowing, her mouth twisted in a perpetual vicious scowl.  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Harrier A'Cal

Harrier visibly jumped at the other Angeal's coldness. So he was right, the female would bite his head off.

I'm glad my family's not like this, he thought, mistaking the two Angeal as siblings. He mentally turned the woman into a silver snake, wrapping its coils around the two males. Harrier shivered, he had been spending too much time around Alane. Only she would think up something like that.

"A sandstorm is the least of their worries."
When the woman turned her eyes to his, he froze.
The only other time he saw such a look was when Father found out that his sister was to be wed...

He got a strange vibe; in the past minute he'd already shivered, mentally pictured, frozen and jumped just by looking at the three strange travelers. Usually that takes all of his younger siblings and the next door Moogle's kids.

Exit- Harrier A'Cal  

[Scythe de Zaran]

A random man suddenly called out an appeared on the scene with drawn swords. A sandstorm? The winds were picking up, as Harrier mentioned.

Rigo continued supporting his younger brother, but Jolyre was still angry, though he still didn't know why. Clearly, the woman would not heal Gio with her Light Crystal abilities. He looked toward Harrier. "Yes, but he is exhausted. I will support him. Thank you for your hospitality, sir." The Nero Angeal said to Harrier.

He looked back at Jolyre, and his gaze hardened but not to the level that it matched hers. "I do not know why you are angry, but perhaps, we can talk once we are all safely away from the sandstorm," Rigo said with utmost sincerity. If she tried to attack Gio or either of them, he would respond. However, he wondered if she was going to reveal her Crystal power in front of Harrier. Rigo sure wasn't going to. From the looks of earlier, both of them could hold their own fighting each other without using their respective Crystals. "Let's take up the kind sir's offer."  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Harrier A'Cal

"Yes, but he is exhausted. I will support him. Thank you for your hospitality, sir."

Harrier nodded, still keeping an eye on them.

“This way,” he said, motioning to the direction he came. The winds started to pick up some more, not that they ever let down in Tylem. The sky darkened some more, spraying grains of dust and sand along with the wind. He started to lead the way; hand on scimitar, eyes on the cliffs, wind and the travelers.

Exit- Harrier A'Cal  

[MadameDPomp]

Jolyre laughed; an icy, metallic, completely joyless sound. Her tongue probed the flesh of her inner cheek, an action she often performed when angry or annoyed. This completely ridiculous. Why was she not just exploding on all of these people? What were they to her? Strangers and murderers. Something was stopping her and she didn't appreciate it.
"He doesn't know why..."she laughed, again a harsh mirthless sound. This whole thing was entirely incredulous.
The false joy dropped like steel. "No, Nero Angeal. We will talk. and when we do, you'd best have an invincible, entirely insurmountable alibi." she said, her voice biting and lethal.
She shot an irritated glare at the ranger who was simple in the right place at the wrong time.
Jolyre walked, somewhat away from the group, refusing to be near the Dragoni brothers. She didn't feel it was safe for anyone to be with an arm's reach of her at the moment.