Oblitus Magia: Verse 1 - Fateful Encounter in the City of Fools

[MrSandman]

"What was that about sub levels? Is this thing breaking up?" A garbled grunt puffed out of the paralyzed smile of her mask. Pulling 241 people or more down a freight elevator huh? If they coulda gone underneat them, they would have.

"Clock's ticking, Gee Gee," Kinu said, wiggling Mercer's talkie in front of her. "You got 'em into this mess. You tell me in front of em all, that EN's gonna bail them out!"

"No time to stand around then..." With the plans draw, Ange took a moment to eye up the interior of the Elevator....then tapped her communicator and began rapidly firing orders to her subordinates. "Separate the civilians into groups that will fit the lift.....Assign three men for every group for escort. Anyone picking up Mulvric on Level three get in the elevator now and head down. The rest of you keep this damn terminal clear until we have everyone down......Lets Hussle!"

With a flurry of motion everyone takes their marching orders and begins working.

"Admittedly, my memory of what happened before that is spotty, but with you here, just about everyone I remember actually being on that ship is now accounted for. Which, now that I think about it..."

While it wasn't exactly likely that in a random group of a couple hundred or so out of a couple dozen thousand you'd have multiple members of the family together, standard evacuation protocols would generally result in somewhat non-random groups. After all, it wouldn't make sense for family or other individuals in close proximity to each other to be separated unless there was simply not enough space to hold everyone... or the others simply weren't rescued.

"Where are the other ships with the survivors from A-9? Because there were only a few hundred people on the one I got off of, which doesn't sound right."

En voice appears over the radio again. "....I'm sorry....you likely never heard the announcement. Yours...yours is the only ship." Her voice was heavy, and hesitant. "I don't know if there simply were no others, or if they all never made it across the outside....but yours was the only one the Administratum reported......Its quite possible that you are...the only survivors."

"That....that's why it is all the more imperative we know what happened...." En added, then paused. "...I'm truly sorry..."

[Tami]

Still standing nearby Lucifer, Matthias also noticed the new arrival. He had not realized it until now that Lucifer was an A-9 Refugee, which makes his actions in the prison seem even more reckless though admirable.

Overhearing Lux's comments about the other ships, his natural curiosity took hold. Taking a few steps away to get a better view of the terminal, he began looking it over, as well as looking over the people still milling about. Studying the area, Matthias tried to figure out if what was said is accurate. If there was more than one transport ship, then where were the others? Also, what happened to those who disembarked from the ship along with Lucifer and the Blond-haired woman? More importantly, why haven't the authorities descended on them like a strait jacket by now?

"No time to stand around then..." With the plans draw, Ange took a moment to eye up the interior of the Elevator....then tapped her communicator and began rapidly firing orders to her subordinates. "Separate the civilians into groups that will fit the lift.....Assign three men for every group for escort. Anyone picking up Mulvric on Level three get in the elevator now and head down. The rest of you keep this damn terminal clear until we have everyone down......Lets Hussle!"

With a flurry of motion everyone takes their marching orders and begins working.



En voice appears over the radio again. "....I'm sorry....you likely never heard the announcement. Yours...yours is the only ship." Her voice was heavy, and hesitant. "I don't know if there simply were no others, or if they all never made it across the outside....but yours was the only one the Administratum reported......Its quite possible that you are...the only survivors."

"That....that's why it is all the more imperative we know what happened...." En added, then paused. "...I'm truly sorry..."

Looking up, Matthias considered what En said. This situation is becoming increasingly intolerable. The arrival of refugee ships always brought a tone of hope in the face of devastation. But a loss this great?

His thoughts then went back to his time outside among the last remnants of a time before the madness. In all his years of going out alone, he had managed to stay far enough away from it. Still, something about this was bothering him, gnawing on the back of his mind like a nearly forgotten memory trying to resurface.

[MrSandman]

Xia's heart started to race when she say the locker with her name on it. She reached inside and started pulling stuff out. The clothes she had been wearing when she was arrested and detain were placed on a nearby box, neatly folded with her boots next to them for when she found a private area to change. Next, she slowly reached inside again and pulled out the only other thing that was inside: the handcrafted wood and metal scabbard. Meticulously and painstakingly sculpted, it was a thing of beauty that only a master could create. Yet, the blade that was kept inside was even more so.

She pulled the dao out just enough to see her reflection in the blade. A brief golden glow emanated from her hand and passed over into the blade. As soon as it appeared, the glow was gone and she snapped the sword back into the scabbard. With it in her hand once again, she no longer felt naked. She sighed contently and grabbed her clothes with her empty hand so she could find a place to get dressed. Growing up on the streets killed what semblance of shame she may have had otherwise. She wasn't particularly well-hidden from prying eyes, not that she cared.

She emerged from her changing spot dressed in a peculiar outfit for someone who had proven herself a hand-to-hand fighter. She carried her sword, but had the rifle she picked up slung over her shoulder. "Now what?" she asked Mulvric. "You're going to show us how to get out of here, right?"

As she spoke, she pulled out a monocular and an old journal and shoved both in her jacket pockets.

"Elevator seems like the best bet...." Mulvric responded, picking through a locker and pulling out a old revolver, popping the chamber to check for ammo. "....hope the owner doesn't mind. I saw one on the way here...once you all properly equipped we can take it and decide from there...."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Looking up, Matthias considered what En said. This situation is becoming increasingly intolerable. The arrival of refugee ships always brought a tone of hope in the face of devastation. But a loss this great?

His thoughts then went back to his time outside among the last remnants of a time before the madness. In all his years of going out alone, he had managed to stay far enough away from it. Still, something about this was bothering him, gnawing on the back of his mind like a nearly forgotten memory trying to resurface.

Jacob looks at Matthias. " You said that the confiscated weapons are being held in a storage room, right? Well, let's just say. Someone I know is retrieving my weapons there for me," Jacob said.

[Tami]

Jacob looks at Matthias. " You said that the confiscated weapons are being held in a storage room, right? Well, let's just say. Someone I know is retrieving my weapons there for me," Jacob said.

"You should go." Saint replied, his voice abrupt and harsh, "It should be safe enough for you to retrieve your property then make your way down to Level 7 with the rest of the civilians. Don't look to me to help you any more than that bit of advice. If you're smart, you'll take it."

With that, Matt turned his back on Jacob and walked back to where Ghost and her fellow rebels were gathered.

[MrSandman]

"Boss.....BOSS!" On of the Rebels watching the bridge side exit seemed simultaneously disturbed and transfixed by something outside. "We got....oh ****....something bad is going on outside...."

~~~

~ Skyport Terminal Bridge ~

On the opposite side of the collapsed bridge, there was a gathered crowd of distressed civilians and rebels who were cut of by the bridge explosion...in addition to a few interested parties who came up for a closer view of what was happening across the gap. Perhaps if any of them had an idea what was about to happen....well......

...The world has no place for could haves....

In a flare of magical energy that could have spun Odin's eye to the back of Owen's skull, the the far side crowd were thrown into the air. Over 50 people simultaneously vaulted skyward and then held their....left floating feeble and defenseless in the air.

"By order of the Administrator, This area and all who dwell in it are now under our jurisdiction." A quiet, yet carrying voice spoke. "Please remain calm and quiet while we determine the extent of the damage. All perpetrators of ruinous behavior will be judged according to the mandate of the Nephilim."

Below them, a young woman floated by...calm and serene, completely unaffected by the frightened cries of those suspended above.

Behind her, another woman trailed behind her on foot...a casual smirk playing on her face as her eyes flicked from one face above her to another.

"Now.....who is the filthy ruin lover I'm gonna yeet to the other side of the slums today.......Ahhh.....That one! That one right there!" She smirked girl suddenly spoke up, pointing to one of them rebels floating in the air....then excitedly jogging past the floating girl and brandishing her sword. "Ok...." She took a practice swing. "Ok....so when I say "shoot", I w..."

The rebel impacted through directly in front of the woman with so much force the road cracked and showered her in gore. "...*spitspit* ...UghhhhhhHHHHh....."

"You said shoot....." The floating girl smiled, completely at odds with her tone of voice.

"I WAS MAKING SURE YOU KNEW BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS **** IT UP!" The now gore splattered woman wiped it from her eyes and groaned, then pointed and flicked a bit of blood in the other girls direction.....splattering off something unseen just in front of her. "You can't even take **** like your suppose to."

"Vulgar..." The girl sighed. "....Lets dispense with these ones so we can look to the terminal. The Administrator wants it secured before her arrival."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"You should go." Saint replied, his voice abrupt and harsh, "It should be safe enough for you to retrieve your property then make your way down to Level 7 with the rest of the civilians. Don't look to me to help you any more than that bit of advice. If you're smart, you'll take it."

With that, Matt turned his back on Jacob and walked back to where Ghost and her fellow rebels were gathered.

" I'll wait here, I trust that my partner will retrieve my weapons. Heh like I belong with the rest of the civilians. After the horrible things, I have done. I don't belong in society, the only thing that awaits me back in society is death," Jacob said in a bitter tone.

Jacob opens up his locket and looks at a picture of his late wife and children. ( Rhea and kids, I still miss you. I day hasn't gone by that I haven't stop thinking about you three, ) Jacob thought as tears fell down his cheeks.

[Yun Lao]

The large [1] placed across the wall greeted her as she returned to the cell from which this bizarre situation had occurred. Standing outside of it, the girl peered in, not entirely sure what she was searching for. The urge to zone out and just stand there until some form of authority came to give her guidance was strong but eventually did she break herself out this stupor.

She wanted to cry, to scream and shout, yet she didn't have the energy to manifest such strong emotions. Leaning backward, her eyes turned to the ceiling. She reached out again, uncertain as to what she beckoned, or who beckoned her. Sigourney found herself at the edge, staring into an unknown abyss and while she had shied away previously, she no longer had the concern to hold back.


"̼̪D̖̞͔̱̮̬̻e̳͉̰̟̹s̼̳̗͉͙t̘͉͇̺̟̰r̩͎oy͓̤̬̣ į͇̙̼ţ̺̣,̧̱̹̣͍͓ Ṯ̤̇ͬ͋ͅe̖͎̣͓͈̯̜̋ͥ̀͢͝ͅḳ̥͕͎̦̽̄͗̆͌ͩ̚͟ͅe͎̘̱͓̫̘͉̔̑̌̃̓l ̷̼̬͕̟̝̼̬̠͍̦̝̯̝̖͎͟͡i̧̳̹͙̥͕͖͇͢ͅ-̲̹͕̰̳͙̹̕͘l̥̹̤̘͉͖͍̻̲͍̹͚͡͝ͅi͟͏̮͕͉̻͚͝ͅ.̸̙͙̯̬̤͉͙̣͚͕̥͜͠ ͕͚̫"̛͉̬̰̗̦̤̜̲̤̝̝͓̼̭̟̰̣̀͘͜͟



There was no resistance to her demand, only the slightest sensation that something had heard her. Little did she, nor anyone on that decrepit world knew of what was coming. Piercing through the atmosphere, a lone object hurled itself picking up speed and leaving behind fiery trails in its descent. Like the Devil's hammer, the object struck, punching through stone and metal until it reached its destination. Sigourney, caught in a reverie, did not so much as jump as the man-size object crashed through the ceiling, completely obliterating the cell in which she had once been imprisoned. Approaching it, the girl placed her hand on the surface of the pillar-like object and much to her later surprise, felt it breathing.

"͖͇L̮͎̙e͎̘t̗'͚̤͖s̙̤͙̙͖͓ ̫̜̪̖̖͖g̹̰̳͚o.͓̙̱̭.͉̥̰̱͔̺.͉͓̞͙ ̬̬̞ͅt̙o ͅͅt̝̺̼͚͙̰̘h͈e̤̳̥̳̱ ̹͎̞͕̠̬͙s̺̩̗̟̹̼͙u̮̙̫r̳̣̹̞f̟̼̳̫̼̯ͅa̮̮̠͖ͅc̖̮e͖͙͖̫̣̫̬" ͓


The object, later to be known as Tekeli-li, rose, the three claws beneath it gently grabbing the girl, carrying her off to their destination.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Jacob's spirit dog Rhea makes her way to the storage room where the confiscated weapons are being held.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Boss.....BOSS!" On of the Rebels watching the bridge side exit seemed simultaneously disturbed and transfixed by something outside. "We got....oh ****....something bad is going on outside...."

~~~

~ Skyport Terminal Bridge ~

On the opposite side of the collapsed bridge, there was a gathered crowd of distressed civilians and rebels who were cut of by the bridge explosion...in addition to a few interested parties who came up for a closer view of what was happening across the gap. Perhaps if any of them had an idea what was about to happen....well......

...The world has no place for could haves....

In a flare of magical energy that could have spun Odin's eye to the back of Owen's skull, the the far side crowd were thrown into the air. Over 50 people simultaneously vaulted skyward and then held their....left floating feeble and defenseless in the air.

"By order of the Administrator, This area and all who dwell in it are now under our jurisdiction." A quiet, yet carrying voice spoke. "Please remain calm and quiet while we determine the extent of the damage. All perpetrators of ruinous behavior will be judged according to the mandate of the Nephilim."

Below them, a young woman floated by...calm and serene, completely unaffected by the frightened cries of those suspended above.

Behind her, another woman trailed behind her on foot...a casual smirk playing on her face as her eyes flicked from one face above her to another.

"Now.....who is the filthy ruin lover I'm gonna yeet to the other side of the slums today.......Ahhh.....That one! That one right there!" She smirked girl suddenly spoke up, pointing to one of them rebels floating in the air....then excitedly jogging past the floating girl and brandishing her sword. "Ok...." She took a practice swing. "Ok....so when I say "shoot", I w..."

The rebel impacted through directly in front of the woman with so much force the road cracked and showered her in gore. "...*spitspit* ...UghhhhhhHHHHh....."

"You said shoot....." The floating girl smiled, completely at odds with her tone of voice.

"I WAS MAKING SURE YOU KNEW BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS **** IT UP!" The now gore splattered woman wiped it from her eyes and groaned, then pointed and flicked a bit of blood in the other girls direction.....splattering off something unseen just in front of her. "You can't even take **** like your suppose to."

"Vulgar..." The girl sighed. "....Lets dispense with these ones so we can look to the terminal. The Administrator wants it secured before her arrival."

Owen turned his powers off and staggered back a bit. Clenching his teeth against a headache, he looks at those around him.

“Too late. The Administration Witches are here. And they aren’t playing nice.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Elevator seems like the best bet...." Mulvric responded, picking through a locker and pulling out a old revolver, popping the chamber to check for ammo. "....hope the owner doesn't mind. I saw one on the way here...once you all properly equipped we can take it and decide from there...."

"Fine."

She could have rummaged through the rest of lockers to looks for items that could help her in the future, but she felt she had all she needed already. Having too many items, even useful ones, would only bog and weigh her down. Someone who was always on the move needed to be free.

She moved to a corner and sat down on the floor, legs folded. She pulled her sword from its scabbard and placed it on her lap. Her eyes closed

Xia sat on the floor, the dao she had just been given a few weeks ago resting in her lap. Its ornate scabbard was laying on the ground somewhere nearby.

"The key to Spirit Fusion is to extend your spirit," said an older man as he paced around her. "Think of it as reaching out and grabbing something with your hand. Only it's not your hand, but it is your hand. Your third hand. Open your third hand, Xia."

She sighed irritably. The only thing she hated more than this old man's nonsensical drivel was that it was starting to make sense. She had known Ucho of the Expand Daong school for only a few months. Immediately, she decided to train under him, since she thought his swordplay was cool. That was a serious mistake. Instead of moving on, she was stuck with him and learning this... suspiciously named swordplay technique and all the sub-techniques that fell under it.

The first was called Spirit Fusion. It was supposed to let her empower her sword with her spirit to let her up souls. It sounded far-fetched and unbelievable, yet he insisted. She decided to humor him....for three weeks.

Open her third hand. What a load of

A warm, golden glow wrapped around the sword, lifting it so it was hovering over her lap. Her face was bathed by the glow, but her eyes remained shut. What she was doing was a tenuous thing that couldn't be interrupted until it was done.

Which was always a bothersome thing. It was like trying to sleep with the sun beaming it's midday Ray's directly against her eyelids: useless and annoying.

"Open your third hand, Xia."

Stupid old man.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"...Somethin' I can help you with?" Omu inquired, barely noticing the soft spoken voice of the girl who had acknowledged him .



"Voice is familiar. ..oh hey!" He came to a realizations, quickly swiping two of his legs together to emulate a human snapping their fingers. " Yer the new transfer, right? Remember you cryin' out for help... 'Course, not many helpless damsels require high security prison transfers to my knowledge. "

Oh. Did it not know?

"Yes... new." The voice muttered. "Just trying to go home..."

[Tami]

"Boss.....BOSS!" On of the Rebels watching the bridge side exit seemed simultaneously disturbed and transfixed by something outside. "We got....oh ****....something bad is going on outside...."

~~~

~ Skyport Terminal Bridge ~

On the opposite side of the collapsed bridge, there was a gathered crowd of distressed civilians and rebels who were cut of by the bridge explosion...in addition to a few interested parties who came up for a closer view of what was happening across the gap. Perhaps if any of them had an idea what was about to happen....well......

...The world has no place for could haves....

In a flare of magical energy that could have spun Odin's eye to the back of Owen's skull, the the far side crowd were thrown into the air. Over 50 people simultaneously vaulted skyward and then held their....left floating feeble and defenseless in the air.

"By order of the Administrator, This area and all who dwell in it are now under our jurisdiction." A quiet, yet carrying voice spoke. "Please remain calm and quiet while we determine the extent of the damage. All perpetrators of ruinous behavior will be judged according to the mandate of the Nephilim."

Below them, a young woman floated by...calm and serene, completely unaffected by the frightened cries of those suspended above.

Behind her, another woman trailed behind her on foot...a casual smirk playing on her face as her eyes flicked from one face above her to another.

"Now.....who is the filthy ruin lover I'm gonna yeet to the other side of the slums today.......Ahhh.....That one! That one right there!" She smirked girl suddenly spoke up, pointing to one of them rebels floating in the air....then excitedly jogging past the floating girl and brandishing her sword. "Ok...." She took a practice swing. "Ok....so when I say "shoot", I w..."

The rebel impacted through directly in front of the woman with so much force the road cracked and showered her in gore. "...*spitspit* ...UghhhhhhHHHHh....."

"You said shoot....." The floating girl smiled, completely at odds with her tone of voice.

"I WAS MAKING SURE YOU KNEW BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS **** IT UP!" The now gore splattered woman wiped it from her eyes and groaned, then pointed and flicked a bit of blood in the other girls direction.....splattering off something unseen just in front of her. "You can't even take **** like your suppose to."

"Vulgar..." The girl sighed. "....Lets dispense with these ones so we can look to the terminal. The Administrator wants it secured before her arrival."

Instinctively lowering his presence, Matthias had realized that it was only a matter of time. Thing is, he did not expect the witches to take it out on the civilians. His usual reaction to a Witch was to avoid them at all cost, this time was different so he stayed close to the others.

[KingofPie]

Oh. Did it not know?

"Yes... new." The voice muttered. "Just trying to go home..."

Omu squinted a bit. "Well, I'd offer to help but I ain't in the business of workin' for free...but, seems to me like that elevators your ticket outta here," Omu pointed with a few of his legs. His path lay that way as well but...he couldn't help but wonder what else the guards were hoarding to themselves as he turned around to peek at the contents of other crepes and boxes.

[The Dog]

"No time to stand around then..." With the plans draw, Ange took a moment to eye up the interior of the Elevator....then tapped her communicator and began rapidly firing orders to her subordinates. "Separate the civilians into groups that will fit the lift.....Assign three men for every group for escort. Anyone picking up Mulvric on Level three get in the elevator now and head down. The rest of you keep this damn terminal clear until we have everyone down......Lets Hussle!"

With a flurry of motion everyone takes their marching orders and begins working.



En voice appears over the radio again. "....I'm sorry....you likely never heard the announcement. Yours...yours is the only ship." Her voice was heavy, and hesitant. "I don't know if there simply were no others, or if they all never made it across the outside....but yours was the only one the Administratum reported......Its quite possible that you are...the only survivors."

"That....that's why it is all the more imperative we know what happened...." En added, then paused. "...I'm truly sorry..."

The transfigured kukri slipped from nerveless fingers to clatter against the ground as the words from the radio pierced directly through Selma's heart. The ship she'd arrived on was the only one. They were the only known survivors. Then that meant...

"No." Selma muttered as she fell to her knees, legs unable to hold her up due to the horror those words meant.

"No." Selma repeated, staring unseeingly at the wall, tears starting to well in her eyes. Her friends. Her family. They were gone.

Everything she'd done. All her training. All her work. All the hardships she'd endured to ensure that she would be able to protect them from the cold, uncaring world. It hadn't been enough.

She'd failed when they needed her most.

"I-I'm sorry..." Selma all but whispered, the tears trickling down her cheeks as their faces filled her mind, each one a spear stabbing through her.

"I'm so, so sorry..."