The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

[Kieran]

. . . And I've finally picked up the last "New Mutants" book that I needed to complete the set - of the most recent series, at least. The classic series involves a good 100 or so issues that I only have a few of . . . But for my purposes, it'll do.

Back to Illyana Rasputin/Magik. As stated, there are effectively four versions of her I could use:

1) The Illyana who escaped Belasco's Limbo. In at least one timeline, Illyana was rescued from the Demon Lord Belasco's clutches before any damage was done to her, leaving the X-Men behind to be warped into the demonic versions that the canon comics X-Men encountered in 1983 (Storm the witch, Kitty Pryde the human-cat hybrid, Nightcrawler the demonic jester, etc.). She's untainted by black magic of any kind, but still possesses her mutant ability to create teleportation discs - and through Marvel's 5:1 time ratio, would be about 12 right now.

2) The de-aged Illyana who canonically died of the Legacy Virus at age 8. While this one might have access to her usual magical repertoire (and her mutant ability) when she hits puberty, she did die. Of course, the Works can fix that - and the resulting girl would (again) be about 12 if taken into 2014.

3) The "House of M" version. When the Scarlet Witch descended into madness, her reality-warping powers created an alternative timeline where mutants were the nobility of humanity - and above them all was the ruling House of Magnus. This Illyana is a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee, presumably of an age with her teammates (around 18), and possessing her usual mystical powers in addition to her mutant one - but I'm not sure, since I haven't tracked it down yet. Regardless, when the timeline collapsed, Illyana attempted to flee erasure by escaping into Limbo, which is normally outside of space-time - but doesn't appear to have succeeded.

4) The Darkchilde. Following a glimpse of her "House of M" incarnation, Belasco became obsessed with finding Illyana, whom he was certain had returned from the dead - and eventually resurrected a demonic version of her, of an age with her teammates (18 - 19) and with Illyana's body and mind, but no soul. This is the current Magik as seen in the latest comics, including the "New Mutants" run that I've got. Initially obsessed with revenge on Belasco, Illyana's focus eventually shifted to destroying the Elder Gods that Belasco served - and reclaiming the pieces of her soul used to summon them to Earth.

This Illyana is not nice, or kind; upon being resurrected, she uses an innocent soul (like she was) for the Bloodstone ritual - breaking off a piece that to form one of the five stones in the amulet that will summon the Elder Gods to Earth. She later risked all of reality in a gambit to destroy the Elder Gods - and it worked- and she freely admitted that she would do the same thing again without hesitation.

That said, unlike most soulless villains, she's aware of what she's lost, and it matters to her. Illyana pointed out that having had her vengeance, she wouldn't pull another strategy like this one, because there would be no need, and voluntarily submitted herself to the X-Men's custody. When her Limbo demons arrived to break her out, she alerted the guards to their presence and got them banished. Because even though she could obviously escape at any time, with the Elder Gods destroyed, she now had a chance at a normal life, and she wanted it - and if she was to have any hope of one, her friends needed to be able to trust her.

The Darkchilde version of Magik can be a genuine ice-queen of a hell-bitch - but there's a part of her that doesn't want to be.



. . . Anyways, that sums up all the potentials I can think of - any of these sound intriguing to you guys?

[Kieran]

Like I advised months ago, don't base your scion completely upon their parent, or else you end up with just a carbon copy.

Sorry, by the way - I meant to address this one a while ago, but I wanted to go back over the books before I tried to explain things.

As written, the sample Scions tend to lead up to being one of two things - either gods of lesser aspects of their parents' portfolios, or they take the slot of a god who exists, but isn't described.

For examples of the first case, the Greek Scion of Aphrodite Donnie Rhodes becomes Adonis Rhodos, God of Love and Loss. Eric Donner, Scion of Thor, becomes Donner, God of Lightning.

In the second case, however, Herman Odinson (a Scion of Odin, obviously) concentrates on mastering the Psychopomp Purview to become Hermod, God of Couriers - effectively a stand-in Hermod, the messenger god of the Aesir. Likewise, Valentina Wednesday (another Scion of guess-who) becomes the God of Assassins, under the name Vali. Obviously, there are some changes, but that's the general idea.

So in some respects, yes, my character could be considered a carbon copy, depending on how things play out - at least, at first.

As the God of Explorers, I see the Psychopomp, Sky, and Water Purviews as being the most important, for the sheer ability to get around and thrive in those environments. I would, however, add the Stars Purview, since they allow access (eventually) to both time and deep space travel. Maybe Illusion, as well, for dreams and imagination - something anyone who pushes boundaries would need . . . On the other hand, if I go Greek, I could eventually work to have my character become Morpheus, God of Dreams - or any of the literally dozens of deities they had. And the Greek pantheon does exist in the Marvel Universe, even if Hercules is really the only one they deal with.

. . . Amusingly, Heracles is listed in the book, and he's inherited nothing directly from Zeus beyond Epic Charisma and Epic Strength. He actually has the Guardian Purview, making him the sole Olympian who has access to it - not even Athena, patron of Athens, can claim it. Using the rules, I could actually dream up a Scion of Heracles, which has some interesting plot implications. For starters, he's a character in both Marvel and DC (heroic in one, not so much in the other) - and in the Scion setting, he's part of a conspiracy to eliminate Gods altogether.

[Mattias]

. . . Amusingly, Heracles is listed in the book, and he's inherited nothing directly from Zeus beyond Epic Charisma and Epic Strength. He actually has the Guardian Purview, making him the sole Olympian who has access to it - not even Athena, patron of Athens, can claim it. Using the rules, I could actually dream up a Scion of Heracles, which has some interesting plot implications. For starters, he's a character in both Marvel and DC (heroic in one, not so much in the other) - and in the Scion setting, he's part of a conspiracy to eliminate Gods altogether.

Hercules and the other Guardians are perfect examples of what I'm talking about. Characters who are all children of Gods who have taken some different boons and set themselves apart from their parents and Pantheons. You know, aside from the whole "trying to lobotomize the planet and cut off the gods and hope that it doesn't just kill everyone or do something worse" thing. I'm trying to say don't fret too much on what God to use as your base. There's a ton of wiggle room there to take advantage of. You don't have to tie yourself down to a god you don't like just to get a specific character at endgame.

[Vigilantia]

Hercules and the other Guardians are perfect examples of what I'm talking about. Characters who are all children of Gods who have taken some different boons and set themselves apart from their parents and Pantheons. You know, aside from the whole "trying to lobotomize the planet and cut off the gods and hope that it doesn't just kill everyone or do something worse" thing. I'm trying to say don't fret too much on what God to use as your base. There's a ton of wiggle room there to take advantage of. You don't have to tie yourself down to a god you don't like just to get a specific character at endgame.

In addition to this, you'll want to remember: You're making a character and writing a story, not a character sheet in an RPG.

[Kieran]

I'm trying to say don't fret too much on what God to use as your base. There's a ton of wiggle room there to take advantage of. You don't have to tie yourself down to a god you don't like just to get a specific character at endgame.

To a degree, granted - and part of my problem is trying to tie it into my novel series . . .

That said, however, I do need a God that will serve as a proper foundation - even Heracles has Zeus' Epic Charisma and Epic Strength, after all - and it'd be nice if I could have it tie into the Marvel Universe, as well. Or even the DC Universe, since apparently the Amalgam Universe that fuses both sets of characters is Earth-960-something in Marvel's index of alternate timelines . . .

. . . Hm. "Talon" was one of X-23's original code names - combine her and Cassandra and she'd fit right in with "Dark Claw." Or mix Illyana (who doesn't have a character representation there, having been dead) with Donna Troy (likewise) . . .

Hm.

In addition to this, you'll want to remember: You're making a character and writing a story, not a character sheet in an RPG.

True, but possession of the latter helps with the former.

[Kieran]

He was the quintessential Scion, in many ways - having gone from Hero to God. He was synonymous with might, the national hero of Greece, the gatekeeper of Olympus - and thoroughly sick of the meddling of the Gods in the lives of mortals. Nor was he the only one; other Gods of other pantheons, former Scions themselves, had been manipulated and tormented throughout their mortal lives by the Gods, the Titans and their ilk, and they schemed in secret to find a way for the World to be free of them once and for all . . .

Which made what he was about to do all the more disgusting.

Still, he had little choice. Zeus had commanded all the Dodekatheon to awaken as many Scions as possible - they needed the numbers in their battles against the Titans. Not simply to win, but to convince the other pantheons that they were not responsible for the Titans' escape. They had been held in Tartarus after all, and their escape had gone unnoticed for some time - which implied that someone among them was complicit . . . And since he actually was involved in a conspiracy against the Gods (though not the one Zeus feared), it behooved him to do everything possible to convince them that there was no reason to be suspicious of him.

And so Heracles, also known as Hercules, prepared for his first-ever Visitation . . .








Sometimes, just sometimes, he wished that his grandfather wasn't who he was.

Oh, the power boost was beyond cool - especially to someone who'd always been a twig of a human being - but ultimately, Heracles was limited in the powers he could grant a Scion. No elemental powers, no conceptual manifestations - he was effectively just a human, magnified. And Heracles being who he was, it meant that his powers tended towards making him a brick, at that. Any mental or social enhancements, he really had to work for.

But even that wouldn't be so bad, if he didn't have the old man's enemies list lining up to take him out in an attempt to get revenge for whatever Heracles had done 3 000+ years ago.

Dodging yet another Amazon's attack, he mentally added, Of course, it was also help if I was a better fighter . . . And what the heck are Amazons doing here, anyway? I thought DC had a monopoly on the bloody things?!



Writer's Notes: Because Herakles is present in Fate, DC, and Marvel - so why not?

[Kieran]

. . . So, it's been a while - and I've been up to a few things I should probably mention.

I've proofread another chapter of "Beast of the Moon," which leaves me with (I think) 27 to go before I can start adding new bits - it really is a slow process. But I am getting it done, so, yay.

While I was unable to find a copy of the recent Marvel RPG (which I'm informed isn't all that well-designed, anyhow), I was able to order the recent DC Universe RPG. This means that Cassandra Cain and Donna Troy are probably options to use as characters, depending on what all the core rulebook covers. Not necessarily a bad thing, since DC also has a concept of multiple universes, even if travel between them isn't as well-defined as in Marvel. And it also means that those two Lantern snippets that I posted ages ago could become reality . . .

On that note, I've been reading a really interesting SI fic (yes, I said that) which fuels my desire to write one of my own, and because of that spur and a bit of luck, I managed to pick up some of the "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day" trade paperbacks. Having read them, I have a better understanding of how the various rings work - and while the limitations of the blue Power Ring make for an interesting character, the personality change doesn't. Literally, the creed of the Lanterns of Hope is "all will be well," and an unmitigated optimist, I am not. In fact, I suspect my SI would lose an edge as a character if he lost that cynical edge of his. Really, the rings he seems most suited for (aside from maybe green) are the red ring of rage, and the violet ring of love.

Unfortunately, while the red ring is probably the most suitable, there are too many flaws to make it workable - the fury it induces would make "Hulk Smash" the limit of his vocabulary if he's lucky, unless I use the version from "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" (which I don't want to do). That leaves the Star Sapphire ring - because I consider myself a romantic, and protecting true love is something I think is worth doing, considering how rare it is.

. . . Of course, it all depends on what the RPG book gives me in terms of options.


Alternatively, I've also been getting back into Persona of late - and while Kiriel was looking at doing a Scion/Persona 4 cross for the Works, I'd be looking at P3. Greek mythology, Greek Scion (which as you may have noticed, I've been aiming for, of late) - I think it's workable.

. . . Anyway, that pretty much covers everything I've been up to lately regarding the Works (even peripherally). Thoughts?

[Mattias]

How recent is the most recent Marvel RPG? Because I remember getting two free a few years ago at the Toronto Fan Expo.

[Kieran]

So far as I know, it's set in "Civil War" - which is a while ago, now, but more recent than the prior edition (which was a decade before that). Likewise, I'm 98% certain that the DC game I've ordered is pre-New 52 - but it'll be a place to start. Depending on what I set anything in (the DC Animated Universe, for example), up-to-date information may not matter, anyway.

*Shrugs* It's hard to keep pace with licensed materials when you do an RPG, but you do what you can, and you take what you can get.

[Xamusel]

Hey guys. I plan on actually finishing my end of things as soon as possible... given that there's 7 stories to write, you can guess how annoying it'll be, right?

Anyway, hope things go well for you all, and nothing bad happens.

[Kieran]

So, the DC book has arrived. Unfortunately, I work and have plans tonight, so I can't study it in detail - but even a quick skim tells me that the system is very detailed. The measurement scale goes up to kilotons in weight, and fractions of a second in time. Sadly, Star Sapphire is not listed (I'd need a different book for that), but Green Lantern and Sinestro are, so adapting them to a different hue of power ring ought to be easy.

. . . Honestly, I'm half-tempted to just hand him a yellow one because the idea is ridiculous. Is he capable of great fear? Yes - but more in the sense of feeling it than inspiring it. But if he works with the Bat Family, fear is pretty much how they work, right?

[Xamusel]

Because Kieran asked me to share what I have for the Grail Works here in order to get some feedback, I'll do so, to make sure that my co-author and I didn't screw up.

---

Suzaku’s Problem
Story written by Xamusel and Drake the Gunner

Disclaimer: Xamusel and Drake the Gunner both do not own the respective franchises of this series of stories, nor do they own most of the characters herein. Type-MOON owns the Tsuki and Fate franchises, Anima Game Studio owns Anima: Beyond Fantasy, LucasArts owns Star Wars, and so on and so forth. Xamusel owns the rights to his own character, Zamuseru Uzukano, and Drake the Gunner owns the rights to his own character, Einzelkampf Wiedergänger, while any other original characters are shared property of the two of them.

Prologue: And then, suddenly, Nukes!

(Third Person POV)
(Grail Works LTD Base)
(Undetermined Time and Day)

Illyasviel von Einzbern was bored beyond all belief. Her browsing the internet wouldn’t be of any help, given that they hadn’t fixed the internet just yet to work in their base between dimensions, nor would watching television (they needed to connect the TV to whatever dimension they wanted to get cable from). Still, it was the price to pay, being the current Grail spirit in a place that needed her services the way she was providing them.

Somehow, she knew that the multiverse was laughing at her, given that there was hardly anything for her to do. Being a spirit that couldn’t leave her current home, there should’ve been more for her to do, but, until the base was finished, she had nothing to do. Her body was, in a nutshell, dead and rotting. Nothing she could do would give her body new life—

Suddenly, a console in the dimension watching room went off, causing Ilya to appear there near instantly. She still needed to get used to her current state of body. However, before she could put more thought on her state of body, she saw two cataclysms going on in the same dimension! One of the cataclysms was a nuclear missile barrage aimed at the United States of America’s Pacific Northwest region! Looking for the source of the nuclear missiles, she saw it was North Korea that launched the missiles, proving that they have a chance of getting full nuclear capabilities in any timeline!

Shaking herself, she saw that another cataclysm was in Puerto Rico, when someone started to open a rift in reality and got themselves blasted apart by hellfire… what was with that dimension and fiery deaths?

XxX

(Xamusel’s POV)
(Stanwood, Pacific Northwest)
(15:15 (Local Time) - 4/28/2014)

I was busy going about my day, typing up stories and such over the internet, when there was a strange noise coming from outside my room. I went to take a look, and I saw that the TV was on, blaring a warning siren while showing those who would pay attention - that is to say, nobody else - that there was a nuclear missile targeting the immediate area. I wondered what sort of prank was going on here… that was my immediate thought about hearing the nuclear missile ‘warning’.

Sighing, I went back into my room, going to my computer again to continue writing stuff. This is probably one of those times when I should have wondered where the heck everyone else went, mainly because the rest of the house was eerily quiet, like they forgot about me or something.

…okay, seriously, that makes things sound more spooky. Let’s get away from that line of thought.

It might be odd to hear this, but I was considering changing my pen name on the internet on a few different websites, especially since “Xamusel” was probably a name I needed to move far away from. I mean, really, that was my real name with the style of Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts 2! How hard would it be for people to guess my real name out of that?! I wanted to have a more unique name on the net… then again, my real name is unique enough, though I don’t want people to know what it is. If anything, I think the name “Zamuseru Uzukano” would be for the best, unless… what time was it?

Eventually, I took a look at the clock on the computer, telling me that fifteen minutes have elapsed from the start of the warning siren to now… with the warning siren strangely off. Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on here?

With little regard to what was possibly going on, I walked into the bathroom, taking in my features in the mirror. My hazel eyes and oval-shaped wire-framed glasses are the first detail that I made out of the mirror, followed by my remnants of shaving earlier that day. My hair, a short and spiky dark brown, was the next detail that I made out of it, considering that my eyes decided to wander about the mirror.

Suddenly, before I could get into detail on my clothes, I heard an engine coming close to the house… wait, hold up, an engine? I stepped outside, took a look around, then noticed that the sound was coming from… up… in… the… air… DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!

In mere moments, the sound of a Nuclear Holocaust started blaring about the surrounding landscape, especially as I feel the nuclear warhead payload fry my skin and cause my insides to evaporate.

XxX

(Drake the Gunner’s POV)
(Somewhere in Puerto Rico)
(18:45 (Local Time) - 4/28/2014)

“In urgent news, North Korea has finally, after years of threatening, launched their nuclear missiles into the Pacific Northwest, one of the areas is Stanwood, the damage is severe and until now there have been no confirmed survivors. It is unknown what the USA has planned for this event but the president has already announced a nationwide report on this unfortunate event. On other news, did you know that having cell phones radiation on your front pant pockets leads men into having a lesser sperm count? This newest research may surprise you.”

Well… damn, I would never have thought North Korea had the balls to actually do it. I thought the US was gonna face some economic crisis and the start of world war three no doubt. At least my little island would be ignored… wait, the island is a colony to the US so if they go into crisis… fuck my life. Wait… they said Stanwood right? Isn’t that where Xamusel lives… FUCK! *thud*

Ouch, why was I at the schools’ laboratory again? Oh right, trying to see if mixing chemicals can cause a hole in the space time continuum so I can travel through dimensions… Why must I be so bored and insane to actually do that? Actually why was I at my schools laboratory? Ah, right, my friend said I can't create a dimensional gap by throwing random chemicals in, I’ll show him, him and everybody! Just because I’m lazy and my grades are average and a bit below average dosnt mean im not a genius! Havent they heard the saying, “Genius at birth, lazy by choice”? Plus, with the whole Korea shit this just gave me a chance to get the fuck out of here, unless I died molecule by molecule on the travel if I succeeded on creating a bridge through dimensions.

And let’s not forget how hard it was just get here. I had to pickpocket the keys to the school from the head nun, yes the school is catholic, then wait till a day where everyone is gonna celebrate and head home early. Evade the fucking cameras, no small feat, and enter the damn laboratory… Not counting the fact I had to lie to mom about this, now where was I? Oh right, alternate dimensions.

Although if I were to go into alternate dimension theory, another me probably did it, or me’s and surviving and dying the process or they probably got sucked into another dimension by some otherworldly force… I would have liked it if I ended up in the Highschool DxD dimension, or Kill la Kill, maybe even Mass Effect. Fire emblem? No, I don't wanna die in war. Fate/Stay night would be cool but again I don't wanna die. Fuck it I wanted go anywhere that's not my home actually, Korea is being more troublesome. But if it worked I thought of changing my name, mine is easy, so why do they write it wrong every single time! I’ll probably change it to Unsei, Japanese for fortune, cause that my arcana in the tarot. Or Drake but its on the net so I’ll make something up.

Okay, I concentrated, added water, some aluminium, added some soda to see if it works for the lulz. Was it supposed to sizzle like that? No matter, I added some helium. And-

“Open up! Interpol!”

.
.
.

The fuck? Interpol? For real? What are the odds?

*bang*

Shit! Okay fast. Helium, soda, water, aluminium, my ruby and, and, and, and, and, ummm *bang* okay got it! lets hope it works. Third drawer to my right and AHA acid, hehe good good its working I hope. Now I take this pot and throw it to the wall, if luck is on my side of impossible insanity then this shit should work. For real, thinking back on all this, I’m fucking crazy or bored… probably bored.

*boom*

“Freeze!” Shit!

“Think fast!” I shouted at them as I threw them the pot. *static, warping sound* What the fuck? A green portal thingy thats dropping into the floor and melting it… Meh I'll take my chances. Now I’m running and *boom* this is not cool who brings a bazooka into an arrest scene? No matter, I’m on the portal and… FUUUUUUUCK!! It fucking hurts! This is too much! I’M BLAMING YOU INTERPOL! Wait? Didn't the news say that cellphone radiation causes my sperm count to lower… FUCK!

XxX

(Third Person POV)
(Grail Works LTD Base)

‘Somehow, this was my fault,’ Ilya thought. ‘I just know it.’

Turning her attention to another console, she considered calling in one of the on-mission agents, but she decided against it. She didn’t know when the agents would be free to leave their missions, but she knew that calling them now would be a catastrophe, especially with that mission Arturia was on. Wasn’t it where Sin decided to attack, and she and her partner were labeled as rogue Aeons, or whatever?

Suddenly, a body started to materialize in a different room, making Ilya wonder how the defenses got breached… only to realize that it was a dead body! Heading for the room where the body was located at, she arrived instantaneously (again) to see the body of a young man, approximately 17-18 years old, and… being cradled in ice? In physical appearance, his skin was a light brown, he had black hair that needed a haircut and seemed to naturally form a small mohawk, and he seemed to be around five foot ten. While she couldn't see his eyes, Ilya could guess that they were brown. He was wearing some blue jeans, black dress shoes and a white button up shirt with blue accents, he also had two rings on his ring fingers.

Suddenly, the ice that was cradling him was absorbed into his skin, as if it was part of his very essence. With the ice no longer surrounding the young man, he opened his eyes, revealing almost ebony-colored orbs that were barely brown… and full of confusion.

“I need some fucking coca-cola,” were the first words to leave his mouth.

Ilya, for her part, couldn’t help but gape at the young man in front of her. He just came back to life and then says he needs coca-cola?! However, deciding to avoid complications, she asked, “Who are you, and how did you get here?” Internally, she said, ‘This is supposed to be impossible… right?’

“I want coca-cola,” he repeated his previous statement with different words.

Ilya, despite being a spirit, face vaulted at that moment. After getting back up, she frowned at the stranger. "Why should I get you anything? I don't even know who you are." A staring contest formed between them, their eyes unblinking for several minutes. Unnerved, Ilya held the stare for a while longer before the stranger spoke in a strange monotone.

"Coca. Cola."

A shiver went up the spirit's spine as she broke eye contact. “O-Okay, you win, I’ll get you your coca-cola! Just hold your horses.” As soon as she said that, she went straight to the kitchen, wherever that was… oh, wait, the kitchen was down ze hall, first door on ze left. Now, if only she knew which dimension had that reference more readily available….

XxX

(Third Person POV)
(Veggie Tales universe)
(Evening - Saturday)

“TREE!!” Mister Asparagus yelled, causing Bob the Tomato to turn the van (with two flat front tires) to the right to avoid crashing into a tree.

“CABIN!!” He yelled again, causing Bob to veer to the left to avoid busting someone’s cabin.

“UNDERWEAR!!” Mister Asparagus yelled one last time, only Bob couldn’t avoid this one, as he drove right into a laundry line… with aforementioned clothing article stretching right in front of the van as the van moved closer to the waterside.

XxX

(Third Person POV)
(Grail Works LTD Base)

Ah, whatever. It probably wasn’t important, anyway.

Soon enough, Ilya found the kitchen, before she went to the fridge and opened it. Sighing with relief, she found that there was indeed a jug of coca-cola, which she somehow managed to pour into a glass that she sent over to the young man. Before she could go back to her regular duties, she noticed that the jug of soda was also sent somewhere, so she decided to check if the man got it or not.

When she got to what was really the living room, she was shown that the youth got his soda, and had already downed the whole thing in one go, if the jug was any indication, being used for filling the glass up. Looking at the jug, she noticed that there was supposed to be five gallons of soda at the most, and he had already consumed almost a whole gallon!!

“H-hey!” Ilya yelled incredulously, getting the boy’s attention.

“Hn?” The boy grunted as he took another swing at the soda, and finish it. “What is it, loli?”

Ilya, fortunately, didn’t hear the “loli” comment. Instead, she answered, “You just drank a whole gallon of soda! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get the stuff?! I was lucky to even find it!”

“The fuck you talking about?” The boy asked her as he started drinking yet another glass. “Soda is extremely common in the markets, in like everywhere.” Once he finished the sentence he exhaled, but one knew that it was actually soda, not air.

“I meant, I was lucky to even find a whole five-gallon bottle of soda like the one you put a huge dent into!” Ilya yelled in clarification.

“Hn. That explains the taste. Its sweeter than normal, a bit more soda… Probably from being closed for longer than when you found it.” There went the second gallon.

Ilya, perhaps because she didn’t want to get into a major debate, threw up her arms in frustration and yelled, “Fine! Drink the damn thing, already! How you even survive the soda, I’ll have no idea!!”

At that final comment the boy stopped, and looked her in the eye. “Me neither, but I haven't drank water in about three years!” He finished with an eye smile and raising a new, full glass and downing it in a few gulps.

Ilya, despite knowing that this was reality and not a fictional universe, couldn’t help the huge bead of sweat down her face. Then she wondered… what happened to the other guy who was killed by a fiery death?

XxX

(Xamusel’s POV)
(Unknown Location)
(Unknown Time and Date)

I had been suspended in a void for… shit, it felt like forever, which it probably wasn’t. I mean, what could this resort to, other than the fact that I wasn’t in Heaven? If anything, I was hoping to figure out if my parents and other family made it there, but not like this!

…where the hell did I go? I was supposed to be headed to Heaven in the event that I died, but this… this is ridiculous!! Wherever I wound up in, I hope that they have a direct access to Heaven… I miss my family!

Suddenly, I saw a bright light encompass my vision, bringing hope to my eyes. Was I going to go to Heaven? I sure hope so!

Sooner than I could anticipate, the light surrounded me, and my vision went blank.

---

Any comments you guys can think of that could help with this?

[Kieran]

Red_Lantern_Corps_symbol.jpg

"Let's recap, just to see how bad this situation actually is," the man formerly known as Kurai muttered.

"First, I'm wearing a Red Lantern power ring - which is one of the evil power rings. Second, since I'm not near-mindless with rage, it's obviously a malfunctioning evil power ring. To make matters worse, since the red ring replaces the function of its wearer's heart, taking it off will kill me - as will running out of power, I assume. And to make matters much worse, I don't see a red lantern anywhere around to recharge the damned thing. So I think it's safe to say that I am well and truly screwed."

He sighed. "What do you know? I think, for once, things actually can't get any worse."

[Warning,] the ring announced. [Power Level at 15%]

"GODDAMNIT!"

[Xamusel]

Huh... that sounds really interesting. I hope that you can continue that line of thought.

Speaking of which... nobody's going to comment on my post above Kieran's latest?

[Kieran]

Huh... that sounds really interesting. I hope that you can continue that line of thought.

As I noted, the red ring has a lot of flaws - I'm not sure it'd be worth it. The only potentially worse matchup for me is a yellow (fear) ring . . . Or the blue (hope) ring.

Speaking of which... nobody's going to comment on my post above Kieran's latest?

Part of why I posted that - figured I'd push it up into visibility again.

[Xamusel]

Huh... thanks, Kieran, for being so nice about that.

[Kieran]

*Shrugs* Support is one of the reasons for this board and this thread, right?

[Xamusel]

True.

...where'd everyone else go?

[Vigilantia]

Huh... that sounds really interesting. I hope that you can continue that line of thought.

Speaking of which... nobody's going to comment on my post above Kieran's latest?

I have a negative impression on literal SI characters so I didn't comment.

[Xamusel]

...how bad are we talking, here, Vigilantia?