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Messages - Wayne
91
« on: January 19, 2004, 05:16:08 pm »
Xan slowly straightened up, painfully sheathing his sword as he rose, feeling pinpricks all along his arm from where it'd earlier lost feeling. It had been years since he had felt that much pain; and never had it been at the hands of one of the "inferiors"-- normal El-Hazard folk.
Of course, thought Xan; meeting his enemy's steady gaze, though he could see spots of light, ...the grandchild of a Great Priestess is far from 'normal.'
Kane gave a slight grin. "Well, I knew it!" he exclaimed, panting. "You are from the Shadow Tribe...." He took another breath, steadying himself against the nearby wall. "...who are you? Is it possible that we have met before? And why are you trying to kill me?"
Xan chuckled softly, shaking his head; although the gesture caused him to sway uneasily; it was hard for him to even keep his balance after the crushing strikes he'd received from Kane. Then the Tribesman coughed, and replied, "...you... you really don't understand, do you?"
The redhead shrugged. "I guess not. But since you tried to kill me, I'm pretty sure you have a reason for it!"
Xan started to laugh, but he broke into coughing again, and shook his head. "N-no, no real reason. It's nothing that you have done, in any event."
"Then... why?" He paused. "...before... that was you in disguise. You asked about Grandma Shayla. Why?"
The blue-haired man coughed again. "I'm afraid I can't--"
"Why." It was no longer a question.
Xan narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't understand. Nor would I expect you to." He sighed as he saw Kane clench his left hand into a fist. "'Blood follows blood, and the price is paid in measure.' ...that's why."
Kane growled. "What are you tryin' so say? I don't--"
"You don't understand." Xan hissed. "It is as I said. You can't--"
"No," the young man said fiercely, and the air around him began to heat. "I get it. You want to kill me... OK. I have a problem with that, but OK. But what did Grandma ever do to you? You can't be much older than me."
"Less than a year, as I recall." Xan said evenly. "...Shayla never did anything to me, at least not directly. But she took part in an event a long time ago that, upon its completion, led to tragedy amongst my people. I'm no longer part of the 'real' Shadow Tribe-- I wasn't trained to kill to serve the whims of a delusional relic from the past."
"Who's that?" Kane breathed, still worn.
"Your 'grandma' tried to kill him. Ask her." Xan retorted. Then his voice resumed its usual edge, and he continued in his softly accented Roshtarian, "...so I have my own mission. Shayla is incidental, but I came upon her grandchild on my way to my main objective, and so I decided to make the most of it. ...of course, things did not go as planned."
Kane eyed the crushed needle still on the ground near Yumi's house, and half-smiled. "Lucky for me."
Then they both heard footsteps approaching, and Xan frowned; two of Kane's friends, one he didn't know and the other the one from before who'd spotted him, were approaching.
The Shadow Tribesman turned back to his rival. "You'll understand if I don't want to remain here to be beset by three of you. So... I know you have questions. And for besting me this time honor demands I answer you before I return to kill you." He sighed. "For now... I will listen."
---
However you want to arrange that (you can probably fill in the blanks via our PMs if you want to write it yourself) is fine; or we can just go back-and-forth. Keep in mind that Xan will not reveal that he's there to kill Nanami (and Makato and Ifurita; he still thinks they're at the palace).
92
« on: January 18, 2004, 10:56:21 am »
Raven-- Helpful post, thanks; I know Exe and I were thinking of a way to wrap things up nicely and neatly, and he could probably use Nolan getting in there.
Just one thing, though--
"What does it look like?!" the redhead snapped in reply. "I'm gonna kill him before he kills me!" "Redhead" there being Kane, not Xan. The oh-so-uncreatively termed "blonde" (not unlike a certain Eastwood movie) is Xan in his disguised form. I don't think the assassin would be worried about the good guy killing him first.  I do apologize if that was unclear originally.[/font]
93
« on: January 17, 2004, 07:54:54 pm »
Xan backpedaled as his enemy summoned a whirling sheet of flame around him, radiating outward; nearly instantly igniting the floor and ceiling below and above him, and the fire began to spread.
The Shadow Tribesman narrowed his eyes, unable to approach through the heat; and his needle gun was still across the room, where it'd landed. In one motion he bent down to his boot, withdrew a throwing knife, and hurled it Kane... using his powers to obscure the weapon until it left his hand.
Kane's eyes widened as a dagger suddenly appeared in the air, hurtling at him; and jerked his head to the right-- wincing as the sharpened metal, heated by his own flames, left a shallow cut on his cheek just below his eye; and the dagger stuck into the as-yet unburning wall behind him.
Xan charged forward, leaping over the spreading blaze on the floor, and kicking at Kane's chest as he left the ground; but the redhead raised both arms to block, stopping Xan's boot; and with a grunt Kane pushed back, forcing his enemy away.
Xan landed gracefully and lunged at Kane with his sword, but the young man had seen it before and evaded to the side, charging forward to counter. He projected a blast of fire at Xan, who nimbly jumped sideways, pivoting as he landed, circling even closer to Kane, who, grinning, pulled his arm to the right, and the torrent of fire followed.
The Tribesman was unprepared for the continuous attack and hissed in pain as he fell back, the heat alone causing him pain; but he fell to the ground as the fire spread shot over him. Xan rolled the opposite direction as the fiery attack faded, grabbing his second dagger from his boot, and again hiding it.
Kane advanced, kicking low as Xan rose; but the Shadow Tribesman blocked it with his arm. But Kane knew he had the advantage and gathered another ball of fire into his hand, cocking back his hand to fire... then Xan dexterously flipped to his feet, slashing at an upward angle, and Kane wrenched himself back to dodge, which he did easily; the sword blade passing cleanly beyond his neck-- but that was a feint. Xan twisted with the momentum of the slash, bringing up his other hand-- and though it looked empty, Kane suddenly felt the stab of pain of heated metal on skin; and he then saw the dagger in Xan's hand cut his upper arm, near his left shoulder.
It wasn't a deep wound, nor a permanent one-- but it was painful. And the fire still in Kane's hand burned brighter as the pangs he felt gave him another surge of strength. He kicked at Xan, who checked it with his own leg-- but for a second the Tribesman could not evade as he stopped the attack, and Kane had his opening.
He swung down with a fiery right cross-punch, catching Xan cleanly in the chest; the force of the blow coupled with his elemental strength behind it catapulted his enemy backward. Xan flew through the railing around the stairwell, the shattered wood barely slowing his fall, and landed roughly on his back on the opposite end of the room from Kane.
The fires in the room were spreading faster now, and Kane knew to try to hurry the duel-- his own fire might not burn him, but the smoke and debris from the collapsing room certainly would. He darted forward, quickly clearing the distance; and when Xan didn't immediately counter as he neared he threw a weaker, faster shot of flame at him-- which the fallen assassin didn't seem to dodge.
Kane began to relax as the body caught fire, and turned back toward the north window; the girl was still asleep by it, but the fire was nearing her. Kane took a step toward her.
Then abruptly fell, face-first, on the heated wooden floor. He sprang back up to his feet, only to see Xan already up, though his sword was tucked into his belt on the right side instead of in his hand.
Kane opened his mouth in surprise, but before he could speak a now-angry Xan punched forward, catching him in the face, pushing Kane back. The redhead whipped his right arm around in a powerful backhand, but Xan leaned back and out of the way. He kicked at Kane's torso-- his enemy raised his cut but not badly hurt left arm to block-- and when his right leg was stopped against Kane's arm he tensed. He quickly lowered his right leg and then, as Kane began to counter, flipped upward, swinging his left up. It connected against Kane's jaw and lifted him off the ground; and as both landed Xan twirled around with a potent spinkick which flung Kane back against the wall-- and into the sheet of fire which had since wreathed that window.
Xan gave a mocking salute toward his seemingly-immolated opponent and ran back toward the north window, turning to the right to pick up his needle gun. He swooped down and grabbed and holstered it, and reached for his sword, intent on slicing out the window so as to avoid the shards of glass from breaking through it.
But as he drew back his sword-arm there was a defeaning roar of fire and Kane, fazed more from the impact than the flames, gestured forcefully toward Xan's back. The swath of fire knocked Xan down-- but Kane was prepared this time. He was carefully watching his enemy, eyes so used to the blinding heat and light of the fire he summoned; and he did not see Xan's sword fall from his hand as it should have.
Another illusion, Kane mused. "You're not fooling me this time." he said firmly, hand raised; ready for another attack. He was getting wearied from the exertion of using so much energy, not to mention the hits he'd taken-- but his enemy was in similar condition.
There was a shimmer of light in front of him, distinct from the refraction caused by the growing conflagration, and Xan appeared before him, in his stance.
"Heh," Kane said simply. Xan hadn't escaped the sudden blast after all. The right side of his face was reddened, and he could see singe marks on his jacket and clothing; and his trained eyes could see that Xan was favoring his wounded arm; it rested limp at his side instead of in a ready position, as before.
Both men attacked at the same time. Xan, having reach, struck first, slashing twice, at Kane's head and then low to his knees, but the redhead cleanly evaded both, countering with a high crescent kick, but the illusionist ducked under it. Xan fell to one hand and sweeped forward, which Kane lightly jumped over, making sure he didn't hit the low ceiling; and as Kane landed he punched downward with fire, and Xan barely rolled out of the way.
Xan stepped back toward the window, and Kane followed, punching once toward Xan's head-- blocked-- then a followup to his gut, which his enemy couldn't stop with his wounded arm, and the blonde doubled over. Kane smirked and lifted his arm into an uppercut to finish the attack, but Xan had impaled his sword into the wall by the window for leverage, and yanked himself back; Kane barely missed. The redhead prepared a final fiery attack....
But Xan, gripping the blade tightly with his hand, used it to remain steady as he jumped off the ground. Kane's eyes widened as Xan swung his leg around in a powerful kick, connecting to the side of Kane's head. The force he'd generated with the spin, using the embedded sword as an anchor, was such that Kane was shot through the window, shattering it; and he landed roughly on the ground below, groaning as he pulled himself back up to his feet.
Xan pulled his sword from the wall even as the fire had finally finished consuming the room. He bent down and scooped up Jeane, sheathing his sword on his back at the same time, and lept from the same window even as the sheet of fire reached it; tongues of flame licked at the Shadow Tribesman as he fell to the ground, sticking his landing below; and he gently put Jeane down.
"Why'd you... rescue her?" Kane asked, panting; incredulous.
Xan took a breath. "...I'm... ruthless. Not heartless." He half-smiled and reached for his sword.
Both men, battered and wearied, but with enough strength and resolve to continue; stared at each other, both knowing that the fight had moved to its final chapter.
94
« on: January 17, 2004, 03:43:52 pm »
I'm sorry did you found out all this imformation on the base of internet, then hello let me remind you something this is not year 2003 it's already 2004 and for your so rude suggestion I suggest you to surf blaclisle website and read the new headline as well as our project is approved. I didn't think I was being rude, just pointing out some pretty obvious holes in your tale (and the fact that your reply is "Well, it's not 2003 anymore," which is totally irrelevant to the situation BIS and Interplay are in, leads me to suspect I was right).
Plus if you were really working for BIS, you probably would've pointed out that Black Isle is based in California; it's only Bioware that's Canadian. :]
But hey, I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt. So I went a little above and beyond, just to make sure.
Black Isle's main page. The most recent headlines and press releases are about BG: Dark Alliance 2. No mention of El Hazard, "Eternity," etc.
Went over to the Interplay forums. No relevant hits for "El Hazard" (mentioned in passing in a few threads). No relevant hits for "Eternity" (used frequently, but never in reference to a game, development team, or engine).
Look, I apologize for calling you out on this, especially since it would seem like you've been singled out (there's no shortage of dishonest people on the Internet, and most of the time we can safely ignore them). And one fabricated story doesn't disqualify you from the site or anything, at least not as far as I know.
95
« on: January 16, 2004, 04:19:42 pm »
*raises an eyebrow* Black Isle doesn't have a CEO currently. The last one was Feargus Urquhart, who left to help form Obsidian last year (some time after Black Isle was absorbed into Interplay (at which point he was no longer an executive; I think his title was "Head Developer" or something, after all, BIS was no longer a corporation, just a division of Interplay)). Interplay's CEO is Herve Caen.
Of course, considering BIS and Bioware are both Canadian developers, it's not too surprising they don't have very many Japanese staff members (I'm not aware of any offhand, actually; although it is a pretty big studio, or at least it was).
BIS is one of my favorite developers, so I read up on the state of the studio after Interplay initially announced they were going to shut it down (a decision subsequently reversed, fortunately; although several key members of the staff were released).
Heh, sorry if it sounds like I'm grilling you or something, but this just doesn't add up. *chuckles* Especially the "projected release date"-- one to two months means all the work is done and it's in its final testing phase, and if such was the case... well, some screenshots would be very welcome.
(Unless they were going to can Jade Empire, and you just changed the models from Chinese to Roshtarian....  )
96
« on: January 16, 2004, 03:49:36 pm »
El-Hazard, unlike some other animes, was not made out of a manga. (It was produced direct to OAV.) Therefore, the only manga of it is unofficial. I did know that first bit (that the manga was made following the anime), but not the second-- I guess when I saw a Viz-published series manga I automatically assumed it was "official." *chuckles* I've never seen the Viz version anywhere out here, but then; I do live in the middle-of-nowhere Missouri. :|
Morris (or would it be JS? )-- Nah, don't worry about it. I'm not much for Japanese goods or E-Bay (besides music, heh); but it is helpful to know for anyone who is (not everybody is going to keep looking out for rare El Hazard material; and posting notices like this is very helpful). If I came off as not being appreciative, it was probably just because I was answering Rob's original question ("Anyone interesting in collecting this stuff?").
97
« on: January 16, 2004, 03:30:00 am »
Alrighty, thanks. Heh, my first fight scene in... two weeks? I hope I still remember how. Thanks again, guys; for working with me (and for the future, of course). :]--- Xan steadied his aim with the needle gun. Wait, wait... alright, there... and....But even as he was pulling down on the trigger he heard the door shut near Kane, and adjusted the scope a few inches to the right... and in the crosshairs were the discolored lenses of night-vision goggles. There was a pause, as both men took a second to register that they were, indeed, seeing someone through a lens that was looking at him the same way. Bloody-- Xan cursed mentally, instantly shifting the scope back over Kane. At the same time Miles lowered his lens, and turned back to his friend. "Kane, we should get go--" Click."--ing." Kane wordlessly took a step forward-- and felt a sudden gust as something shot through the air, whizzing less than a centimeter behind his head, and his eyes followed the projectile-- a needle, smashed against the side of Yumi's house. Xan snarled and aimed again, but the other man had already spotted him, and pointed toward his window. Kane looked up, nodded, and broke into a run toward the house Xan was in; his second shot going wide as Kane moved. "What are you doing?!" called Miles, looking up at the window warily, readying his own weapon. "What does it look like?!" the redhead snapped in reply. "I'm gonna kill him before he kills me!" The Shadow Tribesman looked around, rapidly cloaking himself. The second level of the tenement was basically a loft; the stairs led up to the middle of a plain, large wooden room with four beds in the middle, and six windows; one each on the north and south walls, and two equidistant on the left and right... Xan had shot from the one window north, just several yards in front of the stairs... and Jeane was still lying there. The man grinned and pulled Jeane close to the window, and put his needle gun in her hand, quickly detaching and putting away the sniper extension-- already he heard footsteps from below. He grinned, and stepped back from the stairwell-- he didn't expect the ruse to fool Kane, who got a decent look at him; but the delay was all he needed. Kane nearly flew up the stairs, muscles tensed, mentally prepared for a fight... a stopped short, as he saw a young girl with what was clearly a needle gun in her hand... but she was still, and snoring quietly.... "Oh no, you're not fooling me." he said quietly, walking up behind her. In one rapid motion he flipped her over, grabbing the gun away at the same time-- but to his shock she was, in fact; sleeping soundly. "What the hell--" he began. He heard a floorboard creak behind him, just in time. Kane cursed and sidestepped, ducking quickly as a man about his size suddenly appeared now in front of him, sword in hand; slashing at his neck. The gleaming steel passed inches above his head; but the assailant recovered from his own surprise just as quickly, giving Kane a swift kick to his left shoulder, forcing him back-- but it wasn't a bad hit, though it did knock the needle gun free; it landed several feet away from Jeane; and as he brought the sword down for another slash Kane dropped low and kicked at Xan, connecting at his waist and knocking him back. The 'blonde' attacker frowned, unwilling to give up his advantage that quickly, and lunged again, extending the blade as though to skewer Kane; but the youth twisted aside with remarkable speed. Kane grinned, and began summoning fire into his hand... and so enhanced he struck forward, countering with a rapid punch; but Xan seemed to fall back to the ground, catching himself on his free right hand, and scissored Kane's legs as he charged; and the surprised redhead barely managed to call off his flame before he struck the wooden floor. He had taken far worse in his experiences, though; and while any normal man would've been stunned from a fall like that Kane jumped back to his feet, Xan likewise skipping back a few steps, holding his blade at the ready. Both men narrowed their eyes, waiting for the other to make the next move-- verbal, physical, or otherwise. --- Yes, flammable, and no one else to get hurt besides an Alliele-clone. I figure a lot of fights don't really take terrain into account-- so why not start off in a furnished (beds and dressers, mostly) room and play around with that for a post or two before we get back to the [literal] street fight? *grins*
Edit: Thank all that is holy I Copied before hitting post. I got some strange error (cache?) and would've lost this entry otherwise. I sincerely hope everyone else is doing that for posts you'd rather not lose after typing once, heh.
98
« on: January 16, 2004, 02:41:34 am »
Alright, thanks, Fujisawa. Nice way to start things off (the only problem was that I mentioned Xan was still in his "disguise," so he looks like a normal person instead of his blue skin-- nobody will know he's Phantom Tribe until later). :]
Ah, well; I wasn't asking you to write anything for us (yet-- we have to get Miles in the action later on for gunfight hijinks  ); I was just making sure it was OK to write each other's characters for fights, and Exe pointed out that it was alright-- since you and he had already done so earlier. Which answered the question nicely; thanks for clarifying it. 
And... if there's no objection (like there would be at midnight-- ha ha, burning the midnight oil wins Wayne another one! ), I guess I'll go ahead and get this shindig started. Exe, feel free to write Kane when you get back; and let me know if I got anything wrong (as always), so I can fix it.
99
« on: January 16, 2004, 02:35:09 am »
Unless this game is basically a huge mod using the Aurora Engine from NWN or IWD2-- which wouldn't be a bad thing if you're that flexible, heh-- I really can't see how anyone can make an "unofficial" full-fledged 3D game. Modelling and texturing the basic models, in an anime style, not to mention 3D landscaping....
Heh, well; at least most of the story is prewritten and if you'd just be using a previous engine... still, though; I can't imagine a group of professional artists, renderers, and programmers working pro bono on an anime game in some of the company's busiest years. But three years sounds about right... what do you do at Black Isle, if you don't mind my asking? With the trouble BIS and Interplay are in right now, this is pretty surprising news, to say the least, heh.
100
« on: January 15, 2004, 05:42:27 pm »
 So... you're like an inverse otaku or something, then? That's pretty wild. Again, nothing at all wrong with it... I'm just surprised. *chuckles*
I liked the original Tenchi Muyo! OAVs (*points to Kagato avatar*)... it's similar to El Hazard in several ways, and was one of the first anime I've ever seen... I'd recommend it, if you ever get the chance. Ah! My Goddess is very shoujo... I'm almost certain I only really like it because it balances out the gaping void in my psyche left by the scarring of DBZ, Scryed, Bubblegum Crisis, and so on, heh.
But for the most part, while I have watched mainstream anime (pretty much everything that came on CN, anyway) the only one I've really liked was Inuyasha. Even popular anime in Japan (like Naruto) I haven't really liked. So in some ways you're not missing all that much. :]
Going somewhat back on topic... were there ever any English El-Hazard books made (even unofficially)? Besides the manga/graphic novels, of course. I doubt it (and I think you said so somewhere else on the site, Rob), but I just wanted to check; and I've seen some English anime material recently, which reminded me.
101
« on: January 15, 2004, 05:19:19 pm »
Ah, thanks for explaining that, Exe. Although since I'd finally finished reading round 1 as well, I sort of had that figured out; but I do appreciate it. :]
And... well, if you're up to it, I was thinking about simply having Kane dodge (or someone step out and distract him so that Xan simply misses, because Kane moved ), so we can get to that fight scene we were thinking about. After all, the EHRP could use a nice bit of mano a mano shounen-style violence. *laughs* Seriously, it would be cool, though.
That reminds me, though-- how would this RP handle combat between two PCs? The traditional "don't write the other character" viewpoint is great for dialogue, but in a fight where both participants are active I could easily see something like that blossoming into two dozen or more posts (depending on how long the fight is).
In some other RP'ing I've done the usual compromise is to trade off... one person starts, writing both characters fighting, and his own character's dialogue (maybe a little of the opponent's). After an exchange the other writer takes over, writing his character's reaction as well as both people fighting, and so on until [a pre-arranged, usually] someone wins (or there's a draw, or interruption).
Of course, among immature writers this inevitably leads to "godmodding" ("My character avoids defeat with some awesome technique and leaves yours in the dirt, eat that!" "But wait, my character really dodged it at the last second, and now you go..."), which is why this would have to be agreed upon ahead of time. And more importantly the key is respect-- both writers read as much as they can of the other character, then try to make sure the actions they write are appropriate and in-character.
For example, let's say two RP'ers were writing a fight between Ifurita and Shayla-Shayla (which can't happen in this RP, of course, making it a safe example).
The first writer (writing as Shayla) would begin the fight, focusing on Shayla's point of view (most of the dialogue is hers). She attacks, Ifurita defends; he describes several moves worth of combat (primarily using Shayla's various moves, while Ifurita primarily dodges, uses her staff's cannon, etc.; basic stuff), then says something else, temporarily pausing it.
Writer #2 takes over as Ifurita and writes it from her point of view; doing more creative things (like maybe shooting down a wall behind her or going kung-fu on the redhead like she did on Kalia ), while Shayla's written more simplistically (fire attack her, cartwheel back to dodge, etc.). The focus on the dialogue (if any) is Ifurita's; he writes the other character conservatively.
Back to writer #1, who (as they've previously agreed) writes Shayla getting owned. Afura says something witty on the sidelines; Nanami collects the bets she took.
The writers shake hands and the RP moves back on track.
...like that, basically. The key there is respect, and what best moves the "plot" along (such as it is).
...anyway, this is obviously on a case-by-case basis, and not everyone wants to write fight scenes; and those that do don't want the vitriol that comes with watching someone horribly misuse your characters.
...anyway, was that long enough? *laughs* I'd like to hear the mods' input-- just keep in mind that "non-peaceful" interaction is one of the keys to [occasional] antagonist RPing, and on a purely "write your own character" level is extremely cumbersome (and I know that most of the others don't want to sit and wait for two writers to sort out a massive collection of posts back-and-forth when a handful of longer, cooperative work is much easier).
And I wanted to get this out of the way before we really get into the fighting, heh. 
102
« on: January 15, 2004, 01:01:53 am »
"Is it usual for the city to be so... deserted?" Xan asked, glancing down at his much shorter guide. "...well, it is late," Jeane explained. "And most people are still taking refuge in the shelters... but my family couldn't affo--" "Yes," he interrupted, curtly; then sighed as the girl suddenly stopped, looking away angrily. "...I apologize. However I can't help you, and listening to your problems is... discomforting." Jeane slowly nodded, and brushed under her eyes. "Y-yeah, I understand. It's OK." She led him in uncomfortable silence for another couple blocks, occasionally pointing out this tourist spot or that landmark-- such as a large, forbidding mausoleum, alabaster dome and ornate detailing suggesting it was used by nobility-- and after some time had passed she paused, stepped into the shadow of a taller two-story tenament house, and waved for Xan to follow her. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, falling into step beside her; and she waved ahead, pointing into the dim light. "Somebody's out there," she whispered, and Xan followed her gesture. His eyes took longer to adjust than hers, but quickly he could make out the figure of a young man, estimated at about his height; and with red hair. "Someone you know?" Xan replied, voice low; and Jeane shook her head, pulling back her blue tresses to avoid risking her long hair being spotted. "No, I've never seen him before. ...mm, he looks cute, though, doesn't he?" The Shadow Tribesman looked down at her, surprised. "...odd. I had the strangest feeling you..." "Went the other way? I dunno, X, I get that a lot...." Xan stopped for a moment, thinking; then nodded. "Jeane, I want you to do me a favor." "Now?" she asked, voice rising. "Well, if you insist, but that'll cost more--" He scowled, waving his hand dismissively. "No, not like that. I'm going to ask him something, then I'm going to give a gesture... right, I'll put my hand behind my back to my sword sheath." "With you so far," the girl replied, tone not matching the confusion evident in her face. "Good. When I do that, you come from this position, and call for me. I'll explain that I need to go, and there won't be any suspicion." "Ooh, smart one!" she said, grinning. "Yes, thank you. Now pay attention. This will be quick, if he is who I think he is." Xan straightened up and took a breath, then walked as nonchalantly as possible toward the man he'd seen, all weapons carefully hidden under his illusion besides his sword. The red-haired youth noticed him quickly and turned to face him, but said nothing at first. The "blonde" stopped a few meters short, giving a short bow. "Good evening. I was, ah, wondering about something?" The man nodded. "Make it quick." Xan smiled. "Of course. I, ah, came on this long pilgrimmage to meet with the esteemed heroes of El Hazard... in particular the retired Fire Priestess, Shayla," he lied, not wanting to arouse suspicion with the lesser-known Earthlings. "You have the look of an elementalist yourself... and from the pictures I've seen, you seem to favor her. I'd like to meet her, if that's possible." The tanned youth relented, half-smiling. "Good guess. I'm her grandson--" For an instant a shadow crossed Xan's face; his guess was correct, this was the fiery child who'd come to one of the Shadow Tribe enclaves when he was younger. "...Kane. But, eh, you can't meet her now. Needs her beauty sleep and all...." Xan smiled again. "Of course; and it is late. Ah-- what was that?" he asked, hearing voices from inside the house Kane had egressed from. As he and Kane both looked toward the door Xan surreptiously tapped the back of his sword. The red-haired man's eyes narrowed. "...we're sorting out some problems. ...man, I'm sorry, but there's something I have to do. Uh, why don't you come back here tomorrow?" "Of course, it'd be an--" "X!" Jeane called, as though on cue; running up to him, then devoting her full attention to Kane. "Ahh, and this is my sister." Xan patted her head. "It looks like I need to go as well. Thanks for your assistance, Kane." Both men nodded; Kane waiting impatiently just outside the house, but he shortly heard footsteps from within, as several were getting prepared to join him, perhaps; and as soon as Xan and Jeane were out of sight the Shadow Tribesman grabbed her hand and darted inside the two-floor inn, cloaking both he and the girl as he ran upstairs. "Hey, didn't you listen!?" she snapped. "If you want 'guides with benefits,' you gotta--" Her voice suddenly stopped as Xan, unseen by Jeane, had taken his needle gun and fired a tranquilizer into the girl's arm at point-blank range. She mumbled several more words, then fell to her knees, and tipped forward, in seconds sleeping peacefully. Xan wasted no time in getting to the window, and sure enough Kane was there-- and he could see the door of the house opening; soon he wouldn't be alone. Just as well. he thought as he quickly switched the case of tranquilizers for his lethal poisoned needles, snapping it into place; then fitted a sniping barrel extension to the gun. He glanced back down, taking the time to steady his arm in the dark. Shayla herself wasn't present, but her grandson was... and that was enough for the assassin. The side of Kane's head came into view, red crosshairs indiscernable against his hair. He pressed the trigger.... --- Alright, here you go. :] There's several reasons the first shot would miss, and after that (maybe the second, if he didn't see it coming) it wouldn't be hard to find out where Xan was hiding (he's not invisible now, although his appearance illusion is still up).
Apologies for borrowing Kane for some dialogue, but it wouldn't make sense without it, y'know? I can alter if I got his personality wrong or something.
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« on: January 14, 2004, 10:00:52 pm »
I'm just the type crazy enough to want it for that reason alone. Hey, there's nothing at all wrong with that. And I was a bit hasty myself with the whole "useful" clause-- I like swords, for example, and over the years I've picked up two katana, a broadsword, a wakizashi, two daggers (one's a Japanese tanto) and a rapier (and I'd have more, but they're pretty bloody expensive, heh). And it's not like I'll ever go ahead slicing people up, so.... *chuckles*
At least you picked a good series, though. One of my friends is a hardcore Evangelion fanboy, and has collected hundreds of dollars worth of periphery from that series-- I don't know if you like it or not, but I never did; so I always thought that was pretty funny (of course, everyone has eccentricities, heh).
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« on: January 14, 2004, 08:52:47 pm »
Being a pragmatic bloke, I tend to only collect things I can use. And as Japanese characters might as well be cuneiform for all I know of the language... I probably won't collect anything El-Hazard. *chuckles*
Don't get me wrong, though; I'm definitely grateful to you for being able to check out the scans ("Ooh, purty pictures!") even if I can't make heads or tails out of the text.
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« on: January 14, 2004, 08:20:47 pm »
Enter the Shadow[/i]
*gets bricked for lame title*--- Xanas Antares had been told many things about Floristica, capital of Roshtaria and essentially the epicenter of contemporary El-Hazard civilization; but he had never yet been there. And, he thought, looking over the damaged city from his vantage point atop a nearby hill, ...neither have my mentors, apparently. If Roshtaria's capital was halfway levelled in war, one would think the bloody Tribe would know about it.He took a pair of binoculars and looked around the city gates. They still stood, indicating the worst of the damage came from... inside? Above? The palace seemed more or less intact, although one of the towers had been levelled... the path of destruction seemed to trail from there outward in one direction... causing massive damage to outlying housing, but fortunately not most of the city. So what was this? A bomb? A shot from the sky? The assassin looked up, but there was nothing above him; and certainly not the enroaching Eye of God he was half-expecting to suddenly appear. The gates were unguarded, however, and that was all Xan needed to know. He put his binoculars away, drew his needle gun, checked for perhaps the twentieth time that his nonlethal stun darts were loaded, and holstered it. And began walking down toward the devastated center of the city. --- Xan reached the gate without incident and walked through. Floristica was big, and in traditional El-Hazard style laid out concentrically. He could see the palace from where he was; but getting there quietly.... "Hey, mister!" called a girl's voice from inside the wall, and the disguised Shadow Tribesman paused. "Yes?" A young girl of perhaps thirteen stepped from the shadows, and bowed. She was dressed like a typical Roshtarian-- tight vest, with puffed-out pants; and light blue hair. "Do you need a guide, mister? My house was knocked down by the ship, an--" Xan raised an eyebrow. "Ship, you say? So my guess was wrong. Tell me, my dear... can you take me to the palace? I need to, ah... meet someone, and I would like a back way in." She nodded, grinning. "Sure, I can do that." Then she put her hands on her hips as Xan resumed walking forward. "...um, I'm not guiding you for free, you know. This is my job." "Heh, of course, of course." The young man turned around. "And how much do you charge, my dear?" "Fifty Roshtals!" she exclaimed cheerfully, and Xan's face twitched. " Seriously." "Hee hee, right. Ten Roshtals. ...and that's my final offer!" The Shadow Tribesman couldn't help chuckling quietly, and reached inside his jacket, took a few coins, and pressed them in the girl's hand. "...thanks. Well, let's go. And my name's Jeane... what's yours?" she inquired, cheerfully. Xan paused. "...this is going to sound like a cliche. But call me 'X.'" "Ecks," she repeated dutifully. "Then let's go, X. I'll take you along this ring... normally there's not too many people here, but I saw some huge robot running around that way. So...." Xan patted his shoulder holster, under the pretense of stretching his arm. "I think I can handle that. Lead on, then. I've been looking forward to this appointment for... a long time." --- And there's the intro. Xan is following a random NPC (*wonders if anyone caught the joke between allieles and "Jeanes"* :]) toward the palace, which will (of course!) take them by Yumi's house.
PS - How is this, by the way? I want to save the action for the next post or two; this is just like an intro of sorts. No major issues, I trust; and my writing's not too strange?
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