ML

Beyond the Storms

Once atrophy does his thing we'll be all good for phase 3, and maybe a time skip

I haven't heard anything about the time skip so I'm just gonna do it?

The Chronicles of Irenaea [Always Open] [Historiograhy-Based] [Low-Commital]

Yay I'm an old man

Epic City: Starburst

Sure
--
Kenny
Perfect Body Control: An example, she can throw a coin from across the room into the slot of a vending machine.
DJ/Producer.
The life of any and every party. Crass, offensive in the best way possible, loves memes.

Ernie
Finds all the best memes (standard pyrokinesis, lightning control too)
Producer/Pianist.
Chill by nature, never raises his voice, but still loves memes.

Hannah
Technomancy: can interface with and understand technology in a fraction of the time of normal human.
Sound Designer for Film and TV.
Short and sweet, she likes to relax when she can.

Vince
Enhanced speed, reflexes, and strength
Ghost writer.
A more flamboyantly gay man, with a calm wit. Likes dad-jokes.

Garfield
Enhanced senses, can share enhancements with others
Classically-trained flutist.
Foul-mouthed and meme-heavy. People are usually surprised to learn that he's gay.

Maria
Can switch her voice to impersonate anyone she's ever heard, including actors and people she walks by once.
Singer and socialite.
Very warm, but not caring. In other words, she gets close to few, but is loved by many.

The Chronicles of Irenaea [Always Open] [Historiograhy-Based] [Low-Commital]

That got long

The Chronicles of Irenaea [Always Open] [Historiograhy-Based] [Low-Commital]

Arrival to Paradise
Lord Governor Dalleio Beachborn Sunwalker of Paledune, the Sultan of Paradise (2 - 45)

Our arrival to the city was delayed through unforeseen circumstances and a slew of ill fortune. Our party cut southeast from edge of the Shimmering Coast, tracing the southern edge of the Blackstone Mountains at my demand. Our wares would have been rendered less than worthless, had we braved the Paledunes as my quartermaster begged of me. "Furs and sand do not, and shall never mix!" I told Bertanto, and the discussion was ended.

No matter the cost, I insisted that we take the longer, more secure route. The added benefit of easier riding was but a byproduct of my foresight! How was I to know that the journey would take such a length?

And, had Quartermaster Bertanto packed more efficaciously before our untimely departure, I imagine our small party would have been well equipped for the extended detour. As it were, several of the men were forced to hunt for their meals, and I was forced to ration our dwindling resources so that I might be in proper form to greet Lord Sunwalker upon our arrival. I, of course, required sustenance befit of my post, though I doubt the others would have understood such necessities.

By the end of the third month of travel, several of the men in my company were expressing severe doubts as to whether such a journey had ben made before under my leadership. I pronounced to all the camp that, should they find fault with my leadership, they might leave the company at the next fork, and be on their merry ways, freed of my supposed incompetence.

And so it was, that upon our arrival to the city of Paradise, my fine company was a mere fraction of its original force. Myself, the loyal Bertanto, and ten other armsmen and merchants, flung open the gates of Paradise upon my command. We entered the gates as brothers, hardened by iron will, shared struggles, and universal pangs of hunger. I, myself, was still fit to wrestle with the finest of the Horsespear clan, whatever the conditions of the others. Nevertheless, we had arrived, and, after my meeting with the esteemed Lord Sunwalker, we would be quite richer for it.

Emillian Rastava, the Goldleaf, Chronicler of the Wind and Stars, Third Merchant-Prince of Bylleseus, House Haedulus, 32

The esteemed Lord Sunwalker welcomed me to his home with great ceremony. I daresay, word of my imminent arrival had spread far and wide across the land. The furs, fabrics, and silks of my guild were well received, but my business transactions are not to be the subject of any of my journal scrawls.

Lord Sunwalker himself shook my hand, four suns after our arrival. By then, the others of our party had made quite a show of their wares, and I felt their unspoken gratitude from across the city, for my wise guidance around the Paledunes. The gentleman within me restrained me from reminding my fellows of such.

"Prince Rastava," said Lord Sunwalker. "I am most honored to meet you at last. I trust your trip was uneventful?"

"Quite manageable, my Lord," said I, "though bandit and poor weather did stay our progress briefly. Myself, and the other brave men of the convoy, were more than sufficient to remove those ruffians from their lives. My blade was well fed by the trip, as was my lust for adventure."

"Truly fortuitous!" said Sunwalker. "I pray your blade remains sated for the duration of your trip, for the sake of all ruffians within my walls." He laughed, and I with him, though my mirth died shortly after. "I was surprised to hear of your decision to add so much time to your journey. Your finery must surely outstrip the clothing of the gods themselves, to extend your journey to thrice the original length!"

"I have been informed as such, my Lord." I let no fraction of my mottled spirit show on my face. "Such precautions were necessary to preserve the quality of my wares for the finest of the Kingdom's generals."

Sunwalker laughed again, his teeth flashing in the light. "Such noble devotion to your wares is most appreciated, friend. Will you stay in Paradise long?"

"So long as my coin and trade remain constant, and I have friends to call my own, my Lord." I fully intended to count Lord Sunwalker among those friends by the end of my time in his city. "Your illustrious city has thus far provided an abundance of enjoyers. Soon I shall write to my Guild in Bylleseus, so that we might establish a more permanent route between my guild and your coffers." Perhaps the Lord was impressed by my brashness, for he raised an eyebrow and chortled.

"I look forward to that day, Prince Rastava. Please know that you are welcome in Paradise so long as you remain fair, productive, and well-behaved." He offered his hand again, which I took firmly in mine own.

I recall little else of that night, though I was invited to attend dinner with the royal family at the next moment which convenienced me. I shall write about such events when they occur. Until next time.

Emillian Rastava, the Goldleaf, Chronicler of the Wind and Stars, Third Merchant-Prince of Bylleseus, House Haedulus, 32

"You may not have known this, Prince Rastava, but you were well-informed to avoid the Paledunes such as you did." I recall this exchange above any other at the dinner which I attended, for it fortified in my mind the intellect of a great man.

I nodded graciously to the lord, and set down my cutlery. "What reason have you to say that, my Lord?"

"Those who leave into the Paledune expanse do not always return." I do not recall whether Lord Sunwalker jested. His face was hard lined and motionless. "The Masrak, and other fiends, are said to stalk the sands."

My knife was slippery with grease from the delightful meal, for it slipped from my grasp to the table below. "The Masrak, my Lord?" said I, after a pause.

"A vicious beast, said to be responsible for the creation of the desert kingdom you now see. Tall as a mountain, and monstrous as any demon. There are rumors of entire caravans being sucked from the sand, removed from this land as if by the hand of a god. Yet pits of charred sand remain in their places. This is but a fraction of the power of the Masrak. Thus, it is fortunate you avoided the sands until the end of your journey, else you might have never arrived here at all."

For a long moment, the Lord Sunwalker and I exchanged dubious looks. My hands shook with a desire to find this beast and strike it from the earth. I moved to pick up my knife, so that I might continue eating, but it clattered again to the table. To have such fiery thoughts of heroism! Few will know the tremors my hands felt that day.

At that moment, Lord Sunwalker erupted into raucous laughter. "But of course, that is but myth and hearsay! My kingdom would not have lasted against such a beast. I apologize if I frightened you, my friend. Rest assured that there is no danger within Paradise! Or outside our walls, for your swordsmanship is surely legendary, by your own account."

Nothing of import followed. For the rest of the night I was cordial to Lord Sunwalker and his wife, who arrived later to wish me well. I soon left the table and retired to bed thereafter, having been well received by the Sultan of Paradise.

Emillian Rastava, the Goldleaf, Chronicler of the Wind and Stars, Third Merchant-Prince of Bylleseus, House Haedulus, 32

Epic City: Starburst

whew, it's been a while since a post, but that was interesting to write

and the plot thiccens

Epic City: Starburst

Previously...

"David Lin, welcome to paradiso," crowed Kenny, pushing open the run-down fence. If he hadn't looked twice, he would have looked completely past it, and only now could he see the well-oiled hinges disguised by the trash-heap of a door. They went through the decrepit foyer of a long forgotten building and up a set of stairs, stopping in front of a surprisingly well-kept door.

"Uh...is this--" he began.

"Looks cliche, doesn't it? Yeah, it kinda is." She shrugged, pulling a key from her belt and slotting it into place. As the door opened, David was caught off guard by a sudden blast of bass. Kenny pushed him forward and shut the door quickly behind him.

"Ernie, shut that shit up! We have a newbie here." Kenny threw her coffee cup across the room, where it bounced off the wall, hit the power button for the outrageously loud amp, and bounced into the can after. David blinked. How the fuck--

Then he noticed the decor. Outside had looked ugly as all hell, but in here...it was like any old apartment. If he was honest, it was a ridiculously clean apartment, apart from the snack wrappers and empty Monster cans lying around.

"Fuck off, Kenny," the man she had called 'Ernie' glared at her. "I was just finding my groove there."

"You'll be okay, big guy," said Kenny, bouncing into an overstuffed armchair. "Where's Garfield and Vince?"

"Probably fucking in their room," grumbled Ernie, gingerly setting down his guitar. "Swear to god, they haven't stopped since they hooked up last week. Maria left an hour ago. She could hear them grunting through the walls."

"Horny bastards," Kenny muttered. "And how about Hannah? I thought she'd be around."

"She had a dance lesson," Ernie said. "Thanks for reminding me: I was gonna try and make something for our anniversary tonight. Got groceries and everything." He glanced at David. "Yo, nice to meet you, man. You like chicken parm?"

"I...I guess?" David hated himself for stuttering, but he really hadn't expected any of this. Maybe a group of druggies getting high or something?

"Dope. Let me know if you're sticking around, otherwise I'll eat your bit too." Ernie disappeared into the kitchen, and a moment later a FWOOM could be heard as flames erupted out from around the corner. "Shit!" came Ernie's voice. "My bad, guys."

What had he gotten himself into?

---

The night passed quickly, and David found himself watching the sleeping forms of the people around him. Why not? The Rat Swarm had been taken care of, and Phantom had already found that the petty criminals were either already being handled by other Epics and the Police, or they were hiding after the swarm invasion of the evening. He'd basically been reduced to a glorified babysitter.

He took the time to review what he'd learned, while he watched Kenny sleep. Not that he was being weird or anything: she was lying on the couch opposite his body. Everyone else was in their own rooms.

Everyone else. Ernie, Hannah, Garfield, Vince, Maria, and Kenny. Kenny didn't live here: these people were her closest friends, but she lived with her aunt and uncle across the city. Her aunt and uncle weren't the most supportive of her career choice, or so she'd told him after a few drinks.

Ernie and Hannah were an item, for two years now. Ernie's lumbering frame, coupled with Hannah's tiny one, was a strange juxtaposition, but they seemed happy together, and David didn't know them enough to say anything else.

Vince and Garfield were a ghost writer and a classically trained flutist, respectively. They were also both newly out of the closet, and after years of sharing a two-bed room, they finally snapped. When he got he tour of the house, David saw that their beds had been pushed together to make a queen-sized one instead.

Maria...holy shit. When David had first met her, he reacted like he'd met any other person. He smile, cracked jokes, and shared a few quality memes he'd recently found. But for fuck's sake...he couldn't stop looking at her. She dressed well, like she had been taught how to flatter herself perfectly: and god damn, did she have looks worth flattering. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown, but they shone out of the tawny skin of her face, so easy to get lost in. He hoped she didn't notice how much he was staring, because he wasn't trying to be some weirdo creep after first meeting the girl. But Jesus Christ, she was magnetic.

Maria had found his memes "interesting", even smiling a few, but Kenny had howled with laughter, along with Ernie and Garfield. Somehow, by the time they all went to bed, David felt as if he'd known them all his entire life. They all were a little bit different, but somehow they all lived, loved, and got along. Hannah was a sound designer: she made sound effects and recordings for the industry. Maria was a singer and a voice actor, and Ernie was a producer, like himself, as well as a pianist.

All in all, a good group of people that he was glad to have--

"HOLY FUCK DAVID WHAT THE FUCK--" Kenny's voice jarred him, and he shot up three feet in the air toward the corner. "No no no what the fuck dude please tell me you didn't die--" She started to hyperventilate, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

Without thinking he swooped down in front of her. "No, no, Kenny. Kenny don't freak out, I'm fine, I'm just--"

"Ohhhhhh." Kenny's terror rapidly faded. "Oh, shit! Dude! You're an ep--"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm special." He made hushing noises with his hands. "Please, please keep your voice down."

Kenny nodded, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "You're one of us, man! This is fuckin' awesome!" She reached down and grabbed the TV remote from the couch. "HEY GUYS!" she shouted, and David winced as he heard the shout through two sets of ears. Kenny threw the remote without looking, and it flew across the room, bounced off the wall, and hit the lightswitch. "DAVID'S ONE OF THE BOYS!"

With a start, David's Phantom vanished, and he lurched upright on the couch. "What the fuck, Kenny?" he asked angrily, even as doors opened and lights began to turn on. He resigned himself to the worst, as the room started to fill. He'd really fucked up this time. Why hadn't e just been an invisible Phantom like normal?

"Dude, this is so cool," babbled Kenny. "I didn't think we'd find any other musical people like us, but here you are. This is fuckin' dope, we're like...some kind of musical Epic ninja team."

Wait, what?

Epic City: Starburst

im lining something up, promise

Beyond the Storms

Damn good crew we got here

Beyond the Storms

Sounds good. Thanks for the heads up :)

@Lexicon see you hanging around, how you doing big guy