Secret of the Medallions

[Roland Karloseth]

Karloseth awoke in a conference room, tied to a chair. The first thing he noticed was that his gloves were gone. The second thing he noticed was that his medallion was gone too. He looked at the table that was sitting about 6 feet in front of him, and saw both his gloves and his medallion sitting there in a glass case. He looked around, and noticed that several people were sitting around the big table, staring at him. Karloseth sifted through his memory, for these men looked familiar to him for some reason. Suddenly it clicked: They were world leaders, some of the most influential people in the world. They didn't look pleased.

The man with whom Karloseth had conversed earlier came around him and said "Well well, look who's finally awake! You really do have a lot to learn, don't you? How stupid, thinking we would not find you in OUR building..." He then turned to everyone else. "Now, as I was saying. HERE is the reason behind all the death and destruction going around: The Medallion Wielders. Seriously! You choose people, make sure they are the only ones trained in the ways of combat, and then give them special abilities with these medallions. How idiotic of you. My suggestion? Destroy them all. They are the ones who brought about this wave of violence, it is only a fitting end." The man said, and then grinned.

One person at the end of the room stood and said "So be it. Do with him as you will, and take care of this 'infestation' for us. You will be rewarded handsomely for it."

"A wise choice," Said the man. He then hit Karloseth in the back of the head, knocking him out again.

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Karloseth awoke in a room, still tied to the chair. The man was also in the room, sitting there grinning. Karloseth growled "Grr... what was all that bullshit about this being 'our' fault? Besides, I thought that your hatred was for all humans, not just us Medallion Wielders."

"Ignorant fool! With the Medallion Wielders out of the way, it will be easier to take over. We are at the disadvantage of being outnumbered, after all. See, using your brain can be fun!" The man cackled. "Oh, by the way, I suppose I at least owe you the satisfaction of knowing the name of the one that killed you. I am Voslen. And now, I'm afraid it is time for you to die. It's a shame, really, I expected more of a fight from you. It seemed like out of all of the Medallion Wielders, you had the most interesting power. But no matter, they will all die in time. Just like Joan." Voslen went over to the table and picked up a knife, which he spun between his fingers as he caressed the blade with his thumb and forefinger. "Joan. what fun times. My, how she BEGGED to get to converse with you one last time. Pathetic, really. But it was quite fun, watching her plead for that privilege. And she paid for it. Payed for it dearly, she did."

Karloseth growled. Enough was enough, he needed to get out of here and find Reyix so he could get back to he group. While Voslen was busy monologuing, Karloseth had managed to wriggle his hands, which were tied behind his back, far enough down to be able to pull the small blade he always kept attached to the inside of his belt. He was able to cut himself free after a while. he waited for Voslen to look away, and then he dashed at the table he was standing at, which had his medallion on it. He froze time as soon as he touched the medallion, and then he put his gloves back on as well as his medallion. He looked at the table, through all the various instruments of torture and death, and grabbed several throwing knives and other assorted weapons. Finally picking up a big hunting knife, he walked up and stabbed Volson between the ribs, right where the heart was. He then released his grip on time, and watched Volson fall.

Volson fell to his knees, coughing blood. "Nice trick. Too bad... you'll never survive... the onslaught... of violence that will... be unleashed. This death... is... not...in... vain..." he said and fell to the ground, dead. Karloseth once again set off to find Reyix.  

[Erverain]

Marcellus watched everything go down.
Dammit. Damn damn double-damn. This is bad. If they were taken out this easily, then Creepy probably didn't get very far. Switching to broadcast mode, Marcellus "spoke" to the others. Guys, we've got trouble. Turns out all of the world governments want us dead, and they're employing creatures that appear to be shadows. Tokk and Pale Boy have encountered them, and Karloseth is still searching for Creepy. Karloseth, I would advise a quick withdrawal on your part. Ditto for the other two. No sense losing three for one. We'll try having as much taken care of on this end as possible by the time you get back.
Marcellus scratched his head for a moment. How troublesome this all is... Well, better troublesome than dead.  

[Roland Karloseth]

"Karloseth, I would advise a quick withdrawal on your part. Ditto for the other two. No sense losing three for one."

Karloseth was still searching when he got this message running through his head. "That would be Marcellus," Karloseth mumbled to himself. "I'm assuming this is Marcellus. If so, the answer to that suggestion is no. I'm not leaving ANYONE behind to be killed if it can be helped. Look like stealth is no longer an issue, gotta get to Tokk and Connell." He thought, then shielded his mind with a rock solid defense. He wasn't taking ANY chances after what he had seen Tokk do, and he knew that he himself could cause more problems with his time-stop ability. Karloseth sprinted down the hallways, same as before, except he hurled an energy ball down each hallway and looked to see if it dissipated on an invisible wall. It was incredibly helpful. He didn't even bother with avoiding the cameras, instead he destroyed them when he came upon them. "Have it your way. We'll take the place by force."  

[invisible-weirdo]

Lilith couldn't help but agree with Marcellus. She respected Karloseth's morals and 'leave no one behind' mentality, but he was putting them all at risk. Those waiting in the forest had to start moving again. They weren't too far away from the compound; in fact, they were close enough to still be attacked at a moment's notice, depending on whether or not troops had been sent out to look for them. She glanced at Tori, still asleep in the grass, and Rain, simply cooking his catch.

At this point, the light from the sun had already been reduced to a light orange glow in the distance. But just then, almost as if someone had hit a light switch, the sky immediately became unnaturally dark. Lilith's body tensed up and a disconcerting feeling swept over her. Marcellus...we need to leave. Now.

((Roland: Ok so it's not the hydrogen bomb-like explosion I had in mind, but I suppose being surrounded by inhuman shadow things works to...Ties in better with what's going on on your end at least...))  

[Erverain]

The world seemed to have disappeared. The dying sun, even the early stars, all vanished in a moment. Marcellus felt a suffocating darkness envelope him.
Dammit, one's got me!
The inky black thing writhed around Marcellus, and breathing was starting to become more difficult as it began to constrict.
Gonna have to... try and jump blind...
Focusing his mind, Marcellus blinked out of and back into existence roughly five feet from the shadowy ooze. Coughing in the renewed source of air, Marcellus started to scramble towards the fire pit.
Tori, get up NOW. We've got to get out of here. Rain, Stow what you can as fast as possible. Lil, solid weapons won't work. It's like fighting water that can shift its matter states at will. Grab what you can, and head north. Karloseth, we're evacuating the site. Either find Creepy in the next twenty minutes, or break towards the nearest body of water. Shadows can only go far in a reflective substance. Tokk, Pale Boy, Now isn't the time for subtlety. Violence is your friend right now. Okay everyone, run for it!  

[xDarkPisces]

Tokk ran.

The world blurred past him as he vaulted across the training facility at top speed. His mind kept replaying the thought broadcast over and over. Marcellus... Lilith, Tori, they were all surrounded. "Perfect tactic," he yelled over his shoulder to Connell, whom he assumed was following closely behind. "They split us up! I don't know how they did it, but DAMN it they split us up." He looked to his left and right, gaping as a hundred glossy black pools spread across the ground all around them. He jumped, still running top speed, and lifted a chunk of earth beneath him. Landing on it, he continued forward, surging through the sea of black like a surfer.

"Come on, Karlo... Where the hell ARE you?" As asked the question, he saw blue flashes coming from the medical ward. "There he is!" He leaned forward, urging the great mass of stone forward even faster, as solid shadow sprayed into the air around him and dissipated into smoke in his wake. He jumped on final stone fence, the rock beneath him skidding to a halt, and landed, raising two chunks of rock in the air and kick-punching forward, sending them crashing into the wall of the medical building. He blinked through the dust and saw Karloseth charging down the hall towards him.

'Hang in there, guys... Damn it, hang in there!' he thought.  

[Red Glacier]

he calmly packs up some of the meat. "not even enough time to grind rocks" he gets up in a crouched position. he took out his rifle and hid in tall grass as he started to move out of the site but waited for the other 3 to get ready. So he stood calm and on guard.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Tori's dream was different. From the moment she'd fallen asleep she knew it was different. She was far too aware. Usually her dreams assailed her with many indistinguishable images constantly, sending her awhirl, and when she awoke she forgot them all. But right now, she could see herself normally. And she knew, she just knew, that she wouldn't forget this. It was as though she was awake. She was in a grey room, one that traveled on in two directions for so long that it faded into shadow. Maybe it's really a hallway, she thought. Having nothing else to do in this colorless place, she began to walk. After a time, she began to notice something funny. As she walked, the shadows seemed to grow. Not just in the places where there was shadow before, but where there was light, there were now small patches of slight darkenings of shadow, which darkened steadily as she walked on. Fearing she'd chosen the wrong way to go, she turned around quickly, only to have a shadow that had been in mid-leap fall on her face, and as she gasped in surprise, it entered her body through her mouth and instantly disappeared inside her.
---
Outside of her dream, in reality, as chaos unfolded, a small shadow slipped into her mouth and disappeared.
---
She felt her perception split. Part of her view on reality was normal, but part of it... it was so alien to her... she could hardly comprehend it. Before she could really investigate it, however, she heard Marcellus' voice yelling get up NOW. She snapped awake, standing up instantly, ready for an attack. The world spun around her a moment later, and she felt many friendly presences around her.... no, unfriendly... no, friendly..... "Leaving? Running? What's up?" Her voice was flat and her mouth moved oddly as she formed the words. This isn't quite the same as I'm used to, she thought.

Or was it she? The dream was still clear as daylight in her mind, and it left her uneasy.  

[Red Glacier]

Rains eyes blurred a bit then everything became black and white. strange noises could be heard, or at least to him, and it seemed that everything was swirling around him. figures appeared in random places and one punches him to the ground

the dark figure walks over to him "You should have never done it." his vision becomes clear and he sits cross legged on the ground with his head in his hands then he gets back in position  

[Roland Karloseth]

"Wow, that was a flashy entrance. Where's Connell? Subtlety is no longer an issue, as you've clearly noticed, and we still need to find Reyix... Tokk, what's with that look? You look like you've just--" Karloseth was cut off as he saw the shadows seeping in after Tokk. "Shadows don't... DO that, unless... they AREN'T shadows.!" "Crap. Tokk, lookout!" Karloseth yelled, and started blasting energy balls at the shadow-things.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Tori looked around at the shadows, which were suddenly becoming clearer, and she could feel the awareness coming from them. "It's under control. Leave them be," she told them, her voice a little more normal, but also darker than usual all at once. The shadows froze where they were, then slowly and reluctantly began to back away and disintegrate back into the dark. You're a curious one, a strange voice whispered from the back of her head, echoing in her mind as though it was merely the memory of words, but with a strange alien tint to them so she knew these words were no memories. I shall keep you. It sounded satisfied and proud at this, and the encasing pressure on her mind from this alien presence eased off, though the presence remained.

She found now that she could walk without feeling like her body was new to her - a train of thought she tucked away for later evaluation - and so she grabbed Marcellus' wrist and began to run out of the area, catching up with Rain and taking him by the arm to get him running as well.  

[Sentama Lin]

Connell was never far behind from Karloseth or Tokk. He was just rather silent, calculating, trying to find out the best way to escape this death trap made for all of them. On occasion, if one looked, Connell could be seen spraying a rain of blades, made of life energy, at a group of shadows, piercing through the darkness, though it always came back. Sometimes, he would be grabbing at the shadows, trying to drain the life of whatever was unfortunate enough to be close to his grasp. One time, flustered with the overwhelming darkness, he unleashed a flare of light, scattering bright-white blades and heat to pierce and singe anything close to him at the time (he did this when he would be surrounded, for example). And, when he was sure nobody could see him, he clenched his stomach and coughed, a bloody cough that spotted his clothing and his hand, and allowed himself some catharsis from the pain of constantly escaping life energy.

He stood up and backed up closer and closer to Tokk and Karloseth. "Uggh... you guys... find Reyix. I'll keep -- DAMN!" He stopped talking, stomping on a shadowed hand and singing it afterwards with a ray of light, "... I'll keep them at bay!"  

[Red Glacier]

As they ran, Rain's vision faded, becoming colorless, and the dark figures continued reappearing on the side of their path. These figures were unlike the shadows that were attacking the group, and Rain felt cold sweat trickle down his back as his breathing became heavier with fear. No one else appeared to be able to see them, and the figures were all the more terrifying for it.

“They won't leave you alone until you do it,” one of the figures told him, taunting him menacingly as the group ran past. Another figure, a woman-like figure, appeared a little further ahead. “I know what you are on the inside,” she grinned. “You're as good as mine.” With that she laughed, sending cold chills up an down Rain's spine. “With where we are, you'll never escape,” the first figure added. Rain closed his eyes as he ran, trying to ignore them, trying to block them out, but he felt his eyes unwillinging being forced back open.

“You're so cute when helpless and scared,” the woman cooed softly to him. “You'll soon be mine, to bow down to me, and I'll take care of you.” It could have been comforting, if not for everything else she'd said. Rain tried his best to ignore them as he ran with the others, and his vision began to blur as waves of nausea came over him from the presence of the figures around, guilt and fear gnawing at his insides.  

[xDarkPisces]

"Connell! If you're sure you can handle this, I need to seal the hole to buy us more time..." He couldn't believe what he was asking his friend to do, but if it had to be done... He nodded to Connell. "God speed, man. Do what you do." He gave a motivational smile and stomped, simultaneously thrusting both arms in a double uppercut motion that caused a thick wall of rock to seal the hole he had made in the side of the medical facility.

As he ran, he could catch snatches of thought broadcast shooting randomly through his own thoughts. ...get up NOW... Leave them be... -ou're a curious one... The thoughts were punctuated by sharp, heavy breaths. 'Rain... Tori... I hope you're all okay...'

Tokk looked at Karloseth. "Dude, we have to make it quick. REAL quick. Can you use your timestop? I don't know how that'll effect that sea of shadow out there, but it's worth a try." Hoping his friend could handle the two of them together in a timestop, he began to run in the opposite direction from which Karloseth had met them.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

It was a curious thing, being in this new body. As I eased off from trying to absorb her mind, I merely.. observed. There were so many thoughts going through the human's mind, it was hard to keep track, but the longer I stayed, the easier it got. She directed probing thoughts my way a few times, but I gave the suggestion that she think about it later. By then, it'd probably be too late for me to be extracted without destroying her mind as well. Which I had no intention of letting happen. The human that Tori's mind associated with peace and earth, Tokk, sent thoughts to her via Marcellus, the psychic, and his power. I did my best to use her mind as a shield to keep me hidden from him, for I feared him and his abilities.

I *think* I'm ok, Tori responded to Tokk, her mind flying in several directions at once.

I tried to catch these thoughts, but I wasn't good enough yet, and trying to hide from the psychic was making it harder. A shadow on her face, inability to think normally... that's all I could really get from her.

Tori felt... waiting. And it made her uneasy. Maybe not, Tokk. I'm alive though. You guys? You gotta get out of there as quick as you can.