The Glitch IV - Inversion (Ch. 1)

[LadyTevar]

Elwyn bolted after her as fast as his nature-wary legs could carry him. When he finally caught up to her, he grabbed her by the shoulder, and forced her to a stop.

"Leah, the Dereck you knew and loved is dead, if we can bring him back, we will have to kill his dread mistress first. Until then, he is enthralled to her and nothing you do can bring him back. Do you understand me? They are trying to divide us, throw us off guard, we cant let that happen"

he stared into her her eyes with the utmost sincerity

"We cant take that risk right now"

Leah shrugged out of Elwyn's grasp, wrenching away from him... but didn't run any further. "I'd like to be alone..." she muttered, not meeting his eyes or Rory's.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Then come within the firelight where we can see and protect you. If we get separated, we die"

[Rukia]

Rory looked at El.

"I'll stay with her...Even if she wants me to leave. We're close enough that you can hear us if something happens."

[LadyTevar]

Leah solved the problem by turning and stalking back into the camp, dropping down on to her bedroll. She pulled the blankets around her, turning away from the fire, and huddled there in silence, still clutching Darek's contactstone in her hand

Only those with the sharpest ears would be able to hear the sounds where she was trying her best not to let anyone know she was crying. After a few minuts, that ceased, as she passed into exhausted slumber.

[Rukia]

Rory waited till Leah was asleep before pulling her own bed roll over next to her friends. She sighed and stared at the fire.


-How do we fix this?-

She was well aware of Vash the Stampede standing in the camp and didn't care. She had a feeling that if they were wanted dead, they would have been long gone already. -That Adena bitch must need us.- She sighed and layed down finally, exhustion setting in.

[Charon]

Matthew was still laying there as the former druid, the former dark elf, and the former cleric, he didn't remember their names because they didn't matter, stepped back into the light of the fire.

Matthew muttered, "As if any of us matter anymore." and then rolled over, staring into the night. He didn't trust any of these people. Auron, Yuffie, and that group, they were the ones who brought him here. They were likely planning to do to him what had been done to Adam. Then there was Darek. He'd seemed alright enough. But then again, he could be playing them to get what he wanted. Maybe he was the bad guy. Then there was the rest of the people who were around the fire now. Dupes and fools, every one. Willing to throw in their lot with one group just because they said they were the good guys. They were going to get him killed. He'd have to get away from them, from all of them. He'd go in the morning, he would run, and he wouldn't look back. Matthew got out of his bedroll and took off his armor, leaving the leather and clothes that were underneath he crawled back onto his bedroll and fell asleep.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Elwyn stayed up for a while. Not lng, but just enough time to ponder their current situation. They were being watched over by vintage video game characters, and now an anime character from many many years ago. If what they said was true, they could be trusted, at lest if thier original programming remained in tact.

Derek on the other hand was probably beyond help; He had been toyed with enough times to recognize it when it was being done. He was toying with them, and with leah, trying to divide them and cause discord. He was toying with Leah's emotions and he couldnt allow it. He couldnt let the bastard who made his friend cry like that survive.

[Shark Bait]

Now that he was up Theodore would not be able to sleep, he tossed another log on the fire and set to practicing controling his skeletons first one at a time with simple tasks growing more and more complex. By dawn he was feeling very confident in his ability to comand his army, he began with one skeleton and simple tasks then two and so on.

[Comrade Tortoise]

His mind was on a twenty four hour cycle. He wouldnt be able to sleep until the next evening. He tossed and turned for a while before getting back up. He could feel the power of his magic surging within him. He needed to elarn how to use it.

[Dark Silver]

The woods where a blurr as he rushed away from the clearing, holding his gauntletted hand over his bloody shoulder. The gunman had not been expected, he was not apart of the intellegence before he was sent out.

And the gun...that was not Zion technology. No, he had brought it from another world. Wherever he had come from. And those eyes....those glowing yellow eyes, like looking into the eyes of a Deamon, power, and rage and death....

And the stupidity, the threats. He only wanted to talk to Leah...to make sure she was ok. Those stupid fucking idiots.

They'll get her killed. At least she had Thog there..Thog would make sure she was alright.

The Druid though....the Druid and the Warlock, he would have to deal with them, permanantly.


Vash watched the man disappear, then the fighting between the group. Utterly ignored.

'Oh man...what the hell....I was just trying to help....that red head is kinda cute..so is the dark skinned girl....I wonder if thier taken.....' he thought.

When they started toi get back to sleep, he disappeared back into the trees, to stand his watch. The Rider's appearence made him assured that things wouldn't remain quiet for long.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack took a look at the whole group as the bedded back down. We are so fucked. Cant even work together. No way we're going to make it. He shook his head.

He walked over to a tree and sat down with his back against it, his sword in his hand.

[Rukia]

Rory slept all of and hour before waking up. She couldn't tell but she figured daylight was coming soon. She got up silently, grabbed a knapsack and mounted Meeka bareback. She would go get food for the others. She trotted quitely to the edge of the camp and a few feet into the forrest she met Vash who was sitting on a rock, playing in the dirt with a stick.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching over us?" She said in a mock angry tone, adding a wink and a slight smile.

[Charon]

Matthew openned one eye as he woke up. Looking around he saw it was still dark, but some of the others were moving around. Damn, running will be made harder because of this. Matthew played it cool though. Stretching and yawning he got to his feet and grabbed his sword, tying it around his waist like he did when it was a game he discovered that it was a little more difficult in real life. That was something he'd have to get used to.

Not bothering to don his armor or hide his face Matthew walked over to the cart and grabbed a few loafs of bread and a sack of water. Then he walked over to his horse, petting it to sooth the digital creature Matthew slid on and rode towards the forest.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Justin watched over the group from the edge of the forest. He always did feel more comfortable in nature than in civiliation and even in this game world wasno exception. He watched as Ottoman soundlessly got up and grabbed provisions. He watched as he mounted his horse and then turned to leave the camp without so much as a good morning or a glance to anyone. If he was making a run for it....

Elwyn stepped out of the forest in front of him

'Going Somewhere?"

[LadyTevar]

Voices in the camp woke her, and it took Leah several minutes to realize where she was, and what had happened. She huddled in her blanket, looking out at the world around her ... Zion, real as can be.

Then she remembered Darek. That made her move, as she looked for the contact stone, sitting up in her bedrool once it was back in her hand. Idiots... he had just wanted to talk to her... what was wrong with that? She didn't need their protection from him. Next time, she'd make sure she and Darek could talk alone.

Rory and Otto -- no... Matthew -- where leaving camp. She noticed that Elwyn was being nosy again, as well. Where did he get off on that? she thought to herself bitterly. Thog --dammit, think of them out of character!-- ALBERT was still sleeping, it seemed.

Ah well... might as well start the day as normally as possible.

Zion's game designers had wanted the clerics to have a sense of the divine, thus every cleric upon log-in needed to 'pray' for their spells. Leah had turned it into a little ritual.

Since the controls to pick the spells weren't available, she closed her eyes and visualized the way it should look. One by one she mentally check-marked the spells she wanted for the day, then opened her eyes as she mentally hit the 'pray for spells' button. There was a verbal component to it, one that the game designers had allowed players to customize.

"We give thee but thine own... whatever gift may be..." Leah sang softly, the song a relic of countless Sunday worship services. Leah had stolen it, adapted it for Zion. "... All that we have is thine alone, a trust Mother, from thee... Aaaaaaa-meeeen...." And, as ritual and habit from church-days gone by, Leah bowed her head and closed her eyes, and silently asked for blessing. help me... and help Darek....

Normally, Zion would send her a tingle to let her know her 'prayer' was answered, as well as giving her one more spell, chosen at random by the cleric's deity. The game forums had an on-going debate over this function, which was supposed to represent the deity's personal attention. Oddly enough, the clerics were split on it: some saying they never used the extra spell, others finding it's always something they needed that day.

But today, inside the game, there was no tingle.

Leah gasped as she felt *something* move over her. Her eyes flew open as divine power poured into her like water into a cup, causing a brief, bright glow to appear around her, visible to the entire camp. She shuddered, gasping as it ended, leaving her mind feeling heavy with the prayers needed for each spell ... and with the feeling that someone has whispered into her ear that all would be well....

[Comrade Tortoise]

Justin couldnt help but think that these people were psychotic. Leah was obsessed with Derek to the point that she STILL trusted him, even though he was one of those Dark Riders who they knew for a fact were enemies and minions of whatever dark force had brought them here.

Matthew was trying to run, like he would get very far on his own with his own Baron plotting his death and every other noble in on the same plot. Selflishly damaging their ability to survive let alone his own.

Was he and Ted the only sane rational people in this camp? Then he thought about what he was thinking. Sane. Heh, they had all gotten sucked into a fucking computer game. The normal rules for sanity were off.

On the plus side, he found that by meditating in the forest he was able to replenish his spells. His body tingled with the raw power of nature, something he had always wanted to feelin real life but never got the chance.

[Charon]

Matthew stopped and glanced over to the elf.

"Going scouting, and maybe I can spot one of our "protectors" and get some straight answers out of them."

Matthew's eyes betrayed none of his intent. Playing as Ottoman for so long had taught him how to hide his feelings well. With a smile Matthew turned the horse some to get past Elwyn and started riding again.

"Maybe I'll collect a few berries for you to eat."

[Comrade Tortoise]

Justin nodded and smiled. Matthew was violatin the third rule of B movies, but there was nothing he could do to stop him. He would either return, or he would die horribly.

"Be careful out there. You wont have the extra eyes so watch out for you while you are gone

[SirNitram]

Slowly, Albert rose from dreaming. When he didn't find himself face-first in 'The Rise Of Anarcho-Capitalism In Northern Africa', he began to remember the day before.

"Fuck. I'm still here." He muttered, slowly drawing up. He limbered up slowly; his body remembered how even if he never had.

[Charon]

Matthew kept riding. "I won't be gone for long, won't need them for that short of a time I think." Matthew continued his comfortable trot away from the encampment, keeping watchful for any movement around him.

[Dark Silver]

Vash looked up, startled from his drawing by the dark elf girl. His eyes went big, and he screamed like a girl.

"ARGH! You scared me, please don't do that. Oh hey! your that cute girl from last night, you slept good?"

-----


"Three days...."

He spoke the words softly, rubbing the back of his neck his fingers slowly moving over the small smooth stone clasped in his left palm.

They were three days from the fortress, they had to arrive, otherwise the plan would fail.

"Leah...." he spoke, holding the stone up to peer into it, "in the mountains, three days hike, is the fortress you are seeking...meet me there. I promise none of you will be hurt."

Darek put the stone away, steeling himself as he gathered up his Null,. the boomarang tooting black scaled monsters trumping behind him.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack jerked his head up, hitting the back against the tree. He looked around. He sure wasnt back in his room. Or on an exercise with his buddies. Nope, he was stuck in a goddamn computer game.

"Well fuck."

He stood up, stretched and walked over to the cart. He pulled out some food and started to eat. And then he noticed that Matthew, the dark elf and the druid were gone.

"Shit."

He noticed that Albert was getting up.

"Hey, giant, um, Albert, right? Where are the others?"

[LadyTevar]

"Three days...."

He spoke the words softly, rubbing the back of his neck his fingers slowly moving over the small smooth stone clasped in his left palm.

They were three days from the fortress, they had to arrive, otherwise the plan would fail.

Leah looked down to the suddenly warm contact stone, lifting it up so she could hear Darek's voice.

"Leah...." he spoke, holding the stone up to peer into it, "in the mountains, three days hike, is the fortress you are seeking...meet me there. I promise none of you will be hurt."

"Darek? Are you ok? Were you hurt?" she spoke urgently into the stone .. but received no answer. Frowning, she looked around the camp, and picked the one person that she knew beyond a doubt was her ally.

"Albert? Darek just contacted me. There's a fortress three days into the mountains. He wants to meet us there, peacefully."

[Comrade Tortoise]

Jack jerked his head up, hitting the back against the tree. He looked around. He sure wasnt back in his room. Or on an exercise with his buddies. Nope, he was stuck in a goddamn computer game.

"Well fuck."

He stood up, stretched and walked over to the cart. He pulled out some food and started to eat. And then he noticed that Matthew, the dark elf and the druid were gone.

"Shit."

He noticed that Albert was getting up.

"Hey, giant, um, Albert, right? Where are the others?"

Justin heard that right as Matthew was leaving

"I am right here." he said, seeming to appear out of nothingness again

"Sorry, I have gotten pretty good at this. It is the thing about stealth skills, I personally actually have to practice with them"

[SirNitram]

"Then we are three days away from getting some guarantees on this." Albert rumbled. He looked up at Vash. "No offense, bounty-boy. But I don't trust my own hands right now."