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Cheyna Shiad; Long History Warning
Topic Started: Dec 3 2009, 08:21 PM (1,608 Views)
Kayui
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And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees.
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Character Name: Cheyna Shiad
Nickname(s): “Chey”
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Height: 5’11” (180 cm)
Weight: 137 lbs (62 kg)
Measurements: B84-W56-H86 (33”-22”-34”)

Description or Image of Character Appearance:
As the traditional military garb of Cheyna’s home planet can be charitably described as “decorative” and be uncharitably described as “needlessly gaudy”, members of the RMA are given a conservative set of civilian clothes that they wear at all times when not engaging in battle. Her official military uniform can be called upon by no more than a mere thought and a brief moment of concentration, having long since mastered the simple spell required.

Generally speaking, Cheyna prefers her clothing simple and sensible. Usually taking skirts over pants, she wouldn’t be caught dead in anything too tight or too short, her modest nature preventing her from indulging in anything even remotely “sexy”. Cooler colors of blue, green, and purple are her favorites, though occasionally she might be caught in something pink and girly if she’s in the mood…and if the moon is blue.

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[Civilian Clothes](Click the pic)

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[Military Uniform](Click the pic)


Occupation: RMA (Rift Mage Agency) Field Agent
Alignment: Light
Sub-Alignment: Lawful Neutral

  • Cheyna’s primary objective is to expedite the process of the Heartless’ destruction, and thus it was decided by the 12 Architects of Will that she stand by the side of Light for this mission’s duration, though she is under strict orders from her superiors not to allow anyone, from any faction or side, to interfere with her more...secondary objective as well.



Powers/ Abilities:

General Magic Arts: Years of study in the magic field have made Cheyna an asset in more ways than just on the battlefield. Her knowledge extends to a variety of topics, including Healing spells, Enchantments, Alchemy, Eldritch Linguistics and Cryptology (the study of translating languages and deciphering codes using magic formulas), Alchemic Neutralization (a branch of alchemy that specializes in disarming explosives and other weapons by converting them into harmless materials), as well as Meteorological Regulation (controlling the weather) and general magic theory.

Complete Psionic Immunity: As one might imagine, a homeworld filled with powerful mages tends to make for interesting conflict. The more sinister mages of Welentian society will do anything to gain an edge over their peers, engaging in everything from thought-stealing, to memory erasures, mind-linking, and a host of other telepathic attacks and “back doors”. Between this, and a revolt against the government a few years ago led by a group of 16 telekinetic master mages who by themselves killed dozens of city officials before being stopped (Cheyna was among the team of agents who managed to put them down), it was decided that a new spell be developed to keep both mind and body safe from such attacks. Thus, all members of the city’s ruling council, as well as every member of Dreystan’s special forces divisions have a permanent psionic nullification field bound to their personal auras, a field that protects them from all forms of mental reading or intrusion whatsoever, as well as preventing their bodies or anything in direct physical contact with their bodies from being manipulated by telekinetic forces.

Additional Notes: As a downside, this means that any sort of friendly psionic communication with Cheyna is also impossible, though shortly after this new regulation was passed the Dreystan government developed the Echo Stones to help compensate. (See Equipment section.)

Roshen-Elik (Often shortened to RE): Meaning “Unbound Fist” in an old Welentian tongue, this martial art has been around for over three centuries, and is taught to all members of Dreystan’s various special forces. Rather than subscribing to a set of specific techniques or moves, an emphasis was instead placed on each practitioner finding their own style by keeping several core principles in mind:

  • Don’t waste energy – Make your moves count, no need to be showy.
  • Be authentic – Do what feels natural, then practice it until perfection.
  • Keep it simple – When in combat, always consider the easiest move first.
  • Speed kills – Be quick; always work to catch an opponent off-guard.


While in training, students engage in numerous combat spars in order to help them refine their personal techniques. Though bloodshed is frowned upon during spars, the training program encourages that fights be a realistic as possible, so as to give the truest impressions of actual combat. It goes without saying that accidents do happen, and more than one agent has left the room with a broken bone or a bloodied face.

Following the four main principles listed above, Cheyna has developed a style over the past five years that revolves primarily around short, quick strikes with both her fists and open palms, usually avoiding kicks unless it’s for a finishing blow, with the exception of her knees which she will make liberal use of at close range. Again, it is important to note that this fighting philosophy encourages the breaking of tradition, and Cheyna has honed a rather impressive talent for improvisation.

Summons: Cheyna has three companions who accompany her into each battle, having only to say their names in order to call them into being. None of them can speak audibly, though they are capable of utilizing telepathy. They only speak to Cheyna unless directed otherwise, and cannot be normally stolen or captured, as they will simply dispel themselves if necessary. Their single blue eyes allow them to see, though the eye itself is not a weak point, and just as sturdy as the rest of their bodies. Each summon has their own unique personality and special quirks, usually inclined towards whatever their actual purpose is. As a note, Cheyna can only summon these when wearing her military uniform.

  • Grimly, the Grimoire: As one might imagine, Grimly is the “smart” one out of the three, as would seem appropriate given the centuries of magical knowledge written within him. He tends to be the most coldly logical, always giving the most practical answer to any problem, no matter how it might affect others. He also has a penchant for trying to be right all the damn time, something that grates on Chey’s nerves quite often. In close combat, he can attach to either of Cheyna’s forearms and function as a weightless shield, his outer covers composed of a magically reinforced alloy that can withstand both physical and magical attacks. Yes, this is his least favorite job, but he tends to do it pretty well, much like his other job:

    • Magic Shield: Put simply, Grimly can become an ever better shield, rapidly emitting pulses of magical energy from his eye to form an outward facing translucent shield that covers Cheyna’s whole front side, capable of repelling both physical and energy attacks. The shield can only be sustained for 1 post, with a 2 post cooldown after use, and any truly significant attack is going to very likely still get through, though as a bonus Cheyna can still move around and attack while wielding it.

  • Cutlasster, The Autumn Edge: It doesn’t take much thought to guess what Cutlasster is all about, and that’s fighting! He’s the aggressive, super-macho “badass” with more attitude than any inanimate object should be legally allowed to have. His answer to nearly every difficulty usually involves cutting, punching, or breaking something. Naturally, he and Grimly tend to butt heads, but that’s a matter for later. His translucent orange blade is dangerously sharp and completely weightless, though it only measures at a little over 1 foot long. Thus, his special ability tends to come in handy:

    • Extention: A surprise to almost any opponent, Cutlasster is capable of increasing both his length and/or his width without adding any weight, up to a maximum of four feet in length and one foot in width, though he can change either length or height exclusively if Chey wishes. The size change happens in literally the blink of an eye, and only lasts for as long as the sword is being swung before shrinking back down to normal size just as quickly. This feat can be performed as often as Cheyna sees fit, requiring little energy or concentration on her part.

  • Pata-Nui, The Easy Burden: As Cheyna’s loyal helm, Pata-Nui (or just “Pata” for short) has been constructed out of some of the strongest materials available to protect its master’s cranial region. Pata is the friendly, cheerful, happy-go-lucky one of the group, always giving Cheyna an encouraging word when she needs it, and seems to be capable of calming Grimly and Cutlasster down with a perplexing amount of consistency. Other than being a strong helmet and the peacekeeper of the group, Pata-Nui can lift more than just spirits:

    • Levitation: Perhaps the simplest of the three powers, Pata does just it says, he enables Cheyna to fly, float in place, jump long distances/heights, run up walls, and all other manner of gravity-defying stunts. Using this power requires no energy from Cheyna as Pata does all the work, just a bit of concentration and balance.


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[True Spellsword looks](Click the pic)

True Spellsword Form: When Chey finds that she’s facing an opponent who’s just a bit stronger than she can handle normally, she has a powered up form in which Grimly vanishes and infuses Cheyna with his extra energy. While Chey loses her primary defense however, she gains quite a bit more. This power was developed by Cheyna herself during some personal training in which she attempted to tap into the very mana reserves of her summons directly.

She succeeded.

As far as appearances go, this power actually ages Cheyna temporarily by 5 years. Her hair grows by an inch or so, her figure fills out a bit, as well as a maturing in her facial features. Additionally, Pata-Nui’s wings grow and turn a pure angelic white, while Cutlasster changes from a translucent orange blade to a blade of solid gold, losing his ability to extend but growing to a normal length of roughly two and a half feet. Finally, a faintly glowing white aura surrounds Chey while in this form, emitting a faint humming noise.

The real changes of note are in her powers, however. Physically she gains strength, speed, and durability that far surpasses the limits of normal humans, even her regular punches and kicks now backed up by a significant concussive blast on impact. She can also release fast-moving crescent-shaped waves of golden energy by merely swinging Cutlasster, able to perform this easily as often as she pleases.

The real question is, how long can she keep this up? The answer is that theoretically Chey can stay in this form for as long as she pleases, and that only significant damage or a vast overexertion of her powers can cause her to revert. The reason she doesn’t simply go into every battle like this is that usually it’s not required, as her other skills can accomplish what she needs without this flashy show of power, something she dislikes flaunting around all the time anyways.

NOTE: The following power can only be used in True Spellsword form.

FINAL POWER - The Prominence: Whether out of desperation or as a finishing move, this is Cheyna’s single most devastating power. All three summons are dispelled during the preparation process, during which she must recite a long incantation as she draws on Cutlasster, Grimly, and Pata-Nui’s powers. For a skilled mage like her, having to still give the full incantation for this attack is a sign of just how powerful it really is.
(In total, this post takes two turns of prep, then finally fires on the third turn. If interrupted in any way, she has to start it all over.)

Wheel of the Sun, heed me!
Wheel of the Stars, obey me!
Wheel of Space, submit to me!
Wheel of Light, serve me!
(This takes up one post of prep)
Powers of Darkness, flee!
Powers of Corruption, begone!
Powers of Nothingness, disperse!
Powers of Evil, vanish!
(This takes up a second post of prep)
When all our work is done,
Naught can stop the power of the sun!
PROMINENCE!


At this point a large and complex set of magic circles will appear, taking up a total radius of 30 feet around her.

Cheyna then points at whatever her target is, and from her hand will emerge over 100 tiny beams of golden light. These beams will track their target no matter how agile, able to bend at more than 90 degrees if needed. Upon contact, they will not impact and explode, but rather they will tear cleanly through like a piece of swiss cheese, paralyzing and holding the target in place while a large beam of light 1 foot in diameter bursts forth from Chey’s hand. Upon contact with this larger beam, the target will quite literally have a hole torn in its very existence, resulting in a massive explosion as the very fabric of reality is warped in that concentrated area.

This tends to be fatal, but then again Hyakuji’s worst enemies seem to survive the darndest things. Needless to say, Cheyna’s energy will be completely drained upon using this power, and she won’t even be able to summon her grimoire, sword, or helmet allies again for at least half a day, if not more.



Equipment You Have:

  • Echo Stones x5: These are small, glassy, almost marble looking objects that can effectively function like telephones, allowing long-distance communication from anywhere in a world, as well as across more than one world. Cheyna keeps five of these on her at all times along with her own personal one, though she can make more, in order to give them out to any important allies she meets during her mission. They work by simply holding the stone close to one's mouth and speaking normally while concentrating on the person you want to reach. The words echo into the other person's stone, and they can hear you as if you're right there. Static free and immune to any forms of electromagnetic jamming, these have proven very useful in the past.

    Yes, multi-person calling (3 or more people) does work as well, you merely have to concentrate on more than one person when you send your message.

  • Basic Identification

  • A bit of money earned from a few odd jobs around Traverse Town

  • A Traverse Town pocket map



Personality Description:
Not too loud or too solemn, Cheyna’s most distinctive personality trait is perhaps the calm and unassuming aura she gives off upon entering a room. Sure she’s a skilled mage and general combatant, but no matter how high she excels, Chey does a good job of keeping herself grounded, rather than strutting about like she owns the place. A large part of this stems from her “teamwork” mentality, holding a firm belief that while one person can always make a difference, nothing significant has ever been achieved solely through the efforts of only one person alone. Years of military service have only solidified this as one of her core values, and it is one of the most important in her life. To this end, she tends to treat everyone she meets on friendly terms as her equal until proven otherwise, never looking down on someone at first glance simply because they “seem” a certain way. This is not to say she never relies on first impressions, but Chey often finds that first impressions aren’t accurate, for better or worse.

When interacting with others in a general sense, Cheyna tends to do more listening than talking, keeping her few harsh or sarcastic thoughts to herself. The healthiness of this can be debated, but it has no doubt earned her a number of past friendships that would have otherwise been lost, and quickly. On the flip side, when Cheyna truly feels someone needs to be confronted with something about themselves, she won’t hesitate to inform them of what she thinks, though always as politely as she can. While she speaks with intelligence and carries herself with a rather regal air, she’s hardly intimidating once a conversation starts. Rather, she’s kinder than she often gets credit for, due to her crisp outward demeanor and seemingly quiet manner. Behind all that outward seriousness is undeniable warmth waiting for anyone who manages to get that close to her, though her current mission requires that she remain as distant as possible...

Speaking of her mission, it is the one thing that stays on Chey’s mind almost constantly.

Years of faithfully serving her city have taught her that bending the rules occasionally comes with the job, but this Heartless situation is different. If she can’t find the source of the heartless, Welentyr has no future. Not only that, but the mere possibility of Kingdom Hearts existing has begun to result in a rather complex churning of emotions in the back of her mind. What if it turns out to be real? How can she manage to take it back home, away from all the other worlds that need it? Even if it grants a wish that destroys the heartless, that still leaves Chey’s homeworld in its currently dying state. The fact of the matter is, Welentyr needs Kingdom Hearts, and if it exists Cheyna will kill whomever she has to in order to get it, just as she’s been ordered. Thus, despite being friendlier than she appears, Cheyna won’t usually go too far into any friendship at the moment other than general acquaintance and ally in battle.

While she does her best to stay focused however, Cheyna can’t help but let her mind wander to her world’s misfortune from time to time. Aside from the planet slowly dying, all this business with the randomly appearing gateways and now even the heartless is enough to get anyone a bit bummed. She finds herself worrying over the few close friends she has back home, and though she’s confident in her abilities, the whole situation on Welentyr sometimes gets to her. However, all this worry only culminates in a deeper and more firmly grounded resolution to get the job done, no matter the cost. Her homeworld is at stake, and nothing will stand in her way. Or so she claims, but even her interactions with a few random locals in Traverse Town have begun to sow the seeds of pity and selflessness deep within her psyche. Whether or not those seeds take root remains to be seen…


Personal History: (WARNING, LONG AND WORDY HISTORY AHEAD.)

Cheyna was born on a world known as Welentyr, a place that existed in a dimension parallel to Earth’s but remained significantly distant from it for obvious reasons. In terms of planetary climate, distance from their sun, atmospheric density, and all other relevant factors, it may as well have been Earth itself. However, one major difference was that due to a rather unfortunate intervention by its inhabitants, Welentyr only had a single continent capable of sustaining life, roughly the size of the greater Asian landmass. The reason for this was simple; while Welentian mechanical technology was only a few centuries ahead of what one might find on Earth currently, they possessed a rather deep understanding of magic and its inner workings, with even their weaker mages more powerful than most Magi one might see on Earth. Yes, of course it was going to bite them in the ass.

As one may guess, for all their “deep understanding” they couldn’t seem to cope when a complex gateway spell the ruling governments had been planning for months suddenly backfired, and badly. It had been intended to revolutionize transportation and trade across the planet with a pair of wormholes on every major continent, but instead each of the intended portals vanished and formed a slowly growing gateway that threatened to consume the entire planet. It was then that a group of seven unusually gifted “Rift Mages” were quickly summoned to deal with this crisis, and through a long and complex spell (along with a little luck) they were able to seal the portal. Unfortunately, everything comes with a price, and no sooner had the portal closed when suddenly a massive wave of corrupted eldritch energies spilled out across the planet, probably the source of what had caused the portal spell to go awry in the first place. It wiped out all vegetation on more than 60% of the planet’s surface, converting much the land instantly into sandy desert on contact.

Four decades of widespread famine, overpopulation, and political upheaval later, a new power had come to rest over the remains of Welentyr, a powerful faction known as the Architects of Will. Essentially, the entirety of the remaining world was ruled by a council of 12 members who ran education, the economy, and every other relevant facet of daily life via their numerous representatives and governors.

But what the hell does any of this have to do with Cheyna?

She was born in the world’s only remaining city of Dreystan, in the southern section of the city that was currently undergoing repairs due to a bit of recent seismic activity. Growing up as a little girl wasn’t anything particularly challenging for Cheyna, as her family was among the upper-middle class, what with her father working a well-paying job in the Hall of Adjudication, Dreystan’s main government facility and primary meeting place for the Architects of Will. Cheyna’s mother on the other hand owned and operated a “Have-it-All”, the Welentian equivalent of a general store, and this is where the young redhead spent most of her time playing and learning as a young girl, until she was old enough to attend school, that is.

School on Welentyr was structured much as it is on Earth, though it was oriented around learning the magic arts more than things like Math or English, and as early as fifth grade students were being taught various spells that were considered relatively harmless, such as emitting light from the tip of their fingers and whatnot. Naturally adding magic into the equation of school made for some rather nasty pranks, as well as some rather inventive cheating methods such as temporary memory “borrowing” and the like. Most children showed their magical talent or lack thereof around the age of ten, and Cheyna was a fortunate child, blessed with a slightly above average aptitude for magic according to her instructors.

Decidedly quiet and never standing out too much other than in academics, Cheyna never once got in trouble for acting out in class or being generally disobedient in any way, but her good grades and reserved nature made her the target for many a bully. Not that pansy name-calling sort of bullying either, this was the kind of shoving, slapping, humiliating sort of harassment. The young redhead never complained about her bullying to her parents, though they were made aware thanks to the efforts of a teacher who’d caught some prissy rich girls in the act at one point. Her father encouraged her to fight back multiple times, though the idea of fighting back didn’t really seem to break through her head, until the age of thirteen that is. The bullying was now at its worst, but the most peculiar of circumstances began to occur around halfway through the school year. One by one, each of Cheyna’s bullies began to leave her alone, going so far as to avoid her in the hallways wide-eyed as if she were some sort of demon. When asked by her few close friends what she’d done Cheyna would only reply, “…I fought back,” and would never divulge exactly what she had done, though it was obvious to most that whatever it was had been pretty effective…

With the rest of her middle-school years spent bully free, Cheyna was free to indulge in some actual activities other than merely making good grades the year before high school was to begin, joining the school’s hoverball team. Imagine hockey in every form, except that it was outdoors, on hoverboards instead of ice-skates, and with a ball instead of a puck, one that floated no less than two inches above the ground at all times. It was out there on the hoverball field that Chey discovered her love of athletics, competition, but most importantly, teamwork. She found that she loved being a part of something bigger than herself, working with others towards a common goal, and whatnot. Though she lacked the talent to ever be the “star player” on the team, she was well known as someone who could be depended on to get the job done when it came down to it, and that was good enough for her.

At least for now.

Now Cheyna was fifteen years old, and while the summer months before her first year in high school were in full swing, the young redhead could be found spending most of her free time practicing for the next year of hoverball, working hard to be as ready as possible for the dramatic change from what she was used to. Sure enough, when the high school season started, the hard-working redhead found that she lagged a bit behind her teammates, as well as the opposing players. After all the time she’d spent practicing…it wasn’t nearly enough. A few disappointing games passed by in rapid succession, and then the coach finally put Chey on the bench, where she stayed for the remainder of the season. It was the first real failure she’d ever experienced, but it wasn’t the end of the world or anything. If her talents didn’t lie in sports…perhaps it was time to give her magic studies a try.

This was one area where Cheyna had been slacking off a bit, only studying as much as she needed to before dashing off for more hoverball practice, but no more. Pouring her effort into understanding everything from the fundamentals to even the most outlandish theories, she delved more deeply into the magical arts than most people her age ever considered, becoming something of a magical encyclopedia by the time her next to last year of high school came around. Indeed, this came much more naturally than hoverball ever had, though without that experience Cheyna doubted she would have ever been driven to study the magic arts as hard as she did. When her final year of high school was over, Chey had two choices of higher education, and both were considered a great choice. For the more studious and academic, the Dreystan Magical University was the place to be, while the Dreystan Magi-Forces Academy was the country’s sole military academy, funded directly by no less than half of the Architects of Will’s 12 members.

While most of her friends went to the University, Cheyna chose the Magi-Forces Academy, hoping that the rigorous training there would help her overcome her athletic limitations. That, and ever since Cheyna had stuck up for herself in middle school, she’d found she had a talent for using magic…offensively.

It’s been said that college years are the among the most memorable in a person’s life, and that was most certainly to be the case for the crimson-haired academy Freshman. Living away from home was a whole new experience, but at least her bunkmate wasn’t a pain. Livy Trendon was her name, and after just one conversation about various likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, they realized they had quite a bit in common. The two of them trained, ate, and studied their tails off together, and within a year they each knew practically all there was to know about the other. Cheyna’s generally quiet and reserved demeanor didn’t go away much, but a year around Livy’s optimistic vivaciousness had helped Chey come out of her shell a bit and revealed that the crimson haired mage actually had a sense of humor when it counted. They each learned quite a bit from the other, and always had someone to talk to for encouragement in their daily struggles.

Sadly, these happy times were not to last.

No sooner had Cheyna’s first year in the Magi-Forces Academy passed, when the capital city of Dreystan suddenly found itself blockaded on all sides by an unknown military force that called themselves “The Balance”. They didn’t wield much magic, as Dreystan had a monopoly on all magical information stored in their libraries, but they were very skilled with various weapons, including firearms. A message was sent directly to the 12 members of the Architects of Will, demanding payment in the form of food and water supplies, with destruction as the alternative. Naturally the Architects weren’t going to “negotiate with terrorists” and responded by declaring open war on “The Balance”.

The most major impact this war had was on all students at the Magi-Forces Academy, who were now to be released from their studies and enlisted immediately. The next several months of Cheyna’s life were filled with rigorous training sessions, very few hours of sleep per day, and the constant nagging fear of what might happen next. The war lasted a year and two months, going down in history as “The War of Balance”. The members of that large terrorist faction had apparently been hiding in a hard to reach valley that was discovered in the last few months of the war, and eventually done in by a rather powerful spell that involved summoning a large meteor down on their unfortunate heads. The remaining forces surrendered shortly thereafter.

Now only twenty years old but already having lived through several battles over the past year, Cheyna knew her life would never be the same. Chey’s bunkmate Livy hadn’t made it through the war unfortunately, her squad dying in the very last battle due to a carefully laid ambush. Having proven her worth to many of her commanding officers, Chey’s talents were soon picked up on by Specialized Magi Tactics or SMT, a branch of the Dreystan military that took orders directly from the Architects of Will themselves. Chey was assessed for strengths and weaknesses, specially trained, and after several preliminary runs she was given her very first mission, an investigation of the gutted remains of “The Balance” headquarters. Before she was to venture out on this first mission however, she was presented with a spell for summoning three familiars, each in the form of a weapon or tool she would find handy. And thus Cheyna was introduced to Grimly, Cutlasster and Pata-Nui, a rather interesting mix of personalities that each had both a general purpose and a special ability.

For this first mission she was told to report on any information she came across immediately. But the old enemy base was utterly decimated, it didn’t seem like there could be anything left…what were the Architects looking for?

After almost an hour of searching, Chey had nearly been about to report back to base when she came across a trap door obscured by debris that led to a lower, and much less destroyed basement level. Here she found a computer mostly in-tact…with a CD still in its disk drive. Back at SMT headquarters, an analysis of the disk found what appeared to be the plans for a “Project Regenesis”, involving the construction of a device that combined the latest technologies with the most advanced forms of magic to create a device capable of restoring the entire planet to its previous state. A vote among the Architects was taken, and a unanimous decision was made to build this device and implement it as soon as possible.

Unfortunately…the device had one fatal flaw. In order to function properly, it required a power source unlike anything known on all of Welentyr. There was no man-made power source that could make that much power, and no known magical source either. And so, Project Regenesis faded into memory, written off by many as nothing more than a fantasy.

Several years passed, and at twenty-four years old Cheyna was now a lead agent within the SMT, responsible for training new recruits, debriefing retiring agents, and still performing missions, of course. She was among the first people informed of a new agency being formed with an even higher jurisdiction than SMT, but its name and purpose had yet to be revealed. All her superiors would say is “Come to the briefing, everything will be explained then.” So…she did.

The room was dark, and after being instructed to have a seat, a projector screen illuminated the far wall with nothing but the SMT’s insignia, and lit up the faces of many people who Cheyna recognized from SMT. “Greetings, ladies and gentlemen,” intoned a gruff voice at the end of the table. “Time is against us, so let’s get right down to business.”

The projector clicked, and the slide now filling the screen showed an image of what appeared to be a gateway floating randomly somewhere in the desert…but something about it was odd, as if the entire area around it was warping as well, the sands below it appearing to be fading away.

“At approximately 14:00 hours yesterday afternoon, a wormhole was spotted appearing at random roughly six miles outside the city walls. Upon further inspection,” the projector clicked again, and now a picture of the same wormhole appeared, but with four other gateways now scattered around it in random spots. “It was discovered that the gateways appear to be vanishing and appearing in large numbers. This is believed to be related to the events of more than sixty years ago, but our scientists assured us that unless the problem spread, it was hardly dangerous,” the projector clicked again, and the next image was-

“…how can this be,” came a voice next to Cheyna as all eyes focused on a sight that most people in the room had only seen in their history books. The image was of a giant, gaping gateway, one that entirely filled that area of the sky…one that looked just like the portal from all those years ago. “A team of rift mages was called out, and the situation was handled in complete secrecy. The public has not been made aware of this event.” There was a pause as the implied nor will they be fell upon the silent room, before the projector went dark, and the room’s normal lighting flickered on.

“Ladies and gentlemen my name is Ernest Rearden, head of the Rift Mages division,” the gruff voice stood up and lent a face to his name, his tall form and long beard complementing his gravely tone rather perfectly. “The fact of the matter is that the Architects are worried about this problem…very worried. But we have a solution.” It was then that everything was laid out on the table. SMT was being dissolved, and converted into the RMA, or Rift Mage Agency. Their mission was simple; seek out these “Vagrant Gateways” as they appear, and seal them off before they became too numerous and combine into a “Super-Rift”, capable of tearing entire holes into the planet. The entire program took roughly a year to become fully implemented, but by the time it was complete any rift opening anywhere on the planet could be detected and instantly traveled to via a complex “Reverse gateway” machine that allowed agents to literally travel through the randomly appearing gateways themselves, close them off, and teleport back via a transport spell.

Cheyna quickly became known as one of the most capable field agents in the RMA, climbing the positional ladder until she was once again near the top, though she refused to take any job that would mean the end of her days out in the field, enjoying her work far too much to sit in an office and order people around all day long from behind some dusty old desk.

As if that wasn’t enough work, a new problem arose only a year into the program’s full implementation, shortly after Cheyna’s 26th birthday.

The heartless.

The Architects had apparently seen this coming, and blamed the past two years of gateway appearances on the instability of dimensions as a whole thanks to these little black demons. Well, it didn’t take long before the city was overrun with these bastards, and they apparently came in all shapes and sizes too. However, the city’s military defenses managed to beat them back temporarily, though the problem’s source needed to be handled immediately. And that, is when Agent Shiad was called directly to the Chamber of Ajudication to meet with the Architects of Will…in person.

Almost no one even knew what this group of 12 ruling councilors looked like, and virtually all of their orders were given via messengers, so most had never even heard their voices. To be called there in person was considered an honor of the highest degree, and Chey couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as she walked into the surprisingly well-lit and wide-windowed meeting room. For some reason she’d always imagined it dark and mysterious, but here they were, a group of twelve…old guys sitting at a “C” shaped table with a large, glowing sphere in the center of the floor that floated in place of its own free will. Each member of the Architects was different, some shorter or taller, but all of them with a serious look on their faces. Finally, the man who sat farthest to Chey’s left spoke.

“Welcome, Agent Shiad. We have been told you are among the finest agents of the very successful RMA program, and would like to present you with a mission of the utmost importance.” Once more it was all laid out very plainly, and the large glowing sphere in the center of the room displayed accompanying images as various Architects spoke up. They explained what the Heartless precisely were, about the divisions of Light and Darkness and what it meant to take each side, and that the source of everything seemed to revolve around a group called Organization XIII. Obviously, the council had been following these events for some time now.

“We have reason to believe that their leader, known as Xemnas, is responsible for the appearance of the Heartless both in this dimension and in others. You will ascertain his threat level, obtain information on how to restore order, and assassinate him if need be, is that clear?” This time the words came from a man on the right, closest to the middle.

“Of course, councilor,” Cheyna responded crisply, her head giving a slow tilt in affirmation.

“Good, now to the…other matter.” The room grew heavy with pause, before finally a councilor on the far right spoke up. Within the sphere at the room’s center, the image of a large glowing pink heart appeared. “Agent Shiad, have you ever heard of Kingdom Hearts?” The man didn’t wait for a response before continuing, “It is said to be a source of unlimited power, even capable of granting wishes.” At this, another member spoke up, this time on the left. “We have reason to believe that this Xemnas character knows where it can be found, and as a secondary mission along with your primary objectives…we would like you to investigate this as well.” Cheyna nodded once again, though she wasn’t sure what exactly she was looking for…a big…heart?

“Most call it a myth,” Yet another councilman spoke up, “But we simply wish to…confirm. If it does turn out to be true, its power could mean the restoration of our planet, and the redemption of our past mistakes.” He paused and let this sink in before continuing, “In any case, anyone you encounter whether Organization XIII or otherwise who gets in your way concerning any part of this mission is to be terminated without question or pause. Can you do that, Agent Shiad?”

“Of course, councilor. That won’t be a problem.” Cheyna blinked, that had come out a bit more coldly than she’d intended it to…nonetheless, it was fact. The fate of the world was in her hands, and if she screwed it up by getting attached to some other place or person, then what good was she? Still…there was something nagging at her.

“Noble architects,” Cheyna began, “If I do find this Kingdom Hearts…how do you propose I bring it home? I doubt such a thing will fit in my travel bag.” The room filled with a low chuckling, each councilman’s face filled with a mirth that nearly caught Cheyna off-guard. She hadn’t exactly intended to make a joke, but in hindsight it wasn’t a bad idea to lighten the otherwise oppressively serious mood of the meeting.

“If you find Kingdom Hearts missy,” assured an elderly voice off to the right, “We’ll come pick it up ourselves if need be.”


Mashed Potatoes? The proof is in the long history pudding.
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