Source of our power

Dante was pouring through texts. He had asked the libarian for help and even sketched the lightning tatoo he had seen on Alan's arm. What did it mean He knew it had to be significant but he did not know how or why. All he could do was to keep looking.

Lucian welcomed the new day in prayer. Greyson and Pierce had met and discussed Greyson's mission to "help" Lucian and his companions. Standing and getting dressed in his armor he took just a moment to adjust his newly minted Leutinet rank. He could not help but feel a little pride and gratitude for being recognized for his work in the battle against the Doomguard. Lord Raquil seemed eager to trust him and he was even more eager to keep and expand that trust.

As Lucian left his quarters, he was stopped by an offical page. Dressed in fine cloth the young man eager went about his duty. Many young men who wash out of solider or paladin training dedicate to serve in whatever way they can by acting as pages or squires for the Genevan military. This boy was young and must have been new to his duties. The parchment he was handed contianed a message form Captain Lord Haws.

Lord Lucian,
While I and the Gods approve of your decision to destroy Fu Mei and evil in all of its forms, there is a danger. A man in Tradecity claims he watched the whole thing and is starting to run his mouth about the realstory. It is a twisted version and dangerous. WIht the world united behind the Isle after the two fronts war a controversy like this could do untold harm. Sources confirm they have sensed he is evil. His lies can not be tolerated nor can the danger this presents. The source of the Isle's power is its ability to collect and keep the loyalty of others as a symbol of truth, that can not be jeopardized. He was last seen in the Roaring Lion inn. Go to there confront him and execute the Justice he deserves.
Vanquish evil and forever forward the light,
Captain Skylar Haws

"I have to go to Tradecity. You can come with me if you like but I have to go immediately" Lucian says to Greyson.

Polishing his armor Galan hears the latch of his door open. Standing, he prepares to greet his visitors. In come honor guard and attendents followed by Lord Raquil Al-Shatel and Lord Atrayu. Galan kneels until he is told to rise and the enterouge is dismissed. "How are you?" Raquil's voice breaks the nervous silence.
"I'm well sir, as well as a man waiting for death can be." He smiles
"Lord Atrayu and I have discussed just that, but I am sure there is none who would meet death with more honor than you my friend."
"We all do what we must."
"Indeed," sweeping a collection of blonde hair from his eyes he continues, "I wish it was as easy as death."
Atrayu speaks up, "Though I think this is a mistake Lord Raquil has proposed an idea. Simply, you live." Galan surpised, not sure if surprised more by knowing his death is not certain or the way Atrayu presented it.
Raquil continues, "The Lord of Choas was defeated in Sigil. His main followers destroyed or scattered. Lanfur may not even know the secret. Keeping you alive will confuse her and maybe throw her off the scent. And if not, if she does come for you, that gives us insight into her location that we would otherwise never have. Otherwise she could fade into the shadows and never be found."
"So I'm to be bait then?" Pleased yet overwhelmed.
"Exactly" Raquil says with a soft laugh, "Your power comes from your faith and integrity. You have proven that regardless of the oposition those things are never surrendered. And with the source of power behind you no power on earth of hell can conquer you."

X stood silently as Lord General Commander Katar searched through text and text. THe libarian seemed passive enough though X kept a mark of his location and the location of another patron who if moved at a max sprint would take 26 seconds to reach Lord General Commander Katar.

Dante saw it. He saw the lightning bolt. It was so quickly that he had to flip back to read it again. It was a mark carried by a type of demon. Demon's called lightning bearers wore this mark proudly as a symbol of their power and force. Their is a strong group of these Demons that have sworn their loyalty to Malekite the Angel of death. Malekite and Logar were arch nemisis through their lives and now that continued as they had both left the mortal realm and became demigods. These lightning bearers practiced a soul bind with worthy mortals. That binding brough immortality to both demon and mortal unless both could be killed in unison. "Well thats a dauting task." Dante remarked closing the book with a thud.

Greyson reached through his connection to the force and teleported both himself and Lucian to the open doors of the Roarin Lion inn. The massive building stood before them. 5 stories tall and flanked by large golden lion statues the Roaring Lion spoke to the power and influence money could bring in this town. Walking past the attractive waitresses offering drinking and finger foods into the large common room, Lucian instantly went about his mission to find this liar and trouble maker. "So whats your plan?" Greyson asked with no immediate response. "Are you just going to kill him? Seems like an odd mission for a Paladin to take."
Lucian turns to him though not taking his eyes off the crowd, "I received an order to stop a dangerous criminal a remnant of the Doomguard army. It is always my responsibility to stand against evil"
"You just think they'd send an assasian."
Lucian decides to ignore the comment and steps up to the bar. "Sure you want a drink if you roll the dice drinks are free. I hear table 3 is hot tonight." The barkeep says pointing to an active dice table being managed by a well dressed tavern worker.

The singer accompanied by harps begins singing of the nobel victory of the two fronts war. Most people know what goes on in the world just by what the minstrel tells them. Lucian listened if only casually. To his embaressment, she began to sing of the mighty Lucian vanquishing the demonic Fu Mei in epic combat. A man down the bar begins laughing as a giggle then as a chuckle then as side spliting hysterical laughter that gets the attention of the large group of patrons around. The man leaps up on the bar with a slight limp in his left leg, and kicking the meals and drinks of the inn's patrons to the ground he makes his way to stand directly above Lucian.

"You can wipe off that grin, I've seen where you been I know what you did and its all been a pack of lies." He says through a twisted nearly toothless smile.

"Good sir, come down and if you have something to say to me we'll discuss it." Lucian calmly responds. At least calmly on the outside on the inside a volcano had erupted.

"Your very good. He who controlls the information controlls the masses. The victors write history. And thats where your Paladins power is--in lies. You'd hate for everyone here to hear the real story. How you were only as good as the world..." A blank look crosses his face and his speech stops.

Greyson watched this strange man with a limp and twitchy left fingers. As he grew more confrontational he saw Lucian, despite obvious efforts to remain calm, nearly boil over with anger. If a confrontation was going to happen it shouldn't be here where innocence could be hurt. He then made a decision that he may regret though if Master Windstar felt these companions were trustworth then he had to trust his master. He forgot the world as a matter of choice. Reaching into himself he became the only thing in existence-he was existence only a cool pool of serenity extending in all directions from his conscienceness. His pool collided with another. This pool of serenity and calmness was the source of the Showguns mysterious power and ability. He had learned through years of discipline and focus to exist in a world where things were different. Where the physical did not matter or exist, and he did not just live there he was that world. It seemed strange in the begining how calm and still could be such an irrerestiable force, it made more sense that the way of the sith and their brutal violence would be more powerful but he had seen the truth.

As the pools collided Greyson learned about power. While his pool of conscienseness was still this other one was more violent and random than the tropical storms that would hit the south shore of the Mei Kong. He almost lost himself in the storm but years of practice and discipline helped him stay true. Thousands of images flashed what he had to assume were memories or thoughts of the man whose mind he had invaded. Beatings, arngy armies, hunger, fatness, cold, fire, walking into a park, flying over mountains, swiming from sharks, delivering letters to 7 different people, it all flooded him. Reaching to the very edge of his strength he wrapped around the storm. With in moments he was driving the storm. He opened the other man's mouth, "We can talk outside. I'm sorry to have bothered everyone."

Lucian Greyson and the stranger walked out the back door and without word or hesitation Lucian drew his mace and with a full body swing the two handed mace collapsed the liars head. Greyson shot back with a jerk as the violent storm suddenly went silent. Lucian looked down on the ground. Mission accomplished. Though something did not feel right. He did what was asked of him and of course he had to neutralized the threat. This was a dangerous man and evil he could sense that so why would he question it. He could not place it, but he knew it did not feel right. Though he comforted himself by the words of Lord Haws, "The true power of a paladin come when he is willing to do whatever is necessary. Then he lives the culmination of his faith and mission. Then you see power to protect those who can not protect themselves and the power to wage a war against a darkness that would devour us all

Greyson was shocked, thinking at least they would talk to him first or something. Though his thoughts were interupted as a street urchin beggar approached rapidly with a tattered green cloak and speaking in labored raspy crackling breathes, "Alms, please good men alms?"

Lucian suspicious and jumpy calls upon the gift of ZUes to detect evil and senses it radiating from the man just as manure radiates its stench. Fighting the urge to lay his body next to the fallen Doomguard, he removed a handful of copper pieces and hands them to the man, "Take these sir" Grabing the man's wrist with his own strong hands he continues, "Take these and rethink the path of your life. Darkness only gets you destruction."

The man laughs deep in his chest. Then in a large chesty voice "Do you know Dante?" A purple light radiates from the man as he throws Lucian into some nearby wooden crates. Greyson moves quickly drawing his light blades but is struck by an avalanche of flame. He does get a good look at the man who has tiger striped black hair. The fire slows but not stops the showgun who enteres blades in a flurry. Striking only a couple of times the man seems little concerned. Lucian rises and rushes from the back swinging and striking though not seeming to do any harm. Lucian finds himself standing with an icewall between him and the fight. Some sort of mage he thinks and he begins hammering on the ice.

Greyson reaches into his mind and pushes a solid ball of air on the mans knees to stop his movement and another throw the attackers sword form his hands. Coming into the ally now were city guards. Greyson welcomed the helped and hoped the man would stand down so cooler heads could prevail. IN his experience, talking and diplomacy often were more powerful than anything the blade could produce. His hopes shattered as lightning struck him and the approaching city watch. Greyson was alive, at least he felt alive, he felt pain. All he could see were stones, dirty ones, he couldn't hear anything above the ringing. Left arm was numb but he tried to stand. He must have fell because the stones came closer. Blinking as fast as he could his vision cleared a little with every blink. He forced himself up and sensed, not heard or saw, the attack approaching. He sprung up and blindly struck with his blades. He felt the man fall back.

Lucian capitalized on the man's fixation on Greyson and attacked him with his back turned atcually striking a blow which broght the man to his knees as he fled back from taking to deep strikes from what must have been wild swings from Greyson. Having him on the ground Lucian would get some answers. There was a busrt of flame and burned into the ground was a symbol of a sidways A barely enclosed in a circle, but the attacker was nowhere.

Dante, taking his new found knowledge, approaches the border of the Isle to walk the massive rampway down to Atlanta to meet up with Lucian, Bob and the others to share what he knows. Just before he crosses the threshold where evil can not cross, he sees a burst of flame and before him stands Alan. "You wanted to fight me and end my game before. Lets do that now." Dante would love nothing more then to face this man himself and spare the innocent that would pay for this mans sick game, but his being bound to this demon assured his victory and there was a difference between courage adn stupidity, though Aaron always said he didn't know it. "Only if your demon is with you." Dante replies, "What do you want anyway? I'm sorry look at what you've done to yourself for revenge."

Alan grabs a young women also passing on the road and stares into Dante's eyes. They keep their eye lock for a long moment both trying to read the inentions and feeling of the other and then the girls lets out a muffled scream. Dante breaks eye contact in horror as Alan holds the girls beating heart in his hands. Blood spills on the ramp way and shoots from the hear in a still perfect rythm. "What I want? You to suffer. that is my pleasure and my power-- your pain. This will not stop until all you have is destroyed and I take your life."

"This will not stop until all you have is destroyed and I take your life."
Subject probability of truth = 95%. Subject ability to execute 87%. Directive = Neutralize. X leaps from Dante's side ensnaring Alan in a grapple and causing X, Alan, and the young ladies heart to fall over the ramp plummeting over a mile to the sea below. After only a few feet Alan bursts into flames and X with nothing ot grabble to sinks at absolute free fall terminal velocity toward the Ocean surface. He strikes at exactly the moment he calculated he would. SKin rips from his metalic skeleton. The impact itself is so great to twist his hips from placment and dislodge his left eye and right knee. Mobility broght to half he sinks to the floor of the continetal shelf and calculates the shortest route back to Lord General Commander Katar and takes one step, then another.

Alan stood before Dante again now with out X by his side. Dante wished he was there. He heard the guard rush past him to try and apprehend the soulbound. Yet in a flash of fire they were all gone. A dozen more stopped behind him and with hesitance in their voice ask, "Orders?" It was all so fast Dante barely knew what happened. He stepped forward off the Isle. Then lifted his hand telling the soliders to stay put, safe on the Isle. "Ok Alan, if my death means this stops then so be it." Alan erupts in laughter, "YOu didn't think I would make it that easy. You still ahve to rescue Vadellya, tell her everything will be ok and then see it all not be." A burst of flame and then all that was left of him was a burned symbol.

Obstruction--Obstruction = Threat: Alan Course of action = >>%^$%##

Alan teleported in front of this strange golemn. Unsure of its source, its source did not matter only that it was helping Dante and more trouble than Alan cared to deal with. Lighting flew from his fingers. Underwater teh lightning and electricity pulsated infront of him. On the verge of destruction already the strange golemn can not withstand the blow and breaking in half it falls motionless to the ocean floor. Alan smiles Dantes greatest power to protect himself now gone.

Lucian was rowing the boat. Greyson just sat in the middle legs folded and humming. Though he was suppose to be doing something Lucian could not help but think he was just being lazy and letting Lucian do all the rowing. Dante told them about X's fall and filled in the holes about Alan. Greyson insisted they try to find and save X before going on. Dante was attempting to arange someone at the mage school to scry and magically look for Vadellya so they were here looking like fools rowing a canoe off the coast of Atlanta. Suddenly Greyson stood up and dived into the water.

Greyson felt it another pool like his by different. Simplistic like an animal almost but plain and a sleep, at least that the best he could describe it. Reaching the bottow of the shallow, it was not that deep now at low tide, he saw the metal remains a skeleton with a silver P inscribed on his forehead. Trusting his feelings, he reached with in the skeleton and foudn a small metalic ball that was glowing green. That was it the source of the life he sensed. Was this X? He thought to himself intrigued how golemns worked and was the source of their power.