The Wake Up Call

[Viper]

Viper opened his eyes for a brief second before closing them again. He could feel his senses returning as his body started to wake up after being asleep for so long. He didn't want to open his eyes because it felt so good just laying in this warm bed without having to open his eyes and confront the world.

His body however was not as thoughtful, as the sounds of hounding wind, and the crackling fire slowly itching away at his curiosity. The room was lit only by a small fire place. He couldn't see any windows but the wind sound was clearly coming from outside. The walls seemed like clay or rock; it was hard to tell cause of the lighting. It was then his memory reminded his brain that his last memory was fighting on an air ship.

Where am I?

He attempted to sit up from the bed only to find that his entire body felt like a rock. It was hard to move his joints and his muscles felt exhausted. He turned his head a bit and noticed he wasn't alone that by the fire a blue fox standing ageist the wall. She looked somewhat familiar to him but he was too tired to think to hard about it.

What happened?

He remembered the battle he was going forward till suddenly the compartment was ejected from the ship. They were all free falling and the rest was hazy. He couldn't recall what happened specifically or if he was awake for it. He looked at the clay ceiling and just wondering how he survived.

"How did I..."

He said out loud just wondering if anyone would reply. He wasn't expecting any reply, so when he got one he was even more surprised.

"Tia used her limited magic to slow the decent."

He turned to the site again and noticed the man at the only table in the room. He wasn't sure if he was their when he first looked or he simply didn't noticed him. Viper would have normally asked another question but he was too tired to be asking too many questions at this point, but luckily the man seemed to already understand.

"I say 'slow' but really all she was able to do was make the landing impact... non-fatal. She broke both of her legs during the fall and even with those injuries she managed to drag herself and you to me."

The man looked at the blue fox in the corner of the room. Viper noticed both of her legs where still wrapped up for the most part.

"She really has an unnatural level of pain tolerance. A normal person would have died from the shock of the injury she received."

Viper turned back to the man as the next question finally came to mind.

"Who...?"

The man looked at him for a moment and smiled. He was human but he was clearly in his 50's. He wore a brown cloak that hid the rest of his body except his head. His hands visible at times as he moved them

"A friend of hers."

He said it with an honest face, enough so he turned back to Tia to see if she had moved or changed, which of course hasn't.

"You should rest, she might have a bad injury but she didn't suffer a heart attack unlike yourself."

Heart attack?

The words took a few seconds before he realized they were directed at him.

"I had a heart attack?"

The man looked at Viper as if surprised that he hadn't noticed he had a heart attack.

"Yes, you likely feel exhausted cause of that. You would have been dead if Tia hadn't told me to give you the pills you were carrying."

Pills? Wait.. my meds. I was already at my limit when we were fighting... my muscles where not working the way I wanted.

He figured that he wouldn't be able to move but he didn't think he would have a heart attack cause of it, as his condition only messed up his ability to control his muscles.

Wait... the heart is a muscle.

"I.. see.."

He had never gone with his meds that long likely, so he never knew but it made sense now that he was told it happened. If he didn't take his meds, he would die. His body would loose control over the most important muscle of all and then it would be over.

My head hurts...

The complex thinking was just a bit too much to be doing right now. He closed his eyes as he drifted off again. The little energy he did have having already been spent.

[Tia]

This... feeling is unbearable!

She jolted upward from another failed attempt at getting sleep, grasping her right arm, digging in her finger nails into her own flesh as if attempting to use pain to push away the mucky feeling in her right arm.

"Damn..."

She clinched her teeth together as the mucky feeling in her arm felt so awful and unnatural that she felt threaten enough to cut her own arm off.

"You blew your magical circuit in your arm out."

Tia looked at the table at her last master who trained her, Rison. He hasn't been happy with her since her arrival. He was kind with helping Viper and with obtaining his medication however when he found out about her arm...

"Rison..."

She knew she had been warned greatly about doing something far beyond your limit several times. She had not asked him and hoped the feeling would disappear as she recovered, but it did not improve... it only got worse.

"What’s going to happen to my arm, Rison?"

He stood up walked slowly around the table, being careful to walk lightly by the bed which Viper was layout across on.

"The body has a limit to how much magic and how much you can put out at once. You blew the natural 'limit' on your arm."

He sat down by the chair next to Tia, by the small fire that was pretty low.

"That limit is same as if you smoke or drink. You're body tells you that it hurts but if you keep doing it... it breaks."

He grabbed the a piece of fire wood and looked at Tia, his eyes seemed a bit sad as if he knew something cruel about what was going to happen next.

"Magic is like fire. It’s very friendly, warm. and confronting in the fireplace however if it ever gets outside the fire place it can reduce everything to ash."

He holds up the piece of wood in front of Tia as example.

"The magic that was once flowing controlled inside your arm, now has no direction and in a sense is clotting in your arm. The most likely event that when it reaches critical mass..."

He throws the piece of wood into the fire without a second through.

"That is what will happen to your arm and the rest of you if your body is still attached when it happens."

Tia looked at the piece of wood as it slowly changed colors as the fire ate away at the food consuming it in flames.

"The second thing that will happen if your body can't generate enough mana fast enough, you will die due to lack of mana. The arm acting as a great hole which all your mana is escaping into."

She looked away from the fire and back to Rison, knowing that those two was not the worse part. He looked at her with eyes that told her everything.

"However even if we cut off your arm, and stop the lose of mana through the arm. You already broke your internal valve."

She understood enough to understand that mana generated based on needs. The more you use it, the more the body creates it.

"Your body is going to constantly keep creating mana at an increasing rate till your body overworks itself internally and dies internally."

She looked away and towards the ground as it appeared that literally she was going to do regardless how it was done.

"So I'm sort of a car with no breaks, I can only speed up and can't slow down."

Rison nodded. She knew that most people would have preferred to have just died the second they cast the spell beyond them. She was taught that it was how things normally happened when you cast something beyond you, you die. It seemed her own ability to withstand pain literally keeps her from dieing from the shock of the move but in the end it might have been better if she had died from shock. She looked at the first again as the piece of wood was now no longer the once brown color and started its process from wood to ash.

"Any idea how long?"

Rison looked at the fire as well not wanting to look Tia in the face at all.

"If you stopped fighting and lived normally maybe 5 years, however I know that won't happen. You have about a year, assuming you restrain your use of magic as much as possible."

Considering my usage... I've only got a half a year at best.

She was glad Viper had not heard this conversation. He would have attempted to find a way and likely in the attempt got himself killed. She would just have to keep it a secret from him. She didn't want anyone to die for her. She already killed plenty during her life, so extending her life seemed like a sin in itself.

[Viper]

Viper awoke to very clear crash behind him. He turned around a bit, despite the surge of pain to see what happened. He found the scene to be a very interesting one. Tia was crashed into the corner as if she had been hit, and the old man clearly had his fist extended. It looked like the old man had punched Tia. Tia had a look of complete surprise. The old man however looked clearly pissed.

"You promised that you would not give up your life so carelessly, no?"

The old man's voice was clear but full of disappointment. Tia's face changed quickly back to her old self as if she understood the meaning of that punch. She didn't answer his question however.

"So you are just going to accept your fate? You aren't even going to attempt to live?"

Viper did not understand what the old man was talking about. He must have come in half way through the conversation.

"I don't have a ri~"

She did not get finish that line as quite literally the clay wall grew a hand and punched the side of her face. The waving motion of the old man was enough to tell it was him using magic to do it.

"I believe I told you already that you did. You think you can repent by just giving in to death? Have you learned nothing!?"

His voice rose a bit clearly showing that he was very disappointed in Tia's actions. Viper brought his feet around so he could sit up completely. He felt sore but him able to stand.

Death? Repent?!

He knew of Tia's past and knew she had done some terrible things in her life. He was not going to say something dumb like 'I forgive you' cause that would be a lie. She did something horrible and it will weight on her for the rest of her life but dieing or allowing others to kill her to 'repent'... that did not seem right.

"You have nothing to say?"

The old man asked Tia as if hoping she would come to her senses and stop acting like it was ok to accept death. She stood up for once as she looked at the old man. It seemed they were both so intent on each other that they did not even notices he had woken back up.

"What can be done? My magic will kill me. The technology to fix this issue does not exist!"

It was the first time that Viper had ever seen Tia forced the edge. She on the verge of tears, an expression that he never could have imaged.

Her magic will kill her? No... the landing!?

He did not pretend to know much about magic, but he was very sure what Tia did back during that landing was far beyond the normal.

"This planet perhaps it does not, but luck would have it that we have invaders from another planet, no?"

Tia at the old man as if she could not believe what he was suggesting. Viper picked up on what he was talking about right away. They used magic too, he saw it first hand. They had better technology overall so medically speaking they might have something to fix whatever is wrong. There was no grantee but it was possible and it was better then nothing.

"Please be practical Rison!"

Tia argued back as if he was expecting something more impossible then the surviving in the first place.

"What is the problem? This is your life we are talking about. Practical or not that is your only chance at surviving right now."

The old man stated simply and pointy. He did not mean it as a joke or as a funny. He was only stating fact. Tia was crying as she started screaming at the old man. Viper was pretty sure if he was not awake already then he would have be made to wake up by this.

"WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME WITH FALSE HOPES!? WHY!? WHY IS IT WHEN I ACCEPT MY FATE, YOU TURN IT ALL UPSIDE DOWN!? Why!?"

Viper never knew how much everything weighted on her till now. Its more surprising she has not gone insane till now.

"False hopes? You really want to die that badly?"

The old man seemed ready to do something depending on her answer. Viper was betting it was another sucker punch. She was silent for a several moments before finally she went down on her knees.

"NO! I... Don't... want to die... but all I know is... how to kill. I... don't want to kill anymore... even if... it’s to save my own life."

She must have really grown to hate her old self. She must hate her old self so much. She must be using her old training methods to put her thoughts on the back burner in fights, but it seemed the reality was she hated to fight and to kill. It symbolized everything she rejected and hated and yet it remains as one of her strongest skills.

"So that’s the problem. You hate your old self so much that you would rather die then use the skills you have already learned and paid in blood for."

The old man was making his point. He was pointing it out so clearly. Viper was impressed with how this guy could cut through Tia's mental barriers as if they were Swiss cheese to him.

"You are such a child; you are still running away from it. Those skills and talents are yours; not using them would be a waste. You also possess so much talent that even with those skills you can defeat your opponents without killing them. You really are still running away aren't you?"

Tia did say anything as she started to calm down as if she knew she already lost it.

"I mean you have others to consider... oh?"

It seemed the old man finally noticed that Viper was awake and sitting up looking at both of them. Tia finally noticed as well, quickly turning away as if she didn't want to be seen at all right now.

"I guess it would be hard to stay asleep with everything going on?"

Viper gave a weak smile as he did not know what else to say.

"Umm ya."

He looked at Tia as she wiped her face a bit, attempting to hide her outburst despite her eyes being red and puffy. The old man decided turned to Viper, as he sat back down now.

"So how much did you hear?"

He was pretty smart and the details were enough to form a simply summary in his mind. Tia was suffering from some magical condition that would result in her death. She being full of grief of killing and being personally tired from killing felt she could finally 'rest'. The old man started with Tia as she giving up to easily and Tia ultimately blew up about everything.

"Enough."

[Rasha Tailor]

[Beware of the heavy accent~]

Falling, falling...
It was all I could remember. Eyes watering, teeth clenched feebly, feeling the air escape around me, fleeing out of the way, making room...
For the end of my story.
How anticlimactic.
Frustrating.
Not knowing the true finale.
The final requiem.
And then, suddenly, all in a rush...
____________________________________________

Ah'd'a woken up a week ago. Tah sum old man. Ah ain't had no ide'r how ah gone and got myself 'ere, bud ah'da really didn' care much at that point. All ah'd'a known was ah was as hungry as they come. So, ah sat me down an' ah lis'en real good to this here old man's story. 'pose ah don't know nothin' 'bout half of what he'd'a been yabberin' on about, but what all was impor'tint was that ah was alive an' kickin'.

O' course, tha's when ah realiz'd sum lil' problems 'ere. F'r one, that there boy ah'da been chasin' down tah help was now recov'rin from sum freak d'sease. Mah rescuee was also nun too hot. Sonno ain't no where in sight. An' most prob'matic of all? My hometown was miles away and ah known nothin' 'bout any of its ol' state or if that riff raff was still 'bout.

Ev'rythang was perty quiet. Mah paw rest'd on mah thigh, a good, strong cur'ent of that ol' en'ergy fixin' right thar in its middle. Ah'da held on tah it f'r so long, ah was a'certain it would gone an' burst any s'cond. The sudden ou'burst frum inside, an' like tha', it did. Their voices had me all jumpin' like a 'hopper tah my feet. Ah cud feel mah body feelin' mighty angry wif me. But I dun much cared at tha' point. Ah was well on mah way tah gettin' thangs checked out in thar.

[Viper]

[~Confused!~ The accent has killed me brain!]

[Viper]

[Ah ok!]

"I see..."

Rison looked at Viper and nodded a moment before turning back to Tia.

"Why not you make another shopping run? To clear your mind."

Tia did not say anything as she slowly got up, grabbing the cloak behind her. She walked past Viper without even looking at him. She obviously did not want to talk any more about this. She pretty much rushed for the door to leave.

[Rasha Tailor]

[Early retirement of the amazing 1st person accent due to complications~]

I made way as that strange blue vixen suddenly banged open the front door. She seemed in a hurry to get somewhere and I had a gut feeling it was best to not ask the what's an' why's. It was clearly business I shouldn't intervene with. I noticed the cloak as she huffed past but didn't pay her much mind otherwise as I headed in myself, hopping stiffly on one foot. My body had been in tact overall, surprisingly enough. It had been Tia who had taken the brunt of everything. Back then, it only left me the gigantic bump on my forehead, a burn on my good hand, various scratches and bruises here and there, and a fractured knee. Now mostly healed, my knee remained the hint of what I had been through two weeks 'fore.

Viper was clearly conscious now. He was up and about in the main quarters with the same human I'd met my first day of awakening, for that matter. I wasn't sure how happy I was to be around him, but I had to admit I was at least pleased that he had finally regained consciousness. An awkwardness clouded the room, wrapping thickly around the prior muted yelling that made my brain toss and turn. All the strain from using my energy reserves had rocked a mild headache in my head and the stress of the tension in the air only served to feed it.

"Good tah see ya up an' all, but why all them long faces? Ya'll look like ya gone an' seen a mighty big ol' ghoul."

[Viper]

Tia walked by without even glancing at Rasha, however it was clear on her face that she had been crying.

"As a teacher, I am simply disappointed in my student."

The old man stated his disappointment. Viper turned to see who the new person was. He did look at the new comer as he didn't know her. His mind was saying they have met but when it was, was not coming to mind. The old man seemed to know already who it was, since he said 'back already?' Viper decided to just play silent, as he laidback down. The old man turned back to Rasha.

"Ah would you mind explaining what happened again. I believe Viper would like to know what has happened since he was out for these few weeks."

Weeks?!

Viper bolted back up.

"A few weeks!? How long have I been out for!?"

[Rasha Tailor]

I raised two fingers as I took a seat off to the side of the room. I didn't really feel up to standing, my knee quickly protesting by every movement.

"Two. Two weeks ya been a'bunkin' back thar. Ain't missed much neither. They all is sayin' Sarath gone an' got himself keeled. But ah ain't no fool. He's out an' about. Jus' bidin' time is all, ah bet. If he gone or ain't though, dun matter much. Left a plum good mark. Capitol, gone. Radical, up an' wrecked. Even Mystic. S'what ah been hearin' them people talkin' 'bout in town."

I spoke almost in a nonchalant manner. I'd known about this for weeks now and there wasn't really much I could do to change things as is. Truth be told, Sarath had left a deep, puss-filled, gash in the crook of our society and I doubted what actions GUN took would do much to bring us back to normalcy anytime soon. Or at least what they called normalcy. I clenched my hands, feeling the old, soft leather of the gloves caress them.

[Viper]

Accents a bit hard but...

He spent a moment focusing on Rasha, mostly cause he needed to pay full attention to her to make up for her accent. He was having a bit of trouble with it. He did however get the jist of what she was saying. The old man was listening as he placed a kettle over the fire

"It would be nice if it was true though."

Viper could understand the desire of people to believe Sarath was gone, however how many times has Sonic supposedly beat Eggman. It was uncountable amount of times and yet he was still around. He looked at Rasha for a few seconds before finally giving up 'pretending' he knew who she was. He knew it might be a bit rude but he felt it would be more offensive to pretend he knew and mis-lead people.

"Have we met before?"