<span style="color: #98AFC7"><span style="font-size: 175%; line-height: 116%;">Saga I: Gula</span><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Manâ€™s desire to consume beyond need shall one day return with the wrath of the famished.</span></span><br/></span><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Silver</span></span></span></span><br/><br/><div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><input class="button2 btnlite" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" style="text-align:center;width:100px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" type="button" value="Show"/></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Painâ€¦ an intense and focused agony swept over me, one that was not my own. As the base of the tree widened, it seemed as if the very heart of the world was punctured. An eerie mist seeped from the roots that disappeared into the chasm, spreading like a pestilence across the cracked pavement and asphalt of the square, shrouding the ground from view. After came a groanâ€¦ a low sorrowed tone of years of detached suffering. I collapsed backward, as the torturous emotion was absorbed into my soul, drawing tears and panic into my eyes. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What is going onâ€¦? Why do I feel this way all of a sudden?</span><br/><br/>As my mind raced, I perceived movement in the bowels of the new portal, and a distinct emanating disharmony of gasps and growls. I soon realized the feeling which my body had been so overcome byâ€¦ the sense that whatever was about to reveal itself was a predator, and that I would soon become its prey. Sapped of energy, I struggled to my feet, knowing that if I didnâ€™t make a move, Iâ€™d become trapped like a rabbit in a wolves den.  Tears still flecking my cheeks, I did the only thing to my capability of the moment. I ran. I traversed the torn plaza quickly, my mind soon sharpening to a keen focus, while my limbs blurred at a speed incapable to most. Far ahead I could see what appeared to be some sort of preserve or park, now devoid of most vegetation, but I soon realized it rested beyond a particularly expansive fissure, which appeared around twenty feet across. I had to get there, at all costs, but thankfully I noticed the presence of a large tour bus teetering at the edge. With this I believed I could close the distance of the gap.<br/><br/>I hoisted myself atop the vehicle and observed the opposite side. In the distance I could just make out the figures of several people forming a large group, but at this point, being spotted would not matter. Lowering my body to a sprinterâ€™s crouch, I relaxed my nerves, and sharpened my senses even further, but as I did so, discerned a faint sound of moaning below me. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Someoneâ€¦ hurt?</span><br/><br/>I leaned over to peer into the window and witnessed a young teenage boy, unconscious among several lifeless bodies. Though faint, I could make out the slight rise and fall of his chest indicating he wasnâ€™t in any critical condition, at least, from what I could tell. I closed my eyes and frownedâ€¦ knowing very well that I couldnâ€™t leave him to whatever creatures I had left behind at the base of the tree. Unfortunately the only usable entrance to the bus seemed to be at the front, which hung precariously over the abyssal crevice below. I steeled myself, then steadily shuffled down the length of the bus, doing my best to balance my weight evenly and not make any sudden moves. As I neared the anterior of the vehicle, it groaned loudly, but peering below, I saw that it was slightly supported by a metal grid which once served to reinforce the now-absent street. My relief was short lived however, as, without warning, a nearby section of the chasm wall collapsed, crippling a majority of the grid. Ignoring the attention the noise drew from the distant crowd, and with no more time to spare, I rushed forward and swung downward into the bus, as it began to tilt forward. My feet like the wind, I whipped to the back and scooped the kid up over my shoulder, then prepared to make my exit.</div></div></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #008040"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Karin (Sidgy)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/><div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><input class="button2 btnlite" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" style="text-align:center;width:100px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" type="button" value="Show"/></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Upon entering the crowd, you notice many are injured and maimed, some missing limbs entirely. In the distance, at the base of the tree, you can make out a thick mist enveloping the plaza, spreading slowly like lava over the concrete. Suddenly a voice calls out from behind.<br/><br/>â€œKarin..? Isâ€¦ is that you? Where are you?â€<br/><br/>A man has emerged from the back of the group, a mess of bloody cloth covering the left side of his face. You recognize him as your boyfriend Toby. He rushes forward as he spots you and grabs you tight in his arms.<br/><br/>â€œYouâ€™re alive! Iâ€¦ Iâ€™m so relieved!â€ <br/><br/>About a minute after you two are reunited, you hear a loud crashing in the distance and several of the other group members gasping and exclaiming in excitement.<br/><br/>â€œWho is thatâ€¦!?â€ A young African-American woman says in astonishment. <br/><br/>â€œWhat is she doing up thereâ€¦ she doesnâ€™t seriously mean to try and jump across does she!?â€ Says an older man dressed in a business suit. You recognize him as one of the Chairmen of the Four Corners Committee, which served as a board of public relations for the city.</div></div></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #804080"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Andrea (Ristina)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/><div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><input class="button2 btnlite" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" style="text-align:center;width:100px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" type="button" value="Show"/></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">You have managed to improvise a bandage for the childâ€™s wounds, but you know he is still going to need real medical attention and soon. In the distance you can hear the second scream echoing shrilly across the city and notice the tree moving slightly. You notice several of the corpses around you are those of police officers, leading you to believe that you are atop what remains of the police department. Shifting rubble draws your attention behind you, as you witness a male and a female freeing themselves from a small alcove of debris. The woman has an injured leg, but the male is unarmed, and you notice he carries a pistol in his right hand. They notice you and the man begins to approach, supporting the young woman, who clings to his shoulder. <br/><br/>â€œOh? More survivors?â€ He says in a deep voice, his bald head glinting in the fading sunlight. As the rain begins to drizzle around you, you realize one of the dead officers nearby has a bullet hole through his skull.<br/>The woman frowns, â€œComon Jake, letâ€™s just go, thereâ€™s no point to wasting time with a couple of injured civilians.â€<br/><br/>The man called Jake shakes her off roughly, nearly sending her stumbling.<br/>â€œWe ainâ€™t got nothing better to do Sam, might as well have some fun before we find shelter.â€ He looks at you with a cold gaze, â€œIsnâ€™t that right lady?â€</div></div></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #BF8040"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Erik (Yfnan)</span></span></span></span><br/><br/><div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><input class="button2 btnlite" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" style="text-align:center;width:100px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" type="button" value="Show"/></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">The officer before you smiles weakly. You can tell he has lost much blood, but he is trying hard not to show any signs of it. <br/><br/>â€œOh this?â€ He says, as if the injury wasnâ€™t obvious, â€œIâ€™m not sure exactly. I remember the quakes starting, but everything else is blank after that. I think I may have gotten struck over the head as it happened, and when I came to, I noticed my arm was missingâ€¦â€ He frowns slightly, then perks up again. I donâ€™t know how I managed it, but I pulled myself to a nearby fire and cauterized the wound before it could bleed anymore. I came from the police station behind  the subway, and it looks like I made it just in time!â€<br/><br/>He chuckles to himself quietly, then looks over your face. â€œSorry, guess Iâ€™m rambling a bit. You look in pretty good shape though, lucky guy.â€ Hesitating only slightly, he extends his remaining hand toward you. â€œThe nameâ€™s Aaron by the way nice toâ€¦â€ <br/><br/>Without warning, another wailing scream rips across the city, you can see the tree in the distance moving slightly.<br/>Afterward, you can hear the faint sound of a woman nearby, calling out. â€œIs anyone still breathing!?â€<br/>It comes from the direction of the police station Aaron mentioned. <br/><br/>You hear him curse under his breath, â€œDammitâ€¦ not good.â€</div></div></div></span></span></span></span>