<div class="floatleft">(http://www.destructoid.com/ul/user/2/25438-292718-shanoa51jpg-620x.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Shanoa<br/><strong>Title:</strong>Glyph Master<br/><strong>Game:</strong>Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>Jan. 18, 9:00 AM<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Killzone (Beach?)<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>All<br/><strong>Mentioned:</strong>N/A<br/><br/><hr/><br/>As dawn broke over a certain section of the Konami region, so too did a raven haired woman wake up and rise.  For several moments, Shanoa paused to watch the sun rise over the horizon of the village she was staying within.  As she contemplated, even she had to admit that it was curious that she always returned here.  No matter where she wound up traveling, this small village was one she simply couldn't stay away from forever.  Even more curious to her was that no matter how much time had passed, this was the one place that the inhabitants always seemed to remember and openly welcome her.  It was the closest thing she had to a home now, especially with every trace of Ecclesia she could find having been purged.  She did not allow the contemplation to last for long before she wound up preparing herself to meet the day.  For some reason, she could not shake the feeling that something was going to happen soon, almost like the tension before a storm.<br/><br/>Once she was dressed and prepared, she quietly left the rooming that was provided for her by a kindly old woman by the name of Daniela.  She did not wish to disturb her hostess' sleep, after all.  It was not long after that she began to walk calmly through the village.  Some of the people who lived here were beginning to stir as well at this point, beginning to go through their own respective morning routines.  At least one had been awake before Shanoa, if the smell of Irina's freshly baked bread wafting through the air as she approached the woman's home was any indication.  She considered dropping by to perhaps grab a bite to eat, but was given reason to hesitate by a sight she certainly did not expect to see.  A smiling cloud with a turtle-like creature riding it seemed to be flying directly towards her.  A Koopa, she believed they were called.  One of the Nintendo kingdom's creatures regardless, of that she was positive.<br/><br/>Whatever the case, it handed her a rather ornate envelope, one that seemed to be rather important by its appearance alone.  Upon turning it over, those suspicions were confirmed by the waxen seal upon it.  Shanoa glanced up to the creature, speaking as she broke the seal to read the letter's contents.  "Thanks...I guess?"  As she began reading over the contents of the letter, the creature flew off, presumably to deliver other mail.  The first couple of sentences alone were enough to tell Shanoa that this was a summons she couldn't just simply ignore.  Still, it was best to read the letter all the way through, even if her mind was made up beforehand.  Once she knew the full details of what was being worked with, she traced her thumb over the 'Yes' at the end, wondering just how she was supposed to fully handle this.  As if to answer her question, the letter suddenly closed as if it had a mind of its own, and then vanished.  This was followed by a mystical white circle abruptly springing into existence on the ground in front of her.  She paused, staring at it for a few seconds before looking at the homes of the village around her.<em>Sorry, everyone...but I have to do this.  Not just for you, but for all people who are like you.</em>After that silent apology for the abrupt departure, she stepped into the circle....<br/><br/>The next thing Shanoa knew, she was inside what looked to be a massive castle foyer along with several others that she figured must have gotten here the same way she had.  A foyer devoid of personnel, at that.  Well, unless the odd orange creature making its way towards them was one.  Its movements created an echo throughout the place, and it seemed to regard them with what looked to be a sense of wonder.  Or, at the very least, something close to it.  Before she could voice any of the questions that were in her mind, it spoke to them.  Well, kind of.  It was a garbled noise that Shanoa could not make heads or tails of.  As the creature began walking away, Shanoa briefly glanced to the others in the room with her, wondering if any of them understood what was said.  She then spoke to the creature.  "I'm...sorry, what?"  It paused, looking over its shoulder at them and repeating the noise.  It was giving Shanoa the impression that it wanted them to follow, and so with a slight shrug, Shanoa followed after it.<br/><br/>It lead them to what looked to be a fancier, more technologically advanced version of an elevator than what Shanoa was used to.  She watched him press a series of buttons, taking note of which ones and in what order.  Interestingly, the device seemed to teleport him, rather than waiting for everyone to get on to head to the 49th floor.  She stepped forward and entered the device, though paused in pressing the buttons.  Rather, she turned to everyone else, as it looked like they could all fit and be transported at the same time.  "Shall we?"  Once everyone interested in taking a group trip was in, she pressed the same buttons the curious creature had, sending the lot of them after the creature.<br/><br/>The floor they arrived on was a foreign layout to the Glyph Master.  She paused, looking about at her new surroundings with interest before she heard the creature beckon to them once more in its strange manner of speech.  Perhaps later she would be able to learn more about the strangeness of this floor and the curiosities it held.  For now, though, it seemed like they were once more being told to follow it.  The room they were led to this time was a rather strange one, being mostly barren save for two odd looking machines and a floating cube device of some sort.  Shanoa stepped forward, peering around and wondering what this was all about.  As she pondered, her thoughts were broken by the creature's voice coming from outside the room, speaking a different noise than it had before.  She turned to look its direction just as the doors were sealed shut, trapping them all inside.  There was a humming noise and a growing, blinding light emanating from the two machines.  It was all Shanoa could do to bring her arms up to try and shield her eyes, though it was hardly of any use.<br/><br/>As her vision slowly began returning, she noted several things.  The ground underneath them was not so hard as it had just been, and the sounds of seagulls crying were quite audible.  She smelled the spray of the sea in the air, also.  Most notably before her vision fully came back, though, was that she felt a bit...different, in terms of weight.  It took her a few seconds, but she quickly realized that the source of it was that her clothing was not what she normally wore.  She had many questions on her mind by this point, and once she was able to see a bit clearer, she only had more upon seeing who all was standing before the group that had entered the room they had previously been in.  Fortunately, she was certain the questions would be answered soon enough.  It was really just a matter of learning how she would feel about the answer.<br/><br/>They were first greeted rather enthusiastically by a man proclaiming that it was 'game time,' and then more professionally by who seemed to be the head honcho of this whole experience they seemed to be going through.  He started by laying down the rules and explaining where they were and what was going on, and followed by introducing the other people who would also be in charge.  It seemed like this was a mandatory series of tests to weed out the people that were not fit to fight in defense of the realms.  While it sounded like her glyphs were likely not going to be allowed, Shanoa was not planning to let herself be weeded out.  The last thing she wanted was to be removed from the ability to fight for what she felt was right.<br/><br/>After he finished the introductions of the people that they were to learn from, he wanted introductions from each of them.  The first to speak up was a man who had struck her as one of the rougher types, someone who had seen dark times and muddled through them by whatever means he had needed to use.  A man apparently from Ubisoft, who was also rather simple with what he was looking for out of this, proclaiming that he was here to learn how to get back into the thick of combat.  Once he had finished and there was a space for another introduction, Shanoa spoke up.  "My name is Shanoa, and I claim Wygol Village within the Konami kingdom as my home.  I am here because I refuse to stand idly by when darkness looms on the horizon, threatening everyone and everything."<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div style="text-align: right;">Word Count:1540<br/>EXP: 5</div>