"We should," Frank replied and gave a brief lecture as they walked, "The Kremlin, in the past, was a mighty fortification, with a mix of religious, administrative and museum buildings. I do believe we are in one of the palaces if I am correct. There should be a connection to one of the administrative buildings with roof access. It seems the various buildings were not built at the same time and some have received some modifications, just like this city I suppose. I do say I haven't been here since I was a child and I still haven't found any ghosts."

They walked past a rusted fallen suit of armour.

"Take that for example," he pointed out, "It was apparently used for protection in warfare. Can you imagine a ghost in that rusty tin bucket? Let alone one being able to get up and chase us? I certainly can't."

He kept his knife out just in case though.

"Oh walking around here makes me feel nostalgic. Oh the days spent exploring every nook and cranny of the fortress."

Frank was in a chatty mood now and probably would ignore why they were here in the first place. Not only that, they had already lost the element of surprise if anyone was in the nearby rooms.

((Yes I've been inside the Kremlin in real life.))

At first, Ivan was nervous about having other people find them. Now? Not so much.

Whoever was down there seemed much more interested in rusty old artifacts then in, say, "getting out of here alive," or "killing those bastard mentals and taking everything of monetary value." Not that Ivan wanted them to be interested in the latter.

He turned to Hadrian. "Do you think we should go down to meet them?"

"No, no, let them come to us." He answered back lightheartedly. Listening closely he continued to monitor the clumsy steps below him before looking up.

"There's more than just that group coming now."

Patrick hadn't heard the old lady say that, due to being too focused on evading people with canes. Nor did he see her expression, which would've caused him some hesitation. He didn't have a destination in mind; He simply entered the place after all. But in the general direction that he ran to was the Kremlin.

OOC: Ichigo~ I need your police hound powers to get CCS to post in response to mine and Brick's posts so that Sayo can reply and I can move them on. Same with Jin and Kaisenraiyok so I don't have to keep dragging him along like some sort of ragdoll >.>

Trisha glanced in Frank's direction as he mentioned the nostalgic feeling the Kremlin held for him. He was much braver than she was to have entered the Kremlin on more than one occasion. It was true that the ancient relics found within were interesting but she found the place much too creepy for her liking. She was capable of dealing with rough and brutish, but when it came to things such as the potential for ghosts her skin crawled. She was glad when he mentioned that in all his years of visiting the Kremlin he had never run into a ghost. Perhaps the rumours were nothing more than rumours.

"So Mister Chase, have you always lived near New Moscow?" She asked in hopes of letting the conversation continue, she disliked the pressing silence of the Kremlin, especially now that the mysterious violin music had stopped. She truly hoped that it wasn't a ghost or something of a similar nature who had played the tune. She wasn't exactly sure whether one's mental abilities could work on ghosts. They walked in the direction of Hadrian and Ivan completely unaware of their presence.

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The Ancient Kremlin ruins seemed to invite Patrick indoors, and though he could not comprehend who or what was speaking. It was apparent that there were others inside, and it echoed throughout the hall that he was in. Whether they were friend or foe, of course he didn't know.

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Three young women, two with fiery red hair and one a deep chestnut brown stopped in front of the Great Wall of New Moscow.

"A dead end?" complained the whiny-voiced one "I knew this was all a waste."

"The music stopped too" continued the one with brown hair in a soft spoken voice, glancing up at the moon.

"Oh shut up the both of you and let me think" spoke the harsh voiced one with red hair, it was apparent she was the oldest. "Perhaps they escaped to the other side" she mused out loud.

"How could that be possible?" complained the youngest, who also happened to be the whiny one. "There's no door on this side of New Moscow and the wall is impenetrable."

"I DON'T KNOW!" replied the oldest stopping her feet.

"Calm down Aliyah" spoke the brown haired sister calmly, perhaps they're somewhere in this district. Let's go." Aliyah did not respond, but she walked down the street and her sisters followed.

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The fires from the burning buildings as well as the orbs of light within The Square burned brightly in the night casting the entire city in light. One who had very sharp ears would begin to notice that there was a buzzing sound in the air, very faint and hardly noticeable but there nonetheless.

OOC: You know the drill: King of RP is back in his kingdom, lets get s*** done. Thank Ichigo.
Kiki, just throw in some event or something, I can't do much with just the trail in front of me.

As they continued down the path, Pitre pointed out the forest at the edge. If they were going to head anywhere, the forest was a more direct route. These pathways meandered along inefficiently and more ground could be covered by cutting through the forest. While it would be thicker and therefore take more effort, he felt more at home and believed he performed at his best there. In addition he could spook up them addition food along the rivers deep inside the growth.

Without a thought, he took hold of Anya's hand so she wouldn't be separated from him in the growth.

Arya held tightly to Pitre's hand and grasped her bunny close to her chest as they walked into the forest. She looked upwards and she saw what looked to be a giant beetle of some sort flying in the sky. This one was quickly followed by another, and another, and then another. It was a swarm of giant beetles flying from some unexplored region heading towards New Moscow like moths drawn to a flame. The buzzing of their wings were loud and the large tusks of the beetles looked menacing, however she wasn't afraid. She had her bunny and Pitre by her side.

Up ahead over the scent of freshly cooked stew seemed to overwhelm the forest. Even though she had just eaten some food, her stomach grumbled hungrily in want. If one squinted, they would have been able to see a bright dot of light, perhaps a campfire of sorts. The prospect of laying beside a warm campfire for the night was inviting so she looked up at Pitre wondering what he would say.

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Most of the people in New Moscow had fled or were dead, and it was relatively quiet. It was an eerie peace, an unsettling peace. No one was sure which side had won, the mentals or the non-mentals? All that was guaranteed was that the great City of New Moscow was in great disarray, it lay in a state worse than the Kremlin Ruins that still remained watching the city vigilantly.

That was when the buzzing was noticed. Over the sound of fire crackling, people moaning, glass smashing, and various other disturbances, a great buzzing could be heard approaching the city. There was a scream, as one of the giant beetles landed on the ground with a shuddering thump and speared someone who had strayed too close to a lamplight with it's great tusk. These were territorial creatures and the small skinny things that spewed iron smelling red stuff were in their new territory.

Another beetle landed, and then another. Each landing with a loud thump, their wings whipping up debris before touching the ground. Everyone remaining in New Moscow had two choices they could stand and fight or flee with the rest of the city. Whatever they chose, the beetles would, and were beginning to attack the humans.

Pitre noticed the spark in the distance as well, but he didn't want to emerge in an unknown, open area so quickly. He would be seen as an immediate threat. However, he realized that the young girl would not cause as much commotion; therefore, he decided to use her to scout out the area before he arrived. If a situation occurred where he would have to attack, he would have easy firing access from the brush at the edge of the clearing.
He led Anya towards the fire and began to explain a plan to her:

"Cher, you enter the clearing, I will cover from brush." he motioned for each action to properly cement the idea in her mind.
"When they are not hostile, I return for you. If they are hostile, I will recover you. C'est tout, allons."

With that he led her towards the edge of the vegetation and singled her to enter the clearing.

Patrick wandered into the Kremlin. Where else could he have gotten to? He simply went in the town out of curiosity. He also didn't know who else was there, and if they were going to attack like that old woman. On the other hand he thought, anyone who went here probably didn't want to stay in the chaos that he just recalled was there. He continued into the hall, in a casual way to not show hostility, yet having his reloaded taser in his pocket where his left hand currently resides.

Previously on The Awakening

The Centennial Anniversary of New Moscow, the acclaimed gem of the world, brings together people from various walks of life and far away lands to celebrate. However, the festivities would be short lived as Dr. Maksim Von Aristo, a brilliant scientist and Mental supremacist urged his fellow Mental comrades to rise up and quench those without mental abilities. This led to an eruption of mass hysteria and chaos as friend turned against friend, father against son, mental against non-mental and their mental sympathizers. Those who could escape the city before its doors shut escaped into the surrounding wilderness, while others took shelter in the Kremlin Ruins.

Those who remained within the cold confines of the once great city, lay in constant threat of being attacked by gangs looting and raiding the abandoned homes. This, however, is one of their lesser problems, the bright lights of the city have attracted beetles, mutated through years of radiation exposure to giant sizes rivalling small cars from the era prior to the Night of White. Instinctively they began to attack anyone and anything that was not edible to the monstrous creatures, attacking humans and standing buildings.

In the heart of the decrepit Kremlin Ruins, Ivan Gaf and Hadrian carefully observe Trisha Lei and Frank Chase. They are both unaware of the presence of the two men though they both know they aren't alone in the ruins. Meanwhile Patrick Atkins, the young technopath, wanders aimlessly throughout the ancient ruins unsure of where to go. Bartholomew C., another traveller who happened upon the sanctuary that is the Krelmin leaned against an ancient pillar in relief having left the chaos of New Moscow. Unfortunately for him, the pillar tumbled and crashed to the ground loudly, catching the attention of the fore mentioned parties who contemplate whether it would be a good idea to investigate the loud disturbance within the normally silent ruins.

Meanwhile in the outskirts of New Moscow on a path heading into the dense forest to the East, Pitre and the child Anya walk towards what could possibly be a nearby town. The scent of food, and the promise of warmth is enticing, but Pitre remains hesitant. As the young child walks into the clearing she realizes that they have not happened upon a town but have in fact encountered a band of bandits. They immediately approach the frightened girl, intrigued.

Back inside New Moscow, there seemed to be no end to the chaos. Nikolai, the technopath, managed to drill a hole through the earth underneath the wall and they all cheered at their accomplishment, however their excitement would be short lived. Outside the house, they heard a girl scream to which Josef immediately ran out of the house screaming "Olivia!". Little Nikolai followed after his brother in his rush and Granny chased after the child but was too late, as two other screams were heard. Three women stood triumphantly over the bodies of Olivia, Josef and Nikolai who were apparently dead. Arthur Fedor attempted to walk outside the house but Granny turned to his direction and he found that he could no longer move. What happened next he would never be able to understand, at least not for a while, giant stones and various abandoned crates levitated and began to orbit around Granny. It was clear the old woman was exerting herself immensely, but using all her strength she attacked the women with the stones and crates. One of the girls began to float off the ground, and then the other, and then the last and they were spun violently and flung to the wall of New Moscow with a crack. They crumpled to the ground, dead. The house began to creak, and looking back at Arthur once more, Granny smiled a toothless grin and collapsed. It was then that the entire house collapsed upon Arthur.

Elias Habanero, and Tanya Wu who had discovered that the source of the illusions was from a mad man whom they came to know as India Soulonas through the use of Elias' abilities. They all heard the great crack as the house began to collapse on Arthur and rushed over in time to see the old woman collapse, (not witnessing her telekinetic feat), and the house fall on Arthur who immediately protected himself, as well as the hole, that young Nikolai had drilled, by creating a force field around himself. Together Elias and Tanya began to dig Arthur from the rubble, while India watched, distancing himself as usual, though unusually much more aware of the danger of his present situation within New Moscow and its chaos. Eventually digging Arthur out from the rubble, they all introduced themselves to each other, once again India remained distance and Elias introduced the man to Arthur himself. Arthur then told them about the hole and the four of them climbed through the hole and escaped from New Moscow. They found themselves on a great plain to which three paths went in different directions. They then contemplated which path to take, one that led to great rolling hills in the distance, one that led to a dense forest, or one that led to great sweeping mountains.

Pitre began to sweat as he watched Anya shiver in fear. Biting his lower lip he checked his magazine and reloaded his weapon. It was filled to the brim, enough bullets to waste. Judging by the bandits moving towards her, there couldn't be more waiting behind. The encampment should not be too big, and he could use the forest as cover.
Now was the time to act on his instincts. He immediately hopped out, grabbed Anya by the collar, and retreated back to his cover.

"Hide, cher. We need to survive," he muttered to her.
Readying his gun, Pitre cried, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!"

Firing off bursts from inside the vegetation, he could see them all and spray them with ease. The chances they would have weapons of the same caliber as his were low, and he believed he would be killed on sight if bandits saw his imposing figure, but was that as true as he wanted it to be or was he unleashing his primitive instincts to search for flesh?

...50th step, no one, 55, nothing, 60...wasn't I here before? Patrick questioned, playing the same old game when he travelled and there wasn't anything else to do. He was relaxed now, having seen no one hostile, or anyone for that matter. What did bother him was the lack of people, either he was lucky in seeing no one, or unlucky for not meeting anyone since coming in this desolute and quiet place.

Until he heard a loud noise, this time from a direction he could figure out. Having no real choice for where to go, he followed, returning to his more cautious state.

Bartholomew winced. Why did he have to be so clumsy? Well... it wasn't so much that as not being able to see that the pillar was badly damaged, but still. He hoped he hadn't startled anyone; he wasn't particularly keen on meeting anybody right now.

He didn't sense anyone too nearby, but there were a few people that were at least in the ruins. Either that or they were animals; too far to really tell without concentrating, which was another thing he didn't want to do. He really just wanted to rest. Feeling the 'stump' of the fallen pillar, he sat down on it. He could rest here. However... he could swear he felt someone coming closer. Hopefully they'd leave or something.

A resounding crash came through his ears. Frank almost jumped out of his pants, thankfully he had a belt today. Okay now someone definitely had knocked something over and it wasn't them. He couldn't tell where exactly the sound originated from though. It was worth investigating since it was closer, just outside. It took a while to realise he was also clinging to Trisha.

"Sorry," he untangled himself from her, "I don't usually jump in to people's arms like that. Though given your beauty I sure didn't mind, not to say that that was on purpose or anything. Just you know, surprised, that's all. Anyway, I think we should go take a look and who made that noise. Much closer than finding stairs anyway. A detour wouldn't hurt at all I think."

After the initial shock of seeing a swarm of gigantic bugs come from nowhere and obliterate the city, Ivan remembered the two people below them and returned to his previous position to keep an eye on them. He then saw a startled Frank jump and cling to that poor girl and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

He turned to Hadrian. "They don't seem like bad people. Maybe they know what's going on!"
Being a naive idiot, Ivan didn't understand that jumping off of a building right now would be an excellent way to get shot. So that's what he did.
After landing in a heap (it hadn't occurred to him that he could simply use his barriers to climb down), Ivan hopped up as if nothing had happened and started waving his arm.
"Hello there!" he blurted, likely startling Frank once more.