[System]
Age*(We only except people 15 to 25): 16

Gender*: Male

Abilities*: Is an expert with various Elemental Magics. Considers himself a Jack of all trades, a master of none.

How you could work in a team: Is a precise powerhouse, can't tank hits unless wearing an elemental armor, but if he can get a solid hit in, he will end the fight.

Personality (You can keep it short if you wish)*: Is somewhat awkward around others in social situations and doesn't understand much about relationships or friendships.

Other: Number 7 on Student Council.

[User]
ghost in black
Sol glanced at the scales rapidly covering Eris's body with interest. A strange magic that seemed to increase her strength, no matter he had no intention of letting her regain momentum. Logically it would be best to cancel the match and then retrieve their braces before continuing but it would be no fun to end mid-match. Sol's eyes narrowed as he traced the path of the rapidly moving metal orb and as soon as it crossed onto his side of the court Sol was there smashing it straight down, coming down on Eris's side mere centimeters from the net. Simultaneously he caused a distortion to warp into existence around the bubble slowing down time all around it, even if Eris would normally be able to move fast enough to block the attack the time warp should've been more than enough to slow her down long enough for him to score the winning point. Even if he didn't score a point he was still in a good position to spike the ball once again, he thought grinning confidently.

---

Elza yawned and looked around dazedly when she heard some announcement about bracers, it seemed she had accidentally fallen asleep again. Oh well she was fresh and ready to go now so she eagerly grabbed a brace from the teacher. Her eye's flickered into shadow as she viewed the strange magic of the bracer flow into her and meld with her own, an interesting device. Her eyes returned to their normal color and she glanced around, Meruin was here along with several other people she didn't know very well. Elza retreated to a corner and examined her new device thoroughly curious to see how it worked and waited for classes to be announced.

[Assistant]
, @JELDare

As Cruz gave what she assumed was his title, Meruin's eyes suddenly had a very disturbing glint in them. It was by no means malicious, but it was suitably manic - the kind you see on mad scientists. The cause, of course, was not so much that Cruz mentioned he was a technomage - which had perked her interest enough - but because ue had mentioned he was the last of his kind. That sent Meruin's interest flying into the realm of the unhealthy.

"The last Technomage, you say?" she muttered audibly. "Very interesting . . . tell me, would you be willing to partake in a few experi- tests?"

For now, Slick was now pushed into the back of her mind, though part of her was resolute in talking to him more later on.

[User]
Liz waved to Meruin, she planned to walk over on her own anyway. When she arrived at the classroom she quickly went up and claimed a bracer "oh, a new design." She smiled happily and put it on her wrist and winced a bit when she drained her magic in it, for a while the bracer did not settle on its color but finally it came to a light blue clear, the color of the sea. Smiling and breathing a sigh of relief from that being over and the pain subsiding. Looking around it seemed like most people had arrived to collect their bracer as well.

Looking around the room Liz walked over to Meruin "Just a quick update~ Euphie says you are good to have a fight with her after classes today as long as she gets to have a chat with you first, if she mentions Chase just lie and say you don't know where she is though please." Liz chuckled and looked at Elza who had retreated to a corner "Talk later Meruin." She quickly dashed off and jumped in front of Elza likely spooking her "Hi there, you must be new here! Whats your name? Any questions?" Liz asked bombarding the new girl with questions.

[Assistant] Marcus stood to his feet slowly and slipped his hands into his pockets. He turned towards the school and walked deep in thought about his battle with Liz. He didn't care about how he looked like a giant mummy roaming and hunting the school. To him his appearance didn't matter. What really mattered was what the hell actually happened during his battle with Liz. He entered the classroom silently and retrieved his bracer from the teacher , applying it onto his right arm on top of the bandages. Although he didn't react to the tiny pain the bracer caused. Marcus noticed the others but was to caught up in his thoughts to acknowledge any of them. He grabbed a seat in the front row by the window and kicked his feet on top of the desk. Marcus stared out the window not noticing his bandages slowly stretch over the bracer.

[User]
The announcement woke Alex up from his daydreaming. About time... he thought while getting up from his seat, yawing. He made his way towards the classroom and watched as others in the line in front of him each took their braces. He saw Slick using some kind of flame power to change the color of his bracer, Huh...that's a pretty neat feature

Once he received his bracer, Alex wore it on his left forearm and quickly felt it digging in on his skin, "so this is how the whole concept works huh?" Alex said to himself out-loud. He turned and walked towards one of the seats in the class and sat down. So...let's see if I can do the same as him... Alex thought and looked at his bracer for a moment. He closed his eyes and pictured his ability as an aura and focused it on his forearm. Suddenly the bracer turned white and mathematical symbols started appearing on it until everything was covered with said symbols. Alex opened his eyes and took a look at the changes, ...whatever he thought, pressed the button on his MP4 and continued listening to music. Although he didn't need to attend the rest of the lesson, Alex was too lazy to stand up from his seat again...

[Assistant] Eris rushed towards the ball but suddenly felt the effects of magic similar to time dilation, when she felt this she stopped and had her sword appear under the ball and launch it into the air above her before she jumped and slammed the ball over sol's head surrounding I'd with spinning light blades to cut through his wind.

[User]
ghost in black
Sol grinned, as he thought his opponent had quickly reacted appropriately to the situation, but he wasn't done yet. Just before she launched the orb with those strange swords of hers Sol wrapped the Orb in devastatingly powerful wind currents and hurled it past Eris to the furthest corner of the court. The bubble of slowed time followed the ball catching Eris in it and hopefully stopping her from being able to react fast enough to stop his assault.
---

Elza blinked rapidly and looked up startled her shadow already forming itself into a spear and nearly launching itself at Liz before Elza realized that she wasn't under attack and her shadow quickly returned to its original form. "Um sorry didn't see you there, My name is Elza. Everything has been pretty simple so far so my only question is, what kind of classes do we have here?" she said still somewhat surprised by the sudden conversation but her natural curiosity quickly taking over.

[Assistant]
Cruz Meister, Pamela Armellia and Lynda "Lyn" Hermit
Location: Common Room

Of course, that look wasn't pleasuring in the very least and it made Cruz think about what kind of tests and experiments she wanted to perform on him. But as he was going to ask, Pamela came forward to interrupt and do a scandal. In her mind, she needed one. "Whoa whoa whoa, hey hey hey, hold on! Performing tests on him? He's not your lab rat! And plus, I don't think that your intentions are good in a single bit!", she said, taking front. "Hey... Pamela? I don't think that you know, but she isn't the kind of person that likes to be disturbed...", he said. But she wasn't going to give attention to him. Not when she was doing something that the paparazzi would come and take photos to publish on the journals. After all, every worldwide diva makes a scandal here and there, so why she wouldn't make one?

Lyn sighed. All that scene just proved that Pamela was an idiot and that the level of respect between them was going to be really small. Lynda isn't the kind of person that likes the weak. She just has a friendly acquaintance with Cruz because of who he is. She never saw his power directly, but she had expectations.. "I'm heading to the classroom. You coming, Cruz?", she said. "I guess I'm kinda in trouble here, so I'll go later...", he said. "Hey, no going in class until I take some answers out of this girl!", Pamela butted in. With a face of diappointment, Lyn left the common room towards the classroom, leaving Cruz and Pamela behind.

[User] Ryan recieved his bracer and didn't even flinch when the painful magic was inserted into him. The bracer turned somewhat crimson. His head snapped towards Meruin when he heard experiments. He glided over to Slick, Cruz, and Meruin and barely restrained a grin. "Did someone say, experi– I mean tests! Tests, not experiments. Experiment implies pain." He muttered to himself that last part.

[Assistant] Deus watched as the Bracer was inserted into him. He didn't feel any pain, he began to laugh. He was already used to this kind of pain, but worst. He walked up to Agni seeing as how Cruz and He had arrived at the same time. 'Agni...He really interests me.' He looked at Agni for a long time before he began to speak. "Hello Agni we meet again at last. My name is Deus if you didn't hear me before, the one who had that little skirmish with you yesterday. So how are you doing?" Deus was extremely interested in him, not in the experimental way but the way that he would like to know about him.

[User]
Agni Blackheart
Location: Common Room

As he was leaving the common room, a dialogue against his will started. While reading the Word of Hatred, Agni simply moved his eyes looked at the person who was talking to him. The question that Deus asked made Agni know that he wanted to make some kind of friendship or another thing. However, he was just cold as he ever is to answer. "... Why do you even ask? If you are expecting any sweet answer from me, throw those hopes in the trash. I don't believe in the slightest that you care about how I'm feeling and how I am now.", he said, walking towards the exit. But before leaving, he closed the Word of Hatred, looked forward and spoke one last thing. "... You all are liars. More of those people who use masks to hide what they really feel. I don't have reasons to be speaking with people that prefer to fake happiness instead of throwing out the hatred they feel. After all, inside of your tiny little heart... You. Hate. Me.", he said. After that, he opened his grimoire once more and finally left the room.

[Assistant] Deus scratched his head and then put on a serious face. 'Liars huh, that word resembles everyone including you.... Lies are what shapes us, at the end of the day we are just human, nothing else....Our hearts can rot, all that matters is what we believe in..' Deus thought, his thoughts weren't in order more like Disarray, that's why everything he thought was unclear, he didn't even know what he was thinking. 'A dark aura, surrounded by loneliness and hatred...He must have gone through a lot.' He walked around the common room for some time. He noticed Marcus and walked to him. "Hey Marcus, you alright now, that was a pretty good fight out there, all you need is training and you'll master that power if yours, Anyways how are you feeling?"

[User]
Meruin frowned. "I assure you, whatever my intent, what I have planned may benefit the both of us," she stated. She gave a questioning look to Cruz. "I'm afraid she's an unfamiliar face to me, Mr. Cruz. Is she yours, or is she playing a joke on you too?"

She was referring to her interaction earlier with Sol and Cornelia, but of course, neither of them knew that.

"And yes, Ryan. I offered to preform a few . . . tests for Mr. Cruz, not on. I'm quite generous, aren't I?" said Meruin in an awkward attempt to make her offer seem better.

[Assistant]
@floodtalon

Cruz Meister and Pamela Armellia
Location: Common Room

Cruz looked at Pamela and looked back at Meruin. "Uhh... how am I supposed to answer that? Let's see... well, she's just a firend I met here in the academy.", he said. Inside her own space, Pamela was heartbroken for hearing that, but she still stood up for him. "A-Anyway, you totally changed the phrase! Now you said for, when in a moment ago you said on! And what's this about benefit both of you?! I don't see ANY benefit in this thing for him!", she said, angry.

[User] "Are you making this difficult on purpose?" stated Meruin bluntly. The girl was starting to get on her nerves, mostly because she was very loud. "This is a matter between me and Mr. Cruz, if you want to get involved, I will not stop you, but kindly have the sense of grace to at least be polite and tone down your volume, otherwise I will disregard everything you have to say."

[Assistant] Liz chuckled and took a seat on the floor in the corner beside her "What kind of classes, well I guess its split into 3 main types. Fitness classes like gym and such, Magic classes to help us refine our magic skills and finally academic classes like math and other languages." She paused "However, you don't really have to go to all of them just enough. For example someone like Meruin over there might not go to the fitness classes as much but makes up for it with going to the other two types where as I would likely skip basic classes and just focus on fitness and magic." Liz finally explained "Does that make sense?"

[User]
Cruz Meister and Pamela Armellia
Location: Common Room

"Hrrrrgrrrr... you're getting on my nerves...", she said. Cruz took the front this time and spoke. "... Alright. We'll do this test for me and on me. After class, you decide where we're going. Pamela will come with me.", he said. "But Cruz-", she tried to speak, but he held her back.

[Assistant]
Meruin raised a brow. "Are you sure? I haven't even explained the nature of the tests. Do not get me wrong; I am glad you accepted, but this whole affair has become needlessly complicated."

Why it became complicated, Meruin left unsaid, but her pointed look at Pamela was a dead giveaway.


[System]
* Age: 15
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: "The only point in being here is to train to be the best Tuner possible!" Rika is very short for her age.
* Personality: Rika is usually rather serious. She firmly believes that her reason for being at the Akiyama-Kreuz Academy is to become the best Tuner she can possibly be, moreso than anything else. She is also very stubborn and fixated on this purpose. She believes all that is needed to be a powerful Tuner is the willingness to succeed and the will to help from her Receiver, and she is likely to blame her Receiver for any failure. Rika dislikes what she perceives as foolishness, stupidity, or perversion, often chastising those who so such behaviors very vocally. She is easily angered and quick to resort to minor physical punishment(dope slaps, for example) for what she believes is stupid or foolish behavior. However, Rika genuinely desires to help people and keep them safe, and this is a large part of her motivation for her desire to become the best possible Tuner. Still, she is also a prideful and stubborn girl who is quick to snap at others. She is also easily flustered, and very jealous of girls who are taller and more mature than herself. Rika wants a receiver who will truly and honestly attempt to help her and nothing else.
* Type: Weapon-Type
* Weapon: Currently, as Rika lacks a Receiver, she cannot generate her own weapon. She has, however, managed to take a family heirloom katana with her. While this is normally strictly prohibited, as long as the weapon is made available to historical researchers its presence has been tolerated. Her weapon will likely be some form of sword, and potentially use this katana to trigger its formation.
* Skills: Rika was trained by her father in traditional Japanese swordplay. She is also fairly well-versed in Japanese history. However, Rika is a horribly, terribly bad cook, much to her embarrassment. It could be considered an offensive skill by itself due to the near-toxic status of her cooking.
* Brief Backstory: Rika was born to the Maki family, a family in touch with its roots, and a father who ran a dojo. He lavished training in Japanese swordplay on his daughter, and instilled her with pride and a deep desire to succeed in all she does. She went on to do her best, to attempt to do everything she could to ensure she did her best, in everything she tried to do. However, due to a tragic event in her childhood that nearly killed a close friend, Rika has become even more dedicated to the ideal of becoming the best possible Tuner, stubbornly fixated on this ideal beyond everything else.
* Receiver: None as of yet.

[User]
The appearance of the display above his dead was nothing short of 'surprising', but James found it more apt to not be crushed by a bunch of other students before turning his head up to take a good look at it. The ordering was a mess, for sure, but... Well, no, actually, there was no upside. Geez, the infrastructure for this facility needed a serious overhaul in the future; it was a miracle that they got anything done, even with the equipment that they had. Seriously, it had to take skill in order to goof structure this badly! At least make the damn thing alphabetized!

"Fuckin'... Okay, let's see here... James, James, James... There! Okay, my name's still in English, which saves me a lot more headache. And the winner is... Someone by the name of Akiya Nobuhiko. Hrm. Well, he doesn't stand out too much..."

Sighing, James looked around momentarily before the din of other students searching for their partners started becoming too much for him to bear. Seriously! Whose idea WAS it to set it up like this? Were they TRYING to blow out everyone's eardrums on their first day here?

"Son of a.. Alright, let's see if we can't..." he swore to himself as he slipped his way through the crowd in order to arrive at a somewhat-less overcrowded location in order to... Well, in essence, use the nearby equipment as a platform to get a better look around. Ruining his voice was overrated, and... Seriously, who would be able to see jack shit in this mess?

---

"Oh no. Oh no, it's happening..." Mari sighed, shaking her head as the list of names flashed brightly overhead, lording over the students (as it should); the cacophony that was every pair trying to find one another than soon followed made her instinctively shrink back. That was only temporary, though, as her ears got used to the blaring noise reminiscent to that of a concert (or so she assumed; she'd never been to one, but she'd seen enough online to assume). The listing seemed to be organized by the names of the Tuners, which meant that it would end up being more of a hassle to hunt for her partner that it would him... Or her... Well, whatever worked.

With that in mind, Mari quietly moved to the back of the room and... Well, waited. It'd be much easier to find her partner (and vice versa) if the rowdy ones did their jobs first. Granted, it'd take a bit longer this way, but if it meant not having to shove her way through this sea of people...

[Assistant]
Rozmonda raised an eyebrow as the head researcher simply flushed red and looked down at the floor, stammering something she couldn't make out before dropping her question in favor of a more 'on topic' one asked by another student. With a sigh, the foreign student barely listened to the familiar explanation that served as the normally nervous woman's answer. She, personally, held a low opinion and little faith in the personality-based pairing system that the Academy used. That was no surprise, as it had utterly failed to come up with a suitable match for her yet.

So it was with a look of mild curiosity mixed with resigned boredom, and just the tiniest twinkle of hope, that she turned her attention to the pairing results that appeared in the air. Cute, anime, anime, handsome redhead!, cute smile, adorkable, bland, blander, anime, adorkable, bland, bland... The girl gave brief assessments of the pictures shown next to the names as she skimmed through the list, coming to her name and image after a moment. She frowned at the picture of her they had decided to use, thinking it outdated and only useful for identifying her thanks to her atypical-to-japan looks.

Putting that aside, she flicked her eyes over to the name next to her own. Alexis Thorburn sounded foreign to her, making it unlikely she'd have to deal with the particularities of a Japanese upbringing in her partner. Flicking her eyes over once more to the picture beside the name, she concluded that her partner was also positively adorable. Despite her general outlook on the whole situation, Rozmonda found herself interested in meeting her partner to be.

Deciding that it would be far easier for them to find her than the other way around, the tall redhead simply stood off in a patch of shorter students and looked around for any approaching faces that matched the picture.

---

Sora found herself wondering exactly why the researcher did allow her hair to be in such a manner, silently thinking that perhaps a shorter haircut would help her out in at least a purely ease of care manner. The older girl who had asked, clearly, seemed to have aesthetics in mind, though. In any case the question went unanswered, replaced by one that Sora already knew the answer to. She listened intently to the more confidently delivered answer all the same, not wishing to miss out on any new nuggets of information.

Unfortunately, though not unexpectedly, there were no new nuggets to be found from such a simple question. The studious young girl had learned all this long ago, though she personally suspected that genetics played a closer role than the school might think due to it's potential influences on personality. Such theories were hard to test, however, due to the issues of separating the effects of nature from the effects of nurture. In any case, she didn't disagree with the explanation provided nor the dismissal of genetics as ultimately being marginal.

The pairings list was displayed shortly after the researcher finished answering the sole legitimate question, Sora adjusting her glasses slightly as she quickly skimmed down the list in search of her name and picture. A light frown tugged at the edges of her lips as she noticed the glare of her glasses made her eyes hard to see in the photo, rendering her even more generically average than normal. Her partner, a boy by the name of Plancy and somewhat average looking himself, would have a hard time picking her out from the various other girls that had similar looks.

As the students matched up and cleared out, the ease of finding each other would rise. However, due to the mild chaos and sheer number of students, that could take quite awhile to work out. So, there was merely one efficient and acceptable option. Making her way over to the exit, standing off to one side, she raised one arm straight up in the air.

"Olivier de Plancy?" She called out in a clear tone, measuring the loudness to be just enough to cut across the chattering noise of the other students.

[User]
Kurihashi Keiichi
Keiichi kept looking at the nervous researcher, before hearing someone comment on her hair. The question made the researcher even more nervous, annoying the emotional boy. As he decided to look away from the researcher, Keiichi noticed the researcher decided to change the topic to the process of pairing Receivers and Tuners together, with a less nervous voice. While he indeed wanted to hear that and the researcher being less nervous is a good thing, it annoyed the boy more at the same time, since he didn't want to have the topic changed without any warning. Soon, the researcher notified everyone in the room that the pairings came, with her voice seeming less nervous just like when she was talking about the pairing system.

Soon, a list appeared in Keiichi's vision, with his name listed next to "Kougami Mari", which seemed to be female from the picture. He quickly decided to start moving to find the woman, which took some time. However, it didn't take long to find the woman, which is exactly the woman in the picture. Keiichi shoved some people to reach the woman, softly smiling as he talked.

"Hello, Kougami-San. I am Kurihashi Keiichi. I am your partner if I am right. Nice to meet you." Keiichi slightly blushed while looking at the woman, thinking of her as a good-looking person.

---

Tatebayashi Eri
Eri briefly looked at the list, noticing some people have their name in their own language, with a smaller, and transliterated versions of their name that above the name, with the languages for the transliteration varying with their partner's mother tongue, at least from what the girl could see. Among the names, there was the slightly blonde-haired girl's name without a transliterated version of it, meaning she was to be paired with a Japanese person.

Looking at the name next to hers, noticing she was paired up with a person called "Akeya Kagura", with a picture of a girl with a long, black hair next to it, indicating her appearance. The slightly blonde-haired girl looked at the crowd of people which started to scramble around the room, with some of them waiting for their partners to come. As Eri decided to start moving, she noticed the person which was exactly like the girl in the picture found the slightly blonde-haired girl first, proceeding to greet the girl with glasses.

"Yes. I'm Tatebayashi Eri. Nice to meet you, too." Eri kept her reply simple and proper, hoping the black-haired girl in front of her is a kind person.

[Assistant]
The Twins
Michi had crossed her arms over her chest, listening intently to what the researcher had to say about genetic compatibility. It was when she mentioned the compatibility of relatives being stifled by protectiveness that she faltered, almost sputtering a protest out loud. She held her tongue, though. There was no way the researcher had meant her and her brother. She couldn't be that protective of him. Sure she looked out for him and did everything she could to keep her naively innocent brother out of trouble, but she wasn't detrimental to his growth. Was she?

Her brother didn't seem to have noticed the implications of the researcher's words, or possibly just wasn't bothered by it. Instead, he stood on his tip toes look up at the projection with wide, bright eyes, "Ohhhh, Michinee, you're paired with someone pretty cute~ How lucky~! Now to find my name..."

"It's weird to call your-" Wait, wait, wait. Naoki wouldn't call himself cute like that. Furthermore, why would he need to find his name? Michi looked up at the list and had to do a double take. Sure enough, she was paired with a girl she didn't know, "What...? But I thought... why aren't we paired together?"

"Ehhh, its a little disappointing," Naoki mused tapping his chin, "But this way we'll make new friends, right? I think I see my partner, I'm gonna go say hi."

Before Michi could protest, her brother had already wandered away through the crowd of students. She sighed. Dammit, what was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to paired with someone else, but she also didn't want to go against the school's decision.

Well, she might as well take a chance to get to know her partner. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Naoki wasn't wrong, after all. The girl did look pretty cute...

While his sister was still having her dilemma, Naoki easily moved to the center of the group and appeared in front of a girl who was standing oddly still. Not that he seemed to notice, as he leaned back on his heels and smiled pleasantly at the much taller girl, "Hello, I'm Naoki, you're my new partner, right?" He barely came up to her chest, but that didn't deter his eagerness to make a new friend.


[System]
A G E
Twenty Four
B I R T H D A Y
Winter, Day 9
G E N D E R
Male
O C C U P A T I O N
Cafe Owner

---

---

P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Idealistic, Prideful, Tenacious, Jokester, Forgetful, Astute
F A V O R I T E S E A S O N
Winter
F A V O R I T E C O L O R
Sienna
F A V O R I T E F O O D
Smoked Salmon
L I K E S
Cooking, Puns and Jokes, Coffee, a Light Summer Breeze, Dogs, and Karaoke.
D I S L I K E S
Roosters, Sleeping in, Crows, Pessimism, Big Companies, Large Messes.
D O Y O U B E L I E V E I N M A G I C ?
He mainly believes in the rot, having felt he saw its effects on his family when it first started showing up and blaming it for their sudden interest to leave their home town. Because of that, he doesn't doubt that the other things exist either, and even sends prayers to the Goddess from time to time.

---

---

F A M I L Y M E M B E R S
Father: Quinten Rivers - Previous Cafe Owner - Moved to the city
Mother: Vanessa Rivers - Previous Cafe Owner/Chef - Moved to the city
Brother: Devon Rivers - Previous Cafe employee - Moved to the city
Dog: Nanner - Best french bulldog - Moved to city with parents
A N I M A L F R I E N D S
He used to take care of his dog Nanner until his parents took him with them when they left.
H O M E L I F E
Living in establishment 11, the two story building has housing on the top floor with the cafe on the bottom, the stairs blocked off from customers due to being in the back where only Grayon has access to it, locked behind a door. The residence upstairs is almost akin to a studio apartment, with it being fairly open save for the bathroom.

The Wide Awake Cafe has been a family establishment for generations, and Grayson ultimately took up the mantle of being its owner out of a sense of pride and respect for the place in his parent's absence. While there is a large emphasis on coffee, he does his best to have a wide variety of snacks and main meals for customers and even expanded his menu at the cost of being the only one who works there now. It's a lot to clean, but he wouldn't be here if he wasn't up to the challenge.
S T O R Y
The Rivers family has been in Valbree Village for several generations starting with Grayon's great great grandfather, and the story goes that they built themselves a simple cafe to share their love of food and drinks to the town. His great grandfather took it upon himself to renovate the place when he got ownership, expanding the cafe's size slightly and renovating the feel of the place so that it felt more inviting and homely. Grayon's grandfather managed to pull in new supplies for use, and it seemed that things could only go up when Grayon's own father took charge, his wife happy to assist him.

Together in Valbree, they had vowed to make sure the cafe would prosper, and for a time, it did. While they were happy, they had two sons,
 Grayson as the eldest and 5 years later Devon. Some of Grayson's earliest memories were in that cafe, watching customers with eager eyes and soaking in everything he could about the place. He wanted to learn more, always mesmerized at how the place had grown through the generations and attentively paying attention as to how to keep the place successful. Grayson aspired to keep up the family tradition,and they couldn't be happier. Devon was slightly invested in the place, but he was always more scholarly and always felt like a big fish in a small pond, desiring to leave the moment he could.

Grayson had no such ambition for departure, feeling right at home in his home town. When he turned 18, they decided to grant him more responsibility and have him act as the owner with their supervision, and he was more than eager to. He didn't do anything drastic, but he learned how to keep the place alive.

When BigCo came a year ago and the rot came, he noticed his parents take a large shift from their old ways, progressively getting worse and worst of all, getting greedy. They wanted to sell the cafe to BigCo and abandon Valbree Village, and Grayson refused immediately. The decision sparked a split between the family, and it didn't help that Devon sided with his parents. They lashed out at Grayson, spouting that the cafe needed to be put down and that his place was no longer of use, but he defiantly refused their requests. Angered and upset, the trio left, leaving Grayson alone to tend to the cafe as the sole owner a year ago.

He silently sent a prayer that day to the Goddess to help him.

[User]
---

---

Javier poured himself a cup of coffee as he pressed the play button on the messaging machine. A few messages about reservations popped up and Javier wrote them down nearby in a small agenda. Things were normal until he heard's the mayor's message about the potluck happening. "Guy just wants another bottle of wine, hmmph".

He walked out of his living area which was located right infront of the desk to look around to it. The morning newspaper had just arrived, well he was subscribed to a few editions of it really, to give his customer's a sense of variety. He grabbed the top one, being his favorite and the one his brother worked at: "The City Times". On it was another legal battle that BigCo was incorporated into. A local village that was a few hours away from Javier's was fighting a construction notice by BigCo to build a new big box store. The legal battle went on for years and years until finally, it ended with BigCo agreeing to settle. It was a shame really Javier thought, villages are often thrown under the bus knowing that even if they reject BigCo, they'll simply come back with more money until someone gives the greenlight.

Javier looked at the clock for a moment, before he went towards a red book labelled "Ledger and Guest list". Javier opened it up and briefly skimmed it over before he nodded to himself. He then dialed every phone at the hotel and left a convenient message. " Good Morning to you all, Javier speaking, and you need to pay up if your staying for this upcoming week. Come to the main desk before Tuesday evening and pay. Other then that, food service resumes normally today. Ask the front desk for the specials." stated Javier before releasing the button. Javier then nodded towards Eugene, his assistant to the man the front desk. He walked out of the inn and simply proceeded to go to the general store, to place an order for some goods.

[Assistant]
Hope, one of the younger members of the community at the age of eighteen, had made her way down the old dirt road that lead in to the village. As was her typical routine she walked her usual route at an extremely leisurely pace-keeping closer to the river than the treeline of the woods she snapped a few pictures of the occasional fish breaking the surface or when she thought the sun was hitting the water just right. Using an old collapsible Polaroid camera strung around her neck she was given the instant gratification of being able to hold a physical copy of the moment in time she had just captured on camera.

Those that knew her in Valbree were well aware she wore the aforementioned camera almost everywhere; even more gossiped about thought, and rightly so, was her propensity to try and photograph people without them knowing. She always claimed it was to capture the real essence of a moment but on more than one occasion it has gotten her in varying degrees of trouble.

As always upon entering the village proper she began passing out greetings followed with a genuine smile to any and all she passed: she also did her best to specifically say "Happy New Years!" as often as she could. Known by most as an extreme extrovert with an overly positive outlook on almost everything while retaining a decently witty and dry sense of humor-especially when it came to her brother.

She had been mulling over whether or not she wanted to stop in for a quick coffee and hello at the cafe or pop in to Abernova's general goods to restock her now depleted glitter supply: being an item of particular low demand within the overall town the only real place to get her crafting supplies was in fact Abernovas. Because of that reason Hope had spent longer than she remembered trying to snap a photo of, in her opinion, the rather grumpy Luna Abernova while in her natural habitat.

The decision on where to go was quickly made for her as she watched Javier make his way into Abernova's-spur of the moment she decided she could sneak in on the same bell ding the would signify Javier entering the store. From there she just had to have a quick trigger finger.

Camera ready in hand Hope threw caution to the wind and followed Javier's footsteps into the shop before the door was able to close. "Say cheese!!" Wasting no time she took the first picture she could with a bright flash that was quickly followed by the noisy whizzing and whirling of tiny gears spitting the image out of the front of the camera.

Red stared in disbelief at the glowing blue screen in his hand; he was genuinley surprised by both the speed Waconia had answered and the very fact that she had answered at all. He could almost hear her sighing in between messages before choseing to be the bigger person-Red just hoped he could do the same.

He took another swig from his bottle.

After a moment of thought his fingers slowly played across his keypad in a manner that made it clear he was not used to texting.

Mulling it over for a minute he reread the message a few times before pressing send, all the while secure in the belief (somewhat drunkenly) he had definitely not come across as specifically wanting to talk to or see Waconia. Having grown up with each other for almost their whole lives she probably found the attempt at deception laughable.


[System]
Age: 15

Godly parent: Artemis

Background:

Joanne is a half-wolf, half-human child of Artemis fashioned out of the bones and flesh of a dead she-wolf, and imbued it with part of the Goddess' spirit. Of course, Artemis couldn't keep the baby girl she had created, but she did know of a good family for her. Soon a little girl baby was found at the doorstep of and later adopted by Scott Fountain, Alaska State Police and Michelle Fountain, Scott's older sister, and a practicing veterinarian.

Joanne lived in the city of Lakes, Alaska. From an early age, Joanne seemed to have a special bond with the outdoors. She could handle a rifle with ease, shoot a bow with an unbelievable level of accuracy, and loved to hike and camp with her dad and aunt. She was a slightly average student but struggled with learning disabilities that often frustrated her. But on the athletic field and rifle range, she really shined, particularly in running, and cross-country skiing. By middle school, Joanne was successfully competing in state archery, biathlon and cross country skiing competitions, and there was serious talk of her going to the Olympics someday.

Joanne was always easy going, and she had a few friends in school. But she really didn't hang out too much and generally did better with dogs than people. She often helped out at her aunt's clinic and nearby animal shelter. When not working, studying or competing, Joanne preferred to spend her time outside on long hikes or camping. It was during one of her hikes that she found a lone gray wolf cub clinging for dear life to a small log in the middle of a cold stream. Headless of her own safety, Joanne waded into the stream and plucked the cub from danger, suffering a torrent of licks from the very grateful cub in the process. Taking the cub home, and with help from her aunt, Joanne nursed it back to full health. In the process girl and wolf bonded. Joanne named the cub Smoke after her gray and white fur.

At first, Joanne's aunt and father wanted to return Smoke to the wild as soon as possible since Gray Wolves do not really make good pets. But this wolf was clearly different, for it took Joanne's commands easily, and became surprisingly well domesticated. It was as if wolf and girl were made for each other and Joanne's aunt and father eventually relented.

It was the summer of Joanne's second year in high school that her life changed forever. Returning from an early morning walk, she could see smoke rising from where her house was. She then heard multiple gunshots. Joanne and Smoke rushed home to find the house on fire and her father and aunt torn apart and left for dead in pools of their own blood.

Falling to her knees in grief, it was Smoke's growling that shook her out of her grief to notice some sort of monster rushing towards them. Smoke leapt at it, but was batted away. The monster lunged towards Joanne, and she barely managed to roll out of the way of its claws. Grabbing her hunting bow as she rolled, Joanne came up on her knee and in one swift motion nocked three arrows at once and let them fly. The broad hunting arrowheads ripped into the monster's throat. Surprised and moaning in pain, the monster took a step away from Joanne, only to find itself struck again and again by a quick succession of arrows. Soon a cluster of arrows was in the creature's neck. The creature reached up to try to pull them out, but each time it did, it was replaced by another fired from Joanne's bow. Eventually it was just too much and the monster crashed to the ground, dead.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Joanne knelt before the now dead creature to make sure it was truly dead. She had absolutely no idea what it was, but she blessed her decision to bring her bow with her that morning. Smoke seemed ok, perhaps only her pride was hurt from getting batted aside

Smoke bound up to her mistress and gave her a quick nuzzle, as if to ask if Joanne was ok. She was not. Joanne turned to what was left of her family and broke down crying. Smoke sat next to her and leaned in a bit to comfort her mistress. Wolf and girl sat this way for what seemed to be a long time before two female Hunters appeared. They had been sent to rescue Joanne from that monster, and were stunned to find she had killed it alone. As gently as they could they could, they informed Joanne that she was in further danger and she needed to leave, now. Sirens could now be heard in the distance, probably the local sheriff and the fire rescue services, the hunters realized. Glumly nodding her assent, Joanne bid farewell to her father and aunt. The two hunters pulled Joanne to her feet and with Smoke trailing closely behind, all four disappeared scant seconds before the first fire truck arrived at the burning cabin.

Powers:

Skin of Nature: Wild animals will take no notice of Joanne and she can move through underbrush with ease, and with high degree of silence and stealth. Joanne will not leave any tracks unless she wishes to.

Natural Hunter: Joanne has the predatory instincts of a gray wolf, making her highly skilled in hunting, tracking, and reading how "prey" will react. Joanne's senses are enhanced to canine levels. She can see in the dark, track and differentiate between different scents and has enhanced levels of hearing.

Alpha Female: Joanne has the ability to communicate with and command canines of any species. She cannot command police or similarly trained dogs, but they will generally be indifferent to her presence.

Weapon or gifts from godly parent:

Joanne has a modern compound hunting bow that she can shoot with a superhuman level of accuracy. She received it as a birthday present from her father last year. The woman behind the counter said it would be perfect for Joanne.

Note: Smoke is Joanne's friend and companion out her own free will, and Joanne would never dare attempt to "command" Smoke unless circumstances were dire. The two share an empathic link and know each other's feelings. Though she appears to be a regular adolescent grey wolf, Smoke is smarter (same as an Australian Shepard), and can endure more punishment than a normal wolf.

[User] Devon clenches his hand as the emblem of flame sears into his fist, and he hisses at the pain. What in Hades's name was that? He looks around the camp, searching for the others that were burned by the strange prophecy. Emperor's gain? What emperor? He backs into a shadow, which makes him feel a little safer, a bit more powerful. Does this mean I have to talk to other people? He shakes his head, and walks off to the training grounds, grabs his scythe out of the shadows, and practices his forms. Left, right, sweep, overhand cut, sideswipe, block. What did that prophecy mean? He trains until he is exhausted from swinging his scythe around, and lets it go to fade back into the shadows. He shakes his head, and sits down in the grass.

[Assistant]
As everyone gathered in the war room Chiron rolled in his wheelchair. Syrus guessed it was to have better access to the house and it's rooms but never the less it was convenient. Chiron pulled up to the table and looked around. "Well each of you were called here due to the event that transpired this evening. It seems Hecate has seen something in the door of ways or she would not have used a mortal to issue a prophecy quest which I spoke to Miss Dare about in the other room. It seems her power isn't bound by the triumvirate which is a good thing." He cleared his throat. "What I'm about to tell you all involves a certain demigod during the second giants war. This demigod traversed Tartarus and ended up in a realm ruled by Nyx. We had hoped that nothing would come of what the demigod did to Nyx but it seems that luck is not on our side. The beginning of the prophecy is a warning that if we don't stop Nyx's husband it will be nothing compared to what anything else we have faced. Now the rest I am unsure of but we can consult with the Romans. Sadly we cannot contact them and have no way for you to travel there that wouldn't get you killed." Syrus raised a hand.

"Sir I can get us there." He looked around at every one. "I can mistwalk and bring others with me. I passed out this morning because I had already expended to much energy from..." he stopped and looked at Joanne but then decided to continue as they needed to know "...hunting a Naga Umbra." Chiron stared and Redwood went pale.

"If you think you can do it then it would be a bad idea. Miss Dare need to go with you as well to confer with Ella. I need you all to realize that this is a huge deal and if you all don't take this seriously you might die." A grave silence fell over the room. Before Redwood began.

"You all should get some rest and set out in the morning we will have bags of food packed for you and other provisions. Please rest. That is all, you may turn in to your cabins now."

Syrus sat waiting to see if others would protest or have anything to say before he moved.

[User] Devon stands and walks off to the Big House. Maybe Chiron would know about what happened to him. He stalks through the camp, careful to stay in the shadows, avoiding all living contact, and then walks up to the Big House. He looks around, and stops, hearing talking. "-someone wrote down what she said." What who said? Does this have to do with that strange fire burning my hand, or is it something else? I know little to nothing about this world, what am I even doing here? He sneaks into the room, hiding in the darkness, and waits for them to stop talking.

[Assistant]
Joanne came up to Syrus, Smoke trailing a few feet away. She didn't get a chance to speak to him back in the cafeteria after he had apologized for hurting her. They had all been whisked away too quickly for that.

"Syrus…" she began. "You don't have to apologize for what happened earlier today, it was clearly far beyond your control. I don't hold it against you in the least. But now we are all in this together, and you will have my full support, no matter what."

Joanne smiled. "You are brave without bounds Syrus. I see it, we all do. You just don't believe it yet." She paused. "I just wish we had met under different circumstances, not like this…not preparing for war."

Joanne leaned in, embraced him and gave Syrus a kiss on the cheek. "For luck," she said. Syrus stood transfixed by the kiss as he watched Joanne and Smoke leave the war room.

Joanne walked back to her cabin alone, save Smoke. She was deep in thought when she feet a presence near her…following her, but one not easy to define. Joanne grew uneasy, a mood matched by Smoke. At first she hurried onwards to her cabin and the Hunters. But the feeling never left her, and indeed grew stronger the closer she got to her cabin. Finally, just as she was about to enter a clearing, Joanne decided this game, whatever it was, had to end. She quickly drew and nocked an arrow on her bow, and aimed at a shadow under a nearby tree. Smoke stood before her growling, her hackles up.

"Show yourself, whomever you are!" Joanne said.

She was shocked to see a figure, dressed in a white tunic, leather boots and bracers. Covering her was a green hunters cloak with the hood pulled over her face and on her back was a quiver full of arrows

She was tall and and well-built, and moved with the ease of a person long used to being in the woods. She was armed with a bow and dagger, but kept her hands well away from both. The figure stopped a few feet away from Joanne and pulled the hood back revealing a kind face framed by shoulder-length raven-black hair and striking silver-grey eyes.

Joanne did a double take and quickly lowered her bow. Even if she had never seen her before, it was almost instinctual that she knew who this woman was.

"Mother?" Joanne whispered in near disbelief.

"Yes, my daughter," Artemis said with a smile. The goddess knelt down as Joanne ran to her and wrapped her up in a tight motherly embrace. Joanne started to cry on her mother's shoulder, from joy, or sadness Artemis could not tell. But the Goddess was happy and relieved Joanne had not rejected her outright from the moment both laid eyes on each other.

Artemis soothed her daughter and after a few moments Joanne stopped crying. Artemis looked at Joanne, her expression touched with sadness. "As happy as I am to see you, Joanne I am sorry you had to learn of your heritage by the loss of your parents. But there was nothing I could do to save them, though I tried."

Joanne looked at Artemis. "I know mother, somehow I know. And it's ok."

Artemis noodled. "I have watched you grow into a strong young woman from afar, my daughter. I so wanted to visit you, to speak to you, to touch you. But until now, I could not risk that."

The goddess stood up and took a regal bearing, "But circumstanced have changed. Come, we have much to discuss before your trials start tomorrow," Artemis said., She held her hand out to Joanne, who took it.

With the other Artemis beckoned Smoke to her side. Smoke came over sat beside her. She looked up at Artemis who grinned and stroked the wolf's head lovingly.

"I thank you Smoke for watching after my daughter all these years, and for being her friend," she said.

Joanne looked at her mother with only mild surprise. "You sent her to me, didn't you." It was not a question, rather a statement of fact

Artemis nodded. "I knew that if I couldn't be there, at least I could send somebody I trusted to help watch over you as you grew into womanhood."

The three walked off into the forest and disappeared from view.


[System]
The Rook
Nickname: Rook

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Mixed, White/Afro-Caribbean

Height: 6ft 2"

Weight: 145kg, 165-170kg in full kit.

Appearance: Raymond has a bulky build, wide shouldered with powerful legs, muscled arms and a barrelled chest. He has the build of a power lifter rather than a body builder. His head is completely bald and his eyes are sunken, he is not a very attractive man, but neither is he particularly ugly. His nose has obviously been broken at some point in the past and his forehead is marked with a nasty scar, but his face is otherwise unremarkable.

Physical Capabilities:

Strength: Dead-Lift 1000 pounds from the ground, with effort, his physical strength is around human peak.
Speed: 14 mph in a straight sprint in full armour, average acceleration and stopping distance.
Endurance: Fifteen minutes of high level activity
Durability: High pain tolerance, particularly durable bones, strong boxer's chin, human peak.
Reflex: Human Peak

Equipment:

Ballistic Face Mask: Black and red, featuring bullet-proof smear-resistant, light resistant, glass lenses and micro-gauze under the breathing holes which filters the majority of airborne pollutants. Made of Kevlar and padded to resist even significant blunt force impacts, provides little protection to the back of the head however, which is only covered by a red balaclava.

Tactical Vest: Soft armour which incorporates coated and laminated para-aramid textiles in addition to the ordinary Kevlar weave, providing additional protection from melee implements in the chest area, covers the groin and most of the neck, though there is a narrow strip of skin between his mask and vest unprotected.

Elbow Pads

Knee Pads

Shin Pads

Tactical Shirt and Trousers, black colouration, tough but insignificant as armour, mostly stylistic.

Kevlar Gloves: Metal coated on the knuckles for more wallop.

Steel toe-capped military boots

Holsters: Rook keeps his shotgun in a specialised holster on his right leg and his pistol over his chest in a holster with a tricky design to its safety strap that requires some finesse to undo. It would be difficult for an enemy to steal his weapons, especially in the heat of combat, unless the straps were untied. His baton is kept on his left hip, his magazines, explosives and flash bangs are in his chest pockets and his bean-bag rounds are on his belt.

Full length (Head to knee) electric/stun riot-shield, black and red motif, transparent outer rectangle, half minute battery life, audible sound and visible electric current from the face of the shield half a second before charged, rim is also electrified. 3 milliamps, 1.5mil volts maximum charge, capable of momentarily disabling a limb, or briefly stunning an enemy should it make contact with the CNS. The blacked out square in the middle is marked with a red chess piece, the rook, which can also conceal body movements.

Light Weight Mini-Bang®, Model 7290ML: Debilitating flash grenade, causes blindness and momentary loss of balance/hearing for three to five seconds after direct exposure, proximity can exasperate these effects.

Stingball Grenade: Minor explosive that launches rubber balls, used in crowd control, non-lethal but exceedingly painful, especially within a ten-foot radius of the blast.

Weapons:

Twenty-six-inch steel stun baton, electrified to half way down the shaft, concentrated on the end. Thirty seconds battery life, capable of disabling a limb on contact, causes wide-spread paralysis for a short period on contact with the central nervous system (neck, spine, head etc). Can be used like a standard steel baton fairly effectively once de-charged.

Double Barrel Sawn off Shotgun: Equipped with bean-bag rounds, eight extra shells kept on his belt.

TMP Pistol Pepper Ball Pistol: 8 round magazine, two additional magazines. The rounds cause bruising and kinetic impact and release irritants into the air which can reduce vision and cognitive function for a few seconds, cumulative exposure is required for significant effect. Equipped with a tactical strobe light under the barrel, which in low light conditions acts as a torch and also makes looking straight at the user difficult and debilitating, thirty second high intensity battery, ten minute low intensity use.

Profile: Rook is a high ranking member of the Kingdom Merc Group, currently hired for insidious purposes, he has decided to take the opportunity to advertise the group while fighting on the public stage of the GCL.

The man is a bit of a mystery, on the surface, he seems like a cock-sure brawler with big muscles but not much going on upstairs. Perhaps there's more to him than that. He seems to really enjoy mangoes.

[User]
Down one of the many side streets in the bustling city of Mekkina there was a very large man over-dressed for an ordinary stroll. The mask sat up on his head allowed easy access for the mango he was currently devouring with strong white teeth, while his mixed Afro-Caribbean-Caucasian heritage was plain on his rather unattractive face. One look at him and you'd think 'bruiser' or maybe 'merc' and you'd be right on the money both times. He was obviously ready for something, because his large six foot two form was donned in Kevlar vest and army fatigues, he had a pistol over his chest, a shotty at his hip, and a baton on the other. Not to mention, he was carrying a damn riot shield for some reason.

The gruesome slurping sound echoed through the otherwise empty side street, passer-by's giving him a wide berth. He dropped the husk of the fruit to the ground and looked around, sunken eyes staring down the street at an individual who had just crossed the main road. Unmistakable, in his lack of attire and his marked hands and forearms, it was Quebra Carolos. The armoured man began moving, tipping his mask back down across his face, revealing the red motif on the otherwise black exterior, the Rook. His shield bore the same mark, as did he.

Rook began walking down the side street at a leisurely pace. He didn't feel any need to hurry, after all, he could always call the wrestler back if he got too far ahead. This was not a man inclined to run from a fight, even if it were one he was not expecting. The better question was whether his so-called powers would be a match for strength of arms and some modern explosives, flash and rubber-balls to be exact. That was what Rook was interested to find out, of a sort. Though honestly, this work was small-fry, more of an appetiser before the main course. GCL was his goal.

"Oi, mate." He called in his thick British baritone. He was stood in the centre of the main street behind Quebra and the plaza, his feet set, the mask concealing his features. "Quebra, you've pissed off the wrong people. I'm here to teach you a lesson." His shield at his side, the shotty was in plain view as he hefted it out of its holster and onto his shoulder, revealing it to be a sawn-off. "Nothing personal mate, but I'm gunna be beating you up, don't worry though I won't kill you or nothin."

[Assistant]
Not once in the two months of his travel had he fought for an audience, and returning back to the scene had him consumed by anticipation since he set his foot out the motel's door. Reminiscing his past fights in the ring and cherry-picking the moves he wanted most to perform on his opponents tonight - preferably, something with an oomph, a high-octane bone-busting crowd pleaser - Quebra failed to notice his would be assailant, up until the point when his train of thought was rudely interrupted by the bellowing rumble of Rook's voice.

Rather than stopping immediately, he gradually slowed his steps down from his brisk powerwalk towards a halt. Within the few moments this took him, Quebra snapped himself out of the sudden stupor, and the next second, was already diving into action: the distance from which the voice came was grounds enough to make the first few decisions of the fight.

It'd be far more rational to avoid the conflict, perhaps even run. Nobody was going to pay him to fight Rook, but the risk of being injured - well, it was directly implied in his assailant's words. With a dire need for money and time running short thanks to him taking this detour to Mekkina after all, all efforts were best saved for brawling in the ring, earning a quick buck and proceeding on towards his goal, all for the price of gagging pride just on this one occasion.

Such reasoning only seemed natural in Quebra's position; his thinking was different, however. Seeing this as a string of foul fate woven into the thread of his life by the Moirai, the champion took it not an aggregate of unfortunate circumstances, but as a spit in the face from the higher forces themselves - a challenge to overcome in order to once again triumph as a man of his own will. The man calling out to him, threatening to ruin any chance the wrestler had left in getting to Khaerros in time - he was but the inherent malice of the world given physical form, same as any other mortal, becoming a puppet to its laws. Quebra would be defiant in standing his ground.

Turning in Rook's direction, the wrestler took a bladed stance, left side to the fore, narrowing his profile to provide a smaller target, should an exchange of projectiles occur, and started pumping out his liquid armor, covering all but lower arms and face, the transparent ooze bleeding over even onto his clean-shaved scalp, compensating for his current lack of head gear. Afterwards, he'd start preparing his offense too - attached to the inside of his right forearm, a few sprouts of crystal would begin forming into a sharp-edged disc, Quebra picking second-grade quality for a balance between mass and timeliness.

As he performed all of the above, his eyes locked onto the man cockily promising him punishment, Quebra curious to see what made him so confident about beating down a master of the craft. Unfortunately, what he saw wasn't reassuring: a hulk of a man taller and bulkier than him - which would be a nuisance of its own already - wielding a shield, paired, worst of all, with a firearm. Familiar with the concept, he responded with snark to the mercenary's words: "Not here to kill me? Fancy hearing that from a man with a gun." It wasn't to just exchange banter, however - the response he was trying to illicit could clarify whether it was lead loaded in the barrel, or something a notch less lethal. If not, then there was one more thing that could be telling: someone who only needs to bruise their target up would only even aim a gunshot for the feet if it has the potential to kill; if the merc aimed higher, then either he was lying about his intent, or the rounds weren't metal after all.

The battle hadn't started just yet, tension slowly edged towards an adrenaline-pumped plummet; and the breaking point Quebra was waiting for would be the moment the Rook dropped the gun off his shoulder. Then, they'd both be safe to say it had begun.

[10/10 to 5/10 Ki] (-3; -2)


[System]
Age: 26

Height: 5'5

Weight: 125

Class: Mercenary

Race: Wood Elf

Weapons & Equipment:
Weapons: Bow & arrows which she can infuse with light magic (limited by her low skill in magic), two hidden dirk daggers (typically strapped to the inside of her thigh highs), an assortment of lethal poisons.
Satchel: Holds her lethal poisons, a variety of herbs chosen for their specific medicinal and some lethal qualities, bandages, waterskin, golden locket necklace, 57 Silver and 5 gold.

Skills and Abilities: Nylah is a high level archer, rarely missing her mark. She is proficient in stealth, hand-to-hand combat (though she prefers to avoid it) and can be extremely charismatic. She can use very few light spells, but is not skilled in the art and usually only dabbles with it when she needs the extra punch in her arrow shots (the use of magic often shows itself in intricate golden design on her skin).

Bio: The only home Nylah can remember is a damp, cold shack in the middle of the lovely Knight Islands Port towns, raised by a gruff bastard of a man called Terk. He was tough, as Dwarf's typically are, and would often tell her that she ought to be grateful towards him. According to Terk, Nylah had been abandoned in the middle of the frostwood forest of Ispar when she was only four years old. Of course Nylah had no memory of that, so she took his word for it. Terk would go on to take Nylah home with him, though not out of the kindness of his heart. He had no desire to care for a needy child the rest of her miserable life, he had other plans. When Nylah was of age, 8 years old to be precise, Terk could cash in and sign her up for a life of mercenary work. Young ones donated to the "school" could bring in at least 100 gold if not more. Nylah would never know what Terk received for her, but after he handed her over to the training program that was the last she ever saw of the old dwarf.

The school was very obviously illegal, especially to work children to the bone as they did, but no one in the Knight Islands seemed to care. They were all criminals of some sort, so it seemed. The children were just working to fit in. To survive there, really.

Nylah would prove to be one of their top trainee's, showing her skill with a bow and arrow very early on. They honed in on this skill and over the years would mold her into a killer. Someone who could take an assassination contract and not bat an eyelash, as long as they got paid. At first they would send you out on simple things; steal a couple jewels, threaten a noble family, get some information out of people. The school would benefit 100% of the profit from these contracts. Eventually, at age 16 for Nylah, they would send her out on her own and expect her to find her own contracts. To bring in the big money for them, which meant find someone who wanted someone else "eliminated". She did it, and she gave the school 50% of the profits for the next 5 years of being on her own. After that they trusted her enough to take less of a cut, knowing she was a reliable source of income. She learned from other examples that if you didn't bring in the money, or tried to separate yourself from them, you'd be met with a cold steel blade against your throat in the middle of the night.

Today, she continues to take contracts and travel across the world. She has grown to enjoy her work, despite every so often when whats left of her conscience reminds her of how many lives she's ended whether they were corrupted or not.

[User]
SS Libertalia

Cicero Bladewalker , Dalious , & Gwyneria
@Sol Grim

The gruesomeness of the kill shook Gwyn, but she was grateful that Dalious had taken the situation out of her hands. The mutiny leader would have been too dangerous to keep alive in any case. She would have to learn how to not freeze if the situation happened again though. That wasn't here or now though. Right now, Dalious was offering to get them to the next port and travel with them. She shivered at the callous mention of having his former crew walk the plank, but she could see the logic of it. She nodded her head in agreement with Cicero, not seeing a need to add any more words in. Then she dissipated the remnants of her light ribbon, feeling that bit of drain finish off,before checking that Cicero and Dalious weren't too injured, only really able to stop bleeding at this point. She helped Cicero as well as she could get the crew into the brig as Dalious ran the ship before going with him to get her equipment back. The feeling of her wand and rapier back leant her a better feeling of security that she'd been solely missing as well as her book.

As they walked towards the Captain at the wheel, Cicero whispered to her and she whispered in reply. "Don't worry. We will." Then Cicero went and protested Dalious's plans for his crew. On the one hand, yes killing so many at once like that was terrible. On the other hand though, what other options did they have? They'd be facing a worse death if turned into a port. If kept alive, there was a high chance one or more of them might come back for revenge. No way to trust them since she barely trusted Dalious. Really though, what would they do with them? Besides, this seemed a little early to be deliberately provoking a fight. "What were you thinking of doing with them then?" She asked Cicero, hoping she came across as a neutral at this point and could calm things down before they got heated up.

[Assistant]
Dalious hesitantly nodded to the command. "Could we just throw one of them, possibly two, overboard...??" he began in protest but almost immediately thought better of it. "Fine, no more killing unless absolutely necessary."

The pirate let his old crew's fate be discussed and handled by them. While they figured that out, he set the sails proper and turned the ship toward where he believed to be the nearest land. However he was unsure of exactly where he was, the stars were fading from the sky and he would have to wait for another nightfall to use the stars as a map. For now, he coasted them in the direction they were already heading while keeping a watchful eye on the horizon with his spyglass.

"We're past the worst of the storm," he spoke to no one in general. "Smooth sailing ahead, lads. Perhaps a song could ease the uneasy morning." Dalious cleared his throat and then started to sing an old pirate shanty. "Well it'd be alright if the wind was in our sails, oh it'd be alright if the wind was in our sails, it'd be alright if the wind was in our sails and we'll all hold on behind! And we'll roll the old chariot along, we'll roll the old chariot along, we'll roll the old chariot along and we'll all hang on behind..."

[User]
Cicero Bladewalker

Cicero replied to Gwyn, "Well, I suppose imprison them at the nearest port! We arent the kind of people to execute needlessly. Especially when there are other options."

Satisfied that Dalious was in agreement, Cicero tended to his gear. He polished and cleaned his armor and weapons. Then he spoke to Gwyn, "I only hope my horse Merlin made it out of the city safely...By the way, how is our...uh priest doing?" Graves had been passed out for some time.

As Gwyn went to check on him Cicero listened intently to Dalious' sea shanty. Cicero couldn't help but sing along after he heard the tune a few times, "...and we'll all hang on behind.."

[Assistant]
SS Libertalia

Cicero Bladewalker , Dalious , & Gwyneria
@Sol Grim

"Whelp, at least that got settled fast." Gwyn thought before responding. "We'll definitely need to be incognito for that to work, but it shouldn't be much of a problem." Even if it meant giving them to a crueler death than Dalious had proposed, but that was neither here or there. Cicero's intentions were definitely good. She made her way to their other comrade and checked him other. "I'm sure your kingdom's not cruel enough to punish an innocent horse for its master's crimes, hopefully. Graves himself is still alive, though still sleeping off whatever it is he took earlier. Whatever that was, that stuff's potent." A mild urge to find more of that potion from their escape passed through her, but she suppressed it. Wouldn't be right to go through the guy's things while unconscious. Besides, she wouldn't know for sure what she was looking for. Instead, she stood up and looked over the sea, wondering what the next port would bring as the four sailed on.

[User]
Port Raventine
i.pinimg.com/originals/d1/f3/72/d1f37…
The sun was high in the sky as the large port bustled with life. Traders bartered and bought, merchants called out their wares in the street markets. Sailors, disreputable or not, recovered from their morning hangovers to spin tales, speculate in games of chance, or seek for the sun-tanned women. Every man smiled at his neighbor, preparing their daggers for when opportunity was right. Meanwhile, the breeze blew placidly over the lapping shoreline as seagulls cried overhead.
Black Jack's Roost
Nylah Aldaos
Muse
Within the major seedy pub, a red-haired elf leaned back and glanced through the available bounties. The time had come for her to take on a new job after all. Of course, the highest ones caught her eye and not simply for their price. It was also from Alvion's "covert" contractor and involved an assassination. Nylah looked closer at the drawn pictures and description. They were certainly amateurs to be so easily found out. The thing allowed for wanting them dead or alive, of course. It seemed like it could be interesting. Of course, going for the Dalious contract could be a decent challenge. He had quite the reputation, though he'd be technically safe in any of the Knight Isle ports. She'd need to consider her options.

Does she seek for more info on either assignment, does she choose to pursue some other target, does she start investigating some leads, does she sit a while and mentally prepare herself for her choose target, or does she enjoy herself a bit before the next hunt?

SS Libertalia
Cicero Bladewalker , Dalious , & Gwyneria
@Sol Grim
(While sailing, all injuries were healed and Gwyn rested until she got up to full strength).
After a slight detour to turn in the prisoners (all quite anonymously) in a port that would accept their arrest, the Libertalia finally arrived at Port Raventine, one of the largest hives of scum and villainy throughout the world. And one of the best places Dalious knew of to get information and to hide. Cicero and Gwyn couldn't refute that logic after finding out that there were indeed bounties for their heads, and rather high ones. Even though he hated his sea-sickness, Graves elected to stay and watch the ship once they arrived. His criminal contacts were more situated on mainland operations after all. (And it allowed him to make sure Gwyn didn't get more of Thorin's Revenge until times were desperate again. She'd been clearly pondering it during the trip and their party only had room for one full time addict at a time.) Gwyn shivered, made sure her hood was over her head, checked over Cicero's disguise, and checked again that everyone was in top condition. There was way too much that could go wrong here and she wasn't going to take any chances. She'd simply need to keep watch and be ready when they got attacked or double-crossed or something. Important thing was to stick close to Cicero and make sure he did nothing too stupid.

As Dalious was their guide, he could take them to a variety of places he thought of as fun and/or useful, such as the pubs or the marketplace. He could also potentially lead them somewhere to double-cross them if he wanted. Or he could ditch them and do something on his own.

Cicero also had options. He could choose to trust Dalious and follow him, choose not to and strike off into the port with Gwyn on their own, or decide to stay on deck. Gwyn would most likely stay with him unless it was a case of needing to make sure Dalious didn't go off alone and turn on them.

[Assistant]
In a dark corner of Black Jack's Roost, sitting in a booth by herself, Nylah Aldaos thumbed through some bounty papers she had snagged from the local mercenary boards. All of which were interesting to her, though especially the bounty from Alvion's contractor - something that came few and far between, but always paid a hefty price. She had worked for them once before, but they were typically so popular that many people would be after the bounty. It was mostly a race to see who could carry out the orders first. This, however, paid the largest price she had seen them offer yet, which meant it could be worth the extra effort of trying to be hasty and possibly fighting off other mercenaries who were after the same thing.

"A rouge knight and an elf..." She read the descriptions carefully, "The knight could be a problem. The elf... perhaps. I could take her out first, deal with the bigger problem afterwards." She leaned back in her booth, pondering on how the odd pairing could have possibly killed Alvion on their own. If there was one thing she had learned through all the years of mercenary work it was that you don't underestimate anyone.

She pulled out the second bounty paper she had grabbed and looked over the details. "A pirate..." She thought, recalling several times she had brought in or killed pirates in the past. This one, however, has apparently had a bounty on his head for quite some time and had avoided being taken in, or killed, so far. He could prove to be more difficult than the other pirates she had encountered. Clearly he was skilled in evading capture, which would explain the high price for his head. Much less than the Alvion contract, but could still be worth her time.

"Both." She decided, folding the papers and putting them carefully into her satchel. She would pursue both contracts at the same time. Just in case the Alvion contract didn't pan out due to some other mercenary, she at least would have had other leads on the pirate by then.

"For now..." She looked up and took a survey of the pub. It was bustling with people on this day. Loud. Wenches stood near the entrance, waiting to sink their claws into any man who would let them - for a price. Drunkards hung around the bar, shouting at each other and the women who walked around serving drinks. No doubt a crew of pirates had pulled into port recently and were celebrating being on land again.

"Someone here might know, or have heard of Dalious. Pirates know pirates. Especially infamous ones." She stood and moved towards the bar, ignoring a dwarf who whistled as she passed him.

"Barkeep!" She called to the man behind the bar counter, making herself heard over the noise of the room. "A pint of your finest ale, please." She flashed him a warm smile and leaned up against the bar, flirting with her emerald eyes as she playfully looked him up and down. Bartenders typically knew a lot of information. They hear a lot of things throughout one shift, especially in a place like this.

If no one took any interest in her from the group of pirates, she would focus her attention on flirting with the bartender for information.


[System]
Nickname: Abdul

Race: Humanoid Fable

Gender: Male

Job: Abdul makes a tidy sum as a writer of coffee table horror novels. He has written several books on alternative medicine and spirituality, to mixed reception.

Personality: Despite his history, Abdul embodies the very concept of a kindly old man. He is always happy to accept guests into his home, and holds no small amount of patience for children and pets. Abdul's voice is a horrendous grackle-squawk tempered only by a soothing tone and a thick Arabian accent.

Fable: Once upon a time... Abdul was of a scholarly mind from his birth in the early 700s, in The Arabian Homeland. Surrounded by beings with terrific powers, Abdul took it upon himself to record many of the less savory beings living in his Homeland. He traveled across his homeland, learning hushed stories from local shamans and priests, and narrowly evading death at the hands of ghuls, djinni, and other demons of all sorts.

The end result of Abdul's travels and learnings was enough to fill an entire grimoire of dark lore and sinister rituals. Abdul named his grimoire Al Azif, after the mysterious howling noises supposedly made by demons in the night. Not satisfied with the reception Al Azif got in the Homeland, Abdul moved to the Mundane World, and worked his way across medieval Eurasia, learning from the local cultures and adding onto Al Azif.

Abdul Alhazred happily shared his works with all who were curious, and found astonishing popularity as a wizard, medicine man, and exorcist. Al Azif was passed on to a wide variety of recipients, and influenced a large amount of the world's occult culture throughout the Renaissance and beyond.

 Al Azif was rewritten dozens of times by Abdul, each attempting to serve a different purpose. Some became holy instructions for demon-hunters, others became an occult recipe book for raising the dead and cursing one's enemies.

 The latest of Abdul's rewrites, the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, had found its way into the possession of a little-known English author in the early 1900s. Plagued by nightmarish dreams about what he read in the Necronomicon, the author wrote story after story based off his fiendish night terrors. At the forefront of all these stories was the nightmare-creation of the Mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred.

Due to the nature of belief and its effects on one's life, this astonishing surge of popularity not only gave Abdul great amounts of power, but it changed him immensely. Once thought of as a kindly old wizard, his public image had turned him into a snaggle-toothed warlock with a crooked back and yellowing eyes. All of Abdul's other works were forgotten, and the Necronomicon entered into the public subconscious as Abdul's greatest and only product. Now known as a mad worshipper of elder gods and sinister demons, Abdul went a bit insane. He produced many more eldritch tomes bastardizing his previous works, and personally headed a number of dangerous cults. Each time, his tome went forgotten, and each time his cult was disseminated within the decade.

In 1950, Abdul realized that his current attitude would only end in an unpleasantly brief moment of government attention, and opted to find some peace away from his homelands. He moved away from the Old World, and emigrated to America. His books on cruel rituals and mad gods found no audience beyond the tabletop wargames crowd, and so Abdul turned his encyclopaedic knowledge of the occult outwards into the fictional realm. Now a little-known writer of penny-dreadfuls and spooky doorstoppers, Abdul eked out a quiet living in New York.

 Never one to interact with other Fables, he hadn't even realized that Fabletown existed until recently. When it was discovered that he was the Abdul Alhazred, Abdul was promptly forced into Fabletown, to live with the rest of the Fables. The alternative, of course, was definitely not preferable. Abdul is certainly not a pillar of the community, but he has earned some measure of popularity as the suspiciously kind old freak living in a creepy apartment.

Abilities: Abdul has no actual combat abilities, though his fingernails are almost constantly filthy, and he is abnormally strong for someone of his stature.

Abdul's many travels have given him a wealth of knowledge, focusing on tradition, herbal medicine, ancient religions, and defense against evil creatures. He knows a wide variety of rituals for a wide variety of circumstances, though the materials necessary for them have long ago gone extinct. Only a few rituals can be reliably replicated with modern equivalents.

Abdul is a quite popular author, and his appearance is well-known to his readers. Though he is certainly not a celebrity like the (in)famous Jack, Abdul is capable of using his star power to get small amounts of special treatment from mundies.

Though Abdul is quite hideous, he is not nearly hideous enough to require a Glamor and has had plenty of experience working with mundies. Abdul is capable of comfortably fitting into mundane culture with very little effort on his part.

[User]
"A rousing speech, my lord," stated a man positioned to the back of the rather large crowd that had assembled to hear Cole speak. Wearing a finely knitted suit -who's golden hue contrasted his darker complexion- stood none other than Prince Leon, joining in the round of applause as a pleasant smile spread across his visage. This moment was a bittersweet for the man, marking a new beginning for so many of his kin and himself, but a remembrance of the cost... For a moment, his mind was swept back to the day he and his wife were supposed to flee, only to have the Adversary's forces raid their kingdom and take the life of his beloved. This darker moment was quickly swept aside however, as one of the party goers cast a cheerful smile and wave in his direction. Offering the same courtesies, he'd make his way off the dance floor and off to buffet table- his eyes taking stock of the plentiful feast their host had provided.

 Leon couldn't help but smirk, he did after all help furnish tonight's events, if only by providing the King choice cuts and ample meats to sustain the guests. Owning his own butcher shop was a relatively lucrative buisness, dealing with both mundies and fables alike to bolster his sales and sustain the life he was used to living. Some would say he was pampered, but he maintained that it was the proper standard for his station.

 After his few moments of daydreaming, Leon would step beyond the foods, making his way to the selection of wines and other refreshments that had been provided for tonight's event. It was then that the man caught a very familiar scent, his eyes glancing back and forth as if searching for something. It wasn't long before the source of the smell was found, eyeing over the fable known as Boogie. As he watched the man stow a flask beneath his jacket, Leon merely rolled his eyes as he lifted a glass of wine from the table before him, "You are aware that his majesty has provided sustenance for this evening, Boogie, are you not?" Drawing the same glass to his lips, he'd retrieve another from the table as he turned to the man to whom he spoke, "Or are you just used to isolating yourself. This is a time for merriment," Leon spoke as he extended the extra glass to the man, "Mingle with the masses. This is a celebration of our new lease on life." If the glass was recieved, Leon would depart from Boogie, if not he'd set the glass by the man's side and do the same.

 Being no stranger to these gatherings, Leon would place himself at the whim of the crowd, kissing the hands of whatever maidens approached him and offering the male's a firm handshake in greetings. Once again memories would flood his mind, though of a much simpler time. He remembered his own kingdom's ballroom and the banquets they contained, the laughter of the lords and ladies of his realm echoing within the walls and off the marble spires. To be back in his element after so long... This felt like home to Leon.

[Assistant]
Attending A Party, Guan Yu Drinks Wine And Considers
Standing off near the drinks table, holding a bowl of wine, was the long bearded and suited figure of Guan Yu. He had worn his finest suit for the occasion, as befitting such a momentous day in their history, and his jade cane was held firmly in his other hand. Though the revelry and joy surrounding him warmed his heart, his mind wandered back to his home of China. How he yearned to return! But alas, a figure of his importance would be recognized. No one could forget their Celestial Emperor, after all. Above all, he missed his sworn brothers. Neither Xuande nor Yide had reached a status beyond ancestral memory. How was it that he, Yunchang, could surpass them? Once again, the thoughts had clouded his mind, and once again, he banished them.

It was appropriate that he was here. He had arranged for fine wines to be imported from China simply for his consumption, but others were partaking as well. It brought joy to Yunchang's heart that he had aided them so. This was why he also ran his life insurance company. The loss of family was always tough, and he was always on hand to ensure that the dead were sorted properly in the afterlife, and that their families did not have to suffer. Except for that pesky Mister Grey...

He pushed the thought from his mind and filled his tiny bowl with another helping of wine. The revelry pleased him, for joy experienced by others was joy experienced by Guan Yu. There was no dishonour here, nothing for him to enforce, he was simply content to watch. He tapped his cane idly and drank down his second bowl of wine, a droplet escaping into his magnificent beard, but he ignored it. Indeed, a fine evening. Unless Mister Grey came along... he pushed the thought from his mind again. Dorian Grey would not cause him trouble this fine eve. Yunchang would not permit it.


[System]
Theme:
Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy

Gender:
Female

Species:
Lessereurm

Appearance:
Green with blue mixed in.
She looked like a fantasy version of a skink lizard, her head being more bony with scaly outcrops along her snout and over the ridges on her eyes. Though she had no back legs, her front limbs had become somewhat longer and stronger. While she didn't have true thumbs, her claws had been reduced to three digits, two of which were longer and the third of which was shorter, thicker, and set at an angle to the others. It was a bit like a human's hand making a constant "Spock-hand" by holding the index-middle and pinky-ring fingers in pairs and curling the thumb. The joints of these "fingers" and the natural curl of her claws gave her a stronger grip that she could feel even as she began to pull herself along the ground--she would be able to pull, or to scoop and dig, quite fast if she felt so inclined. She was roughly twice as long as her previous form, though not so heavy-set throughout her body. As her tail instinctively lashed behind her, she would likely feel confident that she could easily contort herself in a variety of shapes.

Goals:
Rain has only a few major goals:
-Follow any instructions from the mysterious Demon King
-Make the most of this second chance, no matter the cost
-Become the King's favorite, at any cost (selfish reasons, really)

Past Life:
There were few things more important to Rain in her short life than secrecy, alertness, and speed. She was not stronger than most, she was not at healthy as most, but with those three key factors helped to keep her alive and ahead in the dirty streets of an unnamed slum deep in the heart of Detroit.

Born to teen parents who didn't want her, it was a life of hardship from the start. She looked to her parents and was left wanting, before being abandoned at the age of six. She was a street urchin with a lack of trust and a thirst for better.

She scraped by, year after year, by honing these skills and not being afraid to be ruthless with the other filth left in the gutter, the gangs and the deranged.

Her life, however, was cut short by someone just a bit smarter and faster than she was, who happened to slip a knife between her ribs at the age of 16.

Given a second chance, she's going to do it right this time.

Transformations:
Fanged Lizard -- Lesserwurm

Inventory:

[User]
---

"You heard me." Digbie's voice was calm again, but bore a striking cold to it. If this was his inner eighth grader, then gosh the stuff he drew was dark. If the rest of the group didn't know any better, Digbie's voice would reasonably terrifying, almost to such an extent that he was dead serious about wanting to get these goblins to do his bidding. "If you guys want to prove yourself to me, you will release this goat after my friends and I return to the safety of our shelter. After that, you will kill it, and... bring me its head." Digbie's heart sank as he continued. He didn't want to see the goat die, but at the same time, these goblins were nothing but trouble. Surely, Jehanne wasn't going to cast him aside for this?

"If you bring the head of that goat to me, then it will show that you are strong enough for me to come with you. If you don't, then I guess that this was a waste of everybody's time." Digbie took the trousers off the ground, kicked off his flimsy Grass Skirt that he didn't need anymore, and pulled the trousers up over his goblinoid legs. Of course, they were oversized and flimsy, but still they seemed to be a little better than the skirt Digbie was wearing before this. Still, he'd check them out with Material, Magical, and Plant Analysis. Hopefully he could tell something was a bit better with these pants. He also did the same for the Cap, placing it on over his head carefully as to not have the Yill on it previously hurt. Surprisingly, the Yill poked right out from underneath the hat, almost like a small tuft of bangs.

Digbie looked at Rags from underneath the cap, the dark shadow casting a scowl over his eyes, which seemed to glow against the darkness, possibly from some magical influence due to his Mana Affinity. Either that or Digbie was somehow putting some magical energy into his scowl only for looks. "We will be waiting, Rags Nar."

Digbie turned to face the shelter, and looked at his friends. He ushered for them to follow into the shed with him, a slightly worried expression on his face. If everyone decided to go in, Digbie'd block the door with an Earth Wall II, just to make sure that Rags and the gaggle couldn't get in. Digbie even sent out a pulse with Tremor Sense III, hoping Torrent caught on and hurried back inside the shelter too so Digbie could explain his plan.

Giving Rags and the Goblin Gaggle the details of Digbie's final request.
Examining the trousers and cap with Material, Plant, and Magical Analysis before putting them on.
Asking for everyone to get inside.
 - Tremor Sense III noise for Torrent's knowledge.
 - If everyone gets inside, Digbie'd raise a wall to keep the gobs out so he can tell his plan to the Monster Party.

---

+ {Use Light Equipment]
+ {Use Medium Equipment}
+ {Tremor Sense - Tier III}
+ {Soil Manipulation - Tier II}
+ {Stone Shot - Tier II}
+ {Stronger - Tier I}
+ {Taboo - Tier I}
+ {Job System - 0th Tier - Skirmisher}
+ {Sacred Ground - Tier II}
+ {Rock Spire - Tier II}
+ {Earth Affinity - Tier I}
+ {Earth Vein - Tier II}
+ {Monster Analysis - Tier I}
+ {Material Analysis - Tier I}
+ {Plant Analysis - Tier I}
+ {Magic Analysis - Tier I}
+ {Mana Orb - Tier II}
+ {Mana Affinity - Tier I}
+ {Meditate - Tier I}
+ {Overwork - Tier I}
+ {Spell Chant - Tier I}
+ {Shield - Tier II}
+ {Fortify - Tier I}
+ {Mental Resistance - Tier I}
+ {Sensory Resistance - Tier I}
+ {Analysis}
+ {Earth Wall - Tier I}
+ {Minor Heal - Tier I}
+ {Guidance - Tier I}
+ {Alert - Tier I (apparently)}
<EQUIPPED - HEAD> Blessed White Yill Flower
<EQUIPPED - HEAD^2> Dusty Cap <??>
<EQUIPPED - BACK> Makeshift Robe <Below Average>
<EQUIPPED - REAR> Dusty Trousers <??>
<EQUIPPED - HAND> Chipped Shank {Well Made - BROKEN}
<EQUIPPED - ARMS> Battle-Scarred Shield <Average - BROKEN>
<EQUIPPED - FEET> Woven Sandals <Above Average - Slightly Broken>

 <Ratskin Pack
TM
> and <Discarded Satchel> (TOTAL INVENTORY SLOTS - 12 / 17)
 - <Woodland Pick
TM
>
 - <Common Prayers to Jehanne> {Poor - Heavily Damaged}
 - <Cushiwog Mushrooms> x5
 - <Blue Yill> x3
 - <Tomahawk Head>
 - <Maiden Effigy>
 - <Scattered Coins>
 - 3 Gol, 2 Sil, 8 Copp, (so basically 3.28)
 - <Curved Rock
TM
>
 - <Small Stones of Varying Quality>
 - 2 Hard Stones
 - 2 Shiny Stones
 - Quartz Pebble
 - Smooth Bead
+ Fashion 8 Beads of Prayer.
 - (? / 8)

[Assistant]
~Temporary Campsite~
Throat Pouch:
- x6 Nothing
Rawhide Backpack
- x5 Nothing
Equipped:
Mana Bone Spear (Average)
1 Smooth Stone

---

This was...going surprisingly well. Ash was further impressed with Digbie's handling of the situation. Perhaps he was more than just a naive seeming goblin. If they could kill themselves fighting the goat, then they could handle the goat themselves. On the chance they killed the goat, they could pick off the weakened goblin. A suitable plan that achieved their goal with the least amount of work on their end, supposing they went through with it. The only thing she'd have done differently is watch for amusement.

Hm, perhaps...?

Breathing out, Ash turned her scaly face towards the goblins.

"...I'll stay behind and watch, to make sure they don't do anything...treacherous." She said to Digbie, making well sure the other goblins could hear her. A little more fear and confusion wouldn't be a bad thing at the moment. Gripping the spear in her tail, Ash made herself comfortable in front of the den, watching the goblins with mild interest. It'd get her some much useful information on goblins in general, as well as this goat. Activating  Mana Sense, Mana Vision, and all of her other Analytic skills, Ash watched the area from her perch.

[User]
Asteria

---

---

Soft flesh cushioned her impact, and Asteria swore she could hear the faint creaking of suffering bones from her enemy's torso. Though they'd tackled it from behind, the bastard still managed to lash with an arrow at Mother Rat, harming her and causing her to back away. Still holding the arrow as if it were a dagger, the goblinoid twisted around, trying to grab at her with one hand and stab her with the other. Using her whole body weight, Asteria shifted to pin its torso down even more harshly, and intercepted the attack with her own paws, knocking the grabbing hand away with a clawed attack, while grabbing the arrow-armed one by the wrist. Instead of letting it come to a contest of strength, however, the dire rat tightened her tail around the Bloodingfly stinger she'd kept ahold of ever since 'equipping' it after her conversation with the gnome, and drove the pointy end swiftly towards the green-skinned archer's neck!

[Assistant]
Torrent watched on from her position, extending her power further into the ground beneath her to loosen up the area in case she needed to dig. As Digbie made his plan, however, an idea of her own came to mind. She couldn't risk showing herself and joining her friends in their den, nor did it seem that Ash was inclined to follow anyways, but she knew what Digbie wanted.

Make them weaken themselves. It wasn't so different from when she'd killed those goblins before the big fight with Rattleskull. And hadn't these goblins thought she was some great demon last time when they couldn't see her? Keeping her stealth skills going she spoke up.

"A sacrifice, yessss," she hissed loud enough for her words to reach the goblins ears. "Yessss, prove yourselves worthy. Prove your strength."