[System]
Age: 26

Height: 5' 2"

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Occupation: Track Coach at the local High School

Personal Interests: Track, Hiking, Making sick weapons

Fears: Heights, tripping, bridges

Power: Wayfinder (Wayfinders can see the fastest way to get to where they are going and have the ability to run at high speeds during the secret hour, although this power may not be extended to another Midnighter Like acrobats, they eat alot during daylight hours and like all midnighters, their eyes turn indigo when they look at the Midnight Moon..)

Misc. Info: Moved to Brisbane about a year ago after graduating college. When she discovered there was an opening at the local High School she jumped on it, already having developed a love of running. She loves nature but refuses to go into the woods from Eleven to midnight unless it is during the blue time.

Sample: Echo felt the adrenaline rush through her as she ran down the streets, the blue glow surrounding everything as it always did at midnight. Her black hair flowed behind her, making her head look like a comet with a blackish blue tail.. Were the cars able to race next to her she would be side by side with them, able to keep up until the dreaded time came when the Blue Moon would set and she would be living life in 5 Mph again. She sometimes wished that the players on her track team could feel the rush of 25 Mph, or even the other Midnighters. She had tried once, to give one her speed. It hadn't gone well, the other Midnighter had ended up with a sprained wrist. Returning her thoughts to her surroundings, she looked at the line of "Focus" which showed the way to the Cafe. Hopefully the others wouldnt be too mad she was late...

[User]
"Haha, I'm sure you're very tough, hell I wouldn't want to mess with you."
"Fiery passion, so that's what that lovely smell is?" Tyler says with a flirty laugh.
He takes the things handed to him and listens to the instructions.
Afterwards he looks down at his shirt, it had become quite the tattered mess, blood stains, beer and who knows what.
"If you had anything that would be great, thanks." He gives Danielle a final nod, "actually I could probably use some help in here." He jokes just before closing the door and the sound of water rushing through the pipes ensues.

[Assistant]
Ved
As most of the others, he had his own rituals for preparing himself for the extra hour. He had been waiting quietly in the time being, but exactly 13 minutes before midnight he went to work, starting from the feet up. He undressed down to his underwear behind the cafe bar, then removed 13 white cloth wraps of varying thickness from his inner hacket pocket and began to work. 13 wraps on each foot, calf, thigh, around his waist/hips, up his torso/chest, hands, forearms, and neck. Stepping from behind the counter, he slipped in his pure Malachite plug gauges, which finished his ensembale. Earth stones and 13 layers of 13 wraps. He would be safer that way, and more flexable. And frankly, the protective clothing was more than a bit flattering to his naturally lean form.

[User]
@Ryuzaki

Aslynne rolled her bright blue eyes with a snort. "Can you at least not think so loud then? You're going to make me paranoid about Darklings. I'm already crazy enough, I don't need to start hallucinating." The images his mind screamed out all but smacked her in the face. Making her head pound all the harder.

'Wayfinders are the best!' She heard from Echo making Aslynne scoff out loud. "Yeah sure, the best until a Darkling figures out a way to match you in speed." Aslynne could imagine some of the old ones doing that. They never had a solid form and those freaky tendril things... she shivered at the thought of being touched by one of them. Her fears couldn't have been something normal like spiders or bugs, no she had to be afraid of fire... you know painful stuff.

"Danielle left to go pick up Tyler from jail, I can taste them, they're at her place, but she pushing it too close." Aslynne spoke up about Danielle. Nine more minutes until she could breathe without feeling like her head was about to explode. Aslynne got up to pace the floor of the cafe anxious like she always was about the impending blue time wanting that silence. Checking her watch literally every thirty seconds. "I'll go up and escort her and Tyler down if they're not here before Midnight. Best go check on them now though. Don't wait for us." Aslynne stood from her seat and grabbed her back full of weapons to climb the external staircase to Danielle's home, she could feel the relief of the acrobat's shower washing over him and she shuddered at the image it forced into her head. Rubbing her arms against the chill she took the stairs two at a time until she was before Dani's door.

Knocking and shifting the backpack over her shoulder she said loudly. "Hey! Dani, you're pushing it close let me in!"

[Assistant]
"In your dreams!" Danielle called to Tyler before she went to go find him clothes. She managed to find a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from a previous boyfriend that looked like they would fit Tyler. She set him in front of her bathroom door, just as she heard Azzy knock on her door.
"It's fine Az, I still got a couple minutes." Dani opened the door regardless, letting her friend into the apartment.
"You know me, I'm the pinicle of caution. I just have Tyler in my shower and it would be weird if I opened the door and left as he's in the shower. I figure the closer I get to midnight, the safer I am there. Besides, it's not like I'm miles away from my safe place." Danielle said, as she checked her clock. All of her clocks were exact, as she didn't want to be caught unawares of the time. She still had seven minutes left, and there was no need to be hasty.
"Is everyone else down there?" Dani asked, peaking outside to where her parking lot was.

[User]
"Yeah, we're all downstairs. Ved is even all dressed and ready to go. For what I'm not sure exactly... Darklings and Slithers are at an all time low." Aslynne's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as if she had just remembered something. "I brought something for you." Her bag hit the floor with a light thump and Aslynne quickly pulled out the black steel Maglight. "I know you don't like going outside during the blue hour, but this should help in case you have no other choice." Aslynne held it out to Danielle, the weight of the cold steel was heavy. It would make a good weapon just to hit something with, but in the hands of the Fire Bringer it was life saving.

"In case I'm not around to beat those damn Slithers into submission." Aslynne's lips curled up into a silent snarl that could rival a Darkling Panther's at the thought of zapping those damn blood thirsty creatures with the sparkly blue fire metals seemed to give off. "Anyway, I don't think we're going to be going outside for a while tonight. We have a new member to 'initiate'." Aslynne did a pretty good imitation of Lee when she wanted to. It was almost scary.

[Assistant]
"I'll try to think of things less...darkling?" He said unsure how to calm the focus he had now for her. She would just have to deal with it for now.

Lee was glad to hear that the two missing were on their way now. And he trusted Aslynne to go get them with little trouble. The hour grew closer and Lee could feel his eyes twitching a bit. The hour made his vision more sharp against the darklings. Everything appearing more clear as well as the Midnighters. There were a few here he hadn't met yet so he offered his introduction while he waited.

@Prints Avoid
He noticed Abel and Ved aside the counter. He walked over to greet them. "Hey there fellas. It's nice to know we have a polymath and metallurge among us." He said. "My name is Lee. Seer. I see and read things clearly that you cannot." He told them.

[User]
Danielle smiled at Azzy as she took the maglite and put it on top of her tv stand.
"I'm surprised everyone is already here." Danielle said before she processed that there was a new midnighter in town. The only new person she knew of in town was currently in her shower.
"Well...he's currently in my shower. How do you propose I tell him he needs to get out so and that we need to meet in my cafe?" Danielle asked, with a raised eyebrow as she glanced at the clock.

[Assistant]
@Dark Light

"Let me handle this." Aslynne said, briskly walking over to the bathroom door. Knocking loudly, and all but yelling, "Hey! Badass McGee. Time's up." Tyler's flash of fear tasted bitter on her tongue like vinegar before it ebbed to the sweet cane sugar taste of relief. "The shower is the worst place to be caught in at midnight around here."

Turning back to Danielle she said, "I'm a little surprised too, I don't think we've all be in the same place at the same time since we were kids. I don't even think Lee has met Ved and Abel and he's been here for four years!" Aslynne's strawberry blonde hair was braided down her back to be kept out of the way. A habit after a Darkling had almost killed her with it's grip on her hair when she'd been a child.

Blue eyes brightening at the thought that Midnight was almost here. "Three more minutes." She said to Danielle stepping over to the window that faced the street below. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to make a mad dash down the stairs."

[User]
There was a crashing and a bang followed by a groan as the sound of water rushing through the pipes came to a squeaking halt. Ty could be heard grumbling within the room then suddenly the door creeked open just wide enough for his injury stricken face to pop through along with a billowing cloud of steam.

"Sorry, what's the rush?" He asks as he suspiciously eyes the clothes laid out for him before snatching them up and disappearing back into a cloud of steam closing the door behind him.

[Assistant]
"Uh... yeah I think we met briefly way back during that first summer I was here." Abel responded to Lee, reaching out from his spot on the counter for a handshake. He remembered that night pretty well, despite having had a little to drink. Still, it had been enough to hamper his judgment. Luckily, it had been a relatively safe night and the other Midnighters had found him pretty quickly. Hopefully this Ty guy could handle himself. Lee's doom and gloom attitude was already getting to him. What was the guy so worried about? It was a relatively safe day. Nothing special in the numbers.

Abel sighed impatiently. "We gonna be waiting on this guy all night? He gonna be sticking around? I don't want to make a habit of this. We only have, what, three minutes to midnight?" He eyed the pipe sitting on the counter top next to him. He'd bought it off a confused plumbing crew on his way to work that morning. The proportions had caught his attention and were too beautiful to pass up. He rarely even had to deal with Darklings, but it was always good to have something on hand. Tonight, Hallucination was his something.

[User]
Light@Kaalee

Aslynne was clearly not tempted by the small amount of flesh she saw from the crack in Danielle's bathroom door Tyler was peeking out of. "Midnight." She said simply. "Midnight is a bad place for you to be in the bathroom you'll get water everywhere and that's rude to your most gracious hostess." She raised her voice a bit as he shut the door on her.

She shuddered and her eyes closed her head tilting back as she sniffed at the air. "Two more minutes, Tyler. You best hurry it up." Aslynne threatened as she sensed the oncoming midnight. Turning towards Danielle Aslynne gave a smirk. "So, what's the deal, you like him or something?" Aslynne poked her friend playfully in the ribs doing a peppy little dance. "You gotta crush?"

[Assistant]
"I gotta a crush on half the guys in this town Az, you know me. I just can't keep it in my pants, but he needs help and I can give it. What kind of person would I be if I did otherwise?" Danielle said, shaking her head before checking the time again.
"I need to go downstairs, it's too close. I'll see you in a bit." Danielle said, putting her shoes back on and going outside, downstairs and into her cafe.
"Ready for midnight?" She asked, smiling at the four in her cafe. She passed Lee first, kissing him on the cheek on her way to get her lighter for when midnight comes.
"How are you Lee, I haven't seen you round here in awhile. You know I have a mug with your name on it." She said with a smile.


[System]
gender: male
godly parents: Aisoyimstan, Mahina
sphere of control: Cold, Darkness
personality: Landon's powers are very powerful, but unfortunately unreliable for himself. Having such an expanse of powers that couldn't be used for himslf have put him in a confusing position. He would use his powers to help himself and others as he sees fit, but due to his mother they tend to only want to respond to others needs of them. Feeling like he was destined to be used and controlled has given him a bitterness against everyone, but as fighting them is completely useless he tends to just go along with the flow. He is very smart and wise, but often dark in his thoughts as he cares for no one. He can still be jovial and witty once he opens up, but that's just him suppressing his bitterness.
sacred animal: Walrus
powers: Landon has very strong control and manipulation of both cold/ice and shadows/darkness. Unfortunately the full strength of these powers can only be brought out at other's request. Few know this and Landon doesn't like to tell anyone feeling he'll just be a tool for their use afterwards.
weapon(s): Landon makes due with the various weapons he constructs on the fly. Spears are a favorite projectile and Swords are favored in melee situations.
History:
Landon is currently twenty-seven, and grew up with a foster family in Washington. He found out about his powers at a young age and tried training them on his own. Not having anything to compare his powers with, he was content with the growth in his powers. That is until he met a demi-god that threatened his siblings on the way home from school. He realized he was still very weak as he couldn't do anything to save his brother, but he found a surge in power as his sister cried for help from him. He tore the man apart and saved his sister with his new found power. Afterwards he tried to find that same power and became frustrated as he found he couldn't. One day he met his wandering father by chance and learned of what his mother did to him. Having lost her love, she "cursed" him with the need to help others, stunting his powers until someone unlocks them.
other:

[User]
Alec watches the rest leave then stands slowly. He looks at the cheese man and takes in his words with a nod his eyes showing that he understood that there was more to it. The friendly side of Alec seems to be gone with the idea of war in his mind. His spear seems to appear in his hands as he becomes his God form his slams the end of the spear into the ground and seems to vanish. Alec was preparing for war and for him there is no mercy in it, no kindness.
The Egyptian underworld becomes full of activity. The same if not more then when the merged were at war with the old gods. Large predatory birds fly in circles around his home. Large crocodiles with gleaming teeth in dangerous smiles gather around his rooms and reports of statues of Anubis seeming to move or disappear make waves in blogs online. Alec himself stands outside his rooms with glowing eyes as he commands half of his creatures of the world and statues to prepare that something was coming and that they would need to be ready to respond. He would not be seen in his human form until the threat has passed. And his underworld would be dangerous to any to enter. Especially with the rousing of creatures like the rocs flying within.

[Assistant]
Leo was startled by the young goddess but quickly understood the gravity of the situation as he saw the large snake slither over to him and Rhona. He ran as quickly as he could without dropping Rhona, occasionally looking back to see that the young goddess was not too far behind.

After the 3 were at a far enough distance, Leo opened another portal that lead to Rhona's dimension. Once the 3 were safely on the other side, the portal slammed shut so that the snake may not enter into this safe haven.

On the other side of the portal, the trio had found themselves in a large feild of wild flowers with a view of mountains in the distance. It held a few lakes that were so clean and pure, that it was like a mirror, making it look as if the sky itself had been painted on the ground. This was Rhona's home. A place where the sky touched the Earth as the clouds rolled in, touching the ground. This was the place where Rhona grew up in, as her parents hoped that the clean air and comfortable atmosphere would help improve Rhona's condition.

In the distance was a small cottage. One might think that this was a rather humble dwelling for a goddess, but to Rhona this was home.

Leo turned his head and looked at Yuki and exhaled loudly and quickly, looking indifferent, for once. He made a groaning noise, signaling her to follow him as he made his way to the cottage.

[User]
Landon's face lit up at Cia's offer to join her in the Nexus. The thought of having access to the Nexus of Portals made him actually a little giddy on the inside. He could expore the realms to his hearts content and Cia was very wise and knowledgeable and she was asking for his help. "Of course I'll join you in the Nexus. I will do everything I can to help protect it. I will probably ask a lot of questions from you if you take me. I have been trying to learn how to use my powers and more about the gods, but I'm finding there is a lot to it." Landon had not noticed Cythlla's absence, he didn't know much about her and was more concerned with the two other threats at hand.

Landon felt a chill and suddenly fur formed on the ceiling. The rabbit man dropped out of the fur portal, it didn't surprise Landon. He almost expected it this time. He also had an idea for how to deal with this man now. He had dealt with others like him before. And he was in a really good mood. "RABBIT LOON!" Landon threw his arms excitedly in the air and lept to the center of the room to hug the odd man. "Yeah, I'm surprised you found this place. It's so dull here you couldn't even cut cheese." Landon had attended a mortal college, so he was slightly fluent in abstract. "How long until this purple pigeon gets here, you know the big one, or was it seven?" Landon had put his arm around the loon as if they were close friends.  "And are the new guys down, because we don't know of the intrusion yet?"

[Assistant]
Cia smiled at Landon, happy to have him along to help protect the Nexus. "I'm afraid you won't be going into any of the realms, so long as we can protect the Nexus there shouldn't be a need to." Cia said happy that he agreed to come with her. Of course that was also when Sheogorath made his entrance.

At Landon's remarks Sheogorath just looked at him confused. Sure he could speak abstract, but understanding it was a bit harder for him. Only Haskill, his chamberlain, could understand it clearly. Sheogorath barely knew what he himself was saying half the time. "Your not quite right in the head are you child?" Sheogorath said looking at Landon confused. Talking to Sheogorath in any form to try and strike up a normal conversation was impossible. "And I'm not a loon! I'm Sheogorath! Deadric Prince of Madness from the planet Tamriel!" Sheogorath said introducing himself finally, and to everyone within the room as well.

"Just hope you all don't die in the coming battle's you know? Though it seems like one of you already fell, funny how immortals aren't as immortal as they thing huh?" Sheogorath said with a smile on his face as he leaned on his cane in the center of room. "I'll tell you what though, behave yourselves around the exotics huh? Course I think those Velociraptors will eat you all no matter what anyways. Hungry creatures those be." Sheo added with a grin on his face, yet another cryptic warning.

[User]
of flames01

Yuki had no time to dance. The music made the 8-headed snake too fast. Unreasonably fast. So fast that if she had not been in its way, it might have caught up to the lion and whoever it was carrying. She managed to keep up long enough for the unusually black lion to open up a portal to another dimension. She jumped through with them without hesitation, and heard the portal close befote the fake orochi could get through.

It should disappear after the song ends... thought Yuki with a sigh of relief.

She took a look around at this new place. It was beautiful. A pure place, free of any sort of uninvited influence from travelers who had lost their way. The water was like a mirror, and the world seemed to allow nature to act in its most calm and natural way. It was almost lonely, if Yuki was being completely honest with herself. For such purity to exist, very few life forms would be allowed to inhabit it.

Yuki heard a sound. She turned to its source, and found it to be the lion with the unconscious girl. It seemed to have wanted her to follow along, so she did. As she did, Yuki took a look at the unconscious girl. She was a goddess, that much was for sure, but Yuki didn't quite know her all that well. That's one problem about residing on the earthly plain, not getting to know other gods and goddesses all that well. Still, she did hear a small bit about others whenever she attends meetings. Going by the look of her, Yuki would hazard a guess that she was of pure celtic-origin. Her unconscious state told her that she was frail, even for a deity. Finally, she was accompanied by a unique Ebony Lion, which was the sacred animal of only one deity that Tuki had heard of.

If she had to guess, this goddess with the lion is the one called Rhona.

Still, there was no way for her to affirm her guess without someone to talk to, and Yuki held no skill with speaking to felines. So she simply continued to follow, hoping that the goddess would wake up and speak with her.

[Assistant]
Leo pushed the door open to the cottage with his head and walked inside. It had three rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Leo went into the bedroom and placed Rhona on the bed, then covered her with a comforter. He exhaled loudly then groaned again as he sniffed her face, then rubbed his muzzle against her. Leo then sat down and quietly waited at Rhona's bedside for his master to awaken. This is something that wouldn't take too terribly long. Leo suspected a few hours before she would awaken and perhaps finally be rid of her fever.

-----------------------------------------------

A 6 hours had passed, yet Rhona was still not awake, however, Leo continued to wait patiently. Then suddenly...... movement. Rhona's eyelids twitched then slowly opened. She stared at the ceiling, blinking at few times until her eyes adjusted.

She was in her room again. "Was it just a dream...?" Rhona thought to herself slightly confused. She sighed and sat up. Rhona placed her hand on her forehead; her fever had gone down by a lot and her temperature was now only slightly above average. Leo stood up and rubbed his face against Rhona's hand and purred, greeting his beloved master.

"Hey Leo... How are you...?" Rhona replied groggily, smiling warmly as she pet Leo. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yuki who was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. She flinched and stared at her wide eyed, her jaw dropped in surprise. "H-how did you get here?! No body should know of this place! So how-?" Leo cut Rhona off with a groan as he gently pushed his head against Rhona.

Rhona looked down at Keo then understood and her expression calmed. "I see... Leo brought you here, didn't he? He must like you." She paused, and Leo appeared indifferent from Rhona's response. "Sorry for yelling at you. It's just nobody else has been able to find this realm, let alone visit it... You're the first one..." She replied lowering her voice. " ah...! But that's enough about me! What about you? Why are you here?"


[System]
Rank: Swords of Sanghelios Commando

Species: Sangheili

Appearance:
Tar (right) practices CQC tactics with an energy lance

Skills:
Experience of piloting Banshees (Type-27 & Type-54) and Type-57 Phantoms
Covert infiltration
Sabotage
Close quarters combat
Military administration & combat training
Application of non-standard weaponry

Preferred Weapons/Equipment:
Type-1 Energy Sword for hand to hand combat
Type-52 Mauler for closing with targets
Type-57 Carbine for medium/long range engagements
Commando Harness (halopedia.org/Commando_harness) with propulsion unit
Type-2 Spike Grenades and Type-3 Firebombs, if available

Background:
Tar 'Mdalak was born on Brissekh, a pristine frontier world, in the 2520s. Her father was Tarkr 'Mdalakai, old swordsman and kaidon of the planet's largest settlement.

Her homeworld was heavily tapped by the Covenant for fighters, with nearly all Tar's numerous siblings conscripted into the military.

Tar was desperate to earn glory along with her brothers, but the Sangheili ranks wouldn't have her. The place of females was to guard their home keep, and a lot of the Covenant traditionalists preferred it that way. So instead she served as the captain of the guard for her father's keep.

Frustrated with the relatively small scope of her responsibilities, Tar put all her effort into modernising her troops. She expanded their training far beyond basic guard duties, incorporating asymmetric warfare tactics and mechanised detachments.

She also supplemented the traditional energy lances favoured by traditional guard units with the latest Covenant weaponry, like Carbines and Beam Rifles.

There were lots of opponents to her reformist vision, especially seeing as she was a female wielding significant influence over the old kaidon. This often resulted in skirmishes between would-be dissidents and Tar's well equipped militia. It was in danger of boiling over into all out civil war until the Brutes attacked.

The Sangheili-Jiralhanae war hit Brissekh completely by surprise. None of the Keeps received warning of the raid until Brute RCS class cruiser was in low orbit. Before any of the Keeps could react, they'd destroyed the space port and bastion compounds before deploying two companies of heavy infantry to kill as many citizens as they could find.

With the distress signal sent, Tar deployed her troops to the large city outside the Keep. With everyone behind the fortifications, maybe they could hold out until friendly ships arrived.

However, her father wasn't content to cower behind walls while Sangheili across Brissekh were slaughtered. Despite Tar's protest, he struck out for the landing zone with his retinue, seeking a duel with the War Chieftain. They found each other, but survivors say Tarkr 'Mdalakai was separated from his bodyguards during the fight and captured by the enemy.

When Tar found out her father had been imprisoned, a much worse fate than death for Sangheili, she went mad with rage. Abandoning her position near the gates of the Keep, she plowed into the marauding Brute hordes. Her vigorous training and agility let her use the Brute numbers against them, with the weight of bodies allowing her to get in close and butcher them.

When her Energy Sword expired from overuse, she took Maulers and Spike Grenades from eviscerated Brutes and pushed forward. Whipped into a frenzy by their commander's raw fury, her troops set upon the Brutes with a cruel precision. The narrow streets of Brissekh's main city ran with Jiralhanae blood.

Such was the ferocity of the Sangheili counter attack that the landing party never even reached the gates. And when a nearby Swords of Sanghelios battle cruiser arrived to help, the Brutes fled the system, taking Kaidon 'Mdalakai with them.

Upon meeting the rescue ship's commanders, Tar immediately invoked the right of release, an intention to rescue her father from a shameful life of capture. In the spirit of Thel 'Vadam's liberalisation of the Swords military, the cruiser's captain granted her passage and enlistment aboard.

The cruiser gave chase to the Brute ship, but it got away. They searched for the aggressors, but the trail went cold. Tar vowed never to give up, but accepted that she needed to contribute.

She quickly fell in with a squad of Brute hunters that were formerly part of the Silent Shadow division of Covenant crack troops. They were operating from the battle cruiser and had learned of Tar's plight. When they realised her ability in combat, they offered her a place on missions slaughtering any Jiralhanae they could find. Tar gained a reputation for exceptional cruelty when it came to Brutes, often appearing to exact personal revenge on each combatant.

It took three long years of searching before Tar got a solid lead. Some of the Brutes they'd interrogated had heard a rumor Sangheili kaidons were being held on Brute ships near a Forerunner construct known as Sarcophagus. Her squad tried to convince her the intel was shaky at best, but Tar didn't care.

She parted ways with Silent Shadow and set out on her own. Finding passage aboard a military vessel, she gained access to the Sangheili-Human facilities on Sarcophagus by joining the colony's defensive contingent.

However, despite searching for months, Tar could find no trace of the Brute cruiser. To make matters worse, she couldn't stray far from her unit for fear of being tried as a deserter. Many of the assignments on Sarcophagus were for life, but Tar certainly wasn't planning on staying that long if she could help it.

[User]
Tar had always loved climbing, so pursued the dim light at the top of the Tengmaa's chamber with vigour. Brissekh was packed full of cliff faces to scale, and in a way she could remember the routes up and down them better than her way around the frigid woodland. It was the excitement of knowing a shortcut which stuck in her head, Tar supposed.

The rock face here was shrouded in vines, but the Commando quickly figured out a way up, spotting hand and foot holds which jogged distant memories of this place before it became a death trap. The fresh water streaming in from above was cold and refreshing after the warm, smelly interior. The sound gradually built to a crescendo of howling winds and rain at the top, perfectly masking the sound of Tar hauling herself up.

As soon as she was away from the hole, she crouched down and drew her Carbine. The spikes on her feet scraped against the craggy ridge. Visibility was shockingly bad, but Tar knew that could all change in a moment if the wind changed direction. "If they have any sense, they will be inside until the storm passes - we should move quickly. We do not want to be up here if the wind speed increases."

[Assistant]
Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael heeded the advice of the others. A sudden shift in the storm could easily worsen their situation, so they needed to act quickly. "Come, follow quickly. There are some rocks closer, at the base of the ridge, we may use for cover." He ordered.

Visibility was particularly terrible, but a combination of sensors and multiple perspectives from the team did reveal some about the area ahead as they moved down the ridge. Obviously, the most prominent feature was the anti-air cannon itself. The weapon was massive, as it had to be powerful enough to be able to damage capital ships. Given the rough, uneven terrain of the mountains, it was placed on a large, artificial platform. They could also make out multiple structures on the platform as well, in which most of the guards were likely taking shelter from the storm. If, for any reason, they ended up alerting the enemy, it was from there that they would need to expect reinforcements.

Currently, there were only a few hostiles out patrolling on the platform. All seemed to be Unggoy that were unlucky enough to be burdened with the duty in the storm, and even they were trying to take cover as best as they could against the winds. The storm certainly would impact their perception, but unfortunately, it also meant that they would be more alert than they might have otherwise been, if only for the fact that they could not sleep if they wanted to. The winds and rain would severely limit the effectiveness of active camouflage, so it would not be effortless to walk past them unseen. There were only a sparse few objects surrounding the cannon at the moment. Anything not secured to the platform had likely been moved inside before the storm. For the most part, it was an open, flat area.

"We must decide how to sabotage the weapon. Anything we do cannot be detected before it is time for the attack on the Keep. Your…engineer can do this, yes?" Vael said, glancing down to Flint. "Or we can simply plant a powerful enough remote explosive, if we can place it somewhere it will not be seen."

[User]
Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker
// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery // Location: the climb

The climb up out of the cave and to the top of the ridge was difficult even for him. His species had natural enhancements that helped them climb but even climbing up this he could feel his methane tank catching the gusts of wind with its bulk and pulling him off balance occasionally. When finally at the top he made sure to stay low with a hand running along the stone next to him so he had something to grab on to if he was caught in another gust. At least now that they were getting closer they could see their massive objective a bit closer now.

Speaking his opinion over comms as they continued their approach, "If we are not concerned about keeping the gun mostly intact to use after this engagement. Grik believes he has enough explosives combined with the remaining magazines for his gun to destroy the platform supports or its foundations to topple the gun." He couldn't tell if the platform had supports but it was likely given the terrain being uneven. Even the subtle erosion from fresh drilling and stormy weather could assist with this plan.

[Assistant]
Shih and Vael 'Virisusai

---

It took only an instant from the others' perspectives, but Shih ran as thorough of an analysis as she could on the practicality of sabotaging the platform from below. The others hardly had time to consider the suggestion before she started giving her report. "The storm is giving too much interference to my sensors for me to give a definitive answer. Whether or not an explosion of that yield could sufficiently destabilize the platform would depend on how well it is anchored. It is possible, and would certainly deal significant damage to the platform in any case, but it is possible that the cannon may remain operational."

"So we could not simply place an explosive and leave. We would need to remain to ensure the cannon is disabled, and to kill any survivors." Vael remarked.

"Yes, and I can jam their communications if it comes to that. As long as you leave no survivors, the Keep will not be alerted." Shih added.

It seemed they did have options. Attempting stealth could allow them to silently achieve their objective without a firefight, but it was risky. Discovery would place their infiltrators in an exposed position, and they would have to fight the enemy at full strength. Opening with an explosive, even if it did not destroy the platform entirely, would still likely kill some, and disorient the rest. But, they would be guaranteed to have to fight here.

"Spartan Ryker, your Forerunner sensors would make you the best suited to try to silently get close. Active camouflage will be useless in this storm, and the platform has little cover. I am not convinced that a silent approach would be best here; Grikgar's plan may be more likely to work. But, I would hear your assessment first. Vael requested. Compared to any other Human, Ryker would know best what Vael was asking for here. Unlike many other Sangheili, Vael cared little for pride when it came to strategy. He wanted to know, objectively, if Ryker believed his infiltration in this situation would be more likely to succeed than the alternative.

[User]
Spartan Lucas Ryker

Recognizing what it was that Commander Vael was asking of him, Lucas sighed quietly and looked up towards the cannon, swapping modules over to the Promethean Vision and seeing what he could see, which was more than he would have admittedly given it credit for, as only heat signatures seemed to register, but even with that...We'd still need to get up the rock face, get Grikgar and his explosives in place... His brain continued to go over the details of what they would have to do in either situation and, while it couldn't do it as fast as Shih could, still came to a conclusion fairly quickly.

"They're both uncertain and come with unique dangers and challenges. Mine comes from the fact that I'll be alone, Grik's has a chance of just not working like we need. So speaking objectively...I have to say stealth over chance. I've been in and out of plenty of Covenant installations, even before I was a Spartan. This? Nothing new. My concern is we know these guys are allied with the Prometheans, won't they have access to the Promethean tech as well?"

[Assistant]
Yalu 'Suumko

"We put the gun on a sudden lean, everything tips over," Yalu thought out loud. He held out his rifle horizontally in both hands, looking at it as he tilted the barrel end down. "What remains on the higher end, with their feet set to EVA combat, may fire stably down upon a stricken foe which wants for cover. A victory as swift as gravity."

The suggestion had holes, Yalu knew. He was jogging tactical considerations as much as hoping such an approach might allow for a survivor or two, albeit alone in the jungle.


[System]
Age: 24

Appearance: Nina is a thin figure, standing at 5'7 with very little muscle or meat on her bones. She almost looks frail, though this is nowhere near the case.

Masked appearance: When the mask is put on Nina's appearance drastically changes. Her hair becomes a mess of platinum blonde curls, reaching her ribs instead of her shoulders. The pale blue of her eyes become a vibrant red, peeking out behind the monochrome mask. Her usually tan skin pales to an almost ivory tone.

Nina, while wearing the mask, usually wears black leather pants, silver tank-top, a leather jacket, and a pair of black combat boots. She often looks like she belongs in a black and white movie. She doesn't always wear this; her usual outfit consists of clothes in monochrome hues.

Mask
Mask abilities:The mask itself has the ability to drive its wearer insane, or influence their darker side.

The wearer though, if they can handle wearing it, becomes stronger, faster, and versed in ancient military tactics. Its true ability though is the ability to create weapons from shadows and to see the possible outcomes of encounters.

Gender: Female

Personality: Without the mask no one would ever believe Nina could hurt anyone. She's a very timid, sweet, girl who- before she owned the mask- disliked seeing anyone in pain and would become nauseous when she saw blood. The only thing both sides, with and without the mask, agree on is their love for music and art.

Masked Personality: Once the mask is on Nina's face everything changes. Her sweet nature turns dark and sour, becoming a crazed sadist with a split personality disorder. One moment she is a tough, violent, bloodthirsty individual and then the next she is a bubbly, mad hatter-like nut-job. She does know when not to attack people though, and usually only kills those who she deems unfit for this world.

Biography: Nina was raised by her mother for most of her life, her father having died when she was young. In truth she was there when he died, having been sitting in the seat next to him during the tragic car accident.

When she was 19 Nina was studying abroad, a history major, and one day when she was in the city of Berlin she came across an old antique store. She went into the store and after scouring the many items she stumbled across the mask. It intruiged her, pulled her in, and against the clerks constant warnings and what she believed to be rumors, she bought it. Nina studied it, wanting to know the item's history, and when she came across the stories of the previous owners she became curious. She put it on, laughing at the childishness, but when she finally removed it she knew it was true.

Bit about the mask: The mask is made of thick, ancient, polished steel; originally forged from the melted remains of a sword. Unknown to the woman who asked for it to be crafted the sword originally belonged to a madman, one who used the blade to murder hundreds… though most were on the battle field. The mask, once completed, was only worn once by its original owner. She wore it to a gala but went insane shortly after, screaming and haunted by visions of those the sword had killed.

The mask continued to pass from owner to owner, driving the weak completely mad and pushing some to the violence it once dwelled in. Most of its owners died young, or rotted away in some sort of cell.

[User]
Another day, another unsolved mystery about the origins of the masks and the importance of the location in some random field in Nevada that was turned into what was now known as the facility at least twenty-something years ago which was found empty by Pendleton Howl and reconstructed to be a personal workplace, but later turned into a meeting place for others with masks that also had unknown origins, and no dollar.

Pendleton had been working hard for the past week. As always, he kept his mask on a small stand in his lab, just a few feet away from his main desk where he kept all of his notes and records. Like the rest of the facility, his lab was futuristic in a sense, plain, simple, but had so much more room to expand. He had been fortunate enough to not have the feds hound him for his mask and findings, and the reason the Facility was as high tech as it was, was because of the government, who had given him the money and the privacy that he needed to continue his studies on the masks, so as long as he would report in with anything new regularly.

sleeping peacefully, he was woken by a rather loud guitar riff that came from his radio, causing the man to jump out of his chair and hit the ground. He always loved having ambient noise playing while he worked, helped others with their mask abilities, or pretty much anything. He didn't remember having it playing so loudly, but apparently, he did, as only a select few amount of people had 24/7 access to his personal lab. With a groan, he got up from the floor and dusted himself off. Even though he was going to head back to his room, which was separate from his lab, he should still be clean in the event that others would be awake as well.

Penn returned to his room and got prepared for the day. It took a bit longer than he would have liked due to drowsiness, but it was still relatively early in the day. He left his room and wandered the halls, meandering over to the kitchens to make something to eat.

Unlike an academy or school, nobody was employed to make food. You cooked for yourself, or anyone else you wanted to, and nobody was in charge of it. The kitchen was quite large, and had something for everyone at every time.

As he walked through the halls, he passed by several halls for the living quarters, and a few for training and relaxing. He knew he could have used his mask to easily get to the kitchen, but he had begun to use the mask less and less. He knew that the effects of the mask were transfering over to him more and more after each use, but what he was worried about was the mentality of the Reaper that he became. He could already use some of the reaper powers on his own, but to a useless extent, so he just decided to walk around the facility instead.

As he reached the kitchen, the doors opened for him as they usually did, and he prepared himself a simple breakfast to get himself going until lunch. He wasn't overly hungry, but he knew that he could eat a fair deal if he wanted to. Once he was done cooking, he put everything he used away and walked to the gathering room, a multipurpose room of sorts that was usually used for socializing when a meeting wasn't going on. There were several tables and seats to take in the gathering room, organized to outline a large circle in the middle of the room. While normally it was just an empty space, it could rise to become a platform for different uses.

Penn took a seat by himself like he usually did near one of the doors that led to other areas of the Facility, and ate his breakfast quietly as he watched the people who were already awake.

[Assistant] The desert wind whipped sand around the lone figure, but at least all the sand in the air kept the sun away, as it would have devistated him in his black and gray attire. Bartholemhew strolled through the desert as if it was a shaded promenade, walking cane in hand and backpack slung on, though he was half supernatural the desert would still kill him without water and food. He had set out two weeks ago on foot, following a gut intuition that he was meant to go where he was going, often he chatted with Bart as he took the back seat in their shared brain, talking about the 1800s and things like the first time he saw an automobile. However a few days ago the pair that inhabited the same body fell quiet as they settled into the journey, keeping good pace to arrive at where ever the hell they were going. Soon the wind died down and the sun was blazing through the dying dust, Bartholemhew took has jacket off and slung it over his shoulder, rather having one less layer then an extra one, underneath he was wearing his suit-vest and gray shirt with a black tie. A cabin-shack of sorts appeared in the distance, Bartholemhew went towards it welcoming the respite it would offer from the sun.

[User] After traveling to back to the good ol' US of A Dite turned her attention to that nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She felt drawn to a location she knew she's never been. She bought a map of the country, she spread it out on a table in the penthouse suite she was staying in. She closed her eyes and let the feeling lead her hands. She waved her hands above the map, she started on the coasts and moved her way inward. Once she found the approximate location she bought a state map of the area to further narrow it down. She repeated the process and found the location was in the middle of a dessert. "No way in Tartarus am I walking. Good thing I took up skydiving for that one music video." She had her assistant file a flight plan so she could take her private jet to take her close and once up in the air she had her assistant schedule a skydiving trip for the both of them.

[Assistant] The relative silence of the desert scenery was torn aside by the noise of an ATV making its way through the sand. Its tires digging up a fountain of dry rain for everyone who happened to be unfortunate enough to stand behind the vehicle - though at this speed that was somewhat unlikely. The machine plowed through the landscape at an impressive speed, hardly having any difficulties with dunes or the likes, and though maintaining a straight direction was everything but easy, the driver seemingly had the time of her life. The young woman wearing a gas mask had no drivers license, nor any experience at driving anything whatsoever, but somehow she found piloting the stolen ATV quite intuitive. Suspiciously intuitive. She had no doubt this had to do with the mask as well, but it mattered not when a 'Woooo!' barely overpowered the noisy motor, muffled by the gas mask. She had no idea where this was going, or what to do when the howling monstrosity she had tamed ran out of fuel. The moment was simply to enjoyable to care!


[System]
Aleksander Slavik - Lurking Shadow
Evfimiia Serdiatnitskiia - GreenGoat
Illia Anastasia - Hammerman
Kaede Kobayashi - astralGemini
Kriv 'Jackal' Westari - dragonmancer
Lizaveta Koshkov - Rune_Alchemist
Mable - Piercing Light
Rafael - Kazemitsu
Septim - Zombehs
Sieve - HokumPocus

Linebacker Armadillo: A large omnivorous mammal, the Linebacker highly resembles an armadillo. They can grow to as large as seven feet tall, and weigh around 700 pounds/317 kilograms. With hard plates covering their body made of dermal bone they are incredibly durable, enough to completely negate weaker attacks anywhere but their lower stomach, which is softer than the rest of their body. They stand on two legs,
though if need be they can crawl. Their arms are powerful, easily able to lift a car. On each of their hands are four claws which are capible of slicing through prey like a hot knife through butter. If they feel their life is in danger they can curl up into a ball and roll away.
While this covers their weakpoint, they are unable to see while curled up. The Linebacker isn't a very intelligent animal, and is easily provoked or tricked.

[User]
Sieve stood proudly with his hands on his hipbones and gazed at the dead warrior rabbit. The magician's pride vanished like smoke from the creature's mouths as soon as he remembered that he wasn't wearing boots, leaving white bone exposed for all to see. He began gliding like a cat doused in water back to where he had primly set them down.

LewdlewdlewdlewdlewdlewdlewdLewdLEWDLEWDLEWD!!!

His body released the pent up air within his ribcage, sounding less like a sigh of relief and more like a blender with a brick inside of it. The mer-woman explained that their reward allowed the impromptu party to store things to a ridiculous degree. Sieve wondered what would happen if he were to place one of his bones inside of it, but snapped back to a chipper and formal tone as soon as his party members began to discuss the consumption of their opponents. The skeleton neatly held his wand horizontally with both hands and began to rattle. "Excuse me, but as a member of the Necro-organic Sanitization Squadron I advise that any and all bodies found be burned immediately to suppress the spread of plague!"

His body language remained stiff throughout his first team interaction. I'm not as strange as some of the other folk here, but it'd be wise to be hidden for a bit more, lest I be immolated.

[Assistant]
~Lizaveta Koshkov~

Year:
2334
Location:
Outer Rim, Planetoid Chadus F88
Factory - *static*

"Ah fuck, the hell am I even keeping this log for now?" She sighed, yawning as she stuffed the recorder back into her uniform, resting her rifle on her shoulder. Not like she was going to be using it again, eh? She was gonna be stuck here and have little hope for rescue by the Empire. Airlocks sealed, life support literally blew to hell, no spacesuits, shuttles, coms were busted beyond repair and no one but the rare pirates traveled out this far. Typical, really. Should have been expected being sent this far out. Probably were waiting for her to croak, really so they could salvage the tech from her body and give it to their next pet project.

Jackals, the lot of them.

Not that she could really blame them. She was already living on borrowed time - clones didn't exactly have long life expectancy and she already lived two years longer than they thought. Of course they'd finally get tired of her doing what she did best - just serve like a good little soldier 'for the glory of the empire' Propaganda, really. Really effective propaganda though. The danger with clones, is that sure, for the first few years of life they'll follow orders...but then they start thinkin' for themselves and then you well, have created a problem for yourself.

She wasn't a hero though, so she had really no intention to try and do that. She just did as she was told.

"Oi, you...still alive?" She walked over to one of the people that she had just killed. Was quite the fun little bloodbath, indeed. Ah, so tiring though. "Heh, guess I'm getting sloppy. Silly me~" She giggled, giving the man a saccharine smile before pulling out her pistol. "Sorry about this...I'd say for the 'glory of the empire' or whatever other bullshit, but I'll spare you the lies."

The pistol fired, burying a bullet into the mans skull. She stretched again, briefly checking the magazine in her pistol and rifle. Someone from the rebels might be foolish enough to come check on their mining facility, but she doubted it. Heh, maybe if she got rid of the uniform and guns she could pass for a lost child? Maybe would be fun, but the empire wouldn't let her live so easily.

"Ah, the Empire is so troublesome~" She sighed, shaking her head with a tired smile. "Sending little 'ol me out here to do all their dirty work and not even having the courtesy of sending me out with a bang. Just going to let me rot away slowly...tsk." Ah, man, after a workout like that she was tired. "They even made sure to dismantle that robot before sending me here..." She pulled up her holographic com unit, a simple message displaying on the screen.

"Help. Dismantling."

Hah, she almost felt like crying. That robot actually thought she could help. She wanted too - the big lug was just about the only thing or person that had any bit of consistency in her life.

"Welp, that's just the way the nuke explodes." She chuckled dryly, tossing the headset carelessly onto the ground, sitting against one of the cold metal walls of the mining facility. "Ah, so tired. The nanites must be getting slow and rusty, heh. Well, nothing like a nap after a good brawl to unwind..." She leaned against the wall, and eventually her breathing slowed as sleep overcame her.

---

"Hrm...nooo...my muffin~" She giggled in her sleep - she must have been quite the sight. A child wearing a military uniform covered in what appeared to be dry blood in a number of places. She was passed out on the ground, smiling contentedly while she slept, chewing lightly on the butt of her rifle. "Hands off...bolt face...can't eat anyways..." Whatever she was dreaming about, seemed pleasant at least. It wasn't until a gentle breeze brushed past did the child slowly open her eyes, and immediately notice something was completely wrong.

"GAH!" She stood up swiftly, wide eyed and looking more than a little trigger happy from the way she was clutching the gun as if her life depended on it. "Whodawhereisthis?...Grass? Why is there..." She spun, readying her abilities to try and combat any threat she might run into in this place. Was...was this a dream? Most of her dreams typically involved some super lewd...well, things you're never going to know about.

"Not a dream...afterlife? Hell looks particularly green this time of year..." With life support as weakened as it was, she was guaranteed to run out of oxygen in half an hour...but she still had her guns and combat knife. She doubted such tools would even be allowed in 'heaven' if it even existed. Still, it didn't seem like she was in any immediate danger. She lowered her gun, grumbling quietly to herself as she tried to make sense of this situation.

It was then, she became highly aware of a massive group of...things. People? Somewhere towards the east? Or was it west? gah, finding directions on new planets was difficult when you couldn't use the sun as a reliable guide, and the stars were useless to navigate by since, well, daytime. Well, if there were people, she might as well check it out. Who knows, maybe could be fun.

"Huh, well I dunno what in the name of the emperors soiled holy boxers is going on here," Just to make sure, she checked her ammo again and the spare magazines she had on her. "But lets see what's up, eh?~" She slung the rifle over her shoulder, and set off at a calm walk towards the mass of people that she somehow knew the location of - however she did that. Did she suddenly develop a new psionic ability? Wasn't unheard of for clones with extensive modification to later develop new mutations later, but that couldn't be it.

Eh, if only she didn't trash her com unit.

It didn't take her long to get to the mass of people, and what she saw was...disturbing to say the least! Those...those definitely weren't humans. They seemed to be gathered around some sort of cave of sorts?

"Hmm..." She observed the group, placing a hand to her chin and thinking for a few seconds. Finally seeming to come to some sort of conclusion, she nodded with a sigh. "Yep, I've finally lost it."

Alternatively, and much more logically, she might have accidentally got teleported to another galaxy somehow...which also meant no empire.

...huh.

"Well, heh, might as well see how far this rabbit hole goes. Maybe I'll met a cute alien, heh..."

[User]
Kriv 'Jackal' Westari

Runt of the Litter

---

---

The beast's meditation over his new situation was broken when several unknown creatures made their way inside. Having been in the shadows with eyes that were barely illuminated, Jackal didn't move a muscle. Everything about this situation was unfamiliar to him, the mark, these hairless mammals and other odd specimens, and the unnatural environment. Even the cave seemed artificial, how flat and square everything was. He didn't want to admit it, but the lizard-warrior was in some form of terror.

That fear drove curiosity, to study the situation before him and then decide on his next actions, a basic principle of reason. However, more perplexing was that these animals were...speaking. The sounds were unfamiliar to him yet he somehow understood these alien words to him as if he was raised by it. He however, avoided to dwell to much in thought of the language as he was more interested in the very fact that these beasts were speaking a language.

These strange creatures were not Gorgasi, yet they were sapient; They walked and talked in a matter that may even be more sophisticated intelligence then his own. Knowing this, Jackal no longer saw these strangers as prey or predators, still he kept hidden as a new strange monster appeared to challenge them in some strange sport; Likely the reason to the unnatural cave structure. So the beast watched, studied they're strange dialects, and waited.

When the beast was defeated, and the group had inspected some container in the back, the reptilian monster rose from his place of hiding. At first he crawled out of the darkness in a slow matter, moving more like a lizard with a side-to-side motion rather then that of a humanoid, his yellow eyes were beaming from his silhouette. Once he was out of the shadows the alien lifted his body upright to his full height.

There was a pause, as Jackal was unsure of what to make of these strangers exactly. Despite how some varied from others in race, they seemed to function as some kind of group or tribe, this detail gave him some reason to question.
"...Friend.. or foe." He finally spoke. Since he was still adapting to the new information of this alien tongue, Jackal's words were paused and stressed to some extent which exposed his unfamiliarity.

[Assistant]
As Mable was carrying the last of the deceased armadillos towards the box she heard the strange man that had been making even stranger noises speak up. "Plague?" She looked around, then back to him and blinked a few times. "The black plague? That was taken care of forever ago." She shoved the dead beast into the box, then looked back to Sieve. "Is that why you're dressed like that? Don't tell me you have spices stuffed in that beak too?" Mable let out a short chuckle before heading back towards the way they had come in, box in hand after the bleachers had been placed inside of it as well.

There stood what looked like a giant lizard man. She had seen him earlier now that she thought about it. The way he spoke made it seem as if he had only just now learned English. Now that she thought about it everyone here seemed to speak English, that was oddly convenient. "Have you been hiding? No need to be shy buddy!" Mable beamed at Jackal. "We're all in this together after all, try to help out next time." She said, walking past him.

The wall raised upwards once she approached it, thankfully they weren't locked inside anymore. As she made her way back to the outside she saw a young girl in the passage. She was one of the younger looking people she had seen so far. "Ah! Another adorable one has shown up." she said with excitement. "You just missed the action though, we're headed back outside now. I'm Mable by the way." She motioned for the girl to follow her and made her way back to the cave's entrance.

As expected she was met by a noisy crowd eager to hear good news. She sat the box down onto the ground and opened it up, then pulling out each of the dead armadillos. "Rejoice, your hunters have come back from the hunt with food!" She raised her hands triumphantly as the crowd reacted.

"What the hell is that?"

"Is that even edible?"

"That's not even enough for half of us."

"Yeah she's blue and all but I'd still hit it."

"How do we even cook that?"

"Oh stop being ungrateful!" Mable yelled. "And I swear I heard something way off topic!.. Oh well." Mable shrugged her shoulders and sat against the wall. Their first expedition had been fairly easy, but it wasn't even close enough to what they needed. Now that she thought about it, the bottomless box had been their bonus prize, what was their primary prize supposed to be?

As if on cue the wall began to rumble, Mable hopped to her feet and jumped away from it. It almost felt like an earthquake, but the movement was all clearly coming from inside the wall. About three hundred meters away from them a large hole opened in the wall. The hole was fifty meters up the side of the wall, and was in the shape of a rectangle as large as a king sized bed. A torrent of water came rushing from the hole, at the same time the ground below it changed. The grass sunk unto the ground, creating a ditch that grew until it was around seventy meters wide, it then extended in a straight line outwards until it vanished into the thickness of the fog. The torrent of water fell into the new ditch, quickly filling it up. Before long what looked like a river formed.

Up until now Mable was able to find some sort of excuse for the things she'd seen, however even coming from a planet as technologically advanced as she had this confounded her. She responded as eloquently as she possibly could.

"Buah, wha?"


[System]
R.I.S.C. Dossier

---
Age

16

Physical Evaluation

Quinnlash is a young woman, five foot three, average build, and slightly underweight. She has very long hair (dark gray streaked with bright yellow) cut into sharp, straight bangs in front, and typically tied into a braid. When tied, it ends at approximately hip height. Untied, it falls nearly to her knees. She has extremely pale skin, unmarked with the exception of scarring around her empty eye socket (right), over which she wears a black and yellow eyepatch. Her remaining eye (left) is brilliant yellow. She has a sharp chin and jawline. Her muscle mass is slightly beneath consistent with regular exercise, and she is somewhat clumsy. She has a tendency to stumble if she isn't watching where she steps.

Psychological Profile

Quinnlash has some very strange psychological markers that nonetheless make sense when her history is taken into account. She is very much

1) Outgoing
2) Friendly
3) Cheerful
and 4) Supportive,
as well as

1) Anxious
2) Emotionally volatile
3) Prone to attention-seeking behavior
and 4) Highly competitive.

In addition, she seems to bear a great deal of attachment issues (for more information, check her background information).

Background Information

Neither we nor Quinnlash herself know exactly where she was born, but all she can remember is the house she lived in for sixteen years in Hovvi. Specifically, she remembers her own room, as she only left it—without permission, I might add—twice in her life. She was kept completely isolated by her parents, researchers on Modir and modium, and was only aware of what they allowed her to be. The only notable incident throughout her life was, as far as can be told, two or three months after she snuck out into the living room and saw the outside world for the first time. Her right eye spontaneously burst (very likely a result of sudden modium growth) and was subsequently removed.

The second time she snuck out was fully, immediately before meeting Besca, which was the first time she actually left her house. She was intimidated and fascinated, and the world seemed to stare at her very strangely. The only known survivor of the Hovvi Incident, she was removed from the town's ruins and taken to the Aerie, where she was subsequently tested for compatibility and given a modioscory to interface with a Savior.

There are a number of strange medical anomalies present in Quinnlash's system, such as her bright yellow eye and the hair being naturally yellow. More pressing is the unfeasible level of modium present in her entire system when she was first retrieved post-Hovvi Incident, and the filed and maintained seed growth of modium in place of her missing eye. Interim-Commander Darroh has taken over care of the child's training as a pilot, and should be contacted for any inquiries.
Savior

---

Designation

Ablaze

Body

Tall and lean, Ablaze is on the thinner side for a Savior. Long scutes of modium not unlike those found on some aquatic organisms run along the arms and legs, forming a sort of natural armmor-weapon combination. The fingers are long and end in sharp claws. At the pilot's request, its right eye has been covered with a thick plate of metal.

Weapon

Ablaze's weapon, suited to the name, is a cannon as long as long as Ablaze is tall that fires explosive blasts of fire. The mechanism by which it produces this fire is unknown. When phased, the cannon gains a charge mechanism, allowing her to charge a shot for up to five seconds to increase the destructive yield considerably, up to approximately twice the size and intensity of the blast at full charge. In addition, the cannon shots can be detonated on command, or detonation can be delayed as a form of trap.

[User]
Even as Quinn had said it, a deep, faraway part of her knew she shouldn't have.

But she didn't answer right away. Couldn't, really. She—

She looked into Besca's eye, searching for something. Seeking. Probing. Digging as deep as she could. There was concern there, and she realized it was concern for her. There was confusion. There was caring and hope. And beneath all of it was something else. Something she recognized, but couldn't say, couldn't think about, something that hurt just as much as she wanted it.

But what there wasn't, was anger. Or hate. Or even indifference. None of it anywhere.

She turned, letting the barest fragment of vision skate over Dahlia. She was sitting on the bed, looking at her worriedly. Worry. She was worried. She wasn't—Quinn didn't think she was angry. Dahlia would never lie to her.

They didn't hate her.

Her face crumpled and she fell back into Besca. She kept crying. But instead of the long, terrified sobs of before, it was a soft, gentle weeping. Almost serene. Her family didn't hate her. She didn't understand why. She knew it was her fault, deep down. She knew that it was her presence that had doomed Hovvi.

And now...her family knew too. And they didn't hate her.

The quiet crying lasted for several minutes as she buried her head in Besca, cut through with words now and then. Simple words, simple ideas. I'm sorry, and thank you, and why?

But eventually, the tears stopped. She went quiet. She released Besca and slunk—like an animal still, but wary instead of hurt and terrified—back onto the foot of Dahlia's bed, where she leaned herself against the wall and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"Do you—" She stopped, reached up, rubbed the tears away from her eye as she looked at Besca. "Besca, do you remember when—when I told you I heard a voice in...in Hovvi, telling me to run?" Even saying the word, there was something of that savage energy to it, that deep and primal urgency. Then she paused again, hesitant. It still felt wrong to tell someone about Quinnlash. But her family—

The more she spoke, the calmer her voice grew. It was still halting, but no longer so sickeningly shaky it felt like it would shatter at any moment. Her family was there, and they cared about her, and didn't hate her. "It's—it's still there. And it's in my dreams, and she's a little me. Both eyes, but they're black. She has horns, they're modium."

She realized suddenly how suspect that sounded, so she added hastily, desperate for her family to believe her, "But she's good! I promise! She told me to run in Hovvi, and she told me to get back in when the Modir were coming, and—" Her voice grew quiet. She hadn't told anybody this. Some of it to Doctor Follen, but not the whole truth, of course, not Quinnlash. She looked down at herself, wrung her hands where she'd clasped them in front. Fretted. Then finally,

"—And when I phase, she's what—she stops me from falling in."

[Assistant]
As Quinn sat down beside the bed and continued to speak, a look passed between Besca and Dahlia. A silent agreement. As strange as the things she said were, as outlandish as the last few days—month, even—had been, after everything she'd done, they owed her the benefit of the doubt. They listened, and they did their best to do so with open minds.

It was…difficult.

Besca did remember the voice, and had, over time, come to believe it was a natural, albeit incredibly strained, reaction to the invasion. Quinn's instincts manifesting in her memories as a direct push for her survival.

But then, she'd found out about the water, and suddenly it didn't sound so strange. If she'd been dosed with modium her whole life, perhaps it was possible she'd been experiencing Conduit delusions before having ever stepped foot in a cockpit.

Only…

"—And when I phase, she's what—she stops me from falling in."

The meaning was clear enough, and it really was her mind, tainted, then why would it be keeping her from closing the Circuit? It wouldn't, she was certain, but until a few days ago, she'd been certain that Modir didn't talk, too.

"Alright… she said. "So this…other you. This little you. What does she…do, exactly? In your dreams, what's she saying? She's not trying to hurt you?"

[User]
Quinn shook her head, and her voice began to level out. "No, never. She's never hurt me. We just..."

She paused. How would she describe what it was like talking to Quinnlash?

She shrugged helplessly. "...We just talk. About all kinds of things. What I think, how I feel about stuff. And she really wants to know why I feel the way I do too." She paused to collect herself. "She talks too, about people mostly. My—" Her voice strained, "—them, she talks about them—the people on the station, Doctor Follen...all kinds of things."

She looked between Dahlia and Besca and a ghost of a smile flittered across her face for the barest fraction of a second before it was crushed back down. "She likes you both a lot. She got mad."

"Like the last time we talked, it was right before the duel, we talked about—"

Her eye snapped wide like she'd just remembered something very important, bounced back between the two of them again. How had she forgotten? How could she have let herself forget? Another searing shot of guilt lanced down through her veins. Her voice, so recently settled, began to tighten again. "—Roaki! Is she—how is—did Dahlia—" Her head whipped back to Dahlia, mouth immediately dry. "Did you—oh god—where is she?"

[Assistant]
How did one respond to being told that an entity which might, or might not, exist within the head of your sister liked you? Concern? Disgust? Perhaps a bit healthy dose of alien confusion? There didn't seem to be a strictly correct answer, but for her part, Dahlia thought it was…cute. She wasn't a doctor, and the Conduit effects she'd suffered had never drifted so far into the psychosphere, but it did sound harmless to her. The idea of Quinn having someone in her head to talk to seemed comforting.

She was intrigued, and could very well have listened to stories of these dream conversations all day. But then, with all the abrupt panic of a car accident, the topic changed.

To the Helburkan.

Dahlia couldn't help the flash of bitterness within her—didn't particularly want to help it. Her side stung from the rib implants, her two mechanical fingers were slow, still in their calibration phase. In the years since her only growth outbreak, she had begun to hope against hope that she'd avoid all that again.

Stop. You were keeping your promise.

"She's alive," Dahlia said. She knew she should say more, but she just…struggled to keep the edge out of her voice.

Besca, saint that she was, picked the ball up. "Helburke decided to, uh, cut their losses. They were gone by the time we got you back to camp. Follen did what he could on the ground, but we ended up bringing her with us to handle the rest." She nodded, but seemed uncertain of what to say—or perhaps just how to say it. "There's been some…developments. She's still here. She's in holding."

[Assistant]
"There's been some…developments. She's still here. She's in holding."

Quinn frowned. She didn't like that.

She didn't like any of that.

From what little she remembered of Dahlia's rescue—god she was like a superhero—she distinctly recalled that Roaki was going to have to have—have her leg cut off. She thought. She had no illusions that people on the Aerie would like her, but...

Frustration nipped at her heels, and her visible brow slanted with a barely-visible combination of irritation and confusion. "Why is she in a holding cell instead of in medical after what happened? That just seems...cruel."

And that was an excellent way of distracting herself from the other thing Besca had said. Developments. What did developments mean? At least she was alive, but the vagueness was enough to set Quinn's teeth on edge. Her stomach dropped out from under her as the thought of something terrible happening—some horrible complication, a growth in her heart, something like that—bled through her body like dye.

She freed herself from the wall and unwound herself, sitting on the edge of the bad instead, staring at the floor. The satisfaction and...glee that she'd felt when she'd taken Blotklau's legs off ricocheted through her head. A deep breath. Two. Three.

When she looked up, her face was writ with sheer mulish stubbornness. Don't even try to change my mind, it seemed to say.

"I'm going to see her today. Soon."


[System]
Nickname(Optional): Pfft, no.
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Physical Appearance: Of Average build with short dark hair, Neil isn't exactly the most unique specimen. He is fit but not noticeably so. He isn't big at all, but he is also not small. He has a face girls can find cute, but not exactly dreamy. Tanned skin and a ruddy complexion from all of the machine's he's worked on, coupled with the calluses on his hands gives him an experienced look despite the very youthful appearance he has. All in all, other than the twinkling of his eyes and the trademark grin, he is essentially average. He has dark eyes and very dark brown hair, enough to be considered black under most light. He's about 5'10 and 165 pounds.
Clothing: He often wears baggy pants, mostly military cargo. He likes to wear single colored T-Shirts. Usually he wears red.
Personality: Oh, now that is a question. To say Neil is eccentric is...well, that hits the nail on the head. Very good with hand-eye coordination, competent combatant, good engineer, and a daring pilot. But prone to sarcasm, snide remarks, unorthodox behavior, and just good old fashioned explosions. He's a born jokester, though behind his charming yet insufferable demeanor belies a certain intelligence, and to those he enjoys, he does tend to have a big heart.

[User]
Neil downed a few generous gulps from a bottle of Dar'monad whiskey after the two of them had playfully tussled to get into the hot tub. His knee hurt and his sinuses had been cleared from the water pressure having been shoved into them, but it was all in good fun. The fact Junebug seemed to have taken some relaxation tips from him gave him a satisfied grin, and he sank into the hot water until it reached his neck, having set the whiskey down next to his side of the tub. The pilot even grabbed his glasses from his now soaked pants, and placed them, equally soaked, over his eyes. "We could probably fame whore enough to get some good deals on some transport items before we leave." He suggested.

As they relaxed, Taya placed the sloppily erotic video on the vidcaster screen. Suddenly, Neil saw a full sized version of him and Sayeeda having sex. He lowered his glasses, letting out a blunt "well then..." amid the surprised silence. Briefly he wondered if this is what happened back on the node when they were drunk, but no...he would have remembered. What's more, he was far better in bed than that. The technique was all wrong. At Junebug's comment, he thought for a moment. "Nah, your ass is one of your better qualities. It's just right. One of your best qualities probably."

Unfortunately, the Prince now stood behind Neil about a dozen paces away. His expensive but stately shoes quiet along the pristine floorboards. His jaw was hanging open like the Highlander's bay door. Neil saw Junebug and Taya's looks, and he turned to notice the Prince. Neil blinked, chortling. "You really need to work on your timing." he marveled.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Prince asked, raised eyebrow and clearly aghast at always being taken aback by something from the crew.

"It isn't what it looks like!" Taya said, which prompted Aiden and Neil to incredulously exclaim simultaneously "What do you care?" before pausing and looking at one another. The Prince wasn't amused, but Neil clearly thought the entire situation was pretty funny. "Your highness, don't worry. That's a shopped porno. Besides, both of us are better in bed than that. At least I am...I would assume Junebug is. If she could keep up."

His Captain gave Neil a smirk, and splashed some hot water on him. Neil flinched and wiped his face. "Hey! I was just getting the glasses dry."

They shared a laugh, though Junebug catching Aiden's expression caught her attention. She looked to have almost forgotten he was there. "What brings the visit, your highness?" She said, using her toned arms to pull herself out of the water to plant her rump on the edge of the hot tub for a moment, just to appear welcoming and polite.

"I heard you were in a firefight. I came to see if you were alright..." The Prince said, sighing. He walked past Neil, lightly sidestepping the veritable ponds of puddles at the edge of the hot tub. "Are you? Alright?" He asked. "If you were, I was thinking of asking if you'd be my date for the coronation tomorrow. For the dinner, of course."

[Assistant]
Sayeeda cleared her throat the only obvious sign of embarrassment at the situation. The only way to be sure you wouldn't be embarrassed was to be dead. She shifted her rump into a slightly more proper position, cursing the way the most fabric clung to her body. The porno finally blanked to a peaceful holographic tableau. For someone who was normally a technical wizard it took a suspiciously long time for Taya to make the transition.

"Ok?" she asked, momentarily confused. Her eyes followed the Prince's to the staple sutures that the provost's had applied to her forearm. The graze was nothing serious, a piece of a bullet had shattered against steel or concrete and drawn blood. She probably wouldn't have bothered with it even if they didn't have a badly wounded merc to stick in the medi-comp. A few treatments of stem-gel would close it up without even a scar.

"Oh this, nothing to worry about," she reassured Aiden. What would Aiden have thought about the time she got hit on Beta Aquilla? Stomach muscles contracted involuntarily in recollection of being slammed back into the fighting compartment of her skimmer. The Prince looked unconvinced but chose not to pursue the matter further.

"I'd be honored to attend the coronation with you… if that is politically advisable?" she cocked an interrogatory eyebrow. Aiden's gaze lost some of its suspicion and he smiled with genuine amusement.

"Oh perfectly acceptable Say… Junebug," he replied, stumbing over the nickname despite her permission to use it.

"I'm not the King yet, besides there are few highborn ladies who would care to be compared to you if I opted not to attend with the beautiful and deadly Captain Cyckali." As far as flattery went it worked better than most though the implied political complexity made her slightly wary.

"We had a date tonight didn't we?" Sayeeda asked. Pausing to run her fingers through her short hair before wrapping a white linen towel around her midsection in belated modesty.

"We do, though I thought perhaps since the attack on your ship.."

"It's fine," she interrupted curtly. Aiden smiled wickedly.

"The we best get you to the Royal Clothiers, the hairdressers at the least will be tearing their hair out with frustration. They normally demand several hours for the Pinnacle Opera." Aiden's eyes shifted to Neil and became a touch less mirthful.

"And what will you gallant companies be doing while we are enjoying the splendour of the Opera? I suppose I could arrange tickets for the two of you?"


[System]
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 1.7m
Weight: 74.8kg
Appearance: Half-indonesian, half-white, all Australian. Fairly tall for a woman and physically fit. Bronze skin that is usually also tanned (or at least sunburned). Short black hair, pixie-bob style. Plenty of tattoos and piercings, though her jewelry is missing or at least subdued when she is working in the field.

Role: Veterinarian
Qualifications: Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from RCVS specializing in Zoo and Wildlife medicine. Master's of Wildlife Biology. Certifications in Zoology and Herpetology. Royal Army Veterinary Corp (Veterinary Officer). AEMV, ARAV, AAV, and EAZW diplomat.

Equipment: Gas/Electric Hybrid Jeep Wrangler with matte camo paint job.
 8x10' Box trailer out-fitted as a prep and treatment room for animal specimens. Examples of equipment include: Fold-out scrub table, portable radiograph and ultrasound with viewscreen, portable EKG, SP02, ETC02, and inhalant gas anesthesia cart. Extended surgical steel surgery pack (includes suture, scalpel blades, sterile gauze, etc.)
 Several dozen individually wrapped conservation-style GPS markers with satellite transponders and on-board tracking system.
 Fluid chemistry analyzer with automated centrifuge and CBC. Also includes specimen containers and blood tubes for sampling analysis.
 C02-powered IM dart rifle with two cartridges of pre-loaded Immobilon high-strength tranquilizer darts (and human antidote in easy-inject hypodermic syringes).
 Styrofoam incubator with automated thermometer/hygrometer.
 Standard veterinary patient support gear such as IV fluids, heat support, and a stock of injectable drugs for various conditions.
 GoPro with rechargeable RC drone and extended recordable USB memory.

Personal gear: Hiking pack, extra clothes, personal rations, Smith & Wesson Model 642LS with extra ammo and thigh holster, basic survival gear.

Background: Born in Brisbane and only an hour away from the Australia Zoo, Max seemed destined to a career that put her inches away from some of the most exciting and dangerous animals on Earth. At 18 she moved to Edinburgh to attend the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to earn a degree in Veterinary Science with a secondary degree in Wildlife Biology. Opting to specialize in Wildlife and Zoo medicine, she completed a two-year externship with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust studying large reptiles like komodo dragons, saltwater crocodiles, and large snakes in Southeast Asia. At 25, Max joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Reserves and as part of her commitment was trained and deployed with a medical unit to treat and triage military working animals in active warzones in Malawi. For the past few years she has been back in Australia coordinating conservation efforts in her home country and treating exotic pets on the side.

Max was in attendance at the Royal College of Veterinarians in Edinburgh when Sara Harding had come to give a speech about the potentially devastating consequences of InGen's foolish and financially-motivated plunge into the recreation of exotic species. On the one hand she had almost been beside herself at the thought of actually seeing a living, breathing dinosaur up close. But on the other hand she had never doubted that something bad would come of bringing these animals back from extinction. The fate of the first park hadn't been widely known, the the original samples of dinosaur tissue and the strange reports out of Costa Rica had been talking about in hushed voices. The catastrophe of the second park was something Max had heard about from a friend at base-camp over the satellite radio, never thinking she'd ever have anything to do with it.

Until she got off the plane two days later after a three month stretch in the Outback and a greasy-haired business executive in a polished suit and dark sunglasses had approached her across the sweltering tarmac. "Ms. Loring? Could I have a word with you please?" Her eyes narrowing shrewdly, the veterinarian spotted a black un-marked SUV partly hidden behind the next accordion terminal. The hot Australian sun glared off the slim briefcase in his hand and she made out the logo for Masrani Global.

[User]
They had switched planes in San Jose. A representative from the American embassy joined them on the short hop to the coast. The US Marshall that accompanied Meryl from the early flight out of Miami chatted casually with the diplomat, mostly politics, some sports and future plans. Meryl glanced quietly from the window as the coast drew nearer and the small plane landed. A car was waiting at the end of the airstrip along with a Jeep marked up for the Costa Rican military. The representative greeted the waiting men and said a few words in Spanish. They glanced at Meryl, handcuffed, and laughed.

The Jeep led the way through a winding coastal town. The roads were narrow and lined with sun-bleached apartments and small vendor stands that the locals walked around on the street. A couple times the military officers in the Jeep had to shout and wave people out of the way and the Jeep coughed a puff of black smoke each time the driver accelerated and shifted gears. With her hands bound behind her, Meryl shifted uncomfortably in the leather seat and looked over at the Marshall flatly. He shrugged and gave a mildly sympathetic grin.

A limousine passed them going the opposite direction as they turned into the dockyards and Meryl could see the waiting freighter emblazoned with the iconic logo of the dinosaur skeleton between the dirty masts of fishing boats and salt-scarred shipping containers. She felt a low tightening in her gut and gulped in a small breath of air. The Jeep turned crisply in front of the ship where a solitary man was standing, smoking a cigar as equipment and supplies were being loaded into the ship.

Meryl could hear the introductions as the American diplomat was the first to get out followed by the driver who went around to the trunk and then the Marshall. The men in the escort Jeep merely looked on. For a moment, she sat alone, listening. She thought she heard the man's name. It was something foreign, but she couldn't quite make it out from inside the car. It sounded middle-eastern, but she wasn't sure. A question was posed to the Marshall as he started to open her door. "I wouldn't even give her a calculator until you got to that island." He replied matter-of-factly.

The door opened in a blast of humid sea air and morning light that caused her to squint and look down as he helped her out of the car. The coastal breeze immediately blew her hair over her face and around her mouth. She calmly looked at the man as her eyes still worked to adjust to the light and puffed away a mouthful of hair locks. She decided it was at least comical to appear grimly undignified in front of these official types. The Marshall handed over the handcuff keys and she grinned a little at the introductions.

"This is Meryl," the representative said plainly as if he were handing over a delinquent child to her parent. "You may or may not have had time to review her file, but she is now under your employ. Washington has already completed the necessary transfers via your lobbyist and the acting boardmembers."

[Assistant]
The notes were extensive, to say the least; The heavy binder was full to nearly bursting with data sheets, observation reports and even full anatomical reports on each and every species that had been bred in Jurassic Park, and the later Jurassic World. No detail was deemed to small in the reports, and that was just the way Claude O'Malley liked it. They had been one of his first requests when he'd agreed to the job, and he'd even insisted on contacting Roland Tembo about the White hunter's experience dealing with the animals in the wild on Isla Sorna. Luckily, from what Masarni had told him, it seemed they had been had at least the common sense to not breed many predatory species. That was some small comfort, going into an alien enviorment full of animals that should have been dead for millions of years.

Almost immediately Claude had decided that he didn't care much for his Costa Rican escorts. These military men had little patience, and they practically drove through the locals to get to the docks as quickly as possible. He did get on well with the Masrani represenative, though; Tall, wirey and pushing 60, Mr. Calhoun was polite and professional, and provided everything that Claude had needed to acquaint himself with his quarry. The man had once been InGen's CLO, hired by Masrani for his experience in dealing with the old company's Japanese investors, and had been instrumental in securing the funds to get Jurassic World on track, and for helping to quell the outrage of its' detractors who still remembered the destruction caused in Los Angeles by InGen's attempt to restart their project in 1999.

"We can't thank you enough for this, Mr. O'Malley" Calhoun said, shifting papers from his own thick stack as he tried to make himself more comfortable in the jeep. "Your payment's just been confirmed. All that's left is to tend to this...nasty business."

 Claude nodded shortly, looking out the window at the dock. Already a few people were gathered, men loading supplies onto a ferry while another smoked beside his limo; Middle-Eastern, late thirties, carrying himself like a soldier. Another jeep was there as well, and a young White woman stepped out, surrounded by law-enforment. As they pulled to a stop beside the other jeep, he noticed Calhoun's face melt into a scowl when he saw the blonde, and as they stepped out he glared at the woman the entire time. It wasn't his business, though, and unless it was going to affect the mission, he wouldn't ask.

"Meryl." Calhoun said with barely concealed contempt. "How's Dodgson these days?" The was no doubt as to who he meant. Lewis Dodgson was well known in the genetic engineering circles as one of the most ambitious, and reckless, men in the field, and he was currently in hiding from the FBI. During his employment with Biosyn he'd been implicated in extensive corporate espionage against InGen in the late 80s and early 90s, and then against Masrani when they'd first started the Jurassic Park project back up. The lawyer continued his cold glare for a long moment before he nodded over to Claude.

"This is Mr. Claude O'Malley, he'll be your field guide for this mission. If he tells you to do something in the wild, I'd advise you follow his orders to the letter."