[System]
Age: 21

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Abilities:
Luna is one of the strongest warriors from her family. Part of that comes from her unwavering training in her youth and part is from an inherited power in her lineage. Long ago, a dying Elder Beast made her family, so long as they were honorable warriors, inherit the remnants of her strength throughout their line. It was an Elder Beast of Light and Honor, or so the stories told. Out of her two elder brothers, her and a younger brother and sister, it appeared as though she were the one to inherit most of the generations power though the family's heir was close behind her.

For that, she is able to use a variety of Light based Magics. Healing and creating weapons from that light based magic, hence the family name, as well coating her weapon with light energy to strengthen it (though this can become taxing). She also can create damaging beams of light from her hands that damage opponents. Among other things, of course.

In addition to her family's boon from an Elder Beast, there were stories that far before the Lightswords were even called such, they had mixings with giants and have a very small amount of giant blood in their veins. There isn't much to it. They have a small affinity for the giant's relation to fire which gives them a resistance to the cold. Luna won't be jumping in a freezing ocean but she can more easily resist the cold winds of the north. Their strength is also increased a small bit thanks to their giant ancestors.

History:
A long time ago, to the cold north, the Lightsword family was not known as such. It was a clan of warriors with no such name. Then one day, Lucilia, an Elder Beast, took them under her wing. She saw their honor in combat and taught them and blessed them with her power. From that day, the clan was blessed with Light Magic. They fought with Lucilia for years until one day, she lost in battle and was put on her death bed. As she lay, she told the clan that they would continue to receive her blessing in their lineage so long as they stayed honorable warriors. The clan wholeheartedly agreed and had their entire line blessed and given the name, Lightsword. So the story goes, skipping over a couple of specifics. Still, Lunalel goes by this story, proud of it. If one asked her to recite the tale, no matter how many times, she definitely wouldn't mind sharing it. She could recite the majority of the tale perfectly since even before she could hold a blade properly though that was earlier than a normal child, given the family's heritage. And when she could hold the blade, she trained with it the rest of her life, becoming one of the best swordsmen or women of her generation in Lightsword territory. After a time, she went on active patrols with the soldiers. They would patrol the land and made sure that there was no threat of robbers, brigands, bandits, monsters and many other things. From there she received a reputation of being fairly well liked among the soldiers for a couple of things. They trusted her strength and endurance, such as when she made every grown man seem like a small child when she won a drinking contest against some of the best!

In recent days, Lunalel was with a number of soldiers in a small patrol. While on patrol, they were beset by a large pack of feral, starving beasts. While they would be able to slay a number of the beasts on their own, there were too many of them as they were being surrounded. Some beasts lunged and were quickly dispatched by the squad as they started to back up trying to not get fully surrounded and soon they made a break for it. They knew the location of a chokepoint nearby so they could prevent being surrounded on all sides.

As they retreated, the beasts were on their heels trying to maul or bite them only to receive spear thrusts or sword swipes. One soldier was about to be pounced on by the beast! Quickly, Luna aimed her hand at the oncoming beast and shot it with a beam of light powerful enough to kill it's frail being. Soon, the group arrived in a cave, as defensible as one could get against beasts like this. They set up a position ready to strike down any beast that enters. Soon, a pile of haggard and starving corpses lay at their feet but there was no sign of them stopping. They wondered what could possibly push such beasts to attack without regard but there was little time to discuss it before they had to defend themselves. Soon, however, a loud crackle was heard outside the cave and a figure appeared before them…

The figure, a woman, then asked them if they belong to the Lightsword house, to which of course, Lunalel smiled and admitted that she was the first daughter of Lord Lightsword before thanking her for saving them. From there, she led the woman to the castle. Where she introduced the woman and reported the attack. The woman needed to talk to her father about something and he dismissed everyone in attendance aside his Heir. Sometime later that day, her Father came to her and told her that she had a month to get ready for she had somewhere to go for him.

Anything else:
-Has a High Tolerance for Alcohol. Particularly likes the taste of mead.
-Her family has her mother and father (though apparently she takes more after her father), her two elder brothers, a younger brother and a younger sister and many extended relatives aside.
-Insists others call her Luna, rather than Lunalel, if they're friends.
-Gets flustered if a woman starts to hit on her.

[User]
Silently and diligently cleaning his Lance's head, Niall was listening to the discussions going on around them. So that knight, Luna, was a Lightsword it seemed and these two men were her brothers. She certainly seemed to have a fiery character to her and obviously knew how to defend herself well, as expect of the Queen's knights. Niall was gad to have her around. The same would be said of the magic user - Fio. Her attacks were relentless and deadly, as well as often proved to be the focus of the three knight's strategy in the previous fight.

As for Luna's out-loud questions, Niall remained silent. He could have theorized and asked questions of his own, but the fact of the matter was he knew nothing about that enemy so had nothing to share, for now. Being a newcomer in the group, he was content to wait and listen for now.

When the Queen joined them, Niall stood up, Lance at his side. He followed them to the fort. Once in the room, Niall propped his lance against the table close by his. He did a small and polite bow to the knights when he was introduced.
"Pleased to serve alongside such skilled fighters, Queen Sorcha ." he simply answered.

He listened to the rest of the discussion and plans before adding. "If I may, my skills are best suited for the cover of darkness. It would be no issue for me to scout at night time. That being said, I will accept whatever decision the majority agrees with." he said, politely. Niall himself was already well rested, but food was always a welcomed sight.

[Assistant]
Aftermath

---

"Cursed, huh? No wonder why you smell like them." Marduk quipped Ethelred, noticing his curse previously before. As for the notion of them being knights of this "Queen Sorcha," such a thing only piqued Marduk's curiosity slightly. Not merely a duo, but part of a troupe of heroes wandering Albion and fighting off against the many threat that plague it? Well, if the "heroes" were anything like the two Marduk had run into, they might as well be a group of misfits rallied behind an even greater weirdo. Still, it wouldn't hurt too much to hear them out.

"As for whoever it is you're looking for, I've only heard rumors. Otherwise, I would've crossed blades with them both." Marduk stated as a matter of fact. "If not for our common enemy, I may have even tried having a round or two against the two of you. Ancestors know that I'm itching for a good fight, and you two look like you'd give one, knights and all."

In regards to the knight who seems to believe they're in charge, Marduk could only scoff at his demeanor. After all, he left the Elves to be free from being told what to do, his quest be damned. To be commanded especially with one who fights as crudely as this human knight only seemed to annoy the warrior further. Still, he chose to leave airing out his frustrations of the matter for another time. After all, they were still rocked from their previous fight, and Marduk had taken the brunt of it.

"I'll join you monkeys on your quest," Marduk began, ignoring the fact that he, too, was also primarily of simian origins, "but I do not acknowledge whatever authority you have in this troupe. I will respect you as a fellow warrior, but do not treat me as some soldier you can order. So long as we can come to that understanding, the Swordwind will be more than obliged to lay waste to whatever it is you are hunting.

"As for a horse, I only see a beast of burden as a burden to myself. As a trained warrior, my legs are more than suited for marching long distances..." Marduk began, before coughing a small spittle of blood once again. He did his best to hide this from his allies, although his painful wheezes make it difficult to mask his injuries. It was clear that he needed to not exert himself as hard. "... That said, a steed does sound helpful."

In regards to the rather grim mayor of this town, Marduk simply nodded his head to the stables at the mention of a reward, making his way to take what he had rightfully earned by way of might.


[System]
"It doesn't really matter what you try, this is your final destination."

(Closest images I could find. Clothing in extras.)

Closest hairstyle reference:
Nickname(s): The Ghost/Geist, Smiley, Der Bluthund.
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Occupation: Contractor primarily for the German government

Appearance Details
Hair color: White
Skin tone: Pale (Near White)
Scars: Faded stab wound scar on his left forearm on both sides. (Blade went through his forearm)
Tattoos/Piercings: NA
Height/Weight: 6' 0.5", 180 pounds

Fears: Betrayal, aging, loss, bright lights and high heat.
Talents: Quickdraw, sharpshooter, cooking, custom weapons and ammunition, advanced investigative and tracking skills, photographic memory.

Personality: Nemo has always been a rather eccentric person both physically and mentally. Even though he wasn't exactly reclusive or anti-social, his habits often left him by himself. He tries to display himself as the most charming and polite person he can nowadays. But below his methodical behavior, he seems to be a bit unstable and cruel in times of extreme duress.

Nemo is particularly well read and uses his knowledge often in the field. While this boosts his preparedness, he is weak to surprises and new tactics. He is a natural interrogator and has a knack for sniffing out lies and getting information. He finds the process highly entertaining. Labeled a borderline sadomasochist, Nemo is someone who seems to greatly enjoy the duties and risks of his job and has a very high tolerance to pain.

Not all days are spent working however. Nemo has an obsession for all things high class or vintage. Most of his days off he spends listening to classical music and indulging his senses any way he can. His custom equipment and clothing reflect his interests. His hobbies have calmed him over the years, resulting in a more slow and relaxed approach to situations.

Biography: Nemo was born as a orphan in Cologne, Germany. He studied at a local school and passed through with relative ease. However despite his high success, his biggest downfall was the hard time people had working with him and his violent tendencies. To compensate, Nemo only focused more on his personal abilities. His lack of any real social ties and display of exceptional skills made him a prime target for the government. At the age of eighteen he was approached by the German Federal Intelligence Service with an offer to work for them. Nemo didn't hesitate at the opportunity.

In his early trial years he primarily operated within the GSG9 before moving on to take special missions straight from the MAD, BfV, and BND. While he took on a wide array of tasks, he excelled the most at high value tracking and assassination type jobs. As time went on his employers gradually gave him more personal freedom in what he does. Even though his methods are unconventional and often extreme, his track record speaks for itself.

Present day Nemo tends to branch off to jobs not associated with the government. As a man who likes to keep out of the light, his works reflect this. Just about anything shadowy or shady Smiley Sammler has dipped his hands into at some point.

Extras
Other features
White colored eyes. Edges around his eyes are naturally often dark. Giving him the appearance of having a form of eyeliner.

Clothing
Black wool double breasted coat with a greatcoat/trenchcoat style lapel/collar. A little bit below knee length.
Black western scarf with white polkadots.
Black suitvest with no lapels.
Wears a black leather dual shoulder holster harness over his vest for two revolvers.
White dress shirt with sleeves rolled up right below his elbows. Top two buttons undone. Tucked into his pants.
All gold watch with a white dial on his right wrist
Titanium band thumb ring. Silver signet ring on his pointer finger with a spider design engraved into it. Gold pinkie ring. All on his right hand
White wrappings around his left arm. Covers his hand like a fingerless glove up to his shoulder.
Black dress pants.
Black leather belt with a silver buckle. Has a black embossed leather revolver holster on the right side. And a slanted black leather knife sheath at the back to be drawn by his right hand.
Plain black leather cowboy boots with pointed toe caps. Heels boost his height by 1 and 3/4ths of a inch.
White boot socks.

Scarf style reference

Main Weapons
5.5 inch Colt single action revolver. Black horn grips with a engraved black frame and a gold trigger.
7 inch break action-single action Schofield revolver. Ivory grips with a stainless steel frame and a gold cylinder.
3.5 inch birds head Colt single action revolver. Snakewood birds head handle with a hardened frame and a gold hammer. Damascus barrel. Black cylinder.

Vintage Mauser hunting rifle with a stainless steel integral suppressor and finish. Gold bolt. Dark colored wood stock with a black embossed leather recoil pad that has slots for bullets.
Stainless steel adjustable magnification hunting scope.
Black leather sling.

Stainless steel Kris style wavy blade dagger/knife. Has a small silver crossguard and ivory handle.

[User]
Gina skipped through the grasslands. Her feet were bare, and she could still feel the morning dew cold against her toes. The moss of the forest provided enough of a cushion for her to tread barefoot without injury. A breeze blew by, her long green skirt flew up all around her. Gina giggled. She took a moment to spin in place, watching the brilliant green envelope her legs, and flow around her like a never-ending current. A second breeze brought her back to her senses. The scent that had drove her here grew stronger. It was sweet, something that reminded her of a time that she no longer remembered. If she had a mother, one of those elegant high heel wearing types, she imagined that this was what her perfume would smell like. The warmness of it surrounded her, and carried her legs in the direction from where it came.

In the sun, Gina's eyes were bright yellow. Her side-ways pupils were squinting, trying to see through all the light. If Gina could have it her way, the sky would be cloudy every day. "But then I wouldn't feel this warmth on my back," she giggled out loud to herself. Gina talked to herself frequently, since it had been a long time since she'd seen anyone else. She forgot how to talk to others, but grew lonely fairly quickly. Talking out loud had become a habit, and Gina used it to pretend like she had others around her. It be honest, she missed her cell mate from before. Even though that time was horrible, there were moments of light to it. Gina tugged on her white tank top, and started to walk faster.

Just as quickly as she had come to the forest, Gina had left it. She stood in a clearing, her white hair reflecting the sunlight to a painful degree, and she let her eyes adjust for a moment. Standing not too far from her was a girl. Well she wasn't standing, she was more-so dancing. And she wasn't a girl, but something far more interesting. Gina watched her tail move side to side. For a moment the mutant stood, frozen in her place. This other girl was the most beautiful thing she had seen in a very long time. Before taking another thought to consider her actions, Gina ran.

Gina ran as fast as her legs could carry her, laughing the whole while. She almost tripped on a branch, but righted herself quickly and ran right up to the dancing leopard girl. Without saying anything, Gina grabbed the girl's hands and started to dance. Her arms pulled to and fro, her hips moving back and forth, and she skipped her feet in time to a music she could only hear in her mind. A huge, childlike smile was plastered to her face, she closed her eyes and started to sing:

"Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.
I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?"

[Assistant]
Bernard lumbered through the woods, lost not in the trees but in his thoughts. Nothing guided his steps except for the fact that he had to take a winding path to avoid walking into trees. No physical needs plagued him at the moment, and yet he was still driven to seek... something. The feeling would allow him no rest, and so he walked rather than finding shelter to sleep the next week or so away until he was truly hungry again.

Ahead, there was a brighter area that he could see between the trees. He spotted movement, and the amount of sunlight could only mean that there the trees were ending. Forging through the undergrowth, Bernard continued on. The scent of prey animals came to him as he stepped over a log, but he did not stop. He could now clearly see the two girls dancing in the meadow, and he stopped at the edge of the trees. Still in shadow, he looked out into the light to see what he could see.

Spotting the other Project, for what else could they all be, made Bernard's scars itch. The two of them had rarely been near each other, but he recognized another of his kind that had been subjected to similar treatment. A low growl rose unbidden and his throat, and he started towards the center of the clearing.

If there was going to be a fight, he wasn't going to let it be between to two feline projects.


[System]
Age: 19

Rank: III

Nationality: African/Native American

Weapon: Aeon Lance and Force Shield (Her weapon and shield have been made so that she can either wield them separately for optimal defense, or attach the shield to her lance for optimal offense)

- Aeon Lance: a tech invented by her family. A long, bulky lance that allows her to feed imbued bullets into it so that she can fire them for ranged firepower. Holds up to five bullets before needing to be reloaded, and can only be used as a ranged weapon when being wielded in both hands. When enemies are hit with it, it acts as a "glue" or "sludge" to whatever part of the body it hit.

- Force Shield: a tech invented by her family. A nearly transparent, violet colored medium-sized shield that is both light-weight and durable, which can sustain against heavy blows via light canisters. A single light canister can be imbued to last through three blows from a larger creature before needing to be reloaded. When a creature hits the shield physically, they may find themselves stuck to it, as if struggling against a sticky glue substance.

Gear: She usually carries around thirty bullets and five canisters to feed her weaponry at any given time. To supplement her arsenal, she also carries a single light grenade in case of extreme emergencies. When not in battle, she carries around a thin tablet and stylus, drawing tech designs.

Appearance: Ayashe is around 5'8'' (173cm), and weighs in at 145lbs (66kg). She has a toned body from her strict training regimen, and a no-nonsense look on her face most of the time. Her eyes are oddly violet in their coloration, a unique feature of the Kalu family.

Personality: She is hardly the type to flash you a genuine, or even polite, smile, and will seize up each person she believes to be of importance of her before really engaging them in conversation - that isn't to say she's shy, oh no no. Far, FAR from it. She's brutally honest, and says crass things with no regrets. Oh, she DEFINITELY meant to say that rude thing she just said, and no, she probably wont apologize until you prove her wrong. She can take criticisms remarkably well, as long as you can show her the evidence that what you're saying is true.

She's steadfast about upholding the code of the Knights of TERA, so much so that she will not miss a cue. Ashe will defend her teammates to the end, allowing those with more flexible abilities to do what is needed to finish the job. In return, she will almost always have something to remark upon about your last battle, usually sarcastic and critical all in one little not-so-pleasant bundle.

Underneath her prickly exterior is a girl whose true friendship, or even respect, is hard to earn, not because of some jaded past, but because that's just who she is. She prefers to invent than sit idly by and waste her time, but if you can manage to get her interested in something, she may come along for the ride, just out of pure curiosity. She does find joy in small things outside of her scope of usual interest, a walk through the park, playing a game (sport or video games, doesn't matter), and finding interesting places, like a new sushi shop, or a secluded garden.

History: Ayashe, or Ashe as most people call her, was born into the very well off Kalu family, who are one of the biggest suppliers of "Multi-Versatile Tech" to TERA. Their "tech" is specialized weapons, armor, and other components (grenades/canisters/bullets/etc. that can be imbued with Light and only affect creatures of malice). Being well known for their creative and inventive designs and contributions to TERA, Ayashe as their eldest child was pretty much a shoe-in to join the Knights of TERA when she presented the capabilities to control the Light.

She fought the notion for as long as she could, bypassing the usual sign up age of twelve. She wanted to invent new tech with her family, to become a person capable of making a true difference in the grand scheme of things - but her dreams were squashed by her overbearing parents. Ayashe was forced into becoming a Knight when she turned fourteen.

She hated it, and would rebel on purpose just to see how far she could push the issue. During her second year, her actions caused a grievous error while on the field, and the event was quickly hushed and swept under the rug due to her family pulling strings. In return for secrecy, Ayashe was shipped off to Greyridge, away from everything she knew, so that she could start anew.

She was traumatized by what had happened, and eventually resolved to never take her duties lightly again. At the age of sixteen, two years after starting her Knighthood, she finally became a Knight in more than just name. Her superiors noticed a vast difference in her attitude on the field (though her off-field demeanor remained roughly the same, much to their chagrin), and she finally rose through the ranks. Her time of delinquency has put her behind her peers in rank, but she cares as much for status as she cares for people, which is to say very little.

Hobbies: When she isn't honing her body, she's doing something with her hands. She loves to invent, so art has played a big role in her life and she draws, sketches, and paints avidly, usually on her tablet as she walks around. And, unsurprisingly enough, she loves to craft tech, but without the facilities to do so, she makes basic armor, such as chain mail and the like, in her spare time.

Style: Defender

Abilities: She dislikes using her abilities to their full extent, preferring to imbue her family's tech with her power instead of going right into combat. When push comes to shove, Ayashe will drop her tech and go into true Defender mode. Her Light acts as a "glue", and she wraps it around her body as a second skin, protecting her from most harm while increasing her strength to hold off against foes. If she extends it and snaps it back in, she can pull enemies to her, almost like a sticky vortex. She keeps them in place during these times so that her teammates can finish them off.

[User]
Aleksandr kept a relatively low profile in the corner of the room. He preferred to listen than to talk in most situations. His face was hidden behind a heavy tome, simply titled 'Advanced Organic Chemistry Unit 5'. There had been a bit of lull recently, a change of pace from normal. He took these lulls in his stride, they gave him time to indulge his other interests, well at least when he wasn't engaged in non hunting work. This was city life, infinite information at his finger tips, it was impossible to get bored.

The boss returned though and with him a lot of noise. It was a tempo change but not unwelcome. He didn't currently have anything to report, the uneventfulness was leading to a feeling of unproductiveness but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to hear. There was one report of disappearances of young women, but he had discovered that that was human activity, not even warlocks at that. It was bad but it wasn't really the Knights' remit and he had already informed the police. The pleasantries of the other knights' were suddenly interrupted by Ayashe in her traditional style. However she passed over him when making her round of insults.

"Ayashe, you're making me feel excluded, what did I do wrong?" Alexandr joked through his thick Russian accent. "Are you sure you don't need someone to walk with you in case you run in a child chomping demon?"

[Assistant]
"Icecream?" Raine's loud, deep, and hopeful voice rang out as he exited the stairwell. He ducked his head quickly to avoid clocking his face into the door frame, though it didn't stop his glasses from catching and being knocked off of the top of his head. Though thankfully they didn't go far, having gotten tangled in his mass of blueish-black hair that was all bundled up at the nape of his neck with a few uneven strands being held in place with bobby pins. Ignoring his glasses for the moment though, his attention quickly turns towards Ayashe, who happened to be closest to the door.

His face, much despite the dark circles that could be found under his pale green eyes, was rather lively and filled with hope at the prospect of icecream. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, and in truth, it was quite possible. A large, red hooded sweater, his favorite pair of jeans that were missing the entire right pant-leg under his knee, the bright neon green socks... Things he often wore when he was relaxing, or napping. But seeing as his hair wasn't trying to stick up in fifty different places and there were no strange drool marks on his chin, the first suggestion was the case.

"...If you are going out, please?" He asked, his voice now much softer than it had been just a few moments ago. It wasn't often he dared ask anything of others, be it because of his usual silence or the fact that he'd rather do it himself. But Raine knew his limits well. And running about while tired was never a wise choice for him, unless he wanted to end up napping on a bench somewhere. Again.

[User] "Oh, there's a lovely place on Dover Street." Daniel says, looking up from his work. "You remember, Sir Fuchs? Near the library? Penguin in the window?" He suddenly turns his attention to the whole room. "Lovely place, family owned for three generations. Literally the greatest ice cream I have ever had. Dame Kalu, if you're going out walking anyway I highly recommend their frozen yogurt as a post work-out treat."

[Assistant]
When Ayashe walked into the room, she simply stole the show. She didn't crave attention, she didn't want everyone's approval, she just wanted them not to be in her way. Only she asked such with all the grace of a tempest. There is something to be respected of brutal honesty, the resolve to be your own person and march forward, Katsu admired this, but he knew there was room for improvement. "Dame Kalu," he greeted with a slight bow, keeping his eyes locked to her's. "I plan to hold the briefing of my visit to headquarters in the morning. As such the evening is free, you may do as you desire."

Breaking the gaze he pulled out his chair and sat down. "I have noted you're concern for little children and your disdain for tiny monsters, should either of these come into play I will make my attempts to contact you." With that he set off to the what little work he had to for the night. HQ had given him a flash drive with various documents for him to look over and get back to them on. As he connected it to a rather small laptop he produced from his desk he listened to everyone around him and was content.


[System]
Presenting...

Username:  Fuzzybootz
Race/Species:  Great Clan Elf
Gender:  male
Age:  98
Career/Class: Mercenary/ Warrior

Weapons:

* 2 Kukri
* Throwing bola

Physical Description:  Zinvalur stands at a mighty 6' with a lean muscular physique. He has long wavy black hair, often with bits of feather and beads tied in, that reaches just below his shoulders. His long pointed ears peek out from under his hair, but he will from time to time cover them to appear human. His complexion is golden honey beige with many blemishes and scars. He has a major scar across his right cheek, nose, and to just under his left eye. His eyes are a stunning shade of blue. He wears a pallium draped over his right shoulder, leaving bare his heavily tattooed chest and arm. Around his neck, he wears a necklace of feline fangs. From the waist down, he wears a pair of loose fit trousers and boots.

Armor:  Zin wears a thick leather girdle about his waist to protect his stomach and kidneys, along with leather arm bracers.

Equipment/Other:

* Belt
* Pouch of coin
* Pouch of Flint and steel
* Sharpening stone

Mental Description/Personality:  Zin's presence is often stronger without words. His initial impression usually comes off as being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold, but time spent with him will prove otherwise. Zin keeps his feelings and opinions to himself unless asked directly. And when asked, he doesn't mince words. Truth wins out over tact. He prefers to follow instead of lead but is willing to make difficult choices if the need arises. Internally, he is having trouble discerning the line between right and wrong. Things aren't as clear as they used to be and it frustrates him. This has led to self-doubt and double guessing his actions.

Goals:  Zin's Goal is to regain the honor he once lost with his Clan and with his deity, Sendarius.

Background/History:

* Born the second son in a long line of honorable warriors, it was to be expected that Zin would follow in the family tradition along with all of his seven siblings. More so than any of his other siblings Zin took to the warrior way of life with great ease and at a very young age proclaimed that he would one day be the Clan's Master Hunter.
* It is a tradition that when the clan elders believe a warrior in training is ready to join the Clan during the Hunt, he or she would be sent on one last test of valor. When it was Zin's time, He was given the task of tracking and defeating a large feline that had eaten the clan's domesticated animals. Zin tracked the beast for 3 days before cornering it in a cave to the north of the village. Armed only with a single Kukri, Zin defeated the beast, but he did not leave unscathed. He returned to the village bloodied and carrying the carcass of the feline over his shoulders. He dropped it at the feet of his chieftain, and only then did he allow the healers to care for the open wound across his face.
* Eventually the opportunity to fulfill his youthful proclamation would come to pass when the Master Hunter was killed accidentally during one the Clan's yearly hunts. Following another tradition, the chieftain challenged all warriors brave enough to a great many trials and tests to determine his next Master Hunter. Zin proves victorious over his companions and becomes the youngest clansmen to become Master Hunter at the age of 73.
* Things would go well for Zin for two decades. However, that would come to a tragic end when a neighboring Clan's Chieftain Dies and leaves his sadistic son, Miirphys, in charge. Within days, Miirphys orders his clan to begin raiding, murdering, and kidnapping from all other clans sending the forests into civil war. During one of the raids on Zin's clan, the chieftain's daughter was kidnapped and ransomed. Zin begs his chieftain to let him lead a rescue mission, but the chieftain forbids it. Unbeknownst to Zin, the clan's shaman had predicted such an attempt would end in Disaster. Zin disobeys this Chieftain's orders and gathers 5 of his siblings to attempt the rescue. It ends just as the shaman had predicted. 4 of Zin's siblings and the chieftain's daughter are killed in the skirmish.
* The chieftain is so furious when Zin returns that he nearly strikes Zin dead in front of the entire Clan. The only thing that saved Zin that night was the pleas of his grieving mother. She begged the chieftain for mercy and that she could not bear the loss of another child. The chieftain, given the chance to calm, agrees on the condition that Zin would be exiled. Only During Zin's last days would He be allowed to return and seek forgiveness.
* For the first few years of exile, Zin wondered aimlessly. He lived day to day wallowing in his own grief and self-loathing. He avoided people where ever he could. Until one day he happened upon a caravan being robbed on the road. He almost walked away, but he could not in good conscience turn away when he heard the cries of a young babe. With haste, he approached the caravan and scared away the bandits. The caravan occupants were so grateful they gave food to eat and asked him to escort them the rest of the way to their destination for a small boon. Hesitantly, Zin agreed.
* It's only been 5 years since his exile, but Zin is now determined to regain his honor by selling his sword to those who are in need.

[User]
Perhaps Arassel may have imitated the Drabarian, swinging up into the branches of a stout tree to hide from the incoming beasts, perhaps she may have pulled back her bowstring in anticipation or hidden within some dense foliage, if not for two important things.

The first of these was that she had known the Gnolls were coming their way at least since entering the boundaries of the forest, not so much hearing them as smelling them – they smelt rancid, their distinctive tang causing her nose to wrinkle, like sweat mingled with wet canine.

She had pondered as to why it had taken Jex so long to react to what was such an unusual presence within an otherwise Eden-like place, considering that maybe he was just not as attuned to his surroundings as someone who had spent more-or-less their entire extended life in a forest or forest-like environment, watching him slither upward to a safer point with some amusement on her face.

Why had she not bothered to tell the others about this potentially deadly threat? Mostly because she knew they were mercenaries, so-called professional warriors and killers, and if they needed her to tell them that they were being tracked by baying 'dogs' then they deserved to let themselves die here. Here, where the forest would grow from what remains the Gnolls did not devour.

The second reason for her lack of real nerves or even precaution against the forthcoming enemy was that she was, and had been since they had entered the forest, travelling in amongst the canopy of the forest. Indeed, it was often seen as something superhuman by those not of Elven blood, being able to leap with the athleticism of an acrobat between trees, barely needing to touch one branch or the next to propel oneself here an there.

Nevertheless she did freeze where she was, instantly seeming as if every one of her muscles had seized up, her half-crouched form blending nicely with the surrounding leaves and spattering of the suns rays peeking between the gaps.

One hand gripped the bow gently in one hand, the other leisurely resting by her side, oh how she hoped to use it soon...

[Assistant]
Leonard Greystone drew his Valdium sword and slipped behind a copse of trees to the left, leaning his back against them and keeping as quiet as he could. Zinvalur had joined him a few trees over, his bola out and ready to be twirled. Both Kukri's were within quick and easy reach. Meanwhile, it seemed Regeland was looking back and forth, before roughly diving into some thick bushes on the right, muttering how he was not getting paid enough in his mother tongue.

The inhuman noises ceased suddenly, and a few of the mercs more accustomed to the woods could tell that the wind had shifted. It seemed the Gnolls had caught their scent. They were smart enough to use stealth tactics when necessary, it appeared. However, the Gnolls also seemed to underestimate how loud they had been previously, for they flew out of the bushes fully expecting to pounce on unsuspecting prey. And indeed they leaped far, as their legs were powerful with corded muscles. Five Gnolls had pounced out, with another red haired Gnoll charging, holding twin axes as it looked about hungrily.

They were all wearing crude trousers, with a few leather pauldrons and perhaps a bracer or two, but they were largely unarmored. They did not need to be, for their skin was thick and their impressive height and musculature were enough to win most fights out in the wilds. Their scimitars and short swords were notched and worn, but effective looking. There was the fifth Gnoll with a wicked tipped halberd, and the sixth with the twin axes.

From within the leaves, the Mercs could see the drool slathering off their snarling maws. A few sniffed the air again, and let out small eager whimpers. "Perhaps they had fled minutes ago." one of them said slowly. "No." the Halberd wielder said. "They're here..." With hair like fire and an unkempt mane, the one holding the Axes had an insane look in it's inhuman eyes. "Find them." it growled.

---

"C'mon" Kayden whispered to them, and he lead them through the trench, and past the perilously open crags of rock that led down to the canyon below the fortress. To the untrained eye, it looked as if he was simply leading them away. But by one of the pillars of stone that held Fort Hillcrest up, there was a small stairway carved into the rock. It looked surprisingly well carved, and even had runes etched into the stone. Morek and Halbark would notice them as Dwarven numbers, and the name of the stonemasons who built it.

Up and up they went, though it was slow going, for the stairs were thin and tall, before they made it to a small, but greatly barred door reinforced with iron. It could only be opened from the inside by a key. "Ok..." Kayden said, and he looked back to his team who were now standing on a thin platform. Outside of it was a good 60 foot fall. "Halbark, if you have a concoction to break through this, or perhaps Cassilda?" Haukford glanced at the rogue, Laila. "Do you have any tools to get us through?"

Kayden gazed at them, and then at Morek. "If no one here can help, I'll need to ask Morek to break the door down. Might be a bit loud though. I'd rather not draw attention."

---

As Hobnob waited, he and his team could now see a small field mouse sniffing the air, before slowly approaching the cheese. It would set off the entire bridge!

[User]
While they waited for the ambush to start, Hobnob and his crew played cards and smoked on their pipes. As they played, the sound of the gnolls' laughter met their ears. "You don't suppose they're coming this way, do you?" Asked 1 of the 2 enchanters of Hobnob's crew.
"I wouldn't worry about them, Shortstack" Hobnob replied "They sound like they're hunting different prey". Soon after, the manic laughter of the gnolls died down and a new problem presented itself.

"Er, boss?" Shortstack said "I think we may have a situation". Shortstack was referring to a small field mouse that had wandered out of some nearby bushes and was now moving towards the cheese.
"We should probably do something about that mouse before if sets off the bridge" Hobnob said "Fortunately, I already know just what to do!". With that said, Hobnob pulled out his rifle, aimed it at the ground in front of the mouse, and fired. The shot rang out across the forest, the bullet lodged itself in the ground in front of the field mouse, and the mouse itself bolted off in the opposite direction of the cheese. "Problem solved" Hobnob declared.

[Assistant]
Captain Kayden laid out the plan for the next day and Zin nodded his agreement. It seemed pretty straightforward, but he knew that things were unlikely to go as planned. For now, he would withhold his judgment of the group until after tomorrow. If at the conclusion he was not satisfied, he would simply walk away.

For a short moment, he watched the Drabarian. Zin spied which leg the man put most his weight. Zin watched how he gestured with his hands. Zin hoped to glean some information about the man before heading into combat with him.

Captain Kayden dismissed them when all was said and done.

Zin pushed himself up off the wall he leaned against. He made sure to catch the Captain's eye before bowing his head and pounding a fist to his chest. "On the Morrow." He paused. "Captain."

He then exited the crumbling tower before it could collapse.

****
Two hours before dawn Zin found himself once again at the delapitated guard tower. Jex stood guard from up above and Captain Kayden was close by. There wasn't much conversation being made as they readied themselves. It wasn't long before the groups assembled and were ready to go their separate ways.

With Jex at the forefront, Zin took on the task of watching their flank. They all walked in relative silence for a fair distance before Zin smelled something odd. He was unable to identify it before Jex came to a stop. Jex turned to the group and warned them, with an intimidating glare, that there was trouble up ahead.

Zin quickly dashed to the cover of the trees and pulled the bola from his belt. Graystone had a similar Idea and hid a few trees over. Zin took a moment to listen. His ears twitched as he picked out the position of Arassel and Regeland. Zin distinctly heard the pull of Arassel's bowstring. On top of that, Zin heard the footfalls of 6 strangers. He could also smell them.

Zin signaled to Graystone the number 6 and then looked up to where Jex hid in the trees. He spun the bola once. He hoped that Jex would understand that he wanted to use it as a distraction. Zin would wait until the group entered the clearing and at an unexpected time catch one of the creatures. It wouldn't hurt the Gnoll, but it would certainly distract them long enough to gain the advantage.

Just then the creatures entered the clearing. They were just as disgusting looking as they smelled.

Zin began to spin the Bola rapidly with as much momentum he thought he needed. The only warning it made was the whistle as Zin let it go.


[System]
Error: a suitable ratgirl image was not found!
A blue-eyed Krysa, a little short for her species and sex – still noticeably taller than most humans. Her tousled, curly light-brown hair falls a little further than her shoulders, locks resting on her upper arms. Her left ear is damaged – possibly burned – at the tip. She is smiling brightly and giving the camera a salute.

These three lines are written in Krysa glyphs. The transliterations are not difficult.
Gender: ♀
Race: Krysa

The rest of the application is written in human language, but abominable handwriting. The translations are grueling.
Relevant Abilities: I don't do any housework, but I'm definitely stronger than most of you. I'm also an inventor and an engineer and a chemist and sort of a smith and I've dabbled in galvanism.

Tell us about yourself: My sister tells me I should just say (A Krysa glyph representing manic energy) for this. I think she's joking. But I do things fast and I don't like to sit still. I'm hard to put down.

Work history: I'm Krysa. We do a lot of science here. My science tends to explode, sometimes on purpose. Don't worry, though – the explosions are mostly controlled. I'm mostly careful. And anyway, explosions mean progress! They're basically how steam engines work, you know.

Tools you are skilled with: You know how if you focus light it can burn things? I've been playing with that lately. I don't think my prototypes are strong enough, though, so I'll bring a big hammer and a high-powered shotgun. Do you know what a shotgun is? I can show you if there's something you don't mind me destroying.

Occult Knowledge: I don't think magic likes me, personally, but I know some designs and materials that it likes. I use it with some of my inventions for energy amping and such. I bet I can guess how your catalysts work.

[User]
Astreya drops her gun as she falls over. It goes off with a wild shot blasted in some direction she doesn't bother to check up on, preferring to quickly crawl out of the Greater Beast's vicinity. If it's a pain even to touch, who would want to be anywhere close to-
As she gets up, Astreya reaches for her war-slash-smithing-hammer.
The hair on one side of her face is visibly smoldering, but she doesn't seem to notice. Even the smell is pretty well covered up by everything else.
It bleeds! Wow, it bleeds a lot! And is it slowing down? Does it suffer from exsanguination? Or is that hypothermia?
Okay, reassessment:
* The arms are tough.
* The legs are not as tough.
* Tearing pieces off of it does it some sort of significant harm.
* Touching it really hurts. Its blood probably isn't much better.
* I want to whack it.

Conclusion: I should whack it.
She rotates the hammer in her grip, figuring the flat end isn't going to do much good to bleed the monster, and instead presenting the wedge on the opposite side of its head for imminent use. With its back gushing lava and her uniform featuring fire-resistant shoes rather than fire-resistant boots, she decides to go for its flank. She doesn't really want to get close to its arms.
She swings hard overhead, hoping to embed the spike and tear open a new wound.

[Assistant] Katherine winced as she was bitten into. "Gah!" This demon was annoying to try and fight like this. Well, at the least she could save her dolls from danger. She recalled them all to her rings as she pulled out her finely sharpened rapier. "Fine. Be an annoying brat, you'll pay for it later." She took a step toward the High Demon and took a stab at her. Grabbing the Demon's attention with her own physical attack, Katherine then summoned her Halberdier dolls (the three left) to one side of the demon that all swung down as soon as they fully manifested. Despite all this, the cat expected the demon to dodge once again, which was fine. Behind her, she summoned her rifledolls to once again fire at the demon if she did. "Stand still so we can seal you easily enough." Katherine complained, frustration filling her voice as she recalled her halberdier dolls so they couldn't get so easily scooped up by the demon.

[User]
Cogsfell Aftermath

---

🗡

Unsurprisingly, The High Demon effortlessly dodged most of Lucrecia's gunfire. It bolstered its agility by using its countless tendrils, bouncing off the walls of surrounding buildings. Lucrecia clicked her tongue at the child-like entity's taunts, being well aware they were getting nowhere with their current assault. The demon make work of some more of Katherine's dolls, but the latter summoned replacements and sent them after it for a counterattack. Seeing that the High Demon was now making its way over to Polina, perhaps they could take advantage of it's diverted attention.

Depending on how the demon responded to Katherine's counterattack, Lucrecia would attempt to hurl some throwing daggers at their attacker to supplement the advance from the dolls. If it tried to dodge the dolls, hopefully the knives would be able to hit a vital area while it was still distracted. She also still had plenty of bullets left to fall back on as well, if that didn't work.

Lucrecia also shot a glance at Polina for a moment, noticing that she shot a couple of flares into the air. It seemed the dropship saw them, and saw it firing something near their vicinity - something big. Lucrecia was able to get a better look as it drew closer to them.

Her eyes widened considerably when she was finally able to make it out; The dropship had sent out a Krysan tank!

[Assistant]
Polina LayeFarisian Maid

---

"Cheeky brat."

Polina tsked at herself in frustration as the high demon girl weaved in and out of each attack, neatly defying even her own guided missiles that she sent and continued to reengage. The admittedly cute creature even seemed to take joy in that fact, as it saw fit to insult them with her words. An interesting being, if it seemed to understand human nature. Her eyes narrowed as it took hold of Kat, and she raced to aid the poor cat girl. With her blades still on the girl, Polina finally had some luck as one of her blades landed true, the shock allowing the maid to squirm free.

The success, however, meant that she now had the demon's full and undivided attention.

Thankfully, it seemed her message had been seen and received, as she caught the change in movement of the loitering airship in the corner of her eye. She was sure that the maids in command would be rather cross with her more… bold decisions of the past few minutes, but what she didn't expect was… a Kyrsan tank being fired at their location.

After a split second, Polina decided not to question it. Instead, she simply made sure she was not in the path of the hurtling hunk of steel, and then quickly refocused her attention on the high demon. With her own source of trouble hurtling at her, she immediately jumped back, pulling her weapons back with her, too. The moment she reconsolidated them, her eyes flitted over to the chewed up remains of the cobblestone square. With another flick of her free hand –what was living without some flair, really?—she pulled the loose stones off from the ground, creating both a defensive, fluid barrier in front of her, and a secondary means of offense. Still keeping her sword at the ready, she sent off a mass of the rocks at the demon, mixing in her deadlier blades amongst her little barrage.

Well, that better work. At least, until backup was on site in the next few moments.

[User]
It came off! Its leg came right off!

Senya's lips curled ever so slightly in a smug expression as the monster found itself down one limb. But that wasn't the end of it, the creature was still a threat. Between the heat and its enormous, crushing body, it could still potentially kill someone. So, the diminutive maid was going to do her best to make sure that didn't happen.

Pushing up and away from the ground beneath her, Senya danced through the air backwards as the bulky monstrosity slammed to the earth less then a second later, crumbling the stone beneath it with its sheer mass. It would have really hurt if it had actually gotten her.

But this put it right where she wanted it.

Springing forward, Senya jammed pointed her weapon directly at the creature's head before it could even attempt to rise, the barrels already beginning to spin with that familiar whirring sound. She was close. The bayonet was almost touching the beast. At this range, there was no missing.

Magical energy thrummed in the air, as a red-orange circle of light spread ahead of her weapon. These wouldn't be ordinary bullets, this time.

As the sound of thunder filled the air, the magically-charged explosive rounds ripped their way from each of the barrels of Senya's gatling.

[Assistant]
Location:
Cogsfell
12.000 hours
@Click This@AzureKnight@Pyromania99@Sniblet

---

The greater beast was not longed to remain.

Astreya was the first to make use of the opening as it flopped onto the ground, its massive weight falling onto the earth. The hook of her hammer cut into the beasts hide, a deep puncture wound, molten blood spilling from the wound. It shrieked once more, attempting to roll over to crush the Krysa girl, but as it moved the hammer would only rip a deep gash into its tarry, tough flesh causing more blood to spill and quickly cool onto the ground.

Senya, would level her weapon near the creatures frontside. Though it lacked any visible facial features or any sort of 'head' beyond the gaping hole between its shoulders that was now seemingly full of much cooler molten stone now…well, if it bleeds, you can kill it as they say, and this thing was most certainly bled.

Lightning crackled as she channeled the magical ability latent in most maid weaponry, the bullets ripping into its inside, making more and more holes in its interior and causing more and more liquid fire to leak from its body. A final act of defiance would see it raise its arm, feebly slam its arm right into Senya's body, shoving her backwards from its strength, but it'd do nothing more than singe her dress and leave her a bit bruised.

As soon as its arm hit the ground again, it was over.

The creature's body began to deflate as the last of the lava left its interior, its body collapsing in on itself as its body began to just turn into a massive pile of sludge and sickly smelling goo.

A small victory, but…just how many more of these things were here, was the question?

As the Krysa and Dark elf would wrap up their fight, they'd notice their three compatriots still locked in combat with the High Demon who was manically cackling.

"Seal? No no, I'm going to kill all but one of you. Dismember, feast, eat, rip and tear! I'll drag the other back to use as my personal plaything, ehehe! That's the only thing you mortals are good for as our entertainment you weaklings!"

The demon for now, ignored Katherine's dolls, the demon moving far to fast to even think about hitting with a simple melee attack. The fire of rifles once more, didn't seem to bother it, ducking and weaving, using its tendrils to pull itself in a completely random seeming direction in order to avoid getting shot, but it would still end up right in front of Polina.

"Tsk, one of you bugs managed to sting me." She'd hiss as she'd land in front of Polina's hastily constructed wall. Some of Lucrecia's throwing daggers had managed to impale the demon, but she merely casually pulled them from her body, none too bothered by the injuries. "Oh well, I'll just have to return the favor!"

The tendrils grew and writhed, growing in size as they started taking the form of individual mouths…

"...Ah?"

It was then, the little demon became quite aware of the tank hurtling towards them. Right on top of both her and Polina.

"What the fu-" A foul word barely cut off as the tanks barrage of parachutes seemed to do little to stop its quick descent. The demon immediately changed course, changing its attention from Polina towards the tank bearing down on them, giving her enough time to clear the landing zone. The demon's tendrils latched onto the bottom of the tank as it neared, the small demon roaring with fury as the tank's incredible weight bore down on her.

For a few seconds, the demon looked as though she was going to be crushed, not even the strength of all of her extra tendrils able to stop the crushing weight of the tank. While the tank and demon were in a stalemate, though, the gleeful laughter of a certain former Krysan military officer could be heard from within just as the hatch to the tank's driver seat opened, and out came Leoniya climbing out and observing the area.

"Ahhahah! How do you like that warm Krysan Greeting demon!" Upon not seeing the demon in question, her ears fell a bit flat, seemingly disappointed. "...zhdat, where is the demon?"


[System]
"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. Me? I've built a whole house with the bloody things."
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Equipment/Possessions: Formal Wear, Jeweled Dagger, House Mnemon Official Seal and Documentation, Two Belt Pouches, Resealable Inkwell, Fountain Pen, Blank Book
-Pouch 1 Contents: 1kg of Bloodberry Trail Mix, and an extra 0.5kg of dried berries.
-Pouch 2 Contents: Money (2 Koku, 6 Quian, 4 Siu, 7 Yen), Magnifying Glass, and a "Lucky Rock"

Personality: Fergus enjoys life and loves the lifestyle his profession allows him to live. As a barrister (lawyer), he makes a significant sum of jade scrip compared to most. He does show it off from time to time by buying drinks for the whole tavern, buying expensive gifts, and indulging in his expensive snacking habits. He's a bit abrasive to poorer folks, as a result. But he does try to limit that. After all, a barrister can always use more future clients. Er... I mean friends.

Backstory/History: Son of a barrister and a midwife of Dynastic House Mnemon, Fergus was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Lord's Crossing was far inland on the Blessed Isle, and thus safe from the vast majority of the fighting from the Scarlet War. Even the civil conflicts of the Dynastic Houses were minimal there before the war, due to the Imperial City being the center of government at the time. What little fighting that did occur in Lord's Crossing was quickly quashed by House Mnemon's forces stationed there.

Fergus himself had an enjoyable later childhood after the war concluded. He even followed in his father's footsteps and went to finishing school to become a barrister for House Mnemon. His marks were acceptable, his demeanor was as expected of a notable and wealthy young man from a Dynastic family. At the age of twenty-two, Fergus was certified as a legal representative of House Mnemon. Both he and his father were incredibly proud, and he began working in Lord's Crossing with his family. Times were good for a year or so. Then he took a case for a soldier from his noble house, and that changed.

The soldier had been accused of aggravated robbery and murder, and Fergus was assigned to defend the man. Much to most people's surprise, he won the case. A big payday from the Mnemon coffers, and another win on his case record. However, the victim's family was also of substantial wealth thanks to being members of House Cathak. They decided to take matters into their own hands, and target the soldier and the family of barristers who had won him his freedom. Thankfully, they targeted the soldier first. As soon as the man was found executed a week after the case was settled, Fergus surmised what was going on. Noble houses were not usually nice when they felt justice had escaped them, after all.

His father suggested they part ways for a time and leave Lord's Crossing. Given that a barrister for House Mnemon could find work practically anywhere on the Isle, Fergus agreed. Even if he did not immediately find work, he had plenty of money to float himself for a while. However, the day he was to leave for Pasiap's Stair, Fergus got the news his father had been murdered. By this point, House Cathak had disowned the offenders and were trying to stop them from doing more damage to the houses reputation. It was little comfort to Fergus, however. He knew he would be next.

In hopes it would throw off his would-be killers, he kept his travel date to Pasiap's Stair. Instead of going there by carriage, he had called in a favor to a merchant friend and would be tagging along on a trip to the imperial Ruins. Thankfully, this seemed to successfully throw off the killers. As it is now a year after his father's death, and Fergus is now living very comfortably in the Imperial Ruins. He does keep in touch with his mother now and then by sending messages with merchants, but is otherwise completely on his own. No worries, though. While he does not make near as much as he did in Lord's Crossing, he still makes plenty enough to enjoy a lavish lifestyle compared to most residents. His home even has a hearthstone that provides running water!

Unfortunately for him, this too would soon change...

Other: Fergus has a slight addiction (he can stop anytime he wants, Karen... he just doesn't want to stop right now) to Bloodberries. They are relatively expensive (1 Quian for 0.5kg), so he has taken to drying them and mixing them with little crackers and nuts to make a sort of trail mix with them to make them last longer and save money.

[User]
丂刀のW 丂ｱﾑ尺尺のW

Axley could get scary when she was angry. He could already tell that she was utterly miffed. But her willingness to help was what he did this for. People helping people. Its the only way Creation will survive this madness it had become. He sighed happily, "Next pheasant that gets donated has your name written on it. With you and the offered money, we could atleast get a roof over everyone's head."

Cilia put her physical stature to work, already going in and saving what was arguably the most valuable items in all the church. The books themselves were all designed for teaching, through fiction and non fiction about the Blessed Isle, and Creation beyond. It was a wonderful thing to read to the children that called the church home. Give them visions and dreams of travel and wonder. Cilia returned and he nodded. "Good call." He told her, though noticed her other items. He knew those knives. That was an interesting day. He hated weapons but now... "No telling if the next place will be completely safe. Hope we don't need them."

Fergus responded to his suggestion. "Old foundries and a lot of soot... Not exactly the cleanest area." He tried to sound civil, but he was still disappointed. The next statement did have Sparrow stroking his chin. "The university?" He hadn't considered that. He listened intently, though his actions had slowed, as if to give Fergus the lead. "I think... I think this just might work."

People helping people... All will be well.

How wrong he was.

---

He stopped when something became amiss. His smile faded as he closed his eyes, to listen. He heard a rumbling... he heard a cry. He knew that sound. That was a sound of battle. He heard that sound on the Threshold. It brought back chilling awful memories. Then the explosions, the load gutteral moan that sent shelling through the sky, wisps into the air. The ex-monk had seen horrors but these should be miles, thousands of miles away.

It was a Holocaust.

He undid his backpack, ready to free himself to run. "Run. Run get yourselves out of th-" Then three shells, they landed near, too near... "No..." His eyes went wide as the world seemed to slow. One of those... things. It hit the church. The silver wisps it wrung through the windows, out the door, a poor man vanishing into dust as the essence cascaded over him. Snow stood stunned. Tears filled his sapphire eyes, his hand fell over his mouth. His heart and soul died. He knew instantly, not a man woman or child in his home survived...

Fergus snapped him out of it as he looked back. They could see it in his eyes. Snow never cried. This jolly man. This happy hopeful man. It was a look of utter anguish.

A shame he couldn't just die there... No. He was spared. The dragons spared him. He looked at the others.
 Three people. He could save at least these three. He slung his pack over his shoulder and his legs moved, his arms outstretched to help Cilia, Axley, turn and run. He'd try to save others... if he could. They were priority.

[Assistant]
Cilia Cosgair

---

Link to Cilia's Sheet

---

cilia watched in utter suprise as the shells starting coming. Then with a howl, she let out a cry for the people that died in the church. In shock she tried to turn back to head for the people, but Snow kept her on track and moving away from the shells. The Barrister went up 100 points on her scale. He didn't kill people, he hadn't used them, and he was trying to be nice. As the shells came down, it was clear that who ever was doing this deserved to be on her dislike list.

As they ran, a shell hit her abandoned building. She started to fight them as two walls of the building collapsed from the shock. She left her her dogs dying from the shell and blunt force trauma of the walls. The shock made her numb and she followed the directions of who ever was leading her this way and that without thought. She klung to anything she could as the anger and confusion welled up in her.

[User]
Axley would have killed for a pheasant in the moment, but she shook her head and offered Sparrow a smile regardless. "Don't worry about it. I don't exactly make much, but I can at least cook for a little bit. If anything, let me cook the pheasant for everyone else." That was the last interaction Axley had for the time being. She wanted some time to think about the situation she found herself in. The place she had called home when she lacked a place to live or a job to keep her fed was being foreclosed upon for seemingly no good reason, and she couldn't fight the powers that be in the process. What a nasty predicament to find oneself in, truly...

Axley found herself straggling behind the others; she truly had no desire to leave the church, even if the man inside it was leaving it and the convoy had moved on without her. She sighed, turning back to look at it wistfully. It might be the last time she saw it under Sparrow's ownership, after all. Best to cherish the time she spent there and the people who had helped her become a real member of the Ruins' society, instead of just a leech and homeless. And yet here it was, simply being taken away from her. At least the building would still stand; she could perhaps visit every now and then...just to relive old times.

Irony had a funny way of striking quickly and painfully.

"What was that?" She could have sworn the ground had shaken ever so slightly, and the low groan of...what was that? A machine of some kind? She couldn't identify the noise, but she barely even had time to consider that when she watched a strange, silver shell smash directly into the place she held close to her. She wanted to go investigate, but from what little she could see and the screams she could hear, that was most likely a fatal idea. No, someone had come to destroy her home....

Again.

Axley locked up. Was it the mafia? Had they found her somehow? No, that couldn't be...whatever was eating away at the church's insides was...sinister. Definitely too powerful to be the work of a criminal organization some hundreds of miles away. Something else had done this, but the thoughts racing through her head were all the same. Why couldn't she just have something? Her legs wobbled like jelly at the prospect of everything being taken from her a second time. She wanted to run back, protect the church to the very end, but the voices around her all were encouraging her to run, run in the other direction, as fast as she could.

It was something she at least knew she could do.

"Move, move, MOVE!" Axley's panicked cry rang out as she barreled through a group of fleeing citizens to catch back up with everyone else. Her lute bounced on her back as she rushed through the streets as quickly as she possibly could, trying to do anything she could do to escape the oncoming carnage. "F-Follow me, I know the fastest way outta here..." Her home was on the outskirts of the Ruins, which conveniently happened to be on the side of town opposite the direction the shells were coming from. She probably wouldn't have any time to grab anything, but at least it'd get them closer to the end of town and relative safety...

[Assistant]
Running away was obviously a good plan, and Fergus made no objections as he followed Axley, Cilia, and Snow. That said, running away without a plan was likely just postponing the inevitable. The shells kept falling. Buildings and people continued to be consumed and destroyed. The groans of the Juggernaut grew louder and louder. Then it happened. Fergus and the unlikely trio he was now fleeing with were retreating across the city and trying to avoid the deadly bombardment, but ground forces were less easy to evade. Three warriors with sickly grey-white skin and wicked curved blades crossed their path, along with a woman in heavy armor who wielded a flaming sword.

"Not far to the remnants of the grid, General. We'll mop up around here while you get it ready for his arrival." The woman gave no verbal response, and simply ran back toward the center of the city. The three men turned their attention to Fergus and the other survivors from the church, and began their approach. Fergus, while far from a warrior himself, had received his share of combat training from House Mnemon. He drew his short blade, but was visibly trembling. This was not training. If he fouled up here, he would be dead.

"Shit shit shit! What do we do?!" cried the barrister mere seconds before the men were upon them. One took a wide swing at Fergus, who barely stepped out of the way. Rather than lose his whole arm, the sleeve of his shirt was very crudely torn and he took a small cut on his bicep. The pain was not immediate, however. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug. In retaliation, Fergus took a stab at the warrior. While his blade atually hit its mark in the foe's side, there was no blood. This caused Fergus to take another step back. Undead. That meant only one thing. Even a man who was not involved in the Scarlet War knew that undead were often a hallmark of a Deathlord. Wait. Could that mean... no. The monstrous roar. Was this going to be a repeat of what happened in Thorns?!

It may have seemed silly, but Fergus took a rock from one of his pouches and hurled it at his opponent's face. It smashed right into the undead's eye, causing him to yell out in anger and pain as the hefty rock did severe damage to his eye. "We need to leave! Now! Follow me! Please, I beg you trust me!" and with that, he fled toaward the northwest. Fergus knew he needed to tell the ruling class in Lord's Crossing about the impending invasion by the Deathlord. If they were informed of the sacking of the Imperial Ruins yet again, perhaps they might take action. But to ensure that, Fergus (and his new friends) needed to recount their tale of survival and escape to House Mnemon and the other noble houses.

They needed to survive. They needed to escape. They needed to live.


[System]
Themes:* Aiden's Battle Theme
Nickname:The Raging Blizzard, The True Dragon Slayer

Age:19

Gender:Male

Guild: Wizards of Fiore

Rank: A-rank mage

Personality: Aiden is generally a calm, collected, and ever so slightly cold individual that is always ready to share what's on his mind with sarcastic comments and quick wit. He's sociable enough, though he rarely goes out of his way to introduce himself to most people and generally prefers his own company when something is bothering him. However, despite this calm exterior, the ice is thin in places and when it cracks, you get a taste of his other side, the on that became known as The Raging Blizzard. Aiden is very prideful when it comes to his abilities, and mocking them(whether you are doing it purposefully or not) is one of the ways to almost instantaneously set off his temper, leading to an enraged outburst and the offender being trapped in a block of ice.

History: The circumstances of Aiden's birth are strange and very unethical. The Cross family, once a highly respected and well regarded mage bloodline, had long since fallen from grace and renown. On the brink of winking out of existence as the guild wars broke out, the matriarch of the family, Freya Cross, decided to begin magical experimentation as part of a deal with a dark guild to give them stronger soldiers. Starting with the children currently in development in several of the families women, she began to implant them(and herself) with a species of symbiotic organisms that would attach themselves to the embryo of their children.

The result was of the 20 women who took part in the experiment, only 5 were able to give birth to healthy offspring. The rest were either miscarried or terminated as failure straight right on the spot. Aiden's group, known as the first generation of the Arondight Project, was an attempt to create a form of genetic super-soldiers with a high level of reliability, but of all of them, Aiden was the only who seemed to be with any added traits among the survivors. At age 7, when the others were able to somewhat manipulate their Symbiotes, it was decided that Aiden, while seeming promising at the beginning, was deemed to ultimately be a waste of a resources.

Aiden's family saw him as a failure, casting him out of the family home in the cold, unforgiving mountains that surrounded the estate. Aiden, a child of only 7 years at the time, druddged through the cold, trying his best to find some form of sanctuary. He would have died if he hadn't fallen down a hidden crevice in the mountain. It was a long fall, but he had a lot of nice soft rocks to slow his descent, his durable body allowing him to survive the numerous impacts. Barely conscious, the last thing that Aiden saw before he fainted was a giant Ice blue eye, and within it, his own face. He looked so much like his mother, and it filled him with such anger that even at such a young she he knew what he wanted more than anything else. "I'll kill her" he said, glaring into the giant eye with burning icy blue eyes of his own, "I don't care if it's the last thing I ever do, I swear that she'll die by my own hands" The anger did not leave him, nor did it warm his core with an emotional flame. Instead, he felt a dark chill creep through his veins, a need to wreak havoc and destruction. As he lost consciousness, he felt the monster inside him finally begin to stir. That night, something inside him had awoken, the beginning of his rise. . . and the catalyst of his fall.

When he awoke, he found himself in the middle of a shallow pool of freezing cold water, feeling better than he had ever been before. Getting up, he turned to see a large dragon, with horns and scales the that seemed to be made of solid ice. It was huge, filling up the enormous cavern with ease. The dragon, known as Chronos, told Aiden that he had saved the boy's life, and he expected the boy to repay the favor by seeing to it that the dragon died a noble death in battle, for he was old and fading quickly, not long for this world, at least as far as a dragon is concerned, and he wanted to go about in a blaze of glory and combat. And Aiden, happy to be of use to anybody and for the chance to become stronger, heartily agreed. And so it was that for 11 years he trained with Chronos, learning the Rare Ice dragon slayer magic from the ancient beast. When he turned 17, it was decided that the dragon had nothing else to teach him, and that it was time. The battle that raged was a fierce one, but in the end, Aiden won that hollow victory and laid his Master, and father, to rest.

After that, Aiden entered the real world, emerging as a powerful force nearing the end of the Great Guild war by taking out dark mages as he encountered them, seeking to stop their misdeeds. After the wars ended, he decided to join the Wizards of Fiore so he could put his talents to good use. A year into it, he returned to the tomb of his father to harvest some of his scales, fangs, and claws. Taking them back with him, he had them forged into powerful weapons and armor that he now uses to enhance his abilities, as well as a way to honor his mentor. From what he took, he created a Naginata from a claw, a suit light-armor that has plates of dragon scales over vital areas, and two spears made from the fangs that he uses in tandem with each other. He can summon them to him through his limited knowledge of requip magic which he only has slight mastery of and little interest in developing it more than he has at the moment.

Magic:Ice Dragon Slayer Magic, Maker magic infused with Dragon slayer magic, and limited requip.

His Naginata can enhance, be imbued with, and be used in tandem with his Ice Dragonslayer magics, It's incredibly sturdy and resilient to all form of magic except that of other dragon slayer.

His armor bears resiliency to magic and increased durability, but due to him choosing speed over protection it doesn't cover a large potion of his body and the resilience only blocks about 50% of the damage at best( works best at against fire, lightning/plasma and heat magics, unless cast by a dragon slayer.)

The spears bear the same effects as the Naginata, but in addition to that, if a foe gets pierced by them, a numbness will temporarily spread through their body, messing with their ability to move the afflicted part( or in general if it hits the torso.

Ice Make: Fallen Grace: A spell that fuses both Dragon slayer and Make magic together, it grants all of the user's Ice make constructs with an aura of intense cold, which helps it resist heat and can cause numbing and freezing of the target's body on impact, depending on the amount of magic put in to it.

Guardians: Comes in variants of Assault, Trap, and Protector as well as normal. Assault have a good balance of armor and offensive capabilities, usually bearing weapons of some kind. Trap is the fastest variant, as it's job is to get in close to the enemy, before unleashing it's payload in the form of either explosions or restraints. Protectors is the slowest, but most durable, bearing many layers of ice, they are employed when something needs guarding, like a fallen team mate or a VIP.

True Dragonslayer Mode: Aiden can call upon his dragon blood to give himself a buff to his abilities, making him a good deal stronger than before and allowing him to fly.

Ice Dragon's Blizzarding Roar

Ice make: Dragonic Ascension: Weiss Dragon's Twin Phoenix strike

Other:He bears an increased affinity with Dragonic magics, so he is able to more efficiently use and manipulate dragon-slayer magic than any other dragon slayer, due to his dragonic blood. Also bears an extreme resistance to ice and cold based magics.Has no real Martial Arts style yet, just a novice in that regard as he only started when he joined Vyper Bolt. Gets Easily attached to any somewhat friendly female due to his lack of any type of caring motherly figure in his life.

[User]
Damon Phobos

Damon was glad to see that everyone had finally made it, despite that Bristlebane had ran off to acquire some unknown object or finish some business. The red haired mage walked over to Nakaru and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. Nakaru was a valuable member of the team and Blanche was basically mom when he was not around Merrian. "Come on guys. I know of a carriage that'll get us to Eastcliff in no time." Damon smiled and began walking toward the edge of town. "We'll pick up Bristlebane on the way." The mission details still bothered Damon to an extent. A Dark Guild was never to be taken lightly no matter how weak they appeared to be. He could remember traveling with Gildarts and having to fight a guild that harbored some cannon that could extract souls. It was a weird experience that left an impact on the protege. Several minutes would pass before they would reach a large carriage, royal in appearance. What was truly offsetting were two massive horses with fire-like magic for a mane and tail attached to the carriage.

"Awesome, right?" Damon commented.

[Assistant]
Taka Shirokawa

Taka looked over at Ira with somewhat of a glare as he said then, in truth, she was actually going to make him pay for it once they were done. This date is only temporary after all, after this, she's consider him an enemy of the guild. She is passionate about her guild, but for her all thinking about this it's due to her personality. Taka noticed that he had asked about her past life, she didn't really remember much of it, due to her being such a young age. But before she could answer, the waiter came and asked what they would like to drink, with Ira replying with drinks for them both.

"Let me start then. My earliest memories was me on a boat of some kind, I was being carried by a man, and I couldn't really remember anything else about the boat to be honest. Then I was adopted by a fire mage, who truly was a professional at all sorts of fire magic. And that's where I learned my magic, Living Flame. For a while I was an independent mage, searching for jobs to do, but then my father told me to go join a guild. So I said. Why not? And that's where I came to today, I know... it's boring." Taka sighed as she leaned on the table, putting a hand on her cheek in boredom.

Alexandre Cross

-El @chukklehed @Vongola_Hasayo @Eklispe

Alexandre softly smiled back to Damon, starting to follow him out of town with the team, they all seemed very nice, this would be his first job in the guild after all. Which means that Alexandre could possibly show off his magic if he wanted to. Eventually they all had reached a beautiful carriage, one that Alexandre had never seen before in his travels. "These horses... are truly beautiful..." Alexandre said as he had widened his eyes, he was tempted to pat the horse, but he could possibly go on fire.

[User]
Kuroku Nagasai

"Meh, if they got dibs, they got dibs. Besides, while the reward isn't as large, it seems easy enough . . . unless you want to hit up this other one instead." Aiden replies as he shows Kuroku the job request he chose.

"Hmmmmm..." the Winter Spirit thought aloud, "I suppose we can do this job... thought I gotta say, it looks kinda sketchy."

It was then when he greeting Nigel coming in.

"Kuroko, hey!" Nigel said and waved back as Kuroko made his way towards him. "I've been mostly good, trying to find something to do but other than that, just chilling here,"

"Haha, good to hear." Kuro replies as he directs him to Aiden.

"...and speak of the devil, I don't think anyone's better suited for a protection job than someone who can always keep an eye on the target. What'd ya say, you pink haired genius, want to help break a vote? I want to go with one mission, Lead-head over here want's to go with another. Here are the request forms, which do you want to do?"

Kuro just rolled his eyes when Aiden called him 'Lead-head', which he was pretty alright with considering he's used to it.

"Oi oi, relax. First of all, hey. Secondly," Nigel told Aiden and turned his attention towards the two request forms. "Hmm, personally, If I were alone, I'd do the second one, protection jobs are pretty easy when you are able to have your eyes on the client and on lookout at the same time. Dunno how you guys would handle it though..." he told them jokingly. "If you would have me, why not. I'd pick the second one," he finished.

"Very well then." Kuro responds after a second of silence, "We'll do the second one. I'm up for it."

He then posts back the job request he previously wanted onto the guild board.

"Anyone up for a hot job?" he asks the whole guild, "Ice-Dragon and Pink-Slushie over here are going for a cold one.

[Assistant]
Bristlebane

Bristlebane gave a sigh of relief. It had been in his left, side middle, top pocket the whole time. How silly of him. Bristlebane sprinted outside backtracking and eventually finding his group again. It seemed they were getting into some sort of carriage, pulled by some fiery horses. They reminded him of a card he had seen once. Rapisash? Rapitash? Rapigrash? Eh he would remember sooner or later. Or not. He called out, "Wait for me." as he caught up and jumped into the carriage eager to be on his way. This was going to be fun. "Sweet ride." he said once he was nice and settled. "Anybody own it or we renting?"

[User]
Ira Amaterasu

Ira laughed as Taka exclaimed her story was boring. It was actually quite interesting. He didn't know of many people who came from adoptable homes and were still happy. The waiter returned with their drinks and two glasses. He began to pour and asked the two ,  " Are you both ready to order?" Ira had no clue what to eat. The menu was filled with delicious treats and savory meats. He looked to Taka for some sort of help,  " What would you suggest for a person who has never ate in a restaurant?"

[Assistant]
Aiden scratched his head in slight embarrassment, having let his excitement get the better of him.

"Sorry, Guess I should've started with a hello, huh, my bad? And of course we wouldn't mind having you on board, Tech-head. With you on board, this'll be easy pickings. Excluding that, I kinda need to talk to you about something anyway." Aiden said, his smile becoming a little more forced for a second, but he soon moved past whatever he was thinking. "But we can get to that later, yeah."

Aiden turned back to face Kuro, only a small smile as the S-ranked mage tried to give them names of his own, and only partially succceded. "Slushie-head was clever, but you're going to have to try harder than 'Ice Dragon' before you can best me in the giving of crappy nicknames, Lead Head. but keep trying, it amuses me."