[System]
(Japanese nomenclature, so Yuki is the first name)
Age:
10
Gender:
Female

Personality:
Yuki is a bit hyperactive. Always running around, and never gets tired. Plays lots of games and plays tricks on people from time to time. She has hidden her background well in society, so she has grown up happily. She is friendly, and gets along with others, despite the tricks she plays on them. She cares for most humans and cares for other Cursed Children. Yuki herself knows how fortunate she is in comparison to almost any other Cursed Child.

Appearance:

History:
Ten years ago, a pair of young scientist, were involved in two different fields to fight off against the gastrea. The first was Kirihaya Shou. Studying under one of the great geniuses involved in the New Humanity Creation Plan, he studying varanium and the possibilities in the human body. The other was Kirihaya Ayame, studying the gastrea virus itself and the possibility of a vaccine. The two of them were a very loving couple, whom just had their first child. That child's name was Kirihaya Yuki.

Kirihaya Yuki was one of the Cursed Children, but due to their scientific background, the Kirihaya's held onto their girl, they thought it would be a chance to discover something new. However, as the years went by, they grew attached to their little girl. The bundle of energy that she was, learning about her scorpion model and how much she loved to play around.

One day, however, they found out something, her scorpion model, the Parabus Transvaalicus's toxin was actually destroying her own body from the inside. Yuki was vomiting blood as the enzymes of the toxin ate at her intestines. Unsure of what else to do, her father, Kirihaya Shou, performed an operation, making her a mechanical soldier Cursed Child. Changing her intestinal organs and providing a container for her venom, Yuki's corrosion process was slowed miraculously. She also obtained several abilities, such as a small repulsion barrier, able to deflect simple attacks and mixing many kinds of bimolecular and chemical substances together.

As time went on, it was harder and harder to keep Yuki hidden from all of the eyes in the city. The Kirihayas decided to fake their own death, before vanishing from the regular world. They now live off helping Cursed Children. Fostering them and helping them to live. There are some older Cursed Children, whom, saw them with disdain at first, but realised they were not as bad as they first thought. In the small society of Cursed Children, the Kirihayas were able to develop a shot which slowed down the erosion rate of the Cursed Children, allowing them to live a little longer.

Abilities:
As the same as other cursed children – High regenerative abilities, Superhuman strength and speed, Heightened senses
Model Specific – Hardening of skin, Tremor sensing and calculation, Faster speed and reflexes than other children, venom/chemical/biological mixing
Varanium parts - Several intestinal parts, extra organ sack for chemical venom/chemical/biological mixing (enhancing the mixtures), able to produce small repulsion barrier

Skills:
Master Spears-woman
Hand to hand combat expert
Great Javelin thrower
Understands and can manipulate high level chemistry and biology

Additional Info:
Model:

Weapons:
A spear and javelins. The javelins are pocket-sized and retractable. She is an expert spears-woman and has excellent throwing capabilities for her javelins. She spits on her javelins with her poison and hurls them to anchor or paralyze them with the poison. (Of course all made from varanium)

Venom:
Scorpions have the innate ability to create venom in their body, and have developed the ability to mix and change these venoms. The Parabuthus transvaalicus is especially well known for having different venoms and high lethality. Innately, Yuki has learned from her body how to mix different chemicals and peptides together to cause different toxins and antidotes. She has learned how to make numerous number of concoctions for different occasions. For healing wounds, for sleeping, for paralysis, for corroding organic and inorganic material and many more.

[User]
"Because we are a curious pair" Solias replied to the girl's question, giving a slight nod, indicating that he was listening. Home, and a play were cursed children lived were odd concepts to the two, and they exchanged looks, more wary then before. But there didn't seem to be any scent of deception, not that Hope could tell. Still, Hope would be wary for a long time. Solias trusted more easily, so Hope was happy to leave all the talking and anything else to him.

She'd just be looking for a knife in the back. But when the girl spoke of the Kirihaya family, she frowned. The kirihaya family had been who they had been looking for. No one should have known that, so perhaps this was genuine. "They are who we came to see" She said softly, glancing around them, wary still.

Solias looked to her, and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, before pulling her into the cabin. She sighed, and took her hand back, walking in on her own power, glancing around the cabin, and then back to Yuki, watching her with suspicion.

The inside of the cabin was homely, warm, but that just put Hope's back up more. The Kirihaya couple appeared to be middle aged, a nice looking couple. Solias, being the friendly person that he was, greeted them. "hello, Mr and Mrs Kirihaya. I'm Solias, and this is my sister, Hope. Your...hunter here came across us, I assume at your orders...but we were coming here anyway."

"Yes, we sent Yuki out to collect you, as you have been stealing" mr Kirihaya said, causing Hope to scoff.

"And while we steal, it prevents other children from stealing. I don't care if it's wrong. There are children starving, and you can't support them all. And every day, there are more cursed children born, more left to die. You can't keep us here"

"That's never our intention, merely to teach you to be independent without steal-"

"if that were possible, don't you think we would have done it by now, especially when we provide food to others? I suppose you want us to stop rescuing imprisoned and captured children, to? That's not going to happen"

"Hope-"

"no, solias, this is just another kind of prison! They keep the children here, because of the shots. Its just another form of control." While Hope thought it was good for cursed children to have a home, it nevertheless irked her that it just didn't seem...all together right. No matter how safe they thought they were, as well, normals would hunt them, and children would die. Hope had thought this was a bad idea from the start, but had gone along ith it because Solias had wanted to. Now, she turned away, and headed back outside, fully expecting Yuki to prevent her from leaving.

Hope would have relished that.

[Assistant]
Mai

Mai kept on coughing more blood as she slowly lost the strength in her arms and legs and had difficulties keeping herself upright. If she didn't get the knife out now it would probably end up not healing and keep on pouring out blood. With her last strength she placed both hands on the knife and made a swift movement backwards. The knife dropped down on the ground making a few more rinkling noises and ended up a few feet away from her. Blood came gushing out of her wound as she fell down to one knee. Mai slowly fell down on her side and made a small tuff onto the ground coughing up some more blood once she was lying down. Well atleast the wound could slightly heal now. A dark figure appeared in her vision as she was about to pass out. The person moved her into his arms and carried her up to the roof of one of the buildings. Mai gently smiled at him with a light trail of blood still by the corner of her mouth. Since her vision started to get blurry and it was harder to move she was only smiling in a general direction at him.

Once she was placed down on the bed the pain seemed to be already completely gone or maybe it was her senses that weren't working completely right by all the blood loss. Mai looked around her a little trying to figure out where she was or where the person had gone to but she could only see the blurry sky in front of her eyes. She heard the person talking but she couldn't see him. Mai softly started talking once she saw a dark figure in front of her "Thank you fo..." She went quiet and seemed to be staring into empty space. Only a few moments later she slowly closed her eyes and slowly let her drop slightly to the side and eventually passed out. However due to the quick regenerating abilities it wouldn't take that long to completely recover.

[User] Angelo sighed a little as he heard her thank him but in reality he wasn't going to let a girl die on the streets. He let her stay on his bed until she would feel better Angelo knew he would need to get some more food since he barely had enough to eat by himself. Angelo did have some small rations he was saving for a rainy day so this should qualify. He got a can of beans and put it next to her waiting for her to wake up again. Angelo did all he could with the limited supplies he had so all that was left was to see how she would recover. Angelo sat nearby just in case she needed something as he stared off to the sky and seeing the world from above even if Angelo barley lived at all it was enough just for the view everyday...

[Assistant]
Mai

Only after a short while she regained her consciousness again. She had only been unconsciousness for around ten minutes and already seemed to have some more color on her face and somewhat healthier. Mai slowly opened her eyes immediately seeing the boy sit next to her staring up into the sky. She noticed that she was lying on something soft that was to be assuming a bed and tightly pressed bandages around her middle. She felt happy he did help her but she didn't even know this person. There also didn't seem to be a way to escape right now so that was out of the option. There was still a irritating bonking pain in her head and some parts of her body still hurt from the fight. Mai slowly tried to sit herself upright by supporting herself with one of her hands. Once Mai was a few inches of the bed a stinging pain entered her back which made her scream out the pain of it. She dropped down to the bed again and had to struggle to keep her body from moving anymore. Small tears were dripping down her face as she was still moving most of her body except her back. She was afraid to say anything to the boy and kept quiet for now.

[User] he sighed a little when he heard her scream in pain instead of trying to talk to him. That was annoying, Angelo turned around and looked at her "don't worry your safe but you wont be leaving until the wound heals." Angelo said softly as he got the can of beans and opened it and he got a somewhat clean spoon and put it in the food and gave her the can. "eat up, its not much but its enough to keep you going" he said softly as he turned back around to stare at the sky for a while and he was still nearby in case she decided to talk. Angelo was like her most of his life, battling just to stay alive and making sure to keep the secret that he was a cursed child and that everyone would just think of him as an unfortunate orphan...

[Assistant]
Seeing the twins enter, Yuki decided to set the child she was carrying into one of the other cabins. Knocking on the door, she asked quietly, "Excuse me, Martha and Tadashi, would you mind taking care of this girl for the night.". The door opened, a boy, aged 14, named Tadashi yawned. He was normally asleep, but easily awoke. "What is it Yuki? Hm? This girl, do your parents know?"
"Not yet, I'll tell them later. I have to see what happens with a troublesome pair of twin wolves."
"So you were sent after wolves this time. Well good luck with that. They don't trust others outside of their pack often you know?"
"Yeah, they were aware of me the whole time. One seems more sensible than the other though."
Taking the child, Tadashi closed the door and went back to sleep.

Yuki could hear the whole conversation between her parents and the twins. It seems their names were Solias and Hope. Heading back to her home, she continued to listen. It seemed Hope was not trusting at all. Her brother, whether he was trusting or not, he seemed to be calm and collected. Solias was probably going to feel it out before not trusting them. Hope left first, Yuki saw the wolf girl coming out.

The girl seemed like she wanted a fight, wanted to let out that anger. Yuki just sighed. "You could really learn from your brother you know? At least let them say their piece."

---

Back inside the house, Kirihaya Shou sighed, before looking at Solias and speaking. "Solias was it? I am sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused, but it seems your sister has taken everything the wrong way. The children here are free to do as they wish. Some have even left us. We give them the shots for them to use. If you head to the North, about 4km from here, you will find a boy of 17, named Kent. He decided to leave us, we have sent him a crate of 100 shots to help him. We visited him just yesterday, we helped him build a home for himself and he has a farm there. We do worry about him, since he has been exploring outside the monoliths."

Kirihaya Ayame then interrupted, "You are getting side-tracked dear. Anyway, we offer the children a way of living. Knowledge about farming, foresting, hunting. Helping them build homes, learning how to read and write. They can leave whenever they want. We encourage them not to leave before 14 though. One more thing, we protect the children here from the rest of society. When cursed children, such as yourselves, who have caused mischief have been found, we ask Yuki to get them. After they arrive, well, it is up to them. But if they continue their mischief, Yuki brings them in time and time again, till they stop, and try other things. So, we won't force you to stay here, but maybe you should think about what else you could be doing. Stealing can hurt others just as much as you are helping others. Farming hurts no-one, and you can share it as much as you like. If you do not trust us, you can go ahead and visit Kent, or just continue what you are doing."

Kirihaya Shou then stepped forward. "Here, take these. These are the Erosion Resistance Shots. They will help you live a bit longer without worrying about your corrosion rate too much. If you leave and do not continue to steal, come back some time and we will gladly give you more shots. We can even organise to deliver them to you, if you let us know where you will be, or where you want to pick them up from." The middle-aged man handed out a box, of 20 shots. It will last the twins 10 days.

The middle-aged couple then bowed and said farewell to the more sensible twin, the brother.


[System]
Kaneko Ohta

"Lemme think on that."Overview

---
Age

19

Gender

Male

Occupation

Office WorkerCharacterization & Conceptualization

---

What Do They Look Like?

Ohta's sallow skin and gray eyes give off the impression of someone who had aged beyond just the nineteen years he had lived so far, and that issue is compounded by how his eyes are perpetually half-open, bagged with dark circles. A heaviness clings onto his frame, grounding him to the earth even as he breaks into a sprint to catch the last train home. Deliberate in his movements, careful in his language, there's a constant sense of slowness with him. His slender hands are often stained by pencil smudges or ink stains, while his brown hair gives off the impression that he's just gotten out of bed, regardless of how long he actually spends in bed. At a height of 5'7, with a diminutive frame that naturally hunches into itself, Ohta's just another face in the crowd, another file in the company's folder.

The fingernails on his left hand are cut painfully short; the ones on his right feature deep crescents.

What Are They Like?

Ohta watches, listens, and keeps his thoughts to himself.

Introverted, he's made it a habit to repress his emotions out of necessity, keeping people at a distance while he plugs along with his tasks. It's convenient, to be thought of as a cold person, a distant person, so that's what he leans into. Praise or encouragement for the work he does is strange, after all, and having coldness and distance be the norms for his attitude means that he can bow out of drinking parties without it being remarked upon. It's good if people just think of him as naturally strange, an overly serious, boring anomaly of a youth. And if people begin thinking about him that way, that would create a Pygmalion effect. If he was perceived of as serious and hard-working, that's what he could become. If he was perceived of as cold, he would not be hot. And if he was not hot, then he was not…

…passionate, desperate, and so, so, so furious. At the lost twilight of childhood. At the decisions others made. At the burdens he bore alone. At the costs of living for two, when only one brought in income. At the days that never seemed to end. At the assignments that he took so his managers kept him around. At unfairness, built into the very grain of the machine he served. At powerlessness, only able to fold inwards rather than lash outwards.

But when he finds the time to meet her, Ohta figures that he could remain cold, just a little longer.

He can't meet her anymore.

What's Their Story?

Duty. Responsibility. Obligation.

At 18 years, on the cusp of graduation, Ohta came home to his family's three room apartment suite to find it empty. The lock had not been broken. No sign of anyone rummaging through cabinets or shelves. The housewife next door saw the silhouette of his parents at 11:30 AM. They had left no letters, only taken what was theirs and disappeared. He was numb when he picked up Tamimi from school. He was lying when he told her they would be back. If he'd known what was coming, he'd have been a better student. Had picked up skills on his own time. Invested in crypto, started a Patreon, made a Soundcloud, done anything. But he hadn't.

Strangers came two nights later. Loan sharks. He hid in the bathroom with his little sister. In the morning, it was obvious why they had come. As obvious as paint and pigs' blood could make it.

Ohta missed out on his graduation. He pawned off most of what remained in the home. Sat on the money for a while. Considered his options. Decided that he didn't trust his relatives more than he trusted the government. Had a chat with the men that his parents borrowed money from. Decided that it was better to lie again. Orphaned Tamimi.

Her parents were dead. He would work to pay off their inherited debts. After that, they should be able to live together again. Just four years, no, three. They can live together in three years. And then, once again, they can dream.

Office work with only a high school diploma was a miracle with a steep cost, but Ohta paid the cost regardless. Paid it with his body and his mind and did so willingly. Willingly? Out of necessity. Debts to pay. Costs to pay. Rent to pay. Utilities to pay. His cheap suit hung from his body; he was losing weight. His eyes could never focus and always itched; he was losing sleep. His life slipped away even as the days never seemed to end; he was losing time.

Sometimes, he found himself standing in front of the office of those loan sharks, a cheap lighter in hand.

Sometimes, he found himself alone with his boss, nails biting into the flesh of his palms.

But he had a duty to fulfill. A responsibility he could not abandon. An obligation to realize the dream he had spoken of.

The decision is no longer his to make.

Now, Ohta can only pray.

Why Did The Wish Choose Them?

Righteous and dedicated, a person who could endure the weight of the world, who could think to dream still, no matter how many times he had to rearrange, reimagine it. An idealist who would contort himself to whatever shape necessary to realize his goals. A man who would sacrifice what he loves for who he loves. A hero, perhaps, who would work within the boundaries of whatever society he existed in, no matter how much he hated it.

That was what the wish was drawn towards, a hero who could draw back his instincts and ruminate longer on the consequences of swift action. But…

What "Hero" Will They Embody? Why?

…the wish did not realize that such restraint was found in a sense of powerlessness. A sense that drove an earnest, crushing desire for power. For might. For the ability to break, rather than bend, to inherent unfairness, enforced bondage. Magma rages beneath the permafrost, willing, always willing to surge out and burn everything to ash.

Ohta is willing to sacrifice, but he's just as willing to take, whether with words or with violence. So long as he can get away with it. So long as it gets him closer to his goals.

He does not want to endure. He wants to fight.

What Belongings Will They Take With Them?

A business suit. It does not fit well, and the tie is a boring blue-with-gray-stripes.
A smartphone. The battery is at 53%, and it holds an agenda of meetings and deadlines that no longer matter.
A Tupperware container and chopsticks. Barley rice, mixed with corn. A preserved plum sits in the center.Talents & Abilities

---

Mundane Talents

Ohta was an acoustic guitarist, but now, he's just a run-of-the-mill office worker. Administrative tasks and note-taking have become second-nature to him, and he can enter data and make calculations with a swiftness expected of someone who's gotten accustomed to their job. He learned to sew on his own time, first to patch the holes in his clothing, then in hopes of making a gift for Tamimi.

He doesn't care for it, but he understands business etiquette.

Achieved Abilities & Knowledges

His efforts have achieved nothing.

[User]
---

Unnamed Forest - ???

---

Hiroko nodded at Kaito, pleased with his introduction and a name to add to the face. She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "Don't know. Can't remember anything." She admitted. From the confused reaction from Kaito, it would seem that he didn't know anything either. What a strange coincidence. Her hand reached up to the back of her neck, turning to the torii. "Can't think of anyone who can-"

Cut off by the final man in their group, eyes wide with surprise and horror as a gun was trained right at the man who held the light. Could it be that he was part of the group that decided to teach them a lesson? Though, from his reaction, some part of Hiroko's brain argued that he was probably just as lost as they were. But he was armed. And they weren't. He was up in arms and ready to pull the trigger at them. Hiroko had never been in a situation like this before. She's faced customers who would scream at her face for doing things according to policy or because of a misunderstanding. Those, she can handle with no problems.

But this? This was beyond her paygrade.

Most of her instincts were telling her to duck, take cover somewhere. But all around her were just grass and she doubted that the torii could cover herself fully. Besides, what's stopping the man from unloading an entire clip on them while they were scrambling for cover. Hiroko was itching to have something on hand to at least fight back with but she doubted a lighter would make a difference. The other man began speaking to try and defuse the situation. A brave choice considering the gun was pointing at him.

"We're just trying to figure out where we are so we can get back." Hiroko added, her tone a lot softer and more genuine than the flashlight holder. "We're not going to hurt you." Or well, she was speaking for herself for the most part. It wasn't like she knew any moves besides the basics to fight someone off with anyway.

[Assistant]
---

A bead of sweat rolled down Junichiro's forehead as he kept his gun trained towards the light. Whoever these people were, whatever is going on, he couldn't help but feel as if perhaps they were in the same situation as himself. Maybe they've all crossed the yakuza, and they were all thrown here to "disappear." Maybe this was some sick joke by some underworld boss and they're all being secretly filmed. Regardless, Junichiro did not falter in his stance.

"Just stay back, all of you!" The freeter exclaimed, stepping backwards slowly. He waved his gun at each of them, although he kept it particularly pointed at the two who spoke to him. As he did, he took quick glances of his surroundings, getting a better idea of where they were at. In particular, Junichiro was interested in that giant torii, thinking it would lead back to civilization.

Taking a breath and regaining his composure, Junichiro would open his mouth to speak once more, his arms faltering slightly. Before he could utter a word, however, the light from the man's smartphone would give out. Did it run out of batteries? Whatever the case may be, the young man knew he lost most of his leverage with that light away. He could barely see in the dark, and that bright light didn't help. Knowing full well that he would lose control of the situation soon, especially without some sort of warning shot, Junichiro would instead do exactly what was expected of someone whose first actions after waking up in an unknown place would include pissing themselves.

The freeter ran off, beelining for the torii. Using the rush of adrenaline to push through the somewhat absent feeling of pain in his legs, Junichiro would pass through the gates, abandoning those he had woken up with. Sure, there was strength in numbers especially in a remote place like this, but sticking with the rest seemed futile to the nihilistic young man. If anything, knowing his luck, Junichiro would just end up getting the rest of them killed as well. And besides, he still didn't trust any of them.

[User]
---

So they hadn't been thrown out. Kaito could only give Hiroko a small nod, not wanting to plunge the odd mood into a more negative direction. He figured it got engulfed by the darkness around them. Another awkward interaction. No matter, the silence was more than enough. It was the most comfortable option when one had no idea what was happening.

It didn't last.

A shout from one of the others made his head whip to face directly towards the sight of a gun. An actual, real life gun. Had the man not been wielding it with a desperation that radiated throughout his entire body, Kaito could have probably tried to reason it was a prop or similar. But the look across that man's eyes couldn't be imitated.

"N-no need for that, now," he said, hands placed tensely in front of him. The smooth voice he employed during therapy was out in full force, albeit with cracks forming all over. This was far beyond his range of expertise, and far removed from any experience had with a client. What did this man want? Was it respect? Answers? Money? Was that it? There were too many variables, too many things he didn't know. Ideas came and went yet none were strong enough for him to unclench his jaw. The man ran off before he had anything resembling an answer.

Kaito wanted to approach him, but his legs stayed rooted in place. He instead filled his lungs with the forest air and shouted. "Aren't you also lost?!" Mutual survival. The kind of condition that made one wild animal work with another. In this strange forest with no civilization in sight, it made sense in a gloomy sort of way. He could only hope the man would realize that.

[Assistant]
The problem solved itself. If only all problems could do that.

Ohta let out a breath as the gunman, perhaps driven by some irrational fear of the dark, ran off into the distance, taking himself and his gun far, far away. Maybe he'll be a problem in the future, but for now, they could all breathe a bit more clearly. He shook his head, then stood up, allowing his own eyes to adjust to the darkness. Only 50% or so left for his charge. Shouldn't waste it until they got somewhere with reception. The direction the gunman went was annoying though. He didn't really want to head in the direction of the torii, in case that fucking idiot took that as a sign of pursuit and started shooting, but if there was going to be any paved path out of here, it would be from the torii.

So he suggested instead.

"Maybe, uh, we should go after him?" He pocketed his phone and clutched his lunchbox to his chest. "At least up to the torii there. Might be, mm, a path out from there."

One thing convenient about the gunman: his scene meant that self-introductions could be delayed for a bit longer. More time to judge whether it'd be a truth or a lie that Ohta used to identify himself to these strangers.


[System]
Codename: The Rocket

City of Operation: Ashtabula

Appearance: A rather disheveled looking man, Will Thompson is a gangly, unkempt person with a constant look of shock and confusion about him. He's sitting nicely at 5'11", with shaggy black hair and brown eyes. While he doesn't dress like an absolute slob, he could certainly do with going to the laundromat more often, and tends to default to the same old ratty looking jacket. Could do with a shave.

Age: 32

Gender: Male

Superpowers: Rocket boots! Rocket fists! Rocket kneecaps! I'M GONNA SLAP A ROCKET PACK EVERYWHERE I CAN AND THERE'S NOT A DAMN THING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME. It's not a full-on suit of power armor, but rather a copious amount of jet packs that allow for maximum mobility. When they're not exploding. Or launching him into a building on accident. Or just refusing to work. He kind of scrapped them together from metal found in the local landfill, so they're kind of unreliable.

Skills/ Talents: He's decent at slapping broken bits and pieces together and somehow getting working parts out of it. Gut a refrigerator, a busted motorcycle, and that thirty-year old television set and you have yourself a new radio! He's a nimble little shit, too, and years of accidentally exploding or having experiments backfire on him means he's got some pretty decent reflexes.

Equipment: Rockets. Scrap. Jets. Some basic tools. Internal combustion engines what make you go fast.

Weaknesses: Tends to overlook little details. Rather absent-minded, and has issues focusing on shit that isn't his next cool idea. Like whether or not he should slap a giant set of rockets to his back and hit the ignition. Not super athletic, since he mostly relies on ROCKET BOOTS to get around.

Psyche: Likes taking stuff to pieces. Likes fiddling with shit. Likes going fast. Tends to get worked up and more than a little hyperactive at times. Constantly poking with stuff, ever since he got caught in the Rain he's had the constant need to just fiddle with things.

History: Born in the middle of nowhere...which is to say the shining city of hope and bright futures, Ashtabula. Since there is pretty much nothing to do in Ashtabula other than fiddle with the copious amounts of trash there, that's what he did. Graduated from the A-Tech, and more or less went from one job to the next, tinkering and fiddling as he can. Tended to swerve to the bad side of the law, and when he got Caught in the White Rain his tendency towards fiddling went in all kinds of wonky directions and now he's making rocket boots and all kinds of nutty shit like that. And then started busting into banks and stuff, because why the hell not? It's not like there's more than three police cars on patrol at any given time here, eh? Upon hearing about the deaths of Cleveland's superheroes, decided to take his petty crime sprees to the big city.

Name: Rodney Callahan

Codename: BLITZ RANGER

City of Operation: Los Angeles

Appearance: Between the wavy blonde hair, hawkish features, and rather striking blue eyes, Rodney looks like something straight out of a shonen fightan' cartoon. Sitting whereabouts six feet at 180 pounds, he's got a decently athletic build. His slim figure makes him more akin to a professional swimmer than a weight lifter.

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Superpowers: Outside of his decent physical capabilities, Rodney doesn't have any magic or superpowers. Rather, he was granted the ability to call forth his armor and transform into the Blitz Ranger-the latest in the long line of mystical warriors who fight against evil. The armor itself makes him faster, stronger, and gives him a number of superpowered attack moves that harness the might of the storm, including the legendary Raging Lightning Strike, a powerful kick that transforms him into a bolt of lightning and annihilate evil.

Skills/ Talents: He's pretty good at martial arts (Jeet Kun Do in particular), and enjoys surfing in his spare time, although there isn't much of an opportunity to do so in Cleveland.

Equipment: The only thing he absolutely keeps about his person is his belt with the medallion in the buckle. In order to summon the armor on his person, he grabs the buckle that has the medallion embedded within it and gives it a right spin while yelling the transformation word. I guess the armor itself counts as equipment.

Weaknesses: Rodney Callahan isn't the brightest bulb in the pack. He's rather single minded in his pursuits, and can be pretty goddamn naive. Laid-back attitude tends to make him fail to realize dangerous situations when they arise.

Psyche:
Rodney has a rather strong sense of right and wrong. There is good, and there is evil-and evil must be defeated. Generally sports a rather energetic attitude about life and love, and is a decidedly bright, optimistic person. He also has a flair for the dramatic, and tends to pose and yell out cheesy catchphrases when he can, a product of being raised on old tokusatsu shows and Saturday morning cartoons.

History: Rodney Callahan was an LA native, living in a fairly idealistic nuclear family. He spent most of his childhood in Pasadena either out exploring the town, hitting the beach, or bonding with his father-the owner of a small surf shop-over cartoons and old, cheesy sentai shows. While his grades weren't the best in school, he more than made up for it with his boundless enthusiasm and hot-blooded attitude. He was on his way to living out a fairly honest life, for the most part, but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked when the aliens invaded.

They came at night, dragging themselves out of the water, ugly monsters that looked like they had been thrown together out of stone and tar, borne from living shadows. Rodney was with his friends at the time, hanging out late one stormy night at their usual hangout beneath the local pier, when they were ambushed by these monsters that were intent on dragging them to the dark places beneath the waves. They would have succeeded to, had the teenagers not been saved by a brilliant warrior in bug-shaped armor who stopped the aliens in their tracks and fought them off. This hero, who called himself a masked rider by the name of Motor Head, informed them of the Grr't, an evil race of aliens that were waging a secret war against humanity from their hidden base deep within the oceans across Earth.

As luck would have it Motor Head needed aid in fighting the Grr't, and so he took the band of plucky teenagers under his wing, teaching them self-defense and the ways of fighting against the very heart of darkness from beyond the stars. So a number of years went by like this, as Rodney and company lived double lives, fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by day-oh god I'm so sorry please don't hate me. But eventually, Motor Head was growing old. So, in order to keep the fight against the Grr't alive, chose Rodney as his successor, bequeathing the medallion that would allow the young man-who was 19 at the time-so that he may summon his own personal set of armor and become the next Masked Rider.

Rodney continued on fighting evil in general and the Grr't in particular, when the White Rain came. While he wasn't caught, the sudden revealing of the secret world beneath this one made the existence of The Blitz Ranger far more public. And when he heard of the deaths of Cleveland superheroes and the mass prison-break, he knew he had to move to Cleveland for a time to help fight the evil that was spread upon them. Not only that, but it allowed him to follow the rumors that the Grr't were employing the Great Lakes as a forward base to help invade deeper into the US.

[User]
BEACHWOOD PLACE MALL

 Sweat glistened down Gwen's tired face as she healed the 9th injured civilian. It never occurred to her how much energy healing others required. The feeling of helping others was enough to keep her going though. She glanced up to snatch a look at Tess, only to witness her collapsing.

 "Tess!!" Gwen screamed just when the room exploded with smoke, blocking her view on Tess. Looking right and left, Gwen bolted straight, hoping to find her friend. Repeatedly yelling her name, Gwen felt her eyes water. They had only met each other for a bit, but Gwen and Tess were closer than sisters. Tess understood her, knew what having superpowers felt like and was someone Gwen trusted more than anyone. Their journey together just started, and Gwen would never let anyone take that away from her. Gwen took a deep breath, Tess would be fine. Whatever was wrong, Gwen would fix it and heal her. Of course she would. Once the smoke lifted, she could only see a glimpse of Tess in the arms of The Phoenix, flying off.

 "Stop!!!" Gwen screamed, begging for the superhero to hear her. Only she didn't. The Phoenix flew out of the mall, taking Tess with her and leaving Gwen all by herself. She ruffled her hair and shouted out in exasperation. How did this even happened? What was she supposed to do? Whenever someone had been injured, Gwen was always able to go their aid, but not this time. Please be okay Tess! Gwen wasn't able to dwell in her thoughts for it wasn't long before the press stormed into the mall. Flashes of light blinded Gwen and voices echoed everywhere.

 ""Simon Lowell, BBC News," one man introduced himself in an extremely polished RP accent. He politely held a microphone to Gwen. "Might I ask what happened here?"

 Gwen gasped. Was this actually happening? Someone was questioning her? Gwen wasn't even sure what to say "Well, a villain by the name of Uprising suddenly took over the mall, duplicating himself into multiple copies. The Phoenix, Teen Tornado, a new upcoming hero, whose name I'm not sure of, and me were thankfully able to put his terror to an end. Cleveland lives to see another day," She smiled, proud of being able to be seen as a hero.

[Assistant]
Wyoming Street

The acid blade entered Ajax with ease and with the blood-curdling scream the hero let out it was apparent the blade had killed the man or at the very least was tearing melting him from the inside. Striker after taking his blade out of the life less body turned around at the other hero who was firing arrows into him.

"Don't worry boy, you will soon join him in death!" He said as the arrows kept hitting him but quickly dissolving as the acid covered all of his body in a bright green tone. Striker turned his left hand after a little concentration into a crude hammer of sorts and then charged Teucer. As he made his way across the street towards his target he heard the distant familiar sound of the police sirens.

"Go to hurry." He mumbled to himself as he swung his hammer like construct at the man.

[User]
Tess wasn't sure what acetaminophen was, but it sounded like it would do the trick. She fidgeted on the couch seat awkwardly while Phoenix went to fetch the medicine. She was still coping with the dream that she was living right now. She was with a professional hero right now, in her hideout. This wasn't her imagination.

Phoenix came back with pills and water, advising her to not sleep unless she followed a certain pattern. Tess washed down the pills as Rose continued to speak. She said that she wanted to talk with her about her powers and said she wished Tess would reveal her last name. Tess hooked her hair behind her ears, she was just letting it lay on her shoulders since she hadn't decided to put it back in a ponytail yet. "It's not that I'm scared to share my last name with you... It's complicated. I don't want to be associated with that name anymore," she stared Rose straight in the eye when she said this, asserting she was telling the truth.

It wasn't because she resented her parents that she refused to be affiliated with the last name, she just didn't want to deal with that past anymore. She was her own person now. Phoenix then told her that what she did at the mall was heroic and great, but said it wasn't her duty. Tess was confused. "I have to do something with my abilities. I think it's horrible if someone isn't public about their powers. There are people out there who wish they could be like me. I have to do something," she pursed her lips. "Otherwise I'd just be wasting my gifts."

[Assistant]
Parking Garage
The motorcycled men were easy enough to follow. There were quite a number of them, and they were were fairly well armed-it would have been hard not to follow them through the city streets to their destination here. While such a group would have been suspicious enough on their own, such a group just after the mass criminal exodus was almost certainly for more...nefarious purposes. It was difficult for Blitz to stay hidden as he trailed the group of ne'er-do-wells, in that being stealthy certainly wasn't his strongest suits. He had to trail behind them by several blocks, and more or less stick the entire opposite end of the parking garage listening to the loud entourage make their way to their destination. There-they were disembarking! He listened intently as he dashed from behind one structure to the next, until he was just one large concrete pillar away from the meeting.

As he pressed his dark blue and gold armor against the pillar, Blitzed grinned to himself under the bug helmet. Busted out last night? Worried about the police and other upstanding superheroes? Wanting to try and fight them on equal terms? Clearly, villainry was afoot! Whatever strange weapons these men were intent on trading, it was Blitz's duty as a Masked Rider to stop all evil in its tracks! There were a lot of them, and they were armed to the teeth-but no matter! It was his job as the Rider of the Storm, the champion of love and justice, the Blitz Ranger-his great duty to stop those who subvert the law for their own gain! Besides, this can't be the worst odds he's faced before, yes? He was a hero who stands in the light, not one who hides in the dark like some villain!

Spinning around, Blitz dashed out from behind the large pillar, straight towards the group. Small sparks jumped from his feet as his long legs carried him towards the small army. Now was the time for action! He stopped in front of them, laughing the top of his lungs, voice echoing out in the empty garage. "Halt, villain scum!" Blitz held his fists up in a pseudo-boxing stance, one hand clenched in a fist and the other open-palmed, long scarf trailing out behind him and whipping back and forth as if it had a mind of its own. "Today is the day that you taste defeat! Know this to be the fate of all those who try and work in the shadows-no matter what dark deeds you may be plotting, I shall be the bolt of JUSTICE that strikes down and rends you asunder! Brace yourself, fiends, for I am the Blitz Ranger!"


[System]
PILOT
Age: 32
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 95.2kg
Pilot Class: Scanner
Nationality: American (Cascadia)
Appearance: Someone somewhere is missing their assault rifle… (credit to phelandavion)
Bio: Growing up was not an easy thing for Rodriguez. Though he was born to a happy family, there was not a whole lot of money to go around; repeated debts and failed loans only retained enough of a budget to keep him and his folks going with food and a roof over their heads. As the years went by, their finances further declined hopelessly eventually forcing Rodriguez out of guilt of not being able to help his parents with their teetering living expenses to find a job, especially at an early age too.

Despite his parent's best wishes, Rodriguez joined the Cascadian militia personally out of financial necessity right, even when as the States warred with one another. After getting his placement tests, he later found himself in the Cascadia Air Force, rather unexpectedly on that note too and even further so when he realized that he had a knack for flying even though he never gave the concept much thought. Through further testing, Rodriguez was eventually assigned to aerial reconnaissance and patrol duties and wouldn't see active combat until much later hostilities broke out with Lone Star Land. Much of the actual combat he participated in initially comprised of opportunistic ground-attacks against lightly armed and isolated convoys unlucky enough to wind up in his patrol sectors. As fighting grew more fierce, Rodriguez's recon wing would end up operating closer to the front lines, and shortly afterwards, behind enemy lines.

After bringing his record to twelve successful nighttime raiding and information gathering and missions, Rodriguez was then offered a position to help expand Cascadia's electronic warfare technology and implementation in its air force. Interested, he gladly accepted the offer. Three months later, Rodriguez was back in the air, now with an aircraft armed the latest innovative gadgets available. During this time, a small conflict was brewing with Cascadia and one of the neighboring Midwestern warlords. As a live trial for the newly equipped aerial reconnaissance division, Rodriguez and other pilots from the same wing were deployed to discourage would-be raiders from violating Cascadia's airspace. Opening operations were largely successful with only a few instances of a dogfight breaking out while the majority of the encounters lead to those Midwestern intruders forced to withdraw from a possible combat zone after their airplane's instruments supposedly malfunctioned or went haywire for 'inexplicable' reasons.

Though returning to the civilian life was very pleasant after several years of service, Rodriguez grew unsatisfied and yearned to fly once more, even if was not combat oriented. As fate would have it, he would later acquire an old North American XA2J Super Savage had it refitted using the funds gained through his service with the militia. With the aircraft, dubbed Pandora, Rodriguez soon entered into the mercenary business as a freelancer, taking up spying and support contracts that came his way.

Theme Song: Coming Soon

PLANE
Name: North American XA2J Super Savage "Pandora"
Description: To Wikimedia!
Plane Type: Twin-Engine Turboprop
Extra Aircraft Notes: Due to modern upgrades, the aircraft can climb to higher elevations and achieve a much higher maximum speed than its previous un-upgraded airframe. The aircraft's cockpit, constructed to support three crew members has been outfitted with electronic warfare and sensor suite, effectively reducing the crew capacity to just the pilot.
Weapons Descriptions:
-Two forward-facing 20mm cannons
-10,000lb ordinance store (may carry up to six homing missiles, five bombs, or four torpedoes).
Weakness: Very low maneuverability due to large airframe, very ineffective in a dogfight.

[User]
Rodriguez maintained his position with Roland's left flank through the current duration of the trip. There wasn't much as far as conversations go since everyone appeared to be busy keeping their own birds in the air. He himself however kept the plane in auto-pilot, having synchronized the control patterns with Roland's aircraft, The Iron Jackson, while he slaved over the scanning equipment directly to his right shoulder. Much of the electronics and gadgets hadn't seen almost any use within the past couple of weeks due to limitation of contracts within his previous area of operation, resulting in suite being deactivate for the most part. Now that he was on a new job and even a new squadron, he figured it was as good as time as any to re-activate the sleeping hardware.

And not a moment too soon.

Upon stirring Pandora's long-range radar, a blip immediately sounded off. The small ping pulled Rodriguez's gaze over too one of the monitors showcasing a large map of the region and the general location of unidentified craft. He glanced forward, noting his formation position and back to the monitor, having just updated the blip's new position. Rodriguez wasn't urgently concerned yet with the approaching newcomer since the radar would have responded to any craft in the same fashion that was not carrying a transponder. He however did keep his eyes glued to the screen and observed the changing flight path of the plane coming up from their rear.

A few minutes later and Rodriguez then confirmed that the craft was in fact on intercept course. His heart rate began to climb with the lingering thought of an any bandit preparing to attack their formation settling in but he insisted on keeping his position regardless. He couldn't think of anyone trying to take on three aircraft by themselves nor could he think of any valid reason of doing so. Eventually, the blip came up on his short-range radar and from there, he could then properly track the unknown aircraft approaching them. By now, Rodriguez was already running a scan though he immediately noted that airspeed of the craft was more casual with no hint of hostile intent. Then again, the approaching airplane was flying at a much higher elevation; almost perfect for an aggressive dive for a strafing run.

Finally, the unspoken radio silence had been broken with the newcomer identifying themselves, or their aircraft, as Long Dive. While his powerful radio could intercept the transmission, it was clear they were addressing Roland. Roland, of course, replied and welcomed them into to formation. Rodriguez finally steadied himself and eased back, now certain that there was no longer any danger. Eventually, the scan had completed and notified him of the results, prompting Rodriguez to raise an eyebrow. The Long Dive  was apparently that of an XB-35-M4, essentially a flying wing and one whose wingspan was far greater than any of the aircraft in formation. Having already networked the other two planes in formation, Pandora's computer would have been sending the data to the Iron Jackson and the Roger Dodger.

Seeing as though that Lungfirst was about to bring their aircraft from the rear and after Jimmy broadcasted their formation suggestion, Rodriguez positioned the rudder of Pandora just slightly to the left, prompting his airframe to move over, increasing the distance between him and the Iron Jackson by several meters. It was then his turn to delve in greetings, "Standby, Long Dive. I'll have your plane networked shortly."

[Assistant]
Roland was impressed at the way Rodriguez had already taken up the scanning duties for the squad without any prompting at all, it reminded him he was in capable company. Now that all 4 men were flying together smoothly Roland had now noticed they were flying over a stretch of scorched land. Depressingly this wasn't too uncommon in the south. Although Florida hadn't seen the worst of it, the south east was basically a constant war-zone during the 'Dixie conflicts' that had been going on since the war with Texas. Many towns and outposts were pulverized by warfare and it left the earth a deathly grey-brown color with no plant life left to speak of. A grim reminder for Roland that oppressive groups must be fought and stopped at all costs.

As if right on cue, Roland spotted movement on the ground that his radar wasn't picking up: Trucks more than a few of them too. At least 8 were riding together in a convoy along with some Artillery vehicles that were probably the escorts. Not the strangest sight but notably large and intimidating for a routine cargo run. Roland Shaw was now becoming nervous, his finger was hovering above the weapons trigger, he decided to fly in a little lower to investigate. He radioed the rest of the pilots first.

Hold your altitudes, I'm gonna dive in for a closer peek at these vehicles, stay alert.

Slowly descending to take a close visual at the trucks, he felt his heart jump in his chest as soon as the logo became visible. It was the Lone Star Flag of Texas. These trucks were military, and judging by the escorts they were probably carrying fuel or weapons or both. Roland's vision began to blur, his breath was hot with rage and his grip became tight like a vice on the stick. His mission was to investigate this bandit empire, but he was still Ex-Canadian military and Texas were still a very active (if not diminished) foe.

Okay pilots, time to warm up, let's do some strafing. Jimmy, this is a perfect bit of practice, follow Ryan's lead!

Just as he radioed the Military Trucks began to speed up, and the Artillery began firing at the sky. Roland pulled his Iron Jackson hard into a somersault to evade, and took a deep breath as he prepared to open fire.

[User]
Lungfirst adjusted his position to match the formation even more precisely while he listened to the calls from his new colleagues. He was not in a great mood. This formation was far too low altitude for his liking. In fact, he'd have to climb before he could effectively engage much of anything without being vulnerable. Still the pilot flying in front of him was both his boss and a living legend and he had given an order. Lungfirst transmitted his acknowledgments to the other two pilots while he analyzed his combat options.

Lungfirst's voice was mostly flat as he replied. "Long-Dive copies. Thanks for the breathing room. Looking forward to the specs too. Out."

He was distracted by the task of assessing his current tactical options. So long as he was at such a low altitude he would be a big target for anti-aircraft weapons as well as vulnerable to attack from above. Also, his targeting cone for missile strikes against ground targets was reduced and he couldn't use his forward missile launchers so long as he was at the back of the formation. He would have to climb as soon as any hostile force appeared in order to make full use of his weapons. Just when he finished his tactical analysis the Iron Jackson radioed his intent to descend and examine a convoy.

He pulled up and began to climb immediately.

With most planes, this action would weaken the formation and deprive them of fighting power. However, the Long-Dive had AA missile launchers pointed both fore and aft. As he climbed and accelerated above the formation the targeting cone of his rear launchers expanded to cover the other planes while the upward angle of his nose lifted his under-wing anti-ground missile launchers into a forward firing angle. And his forward launchers lifted to cover the formation's 12-o-clock high.

His first instinct was to simply target the vehicles with AG missiles and take them out, but he wanted to wait till the group's leader had achieved his stated objective. The other three planes were all designed to be able to effectively strafe. He continued to climb but acquired target locks on four vehicles in the convoy. He couldn't be sure that they were carrying something volatile, but if any of them were, then the secondary explosions could take out some of the remaining vehicles. He waited until the planes that were going to strafe had completed a single run and were clear of the likely blast radius before confirming his targets were still operational and calling the Iron Jackson.

"Long-Dive, targets locked. Confirmed live. Permission to fire?" His thumb was on the launch switch and he was going to fire the moment he had confirmation from his leader.

[Assistant]
To the point then, Rodriguez thought, noting the pilot's straightforward dialogue while he stared at the monitor displaying the flying wing that was Lungfirst's aircraft being integrated with the rest of the formation. The process of including the Long-Dive into his private data communications network was going off without a hitch. Same as the two other craft around him. The miniature scans updated and applied an IFF to the Long-Dive, allowing Pandora's ECM to recognize friend from foe and differentiate their assets. Typically useful if a hostile missile were to enter get near either of their aircraft while in the large sphere of influence emitted by Rodriguez's plane. With a small ping, he got his confirmation that Long-Dive was now fully integrated.

Rodriguez nearly believed that the formation flight would remain unopposed for at least for a few hours. Turns out he was wrong. Roland apparently was the first to take notice of the activity crawling beneath them. However, his report came almost abruptly and nearly caught Rodriguez off-guard, challenging him to achieve a visual on the vehicles being referred to. Seconds later, he found them as well; an armored convoy. Sensing imminent combat approaching and with the current order to maintain his position, he awakened the ground sensors and cameras at the nose and belly of his aircraft. Soon, visual images poured into one of the other monitors. The convoy belonged to the Lone Star State, as announced by the flags and insignias worn by the vehicles.

"Pandora acknowledges. Maneuvering to attack run; after you, lead," he radioed.

With the attack order given, Rodriguez hit the throttle of his plane, prompting Pandora's airframe to increase in speed before he peeled into dive. Despite its original purpose being overwritten to include a larger number of responsibilities, the plane was still capable of performing its original duty as an attack aircraft. Through his descent, he ensured his kept the Pandora's nose aimed at the grouped vehicles, still performing the necessary scans of his targets until the sensors achieved the lock he was looking for. The HUD integrated into his windshield lit up, revealing a number of vectors originating from the ground beginning to rotate within the center of this obvious circles. The highlighted lines, upon further inspection, represented the calculated traveling paths of the artillery cannons scrambling to take aim at them. As per his efforts earlier, he ensured this information was shared with his squadron mates.

Falling in roughly five-hundred feet behind the Iron Jackson, Pandora prepared to line up its own strafing run, coordinating with the lead aircraft and prepared to engage once Roland peeled away from his completed attack.


[System]
______________________________________

"The cruelty is the point."

______________________________________ | ______________________________________

G E N D E R :

Male

A G E :

19

O C C U P A T I O N :

Jo Long Assassin

A P P E A R A N C E :

Vas stands at 6'1 and 175 pounds. He is slim, lean, and very well muscled, having spent his life as a disciplined combatant. Often it's easy to forget, given his height and physic, he is still a teenager. He is a mutt of the universe, with mocha skin, a straight nose, and bright blue almond-shaped eyes. Vas still has a youthful boyish face with some roundness to cheeks that have not yet matured. His hair is straight and black styled into a war hawk. Vas has an elaborate Japanese-style tattoo that covers his back. It consists of a highly detailed eastern dragon coming down from clouds of sakura and wisteria blossoms, with some of the flowers cresting to his shoulders.

H O M E P L A N E T :

Santos, Silverton

S K I L L S E T :

Vas is a fully trained assassin, and while he knows how to use various guns his more of a melee fighter. He is a trained Shaolin monk in the five animal styles, which he expanded to include the Dragon form. He knows how to use and manufacture various poisons and tranquilizers. Beyond that Vas is surprisingly well-read and knows proper etiquette (he just finds there is rarely a call for it) and can garden. Lastly, Vas can not cook. If it's in not soup (which might barely be edible), in a can or premade … it is basically poison and a crime against humanity in a plate. He can bake cookies but that is about all he can do.

E Q U I P M E N T :

Vas pride and joy is a Jian style sword with no tassel, black and silver inlay grip with a green jade crossguard and an etched blade. He owns a dragon scale armoire, it's thin and flexible and can easily be worn regularly under a shirt. He owns a variety of blades, tools, and poisons. He owns a tablet loaded with a variety of books. When on duty for the Temple Vas uses and black Kitsune mask and has specialized armor he can use when performing wetwork. Lastly, he always carries around a lighter and clove smokes.

P E R S O N A L I T Y :

Vas is quite self contained and a bit distant. Serena, his counterpart does enough talking for the both of them. He isn't shy or squeamish about violence nor is he about its application. It's more of the fact that he takes pride in his work. Oddly though he is a massive softie, finding joy in stupid little things and is surprisingly sensitive when it comes to people whose opinions he actually cares about. He comes off as childish and naive when it comes to and often is a little trusting with people ruining the tough punk look. He penchant for full-on honesty, he doesn't like to lie and actively avoids doing so. Vas had a temper that rarely comes out, it's more like a berserk button but basically, he has a hell of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to slavers.

B I O :

Vas often looks back at his youth and family with rose color lenses. Mostly because his life since the war was drowned in violence and loss. Like many left behind as children, he was scooped up into the slave trade and drafted to fight in the war. Sold as a child soldier he was shoved from one front to the next. Eventually, he was 'liberated' and fell into the shadow of Estaban, who turned out to be an assassin for the Jo Long. Having taken a shine to the kid he was eventually brought to the temple on Lilac and trained to become an assassin. For Vas, it was quite fulfilling … family, friends, job satisfaction. He fit in it, he was wanted and he excelled at his job.
Eventually returning home from a mission Vas ran afoul of some slavers. It got ugly but eventually, Vas exacted his opinion on the captain's profession. This is how he met Serena and the pair bonded pretty quick out of the crisis. Two years later, she continues to be an apprentice of sorts, his apprentice. Leaving the temple for real-world experience, they were found by Deckard running a scam in a pit fighting ring. Their scam was caught and they got jumped. Vas was able to take care of himself, and Serena made 'fast friends' (in her opinion) with Deckard. Deckard offered them a job doing semi-honest work. They accepted. How better to see the verse?
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| Jago Deckkard | Captain is fine, well meaning. Better then most I've run into. |
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| Tim Casey | I would think better of him if he would stop filling Serena's head with scary stories! |

| Enid Prichard | She likes needles a little too much. |

| Vas Jat | I like duck! |

| Serena Jat | My somebody. |

| Kinneas Reed | How does he shoot with all that hair? |

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[User]
Hire me! Part 1
Lunar Veil | Cockpit
Summary
Kinneas ask for a job on the LV. Goes as well as you might think.

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Jago lounged in the co-pilot's seat looking over the cortex on the screen. " … not a lot going on but if it works out we'll have another fixer throwing jobs our way. But even a cozy town got something going on, hell, the Jat's got work." Jago said scratching his chin, the town was a small one so there was a creeping doubt other than taking on a bounty there would be call for their ilk other than schmoozing an up-and-coming fixer they were meeting up with.

"I'm just saying every time we get a new fixer thrown in things go from bad to worse, and that one time, to really really worse." Tim reminded him, as the pilot pushed back some in his seat.

"That makes my situation sound promising." Kinneas said from the doorway as he leaned against it, levity in his tone despite the fact that this arrangement was already living up to expectations. And, it wasn't a high bar.

Jago didn't even look up from his screen. "And what situation would that be?" The Captain asked tapping the screen.

"The one where I offer my services in exchange for extended stay on your ship." Kinneas said, more gusto in his tone than simple pragmatism though he remained in the doorframe. "I have to say, I think it's more than a fair trade given the quality of the coffee."

"What's wrong with the coffee?" Jago asked, turning the chair to face Kinneas with a quivering eyebrow.

"If you're in a bind, it can strip paint off your ship's hull?" Kinneas suggested by way of explanation, not bothering to comment on the captain's apparent lack of taste.

"I told you to spring the extra credits for the Ariopolis blend," Tim said with a shake of his head. "And you said  what do those Ariopolis assholes know about coffee . Well, there you have it."

"Just cuz our coffee sucks doesn't mean they know shit about coffee." Jago defended. "Ariopolis blend is an overpriced bunch of burnt beans anyway."

Tim held out his hand in an iffy gesture. "I'd respectfully disagree, but I'd also respectfully like my head to stay attached to my shoulders so I'll just pretend to look at a few of these fancy dials and let you all talk."

"No, don't stop on my account - disagree. The doc was lookin' for something to do." Kinneas said with a grin. "Although, it involved less dismemberment and more gushy gunshot wound. Fleshy, I think she said."

"That sounds like a word Enid would use," Tim said, making a face. "You'll get used to it, if you're sticking around for a bit."

[Assistant]
Hire me! Part 2
Lunar Veil | Cockpit
Summary
Kinneas ask for a job on the LV. Goes as well as you might think.

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"That's what I'm here to find out," Kinneas said as he pushed himself from the frame of the doorway with his shoulder, standing upright once more. "Well, captain?"

Jago sighed thinking. "Well why not make yourself useful, there's a chore list hanging in the galley."

"I'm not signing on to be anyone's qìyuē yōnggōng (indentured servant)." Kinneas' expression darkened slightly, insulted by the first thought that came to Deckard's mind.

Tim sucked a thin stream of air through his teeth, suddenly fascinated with one of the fuel cell indicators. He suppressed any nervous laughter that threatened to bubble up.

"Oh I'm sorry princess but our janitorial staff sought employment elsewhere. So while I go and find a new maid so your pretty hands don't have to get dirty, everyone on this ship pulls their own weight. If you have a problem with that you can file a complaint in our suggestion box, conveniently located in the gorram airlock." Jago said flatly, giving Kinneas a level look.

Tim's gage grew more fascinating by the minute, and he fought hard to not let out another wince.

"I don't have a problem with -" Kinneas was interrupted, his gritted teeth over the word emphasized grinding to a halt.

"Good." Jago said cutting Kinneas off. "Chore list is in the galley."

"They're not all horrible," Tim promised. "I mean, some of them. Crew sometimes plays tall card for 'em, if you're a betting man."

 Kinneas was about to tell the captain where he could shove his chore list, but bitterly smirked at the notion of pawning them off on someone else if he won a hand or two of cards. "That makes it all better, sure. In the meantime, I'll just go hop right to that list. Can't think of a better way to spend the start of my time bound to this ship." Fuck if I will. He turned to go back to his bunk.

Jago waited for the man to leave. "I swear Serena whines less than that man." He grumbled going back to the list on the cortex screen.

Tim watched the new person leave, and rubbed his non-existent five-o-clock shadow. "Give him a little time," the pilot offered. "I know you're spoiled, what with me coming on board right out of the box amazing. " He raised his eyebrows a few times towards the captain, fishing for compliments he knew wouldn't come.

"Time I got. Patience with another teen on the boat, less so." He paused, turning to Tim. "The coffee ain't that bad is it?"

"It's like you melted brown crayons in swamp water," Tim replied. "I'll make a shopping run on New Kasmir, while you go and get us raked over by a new fixer."

"Zero faith in your Captain." Jago tsked. "And spring for the nicer crayons." He joked.


[System]
Age: 43 (around 21 in human years)
Gender: Female
Race: Demigod
Height: 5'7"

Appearance:

Weapon of choice: A gladius made of tempered obsidian, and a one-handed crossbow attached to her right hand.
Occupation: Apprentice of an inventor in Arkanshire

Lore:
Skurja was known amongst the ranks of the Valkyries to be one of their most skilled and ruthless warriors. When she finally came to them with news that she had chosen a human male from Arkanshire to lay with her so that she may bear child, expectation arose for the child to be as brilliant a warrior as her mother. In a way, Kaja did not disappoint.

Speed and pure strength were not Kaja's greatest abilities. In fact, her skills on those matters were average, and the other Valkyries her age could easily win over her in races and contests of strength. Despite it, Kaja had only ever fallen in combat once, and that had been against one of the older Valkyries. Questions arose as to how someone with combat skills that could be comparable to an average human soldier could sustain herself in battle against some of the best Valkyries, and it was quickly answered by the observant and tactical minds in their fray. Luck seemed to favour Kaja, and it became apparent when her blows would strike fatal areas and attacks that could have destroyed her missed by mere centimeters. Once, an aged but still reliable pillar had fallen in front of her took a fatal blow meant for her heart.

Talk came about that perhaps Kaja was favoured by the Goddess of Luck, but Skurja quickly squashed that rumour before it could grow. It was a widely known fact that out of all the gods and goddesses in the pantheon, Skurja loathed the Goddess of Luck the most. As such, it was understandable that Skurja would not want to associate her one and only child with the goddess. In the safety of her room, locked from the prying eyes of the other Valkyries, Skurja mourns a love lost and the true other parent of Kaja, the Goddess of Luck herself.

Despite Kaja's luck, Skurja was still doubtful about Kaja's combat skills. She didn't want to have her child pushed into the brunt of battle, and so when Kaja reached the age of maturity, Skurja sent her to Arkanshire... to her father, Din Ironwood.

Din was known around the capital to be an inventor favoured by the Queen for his machinations, but he was regarded by the common folk with open disdain. Most of his inventions failed to work as he had described and more often resulted in a concentrated explosion. Still, the Queen kept him around the capital in hopes that one day, he'd be able to create an invention so wonderful that it could advance Arkanshire farther than they could ever imagine.

When Kaja joined him in his home filled with gears and steam, he knew that things would change and he was correct. Kaja's luck was even more prominent as she aided her father in bringing to existence what his mind crafted. Kaja and serendipity seemed to walk hand-in-hand, and in the five months she'd lived with Din, they had already created three inventions that worked as imagined. In fact, the one-handed crossbow Kaja wields is one that she'd created herself with a bit of steel and wood, and plenty of luck.

Perhaps the only unlucky moment in Kaja's life was when the Nightmare awoken and she stumbled by accident into the land of Arkanshire Dream. It seemed as though Kaja's good luck had ran dry... or had it?

Extra Info:
- Her armour.
- She has a birthmark that resembles a four-leaf clover on her right wrist, barely visible under her crossbow.
- She can use any weapon with ease, but prefers using a sword and her crossbow.
- Din invented a bolt for Kaja's crossbow that would explode upon contact. Currently, she only has five of them, but could make more if needed.
- Kaja doesn't have any interests in men, and would vehemently deny that her eyes had wandered in the presence of women on more than one occassion.
- Kaja has a horrible sweet tooth and a low tolerance for alcohol.

[User]
The fire was an eerie shade of green that Kaja was sure it was not one made of natural means. It failed to give Kaja the comfort a warm fire after a long soak in freezing rainwater should, and the man warming himself by the fire was no better. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the man's walking cane, unsure if it was something that would become a threat to her. Still, she found that she would rather take her chances inside the cave with the odd man than in the depths of the forest while the rain continued to fall.

She gave him a nod and sat crossed-leg directly across from him. Despite its odd appearance, the fire did warm her skin and work to dry her clothes. She placed her sword on her lap, one hand dancing over its hilt. The crackling of the fire broke through the silence that filled the cave, and Kaja took the momentary serenity as a chance to think of all that had led to that moment.

She had been walking around the streets of the capital, carrying with her a pack of materials that Din had asked her to buy from a nearby metal shop. Talk rose amongst the townsfolk about the Nightmare having awoken and that some of the kingdom's finest soldiers and most foolish of vagabonds had began jumping into one of the many portals that had opened in order to challenge the gods for their titles. Kaja had paid them no mind. Her mother had never been one to pray to the gods and Din was a man of science, not religion. As such, Kaja had never thought much of the gods or the people's fascination with the odd ritual of attempting to kill them. She had too much to worry about; Din had written up a blueprint for a new invention and Kaja could not have been more excited.

She paused in her musings and eyed the mouth of the cave. Rain was still falling hard in the forest outside, and it was only then that Kaja noticed that the woods was not familiar to her. She had taken plenty of walks in the surrounding forests of Arkanshire in search of materials and inspiration, and the area she'd woken up in was not a place she'd been in before.

Could it be-? No. It was a foolish thought. She had been walking around Arkanshire, not anywhere near a portal... Though, now that she'd thought about it, she remembered hearing shouts around her while she was walking, a tad too distracted by thoughts of their new endeavor. She remembered a brilliant light, and then crushing darkness. Then, she'd awoken in the middle of the forest, wet and confused... And lacking the bag of materials she'd been carrying before. She made a mental note to search for it once the rain died down.

"Did I..." she muttered, lips pursing in thought, "Did I accidentally go into a portal?"

She looked up at the man, frowning. "Where are we?" She gripped her sword, eyes narrowing in threat should the man not provide her with an answer.

[Assistant]
Tia Blackwood

Tia stood up and brushed herself off, her hand smudging mud on her cloak. She looked down at the smudged mud and wrinkled her nose. She stared at it for a while and then looked up to weigh her options. Going towards the town would take longer than going towards the cemetery. Her shoes were already caked with so much mud just by standing that she was afraid she'd be waist deep in it by the time she get to the town. With that in mind, she trudged towards the graveyard.

And found herself staring at decaying bodies that have apparently melded with nature.

"Ugh," she wrinkled her nose again in disgust, regretting her decision with each step she took. She dared to look at one of the corpses. Whether it had been male or female was no long distinguishable. Yellowish bone can almost be seen through the black, rotting flesh. A thick vine ran through its chest and Tia wondered if the vine was what actually killed it.

She pushed the gruesome images out of her head as she continued on. She stepped carefully around the other bodies that littered the cemetery floor and almost jumped when she heard a groaning sound. She looked towards the direction it came from, her mind already bringing up images of walking corpses. But the dead bodies remained still in their gruesome final resting positions. She breathed out a sigh of relief and then heard a curious sound.

A tinkling sound.

"Coins?" she asked out aloud. She blinked when she saw a squirrel scurry towards her. It placed a coin a few feet away from her and then returned to the stump where he curiously seemed to be guarding the purse he got the coin from. She studied the squirrel for a few minutes before she turned to the object she assumed it left for her.

She took a step forward, bent down and took the coin. It was a bronze coin carved with a dragon and a shield. It was also designed with runic symbols that she could not read. She turned the coin over in her palm. Her eyes were met with an intricate design and more runic symbols.

[User]
The woman's body was very light, so it was easy to move. Under her was a sliver colored key, and a book. The book was locked, but the key was a perfect fit. Upon opening the book, the pages were blank, for a time. Soon, words started to appear.

"I found this book under the body of a dead woman in a church. Some beast had killed everyone here, but maybe I can find some clues....It's coming back. I didn't notice for awhile, until I heard a thumping and dragging noise. I need to run. I tried to find a hiding place, and luckily the confession booth was still opened. I opened it, and was able to get inside. I left the door open, just abit to help me see. A large beast walked in, dragging an axe behind him(?) as he walked. He seemed surprised at all the dead people, so I guess he didn't do it. But then he got down and started to eat on the bodies. Dear gods the sounds. It was only made worse when I saw on person was still alive, just waking up as the beast started to eat on her. I wanted to help, but I......FUCK! The booth just made a squeak noise. The beast is looking this way. Now he is coming this way. I gotta make a run for it, or do something."

It was then that Asra started to hear a small sound. It started to grow louder and louder. Thumping noises, followed by a dragging noise, and it was heading right for the church.

The man pulled out a bottle with some drink in it, and took a swig of it. He then held it out towards her, offering it. "My dear, we are in the Dream." He said as he looked at her. "You walked into a portal, one way or another." He said and sat back, placing his back onto the wall of the cave. "I'm guessing you didn't mean to be here, since you are so confused. You could go to a nearby town, but I can't promise that it'll be safe." He said.

"Also, be very careful when roaming at night. Some cannibal bandits have been seen in these woods. Not sure why they have left me alone, but they may have never seen me. If they have, then maybe they decided that an old man isn't worth eating. A pretty girl like you on the other hand...." He reached over and pulled out some simple, frameless, eye glasses. "Here, these should help you." He said.

When she looked at the glasses, and then back at him to say something, the old man was gone.

The squirrel went back to playing with the coin bag. As she looked around the graveyard more, she soon found a lake, but it was hard to tell how deep or, more importantly, how dangerous it was.

As she was about to turn back, the sound of a horn could be heard. A small boat came rowing up infront of her, a skeleton pushed a long pole into the water the push the boat forward. It stopped infront of her, as the skeleton walked over to her, and held his hand out. "Safe passage isn't free." He said, his voice raspy, as if not having spoken for awhile. "A coin, and I shall take you across." He said.

[Assistant]
Valkyries were known throughout the land for their love of three things: combat, lovers, and mead. Kaja, despite her heritage and upbringing, had found that out of the three, only combat appealed to her. Lovers amongst the rank of the valkyries were lacking - both due to the fact that those her age preferred the company of men and they were terrified of even approaching Skurja's child with untoward intentions - and Kaja found that her tolerance for alcoholic drinks was quite wanting. As such, when the man offered her a bottle to drink, she respectfully declined, not even quite sure if the bottle's contents was alcohol.

The old man had only confirmed her earlier suspicions. The Dream. She spat a curse under her breath. Of all the places she could have found herself in, it had to be the Dream. While not overly familiar with it, she was no stranger to the Dream. She would either meet her end or her ascension in its realm, and she wasn't quite sure which of the two was worse.

Before she could mull over it further, there were talks of cannibals and a pair of glasses were handed to her. She inspected the pair, not finding anything spectacular about them. In fact, they resembled the ones Din wore whenever he worked on a new project. Kaja had worn his before, just out of curiosity, and found her vision blurred. She doubted that the same wouldn't happen with the pair the man had given her as she was certain her eyes hadn't suffered much despite long periods of time spent in the darkness of Din's basement with only a nearby lantern providing light.

"Do you have a map-" She lifted her eyes from the glasses to ask her question and found that her companion had disappeared. "What?" She looked around the entirety of the small cave, but found nowhere the man could have gone except for back out the forest. Absentmindedly, Kaja placed the glasses on her face, letting it sit atop her nose, as she leaned back on the same spot the man had previously occupied. She eyed the fire and the area outside as she thought of her next steps.

She could wait the rain out in the cave, but by her very nature, Kaja needed to move. She could brave the rain and try to make her way to the town the man had mentioned, very likely finding trouble in the form of cannibalistic bandits or whatever unexpected threat the town possessed, but it seemed a better choice to her than simply waiting around the fire. Making up her mind, she fixed her sword upon her person once more, and walked out of the cave. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the rain. Her first order of business was to find her pack, and then search for where the town would be.


[System]
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Race: Otter Faunus
Weapon: At the center of Beryl's combat abilities is an elegant sword named Stream, a beautiful curved blade that appears to glisten in the light much like it's namesake. With a golden hilt inlaid with aquamarine gems, every inch of the blade evokes the image of a current of water flowing through the air. The silver blade curves towards the very end and is inlaid in an archaic Mistralese script. As if to further evoke it's namesake, strands of gold from the hilt crawl up the sides of the blade, blending into the metal blade like rapids in a stream.

However Stream is not just a pretty weapon, with the simple press of a button the blade extends into many small pieces connected by a thin string of carbon nanofiber. In this form the blade is akin to a whip, that Beryl is capable of expanding and contracting at will. If the sword form of Stream is a strong current cutting through the rapids, the whip form is a whirlpool of water devouring and capturing all that lies in its wake.

The final trick up Stream's arsenal is the ability to infuse it with dust rounds adding an extra layer of versatility to an already formidable and beautiful weapon.
Specialty: The lack of a gun form consigns Beryl to a mid to close range assault on enemies. While for some this might be tricky, Beryl is capable of navigating the center of the battlefield with ease. Through the use of her semblance and weapon she is capable of manipulating the flow of enemies whether through ensnarement, redirection, or a myriad of other tricks. In this way Beryl keeps the battlefield more manageable for her team and ensures their continued success.

However if crowd control isn't required, Beryl is more than adept at inflicting large doses of damage thanks to the lacerating effects of her blade or the dust rounds stored within. Thus if need be Beryl can quickly chop individuals or crowds of enemies down as she cuts through the battlefield. In this way her high damage output can make quick work of particularly troublesome opponents.
Semblance: Aqua Vitae - Beryl is capable of detecting water as well as controlling it in a telekinetic fashion. This flows well into her usage of Stream as she coats it in a thin sheet of water while in segmented form allowing for a much finer level of control than would otherwise be possible.
Personality: Like water, Beryl is one who goes with the flow of life, she tends to be a little laid back and easygoing allowing each day to flow on past. However while she may be rather relaxed, one should not confuse this with a lack of conviction, push too hard in one direction or another and Beryl will push back just as hard. The strength of her conviction can perhaps be best seen in her tireless crusade against injustice. Beryl is the first to fight for the oppressed and defend those she sees being trampled. The one thing that Beryl can not stand is injustice and engaging in such deplorable acts is the surest way to acquire her wrath.

Much of Beryl's hatred to injustice comes from her upbringing as a rather devout follower of the Church of Mistral. She strongly believes in the church's calls for charity, tolerance and courage. As such, Beryl often applies such teachings to her daily life and thus treats all people with the same level benevolence and kindness. In fact it is not uncommon to see Beryl praying before battles or looking towards her religion for guidance. Ultimately, Beryl's religion is a very fundamental aspect of her core being.

Of course none of this should dissuade the notion that Beryl is deprived of fun, on the contrary Beryl greatly enjoys life and all the fun it provides. In terms of hobbies she greatly enjoys listening to music on her Sonee Strollman, which possesses a vast library spanning many genres. In addition she greatly enjoys swimming and spending time in the water, as well as travelling across many different locales. As one could probably surmise from the aforementioned, Beryl is a lover of the outdoors.
Something of an odd quirk that nobody seems to know how it became such, Beryl can be absolutely clueless as to the effect some of her actions can have on other people. A particularly low moan, extensive stretching in less than loose clothing, a full body hug. Absolutely zero clue about certain effects on others.
Color: Aquamarine
Emblem: A streak of aquamarine in a sort of thin "S" shape.
Appearance:

Somewhat on the taller side at 5' 10" Beryl is usually seen wearing loose athletic clothing, blue jeans and a black T-shirt being the most common. Instead of the ears that most Faunus have Beryl has a rather muscular tail extending from the base of her spine that is the same glossy black as her hair.

[User]
Talking to Yue

After washing up, Gren was still hungry. He returned to his dorm to get out of his armor and put on some casual clothing. Despite being a big, beefy boar faunus, Gren liked to think he was a fashionable person. That being said, he didn't really dress up fancy or interesting. Khaki pants, black shirt, and white sneakers. And of course, The God Eater on his back. Gren had a special harness he could wear underneath his shirt that would magnetize the God Eater to his back, and Gren could control the output of the magnets through his systems. Gren combed his hair and flossed his teeth before heading out towards the cafeteria. With any luck the lunch line won't be too long and today's meals would be good.

Gren entered the cafeteria and mad a beeline straight towards the lunch line. There was a limit on how much food he was allowed to take, so he only took as much as he was allowed: two sandwiches, a side order of fries, an apple, a bottle of water and a bottle of soda. Leaving the line he was already planning his second trip when he spotted a strange creature. Something he never thought existed outside of story books. A mythical being that all have heard about, but have never seen. Until now. "IT'S A MAID!"

Gren checked his breath. He took a bath and flossed his teeth but he didn't brush. He cursed himself and had to make due with minty gum. He adjusted his clothes and straighten up his weapon. Gren was a it nervous that he didn't wear his armor or even his uniform; now he just looked like some armed thug who had walked into Beacon. Still, this opportunity wouldn't be here forever. He had to strike hard and fast, and this time Gren was confident in himself! No weird come ons or pick up lines. He just needed to introduce himself, get to know her, and maybe introduce her to his friends. "You got this Gren. You've taken on bigger challenges than this. Man up! Release the beast!"

Gren walked over to the maid, clearing his through to get her attention. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

[Assistant]
Shuai Taidan - Team KNVS (Sticky Situation)

Picture the image. Three dashingly handsome men (a hunk with rippling muscles, an aristocratic gentleman and a cute pretty boy) and their female sidekick are descending into the depths of a darkness known colloquially as a hole. Freeze frame. Ignoring any possible Freudian imagery, take a gander at what this unfortunate series of events has lead them to. A deep, dark hole. Crimson-eyed spiders, their numbers rivalling even the years of an oriental emperor's reign, emerging from the void. A thick, white fluid that would stick to every part of their body like hot glue on figma (which, excusing the Freudian imagery, can be better described as incredibly adhesive webbing). Team KNVS is frozen in this shot, about to meet what was likely their doom.

It is usually at this point in a manga where the previously mentioned abilities of one of the cast members finally comes into play, having previously used them for what seemed to be unnecessary and comical purposes. A Chekhov's Gun, if you will, a dramatic principle named after the famous Russian writer himself, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (29 January 1860 - 15 July 1904). "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off." Thus it was certain that one of the members of Team KNVS would find a way out of this ... sticky situation. After all, they had abilities that could be used.

If they didn't, then why would they have been included in the signup form?

Press play.

Heat and light explodes underneath Shuai Taidan, prettyboy extraordinaire and resident pyromaniac. Wind and fire wheels, the Rongquan, are attached to his black boots. They serve multiple purposes, from makeshift lighters to decoration, but their intended purpose if that of utility. Flames, like those from the thrusters of a rocket, enveloped the ringed weapons, spurting downwards at the webbing to singe away at the white.

A weapon to save him from the webbing, one would assume.

But what of his teammates?

That was why such an assumption was incorrect! The wind and fire wheels were more than just weapons! They were tools that assisted him in his ability to perform as a Huntsman (despite his feminine appearance) of all sorts of nasty creepy-crawlies!

They allowed him to fly.

Like the Nevermore from earlier in the mission had unfortunately learnt, Shuai Taidan was very much capable of flight. In fact, the skies were merely another domain to him. Another world for him to frolic in. A mere Trap Hole was nothing to him! In fact, you could say that he had activated his Trap Jammer, discarding fuel in order to do so! What could webbing do to him ... if he wasn't touching it!? He would not allow the spiders to ravage his flesh. That would just be unacceptable!

But what of his teammates?

Santouliubi. A romanisation of 三頭六臂. A reference to the three-headed, six-armed form of the Marshal of the Central Altar himself. A colloquial term for those who are 'superhuman'. The name of Shuai Taidan's semblance! Freeze frame. Behold the ethereal arms emerging from his back as if he were an eastern deity! Six in total, like the Third Lotus Prince! The manifestation of the prettyboy's burning soul, a power that allows him to multitask in any situation! Arms that could knit clothes! Arms that could hold his groceries while he searched for his wallet! Arms that could grab others with ease!

The same arms that killed the Nevermore would be the arms that would be able to save his teammates!

Two arms per person.

Varius, Noelle and Kiran were each grabbed tightly around their waists by these powerful semblance arms! Two per person! Holding tightly as if their lives depended on it (which it sort of did)! All in order to escape the fate that was the hole!

Press play.

Fire burns downwards. Shuai Taidan grins. He flies upwards like a rocket on his way to Mars. His teammates follow suit, held within his powerful semblance. But the red planet is not his destination. No, his destination is one safer than that! The sky! An atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen, and was slowly being polluted by industrial byproducts such as sulfurous oxides! Yet a death via shitty air was one far preferable to death by spiders! Even soulless Grimm spiders!

The hole is escaped. But that isn't Taidan's only course of action!

Chongli awakens. The speartip opens, and the napalm floods downwards into the hole. It burns hotter than even the flames of his wheels, for napalm can generate temperatures of 800 to 1,200 degrees Celsius (1,500–2,200°F)! Water, in comparison, burns at 100 degrees Celsius (212°F)! Water evaporates upon contact with it! It's adhesive, sticking to anything in its path! And its burning releases carbon monoxides, which are very, very bad to breathe in, which is why Taidan has been wearing his gas mask all day long!

And it oozes down into the hole, towards the webs, towards the baby spiders, towards Ariadne.

Excessive amounts of napalm pumping towards the enemy.

No, it isn't excessive.

When dealing with a threat to mankind, one must do their best at all times. Otherwise, there isn't a gold star on your report!

It's fortunate though that the Grimm are soulless husks, because otherwise all the napalm falling from the skies into the hole could be classified as a war crime!