[System]
Age: 42 (Appears Early 20's)
Gender: Female
Breed/Species/Type/Lineage: Vampire

Physical Description:

Talents:- Immortality
- Enhanced strength and agility
- Enhanced Senses
- Healing
- Experienced with firearms and blades
- Vulnerabilities: fire, sunlight, decapitation, and stakes

History:During the Vietnam War, Kaori's father (American) met her mother while deployed. As the war came to an end, the two were married. He moved his new wife back to the United States where Kaori would be born and raised.

In the aftershock of the war, Kaori and her mother suffered mild discrimination. However, it was the emotional trauma suffered by her father that began the family's decent into poverty. To cope with his PTSD, her father became heavily dependent on alcohol and struggled to provide for his family. Although her mother tried, the stigma surrounding her heritage and her own ignorance of American ways made it very difficult for her to earn any type of substantial income.

In her teenage years, Kaori turned to illegal activity to help her family survive. She began in petty theft, and eventually branched out to drug distribution. She continued this line of 'work' into her early adult years, until one risky deal went poorly and nearly cost Kaori her life and lead to her 'change' into vampirism by a being with a similar heritage to her own. While the first year of her vampirism was difficult, her mentor provided guidance to help Kaori to use her new talents to enhance her old life. She quickly sharpened her skills, and became a sought after ally in criminal circles.

Her talents earned her enough money to support her parents until their eventual death, after which she relocated and eventually settled in New Camden. She now occupies an elegant loft apartment and loans her skills to the highest bidder. Although she has done jobs for members of the council, she did not work for them exclusively.

Over the years, she has had few valuable relationships and friendships as they typically end poorly or in violence.

Psychological Profile:Due to the nature of her work, Kaori doesn't exactly hold to any strong morals. However, she has common sense enough to think carefully through her actions so as not to compromise herself or the supernatural community. While she isn't opposed to taking a life, she also doesn't murder recklessly as she resents the notion of being little more than an animal. Because she came to the country feeling like an outsider, she's always been a bit of a loner and doesn't confide much in other people. A very deeply buried part of herself aches over her constant loneliness, but it's unlikely that anyone would ever get close enough to her to discover this weakness. Also, Kaori has grown to admire fine things and detests the notion of poverty.

Possessions:-Vietnamese kimonos/robes inherited from her late mother
-A small arsenal of firearms
-Collection of valuable blades from different areas of asia

Yes, and:Kaori crossed paths with Gray Conover one dark night when she was fulfilling a request given to her by the council. When she arrived, she found her prey being hunted by an unlikely predator. From the smell of his blood, Kaori suspected he was human. She lurked in the shadows until the job was done, studying the brave human's methods...and memorizing his scent.

[User]
Rikive shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Yes, Beth." She answered, opening her eyes again and looking over to the spirit. "Do what you have to and I'll ask Autumn to do the same. If she isn't already doing it." She said to her before turning to the others. "Alright, I guess we don't have much choice." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"To the warehouse we go, but this time we are going to have a plan and we are going to stick with it." In fact, they were going to have to make a few plans, of course not in the presence of their new vampire 'friend'.

[Assistant]
Not, as it turned out, a warehouse in the traditional sense.

Rather, it was the Schloss Holzberg, a manor home built in the 19th century by an industrialist that built the place in the German style, with turrets and rounded staircases, and much wrought iron. In 1907, tragedy struck the Holzberg family and ownership, through the will, reverted to a foundation that tried to do good works with the properties it inherited -- there was the name Holzberg on a library in Dorset, there was a symphony hall downtown with the same. Try as the Foundation might, however, the house itself was unattractive to buyers. The house was built of good stone and mortar and resembled more a castle than a city home. The house had occupants, renters, once in a while, but they did not stay very long. There was always a bad reputation attached to the place that clung to it like old ivy. The Foundation tried to turn it into a residential treatment facility, but the high rate of patient abuse and suicides and overall poor performance by the facility caused the city to shut it down; it was a scandal. As a result, the place lay abandoned for a decade and a half.

Lying on the outskirts of the city, it was part of Holzberg Park, which shared less of the reputation for terrible things than the abandoned manor, but the reality was that Holzberg Park was a place where particularly sadistic vampires did their hunting, as it seemed to pick up more than its fair share of people with mental illness, living homeless, particularly after cuts were made in the 1980's to mental health institutions. The park itself had a leering, too-dark aspect to it, as the branches of trees along the bike and jogging paths seemed to hang down menacingly; by day, it was a muse for local artists, for night it was a place for hookers and drug dealers to ply their wares, and for drunk people with pre-existing illnesses to howl at the demons in their head.

That was what the group was walking into; a place of wrought iron fences tipped with spearpoints on top, gargoyles that leered down, stout wooden doors and narrow windows set into towers.

[User]
Parry had tried to be patient with Tony and the others as they left the bunker deep underground. He really had. But this... this was beyond absurd.

The onesie, while infantile, was still made by Calvin Klein, so he could in fact be caught dead wearing it. See also the Crock shoes he wore dangling from his feet. And he could suffer through the Huggies, seeing as they were all part of the facade in the first place. The baby sling around Tony's shoulders was uncomfortable, but it worked for transportation purposes.

It was the fact that even as an adult Parry's mind and mouth had a tendency to wander, leaving him babbling on completely without a cause or care in the world during their drive here, that made Tony reach into Parry's bag and (much to Parry's surprise) remove a pacifier before shoving it in Parry's mouth. That had set Parry in a cross mood for two reasons: first, he didn't like being told (much less forced) to shut up, and second, his beloved bag should only ever answer his call. Why had it responded to Tony?

He didn't have long to contemplate that fact since they parked the cars outside the Holzberg manner and stood awaiting the night's trials and tribulations. Parry shivered just looking at the place. He might not be a fully grown angel any more, but the spirits here were far from settled and the place stank of raw magic. Anything could be inside those gates- werewolves, witches, even Russians- and Parry wouldn't know it.

"Fow the wecowd," Parry grumbled after removing the pacifier, fidgeting in his sling as he looked up at Tony, "baby fat makes a bad human shiewd. I won't stop any buwwets coming youw way."

Which gave Parry an idea, if a small one.

"Can you weach in the bag an' get me a mawkew? I can't cut off heads, but I can stiw dwaw wawds on you guys."

[Assistant]
Flint turned off the engine to his car and opened the door, standing outside too the view of the twisting manor that they were here to investigate. Flicking his cigarette butt on the floor, he walked over to the boot of his car and removed a violin case from within, he then went to the van to meet with the group.

"What the hell are we doing here again?" Flint asked, going for another cigarette as he clicked his fingers to a flame, placing the violin case beside him. He had been here before, quite a while back now. A few vampire cases here and there, he wasn't pleased to be back. Too many 'modern gangsters' in recent times. Nothing like what Flint used to be, no style, no honour and no respect, and they couldn't shoot for shit.

"What's the Plan?" He asked Rikive as he leant on the van, smoking his cigarette leisurely. If it was his decision, he would be going in alone. Using the knife on his belt to quickly and silently take out any guards that stood nearby, when he found what they where looking for he would either pick it up or if it where too heavy to simply take he would use his air manipulative powers to raise it a few inches from the ground and glide out of the manor.

[User]
Rikive stared out into the park, looking into every shadow, crevice and nook she could. Searching for hidden enemies that were waiting to ambush them. She was brimming with energy again and ready for another fight. It was amazing the difference resting for a few hours could make. That and eating as much food as she could before they had to leave.

So long as she didn't have to use her magic to bring someone back from the brink of death, she was good to go.

Rikive resisted the urge to sigh when Flint posed his question. They had already gone over this, but Flint had been pretty intoxicated when they were planning."You really should cut back on drinking." She suggested, pulling a marker out of her back pocket to give to Parael.

"We're going to going up to this place quietly." She explained, holding out her hand for Parael to draw the ward on. "We're going to split up and scout the place to see if anyone is home. We meet up again in no less than fifteen minutes, report our findings and then we'll head inside. Of course if there are guards we'll need to coordinate an attack. No one is going off alone though so pick someone to watch your back."

She turned her head to look at the woman that brought them here. "I'll be pairing up with Kaori."

[Assistant]
Splitting up didn't sound like the greatest of ideas. But both Beth and herself scoped out the place as best they could. But the place was restless with previous events. Such places were not locations that Autumn wished to visit. Their wild card was out of commision wich was both a good an bad thing. Always the business woman the group thankfully did not saddle her with the toddling Celestial.

It was only natural that she and Gray would team up. Them already having worked together it made sense to go with tried and true. This time however she was not going in unarmed. While not as well equipped as her friend she had brought along some firearms with at least some stopping power. Upon the offer of wards she had to stop and think about it. Most of the time she avoided them on her person as they could disrupt her guise. But given how little they had together she took out the marker and handed it to Perry. "What wards do you have in mind?"

[User]
Gray stretched and yawned as he climbed out of the car. Leaving his shotgun on its sling he slipped his mask on again. "I'm all game for the plan but what exactly do you think is in there? It helps to risk your life when you have some clue what your looking for otherwise this ends up being a hunt for a questing beast."

The manor was quite large and he couldn't tell from here if there was an active power source inside or if it was running dark. With its history it could very well have cameras inside and a security room. This would all go faster if they could figure out what's inside and get out. There was something eerie about the place. The gargoyles on the roof were certainly part of it. Their textures seemed too realistic and detailed. Clouds rolled across the sky like swarming phantoms. It was going to get wet.

[Assistant]
The ride over had been trying for Kaori. Gray's smell was too provocative for her to be in a small space with, and the scent of the lycan was foul. It was like spraying perfume over body-odor. Most of the ride she spent holding her breath. She was extremely relieved when they arrived at the small castle.

Kaori could almost taste the anxious energy radiating off of the group. She didn't blame them. To someone unfamiliar with Holzberg manor, it looked like something out of a horror story. The property wasn't unfamiliar territory to a vampire. Although she and her kind never ventured inside the building, the park was a popular feeding ground if you had a taste for the macabre.

She lowered herself from the vehicle, now clean and fully recharged. Her shirt had been obliterated from the struggle, so she had tied the dark robe around her torso. She imagined she looked more like a doll this way, delicate and unlike the beast that had nearly ripped their hunters throat out. But that was the nature of a vampire, to lure with charm and devour with ferocity.

"I'll be pairing up with Kaori." It was obvious Rikive meant to play babysitter.

"I'm flattered," she sarcastically responded.

As the others offered their hands forward, Kaori crossed her arms casually in front of her chest. She meant to make the action unnoticeable. In the same way they didn't trust her, she didn't feel inclined to trust a group of rebel kidnappers.


[System]
Title(s): Ajax the Greater, Bulwark of the Achaens.

Class: Lancer

Gender: Female

Birth and Death Dates: unknown

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Catalyst: A fragment of her shield.

Personality: A silent, slow speaking warrior, who hides her intelligence behind a facade of being a muscle head. Slow to anger, but fervent in action, she matches the description of an unstoppable wall often used to describe her. She is however, very prideful, being confident in her own abilities, and not without good reason. A warrior of deep burning passion beneath calm icy exterior.

Bio: The great Greek warrior that followed Agamemnon to siege Troy, large in stature, second only to Achilles himself, but only in being faster than she was. In the Trojan war, she fought off many opponents, even almost beating down Hector himself, if not for the intervention of the gods. Such was her might, that she managed to hold off an entire army by herself, wielding only an enormous pole.

However, when Achilles fell, Odesseus won the rights to his armor, which Ajax resented greatly, thinking he had tricked her out of her rightful prize. For indeed, in her mind there was no one else who could truly say they were strong enough to truly be worthy of Achilles' armaments. Foolishly she turned to drinking, and deep in her cup, slayed a flock of sheep. Feeling remorse and regret at what she had done as well as the dual dishonor upon her, she fell upon her own sword and took her life.

Weapon: Spear and the shield, or she might use the sword given to her by Hector after their duel.

Parameters:

Strength: A

Endurance: B+

Agility: B

Mana: D

Luck: D

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: C
Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

Personal Skills:
Bulwark of the Achaens: -
A personal skill derived from the feats she performed, it allows for her to utilize her usual fighting methods under incredible odds, powering her up the more dire a situation is. As the Bulwark of the Achaens, she was expected to be the 'Shield' that protects all of Greece. Thus, with all the expectations of her to 'Protect', she boasts high defensive qualities normally.

Eye of the Mind(False): B
Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Projectile (Spears): B+
Without accounting for her own strength, allows for throwing objects with force rivaling modern weapons in destructive power. When throwing "spears" in particular, a correction is made.

Battle Continuation: B
As someone who can be stubborn as a mule, it encompasses her sheer bullheadedness and unwillingness to die even if she was killed on the battlefield. Being too stubborn to die sounds exactly like her, many of her comrades would agree.

Noble Phantasm:

Name:Rho Aias

Title: The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens

Rank: A+

NP Type: Barrier

Range: 0

Maximum Number of Targets: 1

Description: A bronze shield covered in seven layers of oxhide in its normal form, an absolute beast of a shield that many would describe as something Ajax would carry around like a wall. Indeed, with her large stature and its size, it has been used before by Ajax the Lesser as cover, while Ajax the Greater would simply defend him. Even in its base form it possesses immense defensive power. When its full name is released, it can be projected as a large shield with seven petals or seven layers, each having the defensive power of a fortress. A conceptual item that becomes an absolute defense against any projectile, though it may still be used defensively against other sorts of attack. Unless you were the absolute brute that Ajax was, who can and will use it to smash enemies. Especially against throwing weapons, it is extra effective. The shield is synonymous with Lancers body, so it will regenerate over time as long as she still has life. Conversely however, damage done to the shield is reflected on Ajax herself.

The original of the Rho Aias a certain archer copied, and thus far stronger than the fake.

****

Name: Glory of the Unconquered

Title: These Unblemished Hands Grasp Victory

Rank: D

NP Type: Anti Unit

Range: 0

Maximum Number of Targets: 1

Description: The undefeated, the unconquered, not once had Ajax been beaten upon the field of battle, nor was she wounded even once. A staggering feat especially considering the Siege of Troy was one the gods took special interest in. Having no assistance from the gods, she performed outstanding feats, almost defeating Hector himself up to holding back an entire army armed with only a large pole. The only one to defeat her was herself and her sorrow.

Her strong desire to be the Shield of Achaea along with her feats of never being reliant on the Gods evolved into a form of grudge. It is a curse that crystallized as her body itself, becoming a distant mimicry of a blessing of immortality. It is incomparable to a gift given from the Gods, but still is a burden of the body. A condition of the mind and body that raise her damage resistance significantly as a form of purge defense. As well, a portion of damage received is converted into magical energy and stamina. After all- Ajax is never "injured". Even if harm is inflicted on her, it is to reach an inevitable victory.

Name: Frederika Bernstein

Title(s): None

Appearance:

Her family's crest lies upon her chest, and the Command Seals just above it. She tends to wear loose clothing, and short skirts.

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Rank: Cause:Open
Her official rank as far as the Magus Association was concerned, granted as a way for them to encourage her to be more involved with them. While she has good mastery over her family's craft to warrant this title, she does not do well in other fields, and thus this rank was little more than just a title.

Objective for the Grail: "Why am I in this? I just want a quiet life!"

Command Seal: An equilateral triangle separated at the middle point of each line, with a point at only the right side of each broken line.

Personality: Seemingly the stoic, silent type, she was more shy than anything else, unable to really muster up the courage to speak to more than one person at a time. Even then she would just as likely to deflate trying to speak to them. However, this did not mean she was submissive when it came to something she believed in, being rather headstrong if she truly believed in something, nor will she simply give up if she believed she needed to do something. A headstrong, but rather shy person, this would inevitably mean she tends to run off on her own. This did not mean she was averse to cooperating with another however, just that she finds it hard to even speak to people. If she truly needed to, she can and will work as best she could with another, though she still might find it hard to even speak to them.

Bio: Her family had always been the reclusive types, though they were known to the Mage's Association, thus she had lived in Germany for as long as she knew, learning her family's secrets and memorizing all the different rituals, the techniques involved in the rituals themselves and even how to condense them. After that, she was supposed to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors before her; travelling around the world to find more to research and assimilate into their craft. They believed that some day they will be able to reach the Root should they manage to fabricate a ritual that allowed them to do so.

Considering her family's goals, she did not really engage in anything much that was exciting, like a mage versus mage duel and the likes, until she encountered Executors hunting Dead Apostles. Even then, her involvement in that incident was limited to sheltering the Executors and devising traps for them to use.

Perhaps it was just as well, for she, like most of her family, had no real interest in getting involved with the politics of the outside world, much less the politics going on in the Mages' Association. Until, of course, she travelled to America, seeking to research and catalogue the shamans there, and got inevitably pulled into a Grail War without even realising it.

---

Magic Circuit Switch: A water droplet falling upon a pool, rippling outwards.

Number of Magic Circuits: C

Quality of Magic Circuits: A

---

Elemental Affinity: Water

Magecraft:
Formalcraft: A variety of Formalcrafts, ranging from ones passed down and recorded from ancient times to ones the Bernstein family had developed themselves. A simple one could simply be taking a bundle of hair, invoking a name and blowing upon them, while the more complex can take up to a day in incantation alone. One of her best rituals involves absorbing all the prana in the environment and amplify it for further use, depending on what else she drew upon the circle. More often than not, she would usually use that to power something else, though that was rare, considering her relatively peaceful life. Due to their focus in this, her family had streamlined many of these rituals to be far less time consuming, allowing he to enact even more elaborate rituals using just a few people or even with just herself.

General Magecraft: The basic of the basics.

High speed aria: Allows for faster casting, especially in her family's craft.

Item Creation: Due to their focus, it was hard not to dip into this area considering the myriads of rituals that involves making or enchanting an item.

Curses: Many rituals also involved these sorts of things, like hammering a straw doll tied with the hair of the target of the curse with a large nail. Thus, she has knowledge of this as well.

Crest: Near a thousand years old, it was mostly a collection of rituals, transcribed from foreign grimoires, lists of improvements and a few practical spells like Gandr. Thus, it acts mostly as a library of information for her when activated. A catalogue of spells and rituals her family had collected over generations essentially. Has a portion of its library sealed off. It was no trouble for her to unseal it, but there was several of her ancestors who went mad after unsealing it, before sealing it back with a warning to never open it. It became a sort of a family tradition that the crest would be inherited with words of warning about that sealed section. Trying to access while it was still sealed only gave her a warning and the words "That is not dead which can eternal lie."

Weapon: An Azoth sword, fashioned to look like a 14th century style cruciform sword, with the gem in the hilt. It becomes a sword only when it is activated, otherwise, it will be a gemmed hilt with no blade. A jade bracelet, designed to generate lines out of whatever she fed it, whether it be into specific shapes or just plain lines, or even just be lines she can control and manipulate.

Exceptional Benefit:
Support Magi- 10 average magi follows her, subordinates that served her family. Some are here to exchange their services for learning some of their long list of rituals.

[User]
Lancer Ajax
Downtown->Forest[

---

"Lancer! A Servant wants to play in the forest! They're a Rider, their stats aren't too impressive but I'm sure they have a trick up their sleeve!"

"It doesn't matter." Ajax stood up, a slight smile on her face. "It is a fool move, but one I can respect."

Finishing the rest of her drink, and some food, she headed for the window, before carefully grabbing her Master. "Let us answer this call, and see who may be bold enough to issue such a direct challenge. Do not worry, I will protect you should there be treachery, Master."

The sheer speed at which she travelled allowed them to reach the forest in a relatively short amount of time, as Ajax remained in her spirit form. It was easy enough to find the challenger, as they weren't trying to hide, but indeed was broadcasting their location brazenly.

Seeing the stranger in armor, she set her Master down, before materializing entirely, revealing her massive armor-clad frame, bigger than even the statuesque gorgon of another war. Perhaps the black giant of that war would have towered over her, but in this there seemed none that could even match her size.

"I answer the challenge." Was all the words she offered to the challenger.

But... Instead of readying her armaments, Ajax simply spread her empty hands, perhaps a show of bravery, perhaps daring the challenger to attack her. Or perhaps it was a challenge to see if her opponent would meet her in bare handed combat.

[Assistant]
Hua Mulan, Forest Area, Sundown
Cosmos@GreenGoat@floodtalon

It's about time.

Rider expects a country inferior to hers to have some sort of redeeming quality, that they would be much bolder and punctual when facing a challenge from another more directly.

Sad to say, she was expecting too much. Nevertheless, better late than never I supposed.

"You're a big guy, This should be fun." She smirks and cracks her head after seeing the absolute unit before her.

"Truth be told, My master sent me to go hunting despite the frigid weather and quite frankly It's not my style to pry on other people's business and never did like straying far away from home. So, I decided an open challenge in the middle of this field to those who are willing." She said, oozing with such arrogance and moxie attitude of a proud warrior.

"I don't know what class you are, but it matters not. I'll level with you, seeing you graciously accepted and trouble yourself coming here." Responding to her opponent's challenge to a fisticuffs, Rider happily oblige and performs a swift and fluid movement of her arms and post a stance, seemingly uncommon with the western part of the world, or is it?

"I'll be your entertainment for this evening, Let us talk with our fist and fight with honor and chivalry," She said, harnessing the flow of nature, being one with the earth itself.

"before we begin, Would it be foolish to know the name of the warrior who stands before me?"


[System]
Alias: Svent,Mr.Svent, Mr.S, Cas, Tribunal Svent, Legate, Legatus.
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Species: Eclysian, a Mostly Human in look Race, But Feloid features such as Ears, Tail,sharp but durable nails.
Occupation: Commission Agent of the Collective.
Residence: Elciazia, It is a Lush Green planet protected by Large energy fields, with observation bases owned by the governing military. In Short, for easy comprehension, like Earth, but a lot more vegetation.

Physical Description: Cassius stands at 6ft, 200lbs, as such, has a bit of stock in his legs and hips, broad shoulders with decently scrawny arms.

He has rather moonlit fair-skin, Dark Lines seemingly branded through his body, but no impression is left to imply scarring.

Hazel Green eyes, dark eyebrows, dark chocolate colored hair. His hair is well groomed, giving and impression he seems to respect himself to seem neat and tidy. Sharp white canines.

Felinoid ears that seem to bend and turn sideways, quite large, and expressive. Slight dark circles under his eyes. He has a few scars on his forehead and his cheeks, and one on each side of his temples, in a vertical slashing pattern.

Lastly, a tail, pretty self explanatory.

Personality: Cassius is an inquisitive man that tries to review forensics of a situation to best assess what to do, in this sense, he typically leans in favor of cold logic, but this does not mean he is entirely heartless, in fact, he can come across as fiercely passionate in a situation that requires a definitive decision between the collective he may be working with. While facts might outweigh personal reason, he does try to seek a middle ground for others in the act of fairness.

Outside of cold logic, he is quite sassy and will often have backhanded remarks to others, not always to berate them, but to humor if he can. Humor at times helps him show a sense of humanity, in places where he is otherwise apathetic. Some would argue, his apathy is his greatest strength when he has to hard commit to a situation or contingency plan, it lets him detach from reality of something that might otherwise be a horrible situation.

But when not stuck in the heat of danger, he tends to focus on the needs of others, this aspect of him gives him a submissive outlook to those who he is interacting with; mostly out of concern for others. To him, every cog of a clock must function, if one does not function, he sees that the integrity could be compromised, so he intends to make sure everything is accounted for. To him. every teammate is a limb of a body, to sever tendons would hinder progress, and a slowed body, is a unhealthy one in the field.

When Addressed negatively, he drowns it out, he does not care for it, he cares for results.

Abilities and Equipment: - Cassius wears a set of armor in the field that is space worthy, as well as amphibious. It's well insulated to even repel radiation, comes equipped with emergency shields, Scan visors, and a wrist mounted launcher that shoots energy in a small concentrated ball.

On hand, he typically has a Gauss Rife that has both an energy component, as well as a Kinetic component, he stands to reason that some shields are easier to piece with metals than it is energy, easier to pierce some hides or flesh in a flash than it is to expend needless energy.

Oh hand, he has a small drone that flies around, in some cases tethers to others to boost, or grant shields, to tethers down enemies to restrain them in a stasis field. Typically the drone is mounted to his back.

For Melee, he has a collapsible two handed beam sword, while it does have a stun component, it is typically more suited for cutting through obstructions, and fleshy beings or surfaces.

 -  Outside of his armor, he wears a thin suit with a harness around him, has a vest around his chest, with lightly reinforced boots, holstering medical gear, mostly first aid resources, and Tourniquet supplies; the downside is, it is intended for humans roughly 4 to 6ft. A pair of goggles he wears over his eyes allow for him to scan things easily too.

History: Cassius grew up in on his home world with his tribe, namely, Cor Vas Svent; his grandfather. The Eclysians are typically a peaceful people, and as such, have peaceful values. And he grew up with the teachings of trying to be readily able to aid and serve in kind of others. At times, he was told of stories of Ancient Earth; a time before the federation... This knowledge was mostly from the fore bearers that were occasionally visited by the collective, and as such he came into contact with this knowledge, their folklore, myth, and religions. Earth fascinated him, and as such had a romanticized version of what he'd never see in his image.

But that was the highlight of his childhood, imagination. Raiders invaded and almost took his tribe overnight, and as the one of the last seven of that tribe, they were known as the Tribunals to the collective, mostly out of fact if they remained, they'd have to govern what was left in the ashes. Reality was, the last of that tribe was mostly alone, the raids continued on their planet, and it was overtaken in weeks. The Collective intervened, this intervention saved what was left of the tribes... out of 70, 12 remained. As the older members were integrated, they were brought to a safe world where they could be nursed, and given hope before being asked to aid them in research. Before anyone could agree to that, the Eclysian tribes banned together to try to form a collective of their own to preserve the remaining families. The Twelve Tribes became the Zodiarchy; effectively a council composed of said tribes to ensure nothing disrupts their creed... For their creed was all that they had on hand of the old world.

With the Zodiarchy established, a Tribunal of each sex, from each Tribe was taken to Xerxes, One of the Collective's bases of operations. Xerxes was scary to the Tribunal for they no idea what the world was truly like outside of their small scope, their vision of the galaxy was forever shifted. To Cassius, the Collective was a Myth for years,A story the grownups talked about, but only later did he really find their purpose. They were an organization of aliens that wanted to act as a relief effort to the universe,to help colonize. While the Collective in Xerxes was large, it wasn't massive enough to have a set of very far reaching hands.

Cassius wanted to help prevent further tragedy, but to do so, he had to take initiative, and that required him stepping into a whole new light. Years of studying technology, grounded forensics to a basis that he could convey easily to others. Learning to become a pillar in trying times, all while trying to find his humanity that he lost from shock, rather his loss of innocence. He didn't want to see others feel as he did, in a way, he didn't want others to understand how he felt. For if they did, it would mean they were in the same boat he was; or at the very least experienced great loss, and that was something he'd want to prevent. He wants to help others achieve peace.

For a while, he was a courier for the Collective to drop supplies, occasionally he would need to participate in combat for relief efforts, which is where some of his inexperienced scars came from. But his progress was good for a man that lost so much, it was his sense of compassion and competence that made the Collective commission him on their behalf to work in his new task... Effective immediately upon Commission Request, Tribunal Svent would be moved to the Aion unit to act as a Pillar of Support, and taking Samus Aran in, Alive.

[User]
@Kazemitsu@UltimoScorp@FalloutJack

David looking over at the feline wanting to become leader of the group, "I think that can work, Let's see how you do kitty cat" He said usually wanting to suggest he lead. However in this case he would have to bite his tongue and let politics take the lead. Reading the information he was given having a worried look on his face, The whole situation was worrying to him because of the innocent lives taken and the devastation of the X. He felt a bit of sweat running down his face, The thought of all of those people's death made him think back to happier time of his life.

"No way she will go quietly unless any of you can talk her into helping humanity, I personally do not think this will happen. In case we do have to use force i have studied her movement, technique and some of the documented weapons she has used in the past" He stated thinking about the flash grenades, and other traps he could use to capture her. Although he is not very good with the diplomatic approach, One thing was for sure he was a apex predator and Samus would be the prey. And the second part of his mission would be to finding some way to ride the galaxy of X and Metroids.

"So let's not waste anymore time and get this show on the road" He said starting to bring the crates of Amber's research materials, her things and his gear into the ship. Although he did not trust being on Kaze's ship as he did not trust that, He would be more comfortable with a federation ship. But for now he would have to swallow his pride and team up with these "Criminals". While he got on the ship finally he thought of the figure that looked like Samus but was not, He swore he could see the face behind the face plate and it sent shivers down his spine. The thought of being infected and a copy of himself walking around scared him, And from what he had experienced he did not want that traumatic event to happen again.

[Assistant]
Kaze just shrugged when Cassius mentioned he was going to be on Kaze's ship. "As I said I'm expecting everyone to be one my ship. It's big enough to handle everyone, has the best defenses of the crafts I'm seeing so far and the heaviest armament." He said before raising an eyebrow when the feline man said he'd take the role of leadership. "That's also fine by me. I'd have taken the position, but the two Feds don't like me so there'd be opposition to everything." He continued on as he brought up his bracer again.

A tap of a button and every member of the group got his information. Essentially it has said what he has done, both legally and illegally, and his 'stats' so to speak. Namely his healing factor, how much damage he's capable of handling without 'shutting down', how much physical damage he can deal, and some of his equipment. Every piece of equipment was high end and very deadly. He classed them as his toys. He had clearly played the get to know everyone game. The only thing not listed was his age, which he filled in as I stopped counting after four hundred years. Whether it was a joke or not, they'd have to ask.

Amber approached, followed by the space marine. She requested to be docked to his ship. "Sure, we'll use your ship as a shuttle to go planet-side. All the shuttles for my ship are single passenger." Kaze said while pointing to a rather banged up ship slightly smaller than Kathrine's. While he spoke he watched the others and noted how they seemed to be tense, but it was after looking at the X reports. He didn't seem to be fazed at the thought of something mimicking him. They could mimic his form, they could mimic his physical abilities, but he doubted they could mimic his tactical thinking. Either way it seemed the group was starting to set out, so he followed suit.


[System]
Age: 39
Sex: M
Appearance: Caucasian. 5'10", thin but not skinny. Dark brown hair cut to about an inch long. Dark brown eyes.
Clothing: Gray collared shirt, black necktie, heavy white lab coat with the Institute's logo printed on the shoulder, black dress pants, black leather shoes, rectangular gunmetal-gray eyeglasses.
Personality: MASTER is a cold, calculating man, who is defined by his ability to separate data from empathy. If he is insane, he doesn't show it.
Background: ???

[User]
JULIANNE LEUNG

Julianne Leung was dreaming.

"You promised me you wouldn't tell!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jonathan, but I couldn't convince anyone what you were saying is true if I didn't have a verifiable source."

"I've lost everything! Oh, my God!"

"That's the risk you take when you become a whistleblower. But the company lost. Punishment is being dolled out. Isn't that enough?"

"No! No! No one will- you ruined me!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jonathan. I had to-"

"You didn't have to do anything! You could have left it alone!"

"...And let their corrupt practices go unpunished? I'm sorry that I gave out too many details. I had too. Nothing would have happened otherwise."

"You stupid...!"

---

Julianne Leung, a well-respected, calculating, if cutthroat reporter lay unconscious on a rubber mat. Her arms ran parallel to her body and her legs were pressed straight together. She wore a white T-shirt that rested un-tucked over a black pair of skinny jeans wrapped around her waist by a leather belt. The jeans stopped a few inches short of her sneaker shoes, so there was a few inches of her olive skin tone between her jeans and her white socks. Black hair was tied into a loose bun on the top of her head.

There was still make-up on her face, including a thin line mascara and subtle lip-stick. Her sleeping features were asian, particularly Korean. Her lips were parted and her belly slowly rose up and down with breath, rhytmically and slowly. Suddenly, through an electric shock from a plate that had been surgically implanted at the base of her skull, Julianne was awakened. Her lids flashed open to reveal two sharp, intelligent eyes that were hazed in grogginess.

The reporter sat up, glancing around at the now awakening people around her. A message came through on a loudspeaker. Male, authoritative, calm, cool, collected, and what sounded like a concerning indifference to human suffering.

Julianne's countanence went from confused and disoriented to worried, then finally, frightened as the message went on. She felt her heart flutter in her chest. Trying to stave off panic, she reached a trembling hand into her right pocket where she felt an object press against her thighs. She pulled it out, to reveal the mentioned fliphone, and her fingers confirmed the prescense of the black card.

What the Hell was this? What kind of sick person would do something like this? Oh, God.

Still sitting down on the rubber matt, she opened up her assigned flip-phone. A name. A face. A human person. Horror dawned on her as she instictually scanned the room, and saw the person she was supposed to...kill. She quickly looked away as to not give herself away. Then, an even worse terror overcame her. She turned wildly, scrambling to her feet.

Her eyes flicked from face to face, trying to surmise which one of these people were being coerced into ending her life. She had to kill her target. It was the only way. Before someone killed her. The woman needed a weapon. She couldn't kill her target with her bare hands, and she certainly couldn't defend herself without one!

Trying to surpress the rising of her stomach, Julianne Leung sprinted out of the room, heading east. Her sneakers padded against the concrete road.

Using the sun and a bit of common sense Jullian dashed to the southeast to find one of these 'stores'. Maybe she could get a weapon to defend herself. She had to get away. Had to. Had to! She cut through the open field and began running to a large structure in the distance that looked like it could be one of these stores.

[Assistant]
E L I

ZAP

Immediately panicked and alert, Eli's eyes snapped open and his muscles convulsed, pushing his body upwards as quickly as they could. From sitting to kneeling to standing in just a few seconds, the hunter quickly found himself in a small, threatening, unfamiliar room, and instinctively he backed into the nearest corner. Crouching down a bit and readying his fists, Eli watched the others wake up and ascend from their rubber mats. He scanned the room quickly, trying to identify the source of danger, but unable to find a clear answer, Eli lowered his guard just a bit as the adrenaline began to subside. A noticeable pain began to emanate from the back of his neck, and bringing one hand up, Eli rubbed the spot where the pain was coming from and found his answer. He brought both his fists up to bear once again, ready to pounce.

Just then, the loudspeaker activated and blared the voice of someone unfamiliar to Eli. It was not a very pleasant voice, cold and inconsiderate, possibly worsened by the loudness of the speaker itself - like it was turned up just a bit too much to distress the occupants of the room they shared. Eli tuned out most of the broadcast, trying to focus on the others - now alert and awake - and whether they posed a threat to him. His breathing had become heavy, and a feeling of claustrophobia swept over yours truly, as the dread of the situation slowly crept into his brain on the currents of adrenaline. A few pieces of information from the disembodied voice slipped through the dizzying fog of panic - they were part of an experiment, had to kill each other, had only a card and phone, and there were stores somewhere in the area.

The broadcast ended, and the doors began to rise, spilling warm light into the cold and mercilessly menacing room. Just as soon as the space was big enough, Eli picked the door on his left, slipped underneath the rising metal door, and emerged on the other side into a shining, small town of trees, grass and quaint buildings, under a cloudless blue sky and a warm sun overhead. Eli was thankful for the peaceful air outside the cramped box he had just emerged from, but these thoughts and the relief that came with them didn't last longer than a brief moment as the adrenaline picked up again, and Eli began to run up the road outside the door he had chosen. He didn't stop to ask questions, didn't stop to figure out which direction he was going (it was North) and hoped to not stop running until he was too exhausted to panic.

[User]
Any small trace of her grogginess had quickly dissipated the minute Olivia was shocked into a conscious state. She was immediately alert, her mind scrambling for an answer as she slowly took in her surroundings within the odd room. A few other bodies lay scattered there with her; the majority of them, if not all, were waking up just like she was, and they had the same confused look on their face. But given the current scenario, who could blame them?

Where the hell am I? she thought to herself, propping up on one elbow before an authoritative voice came on through the loudspeaker, its unexpected presence startling Olivia. She listened quietly at first, but the longer the man spoke, the more unsettled she grew. They were supposed to kill each other...kill or be killed. Olivia obviously wasn't the least bit happy with either option, but she knew what she had to do in order to survive. When it was announced that each of them had been microchipped, Olivia felt around the back of her neck to verify, and sure enough, the bump from the alien device in her body was there as announced. A lump formed in her throat, momentarily paralyzing the young woman with fear as instructions on how they were supposed to proceed were explained to them. With a shaky hand, Olivia reached for the phone that had been given to her. She opened it and immediately saw the notification informing her there was an unread message.

Olivia looked at the name, followed by the picture, and finally her actual target.

Card, phone, microchip. Get my items, kill me target...

As soon as the doors slid open, Olivia got to her feet and sprinted out of the room. The others did the same when they scattered as soon as they were able to. Not knowing whether she was being followed or not, Olivia rushed down the path with some trees on her left. She could see something off in the distance, a small speck. Maybe that's where she needed to go—maybe it wasn't—but she couldn't sit around and contemplate a decision.

[Assistant]
Wes Tower awoke with an unpleasant jolt that left his fingertips buzzing with electricity. For a moment he found that he couldn't move from his straight backed position on an uncomfortable mat. After a moment he managed to relax enough that he could sit up. He felt his heart beating painfully in his chest as he took in the unfamiliar room. Other people were looking around, confusion and fear written on their faces. He noticed a metal plate on the neck of another person in the room and reached behind his head rubbing the same area. Sure enough his fingers met the hard metal.

Something was very wrong here. He flinched when he heard the static of the speakers come on. He listened intently his heart speeding up with every sentence. The world around him seemed to dim in comparison with the man's words.

Kill or be killed.
Kill or be
killed.

Kill
or be
Killed

Should kill myself first.
They are all here to kill you.

He had to shake himself physically to stop the thoughts. He patted his pockets- doing his best to take deep breaths. He could smell his nervous sweat. He pulled out the card and phone promised to be on his person. He glanced at the name and at the photo and located them in the room. They seemed worse off than himself. Maybe you look wose. Can they tell? Don't let them. They are all after you.

Can you even do it? What did they ever do to you? What did any of those people ever do to you? It hurt to breath. Clearly he was here to do this job. The man... he chose him to do a greater good. Perhaps these people were sick?

Do I need a weapon? Wes didn't have time to think this through as the doors opened with a harsh buzz. The person he was watching ran out- so did all the others. He sat there for a minute begging his heart to slow down before standing and heading out. He blinked against the beams of light from the sun. He glanced down the road seeing nothing but grass and a corn field. Clearly whatever place they were in was huge.

I might need a weapon. I can go three days without water. Three weeks without food. Will this last three days? Wes struggled with his options. Finding supplies or tracking his target from the get go. He licked his chapped lips and decided to follow the corn.


[System]
Alias: Kaze, Juggernaut
Age: Ancient
Gender: Male
Species: Dragon
Occupation: Mercenary
Residence: Wherever he pleases, has numerous little hideouts and caches.

Physical Description:
One of the first things noticed about Kaze is his immense size. He stood at an intimidating eleven feet tall and looking like a professional weight lifter without steroids. Or as some people liked to say "He's built like a Capital ship." Normally after they hit him once and they hurt themselves. Covering his body is a natural armor, surprisingly malleable plates and scales that seemed to harden on impacts. Attached to his shoulders are a pair of giant wings with terrifying claws at the joint that act like a second pair of hands. Lastly he has a long tail that's strangely agile and prehensile.

His coloration is interesting. His "underbelly" is a royal purple, along with the membrane of his wings, while the rest of his body is jet black like space. His eyes glow slightly and are a deep crimson. His horns, spikes, claws, and teeth are all completely white despite his age. Lastly if you see the inside of his mouth it glows a dangerous looking green right down into his core.

Kaze doesn't really wear normal clothing. Instead he has a long kilt that's dark red with a golden boarder. Holding it up is a steel band that's a foot wide and three inches thick with a glowing core where the clasp is.

Personality:
Kaze is basically the gruff old man of any group he's a part of. He's incredibly blunt, preferring to keep things simple and short. Has a low tolerance for fucking around on jobs if he's in a group of mercs, he's actually known for offing partners who screwed around way to much and nearly ruined the jobs. Another way of saying he's a professional and hates amateurs who think they're billy badass and play with targets.

On the flip side if he gets angry his more animalistic side will emerge. This normally rises up when he's injured or something has severely pissed him off. The results are...messy to say the least. He abandons weapons and lunges with his natural weapons. Some call it a berserker mode and it's best to steer clear of him when he's in this state.

Equipment/Capabilities:* Herculean Strength: His body doesn't show the actual level of strength the behemoth has.
* Acidic Contents: Within his body is a dangerous balance of chemicals that make incredibly potent acid. He can spit this acid in a stream, a mist, or a glob. Each 'mode' has a different level of force. The mist having none but the best coating. The glob is like getting hit by a truck. The stream is strong enough to knock you off your feet but not enough to cause major harm...aside from being acid.
* Inhuman Regeneration: As the name suggest his body heals at a higher level than is normal. The lesser the injury the faster he heals, although death still can come for him. It's just a lot harder than normal.
* Micro-grenades: Marble sized orbs of metal packed with high explosives. They look unassuming but can turn an unarmored human into bloody chunks and bone shrapnel.
* Tesla-Gun: A dragon sized pistol that shoots out beams of pure electricity. It has three modes of fire. Spread, a ten foot cone of electricity arcing around. Focused, a thirty foot stream of lightning. Concentrated, a solid beam of pure electricity, acts more like a laser.
* Sonic Bombs: Like his grenades these are marble sized orbs but they send a shockwave of sound instead of an explosion of heat and metal. The shrill sound even penetrates dirt up to twenty feet down.
* Ancient Firearm: By today's standards this gun is primitive. A long metal tube with a wooden stock and a rather large drum magazine. It's a dragon sized shotgun and can hold fifty rounds in the drum and tube combined. It has a maximum effective range of one hundred feet. Maximum damage is within twenty feet with numerous shell options. His favorite are Doomsday rounds which would destroy his gun if he hadn't reinforced it heavily.
* Overdrive: Despite his distaste for technology he has an implant that sends his adrenaline gland into overdrive. This boosts his strength further, increases his movement and reaction speed, and almost nullifies his ability to feel pain. It doesn't last long and needs almost a full day to 'recover'.
* Aegis: A powerful full bodied energy shield. It can handle quite a bit of varying damage before it gives way. After not taking damage for a brief period it starts to recharge again. The cor of the shield is the 'buckle' of his belt and can be destroyed.
* Multi-Destroyer: He can't carry his whole arsenal despite his strength so he has a general weapon that can change to do multiple things. Pieces shift and move to make an axe or a hammer, both of which have a jet to increase the power of the swing. From the hafts bottom he can fire out energy blasts for medium to close range.

History:
Kaze has a long history, most of which he doesn't really care to remember. History is history, no one will learn anything from it except that he's a monster in combat. His youth is so far back he honestly can't even remember it since he has filled his life up with so much of everything else. When he's asked his history he just has people look at previous wars and skirmishes fought and lets them work it out from there.

Currently he's figuring he'll do one last job before retiring and it's a doozy of one. Locate Samus Aran, galactic famous bounty hunter who has repeatedly screwed over the space pirates plans for a long time. People were also saying she was somehow the last metroid, but that was probably just rumors. He had met the woman and she didn't look like a jellyfish to him. Either way, he had decided this would be the last job unless Samus herself actually requested him sometime down the line. Assuming she's even alive that is. Girl had spunk, but that wasn't a guarantee lifesaver.

[User]
@CAS1006

[David was giving him a sort of death stare form behind his helmet, Hearing Cassius words angered him that he was grinding his teeth that he could hear it. The nerve of this cat thinking he is better then he was, "What a hypocrite, Thinking he's better then me, I was just doing what he thought was right to get some sort of security up" He thought to himself silently dealing with the cat's comment. "Will do...boss" He said but sounding more like a mumble, Letting himself being scanned and was glad he was not infected so far.

When he was let go by the field he quickly made his way to be side by side with Kaze, "See anything so far?" He asked the large dragon. He's tone sounding a bit more quiet but he was still the gruff son of gun like before. Scanning himself wanting to see if their was anything ahead, Readying his flamethrower and was thankful he didn't rage on the cat because he would have killed him if his family was insulted.

While exploring with Kaze he swore he could hear a female voice beckoning him, "What the hell? It must be my mind playing tricks on me" He thought shaking his head and laughing. The voice sounded quite familiar to him and the voice itself made him want to tear up, However he did not think he was crazy but their was some guilt and despair in his mind. Their was something obviously haunting him.

[Assistant]
Amber's stare did not leave the screen when she answered Cassius, who just entered the control room with Vale.

''Sorry to say - but most of it is bad news. I could only access a few turrets outside and prop them back online, but most of them seem to be fry or destroyed.''

As she kept on speaking, she brought up a different window on the screen. It seemed to be a rough blueprint of the bunker's inside, but it lacked information.

''Parts of this control panel are broken and cut off from the main unit, so I don't have access to the inside defense systems. I know that some of them are offline. Finding and turning the power back online would fix them, but...''

She looked back at both of them, as everything that could be accomplished on this computer had been done. ''From what I got here, there's no way of knowing if we'd be recognized as threats or no. I,d need access to the Main Controls, which is way deeper in this Bunker. That is also most likely where we will find the information we came looking for.''

Amber's helmet extracted back out of her armor as she did one step towards Vale. She saw what she was capable of outside, and did not find the time to be impressed at the time. She was now, though. Never would Amber have believed she'd be one of the big guns along with David and Kaze. ''That is one impressive suit you have, Vale, I have to say. It was quite the show outside.'' Her smile was hidden inside her armor, but the tone of voice betrayed it.

[User]
Zen glared silently at the altercation between David and Cass. Because no violence broke out, he did not need to take any action, but he was prepared for some form of 'Break it up!', if necessary. He was also maintaining contact with his ship in order to observe the effects of their arrival without the use of an exterior camera. The gunship WAS his exterior camera, and so he could see that the desert-variety Serris were still around the door right up until the few operational turret guns came online. One was caught by surprise and had its head blown to pieces, causing the whole of the creature to revert to a viscous floating gel that was incased in a translucent hardened membrane. With this no-longer-burrowing creature flying about, the turrets were firing at a near-constant pace. This only made the other creatures more inclined to burrow and attack them directly, though. Even as they progressed, the turrets would probably all be destroyed, especially since a few other fauna of the planet - more than likely X-copies of the things - were starting to show. He could see things that were large and shelled insectoid creatures, and at least a few other winged insectoids, as well. Scanners about the ship which caught their movements confirmed. They were X. They were attracted by all the noise. Nothing to be concerned with yet, but it did prove that the planet was infested.

Time to return to the matter at hand, now that everyone was checked up on and their next move known. The needed to secure this facility to some extent and locate the main computer chamber. Kaze and David were on the whole 'patrol and secure' end of things. The rest were either finishing their check-up with Cass or getting ready to move on. So, the first thing is that Zen connected to all of their data systems and gave them a basic overlay of the bunker's layout. He had requested it going in, since it was a Federation facility, and had received it for use to make the first part of their mission easier. This was the last time that they would be able to get such intel so easily. From here on out, they were on their own, on that front. Now, they were in the main entrance/garage. All vehicles that had been used around here were wrecked beyond repair. From here, it seemed that a command/communications area was upstairs and connected to the observations area where they had been watching BSL Station and SR-388. Obviously, constrols and the data in question could also be accessed up there, provided there were no connection problems to the main computer. However, as something had ripped through this place, to the point where some hallways were positively thrashed, going for the actual mainframe seemed wisest. It was built right around the main power station for this complex downstairs, sunk underground with the machinery that dug into this area in the first place. Because this place was obviously still intact, no explosion or meltdown having occurred, the main computer they wanted to access must be usable, the data they came for reachable.

"I will attempt to find a working station along the way to ascertain the full extent of damages to the facility. It will be important as we move towards our objective."

And with that in mind, we must move on to the results of David and Kaze's sweep of the area. At first, nothing, but then the sound of people where there had been none caused a couple of far-off rooms to open, and for a few creatures to shuffle on out. They were going to find a number of these wherever they found humans. Whatever they were before infection, the Federation referred to these soulless remnants, these shells of what was once human, as mere zombies.

[Assistant]
Kaze moved slowly and silently through the hangar. If anyone looked at his eyes they'd wonder what the hell was wrong with him. The crimson orbs were swiveling independently of each other and yet he was moving just fine. Much like a chameleon would. His tail seemed to act like a third limb, casually moving crates out of the way and damaged parts of the hangar. His ears were perked up and also swiveling, clearly hunting for any sound as he walked.

When David tromped over an ear swiveled towards him before returning to shifting and moving. He was already used to the mans footsteps within seconds and was tuning them out. "Nothing yet..." He said, his multi-toned voice strangely muted. It seemed everything about the giant was built for hunting. It was only a little while later that his ears folded back to the sounds of gunfire, but it was outside. They must have gotten something to activate but it was drawing attention to the bunker once more.

Shortly after that rooms began to open up and purple beings in rags started to come out. "We have contacts." He said over everyone's communications. Bringing his gun up his eyes focused fully on what was in front of him now. That ominous chuck ching of a shotgun being loaded rang out to David. A squeeze of the trigger and the blast that erupted from the ancient looking weapon was surprising. It had enough kick that it made Kaze skid back an inch. The results though was that four of the zombies were obliterated and the doorway they were coming out of was blown inward as if plastic explosives had been detonated.

"This is why I take point." Was all Kaze said as he shifted and set his sights on another cluster of the purple monsters.


[System]
Age:
25.

Gender:
Female.

Race:
Human.

Nationality:
Ferelden, from the Frostback Mountains.

Occupation:
Templar ambassador to the Grey Wardens.

Equipment:
- [Full Templar armor and attire, with a winged helmet and varied robes to indicate rank.]
- [A large Templar kite shield accompanied by a dwarven-crafted Templar officer longsword: a parting gift bought for him by his prior platoon of Templars before he moved on to become the Templar Ambassador to the Grey Wardens.]
- [A Templar's lyrium kit, with the wooden carving hollowed out to conceal lyrium sand.]

Biography:
Clara Almeida was born in the mid-upper regions of the Frostback Mountains located to the east side of Ferelden, where her family had been a part of a semi-isolationist village which traded extensively with Redcliffe Village, providing unique meats and spices from the mountain in exchange for commodities such as warm clothes and crops produce that couldn't be grown in the three-season snow. At the time of Clara's birth the village was at the tail end of poverty and hardship as significant illness had struck its residents, in turn preventing them from hunting and hence trading for essential supplies; the chain of events continued until the village was left entirely with the sick and lame. After a failed attempt at helping the village by a group of volunteers from Redcliffe Village, the volunteers pleaded their case to the local Chantry, who investigated the matter and concluded that little could be done in such a late stage. The Chantry sect decided to save who they could, and took all those who could survive the trek down the mountain or could be carried, such as infants; luckily enough, Clara was once such infant.

Clara, orphaned after the passing of her village when she was no older than 7 months old, recalls her first memories within the walls of the Redcliffe Chantry. She never knew her family and frankly wasn't really bothered by it, partly because she never knew any better and partly because she was treated well by the religious brothers and sisters. Although she was considered to be put up for adoption, her hardy constitution and natural physical prowess deriving from generations of her family being from the mountains made her an ideal candidate for the Templar Order, and as such the chantry retained her as a Sister until she could be assessed at a more appropriate age.

At 16 years of age, Clara was formally underwent an aptitude assessment for the Templar Order, and having had her life to prepare for it plus her natural perks, she passed with flying colors. She was inducted to the order and began training for her to commence her service at her coming of age. Over the next 9 years of her service, Clara grew to become an excellent warrior and promising leader, which lead to her promotion to Knight-Corporal on grounds of merit and later Knight-Lieutenant on grounds of merit and the outbreak of the war, where she was given command of a platoon to contribute to the war effort. Throughout her career Clara showed unflinching loyalty to the Order: this contributed significantly to her merit, for a Templar's obedience was more important than anything else; although all of her achievements concealed something sinister, a near-crippling addiction to lyrium which took her as far as regularly snorting lyrium sand on top of standard ingestion in order to avoid withdrawals. Clara experiences significant withdrawals when denied lyrium and if denied it entirely for long enough, there's quite a daunting chance of it leading to her death. As of current she acknowledges her addiction and expresses a desire to prevent it getting worse, but she has no intent to begin taking less lyrium.

Recently, after a successful streak of leading her platoon in the war, Clara was reassigned as an ambassador for the Templar Order to the Grey Wardens. Command for the Templar Order recently and reluctantly concluded that such a means was necessary in order to preserve good relations with the wardens contribute to the good of the realm, on the grounds the ambassador would not flinch in their duties to rid the realm of the likes of apostates and abominations. Clara was nominated for the job by her Knight-Captain and later accepted, on the grounds of her outstanding service record, her unflinching loyalty to the Order, her suitable personality, and her severe lyrium addiction which would be used to manipulate her need be. When the news was broke to her platoon, the platoon contributed minor portions of their pay individually to collectively buy a dwarven-crafted officers longsword for their leaving platoon commander as a parting gift, which now acts as her sword of choice.

Clara now journeys with the Grey Warden Nolan Halwic, who was the next best thing to a perfect partner: a Mage who respected the need to rid the world of abominations conducting peacekeeping operations in sensitive areas. The two get along well, going about peacekeeping - in war-affected areas in particular - with Clara acting as the primary liaison to the Templars and Nolan as the primary liaison to the Mages.

[User]
Watching the two members of the Inquisition jump as if they'd just entered the fade without realizing, Nolan suppressed his amusement - figuring this was not the best time to laugh at two mysterious individuals he'd just met. Shifting his gaze over to Clara as his companions scrutinized her, Nolan took a few moments to process the dwarf's comment in regards to his staff, looking to the implement which he still held in his right hand - now that they were off the trail, it seemed far less practical to be holding it as he hung his staff over his back instead, keeping his left hand held open, further away from himself now and more toward his companion as he'd warmed himself at least well enough.

As the two commented on his crest, Nolan looked down toward it in a manner akin to if he'd just been informed he'd forgotten his trousers. Studying it for half a moment, he looked back up to the others in time for the woman's comment, shrugging. "Will of the Maker, perhaps?" Considering the fact that neither Clara, the woman or the dwarf had made any effort to murder one another yet, Nolan figured that perhaps the situation was safe and took a step or two forward to stand alongside her, as opposed to the defensive position he'd held behind her. As the woman began to explain herself and the dwarf, he'd raise an eyebrow. "Inquisition, hm?" He went for a moment to make some snide comment about how it was odd that the Inquisitor's will was to kill Templars, but then he remembered the actual purpose he and his companion were there, and he shut himself up.

Deciding to take it upon himself to provide the explanation for their being there, he glance over to Clara, figuring she'd fill in any gaps he left out. He was about to begin when the suggestion was given by the Orlesian, Nolan giving another sidelong glance toward Clara, not even bothering to suppress his amusement at the notion as he let out a hearty laugh. "Mage and Templar? That sounds like something out of Hard in Hightown." Continuing to utter a few brief chuckles at the notion, Nolan would eventually gather himself, and continue with their explanation. "Well, myself - Nolan, by the way - and my companion here, Knight-Lieutenant Clara, are, or rather - were - here for some..." He paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Aggressive negotiations."

Glancing toward the cave-in once more, Nolan cleared his throat. "However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind." While he hadn't exactly explained the specifics of their overall goal, he felt he'd explained enough for the time being, after all, he hadn't exactly lied at all...

[Assistant]
@The Kraken@vFear
"However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind."

Flint let out a deep bellowing laugh, the body shaking display of humor literally causing various beads interwoven into his beard to jangle noisily against his metal breastplate. He immediately liked the mage, or at the very least was doing a somewhat convincing display of acting like he did. "I like the way this one talks." Flint spat in a hushed tone while giving a sideways glance and toothy grin towards Erika. The brief look only lasted a second but in that amount of time Flint was able to get across to Erika that he indeed saw no threat from this random pair-likewise he quickly studied her expression well aware that she had reached a somewhat similar conclusion. It was the unspoken bond rarely seen in partners that had worked far to many high risk jobs together in the past.

After laughing over the implausibility of the two newcomers being a pair the man who Flint would come to know as Nolan went on to more properly introduce himself. "Well, myself - Nolan, by the way - and my companion here, Knight-Lieutenant Clara, are, or rather - were - here for some..." He paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Aggressive negotiations."

Glancing toward the cave-in once more, Nolan cleared his throat. "However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind."

After listening to Nolan Flint let out another toothy fit of laughter as he was prone to do when his mind began to formulate mischievous ideas.

Reward.

Reward.

Reward.

The words echoed within his head as he quickly spoke up in response. "Reward, eh? Everyone knows a dwarf can appreciate a man wanting his well deserved reward. Am I right, Erika?" he asked rhetorically while getting a nod in confirmation from his companion. "What if I could offer you both an even bigger reward though?" He slung his shield over the makeshift prongs on the back of his armor, the small protuding pieces of metal allowing him to neatly keep his shield clung to his back. Likewise he dropped his mace between a similar looking contraption on his belt, the inverted slots of metal allowing his mace to fall into a wedge of sorts that kept the deadly weapon secured tightly against his hip.

Making his way over to Nolan far faster then his little legs should have been able to carry his metal encased body Flint slung his arm over the man as if the two were old friends, the odd sight looking even more comical due to Flints small stature. "So Nolan, names Flint by the way-big fan of the wardens-Who isn't though, amiright? Anyways, what if I could offer you all an even bigger reward? Me and my friend here well, we are both quite the, uhm, how did you put it?" He paused momentarily locking eyes with Nolan while sporting his infectious toothy grin. "Aggressive negotiators. And it just so happens we have quite a bit of...uhm, negotiating to do with some undesireable types that have recently opened up a mine here." Using his large stocky frame Flint spun Nolan slightly so the odd pair was now facing Clara, Flints beady hazel eyes locking place with Clara's metallic visor in a way that garnered her full attention. "A lyrium mine. And we could always use another hand or two when it comes to negotiations-after all as I'm sure you know meetings of that sort usually get pretty heated. Perhaps we could arrange something that benefits all four of us? After all we do work for the Divine herself." Again Flints eyes particularly lit up when mentioning the Divine to Clara, as if trying to make her feel like it was her duty to help out.

In all honesty Flint just wanted to lessen the chances he would be the one to take a fireball to the face today.


[System]
Real life:
Age: 16
Appearance:

Birthday: September 29
Personality: a rather laid back kind of guy in real life who easily gets dragged into things and is often seen as having no backbone because he rarely says no to requests. He only takes his hobbies seriously and even then he just wants people to have fun with him.

Bio: Being the youngest of three children, Aoto had some things to live up to...but he decided that an early age that instead of trying to outdo his siblings, he would do his own thing and try to find his own happiness that way. He came across VRMMO one day, at a suggestion of a friend when looking for something fun to do and instantly got hooked. There were expectations for him in the game true, but he didn't have to stick with them and there were so many ways to go about it. He stuck to the path that he liked the most, paladin, and before he knew it, he was at the top of his class.

In Game
Avatar Name: Bonum
Avatar Title: White Knight
Appearance:

the wings and halo are only shown when he uses Holy Light.

Class: Paladin
Signature Move/s:
Light Speed: A major speed boost for Bonum that allows him to attack multiple times in a matter of seconds.
Holy shield: Not really a shield so much as a major defense boost that lasts for awhile after being used.
Divine Intervention: An invisible shield that can be called at the last minute to protect someone from a devastating blow.
Rejuvenation: Fully restores HP and MP
Cleanse: Heals the status effects of him and those around him.
Holy Light: A light shines down from above as Bonum ascends for a short period of time to unleash a devastating attack of holy light (kind of like a laser beam).

Avatar Bio: Bonum got to where he was because he can't say no to heartfelt requests from NPCs and players alike. Need your child saved from crazy cultist? Bonum would save them. Need help finding that mystical treasure in the spider infested cave? Bonum would be hacking and slashing right there with you. Getting bullied by other players? Bonum would stick up for you. And if there was a problem Bonum couldn't overcome, he would grind like crazy till he could. His desire to be strong to do the good deeds he promised to do worked well with his Paladin class and he quickly and steadily rose through the ranks to get where he is at now.

[User]
-------------

"Here it is..." Food-kun said, standing in front of a cave entrance.

It was a pretty basic dungeon, one known to many players, yet it didn't attract many people. The monsters were moderately tough, but they didn't drop much. It was, however, odd that the cave seemed to house many different kinds of monsters from the area, and was hence dubbed 'The Chimera Dungeon'.

The monsters inside were only moderately tough, and they dropped a decent amount of change but seemed to have a lower chance of dropping items. The Chimera Dungeon lacked the bigger monsters, like dragons and giants, so it wasn't a dungeon frequented by high-level users. However, low-leveled players might find it tough. Amidst the foxes, wolves and deer, there might be the odd minotaur that would show up and completely ruin their day.

Food-kun strode in, as he had been doing in recent days. He strode through the dark halls, ignoring the small monsters, which ran away from him. He also ignored the relatively big monsters, hidden in the darkness, which also ran away from him. Almost no monster would willingly go near Food-kun because of his magnificent fighting spirit and fearsome reputation amongst monsters. He strode calmly through the dark cave, ignoring all the monsters. They almost tripped over themselves running away from him if he walked closer, but he never tried to touch them.

A group of mid-level users were challenging the dungeon. They were fighting monsters in a stone chamber. But they were surprised when the monsters they'd been fighting so hard (2 ogres that came out of nowhere) suddenly stopped in fear and sprinted in the other direction. As the party were confused, Food-kun sat in the darkness behind the doorway, wondering where he was going. He soon realised that he'd made a wrong turn at the last fork and turned around. The ogres, detecting his presence disappearing, reappeared to continue fighting. However, Food-kun's hand flicked out behind him, launching deadly projectiles. As the ogres roared a new challenge, his wooden skewers shot through the ogres and embedded themselves into the stone wall behind the monsters. The ogres' health bars fell to 0 from 65%. As the party milled about in confusion, Food-kun navigated the dark passages silently.

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

"Oh, I'm here." Food-kun said.

He put down the map he'd been reading and stopped. In front of him was what appeared to be the remains of a rock slide, but Food-kun knew better. There was an illusionary wall at the side, and a completely dark passageway. He went in without hesitation and navigated the dark tunnels. Soon, light could be seen, and Food-kun emerged in a grassy clearing.

He was in a large, circular cavern that had a large hole in the top, which let sunlight in. The cavern floor was mainly grass, with a small ponds here and there and little copse of trees at the edge of the cavern. It was about as big as the property of a rich guy where he puts his mansion, or maybe a bit smaller than a rich guy's personal golf course. Damn rich people.

Around the middle of the cavern, there was a shabby looking wooden construct with an ornate but old wooden sign, which read 'Monster Café'. It was surrounded by large tree stumps, around which small stools were placed. The 'wooden construct' was technically a building, but it was rather shabby. Shabby would be a light word for it. It was like the construction was done by the hands of slimes, and it actually was.

As Food-kun walked to the 'building', shaped emerged from the woodwork. Slimes! Soft and squishy, they were low levelled-mobs. There were higher-levelled slimes, of course. They were often huge and had interesting shapes. However, these were relatively small, about the size of a deer. Furthermore, they had no form and were basic colours. They were simply purple and orange slimes. Clearly they were low-level monsters. Food-kun could make any low-level monster faint by staring at it for too long, but these didn't. Food-kun didn't want to harm them, after all. He had a reason for coming here.

"Blup blup. Look, chef is back!" The purple slime said.

"Yay!" The orange one cheered.

"I swear, this place just keeps getting better and better." Food-kun sighed.

The derelict café was pretty bad when he first found it, but every day he came back it seemed to get a little worse. Maybe that was just the passive corrosive properties of the slimes, or maybe it was just because it was old. The slimes were stupid, and things were constantly breaking.

"Thank you!" The purple slime said happily, not getting Food-kun's obvious sarcasm.

"Nevermind…" Food-kun muttered quietly, opening his bag.

He deposited a bunch of wood, as well as carpentry tools.

"Food-kun, what's that for?" The orange slime asked.

"Just watch." Food-kun said.

He began to renovate the small shack. Food-kun didn't have the carpentry skill, but pretty much anything would be better than what they had now. Besides, his exceptional handiwork, dexterity and strength made it easier and faster. After around 20 minutes, he'd run out of wood. Now the shabby wooden construct was a pretty damn good lemonade stand. At least it made for a decent shop front.

It was all straight now, and it had a certain sheen to it, but there wasn't too much artistic quality in it. He didn't have the sculpturing skill or the carpentry skill, after all. It was built quickly and it was structurally sound, but it lacked art. Nevertheless, it was a lot better than it was before.

"Wow!" The purple slime exclaimed.

"It's so beautiful…" The orange slime said, sniffing.

Certainly, it was basic, but it was practically sparkling. Food-kun was doing the finishing touches when a black slime appeared from inside.

"Huuah, hum." The black slime said, yawning. "What's this?"

"Morning." Food-kun said in greeting.

"Oh, Food-kun!" The slime said happily. "Thanks for coming, I'll go make you some coffee. Blup blup."

Food-kun looked after the black slime as it left to make the coffee. He was rather conflicted about it, really. He had never tasted better coffee, and he would've drunk it at every opportunity, if he didn't know where it came from.

In fact, it was that very coffee which made him work with the slimes in the monster café.

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

Food-kun had been exploring the Chimera Dungeon by himself. Eventually, he'd found the rubble. He was about to bust it down when he found the illusionary wall. He went through it and found the clearing. There'd been a group of monsters in the middle, but he didn't know what they were doing. As he approached, the monsters all growled at him, but once he entered combat, they all ran away.
Food-kun was exploring the old building but there was a cup of nice-smelling coffee left on one of the stumps. Food-kun took it and drank it. He didn't know what to expect, but he didn't expect it to be good.

"This is really tasty." He'd said.

"Re-really?" The black slime had said nervously.

"Yup." Food-kun said, draining the cup.

"The scary human liked it!" The purple slime said, emerging from behind the counter.

"Say… The orange slime said cautiously, also emerging from the counter. "You're a chef, right? Could you help us?"

"...I'll help you." Food-kun said after a pause.

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

"Done." Victor said, wiping his forehead.

He had just finished re-furnishing the kitchen. Wood was a safety hazard, so he used the stone he brought instead. He put tiles on the floor and cemented (whatever passed for cementing, anyway) them together. He also got a better stove and oven, and he replaced the derelict cupboards with some new ones. He stocked the pantries with food from his own inventory and it was just about ready to go. Lastly, he installed the sink which he bought.

"Looks great! Blup blup." The black slime said, entering the new kitchen. "Here's the coffee!"

The black slime held up a neat white cup full of steaming black fluid in its hands (kinda). Food-kun hesitated slightly before taking it. He took a small sip and the flavour seeped into his mouth.

"Thanks." Food-kun said.

"Glad you like it! Blup." The black slime said happily.

Despite where it came from, it was still good coffee. Possibly the best coffee. But Food-kun could make it better.

"You got more ingredients?" Food-kun asked.

"Yup! Big bag! Blup blup." The black slime said, holding up a sack labelled 'coffee'.

"Alright, good." Food-kun said, stretching.

"They're coming!" The orange slime yelled from outside.

Food-kun drew his kitchen knife and prepared a chopping board. He took the bag and put it on the counter. The slimes tensed as a large crowd of monsters came in from the holes in the walls. Food-kun got ready to cook and the purple slime flipped the sign on the store front from closed to open.

"Time to get cooking." Food-kun said, grinning.

[Assistant]
Nacht was unaware of the disagreements the others were having about his words and actions, and even if he did he wouldn't have cared. After he had finished making his piece, the Night's Emperor received an important missive from a player in the Black Cowls.

The rest of the message contained the list of traitors and their associated guilds. Frankly, he wasn't surprised. It wasn't as if many of them would reach the upper echelons of his organization. Nevertheless, it was bad if more and more turned up. Even the smallest of ants could cause a nuisance.

Nacht decided he would come up with a solution later. Just as he exited from the message, Datze had teleported the group into another area. Leave it to that man to do as he wished. It further irked him when he took command, but he acquiesced since he was the one leading the quest. Any other time would have been a different matter entirely.

As the Dragon God explained the plan, Nacht changed his outfit with a flick of his hand. No longer was he wearing his magnificent armor and cape, it was replaced with simple leathers that made him look more like a sellsword. However, his face still remained obscured. Though he was not wearing his iconic helm, he had replaced it with a bandana covering the lower half of his face. To the others that never had seen him in such clothing before would be surprised to learn of his young appearance, sharp gold eyes, and black hair.

"Datze, I'm a little disappointed in you. I can do far more than order NPCs around," he said amusedly. "Bonum, what is your plan? Please don't tell me you're simply going to ask people to aid you out of the goodness of their hearts?"

[User]
"Oooh, that sounds really interesting," Hime clapped excitedly. "Hey Gray, we get to be on same team, fun huh?" she said to him, smiling brightly. She then turned to Datze and joked, "You just can't stay away from me, can you?"

She was glad that she could be useful in the quest. She was all excited to go, but quickly she realized that she didn't know where the guy that apparently had the journal was, and waited for Datze to take the lead. She waved goodbye to the rest of the group, as they separated to complete their tasks.

[Assistant]
Bonum rubbed his head at Datze remark. It was hard to tell when Nacht was being serious or not, being such an avid roleplayer as he was. But he didn't have too long to be embarrassed by it before they were teleported off to Dural. Bonum visited the city often helping out with a few requests, he enjoyed the city even if it was as generic as they came. When told to equip something less conspicuous, he quickly searched his inventory and changed his white paladin outfit for a low-level dark grey one. Then he was told who his partner is and turned to Nacht.

"Well Nacht, there's only so much we can do incognito. But you should know as well as anybody how far a little charisma can go. But in case asking simply doesn't work, you and I have money, and I have a few items that might be useful with haggling with a few knowledgeable people. But if you have a better plan, then I am certainly all ears." He told him with a shrug. "I will suggest we check in the library and the marketplace for info before any other though. That's where knowledge and rumors usually reside."