[System]
Gender: Male

Role or Title: Former Slaver/Human Trafficker

Appearance: In his mid forties, Trask has not aged well, with scars and age-lines forming a maze across his features. His blue-grey eyes defy his age, shining from within weathered, sunken sockets. Simple clothes sit beneath a long leather coat with heavy duty boots adorning his feet. Aside from the long grey hair, tied back into a ponytail, the major feature of Trask is the scar on his right cheek. A gnarled sigil had been deliberately cut into his flesh and burned, the sign of a former slaver. The people who had branded him, his former slaver colleagues, had also taken all four fingers on his left hand, down to the palm. Despite his age, Trask has great reflexes and combat awareness. However, due to the life he has led, he walks with a limp.

Weapons: To compensate for the loss of the fingers on his left hand, Carrigan has commisioned a gauntlet made of hundreds of steel tesselating plates and sheet steel. The glove is heavy duty and is used almost as a shield, to deflect blows and open an opponent up for counters. To compliment his gauntlet, Trask carries a straight edged, double edged, rapier. Despite being only an inch and half across and almost paper thin, the sword is strong and capable of punching through toughened leather with ease.

Background: Born into slavery, Carrigan's parents were killed by the owners of his family whilst he was only young. As he grew up, Carrigan showed an aptitude for violence and combat. Before his fourteenth birthday, he had taken his first life, pitted against a boy a few years older than him, in a combat arena used as sport by his masters. At sixteen, he was won from his existing masters by a slaver named Balthor Rend. He was thrust into the world of people trafficking and trading. He left an impression on Rend and, by twenty-one, had been freed and made a partner in the slaver's business.

Reasons for Joining the Resistance:After witnessing the aftermath of one of the Crown's raids into one of the poverty stricken areas of the city, he reassessed his life. The soldiers didn't care who they killed, criminal or no. Men, women and children lay slain in the streets, brutalised and mutilated with no mercy nor remorse. He hated the world for what it had become and himself for so callously playing his part. He vowed to no longer be a part of a system that destroys and corrupts.

Notable NPCs:
Balthor Rend - Trask's former owner, mentor and business partner. Rend still operates a vast network of slavers within the city. Rend is now in his early sixties.

[User]
After a while the men had returned to meet with their commanders and Ramia had given the command to the Avar twins - despite her insistence on a second round of patrolling the area the brothers instead decided to keep the morale of the men up and gave them the rest of the night off. They themselves headed to Stillwalker's Fall for few tankards of ale where they would drink until they'd be asked to leave.

Ramia on the other hand made her way to her meeting with the Lord of Swords. When her presence was announced the Lady Crow had politely removed her hat, dropped on one knee and greeted the Lord of Swords very politely before taking her place on the table.

Soon the talks turned in to the matter of dissidents and executions - Ramia's father had been very cozy in these kinds of talks, but then again he had been a psychopath who had gotten away with killing his own wife and eldest son. He had loved the chance of sending out the Crossbowmen to the streets to spread chaos and bloodshed. The black haired woman listened every word with an expression of icy calmness, but at the same time her mind was racing.

When Ramia had been asked a question she pondered the answer for a good while - it had felt like an eternity for her. When she finally spoke her tone was quite cold, but nonetheless very polite. "I could spare you a few squads - though my sharpshooters might not be the best option for quelling dissidents. If the very best of the best men of the Royal Guard Houses are seen spilling blood of peasants, thieves, whores and other such it will first of all lower the morale of the Crossbowmen since they have been forced upon such a task which is in their own - and in my - opinion well beneath them." She stood politely and moved her left hand behind her back while continuing. "As you know, m'lord the Crossbowmen of the Guard Houses have over the years proven their loyalty and skill under the leadership of the House Crow - My house, which has served you and your family unquestionably for generations. Now, please m'lord, take no offense in my words when I ask you; should these skilled men and women who have honed their skill for years be sent to deal with a minor uprising of whores and thieves? Is it a reward worthy of their years of service?"

The Lady Crow turned her attention to the Counselor and continued with a slightly more icy tone - which she would have not used if she had been in any lesser position, or if she hadn't already proven herself to be a skilled and charismatic leader with years of experience under her belt despite being in her early 30's. "Is the House Raven perhaps doing their job poorly? Do you perhaps lack the will to honor our Lord's orders? Or is it perhaps money you lack?" The dark haired woman paused for a moment and actually smiled at the old Counselor like she had just caught him lying. "Or perhaps the lack of money isn't the option after all..."

Ramia lifted her right hand in an apologetic gesture and bowed her head towards the Councilor. "My apologies, implying that the good men and women of your House would be so spineless, disloyal and dishonorable towards our Lord that they'd accept bribes would be most impolite of me. Also implying that the men under your command are badly out of shape and in need of some good training if they are having troubles with what must be a small handful of disloyal curs... Would be most impolite of me."

She took a deep breath and bowed her head towards the Lord of Swords. "My apologies, m'lord - if my bluntness has insulted you. I take full responsibility and accept any kind of retaliation against myself as you humble and royal subject."

[Assistant]
At the fire stood a peculiar young lady, one more fetching then the average wench who scuttled in this unsatisfactory town, timbers tied to there backs and the soot and coal dust prying to there every inch, forcing them to gag in desperation, there lungs dreaming of a day when the former youth and cleanliness of their's is returned to the highest they had seen, like a new born baby.

Instead, Hilde seemed polished. Her cheeks were not particularly rosy and she was clearly not a woman in the prime of her youth, but her beauty perused her even in these middle ages. She kept a sly promiscuous way to her. Her hip cocked to the side, and her eyes showing a fake lust in them. As she watched new face near her she couldn't help but smile, but did well to keep it friendly rather then the ruthless one she used often. He was new here, and he must have money then the average man. It wasn't called the town of rats just because of what she was 'selling'. The streets were filled with urchins and crooks, eyeing anyone they could use to get a quick buck, even if it meant they needed to thin the populous. Hilde and her accommodates were the kings of such swindling, and it was about to show.

Unannounced to Mandis, two more where waiting for him. Both set to run, sharing an equal smile. One covered like a mummy, ready to bump into the man, and rush away and the other drooling old coot ready to give an alibi. They seemed to know what they were doing, and with each holding various tools for the job, they wanted this done soon. Raul wasn't about to let some newbie get the best of him, the 'king of the guttersnipes' the 'master of sleaze', and to him this was just a way for showing people the ropes in town. With a surprisingly stock built man with blond hair and dark brown eyes, his clothes nothing more than burlap and an ax dangling by his shoulder, he walked to Raul and sat a paper down, walking to the end of the alley to watch for others. This was sven.

"He carries some knife, but it looks dull and fragile, not worth taking but knowing you I bet ya will" The man blustered in an Irish accent, slurring words. Raul merely chuckled.
"I don't care if he's armed, tell me about the bags, or money" Replied the other man, only to back down when Sven clenched his fist,
"By the way. I think this man's attempting to find you three. Be weary, it may be another Solvmed incident" Sven dully murmurs.
"As I stated before, those assassins were sent at the expense of perhaps three ounces of silver, no one was trying to kill us, just gambling or enjoying a break with there cash" Raul growled.
Silence follows as they watch the area before them.


[System]
Age: 14

Gender: Female

Nationality/Birthplace: ?

Current Residence: Republic City

Appearance:

Occupation: Student/Babysitter

Elemental Affinity: Air

Theme: Fireflies - Owl City

Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue.

Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi.

The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol.

Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.

[User]
Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times.

"Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender.

Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."

[Assistant]
"Heh... And here I was thinking I finally got away from it all... I was never free, was I?" Katsu asked bitterly, giving a short, curt laugh before looking away. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter do I? My own route was going to be to live how I wanted, but obviously that's not going to happen anymore. Fine... If I have to do this then I'll get it over with." At the very least he supposed he'd do his training if he must, but after that it was back to doing what he pleased. Just because he was the Avatar didn't mean he'd be behaving like a saint, not so long as he wanted to have fun and live as a thief. No doubt there would be complications in the days to come, but he did really hope he could return to that life, or at the very least something similar to it.

Being consoled and told his friends should be able to handle this did little to alleviate his stress; handle it or not the fact remained the same, their lives were going to change drastically because of him. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with the guilt, but he'd prefer to go this alone than drag anyone else along with him. Talent meant jack all when you had no desire to train, he was a testament to that much. How much motivation might the others have, he wondered, once they were made to leave their homes and follow him wherever he went? That was a lousy part of it too, they basically were going to end up shadowing him, whether any of them liked it or not. "They could stay and train... Then they could protect themselves," Katsu suggested lamely, knowing even as he spoke his words were moot. The members of the White Lotus, or what formerly was the White Lotus anyways weren't pushovers; the men they had fought today must be out of practice or something, he certainly didn't think he was capable enough to take on a handful that easily.

The mention of family brought a horrid realization to the Avatar: what had become of his own family? Neither of his parents had any part in this, yet if these people were after him it was only natural they may go through his mom and dad. Fearing for their lives he nearly had an episode when addressing Yakedo about it, feeling a proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders when he was reassured they were okay. Releasing the old man's shirt he nodded his head slowly, managing a faint smile as he closed his eyes, "Good... Good... I'm glad to hear that..." In the state he was in Katsu loathed to face the others, but knowing they had to be informed and given the news he couldn't well put it off. Following alongside Yakedo they made way back to the hut, pausing outside the door and looking at the handle somberly. "No, let me do it. It's my fault they're in this situation, it's only right I'm the one to tell them."

Taking a deep breath Katsu opened up the door slowly, partly hoping that everyone might be asleep and he could put it off. When he stepped inside however he saw all three of them sitting there, feeling himself becoming uneasy again as they all looked at him. Sending one brief glance back at Yakedo he swallowed nervously, closing the door behind himself and forcing a smile as he stood along the wall. "Hey... So uh, about today..." he began, having to avert his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, struggling to find the words to break it to them. "Those people that attacked us, they're dangerous, and they uh... Might try coming after you, which means people might get hurt. So uh... Oh jeez..." Shaking his head disdainfully the Fire Bender let out a deep sigh, rubbing at his head before glancing between Siku and Asha respectively. "You two have to leave home and come with me! I don't even know where we'll go, but we can't stay here. Hiresh is safe, but we can't live in or near Republic city, at least for a while. I'm so sorry things worked out this way," he added, bowing down as he'd been taught as a young boy, holding the pose as he felt his eyes sting slightly again, "You can even just leave me after we get away, that's fine. I just can't let either of you stay here and be hurt because of me, so we have to leave tomorrow."

[User]
Siku nodded enthusiastically, "He will. He's brilliant," She said without a modicum of doubt. The door opened and she beamed at a man she'd known most of her childhood, giving a wave. "Uncle Yakedo, how are you?" She asked. The man gave her a somber smile and replied with a wave, but gave no more. He was going to respect Katsu's wish and allow the boy to speak.

Once he'd said his piece, Siku snorted slightly, a grin on her face. "Yeah, right, and as it turns out, there are two Avatars. I'm the other one," She said, waving her hand and looking to the Grand Lotus. "Hideki has a plan to get this all straightened out, Katsu. No worries," She reassured him, shaking her head, "Besides, you're the Avatar. People can't really run you out of town, can they? They'd sooner move the whole town than you." Her eyes caught the look of sympathy coming to her from Hideki and she furrowed her brow... He shook his head.

"N-no... Uncle Yakedo, we've... We've guards and officers and all sorts of things at that house - nobody would think of coming after us..." She couldn't help but blurt the first things that came to her mind, "What kind of danger could I possibly be in?! Or Asha, for that matter? We were just witnesses! We didn't even know he was the Avatar!" She stamped her foot to the ground aggressively, "Send them here, after me, I'll tell them myself. I'm not afraid of those... Bullies." That was... the dumbest choice of word she thought she'd ever made.

Hideki's face became serious as he stared her down, "That's the understatement of the century, Siku. You're not staying here and you're not staying at home. I'll help you guys get back to your house to get some things and talk to your family, but you're not going to stay in Republic City. Not when nobody even knows who the enemy is. Hell, apparently they've been under me for years and I didn't notice it. So no, I'll not let you be subject to this place. At least if you leave, they won't have any clue how to find you. Here, they can easily surround you and ambush like in the restaurant. Nobody knew anything was going on until you were all attacked - they could do that again, with more people... stronger fighters. They'll learn from these mistakes and not make them again," He explained flatly. "This is not up for debate, do you understand?"

Siku's gaze remained defiant as she squared off with the man... "Ugh! Fine." She looked at Katsu and saw the desperation on his face. It was his fault, she knew that, and he knew that. Pointing it out now would only make things worse. So what did she do? She lied, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, it's theirs, whoever these people are. The world just forgot how stupid it is to piss off the Avatar... And they certainly don't realize how stupid it is to piss me off." She took a breath, sighed, looked to Hideki once more and nodded, "Fine. I need to grab some things from home too, then."

Hideki hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "It might be better if I go alone and get them, I know what you're looking for..."

"No. I'm not disappearing without a trace." Siku glanced to the side, "Sesi wouldn't forgive me if I did, anyway..."

-----

Hiresh remained a silent observer through the exchange. He didn't even know that Hideki was close to their family, but something caught him off in Katsu's explanation. "Wait, wait... what do you mean 'Hiresh will be safe?'" He asked after Siku's exchange with Yakedo. "So it's too dangerous for a talented bender and swordswoman of high esteem, but for a single cop living on his own, it's fine? Look, I don't want to leave either, but... Why am I allowed to stay?"

The Lotus nodded, "You're correct. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have you leave as well. However, I have no doubt the chief will want you helping the force get to the bottom of this, at least here in Republic City, to stop anything like it from happening again. My recommendation carries quite a bit of weight, I'm sure you're not long for guard duty either way."

He then turned to Asha, "Are you okay with this? I'm sure we could speak to the other elders of the island... And even if you're not a master, I'm sure at the very least, Katsu could learn the fundamentals of air bending from you. Nomadic at heart; from the sounds of it, you've been itching to leave for a while anyway, right? What better way than with the Avatar?" Asha's youth made her both the biggest liability and the probably the easiest to convince that this was fine. Not to mention, folks of the Air Nation who were part of any monastery didn't usually have too many problems leaving home and making a brand new one. However, she was young, which meant she might just be as hard-headed as Siku. Katsu had to be ready to deal with either of them, at least until they separated. If they did.

The Lotus looked to all of the people in the room... Children, all of them, even Hiresh in his eyes. "I promise, as soon as we can, I'll find each of you and personally see to it that you're safely returned home. And yes, Siku, we'll go and get your things... Soon. Once everybody's ready to go - we're not coming back here, so... Asha, gather anything you want to pack."

[Assistant]
Asha watched as Mr. Yakedo and Katsu came through the door; Katsu looked rather unsettled as did the older man, but not as much as the boy. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, wondering just what had transpired between the two as they took a walk. Her gaze flickered between all of the people in the room as they talked, things becoming more and more clear with each word.

"So wait...those guys think of Siku and us as accomplices? Yeah...I suppose that makes sense," the brunette said with a small shrug, getting up from her seated position and dusting herself off. So they weren't allowed to be in Republic City anymore because of some Grand Lotus members who turned bad? She sighed to herself before looking at the others and putting her hands behind her back.

Her gaze settled on Hiresh, who seemed a bit put off by being left behind in the city; she certainly hoped he would be able to join them sometime in their travels.

"I'm fine with leaving. Air benders are taught to leave worldly possessions behind and be free," Asha replied with a small smile. She tried to live by those teachings, but there was one possession that she just couldn't possibly leave behind: A plush Catowl stuffed animal. It was her most prized possession and she wouldn't leave without it. She looked over at Katsu and smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was honestly fine with what was happening. Life was constant, so that meant things were subject to change.


[System]
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Description or Image:
Alias/Nick Name: Bob, The Jersey Devil
Background & Reason for Joining: Jacob was just like any other young rich kid who thought they were ten feet tall and bullet proof. Where actions didn't involve consequences, and the whole city was simply a playground. He and his friends would take to the streets daily to skate, or bike, or in Jacob's case, Run all over the city. There were no places safe from Jacob and his friends, and if there was a place they were not supposed to go, they found a way in. They never Stole anything, or hurt anyone, they were simply obnoxious and annoying, and didn't understand the concept of trespassing.

Then one day, a new building was constructed. A big fancy lab of some sort, and it didn't take long for the friends to break in to have a look around. They were creating weapons and things that looked super high tech, but not uniformed like it would be for a military. Jacob was trying on a nifty set of clawed gloves, and spring like boots, and turned to his friends saying, "I'm Catman" when all hell broke loose.

This place didn't play by the rules. There was no, "Freeze.", "You're Under Arrest." Nothin. Two of his friends were shot down in front of him, and none of them made it out that he knows of. Jacob made it out doing what he did best. Running and jumping, and with the gloves and boots, there was nothing to slow him down.

He had hoped to go home and report to his rich dad about what he had found, but when he got there, he found the people from the lab already there. His family, and everything he knew was dead. He quickly withdrew all the money he had access to, and left behind the name of Jacob Richman. Running to Hero City he fell into deep depression and spent most of his nights drinking and practicing his parkour throughout the city with a mask to hide his identity. It was on one of these nightly excursions that he noticed a new building being built. A new lab. Rage replaced depression, and he decided he should do something about it. He stumbled across an odd blog while trying to get a clue as to where he should even start, and figured it was as good a places as any. Champs huh?

Personality: On his good days, Bob is an overly friendly socialite, especially if he's too drunk or distracted to remember his past at the time. He truly seems like a guy with no care in the world, and will give out money and gifts to anyone he meets. He was that guy all the time once, but now, there is a seriousness, and haunting glint behind his eyes, and a bitterness towards the world under his tongue. He can still come across as cocky though.

Powers & Weaknesses:
Parkour Expert, very efficient with other X-Game equipment but specializes in the Parkour.
Jump boots: the boots read the pressure and force of the wearer, then channels extra force back down, causing a bounce effect. The more pressure applied, the more let off, while also buffering the impact from the wearer, allowing them to land on their feet without shattering their legs.
Claws: retractable claw inside gloves that are reinforced with the same insulation as the boots to accommodate impact. While considerable weapons, The Jersey Devil uses them to help him climb, and steer his running.
Mask: and old gas mask modified to have headphones, and protect his eyes and lungs from smoke.

weaknesses:
-slight obsession with revenge against the labs.
-tendency to take too big of risks.
-Still being hunted by the labs for their stolen tech.

[User]
@ShadowsofNight@myinneroblivion

---

As Link took a seat and made himself comfortable on the sofa, he politely gestured for Jacob to do the same if he wanted to unwind. As Manny had no doubt that climbing to the second floor to reach his apartment must have taken significant effort. Turning his attention to Link to answer his questions his confidence in meeting the new heroes grew weaker. Things had not been going well for the CHAMP even since the beginnings of the hero group...he really didn't want to tell that to the new guys the truth but how could he call himself the founder of the CHAMP, or even more a hero, if he lied to his teammates? "Uhh...funny thing is that this is
kind of really what CHAMP Head Quarters is.
 BUT! I promise you all that once we get out of bottom ranking in Rent-A-Hero
®
 and getting a decent reputation, the money will flow and we'll be getting a proper hideout for HQ and even individual vehicles." Manny paused for a good long while before finally getting the courage to say it. "
butfornowwehavetosettlehereandusepublictransporttogettojobs.
" He spat the words out so fast that even a Rap God would have been jealous.

While Manny was talking, Paul finally noticed the lady wearing a jacket and harem pants in the hallway. From his memory, he's never leased any of the building's rooms to a woman like her nor did the current tenants had any relatives or visitors like her. Hazarding a guess, he calls out to the woman. "Hey. You. If you're the last of the three applying heroes for CHAMP, well, just feel free to go in. The meeting already started. I, on the other hand, need to go back to the ground floor and man the laundromat café before I loose any more customers." And with that, the Asian man waves off the growing bunch of weirdos that his best friend was gathering.

Ah. The things he'd do for friendship...

[Assistant]
Starting suddenly at the voice calling her way, Talia stepped said a quick and rushed "oh thank you" before walking swiftly yet gracefully into the room with the other guys. She looked them each up and down briefly, a bit nervously, before saying a soft "hello, my name is Talia and it's nice to meet all of you." She added a sweet smile.

Some of her nerves and shyness was already evaporating because traveling and performing for years had taught her how to break the social awkwardness with groups of people and how to fit in best as possible. It was a facade but.. she was well-versed in it all and the stage didn't care. Her voice was soft and gentle and quite the direct opposite of the man that she'd briefly seen in the hallway. She had seen and known his kind before, but didn't judge. Besides, if this was indeed headquarters, they would be some kind of oddly matched team by the end of this.

Her sharp eyes combed the room and took in the other odd man standing by the window… wearing a kind of gas mask? That was interesting and a bit confusing, Talia thought but again, no judgment, just intrigue as she looked around for some kind of chair to sit comfortably but straight, just like she'd been taught.

[User]
Jacob gives a double devil horns hand gesture in response to Link's, then shifts to sit on the floor in front of the window in a kind of yoga position. As the woman walks in, there is a kind of echoing whistle from inside the gas mask as the blank eyes of the mask follow her for a moment. Not a lewd whistle, just one of appreciation.

He noted the mention that there were only three applicants, so assumed this was it. Once the door closed, he reached up and pulled off the helmet like mask, running a hand through his hair to ruffle it out. The soft echoes of music drifting barely out from inside. "Yeah, most people just call me Bob. Or the Jersey Devil if I'm performing."

[Assistant]
@myinneroblivion@ShadowsofNight

---

Manny let out a mental sigh of relief when the new members of the CHAMP didn't seem to mind that they were not doing well financially nor were they highly regarded by the citizens of Hero City nor their fellow heroes. But hopefully they'd be with CHAMP long enough to prove their nay-sayers wrong. The man perked up when the members began introducing themselves to one another. "Hello all. I am Manuel Donaire, also known as, The Grey Gadgeteer and the founder of the Council of Heroes Against Malicious Persons. It is a pleasure to meet you and an honor to call you all my fellow CHAMPs."

He truly was grateful for the three misfit heroes that sat before him. It had nearly been two months since Slug Girl had retired from her hero duties after the Barton's Rock Salt Mine incident...poor Slug Girl won't be the same ever again. But now was not the time for regrets, now was a time for celebration. The CHAMP now had more than enough heroes to be fully active once more. "I know it may be a little early, but I just couldn't help it." Manny said before walking to his laptop and opening it to show the others present. "I got us a debut job."

---

The Debut Job.

---

"The job in itself was a simple one. The client wanted them to go and capture Volk Bucur, the owner of a popular nightclub in downtown Hero City after bribing his way out of arrest for a hit and run three weeks ago that left our client with a broken leg." Manny then pulls up a handful of headlines that show the incident as well as a prominent portrait of the aforementioned club owner to help the group familiarize themselves with what Volk looked like. "But this is the part where it gets difficult for us. I've done some digging and a contact of mine from the Hero City Police Department shared with me that the nightclub is only a front and is a suspected distribution center of this new drug called 'Diamond Dust'. Real nasty stuff from what I understood from the info. Makes you feel like a billion bucks and gives you temporarily enhanced physical abilities, but fucks up your brain chemistry so bad that if you take in another dose within 24 hours, you go nuttier than squirrel poop." Manny then pulls up the police files that were given to him and to say the aftermath of a berserk Diamond Dust junkie was messy was sugar coating the scene. It looked like a typhoon swept through the areas in the pictures, leaving tens of thousands of dollars worth of property damage and scores of injuries and even some deaths.

"A couple hero groups tried to do this a few days ago and wound up in the ICU or dead. So they'll be expecting us to go in guns blazing...figuratively and literally like the other groups did. So I suggest that we do this all sneaky like and strike only when we are sure that we can capture Volk and maybe even stop the Diamond Dust distribution in the area there." Manny paused to let the information sink in with the others present. He knew that this was definitely one of the more dangerous jobs available in Rent-A-Hero® for smaller and less powerful hero groups but if they managed to pull this off they'd be finally be respected as proper heroes and even get a good sum of cash for completing it. "So...what do you guys say? Wanna kick some bad guy's ass and deal with a drug problem in the process?"

[User]
Link's face was stone, emotionless as he listened to the briefing. Super powered junkies and henchmen were cause for an awkward, audible gulp as he took in the information. He hadn't seen any of his teammates in action and, frankly, he had never swam in waters this deep, himself.

The name Volk Bucur didn't ring any bells. Link had been to plenty of clubs and had countless single-serving friends who also enjoyed the night life. He began to wonder if he had ever been in Bucur's club in particular or if he knew any shallow acquaintances who had.

"I mean..." he finally answered. His voice uncharacteristically lacked his usual electric confidence. "...what else are we gonna do?" His eyes bounced from one face to the other, trying to gauge body language. "We're in, right? Incognito style. Full ninja. But, uh... how?"

[Assistant]
@myinneroblivion @ShadowsofNight

---

As Link tried to remember any acquaintance that he knew that had any relation to the nightclub, Manny began to explain to them the possible ways they can tackle this job.

"Well I have a couple of suggestions to how we'd get inside of the nightclub and launch the surprise attack. The first is that we pretend that we're club goers that are looking to get 'dusted' as they would say and attack when we reach the club's VIP area. Our gear can be smuggled piece by piece into the building but I think I'll be the only one that would need to get my gear smuggled inside as most of you have inconspicuous gear that could be passed off as fashion items." Manny paused to approach a pile of seemingly nondescript garbage covered by a thick motor oil stained sheet to pull it off, revealing the Grey Gadgeteer Suit. "As you can see, mine is significantly more conspicuous. Thus leading me to the second suggested plan of action." He walks away from the poor clunky hodgepodge excuse of an exoskeletal suit he lovingly called his hero suit and towards his laptop once more. Sifting through the files in it for the one he was looking for. "We could use the adjacent buildings' roofs to gain access to the roof of the nightclub and launch our attack to the VIP area from there...but I am open to your suggestions if you have any."

Link would then remember a hazy memory from last night. The rotund woman, that he had the pleasure or displeasure of bedding, mentioned in passing that she was the one responsible for dispatching all the liquor deliveries to the shitty clubs in the downtown area. Likely including Bucur's nightclub.

Maybe that memory could be useful to finding alternative ways into infiltrating the club without rousing unnecessary attention?


[System]
Character Concept: Gancanagh (Celtic Fae)

Trouble: Wanted by the Fae court for absconding from a royal marriage to the river daughter. That, and for stealing a glorious jewel from the Sidhe. Also wanted for various petty crimes (thieving and the like) in his human guise, though mostly in Europe. Why limit yourself?

Scene: A clear stream cascading down a rocky decline as the birds sing from above, and the sky opens to reveal a midsummer sun, revealing a vast sea of green, the highlands peaking out as waves. That was all Delilah could conjure in her mind to describe the melody played by the dashing stranger's flute. Once he was done, he opened his eyes and twirled the instrument within his nimble fingers, and the flute was gone as if it had never been. A sleight of hand, surely. "What's your name?" She asked, her pupils enlarged. He took her hand in his, looking positively smug.
The pub residents had all halted their conversations to pay attention to the flute playing, but once he was finished, the conversations rushed back in like a crashing wave of water. Caber took a drink from the generous pint he'd ordered. "Ah, a loaded question, some might say." he said, almost sounding bored. Perhaps not a loaded question to some, but Caber had been known by many names, and had seen many things change in his lifetime. The land he had been born had been called Gaul, by the Romans, and that turned into Gaullia, into Francia, and then France.
"Caber, they call me." He said. "And yours?"
She told him almost too quickly, her eyes caressing his jawline and the waves of his hair, only to follow his hand as he lifted up his mug once more. He was so young! Yet she was utterly attracted. "I love your music," she continued, her finger now idly twirling her hair.
"Can you believe some believed me a God for how I played the flute?"
She took it as a mere boast, giggling at what she perceived as an attempt at humor. He laughed with her as his mind wandered back into that ancient past, when he had ran wild and plagued the forests of old Gaul and Germania, until Caesar and his legions with swords of blasted iron came. The blasted Roman had gotten what he'd deserved at the senate, if only Caber could have been there to see him fall. Caber recalled the consular pursuing him even across the English channel into the British Isles. But ever northward had he traveled, and he found centuries of fun with the picts and the celts of Ireland. That is, until the Norse arrived, quaking with war and seeking vengeance with the power of their Gods of Asgard, using swords of dreaded steel.
With an effort, Caber calmed himself. He had done much better these days with keeping his faerie side from taking over, and once he opened his pools of blue, he found he should enjoy the catch he had made tonight. He drew in closer for a kiss.
"Hey, pal."
A rough voice tried to tear his attention away from the lass, but Caber had decided he would like to continue gazing at her for a moment. The voice spoke again.
"Hey, that's my woman there." The voice held a warning in it.
"Is it?" Caber asked aloud, unconcerned or simply unaware of the danger the interloper promised to present. "You are a lucky man. Tonight, I think she will be mine, however."
A rough, Nordic arm shoved Caber back and knocked over the wine he had been drinking, spilling the delectable contents across the table and shattering the serene mood the fae had placed himself in. Caber turned to the burly man, and the debonair young man suddenly looked feral, his teeth bared and the hair, no fur of his arms on end. What's more, his eyes blazed with the color of burning bronze. The lights began to dim slowly, and with the swiftness of the turning winds, Caber left his chair and had grabbed the man by his shirt collar, the youth's muscles firm like oak. "Do you think your Gods will save you from me?" the fae squealed in devilish delight. With an almost treeish certainly, he shoved the hairy Nord back into the next table, causing it to collapse. No sooner had the man hit the ground did Caber look as he had been, collected and as calm as can be.
The woman Delilah looked confused and torn, as if she needed to be told what to do next like a lost child. Caber smoothed his still-combed hair and cleared his throat, regaining his senses. "Two thousand and eighteen," he breathed, an indecipherable whisper to himself. A moment later, he turned back to Delilah. "My dear, it was lovely to speak to you. But alas, our time has come to an end. Had we met when I was a young one, you would be a Gwragedd Annwn." He clapped thrice, and the lights flickered once more. Those bar patrons that had not been too engrossed in their drink or still eyeing the prone body of the jealous boyfriend, would see the image of a goat-like thing in their retina before the lights turned back on, and the youth was gone.
The fae, now floating out in the nightsky back to his calling stone within the PHI HQ, realized he should speak of none of this to Morgan, or she would bind him to the station itself. That would be utterly dreadful!

[User]
Othen turned on his heels, his attention having been drawn by the calm voice that had addressed him from behind. By the latter he could already tell that this was no other policeman, but someone else. However the gargoyle wasn't prepared for the sight of that particular man and one could quite see it written in his face even with only a basic understanding of body language. The clothes, the cigarette, the gold around his eyes... As silently as he stood there the guy was crying out 'I'm a snob!' loudly.

Othen made a step back -- not out of respect for the probably several thousand bucks clinging to the body of this man, but for the sake of his own lungs who wouldn't be fond of inhaling any smoke. Only after a little more time of inspection the gargoyle was actually able to identify whom he was talking to with great certainty: Sadjic. It was like adding another massive layer of slime onto an already quite respectable one. He tried to find a decent answer that wouldn't make him slip on that.

"Something tells me it might very well not be you."

He spotted the even more pompous vehicle, it's driver looking as if waiting for his client to return.

"Looks like you're busy and in a little bit of a hurry, aren't you ?" Othen continued, his eyes' focus returning towards Sadjic. "It happens I am as well. Would it disturb your schedule too much if you made a slight detour and dropped me off at my place ?" Othen knew that his request was close to complete bullshit. Not even the average businessmen would offer a ride to half a stranger that spontaneously, but the way Sadjic had spoken it was pretty clear for Othen that it essentially was Sadjic requesting for him to get into this car. At least Othen hoped so... He could already sense a bad feeling rising inside him.

[Assistant]
"Huh?" Vera gracefully replied, managing to turn around in the direction of the car with only moderate difficulty. The sudden tension in the air did not escape her, she could smell the fear emanating from the man that had propositioned her. In the chill of the night, it tasted sweet, and welcoming. But it was the familiar, lovely smell of cordite that tipped her off to the trouble her new friends promised.

She knew that could run. She knew she should run. She knew that she could easily duck into an alley, jump some fences, and make a grand escape across a rooftop. But she didn't want to. She wanted a scrap. She wanted a fight. She wanted blood. Smiling, the young vampire approached the car. As she leaned against the battered driver's door, her hand moved inhumanely fast to the small of her back. She drew her pistol in one fluid motion, and pointed it lazily at the driver.

Licking the tip of her fangs, she smiled a Cheshire Cat's grin,"May I have this dance?"


[System]
Age: 18

Occupation: Unemployed (Leaches off her rich doting parents)

Personality Traits: A spoiled brat and tsundere in every sense of the word. Chisana is used to getting whatever she wants whenever she wants it. On the occasion that she doesn't get what she want, Chisana tends to get rather angry and becomes very spiteful towards the people/person who refused her. Chisana is also very sensitive about her height and has demonstrated the destructive power of her punches on anyone who has teased her over it.

Little Background: Chisana has had a silver spoon in her mouth and has been able to bend almost everyone around her to her will for as long as she can remember. Despite her complete apathy towards them, she gets exceptional grades. This may be due to the fact that her mother runs the school, but that has been denied by all the staff and asking Chisana gets you nothing but her nose turned up at you accompanied by a moody 'hmpf'. Now with graduation drawing nearer by the day, Chisana is about to find herself without a car and forced to rely on 1 of the few people she has no control over.

[User]
Ding Ding Ding

"Thank god!" A blonde haired boy shouted from the back of the classroom as he slammed his history textbook shut with diligence.

"You know Mister Kyo, if you showed as much enthusiasm coming into class as you did leaving, your grades would be better." The teacher called out to the blonde as everyone gathered up their belongings.

"Yeah yeah, you're not the first to preach to me Mister B and you won't be the last." The blonde called back as he got to his feet and shoved his textbook back into his bag. Letting out a large yawn he stretched his arms above his head and pulled out his gloves from his bag. Slipping the gloves onto his hands, he gave them a smirk. The leather felt good against his skin and he clenched his hands into fists. "Oh yeah…" He muttered to himself with a grin. Tossing his bag over his shoulder he strolled out of the classroom like he owned the place, only to pass his teacher who was rolling his eyes.

A quick stop at his messy locker left him grabbing only two things, a helmet and his keys. Kicking the locker shut with his foot, he spun the keys on his fingers and whistled an obnoxious tune as he strolled through the halls. His hazel-gold eyes scanned the people through the hallways but he showed little interest until he stepped outside. His brothers were climbing into Rayne's car and he gave them a polite head nod as the two waved to him. Astuma was the eldest of the three Kyo brothers and probably the one most would consider a 'rebel' of some kind. He was rude, direct and sarcastic unlike his brothers and always showed a sign of superiority that no one could seem to talk down.

Atsuma arrived at his bike and gave it a grin, "Still looking gorgeous but no play today, we've got to help the old man." He said to his motorcycle as he climbed onto it. Pulling his backpack onto his back, he slipped his helmet onto his head and stuck his key into the ignition. The bike roared to life before settling into a nice purr. Giving a soft sigh and finally feeling content after a pointless day of school he pulled the bike out of the parking spot and took off.

After a nice ten minute rid he pulled into the back of Pat's garage, his dad, Patrick's, pride and joy. He was the best mechanic in town and everyone knew it. Not only did everyone know it but everyone came to him for help with the cars. "Atsuma!" His dad called out from somewhere in the shop as the young man entered and removed his gloves and school stuff. "We got work today!" His father was happy and jolly plump man at 5'7 inches in height and round shaped; quite the opposite of his 6 foot toned lean son. "Alright!" Atsuma called back matching is father's excitement. If there is one thing Atsuma loved outside of his family, it was mechanic work.

[Assistant]
Ding Ding Ding

"That bell was late by 1 whole minute. Again" a girl with orange-gold hair murmured darkly from her seat at the front of the class as she snapped her fingers, causing the peon sitting on her right to begin packing away her things quickly and efficiently while the peon to her left pulled her chair back as she gracefully rose to her feet.

"You know Mister Kyo, if you showed as much enthusiasm coming into class as you did leaving, your grades would be better." The teacher called out to a certain blonde boy at the back of the class.

"Yeah yeah, you're not the first to preach to me Mister B and you won't be the last." The blonde called back as he got to his feet and shoved his textbook back into his bag.

The orange-gold haired girl silently fumed as she waited for the blonde to exit the classroom before taking her bag from the peon who had packed it. She hated every second she spent in the same room with that boy. Come to think of it, she hated everything about that boy. Once she was certain that he had put enough distance between them, she nodded to the peons on either side of her before taking her leave. The teacher watched her leave tensely. Were she not the daughter of his boss, he would have rolled his eyes at her as well.

Once again, she was forced to stop and wait for the blonde to leave his locker. Her locker was right next to his, and she didn't want to be anywhere near him for longer than she needed to. Once the blonde was out of sight, the orange-gold haired girl approached her locker and retrieved her keys. Once she had them, Chisana Dadakko walked out of the building. She found her car and began her usual drive home. 10 minutes in, however, the car began making some very unusual sounds. And on top of that, it was slowing down.

"What?!" Chisana exclaimed as she floored the gas in an unsuccessful attempt to gain speed "Why is my car slowing down?!". As the car continued to slow down, Chisana spotted a garage on the side of the row and breathed a sigh of relief. "At least I can get someone to fix it here" she said to herself as her car barely made it into the garage before its engine died.

A jolly plump man who had been arranging some tools looked up from his work. From the sounds he'd heard the car make on its way in and the desperate look on the driver's face, he knew what she wanted. "Atsuma!" Patrick called out "We got work today!"

Chisana groaned at the mention of Atsuma's name and then a 2nd time at Atsuma's response. 'Why me?' Chisana thought to himself as she listened to the sound of Atsuma's approaching footsteps.

[User]
Finishing up getting ready for work, Astuma slid himself into his work jumpsuit and dusted off his hands. He liked working in the shop with his father. It was great father-son bonding and was teaching him a skill he never thought he could have. His attention span in school wasn't very long but he really enjoyed the freedom of doing things with his own hands. It would explain his lack of attention and his even more lack of willingness to pay attention during school.

When he walked out into the bay, however, he stopped. His arms fell to his side and he let out a sigh. "Hello princess. Did you chariot break down?" He asked with a sarcastic chuckle to his voice as she climbed out her car. With a skilled hand he reached down and popped the hood. Once the supporting was in place he leaned into the car. His expression changed to one of seriousness as he looked over the car. Unlike his many blank expressions in class, these were focused and examining the things within the car.

"Tell me what's been happening? Describe the sounds. Any odd smells?" His golden hazel eyes never left the shut off car and the reached down, grabbing something from inside and began to feel it, deciding if it was tight or loose.

[Assistant] Chisana turned her nose up at Atsuma indignantly in response to his greeting as she climbed out of her car. She then walked over to a nearby chair and sat down as Atsuma got down to business. "I was driving home from school today and the car started making this weird spluttering sound" Chisana said when Atsuma asked about what happened "Soon after, the car began to slow down and refused to speed up even when I floored the gas pedal. I barely had enough time to get here before the engine died. That's all I know". Chisana then lapsed back into silence and resumed turning her nose up at Atsuma. Chisana hoped that she didn't have to stay for long. She detested every second she spent in that garage and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

[User]
Atsuma reached down into the car and felt something before jerking his hand out with a yipped. The transmission was on fire and compared to how one would normally feel. "Okay." He said with a nod acknowledging what she had said before going around the car. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her upturned nose and smirked slightly. Really? You're going to turn your nose up to the guy who's going to take care of your car, smart… opening the driver's door he looked down, the seat was pulled up to the steering wheel. Was she really that short!? Eyebrow raised he glanced over his shoulder at her before sighing.

Reaching inside he started the engine only to hear the noise she was describing even more intensely. "Oh no…" He muttered before reaching over and attempting to put it into neutral. "Oh man…" Placing the car back in park and pulling her emergency break he turned back to her as he shut the door. "You have a big problem." He said with a nod as he went back to the popped hood and called out, "Dad! We've got a tranny issue."

It wasn't long before the two men were looking at her car together. "Oh boy…" Patrick muttered as he came out from under the car and stood up, wiping his hands on a nearby rag. "Young lady," He began with a nod to her. "Your transmission seems to be having some issues and it will require us to keep the car here for a few days. Best news would be it's a small park that can easily be replaced. Worse news could be that we need to take apart your transmission completely. But there is always hope."

A small sigh left the old man as he continued to explain, "However, because we're a small shop we don't have a loaner car for you but Atsuma can give you a ride home." The look on the blonde's face behind his father was one of shock and before he could protest his father continued, "You two go to the same school right? He could just pick you up before school and get you home safe and sound." Without giving the kids much of a choice or a chance to protest, Patrick provided her with the papers she needed to sign and ushered Atsuma to change so he could take her home.

"Alright dad," Atsuma said with a sigh in his voice before turning back to Chisana. "Wait outside, I'll be right there." With that he disappeared into the back room to change out of his work clothes and grab his spare helmet for her. Great… just great…

[Assistant]
Chisana continued to hold her nose aloft as Atsuma looked over her car's engine. She paid no mind to his pained yip when his touched the transmission. After all, what reason did Chisana have to care about Atsuma's pain? She hated the guy. The only reason why Chisana didn't leave the garage when she found out that Atsuma would be working on her car was because she couldn't go anywhere else. Were she able to, she would have already taken her car elsewhere by now

When Atsuma announced the presence of a big problem, Chisana huffed in annoyance. A big problem usually meant that the car would be staying in the garage for quite a while. This was a problem, as Chisana didn't live within walking distance of the school, the garage didn't look like the kind of place that could afford loaner cars, and home was still quite a way to go. The problem was made worse by the fact that her parents were both away on business, meaning Chisana couldn't have them get their hands on a temporary replacement for her. 'Oh great' Chisana thought to herself 'Just great. Now what am I going to do?'.

It was then that Patrick presented a solution. Neither Atsuma or Chisana liked the idea, but they had no time to protest before Patrick served Chisana a bureaucracy sandwich and pulled Atsuma away to change. Reluctantly resigned to the only solution available to her, Chisana filled out the paperwork and went outside to wait for Atsuma. 'Why did this have to happen to me?' Chisana thought to herself as she waited for Atsuma by his motorcycle.


[System]
Race: Orc

Appearance:

History:
Grox grew up on the North, in an out of sight village of Orcs. Wars against humans were only mere tales spoken at night to scare teh kids so they would go to bed. Savageness was unknown to his people. But it all changed when the fire nation Empire attacked a neighbouring village. They razed the houses to ashes, and killed all the orcs. From that point on, him and all the other younglings were taught the art of fighting. Using their trademark weapons, the spiked chain and the two handed axe, they quickly began taking up arms to defend themselves. The young Grox was very keen on learning to fight, as he never wanted to be a slave or a mindless murderer like the rest of his bretheren to the south. But all did not go well. More and more villagers got raided, and the speed at which the orcs armed themselves began troubling the elders. No longer a defensive solution, but rather an all out war like the Southern orcs wage, they wanted to stop. But those from the razed villages hushed the elders, not wanting to let anyone else die. They formed a squadron of noble orcs and set out on their trusty Quaggoth companions to find and destroy the human outpost to save the villages. The next time the humans came, they brought giant metal monsters adored with the expedition party's heads. they attacked the village of Grox, and burnt all the houses. With little to no time and only his weapons as belongings, Grox made his way to the barns. By the time he arrived, only one untamed Quaggoth was standing, but one big at that. A rare breed that could be found in the mountains, one that was strong enough to fend off waves after waves of human attackers. Grox didn't hesitate and climbed on tha back of the beast. Whilst it resisted at first, after a few hushing Orc words, and dead humans the Quaggoth realised that Grox wasn't it's enemy. Then they rode off into the sunset Soon the metal monsters came and the two escpaed the fiery demise of the other villagers with a hasty retreat.

Grox and his tame, now called Woggha after Grox's dad, made their way into the forest. Soon months of escaping would begin, the two hunting humans whernever they could as a retribution for their village. Starving and freezing was a common issue, but these hardships forged the two into something more, not as a tame and rider, rather companions for life. After seeing the whole mountain razed by humans, and the Northern Orcs retreating further into teh mountains where humans could not get them, Grox made his way South, to find other Demihumans to aid him in his quest for revenge. Along the way he gathered many friends and enemies, soon earning a reputation as teh Greenskin that rode a giant Quaggoth. He himself is lightly armored, but he managed to buy very expensive armor for Woggha, turning his companion into the most fearsome beast that the region has seen. nowadays the two wander the area, looking for more and more places where they could put a stop to the crazed murder spree of the humans.

Equipment:
Mighty Choppa - A two handed battleaxe capable of immense damage. Forged from Dark Iron, it is sturdy, sharp, and very lightweight, but it tends to get rusty in rain, and attracts predators.

Hook'd Chainz - A set of chains with deadly hooks on their end, they are wrapped around Grox's body, acting both as armor, and easely accessible weaponary. It can take teh strongest of blows without breaking, and can be a versatile tool in the hands of an experienced user. The hook on the end sometimes fails to attach to things, as the soft surface of the Dark Iron makes it slip if on very hard surfaces.

Woggha's Armor - Woggha, the clever yet monstrous companion of Grox wears incredibly tough armor that protects it from most blows. Forged of Dark Steel, a material even stronger than Steel, crafted from Dark Iron using magic, it is resilient to both magic and physical attacks. Grox also made sure that his companion reminds the enemy of who they are and where they come from, as he installed a harpoon gun into Woggha's right arm that fires hooked chains like his. Both him and Woggha can fire it, and it is usually for dealing with vehicles or fortifications by pulling them apart. However this armor doesn't cover a 100% of Woggha's body, and mostly focuses on vital points. Without enough funds, it will take a long time to have a fully protective armor.

Powers:
Orcish Strenght - The strongest race of human-like races, the Orcs have brutal strenght, able to wield weapons in one hand that a human couldn't lift with two. Their blows are immensely strong, able to bring down most foes with a single hit. This comes at the price of increased metabolism.

Woggha is the companion of Grox. A mighty beast, and a rare breed of it's kin, he is sure to get the job done. Thought he may look stupid and primitive at first sight, behind the killing pair of eyes lie a sharp mind, able to pick up the events of the battlefield. Sure he cannot talk, but he is just a bit behind an Orc's intelligence. Which isn't saying much to be honest. Not if he wasn't Grox's companion, who has more in his head than most Orcs. Woggha's strenght is perfectly matched with his rider's talent in fighting, and he gladly uses the harpoon gun Grox gave him. He finds amusement in dismantling vehicles, often toying with their parts after a battle is over, trying to make something of them. He can never quite make it. Another one of his hobbies is torturing humans in gruesome ways, as he reminds himself of the time when his flock was killed by them back in the mountains. That said, he doesn't have problems with other Demi-humans or even dwarves for that matter. Not keen, sure, but he doesn't hate them.

In battle, Woggha tries his best to make armored spots face his enemies, whilst keeping them in an arms reach. He doesn't have a weapon, but he can easely rip trees out of the ground and use them as basic clubs, or throw rocks at the enemy from far away.

[User]
As the Skeleton's fist came closer, inch by inch, to meet with the goblin's face, a borderline surreal turn of events came to pass. The drunken orc that the troublesome ossuary had paid little to no attention to had lunged at his target and began, for some strange reason the Skeleton was not too concerned about, to grapple with the iron-clad goblin. This was not all, however, since the mechanized git had activated an unknowable to the skeleton contraption. Maybe it was his long absence from anything civilized, or his refusal to care about current events, but the undead creature was left rather perplexed, and twice as enraged at the sight of the machine functioning. He was left with nothing to do but scream and shake his fist at the unlikely duo blasting off, and eventually being caught by the Orc's massive beast.

 The monster's frenzy still burning high, he began charging at the direction of both the orc and his mount, as well as as Bob, brandishing both fist weapons in a crazed manner. Leaping high in the air, he extended his right arm backwards, while stretching the digits of his left palm, as if he was preparing to grab on to an opponent during his landing. Yet, that landing was, oddly, taking far too long to come. He was, in fact, stuck right where he was, and so was every other creature around. Watching his right fist move slow enough to miss an ant served only to anger the deathless barbarian even further. Hovering there, he began screaming frantically, but even his jaw refused to open.

 Through the cacophony, however echoed a voice. A resonating, soothing, yet somehow strange voice. The moment the Skeleton heard it, its' bellowing died down and ceased. Soon after he fell flat on the ground, once the spell had ended, having somehow lost all momentum from his leap. Still on his knees and palms, it turned its' eyeless skull from left to right, remaining totally silent. It was apparent that the woman's voice had evoked some sort of memory buried deep within the tombs inside the skeleton's mind, forcing him to experience a flashback that would probably be long, droning and somewhat boring to describe and read.

 Not a moment after, the lovable assortment of bones violently shook its' head and stood upright, returning to his everyday self, and back to normal levels of anger. Making the usual gesture of bashing his knuckle dusters together, he grunted, growled and grudgingly followed the priestess, paying no heed to anything else in sight, be it friend or foe. Though unwillingly, he was moving dangerously close behind the goblin.

[Assistant]
Just as Khri'zhatt had expected, there was a deafening detonation, followed by a whistling sound, some bellowing and plenty of smoke. However, and this was where his expectations and the turn of events began to diverge, no scraps of metal or smouldering tatters of goblin struck the corpse Thrik was holding. Flashes of unnatural light and an ominous crackling flared and resounded from behind the fleshly barriers, yet, again, no impact ensued. This was mighty odd indeed. Now more curious than alarmed, Khri'zhatt moved to peer from behind the elf's back, twisting his neck in a slightly sickening arch. It was a somewhat uncomfortable position, but he would only have to maintain it for a few moments...

...Or would he? Just as the top of his head emerged from behind the makeshift "shield", and the sight of the goblin, enveloped in a cloud of smoke, being held up by the orc's gigantic beast while being charged by the skeleton became open to him, he discovered with surprise that uncoiling himself was not as easy as he was accustomed to. In fact, he barely seemed able to move at all. Worse yet, his neck, already strained by the effort, was now being compelled by some preternatural force, evoked by someone screaming (for them?) to stop down the street, to twist in the opposite direction - all while being unable to straighten its original posture. The result was, to say the least, unpleasant. Not even the soothing tones of the enchanting voice assuaged it - in fact, Khri'zhatt was fairly irritated by what he perceived was adding insult to injury.

Hooded figures presently approached him and Thrik, releasing the mistreated elf's corpse from the claws of the umber hulk, who was too busy processing the fact he was surprised, or something similar enough, to resist, and leaving the two defenceless, with Khri'zhatt still trapped in his now outright painful position. Thankfully, the other monsters were likewise hampered in their movements, with the skeleton being oddly but safely contained in mid-air suspension. Then, all of a sudden, the spell was lifted, causing his tense muscles to instantaneously spring into concerted action, and thus his head to cartoonishly swivel to and fro before he recovered his bearings. Dizzy, with an aching neck and altogether far from pleased, Khri'zhatt heard the goblin addressing him in what did not appear to be altogether inimical tones.

"That's fairly obvious, isn't it? Bah. I suppose I shall take "tolerable" over what these people" he gestured toward the rest of the party, "have to offer. I'm up." With these words, motioning for Thrik to follow him, he set forth in the wizards' wake, thinking that, whoever they might be, they would probably have a clearer idea of what was supposed to be done than the assembled monsters collectively.

[User]
@Oraculum @Turbowraith @Pikmin Eye @KRIEEEG

 "......aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
A voice, deeper than any humans, screams as it crashes from the heavens. A large, lumpy, blue creature crashes into a near by house, most likely causing a ruckus. A woman yells, an elven woman, and soon the small blue man is seen backed up to a window.

 "I am so sorry ma'am, but..you do look ra-" He begins, before a pan clunks him upside the head, causing him to crash down. "..That could of gone much, much better." He grumbles, standing up, and looking around at the group. ".....Well....I've nowhere else better to go. Mind if I follow you all? My name is Horace. I'm an animator. I make stuff animated." The small blue thing declares, smiling, a large lump on his forehead, a goose egg welling up from the walop of the pan. He pushes it down, cartoonishly. "I myself, as well, am very animated!" He chuckles. He gives off a strange aura. A kind one, one that seeks fun, and friends, not the normal won-ton hate, or malice most monstrous creatures most likely give off, if the party was any example. Someone may think he was no monster at all.

 "That hurt like hell, I need to make sure my creations angle me better when they throw me..." Horace thinks to himself. He had just escaped a sticky situation involving a dwarven girl's father, a animated hammer, and some hard to rub off lipstick....and lots, and lots, of ale. This had lead him to create a large golem out of kegs, and had it toss him a few towns over. Thanks to his small size, and plot convenience, he landed safely...sorta, and was now free to travel again.

[Assistant] Grox just eccepted what happened. The lightning coming from the fog around the goblin, and the weird cult members suddenly appearing to take away stride. He tossed the head to one of the priests and signaled Woggha to follow. He was awfully calm, but that had to do a lot with his brain overloading from what was going on. Even the abomination falling from the sky didn't seem unrealistic at this point.


[System]
Amaterasu* Reina Saotome, Vongola Storm Guardian Candidate

ChronoBovino* Sanji Fugimoto, Vongola Lightning Guardian Candidate

Demon Shinobi* Yoshiaki Sugihara, Vongola XIII Candidate

Grey* Ayumu Tomoe, Vongola Mist Guardian Candidate

Kitsune* Yuki Volkov, Vongola Sun Guardian Candidate
* Shiso Volkov, Fluffy Tailed Tutor

Sho Minazuki* Hisaki Kawaguchi, Vongola Rain Guardian Candidate

Suku* Sachiko (Sachi) Kanno, Vongola Cloud Guardian Candidate

Vongola_Hasayo*

Character Sheet
Basic DataName: Yoshiaki Sugihara
Aliases: Vongola XIII
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Appearance: Obviously, he isn't Xanxus and he doesn't dress like Xanxus. However, given his connection to Ricardo, Vongola Secondo, and the similar look, it thought this was more appropriate. Special thanks to Grey for helping find some pictures.

Combat DataFaction: Vongola Famiglia
Position: Vongola Boss Candidate
Flame: Sky
Equipment: While not having any particularly Mafia related equipment, Yoshiaki typically carries around:
* Smart Phone - Black with red trim
* Nintendo 3DS w/ games
* Wallet - Contains money, School ID, Emergency Credit Card from mom

Fighting Style: Yoshiaki isn't really skilled in any true sense of the word. He is a brawler and runs primarily on instinct. Currently, he is known to be capable of taking on up three normal thugs by himself.
Techniques: As of now,he has no true techniques.
Special Characteristics:
Vongola Hyper Intuition - Though not truly awakened, Yoshiaki demonstrates fair skill in judging individuals. However,due to his biases he rarely ever goes based on simple instincts.
Flames of Wrath (Sky+Storm) - Though he doesn't know it, Yoshiaki inherited the special flames of his ancestor, Ricardo. If he can learn to utilize these "Flames of Wrath" as they are known he may make a powerful leader yet.
Personal DataBackground: Yoshiaki and his sister Ami are essentially descendants of Ricardo, Vongola's second boss, like tsuna and his dad are descendants of Giotto. This is pretty much so we don't need to establish a full on family tree and it will still make sense. Ricardo's family line stems down until it reaches ami and yoshiaki's mom, them as well of course, who is protected by the family but isn't given much information or anything else otherwise. They are blood and there for taken care of.

Regardless, at some point the parents were divorced and the children were separated for a few years. While there mother was okay, having made the decision, the father didn't take things so well. He fought for both kids, but only got yoshiaki. This the son was with the father and the daughter with the mother. It started off well with Yoshiaki and his dad, but already disappointed with the divorce his father spiraled. Eventually he would lose his job and turn to drinking. This was around the time he was 8 and went well into middle school.

It was also around this time that Yoshiaki would begin getting into trouble at school. He closed himself off to the teachers and began getting into fights. However, he got into fights for what he saw as proper reasons. He often used bullying and other such acts as reasons to fight and let out the anger he felt for his father. He got his ass kicked a lot at first, but over time he got better. The detention he got also helped him stay further away from his father for longer periods of time. It was also here that he would meet his future best friend.

Yoshiaki wasn't very social even at his younger age. He'd gotten in trouble often and into many fights, but by this time he was about 11 or so. He was stuck in detention cleaning with other kids. However, one of the days he was stuck cleaning with a girl named Reina. Being who he was he didn't try to end the awkward silence. She did. But he didn't give her much to go on or really talk too much himself.

Still, their meeting went on like this until one day around the time he was 12 he saw her while he was walking down the street to the arcade. He had started spending a lot of time their when he wasn't in detention or was just skipping class. She was being hassled by two guys, much larger than her, no doubt due to the idiotic "gang war" that had been going on. Of course, being the kind of person he was, he just had to step in. He helped her fight the two guys off and once things calmed down he went on his way. He wouldn't see Reina again until a few weeks later when a new challenger appeared while he was playing his favorite fighting game. It was her and from then on the two actually became friends. To this day Rei is probably his only real friend, though he does interact more.

In the midst of all this, and him trying to get his life a little more together, things remained more or less the same with his father. Whenever Ami came to visit he would act normal and cheery, but when they were alone he was kind of a dick. He would say he loved yoshi, but still pretty much beat him saying he was helping him, toughening him up, teaching him. It is because of this he buried himself in video games and got into fights often usually with bullies and idiots though he never aligned himself with any real delinquent group. Which cause more fights. In turn Yoshiaki would usually have bruises and other injuries from dad AND fights when he visited mom and ami. because of this, his mother's obliviousness, granted he lied when asked about it due to fear, and a general notice of problems he developed his distrust of most of humanity. During one visit to his mother's, there was somebody else there, a close friend and member of the vongola family who was checking in.

He noticed yoshi's injuries and reported what he'd observed so there was an investigation and the father's actions were discovered. Obviously it wasn't tolerated and a certain baby was called in to take care of a the target. Soon after the hit was put out the father met with an "unfortunate accident" and yoshi went back to live with his mother and sister. This was halfway through his final year of middle school and here he is now.

Yoshi is a bit more sociable although he can be a bit of a sarcastic jerk and rarely pays much attention to anything that isn't someone he actually likes or a video games. He can typically be found on the school roof, like in manga or games or hiding out in other places if he isn't going to class. While he has told Rei about certain parts of his life, like his parent's divorce, the visits and his father's death, he never really told her about the abuse, or anything else of that nature, keeping it to himself. Even Ami and his mother don't know since he put the blame on school fights and other things of that nature. Only he knows about that, along with a relatively small group of Vongola members.

Personality: Cautious, crude, informal, and somewhat lazy are all words that could be used to describe this young man. Though intelligent he barely focuses on anything that doesn't interest him. He is a gamer, and a bit of a delinquent, often skipping class to either play games or get into the occasional scrape. He also ha a bit of a knack for tinkering with tech whether his own or arcade games or whatever he takes an interest in if he learns enough about it. More important, or rather more notable, Yoshiaki has a strong distrust and disdain regarding humanity.

He doesn't really care for it, save for a few individuals and often finds it tedious and boring. He buries himself in his games fairly often, even though he continues to maintain a relative 'B' average. Still, despite his biases towards people, he still has a bit of a hero complex and a soft spot for the weak. Couple that with a skewed idea of justice and you've got a fighter willing to stick his neck out for people he doesn't know.

Yoshiaki doesn't typically use the word love for just about anything, with the only exception being his sister, whom he is very protective of. The only other people he is even slightly protective over are his mother and his friend Rei. When he sets his mind on something he can get be pretty stubborn and typically doesn't stray from his decision.

Relationships: {TBA}
Miscellaneous DataNationality: Japanese (With Italian Descent)
Birthdate: August 16
Blood Type: O+
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 149 lbs
Likes: Video games, Fighting, Ami, Rei, Food, working with his hands and tech
Dislikes: Bullies, Most people, Losing.
Hobbies: Yoshiaki's only real hobbies are fighting and gaming, although he can cook.
Talents: Yoshiaki has a knack for fighting, quick on the uptake and able to learn much quicker than most would expect. He's also an amazing gamer. He is a pretty good tinkerer too.
Family: Ami Sugihara (Sister), Vongola Secondo Ricardo (Ancestor), (Unnamed Mother)
Character Theme:
Other: Possible Additions in the Future.

[User]
Sachiko Kanno

"Understood thank you honored instructors" Sachiko said with a slight bow of her head before she left to follow the rest. Her thoughts though was racing a mile a minute. Not only was her sister admitted to a hospital but there was also people watching to make she was ok this was beyond what she hoped for. For once perhaps she was going to be able to move on with her sister being cared for she was able to focus on her tasks at hand. Without really noticing a smile graced her lips things was finally looking up but one thought plagued her mind she wanted freedom from her past. Something she thought she torn at the seams separating herself from her present and past though here she was taking a plunge promising to use her past skills to get help for her sister.

No she thought to herself her choice was was a good one if she had to kill again than she would do so if it meant the safety of her sister. With that thought in mind she walked forward the group of her "peers" was meeting at the shopping district to buy the needed equipment but something told her that she might be walking into a metaphorical mine field that might end up with her being in closer contact with the odd one known as Ayumu. No matter how much thought and time she put into thinking about it she could never figure out what he gained from contact with her. "Though what would happen if he knew all along about the whole situation and used that as a way to get closer to a future peer?" She muttered to herself as finally found the group. Continuing with her thoughts though "If that is the case than his earlier attempts would make perfect sense. Either way I will need to keep my guard up more often around him just in case." She muttered to her self once more. "I hope I am not to late I had some final clarifications I needed to clear up." Sachiko said outloud as jogged lightly to the group.

[Assistant]
As the odd squad continued on their quest for 'treasure' he decided to strike up a little convo. Hisaki nice choice. "Yo Hisaki right? Well tell me something about yourself, I'm kind of in the dark and if we're gonna be a team you're gonna need your strongest member to be your friend." As he said this he was doing keepy upies with the bats band ball, he was obviously sarcastic, but maybe he shouldn't have been some people don't take sarcasm well if he was lucky Hisaki would be fine.......

Wouldn't he.....

Maybe it was the fact that he only REALLY knew Rei and everyone else was new but, things were different. Usually it'd be Sanji being shouted over by his friends, but here with them it would be different just another guy people not, seeking his attention trying to make him laugh even if it wasn't funny. Sanji liked it

Is? Is that werid?


[System]
Age: 42 [Although he doesn't seem to age beyond when he transformed into a yokai]

Race: Yokai - Bakeneko

Personality: Most people would already shiver at the sound of a Bakeneko entering their household. Now multiply that fear thricefold for Akira. The cat-turned-yokai is a very mischievous character, often playing pranks and casting illusions to throw humans off just so he can laugh. Tricking and scaring humans must be his favorite past time. However, while he does like doing all of those, he doesn't cross the line and try to actually kill a human. That's beyond him. So he tends to avoid old people, and even if he hangs around them, he wouldn't even dare to scare them. Trick them, maybe, but they're usually wise so they sometimes know if he's fake or not. Sometimes. Rarely.

Although when he isn't in mischievous mode, he's actually pretty lax about almost everything. He would often be seen relaxing in some place. When he feels like it, he sometimes helps out humans. Transforming into their loved ones can be both terrifying and can be their closure; he does both. He is well-known around the yokai world thanks to his mischievous acts that sometimes victims yokai. But almost every yokai knows that even if he is a handful, he's most of the time fun to be around. With all his stories and his jovial nature, he can approach anyone without any problems. He is passive about many things, not taking too many things to heart.

History: Akira, like all Bakenekos, started off as a normal cat. He was adopted by the Igarashi family when he was just a kid and was given the name 'Akira'. He enjoyed his time there as he was well taken care of. However, his master's husband had died from old age. The family continued on fine but Akira admits that he missed the guy. The next tragedy that befell the Igarashi family was when his master's son died because of some sort of lover's rivalry, the killer being part of the Ueda family. Akira was sad, but it wasn't really much of a problem to him. Humans tend to die easily, just like him.

But the mother had spiralled into depression and kept talking to Akira, pouring all the sadness, hatred and other negative feelings on the cat. Akira had turned fourteen years old when his master committed suicide. He turned into a yokai, a Bakeneko, after licking his master's blood. He began haunting the Ueda household, bringing misfortune and confusing them greatly. They had become a cursed household and they died out. This is also the time when Akira adopted his master's son's appearance as his default human form.

Finding no purpose in the world, Akira began travelling all over the country, bringing misfortune on the family that deserves it. He never had a master after the Igarashi family so he was a simply yokai stray, not that many would appreciate having such a cat-yokai in their home.

One time, however, someone had approached him. An agent of the nine-tailed fox named Anjou. Akira had heard about the guy, but couldn't care less. He brought a message about wanting Akira to help with Anjou's plan, inviting him into the group. Akira refused to join, mostly because he wants no master besides his human one. The guy didn't respond too kindly to the rejection and fought with Akira.

He managed to hold out, but the guy was stronger than him. His necromancy power was taken from him, along with his dignity, and left. This angered Akira greatly. Having the power only to lose it didn't sit well with him. But even so, this wasn't enough to anger Akira completely. Another year passed by and he went back to the Igarashi family grave. Then he found out that the grave has been desecrated and the obvious answer was Anjou or his minions. This snapped something in Akira.

And so he yearns revenge, to both take back his pride, his power and to take out his anger at them for ruining his family's grave. This happened years ago and that's why he trained with weapons so he can hold his own against Anjou.

Skills: Akira rarely fights, mostly because he prefers running to fighting. However, when he does, he mostly uses his ghost fire to fight. Hurling it at the enemy is one way to do it, and also surrounding his enemy with fire to prevent escape. When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, he tends to jump around quickly and then attack and retreat as quickly as possible. Given his cat-like agility, speed and control of body, he makes an excellent hit and run person. His claws also hurt. A lot. Like a cat's.

However, he has great accuracy. While hurling ghost fire at people is one way to use it, he learned how to use human weaponry. He mostly uses bows and arrows, and coats the tip of the arrow with his ghost fire. Then he will shoot the arrow towards the enemy, If it hits, the ghost fire spreads on the person. If it doesn't hit, then it will spread around them. He likes this method very much but if he doesn't have a bow, then he'll just resort back to hurling fireballs. He knows how to use the sword and occasionally coats that with ghost fire when he fights. While it can't spread to other weaponry (that are made of steel), if it reaches your clothing, then it can spread.

Powers: Bakenekos are famous for their ability to shapeshift into other cats or humans. This gives them the ability to take the place of another human. This is how Akira turns into a human, a half-cat half-human, and a cat. Although sometimes his human form differs when he is tricking someone, he has a default human form [The picture above without the cat ears and tail].

He can also summon 'ghost fires' or blue-red flames that can and will put things on fire when willed, but can disappear as quickly as it appeared. Touching his tail would result in a burning sensation, and when his tail brushes onto some flammable thing… well, let's just say that it would burst into flames.

Note that these flames act like normal fire, and thus is easy to put out with fire. But it tends to spread quickly so you have to hurry.

He can eat poisonous food without a problem, loves it even.

[Sealed] After a particular encounter, his ability to raise the dead and use them as puppets was sealed. He can't even use a bit of that power.

Equipment:

This is a katana that actually belonged to the Igarashi family. Seeing that no one else would be able to inherit it, Akira had taken it for himself. He claims that he can still feel his masters in it, hearing some of their voices.

A bow that he stole from a grave robber. He had met this particular grave robber while he was resting in a graveyard. Pissed off when he saw him playing with corpses (when Akira couldn't), he began stealing his equipment in his sleep and then disappearing. Wonderfully crafted and fits him perfectly, he feels that the bow is perfect for him.

[User]
Fujioka Mitsuyo, still clad only in his fundoshi loincloth and dripping near-freezing water, stood slightly nonplussed as eight seemingly disparate people appeared from out of nowhere in the span of seconds and immediately proceeded to make a ruckus in the shrine. Unlike all of these people, he had neither magically teleported to the place nor did he instantly know of its name. He had simply walked into the shrine while strolling around looking for a place to purify himself, having heard of a temple in the area. He did not think it fitting to start his quest before tidying himself up physically and spiritually.

The ronin had been there for quite a while now, out of sight. He had painstakingly shaved himself and cut his hair down to a manageable length, and had cleansed and purified himself by standing for an hour under the shrine's waterfall in a ritual known as misogi. Clothes, he had procured before heading off. And now this seemingly rail-thin man, soaked to the bones and almost completely naked with a bundle of cloth under his arm, knelt on the shrine's steps in front of the crowd. "Excuse me, but you should really show proper respect in a place of worship", he said in a manner reminiscent of a parent educating a child on common courtesy.

At first sight he might seem sickly, but proper inspection by anyone martially inclined would notice that his body was corded steel and showed the wear and tear of a warrior. Clearly not someone one should mess with. Still, his expression seemed meek and he spoke in a soft tone as he undid the bundle and produced both his clothing and a something to dry himself with. "I'm afraid you've caught me after misogi, please pardon my appearance. I am Hongo, a masseuse", he said with a smile. It was fairly common to see both men and women half naked performing such a ritual. "But who might you all be? And what brings you all to wherever this is?"

[Assistant]
One by one, the "others" that the little fox had mentioned appeared, some with friendly greetings, some less so, and what a colorful collection of people -- if you could call a walking, talking pumpkin a person -- they were. Luo Dai gave each of the visitors a pleasant nod as they approached, but decided to follow the fox's example and wait until everyone was here to make an introduction. Well, that was until the young woman wielding a shockingly large axe appeared. He responded to her aggression with a pleasant smile. "I'm not sure who you are or where you're from," he said, "But I'm fairly certain you're making a mistake. If you're referring to the fox I think you're referring to, then we will likely be allies rather than enemies."

The little fox trotted out into the middle of the group, once again conveying raw meaning into the minds the travelers. Perhaps they would perceive it as a child's voice echoing in their heads speaking the language and dialect that was most clear to them. But, any who observed the fox would clearly see that he was not "speaking" per se. "He's right, young dragon. Nobody here is a friend of Anjou. In fact, I brought you all here for a very simple reason: you all want to kill Anjou. Besides, violence is not allowed in this place. If you drew your weapon I'd have to take it away."

The fox then turned to Hongo, the ronin who had been paying his respects at the shrine. "Please forgive them for their lack of formality. I'm sure most of them are confused and have many questions. I guess I'll start by answering the easiest one." He then hopped up on top of the fox statue in the center of the shrine and looked at all of the visitors. "My name is Ichiru, and this is Kado Shrine, a place between the mortal and spiritual planes. It is protected by the gods and Anjou has no influence here. I saw that your fates are all headed in the same direction, so I took the liberty of weaving them together by bringing you here. Maybe if you guys work together you won't all die when the time comes for you to storm Anjou's castle. But, there's a lot you'll have to do before that... For now, why don't you all take a moment to introduce yourselves. Then I'll answer any questions you may have and send you on your way."

Ichiru was then as still as the statue he stood upon as he waited for his guests to introduce themselves and then pose any questions. Luo Dai looked around and his new companions with a pleasant expression. "Well, it seems like Anjou has made quite an assortment of enemies. Perhaps karma will finally catch up to him. I am Luo Dai, and anyone who wants to bring the fox's rule to an end is a friend of mine." He took a moment to assess the people that had gathered here. There were two human men, both of which appeared to be very strong, and if the girl could actually wield that ax that she was holding, then she would be an asset as well. There were also a number of youkai that had joined them, including a kitsune. Apparently Anjou treated his own kind no better.