[System]
Alias: The Plague King

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Species: Human (Mostly)

Appearance:

Artemis wears a long black coat, with a patch work of rusted armor, and a advanced air filtration mask fashioned to look like one of the masks worn by the plague doctors of the seventeen hundreds. No one has seen him without his mask for the last twelve years. He is always covered in grime, and the few plates that cover his body all showing signs of rust. He also has two identical syringe pistols, one strapped to his right side, the other to his chest, and a small knife on his ankle. Last things of note is that he wears a black top hat (To cover his balding head), and a pair of black leather gloves.

Personality: Artemis is a cold, sarcastic, and overall a dour fellow. Most of his life he spent leading a crime syndicate, making him also a paranoid control freak, who utterly hates surprises. Since beginning his new life as a exile from the crime syndicate, he's taking on a borderline nihilistic attitude towards everything.

Power: At a early age he was experimented on for research against highly contagious diseases, bacteria, and parasites almost bringing him to the brink of death. Yet he managed to escape the facility and started his new life of crime.. Unaware that his body is a literal bubbling pot of pestilence. Though Artemis never realized it, or cared, that his body sense the experiment is extremely resilient, giving him a high healing. In other words he can heal from broken bones, or even near lethal wounds. (If his brain or heart are damaged, he dies.)

Likes: Loud places, drugs (mostly booze), borderline anarchy, the rain.

Dislikes: Authority, government, and the sun

Skills: He is very skilled with firearms, has a affinity for stealth, and good leadership skills. Last is his ability to read people's body language.

Syringe Pistols: Pistols he had made, they fire a standard slug projectile covered in Artemis's blood. The rounds are similar to a nine millimeter pistol, after impact his blood acts like a neurotoxin.

Other: Artemis is always rasping and coughing, it's so bad that phlegm and snot drool out of his masks filtration system. Though he never seems to mind.

[User]
Stan looked out of his penthouse window as the news played on his large 52 inch flat screen TV. The news reporter was going over the various crimes stopped by heroes. He turned in surprise when they began to talk about The Suit's actions. "Recently, a vigilante calling themselves 'The Suit' has taken matters into their own hands, eliminating corruption in the Skyline's elite. The police are launching an official investigation, but right now have no leads. They suspect someone in the lower levels who has gained access to the Skyline. Many CEOs and businessmen are fearing for their safety, but the police assure them that they are no threat. The only question is if anyone believes that." Stan let out a little chuckle. He chuckled, pulling out his walkie talkie. "Rodriguez. O'Brien. I need you both to accompany me to my meeting with Jonathan Granson. Bring pistols that you can keep hidden."

 Stan waited a bit until a reply crackled out from the walkie. "Yes sir." He clipped his handgun into its holster and smoothed back his hair. Stan straightened his tie and looked in the mirror. Heavy bags hung under his eyes. He ignored them and walked out of his room. When he met his guards outside, he gestured to the hovercar that waited for them all. He entered, putting on his gloves to prevent incrimination. The flight would be 30 minutes, and so he took that time to look into the future. In most of the timelines, Jonathan had four guards. Stan could easily dispatch all with his two guards, so long as they acted with the element of surprise.

 When they arrived, his guards had to slap him to get him out of his stupor. Stan had given him these instructions and was fine with it. They stepped onto the loading dock as the doors opened. Stan and his escorts stepped in. Stan waved at the four guards in the room with Jonathan. "I see you prepare well." Jonathan nodded. Stan was disgusted at the amount of women in skimpy clothing surrounding the short man and his greased back hair. However, he kept it under control. Jonathan nodded at Stan. "You always were like your father. A businessman at heart." Stan almost gagged, but calmed down. "You know Jonathan, I've received a disturbing amount of reports that you've been dealing with some...unsavory types. At first, I assured myself they were all rumors. But then I saw some security footage. You had, believe it or not, a large amount of drugs. And, color me surprised, but," Jonathan's eyes darted around now. He knew something was up. "You were selling it to people who were poor, who had no fun, and they had no choice but to buy your drugs. I just can't allow that, now can I?" Stan gestured to his guards, who quickly whipped out their pistols.

 They proceeded to execute every one of Jonathan's guards. Stan smirked at Jonathan. "W-Why are you doing this?" His grin disappeared. "I'm doing it for the people that can't." He threw a punch at Jonathan. Jonathan wasn't expecting it, and took the full force of the blow. He fell down, sobbing. "Please don't hurt me!" Stan looked around at the women who were cowering behind tables and couches. "Remember the name, but not the face. I am the Suit, and I will not stand for corruption in our city. If I hear a peep out of any of you about what I look like, I will hunt you down too. I am here to help. Remember this." A shot rang out that night. One hour later, all traces of conflict were gone, and Stan was a happy man. Until he had to hunt again the next night, that was.

[Assistant]
(Original posts were lost, this is a summarised version.)
- This post was made with MoonlitCoffee's permission.

Ji-Eun shook her head at Ver'tiel's request, she held her needle in her hand as she sprinted towards him. Ver'tiel chuckled, she made the decision to have him kill Scarlet, so it was fine for him. As he placed his hand on her forehead, he pushed and nothing happened. "What? That's impossible, what have you done?" He asked furiously as he turned to face her, only to be greeted by Ji-Eun lunging at him. The needle pierced through his shoulder, it dug deep before exiting on the other side, his mouth filled with blood and dripped on the floor and on her sleeves.

"It is because this dreamworld belongs to her, not to you." Ji-Eun replied.

Scarlet was in chains, wrapped around her arms, her legs and her neck, the chains were burning her, a burn singed more than fire yet she only felt the pain but nothing happened to her body in the dream world. The pain prevented her from being able to control anything that was hers in this dream. She turned to Ji-Eun, tears rolling down her face for she couldn't bear the pain no longer. Ji-Eun turned to her, seeing the inventor in pain, she knew she had to free her. She pulled the needle out and ran it through his chest, pushing down, practically immobolising him.

"You're too late... It's funny how heroes like you think you have won... Pitiful..." Said Ver'tiel, as the puddle of blood where he laid increasingly got larger.

"It is never too late." Ji-Eun replied as she jogged over to Scarlet.

Ji-Eun attemped to free Scarlet from the chains with her hands, but the same burning feeling happened to her whenever she tried.

"Please... I can't take it... Anymore..." Scarlet replied as she sobbed in place, she hated this, it was torture like no other.

Ji-Eun then ran back to Ver'tiel who had perished at this point and pulled out the needle. She then, in one swing broke one of the chains, now only five to go. As she broke each chain, Scarlet couldn't help but think about why this could be happening or why it was her. "Ms. Emberlee..." Said Ji-Eun, "You're free." She continued as she took a step back.

Scarlet then stood up and gave Ji-Eun a small smile before everything went white.

Suddenly, they were back in the real world, Ji-Eun and Shina were on the ground, unsure of what caused them to fall on the ground. Scarlet was stood back up but she was walking all tipsy unsure of what was going on or what was happening to her. Shina sat up and felt Scarlet walking all weird.

"Scarlet?" Shina asked as she pulled herself up on her feet.

"Shina... I... I don't feel so good." Scarlet stated as she stumbled closer towards Shina, "I don't-... I don't know whats happening, I-I don't understand-" Scarlet continued as she fell forward into Shina's arms. Scarlet then started to slowly turn into dust, starting from her fingers she didn't know why it was happening and tears suddenly fell from her eyes. "I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Shina please... Please I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go..." She fell on the ground but Shina cushioned her fall. "You're okay, Scarlet look at me, you're going to fine." Said Shina, Scarlet starting panting, she pulled off Shina's visor, her hair and her ears now being revealed to the world. and placed her hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry..." Were the last words that escaped her mouth as she fully faded into dust, but yet the goggles on her fell to the ground.

Shina sat there, she felt the goggles fall into her hands then feeling the dust of her friend slip through the spaces between her fingers. She then turned to Ji-Eun and stood up, furiously grabbing her by the collar and pulling her up. "What happened to her!?" She exclaimed at the shorter girl, Ji-Eun was so short that her feet weren't even touching the ground at that point. "I-... I urr... Scarlet, her- her soul... Ver-tiel took it to the underworld." Ji-Eun replied.

Shina then let her go, the expressions of her face wer distraught, shock, fear, mourning, and anger. The ice that she formed throughout that entire fight had all disappeared, and the dust of what was once Scarlet Emberlee flew away. "Please leave me alone... I don't want to feel your presence around me anymore more." Shina replied as she sat there unsure of what to do now. Ji-Eun then scaled down the building, she couldn't help but thing that this was her fault.


[System]
Age: Fifty-two, if you really must know.

Gender: Male of course. I suppose my title would be 'Mother,' otherwise.

Sexuality: Celibate, and that's all I will say on the matter.

Appearance: Well, take a look-

Father Mortain is a fair-skinned human of average height. His hair, although almost totally gray, has yet to thin appreciably. His eyes are brown. Though his youth has long since departed, he is still in good health for a man his age, and makes a point of regular exercise to keep it that way. He is most typically seen wearing a simple brown cassock on his body and nothing on his feet, when the weather allows it. Around his neck he wears the sacred symbol of his order, an emblem depicting a balanced set of scales, cast in silver.

Personality: Well, for one thing I've never much cared for the attitude- prevalent in my order, you understand- that harsh regimentation is the best way to guide a flock. I just don't think that would fly in this village.

I always try to speak kindly, even to strangers and non-believers. Especially to them, in fact. Behaving justly is easily the best way to win converts. Not to mention it's the right thing to do, of course.

Skills: I was trained as a seminarian in the finer points of rhetoric and theology, and received rudimentary instruction in the healing arts. As a boy I was also taught to read and write, to manipulate sums, and I managed to pick up a little bit of herblore as well.

Drawbacks: Might be I'm a little too trusting. I've been called gullible before, after all. I'm a little overfond of imbibing on festive occasions, for which I must do proper penance.

Brief bio: Not much to say, really. I was born here, as any old-timer could tell you. My father worked a plot outside of town, just as his father did, and his grandfather, and so on. My brother and his family work the plot now. And do a fine job of it, I might add.

After reaching adulthood I went off to train for the priesthood in the big city, and spent several years wandering afterward, as is traditional. When my traveling was finished, I was dispatched at my own request back to Winding. Our previous priest in residence- Naram keep him- had died several months earlier, leaving the post open.

I've been tending the shrine to Naram ever since.

I am taking up a collection to repair the roof, if you're feeling generous. Surely you noticed the drip pans in the narthex?

[User]
Today was Tuesday -- the second Tuesday in Summer, in fact -- and what a beautiful Tuesday it was. White puffy clouds scudded softly across the blue sky like cottony tortoises floating on their backs. Sunlight gleamed and twinkled on the gold and blue gilding of the village clock tower, which ticked and tocked and bonged nine times for the morning.

The wide open village square was full of wooden carts with baskets of unusually bright fruits, and bunches of flowers, and fresh-caught fish, and polished trinkets from the far end of the Long Road. A gaggle of children ran laughing through the square trailing a long-tailed kite in the sky above them, happily disturbing the customers of the Glass Key Cafe, who sat outside at little tables with their blueberry pancakes and apricot tea.

The mayor, this morning, was doing just that. Mayor Thistlecatch poured strawberry syrup on her pancakes and ate while she listened to the Pooths' latest security report.

The Pooths stood on the mayor's little wooden table in the square, huddled together and jabbering, while Boo Pooth cleared his throat. "Miss Agatha's feline companion was reported missing at five o-eight in the evening yesterday," Boo recited. "At five-fifteen we split up and commenced a search of the village for signs of Miss Agatha's feline companion. At ten-forty we reconvened and declared Miss Agatha's feline companion to have gone missing without a trace."

"That's the fourth one since last week," the mayor mused, and she took a thoughtful bite of blueberry pancake. "Has there been any activity at the watchmaker's shop?"

"No movement has been sighted or reported since Mister Skilton was last seen at the Glass Key Cafe on Sunday last week at eight o-five in the evening according to Miss Lark." Boo stood straight and solemn before his siblings, who tittered and fidgeted behind him.

"Well, keep an eye on the shop for me, will you? Thank you for the update." The mayor bowed her head with a smile, and the Pooths saluted her and clambered their way off the table, their little bells jingling.

Mayor Thistlecatch opened to the last page of her sketchbook and resumed work on her drawing of the clock tower. The days were clear and peaceful -- and if the only problems plaguing the village lay in missing cats and a reclusive watchmaker, there was little for the mayor to do but to watch and to listen to the hum of the village.

[Assistant]
Nich's Niche Needs stood on a fairly busy road. Any passersby would see the owner's latest creations on display in the window, along with a little placard naming the device, but offering no description as to it's purpose. Nich didn't feel such detail was necessary, though, as he thought the names spoke for themselves. After all, there were only so many things that "spring boots" could do. Nich sat in the back room with his toolbox open, tinkering on his latest contraption. He wasn't sure what it did yet, but it wound up and had some moving bits, so there was that. Most people walking by would think the shop was empty; Nich liked to keep the backroom door closed so nobody could steal his ideas, but once a customer came in...

The door opened. The top of the door pulled on a wire running along the wall of the shop and into the back room. The force of the wire sent some tiny gears in motion, and they caused an iron strip to rattle around inside a brass dome, making a loud ringing sound. In a matter of seconds, the jovial rat scurried out from the back with a bright grin on his face. "Welcome! Welcome! What brings you here on this beautiful summer day?"

The customer reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. "It seems to have stopped working," he said. "I wind it, but I don't hear anything. Perhaps you could take a look at it?"

Nich's entire body seemed to droop a bit upon seeing the watch. "Yes. I can look at it. I can fix it too. But, please, while I'm working, do take a look around. There are so many more interesting things than watches!"

The customer gave a cordial smile. "It certainly looks like it, but I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry. May I drop the watch off and pick it up later."

Nich tried to hide his dejected sigh. "Yes. It'll be done tomorrow. Let me just take your information..." And so he filled out a ticket, and put the watch under the counter on a shelf labeled "later." The customer tipped his hat and went about his business, and then Nich shook his head, looking at the stack of five watch pickups he was expecting today. It was a strange turn of events, that watchmaker's disappearance. Nich had never considered himself a competitor with the old man. He didn't sell watches; he sold everything else. Unfortunately, with the watchmaker's shop closed, people came to him as their next resort. New customers were always good, and he couldn't complain about the boost in profits. But fixing watches every day? Bah! Where was the fun in that?

[User]
Nothing would get past Anzo's watchful eye! That is, if he was actually paying attention and urm... in his tower.

"Another meat 'n' cheese sandwich." The dung beetle was avoiding his duties at his usual getaway spot, and he was enjoying every second of his self-given break. Grabbing his food as soon as possible, he left enough money before getting up to return to his post at a snail's pace, not being especially eager to return to his tower. Guarding was one of the most boring occupations, comprised entirely of waiting, waiting, in addition to waiting some more. The ease of the job was part of the reason the bug took up the job, along with part of the reason he wasn't engaged in it. Greeting his fellows villagers the whole walk, his tower eventually came in range.

"Ahh, finally get to relax," Anzo said to himself before plopping down in his chair atop the tower and taking out his sandwich. It was such a beautiful day. The big beetle started gobbling on his sandwich. The sun was out and the clouds were perfectly puffy. His sandwich was really good, and so all was good. Looking around, he just took it all in. Birds soaring, children playing, and the clock tower ticking, getting to see the village in action from so high up was definitely one of the perks to being a guard.

Anzo made a note to himself on the way down to look at it some more, after he got another sandwich, of course. Nothing seriously bad ever happened in Winding, so he didn't have to be in his tower. Well, at least that's what Anzo thought as he bought sandwiches for him and some compadres, once again neglecting his duties.

[Assistant]
Father Mortain had risen early, as was his custom, to jaunt through the fields and wilderland beyond the village. Men his age had to make an effort to remain in even passable physical condition. He only had to remember the graybeard elders of the seminary to convince himself that such was necessary. Sallow skin, sunken cheeks. It was enough to make Mortain shudder. It was no way for a man to go out, if he could help it.

And if, while on his morning trek, he happened to keep an eye out for the watchmaker, more's the good. Unfortunately, the good Father had spotted neither hide nor hair of the man since he disappeared last week. Naram willing, he would turn up soon, and unharmed. Perhaps he had taken a trip out of town, and had merely neglected to tell anyone? Skilton seemed like the forgetful type, and frankly that suggestion seemed more and more likely as Mortain considered it.

He breathed deeply as he passed alongside a barley field. Whatever small matters troubled the people of Winding, it remained the loveliest bit of country in all the land, and he was glad to be its priest.

---

In time, Mortain came to the high wooden tower from which Anzo, a most unusual guard, generally kept watch. Generally, that is, unless he was busy doing something else. Which he often seemed to be. The bug meant well, he supposed, but couldn't help but wonder that perhaps he was a touch... Unqualified.

In the spirit of brotherhood, the priest considered waving up to Anzo as he passed. As he could not actually see him up there, he quickly decided against it.

He's always going to and fro. You'll have a chance to greet him later, he thought.

Fair enough.

---

His bare feet sounding softly on the paving stones, Mortain made way toward the shops near the center of town. His ongoing collection effort was not going terribly well. His parishioners gave generously enough- that was true. No one could deny that. But fixing the shrine's roof looked to be an expensive proposition. Certainly more expensive than he had hoped. Unless he was going to request funds from the Archpriest, which was not a thought he relished at all, he would have to reach out to the local business community. To call upon their sense of charity and decency. Oh, and the Mayor. He would have to ask her, as well.

He wasn't particularly looking forward to that, either. Not that she was unreasonable. For such a young mayor, she had actually proved to be both unusually competent and unusually reasonable. He suspected that her father would have been very proud of her performance thus far. Even so, he hated the idea of asking someone who was for all her ability still just a young girl for help. It seemed like an unnecessary burden for him to place on her.

Well, he thought, a thin smile playing across his lips, if the shopkeepers are sufficiently forthcoming, I won't even have to ask the Mayor.

He came to the door of Nich's Niche Needs, a shop that was as fascinating as its name was difficult to say quickly. Though he had visited many times, he had trouble recalling a time when he had actually purchased anything there. With any luck Nich wouldn't mind. Business went rather well for him, did it not?

Pushing the door open, Mortain passed within, his eyes slowly adjusting to the change in lighting. He glanced about, seeing the shopkeeper nowhere in evidence. The fellow was in the back, he supposed, clearing his throat.

"Nich?" he called, peering briefly at some oddity nearby.

"Are you in? I was hoping to have a word with you."


[System] Blaze is Sakura's Avatar.

[User]
Sora took the bear-themed cup from Rui and took a sip from it. The guy had a huge smile on his face while he was being dragged from one exhibit to the next. It felt really good to spend time with his sister again. It had been so long that it felt like... like returning home after a long and boring business trip. "Oh, yeah! You're right! I guess they are good at hiding themselves. That's pretty interesting to watch." Sora said as he held Wolf's card close to the glass in order for him to see the snakes as well.

Then suddenly, a guy that Sora didn't know walked towards him and his sister. "What does that guy want? Who the hell is that?" Sora whispered towards Wolf, who had an equally confused look onto his face. "I have no freaking idea. However, I don't like the way he looks." Sora whispered a 'me neither' before realizing that Rui had also recognized the guy's presence. A friend of Rui's? A BOYfriend of Rui's? She didn't look that happy to see the guy, so it couldn't be either of those two options.

Then why did she feel the need to make the guy understand that Sora was simply her brother and not her date? "So she runs into him a lot, huh?" Then the guy suddenly turned to Sora instead of Rui. "Yeah, I am. So... What are you doing with my sister? Are you stalking her or something? You should leave her alone." Sora took a couple of steps, so he stood between Rui and Nanashi.

[Assistant]
"A stalker...? Me?" Nanashi confusedly replied to Sora. He brought his fingers close to his mask, as if lost in thought, even though there was no mouth on it. "Does that mean I've met you two before...?" he muttered to himself.

"Ahaha... this is bad, isn't it?" Lumia said with a nervous little laugh. "Actually, I don't think he's..."
"You tell him, Sora!" Rui said as she hid behind her (younger) brother, sticking out her tongue at Nanashi like a little kid. Lumia let out a sigh.
"You too, Nee-chan...?" The exasperation in her voice was clear.

"...No. Nevermind. I have something to ask you," Nanashi spoke up again, turning his attention back to Sora. "Can I see that card you're holding?" he asked. "I found it strange your sister pulled out a card from her bag so suddenly. That's why I came over to talk to her." he explained, his mask shifting towards Lumia. Just like back at the card shop, a feeling of discomfort clearly washed over her. She knows he cannot see her, and yet this makes twice now that he'd singled her out. Nanashi's gaze looped back around to Sora. "And you're doing the same. Are you two admiring some rare cards? If so, I'd like to take a look. Maybe I could trade to power up my deck," he asked.

Rui was, at that point in time, a bit too baffled by the request to give any input on the matter.

[User]
Sora was dumbfounded that he didn't even seemed to remember his sister, even though Lumia said that the guy had seen and talked to his sister multiple times. What was up with that guy? He was so weird and mysterious that he even somewhat scared Sora. "You don't remember if you have seen or talked to us before? What's up with your memory, dude?" Sora almost screamed, possibly out of fear. He needed to get some answers. Who was that guy? What was he planning to do with them?

Although he had weird feelings considering the guy, he felt good when his sister commented on his actions. It felt good to be able to protect his sister, to be able to be there for her, to have her encourage him like that. Then however, he suddenly got one answer. He came over... because he noticed Lumia and Wolf? Just for those two cards? It felt weird and unbelievable that a random Nexus fan would approach strangers in a zoo to take a look at their cards. Something was up with that guy. "These... These cards aren't... We cannot trade them for anything else." Sora muttered.

He hesitated to say something further, but he knew that the guy wouldn't leave with just that one sentence. "The cards... They are... Euhm... More of emotional support... They won't be much good in your deck..." Sora continued, not even knowing if the cards would be of help to the guy. But the guy couldn't take either Lumia or Wolf away from them. Could he? "If you don't mind... I would rather spend some time alone with my sister... You know... Two siblings catching up... We only have the day and I would rather spend it with her than with... Well... A stranger like you." The last words escaped his mouth in almost a whispering tone.

[Assistant]
"Emotional support, is it?" Nanashi commented, the suspicion clear in his voice. He turned his mask to the card Sora was holding. "...I see. It's an Avatar card. It must be the core of your deck," he said, pocketing one hand in his hoodie. Sora explained- well, whispered that he'd rather spend the day with his sister and Nanahi nodded in response. "Of course. It was rude of me to interrupt; you two have fun on your day."

Nanashi turned around and took a step forward, then paused. He looked back over his shoulder at Sora. "Wolf, right? Take good care of that card," he said. After that final message, Nanashi walked off for real without looking back.

"I really don't understand him," Rui told Sora after the other boy had left. "He shows up at weird times, says something cryptic and then walks off again..."
"Aha, honestly, he kind of creeps me out too... it's almost like he knows something we don't," Lumia added.
"Right? And why does he wear a mask like that, it's so weird!" Rui kept complaining. She looked up from Lumia and grabbed Sora's arm. "Hey, if I pretend to cling to you, do you think people will leave us alone?" she asked, and Lumia happened to end up near Wolf when Rui did so. Lumia quickly shifted gears and whispered something to Wolf while their commanders were distracted.

"Wolf, did you feel it too?" she asked. "Another commander moving closer while Nanashi was distracting Nee-chan and Sora-kun."

[User]
Sora sighed deeply out of relieve the moment the mysterious guy seemed to understand what Sora meant to say. However, he was rather suspicious of the fact that the guy knew Wolf's name. Sora turned Wolf's card back to himself and noticed that he had been covering Wolf's name with his finger. How did the guy knew that Sora's Avatar was named Wolf from just taking a look at his image? Sora opened his mouth in order to ask Wolf about it, but he seemed as confused as Sora was. "Who is that guy?" So Wolf didn't recognize him either.

"Only other Commanders could have owned you before, right?" Wolf nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But that guy didn't seem much of a Commander to me." Sora sighed again. Well, it didn't matter much. The guy was gone and without him, they wouldn't get any answers to their questions. "He does that every single time? Man, that guy is a pain in the ass." Sora said to Rui. "Maybe he has an ugly face and is just trying to hide. In that case, I prefer him with the mask, I don't want to be traumatised." Wolf joked.

Sora is very surprised by Rui's comment, but even more by her touch. "I guess they will." Sora answered Rui, scratching his head with his other hand nervously. Wolf focused his attention to Lumia in the meantime. "Yeah, i feel it too. I can still feel it. There is another Commander" Wolf said. The moment Wolf pronounced the word 'Commander', he noticed a little girl running towards Rui and Sora.

"Hey! You're Commanders too, right?!" She said with a huge smile on his face. 'Children are so damn innocent', Wolf thought, already feeling sorry for the child that it had been chosen as a Commander and also a little bit angry at the Avatar. "My name is Sakura and this is my Avatar Blaze!" She screamed of joy.

Sora scratched the back of his head and pushed Rui away from him, so he could squat down and talk to the little girl at eye level. "Yeah, we both are Sakura. But I am not exactly in the mood to battle. I am spending time with my big sister here." He said in his sweetest, most polite voice. However, Sakura didn't take 'no' for an answer. "But I need to battle and win to make my big sister very proud!" Sakura said with a huge smile. "And big sister will be very proud if you manage to win the battle, sweety!" Her Avatar added.

Although Sora didn't know the girl's exact wish, it obviously had something to do with her big sister and he didn't want to interfere with her family. However, Rui seemed to disagree with his decision to the refuse the little girl's proposal to a battle. "Yeah, I know this could save me, but I don't want... I couldn't... Not with such a young child." He whispered to his sister. However, both Rui and Sakura started to encourage him to a battle and finally... He felt like he had no choice but to accept. Sakura and Sora opened the battlefield, colored in red and green.

Although Sora had no confidence in his own capabilities when it came to Nexus, he had a pretty easy win over the child. It seemed like it was her first battle as a Commander, so she hadn't lost everything yet. However, at that moment he had put a little girl in the same dangerous situation as he himself was in. He switched places with such an innocent little child. "Sakura..." He began, trying to console the little child. "It's alright. Come on, Sakura. You're going to win the next battle for sure! And this battle was good training, right? Let's train some more on our own before the next battle." Blaze intervened. "You're right, Blaze! Thank you for the lesson, sir." Sakura said as she bowed thankfully to Sora.

[Assistant]
"Hey, what are you getting all flustered for? Has my baby brother never had a girl cling to his arm before~?" Rui teased Sora when she saw how bashful he was being. She also said something along the lines of "C'mon, don't think I haven't noticed you spending time with... that..." but had trouble remembering who the person he'd spent time with actually was. It's not just the name; her face, her status, it's all gone. There was just a gaping hole of Rui being aware there was something there, but being locked out of accessing it.

Before the situation got any more awkward, or rather, to make things even more so, a small child approached the sibling duo. She recognized both Rui and Sora as commanders, but Sora was quick to shoot her down. "Yeah, we both are Sakura. But I am not exactly in the mood to battle. I am spending time with my big sister here." he said.

"What are you saying, Sora?" Rui chastised him. "This is the perfect chance! We practiced, didn't we?" she continued. Sora still seemed hesitant.

"Yeah, I know this could save me, but I don't want... I couldn't... Not with such a young child."
"She's a commander, just like us! It doesn't matter how old she is. C'mon, Sora! You can do this!" she tried convincing him. Rui didn't seem all too concerned, unlike her brother. She'd step in and take the challenge herself, but Rui was worried about him. He needed to get a win, to buy himself some time. Rui was strong; she could find and defeat opponents by herself... but Sora needed every edge he could get. Eventually, Sora was convinced by both her and Sakura. The three of them moved to a less crowded, more remote location and Sora opened the battlefield with his opponent.

The child- Sakura- was clumsy. She didn't know too well what her cards did and often played them in the wrong order. Sora, while not the most experienced himself, had a basic idea of what his deck wanted to do thanks to practicing with his sister. He made sure to protect his life cards, slowly build up an advantage and never leave himself in a position to lose. A more experienced player could've exploited the holes he still left in his strategies, but Sakura was much too fresh to recognize and take advantage of them. Soon enough, it was Sora's victory, his previously blackened coin returning to its golden luster.

"You did it!" Rui happily exclaimed, hugging her brother after his victory. He didn't seem nearly as happy as her, though. Sorra wrangled himself loose from Rui's grip and walked over to the child, crouching down to meet her at her height. He tried to console the small child, though the Avatar, Blaze, actually did the most of the work by saying:

"It's alright. Come on, Sakura. You're going to win the next battle for sure! And this battle was good training, right? Let's train some more on our own before the next battle." Sakura seemed to cheer up pretty quickly after that. She thanked Sora and gave him a respectful bow. Rui clasped Sora's hand with both of hers.

"See? She'll be fine. You shouldn't worry about her so much," Rui said, trying to be comforting even though her words were cold. "Wolf must be exhausted... so let's not worry about battles anymore today, okay? Let's just enjoy the rest of our day!" she cheerily said, trying to lift Sora's spirits. In the process, Rui ignored the little girl there with them. She didn't seem to care much about her, whether intentionally or not... it was hard to get a read on her like she was now, with her attention so squared on Sora.

"You're being scary again, Nee-chan..." Lumia muttered to herself, unbeknownst to her commander.


[System]
Metroid Final Protocol
Alias: "the bounty miner"
Age: 127
Gender: male
Species: Vergisian
Occupation: bounty hunter
Residence: Ferra IV (made up planet, obviously)
A desert planet, with harsh environments and often sandstorms on the surface. The rich minerals hidden under the surface lead a patch of Vergisians to settle on this planet, creating countless mining sites over the planet.

Physical Description:
Vergisians are bipedal species with the physique of comparably short adult humans, standing around 150~160cm. They have six fingers(think if it as having an extra thumb on the other side), which are perfect for complex, accurate movements. The group Vekt is a part of is a tribe that moved over to Ferra IV not long before they were discovered by the Galactic Federation(which dates far back from current day). They have pale grey skin, similar to the ones of zombies from certain movies. Their eyes have vertical pupils. Except for that their physical traits are nearly the exact same to humans- only stronger and easier to survive in extreme conditions. They lived on the planet, mining minerals that were mostly sent back home. Before the species officially joined the Federation and went under their protection the planet had to suffer from various attacks eyeing the precious resources, including the infamous Space Pirates and many rogues who seeked to loot them. This resulted in the Vergesians to excel not only in mining, but in improvised weaponries.

Vekt is a Vergisian standing at 156 cm, which is a bit taller than Vergisian average(154 cm). He has little scars here and there on his arms, especially on his right one. He is missing a thumb on his right hand, which is replaced by a robotic one.

Personality:
Calm, yet reckless in some situations. Vekt can remain calm even in the face of death after years of mining and fighting experiences. This also allows him to make extreme choices without hesitation, sometimes seeming selfless. He is also a fluent coworker, able to cooperate with most types of people and species.
The problem would be his wisdom. Vekt may be a decent fighter with the skill to craft a handful of improvised explosives to chuck at unsuspecting enemies, but he's not a mastermind at planning things. Without aid of his friendlies he may easily walk into traps without suspicion and hesitation.

Equipment/Cabilities:
-Powered suit, Ferra IV style:
A powered suit modified by Vekt for "various uses", originally designed for Vergisians that operated in space to repair the mineral transporting vessels, and, sometimes, engage any hostiles that try to approach the ship. It has life support system and multiple propulsion engines on the limbs and back.

-Modified energy tool:
A modified mining multitool, so that it fits more for combat purposes. It is a wrist mounted retractable metal blade with an operating handle(like a baton fixed to your arm with a blade on it), able to be powered with energy to slice through most types of metal known to the Federation. While in that state the blade can be used to shoot energy projectile by rapidly vibrating. Can shoot a beam of energy for a short moment when it is charged enough. Can also be used for welding, but requires metal rods to do so effectively.

-Vergesian minor class gunship:
A small Vergesian gunship, ideal for 1~2 pilots. Vekt modified it so it could withstand long voyages, and added various features such as crude med bay, workspace for crafting weaponry and stuff, scanner, and a cloaking system.

-IED's:
Sometimes mining business requires high powered explosives, and Ferra IV wasn't an exception. Using knowledge earned on his homeworld, Vekt is capable of using IED's, varying in power and effects depending on what resources he's given to make them with.

History:
Vekt was born to a miner family, like all others on Ferra IV. He went deep down the surface, mined minerals out of hard, worthless rocks, and moved on to space where he guarded his tribe's transport vessels.
He would've ended as an ordinary Vergisian if he lived this way, but things changed a bit. His hometown ran into a small crisis, when a group of bandits raided their village and looted them quite bad. Many were wounded, with great loss in their finaces. Vekt volunteered as a bounty hunter hired by the Federation, to help his village live on.
He settled as a skilled bounty hunter later on, utilizing the crude yet deadly tools he had acquired from his homeworld, to hunt down his bounty.

[User]
Kaze's crimson eyes cut towards the space marine. The suited man was still several feet shorter than him. He got between him and Amber, human machismo was very amusing, and started trying to push the draconic man away from Amber. Even though she was the one who invaded his own space to be all haughty and ballsy. Unfortunately for David Kaze wasn't so easy to move, what with being a couple tons of muscle, heavy bones, and just strength. His tail braced while his claws dug into the steel floor slightly, preventing him from being pushed back.

"Tell that to Samus' home being destroyed by that whelp Ridley and his little gang." He replied, he knew about the young woman's background. Hell he had followed what Ridley had done for years. "As for her being a traitor...she has no allegiance to the Federation. She's a bounty hunter just like me and only has to follow your laws while in Federation space. You lot have no hold on her at all." He growled out as he stood back up to his normal height. He should have stopped the little pissing contest a while ago but now it was just amusing.

[Assistant]
Kathrine Vale-

"She's done a lot of work for the Federation before, though, it's odd that Samus would just up and disappear with a job unfinished, isn't it?" Kat spoke up once more. "I mean, everything I've ever heard about her speaks to a woman who doesn't do things in half measures."

She perked up a bit, her stance getting a little less relaxed.

[User]
Admiral Garrett was going to correct the dragon himself on what he thought the facts were, but before he could, one of his own people started to do so already. Then, the arguments started up. Was Samus really at fault? Was Samus really accountable? Blah blah blah blah BLAH! On and on, like they were a row of politicians! Even with another one of the prospectives arriving - albeit late - this was showing no signs of abating. Garrett finally interjected...

"SHUT UP!"

...using the mic embedded in his collar that was synched up with the room's speaker system.

"You are not here for your unfounded opinions. You are here to receive mission directives and intel, and then to carry out said mission. For the record, the Zebesian population is NOT depleted. It is my branch's duty to learn these things and keep track of them so that we know they need to be eliminated. So, in case you were thinking you won't be attacked by Space Pirates, you might be attacked by Space Pirates. Deal with it! And on the subject of Samus Aran, when found, you will apprehend her and bring her to a Federation research station where you will turn her over to an armed escort to begin the generation of Metroid gene structure. She is required for the cure and she will not give herself over, so she must be taken in. End of story."

It was about this time that the Admiral noted that the bounty hunter with the skull motif had left the room. He'd be picked up by security. So, with that particular scene out of the way, Garrett was moving on, and he was not having anymore of these outbursts. He began to resume a stern-but-calm mode of speech to the group.

"Now then, perhaps you're all wondering how YOU are going to survive the X, since we don't have innoculations for you. This mission would be suicide if we hadn't been thinking of alternate ways to deal with the X from the word GO. Apart from your own equipment, you will each be given new quarantine field belts, which will repel infectious entities from you. We are developing this for use on a large scale, but that will take time, which is why you must certainly disrupt X-related activities, otherwise they might attack the core worlds o the Federation, each planet with many-times greater populations than any colony world. They are adjustable, will protect powered armor suits as much as yourself, and may be hooked into additional power supplies to extend their use."

Images on all the holo-screens changed to images of the belts, diagrams of its fields in effect, and so on.

"This field has successfully stopped all other pathogens while in effect. It will protect you against the X. However, the shield's power will lower against direct attack, and it will collapse if the device itself becomes damage, though they are water-proof, vacuum-proof, and insulated. They cannot protect you against attacks, only being infected BY attacks, and when they run out, that's your ass, so don't waste it."

And now, the main image changed to that of a particular star chart. It's importance should be without question.

It was the SR System in which the Metroids AND the X Parasites originated. This was a tactical chart of the system, showing the effect that the scorching of SR-388 and a sudden loss of mass in the entire planet was having on the area around it.

"It just so happens that we have a viable lead for you all to start with, although you may decide to attempt to determine the next target of attack ahead of time and intercept it. Good luck with that. Whatever intellect the intellect the X are playing with - probably human intellect - it hasn't made them logical or predictable. At any rate, this is SR-388 as it is now, a big fireball surrounding a dead, half-destroyed world. No life is on that planet now, guaranteed. Not unless it burrowed VERY deep. However, the neighboring planet designated SR-387 does support life. We know, because we stationed a remote outpost there long before placing the BSL Station in orbit around 388, designed to keep tabs on the system itself and to determine if anything like Metroids existed there, as well. No dice, obviously, but they will have intel on local activities, including how the X managed to leave the planet or the station. The only problem is that we have lost contact, which almost-certainly indicates an infestation on planet SR-387."

He paused, and with some deliberation, said...

"Are there any relevent and constructive questions before I send you to collect the rest of your team?"

Huh? 'Rest of your team'? You mean there's more? Why aren't they here?

[Assistant]
Kathrine Vale-

"I have one, actually," She stood up a bit straighter, "Should Samus do her whole.....Samus thing, and we can't catch her, should we be aiming to bring in biological material from her at least? Blood samples and the like?" She paused, "If she has those Metroid cells in her and all, even that should prove useful, right?"

[User]
@FalloutJack

"Watch it what ya say about the marines, Were doing a damn good job at keeping scumbags like you away form the innocent civilians" He said making a motion with his hand like the evil eye a grandmother would make but sideways pointing at the dragon like creature. Shutting up when his leader spoke up and listened to the rest of the briefing, Taking in the all the information he was glad the pointdexters at R&D would make such a handy device for them. "No questions boss let's go get this girl and go get the cure" He said just wanting to do the job and get Samus.

Wither she wants to come quietly or not was her choice, As David was glad to do things the hard way of getting Samus. He was going to have enjoy doing it the hard way to get Samus to come with them, Looking over at Amber and moving beside her looking down at her. "Don't worry i got your back" He said to her smiling behind his heavy helmet for his suit.

[Assistant]
Kathrine Vale

It's a good thing I'm wearing this helmet, I might choke on all this machismo otherwise.

[User]
''No allegiance to the federation...what about her species?'' Amber mumbled to herself, very silently, as she turned back to her commander right before he brought about silence and order. To the large marine who walked right beside her, she motioned a small appreciation nod with her head. Mostly for the sake of politeness, but she also didn't want to be at cold with all of her future teammates. If that big dragon was to dislike her for her lack of restraint, Amber felt like it was a good idea to have the other giant beside her. Just in case...

The scientist took a careful look at the system's map. Again, the spread of the X was astonishing - it never failed to amaze her. As well as deeply scare her, which was reassuring considering her unhealthy interest in such a virus. The field they were given was also of interest, but she was no engineer and not all that interested in how the tech functioned. She would have to wait to actually come in contact with the X to see what kind of effect it had on it, and what reaction the X would have towards the shield.

''Sir. Do you know if, by any chance, any form of data was saved from SR-388 Oribtal station and safeguarded on the SR-387 outpost? On top of the observation note of the events that transpired on the neighboring world, I mean. I would really love to take a look - and bring back - at some of the researches notes the scientists there gathered on the X and the Metroids.''

[Assistant]
Kaze's ears reflexively folded just as the blare of the mic popped up. His crimson eyes turned towards the other elder of the room. "Didn't need to shout." He stated, no one had been yelling or even raising their voice. At least the man had just used a mic and shouted. His own people would have just slugged you and let you know certain shit wasn't going to fly. The marine decided to say something stupid which only earned him a rather feral grin. "And yet it's 'scumbags' like me who do your dirty work because you're fully incapable of doing it..." He murmured to the smaller man in his clunky looking armor.

The admiral finally got on to saying a full briefing and mentioned other squad members. That piqued his interest. "No questions about the mission itself. But other people are coming with us?" He questioned. He figured a small group would be going not a large one. Too many people tended to make a mess of things, it's part of the reason why he tended to work solo or just with one other person who was more technologic than himself.


[System]
Hey Mick :p
Age: Seventeen
Gender: Male
Species: Gifted Human

Abilities: Since his eleventh birthday Alf is able to see fae creatures. Moreover, in his veins flow sparks of power deriving from nothing less than the norse god of light Baldr (who, actually, was an incredibly powerful summer fae). He is, unfortunately, unaware of these divine abilities and of his heritage passed on by his danish ancestors. Most of his powers lie dormant, still, he is capable with great willforce to shift the light in his field of sight, altering the look of his surroundings. Other than that, he is your average american teen, fond of sports, music and art, friendly to most and with good grades.

Bio: Alf grew up in a lively household, where elements of vitality and creativity came together in a complementary fashion. He therefore appears full of youthful vigor and humor, though his stubbornness and silly behaviour often classify him as immature. He discharges his energy always giving himself something to do, avoiding remaining idle or slacking around when things allow it. In fact, his character is variable, and, depending on the period and his mood, changes form and expression. He doesn't quite know what he wants yet, but neither puts his efforts in discovering it. He manages his life on a week-basis, not always questioning himself about the future, yet searching for long term relationships of any kind. His life rolls by and by, and although this may not be favourable in the long run, he is happy, and thus doesn't question himself. Towards others he is very solar and soft-hearted, even naïve and gullible at times: thanks to this he is surrounded by a decent amount of friends, of whom he has and at the same time hasn't necessity to enjoy the day. He really likes music, especially medieval-ish one, although he is completely incapable of playing any instrument outside of the flute. Creativity and imagination are highly valued by him, characteristics he passionately looks for in every person he meets.

Despite its unlikelihood, Alf managed to live a fairly normal childhood in Valor. His parents, Caroline and John, both originally from Los Angeles, moved in Valor when his mother inherited a rather big property from a distant uncle of hers. They mutually believed the fresh air of the small town would have been the perfect place to raise their first daughter. Good intentions do not always turn out to be such. He was born two years later, and was shortly followed by another sister. With a video-games designer father, an energetic paramedic mother and two overly affectionate sisters, no wonder he was brought up so happy-go-lucky and relaxed. During the first years of his teens, the shock caused by the sudden enrollment in the military of his older sister allowed him to discover his ancestral powers long dormant. Moreover, he realized he could see fae, thing he never shared with anyone, and thus is as of the day unaware that others may as well.

Other details: His nickname is Alfie. He is somewhat thrilled by reversed damsel-in-distress situations. When scared he shrieks like a girl. He is, ironically, scared of spiders, slimy things and filth. He plays soccer, although his skills are definitely meager. Lately, a wood fae has illegally taken up residence in an old oak in front of his window, and often likes to tease him while he studies.

[User]
Ira was just settling into her languid procrastination when she was interrupted by a man's voice. She immediately discarded her half-baked lesson plan, her still-torpid mind grasping at any promise of excitement or salvation from monotonous boredom. She turned her chair and faced the man, extricating herself from her slumped posture and adopting one much more becoming. Absentmindedly flattening her dress, she responded in a voice like bell-chimes, letting tinges of the inferno drip into her timbre. She found it distasteful and vulgar, but evidently some found it impressive or, flames forbid, attractive.

"Indeed we haven't, Wesley. It is a pleasure to finally make your proper acquaintance, especially on the account of such a generous offer. I was afraid that I would go mad from the work. It's happened more than once, in truth." She smiled broadly, and gestured to a spare chair that had been floating around the office for some years no, no-one willing to remove it or claim ownership. Continuing, she spoke again, her eyes never breaking contact in the interim.

"So, you teach art. How are you finding the students, receptive? I've had my share of troubles shaping young minds, as it were, but I would imagine art would be a much more desirable subject for adolescents, isn't it?"

[Assistant]
For most of that class Dakoth had been asleep but he was aware of things around him like the lesson and what it was but he was more over just looking over every single student and judging them learning a bit about them from there actions but he opened his eyes so he wouldn't look like he was slacking off or anything, and everynow and then he kind of glanced over at the pretty girl who everyone called Ira who was talking to their art teacher, Dakoth loved art but he kind of was hitting on Ira but he kept it to himself.

Dakoth started drawing a infant in the palm of a hand that was mottled with stars he thought it symbolized power and birth and the beginning of a legacy.

He looked around and groaned, he couldn't find a clock so he put his hand up probably for the very first time in class he actually would speak to anyone or maybe the beginning.

"Excuse me Sir,"

Dakoth said his voice not very loud but audible enough for a teacher.

"Do you have the time?"

Dakoth noticed probably this was the first time on earth he spoke and his voice sounded weak and shy unlike when he tried to overthrow hell when he bellowed and cackled with evil delight Dakoth thought he should probably make some friends or at least find something in common with someone.

"Oh and what was your name again Sir?"

Dakoth said lightly to the Art teacher he almost sounded like a Dove but he was a Dove from hell, and Dakoth was going to probably man up later.

He waited for the class to laugh at his complete incompetence.

[User]
No answer....Dakoth awoke slumbering against his locker in the hallway where everyone bustled about doing there own things.

"Just a dream!"

Dakota mumbled to himself as he stretched and then got some other school supplies out of his locker and prepared for class.

[Assistant]
It wasn't the ringing of his electronic alarm clock to wake Alf up that morning. Or, any morning at all since last month. It was a wood dryad, who drawn pleasure from shrilling at the very same hour every morning like an off-key bird, yet with a mellifluous voice.
He decided to call her Silly in the end, since she had no names of her own, and mostly because she behaved like a spoiler petty princess. Before the time she took a liking of the Old Jack, the oak his grandfather -called not strangely Jack himself- planted in their garden, he knew very little of fae, and had never seen one so closely. Well, it wasn't like he had remarkable knowledge of the Fae now; mostly, a negative opinion.
That day the unwelcome guest was performing in a series of single tone shrieks with very much expected gusto. Alf laid stretched under his duvet, eyes fully open and mouth reduced to a slit. A sigh would have exhaled in a matter of seconds, if his little sister hadn't entered the room.
She loved to wander whenever possible in her brother's room, and it seemed she had just waken up as well; she was still wearing her pajamas.
'Hey Alex...' he murmured half-dead. He got up, sitting on the side of the bed, and in a slow motion raised his hand to scratch his left eye.
'Man, brother, you glimmer exactly like each morning...' she remarked seemingly uninterested. And here was problem two. For some reason, since the last week, he started shining bright in the middle of the night, and the morning he would find what he called "leftovers". Literally, when he woke up he found his body covered in some sort of oily substance of some sort, most likely, as Silly hypnotized, a magical trace. Fact was he had to wash himself every single morning now to remove that spooky Edward Cullen-likish effect.
Alex exited his room, shouting to their mother he was awake.
'Good morning dustling' greeted a familiar voice from outside the window.
Alf ignored the sound and awkardly stretched his arms in a mixed jointing, yawning and arching his feet fingers at the same time. He had wondered several times how did she manage to speak to him. The thought of her having eaten Old-Jack briefly creeped inside his mind, just to leave it an instant later labeled as "obnoxious thought". He convinced himsef he didn't really care in the end and moved towards his bathroom to wash his face.
A little branch springed up from outdoor, and grew further inside the room until it reached the ceiling. 'You sure put up a good show this night.' said Silly, her voice reseambling tiny wheezings of wind through a closed window 'Did you turn the light off yesterday? The smell coming from your room was absolutely refreshing.' sneered.
Alf squinted his eyes at her. 'Get lost.'
'My my, you are in your rebellious age after all! I guess I'll have to bear with you until you don't leave this house... or this world. Also, nice boxers, kid.' It probably was his imagination, but the cracks in the wood seemed to arch in a malicious grin. He took his clothes from a chair and headed towards the bathroom. Apparently, he got up from the wrong, yet only side of the bed.

After he showered himself, Alf quickly descended the stairs to grab his lunch and something for breakfast. As usual he was alone by then, because both his parents had already left for work and his sister was nowhere to be found. Carefully locking the door behind himself, he came out into the cold air of the proceeding winter. His family cottage was built in the outermost neighbourhood of Valor, the one confining with the usual pinewoods of northern Minnesota, so the town center and the school were quite distant, and required most of the times a lift to be reached in acceptable amounts of time. Lock removed, blue beanie and hoodie's cape set on his head, Alf grabbed his bike from the garage, and headed off to school in absolute tranquility; as he got nearer to the town the houses became more clustered together than before, and the sidewalks bigger and more crowded, sighting several people he knew or had just seen around sometimes. He entered in the cycle lane, turned several corners and passed many blocks, before finally reaching his bland brick school. Ye old colonial building style, not particularly appealing in his opinion. Small american cities like Valor were teeming with these kinds of infrastructures, and thus most lacked of originality.
Locked the bike to the rack on the side of the school, he headed for the secondary entrance that passed through the cafeteria. Like every morning his friends would have sit there waiting for him, discussing... well...
'What's their advantage?' shrilled a female voice on his right. There they were. Although it was crowded and noisy he could have distinguished that witty voice over one thousand.
'Forty-two.' replied a male voice, in a... rather blank tone. He seemed to be containing his own amusement for the sake of a serious conversation.
'Forty-two?!' snapped the girl back. Alf could see her bob-cut light-brown hairs sit perfectly immobile on her chair. Her name was Zane.
'England is definitely better.' said the boy sitting next to her in a marked british accent. That was Derek.
'It isn't' remarked Zane. He gave her a long stare, and stammered, faking an half-witted tone 'I-it certainly is!'
'Isn't.' it hadn't passed a second that she snapped back, arms crossed. 'Try again.' proposed, looking dissatisfied.
'Allright. Pay attention.' replied raising his finger at her and turning his head to the paper, scribbling something.
'Good morning guys.' groaned Alf, crashing on a chair at the same table.
'Look! the early bird has awaken- he seems in a bad mood.' chanted chuckling Zane, grinning snobbishly at him.
'Now that's a rare sight.' said his other friend, joining in the joke without even taking a look over the paper. Those two knew him far better than he knew himself. Smiling, he scratched his eye and lowered his cape.
'It has been a rough-' tried to say, thinking that the two friends' topic had settled.
'Shh, shh. Answer first: England-?' interrupted Derek.
'-or Castile?' completed she, persuasively staring in his eyes.
'-Or perhaps England?' added desperately again, avoiding eye contact with her.
Alf reflected just a second. He already knew how to avoid getting dragged. 'E-U-four, right? Denmark'. He gave both a significant grin.
'Hm, I wasn't expecting that.' remarked wide-eyed Derek.
'Me neither-' she paused. Zane waited, giving an inquisitive look at both her friends. 'Check again.' insisted, turning herself at Derek.
A fine bunch. Odd, awkward, somewhat creepy - well, his "staring" habits and shyness made him exactly as creepy - : those were his lovely friends.


[System]
|Lü Ziya|
Gender:
Male

Age:
15

Year:
5th

Blood:
"Half-Blood"

House:
Warren

Pet:
Nügua the Puffin

Electives:
Care of Magical Creatures
Divination
Study of Ancient Runes

Clubs:
Duelling Club
Student Activist Club

Personality:
The young teenager known as Lü Ziya is quite an eccentric fellow, one that seems to work on an independent wavelength from his fellow, less politically-motivated fifteen year olds. He seems a communistic society as the epitome of all political aspirations, and it is obvious from conversations with him that the pursuit of such a goal in the magical world is a major aspect of his person. He is a skilled orator, though the presence of the mask upon his face and lack of visible eyes due to his large hat are detrimental to his attempts at conveying his messages, with the muffled, lightly accented words seemingly comical to those who listen. Life is a source of passion for him, and he will take to all that he does with vigour and energy, although it can be rather overwhelming to others at times. His manner of speech is quite formal, and he will always try his best to treat everyone with respect.

Likes:
Sleeping; Cartoons; Learning new things; History; Dengism; Four Classics; Century Eggs

Dislikes:
The Bourgeois; Inefficiency; Opposing opinions; Mushrooms; Neo-Feudalistic Plutocracies

Fears:
The unknown; Dying; Failure

Biography:
In the mid-1800s, a lesser branch of the Chinese Lü family, a magical clan that claimed descent from the ancient military strategist and sage Taigong Wang (though supposedly separate from the House of Jiang, rulers of the Qi state), crossed the great Pacific Ocean for California, leaving their homes and loved ones to seek new fortunes in what was known as the Gold Mountain. Though the wizards and witches of the family would first suffer discrimination from the established white settlers like many of their fellow Chinese brethren, they were lucky enough to achieve success in the goldfields (though it was possible that magic may have been involved), and soon became semi-respected members of the East Coast's magical authorities, even after they were subsumed into the great American Association. While they were still in frequent contact with the upper branch back in Qing China, this side of the Lü family began to identify more as Americans as the years went by, becoming a mix of the disparate cultures of their motherland and their new homes.

This was the foundation of Lü Ziya's beginnings.

Following the victory of the Chinese Communist Party over Jiang Jieshi's Guomingdang in 1949, the members of the upper branch that had survived the horrific magical shadow wars that ran alongside the First and Second Sino-Japanese Wars as well as the Chinese Civil War were left in a destitute state. Their fortunes, located in their native Shandong province, had been destroyed during the Japanese occupation, when General Yasuji Okamura implemented his scorched earth policies to deal with the Chinese resistance, and despite prominently supporting the CCP, failed to regain their wealth after Jiang Jieshi's Republic was forced to Taiwan. The next few decades were hard for the family to bear, and the economic development enjoyed by Shandong following Deng Xiaoping's rise to power, while definitely improving their situation, failed to return them to former greatness. So in a snap decision, Ziya's grandfather, Lü Yongpei, moved his part of the upper branch over to the States, where they hoped that the lesser branch would accept them.

And they did.

By the time Lü Ziya was born, the first child of the magical Lü Zifeng and his long-time Muggle girlfriend, Hua Peixing, his family had joined the middle class of America, though backed with the support of the firmly entrenched lesser branch. It was quite a simple life for him in his youth, with the only strange happenings being his bouts of accidental magic. Then he turned eleven, when he was accepted into Salem despite his family's wishes to send him back to China for his wizardry studies. Still, he went to the closer American institute without too much disagreement, taking to the school like a fish did water.

He has spent the last few years enjoying his time at Salem, and wishes to continue in such a manner.

[User]
At first, Lars thought it was Mercury and Pluto arguing with the intercom on again. The familiar sound of their frighteningly senile shofars was always floating through the air from somewhere in the King Tutt, like the place was haunted (the horrors to come if either of the two bags died here though, no doubt). But they sounded awfully loud though, and uncannily close? Like they were practically right beside her…

Lars stole a glance—one tiny, little, paranoid glance at her birds and then practically snorted from laughing so hard so suddenly. Her birds babble had always been entertaining, but this was downright hilarious. The little witch curled into herself between bouts of laughter, knowing full well now who was responsible for her poor birds' sudden voice over (if the familiar sounding laughter two seats over was any clue). It took her a good second, especially after Gar's (or should she say Pluto's?) last comment, but Lars eventually managed to calm her diaphragm long enough to reach down and pull her wand from inside her boot. One mumbled incantation and a quick wrist twist later, and the two presently confused birds were back to squawking unintelligibly into the air. Lar's turned her attention to the true culprit then, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"You know, you're really lucky neither of those two feather heads have held a grudge against you yet." She announced to the younger wizard, who was currently laughing behind some poor girl. Jules was an underclassman, and a part of both Tituba and MCC, so Lars knew and got along with the kid fairly well. The jokes weren't anything new either, and only the tip of what she hoped would be an iceberg of fun this year.

"When the heck did you get on the Tutt?" She asked then, done with her laughter and suddenly amazed that she hadn't seen him around until now. This place was large, yes, but not too large that you couldn't spot a familiar face if you frequented it enough. Maybe she'd been on this bloody road trip a bit too long.

[Assistant]
The Tomb was a most excellent gathering place for the youthful students of Salem Witches' Institute (which despite its name, was not actually restricted to magic-capable American adolescents of the female persuasion), and it was with great flourish and gusto that Lü Ziya made his entry into the vibrant hang-out, his signature furry ushanka-hat and light-grey surgical mask present upon his head, obscuring all but his nasal bridge from view. It would seem to some that such a state of dress was detrimental to attempts at socialising with others (and indeed his mask served to muffle his deep, accented tones, making it quite difficult for certain peoples to understand his words), but the Chinese-American teenager was not somebody who would let his own clothing of all things get the best of him!

Manoeuvring through the crowds of students in a manner not too dissimilar from how Luke Skywalker traversed the narrow and deadly trenches of the Empire's mighty Death Star, he immediately honed in on the vermillion leather couches that dotted the room's landscape, intent on enjoying the comforting feeling of sitting down. Indeed, since his first year at the school of magic, Ziya had been a connoisseur of the Peregrine's furniture, admiring the egalitarianism they symbolised and their availability to all social classes, for no student would be able to dominate one sofa for their own selfish desires. Truly it was a grand step into introducing socialism to the magical society of the United States! The comfort of these couches would be provided to all that sought them!

Aha! There was a familiar face present on one of the couches!

Ziya plonked down right next to Aja, the force of his sudden appearance causing the piece of furniture below them to squeak quietly. As a fellow fifth year in House Warren, the Chinese-American was acquainted with the other teenager, and it was quite polite to greet one's acquaintances wherever they were.

"Good morning Aja!" he said cheerily, although the muffled sounds that emerged from his mouth could have been misconstrued as "Guten morgen A-jar", which, while not entirely inaccurate (albeit sounding like he was speaking a completely different language), was noticeably different from what he was intending to say. "And greetings stranger!"

His next words were directed at Aella, his head shifting slightly to 'face' the sixth-year his housemate was handing a candy bar to (though the obscured face made the turn of phrase a bit inaccurate). He hadn't really encountered the girl much, so his enthusiastic greeting was hopefully the first in a possible acquaintance.

[User]
Amelia watched as more people came into the room, watching as each one came in. They could definitely be seen as a weird bunch of people. The first one to come down after her of note, was a... boy she guessed, who was wearing a big, fuzzy hat and had a mask covering his face. She couldn't even make out the person's face behind all they were wearing. Next came a girl who was accompanied by two birds, something that Amelia was surprised at as she hadn't seen anyone come down here with pets before. The next person to come down was a boy who glanced around before moving over to and sitting next to Amelia, who quickly looked away from him. She could've laughed when he gave her a 'shh' but it was impossible for her to make any noise that would require a voice. She heard him whisper something the then the voices of the old ladies who drove the car. She glanced around in panic before realizing it was the birds the one girl had brought down with her. The shear comedy of it brought a smile to her face.

The owner of the birds looked around in surprise as well before realizing the source of the noise and began laughing. It took her several seconds to recover but when she did, she came right over to Amelia and the boy, addressing the latter of two. It would seem the two were familiar with each other by the way the girl talked to the boy. Amelia was fine being out of the spotlight and would've preferred to stay that way. Sadly, her stomach had other plans and let out a loud rumble that was unlikely to go unnoticed by the two strangers near her. Her face went bright red and she was too mortified to even try and move away.

[Assistant]
Aja opened her mouth to answer the girl. Instead of words, however, what escaped her was a surprised squeak when Ziya plonked down next to her. She looked over to see his familiar face (mask?) and managed a response.

"Morning," she said with a smile. She didn't know him very well, but they always had classes together since they were in the same year and house. He was eccentric to say the least, and Aja found that he typically worked best in small doses, but he was nice enough. Aja turned back to the other girl. "Aella Strand, this is Lü Ziya. Lü Ziya, Aella Strand. I'm Aja Kay." Aja had been meaning to ask Aella if she was alright, but she doubted the girl wanted to divulge all her problems to two strangers. So instead, she just explained, "We're in Warren together. Fifth year. He's very politically minded." She turned to her classmate, then. "So Ziya, how goes dismantling the ruling bourgeois class?" If Aella couldn't confide in them, then at least they could distract her. Small talk didn't exactly seem to be her forte anyway.

---

"Since Sacramento," Jules answered Lars. A smile was still stretched wide across his face as his laughter died down. "And come on, I bet they love all the attention I give them! They'd never hold a grudge against me." Of course, by 'attention' he meant 'constant use of them as pawns in his pranks.' He was about to say something else when he was cut off by some unholy rumbling. Jules snapped his mouth shut and turned to look at the blonde girl sitting next to him. Oh yeah. He'd completely forgotten about her. In his defense though, he'd been talking to Lars. Pretty, funny, cool Lars…

"Uh, wow," he said, snapping out of his thoughts. "That was actually really impressive." His smile was back on his face, but then he remembered that sounds like that typically weren't a great thing. "But seriously, are you ok? Like… have you eaten or something?" He remembered the sandwich he'd brought down from his room and scrambled to pick it up from where it was resting beside him on the couch. "Do you want part of this? I already started eating it, but I don't have cooties or anything like that. I could tear off the part I bit if you want."


[System]
Theme:

Gender:
Male

Species:
Rat-Man (Immature)

Appearance:

(Rather than a dark brown, the fur is still a bluish-gray and his eyes are still similar but a lighter shade of brown.)

Goals:
-Discover and explore this strange world.
-Find Answers why he was summoned.
-(Bonus) Get back home.

Past Life:

Ed is determined, intelligent, kind, but is perhaps a little too trusting. This is to be expected from somebody with his position. He was born in a middle-class family in some nondescript town. Life was uneventful for most of his early life. He was doing very well in his primary and secondary education and was on his way to getting his degree. He had a good number of close friends, and his family was quite proud of him and his achievements. Life was good and his future was a bright one, and whatever hardships or problems he encountered, he faced with a positive outlook that he could overcome it. He lived with little worry until he was about 20 years old, at that point, life changed. During a pub crawl in celebration of his friend's recent graduation, a simple misunderstanding with other patrons in the pub turned into a heated argument that transformed into a violent brawl. Ed managed to hold his own during the fight, but barely had any time to react when a forceful blow with a stool hit him in the back of the head. Ed dropped like a sack of bricks and that was the end of him.

Abilities

* Alert I (1.35)
	+ -Though this skill is limited by the strength of your senses and does not sharpen your senses on its own, it allows you to become more aware of your surroundings. Without conscious effort, you will pick up on signs in your environment more easily, especially if they present some form of danger to you. Essentially this is an anti-ambush skill.
* Beast Sense II (2.95)
	+ - I (A bundle skill applying to all physical senses) - Starting skill.
	+ II (Passive sensory range increased. By actively focusing on one (1) sense, you can further increase that sense's sharpness.)
* Dynamic Eye (1.15)
	+ - A Special Vision skill, Dynamic Eye expends Stamina to allow the user to sharpen their kinetic vision. For a single instant, time seems to slow, granting better reactions against incoming attacks--especially projectiles traveling over a distance--or allowing the user to better respond to other things. At this Rank, however, no other Skill can be used in conjunction with Dynamic Eye if it is not a pre-established passive skill, such as using a buff beforehand. It uses much more Stamina than one might expect.
* Rabid Fit (2.1)
	+ - I Fly into a mindless rage, and destroy the enemy! A sudden burst of fury grants you increased strength and damage, but you'll become more vulnerable to damage yourself.
	+ - II Your rage grows in strength! Your attack power increases slightly more. While you are still extra vulnerable to damage, you gain a temporary increase to resistances for certain status effects, like Sleep or Confusion.
* Smash (1.6)
	+ - A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage.
* Warcry (1.05)
	+ - A mighty battlecry that focuses all attention towards you.
* Breath Control (1.0)
	+ - I Through cardiovascular exercise and breathing techniques, the efficiency of your lungs has increased. You can hold your breath for longer, and breathe more steadily even under great effort or stress. Stamina usage for most physical Skills is reduced for one minute after this Skill is used. If this skill is used after a battle, Stamina restoration is sped up for one minute.
* Harder (1.0)
	+ - Clenched muscles or hardened flesh can be an effective shield--your base defensive stats increase! By gaining at least one rank in Faster, Stronger, and Better, Skill Synergy will occur to increase the rank of Physical Conditioning.
* Faster (1.1)
	+ - Your base physical speed is increased! By gaining the skills Harder, Better, and Stronger, Skill Synergy will occur and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
* Stronger (2.725)
	+ - Your base physical strength is increased. Gaining: Harder, Better, and Faster, to gain 1 rank of Physical Conditioning.
	+ - II Further increase your base physical strength.
* Muffle (2.45)
	+ - I Sneaking is easier and you are harder to detect while sneaking.
	+ - II You are now even more effective at remaining unseen passively. Activating this skill by using Stamina will noticeably reduce, but not eliminate, the sounds of your movement.
* Use Light Equipment (--)
	+ - You can use small tools, and lighter forms of armor, weaponry, and other items.
* Use Medium Equipment (--)
	+ - Use equipment that, by comparison to your own body, could be considered medium in weight or size.
* Dexterous (1.55)
	+ - Your practice with fine manipulation and using your fore-paws, as well as the natural physical strength of a Dire Rat, has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your paws can now be used to manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren't strong enough yet to "wield" weapons or pick up very large things.
* Monster Analysis (1.7)
	+ - Gain basic biological information about a monster by actively observing it.
* Magic Analysis (1.0)
	+ - You may now analyze magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magical characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature.
* Overwork (1.55)
	+ - Push through, break the limit, and--probably need a nap later. Expend Stamina to increase physical abilities. At this Rank, skill auto-cancels when Stamina is empty.
* Mental Resistance (1.1)
	+ - Take less damage from Psychic-type spells or skills, and have a better chance of resisting mind-altering effects such as Confusion or Hypnosis. This counts as an Elemental resistance for the purposes of Magic Resistance.
* Focus (1.0)
	+ - By spending at least 30 seconds focusing before using an offensive Skill or Spell, you can increase its damage or range. At this rank, it is comparable to increasing the power by one rank (eg Mana Orb I to Mana Orb II) while also increasing the MP cost by half again (spend 1.5x Mana Orb I's cost)
* Mana Strike (1.0)
	+ - I Infuse a physical attack with non-elemental Magic to increase its damage. The attack's physical type of damage is unaffected, but Magic damage is simply added. Thus a creature with Slash Resistance would still take the Magic Damage if this Skill were used with a sword. Like Mana Orb, this technique is malleable and often a starting point for other forms of enchanting skills.
* Point Strike (1.0)
	+ - I With a discerning eye, take aim at an opponent's weak point and concentrate your own power into a single point of attack. Slightly increase the power of any attack, and gain an increased chance for a Critical Hit. Using this Skill in conjunction with other attack Skills, however, may cause it to lose effectiveness.
* Strengthen (1.0)
	+ - I Using magical energy channeled through your muscles, temporarily increase your base physical strength! Though it consumes more mana than many other beginner spells, its boost is equivalent to the passive skill Stronger I. At this Rank, this skill lasts roughly one minute.

<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
* Material Analysis (0.6)
* Tremor Sense (0.05)
* Telepathy (0.2)
* Mana Shape (0.8)
* Shield (0.5)
* Mana Shell (0.5)
* Soil Manipulation (0.7)
* Crafting (0.8)
* First Aid (0.1)
* Meditate (0.5)
* People Sense (0.4)
* Plant Analysis (0.2)
* Swift Swimmer (0.4)
* Charm (0.05)
* Repel (0.025)
* Stealth Kill (0.3)
* Blunt Resistance (0.1)
* Prehensile Tail (0.6)
* Minor Heal (0.05)
* Iron Gullet (0.4)
* Taming (0.2)
* Suppress Presence (0.6)
* Inspire (0.3)
* Pierce Resistance (0.2)
* Double Skill (0.1)
* Deception (0.3)
* Lucid Dream (0.2)
* Stone Shot (0.05)
* Mana Sense (0.1)
* Flame Aura (0.1)
* Guidance (0.2)
* Intimidation (0.2)
* Charisma (0.3)
* Slash (0.1)
* Cleave (0.2)
* Blood Drain (0.1)
* Spiritual Awareness (0.1)
* Sensory Resistance (0.1)
* Fire Resistance (0.05)

<UNUSABLE SKILLS>

Transformations:
Dire Rat >>> Rat-Man

Inventory:
-Gnarled Stick
-Vine Belt (Contains Items)

[User]
Asura remembered that the dire rats had the highest physically damaging stat. He was banking on his physical damage resistance and high hit points to hold out under its assault. He knew his damage wasn't as high but the rats hit points and defenses weren't as high as his. It was sort of a mutual exchange, two high stat creatures picking away at each other.

After an exchange it backed off then came again, but it was faster than him. Those teeth hurt a a good bit damn it! He kind of wondered why it even attacked him in the first place honestly. Without a mind he probably just turned into a literal puddle of liquid. Or was he like poro's in a game he played before that were like literal jelly. He didn't want to experiment with his own demise.

Another exchange and something clicked. An odd red energy crackled over him and his next attack was more powerful. By a lot. Enough to crush the rats fangs, then its skull. It bounced and laid still, lifeless. "Yay... He garbled out as he consumed two herbs within his body. These system messages were interesting and now he had a level up "screen". "Call up hit points? He said, curious to see if he could see his own life force. Maybe he could somehow get a permanent viewed lifebar.

But he had five skill points to play with now and some abilities that could prove to be useful. "Uh...allocate two skill points to Physical Damage Resistance. Allocate two skill points to Magic Resist. Allocate one skill point to Smash. He said, unsure if this would work or not.

[Assistant]
---

Rain hissed in satisfaction, her maw dripping with blood from her kill. Quick, simple, effective. Exactly how she wanted to work in this new world.

No mistakes. She couldn't afford to make them.

But... Goblins weren't an option now. They were gathering in droves, going to the bonfire with that bastard Crispy.

She shook her head, flinging rat blood around, before she headed back towards where the slime had been. What was his name?

Ah, she wasn't even entirely sure where he was. Maybe....

Ah yes, here it was but there was an intruder there, as well. Speaking? Maybe. It wasn't very good, if it was.

For now she would wait and watch from the shadows, the darkness her shroud. Either it was yet another like her group, or it was a target, an aberration. And maybe something would entice her into action.

For now, though, she was growing sleepy while she waited. Maybe she could level up her venom in the morning, like her stealth.

[User]
@Zeroth

With his mind working and him not being under attack Danny couldn't help but think about the fact that the amount of Mana Crystals seemed to drop quickly. Wondering if the same applied to the healing herbs he decided to check. Thinking back he remembered a patch of them growing near the water and flew there as fast as he could, while keeping an eye out for and avoiding any monsters still out.

When he arrived his fears were confirmed, there weren't that many herb left. Combined with the decreasing amount of Mana crystals that really wasn't good for his goal of living as long as possible. He quickly went over some options, he could spend all night gathering as many herb and crystals as he could and hide them in a nest, but even if he didn't have to fight, the herbs would eventually rot and he would basically be stuk near it. Making small caches all over the cave also wasn't an option, due to the risk of others finding them. That only left one option as far as he knew. He would have to leave the cave, but he had no idea how strong the monsters outside were.

Abilities:

* Mana Orb: a simple blast of magic. At the moment it only does as much damage as a strong punch on average, unless the enemy is weak to magic. As it gets stronger it becomes a generic, non elemental energy blast.
* Lesser Force: like telekinesis, but only at arm's length, and it isn't very strong. A Wisp could use it to pick up food, but not to throw a heavy rock, for example.
* Levitation: allows the user to float about three feet off the ground continuously. To rise higher requires effort equivalent to physical climbing, and the Speed is never faster than a brisk walk

Transformations:

Inventory:

[Assistant]
Ed took some time to gather his bearings and even more time to convince himself that this was not some sort of messed up lucid dream. Realizing that you had died and made a deal with what was essentialy the devil of this world and becoming one of his candidates to become one of his 'heroes' was, and still is, a very difficult pill to swallow; but now was not the time to deal with it. Ed would soon have to come to terms with this 'reincarnation' thing, but for now he was thoroughly curious regarding the environment he was in. The blue crystals he had seen growing on of the walls was a particular curiosity. The small body of water with some plants was also piqued his interest, but not as much as strange and almost magical blue crystals that grow on cave walls.

Doing his best to not catch any critter's attention, Ed sneaks a tad bit closer to a small cluster of them a little ways off the nest; trying to analyze or even identify what kind of crystal it was from his location. It seemed a lighter color than compared to lapis lazuli and it also seemed to produce a...glow of some sort. The fact that the crystal produced light, even in this lesser degree, fascinated him greatly. 'This is absolutely amazing...this kind of thing could never occur naturally back on Earth.' Ed thinks to himself as he keeps a steady but careful pace, wanting a closer inspection of the crystals.


[System]
Vena's Characters
Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Mura

Appearance: Ethan is 5'10" tall (177.8cm) and weighs around 160 lbs (75kg).

Element Affinity: Air

Magic: Speed magic - Ethan can use his air magic to accelerate himself, also enabling his strikes to come faster.

Gear: A machina sword he… Borrowed from a soldier passing through his town. The sword is moderately sharp, and specifically designed to handle magic being channeled through its blade. Along his trip he happened across a discarded glove as well, a strong, tensile wire wrapped inside a small compartment on the back of it. By pressing a small button on the palm of the glove, Ethan can release the wire and use it to grapple, and coupled with his Air magic he can propel himself to high places, granting him excellent maneuverability.

Brief history: If you want to find the epitome of a slacker, look no further than Ethan Campbell. All throughout his life he has been more interested in daydreaming and wandering about than dedicating himself to anything, much to the chagrin of his family. From an early age on he was spotted frequently just walking around his home town, and sometimes even well beyond the borders of it. Though his wandering made him a headache for his parents and the guards alike, one could not argue the boy had developed an intimate knowledge of the area around him. For this reason, Ethan was to take up becoming a guard as soon as he was of age; on his sixteenth birthday he was to begin his training, yet things would become complicated when members of the Church would arrive in his town.

From the age of five Ethan showed an aptitude for magic, in particular with regards to air magic. Everyone in the town knew the boy to be a Magi, and having only one other among them they were excited to discover him. He never received training for his magic, as the other Magi focused on Earth, but he and the old man were the pride and joy of the otherwise unremarkable town. That blessing would turn into a curse when, years later, the Church would come by on rumors that the town was harboring a Magi in their midst. Everyone knew precisely who they were asking for, but to the residents' surprise only one Magi was being requested. Not wishing to see a young boy be dragged off, the old man handed himself over to the authorities, being dragged off in chains back to a prison.

Ethan didn't know another Magi, and while he couldn't be trained by the old man he had grown to be fond of him, looking up to him almost like a grandfather. When the man was taken away he was devastated, locking himself away for days on end and forgoing his usual wander sprees. Sulking wasn't really his style though, and the longer he sat the more concerned he became for the old man's well-being. Eventually he grew tired of sitting by idly, and resolved to try and do something for a change. Knowing full well he couldn't do much on his own however he left his home, out to search for other Magi to potentially help him in his journey.

---

[User]
Ethan wasn't sure how in the world he'd managed to keep up with the girl, but he'd finally caught her; the fact she had run into a dead-end alley was likely the only reason he was speaking to her now, as otherwise she'd be long gone. He'd probably have given up the chase if she wasn't in here honestly, he wasn't that bent out of shape over stale bread. Though it wasn't that far a run from where they had begun he was already winded, likely thanks to having just eaten a fair bit. Reeling over from a combination of shortness of breath and a cramp he smiled tiredly, struggling to get out some coherent speech in between breaths. Not only could he not get mad over losing a scrap of stale bread, but seeing the state the girl was in compelled him to feel sympathetic instead. Maybe she was a local girl, all alone and orphaned. Plus she had that pet with her too, and neither of them looked to be terribly well off.

"Hm...? What was that...?" Ethan asked, standing upright as he gave the girl a kind smile. Whatever she'd mumbled he'd missed, though he figured it wasn't for his ears anyways and so didn't press the matter. Stepping a bit closer he held up his hands passively, keeping on his smile before he stopped just a few feet away, squatting down to come eye to eye with the girl and her cat. "So Wyth is his name huh? Yeah, I can feed Wyth too," he replied cheerfully, reaching out and offering a hand for the moorcat to sniff, "We'll need to find a different place to eat at, that inn was kind of crummy, but we can find you two something nice. And heck, maybe a new shirt or something while we're at it." He didn't have much in the way of cash, but he tended to accrue some here and there by helping out. Last town he was in he'd gotten a few copper pieces for stacking firewood for an older couple, and earlier today he'd gotten a few more for helping to carry some crates. It was hardly going to make him a fortune, but so long as he kept at it he'd have enough to get by.

"I'm Ethan, by the way. I'm kind of a traveler, just passing through the town. And how about you? What's your name?" He was going to ask about her parents, but given the girl's state he figured that was a touchy subject; any child running around all dirty and in rags either had rather nasty folks or none at all, whichever the case may be it'd not be a nice discussion. After introductions were done with the white-haired Magi got back to his feet, adjusting his pack carefully before reaching into it and pulling out a handful of coppers, counting them silently. "20 copper, that should be plenty for a meal, don't you think? Just tell me what you two want and we'll find it."

Hearing a drunk screaming was nothing new in the town, what with the multiple taverns and the inn keeping many of the residents routinely drunk. The guards would not have bothered coming out had it only been the drunkard's cries, but hearing others shouting for aid as well forced them to look into it. With many of their members either currently on patrol or duty only a trio was sent to look into the scene, supposedly caused by a Machina of all things. There wasn't very much in the way of that out here just yet, and one causing problems for people was unheard of. Still, if enough people were raising a stink then something must be up, it was best to go and see what it was. On their way towards the taverns, the trio was distracted by an unusual sight in the town square; a group of disgruntled looking men were currently facing off against a lone individual, and a tall one at that. Upon getting closer they recognized it to be a woman, and a Divined of all things. Seeing one of their kind out here was extremely curious and highly irregular, raising quite a few questions.

"Ey, what're you lot up to here?" one of the guards shouted, frowning as he and his companions parted the crowd, stepping into the open center with his hands on his hips, "You causin' trouble? If you've got issue with this one then don't take it out in the middle of town you morons, there's people about here!"

How odd that a Divined was here, and one that wasn't cloaked or trying to conceal themselves. Having never met one personally before the eldest guard of the group was curious, his pale green eyes holding Grun's features for a silent moment before he finally spoke. "You aren't from around here, are ye?" he asked in a raspy voice, scratching at his white beard as he looked her over from head to toe, "A Divined ain't something you see often miss, so some people might be a bit scared o' ya. Plus we know what your people can do, so I suggest you try keepin' a low profile while you're here. Ain't none of the guard gonna turn you over, but just be careful." Looking over then to the tall man of the group, presumably its leader, the guard frowned and approached them, looking square in the man's eyes as he rested a hand on the hilt of his blade. "She do something to you boys? If not clear out, yer causing a scene and people have got places to be, things to do. Can't be having some dunderheads picking on foreigners in the middle of the town."

[Assistant]
Alley

The moorcat gave the offered hand a casual sniff, but didn't seem overly interested in the man, if he wasn't going to hurt his girl. She nodded at Ethan. "He's Wyth...I'm Amuné. Amuné Ris." Her voice was quiet, like she was afraid of being overheard. She watched him count the coins. She'd rarely had any money of her own, since her village generally relied on a barter system. The sight of the coins brought to mind the time her father had taken her on a trip with some Ydra to another town for a fair. He'd let her have a few coppers all her own to buy whatever she wanted, but only after he showed her how to haggle. Her chest ached at the thought, and she tried to shake it off.

Ethan was asking what she'd like to eat. Before she could come up with an answer, the girl's stomach gave a loud gurgle. Amuné colored, hiding her head in the moorcat's fur out of embarrassment. "Anything would be good," she said, her voice muffled. "Thank you. Wyth needs meat. It can be cooked, but not too much seasoning."