[System]
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Appearance: As impeccable as ever.

Personality:
A surprisingly upbeat individual, given her day-to-day life, Felicia's days are spent with great optimism for the next big payday, allowing her to retire early with no monetary worries for the rest of her life. Said optimism is also tinged with massive gullibility, however, as the wares she carries aren't quite on the level of "rediscovered artefact of old" that peddlers tend to claim, this tends to lead to accusations of fraud when that "Legendary Holy Sword of Shininess +3" turned out to be nothing more than a polished short-sword with a sun sticker slapped onto the base.

Of course, while fraud is not her intention... profit's a profit, and since refunds are a massive hassle, she's taken to changing her name so thoroughly that no one could possibly recognise her, as well as move from town to town with what little wares she currently has. Any wealth she accumulates tends to be lost immediately on life's most important commodities - the upkeep of her snazzy outfit, and... that's about it. Food isn't necessary for daily life, after all.

Abilities:

* Felicia can spot priceless treasure shoddy knock-offs amongst a pile of shoddy knock-offs priceless treasure, with her honed Merchant's Eye.
* Given her lack of food budget, Felicia has learned to last long periods of time without succumbing to hunger.
* As she is often alone on the road, she has also learned the useful skill of poking things with her umbrella. It kind of hurts a lot.

Notable Equipment, Traits, etc;:
Equipment-wise, Felicia does not have much beyond what she wears. The umbrella is the closest thing she has to a weapon, and the main function for that thing is to enhance her image.

History:
Felicia's family history dates back centuries, each and every family member a highly... er... well, they were merchants. Good merchants? Well, that depends on one's viewpoint - is it 'good' to accrue so much debt paying it off would forever imbalance the country's economy? Twice?
Well, ignoring that, Felicia herself has been... well, her family's version of successful, in that she has actually made some profit in her life. She just has problems for other, sale-related reasons. For a long time, Felicia has been skipping towns, selling crap - unintentionally, but still - and focusing more on immediate appearance than anything long-term. Really, it's a miracle she hasn't run out of names to use and luck to rely on.

[User]
Over the past few months, Smith had been aimlessly wandering across the lands searching for a town. Of course, all she found were farms and bandits. Though, a few weeks ago, she had gotten directions to Lerot from some disgusting old fool. She thanked the man by only stealing his sword, and leaving the rest of his possessions in place.

She did eventually reach Lerot, convincing a nice young man to let her stay at his house for a few days, which may or may not have included threatening to steal away his wife. Of course, Smith couldn't resist secretly having her way with the man's wife at least once. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

Well, once Smith had done enough dicking around, she left the couple to their own devices, and headed down to the adventurer's guild.

Smith made her way through the hustle and bustle of Lerot, eventually finding the building she was looking for. Before she could make her way to the door, she was forced to stop by some sort of an egotistical moron, who was yelling about his "grand entrance" as he charged through the guild's doors.

"I didn't think humans could be this stupid." She muttered to herself as her hand found its way to her forehead. Her right hand eventually gave up it's place on Smith's face, resigning itself to the handle of the sword that hung from her waist. The demon returned her focus to the adventurer's guild, which she walked through the doors of as she began to notice the strange, yet ever so familiar looks, of the people around her.

It was pretty obvious to tell that Smith had some sort of connection to demons, given the horns on her head, so the reaction of some of these morons was expected. Some of the fools started to raise their weapons, but many more fools had something else raised. How could a bunch of fools resist a charming young succubus, anyway?

Smith paid them no heed, and moved towards the receptionist.

"Ca...Can I help you with something, miss?"

"I would like to register as an adventurer." The receptionist's face took on a look that was somewhere inbetween suprise and relief for a second before reverting to her previous calm expression.

"Oh, alright. Here, please fill out this paperwork and return it to me, and we will have your guild card soon after." Smith was handed a pile of papers, as well as ink and a quill pen. Smith took the pile to a nearby table, which happened to be next to where the idiot who slammed open the guild doors was sitting. The idiot had seemed to gather a reasonable crowd, which included a catboy, a walking green bean, and a rather cute looking girl. Smith hadn't had any fun in at least 8 hours, and this girl seemed like a nice catch, so Smith decided to go after her. The problem was the 3 amigos next to her.

The 4 of them seemed to be talking about partying up. This was good, Smith could ask to join in as well, but then she would be in a party with a bunch of dicks. She was left no choice but to steal away the cute girl. Smith, from her seat at the table, turned towards the girl, leaned forward slightly, and spoke as if she was the embodiment of friendship.

"Hey, I'm probably going to be needing a few party members, and you seem pretty capable. Why don't you party with me instead?" She kept her focus pointed at the girl, completely ignoring the triad of meat-heads around her.

[Assistant]
Ah, good, a customer so soon. Always an excellent forecast for the day's profits! Felicia flashed her most charming smile at the young lady gracing her... well, 'shop' may be too generous a word, but regardless, the honest merchant welcomed her happily.
Unfortunately, this customer did not seem happy with one of the items on sale. The girl regarded an artefact with sheer disapproval, and had somehow mistaken it for a lump of charcoal. Sadly, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"I assure you, madam, this is no mere charcoal on a string," Felicia spoke with confidence, lightly gripping the dangling artefact, "granted, the appearance would say otherwise, but I have it on very good authority that this is actually a device used to manipulate time."

Felicia was a firm believer in not doubting the words of all of her business partners. How were you supposed to make any sales if you nitpicked one or two details about the item in question? The finely-dressed seller could accept that such a rare and powerful treasure was unlikely to end up in the possession of a shopless trader... but who would go to the effort of lying about it in the first place?

"From what I have been told, each swing of the Chrono Pendulum advances time by one second," Felicia advised, "as such, it may be wise not to swing it around carelessly. I heard that if the Strand of Time were to break, bad things could happen."

The strand, of course, being the perfectly normal string that was cursed to support the useless charcoal for all eternity.

"Of course, after you buy it, whatever you wish to use it for is entirely not my business!" Felicia chirped, all too ready to make a sale.

[User]
Maria stared blankly at the merchant girl who was trying to pitch what was, once more, literally a lump of coal on a string. As some kind of time manipulating pendulum. That... was not how anything worked. At all. Oh, she could buy that a magical artifact could seem unimpressive, but this was just ridiculous. 'Advancing time by one second'? 'Something bad would happen if the string were to break'? That was one of the most nonsense things she had ever heard. Who even did this? What kind of desperate con artist woke up one morning and thought this was a great plan?

She swung it back and fourth, faster then the seconds past, staring blankly at the tophat-wearing girl. She had a feeling that wasn't going to prove anything, though.

And so, instead of attempting to display how stupid what the girl said was with that method, she carefully took the charcoal, untied the string(it was barely even tied at all, it was like a four-year-old had done it) and laid both pieces of the... 'pendulum' down.

"It's a lump of charcoal and some string. You are trying to sell a lump of charcoal and some string."

[Assistant]
Koji held up his left hand as someone came up next to him out shouted in his face, his attempts to complete the documentation after reading it over temporarily stifled by such a loud noise. With a dramatic stroke to finish his signature, Koji placed the pen and ink to the side before turning to the girl, bringing his right hand in front of his face with a pose as he looked at her. Good, good! Even before he was bound to this place, people were already seeking his aid!

"Haha, so it begins! Very well! I sh-" he began to say before being interrupted by a animal-eared boy around his own age. Okay. Well. That was rude. But more people meant that people were already flocking to him! Yes! Success!

"Ahem. As I was saying, I sh-"

This time, a rather large green-haired man came to interrupt him. Gods damn it all, did these people have NO way of reading the mood? Not that he as complaining about the rather spontaneous formation of the party, but still!

"...Anyways... I s-"

And before he could get the next set of words out his mouth, the young archer was interrupted once more, this time by a woman with horbns who seemed to be trying to steal away the first person to request his help. In front him, no less!

"...Okay. Fine. Guess I'm doing this the hard way. You, who insulted my skill with my weapons: gaze in awe! And you, creature of the night who tries to spirit away those who seek my aid: let this be a warning to you!"

Very clearly irate at this point, Koji stood up and, in one swift motion, pulled out a few small coins and tossed them into the air, high above the (probably demonic) girl trying to pull the one with the squirrel away. Drawing his bows and spinning them theatrically for good measure, Koji shot each of the coins out of the air, the bolts eventually colliding with one another to land headfirst onto the ground right behind the two in question, the coins falling on top of their heads. With a wide smile and his confidence regained, Koji struck a pose and shouted with renewed vigor.

"Sear this moment into your memory, for I have given you ample warning! If you wish to be so rude in front of one such as me, then be sure to have a good reason for doing so!"

While he seemed to be confident as could be, however, Koji was shaking a bit inside. Those last shots were one in a million, and the recoil from the guns made his shots land perfectly like that. Everything ended up going perfectly right, which meant that if he was going to boast again, he'd probably have to try for... A bigger target. Hopefully.

[User]
Allisa was humming a cheerful little tune as she walked along a path. The day had been good so far. She had a nice rabbit seasoned with herbs and other plants for breakfast, and she had completed a kill quest for a troublesome animal that had been killing livestock. Now she was on her way to the Adventurers' Guild to claim her reward. As she walked, she wondered what she would spend her money on. Probably more arrows, to be honest. She felt like she was running low on them. She really wanted to save up for that bow she had been eyeing in one of the weapon shops too.

As Allisa walked up to the entrance to the Adventurers' Guild, she noticed a small shop set up nearby. There was a person wearing a rather impressive outfit, who appeared to be the shopkeeper, and there was already another adventurer checking out the goods. Curious, Allisa walked over to the table to see what was for sale. "What's going on here?" Allisa asked as she examined the wares. The items for sale, however, were... not very appealing to the eye. If Allisa didn't know any better, she'd think that it was just a pile of trash and knick-knacks. The other adventurer was calling it just that as well and was attempting to prove it as well, messing around with a string and a piece of charcoal.

Still, Allisa chose to give the poor shopkeeper the benefit of the doubt. "Now now, let's not be so quick to judge. Maybe there really is some good stuff here, like... uh..." Allisa said as she continued scanning the items for anything of value. Her gaze soon landed upon a knife, and she reached over to pick it up. "Like this knife!" Allisa said, holding it up, then swung it around a couple times. The blade, however, soon separated itself into two pieces, the tip flying off into space. Allisa looked at the now-clearly broken blade, noting the remnants of what looked like honey or tree sap on the inside of the blade to try to make it look like it was never broken. Allisa blinked a few times, still staring silently at the broken knife in her hand.

[Assistant]
Felicia's face was rather neutral as the smaller girl untied the string from the supposed charcoal, betraying no emotion or reaction. Sadly, having her goods damaged like this wasn't a new phenomenon either, and it was never fun trying to recoup the costs. Why did people have to be so destructive in their desire to be right...? It was quite a shame.

Another customer had arrived, and Felicia gave the young woman a welcoming smile, not wishing to put her off with an argument, "Oh nothing big. Please, don't worry yourself!"

At least this customer was a lot more understanding, and understood the value of her goods. She picked out a knife in her small collection, swinging it in the air. Felicia raised a hand cautiously, "ah, careful, that weapon ha-"

Her explanation was cut short by the weapon in question displaying its unique ability. With the broken top half gone from view, the merchant let out a slow, heavy sigh.

"...has the ability of long-range battle capability," Felicia finished, raising the tip of her hat to wipe at her brow, frowning slightly. Well, it had been unintentional in the second customer's case, but she was still two relics down with no pay. How was she supposed to make a living like this?

"I apologise, but I will have to request reparations, due to the damage to my stock," she informed the two women, "up front, preferably, but I can arrange a contract if you need to pay in increments."


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): Maleficent (alter-ego); The Winged She-Elf; She-Devil, Devil's Incarnate (by Thorin); Delva, God-Mother (by Fili & Kili).
Royal Titles: Lady of Ambaróna/"Fangorn".
Other Titles: First Commander of Isengard, Sauron's Most-Trusted Servant (as Maleficent); The Watcher; Guardian of Durin's Folk.
Age: 5,739 (Looks 37-38)
Gender: Female
Race: Elven Hybrid (Sindarin and Noldor Bloodlines)
Other Bloodlines: Silvan and Teleri (Through her grandfather's relatives)
20/20 Elvish (10/20 Sindarin, 6/20 Noldor, 2/20 Silvan, 2/20 Teleri)

APPEARANCE
Face Claim: Angelina Jolie
Hair Color: Medium Brown
Eye Color: Yellow-Green (Boldly-luminous when furious/angry)
Skin Tone: Creamy
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 119 lbs
Body Build: Slim

Finger Claws:

Curved Daggers:

Combat Outfit:

Dresses for Two Towers/Return of the King

Wing-Cloak

PERSONALITY
OVERALL PERSONALITY
Likes: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents, Happiness, Animals, Peace, Music, Plant-Life, Training, Flying/Sightseeing, Yearly Seasons.
Dislikes: Death, War, Chaos, Greed, Spiders, Maleficent, Orcs, Sorrow.
Strengths: Fighting/Combat, Flight, Knowledge, Wisdom, Harsh Temperature Resistance, Protective/Affectionate Nature, Keen Senses, Agility.
Other Powers: Wallcrawling, Banshee Scream, Enhanced Strength, Telepathy, Telekinesis.
Weaknesses: Stubbornness, Loneliness, Anger, Vindictiveness, Split Personality.
Fears: Sauron, Losing Family.

Elegant | Unpredictable | Capable | Headstrong | Mysterious | Maternal | Observant | Intelligent

Everyone believed Saeril to be born as a creature of chaos and pure evil, but they just do not know the true story. In actuality, Saeril is a good-hearted, nurturing individual, who highly valued the peaceful natures of Middle-Earth, whilst having the passion to support and protect its various realms and inhabitants. Born during the First Age, Saeril is a strong-willed she-elf, and the last of an ancient Elven clan from Fangorn Forest. A very intelligent, loyal-to-the-bone perfectionist, who stays true to her word, she focuses on finding the best intentions for others, to the point of making great judgment calls, as much as willingly risking her life, in the process.

From the despair of her devastating past, following the Deceiver's corruption upon her mind, Saeril is truly hurt and very lonely inside, having to be caused by the guilt and horror of her cruel and malicious deeds, as well as the amount of pain and trauma she had to endure. After being rescued by Gandalf the Grey, she was left "more Orc than Elf", while her other alter-ego "Maleficent", a psychopathic representation of her corruption, still lingers within her mind. However, after Sauron's defeat, this other personality dissipated, giving back her natural Elven beauty.

The ultimate goal was to redeem and dissipate this inner darkness from within, but she never anticipated it to be a challenge when she rekindled herself with her Dwarven godsons Fili and Kili, whilst having to closely bond with a young she-elf named Yavanna, whom she had grown to love and deeply care for, as if she were her own daughter. Determined to protect both the Sons of Durin and the Bright Star of Middle-Earth, Saeril will become extremely aggressive and violent, whenever someone threatens, or has inflicted any sort of harm to them; as this contrasts her more-gentle nature, she will be blunt and gladly let the offenders know the price. In addition, since witnessing the death of Fili, she will go to great lengths, if it means to prevent Kili and Yavanna from falling under the same fate.

Both as "Maleficent" and herself, Saeril is a ruthless, immensely-formidable warrior in her own right; despite withholding a certain elegance, she's truly a very deadly foe for anyone who'd dare challenge her personally. A vast majority of her strength came from the enchantment Sauron had placed upon her, as well as the supernatural connection he was able to forge between them; even while she was formerly his chief of the Isengard legion, she possessed a number of abilities that have allowed her to stand her own, and even overpower the most skilled of individuals. Due to this connection, she's able to enhance these abilities. She also shows herself to have great telepathic power; either taught or naturally inherited from her parents and/or ancestors, she can read the minds of others, conjure up visions through physical touch, and receive thoughts from a certain distance.

Saeril will not hesitate to comfort, guide, or advise others when they seem to need it. Proud, proper, and almost-completely fearless, she will never bow to anyone she disagrees with. Evident by her relationship with Thorin Oakenshield, it's complicated when it comes to terms of the trust; she betrayed him (as he claimed) by "stealing" the starlight jewels from his treasure hoard for King Thranduil. Although she was claimed as not "trusting", Saeril openly showed that she cared a great deal for him, saving his life multiple times on different occasions.

BACKGROUND
Place of Birth: Fangorn Forest (Also known as Ambaróna).
Family:
- Kili Durin (Godson; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Fili Durin (Godson; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Dis Durin (Co-parent; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Vili Durin (Co-parent; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Hermia (Mother; Deceased) (Noldor Elf)
- Lysander (Father; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Ulla (Aunt; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Kinloch (Uncle; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Kriva (Grandmother; Deceased) (Noldor Elf)
- Disgla (Grandfather; Deceased) (Silvan/Teleri Elf)
- Fidnai (Great-Grandmother; Deceased) (Teleri Elf)
- Sahov (Great-Grandfather; Deceased) (Silvan Elf)

Other Relations:
- Gandalf the Grey/White (Mentor/Friend; Alive) (Maiar)
- Thorin Oakenshield (Friend; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Aragorn II Elessar (Friend; Alive) (Man)
- Lord Elrond (Acquaintance; Alive) (Half-Elf)
- Tauriel (Acquaintance; Alive) (Silvan Elf)
- Haldir (Acquaintance; Alive) (Silvan Elf)
- Gimli (Acquaintance; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Thranduil Greenleaf (Acquaintance/Friend; Alive) (Sindarin Elf)
- Legolas Greenleaf (Acquaintance/Friend; Alive) (Sindarin Elf)
- Yavanna Undomiel (Friend/Daughter-Figure; Alive) (Elven Hybrid; Mortal/Sindarin/Noldor)
- Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrine Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck (Acquaintances/Friends; Alive) (Hobbits)
- Azog the Defiler & Bolg (Enemies; Deceased) (Gundabad Orcs)

[User]
That morning, was rather cheerful for Kili and Fili. As the pair seemed to enjoy the banter, they had with their God-mother. Each of the Dwarfs and Gandalf had a Pony, there was a spare pony for Bilbo...if had decided to come. a Few members, including Kili had been hopeful that the hobbit would change his mind. And he had.

Kili just grinned, when he heard Bilbo. "I knew, he'd come with us." he said with a smile. He then noticed the look his God-mother gave him. He looked as innocent as he could.

Balin smiled down at Bilbo. "Welcome Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Okeanshield." he said. Thorin was surprised, that the Hobbit had changed his mind...he slightly rose an eyebrow down at the Hobbit...before he glanced over at his Nephew, whom tried to act as innocent as possible.

"Maybe...I did...maybe I didn't." Kili retorted smartly. "Besides, me and Fili are loveable...I knew Bilbo would miss us two eventually." he smiled.

[Assistant]
Dwalin scoffed a bit from where he'd overheard the two. "Didn't? You bet more than half your coin, lad. Lost it, too." The burlier dwarf had no faith in the too-skittish hobbit. Bilbo had turned their offer down, he would not come. Most had bet against him, and for a good reason, in his opinion. However, when the Hobbit did turn up, Dwalin was surprised. How could he be so foolish?

Saeril listened to Dwalin, and thought back on the wages. It sounded fair, nor was the concept itself greedy, but if she figured that if Kili wagered big, who knows what she might say? It was pure amusement as she listened and watched. "So, if I say that if we make it to the mountain alive, you would owe me?", she butted in, teasing the youngest.

The she-elf heartedly chuckled, in a soft way. She was enjoying her time so far. She was wrong to hide from them. She liked dwarves, but it varied. Those who can make her laugh or smile, are easily those she would see as friends, but others? Only Mahal will tell...

[User]
Kili rose an eyebrow, as he heard Dwalin. "What were you saying, about me loosing?" he asked, looking rather Smug. He had won the bet. Well so did his brother, Fili along with Balin, and a numerous number of Dwarves.

Bilbo rose a slight eyebrow, as he heard Kili. He just shook his head. God help him, if he could survive with the Dwarves. But he smiled a little. He climbed up onto the pony, that was meant for him...it took him a while to climb on there...but he managed to get on. Before holding onto the reigns, as his pony marched along with the others.

Kili gasped, as he heard his god-mother. Pretending to look shocked. "You wouldn't dare, make a bet with one of your God-sons?" he teased her, but he smirked playfully. "Mhh, I might have to think about that one." he said, with his lips pursed. Pretending to look deep in thought.

[Assistant]
Saeril heard the youngest's responding retort, and she couldn't help but smile playfully back at him, and chuckle good-heartedly. Even Fili snickered at the response from next to his little brother's horse.

The walk was long, but the she-elf didn't complain. Saeril's biology was beyond that of humans and dwarves, so moving by foot was no problem. Not a single ache came for her feet, but she was pretty certain that the ponies can't walk forever, which also became one of the reasons they had to stop and camp for the following night.

That night, Saeril let her cloak transform into her feathered wings, tucked in behind her as she sat with her godsons near the fire. Only being dressed in her black, tight, catsuit-like outfit with feathers embedded in the fabric, Saeril wasn't cold, and she certainly wasn't tired; not with her godsons still awake; she could stay awake for the longest of periods.

Saeril was enjoying the company of her new family, and she certainly felt herself grow close to the young heir. She hoped that Fili didn't mind, but of course, the she-elf will accept them both, and she would have to. Good laughs they had, good stories to tell. It was purely familial. Saeril was about to reach behind her waist for one of her curved blades to sharpen it, but froze once a loud shriek sounded in the distance. It can't be, can it?


[System]
The galaxy is, in a way, it's own character, and everyone is free to add things to it. This is a collection of all the "Meanwhile!" style posts, that either provide some commentary to what's happening, explain some concept within the game, foreshadow certain events or simply add a wonderful little bit of extra flavour to help set the mood. To keep things vaguely organised, the posts will be linked to in the order they've been posted, along with a note of who wrote what.

Meanwhile! The Introduction of Doctor Frosty & Cold Front
Meanwhile, upon Dämmerlicht... by @Valor
A Hendersons Ribs Jingle by @TwelveOf8
A footnote on Swarm Sentience by @DracoLunaris
Meanwhile! An Introduction To Faster-Than-Light Travel
Meanwhile, in the past... by @DepressedSoviet
Meanwhile! Life on Dämmerlicht! by @Valor
Please rise for the national anthem of Monochromia, with notes, by @TwelveOf8
The Hendersons Ribs Safety Jingle, transcribed by @TwelveOf8
A newspaper article from Ofromia Tonight, written by Aggro Deluxe.

[User]
"Yay! Go cleaner bot! You rock!" cheered Fiddlesticks. He danced a little jig, without a care in the world. The splashing of the water off his feet coupled with the feeling of wetness sobered his mood very quickly.

The small runnel of water now took up the entire floor of the tunnel. The water was still a couple of centimeters deep though. They still had time.

In those dark tunnels, sonar mapping was a godsend. Without it, Fiddlesticks and the bot would have both been hopelessly lost. No doubt he found it puzzling that a cleaner bot would have sonar mapping installed. But during their ordeal, Fiddlesticks was just thankful that it did. Questions were for times when drowning wasn't a real threat. Even Fiddlesticks knew that. A practical mindset to be sure.

A familiar buzzing was heard from the pipes in the walls and in the ceiling. Pieces of the captains body came flying out. To almost anyone else, that would be both a disgusting and disturbing prospect. When it came to the crew of the Quest for Flavour though, it certainly was not. Their captain was a sentient swarm of bees after all. Much to the relief of the hapless duo, some of the captain bees came to save the day. Much to the disappointment of Fiddlesticks in particular, there were not enough. Only six bees!?

"Hey bees! I'm so glad you're all here! Could you guys help us find a way out!? Things are going to get a lot more wet around here!" asked Fiddlesticks. Words couldn't describe how glad he was that they were there.

"Hey cleaner bot. Do you think we have enough bees to divide them up into three scouting parties?" Fiddlesticks asked the ladybug cleaner bot.

[Assistant]
"And I'm sure you were just the politest and most pleasant bunch when you beat up and stole Hip Kallo's clothes."

The mind was rather confused as to why there appeared to be a gang conflict of some kind revolving around parties on this planet and was currently ruining down the hiveminds list of negotiation tactics, which suggested additional threats/taunting. The Bees were more distressed that this was looking less like a throw a party gig and more of a security detail, which meant that they weren't going to be allowed to get drunk on mead any time soon and that was a travesty. They suffered a -20 penalty to morale as a result. They were all ready to launch into tirades about these thugs despoiling the noble art of the party with their brutish ways when the the banner of the interplanetary space friends was brought through the door by its carriers and the Mind kept talking, having decided on its course of belittling and self aggrandizement .

"see this banner, that is who we are and we don't back down from a request for help, so you and your mates better bugger off and leave us be. We are here to help throw a party, I don't see why you're so threatened by that? Think your Capatians can't do better than a bunch of drifters? Go prove it rather than sticking around here playing mobster. Which your really bad at by the way.

There was a chorus of agreement from the bees as they buzzed in closer, coming through the door now that it was obvious the thugs were out gunned and as they were itching to give these no good scoundrels a good stinging for ruining the festive mood they had all been in.

---

One of the bees down with fiddlesticks had been in charge of holo-umbrellas and so at his mention of it getting wet the bee handed out 5 little handles to the other bees, which then projected very flimsy force fields above them to keep them safe from rain. Naturally this would completely useless against the oncoming torrent that could be heard flowing down the pipes towards them, but the pink, green and blue neon glowing umbrellas did provide a little light. So as they did whatever scouting the cleaner bot required the bees would be easily spotted through the gloom by the glowing fields they now carried.

[User]
The Brain took a step back as the swarm of bees began muscling their way through the door, not that either of the two goons were making much of an attempt to stop them. Their robotic maid still held Maracun hostage and Boss Hog wouldn't have had much luck against a horde of bees. They were outsiders, self-avowed drifters, after all, who clearly didn't appreciate the importance of the parties in Ofromia. The Brain was the sort of person who attached considerable significance to the value of information and the value of his own skin.

 "Sorry, Maracun, but we're not fighting to preserve yer honour today," the Brain finally stood up straight and, just before patting his hog-like companion on the shoulder, he paused and thought better of it, "come on, Hogger, you can be the one to tell the boss that he's got nothing to worry about."

 It took a while for the suggestion to leave Maracun to the tender mercies of the crew to penetrate the thick skin, thick skull and thick brain of Hogger. A more intelligent creature would listen with their ears, which would have been considerably easier. Hogger was a very literal minded and simple creature, and had done things 'the hard way' so often that it'd become the philosophy that guided his life. Hogger snorted and walked away, accompanying the Brain, into the crowds of people that drifted through the neon streets of Ofromia.

 Maracun expressed his displeasure at being left behind with a rude gesture towards the back of Hogger and Brain. Hip Kallo gurgled on the floor in front of them. The banner of the International Space Friends fluttered proudly in the breeze caused by the flow of air through the open door.

---

 Armed with tiny little GloBrellas, the bees organised themselves into three teams, based on the colourful glow. The team with pink GloBrellas insisted that they were now to be referred to as Team A, and were made up of tough, no-nonsense bees that didn't play by the rules, but they got the job done. The blue team opted to take the rather more prestigious name of Team B, and declared that they were young, up-and-coming heroes with hearts of gold and something to prove to the world. The final team, quite clearly a little unhappy about not being Team B, explained that they would be The B Team, and that they were a team of mercenaries who were framed for a crime they didn't commit, and have since escaped to clear their name and do good deeds. None of these elaborate backstories were true, but the bees were impressionable when it came to SpaceTV, and far from the guiding hand of the Will, they were free to indulge in their elaborate fantasies and their love of dividing themselves into arbitrary groups.

 The leader of each of the three teams looked expectantly towards Fiddlesticks.

 "Team A reporting in. Twenty eight years on the force," the bee was putting on a gruff voice, even though it had to speak up to be heard, "and this is how they repay me? You gotta be kidding me. I'm turning in my badge and my gun after this assignment."

 "Team B, here to save the day," this bee struck a pose, holding the GloBrella like a sword, "we can do it! Yeah!"

 "You know what they say," the third bee wore a little eye-patch, and somebody had gone to draw stubble around his chin, which grew more smudged as he stroked it in thought, "if you've got a problem, and if nobody else can help you, and if you can find us, well, we're The B Team."

[Assistant]
With The Brain and Hogger leaving, Vanessa lowered her rifle from it's position on her shoulder. She gave a deep sigh and took the casing out of her teeth. Tucking the spent casing into her suit, Vanessa lowered the ejection lever on her rifle and pulled the unspent round from the chamber. Tucking it back into her suit with the empty casing, Vanessa then closed the action of her rifle, sealing it. She would need to clean it later, but the extensive process could wait for now. Tapping her communicator, Vanessa opened a channel to Toony again and spoke quickly. "He's yours. Do what you will." Vanessa then took a few moments of silence before correcting herself. "Wait, what am I thinking? Ask the captain. Disregard that."

Crossing her arms, Vanessa let her rifle rest between them and looked about the landing area. Vanessa then raised an eyebrow at a discernible lack of a certain crewmember. A second glance around confirmed her suspicions, and she opened a global communication line to everyone. "Does anybody know where Fiddlesticks went? He's not here." Should Fiddlesticks have a communicator of his own, he would hear this as well since Vanessa opened a global line to all the crewmembers. However, should he not have a communicator then he would not hear the transmission, and be left in the dark about the sudden awareness of his absence from the group. Vanessa gave a few sniffs, but could only smell the current occupants of the landing platform. Looking around again, Vanessa didn't see anywhere he might have wandered off to.

Fiddlesticks previously relentless flirting had been quite annoying, but that wasn't nearly enough for Vanessa to wish harm upon him. With nothing more to do at the moment than wait for a confirmation or denial from anyone or everyone, Vanessa waited. She hated the waiting, but knew that it was an important skill to have. Rash actions often ended badly, though sometimes they were needed in order to actually accomplish things. However, it was better to be patient first. Doing something extreme just because you couldn't wait a few moments was really rather childish, and a rational mind would allow events to unfold and responses to happen.

Hopefully they unfolded in time.


[System]
Username: Demon Shinobi
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Country of Origin: Japan (Though she is half Japanese and Half Italian)
Role: Storm Guardian Candidate
Flame: Storm

Weapon/Fighting Style: Asuka utilizes a whip coupled with fluid, quick movements in battle. IN truth this was a weapon she was taught to use by her father, who used a chain sword.
Box weapons:
1) Catena Frusta di Tempesta (Chain Whip of the Storm) - With a grip resembling that of a sword and a 2 yard long chain topped with a kunai like blade at the end, this is the perfect weapon to accentuate her skill with a whip. This chain whip channels and can be engulfed in the Storm Flame at the user's will.
2) Volpe a Nove Code di Tempesta (Nine-Tailed Fox of the Storm) - A small black nine tailed fox, with white tipped tails matching it's white paws. It is incredibly fast. It can fire small balls from its tails made of condensed storm flames. It can coat it's paws in storm flames while running. And it can coat it's fangs and saliva in the flames when biting. All at the beck and call of it's master.
Appearance:
As she stands now, Asuka is a fairly well developed young girl. She stands at about 5'4" with lovely skin and a lovelier figure for her age.

In ten years not much has changed. She has grown taller, standing at about 5'8" and has grown more in the bust and hip areas, though no male (or occasional female) would care about that right? Overall, she had some what larger more accentuated curves than she had as a child.

Personality: Asuke is typically level headed and easy to get along with. Ever intelligent and kind, one might think Asuka is picture of perfection. She does not feel this way. She works hard and strives to be better when necessary. However, she is not oblivious to her looks, and figure and uses it to her advantage when possible. She can be manipulative, a bit of a flirt and somewhat teasing. But that is more so because she finds it fun and humorous. She can be a bit odd and random in her behavior, but she picks her moments. There is a time to play, a time to be serious, a time to fight, etc. etc. Still even with her confidence and somewhat flirty attitude, she is quite innocent can be made to blush if she isn't the one teasing, but the one being teased. Asuka is simply Asuka.

History: Asuka's mother was Japanese and her father Italian. How did they meet? Well her mother was the mayor of Namimori at one point. She was beautiful, responsible, fearless, and much more. She was practically leading the charge against the local thugs and yakuza. Of course, this lead to many wanting her dead. She thought it didn't matter, but others weren't so reckless.

Thus, her father was hired. A bodyguard for hire at the time, his strength was renowned. Even to those yakuza he was not only recognized, but respected for his skill and ability. This was no small feat. His presence brought along much more peace of mind. Even to her mother, though it wouldn't be admitted, at first. Still, as time went on and the two spent more time together, they would eventually fall in love. That love would blossom into the birth of a child.

After that, Asuka's mother resigned. With a baby on the way she couldn't afford to risk her life. And neither could her father. They settled in Namimori since he hadn't had a permanent of his own due to his constant travelling. Without her continuing her work there was no need to further pursue harming her or her future child. Besides nobody wished to cause more problems with Asuka's father.

She grew up normally. Of course, up until she was ten. Then he father began to make her exercise, work a bit a bit more and train so she could be able to defend herself in the case that he wasn't around. He gave her a weapon similar to his. A whip. It could suffice. She learned fairly quickly. Now she'd 15. Her parents are off travelling with full confidence that she can handle herself. She can too. Though not many know, she can fight fairly well. She can take care of herself and does quite well in school. She strive to maintain a good position like her mother did, and still does.

Other: The following are added information.

Hobbies: Asuka's hobbies include reading Manga, watching anime, studying, training, and cooking. She also enjoys the occasional online game and the very rare eroge. But that's a secret.

Likes: Asuka likes having fun, hanging out, making new friends and occasionally a good brawl if it can add a little excitement to her life. However, more than anything, she likes cute things, even if she denies it.

Dislikes: Asuka dislikes jerks and rude people, though can put up with them if she is close to them. She also dislikes killjoys and boredom. She isn't one to take well to being teased, as hypocritical as that sounds. And she doesn't like people messing with or insulting the things or people she cares about.

[User]
Yuki had her eyes downcast the entire trip towards the shrine, she had to ignore Luca's words for now and continue with her assigned task, that is what it meant to be a professional after all. As they reached the shrine Yuki allowed her hand to part from Luca's for a moment, and as she did so the lanterns around the shrine burst into a ghostly purple flame before dying down into a normal warm glow. Her eyes darted towards the tiny being that jumped from the top of the shrine and onto Luca, her leg twitching ever so slightly as if in resistance to a natural reflex to kick the little thing!

"Your questions will be answered soon enough, Luca Yuuki. The rest should be arriving shortly right Miss Volkov~?"

Yuki's gaze glared towards the shrine itself, a figure that was hidden within the shadows finally started to move "Seems that way. As exspected they noticed the signal as well, this should be fun~" Coming forward Shi's tail swayedfrom side to side happliy, her ears even perking up at the sound of people approaching. Yuki and Shi stared at each other for a good few moments [b] [color=fff79a]"It is good you had fun dear sister~"[/b][/color] Though the air seemed tense for a moment Shi relaxed "I do hope you got something for me on your date, after all- WHOA!" Suddenly Shi was forced to duck to avoid a flying round house kick from Yuki.

"What has got you so mad?!"

Shi exsclaimed as she raised her hand to block Yuki's follow up kick, the two locked in a power struggle. "You interrupted my date with Luca..." Shi gritted her fannged teeth, riasing her other fist and bumping the top of Yuki's head "Don't attack your own sister out of such a stupid reason! Jeez... We have a job to finish, come on." *Thwack* "Uuuuuu...." Yuki was squating down rubbing her head from the pain of sisterly punishment but seemed to have been calmed by the mention of the job. Speaking of which Shi made sure to bow before the new arrivals

"Welcome, you all have such good manners to answer our call right away. I am Shiso Volkov"

[Assistant]
Samael | Shrine

As Sam arrived at the shrine, there were people there already. He had heard mention of the Vongola too, so this was most certainly the meeting spot. In his arms were large bags of food, he set it down and took out one of the small plastic boxes and began to eat as he spoke.

"Ah, Vongola business, am I right?", he asked.

"So, who'll I be killing today? Or is it protection? Do I need to steal something? Questions", he began. A jovial smile upon his face as he said all that, eating as he did.

"But really, have you guys tried the yakisoba? It's incredible, and the takoyaki, I found this stand that sold them with these mayonnaise cores, and they are absolutely delightful".

[User]
Upon his arrival at the shrine, a familiar, stubborn voice screams at Ren from behind him. The sudden killing intent surprised the young heir, with a quick movement of his feet, he side steps to his right to evade the attempt at grabbing him. The green haired boy was more of a nuisance than he had originally thought, perhaps getting rid of him was a wise choice. Before the hidden tanto in his dark yukata could strike at the pest with his left hand, other strangers-- ones he had previously seen, arrived at the venue, including the young Vongola boss candidate.

Seeing as there would be too many unwanted witnesses, the raven haired boy lowered his short sword and averted his gaze to the side. "............ Very well. If you wish to be enlightened, stay. But I cannot assure your safety for whatever judgment they may bring upon with your interferance..." After what needed to be spoken, the yakuza heir kept his lips sealed in silence for what was about to transpire.

A baby? No. He was no ordinary baby.... Being in the underground world for quite a time, he had caught a rumor of the seven powerful infants of the mafia world, their trademark being a pacifier hanging from their neck. Ren had been skeptical of such rumor until this moment, when one of them was in front of his eyes, in the flesh. The boy could somehow feel from the movements of the baby upon revealing himself that he indeed was no ordinary human. To be fair, a baby capable of pulling such a stunt would evidently be classified as abnormal.

From the tone of their voices, the figures who had appeared were not hostile towards his protection target or him. After establishing that they were involved with the Vongola, the Kanesada heir lowered himself on his knee, hand on his chest with a slight bow of his head. "Kanesada, Rentarou of the Varia, reporting for duty.... Though Ren is preferrable. I deeply apologize but an outsider has... followed my footsteps." The boy lifts his head to shift his eyes to the obnoxious boy to point him out to the two authority figures.

[Assistant]
It was Naoki's time to shine this leap of faith could help him catch a potential thug and with a single moment he face planted "To..much..pain" He lay there sore on his stomach and then brought his head up to see the man he chased looking at him. At that moment all of Naoki's self-pride was gone, so it was only logical to do the following he looked directly at the man who he heard name was Ren and stuck his tongue out. Naoki stood up feeling confused and forgot about Ten shortly after, as he seen a baby wearing an orange cloak with a red pacifier/dummy. He leaped to his feet and walked up to the cute infant.

"Hi name's Naoki how do you know Mr.Target? What's your name?" he didn't know why he asked the baby the questions and he didn't even know he was speaking to the great Fong. He reached out his hand stupidly to shake the babies hand, problem being he didn't know the difference of talking to a baby rather then
His potential target, adults, or people his age.


[System]
Alias: Adrian Romano
Age: 26
Appearance: A tall man, completely covered in bandages, wearing a heavily worn trench coat and an old hat. His physical appearance varies, but if one looks close enough, they might see something squirm under the bandages.

Para Category: Alpha, threat level 3

Rumours have begun swirling in the back streets of Marlon, of a mysterious vigilante hellbent on revenge. A bandaged man in an old trench coat, prowling the alleyways to fight injustice. His hatred for the Lorne corporation is only matched by the ferocity of the rats he commands as they tear the flesh of his foes. Those who know of his existence often speculate on his identity. A man burned by a chemical accident, a parahuman disfigured by his own powers, and more theories thrown to the wind. In peeling back the bandages, one finds the truth - a mass of rats in the shape of a man, hiding the gnawed bones of whom they once were.

The Ratman began his life as Adrian Romano, proud son of Claudius and Rachel Romano, and brother to a number of siblings. His parents were high level managers in the Lorne corporation who had worked their way up from nothing, and Adrian's older brother also worked there. Adrian followed suit and sped up the ranks, hoping to use his position for good. Sadly, his rapid rise had attracted jealousy, and there were those already plotting his downfall.

Stabbed in the back by someone he trusted, Adrian was taken through the back streets of Marlon to die. They threw him into a pit, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back and a bullet in his head. Barely alive and in shock, Adrian weakly called for help, but his call attracted a swarm of hungry rats instead. Only a miracle would have saved him, and funnily enough, one came. The energy wave came from the tower, imbuing various people with special powers. This did nothing to dissuade the ravenous rats, however, and Adrian was promptly eaten. As they ate, however, they were slowly coming under Adrian's influence. The more they ate, the more they became like him. When they had gnawed him down to the bone, he was reborn. His will had been transferred to them, and there was no going back.

It took some time to get used to being a swarm of rats, but that allowed him time to get used to his environment. He became familiar with the lowest rung of society, making him lose more faith in the Lorne corporation. The shock at his situation had given way to anger, and now he planned against the corporation which ignored the plight of the poor and who had, in some ways, facilitated the betrayal.

When the Lorne corporation began their sweep, he was ready. Hiding their identity, Adrian and his swarm of rats became the Ratman, fighting the Lorne corporation and the corrupt government as best they can, carving their legend into the back alley streets of Marlon.
Blood ties
The Ratman's sole power. His flesh and blood act as a conduit for his will. By ingesting parts of his body, a part of Adrian's consciousness is transferred and the recipient becomes a part of him, allowing the effect to proliferate. The effects of this power are affected by certain factors, however. The mind control is strongest from Adrian himself, but takes a back seat to stronger wills. A secondary host exhibits weaker powers, but the effects are stronger if the secondary host infects another host similar to itself. This way, the rats of Ratman can create other rats for the mass. There is a limit, however, as if there are too many minds to control, some will resist the effects.

Those under the effects function as a hivemind of sorts, many minds making one whole.

Strengths:

* Infiltration and surveilance
The small size of Adrian's rats allow for discreet infiltration, and they can pass information around the hivemind.
* Survival
As long as one rat survives, the pack can be remade. In an emergency the entire mass scatters in different directions, maximising survival chances.
* Knowledge of the Lorne corporation
As an ex-employee of the corporation, he knows of some secrets. Though they have most likely scrubbed his credentials from the system, he knows other ways to enter the headquarters.

Weaknesses:

* Strength of many
The strength of the Ratman is the strength of numbers. In situations where they are outnumbered, Adrian doesn't have many options. Thus, he prefers avoiding large engagements where he can't just pick off targets one at a time.
* Human contact
The Ratman is a group of rats in a trench coat. While he can communicate through language, it's obvious that he's at the very least a parahuman. This makes communicating with non-parahumans difficult.
* Hunger
In order to ensure their survival, every member of the pack needs to eat. Finding food for a large pack of rats every day is a task in and of itself.

It was a calm, moonlit night. The bandaged man walked the back streets of Marlon as he usually did, traversing the maze of concrete with measured ease. Rats accompanied his every step, skittering to and fro, exploring every unturned rock and dustbin in their path. Suddenly, the he stopped dead in his tracks, prompting the other rats to follow suit. They looked at him with curiosity as, in a hundred little voices, the Ratman sighed. As the bandaged man turned to stare at the moon, the other rats turned to the sky as well. He wanted nothing more than to simply stand there, staring at the beauty of the world. It was something he wished for everyone, in some ways. But not tonight. He had snagged something on his information network, which meant he had work to do.

It was a quiet night, which meant that he could hear it pretty soon. Grunts, thwacks, and occasional sobs. The bandaged man turned the corner and found what he was looking for. In the alleyway, a man relentlessly pounded a scantily clad woman with his fists. Judging from the man's clothes, he was from Marlon's upper crust. The woman was likely a sex worker of some sort. The bandaged man didn't know their story, and he didn't care. The bandaged man knew him as a government official, and it was time to pay his respects.

His shadow loomed over the pair, and the squeeking of rats heralded his arrival. The man turned, his face twisted in anger melting into horror as it beheld the bandaged man.
"Y-You!"
"Me." The Ratman rasped.
The man was angry, but his voice was tinted with fear. So they had heard of him up there. Good.

He stepped forward with measured ease, slowly closing the distance between them. The government man scrambled through his pockets and withdrew a gun.
"Back off! Now!" He barked.
The bandaged man stopped stopped. A hundred voices spoke in unison.
"Don't bother. You'll only put more holes in my coat." He said.
The government man opened fire. The bandaged man's flesh shifted under his coat. Blood splattered from the holes that formed in his chest. The man grinned, but his triumph melted into confusion, as the being in front of him stood right where he was. His expression once again turned to fear, as the bandaged man brushed off the blood and took another step forward. The government man gritted his teeth and took aim, shooting at the bandaged man's head. 2 shots landed, and the bandages unfurled. The bandaged man put a hand to his face.
"Y-you see that? Get the hell out of here, freak!" The man yelled with renewed bravado.
"My, my. Look at what you've done to us." The bandaged man replied calmly.
He rose to his feet and 2 bloodied rats scurried out of his hand. His head bluged and shifted under the now bloody bandages.

The bandaged man took step forward.
"S-Stop!"
And another.
"I mean it this time!"
And another.

The government man turned his gun towards the woman.
"Take another step and I'll blow her brains out!" He yelled.
But it was too late for him. Rats swooped down onto the flustered man from the rooftops, biting down on his gun hand. The government man screamed. The rats at his feet scurried into his clothes, biting and scratching wherever they could.

It was over quickly. The bandaged man surveyed his handiwork. The only thing left was bones and clothes, the rest had been eaten by the rats. The woman had run off in the mean time, but he didn't mind. There was only one thing left to do now. He issued a command and a wave of rats picked up the remains.

The night was transitioning to day. In an hour the sun would rise, and the citizens of Marlon would begin their day. But there was no rest for the police, especially not with parahumans running amok. The donut shop was a popular place for them to relax, as it was open 24 hours a day. In other words, it was the perfect place to send a message to the right people.

A policeman sat outside the store with a box of donuts on his lap. He was the only one to see it happen. A mass of rats dropped from the rooftop, scattering as they hit the ground. The cop jumped up and drew his gun, but they were gone as fast as they appeared, taking some donuts for the ride. Left on the scene was the skeleton. The policeman scrambled to the car and yelled a report through his radio. He had served for a while, he knew what he was dealing with. The Ratman's eyes watched as the policeman howled his name with fury, dozens of pairs of tiny little eyes, watching from the shadows. As the sirens drew closer, they turned away and disappeared into the night.

[User]
William scoffed. "Okay, fine but I'm going to grab a drink on the way there at the very least." He started walking towards the door before realising he wasn't entirely sure where they were going. "Is someone going to lead the way?" He stood to the side of the door in order to let someone else go before them. He turned to the floating lady whose brother owned the clinic they were supposedly going too.

"So what's your deal, I understand Taylors reasoning for helping us out, but what are you after?" There was something unsettling about her, something he didn't quite trust. Maybe it was her abilities were an unknown to him, he understood that Taylor somehow absorbed energy which it could then redistribute. Whereas this lady? She could fly and create balls of light, what exactly she could do was an unknown and he didn't like unknowns. Never had, and didn't now. Especially these days when there was a mysterious figure sticking its nose in their lives. He had to be careful so that they knew what was going on.

[Assistant]
Darkspire let out a sigh. "My deal is that I need to find those who are against Lorne." Her masked face held a spark of anger. "As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They will be stepping up in their attacks and with my only ally being able to only keep oversight on things, I need more." She drifted over to the doorway and floated past William. "If you must know who I am, the name is Darkspire, sister of one of the best men to have ever graced this city, Thoth." Her face darkened. "Due to the circumstances we were never able to recover his body, as I took off after his killer and it was gone when I returned, Lorne's minions surrounding the area. Their official stance is whatever he had was contagious, even after death."

She led them out of the building, her orbs drawing close to her. She palmed one, observing it ripple in her hand. "See, whatever their actions lead to my brother's death, for trying to help save lives, his dream. And for the that, I'll do whatever it takes to get him back and allow me to keep this life I've built." She looked to the pyrokinetic. "The Tower broke apart my family. Killed my child and brother. There is very little I wouldn't do to make Lorne suffer for what they have done. Then after that, well, I'll finish another doctorate on Spatial Theory. I am one of the brightest in my field. Literally."

[User]
Taylor supposed this would be the best it would get in terms of cooperation from William. At the very least, he did not seem to be so stubborn as to try to fight Taylor over it...not that he would have been able to do much to resist it. He was physically weak at the moment, and his abilities, if he was even in a state to use them, would only serve to strengthen Taylor. It was concerned that he might hurt himself trying to move around on his own, but for now, it was not going to stop him. It would just have to keep a few close eyes on him.

While it was late at night at the moment, Taylor moved cautiously as they followed Darkspire. The two of them might have been able to move inconspicuously down the street, if Darkspire stopped creating orbs of light, but Taylor certainly could not. Taylor was not only an obvious para, but would likely terrify anyone who saw it. They needed a way for Taylor to hide while they moved, but for now, it just hoped they were not seen.

[Assistant]
"Here." The Ratman said suddenly, from a rooftop.
He dropped a sheet onto the creature, Taylor. It was less of a sheet and more of a tarp - a thick rough green affair, not that comfortable but good enough at hiding for now. At the very least, it was better than nothing.

The Ratman jumped down, joining the group as they walked.
"My net hasn't picked up anything going our way just yet, but we don't need to help them find us. He said. "I hope this clinic of yours is... discreet.


[System]
Runan Isles Savior Corps

---

Established in the wake of Westwel's destruction, the Runan Isles Savior Corps is by no means the most impressive program on Illun, but it's well-funded and well-run by a few survivors of Westwel's own Corps.

Character Info

Name – Besca Darroh
Age – 35
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Originally from Westwel, Besca Darroh has been around Saviors her entire life. Her grandfather had helped fell the Modir who would become "Dragon," and her father had headed Westwel's burgeoning Savior program. She met dozens of pilots, watched as their connection to the Modir ate away at their minds and bodies. Other nations treated their pilots like a resource to be burned through, kept at arm's length in all but public affairs. Besca, however, went out of her way to engage with Westwel's pilots and even piloting candidates, caring after them with a degree of humanity which was, frankly, missing in the programs of other nations. Her methods were derided as frivolous and naïve by her peers, but the pilots appreciated it, which, to her, was all that mattered.

She lost many things in Westwel's fall; her home, her father, her friends, and no small piece of her faith in humanity, but ironically enough she didn't lose her job. When Runa took in her country's refugees, and subsequently acquired their first Savior, they came to the last living member of Westwel's program for help in founding their own.

Nowadays, Besca doesn't often involve herself in the politics of the program. Technically speaking she isn't even chief of operations—a position occupied by the Runan government—but rather, her duties revolve around "pilot maintenance." While she hasn't lost her desire to make life easier for the pilots, she isn't nearly as incorrigibly optimistic or sunny as she once was.

Character Info

Name – Dahlia St. Senn
Age – 18
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Dahlia was a toddler when her home was destroyed by the Modir, spirited away from Westwel in the arms of a family friend. She spent the first fourteen years of her life in the quiet, lakeside town of Hovvi. She was, like many children, absolutely enthralled by the Saviors, so when she tested positive and was whisked away into orbit, Dahlia thought her dream had come true. She missed her friends, and her adoptive father, but this was her opportunity to do something important. This was her chance to help.

She had no idea.

Runa's Savior, Dragon, had not been phased by a single pilot until Dahlia entered the cockpit. With its potential finally unleashed, she was able to end invasions within minutes—which was crucial, because she couldn't remain connected for much longer than that before the giant's neural regeneration reached critical levels.

Dahlia has become Runa's WMD, and as such, she actually doesn't pilot as much as she did before R.I.S.C. acquired its two other Saviors. Besca has become rather protective of her, not wanting to risk putting her in situations where she may be forced to over-exert herself, or risk being overtaken.

Character Info

Name – Hadrian Ghaust
Age – 38
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Hadrian Ghaust is Helburke personified. He is strong, unrelenting, stoic to a chilling degree, and utterly devastating in the cockpit. Ghaust is also a veteran pilot, having commanded the Savior Marrowman in service of the Helburken crown for 20 years, and despite a phasing speed so slow that he rarely deigns to use his magic at all, he was well on his way to becoming one of his country's most accomplished pilots.

However, Ghaust's priority has always been the fight against the Modir, and Helburke's clamor for political power is something he viewed with silent disdain. To him, using Saviors to settle diplomatic disputes isn't just wasteful, it's shameful. So, when Helburke ordered him to bring Marrowman to bear against the newly-risen Runa's Dragon, he refused. When, then, he was given the ultimatum of going through with the duel or forfeiting his rank and position, he looked his general in the eye, ripped the pilot's medal from his collar, and left his home behind.

Overnight Ghaust was made a Pariah in Helburke, and his home turned against him. He was forced to leave, and though several foreign programs sought him out, Ghaust denied them all, even passing up a pilot's seat in Eusero. Instead, he went straight to the burgeoning program in Runa, who was more than happy to take him.

Character Info

Name – Safie Calhan
Age – 22
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

R.I.S.C.'s newest pilot, Safie has spent the past year earning her place at Dahlia and Ghaust's sides. Born and raised in Runa's largest city, Queenshand, Safie was one of countless starry-eyed youths who dreamed of the day she'd get to step inside the cockpit of a Savior. A positive connection-test put her on the path, but it was the months upon months of personal training, rigorous study, and nights spent running sims until dawn that pulled her ahead of the other aspirants. With a phase potential speed just above average, she was a perfect fit between Runa's other two pilots.

While Dahlia has accrued something of a heroic mythos about her, she's often reclusive and hesitant to make many public appearances. Safie on the other hand loves to meet the people she's helping, be that with personal visits, answering fan-mail, or simply getting her hands dirty cleaning up after the messier invasions. Some see her approach as distinctly Euseran, but Safie didn't become a pilot for the attention, she became a pilot because it was the right thing to do.

Character Info

Name – Lucis Abroix
Age – 25
Affiliation – Casoban, on loan to the R.I.S.C.

Casoban's sole effort to save Westwel, while ultimately futile, planted the seeds of goodwill between it and Runa. Casoban has always lived in the influential shadows of Helburke and Eusero, but allied with Runa, the two manage a strong presence on the world stage.

As a show of solidarity, Casoban has even begun sending a Savior of its own as backup to Runa's invasions. Enter: Lucis Abroix.

Lucis is perhaps one of Casoban's most beloved pilots, despite having only a handful of deployments to his name. Handsome, personable, with a poetic flare and the voice of an angel, many people back home already consider him the face of Casoban's Savior program—a role he is more than happy to play. Lucis makes regular public appearances, seemingly never missing an opportunity to espouse his love for the beauty of the world, and his burning desire to protect it from the Modir.

[User]
Well, that raised more questions than it answered, but fine, answers were secondary. For the moment it looked like Quinn wasn't going to combust from panic, which was at least something. As for her parents' absence, and that odd bit about sneaking out—it was beginning to sound a bit like she was dodging a grounding.

Fair enough, Besca thought. If she lived in a place like Hovvi, and got grounded from the biggest social gathering the town had ever seen, she'd probably have snuck out too.

"Well," she said with a shrug. "You didn't put down any contact information, so, looks like even if I wanted to rat you out, I couldn't."

She folded up the sheet and put it in her pocket, then got up from the desk and stretched. "God. You know, I've been stuck in these rooms all day—they're kinda stuffy, right? Been wanting to get out into town but, honestly? You're right. The dock's crowded, the streets are even more crowded. So I was thinking about heading down to the marina, actually. I've got some friends down there fixing to head out onto the lake, go fishing, relax on the water. I don't think anywhere within a hundred miles of here is necessarily 'quiet', but it's probably as peaceful as it gets."

Making her way around, she opened the door up and nodded to her. "Not a big boat, if I recall, but plenty of room if you wanted to come along."

[Assistant]
All at once, Quinn's mind ground against itself, spat out a few sparks, and stuttered to a stop. She blinked once, twice. There was no way this was really happening. There was no way. It was impossible. Besca was—she was—it didn't make sense. Nothing about it was right. This couldn't—it wasn't—she blinked again. A fourth time, still sitting in the chair and staring like she'd seen a nightmare. Besca was—holding a door open. She was HOLDING A DOOR OPEN. FOR HER.

"I..don't understand."

She shook her head, like she was trying to clear fog out of it. Doors weren't supposed to be held open like that. They were supposed to be shut all the time unless Mom and Dad wanted to give her food or talk to her. She was using the door wrong. But before she could open her mouth, the vivid image of the door to her room standing open flashed behind her eye.

"I..." Was...was this what it was like to be...invited somewhere? She reached up a hand to ball her eye, not really believing what was happening. But when her hand fell again, Besca was still there.

She blinked one more time before her lips turned up in an unsteady smile. "I think I'd like to go. If your friends are all as nice as you, I think I'll like them a lot." Then, from a part of her deep down that she didn't recognize, she added, with just a pinch of vehement energy: "I don't think I like being stuck in one room very much either."

Her stomach felt odd again. It felt like something inside her was...coming unknotted, maybe?. She huffed in a tense breath through her nose, then blew it slowly out. In, out, just like Besca said. It'd pass soon enough, right? She hoped it would pass. The panic still nibbled at her feet, but the breathing was helping. It was helping a lot.

She loosened the muscles in her legs that she hadn't known had been straining, and with a bit less energy than before, she hopped to her feet. She hoped Besca's friends were nice.

Then she smiled again, and walked out through the door.


[System]
Age: 19

 Magic: Trinity's Magics -

Energy Make (A Rank) - Caster Magic. Lost Magic. Taught by her father. Trinity molds energy into a state where it can interact with matter. She can manipulate the qualities of this energy-substance to be immaterial or material, and what kind of discharge contact with it will give. She can create a discharge of force, electricity, heat, and light. Pain is something she achieves through heat, electricity, and moderated amounts of force in odd directions. Unless she employs a special technique, she can only vaguely control Energy Make objects she is not within five feet of. She can cheat and create wires, though.

Energy Make can absorb energies, though this may render the energy 'substance' difficult to contain.

Bard's Legerdemain (A Rank) - Caster Magic. Taught by her mother. She can use this magic to play any instrument within 100 feet of her without touching it. It will float as needed, and may even move with her as she moves, but she cannot control an instrument expressly to move it. On its own, this magic must be used to perform. She can do something like play a single note and it counts, though.

She can cheat this a little bit and combine the magic with Energy Make to make an instrument. She creates a blueprint of the instrument and uses Bard's Legerdemain to give it a shape. She doesn't really understand quite how it works, herself. She describes it as imprinting something within the magic of Bard's Legerdemain onto the Energy Make. Trinity can conjure into existence any instrument she knows how to play. She can even create unique, custom instruments, though these creations require more magic power than a generic instrument.

Arrows Magic (B Rank) - Holder Magic, using a magic quiver. Taught by her uncle Weigraf. Trinity can use this magic to conjure arrows to fire as projectiles from a bow. The arrows can take on a wide variety of effects, from exploding into a chunk of ice on contact or becoming a bolt of flame, to bursting into a net, carrying a homing signal, or homing in on that signal.

Fire Arrow ★★+, Ice Arrow ★★+, Lightning Arrow ★+, Wind Arrow ★★★★
Love Arrow ★★★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Love Arrow is an arrow made from Trinity's magic power (with a little Energy Make), and she can shoot it to give strength to an ally. The power of love bolsters and purifies... or something?
"They say loves heals, right?"
Beacon Arrow ★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Beacon Arrow turns an arrow into a magic beacon, which can be used for a number of things, such as a homing beacon for Homing Arrow.
Homing Arrow ★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Homes in on the Beacon Arrow.
Net Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that turns into a net.
Ringing Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that makes a noise.
Bright Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that emits light.

Requip (D Rank) - Trinity was taught this magic for the convenience of it, which was the motivation for the woman who taught it to her, her aunt Vivian. As an act of disgust with the woman's purpose, Trinity doesn't actually use it much, but she does use it for certain important items.
Rainbow Quiver - Necessary for Trinity's Arrows Magic.
Midnight Alloy Crescent Moon Staff - Mysterious. Gnarled. The night sky sparkles in the metal of the crescent moon that adorns the top of this staff. It asks for something...

 Magic Level: A

 History: Trinity was part of a minor noble family in Minstrel. She learned music, of course, and found a preference for the harp. Her father taught her Energy Make. She lived a calm, peaceful life, playing with and learning her magic, until a Guild (that was, at the time, a Light Guild) attacked her home. She was rushed to the basement by servants, hiding her away in a shelter below. They later emerged to find her father missing, her mother tearful but strong.

Her mother had instructions from Lord Stratos, and met their daughter with a staff, made from a gnarled branch, with some crescent resting on the end, made of some mysterious metal. She was to take the staff with her and go to her second uncle's home in Midi, where she would learn archery with her second cousin. There she stayed for two years. After, she moved in with her great aunt Vivian in Stella, who showed her how to Requip items, and some "finer points of being a lady," though such phrasing made Trinity scoff. Neither of her parents had been very intent on teaching her manners, so she never saw the importance.

After almost one year with Vivian, Trinity then took to wandering. Living under someone else's roof was too stifling (particularly Vivian's...), and she wasn't used to these people, as nice as they were.

She went west, across Bosco, and into Fiore.

 Personality: Though a bit of a drifter, she's a carefree, sweet young woman.

 Guild: Phoenix Wing
 Team Members: Karn, Fleo, Ariel

 Three Strengths:
 1. Music
 2. Physical Science Savant
 3. Agile, Dextrous
 Three Weaknesses:
 1. Physically meager
 2. Idealistic
 3. Rude? There's a word I can't think of...

 Greatest Love: Life Music
 Motivation: Step 1, find dad, Step 2, bring Metal home
 Appearance: Trinity wears her white hair short, framing a soft face and heterochromatic eyes. One is gold, the other purple. She dresses in cropped and tailored red robes.

 Have we met before...?

 Additional Details: Likes exploring ruins and old magic stuff.

Theme(s): Main Theme, maybe?

"アアチェリのまほう！" [Archery Magic!]

"エエナギ・マアく" [Energy Make]

[User]
Lucas Ryder
With:@hatakekuro@Amaya Tamashii@Lugubrious

"A water... thing? Sounds like crazy, but it could be magic, framing maybe?" I wonder if slayers can ride animals...? "Fleo well done on gaining Intel." And Nolan, if you don't mind, i'd like to NOT have a horse, I prefer to... well, rocket my way instead. He gave off a little chuckle. "Ready to go?"

[Assistant]
Serma Cathris --- Phoenix Wing guild fall Cathris watched what happened, still confused, but she did manage to get that the new guy had been in "Edolas", which Cathris didn't believe for a second, and it became clear who Master Jamie was. Swallowing, Cathris started to approach Jamie once the Wes person tried to head up the stairs and was blocked by the Wizard Saint. It wasn't until Jamie came back out of his office and was seeking an audience with the fire God slayer mage that she spoke up.

"E-excuse me, Master Jamie?" Her voice was quiet, and she tugged on the guild master's sleeve lightly, though her eyes were locked on Jack. "Master Jamie, I-I'm from Iron Enigma and-" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, swallowing. "And I have a-a message I need to d-deliver from my guild master to you a-as soon as it's convenient to you p-please." She bit her lip, looking worried, and consciously kept her hands in sight at all tines, mostly achieved by wringing her wrists, holding them out in front of her. It was all she could do not to completely panic and do something she might regret.


[System]
Male
Age 31
Appearance
6'2"
Blue eyes
Long neat blonde hair that reaches down to the shoulders.
Bangs can easily cover his face if Felix doesn't keep them pinned to the side.
Felix has a rugged face with scruffy patchy facial hair (constant five o' clock shadow)
Felix wears glasses only for reading, and heavy arch-mage robes.

This is what Felix basically looks like.
I'm
Magician Savant: Felix is well versed in virtually every magic style the Catholic church is aware of. He is a master of both combat and defensive magic, as well has healing magic. Felix has always been exceptional at magic, to the point of even creating his own spell and combat style.
Manaegis: At the age of twenty he created Manaegis, his flagship ability. Manaegis forces latent mana within the user out into a physical manifestation of a bright blue full suit of armor and a weapon. Both the armor and weapon are essentially weightless, but are slightly stronger than steel.
Manalysis: Due to Felix's mastery and large mana reservoir, he has an ability known as manalysis. Manalysis allows Felix to comprehend mana in a way most people cannot. First off, Felix can physically see the auras of other Talents. These auras each have colors unique to the individual's aura. This color has to do with the type of magic the Talent has a mastery in, as well as their personal morality alignment. The size of the aura is directly correspondent to the size of the Talent's mana well. Manalysis also allows him to feel small shifts within mana waves in the air. Nature exudes its own mana waves, which are disrupted by other mana users who have their own magic wave radiation. Felix is able to feel this discrepancy and interpret use it to sense others. He can use this in combat to predict his enemies moves, as well as out of combat to detect mana users. Manalysis while not rare, is very difficult to master to the degree that Felix has.

Felix also has a mastery of spacial magic allowing him to levitate and teleport on a whim.

Felix was born in New York City, New York. When Felix was an infant, the Catholic magi scouts detected a large amount of mana residing within the Felix's household. Knowing about the newborn and the massive reserves of mana held within him, the scouts approached Felix's parents telling them of the situation. Felix's parents, having seen small displays of magic from Felix decided they were not equipped to raise the child and relinquished the custodial rights to the Catholic Church. Throughout his childhood, he studied and lived at the NYC Catholic cathedral. At around the age of sixteen, he showed such prowess and proficiency with magic, that the NYC cathedral had nothing left to teach him, so he was sent off to the Vatican to learn from the best of the best. After studying at the Vatican, it wasn't long before Felix achieved the status of Arch-mage and earned a seat in the inner council. At the age of twenty Felix developed his own magic style, manaegis. After developing this magic style, he was asked to become an instructor at the Vatican and teach others to master the magic style. This is where he resides to this day.

Armor looks essentially like this
But is completely smooth without bolt marks and bumps, and is also a bit transparent as well with a blue ethereal glow.
The weapon looks like this
but completely blue with the same transparency and ethereal glow as the armor

Felix is headstrong, intelligent, and very wise (although only 31 years old). Felix does his best to be passive, but has no problem fighting if he deems it necessary. Felix hardly ever gets angry, and when he does it is always justified. Stuck in his ways, he can be a little too headstrong. This resulted in him not leaving the Catholic church until recently, even though he knew some of the problems the organization had. Felix loves music, and is very musical himself. He carries with him at all times a Hoener Marineband Special 20 B♭ harmonica. He knows how to play the harmonica, piano, and guitar. As a professor, he is very instructive, and is a great mentor. Felix is very friendly and tends to think of everyone he meets as a friend. Even when Felix has a problem with someone, he will not hold any ill-will toward them.

[User]
"Things are often better when they are make bespoke to you, aren't they?" Nemo commented, sitting back up in the couch inspecting the sword from his seat. "I suppose you might be interested in some of the things in my possession then. My favorite type of weapons to collect are the ones considered to be cursed. I can sort of relate to them in ways. For me they are the closest thing to a companion I could get." Nemo explained. "And without a doubt, this is one of the finest pieces I possess." Nemo said, waving his middle and index fingers in front of him, causing a distortion in the air and spawning a black katana. It floated there for a moment before Nemo extended his right hand out to catch it as it fell.

The first thing to note was that the blade seemed to have it's own magical presence in addition to Nemo's own. It was certainly ominous and dark, matching the color scheme on the sword, which seemed to compliment Nemo's own in a yin yang black and white sort of way. It had a dark iron pommel, black silk wrappings on a rayskin handle with a iron oni caricature ornament, a circular iron tsuba designed to look like a person's head, iron spacers, and a black lacquered saya with a black saego cord.

Nemo gently placed it down on the same table Raiya's sword was on. Compared to Raiya's katana, Nemo's was a shorter standard size. "This is a Sengo Muramasa blade. I won it in a duel long ago, ever since it's been one of my favorites. It's been a match for me, seeing as all of it's 'downsides', uncontrollable blood-lust, and the need to kill after unsheathing the blade have no effect on a anti-magic user such as myself. Regardless, I don't want to disrespect it, every time I do draw it, it's to kill." Nemo finished.

Nemo didn't show the actual blade on the weapon, but anyone who has knowledge on Muramasa's blades would know that it probably has a mirror image hamon, with a shallow valley midereba pattern between a cluster of gunome shapes. And a fish belly tanagobara shaped nakago.

[Assistant]
Travis eyed the chest only briefly to inspect its craftsmanship and structural reliability in deducing its compatibility with his blinding rune. There wasn't much to the simple box Felix himself crafted aside from the noticeable cherry wood construction and glossed coating. While falling short of the artistic standard Travis has assumed, the chest's linear design was practical and was nevertheless sizeable enough for the rune to be inscribed to without compromising its flat image.

"Perfect," announced Travis as he reached into one of his inner trench coat's pockets and produced a large rolled up scroll. Through his own method of casting a levitation art, Travis underhandedly tossed the scroll into the air just as his spell caught it and carefully unwound the page, revealing his complex magic circle, "This may take a few minutes to imprint given that much of the scripting is mainly written in instructional sub-text..."

Manipulating the article so that is floated neatly over the chest, the Unltalent then casted the speel responsible for carrying out the imprinting of the rune. Transparent embers of prism-illuminating colors began to sprout from the top of the chest as Travis commanded it. As the temperature-less fumes scatted across the surface of the chest, so did the glowing threads of the rune soon developing along the paths of each ember. Travis' face remained expressionless as he focused on installing the rune. Small traces of sweat began to appear as he ensured each detail was finely applied to the cherry wood box.

"Almost...there!"

With the rune now completed, the cindering traces that wrote the entire script quickly flickered into nothingness along with the scroll rolling itself back into its condensed form and calling into Travis' hands. The rune itself continued to radiate a stream of light through the crevasses of each finely written detail while pulsating a soft aura around the box. Only for a brief instant did the rune's light aggressively surge outward, expelling with it a loud but localized roar before returning to its passive state again.

"Looks like the rune found and isolated Espial within the chest," explained Travis as he marveled at his creation executing its purpose, "it'll likely do that every time it secures a new Paragon...though I'll admit the process seemed more...belligerent than I had anticipated."


[System]
Nickname: She's had a few nicknames, but most of them have been not too flattering, so she left them behind when she went to join the Devil Runners.

Age: 29

Personality:
People person - Vadri has always had someone there with her, from siblings to squad mates, and even now prefers to have others around her.
Open minded - Knows that not everything is black and white, and tried to see things from others view before jumping to conclusions.
Calm and controlled - The battlefield is not somewhere to lose your cool, and Vadri knows this. She keeps a level head in even the worst situations.
Listener - Vadri enjoys listening to others, no matter if it's normal talking, ranting about something they don't like or being someone to confide in.

Background: Vadri wasn't born on Enoh, instead raised light years away with her family of seven, both parents, two older brothers and a younger brother and sister. When the older brothers and herself were old enough, all three of them joined up with the planetary army as their father had, sticking close. Of the three of them, Vadri inherited their father's old M72 rifle that he had used during his army years. She was often referred to as the squads unofficial counselor. Once their time was over, Vadri went home, joining the local police and quickly being admitted into a SWAT team, putting her training to good use. Several years later, a request for aid from Enoh against the underground Mafia had her volunteering quickly. She was quickly packed up, shipped out, grouped into a squad and tossed into the fray, helping take over Mafia holdings. She was on the planet for less than a week before the Wormhole collapsed, leaving her and her team without radio in one of the deepest parts of the slums. As all order collapsed, the group decided to follow the example of a lot of other trained groups, forming their own mercenary team. Vadri stayed with them for almost an entire year, but when they decided to partner up with the new Mafia, she had had enough. Grabbing some supplies and as much ammunition as she could fit in her armor pouches, she slipped off during her perimeter patrol and made for the closest settlement with the intention of finding and joining the Devil Runners group she had heard of.

Pros: Weapons expert - Between military training, SWAT team exercises and personal time in firing ranges, she is capable of using most weaponry proficiently, preferring Assault rifles and LMGs.
Loyal - Vadri will rarely waver from her chosen course or group, staying with them long after others might have run.

Quirks: Follower - As a middle child and a soldier, she's always been one to follow orders, not give them. She has no experience at leading, nor a drive to, so she relies on others for direction.
Unfamiliar - Not having any previous knowledge of the planet, Vadri has no idea where things are or what places to avoid.
Predictable - Anyone that knows her can probably tell you what she is going to do before she even knows.

Habits: Helping out - Vadri is always doing something when she can, from helping repair something to talking to locals about what needs to be done. This goes

Equipment: Full body combat armor, the helmet has filtration, but other features are inoperable.

-variable scope (2x and 4x)
-60 round magazine
-single, burst and full-auto firing modes
Combat knife

Motto: "You don't have me surrounded, I'm just in a target rich environment."

Relations!(finally)

Ashur "Loki" Lean - Decent enough leader, a little crazy but not too much it interferes with her leadership. Can't say I'm a fan of what she does to some of the bodies though.

Rue "Newt" Oxton - Small, young and curious, she has a tendency to get her hands on everything. Initially, it seemed that she tried to annoy me, but as someone with 4 siblings, she didn't even come close. Pretty decent person to talk to though.

Klaus "Speed" Tallen - A loner, keeps to himself and his art. Which, by the way, is actually pretty good. Don't get to talk much though, so can't say much personally.

Sidney "Boomer" Cornell - Had this been in the military, I'd have tried to have her sent back to basics. She might be excellent in her field, but her habit of blowing things up is a serious concern. Outside of that, she's actually quite a nice person to talk to.

John "Teach" Louis - Ahhhh, Teach. Like my old drill sergeant, he usually opens his mouth to yell at you. Well, mostly the others, he doesn't seem to mind me too much. Still, he usually had a good reason to yell at you when he does, seeing as he seems to think a lot more clearly than most of the group.

Kian "Deadeye" Dresden - I actually wasn't sure if an optimist could have survived this long. In any case, seeing as he's not full of the usual doom-and-gloom most people on this planet is, he's quite good to talk to, and his accuracy is definitely appreciated on the field.

Russel "Doc" Rudolf - I can't say I've ever liked doctors. Even less so when they have shaky hands, seems to talk to himself whenever he's left alone and just doesn't seem like he's not all there even when working. Let's just say I'm happy about my armor.

Liam "Grim" Carter - Kinda an ass, but seems to leave me out of most of it. Not sure why, but I'm not complaining. In any case, he's good in a fight and can hold his own against most things, so I don't have any real opinion about him.

Konstantin "Flamel" Prohászka - When it comes to people, he actually is pretty decent, seems to like to keep those he likes close. Outside of that, though? Chem addict, inability to keep still, fear of the sun, obsession with blood while also avoiding fights. I try to stay nice, but I've never had the urge to take someones fingers off because they wouldn't stop tapping before him.

[User]
Going on a mission without Doc... sure... we'll see how this works... should be interesting... if not slightly worrisome.

Klaus had this thought swirling around in his head as he gathered everything he'd need, having noticed the missing person in the flurry of movement. He tried to focus on the automation of getting his things, having passed out whilst fully dressed the night before.

Fastening his quiver to his back, he meandered over to the chest underneath his bed, opening it. He slipped his golden lighter into one of his many pockets, quickly followed by his usual pack of smokes. He was about to grab the flask buried at the bottom but paused, thinking about it for a few minutes.

Eh... headache is barely even there... He admitted to himself, grabbing the flask and slipping it into the inside of his jacket. He then grabbed the swiss army knife, the familiar weight making him feel a bit lighter. Slipping it into his boot, he closed the chest before standing.

He put on his hood as he walked over to the others, snatching his bow off a nearby table. Oh my love, how I adore you. He internally cooed to his bow, gently slipping it over his head so that it rested over his chest for easy grabbings.

Standing by the others ready to go, his content smile turned into a small frown when he noticed who was missing. Shit... There was no doc.

Devil's Runners

I've got a bad feeling about this... He admitted to himself, fingers lightly twitching in an urge to grip onto his bow. He was towards the back to provide support in case something went down so he'd be able to draw his weapon rather quickly before anyone really noticed. But, the last thing he wanted was to show hostility towards the already hostile-looking people. Especially if they weren't even going to do anything. His eyes flickered to everyone else, wondering if they also felt the kind of tension in the air.

But, regardless, they made it to the collapsed tunnels. He looked around with a somewhat bored expression, a usual for him. Bouncing lightly on the heels of his boot, he looked around casually.

"Great. Let's take look around and see what we can find. Newt, I hope you have the flashlights that I asked for." Those words drew his attention, eyes flickering over to the others.

"Shh. Wanna buy some torches?" He saw Newt whisper conspiratorially, looking quite shady as she opened her coat to reveal flashlights. He felt a sense of deja-vu but didn't linger on it for too long, wandering over.

"Don't mind if I do." Klaus said with a small smile, grabbing one of the flashlights. Tossing it up in the air and catching it, he gave a pleased grunt. He proceeded to do this while walking away, glad to have both light and something to entertain himself with.

[Assistant]
Liam gave a slight nod as he walked back to his bed. This will be fine, it should be absolutely fine. I can handle it. I've done it before. He thought to himself, as his mind was brought back to his mother telling him the only way to overcome your fears is face them as often as you can. Too bad I couldn't face my father and her eh, by her logic things would've been soo much fucking easier. He thought as a small smile crossed his face.

Liam never understood the people who believed that doing the thing you fear the most would help you lose your fear of it. Sure, some times it worked but most of the time? You'd be better off trying to make a pig fly. But none of this mattered now, all that mattered was the mission, and whether or not he liked it he knew that it had to be completed. With a sigh he strapped his sword to his hip and his slung his gun holsters over his shoulders and looked at the small mirror on his bedside table. "Jesus mate, you're looking uglier than normal." He chuckled as he put his helmet on and walked out to meet the rest of the group.

****

After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, finally the group arrived at Nairvalle. Liam watched as the guards shined their flashlights and aimed their guns at them. For a quick moment, Liam felt so tempted to just fire a shot off right next to them. Sure, they might've opened fire but not before shitting themselves. And its not like they would stand a chance. He chuckled at the thought as the guards realised who the group was and escorted them to the mayor of the town.

Liam took the place in. He loved it all, the sounds, the smells the buildings, It was easy to disappear in places like this. It was easier to make OTHER people disappear. "If there were ever a more perfect hunting ground..." Liam said as his voice trailed off. As the mayor began walking towards the collapsed tunnels, Liam noticed two of the men escorting them were looking at him in disgust. At first Liam thought they were looking at Newt or Teach, but as they moved further along Liam realized they were staring right at him.

"Huh..." He mumbled as they walked. Liam doesn't remember ever being to this place, let alone doing something to piss off these two guys. Liam cracked a wicked smile behind his mask as he suddenly snapped his towards one of the guards, making the man jump. Liam cocked his head to right as he stared at the man. After 3 seconds the man slowly backed away and joined up with the rest of the escort. As he walked up to join the rest of them Liam let out a soft chuckle. Liam had to admit, He loved the fear most people felt when he wore the mask. Liam knew for a fact that if he wasn't wearing he would probably get socked in the jaw if he tried acting intimidating.

I wonder if Teach could make a voice distorter. That would be the icing on the fucking cake. He thought as he laughed out loud. His laughing suddenly stopped as the reached the collapsed tunnel. "Fuck me..." He whispered as he stared at the tunnel.

"Great. Let's take look around and see what we can find. Newt, I hope you have the flashlights that I asked for."

"Shh. Wanna buy some torches?"

"Yeah..I'll take one please and thank you." he said as he took one from her. Liam clicked the switch on and shined his light on the wreckage in front of him. He noticed Klaus walking away and decided he would stick with him.

"Hey...hope you don't mind if I tag along." he said as he jogged up beside him and cracked a nervous smile. Not that Klaus could see it. Thank god.