[System]
5'6 | 147 lbs | Human

Personality
Varanense's a lackadaisical individual with a dry sense of humor and a propensity for lying for no real reason. Carefree and irreverent, he alternates between blinding optimism and crushing pessimism on the drop of the hat, often preferring to play as the foil for other people around him. Advocating the devil is sorta his deal, after all, and the young man simply wants to take it easy and enjoy himself. Others can push against the flow of society and change the world with their ideals and their comrades, but Varanense is just there to enjoy whatever fortune has in store for him. Contrary to his austere appearance, this adventurer is full of small vices, fully intent on enjoying the good times before they inevitably take a turn for the worse.

That's why he relaxes so much, after all. So when bad luck strikes with a vengeance and when the Dungeon rears its ugly head to swallow his allies whole, lazy, carefree Varanense will still be in peak condition to play such high-stakes games.
Backstory
Fame and fortune, bitches and riches. While some adventurers may seek to delve into the depths of the dungeon for a nobler pursuit, Varanense is just there because he enjoys the freedom it affords him and the fairness of it all. Within monster-infested depths, the only thing that matters is how skilled you are, after all. No lineage gives you a greater advantage, no wealth can substitute hard work, and no luck lasts forever. People rise to the top through competence rather than the purity of their blood, and Varanense finds that rather charming and pleasant.

He ran away from home early on as well, switching from being the next Lord of the Verdant Abyss to being just an adventurer under a weird God. And damn, though shit continues to be rough and hard and annoying, his shoulders have never felt lighter, even when he's dragging a sack full of crystals back to the surface. His efforts have meaning, and each day's pleasures and pains is built upon the last.

Of course, that hasn't stopped him from being an indolent slacker.

[User]
Evening///Little Valhalla

---

The content was as dry as crappy crackers, but sometimes, that flavor was novel all by itself when spoken by an excitable, but cute girl. When she got going like this, Dahlia reminded Varanense way too much of a young child who was eager to show off what they learned, and it was certainly quite charming. It also made the ranger wonder if he was growing old now, having such thoughts. That was a bit troubling. He sat himself down as she motormouthed away, propping his head up with his arm while listening to as much of it as he could. Nemesis getting involved in god politics was certainly a weird one, while the question about potential…Varanense certainly wasn't aware of any insanely unique skill he had that let him level up at astounding rates.

Curious stuff. He glanced at cat-girl, Kori, if he recalled correctly. Definitely looked like she wasn't impressed by skull-face's casual moves. Was he from the country? Couldn't have been the first time he's seen a beastman, could it? Well, at least he won't be throwing up on his shoes anytime soon. Long-arms though, what a shame. A hero that can't hold a drink is only acceptable when you're a cute-as-a-button fourteen year old brave. As a precaution, Varanense scooted himself away from him, right as Odin silenced Dahlia's background noise with his own arrival, throwing in more words before zipping off afterwards.

Don't worry about the price of anything, huh…

Well, what's free was usually the most expensive, and Varanense still couldn't wrap his head around why anyone here would have been selected. Was this just Odin subtly hitting on their goddesses? Weird stuff. He probably shouldn't read too deeply into it. Leaning back in his chair, the dark-skinned youth directed his gaze towards Dahlia again, a lop-sided grin surfacing. "So, that's Odin, huh? What's even the discount for? Thought it was standard for the parents to give things to their children, free of charge?"

[Assistant]
---

 Little Valhalla

---

Oben held his hand limply, his shoulders drooping as he sauntered a few feet away. The inviting air of Little Valhalla had quickly turned majestic upon the appearance of a dapper old-man. He was hunched over but carried an exuberance that defied his gray hairs. Odin had grabbed Oben's attention completely. Even still, his hand throbbed badly. Guess he knew just how strong Dahlia was now, enough to be terrifying at the least. Once Odin had disappeared behind a wall, leaving them without his esteemed presence. Oben shook his pained appendage at Dahlia before dropping to a low-crouch, rubbing the gloved-hand delicately.

Back turned to Dahlia, he twisted so his pouting lips could be visible. "You didn't have to hit me. I just wanted to touch her ears a little," he pinched the air tightly "Like this much."

Saying that Oben stood back up and jogged over to the cat-eared girl. As he passed Dahlia, he smiled at her. "I'll ask this time. I promise."

He held his nodachi in place, keeping it from swinging as he approached her. He tried to look inconspicuous but his curiosity was beginning to bubble-over. "So your ears, I think they're really cute," his voice was casual and innocent. Tyche always taught him to open up with a compliment when it comes to girls. He kept his hand from reaching up to grab them. " Can I... Can I touch 'em?"

[User]
Dahlia replied to Varanense. "The discount's for pretty much every establishment Odin owns. Which is a lot, to be honest. He dabbles in most wares, like potions, wholesale weapons and armour, food, inns, a brothel, and pretty much everything that isn't artisanal." She gave an empathetic sigh. "Most gods would give stuff to their children for free. But Odin's the type of man who'd charge his kids rent the second they turn 14. Don't worry too much about it. The discount adds up, even if you don't pay attention to it. I'm surprised you even got one. I'm still running off my 2%."

Then, Dahlia turned to face the masked youth complaining. He made an effort to show HOW PAINED HE WAS and then ran back over to the cat-eared girl.

"That boy isn't right..."

Evening turned to night in a flash. The booze provided in Little Valhalla was much more than any one of the greenhorn adventurers could have predicted. After thirty minutes, one drink was enough to release one's inhibitions. Two drinks was enough to change one's personality. Five drinks? Castor had the absolute time of his life. One that he was unable to remember, for better or worse. The festivities, though hard to recall, included Varanense flirting with a few hot adventurers and Valkyries (though they merely saw him as a quaint child—even the ones who were younger than him), Oben being very confused at the races of a few of the veterans, Kori trying to take care of someone much less drunk than herself, and Castor vanishing only to hear pained screaming at another part of the restaurant.

By midnight, not a single one was conscious. At least, none of them remembered being conscious.

---

The next day.

---

The adventurers had awoken in their respective homes. For Castor, he woke up with his left elbow feeling like it was bent 90 degrees the wrong way, a feeling of loss, and his mouth tasting like vomit and old fish. Castor didn't eat any fish, which was confusing. At least, he didn't eat any that he could remember. Varanense had awoken with similar feelings of failure, but his arms were okay and he didn't spew. Or he did, but he brushed his teeth. Oben had awoken to his pockets full of small denominations of vallis. The coins practically spewed out of his pockets, almost ruining his clothes from the seams almost breaking. Kori had awoken with a heartfelt thank you note from a man who had called himself 'the hammer'. He even signed his name as a very aggressive HAMMER. It was confusing. Each one of them had woken up with a bill for the night. The cost was astounding. Oben's pocket coins couldn't even make a dent on the minimum payment.

Sure, it was an illegible scrawl. But each of the adventurers could at least recall the fact that they did sign it, even if they didn't read any of the print. They were now in heavy debt, and the only way out was to actually join the party. Talk about indentured servitude. At least they got to keep whatever money they made in the dungeon. On the reverse side of the bill, however, was a note scrawled on it.

---

Upon arriving to the entrance, the adventurers could see Dahlia, as ready as she always was, speaking to a worried looking Pallum. On her back was a huge rucksack that had been deflated by a severe lack of loot. She didn't carry a single visible weapon, nor did she wear any armour. She was a supporter. Supporters were always a strange thing in the dungeon. Adventurers were often unable to carry both loot and fight. Supporters, however, would allow adventurers to fight without the burden of having to carry random items. There was an old saying that went around Orario: "A good supporter is worth two adventurer's backs". It was true; backpack overstuffing that caused back injury was the number three cause of retirement for adventurers. The other two were 'death' and 'permanent disability'. It was a pretty wide margin between those two and back injuries. Still, having a supporter was practically a necessity for a five man party that delved any deeper than the first five floors.

"Ah, there they are! The men and woman of the hour! I trust you slept well? Ah, where's my manners, let me introduce you to my old associate, Penn! She's a supporter and she'll be hauling any items you don't want to carry back up. She's pretty trustworthy and I've already paid all of her fees, so don't worry about that. So for this, we're probably going to try to get as far as you can to gauge how well you work together. I'll be behind you every step of the way, so if something goes wrong, I can step in. Besides that, just try to work together as a team. Penn will support you, but she's not exactly an amazing combatant." Penn had unleashed the most powerful kick that she could to Dahlia's thigh, only to be rebuked by nothing more than a slapping noise. "So besides that, just don't worry about the formalities of all of this and just do what you usually do. Any questions?"

[Assistant]
Morning///A Certain Third-Story Flat

---

Daylight had yet to break through the thin curtains of the room, but Varanense was already awake. Free as he may have been, the adventurer was still a slave to habit, and no matter how late he stayed up the night before, it was always like this: waking up an hour before sunrise, Nemesis cuddled up against him. Never for pleasure, but always for warmth. He smiled sleepily, brushing a silver strand out of her eyes, before pulling himself away…and almost fell over from the sudden brutal headache that struck him right in the top of the cranium. Stumbling a couple of steps before converting into a not-so graceful sitting position on the ground, he nursed a surprisingly acute hangover. What even happened last night? His mouth tasted funny too, filled with a strange flavor that he wasn't sure he wanted to know the origin of. Was it a wild night? Or was it a bad night? His brow furrowed as he tried to recall, but all Varanense could come up with was…nothing.

A suspicious amount of nothing. It had been Little Valhalla, after all. Knowing himself, he wouldn't have gotten blackout drunk by choice, because this would have been an experience actually worth remembering. He pulled himself up again, before hearing an equally suspicious crinkling coming from his pocket. Extracting it, Varanense narrowed his eyes at the mysterious glyphs, his D+ intelligence trying in vain to decipher the alien text before he came to the realization that it was all just bad writing. Bad writing and a goddamn debt. A goddamn debt of 825000 vallis. No interest, because Odin wasn't a gangster, but still, Varanense wouldn't be able to make that much money even after selling his kidneys.

A sigh escaped him. So that was their collar. So much for a relaxing slow life with an exhibitionist goddess. He let out another sigh, wondering if he at least got one of the Valkyrie's numbers after all this. But no, disappointment and failure persisted there too.

What a life.

Varanense sulked around the flat until someone's big black cock (referring to the male adult chicken) crowed in the distance and an alcohol-infused Nemesis began half-heartedly prodding him in the head with her feet, complaining about the lack of breakfast. Then, he promptly leapt up, and restarted his morning routine, humming a happier rendition of a song about tossing gods under the grindstone of a mill and making bread out of them.

At least his porridge making skills remained on point.

Late Morning///Entrance to the Dungeon

---

11AM was hella late by Varanense's standards. Clock in early, clock out early was his motto for the easy breezy adventuring life, but considering his terrible no good very bad start in the morning, it was a miracle that he showed up at all. Well, if the insidious threat of Odin's edicts served as a miracle at all. In the same clothing that he went into the tavern with, then partied with, then slept in, Varanense nodded at the new face, a cutesy little Pallum that shoulda aimed for the hollow Dahlia's knee if she hoped to actually do anything. Always weird to see Pallum supporters, honestly. There had to be some sort of witchcraft happening there, when children carried packs thrice their weight, but somehow ended up not toppling backwards whenever they walked on an incline.

"Varanense," he introduced himself, offering the Pallum a handshake. Then, his eyes flickered back to Dahlia, a tinge of caution in his eyes. "And just in case it's actually the case, even though it's probably not the case at all…Odin doesn't have some sort of hellish training regime waiting for us tomorrow, yeah? Really can't picture anyone managing to get to level 2 within a year n all."

Most didn't even make it to level 2 in their entire life, after all. The dark-skinned archer readjusted his quiver as he waited for an answer, wondering if others shared the same opinion as himself. No matter how you cut it, unless they were going to be thrown at Minotaurs or forced through similarly satanic trials, there was no way they were going to level up before they had to cough up 100,000 vallis. What a hellzone.


[System]
5'8 | 139 lbs | 25 y/o | Male

---

PersonalityWhat was a Chi-Mechframe but a superweapon, to be turned against civilization once the Warped were wiped? What was a human, but a vessel to be fit into the cogs of the state? What was he, but a bastard adrift, sustained by directionless spite and anchored by burdens, obligations, and debts?

Xuan-Yu is anchored by a persistent, weary hollowness, one alleviated only by the emotions he draws out of others to fill in his cute, cynical mask. Unlike those who've managed to survive the ruination of the world with their psyche intact, the invasion of the Warped and the measures that nations took to preserve themselves had revealed to him the nature of power and humanity, pushing him into the quagmire that his psychology persists in today. The youth with dreams of independence after graduation had been shattered into glass, leaving naught more but an empty vessel ringed with sharp edges. He knows now his worth, the price of a pound of his flesh, the limits of what his efforts could bring. There were only so many people he could hold in his hands, and to overreach, to overestimate, would mean losing more and more. Pressure mounts incessantly, even as Xuan-Yu exudes a surface-level apathy, and the provocations that dance along his tongue exist as the hot vapors that shriek out from a rusted engine. Sarcastic wit and an acerbic outlook are both things he has plenty of, and he's always poking and prodding, seeing how far he could go with verbalized stress relief, but in the end, Xuan-Yu is undoubtedly a professional.

He will get his work done, with the diligence and focus of a conscript, a volunteer, a Frame Pilot. If all it took was a pound of his flesh to make a place in the world for the few he cares for, then Xuan-Yu would do what he must. It was what was beaten into him for the last five years, after all.
HistoryWho cared for the story of an individual, when it is through the movement of governments that one's fate was decided? The Warped apocalypse came like a tide, every soldier sent to stall them turned to flesh or host, every country scrambling to secure their own borders or sacrificing their sovereignty to obtain security from larger neighbours. And in the chaos of imminent extinction, so came opportunity for land grabs. Islands, once protected by legislation and convention, were devoured by continental superpowers, turned into fortresses and safehouses for the wealthy and influential, all while metropolises converted themselves into barracks, taking in refugees and sending out conscripts. All for the glory of the fatherland, all for the sanctity of the motherland.

And China, seeing opportunity while the States grappled with their domestic concerns, positioned themselves as the final line of defense for humanity's hope, shielding the cloistered experimental facilities of Japan with the bodies of the millions that it could no longer feed. Mountainous terrain and massive river systems stalled the progress of both the Warped and civilians alike, while forward cities were set up solely as massive sarcophagi to distract the monstrous horde for days, months, perhaps even a year. They all fell though, as supplies concentrated on city-fortresses that "had value". There was no space in humanity's survival for humanity, and individual tragedies had no place in national triumphs. For humanity would triumph through the sacrifice of the masses, just as it always had.

But miscalculations remained, and in wartime, it was the generals, not the ministers, who held the greatest powers. Those conscripted to fight for their cities, for their families, gained a pride of their own. What did they care for the directives of Beijing, when it was their commanders who tolled for them, when it was their relatives who fought beside them? A sense of pride in their own army, in their own city, spawned the first of many military factions, as those who fought on the frontlines decided that it was best to position themselves for the next stage of the war. Alliances formed between the city-states on the frontlines of the Warped War, while fallen cities were subsumed by those still standing.

And what of those refugees, seeking shelter from the Warped, willing to do whatever necessary to ensure that they had a seat in a world with scarcer and scarcer resources?

They fought at the vanguard, obviously. Fought with the lowest pay, the fewest benefits, in the most dangerous scenarios, their will buoyed only by the promise that their families could live as second-class citizens in the militarized cities. Human generosity was in short supply, rations were in shorter supply. Whatever crime against humanity was at play here was simply accepted as a consequence of having to face down the apocalypse.

Xuan-Yu was one such refugee, one such conscript, one such volunteer. Filled with spite towards the army that he had signed his life away to, yet unable to do anything to resist whatever order was sent his way. He travelled where they wanted him to be, fought where they wanted him to fight, and bled where they wanted him to bleed. For fatherland, infertile and scorched? For motherland, broken and skeletal? No, just for a handful of lives, just a letter or two sent when his deployments coincided with the movements of the army's messengers.

And when an operation in an isolated region of China went horribly wrong, causing mass Echnida infections amongst the soldiers, Xuan-Yu found himself alive where others died. Found himself a Frame Pilot, when the military distrusted his personality, his status, too much to invest anything in him. They were under no illusions of how they've abused those like him, and he had made no effort to hide his hatred of them either. Still, he was a collared, mangy beast, and when an international organization of great repute scouted him, the army was more than willing to let him go.

After all, losing a common soldier in exchange for a king's ransom was no-brainer of a deal, and any potential betrayal was out of the question when they still had a firm grip on his leash.
SkillsXuan-Yu, like most young men with all four of his limbs and no severe physical defects, has been conscripted during the beginning of the war to fight for the national security of his country. An infantryman, but one that hasn't been offered much in the way of proper training, he knows his way around living in a warzone, maintaining his Type 81 AR, and applying emergency medical treatment in substandard environments.

He was an experienced gymnast, specializing in the physically demanding and artistically lacking Floor Exercise. He was a bright student who studied business, back when academics meant something for one's success. He was a hobbyist violinist, as many youths were back then, but few luthiers of noteworthy skill survived, and his skills did not merit any particular attention from the associations that hoarded what instruments remained.

He speaks Mandarin with a Guangdong accent, can use Cantonese curses, and is proficient in Japanese and Korean.
Chi-Mechframe: Deathstalker
AppearanceA pitch-black armored body suit with fluid-filled tubing stretching out from its back and scarlet flexors peeking out where the human body's joints are, Deathstalker was craft of a massive scorpion-based Warped hunted down within the plains of Inner Mongolia. While the monster itself possessed terrifyingly powerful melee strikes, could camouflage itself to appear invisible to the naked eye, and generated poisons so noxious that it could dissolve flesh like cotton candy, it was ultimately detected through radar systems and obliterated by wide-range bombardment. Such is the fate of all assassins. Against indiscriminate destruction, it mattered little whether they truly knew you were there or not.
AbilitiesDeathstalker possesses above average physical capabilities in exchange for eschewing all ranged weapons, energy-based attacks, and defensive measures, with particularly exceptional strength and speed. While its Warped inspiration is that of a scorpion, the artificial flexors on the limbs operate more like that of a pistol shrimp's, able to lock into place before snapping out at supersonic speeds. It is from this that the Chi-Mechframe's destructive potential is manifested, allowing the Stinger Blade, a sturdy but otherwise unremarkable sword, to rip through hardened armor like its nothing at all. However, repeated usage of these 'Burst Strikes' will undoubtedly damage the human beneath, and while leg strikes are roughly three times as powerful as arm strikes, they take much longer to recover between each individual strike as well. Sustained combat is not the Deathstalker's forte, and an opportunistic mind would make better use of this Chi-Mechframe than a true-blooded warrior.

The Deathstalker's optical camouflage has seen some improvement compared to its Warped inspiration as well. Drawing in visuals of its surroundings, the Chi-Mechframe is able to project an illusory field over its surface, subsequently melting into the background and allowing it to operate undetected at roughly 60% of its physical capabilities. While this camouflage can be easily seen through with auditory or olfactory means, the small size of the Chi-Mechframe makes it nigh-undetectable on radar and the frame itself can synchronize with the environment's temperatures, confounding infrared detection. Still, the performance of any physical attack would require optical camouflage be removed and energy reallocated towards more martial purposes, at least against the Warped.

Poison synthesis and generation, however, was the quality that suffered the most during the translation from Warped Core to Chi-Mechframe. While the original poisons could caused catastrophic damage to biological matter with a single drop, the poisons that Deathstalker cultivates are debilitating but rarely lethal. Rather, it would be more accurate to consider it an anesthetic when used against the Warped, numbing their sense of touch and perhaps reducing or even completely shutting down their fine motor control. In the very best case scenario, localized paralysis can set in, but even then, such paralysis does not last long. Officially speaking, this poison's efficacy, dubbed Red Kiss, has not been confirmed upon human subjects.

[User]
--The Land Down Under--

@Medili

After the misunderstanding was cleared, things surprisingly progressed quickly for the two frame pilots of opposite temperaments. The fact that Teodora went out of her way to explain everything and apologize cemented all but one path for Pyra to go to, anyone - including herself - could see that it'd be Pyra's fault now if she maintained her hostile disposition towards the older girl, not to mention delusional. If Teo was willing to accommodate her noise preference, then the least Pyra could do was do the same in return so they could meet at a sweet spot in the middle. Although it'd still be difficult for Pyra to be naturally comfortable around such boisterous people compared to being by herself, at least she and Teodora are cool now.

That said, the event turned out to be the best as Pyralis found herself being assigned in the same squad as Teodora and Elise this time around. Although the brunette was willing to postpone any personal beef with her squadmates during missions, it'd make things a lot easier if she didn't dislike any of them in the first place. Looking out towards the deceptively calm waters of the Sydney Harbor, the sea reflected in her blue eyes, the Japanese-Greek was well-informed that twas' a mere ruse for something sinister was lurking underneath the waves, this thalassophobia-inducing leviathan of the deep.

Therein lied one conundrum that Pyra had about this particular assignment. Her Chi-Mechframe was designed around incendiary attacks... and this creature was submerged in the ocean; although Infernus' flames were no ordinary fire, the fact remained that her weapons would be less effective against submerged targets. To make the most use of her dragonfire, she had to employ fast-moving projectiles, such as jets of flames to give the attack enough oomph to pierce through the water without letting the cold liquid doused too much of its power. This meant techniques such as Agni Enfilade and similar long-ranged arcing projectiles would be unwise to pick over its more direct fire counterparts such as Infernal Buster.

Regardless, she had a job to do and right now, it was scouting; an artilleryman needed to locate her target first before firing after all. Taking a step forward, Pyralis held out her left arm, where the wristband was latched onto her wrist.

"Infernus, ignite!"

A short baptism of fire later, an armored dress formed over the brunette's black leotard and a dragonlance on her left arm. Infernus immediately vaulted off the railings as feet-wings of flames carried her diagonally up into the air. "Conducting a scan on the perimeter now, over." Pyra reported as she began to do exactly that. She didn't expect this to be easy, but wasn't that why Horizon assigned three flight-capable Frame Pilots to the task?

[Assistant]
She'd missed her opportunity. Norika had beat around the bush and failed to interact in any meaningful way with her fellow pilots. She'd tried, but each attempt had ended in some awkward conversation. "Nice weather we're having." "Been a long day." "Hey, you gonna finish that?" That last one had been spectacularly embarrassing. Asking Fukada if she was going to finish a snack was like asking if the sun was going to set in the west.

But life went on. Birds flew and fish swam. The Horizon left Japanese airspace and headed for a new location.

And now, here she was in the middle of Australia with Xuan-Yu Lang. Definitely not how she wanted to spend her day, but orders were orders. She'd remained silent when the orders were handed down, but once in the privacy of her quarters Norika had let loose a string of curses that would have made a sailor take notice. To say she wasn't very keen on this whole mission was an understatement. Once suited up and armed, Norika did her best to maintain a cold exterior.

Now, standing in front of some kind of abandoned facility, she was in a slightly better mood. The dry heat sucked, but the mission ahead seemed promising. Norika flipped her revolver open and began inserting rounds wider than her thumb into the cylinder. "Can I trust you to watch my back without tripping me?" asked Norika. Her tone had an icy edge to it. She still hadn't let their little interaction a few days ago go.


[System]
AKA: The Puppet Master.
Age: 40
Race: Onrilian

Like most Onrilians, Makobi is about a meter tall. Though practically a humanoid child's height, Onrilians are known for being extremely durable, able to pick up more than three times their body weight. He has two stumpy appendages protruding from his skull where extensive auditory canals can pick up on various types of sounds.
Faction: Marauder
Role in Team?: Loadmaster/Merchant

Bio: Makobi was exonerated for over 34 counts of illegal interstellar drug/smuggled goods/xeno trafficking and distribution charges, while conspiring with some of the most powerful crime syndicates in the galaxy. He ran an industrial mining and extraction shell corp to blanket his shady business affairs - which is still operating to this day - laundering his money through other subsidiary businesses he owned throughout the galaxy. It was a well-oiled machine that he ran for over a decade, until an anonymous informant tipped off the Galactic Committee of Investigation.

Caught red-handed, he was forced to make a deal. In order to be clear of his charges, not only did he have to sign up with an expedition force, but he also had to rat out the locations of where the major crime syndicates perform their drug operations. All allegations are kept hidden from public record with the exception of an embezzlement charge. Because of the success of his regular businesses, and their association with some major corporations, a deal was made to cover up the books by shifting the blame to Makobi with a trumped up charge. Doing so ushered in new CEOs and board members, all of whom were appointed by those same major corporations and a few Galactic Committee members looking to keep their pockets lined up.

Though Makobi ultimately got shafted from the empire he built from the ground up, he saw the Marauders as a second chance at life. However, old habits die hard, as he often catches himself from making big time moves like the old days.

Personality: The Onrillian knows how to work a crowd. He's bubbly, socially active, and energetic - but not to the point where you feel like you're suffocating. Makobi keeps his cool and is great at reading people, regardless of their race or culture. With such a charming demeanor, you'd never think in a million years that he was once associated with some of the most infamous lords of the criminal underworld.

Equipment:
In the cargo hold and hangar bay, Makobi uses the help of three dock worker drones: Edgar, Allan, and Poe.

Edgar is in charge of scanning and keeping track of inventory, updating lists and compiling projections like expiration dates and temperature demands for each cargo unit. He also calculates estimated trade values for stocked items in surrounding star sectors.

Allan (Top) does all the welding, cutting open, and putting back together of any and all cargo units that need repair or have been damaged. Poe helps with the actual transfer, able to lift around 4,000 kg worth of cargo containers.
Jumping into this suit enables Makaboi to perform regular tasks as if he were 2 meters tall. The cockpit is located right in the suit's chest, but he prefers to keep it open so people can see him.
The LDM 400 is a multipurpose transfer and loading mech, the ideal tool when receiving large shipments. Makobi is a master driver with these, but he needs to have his exoskeleton suit on in order to reach all of the controls.
Other: Makobi is one of the original members of the Marauder crew. He's called The Puppet Master because of his ability to control an exoskeleton suit while efficiently driving and operating an LDM 400 with relative ease. When the Monroe is docked and there are no shipments to inventory, Makobi will set up shop (circumstance permitted) with:
A collapsible and expandable bazaar that has a small bar, restaurant, and trade post that can traverse most terrain. It's a great way to find out about the locals, and also suck them dry of their money via gambling, or auctioning items at a marked up price.

---

Makobi's main areas of operation on board the Monroe:

"Alright lemme give everyone a quick tour!"

"So the hangar bay where all ships are stored is the first thing you see when you enter from the rear docking gate. You see the striped floor from the bottom of the picture going to your right, and then swinging left to a lower section? That takes you to the cargo hold.."

"This is where all outbound and incoming shipments are stowed. Not much goes on here, apart from moving a bunch of containers around, but I like to use the space for an occasional pow wow with the crew."

[User]
Raymond was surprised he was able to get a hit on the ice bird. Up close the thing was much more menacing. Its "feathers" looked like slabs of solid ice, a pale blue. Its gray beak was cracked where the glove made impact, and its eye was bleeding where Rae shot the arrow. Ray didn't leave unharmed, though. His right arm was throbbing in pain, his vision was blurry, and his whole body ached. He couldn't stop now. "You heard the doctor, no killing." Raymond panted, tapping his comms system. "I hope this really goes to ground breaking findings, Nathan." Ray added with a bit of bitterness. Ray had known the doctor for a very long time now. when he found out about why he was put in prison, Ray was a bit uneasy, but he was smart, and although he isn't much of a fighter, he has saved the crew on many occasions.

Raymond was running alongside Nathan and Rae, and in the distance he saw Talley running, and distant screeches. The group kept running until the blood chilling screech erupted from the forest. The bird was awake. As they arrived at the shuttle, Ray had a lot of questions in his mind. A group of fluffy ape-chickens surrounded the shuttle. Before Nate could even think about asking for one, Ray pulled out his revolver and shot a round into the air. The fluffy creatures all jumped with a scare, and turned to face them, ready to attack, until the ice bird screeched again. The creatures obviously knew what the bird was, and started to scatter, running away from the shuttle.

Ray opened the door to see Talley already waiting inside, and in his lap was one of the creatures. "What the hell is that thing?!" Ray yelled, closing the shuttle doors as everyone was in, and climbing over to the pilot seat. He pressed a few buttons, and pulled a lever and cussed under his breath. He tapped on his comm link again. "Shuttle to Monroe, the piloting system didn't survive the temperatures. 8-Ball, I need you to fly this thing manually back. Giving you full control of the systems." Ray got out of the chair, and went to a window, seeing the bird taking flight and scanning the area.

"Cassie, keep that thing distracted! Its missing an eye and I socked it in the face earlier. Doesn't look like it'll leave the atmosphere. Worst case scenario the Monroe fires on it from above. Stand by fire team." Ray turned off the comm and looked at Rae, Nate, and Talley. "Next time we go on a survey mission, don't touch foreign nests!"

[Assistant]
8-Ball yanked the black tarp that laid in the back middle of the shuttle. He quickly moved to the pilot seat and settled himself down. His head attached to the ship with a wire and his seemingly lifeless body sat in the chair. It was his version of "Manually" flying the ship. A simple "Roger Captain" could be heard over the comms, before a short burst of electronic scrambling came through. It was 8-Ball's transfer that caused a minor disruptions in electronic devices. It was enough to even turn off the shuttle for, leaving the team in the dark. Lucky for them in came on in just a few seconds. Then the relieving sounds of the Grav-engines began to purr, slowly lifting the team up.

Now 8-Ball's voice echoed through the ship, using the speakers of the ship instead of his own body. "Captain, I brought the Anti Air Light Machine Gun. I've assumed we plan to keep the avian alive, but if it comes to it the 15mm rounds should take it down. Alternately you could just aim for its wing's and just scare it off.". The shuttle began to head upwards and the rear hatch opened up, leaving a clear shot for the weapon to fire at anything behind it. He obviously couldn't keep it down forever, in just a few minutes they would need to be breaking the planet's atmosphere. Hopefully losing the Bird in it.

[User]
The shuttle started to take flight, and just in time. The robotic voice of 8-Ball sent a mental sigh of relief as the Captain then turned his attention towards the back of the shuttle, and the gun. Cassie's Ship "Landslide" flew right by the shuttle, She had done her job engaging and distracting the giant bird all she could, and the mission was successful. Raymond was about to give more orders to the group, until the ear bleeding screech was heard once more, and Raymond shoved everyone down onto the seats of the shuttle. "Down! Brace yourselves! 8-Ball dodge!" He screamed as the creature flew inches next to the shuttle, and thanks to the Monroe's Mechanic they were left with only a bump. Cassie's ship was not so lucky.

One of Landslide's engines were failing. the cockpit's window was crashed open, and Cassie looked unconscious. Raymond stared in horror, tapping his comms again. "Cassie... Cassie! Respond! Status report... Cassie!" Raymond yelled, looking helplessly on as Landslide drifted towards the icy ground. Raymond didn't waste any time. He ran to the machine gun in the back, moving the gun to aim at the ice bird who was circling around Cassie's ship. Ray shot off a couple rounds, the bird revealed his large talons, gave one last hit to Landslide, causing it to spin out of control.

Time slowed down for Ray. He had lost a lot of crew mates in the past as a commander. He was known as Atlas in the Committee Military because he was the soul survivor of an ambush, he was destined to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. Although he had lost a lot of crew mates in the past, none of them had ever been easy on him. Especially if they had been under his command for so long like Cassie.

The ship fell into the tall thick trees of the forest, and a loud explosion was heard, with a cloud of smoke soon following. Raymond stared at it in disbelief for a few seconds, but came back to reality when he heard his Crew's worried questions.

"Air Team... Cassie is down. Unresponsive. Tango...?" Ray said with a shaky voice. A few seconds later Tango's voice went through the comms. "Vitals are unresponsive. Landslide status is completely destroyed. I am sorry, Captain." Tango said in a calm voice. Raymond backed away from the gun, staring at the smoke then at the bird flying back towards the shuttle. Ray closed the back hatch, and walked back to the pilot seat, pressing his finger to his ear. "Monroe, open fire on hostile."

The rest of the shuttle ride was quiet as they mourned the death of a crew mate. The shuttle reached the hangar bay, going through the field, and landing safely in its designated spot. As the door to the shuttle opened, Ray was the first to step out. He still had a job to do. "Makobi, close hangar doors. Prepare for hyper drive. Jolenar, lock in coordinates and get ready for travel in one minute."

Raymond's left hand shook slightly as he made his way to the ship elevator to enter the Bridge. He had to make sure the crew and ship were alright.

[Assistant]
Makobi's eyes widened. "We're not going back to retrieve her?!" Captain Ray somberly responded with an order to close the hangar doors and prepare for hyper drive. "Captain!" The human made his way towards the elevator and disappeared behind its sliding double doors. The onrilian angrily readjusted his comm headset and shouted into the small mic device sticking out of the singular headphone. "Captain Ray, Makobi is requesting permission to retrieve Cassie O'Hare and her vessel, over."

Silence.

The feeling of helplessness was like a swift kick in the groin. His entire world went topsy turvy as his heart sank to the floor. Makobi just saw her twenty minutes ago, casually jogging out into the hangar bay, jokingly giving a half-salute to him like she always did before blasting off into the stars. He refused to believe it, suggesting that the ground crew was trying to pull some sort of cruel prank. He looked out into space, waiting for her orange star racer to come swooping into the hangar. Edgar, Allen, and Poe gathered around the exosuited onrilian, murmuring to themselves in drone speech before craning their camera lenses up at the opened rear docking gates.

Makobi let out a sigh. He walked back over to the main control console and activated the lock sequence for the hangar bay gate. His mechanical hand hovered over the last button that needed to get pushed in order for the gate to start closing. After what felt like a lifetime, he slammed on the button hard and walked away. The caution alarms blared throughout the hangar bay and cargo hold. The pressurized hydraulic systems of the large gate sputtered alive, cranking the massive doors inward until it sealed the hangar bay shut. Makobi ejected himself from the exosuit, slamming his comm headset onto the ground.

"Edgar, prep the rooms for hyper drive travel." The docking drone chirped repeatedly at him as if to ask: Where are you going? He didn't respond. Makobi wandered off into the far corner of the hangar bay where his Crab Shack stood on its lonesome. He needed a drink.


[System]
Age: 15
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5'8"
Body Type: Given that Maxwell is rather rich, he has to look it, he isn't extremely muscular, but he looks a bit better than average, basically he'
s a rich pretty boy.
Other Information: Maxwell is the son of Mary and Jason Ryte. They happen to be the owners of Ryte Industries. You've probably seen the Ryte logo on something, considering the company does everything from Construction to fast food. Maxwell is rather manipulative and egotistical, though he hides his natural tendencies to be a selfish dick by acting like a nice, respectable rich kid with good looks, to preserve the image of Ryte industries. Maxwell puts himself above everyone else, just because he has money, good looks, and brains. Maxwell resents his parents in a way, since they value the image of their company over their own son. He was forced to go to a normal public Highschool in Trip city, since Ryte industries has its roots in the town, and Maxwell's parent's wanted some sort of a connection with the common folks. So, a popular, manipulative, rich, asshole, who's being nice because his parents said to.

[User]
GM Stella's E-Mail Box
Blackhart

Subject: Hello | From: Noa@xxxxx.xxx

>>>Hey, S. There's something fishy going on in the LSS (Last Standing Server). I know, a lot of stupid myths like Bigfoot and other conspiracy theories stem from there, but there's a user that we can't track. No IP, no nothing. The single information he posted is rather odd. We're sending a small group to see if it's a prank. I'll keep you updated if you're interested.

[Assistant]
Stella Blackhart
From: Noa@xxxxx.xxx

Subject: Hello

>>>Hey, S. There's something fishy going on in the LSS (Last Standing Server). I know, a lot of stupid myths like Bigfoot and other conspiracy theories stem from there, but there's a user that we can't track. No IP, no nothing. The single information he posted is rather odd. We're sending a small group to see if it's a prank. I'll keep you updated if you're interested.

'Interesting.' She checked her Iphone while walking to her school.

To: Noa@xxxxx.xxx

Subject: I'm interested.

Give me more detail.

Send...

She then proceed to read another message, from R@xxxxx.xxx .

[User]
Finally.. School was out. Maxwell waved off the group of girls that stuck around him after school. Though, he did promise to go out with some girl named Samantha on Saturday. As he was walking towards the limo parked in front of the school, his phone vibrated in his pocket. A text message, from his parents. He gritted his teeth angrily as he read it.

"Maxwell, we would like you to go to a local deli, Charlotte's Deli, and set up some sort of positive relations with the owner. We are discussing the viability of buying the establishment, and converting it into a restaurant chain. Jeeves has been directed to drive you there after school, so, just go with it."

Maxwell was infuriated by the message, though, it was a bad idea to get angry in public. He shoved the phone in his pocket, and got into the limousine. Jeeves closed the door, and walked back to the front, sat down, and began to drive.

"Just my luck." Max muttered under his breath.

[Assistant]
Daniel Parton:

Repeating the drink order back as he wrote it. "One lemonade, two milks, and a coffee. Would you like creamer with that?" He glanced and noticed the one in the hoodie. He was about to greet him but it appeared that he wanted to left alone. It looked like he was headed to the bathroom. Not that unusual. There was the occasional person that just came in to go. Dropping that the brief distraction was over and he waited for the answer from Arran.

[User]
GM Stella's E-Mail Box
Blackhart

Subject: Thanks | From: R@xxxxx.xxx

>>>I had some backups delete all traces of the e-mail you just sent-- you know the one. Or at least, we tried. You can never tell with the internet. We still have the document though but we'll have to attack them later because they knew we were coming. Unfortunately we might even have to redo that program by then. Please don't put in the subject header obvious keywords like that again. The big man upstairs has an easier time finding us that way.

[Assistant]
ARRAN WHITE

"Ummm……" Arran looked at the boy, "Sure I guess" Before Luke pulled her attention away saying something along the lines of; "Arran, hey Arran, did you get me a coffee? When can we record the piano part? Do you think it will sound good? I'm hungry, can we get some food?" Arran grinned, "Yes, no, tomorrow, probably, maybe." And Luke looking a little puzzled sat down to work out what she had meant. Glancing round the shop Arran saw a boy cuddling what to her looked like a doll. This intrigued her, most boys wouldn't do that, and certainly not in public. The boy himself looked kinda young, round her age, with black hair and dark eyes she could just see. The boy looked lonely, Arran knew that expression well, it was similar to the one she often used to wear. Excusing herself from the table, Arran wove through the shop, before pulling out a chair and plopping down opposite the doll-cuddling boy. "Pardon the intrusion," she said before she'd even finished sitting down, "It's just that lot," she gestured to her group of three, "are idiots, and you looked kinda lonely." She leaned her chin on her hands and her elbows on the table."I'm Arran by the way."

[User]
Xander "Vega" Chaser
Inventory: Backpack, School Supplies, Flandre Scarlet Fumo Plushie, Wallet, Phone, Earbuds
---

Xander looked at the girl sit in front of her where his face turned immediately red as he was caught, in a more "direct" way, cuddling his plushie. He pushed Flandre a bit to the side before speaking to her, a bit shy after being caught cuddling his doll.

"Oh...hello...Arran...I'm Xander..." He said, his eyes trailing away from her a bit.

"Haven't I seen you before, in school I mean? I'm guessing youre in a band..?" He asked, his eyes wandering off a bit more as to look for Daniel with his sandwich before looking back at the girl.

He was still red, as his "sessions" had never been interrupted by anyone, lest he was attracting attention for a fight. He supported his head with his left hand, his arm up with the elbow supporting the arm as to support his head. His right hand always seemed to trail off towards Flandre, which he stroked the doll's dress or hair whilst talking. He made no comment about implying his lonliness, despite it being true.

(Flandre Plushie he's cuddling)

[Assistant]
Arran took off after that slightly amusing response to her colleague. After a chuckle Daniel handed everyone at the table menus with one extra where Arran had been sittinf. "I'll be right back with your drinks." Heading back and behind the counter he first checked when the last pot of coffee was made. It was this morning so he started a new brew, making a mental note to inform the table. Pouring all the other drinks he picked them all up without a tray and headed back. " Here we are. And the coffee will be ready in a couple minutes. I just started a new pot." Not knowing who wanted what he had pretty much placed all the drinks in the middle for them to sort out.

His attention was drawn to the back window as an order was called out. Making a B-line back he pulled it down, checked the food to make sure it was correct, and took it out. Making a round he dropped off the orders he had before coming back to Xander's table with his sandwich. "Here we are. The Italian. May I get you anything else?"

[User]
ARRAN WHITE

Arran grinned slightly as Xander turned red and tried not look at her. At the question about school though Arran laughed outright, "Nope, I don't go to school, haven't for threeish years so if you've seen me it's been with those idiots or wandering round the city… Although I guess you could have seen one of our few videos?" She gestured at the boys replaying the song yet again, how many times could they listen to that thing anyway? "Yes we are a band, although not a very famous one, we do music videos and post them online, but we've never done something live unless you count a talent show back when we were six." She was watching Xander; even though he had been embarrassed, probably about being caught cuddling that doll, his hand still strayed to touch it. Her curiosity catching up to her Arran nodded at the doll and said; "Please excuse my sounding like and imbecile; but who is that, and what is she from?" but before Xander could say anything the boy who was serving laid a plate with a sandwich in front of Xander and asked him if he wanted anything else. With a sudden thought Arran quickly said, "Have you served my noisy lot their drinks?"

[Assistant]
*sigh*
The girl moved her finger slowly, and replying the text,

To : R@xxxxx.xxx
Subject : none

We'll atk them tmmrow. I'm busy now.

Send...

The girl then proceed to read her third e-mail, from R@xxxxx.xxx .

[User]
GM Stella's E-Mail Box
Blackhart

Subject: I have some insider information | From: utrx@xxxxx.xxx

>>>Investors are diving into the new world era. Holographic technology is the wave of the future! Find out which company to invest in with one easy payment of $100 or 20 easy payments of $10, or 2 bitcoin! That money will be just a penny in comparison if you find which investor to place your future in!

[Assistant]
"Spam." She deleted the mail.

She arrived at school.
"Stella...!!" A young girl called the long haired girl.
"Noel...!!!" Stella replied her greetings. Stella face filled with smile and laugh. The girl, known as Noel approached Stella and started gossiping about her boyfriend. The long-haired hacker can only laugh.

[User]
Sophia Vollstandig

Seeing the girl she greeted jump slightly and smiling sheepishly, Sophia answered, "Ah, sorry for alarming you. And yeah, it does make a good hook. Also, the plot's really interesting." She closed the open book, then transferred it to her left hand, before extending her right hand to the girl. "I'm Sophia. Nice to meet you," she said, smiling again, forgetting her usually shy demeanor when facing strangers. But hey, she was too hyped about the new book to notice.

[Assistant]
Xander "Vega" Chaser
Inventory: Backpack, School Supplies, Flandre Scarlet Fumo Plushie, Wallet, Phone, Earbuds
---

Before Xander could speak up he was interrupted by Daniel,

"Oh, thank you, that'll be all." He said before picking at the bread and taking a small piece of it before popping it into his mouth.

He resumed conversation with Arran,

"Oh? That's Flandre Scarlet, she's from a game franchise called Touhou, she appears in the sixth game, Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, she became REALLY popular, almost everyone in that game did. It's a danmaku slash bullet hell game, pretty fun but super hard." He said continuing to stroke the doll's hair and dress.

"Hm, I think I may have seen one of your videos before, I prefer videogame music myself, but not bad." Xander said.

He took another sip of his refreshing ice cold water and a small bite out of his sandwich.

[User]
Renee Miyume

Renee smiled at the girl and she took Sophia's hand and shook it while answering "I'm Renee. It's nice to meet you as well, Sophia," She then answered her apology "And, it's alright. I wasn't too alarmed. I just wasn't expecting anyone to talk to me," She mentally face palmed herself for that comment. She realized that the last statement may have come off as cold and anti-social, even though that wasn't her intention.
She asked Sophia, trying to strike up a small discussion, "So, do you come to this bookstore often?"

[Assistant]
Daniel Parton:

Nodding to Arran's question. "Everything but the coffee. I needed to put on a new pot." Another order was in the window. "Please excuse me." He headed back and continued moving and taking orders. He wasn't the only one on the job, but the influx of people meant that they were all busy. He greeted people as they walked in and talked with s few of the regulars where he could.

Sometimes he wished that the deli wasn't located in such a busy area. But of the flip side if it weren't then it could be boring and would not be nearly as fun and he wouldn't get the same amount of hours. For sure there were days where he'd rather stay home and kill time. He'd gone back to watch the old episodes of Sailor Moon. That was his usual MO. Watching things way after other had seen them. There were a few current shows he kept up with but most he just missed completely.

[User]
ARRAN WHITE

Arran listened to Xander, nodding her head, "We have done a few covers, but…" She was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder, twisting in her seat Arran found Kyle standing behind her, "Sorry for interrupting, but you have to go in twenty minutes," He lowered his voice, "You don't normally start chatting with strangers, is something up?" Arran grimaced; her appointment. It might have been important but, having nothing to do with music, she had totally forgotten about it. "Ask Ben for a lift, it'll get you there faster." And with that Kyle walked away, leaving her frustrated; of course he would have set an alarm, although how he knew about it was beyond Arran. She turned back to Xander, "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

[Assistant] "You can just wait here, Jeeves" Maxwell stepped out of the limo, and walked into the deli. There was a good number of people there at this time. Maxwell sat down at the nearest empty table, and waited. He picked his phone out of his pocket and began to look at random websites while he waited.


[System]
Age: 13
Hometown: Blackthorn City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: Mudkip
Bio: Liam dreamed of being a pokemon trainer like his father was once upon a time. He has a fondness for dragons. He dreamed of what the Dragon's Den would look like and hopes to one day be able to visit it. Liam traveled tough Kanto with Shiaranui. The two faced off in the final round of the tournament. When Liam was a baby, he had a babysitter, a Chansey named Florence. (She has evolved since Liam left on his journey.) A slip on a wet floor in the Pewter City Museum revealed that his hair is only dyed black. It was revealed in Blackthorn City, that he is the son of a Nurse Joy. He was as a random trainer called him when he was 5, "The shiny Pokémon of humans." Liam also explained that he uses a special dye, that has Bluk Berries as a key ingredient.
 Liam participated in and won the first ever Dragon Cup in Blackthorn City, having teleported home for it with his shiny Alakazam, Sherlock. He has also mastered the Battle Chateau in Kalos.

Requested Legend(s): Rayquaza, Latios, Jirachi, Deoxys
and his rival:

Name: Trevor Walton
Age: 13
Hometown: Vermilion City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: -
Bio: Trevor disliked Liam, he disliked Liam solely due to the fact that he felt inadequate, believing Liam is coincided by his looks and talent in training. During the trip though Kanto, Trevor more or less followed the path of Blue in the original games. Recently, Trevor has warmed up some to Liam and Shiranui. He still may not particularly like them, but he respects them as strong Pokemon Trainers.

[User] "They'll be fine after they get healed up." Liam's mother stated. Liam went to heal them up before the battle with Drake.

[Assistant] "That's good to know," replied Shiranui.

[User]
It was time for the next match. Liam was facing Drake. This was a match up that had happened in the Dragon Cup. "Hello, 'Dragon Master'" Drake began. "In their natural state, Pokémon are wild living things. They are free. At times, they hinder us. At times, they help us. For us to battle alongside Pokémon as partners, do you know what it takes? Do you know what is needed?"
"If you don't, you will never prevail over me!"
"Altaria!" Drake called.
"Goodra!" Liam called.

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
?-2-?
?-3-?
?-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?

"Ice Beam!" Liam ordered. Altaria's right wing was hit, making it crash to the ground. "Dragonbreath!" Drake ordered. The attack hit Goodra for a fair amount of damage.
 "Draco Meteor!" Liam called. The most powerful Dragon move rained down on Altaria and KO'd it. Next, Drake sent out Dragalge.

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
?-2-Dragalge
?-3-?
?-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?

Dragalge used Dragon Pulse. Goodra was in poor shape. "Draco Meteor!" Liam called. A weaker version of his last attack was fired and hit the poison/dragon. Sludge Wave finished Goodra off. Liam switched Goodra for Jiriya.

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
?-3-?
?-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?

"Water Shuriken!" Liam ordered, The move hit four times. Drake called for a Thunderbolt.
"Dodge with Agility!" Liam ordered. Jiriya began acrobatic manuvers to avoid the crashing bolt of electricity.
"Sludge Wave!" Drake called.
"Use Gunk Shot!" Liam called. He minimized the damage, and negated the chance of sludge wave poisoning him, but gained no other edge from this round.
 "Spikes!" Liam called. a set of spikes scattered on Drake's side of the field. Drake called for Dragon Pulse, which did a fair amount of damage. Liam called for another layer of spikes. This time Drake called out Hydro Pump. Jiriya was on his last leg. Liam called out for Blizzard, which finished Dragalge off, Drake next called on Kingdra, who took some damage from the Spikes.

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
?-3-Kingdra
?-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2

Jiriya put out a layer of poison spikes before falling to Kingdra's Ice Beam. Liam next called on Sylveon.

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
?-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

Sylveon used Fairy Wind, doing a good deal of damage to Kingdra. Drake ordered for Kingdra to use Yawn.
 "Push it back with Iron Tail!" Liam called. The ribbons on Sylveon began to glow white as the bubble was knocked back into Kingdra's face. Kingdra fired Hydro Pump and Sylveon used Draining Kiss. It hurt Kingdra badly who than went to sleep. Liam called Sylveon back and called on Grimm.

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
Dusknoir-4-?
?-5-?
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

"Gravity!" Liam called. Kingdra was still sleeping.
(Gravity 1)
"Hex!" Liam called. The attack did extra damage since Kingdra was asleep and KO'd it. Flygon came out next. Due to Gravity, Flygon was forced onto the ground, while the two sets of spikes and poison spikes took their toll.
(Gravity 2)

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
Dusknoir-4-Flygon
?-5-?
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

(Gravity 3)
"Ice Punch!" Liam ordered. Flygon took a good deal of damage from the manuver. Flygon used Screech to distract Grimm and followwed it up with Boomburst.
(Gravity 4)
 "Another Ice Punch!" Liam called. This was a critical hit, that due to the poison, finished off Flygon, Drake next called on Haxorus. Liam sent Sylveon back out.

---

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
Dusknoir-4-Flygon
?-5-Haxorus
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

(Gravity 5)
"Moonblast!" Liam called. the blast of pink energy barraled toward the dragon and hit it in the gut. Haxorus used Iron Tail and got a direct hit on Sylveon.
(Gravity subsided)
"Draining Kiss!" Liam called. Sylveon's ribbons wrapped around the dragon's head and pulled it down to Sylveon, who than planted a big wet kiss on it, draining a good chunk of health. Poison zapped a bit more of Haxorus' health away. Liam sent Grimm back out, and Grimm was hit by Poison Jab. Haxorus just barely survived the poison.

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
Dusknoir-4-Flygon
?-5-Haxorus
?-6-?
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

"Gravity!" Liam called. The gravatationl pull powered up again and Grimm was KO'd by a critical hittng Shadow Claw. Sylveon went out again, Haxorus now succumbing to the poison, and swapped for Salamance, who became poisoned.

Liam-vs-Drake
Goodra-1-Altaria
Greninja-2-Dragalge
Sylveon-3-Kingdra
Dusknoir-4-Flygon
?-5-Haxorus
?-6-Salamance
  Spikes: 2, Poison Spikes: 1

(Gravity 1)
Drake made a comment about expecting no less from a "Dragon Master", but this was still going to be when Liam fell. He activated Mega Evolution and used Zen Headbutt.
 "Protect!" Liam called the green shield saved Sylveon from the move.
(Gravity 2)
"Thunder Fang!" Drake called.
 "Draining Kiss!" Liam replied. As Salamance charged in with an electrified jaw, Sylveon used the chance to kiss the dragon, taking about as much healing as it did damage.
(Gravity 3)
Salamance was on it's last leg and used Crunch. Sylveon threw a Shadow Ball in its face, KO'ing it.

"Superb, it should be said." Drake commented. You deserve every credit for coming this far as a Pokémon Trainer. You do seem to know what is needed. Yes, what a Trainer needs is a true and virtuous heart. It is through their contact with Trainers that Pokémon learn right from wrong. The influence of their Trainers' good hearts helps them grow strong!"
"Go! Go onward 'Dragon Master'! The Champion is waiting!" Liam got his Pokémon healed and had them all out along the sidelines, giving them a pep talk before Steven got there for the battle.

[Assistant] Shiranui and Numeru cheered for Liam after he beat Drake in a full battle.

[User] Before the final began, Looker showed up. He congradulated the heroes on how far they made it, and also wanted to thank them for all of their help with Teams Magma and Aqua.

[Assistant] "Apparently it's all in a year's work with us," Shiranui replied.


[System]
(Paired with Zelosse)

Level: Rookie
Appearance:A yellow, Armadillo-like Digimon with an armored shell and long claws. Armadimon always seems to be offering a reassuring smile.Personality:Gil is straightforward, honest, and highly protective to the point of being self-sacrificing. Gil believes that strength is contagious, and that exuding strength will uplift and strengthen those around him. However, he also recognizes that strength not only comes in different forms, but that it also takes time to cultivate, and cannot and should not be maintained at all times. So while he wants those around him to become their 'best versions', he will be there to support and nurture them when they fall.
* Fresh: Name: Tsubumon
Signature Attacks:
	+ Little Iron Beads — Tsubumon attacks an opponent that approaches it by spitting small iron beads.

* In Training: Name: Upamon
Signature Attacks:
	+ Shock Shout — Upamon releases an ultrasonic shout, causing its opponents to flinch.

* Rookie: Name: Armadimon
Signature Attacks:
	+ Rolling Stone — Armadimon rolls into a ball and spins into the foe.
	+ Scratch Beat — Armadimon scratches at the foe with his sharp claws.
	+ Rigid Block — Armadimon repels attacks by curling into a ball.

* Champion: Name: Not Yet Revealed
Signature Attacks:
	+ Not Yet Revealed — Not Yet Revealed.

* Ultimate: Name: Not Yet Revealed
Signature Attacks:
	+ Not Yet Revealed — Not Yet Revealed.

* Mega: Name: Not Yet Revealed
Signature Attacks:
	+ Not Yet Revealed — Not Yet Revealed.

[User]
That was nice; it seemed that this Wisemon--whoever it was--had worked out that the strange group of students and creatures had nothing to do with the theft of its books and wanted to show them off. That was great and all but... she didn't really care all that much about going and looking at a book; that sounded too much like the detention they'd just gotten out of. Finding out why the baker girl was calling herself a queen or what Mr. Panic's problem over there was... those seemed far more interesting. Though Aoi shrugged, continuing to look Wisemon up and down in an eerily similar manner to how the digimon had judged her in the first place.

"So... what's it like being a magic librarian? Do you get a lot of visitors? I guess you don't do much lending, because I'd slap something to teleport books back whenever they're late rather than chase them... that's too much work," the white-haired schoolgirl said, trying to strike up a conversation with Wisemon.

"M-Miss Aoi! Is this really the time...?" the Sistermon asked, looking between her and Wisemon with a worried expression. She wasn't afraid of having to fight the demonic librarian... well, she wasn't afraid of losing, the fight itself seemed simultaneously exciting but terrifying. Had she the information to make a comparison, Silvia would probably have been thinking of rollercoasters. And the girl she had looked up to so much... it was becoming obvious that she was quite the sinner, if the skimpy outfit and professed laziness were any indication.

"Yeah? When else am I going to get to talk to this guy?"

[Assistant]
Kuroko put a hand on Buck's shoulder. The Digimon's muscles were tensed up and ready for a fight. But at the very least this Wisemon seemed to be willing to listen... for now. Kuroko gave Buck a gentle bop on the head to get his attention. "Calm down," she said softly, kneeling down. "If you do, I'll get you some snacks as soon as I can."

That got his attention. Buck's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. "Really?"

"Really-really."

"Okay, but for the record, if Wisemon decides to attack, I'm not going down without a fight." Kuroko frowned. She'd heard Buck say something like that before. When the two were sitting in an alleyway while people ran and hid from monsters, the little Digimon had made a promise to her.

"Just like you swore before," she muttered.

"Of course. But that Sangloupmon... he wasn't as strong as Wisemon. Even with modifications to our Digicores as Champion-levels, we still can't beat an Ultimate-level Digimon on our own."

"So you'd have to work in a team?"

"Absolutely, but..." Buck scratched under his chin. "Admittedly, I'm not much of a team player..."

Kuroko glanced at the others. "If something like the Yokai Incident is happening right now, I think that's gonna have to change."

[User]
---

"Y-you dare insult my queen!?" Chessy seethed.

"Ohoho, aren't you the rude little thing," Estelle smiled, curls swaying lightly from a tilt of her head. "Well, I'll have you know, I'm no tyrant. I love all of my little chessmon and they love me." She patted Chessy on the head. Regardless, this was rather boring, wasn't it? Nothing interesting in this dusty old library at all.

"Tch, very well...but know that any further insult will be remembered and returned ten fold, cretin!" Chessy beat the front of his shield with his spear, a loud bang of metal and metal filling the area before returning to an at the ready position next to Estelle.

"Hmm...Wisemon was it? You don't supposed I could take a look around the other areas of the library?" Truth be told, she had no interest in helping this...creature. Not after it called her a tyrant of all things. Perhaps there might be a fun or interesting book or some other fascinating document here she could read. It'd certainly alleviate her boredom a bit.

[Assistant]
Wakana and Tinkermon

Wakana was a bit dumbfounded by the guy who almost looked like he was going to flip out and go on a tantrum or something. He... Seemed like he was going to be an issue in resolving this calmly if he kept it up. How annoying. The others... Well, they haven't attack the Wisemon yet though she was half-way worried about the little black dinosaur thing. It looks like its human partner had it under control for now though. Well, at least Wisemon was moving them along now and everyone seemed to go along with it. Well, everyone but the curl haired dumbass.

"Of course the idiot doesn't want to help the situation at hand." Wakana sighed as she heard Estelle mentioned exploring the library more. She went into the room with the books, curious about what they looked like. They looked like thick leather-bound grimoires. "Hmmm." Wakana mused as she looked over the ones remaining. "Hmmm. How odd."

"What's odd?" Tinkermon asked as she rested herself on Wakana's head. "The books?" The little pixie joined Wakana in looking over the books.

Wakana gave a silent nod as she moved her hand up to her mouth in a thinking pose. "Well. The books are a bit odd looking." One called to her. The one with the diamond shape on it. "Not to mention... I find it odd that Wisemon wouldn't know where it is or who took it if he knows what goes on in this library." She scratched her head and sighed. "Obviously, if it's true that Wisemon knows everything in this library, if he doesn't know about it, then it's not here. It's quite likely somewhere else."

Tinkermon's eyes lit up. "Oh wow, Wakana! You got really smart!" The small fairy said as she gleefully patted the high-schooler on the head.

"Huh? N-no... Anyone could figure that much out." Wakana sighed as the fairy continued her patting. She watched the girl attempt to touch the book earlier and noted there seemed to be no guard against touching it probably. "I'm curious who could have got to it before us. Well, it's that or Wisemon is lying to our faces." The girl continued to muse.

Tinkermon gave a forced laugh at something that was an obviously not a joke. "Hahaha... I don't think that's the case.

"Probably. Wisemon would notice there was no guilt in Wakana. None outwardly at least. There was a bit of agitation, though it seemed like it stemmed more from lack of information than anything about the room. Probably. "So, these books can cause a calamity. Bypass natural life cycle, increase power, intake data?" Wakana said as she tried to put the pieces together. She didn't have enough information on digimon to really say anything.

Luckily, Tinkermon was around. The small fairy nonchalantly spoke, "Huh. Thinking about it, that's kinda like Digivolving, ain't it?" She pondered aloud before getting that Wakana was confused by that. "Oh, right, so... You know how we mentioned Wisemon is an Ultimate level Digimon? It's like a stage of a Digimon's life. I'm a Rookie. Petermon is a Champion. There's a clear power divide between stages, ah! But, I can still beat up Petermon when I want to!"

"So, the books can be used to force that?"

"Ahh... Maybe. I don't really want to try it out myself. I'm happy as I am, thank you very much."

"So, someone came into Wisemon's library without him knowing and stole a book that can possibly cause Digivolving?" Wakana questioned aloud. The more and more she thought about it, the more and more this seemed like some fever dream she was concocting in her head. Well, whatever the case, that was the what, why and where. An old looking grimoire because it could possibly cause digivolution in this library. Who though? Likely wasn't Wisemon. Then who? Another human? Wisemon said Digimon can't open it at least.

Now she was invested in this mystery. It was like one of her books. "Caper in the Digital Library!" She giggled, electing a raised eyebrow from Tinkermon. "Either way, I didn't know that was even a thing... Wisemon. Wakana got his attention after he was done with the other... pedantic questions. "You don't remember there being other guests-visitors-invaders in your library before us? For a time before that book was stolen. Or, perhaps you talked to someone about these before?"


[System]
Looks:
6 feet tall, strawberry blond hair, slightly freckling, pale blue eyes, lightly colored skin
Personality: I haven't quite decided. Let's see how he develops, shall we?
Abilities:
light manipulation: This ability is fairly basic. It is what it is, the manipulation of light. This can be in any sort of attack. Light weapons can be created, and the light can be manipulated into illusions and into enabling it's user to hide.

Cody can at the current moment manipulate light in a way that enables him to see the world, seeing figures, objects and the like by light, whether it is the presence of light or merely the absence of light.

He can also manipulate light in a way that gives him some defensive a and offensive properties, but this ability is quite new and takes a lot of of him.

Essentially, Cody is learning what he can do, but it is not in leaps and bounds.

enhanced touch: whether this is a super power or merely an effect of Cody's blindness, this is never the less useful

enhanced hearing: again, whether this is merely an effect of blindness, this is beneficial and is more then a typical blind victim.

History:
Cody was born to what could be a normal family. Well, normal for them anyway. It became apparent quite quickly that something wasn't normal with him. His eyes were a pale, pale colour, perhaps the lightest blue you would see, and sightless. But the baby didn't appear to see anything wrong, and was a bouncing, bubbly boy. Off times, people would forget he was blind.

He excelled in grades, using what aids he had to complete school work, and to do everything he could. It became apparent that despite his lack of sight, he was not hindered. He could play musical instruments with ease, he could cook, he could do just about anything that a normal boy could.

He didn't see any hinderance, and as he grew, he began to find that images began to form, light seeming to swarm around him, forming the images of what was there. He did not know if this was normal or not, but it helped him to further his life, giving him a better quality as he began to realize how much of the world he was missing.

[User]
There was going to be an ad hoc, emergency meeting with the UN correspondents later on that Big Boss had to attend to – such commotion does not go unnoticed under the eyes of the international organization. There had been breakouts before but they were short-lived and gave the staff nothing but a bit of exercise to reinvigorate themselves, and to practice back their rusty, all-rounded military training.

However, those had been with unarmed, non-offensive Anomalies who stood little chance. Two of their current Subjects were recaptured and contained, but one of their Agents, rogue, crafty, intelligent, was on the loose. How do you fight one of your own – let alone, a deadly one?

Big Boss' vested interest in her arrest and killing enraged him to full attention. Big Boss' career and life was on the line. Agent Caits was not getting away. He spoke into his two-way radio transceiver to his personnel-in-charge:

'Focus all non-essential units to the periphery. Her instinct is to move away from central operations to gain momentary intermission. We will not allow her that opportunity.'

---

 Despite the large infrastructure, the UNARM facility possessed only a small army size of 1,000 – 1,500, including their Agents which were only a few dozen. However, their advantage over any modern fighting army is their advanced artillery of technological weapons and almost-ubiquitous on-line surveillance capabilities.

It is in the same vein that this over-reliance on modern warfare that may be their greatest weakness. After all, when a thousand-strong army is spread out to a crater-sized area, looking for Agent Caits, only bad things could happen.

---

An injured, and angry Dr. Jiang-Ping walked up to the Lightless Box that contained Subject 30. In all honesty, it was a big fucking box. It was the strangest thing, since it was essentially a warehouse that contained this onyx black box.

The one camera inside it viewed an infra-red feed of the sleeping Subject on the cold floor that was designed to withstand the bomb blast of a megaton bomb. They went all out.

The doctor, on the press of a button on a control panel to her side, spoke to him: 'Wake up.'

[Assistant]
Agent Caits took a few moments respite, processing her situation. What could she do, truly, when she was trapped ina complex full of people that probably had orders to kill her on site? By outsmarting them, and by using their weaknesses against them. There was a shocking lack of knowledge between agents and other personal. There were many paths to the same location, if only you k ew how to get arou d security. Train to think of every possibility, Caits knew where every single camera was. She knew the ins and outs of the complex buildings more then anyone, except perhaps Big Boss himself.

And BIg Boss probably knew what she would do. Hiding on the edges of the complex wouldn't do her any good, then. Bending, she took out a folded knife from a booted foot, and gathering her courage, she reached up, and took her hair into a pony tail, and sawed her hair, cutting it incredibly short. Letting the hair drop, she knew it wasn't much of a disguise, but sometimes even a slight change could make peoeple think you were someone else. Tucking ner shirt into ner pants, she packed it with dirt, changing her body type from slim to bulky she hoped, and then rubbing the dirt over her exposed skin, hands, neck, face, smoothing it, darkening it. As long as no one studied her fully she hoped it would pass.

She climbed out the hidden tunnel, and crept back towards the buidlings. The knife she held in her hand, ready to use if she had to. Her target was the armoury, her goal weapons she could use. Her overall goal was to survive and to not be captured. The weight of wnat she might have to do lay heavy on her shoulders, but she accepted it. What would come, for she was sure now that the subjects were being used to create both weapons of modern warfare and superhumans that would drastically change the face of war. The deaths of some agents and personal was worth it, if it saved thousands, perhaps millions of lives,

Her advantage of course was the sheer size of the facility. And the small size of those on the grounds. They couldn't be everywhere at once, and as long as she didn't draw attention to nerself, she should be alright. If not...well she would cross tne bridge when she came to it.

She moved smoothly, maintaining her training, using her knowledge of the complex to walk through it, entering buildings and leaving tnem, making her way in the most direct route possible while still appearing to be going in a round about way there.

She was strangely calm.

---

Cody gave no sign that he even heard the doctor, that her order even affected him. His body lay still his eyes closed, his breathing so slow as to appear non exsistant. However if his brain waves were being monitored, they woulx show that he was indeed awake.

Finally though, Cody spoke.

"You won't find her. You appear injuried. I am hoping it hurts, very much. And I'll be glad to give you another.

You do know this box won't hold me."

[User]
'As I have mentioned before: these two Subjects are our first two real Anomalies with offensive and defensive capabilities. They were the first two to pose actual harm and danger to us keeping them – one of them posed danger simply by stabbing a needle into her.'

Big Boss was not used to having his ass drilled like this. He landed this job because of his near-spotless history of pristine operations control, handled with great care and prediction that he is so well-known for. However, prediction and management can only do so much when circumstances were against him. One couldn't execute the, one would say evil, plans one desired if resources were so limited for him. Big Boss, putting on a show for the faces that governed his payroll and security, spoke with that façade of humility and humbleness:

'The fact that two of them came at the same time proved even more difficult. Handling them would have been made much easier had we had more staff dedicated to us by the UN representatives'

'Well, we're not exactly going to be sending them now, not when security is compromised and you have an Agent gone rogue.' The old German woman spoke with such an indifference to her tone, as if really incapable of understanding the gravity of the situation. To her side was springy, intern kid who refused to move his eyes away from his handout, terrified shitless of what he had gotten himself into.'

Big Boss' knuckles grew white and his one assistant off to the side in the large meeting room they were in was shaking nervously – not for the outburst that would lead to a bad impression on UN – UNARM relations, but for her life: who knew what kind of power Big Boss really had?

'Surely sending more staff would be good now as reinforcements to capture the rogue Agent as quickly as possible, unless you want the shit that goes on around here to go viral around the world.'

The intern looked up from his notes and spoke with a lively interest: 'what shit?'

'Leave this room now and do not speak a word of this or you're going home,' the old woman replied. When it was just her on her end, her face stiffened in anger:

'You're just as part of this as we are.'

'My name isn't. Yours… UN's…. is. I need reinforcement now.'

'They will be there in 24 hours.'

As the feed turned off, Big Boss growled in growing frustration. 24. Fucking. Hours. 24 hours for Agent Caits to escape because they can't fucking find her in this gigantic complex with fewer people per square meter than a fucking McDonald's.

The assistant excused herself.

---

'The box won't hold you, that's right. It's nothing special – hell, you could probably burn through it right now. But try that when you're surrounded by a line of marksmen who have nothing better to do than to shoot you if you escape. Oh, and just for the added touch: before you even break through the box, here's something for you.'

 suddenly a loud, ear-piercing, high-pitched noise played throughout the box. It was the equivalent of a nails scratching a blackboard on the magnitude of a jackhammer, a concert, and a jet taking off. With Cody's heightened senses, passive and innate as they were, this noise doubled in intense effectiveness.

'So yeah, try. Please do. We might finally be rid of you.'

---

A group of office workers stood by the sides of the building, smoking and drinking their coffees when one of them came over and the others hailed and greeted.

'Holy shit the fuck's going on, man?'

'The fuck do I know dude heard some Agent's gone  "rogue"  or some shit.'

The late-comer spoke: 'just back from Big Boss' office. Agent gone rogue, and UN's sending reinforcements in 24 hours.

'Shit, what are we talking about, full on army and shit?'

'With what we're dealing with, possibly. We're probably looking at a full lock-down before dawn.'

[Assistant]
The noise forced Cody to slam his hands over his ears, but that didn't help much, As the noise tore through his ears, perforating his ear drums, being replaced with a loud ringing sound as if he had just been in a bomb blast. Instead of a scream of pain, Cody laughed almost like a mad man, his body adjust quickly, aiming to heal the damage quickly, it recognized the danger of the noise, and for a few brief moments it seemed as if he had gone deaf.

'You know nothing, Dr. you will never control me, nor will you ever be rid of me. Not until I destroy you'

He laughed again, purely trying to irritate and annoy.

---

Walking passed a group of people quite calmly, Caits listened in to what they were saying. 24 hours. Plenty of time. Hiding a smile, Caits entered the building, knowing this was the most dangerous part of her journey. She moved as if she had a right to be there, moving purposely through halls she knew well, she expected resistance, but it was clear that no one really knew what was going on. That was to her advantage. Those that had been there would be trying to find her, and hopefully would still be searching outside. Those hay weren't were probably still trying to figure out what was going on.

Either way, Caits didn't care as long as she succeeded.

Reaching the armory, she knew she would only have moments if someone was checking the palm plates, but even before she could lay her hand on the plate, light glowed, and for one brief second it was almost as if a phantom hand lay over it.

She smiled. It seemed they could trap Cody and Gerswhin, but they couldn't truly contain them. Suddenly the light disappeared a second before the door opened, winking out of existence, and the echo of a crazy laugh seemed to be left behind. Uneasy, Caits entered. She didn't linger long, taking what she could, as much as she could carry.

And then she was gone, running down the hall now, she plastered on a panicked expression, muttering and cursing as if she was a messenger sent to grab what she had been ordered to. She knew people saw what they wanted to see, and what she had learned on her captures was that you barely needed to act, to convince people to see what they expected to. Her running, full of weapons, could, she hoped, be seen as the need to get her squad armed, to hunt down the rogue agent.

Running outside once more, she began to make her way back to the secret tunnel, to take the time to plan.


[System]
Age: 19

Nationality: Scottish

Appearance:

Description: A fairly rambunctious and stubborn girl, Nessie isn't dissimilar to your average Scotsman. She can display quite a tough and, at times, even rude and imposing exterior when in the company of strangers. Around friends she is brash, cheeky and can be quite loud, frequently poking fun at those she surrounds herself with. Equally, though, she also enjoys her own company, her favourite passtime being sitting by or swimming in a lake, especially one surrounded by beautiful scenery. Definitely the outdoors type. She loves a good drink though, and will never say no to having a pint in a nice pub.

Biography: Born in the Scottish Highlands, Nessie comes from a fairly wealthy background, her childhood home a rural manor house within an idyllic setting. Mountains, hills, woodland and lakes as far as the eye can see. The perfect place for an adventurous young girl like her, and still it remains her favourite place. Her parents work in... well, that she's not really sure of. Never has been, even to this day and age. And it's not like she's had many opportunities to ask them either.

At a young age she was sent to a prestigious boarding school for girls in Edinburgh, to both heighten her education and to keep her somewhere while her parents were away from home working. And it is there that she has remained most of her life since then. Even when school is out, she usually goes to stay with her uncle, who lives in an apartment not too far from her school, and with whom she's built quite a strong connection with over the years.

After finishing school at the age of 18 however, she didn't really know what to do with herself. She would go between the Highlands and Edinburgh, aimlessly inhabiting each of her homes while thinking of what she wanted to do with her life. Though she had done well at school, it felt like something was missing. It went on like this for a year until her uncle, noticing her rut and seeing the effect it was having on her, recommended a change of scenery for the girl. A breath of fresh air (metaphorically speaking) and an opportunity to see her future more clearly, whether that was university or immediately starting a career.

And so now Nessie finds herself in London, the heart and the capital of England. And yet still, even with such a dramatic change in surroundings from where she was previously based, and with so many opportunities and paths right at her fingertips, the girl still feels as though she hasn't found what's right for her yet. Not only that, but since arriving in London she can't help but feel unusual. Strange flickers at the corner of her eye occasionally catch her attention, unexplainable shapes looming around her only to disappear as soon as she puts her full attention on them. Perhaps something there is something coming her way, a path she never could've expected...

Grimoire
 • Title: The Loch Ness Monster
 • Classification: Legend
 • Description: One of the ultimate creatures of folk lore, the phenomenon of the Loch Ness Monster has its roots way back in the sixth century, though most of its notoriety bubbled up in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The illusive long-necked creature, described by some to be a sea serpent or dragon living deep within the waters of Loch Ness, has created ripples throughout history with its disputed existence, gradually being pulled more and more into the limelight of contention until becoming the staple of the paranormal that it is today. And so its legend is reflected in its equally illusive Grimoire. A story that, to this day and perhaps even far into the future, has not seen its end.
 • Abilities:
The Undine - At will, Nessie is able to manipulate any water around her and bend it completely to her will. She can also summon water out of thin air if required, but that takes more energy and control to do, so don't expect her to be summoning reservoirs of water with no difficulty right off the bat. It'll take training to get anywhere close to that.

Misty Waters - Like the monster itself, Nessie can disappear herself out of thin air. The only catch is that she may only remain invisible as long as she can hold her breath. There is a loophole to this ability however, as shown with the next one.

The Loch's Blessing - These are more passive abilities than anything, but they can definitely come in handy, especially in a city that contains a massive river (*looks at London*). The Grimoire grants Nessie with incredibly swift swimming speed, making her look like a blur to anyone above the surface. On top of this she can also breathe, hear and see completely clearly when underwater, almost as if she were on normal ground. The final blessing is the loophole to her Misty Waters ability, which is that she can turn invisible for as long as she wishes when underwater, essentially ignoring its limitation. Of course, most battles would probably take place above water so this ability may not always be as useful as it sounds, but in the right situation, as well as clever usage, it can provide Nessie with an invaluable edge.

[User]
LILAC SHIMMER

"Good. Let's take a moment, ok?" Bonnie guided Suzuya over to a nearby bench and sat down beside her, speaking softly.

Bonnie stayed with Suzuya as everyone else launched into debate. Her head was swimming with all the perspectives on display, but she wanted to stay solid for Suzuya right now. As the Pageless appeared, Bonnie gave a reassuring shoulder rub, and whispered, "You can sit this one out if you like."

"I don't know about the future, but I know right now my heart wants to fight." Bonnie begins shining as she stares at Roma. A spotlight shines over her as if she were on stage. Then her eyes drift over to her companions, as a flower materializes in her hands, held to her lips. "There are too many beautiful things in this world to worry about whose responsibility it is to defend them." She dramatically tosses the sparkling flower into the sky whose petals fall, like the shower above a wedded couple. By the time gazes fall back down to Bonnie from the eyecatching flower, the transformation into Lilac Shimmer is already complete, and with a spin, the illusions of petals scatter to the wind as a Magical Girl stands ready for battle.

"Another time, there's battle to be done." Lilac returns her gaze to Roma, dismissing her words for now, before gazing to the sky to face the Pageless.

~Alright, that should be what to say if she's like, she's the type whose's gonna play coy before helping... Wait, I hope she didn't, like, summon the bad guys, and I'm about to get hit while I'm dramatically staring skyward.~ Lilac's eyes drop from the Pageless for a moment to nervously glance around everyone, even as she holds her chin high as if she's still looking up.

[Assistant]
Dynasty Queen

"Ahhh, it's all gone tocachu hwch." The crude curse sprung from Tesni's lips. Reaching down she grabbed the 'mugger' by the collar and tossed him at the fleeing crowed.

"Don't forget this asshole you fuckin' idiots! Fuck, fuck fuck…" she buried her face in her hands, not out of any despair or fear. Simply out of sheer annoyance at the fact the swarm of Pageless were probably all over the city and more than that... she was going to have to actively try to not break any buildings.

"Fuck it, you know what, fuck it. Do what you can and don't stress about what you can't…" taking a deep breath she started walking back across the road to where the rest of the girls were and more importantly… where the enigmatic lady stood, the lady the Pageless appeared to be at the very least paying attention to, even when there was plenty of people and magical girls around to attack.

"The divine root conceives, its source revealed; Mind and nature nurtured, the Great Dao is born." as her foot fell, a golden ring rippled out on the ground, the faint chorus of ancient Chinese instruments announcing her transformation. It floated upward around her, transforming her as it passed, stopping at her forehead and contracted in making a golden circlet before fading away. Now in full Magical Girl regalia, Tesni reached behind her ear for a toothpick, twirled it between her fingers and had it expand into her staff and slung it over her shoulders.

"Okay Magical Babies, focus or you'll get done in by gross little Pageless~! I'll tell you what; if you don't feel like fighting I promise I'll take care of them all for you. Keep in mind the more I have to take care of on my own, the less careful I can be with my attacks. So I hope you don't have a favourite restaurant nearby~!" Tesni's eyes were glimmering with excitement, this was a challenge. There was no fear in her grin, no change in her stride. Her eyes darted around, absorbing all she could about her surroundings and then she licked her lips. Suddenly there was a golden blur as she swung her staff down over head it expanding in length, as if she were simply chopping wood, right at the crowd of Pageless… and more importantly right where Roma stood. There was a ripping sound as it tore through the air, as if the natural physics of the world was struggling to account for her weapon the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

A line of thought so simple it was absurd led Tesni to this action; 'If Miss Enigmatic is an ally she will dodge. If she is not, either she will block and save her subordinates or a Pageless would protect her... and if this is enough to take her out, well what good would she be in a fight?' This basic deduction would only last for as long as this skirmish lasted, but it was important to determine if you were going to get stabbed in the back.