[System]
Gender: Male

Age: 22

Homeland: Griffan

Specialty: Stealth, deceit, and killing.

Weakness: Using divinare and long-range combat (he can do very basic channeling but that's about it)

Appearance: Standing at an average height, Oz is a muscular but lithe man, lightly bearded, with a head of unruly black curls and very dark, sharp eyes. A crooked smirk is his default expression, and often the one he wears when around people. His skin, which is naturally a creamy tan, is littered with dozens of scars received from his many misadventures, the most notable being a short silvery nick that runs through his right eyebrow. He'll stick to wearing simple clothing that neither weights him down nor restricts his movements, but will favor darker colors and occasionally, light armor.

Weapon: Oz'll use anything he can get his hands on, really, even if it's a bloody chicken bone. He prefers bladed weapons though, and is most practiced with daggers and short swords. Currently carries a pair of short swords on his person.

Personality: Often coming off as light-hearted, cheery, and aloof, Oz is an observant man with a silver tongue and a shrewd personality. He likes money and fighting, and especially loves fighting for money. Offer the right price or reward and he would do nearly anything you ask. While his morals and manners might be lacking, he makes up for it by being honest, open minded and generally well tempered. Although loyalty lies in whoever pays better, he has a rule of always repaying his debts and never biting the hand that feeds him. His friendship is easy to achieve, but his respect and fondness are a bit harder to earn. That doesn't mean it'll be difficult to get along with him though, as he's a man of reason and doesn't often pick fights without a good one. He prefers to keep details of himself and his past private, and doesn't often give information away for free. If asked though, he'll probably spin you some lie that could either be believable or not, depending on who he's speaking to.

[User]
Solace Nocte
(date unknown)
"Do you ave anything to say for yourself, General?"
"I confess to all for which I stand accused."
"So be it. For the crimes of extortion, mass murder, and betrayal to the church and crown, you are hereby punished to death. By confession of guilt, you shall be removed of all properties, physical and otherwise, to be stripped of all titles, and buried in an unmarked grave."
"One last request, my lord?"
"What is it?"
"Leave my with my armour."
(one month ago)
A large man in ornate mail enters the town square, just as the market stalls open for the day. he stops at a flower vendor, purchasing a bundle of marigolds.
"Meeting a lady-friend?" the women asks cheerily, moving to hand him the blossoms, however she hesitates a moment when she notices the eery glow coming from beneath his helm
"Not exactly." the knight replies calmly, taking the flowers and replacing them in her hand with a small satchel of coins "Paying my respects." with that, he turns to leave, making his way to the settlements place of worship.

(today)
Not far from the band registraton office, in a small cemetery, stands a large heavily armoured man, positioned at the last grave in the last row, atop each headstone rests a marigold and a cluster of white bramble flowers, under his breath, he whispers, some sort of prayer
"-for my failure a thousand deaths, that those lives I have laid to waste may not be in vain" he utters, bending down to pick up the weapon from his feet, slinging an enormous sword across his silver cloaked shoulders, with that, the strange knight departs the graveyard, walking steadily to the band offices
"Perhaps it has finally come to pass," the man muses to himself, entering the office courtyard.
"Where does forgiveness lie?" Solace mutters beneath his breath, scanning the area "Do I lead, or shall I follow" he ponders, looking at the other prospective band members and leaders, observing them silently for a few moments. as he waits, the old soldier sees an eerily familiar symbol, the holy seal of Alberon, moments later he notices a man, young in the face, holding a sign above his head with the symbol for a band "And so he shall follow." the man thinks to himself, hesitating only slightly as he enters what was once hallowed ground, before approaching the young blue eyed man.
"Excuse me, child, but are you perhaps recruiting members for a new band?" he says, voice booming over the excited masses "If so, I believe I can be of some use to you."

[Assistant]
Osborn had traveled plenty in his short span of life, from all over his homeland of Griffan, to even the oddest corners of the neighboring lands, and yet he had never set foot in such a troubled place as he had when he arrived in Coleander. Sure, the first few nights had been fine, but that was only for as long as he could keep his pockets filled with money. He hadn't anticipated finding small work to be this hard, even in a shambled state like this, but there he was, broke and hungry and not exactly enjoying himself. It'd been five days since he'd entered the state, and the last two had been spent sleeping outdoors. He had just enough cash for a small meal, if he found the right place, but was honestly more willing to spend it on alcohol at this point.

"If I don't get a drink in me soon, I might just die before ever finding myself a band to afford a drink with." Osborn whined loudly to himself, followed by a groan as he yawned and stretched his back. He'd been sleeping just fine only a few hours earlier, curled up in a surprisingly quiet alleyway towards the center of town, but was woken up when the sounds of people and traffic began to pick up. Now he was in the heart of it all, weaving in and between people while they crowded around stalls and their keepers. He moved at a leisurely pace, keeping an ear out for any mention of the band system and possible work.

That was what he'd traveled so far in search of, after all: a band to join. He'd heard through rumors that the king was willing to pay its bands a pretty penny in exchange for following orders dished out by the state and its people. Basically, it was grunt work, but Oz didn't mind that, as long as the pay was honest and good. He'd yet to actually find a band worth joining though, and was beginning to tire of wandering around broke and drinkless.

"Excuse me, child, but are you perhaps recruiting members for a new band?"

The booming voice glided over the bustling sounds of people like a grand horn, catching the ears of the raven haired drifter. The words "new band" were all that really sunk into his head before he was suddenly sliding his way through the crowds in the general direction of the voice. Soon enough, he spotted the source: a tall, armored man. He was presumably addressing the younger man in front of him, who was holding a wooden sign with the bands' symbol carved into it.

"Well, that was simple." Oz chirped with a widening grin, and strode towards the two with a faster pace. "If the big guys' right, then sign me up too." He spoke quickly and confidently, before the man holding the band sign had a chance to answer the armored fellow. He didn't want to be rude and step on anyone's toes, but if it came to competition, Oz wasn't about to lose his chance to join a band to anyone.

[User]
Viluppo could scarcely believe his good fortune; such a small amount of effort caught the attention of two capable-looking fellows. Struggling to keep his giddiness locked behind a calm visage, Viluppo turned to Oz. His toned arms and sharp eyes gave an impression of experience, someone who has seen much during his travels. Certainly an advantage in the profession he sought.

 "Well, as I was about to tell Sir Knight here, I'd be honored to work with you. Do you know Sir Knight? You seemed to follow him right to m..."

 After glancing back at Solace, something about the armored man demanded Viluppo's attention... or rather, something he carried. An impressive looking greatsword peeked out behind the massive knight. The jewel in its crossguard seemed to gleam in the noontide light. Viluppo began to excitedly pace around Solace to get a better look at the sword, his usual propriety giving way to curiosity.

 "This is a remarkable blade! The kind that you would get up in Griffan at a wastrel's price! And I can faintly feel its rhythm, even!" Normally weapons like this are made so that its divinare is concealed by that of its owner. So some rogue can't just channel its magic and use it against you, of course. But if I focus I can feel a little divinare spill forth from the hilt! It must pack quite a magical punch! Where did you get it?"

 Viluppo's passion started to dim as he realized the stares he was getting. The young man calmed himself down and looked at Solace and Oz with a more composed countenance. "I... apologize for all the questions, but I do have two more. What are your names? And why do wish to join me?"

[Assistant]
Solace
The armored man is wary as Viluppo rushes behind him to examine the blade upon his back"I suppose it is quite impressive," the soldier says, shifting his stane and carfully drawing his blade, "I often forget how uncommon such tools are now." Solace adds, voice lowering to a rumble to avoid disturbing the crowd further as he rests the large sword point first in the ground, allowing the curious blue eyed youth to examine it"I feel great pity for the bandit that attempts to turn it upon me, the steel is tuned to prevent such tomfoolery." he utters, "Merely probing, however, will deliver no proper backlash." with that, he returns the mighty sword to its place at his back "I suppose you could say it was a family heirloom, a set with my armor. forged by a famous member of my clan more years ago than I can count."

He sighs, eyes flickering out for a brief moment"You may call me Solace, child." the old knight says, turning to acknowledge the roguish individual who had tailed him "I have never met this young man in my life." he extends an armoured hand to each of them, moving smoothly in spite of his armors bulk "And I seek honest work for honest pay, I merely have a limited set of skills with which to do so." he lies, his focus shifting briefly to the worn symbol carved in the old temple wall.


[System]
Alias: Commander Hallelujah, Agent Hallelujah, The Fiddler Crab

Appearance:Full body

Face, condescending

Face, smug

Replace the labcoat with a marine's 'Justice' jacket.
Age: 30

Gender: Female

Bounty: 60,000,000 Berries, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.

Personality:Handel seems friendly but in a 'get under your skin' sort of way. An eavesdropper at heart, she likes to plant baby den den mushi in private locations to hear other peoples' conversations and ends up knowing more information about people than they expect. She is a bit obsessive compulsive and can be very particular when it comes to the tidiness of her belongings. She is a deep thinker and surprisingly empathetic. She is always wearing a somewhat creepy smile that makes it hard for others to guess her thoughts. Handel hates when a plan doesn't go right.
Powers/Abilities:Handel is an inventor and a spy, who uses sound vibrations and information on her enemies to deadly effect. She knows navigation, and has some medical knowledge (mostly anesthesiology, pain management and psychosomatics) so she can be an assistant doctor but not the main doctor. She is better as a strategist, infiltrator or assassin.
Techniques:In close range, she uses a unique sword-and-shield fighting style. The back of her bass is steel-plated, she holds the neck of the bass, planting the spike of the bass in the ground with its back towards the enemy as a massive riot shield. The bow of her fiddle has a blade along its edge which she swings as a short sword. She is also strong enough to lift the bass and swing it around, using the spike at the bottom to impale foes. She has learned how to use vibrations and sound to affect various materials, as long as she tweaks the frequency. Typically, the stiffer and more brittle a material is, the easier it is to damage it with sound. She can imbue her sword/bow with a frequency by running it along the strings of the base and then striking with the sword giving it a property to easily cleave through the specific material it was tuned to. She can also launch out sonic attacks at range, but sound dissipates with distance and is considerably weaker. She often plays on her own turf, scattering Den Den Mushi around to relay sonic attacks and create harmonic/acoustic/cymatic zones where her sonic attacks are much more powerful and less predictable. Handel knows various ways of using sound to affect the human body. She has the ability to infiltrate Marine ships and bases due to her background and intercept communications with her black Den Den Mushi. Handel requires information on the enemy to be most effective. Her most powerful attacks take time or require preparation beforehand. She has limited long range capabilities, and is more defensive than offensive. She is only a decent swordsman at best, and relies more on surprise, advantage, and finesse. She runs the role of 'support mage' for the most part.
Weapons/Items:* String Bass (Shield)
* Bass Bow (Sword)
* Various other musical instruments
* Den Den Mushi Set including several regular ones, a few baby ones, and a black one.

Background:Handel grew up the daughter of a rich, military family. She learned to play string instruments when she was young and was set to become a great marine as her inevitable future career. She joined the marines, keeping peace and helping take down weak pirates in the name of peace and justice, eventually working her way up to being commander and first mate of a ship, where she supported her captain with brilliant strategies that prioritized the survival of the crew, making as few sacrifices as possible, and even preventing the loss of life of the enemy, earning her captain a reputation for mercy.

These strategies earned Handel a transfer from normal navy service into the intelligence division, where she became an agent of Cipher Pol 1, CP1. Here she utilized her ability to gather and exploit information in preventative schemes that stopped violence and uprisings before they began. Yet more and more, she was being asked to make difficult choices and to prioritize 'efficiency' and secrecy over the lives of her enemies and the soldiers she was responsible for. She went along with the flow, comforting herself with moral justifications until it became too much for her. She realized she had become a woman who no longer saw other humans as people but as numbers in her calculations. She had been numbed to the atrocities she had committed in the name of 'justice'. In the middle of an important government operation, Handel let slip the amount of soldiers that would be sacrificed among the navy as well as spilling information to the enemy, giving them a chance to escape. This saved numerous lives from both sides, but convicted her of high treason. She had prepared for this outcome, and slipped away and went into hiding before the marines came to arrest her. She is currently in hiding from the marines and is plotting some way to change the government but she currently has no solid plans.
Other:Handel is used to luxury and is a big spender. Her musical inventions are also not cheap, so she'll tend to splurge the crews treasure on extravagant shopping sprees.
Relationships: WIP

Dreams:Her quest is to bring back a moral and ethical government.

[User]
The Swamps@Jerkchicken@BladeSS4@Archmage MC@vancexentan@Zelosse

That was frustrating, when 3 pirates of her own crew went complaining on this treasure hunt. All of them wanting to find a merchant ship instead of some great treasure. She didn't have the luck of stumbling upon one, and just who is the one charting on the ship course? Now that they mention it, the swamps isn't as cooling as the coasts, but the winds are gentle here for her lighter weight. So much for a fun and exciting treasure hunt.

"We'll pillage a merchant ship after we set sail." Alesia hoped that that would satisfy the grumblings of her crew, somehow they feel that a swamp trip isn't worth the treasure.

And out of all her crew, only the so called dragon had expressed support. The same one that destroyed the drunkards' tavern. She was the one who started the barfight, but that's all his fault anyways. Alesia is starting to feel regret on embarking here.

Before Flint rejoined the group, a voice from the snail transponder rang out again. "We've got company, you know what to do. I'll be putting up the black wind, stick close to--- WAII-TT! WHO IS HANDEL?!!" The snails transponder hung up with an audible slam off the receiver.

Now Alesia is getting questions. "An island map, might be useful sometimes." Aleisa stuffed the map onto her sidecoat. "Also... I wasn't floating actually, I just changed my weight," Alesia replied without much of a concern in her tone. That was when a familiar tone echoed along the ridges of the swamps. "Flint!" Alesia called out to the oldest crew member.

Not far away from there, a black smog could be seen. That was the closest thing that Alesia could describe. A dark towering mass that makes the night look like the day. The Black Miasma enveloping entire trees of the swamp, as gently as the touch of the shades. Tendrils could be seen above the heights of the groove.

"What's that thing?..." Alesia flashed out her cutlass in an arc. The gentle black wind sweeps towards the Crew of the Scarlet Pirates. As far as she know, that doesn't look so friendly.

---

The White Pearl @Stern Algorithm

The pigeon flew off the ship, towards the directions of the streets of Brown Isles. It stopped at the piers of the harbour, landing right in front of the white wolf. It was a very short trip for the passenger pigeon. With a distinct chirp. It released the letter right in front of the white wolf. The White Wolf sniffed the rolled up letter, glaring at the Ship of White Pearl. Clawing away the twin ribbon knots, the intended recipient stomped on the letter with its paw, frowning at the contents that are written.

Just what are those pirates doing with that letter? No obvious signs of tempering on the letters, unlike the few times it reached the olde bar. The White Wolf had never seen this pirate flag before, perhaps a crew fresh out of the vast seas. Not another order from the marine captain to lay low on the Pirates' Den. The wolf bit away the letter, before scrapping the remains down the side of the piers. The fine ink dissolving off the water into cloudy purple blotches.

The White wolf inched himself closer to the White Pearl, stopping itself at a better vantage point. Laying down, the wolf pretended to fall asleep, his pair of piercing blue eyes gleaming very slightly to observe the White Pearl. It was strange to see a newly formed crew to intercept letters like this. It would've gone unnoticed if it weren't for his sense of smell off his devil fruit, and had it not happened right in front of his eyes.

"WAII-TT! WHO IS HANDEL?!!" Handel's black snail shrieked the loud angry transmission of Valar.

That voice! That lone wolf sprang up in all fours from its sleepy demeanor. The voice of that Shades Pirates' captain. Handel...? That could explain the static often picked up from a Black snail. A name that he wouldn't think of even hearing in a place like this.

"What brings you to this sea?" The white wolf stepped on the gangplank of the White Pearl, speaking in a clear and unhindered tone. "Even the likes of Captain Valar pales before the price on your head, Lady Handel."

The 'wolf' climbs the gangplank in his cautious steps. What he was saying was true, Valar of the Shade Pirates, a bounty of only 22 million.

[Assistant] "My name isn't important call me Dagget if it suits you." grumbled Adam giving off the last alias he had used when the group had set sail. Whatever the case Adam cared not for the new blood just another person in the swamp at this rate. "Also you only miss people if they die, or go missing. Any raider worth their blood knows to not kill the merchants themselves if possible. You make an example out of one of them if needed, and then take the stuff. You then set them free, or throw'em on a dingy. After that you sink their ship if its worth the effort. Blood in the water attracts sharks no pirates need to deal with sharks." Grumbled Grey in response to the others further. "Damn it step back if you don't know what it is!" Adam growled as his captain inadvertently led them into a monster of some sort. Adam as smooth on his feet as ever decided to quickly step back keeping in mind to not step in quicksand, or holes nearby that would upset his footing. He threw a set of daggers at the beast to test to see if it bled, or if it was immune to such trifling attacks. Adam specialized in human killer he wasn't some beast master.


[System]
- Age: 17
 - Height: 5'8''

ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine.

APPEARANCE:

DETAIL:
 - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course.

 - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him.

EQUIPMENT:
 -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it.
 - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky

Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome.

Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot.

Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll.

Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell.

Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims.

Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo.

Lee - ??

Braum - ??

Thema - ??

Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere."

Tivo - ??

Sera - ??

Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

[User]
Blin "Brytag" Alborse
@PyroDash888@chukklehed

Blin's daydream fragmented as the hero there collapsed, he registered a steadily building headache until his eyes snapped open staring up at the sky unfocused. The light was too bright and he heard a voice saying "Sleepyhead, open your eyes! But don't move -- oh, if you miss this you're going to regret it!"

He was almost about to empty the contents of his stomach when he eyes finally focused on the light infront of his face, a glowing orb. Were there scales? They swirled around and a pair of eyes appeared, they stared at Blin unbinking and he couldn't move. The slitted eyes were unnerving but for some reason Blin didn't fear them, he felt something, a connection maybe, but he couldn't really define it. He continued gazing into its depths and felt relaxed. His stomach settled down, his headache passed and then he was jolted from where he lay.

Nikki had grabbed Blin and dragged him up from the grass, just as a boulder crased into the spot he was laying in. "Woah, where did that come from and how..." Blin turned to Nikki, the orb that was on his nose had already faded, a wispy looking tail quickly disappeared behind his back. "...did you know. Nikki you've saved me twice now. Thank you." He took both of her hands in his, smiling as she did and then embarassed by his forwardness, let them drop sheepishly as he stepped back.

"The other girl...." Blin couldnt recall seeing her before, with Tivo? He couldn't remember. "Is she alright?" He turned to look and saw Blank close the girl. "When did you get here? Blank isn't it? I've seen you with Lord Gaius before." He turned red and realised that Blank had been with Nikki when he had seen him and he had just held her hands. "Er, and while you, ah, were with, um, Nikki...." his voice trailed off, and he wished he could just go back to sleep and forget this.

Instead he turned and looked at the boulder and then at the hole it had left at the edge of the clearing in the trees.

[Assistant]
Blank didn't have much time to admire his new friend as the boulder crashed through the trees. Nikki got Blin out of the way, and Sera was far enough back that she wasn't affected much. With his nausea gone, her drew his sword on instinct, closing his fingers gently around the ball of light that seemed to have cured him, and as he got ready for combat, he felt a vague sense of savage loyalty and trust from it. He drew strength from it, allowing the feeling to suffused his body.

"Get back!" He shouted at the others, charging forward to face the direction the stone flew from. He set himself, turning sideways and raising the sword parallel to the ground, and waited. Anything that wanted to get to them had to go through them, and he felt confident they wouldn't find it pleasant.

[User]
Gaius Stronurr

The Forest Floor

 A practical malady of symptoms began to overtake Gaius as he crept closer to his two nearby companions, forcing him onto one knee by Rahna's side. What the hell Gaius thought, frantically clutching his shoulder plate as his breathing grew heavier and heavier. He felt like he was about to throw up his lungs, but despite the nauseous churning at his core, he kept himself from upchucking. Were his injuries really that bad? No, it wasn't just him. Lee and Rahna looked to be affected too. But Rahna didn't crash, so what the hell was happening? Gaius tried to call for aid, but even kneeling at her side, his voice rang deaf to his friends, coming out as nothing more than a faint rasping. That had to be it, they were going to die there, and nobody would bear witness to their last breaths.

 Or so Gaius thought, until his head suddenly felt lighter, overcome by a soothing sensation. Although his chest pain remained, it was slightly easier to breath than just a moment ago. He felt something perch in his hair, but didn't have a clue as to what it was. He just took a moment to soak in the relief it offered, staying down on one knee by Lee and Rahna.

 Suddenly, something swooped down and slammed against the ground nearby, tall bony and feathered, like a skeleton with wings. Gaius's head shot upwards, baring witness to the strange white menace that hung over Lee and Rahna several feet away. It was comparable to his own height. What a frightening sight! Gaius' eye darted between Lee and Rahna for a moment. It was too much to take in at once. His instinct took hold of his better judgement and he rose to his feet despite the sharp pain in the left side of his body. But it was pointless. Gaius couldn't fight like this. His sword was worthless if he couldn't wield it with both hands, and as it stood, his shoulder felt like it was flooded with cement. Damn it all.

[Assistant]
The forest added a new pressure to her body that Lee probably didn't and couldn't notice in this state as it just meshed into one large sensation. An invisible comforting hand slid over her shoulder but she just whined and tried to keep herself from falling back down, head first into the soft grass.
The energy was mixing in with the trauma and the combination was all but crushing her skull, pressure there like something she'd never felt before. The young woman felt like there were boulders nailed to her chest, pressing onto her torso. Her breathing was labored as she tried to get herself to a more upright position, her eyes open just a bit. She swore she saw something glowing flash to the young woman at her side, but she could've been wrong. Too busy paying attention to the other, Lee barely noticed an identical light orb finding its way to her forehead until she started to feel again, catching a glimpse of something like cat eyes, a glowing serpentine shape curling around her throat.
The painfully loud thrum of fauna subsided to a complete bearable murmur, the light and colors seemed to dim down several degrees and the inhumanely violent thudding of her pulse decreased. Lee didn't smell neither marigold nor ginseng, but rather, fresh new scents that she'd never come across before.
Gingerly, with a small but sharp exhale, she turned over onto her back and pulled her right leg up, bending it at the knee. Fully functional. She carefully twisted her left ankle to the left then the right. Fully functional. When she tried to raise her left leg however, there was a sharp shot of pain, for which funnily enough, Lee was grateful. Perhaps a bruise or just the way she'd landed. Nothing horrible.
Lee was about to check on Gaius, knowing he'd fallen in full body armor and a heavy glider, when she paused. Gaius was, in fact, without a helmet. She openly stared even though she knew it was slightly rude, before laughing. Maybe at Gaius, maybe from shock, maybe from relief, she didn't know. She just laughed until she couldn't breathe properly and only then did she stop, hand on her lower abdomen. When she finished she looked to the girl and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I scared you. I must've, the way I am when this type of thing happens," she said, laying a hand minutely on the girl's to show her that she was grateful for whatever it was that she did. But Gaius probably took the brunt of the fall. Poor man. Like the way a fawn did on their first try, carefully Lee stood. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? There's blood," she said, noting the drops of red at the corner of his mouth. It was strange to see him without a helmet, her first thoughts jumping to Garrett now that she had her wits about her. He looked like him at certain angles, the cut of his cheekbones and jaw as well as the color of his eyes, reminding her of a man she once loved but lost to her own idiocy and weakness. Lee was about to ask the other woman if she knew anything about medicine but she didn't have time. Something large landed by them, too close for comfort. After a moment Lee could see it properly. It looked like a winged and strangely arranged pile of bones, as large as Gaius, jagged and foreign. Suddenly Lee understood that they possibly had other things to worry about. She also understood that she didn't know much about combat and that the best chance she'd have to survive this would be either to hide or to run. The woman took a slow cautious step backwards, eyes fixed on the creature, saying nothing.


[System]
---

 Zealot Barbarian 20  Skål!

[User]
Mila  Zaseis

---

"No wait!" Mila called out as the light enveloped their adversary. "Why'd you leave her alive?!" Mila cried at Rygar, fury evident on her face. "Now we won't get a chance to get our answers from her! Tmaf'rz kh la pyilw jiduilz; far zmaf vawz oyir zmy waoz vorv zylvyr oarc ao xe eaar sarp!" The tiefling devolved into Infernal cursing once again before she finally took a breath and looked back at her assumed allies, apparently calm once more.

"Right... so, she is not dead. With any luck, we have chased her away to never fight us again. I am not so hopeful, however... a mage like her is bound to have powerful and dangerous allies. Like that assassin..." Mila looked around frantically for a moment, but didn't see him. "I suppose first things should be first, eh? I am Mila, a servant of the Raven Queen and a destroyer of all those who defile the natural order, like that Archbitch. Does anyone know where we are?"

If nothing else, the intense focus of her fighting style seemed to dissipate as Mila's conversation shifted from one item to the next. Her gaze bounced between the various people that had joined her in the fight. They had seemed like valiant fighters, what little they had contributed. She couldn't blame the monk for trying to get answers; he likely didn't have lifelong access to magic like she had. Her fingers clutched at a tiny silver cage she held in her component pouch, regret still evident on her face. Further investigation revealed that one of their number was no longer moving after she had teleported closer... and in fact appeared to have turned to stone. Mila stepped forward and placed a hand on the triton's petrified features and sighed. "This magic is far beyond what I can fix. I'm sorry, but her time has come." Just then, the bright light enveloped the statue's form. "Frickin Levistus, can't I just have one moment?!"

Thou'rt by no means valiant; For thou dost fear the soft and tender fork of a poor worm.

[Assistant]
Rygar Treeguard

---

Two swift strikes to the witch and she was down for the count, as the humans in Stoneport would say. His fist eased as he sheathed his shortsword. Then, the flash of light. Rygar's grin was erased as the berate began from his spell slinging ally. He hadn't considered his action valiant so much so as necessary. He wasn't exactly sure the meaning of the worm insult, but figured it meant she thought him weak for sparing the gnome. Though, he had no intention of sparing her. She shouldn't have been able to get away. Rygar was certain she had been rendered unconscious.

"Mila." Rygar repeated as his ally introduced herself. It was committed to his memory. He was unfamiliar with the Raven Queen, but he certainly respected her stance on the natural order. It was similar to his own cause. She would be a good ally to have until he could find a way home. He mouthed to introduce himself when her flow of thought apparently moved on. He simply shrugged to her locale question.

Another flash. Rygar was getting tired of the abuse to his eyes. Another flash...

"The same light as the gnome. Could the warrior be alive as well, then?" He approached the rest of the group; his eyes still transfixed on where their comrade had once stood. She didn't get the opportunity to showcase her talents, but Rygar had sized her up to be a formidable fighter. Same said for the other mighty warrior among them. Mila's assistance in bringing down the witch, not to ignore that foe's talents, taught him not to sell her short, either. Whether these strong women would be appreciated allies or further surprise enemies was yet to be determined.


[System]
Vorra Mau is 1.78m talls with a rather slim build. She wears her blonde hair in complicated braids most of the time. They reach under her shoulders when undone. Her most distinct feature are the Wayfarer markings on her face, earning each stripe on her face for a feat highly valued by them.

Species
Human

Gender
Female

Age
31

Personality
Vorra is most easily described as all over the place, when it comes to her personality, at least. Generally, she is a calm, collected individual that doesn't take things that seriously, and is prone to cracking jokes at all times. No matter if it is during a merry night spent in a cantina, or an intense shootout. She tends to make fun of persons she finds repugnant based on their reputation and moral renown on a regular basis, even if it gets her into a trigger happy situation.

Where Vorra knows no fun and doesn't hold back is when it comes to those who can't protect themselves. She loses her sense of humor when a situation of that kind occurs and does her best to recklessly take down anyone preying on the weak and defenseless. Be it a local crime lord or a corrupt Federation official, Vorra allows herself no rest until scum like them are allowed to breathe.

Reputation
The reputation that Vorra Mau built for herself is that of a Bounty Hunter. Whether the bounty is a person, a ship, a family heirloom, Vorra can be hired for the right price. She doesn't really care whether the job is against the interest of The Federation, but her one rule she never breaks is to work with the most violent and criminal elements of the underworld. She often refuses to pay full payment for jobs against said elements. Vorra is not the most valuable target to bring to justice by The Federation, but she still does her best to avoid provoking them too much.

History
Vorra was born on the planet Treserus, a palace described as the galaxy's foremost junkyard. Her parents were workers in the local ship scrapping facilities. Their housing was rather rudimentary, but it offered them all the comfort they needed to make a living in the scrapyards. Vorra, knowing nothing else she could aspire for in her life, so after getting her basic education, she started to work in the same line of work as her parents. She started working in the factory when she was 14 years old.

She worked next to her parents for four years, earning a reputation of a hard working person. Vorra gained her tech savviness here, something she hoped to use one day to build or repair a ship and get off Treserus together with her family. A few weeks before she turned 19, the Treserus Scrapyard & Salvaging Dock 19 came under attack by a band of pirates and raiders, dubbing them to be followers of a Great Khan, on a crusade for freedom. The Federation's response was lackluster and arrived only after most workers were slaughtered, with Vorra being among the few survivors.

Leaving Treserus for good, Vorra started to work as a deckhand on any ship that would be hiring a tech savvy pair of hands. This way, she travelled around the outer fringes of Federation space for four years, seeing a lot of injustice and often being the target of it as well. She was often denied payment and escorted out of ships under death threats, and she hated how powerless she was, time and time again. In the Ugurth system, she was once again escorted from a crew no longer interested in her services at gunpoint and without payment, when she had a life changing event.

A group of armored assailants made short work of the crew and gave Vorra the payment she deserved, but she refused it. Inspired by the Wayfarers, as they called themselves, she instead asked to join their ranks. Her proposal was accepted and for the next eight years, Vorra trained with the group, slowly working her way and building a reputation for herself, both among the Wayfarers and in the outer fringes of Federation controlled space as well. She made countless acquaintances during these years, the one she worked the most with was - strangely - an Android going by the name Frost. The duo formed a friendship that endured even longer periods of separation.

One year ago, Vorra and the Wayfarers parted ways. The group maintained a high opinion of her and they retained good relations between each other ever since. Now working alone, Vorra travels from planet to planet, accepting jobs as a Bounty Hunter, or as she likes to call it, an asset acquisitor. During her last job, she came across a finding that might secure her and her most trusted friend a fortune they could not spend in an eternity. That, or a very cold grave.

Gear

Vaxen Anaconda Mk.I
The Pegasus is Vorra Mau's pride and joy. She acquired the ship through means only known to her closest persons, as it is a tale she often tells during nights spent at bars and cantinas. Based on the design of an ancient manufacturer, the ship serves as a mobile base of operations for the crews she is part of, and offers a rather generous amount of storage for gears and other belongings, as well as personal means of transport. The Pegasus packs a decent punch in itself, being equipped by a single Huge Gauss Cannon, 3 Large Auto-Cannons, 2 Medium Pulse-Lasers and 2 Small Missile Launchers. The Pegasus also can take quite some punishment, but Vorra avoids extended engagement due to the ship's low overall maneuverability. The most unique feature of the Pegasus is its unique dual transponder that predates The Federation, that allows the ship to reach almost any destination in the galaxy once.

Vaxen Hawk Mk.II
Vorra's personal speeder, the Hawk is her means of getting along the way when planetside. It came aboard the Pegasus when she acquired it, so she seems fit to use it as her own. The mileage is slightly lower than Frost's trusty beast.

Guardian Mk.III
The armor of choice for Vorra Mau is a Guardian Mk.III set, one she acquired legally. The armor allows her maximum mobility at the cost of reduced endurance. The boots and the backplate contain built in jetpacks that allow her to dash around the battlefield at ground level, or allow her to gain the aerial advantage. The time allowed to be in air is between 60-90 seconds total per fuel cell. The visor of her helmet contains a HUD with thermal and night vision built in.

Siber K Mk.I
Propellant : Radon Hydronium Battery (10gw)
Ammunition : 0.75L Helium-Hydride Cell ( 6 spare cells, ~7 shots per cell )
Class : Heavy Energy Handcannon

FSD 7
Propellant : 15 KW Magnetic Induction Coils
Ammunition : .307 Tungsten-Palladium rounds ( 3 spare clips, 12 rounds per clip )
Class : Gauss Rifle

Other
PDA
A Personal Digital Assistant, an equivalent of a smartphone.

447 Federation Credits
300 FC's stored digitally, 147 in cash.

[User]
Michael sighed as he saw the message on his omni-tool, and went over to change to his pilot suit before entering his Mech, from where he reviewed the information promised to him. The dossiers shown on the mech's screen gave details of the criminals in question, an Android, a Vyexul, and a few Human subversives - These would not be easy pickings, especially as he was only going to bring one transport and resupply ship with him, one instructed not to try and help him when the combat started. Once said supply ship was safely requisitioned, he would ask its captain to speed all course for Formalis, where he planned to engage a few criminals in a firefight.

After asking them who really killed the colonists on the planet, of course - He had a sneaking suspicion that those specific criminals were innocent of that particular crime. And who knows, maybe Ascot would be there too...

[Assistant]
"We're making this quick. The Federation do not lose that much personnel and hardware without raising alarms. There may be other vultures looking to cash in on this as well. Someone stays on lookout duty." The rust-scraping voice of the crew's largest companion grated away warningly. This mission was simple but so was every battle he had been in at heart. Everything else that would happen rarely was.

As Vazyrin finished talking, a series of loud clicks, clacks, and cocking cha-chunks responded as his arsenal (that anyewhere else would be a crew-served weapon) prepared themselves for their task. The huge arthropod stepped forward as his various firearms folded up into compact modular forms and seemingly vanished into his armour. It was dizzying to watch the plethora of alien limbs, each one guided by a single consciousness but working in an interconected series of prodding, shoving, twitching motions while his enormous primary arms and legs moved in some rough approximation of a common biped. At his enormous height, he looked almost to be guarding the landing chute if not for the fact his back was turned.

"The cargo ship will be the main priority. Once we make it in main threat will be security automata; this isn't the first ship I've raided and where humans will break, they do not. That leaves the potential for flesh and blood survivors on board and if so..."

He turned his long, mandibled skull to face Vorra and Frost.

"Rules of engagement, if you please. For surviving crew and unwelcome visitors. I'll leave it to you to decide who stays on watch duty."

[User]
It was not an expected sight if you were to see it, but on a distant ridge connecting to a small plateau lay a transport, landed and fully functional. Though it looked like it wasn't used to support long term organic flight, meaning it had already been stripped or something entirely different. The somewhat free floating spherical thruster at the back rotated itself downwards and fired just for a few seconds, melting away any snow that covered the ground around it. This seemed to happen periodically, every time snow crept into a certain radius of the ship. Though it was odd to see that nothing was entering or exiting it. It was most certainly something that had not been left there. So who, or what was it? That was certainly the question.

It was unpainted, and looked like it had not touched a planet, in a long time. The blade like model giving it a sleeker and flat look. The engine sphere had full range of motion through some kind of technological wizardry, and the ship was big enough to house at least four people to orbit and back at a time. It didn't appear armed from that distance, but it was most likely retractable hardpoints for EM cannons, slow but pack a punch against smaller targets. It's behavior seemed more automated and robotic than it did organic and human, activating at specific and exact distances the snow seemed to creep in at instead of time based, suggesting that it's sensors were wired to a program firing the thrusters on a low power to keep components from freezing.

[Assistant]
Formalis - Touchdown | Local Time Unknown | Aboard the Pegasus

"Alright, Victor. You know the drill. Get us in there safely, and make sure you land the ship as close as you can, but on a safe place."

" Understand, Vorra. You can leave it to me. "

Vorra stood up from her seat and walked to her personal cabin. The last week was difficult for her, to say the least. The Pegasus was rarely packed this full of persons. And to say that their crew was diverse was the understatement of the year. At first, their quirks annoyed Vorra to no end, but after the week's journey, she got used to them. Upon entering her own cabin, she opened her personal locker, containing her Guardian armor and gear. It took her a few minutes to adorn her white gear with streaks of golden fabric interwoven in them, topped by her purple sashes. She left the hood down for now, attached her sidearm to her hip, her main armament onto her back. She attached her utility belts containing ammo clips just as the ship touched down, with an audible thud, and slight recoil as the landing legs overtook the weight of the ship. Vorra reached for her mask and closed the locker, than went back to the cockpit.

She looked out of the window and saw they were right next to the wreckages they mapped a week ago."Well done, Victor. I want you to use the sensor suite of the ship to be on the look out. You can patch into our comms any time you find something. Also. Victor, initiate mainframe lockdown. Full bionic verification required to override - fingerprints, retinal scan, voice ID. I don't want anyone to mess around with the Pegasus while I'm gone." There was a brief silence before Victor replied. "Understand, Vorra. Mainframe locked down. Initiating surveillance. " Vorra looked out of the window once again before stepping out from the bridge of the ship and managed to intercept Frost announcing their arrival. Then Vazyrin spoke and changed shape in the weirdest way Vorra ever saw. She instinctively placed her hand on her sidearm, despite doubting it would do much against the walking weapon platform. Vorra gave Frost a who the hell did you find look before stepping down.

"Victor stays on the lookout. He'll see more through the Pegasus's sensor suite than all of us combined. We all need to hustle up, it won't be long until the Feds come swarming to Formalis." Vorra than turned to the rest of the crew and placed her right hand on her hip."Vazyrin is right. We should focus on the big one. Use caution in there, even the wrecks can be deathtraps. As for rules of engagement." A pause as she looked at Frost, once again annoyed she could not read her face for what she thinks about. "Security automata are expandable, and salvageable. As for any Federation personal, I'd allow them to surrender. If they refuse to, well, we have no choice." She locked eyes with Frost."But I'm not the boss here. What will it be, Frost"


[System]
Age:
16

Gender:
Male

Godly Parent:
Rhiannon

Description of Godly Parent:
A beautiful queen from the Otherworld in the Mabinogion, Rhiannon is an arrogant and powerful woman with the strength of a horse, an animal she is commonly associated with. She is featured prominently in the First and Third Branches of the text, as the consort of Pwyll, the Prince of Dyfed, and a "goddess of sovereignty". The hero, Pryderi, is her son.

Appearance:
A handsome redhead standing at a height of five foot ten, Rhodri takes after his legendary mother in beauty, possessing a well-defined and powerful physique that, had he been of Greek extraction, brought about comparisons to Adonis himself. It is a beauty that he is not beyond flaunting, frequently forgetting to button up the shirts he dons and allowing his chest to be in full view of any who wish to ogle him. He does not mind, after all, for he is proud in his appearance, whether it be his sharp jaw, pretty face and energetic emerald eyes or the athleticism of his body. A bracelet hangs from his left wrist, featuring what appears to be cutesy-looking white stallion.

Skills/Powers/Weapons:
As a son of Rhiannon, Rhodri possesses powers associated with his godly mother. He has incredible strength and stamina, capable of carrying a great amount on his back for long distances as if he was a beast of burden, and can command and speak to equines. Thanks to the mystical powers of the Three Birds of Rhiannon, he also holds the ability to lull the living into a state of sleep, as well as the opposite, which provides him the power to "wake the dead".

Despite his youth and looks, the Briton is a surprisingly experienced hand-to-hand fighter, leveraging his naturally immense strength against those who seek to combat him. He also happens to be a good homemaker, having developed the skills through burdening himself with assisting his human father with cooking, cleaning and in general caring for his younger half-siblings. Rhodri is also relatively charismatic, making use of his looks on a number of occasions to influence others.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
Having inherited the strength and beauty of his mother, Rhodri can be especially dangerous if he leverages his talents well, and is an absolute pain to fight in close-quarters, where his stamina and power allow him to fight on a high level. Coupled with his ability to send people to sleep (though a power limited by range), few have been able to approach him. However, from a distance he cannot bring his full force to bear, nor can he induce sleep in his foes. His necromantic abilities, though seemingly powerful, do not afford him any control whatsoever over the creatures he raises, and so is at risk himself from the danger.

Other:
Rhodri has three, younger half-siblings, and lives with his single father in Gloucester.

[User]
Rayon yelped in surprise as the temperature suddenly dropped around him, and Riley gripped threatening spikes of ice while facing him. Not understanding why he was reacting that way, Rayon panicked and his invisibility instinctively dropped, only for it to be replaced with another ability, one most suited for fleeing: Flight.

The boy shot up near eight meters into the air, flailing his limbs like a headless chicken as he did so. "Don't hurt me don't hurt don't hurt me!" he squawked, literally hanging in the air while curling into a defensive ball. "I was just curious, that's all!"

[Assistant]
This bow did not feel right to Alva. It was a simple bow, clearly not made by any competent craftsman. She missed her own bow from back home, but she had not exactly had the opportunity to take much with her. Soon, one of these days, she would have to make her own. She had scouted out some trees in the surrounding forest. Their wood would do well for the purpose.
Although this bow was not ideal, it was alright - Alva still managed to center most of her shots. She drew back the string once more. Steady breath, steady hand. Aim. Breathe. Release.

The arrow cut through the air, landing a few inches left of center. Arrows were beginning to become clustered. She repeated what to her was almost ritualistic - draw, breathe, aim, breathe, release. With a soft thunk the arrow planted itself into the target. Although she knew around her there was arguing and dissent, Alva remained focused. She could intervene, but she was too far into this almost meditative state to break out of her concentration.

Draw, breathe, aim, breathe, release.
Thunk.

[User]
Riley
 He chuckled softly, shaking his head as he lowered his position and the ice and fog dissipated. He liked this boy, he was respectful, and pure of heart, which isn't something that could be said about most members of the camp. It was clear that this boy would one day surpass him in power, and he wanted to be there the day that he did. He respected people of power, they had better charisma, and attitude than people who relied on human weapons. He believed most weapon users to be jealous of the power magic users could wield, they could never be disarmed or have their weapons damaged.

 A gust of wind surrounded him and he flew up slowly, directly next to the scared young man, and offered cool hand to shake.
"I did not mean to frighten or threaten you friend, you merely startled me."
 He said with a soft smile, his hair flipping around in the wind.

[Assistant]
"Geez, never realized just how wound up some of these kids are." Adrian thought, looking on as Riley approached the young Rayon in the air. "Well with Ephraim, everyone's favorite stick in the mud, it's a given. But it seems just about everyone takes themselves so seriously." He had joined Victoria at the table, and leaned against it as he thought more on the situation. "Well, it is wartime, after all. Never know who or what might attack us at any given moment." He let out a little sigh. "Geez, what a way to live." With that, he addressed Victoria.

"Soooo, back to 'Operation: Let's Buy ALLLLL the Weapons'. How much of that do you plan on following through with? How big are we planning on getting? Carpet bombing? Tactical nuke? One'a those satellite heat beam thingies you see in the video games?" He asked. He would do these sort of things with Victoria; ask an absurd question just to see how serious she'd take it.

[User]
Rayon paused, then nodded. Floating steadily, the boy had a grin on his face. "It's no problem! Sorry for startlin' you! My powers just kinda go off by themselves, you know? Especially invisibility; sometimes my roommates accidentally sleep on me because I go invisible outta nowhere, so they usually pat the beds they're gonna sleep on before the go down," Rayon spoke quickly, hardly taking any breaths. It was his excitable nature that made it so. One moment he was talking, the next, he was shaking Riley's hand. "It's also pretty cool to have someone else who can fly! Not many people can - Uh-Uuuh, okay waitaminute."

Crossing his hands in 'T' for timeout, Rayon slowly floated down. Landing on his feet, he seemed to wobble for a second before regaining balance. "Was feeling a bit dizzy there. Means I'm tired, so I can't stay up for too long or I fall. Anyway, I'm Rayon Ducat! What's yer name?"

[Assistant]
Riley

He smiled gently, before gripping his hand hard and shooting up into the air, after about 3 seconds he slowed to a stop, a layer of solid ice forming mid-air, he set the boy down on it, making sure to focus a bit on keeping the ice chunk adrift, lake a thin glaciar in an ocean of water. Forming another deep blue disk of Ice, he sat down,watching the sun and keeping them afloat. Turning to the young man, he opened his mouth to speak.

"In 15 seconds your ice chunk will thaw, causing you to fall nearly half a mile onto the awaiting ground. You will have to exert yourself to survive, and will not recieve any assistance from me, or anybody else with flight."

He stated calmly, acting as if he hadn't essential just put the kid in a situation that could kill him. Riley was very fond of the "what doesnt kill you makes you stronger" motto, and practiced it any chance he was given. Of course, he didn't intend to actually let the poor kid die, they were stationed of the river which would keep him from dieing, but would likely break a few bones. He knew the only way to advance your powers was to be forced into pushing past your own limits.

[User]
A pale girl holds the bow in her hands timidly before pulling back the string while loosely holding the arrow between her slender fingers. With a rigid back and perfect posture her yellow eyes narrow in concentration. The target which is only a mere 50 feet away slowly becomes the only thing she can see. Becoming painfully aware of her breath she holds it in for just a moment to still her body and her mind. With a slow exhale she lets loose the arrow.

 The arrow flies about 45 feet before hitting the ground no where near the target and she hangs her head in frustration.

 "DAMNIT!" she hisses under her breath. A small black crow flutters down and lands on her shoulder and looks into her eyes with its head cocked to the side.

 "Yeah I saw! You don't have to rub it in!" She says a little too loud to the bird. No one else can understand the crow that follows her. Her outburst causes the crows to fly away to a safe distance on a nearby branch. She bites her lower lip and makes a face somewhere between disappointment and anger. I am not suited for this kind of combat. I am a commander not a fighter.

 She pauses when she hears the fighting of the other members. She notes that many have good points. Though she thinks to herself that it is perhaps the difference of skill and powers that combined make a powerful force rather than any single path being the correct path. She does take this chance however to toss aside her bow and pick up her staff. She feels far more comfortable with it that she does any combat weapon.

 It was at this time that an ice user struts in with a puffed chest and starts saying rude things to the others. Suddenly he takes a less than confident member up half a mile in the sky on a piece of ice. She doesn't understand all of what he said but she prepared herself to intervene if it was necessary. This might be an important and necessary lesson for the boy but there is a point that is too far.

[Assistant]
Victoria turned her head to look at Adrian. "I dunno. A tac nuke would be nice, but it's awfully hard to get one. I could call my Mom, see if her contacts in Mossad can get us one, but I don't expect a lot of luck. Motherland's pretty tightfisted, y'know." Did I just make a racist joke on accident? She blew past it. "But we could probably go to some third-world hellhole and steal some old Soviet tech from them. I wonder if Ares has ever dealt with a T-62 or a MiG."

She saw the Ice Asshole raise the other kid into the air and before he had even finished the movement had her Colt in hand, putting a shot into the ground at his feet. "Hey, Ice Fucker, put the kid down or the next shot goes into your lap."

[User]
"Are you entirely insane or only mostly so?" He said to himself watching what Riley was doing to the clearly in no way ready for this Rayon. Doing his best to conceal the fact that shooting him for putting someone in mortal danger wasn't the worst option.

"The best way to teach a person to swim isn't by throwing them into a river. If they fail they die and it is the fault of the one who put them in that situation to begin with. Not the one who was forced into it."

[Assistant]
"I'm just surprised to could even attempt to gain the connections needed to get us a nuke..." Adrian replied to Promethean child, in some disbelief. It was usual for her to make casual boasts such as that from time to time, but something as serious as obtaining such heavy artillery threw Adrian through a bit of a loop. Soon after that, seemed most began turning their attention towards Riley, who took it upon himself to begin an extreme impromptu training session with the much younger, much more inexperienced, Rayon.

"Yeah dude, bring 'im down." Adrian joined in with the yelling and calling. "That's a bit much, even for you." Adrian almost felt like he was negotiating in some sort of hostage situation. Even then he didn't feel like his yells would reach the two, considering just how high up they were.

[User] "That made more sense in my head." She thought to herself as she unslung her Mosin-Nagant and took aim. "Alright, I've got the asshole sighted. Anyone got a way to catch the other kid if Ice Prick drops him after I shoot him?"

[Assistant]
Rayon froze - no pun intended - momentarily as he realized he was back in the air, with only fifteens seconds before he quickly fell ou of it. Rayons prieviously friendly smile of greeting was frozen in place out of sheer fear. He looked at the river below and back to Riley, alternatively

"Uh, eh, ye're joking right?" With a futile look, Rayon hoped that Riley would say yes at the last second. No such answer came.

"Oh he-"

His curse was cut off as the ice beneath him melted and he plummetted out of the sky. His fatigue and panic critically affected his decision making abilities, so rather than flying up, he kept falling.

On instinct, a powerful surge entered his body, invigorating his strength and durability. Of course, Rayon was now running on fumes, so it was unkown how long the augmentation would last.


[System]
Theme: youtube.com/watch?v=vR18NP-acL4

Gender: Male? I'm a slime...no genitals. I think...

Species:
Slime > Amorphous Slime

Appearance:

A fluctuating red and orange colored slime that would probably fill a five gallon bucket. It's genuinely difficult to tell where he's looking unless he "generates" a head with limited facial features.

Goals: The world is vast and new. I want to see it and hopefully not get killed by some idiot newbie with a stick sword.

Past Life:
Asura's past life he only had a few things that stood out. He worked for the city he lived in. Doing things like mending roads, removing trees, cleaning up debris from storms, fixing waterlines and sewage, installing signs and various lights. He's sort of a jack of all trades when it comes to work. Thankfully he wasn't high enough in the chain to be forced to do loathsome paperwork. While not at work he was doing one of three things. Playing video games, namely western styled rpg's with the occasional slice of life genre. Busting his ass at the gym to keep a general strong body. The gym led to the third aspect of his life, boxing. He loved boxing even if he never went pro. His naturally high pain tolerance stacked with building it up higher through training let him dominate local challenges. Despite being a healthy guy and working hard he still died fairly young. He honestly doesn't remember how it happened but he figured it's most likely work related.

Abilities:* Physical Damage Resistance I - Lowers physical damage taken by a little bit. (A bundle skill applying to all three types, Blunt, Slash, and Pierce)
* Blunt Damage Resistance I - Lowers Blunt based damage taken by a little bit.
* Piercing Damage Resistance I - Lowers Piercing based damage taken by a little.
* Magic Resistance I - Magic damage from lower level spells is reduced, regardless of its element. Whenever you gain Elemental Resistances, their threshold will be used first before Magic Resistance is activated. Obtaining at least one level of all Elemental Resistances will cause Skill Synergy and automatically increase Magic Resistance by one rank.
[Earth Resistance I - Take less damage from Earth and Earth Elemental Magic. If all other Elemental Resistances are acquired, this will also increase the rank of Magic Resistance.
* Limited Shapeshift IV - Two properties of your body, not including color, temperature, or base material, can now be altered in the same manner outlined at Rank III. Unlike Rank III, these properties can be maintained simultaneously. Your body, or an extension, could become Sharp AND Hard, or gain a Texture while maintaining another property. Your ability to shift fine details with your base form is increased. The ability to shift fine details with extended forms, such as pseudopods, is now the same as the details on the base form from Rank III. If you alter only one property of a form, such as Sharpness, that property is greater than it was at Rank III. Your maximum reach with extensions remains the same. Forms that are most commonly used or associated with earlier Ranks now cost less Stamina to maintain. Your maximum "reach" with stretched portions of your body remains the same. While maintaining your original mass your ability to alter fine details is increased. A "blade" made from your body could be shaped in various ways, for instance, but a pseudopod with a blade at its tip would not be so refined; this would apply to other features like imitated body parts or facial traits.
* Stamina Furnace I - A form of physical and mental cultivation akin to meditation. Similar to concentrating on the beat of one's heart to calm it, you have accelerated the rate of physical recovery. Expend Mana to restore Stamina. This effect is increased if you have recently eaten, as it speeds up digestion--however, this may require larger amounts of food
* Blood Drain I - Through physical contact with whatever body part or orifice the user needs to eat and drink, drain the target's blood through an already open wound. In addition to dealing damage, this skill also restores the user's HP. The amount of HP restored will not be the same as the amount of damage dealt or the same as the amount of blood consumed. Any disease, poison, or other danger contained within the target's blood may also present a threat to this skill's user. At this rank the user is limited in how much blood they can drain and how quickly, as well as the target's defense, healing factor, and other circumstances.
* Cling I - As a Slime you are naturally suited to sticking to objects. By expending stamina, you cling to any surface and are able to climb or stick upon it. At this rank, the type and texture of the surface will change the skill's effectiveness. At this rank, you are much slower when moving on objects while clinging. At this rank, this skill cannot be used save to climb or stick to surfaces.
* Faster I - Your base physical speed is increased! By gaining the skills Harder, Better, and Stronger, Skill Synergy will occur and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
* Harder I - You have toughened yourself up through training! Clenched muscles or hardened flesh can be an effective shield--your base defensive stats increase! By gaining at least one rank in Faster, Stronger, and Better, Skill Synergy will occur to increase the rank of Physical Conditioning.
* Dextrous I : Your practice with fine manipulation and using your pseudopods has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your body can now be used to more effectively manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren't strong enough yet to "wield" weapons or pick up very large things without other Skills.
* Slime Whip I - A unique ability for slimes. Create a sturdy tendril from a pseudopod and lash out at the enemy. At this rank, your range of reach is 5 feet. -Skill Synergy- You possess Limited Shapeshift III. Range is increased to 10 feet and adding a shifted blade, bludgeon, etc to your Whip is more effective.
* Throw Item I - Using an item from your inventory, you hurl it at the opponent by expending Stamina. Different items may have different effects and some are more suited than others as projectile weapons. At this rank, the chance to destroy the thrown item is very high. Damage type depends on the item.
* Smash II - A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage! Damage buff increased. Stamina drain increased. Using a non-blunt type attack can now trigger this skill, but its power will be halved.
* Slash I - A Physical Skill that uses Stamina instead of MP. A single Slashing type attack becomes more powerful!
* Skewer I - A Physical Skill that uses Stamina instead of MP. A single Piercing type attack becomes more powerful!
* Rabid Fit I - Fly into a mindless rage, and destroy the enemy! A sudden burst of fury grants you increased strength and damage, but you'll become more vulnerable to damage yourself.
* Overwork I - Push through, break the limit, and--probably need a nap later. When you really need it, you're able to summon up just that little extra bit of power, at the cost of slowly stressing yourself to death.
* Skill Synergy: Rabit Fit I, Overwork I, Smash II. Your attack's power is vastly increased!

Transformations:* Slime > Amorphous Slime > ?

Inventory:* Healing Herbs x2 (??? Quality)
* Source Crystal Shard x1
* Jawbone Club x1 (??? Quality)

[User]
~Temporary Campsite~
Throat Pouch:
- x6 Nothing
Rawhide Backpack
- x5 Nothing
Equipped:
Mana Bone Spear (Average)

---

"Ah..." Ash watched the ball of liquid poison fall to the ground, sizzling into nothing against the rocky floor. Had she...succeeded? The Pygmy drake held her claws to her muzzle, giggling like a child at Christmas, unable to contain her excitement. Oh how wonderful! So That was it. Blue and Green made purple. That is, Blue and Green made poison type magic. From what she could already surmise, it was made of Water and Earth-type magic? Curious. Maybe she should mess with non composite types before trying anything else. See what exactly each type of mana was before creating more 'new' types.

But for now, Ash held out her claw again, forming another ball of liquid venom. Focusing on it, she used Mana Sense, Mana Vision, and Magic Analysis on her newly made Poison Splash spell to more thoroughly analyze it, to get as much information about it she could possibly use. The more information she had, the better.

Now then...

She should likely regain her mana before doing anything else, but first, there was something she was curious about she hadn't experimented too much with.

"...System, show EXP, Status, Skill List, and Evolution paths." If this whole system thing was like a computer, it should reasonably work just like one. She wasn't quite so well versed in them, but she was used to working with systems of operation and such, so it shouldn't be too farfetched to assume this system behaved similarly. There should be a way to view the lists separately outside of simply Leveling up and Evolution.

Once she received her information, Ash considered Meditating to regain her mana. It was well and good to be able to use it to regain her Mana, but the stipulation it can't be used during strenuous activity was still a bit of a concern. Maybe there was some other way to strengthen it? In some cultures in her old world, meditation could mean a number of different things, and covered a wide range of dissimilar practices. Ugh, she should have paid more attention in her history classes. Perhaps...Yoga of some sort could help the meditation with some small exercises?

As Ash meditated, she focused on making small movements. A Stretching her body, much like a cat and holding the pose for a few seconds. Stretching her forearms back so they were straining against their natural positions, holding it a few seconds before releasing, and repeating with her hind legs. She would do this small practice until her MP was full. It wasn't likely she'd see any effects for now, but it may prove useful later.

Once her MP had returned to full, Ash reformed her Mana Orb. During her previous experimentation, something curious happened while she shaved the particles away from her Mana Orb, making certain to use Mana Vision to get a clear picture. Then began fusing with the ambient mana around her, as best she could assume for now. So why not see what that did? Particle by particle, Ash began removing the mana particles from the Mana Orb she had formed, discarding them into the environment around her.

Use Analysis skills Mana Sense, Mana Vision, Magic Analysis on Poison Splash
Ask System for Evo paths, EXP, and Status, and skill List.
Meditative 'Yoga'
Shed the Magic particles from a Mana Orb into the environment to see what it does.

[Assistant]
---

@Duthguy

Kakky Oin shook his head in confusion-- why would he grab hold of something that was killing him? He needed to push it away from himself.... Right? His grip began to loosen as his right hand let go entirely. As the memories continued to flood through the young goblin's head, he couldn't help but feel as if something was... missing? Actually, it felt like a LOT of somethings were missing. Little by little his grip continued to loosen with his remaining hand.

Almost as if under some kind of compulsion to confirm his mind was his own. he happened to raise his right, and stare at the strangely large, misty palm. Why were they so big? Where was the webbing between his fingers? Pain like a lightning bolt shot through his head as different memories flooded the goblin's mind.

The misty, featureless hand before him flashed through different scenes from his memory, a memory that didn't seem to be that of a goblin, but of something else entirely... The hand held many things in these reminiscent images-- a gun, a knife, a grenade, even a book, and countless other objects as well. As many different things had touched these hands, no matter how many times they'd been covered in blood and dirt and viscera- there were marks that denoted their history upon them. Every callous was a trial, every wound a battle, every scar a badge. These weren't the hands of a goblin, these were the hands of a man! These were JASON'S hands! His grip with his remaining hand clenched tightly with resolve as he raised his right hand, one by one each digit curling into a tight fist. With a fervorous roar, Jason drove his fist just below the goblin's ribcage--- and further! He aimed to drive his strike through the goblin and into the void beyond! "I. AM. JASON!"


[System]
Age: 27

Magic: Dust Magic

Description: Dust Magic involved the use of very tiny particles of stone, earth—pretty much anything that can be classified as powder, as a versatile Caster-type art. Dust Magic can be used directly for attack, mobility, defense, or molded into objects.

Magic Level: A

Birthday: 13/24/x865

History: Born in the city Nepenthe to a professional chef father and a wine seller mother, Fleo enjoyed an uneventful and promising early life. Learning to read at a young age, she found great joy in taking trips with her mother throughout and beyond the town, always thrilled to discover new things. She received the best education that Nepenthe could provide, and discovered at the age of eight that she had a gift that none of the other children did: magic. Thrilled to discover how different and special she was, Fleo begged her father to find someone who could help her learn magic, and he did so. Four months after discovering her gift, she began private tutelage in the art of Sound Magic.

At the age of eleven and a half, Fleo and her mother traveled to a nearby village for a special fall festival, where Mrs. Plector supplied the wine that fueled the festivities. Fleo insisted upon joining the celebrations, but since she was obviously underage, she could not have anything more than a taste of her mother's wares. Instead, she trekked to a nearby river to get water, only to find that the water was absolutely nasty. Laughing at her misfortune, Fleo nevertheless joined the festivities and partook in a thirsty but fun night.

Two weeks later the symptoms began. It became tougher for Fleo to move; her muscles ached all the time and exhausted easily. Unwilling to let a little discomfort get her down, Fleo continued to go about business as normal, not even telling her parents what was going on. One morning, Fleo awoke to found that she could not move. The muscles in her arms and legs were so weak that the girl could not rise from bed. The doctors told her that she had poliomyeltis, a degenerative muscle disease typically contracted by drinking fetid water.

For three years she lay abed. Unable to see the outside world, she practically rotted within her own body, despite her parents' best attempts to console her. Though her education proceeded, it went slowly, as if Fleo had lost all interest in learning. She allowed herself to forget her Sound magic, she cut herself off from her friends, and she did her best to keep herself in an eternal sleep, so that she wouldn't be able to see and hear what she was missing. So desperate were her parents that they sought a magical solution. A guild wizard by the name of Gaudium came to see her, and he was moved by her hopeless despair. He sacrificed his own magical power to transfer it all to Fleo, granting her an innate proficiency in Dust magic. When Fleo awoke to find that her arms and legs had melted away into dust, she was brokenhearted. Gaudium showed her, however, that she could use her mind to shape the dust into new arms and legs, ones that weren't paralyzed by an awful disease. After thanking him with all her heart, the overjoyed Fleo ran around Nepenthe for half the day, and realized that she needed to leave and start seeing what the world was like.

For a while she was a part of an independent guild before they were merged with another, which turned out to be a nefarious Dark Guild. When she realized the true nature of her new organization, Fleo was glad to join a small squad of former guildmates to overthrow the Dark Guild's master with her massive power. Afterward, she traveled again, and had more adventures, always seeking a way -be it in magic or inside herself- to make her new arms and legs permanent. Now her journey has brought her to Pheonix Wing.

Personality: Looking at Fleo, it would be difficult to guess that she's crippled. After all, she's energetic, easily excited, fond of asserting herself, a perfectionist, seemingly outgoing, and a more than capable fighter. However, she's also insecure, proud, easily upset, easily scared, and very, very afraid. Her greatest fear is to be crippled, stuck on a bed and unable to take care of herself, experience anything—even move. Boredom and immobility are anathema to her, and to be anything less than absolutely free she regards as an insult to the blessing that has allowed her to walk again. Fleo despises weakness, both in herself and others, and constantly strives for everyone around her to be the best they can be. While her tendency to point out the flaws in others might come off as annoying, pretentious, or even insulting (her observations can be rather blunt), her intentions are pure. She does her absolute best to keep her condition a secret, and can get very agitated if people start prying.

Team Members: N / A

Three Strengths:
1. Dust Magic – this brand of magic is very powerful, and Fleo is an adept at using it.
2. Commitment – like it or not, Fleo will get the job done. Doing something halfway is a sign of weakness.
3. Righteousness – Fleo sees dishonesty, criminality, substance abuse, sadism, cheating, and the like as signs of personal weakness, and thusly will never stoop to partake in them.

Three Weaknesses:
1. Ultra-cautious – Fleo is unwilling to take any sort of risks that would compromise her consciousness or magical power, and will often flee if a situation seems about to do this to her.
2. Detached – Fleo both likes and wants to socialize with others, but her insecurity means she has a hard time opening up with them, and she also tends to synergize very poorly with others in combat. Pressing her will cause her to become agitated.
3. Disability – if Fleo loses consciousness, or runs out of magic power, her arms and legs dissolve. She will go to great lengths to both keep this from happening and keep it a secret, and failing that, she will go to any length to avoid regression.

Greatest Love: Running, experiencing new things, meeting new and interesting people, traveling.

Motivation: To achieve a level of control over herself so that she may live a full and happy life despite her ailment.

Supplementary Spell List:
Siracco (Sabaku no Kaze) - a rudimentary spell that requires no verbal incantation. The user creates a carpet of dust beneath her that buoys her up a centimeter above the ground and allows her to move across terrain without moving her legs. She can change direction on a dime, making this a more agile approach to mobility than normal motion.

Dust Craft (Hokori Kurafuto) – a rudimentary spell that requires no verbal incantation at the base level. Using acquired dust, the caster shaped it into an object. The more complicated the object, the harder its form is to maintain, and the more time it takes to mold. With practice, certain molds become easier to maintain. More advanced constructs require incantation. Dust Craft has the potential to create very large, very complex constructs, but these require the use of the particular Craft's Pristine Invocation.

Dust Bomb (Funjin Bakuhatsu) – a basketball-sized projectile that travels in an arc. It explodes with concussive force, spraying dust everywhere, when it is triggered by touch or by the command "kyuukei". It can be stuck to the ground, walls, and even ceilings to make mines. Several can be conjured by a single incantation.

Silver Wind (Haiiro no Kaze) – the dust is condensed into a single plane, which then shoots forward at high speed. It is capable of cutting through weak objects, and will generally carry away an opponent caught inside it. It can also be 'drawn' on the ground or on flat surfaces to act as a boundary.

Dust Bowl (Koujin Chitai) – a wave of dust blasts outward in all directions before spiraling upward into a funnel, creating a miniature cyclone. It is difficult for both living beings and magic to get both in and out, making Dust Bowl both an effective trap and a good shield.

Vacuum Rupture (Shinkuhakai)– holding one hand palm-first and the other directly behind, the user draws the back hand backward as if pulling on a massive syringe. Vast quantities of dust, sand, dirt, snow, ect. accumulate into a massive ball stuck to the forward hand, which can then be launched by thrusting the back hand forward. If the ball hits the ground, it will lose some of its mass but can be guided to home in on its target. The ball will swallow up whatever it comes across until it encounters something it cannot engulf, at which point it explodes.

Dust Devil (Sunakemuri) – dust is drawn toward the user, forming a shell around her before erupting. When the shell is gone, the user has changed. The bandages covering her arms and legs have vanished, and the limbs have grown longer and spiky, developing a texture like scales. A sixth finger appears on each hand, and the fingers become more like claws. Similarly, the feet have become morel like talons. When in this form, the user's speed and strength are vastly enhanced, and all of her spells that require the accumulation of dust to function charge twice as quickly.

Vortex Impact (Uzuna Eikyou) – the user uses Sirocco to begin moving, then accelerates until she's moving extremely quickly. At that point, she becomes enveloped in dust and starts to spin, effectively becoming a massive dusty drill. At the tip of the drill beneath the dust is the user's foot, making Vortex Impact effectively an ultra-powerful kick capable of breaking through solid surfaces.

Notes: Each spell Fleo uses has three variations. Saying the spell's name in English or not at all is its weakest incarnation. Saying the incantation in Japanese, the home language of her mentor Gaudium, is stronger and more reliable. Then there is the Pristine Invocation: the true name of the spell, bestowed by its original creators in ancient times when dust magic first came to be. Fleo must discover the Pristine Invocations one-by-one by exploring the world and finding the translations. As of now, she has yet to find one.

Appearance:

Beneath the bandages she constantly wears, her arms and legs are gray dust. The bandages are purely cosmetic, to hide the status of her limbs, and serve no other purpose. Her guild mark is on her belly.

[User]
Sayuri

Sayuri nods at her Edolas counterpart as she walks into the courtyard where she was sparring some of the new recruits to help train them. She'd spent a decent amount of time at the castle rather than at the Edolas Phoenix Wing guildhall over the past 2 days. While she had somewhat gotten to know the guild members she still felt a little weird around them. She wanted to get to know people so she'd dragged Penny along with her today. Sheathing her sword she sighs, "I'd better go find her don't want her thinking I dragged her here for no reason," she hurries off to go find her. Finding her she walks up and smiles, "Hey, sorry about dragging you out here. I wanted to try and get to know you guys better one on one."

[Assistant]
Felix Lancaster
The Magnet Mage

Felix smiled as Fleo approached. "Blasphemy! We must burn the heretic!" He made a show of holding an invisible torch and pitchfork. "Magic cannot be tolerated in this land!" He made an angry face, then burst into a laugh when he couldn't hold it.

When asked about breakfast, his stomach answered for him, growling loudly. "I had just been thinking about heading out and getting something. Pancakes sound aweome." He grinned broadly and stood. "Race you there?" And, with that, he blurred right out the front door.

Of course, the flaw was he wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he was sure he'd see Fleo in a moment or two and she'd show him where to go.

Felix loved how he had learned how to move at ridiculous speed with his magnet magic. He didn't even have to physically wear himself down. He simply levitated himself from the ground with magnetim and then used the same force to propell him forward. It was near frictionless, and if he put a lot of energy to it, he could move faster than a lot of people could react. Of course this was only his movement across the ground that was sped up this way, but it still makes for an interesting trick to pull in a fight. He wasn't hiding it, but no one had really seen him do it all that much. It was sure to be a urprise to Fleo.