[System]
Niah Bautista

Character Quote: Do you so swear?

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Character Summary
Aliases: Oath Keeper
Age: 14
Birthday: Oct. 3, 2003
Ethnicity: Filipino
Birth Place: Manila, Philippines
Godly Parent: Styx
Legacy: Styx
Cohort: 2nd Cohort
How Many Years At Camp Jupiter: 2
Gender: Female
Rank: Centrion
Occupation At Camp: Oath Binder (If someone needs to swear an Oath they usually do it in front of Niah)
Languages: English, Tagalog, Latin

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Appearance
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 130lbs
Body Type: Petit
Eye Color: Golden brown
Hair Color: Brown
Skin Tone: Soft brown, naturally tanned
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Ears pierced, SPQR with two lines, Cohort symbol
Personal Style: Niah is sensitive to a lot of materials so she is picky with what she wears. She however does like the traditional Roman clothing and wears it a bit more often than most. If she is not wearing traditional clothing she wears jeans and t-shirts, or sundresses. She leans toward blue colors.

She wears a light amount of make-up most days and has her hair down or back in a braid. She is growing her hair longer and hasn't cut it since she joined Camp Jupiter.

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Psychology
Energetic * Picky * Friendly * Competitive * Observant * Pedantic

Sexuality: Demisexual (though she can appreciate the aesthetics of someone she doesn't know)
Relationship Status: Single
Personality: Niah is fast to form opinions about people, and doesn't usually change that opinion. It doesn't help that she can tell if someone has ever broken an Oath, no matter how minor. It is amazing how disappointed you can be when you realize how often people fail to keep them. She has, because of that, made it a point to not make Oaths she can't keep.
Fatal Flaw: Personal loyalty
Habits: Chewing her lip
Hobbies: Reading, planning practice battles
Fears:
* Being forced to break an Oath, or being unable to keep it
* Riding a motorcycle (she saw a terrible accident once as a child and it is seared into her brain)
* Her sister being found dead...or worse

Likes:
* Her cohort
* War games
* Learning new things (Niah wants to attend an actual college, not the one at Camp)
* Traveling
* Reading
* Horse back riding

Dislikes:
* Oathbreakers (She loathes them)
* Bad/bitter food
* Itchy clothing
* Birds (stupid nest outside her childhood bedroom window woke her up too early)
* Apples
* Bad movie remakes of good movies
* Fauns

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Skills
Demigod Abilities:
* Oaths (Niah inherently knows if someone has made an oath and if they've ever broken one)
* Odikinesis

General Skills:
* First aid
* Law
* Botony
* Horseback riding
* Conflict management
* Roman Mythology

Combat Skills:
* Short sword
* Siege engine
* Military tactics
* Use of Odikinesis to distract or demoralize enemies

Magic Item:
* Vial with a bit of River Styx in it (given to her the one time she met her mother)
* Imperial gold short sword, sits invisibly on her back

What Do They Carry On Them:
* Clothing - A light summer dress, and sandals.
* Purse/Wallet - about $30 in USD, and 20 Denarius coins
* Backpack
* Current reading book
* A notebook (with some sketches and notes)
* A pen
* spare hair tie
* Advil
* Chapstick
* A bottle of nectar
*
*

Possessions In Bunk:
* Spare clothes
* A secondary, non-magical weapon
* A photo of her family (Sister, brother, father, and stepmom)
* A trophy from a fight that she had on her way to camp
* An extra blanket
* A reading flashlight
* Her next few books that she plans to read
* Lotion
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*

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History

Biography Niah was born in the Philipines. Her father already had a daughter, Dalisay. He never spoke about her mother, or Niah's. Niah knew something was odd about herself though. She could tell when someone had made an Oath, and more importantly when they had broken that oath. Her first memory was realizing someone her father trusted had broken an oath.

Niah argued with her father saying the man was untrustworthy. Imagine a two-year-old telling you someone you trusted was untrustworthy. Her father didn't take it well and he put Niah into a time out. While she was in the time out her sister tried to cheer her up by showing Niah her own magic. Neither realized how different they really were from the rest of the world because they had each other. A few months after the fight the man betrayed their father and he apologized to Niah. The two became close after that.

Their father married, and they had a son. Niah liked her step-mother because she had never broken an Oath. Things were normal in their home that was until Dalisay disappeared one day when Niah was 12. Her father at that point explained that Niah was the daughter of a goddess and it was time for her to attend a special school in America. He gave her a letter from Niah's mother, the goddess of Oaths. With that making sense, Niah went to America. Her father had given her little direction, but it was through a series of incidences that Niah ended up at the Wolf House. Lupa put her through the usual testing and sent her to Camp Jupiter.

How Long Have They Been At Camp Jupiter: Niah had a hard time moving up from Probatio, while she had good lineage she was not the best at fighting and ended up earning her rank as Legionnaire by performing a great deed about three months before her first year was up. She was good at tactics and made a small name for herself in the games with that skill. She quickly became known as the Oath Keeper and was usually told to be present when someone was about to leave for a mission. Niah started witnessing all Oaths, it helped people remember how important the oaths were putting a face to it. With the new title of Oath Binder, she was also promoted to Centurion, it helped keep the lines of who was in charge better. Niah wasn't particularly excited about the change and for the most part deferres to her counterpart in the 2nd cohort.

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Additional Information

Theme Song: Promises I can't Keep - Mike Shinoda

Extra Information: See Andy's cs
I agree to follow the rules for this RP and understand that if I do not follow the rules, the GM or Co-GM may kick me out of this roleplay.

[User]
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☀ Nancy Parker ☀

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Location: San Fransisco - Amtrak Station
Skills: N/A

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 Nancy nodded, listening to Niah's recommendations. From what she had heard about Portland, it was weird. Weird tended to mean a place with loads of monsters in her experience, so she mentally prepared herself for a few fights to the death in that city. She knew next to nothing, on the other hand, about the Dakotas. They had just about no reputation, at least not that she was aware of. Apparently they were home to dragon lairs. Hopefully just the one. "Please don't jinx us, Mads," Nancy groaned, as Madalyne suggested it would be quick and easy. "And I hope we don't run into your mother... Don't some people go mad or something if they meet Trivia at a crossroads?" Nancy asked. She couldn't remember exactly what happened, but she knew that it was bad.

 She shifted slightly, squinting her eyes to try to get a better look at their surroundings in the harsh sunlight. She wondered briefly if her aunt had heard her prayers. Nancy doubted that they would be answered though. Her curse was hers to bear and likely couldn't be washed away. She wondered also if a god removing her gift of prophecy would offend her father, Apollo. Maybe he was sitting up there in the Sun Chariot, shaking his head at her. Did he know that she had prayed to Diana? Would he scold her?

[Assistant]
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Niah Bautista

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Location: San Fransisco - Amtrak Station
Skills: N/A

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Niah was glad she had found a route that took them as far away from Las Vegas as possible. Now Niah just had to hope that they would actually make it all the way to Fargo. It was step one. Though she doubted it would happen. Especially with Mads joking the way she was. At least it wasn't Nancy saying it. That felt like it could be even more dangerous. Sort of a 'Bard's tongue' curse. That was not something Nancy needed. Or any demi-god if Niah was honest with herself.

"I mean there is no way something won't happen. Thank you, for getting the tickets Mads. Was that all of our cash? Are we gonna starve now?" Niah asked half-joking. She was concerned they wouldn't have money for food, but if they could at least get to the Dakotas. From the Dakotas, they would need to figure where Mount Rushmore even was. A part of Niah hopped that it was in the Dakotas because she wondered if it was. She had thought it was on the East coast, but the Dakotas were in the middle of the country.

"This country is huge. How long is this train trip going to take?"

[User]
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Madalyne Crane

Location: Amtrak Station San Francisco
Skills: N/A

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Madalyne looked towards Nancy for a moment and nodded they could still simply run into a monster at any point while on the train ride from California to their final destination as well. And then mentioning her mother she gave a slight shrug, she had only met her once when she came to Camp Jupiter shortly after her visiting Lupa. "I only met her once, but yeah probably people have gone mad after seeing her. I haven't gone mad though, so that is something." She answered as Madalyne gave both Niah and Nancy their tickets.

"Yeah that's all of our money sadly. We could act like hoodlums and steal from people though which would be fun." She said jokingly as she rubbed the back of her neck, they wouldn't have any kind of money for food which would really suck. "I'd imagine it would take maybe a day or two at most, maybe shorter if there aren't any delays on the tracks." Madalyne said to Niah, she hadn't ridden any US trains before, but she did when she was younger before moving to the US. There was a bell sound going off, and she could see the train now coming over in the distance.

[Assistant]
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☀ Nancy Parker ☀

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Location: San Fransisco - Amtrak Station
Skills: Strategy

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 Maybe it would have been a good idea to get a child of Mercury to go with them on the quest - they were good at stealing. Of course, Nancy was rather skilled at sleight of hand. It was a skill she had unfortunately picked up on the Vegas Strip. "I can steal, don't worry," she informed her friends. Niah was probably too much of a rule following goody two shoes to steal anyways. Madalyne she doubted would have any issues with it, especially given her mother. From what she knew, Trivia tended to have a fast and loose moral code in comparison to the goddess of the Styx. It was only a day or two, according to Madalyne, so they wouldn't even need to steal that much.

 Nancy could probably even earn them food by singing - prophecy wasn't the only thing she had inherited from Apollo.

 "Oh, wotcher," she said, calling the others attention. She had been keeping an eye out at the station for any monsters, especially with how thick the Mist was in San Fransisco. A chill then ran down her spine. Look for trouble and ye shall find. A chimera, a monstrous creature with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. Practically every part of it was deadly. The snake's venom could kill with ease. The head was able to breathe fire. "Odds that it hasn't noticed us are... well, awful." She pulled her twin imperial gold daggers. Hopefully this fight wouldn't make them miss the train. They didn't have money for more tickets.


[System]
ABSTRACT: A painfully creative young woman that has a tendency to get along better with inanimate objects and materials than people.

APPEARANCE: Twenty-three years old, 5'8''. Pale with thick,short, wavy black hair that just touches her jawline. Dark eyes and a lean physique. Scars along her fingers and hands.

DETAIL:
History: Currently, she helps out at her Father's shop and maintains her own on the side. Lee works with precious stones and gems for the most part, polishing, cutting them and engraving them. She's very good with her hands, using her skills for a variety of jobs that range from decorating the hilts of weapons to cutting the smallest gems for jewelry. Her own shop has more to do with the art she creates with paints and her thread, trinkets she makes out of colored glass and sits out for people to see.
She rarely goes outside but if she does she tends to either spend the time alone of with her two younger twin brothers and teaching them about their surroundings or collecting materials for her new project. Her father is almost always busy and her mother passed away of an illness shortly after the twins were born, so she takes on the maternal role in their home.

Personality: Lee isn't against being with others or conversing with them but she is soft-spoken and worries too much about what people may think of her. She prefers to stay in her or her father's shop, singing to herself as she works through the day. While she's a hard worker she doesn't mind to throw the occasional afternoon away to just laze around under the warm sun. She's caring and fairly intelligent, but can be very protective when it comes to her family.

[User]
Gaius Stronurr

The Marketing District

 Not again. Not a god-damn chance. Nope. No way! "Get up. Eh, get up!" Gaius alarmed, stopping several yards before reaching the strewn path that lined the edge of Lee Silvertongue's stall, "We're not doing this again, Forrest. I seriously don't have time for this! I'm due for an audience with the king!" Despite his protests, Forrest did not budge and inch from his rag-doll. The stubborn thief had made his capture a chore. How annoying! Gaius had no intention of wasting anymore time on Forrest than he absolutely needed to, though. With his visor angled up towards a neighboring island, he let free an exasperated sigh and loosened his grip to allow Forrest his freedom. "I'm not dragging your sorry ass all the way through Heron today. Not that it would do you much good if I did, anyways. Keep away from Tiffany's stall, lest another one of my men end up running into you," Gaius parroted with his back turned to Forrest, like he had many times in the past. Although it was slightly different every time he hadn't the patience to put up with Forrest's tomfoolery, it always boiled down to the same message. 'you're wasting my valuable time. Don't get caught again. My guards aren't nearly as friendly as I am.' And it was true, to some extent. Although the royal guard wasn't overflowing with miscreants or ruthless savages, there were quite a few men who'd no sooner throw Forrest in prison for a few days despite his crimes being well-known throughout the candy shops, and considered mostly-harmless. Gaius traced the small outlines of a cloud in disarray and turned to face Forrest for a split second, assuming he hadn't already bolted upon release. With a small flick of his wrist, he was off, headed for the king's castle.

 Or at least he would've been, if he'd nearly been knocked over by a rogue glider, flying far too close to the ground. Gaius fell to his hands in a desperate panic, barely having any time to duck out of the glider's way. Hell, if it hadn't been for the pilot's swift change in momentum, he might have just lost his top. Or his helmet, at least. "Eh! Watch your altitude, kid!" Gaius bellowed at Eli, cupping the edges of his visor with both hands. Troublemakers everywhere. Why hadn't there been any guards watching for illegal fliers? Bah! He'd have to give his men in the nearby districts a stern talking to about the laws regarding safe gliding in populated areas again. It's not like they ever listened to him. Hell, most of what Gaius tried to relay to his guards and the citizens was brushed off as nothing more than nagging half the time. But regardless of how much impact it left, It was his responsibility to keep pressing into his peers. Obligations were not to be trifled with! That's what Gaius always said. Nobody listened to that either though.

 "At least you're not threatening to take somebody's head off, Forrest," Gaius quipped, clashing his metal gauntlets together to wipe off the dust on his hands, "if that day comes, I won't hesitate to throw you in jail myself! Ahaha!" He turned away from Forrest once again with a curt nod and a raise of the hand, heading to see the king, like he'd intended to all morning. He found himself following a few paces behind another man, visibly armed with a sword of foreign quality. It made his own weapon look like an artifact by comparison. Then again, Gaius' Claymore wasn't exactly the newest model, so to speak. Although it was large, larger than most weapons fit for melee combat, his sword was roughly ten years old. He couldn't stand to part with it, despite the many objections that the castle blacksmith howled into his iron carapace. It was a memento! How could he give up the sword that marked his entry into the royal guard all those years ago? He wouldn't give it up, not even for Blank's beautifully crafted weapon from beyond the borders of Heron! Gaius let out a heavy breath, smiling under his helmet as he passed Lee's shop. He turned and offered her a short wave with another flick of his wrist as he passed. "Mornin' Lee" He said softly, keeping on his way through the market at a steady pace.

[Assistant]
Rahna Altema

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Just like she did almost every early morning, she helped her mother grind up herbs and create salve mixtures to sell and use at the shop, or rather, it was more like a small clinic. It was by no means a large establishment, but it did the job for the local folk who just needed something simple for their illnesses and injuries. However, unlike the usual mornings, she needed to change the bandages on her arm. She recently got into a glider accident during a small race she was having with Eli. It seemed that she couldn't control the 'upgrade' that her bestie had done on her glider, a little faster than she was used to and harder to turn.

The wound stung as she applied the salve onto it, she winced as her mixture covered finger touched the long, thin cut that ran down her left forearm. She didn't blame Eli for this at all though, it was her own fault for accepting his impromptu race invitation. She almost never said no, she had so much fun when she played with him. Rahna slowly wrapped the clean bandages around her arm, tying it off with the help of her teeth. She didn't want to bother her mom about such things; running a shop was already stressful, not to mention all the small or big problems the patients had when they walked through the door.

Her eyes moved to the sound of the door opening downstairs, she could already tell who it was. Normally people would knock before entering, but there was one person who never did. And that was Eli, who called out for her the moment he popped his head through. She got up from her chair and gathered her belongings, shoving them into her satchel before slinging the strap over her shoulder. She quickly put her shoes on before dashing out of her room, vaulting over the stair handrail and landing almost perfectly on the timber flooring near the door. She looked up to see Eli's face, she smiled cheerfully at him. "Of course I'm here! Where else would I be so early in the morning~?" She responded in an amused tone. Just as she got up to go over to her friend, her mother came through the back door with a basket of what appeared to be more herbs. "Oh! Good morning Eli! Are you well? How's your sister doing?" She greeted jovially. In that moment, something clicked in Rahna's mind. Oh no. At full speed, she raced to the door, "U-Uh! Mom, we got some urgent stuff to do! Right Eli? Yeah! Let's go! We'll be back later!" She said loudly as she swung the door open, before grabbing Eli by the wrist, pulling him away from the door slightly. She shut the door behind her quickly before looking at Eli with a relieved look. "That was close." She said after a brief pause.

They would've been stuck there forever if she had let him respond to her mother. Conversations with Rahna's mother usually involved coming inside for cookies and tea, possibly lunch and then dinner. Stay the night there too, why not.

"So, what's up? Lemme guess, you wanna race again~?" She assumed in an amused tone, cocking an eyebrow him. Of course, she wouldn't be opposed to it, even if she did get injured the last time.

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[System]
A practical lady of the night who has decided it's time to move on.

Ask anyone in the lower quarter of Enn—Lily (although no one really believes that's her name) is a florist. A successful florist. A curiously successful florist, actually, for someone who lives in one of the poorest district in the city, where few people have to coin or the urge to buy the delicate blossoms she peddles. Occasionally, she'll take her wares to the upper districts and actually come home with an empty basket—but that's not really how she makes her livelihood, and everyone knows it.

Almost six years ago, times were tough on the docks of Enn—there was little work, all of it backbreaking, and much too difficult for Lily's widow father or her three younger sisters to keep up for long. For months, as the family got closer and closer to starving, Lily tried to find work for herself, and took any and all jobs to keep the family afloat. Every once in a while, though, she'd dream of leaving the city and finding adventure and riches—but she'd never abandon her family like that.

One day, some rich merchant's boy offered her an entire silver piece for a drunken kiss, and she had her 'eureka' moment.

Things quickly escalated, and these days she's making enough to support herself, her father, and her sisters—all three of whom now have lives of their own, in Enn and in other cities, all of which Lily paid for. The youngest is studying at the Royal University, the next oldest works for a seamstress in the next city over, and the second oldest lives on one of the outlying farms as a stablehand. Their room and board, their food, their tuition, father's medicine—all of it, bought on Lily's dime, and she doesn't mind one jot. As far as she's concerned, once she crossed the line, she might as well do the best she can. 'Shameless' is an understatement—she's actually very proud of how far her family's come.

These days, though, things are not as good as they were a year ago, even if her sisters are largely supporting themselves now. Her father's wasting sickness has only gotten worse, and even with more and more coin going towards his care, his condition declined. Rapidly. With all her experience, she could see what was coming plain as day, but refused to believe it.

She saw the notice calling for Traveller's companions on a Saturday. Her father died on Tuesday. Today is Thursday, and she'll be at the east gates with all she owns at the crack of dawn. There's nothing left for her to do in this city now—time to find those adventures she's been dreaming of.

[User]
The moment Spook explained the epidemic that had apparently spread to these felidrakes, Lily's let loose a long-suffering sigh. For just a moment, she sagged, her head bowing between her shoulders—and then she was standing and brushing off her hands, fast enough the moment of exhaustion might have just been a trick of the light, shoulders back and chin high.

"Thank you, Spook," she said pleasantly, turning away with one last glance at the innocently grassy earth where the magic circle had lain just moments before. She planted her hands on her hips, nodding to the Traveller. "It is quite nice to know what's going on, for once. However, it's also nice to give the little critters a chance, no?" Personally, once the full scope of the problem was revealed, Lily was more willing to listen to Spook, as long as he had a good reason—the felidrakes were cute, but a handful of beasts was nothing compared to cities full of fathers and daughters and aunts and grandmothers.

Lily moved briskly to grab her pack from where she'd set it when Spook called for volunteers at the circle, resettling it on her shoulders and giving one last brush off to her knees. She was quiet—her movements signified her deferral to Spook's leadership well enough, and anyway, she didn't trust herself to speak further for now.

If the surrounding cities had been wiped out by disease, what had happened to her sisters?

[Assistant]
Spook tipped his head at Alex; there were four other cages besides the one now attached to Alex's rucksack, all of which contained ratty, yowling felidrakes. They hissed and clawed at the corners and slammed their leathery wings against the bars with a clanging noise.

Behind them, the Temple of Spring Whistling echoed a beautiful chord.

"We'll manage well enough," Spook said pleasantly, and he reached out a gloved hand, offering to carry a cage himself.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Spook answered, though with an air of skepticism, as if he were smiling stiffly through the words. "I admit, I've been chasing infected potentials for so long that sometimes I forget just that." He watched her a moment. "But I can help you find the person you're concerned for."

Spook had barely taken hold of the cage when a whistle raised his head. The glassy eyes of his mask stared through her for awhile -- or rather, he watched the dreams that whirled around her head, through the magus lenses in his mask.

"You weren't here when I told everyone that it's impossible to tell now whether the felidrake has been infected," he called to her at the back of the group. "There is no blood test, no spell, no examination that could tell the difference between a healthy animal and an infected one -- until it begins to show symptoms, at which point it is imperative it is destroyed as quickly as possible." He spoke more quickly than he had before, his posture straighter -- though it was unclear whether he had shaken a facade or was putting one on. The smile showed through the sound of his voice.

Spook lifted the cage in his hand. "It'll go into a trance, stop eating, and its eyes will glaze over. Then, black crystals grow on its skin, usually behind the ears or under the chin. In half a day, the entire body will be consumed by crystals. When the body dies, the crystals dissolve in the air and infect anyone and anything that surrounds it. Even if the host is killed before the crystals form -- even if the body is burned -- the chance is still too great that the remains will cause further infection."

The felidrake in Meryn's hands stretched its wings and yawned.

Spook laughed quietly. "I've never been much for monologues. Here." With his free hand he reached into his inside jacket pocket and took out three folded sheets of paper. He handed one each to Alex, Lily, Meryn and Emma. On each of the pages was a different circular, geometric sigil.

"Use these in an emergency," was all he said about them, before he turned and began walking down the ruined road, away from the city of Enn. "If we're to get anything done, I suppose we'll take the felidrakes to the Lady of the Lake," he called back to them, even as his back was turned. "This way."

Ahead, the forest was thicker, and the road had been broken and overgrown so well by the intruding woods that very little of it was left. The statues still peeked through moss and vines, watching with grinning faces from beneath fallen rotting trees. Soon, the chorus of whistling and the tinkle of bells would be gone, replaced only by thick trees and quiet shadows.

[User]
Meryn's expression morphed from wary to frightful as Spook fully explained the situation – and the risks. She looked from the yowling felidrakes in the cages, to the one Alex was carrying, and finally to the little devil in her hands. If what Spook said was true (and that was a big if, in Meryn's opinion – she still didn't trust the Traveller a lick) then these creatures were little more than ticking time bombs. Her mind flashed through the people of Enn. Familiar faces appeared behind her eyes, people Meryn had never been close to – and some who'd been less than kind to her – but still undeniable threads in the fabric of her life. She thought of those people, kind, cruel, mothers, sons, friends… were they really in such danger?

She was snatched out of her thoughts when Spook pushed a paper into her hand. A sigil, circular and precise, was drawn on it. Meryn raised an eyebrow at Spook to see him giving similar papers to Alex and Lily. And of course, no actual explanation about them was given.

'Use these in an emergency,' he said. Meryn couldn't help the exasperated huff of air that escaped her. Nothing on what they did or what counted as an emergency. She rolled her eyes and slipped the paper into her bag. But there was an undercurrent of nervousness – or excitement – under her annoyance.

Meryn looked to Lily and Alex before stepping forward, after Spook.

[Assistant]
The path they walked was old and deep; it wound between ancient trees and under dark canopies filled with chattering and rustling. There was barely room to walk single-file between the thick brush and mossy trunks and fallen trees and boulders knotted with vines. Strange insects buzzed, bright butterflies fluttered among hanging tendrils of flowers overhead.

The felidrakes all went quiet and curled into frightened balls of fluff and scales.

Spook slowly closed his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

humans trespassing.

A chorus of flutelike whispers hissed in the air around the travelers. The woods were stifled, quiet and dark.

they burn us.

Something lithe and dark shifted among the leaves. It clung to the tree with graceful limbs, watching them with silver eyes.

they break us.

Something thin and sinister skittered down the trunk of a tree. Its eyes flashed, and it giggled hollowly.

we will burn them.

Leaves rustled all around them. Eyes shimmered in the shadows -- hundreds of silver eyes, swaying and blinking in the darkness.

Ahead, the end of the path was clear: beyond the next bend of the road, the forest ended abruptly and the path continued into a sunny flatland. They just had to break into a run, and within a few moments would be free of the woods and the whispers.

we will break them.

It all happened so fast.

Spook turned, his sword half-pulled from the scabbard, as a child-shaped, wood-skinned creature leaped like a spider upon him. Spook thrust the blade clean through its chest, but the thing clung to him like a parasite, pressed a splintered hand against his mask and engulfed his head in living, churning wood that erupted from the creature's arm.

Spook -- blinded, suffocating and off-balance -- tore at the creature in a fruitless attempt to shove it off of him, but the thing was fastened tightly. The creature shoved a splinter into his chest, and Spook reeled backward and slammed into a boulder like a ragdoll.

The path to the open plain was clear.

Whispers hissed all around them, and a swarm of creatures scrabbled closer.

they burn us.

they break us.

we will burn them.

we will break them.


[System]
Tattooed... by Thomas Leuthard, on Flickr
ABSTRACT: Talented robotics mechanic by day; party animal by night

DETAIL: Katrina (Kat for short) has done her fair share of hard work. Growing up as the youngest of four, it was always hard work to get her parents to dedicate any of the limited time they had outside managing the family repair shop to her. It was hard work having to acknowledge that if the shop was going to survive the next generation, she was going to have to step up in place of her lazy siblings and study to be a top-class mechanic. It was hard work jumping through hoop after hoop, test after test, to get her qualifications. And now, after Kat's mother has taken sick and passed the position of head mechanic at the shop to her in the meantime… It turns out that's pretty hard work too.

As if to make up for the hours of exhausting effort which Kat puts into her work as a mechanic (which, despite her protestations, she genuinely enjoys), Kat also plays hard. She can drink a formidable amount of alcohol, regularly goes days without sleeping (in fact, just don't ask how much sleep she gets- it's a little scary) and is rarely seen without trendy tech-specs which keep her constantly hooked up to social media.

Now in her mid-twenties, Kat has managed to establish herself a solid reputation as a all-round mechanic (and socialite), but her talent particularly lies in more intricate robotics repair. Since shop is a family business she intends to run one day, Kat has tried to gain as broad an understanding of areas related to her work as possible (e.g. she can adequately program, and since she often works on bionic body parts she even knows a little biology). Kat's near-obsessive focus on her vocation and going out has been to the detriment of pretty much everything else (her parents are hoping she marries an accountant, as Kat is hopeless with money)- when faced with the unfamiliar, Kat tends to try and solve problems by relating them to mechanics (this can lead to some very odd analogies). Never ask her to cook.

Outgoing and loud, Kat has never found it hard to make friends, but given how she never really has "downtime"- always either working at the shop or on some wild night out- she finds it hard to form deep bonds with other people. Although she thinks they are layabouts, the only people she is close to are her siblings (two older brothers and a sister). Today is a rare day off, as it is her sister's birthday, and to celebrate their parents have given the Meyer siblings tickets for a tour of the top of the wall. Little does she know that, (incorrectly) anticipating their youngest sister will be so hungover the morning of her day off she would be late, the time to meet they gave Kat was an hour earlier than the actual planned meeting time...

MAGICAL INVENTORY: Katrina has tattoos of three sigils, all relating to her work:

A sigil of light is tattooed onto the palm of her right hand (Kat is left-handed) which produces enough light up any nooks and crannies in something she is working on.

The forefinger on her left hand has a sigil of heat tattooed at the tip- she wears a ring on that finger onto which she can screw two augments which allow her to utilise this heat for her work- either a pointed metal cover for the tip of her finger which heats up enough to act as a soldering iron, or a thermocutter attachment which heats enough to melt through plastic of a medium thickness. Without the augments, the heat produced by the sigil can still cause a nasty, albiet small, burn.

Finally, circular sigils of magnification are tattooed along the side of both her thumb and forefinger which form circles when her hands make an "ok" motion- looking through this allows her to zoom in on intricate work.

[User]
The world pulsated and roared around Moth. The sound came to him from a great distance, a dull throb from somewhere out of focus. All he could see was an inky black, like an ocean that never saw sunlight. Sounds coalesced around him, the rhythmic shouts and screams of people scattering around him.

He opened his eyes. Light assaulted him and made him groan. At least, he thought he groaned. It was hard to tell if he was even still alive, or if his soul was experiencing things apart from his body. Ah, okay, yes he was alive. There was pain. A lot of it.

Shapes appeared next, slowly running together into tangible forms and colors. Moth peeled himself off the ground and pushed himself to his elbows and looked around. Behind him, a statue he hadn't noticed before was pointing over the Wall and had its mouth open in mid-shout. The foreman. Forewoman.

"Wh...wh..."

An explosion of light and sound flashed in his mind. Moth remembered. A tremendous light had shot to the sky from somewhere out in the fields. The woman shouted something to her workers, and then there was a sound like thunder and it all went black.

"MWAAP MWOORP MWAP MURRP MAARP!"

He tried to shake the ringing from his ears as he jerkily pulled himself to his feet. There was too much noise, too much sound and roaring and banging and...

Okay, THAT he heard. Moth raised his head and looked around, some things still out of focus. The sky to the south was black. There was no twilight inbetween, just an abrupt break from day to night, directly overhead. Head still pounding, the world still swimming around him, Moth turned and walked unsteadily to the light, towards the sounds of shouting.

[Assistant]
BOOM

Maria's head whipped towards the diamond mine, even as her body wobbled from the force of the noise. "What on earth...?" She held her breath unconsciously as she saw the electrical explosion over the mine. In that moment, it seemed, everything was quiet; everyone had, like her, stopped and turned to look at this oddity, this phenomenon that should not be. A silent explosion, a flicker like someone fumbling the light switch, a second, two. Maria was just starting to relax when-

kkkzzzzKA-BOOOOOOM
"SOUND THE ALARM!"

Holy shit what was that

Suddenly, utter chaos. Alarms were blaring, tolling, beeping everywhere, people were screaming about God-knew-what, and Dazz was yelling at everyone to get inside the wall. Maria wasted no time in sprinting to the nearest shelter, which was a seemingly-defunct trolley that had been taken up and was in the process of being repaired, where she was shortly joined by a young boy; apparently a construction worker, he couldn't have been more than a year older than her. They sat there for a bit, panting together, before the boy asked "D'you think we're safe in here?"

Maria answered with a shrug and an "I hope so."

k-CRACK

Then, naturally, the sky chose that time to split in two.

Maria and the boy rushed to one of the trolley walls, gawking at the split. The world seemed to have gone quiet; there was only the two of them, the trolley, the split sky, and the intruding cold wind.

CRACK

As a huge bolt of lightning struck the Queen's tower, sound returned in a rush, as did the various bolts of lightning rushing around the city, seemingly striking its inhabitants at random. Maria could hear their screams from her vantage point. All she could think was Oh, God, please let Mom and Dad be safe. Please, God, I'm begging you...

Her prayer was interrupted by the boy she was with roughly shoving her out of the way, and before Maria could register what was happening, the boy had turned to stone, a small pink jewel floating just in front of his chest.

Maria was stunned briefly, before working out what had happened. He must have seen the lightning bolt somehow... But what kind of lightning turns people to stone? And how did it even get in here? Did it curve somehow? Her musings were overridden by one specific, instinctive thought.

This place isn't safe. I need to leave.

She got up quickly and was about to dash out of the trolley when her conscience got the better of her, and she walked back to the boy. His arms were outstretched, and his face bore a look of determination and fright. Maria patted his shoulder and said "Thank you" with all the sincerity she could muster. She carefully took the small crystal floating in front of him and placed it in a pocket of her jacket where she was confident it would be safe.

Wait - the statue of the boy... did it just wink at her?

Maria shook her head; this was no time for distraction. She rushed outside and looked for other survivors. Seeing a trolley with a group of people in it, Maria sprinted towards them as fast as her legs could carry her. She passed a young man who wasn't walking so much as shambling his way there; if he kept up that pace, who knew what could happen to him? Maria reversed course a bit and grabbed his hand, trying to yank him towards the trolley. "C'mon, we have to go right now! God knows what could happen to us if we stay here!"

[User] Flor had made it to the trolley and now the old man had sprung into action to get the old thing to work. He started barking orders that Flor took in very carefully. As he ordered Flor and Ethan their two tasks he froze for a moment not sure which one to react to. Flor heard Ethan's order, but didn't really acknowledge it. He just acted. He instantly sprinted out of the trolley looking for people that needed help to the trolley. One couple was already headed towards the trolley and entered as he exited. He searched around frantically but just saw a lot of statues with those crystals. He noticed a few people taking the crystals. Maybe those were necessary to bring the people back. As Flor was running through the statues grabbing all the crystals he could he noticed something moving. It was another couple. Some tech nerd was shambling towards the trolley rather slowly, while some woman tried to help him. Flor pocketed another crystal he just grabbed and ran over to them. "Come on! We've gotta move!" He put an arm around the man's waist and another around the woman's. He fired off his boots, propelling the both of them toward the trolley. They rolled inside of it just as the doors shut behind them. "We're good! That's all we're going to get for now. Do what you need to do." His comment was intended for the old man, but went out to any that would hear it.

[Assistant]
Breathe. Just breathe. Worrying about them isn't going to do anything right now.

Shaking her head softly, Katrina looked around at the trolley they had bundled into. It was a rickety old thing, the rust and wear showing clear signs of poor maintenance. However, the original design had been sound; it would hold up for at least a couple more rides by Kat's reckoning.

She'd notice Vincent grabbing one of those small pink glowing orbs from Randy as they headed over, but had decided not to ask why or what the orb was. Eerily (to Kat, anyway, who was still trying not to panic about her family down in the city), Vincent seemed to be smiling to himself.

It must be the shock. I'll let him deal with it in his own time.

Meanwhile, there was the matter of the others on board. One was a tall muscled man, with severe sharp looking facial features and a military coat. The man in a dark brown hooded robe and safety harness who'd grabbed the supervisor's pink orb from earlier was there too, as well as a younger blonde guy with tousled blonde hair. Noting that the tall muscled man was by the brake, and the (completely shot, Kat could tell even from a distance) motor was in the hands of the blonde gentlemen. So just need to throw the brake and down we go.
What about the other people up on the wall? Are we just going to leave them behind?

Looking about her, Kat noticed a reel of steel cabling lying just outside on the wall near the trolley. If we could tie one end of this to the trolley, and leave one end up on the wall… It would take someone strong or several people, but they could pull it back to them. Her only worry was that it wasn't clear how long the reel would last. Well, we don't have to tie it to the cable car until we reach the other platform.

Kat suddenly hopped out the trolley, grabbing one end of the cable and tying it tightly to a nearby water pump. I hope that's sturdy enough. Ensuring that the reel was in a good position to unwind itself as they descended, Kat jumped back in the trolley holding the other end of the cable. is it long enough? Yeah, I think so. Maybe.Turning around, she quickly threaded the cable through one of the windows of the trolley.

Now I just need something heavy to tie this to-

As she started to think this, she heard a shout and saw a strange amalgamation of people charging towards the entrance of the trolley. Moving out of the way just in time, a man bowled through the doors of the trolley propelled by some kind of rocket boots, taking with him a young woman and nerdy-looking man. The doors swung shut behind them.

The rocket-boots man seemed to be addressing the middle-aged man and blonde guy. Inspiration suddenly struck Kat as she saw the blonde man was holding the motor he had just wrenched off the trolley.

"Hey… any chance you can pass that motor down here? I'm thinking if there's anyone still up there, they could use this cable to pull the trolley up to them . The motor'd be a kind of anchor till we reach the next platform."

Holding the cable was a bad option- if the cable wasn't long enough the impact as it ran out would probably be enough to dislocate an arm if they were moving fast enough. For the same reason, tying it to the trolley could cause it to destabilise if the cable ran out too soon. If she tied it to the motor, the reel would continue to unwind, and although if the cable ran out too soon the motor would be sent flying out of a window, it was probably safer than the other alternative.

Still, if they set off without tying her end of the cable to the motor, Kat resolved to hold onto it for as long as she dared. Despite how desperate she felt about saving her siblings, she had to at least try to do something for the people still left on the wall.


[System]
Age: 23
The son of Oberjarl Efraim Volsung, the current elected leader of all five of Noxus's five jarldoms. Direct heir, and the only son of Efraim, Aulfr is a common and important face around Askitorp, or the "Ash Town." During the training of the next generation of the Noxus chilluns, starting at age 8, Aulfr quickly excelled, both because he was part of the Volsung family, known for appearing 'weaker,' than the other jarls and warriors, because they're generally look more foreign than the usual hulking Noxun warrior, but they're almost as strong, and twice as fast and cunning. Aulfr has a reputation- people he's been in a fight with generally don't get up in the same day, or within the same three days. People tread lightly around Aulfr.

[User]
Aulfr watched her leave, not entirely sure what to say or do. He didn't let that show, of course, but it was still a conundrum that he didn't like. At least Aleksandra knew what she did wrong. And, frankly, he disagreed with part of her statement, but he'll remedy that later.

Either way, he was left rather abruptly alone in the room. He rocked back and forth on his heels, not having anything to do for the time being. The assassins-in-training were dismissed, his soldiers were dismissed, he didn't want to retreat to his room like usual, in case Aleksandra had taken refuge there.

Well, shite.

SOME TIME LAAAATER!

Aulfr stalked down the hallways, searching for... Ah! Yes!

Retrieving one of the black keys from his belt, he inserted it into the thick ironwood door's lock. Loud thunks signalled its lock state, and he pushed the heavy open door open with shoulder and arm.

Having entered the room, he glanced around, his mood sombering up. It was somber to begin with, but this...

This was all his mother's old stuff.

He sat on his mother's favorite armchair, and stared at the wall opposite.

It was a dark wall.

Barely any light spilled into the room.

But it was enough.

So he sat, and thought. He thought about his course so far, his planned course in the future. He thought about his former family- his father isn't really his father anymore, after all. His mother is gone.

What would his mother have done?

The sad part was, he didn't remember enough of his mother to know the answer to that.

[Assistant]
A little over two weeks passed. Aleksandra slowly distanced herself from Aulfr, fearful that growing any closer to him would weaken her resolve. She needed to be as strong as possible when the time came to face her brothers. Not only that, but she couldn't let herself be distracted by Aulfr any more than she already was. Such a preoccupied mind could get her killed out in the city if she let her guard down.

She didn't pull away from him completely. But she rarely adopted her playful attitude, or teased him. She kissed him only briefly, and only every so often. In the mornings, she would untangle herself from him long before he woke and train with the men in the courtyard and run drills with her maid assassins.

Aulfr seemed to grow distant from her as well, almost distracted. A tension was building in the air, something that promised to burst soon, and it felt like it wouldn't be a very quiet ordeal. He was planning something big. She just ignored it, knowing he'd tell her what it was soon enough. So she kept to her training. A few hunts in the city came and went, as did the death of another rival jarl who had openly admitted to having sent an assassin to Aulfr. And the assassination attempts were growing in number. One every other day at least. It seemed to her that the Oberjarl was growing desperate.

[User]
Aulfr sat in his thinking chair, as he now called it, and stared out the broken glass of his beloved overlooking window. Unfortunately, one of the damned assassins decided to make a flashy entrance and break through the glass, roll into the room, and try throwing daggers at him and Aleksandra. Fortunately, Aleksandra is badass and killed him before he finished his roll.

But the asshole didn't replace his goddamn window. He loved the hell out of the window.

Yeah, the jarl that sent him is dead. Very dead.

He also needed to speak with his assassin, his distant friend. He rather missed her, even if he had been quite preoccupied lately. It was here he sat, when he heard the door open and close behind him, Aleksandra entering the room. Presumably, she had just gotten back from her morning training; it was not too terribly hard to smell her, even if he didn't mind the somewhat foul smell of sweat. Sweat means hard work and effort, after all.

Standing up, he stared at the broken glass for a moment before turning around to face Aleksandra.

"Ah, good, you're back. The next feast is the day after tomorrow. And we're making our move. My guardsmen are all assigned to the proper positions; I'm going to be challenging my father for Oberjarl, that day. I'll be fighting this, and you're going to be keeping anyone from interfering. My men are going to be doing the same thing, but I need you to really keep an eye on everyone. Make sure none of the jarls rallies anyone, or tries to make a move. I'd rather not have to replace any more; as it is, we're actually too low on jarls. Any more, and we'll start having too few people controlling too much."

He gave her a sort-of smile. He was nervous; tense. This was what the past few years have been coming down to.

"Your maids, assassins in training, they'll be the maids of the event. They'll not be killing anyone, I just need them there so that they keep an eye on everyone both before and during my challenge."

[Assistant]
Aleksandra, still soaked in sweat from her most recent training session- with Thorik, the cheeky fighter who'd won a kiss from her during their first spar- didn't even realize that Aulfr was in their room as she started plodding past, headed for the bath chamber. She almost jumped in fright when she heard his voice behind her, and already had a dagger out, even if it was somewhat halfhearted. She was exhausted and she recognized his voice immediately. She sighed and sheathed her weapon, turning fully to listen to him.

She blinked in surprise as he delivered the news. So it was finally happening. After two months of murdering and scraping and suffering through the ridiculous 'feasts', Aulfr was making a move for the throne. Well, good. She was tired of dodging assassins left and right. Now she knew how annoying her kind could be.

Her girls weren't anywhere near ready for fighting, but their acting was coming along nicely. If anyone tried to do something dodgy, the girls would find some way to cause a scene and make some distractions. And Aleksandra could now fend off four of Aulfr's specially trained fighters for nearly ten minutes at this point, so anyone trying to get past her would have quite a bad day. And so would the servant made to clean up her mess afterwards.

"I don't mean to pass judgment on your skills. I know you're an expert warrior, but what happens if the fight starts to turn? Your father won't hesitate to kill you, and I..." She paused, cast her gaze to the floor, and swallowed her pride. "I don't think I could bear to lose you should this end badly." She crossed her arms over her chest and met his gaze, her expression set in stone. "What should I do if the battle shifts too far in the Oberjarl's favor?"

[User]
Aulfr took the several steps over to his assassin, gently laying both hands on her shoulders. She had a valid point; he might not do as well as he expected. He didn't even expect the challenge to be the most difficult thing about all this- but the Oberjarl knew he was making his move soon. Of course he'd be as ready as he possibly could- and an Oberjarl would try very hard indeed to keep his position.

"A valid point, my friend. I might've underestimated my father had it not been for this. I will not lose, though. Either I win and everything goes to plan, or I lose and it's all over. You'd be released from your contract, to do whatever you wish. I... I don't know how to guarantee my safety, and the success of the plan. I will not eat or drink anything in the feast- something might be poisoned. And I will fight him as soon as possible. But you will not intervene. If I kill the Oberjarl with help, I would not be Oberjarl. I would be, in name, but not in respect."

He shook his head, and sighed heavily. So this is what it felt like to have a loved one worrying over you, and oneself worrying over their worry. It was all very confusing, wasn't it? He almost wished he had never met her. Almost.

"Stay strong, Aleksandra. We'll be fine, you'll see."

He removed his hands from her shoulder, and replied to her last question.

"If the battle shifts to the Oberjarl's, then wait and see. If I die, am ended, then you're free to go. You are one of my closest allies, and a direct threat- if I am no longer in any sort of power, then you will be one of the first he wants to end."

[Assistant]
Aleksandra listened, her heart growing heavier in her chest. She had tried not to worry about him, but it was an impossible feeling to rid herself of. And she knew it would only grow worse over the next two days. This was going to distract her. But for the next two days, she reasoned, if she let herself feel it she could put it away during the feast. It wasn't good to keep things in for too long.

So as his hands slid from her shoulders, she caught them and slowly, not meeting his gaze, twined her fingers through his. She could worry over him and give him her strength for these few days. She could be all his support if he needed it.

"I'll be your castle walls, Aulfr. No one will get past me, should they even dare to try." There was a new look in her eye, a tone to her voice that she'd never used with him before. A sort of crazed determination that she usually reserved only for hunts, when she was out for blood. "And by all your gods and the Saints above, I'll see you sitting at the head of the table at the next 'feast', even if the heads of your enemies are lying at your feet when the time comes."

She raised his hands to her lips and pressed a firm kiss to his fingers, then let go. And then she went to take a bath.

[User]
Aulfr stared after Aleksandra, unsure of what she was doing. It wasn't everyday that she said something so serious, so… personal? They often talked about other things, usually relating to death in one way or another, but their affection was generally physical.

It lit both warmth and unease in his belly, and the very fact of it set him at even more unease.

Watching her recede into the bathroom, he turned to something more immediate, more material, and much simpler. Striding over to his wardrobe, he threw it open and stared at his assorted weapons collection. Reaching in, he withdrew the one thing that really drew Aleksandra's interest- the khopesh.

Holding it in his hand, he studied it. A sword whose purpose was primarily offense- it would suit him, since he did not usually go on the defensive. His opponents never had time to force him to the defensive, not when he would press them as much as possible. A good swordsman could bide their time and wait for him to tire out, and many have attempted to do just that- but they usually found their throat held at the tip of his sword before they saw a proper, exploitable opening.

Fitting the khopesh to his hand and swinging it a little, he decided he'd use it. And, of course, Aleksandra is going to help him. The khopesh is not his usual specialty, and will be plenty enough to throw his father off guard.

So, khopesh in hand, he strolled over to his bed and flopped down, waiting for his partner to finish with her self-cleaning.

[Assistant]
Ever since her performance at the ball, the way the servants reacted to her commands had changed. So when she asked for a hot bath, they responded immediately, as if forgetting that she were lower in the hierarchy than even themselves. Ten minutes later, she was filling the stone bowl in the floor with warm water and shucking off her clothes. She went through her daily routine, scrubbing off the dead skin and sweat, cleaning her hair with the soaps she'd bought and then combing it out, before she drained and refilled the tub so she could soak away the aches and pains of the day.

Her mind was calm. She worried for Aulfr, but ultimately she realized he would succeed and take his rightful place upon the throne. Even if she had to make it happen. She could not live as a slave much longer. Even if Aulfr didn't often point out his hold on her, she felt it. Every time she had to return to their chambers, sleep in his bed, have no personal space of her own. Every time he ordered her to kill this jarl, intimidate that one. It wore on her, and she wanted that invisible leash gone.

She spent a long time in the bath, until the water grew too chilly and her hair had mostly dried. She finally dragged herself out and pulled on the outfit she'd prepared, a pair of trousers and one of Aulfr's tunics. She braided back her damp hair and padded out of the bathroom, tired enough that she didn't notice the khopesh in Aulfr's hands until she'd flopped down on the bed. She raised an eyebrow.

"Your father uses a sword or an axe, does he not? Perhaps you should practice with someone capable of doing the same. Otherwise you won't be prepared for that fight. Or would you like to fight me using your normal weapons while I use the khopesh? That way, you can get a feel for how your father might defend himself against you."


[System]
Class: Discipline Priest

Age: 27

Sex: Female

Race: Human

Gear:
weapon:

History: Witty, brash and carrying a world-weary sophistication about her, Alina is something of an anomaly in the eyes of the followers of the light. However, she has slowly risen to become a renowned Priest in the eyes of Stormwind...

Her early adolescent days were spent living in alley ways, stealing what she needed to survive from day to day in Stormwind. It was this lifestyle that led her to crossing paths with a Priest, only due to how she attempted to pickpocket him. It did not take the Priest long to sense Alina's affinity for the light, and offered to take her to the Church of the Holy Light so that she could gain a better understanding with the powers that were dormant inside her. However, her studies did not only consist of light, nor darkness, but rather, a mix. Her instructor understood that light cast shadows, and that darkness is defined by light. True discipline came from one's ability to balance these forces. And with this balanced teaching, Alina was able to grasp that the light is something that can be used effectively if she is doing what she believes is right, and so she doesn't act graceful despite being a priest.

However, Alina has an undeniable appreciation of the Church of the Holy Light, and though she may often question the teachings of them, her optimism combined with never-ending desire to prevent mass destruction makes her a valuable ally.

Why are you joining up with the Wardens: She wants to take action in the fight against the legion, and this was the perfect excuse to do so. She wants to use the teachings that she has learned and applied on several occasions for a greater good. Whether that is by afflicting minds or healing wounds, she has a vast arsenal of spells that she isn't afraid to use.

[User]
"Be wary! A demon of similar power killed Tirion Fordring!"

Eantu narrowed his eyes and let a growl escape his throat as the Fel-guard's weapon that had been thrown at the demon was sent flying away by the shock-wave. So, this was a demon that was close in power to the one that had killed Fordring? He might not be able to kill the same one that had taken the life of Tirion, but he figured the death of the doom guard would balance out the universe a little bit, if not the battlefield they fought on now. Still, one less demon was always a good thing in his eyes.

"I'm out of explosive arrows, someone take the tower down by any means nessescary!" Eantu smiled a grim smile as he continued to channel the power of the light through his own cracked sword. The sword was glowing brightly now as Eantu took careful aim at the tower with the brightly glowing sword.

"Ready when you are." He called to Nesalla.

[Assistant]
Rina threw more ice chains around the Doom Lord' feet, in the hope that it would prevent him - from smashing them into the ground again. There was a certain naturality, to having big giants tripping on their own weight.

"I will keep the Doom Lord busy! Get to it, Paladin!" spoke Rina to Eantu, she then started freezing the feet of the Doom Lord - pouring much runic power into her ice powers.

She was trying to prevent the demon from smashing them apart again - it would give some satisfaction for herself, as they could take down this certain type of demon. Payback indeed, Fordring wasn't spoken much - yet he was respected, for his help in freeing the Death Knights from the Lich King' control. So it was action well spent on this.

[User]
Alina immediately regretted her positioning when the shockwave was sent, feeling as if she had gotten to close, or perhaps it was how she was rather frail physically that had her getting sent a reasonable distance away. It took her a second to realize that what she saw in front of her was not the ground, but rather the sky, felbats swooping in various directions and causing the Priestess to hastily push herself to a kneel in hopes of recuperating. As she kneel there, regaining her composure, she stared at the battlefield ahead attempting to find a solution to the problem. She knew her own light spells were having little if no effect, and it frustrated her... Just like how the forsaken was frustrating her when Alina realized she had made her way to the fray with little to no plan except cause havoc. Sure, she was slaying demons left and right, but perhaps her own prejudices were clouding her judgement.

Though, thoughts of the monk were interrupted when she heard some sort of whistle, looking over in the direction and following the pointing to the tower. For a brief moment Alina was confused as she stared at it until she began to notice their rather rough shape and location. It was then that she heard someone shout to take it down by any means necessary, and immediately realized the plan. Taking another look at the battlefield, some were going after the demon, however this time it would most likely be a distraction. Turning to her Alliance Paladin, she noticed that he was channeling the light into his sword, and she rushed to his side.

Upon arriving next to him, she allowed her own light to manifest itself into a barrier in their small area, protecting them from outer attacks so that they could better charge their light.
"That should help us focus on getting this done right." She told him, this time channeling the light into herself, her hands glowing brightly as she awaited for the word for when to lower her barrier.

[Assistant]
Thalion Runescar

The Demon Lord raised one giant hoof just as Thalion turned to gaze upon it. Like the priestess, he was too close to avoid being hit by it. So instead he went with it completely. As the demons limb struck the ground, Thalion jumped backwards with the blastwave and flew a great distance before unexpectedly colliding with something large and solid. Very solid. Had it not been for the padding on his leather armor, or the metal in the helmet, the rogue might very well have cracked something important. Still, disoriented and dizzy, he could only stare at the others pointing in his direction as the world began to focus a little bit more every time he blinked.

"I'm out of explosive arrows, someone take the tower down by any means nessescary!"

Thalion glanced behind him at what he'd struck. Realization hit him almost as hard as the tower had..

"I gotta start looking before I leap..." He mumbled below his breathe.

Reaching into his pouch of holding on his hip, Thalion pulled out 3 small circular objects with a long fuse attached to each one. The Uncrowned in Dalaran had called them sticky bombs, as they stuck rather well to any surface before making a very loud BANG, usually to the dismay of whatever he attached them to. Shaking away the dizziness he rose to his feet and slapped all 3 of the small but powerful explosives the side of the tower before waving frantically at the group. If even one of them could strike the cluster even slightly, they would all go off and the tower would fall.
One sword in hand, the other laying close by on the ground, the rogue took a short job away from the bombs he had planted and over to his fallen blade. A peculiar sight caught his eye as he bent down to pick it up though. Her laughter was infectious, if ill timed, but the image of the forsaken monk riding a wounded Felhound brought the ghost of a smile to Thalions normally unexpressive face. Despite the grimness of the battlefield and likely a good chance of untimely death, he again reached into his pouch and threw what he grabbed.
His aim was spot on as the thin glass vial shattered in the snapping maw of the Felhound who greedily swallowed and chewed even as the shards cut its tongue and throat. The healing drought he made was replenishing its vitality faster than the glass could cause harm.
The result would be a very angry Felhound and a much, MUCH, angrier ride.

[User]
As Eantu continued to channel the light into his sword, the odd sight of the Forsaken Monk riding a wounded Felhound through the battlefield commanded his gaze for a moment before he shook his head and continued on his task. No. Not saying anything. Just let it go. He thought to himself as the priest created a barrier around Eantu and herself.

"I will keep the Doom Lord busy! Get to it, Paladin!"

"That should help us focus on getting this done right."

Eantu's sword was seemingly blazing with the power of the light. The sword was pulsing with barely controlled power as he stared at the doomguard. "Ready!" He called. The sword was almost too bright to lay eyes on at the moment. The light had empowered it beyond what he had expected.

Eantu took a deep breath and smiled at the priest who had created the barrier earlier. "I'm going to need a new sword after this." he said simply as he grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands and using all his strength, he threw the empowered blade at the base of the tower. The more building to fall on the Doomguard, the better.

[Assistant]
The question on how to bring the large stone tower down upon the Doom Lord still lingered in the air while Solares regained her senses. The world around her spun momentarily before her vision returned to normal, allowing her to clearly see what was about to happen. "Explosives at the Temple?" the thought came through just in time her to fall back down onto the ground behind a large pile of boulders, protecting her from the blast that now echoed through Val'Sharah. Eantu's glowing weapon had accumulated enough energy around it to ignite the explosives, kicking up a large amount of debris and dust that still hung in the air. Once the sound of falling debris had faded, both Solares and Nesalla changed to a kneeling position to see if their plan had succeeded. The explosives had not toppled the tower but instead blown large razor sharp stones in every direction with most of the tower falling in on itself. The Doom Lord had been skewered alive with the razor sharp debris, leaving it barely recognizable to what it once was.

"Clear! That sure as fel killed it." said Solares who stood up as the dust finally settled around them. "Do we have any injuries or casualties besides the Doom Lord" asked Nesalla from the other side of the temple courtyard. Both of the Wardens had been trained in advanced first aid and could help tend wounds alongside the priest if there were any. Nesalla quickly found the rogue that had placed the explosives and removed her helmet to look him over for any hard to find injuries that he may have sustained. "Great work, you are not injured are you? I do not see any visible trauma but your armor may be hiding something." It was better to be safe than sorry.

[User]
The explosion was loud. Very loud. Not nearly enough distance had been put between himself and the exploding tower as Eantus holy infused sword struck his grenades.
It had been frantic in the fiery climax of the towers final moments, only sheer luck had stopped any serious damage from befalling him, having thrown his blades in front of him. A large stone had ripped through his shoulder painfully, another had struck his helmet hard and evidently knocked him out cold.

The memories came back to him in a rush as the Warden glanced him over for serious injuries.
With a groan, Thalion leaned up and coughed the dust out of his mouth and throat before mumbling to the warden.

"Bad.. pun.."

Thalion took his hip flask off and took a long draw from it, the crimson vial concoction. It burned horribly as it went down, but the burning sensation in his shoulder confirmed that it had indeed been struck.

Letting out a hissing sigh as he replaced the bottle on his belt, he glanced around the area.

"Don't tell me I'm the only one injured.."

[Assistant]
Alina was lucky that she had focused a majority of her light into the barrier around her and Eantu, having closed her eyes when he had thrown his sword. When she could feel the dust settling, she opened them to reveal a large amount of debris surrounding their area, all of which could have been deadly, she assumed. The dome of light faded and dispersed, and she could only thank the Light that they had somehow survived this ordeal. When she looked at the Demon Lord, she could hardly believe her eyes at the damage done to him. The tower hadn't collapsed as she expected, but rather the explosion had caused various sections of the buildings to skewer it until it was barely recognizable. But, she supposed a win was a win.

Turning her attention to her comrades, she was glad to see that a majority of them had made it out of the situation unscathed... all but the rogue. She had seen them use that elixir before, the vial of what she considered red goop, disgusting and yet oddly effective for healing purposes. But no elixir could match the healing of the light. Though, she decided against sending a plea to the light for a heal, believing that he would not appreciate the small effort it would be. Instead, she simply walked up to them, pulling her hood down so that her face could more easily be seen. It revealed an almost bob-like haircut, short and a nice shade of red. She smirked at Thalion, patting his back for a second before speaking.

"It would appear so, Elf, though you should be lucky. Not everyone has an elixir that begins to heal on their own terms."


[System]
Age: "13" - (Though in reality, is a much greater age than this.)
Gender: Male
Race: Human.. ish ;)
Appearance: He's a small boy with a stature of 5'5 weighing at 113 pounds. Being a child prodigy, he excels mentally and needn't rely on his physical strength. He has lavender eyes which are curtained by lengthy locks of silver hair which is typically tucked under a quite large, black wizardly hat ornamented by a gold buckle, enormous goggles, and large rubies. He is constantly garbed in a ratty, dark blue robe that opens up to a plain, white tunic tucked neatly into brown trousers accompanied by ordinary black boots.
Backstory: A once ecstatic child prodigy & accomplished student at a scholar training school of Penrith. He then learned the truth, and the corrupt society hidden under the scrolls and books that he was decoding day by day, and so set off to pursue a dream of treasure hunting instead, thus becoming a vagabond - He found a golden stave which had a sapphire jewel set in its body in the corpse of a unusually large creature. The staff took his mana and in return allowed him to control water to a certain extent. Since then, he been a practioneer of magic and grew in strength over the time spent as a mercenary.
Personality: Eccentric, impulsive, with a degree of timidity, yet a keen sense of justice!

Weapon skill/choice: A golden staff with a blue sapphire on top of it. Nothing more & nothing less....
[However, this weapon has the skill to consume mana and cast spells using motion-commands.]

Weapon picture: N/A :(

Notable ability: He is a novice mage who has mastered the art & science of water manipulation, and only recently began to practice very minor fire magic. Physically he lacks the power to melee. However, he can detect auras and thus dodge incoming attacks by reading said auras, but he's not so quick on his feet... FURTHERMORE, he has the power to sprout wings of mana that can be used offensively & defensively.

Other Info: He suffers from narcolepsy, has trouble controlling his ridiculously large mana pool, & uses a very weird accent.

[User]
Place: Hall of Remembrance, Hunter's Guild.

 The air shifted sharply as the door let in cool breeze from the outside world, as it continued to open letting new faces be seen. Drovia had not seen a jump in population since the end of the great war, but word that the hunters guild had began recruiting openly again made new way for new comers to the great human capital. All races of Terecoth, now gathered in the hall in which it all started. A hash was issued over the large crowd. They were made up of all ages, some looking as though they had just finished grade school now to enlist in the Hunter militia. Rather large foot sets upset the silence as the hall door opened. The large metal and engraved door dragged on the ground and opened slowly. As the light from, the large windows broke the shadow of the man walking in, everyone peered to look at the new body in the room. Head-Master Ash stood tall and spoke in a deep dark voice that voided all other sounds. "Welcome New-Bloods" Ash gave a slight chuckle giving a little room for comfort. "My son Varioyn is going to be signing you. I will only say this once, come one by one up to the table and tell him your name and reason for being here today" He gave a quick glance around the room at all the faces, some strong, some frail, some looked as though he was a monster that needed to be hunted. "Many of you may not know who we are. Many of you do. We are the Hunters, Drovia's first army, Terecoth's finest men and women the titans have to offer. What we are NOT, is assassins, brutes, farmers. We are not here to murder or disrupt, we are here to help those in need." He gave another quick glance, to see if there was any change in facial expressions of the mass. "This is a life or death profession. Many here...." He looked back towards Varioyn and the veteran hunters "....Have lost friends, Family, ..Themselves." He pulled himself back. "There will be a test for both physical and mental capabilities, we need to know you are fit to be a hunter. These will begin tomorrow after the signing and introduction. Please feel free to say and look at the Hall of Remembrance after you have spoke to Varioyn" Ash nodded at the crowd and walked back into the room, closing the great metal door behind him.

 Varioyn looked down at his pen and paper. "Alright, everyone line up. You heard the Head-Master" The line looked so long that it could stretch forever. Varioyn laid his cloak down. Might be a long night..

[Assistant]
Amalay had steadily been working her way as close to the table as possible because of her impatience. She hated waiting in line, and whenever there were formalities, there was always a line. Upon everyone beginning to collect, a dodge here, a few steps there, and she was only about a dozen back from those fortunate enough to randomly choose to stand right at the origin of the line. The bows and announcements were largely human youths since we were, after all in the great city of humans, and none were more eager for their time to shine than the young.

Upon her turn, she showed all respect that was due, a flowing curtsy with crossed feet that was almost fluid. Memories of her mother teaching her her manners ran through her mind. "As though you are blown upon the wind, as though you are water trickling over the stones. Hands spiral in, and clasp at your heart. Not so fast, not so slow. Now bend at the knee and hip as though you are to fall asleep. And now remain, but not too long should the person feel themselves not important enough to deserve it."

Strangely enough, should she show such formality to a merchant troop, not only would she be viewed as strange, they would all be horribly self conscious. She had been a very long time in coming to any sort of nobility.

"I am Amalay Du Lya, Somnant Knight of One Kill, the Dreamer of the Lya. I have come to join the hunters in order to destroy the world... and to elevate a greater one in its stead. A place where the shadow is driven farther than the most distant reaches of the abyss, and the talons of evil is scalded away by the goodness that flows from the people."

What is in a name? Well, if one was versed in this olden time address, this was more than simply a noise that your family decided to use to clarify what they were talking about. This was a resume. Amalay Du Lya meant that she was from the village of Lya, a small and humble residence somewhere around Lothadid, like it's greater dwelling, it too was hidden and thus meant very little to those unfamiliar with the forest and the ways of the elves.

Somnant Knight of One Kill, well, that meant she was a warrior that had seen real combat numerous times and was now considered a veteran... however, unlike a warrior in human terms, notching their weapons to keep track of the enemies they have slain, it was the opposite. Each kill was a blemish, since it meant that the conflict could not be resolved without bloodshed or killing. This was a way of the past now, Somnance was the magic of nature to transfigure opponents into harmless forms of life. While it gave a certain edge, and let the Elves sleep at night, it was not the most efficient way of battle since it required quite a bit of training, about twice as long to master as a bow. During the great war, there was no time for lengthy training of troops, and thus more carnal solutions were used. Now, most Elves had taken the habit of notching on human terms, especially since it singled out the skilled rather than sharing company with newcomers, and it was no longer a display of how approachable and humble they were.

Dreamer of Lya meant that she was given a title in her hometown as a dreamer. While someone might not know who Amalay was, they would undoubtedly hear stories of "the Dreamer of Lya." Depending on the size of the community, such stories could really mean something, but since Lya was pretty small and un-influential, it was probably a hand-full of wild antics that the locals knew about.

With her introduction out of the way, she signed the parchment before her. A calligrapher, she was not, and her chicken scratch was full of asymmetric letters and lumpy blobby loops that would have earned her the tisk of her teacher had she been nobility herself, or had she been studying swordsmanship.


[System]
Age: Turned in the year 1700 at the age of 24

Specific Skill: Does having quick-thinking and a sharp mind count?

Personality: Stoic and indifferent to most people, prefers to keep to himself. Can get outgoing and rowdy around people he trusts and in the heat of battle. Respects honor and loyalty above all else. Considered a strategist and skillful tactician due to his honed intelligence and logical thinking. Retains the British accent from his human heritage.

Background/History: As a human, Casius was a pirate sailing the turquoise Caribbean Sea in the late 1600's. Serving as Quarter Master aboard the reputed Screaming Siren, he was in charge of keeping order among the crew. Casius's older brother Cyrus having been elected as Captain for his ruthless prowess in battle and Casius himself elected to serve under him as Quarter Master for his logical efficiency and uncommon intelligence during that era, together the duo led an unstoppable force.

One stormy night, as they were on their way to the port of Nassau to splurge their most recent plunder on drinks and wenches, Casius was thrown from the ship into the turbulent waters below. Fighting as hard as he could against the thrashing current, Casius soon found himself losing consciousness. On the brink of taking his last breath, he thought he heard singing. A soft lilting song that held an air of sorrow to it. Thinking it was his dying mind playing tricks on him, Casius closed his eyes against the darkness but not before catching a shimmery silhouette of a tailed maiden making her way through the waters towards him.

Upon waking, Casius held no memories of who he was, not even his own name. The only thing he did remember was the ethereal beauty of that maiden in the night. Out of instinct, he immediately began to panic as he noticed the dark waters around him but soon realized he was able to breathe. Almost a second later he also noticed the tail where his legs used to be.

Wandering alone in the deep where even the sun couldn't reach, Casius was found by a band of mermen scouts somewhere off the coast of the Greek Isles. They gave him the name Altum after the Latin word for deep sea and took him in as a brother. He now spends his days training and fighting alongside his new family, secretly hoping to someday catch a glimpse of the mysterious sea maiden that saved his life.

[User]
Arys turned her head sharply. Her heart pulled at her. One of her sisters...? With one kick of her tail she speed off faster than a marlin. It wasn't long before she saw wreckage from a ship. And the barracuda swimming around searching for scraps told her there had been feasting.
Something terrible had happened here.

There were no humans left. Not even tattered clothing. Only sharks could have done so thorough a job of disposing of the floundering humans. There were never that many sharks this close to the islands. They preferred farther out to sea.

"Beware the shark, for it is the familiar of a far more dangerous enemy..." her Shellan's words echoed in her mind. A faint dolphin whistle had her on alert again.
"Follow the call of the dolphin, for they can be trusted..."
Only one of her pod was highly intuned with dolphins. "Aquawlad," she murmured before darting off once again, fear churning inside her heart. If one of her sisters was hurt she'd would need to heal her quickly before whatever sharks sensed it. Or the beasts with the sharks.
Her Shellan had told Arys of the savage beasts the night she had made her gravest mistake.
They bear the fin like us, but do not be fooled. They are savage, bloodthirsty, brutal beasts. Death and destruction is all they know, all they desire. Their strong arms will tear you to pieces as their sharp teeth rip your flesh and break your bones into splinters. They are to be feared and avoided at all costs. Promise me, my moon child, that you shall never again-"

Arys pushed the memories from her mind. She never wanted to be reminded of her horrid mistake. The one that had caused the pod to have to flee their previous home.
The shapes of other dolphins appeared, swimming fast. Arys could sense their unease, and their fear added to her own. A loud panicked squeal reached her and she saw one of the dolphins was struggling to keep up with the others. He was injured, a deep gash along his side. The gash was too clean to have been made by either teeth or claw. It was made by a weapon.
The young female dolphin was bleeding too much. Soon she would die. And her blood would call the sharks, and the beasts with them.

Approaching the suffering dolphin, Arys placed her hand on the gash only for the animal to squeal in pain and move away. Arys didn't chase her. Instead she held out her arms, as if offering an embrace. She began to sing, a gentle soothing melody. Calming, the dolphin approached her again and brushed against her like a child seeking comfort. Arys placed her hands upon the gash again and while the animal flinched she did not move away. Continuing the melody, her hands and eyes glowed with an ethereal blue light. The gash slowly closed and sealed, not even a scar was left behind.

[Assistant]
Aquarius
Shellborn Kingdom - Guard Post - Jail
@Classpet

---

SGT Flotsam and his men returned to the Shellborn Kingdom with the captured mermaid. She was placed within a metal grate cell and she would find no one else, but the guard sharks that patrolled the corridor. They were trained to attack any criminal who dare escape, but she had been the only one in the dungeon it seemed. The guard post was but a jail where individuals serving temporary sentences went.

[User]
Cecily

Cecily swam with all of her strength, occasionally finding her head underwater before resurfacing to continue her trek. However, the cold temperatures and her muscles crying out in protest made it progressively harder for her to continue. At the rate she was going, she realized that she wasn't going to make it, and that she was going to drown. She almost gave in to the darkness, but she tried to stay awake as she felt a pair of arms grab her and keep her afloat above the surface. She wanted to turn and see who was holding her, and she wanted to speak, but Cecily never felt so weak in her entire life.

She kept fading in and out between consciousness and unconsciousness during her savior's swim. She couldn't tell where they were going, and how long the both of them were in the water. She started coming to dizzy and disoriented consciousness after she felt sand underneath her, and she could hear a woman's voice speak, reverberating and echoing

"Stay here. Stay hidden,"

Cecily managed to shakily rise up slightly on her arms and in an attempt to face her savior, she called with a quiet and hoarse voice, "Wait...!" However, her quiet words weren't heard, and after a splash, the person was gone. She groaned as she tried to sit up and look around. Where was she...? Why did she need to hide...?

Well, either way, it wasn't a good idea to stay where the waves were crashing onto her. She fought against her weariness as she stood up and stumbled away from the beach and took cover among the nearby trees, but staying close to the beach. The storm was still upon her, pounding against the island and water mercilessly. She huddled against the tree, which did well to protect her from the rain, and hugged her knees, trying to keep herself from shivering. The waves were in clear view, and she wanted to keep them in view, just in case that mysterious savior of hers appeared again.

She never realized that during her stumble towards the tree, her silver tear drop shaped necklace had fallen off and landed on the sand, eventually being washed away from the shore and into deeper waters.

[Assistant]
'Ariyah wake up. Wake up, Ariyah!'

Although she had not dreamt anything in her unconscious state, the young mermaid managed to snap herself out of it by havin her subconscious tell her so. She was used to having to wake herself up from the frequent nightmares that she had.

When Ariyah finally did wake up, she took her time to adjust to her surroundings. It took a few blinks to get her eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room she was in, and another few blinks to take in the details of the room. "This isn't a room.. It's a jail cell." Ariyah's eyes widened as she put two and two together, her arms quickly pushing her off of where she lay so that she could swim to the entrance of her cell. She clung on to the bars and shook them, beginning to feel frantic as she started to realize how dire the situation was.

"Let me out!! Please, let me out! I've done nothing wrong!"

In fact, she hadn't don't anything wrong. At least not to the Mermen. She was well within the set boundaries that the Mermaids had, and whatever business she had to deal with, it had nothing to do with the Mermen. If anything, they were the ones out of bounds.

Her pleased had to cease immediately though, as a shark suddenly swam to the cell and threatened to bite off the fingers that stuck out of the cell bars. Ariyah swam back in fear until she was touching the cell wall with her nearly bare back. That's when she noticed a stinging pain that shot up to her head. The blow that she was given by the soldiers might have been worse than she expected.

With tears forming in her eyes, Ariyah let herself down once more onto the floor and wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't because she felt cold, or because she was lonely, but because she knew she'd have to heal herself and self healing was always a by more painful than getting the actual wound itself. Still, Ariyah hummed quietly as she healed, her eyes giving off a minimal glow as it began to work.

[User]
@Guardian Angel Haruki@wolverbells

Aquawlad went as far as she could, following high above the mermen patrol. When the merman finally settled on a location and left the mermaid trapped Aquawlad made her move. The bottle-nose dolphin clicked at her, back up was coming, she needed only to wait. But the call to the Jail was strong. It was deserted but for the sharks, and though they were not the most sensible creatures the would still often listen to her.

She gave the dolphin a gentle pat and sent it towards the pod, to lead them back to where the captured mermaid was. It would be just her for a short time, and the open water was no place to hide with the obvious silhouette she held. The dolphin darted off and so did she, propelling herself deeper and deeper until at last she was at the jail. She settled just above the entrance peering in.

Dual sharks made rounds up and down the hall, keeping in motion to keep alive. Sharks themselves can never stop or they will suffocate. Water must constantly pass over their gills and provide them with the oxygen they need. "oh you poor darlings," she whispered as she flipped forward and swam to the other side of the entrance. The sharks stared dangers, but were undoubtedly curious. They were trained to attack escaped prisoners, but the mermaid had come on her own accord. Aquawlad radiated confidence, she was supposed to be here and for now that would be enough for the sharks.

"Airyah, it's me Aquawlad, Are you alright? How do you open the cell?"

[Assistant]
Altum patrolled the dark depths alone, having wandered off again from his band of Merbrothers. He had been doing that a lot lately it seemed but frankly he couldn't really bring himself to care. Over the years he had spent with his new family, in this new life, Altum learned the rules and laws that all mermen were expected to abide by. Everything forbidden and taboo to their culture, the highlight of which being the mermaids. Hauntingly deceptive witches that masqueraded as one of their own but in truth were anything but. In the beginning Altum took everything they said to heart, having no reason to believe otherwise.

But as time went on and Altum began familiarizing himself with his new lifestyle, now comfortable with the dark waters that surrounded him, he took more and more time to himself. Finding his mind wandering and losing himself in his thoughts, he began to wonder if these supposed "sea witches" were really what the men said they were. Altum didn't have any memories of his previous life but the one thing that he held onto like a lifeline was the vivid memory he had of that night. The beginning of life anew for him. The maiden that saved his life had to have been a mermaid. He realized that now. But what he saw that night didn't fit anywhere near the description what he had been provided of the vile beasts. Unnatural beauty, voice rising and falling in the most enchanting song he had ever heard, hair and eyes that glowed with the haunting light of the moon itself.

Never speaking a whisper of this, Altum held the memory dear to his heart, secretly aspiring to someday meet his beautiful savior, even if it meant being bewitched like the mermen claimed. It would be worth it. Compared to most of the mermen in his tribe, Altum was still young, having been "reborn" only a couple hundred years ago. However, he was already finding himself tiring of the endless fighting. There seemed to be nothing else filling his time these days. There was something exhaustingly familiar about the battles, the rallies, the scouting parties, something that tugged at the back of his mind that may hint at his life above. Altum wanted something more to life than pointless violence. He had yet to even catch a glimpse of the elusive mermaids and would honestly believe them a myth if not for his dying dream.

The scent of fresh blood roused Altum from his reverie. Suddenly alert, he hesitated for a brief moment before speeding off through the water towards the smell. He would definitely receive a harsh scolding for not sending a message back to the tribe and wandering on his own again. Altum didn't care anymore. He didn't really find himself fitting in with the others and their ideals anyway. Getting closer, he slowed his pace, cautiously creeping upon a wreckage but he didn't sense anyone nearby. Observing the bodies that still floated in the water, Altum judged by their wounds that this was the work of sharks. But sharks wouldn't do this without reason, would they? Could it have been another tribe of mermen? He had heard rumors of ruthless mermen that slaughtered without due cause. Going against his better judgement, Altum decided to follow the faint blood trail that led away from the wreckage, if only to give himself something different with which to fill his time.