[System]
16 | Male | 31 July | 4 Cubits | 3254 Gold Debens

Hobbies
Dice games, chariot racing, hunting, fashion, makeup, jewelry, plotting to usurp his father's throne.

Personality
Sekhandur is narcissistic, hedonistic, indulgent, and uninhibited; all traits one would expect from a one who literally believes himself to be a god walking among mortals. Despite these qualities, he is surprisingly genial, lacking the pettiness or cruelty one would expect from one with his mannerisms. Sekhandur can also be diligent, determined, quick-witted, generous, and contemplative. His more benevolent nature stems from his god complex as well-- he truly believes that he is genuinely a superior being, and feels no insecurity or need to defend that fact. Even so, he is not without a dark streak. If the situation calls for it, Sekhandur can be utterly ruthless, scheming, or deceptive, as he sees no reason to choose the most pragmatic route to attaining that which he desires.

History
Sekhandur is the bastard son of the God-King of the Empire of Kemet, Pharaoh Qezremah IX, and a highborn woman of lesser nobility, Nefertari Khain. Kemet is a vast empire that rules much of the deep desert, famous for its towering stone monuments constructed by legions of slaves and undead. Qezremah, the ninth Pharaoh to bear that name, is referred to by many of his subjects as the White King, partially due to his kindness and generosity, but also due to his perceived weakness and cowardice. It was this kindness that moved him to bring Sekhandur to live with him at court, legally recognizing him as the Pharaoh's son, when he learned of his birth. A largely unprecedented act for a king, this action spurred much discontent among his advisors and the high nobility. Despite their protests, Sekhandur lived as a prince in the royal palace, enjoying the same care and privilege as his trueborn sisters, as for the longest while he was Qezremah's only male offspring.

Much changed when Qezremah's sister-wife, the Queen Manya, bore him a son, the prince Orimund. Now that he had a trueborn male heir to marry to his daughter Itzara when it came time for her to ascend to the throne, he had no need for Sekhandur within the palace. Rather than simply do away with him as a more brutal king might, Qezremah had him sent away to the distant city-state of Genelogia, under the guise of having him study to become Itzara's vizier. In truth, he hopes that Sekhandur never returns to Kemet, and in fact bribed the administrators of Avalice to set Sekhandur up for failure, who complied with his request by placing the exiled prince in the class with the worst track record for graduating students: Camellia.

However, Sekhandur learned of his father's plot quite some time in advance, as he first sensed something amiss when his magical tutor refused to teach him the domain of Kemeti magics reserved for those of royal blood: Sesha-Hebsu, the Closed Book. Rather than having this power denied to him, before his departure for Genelogia Sekhandur stole into his father's private vault and made off with his personal grimoire, hoping to teach himself the secret magic of kings.

Combat Information
Classification
Magic

Mana Color
Iridescent shimmering GOLD on BLACK

Mana Characteristic
The humbling magnificence of a billion stars shining in the desert sky.

Equipment
Sekhandur carries a Was staff for channeling his power, a magnificent tool adorned in pure gold and lapis lazuli. He also carries bears his father's grimoire, the tome "Hymns of the Creation of the Temakh", which carries not only the secret utterances of kings, but ancient history about the origins of Kemet and its royal bloodline.

Magic
Sekhandur is a student of Sesha-Hebsu, the secretive branch of Kemeti magic reserved for its God-Kings and their descendants. This magical style draws on the divine power that has been preserved for generations in the pharaonic bloodline since they first mixed their flesh and souls with the Shan'iatu thousands of years ago. Sehsa-Hebsu literally translates to "the closed book," but is also called "Utterances of Kings," by some, and its power is terrible. This magic can call upon the natural elements to do the bidding of the king, release the pure energy of mana from the king's soul, commune with the stars to divine their secrets, and even assert mastery over the forces of life and death.

Spells
AWAKEN THE DEAD
Sekhandur can compel a corpse to do his bidding. Either briefly rousing it to answer his questions, or reanimating the body as a simple, shambling undead,.

CTHONIC DOMINION
The incorporeal undead are also Sekhandur's to command. With this spell he may reveal the ghosts in an area, render them vulnerable to physical harm, bind them to his will, or swallow them to consume their mana.

GIFT OF THE GOD-KING
Unleashing the majesty of his divine soul, Sekhandur can mend wounds and injuries.

REBUKE THE VIZIER
Sekhandur can shield himself from magic power with special wards.

SECRETS RIPPED FROM SKIES
By staring into the night sky, Sekhandur can divine the his exact location and the hour of night.

WATER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Sekhandur can summon a spring of fresh, clear water where he stands, which heals those that imbibe from it.

WRATHFUL DESERT POWER
Sekhandur commands the essence of the earth. He may scour his foes with blasts of sand, create dust devils that chase down his enemies like living beasts, or create a clay shell to armor himself.

Parameters
Mana
☥☥☥☥

Channeling
☥☥☥☥

Magic
☥☥☥☥☥

Technique
☥☥☥

Strength
☥☥☥

Speed
☥☥

Body
☥☥

Intellect
☥☥☥☥

[User]
@samakama

"Huh?"

Kress turned around, and in that moment of indecision, Misaiya could see someone else slip right in front of the blue-haired boy. Not that the boy in question seemed to notice or care. Smiling at his fellow first year, he chimed, "Yup, nice to meetcha too! And don't worry, there wasn't anything much said. Just some lively debate over what it means to be placed in Class C."

As he spoke, Kress's eyes scanned over the truant student's attire. Interesting clothes, for sure. He was pretty surprised, even, that those fancy robes hadn't been snagged onto anything yet. Magical? Or mighty? Who knew? Misaiya probably did. "By the way, how d-"

Then a familiar face popped up. Not so familiar that he knew much about her at all, of course, but Ankaa was certainly a member of the class, and was certainly a girl, so that was already two things he did know. A silent apology must be said though, to those who she pushed aside on her way here. "Hiya, Ankaa," Kress said. "This is Misaiya, who's pretty late…but also I'm sure Professor Yu- I mean, Nyx, didn't actually take attendance. Probably hard to notice, but he wasn't ticking any boxes or anything over there. So there's like, every chance in the world that he's fine. And yup, I'm just waiting in line-" when there wasn't a line "-and Misaiya just said he'd want to join up. You wanna as well? They even have a shark there to pose with!"

She looked curious enough about the whole affair. First time seeing this, maybe?

[Assistant]
Ty Varen

Ty nodded in approval when Eris called him by just his first name, albeit reluctantly. He always found it weird how all the rich families at this school referred to each other by their last names. He had seven brothers. They couldn't all be Lord Varen, could they? And that didn't even count his cousins on his Uncles' side, which all would share the name Lord Varen. Well, there was only one Ty, and that's what he went by. "Mmm, I guess I should try not to lose my temper like that," he said when Eris clarified her points. "Angry fights aren't fun like a friendly scrap is." Since the subject came up, he was pretty close to offering Eris a light spar to test out their magic, but she seemed to have a bigger target.

As good-looking as the Seven were, Ty had never once considered them potential romantic partners. Not because he disliked them in any way. For the most part they seemed like decent people. But, a hunter doesn't date his mark. And if he did end up falling for one of them, how would he be able to fight them when he needed to? Surely someone as smart as Eris wouldn't make that mistake. "Heh, no worries. I'll introduce you to the club another time. Go get her!" He gave Eris an encouraging pat on her shoulder before letting her go pursue glory. He'd definitely have to grab a spectator's spot for the duel.

But, the cooking club called to him once again. "Come on Ty, we need you to attract new members," one member said. "Yeah, everybody's watching the martial artists fight. Put on a show!" "Welllll..." Ty rubbed the back of his head and looked away, feigning a moment of modesty. "I guess I can't neglect my obligations to my sworn brethren." He darted over to the stand and was eagerly welcomed behind it. The other students were passing them by, treating them like any other food stall. Most didn't even realize that it was something they could join. But, Ty was here to change all that. One of the members tied a headband across his eyes, waving his hand a few times in front of Ty's face to make sure he couldn't see. A couple of passerby muttered. "They doing a blind taste test or something?" Then they put a knife in Ty's hand.

Ty took a deep breath and called out to the crowds with all the volume his lungs could muster. "SHOW'S ABOUT TO BEGIIIIIIIIINNNNN!" Ty channeled his mana and activated his Sixth Sense. He still couldn't see. The headband was tied properly and everything was pitch black, but the knife he held, its weight, its balance, its relative position to the rest of his body, it all became more clear. He knew there was a bag next to him. He had seen it before and could gauge the distance. With no hesitation, he reached in with his left hand. He recognized the texture instantly. A carrot. He slammed it down on the cutting board and ran his finger along it once to gauge its length. Then he chopped. Rapid, precise chops that diced the carrot into tiny pieces, perfect for a soup. The chops came dangerously close to his fingers, but he knew where they were and he knew where the knife was. An unwanted collision was impossible.

The carrot was chopped, then he set his left hand down on the cutting board. His fingers were not spread very far apart, but still he brought the point of knife down between each of them. He navigated the spaces between his fingers with rapid stabs, eliciting some gasps from the audience. Even knife specialists wouldn't attempt something like this blindfolded. And yet, he was unscathed. He reached back into the bag. A tomato. Perfect slices. Another lap across his hand. Another vegetable, another lap. After a dozen runs, he finally set the knife down and took a bow, enjoying the applause. He relaxed his mana flow and gave the crowd a thumbs up, still blindfolded. "If you guys enjoyed the show, consider joining the cooking club. Especially first years. We've gotta teach the next generation how to eat!" With the blindfold on, though, he had no idea whose attention he might catch.


[System]
Age: 20

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Standing at about 5'9" tall, Tiral has a fairly average build for his age, which is kind of strange considering how he's perpetually surrounded by the other Iron Rose Knights who seem to be much sturdier than he. His light brown hair is cut short, but has found a way of remaining a shaggy mess that barely avoids his eyes, even while he is wearing armor. More often than not, though, Tiral opts to avoid the usage of any large plate armor or metal armor, instead only wearing stronger equipment over his vitals and leaving the rest under regular leather garb. His sword will often times be sheathed at his side, ready for combat at a moment's notice.

Personality: Tiral is... Actually fairly deliberate for a knight, if not somewhat bored by the peace of everyday life. His journeys at a young age meant he was already able to experience life in the real world, and since then the dusty old libraries that the mages hold in such high regard have been... Well, fairly dull. This doesn't mean that he isn't devoted to his work, but rather that he does not wish to learn anything unless he finds it interesting. Even so, his patience when it comes to such things is unparalleled. Or maybe it's just the fact that he can slap some ice onto people's mouths when he's trying to focus. That too.

Brief Backstory: Having been orphaned a young age due to an illness that wiped out the rest of his village, Tiral was taken in by a priestess of Mayon who was moving with a group of travelers to bring aid to those in need. Though he was never explicitly religious, he greatly appreciated the efforts put forth to save his life, even then. As he grew up alongside these people, the priestess soon found that Tiral had an aptitude for magic. With a recommendation from her (and the goading of those around her), Tiral went off to the capital to further his studies of magic. Sadly, the monotonous life of a studying magician was not quite what the then-young boy had expected of magic.

It was then that he heard of the Iron Rose Knights, whose feats were oft recorded in the books he was forced to pore over. Deciding that the life of a knight was much more entertaining than the life of a magical scholar, Tiral packed up his things once more and went to join the order. Learning the sword came about as easily as magic did to him, but the combination of the two (and his somewhat strange insistence on learning both at once) made him particularly noteworthy among that year's recruits. Since then, Tiral has been honing his abilities, both magical and physical.

Equipment: Other than his rather 'unique' set of armor, Tiral wields a shortsword and a small ceremonial dagger. While the sword is standard-issue, the dagger is mainly used as a catalyst for some of Tiral's larger spells. It may be used as a glorified kitchen knife, but he'd probably never stand for that. More often than not, this dagger is tucked away in his shirt or under his breastplate, but it never leaves his person.

Skills: Contrary to many of his peers, Tiral has chosen not to solely specialize in the way of the blade; rather than just being proficient with his shortsword, Tiral is also proficient in the usage of magic in combat. This magic, focusing mainly on the manipulation on water and ice, has become particularly noteworthy for those who are particularly religious. He, quite frankly, just sees it as sort of a coincidence; his specialty being water does not mean that anything was pre-ordained by the gods.
Probably.

[User]
Marianne Delacroix

With a sigh, Marianne had just started to calm down almost having left the palace. But, at that moment things took an immediate 180 turn for the worst. Marianne stopped in her tracks when she heard two voices screaming that an assassin had just made an attempt at someone's life and she whirled on the spot, assuming the worst. Just as the assassin in question had sprinted past, Marianne laid eyes on Fanily atop the Princess herself and thanked the Goddesses that they were at least alright. Turning to face the fleeing assassin's back, Marianne kicked off her heels and hiked up her skirt to remove the hidden concealable-sword her dearest brother John had created. She would have to thank him at a later day and time. As she moved, Marianne flicked the mechanism that revealed the blade and locked it into place. With a few swift slashes and the sound of ripping cloth, Marianne cut the bulk of her sleeves and skirt off to increase her mobility. It was just a dress after all. A material possession that could easily be replaced.

Exploding into a sprint after the assassin, she took off with break-neck speed. Compared to the rest of the Iron Roses she lacked in many comparable areas, but if there was one area she specialized in. It was speed and agility. Not bearing the weight of her regular armor and equipment, she was possibly at her fastest even barefoot. Now with a target to channel her agitation on, her electrical field surged back to life. Practically a white blur, as if she were a vengeful spirit chasing after own killer. Her moniker of 'Lightning Princess' was two-fold, when one thought of it. The first part was obvious for her affinity of lightning-based magic. The second part was her fleet-footedness, her forte. Raising her sword arm, she could hear the roars of that loud-mouthed little girl who had molested Captain Fanily and the other little girl with the infuriatingly familiar sword behind her, though they were not as close as Marianne was. Bearing down hard on the assassin, refusing to allow them out of her sight, she gave chase getting closer and closer. As soon as she was within range, Marianne would swipe at their legs and heels to cut tendon and ground the assailant. Once taken to the ground ,Marianne intended on throwing her body on them to grab at their throat and treat them to a debilitating electrocution.

Such a bold attempt should be dealt with swiftly, but Marianne had no intention to kill and shed blood just yet.
Information was paramount at the time being.
Marianne realized that she could very well be rushing straight into a trap, but she accepted those consequences.
This could not go unpunished.

[Assistant] Hearing the call of assassin stopped Viviane in her tracks from chasing down a certain fleeing herald. Spotting her target she rushed forward pulling a small dagger out as she quickly started to chase the one who tried to kill the princess. How dare this no name good for nothing speck of insignificant piece of flesh stop her. This was starting to piss her off first the herald started to run from her when she was asking about where her announcement was than this little piece of filth tries to kill the princess THE FREAKING PRINCESS! Anger over the events slightly clouding her mind she continued her chase while not as fast as some she would exact quick and merciless vengeance upon the the person. "COME BACK YOU INGRATE OF A ASSASSIN COME BACK HERE AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT!" She Viviane screamed out as she gripped her dagger tighter as she continued her chase not noticing her knocking over some girls that was frozen in shock.

[User]
"hmm, oh yes, I had seen the dwarven city. It was-" Ian leapt up when someone had shouted assassin and a call to arms from the captain, whirling around to see that most of the other knights where swarming after what must have been the assassin. Throwing back an apology to the girls he'd been talking to he took off toward the princess and the Captain, barely noticing the barrier put up by Christina and stopping himself just short of ramming into it.

He nodded at them and, since most of the knights were already chasing after the assassin, kept close just outside the barrier with the intent of helping guard the princess. His eyes still looked after the group chasing the assassin and his ears stood on alert, pointing in different direction to try and pick out the sound of the assassin or another crossbow preparing to fire. His stance had him ready to leap in any direction should he detect something or need to help the other knights.

[Assistant]
As knights approached to defend her, Christina even supplying a barrier, Fanilly reached down with her free hand and took Princess Eliabelle's hand, pulling her to her feet. The Princess's eyes were wide with shock. Not only had someone tried to kill her, but someone had tried to kill her in a crowded party, seemingly without being noticed up until the very moment it happened. Fanilly internally feared she wouldn't have noticed if not for the image of the strange hat-wearing figure that had appeared moments before the assassination attempt. But this wasn't the time to dwell on that.

"What... who tried..." Eliabelle mumbled, trying to recover from the shock of an attempt having been made on her life.

"We don't know yet, your Highness," replied Fanilly, "But you're safe in here. It'll be difficult for anyone else to get through a barrier like this."

At least, Fanilly hoped so. Magic wasn't her strongsuit, but it looked sturdy. Especially after one of the panicking nobles had bounced off of it.

"Dame Christina, Sir Ian," she began, "Do you see anything else suspicious? If there's another assassin they'll probably try to act while everyone else is distracted."

"How did she get in...?" the Princess asked, taking a deep breath, "... W-well... at least the legendary Iron Roses were here."

The last note was a clear attempt to cheer herself up, at least.

---

The assassin heard the air rushing behind her and darted immediately to the side. She glanced back only briefly in time to see a long, sharp blade slam down on the ground where she had occupied. So they were trying to kill her...? Well, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered, really. She'd failed. She didn't understand how someone had seen her before she'd done it, but the fact was she'd failed. The barrier she had glimpsed glistening around the Princess made it impossible to make another attempt...

The screaming girl hurled herself at her moments later, in a bid to tackle her. The attack was so wild it was almost difficult to react to, but she managed to sidestep, feeling the girl's hands just barely miss grasping her heel. Damn it. Most of the knights were likely faster then her, due to the simple fact they were larger... then again, it didn't really matter if she escaped, did it? She'd already failed.

Once again, an attack brought her out of her thoughts. A swiping blow towards her ankle? It was a hard target, given how much larger the attacker was, but the Assassin still knew it was a threat. She didn't have time to draw a weapon and deflect it... so she spun and put her hand in the way.

Now it was apparent, however, she was not simply sacrificing her hand to spare her leg. Her glove was studded with thick steel, allowing her to deflect some weapons with her hand. It was enough to stop this one, at the very least. The assassin's crimson eyes locked on her attacker, glaring, before she attempted to break away again.

Of course, this slowed down her escape attempt quite a bit...

[User]
Damn it, the girl had avoided the attack and now there were too many knights around to attack effectively without risking friendly fire on top of this already being a crowded party. But she was so close and distracted. The dwarf probably had the right idea for dealing with the assassin in this environment but since she was so short, it would be difficult for anyone to get a grip on her...

She was smaller even than Tyaethe herself but the difference was far slighter--child compared to a somewhat younger child. This meant she could get a grip without diving to the ground like the others were attempting. All told, Tyaethe probably had the best chance of getting a grip.

The paladin dropped her sword, trusting that nobody would be stupid enough to try and steal the blade from her in plain view of royalty, and copied Martina's tactics in trying to bearhug the assassin. Hopefully, Marianne wouldn't get her with that knife; the dress was an old present.

[Assistant]
"Guilder's modified scrying spell, huh...? That one actually didn't enter my thoughts when I was examining my resources last night," Tiral responded, nodding his head thoughtfully. "I'll have to see if I can't access a copy from--"

The young mage's response was cut off abruptly as the sound of an arrow whizzing by and lodging itself somewhere in the crowded hall, to which he responded with a hurried glance around the area. While a few of the Iron Roses (who had apparently been bickering until a few moments ago, if their earlier shouting was anything to go by) immediately sprung into action, Tiral was left attempting to identify who the hell the would-be assassin was. With the cries of panicked nobles becoming increasingly louder, Tiral took a deep breath and turned towards the Court mage, a solemn look on his face.

"This might be a bit sudden, but can you cast any mass-sleep spells on the nobles? They might end up getting caught in the crossfire if they keep running around like headless chickens, after all. I'll block off the windows, but since I have nowhere near your level of prowess, I'll have to request you handle the main entrances. This is all I can do without putting anyone else at risk; my apologies."

Before he could allow a response, Tiral deftly tossed his dagger into the air and caught it by the hilt as he began to chant. Improvised chanting was always something of a strong suit for him, at least... Hopefully that sort of thing wouldn't screw up this time.

"O goddess Mayon, under thine own divine vigil:
Let not our enemies escape, nor may they enter. Defend our bodies and souls from eternal sleep, to which we may continue to serve.
For the nation of our kin, and of our kin's kin;
Seal off this land, and remain until that danger has been warded off!"

With a frown, Tiral glanced at the windows at he pointed at each in succession with his dagger, quickly covering each with a thick layer of ice. A thin layer of mist could be seen emanating from it all, alluding to how cold the material was at this given moment.

At the very least, the assassin probably wouldn't be able to dive out of a window if it came down to it. Frost like that wasn't something people broke through all that easily...


[System]
(Picture coming soon)
Age: 35
Species: Human
Appearance: Mocha-colored skin, long dark hair down to mid-back, dark brown eyes, slender frame. She holds a modest but classy sense of style.
Occupation: Traveling merchant.

[User]
Miria found it mildly interesting that the jinni clarified so quickly and firmly that he wasn't a runaway. She believed that part of the story only because he said it in such a candid way that she could not believe it acted. This was a slave with pride, someone that couldn't possibly have done something terrible enough to need to run away. If she chose to let him go, she would know that she at least hadn't allowed a thief or murderer to go free.

Until he mentioned that his master died. At once, Miria thought of that gruesome scene: blood everywhere, her family dead, their jinni clearly in shock and mourning their loss, assuring her that he hadn't killed them.... Miria had to breathe, to remind herself that this jinni's master died with a task for him to do. Surely, if he had killed his master, he wouldn't have been so clear about not being a runaway, would he?

Miria wasn't sure about the rest of this jinni's story. If he wasn't a runaway, then what was so important that he needed to do in the wake of his master's death that warranted being hunted by the guards? She racked her mind for anything her former jinni lover had said regarding their customs and culture but could not come up with any reason that would lead to this slave's current situation.

He continued with his story. Miria could understand his fear for being caught and he seemed to hold at least a little respect for his dead master if he wanted to complete her last task for him so adamantly. Still, there were too many holes in the story, too much that didn't make sense. She knew this jinni wasn't telling him everything. Perhaps he had done something horrible and all of these gaps in the story were red flags to that fact. Perhaps she needed to do the right thing and alert the guards. However, there was still that risk that they would associate her with whatever crime he committed anyway, and whatever the gaps in his story were, he did not come across as someone who would kill. This jinni's mannerisms didn't reek of that sort of desperation, she did not feel like she was in any danger, nor did this jinni's behavior mesh with the unsettling calmness of a sociopath.

Miria sighed, feeling drained and exhausted. The only thing she was sure about was that he wasn't a thief. Anything she had of value was currently with her; there was nothing in the cart that was worth stealing or making a fuss over. Frankly, she had a long day, she was hungry and tired, and in no mood to spend hours dealing with the guards' interrogations once they had apprehended the jinni. She had heard enough of this jinni's story to be convinced to let him go. Besides, she had not the energy or the patience to involve herself in his affairs, whatever they would be.

Cautiously, Miria looked around before whispering, "I have no time to deal with you, and frankly I don't care. There is one guard in the alley to your right. If you leave quickly and quietly, he may not notice you. I would rather you not get caught in my vicinity, so go now while you still can. I would like to never see you again."

[Assistant]
He heard that sigh.

It was, so he believed, a good sign. It surely meant a decision had been made and, regardless of what came next, he would be happy that the wait was over. The woman hadn't taken long to reach her conclusion, but when it made the difference between success and failure, even a single breath seemed an eternity.

Her voice came again, just as quiet as before, but with far less anger it in. And no shouting, a very good sign, indeed. Beneath the canvas, Curdle's whole body felt suddenly limp and shaky, the relief was tangibly heavy and weighed down every muscle. He did not mind that her reasoning was more for herself than to help him. This was not an instance where charity would be applauded; there was no reason for her to act otherwise. Trembling, he made sure he knew his right from his left, in case his mind had ceased basic function, and took another light breath before trapping the air in his throat and lungs.

The simplest of magic. He'd used it twice already today, and was tired enough that a third might well prove too much. Still, the attempt was worth the effort if it succeeded. So, the aging jinni held his breath and worked to empty his mind. It was the mind that shaped the presence of an individual, after all, without a mind, he might as well be part of a crowd, unremarkable and unimportant. Of course, it would only last for as long as he could hold his breath and avoiding clarity of conscience. He did not dawdle in getting out from under the canvas, though he did try to make the act as normal as possible. A most difficult endeavour, to be sure. And his face was turning red with the effort when he finally stood and glanced towards where she'd claimed the guard would be.

The alley, he saw immediately, and the guard a moment later. He seemed as yet unperturbed. Good.

Despite the risk, and his now rather disheveled mien, Curdle spared a second to face the owner of his safe hiding place and bowed enough to make his gratitude clear. He had no other means with which to thank her, he couldn't speak, and his lungs were beginning to burn, restraining magic as they were.

Thanks given, he straightened and walked deliberately away from both her and the guard, pace increasing the farther he walked, until he was once again running as he turned a corner out of sight. He didn't make it much farther before he had to lean against a wall, gasping for breath and desperately swallowing the coughs trying to escape. Too close, too loud. Someone would hear and look and notice. Not that leaning against a wall looking ready to vomit (and that may not have been an exaggeration as his stomach began to twist itself around a lump of hunger and fear-wrought adrenaline) was in any way less out of the ordinary. He could recover his dignity a little faster though, and started walking again without any of the speed he'd achieved earlier.

His throat was dry. His joints were stiff. His chest ached. His mood was unpleasantly hopeful. He had no reason to look forward to what would come next. But now that he did not have the urn weighing at his shoulder, his steps seemed strangely light. And Curdle even smiled at the market guard as they shouted and fussed about his sudden appearance. He made no attempt to fight back when they restrained him, and held his silence when they demanded to know what he'd done with the Lady. It was only as they marched him away that his heart sank yet again.

What if that merchant did not do with the urn as he hoped? Was his final act for Fiira going to be giving away her trust?

As he stumbled and felt his knees hitting the floor of a holding cell, hands tied behind him, Curdle realised he had made the wrong choice. Fiira had not given up on him, believing him capable of this one thing. He had stopped trying too soon.


[System]
Appearance: Standing to the full height of 5'1" but regularly slouching to the height of 4'6", Kritch's smaller than average height is used to his advantage within the degregated hellscape. Kritch has patchy black fur that barely covers his grotesque muscular bipedal rat body, his beady red eyes constantly run over his surroundings, and his malformed hands and feet are to fit those giant razor sharp claws. Kritch's molars and incisors are also formed to be as sharp as knives, and at all times ready to cleave through flesh for the regular greedy mouth of the rat. Lastly, his clothes are made up of torn rags that cover his body to a good degree, managing to keep most of his body covered in weak cloth but allowing his movements to be completely free for his erratic move set.

Gender: Incubic

Personality: Constantly on the verge of breaking down to his primal instincts, Kritch finds himself at all times in a rather irritated mood, and will most likely bite anyone that would get too close to him. So, normally, you can find him being rather fidgety and suspicious of almost everything that surrounds the demon, and especially on people that he is told to trust.

Greatest Sin: Envy, ignoring the fact that gluttony and greed are almost on the verge of controlling the small-minded rat, envy is the sin that Kritch feels the most whenever he sees any living being. The struggle to suppress his very instincts are hard enough, but watching creatures able to fully act in whatever way they want without any hardships at all has made the rat green with envy.

Motivation: Kritch believes that if he gets out of hell, away from his race of disgusting creatures that he calls family, he can will himself to rid the constant urge to murder everything around him without any influence from where he was born. He wants to be away from the mentality of his race and birth place and turn into something that he can call just himself rather than labeled as some rat fighting against their blood.

Biography: Born in hell, Kritch was made as small units of demons to serve one of the higher ranking rat demons for their various purposes as either extra food, slaves, or used as disposable soldiers. Kritch for some strange reason was created accidentally with a higher sense of intellect compared to the rest of his kin. Maybe it was some divine punishment or intervention when it came to morphing his body, but for some reason he could have something more than just the regular basic mindset of following orders blindly and surviving off basic instincts. Kritch hid this fact from his superiors, allowing someone like him as smart as his masters would end his life fairly early by being ordered to be eaten by his own kin. So, he bided his time, allowing himself to mask his presence within the countless other small-minded rodents and deducing his escape against his supposed "superior" masters.

It wasn't too hard for Kritch to escape, most masters assume that they have complete control over their slaves, but all Kritch had to do is wait until most were either sleeping or fighting amongst each other. However, the problem with straying away from the swarm was that he was now just a weak starving rat that was all alone in the hellscape. It was hard to survive, but he knew that he wouldn't stoop so low as to survive off the basic instincts that would mindlessly control his life. So, stubbornly, Kritch survived on the scraps of other demons, but kept his sense of dignity to not revert back to his basic form. He trained and taught himself to act as a hidden agent, his movements faster than most demons and his small size able to easily hide himself in most situations. Kritch found himself living amongst the street rats, but it was better than being a mindless slave to his greedy masters.

This situation lasted for around three years, his body well-tuned and his instincts top notch to survive most stray encounters with other creatures that roam the land. He had even taught himself some magic, basic magic, but none the less another added skill to survive and strengthen himself in the harsh landscape. He had accepted his fate, stubbornly going against his will of his mind and would rather survive and die on his own terms. Though, this didn't mean that Kritch found himself envious of the denizens of hell, he yearned for their lives of simplicity that they continue without even struggling against fighting their very nature. After years of looking upon strangers in the shadows, he soon turned bitter against these unknowing people, finding that these races take their lives for granted in not knowing the hardships of some that have to face for their entire life. This bitter resentment corrupted his soul as he soon found himself angry, suspicious, and generally a rather rude attitude to all around him.

Skills: Agile, fast, and small, Kritch finds himself able to climb and scurry against all forms of obstacles that is in his way. He is also able to easily shroud himself in shadows, and able to hide his sound as well on those rather quiet days to avoid alert. Also, his claws and teeth are able to slice through flesh rather easily, though tougher muscles and skin can still be injured rather than the neat cleave that is normally done to regular flesh.

* Skitterleap - In small distances, Kritch is able turn into smoke and travel at blurring speeds to appear in another location, he soon reappears in his physical form.

Gear: In self-defense, Kritch finds himself holding two sturdy weapons to defend his life. These weapons include a poisoned dagger meant to paralyze the body with a gruesome punching dagger to deal lethal punches to anyone that would come at him in a aggressive manner without any escape for the rat. The rest is the raged cloth that adorns his body, simply just two weapons and some clothing.

Theme Song:

[User]
Outside HPIS
The pissed off Cambion had succeeded in getting the attention of the security capped man in the window. As Jonathan joined in the effort, the security man raised a walkie-talkie like device to his mouth with a bandaged hand. It seemed the two had succeeded in getting the man to summon a few guards, but they'd need something more explosive to really get everyone's blood pumping. And that's exactly what Grog did. At just the cost of his entirety of the flesh on his pelvis and the ability to stand he certainly got the head guard's attention. The absolute bemused look on his face was quickly replaced by surprised as Nefas screamed something along the lines of "What was that?", though with a lot more cursing. While this was happening, Barkeep answered Toby's questions.

"You'll have about as long as the distractors last in combat. Luckily, the place isn't too technically advanced, just regular cameras. Doubt the head guard is looking at them right now though."

As Viliam made a new entrance to the asylum and they all entered, they would be greeted with a row of cell blocks to their left, as well as a guard near the end, luckily turned in the other direction and oblivious. Unfortunately, the prisoners were not oblivious, and one began making some noise, a small and annoying looking demon began jumping up and down and banging on the bars of the cell with his face. "Ehhehehe! Are you three new guards???? C'mon, let me out, let me out, it's play time!" He shouted, getting the attention of the guard near the end. Although Kritch was gone, already crawling around in the vents (though without looking at the closest cell block he'd have only a vague idea of which vent he was in and where he was going). This left Toby and Vile to get rid of the guard and the noisy prisoner as quickly and silently as possible.

While this was happening, two guards busted out into the front room, which was now being smoked up thanks to Grog's fireworks. The pair who had just walked in wielding a fire blanket, but at the sight of Deprave and John, threw down the tool and unsheathed their weapons; A billy club and a machete. The other guard, the one who had been there in stunned silence for a tiny while, quickly kicked one of the tables in the room over and pulled out a pistol, hopping behind cover and firing it at Deprave.

[Assistant]
Jonathan quickly raised his shield in a defense, and very slowly started strafing to around to the flipped table, and the guard with it as well. It was very hard to do near anything in this smoke because it was so thick, but once Jonathan felt the corner of a solid plank of wood, he knew where he was, and he quickly slammed his mace behind the table, hitting it on the guards shoulder. Immediately after, Jonathan ducked behind the table and swung at the man's head, which knocked him unconscious when the mace hit the skull.

Now that Jonathan was on the ground behind the table, he took a second to analyze the situation, and thats when he noticed a piece of paper on the ground next to the guard. Obviously, paper was meant to be read, so Jonathan picked up the paper and, to his dismay, found it was a child's drawing, and not even a good one. To describe it, one would say "man riding bear", and even then you could be misconstrued. Jonathan did like the idea of riding a bear though, so he'd probably ask about getting a bear mount later. Right now though, Jonathan held out the palm of his hand, with the hand facing the ceiling, and a golden light began to emanate from the air above it. Once the light began to shine, Jonathan prayed.

"Hail, Light. I come to thee with a question of dire straits. How long doth thy have until the cambion overseer of this asylum arrives?"

[User]
"God-damn fucking shit-smeared holy mother of FUCK that hurt." Grog screamed at himself, as he fell on his now bony ass, the last of his fireworks sputtering, while the speakers were finally losing power, and turning to dust. Hey, wouldya lookit that. He even got a guard with his babies. He hadn't actually expected to hit anyone with them, just make a show. Sure, the fireworks were spruced up to the point of being weaponry, but hell, he still used them like fireworks. Mentally patting himself on the back, he thought about his options. They were rather limited.

 It was a pretty hilarious sight, in all honesty. Him laying there, pants down to his knees, jacket pushed up to his chest, and a blackened, smoking pelvic bone where his precious jumblies once stood. His mind was working on overdrive, thinking faster than most men would ever think, trying to finally come up with a solution.

 "Power pint! Gimmie some beer."

 Yep, that was the stuff. Grog was once more relaxed. Sure, the pain was searing, but it could've been worse. Most of his nerve endings were probably singed anyways. Dangling the pint a breath above his head, and smelling his damp, liquor-soaked mask, he awaited for the inevitable outcome of this whole operation, be it positive or negative. Truth be told, he couldn't really care either way.

 Then, out of nowhere, an idea struck him in the head like a sledgehammer.

 "Hey Pint, give me your most balls-to-the-wall absynthe. And a whole -lot- of it."

 A sinister grin creeped into Grog's face as he retrieved his lighter.

[Assistant]
Kritch left almost immediately upon entering the prison, which frankly was to be expected. The rodent demon was the most twitchy, wary, cautious, and straight up paranoid of the whole bunch. Not that Villiam blamed him for it. After all, they were in Hell, not exactly known for producing the most trustworthy of citizens. Truth be told, his fleeing was already accounted for, and so the poison spirit paid Kritch's departure little mind. Instead he focused on getting as big of a riot going as possible, more vital now that the guard in the room was aware of himself and the one-armed kid. Making haste, Villiam slinked across to the cells. As he moved forward, he expelled a purple gas through the bars in the form of a cloud. Upon reaching the individual cells, he ran his fingers along the bars, corroding them with a thick fast acting acid.

"That cloud you just breathed in was a deadly neurotoxin, specifically designed to crawl through your body until the Manus can infuse directly to your soul, thus permanently ending your existence. You want to live? You want to be free? Fight Nefas' guards and I will produce the cure. Now riot as your lives depend on it." Villiam had backed himself up against the furthest wall from the guard at the end of the cell line. Keeping his back against the wall was for more than ensuring he kept sight of any prisoners that might wish to do him harm, for it was also his escape plan if his gambit went poorly. Of course he was lying about the nature of his poison cloud, spirits couldn't convert Manus into a substance then back into pure Manus, but they did not necessarily have to know that. No, it was a simple cloud of methane, mixed with a number of other chemicals to mask the distinct scent, but look foreboding all the same.


[System]
Will be updated often

Username: Adalrod (Both in game and out)

Pain is fleeting. The feeling of it is already gone, the only thing that remains is its effect on you.
Age: 20

Gender: Male

Main: Malzahar

Appearance: At 5'8", Moritz isn't the tallest whenever it comes to height, yet that doesn't seem to bother him. Moritz's long, black hair and light green eyes are constantly looking straight ahead, or wherever his current destination is. His posture is relatively relaxed, with his hands in his pockets and his head shoulders slouched forwards, but he gives off the air that he is no one to be bullied around. His clothing is typically the same as it is in the picture: rolled up long sleeve shirt, top button unbuttoned, loose tie and a black vest and pants to top it off.

True Appearance: When Moritz's true form is triggered his clothing undergoes no change. Instead, winding blue Arabic-style markings line his body and his eyes turn a searing blue. Moritz's true form is not currently able to be triggered at will, and grants him increase magical abilities for a short spurt of time (About 15 minutes). Heavily fatigued afterwards.

Powers:

Summon Voidling:
Ever since Moritz woke up feeling strange, he has had this annoying voidling following him. The creature is about two feet high, almost like a puppy, but with an insect-like exoskeleton and six legs sharp as knives. It appears relatively peaceful, but any time Moritz uses and ability it appears to be drawn to it, attacking if used on a specific person.

Call of the Void:
Moritz can summon a portal to the Void, which stays open for about five seconds before it loses connection to the "real world" and shrinks into nothing. The portal is about four feet long and three feet wide, and whatever happens while the portal is open is incredibly unpredictable. When in true form lasts for 15 seconds.

Null Zone: (True form only)
Moritz is surrounded in a five feet radius by a field of negative energy which dulls the senses of anyone in its influence and makes their movement sluggish. The closer they are to the center, or Moritz, the more the pressure impacts them and weighs on them... a feeling akin to being underwater with weights on your feet. Expires after Moritz's Prana becomes low. Marick is limited inside the field while in use, and the field is immovable. Projectiles slowed as well.

Malefic Visions:
Self explanatory. Dark visions plague the person afflicting, showing them different ways that they can perish from this world and different tortures applied to their person, including nails digging into skin, suffocating in space, so on. Can range from one vision to many, depending on Marick's prana pool and how much he expends. Max time: One minute. Twice as long while in true form.

Nether Grasp
Moritz grips the target with dark energies, immobilizing both of them for about ten seconds. A feeling of great pressure squeezes on the target, as if they are being squeezed with a great hand. Damage done is purely psychological. Moritz cannot break eye contact, and doing so will break the effect.

Personality: Moritz is relatively laid back and care-free, never really worries about too much. "Whatever happens, I'll live" tends to be his motto as he just pushes through it. Although he may seem like the kind of person to avoid his studies, Moritz is incredibly hard working in class, often working silently as those around him talk about their latest exploits and gossip. He is a bit of an introvert, keeping to himself or to small intimate groups. If there is a party, expect to find him in the corner or talking to a girl he fancies or a close friend... not in the middle of it all.
When it comes to League, Moritz is cool and collected, preferring to stay quiet and focused on the game. League of Legends is his way to simmer down and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, so he typically doesn't get very angry when things don't go his way and his team starts losing, but you will never hear him yell at the screen. If a teammate cheats him, he will be the person who won't mention it- until he ditches you in order to live. You deserved that.

Short Biography: Moritz Valiero's family is ridiculously wealthy. In a "Father on Congress and mother CEO of Victoria's Secret" kind of way, yet he never really mentions it. An observant person may notice it through his expensive clothes, or his high-tier gaming equipment, or him living in the most expensive apartment at the University. Regardless, his family has been a staple of the town for awhile and well respected.
An only child, Moritz is prized by his family and he is repeatedly pushed by his father to be a politician, or by his mother to be a businessman. In all actuality, Moritz would be happier having a small job and have more times to just chill at home, maybe just being a waiter at Olive Garden or something. Yet, he has a major in Business and is on his third year doing just that.

Other: Along with Moritz's great powers have come something else. A small voice on the edge of his consciousness, barely perceptible, pushing him to take action. As his prana lowers, Moritz gets more susceptible to the voices and images, his natural energy being the only thing protecting him from its influence. Whatever this voice may be, it wasn't there before, and more and more strange things keep appearing to Moritz Valiero.

[User]
Despite everything done, at the end of the day the laws of physics came into action. When two objects collide the lighter one will get blown away. Even with her sword stuck to the ground for more leverage, when Sion impacted with her, she got blown away. All the worlds seemed to swirl in a moment as she found herself unable to move from the shock that struck her body. It hurt, but she had felt worse. It took her a few moments to regain her sight and senses as she realized Sion was coming for her. With her body unable to move, she found herself trying to push her nerves to get her arms into defense position to block or redirect the incoming attack.

 She had just regained her ability to move when what was... Liam came to her rescue? She heard the clash of weapon against weapon. The metal clang rang through the area as both the towering beings were struggling. One to strike her, one to protect her from the axe.

 A smile appeared on Clarice's face as she used her strength to jump rolling away from the immediate fall point of the axe to allow Liam to break the deadlock with Sion. In Clarice's mind was something else entirely though right n this moment. As she had stated earlier, she was fundamentally different from many of the others around. She lived by killing in the past... She started laughing as she rose from the ground with great speed. The expression on her face was not something normal people could have.

 "Ohhh... I've missed this!! Hahahaha!" She said with a laugh as she finally stood up in her full glory. The armor shone in the light not having even a dent right now. Her sword stuck in the ground." The pressure! The thrill of the game of life and death! The uncertainty of weather or not you will die!" She shouted, pulling her sword from the ground." THIS IS THE PROPER WAY OF LIFE FOR US WHO LIVE BY KILLING!" She shouted as in a brief moment she activated Decisive strike for the speed boost and she jumped at the now stationary Sion!

[Assistant]
Raze Colter

Every hair on Raze's body stood on end as the air around him shifted and warped. Without warning, his surroundings shifted and he was suddenly standing between two glowing, violet portals spewing vicious, green projectiles. With no time to react, Raze could only watch in wide-eyed horror as his body was pierced by a hailstorm of verdant energy.

He cried out in pain as the energy bolts impacted him from both sides, tossing him to and fro. Raze attempted to wrest himself to the ground, but his body was still petrified under the control of Hecarim. Raze fell forward from a particular strong bolt, grunting as he hit the ground.

You idiot! If I die, you're gone too. Don't be a goddamn moron, fucking centaur. If you're going to perform a show of force, at least do it when we're not going to die!!

Sensation finally returned to his body, and Raze jumped back to his feet once the onslaught of energy bolts stopped screaming above his head. He shot a glare straight at Thresh, now a few yards away, just as the Warden threw off some ghouls that were attacking him. Rage coursed through Raze's veins, and a mane of blue-green hair exploded from underneath his helmet.

"Thresh!" Raze ferociously roared as he threw his spear right at the Warden. Immediately following the powerful toss, Raze began charging full force towards Thresh, building up his momentum into a Devastating Charge

---

Vicki Victory

It was all flame and chaos. People were pushing each other over trying to escape the pandemonium, knocking over tables and chairs in the process. In the midst of all that was happening, Vicki simply looked around as a witness. She watched as a man with a shotgun fought off an armored woman and a dragoness. She watched a hulking figure in malevolent armor get whipped back through the entrance by a chain. She watched, but she did not want to believe.

For those few moments, all sound seemed to be muffled as Vicki tried to stifle this reality. Through a thick cloud of smoke and embers, Sam burst through shouting something at Vicki. The snow-haired woman tilted her head towards the reptilian figure and focused her hearing. Above all of the screams and roaring flames, Vicki heard Sam yell, "Vicki! Quick! Punch a way out!"

Vicki slowly rose from her seat, still staring at Sam. She seemed to be running towards her in slow motion, literally like a bat out of hell.

Vicki turned towards the nearest wall, staring at it blankly.

This is my life now. She pulled back her first, readying a powerful strike.

---

Vicki and Sam burst through the walls of the cafe just as the roof began to cave in. Vicki dove onto the ground, smoking and covered in ashes, violently coughing up her blackened lungs. There was no time for reprieve though, the streets outside were just as chaotic as the scene they just barely escaped from. All around, Vicki's newfound friends were engaged in combat with other champions from League, none that she recognized from last night.

Through a fit of coughing, Vicki turned towards Sam and choked out, "You ready to do this?"

Vicki took off into a sprint from her sprawled position, charging at a giant, metal-jawed figure she assumed was Sion's avatar. The mountainous man was clashing with Liam in full-on dog mode, and Vicki could spot Clarice shouting maniacally and charging at Sion. There's no way this guy's gonna be able to handle us all.

Brilliant light enveloped Vicki, exaggerated by flecks of ice crystals that began whipping about from Claire. As the light dissipated, it revealed Vicki now wielding her hextech gauntlets and a metal cuirass. She activated her back-mounted jet boosters, the blue flames propelling her into a low glide, nearly scraping the ground.

Vicki covered the distance between her and Sion in no time, unleashing the full weight and power of her momentum into a colossal uppercut against the giant's jaw; the sound of metal crunching against metal rang loudly for all to hear. Vicki swore she felt Sion's metal jaw break from the force of her punch.

@Leolycan@rivaan

---

Garrett Fishman

SHEN?! WHY CAN I NOT ESCAPE THAT DAMNED FOOL?!"

A vicious migraine rose up in Garrett's head. As he moved his hand to comfort his head, his body wildly jerked itself. Garrett stumbled, but recovered himself into a walking pace. So, you are in here, huh?

I cannot tolerate that pathetic fool existing here in this world as well. There can only be he or I. And it will be me.

Garrett exerted his will back over his body, gritting his teeth with effort to halt his own steps. Hey, that's nice and all, but I've got some things that I need to do before we head off and find your buddy. You don't even know where he went.

Just follow the scent of failure.

Wow, really clever. Garrett reeled himself back around towards Megan and his...employer, spending great energy to push his own will against Zed's. "Sorry about that. Zed's finally rearing his ugly head. Won't be a problem again." Garrett looked on over the crowd of people as they began to disperse and return to everyday life, looking to see if he could spot anyone familiar. "We should probably get out of here before cops or reporters show up."

As Garrett turned to walk away, he stopped momentarily, then turned his head to glance at the suited man. "By the way...what do I call you? And what's our next move?"


[System]
-CS's-

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Incomplete CS's
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OC Characters:

Max [Bearic]:
Age: 33 [Human Years]
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Human Form: In his human form he is rather ripped, he has hair all over his head as well as the face in a form of a bread and his ripped chest is clear of any hair though his legs are covered in fur. He wears loose like trousers which are partly torn which are held by a belt to keep them on him at all times. His arms are rather clear of hair as well and are just as ripped as the rest of him and like his beast form his hair is all silver. He does have beast like markings on him that many humans would consider tattoo work but unlike tattoos are natural.
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 16 Stone [All Muscle]
Beast Form: In his beast form is in a big silver like black bear, his fur dazzles in the sun and moonlight. He is bulky as black bears would be and is actually bigger than most other beasts of his species.
Height: 6' 9"
Weight: 267kg
Class: Bearic
Personality: A very proud person and warrior since he is part beast he can lose it time to time which is quite the task to stop. He is a bit of a lone wolf but that is because of being on his own for a long time until he met the group during a campaign. He is very useful with his hands meaning he can build, fix and work on anything that is possible. He has a hates to lose type attitude and even an air of overconfidence as well. Overall he is a lovely guy though can be scary as well but the group loves him too bits. Like most he has a gentle side but such a thing is hardly seen in the time of war. He won't back down as easily due to his hates to lose mindset that usually the group has to force him to leave.

Raven [Dancer]:

Name: Raven
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 7 Stone
Class: Dancer
Personality: As a dancer she is very gentle and modest with a slight edge of confidence to boot. She is very friendly and some people find she is too friendly even though that is not her attention. Since she does not do too much she does tasks for the group to feel more useful such as fetching herbs, cleaning weapons, looking after the gold and so on. She has no aggression in her and so the battlefield is a hard place for her even with the weapon she has on hand. She is very fragile in some ways such as one could easily knock whatever confidences she had built up. Lastly, she can get moody but that is due to a curse that was put on her by some dark mage which happened years ago.

Hilda [Warrior]:

Name: Hilda
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 10 Stone
Class: Warrior
Personality: Hilda is somewhat like a black bear in the sense she will always fight to protect her flock or as they would call it the band of steel. Loyal and very friendly to those who earn her trust which is not very easy to gain. War is not her favourite thing but she is here to prevent others from dying though that is her reason she has been seen as a dark angel on the battlefield. She enjoys cooking and because of that, the group always is well feeds and looked after. Bravery is her most known trait and is known for her high skills we the weapons she has at hand. She is also very supportive to those who need it, overall she is very protective and proud of the group she is in.

[Will be working on them some more sometime soon and will be posted in my CS collection.]

[User]
Robin watched Aedan after Tharja finally gave in trying to help her yet stayed close like a hawk to keep her safe, just in case something happened. Soon a familiar event happened, Robin had those head pains time to time when trying to remember who she was. Chrom being the gentle soul he was managed to help Aedan who at this time was now going on about dragons. Robin's first thought was of Nowi but she also remembered Cherche also had a dragon. The way he reacted showed he either feared them or had a bad experience with them, of course, these were educated guesses. Watching Aedan turn ghost white as if he had actually seen a ghost was a tad worrying, would he be OK being near a dragon, n fact two for a while? She was sure Chorm would not let him travel alone in the condition he was in.

Robin soon turned her head towards where Cherche was, her friend was trying to wake her up, Minerva was very caring and sweet once you got to know her. Chrom soon asked the question and of course, the obvious answer followed. Aedan was not wrong that dragons were dangerous but at the same time were not dangerous if you understood them like Cherche knew Minerva and if they knew Nowi. Robin watched as Chrom backed off as Cherche began to advance towards Aedan. 'Oh boy' Robin said to herself. Robin soon looked over to Minerva for a moment before looking back at the two now in conversation. Robin shook her head for a moment, hopefully, this would stay peaceful yet she had never heard or even seen someone say anything bad about Minerva. It seemed Aedan ran it after Cherche summoned Minerva to hug Aedan, the fear was very real it seemed.

Robin soon looked over to Chrom who was explaining though not knowing much about the current situation. Gregor's voice soon filled Robin's ears, he mentioned a river and he was right towns and city's would always be near a water source. Robin soon turned to Nowi who at this time was looking Aedan, she wondered if he would be scared of her as well, she was a dragon herself. Nowi was very friendly and liked talking to people so eventually, she would end up talking to Aedan, how he reacted was a mystery and it made her a little nervous. When Chrom helped Sumia up she thanked him "Thank you, Chrom."

Chrom soon gave commands to his units, he had a plan though he was not the leader for nothing. Hopefully, Aedan would calm down now that Cherche and Minerva would take to the skies. Sumia soon replied, "Will do my love, come my dear." She was referring to her winged friend who at this time was ready for action. Sumia gave the group a quick look before running towards her winged friend and heading into the sky. "No one is going to touch this group Chrom, they would get a foot up their arse first," said Sully who acknowledged her role at this time. Lissa just nodded at this time, she still seemed a little unhappy about the event of Chrom and Vaike almost killing each other due to getting to into the practice fighting they did not too long ago. Tharja kept her eyes on Robin as Chrom told Vaike to look after her, she could handle herself of course but it was a command she had to follow. Nowi smiled like she usually did before running up to Gregor, the one who protected her not too long ago.

Nowi had a present for Gregor but it was at the camp which they were no longer at. It was a protective item made from her own scales, she was sure it would surprise him when he got it if he got it anyway.

Robin: "It depends on the situation Aedan, at the moment we have to be on our guard because I am sure this place is crawling with bandits and maybe even risen. Since it is dark here being spotted would be rather difficult, would you happen to know of any landmarks near the town which could help us plan something just in case? A place which would give us an advantage even if it is a slight advantage?" The town was about a few miles out and it was not even a big one but it had to do, the town could be barely seen because of the unnatural darkness. So far it looked clear but Sumia was having a hard time seeing anything, what was this place and why was there very little light. Sumia took the east side while Cherche would deal with the west, dividing things would make things easier.

[Assistant]
"Like I said, I don't know anything about this place. I'm not even sure I've ever seen this place before." Aedan responds to Robin. On the travel along Aedan fixes his armor with noticeable familiarity. He instinctively pulls out a spell book as he rides his mount and begins studying.

"Halt! Who goes there!" shouts some of the town guards as they walk up to Chrom. Chrom gives them a once over noticing that they are not very well equipped, assuming the town has them more for peace of mind rather than real protection. Chrom puts up his hands to show his harmlessness and quickly says, "Hello, I am Chrom and these are my friends. We are what I call Shepards, we go around and help people when need arises. I assure you none of us will attempt to hurt any townspeople." He does his best to give a disarming smile and the guard seems to relax a little more, hoping that they wouldn't have to fight such a well armed group of people. But as soon as their eyes lay on Aedan the guards raise their weapons again and shout, "What is one of them doing here?!" he looks at Chrom and asks him "Is he a prisoner of yours?". Chrom looking bewildered responds, "No...this is Aedan, is there a problem with him?"

Aedan, hearing his name, snaps out of studying his spells and looks at Chrom and the guards. He cocks his head while looking at the guards, whom are almost quaking in their boots, he shuts his book with a loud clap. He slowly gets off the horse and walks up to the men and puts his hands up and states, "I apologize for whatever people like me may have done to you, I'm sure you wont believe me but I don't remember who nor what I am, you can take me away, beat me, do what you want with me if it would make the world a better place. These are my new friends its true, but they aren't from here so they also don't know what I am since you do seem to know, I would like to ask you what I am."

The guards lower their spears and look disdainfully at Aedan. They look him dead in the eye and one guards coldly states, "You. You're a monster, someone with more blood on their hands then they could ever wash away." He spits on the ground in Aedan's direction and looks almost as coldly at Chrom and orders him to watch Aedan carefully, they believe him for now but they are to not be trusted. After being let into town and looking for anything giving them information on what this country is, all townspeople that see Aedan immediately gain an angry disposition. Some yell at him, some actually attempt to throw rocks at him. Aedan walks with the group staring at the ground taking any abuse that is thrown his way, his fists begin to clench and his face starts to screw up in rage. Chrom puts his hand on Aedan's shoulder and begins to ask, "Aedan are y-" as Aedan breaks his grip and runs out of the town gate and back into the forest. He ran with tears in his eyes, fumbling around and trips over a good sized log. He gets up and wipes his face of sweat, grime and tears and props himself upon the enemy that tripped him. He holds his head within his hands and just can only think to himself,

What did I do?
Just what am I?
Am I still the monster they think I am?
Will I ever know?

He fights through the tears and shakily brings out his book again and begins to read, tears staining some of the pages as he tries to make out the magic runes on the pages in front of him, the only thing he understands right now.


[System]
Age: 17
Element: Ice(?)
Personality: Chen is a really friendly person, focusing on other people instead of himself. He's a good listener and is always willing to try and help people out with their problems. Chen tries to stay calm at all times, otherwise his powers tend to go out of control. The one thing that always makes him angry is when you mention his height, he's pretty short at 5'3 and he knows it. Otherwise he just wants to get along with people.

In terms of his goals, he enjoys improving upon himself and being the best at what he does. He's pretty smart but he sometimes overestimates his intelligence which can sometimes be to his disadvantage.

Appearance: Note that his hair is actually white after an incident on his 7th birthday. He is also 5'3 and is a pretty skinny guy overall.

History: Chen was born in Hakuba, Japan on a snowy night in December. His parents considered him to be a early Christmas gift and his first 6 years of his life were wonderful. He would love to play in the snow and even learned to ice skate at the age of 5. Things changed on his 7th birthday though. He got into a fight with a friend at school, things escalating enough that Chen freaked out. His elemental powers awakened and his parents had to be called in to make sure he didn't hurt anyone. By the end of the day, everyone made it out of the school safely, but the school itself was permanently covered in a thick layer of ice.

His parents had the same powers as him, but his were more powerful then theirs had ever been. They didn't know what to do with him, until Chen's father mentioned the school he went to as a teen. It was quickly decided that he would be sent there to learn, under the care of a teacher who worked at the Academy. That teacher's name was Kano Hargor, who had offered to keep an eye on Chen after seeing the results of his untapped potential.

It was a strange arrangement, Chen was given an apartment near the school where he basically raised himself with small adjustments from Kano every now and then. Sometimes it was instructions on how to operate a stove, others it was just a broom and dustpan being where the tv usually was. Most of the time though it was just some schoolwork that Kano assumed was appropriate for someone his age. His parents would visit once a year, bringing him presents and having a family outing in a nearby village. Every time he visited they would make sure to impress upon him the value of being a kind individual no matter what. After ten years of this he enrolled in the Elemental Academy at the age of 17.
Equipment: Ice Skates, Thick Blue Gloves, Snow Goggles (kept around his neck), and a staff that he made to direct ice more easily. Keeps it in a leather holster on his back.

[User]
Madison

"Of course, Mr. Kessinger," she replied with a grin. She looked at her classmate dead in the eye, not as a form of intimidation, but rather, to give him a condescending stare.

"Haven't you heard what happens to people when they play with fire?" she said to him in a low voice. Pushing herself off of the wall, Madison laughed a little and proceeded to grip the dowel with her right hand. She walked to the center of the room, turned around in place to face her teacher, and once more, lit a small flame at the tip. This time, it was controlled, no wildly flickering as if it was about to spread in any direction. With somewhat of a confidence boost, Madison tossed the dowel to her left hand while the flame remained hovering in place. The slightest smile displayed across her face, and she looked up at her teacher as the flame disappeared.

"So, do I pass this time around as well?"

[Assistant]
@Xandrya
Elbritas Kessinger

Elbritas beamed at Madison. "Well done kiddo!" He pulled a dowel designed to be difficult to channel fire through out of his desk and handed it to Vlad, having it looked identical to the one Madison was testing with. "Now Vlad, it's your turn. Same as Madison, make a flame steady at the tip and not burn it down the dowel at the same time." He wasn't necessarily doing it to bully him, but clearly the kid had some form of gusto being from a rich family that made him think he was better than everyone else. If he could pull it off, great, but if he couldn't, it'd be a mild lesson in humility that he sorely needed if he was going to fit in at the school.

[User]
@liferusher

Having suddenly been hit by an idea, Avarius quickly sits up and excitedly rummages through Brunhilde's supply bag.
He finds the deflated beach ball and marker pens he was looking for.
As the girls continue to play and exercise (more the former than the later) he goes about inflating the ball and writing all over it.
Sixty mathematic problems to be exact.
Each one resembling one minute of break time. Unsure of his students current academic level Avarius broke the questions into ten groups of six.
Each group would have two easy, two intermediate, one challenging and one trick question. Every correct answer gave the girls one minute of free leisure time.

There were however a few rules;
the girls would each given a marker pen, they had to take turns answering a question.
They had to stay in their own designated area a short distant apart from each other.
Lastly their eyes must be shut unless they are holding the beach ball, this meant they had to catch it with their eyes closed. A dropped ball could be difficult to find.

The teacher would have it ready by the time they had finished their other activities and this one would lead into a lunch break. When they are ready he explains the premises of the exercise

The ball was large and soft, and the rubber squeaked in their hands. At this distance, with expectation alone, this exercise could be played by non-elementals yet it was still good for honing the senses.

[Assistant]
@Xandrya
The girl stared at him, sort of provocatively or so thought Vlad. It pissed him off. "What does this midget think she is??? Is she looking down on me??" he thought while slowly forming a frown and grasping his wound harder. After she whispered that little taunt to him he nearly exploded but managed to calm himself and looked the other side. He didn't pay attention to what she was doing or how she was doing the test and couldn't care less. He hated her already.

After she was done, the shitbreath teacher gave him a dowel and asked him to lit the tip. Vlad wasn't happy with it either "What is this?? Kindergarten??" He thought and looked into the teachers eyes with an are you kidding me? look. But not wanting another dart somewhere in his body he proceeded to quickly finish this and get done with it. He held the dowel in his hand and briefly concentrated. For some reason the dowel began vibrating and more and more cracks appeared releasing smoke until it suddenly exploded. Pieces of wood flew all around the class and Vlad spat one out that flew into his mouth. "What the fu**?? What kind of dowels are these?" He said in an irritated tone.

[User]
Light@Zelosse

"Cold...You couldn't 'ave just told a lie or said something usual and boring could ya? Dark and mysterious might interest the girls but it ain't gonna help you become a master elementalist."

A voice rang from behind him, a student with white hair. A smirk etching on his face as he made light banter towards Luke, even if he didn't know him or anything. He shot him a bitter smile in kind, he was actually pretty amazed that another person would be willing to talk to him, save that odd girl from before. Also now he noticed, everyone has bizarre and odd hairstyles, colour and outlandish clothing, was he the only one that found this weird?

He looked down at his plain polo shirt and pants, maybe he was the weird, outlandish one.

---

He felt very odd to have linked his hands with his fellow students, reluctantly doing so. Luke knew there was no purpose to this, it was probably for the headmaster's own gaiety. Atleast he knew that the headmaster wasn't all that serious.

Whilst walking he could still could not believe the size of the place. They excited via a spiraling staircase and a giant door... Only to be met with the blazing heat, one could take a wild guess why Luke strayed away from the heat and drifted into shadier/cooler areas. And after a rather long walk Luke found himself in a desolate, open field, a giant wall being the only shade given.

"Right then." Kano turned to the students. "Water students. Strip down to your underclothes and get in the water. Your first lesson will be control."

Luke shot the headmaster a confused look at first,
Under different circumstances that can be interpreted wrongly. Luke thought to himself in amusement. He took a glance at the other water students, their faces seemed to be struggling, with majorty having expressions of bewilderment and confusion at their own powers.

After a brief delay and an apprehensively worried sigh of he took off his shirt and pants and slowly sauntered into the waters, underestimating its power.

His eyes widened quickly as his mindset changed. It tore at him from different directions as he tried to control it as instructed. These waters were incredibly rich with mana and felt as if it had a mind of its own. He struggled a bit inside the waters, this was almost impssible to command.

An idea popped into his mind as if a bulb flickered, water was the element of tranquility and flexibility, rather than trying to control it he should try and flow alongside it. As soon as he realized this and adjusted accordingly, he could feel himself with the waters. As cliche as it was, it seemed to be working, now the water flows next to him in a beautiful cascade but it wasn't perfect.

"Sir- Headmaster, what else do we need to do or do we continue on?" Luke addressed the headmaster whilst waters encircled his arm, wondering what else was to be done.

[Assistant]
---

Kano Hargor

---

Kano turned his attention from the running lightning students and back to Luke as he entered the waters without caution. As expected, the overload of sheer energy almost overtook him within mere moments. Most students dipped a toe in the pond and panicked, refusing to enter. The first mistake. Luke had disregarded that caution and placed full trust that his tasks would be safe or that he could find a way to stay safe, passing the first hurdle. Amused at the conflicting emotions playing across the boys face, Kano watched his struggle for not just control but balance. Not long after entering the pool the boy was already matching his own body to the subtle flow of the waters.

"You have skill. Most students are hesitant to stay in the waters after tasting it. Very impressive display."

Kanos raised his right hand and casually pointed his finger at the pool and felt his own connection with the pool. Kanos finger flicked from side to side and the waters responded in kind by throwing themselves wildly in every direction. Worst of all, the temperature took a slide into almost freezing temperatures.
Even as he spoke, the waters continued to churn violently, tossing its occupants in every direction like ragdolls with waves that threatened to submerge them entirely. Keeping your head above water as it thrashed was a challenge it itself.

"Find a way to regain your balance and control. Soothe the waters."

Controlling your own energies in the midst of a greater flow was often difficult at times. Faced with overwhelming difference in power, the waters could turn into a raging hell of its own. The first test displayed control in tranquility with still waters. If Luke wished to overcome the hurdle it would need a.. deeper connection. Flowing with the water didn't just mean letting the waters do as it pleases.
Subtle guidance granted the best results.

To soothe the waters would take time.

"Try to hold your breathe." Was the only hint Kano gave as he walked away from the pools to check up on the lightning students.

-----------------------------
Light@Jangel13

Kano slid across the dry field on a platform of ice, flowing at his command until he reached the distant students spitting electricity with every step. As he caught up, one of the students faltered and fell onto the ground. Kano raised his left arm and a cold patch of water flowed onto the boys leg with a soothing relief.

"Do not give up. You can fall a hundred times and still win the race. Adjust your output and try again."

The water flowed back into Kano who simply smiled and urged the student on. The longer they ran, the better. If they fell, he would pick them back up.


[System]
---

"Mysterious soldiers who attacked without any warning. Little to nothing is known about them. Their powerful, cutting edge technology armaments and high discipline suggest a powerful backer behind their cause."

---

Threat: Varies

---

"The wolf is a sagacious predator found through pretty much all of Valys. They hunt in packs and can show incredible intelligence, devising tactics to wear down their prey before aiming for the kill. It's a known fact that wolves began to lose their fear of humans after being hunted/trained for generations. This constitutes a major danger for travelers and adventurers alike."

---

Threat: Low (Common Wolf)/Moderate (Dire Wolf)

---

"Bears are territorial predators that live in dense forest and hilly regions all over Valys. In rare occasions they can gather in packs, especially if threatened by a greater force. They can be distracted by loud sounds and displays of force. However, do what you must, but don't cross the way of a mother bear with cubs nearby: they prefer to die rather than give up."

---

Threat: Moderate (Common Bear)/High (Dire Bear)

[User]
"Oh. Dragon."

Morgan muttered to himself as he stared up at Diana's massive shimmering form, a half-filled cartridge in his hands. While everyone else was chatting in the temple, he had taken the time to check up on his guns, and fill a few more cartridges.

This is... unusual.

Glancing over at the others, he paused for a moment, wondering what sort of conversation led to this.

I guess I'll ask someone about it later.

[Assistant]
Chen Chideta

When Zarin tried to grab Chen, he would find himself immediately recoiling due to the sheer cold that emanated from his skin. The metaphorical hearts in his eyes only grew bigger as Diana patted his head with her tail, pleased by the fact that his flattery actually resulted in good things for once. "But of course, it's only natural to sing praise of such a mighty warrior!"

"I suppose that you won't buy it if I do just an arm, right? In that case, we will have to get to the entrance. I kinda can't do it in such a cramped space." Chen got to his feet quickly, following Diana closely while still fawning over her every feature. He also very subtly made sure all of his stuff was still with him, checking his hidden pockets for his cutting cards and his sleeves for his tied together handkerchiefs. Just because she was beautiful and had rescued him doesn't mean he was a complete idiot, this could be a trap to gather everyone to one spot to kill them all. He hoped that wasn't the case, but as a magician he knew that misdirection meant everything.

They made it outside quickly, Diana removing her armor and clothing to transform. "I know that you guys wanna see if I'm not tricking you or not. But... could at least not stare too much now?" Chen blushed, covering his eyes as Diana changed. "Not a problem, it would be rude to stare at a lady while she changed, no matter how beautiful she may be." Chen was once again lying, leaving a small opening between his fingers to make sure she wasn't pulling any funny business. It didn't appear as if she was trying to trick them, so Chen let down his guard a little and looked away for real this time. "Ok, here we go. Try not to get too awed, right?"

Easier said than done. She morphed before their very eyes, a golden glow enveloping her as she became more and more dragon like. She grew larger and larger, eventually becoming a full dragon at a size of more than 300 feet. "So, what do you say... really amazing, huh? I mean, it's not everyday that you get to see something like this, right?" Chen stood in amazement, observing her from multiple angles to try and take in everything about her. She had a regal air about her, a wisdom beyond her years shined behind her brilliant eyes. "So, what do you say... really amazing, huh? I mean, it's not everyday that you get to see something like this, right?" Chen whispered something under his breath that nobody could hear as he grew closer to her, hesitating to touch her.

[User]
Esther von Degraff

---

Esther listened attentively as the girl explained further about the monster. Apparently, she had gotten it wrong. The monster itself was called a Dissonance, while the horrible scream it let out from before was the Banshee, or the Banshee's Scream to be exact. And then, she talked further about some Goddess and Song Knights. Hmm, Song Knights? That sounded familiar... Have she heard about them before? And she called that Dissonance "cannon fodder"? She couldn't believe that! That was the hardest fight they had so far!

Ires interrupted her explanation however, telling how they were just myths.

In the end, the group followed the odd girl to an abandoned temple. Just like she had promised, there were other cadets there. It seemed she indeed had treated them.

And then, she declared that she was a dragon.

"Eeeeh?" Esther reacted with surprise. A-a dragon? A-aren't dragons supposed to be this big and scary lizards that breathe fire?

Before she could respond to Ires' justifiable skepticism to her declaration, one of the cadets the girl had saved interrupted their conversation as he thanked his savior. His name was Chen, and he seemed to be quite the polite person, thanking the dragon girl by giving her a bouquet of flowers. He also was quite the magician as well, doing his tricks smoothly like a professional. Esther wondered if he used his vessel's power to do it.

Zarin then chimed in, saying to Diana to transform if she wanted to prove her words to them all. Esther could certainly see the logic, but it would be really scary to see a dragon up close. She would make sure she gave some distance away from her she was going to do that.

Crispin then spoke of his own skepticism, saying how Diana didn't act like how a dragon would. "Yes, yes, I agree!" Esther chimed in once Crispin finished his words. "You're not scary enough to be a dragon!" she said to Diana.

After Leblanc spoke her mind, Diana finally calmed the group down and said that she would do it. She would transform into a dragon. But not here, since the space inside the temple wasn't big enough. Just how big is she?

Once outside, to Esther's shame and surprise, Diana began undressing herself. "W-wait, what are you doing?" she said to her while blushing. Then Esther realized she would tear through her clothes if she were to transform with them on. That would be bad as she would be forced to stay naked when she transformed back.

When Diana finished transforming, Esther looked at her new form with both terror and awe. She watched the massive golden dragon with her legs shaking.

"S-so big!" Esther said. "T-this is the first time I've ever seen a dragon!"

Esther both felt like she wanted to stay and look at the majestic sight in front of her and ran away as far as she could from the dragon. Even though it was clearly still Diana, judging by its voice, it was still a dragon, and it felt like it could just leap towards her and ate her whole.

[Assistant]
Egwene
Egwene looked at Diana's bare form, observing the girl who claimed to be a dragon. She kept an steady eye towards the Dragon. As a prideful warrior of the Empire, she will not let her guard down, not even when somebody went taking off her armour and clothing in front of her. She showed an indifferent expression, That's too small for a dragon...? Until the transformation happened.

"Holy shit..." Egwene gasped upon seeing a being from the Age of Legends appearing right in front of her. It was way bigger than what she had envisioned in her mind. She began wondering how did Diana even manage to transform to something as small as a human being. As if the enormous size and the dragonfires aren't bad enough, dragons have good enough intelligence to speak. Its no wonder that Dissonance escaped at the sight of her. Egwene stopped her sightseeing only when Gladon, the only cadet who still remembers their mission, mentioned something about wildlife.

"I'll scout out a bit, I'll see if there's anything amiss, I won't fall asleep this time~"

Egwene said as if she was in an everyday mission. She was sure that nothing would surprise her by now, be it Dissonance or Dragons. She walked out further into the woods, ready to draw her sword at any moment. She checked for anything weird within the ruins, other than dragon of course.

[User]
Leblanc Farris
 [[ Location : Enemy Encampment]]

Words went unbidden- or more aptly, were drowned before the exuberance of such characters like Chen- and they followed as though ducklings before Diana as she led them outside and began to strip herself.

Propriety be damned, Leblanc wasn't going to miss an inch of Diana if she was as she said she was. And indeed her eyes did corroborate such claims, the wings being something of a giveaway long before Diana went through with the full transition.

"Well, these are going to be some one sided negotiations." Leblanc rasped with awe as she craned her neck back to try and get a sense for the scale of the creature before them. Such as it was Diana's words carried upon a gale of their own, buffeting them with the force of her speech, and her golden scales were a touch hard to look at when the sun refracted off their pristine surfaces to detriment of her eyes. Rocs are one thing, but we are fucked if we have to force an issue. She thought belatedly.

She held no illusion anything they could do to her would do more then scratch the enamel from a few scales before Diana could swat them into the earth at terminal velocity. "Maybe we should give her the puppy and point her towards nesting towards our neighbors borders. "

[Assistant]
Zarin Malthain
Location: Ruins

---

Though most were quick to dismiss the idea that Diana was in fact a dragon, the cadets did seem to believe her claims of being the one to cause the wildlife to act up. It felt a bit backwards to Zarin for them to not want to verify such a claim, but his judgement may have been skewed by personal reasons. True his main goal of getting Diana to transform was indeed to verify her story and fully prove she was disturbance, but he had also always dreamed of seeing a dragon. Truth be told, he held them in such regard, he was one of the people who believed the original three Vessel bearers were dragons.

Luckily, it didn't take much convincing and before they knew it, the cadets were outside ready to watch Diana turn into a creature of legends. As she began to undress, she asked if they would look away. A question Chen of course had to answer with flattery. "Oh good Goddess can you dial it back for one second?" Zarin asked as he sort of complied, putting his hand up to obscure his vision enough that it protected her modesty, but didn't blind him entirely.

And then, his dream came true. Standing before him was the magnificent and towering figure of a golden dragon. Despite her earlier warnings, Zarin found himself unable to be anything but completely awe struck. Wide eyed and jaw open he was nearly frozen in place by sheer amazement. The most he could manage was a weak arm flop and a soft "don't" in an attempt to grab Egwene and stop her from wandering off, all the while keeping his gaze fixed upon Diana.