[System]
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Extremely pretty... and of absolutely, absurdly average height. Well, it was absolutely average in the distant past. Now it might not be.
* Personality: A contradictory sort; to those with her love and favour, Ashte is doting and affectionate, forgiving of their mistakes and willing to give them multiple chances. To her enemies, there is no quarter until their complete defeat; no mercy will be offered until an enemy is crushed beyond the point of being able to rise up again. To those who have neither her love nor her hate, Ashte is reserved and haughty, a proud goddess who expects to be deferred to and loved first.
* Domain: Love and War. Of course, in the general sense this also makes her a goddess of fertility and beauty and organisation and such things; as a goddess so closely tied to mortal concepts, she enjoys the fuzziness of the boundary regions between domains.
* Abilities: In the old days, Ashte was a goddess who had nearly as many ways to face down her enemies as she did lovers. She could have perfect insight over a battlefield and relay orders with a precision and speed no mortal could hope to match, leading her troops in a perfect dance to confound enemies that would have thought them helpless. Her presence on the battlefield could be a rallying beacon to inspire ability and endeavours beyond normal limitations. Or she could show them all exactly how it was done, and take to the battlefield herself, with nothing more than martial ability and vast divine power. Or, often, all three at once; nothing makes a battle easier than waving a juicy but impregnable target in front of your enemies.
In her current state, none of those remain, aside from some thoroughly mortal-achievable but superlative skill at arms. Instead, the remaining facet of Ashte's warlike skills is part of an ability that would allow her to be an army: conjuring and reshaping a scant pair of weapons to hover close around her and fight autonomously, if she doesn't wish to wield one or both herself. Of course, these still have a spark of the divine about them--they cut far more things than normal steel would.
As for the other aspect of her domain, she's still extremely pretty. Anything that would permanently interfere with that won't stick. She's quite annoyed at how... immutable her body is right now, however. Some people have particular interests that can't be satisfied this way! It really loses out on regal, divine presence, too, to be so... not huge.
* Brief Backstory: Ashte's time as a major deity was rapacious and expansionist, inevitably coming into conflict with those surrounding her followers that refused to be swayed. Those that refused her love could only be treated as suspicion, as having ulterior motives--in such a volatile region, how could anyone that refused to ally or submit be anything but an enemy in waiting
Of course, it's quite embarrassing--and obvious, in hindsight--that the real enemy would be someone only feigning adoration and abusing her good graces. Not that she's likely to be much more suspicious of her lovers this time...

[User]
Aureia, of gold, commerce, wealth,and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

The door at the top of the staircase was a very sturdy looking barrier. The fact that it had been dented meant that whatever the mortals were using to try and breach it was a very powerful weapon, indeed. More intriguing, though, was the way the doors slid open as she approached it, but even that became of little interest compared to what the open door revealed.

Like the mortals before her, Aureia had to take a pause to take in the enormity of the scene in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she observed the blood and gore, the number of dead and living, and their equipment. It seemed, even ten thousand years later, there would always be armor and swords, however unusual. The strange tube-like devices in their hands were another thing entirely, though. They had been shooting volleys at the door—where were the siege engines that could do damage to such a strong door? It was entirely possible that what they wielded were strange staves, and they had been firing volleys of spells at the door, though if that were the case, then she must be very weak indeed, if she couldn't detect the magic.

Her eyes drifted to the carnage on the ground. A lopsided battle and a heroic stand had occurred here. In the past, the knowledge of such parties would have been trivial to her, but here, she only had her eyes to work with—who are these two parties of mortals, and more importantly, which group was affiliated with the priestess or had otherwise summoned the gods? By color palette alone, she had to assume the white-clad priestess was more likely to be familiar with the fallen knight than the crimson-armored soldiers.

As the patron of commerce, though, she knew better than to assume, and instead contented herself for the moment to observe the exchange between the commander and his subordinate, finding it amusing.

She took the time to pick her own brain on how she'd introduce herself, vocalizing her thoughts at the same time. "Hmm… what should I say? It's been ten thousand years. Maybe something quick, since there's so many people. Maybe 'Hello, mortal'? But that's so uninspired," she muttered, before realizing she was being addressed, and rudely, at that. "Oh. Ahem. Greetings, mortal. Oh. Oh my, oh dear. You mortals can't be serious. You wouldn't mind repeating that again, would you?" Fake friendliness filled the tone of her voice as she processed the gall of the man's statement. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt, it was ten thousand years and all, maybe it was some strange slang, because she was pretty sure the man had just tried to order around the divine under the authority of some mortal pretty boy. A pretty bad first impression, all things considered. Surely they weren't…?

Oh, they were doubling down. Aureia had been in a good mood from being reawakened, but threatening her and insulting a fellow goddess –one that she respected-- in such an impudent way was a very effective way to ruin that.

"I am Aureia, goddess of wealth and commerce. And travel and luck, but that is far less important. That 'beastkin' you see there is the Goddess of Hunting and Judgment. By what insolence do you and your 'holy' emperor presume to make a mockery of the divine and order us around?" She shifted her umbrella forwards, pointing it directly at the face of the red armored commander. It had taken on a dangerous appearance; the tip had morphed into a golden spike, and a single spoke along the edge had transformed into a long, thin razor along the length of the umbrella.

She gave them a polite smile. Still riding some of her good mood, she gave them one last chance. She doubted the rest of her fellow gods would be as forgiving and wait for their response, but whatever.

"How about I offer a counter proposal? Surrender and submit to our judgment, or die."

[Assistant]
Hexagonal Chamber - O'Menus

The scene before him was of a different kind than he was use to. The viscera, strewn about organs and splattering of blood, the desperate death-prone bodies; most gripping or squeezing onto their last vestiges of mortality was typically ashes where he dispensed his ordinance. A particularly damaged warrior, filled with puncture holes and stabbed by swords, held his cold gaze the longest. 'Useless specks, even killing is a messy deed for them... Though that weapon looks valuable.'

He fixed his eyes onto the stupidest of the armored-mortals, the one so idiotically bold or misled that he presumed to speak to Gods of divinity. That roused the core of his being, the heat that permeated his entirety, to attention. For a moment, he could remember what his original strength felt like, it allowed him to pull the vestiges together. To rally his now meager strength to its fullness.

The sudden roar, or rather the luminance and birth of his flames pushed, Aureia's proposal into a death-sentence. The harsh light bloomed over the darkness for just a moment. The mortals didn't deserve his emotions; the scene that laid before him, before all the Gods, had decided they were ready to die. Apathetically, he considered them, wary of their tubular weapons. The flames that spewed from him gathered around his right forearm, a barren kite shield of hard-fire forming into existence.

"There will be no surrender. They have threatened Gods... their fates will be death," he spoke aloud. He hoisted together all his Godly might and sprinted into action. Forming the shield, coupled with his show of strength was draining. He needed a weapon so he snatched the white blade from the dead warrior nearby and rushed towards the army. He assumed those puncture holes were made from those tubular sticks they were aiming at them. He covered his torso with the shield and ran straight for the horned-headed mortal, sword held at his side, ready for an exterminating decapitation.

[User]
Alasayana
The hunt begins again

---

As she ascended the stairs, the Huntress began pondering the ways she should be greeting the mortals. She didn't wish to scare them, or hurt them - more than once her prodigious strength caused some accidents when she wasn't paying attention. But she was a Goddess, she couldn't casually simply go around saying hello to mortals. There was a proper procedure to these things...hm, loud but friendly introduction? Make them give her an offering of fruit? Maybe ask one to take care of her divine tails. They probably haven't been properly maintained in so long. She could already hear them complaining. Or maybe she should thank them for waking her-

Perhaps she had been too optimistic.

The chamber they exited from held little interest to her. Its construction was curious, to be sure, but she doubted she'd glean anything from it all things considered. So she would step into the welcoming outside air, gazing over the stony expanse, a far cry from the warm sands and colorful jungles she was used too. The forest far below seemed welcoming, but alas - it seemed she may need to perform her duties as a hunter of evil before she could immerse herself in the luxuries of such a welcoming sight.

Two dozen. Maybe a handful of more. Instead of keeping her tails close to her to appear as non-threatening as possible, she'd quickly change her tune the moment the carnage before her became apparent. The four appendages would extend outwards, gazing in all directions as to not let a single human here go unnoticed, not even the dead. A single large humanoid...metal construct? Of some sort lay slain...and near the door to them, was a man. Unmoving, also deceased. It was easy to guess what had happened here.

A protector, slain by these before her.

So, these people were after this priestess, and likely had far less noble intentions.

"I see." Alasayana would inhale. Fury of the righteous sort would begin beating within. "I shall remember your face, warrior, and those stalwart eyes of yours. You did well. Please, rest. I will handle everything else." An exhale as she would offer a small comfort to the already deceased soldiers spirit as she would turn towards the Goddess of Commerce. "Save your breath, Auriea. As much as I loathe to agree with the Sun, I doubt they will listen...and I can not let their apparent transgressions go." With O'Menus taking the golden blade belonging to the warrior, Alasayana would opt for the best weapon she would know how to wield.

"If they wish to become prey for challenging the Gods and our apparent benefactors, then so be it. Lopaley protect the priestess." She would turn her attention to the mob before them. Her tails would writhe behind her, the once passive faces upon them snarling, glaring at the red clad soldiers gathered. She would stand before them as O'Menus would begin his rush to their apparent leader. Even if she could no longer sense evil, hostility, lies and the sort of things that bred and fostered evil...she needn't such senses to determine what those before her were - and as a Goddess, she could not be wrong in her judgements.

"Know this, mortals! I am Alasayana the Goddess of Hunt and she who judges the guilty and consigns their souls to oblivion!" The Goddess would open her eyes, divine fury burning within. "Stand before me and accept your fate, or Flee! It will not matter. Not a single one of you will leave here alive for your sins!" And thus, her judgement had been given.

Guilty.

For the first time in a millennia, the Goddess of the hunt, would do so once more. While O'menus would rush towards the apparent leader, she would rush towards the assembled troops. Black, bestial maws each going for a different soldier as they would rip and tear, drag and slam them against the ground or other soldiers as she would rush into the fray.

[Assistant]
... was it really okay to let these two make first impressions? Maybe she and Aureia should run ahead of everyone else next time? Not that Ashte had anything against fighting--that would be completely ridiculous--but there was more to winning a war than killing everything that stood in your path. Knowing thy enemy, for instance, which was really not helped if you murdered everyone that even looked at you funny. Right now, she didn't feel like they could take on an entire army either.

Well, the choice was out of her hands and at least this spared her the need to engage in making some overly flower declaration. That was something the white-haired goddess had never been too good at. Pillow talk? Rousing speeches? Those were fine but just... acting pompous on demand with no purpose to it? Where was the fun in that?

It was a fortunate time to discover that her instincts were still working, her second shield forming as one of the red-clad soldiers pointed his tubular stick at her, the projectile embedding into the holy metal with a resounding clang. That was... unpleasantly close, she would have to pay more attention to fighting mortals until her power was back up to spec. And pay attention to this one she did, darting up to this one outside of the rampaging huntress's path, a cheerful smile on her face as her arms snapped into place around his. Twist, and...

Oh, this was an interesting weapon, wasn't it? Ah, if she had enough of them, and faithful soldiers... the tactics that she could pull off with perfect battlefield awareness and a ranged implement such as this. It wouldn't be as fun or exciting as a pitched battlefield but being able to eliminate specific targets in the dead of night...

She slammed the butt off the weapon into the disoriented soldier a few more times, knocking him to the ground. At least that way, they'd have someone to interrogate afterwards. Then, shields ready to intercept if anyone looked in her direction, Ashte scanned the battlefield... ah, that one had an even bigger tube? Best stop him first. One, two... their armour was unsurprisingly resilient to their own weapons, but it seemed multiple shots in the same spot could still go through. If you could do it.

If the weapons had changed this much, how had warfare? Oh, this would be exciting.


[System]
Species: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 34

Nationality: Outreman, previously citizen of Angjusk

Occupation: Deputy head of department - Cradle Research & Development

Cybernetics:
* Cradle quick-access implant - Allows access to and from the Cradle environment without additional hardware. This advanced module also reduces fatigue caused by the process, allowing power users multiple entries in a single day.
* Tier 7c 'Cradle Builder' suite - Grants access to the programs created specifically for 'terraforming' the Cradle. Tier 7 out of 20 allows Freyr to auto-build a variety of specialised equipment and propose-build mid level structures.
* Ilyes Brand communication and productivity module - Standard implant for access to Outremer's communications network. Also integrates with many well known productivity tools like a personal assistant, as well as more bespoke scientific tools.

Backstory:
Freyr was born on Angjusk, an older colony than Outremer that was renowned for its military materiel, particularly star ships.

Her mother was an innovations tsar assigned by the government to a consortium of the planet's largest ship manufacturers. During most of Freyr's childhood, her mother's sole task was making sure Angjusk battle fleets were the best money could buy in the Diaspora.

Before she was born, her father owned and operated a series of protein farms across Angjusk. After a chance encounter at a lobby meeting, he was headhunted to co-ordinate the military industrial complex's entire food supply chain. He also met his future wife, as it was Freyr's mother who had recommended him for the job on that fateful day in the lobby.

Freyr was born five years later. Her early life was a whirlwind of schooling, snatches of intimacy with her parents (when they weren't busy) and extended periods with friends. She discovered a natural capacity for learning and excelled in her studies. So much so that she received offers from universities across the Diaspora to come and develop with them.

Her mother and father both pressured her to consider diplomas like Interplanetary Relations or Agrarian Policy. However Freyr was not interested in pursuing a career in politics. Angjusk has been involved in at least a dozen small conflicts since Freyr had been born. She had seen how politicians would destroy entire cultures for the sake of influence, and wanted none of it.

In her first act of defiance, Freyr accepted a position at a school in Babylon, the main city of a far away frontier colony called Outremer. Driven more by the desire to have time away from her planet than by the subjects on offer, she researched what Outremer was known for. It was here that she first discovered the object powering this section of the Diaspora - the Cradle.

She quickly became obsessed with its untapped potential and seemingly unknowable past. She decided to pursue Xenobiology and Machine Intelligence as her subjects of interest, voraciously consuming the knowledge gathered so far on the Cradle.

It was here at the university that she met her future partner, David, who was studying art history. Isolated from her family and friends, alone on a strange planet, Freyr was glad of his unassuming company and kindness. They grew very close over the course of their degrees, and moved in together after graduation. Their daughter Amy was born a few years later.

After Uni, Freyr was picked up by an Outremer administration outreach team and placed in a government career fast lane. Her obsession with the Cradle made her an obvious choice for the Cradle Research & Development department. Once there, she quickly proved herself capable. Several breakthroughs in her first five years meant she was allowed to hand select a team of dynamic young individuals to help pursue her work. A couple more catapulted her into a deputy head of department role, to the ire of some of it's older and more entrenched members.

It was on her 34th birthday that the Cradle abducted her family. It had been acting strangely for weeks prior, rolling back years of terraforming. Freyr had been working round the clock to figure out why, practically living at her field office by the Border. David had bought sweet treats and had Amy with her.

What can only be described as creatures emerged from beyond the Border and overran the camp. A panic spread through the mostly unarmed workers, leading many to flee for their lives. Freyr's last memory of her family was being propelled across the camp by one of the creatures. She could only watch from her position immobile on the floor as they carried off her husband and little girl.

Security forces conducted a sweep of the immediate area beyond the Border, but found no sign of them. So Freyr began looking by herself as soon as her broken bones were reconstructed. Months went by. Her work stopped and her mental health deteriorated. Eventually she was placed on sick leave and her access revoked, after she attempted to use her influence to organise an armed excursion deep into the uncontrolled zone.

[User]
Marae laughed, turning around as she stopped herself in front of Freyr. She reached out and placed a hand on both of her cheeks, though for hands her size, it was more like she was grabbing her entire head. "Freyr, do you ever stop working? Seriously, we are at a party, Freyr. We can have a meeting with the others to talk about that later. Just stop a moment and enjoy yourself." Marae smiled. As she released Freyr, she immediately turned and brought her hands up over her head to dive off the edge into the water.

Nirann did not follow. For a moment, his gaze seemed to go out over the water, but it only took Freyr a few seconds to hear his voice. He did not bother trying to shout over the music or the crowd, but rather simply messaged Freyr's implants directly. "It isn't healthy what you're doing, you know?" He said. The tone Freyr heard was perhaps uncharacteristically serious from him. "You have an obsession. Now, you do have a very good reason to be obsessed, mind you, but that doesn't make the effects any better. You don't even know how many times I've seen this play out among my people. In my city. I experience every part of their lives; the good, the bad, all the successes and failures. I've seen millions upon millions of variations of their stories, so I can see what's happening in you. You Humans aren't all that different. You're not failing them if you're not spending every waking moment trying to bring them back. You're not turning your back on them by spending a few hours relaxing. For your sake and theirs, you need to let your mind rest. This obsession, it's not going to help them. It never does. What it can do is narrow your mind. Limit your perspective. It can hamper your judgement until you get to the point where you can only see what you want to see."

Nirann held out one hand between them, offering it to her. "Close your eyes and listen. Not to your own thoughts, not to your fears, but to this place. This moment. The music, the people, the waves crashing up against the side of the boats. Let yourself seize this moment."

[Assistant]
Freyr nodded hesitantly in response to Nirann. She knew some of this already, but hearing it from the robot didn't make things any easier. After a few shaky breaths, Freyr closed her eyes. A blurry image of her family entered her mind - they were running down a beach that didn't exist, away from her. Tears rolled down both her cheeks as the concert boomed around her. Freyr couldn't hear it anymore, only the sound of her breathing and a high pitched whine in each ear.

Slowly, she raised a hand and tried to wipe her tears. She felt instead an alien, rubbery texture against her face, where the mask had settled in. Reaching around her neck, Freyr pushed the mask up and away, using the back of her arm to dry her face. At the same time, she reached out another hand, searching blindly for Nirann's.

---

Staring through the spyglass, the spotter up on the raised promenade zoomed in on the woman's face as she wiped her tears away. The device matched this person to a high value target with a 85% probability. He put his secure phone to one ear, bulky transmitter pointing straight up. "I think I have something. On the beach."

[User]
Nirann, for a few moments, observed in silence. He watched the smallest details of Freyr's body language, not that one would really need an electronic eye to see what she was feeling in her expression. In any case, given the context, it was easy to infer what sorts of thoughts were likely running through her mind. Reaching out, he took her hand carefully in his own. His hand might have been cold metal, with the strength to crush a metal bar as if it were a tin can, but his touch was as measured and precise as a surgeon. They were already close to the water, so he gently guided her along with him as he took a seat on the edge of the vessel, his feet hanging off into the water below.

"I want to show you something real quick." Nirann remarked. He brought up a holographic screen in front of himself. He loaded a short video clip, then pushed it over in front of Freyr. Front and center in the frame was Marae. The distinctive mosaic on her scales had a different pattern, but it was still unmistakably her. It was nighttime in the video, though it was still clear enough for Freyr to see that she was sitting in the sand on a beach, holding another Rothian close to her. They were both looking up to the sky, in which they could see the Milky Way galaxy…from outside of the galactic plane. The video seemed to have been recorded on a Rothian colony in one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies. Aside from the location, there was nothing in the video that would stand out to the average person, but Freyr would easily notice the fact that the other Rothian looked exactly like the holographic avatar Nirann had used when they had first met him back on Rothia. Yet, the pair of them were clearly in contact with one another in the recording, even nuzzling one another quite affectionately. He clearly was no hologram.

"I don't spend most of my time back home walking around as an armored death machine." Nirann remarked, still messaging Freyr directly. "We can make synthetic bodies that are quite remarkable. I mean, that one is centuries old, and Marae still didn't have any idea there was metal instead of muscle under my scales until our first date. Even then, that was only because I told her myself. Point is, you've been through a lot Freyr, and I know it isn't easy. I know you have a lot to fear when it comes to bringing back your family, but if we do find their minds, you shouldn't have to worry about whether or not we can even bring them back at all. I can't say for sure if their minds will still be compatible with their original bodies, but since their minds have already been digitized, well…I wouldn't need to pull too many strings to have a pair of Human bodies fabricated. Take it from me, the experience of being in one of those bodies is outright identical to being in an organic one. Or at least, it can be."

[Assistant]
Freyr followed Nirann's lead, taking off her shoes and rolling up her leg garments before sitting with the warm water lapping at her knees. She smiled sadly while watching the video Nirann showed, drying her eyes as much as she could under her mask.

Eventually the happy scene became too much, and she looked up and past the screen at Réunion. It was late now, but the city was still lit up with a kaleidoscope of bright lights, snaking their way between platforms up to the mountains above.

"You make it sound so easy." Freyr murmured, running her index finger through the water. "Like we can just bung my family into new bodies and life can go back to normal." She sighed. "I've had…dreams. Or visions, I don't know. I can see them inside the Cradle - they're being…chased, or tortured. I can't tell if they're asleep or awake, or where they are. But something is happening to them and being broadcast to me."

Freyr pulled out her stim-stick and popped it in her mouth; the light lit up. "I sound crazy, I know. But it feels like a trap that I can't avoid. No matter how i approach it, none of us come out whole."

[User]
Nirann turned his head, looking down at Freyr. "I don't mean to be the skeptic, but those dreams are much more likely to just be…dreams. You are worried about your family, again, very understandably. Your minds create dreams, for the most part, just based on what you think about while you're awake. And I'm sure you're thinking about your family a lot. There is not likely to be any meaning behind them beyond that."

Freyr's hand was still gripped tightly onto Nirann's, though given her state at the moment, she may not have even realized it. He lifted her hand up slightly, then rested his other hand over the top of hers. "And if we can find their consciousnesses, then it really will be that easy. Normally it wouldn't be, since the prospect of digitizing a living mind is far from simple, but that won't be an issue here. Digital beings like me, we don't have to be too attached to particular hardware if we don't want to be. I can move between any hardware with enough storage space at a snap of my fingers, and well…the point I was trying to make is that they can be happy like this. In my usual body, there is nothing you can experience that I can't. Every touch, every taste, every scent, even digestion we can accomplish artificially. Now, granted, I don't usually enable all the features of organics in my body. For instance, I don't sleep and have never had the desire to, but they could have the choice to experience everything just like it used to be. Except…"

Nirann shifted slightly in place, his gaze moving back out over the water. There was one aspect of Humanity that Rothians would never have any desire to imitate. "Well…there is the immortality. They wouldn't age. They would need to change bodies to move on to later stages of life, and the eventual death your species experiences would always be a choice."

[Assistant]
Freyr blew out some vapour. It was a different colour to before, slightly green. She chuckled and shook her head. "At least then they'll get back the time they lost." Lights reflected off the dark, warm water as she ran a hand through it. Nirann might have been talking, but she wasn't taking anything in. After a little while, Freyr leaned slowly forward from her position, sat on the side and entered the lake fully.

The comforting blackness engulfed her, and the cacophony of sounds around them changed into a muffled clang and hum. Freyr kicked her legs once, then twice, arms at her sides. Her fist closed around the stim-stick to prevent it floating away. Someone jumped in nearby, and began swimming around, nearly kicking her in the face. Freyr breathed out, feeling bubbles of air crawling along the top of her mouth.


[System]
Appearance
Serenity is a slightly short young woman. Her hair is long and changes color frequently, sometimes natural colors, sometimes not. Her eyes are a vivid green. Her manner of dress varies, but it's usually something comfortable.

Race
Human

Gender
Female

Age
25

Personality
A very relaxed, leisurely person. She likes to live in a certain way, and she isn't about to let laws stop her. Then again, the law does protect one from certain things... Which is why she has a habit of arming herself.

 Reputation
Serenity has risen from a junkyard junk flipper to a premiere ship architect, renowned on the black market for luxury craft that can hold their own, defensively. Smugglers and rich folks love her ships, but they aren't cheap, either. Not for rich people, anyway.

History
Born to a poor family in the city, Caroline Staphos had too much going on in her mind and too little resources to do with it. She was always trying to scrounge some money together to fund an experiment or a prototype. Eventually, she was recognized by a local company as some young talent, and she was able to save up some money.
 Eventually, after a few years, the relationship with her employer soured. She didn't feel they appreciated her enough, or payed her enough, and they wouldn't cough up the dough. So she left, and took her prototype with her, along with the plans. They didn't like that. She found herself on the run, age 16.
 One short adventure later and she'd lost the cops, but was kinda wanted in federal space, a bounty in her head from the rather large company she'd been working for. She called on her connections to make a few purchases and took a year or two trading under the alias Serenity, and after making enough money running bulk trade runs off sometimes dubious sketchitude, she set up shop by an old ship graveyard. She built herself a station and started work on recycling the graveyard, using drones and automated systems to cut and weld while she designed. She sold her ships to smugglers, mostly. It was easy, to her, to design a ship to suit their particular needs. Some hidden cargo space here, a bit of thick plating there, and that usually did the trick around these parts. As she went, she expanded, first building a commerce dock to offer traders a place to stop, rest, and repair. Even rearm, if you didn't mind the age of the missiles. Some opened shops on her station. As her reputation grew, she started Serene Designs, primarily a ship architectural company that would dabbled in whatever Serenity deemed suitable. As more money came in, she found herself with the resources to do much more with her little corner of space. She remodeled, buying parts instead of salvaging them, and found herself enjoying some of the more indulgent luxuries available to her from her particular location.

She's been attempting to maintain a neutrality between herself and her neighboring powers. The Federation on one side, and a small regency that has refused to yield power.

Gear

 Serendipity
Length: 3.7km
Width: 2.1km
Height: 1.0km
Armaments: Medium-range Laser Lancers
Flak Point Defense
Long-Range Railgun Artillery Array
Serene Designs Laser Defense System
Serenity's station, serving as her home and business headquarters. It has a bustling commercial dock that she's worked hard to build up with luxury design. The construction and repair zones are almost always busy with something. The station itself is heavily armed with a great array of beam turrets and flak cannons. There's also a set of long-range railguns mounted at several points, intended to cover all angles.
The station is largely automated, with drones constantly floating about, slaved up to the station AI that Serenity programmed and continuously works on. She's gone through several prototype brains before settling on her final design. The AI manages the station functions according to Serenity's wishes, and uses the blueprints that she makes to fill orders and keep the station running and updated.

Serene One
The first ship she could fly around in that wouldn't get her arrested. A large cargo ship fitted with construction drones, just what she'd need to run salvage and repair for money and begin building her new home.

Armament: Flak Point Defense
Broadside laser cannons

Serene Ocean
Serenity's private frigate. Armed for offense as well as defense, it is kept at the cutting edge of Serenity's research. The design is sleek and elegant, white curves following down to graceful edges. The interior is luxurious, with wooden walkways down softly white hallways. A hologram system is installed to project a number of decorations, she usually has it set to "aquarium".
Length: 427m
Width: 249m
Height: 164m
Armament:
Spinal-mount Railgun
Flak Point-Defense
Serene Designs Laser Defense System

Serene Designs Defensive Systems
Serenity has developed a unique form of energy defense. Instead of breaking shielding over the ship to discharge energy, she has managed to design a system that shapes the shields. In conjunction with another system, similar to a shield system, energy is built up in the shield and then released without ever lowering shields or making a hole in them.

Armory
Serenity puts most of her weapons on her defense drones, but she does maintain a small armory to arm herself in. She's got a personal shield pack, an energy pistol and a laser rifle.

 Tool Kit
Serenity usually carries a few essential tools with her. A little plasma box cutter, a multi tool, some custom tools of her own. Rechargeable battery arc welder… she feels naked without her tools.

[User]
Xavier crushed another can of energy drink. The crumpled can was bank shot from the wall and into the trash bin whereupon landing Xavier would crack open another one. The fruity scent of the spicy, mango-lime drink filled the air around him. He would sip it slowly as he stood around thinking what to do. Formalis, that was the boonies-ass planet he was heading to. It was rather unfortunate for him, that after already being in a remote sector, that he ended up wrecking his ship on a field of spacejunk flotsam.

Xavier had already preformed maintenance on his blade, cleaned his clothes, and outside of some reorganization and cleaning of his ship he had no intention of doing, he had nothing else to do. He'd exit his ship and pass the airlock into the merchant ship it was attached to. Dressed in sweatpants, sandals, and a faded graphic tee, he wander around. From the corner of his eyes he'd spot one the crewmates that picked up on the distress beacon. "Thanks for picking me up man. I already sent some credits as thanks."

"No problem. You're awfully far from most places, but once we land you should be able to get your repairs done and be back to civilization." The crewmember replied.

Xavier wandered around some more and sat by a window. A large blue and white ball stood amidst the stars and darkness. So this was the planet they were heading to. He'd just sit back and wait for the ship to enter orbit. Minutes would pass and then the ship would rumble as they entered the planet's atmosphere. He'd get ready to go back and change clothing once they landed.

[Assistant]
Frost checked her gun's mag near the door as Vorra's ship touched down, her emotionless face told nothing of her instinct to stick to an in-and-out plan. This was unknown territory, even for a neutral planet. "If the crew's still kicking, leave 'em. They're feds anyway, no skin off our backs if they freeze to death while we're here. If we run into somethin' sentient like a human or a Spryzen, keep 'em at a distance- don't shoot unless they're reachin' for a gun. Varzyrin, you're packing the most heat out of all of us, so you're best watching our backs. Rest of us'll set to scrapping things. If it's breathin' leave it. If it's shooting us, light it up." That was the plan. Reactionary self defense only. Frost's tone was clear and concise, she was clearly used to leading operations like this before. As the door opened up to fill the ship with cold, dry mist, Frost took a step out onto the fresh-fallen snow. The dead mass of ships in front of them.

"Alright, let's get grabbing." And so they did.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ridge...

Dozens of footprints added together more and more, a mass of furs and bodies trudging together towards the noises they heard further away. Skala. Scavengers, to be precise. Word began to circulate that something fell from the sky a good few moons ago, yet to be touched. The Skala making their way past the mountains were nomads, hunters who didn't take to civilization that few ever take to. They were not carrying guns, they had spears, and bows made from nature in anyway they could manage, animal sinew and bone, trees, whatever one could scavenge and work with on Formalis, one did. It would still be a while before the two groups of individuals met face to face. They were too far away in the snow and hills to be seen by their lookout, much less the rest of them. Skala were in great many numbers on this planet, but they had a tendency to cling together in groups, so they were difficult to come across. The noise of an intact spacecraft landing on their planet, which was otherwise dead silent, only perked their ears more than the prospect of unclaimed scavenging.

[User]
Vazyrin nodded and immediately made his way across the snow, sinking in deep with his immense weight. It barely seemed to dissuade him as he casually sunk his claws digits into the body of his rifle, causing a wet ripping sound that teetered on the edge of completely bisecting the weapon. That's what wone might think if not for the fact that his carbine began to extend with pale, newborn biomass manifesting in the space between its elongating barrel and slimming body while its stock began to mold as if being forced into the shape of some sort of x-shaped cup-like mass, bracing against his shoulder.

"Get going and stay on the coms. Ping me every five or so minutes. If your coms go down and an emergency happens, make noise and light."

With that, the huge creature advanced and settled on some of the elevated ground, partially shoved upwards from the cratering brought about the crashed vessels. His powerful claws stretched out from underneath his raised gun, shovelling away dirt and snow as he began to burrow into ground, soon partially concealed as he shovelled snow onto the rest of his body with smaller rear legs with brush-like claw-digits.

Soon, he looked little more like a rock formation himself, keeping a close eye on the vast plains. Subtly, a group of six or so flat-bodied creatures crept out from the snowy pile. Two skittered off to the crashed ships, climbing atop for a better vantage point and the remaining four split off to form a perimeter around the area.

"I've set up my surveillance. I'll let you know if I detect anything unusual."

[Assistant]
"Vortex will take care of arrangements. The merchant will be waiting for you in the spaceport, but you can probably just rendezvous on departure." The elevator door opened and quickly and she let Ascot board with her before taking the elevator to the hangar bay, beneath her workshop. Vortex should have already had the mech ready to go. "If you want to purchase supplies, I suppose Vortex could also load your supplies for you. She'll figure it out."

The elevator opened to reveal the hangar, and there it was, the Ashbringer. "Alright, kid. I think that merchant is ready to leave when you are. Be careful out there." She'd stay by the elevator, letting the kid walk to his mech and waiting until he got in before she'd get back in the elevator. She needed to review Vortex's report and get to work on her designs.

~~~

The coming week was enough time for her to finish designing an upgrade to one of her builders. Nothing major, just some performance optimizations. She'd started construction on the new residential section, and had plans to convert the existing one into dedicated food productions once work on the new one was complete and everyone moved over. That'd also put her personal quarters behind tighter security, something she wasn't opposed to.

For the moment, she was taking a break from things. A nice stroll through the park in residential was what the mind needed. For all the trees, though, there wasn't any wildlife... She missed the sound of birds and forest critters. Maybe she'd have to arrange for some. Would they live happily here, though? If she wanted to bring animals here, they should be able to live well. Sounded like she'd have to balance an ecosystem, and that sounded like a nightmare.


[System]
Age: 48

Race: Human

Appearance:

Personality: Allanon is a pensive man having lived a life seeing the darker side of humanity he carries many of his decisions with a lot of weight. He is decisive and discerning. He appreciates the small joys in life whenever he can afford to. He very much likes to reminisce over his childhood as it was a simple time where his decisions had little impact over others lives. His word means everything to him.

Allanon grew up as a member of the wealthy Valentis family. He was the fourth son and grew up with less responsibility than his older brothers as they were the ones to take over the administrative work of their company. Early on he took a deep interest in swordsmanship and learned as much as he could from various tutors and mercenaries.

The day Allanon became an adult was supposed to be a celebrated day, however, his father and oldest brother had entirely unexpected plans. Debts were being called by the Calabris family, and instead of money they wanted Allanon. Apparently, his martial skills had caught the attention of their family head: Varic Calabris. If the Calabris family desired, the Valentis family could be completely wiped out by them, and Allanon knew this. This was the first time that he felt the burden of responsibility, although at the time he only felt trapped and betrayed.

Taken away from his life of freedom, he was brought to the household of the Calabris family and presented to Varic himself. Varic explained how he was seeking talented individuals to make an elite team to work exclusively for his family. Allanon would be one of seven, but first a six month intensive training session was required of all of them to test their potential. Allanon reluctantly agreed as he knew he had no real choice, and before long he had to forget his reluctance to survive the training.

He built a good relationship with each member of the team as they were sent on black ops missions for the Calabris family. Some were stealth retrieval while others were bloody executions. Each of them knew the price of failure. One member of the team: Marissa Faye was the beacon of light in their team. In spite of the often awful tasks they were sent to do, she kept their morale up. Allanon admired her for her attitude and as time passed they fell in love and eventually married. Instead of rings they had a matching pair of longswords made as a symbol of how they met.

At 40 came the worst betrayal. Considering them too old to be effective, Allanon's team was executed by the Calabris family. At least they attempted to. A full platoon of mercenaries was hired to eliminate what had come to be known as the Ironblades. All government officials had been paid off to view them as criminals, and bounties were placed on each of their heads. The initial assault was defeated, but at the cost of two members of the Ironblades including Marissa. Her dying wish was for Allanon to do his best to create as much light as he could in this world, and he promised he would.

The Ironblades agreed to split up and go into hiding while making contact once a year to keep tabs. Over the next eight years two of the five remaining Ironblades were caught and slain. Allanon was the only one to remain in Portea the whole time. He started working as a vigilante and consultant for those in need in exchange for nothing.

Equipment:
Matched Longswords: While his sword style is a single sword style he has kept Marissa's golden blade with him as a reminder of his promise to her. They are enchanted so that so long as they are in close proximity to each other they will maintain and repair themselves.

Throwing Daggers: He has ten of these on a bandolier ready to throw as needed.

Abilities:
Valentis Sword Style: A balanced single-sword style created by Allanon over his lifetime. It is renowned as one of the best sword styles in the world for many-on-one combat.

Stealth and Disguise: Many of Allanon's operations required the use of stealth and disguise, and while it was not his primary role he learned many things from the now deceased Ironblade that was responsible for disguise.

Extra notes:

[User]
Temple

 "Krogan was the first and only Cheiftan to bring the Varuk tribes together in peace. His strength was unmatched, they say he was a giant of a man, dwarfing even the largest Varuk. When he passed they made a temple for him to rest in." Valia recalled, becoming more relaxed with the group around her.

 "Ah, no fair, you're a local!" Sahale started with a smile. "But yes, that's the one. Well, then do you also know the tales of the Oracle and the Vanishing Kingdom? The, uh, treasures of the world perhaps? Yes, no, maybe? And how about the return of Gruskan Empire, eh? That one is a bit more fresh though, so if not I would completely understand. I mean, a whole town was just wiped off the map but it was only, what two weeks ago?" He let that stay in the air for a moment before he continued, his tone a bit lower than before. "I figure news might not officially reach here for another few days," he sighed and shook his head, "You see.... I have done a bit of reading....and I'd wager.... some things are more connected than you would think. And when you notice a client getting quite involved in old fairy tales, you wonder about them yourself."

 "Dammit, I probably said to much now," Sahale reached up and scratched the back of his neck, and when he dropped his arm down, it was a slight of hand, but a trained eye would see a knife dart away from his dropping hand, a little to late to stop as it buried itself in the forehead of one of the guards that rushed in to asses what was happening to Valia earlier. He instantly slumped to the floor. The second guard yelled out in surprise, but it wasn't long before he was bleeding from his side and back, falling over and landing on his comrade. In a smooth movement, Sahale had went from feigning scratching his neck, to drawing and throwing a blade that was hidden in his collar, while his hand was low he had drawn a katar, which he used to slice across the man's side while he casually side stepped around the shocked man and then punched quickly into his upper spine between the shoulder blades, with accurate precision to cut the spinal chord, making the man lose control of his legs instantly, the cut to his side reached the shirtless man's kidney, he would be dead before long... The movement was casual, almost as if Sahale didn't even do it, but was just brushing by them until the final strike. It seemed unnaturally fluid, like it was as easy as breathing.

 Valia shrieked out in terror which alerted some of the others in the temple, but Sahale held up a finger to his lips as he walked on to the opposite side of the dead men from the rest of the grou, "Shhhh, none to worry, these aren't the reputable guard sort you think they are. Here..." He squatted down and pick pocketed both of the men. From their corpses they each had a small stone with a carving in it....bearing the Calabris symbol. He tossed one of them to Allanon and the other to Kistal. Allanon may recognize them as tokens given to mercenary hires that were not directly associated with the Calabris family. "Interesting isn't it? That first one was quite intent on our discussion, and if you give a hard look at their features, they don't quite match those of Varuk who stay here. Travelers, maybe, but guards? Nah... Alright then, go let the chief know you are joining the volunteer force, I'll be there after running an errand. Hopefully, you will start connecting the dots, but do make sure you don't blab it everywhere. Never know if there are more of these guys milling about," he finished, lightly kicking the corpses.

[Assistant]
Kistal listened to the man's words carefully, committing the intonation and general pattern to memory as well as the information. His manner of speech seemed he was being genuine, but Kistal wanted to know what exactly happened should he need it. After the grim display, he caught the stone and narrowed his eyes at the marking. "Yes, I will let him know. I have something to attend to first." He left swiftly, disappearing back into the temple. He sought out the Red Saints and hailed them.

Meanwhile, Chihiro watched from the dispersing crowd, seeing the odd group. The woman that shrieked was familiar to her, so if she trusted the group, Chihiro felt no need to defend her. However, they were specifically listening to the chief and outfitted for battle, so she assumed they were volunteering. As such, she walked over to them and raised a hand to grab their attention. "Ah, more volunteers. It seems we will be working together to rid the world of this stain. I am Inquisitor Chihiro Aozaki. You may shorten it to Chihiro or Inquisitor Aozaki as desired. If you have any information to help me understand the situation, I am all ears."


[System]
Age: 22
Birthday: May 1st
Magic: Negation. Angel has the ability to block all physical magic directed his way in an attack, whatever type or element. He can choose to reflect this energy back as though the attack bounced off a rubber field, or launch the same type of attack back once at an opponent. He can only stack one of these stored powers at a time.
Magic Level: A-B
History: Angel was born to a single father deep in the Boundary Forest, far to the north of Fiore. The reasons for his societal exile died with his father when Angel was seven, but he had been taught enough rudimentary skills about survival to fend off the monsters that infested his home that he wasn't torn apart within weeks or anything. Rather, as he grew, he honed his skill in hunting and cooking until he proved self-sufficient enough to turn the weeks of survival into months, then the months into years.

By the age of sixteen, however, Angel had left the Boundary Forest in search of who he and his father truly were. Having never required currency or merchants for anything in his life, he found the journey into civilization difficult, and to support himself he began cutting a swath through Veronica and south down the peninsula, staying a couple months to cook at inns and small restaurants for a couple months. As his purse grew, so too did his culinary repertoire - and, eventually, his traveling party, as his meals impressed one Kaia Iona. The girl became his traveling companion and sous chef as they traveled south into Fiore, where they currently are residing.
Personality: Ferrara is sunny and cheerful, but you wouldn't know it from his tone of voice. He speaks with an odd combination of earnest, confusion, and painstaking politeness coming from having spent the first two-thirds of his life removed from even village society. Idioms and snide remarks often fly over his head at terminal velocity, and he proves almost incapable of being insulted. Instead, his frustration and negative emotion often channels itself into a fierce determination to do right by people, and intense loyalty to his friends.
Guild and guild mark location: None yet
Team Members: Cyare Staunton
Three Strengths:
1. Cooking
2. Grooming
3. Pep talks
Three Weaknesses:
1. Metropolitan areas
2. Sarcasm
3. Alcohol
Greatest Love: A warm meal with friends
Motivation: Engineering a way to end world hunger
Appearance:

Additional Details: He's my trap queen watch him hit the bandooooo~

[User]
Lux Harken

The look of embarrassment changed to one of relief. He held out one hand to the bathrobed knight and spoke. The relief on his face working its way into his voice.

"Thank you. I was starting to worry that we would have to tighten our belts on the way out of here."

Jason just might actually fade away if that happened.

"By the way, my name is Lux Harken. Do you mind if I ask yours?"

[Assistant]
Penny

Penny knew she had the guild's support, but how could she explain she was going to kill someone, at their request, because she was the only one that could? It wasn't something she relised, nor was it something she wanted the whole guild to know. As Ariel's personality changed, Penny blinked at the touchiness she was displaying. "Have you ever killed someone, Ariel?" Penny said after a few moments, looking to Ariel, "Because I have, and I don't want to do so again"

Jessie

"Well, you know that Sheldon has his own ways of knowing things. Well, it was an interesting match, that's for sure" Jessie said happily, munching enthusastically. "Certainly we have seen some...fabolous skill the last few days! certainly wouldn't want too be on the wrong side of these guilds!"

Dragon Fang vs Riders Blade part one

The first battle of the day was inspiring, and the crowd was eager for another battle, as Games master sheldon played them up, the names flickered across the board. Finally, Sheldon called out Its going to be HUnter and Ammy of Dragon Fang vs Sigurd and Delsin of Riders Blade! Step right up, and get ready to RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

Hunter and Ammy stepped onto the field and moved towards the center, Ammy's twin scythes folded shut and hanging from her hips while Hunter had a small storm of jade around him, purely for the entertainment of the crowd however. Ammy was impassive as usually, her face blank except for a semi-bored expression. Hunter, on the other hand, was excited by the prospect of a good fight, especially after doing nothing but watching for most of the time. When the reached it, they waited for the other team to arrive.

"Alright you two, be careful. And don't take your anger out on them for what happened to Jackie, that's Phoenix Wing's fault." Fraquar said to his two guild members before they silently nodded and took off. Though neither Delsin or Siegard personally knew Jackie, they knew she was considered a friend by their Master, Lucus, and Pyrrha. That was enough for them.

They entered the field and stood opposite of their opponents, Delsin calm and relaxed with a smile on his face while Siegard was serious, studying the two mages in front of him. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Ammy and Hunter regarded their opponents they were regarded in turn. Without a word, it began, Hunter rushing forward as a this sheet of jade encasing his body. "Jade Dragon's Steel Fist!" His right fist became encased in even more jade as he brought it down towards Delsin, though Ammy was close behind, choosing to move on Siegard as her twin scythes flipped open.

"Death's Twin Coils." However, instead of an attack being launched, something about Ammy's charge changed and rather than go for a straight on slash, she slid between Siegard's legs and hooked his ankles, letting her momentum do the job for her. As he went down, she rose up and descended, her aim putting the Death Magic user's landing square in his back if he didn't move. Regardless of if the move landed, she followed it up with a spinning slash and the back-flipped away, slashing with bot scythes and sending a wave of black energy towards Siegard. If he didn't move, it would impact and leave him extremely tired.

Meanwhile, Hunter would follow up his Steel Fist with a Tail Swipe, the sweep aiming to trip the bounty hunter and the kick aimed to knock him either up into the air or towards the wall. Even if it missed, he followed it up with a roar, the particle sized jade soaring towards Delsin.

As for Delsin, he's gonna had to channel his inner Train.))

Ammy successfully tripped Siegard, however, he quickly rolled out of the way and kept rolling until he was out of reach of her weapons. He then quickly got to his feet and drew his sword.
"Slippery little girl aren't you." He said, drawing his sword but making no move to attack Ammy. He had a feeling that studying this one would be a good idea before striking.

"No... no... Oh hell no!" Delsin said as he dodged each of Hunter's attacks, just barely getting out of the way of the Jade Dragon's breathe attack. Drawing his gun, he quickly loaded several bullets into it and waited. It seemed his opponent had a brute force, straightforward style of battling. He could deal with that. The Jade scales and dragon abilities. Not so much.

Hunter grinned and held an arm out straight. "Jade Dragon's Blade." The arm turned into a green stone sword blade that extends at high speeds towards Delsin. Even if he dodged, Hunter would swing the blade to follow his opponent, though eventually he retracts the blade and rushes forwards again. However, halfway across the distance, he launches himself forwards and starts spinning. "Jade Dragon's Drill Horn!" The attack would impact Delsin's chest if he didn't move.

Ammy remained focused on her own opponent, circling him before spinning the pair before combining them at the base of their hilts. "Mists of Styx." After she spoke, the arena becomes enshrouded in a thick mist, obscuring the sight of both Delsin and Siegard, although an area quickly clears around Hunter and Delsin to allow the pair to continue their fight. With the mists now up, Ammy began a flurry of guerilla attacks, testing her opponents guard and reflexs. However, the longer Siegard stood in the mist, the less he felt like fighting. This presisted for roughly thirty seconds before the mists cleared and the swordsman found himself facing a dual bladed scythe glowing purple from both sides. "Reaping Whirlwind." The blades briefly created a purple tornado around Ammy before launching it towards the swordsman, who would still be feeling semi-lethargic.

Delsin's reflexes were impressive, dodging the blade at the last second as it extended towards him and ducking under it again as his opponent swung it towards him. He glanced over at his teammate and saw Siegard was moving slower then usual after being surrounded by that odd black mist. Without a second thought, he fired his gun, the bullet going around Hunter and hitting Siegard, switching Delsin with the swordsman and giving the bounty hunter just enough time to avoid the purple tornado.

Once he was safe from that attack, Delsin unloaded and loaded his gun again before firing at the girl's feet, the bullet releasing a blinding flash of light. Delsin closed his eyes before the flash, sparing him before he fired another bullet that, should it hit Ammy, would wrap her in chains, binding her arms to her side. He was hoping he could avoid hurting the girl, as hurting women was something he tried to avoid.

Siegard slowly got to his feet and faced Hunter, raising his sword in time to block the drill, though the attack still sent him flying into the wall. He slowly got up and dusted himself off before looking at his new opponent.
"You two have impressive magic. A dragon of a semi-precious stone and a girl who uses dark energy to sap her opponent's energy to slow them down and make finishing them off easier. Still, I think things will be more interesting now." He said

Hunter grunted in annoyance. "Damn it, now I owe Ammy half the pay of my next job." Still, despite the change, Hunter closed the distance once more, launching a flurry of Steel Fists to test his opponent's reaction speed. Following that, he pulled his arm back with his fingers straight, forming a spear arm. "Jade Dragon's Spear Strike!" He slammed his arm forward towards Siegard's chest and backflipped away from the resulting impact and slammed his palms palms to the ground. "Jade Dragon's Rising Spikes!" Several long and sharp tipped spikes rose around and under Sieghard that would hurt him if he didn't move.

Meanwhile, Ammy moved with the flow of everything, already moving back and away from the gunslinging Delsin as he fired the flash bang shot. Fortunately, she didn't need her eyes to hear the next shot and she rolled to the left, the chains flying through the space she'd previously occupied. "Reach of the Reaper." Vanishing in a puff of purple smoke, she reappears behind Delsin. "Form of the Reaper." The scythe wielding mage was enveloped purple energy, reappearing in the visage of the Reaper himself. Spinning her scythe again, she swings down towards Delsin. Even if she missed, a purple wave of energy went out a short distance and she stayed on top of the bounty hunter.

"You're fault for making the bet to begin with, whatever it was." Siegard said before he proceeded to block Hunter's blows, his blocks becoming faster as the effects of Ammy's mist wore off. When Hunter went to stab him, Siegard's blade glowed and Hunter would find his arm-blade stopped and himself unable to move as he originally planned as Siegard caught the attack with his now gauntleted fists. "Seems I've caught a dragon by it's claws."

[User]
Cyare Staunton

Sinatra @HereComesTheSnow @Caasicam

"Cyare Staunton." The tall woman shifted her sheathed sword (not like she could buckle it around a robe) to her left hand, shaking Lux's hand firmly with her right. Cyare frowned internally, just a little, at the mention of tightening belts but she didn't let it show. She withdrew her hand a moment later and returned her sword to it, adding, after a thought, to her introduction. Added with reluctance and in a much softer tone, however. "The Pawn."

"This is Angel and Kaia."

[Assistant]
Trinity Stratos
Trinity had retreated to her room with Karn, petting him and studying him as she pondered a solution. She set the orange tabby on the bed and pet him sweetly before she drew the blinds and took a breath. She set a small pile of fire arrows on the bed for him to chew on before she sat next to him, rubbing her chin as she pondered to herself. "To capture sound..." She lay back on the bed with her arms behind her head, thinking. "Hmmm."

It had been a relief that her name hadn't been called for the fights yet. Meant she had a bit of time to think of something.

[User] Robin was sitting for a while waiting for the two of them to return from the back room they went in to try on dresses. When they had returned Jasmine was wearing quite a lovely dress and Robin stood clapping softly. "Hmm yes it is quite a wonderful dress indeed. I like it a lot, thank you so much for your help." He then let his gaze trail down in a saddened motion. "However as I said earlier I'm a bit tight on money...so to get to the bottom line, how much is this gonna cost us?" Robin then let his gaze trail back up to meet the owners eyes.

[Assistant]
Angel Ferrara - ROILING EMPATHY NOISES

"Angel Ferrara," the pretty boy extrapolated, holding out a hand to shake with a wide, polite smile. Now that there was no enmity between them regarding the job, thanks to Cyare, there shouldn't be any problems between them! "Kaia Iona's my teammate. It'll be good to work with all of you guys."

After he had shaken with Lux, and then with his teammate - is he okay? He looks frumpy - Angel stood back and shoved his hands in his pockets. His attention was back on Staunton. She had clearly forced out the last two words of her own introduction, and grown visibly sadder as she did so. Any idiot could see it, but especially an idiot like Angel - who had spent eighteen years perceiving the slightest changes in a creature in order to survive, and four more observing them on behalf of a blind girl.

He knew sadness. And, as Kaia could tell you, was possessed with the insatiable, earnest urge to smother it where he saw it. But that was Kaia. Cyare was a way more unknown variable. What did unknown variables like...hot tubs, magic...

"Why don't I make everyone breakfast before we head out?"

Eureka!


[System]
---

Origin: Half-Life 1

---

Equipment:
* Main Weapon: Spas-12 Shotgun | 36 Shells
* Secondary Weapon: N/A
* Inventory:
	+ 30 ft Rope x 1
	+ Hand Grenades x 2
	+ Combat Knife x 1
	+ Tactical Radio (Short Range) x 1

Powers and Skills:* Ranged weapons training.
* Basic CQC training.
* Basic survival training.
* Basic first aid training.

Back Story/Bio: PFC Michael Roper is a soldier in the United States Marine Corps' Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (H.E.C.U). He was one of the first soldiers to be deployed at the Black Mesa Incident, and soon confronted the horrifying aliens that had started to pop up all over the facility.

During an intense fire fight, he came face to face with a lanky creature that he hadn't seen before. As he raised his weapon, the creature looked at him and uttered something unintelligible - and then everything went white.

And now he's here, in a land where darkness reigns eternal, and where alien invasions are the least of his problems.

Starting Location: Orik Farmstead

Other Info:

[User]
Character: PFC Michael Roper
Location: Running from Orik Farmstead towards the Olos River
With: No one.

---

It was too much for Michael.

He was a decorated marine, a soldier who had been lavished with the kind of training regimens reserved for the best of the best. During his time in the HECU, he'd seen things - horrible things, the kind of things that twisted one's belief in their own perceptions, and left them with an existential crisis. Nothing had phased him, not really.

Hell, he'd fought an entire race of aliens at Black Mesa. He'd held his dying brothers-in-arms as they perished from wounds left by weaponry so advanced and unreal, it made the entire U.S military look like a third world nation militia. Nevertheless, he'd held the line, he'd stood his ground in the face of the impossible.

But this? Whatever this was, defied it all. Michael was not built for it, and standing his ground seemed like the last bad idea of many bad ideas.

And that's why he was running for his life, like a frightened child.

The stalks of corn, frail and moist with rot, brushed against his arms as he sprinted through them. His equipment felt unusually light, as adrenaline kicked in to power his blind panic to near superhuman levels. He'd look up at the night sky, to see the calm of the full Moon beaming back at him ominously, and then he'd look back to see if he was being followed.

It was too dark to tell, and the sound of his laboured breathing seemed to be drowning everything else out. Whatever the case, he wasn't going to stop until his legs gave up under him, and so he carried on.

The corn came to an end suddenly, and in the darkness, Michael ran straight into an upended plough. The rusted metal caught his shin, and he went down like a sack of shit and with a cry of pain. He wasn't aware of the extent of his injury; he might've cracked the bone for all he cared, as the pain was soon forgotten by another wave of adrenaline. He ran on, a slight limp in his gait, but he didn't dare look back.

Everything was dark, despite the Moon above, and through his gas mask he could barely see a few feet ahead of him. If he didn't stop to get his bearings, then he was going to hurt himself - he knew this, and for once, reason over powered his instincts. He skidded to a halt, went down on one knee and pointed his shotgun in the direction he had come.

He tried to stifle his breathing, and strained his ears to his surroundings. He could hear rushing water nearby - a river maybe - but also something else. A rustling - no - rustlings.

A person's figure burst from the corn with an inhuman howl; Michael watched its silhouette storm forwards with an insect-like gait, its limbs cracking and flinching as it stumbled towards him.

Time to move.

He pulled the trigger, and the figure flew backwards with a growl, and then he took off in the direction of the suspected river. More howls answered the echoing thunder of his shotgun, and Michael was of little doubt that more than just a few of these nightmares were hot on his trail. He was making good time, but his pace was slowing - no doubt thanks to his leg injury - and there was no way of telling whether or not he was keeping ahead of his pursuers.

The darkness didn't let him. He could make out the odd shape of a tree, or a rock, but everything was composed of varying shades of black which made it impossible to discern any landmarks. As far as he was concerned, he may as well have been blindfolded. However, the sound of the river was getting louder.

"WE HUNGER!" something screamed with a guttural tone, and it sounded far too close for comfort. Michael chambered another shell.

He stopped abruptly, turned and fired just as the rotted face of another nightmarish ghoul smashed into his. Michael fell backwards, and rolled down hill - unable to stop himself - until he was launched off the edge of a sharp embankment.

The icy cold water enveloped him, and he immediately fought against a current that threatened to keep him under.

[Assistant]
Character: Arth Bek
Location: Fort Buckmere
With: Nobody

---

Breath, calm. No injures. Sword, gone. Arth thought these things, evaluating it all.
He was in a fortress. There were two beast men were hunting him, and would likely be finding a way into the keep he had barricaded himself into.
Standing the soldier began to take in his surroundings. It was dark, and with the roof intact the only light was that of the moon dimly coming through the stained glass. Despite that, Arth could see that he was on a balcony of some description, overlooking a main hall.
A glimmer, a piece of metal catching the scant amount of light. On the far end of the hall, on the ground, was a blade.
Arth needed a way down, one that didn't involve just jumping. It was a fair distance between the ground and his balcony, and he had had enough falling for one night.
Walking across the wooden overlook he noted that it seemed to go the entire distance of the room, yet he could see no easy way down. No stairs, ramp, or even a ladder to be seen. However, at the far end was something.
A number of crates were stacked up from the ground floor, nearly but not quite reaching the balcony. Arth estimated that he could safely fall to them, and then leap down the rest of the way. If he did however he could see no easy way back up.
The sword however was needef if he was to fight the beasts that hunt him.
Taking the first fall, he heardna sudden howl, and the armored knight tripped, falling the remaining distance to land painfully on the stone tiles. The crates followed, and soon the soldier was half buried in wood and... what seemed to be rotten fruit. Standing and shaking off the foulness Arth took the final steps towards the blade. The sword was short, and dull. It rested inbetween the ribs of a long dead skeleton draped in what was once noble garb.
Pulling the blade from the bones Arth heard another howl, and glass shatter as the largest of the glass windows shattered above the knight, one of the were-beasts leaping through.

[User]
Character: Danielle Mason
Location: Leaving the Church of the Creator and heading elsewhere
With: No one...but herself...

---

youtube.com/watch?v=oxVBVSs7szY

The church had returned to its normal dilapidated state, but the horrors she had witnessed remained fresh in her mind...and always will remain there till her very end.

She stood up, her knees buckling slightly, still the shiver of the adrenaline coursing through her veins, a jolting high that faded away into a debilitating crash as the pain racking her body intensified. God...that thing slung her around something fierce. It was as though every bone in her body was shattered porcelain, a fragile frame that was doing all it could to keep her standing. From head to toe she was covered in a disgusting coat of dry, sticky blood, blood that still smelled so awful, like a corpse left in a dumpster on a hot summer day riddled with worms and maggots.

With tired, bloodshot eyes, she looked around at the church, the perpetual darkness giving way to more cracks of lightning across the dull gray skies of tumultuous storm clouds...now receding to give the ominous, pale light of the full moon beaming through gaps in the plated roof. "I don't understand...." Danielle whispered to herself, feeling nothing more than confused...alone...and lost. Between the visions, the nightmares, the horrible things she had seen....and now this... Nothing made sense to the teen anymore. It was as if the very world she lived in was caving in around her, leaving Dani in nothing more than a deep, dark abyss.

Her mother...or at least the thing that turned into her.... it wasn't real, and yet, Danielle felt it attack her, felt its horrible words infiltrate her ears, damning her to an eternity of Hell filled with guilt, filled with remorse. Felt its claws cleaving into her flesh and leaving her broken and torn. "Why....why is this happening to me?"

Was she going crazy?

Without another thought, the old, rusted doors of the church opened, creaking and groaning amidst a cool breeze that held a more pleasant...but still a foreboding scent. Nevertheless...Danielle was free to go but only from the church. Not...from this nightmare.

To be honest, her first steps outside the church were akin to a baby fawn learning to walk, learning to begin its journey into a strange and bewildering new world. She stumbled in the dark, pulling her jacket closer to combat the ill chilling winds of the unsaintly weather. All around her, on all sides, trees that were withered and dying flanked her, no leaves to cover their naked, thorny branches that bristled like the tendrils of some Lovecraftian cacophony. A dense, unearthly mist shrouded it all in obscurity, glowing a cool, demure shade of blue from the moonlight beaming through the dead canopy.

This place...as if the church alone was creepy enough, this was a whole new level of fear. For a moment or so, she could catch....things...peeking from beyond the thick of the trunks and wilted shrubbery, eyes that gleamed wolfen yellow with hunger, insatiable, ravenous hunger. And worse...her flashlight was dimming ever more, soon a struggle just to keep it lit...for one more minute, one desperate minute Danielle needed its comforting light. "Why am I here?" She wondered aloud while shuffling through the forest, paranoid eyes flickering left and right just to catch frail glimpses of the shadows that were...stalking her.

How she wanted to just...wake up from this nightmare...

[Assistant]
Character: PFC Michael Roper
Location: Olos River (Opposite Church of the Creator)
With: No one.

---

The water was freezing, and its current was strong.

Stronger than him.

Michael fought with all of his might to break through the surface, to fill his near-empty lungs with precious oxygen. His equipment was too heavy though, and his shotgun was a crippling talisman that he was unwilling to surrender. The river pulled him about like a rag doll, throwing him into one rock, and then another, before snagging him against a branch.

He reached out and grabbed at the rotted wood, and unsurprisingly, it snapped with an audible crack. He found himself flailing, grasping for anything that might give him purchase, but with one hand it was nigh impossible.

Let the gun go man, you're going to die.

"No!" he screamed in defiance to his mind's own reasoning, smashing through the water's surface. He tried to breath in, but the freezing liquid had gotten into his gas mask, and he found himself spluttering.

The river continued to carry him, slamming him against another out crop of rocks for good measure. Through his misty/water laden goggles, Michael saw his salvation - a thick log hanging out from over the bank. He reached up with his hand, and caught it. It took a few seconds to shimmy along the length of his saviour, but he was soon able to pull himself from the icy death of the river.

After crawling a few yards, Michael unclasped his mask and helmet, and threw them to one side; he had a long face, with chiselled features and broad green eyes. His head was shaven, though his face was showing a few day's worth of growth.

Laying there on the bank, he took his time catching his breath - the horrors of only minutes before long forgotten.


[System]
Death has yet to grace my presence.

---

Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Yokai
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 126 lbs
Blood Type: A
Birthday: June 23rd
Alignment: Neutral Good
Affiliation TBD
Aliases/Titles: Death's Nemesis, Mercy Incarnate, Patron of Soldiers

Personality:
Tamashi is haughty; exceptionally so. She is well aware of her exceptional abilities as a healer, and wouldn't ever miss a chance to cement this fact in other's minds. She doesn't speak much of herself, but rather tries to maintain her capable appearance through action. Tamashi is outwardly polite and graceful, known for her respectful demeanor and fine tastes.

With her unmatched abilities comes an aloofness that few can circumvent. Tamashi enjoys living life with little worry, often appearing fearless to all dangers. Indeed, Tamashi is difficult to scare, facing horrors with an unchanging, pleasant expression, to the point of almost seeming ignorant and innocent to any true danger before her.

Having no energy bounds, Tamashi also presents herself as generous and plentiful. It is rare that she forgoes helping someone in need where her powers are concerned, though it is difficult to know if her eagerness to aid them is born of a desire to impress or out of true sympathy. She is, of course, not above forgoing leaving a dead enemy dead.

Background:
Born to a spiritual yokai family in the heart of Japan, a young Tamashi startled her parents initially with a vast reservoir of magic energy, though her ability to properly use spells at the time was negligible. She grew up clinging to the idea that with such energy, she could potentially cheat death countless times. Being an adored priestess, honored by untold droves of people excited her, and so she drove herself to develop her skills as a healer until the very idea of someone dying shamed her. How could such a thing happen in her presence?

Within the Crimson Sky, Tamashi made a name for herself as the emergency medical responder for those willing to pay her some cash from time to time. The sheer number of injuries she's healed for Chasers has amassed Tamashi a considerable sum of wealth, which she spends quite readily.

Powers:
[Endless Mana] - Passive
Tamashi is known for her divine stores of magical energy, seemingly inexhaustible no matter how drastic the spell she casts. She simply does not tire from spellcasting, nor do her spells degrade in potency.

[Pact of Eternal Servitude] - Active
At the target's discretion, Tamashi can essentially "secure" their very soul and mark it for safe keeping. This allows Tamashi to resurrect any person whose soul she has at will, returning them to life even after obliteration of their physical form at her side. While the prospect of forging such a pact doesn't seem outwardly bad, it does mean that Tamashi has absolute jurisdiction over the individual's life, able to kill them in an instant just as easily as she could heal them.

The actual modem of such an expansive network of healing stems from Tamashi's ability to summon a familiar for every pact made. These familiars, appearing as large foxes bearing weapons, serve as wards against death for individuals who have made a pact with Tamashi. Upon "death", the familiars retrieve the fallen person's soul and return to Tamashi for her to revive them fully. The foxes bear weapons to "fight off Death" as they run back to their priestess... or so the legend goes.

Normally invisible to everyone but the served individual, they can make a short appearance to aid them in battle before returning to the ethereal plane to recover their energy.

This pact differs from her normal ability to resurrect the dead in that those without the pact are left vulnerable when away from her presence. Anyone with the pact may live, no matter where they die in relation to Tamashi. As long as she retains a pact with at least one person, Tamashi herself also receives a guardian familiar, whose strength corresponds to the number of pacts she currently has.

[Thaumaturge of Worlds] - Active
It is well-known that Tamashi can heal and individual from mere scraps of flesh to normal in but seconds, but her true exceptional skills lie in the sheer vastness of her arcane spells, able to heal the wounds of entire groups of people with a wave of her hand. The healing extends not only to living things, but to the soul of inanimate things as well. "Injuries" to buildings, armor, weapons, and the very ground, among other things, can be mended through Tamashi's grace.

Equipment:
Tamashi carries a priest's staff with her, solely for casting magicks.

[User]
Now I lay them down to bed.
I pray to God for flesh that's shed.
And when He comes to wake the dead,
I'll point to Him and scream,
Off with your head.

---

"Shh! Keep quiet or it'll hear us!"

"Are you sure it's even there? I don't see it and I can't sense anything else around…"

"The rumors say it only appears at midnight, right? We'll wait a few more minutes before getting the jump on it."

"But it's half past midnight already!"

"I said keep quiet!"

The gathered trio of Youkai kept their distance from the looming mansion that seemed to glow crimson, the home of a great and terrible monster. One was a raven, the other a frog, and their leader was a wolf. Humanoid in appearance, each of them had powers that could far surpass that of the average Youkai, or so they liked to believe. Of course, none of them seriously considered winning in a fight alone with their target for tonight, the aforementioned monster that was said to roam this very palace.

Ordinarily, all of them would be spending the time scaring each other silly with pranks and stories of Youkai much greater than themselves. But tonight was different for the fourth member of their happy group had been kidnapped and stolen away by the Monster of the Grave. A Youkai so dangerous that no one dared to challenge it, be it Chaser or fellow denizen of the Crimson Sky. But the bond of their friendship held strong and true and they would do anything to save their friend. So now they lay in wait for the time to strike, each of them having a set of binoculars in hand.

"Since I'm obviously the strongest out of all of us, why don't I cause a distraction? That way you guys can have enough time to search for Yoshida," the wolf suggested.

"Are you insane?" the frog put in. "The Monster will tear you apart before we even get the chance!"

"So you're saying that we give up? That we just quit? We can't do that idiot! We have to be strong for Yoshida!"

"Hey, guys? I think one of the lights is turning on. Maybe the Monster is already inside? Er, doesn't that mean that we're practically screwed if we try an invasion now?"

"Oh I don't know about that. The Monster might just be using it as a decoy. Don't you think?"

"Right! Of course! We'll charge in full force-h-hey wait. Who's voice was that?"

All three Youkai turned to see a girl crouching right next to them. She had a matching pair of binoculars with her, scanning the mansion just like them. When she noticed that she was being stared at, she placed the lens down and gave them all a happy wave. The sound of terrified screaming soon pierced the air as they dispersed almost immediately away from the girl.

"R-Run! Abort the mission, abort the mission!"

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"

"Fuck, we're all gonna die!"

The girl only laughed at their panicked fleeing, comparing the helpless trio to that of headless chickens. She had pranked this particular group of Youkai in a similar manner twice now and would continue to do it for another five times.

"You kids are no fun," the girl called out, bright smile never leaving her face. "Ah, but the spark of youth never does fizzle out. Maybe I'll pick off the raven next."

Humming to herself, the Monster of the Grave glanced up at the scarlet moon high above. The Crimson Sky was such a beautiful place with such a beautiful color. Summoning a green parasol in her hand, the girl gingerly opened it up and began to trek back to her secluded home. It would serve as a quick rest before her search began anew for the one that interested her the most.

"I wonder how long it'll take for them to realize they were standing on their friend's remains," she mused softly to herself. "Perhaps I'll let dear Yoshida greet them herself next time. Yes, that does sound wonderful."

---

"Hello again Zane," Kusanagi said boredly, not even sparing him a glance from the magazine she was reading. Frankly, his whole mad scientist vibe was a little too cliché for her tastes, not to mention the creepy obsession he seemed to have over their resident, popular, and robotic guest. Her attention was more focused on the article she was reading, the topic discussing the rising popularity of that accursed tea shop down the street.

Some rumors floated around about the shop secretly being owned and run by some top notch ninja vampire maid. It was as ludicrous as it sounded but it was still making more money. Narrowing her eyes, the pawnbroker sighed as she placed the magazine away on her counter. Maybe she should have invested in more than just tea.

"You guys just gonna stand there or are you gonna move us along?" she called out to the people gathered at the mission board. "Pick one already so I can run a business here."

[Assistant]
Ruu didn't know how much time passed, considering the glutton she was probably not much, but in the end it didn't matter as no one was disturbing her anyways. Having finished her meal and leaving a bloody mess behind, the girl was satisfied.

'Now that we're finished, how about returning home for the time being?' Ruu shook her head in denial. "No." Ruu simply denied, while Faust was only talking in her mind, the Youkai girl always communicated back by not giving any fucks and talking out loud.

Of course, the language they used wasn't english japanese at all, but going to great lengths as reverse english, german or wingdings in place of normal english was just silly!

'Bu...' Pushing his voice aside, Ruu ascended onto the top of a building before putting her nose up into the air. There were a lot of different odors, some stronger, some weaker, this place was a goldmine for someone as curious as her and each day there were new things to explore. Ultimately though Ruu decided to go for the smell that was kinda similar to the guy she just ate. It wasn't even that far away, not like it would have been a problem though, considering her means of transport through the shadows in the night. Thus, Ruu headed for two certain individuals.

...

Emerging from the shadow of a wall close to her targets, Ruu could confirm that this was indeed what she was looking for. The male human that Ruu locked her eyes upon smelled similar to the Youkai, though there was a small, but important difference for both of them. While the human had something metallic in his scent, the female Youkai carried a wild and cold note.

Considering Ruu couldn't even fathom that a Youkai and human could get along, Ruu obviously thought they would go at each other any second, thus, the silly Youkai decided to wait and continue stalking and drooling.