[System]
* Age: 28
* Appearance: "Anyone in my employ is under my protection." Toshiko has red hair, red eyes, and pale skin.
* Personality: Toshiko enjoys spending life with people she cares about, and generally makes for fairly pleasant company. However, she will change her behavior depending on the situation. When talking to employees, she is friendly, calm, and kind. When speaking with a perpetrator, for example, she makes a drastic change, approaching cruelty. In addition, it is not difficult to rouse her to anger and she has a remarkable lack of patience for someone who has taken a profession as a detective. When sufficiently angered, she will remove her glasses and and begin taking things extremely seriously. She enjoys cigarettes and seems to have something against organizing her office. Toshiko's ultimate goal is to attain immortality, as well as ensure no-one causes too many problems that interfere with having a pleasant life. Toshiko is terrible with money and spends incredibly frequently, sometimes on magical items and other times on things she simply thinks are interesting.
* Abilities: Toshiko's Affinity is Fire. As such, she is highly skilled in spells relating to fire. She is capable of casting spells by "carving" symbols in the air using a lit cigarette. Notable among her spells is an Instant Ignition spell. While it requires a full rune to be "carved" in the air, it will instantly ignite a target. As Toshiko's affinity is fire, she is also skilled with spells involving "consumption", "ignition", and "destruction". In addition, she has learned spells outside of her affinity. These spells are primarily wards and illusions, which she uses to conceal the Fu Sonzai no Gensō building from the eyes of regular humans. She is also capable of self-healing spells that can heal serious injury, though not something that will cause instant or very rapid death, and she must be conscious to use them.
* Weapons/Equipment: Toshiko has a great deal of cigarettes with her at almost all times. Not only does she like them, but they aid her casting.
* Brief Backstory: Toshiko was born into the Ando family, a family of magi with the goal of accessing Origin of All Magic, the wellspring from which all mana extends from that contains and infinite wealth of magical knowledge, all spells ever created, that ever will be created. Early in life, Toshiko was mentored in magic by her grandfather. When she reached her late teens, she was sent to a Mage Circle in London to train. It was here that she chose to abandon her family's goal, firmly believing it to be unattainable. While her family was initially outraged by her decision and desired to kill her, they eventually decided she would simply need punishment instead. This was, in part, because Toshiko's sister had not displayed the same desire to give up. Deciding to pursue the goal of immortality, Toshiko returned to Japan and founded the Fu Sonzai no Gensō detective agency in an effort to ensure pleasant life wasn't disrupted. Also to make money.

[User]
"Oh, Miura-san!" Daidouji Yuuno nodded confidently that the introduction. Toshiko could surmise the girl had heard of the Miura family before, given they were another local mage family. Mage families were often aware of those with relatively high standings, and the Miura's rather unique situation perhaps posed for more awareness then was otherwise usual. "Right, right! You want to check out the scene of the theft, right?"

The girl was rather chipper, for someone whose family had so recently suffered a serious threat. Perhaps she was just optimistic in the face of hardship? Or did she not really realize the gravity of the situation? Regardless of the explanation, Toshiko couldn't help but notice that the girl was rather cute.

"It's pretty annoying, they didn't even set off the spells I set up!" complained Yuuno, pouting as she turned on her heel to lead them out of the room and towards the scene of the crime.

"What were the spells you set up?" asked Toshiko as she followed along.

"Ah? Oh, just a couple," Yuuno replied brightly, "My family's affinity is Destruction, so it was a set of runes that would atomize the bodypart closest to them and one that made their heart explode!"

Toshiko nodded. Those spells were relatively complex, but for a competent student not impossible to handle for a stationary spell tied to a rune. Still, it was relatively impressive given the Daidouji girl's age. "You're quite accomplished for your age."

"Thanks!"

[Assistant]
It was quite disturbing to hear words like that out of a younger girl's mouth, though not as much as it would have been for somebody unused to the more unsavoury sides of life. It was more the fervent cheerfulness with which she had declared creating such destructive spells: taking pleasure in slaughter was unseemly and the spells were unnecessarily deadly. Why would you, with magic, destroy instant death defences rather than incapacitation? It was wasteful to not know who was targeting you.

Maybe this was why they had been stolen from: killing anyone that might have been able to let the Daidouji know what was going to happen.

"Are the other defences of a similarly dangerous nature?"

[User]
"Ah? Well... it depends!" replied Yuuno brightly, "I got to put spells that are pretty far in, for someone who's pretty nasty and might have hurt some of our maids getting there. It'd be dumb to put the spells that kill people out further, right?"

Toshiko shrugged. It depended largely on what your goals were when it came to how lethal you made a trap.

"My mother placed one of the earliest ones. It just makes you think you're in the wrong place and need to go to another place in the mansion," Yuuno continued as she lead the detective and her employee further down the hall. As they went, it was hard not to notice the number of maids keeping an eye on them rather closely, and many of them keeping an eye on the daughter of the Daidouji family as well. "The further they get, the more dangerous the spells are. I placed some of the last ones, because by that point they're probably going to have killed someone getting there. I don't know all those less flashy spells yet."

The girl waved her hand rather dismissively.

"You know, those 'less flashy spells' are pretty useful," Toshiko responded, her voice rather level. It was kind of obvious, by the girl's attitude, that she was infatuated with the more active and deadly side of magic. But wards and other less dangerous spells were quite useful. Fu Sonzai no Genso itself was surrounded by a field that made anyone without a usable supply of mana incapable of seeing or interacting with it. That was quite the opposite of flashy. "Setting up traps that don't kill can be pretty useful too."

The girl shrugged.

"It's not like I don't know that," replied Yuuno, "But if they've hurt some of our maids, they're unforgivable, aren't they?"

The black-haired young girl paused for a moment. "Only... they didn't hurt anybody or trigger any of the defenses..."

[Assistant]
Ryuuko had to disagree with the assessment that you put more lethal traps deeper in simply because that was where they were likely to have harmed or killed someone with loyalty to your family. That seemed like the obvious place to put the nasty but not fatal defences. If you didn't teach your enemies that clandestine attempts to harm your family would be meet with extreme retribution, why would they ever stop trying? The information angle was still relevant if they penetrated so far, as well...

The sound of that first defence and the lack of triggering raised an interesting possibility. There was no reason for anyone to interfere with the library defences... but if they hadn't meant to end up in the library in the first place...

"Could the misdirection ward have sent someone to the library?"

[User]
"... Hmm."

Yuuno looked thoughtful for a few moments. Toshiko suspected she didn't know, but Ryuuko raised an interesting possibility. However, it relied on the ward having been triggered in the first place.

"From what we've heard, Ryuuko-kun, it doesn't seem like any defenses were triggered, including those wards," Toshiko interjected. "However, if they somehow refreshed the activated ward... it's not like it's not impossible. But still, it's a possibility to keep in mind."

Yuuno shrugged, and lead them further. And soon enough...

"Here it is!" declared the girl. Ahead stretched a long hallway, seemingly empty and without windows. Hands in her pockets, Toshiko strode forward. Indeed, even with the spells inactive as they were, Toshiko could discern some of the more obvious defenses. It was easy to assume most of them were rather more thoroughly hidden.

"... Incidentally," Toshiko began, turning to face Yuuno, "What's the outside of this hallway like?"

"Oh? One of the walls is open to the outside, but it's reinforced and there's no windows. You'd need a lot of power to get through it, and it's not damaged at all!"

"Hmm..."

The redheaded mage looked around. Perhaps there was... something more complicated at work here... checking the walls seemed like a good start.

[Assistant]
The defences weren't triggered, the exterior was an impenetrable wall... and to have triggered the library ward after activating the defences would have meant resetting them. Presumably, then, someone who could have pulled off hiding their tracks that well would have fixed the library barrier before even getting around to this one. Or was it an unrelated incident, or even something meant to throw them off their trail?

"Which wall is the exterior?" the Yakuza heir questioned, stepping forwards into the corridor and looking for anything that seemed out of place in a more mundane manner. She might not have the skill to detect magical anomalies yet, but somewhere more damaged or disturbed than another point, or a region strangely free of dust if the place was regularly cleaned... she could look at that. Though with no trace at all, another possibility came to mind... "Might we be looking at a 'phantom thief'? Could someone have magic to pass through physical barriers undetected, or could ghosts do so?"

[User]
Yuuno pointed, quickly, to the right hand side of the hallway when asked about the exterior.

"It's not impossible that they could be using some strange method to bypass the security," Toshiko responded. There was a wide variety of spells for an enormous amount of magical affinities, all developed by magi all over the world for so many different purposes. Certainly, there could be some methods that would prove to be useful at bypassing these spells. But so perfectly, and all of them... certainly, something was amiss. "As for a ghost, it's possible, but a ghost would still be effected by the defenses.

Toshiko followed Ryuuko, investigating the hallway. As Ryuuko looked over the walls, she might notice what looked like a scrap of paper attached to one...

[Assistant]
"Are ghosts common enough that defences against them would be employed as a matter of course?" Ryuuko wondered, homing in on something out of place in the otherwise immaculate, but empty when compared with the rest of the house, corridor. Paper? No, more than paper--it was only a fragment but the hints of its original shape and the characters on one side were more than enough. "Master, it seems that the infiltrator is an onmyouji or styling themselves as one.

"Unless your family would use ofuda in their defences, of course, Yuuno-san."

[User]
"Mental defenses, at least, would affect a ghost capable of coherent thought," replied Toshiko, approached Ryuuko as her apprentice made a beeline for something on the wall. Ghosts were beings with human thought patterns, and as a result spells designed to effect those thought patterns would still effect them. Even if they didn't set off the more physical defenses, the ones targeting the mind would still be able to detect them. When Ryuuko discovered that scrap of paper, however...

"You're certainly right, Ryuuko-kun," she commented, eyes travelling over the piece of paper. There was no denying what it appeared to be, it was definitely a piece of ofuda. That was only something that an onmyouji would use.

Yuuno stared for a few moments.

"Ehhh? There's... we never use ofuda!" the smallish girl exclaimed, "That's not how a proper magi does magic!"

As Toshiko glanced down the wall, she noticed spots on the wall that seemed slightly... scuffed? As if something had been attached to them...

"... Oi, Yuuno-chan," Toshiko said, turning towards the girl, "Is there any way that these spells could be disrupted without direct magical interference?"

Yuuno paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "... I guess if the pattern was interrupted, but that's tied to the walls, and the walls are still there..."

[Assistant]
Not how a proper magi does magic? Sometimes, the attitude of western-style magi to to onmyoudo irked Ryuuko: why did they insist on treating their own country's magical style as some secondary and inferior art. As far as she and her family were concerned, it was nothing more than one style, even if a heavily specialised one, that their affinities tended to work poorly with. But unlike alchemy, there was enough similarity with the magical mainstream that they should really approach it as something less exotic...

That onmyoudo could interfere with defences like this was a prime example of why.

"Might it be possible that a charm could match the defences from the outside and then insert it in place before temporarily disrupting them? Onmyoudo is almost a specialisation in the application of barriers."

[User]
"It's not impossible..." Toshiko frowned as she looked down the wall. Unfortunately, not enough of the ofuda remained to determine what the spell may have been. Whatever the case was, it looked like quite a few of them had been deployed, up and down the wall... And all but this one had been completely removed. It was a shame, if some others had been left behind they may have been able to piece together exactly what spells were being utilized here. But at the moment, there was no way to be certain what was going on.

"... Yuuno-chan, was there anything unusual in the library when your family found out that the barrier had been disrupted there, or do you not know?" Toshiko asked. Perhaps something that happened here had somehow caused the barrier to fail?

"... There was some white dust? That's about it," Yuuno said, after some thought, with a shrug. "Since nothing was taken or changed there, we didn't look into it too much!"

"Hmmm..." Toshiko turned to face the wall once more. Oddly enough, there seemed to be some... damaged plaster on one of the walls?


[System]
Appearance:

(Ignore the size in the picture, it is no bigger than a bus.)

Personality: Cold and Calculating. Somewhat of an isolationist however will temporally ally with lesser creatures if they serve the same goal.

Bio:
 For over the countless centuries, the Flood have been a terror that has been feared through what is known as the Halo Universe. This hive-minded parasite consumes all that it touches. However, the Gravemind, facing oblivion at the destruction of Installation 04b created a creature known as the Flood Vanguard and sent it through a rift in the fabric of reality as the Installation went supernova. This 'Vanguard' like other Flood constructs shared the entire knowledge and memories of every Flood creature before it. It also carried with it its desire to rebuild what it had now lost.

However, this universe that the Vanguard finds itself in is strange and alien to it. The two major powers are vastly superior to that than the Flood has ever faced before and it will take careful planning, manipulation and time before the Vanguard can rebuild the Flood Empire. For over a year the Vanguard drifted in space, scouring, watching, learning. It's desire to expand tingling at its tendrils – it desired flesh.

As for now, the small derelict colony ship of around 2000 souls onboard would prove to be a sufficient place to start. From here it will expand. Here it will rebuild the Flood Empire.

Age: Physical: 1.7 Years Mental: Unknown

Skills:

Short Range Telepathy: The Vanguard is able to produce low level telepathy waves. This is the main way in which he coordinates the Flood forces. Each Flood form acts as a relay for this ability, however any forms outside of a certain radius end up resorting back to their default instincts, which are hunt, feed and then build. This telepathy also allows the Vanguard to enter the minds of other organic creatures and communicate to them. This is often used as a tool of terror and to cause colony wide panic and hysteria, but it can also be used as a tool for manipulation and cooperation should the need arise.

A.I/Logic Plague: The A.I or rather Logic Plague is an ability the Flood have had since the dawn of their existence. It grants the Flood the ability to corrupt any form of A.I and gaining the ability to use them against their original masters. The process of which depends heavily on the intelligence of the A.I. For example, basic A.I can be infected with the Logic Plague and be fully corrupted within hours. Much more intelligent A.I will take weeks to even years to be fully corrupted.

Parasitic Absorption: The Flood as a whole is one giant parasite. Their very existence relies on the consumption of sentient beings. The Flood, once established will create a hive in which their foul dominion is created. Any sentient being, living or dead are prime candidates to become engrossed into the fold. Through the use of what are known as Infection Forms. These creatures borrow into the being they wish to control, attaching itself to the nervous system of the creature and being the putrid transformation of all those that are consumed.

Faction: The Flood

[User]
The bust red head closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. "You're a bounty hunter huh?" She nods her head in thought. "That makes sense. I mean, the whole maybe, possibly, sort of, potentially, maybe hearing about you from somewhere before." She gave a quick hiccup. "I mean, we aren't exactly living in what many would consider a safe universe, now would we? Though," she opened her eyes and watched Samus through narrowed, focused slits.

 "I'll admit it, all honestly and what not, I'm actually kind of surprised you're a bounty hunter." Another hiccup and quick sip of her ale. The cheeks flushed, but nowhere near as long as before. "I mean, the armor looks like its something for fighting, and judging by a fair lack of noticeable damage I say it's either top of the line and too hard to actually leave a scratch so i'm sure you're one hell of a capable fighter. It's just..." Abigail held up a finger and drained the last of her ale. She waved her hand to the one armed man, holding up her mug and grinning like a lunatic. "Where was I? Oh yes! It's just you seem a bit too formal to be a bounty hunter. Truth be told, I would've put you in more the military ranks since, if that makes sense? Most bounty hunters, they're louder and more obnoxious than I am. Way quicker to get drunk too. It's the military types, what with their codes and standards that are a bit harder to get to open up. Whoo! Thank you kindly." She purred as she took her new mug of male from the arm of the man with the robotic arm.

"Anyways, that's just me and personal experiences. Soldiers are stiff and bounty hunters tend to be quicker to party and boast, is what I'm saying." She put a hand down, flat on the table, with the tips of her longest fingers passing the half way point. "So, what kind of crooks and bounties do you go after? Catch anyone I might now" Abigail took a drink from her glass mug.

[Assistant]
"Mami Tomoe?" came a question voice from in front of her. A man was suddenly standing there looking over his shoulder at the girl. He was dressed in an archaic kimono and he rested a long, unwieldy looking sword on his shoulder. It wasn't as though he'd arrived all of a sudden. As he turned to face her, a look of intrigue on his face, it was more like he had suddenly emerged from somewhere in the background of the universe. Sasaki Kojoro had never enjoyed the Presence Concealment skill he'd developed, and loathed using it for its true purposes of spying and assassination, but it was useful for getting around while equipped for battle without turning any heads. He would keep his weapon in spiritual form were it not for the oppressive buzzing he could feel in the walls, Reality Emitters holding him in far more solid of a state than he had grown used too, and faced with the choice of either carrying his sword in peace or being caught off guard when it was time for war he preferred the latter.

"How are you?" He said as he stepped forward to greet her. Mami had been his guide when he had first arrived to work as a dog of the UUC. Maybe other people would have scoffed at a girl her age being an agent of such a far reaching and powerful organization, but Sasaki had not even questioned it. His own master was only slightly older than her after all, and he had witnessed first hand the valor displayed by Jeanne d'Arc on top of all the stories Gilles had regaled him with after the whole of France had been dropped here. His finely honed instinct for battle had told him immediately when they met that Mami fell into that class. "It is...interesting to see you here. Nowhere this dock connects to is frequented by those as reputable as yourself. Tell me, are you setting out intending to do business?"

[User]
Union Station: 27 Jumps from Alpha Earth. Resides in the UUC/UoD DMZ.

Union Station Population: 715,413

Union Station, the diplomatic space station crafted from a planet that was destroyed by two universes colliding with each other was a testament as to why the UUC exists. The station sat directly in the centre of the Demilitarised Zone between both the UUC and UoD. It was here that the Ethereals had hoped to bridge the gap between the two factions. However, the UoD on the outside seemed to be a very crudely built ragtag government that allowed all those who wished to cause anarchy to join their ranks. However, deep at its core there was one, a single soul who wished to unify them under one banner simply to declare independence from the Ethereal Court and the UUC. Senator Mia Simms. While the UoD were at times ragtag and didn't agree with other sub factions within, every single one listened to her, no matter how powerful, may that be the Galactic Empire or the Reapers of the Night; they all listened and took on her advice and unquestionable wisdom that she brought with her. Everyone, both UoD and UUC knew her name and the respect that was demanded from that name. – And today was the day the cease fire agreement was to be signed.

Main Concert Hall

The Hall was large, much larger than the Court of the Ethereals and less sterile. The walls held banners of all parties involved, the UUC, the UoD and the many subgroups that were aligned with themselves. The countless rows of seats were filled with every single race in existence, well those who could fit on chairs anyway. Monitors and film crews were dashed in random spacings and the lights were shooting down directly at the main stage in which a single table with two vacant chairs stood.
Suddenly the room fell silent.

"Esteemed citizens of the UUC and UoD." A loud, colourful voice shouted through the PA system. "You are here today to witness history in the making, for decades two great factions have fought each other in the name of freedom and security. Both sides have committed shameless acts which they now regret, millions of lives needlessly lost. That stops today! May I now introduce you to the glue that holds the UoD together, the impeccable Senator Mia Simms!" And as the announcer finished his final syllable the hall roared with cheers and clapping. A light then shot down to the side of the stage where Senator Simms began to ascend the stairs, waving at all those who cheered and chanted her name. She moved elegantly towards the central microphone stand.

"Good people of the Shattered Universe." Her voice spoke softly, almost like a petal, however there was an under-tide of raw power that she didn't require to use. "This day has been a very long and hard struggle for everyone and is long overdue. The UoD must remember, we are not innocent victims in this. The intentions of the Ethereals is not a cynical one it was just one used with a heavy hand. So please welcome up here, the Ethereal Raz' Zek." She gestured to the opposite side of the stage where another beam of light fired down and there stood an Ethereal in ceremonial robes, almost floating above the ground he stood on and made his way next to the senator. Again, the was another round of applause.

"Thank you for those kind words Senator Simms." Raz' Zek said, his voice much more emotional than that of other Ethereals. "It is true. We at the Ethereal Court have taken a far too heavy-handed approach to the security of our great, combined universe. We were so focused on saving lives that we sacrificed the quality of those lives we saved. It is time that we reformed this."

Raz' Zek offered Mia a chair in which he then tucked her in as he took the seat next to her. In front of them was a large piece of paper, a rare thing to see. On it was the cease fire agreement. The senator lifted the pen from its ink well and was about to press it down onto the paper.

However, there was a large crashing sound that shook the entire station and the rough sound of ripping metal filled the hall. Smoke filled the air and main people had falling out of their seats. Smaller crashes soon followed. Then the screaming.

Horrifically deformed bodies began to lunge from the holes that were created, taking both the living and dead through them. Gunshots were heard followed by the sound of tearing limbs.

"Ah… the Song of the Grave grows louder." A drudging voice echoed in the minds of those still alive. As more and more Flood filled the hall.

The Senator looked up from where she had fallen to the ground and saw in horror as a combat form leaped towards her. She closed her eyes expecting the worst. However, a large blue bolt of energy fired at it just before it could harm her, exploding into liquid biomatter. She looked up to see Raz' Zek with his arm stretched out and blue energy trails floating around him. He looked down at her, offering his aid in aid.

"We must get you out of her, Senator… if you perish here, all that we have achieved will be decimated." He said, pulling her to her feel.

"Look out!" She screamed as two more combat forms leaped from nowhere, however with a swift arm motion both were liquified. And then they began to run. Hold a blue barrier in his hand that encircled Mia – protecting her from the gunfire of those that had once protected them.

---

An Alpha-Level distress call was broadcasted to both the UUC and UoD that every channel would receiving. Immediate assistance was required.


[System]
Clan: N/A
Village: Village of Sound
Age: 15
Appearance:

Abilities: The specialty of a musician? Music that is played by his Mandolin corresponds to the different types of Jutsus that Ako can produce. Despite him lacking a skill in Taijutsu, the lower pitched chords represent Jutsus that lack in power but have low Chakara usage (Shadow Clones, Shuriken Manipulation, etc.). The higher pitched chords allow him to actually use Wind-Style based Jutsus; his specialty being a moderate-high Chakara use blast that results in a major cut of wind. However, he isn't completely useless without his Mandolin and is actually quite the equipment user...expending quite a large amount of his funds on ninja scrolls and always has three of them on his personal: one for medical supplies, one for a large amount of shurikens, and one that has Chakara replenishing medicine.
Weapons: Mandolin (the Bow can be used as a short sword/wakizashi)
Personality: Silent, never speaks and much prefers to write down what he wants to say on a notepad. Even his Ninja Signs and Jutsus are silent, unless they are played through his Mandarin. Also, due to his nobility of sorts, he always tries to wear a suit of sorts in his leisure time if not changes into rather somewhat loose black suit but doesn't look exactly like a formal wear. Quite a kind person despite his silence, and does have a formal air around him when he has to/forced to act like a kind gentleman.
Back Story: Perfection, that is what his parents always craved. Ever since his birth, he was constantly forced to play his mandarin day and night...the only moments when he was allowed to stop was when he slept or ate. The boy's parents were addicted to him mastering the mandarin, despite the fact that during every practice his eyes would always wander to the other boys and girls his age who trained to become ninja in the village. Finally, on a full moon...the child ran away from jumping off a high window in his rather large home. The only possessions he brought with him...was his mandarin which he still enjoyed to use despite the harsh treatment he had related to it. Over the years, he was able to learn from an old hermit in between the Village of the Sound and the Village of the Leaf. This eventually led to him obtaining his old master's signature headband to represent the Village of the Sound as a ninja and got permission to join the ranks of other young ninja in the Chunin Exams...
Family: High Ranking Officials in the Village of the Sound who invest into Ninja Equipment
Other: Spends time playing music in a small box fort of sorts in a park of the Village of the Leaf as his new home.

[User]
A call to action is sent out all over the land and to each and every village. The Land of Fire is holding the Annual Chunin Exams. Many applications were sent out to each head of the village and it is their decision who qualifies and who has to wait another year. This year the exams will only be a small batch of ninja but that does not mean the test will be any easier. If you feel that you are powerful enough to be called Chunin, then come and prove yourself. The Exam begins in 5 days. Hope to see you then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hikaru received her application as she read it over. "Look at this Saki. We have a chance to show off our true power with other village's ninjas." She said as Saki barked happily. "I know we got this in the bag." She said as she placed her application in a safe place and headed out towards her training area. She knew that if she was going to make a good impact on the exam that she needed to train as fast as she could.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sanjiro was sitting in the window seal in his apartment reading over the application. He knew this was going to be extremely difficult. He knew that him only having Taijustsu would already make him at a disadvantage but he did not care at all. He knew this would be his only chance to see if he had what it takes to be a great shinobi even if no one else had any faith in him. Even his squad leader said he should not apply but he still did. He grabbed his bag of clothes and headed towards the entrance of the village to start his trek to the Land of Fire.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nakamura grabbed his puppet making sure he wrapped it up as best as he could. He did not want anyone to know his ability until the moment of his attack. He knew having the element of surprise would be the best thing he could do in order to have an advantage in this exams. He also packed up enough food and water for the trip to the Land of Fire. Everyone in his squad was too chicken to take the exam. They kept saying since the land of Stone and the Land of Fire were not on good terms that they would not even get promoted because of the hatred between the clans. He knew that was a lie and decided he would prove to them that he had what it takes to become a Chunin. He was not really the leader type, but he knew with the right training he would one day work for the black opps of his village. He grabbed his gear and headed out towards the Land of Fire.

[Assistant]
Sasha looked at the application she received. She hardly ever showed her emotions but couldn't keep her excitement contained. It made her want to train herself harder than she usually does. I can prove myself if I start my training today. She first had to get herself a hearty meal before she would begin.

---

When Anna received her application, she almost couldn't contain herself as she jumped up and jown with joy. "This is gonna be great!" She decided she should brush up on her training today. After all, 5 days wasn't long.

[User]
Konohagakure was full of excitement the day that this call was sent out. Businesses were bustling, shops were selling out of Ninja gear such as Kunai.

And then, one traveling by might notice the one who was walking through Konoha with a blue, fur trimmed cloak.

This male was William Hyuuga..Or Yuuki. With his half and half lineage, it was hard to tell the difference. White hair and Pale White eyes(The Byakugan) marked a face that was youthful. An ANBU mask was attached to the shoulder of this cloak, depicting a white wolf.

The Hyuuga stopped as he heard about the Chunin Exams, moving towards the sound of people who were talking about it. After he had heard enough..He did not even go back to the Hyuuga household. He moved to the training grounds, ready to prepare himself even more than he already had in Yukigakure.

[Assistant]
Gin was busy training in a wet field on the outskirts of Kirigakure and he wondered how much longer it would be until he received an invitation to partake in the upcoming chunin exams. He was practicing his Eight Dragon Head technique and had a large red dragon head sticking out of his shoulder. It was giving a growling noise and blowing smoke out of its nostrils. He couldn't make it use his fire release techniques, but he would train hard to achieve the goal. With a swift motion of his arm he had the monstrous head slam right into a practice dummy and smash it to pieces.

He then focused on creating a second head and succeeded. He then broke two more dummies with both heads. Gin proceeded to create a third head and used them to destroy another three of the dummies. Finally he tried to make a fourth head, but no matter how hard he concentrated his chakra just was not great enough to summon the fourth head. This was frustrating to him and he wanted to go further, but right now he was at an obstacle that he would have to overcome. It frustrated him, but he would have to keep training as hard possible.

It wasn't too long after he finished practicing with his bloodline technique that he got his letter of invitations to take the chunin exams. He was excited to have the chance to move forward with his shinobi career and also interested in fighting ninja from the other villages to see how strong they were.

"Five days until it starts huh? I guess I'll have to be prepared as I can be and go kick some butt" he said with a smile as he went back in the direction of his home to start getting rid for his journey.

[User]
Ako began his long journey to the Land of Fire, looking forward to the Chunin Exams. Then again, he can't really say that since he accomplished not that many missions at his rank of Genin. The musician ninja silently checks his mandarin a few times, making sure the inscriptions are in place...then finally starts heading out. Going from tree to tree, Ako silently makes a list of plans to accomplish if he manages to pass the Exams.

"Finally...freedom? Hope...so."


[System]
Race: Common black cat. She can talk, but other than that, she is just a cat.

Job: Lady is not looking for a job. She is looking for someone who will feed her regularly, scratch her belly from time to time, and provide a warm place for her to nap all day. If the times are dire and someone actually requires her to work for food and shelter, she is able to hunt rats and other pests. But she truly hates it, because, well, rodents are disgusting.

Background: While she likes to mess with people, telling them that she is an ancient Moon goddess suffering from a terrible curse, the truth is most likely much simpler - that when she was just a tiny black kitten, she was a target of a magical experiment, or perhaps a spell gone wrong. Nobody knows for sure. Lady herself definitely prefers the ancient goddess version.

Lady had lived in Grada for as long as she could remember, staying with a very nice old lady for the past few months. Miss Binklesthorpe was an ideal landlady - being old and frail she was always cold, so there was a fire burning in the fireplace all the time. She never forgot to fill Lady's bowl and her gnarled old fingers gave the best scratches, right in that sweet spot behind the ears. Sadly, Miss Binklesthorpe passed, and her son wasn't very happy about feeding the 'useless ball of fur', so he kicked Lady out.

Home: Having just arrived to the town, she is accepting home offers, ready to choose the most generous one.

[User]
@Goldeagle1221

A firetail, so that's what they call themselves here. Admittedly Yoshina was ignorant of the customs of the people in this land, but alright then. Perhaps calling these people firetails is appropriate for the situation.

Man, all that discussion is making her even more hungry, and, staring at the Pig person, very busy and still looking at the menu. Yoshina decided to take the initiative. "Umm, madam? Can I get the croogal eggs and Zaft soup please? Oh, and perhaps any tea you have available" She asked the night elf. "I've been hearing people praising those two foods ever since I entered this village, might as well get some myself." She then proceeded to take some gemstones from her purse and give it to her. "I assume that these gemstones would be more than sufficient? I have coins, but they're Sangakuan mintage and probably not applicable here."

Turning her head back to the firetail, and hearing her offer. Yoshina smiled at her offer. "Yes, that would be great, but unfortunately I don't have any coins of the local mintage that I can pay you for. I need to do some jobs that might earn me some local coin, perhaps help an errand or two. I might need to ask people around the tavern though, perhaps you know some jobs I can take?"

[Assistant]
@Forsythe @Goldeagle1221

Shina looked at the gems that Yoshina had pulled out and grinned  'I'm sure I can take some of those gems for the work, I have a friend of a friend who can convert them for me. Besides, you never know if they might be useful when trading outside of this town.

Now, in terms of jobs, I know Minnow here is looking for some help, poor thing struggles from time to time so i'm sure she'd appreciate any help she can get. Um...sometimes the local farmers need help picking fruit, I know limberries are ripe for picking now. Otherwise, you can always check out our town board which sometimes has jobs on it'

Shina finished her bun and drink, she felt stuffed; after all, she had already had breakfast this morning! She suddenly realised how long she had spent away from the workshop and that work wasn't going to magically do it itself.

 'I am so sorry my friends but I must make my leave. I am sorry again for the disruption I caused'  she looked to the dragon lady with an apologetic sigh  'By all means, please visit my workshop and I will happily repair any of your weapons before you leave.'

Shina brought her empty glass and plate to Minnow..  'My dear friend, thank you for your custom as always, i promise to pay you back soon. I have some work that should be coming, with good pay.'  She shook Minnow's hand warmly and strode out of the inn and back to her workshop.

[User]
Taraah eyed the Firetail with suspicion. Granted, noone liked to ralk about something like losing their family, but that wasn't where the dragon thought Sheena was skimming the truth. It was the fact that for a smith, her hand went to the blade all too easily. She would watch this one.

The other one though, a princess? Ahhh, that brought back memories. And an exotic one at that! Than again, carrying a polearm around with the confidence she did and a physique to match knowing how to use it was as good an indication as any that instead of ransom, she would have gotten a few new scars.

"Ohayōgozaimasu, hime-chan." She replied with a slight smirk. "It has been a while since I have been in the presence of royalty. I believe it was the current king's aunt? They didn't miss her too much, didn't want to pay much for her return." She grinned, fishing a ring out of her money bag. "Great conversationalist though, avid reader and most excellent harp player. I pitied her fate so much I gave her treasure and sent her on her way." She recalled.

"Anyway, I can provide for you for a day if you share a few tales of the dragons of your own land. I hear they are quite different from my kind." She leaned forward with a gaze hungering for knowledge, which swayed towards the other person at the table.

"Perhaps miss Sheena would be willing to accomodate us for the night for a favor or two? Have you ever forged with dragonfire?" She wiggled her eyebrows just as the firetail turned to leave, "I am also... Nevermind, maybe later." She paused. Her black flight heritage was a touchy subject.

@Kumbaris

[Assistant]
As Shina went to leave she heard the dragon lady mention staying at her workshop. She had barely enough room for herself let alone two other people, one of which she had to remember being a dragon!

But her panda ears twitched at the word 'dragonfire'. Damn it she loved her trade and any chance to try a new way of forging was too good to miss!

 I'm sorry but my workshop isn't big enough. The inn might have room though...right Minnow?!  Shina shouted over to Minnow who looked swamped.  I have some stables behind my workshop that would provide room. They are clean as my horse is put on pasture. Although I don't feel like a princess should stay there. But I would love to try dragonfire at the forge.

@Forsythe [Goldeagle1221]

[User]
Cross

D'Artagnan Riverwood

Location: The Road To Lorenstad

D'Artagnan rubbed the back of his neck, he did not think of himself as a very good fighter. What self defence he does know, is mostly used to protect himself. "Again you seem like good folks, and I would rather have run into you then some thief trying to rob me of everything including my clothing." Looking over towards the young boy with a big smile, the mention of the name Jango Riverwood gave him quite a bit of nostalgia. " I mostly venture to where historical artifacts are, and bring them to the museum for preservation. And I know Jango Riverwood, he is my father although his real name is Alexander. Jango was just a nickname that stuck." Having a wave of good memories of his father telling him of his many adventures as a child. "Have you heard of his venture into the dwarven tombs filled with goblins, trying to retrieve an ancient dwarven tomb?"He asked the child, wondering if he had heard of that story. He stopped for a moment feeling idotic for indulging the child's questions.

Feeling a bit more comfortable around the group of men, they did not seem like bad people that would try to rob D'Artagnan of his newly acquired artifact. Pulling out the dagger from his coat pocket, the bright green blade shining brightly in the sun. The group could make out some orcish words etched into the blade. "I found this in an old orcish tomb, I had to convince the elder to not use my hide as a rug in exchange for participating in a cleansing ritual." He quickly put away the dagger back into his coat pocket, so that it did not fall out of his hands. "Grandline Isles? I have not been there in quite some time, what kind of cargo were you transporting from there if i may ask?"

[Assistant]
The gigantic mostrous creature followed the cat with her violet eyes and chuckled lightly. "Not to worry dear, not to worry." She sat down away from the firepit this time, perfectly aware that water coming off of her would make it difficult to use the thing to cook. "My boy won't mind at all. It's still plenty enough for him... He's so small." She sighed, imagining just how tiny and adorable her son was.

"Do you live around here, darling? It's such a lovely area..." It was always so deliteful to meet another who walked on four legs gifted with speech. She did her best to seem casual and not at all threatening. Unfortunately, her face wasn't flexible at all like a human's. Her grin of sharp teeth was rather permanently fixed.

[User]
---

Tags: @Forsythe@RedPandaGamer@Kumbaris@Goldeagle1221

---

Just as the half-elf was just starting to enjoy the cool breeze and the sight of woodland creatures he felt a great disturbance in the Weave. Something with massive magical energy just suddenly appeared out of the blue and just as quickly disappeared. Rudolph let out a breath he didn't even realize he was keeping. "Ezaloth's warty ass, what in the world was that?" The wizard said, bewildered out of his mind. It was akin to a massive boulder crashing into a placid lake but only producing a ripple of a pebble before completely disappearing. It made no sense.

He was still quite a distance away from the village. But something that powerful was somewhere in the village and, Makers damn his soul to the Void, if he didn't do something about it. Lorenstad and all its inhabitants may be in grave danger for all he knew about that unknown phenomenon. The wizard shut his eyes and focused solely on the magical energies of the world around him and, despite the unknown phenomenon's relatively quick appearance, the mark it left on the weave was slower to return to normal. Re-opening his eyes he locked his eyes upon the last known location of the anomaly. "The Other Mine? Why there?" Regardless of his confusion, it needed to be investigated. He wished that he brought his wand along the trip as he could have more effectively and efficiently channeled his magic. But an emergency like this needed immediate action. A determined look was plastered on the half-elf's face as he cast a spell to give his steps the extra boost they needed if he were to arrive in such short notice. Viasýni. As the words left his mouth, the underside of his boots gained a bright teal glow. Taking a runner's stance on the cobbled road, Rudolph bolted off with the speed that could put a racing horse to shame.

The planned 15 minute stroll turned into a half minute's sprint.

It was very effective. Maybe a little too much so as he actually failed to estimate the stop time he needed to prevent crashing into the establishment itself. In a split second decision between a conveniently open window and a very sturdy looking wall, Rudolph barreled through the window and straight into an open broom closet. A plume of dust burst out of the room as the, now dusty, wizard stumbled out with wooden bucket covering his head. Hardly the entrance fitting for him, but better than splattered on a wall. " *cough cough* Sorry, Minnow. *cough cough* Put it on my tab...I'll pay for the broken brooms *cough cough* I swear." Rudolph says as he pulls the bucket off his head, dusting himself off as best he can, and regaining most of his composure. He took a quick look around the common room, he noted that there were new faces in Lorenstad. "Apologies for the intrusion. I was just investigating a strange magical phenomenon that originated here. I hope I didn't spoil your visit to TOM and Lorenstad."

[Assistant]
Lady was surprised how friendly the crocodile talked, given she had stolen from her. But perhaps one fish was really not such a big deal for such a big creature. She did however notice the mention of 'her boy'. Was there a second animal lurking around? Even a small one could eat her in one bite. A careful look around the area didn't reveal anything else, even the river seemed empty, its calm water surface only occasionally disturbed by a fish jumping up to catch some insect.

She liked how the crocodile called her dear and darling. Normally it would sound condescending, but somehow coming from a huge mouth full of teeth it reminded her of Miss Binklesthorpe.

--She didn't have any teeth though.--

Miss Binklesthorpe, who did not possess any teeth at the brink of her life, but was always kind and gentle. Maybe slightly racist, but always well-mannered.

Not really having another choice anyway, she carefully climbed the tree down, keeping one eye on the huge crocodile at all times. Nothing terrible has happened. With a bit more courage, she walked back towards the fireplace and jumped on one of the logs that were lying around in the grass. The crocodile was sitting a bit away, which was a wise choice, given the water running down its body. Lady noticed a strange thing - the creature actually smelled nice. The ones she remembered from Grada always smelled like rotten meat and stinking mud, but for some reason, there was a smell of lavender coming from this one.

"Your boy is taking a swim?" Lady asked, peeking cautiously towards the riverbank. "And no, I don't live here. In fact, I have just arrived this morning. I lived in the capital, but needed a change of scenery." Lady sighed and started licking her paw which somehow got sand all over it. "Do you live here? The town looks very interesting, unlike any I've come across so far. Those were mostly boring farmer communities or tiny trading posts. There seems to be a lot going on here. And a dragon? Wow, we didn't have those even in the capital."

Realizing she had been blabbering for a longer time than she wanted to, Lady stopped herself. "I have eaten your food and haven't even told you my name, how rude of me. I am Lady Meowlune, but you can just call me Lady. And if you really don't mind,..." she jumped down from the log and walked back towards the half-eaten fish, "I'll take another bite or two. You don't really come across a delicious meal like this one on the road."


[System]
"Fire enough shots at something, and you're bound to hit eventually."

Identification/Serial Number: TK-2323

Sex: Male

Age: 21

Homeworld: Corellia

Rank: Private

Role: Support

Callsign Rainstorm

Appearance: Bradlev stands at roughly 6 feet even in height, with a larger, well-built frame perfect for hauling around a heavy blaster and plenty of ammo. He carries himself well, with posture perfected during Academy training, and movement in the field befitting one of the Emperor's Finest. His hair is a shadowed brown kept cut at regulation length, though its natural texture makes it appear a bit messy even then. His beard is trimmed as a thin, neat frame around his chin and face. The scarring along his left eye is a remnant of his days at the Academy, and can be a bit irritating with its occasional tendency to itch.

Equipment:
Stormtrooper Armor and Standard Issue Kit
T-21 Light Repeating Blaster with Bipod
Ammo Bandoleer with Additional Energy Cells

Psychological Analysis:
Bradlev is a tried and true supporter of the Empire, and a dedicated soldier. His father served as a Naval Adjutant to the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars, retiring with full honors shortly after the restructuring into the Imperial Navy. As such, Bradlev was raised with support for unifying the galaxy, and groomed for a life of serving the Empire. However, the harsh reality of Academy training has sharpened Bradlev into a more pragmatic, but still fiercely loyal, soldier.

Backstory:
Bradlev's life before the Academy was one resembling Imperial upper-class society the galaxy over, shaping him to be loyal, ready to serve, and willing to give his life for the cause. With his father having served as an attache to the Republic Navy, and later the early years of the Imperial Navy, after years as a Correlian defense fleet officer, the entire family was thrust headlong into the lifestyle of the Imperial elite His father always seemed to idolize the military life, putting great emphasis on his own service, and constantly insisting that his service alongside the Republic Navy, and the early days of the Imperial Navy, made him the man he was today, a stern, no-nonsense patriot. Academy training, however, was far harsher than Imperial society and his father may make it seem, and it painted a different picture to the one Bradlev had been raised with.

Bradlev served in the 101st Cadet Squad at the Academy he trained in, and it was there he earned the nickname 'Rainstorm', and was quickly directed to receive additional training as a Support Gunner and suppressive fire specialist. Bradlev was never the best shot with a blaster, but he had a knack for timing shots with the necessary cooldown of nearly any blaster model, and one hell of a trigger finger. As such, he had a nasty tendency to just let loose on firing ranges and in training simulations, with the mass quantity of his bolts comparable to the amount of raindrops in a fierce storm.

Bradlev's training was harsh, rough, and nearly abusive in some cases. Between the constant physical and mental testing, the fierce competition between cadets for the glory from their instructors, and the insults and other expletives hurled at him from the instructors at a nearly-constant basis, Bradlev still sometimes finds it a wonder he ever made it through the first month as a youth. It was certainly not the glamor and glory his father liked the blather on about, and Bradlev did not yet see the connecting lines between this brutal regimen and the honor of serving the Empire.

One instructor in particular singled Bradlev out from amongst his fellow cadets, Instructor Jarek Varr. Instructor Varr had a bit of a reputation at the academy Bradlev attended, one for being a brutal taskmaster and firm disciplinary. He would routinely invent infractions to accuse Bradlev of, for which Bradlev would receive hard punishment. Bradlev simply rolled with the punches, as it were, considering this just another test he had to overcome. Instructor Varr did his damnedest to try and whittle Bradlev's spirit down, but dedicated to proving himself, and a fair bit stubborn, Bradlev continued to push onward through the training.

While serving in the academy, Bradlev had to suffer his first loss of a comrade-in-arms, and come to terms with Imperial policy on casualties. One of Bradlev's fellow cadets was a youthful, bright-eyed one named Tylin Creeke. Bradlev and Creeke got along well enough, sharing staunch Imperialist sentiment and a military family background. However, Creeke was always trying to push the limit with what he could get away with, and in an act of sheer foolishness, he managed to get past the locks on the training-issue E-11s keeping them on low-power mode.

Creeke's folly was that he didn't exactly understand the power and cooling systems of the E-11 blaster, and had set the rifle far higher than it ever would have been even in the hands of a full Stormtrooper. During a seemingly routine training run through a simulated battlespace, Creeke's rifle exceeded a firerate the cooling systems could keep up with, and after a sustained burst, it exploded, the blast killing Creeke, injuring several other cadets, and giving Bradlev his trademark scar, caused by shrapnel from the blast

Bradlev, like all the surviving cadets, took their first casualty hard, but reaffirmed Imperial stance and a healthy dosage of propaganda helped entrench the idea that such losses were for the good of the Empire, and Bradlev continued to soldier on through his training. Eventually, he graduated a fully trained Stormtrooper, specializing in usage of the T-21 as a squad support weapon, with his trademark 'rainstorm' of blaster bolts following him into his new post with the 121st Battalion.

'Imperius Unitada ober Totallex'

[User]
Kato Okoye

Every ship in the galaxy had a weight room. It was one of the general norms for ships that carried stormtroopers or other infantry type formations aboard. The Generals and Colonels desired their troopers to be a solid mass of muscle. Maintaining that strength required a plethora of heavy weights being raised and lowered repeatedly several times a day. Today, was leg, back and shoulder day for Trooper Okoye. He had been physically fit since his days working his father's farm and playing sports on Haruun Kal, but now, aboard ship, his duties required him to stay physically and mentally sharp.

The Platoon Leader, Lieutenant Quee and his Squad leader, Sergeant Vytuia trained the members of first squad as well as the rest of first platoon on various collective tasks including assault, defense, moving as a member of a rifle squad, react to ambush, react to contact and several other mission specific tasks.

After safely lowering the stack of weights, Kato stood up from the lat pulldown machine, reaching for his towel. He wiped the sweat off himself and the machine, then grabbed for his water bottle. He drank a long tug on the aluminum bottle and headed to the head. Aboard ship, it was called the head and on garrison assignments, the latrine.

After the workout, he took a quick shower and dressed in his duty uniform. He secured each piece of armor insuring it was meticulously white in appearance. His armor would be the whitest most brilliant armor in formation. Just as he was attaching his helmet to his head he heard the clicks and saw the lights flashing indicating a message was forthcoming. It may have been held up in a queue for a bit but was available for him to listen to now. He recognized his squad leader's voice utter, "alright troopers, I need you each ready and willing, then assembled in the hangar, we have a mission."

A sense of urgency lit a fire under Trooper Okoye. He rushed to the arms room to pick up his T-21 light repeating blaster, SE-14r light repeating blaster, four Thermal detonators and an ammo bandoleer containing additional energy cells for his LRB. He pulled the heavy weapon, which wasn't exactly light over his left shoulder so it hung under his right arm. He stowed the bandoleer under the LRB and the thermal detonators in a butt pack. His pistol had a tactical holster on his right thigh. He then made his way to the hangar.

Upon arriving he could see the four platoons forming up. His First platoon, with Lieutenant Quee standing in front were slowly gathering together. There were just over two hundred soldiers in the company with roughly fifty soldiers in each of the four platoons. Each platoon numbered five squads with eight to ten men per squad. First Squad had eight soldiers after losing troopers in their previous operation. As he approached the platoon formation he recognized Sergeant Vytuia giving a quick bow of his head as he uttered a curt greeting, "Sergeant." He then stood next to Callus Orson, "Hey Docter Fix It! What kind of mess are we getting into this time?" He spoke quietly so as not to draw too much attention to himself. Then looked at the other member of First squad who had arrived. "Hi! I am Kato. What's your name?" He was addressing Malik Skaya who apparently, he was meeting for the first time. "You must be one of the new replacements?"

[Assistant]
---

---

Aysié Tapalo cracked her neck, the hum of her communicator as plain as day.

The blonde-haired human was admittedly happy to get back to work. As much as she didn't mind her routine on the Tempest, she never really felt at 'home' within the walls of the spacecraft. But out in the field with a rifle in her hands? That was a different story. It was one of the many reasons that she often found herself needing distractions when not exactly in that position at a given time. Being stationary was too static for her, too unmoving, too boring. And Aysié was not someone who took being bored well; she was a woman of action and nerve, not waiting around, making friends, and hoping that the job wouldn't bore her to death. When she found herself too bored the lingering thought of her career choice always wandered to the back of her mind.

But sometimes duty meant waiting around for orders.

As she took a light breath and started moving toward the barracks she found herself excited as she normally was. She was admittedly curious about the exacts of the mission; the possibilities of what scenario they could have been assigned rotating in her head like an out of control TIE Fighter with one wing. Lotho Minor was a planet of junk and even more junk, and the denizens of the planet were probably little better than the junk they surveyed. Aysié pondered if said denizens had taken something they weren't supposed to or if pirates or slavers or other commonalities of the Outer Rim were the issue, but she couldn't be quite sure enough to make an educated enough guess; certainly not an educated guess that excited her. But even if her unit was assigned a boring job, it was better than doing nothing but training on the Tempest.

As she gathered her equipment, she thanked the quartermaster and made for the hangar. By the time she arrived she noticed the voice of her squadmate, Kato Okoye, whom she quickly found her place next to in formation. She decided not to respond and waited at attention.

[User]
Trooper TK-2323 - Bradlev 'Rainstorm' Trawin
"Fire one, two, three, four, five. Pause for five. Fire one, two, three, four, five..." The fire drill ran through Bradlev's head as he sat at the firing range, his T-21 deployed on its bipod as he sent shots hurtling down range, attempting to place shots on various moving targets. This firing drill was something Bradlev had heavily trained with since its introduction to him by his squad leader. Bradlev's fellow LRB gunner, the comrade-in-arms he knew as Knockout, had been taught the same drill, and effective usage of it had becomes something of a competition between the two gunners. As Bradlev fired down range, he found himself smirking a bit as he brought down some of the more difficult targets in a single burst.

While Bradlev continued the drill, the voice of 'Swoop', Sergeant Kavis Vytuia, came in over the comms of Bradlev's helmet. Informing the squad that they were to assemble in the hanger and be ready for deployment. With that, Bradlev set about gathering his things from among his makeshit gunner's nest at the firing range before making his way to the hanger.

Bradlev didn't know much about the planet they were in orbit, and he didn't rightly care to know either. It was some kind of trash disposal world, and he knew the Empire held an outpost there for gathering potential raw materials from among the garbage, but beyond that he felt it didn't matter. All that did matter was that his unit gets in, do their jobs, and get out intact.

Stepping into the hanger, he saw that much of the squad was already assembled and standing in formation. Moving to take his place, he'd offer a curt nod and a polite "Sergeant." to his squad leader, before taking his place in the unit. Taking a place in the formation next to Aysié, on the opposite side as Kato, he'd offer a quick nod to the others in the squad that had assembled, before snapping into place properly and standing quietly, awaiting further instruction.


[System]
Age: 18

Sex: Male

Race: Zora

Handiness: Right

Appearance: Quite tall, broad-shouldered and muscular compared to most Zora. His skin is a light blue, while the fins on his arms are much darker than the rest of him. His eyes are the same dark blue as his fins. He wears a necklace made of seashells all the time, only taking it off to sleep, as well as a simple rope bracelet on his left wrist. He also wears a belt where he keeps his whip and a spear strapped to his back.

Inheritance: Whip (Skyward Sword) – Currently allows him to swing over gaps, strong enough to carry his whole weight with little trouble. Magic makes it near-impossible to break. Can also be used in battle once he masters it further.

Personality: Proud and hotheaded, fiercely loyal and determined to prove himself to others, he has a tendency to throw himself into dangerous situations with little thought of the consequences, although he has the decency to be sorry about it afterwards. He will often throw himself into danger to protect others that he cares about. Generally cheerful, and makes an effort to get along with people when meeting them, most of the time, but has a tendency to hold grudges against people who do him wrong.

Recent history: The youngest prince of his tribe, he has always competed with his older siblings and come up short, finding himself outclassed time and time again, despite his determination to succeed. On one of these occasions, something went terribly wrong because of Karu's actions, leading to his being sent out into exile, with orders not to return until he had proven himself worthy as a prince.
Finding himself completely alone for the first time, Karu now searches the land for people in need and quests that need completed in an effort to prove himself, and in a hope that eventually he will receive the message that would allow him home.

Personal Goal: To prove his worth to his people.

Three strengths (Not just combat)
1. Swimming and breathing underwater.
2. Determination – Once he sets his mind on something, it is impossible to change it.
3. Skilled with spears, can use then to fight and also to fish for food.

Three weaknesses (Not just combat)
1. Hot-tempered – easy to offend, and holds grudges.
2. Doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
3. Vulnerable to heat and fire

Greatest Love: Diving, especially from cliffs and waterfalls – The higher the better

Hates the most: People who disrespect him or question his honour

Misc: Karu is surprisingly good at dancing and singing, although the only songs he knows are those from his tribe.

Theme song: ???

[User]
Joseph the Ranger

Joseph remains standing where he is through the entire thing, looking over the crowd. Goron, Shieka, Garudo, other Hylians...quite the motley assortment we've got here if I say so myself. The Hero's Bow was slung over his shoulder like it normally was when it wasn't in use, with the quiver next to it. He had been against the wall, as far from the gathering as possible, for two reasons. First and foremost was a general distrust of people, simply because he knew that monsters weren't always the most obvious and if one of those people turned out to be a mass murderer or something, or one of the hosts, he had both an easy out and a good shot at pretty much everyone not in front of a Goron.

The second reason was because he wanted to be able to beat the crowd out if it had turned out to be some elaborate prank that some city folk thought would be hilarious. However, as the seriousness showed in the host's voice, he had decided to stay and at least listen to the whole thing. His left hand, because he wasn't holding his bow, rested on the hilt of his sword as he put some thought into the questions posed to them. Joseph was a Hylian Ranger, a man who already dedicated his life to protecting Hyrule from the darkness that the regular army couldn't be bothered to hunt out. From the sounds of it, this would be a larger group effort, and if it meant he got to keep doing his job, then he would stay no matter the number of people.

When the Goron who'd let the group of fools try to lift his hammer spoke, Joseph did as well. "You went to a lot of trouble if the Goron and a Ranger showed up, so if this is a joke, there are going to be a few well placed arrows in knee caps." Joseph's face remained even. "And I don't miss."

[Assistant]
Blood colored eyes hid from the world behind pale lids. Long, pointed, ears were pressed flat against his head as Vieru stood, completely still. The wind danced around him, his only, let alone constant, companion in this world. Though unseen, as they were covered by his sleeves, his fingers danced along with the wind, changing it's course and causing it to swirl around him. His pale locks were shifted out of the way of his right eye, where they always rested, then quickly settled back down again as the wind moved on. Vieru was like the wind he controlled, constantly on the move, and never with a home of his own.

Vieru was a demon, a so called dark monster. But in reality, demons were just like the other races, some were good, some were bad. But people seemed to have a harder time seeing the good in creatures like him. He was hunted if he even went close to a town or city. More often than not, the injuries he suffered were from the people he saved, and not from the creatures he hunted. Though a demon, Vieru was responsible for many monster deaths out on the fields, even if people refused to see it, he was one of the good ones. He opened his eyes as the wind died down in his area, moving on to a different place.

Of course he had heard about the flyers, even seen one as the wind carried it elsewhere. He had seen the small writing on the bottom, saying that he may have been a descendant of a hero. But how could he, a demon, possibly be? It didn't matter anyway, the meeting place was in a town, he couldn't have gone even if he wanted to. It was just to take care of the dark threat anyway, something he did his part in doing when he hunted monsters. The towns that hated him so much stayed that much safer because of him. If only they knew what he did. But then again, they wouldn't believe him anyway. People were stubborn when it came to things they thought they knew everything about.

A small sigh escaped Vieru's lips. Perhaps one day he could find a place to settle down. But for now, he constantly moved, just like the wind he wielded. It was a tiring, thankless existence that wore on one both physically and mentally. An existence that would probably kill him, sooner than later. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he had been still for too long and that it was time to move again. Picking a random direction he started to wander, making sure to stay well out of the way of any civilizations as he did.

[User]
Tina Din had traveled the world with the hope of figuring out the exact nature of the approaching darkness and how to stop it from sweeping across the land. She thoroughly searched the whole of Holodrum, delved into the depths of Subrosia, traveled through Labrynna, visited the exotic location of Termina, and even attempted to access the secrets of the dark realm on one of her more impressive attempts to uncover the truth of the approaching darkness but to no avail. Of course all that searching was not in vain, she stopped several monster plots, incinerated dens of evil, and even uncovered mystical secrets but no matter what she did, as an Oracle she could tell a time of darkness was soon approaching.

A few months ago as she was traveling the vast world in search of a way to stop the approaching evil she received an Oracle, well a very distinct dream anyway that appeared to be pointing her toward a trip to Hyrule. As an Oracle it was her duty to follow her instincts and travel to Hyrule to root out the evil. It took her a while to get there as she had been quite far from Hyrule on her quest but as she traveled she came across a particular poster which had a particularly interesting bit at the end. "To those of you who can see this: congratulations, you could have the blood of heroes. You are who I am truly looking for. A dark evil rises, if you have any attachment to this fair land and its people, Come. Your destiny awaits."

A quick investigation of the poster quickly revealed that those last lines were indeed magical in nature, only allowing certain people to read it. Finally she had a decent lead that might lead to her saving the world from evil. She quickly figured out the location and now finally, she was standing in front of the meeting hall. ""About time I finally got here, by Din's Fire its time I did what I was born to do!" With that little self-pep talk she waltzed into the Hero's Guild Hall, paying no real attention to the other occupants except the ones on stage.

With her somewhat eccentric outfit, rather large hat, fire rod, and small statue she certainly made an entrance for herself as she yelled out and pointed toward the stage, "If you have any information on the coming wave of darkness spit it our now! It's my destiny to stop this great calamity as the great Oracle Tina Din!" While lacking in height she had no shortage of self-confidence. Some people in the hall were taken aback from her abrupt entrance, a few just thought she was nuts, others instantly began to wonder about her claim.

"I don't know what the rest of you are here for and frankly I don't give an ember as long as you don't get in my way. Your information better be good or I am going to be very angry at having my valuable time wasted." Her piece said Tina quickly found her way closer to the front and crossed her arms in impatience.

[Assistant]
Ruink

While others seemed to value their time enough to desire inflecting bodily harm on those that wasted it, Ruink quite calmly sat in his seat in the middle of the room and happily munched away on a piece of cooked beef that he had sandwiched between two rather fresh and tasty slices of bread (his fins easily slicing through the bread roll it had been to start with). While there had been seafood present among the selection of food offered to those attending this meeting, Ruink honestly didn't trust its freshness this far inland. Seafood didn't travel overland well after all and besides beef was quite tasty.

Ruink enjoyed having his table to himself; He had accepted early on that no one wanted to sit near the 'weird looking zora' and had thus made the most of it by enjoying a footrest while listening to what was being said and who was saying it. In truth the idea that this was all little more then some sort of strange prank had crossed his mind but when he had set off from his home all he wanted was to have an adventure; If that involved falling victim to a prank like this then so be it. Besides, they offered up some pretty good food for free so as far as he was concerned they had more then made up for the prank in and of itself.

Finishing his sandwich and making sure his blue tunic was on correctly, Ruink took a moment to take a deep breath and calm his nerves. He didn't shout out like the others did; The answers would soon be forth coming, so he might as well wait and see who was left after people had talked and thought things out properly.

[User]
Swifty had just left the library, the young boy ran along the streets jumping up he grabbed a ledge and climbed up on to a roof. He'd learned a lot about castle town in the last couple of months, much like home the fastest way to get where you wanted to go was to go over people. With that he rushed and jumped to the next roof, smiling he began to leap between them, he looked down as some of the people below just started at the blonde boy crossing town in such a strange manner. He jumped down entering the inn music flowed through the air as he smiled, Castle town was much livelier than the coastal he'd come from.

Making his way up towards his room he stopped when he spotted a sign, it was about the heroes guild. He read over it once then again, could his bloodline really be that of a hero? It could at least help him figure out who his family is or was, that alone would be worth the trip. Going up to his room he collected his harp and bow, the only two things he really had of any value before grabbing his wallet and quiver. He set off for the guild hall, making his way through the streets quickly hoping this could be the lead he was looking for.

Swifty only paused a moment before entering the hall, he took a seat quiet wondering who he should ask about his powers. Absentmindedly he plucked at his harp, it made a soft medley but he tried to remain focused on finding some he could talk to about summoning arrows. He didn't understand this power and he desperately wanted to, it was his best chance to lean about his family.

[Assistant]
Karu was running. It happened far too often, really, he thought, as he ducked a flying object that looked suspiciously like a cat, although he couldn't be sure. Honestly, he thought the villagers would have appreciated his help, but apparently they didn't appreciate decent food. Or maybe it was the so-called 'sacred urn' he knocked over that annoyed them. Honestly, you knock over one holy artefact and suddenly you're the bad guy. Not that it was hard to outrun them, mind you. All he had to do was make it to the river, unless these villagers could breathe underwater.

He had it all planned out. He'd reach the bridge, pause for a second, say some badass but also incredibly witty line and dive into the water. It would have worked too, if he hadn't been smacked in the face with a flying piece of paper and belly-flopped into the river with all the style of a drunken pig. He flailed around for a moment until he remembered how to breathe, and relaxed, allowing himself to flow down the river, berating himself. This wasn't something he'd want added to his legend, and certainly not something he wanted getting back to his family. What kind of prince couldn't make a dramatic exit?

He looked at the piece of paper responsible for this whole mess. He was about to throw it away when he noticed the words 'Heroes Wanted!' and decided to give it a closer look. He skimmed over it. "Dark threats, save the land, ominous secret message... Sounds like what I'm looking for." He mumbled. He didn't bother questioning the "blood of heroes" bit. He was a prince after all, it made sense to him. "Where was it again?"

Checking the location, he found that it wasn't far off, so he swam along the river until he reached an area near enough to run in. He entered the hall just as a huge crowd of people ran out, and some strange guy was on the stage, looking like he'd just finished talking. Karu walked in, brushing a crab off of his shoulder and trying to ignore the fact that he was late, as well as that that several people in the room looked certifiably insane.


[System]
Gender: Male

 Appearance:

 Age: 53

 Race: Twili

 Skills: Assassination, Chi Blocking, Alchemy.

 Magic Abilities: Shadow: Manipulation

 Weapons: Syringe, throwing knives, scalpel, poison darts, brass knuckles

 Inventory: poison potion, sleeping potion, paralyzing potion, green potion. Twili Mask

 Bio: Regol in his youth was fascinated with that of the Light Realm. Every morsel of information he could obtain he would devour. Alas he could not enter such a land of beauty, for he was not a light dweller, he was a Twili. It was forbidden for a Twili to walk among the light dwellers, and down right impossible. Regol set out to find a way though. Through many years of study in the Ancient Twili arts of alchemy, Regol fashioned a mask that resembled what the light dwellers called a plaque mask. The mask was filled with a magical potion that allowed the rays of light to not harm him and allow him to walk among the light dwellers without his body turning to shadow.

 Of course sadly there was no way to enter the Light Realm from the Twili Realm after the Twilight Mirror was destroyed by Queen Midna. Though Regol refused to believe that the portal to the Light Realm was all but lost. One day during one of his searches through his library of vast knowledge an old prophet came to him and told him to seek out the Queen's chamber of the Twilight Castle, in there was the key to what he sought most. Regol decided to follow the prophet's word and snuck into the castle. He found that the Queen's mirror was yet another portal that he could use. Though before he could use it, the Queen found him intruding into her quarters and about to use the portal and tried to stop him. He killed her by accident with one of his poisons that splashed onto her face when the veil broke when the two were wrestling. With the Queen dead and himself responsible, Regol fled into the portal and into the Light Realm.

 Regol found that his mask indeed worked, and also fouled people into thinking he was a real doctor. He had studied the light dwellers from afar and never in person, he couldn't allow an opportunity like this to pass him up. Regol performed many tests on various people, and cut more than his fair share of bodies. For a few years he did do his best to be a real doctor, some of his potions helping the sick, while others killing them. Regol also came to finding that he had great magical powers in the realm of the light dwellers. His Twili heritage gave him great powers of shadow. It was not long before he over used his powers and got himself into a sticky situation. The town claimed him to be a witch and to be killing them more than helping, which was indeed true. Regol tried to fight back, but a whole town he could not defeat alone. His trial was over without a single defense and he was to be hung, but before he could a man of God came to the people and convinced them he was not a witch, but part of God's greater plans for the people. That man was Thallus who Regol gave his undying loyalty to for saving his life.

Regol now serves Thallus and God from behind the scenes and in the shadows. He is second in command of the Templar's and will give his life for their goal of order, and to protect the people of the world from harm, even if it does mean sacrificing some to save the many. The more he serves the more he believes in God and that he is truly trying to help the people as a agent of God who works among the shadows.

Name: Demoko

 Gender: Male

 Appearance:

 Age: since the Beginning of Time

 Race: Precursor

 Skills: Demoko's knowledge of defending against the dark arts is unparallel to even the gods. He is a great magician, if not one of the best in all of time.

 Magic Abilities: Demoko is the master of time in all of the lands, all time in the land flows through him. Demoko can see the past, present, and always changing future. He can also use his time abilites in battle, but given his pacifist attitude, he retains from using his magic powers from physically hurting people, and tends to use his powers to the attacker is tired out or in a more reasonable state.

 Weapons: Demoko has no weapons and has never held a weapon once, except when moving the Master Sword from its last resting place to the Temple of Temple.

 Inventory: Demoko has three legendary books, that hold numerous spells, stories, and recipes. Besides that, he carries a small bottle of dirt.

 Bio: Demoko was the first Sage created by the goddesses, the Sage of Time. He witnessed the birth of the world and more importantly Hyrule. He watched over Hyrule as the goddesses commanded him to do so. From his blood Her Grace was created who helped watch over the land with him. For hundreds of years he watched, protected over the land, but slowly things fell out of balance. Evil slowly began to enter the world of Hyrule. The goddesses blamed Demoko for this, they believed he was a flawed creation, worthless, failed. For this they stripped him of his status and banished him, but allowed him to keep his powers, for they could not strip him of them. Since they used the most powerful magic to create him, the lengths they would have to go to would not be worth the efforts. Demoko watched as Her Grace sent the last of the surviving races into the skies and returned to fight the rest of the evil that remained. He could not watch as what he was created for was slowly destroyed. Demoko took his own soul and turned it into the Spirit of the Hero that would be the protector of Hyrule for all of time.

 With his parting gift, Demoko traveled the world, even through and across time. He is a mystery to the world, and his origins are too, except to the immortals and powerful deities across the nations. His existence is nothing than a myth, scholars only suggesting there must have been a Sage of Time at one point, since there was a sage for all the other classes. Whether people believe in such a thing or not is no concern to Demoko, who rather have people not know of his existence then to know and know of his greatest blunder. He has appeared in many places since none know who he is, he can walk freely among the people. He spends his time helping those in times of need.

Demoko can mostly be seen following the Legendary Heroes who carry the Spirit of the Hero he created, but not literally of course. Demoko last revealed himself to the land of Termina, helping the Hero of Time by resetting the three day cycle every time he pleaded to the heavens for more time. After that he vanished, over the decades and centuries. He foresaw that the Hero to save the Twilight Princess required no aid from him, and traveled across time to help the Hero of the Winds use the Phantom Hourglass. Demoko returned back after the Hero defeated Bellum and returned to find that Hyrule had been saved from disaster from Ganondorf and the Twilight Princess saved. Demoko has waited for centuries now for when he would be needed again. The time has come again and he is needed now more than ever.

Name: Father Thallus

 Gender: Male

 Apperance:
 Age: Unknown

 Race: Unknown

 Skills: Master Thallus is a master swordsman. He has spent his whole life mastering the sword. Along with his sword skills, Thallus is a good politician as well as a persuader, he can twist anything and make people believe it.

 Magic Abilites: Thallus was once a master in Time and Space, but his master skills have now stretched themselves across the other classes of magic, but he rarely uses magic in front of the public as to not ruin his image.

 Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Dagger, Dagger, Brass Knuckles

 Inventory: Wolfo Mask of tracking, Cloak of Deception, Gauntlets of Strength, Pendant Cross of Vision, Boots of Muffling, Red Potion, Green Potion, Blue Potion

 Bio: Thallus origins are as much of a mystery to all. He claims to have come across the Great Sea, through Termina and up into Hyrule. Most people believe it, not caring much. Thallus does not speak much of where he comes from, but mostly that he is a man of God and that he will lead the masses into salvation.

[User]
Link was a little nervous over this whole mission, he knew a lot could go wrong very quickly if they weren't careful. He knew he had to make sure he wasn't going to get in the way of the other two so he would have to hang back and hope that everyone was going to lead the way. There was no way someone like him could lead the way when he had never done infiltration to this level, the most he did was sneak around bullies trying to catch him out. These soldiers were in no way the same as bullies, they were in a completely different league and would most definitely kill you on sight. He knew they would probably just kill him, that would be the most efficient way to get rid of him when he had very little power in the first place. He needed to be careful and leave this to the pros.

Link didn't really hold much confidence in the current plan, if they were going to be useless against this woman then there really was absolutely zero point. The only way it would work with that woman was if she was secretly against her master and just let them stroll on by. Letting out a sigh he looked to the walkway before to Caelan when he bumped him, sighing lightly, "We won because the bridge collapsed. There's no bridges to collapse here and I have no idea how to do this", he spoke, looking up to Caelan, "Don't supposed you know how to find the Princess in the castle? You're a treasure hunter so you would've been in castles before, right?" They would have to find somewhere to put the masks on without it looking too suspicious, but he didn't really know where they could do that too. Glancing to Regol he frowned before looking in the direction they were heading in. "So what, we just duck down in the crowd and pop up as Templar Knights? Someone's going to notice. Isn't there at least an alleyway somewhere?" he asked up before groaning, shaking his head, "Would be so much easier if you could talk…"

[Assistant]
So that was likely the easy part of this whole escapade wasn't it? Now that they had acquired their disguises the real challenge began, and they somehow needed to sneak into the heavily guarded Hyrule Castle. Easy, if they were invisible or had infinite power. With this ragtag trio of theirs getting even to the gates was going to be imposing, never mind all the way to the Princess. Before they could even plan the actual approach to Zelda they had go get within the castle grounds, no doubt using some manner of secret tunnel or entrance. Fighting was out of the question, especially with their numbers so low; Caelan had his water magic, Link his sword, and Regol? Truthfully he knew little if nothing about the man, nor could he even recall from the battle how he fought. Whatever the case was numbers were not on their side, a fight was absolutely unacceptable.

To make their approach they could either blend with the crowd, or use their Templar disguises and pray to the Goddesses that they worked. Neither was foolproof and both had plenty of risk, it was a matter of deciding which risks they wanted to take. Caelan was doing his best to remain optimistic about this foray yet Link was borderline having a breakdown over it, and they hadn't even decided on a plan yet. "Okay so we won't have a collapsing bridge to save us, but something will happen. I've gotten out of dozens of sticky situations, this won't be any different." Except for an all-powerful woman who saw through magic might be after their heads, that was a slight change. Giving Link a funny look when asked about the Princess he very nearly replied with a sarcastic remark, biting his tongue before shrugging instead.

"I mean... A lot of the time the ruler's quarters are either in the center of the castle, or towards the rear. That's how I've noticed them in the ruins anyways," Caelan explained, itching at his cheek as his brow furrowed slightly then in thought, "I'll have to see more of the castle before I can make any guesses, but I'd imagine it will be towards the back. Especially if the Princess is being held against her will, it'd make sense to put her as far from the entrance as possible." Or she might be underground, if there was an underground to the Castle. All the more reason for them to use a tunnel if they could, perhaps look for cells before anything else. Hearing Link yet again voice his concerns the water mage rolled his eyes, looking around the bustling plaza before pointing towards an alley between two large buildings. "We go there, change then come out the other side, double around so no one sees us. And we should check the map again for a tunnel into the castle, there's got to be at least one," Caelan mused, grabbing Link by the sleeve of his shirt and urging him along, "An escape tunnel used by the royal family, anything will work. Anything on that map, old man?"

[User]
Regol nodded and ushered the group to the alleyway Caelan had pointed out. Once they were there Regol looked around at the back of it and pressed a few breaks in at the same time revealing a tunnel in the ground. Once everyone was in it closed and Regol took off his ring turning back into his black robes and plague mask. He held the map for Caelan to see in the light of a small beam coming down through a crack above them. It showed a tunnel leading into the Castle Gardens at the back of the Castle. They were not far from it, but Regol pointed to the other icon on the map which was Demoko back at the headquarters as if questioning whether they should go ahead and save the princess by themselves or go and drop off the supplies like the original plan was.

As if suddenly remembering he pulled out a crumbled poster out of his pocket that was a drawing of him standing by Father Thallus side along with Fiona, Onyx and the rest of the Inner Brotherhood. It was a morale poster, with some writing at the bottom about joining the Templar cause to bring peace and prosperity to Hyrule and the world. He must have picked it up while they were wandering through the Black Market. Regol pointed to himself frantically on the poster, if these posters were still being posted and hung on walls throughout town then it must be obvious that the Templars had not heard of him fighting on the other side at the bridge. He took a piece of charcoal from his pocket and flipped the poster over and wrote "bridge collapse, no survivors?" If this was true then they had a man on the inside still, and while Link knew from past encounters, Caelan should judging from the poster now know that Regol had once been apart of the highest ranking Templars in the land, falling short of only Father Thallus himself.

This was their way in. The masks, Regol, they had the disguises and the man who no one would question and could go anywhere in the castle. The only danger still was Fiona, and her skills were deadly and even more so to Regol since her powers were Light magic. She failed to kill Regol once, but that didn't mean round two wouldn't end differently. Regol flipped the poster over again and circled the drawing of Fiona and put in big letters "Fiona, deadly."