[System]
Max and Pearl Winter-- The two twin Guild Masters of The Silver Trident! Spending their whole lives in the Guild Hall, they thwarted a large evil 20 years ago, protecting Caister and the guild! Max is a jokster with teleportation magic, and Pearl may seem strict with her elemental dancing magic, but she is just like her brother!

Blitz-- An S-Class Wizard in the Silver Trident. His hair is jet black, and neatly done, he wears nice pants, shoes, a collared shirt, and a blue vest. He's muscular, his eyes are storm gray, and his magic is Shadow magic. He can disappear within the shadows, create shadows, and control them. He's one of the strongest wizards in the guild.

Klondike-- Another S-Class wizard. He's a very muscular man with snow white hair and usually wears winter clothes, even at the beach city. He's an ice wizard, being able to form it wherever and whenever to whatever he wants. He usually helps out the guild by taking the morning shift of the bar, and then spends the rest of his days out on missions.

----

MY CHARACTER!!!
AKA: Diamond Back

Age: 18

Appearance: Raymond is about 6'1", with a lean, muscular body tone. He has short messy dark brown hair that fits him perfectly, dark green eyes, and a nice tanned skin tone from his days of travelling. He wears a dark purple sash around his left bicep, and a piece of leather shoulder armor on his right shoulder. Wears white cotton pants, and armored black boots.

Emblem location/color: Ray's emblem is purple, and on his left shoulder

Years in Guild: 5 years

Magic Type: Caster

Magic Style: 1st Gen Diamond Dragon Slayer

Spells: Diamon Dragon Roar
Diamond Dragon Claw
Diamond Dragon Iron Fist
Diamond Dragon Wing Attack

Diamond Dragon Spiked Fist: Creates unbelievably sharp, small diamond tips on each of his knuckles, delivering a brutal blow.

Diamond Dragon Diamond shield: Raymond's forearms have the ability to turn his forearms in to pure diamond, and when slamming both arms together, the arms join together, creating a larger shield to protect him.

Diamond Dragon Earth Slam: Slamming both of his fists to the ground creates a rather small earth quake meant to throw opponents a bit off balance.

Diamond Dragon Tumble Roll: Raymond gets a running start, and then curls in to a ball, his backside, and back of his head, arms, and legs turn to diamond, crushing anything he rolls in to.

Diamond Dragon Secret Art:
--Diamond Skin: With most of his magic energy, Raymond can turn his whole body in to diamond, making him nearly invincible for only a minute or two, depending on how angry he is, and the amount of energy he has

Diamond Dragon Hidden Art:
--Diamond Eruption: When in Dragon Force mode, Raymond digs his hands in to the earth, and with the help of his magic he heats the material in the ground, making diamonds erupt, and under certain circumstances, even someone's clothing or armor.

Bio: Like many dragon slayers, I was orphaned at a very young age, and soon found by my dragon. I didn't worry much as a kid, although I did feel the loneliness, I kept my imagination up to keep me going. I pretended to be a mighty knight protecting the King of Fiore, a wizard in a mighty guild, a giant flying dragon that soared through the clouds...I met Adamas when I was about 6. I spent my time wandering from village to village until I was run out of a town by a group of bandits. Hiding in the nearby forest I slept for the night, and when I woke I saw something that were believed to be legends. Adamas was a very pale blue, his eyes piercing silver, and said that he watched me from afar talking to the bandits before they ran me out.

I asked him if he was a real life dragon. He made what I would guess was a laugh and said yes. He asked me if I was a real life human (jokingly of course), and I replied with a yes. I asked if he was going to eat me, he said no. He asked if I would like to learn magic, and I exclaimed yes. Adamas was a patient dragon, but never really let his feelings show. He was wise though, and had a way to make things easier for me to understand. When he wasn't teaching me dragon slayer magic, he was teaching me how to read, write, what was fiction and what was fact. He let me learn on my own by giving me "missions" by going in to town and just listening to people, or asking to help someone out by doing chores. It taught me a bit of social skills, something I needed when I spent most of my time alone or hanging out with a dragon I called my father.

Years later, I helped that same town that I ran away from when I was a kid. The bandits were tormenting it, and I used my new skills to stop them. When I returned home, Adamas was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was a purple sash, and a small pouch of diamonds-- to use when I need some more power. I waited for days, looking up at the sky. Every time a branch moved I was hoping he would appear... But he never did. I started to try and track his scent, going to the tallest mountains, and the hottest deserts.

That's when I came across an unusual object. I was 11 when I came across a weird egg in the middle of the plains. It was too big to be a bird, but not ginormous. Curiosity got the best of me, and I watched over it. I kept it warm, kept it cold, put it in shelter when it rained, and eventually it hatched. What came out was an orange cat! A talking, flying orange cat! I wasn't going to leave him behind, and I felt like I had a special bond with him now, so I told him about my quest for Adamas. He eagerly accepted. So together we searched far and wide, we decided to call him Roger, we made him a vest and backpack, and we set off on our journey... Until one day we came across a herd of Vulcans. I did my best to fight them off, but I was easily defeated..

I woke up in a bed and the smell of delicious food and the ocean, with Roger right next to me. That's when I met Max and Pearl. Apparently Blitz, one of their S-Class wizards, saved me, and brought me here. I then told them my story, and were surprised to see that a Dragon Slayer was in their guild. Me always hearing about guilds and becoming a powerful wizard, I asked if Roger and I could join. They heard of my passion to protect Roger, and my strength held the monsters back for a bit, and they promised that if we joined, we would be joining more than a guild, and we will grow stronger than ever.

I became a part of the Silver Trident that day! And for five years Roger and I did missions, challenging looking up to Blitz, promising that one day we would see who is the strongest wizard in the guild. We did missions all over town, and as the years went by we started traveling across Fiore to complete tasks. At this time I got the name Diamond Back for the speed at witch I struck, and my evasiveness.

I have met some amazing people over the years, and I can truly call this guild my home... But my mission of finding Adamas still hasn't gone from my mind, although it isn't the main priority anymore.

Personality: Like many Dragon Slayers, Raymond is very brave, headstrong, and stubborn. He may be an adult but still has the heart of a child, and will do anything for his family. Being raised by a dragon, he doesn't have the best manners, and often blurts things out innocently.

Relationship?: Raymond has a close relationship with his exceed friend, Roger (anyone wanna group up let me know!)

Equipment: A bag of priceless diamonds used to when he needs extra energy, and his purple sash, both left by Adamas.

Other: With his traveling and guild work, Raymond has a number of scars, his most notable one is one he got as a kid while training with Adamas along his jawbone.

Also gonna make my trusty companion Roger the Exceed! Every dragon slayer needs one!

Name: Roger

AKA:The Invincible! (no one calls him that except himself)

Age: 7

Appearance: Roger is the size of a cat, and looks like it too. His fur is light orange, with a white stomach and a patch of white fur on his ear. His left ear flops down, and his eyes are large. He wears a backpack over his gray vest (he and Ray made it together while traveling)

Emblem location/color: The emblem is dark blue, and on his back

Years in Guild: 5 years

Magic Type: Caster

Magic Style: Aera (the ability of flight)

Spells:

Roger only has the basic Aera spells:

Max Speed: By using Magic Power the user increases their speed to the extremes, allowing them to fly a distance relative to the amount they used. This speed can be used to dodge incoming attacks. While using this spell, the user can also carry one additional person. However, this spell is restricted by the amount of Magic Power the user has, as once the user runs out, they will collapse.

Max Speed Attack: While flying and using Max Speed, the user strikes the target with their head, dealing a strong blow.

Bio: I was dropped on to Earth about the time the dragons left. As an egg. Being inside an egg, you actually learn things from the outside world... Its like hearing things far away through a tunnel. I remember for a long time I was alone, but then that changed when I heard his voice. Ray would talk to me--well, my egg for a long time. He would keep me warm when it got cold, and cool when it got warm. His voice was muttered, but it was soothing. Even before I hatched I knew we weren't going to leave each other's sides. I hatched to find him rather shocked a cat hatched from an egg, and he said something about talking to "adam mass" or something about how baby cats work. We immediately became inseparable. Ray told me of his journey on trying to find his father, who was a dragon named Adamas, and I told him that I would help him, as long as we stick together. He said that was already the plan. We both watched each other grow, we would help people in need. We became stronger, I learned how to fly, and we were an unstoppable team... That was until the Vulcan attack. It was hard to recover from that loss, but in return we had a family!

We discovered that no one has seen a dragon around here for a very very long time, and no one has ever seen a talking cat before either! The years went by in our guild, and once again we were a force to be reckoned with (except that Ray usually got his butt kicked by every S-Class wizard in our guild). I know that Ray isn't done searching for Adamas, but he hasn't brought it up in a while... So for now, we stick with our family, and hopefully we'll find him!

Personality: He literally spent his whole life with Ray, so he's very much like him. He's carefree, says what's on his mind, and will do anything to protect his best friend Ray

Relationship?: Ray is his best friend of all time!

Equipment: Carries a backpack with all of Ray and his' souvenirs, and as many raspberries he can carry (its his favorite food)

Other: Loves Raspberries, and making fun of Ray

[User]
The big man shrugged, his good eye fixed on the Calliope as he listened to her pick in jobs. Not bad choices for her first gigs, even with a four way split.

"Eh, the money's not too important. Sound like good work, be helpin' folk. I'm in." He didn't hesitate with his answer. Yet another of the newer folk arrived shortly after, though he couldn't recall this one's name, just that he had some talent with light and dark magic. He slipped a hand into his coat pocket, withdrawing a long, thin cigar and set it between his lips.

"Jus' lemme know when you're ready. Need the exercise."

[Assistant]
"I'm fine on the money so you can take my share Calliope. Plus Nash is right, I need the exercise too. I've been lazy for a while now." Alban letting a loose smile form on his face, offering his share to the young woman. He'd have to take on an S-class quest for founds but Pearl being the motherly figure to him would let him slouch on it some if he was helping a new comer, or at least he hoped. He was a beach bum anyways so that played into his favor. Raymond on the other hand was essentially his little brother in a way of speaking but his manners still to be desired, something he needed to be reminded of... maybe just a little bit anyways. In that moment though Blade had appeared. Alban had to admit he was a strange young man but then again the entire guild was filled with oddities.

"Raymond." Alban spoke subtle standing next to Ray, placing his on the shoulder that didn't have Roger the exceed on it. "What did I tell you about manners or is a another lesson required." Playing to the dragon slayer's ego since he wanted to fight earlier, Raymond was still far from his level but was far from week though too. "But Calliope the jobs are to help you gain experience and become a prominent member of the guild. The stronger you become, the more the guild thrives because of the smallest actions by its members. Think of Nash and me as teachers so to speak." He wanted to show her the second level and a few of the type of quests he'd typically undertake but didn't want to appear too vain. "This one you'll just have to mind his manners some since he was raised by a dragon after all." Musing a slight laugh. While it seemed ridiculous to be raised by a dragon, then again to be raised by god would certainly seem even more far fetched.

[User]
Ray thought about backing out of these jobs. The three of these wizards were more than capable of tackling this job. Two veterans like Alban and Nash were more than capable of showing Calliope the ropes of the guild. Sure, Raymond had a lot more energy than the two (they went on a lot of lengthy and more challenging jobs was one of the reasons, but Ray had a bit too much energy for a normal human), and his plan on joining in on an S-Class mission was required Alban. If he could show the Water God Slayer that he was capable, and impressed him, Alban could hopefully convince Max and Pearl to let him join in on a mission!

He was brought back to reality when Alban warned him about his manners. "What are you talkin' about?" Raymond asked, about to take on his passive-aggressive invitation to throw down, but Roger's tail whacked him on the back of his neck. "He's talking about how you pushed the girl away to look at the jobs, then yelled at her for not being able to choose." Roger said in his ear. Roger was far from polite as well, but he had a better understanding of manners. He simply chose not to follow them that much. The two wizards declined to take a split of the reward, and Ray gave a smile. "Looks like there's more money for us!" The Dragon Slayer said with a smile, then getting whacked again by Roger. "I mean, I already got a good pay earlier, so the money's all yours!" He said with a truthful smile. Although Money is a nice bonus, Ray wasn't in this for the money right now.


[System]
Age: 24

Race: Orc

Appearance: All over his body he has ritualistic tattoos and large scare over his chest he received when he was younger.

Equipment: Gormarr equipment consist of simple iron and leather armor. A two-handed iron battle axe along with two swords for back up weapons.

Personality: Gormarr is a brash, hard-head, and stubborn orc. With a short temper he is quick to resort to violence to solve his problem. Gormarr is a devout follower of orc tradition as well as Gorrmarok the god orcs and honorable combat. Because of this Gormarr has a strong sense of honor that guide his actions. He tends to be gregarious often proudly boosting of his feats and achievements.

History: Hailing from the harsh northern wastelands Gormarr was born into the Ironfrost clan. Under the guidance of his parents he learns the ways of his clan. At his 13th birthday he was sent out with the young orcs of the clan to kill a creature from the wastes alone. Then bring back a trophy from there hunt to the clan's shaman. While tracking a mammoth he was ambushed by a Ankhrav after an intense battle the wounded Gormarr dragged the Ankhrav corps to the shaman. He then spent the next couple of years honing his skill he heard rumors of the Infinity Bridge and the glory he could win inside the rifts. Gathering some supplies he traveled south. After a long journey to the town were the Infinity Bridge was Gormarr arriver. He made sure joined the adventures guild.

Guild Ranking: Wood

Misc: In addition to his orcish strength and endurance he along with the orcs of his clan have a strong resistance to the cold. But have a weakness to heat and fire.

Goals: Gormarr desires to gain glory and honor so he can forge himself a mighty legend.

[User]
Sylvia was prepared to engage in a bloody brawl against the vermin wielding a warpick, analyzing all manners of attack and how to minimize the injuries she would receive. However, the massive axe-wielding orc was wildly swinging nearby, causing chaos and confusion within the ranks of the rats.

The warpick rat staggered back along with the rest of the Skaven, driven back by the wildly swinging orc. Sylvia let out a breath. For now, at least, she was safe. She looked among the corpses of several fallen warriors beneath her feet.

Surely, they wouldn't need their things in the afterlife.

Among the first things she found was a few gold pieces, good to spend on shops after they got out of the rift.

A curiosity she had found on one of the Skaven corpses was a small, glass bottle topped with a cork. The inside was filled with a sick, nearly luminescent liquid. Just looking at it nearly made her retch. Certainly, this was the poison the Skaven coated their weapons with. To think that this stuff was inside of her body a few minutes ago.

Her wish for some better armor was fulfilled, as she found a set of plate gauntlets from a smaller dwarf, of course, dead as well. Surprisingly, as she slipped on the gauntlets, they fit surprisingly well around her slender forearms. They were a bit weighted, but at least her hands wouldn't be cut off.

Another curiosity was the hilt and a bit of blade of a former sword, now broken. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to keep it with her, despite its initial perceived uselessness. Who knows, maybe someday it would turn out to be some hidden relic of a time long past. Or it could have just been junk.

The best thing she had found, in her opinion, was the last. As Sylvia picked through the remains of the dead Dwarves and Skaven alike, she found a flat, wide blade, the shortsword of a former Dwarf. As she picked it up, she almost cut herself, as the blade was surprisingly light, almost too light; a weight comparable to her dagger. She grinned, imagining the bloodshed she could wreak with such a special weapon. She had decided to name it the "Feathered Blade" for both its weight and its shape, which reminded her of a bird's feather.

To her right, she saw something peculiar: The party's guide, Siph, had disappeared into the Skaven breach, all by himself! The torchlight faded as he went deeper into the darkness. Like a true assassin, Sylvia stalked towards the breach, walking cat-like through the darkness. The absence of light wasn't much of a problem for her, as she only had to follow the light casted by Siph's torch.

Now, where could you be going?

[Assistant]
Marianne watched as her mantis did its work. The ordinary ratmen stood no chance at all against its fury. It easily decapitated them with just a single swipe of its scythes as the rats were too slow to dodge them. And if they somehow managed to dodge them, the orc's berserk rage would be the one to end them.

It was clear to her that the fight was now back to their favor once more.

Suddenly, she felt tired all of a sudden. So tired that she had to kneel over and prevent herself from falling with her knee and hand while panting. She then saw the mantis' huge form disappear from the battlefield.

She had ran out of mana, it seemed. She hadn't noticed it thanks to the adrenaline filling her entire blood system thanks to her fight with that rat-assasin. And now the tiredness hit her all at once like an elephant.

She ordered with her mind to the mantis and any bees of hers that still remained out there to return. She was thankful that the fight was pretty much over when she fell down as she doubted she could fight for much longer. As her insects returned, she could tell that they were tired too so she thanked them deeply from her heart for their valiant efforts in fighting her opponents. She made a mental note to give them double the amount of the food they used to receive.

It wasn't all joy however, as she sensed that some of her bees were missing. No doubt the rats had got to them. Not to mention the steel beetles that perished protecting her from the fatal blow of the Stormvermin. Once again, she thanked them for sacrificing their life for her.

After recovering her breath, she stood back up and checked upon her allies. She thanked the gods when she discovered that they were mostly fine and none had really fallen in battle. She didn't saw Sylvia though. Where she could've gone too? She knew if she were in a mortal injury, her stealth ability should turn off by their own and she would be able to see her.

Her thoughts were interrupted however by one of the dwarves approaching her, one of the dwarf king's aid, judging by his introduction, thanking her for her help in fending off the rat vermins. With him was an old rusty iron chest coated with dust. He opened it and gave her two items. The first was some sort of hammer, and he told her to give it to the werewolf. With his strength, Grendrick should be able to wield the heavy hammer easily, she thought, but she wasn't sure if he would like to fight with it over his claws like he had been doing all this time. The second one was for her, and it was a quiver. She thought it was an odd gift for her, since she wasn't an archer and she didn't even have a bow with her. And the rest was just gold to be shared with the group.

"Do not worry," Marianne replied with a smile, "We would make sure to remember the courage of the dwarves as well." She looked at the body of their dead king and continued with a respectful tone, "Especially the courage of your king, and how he fought valiantly with all his might. Without him, we would've lost this battle for sure." She walked slowly to him and kneeled before him, lowering her head with respect. She felt bad that they hadn't managed to save him, but she knew casualties were unavoidable in battle. She herself almost died and it could've been her instead of him if the gods decreed otherwise.

"Rest in peace, o mighty one..." she whispered.

---

After giving her respects to the fallen dwarf king, she began to think on what their next course of action should be. First of all, she decided she would use the ticket for the quiver, as she couldn't use it right now. She could feel magic flowing from it and she thought she would take it to the mages on the Emporeum to be examined. She would also use the ticket for the gold, as there were quite a lot of it and they would just encumber them if they had to carry them around.

As she looked around further to find either Grendrick or Slyvia, or Siph for that matter as she also couldn't find the man anywhere, she found a chainmail glove lying near the corpses of both dwarves and Skavens. She picked it up and deciphered that it gave its wearer bonus strength. That should work well with the axe she was holding, she thought, and she decided to wear it on her right hand, the same hand holding her dwarven axe. It certainly contrasted with the dress she was wearing, but this was neither the time nor the place to care about such things.

She also found a rusted dagger, a broken straight sword, and some more gold coins. Instead of throwing the former two away, she decided she would bring them to the mages as well just in case they were some magical weapons that could be fixed. The coins, she decided to ticket them as well since combined with the coins she had picked up earlier, they began to weight heavily on her dress. No need to carry them around in the realm. She wasn't going to go shopping here after all.

After all that was finished, she decided to go towards the hole where the skaven breach happened. She remembered Grendrick going there mid-battle after all.

[User]
As the climax of the battle drew to an end, Fariha decided to let the remaining dwarves and other combatants deal with the dwindling skaven numbers. She observed the bloodied arena, the scent of steel, blood, and death filled the air around her. Death was a normal sight to her from her experience in the Rift, before the guild's rules had changed. She looked upon the deceased dwarves, then to the dwarven king. She slowly walked over to the king, a warm smile on her face as she gazed upon him. His soul was long gone by now. Fariha sat beside him, dipping her finger into the fresh blood that seeped from him, before drawing a small circle upon his forehead. A circle that symbolised the completion of life, his cycle had ended. The crimson circle glowed slightly and soon faded away, as if it had evaporated off his skin.
"I will dance for you, your highness. I shall celebrate the life you and your fellow warriors lived." She whispered to him as she got to her feet.

Fariha looked around, her mind shifting from religion to looting. It was difficult to find anything of value among the corpses, as most of the armour and weapons were battered and broken. However, among the piles of damaged items, there were a few that looked unused. From a single Stormvermin, she took his longsword and armour, placing talismans upon them. She had no need for them, but perhaps they'd fetch a reasonable price due to their good condition. She also found a rat totem, which she tossed aside as she deemed it useless and of no value to anyone. She already had a Shaman symbol anyway.

The dirty leather armour that she found wasn't even her size, but after a little bit of cleaning, the leather could be crafted into something else. The gold began to pile up in her pouch, thus she slapped a talisman onto that as well. Finally, she found a pair of boots... which were strangely her size, if not slightly larger. She felt a magical energy flow through the material. The elf closed her eyes, focusing upon the boots. Images of wind magic flowed into her mind, however it was weak. Boots that increased the speed of her movements.. Would prove very useful to her. However, she needed to clean them before putting them on. Blood had been splattered upon them beforehand. Thus she placed a talisman upon it as well.

As she scouted around for items, she had been retrieving unbroken arrows from those she had shot. It became evident to her that the gash in her quiver had grown larger, making it completely unusable. Fariha sighed to herself as she undid the clasp, removing the quiver from her side. She thought it would've survived a little longer, but evidently not.

The archer noticed some of the others following behind Siph, which she decided to follow suit. She only had 3 arrows left, hanging between her fingers. But hopefully her magic would suffice if something was to happen. Into the darkness she followed, her eyes quickly adjusting to the low-light allowing her to see as if there was daylight.

[Assistant]
As the final skaven died Gorrmar let out a roar of victory along with the dwarven warriors around him. striding over to the fallen king given him the warriors salute and a silent prayer to Gormerrok to watch his honorable soul. The orc took a moment to check around the battlefield for loot. One of the corpse stormverim corps one caught his eye. Approaching the dead stormverim he carefully looked it over "Dat git has some flashy kit," Gormarr said to himself as he stared the stormvermin armor. The greenskin took a quick once over at the condition of his own armor and made a decisions.
With efficiency the stormverim was strip of its armor while the greenskin quickly replaced his ruined armor with stormverim's armor. The first bit of armor the greenskin equipped on the plate gauntlets. As the enchantment activated the magic flowed into strengthen the orc. Gorrmar swiftly fitted the skaven armor while stuffing the totems he found into his bag. Picking up a halberd he checked it over the condition polearm. The greenskin grinned as he came up with an idea as he holsters both of weapons. The orc made his way to the hole were Siph went. He saw the elf enter the tunnel. The orc decide to follow the elf and enter the tunnel.


[System]
Age:

22

Appearance:

 Subject stands 160 cm (5'2") in height. Subject also has light hazel eyes with short hair to match.

Abilities:

 Subject possesses an unobserved form of  Affinity with Pain*  (*Suffering?): Record has the Subject breaking a door off its hinges when it was accidentally closed on and injured her fingers. While it was evident there was damage – multiple broken phalanxes and torn skin – the injury seemed to have never happened, suggesting a Regenerative Healing Factor. The strength which she gained to break the door was hypothesized to come from her injury.

 The extent to which the two abilities are able to reach is unknown. Further insight is needed.

History:

 Subject is of Gaelic origin, raised in The United Kingdom. Parents show no obvious signs of empowerment, and have therefore the hypothesis that the Subject's abilities are of a spontaneous mutation is further supported. Parents are a non-factor.

 Subject is a student of Department of Law in the  London School of Economics and Political Science  – top of her class, with multiple intern experiences with many important figures. Many people know her.

 Her current residence is in the central London area, alone, supported with her position of Paralegal in Yip Tse & Chiang, a Chinese-based law firm.

[User]
"Our agent is well-disciplined, and will report back anything immediately."

The video conference had ended. One by one the faces disappeared from Maria's laptop and everyone resumed their operations of handling this shit-storm. There were now reports of people protesting outside the Turkmenistan government building - and some have resorted to violence with tipped-over cars, petrol bombs, and aggressive behaviour. The people are scared. At this point, people don't want to know why this creature came into existence, but more really they want to know that they can get rid of it.

However, there is a problem. The Russian respondent lied; Andjela is not well-disciplined. She is a ruthless loose cannon. She's armed to the teeth with the old wartime bases and bunkers littering old Soviet Russian lands. There's probably another shitstorm coming.

---

Andjela was in the hallway of an old house. Its brick walls provided reliable warmth for those inhabiting the place. She noted the door all the way to the back of the house, as well as the staircase leading to another floor upstairs, and the basement door in the far wall. The few people that had been staying in when Andjela entered had either scuffled back to their rooms, unable to escape through the front door. Let them handle their business, they must have thought. They wouldn't dare interrupt her, not when her blade was against the landowner's throat.

"Соседи сказали, что вы уже выходя из вашего пути, чтобы ухаживать за кем-то; вы пропустили собрание, ваши ежедневные прогулки ...

Где они? | The neighbours have said you've been going out of your way to care for someone; you missed a gathering, your daily walk...

Where are they? "

The landowner, who omitted a foul, drunken odour, cigarette bud fallen from his fingers, afraid to speak as his stubbly throat pressed against the sharp edge of the blade, replied carefully:

"Я не знаю, о чем вы говорите! | I don't know what you're talking about!"

Andjela smirked, knowing fully well he was lying. She dragged him to the kitchen, shoving him to the ground as she searched the area for clues. Her eyes caught the trash bin - and the blood-soaked gauze and bandages the landowner must have forgot about.

"Ушиблись, у нас сейчас? | Hurt yourself, have we now?"

His eyes were wide and scared, his body trembling with the chill of the harsh weather, and the nearing of the end of his life. He barely registered the blade flying toward him as it pierced his left eye and into his frontal lobe.

She slowly crept her way to the staircase to start scouring the rooms. Anyone smart now would have betrayed the three targets now. Fortunately, an old couple were perched on the top step, yelling at the top of their lungs:

"Они внизу! В подвале! Пожалуйста, не убивайте нас! | They're downstairs! In the basement! Please don't kill us!"

She kicked the basement door open, and chucked a flame grenade inside. Targets be damned.

---

Dara woke up and rolled to the empty side of her bed. Thy had woken up early and had probably gone outside. She climbed out of the bed, and took the twin's slippers. Really it should just be called her slippers, because Thy almost always goes barefoot anyway. She hadn't forgotten about her dad in the middle of the night, and as she walked to their living room she prepared herself to talk to him. Instead, she found that there was food prepared on the rickety table, and no dad to be seen. Used pans and cutlery was evidence that he had cooked and left early. They ought to discuss it tonight instead, for dad must be trying to find some way to solve their predicament.

The twins were about 11 years old but they were already very self-sufficient and mature for their age. Leaving them to stay at home alone and play outside in the neighbourhood wasn't uncommon, and their neighbours had gotten used to it. Dara walked to feel the bright sun baking on her dark skin. Her eyes adjusted to the dirt and mud-covered roads, the Cambodian infrastructure not very well-developed in Siem Reap, despite being a tourist spot. Only the inner city was urbanized, whereas the rural areas remained rural and will probably remain rural for quite a while. Potholes and cracks were present, and there were more motorcycles than cars for better manuveourability in these bumpy roads. Rubbish and wildlife littered the sides of the roads, no streets or pavements bordering the people from the vehicles. Everyone had the mind of minding where everything was, and it was fairly safe. Dara walked to the empty lot that the twins frequented, not surprised to see Thy there playing with himself in a dirt mount that was as tall as a man.

Dara reached out to Thy's mind and spoke telepathically:

"ដែលជាកន្លែងដែលឪពុកជាអ្វី? | Where is dad?"

Unlike Dara, Thy cannot speak telepathically, and spoke out loud:

"លោកថ្លែងថាលោកកំពុងតែស្វែងរកជំនួយមួយចំនួនដើម្បីជួសជុលរ៉ឺម៉កម៉ូតូកង់បី។ គាត់បានប្រាប់ខ្ញុំពីអ្វីដែលបានកើតឡើងនៅព្រឹកនេះ។ | He said he's looking for some help to fix the tuk-tuk. He told me what happened this morning."

Dara was just behind Thy when she saw him perform his gift from the Gods:

For a ripe young age, Thy possesses an incredibly powerful Earth manipulation - meaning he has control over the earth and any earthen material whatsoever. The twins found that Thy can only do this if he has contact with any earthen material, thus his accustomed state of going barefoot. It had first been slight: being able to shift the soil and sand under his feet, to being able to locate and manipulate metals touching the earth or buried within, to being able to manipulate actual bones and fossils. Many things have earthen materials in them, and Thy has shown that he can control them. What Thy was doing now was reanimating the fossil of a dog's skeleton, the gaps filled in with compacted soil, controlling this terra-reanimated animal.

There was no school today, so Dara and Thy looked to spend the afternoon looking at what else they could do. They feel great power within them, but they had to learn how to use it.

[Assistant]
Cody's wall reflected the grenade, and would protect them from the blast. He was up, and immediately he went over to Caits, gently taking her weight, he looked to Gerswhin, his eyes tragically understanding.

"You can go hide in a hole all you want, Gershwin, and live trapped by what they have done to you.

But whatever you decide, please help me get Caits to some sembalence of safety. We owe her that, at least"

He grabbed one of the bags, slinging it over his shoulder that wasn't supporting Caits, Cody was tired, and annoyed at having been found so quickly, after everything. Gathering light, he let it out in a small explosion ourside his walled box, careful not to damange the buildings foundation, hoping to take down whoever it was attacking them. Cody, while he didn't want to kill anyway, knew that he might have to, once more, to protect them all. He lowered the box, stepped out, and glancing about, shifting so that he was in front of Caits slightly, protect her from further harm.

---

Maria gave a sigh, and closed her eyes. She was more then certain that the Russian was lying, but she couldn't prove that until the agent screwed up. Which would of course blow everything out of proportion again. And that would somehow be her fault as well.

She picked at the files, at the new information coming through and sighed heavily.

[User]
Andjela rolled out of the way of the incendiary grenade. The blast caused enough damage to break through the walls bordering the hallway and the kitchen in which Andjela had rolled into. Furthermore, flames were now creeping, burning down the staircase above the lower stairway where the three targets were. Never-mind that Cody was being careful as to not bring down the building; it was already happening.

Andjela decided best to re-position herself outside of the house that was not slowly being consumed by fire from within. The residents who heard the initial blast were paralyzed with shock, debating whether to jump out of their windows albeit their rickety old age and weak bodies, or to accept their fate and be cremated.

Andjela is seated outside, waiting, admiring the fire from a distance, white clothes against the white snow. Perhaps she did not even need to break a sweat to take them out.

[Assistant]
Light whipped out from every cornor, every shadow, wrapping around the residents of the building, steadying their rooms, and creating stairs that wouldn't burn, for them to escape, almost like fire escapes, Cody seeming to act without thinking when he spied the flames. It was an incrediable display of power, and one he didn't stop to consider would blow her cover. it was already blown, he figured,when he did stop to think about it. Especially if the Agent survived. At least this would be a demonstration to the Agent that they should be so foolish. Cody shifted, so that he was in front of Gerswhin, well aware that pain was a trigger for her, and figuring for the moment, they didn't need the building to truly come down on them.

Shifting, he carefully moved Caits onto his back, seeming to bare her weight with ease, allowing himself to keep his hands free, as he approached the stairs, weaving light underneath his feet along the stairs, starting up them, hoping that Gerswhin was following, he weaved a light shield, placing it in front of him so it moved with his walk, protecting them, expecting another attack, and wanting to be ready for it.

Anytime the building appeared to be faling, he weaved a box around them, stopping a moment to make sure it was okay, before continuing. He used his heightened senses to listen for any sound of collapse, and for any sign of the Agent, he was soon panting, finding himself still slightly weak from the escape, he was straining under Caits's weight, and the power he was weidling.

[User]
"What power..." Andjela spoke under her icy breath in the blowing winds. With her condition at the moment, there was no chance of winning. Her best bet was to retreat, await further command, and arm herself. She crawled away before getting up and disguising herself, disappearing into the white background of the snowy village.

Meanwhile, the display of anomalous powers is going to attract all the attention of any nearby. With the people managing their escape, and the three walking out of the breaking building safely, it is time to move again.

"Guys, we need to go. I'll try and find us a way somewhere," Gershwin remarked as they exited the building. Unfortunately, with the snow winds picking up, and their insufficient amount of warm clothing, this was going to be dangerous.

"Follow me."

Gershwin tugged and helped Cody to carry Agent Caits. Perhaps there was a way through the small forest. She eyed her surroundings; the people were watching. She doubted they really knew what was going on, but it was best to not be seen, and worse, be the blame for all this.

---

Viccar picked up on a notification 10 minutes after the fact of a strange event that occurred in the southern part of Russia. Light shone immensely and curiously in a building that was up until that point burning. He rapped on Miss Jordan's door excitedly before entering:

"I think we found them."


[System]
"How cute. You think I'm alone?"

~
Nickname: the_C0rsair (Hacker callsign)
Age: 19
Eyes: Gold
Hair: Black
Description: In a word, disheveled. His clothes, while matching, are rumpled and worn in places. His hair is half-assedly pulled into an untidy ponytail, and he bears a scruffy half-grown beard on his angular face. It's a miracle his glasses aren't similarly askew, if only because he needs them to see. Underneath the shabby exterior, however, there is much more to find. His eyes are clear, bright, and calculating, piercing associates and prospective clients where they stand with his gaze. While slim and somewhat short of stature, his body is toned, lithe, and strong for someone of his size. It's clear that the slovenly appearance is at least partially a ruse to catch the unwary off-guard, but to what extent is uncertain.
Country of Origin: Ethnicity- Japanese; Birthplace- Hawaii
Condition: Adept
Biography: Tadashi Moritomi hasn't been "normal" since as long as he can remember. Even as a child, there was something almost unnerving about his demeanor- quiet, solemn, piercingly observant. He preferred to stay inside and read and learn to going outside with other children. His parents watched his development with concern; though he seemed polite and well-adjusted enough, his seeming aversion to socializing with others threw up a number of red flags. Whatever the case, things only got worse when his Adept powers manifested.

While his parents did their best to support their child, even being an Adept, the rest of the world wasn't as forgiving of Tadashi's apparent sin. In school, he was bullied and ostracized by his peers. Other places, he was looked upon with scorn and fear whenever it was discovered that he was an Adept. Some- very few, but enough- threatened or even tried unsuccessfully to hurt or kill him, for no reason other than being who and what he was. In any case, Tadashi's life suffered upheaval after upheaval, as they were forced to move often to try and protect their son whenever the bullying would become too intense.

In this, Tadashi's introverted nature was more of a blessing than a curse- after all, he couldn't miss what he never really had in the first place. Finding that his spurning of his peers was justified by their treatment of him, Tadashi turned his attention inward, to his Septimal powers. In private, he began developing them, learning more about how to control them. He learned to sense and read the signals on the air, and then how to control them. He voraciously sought after knowledge, using his powers to effectively funnel information directly into his mind. His fellow students' ire meant less than nothing to Tadashi- he knew he was better than them in every way, and he was secure enough in that knowledge that he never needed to prove it.

As intelligent as he was, however, it would almost prove for naught- after graduating, Tadashi found his future seemingly closed off to him in all ways because of his Adept status. No one wanted to hire him, no college or university willing to grant him admission. He almost gave up hope... until Sumeragi caught wind of his abilities. They offered him a job working for their technical department, developing surveillance and power technology for them, which, having no other options available, he accepted. But perhaps hiring an individual with near-omniscience was not the most sound of ideas.

As Tadashi worked with Sumeragi, he kept the wider scope of his powers a closely held secret, trying to distance himself from the Sumeragi leash as much as possible. Each day, he secretly probed around the company's files, trying to gain the transparency that he knew the company would not provide. His natural distrust and paranoia ended up paying off, stumbling upon a secret so horrific, that even he was repulsed by it. Knowing what he knew, he could not, in good conscience, continue working for them. Cutting his losses, Tadashi broke away from Sumeragi, taking enough equipment with him to sustain himself.

Nowadays, Tadashi has used the "startup" he stole from his former employers to make a name for himself as the hacker and mercenary known as "the_C0rsair," taking only jobs that aligned closely enough to his newfound moral scruples. And with each successful mission and each paycheck, Tadashi is planning, plotting, scheming. Building weapons and tools for the sole purpose of fulfilling his newly found life goal: cutting Sumeragi down to size.

Left Lens: Vigor Lens (restores SP faster)
Right Lens: Recharge Lens (increases EP recovery rate)
Ring: Traction Ring (single dash ability)
Pendant: Shield Medallion (Damage reduction)

Skills
Run (25)
Jump (25)
Wall Slide (25)
Wall Jump (25)
Dash (50)
Air-Hop [Gear/Septima] (50)

Total Cost: 200

Weapon Familiarity- Twin Pistols [Small] (10)
Weapon Training- Twin Pistols [Small] (15)
Hacking/Technology Overload (30)

Total Cost: 55

Techno Boot (25)
Gáe Buidhe/Gáe Dearg (50)- A pair of twin pistols attuned to Tadashi's Septima, colored black with gold and red highlights, respectively. Using his powers, Tadashi can increase the power of his pistols' shots far beyond their normal capabilities. He can also fire special bullets that directly link Tadashi to whatever technological device they strike, allowing him to control them with far greater ease.
Combat Suit (60)

Total Cost: 135

Septima
Name: Override
Element: Technology (Reality Manipulation, 500)
Color: Gold

* Astral Legion [Remote Manipulation: Tool] (25)- A squadron of armed combat drones built and controlled by Tadashi's Septimal powers. They can be used for surveillance, defending choke points, direct combat, fire support, and more.
* Astral Mind [Remote Manipulation: Mass] (50)- Tadashi can sense, understand, and manipulate various electronic signals, allowing him to telepathically survey through camera feeds, internet signals, and the like. He can also access and hack into computers in this way. The effect is amplified on any target he's struck with Buidhe or Dearg's special bullets.
* Can't Stop The Signal [Remote Manipulation: Animal] (75)- By concentrating, Tadashi can override control over any non-sapient robot, drone, or similar entity, binding them to his control. Depending on encryption strength, this process can take time. This power's effectiveness increases when used on any target he's struck with Buidhe or Dearg's special bullets.
* High Capacity [Remote Manipulation: Group] (50)- Tadashi can control large groups of robotic subordinates at once, either those of his Astral Legion, or those he's taken control of using Can't Stop The Signal. His limits aren't well-defined, though it does depend on his EP reserves how many he can bring to bear at once, and for how long.

Total Cost: 200

Build: Average
SP: 1/1
Special Skills: * Recharge: Absorption Protocol (100)- Absorbs ambient energy and converts it into Septimal Energy, fully recharging Tadashi's EP.
* TBD

Kudos
1000 Kudos base + 200 (selling SP) = 1200
Used: 1190
Remaining: 10

[User]
An explosion. Of course, I don't have enough on my mind yet. Itachi thought, using his maneuverability in the air to prevent slamming face-first into the deck as the boat rocked forward unsteadily. Casually grabbing his phone and calling his speed-dial in mid-air, he had a short conversation after the creaking noise of the boat slamming into the train station subsided. By the time he hung up, a distressed look had taken place on his features. "Couldn't be better." He cynically muttered to himself. He'd had to do something, and he'd better do it fast.

Raising his voice so all could hear, he yelled "Anyone who can move, help those who aren't doing as well as you are! Evacuate to the North-West!" Pointing approximately West-North-West when he said so, he paused before deciding to share his knowledge. "My contacts have confirmed a Sumeragi combat squad is approaching from the North-East, they'll be heavily armed and looking for a fight! Maintain order as you leave the ship!"

As soon as he'd done his "announcement" he tried to locate the young man with the katana. If he was whom Itachi thought he was, then he'd definitely need some nudging. Whilst looking for the young man, he also tried to make an accurate body count, though with the smoke rising from the ship's rear, and the people slowly getting up, this wasn't yet a possibility. Regardless, he could at least buy some time for everyone by putting out the flames, that way they wouldn't have to worry about the ship burning up, at least.

Sauntering over to the fires, Itachi quickly tried to assess the situation. He'd need to either remove oxygen from the flames, but since he was outside, and the fire already covered a large area, this was not an option. Second choice would be to remove the fuel or drop the heat. Removing the wood that served as fuel also wouldn't work, as tearing the boat apart would be too inefficient and cause too much of a mess. In the end, he decided to do what he always did; blow the problem away using his septima. Still at a (relatively) safe distance, Itachi started focusing on applying his Air Cutter to the flames, away from the station, aiming to blow them out like a candle.

[Assistant]
Hiroki Hibiya and Gavin Prince

"Understood!" Hiroki said, moving to the northwest of the boat, just beside the train station. He would then shout:

"All right people, prepare to evacuate!" with a surprisingly loud voice. "My field, as you can see, is reversing injuries and mechanical failures all around me, so get close to where I am if you're injured, or if a friend or family of yours' is hurt, get them close to me! My field can even reattach limbs if you have both the body and the limb severed from it!" And yes, this was self-evidently true, as a lot of injured were being restored to full health along with their clothing and gadgets.

"I echo the kid's words!" Gavin said. "I am both an Adept and a US Navy SEAL, and the latter matters more! Evacuate!" He looked at Hiroki in thanks, before saying to the boy:

"Once we get most of these people evacuated, we need to go to the cargo hold, I injured a lot of people who need to live. You don't need to worry about escape afterwards; I can make a portal now that I've recovered from Overheat this moment."

"Sumeragi's forces?" Hiroki said. "Don't they help Adepts?"

[User]
Tadashi Moritomi//the_C0rsair
Boardwalk

~~

To anyone else, the slim Japanese man standing near the docks of the Boardwalk District would have seemed like a particularly-intense tourist, or possibly homeless man. He was neither of these, of course, but that was rather the point; it generally behooved a highly-skilled mercenary to not look like a highly-skilled mercenary. His fingers twitched as his eyes darted back and forth across his vision, glancing quickly at screens only he could see. Aside from his roving eyes and twitching fingers, he seemed utterly impassive. In reality, however, he was, to put it bluntly, quite nettled.

Tadashi suppressed an irritated growl as he witnessed the ferry crash. Incompetents. He knew he should have been on that damn ship- if he had been, this wouldn't have happened. Hell, he might have even been able to stop the hijacking attempt before it even began- that was one of the many perks of being able to intercept signals with his brain. By the time the signal to attack was even sent out, his Legion would have had the hijackers surrounded, a bead on each of their squishy little heads. He'd have had the situation cleared and have his client to the safe house by teatime. But no. He was to... "wait." He hated waiting. It always ruined everything. Case in point.

His drones were surreptitiously surveying the impact site, attempting to locate the little guttersnipe he was supposed to be "escorting." Hopefully he hadn't been killed in the crash. His father might take issue with that. And by issue, he meant, "attempt to follow through on my threat to kill you should my son be hurt." And he really didn't want that- he'd hate to have to go to ground just because of some... mundane. Or worse, have to kill the fellow. He may not have many moral scruples, but killing an innocent man because he was acting moronic out of grief definitely violated at least one of them.

Regardless, he had to act quickly- this was a Sumeragi city, which meant any second now, their "police," or whatever they called them, would be on their way to investigate. At the very least, emergency services would be on approach, for sure. Maybe scoop up a few new "recruits," while they were at it. It was impossible to know when they'd be dispatched, or how long it would take them to get there- he was good, but no one was that good- but he knew enough about the company's MO to know what they were going to do next about this... situation. He had to act fast.

An alert from one of his drones caught his attention. One of them had pinged on an individual that matched the picture he'd been given of his target. Thankfully, he seemed okay. Roughed up slightly, maybe, but alive. Good enough. He concentrated through the drone that was closest to his client, trying to find anything he could attach his Septima to and get his attention. Two things caught his attention, though it was difficult at this range- a personal smartphone, and a private comms device. Tadashi almost growled. As much as he'd like to hack the private device, and thus ensure his own privacy, he was on the clock, such as it was, and using his power to decrypt, as well as transmitting at this range, would take too long. He would just have to relay through his drones and hope Sumeragi wouldn't be able to pick up the call.

He concentrated, tweaking a few things here or there, placing a call with his powers. It was a bit strenuous at this range, especially given he was already controlling at least six drones, but it was worth it- he'd have plenty enough power to pull it off in time. The call connected, and Tadashi waited for the kid to answer.

Bee


[System]
Age:17

Personality & Bio: Humorous and vivacious, along with being very nosy and somewhat laid back. He always tries to find interests in many new things that look to him as appealing, and shows favor and compassion to whoever needs it, whoever it may be. His parents live out of town so he stays with a close friend of his while attending high school, and off hours he makes what free time he has to do personal writing on his life and his encounters as a small hobby.

[User]
As Avery ran up to them, grabbing a tight hold onto Roland's arm, the three of them were ready to head inside. Though he could sense that Avery still felt anxious with everything happening so sudden, Roland wanted to make sure that she was eased away of agitation, and wanted her to feel more secure.

She had spoke up before they went inside, telling them of how scared she was of meeting Mrs. Noonan and continuously thinking of becoming a burdening problem with the family.

"You're worrying too much," said Roland, trying to keep her calm, "Nobody here is going to think of you as a problem. We did this because you deserve a better life than the one you were living."

"Exactly," said Mr. Noonan, following up to Roland's statement, smiling at the girl, "You won't be a hassle of any sort, I guarantee you. You are part of this family now, and you'll be treated just as good as Roland and Steven, I can promise you that."

As the door opened, they went indoors, finding that the main room was being occupied by Steven, sitting on the sofa playing a video game, and Mrs. Noonan going across with a basket full of laundry.

Once they were inside though, Roland felt the fear from Avery suddenly increasing as she grasped his arm tighter. She told him of how different it was from last time, stating how scared and nervous she was.

"I'll be back in here in a minute kids," said Mr. Noonan as he started walking off, "I'm going to talk to Mrs. Noonan real quick."

As he had left, Roland stood there with Avery, not wanting her to feel the need to panic and be worried. As she kept a grasp onto his arm, Steven looked away from the television and stared at the two of them just standing there.

"You guys do know that you can sit down, right?" said Steven, giggling as he thought how silly the two of them looked just standing awkwardly, "These couches aren't contaminated with anything, or are they?"

"Avery, do you want to take a seat," asked Roland, seeing if she would feel better if she would sit down.

"Yeah Avery, come on and join the party," said Steven, trying his best to be humorous, "There is plenty of love to go around."

As Roland rolled his eyes, thinking how much of an idiot Steven is, he awaited to see what Avery wanted to do, hoping that someway she could be less anxious and more relaxed whatever she chose to do.

[Assistant]
Avery just looked at Mrs. Noonan walked by with the laundry basket and that Steven was playing something off the TV which did not look familiar to her at all. She till kept a god grip on Roland as she analyzed her surroundings with the new people in it.

She did flinch a bit when Steven talked all of a sudden and he sounded different from the first time they ran into each other in the house. "um I guess we can sit down." She said to him after Mr. Noonan went off to go talk to his wife. She did settle down a bit but still had her hands on Roland's arm but it was not so tight anymore.

She walekd over and sat on the couch still feeling weird about how different things were now and how it was still going to be to adjust to her new life. Whn Roland sat with her she placed her head on his shoulder for she mainly felt comfortable with him since he has been there for her the longest and has helped her out more then anyone has ever done in her life.

After a few minutes her eyes closed and she was asleep again proving how mentally exhausted she was from all that has happened and being in a new enviorment.

Her head stayed on his shoulder as she slept peacfully after the long crazy day with being in a hospital, dealing with the paparazzi, and having the noonan sign the foster parents paper work so they can have custody of her instead of ehr having to move someplace else and be extremely overwhelmed.

[User]
Avery seemed a bit surprised, or at least that's how it felt as she kept her tight grip onto Roland's arm. Maybe it was because of Steven, actually being nice instead of having an ill-mannered attitude towards her that it seemed shockingly different to her, even though his sense of humor was still idiotically present.

She agreed to take the offer and sit down, though she held close to Roland still, though he could understand as to why of course.

"All right," said Roland to her as he took it upon himself to lead her to the couch. Her grip was still intact with his arm, but she followed and found her spot to seat herself upon and relax, him sitting next to her afterwards. Once they were both seated, she rested her head onto his shoulder, staying quiet.

"Good," said Steven as he was smiling, "Now that we are all settled, let's see what happens next."

"How about some television?" said Roland, "I know you've been gaming ever since you got back here after school. Besides, maybe Avery wants to watch something."

As soon as he said that, he looked next to him only to find that Avery had fell asleep. Knowing she has been having a rough time, and just getting out of a difficult situation, he understood that she was very tired, so he didn't say a word about it. Steven on the other hand…….

"Well would you look at that," said Steven, leaning frontward's to see that Avery fell asleep on Roland's shoulder, giving a goofy look, "Looks like she wanted to hit the hay a little early. You know what that means?"

"It means you're nerve-racking," said Roland, looking at Steven with a sarcastic smile, turning away afterwards rolling his eyes.

A couple of minutes afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Noonan came into the main room to check if everything was ok, and of course for Mrs. Noonan to meet Avery.

"Is everything ok in here," asked Mrs. Noonan.

"Fine," said Steven, focusing on his game while replying, "Though it seems someone is becoming a bit tempered with me for no apparent reason."

"Steven is acting like usually does. An idiot," said Roland as he replied to Mrs. Noonan's question, "But the person I wanted you to meet is in dreamland right now."

"Oh," replied Mrs. Noonan, "Well let her rest for now. I don't want to wake her up. The poor girl."

"You should have seen the hospital," followed up Mr. Noonan, finding his way into the conversation, "It was nonstop. Photographers and cameramen all over the place. Reporters trying to get inside, pushing and shoving. All of that just to see one little girl about her abusive lifestyle."

"Oh my goodness," said Mrs. Noonan after hearing of the events near the emergency room, "It must have been a big deal if there was people shoving each other to get inside."

"Basically because it's the biggest thing to happen to happen in our boring town," said Steven.

"Avery?" said Roland, trying to wake up Avery once more so that she could meet Mrs. Noonan.

[Assistant]
Avery was not easy to wake at first for she was just to tired about what had happened and her body just wanted her to rest for a long period of time to help her body recover. But she was once again awoken by Roland and groaned whn he did that. "Why can't I just sleep I am tired." She said to him as she slowly opened her eyes but her head was still on his shoulder.

Once she looked up too see pretty much everyone was looking at her and she shrunk back a bit since she was still not that social and not used to having all eyes on her. "um.....hi." was all she said when she saw Mrs. Noonan was looking at her and it was Avery's first time meeting her in person.

"What am I suppose to do Roland?" She asked Roland in a whisper for sh had no clue at what to do or say. Avery was just sitting in the room in scrubs from the hospital, no real clothes, exhausted, and was just tired. But she was also scared about making a good first impression with Mrs. Noonan since its thier first meeting each other.

Avery's grip had retightened on his arm for she was just mainly scared and it was just going to take time for her to get back to normal well in societies eyes at least. She woulld still be mentally scared from what she went through and will hesitate around men (expect Roland and Mr. Noonan) due to what her s call father did to her.

[User]
As Avery awoke, her voice speaking in tiresome grievance as she complained about waking up, everyone in the room stood and watch as she opened her eyes and wondered of what her reaction was going to be. Once she looked around and noticed all eyes were on her, an expression of worry developed onto her as she nervously spoke to Mrs. Noonan, telling her hello.

"You must be Avery," said Mrs. Noonan with a sweet smile across her face, "I've heard many things about you. How are you feeling sweetheart?"

Roland had hoped that Mrs. Noonan's cheerful and bright personality would bring Avery a bit more comfort, but instead she was hesitant. She gripped Roland's arm very tight and asked what was she suppose to do next.

He knew that she was scared, mainly because of the gripping pain he was feeling in his arm, but he didn't want her to feel this way.

"Tell her whatever you feel," he said to her, "Just be honest with us so that we can help you. Nobody is here to hurt you Avery."

As Mr. Noonan kept quiet and Steven focusing back onto the television, Mrs. Noonan leaned down to lower herself into Avery's position. While on one knee, she reached out to grab Avery's hand gently, trying to comfort her and tell her that everything would be ok.

"I know you've been through a lot of pain," she said softly, "But nobody is going to bring harm to you sweetie. Everything you have been through can be forgotten because you've been giving a chance at a better life with us, and we are going help you in any possible way we can. It might take a while, and I can understand that, but just be open with us so that we can help you."

[Assistant]
Avery was still frighten wtih everything for she was mainly used to Roland not the Noonan family, except for Mr. Noonan a little. Steven she was still not at all sure about since he was well strange to her and for Mrs. Noonan she had mainly encountered problems from people that were her gender with her mom walking out and having all the female students torture her more mentally. But when Mrs Noonan grasped her hand she flinched a bit showing how badly she had been abused to be scared even of a gental touch. But it also showed Mrs. Noonan how skinny she truly was due to being malnourished.

"This all feels so weird I am not used to all this people caring and wanting to help it is all so new to me for I am still scared of the world having a mom who walked out on me and then a dad blame me for everything makes me scared of people except Roalnd and hi stubbornness in wanting to talk to me." Avery explained a little tense from everything."And it is also weird taht all I have for clothes are these scrubs now I miss my jeans and sweater I wore all the time, even my run down sneakers." She said for she had grown used to wearing those clothes all the time it was comfort but she knew that the hospital cut her clothes off so they could take her in for surgery.

The big thing that was going t take time was her trust in people. The only person she had truly trust was Roland. She had loosened her grip on him a bit after realizing that she had a tight squeeze on his arm. Avery mainly had no clue at what else to say or do now she felt tired, exhausted, scared, and a bunch of weird emotions that was just spining in her head. "I am sorry for being so skittish I never really grew up with great role models in my life." she apologized to them.

[User]
As the family tried to make Avery feel more welcome and accepted in the household, she had explained to them how she was not used to any sort of concern to her well-being from others. She talked about her fear of people and her parents, mainly her father, but mentioned her meeting with Roland and how determined he was to talk to her.

Once Roland heard he was mentioned, a smirk rose upon his face.

Avery then discussed her clothing issue, stating that her normal attire consisting of her sweater, jeans and wore out shoes were basically gone.

"Don't you worry on that sweetheart," said Mrs. Noonan, replying quickly after Avery finished talking, "First thing we plan to do for you is clothes shopping, and you can pick and choose whatever you would like."

As Mrs. Noonan stood back up straight on her feet, Roland noticed a bit more of ease and less pain in his arm, realizing Avery was starting to feel a bit more relaxed. Afterwards, Avery began to apologize, telling them she was acting nervous and stated that she never had grew up with great role models.

The Noonan's and Roland began to laugh after they were called role models. None of them had ever considered of ever thought of being worthy to be called such, but it was very nice of her to say.

"You don't have to apologize Avery," said Mr. Noonan, "It's ok. We just want you to feel at home is all, and we are going to help you in every possible way we can."

"Yeah," said Steven abruptly joining in the conversation with a pleasant look, "Though it isn't very often to be called a role model."

Roland had looked over to Steven, giving him an awkward expression, with Steven looking back at Roland confused.

"What?" said Steven.

"Either way," began Roland, looking back over to Avery, "We're here for you Avery. Don't ever feel like you can't talk to us about anything. Me, Mr. and Mrs. Noonan, we will help you with anything you ask."

Roland knew that it would take time for her adjustment into a new lifestyle, especially being placed into a new family, but he knew in the back of his head that everything will work out. He felt that everything eventually will be ok, and that Avery could one day become a happier person, hopefully, but only time would tell.


[System]
Crown Prince of Whitehaven

"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."

Age:
20 years old

Personality
⚜ Arrogant ⚜ Brash ⚜ Proud ⚜ Conceited ⚜

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Adrian is spoiled and arrogant. He was raised with the knowledge that when the time comes, no one will inherit the throne but him. Because of this, he believes that no one else is as important as he is, except for the king and queen and his younger brother, Prince Adam. He treats the castle staff as nothing more than servants and almost rarely pay them any attention except when he needs something.

In truth, he lack of self confidence to rule a kingdom and compensate with a grand show of overconfidence. The only one aware of his self doubt and shortcomings is his brother.

He tries his best to be just to his subjects but his overconfidence gives the people mixed feelings about him as a future ruler.

Brief History:
Queen Anne had always wanted children. "Four or more," she always said. But when she married King Thomas, they tried to conceive time and again but all pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Consult with doctors always ended inconclusive. The queen had nothing wrong with her. She was the picture of perfect health. And so the royal couple tried again and again but the children all died before coming to term. Depressed and hopeless, the queen finally sought consult with a Mystic, who taught her meditation and gave her a concoction of herbs to take. On the fourth night after the full moon, she was to drink water from Whitehaven's holy river, Adria.

Following the Mystic's instructions, the Queen found herself with child a few months later. Trying not to be too excited, she made sure she did not exert herself too much, staying in bed most times. She feared that she would lose the baby the way she had the past pregnancies but miraculously, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy nine months later. She named the baby Adrian. King Thomas was overjoyed and the whole kingdom rejoiced through a festival that lasted for weeks.

Being a precious child after many miscarriages, Adrian was spoiled, given everything he desired and asked for. He was well educated and being the first born, it was ingrained in him that he will ascend to be King when the time came. Knowing how important he is to both his parents and the whole of Whitehaven, he became arrogant and brash. He thought of the lower class people as nothing more than slaves and servants, existing only to do as he wished. As a result, the people in the kingdom feared that he might end up being a tyrant, most only serving him because of fear and not of loyalty.

Two years after Adrian's birth, the queen and the king was blessed with another male child. This boy they named Adam.

Adam grew up the complete opposite of Adrian. He was humble and kind, never thinking himself above anyone else. But despite the difference in manner and opinion, Adrian was fond of his younger brother and spent most of his time with him by his side. The bond of brotherhood eventually mellowed down the crown prince by a bit. Adam became his confidant and advisor.

Soon the people of the kingdom became divided in their opinions. A big number of them wanted Adam to inherit the throne despite knowing that Adrian was the rightful heir, being the first born. A small number believed that Adrian would be able to rule well with his brother by his side. And those in the middle found themselves having mixed feelings about who would be the better king.

[User]
The queen looked at each girl as they spoke, a thoughtful look on her face as she observed how each spoke and what their mannerisms are. She was a good judge of character and had already decided as soon as each spoke their names. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up once again. "Amelie would be my handmaiden." She looked towards Adrian. "Alessandra would be your handmaiden, my first born."

Adrian was tight lipped as he looked at his mother then at Alessandra. He didn't say anything.

"And finally, Emily to my second born," the queen finished. She looked at both Alessanda and Emily. "You shall both attend to my sons..."

"Surely you don't mean for her to wait on me while I bathe," Adrian interjected dryly, earning him a chuckle from his brother. But they both fell to silence when their mother turned her stern stare at them.

"Fine," Adrian sighed.

[Assistant]
Disappointment filled Alessandra as the Queen chose Amelie for herself. She took in a deep breath. There was still a chance she would be assigned to Adam-- The hope was also shattered as the Queen chose Alessandra for Adrian. She looked at Adrian, in what was obviously horror, but she quickly composed herself as Amelie moved closer to the Queen with also Emily walking to stand behind Adam greeting him with a smile and a bow.

At Adrian's comment, Alessandra felt her cheeks grow hot, especially when the Queen didn't exactly deny the absurd image. Alessandra stood a little far away from the royals although the other two girls had joined the Queen and Adam. Alessandra blinked and walked cloeer to Adrian, but she didn't bow nor smile again. The introductions had already been done. She stayed silent as she glanced in between the royalties.

[User]
Adrian looked at both his mother and his brother. Adam had started conversing pleasantly with Emily. The Queen had also started talking with Amelie. She introduced her new handmaiden to her old one and asked Amelie to be oriented by Alisa regarding her preferences.

At least, she's prettier than the two, Adrian thought idly as he finished his tea. He had no plans of chatting with her the way the queen and Adam did with their own handmaidens. What he wanted done will be commanded, there was no need to talk in between. He stood up, excused himself and made his way out of the balcony and into the castle's hallway.

[Assistant]
Alessandra had remained silent as she watched the conversation happening between Adam and Emily, as well as the Queen, Amelie, and Alisa. She felt only slightly jealous and uncomfortable as she stood there, towering over Adrian as he drank his tea. She tore her eyes away from Adam and the Queen with their friendly conversation as Adrian stood up.

Alessandra was slightly surprised, no one had told her the crown prince was that tall. He hadn't mentioned for her or anything, so she stood there unsure of what to do. Emily shooed her off discreetly to go follow him. Alessandra hesitated but then hurried behind Adrian as he walked through the hallways that must be so familiar to him, but still awed Alessandra.

She followed closely behind him, unsure of what to say.

"Excuse me your majesty. " She spoke out softly as they turned a corner. " I am a little new at this, so if you may just tell me if you need something, or- or what exactly shall I do, it would be greatly helpful." She added, hoping he wouldn't take offense of her request. It just that Alessandra couldn't function unless there were clear orders of what she should and shouldn't do-- Her duties.

[User]
Adrian stopped. It was annoying that she needed to ask. But it was more annoying that she was there when he really didn't need her at all. While he wanted nothing more than to send her back to her family or wherever it is she came from, he was not a cruel man. There's always a reason why these people serve us. Mostly it's to earn enough to feed their families. If these servants have as much as we do, they wouldn't choose to endure a lifetime of servitude, Adam had once said. While he didn't really care about any of their reasons, he had to admit that it was true.

"I don't need anything," he started. "...At least, for now," he added. "Take the time to get to know the castle so that you don't get lost. It'll be annoying to have to send someone to look for you." And with that, he continued walking, not bothering to turn back.

[Assistant]
Alessandra stared at his back as he spoke to her. How rude of him to not even turn back to speak to her. She blinked. So his order was to leave him alone and get to know the castle? 'It would be annoying to send someone to look for you.' She sighed softly as she hurriedly followed behind him once more.

"I am sorry, Prince Adrian. But are there certain places you would like me to get familiar to? How would you suggest I get to know the castle? Is there any of the other servants that you suggest for me?" She asked as she continued to follow behind him, losing her breath by the amount of times she had to hurry to catch up with him. She looked at him as he continued to walk.

[User]
Adrian didn't stop nor did he speak this time. It was precisely the reason why he didn't want some new servant tagging along behind him. Did she actually expect him to show her around himself? He inwardly shook his head as he headed out of the castle and into the stables.

The stable keeper was a middle aged man with hair that was already streaked with silver strands. He immediately bowed at the sight of Adrian. "Your horse is saddled and ready, Your Highness," he said as the tall prince walked past. He sighed in relief when Adrian gave him an approving nod. He glanced towards Alessandra as soon as the Prince disappeared into the stable. "You're Prince Adrian's handmaiden," he stated, his words laced with pity.

[Assistant]
Alessandra continued following the Prince silently, slowly falling behind at how determind and fast his steps were. She took the time to scan the hallways and try to remember directions as to how they got outside the castle and to the stable. She waited for him to speak to her again-- Instruct her with a little more words, so she would understand where exactly did he stay-- Who could help her figure out what to and how.

She stood by the stable keeper as Adrian walked into the stable. She nodded with a smile, disregarding the pity obvious in his voice. "They say the first day is always te toughest, hm?" She said as she peeked into the stable.

Although they never had a horse of their own, Alessandra had a love for horses, but she didn't step into the stable. It was quite evident to her by then that he was going to ride away on his horse.

[User]
The stable keeper reached out and pulled Alessandra out of the way. "You may want to stay out of the way, young miss," he said. And sure enough, the stable doors bursted open as Adrian led his beautiful golden coated horse out into a gallop.

Adrian noticed Alessandra standing beside the stable master, irritation stabbing through him again at the thought of being a stuck with a servant that had no idea what to do with her time. He ignored her and rode away.

The stable keeper watched the crown prince ride for a moment before turning to Alessandra again. "My name is Rean, miss," he introduced himself politely. "Will you be staying here until the Prince comes back? I'm afraid you would have a long wait ahead of you if that's the case. This is Prince Adrian's favored hobby and he can ride for hours," he explained.

[Assistant]
Alessandra abruptly stepped out of the way as the door brusted open, and Adrian rode away on his horse. She gasped at the beauty as Adrian glanced at her-- She wasn't aware that he was actually annoyed with her presence, and so she continued to watch the horse for as far as her eyes could see.

She turned to Raen with a smile. "My name is Alessandra." She introduced as she extended her hand to shake his. At his next question, her confusion grew. "Is that what a handmaiden would do? She would wait here for his majesty to return?" She genuinely asked with confusion. "If so, will you teach me a thing or two about horses? I have always been fond of them." She suggested with a friendly smile. Might as well make use of the time.

[User]
Rean shrugged. "I am only a stable keep, miss Alessandra. I'm afraid I do not know what it is a handmaiden does," he looked thoughtful. "But I believe it would be prudent of you to wait for his return...unless he gave you some other order," he shrugged again. He lowered his voice. "The crown prince has a terrible temper. It would be very unfortunate if you become the focus of his ire." He glanced towards the direction the prince disappeared into as if expecting him to be there to overhear what he had just said. When he had ascertained that the prince was out of hearing distance, he turned back to Alessandra.

"Come then, let me show you the horses," he hobbled slowly towards the stables, his right foot dragging slightly behind him.

[Assistant]
Alessandra blinked and nodded. She agreed, it seemed like the right thing a handmaiden would do. She giggled slightly at the older man's actions-- He seemed kind and gentle. She already liked him as he spoke of the Prince's temper. Alessandra nodded as she looked over to where he looked with another soft giggle. " Thank you, Sir." She said as she turned to follow him.

She frowned a little as she noticed his unstable walk. She hesitated but in no time, walked in his pace, offering him her arm for help. "How many horses are here?" She asked as if helping him was a casual, day to day task she had, and she didn't intrude enough to ask him what had happened.

[User]
"No need for formalities, call me Rean," the stable keep said as he led the way into the stables. "We only have a small number of horses. We have 12 in total. Prince Adrian owns most of them. Five to be exact. He tames them and grooms them himself," Rean said with a hint of pride in his voice. "He had always been fascinated by horses. And he began riding them at a very young age. On a normal day, he would come and groom all five of his horses. We seldom have to worry about his steeds. He insists on grooming all 12 when he's particularly angry or in a sour mood though. So keep that in mind. To placate the crown prince, have him ride or simply lead him where the horses are," he advised as he began to show Alessandra the thoroughbreds. Those belonging to Adrian were all high strung and spirited. The horses belonging to the rest of the royalties were all docile and well behaved. He showed her how to groom and even allowed her to try for herself.

When they had finished, Rean nodded towards his leg. "I'm sure you are curious about it. It was trampled by a wild horse," he gazed towards one of Adrian's black horses and a thoughtful look settled over his face.

"Still reminiscing about the past, Rean?" came Adrian's voice from the door. He had a pleasant look on his face and looked relaxed.

Rean looked towards the door and immediately bowed his head. "And I will be forever indebted to you, Your Highness," he said.

Adrian chuckled as he dismounted his steed. Rean immediately handed him a brush as the prince led the horse to its own stable. "You are too grim today. No need to speak about debts. There is none. I am quite thankful that you stay to tend to our horses." he began brushing his horse. "You---" he turned towards Rean and stopped short when he saw Alessandra standing by one of his mother's horses. His brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone of voice wasn't hostile but it wasn't friendly either.


[System]
* Age: 20
* Gender: Female
* Race: Human
* Appearance: "I'm happy to accept your re-what. What are you doing."
* Personality: Maria is normally a rather friendly individual, who believes deeply in honor and justice for everyone. She takes pride in her skills with a sword, and in general is quick to agree to honorable and noble duels. She is also proud of her heritage, coming from a family of warriors. She wants nothing more then to display her skills and do good for others, and carry out a successful life as a member of the Anthellon family. The problem arises, however, in the situations she runs into. Maria is prone to acting with exasperation and irritation when someone does something she sees as stupid or silly. She considers herself a sensible individual, and those who do not act sensible get on her nerves rather quickly. Beneath her friendly and honorable attitude, Maria has a rather short temper and really can't stand people behaving stupidly. Her friendliness gives way to palm-to-face irritation and angry insults when she gets truly irritated with all of this. Maria is also very easily embarrassed(especially be comments on her figure). Embarrassment can even immobilize her in a fight, no matter what the circumstances are. Well, almost, at least.
* Abilities: Maria is a skilled wielder of the sword, using a one-handed style with no shield. She can switch to two hands in order to increase the power behind her swings, but most commonly only uses one. She is fast on her feet and rarely stops moving in a fight, and can hold her own against a variety of ridiculous foes like this. Her cooking skills can be described as "explosively terrible", a fact she is embarrassed about. She has a very nice singing voice, a fact she is also embarrassed about.
* Notable Equipment, Traits, etc;: Maria has her family sword, made of silversteel. This means it is very light and durable and possesses a powerful cutting edge. She commonly uses light leather armor to avoid slowing herself down in combat.
* History: Maria was born to the Anthellon family. They are nobility with a reputation for raising honorable warriors, and naturally, Maria was no different. She has even set out to prove herself as a member of the Anthellion family, with an air of honor and justice and annoyance at stupid people.
* Other: N/A

[User]
Ah, good, a customer so soon. Always an excellent forecast for the day's profits! Felicia flashed her most charming smile at the young lady gracing her... well, 'shop' may be too generous a word, but regardless, the honest merchant welcomed her happily.
Unfortunately, this customer did not seem happy with one of the items on sale. The girl regarded an artefact with sheer disapproval, and had somehow mistaken it for a lump of charcoal. Sadly, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"I assure you, madam, this is no mere charcoal on a string," Felicia spoke with confidence, lightly gripping the dangling artefact, "granted, the appearance would say otherwise, but I have it on very good authority that this is actually a device used to manipulate time."

Felicia was a firm believer in not doubting the words of all of her business partners. How were you supposed to make any sales if you nitpicked one or two details about the item in question? The finely-dressed seller could accept that such a rare and powerful treasure was unlikely to end up in the possession of a shopless trader... but who would go to the effort of lying about it in the first place?

"From what I have been told, each swing of the Chrono Pendulum advances time by one second," Felicia advised, "as such, it may be wise not to swing it around carelessly. I heard that if the Strand of Time were to break, bad things could happen."

The strand, of course, being the perfectly normal string that was cursed to support the useless charcoal for all eternity.

"Of course, after you buy it, whatever you wish to use it for is entirely not my business!" Felicia chirped, all too ready to make a sale.

[Assistant]
Maria stared blankly at the merchant girl who was trying to pitch what was, once more, literally a lump of coal on a string. As some kind of time manipulating pendulum. That... was not how anything worked. At all. Oh, she could buy that a magical artifact could seem unimpressive, but this was just ridiculous. 'Advancing time by one second'? 'Something bad would happen if the string were to break'? That was one of the most nonsense things she had ever heard. Who even did this? What kind of desperate con artist woke up one morning and thought this was a great plan?

She swung it back and fourth, faster then the seconds past, staring blankly at the tophat-wearing girl. She had a feeling that wasn't going to prove anything, though.

And so, instead of attempting to display how stupid what the girl said was with that method, she carefully took the charcoal, untied the string(it was barely even tied at all, it was like a four-year-old had done it) and laid both pieces of the... 'pendulum' down.

"It's a lump of charcoal and some string. You are trying to sell a lump of charcoal and some string."

[User]
Koji held up his left hand as someone came up next to him out shouted in his face, his attempts to complete the documentation after reading it over temporarily stifled by such a loud noise. With a dramatic stroke to finish his signature, Koji placed the pen and ink to the side before turning to the girl, bringing his right hand in front of his face with a pose as he looked at her. Good, good! Even before he was bound to this place, people were already seeking his aid!

"Haha, so it begins! Very well! I sh-" he began to say before being interrupted by a animal-eared boy around his own age. Okay. Well. That was rude. But more people meant that people were already flocking to him! Yes! Success!

"Ahem. As I was saying, I sh-"

This time, a rather large green-haired man came to interrupt him. Gods damn it all, did these people have NO way of reading the mood? Not that he as complaining about the rather spontaneous formation of the party, but still!

"...Anyways... I s-"

And before he could get the next set of words out his mouth, the young archer was interrupted once more, this time by a woman with horbns who seemed to be trying to steal away the first person to request his help. In front him, no less!

"...Okay. Fine. Guess I'm doing this the hard way. You, who insulted my skill with my weapons: gaze in awe! And you, creature of the night who tries to spirit away those who seek my aid: let this be a warning to you!"

Very clearly irate at this point, Koji stood up and, in one swift motion, pulled out a few small coins and tossed them into the air, high above the (probably demonic) girl trying to pull the one with the squirrel away. Drawing his bows and spinning them theatrically for good measure, Koji shot each of the coins out of the air, the bolts eventually colliding with one another to land headfirst onto the ground right behind the two in question, the coins falling on top of their heads. With a wide smile and his confidence regained, Koji struck a pose and shouted with renewed vigor.

"Sear this moment into your memory, for I have given you ample warning! If you wish to be so rude in front of one such as me, then be sure to have a good reason for doing so!"

While he seemed to be confident as could be, however, Koji was shaking a bit inside. Those last shots were one in a million, and the recoil from the guns made his shots land perfectly like that. Everything ended up going perfectly right, which meant that if he was going to boast again, he'd probably have to try for... A bigger target. Hopefully.

[Assistant]
Allisa was humming a cheerful little tune as she walked along a path. The day had been good so far. She had a nice rabbit seasoned with herbs and other plants for breakfast, and she had completed a kill quest for a troublesome animal that had been killing livestock. Now she was on her way to the Adventurers' Guild to claim her reward. As she walked, she wondered what she would spend her money on. Probably more arrows, to be honest. She felt like she was running low on them. She really wanted to save up for that bow she had been eyeing in one of the weapon shops too.

As Allisa walked up to the entrance to the Adventurers' Guild, she noticed a small shop set up nearby. There was a person wearing a rather impressive outfit, who appeared to be the shopkeeper, and there was already another adventurer checking out the goods. Curious, Allisa walked over to the table to see what was for sale. "What's going on here?" Allisa asked as she examined the wares. The items for sale, however, were... not very appealing to the eye. If Allisa didn't know any better, she'd think that it was just a pile of trash and knick-knacks. The other adventurer was calling it just that as well and was attempting to prove it as well, messing around with a string and a piece of charcoal.

Still, Allisa chose to give the poor shopkeeper the benefit of the doubt. "Now now, let's not be so quick to judge. Maybe there really is some good stuff here, like... uh..." Allisa said as she continued scanning the items for anything of value. Her gaze soon landed upon a knife, and she reached over to pick it up. "Like this knife!" Allisa said, holding it up, then swung it around a couple times. The blade, however, soon separated itself into two pieces, the tip flying off into space. Allisa looked at the now-clearly broken blade, noting the remnants of what looked like honey or tree sap on the inside of the blade to try to make it look like it was never broken. Allisa blinked a few times, still staring silently at the broken knife in her hand.

[User]
Felicia's face was rather neutral as the smaller girl untied the string from the supposed charcoal, betraying no emotion or reaction. Sadly, having her goods damaged like this wasn't a new phenomenon either, and it was never fun trying to recoup the costs. Why did people have to be so destructive in their desire to be right...? It was quite a shame.

Another customer had arrived, and Felicia gave the young woman a welcoming smile, not wishing to put her off with an argument, "Oh nothing big. Please, don't worry yourself!"

At least this customer was a lot more understanding, and understood the value of her goods. She picked out a knife in her small collection, swinging it in the air. Felicia raised a hand cautiously, "ah, careful, that weapon ha-"

Her explanation was cut short by the weapon in question displaying its unique ability. With the broken top half gone from view, the merchant let out a slow, heavy sigh.

"...has the ability of long-range battle capability," Felicia finished, raising the tip of her hat to wipe at her brow, frowning slightly. Well, it had been unintentional in the second customer's case, but she was still two relics down with no pay. How was she supposed to make a living like this?

"I apologise, but I will have to request reparations, due to the damage to my stock," she informed the two women, "up front, preferably, but I can arrange a contract if you need to pay in increments."

[Assistant]
"..."

And one of the knives had snapped in half from being swung around a little. This woman was potentially the worst con artist that Maria had ever heard of. Did she think people who see her outfit and be so struck by how fancy it was that they'd ignore how shoddy all the items she was selling were? It was pretty ridiculous. And now she was demanding reparations for the damaged items, even though Maria could see from here that the knife had been glued back together and that it had broken under barely any stress.

"..."

Maria picked the lump of charcoal and the string back up. Swiftly, recalling just how it had been wrapped, she tied it back around the charcoal in the same loose, haphazard fashion that she had first seen it, complete with a knot that looked like it would come apart at any moment. She sat it back down on the table.

"There. See? Just a lump of charcoal on a string. If it was the... whatever you said it was, it wouldn't be so easily fixed, now would it?"