[System]
Vena's Characters
Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Mura

Appearance: Ethan is 5'10" tall (177.8cm) and weighs around 160 lbs (75kg).

Element Affinity: Air

Magic: Speed magic - Ethan can use his air magic to accelerate himself, also enabling his strikes to come faster.

Gear: A machina sword he… Borrowed from a soldier passing through his town. The sword is moderately sharp, and specifically designed to handle magic being channeled through its blade. Along his trip he happened across a discarded glove as well, a strong, tensile wire wrapped inside a small compartment on the back of it. By pressing a small button on the palm of the glove, Ethan can release the wire and use it to grapple, and coupled with his Air magic he can propel himself to high places, granting him excellent maneuverability.

Brief history: If you want to find the epitome of a slacker, look no further than Ethan Campbell. All throughout his life he has been more interested in daydreaming and wandering about than dedicating himself to anything, much to the chagrin of his family. From an early age on he was spotted frequently just walking around his home town, and sometimes even well beyond the borders of it. Though his wandering made him a headache for his parents and the guards alike, one could not argue the boy had developed an intimate knowledge of the area around him. For this reason, Ethan was to take up becoming a guard as soon as he was of age; on his sixteenth birthday he was to begin his training, yet things would become complicated when members of the Church would arrive in his town.

From the age of five Ethan showed an aptitude for magic, in particular with regards to air magic. Everyone in the town knew the boy to be a Magi, and having only one other among them they were excited to discover him. He never received training for his magic, as the other Magi focused on Earth, but he and the old man were the pride and joy of the otherwise unremarkable town. That blessing would turn into a curse when, years later, the Church would come by on rumors that the town was harboring a Magi in their midst. Everyone knew precisely who they were asking for, but to the residents' surprise only one Magi was being requested. Not wishing to see a young boy be dragged off, the old man handed himself over to the authorities, being dragged off in chains back to a prison.

Ethan didn't know another Magi, and while he couldn't be trained by the old man he had grown to be fond of him, looking up to him almost like a grandfather. When the man was taken away he was devastated, locking himself away for days on end and forgoing his usual wander sprees. Sulking wasn't really his style though, and the longer he sat the more concerned he became for the old man's well-being. Eventually he grew tired of sitting by idly, and resolved to try and do something for a change. Knowing full well he couldn't do much on his own however he left his home, out to search for other Magi to potentially help him in his journey.

---

[User]
"Confound it," Asta muttered as the scene was diffused by the guards rather quickly. Her hand fell still before it could even move to make a cast and she pushed her way back through the crowd to find somewhere else to be. Magi weren't trusted, so she chose not to outwardly utilize her power, choosing to hide in throngs of people when she used making an average event into a more exciting one. Still, she had to find some way to stop the church's power-grab over Magi. Her people would, one tribe at a time, abandon this entire plane of existence. They thought that by leaving it they would be safe from the effects of magic gradually ebbing away... But no, as soon as this world faced such a drastic change, their home plane would almost certainly be next. Either the Church would take it too or the Ydra there would have their own issues with the disappearance of magic. It was all connected and her family and friends just wanted to bury their heads in the sand. Disgusting.

As the crowd dispersed, going back to business as usual, she was able to make it more easily down the street. Was everybody in this town perpetually drunk, or was there a holiday she simply didn't know about? Men everywhere were tottering about and shouting at random people for no reason. It wasn't until she saw a crowd and a few guards chasing after somebody shouting about him being Machina. It was hard to tell, he looked like a normal kid, albeit with some strange equipment to just take out walking. This town was full of drunks and interesting happenstance... All day, it seemed.

She furrowed her brow as she caught sight of an older man sticking his walking cane out and caused the boy to fall straight into somebody in front of him, taking both of them to the ground. She laughed at the comedy of the scene, recognizing the boy and the little girl and her pet by the food stand. They were the ones causing a commotion directly outside the bar. A living Machina, a boy with no sense of direction, and a homeless girl toting a moorcat... Three pretty big misfits all in a pile with the guards converging on them.

[Assistant]
Amuné tagged along after Ethan, still keeping a hand on her cat's back for reassurance. The sight of the market made her eyes grow huge. So many things to buy! Her attention zeroed in on the edibles displayed, and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to better enjoy the smell. And she would be able to eat something. The Ydran man lead her to a stall serving fish, and the girl wasn't the only eager party. Wyth's tailtip curled in anticipation of the flaky meat he was eyeing in a calculating manner, as if figuring out the best way to liberate a morsel or two. The line seemed to take forever, and when Ethan finally made his purchase and extended the fish the girl grabbed them hastily, pulling one free of its stick to hold out to the moorcat as she took a greedy bite of the other. "Mmm..." It was simple fare, but to a starving child it was a taste of heaven. Wyth took his fish daintily, careful not to get Amuné's hand with his teeth, and gave a catty sort of smile, whiskers forward.

His ears swiveled as there was a commotion behind them, and the feline turned his head, before suddenly lunging forward and shoving his girl aside, causing her to drop her meal. "My fish!" she cried, and started to snatch it up again, only to have some strange boy hit Ethan, resulting in both of them landing atop it. Cat and girl looked down at the fallen pair, and tears welled up in Amuné's eyes. Having nothing to eat, and then being given something only to have it taken away was just too much. "Hey!" she cried, emotion getting the best of shyness as she beat her little fists against the newcomer, more in anger than in an actual attempt to harm, and tried to pull him aside. "Get up, get off! That's my fish!"

[User]
There really wasn't any solid reply from Amuné, but Ethan figured the girl didn't mind. Considering both herself and Wyth were not only starving but dirty made it a safe bet they'd like to get cleaned up, and he'd be happy to help with that as well. Gods only know if any tailor around here might have clothing her size, but it was worth a look before he left town. "There's always more where that came from, by the way, just let me know if you want another," he said cheerfully with a smile, "Just don't eat too fast, otherwise you'll get sick." Chuckling as he watched the pair tear into their meals he clasped his hands together, rising to his feet and glancing around to try and find a nearby tailor.

"Stop that boy! Don't let him escape!"

Hm, what was that? Sounded like someone was awfully cross with some kid, wonder what that might be about. Turning his head to look in the direction of the shout Ethan blinked seeing another boy charging towards him, looking back as well at whoever was pursuing him. Gasping when he realized he was right in the stranger's way he held up his hands defensively, trying to wave to get the other's attention. With no luck in that department he braced for getting hit, giving an "oomph" when he was run into and toppled over, landing on his back with the fleeing boy on top of him. Groaning he lifted up his head, peering over the stranger at the four men in suits, not recognizing their attire at all and finding it highly unusual for how far out they were. Did these people come from the city?

"That's enough, you're through Machina!" one of the men snapped, drawing his firearm from his coat and aiming it at the boy, "You know full well rogue elements like yourself can't roam freely, you'll be deactivated and returned back to the factory."

Machina? Who was a machina? They were calling this boy a machina apparently, but there was no way that was possible; machina were machines, he was a living being, anyone with eyes could see that. No machine looked this lifelike, so whoever had given these people the idea he was a machina was pulling a cruel trick. Able to move once the stranger got off of him he sat up, smiling politely as he looked up at the group of men. "Easy now, I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding," Ethan said, raising his hands slowly, "Let's just all calm down here and figure this out. There's no way that this kid can be-" The white-haired boy was cut off when a blade slammed into the ground between his legs, narrowly missing his groin as it broke apart the cobble beneath him. Paling in fright he let out a faint squeak, staring at the blade for a moment before looking up.

"He is a machine, and he is well beyond his parameters by being out here. Don't be fooled by his appearance, he's as much a machine as my sword," the man spoke, frowning as he pulled his blade free and looked down at Ethan, "You'll be charged for aiding him and be brought into the city if you continue to get in our way. Move aside or be prepared to face the consequences."

"He... He's really a machine, huh?" Ethan mumbled, furrowing his brow as he looked over at the stranger again. No way could that be true, he had emotion and looked to be alive, it just couldn't be true; if this boy was a machine then he was special, it would be wrong to just toss him aside and 'deactivate' him like the men had been saying. Biting his lip uncertainly for a moment the Magi let out a sigh, hanging his head and closing his eyes. "Alright... Just give me a second to..." he began, trailing off as he abruptly spun his body around and swung a leg out, managing to catch the man in the leg and trip him, immediately grabbing the other boy's arm and pushing him ahead, "Go, go, go!" Scrambling up to his feet he grabbed Amuné and held her under one of his arms, taking off hastily down the road with Wyth no doubt following suit. With the stranger now tagging along they made a hasty retreat towards the eastern side of town, hoping perhaps escape into the woods nearby. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw the men still ganging, all four looking mighty angry right now.

There wasn't any realistic chance of making it away from those four, they were fast and their group was a bit bogged down, not to mention the men had weapons. Though Ethan knew nothing of this other boy or why he was being chased he couldn't well abandon him to his fate, even if it meant he himself getting in trouble. A noble endeavor sure, but it would be for nothing if they ended up getting caught here. They had barely made it out of the center when the men were closing in, and the road they were entering was narrow and liable to get them trapped. Seeing little other option, though reluctant to do so, Ethan skidded to a halt and turned around, staring at the men bearing down on them. There wasn't any other option, not if they wanted to get out of here. He hadn't cast magic in some time now, and the spell he'd need to stop them was liable to wear him out, yet it was needed.

"Amuné, hang on," Ethan said, turning his body and extending one arm towards the four men. Wind seemed to abruptly shift direction in that instant, moving to their backs and then shifting again as it blew against their fronts, taking on a slight swirling motion eventually with Ethan and Amuné at the epicenter. With his hair and clothes being tossed erratically and eyes glowing a slight golden hue the wind took on visible form, a translucent green mist forming at his hand before shooting forward suddenly, expanding and engulfing each of the four men in its wake. Initially nothing happened as they stopped and braced against the gust, but within seconds each of them was swept off their feet, being thrown every which ways both into walls and other objects. The spell only last a few seconds, but once it was over Ethan dropped to one knee, releasing Amuné as he gasped and began panting, a sheen of sweat on his face.

"Hah... There... No more creeps..." the Magi mumbled, smiling as he wiped at his face with his sleeve, trying to force himself to his feet and staggering slightly, "Sorry for that you guys... Didn't mean to hurt you." That spell had definitely overdone it though, he felt like he'd just run a quarter mile in an instant. Thankfully it had done its job, as each man was now sprawled out in various ways, groaning and barely moving as they were no doubt quite disoriented from all of that. As if there wasn't a big enough scene before now the citizens were borderline panicking, some screams emerging as everyone began to rush away from the scene of the attack. Feeling rather terrible for it Ethan could only watch, his smile fading as he looked down at Amuné again. "Sorry... Couldn't let them catch us," Ethan managed, turning to face the unknown boy as he started stumbling forward, "Come on... We should go, before they get up. I don't have another in me."


[System]
Standing in at 6', Tommy posses a somewhat lanky, athletic build, with lightly tanned skin, pock marked with a few scars from old battles. His jet black hair is short and has noticable waves, but is typically kept out of the way, and he typically keeps his facial hair clean and professional. He has an angular face, with prominent features and cool green eyes. He has the ODST patch tatooed onto his left arm.
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Rank: Corporal
Specialization: Combat Engineer
Callsign: K-Ton

Psychological Analysis:
Relaxed and lazy, yet competent and acceptably professional, Tommy is a confident and efficient ODST trooper. A generally good natured man with strong feelings of camaraderie towards team mates. Prideful and loyal, Tommy is unafraid to break protocol and regulations and regularly does so, but can adhere to strict orders when prodded. Casually boastful of his abilities, Kensington has a can-do attitude towards most tasks, though is typically a relaxed and easy going individual, able to keep calm in most circumstances. His confidence and boastful nature often come off as arrogant or ignorant, but his comrades have generally concluded most of his big talk to be hot air to lighten the mood.

Military Background:
Thomas Kensington, also known as "K-Ton", and occasionally "Kilo", or "Kenzie" by his comrades, was an only child, son to a Captain Kensington and a nurse mother. With a strong military background, Tommy had a fairly rigid childhood, as his parents sent him to military academies for most of his youth, hoping to mold him into the ideal military soldier. As a youth Tommy performed well in school and sports alike, though was often disciplined for disrupting class, fighting and arguing with teachers and students. Nevertheless, Tommy graduated with honors, and upon graduating from high school Tommy forwent a scholarship at the esteemed Reach Military Institute, and joined the UNSC Marine Corps.

Upon graduating from the Marines basic training, Tommy was slotted to a role in with the Combat Engineers, where he worked with machines and equipment, as well as explosives on the frontlines. He served in the Cappadocia Campaign, fighting off insurrectionists attacks on one of the outer colonies, where he distinguished himself by converting Scorpion tank canister shells into am improvised explosive trap to incapacitate a sudden attack by insurrectionist forces on their base. After this campaign, Tommy applied and was recruited into the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

After more extensive training, Tommy was accepted into the ranks of the ODSTs, and assigned to the 21st Shock Troops Battalion. Over the next 4 years, Tommy took place in several campaigns against Insurrectionists, and traveled across dozens of worlds. As a former engineer, Tommy specialized in dealing with mechanical and electronic systems, as well as explosives and ordnance usage. Tommy was right at home with his brothers landing on planets in SOEIVs, but excelled in tactical operations, where his skill as an engineer shone more than his skill as a rifleman.

At the recommendation of his unit leader, Tommy was reassigned to the 42nd Tactical, which focused mainly on Deep Ground Surveillance or Long Range Reconnaissance missions. Tommy has spent a year with the 42nd, as the team's resident tech-monkey and explosives expert.

Loadout:
* M45 Tactical Shotgun with tactical flashlight
* M7s Caseless SMG, with Silencer/flashlight and reflex sight.
* M6C/SOCOM Magnum with suppressor and laser
* Combat Knife
* First Aid Kit
* Flashbang x2
* M9 Frag x2
* C-12 Explosives x2
* Multi-Tool
* Tac-Pad

[User]
"Why not ring a bell, I think you woke half the neighbourhood,"  said Mira, as a sniper she moved with barely making a sound. Luciel' movement was almost the equal of ringing a dinner-bell near her ear - since she had come to enjoy the silence. Well, if she was sent here - might as well make good use of her.

 "See those men below? Near our building, keep an eye on them. And I don't mean shoot them, whenever they make a provocative. Or say, they are lifting their arms to me. Just inform me, when they are moving closer to us or away,"  she stated, before resuming to watching the larger crowd in the streets.

It was liable to get messy real soon, no doubt about it - now it remained to see, who would pull the first trigger - them or the mob.

[Assistant]
C O N R A D " F O U R S " P A T R I C K

"Perimeter alarms just got tripped too- someone's in the building." Fours said nothing when K-Ton made the announcement, waving the group down. With slow, precise movements, Fours slung his shotgun over his shoulder, and pulled out his magnum. The movement was followed only by a silent scraping of metal on metal, and the light click of a safety being toggled.

Fours' eyes tracked Luciel as she sprung into action, ever eager for a fight. Fours admired the shining spirit the girl bore, though he certainly didn't appreciate her lack of finesse. He frowned as she pressed her back to the wall directly adjacent to the door, preparing to attack anyone who would dare come through. His eyes narrowed to a scalpel point, as visions danced through his head. The door splintered open, shrapnel and dust making a cloud in the air that swallowed the rookie, leaving behind a brutalized pulp of gore and wooden shards. Fours shook the image from his head, only for another to shove it's way in. Light penetrated into the room in horizontal columns of dust. Each spread of light opening into the room was punctuate by a loud bang, moving in a quick waving from right to left. As the spray of piercing rounds fired into the room, they found resistance in the body of the rookie, shock from the bullets keeping her suspended on her feet long after life left her glazed eyes. One more vision lurked in the side of his vision, distracting the medic -a massive aberrant blue figure smashed through the wall, an alien form of nightmares, whose massive metallic footfall brought the rookie down with a gut wrenching crunch.

Fours pressed his fingers to his eyes, finally succeeding to erase the unwanted thoughts of brutality from his mind when Berne pried Luciel away from the doorway. As if on cue, a voice chimed up over the comms. "This is Iron. We got several people coming - militia colors and they look armed. Good arms too - within range. Permission to fire?" Fours' eyes widened, marginally, at the comment. He had admired Iron's professionalism for as long as they had worked together, though her constant silence was something unnerving. Hey certainly appreciated the fact that she was wise enough to stray from the line of fire -there were very few occasions he had the need to patch her of any wounds. Yet, her silence was certainly unnerving at times. The knowledge that eyes are constantly watching, placing their ironclad judgement on any and all under their gaze.

"Jason, as much as I'd love to kick-start my fledgling political career with a storied speech, I can't imagine a full-armoured ODST is going to be a paragon of diplomatic virtue! It would be...appropriate for us to split up, we are limited in our resources, but I cannot tolerate any injury to our charges. Fours and I will find the ring-leaders... Your good self, and Kensington over here, will watch the crowd" Fours listened to the plan of the leader, nodding his head as the man spoke. Fours tried his best to not think too hard about orders given by Berne. As a medic, Fours was out of a job if everything went according to plan. Always better he focus on the present, leave planning ahead to the more foolhardy and optimistic. Fours' preparation consisted instead of repeating a mantra in his head of medical procedures, whatever he thought might be useful in the coming shitstorm.

"Knock knock, knock knock. Here come the peacemakers." Thought Fours, staying just a pace behind Berne.

"No more chatter, Fours. It's just you and me, now..." Fours heard some chatter coming from the others as he followed Berne into the staircase, but did not pay any heed. As Berne had so succinctly put it, it was just the two of them. Two walking armories of men, against a raging wave of protestors, their only assurance for survival a pair of sniper rifles and some canisters of gas. Fours shuddered at the thought of something going wrong. Iron could drop a few adversaries at most, and tear gas would do more harm than good, should the ODSTs get overwhelmed. He considered making a statement along those lines to Berne, but remained silent at his orders, simply raising his pistol to head height as he followed closely behind.

[User]
Luciel winced and went stiff as the sniper made a remark on about the noise she had made while settling. Apparently she had not been quiet enough.  "See those men below? Near our building, keep an eye on them. And I don't mean shoot them, whenever they make a provocative. Or say, they are lifting their arms to me. Just inform me, when they are moving closer to us or away," Luciel had quickly set her sights on them, her cold finger whirring softly over the trigger.

"Aye aye," came the short reply as she did her best to remain quiet. The group below didn't change their activity much at all however, and Luciel contemplated what type of role she would be put into in this new group of soldiers she found herself in. In prior missions within the regular Marine forces, her previous commanding officer had placed her on point many times. Looking back on those however, Luciel did realize that her current mission required more tact than she was used to. He probably wants to properly guage me before assigning me to something I could screw up royally. I can't blame him for that.

Her eyes focused on the individuals making up the group of hostiles. They were all armed, that much was for sure. Upon closer inspection to the weapons themselves, Luciel could see they were all Misriah models. "Looks like Charlie vas right, Innies must be manufacturing arms for zemselves. Just give the vord venever you vant me to pop off some of zose smokes, Berne."

[Assistant]
"Some people get all the fun," K-Ton remarked lazily as their Sergeant gave them their new orders, which was to split up their already small team to take the objective. It was a bit unfortunate, K-Ton didn't think Alpha would have any trouble watching the roof on their own- that's what they were already doing before Bravo got set up anyway. But at the same time, they were dug in pretty well here, and there as no point in abandoning a set-up post if they didn't have to. Either way, not that his nap was over, K-Ton was starting to get antsy, it looked like a fight between the protesters and guards would erupt any second now, and K-Ton really didn't like the idea of being caught between them.

"Bravo Team? Do you confirm the deployment of CS gas? Berne?!"

"Corporal Kensington, assuming temporary control of Bravo Rooftop element, our squad leader is dealing with some intruders, recommend hold off on CS for now. No use in riling up these protesters any more than they already are."

"Oh, that felt good." K-Ton sniggered as he turned off his transmitter, so only himself and Stick could hear. "Its always worth it putting Sgt. Rowles in his place."

K-Ton could almost see Alpha team's leader fuming from his rooftop across the street. Alpha wouldn't launch CS without confirmation from Bravo, and vice versa. If only one side of the street fired CS, it'd be a quick guess to find out where the CS came from and then their cover would be blown. If both sides fired CS at the same time, it would force the protesters back down the street from whence they came, allowing the guards to round up any stragglers and break up their groups. The protesters definitely had power in numbers, but they had tech and tactics. Still, K-Ton kept his finger wrapped around the grenade launcher's trigger, and kept it leveled at the streets below. More and more people were pouring in, and the mob was getting increasingly irate. It was like watching water slowly drip into a full glass- it would dome up and fill to past its capacity, but eventually it would pop, and water would start pouring out of the glass and onto the table below, however in this case, the table was pavement, and the water was blood.

---

Up on the roof, where Iron and Luciel watched the armed men below, they could see more arms being handed off by what appeared to be militiamen in plainclothes. More alarmingly, another group of some dozen armed men approached a building across the street- where their resident neighbors, Alpha team had set been set up. The armed men stood around for a bit, trying to look inconspicuous before a few of them entered the building. One of the men across the street gave a thumbs up, to which the group of men below them responded in a similar manner. While most of them held assault rifles, the sharp eye could pick out the glint of DMR scopes in their groups.

---

As Berne and Fours descended down the staircase, they could hear the rapid patter of thick leather feet running across marble floor. The footfalls were rapid enough that they couldn't tell how many pairs of feet were in the building, but there were definitely more than one or two. As Berne and Fours rounded a corner, they came face to face with a protester who simultaneously rounded the opposite corner. The protester froze up, his pistol raised just like the ODSTs, but his grip shaky, and clearly unprofessional. The protester had goggles pressed up to his forehead, and had been wearing a bandanna, but it was around his neck instead of over his face at the moment, his shoddy clothes seemed dirty and somewhat torn but befitting of a ragged guerrilla. He looked no older than 17.


[System]
Kin: Southern.

Magic: It's not really a magic, but Kiyanna is able to tap into a great rage in times of great stress. When Kiyanna rages, her combat ability increases dramatically, though this only lasts a short while and leaves her exhausted.

Age: 24

Appearance: Kiyanna stands at a surprising five feet and five inches. Kiyanna's raven hair is kept cut short and neatly combed. This is typically not seen done by a woman, but her training as a soldier has alienated her from the trials and tribulations of beauty. Kiyanna's skin is surprisingly pale, though she attributes this to proper use of her shield. Kiyanna's body is fairly muscular, though not excessively so. She still holds an overall feminine shape, but it is obvious that she is a soldier from a glance. Kiyanna is usually found wearing her armor, more than anything. She claims that the gear feels better to her than any normal clothing ever has. Kiyanna's armor consists of a metal spartan-type helmet along with a cuirass and greaves. Beneath these greaves Kiyanna wears a pair of tough leather boots, along with a white tunic, skirt and undergarments. A firm belt keeps everything in place around her waist.

Personality: Kiyanna is quite serious, having been put through tough training. She rarely makes jokes, and frequently doesn't understand when a joke is being made. Kiyanna is quick to take action on things, and frequently does things herself when she needs them done. Kiyanna's social skills are fairly mundane, and she frequently doesn't contribute much to a conversation. Kiyanna holds high expectations for the people she asks favors of, as was done to her. Kiyanna was expected to excel, and she expects others to do the same.

Skills: Hoplite training. (Sword, spear, and shield uses.) Javelin throwing. Formation fighting.

Fears: Dishonor. Theft of her armor or belongings. Betrayal.

Likes: Strategy, training, maintaining her weapons and armor.

Equipment: Cuirass, greaves, helmet. (All described in appearance) Large round shield (metal backed by hickory.) Spear, short sword, six javelins.

Biography: Kiyanna was never meant to be born. Her father, himself a soldier, wanted a son to train and to take up his heirlooms. Outcast by her father and with no mother to provide guidance, Kiyanna swore that she would throw her fathers arrogance in her face. She began to train herself however she could. Most of this training was done near a river around their home using large stones she pulled from the mud as weights. At random, a soldier came to the river to bathe himself and discovered Kiyanna. He admired her courage, and gave her training in the techniques that he had been taught. This soldier was one of only three guards that the town had to keep it safe. When reports of a band of bandits reached the town, the guards mobilized towards where they were last seen in order to join a small militia that had formed to stop them. This was a fatal mistake.

A few nights later, a group of four bandits set upon the town, having broken off from the main group. They set homes ablaze and pillaged as they pleased, since all were defenseless before them. Kiyanna knew that she had to do something. Stealing into her fathers treasury, she donned the armor that he had stored there and took up his old weapons. She chased after the bandits, eager to prove herself worthy. She found one of the bandits attempting to kick in the door to what the town knew as the nursery. Dropping her spear, Kiyanna pulled a javelin from the brace at her waist and hurled it. The javelin found it's mark in the bandits shoulder, and Kiyanna quickly followed up with a powerful thrust from her spear into the bandit's lower back. Pulling the javelin free from the bandit's shoulder Kiyanna turned to search for the rest. Kiyanna saw her home in flames, and was horrified at the revelation before her. The other bandits had seen her leaving from her home wearing her fathers armor, and must have assumed it was an armory. Finding nothing inside but her aging father, they had set it aflame. Kiyanna felt tears well to her eyes and a deep scream resonated from her mouth. She felt a rage like nothing before flood her veins, and charged the stunned bandits. She impaled one on her spear, catching his ribcage and shattering it. With the spear caught in the wound, Kiyanna dropped it and slammed the edge of her shield into another bandits face. This shattered his skull, slaying him. Drawing her sword, Kiyanna brought it to bear against the last bandit and cut his arm clean off. He fled into the night, and Kiyanna fell to her knees, exhausted.

After a few moments, she passed out. By the time she woke, it was day. Her home was nothing but ash, and she had no future here. Taking a small pack of supplied, Kiyanna began to roam as a mercenary. Her travels eventually brought her north to the village of Norn. She was treated with suspicion at best, but she knew that work could be found there.

[User]
Kiyanna did not trust the forest as some others did. Her hands gripped her spear and shield tightly as she crouch-walked through the woods, wincing at each crunch her feet made. The signs of passage that she followed were not appealing to her, either. Bears were best left undisturbed unless you bore a large group with you, and wolves were agile and cunning. Something that was bigger than a wolf and yet smaller than a bear was concerning, as it could hold a mix of the natural toughness bears possessed along with the natural agility that a wolf possessed. Such an animal, if it existed, would likely prove a fair match even for a group of soldiers trained as Kiyanna was. It was times like this that Kiyanna missed the few times she had been in a proper phalanx formation. The safety that the wall of shields combined with the offensive power of several spears at the ready was, once experienced, something that you never got used to not having.

Still, such a situation would not prove viable for hunting. When Kiyanna came to the stream, she stood. Grunting slightly as her now stiff knees were brought back into normal motion Kiyanna looked around. She saw nothing to indicate that the creature, whatever it may be, had gone off in any other direction. It merely vanished the moment it touched the water. Giving a sigh at her lack of luck. Kiyanna watched the stream flow by for a few moments. Her mind once again drifted back to thoughts of home as she watched the water gently flow across the rocks. Kiyanna now saw three options before her: Turn back into the woods and attempt to track down another creature, wait here and try to ambush something that came to drink, or attempt to go spear fishing with one of her javelins. With no patience left for tracking and too short of a day to wait, Kiyanna strapped her shield to her back and pulled one of her javelins from it's brace. Kiyanna had seen the technique, though without having done it herself the results would likely prove to be tricky at best.

Crouching once more, Kiyanna began to gently walk along the edge of the stream, looking for any decently sized fish swimming against the current. Though Kiyanna was more cautious this time around than before since the mysterious tracks from earlier had set her on edge. Something that could vanish like that was not a natural occurrence, and was not something that Kiyanna wanted to fight alone. Preferably, she didn't want to fight it at all, but if it came to that Kiyanna would rather have allies that she could count on.

[Assistant]
---

---

Ander cupped four coins into the calloused hands of the barmaid, smiling slightly at her before turning his head towards the two whom had acknowledged his presence;

"Ol' Lutter went out hunting. Suppose to be he's got inter a scrape with a wolf. Worse thing- says aint no weapon ken hit the spirit that rides it."

"Oh, sure. Thinkin' I'm a old fool! But if that spirit wolf wants blood... It'll be from our herds and our lot. A spirit needs blood to hold onto the natural plane."

"So the Shaman says, If yer askin' me I'd say it was just a wolf and Lutter was drunk. A old wolf and a old fool to match."
Throughout the exchange Ander silently sipped his grapejuice, taking into account what both are saying. With how these lands tend to be it's entirely possible that there was a spirit- atleast, something that can make these villagers think so. After it he planted down a few coin on the table for them and clambered up into his room, the wooden boards creaking in tow. He grabbed the sheathe of his weapon and set out to 'find' or atleast explore the woodlands for a bit, it was daybreak and seemed to be the safest to do so and he was slightly curious. People still eyed him but quickly went about their own business, they were indeed getting used to a 'foreigner's presence', well, atleast they seem to tolerate his presence.

After arriving the woods seemed inviting, the birds chirped surreptitiously and the rays shone through the evergreen trees, even being a tad too too peaceful for his tastes. "Well, nothing ventured nothing acquired." he said in his lonesome before stepping foot into the mellowing greenery. It was rich in small animals, plentiful fruits and sturdy trees. It wasn't much of a wonder how the village thrived for a very long time. Even when something felt off he genuinely smiled at the relaxing atmosphere that the forest exuded. It was a nice change of pace that juxtaposed the suspicious stares and general unwelcome vibe given off by most of the villagers.

It wasn't for about twenty minutes till he came across a stream of water. A figure clad in armour was edged along the stream, seemingly looking for fish but cautiously kept an eye on the open woods. That's good, keeping caution would make sure that you wouldn't perish uselessly. The individual let out an aura of a warrior, something Ander was familiar with more than he would like. After a few more moments their eyes met and he let out his natural smile, which looked mischievous no matter what he did. He wanted to let her know that he wasn't a threat, a fight is one of the last things he wanted. She seemed like she wasn't from the North so he kept a slight vigil of wariness.

"Hello~!" he called out, raising his hands in mock-surrender and letting the sheathed weapon on his hip dangle lazily, "What brings a person out here, clad in that much armour?"
@LadyRunic

[User]
Kiyanna felt a growing discomfort as she searched along the stream. It was a twofold feeling, discomfort in the fact that she wasn't finding any sizable fish present to attempt to catch, and discomfort at the feeling that she was not alone in these woods. Her vision lingered more upon the horizon and less upon the river as the feeling of being watched intensified. When her eyes met with the eyes of another wanderer in the woods, it took all of her willpower not to hurl her javelin as a response. Standing again. Kiyanna placed her javelin back in the brace where she held the others. Resting the butt of her spear in the ground, Kiyanna stared at the newcomer for a few moments before she spoke. "I carry it with me because metal is valuable. If I didn't, it would've been stolen by now. I also came to hunt, as the village is less than hospitable. Armor is good, as it will keep you alive if you become the hunted."

Kiyanna shifted her shoulders slightly. To the untrained eye, it was merely a standard motion. However, Kiyanna could feel the straps holding her shield in place on her back loosen slightly, making it easier to bring the shield to bear should this newcomer draw a weapon. It was a subtle motion, not one easily caught without careful attention to detail. The stream was unheeded for now, as Kiyanna had no intent on turning her back to this stranger. Kiyanna could tell that he was not of the northern lands, but it was also obvious to her that he was not of the southern lands either. His golden eyes reminded Kiyanna of the few times she had seen someone of the east, though he lacked their other features. His clothes seemed to be wildly out of place for hunting. The blues and patterns were distinctly out of place against the overall green and brown designs of the forest. The sword that this man carried also reminded Kiyanna of the swords that those of the eastern lands sometimes carried. This also set her on edge, as most people from the north didn't carry swords. Swords were more popular south and east, but Kiyanna hadn't brought one with her.

Was that this mans heritage? Eastern and south? Kiyanna would likely never know, but it was at least a fair assumption to make. Wherever he came from, he looked distinctly out of place. Though, in a sense of irony, so did Kiyanna. Most of the northern people didn't make use of hoplite tactics, and so her armor was distinctly southern in flavor. It was always strange to Kiyanna how everyone was treated differently based upon their origins. A human was a human, were they not? Though none of that really mattered at the moment since this was a meeting between strangers and not a political debate.

This meeting had a strange symmetry with Kiyanna's history, as it was not the first time she had been discovered along a stream by a stranger happening by. However, time would tell if this meeting went the same as the first time it happened. Though Kiyanna steeled herself against the memories of the past, since now was not the time for a nostalgic trip into yesterday. There was a stranger here with unknown motivations and unknown skill in combat. If Kiyanna knew that she could completely dominate him in any form of combat he chose to engage in, she would be more at ease. But she didn't know what this man was capable of, nor what he intended to do. Kiyanna's armor provided her with a degree of reassurance in that regard. She was safer from his sword blows than he was from her spear, shield, or merely bare hands. It was reassuring to know that, even against an opponent of unknown skill, Kiyanna's equipment was superior.

With the question likely to come up eventually, Kiyanna spoke again. "Tell me your name, and I shall tell you my own."

It was a simple question, one to diffuse the tension that the situation had, even if only slightly. It was better than nothing, though this was the time that Kiyanna spent mentally kicking herself over having ignored her social skills in favor of her martial ones. Though perhaps having good martial skills would make up for the lack of social skills. After all, more people respected knights than tax collectors. That held no purpose, however. The here and now was of most importance, and right now Kiyanna wanted to know this man's name.


[System]
Age: 16

Gender: Female

Appearance: Is... something the matter?

Arcana: II Priestess

Personality: Kotori is, by any standard, a quiet girl. She rarely speaks if not spoken to directly - and even when she does, she only does so in a soft voice. She isn't one to put herself forward and, in fact, actually prefers to keep her distance from others, making her a rather timid person. She is, however, rather diligent; always doing her utmost at any given task. Given her weak constitution, she dislikes most physical activities and, in fact, often sits out during P.E. She also seems quite conscious of people's eyes on her and quickly feels uncomfortable when that is the case.

Given these traits, Kotori is not exactly the most sociable person - though that doesn't really seem to bother her. Most of her free time she spends studying or helping her mother around the family flowerstore in the Warakuma Shopping District.

Equipment/Skills:
Weapon - Japanese Umbrella: A bamboo-and-paper umbrella.
Armour - School Uniform: The standard female Warakuma Highschool Uniform.
Accessory - Small Locket: A small heart-shaped pendant worn around the neck; kept in a pocket while at school.
Skills - Does well in her studies. Knows a large number of flowers by name. Quite capable at Flower Arrangement. Is strongly near-sighted. Low stamina.

Background: Kotori is the only child of the Shirohane familiy, who have lived in Warakuma for generations and are known for their flower shop in the Warakuma Shopping District - the shop is on the ground floor while the family home is on the floor above. Unfortunately, Kotori's father - a kind man who was never seen without a smile on his face - passed away in a car accident three years ago, leaving her mother to look after both the store and the child. Fortunately, Kotori was by no means a troublemaker - though after her father's death, she did become a lot more quiet and reserved. Though saddened by her husband's passing, Kotori's mother remains a cheerful person at heart and does her best to keep both the store going and watch over her daughter.

Apart from these things, Kotori's childhood had few other noteable events. She hasn't joined any clubs at Warakuma Highschool or actually made any real friends due to her nature, never being one to draw much attention. Furthermore, she isn't much of an athlete; quickly getting out of breath and has sat out during P.E. a number of times due to this already - though she doesn't feel all too bothered by this.

Persona: Kikuri-Hime

Appearance: Kikuri-Hime

Abilities:
Dia - Light Single-Target HP Recovery
Patra - Cure Single-Target Fear/Rage/Confusion ailment
Zio - Light Single-Target Electricity Damage
Strong against Electricity
Weak against Physical

[User]
Warakuma High School - 20/7/2015 - Monday

As he waited for the strangely shy girl to give her answer, Katsuro couldn't help but notice several people give him odd looks as he waved the money around, but didn't give them a second thought. He still had his scars and the damaged eye, people often stared when they didn't think he was looking. For goodness sake, it was just some burns and a damaged eye, everyone would look like that with a bit of fire involved! That said, where they looking at the money? Did they want to tutor him? Well that would be stupid, he probably got a lot more than they did, even with the...five.

He shuddered slightly as he turned back to Kotori, only to react with shock and then irritation when she began to stutter, then look at the ground as she played with the hem of her skirt. Katsuro noticed all of this, and raised his eyebrow in confusion at the strange mannerisms. Finally, she spoke, stuttering in a way that made it quite difficult for Katsuro to hear her over the noise in the background of the room. From what he could hear, she muttered something about how her score wasn't anything special, and how she didn't really know how to teach someone. At hearing this, Katsuro's eye narrowed ever so slightly.

 "I see..."  he said quietly, a moment of silence passing between the two as the people around them continued to to move around and make a horrible noise. People still had their eyes on them. Hadn't they seen enough? What was so interesting about a boy with an eyepatch waving a pile of yen in someone's face?

 "You may not have tutored before, but i need to know what you did in order to get such a good score! Its hardly going to be difficult. And fine, ill raise my price to 15000. I don't know how much the average tutor makes, but i'm pretty sure that's quite a lot. Is that enough? Please?"  He said in a cheerful voice, completely missing the point of her stuttering and nervousness.

 "I hope she doesn't try and go much higher...i only have 20000 yen with me today."

[Assistant]
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Kotori was still trying to find the right words to somehow convince her classmate that she was the wrong person to put his request forth to - until he spoke up again, more quietly this time. She felt no small measure of relief when he seemed to understand and thus withdraw his question - though she couldn't quite help but feel her guilty conscience creep into her thoughts at not helping someone who was asking something of her. Still, she did prefer this outcome, even if it unfortunately meant that she had to decline her probably dejected classmate's request, as it at least meant that they wouldn't be continuing to undoubtedly draw any more attention to themselves.

Yet just as Kotori was about to thank Katsuro for his understanding and apologise for not being able to help, the boy spoke up once more - with a cheer to his voice that was quite the turn from his previous brief muttering. As it turned out, he hadn't understood what she was trying to say at all - though Kotori couldn't really blame him, considering her attempt at conveying her point hadn't exactly been a shining example of conviction - and instead seemed to be redoubling his effort to get her to somehow teach him when she had no idea how to do so; even going so far as to increase the amount of money he was offering - which only served to further Kotori's embarassment as she was fairly certain, though she daredn't lift her gaze to confirm, that at this point, half the school was either throwing them strange looks or whispering among themselves about the whole scene.

She felt a small pang of guilt when he added a final please to his words - even if his methods seemed a little odd, he still seemed to genuinely want to better himself and was asking her to help him. "N-no, I-, uhm, it's..." she tried, her voice even quieter than usual - only to realise that rather than denying his request, it sounded more like she was answering his question of whether his price was enough. "Ah, ehm, I-I mean i-it's not about that," she quickly added, shaking her head as she did, "A-all I do is, uhm, in class I-I take notes a-and review things at home, s-so, uhm, t-there's really nothing special..." Kotori's ever-growing embarassment and discomfort, which was not exactly hard to see at this point, did not help either the volume of her voice nor the smoothness of her speech in the slightest - in fact, at this point she was already starting to glance around to see if there was perhaps someone else around who might be able to help Katsuro in a way that didn't require her presence or, failing that, just how far exactly they were from the main entrance.

[User]
Warakuma High School - 20/7/2015 - Monday

Katsuro listened to the shy girl talk again, saying that she took notes and reviewed things at home. His eye narrowed again ever so slightly. Was that really all she did? He did that! How did she get any more than him? It didn't make any sense, at least not in his mind at the moment. Quite a lot of people were standing and whispering nearby, and even he could figure out that it was about this conversation.
"One moment."  He said to her, his voice going cold before he turned around.

He didn't say a word, he simply looked at them, his single vivid blue eye staring at them. His scarring was mostly covered by his hair, but even then, him staring at you made a somewhat disconcerting sight. Eventually, some of them shook their heads and moved away. After this, he looked back at Kotori.

 "...i see."  He spoke at last, the ice still in his voice before getting cheery again almost as if with the flick of a switch. Quickly, he stuffed the Yen back into his wallet.  "May i walk with you for a moment then on the way from this place? I am interested to hear more. I'm sure tutoring will not be necessary."  He said once again with a smile on his face. The exam results might still have been stupid, but at least he could hopefully guide her into remembering what she did on the way home. At least that wouldn't involve paying anything.

[Assistant]
School, Morning
20/7/2015 - Monday
@Vulkan@Takaru

While standing out front he reached for his phone to check his messages. It seems Jun was now a part of the team, or had agreed to be. He thinks it's about time they decided on a proper meeting place, besides the abandoned warehouse. A meeting place before the gauntlet, so to speak, where they can meet up freely. Now with school out of the way for the time being, they had ample time to do that.

Speaking of school being out of the way, he heard a familiar voice and another familiar exasperated voice. He turned and saw Katsuro speaking with Kotori, although being as she was, it did not seem a fun experience. He stepped over to enter the conversation,

"Good work on the tests. Scoring so well are you sure you two need to be talking about doing better...?", he questioned, also because summer break was starting. Given they had summer homework too, as they were handed that on the last day of exams, but it was all revision stuff as always.

[User]
Shizuka Otonashi || Warakuma High => Warakuma Park || July 20 MON: Morning

....... Shizuka paused at the number before her name. The noise of students in the background was filtered out and everything else in her sight blurred. 68. It wasn't a failing mark but how could she have been careless in her studies? The whole kidnapping incident a few weeks before might've contributed to her stress but... she knew that wasn't the main cause of her lack of concentration.

With the desire to shake off the depressing mood, the maiden left the exam bulletin board area and wondered what could lighten the mood. The mall... no good, the cosplay cafe... Kenji would bring up the topic of her exam result. Somewhere peaceful.... Hazel eyes lit up at an idea and with that, her feet moved forward out of the gates of Warakuma High.

---

The trees that were once dyed in a pink hue months back were now a vibrant green color. Spring had passed and mid summer was about to begin. Chirp chirp. The weather was pleasant and there was a bird singing atop a tree not too far away. The scenery soothed Shizuka's soul at how peaceful it was. It had been awhile since her last visit at the park, she thought to herself as she walked aimlessly along the path.

The girl's feet stopped. The eyes blocked by her raven hair stared at what laid before her. The wishing fountain. Even if she refused to reminisce that one fateful day, the landmark was too symbolic for the event. 'It was where I first met Harvester-senpai....' The images started flashing in her mind, the fallen clumsy upperclassman, an embarrassing outburst, crimson color of the cherry blossom petals.... A striking pain in her chest caused tears to stream down her eyes.

'If... If miracles do come true, please... grant me just one wish.' A shiny 100 yen coin flips into the air and-- Plop.

[Assistant]
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Following her words, a brief silence fell between the two students - though the same could not be said for everyone around them as such a large number of people in one spot inevitably made for a lot of noise. Still, when Katsuro didn't reply immediately, Kotori began to faintly hope that he finally realised that there really wasn't anything she could do to help him - but that hope vanished just a moment later when he spoke up again; albeit only to excuse himself for a moment. "Eh?" Kotori went, bringing her eyes briefly up from the ground to blink in confusion - focused as she was on her own troubles, she hadn't quite caught the slight shift in tone and was left to wonder exactly what he was doing as he slowly looked around. It was only when the first few of the previously whispering students slowly backed away or started moving that she realised that he wasn't looking for someone but instead seemed to glaring at them, if only with one uncovered eye given his asymmetrical hairstyle.

Kotori couldn't help but feel a slight bit nervous when his focus turned back to her - and the relief at hearing him finally agree that there was nothing for her to do easily outweighed the cold hint in his voice as he stopped practically waving the money around in front of her. But just as she was about to silently sigh - not having noticed that she'd been holding her breath quite a few times - Katsuro spoke up yet again; this time though asking to instead accompany her and to continue talks on the topic as he did and leaving Kotori rather conflicted. On one hand, she was only too glad to get away from the school after what felt like every single student having witnessed the embarassing scene first hand and he even seemed to have given up on the whole tutoring idea - yet he still seemed quite persistent on somehow trying to get something out of her that she didn't know how to give.

In her discomfort, Kotori was more than a little thankful when a familiar voice made itself heard. "Eh?" she went once again as she looked over to see Rui coming closer, praising their test results and questioning the need for any improvements. Though she couldn't quite suppress further embarassment at the words, she was still glad that he was here - as she would have been for anything which might somehow get everyone's attention focused on anything but herself, even as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Ah, th-thank you, Shinichi-san," she said - though she couldn't help but add "Keeping up studies is important, even during breaks. A-at least, I think..." Her voice trailed off toward the end as she realised, a moment too late, that his had been a rhetorical question.

Still, with Rui's timely arrival, she had yet to answer Katsuro's question - which just left her back in the most unfortunate situation of wishing to decline yet having no way to do so without being rude when all he did was ask nicely. That is, until she realised that perhaps there was no need to: "Ah, uhm, m-maybe Sh-Shinichi-san might know a... better way? I-I mean, there's really nothing special about m-me, so... Her quiet voice had an almost apologetic tone to it as, once more, her gaze was fixed firmly on the ground and her fingers were playing along her skirt's hem; her guilty conscience returning almost immediately in full effect when she realised that it was sounding rather much like she was trying to just push Katsuro's problem onto Rui just because she didn't know what to do about it.


[System]
Bring out the big guns and create a realistic character within this unrealistic setting. Make sure you read up on the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat system, and stat your character accordingly. Remember, even though flawed characters are not attractive, they are the most realistic ones!

Template
Name:
Age:
Race:
Sex:
Description:
Notable Belongings:
Backstory:

[User]
"Dragons, yes. However, humans-" Aredis winced when the woman clasped his weak shoulder and then let out a small groan when she toppled over, nearly pulling him down with her. His shoulder ached profusely. Having lost his train of thought, he had meant to finish, yet the lizard had already stalked over to the apparent devout woman. Curiosity, as well as dull pain, tugged at his mind and drew him to follow the man beast and the orc to the woman on the floor. She was obscenely inebriated. It seemed she had plenty to forget and come to terms with, just as he. Another person of faith trying to discover themselves all over again. With a labored and slow movement, he grasped the carved badger head of his staff and would tap the woman's played leg with a gentle tink tink.

"Indeed, our eyes that were opened are now closed, gouged as you said." Aredis replied to her previous comment. "Yet as much as I would discuss such a thing, the world laments. The earth cries out in such abject agony that any of. Us may only guess at." The druid closed his eyes and let out some deep breaths and continued. "I understand that some find comfort in the arms of a maid, or the bottom of a stein. However, that comfort is short lived for reality must return eventually, and you would be none better off upon sobering. I suggest you and the other about this place accept what has happened." Hair had fallen in his face now, and he pushed it aside with a stained finger. He stretched his bare feet against the warm wood and dirt floor. They were were blackened by the elements, calloused from years of wear in the brush. Pulling his hair back behind his head, he removed his hands and it stayed in a makeshift pony tail with no apparent fasten.

The sound within the bar had begun to Mae his head pound. Without waiting for the woman to answer, he would turn brusquely to the lizard man and attempt. To finish his conversation.

"You appear a muddied half breed. That is what is unnatural about you. I love all creatures of this world that come about by the grace of the...former...Earthmother." Perhaps Aredis was indignant, perhaps he was still angry. Either way he was just going out of his head today. He instinctively rubbed the amulet, and shuddered at it feel.

[Assistant]
Vathalyk didn't feel comfortable. For a few days after the event that presumably had been the fall of not only one, but all of the gods, he had hardly noticed anything. Fyr didn't believe in the same gods as humans did -- in fact they didn't truly believe in any god in the conventional sense at all. However his close connection to his human friend had helped him notice the sudden change in behavior much more earlier. While he could only assume that the vast majority of his kind was still oblivious to what had happened, he had already come over the worst part of grief.

The village had turned into a strange place. Normally he would never ever have dared to stroll across any of its muddy roads so openly, but now it seemed as if almost all of the inhabitants were expecting the sky itself to come crushing down on them within the next hours. Well, in a twisted and metaphorical sense, that had actually happened... but in what way was locking onself into one's own small house supposed to help ? Didn't they know that life had to go on somehow until it came to a definite end ? Maybe they'd find out after they had run out of candles, but until then Vathalyk expected to have a lot more of unexpected 'free time' to venture into places he wouldn't have put one of his toes into just a mere were ago.

Currently he was located at the marketplace, in the midst of the bunch of traders that seemed to be much more worried about dumping their half-assed merchandise into the next unwary customer's pocket than about him. An unusual experience to say the least, but once Vathalyk dared to reach out for a promising looking apple a much more familiar reaction finally occurred: His hand, that enormous looking thing with nails resembling claws, was firmly slapped by the apple's current owner. "Don't touch that! You have to buy it!"

Vathalyk raised his head and looked at the fat man. If there was night one could see his ever-glowing eyes gently illuminating the spot he aimed them at, but at this time of the day it was nothing more than a simple stare. "Am I not allowed to inspect anything before buying it ?" He didn't wait for an answer, but instead lowered his head to sniff. Even the merchant could see how unfeasible it was to try and have any impact on those horns with bare hands, so Vathalyk was allowed to do what he wanted and come to a conclusion: "That thing's halfway rotten anyway! Can't you smell it ?" and he grimaced.

The man put his massive palms onto the desk, the latter thing protesting audibly against his overabundance of soft, wobbly girth. Just two words, spoken out with a decent degree of disgust, if not flat-out hate. "Get away!". Vathalyk complied. He wasn't eager to engage into anything right now, even if he could reasonably have. It was rather clear that he would not be able to pick up anything of real value here, even though the few pieces of cloth offered by the neighbouring trader indeed appeared to be in better shape than the worn-out shirt and trousers he was wearing. At least the rope holding the two things together around his waist was quite new!

Vathalyk continued his stroll. There was no real clue in his mind about the village's layout, so his next move was basically a random one. However, intentionally or not, it managed to get him in proximity to the local tavern. And what a mess it was! It seemed that those few who didn't have a home to barricade in or didn't want to go there for other reasons had decided to wash away their worries with... what was it called ? Beer ? Yeah, that probably was the name. He had not drunk that stuff himself before and had no real plan for a first encounter right here and right now, but a large part of him was intrigued by the gathering anyway. Maybe there was another reason to it than drinking as well ?

Not knowing what would await him inside, Vathalyk entered. Or well... he tried the best he could. As he could hear the tips of his horns scratching along the wooden ceiling the desire grew to turn around and get out much faster than he was getting in. Just going backwards however wasn't a real option since it would deteriorate the situation unfolding above his head by snagging. Turning around ? If that damned corridor would have been wider that would have been much more easy to achieve. So he ducked and ventured forth, into the main hall that, to his amazement, seemed to already have attracted other beings than humans and his own as well. What was going on here ?

Vathalyk instantly sought for one of the walls. With his back to it there'd be no chance of anyone coming in from behind -- and he would be able to watch everyone's move in front of him. Also neither the chairs nor the tables looked as if they were a match for his weight, so just leaning back standing appeared to be the best option.

[User]
"Acceptance," She howled outwards, even as the orc lifted her up. Beast! She thought to herself, but her limbs refused to act, to show the creature the might with which she... No longer wielded. "I aught to accept what the world has thrown at I?" She wasn't making proper sense any more, but the words kept coming out, stumbling over one another even as the greenskined... Creature hefted her up and dumped her on her feet. She hissed at it, or at least she thought she did, it probably sounded more like she had almost sneezed. "My senses dulled! My divine gone! I stand here, prostrating myself to mortals for coin! Where aught I go for this acceptance?" She slammed her fist down against the top of the bar, stumbling back and away from the man offering out a job. The sheer force of her fistfall caused the stone to groan at the impact, and she had only just restrained herself from slamming the sharpened end of her axe down again.

She turned to the orc, inebriated to the point where obscenities wouldn't come out of her mouth, and nothing but obscenities. "Your... Mother sounds capable for an orc." She hiccuped unexpectedly, and then groaned. Why did this have to happen? "WHY?!" She spoke again when she intended to keep her mind and mouth closed. Damnations. DAMNATIONS. She managed not to say that one, thankfully.

Then her head whipped about. "The earthmother? One of the forest? Oh a cruel trick the world likes to play! I am of the field. Was of the field? I know not if I am or was or will be. " She reached in to her armour and yanked out her holy symbol, practically shoving it in his face, before turning back to the job-giver, the amulet clinking against her mail. "A job! Yes! A job. That is the one thing I require, a way to escape this inescapable. Lethargy! Yes, that is the word and the world that I inhabit. Lethargy, lethargy lethargy, it sticks to me like a parasite, I wish to strip it, exorcise it out of me in its entirety."

[Assistant]
The dragon was getting a refill on his drink, watching the madness that was the two humans of faith doing their thing, when the nearby ork spoke up. He could forgive orks more than humankind. At least they didn't pretend to know everything, acting like they were the rulers of the world. Orks were down-to-earth warrior-kind, not like these squishy and frail creatures at all. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recalled that it was orks who helped forge the pole-arm on his back. For that, if nothing else, there was at least some credibility to their kind in his eye. Taking a pull of his drink, he explained.

"What? No no no... It was never like that. There was a curse, one from so long ago that even we forgo-"

The human priest interrupted him. The damned priest, thinking he knows the world, when what he understood barely fit in this pint of rum. The scaled warrior put down his tankard at the bar, and stepped forward to stand before the man, dominating his vision now as he was glared upon like he was a field mouse waiting to be chomped. He was close enough that the priest would find the smell of burning on his breath.

"I am not a half-breed and I do not even know if it is even possible to breed with one of you. Any man who would doubt me is a fool as is, but a man of faith who will not believe has much further to fall."

To punctuate the word 'fall', he gave the priest a light shove...which would probably knock him on his ass if it connected. Either way, he would see that this dragon creature was fast and strong, and not one who liked to be trifled with. The slitted eyes narrowed a bit, now.

"Speak to me in such a manner again, and I will show you who is muddled."

With that, he returned to his drink, one of his eyes having momentarily focused on one of the nearby figures. No, not the demon. He saw him holding up the wall and did not so much as flinch. No, it was the other one...with the pointy ears. Impossible... Shouldn't they all be dead? Has the world changed so much now? What else was wrong here?

[User] Orky looks over to the Holy Woman let's puts on somber eyes. He scratches his head and then let's out a sigh. "Ma'am my Mama was a Human, and yes she is a very capable person. But please you seem a little under the weather would you like a seat?" Orky then grabs the closest chair near him and put it near the Holy Woman so she may take a seat. He then turns to the bartender and pulls out a few messily coins out of his pocket. He had got them when some people threw it at him to go away. "Sir may I have a glass of water for the lady?" Orky didnt even know if it was enough gold for some water, he just wanted to help the lady even though she seemed reluctant to his help.

[Assistant]
The bartender, who was a lanky, old man, took a long, hard look at the orc, then glanced at the drunken paladin, who's tab had grown quite large, and then turned around to look for some water. He walked into a room behind the counter, grabbed a mug and dipped it into a barrel of clear liquid. It WAS water, but what good was water anyway? It was dirty most of the time, and people got sick by drinking it. The lanky, old man returned and found the orc still waiting. Fair enough, the coins were also there... A little dirty, but dirty water got you dirty coins.

"Here you go, lad. Have her avoid breaking anything else..." Whined the bartender and placed the mug on the counter, right in front of the green skinned fellow. The old man's long fingers picked up the coins and dropped them in a sack on his belt.

[User]
"Err... Of course, it will cure your lethargy, whatever that is!" Proclaimed Urdal, realizing that he had actually invited the scary drunkard into the forming party. This was not pleasant. The fact that the priest with a limp was bothering one of the patrons at the bar was even less pleasant. Orky was there though, and so far Orky had only helped the half-elf, meaning the green fellow would diffuse the situation if it started growing dire.

 The surprising thing was that Orky was trying to diffuse the situation involving the drunken woman asking for a job as well. What a priceless comrade, to do the work of the leader in his stead! Numenor was still a little lacking in presence though. The half-elf figured he'd let the drunken servant of the god of the Field, whoever that was, know where they were headed.

"You see, miss, we are going north. To find some stuff." He added, figuring this was far more information than the half dead from alcohol poisoning woman could take, and tried to lean against the wall to find some comfort in dealing with the recruitment. While doing this, his eyes spotted a huge, red and black thing with horns grinding against the ceiling. A gasp escaped Urdal's lips as his eyes widened at the sight.

 So there would be more things that happened. A demonic servant of whatever hellish ruler ruled the burning Hells had come to slay all clerics, priests and paladins who had lost their powers... But hadn't the rulers of Hell also died? Were they not also treated as Gods by many humans? Suddenly the fear from the towering thing subsided, and rational thought made its way to Urdal's head once more. Most likely another patron for the tavern. Wanted to get drunk instead of mourning his lost masters!


[System]
Age: 21

Gender: M

Height: 5'10

Weight: 150 lbs

Appearance:

Personality:
Care-free and laid back, Kazuo Sanada is a young man that is the epitome of the 'average', twenty-something year old male living on his own in the sprawling, technologic metropolis that is Tokyo. Usually an optimist with a charming and crooked smile, he's quite approachable and friendly when it comes to meeting strangers. To those he's already friends with, one can express him as 'casual' ; he's quite calm and light. To him, just sitting and chatting at a local cafe or with an open pack of beer indoors would be the ideal way to 'kick back' with his buddies. He is soft spoken, though quite stubborn and standoffish when upset. He's no push-over, but he is understanding and practical.

Despite his warm and laxed demeanor, however, Kazuo is very much a capable Chaser. Behind gentle eyes and his thin frame, he's a monstrosity who holds no ounce of mercy to the youkai that he strikes down. Though he may not be as physically capable as some of his 'colleagues', this is counteracted by the fearsome power granted to him by the Crimson Sky.

Skills and Powers:
"Crimson Fragment" - a very peculiar name chosen by Kazuo for a very peculiar power. It takes the form of a dense, scarlet spherical mass of unadulterated energy that is boundlessly above anything that this Earth could have ever created, natural or man made. It is highly unstable and could potentially be catastrophic to both himself and his allies, as it's two principal properties are that of corrosion and explosion.

In it's 'dormant' form, it is a small sphere that levitates around him. It is capable of homing onto targets at high-velocities when willed by Kazuo. With that being said, Crimson Fragment is a power that Kazuo can manipulate at will, so long as his mental capacity is sturdy enough to maintain the precision and concentration it takes to use it. This is the true 'form' of his power, as it allows him to be infinitely diverse in combat - he can configure the Fragment to any shape, size, or density he wishes.

Noticeable forms and effects of Crimson Fragment:

- Flattens and widens out to become a strong shield.
- Elongates and narrows to become a throw-able spear.
- Tendrils of energy can erupt from the 'dormant' Fragment, which can lash out at enemies.
- Sudden release of his 'hold' on the sphere, which causes it to become unstable and explode.
- Expands into a large, dense ball almost as big as he, which he propels and circulate around him ; eats up anything it touches.

This power, of course, is limited to his physical and mental capacity, i.e. he cannot expand the ball to be any bigger than himself, as that is the size that strains him the most. The Fragment also exhausts him with each of it's transformation, so his endurance in a battle is severely compromised the longer it plays out.

Because of the nature of his power paired with his lower athleticism, he is considered to be more of a 'burst' fighter. This essentially means that his potential truly shines as a devastating and powerful Chaser at the start of a battle, but becomes greatly hindered if he cannot finish the job in time.

Bio:
Currently finishing up his degree in accounting, a career path that he had just randomly decided on during his final months of secondary school, Kazuo is casually enjoying his youth by maintaining an acceptable grade in school, as well as idling day by day by taking walks to his local bookstores in hopes of catching up with his favorite manga series, going to his favorite cafes for a sip of coffee with friends and acquaintances, or just cozying up at his townhouse to play video games. He is currently a part-timer at the bookstore he frequents, trying to slowly ween his way out of his parent's financial help with living on his own (for which he is genuinely greatful for).

Kevin believed that it was genuinely an accident that he became a Chaser, and that fate had played a cruel prank on him. If he had not decided to stay back for that one minute it took him to read the back of a new novel that caught his eye on the way out of the book store, he would have not missed the ride on the subway. If he had not missed his ride on the subway, he wouldn't have been forced to walk home. If hadn't been forced to walk home, then he could have avoided the youkai that forever changed his life.

It was in a dark alleyway that Kazuo laid sprawling, blood seeping from his gut. His body was bruised and cut to shreds, and leaning over him was a monstrosity that he had never seen before. As he laid there on the ground, eyes open but the light slowly fading as he gradually began to die, he thought to himself that he shouldn't have taken that shortcut thru the dark and suspicious alleyway. If he could, he would've laughed to himself for being so stupid.

But though life had decided to punish him for whatever reason, it was not ready for him to die just yet. For as Kazuo laid there, ready to have his body further ripped apart as the life burned away, the sky above him turned a deep crimson, as if his own blood had spilled enough to seep into the clouds themselves. His eyes strained as they involuntarily twisted to look up, his body suddenly convulsing. Heat seeped back into his limbs, and although the pain was beyond belief, a gush of sweet air exploded back into his lungs.

His spastic body made the youkai hesitate for a split second, but that opening was just enough. Kazuo leapt to his feet, blood gushing from his wounds but stood with such a sturdy stance as if his injuries was nothing more than a small bug bite. He struck his hand forward and the air in front of him warped with such intensity that it seemed to have ripped a piece of reality apart as a ball of crimson energy materialized and shot out. It blasted through the demon like paper, before lodging itself against the cement wall of an abandoning building before detonating. The explosion was big enough to annihilate the small block into nothing. And it wasn't like a burning combustion either ; it was as if everything seemed to have been disintegrated into nothing.

Within minutes, the police and firefighters came to investigate, but there was no trace of the monstrosity, or Kazuo.

A few years later, the young man is still living his life as if nothing had ever happened. Only difference now is that he is a capable youkai killer, and is an adept member of the mysterious and deadly Chasers. Oh, and he has developed quite an appreciation for cosplay.

Equipment: N/A

Other: He loves sweets.

[User]
Yamato smiled at Shiina's kind words, and winked. "Ever so gracious, as expected of you." After that, he turned around to look at Ikkime, who spoke to him. Ikkime was also one of the employees at the cafe whose company Yamato enjoyed, and while she wasn't quite as exciting as Shiina, nonetheless he couldn't help but smile at her snarky words.
"My sweet Ikkime, your tongue bites like the venom of a midgardsorm. Why would I command you to bow before me when I have not yet conquered this mortal world, and formed the Ikusaba Empire? Truly such a feat requires time, even from one such as I. But once made reality it will last for a thousand years, possibly even more should I attain the secret of immortality. Then you may kneel before me."
He paused for a moment to take out his pouch, and sprinkled some seeds on a nearby table while he took the tea offered to him. His hamsters clambered out of his scarf, down his arm, and to the table to eat. "But I have to say, you also look lovely today, especially in that captivating attire of yours. French fashion suits your cute nature."

Yamato was then greeted by Kazuo, another Chaser who also appreciates the beauty of the cafe's attendants. He gave out an evil laugh in response to his joke. "HA HA HAAH! You amuse me, Scarlet Sorcerer. Why yes, my recent endeavors have gone magnificently, for I have slain the Lernaean Hydra and tamed the demonic Rakshasa as but a few examples of my deeds. I assume you have also been victorious in your crusades against my competitors in the Underworld? They are but mere hindrances in my quest for dominance over Earth of course, but demon nobles are never to be taken lightly."

Ayato, another Chaser Yamato knew, also appeared, and Yamato greeted him with the same haughtiness as before. "Greetings to you, Revenant of the Silent Shadow. I see you have also answered the Horn of Gathering."
He then turned around to Eos, who somehow escaped his gaze until now. She directly competed with Shiina for being his favorite employee at the cafe. "I will have a serving of cortado, thank you. I would also like to add that you are absolutely charming as always, my elegant Eos."
Others also arrived at the cafe, but they were either unknown to him, or didn't hold his interest. Instead, he directed his attention towards Shiina's speech. It was interrupted, however, when a stranger appeared, and he saw Shiina throw a knife with the power of his Evil Eye.

Yamato added to Shiina's words at the stranger: "We are currently conducting business not fit for unworthy ears. Leave this place, or be prepared to fight." He had his hamsters line up on his outstretched arm.

[Assistant]
Ikkime chuckled at Yamato "Ah but of course, a very long time indeed" she rolled her eyes at his comments and bit and dipped her head "As distasteful as compliments are, thank you Oh great overlord, I might not have to kill you...yet, but those wondering eyes of yours better stick to wondering..." her eyes glowing purple at the end of her statement before they returned to their normal purple hue. She watched Sanada come in and take a cup of tea, complimenting her as well "Oh the everlasting charm does not end today, it was nice to see you Master Sanada, as pleasant as always" she joked and gave a curt smile before taking another sip of her tea.

Not to long after Ayato appeared as well and she gave a slight head nod to him "Welcome back Master Ayato, though I do wish you would come back when it's not a job calling you here" she teased a little and smiled small before looking at Eos. Frowning slightly "Oh sorry Eos, I hadn't even seen you, I deeply apologize for my rudeness" in truth she really hadn't seen her. To her, her Co-Workers were truly her good friends and not even acknowledging one of them was rude to her. Soon after Kazuo also entered "Good evening Master Kazuo, nice to see more familiar faces" she winked at him and turned her attention to the two strangers talking about the job. She nodded and listened watching peoples reactions slightly.

Not to shortly however, Shiina threw a knife at the door and Ikkime sighed. Watching Yamato even say something she stood up and walked towards the knife before others could start sending threats "WAIT! Now, Boss the doorway didn't do anything to you, no need to throw a knife towards it" taking it out of the door, she used her aura tail to move it back and looked at the kid and back to them "It's a bit of an odd time to come to a Cosplay Cafe, at least we typically never get customers this late. Not only that, you did use the Chaser calling system, maybe we have a new face in town?" she looked back and him and lowered her voice and spoke quickly.

"If you value your life and body parts, I would speak up, or i'm going to have to clean you up from the floor" she looked at him with her glowing purple eyes. The whole reason she was sticking up for the kid was...well stated, she didn't want to clean up blood. As much fun as it seemed, it wasn't. Nor would the mess of a fight be any more fun to clean up either, better to be a peace keeper then to be someone who stays quiet. "What's your name?" she looked at him and moved to the side so everyone could see him.

[User]
The noise of chatter fitted the atmosphere of the Dengeki fairly well, but Kazuo knew that things will turn somber really quick. After all, they were called here for a reason. Usually the Chasers don't congregate in one place too much ; they each have their own obligations and are quite dangerous enough by themselves. For the most part he have noticed them usually working solo, including himself, but that is not to say that working in pairs or groups are uncommon. In fact, the strongest armies of demons have been slayed many times before by just a mere group of capable Chasers. So as they all conversed with one another and as Kazuo took another sip of his tea, he kept in mind of the tension rising in the air.

Kazuo laughed as Ikkime jokingly dismissed his compliment, raising his tea cup at her as if saying 'thanks for the delicious tea!'. Turning to Yamato, the young man tilted his head and raised his eyebrows inquisitively. "Wow, those are great monstrosities to have been slain by your mighty hand indeed." Of course, Kazuo believed every single word the Beastmaster said. Even though he may not comprehend half the things Yamato says, Kazuo does not doubt that he is a very capable Chaser. His Four Devas were devastatingly powerful. Whatever a 'Rakshasa' was, Kazuo can guarantee that it was a formidable youkai. "As for myself, I'm actually getting my ass kicked by a beast made of papers," he grinned, referring to his final exams. "Can you imagine?" Kazuo laughed to himself as he took a sip from his cup.

Not a moment later, the gracious door of the cafe once again opened to another comer. This time, it was Yuuma, and Kazuo gave a small salute using his index and middle finger as his friend walked up, still drinking from his tea with his other hand. "Hey there, Mr. Hero." Kazuo teased from behind his cup. After taking several sips, he placed the cup gently on the counter with a satisfied sigh and gave a quirky half-smile. "I hope you've been studying as much as you've been cracking the skulls of those monsters out there." The two went to the same university together, and Kazuo felt like it was his obligation to at least get his friend to graduate with a passing grade.

But before he could joke any further, a dull thud could be heard from the impact of the throwing knife which obviously came from Shiina. Kazuo swirled his head slowly towards the commotion, eyebrows perked and sharp, brown eyes twinkling with a boyish curiosity at the newcomer.


[System]
UserName: Demonic Angel
Age: 21. The reason for coming to the college is that she's searching for answers to what is happening to her.

Mageblood type: Hydromancy

Favoured Magic Class: Aqua

Previous Magic training: Novice

Race: Vampire

Appearance:

The young woman is 5'9" tall in height. On her upper half of her body she wears a wooden wolf around her neck which is brought out from her pale skin. Three swords are strapped upon the girl's waist. On her right arm there is a tattoo of a thorn vine, the family crest, that stops just at the bottom of the wrist. The vampire's normal eye color is red but it will switch depending upon her mood or even the topic in which a person wants to know. As an extra she carries around a hunk of wood and a carving knife for something to do.

Short Bio: Keri Wolf's childhood was normal and fair. She was the youngest of three siblings all of which was adopted. Keri was the only girl in the family so she was somewhat spoiled by their mother. She grew up with best friend Satori in Djarkel during her childhood so she has experience with her oddness. Growing up she was taught by her father on how to defend herself a little bit with a carving knife when she wasn't helping her family's wood carving.

Keri's older brother's were what their mother claimed to be troublemakers. The children all were close to age, a year apart, in fact. They would each take turns going to catch something small to frighten each other to their hearts content. Close as they were as children was soon adults with different attentions on hand. Her oldest was married to a woman just a few days younger, with his first child on the way still being part of the family business. Keri's second oldest was engaged to a woman with a per started family. Her second eldest decided on a clergy life when the attack happened.

Keri was easy going as a teenager but was in trouble a lot since she hung around Satori. Not much happened throughout her teen years which are mainly faded from her memories except for one event. On her 21 birthday her family was slaughtered by a nest of vampires. On instinct she fought back not knowing how dangerous her attacker was. Keri never knew, she was bitten on the her right hand, by a vampire until a constant headache to sunlight for the morning hours of the days. In a panic she headed to her long lost friend's last know location, which helped her begin the journey to discovering her powers. As the thirst floods her mind Keri is often found carving at the wood in her pocket as well as applying other attributes to keep the sharp.

Good Attributes: easy going, observant, helps those who are in trouble, soft hearted, kind, mostly cool headed, great of getting out of sticky situations, tries to avoid violence, good with different people, loves animals

Bad Attributes: sunlight, hatred against any vampire outside the college walls, keeps feelings in check, which let out the outcome is dangerous, for whoever is in her way, cruel manner of speaking, thirst for revenge

Secret Word: rebirth

Stealth Ring

Knight's Shield
]

~Luna had found these last night so all credit goes to her.~

*The Rose is engraved, as well as smaller with no thorns, this one was her mother's sword. The last one was her brother's which is used for decoration rather than fighting. The sword that shares the picture with the Rose one was her father's and the decorations on it is engraved as well for Blood.

[User]
Ssarak Dyreackthanose - Catacombs

---

Towards Grey, Ssarak shook his head. "Not specifically, unfortunately. I tried to stop it, but that shapeshifter could transform far faster than even Lidda. It would have to be beyond the skill of even a master to accomplish such a feat. With the presence of that...demon blocking that path, the rodent it transformed into would had to have scurried past Tyrael. It would have to be down that pathway, but with the range of forms it seems to be able to take on, it would be difficult to catch even if we could find it. But, you are correct that it had an extreme fixation on you. I could read into its mind during the fight, and I could tell that it was almost obsessed with you, as if you had history with it."

Ssarak was keeping his blade at the ready, though at this point, it was more just to be ready for any unexpected threats than to defend against Tyrael. "Regardless, I would suggest we wait near the entrance of the catacombs. I expect that Khan will be here shortly. We can inform him that the fighting has ended, and ask him about the Naga. I can remain to help stand guard, in the event the shapeshifter arrives again."

Meanwhile, Ssarak continued to attempt to give the Naga reassurance with telepathic messages. "I would not be afraid of Khan. Unlike Tyrael, he is not a fallen demonmancer, and as our headmaster, is far more rational. I do not expect you will be detained. Actually, I would expect him to give you aid, once the situation with Tyrael has been concluded. As long as you abide by the rules of the college, of course. We need only keep Tyrael from becoming violent until he arrives."

[Assistant]
☆ Helena ☆
Lyn's Hunt
It took a long moment for her to feel the teeth in her arm. She had been elated that she'd managed to have found the cosh in the first place. She had hoped that she would, she thought that she could, but it was still a surprise that she had actually managed to do it. Even if she'd missed where she thought she might, she had sunk the knife into flesh.

So when the jaws closed around her arm, and she realized it, she yelped loudly. Her first reaction was to pull her arm back, but as she did she felt her flesh starting to tear. Hot blood started to run down her arm and she felt a hint of panic start to rise up in her chest. This was not going well at all. She had lost the tight grip she'd had on the handle of the knife when she'd finally felt the pain, so now she took it back, even as the cosh's jaws clamped down more. Teeth went into muscle more as the seconds ticked by. If she didn't do something soon, she likely wouldn't be able to do anything.

The cosh was starting to push her back, push her over to the ground, but she wouldn't be pushed down so easily. She shoved back as best she could, but the forest floor was not the best for getting a grip with her boots and she struggled to find purchase for a moment, but that seemed to be all the beast needed and Helena felt herself beginning to lose her footing as the cosh began to clamp down more and shake her head. Through gritted teeth and another yelp of pain she twisted the blade that she had finally gotten a better grip on, hoping and praying that that would be enough to free her arm.

[User]
Keri Wolf Lyn's Hunt

The vampire thought it would work. The original plan was so simple, use the Cosh to attack the assassin. Yet the masked man didn't seem to be worried. He didn't move to block or move. The man had just moved to attack. Keri heard the tearing of clothes, followed by a clang making the weapon bouncing back, which was when she had rolled. The knives had scratched her enough to leave a shallow red furrows on her shoulder in her escape.

At the end of the roll was when the Cosh reappeared. The girl was about to react just before the bugger grasped her boot with its mouth. This made Keri unable to move away as he jerked his head. She was propelled into a tree a few feet away. Nothing seemed break as the girl slammed horizontally into the tree. She tried scrambled to her feet only to let out a pained cry. There was something wrong. The pain of movement was lingering stabs as she moved unlike the experience with the broken bones.

Keri gritted her teeth as she forced herself up. If anyone was paying attention they could clearly see tears forming in her eyes. The girl leaned onto the tree for support as she cursed. She noticed it was the bigger one from before. The vampire held a breath, hopping to help muffled the scream, as she ran towards the Cosh's left side. The slash was towards the head as Keri positioned herself sideways for an easier block afterwards. If the Cosh didn't attack or block the girl during the attack then there would be another wound to piss it off.