[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Race: Arachne, jumping spider subset

Appearance:

Her spider half is that of a jumping spider with white coloring, and yellow dots on the back half. Her hair conceals her other sets of eyes higher up on her forehead. Height wise, she reaches up to about 5'2"(157cm) with a leg span of almost twice that fully stretched out.

Personality: Aloof and silent, both traits nurtured by her profession, though that did not mean she was unfriendly, just averse to much talking. After all, she lived in a library, where a wealth of knowledge could be found. Why speak when you can read and gain more knowledge? Most of her expressions and traits seemed muted, toned down leading to the impression of a demure librarian doing her duty, and image belied by her secret affinity for the more... raunchier of writings. She's helpful when she needs to, mindful of what people need, but if asked about her hobby, she will deny it vehemently.

Biography: The library was all she had ever known. The Great Arachne Library of Eros, that's what they called it. A library containing great knowledge, with some books in languages so old only the greatest of wizards ever asked for them. She was not the only one there of course, for it contained a whole lot of her brethren, hence the Arachne in the title. Books were exchanged, some were gained, a few were lost, but always the library remained the same to her. It was not unpleasant, for Evfimiia's liked the predictable pace of it all. Wizards and adventurers came in from time to time, bearing news of war outside the isolated mountain they were in. Some books were lost in those wars as well. Hence, there was no reason why she would go out wandering again, not when most people balked at her looks alone.

But, that very same predictable pace made her extremely curious when one day she had this feeling that made all her hair bristle. That strange feeling whenever she looked towards an aisle, one that had been there ever since she could remember. A normal aisle full of books on either side, yet suddenly so alien. Curiosity took over her and she stepped towards it, trying to shake off that feeling.

The feeling that she should flee immediately.

Class: Great Moving Library. The mark on her hand is a simple < rune.

Gift: Evfimiia's gift was the ability to record and document anything she could observe and perceive onto a book, or if she doesn't have any empty one, a scroll will manifest with the information recorded. This will not give circumstantial information like their past experiences for sentients, or their thoughts, but simply a record of what they are and their properties. This also gives her the ability to manipulate information(ie the letters and words) on a book or scroll. A very important ability so one book does not get cluttered up with various information with no apparent groupings, giving her the ability to classify them into different books should she wish to.

Natural Powers: Being a jumping spider, she naturally has the ability to jump really really good, from about 10 to 50 times her own body height, depending on the conditions of that jump. Fast in general, especially over level ground. Being a spider also gives her the ability to generate threads of silk she can hang on to like a rope. Hard chitinous exoskeleton covers her lower half, acting as a sort of natural armor. Does have venom in her fangs, though it is not extremely poisonous, it does cause some pain, though smaller creatures may find it deadlier to them.

Talents: Speedreading, great memory, well educated, able to write fast and precisely with good handwriting without blotting the ink with the quill, great manual dexterity with her hands, actually cooking, washing, and maintaining a book. To a lesser extent, hunting since that was something ingrained into her instincts, though she might balk at having to bite dirty unwashed animals.

Weaknesses: She can stand heat, but she's more susceptible to cold than most creatures. While her bottom half was tough, her upper more human part was still fleshy and easy to hack. While she can produce silk, being a jumping spider means she wasn't actually proficient at weaving anything with them. Has absolutely no real combat skill, preferring to flee instead of fight if she can. Has this curious impulse to stand on anything tall and flat at the top.

Other:

[User]
Aleksander Slavik

---

Aleksander made no movement for the scrolls as several others did. He feared not what secrets some scrap of paper would reveal. His generally grumpy mood, however, perked up a bit when they headed back into the cavern. Any encounter in there would be better than standing around when he is so eager to leave. The next room held another field similar to the first, but lined with several walls and structures. Out of an interior room came several inorganic entities, hostile as told by the recording. Aleksander was happy to find another fight so soon, for what is a soldier without an enemy to kill?

Stepping back for a moment behind cover to consider his tactical options, he saw some of the others charge headfirst into combat foolishly but at least seemed capable of staying alive. The mage appeared to be capable of taking the brunt of the attacks with some kind of barrier, but Aleksander reasoned the strength of it would soon wane so he opted to take care of the two attempting to bash the barrier down.

Deciding on an angle that looked good, he briefly fired a burst of flames that arched over his cover, over the barrier and wrapped around the machines. While titanium has a far higher melting point than flesh, not even it could withstand the intense heat generated by Aleksander's Liquid-Tiberium flamethrower. The machines would need to choose whether to continue their assault and perish or retreat and douse the flames.

[Assistant]
Evfimiia Serdiatnitskiia

---

Having had no real ability to actually fight anything, much less these things throwing deadly bolts everywhere, Miia scrambled to the small building Rafael cleared. There was no way she was about to jump in whatever was happening right now; all she could do was give them information on things.

Several sharp snaps of those bolts came again, causing her to flinch, even if she was relatively safe inside the building.With the flow of battle being solely decided by those combat experienced people, she started to rummage around the boxes in the room. With neat precision, she pulled out a few unknown items, arranging them neatly on the ground before realizing they would be better off in the box if they win.

She pulled out an object that had the shape of a fehu rune. From its semblance to the rune, she surmised that it might be a charm for wealth or fortune. It had a strange shape for a rune, with a sort of a ring and a protuberance poking out inside the ring. Its body was a steely black, with a strange hole in one end of it's branch. As her hand glowed again, popping out another scroll from thin air, she held it gingerly in one hand before pulling on the small stick inside the ring.

[User]
The stripped robot saw It's target attempt to grab it's weapon, and unlike the first robot that had been too slow, they were just fast enough now to barely avoid such attacks. It leaped upwards nearly hitting the ceiling and fired a a ball of green plasma, aiming to hit past Rafael's shield. As it came coming down it attempted to send an axe kick to his head as well.

The MKIII that had been shot by Mable could do nothing to stop it's arm from being severed by Sieve. In a split second the robot decided that it was more of a burden than an asset and in a swift motion it drove it's remaining hand into it's face, destroying it's self. Once again the remaining robots had a jolt go through their glass faces.

Meanwhile the robot bashing on Illia's barrier was joined by another, apparently finding her ability particularly troubling. It was then that Aleksander sent a wave of smoldering fire over them. At first they did not react, believing that the fire could not reach a high enough temperature to damage them. However their sensors quickly told them they were in danger, and they decided to move. But right as they were about to jump back the left side of the shack tore open. In less than a blink of an eye and with the crack of the sound barrier being broken they were torn in half. Past them a wall had a hole torn through it, and pass that a smoking hole was formed in the wall, which somehow sealed it's self shut.

The object Miia had found was a handheld weapon, a railgun to be exact. It's trigger had locked into place as a red light blinked on the tip of it's barrel, rending it unable to be fired at the moment.

At the same time, the robot besides the one attacking Rafael seemed to vanish only to then appear right in front on Mable. The Valiant was far too awestruck by what had just happened to react to the now ridiculous speeds it was moving at. A metallic kick was sent into her gut, sending her smashing into the wall by the entrance. Nothing was broken, but she was dazed and clearly no longer in any condition to move on her own.

[Assistant]
Rafael

Rafael hadn't expected to just wipe the floor with the robots like they had the linebackers. But when the robot went airborne he couldn't help but laugh. It shot at him, which was blocked by a shift of the shield arm the hissed and popped under the heat. When it tried to strike him however he leaned away and grabbed its foot with his whip-like hand. When one was in the air, without thrusters, you couldn't dodge or go anywhere. You're at your opponents mercy at that point.

Unluckily for the robot, Rafael had no mercy. With the vice-like grip on its leg Rafael started slamming the robot repeatedly into the ground. Actually making the stone floor to crack with each blow as the armored plating of the robot dented and cracked. Shifting a bit he drove the robots back against the corner of the 'shed' he had first went into. Making the metallic beings back bend in the wrong direction. The shield arm reverted to normal briefly during all this pummeling before turning into a wicked looking blade.

A flip of his wrist his transformed arm lashed out and cleaved the robots legs off. When it landed the blade was there cutting off one of the arms, leaving the robot with a single arm. Even with the boosts from the other dead bots it probably wouldn't have the speed to avoid that last limb being removed. A kick and the wiggling torso and head were moved out of sight as the mutant turned his attention to the group. He got to see Mable fly into the wall from a kick of the last functional robot. "Ah hell..." He muttered before moving in to help with the final one.

[User]
Illia Anastasia

---

As Illia stood inside her barrier, weathering the attacks the robots were firing at her, she heard the shouting of Evfimilia, saying that the robots would get stronger if their brethrens were taken on.

Great, as if they weren't troublesome enough already. She supposed the most efficient way would be to defeat them all at the same time, but that plan flew out of the window when Rafael defeated one of them. He did have the idea of ripping off their limbs first however, which Steve immediately did with his wind powers. However, the robot decided to commit suicide afterwards, rendering the whole thing moot.

Clever automatons, they are...

Illia then was rescued by the arrival of Aleksander, who burned the robots firing at her. At first, she thought his fire wouldn't be hot enough, but apparently, that wasn't the case as the robots decided to retreat. But before they could, something suddenly hit them so hard that they were torn in half by the impact. Illia looked to where the attack came from and saw Mila holding some sort of weapon in her hand. She must have been the one to do that, she thought.

That attack... I don't think I could stop it with my barrier... that weapon was dangerous indeed...

Soon after however, Mila was attacked by another robot who suddenly appeared before her, knocking her down to the ground. Illia could tell that it had gained considerable boost in power and speed. She looked at the weapon Mila was holding, now free on the ground as well. She had to use that.

Quickly, she used her power to snatch the weapon away from the robot. The gun now floated in front of her. She aimed it at where the robot was. However, she couldn't pull the trigger. Forcing it seemed like a bad idea as it might break the weapon. She wondered if it needed to recover from the previous attack, seeing the red light on the tip of its barrel.

For now, she would keep it safe with her, inside her barrier.

Light

[Assistant]
She just about jumped out of her skin when the machine fired off a slug, melting a large hole in the building as well as tearing two of the automatons into pieces. Some sort of weapon, with a red light that now appeared on it. Reading through the scroll that materialized told her it was a rail gun, small enough that it was about twice the span of her hand, but with enough power to tear that hole open.

Not understanding how some railings came into play with the weapon, she decided to leave such thoughts for the wizards and sorcerers, leaving the building quickly in case any of them was angry enough to burst in there and attack her for killing their comrades. Shoving the gun into a pocket, she exited the building just in time to see Mable being knocked away. With no idea of how many of the automatons still remained, she did the only thing a non combatant like her could do in this sort of situation.

Evfimiia pounced on Mable with a powerful jump, scooping her up onto her arms, before jumping back into safety, where she promptly cocooned Mable in silk before realizing she was about to try and eat her out of sheer instincts. Miia froze there for a moment, unsure of what to say in this sort of situation. Could she say sorry she tried to eat her?

Outwardly however, she remained as composed as ever, as fitting for a librarion of a great and legendary library.

"It's for safety."


[System]
Age: 18
Talent: Ultimate Surgeon
Height/Weight: 5'10" / 157lbs
Appearance:
Wardrobe: Kiragi isn't known for his fashion style, preferring much more simplistic outfits that reflect his rather calm nature. While rather dull in design, he doesn't like anything flashy that would draw attention to himself, and as such generally covers up any button up shirt with a sweater. While it may look old fashioned to some, he prefers it over the generic medical look that so many of his profession adorn.

Personality: Kiragi is very open and honest to anyone he meets, greeting them with a gentle, warm smile and an outreached hand. His profession requires him to make people feel comfortable, and as such, Kiragi is careful about his word choice as to not make others feel threatened or worried. However, that does not mean he'll beat around the bush when it comes to important conversations, and instead will be straightforward with whom he is speaking to. He doesn't like it when people try to avoid responses, and will often pressure them to finally speak their mind if he becomes annoyed with how they attempt to go around what they want to say. He constantly strives for perfection, sometimes being tedious as to not make mistakes.

He is, however, rather numb when it comes to the topic of death, having a bad taste in humor when it comes to the deceased. He knows death comes for everyone, and despite his best efforts, some are just fated to leave this world. But, so long as there is a chance of survival, he'll try to save someone, regardless for his feelings towards them. And while he doesn't like seeing others in pain, his job does require someone to be critically injured.

Likes: Human anatomy, coffee, reading, quietness, perfection.
Dislikes: Arrogance, loudness, laziness, extreme fashion statements.
Trivia:
He can surprisingly cook well.
His blood type is AB negative.
Willingness to become a victim : 6

[User]
Ryuji Tachibana - 8 AM

A tall man was stirring in his sleep, his eyes were trying their best to stay shut so he wouldn't have to go though the pains of waking up. But to no avail he couldn't stay asleep instead he slowly raised his upper body off the surface he was laying on, it was the cold hard ground not the bed he has expected. Ryuji let out a quick yawn and tried to wipe away the sleep out of his tired eyes after a moment he realized that a voice has been speaking the moment he awoken. At first the squeaky voice was charming but the subject matter the Monochromatic teddy bear was saying was quite grim and dark, Grimdark. But the moment the Bear's words started to sink Ryuji gave a look of horror as he listened more and more to the Bear's explanation of the group, who he didn't even notice, situation. It was official, he was freaking out.

Once the bear finished and left the room, Ryuji looked at the rest of the group and hope that one of them will reveal that this was simply a mean spirited prank on the new students and that their horror would be viral. But it never happen instead confusion washed over the group like a violent storm, and in Ryuji's case terror. Ryuji checked out a student who started to dig into his pocket and confirmed that the card like things were true, for that guy anyways. Ryuji quickly followed suit and pulled out his own Student ID, which has all his information on it even stuff he didn't know himself. Ryuji raised himself off the ground to finally stand up and lift the ID to his eyes and then studied over the rest of the students. For the first time in maybe his whole life Ryuji talked first.

"So... oh...Um... uh... W-what should we do? S-should we i-introduce ourselves...? I m-mean i-if we know each others names it would be harder to...to...y-you know?"  Ryuji spoke very softly, which was still louder then he normally spoke so he was both embarrassed and proud of himself but then he started to trail over his words at the end as he was still getting over the idea of killing another person his own age. Ryuji fidgeted around waiting for responses.

Maya Malik - It's Raining Somewhere Else

This whole thing was illogical. This whole things was for lack of a better word insane and silly. What the mastermind of this whole facade gets out of their mindless tomfoolery she didn't know, but no matter the answer she would never approve of such brutish tactics and trickery. Maya was the first to awaken and was the most clear minded hearing the whole exchange of knowledge of this so called, Monokuma, and the students. It seemed utterly crazy that somebody would endorse such a needlessly cruel game with the lives of others. But maybe the reason why isn't important, not right now as it were. But how to keep the wheel spinning perfectly so nobody will think to kill another person in cold blood in the hopes of freedom, and maybe she can use her knowledge of buildings to find a way out without playing this Monokuma's game. But first she would like to know the other people's names for clarity sake as they might spend the rest of their lives together no matter how short it might end being.

Luckily for Maya somebody started to talk, so she didn't need to, she was never good at starting conversations. Even if the young man was stuttering fool, who could barely form a sentence without stumbling over his words. it was driving her insane. But he brings up a good point, so she better respond as add her own two cents into the ordeal.

"Yes, yes, we know about the circumstances we find ourselves in, either stay here and rot or kill or be killed, no matter the choice it's beyond the realm of sanity and reason, as well as utterly pointless and cruel. But you bring up a good point, we should introduce ourselves if only to know each others names for formality sake. I am Maya Malik, the Ultimate Engineer."

[Assistant]
Liisi Avedarci - Beautiful Rain

Waking up to the shrill voice of a tiny stuffed bear was not on Liisi's agenda for the day. That annoying, high-pitched squeak reminded her of nails on a chalkboard, but regrettably, was worse. Lifting herself up off of the floor as the toy spoke, she dusted herself off and stretched, hearing her joints click and crack back into a comfortable place. What said bear was saying seemed to be dire - almost too dark to be true. What kind of academy, no matter how prestigious, locks students in there until they kill each-other? 'I suppose it may just be a prank, or orientation of sorts.' She thought, tightening the bow in her hair as the bear vanished behind the podium. Admittedly, she hadn't been paying full attention, but a few words did register in her mind. Murder, trial, and food. Standing towards the back of the gym, it was difficult to see the faces of the other students, but the girl tried to survey her new 'companions' regardless.

She noticed two male students digging their student IDs out of their pockets. One was a very tall boy, who looked quite serious and intimidating, while the other looked slightly older, shorter, and... unkempt. From his messed up hair to his slob-like clothing, Liisi could find no nice way to describe him. 'If everyone has such lack of hygiene, I might actually murder someone.' Swiftly looking around the rest of the room, she took note of those who may or may not be worth her time. There seemed to be quite a wide variety of students, but surely, none of them would actually consider murdering someone. The girl was still unsure whether this entire situation was reality or a prank, but one could never be too careful.

Hearing a quiet voice, Liisi looked over in the direction it came from, and noticed that the intimidating-looking male from earlier was tripping over his own tongue. 'How pathetic...'. As she reprimanded herself for thinking something so harsh, she realised that someone had actually responded to the fool. Sighing quietly, she decided to join in. Putting a smile on her face, she took a few short steps towards them, her flats making quiet clicks against the hardwood floor.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," She started, extending a hand to the engineer. Her light italian accent made small appearances on her vowel sounds, strangely mixing well with her american. "Avedarci, Liisi. I think I've heard of your achievements in New York, engineer."

Xavier De La Fontaine - Eau de Vie

Whilst taking in the information given by the stuffed bear, Xavier tried piecing everything together. He hated to admit it, but it made sense. Remembering the dizzy feeling as he entered the campus, he put a hand on his forehead and sat himself down on the floor, crossing his legs. It was mildly uncomfortable, but the sick feeling as he processed everything would have probably made him lose breakfast if he stayed standing. Casting his mind back, he remembered hearing rumours of an incident at the Japanese school, although as far as he knew no detailed information had been given.

He watched as a small group of people introduced themselves, listening in closely. He wanted, no, needed to find someone to trust. It seemed probable that alliances and friendships would already be forming, and he didn't want to be the only one alone. He wished he didn't accept the invitation, being a collector wasn't really something to be proud of anyway. Oh, how he would love to be wrapped up in his quilts and blankets at home right now, surrounded by his boxes upon boxes of erasers, pens, shopping recipts, bottle caps.

Surveying the room, he tried to think of who he could approach, but ultimately settled for staying rooted on the floor. Pulling his student ID out from his pocket, he booted it up, seeing that it included most of the 'vital' information. Name, age, specialty, other such things. He played around with it, seeing that it included a map of the first floor. The male wanted to go and explore, but knew that leaving so quickly could potentially seem shifty, and he didn't want to be alone. Putting his ID back into his pocket, he kept listening to the people around him, and hoping that one might eventually strike up a conversation with him. Part of him also wished that nobody would notice him. After all, if nobody noticed him, nobody would try to kill him, right?

[User]
Kiragi Yoshikazu - Cognitive Dissonance

Kiragi's mind was still numb as his eyes managed to open themselves, revealing to the surgeon that this was not the sight he had remembered before blacking out. His last memory was of the school's entrance, but when he tries to continue to think beyond that, it is as if there is nothing to remember. And so he lay there, eyes open, questioning the circumstances before a high pitched voice invaded his ears, forcing him to sit up just to see where it was coming from. And it was certainly a surprising source to him, as it was none other than what appeared to be a stuffed bear, yet it spoke just fine. It was quite the curious subject to Kiragi, and he wondered if it had the same vocal cords as humans do to be able to replicate their speech patterns. But what it was saying was far from ideal for the young surgeon, as it literally suggested that the only way to leave this school was to murder another classmate. He wasn't sure what all the fuss was about though, they had wanted to go to this school in the first place, right? Unless this wasn't a joke, and they were being held hostage...

Regardless, he knew no one would actually be willing to attempt a murder with him around. Surely this school had a nurses office of sorts, and if it did, he may be able to stop some attempted killings on the very slim chance that anyone was actually thinking about it. Nonetheless, it at least did provide them with an ID, which supposedly had a map of the massive school. That would definitely come in handy to him if he wanted to find any sort of medical center here, but he almost forgot he was still simply sitting on the ground, getting dirt and dust on his clothes. Stretching his arms first, waiting for the clicking of his bones to signify that they were ready to work properly. He then proceeded to slowly rise up, dusting off his pants and vest of any dust particles that had accumulated on them during his rather unexpected slumber. After finding it at an adequate level of cleanliness, he decided to reach into his left pocket, pulling out the ID he wished to inspect. At least the bear was telling them the truth, as it had his age, name, ID... even the map. And while he wanted to go off and search for some sort of medical area, he almost forgot that he was in the presence of others as well.

He turned to the group that had accumulated and started to introduce themselves, deciding he too should join them. He wasn't afraid that they'd be willing to kill him, and so he was rather calm and relaxed as he approached. "Hello!" He said, his calm smile radiating how he didn't perceive them as a threat.  "I am Kiragi Yoshikazu, ultimate surgeon from Japan. Let us hope for a different outcome than what Monokuma expects of us, yes?" He told the group, his accent making a very strong appearance as he spoke, making it recognizable that he was indeed Japanese.


[System]
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Lizan
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Outrider Mage

Equipment: Kythe only carries a single two-handed blade and wear's a light set of clothes more meant for travel than combat. He makes up for the lack of armor with speed, agility, and his, albeit limited, training in light magic.

History: Hailing from a land to the distant land to the far east, Kythe was originally sent to observe and report on the fight between The Hero and the Demon lord, as it had managed to grab the attention of places even that far. He had remained on the sidelines and out of sight as the Hero took down the Demon Lord, But with the that champion now turned tyrant with power threatening even his distant home he's thought it high time to take a more active role this time around.

---

[User]
Astiroth watched as the bears head rolled onto the ground. His posture, stance, and quality of his cut showed that of a style similar to the Warriors of legend that hailed from the far east. He pulled back his blade and pulled out a cloth to wipe it. After he cleaned the blood from his blade, he sheathed it.

His gaze met Vreskrr as he sheathed his blade and listened to her remark. "I'm not much to care for apologies. Next time, I hope you return the favor...not the ditching part but if you did then why not. Have fun." He turned and began to walk on the outskirts of the village. "Such knowledge that will be granted will benefit you all more than me. Just tell me when to carry the burden. I'll be waiting for you all by the entrance of the town."

Astiroth walked along toward the entrance. He examined the undead that roamed. "For such ill fate to befall someone..I understand it well for Sven has left a terrible mark on the world. I wonder if others have formed their own group of misfits to stop him"

When he reached the entrance, he set his sheathed blade to the side. He kneeled down to meditate for a moment. Slowly rising, he postured himself in a way that resembled Wing Chun. He didn't have a training dummy so performing the striking and grappling movements would be a little awkward. He didn't care though. Astiroth needed to be strong, fast, capable of overcoming his lack of versatility, he would be swift, deadly, and powerful.

[Assistant]
Alionna was not intimidated by the woman, her reactions had proved the priestess right about her. Alionna wanted to point out what a threat Sven had become in just a short time, however, at this point it would just be a waste. She had let a sigh out as Garen agreed with the monk, she had a bad feeling about this but if Garen would trust this girl, she would stand by him.

The priestess watched as the bird gave its life for the magic that had filled Feon, she bit her lip to keep silent. Alionna took her holy symbol in her hands and said a small prayer, asking for Sarenae's guidance.

Alionna stepped back with Garen as the Demon baited the bear and watched as the forest creature was beheaded, then the doe's neck was snapped. there was no turning back now and if the situation wasn't so dire she would have took the monks advice and left, yet she couldn't leave now. After the attack on the demon lord and Sven's turn to evil, strong individuals that could stand up against the tyrant were few.

[User]
Tony was walking back to the city center. He'd gotten enough wood to cook a bear, plus a bit more for keeping the fire and a little more than that for cooking whatever else it was the others had picked up. He assumed that the rest would have small game, as he didn't think the rest would feel the need to show off like the demon and her accomplice. Speaking of which, the bearded man... Tony had definitely heard the phrase "demon powers", but he wasn't sure what that entailed. It didn't necessarily make him a demon, he could've made a demonic pact to gain demon powers, or maybe he was a half demon or something. He couldn't be sure what the man was, but it didn't really matter in the end. They were on the same side, for now, and the man's demon powers would only help Tony and crew to get to their eventual goal. So Tony, the great thinker as he was, decided to stop thinking about it. He had better things to do.

Tony entered the town the same way he'd left, close to the house he'd requisitioned to temporarily house his supplies. He considered using it to help prepare the meal he would set up but decided against it. While most of it was fine, the kitchen side of the house was mostly gone. The chimney was intact but the opening was too small to fit a good fire and cooking pot, so he'd have to relocate. Tony picked up his gear and slung it over his shoulder before moving out of the dilapidated house.

On arriving at the center of town, he noticed a few key things. A dead goose by the weird statue, alongside a headless bear. And finally, an apparently alive deer at the feet of the female knight. He took one look at the scene, eyed the others talking nonchalantly amongst themselves, and quietly sighed.
"You better have been planning to eat that." Tony said out loud.
He walked over to the bear corpse and took it by its hand with his unoccupied arm, dragging it over to a nearby house with a large smokestack. His suspicions were proven correct when he entered the house and noticed a large fire pit, a cooking fire pit if he ever saw one. And the house even came with a bonus oven, which would be very useful indeed. Tony set down the bear's headless corpse along with his equipment. He fished an apron out of the pile and fastened it to his body before taking his large cooking pot and several of his tools.

Tony exited the house and headed over to the fountain, washing his tools and hands before drawing some water for his pot.
"Hey, girl with the deer." He said to the female knight (@Hammerman) as he studied his knife. "You better sacrifice that thing already. Bring the body to me once you're done."
He put the lid on the pot and balanced his tools on it before picking up the stack of equipment.
"I'm going to cook up something nice so I'd appreciate it if you cut off the bits you can't eat." He said.
With that, he went off to the house he'd set up in and began his preparations.

[Assistant]
As Leila stood around watching the bear getting sacrificed, she was out of the corner of her eyes Kythe leaving, most likely for the purpose of getting his own sacrifice. Her gaze turned back to the one that sacrificed the bear. He seemed to be wiping his blade, no doubt cleaning all the blood that got stuck in it after he decapitated his bear. Leila herself was lucky that she could enhance her blade with light, meaning no blood or any kind of waste, grime, or filth could touch it. It was holy, and it would stay eternally sharp as long as she kept protecting it with her spell. Leila then saw him conversing with the demon woman. It seemed he had become somewhat of a pair with her. Well, she wouldn't complain, if that meant Vreskrr would stop bothering her. After all that, he left the center of the village. For what? Leila had no idea.

Leila was snapped out of her stupor by the musclebound man telling her to sacrifice her deer. She almost forgot that she had not done that yet, as she watched the others do it first.

She came towards the statue, carrying the deer in her arms. She then put it down before summoning her sword in her right hand. She then kneeled down, looking at the deer with respect. And then, With one swift movement, she decapitated the deer. The cut was clean, so there were no blood spattering around. It just flew cleanly off the deer's neck and head.

After she did so, she suddenly felt a rush of power entering her. Her mind now somehow felt... clearer, as if a veil had been taken off of it.

Is this... is this the power of the ritual?

Wasting no time, she stood up again, before dragging the deer to the musclebound man's place. Noticing the head that was going to be left behind, she conjured a ball of light in her palm before sending it towards it. And when they touched, the head immediately turned into dust. It was a holy spell designed to clean up corpses in a short time, to prevent necromancy. It could also work against ordinary zombies.

"Here, my deer," she said to Tony when she arrived at his cooking house. "Feel free to cook it all. I am not a picky eater."

of Evil

[User]
Tony had set up the fire pit by now. The kindling was glowing a light red, and the fire was nibbling at larger logs. He'd already set up his cooking pots, his big one and a slightly smaller one, on the a spit above the fire pit that had so helpfully been left intact by the tyrant's armies. He was currently in the middle of skinning the bear, using his skinning knife to carefully cut the leather off of the bear's flesh. He looked up as the knight entered with the kill and grunted his thanks before returning his gaze to the task at hand. He finally extracted the bear's pelt and let it sit under the bear's meat, so that it wouldn't make a mess.

He walked over and picked up the deer by one of its legs.
"I'll be cooking enough for everyone, so stay a while. There's a few things I'll need to clear up. In a moment." He said to the girl.
He noted the clean wound on the neck of the deer as well as the absence of the deer's head itself. It was nice that he didn't have to skin the head, as it was the trickiest part, but he wondered where it went. Not like it mattered much though. Tony remembered that he was missing something and went out to get it, taking a third pot with him. Scant moments later he reappeared with the dead goose and a pot half full with water. If he was going to handle 3 different types of meat, he'd need fresh water to wash his hands before handling new meat.

Tony noticed that the goose's head was still attached. He would have to change that quickly. He sat down by the fire and picked out a chopping board from his backpack and placed it on his legs, laying the goose on top of it, neck outstretched.
"There are ony 2 ironclad rules in my kitchen." Tony said to the knight. "First of all, don't get in my way when I'm cooking. Unless it's important."
He picked up one of his meat cleaver and carefully lined it up with the goose's neck.
"Second." He said, bringing the cleaver down with a weighty thunk. "Don't waste food."
Tony set the chopping board aside, severed head and all, and checked the fire. It was going strong, so it was time he started working. He extracted from his bag some kind of dark sauce, some vinegar, honey and various spices, including black pepper, salt, and garlic. He put it all in the smaller pot above the fire and stirred it around a little before turning to the oven. He picked up a few logs and a some dry twigs. Tony set the twigs down under the oven first and then carefully arranged the logs above the pile. Finally, he took a particularly long twig and set it alight with the cooking fire and set it under the logs with the rest of the twigs. He let that go and turned to the deer.

Tony took up his skinning knife, wiping it on his apron, before he turned it to the deer in front of him. As he did, his mind wandered as it often did during menial tasks. He found himself wondering about the deer's neck and decided to better acquaint himself with the person who'd made it.
"Hey, deer killer girl." He said as he began to skin the deer. "What's your name? How'd you bring this thing down?"

[Assistant]
Feon watched as Jason left after finishing his sacrifice. "Such a shame he had to leave, he's gonna miss one heck of a meal. Not to mention I plan on us camping out here tonight." Feon added, there were quite a few empty buildings that could be used for shelter. Many of the undead were outside anyways and none of them knew how to use a door it seemed as many of them just walked into the doors only to be bounced back.

"Smells good." Feon added walking over to Tony who was currently cooking. Due to Feon's unnatural strength she often required quite a bit of food. And she chances are she would eat about a quarter of all of the food herself anyways. "So now that everyone has finished their little sacrifices I should state the next part of the plan. There is said to be a book in another town about a days walk from here. This has knowledge on a sort of finding spell. Will help us find more than just the books of spells. So for those of you that can't seem to get magic from this ritual, can get artifacts." Feon stated she had alot to explain about her plan after all, and she still had more to tell.

"Oh and chef man, how good are you at mixing drugs in with food or drink? Because taking down Sven is gonna take a bit of playing dirty." Feon added. Part of her plan to take down the Tyrant, was indeed to drug him.

[User]
Kythe watched Kolonis as she sacrificed the rabbit he brought with a quick incineration, before returning right back to her seat. He decided to leave her to whatever she was doing for now and turned around. Jason seemed to have wandered off after his sacrifice, that knight whose name he still has yet to hear, he really must get that fixed, has taken her deer off with Tony to get it prepared for cooking, at least they'd get a feast out of this as well.

Garen and the other elf were still standing about though and he figured he might as well meet some of the people he doesn't know yet. He walked up to them both but spoke more to the elven woman "Excuse me, you were one of the later arrivals yes? I recognized your friend here" Kythe made a gesture at Garen "but I don't believe I know your name" he stepped back slightly and gave them a slight bow before extending a hand in greeting "My name is Kythe Vazarin"


[System]
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Personality: Feon is very upbeat to the point of being annoying. She does have a bit of a dark side though, as she has been known to lose control. She has no problem with killing others, sometimes she may even do it on "Accident".
Appearance:

Height: 5'4, Orange eyes, Orange Hair, Weight: 120 pounds
Cup size: Washboard

Magic level: Medium
Type: Caster
Specialization: Support/Enhancement Magic
Style: Melee
Physical mutation: Some the skin on her arms and legs as well as abdomen is rather tough due to her constant use of skin hardening magic.
Spells: Shield magic, Speed enhancement magic, Strength enhancement, Weapon enhancement, Healing enhancement, Invisbility, Weight enhancement
Equipment: Two Daggers, each with what looks like a sapphire in the hilts.
Title: Two faced Enchanter.
History: Details will be revealed in IC.
Feon was born into a rich family. She started to learn magic at around the age of 5 through some private tutoring. When she was 7 she was taken away from her family and held hostage for days. However her family never sent anyone for her, instead after awhile her kidnappers started to grow impatient and as such started to take it out on Feon. They started to beat her almost daily. After about a week of beatings Feon suddenly snapped. The moment she got her hands on a knife she started to go crazying stabbing each of her kidnappers multiple times. She came out of the kidnapping, to her parents who feigned excitement to see her back. Feon left her family at the age of 14 and started to travel the world. She started to see the brighter things in life on her travels. Thus she became a much brighter person. She eventually joined the Dragoon Guild at age 23 with much excitement, hoping that she would find even more adventures with the guild.

[User]
Hiryu slid to a halt as immediately as his body would let him, but he was in the middle of the cloud of floating cards. They were revolving axially in place.

"Teleport through this," mocked Heath before snapping his right fingers. On his command the cards spread out in random direction, ricocheting off the sides of the trailer and back again at the others sides. Hiryu did try to phase through, but it was pointless. Hiryu couldn't track the path of the cards no matter where he moved to. The card motions didn't just cut at Hiryu, but marred him with the imbue magic on impact. By the end of the attack, the sliding hatch to the trailer was slightly ajar, after a few of the cards detached the lock and the speed of the train made a gust burst through the now open hatch. Hiryu was hunched over, barely classifiable as on his feet, with cards of red, blue and yellow prodding out of him, much like the merchant. He had a particularly bad cut on his shoulder, where the card did a through-and-through. Heath was standing opposite him, enough markless. "And you come from an official guild right? And yet... what an ametuer-" jibbed Heath before throwing a trio of cards at Hiryu's head.

...Luckily for Hiryu, out of the corner of his eye he could see through the ajar hatch that the train was on the bridge over the river. He jumped to the side, at the wall, phasing through on last time out of the train. On the train, Heath saw the flash of his cards hitting Hiryu, but the only thing still in front of him was a headband, smeared at one part with a splatter of blood. Heath caught the end of the band before it completely fell to the ground, curious at first, but then realised this was Hiryu's headband and the the mage must have teleported. He looked around, spotting the ajar hatch and swung it open to look out. The sudden swoosh of the door brought with it a great gust of wind as the train was still moving at full speed. Heath lost his hat as it took away from him and fluttered down into the river below. Through watching his hat, Heath noticed Hiryu falling behind it, rocketing like a meteor into the bed below. He raised an eyebrow as Hiryu crashed into the river, his hand clenching the headband and closing the hatch door with a sigh.

"Now to wait to get off this damn train..." he muttered.

[Assistant]
Feon smiled as the axe man looked paniced as Feon lunged her hand right into his chest. She was able to do this thanks to the strength enchantment she was using. Feon sqeezed the man's heart untill he was finally dead. She stood up as one of the lower henchmen watched in terror. The henchman quickly ran for his life along with a few others. Even the merchant was afraid of Feon after seeing her go crazy and lose control.

Feon turned towards the merchant and walked towards him. Suddenly Feon was all calm and excited like she was before. "Now that he's gone let's get you out of here!" Feon said holding out a bloody hand to help him up. Feon had quite a few blood splatters but she didn't really care as thankfully her cloths has been previously enchanted to not get stains.

Feon started to head off after slapping a speed enchantment on herself and the merchant. Feon hadn't seen Hiryu in a while and was starting to get worried. After finding a safe place for the merchant she started to head out to look for him, she followed the train tracks hoping to find him sooner or later. At this point Feon's strength, skin, and weapon enhancement had worn off of her.

[User]
Once the freighter train finally made a stop on the other side of the bridge in a mining town, Heath burst out of the train and looked around. he had stuffed Hiryu's head band into his pocket. He began a walked towards the bridge and river. He pulled out a unique whistle and blew. It began to glow with an ethereal hue and an otherworldly melody came out the other end. At the originally robbery point, Heath's steed suddenly pointed it's ears up and then glanced in the direction of sound with animation it had not expressed up to this point. It immediately began to gallop, trailing alongside the tracks and onto the walkway underneath the train tracks. Heath eventually met his steed before the bridge, settling him with gentle strokes to the snout and letting him rest after galloping all the way to him. Heath led the horse back across the bridge, choosing to get on once they were clear of the overpath and away from the tracks. He was still a little riled after being teleported onto a speeding train so suddenly. Heath, while riding his steed, came across Feon heading in the opposite direction, surprised to see her both intact and alone.

"Bumping into you again can't mean anything good missy, unless you're just a ghost wandering the range for vengeance and retribution..." he mused out loud once he could assess who was in front of him.

[Assistant]
Feon looked at the cowboy approaching her on a horse. "Yes I'm a ghost, and I'm just looking for my partner." Feon said acting sarcastic as she casually got out her daggers while slapping a hardening spell on herself.

Feon at this point was starting to use up too much of her magic by constantly reapplying these enchantments. "So, how do you want this to go? Are you going to just run away? Or do I have to kill you?" Feon asked casually as she rested a hand on her hip still with the dagger in it still. "I have to wonder if your partner was stronger than you, if that's true then you going to have a tough time taking me down." Feon added.

She was hoping that by acting tough this man may back down and just leave her to go find Hiryu. Feon was a bit tired now from running all over the place even after her little nap.

[User] "Mighty cute lil lady. Funny to boot. It's funny cuz I was thinking to ask you the same question..." rebutted Heath, before pulling into his pocket and pulling out Hiryu's head band, letting it hang from his hand in all of its glory. He then smugly shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands. "Eh - no use cryin' over spilt milk. I'm fine to just call it even. I don't know what job the merchant paid you two lovebirds to do, but I know if you're stupid enough to still be around here with nothing to show for it... you have no clue what he's brought you into." Heath glanced at the band in his hand, nonplussed before placing it back in his pocket. "I thought the nomad was onto something when he put me on the train. Hell, maybe he did figure out- doesn't matter now..." Heath kick firmly at the rear of his saddle and his steed continued to trot. "Be careful missy. It's dangerous out here on the range... bandits all over the place." spoke Heath over his shoulder as he attempted to leave.

[Assistant]
Feon looked at Heath and gave a rather sadistic smirk. "If he brought us into something that allows me to kill lots of enemies then I would say he got the right people. And bandit's are no issue, it's idiots who think they can take on me." Feon said to him as she started to walk away from Heath. She had seen the headband, but she knew that Hiryu was tough enough to not die so easily. And smart enough to know when to play dead.

Once Feon was far enough away from Heath she started to look for Hiryu. She was actually a bit mad at Hiryu for giving up so quickly, and chances were the moment she saw him there would be a slap to the face atleast, if he found a way to anger her further there would most likely be a kick to the balls as well.

[User]
Heath directed his steed towards the bandit hideout. He was surprised to return to their proving grounds to see it in such a state. He began by just taking in the destruction and pandemonium that obviously took place. Soon enough, Heath began searching and scouring for what he came for. If he could locate it at the very least this operation would be salvageable. There was a lot of product on the merchant's wagon. Seeing as he couldn't get a whiff of anything quickly, Heath deduced that it was no longer here. While searching around, Heath realised he wasn't alone. He looked to the makeshift throne the bandit leader poised for himself. Sure enough Hiryu was sitting there, poorly bandaged, damp, red stains smearing his clothes and even breathing heavily.

"Now... you must be a ghost come back to haunt me," jeered Heath, turning to Hiryu with his cocky smile and making a saunter. Hiryu sat up with a large sigh, but said nothing. Heath glance around again at the scene. "You did this?" Heath asked, pointing at the dead, bloody bodies and trashed affairs. Hiryu shook his head. "Well... even if you did, I can't I'd even care enough to do something about it. The thing on the train... you just pissed me off by hijacking me onto that train," explained Heath turning to leave the cave, immediately thinking back to Feon and assuming she knew where to find his product.

"...You won't find the Lacrima," interjected Hiryu. His words sent a chill down Heath's spine. His expression switched to that of someone who had actually just seen a ghost. Heath thought for a moment, and turned back to Hiryu with a smile.

"If I don't get back the Lacrima, you won't get back the girl," replied Heath, remembering that the two had yet to meet.

"You don't have her." replied Hiryu confidently. Heath gritted his teeth.

"And how do I know you have the lacrima?"

"...You don't," replied Hiryu with a shrug. Heath, finding Hiryu coyness irritating now, took three bold steps towards Hiryu and pulled out Hiryu's head band.

"I already left you for dead falling hundreds of feet to your doom!" replied Heath, his tone much more forceful now than ever before. Hiryu leaned forward a little more, reaching for something behind his back, pulling out Heath's cowboy hat, also similarly wet.

"You did..." replied Hiryu. Heath gasped softly, but then laughed at the scenario of them both holding each others head gear.

"Ignoring all the other stuff for now, I bet you I'll get my hat back before you do, partner." Heath gested, dropping Hiryu's headband to the floor and walking forward. He drew a deck from his breast pocket and began shuffling them with immaculate dexterity. Hiryu threw Heath's hat down in front of himself and stood up, walking passed it. He began rotating his arm at the shoulder joint, stretching.

"...You wont." before the two of them engaged once again.

[Assistant]
Feon turned after Heath was far enough away and had started to follow him. After awhile she saw Heath go into a building and start searching. She saw Hiryu there as well and decided to stay quiet while the two talked. Feon was a bit disappointing that Hiryu had taken out the bandits without her. I really need to invest in some communication tools. Feon thought to herself, she figured that it would make things far easier in future missions if she did.

 Once the two started their fight Feon got out her daggers and started to run towards Hiryu at full speed. She had a speed and increased healing enchantment ready as she ran at him. Feon slapped the two enchantments onto Hiryu figuring he would have the most use of them. At this point though Feon could only use three more enchantments before she was out of the day. She had her dagger out and still had her skin hardening spell active along with her own speed enchantment.


[System]
Gender: Female

Age: 21

Career/Class: Courtesan/Duelist

Physical Description: Camilla is a medium sized woman around 5'5. She possess the slightly bronzed skin, angular features and dark hair common among Tileans. She has the smooth clean lines of a classical statue and the lean musculature of a dancer. Every part of her seems artfully contrived, as though she stepped from the canvas of a master painter. Camilla moves with deliberate grace which is appropriate to her profession.

Mental Description/Personality: Camilla is a fiery impetuous young woman. As a child she was selected from among orphan's for her physical beauty and raised to fill the role of Courtesan in the decadent courts of her native Tilea. Among her studies were poetry, dance, repartee, song, politics, literature, art and sword play.

Camilla is out of place in rough and dangerous situations, and although naturally adventurous and curious about the world she is no heroine. She has a fiery temper and has a tendency to act rather than to wait if given the chance. While technically trained with the sword, Camilla's education is that of the stylized art of the sword rather than the rough and brutal style of real combat, while she is perfectly comfortable fighting a duel to the tough for the entertainment of a crowd, she had little experience with real killing.

Camilla has a passing devotion to Randald and Shyalla, although she tends to focus on the world in front of her rather than the world beyond.

[User]
"Yes, let's," Amal said, trying to make himself sound even more foreign than he already did speaking riekspeil. The handsome thief was never a good rider (in certain ways) but he managed to keep his horse from cantering off into the woods, doing his best not to curse in Arabyan whenever the horse did something unexpected.

He felt better now that they had dismounted, even if that still kept them on level ground with their soon-to-be-pursuers. He tried to carry himself with a detached air, but seeing Emmaline stepping over gnarled branches had him holding his hand out to her. When she took it, he would help her over whatever marred their path like a gentleman, not a care in the world on his face, save for his companion and lover. Emmaline suddenly tripped, Amal catching her easily.

"What are we doing?" She whispered to him, and he understood her trip was merely a way to speak to him.

"Trust me." He breathed, giving her a wry smile.

"No tracks as of yet, herr Baba." Vandershute said lightly, though anyone with sense could hear a forecoming pronouncement in his voice. Amal shrugged casually, turning back to continue walking, not even deigning to look at the guards as the small troupe traversed the woods. As it were, the group passed by a pretty, stone dotted creek and the forest grew thicker about them until their path was blocked by a murky pond that fed into a small tributary, likely leading to the riek itself a dozen or so miles away. After half an hour of walking, Vandershute halted them and turned around, clearly bored of this entire fiasco.

"I think we've gone far enough." He said, raising a hand with a finger pointedly gesturing in a circle through the air. His men-at-arms clearly had been drilled enough to know that meant they should draw their swords and level their spears. Emmaline clung to Amal, and before she could cast any magic or make any claims, Amal clamped his hand over her mouth, tossing a stone from the creek up and down with his other hand. Adolf Vandershute continued. "It seems you just delight in trying my patience. Do you have any last words?"

Amal tossed the rock into the pool lazily, like he was bored of the entire walk.

"I do." Amal proclaimed easily as the men circled Emmaline and he. "Are all northmen this ugly, or did we get the shit end of the stick?"

Emmaline and Amal had a very clear, conside view of the pond waters barely sending a ripple as a long, mutated arm. It's muscled form as thick a man's torso, snaked out of the murk of the pond and raised over one of the men like an otherwordly cobra. It was almost difficult to watch, but it was what Amal had planned on all along. Meanwhile, Adolf Vandershute's eyes blazed in anger, though a wicked almost-smile creased across his face, his mustache spreading like a plague. "You vile sun baked dog...you have no sense of self preservation, I take it. Much like the rest of your heathen kind-"

His insult was stopped short by a slosh of the water. The others turned and saw a man missing from their ranks, the water now quieting once again eerily. Moments later, a helmet and sword floated to the top of the water, as if the guard had simply been plucked from their very reality.

"Rolf?" One of the fellows called, just as Amal slowly backed away with Emmaline. The cry from the man grew more urgent, likely worrying on a friend. "Rolf!?"

The pond exploded with foul water and fallen reeds, sending the men scattering to the ground and soaking Adolf in the entirety of his stately dress. He coughed out swamp water, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief hurriedly, clearly his vision to bear witness to the River Troll looming over him, Rolf's legs sticking out of its gullet. Amal covered Emmaline's eyes and continued to back away, a look of 'let's not stick around' on his face as the men screamed and scrambled to get their fallen weapons. The troll swallowed rolf's other half like some freakish toad, not noticing when a solder embedded his spear into the thing's belly. It answered with a rumble from its throat that was subsequently followed by acidic bile launching out of the thing's maw, melting two men on the spot.

Now dozens of feet away, Amal picked Emmaline up off her feet, crouched low as he snuck her away.

"How did you..." She asked.

"You were sleeping when we flew into town." He told her, his smile turning into a fierce grin. "I saw a few trolls south of Delbertz. I knew if we got in their path, one would show up. Now I vote we go to the next town."

[Assistant]
"Well it couldn't happen to a nicer group," Emmaline muttered as they swung up into the saddles of the two most promising horses. Emmaline drew a sword from a saddle slung scabbard and slapped the rumps of the other mounts, sending them running back towards Delbertz. If any of Vandershute's men did survive, there was no point in making it easy to pursue them. Not, by the sound of the roaring troll, that survival seemed a likely outcome. Without further discussion they drove their heels into their already skittish mounts racing down the forest path away from the trolls and their grisly feast.

The sun was well sinking toward the horizon by the time the reached the town of Mittleweg. Located at a crossroad of the Middenheim road and the northern arm of the River Delb it was a prosperous looking place. With tall steeply pitched roofs and pallisade walls. Several river barges were pulled up at warves where goods were being loaded and unloaded by sweating stevedores. A broad belt of farmland surrounded the city proper keeping the towering Drakwald at bay. A temple to Ulric stood upon the small hill at the center of town, the wolfhead banners snapping in the autumn breeze. They had ridden their horses hard and the beasts were almost played out as they passed through the city gates. Emmaline's legs and bottom ached from the unaccustomed activity. For the hundredth time she swore she was going to sit down and have a long conversation with a certain carpet about its limited endurance. It was possible that Vandershute's thugs might pursue them, but by the time they found horses it would be dark and only a complete idiot would ride the Drakwald by night. Even if they did they would arrive to closed gates and have to search the city for the pair of them. A thankless task in the dead of night.

"I promise I shall keep my mouth shut about beastmen this time," Emmaline said as the trotted through the streets. At least this time she was properly dressed and not attracting undue attention.

[User]
"Babe, you do whatever you want." The thief chuckled in his own language, smiling confidently. "I trust you to know more about what to say here than me, and even if someone takes it the wrong way, you know how sexy it is when we get into trouble."

The town was made of various smaller go-betweens all connected via one longer road, all leading to the Temple of Ulric. A barbaric structure of cone-like pillars surrounding it, there was a multi-layered roof with a towering, sloping spire at the highest point in the center. A statue of Wulfric and his wolf companions was at the center foreground on the dirt road. What was more notable were the three red haired northmen on their warhorses, decked in ornate plate armor and wearing wolf pelts. Two of them had warhammers in their strong hands and the third hefted a stout, long handled battleaxe. They spoke to each other in a barking manner, speaking riekspeil but in a gruff inflection Amal found hard to follow. He didn't really care to listen, halting in the road as wool covered men and women went about their daily lives around them. A cart passed the riders, with goods Amal certainly was curious about. The only concern in the whole town were two men loitering on the porch of one of the buildings, wearing brigandines, pistols and crossbows holstered. Bounty Hunters, likely. Amal didn't have a bounty on him, but his foreign look certainly made them curious. Emmaline just might have a price, but from what she said in Delberz it wouldn't be widespread if it even existed in the first place.

Amal decided to solve the problem now. He pointed at one of the bounty hunters, drawing his attention with a loud. "You! Yes, you herr person. Come here and speak to me!"

The other bounty hunter muttered a joke to his companion who shoved off and approached. A woman skittered away in fear of the man's grizzled appearance. He seemed a bit put off by Amal's darker skin, but he didn't make any disparaging comments at least.

"What can I help you with?" He asked. The way he spoke might almost sound helpful if the sarcasm wasn't dripping.

"Do you have any work?"

The bounty hunter went from hardset to confused in the matter of moments. "...W-Work?"

"Yes, me and my companion here are bounty hunters looking for a good score." Amal made his face seem thoughtful, almost tired as if they had just come back from a harrowing ordeal. In a way they had. A knife was in the thief's hand so fast it seemed a trick of sorcery, causing the fellow to blink and take a step back in surprise. Amal spun the knife easily, as if handling it was an idle way to pass the time. "Heard any leads?"

"Do you think if I had work I'd tell you?" He growled and turned around, clearly embarrassed at being afraid of the knife trick. "Piss off."

"Hey, at least tell us the way to Marienburg!" Amal cried after him, but the hunter had already disappeared into the crowd. Even his companion was gone. Behind him Emmaline giggled, knowing Amal diffused what might have been a problematic situation later. The shadows grew longer, darkening Amal's clothing as he sighed. Turning to Emmaline, he shrugged. "Well, at least you appreciate my charm."

[Assistant]
"I think my countrymen are taking a shine to you," Emmaline noted with a carefully concealed smile. Amal laughed, drawing the eye of a group of Fraus as they rode by.

"I always though you a unique pearl, I just didn't realize how unique," Amal snickered. The cobblestone streets began to rise as they reached the bottom of the hill. Predictably as they got further from the waterfront and higher the houses grew more elaborate and prosperous, and riverside dives gave way to neat taverns and chophouses.

"This looks like a nice place," Emmaline said as they reached a stone walled coaching inn.

__________

Emmaline awoke with a start as Amal's hand clamped down over her mouth. She twisted and purred in the sheets imagining this to be a renewal of their previous activities. The room was suddenly light by a flash of lightning and she froze at the expression on Amal's face. Outside rain, which had begun after dinner, slashed down on the slate roof tiles in a continuous roar. Emmaline's hand traveled slowly to the side of the bed where Asp lay among Emmaline's discarded dress. The snake shifted at her touch and then slithered silently up her arm, coiling around her wrist. Without warning the window exploded inwards a figure tumbling through it, Amal was already leaping from the bed, knives which must have been hidden under his pillow appeared in his hands as if by magic. Emmaline screamed and something flashed past her and buried itself in the headboard of the bed with a sound like an axe striking a log. She rolled out of bed and hit the ground, as another bolt of lightning lit the darkness beyond the window of their third floor room. For a heart beat she could see a figure standing on peak of the roof across the street, the squat powerful form a crossbow in his hand. She pressed herself up on both knees and one hand, lifting the staff that was suddenly in her hand. Lightning struck from the heavens, bathing the figure in light for a moment before he vanished in the ensuing darkness. Wind and rain poured through the open windows, whipping the curtains like the tentacles of a flailing sea creature.

Amal stood for a moment, kneeling over the first dark figure who was yet to rise. Emmaline whispered a spell and the oil lamps burst to life, bathing the room in flickering light as the wind struggled to extinguish the flames. The figure, was a man, and he was clearly dead. Blood ran sluggishly around a crossbow quarrel in his throat and his eyes were glazed. He was dressed in dark clothing and a cloak and in his hand he clutched a short iron cylinder. It was wrapped with a chain of dark metal from which depended an amulet depicting crossed fingers. An urgent pounding began to sound from the hall outside as Emmaline scrambled across the floor and snatched up the rod, stuffing it hastily into a draw before a key rattled in the door and it cracked open to reveal the wide eyed innkeeper.

"Mien Herr are you all..." he trailed off as he realized both Emmaline and Amal were naked and hastily averted his budging eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked, raising his voice over the storm, "what happened?"


[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]
That was the last straw. He would take the inane prattlings of this human whelp no more. The smell of alcohol burning came from the last gulp of his drink, ans he slammed the tankard down upon the counter, leaving a singed handprint upon it as he let go. One does not poke a dragon lightly. Even when he was confined to a humanoid form, he did not take the abuse of such creatures. Of that, he was certain. He turned and looked around the bar for a moment before muttering to the bartender.

"I shall spare the tavern."

With that, he walked towards the door, grabbing the loud-mouthed priest to take him in tow. Aredis would feel heat like an oven coming off of that grip, but he wasn't going to break it, not against this guy. He was dragged along, kept at relative head-height, as the dragon had grabbed him and just kept on walking. The door was slammed open and the two would head out into the street. However busy it was, it was about to become alot more vacant in a moment. The dragon had not boasted or bluffed or merely threatened. No one was going to deny a dragon his dignity. Whatever protests the man was giving, he was ignoring it, and any who might interfere. He let go of him - not caring if he fell to the ground or remained upright, then spaced himself a few feet away. It wouldn't be enough room, really, but he did not care.

Countless centuries of being under the thumb of the eternal ones, their curses keeping us in line... No one shall deny the dragon kind!

Crouching low, with arms spread out, the dragon reached down deep into the depths of his inner being with concentration and pulled forth the ancient form once separated from his kind. Aredis would see the scaled humanoid's body ripple and bend, as though extreme heat were surrounding him, and then he became indistinct in form and expanded! Legs and tail pushed back in the street, knocking over any person in their way, muscular wings slapped and brushed against the nearest buildings, forelegs rushed past the priest on either side of him, and his forward vision would be dominated by thick gray scales! Looking up, he could see the craning neck as first the dragon glared down at him, then reared back and ROARED!!!

Naturally, anybody who bore witness to this that didn't feel like being a hero today...panicked.

People ran the hell away, shop vendors were now closing, and anyone charged with protecting this town...well...we'll leave them to them, but they've gotta be wondering why the dragon was apparently just sitting there. Oh yes, he was indeed doing that thing. He had engaged the smug face, a BIIIG draconic grin that seemed to say 'Well, now what, human?'.

[Assistant]
Aredis would've been lying to himself and all others if he pretended he was not frightened to a degree. Even the beasts who he had grown into manhood around still could scare him, regardless of their intent. Fear was human, fear was natural. His faith had taught him that fear was healthy. There were a great deal of things to fear and that was what kept a man alive. Aredis also was a man that could be humbled and admit when he's wrong. While he had never known a dragon to take humanoid form before, it was quite clear that it was indeed possible. At the very least they seemed to have to retain the majority of their appearance even in human form, and that thought comforted him. Couldn't have them running about completely disguised. There was no telling what kind of problems could occur if they were angered among those without an inkling of what they were. All of that said, Aredis had flinched and covered his face with his arms as a reaction to a large taloned foot flying passed his face. Had he not been rather peeved the dragon would have been amazing wonder to behold.

After a moment he collected himself and stroked his God's Favor out of habit before trying to rise from the dirt. Placing both palms on the ground he would lean onto his knees and try to bring himself up on his good leg. Bones protested with aches and pops against the pressure. Yet eventually Aredis would bring himself to stand upright and lean on his staff to compensate for the bad leg. Setting his gaze directly up at the face that was turned into a...grin? Apparently dragons could be as smug as the day is long, that was something alright. With a sharp clearing of his throat he once against spit at the feet...or talons more aptly...of the great beast. There was still a clear distaste in Aredis' tone when he would speak again, yet it was more for the arrogance that the dragon boasted. To attempt to flaunt yourself like a prized horse was not becoming of any kind of creature such as a dragon. Yet perhaps wisdom was not as widespread among the species as the man had been led to believe.

"I have encountered Jack rabbits that struck more fear into me then this display of yours. Let it never be said I am a difficult man. I can admit when I have wronged another, and that you are indeed a dragon. Yet you shame yourself and your race. If you choose to take this as an insult that is your own mistake. One so easily goaded into a show of display would find themselves quickly slain. What if this had been an attempt at forcing you into your true form only to have a round of mercenaries come around and slay you?" Aredis did have a small quiver in his voice, as this whole ordeal had put a good strain on his well being. Yet he felt there would be a far greater deal of conflict so he had best grow accustomed to it.

[User]
He climbed the stairs and entered his room, the image of the innkeeper still fresh in his mind telling him to vacate the room or pay for the previous day and this one, albeit said in less nicer words. He had also requested a bath to be drawn for him...the innkeeper gave him a look that said "you must be joking" before leaving the drunk.

Oh well, if they wouldn't draw a bath for him, he would invade another patrons' room to enjoy it. He hazily remembers the occupants next door to have requested such services.
*kick*
*boom*
It made a heavy sound as the door flew open, splinters of wood flying in all directions. A few seconds of pause insued derived from the shock of what had just happened. He was standing before 2 naked girls who wasted no more time to start screaming as they covered themselves, one even grabbing a knife.

"Ladies please, I mean no ha..*burp*..rm, I just need a bath."- he said in his drunken derilium as he kept walking towards them while talkin. Unshaven, dirty looking old man with stained clothes and a not so friendly attitude walking towards 2 naked girls....someone might, nay, will get the wrong impression if they happen about this scene.

But luckily a sudden tremor followed by a roar diffused the situation. Now he wasn't the biggest problem in the room. That roar, a roar he knew too well. Anger overtook him, the rush of adrenaline momentarily making him sober. He breifly entered his room to pick up his fighting sword, a sword which in the past weeks ,before this month, had slain more dragons than humans in the past year, and hurrying downstairs to put an end to it, his sworn enemy.

In his anger all he could see were memories of that dragon back then and although the size difference with the one before him was substantial to say the very least, alcohol still clouded his judgment although his motor skills were almost up to par with his normal form.

"DRAGON!!"-he spewed that word with such hate, leaving the impression that it was one of the highest forms of verbal offence the man could muster.

He had no real hate for the dragons as a race. It was even suspected that the dragon summoned during that battle wasn't even alive, just a big carcass from ages long forgotten. Even if he, in the past weeks before this month, had constantly and, funnily enough, religiously hunted dragons, finding a way to apply their weaknesses to the abomination that he faced that day, even then he held no hate for them. It was simply another job. But That dragon was something else entirely. Even the slightest memory of it made his soul tremble and during all his drunken crusade to drown it from his mind, the slightest trigger could set him off. The harder you try to consciously keep something out of your mind, the easier it is for it to suddenly burst through and flood it entirely.

Even if he realized that this dragon wasn't his Enemy, he was still another dragon endangering humans. And with that in mind, he charged forward with intent to cut the offending dragon up.

[Assistant]
Orky had retrieved his glass of water from the long fingered bartender. He replied, "Thank you Sir." He then went over to the Holy Woman and put down the glass of slightly dirty water next to her. "This is for you...it seems as if me being an Orc disturbs you and I am terribly sorry about that." Orky then bows slightly towards the Holy Women. "But I'm afraid my race is something I cant control and I would like if you could treat me as I do to you." Orky put on a humble smile trying to seem as genuine as possible, when he had smiled his tusks had exposed themselves more than they already did. When he did smile his near the gums are what appeared were file marks from Orky grinding his teeth down. But before the Holy Woman could reply the Dragon and slammed his drink down and then proceeded to drag the 'Big Homeless man' out of the bar. Orky was going to follow to try and prevent a fight until he heard the sound of a door being kicked in followed by the scream of two woman. Orky stood up and was going to head up stairs, when he had heard a ear piercing roar. The kind of roar that would rattle your bones, and make you feel defensless. Orky stood there confused and bewildered for a second till a man who looked very pissed off ran past him to go outside. That threw Orky back into reality, Orky knew if he didnt stop what ever was about to happen that he wouldnt be able to go on the job.

When he had collected himself, Orky rushed outside to find the pissed off man, the dragon from before but now as in his true form and the 'Big Homeless Man' in a type of Mexican Standoff but every one was facing the dragon. Orky got between all three of them before anyone could say something. "Ok look I dont know what's happening but it looks bad. Mr. Dragon it looks like you are mad at the Big Homeless Guy, it's none of my bee's wax to intervene but I can guarantee it is not worth hurting him over it. Now Mr.Pissed Off Guy, it seems like you dont like Mr.Dragon for some reason, but I'm sure we could solve it by just talking it over ya know. But why dont we all calm down and go back into the Inn and be friends?" Orky put on his best award winning smile to try and convince everyone to listen to him. But his smile came off kind of creepy since its awkward for an Orc to fully smile because of their tusks.

[User]
Urdal had observed with an exterior of calm as one of the people, who had agreed to work for him, was dragged off by the patron, who had been harassed by the limping priest, and had also turned out to be an ancient being from children's stories, as well as Numenor charging down the stairs and out of the door shortly after the ungodly roar shook the landmass surrounding the tavern.

 The patrons were all concerned. So far, the half-elf was glad nothing had happened in the tavern, as they would most likely be asked to pay for damages. However, considering they had went outside and something bad was going on, there might be damages to pay for nonetheless. Orky just ran past him, into the corridor and out onto the street. Oh well, he was hopeful his newfound, green skinned comrade would stick around, but if he felt like dying, so be it.

 The drunken woman, now with a mug of water in front of her, seemed to be the calmest one of those he would end up hiring, in comparison to those outside probably breaking bones and cracking skulls. For a moment he hoped he could sit down next to her and wait it out, but he was too scared to stay still. Nervously, he ran a finger through the gap in his hair. A finger, because if he ran more than one of them through, he'd ruin his immaculate haircut.

 He thought about going outside and bringing his comrades back in. Considering three out of four were there, and one, who was most likely not completely hooked on joining still, was in the tavern, it would be more leader-like to go out and deal with the issue. But his feet just would not go there. The big, demonic being was still standing there, horns grinding against the ceiling. Urdal figured that such a big guy would come out as imposing... Maybe usher some fear into them... Although anything the red and black man could do was probably not as scary when put up against the deafening roar.

"Hey... You lookin' for a job?" Asked Urdal, looking at the demon.


[System]
Class: Oracle/Sleeper

Appearance:

Steph is an average looking fifteen-year-old girl, if a bit on the small side. She has short, black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Personality:

Steph is usually quiet and soft-spoken, preferring to silently observe a situation, rather than impetuously rush into the unknown, a trait that should serve her well in her current circumstances. When it comes to her areas of interest (science/technology/learning about the stranger facets of her new world), she can get very intense and focused. She is also quite inquisitive, but she never allows her fascination with something to compromise her sense of caution. She has always loved computers, robotics and technology in general, and is very skilled when it comes to working with it. Naturally, she is very distressed by the current, primitive, state of the world. She is very much a fish out of temporal water, and this has a major impact on how she views the world and interacts with its inhabitants.

History:

The brilliant daughter of two equally brilliant scientists, Stephanie's genius was recognized at an early age, and by the time she turned fifteen, she already had her first doctorate. She routinely assisted her renowned parents with their work, and was well on her way to becoming one of the world's brightest minds. Unfortunately, that world would soon come to a cataclysmic end… As the world of science and progress crumbled around her, Stephanie's parents hastily worked to ensure her survival. She was given a series of highly experimental genetic enhancements, coupled with an equally experimental cybernetic nanotech control system, and placed in a cryonic stasis chamber. Since their facility was located deep underground, and hardened against even the strongest forms of attack, her parents hoped that she would be safe until the world was once again hospitable to human life. Promising Steph that they would join her in stasis shortly, her parents sealed her chamber and hoped for the best.

Abilities:

Enhanced Physical Attributes- Besides her genius-level intellect, Steph has received extensive genetic enhancement, making her stronger, faster, and more resilient than a normal human. Her senses are also much more acute.

Nanite Swarm- In addition, she has access to a small swarm of nanites, which she can control with the use of a cybernetic implant. These nanomachines are limited to performing minor to moderate healing on herself or others (only one person at a time), as well as providing information and manipulating anything made of metal (although in the future, they may be able to expand their capabilities further). The inhabitants of this backwards time will probably consider this to be magic.

Equipment:

Steph was sealed in her cryochamber with nothing other than the pictured outfit.

There was a rather large supply of advanced weapons and survival equipment at the complex in which Steph's cryo chamber is located, but the state of them after the indeterminately long amount of time she has been asleep is anyone's guess…

Steph has also acquired a suit of nanofluidic armor that can disguise itself to match the clothing of anyone nearby.

Steph used her nanites to convert much of her cryostasis chamber into a cryostasis rifle, then a sword, and, currently, a liquid metal backpack.

Steph was given the Earth Sword by Minoc.

RP Notes:

Steph's story is one of coming to terms with her new world and finding her place in it. She is (at least initally) completely alone in what seems to her like a primitive, alien world. At first, she is understandably overwhelmed by her situation, seeing the inhabitants of this new world as little more than backwards savages, but as she begins to learn more, she starts seeing them in a better light, and eventually comes to greatly respect them and the civilization they have built.

While at the start, she might look down on the People of the Realm, she doen't do this out of hatred, but out of a mixture of pity and dissapointment. She hates the fact that the world is so primitive, and wants to do her part to restore at least some of the technology of her original time. Despite this unintentional air of suprioirity, Steph is still a kind person at heart, and one who is always willing to help others.

[User] She frowns. "You're not Daddy. Go away. I want you to leave!" Her hands begin glowing a deep red, flowing over her wrists and up her arms, a thick red substance that makes the whole cave start heating up. She runs forward and slaps Annabelle, the magma on her hands searing away at her flesh and muscles.

[Assistant]
Urgrapth's Home
Sarah

 Kensu came trotting in, huffing a little from the exertion. He looked at her and then looked at the surroundings. Pip came over and began licking his hand, earning himself a scratch. "Oh, Master Thunderfist," she says with a bow. "I've found the sword - and more importantly, I found where the villagers disappeared to. I hope they're all alright... And Pip was a great help, I couldn't have done it without him..."

 "I see," said Kensu, taken aback. The cave was filled with shiny, metal like threads. When he had come here previously it was empty, open. He felt amazed that it had all changed so quickly since he opened that damn door. The young Oracle was covered in black gore, but she didn't look severely injured. "You could certainly use a dip in the ocean." He said smiling.

 "..master... Kensu..." came a weak voice. Kensu looked down and it was the little girl who used to pick flowers and sell them in the village. He ran over to her and kneeled to cradle her head. "..the lady saved us.. she was amazing.. she's one of the special people isn't she master?.." the little girl said softly.

 "Yes dear girl," Kensu replied, his heart filled with pride, "yes she is a special one." He smiled reassuringly. He placed her down and let her fall back asleep. Kensu stood up and looked around. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he saw all the people strung up, but many of them seemed to be stirring and Sarah had already cut a few down who seemed to be able to stand. "Let's get everyone back to the village, then, well, then we'll talk." He turned to Sarah, "Thank you for what you have done this day, I know the ordeal has been more than extreme, and doubly so for one who just awoke. You are a special person Sarah, more than I think you know. Let us work quickly, there is much to discuss."

 Kensu pulled out his own knife and together they began to free as many villagers as possible. When the people seemed to be moving along well enough Kensu fought through the spider webs back into the little room near the back of the cavern, the room he opened that let the spider queen out. "To think all this came from one small decision," he said looking around. There on the floor were a set of steel containers, unopened and marked with a blue tag. They looked, important somehow, so Kensu grabbed them. They were heavy, but they had a strap made for carrying them and so with Kensu's strong arms it was not that difficult.

 Together the villagers, the old Master, and our hero made their way to the homes near the beach for a moment of respite, rest, and food.

[User] Jabber sees a large group of villagers walking down a mountain from a cave, and roars, making the livestock flee, and the people scream, thrown into a panic. He swoops nearby, his talons tearing into the rock, sending debris flying through the air, a small avalanche of rocks and boulders tumbling down towards the village, and his flaming breath sets the buildings alight.

[Assistant]
For clarification, this is on Kensu's Island, Jabberwocky has diverted his course and is attacking the Island for fun, as any good villain should do.

SETUP: The tired and battered villagers have just awoke from a cave of nightmares at the hand of a spider queen and her spiderlings. The villagers were saved by Sarah, a young lady with pink hair and a sword that fires lightning bolts. Sarah is accompanied by Pip, a small dog-like creature, and Kensu, a warrior Wizard who has also studied the power of Lightning.

Play fair guys, and focus on the goal of making the other person's roleplay experience the most fun it can be.

[User]
Sarah

Sarah is glad the villagers are all alright, and helps them leave the cave as quickly and orderly as possible, reassuring them along the way. She wants nothing more than a bath and a rest, but she's certain these people have had a worse day, being kidnapped by monsters and webbed up, exposed to nightmare-inducing miasma and almost made monster food.

"Special?" she says softly to herself, as though trying to get a feel of the word. "I don't even know who I really am."

When she gets out into the sunlight, she stops. It feels like years since she's been out in the sun; the dank, dark caves full of foul mist almost made her forget how the sun feels so nice and warm. She's just glad to be outside.

That's when she sees something in the sky, descending towards them. At first she thinks it's a bird... but then realizes it's far too big and moving far too fast to be a bird. In fact, she realizes it's some sort of monster, heading straight for them.

At first she feels a burst of panic and anxiety; she's barely recovered from the fight with the spiderlings, and she's still a bit shaky from the effects of the miasma. Then she realizes to her horror that the villagers are still in danger. It's the thought of the poor people escaping one threat only to face an even monstrous one galvanizes her into action.

"Run!" she calls out to the village folk. "Run! Head for the forest! Take cover! Hurry! Please!"

The ensuing panic feels like it's going to break her heart, what with the villagers running amok and pushing and hurting each other in their blind terror. However, the torrent of rocks rolling down from above where the monster struck the mountain drives her to try and get them away from danger, trying to help people who fell or got knocked over in the commotion. She tries to make sure everyone gets to cover as quickly as possible, all the while trying to shield the people from the falling rocks.

The villagers were still streaming out of the cave. Right now, Sarah is trying to figure whether the beast is going to keep attacking them, or if it was just passing by. Either way, she can't ignore it; if it comes around for another pass...

She grabs one of the more lucid villagers.

"Please, listen to me, we don't have much time," she implores him. "Tell everyone to stay hidden in the forest and nearby caves. Please stay hidden until Master Thunderfist finds you and tells you it's safe to come out. Tell Master Thunderfist... tell him it was an honor to meet him, and I had to distract the monster before it hurt or killed anyone.

"Tell him I'll be back, I promise..."

The villager nods, and starts helping by herding his fellows to safety. Part of her wonders if she'll ever fulfill that promise.

She prepares herself, and pulls out the sword. Taking measure, she then aims the sword and focuses her energy through it. A bolt of lightning fires from the tip, flying through the air, passing right in front of the flying beast to get its attention.

"Hey!" she calls out to the beast, running south towards the beach. "Over here! This way!"

She prepares to fire more bolts from the sword if the beast ignores her, trying to force it to follow her and away from the poor townsfolk. Once it follows her, she runs. She runs as fast as she can, wind rushing in her face, feeling her heart pound away in her chest.

Using the map in this post: roleplayerguild.com/posts/5184875

[Assistant] Jabberwocky roars out a challenge, the rocks trembling from the force. "JABBERWOCKY!" That sends everything into a panic, and the cliffside starts shaking. He flies over the group, his dragging talons tearing into the stone like a knife in butter. He lands on the side of the cliff, and watches the group, eyes slits. He starts growling, and a red light kindles in the back of his throat, hot and deadly.

[User]
Kensu's Island
Sarah * Jabberwocky

 Kensu heard loud bangs and felt tremors in the ground like the mountain was collapsing into itself. Up ahead he heard his people begin to scream. Sarah said something in her high voice but Kensu couldn't make out what she said. He dropped the containers that held the gas and ran to the cave entrance. What he saw was bedlam. People were running to the forest near the cave entrance and flailing their hands. Kensu could see that at least a few people had been smashed by falling rock. He would come back later to identify the bodies.

 Sarah fired a lightning bolt into the sky and screamed, Kensu followed the bolt and located the flying, black wyvern. "Jabberwocky", he said, "that lowly, no good, damn lizard!" Sarah was running in the direction of the waterfall, she was trying to lead the dragon away from them, good girl. Kensu made to follow behind, his little legs working hard on the stone to catch up to the younger, taller girl. He looked for Pip and saw the dog running beside her.

 He stopped a bit up the path and took a defensive position behind a rock. He had dealt with Jabberwocky before, and he had something in store for the creature, but he was going to have to get to the watchtower cabin near the village.

[Assistant] He hisses in anger as the bolt strikes his chest, and starts crawling down the mountain, disappearing into the shadows. He sniffs at the ground, and hisses, slithering along the ground like a snake. He vanishes into the darkness, and walks out in his human form, carrying a massive black scythe on his hands. The weapon pulses with dark power, rippling like it's underwater. He heads straight for the village, eyes glowing a bloody red. Where's the one who shot me?

[User]
Steph listened in silence as Minoc answered her questions as best he could. She felt her chest tighten when he told her that over 150 years had passed, and she couldn't help but give voice to a small gasp when he said the name Julie Anderson.

"Julie Anderson…" Steph whispered after Minoc had finished. "T-That's my mom…"

With the knowledge that her mother's journal now resided at the Castle of Solace, Steph found herself even more eager to begin her journey there. Perhaps it would have information on her parents' fate. If they were still alive somewhere, or…

She felt her eyes begin to moisten.

No, she chided herself. Now's not the time for that. Focus on the task at hand, that's the most important thing.

But first…

"Thank you, Minoc," she said after a moment, while taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "For the food, for your help, for watching over me all those years… For everything."

Steph smiled as she gave the old wizard a hug.

"Okay, Peter," she announced with renewed determination once the embrace had concluded. "Lead the way!"