[System]
Gender: M

Age: 26

Career/Class:Soldier / Ex-Soldier

Weapons:
* Basket Hilted Broadsword
* Imperial Dagger
* Norscan round Shield (Took from his first felled enemy)
* Aged Pistol

Physical Description Cyrdic is tall and lean, but solidly built, standing an inch over 6 feet in height. His eyes are reminiscent of shaped wrought iron. His face is ruddy and echoes a youthful appearance, though battles and training had roughed him into the look of a mature soldier. He has quite the rugged quality about him. Two scars mar his face. One parallel to the bottom of his left eye, and another scraping across his right jawline. His legs are long and his his facial hair is only a coarse, 5'oclock shadow thanks to his knife. He's clad in fine and tough leather over a chainmail hauberk, with sturdy traveling shoes and a worn belt.

Mental Description/Personality: Cyrdic isn't a fool. He spent a year apprenticed to a Quartermaster (as punishment for recklessness) and learned how to read and write (to a degree). The best way to describe him would be a hardened, rough soldier at the brink of his youth. He'll use what he can in his disposal to win, though half the time it turns out he'll need to fuck someone up anyway. His fierce independence and rough nature can only be matched by his determination to survive. He's not tactically intelligent, but he has a sense of how battlefields shift and can command smaller troops with his powerful voice. He tends to have a take-no-shit (unless it's from a superior officer) lookout on life. He's amiable to certain people however, and will have a dry wit around those he enjoys (or to people he wishes he could be more honest with). While fighting and killing and marching has been his entire life, he's not particularly fond of being thrust into impossible situations and doesn't lack a healthy sense of self preservation. He's gotten quite tired of working for corrupt officers. He's a devout Sigmarite thanks to his upbringing, and has a hammer chained necklace upon his breast to signify this.

[User]
The Balcony he was on was now covered in filth, but it looked to have been used by nobility when it had been in service. Various lengths of rope lifted into the darkness above, still hanging limply, swaying by the soft breezes that flowed from within the various cavern entrances.

"What in the Old World," Cyrdic breathed as he gazed downward, from above. He'd never read or seen a play by Detlef Sierck, but from what he'd heard, this fit the scene to one of his more foreboding works. Dozens of what he could only tell were Beastmen were scuttling to and fro, chittering what sounded like orders to his trained ears. Most of them seemed lightly clad with nothing but daggers and short swords, or crude spears for weapons. However there was roughly a dozen with partial plate armor, and wicked looking halberds. One rat had a contraption that Cyrdic had never seen before. The room they found themselves in was vast and looming, a true Greathall of Old.

He saw Camilla thrust into a cage, and he stifled a groan. He was glad he'd found her, but the fearful side of him knew that there was no backing down now, seeing her alive. He didn't know why he was afraid, after all. These rat beastmen were smaller than he, and he'd fought Norscan berserkers not a year previous. He guessed it was the fact he was outnumbered and alone in the dark. Yeah, no big deal.

Suddenly, two large reverberations split the scene, and the rats froze for an instant. One of the lesser doors from the Caverns suddenly burst open, rock flying out as Cyrdic saw a terrifying Troll enter the hall. Behind the Troll, smaller green figures cried out in what he could only guess was a warcry, and the room erupted in screeches and violence.

The strange contraption the back rat had been setting up was now placed upon his body, a suit of armor encompassing his furry form. He aimed what looked to be a rifle, and multicolored liquid fire spewed out of its barrel to melt the flesh from five charging Goblins.

On instinct, Cyrdic dropped his torch below. The falling brand struck a clanrat on the head, and it scrabbled the brand off, only for the Beast to be landed on by nearly two hundred pounds of Ostlander, having slid down one of the ropes. Cyrdic was only four paces from Camilla, but he was suddenly surrounded by a melee he had to give his full attention on. He aimed his pistol at the beast that held the firethrower, and discharged his firearm.

The bullet struck its backpack, and the beast desperately tried to pry it off before it exploded in wildfire, immolating dozens of rats and Goblins. Good, illuminated more of the room, he thought pragmatically. Cyrdic had immediately holstered his pistol and unsheathed his broadsword, hacking back and forth, blocking with his shield to the best of his ability. Crude and jagged weapons scraped along his armor and shield.

"Camilla!" He roared.

[Assistant]
The sudden erruption of violence was an assault on the senses, the whole chamber seethed suddenly, the air stank of musk and burning flesh and rot and there was no room in the world for any more noise. For a moment the pressure of it all kept Camilla down but there was no way she would get another chance at this.

Off to her left something exploded in a great gout of green fire and pieces of metal and flesh bounced of the wall adding to the confusion. Suddenly she caught sight of Cydric with rats closing in around him. Fear and elation warred within her as the tide of rats decended on him, teeth gnashing and biting, weapons thrusting in quick panicked strike.

"Cydric!" she screamed and jumped forward grabbing the rusty bars and shimmering up them with all the grace of a lizard. Her hands came away red with old rust and nicked from burs in the aged metal but she didn't slow for an instant. A moment later she landed on the floor on one hand and both feet, even spread pefectly the fall hurt, but she could worry about that if she survived. Before she could even rise a jagged scimitar in the arms of a burly brown rat thing swept at her face. Camila yanked her hand up and fell onto her bottom, droping below the glittering arc of the swing. With her left hand she snatched one of the daggers from her belt and sliced it across her oponents belly, the rat screamed, there was a spray of blood and pale ropey entrails erupted from its ruined abdomen.

Fighting down the urge to vomit she pushed herself to her feet, blood dagger gripped tight. A rat sailed above her head with the force of a cannonball, smashing into one of the columns with a wet thump. The crack of the things spine was audible even over the cacophony now filling the hall. A quick glance revealed that it had been thrown by a great green skinned monster of some kind. Even as she watched it plucked another rat thing up by the spear and tore it in half with a gleeful twist of its massive hands.

"Myrmidia, Mother of Battles," Camilla prayed, trying not to think about what the salty fluid on her lips might be. She looked around in a panic for Cydric but he seemed to have vanished beneath a tide of attackers. Dispair filled her for a moment before, with a great war cry the Imperial burst from the ruck, heaving Skaven aside with his shield, his booted foot crushing the throat of one unfortunate. With a screamed Tilean curse she ran for his almost monumental solidity like a drowning woman striking out for land.

She drove her dagger into the back of one of the rats between her and Cydric, the think shrieked as it fell to the ground, mortally wounded by not quite dead, spraying some foul smelling liquid as it did so. Another blade thrust for her but she slashed its wielder across the face and eyes with the curving dagger sending it running away freely. There were just too many of them, there was no way she would make it through before they cut her, or Cydric down.

"Myrmida, Mother of Battles," she repeated, "Shelter fools, whores and orphans."

Something whiring in the darkness scythed down two rat men with a sickening crunch. Small green skinned goblins, their muscles tearing even as their mouth frothed with mad delight, caromed across the cavern. The were whirling some sort of massive metal balls, attached to them by chains. Rib cages and limbs shattered in welters of gore as the ripped through the densely packed rats.

With a scream of primal terror Camilla dashed across the piles of ruined flesh they had left. Most of the maimed rats were still alive and her foot slipped on bodies and spilled blood as she took advantage of the unexpected opening to cover the few meters to where Cydric stood. As she approached a gray rat jumped onto the mercenary's back, raising a blood slicked dagger. Without thinking about it she hurled her own blade at the horror and it sunk into its eye socket as neatly as she had hit a bulls eye in practice. The thing convulsed tetanically and then crashed to the floor. Several loud explosions sounded behind her as she drew the second dagger.

[User]
Cyrdic didn't know if the rats had lain charges, or if they had a new invention that had gone haywire, but he didn't want to stick around and find out. Cyrdic yanked off the rat Camilla had dispatched, and in turn caught her as the explosions behind her knocked her forward. He held her steady, and yelled above the cacophony of screams. "We have to go!" He had felt like telling her off about how her curiosity had gotten them into this, but she had just saved his life, so he would save it. He was just happy she was ok.

With that, he pulled her with him toward the back end of the Hall, hoping to Sigmar he was going the right way. Only a few Skaven stood in their way. Cyrdic's broadsword split the skull of one, and he gutted another while Camilla did her bladework. As they made it to the end, Cyrdic grabbed one of the three torches that hung upon the walls to take with them. Together they plunged into a cavernous door, only to find the dark ground did not reach past three paces, leading to a precarious drop.

Cyrdic couldn't stop his momentum in time, and fell in. Suddenly, he felt his weight pulling him down like a dropped anvil. He cried out, and fell what he could guess later was a story in height. What he landed on wasn't stone, however. He seemed to have dropped upon a mound of something hard and divided, rolling down a small hill before hitting the stone.

The brand with him had fallen atop the pile, and he lifted his head to see the fire reflecting on the very real Gold coins he had landed on. Various items, trinkets, and bejeweled weapons were sprawled out and splayed upon the walls. It was a great vaultroom, filled with riches beyond compare. The very walls shined by the firelight.

[Assistant]
Camilla bounced down the hill of coins with all the grace of a sack of grain. She tried to get her hands under her, and curl her body as she had been taught but her battered body responded sluggishly and it accomplished little. Landing in a jingling pile she was covered in a small avalance of unfamiliar coins and lay there panting for long moments. The distant din of battle still echoed in her ears but the immediate danger seemed to have passed.

Nausea once again threatened to overwhelm herself as she pushed herself to her feet. She was bleeding from somewhere, probably several somewhere, and her forearm and chest were covered with black rat blood and other fluids she dared not consider to closely. Still she was alive and as she got her bearings her eyes widened in wonder.

"Cydric," she said, her voice stunned to a near whisper as she pushed herself to her feet, clinking metal coins fell from her hair and her garments as she did so. It was like something out of a tale from Araby.

"Cydric are you seeing this, mia Diosa..." she stumbled toward the Imperial, her eyes trying to take in every wonder of the vault at once, a million shimmering reflections cast back by the wan flame of the burning brand. There was enough wealth here to buy herself any title in Tilea.

How could they carry this all out of here? Gods how could they carry any of it out of here before the victors of the battle upstairs noticed them. For that matter was there a way out. She cast a covetous glance around, wading through more wealth than she had seen in her life to seize a gold hilted rapier with sapphires the size of a child's teeth worked into the hilt and scabbard.

"Cydric what do we do?"

[User]
Cyrdic had sat up, but he'd remained speechless. The scarred young fighting man was at a loss at what to say. Not in all of his life had he seen a fraction of this wealth. He could buy an estate in Reikland. He could...he could buy all of Nordland or Ostland, or barter his way into lordship. He honestly didn't know what he would do with this. He never thought he'd find riches in his lifetime.

He heard the clinking of Camilla approaching him. He shook his head. Cyrdic couldn't think right now. He reached forward and picked up a ruby the size of his fist, so polished he could see his own reflection. "Take what we can," he said. Not that it would be much, but hell, a small amount of this would keep them while they tried to find work. "We'll find a way out. We can look around. Worst comes to worst I'll boost you up top. But first..."

He turned to her. "Are you hurt? What happened?" He asked her. He was too bewildered to question her harshly. They'd just been through hell. He felt more than a few stinging cuts on him from the brawl he'd just been in. He reached up and grabbed a coin that had been stuck in his hair, looking at it more closely for a moment before facing Camilla again.

Briefly, he appreciated the landscape of a foreign beauty amid a king's treasure. It still seemed more like a dream, one he was the odd one in. It fitted more in a hero's tale. He was an outlaw now, by the measure of his home province. But old habits died hard, and his Ostland, bullheaded personality flooded back into him and he remembered they weren't out of here yet. Grabbing a few trinkets along the way would be ideal, but as long as they were both ok, he'd find a way out of here if he had to carve through rock.

Past Camilla, there looked to be a closed doorway, away from the immense vault doors. Maybe they could break through that. It didn't look like it was made of stone.


[System]
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Description or Image:
Alias/Nick Name: Bob, The Jersey Devil
Background & Reason for Joining: Jacob was just like any other young rich kid who thought they were ten feet tall and bullet proof. Where actions didn't involve consequences, and the whole city was simply a playground. He and his friends would take to the streets daily to skate, or bike, or in Jacob's case, Run all over the city. There were no places safe from Jacob and his friends, and if there was a place they were not supposed to go, they found a way in. They never Stole anything, or hurt anyone, they were simply obnoxious and annoying, and didn't understand the concept of trespassing.

Then one day, a new building was constructed. A big fancy lab of some sort, and it didn't take long for the friends to break in to have a look around. They were creating weapons and things that looked super high tech, but not uniformed like it would be for a military. Jacob was trying on a nifty set of clawed gloves, and spring like boots, and turned to his friends saying, "I'm Catman" when all hell broke loose.

This place didn't play by the rules. There was no, "Freeze.", "You're Under Arrest." Nothin. Two of his friends were shot down in front of him, and none of them made it out that he knows of. Jacob made it out doing what he did best. Running and jumping, and with the gloves and boots, there was nothing to slow him down.

He had hoped to go home and report to his rich dad about what he had found, but when he got there, he found the people from the lab already there. His family, and everything he knew was dead. He quickly withdrew all the money he had access to, and left behind the name of Jacob Richman. Running to Hero City he fell into deep depression and spent most of his nights drinking and practicing his parkour throughout the city with a mask to hide his identity. It was on one of these nightly excursions that he noticed a new building being built. A new lab. Rage replaced depression, and he decided he should do something about it. He stumbled across an odd blog while trying to get a clue as to where he should even start, and figured it was as good a places as any. Champs huh?

Personality: On his good days, Bob is an overly friendly socialite, especially if he's too drunk or distracted to remember his past at the time. He truly seems like a guy with no care in the world, and will give out money and gifts to anyone he meets. He was that guy all the time once, but now, there is a seriousness, and haunting glint behind his eyes, and a bitterness towards the world under his tongue. He can still come across as cocky though.

Powers & Weaknesses:
Parkour Expert, very efficient with other X-Game equipment but specializes in the Parkour.
Jump boots: the boots read the pressure and force of the wearer, then channels extra force back down, causing a bounce effect. The more pressure applied, the more let off, while also buffering the impact from the wearer, allowing them to land on their feet without shattering their legs.
Claws: retractable claw inside gloves that are reinforced with the same insulation as the boots to accommodate impact. While considerable weapons, The Jersey Devil uses them to help him climb, and steer his running.
Mask: and old gas mask modified to have headphones, and protect his eyes and lungs from smoke.

weaknesses:
-slight obsession with revenge against the labs.
-tendency to take too big of risks.
-Still being hunted by the labs for their stolen tech.

[User]
@ShadowsofNight@myinneroblivion

---

As Link took a seat and made himself comfortable on the sofa, he politely gestured for Jacob to do the same if he wanted to unwind. As Manny had no doubt that climbing to the second floor to reach his apartment must have taken significant effort. Turning his attention to Link to answer his questions his confidence in meeting the new heroes grew weaker. Things had not been going well for the CHAMP even since the beginnings of the hero group...he really didn't want to tell that to the new guys the truth but how could he call himself the founder of the CHAMP, or even more a hero, if he lied to his teammates? "Uhh...funny thing is that this is
kind of really what CHAMP Head Quarters is.
 BUT! I promise you all that once we get out of bottom ranking in Rent-A-Hero
®
 and getting a decent reputation, the money will flow and we'll be getting a proper hideout for HQ and even individual vehicles." Manny paused for a good long while before finally getting the courage to say it. "
butfornowwehavetosettlehereandusepublictransporttogettojobs.
" He spat the words out so fast that even a Rap God would have been jealous.

While Manny was talking, Paul finally noticed the lady wearing a jacket and harem pants in the hallway. From his memory, he's never leased any of the building's rooms to a woman like her nor did the current tenants had any relatives or visitors like her. Hazarding a guess, he calls out to the woman. "Hey. You. If you're the last of the three applying heroes for CHAMP, well, just feel free to go in. The meeting already started. I, on the other hand, need to go back to the ground floor and man the laundromat café before I loose any more customers." And with that, the Asian man waves off the growing bunch of weirdos that his best friend was gathering.

Ah. The things he'd do for friendship...

[Assistant]
Starting suddenly at the voice calling her way, Talia stepped said a quick and rushed "oh thank you" before walking swiftly yet gracefully into the room with the other guys. She looked them each up and down briefly, a bit nervously, before saying a soft "hello, my name is Talia and it's nice to meet all of you." She added a sweet smile.

Some of her nerves and shyness was already evaporating because traveling and performing for years had taught her how to break the social awkwardness with groups of people and how to fit in best as possible. It was a facade but.. she was well-versed in it all and the stage didn't care. Her voice was soft and gentle and quite the direct opposite of the man that she'd briefly seen in the hallway. She had seen and known his kind before, but didn't judge. Besides, if this was indeed headquarters, they would be some kind of oddly matched team by the end of this.

Her sharp eyes combed the room and took in the other odd man standing by the window… wearing a kind of gas mask? That was interesting and a bit confusing, Talia thought but again, no judgment, just intrigue as she looked around for some kind of chair to sit comfortably but straight, just like she'd been taught.

[User]
Jacob gives a double devil horns hand gesture in response to Link's, then shifts to sit on the floor in front of the window in a kind of yoga position. As the woman walks in, there is a kind of echoing whistle from inside the gas mask as the blank eyes of the mask follow her for a moment. Not a lewd whistle, just one of appreciation.

He noted the mention that there were only three applicants, so assumed this was it. Once the door closed, he reached up and pulled off the helmet like mask, running a hand through his hair to ruffle it out. The soft echoes of music drifting barely out from inside. "Yeah, most people just call me Bob. Or the Jersey Devil if I'm performing."

[Assistant]
@myinneroblivion@ShadowsofNight

---

Manny let out a mental sigh of relief when the new members of the CHAMP didn't seem to mind that they were not doing well financially nor were they highly regarded by the citizens of Hero City nor their fellow heroes. But hopefully they'd be with CHAMP long enough to prove their nay-sayers wrong. The man perked up when the members began introducing themselves to one another. "Hello all. I am Manuel Donaire, also known as, The Grey Gadgeteer and the founder of the Council of Heroes Against Malicious Persons. It is a pleasure to meet you and an honor to call you all my fellow CHAMPs."

He truly was grateful for the three misfit heroes that sat before him. It had nearly been two months since Slug Girl had retired from her hero duties after the Barton's Rock Salt Mine incident...poor Slug Girl won't be the same ever again. But now was not the time for regrets, now was a time for celebration. The CHAMP now had more than enough heroes to be fully active once more. "I know it may be a little early, but I just couldn't help it." Manny said before walking to his laptop and opening it to show the others present. "I got us a debut job."

---

The Debut Job.

---

"The job in itself was a simple one. The client wanted them to go and capture Volk Bucur, the owner of a popular nightclub in downtown Hero City after bribing his way out of arrest for a hit and run three weeks ago that left our client with a broken leg." Manny then pulls up a handful of headlines that show the incident as well as a prominent portrait of the aforementioned club owner to help the group familiarize themselves with what Volk looked like. "But this is the part where it gets difficult for us. I've done some digging and a contact of mine from the Hero City Police Department shared with me that the nightclub is only a front and is a suspected distribution center of this new drug called 'Diamond Dust'. Real nasty stuff from what I understood from the info. Makes you feel like a billion bucks and gives you temporarily enhanced physical abilities, but fucks up your brain chemistry so bad that if you take in another dose within 24 hours, you go nuttier than squirrel poop." Manny then pulls up the police files that were given to him and to say the aftermath of a berserk Diamond Dust junkie was messy was sugar coating the scene. It looked like a typhoon swept through the areas in the pictures, leaving tens of thousands of dollars worth of property damage and scores of injuries and even some deaths.

"A couple hero groups tried to do this a few days ago and wound up in the ICU or dead. So they'll be expecting us to go in guns blazing...figuratively and literally like the other groups did. So I suggest that we do this all sneaky like and strike only when we are sure that we can capture Volk and maybe even stop the Diamond Dust distribution in the area there." Manny paused to let the information sink in with the others present. He knew that this was definitely one of the more dangerous jobs available in Rent-A-Hero® for smaller and less powerful hero groups but if they managed to pull this off they'd be finally be respected as proper heroes and even get a good sum of cash for completing it. "So...what do you guys say? Wanna kick some bad guy's ass and deal with a drug problem in the process?"

[User]
Link's face was stone, emotionless as he listened to the briefing. Super powered junkies and henchmen were cause for an awkward, audible gulp as he took in the information. He hadn't seen any of his teammates in action and, frankly, he had never swam in waters this deep, himself.

The name Volk Bucur didn't ring any bells. Link had been to plenty of clubs and had countless single-serving friends who also enjoyed the night life. He began to wonder if he had ever been in Bucur's club in particular or if he knew any shallow acquaintances who had.

"I mean..." he finally answered. His voice uncharacteristically lacked his usual electric confidence. "...what else are we gonna do?" His eyes bounced from one face to the other, trying to gauge body language. "We're in, right? Incognito style. Full ninja. But, uh... how?"

[Assistant]
@myinneroblivion @ShadowsofNight

---

As Link tried to remember any acquaintance that he knew that had any relation to the nightclub, Manny began to explain to them the possible ways they can tackle this job.

"Well I have a couple of suggestions to how we'd get inside of the nightclub and launch the surprise attack. The first is that we pretend that we're club goers that are looking to get 'dusted' as they would say and attack when we reach the club's VIP area. Our gear can be smuggled piece by piece into the building but I think I'll be the only one that would need to get my gear smuggled inside as most of you have inconspicuous gear that could be passed off as fashion items." Manny paused to approach a pile of seemingly nondescript garbage covered by a thick motor oil stained sheet to pull it off, revealing the Grey Gadgeteer Suit. "As you can see, mine is significantly more conspicuous. Thus leading me to the second suggested plan of action." He walks away from the poor clunky hodgepodge excuse of an exoskeletal suit he lovingly called his hero suit and towards his laptop once more. Sifting through the files in it for the one he was looking for. "We could use the adjacent buildings' roofs to gain access to the roof of the nightclub and launch our attack to the VIP area from there...but I am open to your suggestions if you have any."

Link would then remember a hazy memory from last night. The rotund woman, that he had the pleasure or displeasure of bedding, mentioned in passing that she was the one responsible for dispatching all the liquor deliveries to the shitty clubs in the downtown area. Likely including Bucur's nightclub.

Maybe that memory could be useful to finding alternative ways into infiltrating the club without rousing unnecessary attention?

[User]
Bob shrugs a little, smirking. "I'm pretty good at sneaking into places I don't belong... fuzzy already looks like a club goer, and can probably just walk in. Probably best for you that way too, miss. Do we have any fancy spy gear to help us communicate and stuff? I can check things out from above, and you guys from inside?"

Jacob never liked drugs. Maybe pot, but nothing more than that. And Any kind of drugs could be fatal with parkour, so he never touched the stuff himself. This was definitely the kind of crimes he wanted to stop. "I'm in though" He was already moving closer to take a look at the suit that their employer uncovered, having some thoughts of his own.


[System]
Character Concept: Gancanagh (Celtic Fae)

Trouble: Wanted by the Fae court for absconding from a royal marriage to the river daughter. That, and for stealing a glorious jewel from the Sidhe. Also wanted for various petty crimes (thieving and the like) in his human guise, though mostly in Europe. Why limit yourself?

Scene: A clear stream cascading down a rocky decline as the birds sing from above, and the sky opens to reveal a midsummer sun, revealing a vast sea of green, the highlands peaking out as waves. That was all Delilah could conjure in her mind to describe the melody played by the dashing stranger's flute. Once he was done, he opened his eyes and twirled the instrument within his nimble fingers, and the flute was gone as if it had never been. A sleight of hand, surely. "What's your name?" She asked, her pupils enlarged. He took her hand in his, looking positively smug.
The pub residents had all halted their conversations to pay attention to the flute playing, but once he was finished, the conversations rushed back in like a crashing wave of water. Caber took a drink from the generous pint he'd ordered. "Ah, a loaded question, some might say." he said, almost sounding bored. Perhaps not a loaded question to some, but Caber had been known by many names, and had seen many things change in his lifetime. The land he had been born had been called Gaul, by the Romans, and that turned into Gaullia, into Francia, and then France.
"Caber, they call me." He said. "And yours?"
She told him almost too quickly, her eyes caressing his jawline and the waves of his hair, only to follow his hand as he lifted up his mug once more. He was so young! Yet she was utterly attracted. "I love your music," she continued, her finger now idly twirling her hair.
"Can you believe some believed me a God for how I played the flute?"
She took it as a mere boast, giggling at what she perceived as an attempt at humor. He laughed with her as his mind wandered back into that ancient past, when he had ran wild and plagued the forests of old Gaul and Germania, until Caesar and his legions with swords of blasted iron came. The blasted Roman had gotten what he'd deserved at the senate, if only Caber could have been there to see him fall. Caber recalled the consular pursuing him even across the English channel into the British Isles. But ever northward had he traveled, and he found centuries of fun with the picts and the celts of Ireland. That is, until the Norse arrived, quaking with war and seeking vengeance with the power of their Gods of Asgard, using swords of dreaded steel.
With an effort, Caber calmed himself. He had done much better these days with keeping his faerie side from taking over, and once he opened his pools of blue, he found he should enjoy the catch he had made tonight. He drew in closer for a kiss.
"Hey, pal."
A rough voice tried to tear his attention away from the lass, but Caber had decided he would like to continue gazing at her for a moment. The voice spoke again.
"Hey, that's my woman there." The voice held a warning in it.
"Is it?" Caber asked aloud, unconcerned or simply unaware of the danger the interloper promised to present. "You are a lucky man. Tonight, I think she will be mine, however."
A rough, Nordic arm shoved Caber back and knocked over the wine he had been drinking, spilling the delectable contents across the table and shattering the serene mood the fae had placed himself in. Caber turned to the burly man, and the debonair young man suddenly looked feral, his teeth bared and the hair, no fur of his arms on end. What's more, his eyes blazed with the color of burning bronze. The lights began to dim slowly, and with the swiftness of the turning winds, Caber left his chair and had grabbed the man by his shirt collar, the youth's muscles firm like oak. "Do you think your Gods will save you from me?" the fae squealed in devilish delight. With an almost treeish certainly, he shoved the hairy Nord back into the next table, causing it to collapse. No sooner had the man hit the ground did Caber look as he had been, collected and as calm as can be.
The woman Delilah looked confused and torn, as if she needed to be told what to do next like a lost child. Caber smoothed his still-combed hair and cleared his throat, regaining his senses. "Two thousand and eighteen," he breathed, an indecipherable whisper to himself. A moment later, he turned back to Delilah. "My dear, it was lovely to speak to you. But alas, our time has come to an end. Had we met when I was a young one, you would be a Gwragedd Annwn." He clapped thrice, and the lights flickered once more. Those bar patrons that had not been too engrossed in their drink or still eyeing the prone body of the jealous boyfriend, would see the image of a goat-like thing in their retina before the lights turned back on, and the youth was gone.
The fae, now floating out in the nightsky back to his calling stone within the PHI HQ, realized he should speak of none of this to Morgan, or she would bind him to the station itself. That would be utterly dreadful!

[User]
Othen turned on his heels, his attention having been drawn by the calm voice that had addressed him from behind. By the latter he could already tell that this was no other policeman, but someone else. However the gargoyle wasn't prepared for the sight of that particular man and one could quite see it written in his face even with only a basic understanding of body language. The clothes, the cigarette, the gold around his eyes... As silently as he stood there the guy was crying out 'I'm a snob!' loudly.

Othen made a step back -- not out of respect for the probably several thousand bucks clinging to the body of this man, but for the sake of his own lungs who wouldn't be fond of inhaling any smoke. Only after a little more time of inspection the gargoyle was actually able to identify whom he was talking to with great certainty: Sadjic. It was like adding another massive layer of slime onto an already quite respectable one. He tried to find a decent answer that wouldn't make him slip on that.

"Something tells me it might very well not be you."

He spotted the even more pompous vehicle, it's driver looking as if waiting for his client to return.

"Looks like you're busy and in a little bit of a hurry, aren't you ?" Othen continued, his eyes' focus returning towards Sadjic. "It happens I am as well. Would it disturb your schedule too much if you made a slight detour and dropped me off at my place ?" Othen knew that his request was close to complete bullshit. Not even the average businessmen would offer a ride to half a stranger that spontaneously, but the way Sadjic had spoken it was pretty clear for Othen that it essentially was Sadjic requesting for him to get into this car. At least Othen hoped so... He could already sense a bad feeling rising inside him.

[Assistant]
"Huh?" Vera gracefully replied, managing to turn around in the direction of the car with only moderate difficulty. The sudden tension in the air did not escape her, she could smell the fear emanating from the man that had propositioned her. In the chill of the night, it tasted sweet, and welcoming. But it was the familiar, lovely smell of cordite that tipped her off to the trouble her new friends promised.

She knew that could run. She knew she should run. She knew that she could easily duck into an alley, jump some fences, and make a grand escape across a rooftop. But she didn't want to. She wanted a scrap. She wanted a fight. She wanted blood. Smiling, the young vampire approached the car. As she leaned against the battered driver's door, her hand moved inhumanely fast to the small of her back. She drew her pistol in one fluid motion, and pointed it lazily at the driver.

Licking the tip of her fangs, she smiled a Cheshire Cat's grin,"May I have this dance?"

[User]
Caber recoiled in shock and rage, the witch-fire causing his hair to stand on end. His honey sweet voice turned into the rolling cry of a goat for a fraction of a moment, though he willed himself not to flee or attack. Millennia of being among (and attuned) to the mythical told him this was no major threat to himself. But the poor girl began to claw her eyes out, finger nails digging into skin and retina as she screeched.

It was a travesty. Such a beauty wasted! Oh, she was not the loveliest woman he had seen, but every beautiful woman was to be cherished, for they were a ripe crop from a farm of weeds. She a fine singer to boot. But alas, all he could do was watch as her body was ripped asunder, and the ogham script was cut into being. It was just as well, as most of the other bar patrons had fled into the night, and those that hadn't were finding an exit through the back.

As the woman's body slumped, the life having been torn out of her, Caber hopped up on the bar stood in a crouch and leaned down to view the script. He breathed the ancient language as he read it aloud. "dair eadhadh beith tinne" he said, and he felt a fittingly cold chill down his spine. "Debt" was the translation, and he had a distinct feeling on why and from whom. The overall slant and depth of the cuts indicated it was from fae magic of the Winter Court. An ill omen, if ever there was one. Even early humans knew to tread lightly around them, for they regarded all mortals with disdain; as playthings to be used and discards, just as this beauty here.

He knew his brethren overseas would hold grudges, but it had been three centuries since he had made off with the hidden jewels of the northern Sidhe. Did they expect him to pay off the debt? Did they wish for him to be bound by word or blood? A sudden realization hit him like an iron pole. What if the Asgardians had contacted the Winter Court!? He fell back dramatically. "No, no, NO, NO!"

Caber stumbled back into the wall as if struck, clawing at his own face in abject annoyance, and a ferocious fear only a cornered and rabid animal could exert. A serving wench that had hid behind the bar counter poked her head out slowly, and she bore witness to the once handsome figure shimmering into a satyr-like being and letting out a scream of the old world, before his very corporeal form became immaterial and flew out of the open window like a popped balloon.

Caber needed to meet with another wizard or fae contact. If the Winter Court was looking for him, they would bind him to their will for as long as they saw fit he owed them, or would force him to marry that swine of a fae Siabha!


[System]
Pokemon: Suicune

Gender: Male

Age: 13

Hometown: Cerulean City, Kanto

Legendollars: 2600

Level: 26

Ability: Water Absorb

Moves:
Hydro Pump
Extrasensory
Tailwind
Gust
Bubble Beam
Rain Dance
Legendary Powers: Kaze can cleanse an object or substance of impurities at a touch. However, this power is not without its limits, as Kaze's energy is drained every time he uses this power. At present, he can only cleanse an amount of a substance of a mass around equal to his own without falling victim to unconsciousness. While he can thereby cleanse small, lightweight Pokemon of the Power Plague while only suffering from an increase in appetite, larger Pokemon that he would aid absorb greater levels of energy. As a result, Kaze typically keeps an excess of berries and energy-rich foods on-hand to still this side effect.

Held Item: Soothe Bell

LD: 1200

Other Supplies: Chesto Berry (x3); Oran Berry (x5)

Appearance: Since being chosen for the avatar of Suicune, Kaze has undergone a number of transformations. His youth was massively enhanced, and his eyes became brighter, changing from a natural dark blue to a luminous red. Another major change was to his hair, which became a nearly neon cyan, albeit with one lock of violet among his bangs. Kaze was also branded with a diamond-shaped white rune on each bicep, much like the patterns found on his Pokemon.

Originally, Kaze was nothing spectacular in build, and while Suicune's choice of him brought about no change in size, he very quickly discovered an increase in athletic ability when muscles in certain areas of his body (mostly his arms and legs) were strengthened to better suit his purpose.

With a sudden augmentation of his physical pigmentation, Kaze saw a need for an upgrade to his previously bland wardrobe. Now he embraces the colors of the Legend he embodies, with bright blues, white, and violets serving as the major tones in his garb, among which is a prized white bandanna which trails behind him akin to Suicune's ribbon-esque tails, and a sky blue jacket adorned with white rhombi.

Personality: From his earliest memories, Kaze recalls always desiring to aid the sick and downtrodden. In school, he would always lend his lunch to his fellow students who had forgotten or lost theirs. His parents would also scold him on bringing injured wild Pokemon into their house when he would attempt to care for them.

All-in-all, Kaze has always been self-sacrificing. However, this has proven to be a major weakness at times. When he'd bring himself to harm in order to save endangered Pokemon, he would press on, ignoring the dangers and occasionally result in trips to the hospital. Even through his worst ordeals, however, Kaze refuses to accept help from others, being primarily concerned for the well-being of his "patients".

His bravery, youthful innocence, and compassion were the traits that compelled Suicune to choose Kaze for his avatar.

Biography: Being young, Kaze's life has hardly seen anything spectacular. However, his love for Pokemon has always been strong, and when he was young, he imagined his parents' house a nursery for Pokemon and would always bring home Pokemon he thought needed help. One instance in particular saw Kaze chase a Poliwag suffering of a sprained ankle into Cerulean Cave. Not knowing of the dangers within, Kaze soon found himself face-to-face with a territorial Arbok.

But Kaze was determined to rescue Poliwag and raced around Arbok to find it. After enduring a number of poisonous attacks from Arbok, Kaze emerged from the cave with Poliwag in tow. Unable to keep his feet beneath him, Kaze collapsed, falling head-first into the river. Some time later, Kaze would awake not far from Bill's cottage, healed of his wounds and finding Bill racing toward him. When Bill arrived with questions concerning Kaze's well-being, Kaze could only respond with, "I don't know." However, it was clear that something had aided both him and Poliwag, as Poliwag was fine when Kaze awoke.

The detail he was oblivious to was that Suicune had been watching over him that day and had been the one to rescue him. So, when the time came for the Legends to be given avatars, Suicune specifically requested Kaze.

Kaze would never forget the day. Three weeks prior, on his birthday, he had finally been allowed his first Pokemon: a Chingling he had nicknamed "Jingle". Then, that fated day, Suicune approached him, much to his astonishment (as Kaze had only heard of the Pokemon as myth). Reaching out to touch Suicune, Kaze found that the contact sent chills to his spine, and suddenly, the Legends braying became intelligent vocabulary.

When Suicune described what was happening, and that Kaze had been chosen, Kaze immediately scrambled to the water to find his appearance drastically morphed. As was inevitable, Kaze's parents discovered the transformation, and decided to move to the Hoenn region. Specifically, to the heart of all things busy: Mauville City.

---

Jingle

Species: Chimecho
Gender: Female
Level: 16
Ability: Levitate
Moves:Wrap
Growl
Psywave
ConfusionHeld Item: Colbur Berry

---

Clabber

Species: Corphish
Gender: Male
Level: 27
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Moves:Double-Edge
Bubble Beam
Night Slash
ProtectHeld Item: None

[User]
After Germaine composed himself from his entrance he took some time to observe the results - crying and horror was a common theme, but there were a few dotted around giving a scattered applause at the show; could be worse - it's not as if he was cuddly to begin with, so children would naturally find him horrifying.
As Germaine turned around Kirlia appeared next to him giving him a scowl as soon as she appeared, she, like most here was clearly not overly impressed.

"What?" Germaine stated defensively "I got their attention didn't I?" He said little that improved Kirlia's mood - now he'd have to put up with her cold shoulder for a couple of hours.

He meandered his way towards the table that had a few nervous faces slapped across the committee that would 'welcome' an avatar, although Giratina felt as if he would not receive a warm welcome, or at least not as warm as others.

"Quite the entrance, and If I know my history about you well enough, I can understand why you did it - been quite some time since you were last in this world huh?"
Germaine was taken aback; it was obvious that the committee and no doubt many other staff members for this festival would be well endowed in lore on Legendary Pokemon, but Germaine had sworn that all history on him had been erased; clearly he was wrong.
The man whom had spoken to him was fairly old, maybe 40-50 years old, but he had a cheerful face and despite the fact that he was as flustered as many others around him he took the time to keep things civil and remained composed.
A human worthy of respect.

Germaine nervously scratched the back of his head before replying "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
The man just clicked his tongue in response and went on to say "What doesn't sound good in our heads before we go through with it? Anyway, just sign here please."
He pushed forward a clipboard and with it a ball point pen.

Germaine took note of the few names on the form as he written his own name down; at least now he knew their names if they approached him, or vice versa.
Clicking the pen Germaine passed both pen and clipboard back to the man.

"Thank you, Germaine. Here, is your pass and a few other various things for you, mainly advertisements. Take note that you have an hour or two before the next event; which is the Tournament of Legends, the starting rounds start at noon."
After Germaine was handed his pass and the other various documents; he began scanning through the adverts looking for somewhere that served some food, may as well eat up before the tourney.
It may get Kirlia back on his side too.

[Assistant]
Wells smiled at the committee member.

"I don't need the work. I just want a bit more of it, you know?"

Suddenly, a void appeared behind Wells. He felt afraid, although his lack of instincts meant that he simply stared at the ground. Then his fear faded, and he was prepared to face anything that came outside. People were crying, others merely feared for their lives. Some were frozen in horrors, while others prepared for their deaths. There was no doubt that some people would have nightmares of this moment. Suddenly, red eyes looked from beyond the darkness. And a terrifying roar unlike any struck despair into the crowd. After a very long minute, a figure appeared from the dark portal. While people took a few seconds to ensure that what they saw was real, Wells listened to a few lines in his head. Bizzarely, the person from the portal casually walked to the committee, signing the form and receiving his papers. He completely ignored the people crushed by fear right behind him!

This was his chance to make people smile.

"Are you rude?" Wells said, hoping that the entire crowd could hear his voice.

He looked at the mysterious, pale man. He scowled as he did it, and it seemed very out of place on his face. He took long, confident steps towards him, hoping to become the center of attention. After a few steps, he replaced his scowl with an almost cruel smile. Then he took a few seconds, hoping to let the sentence set in.

"You must think that's an absurd question. Because it's obvious, right? You created a pool of darkness on the ground, looked at us with glowing red eyes, and roared like a demon. I wasn't very nice in my introduction, but I didn't make everyone here fear for their lives! Yes, we can tell that you're an avatar. But now you've spoiled it for the rest of us! Some won't forget it for years, every night recalling the greatest terror in their lives. It makes me wonder..." Wells snarled as he spoke, hoping to display bubbling anger nearly bursting.

Again, Wells waited a few seconds to let what he said set in. Hopefully, he could make the crowd quiet so that everyone could hear his next few words.

"Are you an idiot?"

[User]
Kaze found himself entranced in the next few moments by a pink-haired woman who seemed to be compressing gems out of thin air and molding them into Pokémon in the vicinity. One, much to his delight, was in the shape of his Chingling. But all were distracted from her after her creation of a Poochyena-shaped stone when an ebon portal ripped open. After a number of demonic sights and sounds, a human stepped forth from the void and declared his entrance. A few found the entrance entertaining, one even shouting his love for the creepy being, but most--Kaze included--considered it frightening. Pulling Jingle closer, Kaze curled into the fetal position and turned his back to the pitch.

Then, one man bravely challenged the Avatar who claimed to be Giratina. Looking up, Kaze recognized the challenger to be the green-clad Avatar who had leaped so far into the air earlier.

"Are you an idiot?" the man interrogated, fury painted across his face. While Kaze agreed that the Giratina-Avatar's entrance was inappropriate, provoking him was not the way to handle the situation. He and Jingle glanced at each other, then back at the scene. Something would have to be done, but what?


[System]
Age: 18

Occupation: Unemployed (Leaches off her rich doting parents)

Personality Traits: A spoiled brat and tsundere in every sense of the word. Chisana is used to getting whatever she wants whenever she wants it. On the occasion that she doesn't get what she want, Chisana tends to get rather angry and becomes very spiteful towards the people/person who refused her. Chisana is also very sensitive about her height and has demonstrated the destructive power of her punches on anyone who has teased her over it.

Little Background: Chisana has had a silver spoon in her mouth and has been able to bend almost everyone around her to her will for as long as she can remember. Despite her complete apathy towards them, she gets exceptional grades. This may be due to the fact that her mother runs the school, but that has been denied by all the staff and asking Chisana gets you nothing but her nose turned up at you accompanied by a moody 'hmpf'. Now with graduation drawing nearer by the day, Chisana is about to find herself without a car and forced to rely on 1 of the few people she has no control over.

[User]
Ding Ding Ding

"Thank god!" A blonde haired boy shouted from the back of the classroom as he slammed his history textbook shut with diligence.

"You know Mister Kyo, if you showed as much enthusiasm coming into class as you did leaving, your grades would be better." The teacher called out to the blonde as everyone gathered up their belongings.

"Yeah yeah, you're not the first to preach to me Mister B and you won't be the last." The blonde called back as he got to his feet and shoved his textbook back into his bag. Letting out a large yawn he stretched his arms above his head and pulled out his gloves from his bag. Slipping the gloves onto his hands, he gave them a smirk. The leather felt good against his skin and he clenched his hands into fists. "Oh yeah…" He muttered to himself with a grin. Tossing his bag over his shoulder he strolled out of the classroom like he owned the place, only to pass his teacher who was rolling his eyes.

A quick stop at his messy locker left him grabbing only two things, a helmet and his keys. Kicking the locker shut with his foot, he spun the keys on his fingers and whistled an obnoxious tune as he strolled through the halls. His hazel-gold eyes scanned the people through the hallways but he showed little interest until he stepped outside. His brothers were climbing into Rayne's car and he gave them a polite head nod as the two waved to him. Astuma was the eldest of the three Kyo brothers and probably the one most would consider a 'rebel' of some kind. He was rude, direct and sarcastic unlike his brothers and always showed a sign of superiority that no one could seem to talk down.

Atsuma arrived at his bike and gave it a grin, "Still looking gorgeous but no play today, we've got to help the old man." He said to his motorcycle as he climbed onto it. Pulling his backpack onto his back, he slipped his helmet onto his head and stuck his key into the ignition. The bike roared to life before settling into a nice purr. Giving a soft sigh and finally feeling content after a pointless day of school he pulled the bike out of the parking spot and took off.

After a nice ten minute rid he pulled into the back of Pat's garage, his dad, Patrick's, pride and joy. He was the best mechanic in town and everyone knew it. Not only did everyone know it but everyone came to him for help with the cars. "Atsuma!" His dad called out from somewhere in the shop as the young man entered and removed his gloves and school stuff. "We got work today!" His father was happy and jolly plump man at 5'7 inches in height and round shaped; quite the opposite of his 6 foot toned lean son. "Alright!" Atsuma called back matching is father's excitement. If there is one thing Atsuma loved outside of his family, it was mechanic work.

[Assistant]
Ding Ding Ding

"That bell was late by 1 whole minute. Again" a girl with orange-gold hair murmured darkly from her seat at the front of the class as she snapped her fingers, causing the peon sitting on her right to begin packing away her things quickly and efficiently while the peon to her left pulled her chair back as she gracefully rose to her feet.

"You know Mister Kyo, if you showed as much enthusiasm coming into class as you did leaving, your grades would be better." The teacher called out to a certain blonde boy at the back of the class.

"Yeah yeah, you're not the first to preach to me Mister B and you won't be the last." The blonde called back as he got to his feet and shoved his textbook back into his bag.

The orange-gold haired girl silently fumed as she waited for the blonde to exit the classroom before taking her bag from the peon who had packed it. She hated every second she spent in the same room with that boy. Come to think of it, she hated everything about that boy. Once she was certain that he had put enough distance between them, she nodded to the peons on either side of her before taking her leave. The teacher watched her leave tensely. Were she not the daughter of his boss, he would have rolled his eyes at her as well.

Once again, she was forced to stop and wait for the blonde to leave his locker. Her locker was right next to his, and she didn't want to be anywhere near him for longer than she needed to. Once the blonde was out of sight, the orange-gold haired girl approached her locker and retrieved her keys. Once she had them, Chisana Dadakko walked out of the building. She found her car and began her usual drive home. 10 minutes in, however, the car began making some very unusual sounds. And on top of that, it was slowing down.

"What?!" Chisana exclaimed as she floored the gas in an unsuccessful attempt to gain speed "Why is my car slowing down?!". As the car continued to slow down, Chisana spotted a garage on the side of the row and breathed a sigh of relief. "At least I can get someone to fix it here" she said to herself as her car barely made it into the garage before its engine died.

A jolly plump man who had been arranging some tools looked up from his work. From the sounds he'd heard the car make on its way in and the desperate look on the driver's face, he knew what she wanted. "Atsuma!" Patrick called out "We got work today!"

Chisana groaned at the mention of Atsuma's name and then a 2nd time at Atsuma's response. 'Why me?' Chisana thought to himself as she listened to the sound of Atsuma's approaching footsteps.

[User]
Finishing up getting ready for work, Astuma slid himself into his work jumpsuit and dusted off his hands. He liked working in the shop with his father. It was great father-son bonding and was teaching him a skill he never thought he could have. His attention span in school wasn't very long but he really enjoyed the freedom of doing things with his own hands. It would explain his lack of attention and his even more lack of willingness to pay attention during school.

When he walked out into the bay, however, he stopped. His arms fell to his side and he let out a sigh. "Hello princess. Did you chariot break down?" He asked with a sarcastic chuckle to his voice as she climbed out her car. With a skilled hand he reached down and popped the hood. Once the supporting was in place he leaned into the car. His expression changed to one of seriousness as he looked over the car. Unlike his many blank expressions in class, these were focused and examining the things within the car.

"Tell me what's been happening? Describe the sounds. Any odd smells?" His golden hazel eyes never left the shut off car and the reached down, grabbing something from inside and began to feel it, deciding if it was tight or loose.

[Assistant] Chisana turned her nose up at Atsuma indignantly in response to his greeting as she climbed out of her car. She then walked over to a nearby chair and sat down as Atsuma got down to business. "I was driving home from school today and the car started making this weird spluttering sound" Chisana said when Atsuma asked about what happened "Soon after, the car began to slow down and refused to speed up even when I floored the gas pedal. I barely had enough time to get here before the engine died. That's all I know". Chisana then lapsed back into silence and resumed turning her nose up at Atsuma. Chisana hoped that she didn't have to stay for long. She detested every second she spent in that garage and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

[User]
Atsuma reached down into the car and felt something before jerking his hand out with a yipped. The transmission was on fire and compared to how one would normally feel. "Okay." He said with a nod acknowledging what she had said before going around the car. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her upturned nose and smirked slightly. Really? You're going to turn your nose up to the guy who's going to take care of your car, smart… opening the driver's door he looked down, the seat was pulled up to the steering wheel. Was she really that short!? Eyebrow raised he glanced over his shoulder at her before sighing.

Reaching inside he started the engine only to hear the noise she was describing even more intensely. "Oh no…" He muttered before reaching over and attempting to put it into neutral. "Oh man…" Placing the car back in park and pulling her emergency break he turned back to her as he shut the door. "You have a big problem." He said with a nod as he went back to the popped hood and called out, "Dad! We've got a tranny issue."

It wasn't long before the two men were looking at her car together. "Oh boy…" Patrick muttered as he came out from under the car and stood up, wiping his hands on a nearby rag. "Young lady," He began with a nod to her. "Your transmission seems to be having some issues and it will require us to keep the car here for a few days. Best news would be it's a small park that can easily be replaced. Worse news could be that we need to take apart your transmission completely. But there is always hope."

A small sigh left the old man as he continued to explain, "However, because we're a small shop we don't have a loaner car for you but Atsuma can give you a ride home." The look on the blonde's face behind his father was one of shock and before he could protest his father continued, "You two go to the same school right? He could just pick you up before school and get you home safe and sound." Without giving the kids much of a choice or a chance to protest, Patrick provided her with the papers she needed to sign and ushered Atsuma to change so he could take her home.

"Alright dad," Atsuma said with a sigh in his voice before turning back to Chisana. "Wait outside, I'll be right there." With that he disappeared into the back room to change out of his work clothes and grab his spare helmet for her. Great… just great…

[Assistant]
Chisana continued to hold her nose aloft as Atsuma looked over her car's engine. She paid no mind to his pained yip when his touched the transmission. After all, what reason did Chisana have to care about Atsuma's pain? She hated the guy. The only reason why Chisana didn't leave the garage when she found out that Atsuma would be working on her car was because she couldn't go anywhere else. Were she able to, she would have already taken her car elsewhere by now

When Atsuma announced the presence of a big problem, Chisana huffed in annoyance. A big problem usually meant that the car would be staying in the garage for quite a while. This was a problem, as Chisana didn't live within walking distance of the school, the garage didn't look like the kind of place that could afford loaner cars, and home was still quite a way to go. The problem was made worse by the fact that her parents were both away on business, meaning Chisana couldn't have them get their hands on a temporary replacement for her. 'Oh great' Chisana thought to herself 'Just great. Now what am I going to do?'.

It was then that Patrick presented a solution. Neither Atsuma or Chisana liked the idea, but they had no time to protest before Patrick served Chisana a bureaucracy sandwich and pulled Atsuma away to change. Reluctantly resigned to the only solution available to her, Chisana filled out the paperwork and went outside to wait for Atsuma. 'Why did this have to happen to me?' Chisana thought to herself as she waited for Atsuma by his motorcycle.


[System]
* Age: 18
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Casual wear. On the shorter end of the spectrum at 142.24 centimeters (or 4'8"), Norika is often mistaken for being younger than she actually is. She is of a petite build, and inherited several of her father's traits, including his hair and eye color, as well as his complexion. She's quite proud of her locks, and does her best to maintain them, even though shorter hair would be more practical in combat. One of Norika's most noticeable traits is her eyebrows, though usually it's better not to bring them up. She has semicircles of scars on her stomach and back from the fangs of a Warped.
Off-duty, Norika often wears comfortable clothes that don't hinder her movement. One of her trademarks is wearing hoodies (often oversized). She doesn't wear these for warmth; for some reason wearing them calms her down.
* Personality: Usually appearing cool and aloof, Norika prefers to be alone or with as few people as possible; if given the choice, though, she would prefer to spend time with animals (except for snakes). She is distrustful of other humans, and if approached by someone her first thought is, "What do they want from me?" Despite her appearance, Norika has something of a short temper, and has little patience for others. This carries over into combat; to say that she isn't a team player is an understatement.
While some Mechframe soldiers look at fighting the Warped as just a job, Norika takes a sort of grim satisfaction or pleasure in combat. She is a skilled fighter, and enjoys toying with her enemies a bit too much. Several times it's gotten to the point that she's been injured in combat or reprimanded by her superiors, and several skybase psychiatric personnel who have interviewed her and examined her records have requested that they be informed of her mental condition on a weekly basis.
* History: Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Norika lived a fairly normal life with her parents. Her father was a medical doctor native to England, while her mother was a biologist originally from Japan working in a wildlife sanctuary in England. Despite their busy work lives, Norika's parents did their best to be there for their daughter on top of providing for whatever she needed. However that all changed when the Warped appeared. Despite the travel bans to affected nations put in place, they still made their way to the United Kingdom. For three years she and her parents moved around to try and avoid the Warped, but it was never enough. Two years ago, the family was attacked by a group of large, serpent-like Warped. Despite receiving a bite and Echidna infection, Norika survived, though her mother was killed. After that her father began to change, becoming a shadow of his former self. Though he continued to do everything he could for Norika, he began acting recklessly, and Norika feared being left alone. A day before Norika was discovered by a military patrol, he met his end at the hands of a group of other survivors desperate to survive.
Once safe behind walls and guns, she was quarantined for fear that she would turn. When it was clear that Norika's body had reacted to the Echidna infection like the First Frame Pilot, she was allowed to go to Japan to live with her grandparents, though under constant surveillance. When approached by a certain group looking for Chi-Mechframe pilots, Norika's grandparents were completely against letting her join. However Norika went with them anyway, determined to end the threat presented by the Warped.
* Skills: In her time outside of the safety of the walls, Norika has learned to survive by any means necessary. Before her mother's death at the hands of the Warped, she taught Norika how to analyze an opponent for weaknesses and exploit them. While still unfamiliar with much of the flora and fauna native to Japan, Norika is knowledgeable of edible and medicinal plants and fungi from the UK. Thanks to some teaching from her father, she has a certain degree of first-aid skills. Like other Chi-Mechframe users, she has been trained in different forms of combat, and she excels in hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat.
* Chi-Mechframe: Titania

	+ Appearance: The Titania Chi-Mechframe was created from the Core of a lizard-like Warped with nearly supernatural reflexes. This was translated to the design, with a sleek frame that allows for ease of movement. The headpiece projects a heads-up display highlighting Warped signatures while offering a certain degree of protection against attacks to the face and head. Thanks to a recent upgrade, Titania now projects wings made from energy.
	+ Abilities: Due to the Core used in its creation, Titania increases the user's speed and agility to an incredible degree, as well as offering a small increase to strength. While the Titania Chi-Mechframe is relatively fragile in comparison to its peers, it excels in hit-and-run tactics. The frame has a built-in weapons on each forearm, which can function as both a sword and shield. Thanks to a recent upgrade, Titania is capable of powered gliding.
	With these traits, Norika is often in the thick of fights, getting in close for an attack and backing off; though ill-advised, she'll often "dance" around her enemy and inflict lighter injuries over time. This has led to incidents where Titania has been extensively damaged after taking a hit that Norika didn't see coming. For mid-ranged combat she is equipped with a high-caliber revolver that fires semi-armor piercing, high-explosive (SAP-HE) rounds; due to the size of these rounds, she's often limited in how many she can carry.
	Major attack techniques include Luna Blitz, Fairy Dance, and Comet Skewer.
* Other:
	+ Besides her eyebrows, Norika's two sore spots are her height and her bust; bringing either of these up is likely to get an angry reaction out of her.
	+ Norika can easily be bribed with things she likes, be it treats, books, or anything else she needs or wants.
	+ On that note, she's a bit of a glutton. Unfortunately for her, her metabolism is so high that it never goes anywhere.
	+ Ethnically, Norika is 1/4 British, 1/4 French, and half Japanese.
	+ She always sets aside some of the money she earns to send to her grandparents.

[User]
--Humanity's Chosen--

"Thanks...~" The brunette replied gratefully in that signature rather quiet tone yet lacking in shyness tone of hers, not all confident people had to express themselves via a loud voice after all. Pyra began enjoying her meal but it didn't take long for more people to join the ever-growing group; another Frame Pilot approached them, as expected due to the joint operation that'd be up in a matter of hours.

"Morning, Miss Louisa. Oh, just... making sure that I eat properly before the mission." This particular pilot was Louisa Faye, a noticeably older woman compared to Pyra, amongst - if not the - oldest in their ranks even. Although their time together had been short, Pyra had become accustomed to look at Louisa as a sort of guardian figure of the group, not purely because of her age and life experience, but her personality as well, the fact that her Chi-Mechframe performed the best when situated at the vanguard to take point certainly added to that mentor charm of hers. She was like the glue that held the team together so each of them could perform to the best of their abilities.

Returning to the matter of a confidently loud person though, a prime example of one was here; her presence announced to everyone via that shrill voice of hers, whether they like it or not. Such an overbearing presence could be none other than Fukada Hoshiko, one of the youngest pilots out there. If Louisa was the calm and collected parent figure then Hoshika was the exact opposite, that hyperactive younger sibling who might be too childish even for her age. Pyra didn't really mind, but she'd be lying to herself if she couldn't see how others might be annoyed by her. "Hey, Hoshika... y-yeah, enjoy your meal... I think we'll all need it."

Speaking of being annoyed, that expression couldn't be more visible on one Norika Dulac's face, a Frame Pilot who was actually Pyra's senior in age yet looked the youngest out of everyone here, much to unfortunately short girl's chagrin. Unlike Hoshiko, the flame-bearing Frame Pilot had enough sense to blissfully ignore the blade-swinging snow-haired pilot's presence, just the way the latter preferred it; too bad that it only took a single pestering golden-eyed cloudcuckoolander to ruin everything though. Ah well, her condolences to Norika.

There was another... pilot(?) that she spotted at the corner of her eyes, ah yes, definitely a fellow pilot; Seraphima Drakos was her name if she remembered correctly, a Greek person much like herself. Although in a somewhat ironic twist, Pyra knew her the least amongst everyone present here, but she hoped that would change sooner than later. It'd be nice to have a conversation in her native tongue, that and pilots forming a bond would be beneficial to everyone.

"Uhm... I think it's better be safe than sorry, it'll really suck if our performance dips on the field just because of an empty stomach." Pyra responded to both Elise and Louisa, "Makes sense, considering we have our own specialties. Logically, a proper team should have at least one ranged and close combatant each, cover each other's weaknesses and all that." A tried and true strategy, whether in real life or in one of her strategy games. Of course, sometimes you'd have to make do with what you have, but fortunately, Pyra believed they had a good distribution of Chi-Mechframe archetypes. "I think this upcoming mission is as much a test run as it is an actual operation. The best data is gathered from field practice after all, dangerous as it is." The bespectacled girl then curled a small, encouraging smile, "Nevertheless, let's all do our best. The world is depending on us."

[Assistant]
---

Place(s): The Horizon - Dining Area
Time: Afternoon
Interaction(s): Practically all the other members

---

Mealtime Bonding? Mealtime Bonding~

"Hmm." Standing right in the middle of the way as she entered the Dining Area, the first thing Teodora did was to survey the place, trying to see if there's anything interesting going on. The day had been rather pretty quiet and relaxed so far for her; which was fine, she can appreciate quiet days. Still, it can't hurt to have more interesting things too. Of course, she had high hopes that her wish will soon came true, what's with the briefing going to happen about a certain operation and what's not. "Oh, lookie. There they are~" She was technically kind of late as it seemed like the others had already gathered. But then again, there was still time, so she saw no reason to hurry either.

Of course, even if she had been unarguably and without a doubt late, she will still ended up taking it easy anyway.

So she started walking, slowly and with a certain graceful flair to her steps typical of the young scion of a top-of-the-class wealthy family. This wasn't even deliberate, it was just how she had became used to with how she conducted herself. In short, being elegant had became a natural sort of body language for her. She didn't immediately head to where the others were gathered, instead taking her time to browse whatever were currently on offer in the Dining Area. After what can be reasonably called by others as a painstakingly casual process of browsing and picking her food, Teodora ended up with just a small plate of vanilla flan and another small plate of chocolate castella. Despite having a great appreciation for the simple joy of eating, she had always been a rather light eater. Nodding to herself, satisfied after a short inspection of both plates, she then started walking to where the others were gathered.

"Good afternoon, my dear fellows." She said with her almost-always-present light smile and a small playful bow of the head as she arrived to the table. Taking an empty spot, she put down her plates and took her seat, remaining naturally elegant in her conduct as she did so. "Everyone sure is early. My, some of you had even finished already." With this remark, she specifically took a brief glance at Norika and Hoshiko. She let out a small giggle at the interaction happening between the two girls. Norika obviously looked annoyed at Hoshiko's sunshine energies, while Hoshiko seemed like she's either oblivious to or undaunted by that fact. In other words, the usual. "Fufu..." Then she started her own meal, slowly scoping up and eating small cuts out of her desserts using her spoon. Her smile widened as she put the palm of her left hand onto her left cheek, sighing in bliss and looking very much pleased with the sweet treats.

"Quite nice... Oh my, pardon me. Did I miss anything important? Have you girls started on the saucy bits of stuffs already? Hehe~" She finished her words with a small giggle, looking around at the others with the sort of mischievously curious expression as common to her face as her casual smile.

[User]
"That's great, Du... ra... um... Durakku-san!"

It was always good to hear Norika was doing well! Sure, she seemed a little strained and distant, but Hoshiko was used to that from the prickly girl. Really, it was just good to hear that such a young girl was still doing fine even though she'd been taken on for something as big as this.

It was a little sad to hear she didn't want to be called by her first name still, especially since Hoshiko had been trying her best to get to know her better. But the brunette would at least try her best with the girl's surname! For some reason, even though she'd gotten okay enough at English, she still struggled with it.

"I'm doing great too, this food is sooooo goood~" she added, cheerfully, as she proceeded to polish off another heaping amount of food. The crispness of the karaage, the richness of the ramen broth... so delicious! She would go back for seconds if not for the fact that they had to go on a mission soon.

"Oh, hey, Teodora-san!" the older girl had just walked in, so of course Hoshiko's hand shot into the air to wave towards her with an exuberant greeting.

@Medili

[Assistant] Norika had to agree that the food was good. They had it good here in The Horizon. Three meals a day, the safety of several inches of solid titanium and modern weaponry that could tear apart all but the largest of Warped, and the best and brightest in the world to train, heal, and equip them. "That's better," Norika said. "If we get to the point that I allow you to address me by my first name, consider yourself lucky." She sighed, standing up to her full height. "Just because we're on a ship in the sky together doesn't mean you can be this chummy with me. We're coworkers, not friends."


[System]
Species: Kitsune
Age: 256 years old
Gender: Male

Appearance:
Kaito is of rather average adult height and build. Not particularly tall and has a rather slander build. He has messy brown orange hair and a rather boyish face with a disarming smile. Nothing that is particularly remarkable about him except well those fox ears on his head and that fluffy tail. He wears a dark red tunic, a gray pair of trousers, some sturdy boots and a black hooded cloak to finish things off. The quality of the fabric and dye of his clothing indicate that Kaito has significant financial standing.

Bio:
There are a lot of folklore tales about the origins of Kitsune. Some say they are foxes that have gained magical properties after turning hundred years old, others tell that they are native to a strange magical realm known as the fey wild and have used their magical abilities to travel to the current plane of existence. None of those stories are true and in good kitsune tradition Kaito tells them all.

Kaito was born 256 years ago in the mystical forest of Kaojiro. A place far away from the three kingdoms. When he reached adulthood at the age of hundred and fifty, the young kitsune decided to travel the world. After visiting various places Kaito found himself in the kingdom of Escudo. Intrigued by its wealth, Kitsune decided that such a lavendish lifestyle would suit him well. However, Kaito is not the kind of man that would work fair and hard to gain a fortune.

No, the kitsune decided that it would be much more efficient and fun to utilize his very particular skill set to extract as much wealth from all the merchants and nobles as he could in very underhand means. For many years he conned and cheated merchants and nobles alike out of their hard earned gold coins. This became such a problem that the government decided to intervene.

When the king's men finally caught Kaito 5 years ago a spectacle of a process was orchestrated. Merchants screamed "off with his head", nobles demanded blood. However Kaito valued his head and thus executed a different plan. The night before his decapitation he used his illusion magic to impersonate a fellow prisoner who had served out his sentence and was promptly released by the clueless guards.

For the next five years the kitsune managed to evade every bounty hunter, mercenary and soldier that tried to track him down. But that all changed when an elf working for the king started to ask questions in the more shadier parts of Rascade.

Skills:
Shapeshifting: Kaito can shapeshift between his fox and humanoid form.
Sleight of hand: Kaito's hands are extremely fast, accurate and he's a master of deception. He's an expert pickpocket and trickster.
Very sneaky: Kaito's ability to move around silently is unparalleled. He has a habit of suddenly appearing into people's personal space.
Lockpicking
Acting/deception
Multi linguistic: Speaks and reads the various languages of the lands of Escudo, Anggolinsto and Meche.

Spells:

Impersonation: Kaito can use his illusion magic to take on the physical appearance of people he has seen. His magic also changes the sound of his voice to match that of the person he's impersonating. However he still needs to act out the way they move and behave.
Illusion magic: Kaito can create Illusionary objects, creatures and terrain. These illusions include visuals, sound, sense of touch, smell and sense of temperature but cannot cause any harm.
Charm: Kaito can use his magic to charm people. Any person that gets charmed by him regards Kaito as a friend and is very likely to help the kitsune in any way that is reasonable.

Equipment:
Wakizashi short sword
Tanto dagger
Set of lockpicks
Shell game set
Set of Dice
Set of playing cards
Spare clothes
Camping equipment

[User]
Henri reached the dead giant while the bear was curled and nursing his battered groin. The lumbering creature probably wouldn't stay down long, so he worked fast-- once more searing off the steel helmet and pauldrons, filling the air with the acrid stench of burned meat. He could not smell it himself, having long ago lost that sense-- but he remembered well enough. The heavy plume coming off the giant would have risen a stench to heaven.

As the metal flowed into him, he felt his legs begin to work, and the damage to his chest subside from the metal sealing the gaps between the cracks, and filling the shattered empty voids. He looked like an irregular jigsaw puzzle, of broken white shards and dark grey bands between them where the iron had solidified.

He chuckled, then staggered up onto his feet. The repairs were not that great; Iron was tough, but lacked the hardness and strength of the ceramic, and was much heavier. His legs threatened to bend in ways that were not conducive to walking with each step, but at least he was upright.

Yvonne looked spent, clutching her arms against her body with a grimace of her own. He waved at her and smiled. She only looked at him for a moment as the hairy brute stood up and once more started to lunge, a thick trickle of blood going down its rear legs, matting the fur.

He crouched, then propelled himself forward by skating on the sandy ground, to dart between those legs, before turning over, and reaching up with both hands to grasp the breast plate in a bear hug. The bear had the metal he needed, and he intended to have it.

The bear tumbled from the sudden increase in mass on his chest, and fell forward on top of henri-- an event he made full use of, despite several hundred pounds of usine bulk crushing him into the sandy floor. The beast bellowed, then tore at Henri's back with its clawed hands, but to no avail-- he had fused himself with the breastplate, and the center of it glowed red hot as it flowed around him like a shell, leaving the corners pristine and shiny, with an ugly blue, purple, and orange banding pattern surrounding where he had stuck himself fast to his opponent.

He looked like a crucified man, stretched out over the beast's chest.

"GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!!!" roared the creature, as it rolled and tossed while tugging at the straps of the breastplate.

[Assistant]
Looking over at the records of what had been shipped out, she could find nothing of use for her investigation. Although she did wonder if a load of armour and speartips had made their destination. "And could you direct me on a map where his house could be? Or perhaps you could write some directions of where his home could be?" Her eyes quickly looked over at the apprentice.

Investigating Brik's house could bring some useful clues. But that would have to wait as she needed to investigate what she could in the village.

[User]
There was a pregnant pause as Yvonne's strike found its mark, the announcer and the hag's voice a dull echo in a faraway place. Then the mercenary saw the bear regained his (heh) bearings, and for a split second she recognized what a bad spot she's in - attack already fully committed, now within mauling range of a very pissed off bear who just lost his crown jewels. Who's fault was it to land her in this situation? Riiight, it was past Yvonne. What a bitch-

A heavy swipe filled with rage and little sense. The arena spun, the mercenary oddly serene as she reflected over the blow, noting that it's all blunt with no claw involved. Too angry to properly kill her, huh? Though, to be fair, this was normally enough to shatter an average man-

Her thoughts was interrupted again, this time by the sandy gravel of the arena. Bounced once. Twice. Found orientation, didn't matter, bounce a third time. A final fall, and she's still. Ow. That hurts. Okay, let's see. Nothing was stomping over to finish her off. That's good enough for now, either the bear was in too much pain to move or her team managed to occupy it. Yvonne laid on the ground face-up, assessing her own condition for the time being.

Quick version: Not good. Not good at all. In fact, she's feeling fucking terrible. Been a while. Anyway.

Sore was the first thing she felt. Sore and bruised. As for where the bruise was, well, it's probably faster to ask where the bruise wasn't. Yvonne can only be sure that it's her neck - just about everywhere else throbbed with pain. Could taste iron in her mouth, huh. Must've split her lips in the impact. Elsewhere...

Head felt fine. Can think. No pain from within, so brain should be fine. Breathing hurt. More than it should. And more difficult. Fracture there, then. Next, limbs. Right shoulder... didn't felt right. Heh. That's what impacted ground the first time. Probably dislocated. Gotta fix that soon. Left arm was struck by the bear, but no bleeding. Hurt like a motherfucker though, it'll bruise real bad soon enough. Legs were functional, likely with an additional mace-shaped bruise where her own mace was pressed to the flesh by the impact.

First thing first, the shoulder. Boss - of the mercenary company, not Sparky - showed her how. Step one, sit up. Pain. But she sat. Right leg folded up, clasp both hands around it. Lean the head back, roll the shoulder forward-

Click

"Fuckshitbitchdamncocksuckermotherfuckingdirtywhore- that hurts-"

It felt like she blacked out for a split second there. Yvonne very much would like to collapse back into a bruised heap, but the enemies wont wait for her to recover. Wobbling, she slowly and carefully returned to her feet before surveying how's the battle going on. The polearm wasn't around anymore. Didn't matter much, she doubt she can wield it effectively in this state. Sword drawn again, the mercenary glared at the faint trace of bloodstain on it. Tch, cleaning the scabbard will be such a pain. But that's for future Yvonne to worry about, after she survive this whole debacle.

[Assistant]
[GM Post]

"Well ain't that a lengthy walk!" Quite a bit. Most travels were done on some sort of draft carts or wagons. "Cant say we've got special deal or nuthin', ya pay what ye eat but we've got a lot. Manifold your weight, I'd wager!"

The farmhand gestured at the stall, before pointing at the field not far away. A good portion had been harvested, but the remaining was looking very much bountiful.

"We have pork in here, if that's yer thing. Got lots of pumpkin and squash. And potatoes, never could'a go wrong with taters. All sorta beans too! For vegs, lettuce and spinach and cauliflower. Ya can pick what ya want and tally it up later, or say how much ye wanna buy an' I'll tell ya when it's reached."

[User]
[GM Post]

The blacksmith didn't look bothered at Matilda failing to find anything. Well, it would be weirder if she could find some dirt, as far as he knew there's nothing shady going on. He's making good living already, no need to dip fingers into muddy water. "Dont have map or anything here, I'm afraid." He noticed the glance. "But we can guide you. Oi, Timmy!" The apprentice in question immediately stood straighter. "Guide the good dame to the hunters' place, would you kindly? You know where it is, aye?"

"Yesser! Right away! Uh, this way ma'am!" The youngster walked a total of three hurried steps before stopping, almost stumbling in the process, as he turned around to check if Matilda was keeping up. His ears reddened from the sheer embarassment as the other apprentices definitely saw it all happening.

[Assistant]
Kaito assessed the situation. The wolf was preoccupied with getting out of the net Chounan had tossed and would soon be free to attack the samurai. The werebear was a totally different story. That creature had managed to swat away Yvonne like a fly but had found himself in an even worse spot. The strange latecomer had somehow managed to fuse himself with the bear's armor and turned it into a frying plate. The creature was in absolute agony and tried frantically to get rid of the glowing hot torture device that was strapped to his now burning chest. Judging both creatures, it was clear that the bear was paying the least attention to his surroundings.

The fox circled around the top right pillar, making sure to stay out of the rolling bear's field of vision as much as possible. For a moment he quietly observed the werecreature's movements from behind the pillar. Kaito knew that he had to deliver an instant fatal strike. If he would give the bear the chance to retaliate, he would be in grave danger.

The moment the suffering bear rolled with his head into the direction of the pillar Kaito initiated his strike. Lunging forward from behind the pillar the fox thrusted his wakizashi with all his might into the exposed head from the bear. The fox could only hope that he has enough strength to pierce through the werebear's tick skull.