[System]
Alias in the DgtWld:
Maverick

Age:
22
Corrector Appearance:

Weapon of Choice and Fighting Style:
Swords and melee weapons

Riley uses a versatile fighting style that is primarily based around close combat with melee weapons. His Corrector Avatar combines a decent amount of dexterity with high physical strength and above agerage constitution. With no ranged attacks, he relies on being able to quickly close the gap between himself and his foes to engage in melee combat, where his high-damage saber and tough combat armor excel. Currently in the works for upgrades is a system that allows Riley to change his saber into different melee weapons, or a ranged component for his companion app, though at current he uses a long bladed saber with a two handed hilt.

In his spare time, Riley has managed to code and sneak himself a small companion app that runs alongside his Avatar. Nicknamed 'Spark', Riley's companion app is no bigger than a baseball, and generally hovers around his shoulder when not in combat. Spark serves as a basic interfacing unit, allowing Riley and his teammates to interact with the DgtWld around them and modify small bits if necessary- IE unlock/open doors, make lights. Spark currently has no means of attack other than loudly warning its companions that an enemy is approaching.

Cell Phone:

Music:
Grape Soda - Snail's House
Personality:
Perceptive, Streetwise, Easygoing, and Lazy

Hometown: London, England

Major: Criminal Justice and Sociology minor

Background:
The youngest child of two, Riley is the son of police officer and schoolteacher. His childhood was relatively mundane, consisting of getting middling to above average grades in school, and spending his time either playing outside with friends or playing computer games. Riley very much followed the trail of his older sister, doing or becoming interested in many of the things that she was. As his sister was rather sickly, and was often physically weak, Riley developed a strong, almost symbiotic relationship with his sister, the two of them sharing role of mutual caretaker as their father worked late at the department and his mother began prepping for a career as a university professor.

In high school, Riley scored relatively high marks despite his lax attitude. He adapted well as newer technologies started appearing- the DgtWld and the widespread use of phones and MChips. These newer technologies, coupled with Riley's progressive attitude and go-with-the-flow nature actually made it easier for Riley to excel in his classes and while still slacking off and helped propel him to the top tiers of his class. Stress began building for Riley near the end of high school, when his sister's health began getting increasingly worse, and his family began struggling to pay for both school and medical costs.

Upon graduating high school, Riley prepared to go to the University of London where his sister also attended school, majoring in Criminal Justice and sociology- two fairly similar fields. He planned on going into Law School afterwards- the higher income of a lawyer would help his family pay for his sister's increasingly expensive medical bills. He also took an interest in Computer Science classes, though lacked the work ethic to commit to a major or minor in the field and as a result dropped the subject.

After his first few weeks at University, Riley was contacted by Gvn and recruited into a group known as "The Correctors". Taking the job with a devil-may-care attitude, was surprised to find how much he enjoyed the career- it felt like playing a video game at times, and best of all- it paid for his college tuition, and would help pay for his sister's medical bills. Riley made a good fit as a corrector, and his concentration in the Criminal Justice field gave him an edge in apprehending and understanding those who would abuse the DgtWld for criminal purposes.

Now having spent several years as a Corrector, Riley is finally getting in the swing of being able to juggle his school and social life along with work and designated free time. His work as a Corrector has also resparked his interest in computers and technology- though at the caution of his teammates, keeps the interest low key and hidden. The bulk of his income as a corrector being squirreled away to help pay for his sister's hospital expenses and while her sickness is taking a toll on their family both financially and emotionally, Riley maintains a carefree persona when interacting with others.

[User]
Sasha

Looking to Maverick, Urkwia tossed him a light smirk. "Remind me to apologize later." She said sarcastically.

"I can wash these suckers out." She then told Archimedes, though she wasn't certain her water would pack the punch she was hoping for.

Urkwia watched as Maverick tried his best to hold steady while fending off the durable foes. She backed up toward the stairs, not sure they should flee the building or keep moving upwards. There would likely be other enemies to deal with if they progressed upwards but she had a feeling there had to be a reason there was such a swarm. Were they hiding something? She flung out her arm and sprayed water at a few hobbling golems that were still trying to make their way toward their trio of Correctors. She had to make a decision. Walk further into a trap with limited to no escape? Or find another vantage point?

"We stay the course, upwards and onwards!" She called out to the other two as she turned and hurried up the stairs, turning to shoot toward a few other enemies, noting that the water acted as sludge that seemed to slow them down, prevent them from moving so much. Hurrying up, she paused to let the boys go in front of her so she could bring up the rear. A good leader left no man behind. She ran after the boys as she washed the stairs in water, hopeful that would prevent them from climbing up and ambushing them.

With her heart racing, she looked around the second floor of the building. It was just as plain as the first floor. Urkwia noted what she thought were cabinet files though she had only seen them in films. She looked to the boys as they headed for the next set of stairs which were across the room on the opposite side. As they neared the staircase, none of them dropping their guard, it seemed there was a very old thick laptop waiting for them, propping on the stairs, blocking their path. Before she bent down to remove it, the screen blinked on, showing a bright blue background with white letting.

"Hello Correctors, welcome to my domain. You are on the right track to find the truth hidden among your daily lives which have been bathed in lies and greed. I am here to test your mettle, to see how brainwashed you are and to judge your merits. You can walk away now and tell your overlords that this was a glitch where no Hacker has been. That would be the truth, in one way. I am not a Hacker. However, you could stay and keep on the path you find yourselves on. Should you wish to continue and not trigger any traps, you must complete a few more tests. Where does your loyalty lie? In the Gvn that gave you everything you have today and made you who are are? Or are you loyal to truth, no matter what it reveals in its light or casts in its shadow?"

Shaking her head, Urkwia had no idea if this was a joke or a trick. Would the Gvn plant this to test them? Was there really some kind of conspiracy going on? Life around them showed no signs of unrest and yet Hackers loved to play games. Urkwia wasn't sure what to do but her gut was telling her to move forward. If this was a trick or a test by the Gvn, they would fail and likely lose their jobs. If it wasn't, did they need answers to questions they didn't even have? "I think we should keep going. Though something tells me whoever this is, has some worse tricks up their sleeves." She frowned. "What do you guys think?" She asked them.

What would await them on the third floor, would be a maze leading to the next set of stairs, on the other side of the building. The maze was made of tall silver-grey file cabinets, with stone creatures roaming and lurking in the shadows. All of this could be seen on the final floor, a woman sitting back in a soft brown leather chair, watching the Correctors squirm on her monitors. The woman hummed softly, hoping these Correctors would be the ones to take a leap of faith, to venture out of the cave and see the light and embrace the truth and the cruel world that bred it.

[Assistant]
Avory

Archimedes watched Urkwia spray down the front row of constructs from the stairs. Leaping to the stairs the young man emptied the last of the bullets in his magazine into the remaining constructs before ascending the stairs with practiced movements. Ejecting the spent magazine he replaced it with a materialized magazine from the mag pouch at his belt. Thumbing the slide release he didn't bother to look back down the stairs, Urkwia knew what she was doing and he needed to protect them from anything coming down the stairs. Bringing the gun back up he supported it with his left hand which was now grasping his knife.

Calling back down the stairs he addressed the series of puns "Please try not to bury me in that avalanche of puns." For all his buinesses like exterior, his deadpan humor dictated that he must inject at least one dad joke into any sort of conversation that was happening mid mission. This seemed like the perfect place to make both of them wish that they had kept their mouths shut.

"Also, it's not: Not Clear. Its Contact. Though I suppose I understood." Grinning to himself he continued to clear the stairs above them. Strangely he was a fairly decent choice to lead in an urban environment like this. Though he wished he had some sort of burst fire weapon or perhaps a shotgun. Archimedes made a mental note to at the very least download the pattern for Rip rounds the next chance he had. The jacketed hollow points he was using seemed to do the job most of the time but the damn golems had highlighted the fact that against inorganic enemies hollow points didn't really expanded the same way. Thank Christ that they were jacketed.

Once on the second floor Archimedes spread out to the right covering the right field of fire with his handgun, sweeping to make sure that nothing came charging at them from behind the filing cabinets. Urkwia took note of the laptop and made a beeline for it.

Reading the text Archimedes pursed his lips as he scanned through it. This had to be some sort of mind game. That or maybe a really fucked up training exercise but he gut told him that it was probably a hacker screwing with them. It made little sense for their superiors to send them into a test like this. It took them out of play when their could potentially be a real threat that popped up. Still…

Part of him was intrigued by the suggestions but the reality here was that it was another delusional hacker hiding behind the idea that they were somehow being responsible by causing a collision. Urkwia's question snapped his attention back.

"We need to do our job. Hacker sounds like they have some sort of superiority complex or perhaps a personality disorder. Use to see people like this all the time but we got a bit better at noting high machs and low empathy people in society so there has been a decrease in people like this. Though interestingly, I've been reading some of the old hacker briefs; it's amazing how many of them have personalities like this. I have to wonder if it's what causes them to do stuff like this."

This was why the Government needed more tools for dealing with people in general. Archimedes held back from voicing that particular sentiment. His own research was already sort of toeing a line when it came to this job.

[User]
Maverick breathed hard as he drove his sword through the center of another of the little golems, cleaving it in half. Bringing his armored boot up to his chest, he kicked another across the room, bowling to a few more of them. The golems were sturdy and strong, but their small size and slow movements made them relatively easy to hold at bay- at least until they were overwhelmed. Shooting a look over his shoulder, Maverick kicked one last golem away before he sprinted up the stairs.

Bounding up the steps with Archimedes, Maverick paused at the door, holding it open for Urkwia before he slammed the door shut. "Sparky! Lock it!" he called out as he shoved his shoulder against the door. He could hear the sound of stone and concrete falling and tumbling, so Urkwia's water seemed to be working for now, but he'd feel more comfortable if the door was firmly locked behind them. The little companion program chirped happily as it floated in front of the door, a small interface appearing as it interacted with the doorknob and locked it.

With the door good and shut, Maverick breathed out in relief and joined Urkwia and Archimedes at the laptop, his helmet opening up to reveal his face again, now that the threat was over. Reading the text himself, Maverick found himself shrugging, not totally sure what to do, and not particularly caring what the Hacker had to say- All the hackers they had run into had some sort of superiority complex- As Archimedes pointed out. It was the main reason why these Collisions always looked like artistic representations of places instead of a drab and simple grid-zone. The youngest and least experienced of the three, Maverick generally found himself gravitating toward's the decisions of the others.

"We're not gonna get anything done just standing here. We oughta just keep going, and roll with the punches as they come."


[System]
Nicknames: N/A
Team Position: Assault/Supporting fire
Age: 21
Gender: ♀
Year at Ace Academy: 2nd Year
Appearance: Rio is a tall and slender woman, standing at a proud 1m86. She usually wears a bit of lipstick and eyeshadow, but doesn't touch other make-up. Her face is thin and sports small features, making her eyes and mouth seem further apart than they really are. She has ruby eyes. Her hair is long, minty geen but usually tied up into a ponytail which reaches 3/4ths down her back. Even when not in uniform, Rio prefers to dress formally so you'll usually see her sporting a suit of some renown.

Personality: Rio's a bit stuck up and snobbish, looking down on everyone but only letting it show ever so slightly. That's not to say she's heartless, you can certainly get a good conversation going with her if she lets you, but Rio's not the type to easily hand out compliments.

Biography: Born in the Hamasaki family, Rio wasn't missing much when she grew up. The Hamasaki's built their legacy on selling high-quality electronics and eventually got into the Gear business, making quite a bit of revenue come their way. This lead to the classic case of 'Rich Kid Syndrome' for Rio, as she was enlisted in some of the most expensive academies Japan had to offer. She was constantly pressured into studying, leaving her a bit of a loner up until the later years of her highschool life where she formed a small clique of friends. Rio never really had a boyfriend, which pains her enormously because every guy she's ever had a crush on either rejected her or were already together with someone else. They also tended to all be interested in Gears, so she herself decided to dabble into it as well.

Much to her parents' dismay, this caused Rio to choose to become a Gear pilot rather than inherit their business, but she figured they could shove that responsibility on her two years younger brother. She's kind of stuck down this path, too, as she actively lashed out against her parents to let her do this.

She was enlisted in Ace and soon was faced with the harsh reality that there were, in fact, people that were better at this whole piloting thing than she was. She repeatedly got crushed in combat, and it frustrated her at the time, but she at least humbled up a bit and stopped being a stuck-up bitch to everyone. One of these crushing encounters was against Bill Atlas - now her team leader - in which he delivered swift justice with his fast melee style. Rio learned that, even though she is a ranged combatant, she can still let melee gears slip through if she lets her guard down. It doesn't prevent her from holding a grudge about it, though. The studies were much harder than she expected, too; while she'd been breezing through much of her schooling up to that point, she had troubles keeping up with Ace Academy. Now she's going to try and prove herself this year after barely scraping by last year. She's not going to be the problem child of the Hamasaki's!

---

Combat Section

Strengths: She's a calm thinker and is quick to adapt when things go south. Great at thinking up both short-term and long-term strategies when the situation calls for it. She isn't the greatest at mid-range, but she performs above average if nothing else due to a steady aim.

Weaknesses: Arrogance leads to overconfidence, so she can bit off more than she can chew sometimes. She doesn't like being ordered around, especially when it goes against what she personally thinks is 'best'. Despite having good theoretical skills, she can flake when putting it in practice. She's not great in the short range either, mostly due to having little experience with gears that come up close.

Neutral Values: Long-range combat and support roles.

Other: N/A

---

Gear Section

Gear Designation: Hamasaki Manufact. Customized Model 43CHUTE

Nickname: Union

Weapon(s):
Union is equipped with a Kinetic rifle that fires automatic rounds. The clip is reloaded as it fires, but can't go on endlessly. A set amount of bullets are loaded in, and if Rio continuously fires she'll end up depleting her clip before it can catch up. They're meant to pierce armor, but deal less damage to the gears themselves. This is a weapon meant for softening up the foe rather than outright killing them.

Union is also loaded with a couple of energy grenades (4 per combat) that, similarly, don't do much to damage the foe but rather pierce through shields. Unfortunately, this is a rather slow way to punch through their defenses and is more used for forcing the enemy to move.

The last of Union's weapons is a short range energy dagger. It's not meant to fight a melee Gear head-on, but serves as a last line of defense in case the enemy comes close. Unlike the previous two weapons, this one is designed to deal extreme damage on contact, but is hard to hit due to being so short.

Base Parameters:
Strength: C
Endurance: C
*Armor Quality: B
*Shield Quality: C
Agility: D
Energy Level: B
Long Range Quality: B
Short Range Quality: D

[User]
Rio only gave a cursory glance at Gurevich, still unwilling to recognize him as worth her time. She'd see what he's made of on the field of battle. If he's so keen on giving unwanted advice, he'd better earn it. The woman walked off in the direction of her own GEAR as it was located a little bit further into the hangar. She didn't have time to deal with the expected reactions to her comment if she wanted to get into combat in a timely fashion.

Once Rio was inside of Union the entire process of loading into the simulator went by extremely quickly. Bill had already sent out the invites by the time she'd arrived. Rio did a quick double check of Union and waited for the arena to visualize around her. She seemed to be the fourth one getting in, strangely enough. Gurevich must have been held up. Once Gurevich had loaded in, the glorious team leader managed to get on Rio's nerves even further with just some simple banter.

"Great. NEET and no self-confidence. Just what I needed." Rio groaned to herself, muting the communications for just a second so her team wouldn't hear it. She braced the rifle of Union and kept a close eye on the boosters.

"Ready."

[Assistant]
Sara blinked in her cockpit, Bill's bombastic response taking her a bit off guard. He sounded like an overenthusiastic video game character. She giggled lightly to herself as she joined Bill's training session, and was joined by Ian and Hamasaki shortly afterwards. Sara took a moment to look over her Valkyrie II, the white machine's weapons loaded in fairly easily- most of her blueprints had already been uploaded to the database by the manufacturer.

Sara listened as Bill addressed them again, her machine firing the various boosters around its bodies- testing her mobility in the sim. Sure enough, it was working fine. Her Valkyrie was fast- perhaps not the fastest in a straight on sprint- Ian's GEAR looked light on its feet and speedy, but her machine was built for rapid lateral movement, if done right she could string together half a dozen lateral dashes in different directions in moments, enabling her to juke past just about anything- one of the main reasons why she desired a role based on flanking instead of straight on combat.

Sara let out a small cough as Bill gave a speech that would've fit in a medieval fantasy RPG, sidling her machine up next to his, boosters allowing her to hover just above the ground. "I don't think computer programs understand the concept of fear or honor." she murmured to herself as she guided her machine into position.

She let the Valkyrie settle on the ground and readied her lance and claws. "Hayakawa, ready."

[User]
Kiril followed the remainder of the team with his eyes as they withdrew to their own Gears. He made a mental note of their selected space, and the speed with which they climbed into their respective cockpits. There was a lot to learn about a person from the way they handle mundane tasks as well as personal space, which is why this exercise was so important. Still, not counting the tall girl's efforts to disband the team, the beginning of this journey and this year had great potential.

He crossed the distance to Ogre's corner with long steps, maneuvering through the crowd like a leaf in the wind. The mounting system of his Gear was simpler than that of others, focused much more on safety than speed. This was true for the software as well, in addition of it apparently being highly incompatible with the automated processes of the simulation, requiring some manual involvement. By the time he was done, he'd missed everything but Sara's response.

"An opponent without fear, or any other psychological processes, is a lesson in itself." He stated while his systems were finishing the synchronization process. "It allows us to focus on the technical part of this battle, as well as test the limit of our ruthlessness. These are just AI, right? How easy it is to imagine any opponent as 'Just AI', hah."

After a moment of silence, he piped up again. "Oh, yes, Ogre ready."

[Assistant] "Detecting all opponents. Engaging battle systems! Prepare for combat!" the robot called as the group of two snipers, two brawlers, and one skirmisher all attacked at once. In great sync they shot at the pilots with dexterous skill, and ability much like any top tier pilot would at the academy. The group rushed forward to meet the front line fights while the snipers hung back and shot at Ian, and Kiril in order to keep them off balance. Bill on the other hand flashed forward Exalted's speed was breath taking, and without the g forces to hold him back he was more than capable of handling Masurao. He rushed up to the enemy skirmisher and let lose with a kinetic flurry of slashes towards the enemy machine overwhelming it in a blur of motion, and slashes but he didn't manage to get any hits just yet just simply keep it on it's toes. "I'll be the one to crush you!" growled Bill as he pressured the enemy AI. Meanwhile the brawlers went up close in an attempt to destroy Sarah, and Rio while hiding behind their massive shields. Both of them were wielding heavier melee weapons.

[User]
"Had my damn volume all the way up." Ian mumbled as he recovered from the shouting. To call Bill enthusiastic would be underkill of the highest order. He had seen teams get excited like that, some even striking poses beforehand. At least he wasn't doing that...Then again they were only fighting computers, so it could still happen.

The moment the gunfire started, Ian was immediately pressured by the two enemy snipers. Firing up the jump jets, he quickly jumped backwards to a range that would be out of the effective range of all but the longer range units. Unfortunately, those were the ones targeting him at the moment. He managed to keep himself mostly unscathed by continuously moving, but it wasn't exactly easy to get a shot while dodging. He had managed a few pot-shots in the meantime, but he couldn't keep this up forever.

"Someone get one of these snipers off of me, it's a bit difficult to dodge them both!" He said over the teamchat.

[Assistant]
Well, the enemy had come in hot and fast. It was to be expected, considering they were AI opponents and could react faster than any human. Rio thought back on the plan in a flash, needing to cover for both Bill and Sara. Bill was out of the question for now, he'd positioned himself straight in front of the enemy. So that only left Sara, which was currently being targeted by two brawlers coming at the two ladies of the group. So the appropriate reaction here was...

"Grenade!" Rio shouted over the communications as she had Union toss one into the area between the skirmishers and the two girls, giving them both a small window of time to retreat and fire from a distance. Unfortunately, Rio had forgotten Sara was a skirmisher as well, so this left her dead in the water until after the small bomb exploded. Union boosted backwards and raised up it's rifle, taking aim at one of the two brawlers and sent a small volley of bullets in burst fire towards it.

"Someone get one of these snipers off of me, it's a bit difficult to dodge them both!"

A sudden message over the communications reached Rio's ears as she fired away. Protecting Laudat was Gurevich's job, but from the sounds of it, he had trouble as well. Atlas was doing just fine against the skirmisher, but the same couldn't be said for the rest. Sucks to be them, though. Rio wasn't going to compromise her position for them. As fate would have it, though, it didn't seem like she was going to need to. Sara's voice suddenly sprang up in the team chat.

"Hamasaki! Hold them off for a bit longer!"

Rio growled as she heard this command, being directly told what to do by someone who wasn't even the team leader. Still, she had to agree that this might have been for the best. All Sara got for a reply was a short "Got it," from the tall woman. She moved Union in a bit closer to create a barrier between her and Sara's GEAR. Pointing up Union's rifle, Rio began to launch more aggressive attacks. She wasn't good at running and gunning, but by firing enough bullets it should at least slow their advance. When the brawlers closed in on her again, she threw another grenade in between them both to zone them out.


[System]
"I am beauty, I am grace, I will punch you in the face"
i couldn't resist

Appearance
 A tall, heavily-built woman, Juniper's strength rivals those of most men. She reaches nearly 190 cm in height and weighs slightly more than 85 kg. Her raven-black hair is cut short, barely reaching below her chin, and she's cut her bangs short so they don't get into her eyes. Two strands of hair frame her face, reaching down to her high cheekbones and square chin. Juniper's tanned, despite being raised in a northern country, and has brownstone eyes with a slight shade of olive. Her lips are slightly plump and she's got a slightly curved nose.
 Juniper almost always wears battle gear - hers consists of a light iron chainmail, shoulder, elbow and knee guards made of steel and black leather knee-high boots.

Age
 26

Sex
 Cis-female, asexual

Weapon
 Axe

Asset
 Strength

Flaw
 Magic

Personality
 Alignment
 Chaotic Neutral. Juniper's ethics and morals are questionable, as she is quite ruthless and prone to putting her interests first, especially if the conflict is with strangers or people whom she does not care for. She is, however, caring for her close relatives and friends and is willing to help in battle. She doesn't really care for the law and wants to find easy or effective measures to achieve her goal, however, if punishment will be dealt or benefits gained, Juniper will reluctantly follow.

 She's very charismatic and self-confident, and will try to crack a joke in most situations where it's appropriate. Juniper's not the one for complex diplomacy, she prefers to solve problems through battle. It can be quite hard to stop her when she's angry or bloodthirsty. She has an affinity for good food and will probably spend most of her money on it, since she uses her gear and weapons until they wear out. Juniper believes that practice is superior to theory and will gladly spar with different people, be it mages or swordfighters.

Biography / History
 The only daughter of the royal family in Yoha, a matriarchal kingdom bordering the northern sea, she was born on one of the few sunny days. Unlike her mother, an incredibly peaceful lady and a great diplomat, Juniper showed that the battlefield was more comfortable for her than conference halls during her early days. She was a fast learner, and became an army recruit at the age of 17. Her outstanding skill with an axe and speed helped her survive and escape death even during massacres, yet it lead to more mourning than one could imagine.

 Her mother fell ill when Juniper reached late puberty. Despite the effort of Yoha's best doctors, she died shortly after her daughter reached 18, leaving the throne to the youngest Drev. With Juniper reigning, Yoha's politics took quite a turn to violence - their army soon almost effortlessly conquered the nearby lands, granting the kingdom more fertile soil and resources. They stopped the conquest after doubling the country's size and turning it into federation - it remained peaceful and open to foreigners ever since.

 At the age of 26, Juniper still has no husband, wife or any romantic interest. There has been a significant amount of suitors coming to her reign, most of whom, if not all, were rejected and sent back, even princes of some of the biggest countries of the continent.

[User]
Death does not discriminate. It cares not for your wealth, your pride, your strength or your honor. It can strike in an instant as the blade of an assassin, or torture its victims over years until finally releasing them into everlasting peace.

This place is not so different. With no memory of your arrival, no familiarity with those trapped beside you, you are the victim of death, subjected to the horrors regardless of your past. If the traps and monsters do not rip your life away in a blink of the eye, then time will become your greatest fear as your hope rots and your mind fades into a dull shell of your former self. If even then you persist, then you will suffer at the hands of those who did not.

Perhaps after all of this, you hold with desperation onto the idea that you'll see the light of day once again.
Perhaps.

If this is what drives you, then you better get climbing. The only way is up, and there's only one way to see what's at the top of...
The Tower

~Prologue~
Left In the Dark

Yes, climb and climb, you will. Give yourself goals, it would be all the more pleasing when you fail...

Cold, dry, empty, and most of all, dark. The enclosure that the adventures and nobles awoke in was about one hundred feet wide in both directions. A single torch rested on a pedestal in the center as well as torches along the walls gave the smooth dark stone of this room a color that mimicked rotting pumpkins, and this sickly coloration faded into blackness upward, the ceiling was beyond the depressing light's reach. Each of the people trapped in this room awoke one by one as if synchronized, each sitting up with a sudden start from the chilled floor and into the dusty and still air around them. The scent of musk was faint but apparent as they looked about, seeing one another scattered across the room.

[Assistant]
Sigrdrífa Rylo

Sigrdrífa's eyes popped open and she looked around. No danger, yet. A self check revealed she was fully armoured with a weapon and no visible injuries or signs of damage. Which left several questions. Why was she here, where was here, and who were these people with here? There about six other around the room, all seemed to have come awake at the same time. Eerie. Her eye's flicked around for search of an exit but the dark made it difficult to tell what was a dark wall and what was something else. Sigrdrífa took a step or two and pounded her spear butt against the floor and spoke decisively. "Sigrdrífa Rylo, knight of Jorhan. Current situation unknown."

Well there wasn't much else to say. She had no idea what sort of people were here and how they would react to someone taking charge. If needed she could do so but if there was a noble here she would be loath to make an enemy in such an unknown situation. Sigrdrífa scanned the face's of those still waking for their reaction, hopefully they were either like her and soldiers with no idea what was going on, or better yet, they had some semblance of what had happened. The fear that they would be bandits and of that ilk went unspoken and mostly unthought, such things would a waste of energy unless they proved themselves in time.

[User]
Ulrich Halechstin

Ulrich started to stir from his... sleep. He opened his eyes only to find that he seemed to be in someplace where the sun doesn't reach. He was still lying on his back. He propped himself up using his elbows and then looked around. There were torches lining the walls and then one on the pedestal. This place reminded him so much of when he saw Val's dead body. He felt a cold shudder run through his spine before he shook himself, reminding that he was not there anymore.

But then, where was he and how did he get here? Those questions remained in his mind as he continued to look around. Oh wait, there were other humans in there. About six of them and then one was already up and running and even spoke in such a way that she was taking charge. Not that he minded. He was a mercenary, so to say, and he's used to hearing orders and following them. He then finally stood up from his position. The others were just waking up from whatever trance they had been in.

"Ulrich Halechstin's the name. Mercenary by trade." The gray haired male said, to introduce him somewhat to those who could hear him. He wanted to know who he was trapped with. Hopefully, he could at least squeeze out some names from them. None of them were familiar after all and since they were all trapped inside, he might as well get to know them.

[Assistant]
Cato Mancha

Cato let out a soft groan as he opened his eyes and slowly raised his sore body from the hard ground. His eye adjusted to the low light quickly as he studied the room, he took note of the dreariness of the room, it was cold, dry and dark, like a dungeon. How did he get here. He wondered, did Miran nobles kidnapped him for ransom? Was he to be tortured then killed by assassins? There was so many possibilities and no answers as the only people in the room who were awake just looked just as confused as he was, it also didn't help him figure out their predicament when they said they were just a knight and mercenary, maybe the others still passed out were nobles or even royalty like himself.

Cato stood up fully then he wiped away the dust and dirt off his clean sliver chain mail shirt and pants. As he wiped away the muck off him he sees on the ground a Heal Staff, like the ones he used during his training, he breath a sigh of relief at he picked up the staff, feeling just right in his gloved hands, it looks like he won't be completely useless if he gets into a fight. As he strapped the the staff onto his belt he notices that there's vulneraries hanging off of his belt ready to be used. Cato thanked the kidnappers for letting him things to keep him safe, with the irony going over his head of thanking his kidnappers. Cato finally decided to speak up.

"I'm Cato Mancha, Crowned Prince of Mira and your local healer~" Cato said in a bright cheery tone, he decided he would just let everybody know his title so if they want him dead they should just kill him right away, he doesn't need secrets to feel safe, since he won't feel safe until he's back home. "It is nice to you meet you, Mister Ulrich and Miss...Sigrdrífa... did I say that right?"

[User] Juniper never liked mornings. The sun hurting her eyes, the dry feeling in her mouth and throat, the grogginess... She groaned, feeling the surface around with her hands. Cold, dry, rough-- Wait, where was she? She opened her eyes, and pushed herself up, looking around fear, like a wild animal captured. Juniper calmed down slightly upon seeing other people around her, most of them asleep or not hostile. Juniper steadied her breath and brushed dust off her shoulder guards and chest. She tried walking towards the torch, nearly tripping on something. An axe? Nice, she had some weapon now, even though it wasn't her favourite silver. Juniper sighed and grabbed the iron weapon. It was far too dark here for her liking, but at least there were others here. They... did not look like her soldiers though. A lady knight, standing taller than anyone in cave, and two rather small boys, one holding a staff. Nice, a cleric. "Hey, I'm Juniper Drev. Any idea as to where we are?"


[System]
Codename (Radio Call): Lancaster
Age: 30
Nationality: English
Role: Field agent
Appearance:

One of the last known pictures of George at Oxford University before leaving for new adventures, or so George called it.

George stands at an little more than average height of 6'1, with his dark, blue eyes and always well-styled brown hair. His face is of an elegant, English gentleman, with well-trimmed facial hair and an even better suit, which one can get an idea of his decent frame for upper-class man; not a macho-man by most means, but enough muscles to stand a fight.

Personality: George and Cassandra aren't too different from each other, his self-esteem matching hers just fine, his sarcastic comments (mostly directed towards her), and his will to accomplish a task by his way. But compared to Cassandra, George prefers to take more quiet and bloodless routes, usually involving espionage, diplomacy and hand-to-hand combat, though he does not shy away from a good gun-fight. He loves a good drink, his upper-class way of life, and himself of course. He does his best to go by the book, as long as it suits him well, and him too considers himself to be the more professional of the pair, stating that he does his work clean and smooth, while Cassandra always makes a mess, even if he ends up quite a few beds.

Service History: Born into prosperity on the 7th of April 1985, George never had a bad day in his life. His parents were both from a long line of rich merchants, land-owners, industrialists, diplomats and governors of Britain's past colonies, and it was only reasonable for George to follow in this path. He grew up on his family's estate in York, growing fond of the rich man's life and all that followed with it; swordsmanship, fox hunting, sailing, and women. He proved to be a good student too, going on to study law, international relations and politics at no other than at Oxford.

Like his father, grandfather, great grandfather and so on, George entered the armed forces to serve Queen and country, preferably as a fighter pilot or an officer, ending up as the latter after discrete encouragement from "unknown sources" with tons of money. Even for the obvious effect of the money, George was actually a decent army man, showing potential for SAS, though this is where his official records stops. As far as the public knows, George is serving down Iraq in the army.

-Top Secret-
Sierra Vanguard

Codename: Lancaster
Service record: Infiltrating several Russian arms-dealer groups; military and political espionage in China, Venezuela, Iran, Serbia, Egypt and Syria; assisting rebel forces and governmental forces in different civil wars and conflicts; retrieving key-components from North-Korean nuclear program...Classified.
Speaks five different languages, practices six different martial arts, skilled in use of light, medium and heavy firearms, expert in diplomacy, deception and espionage. High-value agent. Possible future confrontation with agent Liberty. Under evaluation.

Other: Like the spoiled upper-class man he his, his car of choice is a silver Aston Martin DB AR1 for which he loves dearly. Having given a lot of love and money (mostly money), the car is on top shape, and can compete with any new car anytime, anywhere, anyhow. In terms of phones, he always uses the newest of the Samsung Galaxy series, with plenty of useful gadgets that make him feel like James Bond, only better of course. And finally he always dressed as a proper gentleman, be it a clean-cut tailored suit of the finest Italian cloth or anything else fitting the occasion. Women turn their heads to take a look at this good-looking, finely dressed man, and George enjoys every second of it.

[User]
Somewhere in London, England

Martin walked past the guard, nodding as he went through the first door. The room was spacious, wide open, with a glass view on the Thames outside. Blacked out glass, it almost acted as one way mirror. Walking towards the second retinal scan, he moved his eye in front of the laser, and a simple shot fired light at the back of his right eye, catching who this was. Martin Duncan Thatcher, Head of Sierra Vanguard, and most of the details that propped up on the guard's computer had black bars through it. The bald 45 year old section leader was nodded through, as the two heavy lift doors opened, Martin entering inside. Exhaling, the door shut, as he was taken down.

The lift doors opened, the facility small underneath MI5, but significant. It was a concrete cell, a basement below a basement, and probably could double as a nuclear bunker. 20m below the ground was deep, after all. The first corridor was thinly decorated, with few pieces to indicate you were in a top-secret, black ops espionage agency's room. Walking forward, Martin opened the door second on the left, walking into the office. It was nicely decorated, and definitely, appeared to be a warm, welcoming place compared to the cold concrete outside. It had a carpet, an oak desk, and a computer on it, though was nestled to the side and clearly looked a little more complicated than your standard affair, with a projector of sorts sat next to it. Taking a seat on the large black leather chair, he brought up the satellite feed, and picked up the tags of Lancaster, Liberty, and Cavalier. They were having fun in that hot hellhole, playing at secret identities. Gosh, it was good fun. Reminded Martin of his days as a field agent, it was good, but it had to end. This was something he did better, after all. Running things. The order of life. Taking a bottle of scotch on his desk, he gave it a whiff, before pouring a measure. He had to check on progress with Drevan, and he needed a drink.

----

Meanwhile....

Somewhere in Peshawar, Pakistan

The hashish bar was smokey, and smelled distinctly of one thing. Thom, or Cavalier, had thought to ask before they entered about the substances they smoked in here. It turned out, one such substance was one that Thom was very happy indeed that existed here in some form or measure. The hash was of excellent quality, and from the pipe, Thom took a good inhalation. Like Lancaster, they were dressed locally, and disguised locally. It was amazing what make up artists could do this day. He really did look like he was some sort of trader, tanned appropriately and wearing the correct clothes, worn to a correct degree to make him look just poor enough. A beard that he'd grown for the last few days had given him the full Hindu Kush look.
"This is most excellent hashish, Sadiq." He said, Thom's Pashto sounding local, and authentic. He had put practice into it, and smiled, as he inhaled again, laughing.
"I am very glad to hear it, Hussain! It is locally sourced, the money goes straight to local farmers. And those local farmers, they fund us! So I don't blame them at all. It is an excellent deal." Sadiq responded, the man sitting across from Thom with a pipe of his own, inhaling madly. He was a contact of a local Taliban leader, of whom Lancaster and Cavalier were here to take down a notch. English-born Mohamed Hassam was making moves, and it didn't look good. They were here to stop him before he decided that another valley would fall from the Pakistani government, and as radical as the latter was, it was better than having the Taliban around. Him being in Peshawar was perfect, and a snatch and grab was due in progress. The fact that Sadiq probably was affiliated with Hassam was why Lancaster and Cavalier were smoking pipes with him.
"Some more, my guests?" He asked, looking accross the bar, another six people reading books, and inhaling from the herbal pipes, this little place cosy and warm. The carpeted floor and comfortable seats were pleasant, but Thom knew how this would end. They'd get what they needed to know, and before Sadiq knew it, his session would be over indeed.

----

Walking into Drevan's cave of a tech room, he watched the hacker at work, standing in the door.
"You look like a man who needs some Scotch." Martin simply stated, walking inside, watching Drevan at work.
"I need you to keep tracking Hassam, one way or another. Liberty should be giving you eyes soon." Martin said, as he adjusted his bluetooth headset that he pulled from his pocket, putting it on, nodding to Drevan, as the comms link went through. Martin had let Liberty take her role in this operation, knowing full well what Lancaster and Cavalier would do. Cassie knew best when it came to environments like this. Hardline Islamic terrorists in a country where Sharia was the law; Martin would give Liberty the choice in terms of how she would follow her target, without arousing any suspicion, though no doubt it would be unorthofox.
"Liberty, it's Kingmaker. Lancaster and Cavalier are busy at the Hashish establishment talking to Sadiq. We're going to pull what we can from them. Keep following him, don't expose yourself. Remember your role. Find him, find out where he's going, and set up a trap to pull him out of that area, preferably alive." Martin said, as he looked to Drevan, the suited section leader looking firm and secure in his expression.
"Have the UGV ready. If this goes to shit, you need get them backup, fast. Keep monitoring the cell phones too, we might get a snippet of something soon."

[Assistant]
Drevan Kaii, a middle aged, strawberry blonde man quietly sat in front of the flaring brightness of about sixteen monitors, the hum of seven, fifty terabyte servers whined behind him, five two terabyte HDD, fourteen gig RAM towers snuggled under the table to one side allowing him five keyboards, five mice and a set of surround sound speakers just in case. Drevan is so used to the sound he doesn't even hear it not one bit. But he does hear the conversations coming from the agents mics and other audio pick ups that he had secreted in their kit.

Looking over to one of the many monitors forming a semi circle, three layers tall above and around him, he checks to make sure that there are no traces on any of the back doors that he had installed in the computer systems near the operation area. He sniffed softly then blinked as one of the monitors blinked. At that time he heard Martin walk in. He waved as he turned the camera on the monitor on. "Bastion! Hey man. You find what I'm looking for?" The face of a Guy Fawkes mask looked back at him. The voice of a young man responding, "Yeah we got the code. This is verging on Black Hat here, Factor. We can't be tied to this." Drevan nodded, "Don't worry about it Bastion just give me the code and I'll do the rest. No one will know. I promise you." The Skype window soon had a code written into the chat area. Which Drevan copied and sent over to another screen to be used for something else. Drevan smiled, "Thanks Basti. I'll talk to you later." He signed out of the Skype call then looked to Martin, "A drink to calm my nerves boss? I guess it couldn't hurt. Do I need to go mix my own?"

Drevan turned back to the screens then smiled, "Keeping Hassam shouldn't be too much of a problem. Having eyes on the ground would help yes. But...I think I just got some eyes in the sky. Old friends of mine got the codes to a UAV that's in the air. And I've...ummm...appropriated it. The US Military will never know it's missing mind."

He smiled brightly, keying into Liberty's channel, "Liberty, Bugcatcher here, pull the switch now on your camera would you? I'm going to need eyes on the ground just in case." He reached over and slaved a monitor to the video feed he hoped came soon. He looked up at Martin, "Don't worry Boss I've got them covered. And the UGV is tucked away, and can role out in seconds. I made sure it has a pair of L86A1 LSWs slaved into it, and a Mk47 Striker onboard as well just in case. If push comes to shove and the team needs help there's a nice multinational unit down there that will really screw up people's minds if it gets too damaged to use."

He looked up sharply, then scooted over, "Excuse me a second boss. My worms just located a search on Hassam. Lemme see to this." His fingers began to fly.

[User]
"Please yes, kind sir." a voice could be heard from what one would imagine was the bathroom, an outdoors one of course. Not long afterwards, a man of Middle Eastern origin entered through a door in the back of the bar. The man wore clothing associated with Pakistan's neighbouring Afghanistan, his beard giving away his age and faith by it's length and thickness. Walking over to the man he knew by name as Sadiq, the Afghan man sat down on the carpet with the group of men. Beside him sat Hussain, also known as Thom or Cavalier, depending on whether you were his friend, colleague or target, and in this case, his colleague.

Lancaster, cleverly disguised as an Afghan trader, like Cavalier, speaking with a perfect accent and in broken Pashto, as to seem truly Afghani. He politely took one of the pipes and smoked it, breathing out the smoke of hash, making sure not to actually inhale it all the way down; getting high while at work was not according to the book. Lancaster looked at Sadiq with a smile, handing him back the pipe. "Speaking of guest, I have heard important figure will come tonight, yes? I hoped I could make business arrangement with him, perhaps my friend Hussian too maybe?" Lancaster said to their newly acquainted friend in his broken Pashtu, looking back and forth from Sadiq and Cavalier. "And I hope coffee is possible to buy here, no?"


[System]
"But I mean if you want to, I guess!"

---

---
Nickname:
CJ is the nickname his friends gave him and it stuck.

Date of Birth:
September 21, 1993

Age:
23

Gender:
Male

Sexuality:
Bisexual

Relationship Status:
Complicated

Sexually Active:
Yes

Occupation:
Crisis Management Secretary by Day, Adult Film Star by Night

Hometown:
Atlanta, Georgia

Ethnicity:
Mixed - Puerto Rican/African-American

In Depth Appearance:
Cj takes very good care of his appearance. His hair is often times well manicured, and his eyebrows are always arched in a masculine way. He is always seen wearing a different colored tank top with a pair of jeans or sweatpants. He loves wearing sneakers and has a vast collection of them. His skin is a beautiful caramel tone, and his teeth always pass the white tissue test. He has curly hair that he has dyed a light blonde on the tips. He will wear a hat every now and then and tends to change his hair color once a month or once every two months. His body is well toned from exercise. It's more of a swimmer's build. He doesn't have a lot of hair on his body, but will grow out his facial hair which adds to his attractiveness. He's in no way perfect, he has scars from the bashing on his back where the kicks landed, and there is a very feint scar on his chin. He has a tattoo of a heart with wings and the name of his grandfather Matthew scribed in cursive within the heart on his right shoulder blade. He also has a koi fish on the inner part of his thigh extremely close to his groin. If he wears a speedo you'd be able to see it. He has two stars along the "v" cut towards the bottom point, right above his manhood.

Hobbies:
Aside from singing, dancing, and posting videos on Youtube, Caleb enjoys hiking and writing short stories in his free time. He loves to travel but rarely gets the chance to leisurely travel, as most of his traveling is for work purposes. He likes to garden as well, and cooking is one of his main hobbies. Ask him to make a dish and he'll give you something you'll never forget.

Magical Affinity:
Believe it or not Caleb has known about the world of magic since he was ten years old. He witnessed magic by accident, but he was too young to really delve into it. It was when he was a junior in high school that he was approached by a recruiter for BlackBrick. The things they told him only validated parts of his life that he questioned. He found a mentor, the Headmaster of BlackBrick Academy. The man instructed him, taught him with his parent's approval and kept him safe, even though Caleb was allowed to live his life he was warned that magic must be kept a secret. After graduating, he went on to become an adult film star, well known in the LGBTQ Adult Film Community. While pursuing his work, he also attended BlackBrick Academy, balancing a secret life of magic. He is experienced in battle magic and delves into healing. Battle Magic is touchy and is restricted in the Academy, but Caleb learns quickly and reads a lot.

Habits:
He does tend to go overboard with drinking when he is at parties. He has a habit of biting his bottom lip when he is nervous. It is rather sexual if one observes it, but to him, it's not.

Likes:
He likes having fun, reading murder mysteries, listening to music, vlogging, his job, cooking, and playing video games.

Dislikes:
He doesn't care to fondly for people who ruin the mood, drama queens, homophobes, bullies, disrespectful pricks whose only goal is to make the life of others miserable, fighting though he will do so if he has to, and insecurity.

Fears:
He has a fear of snakes. He watched a friend get attacked by one when he was growing up and he avoids them at all cost. He also has a fear of dying alone.

Personality:
Caleb is the type of guy that knows what he wants and goes after it. Caleb is very smart, but most would never know his past in the school decathlon growing up. He doesn't talk about himself, but rather enjoys listening to others talk about their life and growing up. He is the type that will open his heart to those he trusts, and if they betray him he will cut them off. He can be funny, and motivational to others. He's been through a lot and has survived. He smiles more than he frowns but there are those days that he likes to be left alone. He is an extrovert and likes crowds, but again some days he likes solidarity. Dancing and singing are hobbies for him, two that helped him overcome. Caleb is flirtatious and will openly flirt with nearly anyone, sometimes just to get a reaction. He is confident in his sexuality and knows what he likes. In other words, CJ is quite promiscuous but he's not a stereotype and hates being labeled as such. He's a gentlemen most of all, and is very caring. He puts up a block to avoid relationships after dealing with a three year bomb.

Background:
Caleb is a male model and adult film star, but when not filming he works at his parents Crisis Management Firm as a secretary. When not filming he enjoys living life to the fullest. While his parents accept him, they do not accept the side job he chose. Still, they love him and give their support when they can. Caleb was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Aña Gonzalez and Robert Anderson. Though married, Robert was so busy being a businessman and alcoholic that he forgot to sign the birth certificate for Caleb thus leaving his last name as Gonzalez. Eventually, he came back and signed the document, and Caleb's last name was officially changed. They moved to Atlanta, Georgia shortly after his birth. His mother remarried after Robert's untimely death to Matthew Anderson, no relation to Robert Anderson.

Caleb grew up as an average guy aside from a magical experience when he was ten years old. As well off as his parents are, Cj still likes to go to the thrift shop and enjoys the complexity of life. He gives to charities, but only those that support the LGBT community or have a true purpose, and he volunteers with various LGBT organizations whenever he can. After graduating high school, he went into modeling and starring in over 100 adult scenes. Cj is accomplishing a lot in his young life. When he was 13 years old, he was gay bashed outside of a Seven Eleven up the street from his house. His parents were furious and the one responsible was eventually caught and sentenced to jail. After that Cj decided to learn how to protect himself and took up self-defense classes. It would seem fate wanted Cj to get revenge because when he turned 18 he went to a club and ran into the very man that bashed him so long ago.

Unlike others in his profession, he doesn't do drugs, but he enjoys the occasional cocktail. He hasn't tried anything else and doesn't have the drive to try anything either. The fast paced world he lives in does have its dark side, and he tries to stay out of that. Every scene he does he is well protected, and he gets tested regularly. After the bashing, he picked up a camera and started vlogging, telling his story to those who would watch. He would vlog whenever he got a chance as it was his outlet to deal with various things. Eventually, he garnered a large audience of over 3 million subscribers who watch his daily life as well as his covers of various songs.

He was on set in Orlando, FL when he received his acceptance letter to BlackBrick Academy. It was his chance to truly learn more than what the Headmaster was teaching him. He was sure the Headmaster was thrilled about his acceptance and after the test, he had to take to get into the school he figured a higher education would be great to keep his parents off his back. His parents are very accepting of magic and have kept it a secret since the Headmaster started training Caleb at age seventeen.

Caleb has had a hard past. Even though he was gay bashed, cheated on, and had to deal with an alcoholic father who beat him when he got angry at Caleb, he still managed to overcome it all. He's successful and wants to better his life. His father died when he was young. His step dad treats him as if he were his own, and cares for him deeply.

Miscellaneous:
Caleb tends to walk around either naked or with only a pair of skimpy briefs on that show a little too much when in the dorm room. He is extremely confident and has every right to be, being as gifted as he is. Caleb can speak Spanish, and English fluently. He's working on learning Latin. Caleb is not human at all but is in fact an Incyus. A being made of pure arcane power that consume life leaving worlds void. When he arrived on earth he gave up that life in pursuit of happiness. He became Caleb Anderson and has lived as a human for 23 years.

[User]
The atmosphere was buzzing with life. There was music playing, people dancing and alcohol being distributed like it was candy. Everyone was just enjoying each other's company and it felt great. Classes would be starting the next day and this was everyone's way of enjoying the last bit of summer they had left. Caleb was proud that he hadn't taken a single drink since arriving. While he didn't have a drinking problem, he made sure to stay away from any intense drugs. As he pulled Ambrose towards the dance floor, Ambrose tensed up and anchored in, not wanting to participate without a few drinks first. Caleb smiled and released Ambrose's hand, moving over to him like a provocative predator as he stood behind Ambrose whispering in his ear. The closeness was intense, and Caleb had moved so close his lips had nearly touched Ambrose's ear.

"Let's get a drink then, and then you can show me your moves," Caleb spoke into Ambrose's ear as he moved towards Alex who was handing someone a green drink. Caleb walked up hoping that Ambrose had followed him.

"What's up Caleb," Alex said the two exchanging a brotherly handshake before slapping each other's hands and doing some sort of arm maneuver that looked akin to placing one's forehead into the bend of their elbow. They shared a laugh while Alex started mixing different alcohols for a pleasant taste.

"So who's the new guy?" Alex asked.

"Alex this is Ambrose," Caleb replied smirking as Alex gave Ambrose a once over. "Ambrose you know Alex, he's the best when it comes to drinks. Ambrose is a friend, he's cool Alex," Caleb added, "just nothing too strong."

Alex groaned and nearly rolled his eyes as he handed them both a rather rosy pink drink. Caleb took his in his hand and took a sip. It was fruity, the alcohol hiding behind the taste. "Wait a minute, how much alcohol is in this?" Caleb asked feeling a buzz after one sip.

"Just know one of those will get you in the mood faster than anything else, so drink up boys," Alex said with a smirk. Caleb eyed the drink for a moment but knew Alex wouldn't give them something that would kill them. He took another sip and smiled. It was really good.

"So you feeling alright?" Caleb asked Ambrose returning his attention to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Samantha heading upstairs with the guy she was speaking to outside. Caleb made a mental note and shook his head taking another sip of the cocktail.

[Assistant]
Ambrose watched Caleb carefully, almost like a deer caught in headlights as Caleb circled his prey. Shivering at his warm breath, Ambrose was easily persuaded to trail behind, following Caleb closely. "They're...really a bit embarrassing." He was all he could mumble as he recovered his bearings. It was a bit overwhelming, the way Caleb wrapped Ambrose around his finger so effortlessly. The man practically screamed sex appeal, it was no wonder he worked as a porn star before BlackBrick.

Ambrose was only able to refocus when Alex gestured to him, asking for his name. Ambrose let his companion answer the questions, and instead took the rosy pink drink wordlessly. He peered down into the contents suspiciously, not even taking a sip until Caleb had taken several drinks. But seeing as his friend was content with it, and seemed to trust Alex as well, Ambrose decided he might as well. Closing his eyes, he took a glug, the taste was sweet and even a bit addictive.

"Oh god," He choked out, "I think I might have overestimated my tolerance for alcohol." He admitted, already feeling the effects slowly creep over his body. He already felt the warmness spread, and his concern for social activities diminished as he took another drink. "But this tastes really good." He muttered, and giggled lightly. He moved his gaze back to Caleb and shot a smirk in his direction as he finished his drink. "Another please." He asked and shoved the cup back towards Alex.

[User]
Caleb watched Ambrose as he took the cup with caution. He seemed to eye it for a bit before taking a sip of it. A laugh escaped Caleb's lips as he watched Ambrose react to the strength of the drink. His comment caused Caleb to chuckle even more as he took another sip of his own drink, finishing it with a few gulps. It was around that time that Ambrose finished his drink and asked for another. Caleb's eyebrow raised in surprise, but he didn't judge, he even asked for another as Alex shook his head. Within minutes two more drinks were placed in front of them and Alex just looked at them both with a smirk.

"Enjoy," he said causing Caleb to glare.

"Look, whatever you're thinking don't," Caleb said as Alex threw up both hands as if surrendering.

"Whatever floats your boat man, Sam told me.....," Alex began.

"Wait, what did Sam tell you this time?" Caleb interjects as he gulped down the drink in a few long swallows.

"Nothing man, just be careful with those," Alex replied referring to the drink that Caleb had just down rather quickly. The feeling of inebriation started to slowly wash over Caleb, but he remained coherent and smiled at Alex who had started fixing him another one. "But you're a big boy so have at it," Alex added as Caleb exhaled and looked at Ambrose.

"Let me know when you're ready to dance," Caleb said to Ambrose with a wink as he smiled his adorable smile. There were others at the party dancing, eyeing him from across the room, but he had ignored them. He wanted to show Ambrose a good time, and Ambrose had his full attention, but he still wanted to know what Sam had told Alex.


[System]
The River

---
Nicknames/Aliases
Morg, "M", Soon
Age
19
Gender
Male, but dresses in an androgynous manner
Rune/Location
Laguz, located on his chest (right over his heart)
Rune Powers
-Healing the sick
-Closing wounds and healing injured
-Feeling another's emotions
Description
Morgan stands short and underweight for a boy, at 5'7" and 130 pounds. He is skinny, and a few of his ribs can be seen if you really look. He has dark brown hair, which fades into blonde. The reason for this type of natural hair is unknown. He has sea foam coloured eyes, and a strangely shaped face. When he speaks, his voice is in between feminine and masculine.
Personality
Morgan speaks only when he deems it necessary, choosing to rather stay out of problems if he can. Of course, that all changed when the Rune appeared on his chest. When he does though, he can be sassy and is straight to the point. He rarely jokes and appears to be a rather morbid individual. Surprisingly, he is easy to make friends/get along with.
Skills
+Cooking
+Martial arts
+Daggers
+Gymnastics
+Fair memory
Weaknesses
-Cares too much for others well-being, more so than his own
-He has many medical problems, including anorexia, insomnia, depression, OCD, and anxiety
-A seemingly "scared" person in general
Brief Backstory
Morgan did not have the most fortunate of lives. He was born and raised in San Fransisco. When he was five years old, his parents split. He was given custody to his mother. He spent most of his time with his mother who was also quiet like him, yet loving. But he also spent time with his father. Both loved him unconditionally, so Morgan always wondered why they had split up. His parents remained in contact and good friends, but just not married. He developed a strong connection with the both of them. Five years later, his father was been diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer.

He spent as much time as possible with his father after that, adventuring the world with him for two years. Doctors had told them that he had five years left. He did not. A few days after returning home from their world tour, Morgan's father was admitted to the ER. He passed away at age forty-seven. His mother slipped into a very deep depression. Morgan lost both of his parents that day.

It only got worse for Morgan. Throughout his teen years, he had to manage a very busy lifestyle. He went to school, ran track there, worked two jobs, took gymnastics and martial arts, and took care of his mother. He barely got time for himself. When he did though, he learned some things. He learned that he liked to wear dresses and skirts, and he didn't care what anyone else thought. He learned that he didn't care the gender of others. He learned guitar and to sing.

He rarely took care of himself but through multiple doctor's visits, he was diagnosed with insomnia, anorexia, depression, OCD, and anxiety disorder. He wouldn't let it get him down though; he just focused on helping others. Even though he didn't have much time, he dedicated some to volunteering at children's hospitals and other such places.
Misc
-He does not care the gender of those he dates
-He is a vegetarian
-He is lactose intolerant
-He likes to wear skirts and dress (and other "feminine" clothing)
-He got the name "Soon" because he'd always put off on things in school and at work

[User]
"Eht, Aett, I don't see much difference," Maeve said, and through her thick Irish accent, there really wasn't one.

She followed the strong woman nonetheless, though, offering a lax, two-fingered solute to the two Blessed before turning her back on them all to follow. Silvarae's comment about enjoying having Maeve's hands on her was brushed off with q quick wink. "If you say so, Blondie. But I guess we're Aett mates, whatever that is. So plenty of time, if Isa doesn't decide to freeze us to the ground. Or kill us. You know," she said with the shadow of a chuckle, before pushing the door at the end of the hall open.

Which, to be fair, she did not know if everyone was behind. But the group had walked that way, and so it could be assumed that the only door left was the correct one.

"Oi, Isa!" she hollered in, noting the dark-haired woman tapping away at her computer. "Sorry about the hangup. But not that sorry. I handled it. So don't worry about that, I guess."

[Assistant]
The Isa rune had been typing away on her presentation for a few minutes when Algiz and Sowilo made their appearance, and the red-headed woman announced their presence to her.

Her words and the look on her face seemed to suggest that this was a positive resolution to the situation.

Oren did not agree.

"How nice of you to two to deign to turn up finally. I thought I was being relatively modest in my goals by at least expecting the people I'm trying to instruct to be physically present in the same location and stay there, but apparently I was setting the bar too high. I'll be certain to lower my expectations in the future."

She vehemently hit the 'return' key. Her expression was relatively impassive, though the look in her eye was pretty venomous.

"In that light of that, are you both planning to stick around for an extended amount of time? Or should I carry on with this so I'm getting something done?"

She tilted her head slightly to the left, gloved hand still hovering over the keyboard.

"Seeing as the session is supposed to be about Aett auras, and not one but both the other members of my Aett had unceremoniously run off, I've been preparing for my presentation on the world eaters.

Though if you're both ready to do something useful I'd be prepared to oblige."

She wasn't making her feelings about the incident very ambiguous.

[User]
---

Like usual, Morgan had zoned out. He'd been thinking about what he'd learned of each Rune and their capabilities and such that by the time he had zoned back in, most of his fellow Runes were gone. He looked around the room blinking, remembering hearing something about training in some sort of training room. That was funny. He was Laguz. The healer of the bunch. He probably wouldn't be much help when fighting. But he had to agree that he'd probably need some training so that he wasn't completely defenseless. Which he wasn't. Just not against most pointy weapons.

He decided to go ahead and head on down there, and he was suddenly glad that he had decided not to wear heels this day. Although, he would've been able to go back to his room and change. He began to walk there when he realized that he didn't know where there was.
"Ah," he spoke to himself, looking around. He had been walking for a bit and had zoned out yet again. And now, he was lost.

[Assistant]
That Madison girl was cute. Too cute. There was something too put together about that one. Probably meant she was a warg, and spirits knew he wasn't going down that road a second time in his short life.

Someone had said something about drinking? He thought? No, he confirmed mentally. It wasn't drinking, that was just his thoughts getting away from him. Someone had said something about training, and,

Makorai stopped. Mr Lovette, That's what Clifton had said. Mr. Lovette. That was a man.

....

The quarter and a half full cup of scotch hopped coffee shot down his throat, and the scalding heat proved to be the least painful thing to happen to him in the last ten minutes.

"Nope. I'm not dealing with that." The young man stood without warning, and promptly walked toward the exist of the hallway. "Not this early in the morning. Fuck it."

Passing the assembled persons in the hallway without acknowledgement, he made a right, and followed a long hallway down to where his storage locker was located. "I left it in here...I'm sure I did." Some slight rummaging later, he found what he had been looking for. It was a 1.8 liter bottle of sake, cheap stuff that he could get for next to nothing in the local market. Some kind of local brew. His favourite.

Stashing the bottle, and a cup, under his arm, he made his way to where he thought he heard other voices.

Rounding the corner, he came face to face with someone he didn't immediately recognize. He could tell Morgan was a dude, but he was a pretty one. This made Makorai more comfortable. He didn't confuse his libido like Maddison had when he first walked in.

"You lost too?" Makorai bit the top off of his bottle, and poured himself a cup.

"I don't know where the hell I'm going either."

[User]
"Permission granted." Silvarae seemed fine. A bit dazed, yes, but she was aware of her surroundings, and acting...well, like herself. Seeing how long it had taken for her to leave her earlier trances, it was simply astonishing to watch. And, from Clifton's reaction upon his appearance, Madison wasn't alone in his fascination.

"Of course," he smiled. "I would hate to miss out on an opportunity to get to know our new recruits." It was only after both Maeve and Silvarae had turned their backs that he mouthed "later", tapping the spot on his hand where the Algiz rune was currently lying on someone else. It was something that he would have to put into Miss Kaizen's files as soon as the opportunity rose, among other things.

Madison followed the others in, following the path to the training room with the surety that came from years of navigating the halls, when he suddenly paused mid-step. Miss Veil was on her way to training- nothing too brow-raising, but what was was the giant sword she carried on her back. Larger than the woman herself. Of course, given the fact that she was the rune of Uruz, it wasn't too surprising that she could manage such a...sizable weapon, but it came as a bit of a shock to see her toting one about so casually. Shaking the thought off, Madison smiled back at the woman and entered the training room, then went to stand by the far side of the room. He would introduce himself, he mused, when enough people had entered the gymnasium. Or when someone asked him who he was. Whichever came first.

For now, however, he was content to wait and watch the Runes in action.

@Kuroakuma@Daemanis@LorelleQuips

---

Right, down two flights of steps, at the end of the hall.

Like the rest of her teammates, Dawn didn't find herself heading directly to the training hall upon dismissal. Instead, she made a beeline for her room, taking note of the location of the hall along the way. She already had some gym clothes stashed away in her drawers, so it seemed more reasonable to get changed there, grab whatever else she felt she might need, then hurry back as soon as possible.

If she were to be honest with herself, a part of her was somewhat worried that it wouldn't just be plain old "one size fits all" outfits that would be offered if she showed up without her own. Dawn had an odd sense of foreboding that there would be a little cranny with an outfit that fit her perfectly, as if the Blessed had taken her exact measurements without her knowledge. Perhaps it was an absurd notion, and perhaps the worst that would await her if she looked would just be some misfitting shorts and floppy grey tees, but the idea made her uncomfortable regardless.

Dawn swapped out her skirt and cardigan for a plain black shirt and jeans, but kept the purse as she jogged out and back down the stairwells. While a somewhat odd choice for "training gear", the purse held her gun, and it didn't seem unreasonable to bring her weapon along if Zero was toting swords to and fro. If needed, she could just put it over a chair or something, out of the way.

The training hall itself was reminiscent of a classical gymnasium in some aspects, a shooting range in others, and a performance stage in the giant, empty, raised space off to the side. There were flesh-colored dummies propped up against a far wall, along with racks of training swords, guns, knives, and whatever type of weaponry one might desire. There were weights, a small wrestling ring, punching bags…

It was a lot, and Dawn found herself feeling slightly overwhelmed.

The feeling only intensified upon catching sight of one of her teammates toting a sword large enough to make most pro wrestlers feel faint.

Seeing as most of the other Runes had filed in (along with a few other presumable members of the staff here and there), Dawn made her way over to Amity, loosening her hair and retying it back up into a neat ponytail. "That's quite the sword you've got," she commented. "It suits you, I think." The craftsmanship was rather incredible- Dawn's eyes swept along it from blade to hilt, taking in the work put to well use.

The size had been surprising. The wear and tear of it wasn't.

Dawn glanced about, hand on her neck. While her new outfit had sleeves, they were a bit shorter than her blouse's, allowing a portion of her rune to show as she moved. "Where's Makorai?" If they were meant to train as a team, then it would likely be better for all of them to be in one place before they began.

And at the moment, there was no sign of the Ansuz rune.

[Assistant]
"Oh!" It was at that moment that another man almost ran into him. Morgan recognized him as a fellow Rune but didn't know his name. In fact, he didn't really know any of the other Rune's names. The man asked him if he was lost too, as Morgan watched him pour himself a cup of alcohol. Sake, to be completely exact. It seemed to Morgan that the reason this man was lost was that he was probably busy in the process of becoming drunk. By the redness of his cheeks and his nose, it was obvious that it wasn't his first rodeo.

"Yeah. We're supposed to head to the training room, correct? I don't know where it is. I've never been outside my room," Morgan stated as he watched the other pouring the liquid from the bottle to the cup. He shifted his weight from one side to the other, looking up at him. He looked at the man once more. Brown hair, probably an alcoholic, and a "what-I-find-I'm-wearing" type of guy to Morgan.


[System]
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Disposition: Cheryl, or Avice as she strongly prefers to be called, is the kind of woman who can throw her entire being behind a cause she cares about; the challenge and stimulation helps stave off the boredom and depression that would otherwise set in. Those she draws close to find her to be a woman of immense loyalty who is willing to fight to the death for those she cares for. Avice places value on being self-sufficient and looks down on those who are dependent and needy even while coming to their aid.

She feels most at ease in the wilderness, but at times feels the need to immerse herself in city life for short periods of time. The city reminds her of the life she once had and draws out facets of her personality she tries to hide. Under it all is a prim lady who cares how she looks and how others perceives her.
Background: As a child she was stuck between two worlds. In one she was Cheryl, the daughter of a fairly successful politician in the PU. In the other she was Avice, the granddaughter of what many saw as a crazed war veteran. Her father and mother raised her to be a "proper lady" who attended the parties of high society and took great care not to make her father look bad in public. Her grandfather, on the other hand, taught her how to handle a rifle and took her out on hunting expeditions. She cared greatly for her grandfather, PTSD and all, even while ignoring his rants about the inevitable war. In the end he was both right and the sole reason why Avice is still alive. When the USK first broke away from the PU Avice was out in the wilderness on a hunting trip with her grandfather. When the two returned from their trip they found their hometown to be a warzone; their family had been targeted and murdered by rebels.

Avice was quick to join the army, thoughts of revenge providing all the motivation she needed to get through basic training and endure the rigors of combat, for a time. She quickly proved herself to be a superior marksman and was given her platoon's DMR. For four years she fought in that terrible war, witnessing things that would scar her for the rest of her life. By the end of her first tour she was done with the PU, her lust for revenge had long ago evaporated. She had come to the realization that while she still hated the rebels of the UKE she could at least see how they could justify their own actions in the face of the PU's rather atrocious doctrines. And so she left the army in the hopes of living the rest of her life in peace. She struggled with 'peace' for half a year before giving up. She had been changed so much by the war; peace was no longer an option in her mind. She gathered what little wealth her family had left and, combining it with her pay from the army, bought a FRAME and sought work elsewhere.

Appearance: Standing at just under five foot six, Avice has an athletic build. Her appearance is well maintained, but an absolute minimum amount of makeup is used most of the time. Her hair is typically tied up in a ponytail or braided.
Inventory:
-G3B 7.62x51mm DMR
-9mm pistol with tactical holster
-Kukri utility knife
-Pilots' suit with ballistic armour and equipment harness
-Pilots' helmet
-Designated marksman patch, usually visible on the left shoulder of her outfit

Funds: 59,250c
Other: N/A
Name: ACS-3G Zaruga "Valkyrie"
Manufacturer: Cradle Dynamics
Height: 4.1 meters
Weight: 5230 kg
Armor: 20 mm durasteel alloy
Speed (Walk): 65 kph
Speed (Skate): 91.6 kph
Sensor range: 5 km
Communication range: 25 km
Operating range: 600 km
Extra Systems: ECM suite, laser target designator
Power: 130
Weight: 80
Price: 468,750c

Armaments:
-AFC-40/L Autocannon
-2x MGR-2A Anti-tank Missiles
(2 Spare weight)

[User]
Scattered thoughts rushed forward through the haze of boredom that was quickly breaking in Maia's mind. She took a deep breath, tried to find her center. Being here and there in the middle of a firefight wasn't a good thing.

Edward had pulled a bit of fire to himself, and Ryder and Harold seemed eager to rush into the gap. Maia's plan, by comparison, was a bit simpler.

She ran around, going towards the front of the convoy. Loosing half her salvo of rockets ahead of them by a margin of 75 meters, just close enough to make them hesitate. Her autocannons focused, loosing fire at the Dreqs at the lead of the convoy, strafing as she went. Tearing them open would be good, but her main goal was to get the trucks between her and her opponents. Logic would dictate that if they were valuable enough to have such a large escort, they'd be valuable enough for the escort to not turn their guns on. That'd make them the perfect cover.

She just needed to get to it.

Her skates went on as he got onto the open road, and she crouched as low as she could as she skirted around and onto the bridge. Her guns didn't stop firing until she was close to the trucks, and couldn't afford a stray shot destroying the thing they were sent to retrieve. Her logic seemed sound enough. Let's just hope that the enemy had the same line of thought.

[Assistant]
Elaine had followed dutifully in Cecilia's wake with the others as they left the landship behind. The foot-wheels of her FRAME hummed softly as the machine skated over the uneven ground. Time and miles rolled away quickly over the half-hour they spent getting into position. For most of it, she had a good view of the back of one of the others' machines. They spread out as the ambush point came into view. It was classic; a road flanked by gently sloping embankments, wooded with trees and other foliage far enough apart to permit their movement but dense enough to shield them from view.

She took a crouched position, and then shut down her FRAME as commanded. She popped the hatch for ventilation, allowing cooler air to circulate inside the stuffy cockpit; with the power off, the environmentals were shut off too. Sitting in a dark, metal box with no air wasn't exactly great for pre-mission calm.

What seemed like no time at all passed, and the convoy hove into view. The redhead grimaced as she buttoned up the machine once more, switching to minimal backups, enough for visual sensors to be online.
Time to get interesting, she thought wryly as the convoy paused. Like Cecilia, she had a prickle of doubt climb up her throat as the targets paused. A flutter of anxiety spiked in her breast, before dying away as they moved on.
The other machines sprang to life as Cecilia's voice urged them into action.

Edwards' laser designator stabbed out, and ECM kicked off. She did the same adhering to her role and expertise. Moving from cover to cover, she cranked up her own ECM system and designated targets, handing off data to the others as she darted between trees, and advanced down the slope as the others engaged targets. She saw Maia move forward, acting on their orders. Enough cover was coming from the others that the redhead followed suit, backing up her team-mate with swift, short bursts of autocannon fire. The rifle-like weapon was tucked tight against the FRAME's shoulder as she danced the machine between cover, aiming for sensors, joints and weapons on the enemy machines. Like Maia, she had the aim of closing into close range. Her comrades were already providing pinning fire from the higher embankments of the road. It was a good time to start hitting harder.
Skidding down the slope, she darted her FRAME closer, snap-shooting in short, precise bursts at the head-sensors of the nearby Dreq, aiming to destroy and disable its' targeting alongside the blanket of jamming being blasted out by her Frame and Edwards'. As soon as she saw the head turn to a heap of scrap, she shifted her aim to the torso, aiming to cripple balancing systems, power and whatever other vulnerable and essential systems resided in the core of the machine.

[User]
"Tch!" Cecilia gritted her teeth as she saw Ryder jump into the OSU formation, ramming her FRAME into one of the Dreqs. The maneuver had startled the pilots, sure, but now Ryder was in a less-than desirable position, sandwiched in-between hostiles and already trading autocannon fire - not ideal circumstances to pull this plan off.

"What the fuck are you doing, newbie?!" blared Cecilia over the radio. "Get out of there and use your gun!"

As Cecilia bellowed into her headset, she noticed the trucks pick up speed, drivers slamming on the gas to get the OSU's precious cargo out of danger. She bolted from her position in the trees to intercept their escape.

"Elaine! Maia! On me! We have to cut them off!"

As she darted for the trucks, Cecilia whipped her autocannon around, bringing it to bear on a Dreq that was closing in on Ryder. She gave the trigger on her control yoke a squeeze and her weapon roared to life, sputtering 25 mm AP rounds at her target. The tungsten penetrators of the ammunition hammered into the Dreq, severing an arm from a shoulder and piercing through the torso. The force of the rounds kicked the machine backwards and it collapsed to the road with the grind of metal on concrete.

"Just shoot them," she directed at Ryder. "Take advantage of the position you're in. In a FRAME, you've got to use the most efficient means available to you. Hitting them with crossfire in-between our positions is more effective than melee ever could be."

Cecilia swiveled her FRAME on its wheels, now zipping backwards and keeping ahead of the lead truck. She pointed her rocket pod to the round and let loose a small salvo. The warheads slammed into the road, tearing up concrete into an impassable jumble of debris. The trucks slammed on their brakes, veering off-course as they came to a halt.

It was too early to celebrate though - a trio of Dreqs had escaped the crossfire of the ambush and were headed right for her. Cecilia readied her weapons, expecting Elaine and Maia to do the same.

By now, the Dreqs that were still operational were starting to regroup. The initial surprise of the ambush had done its work, but the Panthers still needed to clean up.

[Assistant]
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit" Avice muttered under her breath as her Zaruga's systems slowly went through the process of restarting. Like everyone else she had shut down her FRAME completely to avoid detection. Unfortunately when the order came to active their FRAMEs, Avice's chose instead to crash all of its systems, forcing her to start the booting process from scratch. Normally that wouldn't be too much of a problem, taking less than thirty seconds, but those seconds felt like hours when unseen explosions could be heard all about.

Avice let out a sigh of relief as her FRAME finally finished booting up, only to curse under her breath. Things had progressed quite a bit while she was out of the fight. Four, maybe five, hostiles were down; although, despite their loses the Dreqs were regrouping. Avice cursed again when she noticed Ryder had chosen to charge into the midst of the Dreqs; there were a couple of Dreqs she would have loved to fire a barrage at that, unfortunately, Ryder was in front of.

Choosing to shift her attention elsewhere, Avice fired a short barrage at one of the Dreqs advancing on Cecilla. Several of the twenty millimeter rounds slammed into the Dreq's left leg. The rounds failed to penetrate, but the Dreq was thrown off balance regardless. Avice set her missile to lock on to the Dreq, waiting for the series of beeps to turn into a single drawn out beep before letting her missile fly. A moment later the Dreq exploded in a glorious fireball, shards of metal littering the road around it.

Several incoming rounds slammed into a tree near Avice's frame, the Dreq that fired near her quickly adjusted his aim and fired a second barrage. The sound of metal scraping against metal as twenty millimeter rounds tore the paint, as well as several centimeters of metal, off of her FRAME's paint caused her to wince. She began to bring her own gun to bear but thought better of it when a third barrage tore one of her should mounted missile launchers to pieces.

"Thank god I already fired that missile" She muttered as she swung her FRAME into cover behind a cluster of nearby trees. Not that the scrawny plants would provide much protection from a twenty millimeter round.

"Azor here" She radioed as she fired a quick burst of twenty millimeter rounds at the Dreq, "One of the Dreqs has me pinned, can anyone give me a second or two of cover fire?"