[System]
Epithet: The Vulture
Age: 31
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 pounds
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Eye Color: Amber
Weapons and Equipment- Two three kilo bearded sparth axes with snap button sheathes for fast access, skinning knife, blowgun and darts with inland taipan venom, teeny little leather pouches of spitting cobra venom, rubber soled boots with three eight inch steel claws on each foot, steel chestplate and spiked pauldrons, steel shinguards, underclothing made from dragonhide (like an extremely tough form of chainmail with no gaps), trained pet vulture acting as a spotter, black steel mask, "bracelet of inoculation" (runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Inoculation_b..), fingerless iron gauntlets, combat/berserker potions.

(The axe "Jancro", slang for Vulture in Jamaican)

(The axe "Hot Steppa", slang for Free Criminal)

Appearance- Zande is a tall, lean man whose musculature is best likened to that of a starved jaguar. The dense, tube-like muscles adorning his long arms and legs allow him to exude a great air of physical prowess despite his thin and wiry look. Unwashed dreadlocks hang over lurid, amber eyes whilst high cheekbones accentuate his abnormally sized jaw muscles, the feral aspect pushed even further by sharp, filed teeth. He often wears the skulls of recent victims upon his belt and is rarely seen without his rubber padded, steel clawed boots and black steel tribal mask. Zande's cape, however, is by far his most recognizable feature. A clearly visible skull and crossbones is sewn upon the ratty black cloak, neatly surmising the headhunter's affinity for bones and death.

Physical Abilities/Skills- Zande's untamed strength is far greater than his appearance would suggest, albeit reasonably less than that of a formidable professional weightlifter. He can wrestle and subdue wild beasts with just his bare hands and overpower a stronger opponent through pure tenacity. These traits greatly pale in comparison to his incredible biting and striking power. He can and has killed men with a single punch, and never neglects to train his jaws by chewing through blocks of wood and chunks of rubber, being capable of chomping clean through an unhusked coconut with a single bite. The magnitude is most impressive near the back of his molars, where he can leverage out enough brute force to rival the PSI of a dire wolf. Equally impressive is Zande's great speed and agility, which his lean body is practically built for. He can scurry up and down trees in the blink of an eye and move with a silent swiftness that puts to shame his native brethren. He can amplify the potency of his physical capabilities by consuming a special potion, which grants him animalistic power at the cost of sanity and health (I.E, internal bleeding).

Background~ In the darkest depths of a savage jungle wilderness, shrouded in dread Congo secrets beneath a sky of eternal blackness, there existed a tribe of maneaters. One would think that there would be no bottom amidst the depths of their depravity. Yet, a young boy native to this landscape of monsters found it. The word "bloodthirsty" is often thrown about. However, no other description of Zande holds so true. He was exiled from his village for his excessive brutality and became a freelance mercenary and bandit leader, as well as the most feared man in Western Gielinor.

Looking out from the entrance to Zande's lair. The inside is remarkably large, yet with so little elbow room.

[User] As Tanya neared the Museum she'd be able to notice a large, pitch-black vulture circling over the structure. If she remained within the area, It would let out a sharp, ululating cry and drift overhead to ring rosies above her instead. The bird didn't seem large enough to pose a real threat, but it was eerie as shit. If Tanya chose to move further in towards the library, the vulture would try to dip down and soar in through the broken doors first, diving into the shadows within.

[Assistant] Tanya crept carefully towards the museum, and seeing no immediate threats, made her way towards the front entrance. As she neared the threshold, she heard a scream overhead that chilled her blood. A tremendous shape was diving heavily towards her, and she dived into the museum as it swept into the darkness ahead. She landed in a lithe roll, slid on her feet as she attempted to keep track of this strange assailant. She peered upward, pulling her scarf down and away from her face, searching for the shape that had alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. Darkness there, and nothing more. Black feathers followed her trail into the building, illuminated by silvery lights of what could be flame perched in sconces ahead. She pressed her back to the wall to the right of the doorway, and made some feathers of her own. She pressed her hand to her chest and felt a familiar warmth grow and spread, tingling across her arms and back with the crackle of magic. She summoned the Feather of Innocence, lines of ink suspending in the shape of feathers and surrounding her body. Used this way, her Signature Technique could be used as a cushioning shield, able to deflect normal strikes and dampen the impact of stronger blows. She focused again, and protected herself further. The telltale sigils of Binding Contract sprouted in the image of each feather, ensuring that physical strikes to her protective cloak of feathers would have a paralysis effect, and that the sheer quantity of her circles would be difficult to disrupt via magic. Thus prepared, she crouched low, kept her eyes open, and her back to the wall, ready for anything.

[User]
Zande would have been crouching behind a pillar across from where the woman moved, topless save for his grimy black cloak. He'd be sheltered in the darkness, watching the woman roll inside after being startled by his pet. The moment he had heard its initial cry, he'd have darted to his vantage point to scope out the situation. A lone woman. And she was white. The headhunter was just about to reveal himself to try and seduce her when suddenly the freak sprouted some ink wings. Dayum. He hadn't seen any white woman like that before. Better safe than sorry. He'd remove his bamboo blowpipe and black dart, taking just a moment to poke it the top of a small leather flask before loading it into the pipe. Inland taipan venom. Without medicine, a poke to the limbs meant that death would come in roughly an hour. Incapacitation in forty minutes. Dizziness, severe muscle crampimg, and physical illness in fifteen. If it struck the neck, all of that would occur in less than half the time.

He'd take a moment to pick up a small rock, weighing it in his hand and watching the woman. He'd wait until she was looking away before giving it a good chuck into the air, aiming for it to fly up and out of view before clacking on the other side of the room. He wanted her to be distracted. He wanted her to concentrate nice and hard on something for a second, and leave herself open. He wanted to nail her left calf, where the wings might be unlikely to get in the way were she to be startled. Zande would time his shot to occur an instant after the rock landed, desiring the faint "fwup" of the blowpipe to be partially disguised by the noise of the much louder echo of the rock. The dart would be virtually invisible in the dim lighting.

[Assistant]
The air was cold and still as projectiles sped through the air, the silence brief before it was broken, and the battle was truly begun. CLACK. The sound of the unknown enemy's maneuver echoed through the museum hall. It was true that Tanya's attention flicked toward the source of the noise, but as no stranger to violent experiences, she spared no more attention than was necessary to register the danger, and react. Her adrenaline beginning to rise, she barely perceived the crackle of magic at the back of her consciousness, the sensation of the dart snuffing one of the feathers draped around her body. She knew not where her enemy was waiting, and so she was forced to choose a target.

She leapt up and kicked off the wall once in a flip, her shroud of feathers allowing no purchase to further pecks, and began to fly up close to the ceiling of the museum. Even that wretched bird from before would likely have trouble following her movements at this speed, and what was more, she decided it was time to go on the offensive. As she got up closer to the ceiling, she landed lightly on one of the long rafters crossing the sides of the museum gallery. Shadows perched like crows above the stone, keeping her movements hidden as she kept her palm pressed tightly to her chest.

As Tanya ran towards the center of the museum, she flung her feathers outward in every direction, sweeping the darkness of the ceiling with a hail of all but invisible blades. At the same time, a new coat of feathers started growing around her as she moved. She presented few obvious openings for attack-- if this assassin wanted to play shadow games with her, they'd have to take a hell of a lot more chances this.

[User]
Zande's vulture had a name. She was called Ezili. And it just so happened that Ezili would have been sitting right on the rafter Tanya had alighted upon. The bird turned to look at the woman who had just flown up beside her. A moment passed. Then her eyes bulged with ridiculous surprise. Ezili was so startled she just comically froze, beak agape. Spotters weren't supposed to get this close. At any rate, she would have missed her cue to warn Zande.

Back on the ground, Zande watched his prey zip up the wall with eyes as sharp as those of his bird. He had fought many spellcasters, but this was a new style he hadn't seen before. He watched with utter bewilderment as his prey somehow managed to pop a squat right beside his helper. But also, it looked like she had been throwing black shit off of her along the way. What could it be? Something sliced his left ear in two. A hot pain streaked down his back. Several somethings clattered on the floor. Arrows!? Without sparing a second Zande tore his battleaxes free from his belt and held the broad, seven pound blades up before his face and body like a pair of small shields. Just in time. Several more feathers rattled against the axes. He had recieved a good slice on the back. In that moment, Zande decided to no longer fuck around. If his spotter was killed, he'd truly be in danger. Without a second pair of eyes his options would be cut right in half. He sat down his right axe just long enough to remove a flask from his belt and gulp down the contents. Like his cloak, the flask had a skull and crossbones emblazoned upon it. In his homeland it was known as a super Zamorak brew, named after the dark god of chaos. As its effects began to take hold of him, he darted silently over to another corner across the room where his tribal mask lay. A black steel faceplate, which he put on only in certain situations that required him to briefly lose himself. If he reached it, then no sooner than he had strapped it on would the power of the brew hit him full force.

The cannibal would hunch over, vomiting violently upon the floor. His lean muscles heaved and twitched as spasms shook his body. Tanya would be able to easily notice him at this point. The lanky man, now more closely resembling some sort of wretched demon, threw back his head and howled. Streams of blood would run down the beastial warrior's mouth and streak his chest.

[Assistant]
The vulture's scream pierced the darkness by the rafters-- Tanya had landed right next to it! It's shrill cry shocked her for a brief moment, but heart pounding, she flicked her blades at it as its menacing caw scraped her eardrums. She could waste no time in pressing more than a cursory attack, but perhaps it would be enough to punish the beast for being caught even more flat footed than she had. She had a feeling that the real danger was lying in wait below, but that didn't mean she didn't have time to send a shotgun like spray of magic at a sitting duck vulture.

"What... the fuuck?" She intoned.

Tanya darted across the rafters as fast as she could, one shadow anonymous among many. The rush of movement made her forget the cold, though the inky blades she flung in every direction were a painful reminder for whoever it was had the same idea to loot the museum. The darkness surrounding her made it difficult to track her quarry, but it seemed that she didn't need to track much. A demonic roar echoed through the hall, it's vibrations probably enough to stir even the museum's famous ghosts. A familiar itch at her forearms screamed danger, and her thoughts raced to handle the threat of the animalistic figure gathering it's power in the gallery below.

She slid to a stop as she got to a corner of the room, moonlight layered with dust, dust outlining the magic traced around her body. She pressed her hand to her chest again, ignoring attacks from the bird for the moment. Instead she gathered her magic once more, coating herself with another cloak of the Feather of Innocence, weaving them once again with the Binding Contract. It was taxing spellwork, but it the more she put into it, the more it would give her. As things stood, she wore two layers of her feathers, the tracings of them floating around her in what appeared to be a small cloud. The outer layer was interspersed with changing, mutating, symbols-- time and energy spent to paralyze the foe beneath her. He didn't seem to know where she was waiting yet, and the element of surprise was a decisive advantage. At the first sign of his movement, she planned to leap from the catwalk and sling her razor sharp feathers down in a paralyzing rain, creating a widespread lane of mezzing Binding Contracts if he decided to charge. If he went for a direct attack at range, she was confident that two layers of protective magic and fast moves would deflect the worst of the blows. All in all, Tanya was terrified, but Tanya was ready. She balanced on the balls of her feet, and got ready to leap.

[User] Ezili flapped madly to try and get away but was torn apart by the magic! But that didn't register with her master. Zande turned around, shivering. His pupils had dilated to completely fill out his eye sockets with an oily blackness, the empty yet virulent gaze a rat or a shark. These eyes could see in the dark, absorbing light from the furthest sources. Not a second passed before the space where the cannibal had occupied was empty, and he had loped across the room and up the side of the opposite wall. His legs swept back and forth in long, unnatural strides. He had transformed into some kind of childhood nightmare, moving much more swiftly than anything of its size should have been able to. Each rapid step sounded like two knives being smacked together, the steel claws of his boots dashing sparks from the stonework. If Tanya didn't fly soon, it would reach her before she had made much progress in her magical preparations. And if that happened, it would be obvious what fate awaited her. Snapping bones, tearing muscles, screaming agony and then only the darkness.


[System]
Gender:
Female

Appearance:
Four foot tall ugly piece of work like the rest. However, Nish's skin tone has a slightly lighter shade of green to it, leaning towards the blue color of the spectrum. She has two small sharp horns that protrude from the top of her head, with pointed ears. A messy head of disheveled black hair falls from her head, usually falling in front of her red colored eyes. Her canines are uncharacteristically sharp, and she has clear musculature indicating she's probably on the stronger side physically, at least as far as goblins go.

Personality:
Generally speaking, Nish is silent, calm and doesn't talk much. Because of this, she can come off as somewhat aloof, or arrogant. However, this might be a bit far from the truth. While she does indeed not talk much, that is only because she prefers to think about her words carefully. That said, she does generally dislike the company of others and often times can come off as slightly grumpy or antagonistic, especially if someone interrupts her if she's doing something. The young goblin prefers quiet, and can probably often be found sitting silently somewhere contemplating...well, things. She spends most of her time thinking. And drinking. She can often be found with a drink around her somewhere if available.

However, despite her calm one should be quite aware, that if you successfully manage to piss her off, you're going to have a bad time. She's incredibly stubborn in her ways, and the word 'change' doesn't mean anything to her. If something is done efficiently enough and correctly one way, then what's the point of messing that up? Plus, while she is smart she dislikes complicated problems and tends to get rather lazy if she has to do something that could take awhile, and she might often feign sleep. In a fight, this translate to her preferring to finish things quickly and as fast is possible - usually relying just on brute forcing things if they don't always go her way.

Past Life History:
As far as she can remember, she was once a rather well respected scholar of some sort. She can't remember what field, but she remembers awards, lots of boring meetings, and other scholarly things. Not the important part, really. The important part, is that she was smart, and knew quite a bit about world history - especially archaeology - and other academic subjects. It was quite likely she herself was an archaeologist of sorts in her past life, with a somewhat romanticist view on travel.

From what she also remembers, was that she tended to take care of herself physically. While she wasn't some champion fighter or weightlifter, she did take care of herself. She remembers spending a lot of time jogging, doing light work outs and eating healthily aside from the heavy occasional drinking. While she was no world-weight boxing or fighter champion, she was more fit than your average human. This has translated to her being more fit than our average goblin.

Talent:
Scholarly Interest
In her past life, she was a scholar. As such, she still retains her scholarly curiosity and interest in almost every field of it, and is likely a quick learner in almost every scholarly regard.
Muscle
While she's probably not going to be as strong as some other goblin who focuses on their strength and fighting skills, one should note that Nish is a little above average when it comes to strength. Later in life, she's probably going to benefit from some increased strength as well.

Skill(s):

 -Dark Eye - Allows one to see more effectively in the darkness. (Passive) E-Rank

 -Absorption - A monster specific skill. This skill allows monsters to gain the skill(s) of the creatures they devour. The amount of skills gained in this process is limited to a 6 time usage. Choose your stolen abilities wisely. Uses will reset to 6 upon Ranking Up regardless of the amount you have used. (Remaining Uses: 6)

[User]
Among the goblins who woke up from their slumber, Gork was probably the slowest; he spent awhile simply trying to open his eyes, and he saw other goblins going about their business. He then turned his head, and saw a round rock at a corner of the cave, and took it. He didn't know why, but his mind was filled with possibility and potential, and he could see innovation and progression where there was not. After he found a sharp stone, he used it to carve the round rock into a cup, as he felt like he wanted to create. But more instinctively, he wanted to learn how.

So Gork crawled to the cave entrance, and taking leverage from the wall, stood up. The bright sun scared him, but he was driven by ambition greater than any cowardice the creature may have had. Sure, he might be walking to his death at the jaws of a hungry predator, but hardships and possible sacrifice was necessary in the path of science. So he set out into the wilderness. He first found a sturdy stick, and used some springy roots to tie up the sharp rock he used to carve his cup into the stick, crafting a spear. With the weapon in his hand, Gork felt comfortable searching for plants, mushrooms, berries, herbs, anything goblins didn't want to eat but he could use to grind up in his cup and brew into something useful.

[Assistant]
Sound, the first sense any newborn has sight developed shortly after, the mother was usually the first thing one saw. Sounds filled the ears of a certain goblin who yet had to get up and join her new family. The words wake up played in the goblin's head and repeated over and over like a song on an i-pod that was set to repeat the same song. A thought soon followed, a rather simple one and one that felt right. However, the sounds coming from around her took her attention, her ears picking up on all the sounds close to her. The sounds varied as if each sound was moving in a different direction, each sound being unique in timbre. The said goblin in question soon twitched moving its arm, the first movement she had made since she could remember.

It felt unnatural but the goblin soon slowly opened her eyes revealing her amber-orange eyes. The rush of light was blinding as the dark was banished elsewhere. The goblin quickly to shut her eyes once more though decided to get up, a slow process since she had never moved before and so her body would need to get used to the idea of it. First, the fingers on each hand began to awaken and move as if they had a life of their own, a tingling feeling began to rush through the goblins fingers, her hands soon receiving the same strange tingling feeling. The tingling was strange and hard to describe, numb was probably the best word to use. The creature then began to turn her hands and wrists, yet another strange feeling. Her wrists and hand only rotating as far as they possibly could.

The arms and elbows followed and like everything else before it the strange feeling she felt turned up there as well. The goblin still listening to the sounds around her, still afraid of using her sight due to the overwhelming light. The creature soon turned herself over so she could hold herself up from the ground using her newly used arms. Her arms jerked every so often but the goblin did not fall or crash into the cave floor. More senses began to emerge, the feeling of touch began, an important sense. She could feel something, it was small, hard and somewhat round, the goblin soon tried to open her eyes once more though this time the light was not as blinding. Her sight was blurry yet over a short time began to correct itself, her head turned to what she could feel in front of her.

A greyish stone was pushing against her and next to that was another object, it was short and brown. More of the said objects could be seen dotted around the cave. However, her attention was now on the other goblins around her who seemed to be standing up or at least trying too. The goblin soon looked down seeing her body and something attached to the said body. The goblin had to once again change position which was hard when her legs had yet to wake up. The goblin found herself sitting on her butt as she soon glanced at her legs, the strange tingling soon went to her legs. The feeling in her legs did not hurt and they were numb as life began to flow through them, the odd twitch happened here and there.

Rubi soon tried to lift herself off the ground so she could stand, what happened when she tried was her crashing to the ground like a tonne of bricks. The feeling of pain was now introduced, it was shocking to feel such a thing for the first time. This goblin would not try to get up again until her legs stopped feeling this strange feeling of numbness. While she waited she suddenly could smell things, all the smells were new and her nose was rather sensitive to all the new incoming scents.

[User]
His first moments were chocked and strangled, filled with struggle as death became life. In those first minutes the thing that would become Ro sat in the dark, eyes refusing to open in a vain attempt to return to the comforting darkness that belched him into existence. When it refused to return to him, Ro let out a low and feral growl from the deepest pit of his stomach and forced himself to accept the day. With a scowl that'd curdle milk the young goblin crawled from his spot in the cave, snapping and growling at anyone who got in his way or weren't moving fast enough.

The sun hurt his eyes, a hiss escaping his throat in retaliation as he scampered off somewhere darker. It didn't take too long, hiding in the shade of a tall rock Ro had a great view of the cave opening and all the goblins that left it. Many were shaky and uncertain, but nonetheless getting used to their legs, while others had more drive. One had put a pointy rock on a stick, another was using sticks to help move, and another was just looking for...something. To be completely honest it was all quite boring and the lack of direction made him...antsy. With a sneer and a spit, Ro began dredging for trouble.

[Assistant]
- Speaking to briefly
- Speaking to, walking with.

First, her vision came to her. Her eyes blinked open, a hand covering her eyes to shield them form the momentary light. Something seemed...off. She didn't know what, but she seemed to have had an odd dream last night of...somewhere else. For a few moments, she just laid there collecting her thoughts, trying to recollect the dream. She wasn't in any hurry to get to moving, after all, though the others seemed to be waking up quickly. And eventually, with all dreams hers faded. She tried to recall more, but it was a futile endeavor in the end.

Wake up!

The loud voice telling her to wake up didn't help either. In the end, she simply sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. Curiously, she looked around the room she was in. It was a cave, and though dark she could see fairly well anyways. A lot of other goblins were moving around, getting used to their bodies and attempting to walk. She supposed that was a good idea - some of the others were even making their way towards the edge of the cave, and well, curiosity demanded she learn what the outside world looked like.

She stood, legs shakily supporting her weight as she did so. Chances were, she'd fall if she just attempted to move right away. She moved her feet and legs instinctually, taking a more balanced stance to prevent that from happening. How she knew such a thing, didn't matter much. She knew it, but there was little reason to question it. Perhaps it had something to do with that dream last night? No matter, in the end. Before she headed towards the cave though, she noticed one of the other goblins falling and having trouble getting up. She walked over slowly and quietly, speaking carefully to the other.

"Take it slow at first." She advised the fallen goblin, though she didn't linger. While she couldn't be sure her advice would work...well, it seemed to be working for her, so that's all she could really go on. "One step at a time. Take a minute to get to know your legs a bit more."

With that, she took a few hesitant, slow steps forwards towards the entrance of the cave. Slow step after slow step eventually carried her there. Maybe not the fastest, but definitely the one with the least injuries and falls or supports.

When she arrived, she shielded her eyes from the harsh sun once again, and observed her surroundings. Looked like there was a small clearing at the entrance of their cave, before the clearing gave way to a forest. Curious. Perhaps there was something interesting she could find out there in the forest. She certainly felt rather...defenseless? Was that a good word? She looked down at her hands. Something seemed to be missing. She didn't really know what, but she'd find out later.

For now, she took a few more sure steps out into the forest, and took a look at her body in the light. She was wearing simple rags, barely covering her body. Most of the other goblins skin color was green, and so was hers - but it was a lighter shade with a mild hint of blue in it. Curious. There had to be a reason for that, and one she'd likely find out later so she didn't linger on the thought.

The forest was quiet large, from what she could see. Just how large? Well, she'd find out later. Her curiosity was driving her to find out, but she couldn't do something like that without something to defend herself with, could she? She needed something. Even a crude weapon would do. But...what exactly sort of weapon? She noticed another goblin grab a sharp rock and a long stick, tying them together with some sort of plant.

Well, now there was an idea!

She fell silent again as she observed her surroundings, unconsciously placing a hand on her chin. It took her a few seconds of observation, but she finally found a large enough rock to suit her needs. She hefted it with a grunt, it was much heavier than she had expected but it'd do. Next, she found some of those springy roots the other goblin had used and tied the rock onto the end of a smaller, arm length branch.

A makeshift club. Now that was something she could use. Now where did that other goblin go? It'd probably be a good idea to stay close. Safety in numbers and all that. Finding him just a few feet away, she walked over to the other Goblin.

"Hm...I'm Nish." She said slowly, resting the head of her newly made club on her shoulder. "Walk together? Who knows what's in this forest."


[System]
Species: Moth Fairy [Night Fae] [Natural weakness to iron, cold weather and sonic attacks]
Gender: Male
Height: 175cm
Weight: 60kg
Maturity: Adult [33 years, capable of reaching up to 200 years]
Origin: Iprazeru [A fantasy world with magic and fairy-tale like creatures]
Possessions: Jian sword[Exceptional quality], Sword-staff [Exceptional quality] but otherwise non-magical], grey carapace breastplate and wrist armor, long light blue overcoat, red sash belt, brown pants, black boots, black and white undershirt and a long black cloak with a hood.
Abilities: Well trained swords/spearman and acrobat, quick on ground and air, winged flight, keen eyesight and hearing, Chlorokinesis (The ability to summon, control and manipulate plantlife) and the ability to heal wounds (Although this makes him weary if done excessively. Small wounds however are no problem.) He also has knowledge of herbalism, alchemy and wilderness knowledge.
Description: Elthrael bears the remnant blood and traits of an extinct sub-species of fairy. In his homeworld he fought to make sure that order was kept no matter what, a particular controlled form of order. The man in question sees himself as a being standing on the top of the foodchain and almost as if it his duty to bend the meek to kneel before him. Elthrael has ambition to rule, perhaps not of all things, but of a majority in which he can impose total order. He doesn't believe in the utter destruction of a single species, as such a thing had happened to his own ancestors, thus he would rather see rebellious elements subdued by other means. Such as slavery.

He's a cunning foe, shrewd and doesn't fight fair, his words are about as dangerous as the tip of his sharpened blade or the magic at his beck and call. Usually his way with words is his first weapon of choice, for why fight something that you can bend to see things his way. The arts of seduction, temptation and taunting is also within his grasp, often these serve the goal of giving him an edge, be it emotionally making his foes unstable or otherwise have them reveal their 'nature' by acting on it. The moth fairy's perceptive skills are quite grand, yet he is not a mindreader, as such he often finds himself taking some creative liberties in possible scenarios playing out. Often these things include manipulating others into believing something which he suspects to be true, such as a person's motivation and true desires.

The man may seem to have vast patience and an almost disturbing calmness, yet under all of that is a fierce spirit and if he considers his quarry to be of no use to him he will not waste time. Normally he abhors hotheaded people which possess physical prowess, as it goes against his own way of belief in that there must be a balance of mind and body for a great warrior, that someone whose consumed by their emotions or give in to feelings of rage is a failed warrior no matter how physically strong they may be. He often thus seeks to expose said 'weaknesses' of others, especially within larger groups while advancing his own point of view on things.

While the man fights dirty and unfair, using stealth, poisons, mockery and more, he bears respect for loyalty and honorable individuals while at the same time berating them if he considers their loyalty misplaced and in such a case he would tempt them to change their allegiances.

What matters most to Elthrael is the order of nature and the world, where he as one of the 'strong' is destined to rule over those which he deems to be weak as his birthright, yet even so he doesn't approve of unnecessary cruelty without a purpose nor always killing his foes. For he may see potential allies, or at the very least amusement in them, akin to how a cat would play with other creatures.

Which goes into another aspect of his nature, in that he is a womanizer of a particular type, using his wit and way with words, coupled with some dramatic movements to appear as if he's indeed come from a fairytale to take whomever finds themselves in his vision away, to a world of dreams.

The fairy also makes good use of trinkets and weapons of various kinds, yet always being careful not to touch something which would render the object the wielder instead of him. He believes that power is only power if he's the wielder himself and anything else is a weakness or a curse. That said he doesn't feel beholden to his trinkets unless they have an emotional value to him, material objects are replacable most of the times according to him. He has no need to work or aqquire coin, as he deems it useless other than to bribe or pay of the masses. All he needs is his magic to provide him with the food and drinks he needs, while everything comes at a cost it is one he's willing to pay, as he believes the more he uses said powers the better his mastery will be. Yet being careful never to trivialize or consider his powers a toy, it would be to disrespect the power itself and the gift of having it. Although he may use it and appear to toy with it, but only if it will lead him to a promising pathway such as handing someone some food in return for information, loyalty or other things.

While Elthrael is a proud man, he doesn't allow himself to underestimate his opponents and always is ready to draw a blade if needed, believing that there are very few whom one could trust in the world and as such both he and others should be watchful for betrayal. For those whom ignore it will find the daggers coming from the dark with murderous intent.

There are many aspects to the moth fairy's true nature, he may appear simple at times with some nearly primal behaviour, yet these things are quickly oversighted when the man begins to speak in what some may regard as riddles or words hidden in other words waiting to be uncovered by those who listen well.

[User]
Elthrael Vol'Kerno

The encampment

Interacting with: Yakeru

The remaining core of the apple had been tossed away, and now that the fairy had his food he decided it was right about time to inspect the encampment. None had seemingly seen nor heard his arrival, either that or they paid it no mind. He rose to his feet on the branch he moments earlier had sat upon, before throwing his cloak away, letting it be carried away by the wind. His dark mothlike wings spread out slightly, showing the orange pattern on the inside of them, depicting large scary eyes.

Then the fae set off into flight towards the encampment, allowing the night sky to conceal him as best as it could, and as he got closer he waited for one of the men on guard to turn around on his patrol before sliding past him. The flames in the lit torches flickering as he did, causing the man he just passed to turn around, and see that there was none there. Elthrael quickly folded his wings, and then made his way past several tents and people who were overly noisy for his tastes. The darkwinged fae finally laid his eyes on a suitable target, a young human male by the looks of it.

'Humans hm? I cannot help but think I am not at home no more. Ahh, but where am I? Time shall tell no doubt. Or at least this one might just do that...' He thought as he quietly stepped forth from behind a tent, approaching Yakeru with soft steps.

"My my, If I am not mistaken that does sound like the winds of war.." The fae chuckled as he stepped into the more lit area of the encampment, his golden eyes becoming more flamelike the closer to the light he came, his mothlike wings folded but clearly visible. His horns protruding from his forehead much as his cornerteeth would be clearly visible in his smile. The wind picking up stray locks of his long white hair, a single hand resting at his waist.

"Yet one cannot help but wonder, against whom or what? For what purpose?" Elthrael said in a musing manner, a smirk crawling up on his lips as his eyes scanned the young man from top to toe.

"Ah... but allow me to introduce myself, I am Elthrael Vol'Kerno. A fairy, but not the one that is after your teeth. I have enough of my own as you can see..." The fae grinned while tilting his head slightly to the side, sliding a finger along his own cheek.

"Whom might you be then? An upcoming star upon the vast skies?" The fae asked, whilst his eyes scanned the surrounding area, his eyes being on almost as high alert as his ears.

[Assistant]
The slap on his back caught Yakeru by surprise and pushed all the air from his lungs. Jared walked away as Yakeru coughed for a few seconds, amazed at the force of the knight. This had only been a slap on the back but Yakeru had seen firsthand what strength he had. Much like Mackensie had thought earlier, he too was glad that the hulking knight was on their side. But what was their side? Soldiers greeted Jared as he passed them. Yakeru could see that the effect of the speech earlier had not worn off, no it was quite the contrary. People were already talking about taking up arms against the Witch. Soldiers and refugees alike. They wanted to be near him. Wanted him to lead them. Back on earth, Yakeru had seen in movies or read in books about leader rallying their troops or forming a rabble into a capable fighting force but to see it happen with his own eyes really was something. He had no doubt they would follow their hero to the ends of the world and back if he asked them to.

Jared, the Messiah

Yakeru looked down to his gloved hands which were trembling slightly. Quickly he clenched his fists and turned his back to the fire. Jared would lead them. But where to, that was the question. More to talk about, if Jared decided to join them for drinks.

At least David, being a good companion, agreed on a drink or two. Maybe three if it was any good. Drink to forget or drink to remember...Maybe a bit of both tonight.

"A man after my own heart! Thank you, my friend."

If Yakeru would be correct, this would be the que for Mackensie to join them also. Even if it would be to just keep an eye on both of them. Perhaps he could get her to loosen up a bit. She was a good person. Both she and David were. He felt content to be among them, felt just right to be in their company as if that was where he had to be. After today he needed it. With a smile towards both of them he started to walk. Now where is that tavern...

After only a few steps, Yakeru suddenly stopped. He could sense somebody watching him. A strange sensation ran through his body and somewhere deep in his mind, a faint feeling of alarm. There! Someone had been standing between two tents, his gaze upon Yakeru. Even though the spot was empty now, he just knew that it had been real. He turned his head toward David and Mackensie wondering if he should just continue to go with them or...

"Excuse me for a moment. Nature calls!" He smiled a bit uneasy. He never was much of a liar but hoped that his facial expression would be convincing enough. "Save me a seat will you. I'll be right there after I finish my...business!"

Perhaps it had been wise to take both of them with but maybe it had just been his imagination running wild and he would have made a fool of himself. Again. Besides he was in the middle of a camp filled with refugees and soldiers. What could happen to him, right?

As expected he did not find the person. It was the mysterious person who found him instead.

To say that the man was not what he had expected was an understatement. A fairy?
Bright golden eyes, burning like fire. Horns. Sharp hookteeth. Mothlike wings. Yakeru's vision of the cute, colourful little fairies and pixies living in trees broke, like a mirror, in a thousand pieces in his mind. More evidence he should change his way of thinking in this new world. The fae spoke with a certain eloquence in his voice and was not unpleasant to listen to.

Was uh...he trying to be kawaii? Yakeru thought as he allowed himself a small smile and chuckled at the joke. So they even have the toothfairy here huh
The fae had introduced himself and now asked for his name, which would be rude not to give.

"You can call me Yakeru. If you're looking for a star, you should try the big knight. Can't miss him. Seems like he is the star tonight."

Yakeru laughed softly, placing his hand on his shaking head.

"Ah. Forgive me. Do not mind me. So, what brings you to this encampement, mister...fairy. Wanting to join the war effort or are you some kind of...disaster tourist?" Amused he raised an eyebrow. Again he could feel the faint alarm in the deepest reaches of his mind. Once more he ignored it.

[User]
Elthrael stood silent as the young man spoke, adept were those able to speak, yet even more so those able to listen.

"Yakeru? Short yet effective. Afraid I know not this big knight you speak of, yet it is refreshing to hear you have an eye for other individuals. The ability to discern truth from the lies, or greatness compared to ineptitude is a talent not all sadly possess to a higher degree. Whilst some may appear to burn brightly, they can also burn up really fast if they are not wary, alongside those which stick too closely thinking the heat can only keep them warm, never even considering it could put them ablaze." Elthrael said in a soft tone of voice, his fingers tapping slightly at his waist.

"My reason for approaching the flames lit here is not to bathe in someone elses light, but to gain a power far more useful than any other. Knowledge. I know not this foe these people seek to fight, nor do I know their reasoning for it. Therefor I cannot say where I stand in that, after all one is to inspect both sides of a conflicts in order to obtain a greater understanding of things. When it comes to disasters, they are sometimes not too far away, no matter what world you be in. No matter if you believe you are fighting for the good cause or merely a puppet of some evil. Yet disasters can be prevented if one can foresee them, but one can only do such things if there is order. Because chaos is exactly what it sounds like, unpredictable and dangerous, to those which seek to wield it and those caught up into it." The whitehaired fairy took a step forwards, his hair flickering in the wind as he did, his golden eyes scanning over the young looking human as if he were a book.

"A fine lesson for many. Wield the power, don't let it wield you. Always remember ones reasoning for desiring power in the first place, and never forgetting it. Those who betray their own hearts, can betray the entire world aswell. That said. I know your kind bears some special kind of power. Show it to me. Your magical power." He held out his left hand with the palm facing upwards, his fingers bending slightly as if he was holding unto a stone or an apple.

'Display to me your power, show me of your potential or lack thereof, young one...' The darkwinged fairy thought as his golden eyes followed Yakeru's every move, there was a high chance the young human would have both information about this seemingly odd place but also potentially be of some other use.


[System]
* Appearance:
4'9", 90 lbs. compared to his 6'0" 150 lbs twin brother.
* Age: 14
* Personality: He has big shoes to fill and he is trying his best. But the doubt can be seen, its in his pose and in his voice. He acts uncertain when made to over-think things, he is 'passionate' when driven and reckless to prove himself.
* Motive to live: "I fight, flora beautiful world."
* Background:
Imagine that you're holding on to two bottles and they drop on the floor. What happens? They both break. But it's how they break that's important. Because, you see, while one bottle crumples into a pile of glass, the other shatters into a jagged-edged weapon. You see, the exact same environment that forged older brother into a warrior crushed baby brother. Now here's the twist, the runt is the older brother.

Its no surprise the world was hell in a handbag, day by day it was getting more different. The two boys thought they were safe in aristocratic society, one of those big folk who buy their way out of trouble. The kids engaging in pointless arts like horseback riding and rapier fighting, that is until the colony they lived on was destroyed. The two survived in an escape pod worth more than most spaceships and worth every penny. They were rescued and prepped for having survived first contact with the enemy, the bigger stronger brother was fitted for an armor, but he couldn't take the stresses of the training and took his own life. "The world is so, damn, ugly." Those were the last words on his bloody lips.

Initially, his brother was meant to be the great hero, Now that it was passed to him, he asked for a number of changed made to the system. His brothers frame was causing massive synchronization failures as he felt he was fighting his brothers ghost in the machine like bickering siblings. He went back to formula and plugged into the system as he designed a new frame of aesthetically pleasing form whose function would be built from. He went from negative synchronization to over sixty in days. Well worth the heavy price as he signed over all family holdings and companies to continue the funding for the project. No, for the survival of the species and a beautiful world.
* Notable Deaths: His twin brother, the one who the frame was made for.
* Other things:

Synchro Rate: 86
_=-=_
* Framewerk Code Name: Rose
* Appearance:
* Signature Weapon System:
Rose whip: A reached melee weapon system made for adaptability on the field, each section is its own separate motor capable of gordianknot contortions and ease of replacement between missions. The two main attack functions beyond lashing until a constriction can be made are the piston jabs of the thorns once wrapped around a limb for deeper penetration or each independently spinning to grind whatever it is to dust and crimson mist
* Secondary Weapon System: Rose bouquet: Retracting both of the 'hands' and dropping the head into the chest, the flowers on the crown and wrists openwide to function as a shield while the frame looks a lot like a rosebush
* Armor Type:
Medium protection melee assault armor built to endure long enough to land terrible blows. The 'vine wrap' on one leg is actually a depiction of 'either/or' for BOTH legs once he closes to melee range as his brother was originally going to use Savate for combat.
* Special Ability:

[User]
Harold's questions produced interesting answers. She kinda guessed that they would be rushed into service, but learning that the Cruxi had teleportation technology made her think of another question. She did disapprove of the drug use though.

"Pilot Stukov attempted to harness the Framewerk's inner potential, but failed. The electricity he generated to coat the Framewerk's armor layers overloaded the systems. And to think how much promise he showed; to waste that potential on such idiot is a shame. I expect you to learn from this, Shinkai." Lorenzo suddenly turned to Lora's direction, his eyes boring into her. "At your current stage of development, you should also have a deep enough connection with the Framewerk to utilize its power. However, you are only to release it in an emergency; it is highly probable that you are unable to control it, just like Stukov, and while he only killed himself, you could cause even more destruction. You must train your concentration and mental capacity every day from now on so you can control it reliably, understood?"

It made sense that overloading the system would cause it to blow up, but Krista assumed that there were safety measures in place to prevent that sort of thing. She was apparently mistaken.

Lorenzo then resumed walking back and forth. "As for pilot Miles, he was reported to not have put on his suit, and due to the lack of protection he is now a vegetable due to a concussion-induced coma. A fool, and an arrogant one at that. People like them don't deserve to pilot my beauties. Anyway, next question."

Krista was shocked at the news that she'd made Miles a vegetable. Granted, so many of the cadets had ganged up on him so she couldn't rightly say that she was THE one to put him in the hospital, but she couldn't help but feel guilt. He was an asshole but he didn't deserve that. Either way, Krista was wrapped up in thought as the others asked their questions. She was surprised at the boldness of Romeo's question and even more surprised that the Professor actually answered it.

The virtual reality question also had a fairly interesting response, though she still thought that it wasn't worth damaging the Framewerks. Still, she started to raise her hand for another question.

Then Ryan Goodwell spoke up.

She stood shocked at his outburst. She recoiled as the Professor laid into Elora. She had barely registered that he was armed before the Professor swiftly subdued him. She felt sick at the sound of Ryan's arm breaking.

"Is there anyone else who would like to test their luck? We can either stand here and do this all day, or I'll announce the squad leader. Your choice." Krista slowly lowered her arm, mumbling that her comment could wait until afterwards. She stood waiting, trying to quell her rolling stomach.

[Assistant] -:Deleted:-

[User]
Mai quietly watched as everything went down...obviously, emotions got the better of a few. And sadly, one paid a high price. Yet ANOTHER pilot goes down.

...maybe I'm not the only inefficient one here, Mai thought.

But it was the way Lorenzo's perhaps inhuman response time to Ryan's attack that got her attention. Clearly, that alone suggested that Lorenzo was more than just a scientist...the way he reacted...the strength he possessed...the way he suddenly changed from a Professor lecturing his students while eating a sunde to trained soldier in her opinion...

"Is there anyone else who would like to test their luck? We can either stand here and do this all day, or I'll announce the squad leader. Your choice."

"...I will as you say "test my luck" sir", Mai droned all of a sudden.

Not even waiting for an order to do so, Mai stood up from her seat, at attention then walked up to the front of the room approaching Lorenzo. Perhaps getting some stares from the other framework pilots. Yes, what she was doing was flat out insuborniation but for Mai, there was something that she wanted to see for herself.

Even if it means she got seriously hurt in the process...or worse...but Lorenzo's rapid movement...she had seen it before. Only in her previous frameworks division. But...only highly skilled framework pilots who had seen lots of combat had those kind of reaction time and speed. But perhaps she was wrong..."dead" wrong perhaps. But she needed to be sure. Especially...if she was going to take orders from him.

"...sir...throw me out of this division if you must...but I need to evaluate you. What I saw just now...I wish to see again", Mai droned.

That's when Mai suddenly got into a defensive hand-to-hand stance, right there in front of him.

"...attack me sir", Mai droned.

[Assistant]
Romeo was satisfied for the moment as he took a step back and to the side closer to Krista. He could understand what would drive anyone to do what they did. This was not the man eating a sunday, this was the man of loss he could follow orders from, not some child-killing data-miner. When the other drew the knife to attack, he made a soft lunge forward. Not to attack or protect, but to get a better view of the play out.

When the knife fell, Ramirez took a ste to the side, the dagger disappearing in the folds of the cloth as he took a step back as Mai stepped forward. Perhaps this professor had more in common with them than he would care to admit. His brother had attempted cybernetics on order to increase the synchronization rates, he had settled for paralytic synaptic conversion. A shift in his robes, and the youngest was handling the blade now as he pondered it and the chainsaw sword to make for his own.


[System]
0 - The Fool
Rui Shinichi - Askr
I - The Magician
Matthew Harvester - Kresnik
II - The Priestess
Shirohane Kotori - Kikuri-hime
III - The Empress (NPC)
Hamada Leiko - Titania
IV - The Emperor (NPC)
Sutoraiki Kaminari - Zeus
V - The Hierophant
Samuru Amakusa - Shiro Amakusa
VI - The Lovers
Ryan Alon - Geraint
VII - The Chariot
Akane "Saito" Hanezawa - Setanta
VIII - The Justice
Katsuro Takuma - Giles Corey
IX - The Hermit
Ayano Wakahisa - Dantalion
X - The Fortune
Hashimoto Sato - Chronos
XI - The Strength (NPC)
Noboru Yamamoto - Atlas
XII - The Hanged Man (NPC)
Alexei Dragunov - Prometheus
XIII - The Death (NPC)
Chiaki Nettu - Freyja
XIV - The Temperance
Shizuka Otonashi - Inari
XV - The Devil
Jun Himura - Mordred
XVI - The Tower (NPC)
Fubuki Sayaka - Arachne
XVII - The Star (NPC)
Sieghardt Kasumi - Saturnus
XVIII - The Moon
Mako Moritomi - Israfil
XIX - The Sun
Zeke - Yatagarasu

The Story Thus Far
NOTE: This will only include story relevant events.

The beginning of the school term was nearing, and Rui had recently moved into Warakuma and was going to be attending soon. He met Noboru, who was a childhood friend of his shortly after arriving, and soon after he met Kami. Eventually the three went to the Warakuma Amusement Park, and after Noboru separated, Kami and Rui were drawn into the House of Mirrors.

After a series of strange events, they enter the Mirror World for the first time, and summon their Personas with the help of Kazuki, who happened to be there at the time. They were led out and informed of the Mirror World and the events that have taken place around it.

Shortly after discovering this, Noboru was taken into the Mirror World involuntarily. With the help of Kazuki and Megumi, Kami and Rui find the dungeon Noboru was in, and rescue him. Shortly after these events, Noboru was now part of the party.

In the following week, Matthew Harvester was taken, and police involvement resumed on the mass abductions originating from a year ago. Noboru, Rui and Kami responded quickly and went into the Mirror World to rescue him, also adding him to the party at the end of it.

With Golden Week near way Leiko Hamada was next, and just as quickly the party of four rescued her with the assistance of Riku. From then on, Kami formed the Investigation side, while Rui took care of the Dungeon side.

Shortly afterward, Chiaki Nettu was taken, and the team put together a rescue effort that resulted in a success. Meanwhile, Kami's investigation was showing up little results, as kidnappings so far seemed to be random, so no pattern was discernible.

Not long before midterms, Akane Hanazawa was taken, and the party put together a team to rescue her. The rescue was a success, leading to Akane joining the party. What followed after was a double kidnapping however, where Sato and Kotori were captured.

In the following week the team went to both dungeons and rescued both Sato and Kotori, subsequently the two joined the party as well.

The next week, Ayano and Kami had met up at the shopping center, and after a few events that had transpired, Ayano was captured, and immediately the next day Kami brought everyone together to rescue Ayano. After a difficult dungeon, it was found that Ayano had a more unique power as a Persona user, after she had been rescued.

Ayano's powers were put to the test during an emergency roughly a week later, when Alexei pursued cultist members as they kidnapped his sister, forcing his way into the mirror world. With Ayano's powers the party pinpointed their position and started a rescue mission for both Alexei and his sister Elena.

It was a success, with Alexei joining the team shortly afterwards, although with little time for rest, two more were taken the next week. Those two were Sieghardt, a member of the Drama club, and Ryan, a timid member of the Manga club.

Rui and Kazuki led two separate parties to rescue them in the coming weekend, though Rui's party run was smooth and Ryan was rescued without much incident, Kazuki did not have a much better time, and ended up requiring assistance, to which Rui and his party after rescuing Ryan, reinforced in the effort to rescue Seighardt. It was a resounding success, and the two were rescued safely.

After some investigation by Kami, he managed to find an unsettling truth after pinpointing the cult behind the attacks. The Junsei Sekai Tensei, or Perfect World Resurrection, was an old cult that has been around for awhile. There was one problem though, and that it's leader has gone completely MIA, and his wife died one year ago, despite the cult members passing mentions in a police interrogation.

Fast forward a week later, the Star Drop Café was attacked, and Mako, Shizuka, and Masahide were abducted by members the cult the party was pursuing. Aiko was injured, and Noboru sat this out to watch over him while everyone else successfully rescued the abductees.

Following this event, Jun Himura was abducted by the cult, and a Katsuro Takuma was caught in the crossfire, as well as many others. After a struggle from Jun Himura, it resulted in multiple of the abductors to be thrown into the mirror world as well. This resulted in strange knight enemies found within the dungeons, which were actually the people who were accidentally thrown into the mirror world.

After a rescue requiring two parties to go through different routes in the dungeon, everyone was rescued successfully. Though that has been resolved, tensions among Yakuza, authorities, combined with the presence of the Junsei Sekai Tensei cult, has made things uncomfortable for a few people.

That aside, summer break has begun but not two days into it, an incident has occurred in the Mirror World. Before they could investigate, Zeke, the hawk, guides everyone through to a new area called Seto, a giant lake and sea. Immediately they detect someone inside of it, much like the dungeons before, however upon reaching it, it's much smaller, but the threat to the person trapped here is all the same.

Rui takes a party in to rescue Samuru, while Kami takes another party to investigate Seto's immediate area. After a battle against Samuru's shadow, he awakens to his Persona and joins the team shortly after, while Kami's group sets their first foot into Seto's open areas, which starts as Japanese village and goes on into the fields.

Throughout the week everyone in varying parties explores this new area and progresses through it. Though considering this is Summer Break, Tadao offered everyone to take a trip to the beach for the weekend, which everyone accepted.

The Velvet Room - Challenges and Services

Challenge Rules and System

Character Moves and Skills

Collected Cards

Player Status

[User]
Masahide Saji
Warakuma Park
9/13/15 - Afterschool

 Masahide watched the girl with a mixture of curiosity and confusion, his subtle smile wavering to a more neutral expression as a brow rose. He didn't know what to think of her reaction, though he merely shrugged his shoulders as he turned back to the counter. Opening his phone briefly he'd thumb over his messages, pulling up Yamato's number. Sure enough, a new message was awaiting him.

 Yeah... Look, we're coming down next week. You actually gonna talk to me this time? Or do I need to loosen your thick skull again?. All Masa could do was shake his head with the smile re-emerging, tucking his phone away as the order was delivered. With a subtle bow of his head, he'd take the items after paying, turning back to where Shizuka once was to find her missing. Though it didn't take long, the raven-colored hair gave her away almost instantly as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table, sitting before her as he slid over her cake. As he settled down, his gaze rose to her, taking note of her reddening hue as he rose a brow once more.

 "If you say so," Bowing his head slightly in response as he indicated the platter before her, "Enjoy." With that, he took his cup and sipped it's contents. Sure enough, the heated liquid burned slightly upon his tongue, but that feeling in itself was soothing as the taste settled in. With a contented sigh, he'd lean back in his chair and set his cup upon the table. For a moment, he'd glance out the window onto the streets, but his attention slowly drew back to Shizuka. "Thanks once again," Masa stated, drawing up his cup, "Do you make it a habit of consoling the downtrodden?" Masa smirked obviously at this remark, his intention to tease the girl not veiled at all.

[Assistant]
Crypt of Hopes and Dreams - F1
13/6/2015 Saturday

"Understood, everyone concentrate fire on the arms", he ordered. Without hesitation everyone blasted down the arms one by one. It took a fair bit of effort to destroy one of the arm's generators. The second one soon followed afterwards with help from Rui, landing a critical strike, not only staggering it, but also breaking the generator. As he expected, the bladed shield was about to come up, and the female figure began to wail in pain to signify it. He immediately backed away, but at the same time called Askr from above. With the shield gone, the party could go wild on it.

With an aerial Zan'ei followed by a Garula broke apart the bladed shield, exposing the shadow. The party quickly moved in with their prime damaging attacks, concentrating it all in the vulnerable spot in the shadow's defenses, the monolithic golem's arms gave in and the figure fell forward, impaling the female figure on the ground as the man on it's back fell hard onto the ground behind it.

It could barely grab a sword before Askr leaped over the golem body, and delivered a swift downward thrust, slaying the shadow. It screamed in agony for a few moments before turning back into the Alexei look-alike... The rest seemed to be up to Alexei.

[User]
Alexei Dragunov : Crypt of Hopes and Dreams

The fall was a bit harder than he had prepared himself for and Alexei took sometime to settle. He watched on as his doppelganger turned into something grotesque, something he could vaguely figure out. As others fought it off in this bizarre situation. He could make out their faces. They were all from his school and ironically, all of the earlier kidnapped.

Was this some kinda game, or an alternate dimension. What was going on?

Alexei had many questions and as he pondered on them and noticed phantasmal beings work in tandem with his acquaintances, he wondered what this world was. It didn't take long to beat of the Goliath than was once his look alike and upon defeat, astonishingly it turned back to its revious form. The others backed out, making it seem like his job to do this closure.

Alexei got up a bit gingerly, still a bit shaken from the fall. He was in a mental mess, a rather rare occurrence. He usually had this unearthly calm. Perhaps, Elena's absence was still worrying him. As he walked closer to his look alike it spoke up in its shrill voice, the snide grin from earlier absent.

"The world isn't that had a place you think it is, bub." his tone a bit somber and low.

"You don't need to give up on your life to let others lead theirs, you feel me brother." this sudden change was certainly perplexing but Alexei could feel meaning behind those words and that meaning seem to hit him like a train. He had been consumed, quiet literally, with the thought of providing a normal life for his sister and mother, it was on a similar path that his father did. Busying himself with work and avoid giving his presence for them to heal them. He had meant well but had gone about it all the wrong way.

"Yeah" he said in his low baritone. "I guess letting your hair down sometimes won't hurt." he admitted.

"No one asked me for this role, I took it up myself. But I feel that I have failed remarkably." he said in a low voice, tears seem to well up in his eyes.

"Nooo! No! No!, you have done a remarkable job but what they want is a man who doesn't treat them like a burden, who has his own life and interests. One, who they can depend upon in their time of need but one who has his own dreams and aspirations."

"Yeah, I know. I think I can still be that if I try hard enough." the other Alexei got up shakily at this and walked on towards the real one, a genuine smile on his face this time. A blue light slowly started enveloping him as he stood closer to Alexei and soon it momentarily obscured it from view as the figure changed to a large man with fiery hair red knightly armor.

Thou art I, I art Thou
I am Prometheus, the ever enduring.
The figure soon dissipated and its place a card was left in the palm of Alexei's hand. He wondered if this was his phantasmal companion, much like others had used earlier. He wondered what he knew about this being and how could he handle it. Perhaps this was best left to the crew who already had experience.

So he turned towards the group and spoke "I am sorry to come across as over-bearing but my sister is still here somewhere. If you all don't mind, could you please lend me a hand once more."

[Assistant]
Crypt of Hopes and Dreams - F1
13/6/2015 Saturday

"That was the intention, or one of them, the other was rescuing you... But...", Rui paused for a bit, expecting Alexei to fall to exhaustion like everyone else had... But when it became clear that it was not going to happen, he continued,

"Nevermind...", at that moment, Ayano informed the team that the dungeon wasn't very big at the moment, so they could catch up to Alexei's sister very quickly. With that understood,

"Alright, it doesn't look like I can stop you from going further in with us, so let's get going", he said, turning to Alexei, and then to the door ahead, which with the defeat of the shadow, was now unsealed. Alexei's sister wasn't much further, and not just that, the cultist members were there too... This could be a big break for them, although something bothered Kami, and also Rui... One of the theories was that these cultists were the ones who created the shadows when people were put into the mirror world... But with it naturally occurring, as Alexei had simply pursued... That wasn't the case, so what was the cult really after then? If shadows and Personas were something they were not aware of?


[System]
Codename: Dark Passenger
Age: 23
Gender: M
Appearance:
Costume:
Powers/Abilities:
* Demonic Transformation: Justin has the ability to turn into "the other guy" by saying a magic phrase. Without saying the phrase, he cannot change, and won't have access to his other powers.
* Prehensile Tentacles: Justin's demon form has green tentacles that he can use to grab/hold things.
* Superhuman Strength: While changed, Justin is able to lift 5 tons with little to no issues.
* Superhuman Stamina/Durability: Justin takes much longer to feel fatigue, and cannot be harmed by normal human weapons/attacks.
* Regenerative Healing Factor: As stated above, Justin cannot be harmed by normal human attacks. If shot by a pistol, the bullet hole will regenerate, and same with being stabbed. However, spells, enchanted items, and powerful beings can harm him.
* Sin Perception: Justin is able to see the sins of people, and he judges people on it.
* Hellfire Manipulation: Justin has the ability to summon and manipulate hellfire.
* Mystical Weapon/Vehicle: Using his hellfire, Justin can change a weapon he is using, or a vehicle he is driving into a mystical version of itself.
* Enhanced Size: Using hellfire, Justin can increase his size. This will increase his strength, but since this takes a lot of focus and energy, he cannot use his other abilities while doing this.
* Blood Magic: Because of the ritual used to create him, Justin has spent a great deal of time learning blood magic. He is very capable of casting blood related spells, but only by using his on blood. He is still trying to learn to control other people's blood.
* Occult Knowledge/Spellcasting: Justin was trained by Constantine in the use of basic spell casting, and has high amounts of occult knowledge. Unlike his other abilities, Justin can cast his simple spells while human, and has learned that his spells become much more powerful when changed. Because of this, he is always on the lookout for new spells.

Small Bio: Justin grew up in a small town, and worked as a simple mechanic. One day, Justin went to the big city, for a night of fun. He spent the night drinking, and met two lovely girls, who gave him a good night. But when he awoke, he found himself in a chamber, chained to a table, to be sacrificed to Trigon. As the cult started, Raven and Constantine stopped them, slightly to late. The cult escaped, leaving the heroes to deal with the young man turning into a demon.

They clearly succeed, and Justin turned in the newest Dark Passenger. Moving into the "House of Mystery", the future base for Titans Dark, Justin spent a year learning to control his powers enough to live with normal people again. He went out on his own, a simple mission in mind. Hunt down the cult members who did this to him, and make them pay.

[User]
"Neat. Anime girl, John Doe's ghost, and an old married couple. Add in the demonic fish lady dancer and we have all the things for some weird sitcom." Light said after the others finished their introductions. While the ghost was to the point, the others were at least a little more trusting to tell some things about themselves. Cassie was the inquisitive of the 3 it seemed though,a s she was the one that asked how Light got here in the first place. Beings from the Void tended not to enter worlds on their own unless there was some huge problem or they wanted to eat the world itself.

"Oh thats easy. Botched summon. Things aren't always super complex." Light said. Leaning on Cassie in a one armed hug, she continued "And wouldn't you wanna have some fun from time to time? Pretty sure Mr. Hyde over there has a thiiing for you!". Poking Cassie a bit on her cheeks, Light laughed as she let go of her and made her way over to a nearby table on which she sat. "So... What now."

[Assistant]
"Oh sarcasm, the truest form of humor. Quite the fiery one you are eh hot head?" Johnny said as a response to the young man's stellar description of his person. Johnny listened as the rest of their group gave their descriptions of themselves, like Johnny thought this was turning out to be quite the cast of characters. For the most part they seemed like a reliable group if a bit strange, but he wasn't the one to cast judgement on being different.

Johnny's attention was grabbed by Light's description as to why she came to this plane of existence, pure boredom can make people do crazy things it would seem. He also couldn't but chuckle at the imp's jab at the two young sweethearts and what looked like their ongoing lovers' feud. "I would assume we ask the house if there is anything we need to do, always good to get a job started yeah?" Johnny said to Light's question.

[User]
Justin smiled at the comments, rolling his eyes. "Well, if you wanna learn more about Dark Passenger, you'll have to ask him. We are two different people, believe it or not." He said with a shrug. "What, you think I have a thing for the fortune teller?" He asked and laughed. "What makes you think I don't have a thing for void beings? Or ghost?" He asked, walking over to the map. The coin was spinning on the desk, so everything seemed to be okay, for now.

"Guess we can find our rooms. You guys go pick, I'll keep an eye on the," that's when the coin jumped off the desk, and landed on the map. They heard the house creek, and the forest they had been at was now replaced by the ocean, the smell of saltwater in the air. Justin looked at the crew, then walked to the door, opening it.

"Guys, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore." He said as he looked around. "This is odd. No towns, people, hell I barely see a road." He said and walked out of the house, looking around. "Why would we be brought here?" He muttered, then looked back at the house. "It's okay kids, daddy scared the monsters away." He called.

Up the beach abit, they could see the outline of a man. He would bend down to look at something, take a picture, and then it looked like he would write something down.

[Assistant]
"Old married couple?" Cassie had to raise her eyebrow at Light's comment. Was she referring to her and Justin? Her thoughts were confirmed when Light suggested that he had a thing for her, which made her laugh a bit. "Oh goodness no. He's just a flirt. Of course whom he flirts with changes like the rising and setting of the sun. Also, witch first, sometimes fortune teller second." She rolled her eyes a bit.

"Botched summoning huh? If you ever want to go home, I could try to find a way to reverse it, but it would take me some time to learn, and that is only if you really want to go back," Cassie addressed Light before stretching for a moment and then turning to walk away.

"Yeah, I suppose we can ask the house if we have a job, but for now..." Any thought Cassie had was interrupted by the coin jumping off the desk and landing on the map. "So much for decorating my room."

"It brought us here because we're needed here, or did you nap while Constantine was talking?" She sighed a bit as she walked out of the door and looked around. She had a bad feeling, since she could smell the ocean and there was a man there. "I suppose we should check and see what he's doing before he accidentally summons something, or wakes up an elder being." She sighed and headed down the beach a bit and waved. "Hello!"

[User]
Light wasn't so happy about Cassie offering help. She would return to the void under her own volition, not by anyone elses. But she figured Cassie didn't know any better and Light kept her mouth shut. At least until they were transported by the house to a beach with a guy standing a bit in the distance. Cassie offered to intercept him, so Light decided to lie in the sand and relax a bit.

"Well isn't this nice. If we're already on a vacation, I'll just take a nap in the sand. Wake me if there is any problems.' she said, closing her eyes as she relaxed with the great scenery. She wasn't too concerned with whatever that guy was doing, if he turned hostile, she'd deal with him. But it would be better for the others to handle the negotiations.

[Assistant] This magical house thing was starting to appeal more and more to Johnny. Just as Johnny suggested that the group should look for any problems that would acquire their attention the house seemed to bring them to just that. The dreary atmosphere of the forest was replaced by a tad bit more ominous one, at least how the specter saw it, set next to the sea. It also seemed that the place was void of any real activity save for one lone soul photographing something. The young female spellslinger seemed to be taking the head on this one and approached the man herself, probably for the best given that present company consisted of a dead man, someone with a demon living in his head, and a rather wacky void being. Rather not wanting to risk scaring off the man Johnny faded from visible view as he approached with Cassie, being close by to hear as well as intervene if need be.

[User]
Justin followed Cassie, looking around as they walked up to the figure. He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with short dark hair, and different colored eyes. His left eye was an amber colored, with his right eye being very dark colored.

Infront of him was the body of woman, in her bra and panties only, and her throat cut open. "What the hell!?!" Justin said, taking a step towards the body.

"Hey! Stop!" The man threw his hands up. "Do NOT step in this area. It is a crime scene!" The man said. "The cops will be here in a few minutes." He said and stood up looking at them. "I'm a private reporter, I discovered this crime, and phoned the police. I'm trying to get a few pictures for them before the wind or tide does anything to change the area." He said, looking at them.

"That seems a little, strange." Justin said looking at the man. "Who's to say you're not the cause of this?"

"That's cute coming from strange couple that happens to be on the beach when a woman has been killed." He said.

Justin raised an eyebrow and looked at Cassie, before looking back at the reporter. The sounds of police sirens could be heard, heading towards their area.

"Look, I'm not telling you what to do, but it would be best for you lot to either leave, or be ready to answer police questions."

"We don't have to worry." Justin said, holding up a blank card. "I'm Agent Ambrose, this is my partner Bella. We have our own questions." Justin said.

"Huh, abit young for FBI." The man said, then looked at them. "I'm Oswald That Endswald. And yes, I know how fake that sounds, my parents had a twisted sense of humor." Oswald said. "So what's the FBI doing here?"

"Believe it or not, we are here on vacation. I was looking forward to some time off." Justin said.

[Assistant]
Cassie knew that Johnny was by her side, and Justin seemed to follow as well, so she felt safe. Not that she needed any protecting of any sort. As they walked close to the man, she saw something, almost out of the corner of her eyes. Fae sight was sometimes odd, but it helped Cassie in many cases.

The man in front of them had some sort of magic, but she soon got distracted by the poor woman on the beach. She raised her hand to her mouth for a moment, her mouth silently open. She moved to step behind Justin, but soon stepped to his side and looked at the man.

As he spoke, she could tell that he was telling the truth, for now. She would let Justin, Johnny and Light know in private, but there were still a few nagging questions, like: "What is a private reporter doing at the scene of a crime before the police get here? That does seem suspicious."

She frowned a bit, as he did have a point. They had just shown up at the same point, but they had a good reason for that. The house had brought them there, most likely because of the murder, but the man in front of them could also be the reason why. She listened to Justin as he spoke and shot daggers at him with her look. Bella? Could he have chosen any stupider name for her? "Yes, I'm Agent Bella Marsters."

As 'Oswald' spoke, Cassie knew he was lying for the first time. Oswald was not his name, but she wasn't going to call him out on that at the moment.

"You know what they say Ambrose, no rest for the Wicked. I guess we're working now."

[User] Reporters never really sat well with Johnny, namely because from his experience they could never seemed to be able to get the story straight, but this guy stirred some extra ire from the spiritual hero do to the fact that the guy seemed to be talking out of his ass, but only time could tell if Johnny's suspicions would pay off. But Johnny's general distain for the press was able to be suppressed given the fact that a young laid dead and violated right in front of him, and unfortunately from what he could tell she was adapting to a lack of a pulse as well as Johnny was. Johnny half listened to what the reporter had to say, something about the cops showing up soon and not wanting Cassie and Justin to disturb the scene, as he moved his invisible form towards the body for a closer look, another upside of being a ghost his one doesn't leave much of a trace on the physical plane. She had clearly seen better days, clothes gone and a clean cut right across her throat, all the signs of a rather brutal but mundane crime, but judging from the fact that the house brought the team here for a reason Johnny decided that there had to be more to this case than meets the eye. Given the situation Johnny was going to see if he could attempt to get more insight by seeing he could connect with the corpse, this was a bit of a iffy power of his seeing as it was never guaranteed to give him visions of the person's death and even if it did work chances are they would be quite blurred.

[Assistant]
Oswald looked at the two agents. He wasn't sure if they were telling the truth or not, but when the cops pulled in, he couldn't really argue with them.

The cops took time to question the three of them, unaware of Johnny being there. Oswald willing gave his camera to the cops, and the cops seemed to buy the FBI story, especially after making a phone call and someone verifying their identities, much to their surprise.

Meanwhile, Johnny could see something out the corner of his eye. When he looked towards it, he saw the newly dead woman, looking at her body in confusion, before running off.

And last, Light was enjoying the sun, until her arm hit something buried into the sand. Upon digging it up, she found a bag, which had a coin inside it. The coin was old, with a skull on it, and what appeared to be fresh blood on it.


[System]
* Age: 16
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Like her magical girl appearance, except obviously in a more normal outfit without a massive hammer. Her hair is dark brown, and her eyes are also brown. She is very short and child-like in appearance.
* Personality: A stubborn girl with a hot temper, Hikari seems like the aggressive and irritable type through and through. It would be difficult to claim otherwise, given that she's the type to get angry at others easily and is swift to complain or deride them for perceived stupidity. However, in spite of all these facts, deep down Hikari has another side. Her stubborn nature makes her dedicated to ideas she adheres herself to, and deep down she has a genuine desire to help people. Deep down, Hikari has dreamed of being a hero who can save others. As a result, she'd jump at the option to become one, even if she doesn't always thing other people are particularly intelligent either. Hikari is fond of sweets, and baked goods as well, and can sometimes be persuaded by these things. Her extremely stubborn nature makes it nearly impossible to make her genuinely give up on anything that she's dedicated herself to, as well. In spite of this irritable and stubborn nature, Hikari is easily flustered and has a jealous streak towards anyone taller and more mature then herself. Indeed, she hates being mistaken for a child.
* Skills: Hikari is decent at physical activities and does well in most of her classes.
* Brief Backstory: Hikari was born into a fairly normal family. For much of her early life she was fairly average as well. However, when she was only eight years old, she nearly lost her father in a car accident. Trapped under the wreckage, she thought she was going to die, until someone saved her and her father. Dazed and confused, she didn't figure out who. But someone had pulled her out before anyone else arrived. This incident left a strong impression on her. She had been relatively unscathed, and while her father's legs were damaged he managed to survive and regain most of the use of them. As a result, she was left with a desire to someday return the favor. In spite of this, that didn't change her rather surly disposition. But it did give her a dream deep down... A dream she would jump at the chance to fulfill.
	+ Magical Girl Appearance: Design Works!, Neutral Pose!, A bit older but a colored image to give an idea
	+ Concept: Festivals
	+ Archetype: Uchide no Kozuchi(Miracle Mallet)
	+ Abilities: Hikari is a strong and fast melee-based magical girl. Her abilities are largely centered on her hammer. She can create barriers as well, but most of her focus is purely on overwhelming melee attacks. Her hammer can change in size and destructive force. Additionally, the rear of her hammer can fire off fireworks, both as a booster for her hammer strikes as well as an attack in its own right. She can also power up her melee attacks in mid-swing by yelling 'Tamaya', which intensifies her fireworks. Her attacks include...
		- Tanabata Shooting Star: Hikari's hammer erupts with fireworks that surround her body, sending her rocketing forward to close distance, break through obstacles, and deliver a crushing downward blow with an enlarged hammer.
		- Hanami Blossom Breaker: A barrier-breaking strike, the head of Hikari's hammer is accelerated with a blast of powerful fireworks and swung directly into the target barrier. The impact causes it to shatter in a manner that resembles a flower. She does not yet possess her strongest attacks, due to being unaware of her Archetype.

[User]
"I agree. Noriko and I grew up in a small mountain town, there's no atmosphere quite like that. I've noticed city life produces so many more shades... larger, stronger ones..."

The silence between them was palpable for that brief pause that came as she spoke of shades. She understood well what she spoke of as she was all too familiar with shades. Some might say that her and shades went hand in hand given the numbers and sizes she's had to handle in her past.

"Sorry if this conversation is getting depressing."

Sophia shook her head. "No need to apologize. I understand."

"At least there are more of us around here to keep the doom and gloom at bay! And yeah, places like this sure help."

She turned her attention to her sister Noriko for a moment but it returned to Fuyuko as she looked out across the forest to the city beyond, a look which spoke of a certain melancholy she could recognize. It drew her to wonder what it is that occupied her thoughts so, this lingering undertone of despair in her eyes.

"How are you finding Tokyo?" She asked Sophia.

"It is a fine city. Despite it's ultra modern veneer it's surprisingly humble once you leave the tourist trap circuit." Having said that she looked out in the direction where she had saw the battle take place, her eyes drawn past the forest towards the more suburban sectors.

"While I've seen little of shades as of yet it seems conflict is already stirring." She looked down, appearing to be deep in thought as she considered the events she's witnessed thus far.

"I fear such conflicts will only intensify with the progression of time."

---

[Assistant]
Hikari watched as Tokiko desummoned the monstergirl and transformed back to normal. Given some time to slow down and think, she now found herself thinking about the variation between magical girls. That one girl with the kanabo had horns, she'd actually seemed to physically transform... while Tokiko didn't. But Tokiko was able to summon someone, that monstergirl she called Eve. Were there other girls who could summon creatures or more human-like things? Just how much variety was there when it came to magical girls? It was something she was going to have to think about, wasn't it? After all, every magical girl in the city was now potentially an enemy.

... When she thought about it in that respect, it was actually... a little scary. But there was no way that Hikari would let something like that get to her. She just became a magical girl, and no-one was allowed to actually kill anyone else, so she wasn't going to let herself get scared about something like this! After all, what kind of magical girl would let herself get scared about something this important?! ... Not that she entirely understood why it was important, but the idea of preventing evil energy or whatever from building up made a lot of sense at least.

"Chat room...?"

A chat room for magical girls? For a moment, Hikari was certain she saw something kind of like that in an anime at some point, but she wasn't going to dwell on that fact.

"... Well, I guess I was going that way..." she added, glancing towards Tokiko. It was... weird just walking home after learning about all of this, but what else was there to do? She sort of wanted to check out that chat room, too...

---

Perhaps most other magical girls would have been a bit more shocked when it came to something like a personal world being impressed on reality. But in Naoko's case, as she glanced across the ruined city, her response was to let out a low, long whistle.

"I heard there were some magical girls who could do this kinda thing," she began, still resting her kanabo on her shoulder, "But I never actually saw one! Awesome!"

She grinned, displaying a pair of fangs.

"Your own world, huh?!"

Still grinning, she raised her weapon off her shoulder. For the moment, it still seemed like Tsukimi was out of the fight, though if she was fully unconscious or just stunned, it was difficult to tell.

The kanabo was pointed squarely at Sonya.

"Like hell I'd surrender."

[User]
We're not walking home together, thought Tokiko, as she and Hikari walked home together. We just happen to be heading in the same direction, that's all. Which they technically were. Side by side. At the same pace. I-it's for protection, that's all! If more magical girls come and attack us, then we'll be able to fight together! Though magical girls wouldn't be able to find them easily while they were in civilian form. Well, it's not like I asked to walk together or anything. She just started following me! So irritating! Gritting her teeth and staring straight ahead, Tokiko urged herself to walk a little faster, and leave the other girl behind. To drag her feet, until Hikari ended up pulling ahead. Or just turn down some random corner and pretend that she was going a different way.

Each time she pictured it, though, there was a sinking in her stomach, a sadness in her eyes. I guess... it isn't so bad, when she's not trying to lecture me. She seized hold of the excuse. That's right! We're not really walking together, but so long as she keeps quiet there's no need to try and avoid her. In fact, I'm not even going to pay any attention to her at all!

... five seconds later, she glanced sideways at Hikari, then immediately looked back towards the road ahead, her cheeks reddening a little from the sheer audacity of the gesture. Was she looking at me? I don't think she was looking at me... It had been hard to tell, but the shorter girl had looked contemplative, as if she had a lot on her mind. Which made sense, given that she'd just been introduced to the world of magical girls with only the briefest of crash-courses to orient her. Good! If she's wrapped up in her own thoughts, then I don't have to worry about her annoying me or anything. All I have to do is keep quiet.

... twenty seconds later, she cleared her throat. "So..."

They'd reached the end of the secluded alleyway now, and were back on a larger street. Not too busy, but there were people walking around here and there, so she kept her voice low. "Um. I've seen better, but... you weren't bad with that hammer back there." Her hands silently clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms as she struggled to find the right words. There were plenty that came to mind, like 'Hah, of course an idiot like you would use such a brutish weapon,' or 'But I was the one who actually did all the work in that fight!' Except... she'd seen enough of Hikari in the past half an hour to know that cruel words wouldn't scare her away. It'd just make her fight back, and then they'd be hissing and growling at each other all over again. Which wouldn't be a very magical girl way to act at all.

So she bit her tongue, and forced herself to keep her tone level. "Do... you do any martial arts or stuff like that?" Tokiko wasn't sure if there were any fighting styles involving hammers. Hammer-fu? Hammer Kenpo? "Or, um... sports?"

No, I'm definitely not trying to start a conversation. This is strictly information gathering!

[Assistant]
~~Nico~~

---

"Even if it was hard to resist, you still..." Nico trailed off as she muttered to herself, a light blush on her cheeks from being tricked. Her being flustered didn't last incredibly long, however, as Hanako explained her current situation. Nico gasped and partially covered her mouth with one hand, shocked from the revelation.

"It Exploded?! What a dangerous accident! I honestly hope nobody got hurt from that..."

Nico breathed out a sigh and crossed her arms, staring off to the side as she regained her composure. Having something that terrifying happen to poor Hanako was worrisome. Nico felt like it might've been the work of a monster she had failed to eliminate. If that was the case, the girl had failed at her duties, even if she was still new to all of this. With the Hex Night so soon, she couldn't afford to have any slip-ups like that anymore. While Nico didn't know the story was entirely fabricated, it nonetheless made her gain some resolve to push through and do her duty no matter the cost.

"What a surprise, though... I had no idea something like that happened to you. Himeko-san, you have to help her!" she begged, looking up towards the shrine maiden with a glint in her eyes. Nico wanted to help Hanako herself, but her parents were much too strict to allow such a thing. The only thing she could do was rely on the shrine maiden to listen to Hanako's request.

[User]
"It exploded?" Himeko raised an eyebrow, "sounds rough. Hope no one got hurt."

Presumably there wasn't any major injuries incurred by any party, or else Himeko was terrible at reading the atmosphere. And at the very least, she'd probably would've overheard some gossip about it. Even in Tokyo, word got around like it was a small, tight-knit community. Given Hanako's disposition however, the shrine maiden hadn't expected her to awkwardly imply she was looking for a sleepover, on account of her own bedroom missing a pathway to it.

Himeko had no problem with helping her out, of course. The spare room was pretty much a place to store old trinkets and unfit for habitation, but her room was plenty big enough to store an additional, adorable girl for a few nights. The main issue, naturally, was that having a guest over made it substantially more difficult to do magical girl stuff, especially at night. Unless Hanako was willing to believe and comply with the idea that she had to perform secret rituals during the night that no one should witness, the shrine maiden was going to be inactive for a bit. And it wasn't the best time to be taking a holiday, unfortunately.

Still, with Nico earnestly begging the miko to take her in, Himeko figured she couldn't refuse either way. Even the most cold-hearted of villains would struggle to resist the pleas of two cute girls!
"Well, it's no issue for me," Himeko shrugged, her lips curling into another playful grin, "but you'll have to bunk with me in my room, Hanako-chan~ I hope that's okay for you?"

@Raineh Daze

[Assistant]
Admittedly, it was hard not to feel a little proud about the hammer thing. Hikari had never fought at all before, to be honest, but somehow that huge firework hammer had just felt right in her hands. Not that she knew exactly how to fight with it, but she knew she could swing it correctly in order to attack her opponent, and the result was the enemy magical girl being knocked clear through a wall. ... Would property damage just fix itself? It was like that in some magical girl series, wasn't it? Was it like that here, as well?

She couldn't help but be a little concerned, but since mass property damage wasn't being reported every day, maybe it was like that? Hikari sort of hoped so...

Before she could make a response to the compliment, however, Tokiko asked about martial arts and sports. What, was that important? There wasn't some kind of hammer sport! ... At least, Hikari didn't think so. But the point was it was a weird question! What kind of prying was this other girl planning on doing!?

"Why are you asking about that?" The tiny brunette asked, cocking her head to one side as she did, "... Hmph, whatever... I don't really do any sports, I guess, but I've never been bad at PE."