[System]
Age
27

Skills
- Stealth; being barely 5'3" on a good day helps a lot when trying to sneak past undetected.
- Climbing; one of Nathalie's favorite hobbies was rock climbing with her friends, whether it was in the outdoors or in a gym.

Preferred Weapons
- Gator Machete 19"
- 9mm Berretta

Personality
Nathalie is a very reserved and cautious woman. Although her inner self wants to be optimistic and find the bright side in every situation, she has to continuously stop herself and tell herself to think realistically. Not being able to get in contact with her family and not knowing what happened with her little sisters eats away at her mental well being little by little. At times, it seems to overwhelm her, and the panic starts to set in. She is a very family oriented and being around other people can give her a bit of that feeling, although being alone doesn't bother her anymore as it gives her time to try and figure out what her next steps are without having to worry about anyone else.

Brief Bio
Born in Chula Vista, California, Nathalie is the eldest of three girls. Her younger sisters are 16 and 14 and the three of them were unbelievably close before Nat left to college. FaceTime soon became their best friend as Nat pursued her education further on into her Master's. Finding a job became all too easy and Nat fell into the typical 9-5 job before she knew it, unfortunately having to break it to her family that she would not be returning until the completion of her education and finding a transfer for her job. She kept a small group of close friends, choosing not to stray from the usual, and chose not to date. She led a simple life and wished for nothing more until the outbreak happened.

[User]
Location: Mall Parking Lot | Interactions: @Belle

 The moans became harmonious. A symphony of disgusting anguish getting ever louder with each shuffled footstep. Rex began to see them, the massive herd of undead, a mobile shadow of unholy mass that grew exponentially with each passing second. He looked in the opposite direction toward the scream and gunfire. Even if there were two separate gunners, he had King. It was a fair fight. The other option, however... He would need way more arrows than what he housed in his quiver to get passed that horde.

 The problem became mathematical and therefore much simpler. There really was no more question. He looked toward the alley that had echoed out gunshots and gave King the signal, communicating his intentions. The two of them moved quickly, hugging the walls of each building they passed, trying to minimize their presence.

 "Come back here! I'll break every bone in your damn body!" The holler was gruff. Rex and King followed it to it's source, spotting a bearded man who seemed frantic in his pursuit. It took Rex an extra second to realize what it was he was after and, by the time he did, the stranger already had her, throwing the little girl against one of the vehicles, pressing his weight against her with a look in his eye that shouted ill intent. "Little rat bitch think you can steal from me?!" Rex's vision tunneled. This was not a fair fight. In this life, he dealt with the undead everyday but today, in this moment, he was sure he was staring at a monster.

 King's growl broke Rex's trance. The hairs on the dog's back stood on end, making him appear bigger than he actually was. Saliva seeped out between his teeth and trailed down his jowls before hitting the hot asphalt below. King was hungry. Rex looked to his partner and, after a moment's hesitation, his partner looked back up at him. The cowboy swung his bow in front toward his own torso with one hand and retrieved a whittled bolt with another, never breaking eye contact. The man drew his bow back, bending the brim of his black hat as the reinforced string moved passed his face, passed his ear and settled adjacently to the back of his head, the bolt betwixt his fingers, aimed precisely toward the warm blooded predator. Rex's eyes then moved from King and toward the trajectory of his target. There were three sounds after that. One was a harsh twang, the other a sharp whistle and finally a single utterance: "Balls."

 As if launched from a compound bow himself, King sprung to action, closing the distance between him and the little girl's assailant in what seemed like no time. Despite the German Shepherd's best efforts, the bolt beat him to the scene, landing in the bearded man's shoulder. A second later, King got a mouthful of what he was after, bringing the guy down to the ground, his gun inadvertently discarded on the asphalt. Ol' Beardy did not go down quietly. The dog's clenched teeth writhed back and forth with an intent to mangle. With the man occupied, albeit noisily so, Rex casually made his approach and looked at the young girl, his eyes squinting before he spoke. "This ain't the type a place a youngin' ought to be wandering around alone," he said, his voice deep and gravely, marked with an accent that gave away the fact that he wasn't from around here. After a beat, he continued, "We best git. This squealer's bound to bring all sorts of attention. Do you gotta place ya need to be?"

[Assistant]
A happier time, Broken memories

A family picnic, laughing and making fun as families do. Molly used to be able to remember the day clearly but now there was only darkness, screams and blood when she tried to think about the time before all this. Probably some kind of PTSD but nowadays there were no counsellors, maybe that was why she'd started smoking. Ha, mom would hate me for it Molly thought to herself, a momentary smile fleeting across her tired face. She had no idea where Mom or Dad were but still she held onto hope they were still alive and most of all she wished her little brother was safe.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Molly - road - Casey @QT

The noise of a car engine a ways behind her drew Mollys attention.

"Shit shit shit" She swore and paused for a second as thoughts raced through her head. It had been a bad idea to walk up the road Molly told herself, why had she gotten so used to not expecting other people to be around? Too late now it, he, Molly corrected herself was less than a hundred metres away and.. flashing the car lights at her? That's a good sign, the stranger could easily have shot me or run me over.

Raising a hand and full of trepidation, she waved hello.

[User]
Ayla - Road - Alone

Ayla sat there silently as the shuffling noise got louder and louder. From the back room two little girls came out, both walkers. Dried blood around their wrists. In the distance, Ayla heard gunshots and screams. All of these things together combined into a horrific flashback of that day. Ayla wished she didn't remember. A little girl named Amy was bit, and Ayla gave her a bandaid. When she started getting feverish Ayla gave her medicine, called her parents, and let her sleep in a quiet room. She let one of Amy's friend inside to keep her company. When Ayla hears the screaming, that's when it was already too late.

And just like that Ayla dropped the metal nut in her sling. The small ping caused the walkers to look at her and Ayla snapped back to reality. They went right to her and Ayla slashes through the face of one of the walkers with her machete. The other she kicked right in the face, her boots protecting her from the little zombie's teeth. Killing these two walkers were easy on account of them being children. Physically easy, but emotionally exhausting.

The bike shop was a bust. Ayla knew she wasn't going to find anything here so she simply picked up a length of bike chain and left. She could at least try and use the chain as a weapon, maybe wrap it around a pipe or bat to give it extra weight. But now she needed to keep moving. Maybe if she's lucky she'll find survivors, but considering the screaming earlier, maybe survivors were the last thing Ayla should find.

[Assistant]
Nathalie Soltero – Gift Shop – Finn Loughty

After the piercing scream and gunshots, it had gone eerily quiet again. Nathalia kept her eyes locked on the outside of the shop, focusing fully on the direction where the scream had come from. Her mind was so completely engulfed with the possibilities of what might be happening beyond the walls of her shelter, that she had hardly heard the sounds of movement inside those 'protective walls'. She had pushed them aside, not taking them in as a priority since she had already cleared the shop; if it were one of the dead, they were to have made more noise along with their disgusting groaning.

The young woman had moved a bit to get a better angle to look in different directions when she heard something like a voice. This caused her to stand up straight from her semi crouch. Part of her wanted to investigate, but there were other times where she had heard voices as well and there was nothing. Just her mind tricking her into thinking that there were others, fooling her into getting her hopes up.

"Who are you?"

Nathalie spun around, gasping slightly as a booming voice back from behind her. She had her machete in hand but when her eyes landed on the man questioning her, she was able to tell that she had no chance. The man stood at least a whole foot taller than her, if not more, and judging by the sound of movement behind him, there was at least another person there.

"I… I'm Nathalie. Who are you?" Unfortunately, Nathalie's voice did not come out as full of authority as the man before her. She wanted to show that she would stand her ground too, but she had been taken by surprise, causing her to not only lose her focus but her thoughts. Not to mention that she had just woken up a few minutes ago. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just stopped by here to get some rest." Her eyes slowly looked around, making sure there was no one else that was going to take her by surprise from another angle. Sweat started forming on her forehead again as she began to stress out on how she'd get out of there since she had barricaded the door. 'The door. I closed it off with a book shelf…' "How did you get in here? I blocked off the door with a book shelf and it's locked from the inside…." Her blue eyes made their way back to the man, her voice was slowly regaining composure as she asked her questions, although she still didn't feel as confident as the man probably did.


[System]
Class: Necromancer

Race: Vampire

Appearance:

Rather small frame, measures around 5'2" with flowing black hair that compliments her gray irises

Power Ranking: C

Electives:
-Potion Making
-Art

Character's Characteristics: Extremely shy and reserved. Keeps to herself, rarely expresses emotions- stoic.

Main Power based on Class: Summons spirits to communicate/gain insight of the very near future

Backstory: Born into a rich bloodline of royalty, Rowan has a pure heritage spanning out before her. She is heir to the Delacroix family as a result of a tragic incident regarding her eldest brother, Lucius. Her repressed methods of dealing with strangers may be a direct result of the traumatizing experience that many still do not know the full details of to this day.

Any Other Info: Her hair gains a streak of white when under pressure/during use of magic, and can transform into a bat if the situation calls for it.

[User] "After you have confirmed the opponent whom you will be facing, please make your way over to the designated training rooms. Be sure to have your identification necklaces ready - they will need to be scanned in order for you to proceed." Mischa noticed the growing line for the training room doors and chose to head for it. he looked around to see if he could see the skates human before heading into the training room but unfortunately didn't before he reached the front and faced the hallway. he swiped the necklace across the scanner and waited until he was told to proceed before entering the combat room, he didn't find his opponent within so he sat with his legs crossed on the floor and waited for the arrival of his this human on skates.

[Assistant]
Rowan Delacroix

Rowan was shaken out of her trance by the familiar voice that echoed from behind her. Her shoulders tensed up from the abruptness and she kept her head lowered. With her face out of view, she was able to avoid the stare of the other concerned party. "Are you sure you want to fight now? You are exhausted. I can conjure false weapons to practice drills. That way you can have energy for the 3x3 battle. There isn't a penalty for not fighting now. If we are to fight, I would prefer that you had the energy for it. But I will accept your decision whatever it is." Leval chimed in apprehensively, clearing expressing his unease. She opened her mouth to respond, but she hesitated as thoughts started to fill her mind with different scenarios. "He is certainly a creature with great solicitude. Maybe I should hold his words in high esteem?" Rowan lifted her chin to meet the gaze of the tall human. "His visage is one of sincerity- but what if it is simply a facade?" She stood motionless as examined Leval.

"It could just be an attempt to automatically win the battle- although the odds may already be in his favor. I must be wary." With that thought in mind, Rowan moved to close the distance between them only by a few steps. She looked up to face her opponent properly, being sure to show him her full expression. Her stoic face had a hint of determination, and her gray eyes flickered up at Leval. She stared at him unblinkingly. After another pause, she finally spoke with a quiet, steady voice. "I am undeserving of your worry, Leval Lamrue. However, I will not back down from this class." She slowly stepped back from Leval, lowering her eyes once again. "I will put my all into this battle, and I hope you will as well." Without looking up, the vampire pulled her cloak along with her as she turned to walk towards the forming line of C students. She kept to herself while she waited on the line. Once she arrived at the door, she looked into the dark abyss that was the hallway.

Rowan flinched when the scanner appeared and requested for her to scan her ID. "This school will require much tolerance for the unexpected..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When the all-white training room replaced the hallway, she stepped into the area only to feel a light tingling sensation envelope her body. "As you wait for your opponent, please note that an individual protective barrier has been activated upon entering the room. This shield will assure your safety during the match." Rowan held out her arms out before her and checked her palms as well as the back of her hands. "Proper precautions were taken to avoid injury, but how much of a buffer is this shield?" As she pondered, she paced over to one of the cushioned walls and pressed her hand against it, which left a visible imprint.

[User]
Zensei Zaza

As Zensei repeatedly lifted the dumbbell, a familiar voice assaulted him from behind. "Ready to go?" It said while laughing, causing Zensei to drop the weight and quickly spin around. "Zephyr." he whispered to himself, starting towards his designated line. "Ready to go ape shit on yo' ass!" He yelled and accelerated.

After what seemed like forever, a kiosk appeared in front of him. "Please swipe your identification card over the scanner." Zensei thought that the voice was cute, so he smiled when he swiped his glistening green wing shaped card under a blue light. "You may proceed, Zensei Zaza." He blew a kiss and winked at the machine as he flew down the long hallway. "I hope to see you again cutie." Following his flirtatious attitude, the walls of the never ending hallway transformed into a thickly padded white room. "As you wait for your opponent, please note that an individual protective barrier has been activated upon entering the room. This shield will assure your safety during the match, only allowing minor injuries during combat. You lose when your shield's health depletes and it's glow dissipates." This excited Zensei very much. He began punching the padded walls and spinning around in the air while he waited for his opponent.

[Assistant]
Leval Lamrue

Leval watched Rowan stride forward and look him full in the face, with courage and determination clear in her expression. "I am undeserving of your worry, Leval Lamrue. However, I will not back down from this class. I will put my all into this battle, and I hope you will as well." She pulled down her hood. and joined the line of C students. He let out a huge breath slightly relaxing the nervous tension that had begun forming in the pit of this stomach. 'I told her I would respect her choice, so all out it is.' He clenched his fists together and gulped. He walked over to the C line, his illusory form growing even larger and more muscular, the spikes extended further from his body and more began to sprout along the back of his arms, two particularly wicked point jettisoning out from his elbows. His teeth elongated into canine fangs in his mouth. He moved quickly through the line swiping his ID, and entered the room.

"Form one: Venom." Glistening green droplets began rapidly pouring down from his head, falling from his illusionary body giving a sizzling sound as they hit the white floor of the training. His illusory clothes appeared pierced and burned by the excessive changes. He reached into one of his pockets turned one of his light gloves to a moderate setting, and performed a quick Weave on the light. When he withdrew his hand, his illusion was wielding an exact duplicate of the rifle the Nocturne that had stolen his bed had left on the floor. 'Step one, exhaust her further.' His illusion began to fire rapidly, missing her by a hair's breadth everytime. The illusory bullets sound rang loud and true as they impacted the room. Inside the illusion, Leval tracked her movements focusing on keeping her on the defensive.

[User]
Zephyr

Zephyr smirked and followed Zensei, swiping his card and entering the training room. He cocked his head to the side, listening to the voice that informed the about the shield. He looked at Zensei curiously, watching him punch the walls, and smirked. Well if Zensei wanted to get close enough to take a punch at him, he was very welcome to try. He looked down at the floor. Thankfully, it wasn't padded like the walls, but was probably reinforced as well. Zephyr leaned against the wall and observed the pixie for a while, establishing a relationship with the wood as he did so. Plants would be easier to call up that way. Slowly and silently, plants grew round his ankles, anchoring him so that he wouldn't be affected too much by whatever changes in gravity his opponent exerted. If Zensei noticed, it still wouldn't be too much of a disadvantage.

"Ready when you are," he said casually.

[Assistant]
Reas Grimorea

Reas entered the combat room after scanning his pendant at the entrance and looked around stomping on the wooden floor noting that it was solid. He look at who he suspected was Mischa sitting on the floor and nodded to him before sitting down himself and pulling out his magic adapters to put back into his skates, "I want to fight a full speed, you don't mind do you?". As he did this he took in the details of the nocturn in front of him trying to think of a plan to counter the ranged aspect of the gun that he was toting. "At least we can go an bust up this room if we need to during our fight, right" Reas said as he finished plugging the adapters in and felt a rush of power as he visibly got more energize.

After Reas was satisfied with the function of this wheels he sped over to a wall and pulled his fist back and let go a thundering punch that sent a Shockwave up the walls of the room but didn't break them. "Good, good." he said in an almost whisper like tone before he started stretching waiting for his opponent to do whatever he was doing. The stretching Reas was doing focused mainly on his arms legs and back, loosening the muscles and joints in the areas. The human probably didn't look much to the nocturn but he was about to get a lot more than he could handle.

[User]
Rowan Delacroix

Rowan turned to face her opponent after hearing his deep voice cut through the silence, followed by the consistent sound of something burning. She furrowed her brows at how grotesque Leval had become. Her eyes trailed down to the rifle equipped in one hand. Stopping to admire its intricate designs was not going to benefit her during the battle, and she had no time to hesitate either. As bullets were propelled towards her, she proceeded to evade the line of fire to the best of her ability. "I must get to the cross...-" She side stepped with languid movements while scanning the wooden panels for the image she had drawn earlier. However, she came to the realization that she hadn't redrawn the conjuring circle when she had entered the designated training room. "Curses! How could I have forgotten?" Rowan came to a sudden halt and pulled the whole of her robe forward to obscure Leval's vision.

While she created a small window of time, she transformed into a bat, darting aimlessly around the room to disorient her opponent as she gathered her bearings. Tiny squeals emanated from the small winged creature as it dove towards Leval with great speed- Rowan appeared to be shooting for his head when in all reality, she was headed straight for his ankle. Her aim was to latch onto the limb with her newly formed claws.

[Assistant]
Leval Lamrue

Rowan was moving fast, which Leval had expected, when she stopped suddenly and whipped her robe around her. Leval stopped the illusion from accidently hitting her and giving away the trick. He blinked, and where Rowan had stood a bat flew. It started flying rapidly all over the room in confusing patterns. "Vampire!" he realized with a flash. She flew up over head and began a dive towards his head, moving rapidly. 'No time for a Weave!' He raised his left hand above his head aiming right at the bat's eyes. "Sunlight Lance!". He called out using the same strong intonation he used when he announced that he was in some type of venom form. He activated his light to its highest setting in a narrow beam. Leval wasn't sure if normal light was that effective against vampires, but at the very least he hoped the sudden blinding light and his lie of it being sunlight would disrupt her attack. The beam of light burst through his illusions fanged mouth at Rowan.

[User]
The bat lunged at Leval at high velocity, drawing her wings closer to her body in order to maintain the speed. Convinced she would reach her destination successfully, Rowan opened her fanged mouth and prepared for impact. However, a stern shout followed by a blinding light threw her completely off guard. She attempted to stop herself before she collided with the ground. Instead, she managed to steer herself into the padded wall. The cushions prevented any further injury, and she descended carefully to the floor. "It's no use. I won't be able to get close to him at this rate." Rowan used the few seconds she had to gather her thoughts. Her vision was still blurred, but she was certain the effect the light had on her wasn't similar to sunlight.

Rowan reverted back to her bodily form. She remained crouching for a moment, a dark fog surrounding her as a result of her conversion. Now's my chance...! Using the thick smoke that obscured her for a few brief moments, Rowan sank her fangs into her wrist, procuring the small amount of blood she had in her corpse-like body. With the crimson substance, she used her dominant hand and coated her index finger with it. Shakily, she traced a very crude image of a crescent moon on the wooden panels. The blood emitted a faint red glow, soon replaced with a black aura that rose like steam. Suddenly, a hand rose from the ground and Rowan entwined her fingers with the spirit's. The hand disappeared on contact, but it's voice echoed in the back of her mind. "Be wary- that creature you are facing is very cunning. However, do not be afraid to face him head on."

Rowan closed her eyes and rose from the ground as the fog cleared completely. There she stood, a new air of confidence around her as she smoothed out her hair, now laced with a thick white streak passing along her right side. Regardless, she still felt exceptionally weak, especially after summoning a spirit for assistance. She raised her arms out by her sides and opened her eyes, revealing her gray irises that had gone pale, along with her pupils that had vanish. Rowan stood still, awaiting Leval's next move. "Come." Her voice carried throughout the room, prone to send a shiver down any weak creatures spine.


[System]
Character Sheet:
Age: (Self-explanatory)
Gender: (Male? Female? Other?)
Race: (Human? Faunus? Grimm-ish?)
Appearance: (Picture or description)
Personality: (What are you like?)
Background: (Why are you where you are?)
Affiliation: (Upriser, Loner, Rusty)
Weapon: (what does it look like?)
Fighting style: (how do you fight?)
Sembalance: (OPTIONAL; basically a semi-superpower)
Other: (Anything I missed or doesn't have a place)

Name: Magdeline Garron

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Appearance: She photoshopped this picture of her with one of her son's baby pics.

Personality: Magdeline is a supportive woman. She often projects her motherly feelings on the younger Uprisers, refering to any of them as "sweetie", "dear", "honey", etc. She means nothing by it other than she doesn't dislike you. Magdeline is usually upbeat, unless she starts thinking of Seth, her son who died to protect her from Grimm that were attacking her house. If she does, she'll have a neutral-toned, solomn look on her face that could last seconds or hours.

Background: Magdeline was the mother of a hunter-in-training that had gone to Beacon who lent his hand in keeping the Grimm at bay. He survived. Long enough for him to be a threat to Torchwick, whose men "accidentally" killed him, as he got "in the way" of them taking care of some Grimm. His body was buried in the mass graves the Hunters were given. No headstones. No names. Just one big pit they're thrown in. She was furious at Torchwick's ploys. She finally couldn't stand it and joined the Uprising, and soon became head of reconnissence and unconventional warfare. She's hired a few Loners to aid in the cause occasionally, but it's usually her and a small group of Uprisers chip away at Dictator Roman's defenses.

Affiliation: Upriser

Weapon: Dual daggers. Nothing special. Two daggers with four-inch, double edged blades.

Fighting style: Assassination-style. 90% of her targets never see her face before they're dead. The other 10% lose because of her sembalance (described below).

Sembalance: Shadow Chains - Magdeline can create chains that bind a person to a surface. Only works on living creatures, so she can't use this on mechs. She can use it on animatronics with Auras, so it might be more of an Aura thing than a person thing. No one knows for sure yet. We just know it won't work on mechs. But it does work on mech operators.

Other: (Anything I missed or doesn't have a place)

[User] Graham watched as armed men burst into the club. Clearly Torchwick's, Graham put his goggles on to cover his eyes, trying to play along and keep it cool, carrying on playing his music. Graham observed the apparent leader as he spoke to the owner, this was clearly not boding well. Graham slipped away, taking off his headphones but he kept the music playing. Drawing his tonfas, Graham weaved in-between the crowd, crouching low so he couldn't be spotted. Graham was close enough to keep a clear line of sight on him, right when he was grabbing the girl. Graham twirled his tonfas as he walked behind. He tapped the leader on the shoulder and coughed to make his presence clear. Graham swung his tonfa at the Butchers face when he turned around, grabbing the girl by the wrist in the meantime and threw her into the crowd of onlookers. With the long side of his tonfas facing outwards, he stared down the men, ready to fight with a grin on his face.

[Assistant]
Magdeline
 Magdeline shot up in her bed when she heard an explosion. Couldn't have been a few blocks away at most. Oh, no. That could be someone from the meeting. Deciding against changing out of her fuzzy, greyscale-plaid sweatpants and T-shirt, simply putting her black jacket over it, Maggie grabbed her knife belt and dashed out her rooftop-access attic door and headed to the place with smoke coming off it. I can't see anything. Is that a club...? I remember seeing a text about a party earli- Graham. Something big enough to make that big of an explosion would be far too much for Graham to handle. But I don't know of anything that Roman has that could do this. Other than the tanks, but he keeps those at his house. Well, Beacon. Whatever.
 Magdeline got close enough to see that it was indeed the 'Club Eternity' Graham mentioned. Magdeline decided to hang off nearby and observe. She'd intervene if things got out of hand. Forgive me, Graham, but we need information. That is one big boy. Wait, is that Roman's Butcher guy? Shit. If he's involved, then someone's really got on Roman's bad side. I don't know enough about how he fights, but I can chain him down for a few seconds if things are about to get bad. We really need information on this guy, but he needs. To. Die. Magdeline sat in a shaded shrub in view of the Butcher, channelling her Aura and readying her sembalance chains for the moment things turn for the worst, feeling helpless and angry beyond compare. The man who killed her son and basically bragged about it to her face was standing right there, and she didn't have the strength or knowledge to kill him. Yet...

[User]
The Butcher took the punch, letting the girl fall into the crowd. He suddenly found himself not caring about her, no no, not when he had this little morsel in front of him. He rolled his neck, mostly unaffected by his attack. He felt like he was going to really enjoy cutting this little brat into teeny-tiny, bite sized pieces. Maybe he'd find the boy's family and make them watch him do it, maybe he'd have them eat him before he did the same as well. Decisions, decision's, they were all so tempting, but he guessed he could handle that part later. First thing first, time to teach the little shit what happens when you mess with The Butcher and his Boys.

With a gesture of his hand, his boy's took their positions, guarding the exit and making sure that no one would be getting in. . . or out for that manner, as the club's patrons seemed eager to do. They went as far away from the two combatants as the Boy's would let them, the girl being stealthily taken away by the boy's while Graham wasn't paying attention and loaded into the truck. The Butcher did a few test swings with his blade, a warm up if you will, the silence growing ever more tense as he did so, until he finally spoke.

"Kid, you're in way over your head. I've taken on Hunters and Huntresses ten times as tough as you are, and broke them like toothpicks. There was this one lad to, a bright lad just like you, he was a tough fight. . . and he made for a tough meal as well." The Butcher licked his lips as he got into position, the blade in front of him in both hands, he looked like a bull about to mow down a young calf. And then everything behind him exploded in a flash of darkness, sending him hurtling towards Graham at high speed. Instead of using his blade, however, he simply switched hands in midair, as he spun around like he was going to use it, then launched a powerful jab right a the boy's gut, aiming to send him hurtling into the crowd of terrified patron's. Everyone who had been around The Butcher had been scattered by the blast, literally, as pieces could be seen falling down and blood was splatter everywhere. This caused panic, as people tried to bush past the Boys to get away, only to be ruthlessly gunned down for their efforts. Graham would be caught in the middle of this mad scramble, squeezed like a sardine by the press of bodies against him.

Just as the Butcher had planned, the boy was a fool to challenge him in such an enclosed and heavily populated space, and he was now going to face the consequence's of his actions. The ground underneath him exploded again, sending him up into the air, as he spun around with the Cleaver in hand and made a small ball of darkness appear behind him, which flashed red once before it exploded, launching him at where the boy was, caught like a rat in a trap. He was about to cleave him, and everyone who was in the way, into pieces, when black chains came from all around, wrapping around him and holding him in place above the patrons. The Butcher didn't look worried, however, in fact he looked downright pleased. The glow of his visor seemed to intensify, as if their was some beast inside that it was trying to contain, as The Butcher's smile grew wide and hungering, a long, blackened tongue creeping of his mouth to slide along his lips.

"Ohhhhh, so he's one of yours, is he? Your children seem to have a nasty habit of ending up as my lunch, don't they Magdeline." He poke her name with a sickening fondness, his smile becoming increasing monstrous as the black from his arms seemed to crawl up his neck, "I told Torchwick that he should've let me have my fun with you back at the Breach, but he said that you wouldn't be a threat, just a dried out old crone who'd know her place. Glad that you didn't, because that means I get to see that beautiful look of despair and loss again and again as I turn another of your brood into nothing but empty sacks of rotten meat." He began to laugh, a booming baritone of depraved, manic amusement, as his form became enshrouded with a glowing darkness before he seemed to explode, hidden from sight by the darkness.

When it dispersed, only horror would be visible, as a large swathe of people had been cut down, Graham just barely being missed. It had been so close, that he had a small cut on his face. An inch more, and he'd be dead, that was how close it had been. "Don't think I missed boy," The Butcher said, on the other end of the bloody dance floor, covered in blood from the bodies, and proceeding to lick it from his blade. "I just want Maggy to know that if she doesn't come out soon, she'll be less one more son, that'd but her at -1, a first I'm sure." Again, The Butcher burst into a fit of manic laughter, the sound of it bouncing off the walls and echoing from all around, like the laugh of a demon, or even the Devil himself.

[Assistant]
Inari landed outside the club, having been alerted by the chaotic explosions within, just in time to see a pair of savage looking men dragging a girl out towards a truck while two more took position by the doors to allow no one inside. She straighten up and strolled towards the four men, the clack of her clogs on pavement alerting them to her arrival. The two by the door turned towards her as the other two dragged the girl towards the truck. "Clubs closed, girly." He said threateningly, brandishing his gun at her as he squinted into the night, trying to make out her details. Inari moved, sweeping her hand towards the men without breaking her stride and the light from the neon club sign reflected briefly off of two objects that flashed through the air towards them. With little more than a gurgled cry the two men at the door dropped, clutching at the black glass knives that protruded from their throats.

The men dragging the girl dropped her and turned to face this new threat only the find her standing right in front of them. The closest made to raise his weapon only to have a long sword blade thrust up through chin. With a cry of rage the last man opened fire, strafing the area with gunfire as Inari moved out of his line of fire. Her blade flashed and the front half of his gun clattered to the ground. She was right there, inches away from his face and the last thing he saw was the dark pits her mask's eyes. Her blade flashed through the air once again and he dropped, like a puppet with it's strings cut.

Inari looked down at the unconscious girl for a moment. A human girl. She shrugged coldly, leaving her there and turning towards the club. It sounded like chaos inside, explosions and gunfire. She readied her blade and stepped inside, only to feel yet another goon as he turned to confront her. It seemed he was the only one to have noticed her entrance as all attention was focused on the large beastial man in the middle of the club. She could practically sense his aura of cruel evil. Grimm. The thought appeared in her mind and, behind her mask, her eyes narrowed in hate. She heard his little monologue and had had enough. With a single leap forwards, she was past the crowd of onlookers and on the dance floor, off to the Butcher's side. She silenced the monster's mad cackling with her own personal self-introduction. The obsidian dagger that she threw glanced off his visor, scarring the headgear and then clattering to the floor, where it disintegrated.

[User]
Magdeline
 The only remaining henchman in her sight, Magdeline tried something she'd never considered doing with her Sembalance before: killing. She focused her chains on the henchman, but specifically on his neck. With rage seething from her in both body language and facial expression, Magdeline squeezed a fist with the hand controlling her Sembalance chains, and it tightened until a *snap* was heard. The chains dissolved with the lifeless body slumping to the ground. By this point, Magdeline was in full view and in the club.

 With an eerie calm, Magdeline smiled at Graham, then at this mysterious woman who appeared a little bit ago when she mentions her. "You should probably head home now, sweetie. And you too, dear. You won't be able to do much of any real damage. I'll take care of him." Nearly spitting the last word out, though she kept a calm attitude. She turned to the Butcher. "I don't think we'll need to get animal control involved with taking out this animal, and it looks like pests are under control, so no exterminator needed. Eh, Grundal?" Calling the beast by his real name was far from Magdeline's only mental warfare, but she was just trying to attract the big bully's attention so he was less focused on carnage, and less caring about survivors. "That's right, big boy. I did some research on you before tonight. Turns out, we went to the same academy. Same graduating class. You probably wouldn't remember the group named MNLA ("Magnolia")? Your team rival all four years? We disbanded a while back. A few months short of a year, actually, due to... complicated circumstances, after the Grimm breached the town. Hard to work with three dead teammates. Oh, and a kid-on-the-way. Yeah, you remember him. I know you do. I hope I can allow you two to be... closer. Like in the same pit." Her last sentence was filled with undeniable anger, sadness, and pure, unadulterated hatred.


[System]
Low-Powered.
Age: Since the creation of the universe.
Gender: Male
Rank: Powered, High-Powered(Basically the higher end of Powered, but not quite God-Tier,) or God-Tier (variable)

Basic Appearance

Hair: Jet Black
Facial hair: None.
Eyes: Red.
Build: Lithe, like a panther, yet not frail.
Height: 6 foot, 5 inches
Weight: 210 lb. - 8.5 tons.
Special features: Face has often been described as that of an angel, but one that hides something malevolent beneath.

Combat credentials-
Athinar, depending on the match, can choose whether to purposefully limit his abilities or not. For fun.

Combat style:
(Powered)- Something like Kenjutsu
(High-Powered)- Spellcasting/Swordfighting.
(God)- His full immortal Voidform.

Abilities:
Peak Physical Condition- In Powered form, Athinar has the physical ability of a soldier, Olympic athlete, or trained assassin.

Blade of The Void- Athinar summons a katana out of shadowy mist, which is a plane that doubles as a portal to the void, and can cut through most materials, although at this tier, it can be stopped by superdense alloys. It can be dispelled and recreated within 0.5 of a second. The blade is 32 inches long, and 1.5 inches wide.

Arcane Style: Soldier- Athinar can reinforce his body with raw magical energy, doubling his strength, speed, agility, and durability. However, this only lasts for two minutes, and leaves him exhausted, afterwards.

Enhanced Physical ability- Athinar has physical abilities beyond that of a normal human being, being noticeably stronger and faster than any human, no matter their physical condition or training. However, compared to demigods or superheroes, Athinar is generally average.

Blade of The Void- The same thing, except it can cut through any non-magical object.

Overlord Armor- Athinar can conjure a magical armor that allows him to know anything that happens around him in a 30 meter radius, no matter if it is obscured, (except if it is magically concealed). The armor is extremely tough, and can resist up to 2.184 petajoules of force.

Arcane Style: Soldier- Instead of just doubling his strength, speed, agility and durability, Athinar can triple these attributes, and the ability lasts for fifteen minutes, and while he is still exhausted afterward, it lasts for thirty seconds, before he is at full capability again.

Arcane Style: Bind- Athinar creates a super-dense cube around a single target, created from whatever materials are at hand. (i.e: if on a road, the cube would be made of asphalt, if in a cemetery, it would be formed from gravestones.)

Arcane Style: Sigil- Athinar summons a magical sigil that can be bound to accomplish one task. However, without preparation, the Sigil can only project elemental energy.

Arcane Style: Shield-  Athinar can summon a magical shield that can block any ONE attack. He can only summon ONE shield at a time. However, this shield can block ANY attack, but if there are enough attacks in succession, it can hit Athinar easily.

Arcane Style: Gate- Athinar can open a portal to a pocket dimension, from which long, spindly, gray arms attempt to drag a target into. These arms are as strong as a normal human, and have claws. At the least, there are 10 arms, and at the most, 25. Once inside the dimension, the target is attacked by mysterious gray figures with no definite shape, except for their freakishly long arms and enormous fanged jaws.

At God-tier, Athinar is capable of molding the Void into any form, opening unlimited portals into his pocket dimension, immortality (although his form can be dispersed briefly,) consuming anything less than a God, and splitting himself into multiple selves.

Gear:
A single adamant katana, a physical double of the Blade.

Bio:
Athinar is the incarnation of evil in a distant world, which was destroyed by the ravages of time long ago, in a distant dimension. He was created by a Grand Creator, who set him against Sarin, the Lady of Light, with a smile and a pat on the back. He has razed towns and cities, caused nations and empires to fall, and murdered countless billions. That all said, he isn't that bad of a guy. He cares for his minions, up to the point that it infringes upon his efficiency. Can't have feelings get in the way of destruction, now can we?

Due to his being immortal, his physical form on a particular world can be killed, but between worlds, he lives in the Void, untouchable and almost infinitely powerful.

[User]
Athinar grinned as he turned the corner, and then slid back, readying to strike as soon as the Vampyr came after him. Dispelling the Blade, he grabbed the katana's hand-and-a-half hilt with two hands, and then prepared himself for the unnatural quickness of the Vampyr. This creature would be fast, maybe two, three times human speed, so even with him wrecking the hallway behind, he should be careful.

Listen to myself, planning and stuff! It's been a while since I've had to seriously think about a foe's capabilities! Maybe I should use this form more often.

As soon as the undead humanoid came into Athinar's vision, with even the slightest flicker of movement, Athinar would perform a quick diagonal high cut from above his right shoulder to even with his hip. No matter if the Vampire dodged, the adamant blade would cut through to the wall, sinking an inch into the ancient stones.

If he blocked with a sword, or dagger, Athinar would let the blade rebound, and hop backwards, standing in a stance that allowed him to deflect blows quicker and easier, sword held in a middle guard that could transfer into a high guard or a low guard with a flick of the wrist.

[Assistant]
Once again he was faced with his opponent's fleeing back, this time after pointlessly desecrating a perfectly good corpse and leaving it strewn across the corridor. Adrian tutted softly to himself and then turned his head to listen carefully to each of his foe's footsteps, paying special attention when he fled round the corner out of sight.

No more footsteps.

So, this time he had actually deemed it wise to lay an ambush on the corner, perhaps a pointless exercise after Adrian could have filled him full of arrows two or three times prior, but still a step in the right direction. The Vampire was unsure really why the sword-wielder was so determined to run him around and then try and kill him, certainly the thought flickered through his mind that he could just turn and walk off now, leaving the man waiting for a long time to spring his trap. The thought actually amused him a little, and he toyed with it for some time as he slowly walked towards the corner, unconsciously muffling his footsteps to make not an inkling of sound for his foe to use against him as he had just done. In all likelihood the man would wait until Adrian was within sword-range and then pounce out, slashing at him with that sharp blade of his, that was all it was really good for after all. Depending on how good he was, the blade could prove lethal even to a Vampire, so approaching his killing range was probably unwise.

Then again, completely aware of the incoming assault and with a drawn bow, Adrian was fairly confident he could end the man the moment he broke from cover, while also being swift enough of foot to avoid the sweep of the fairly average length blade. Decisions, decisions.

The corridor turned to his right, so hugging the left wall to give himself suitable space the Vampire approached, nearing the point where he was certain the man would burst from cover and strike at him. He was not to be disappointed, raising his bow as he stepped into vision range he caught a flurry of activity and hopped back one step, coupled with his precautionary action leaving him far out of range of the swiftly descending sword. His opponent might have been able to hit him if he had brought a more suitable weapon, but a two-handed sword with such average length was not the most effective of swords.

His bow raised as his foe came out of cover, slashing downwards, he stood with his drawn arrow pointing at near point-blank range at his foe's upper torso, and his head turned in amusement. Would his opponent recognise he had lost before the battle had really begun? The arrow lay between them, at far shorter range, betraying Adrian's ability to have ended the fight.

[User]
Athinar grinned, even though the Vampyr, by all accounts, had him in position to end the battle right then. Letting go of the sword, and leaving it in the wall, Athinar clapped slowly, shaking his head.

"It does seem that you
have cornered me, Childe of Dark.
Not good enough, though."

As he said this, the Blade of the Void appeared in empty air beside where the arrow would be, and swinging it with an infinitesimal flick of his wrist, he hopefully severed it in two. Making it slash downward, Athinar hoped the Blade would cut through the bow, or at least the strings. It wouldn't do to kill the Vampyr now, would it? Let's have some fun, though.

Yanking the katana out of the wall, Athinar kept the Blade slashing, until he slowed it down, and kept it floating horizontally between the Nosferatu and himself. Staring at the Vampyr above the edge of the incorporeal sword, Athinar's red eyes glittered with amusement. He wouldn't attack with the Blade now, because it wouldn't be fun. However, he did need to get rid of the bow, if it was still intact.

With a slick, smooth voice, that of an otherworldly being, Athinar asked, "Young Vampyr, what is your name? I would know who I fight. Mine is Athinar."

[Assistant]
Adrian had no reason to suspect he was in any danger, save for his opponent's own warning remark. Not good enough? His blade out of his hands what threat could he pose, assuming this wasn't another aspect of his insanity. Adrian's mind worked on overdrive from the moment he heard those words.

If not for his opponent's cockiness, Adrian would probably have been relaxed and confident, unable to react in time to the sudden appearance of the blade. However, thinking through all he had seen of his foe he had remembered the same blade appearing from no-where just a few moments prior. Obviously his enemy had magical abilities he was unfamiliar with, and they could post a great threat.

Adrian threw his bow to his left-side just before the sword erupted, though he had no idea it was going to save his ranged weapon from a sudden magical assault. Rather, he needed his left hand free to project a spell of his own in counter, Silence, the ability which prevented his opponent from using magic or talking for a short period of time.

He launched the darting green arrow of his spell at his foe's midsection as the sword appeared, with the flight speed of an arrow it would easily reach him before any human could move considering the distance between them, and once it did his enemy would be neither able to talk or use magic for a few seconds at most. Adrian planned to exploit this ruthlessly, arrow in hand like a dagger he prepared to pounce as the sword disappeared and his magic impacted on his foe, though he would have to abandon his plan if his opponent managed the impossible and avoided the spell.

[User]
Athinar's grin widened even more, as he missed. The Vampyr was above this body's ability level. Magnificent. Pupils dilating, and nostrils flaring, the Void Lord turned flesh saw the magical bolt approach him. It didn't seem to be damaging, but rather, a spell that would mildly inconvenience him. Still, probably better to not let it hit him.

Arcane energy surging up from deep within, Athinar spoke an ancient Word, and saw the green bolt slow down, as his perception of time caught up with his physical capabilities. The air around him smelled like ozone, after a lightning bolt, and there was a brief flash of light in a nimbus around him, (not blinding,) before the spell took affect. He was now, effectively, superhuman.

Sidestepping the spell, and allowing it to splash into the wall at the far end of the corridor, Athinar, rather than grab the sword, or dispel the Blade of the Void, which was still hanging in the air, ducked down, under the assumed angle of attack, and, lifting up, aimed a haymaker at the Vampire's chin. It wouldn't do much damage, but hopefully, it would surprise him, and cause him to get stunned.

[Assistant]
He's faster now, some form of magic, interesting.

His spell failing Adrian chose not to lunge past the magical sword, instead stepping back on his right foot as his occupied hand dropped to the sword on his left hip, relinquishing the hold on the arrow as it sought a more appropriate weapon. His enemy would learn not to overestimate himself, if he believed he could master the Vampire in close quarters with his bare hands he would be sorely mistaken.

Death Bringer, Adrian's somewhat melodramatically named Viking shortsword swung from its sheath in a vicious arc that set its path straight at his approaching enemy's torso. Though he had made the precaution to approach in a low stance, it would ultimately serve him poorly as Adrian's own weapon was drawn from low at his hip. Slashing through the air at an angle the razor sharp edge would likely pass through the man's right arm and mid-torso, breaking bone and shearing flesh. If it had been a longer weapon his enemy might have been right to charge him, but the shortsword excelled at that range just beyond that of bare handed and dagger fighting.

[User]
Athinar's eyes widened, and the Vampyr's black sword sliced through his arm, shearing flesh and bone. The blood that fell was glowing an obsidian color, and dripped slowly in a black ooze, instead of gushing out in a red spray. The pain was wonderful, and one who might have seen the incident might have viewed Athinar as a sadomasochist. However, he would not let it end here. As the blade first bit into his arm, Athinar caused the Blade of the Void to disappear. As it finished slicing through his arm, it reappeared, right alongside his body, directly in the path of the black sword.

Wasting no time, nor energy on speaking, Athinar immediately flung himself forward, as the blade appeared, grabbing at the Vampyr's throat, hands outstretched like a claw. While this was happening, his eyes began to glow red, and an ebon aura surrounded him. However, this had no impact whatsoever, (aside from adding some lovely mood lighting.)


[System]
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: Hand axe [similar to hatchet, but more specialized in beating the crap out of something than chopping firewood]
Specialty: Party Tank [Boxing, Wrestling]
Semblance: What Is Hype May Never Die - Grows stronger and more durable in the presence of positive, giddy, or nervous energy. It's not like she turns into the Hulk in a social setting, but if she's with a friend or two cheering her on in a fight, she'll find that her blows come easier and the blows that hit her back seem like more of a dull ache than anything else.
Personality: A hot-blooded young girl with a zest for life, nights out, and a good scrap, Lauren is the epitome of a born leader with no resources to actually do anything. Growing up in a poor (poor poor) family taught her to make due with whatever help friends could offer, but in the end, only she could make what she deserved in life. Thus, a young girl who was more than happy to get loud in her parents ears grew into a bold, determined young woman who could feed off the energy of people around her and settle a situation as quickly as she could escalate it.

Quick to laugh, quick to zone out, quick to get riled up, and quick to forgive, Lauren naturally tends to be fidgety and addicted to energy. This makes her an exceedingly average and dreamy student until a team exercise rolls around.
Color: Hot white [effervescent, glossy white]
Emblem: A stick figure young woman with devil horns, twirling an axe between her stick hands.
Appearance:

When outside her uniform, Lauren gives the illusion of being an inch or two taller than her natural five foot eight, with a perpetual pep in her step and a brash loudness that seems to slightly puff her up.

Naturally dark-complected and built like a fighter, her favorite casual jacket emphasizes her build - long-sleeved, smooth white leather with a supportive gold-trimmed collar, cutting off just south of her diaphragm and exposing her (usually topless) rib cage and waist. On the back of the jacket, printed in similar burnished gold, is the word "WALLAHI" in jersey-block text. The word "BRUH" is written in the same text underneath it, where the number on a jersey would usually go.

Occasionally, when she wears it around her waist, she'll sport a black tank top in its stead.

Otherwise, her accessories are limited to half a dozen hemp bracelets up her right arm, a hair band worn around her left wrist, and an amethyst ring on her right ring finger.

[User]
Cypher@PyroDash888@Forsythe

Firing Range

"Hey, we already call you that, what's the harm?"

Emerald looked at Diamond as if she couldn't believe what she had just said. "It's not the same! Nuh-uh! No way! Never! No no no!"

Ivy, for the moment, ignored her daughter's antics to address the massive boar Faunus who had greeted her. "Hello Gren Orchid, I'm Ivy Felicia." Ivy sounded overly sweet, but it was sincere nonetheless. It was simply how she spoke, soft as a whisper and yet clear and crisp. It was a rather stark contrast when compared to her daughter, who was as loud and rambunctious as they come.

"Please don't worry yourself about it, Emerald was never very good at letting her injuries heal." Ivy glanced at her daughter, who in turn tried not to look guilty, but her ears drooped slightly. "Her determination and enthusiasm are her strong points, but they also make her rather stubborn..."

"Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooom stop talking about me to my friends while I'm standing right here! It's embarrassing!" Emerald pouted.

Ivy chuckled. "Well my kitten, a little embarrassment might do you some good every now and again, if it helps you think before acting." Emerald flinched at that, why did Mom have to say it so nicely too? That just made it worse!

"Nuh-uh! No way! Never! No no no!"

[Assistant]
Luke Schwarz

"So," I began, after confirming that Galla had indeed lost interest, not that I blamed her. "Anything else I need to clear up before you go running wild with it?"

"Uuuh..."

"Hm..."

In perfect stereo, they rubbed their chins in thought, and I sighed, folding my arms and tapping my foot. For all I built them up to be in my head, I had been ignoring the simple fact that they were still teenaged girls, and teenaged girls who loved accosting their elder brother at any slight, perceived or otherwise. In a way, I had kind of earned it over the years.

It was no secret that we didn't get along.

It was no secret that I resented them.

It was no secret that they resented me.

We had clashed countless times over anything and everything under the sun, no matter which of us started it. Me with my words, April with her fists, Dawn with an awl, anything was fair game. It was only natural that they would grow to distrust me— Anyone would distrust the person I used to be.

A guy who shunned any form of societal engagement, would regularly spit depressive nonsense and unnecessarily harsh words without regard for the feelings of others, or even worse, would do so with full intentions of hurting them for no other reason than to be petty and have people share in his own misery. Despite being superheros in training and part-time dispensers of hometown vigilante justice, those two were by no means safe from my cynical wrath.

I was a nearly a dropout of high school, and already a washout of a person. I may have turned a new leaf at the eleventh hour—

But even that was simply months ago. Some built up distrust was unavoidable. On one hand, I intellectually understood the situation with mostly perfect clarity, but on the other, less rational, emotional side...

Well, let's just say negativity is a feedback loop.

But back at present, if they hadn't thought of anything yet, they weren't going to now.

"So, when are Mom and Dad supposed to get here, then? Do you know?"

"As soon as they can, that's the best we got."

"In other words, not a clue!"

Huh. Busy day today, wasn't it? It was no skin off my back, thankfully, because I understood the situation.

Freeing up the schedules of a police chief and an active huntress at the same time was like asking for a small miracle.

And to speak of hunters with miraculously free schedules...

"Dawn, you two didn't happen to catch where Tanner ran off to, did you?"

"We haven't seen him since we got off the airship. In fairness, we did ditch him, though."

"Left him right in the dust! Heheh, bet he didn't see that coming!"

No, he entirely did. You don't get past that man so easily unless he lets you, which opens its own can of worms when you think about it. That guy wants to play surrogate uncle and trusted chaperone for these two and he lets them go once I'm here to deal with them?

Dude, that's really cold.

"What about you, Galla?" I asked, hoping the stoic girl wasn't too absorbed in the local news. "No scruffy older dudes in aloha shirts on the way here? If you saw him, you'll know."

[User]
Mindaro Mondays - Galla

Galla glanced up from her newspaper, lifeless hazel eyes meeting Luke's grey. He was looking somewhat irked, likely due to the no-show by someone who appeared to have been responsible for chaperoning his younger sisters around the school. She hadn't seen anyone matching the description he had given when she had been walking through the crowded campus, and there was no sign of the Tanner individual when the two Schwarz siblings had first approached her. If the fashion-impaired man wasn't visible, then he was likely to be keeping a low profile, now that he had been freed from his responsibilities by Luke.

"I haven't seen him," was her reply.

There were other possibilities, including being dead, but people didn't react well to such suggestions.

"He's their guardian?"

[Assistant]
Schwarzes

"Nah, he's more like our kinda-uncle!"

"A godfather?"

"Or maybe The Godfather..."

"Can you imagine him saying 'say hello to my little friend!'?"

"That's Scarface."

"Or 'I like dis painting. One dog's goin' one way, the other dog's goin the other way, and this guy in the middle's just sayin, 'whaddya want from me?!'"

"That's Goodfellas! Get it together!"

What kind of messed up movie lexicon did these girls have?! Dad must be crying, wherever he is!

As hilarious as it was to know our policeman father loved mafia movies, it was decidedly less hilarious to get caught up in trying to chastise those two unsalvageable pieces of work while I left poor Galla hanging, so I redirected my attention to her while they continued to prattle on for a moment.

"No, not quite. More like just the first person Mom and Dad reached out to who agreed to take them here earlier in the day. With the dude's vagabond nature, I'm honestly not surprised at it, but I guess being Mom's former teammate means you still answer the call. Even if it's the last thing anyone would reasonably expect of you."

"--Shaken, not stirred."

"Bond isn't even a mob flick!"

I rubbed my temples.

Help me.

[User]
"Who are you embarrassed of, your father or me?" It wasn't the way he would have liked to phrase the question, but using 'us' and grouping himself in with Gratia, Beryl, and Luke so soon as Bianca's 'inner circle' just felt like surrendering to a life of misery after only one shot had been fired.

He wouldn't give up after one shot.

He was a son of Atlas, not of Zephyr.

"Doesn't matter to me. I've met a lot of overeager parents today already," Jericho said casually, sipping at his cappuccino and tilting his head to look at the abashed birdbrain across from him. The smile on her face had been waxing and waning since he'd walked in, which was odd. Normally her irrepressible bubbly attitude bordered on the downright air-headed. To see her somewhat downbeat left said quite a lot about the state of her family. Not that he could relate - his family (obviously still being alive, a claim that Bianca had observed with skepticism but not actually treated as the joke it was, the goddamn moron) had always gotten along rather well, and the Mindaro household probably would have left him projectile vomiting and shivering on the ground with a gun between his teeth after a week of their endless hugs and kisses and squeals of joy.

But it turns out that, surprise surprise, Bianca "Things are bad all over, Ponyboy..." Nuit had a troubled home life.

I even miss Speer already.

"It's only one day," Jer continued. "One family day a year, maybe a semester if you're not lucky, multiplied by four years at Beacon. That's four to eight visits, maybe four hours tops, that's still only barely over a day of downtime you have to spend with him before you graduate. That's assuming you try avoiding him over the summers by staying with Gratia, or at some beach resort, or that space hotel Griese Experimental wants to hurl into orbit in the next few years. Then, after graduation, you can call him on his birthday, send him a card or two at holiday time, and wait until he craps out and say something nice at the funeral. Then you don't have to worry about him."

It might have been harsh calculus, but it was hard to want to shelter a girl from someone who could toss her millions of lien for a coffee shop after one speed dial. Hopefully the news of her dad's impending death would bring Bianca some comfort. Life was too short to worry about who you were forced to spend it with - unless that someone was Bianca Nuit, staring at you like you were carrying a pair of handcuffs and an adolescence full of repressed sexual tension for her to exploit.

Granted, she would be half-right in that assumption...but the last thing he needed right now was for her to see his handcuffs.

"Look, Bianca, if there's one thing I learned in my life at Atlas, besides marksmanship, infiltration, proper surveillance, situational awareness, pain management in the field, hacking, driving cars, flying airships, controlled descent without a chute, how to kiss a guy, how to clean, and how to cook, it's that there's nobody who can survive everything forever," Jer offered, trying to be helpful. "If I put five bullets in your dad's head, that rich old bastard would go down for the count. If your dad's bodyguards put five in my dad's head, even a trained specialist like him isn't gonna be shaking it off any time in the next year or so. I learned that there's no reason to be scared of any person, because that person can meet death just as quickly as I can, in the same number of ways that I could. So in the long run, they don't have any God-given advantage over me - or over you. So unless your dad's Semblance is actually being God-given, the worst he can do to you is cancel your Palladium card. And unless that really will kill a spoiled birdbrain like you, you've gotta goddamn relax. You're making my hair uncomfortable."

There. No one could ever say he hadn't been a little nice to Bianca Nuit now. He had given her good advice. That was his obligation as a 'good' person, over and done with.

This cappuccino really filled a hole. His glowing scarlet rune settled down slightly.

"You're welcome."


[System]
Age: 17

Gender: Male

Appearance: Standing just a little over 3 feet tall, maybe 3 inches more. This is Koglan Ironweaver, a tuft of red hair at the back of his head he braids daily to keep it out of his way the rest of his head he shaves bald weekly. His skin is a healthy brown, his shoulders, arms, and chest are heavily muscled from the hours and hours he spends daily, weekly and all through the months pounding and heated steel in his forge, and working at in the heat of his shop. His hands are ever scarred from the times he's struck himself with his hammer, or cut while using awl, chisel or shears. He has a mean white scar that trails down from just beside his right eye and down to his right jawline, from one of the few times he was on the battle field when he was much younger. Keen grey eyes flecked with gold look out at the world. And finally often seen wearing a smiths apron and underwear, and little else, but if he needs to make himself presentable he'll don a pair of leather gloves and a dark blue robe with a pair of crossed hammers embroidered onto the right shoulder.

Abilities: Master Level (for a Goblin) Weaponsmith, journeyman level (again for a goblin) Armorer, previous experience as a warrior in his younger years.

Clothing: A Goblin Smiths Master robe that blue robe with the crossed hammers on it. And a pair of underwear made from deer hides he stitched together.

Equipment: Weapon crafting tools (Smiths Hammer, tongs, anvil etc.) A fully functioning Forge set deep into the side of a hill near to the tribe town. Armorer tools (Doming hammer, chisels, awls etc). A smithing apron made of thick and strong leather.

[User]
Griz had forgotten how long he was squatting on the tree branch near the river bank. An hour? Two? Or maybe it had been only a few minutes and he was too engrossed in observing his quarry for the day. A giant frog. The creature in question was currently sitting in the shallow portion of the river bank. It was rather uncommon for Griz to find such a specimen this close to the village, perhaps it was seeking for a mate? Improbable. It wasn't the rainy season yet; not at least for another month or so. So for what reason did this giant frog appear from its burrow and this far upstream? The goblin had no answer to that question, but he sure did want to eat frog for his meal today. Slowly he crept from tree branch to tree branch, these animals were not exceptionally dangerous foes but he did not want to be swallowed whole and smell like frog spit for Gods knows how long.

Once he had positioned himself to a branch stable enough and linear to the position of the frog, he brandished his hunting knife. He wasn't sure if he could finish the slippery beast with a wooden arrow, but was sure that stabbing something with eight inches of sharpened iron on the head killed most things rather quickly. With a single bound, the hunter lept ten feet towards his prey. Iron met flesh, and Griz waited for the creature to drop dead instantly. A beat. It didn't die. He missed the head by a handsbreadth and pierced it's back instead. Griz's eyes widened as the giant frog began to thrash around in agony, causing the little goblin to clutch onto his still embedded dagger for dear life. The chaos scattering all his wooden arrows around the bank and as the giant frog did one particularly strong buck, the dagger was dislodged from it's back; goblin and all, and into the river. The current was simply too strong to resist against and Griz was swept away by the river.

Deeper into Orc territory.

[Assistant]
Everything hurts...
It's so dark...
Mama, help...
I'm so scared...
Please...

---

Griz's eyes shot open just as his body forcefully expels the water contained in his lungs and esophagus. Burning all the way. A violent coughing fit as he tried to remove any vestiges of water out of his lungs. Leaving him breathing haggardly as he tries to regain his bearing in the darkness. Hazy and blurred eyed his surroundings, hoping that the moonlight would serve enough illumination. There were dozens of what seemed to be trees. An odd bush or so. And a totem that caused the goblin's heart to sink to the pit of his stomach.

An Orcish war totem.

A sturdy looking stick with a stag skull that bore the symbol of their god, painted black and red. At the bottom of the stick were stones to keep the stick standing tall and proud, and just after the stones laid the skulls of many a foolish trespasser...or sacrifice. Several were small, goblin-sized skulls. The remaining four were from larger humanoids but Griz couldn't distinguish if it were from a human, an elf, a halfling, or a dwarf. More skulls meant that this was an area where Orcs would find victims often and would be patrolling this area more than usual. "Shit..." He wheezed out as he stumbled to his feet and looked around for his hunting knife. Thankfully, the large blade was only a few feet away from his position. At least some of the gods smiled on him. He sheathes the knife and does his best to find a clearing in the dark woods so that he can at least know how far he was from the village.

[User]
Koglan hummed, reaching to the middle of his table and pouring a quad of glasses with a juice made from some nearby berry bushes. Pouring out a sample for everyone. Siwa had said her piece. And the old goblin smith had not expected any overt attempts at a mating proposal at all. Atleast not today. He sips his drink, mulling over what was said to him just now. He looks at the two other male goblins in the room, wondering for a moment or so, what their opinions on the matter at hand is. A female propositioning another male in their presence for well help with a litter. After a moment Koglan speaks, the old smiths voice rumbling, "Do you know, how many females come to me? It is, some kind of allure maybe, borne from my work in the forge, and the signs of my youth as a warrior briefly." He slides a hand over the angry white scar on his face, "I served Tili, the matron of six litters. And young Biy just the other day. Her first litter as well. But do you know what they had in common." He grins brightly as he relaxes back in his chair slightly, "I'll tell you, they came to me second. I am an exacting father." He gets to his feet suddenly, motioning Siwa and the two young males over to a window.

Outside across the street behind his forge a training session is in progress. One of the warriors had a few of the younger hunters and warriors with him, going over some skill or trait that older warrior felt would be useful for the younger goblins. Koglan motions to them to look out the window, "Here...see...the slightly grey skinned ones there..." Two in the group knelt and listened to their elder. "Those two I know, are mine. It doesn't look like it but I know. But I know it. And though I wished one of the last litter or the litter before that felt the pull of the smith, the allure of the hammer and forge, I couldn't be more proud." He steps back from the window, "You're what...five? Seven? I'm not quite sure. Tell you what Siwa." He reaches up and grabs her chin between his thumb and forefinger, the rough calluses of his hands rubbing her skin, "Gain bearing, this is your first litter? Gain some bearing. Find yourself a young male, someone in need of his first breeding. And when you feel you have some experience." He grins, letting her go, "Come to me. And I will give you not just the lay of your young life. But a smiths seed to add to the mix." He nods crossing his arms across his chest, "I have spoken on this matter." He nods again sagely.

He's about to turn but stops, and points to Vos and Brenden, "Maybe one of these young fellows will help you with your first litter. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a good lay with a comely young goblin like yourself Siwa." He nods then motions, "Stay or go. The axe is ready for the next phase. But I still have iron to work for the warriors. I have been tasked with hammering out a set of iron heart plates." He walks to the forge, "Or perhaps one of you three would brave the heat of the forge to learn the art of the hammer?" He looks at them, as he pulls the chain for the billows. The three large contraptions relax and the flames flare behind him. He's already picking up hammer and tongs again as the flames grow hotter and hotter, "Either way, I make weapon for our warriors, knives for our hunters. Maybe you will get one Brendan." He nods, "Maybe." He pulls the chain again, the fires roaring again, "Time will tell, for all of you. Siwa, Brendan and Vos. Time will tell when your destinies come forth and your are ready for greater things." He smiles again as he lifts a ingot of iron into the forge. "I hope I'm still here to see it."

[Assistant]
Needless to say, that was not what Siwa had wanted to hear. Time was not on her side, for while Koglan wasn't exactly about to keel over dead, his reproductive life was somewhat shorter than his actual lifespan, as it was with all goblins. While he could technically have children later than a female could, the odds of conception went down after a certain point. Still, he was firm in his decision. She wasn't going to get anywhere on this point with him.

"I understand. You ought to know that I'm not going to breed with an unproven male, though. Still, nothing is stopping Breden from proving himself later on."

"I'm right here, you know!" he exclaimed, not liking it that she was talking about him as if he weren't in the room." Siwa looked him over, still unwilling to bed him. As for Vos, she didn't really know him that well.

"Also, if you were willing to 'serve' Biy, why not afford me the same favor? It's not like I'm a virgin, just that I've never done it enough to conceive a litter. I have experience, trust me."

"She's going to come back later" Breden explained. "She'll take no for an answer today, but I guarantee you she'll be here within a week again. Probably the day after tomorrow."

"Brey, you shouldn't speak about someone as if they aren't here" Siwa reminded him.

"You just did that to me yourself!"

"When?"

"About a minute ago!"

"I-I-uh..." Siwa had to realize that she wasn't exactly making herself look mature in the eyes of the old smith. "Tell you what, I'll give your advice a shot, look for another male, and whether or not I find someone else who's suitable, I'm coming right back in here. It works out anyway; even if you had said yes, I wouldn't have done it tonight."

"She gets her way, sooner or later. Might as well give in now, Kog." Breden remarked, wincing a bit as his toe continued to throb with pain.

[User]
For a long while, the only sounds that were heard in the forest was the ambient noises that nocturnal animals and creatures made and the soft footsteps of the lone goblin. Griz shivered slightly as a rogue wind hit him in the back. The nights were not unfamiliar to the goblin...but it just seemed that tonight was colder than usual. His soaked clothing was the most likely suspect as to why but perhaps his growing anxiety was also to blame? I mean, who in their right mind would be comfortable in orc territory? Nonetheless, he marched on deeper into the shaded forest.

A couple of hours passed without any issue nor encounters with beast nor orc alike. Though another pressing issue was the hunger pangs. A whole day of moving around and nearly drowning only made the hunger worse. "I'm gonna have to find something to eat soon." He muttered to himself before stopping his search for a clearing and starting to look for something to sate his bodily need. The easiest method was searching under some rocks or fallen branches. He would have searched for some herbs or even fungi, but he had never been in this territory before and doing so would possibly be fatal.

Approaching a rotted branch that seemed to have fallen down some time ago, the goblin used his knife to pry it open and reveal a myriad of insects that writhed and wriggled around aimlessly. Griz looked and scanned each one and identified which insect was safe to eat or was not. Usually, he could identify them by color but in the dim light only made the vibrant colors into shades of grey and black. Rather than risk eating a poisonous bug with no shaman or antidotes nearby, he would opt to only eat the larvae and beetles he found. They were bitter and mildly difficult to eat fresh but at least now he was no longer hungry. He continues his trek through the forest in search for the clearing.

[Assistant]
As the ingot heated in the flames, Koglan stood listening and watching Siwa. He quirked his head to the side and a short smile graces his lips briefly as he watches the shock and maybe even outrage pass over the young goblins face. Like her plans had just come undone. He couldn't help but be a little proud of that fact. The powerfully muscled smith nods slowly, "Siwa. Right now, we stand at a point you will not get your way. Yes I served Biy, it is true. It's not that you aren't or are a virgin, nor that you have a lack of experience. I want to know that you have atleast explored your options."

He couldn't help but boom a short laugh as he watched Brendan and Siwa banter. The young gobliness was not giving a good show of herself at the moment. He finally nods, "Well perhaps at some point in the near future you will return, having atleast attempted to find someone to start your first litter. And when you return we shall speak again." He turned, as if the conversation is forgotten. With a pair of tongs he pulls the angry red heated iron ingot from the forge. And sets it to the anvil, taking up the hammer he uses to work the heated metal he begins to work at it.

He speaks with some amount of effort now while he works, "You will come back I'm sure, and we can speak again of your wish for a litter. We all know that I will not be the only one offering up his seed to that litter. But if you come back, I might be convinced to help you." He looks up at Brendan, a look on his face. It's clear, he's playing hard to get. This look is hidden a moment later as his hammer descends and slams into the metal. He motions with his hammer at Siwa and Brendan, "I have spoken on this matter." A clear dismissal on this portion of the conversation it seems.


[System]
Theme:
Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy

Gender:
Female

Species:
Lessereurm

Appearance:
Green with blue mixed in.
She looked like a fantasy version of a skink lizard, her head being more bony with scaly outcrops along her snout and over the ridges on her eyes. Though she had no back legs, her front limbs had become somewhat longer and stronger. While she didn't have true thumbs, her claws had been reduced to three digits, two of which were longer and the third of which was shorter, thicker, and set at an angle to the others. It was a bit like a human's hand making a constant "Spock-hand" by holding the index-middle and pinky-ring fingers in pairs and curling the thumb. The joints of these "fingers" and the natural curl of her claws gave her a stronger grip that she could feel even as she began to pull herself along the ground--she would be able to pull, or to scoop and dig, quite fast if she felt so inclined. She was roughly twice as long as her previous form, though not so heavy-set throughout her body. As her tail instinctively lashed behind her, she would likely feel confident that she could easily contort herself in a variety of shapes.

Goals:
Rain has only a few major goals:
-Follow any instructions from the mysterious Demon King
-Make the most of this second chance, no matter the cost
-Become the King's favorite, at any cost (selfish reasons, really)

Past Life:
There were few things more important to Rain in her short life than secrecy, alertness, and speed. She was not stronger than most, she was not at healthy as most, but with those three key factors helped to keep her alive and ahead in the dirty streets of an unnamed slum deep in the heart of Detroit.

Born to teen parents who didn't want her, it was a life of hardship from the start. She looked to her parents and was left wanting, before being abandoned at the age of six. She was a street urchin with a lack of trust and a thirst for better.

She scraped by, year after year, by honing these skills and not being afraid to be ruthless with the other filth left in the gutter, the gangs and the deranged.

Her life, however, was cut short by someone just a bit smarter and faster than she was, who happened to slip a knife between her ribs at the age of 16.

Given a second chance, she's going to do it right this time.

Transformations:
Fanged Lizard -- Lesserwurm

Inventory:

[User]
@SilverPaw @Kazemitsu

Seeing as how things were going, Ed would say that Jason discussing the alliance be a good sign that he too should show his willingness to trust the others. He no longer stands on his hind legs and moves a little closer to the slime trio and speaking his mind. "I agree to the terms you have mentioned and I am willing to join your alliance." He pauses a bit, thinking if the question he was about to ask would make him seem like a fool...but quickly rationalizes that a hurt pride is worth the cost of knowing more about this world he was reincarnated into. "I apologize if I seem ignorant or foolish, but did you just say 'mana'? Like the magical kind of mana?" Ed was not unfamiliar with the concept of mana. He remembers playing a number of RPG video games with Audrey before and the word was always associated with magicks.

If this world had that kind of mana, would it be possible for him to actually use magic?

LVL: 2
HP: Stable
SP: Full
MP: ???

Effect/s:

SKILLS:
Beast Sense (1.2)
__________________________________
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Material Analysis (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Analysis (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Rabid Fit (0.8) <UNUSABLE>

Inventory:
-None

[Assistant]
---

@SilverPaw@Searat@Kazemitsu

"I agree to the terms you have mentioned and I am willing to join your alliance." Ed replied, "I apologize if I seem ignorant or foolish, but did you just say 'mana'? Like the magical kind of mana?"

Glad that he had already scored another new ally, Jason gladly responded to Edward's question. "It is not foolish at all my friend! But yes, I did mean the magical sort of mana. As of right now, I have already developed several magic-based skill, and am currently working on several more including a sort of lesser telepathy naturally possessed by slimes." he explained to his new comrade before pausing for a moment.

"If you would like, I could even try to teach you some of it later. Would that interest you?"

[User]
@SilverPaw@Searat@Kazemitsu

'Magic really is an actual concept here in this world.' Ed thinks to himself as he took in what Jason had said to him.
According to what he had understood so far: magic is something that can be taught to others, skills reliant to magic require mana and the glowing crystals that would supposedly replenish a large amount of said mana, you can develop and practice these skills to further strengthen them, and some creatures have natural affinity to some magicks.
Ed then heard Jason offering him lessons on magic. This piqued Ed's interest. "I thank you for your generous offer Mr. Jason. I would take your offer in a heart beat but I am unsure if I even have the skill or talent to harness magic." Ed really wishes that he can. "Is there a way for me to check if I have any skill or talent in harnessing magic?"

LVL: 2
HP: Stable
SP: Full
MP: ???

Effect/s:

SKILLS:
Beast Sense (1.2)
__________________________________
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Material Analysis (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Analysis (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Rabid Fit (0.8) <UNUSABLE>

Inventory:
-None

[Assistant]
Scott

When the lizard came to a halt before Naji, Scott watched for a moment with bated breath, frozen by his own nervousness. But then the lizard drew its head back. In his condition, the other pixie wouldn't even survive that. Scott felt his heart pang. He wouldn't be able to get there in time, would he? And even if he did, would he even have managed to live past the first blow? Dark clouds filling his thoughts, Scott raised his hands to his head. And he looked away.

Coward. You stupid coward. You could have done something. Trying would have been better than doing nothing at all.

Scott curled up into a ball, covering his ears, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Trying to block out what his own head was saying to him. But there wasn't any defence from it. His breath quickened, and in his throat, there was the horrible feeling of wanting to throw up.

Just ignore it. Just ignore it. Just ignore it.

Warm tears fell down his cheeks as he tried desperately to recover from his spiralling, dizzying descent, panic overtaking every atom in his body. Why couldn't he stop? Why?

---

The feeling faded after a few minutes, though for Scott, it took an age. Covered in sweat, and grime from the cavern floor, he opened his eyes, blurry from their extended closure. As his vision refocused, he began to reconstruct himself, what he could see, hear, feel. He needed to establish it, stabilize it.

He saw stalactites. Or were they stalagmites? He saw the soft glow of distant mana crystals, fainter than they used to be. He saw rock, stone and dirt. He saw herbs over by the water, in the soft mud that the pool created. He could feel the ground beneath him, felt the small bits of gravel that clung to his skin. Felt the sting of his eyes as his tear ducts stopped flowing. He could hear the pounding of his head, blood pumping to and fro inside, trying to carry oxygen and nutrients to where they were needed. And he could hear the soft murmuring of voices, people in some conversation.

Wait.

Slowly, he broke out of his fetal hold, raising his head and twisting around. He saw Ash and the wisp from before, as well as the lizard that had been freed. Eventually, the wisp broke off, floating down over to where the bodies of the two goblins lay. A wave of simultaneous guilt and relief washed over him. Naji was alive! ...And currently chowing down on an eyeball.

That turned his stomach just enough for his earlier nausea to take effect. Again Scott turned away, and let whatever happened, happen. It was not pleasant, to say the least, but he didn't exactly have an option here, either. Once that was done, he gathered his strength, and fully aware that he didn't quite look the best, given his tear-stained cheeks and whatever other detritus he had managed to gather, Scott pushed himself out of his hiding spot. He staggered slightly on the landing but managed to stay upright. He began to walk over to Ash, hoping that she wouldn't reprimand him for his... inaction.

Now that he was closer, he noticed the scars and wounds that the lizard had. His heart panged, and he bit his lip. He'd known the Goblins could be cruel... anyone could, really... but he never understood why creatures sought to hurt one another. He fully intended to just approach her and give a simple 'Hey, Ash', but that idea was cut short when the other lizard bolted, before tumbling over. And then Ash bluntly smashed it on the head, trying to show herself as the stronger one. And Scott couldn't help himself.

"Hey, Ash- wait, don't hurt it!"

[User]
---

@SilverPaw@Searat@Kazemitsu
"I thank you for your generous offer Mr. Jason. I would take your offer in a heart beat but I am unsure if I even have the skill or talent to harness magic." Ed responded, "Is there a way for me to check if I have any skill or talent in harnessing magic?"

'What an interesting thought' Jason mused. He hadn't considered whether or not certain races were completely unable to use magic. However, the fact that as a slime; a creature meant specifically for tanking damage, could learn magic, likely meant that it could be learned by anyone.

After pondering this for a few moments, Jason finally reached his conclusion."Seeing as how I learned magic by literally just spitting rocks at Asura, I'd imagine anyone can learn it. Besides, one of my currently unusable skills is labeled as [CURRENTLY INCOMPATIBLE], so I'd imagine that one can LEARN any skill, but whether or not you can USE it is what varies depending on your species, race, or perhaps other skills. But I do believe that you should be able to both learn and use magic."

Just as he finished explaining his thoughts to Edward, another idea came to mind,"Also, would you mind if I tested something on you real quick? It's completely harmless, and is only so I can try to further develop my skills."

[Assistant]
Asteria

---

---

It was not at all unnoticed by Asteria how quickly Jason turned serious. So, not so much an annoyance as he was someone to be careful around, even if an ally. Though that went without saying for just about anyone, really. "I agree that we protect each other to the best of our abilities except for situations where the protector would have to expose him or herself to lethal danger. Even with the existence of healing magic and possibly other healing items we should still be careful. I agree on the sharing of information, whether new or old; whatever any of us know that the others don't can likely be useful to all of us. The mana thing I'll refrain from deciding either for or against until you give us more information," Asteria replied. An alliance was one thing, getting used by Jason (or anyone else, for that matter) quite another.

"Interesting that a slime can learn magic. Perhaps so could a Dire rat. That would be worth testing out just to see if it can be done or not," Asteria commented. "Do you think you could use that telepathy you mentioned to inform Mother Rat here that we are all allies? Though maybe you should test it one of us first – which I am assuming is what you wanted to test out anyway? You really should be clearer on experiments like that," the female Dire rat finished dryly. So much for 'sharing information' already. Not that she expected this to go perfectly, but really.

"As for checking what you can or cannot do, Ed…I have recently obtained a skill called Monster Analysis I. That could help," she added.

@Searat@Kazemitsu@Guy0fV4lor

[User]
Rain snaked her head around from the goblin she was brutalizing. He'd died before she'd ever touched his throat, but that hadn't stopped her. This was a quick meal, since that Pixie had melted.

She glared daggers at Crispy and the two helping him escape. They were enemies, and this was terrible.

Such a wasted opportunity.

"Everyone pack up if you want to live. They're gone, and it's going to get brutal in retaliation."

Who were these creatures? They worked together well. And that Wisp talked about humanity and stuff. Maybe they were all Humans?

Odd.

Had she killed any humans reincarnated? Not that it necessarily bothered her, if she was going to be honest. But the thought gave her pause.

She stopped at the goblin that the other lizard had attacked, tearing out this throat for good measure, assuming the lizard hadn't taken care of it himself yet. It might already have died, but you just couldn't take chances in a turf war.

"No chances." she muttered.

Shaking her head, she started to sink in the opposite direction of Orchard, away from the fire.

"We can't take on an army... Not yet."

Not that she entirely believed it herself, though.

Oh, how she wanted to watch that big guy's flesh melt.