[System]
Gender: Boy
Hometown: Vermilion City, Kanto
Age: 17

Personality: Confident, cocky, and overly-competitive. Wim is always looking for a way to prove his superiority (which he considers a cold fact) to everyone else. He's the true embodiment of "I want to be the very best." Friendly, but always makes sure his friends remember they aren't up to his level.

Preferred Starter: Elekid

Other: Prefers "strong" Pokémon. Pokémon who even at their lowest evolution can prove themselves useful in adventure and battle.

Nickname: "Buzzer"
Gender: Male
Level: 5
Ability: Static
Moves:
- Quick Attack
- Leer
- Thunder Shock
- Dynamic Punch

[User]
"Wim Ceiba. And that's Wim with a W. And before you say anything, dweeb doesn't even starts with a W, it starts with a D."

Within a couple of seconds, open came the doors and in between them stood Proffesor Maple. "That's a total babe if I've ever seen one...", Wim whispered to himself, trying his best to keep his cool guy posture.

Wim skipped several steps and heartbeats as he walked into the office. He stood quiet next to Percy and Viola for a couple of seconds before making sure he was standing slightly closer to the Proffesor than the other two. He grinned and waved, letting out a "Hiya!" before substituting his grin with a full-on-smile.

[Assistant] Maple looked at the three youths before her, then shut the door to her office. "I'm sorry if my cousin, Devon, harassed any of you like he did poor Allie," she said apologetically, "Anyway, lets get to the good part! Here I have two boxes." Maple took a step toward the desk as she spoke, "In one box are Eevee eggs, which you are more than welcome to take if your not quite sure what you want in a Pokémon yet. On the other side of my desk, we have a box of Pokéballs containing various pokemon from Fletchling to Pidgey. Im not positive of the exact selection so you can just rifle through it to see if there is anything you want." After telling them all they needed to know about choosing a Pokémon, she walked to the staircase in one corner of the room and went up it. Seconds later she returned with 3 devices in her hands.

[User]
The second Professor Maple gave the go-ahead, Viola was digging through the Pokéball box. She checked a few and set them aside before pulling out one marked with the eye symbol for a Psychic-type.

"Ralts, huh? I've heard good things about this species... especially the bonds they develop with their Trainers."

She closed her eyes and concentrated for a couple of seconds, then nodded.

"That's the one, all right. I'll take good care of you."

She stepped back from the boxes and pressed the button on Ralts' Pokéball, releasing it onto the counter beside her.

"Ralts?"

The tiny Pokémon looked up at Viola curiously, staring at her through its helmet-like crest.

"Hey there, Ralts. I'm Viola. I'm going to be a Pokémon Trainer, and I'd like you to be my first partner. What do you say?"

"Ra!"

It nodded enthusiastically and held its arms out to be picked up, which Viola did. She clipped the Pokéball onto the strap of her bag and walked back over to wait for the professor's return, with Ralts sitting happily in her arms.

This is a good beginning. Together, I know we can do anything we set our minds to. That's something we have in common, after all. The power of the mind.

[Assistant]
Wim waited patiently for the Proffessor to come back down the stairs, and while she came back with the Pokedexes, he walked directly towards the box with the Pokéballs.

Growing up on Vermillion City, Lt. Surge had always been a sort-of role model, at least in a "I want to be as cool and respected as him when I grow up!" kind of way. And part of being as cool and respected as Lt. Surge would be by following his footsteps and having an Electric-type Pokémon, at least as a starter.

Wim started looking through the boxes, "thoroughly" considering his options. "Pichu? Too fragile. Mareep? Too cutesy. Shinx? Not very intimidating." Suddenly, his eyes started glowing. He knew he had found his perfect match. He knew he had found the coolest, raddest, most lovable Pokémon in the bunch. "ELEKID!"

After raising the Pokéball into the air and posing triumphally for several seconds, Wim left his new partner-in-crime out of his Pokéball.

"Kid-kid, Ehh-lekid!"

"Look at those forearms..."

As Elekid crossed his arms smugly, Wim had an idea, "You need a nickname!"

"Kid!"

"How 'bout... Static? No. Shocker? Don't think so... BUZZER! YOU'LL BE BUZZER!"

And so the Elekid, newly baptized Buzzer, started hopping cheerfully and chirping with joy.

[User]
Percy registered the names of the pair of them and cocked an eyebrow when he mentioned that his name started with a W and not a D, he wasn't in on the joke after all. He waited a moment as the Professor told them they could choose their pokemon from Eevee eggs or from the other pokemon that were there. He couldn't help but grin even wider as the others moved in and chose their pokemon. This was it, his pokemon, this would be his friend. He took a few tentative steps forward before almost sprinting to the box and looking in. He picked up the first pokeball and looked at it:

"Pichu, no that's not me" he murmured to himself, looking around he saw the others already greeting their pokemon and was happy for them, there were more pokemon to choose from, but as he rifled through the box he grew a little more despondent, he found a Pidgey but he wasn't sure if he wanted that as his companion, his first friend. Then he saw the pokeball, in the corner, a small flying-type symbol was on it, a Fletchling.

"There you are. You're perfect." Percy lifted the pokeball from the box and held it up to his face. "I choose you, Fletchling! he shouted, releasing it onto a nearby counter. He then placed the pokeball onto his belt and held out his hand. The Fletchling flew on to his head and settled down.

"Fletchling, fletchling fletch!" It chirped as it began messing up Percy's hair.

He couldn't help but laugh as he said "Well I guess that settles it. I'll call you Fletchling." Then he looked at Professor Maple and said "Thank you Professor, from both of us." and he meant it, he wouldn't let his pokemon go, they were partners.

[Assistant] Lia watched as the three chose their Pokémon. She smiled, remembering what it was like when she had first started her journey 7 years back. She could still remember how Fennekin's pokeball felt that day. She shook her head to see that all of them had chosen a pokemon. She looked at Percy who had chosen a Fletchling and said, "You know, I have a Talonflame who I raised from a Fletchling." She then walked over to them and handed them each a Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex, I would explain what it does but I'm sure you all know. Here, take these too." She pulled out 3 Holocasters from her desk and handed one to each of them. "So we can stay in touch." She then walked back to her desk and started digging through the compartment labeled "Devon's Shit". "And..." she pulled out a pokedex from the compartment's messy inside, but this one said "Seen - 12" on the front where the others had said "Seen - 0", "Could one of you catch up to Devon and give him his pokedex? He should be in Needlesap Town by now." She held out the used Pokedex to them, hoping someone would be kind enough to take it.

[User]
Viola took Devon's Pokédex along with her own and the Holocaster.

"I'll make sure it gets to him safely."

She glanced at the registry on Devon's Pokédex before putting it in her satchel, hoping to see what Pokémon might be available for battling on the way to Needlesap Town. She then turned to the other two new Trainers.

"So, I'm headed for Needlesap then. Would you like to travel with me? It would be much more pleasant than having each of us travel alone."

[Assistant]
"Yeah.. you do that." Wim wasn't sure wether he dreaded the idea of having to deal with Devon again or if he enjoyed his fighting spirit. Nevertheless, that was far from being the first thing on his mind. Right now, all he could think about was about his new friend, Buzzer, and how cool he was.

"Needlesap? That doesn't sound like much fun, but I guess we have to begin somewhere. if only there was some way of seeing who had the best Pokémon first...", Wim had a brilliant idea. "Hey! I know! I'll both of you this building's entrance. Whoever gets there second gets to battle me!"

Without waiting for a reaction from either of his fellow trainers, Wim bolted for the door. Right before exiting the building, he turned around, realizing he had forgotten something important. "Thanks Professor!"

After planting a kiss firmly in the Professor's cheek, Wim started running towards the door again. "Now this is how you start an adventure!"

[User]
Devon sat down at the edge of the forest on the Needlesap Town side. He reached into his bag and pulled out the sandwich he had stolen from Lia's desk. About halfway through his sandwich, he heard a rustling from behind him. He stood up and spun around, yelling, "Whose there?!?" Almost as if in response, a Carnivine flew out from the brush and over his head. "GO! Trapinch!" He threw his pokeball, pointing at the Carnivine, "Use Bite!" Trapinch lunged forward, closing its jaws on Carnivine. Carnivine recoiled slightly from the attack, leaving it vulnerable to another attack. "Now, use Mud Shot!" A ball of mud formed in front of Trapinch's mouth, and it fired seconds after. Carnivine moved to the left, just dodging the move. The opposing pokemon's arm began to glow, it brought it down on Trapinch, apparently using Vine Whip. Trapinch was nearly K.O.ed, but Devon would not allow it to relent, "Use Feint Attack!" Trapinch faded from view and reappeared behind Carnivine and tackled it. Devon saw his chance and pulled out a Pokeball from his pocket and continued to toss it at Carnivine. The Pokeball shook for a few minutes and Devon used this time to finish eating. When he heard the Pokeball click, he scooped it up and clasped it to his belt.

A minute later, he had arrived in Needlesap Town. He opened his bag and dug around in it for a bit, but when his hands and face withdrew from its depths, people all the way back in Champion's Village could have heard the curses he invoked along with the insults toward Lia he uttered. "I can't believe she kept my Pokedex! Of all the things she held on to for me, that was the ONE thing she forgot to give back!" Devon was clearly displeased, and the citizens of Needlesap Town gave him confused looks. He decided she would send Dweeb and Co. to deliver it to him so he sat at the Farmer's Market in the rural farming town. "They've gotta know about this, its the most popular Farmer's Market in Newvorean. But then again, we are talking about a bunch of stupid foreigners..." Devon mumbled, before laughing to himself and laying down on the edge of a small fountain to nap.

[Assistant]
Percy looked at the Professor as she told him of her own Talonflame, and grew excited "Really? I'd love to see that one day!" and accepted the pokedex and HoloCaster with glee. This day was amazing, he was a real trainer now. He was ready for his journey though he didn't think that battling against Wim was the best idea, not yet anyway. After all due to his book he knew that Fletchling wouldn't be able to stand up against Elekid in a fair battle. Not yet anyway.

"Thank you again Professor, I'll come with you too, Viola. Sounds like fun." He gave her a smile and opened his pokedex and aimed it at his head, his pokemon, he then set the sound off and merely read the information it gave him. He wondered if the information was more or less for a pokemon he hadn't yet caught. He decided there was only one way to find out. By looking for pokemon.

"So what gym is in Needlesap I wonder" he murmured to himself and Fletchling though loud enough for Viola and the Professor to hear as well as he spun on his heel and walked out of the door, still in a daze from what the day had brought him so far. He stood at the entrance waiting for Viola, he was willing to wait, it seemed like a good idea for them all to leave at the same time. Start their journeys together.

[User]
Viola set Ralts down to walk beside her and headed for the door.

"I haven't heard anything about it. I do recall that Gym Leaders in Newvorean tend to have stronger teams than those in other regions, so I plan to pass on the gym until Ralts and I get some decent battle experience. I'll probably also catch some reserve Pokémon as well, just in case the leader's team is strong against Psychic-types."

She nodded to the receptionist as they passed.

"Speaking of type advantages, it would probably be best if I fought Wim's Elekid. No offense, but a Fletchling wouldn't stand much of a chance."

She stepped out the door ahead of Percy and locked eyes with Wim.

"Looks like I made it second. I'd rather keep this battle a bit more casual; no wagers on it. After all, I wouldn't want to clean you out before we even get started."

[Assistant]
"Ha! The only thing of me that'll be clean after this will be my soul, because I will know I beat you fair and square!" Wim considered clarifying that he had good hygiene and that his body was clean too, but instead walked back a couple of feet to leave enough space between him and Viola.

After some quick, over-dramatic stretching, Wim went to grab his Pokéball before realizing that he had forgotten to put Buzzer back on it and that Buzzer had been following him ever since he came running out of the lab.

"Uh, BUZZER! Put on a show!"


[System]
Appearance:

Age: 23
Nickname/Alias: Shadowbeast

Gender: Male

Personality: Quiet, he only talks when needed, Tristan is Selfish unless you gain his respect, Tristan always looks forward he will do anything without a hint of fear, using his skills he can climb the tallest towers in a matter of seconds and he can take down 3 guards alone this personality made him the thief he is today.

Biography:
Tristan was the son of 2 farmers, both made money from farming.Tristan was taught combat using daggers by his father, when he was 12 his family got killed by a group of mercenaries (A.K.A king's guards) he was able to survive by hiding in a shed. He was found by a man the man did not want to adopt Tristan. Tristan begged and the man said should he be able to use what he will teach him he will gladly accept Tristan. The man taught him how to pickpocket,lockpick and acrobatics. Tristan learned quick the man tasked him to pickpocket people on the market in this point Tristan learned that he we was being used as a tool. So when the man was sleeping he killed him. But Tristan wanted to be rich not as a tool so he joined the criminal underworld.

Skills:
capable of acrobatic feats and trained in the arts of pickpocket, stealth combat and knife throwing

Equipment:
2 long knives, 10 throwing knives and some lock picking tools

[User]
Tai@Raptra@SantosGabriel77@FalkiThomas

Roxy stormed through the shadows until she found Ratte. The girl was right where she thought she would be. The one place she wasn't supposed to be. She grabbed the younger girl and dragged her into the shadows. She held one of her knives to the young woman's throat. "What the hell are you doing in here?" She growled. "What part of the plan did you not undrestand? Your supposed to grab the stuff before it gets inside."

The place was highly guarded. This place was the second most secure place in the city. It was filled with alarms, traps, and guards. Roxy had no idea how Ratte had gotten this far or why and right now she didn't care. She cursed when she heard sounds of fighting outside. She released Ratte. She ran her hand through her hair. This was going wrong in so many ways that she knew that there was little chance that they would accomplish her goal.

---

Outside the fight had stop the caravan's progress. The soldiers were pretty much blocking the path. The commander kicked his horse and headed towards Isago. The man welded his sword like an expert. The older man was his target. He was going to kill the man for making him look weak in front of his men. That wasn't something that he could let go.

A large solider spotted Kai. He frowned low and his throat. He made waived his way through the fighting. His goal was to stop the small man. He saw another man on the other side but knew he couldn't reach that side.

[Assistant]
Thunk.

Eryx watched as a knife spun by him, his eyes moving to it instantly. He looked to the knife, then it's target, and the knife again. Tad unnecessary. He thought before it slammed into the guard's neck. As the man fell over, attempting to gold his wound shut, Eryx had his own problem.

His partner had ran right at them, so much for sticking together, but as long as he lived. The mounted guard that charged forward isn't the one Eryx was waiting for though, he'd wanted the captain alive for leverage, but too late. As predicted, the warrior charged in practically a straigt line, his sword outstretched to impale Eryx.

Years of martial training as well as his enhanced perception came immediately into play, Eryx crouched slightly more to adjust for the new target's speed and lifted himself off the ground. Heavy blade still.... His left hand comes forward, pushing the blade down in a parry to keep it from getting too close as his body rotates. His right leg lifts over the man as the left closes around his throat, violently jerking him from the horse.

The two fall quickly to the ground, Eryx seemingly unbothered that he landed right on his ass, though his legs were tight around his opponents neck. "Relax, you'll wake up." Eryx whispers to the guardsman, squeezing harder for those final moments before he felt the guard was soundly out. "Sleeping on the job, hard tonfind good help these days." He remarks finally as he stands, starting to run over to the carriage.

"Run or get on, I'm sure we'll regroup!" Eryx yells as he runs to the caravan, yanking the corpse of the man who was stabbed out of the way. He was going to drive the cart through the city, into the slums. Nobody there had to know what was inside, just that the guards were coming, and last time he was here the two didn't mix. Homeless cannon fodder wasn't normally his style, but risk versus reward. "Time to go..." He mutters as he climbs the horse, tapping it's sides.

[User]
Well they've gone this far, why not go all out. This was already getting out of control but the best they could do is improvise. One man was down, and this leading man was the new target. As Isago tried to go for the kill, his attack was parried and being pushed away. Isago, being knocked back, landed on his feet and quickly hopped back a bit to give himself and the commander some space.

He quickly looked around at the surroundings. Kai was in his fight and his new acquaintance was starting his battle. He noticed then, the commander rushing his way. Isago wanted this. He had the attention of the lead guy. Preparing his sword, he kept his mind on what else he noticed before. With a smirk, Isago started at his opponent. Staring at the horse, he sigh. "Sorry..my dear nag...nothing personal...you're just carrying my enemy." he said quietly and rushed towards the Commander to initiate another attack but at the last second, he ducked down, took his sword and with a great swing aimed at the horse's front two legs to trip it up so to bring the commander down to his level in this fight.

@Sleeth@FalkiThomas@Raptra@SantosGabriel77

[Assistant]
The sharp pain across the back of Kai's hand caused by the tip of the sword belonging to the guard he was fighting snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to his current situation. The boy nearly dropped his blade as a result of the blow, but the intense battle was sufficient to distract him from the pain. Things then got worse as more soldiers poured out of the caravan to join the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Kai spotted a large one heading straight for him.

That was when an idea popped into the small teenager's head. He ducked down and rolled under the carriage, just managing to fit through the gap between the ground and the bottom of the vehicle. Both guards instinctively dove right after him, though, their larger sizes prevented them from actually reaching him. He then dragged himself out to the front of the caravan, only to almost be trampled on by one of the horses. The startled boy let out a yelp and quickly got to his feet.

The two men were dealing with their own problems, but it was at least safer to be near them. Kai prepared himself to engage the two guards he had escaped earlier, assuming that they were coming around once they got out of the mess he had put them in. Sure enough, they appeared again, this time charging at him from both sides. This forced him to go defensive, blocking and dodging their attacks with hardly any time to get a strike in.

The man in white, who had somehow managed to get on a horse, then shouted at them to fall back. Kai assumed that the loot was secured, and began actively looking for an opening to run, into the carriage or otherwise. He could only hope that Isago had plans to do the same.

Tai @Sleeth @KatherinWinter @FalkiThomas @SantosGabriel77

[User]
Ratte's hand caught her lock just in time before she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge and she was dragged back into the shadows. She held a yelp back in her throat and found herself glaring at Roxy, who looked furious. She felt the dagger at her neck quivering with Roxy's anxiety and Ratte's own tension fell just slightly. Things weren't going as planned; it was just as well that she had come here first. Before Ratte had time to answer, the older woman released her hold and Ratte slumped, letting the tension in her shoulders settle and instinctively running her hand over her neck.

She sensed Roxy's tension practically vibrating in the air and shook her head, "You're not so confident in what you're doing, are you?" she murmured, stepping out beside Roxy, "you were all talk in that tavern and you're really just as scared as a newbie... something tells me you get a lot of people bailing on you, don't you?" Ratte smirked and set her dark eyes on the woman. She bit her lip in the corner and watched Roxy intently. The woman had a past - a sensitive one at that - and it was clear from the lines on her face and the serious set of her eyes, but she looked like a deer caught in the headlights and Ratte's stomach flipped just a little; her soft spot for beautiful women playing her like a fool.

"Look..." she said, letting out a sigh and keeping her voice low. Every instinct was warning her against sharing her plan, but she pushed through them and showed Roxy the lock in her hand. "I know this game inside and out - I've been stealing from locked cabinets since before I could walk. I came in to scout the place in case it all went wrong and we needed a plan B. I'm going to switch the locks. That way if they manage to get the loot in before we take it, we have the key for the lock they use. I'm not trying to hijack the mission or make anything go wrong, trust me - I just don't believe in one straight plan." She looked across to the window and raised an eyebrow, hearing the viscious clanging of swords. She looked back to Roxy, "Shall we go join the dance?" @KatherinWinter

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

The commander's yell got caught in his throat as his horse fell beneath him. He fell to the ground and felt the wind leave his lungs. He gulped down air and quickly rolled, sword still in hand, and swung it up in the large man's direction. @King Tai He could only glance around at the situation around him. Two of the security guards were down and none of them were on horses anymore. Behind him he could hear the scrapings of armour and metal swords as more guards from the rear arrived and began fighting what looked like a child. @Raptra The child himself was dodging their attacks almost as quickly as they could be delivered and he saw his partner's horse now being taken up by the man in white. @Sleeth

He gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet, bringing his focus back to the man that had made his own horse lame. He gripped his sword and swung it up in a long arc across the front of the man, hoping to parry his attack if not slice open his chest. He let out a loud cry and the carriage door swung open. Several more men stepped out of the main carriage and drew up their arms, charging for the thieves gathered at the front of their caravan.

[Assistant]
Tai@Raptra@SantosGabriel77@FalkiThomas

"I am an assassin not a thief. I don't generally steal from people."Roxy growled. She was confident in herself and her work. But this wasn't her usual type of business. She killed people who deserved to be killed. She didn't take things she didn't work for. Nor was she used to trusting others. Her life had never given her a reason to reach out like this before. "People don't bail on me because I work alone."

Roxy glared at the girl who was so confident that she could get back in so it didn't matter if they failed today. That's where Ratte was wrong. It did matter. There were no second chances. "That's where you're wrong Ratte. There is no second chance. If we fail tonight it's over. I don't get a redo." She turned and stormed back through the building. She made her way to the rooftop. She debated getting involved with the fight. There was little point anymore. Although she could fight she wasn't really a fighter. But in the end she couldn't walk away. These people were here because of her so it was her responsibility to make sure that they escaped. With a sigh she made her way to the ground to see what she could do to get the others out of the trouble they had gotten themselves into.

[User]
Tristan was notices by a guard. He quickly rushed away into the rooftops, he then threw knives at the guards. But that was not enough. He quickly throws a knife at a rope which causes a pile of creates to drop drown and distract the guards.

He quickly slides down into the house below him, he noticed nobody was home and loots place. There he found...
* Jewerly
* Gold coins
* A set of jeweled daggers, could be sold for a few coins with a blacksmith or a collector.

He jumped down then proceeds to head for the caravan again.


[System]
Her scale color is a dark blue, and she has brown eyes.

Age: 35
Sex: Female (Also sure.)

Personality: Kimi can appear shy if she wants to be, devious at most times. She is a sneaky type, who always seems to be plotting a bit. She is a bit of a prankster, but can be a loyal friend once you earn her friendship and trust. However, her prankster nature and the tendency to always be plotting doesn't earn her much in the way of friendship or even trust. However, deep inside of her, she is insecure, but it is not a side that many ever get to see.

History: From the moment Kimi was born, everyone knew that she would be trouble. She started pulling pranks on the other younglings in her tribe, laughing as she pushed herself away from making friend her own age. Her mentor, another druid, tried to stress that she would need to make friends, but the only friends she seemed to make were her animal companions. She met her friend, Mariki, when she was around thirty, and he has been her current companion for some time.

However, she realized that she didn't quite fit in with her tribe and their ways, and left for a bit to train with some human druids for a while. After she learned a bit more about druid magic, she returned to the tribe, and currently spends much of her time in the forest near her home, wishing she was out more in the world, but for now, is content where she is.

[User]
Hooves clattered on the dirt. Old wheels creaked and groaned. Alexius leaned out of the window and vomited. He clutched his throbbing head, attempting futilely to will away the nausea.

"Nevermind, this is close enough. Stop the carriage," he ordered, passing the driver a bag of coins. He hurtled himself out of the rickety wooden torture chamber, and barely restrained himself from heaving up another meal. With the carriage slowly receding into the distance, he began to walk.

The hill, dotted with caves, loomed over him. This all felt familiar, both joyous and saddening. He picked a space that looked as good as any, opened up the dusty book in his bag, and began to preach.

[Assistant]
Just outside one of the entrances at the bottom of the hillside, Gruul was whiling away another shift of guard duty, carving a long piece of briarwood that he planned to turn into a new pipe. He heard a voice coming from not too far away and looked up to see another kobold, talking to the air with an open book in hand.

"Now what the hells is he going on about? And why do I get the feeling I'd rather not know?"

He sighed, picked up the spear that lay on the ground beside him, and approached the stranger.

"Oi! Who goes there, and what's your business?"

[User]
Not far from the hillside stood a series of caves. Most led into the hill itself, including one particularly long and smooth-floored tunnel which led down to a tribe of kobolds. Most of the other tunnels were dead ends. In fact, there was only one entrance to the tribe's home cavern, a fact which meant that they could be easily besieged and cut off from the surface if an attacking force were to station itself there. This was unacceptable for the tribe's chief, and he ordered that connecting tunnels be cut to connect the dead end caverns to the main one.

Unfortunately, there was only one kobold fit for such a task. It was him or assign a dozen others to work for weeks. Arjun stood at the end of one of the side tunnels and extended his clawed hands at the wall. Willing his magic to activate, a gout of flame burst from his hands, burning the wall and gradually extending the side tunnel to the main one. Before long, he'd reach the surface, but it would take a few minutes.

[Assistant]
"Of course! That's something that separates a Kobold from a non-kobold. If we ever need to rest, we will either sit on the ground or on a large stone. So, if I make a trap that appears to be a low, bench-like log, an invader would be the only kind of person to sit on it. Then again...I hear some former members of the tribe are returning in the coming days. I should build a non-lethal version if this trap idea, and if they all ignore it, I'll know that even those of us who have adopted other lifestyles will still not even think to use the log as a chair. It's just not in our nature, after all."

---

The test trap was built, and carefully placed besides the path to the caves, at a point where Grek himself personally started to feel in need of rest as he walked from the bottom of the hill to the cave mouth.

Grek had come to the edge of the cover of the forest. The rest of the hill was open, all the way up to the caves. He watched one of his kin exit from a carriage and start to make their way up the hill, but then stopped, and began reading a book to himself.

"I will never understand how the outside world thinks," he thought to himself as he watched impatiently for the Kobold to carry on making progress, but then a guard approached him. Grek cursed to himself. He would continue to wait for now, but he did not want his work to be wasted, and if he had to, he would lure the outsider up the hill himself.

[User]
Something was coming. They were not sure what was going on, but the two creatures in the forest were looking through the bushes with curious eyes. The ground was moving slightly as hooves clattered on the ground. A carriage was bringing someone, or something towards the kobold tribe home. Both creatures sets of eyes narrowed a bit.

As Kimi saw another kobold exit the carriage, she let out a sigh and gently petted Mariki. "Stand down girl... it is not dinner, or anyone that would threaten us." The cat let out a curious purr, and nuzzled up to her mistress. She watched as the other Kobold got out of the carriage and then started to...

"What is he doing? What on Earth is that little one doing?" She stepped out of the forest and gestured to her companion to follow her. They sat down on the edge of the hill and listened for a moment, wondering what was happening.

[Assistant]
Alexius had been preaching for awhile now, but no audience came before him. Honestly, he was beginning to be a little peeved. He was standing here, throwing salvation at their ears, yet they don't even take a second to hear it! Hold on, there's someone coming. An fellow armed with a spear. "Oi! Who goes there, and what's your business?" he shouts. Finally, at least someone is listening.

"Do you have a moment to speak of our Gods?" Alexius asks, trying not to think about the spear's point. "What's your name? What faith do you believe in?" In his head though, he was really just hoping that the spear is kept pointing away from him.

[User]
Arjun finished burning through the tunnel and could see daylight on the surface. His eyes were stung by the brightness of the sun at first, but he adjusted after a few minutes.

"Do you have a moment to speak of our Gods?" He heard a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. Padding his way up and out of the cave, Arjun stepped onto the soft dirt and looked straight ahead, recognizing the sight and scent of the newcomer.

"Kutur? Is it really you?"

[Assistant]
Gruul rested the spear at his side. This stranger was certainly an odd one, but he seemed rather harmless. And he was a kobold, so not that much of an outsider, at least by his reckoning.

"My name is Gruul, and my faith is my own to hold. But if you're going to preach here, you'd best talk it over with the Chief."

In truth, Gruul was quite devoted to the Holy Mother, Tiamat, but getting into a theological debate was not something he wanted to do.

"Come on then, best bring you to-"

"Kutur? Is it really you?"

He was interrupted by Arjun popping out of a fresh hole in the hillside, and decided to just take a step back and see what played out.

[User] ". . . Arjun?" Alexius called, closing the book with a dull thump. He left the spearman to his devices, and approached the hole to get a closer look. "Arjun!" he shouted, recognizing the face. He rushed over to the hole. Arjun was covered in muck, some liquified and dripping down his face. Alexius offers his hand to pull him up. "You would not believe the things I've seen away from home. Absence is only a couple dozen Dragontails that way, further is Constantsea, and the buildings there are huge! There was this one you see . . ." he said, beginning to ramble. He had already forgotten about the spearman.

[Assistant]
Another kobold arrived, and this one seemed to be his friend. Grek signed in resignation. He'd better go and retrieve the trap and try again later. Besides, this design was relying too much on chance. There had to be a more obvious way to sort the walking habits of the kobold from those of other races.

He began to make his way out of the cover of the forest, still deep in thought and not really looking where he was going. As he covered the crest of the hill, he immediately saw another kobold with their back to him, with a cat-like creature by their side. He cursed as he tried to stop himself but slipped on the dewey grass and slid down straight into her back.

His first thought was "Well, looks like I'm going to get beaten up again..." and he closed his eyes and braced himself.

[User]
Arjun wiped some of the rock from his face. It had been liquefied by the heat he had generated, and he was indeed stained by it.

"Wha-? Oh, Alexius" he extended a clawed hand as his friend helped him up. "Thanks for the hand. Glad to see you again. Tribe's still the same as before. You haven't missed much. Workers still working hard. Mines still full of metal. Most of us still live in caves. I got myself a hut though. So, I assume you've seen that they have privacy up here, in the surface. Never been to Absence or Constantsea myself."

[Assistant]
Kimi had been content on being ignored for the first few moments as it seemed that Arjun knew the other kobold that was ranting at them. She shrugged a bit as she watched them and then was distracted by another kobold slam into her back. She nearly fell over and turned to look at him. "Oye, don't you watch where you're going?" She said.

Her companion hissed at the other kobold but Kimi held out her hand. "Calm yourself Mariki... it was an accident. I'm sure if he was trying to kill me he would have done a better job than just ram into me." She stood up and dusted herself off and then stood up and looked at Arjun and Alexius. "So what is even going on here today?" She said, noticing that this one Kobold had apparently drawn so many people out that day.


[System]
Nickname: Shark
Age: 16
Occupation: High-Schooler at Nobara Academy
Appearance:

Personality:
 Jun is full of himself, in that he has quiet an inflated view of himself and his capabilities. This stems from his ability to adapt to just about anything and being proven to himself over and over. His confidence often exudes right off of his smug smirk and even the way he speaks about himself as a 'genius'. While he can be brash and reckless, his approach is never the less methodical in how he processes things. This is especially true in how he takes on his 'challenges'. To Jun, life is a set of challenges for him to 'conquer' and prove himself to be the genius he believes himself to. The bigger the challenge, the better. His ego can definitely grow to the point of arrogance, but pride isn't all there is to this boy....

Quiet the opposite in fact is his shocking sense of humility when it comes to those he sees trying their best. As he empathizes with those who continue on despite the struggle, this is especially true for kids. This brings forth a side of him that tries to support those he sees trying their best. This empathetic nature developing from his dedication to support his own family.

Because of the odd lifestyle he lives of always taking on different challenges, this brings forth some oddities to his personality. The most notable being his nervousness around girls his own age. This stems from the 'challenges' he was given at a point in time to 'conquer' the hearts of several girls. This of course led to him being rejected many times, thus scarring Jun's heart and making him a nervous wreck when it comes to the opposite gender. Another trait of his, is that despite successfully learning so many things, Jun never hones those skills any further once he's satisfied himself after conquering it. This leads to those talents growing rusty and never being as good as they used to when he was focused on them.

Background:
Jun wasnt always the driven boy he is now. At the beginning, Jun's family had very little money. They were essentially poor and barely had a house to live in. His father was known as someone who had neither the skill nor capacity to do anything worthwhile. Eventually this lead to his father running away and adandoning them. This left them even worse off. The only thing of note Jun had was a Gunpla model his father had given him for his birthday.

It was such a bland model that he couldnt even remember what it was or looked like to this very day. His home life wasnt his only issue though. At school, word had gone around of his lower class lifestyle. Combined that with his own insecurity over his own capabilities like his father, and Jun was a hot target for bullying and manipulation.

The only thing that helped him endure that was the gunpla his father had given him. As it reminded him of his lost father. Yet, he would soon come to a breaking point. Jun realized that by holding onto his memories of his father, he was becoming like him. He had to detach from it all and that meant he had to get rid of the Gunpla. And so he did, by throwing it into the ocean, with a face full of tears.

That was the moment Jun's life began anew. He started trying to apply himself into all sorts of fields of games and sports whether he liked them or not. He would always start out terribly, but gradually his skills would soar. In every hobby he threw himself in, he would strive his hardest to conquer it and any other competitors in his way. This sort if pattern throughout the years led him to winning championships and as such allowed him to bring home money to his family and support them.

Seeing this all being accomplished brought about an inflated view of himself that always shows through. To him, they were all challenges to prove to himself be was a genius. It would often be the case that his class mates would give him challenges for him to conquer for the fun of it. This is what lead into his current conquest into Gunpla, after being asked if he could become the best Build Fighter around.

Being who he was, Jun wouldn't shirk from just about any challenge, so he accepted. However, because of his past with his father and Gunpla, there is some uncertainty in his heart. Even so, Jun has been going around to hot spots filled with other Build Fighters and taking them on. The way he attacks from one place to another, like a predator, has earned him the nickname, 'Shark'.

Piloting Ability: (Maximum 10)
- Battle sense: 5
- Perception: 2
- Mechanical knowledge: 3
Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources:
Reckless Ingenuity - Having a strong sense of trust when it comes to gauging his own ability, Jun may at often times do things that aren't very wise and extremely risky but have the chance of greatly giving him a chance of gaining the upper-hand. It is at times like this where his mind is the most focused.

Mobile Suits
Name: Captain Miracle
Model: Crossbone Gundam X3 Full Cloth
Stats: (25 max)
-Power: 6
-Defense: 4
-Mobility: 7
-Energy Output: 8
Description:
A redesigned model of the Crossbone Gundam X3 that comes with 'cloth' that's actually more like metal than any fiber. The metal shroud is able to fend off several shots from beam rifles before becoming useless. This Gunpla, like the one it's based off of, is focused on having any trick for any situation.
Armaments:

Muramasa Blaster - The Muramasa Blaster is an odd weapon that holds 14 short beams sabers on it's sides that gives it a look like a sawed-tooth weapon. At the same time the tip of the weapon is a beam gun. Because of the high energy output for this, it can only be used for a short amount of time.

Beam Zamber - Similar to a beam saber however this weapon looks more like a pirate's cutlass.

Buster Gun - A beam laser gun that is shaped like a flintlock pistol and usually used in one hand.

Zanbuster - The Zamber and Buster Gun are combined together to form a beam rifle. A Rifle Grenade can also be fitted into the back of the Zanbuster to make it a Grenade Launcher.

Peacock Smasher - This crossbow-like weapon mounts nine separate beam guns which can be fired in any arrangement, but simultaneous use drains its energy and requires the replacement of the barrel parts.

Scissor Anchor - Crossbone Gundam is equipped with a pair of scissor anchors stored on the front skirt armor. These anchors are attached to the Gundam by long chains and use scissor claws to grip objects.

[User]
Riku POV
Lion

"The festival? Ah, yeah, she kind of already pestered me into inviting her. S-sorry about that." he said with a quick apologetic bow. He could be set in his ways most of the time, but apparently Yuna was the one person in the world who could bug him into doing things for her, "Anyway, I'm just gonna print a single set of legs for her Gunpla. Shouldn't need more than that. Thanks, Takemori-san." and he was off to the printing room.

Once in there, he used his phone to grab a quick of the Nobel's leg parts. That would give him the baseline for the legs he was about to make. It was a matter of redrawing the legs with the particular addition he made to them into the printer's settings and then letting the printer itself do the rest. When it was finally finished, he grabbed the newly printed leg parts and hurried back to the build tables where Yuna had been all this time.

"You were gone a while." Yuna said, when Riku made it back, "What exactly were you doing?"

"Printing these for you." he handed the newly minted parts to her, "They might look the same, but don't be fooled by appearances. They've got a special trick to them that I added myself."

"What 'trick'?" she asked, curiosity now piqued.

"Well, why don't you finish building it and I'll show you in a practice battle later? You know, like a surprise."

With this the two resumed work on the Gunpla. While she was painting it, Yuna spoke again, "Thanks for me taking me with you to festival, by the way. Maybe I'll use this Gunpla and win an event or two!"

"Sure, I don't see why you couldn't. I got into competing by just sort of jumping in, myself." it was true. Riku originally started joining competitions merely by jumping into them on a whim. He didn't put a lot of time into prepping for them back then like he did now. But still, it was a start, and it helped get him to where he was currently.

Riku POV

The next day, Riku attended a team meeting. Here, Takemori went into a bit more detail about the Festival and its various events. Riku's natural inclination was to join the Quick Build Event, since build competitions had always been right in his wheelhouse. And yet, that also sounded like it would be too simple, too easy. Perhaps he should instead pick an event he wasn't at all familiar with just for the extra challenge? Well, surely he'd figure it out come Festival time next week.

Tomiyoka was also taking this opportunity to announce his departure from the Team. He instead would be joining team within his own age group. He would be missed, but it sounded like he made up his mind and was determined to see this decision through.

"And when we fight I hope I- *sniff* I hope I can show you guys how awesome I can be!!"

Riku offered him a smile in return, "You already have, Tomi."

And then there was the third item on the agenda. Naoki was absent in order to recruit what he hoped would be the final two team members. Kai was the first to speak up.

"So we're getting newbies. Since Boss seems to have high standards of recruitment, I'm guessing it's the mercs from last time."

Riku nodded in agreement, "It's gotta be them. Not sure how he plans to recruit them though, unless he plans to hire them or something." Still, having two others around to bounce ideas off of and practice with couldn't be a bad thing, though. He just hoped they didn't butt heads as much as Kai and Jun did.

"Hey, Yankee if ya also got time left over, do ya mind helping me with my Gunpla as well? I'll be in yer debt if ya do." Kai scratched his head before saying. "Though I've haven't got a clue for how to settle that debt, besides beating someone up or something along those lines."

"Don't see why not." Riku answered with a shrug, "Assuming of course you don't mind me seeing its specs and design secrets. Can't exactly help you much if I don't know what I'm working with, after all." he said this before holding up an index, "And if you really want to pay me back, then there's one or two things I could use a hand with. I'm still having some trouble with Gundam Maxter's fighting style and I could use a sparring partner on that front."

[Assistant]
Diner, A Planned Meeting.
Lion - reFORGING

Ryoichi leaned back into the cold leather of the booth, the exhaustion on his face receding as a weary smile propped itself up crookedly. The clarity in his eyes seemed to return as well, an almost relief sweeping up and down his body. In his head, he had ticked off all the boxes his Mentor had predicted would spell out a worthy proposition. Honesty, sincerity, and most importantly a genuine joy for Gunpla battle.

He glanced at Naoki's hand carelessly, his head tilting before he sat back up and pulled out his left hand from its pocket. His palm and fingers were heavily calloused from the last decade or so. "Y'know at first I wasn't too sure about you, Kid. You or your group of misfits but quite frankly, I don't think that matters anymore. I'm not okay with losing and I don't think I will ever again with your team," he said oddly intense before firmly grasping his hand. "That being said, I want to reach the pinnacle. If I feel like you guys are slipping on me, I'll turn my Baelstrom against you guys."

With that bit of warning out of the way, the young man released his hand. "I can't believe I'll be on the same team as that guppy..." he commented with a snarky expression. "I owe him a beating y'know? I keep my promises."

[User]
For a moment Kai stayed silent seemingly thinking about what Takemori said. "A two vs two with a stranger... That's fine." Kai answered firmly, above everything else in this festival, he needed to stand out and if he needed to carry a total newbie, the that was fine. Besides whoever it was that he was going to be paired up with, was probably not as bad as his best friend. If the world had somehow created someone even worse in Gunpla fighting then it would be the end of sport as they knew it. "Sign me up for the 2 person team with a random person, I'm not going to lose."

Kai turned to Riku, to make sure he doesn't, he at least needed his partner to be presentable. After all taking it out into it's current state would be a bit of an embarrassment to his old team. Kai took out the lacquer box wrapped around in rope, before opening it and taking out cracked Gunpla. "It doesn't matter to me if ya see it and the Turn-XCEED isn't something you can just defeat just by knowing about it. I'll take ya up on that offer, but the Turn-XCEED's builder's currently a three times Mejin Cup winner, think ya can handle it?"

[Assistant]
Jun felt a bit awkward at suddenly having Tomiyoka disband from the team. From his point of view, you should charge at whatever your desire is full throttle without backing down. "You're leaving the team huh, that's too bad. Especially after we just kicked butt together..." he tried no to shown his sadness about it, so he wouldn't look uncool. There was also the frustration, "I've been there too, doubting myself, I mean. Even someone as great as me has had those moments before.....but hey, as long as you promise to stand on the same stage with me again someday, I can't be too mad. That's just your way of facing your challenge!", he finally finished off with a grin and fist-bumped the younger competitor.

"Wait that old guy is joining along with us- HEY KAI WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TALKING TO ME LIKE I'M SOME WILD ANIMAL!?" he had been curious about the sudden induction of that white-haired fellow becoming apart of their group, but the rude comment from Kai had allowed his emotions to become too wild for him to focus on that subject any further.

"ANYWAY, about this festival...hmm, well a genius like me has alot of skills, so I can't be sure which exact one to focus on," he spoke arrogantly with a grin to his face as if anyone would be amused. With his confidence, there wasn't exatcly any particular event he would shy away from. However, hot-blooded challenges were obviously where his direction would go. Then, that was when Tomiyoka brought up the prospect of the Performance event. "Ahh that's not a bad idea Tomi! It would be a great way to spread my genius to even more people around if they can hear me and see me up close! Not to mention, I bet there would be a bunch of glory-hogging showoffs there who can give me a challenge! I'll teach them a lesson about their over confidence!" Jun pounded his fists together, unaware of the irony.


[System]
Rank (If applicable): Commander

Species: Sangheili

Appearance (for his armor, at least):
Height: 7'10"

Skills:Vael bears the title of a blademaster, and with good reason. He also has general combat experience befitting his many years of experience, and has a long history of leadership.

Preferred Weapons/Equipment:
* Type-1 energy sword
* Type-25 plasma rifle
* Type-57 carbine
* Active Camouflage

Background: Vael 'Virisusai is an old and experienced warrior, having already held the rank of major at the start of the Human-Covenant war. For him, the war had been an opportunity both to strive for the honor and glory of victory, and to serve the will of the gods. Early in his career, there was nothing that had set him apart from other ambitious Sangheili warriors. He did not have any particularly exceptional skills, nor an enlightened strategic mind. What he did have was the ability to survive, and to learn every lesson he could take in from every battle and skirmish.

Over the course of the war, every facet of Vael's skill as a warrior was honed to a fine edge. From simple aim, to his ability to keep a calm mind in the chaos of battle, Vael became a more and more deadly presence on any battlefield. Victories, and especially defeats, shaped his judgment and leadership ability just as much as his personal combat skills. Like many of his kind, he preferred to kill in close quarters, especially with a blade. In both fighting against the Humans and countless hours of training and sparring among other Sangheili, he learned the intricacies of using a blade in a variety of contexts, and against different opponents. Given his people's respect for swordsmanship, it was this accomplishment, perhaps more than the others, that most helped him to ascend the ranks of the Covenant. In the end, it was not accident, nor fate, nor genetics bestowing natural talent that created the warrior Vael became. It was pure, earned experience.

In the closing years of the Human-Covenant war Vael had ascended all the way up to the rank of Zealot, and in the final months, he had remained on High Charity after accepting an even more honored position. He was present when High Charity arrived at Installation 05…and present when the San'Shyuum wholly betrayed the Sangheili. Being stationed on the Covenant Holy City, he was a part of some of the thickest of fighting against Jiralhanae-led Covenant forces, then later the Flood as it infected the city. Ultimately, he did escape the parasite and went on to join the Fleet of Retribution to cleanse Earth of the Flood. From there, he took part in the Battle of the Ark, which finally put an end to Truth's Covenant.

Following the end of the war, many Sangheili returned to their homes, to their clans. Many of those allied with one faction or another, but Vael did not do so immediately. His life had been one of honor and war, but most of all service to a faith he now knew to be a lie. Shortly after the Battle of the Ark, he secured a small ship and simply…left. He was not seen in Swords of Sanghelios space, nor that of the UNSC. With the exception of a single re-fueling run on Squala, it was as if he had vanished from civilized space.

Then, after a year's absence, Vael suddenly returned to Sanghelios itself. He pledged his service and loyalty to the Swords of Sanghelios. Given his history, he rose quickly through the ranks. However, those who knew him before the war would have saw some changes in him. He was more reserved, both in terms of speech, and in a more cautious, calculated style of leadership. Perhaps the most notieable change is that, while he still kills his enemies without hesitation, he no longer shows the same eagerness to take glory in battle. He no longer demonstrates his pride in his kills, nor intentionally seeks the most challenging of foes. Despite all of this, his effectiveness has not diminished. He continues to be an honored warrior among the Sangheili, but for those who knew him before, one cannot help but to wonder what else has changed within him. Despite this, he has been chosen for the Aegis Team as a Sangheili warrior with enough skill and experience to be comparable to a Spartan.

[User]
UNSC AI SHI 1203-8 and Vael 'Virisusai

---

Aviza would hear Shih's response in her head right away. "I'm not getting any major alerts on anyone's vitals. Nothing worth mentioning. As for the storm, though, the mountain we're under is blocking most of the useful data from our sensors. Best I can tell you is probably the same thing you can hear from that opening up there: it is still going strong."

Even after the bulb made its apparent retreat, Vael stood on guard for a few moments. He continued pointing his plasma rifle down the pit, watching for any signs of movement. It was only once Tar called their attention to the way out that Vael moved his gaze elsewhere. "And it will be a dangerous climb. It is steep to start, and the rain from the storm will only make it more difficult."

Vael walked up towards the wall, looking up at the exit above. "But this approach shall allow us to reach our objective undetected. Tar, Ryker, and I will climb first. Grik and the Humans will go next." He said, referring to the unaugmented Humans among them. "The rest of you will watch for any more attacks from this beast, then climb up behind us."

[Assistant]
Yalu 'Suumko

After the death flurry of the Tengmaa plant jostled Yalu free, he secured his weapons and shot up to his feet. He breathed a sigh. He was glad to kick off the initial anticipation of danger on a piece of flora. And it looked from a quick glance that everyone had come out of the situation in one piece.

Yalu reloaded, narrowing his eye at his dwindling scattershot charges. "Yes, commander," Yalu said. "I wonder if any of those bodies in the pit were once our enemies."

[User]
Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael gave a glance down to the pit, but did not take much time at all to dwell on it. "The dead matter no longer. Keep our focus on the mission ahead. The cannons still lie above us."

Even for beings as agile as Sangheili or Spartans, the climb was not an easy one. While there were vines and some jagged rocks on the cliff to provide handholds, the stream flowing down from above made the climb precarious. Especially with the storm outside, there were few paths outside the path of the waterfall. Nevertheless, Vael did not intend to hesitate in pressing forward. Since Tar had been here before, he allowed her to take the lead and followed her path up, while the others kept an eye out for any signs of activity from the Tengmaa.

While it was not a quick climb, the first three up made steady progress to the top. Along the way, Vael used an energy dagger to make small cuts in the rock to mark his path for those behind him. Hopefully, it would make the task at least somewhat easier for his allies. After he, Ryker, and Tar made it to the top, Vael ordered the rest of the Humans to follow suit. It would be a more difficult task for the unaugmented Humans like Roy or Flint, but Vael had Aviza climb near them to give assistance if need be. Grik would have a harder time than the Spartans, but the oversized forearms of Unggoy did make them rather strong climbers.

At the end of the climb, making it to the top was ultimately not much of a relief, given that the storm was still raging at near the same strength as it had been when they found the cave. The terrain around them was rocky and uneven, the rain made it hard to see in much detail beyond a few meters, and the winds made it a challenge just to move around properly. Even just to communicate, they were dependent on their radios. "Even in this storm, it should not take long to reach the cannon, and it will serve to mask our approach. It is vital that the Keep not learn of our presence, so we must either not be seen, or leave no survivors."

[Assistant]
Spartan Lucas Ryker

All Lucas could think of as they made their way up the slope to the outside world again was that this was incredibly reminiscent of more than one mission he took for ONI back in the war. Not that he was surprised, they were presently on what was more or less a black ops mission. Though from his conversations with ODST and marine vets, the overall feel of this was more common for standard UNSC missions than they want to admit, especially for the Hell Jumpers.

Once they reached the top though, his DMR was on his shoulder, watching the cliff edges above them the best he could in the still raging storm. When there was mention of making sure the Keep didn't know about them, Ryker grinned. "You have at least two members of Aegis trained in assassination and covert obstacle removal here. Once we can see the cannons, give myself and Infiltrator 'Masam a few minutes and we can do both."

Infiltrator Comi'Masam

Following behind the commander, Ryker and the Commando as ordered, Comi came out just in time to hear what Lucas said and nodded. "Aye, we could do it, though if there are more of us that are trained in the skillset Infiltrators use, then the more the merrier. Honestly, this storm is good enough cover, our sniper equipped allies could remover any guards higher up and leave us to clear out the lower area without concern."

[User]
Yalu 'Suumko

Yalu was the last to make it to the summit. The rain-covered surfaces did no one any favours, let alone himself. It felt like training. Just without the elder elites climbing after you to pull you off the climbing surface. He pulled himself up onto solid ground and shook his arms out. "Last man," Yalu mentioned to prompt the team that no one was left clinging onto the cliff.

A pattern could be sensed in the radio chatter, Yalu noticed. They were thinking too far ahead for practical measures. He took out his needle rifle to peer down the optic at their surroundings. Good cover indeed.

"Ryker, has a Promethean Vision module." Yalu gestured to him with his elbow. "Seems we have that as an edge. For now, it is time to move in silence."

Yalu secured his needle rifle -- turning off the optic and bringing the needles back into the body of the weapon to shut off any bright lights on his person.

[Assistant]
&

PO3. Ray Younan

The fight with the plant beast had been short and unremorseful, Elna was the first fire towards the bulb as the split-jaws were kidnapped one by one but thankfully, due to the fuel rod that had been fired the fight in the beast had been weakened. Ray let out a sigh of relief, the two seemed to have gone through their ammo in defending their team against the tentacles of new and old. It was exhausting to say the least. "God I already hate this planet." Elna murmured, the voice barely carrying as the combat had just finished. They had not even reached the objective yet and the team was just getting bogged down, first a storm now the plants. It's almost as if the planet worked against them. Ray reloaded his rifle, opting to keep quiet as the big wigs decided their course of fate. It appeared that everyone had came out of that encounter, unscathed. A change in pace.

The climb, however, was a sure change of pace for the two. The challenge looked daunting for Ray as he looked up in disbelief before Elna woke him up with a tap on the helmet. The pair made practically said their last rites as the Sanghelli ordered them up, Ray was to take the lead for the two as he climbed in the front, so to say. "Desk job they said - hah!" He said aloud almost tempting fate for himself. Elna grunted, following closely behind her goose egg. The prevention of his death, merely another job for the ONI SecFo. Upon reaching the top, Ray seemed exhausted from the climb with Elna closely behind.

The end game had begun.

[User]
Tar had always loved climbing, so pursued the dim light at the top of the Tengmaa's chamber with vigour. Brissekh was packed full of cliff faces to scale, and in a way she could remember the routes up and down them better than her way around the frigid woodland. It was the excitement of knowing a shortcut which stuck in her head, Tar supposed.

The rock face here was shrouded in vines, but the Commando quickly figured out a way up, spotting hand and foot holds which jogged distant memories of this place before it became a death trap. The fresh water streaming in from above was cold and refreshing after the warm, smelly interior. The sound gradually built to a crescendo of howling winds and rain at the top, perfectly masking the sound of Tar hauling herself up.

As soon as she was away from the hole, she crouched down and drew her Carbine. The spikes on her feet scraped against the craggy ridge. Visibility was shockingly bad, but Tar knew that could all change in a moment if the wind changed direction. "If they have any sense, they will be inside until the storm passes - we should move quickly. We do not want to be up here if the wind speed increases."

[Assistant]
Vael heeded the advice of the others. A sudden shift in the storm could easily worsen their situation, so they needed to act quickly. "Come, follow quickly. There are some rocks closer, at the base of the ridge, we may use for cover." He ordered.

Visibility was particularly terrible, but a combination of sensors and multiple perspectives from the team did reveal some about the area ahead as they moved down the ridge. Obviously, the most prominent feature was the anti-air cannon itself. The weapon was massive, as it had to be powerful enough to be able to damage capital ships. Given the rough, uneven terrain of the mountains, it was placed on a large, artificial platform. They could also make out multiple structures on the platform as well, in which most of the guards were likely taking shelter from the storm. If, for any reason, they ended up alerting the enemy, it was from there that they would need to expect reinforcements.

Currently, there were only a few hostiles out patrolling on the platform. All seemed to be Unggoy that were unlucky enough to be burdened with the duty in the storm, and even they were trying to take cover as best as they could against the winds. The storm certainly would impact their perception, but unfortunately, it also meant that they would be more alert than they might have otherwise been, if only for the fact that they could not sleep if they wanted to. The winds and rain would severely limit the effectiveness of active camouflage, so it would not be effortless to walk past them unseen. There were only a sparse few objects surrounding the cannon at the moment. Anything not secured to the platform had likely been moved inside before the storm. For the most part, it was an open, flat area.

"We must decide how to sabotage the weapon. Anything we do cannot be detected before it is time for the attack on the Keep. Your…engineer can do this, yes?" Vael said, glancing down to Flint. "Or we can simply plant a powerful enough remote explosive, if we can place it somewhere it will not be seen."


[System]
Race: Exo
Gender: Female
Guardian Age: 5 years

Class: Hunter - Primarily Bladedancer

Ghost: Evana's ghost bears the Intrusion Shell. It's personality contrast that of the calm, collected, mild-mannered Evana, often making snarky and sarcastic remarks and may tend to over-react, though not very often.

Gear: Ghost Angel Set w/ Knucklehead Radar. She wears the Ghost Angel cloak but has attached a Cloak of No Tomorroe to show her association with the Future War Cult faction

W.o.C: Scout Rifle – MIDA Multi-Tool. Evana prefers Scout Rifles over most guns because of it's range and power. They can pack a power hit even at great distances and great for mid-ranged enemies as well.
When the range of her target is far too great, she may switch to an old yet trusty Solar Sniper Rifle, though this change is rare.

Personality: Evana typically keeps to herself, hesitant to make any sort of personal relationship with other Guardians. She'll fight for her objective and the Future War Cult, believing that she needs to strengthen her light in the event of the Darkness's return. Evana is a quick thinker and very patient. She adapts to her environment fairly quick and will take the biggest advantage of her surroundings when in combat. She tries to remain collected, even under immense stress and pressure, one of the reasons why she took to being a long-shot. Despite her outward calm personality, Evana harbors many fears. She fears death, like many, and still bears the scars of the Vandal swords that impaled her years ago. She fears losing those closest to her and would blame herself should the worse happen. Still, she tries to maintain a collected exterior, for her own sake and others.

Background: Among the ruins of the a pre-Golden Age city, a lone exo fought to take back her camp from Fallen hands. She was the last of her comrades, the others having been slain in battle or taken away to be tortured and slaughtered elsewhere. With the blood of her downed companions smeared on the weary exterior of her robotic body, Evana-4 took shelter beneath an old concrete bridge, the river it once loomed over now reduced to a small, steady flowing stream. She could hear her enemies stalking above her. She couldn't run; there was no where to go, especially with her injuries. All she could do was pray they'd move on. An all too familiar chirping could be heard directly above. She took in a deep breath and tilted her head back. The last thing she saw before shutting down were four bright glowing eyes of a Stealth Vandal clinging onto the underside of the bridge.

When she was awoken many, many years later to an ecstatic Ghost, her last memory was of her past life was the feeling of two long blades piercing her metallic body. Her Ghost lead her to the tower, where she met with the Speaker. From there, she was assigned various task, most of which with the purpose of familiarizing herself with her new abilities and responsibilities. She didn't make too many friends, afraid of being unable to save them should situations worsen, though she didn't know this feeling came from being unable to save her companions before her initial death. She did, however, befriend one person; a human Hunter with the Future War Cult. She helped Evana hone her skills as a hunter and asked nothing in return. Still, her new mentor's kindness promoted Evana to associate herself with the Future War Cult and pledged to fight for their cause.

Other: If she ever removes her chest armor then one would see two 4" long silver streaks, 5" apart from one another. They are reminders of her life before she was reborn as a Guardian.

[User]
Cecelia ran towards the group of gathering Guardians. "Look what you did now, Princess. We're late. Told you we shouldn't have stopped for food" Einstein commented through her helmet's comm as she ran towards the crowd. "Calm your CPU, Einstein. Looks like they're just starting."
 Finally reaching the crowd of Guardians, Cecelia takes off her helmet and starts calming down her breaths. She looks around at all the other Guardians summoned for this mission. Like most firing teams she's been in, they were all very diverse. Although, the skill levels seemed to be sparse as well. Hm... This is going to be quite interesting. Wonder what all this hub-ub is about...

[Assistant]
Vayen was suddenly bumbed by a ghost which out of suprise, quickly hid behind the warlocks leg whom had approached the door for the hal. However Vayen kept her mask of plain flat seriousness and composed self.
"No worries ghost." she replied and looked towards the Warlock ahead of her, giving a light nod at him.
Pretty much from there on the rest of the guardians gather with'in the following minute. The appearantly new guardian felt rather uncomfortable with being so fresh and already in a fireteam this big with most of the bunch being atleeeeast relatively experienced to cut it short. "Heyo." Vayen greeted the bunch, projecting her tuff character out, merely hinting a reserved shyness about the way she said it.
Thinking shortly she looked at the kinderguardian, "Don't worry, you will be fine, if they think you fit in with us you most likely do. We were all fresh once."

That is right isn't it, Asia was as fresh as they get, thus also the one with the least known about her...
Though this was an anamoly, it was easy to assume that her freshness is what might also add to the experienced guardians of Branded Flame, she would still not be as effected by their experience as the rest of the bunch. That was always a plus, well mostly atleast.

[User]
"Um,thank you"Asia told vayen.her ghost was showing her the names as she was coming to the meeting place."Hey Asia,not only were you a little late but you can't even show a little bit of confidence geeze"her ghost flew up to vayen"please accept my sincere apology for the impolite way that Asia has treated you"her ghost said.
Asia couldn't believe her ghost would try to talk for her.it was embarrassing.she bit her lower lip thinking about how to approach this.

[Assistant]
Mason peered around Atticus' leg as the Titan the Ghost had ran into spoke. "There," Atticus said looking down at Mason. "No harm done. You just need to watch where you're going." Mason looked up at him, and he had the feeling that the Ghost was about to say something before another of the summoned Guardian's Ghost spoke.

Mason's attention was quickly pulled to the new Guardian and Ghost that had showed up. "What'd you call me?" Mason looked from the new Ghost to Atticus. "What did he just call me?" Once again Mason's view went to the new Ghost and just stared silently for a moment before quickly flying to hover inches from the new Ghost's face. Mason continued to stare the new Ghost down before flying up and spinning excitedly. "I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkeeeee it!" As Mason began to come back down the Ghost flew over and hover just as close of Atticus' face. "Can that be my new nickname? Please! Please! Please! Puh-llllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

That was not the reaction that Atticus had been expecting. "Look, Kiddo," He tried to speak but anything he tried to say was quickly pushed aside by Mason's please, and with the fact that the Ghost didn't need run out of air the please go literally go on forever. He needed to end this quickly.

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"We are in the presence,"

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Of new Guardian's, who may I remind you,"

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Were chosen by the Speaker himself,"

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Just like you and I were." His first attempt and it was a complete failure.

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Skipping any further failed attempts he went straight for what always worked."Mason!" Atticus said delivering the tone that would usually settle the Ghost down.

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

But to no avail this time. He had always refused to yell at Mason and wasn't going to start now in the presence of new company. He decided that
enough was enough and gave in.

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

With a sigh he spoke. "Little Light." He muttered, although more akin to a whisper under the please.

"ee-" The please stopped as soon as he uttered the last syllable of 'Light'. "Yes?"

Atticus sighed again and looked around at the group of assembled Guardians. It seemed that during his interaction with Mason the remaining members of the group had arrived and he had missed anything that had gone on. "Did you really have to do that in front of all of these people?" Atticus asked looking back at Mason.

"Hmmm," Mason turned and looked at each member of the group that the Speaker had picked, making a full circle and looking back at Atticus after making the rotation. "Nope," A small giggle escape Mason, the Ghost's eye lighting and dimming as it did so. "I didn't have to but it seemed like it would be funny!" Another little giggle escape the Ghost before it began to fly in a circle around Atticus.

He simply placed a hand on his face and let out a long sigh before looking back at the other Guardians. "Shall we?" He asked motion towards the door as Mason continued to fly around his head.

[User]
Cecelia overheard the pleading Ghost and giggled. "What's so funny, Princess?" Her smartass Ghost asks, apparently not able to recognize the whining the another ghost. "Uh, hello, Einstein. Are you tuning out the Ghost over there needing some cheese with that whine? Or did you think it was a frequency wave?" Cecelia decided if they were going to be in a large group, may as well get to know some people. She walks to the small cluster of Guardians. "Hello. I'm Cecelia. Anybody else know what exactly we're here to do? All I know is we're checking a spot for a person. No clue about mission completion details. Anyone?"
 Einstein, being himself, chimed in "Uh, hello, Princess," mocking Cecelia's previous insult to him. "It's not like the Speaker gives out more info to Guardians who are 'more Guardian-ish' or anything." With a sigh, Cecelia retorts "Will you hush? I'm just trying to make conversation... I'm not good at meeting people, dude. Let me off every once in a while." After a few seonds, in hindsight it was probably calculations, Einstein added "But I do let you off 'every once in a while'. one out of every seven-point-three-seven times, I ignore a chance to add a witty comment." Cecelia, with no good retort, sighs and playfully pushes the Ghost away from her. Einstein let himself float in the pushed direction for about two seconds before swooping back over to Cecelia's side and disappearing to wherever Ghosts disappear to.

[Assistant]
The ghost that was cowering behind its Guardian suddenly flew up to Echo's face, hovering inches away with excitement. Echo tilted back slightly, not having expected the ghost to gleefully approach him so suddenly. When it became apparent that the young ghost's behavior was directly related to Echo referring to it as 'Little Light', he couldn't help but burst into laughter. His cackled laugh was drowned by the incessant pleas of the younger ghost, making Echo even more amused.

Evana let out a sigh, slightly annoyed at Echo's easily amused self. "Please, Echo, behave yourself." She turned to face the entrance, catching sight of more unfamiliar Guardians approaching. "We are in the presence of comrades."

Echo could barely hear her through the younger ghost's plea. "Ha! Oh, man, if I had tear ducts and hands I'd be wiping my eyes right now."

When the Warlock finally gave in to his ghost's request and the pleading stopped, Echo turned to Evana and gestured toward the pair. "I like this kid. He's…" He turned toward the ghost and hovered over to him, peering at him as if evaluating something, "got spunk," he finished. He returned his attention to Evana, his shiny blue eye staring wide at her. "Can we keep him?"

Evana returned a deadpan expression toward her ghost. "I hardly think that's appropriate." She then gave a weak smile to the Warlock, as if to apologize. When the Titan began to walk further into the Hall of Counsil, Evana gestured toward the meeting room. "Let us go, Echo. It's time to find out what this is all about."

Echo turned to face the other Guardians before catching up to Evana, who had already started making her way to the new room. "Don't you want to meet your teammates?" he asked, glancing behind him at the newly arrived Guardians.

"There will be plenty of time for introduction when the Speaker explains our mission."

An electronic sigh emitted from the ghost. "Alright. But, get to know them, yeh? Promise you'll at least try?"

With slight hesitation, Evana replied, "I make no such promise, Echo. Don't ask so much of me."

The ghost peered down as he hovered over her shoulder, grumbling under his breath. "I don't think that's much to ask for at all.." he mumbled. A defeated sigh escaped him. "Whatever you say, Eve," he said, calling her by her nickname.

They reached the door and entered the room, preparing to be debriefed.


[System]
Age: ~1400
Gender: F

Canon, AU, or OC?: Canon
Universe of Origin: Gensokyo
Personality: The wicked hermit Seiga Kaku is a whimsical sort of person whose vocabulary fails to include phrases such as "trespassing", "private property", and "the sancticity of human life". She's the type of person who becomes interested quickly, and tends to lose interest just as fast. Overall, her primary interests are spreading Taoism and preserving her own existence by any means necessary.
Also, on Christmas Eve she dresses up like Santa and robs people, selling their own belongings back to them later. What a jerk.

Abilities:
Capable of Passing Through Walls: Seiga's most prominent power is the ability to create holes in walls using the chisel she wears as a hairpin, which close a short while later. She has been said to have issues bypassing certain walls- it seems to be harder the more porous and soft the wall is, as a rubber cage is described as an effective deterrent.
Abilities as a Shikaisen: Like all hermits, Seiga has the ability to hide her home, so that only one who knows a specific series of movements is capable of reaching it. Additionally, she is capable of surviving indefinitely on nothing more than fog, and in spite of her appearance her body is said to be tougher than steel. Finally, she has hidden her soul away inside of an object, though it is unknown what object or where it is located. As such, she is capable of changing her appearance as she likes.
Abilities as a Taoist: As a Taoist magician that discovered and completed the steps necessary to become a shikaisen and has shown herself capable of creating a jiang-shi, it can be assumed Seiga has a general knowledge of sorcery. Additionally, like many touhous, Seiga is capable of flight as well as tossing out excessive amounts of bullets and lasers pretty much whenever.

Equipment:
A jiang-shi of unknown age created by Seiga, Yoshika doesn't understand her own past due to the decayed state of her brain, and Seiga refuses to speak of how or why the creature came to be. Pieced-together evidence indicates Yoshika was fatally poisoned at a fairly young age by unknown means, and her family, if she had one, failed to investigate this further. She seems to have enjoyed poetry at some point in her life, jusdging by her actions when left unattended in the Myouren Temple graveyard. As far as recent history goes, she guarded the Grand Masouleum for at least two years prior to the events of the Ten Desires incident. From the Ten Desires incident onwards, she has been reunited with her master, following Seiga wherever she goes.

As far as abilities go, Yoshika possesses the ability to eat anything, along with the abilities possessed by jiang-shi, such as the ability to turn others into jiang-shi with a bite (temporarily if they survive the bite, permanently if it kills them), the ability to drain qi, and an inability to feel pain or fatigue, among others. Overall, Yoshika isn't very bright, but she's incredibly loyal to her master.
Backstory:
A wicked hermit from China, nobody is sure of Seiga's past before she met Toyosatomimi no Miko. The two worked together for a time, Seiga teaching Miko and her subordinates the steps necessary to achieve immortality as a shikaisen. Later, legends of Toyosatomimi faded from prominence, and the Grand Mausoleum where they hid themselves to escape their natural deaths (later being sealed within by Buddhist monks) was transported to Gensokyo. Later still, the Taoists, including Seiga, were involved in an incident wherein a large number of divine spirits appeared in Gensokyo. After receiving the standard Gensokyo welcome from Reimu, she settled down.

Later, after escaping the most recent attempt on her life by one of Hell's assassins, Seiga discovered her lax lifestyle had made her incapable of defeating a kishin chief in combat, and was forced to flee beyond the Great Hakurei Barrier, unable to return until she was powerful enough to defeat her assassin. Being lazy and possessing an aversion to hard work of any kind, Seiga has decided that, rather than train, she'll simply find a weapon capable of exterminating a kishin and call it a day.

Faction: Taoist

[User]
Gintoki
Gintoki sprang to his feet as he noticed the sobbing maid returning to him with his water, and as she started to cry about the situation of the mansion he immediately felt as guilty as they came. Well, technically, it was Frankenmaid's fault for misunderstanding basically every sign he had given off, but as they were he definitely couldn't leave things off as they were now. Downing the water in one gulp (damn, even the WATER felt spooky!), Gintoki rushed off to block the maid's crying return to wherever the hell it is that she would go and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Okay, this is going to seriously give me a bad time tonight if I don't straighten this out right now. Look. I do not hate the mansion. I do not dislike it. It is fine. But not everyone has the same tastes as you or your mistress do. Alright? You did FINE keeping the place nice and tidy. Listen. I spend a lot of time outside. Fresh air? It's nice. It's calming. The atmosphere in there, especially knowing that there's an incoming invasion? Tense. Do. You. Un. Der. Stand. Me? This is nobody's fault. Just. Stop. Crying."

Okay, that... Well, if he had to be blunt, might as well go the whole way, right? Maybe with this, he'd get this Frankenmaid to stop bawling her eyes out (literally AND figuratively). Hopefully, at least.

Kakine
Just as Kakine was about to answer the blue-haired girl, 10032 conveniently stepped in and saved him the trouble. Well, that certainly resolved the issue much faster than he would have... At least, without looking half as awkward as he had been just now.

"...Right. As my friend here said, my name is Kakine Teitoku. We've been sent here to report on some sort of temporal anomaly that happened to occur right here... And, as you've probably guessed already, that's you. That aside, the place you are right now is labeled as District 15 of Academy City. If it's not too much of a hassle, I can fill you in on some more details... In a bit. My colleague and I were initially on our way to deal with another disturbance in the region as per some orders from the higher-ups, so if you'd accompany us that'd be in our best interests."

Well, it wasn't exactly the smoothest of explanations, but for now it'd have to do. Heck, if Crowley wanted to see Marisa the second she leaped through the gate, who knows what kind of hell she could unleash on the city if left unchecked?

Touma, Index, and Othinus
"Dress me up?! I am not a toy for you to play around with! Not a dog, nor a cat- I AM NOT A PET!" Othinus yelled from inside the witch's pocket, kicking and pounding away at the cloth she could never hope to break. "I demand to be let out this instant!"

As Othinus was busy kicking up a storm and Touma was busy trying to shove all of the assorted junk off of his body, Index found her way towards the pile of good and began to sift through them curiously. her eyes widened in shock as she began to recognize a few of the tools scattered around the floor.

"The Necronomicon, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, an original copy of the Book of the Dead...! You shouldn't even have these! What kind of thief...?!" Index asked incredulously, staring at the pile. "And in a HAT, no less! You have no respect nor fear for any of these artifacts! Just who are you to...?!"

By then, Touma had finally made his way out of the assortment of stuff dumped on top of him and was gasping for breath off to the side. Though definitely winded from that unexpected barrage, he definitely had enough to stand back up and keep on moving.

"...I'll explain it if you let Othinus go. Regardless of your intentions, if she goes missing, then the world will tip towards war again!"

Though that statement was a biiiiit extreme, it did have a hint of truth to it... Especially after what happened before Othinus became so dang tiny.

Hazama
Uh... Huh. Well, that didn't look... Quite legible at all, really. But luckily, he had resources to spare. Coming into contact with language that had no semblance to what he was used to was apparently a common occurrence when working with interdimensional colleagues, so if worst came to worst he could just run it through a tranlator. Damn, those SE goons had some pretty spiffy tech. A grimoire would've been more convenient, but damn it all if those weren't too overspecialized for their own good. His first job there, after all, was to make a fuckton of grimoires for the personnel higher-up on the 'food chain' to use, so he at LEAST knew that much. That repurposed tablet, though... That'd do nicely.

Seiga's spell didn't really disorient him much, if at all; given that Terumi had spent who knows HOW long floating around in the Boundary, such a site, though irritating, reminded him that he still had another job to do... Elsewhere.

"No problem, no problem at all." Hazama said, turning around to leave the basement through the stairwell to the ground level and scanning the letter with the tablet. "Something something Crown Prince, huh? I'll be right back."

With that, Hazama pulled out a small, one-button remote from his coat and activated it, causing a portal to appear in front of him towards an old mausoleum. Well, hopefully the dialogue interpretation of the system didn't flip the fuck out on him, because a place of the dead was probably nowhere near where he wanted to go to look for a prince.

Well, actually, there was that one Hamlet kid... Oh, whatever. Crazy hermit had a fucking zombie at her side, nothing was too far-fetched at this point.

"I'll leave this thing open if you need me." he said, stepping through the gap in between dimensions and in front of a large ornate building.

"Welp. Let's get this over with."

[Assistant]
Lucina

Well, that's one way to explain something. "Perhaps you can call me something other than 'anomaly,'" Lucina said, somewhat indignantly. "My name is Lucina. And I have a question before we go..."

Lucina turned to Misaka. "Do you always narrate what you do?" she asked with a deadpan expression.

Lucina felt somewhat agitated; if they had to check if she was a threat, then where was she? She had no comrades backing her up...

Lucina, regardless, followed Kakine and Misaka to wherever-they-were-going, hoping for some information.

[User]
Seiga - Abandoned Basement, Capital City, AgK

Seiga closed the hole in dimensions, pinching the bridge of her nose in mild irritation. No matter, this would be fine. She picked up the tablet Hazama had left on the floor next to his hologram machine. Noting his destination, she fiddled with it for a bit, finding a call button. She pressed it, Hazama's side picking up immediately.

"Excuse me, Mister Incompetent? You seem to have come to the wrong address. I'm looking, and... yes, I'm afraid that's nowhere NEAR the right universe.", she sighed, "You know, if you're illiterate, you could have just told me. Trust me, it couldn't lower my opinion of you any further. Of course, had you just taken the hole I went to the trouble of making for you, it wouldn't be an issue, but you didn't, so I suppose you'll be taking the hard way around. See, from what I've been told, the place I've asked you to deliver to? It has a... field, of sorts, around it that stops conventional travel. My holes can make it through, but your little thing? Yeah, not going to happen. Take it as a test of your resourcefulness, I suppose."

With that, Seiga nonchalantly hit the end call button, crushed the tablet, and chucked it into a corner.

"Where does he have to go, Nyan-Nyan?"
"Oh, the home of some forgettable organization that takes care of stragglers like him. I think they call it... Yggdrasil."
"Are we gonna wait for him?"
"Pfft, no. I'm taking one more trip, then we're leaving. If he does complete that wild goose chase I've sent him on and tracks us down afterwards, well, I suppose we'll have to fulfill our end of the bargain. Till then, we've no further obligation to him."
"What's a wild goose chase?"
"It's a task to get something that's very hard and very stupid to get hold of. In this case, the signature of a high-ranking official, Ms. Knox. She's known for being... uncooperative, to say the least. Say, Yoshika?"
"Uh?"
"'Prince' is the proper term for one such as that, is it not?"
"If Nyan-Nyan says so, then it's true for definite!"
"You're such a good girl, Yoshika. Now then, guard the house while I'm away.", Seiga grabbed a large burlap sack, "I'll just snatch a few and we'll test them at home, okay?"
"Okaaaaay!"

Seiga slipped into the floor once more, gliding through the earth. Luckily, they weren't recognizing anyone's achievements in outstanding cruelty or some such thing today, so it would be a painfully easy task to stuff a few Teigu in a bag and bail. Of course, had Seiga been a normal thief, she'd find this vault more or less impossible, given that it was plated in a metal thought to be indestructible, kept on around-the-clock watch, and was located deep underground within the palace treasury. Seiga was not a normal thief.

Indeed, had they been out on display, under the watching eyes of the prime minister, his guards, and one or more of his loyal retainers- that'd be some serious trouble. The kind of thing a master thief would go after. Seiga was not a master thief, either.

She simply burrowed through the treasury wall once again, into the nigh-impenetrable orichalcum-plated vault which had been the death of many a spy. She hummed quietly as she snatched up anything that seemed interesting and relatively easy-to-carry. A book, a breastplate, a paintbrush, a ring, a mask, all stuffed into a sack with no real ceremony. Her work finished, she tunneled back to meet Yoshika.

"Come, Yoshika.", Seiga said as she opened a hole in the wall between worlds, leading to her secret retreat, "Our work here is done."
"Sure thing, Nyan-Nyan!"

And with that, they left, hole closing behind them.