[System]
Age: 14
Hometown: Blackthorn City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter:
Bio: Liam dreamed of being a pokemon trainer like his father was once upon a time. He has a fondness for dragons. He dreamed of what the Dragon's Den would look like and hopes to one day be able to visit it. Liam traveled tough Kanto with Shiaranui. The two faced off in the final round of the tournament. When Liam was a baby, he had a babysitter, a Chansey named Florence. (She has evolved since Liam left on his journey.) A slip on a wet floor in the Pewter City Museum revealed that his hair is only dyed black. It was revealed in Blackthorn City, that he is the son of a Nurse Joy. He was as a random trainer called him when he was 5, "The shiny Pokémon of humans." Liam also explained that he uses a special dye, that has Bluk Berries as a key ingredient.
 Liam participated in and won the first and second ever Dragon Cup in Blackthorn City, having teleported home for it with his shiny Alakazam, Sherlock. He has also mastered the Battle Chateau in Kalos. Liam was the runner up in Hoenn's Grand Festival, and won The Evergrande Conference. Liam went on to fight and defeat Hoenn's Elite and Champion

Requested Legend(s): n/a
and his rival:

Name: Trevor Walton
Age: 14
Hometown: Vermilion City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: -
Bio: Trevor disliked Liam, he disliked Liam solely due to the fact that he felt inadequate, believing Liam is coincided by his looks and talent in training. During the trip though Kanto, Trevor more or less followed the path of Blue in the original games. Recently, Trevor has warmed up some to Liam and Shiranui. He still may not particularly like them, but he respects them as strong Pokemon Trainers.

[User] Smaug glared at Titania. "You don't know what I deal with!" Smaug scream in his mind.

[Assistant] "When is this battle factory thing?"

[User] "The Factory is near Cerulean City." Liam explained.

[Assistant] "Yes, but when do people go there?"

[User] "Was far as I know, it never really closes, like the gyms. But common courtesy would say to go during the day."

[Assistant]
"When a Battle Frontier head hunter by the name of Scott deems them worthy to take on the challenge," Shiranui answered, "He looks around the regions for the best trainers to do so and that's why we're here. You're welcome to watch us battle there if you want to do so."

"Your anger is blinding you to the fact that I can read your mind like an open book," stated Titania, fighting to keep her own anger in check, "If you won't listen to what I have to say, then perhaps a heart-to-heart with someone who also had a painful past can help you get back on the right path." The Gardevoir used her telekinetic powers to levitate a Master Ball out of Shiranui's backpack and after mustering up some courage and determination, Titania opened the ball. The legendary Mewtwo appeared and was a little surprised at what it was seeing.
"Titania, what is this about?" asked Saisei.
"Smaug here is refusing to listen to his trainer because he has a bad opinion of humanity thanks to his past," answered Titania.
"Is that so?" Saisei replied, looking at the Charmander with a hint of amusement.
"You can take it from here," Titania finished, leaving Saisei to have a talk with Smaug.

"Smaug, you and I have had similar pasts," stated Saisei.

[User] "Were you whipped twenty times a day with Vine Whip every day since you were born?" Smaug thought toward Seisei.

[Assistant] "No, my birth has been much worse; if you could call it that," Saisei rebutted, "If you had been created in a stasis tube at a science lab with humans poking, prodding and messing around with your own genetic make-up just to make you into the world's most powerful Pokémon; how would you feel?"

[User] "Well, that is worse." Smaug admitted. "But, how am I supposed to know that this guy won't pull the same stuff?"

[Assistant] "Because I've known him for longer than you have and one thing I know about him is the fact that mistreatment of Pokémon is the complete opposite of how he takes care of his Pokémon," answered Saisei, "Like all the other members of his team, he used a Luxury Ball to capture you and those Poké Balls, I've heard, are a lot more comfortable than the standard Poké Balls that your species usually ends up being captured in. He's a member of the esteemed family of Nurse Joys and from what I've heard, any trainer who mistreats a Pokémon gets to be on the wrong end of their wrath including him. I've heard many horror stories about their tempers. The point is, there are few trainers who would care for you better than him."

[User] "Fine." Smaug said. "Doesn't help that thier talking is so boring."

[Assistant] "Not much can be done about that," replied Saisei, "You can pass the time by practising your moves. If you're strong enough to take out Pokémon who have a type advantage over you, you'll do no wrong in his book. You may even get some Poké Puffs if he's really pleased with your performance."

[User] "'Poképuffs'?" The Charmander was curious.

[Assistant] "They're little cakes that improve a Pokémon's affection towards their trainer and help the Eevee species evolve into Sylveon," Saisei explained, "Pokémon with high affection can avoid incoming moves better and have a higher chance of landing a hit right where it hurts."

[User] Smaug was fascinated by this. He told Saisei that he had a surprise he doubted any of these humans were expecting. He had inherited a power move from his parents.

[Assistant] "Your trainer will be happy to know that once you show him," replied Saisei with a smile.

[User] "I can't wait to surprised him with it!" Smaug said. He jumped up and began swinging his tail, practicing Iron Tail.

[Assistant] "That's a great move for you, Smaug," commented Saisei, "Great for those pesky Rock and Fairy-types. I can do that as well."

[User]
***
"So, shall we get going?" Liam asked the others.

[Assistant] "I'm for it," answered Shiranui.

[User] "Well, let's go." Liam said.

[Assistant] Dante stepped off the magnificent ship and was now in Vermollion city. It's much warmer here, his clothing isn't best suited for the area but he'll have to deal with it. He takes a pamflet of Kanto and sees a map of the area. He would have to head north to Cerulean, head west through Mt. Moon, and then south once he hits Pewter city to make it to the professor. How was he going to do that was a mystery to him. He was all packed and ready to go so off he went north to Route 6.

[User] Smaug stood back up and walked alongside Liam so that the heroes would have the light to exit the cave.

[Assistant] On the way up to Route 6, Dante notices a sign with an arrow stating "All new trainers this way!" This was probably where the new comers were supposed to go... Hopefully. Dante makes his way following the many signs until he meets a well dug out cave with a sign saying "Your journey starts ahead! Become a trainer today!" With a photo of the famous professor Oak. Dante entered inside to see a mirage of diglett and dugtrio around the walls and floor of the cave, leaving an open path. You can see the occasional hiker making their way down. What a wonderful place it was. Well lit too. He made his way down the path admiring the diglett and their craft. It was much damper and cooler in here than it was outside. A good relief that's for sure. Before he even knows it, Dante meets the end of the tunnel and prepares for the heat again. He steps out on the other side of the cave.

[User]
On a map we see our erm traveler a little south of Pewter city at the entrance of Diglett's cave. Dante asks a passing man
"Pardon me but do you know where we are right now? I'm not from here." The man happily obliges
"Oh we're just south a Pewter right about here" he points on the map "Below down south of us is Viridian Forest right over there behind the checkpoint." Dante thanks him and he responds with "Good luck traveler." As he makes his way to god knows where. What a kind man. Especially to a tourist.
"Well I've got to go south. The forest it is." Dante makes his descent to the dark forest.

[Assistant] Unknown to Dante, Liam had sent his Celebi to use stealth to avoid detection (and to avoid causing a panic) to try and repair Viridian Forest after the fire that raged within. While the forest had been mostly fixed, there were still a few signs that there had been a fire there, one such instance being a small number of Pokémon in the area.

[User]
Shiranui saw Titania with a Master Ball in her hand. "I needed someone that understood Smaug's pain so I called out the very Pokémon you captured in this mountain to have a little chat with him," stated Titania before Shiranui could ask. He smiled and Titania read a mental reminder for him to give Saisei a Poké Puff. The Gardevoir gave Saisei's Master Ball back to Shiranui and Shiranui stowed the ball in a safe spot in his bag.
"Titania, return!" He recalled his Gardevoir and resumed his trek through Mt. Moon, following Smaug.

[Assistant] Once the heroes reached the cave's exit, Liam recalled Smaug to let it rest.

[User]
As Dante walks through Viridian Forest it looks abandoned and almost silent. It was like someone from above came down and removed all noise but a whisper. It made for a very interesting but unsettling route. It smelled like smoke and ash. Another one of life mysteries it seems. Dante looks around for an answer as he walks along the lonely path. He spots a charred branch being brought back to life by some unknown force.
"What spirit guards this forest?" Dante cried out.

[Assistant] Celebi turned and saw Dante standing there. Celebi, who was still invisible floated off to hide behind a tree and wait for Dante to go on his way.

[User] Dante let out a quiet sigh. It was going to be one of those days for him. He continues through the forest wondering what sort of being, law of nature, or even Pokemon could have done this. He arrives through the other Viridian checkpoint and waves to a passer by as he soon makes it to Viridian city.

[Assistant] The heroes arrived in Cerulean City. Liam healed his team up at the Pokémon Center.

[User]
It was a rather peaceful yet filling place. There was a wide road that jutted off the side of the town where trainers would start their trek towards the indigo league. Well, it was mostly peaceful for Dante until-BAM-a man in some silly black uniform ran into Dante.
"Hey watch where you're goi-"
"Outta my way punk." The mysterious man hurriedly ran out of town leaving behind a cylinder capsule.
"You forgot your stuff!" Dante yelled out but he way already long gone. Might as well hold on to it for him, he might run into him later. Upon further inspection the metal cylinder it showed to have a seven digit lock with an inscription on it stating 'Lazuras' just above the lock. Hopfully he finds the man, it looked like something pretty important. Dante stored it in his satchel.
Dante coninued quickly down the town without much worry. He could always stop on the way back to grab some food. After a vivid walk out of town and down route 1, he finally made it to Pallet town. Before him he saw a massive line of trainers outside a laboratory.

[Assistant] Liam wondered what he could expect from the Battle Factory and was also deciding what to do for the contest.

[User] Shiranui was also pondering about the contest. "I can't get any research on the Battle Factory," he stated, feeling a little frustrated, "Either Scott has yet to upload a guide for it or it's on the Deep Web."

[Assistant] "Well the way he talked about it, The Battle Frontier doesn't sound like a new thing." Liam said. "It may not be published so challengers can't research it. That would make it a tougher challenge."

[User]
"Maybe so, but Scott has never met a ninja," replied Shiranui with determination in his voice, "One skill the ninja are well known for is espionage and it may be time I add to my tools of the trade." He had realised his methods may be considered old-school and thus needed to adapt to the modern world. He opened his Pokédex and accessed the entry he had in mind.
"Porygon, the Virtual Pokémon. A Pokémon that consists entirely of programming code. It is capable of moving freely in cyberspace."

[Assistant] "Well, I guess it is worth a try." Liam said.

[User] "The only way to get one here is to win one and Zoro can do that with a little help from Majin," stated Shiranui, "That can be done while we compete in the contest."

[Assistant] Liam was ready. He registered for the Contest and wet into the green room. He began to polish the balls of his two selected Pokémon Smaug was sitting on the bench next to Liam. He told him that he wanted Smaug to watch the performances. Smaug nodded. He sat there and watch the amount of care Liam put into the polishing of those balls before Liam dropped the balls into the capsules. He than placed the stickers on the capsules.


[System]
Race: Human

Personality: A stammering, stuttering mess of a man, Caractacus has trouble in dealing with the living. He is nervous and self-doubting in the utmost when around anything but the dead. Still, he doesn't harbor ill-will toward the living, more of a deep-seated fear and unease. Being around him creates a sense of unease, as though there was something sinister about him.

Background: Caractacus was always sickly and unwell, even in his youth. An early indicator of his affinity for the dead. He grew up with no friends, and even family took pains to avoid his presence. This had a profound effect on Caractacus, and drove him away from society, where he would meet his mentor, an impossibly old man, who taught him his connection with the dead, and how to utilize it. When he had taught Caractacus enough to get by, the old man sent him off. Caractacus attempted to re-enter society, but now more than ever his presence caused fear and distrust, and he was quickly driven away. Caractacus fled to seclusion. He spent his time there thinking on what his powers meant, and what his purpose was. After three years on his own, he came to a conclusion, and set out to make his purpose reality.

Abilities: Summon undead: Caractacus can summon two lesser undead creatures, such as skeletons or zombies, and command them for a period of 24 hours before they disintegrate. Note that these undead are not like those of the Lich king, but merely empty vessels animated by death magic.
Bolster undead: For a short period of time, Caractacus can increase the strength, speed, and dexterity of any undead creature under his control or allied to him.
False life: Using death magic, Caractacus can extend the life of any living creature through pain and wounds. This spell allows anything he casts it on to continue living past what would normally kill someone, but only so far, and all wounds sustained will have to be healed before the spell ends or the subject of the spell will still die.
Magic missile: A tool in nearly every wizard's arsenal, Caractacus produces a trio of magical darts, which he flings at his opponents. While not particularly powerful, they do not consume a lot of energy, and are easy to cast.
Equipment: Staff: A simple tool in the spellcaster's arsenal, this staff lets Caractacus focus his magical energy, to better cast spells.
Journal: A large journal, in which Caractacus constantly takes notes, in a language that seems rather foreign.
Wizard robe: This one is a dark gray. More to identify him as a wizard than anything else.
Dagger: A last resort. A simple, steel weapon.

[User]
The words of the Illithid troubled Morro. She didn't like the thought of more of the monsters wandering around, especially if they found their way onto Three Nations territory. It would be impossible to wage a war on both the undead and Illithids at the same time, and disastrous if they decided to attack after the undead had been defeated. With those worrying thoughts tugging at her mind, she hardly noticed when the mage turned to address her. When the silence stretched out, the knight realised and pushed her plate towards him. "No, feel free to eat. After all, you'll need to keep your strength up." Satisfied that there was at least a semblance of peace in the tavern, she stood up and excused herself from the table. "Feel free to sit down and wait. I'll be right back." With a final glance back at the odd group, she made her way up the stairs and into her room.

The bedroom itself was empty. Empty of any armour, or of any weapons. None of her personal belongings were where she had left them, either. Morro swore and strode to the gap in the wall. The once settled dust and rubble had been disturbed, and sure enough there was a single footprint where there had not been before. When she leaned out of the window, she could see where the grass had been pushed aside as people passed through. The path lead up the hill and into the woods. She swore once more, and left the room for a final time.

She made her way back downstairs with a heavy heart. "I'm afraid to say the new recruits who were supposed to aid you have bailed on us. I'll have to go back to my base to gather more troops and equipment, but we don't have enough time for you to wait for me." Morro sighed, and cast a glare out of the window to the path. "You'll have to go on without me, and I'll find you when I return." Her eyes flickered between the three of them. The lizard could not lead, for she was a lizard. Nor could they have a monster watching over the group. But somebody had to watch over them, seeing as she wouldn't be around. With reluctance and a sigh, she turned to the necromancer. "Can I trust you to make sure that the others don't do anything stupid? I want them and you alive, if possible." The knight glanced outside again and guessed at the time before turning back to the mage. "I want you out of here by midday. The bartender should provide you with food and drink for the journey. Agreed?"

[Assistant]
The moment he was given approval, Caractacus sat back down and started eating. He was starving. Still, he avoided scarfing down the food, as he usually did when he was alone, if only to avoid looking more like a freak. Caractacus looked up from his plate when the knight stood to leave. He grunted acknowledgement through a mouthful of food. Nothing to be worried about at the moment. He finished off the dish before she returned. She shared the unpleasant news of her companions' desertion. Caractacus was hardly aware of their existence in the first place, but he rued the delay it would cause. Then she asked him a question. "Can I trust you to make sure that the others don't do anything stupid? I want them and you alive, if possible."

Caractacus withheld a gasp. He was being given command? This wasn't something he'd prepared for. Sentients were harder to manage than the undead. Still he wasn't going to pass up the responsibility to the illithid. Caractacus tried to look confident. "I'll uh, do it. Good. Yes. Out of here by midday, of c-course!."

[User] Masrith listened to the conversation as it continued. "If we were look at things as they are presented. A necromancer isn't a good idea for a first impression. The lizard is the friendliest looking face." He said through the creature. "Not because im interested in hearing the race card, but despite our cruel reputation. My people are known for their mental capacity. I would suggest the lizard being the face of the group. The necromancer could give the orders, and I could be the strategic thinker." Masrith looked at the group for a sogn of approval. "A mental link between ths group is the best strategic option. It would much easier to plan and communicate under circumstances of extreme stress. It also helps prevent any language barrier."

[Assistant]
Caractacus shook his head again. "I have t-two caveats. First, we will be moving through the Old Country, yes? The undead are quite p-prevalent, and a necromancer l-like myself would not be, aheh, quite so sh-shunned, I would think. N-not to say the presence of our uh, slith compatriot--er, companion, isn't appreciated." Caractacus briefly smiled at Kij'hara. "But I wouldn't think a friendly face c-counts for much out there."

Caractacus stood up from his chair and stared the illithid in the eye. "And second. I do not now, nor will I ever, want you in my mind. You can respect that, or I will take my leave of you and this quest.

[User] Masrith let out an annoyed sigh. He began to speak through the Slith. "I will not argue any longer. Ad a few last words before we depart. A necromancer will never be looked upon as a good omen along these accursed lands as you could easily be mistaken as a servant of the lich. Lastly, I respect the privacy of your mind, however if we are ever surrounded by enemies. I will talk to you in your mind regardless as speaking a plan aloud infront of your enemies is absurd." The Illithid took his hand off of the Sliths head and waited for them to depart. The Sliths eyes grew white again. Masrith would speak. "I suggest trying to capture a hollow undead. Defeating an enemy requires knowledge of its weaknesses and behavioral patterns. I had several hypothesis about the undead that are hollow."

[Assistant]
Her foot hit the floor with a clang. Morro stamped in impatience, and turned to the Illithid with a glare. "The necromancer will lead the group until I return. I don't have time for you to argue against that." As the two continued to argue, the Knight fell silent and let her head droop in despair as the fact slowly sank in that the fate of the Three Nations could depend on these two. Finally something snapped, and she jabbed a finger towards the wizard. "You may be in charge, but the Lich's undead minions won't stop to listen to the Squid talking through the Lizard. Especially in the midst of battle. You are going to have to learn to work together, and if that means him talking to you through your mind then you'll just have to deal with it." Morro leaned forwards and thrust her face up to the Necromancers. "Got it?"

She didn't wait for a response before twisting away and storming up to the bartender. She muttered something to him and he nodded before rummaging around under the bar. She turned away from him and called over to the dysfunctional group over the heads of other frightened customers. "Make your way to the mountain, I'll find you there." The Knight made her way over to the doorway and was halfway through before she stopped and glared back at them, considering something for a second. Finally she spoke a few last words of farewell. "Good luck, and... Don't get yourself killed." With a final second taken to disapprovingly survey them one last time, she gave a small nod and disappeared out of the door.

[User]
Caractacus sighed, his grip tightening on the plain staff at his side. "I will do what I must. A curt answer, but one that would serve satisfactory. It was true, too. He was prepared to see this through now that he had a position of responsibility. Caractacus pushed away the empty plate and stood up.

"Very well. I am r-ready to leave, whenever you two are." He looked at his two newfound companions. He hoped they would serve trustworthy. As much as he hated the idea, he knew he would have to speak to the illithid mentally at some point. Morro was right in saying there would be no time to speak through the slith. It didn't stop his skin from crawling however.

Shaking the thought from his mind, he snapped his fingers at his zombies, and gave a terse order. "Follow. The shambling corpses followed close behind Caractacus as he took a position by the door.

[Assistant] Masrith stayed silent. He stood up when all were ready to leave. He walked out the door and looked around. He wasn't sure in which direction they were going because he hadn't been to the surface often and was not familiar with the area. "Where to?" The only words that the Illithid spoke. He closed his eyes. There wasn't really much sun light but it still bothered him. Knowing he spends most of his time in the dark contributed to that.

[User]
Caractacus stepped outside, flanked by his two zombies. He stared out across the great swamp that was now the land of the dead. Turning to the illithid, Caractacus answered curtly. "Into the center of the Old Country." He pointed at the newly sprung mountain looming in the distance. "To the mountain. He took a few steps away from the building, on to the muddy soil. Close behind were his zombies.

"Once the slith joins us, we'll head out. It should be some time before we reach the mountain proper, but if we set a pace, we should be there withing a fortnight. Would be easier with horses..." The beasts of the earth never liked his presence. Caractacus's strange aura seemed to even effect the lesser beings. He shrugged, and turned to wait for the third of the trio to join them outside.

[Assistant]
Kij'hara lingered a moment before stepping outside to join the others, contemplating her options. Did she really want to do this? Was it worth the risk? Sunlight streamed into the tavern through the broken structure, and she savoured the warmth on her scales. Inside the mountain it would be dark, cold. Lifeless. The idea of such an unnatural place didn't appeal to her, but then again, what did she have to lose? Her mind was made up, and she stepped outside with a measured readiness for the journey ahead.

They appeared ready to move on, and the necromancer at least seemed to know where he was going. Kij'hara had never ventured far into the Old Country, even before the mountain and the dead rose again. "There appear to be no horses here. We may find some on our way, but until then it seems we'll have to travel on foot. Unless either of you has a better idea?" She glanced at the Illithid and then the mage, trying to gauge whether either of them did, in fact, have a better idea. Finally she settled her gaze on the human, and bared her teeth in a half hearted smile. "Lead on."

[User]
Caractacus returned the grimace that passed as a smile to the slith. "Aha. The l-last of our party arrives. If we are all ready, it is b-best we make haste."

Caractacus was about to strike out, when an idea struck him. "A th-thought occurs, if I may. If you've supplies that p-perhaps you do not need on hand at all times, my zomb--er, servants are more than capable of carrying them. It will make traveling easier with uh, less burden to bear, yes?" Caractacus unslung the leather rucksack from his back and handed it off to one of his two zombies. It did not even occur to him that the others may not appreciate having their goods handled by a shambling corpse. A hazard of his isolation.

Caractacus nodded to them both, and turned to start walking. Two paces down the road, he stopped. "Um--I j-just realized. I d-don't think I caught either of your n-names. Or m-maybe I just uh, forgot them. If I did, I'm s-sorry. I'm uh, Caractacus, if you didn't know mine..." He turned and kept walking, trying to keep the shame at his own awkwardness from showing.


[System]
Gender: Female
Species: Vampire
Subject taught: English
History: Nuka is not a teacher by choice. She's a teacher because, as she says, Amelia pulled a China on her. Nuka owed a lot of people money and had killed a few too many people in too small an area and had hunters and debt collector's alike coming for her. Amelia managed to deal with both groups "on her behalf," thus making the foul mouthed, usually inebriated, stubborn vampire indebted to her for a long time- too long a time for Nuka to care for specifics. Her repayment method was simple: she would come to the institute, stay sober (the hardest part), to test out Amelia's substitute for her kind of people, and to teach.
While the substitute was hard to stomach for awhile, it was at least an easier hurtle to jump than teaching. As far as Nuka was concerned, even with their parents paying for their safety at this "haven," the students had zero interest in actually being in class, they were there to associate with other "freaks of nature" without having the fear of pitchforks and crossbows being aimed at their backsides. However, there was one subject Amelia noted that Nuka had some specialty at after digging in to the world of the woman before she became a monster and assumed a name- digging which irritated Nuka to no end. Amelia realized that in her human days Nuka had been studying to become an English teacher, or at least tutor since it was in a time when women still weren't exactly empowered in any sense of the word.
Of course now all the teaching of tact has gone out the window and bad grammar is likely to get a long insult written in glorious red pen, or whatever color pen she happens to find first in her aggravation at modern day lingo.
Any clubs you would be interested in assisting in: "You're joking right?"
Any requests: -ignored by Amelia anyways-

Name: Nero Zaheer
Gender: Male
Species: Gypsy- basically a shorter, less long lived elf
Subject taught: Science and art (because the two aren't mutually exclusive in his opinion)
History: Nero has spent his life wandering, going from place to place, just learning what he can, and trying to create different poultices for everyday needs and sometimes more advanced things. He is Erynhil's (the counselor) older brother and made his way to the campus at his brother's insistence. He doesn't planning on permanently settling into the school's environment, but he figures that it will make it entertaining at the very least for a little while. He also wants to make sure the school is a conducive environment for his brother, who- even though he's a counselor to help others with their emotions- can be a bit emotional himself. He and Amelia have a respect for each other since both have spent a majority of their adult lives helping others as best they can, often sacrificing their own liberties in the process.
The gypsy's are big on their body art, hence why their sister Amera is covered from neck to ankle in tattoos, though she insists they are memories she never wants to lose. Regardless, each of the gypsies has some skill in the arts and in Nero's opinion science itself is an art. After all how is mixing ingredients different than mixing inks and paints? He's hoping his ideas and his view point can enlighten students to the beauty that is science.
Any clubs you would be interested in assisting in: Any art club or an astronomy club should students be interested

I will play Amelia, Katerina, Elyana, and Erynhil off and on as they are needed throughout, but these two are the main two everyone will see.

[User]
North[@AimeChamber]
Eryn sure enough had been listening, though he was careful not to tune out the
others. He had an eye on the boy who silently woke his way through the crowd, discreetly healing some who appreciated Emily's tricks the least. He looked over hearing Ryoshi and gave a smile and a wave to Ivo. He wouldn't be the first student to have these issues, but he was one of the few that was legitimately upset over it. Most acted tougher than they were as a means of hiding their insecurity. Though that was true in general. He had a theory or two about the Raiju's behavior too. He looked up hearing the bell toll and announcement was made for all students to return to their rooms, that their classroom assignments would be delivered later. Amelia, however, was not in the clock tower anymore. Eryn stood, but he didn't leave yet, wondering if Ivo would want to talk, not wanting to the interaction on the poor fellow, though he would seek him out later if he didn't. He looked at his list of names, wondering how many would fight opening up to him.

@Silver Carrot
"It's rude to call someone uninteresting just because they're not a deliquent like you," the short, brown haired girl quipped, having followed along once seeing them sneak away after Katerina leave, "Big shocker, no pun intended, but this isn't as forbidden as you think. The places you really can't go are warded to prevent even high level magic to get through," she said as she walked to the edge, "Ah, this is a perfect launch point, though," she put her hand on her hip before looking at the two, "Why exactly are you trying to get in trouble, btw?" She asked, actually using the chat speak, titling her head.

[Assistant]
@SanaChan

Eilidh folded her arms, and huffed, though still smiling. "Hey, Glasgow's a city full of large monstrosities of steel and glass. I've only seen them from the back of a car, though. But this, this architecture. This is real beauty! I think it's the Greek in me just preferring old fashioned, 'proud' buildings to...large grey boxes, honestly. Though you're right about the hobbies. I'm not sure what i'll be doing here when it's not lessons now I'm away from home."

She stepped closer when Emily went onto the railing, looking worried even though she knew Emily could fly, and bit back her warning to be careful. It was just in the nature of a girl with a cumbersome beast to watch somebody else put themselves in a dangerous situation where they need to be nimble...it was just hard to watch. Eilidh grabbed the railing to give herself some security, and looked everywhere but down.

She jumped when she sensed there was another person on the bridge, and instantly prepared for dire consequences, but it appeared to be just another student. "I, um. I'm not trying to get in trouble," the centaur spluttered, "Emily just wanted to show me this view. I...generally don't get to see things this high up. I'm looking forward to getting back down either." she chuckled and shuffled one of her legs. "So, what's your name? Mine's Eilidh Chiron."

[User]
The Werewolf listened earnestly to what the teacher said, and was happy to see that the man was not troubled by him. Back with his parents, the line of the Ebonvuk pack was growing thinner and thinner and the only thing they could do was try to assimilate with human society, except Ivo's family. Without being able to hide his heritage from humans, they had to live closed off from their family who lived in towns and society itself, which could be terribly lonesome. When relatives did come over to visit, Ivo would be shooed out for family meetings and his relatives would complain that his parents had to stay so far away only for him. Being the eavesdropper he was, it had hurt the poor teenager's pride from very young, turning into a powerful insecurity of his.

The Ebonvuk pack had many different forms, but since most of the descendants had mingled their blood with humans, there was no one to help Ivo's special situation. Ivo could easily change more into a wolf, that came naturally for him. What the boy couldn't do was change all the way to a human. It had been a normal custom for women and children to take on the form of humans during their time in the village long ago, but the need to look human was even more pressing in the modern day. While the boy didn't want to trouble too many people with this problem, he nodded hearing that the Guidance Counselor may need to talk to him. That's what the counselor was here for right?

Ivo looked over to where Ryoshi was meeting the eyes of Eryn and saw the counselor wave. He hesitantly nodded back to him, thinking that waving would show off his claws too much. Most of the people of the Ebonvuk pack were more like humans than anything else, only his close family kept up with traditions. The pride of the pack had been diffused with each generation that mingled with humans, until the pride of a warrior wasn't too big in the family. Ivo had lived a rather sheltered life in the wilderness, so he didn't really understand the concept of reputation and the like.

Ivo gave a bow to Ryoshi and offered his farewells before heading over to see the Counselor. He wasn't about ready to talk a great deal about his problem to Eryn, he just wanted to offer his greetings like his mother had grilled him to do ever since he got the invite to the academy. "U-Um, hello! I am Ivo Ebonvuk, pure slavic werewolf of the Ebonvuk pack... please allow me to humbly ask for your training and advice!" The Were bowed.

@Polaris North

[Assistant]
Yukihara felt mildly annoyed. She had looked forward to going to this school, but upon seeing the crowd here to get their room assignments her heart sank. Worried about accidentally freezing more people she had opted to sit in a corner and wait for everyone to be gone, this caused her to arrive at her room way later than most other students. She still didn't regret her choice as she witnessed a punk-looking girl zap her way past the line, glad she wasn't in it. She hadn't been bored either since there were plenty of monster species she had never seen or heard of before. Of course, there were also plenty she had heard of before, specifically one werewolf stood out, and since Yukihara was in the room the entire time she couldn't help but overhear. Eventually the crowd died out and Yukihara went to the assigned room. All in all she was satisfied with how things had gone.

With a sigh Yukihara entered the room. It wasn't a bad room, though fairly standard. No one was in the room, but there were bags, she had missed her roommate. Yukihara lay down for a bit, but after 10 minutes she had regained her excitement and could no longer bear just lying on her bed. She got up and left the room, checking for crowds she was relieved to see the hallway was mostly empty. She wandered around the building for a while looking for a nice view. In passing she noticed some silhouettes on a rooftop, but decided to pay them no mind as she continued her search.

[User]
Eryn gave a smile as Ivo came over and introduced him, "A pleasure to meet you, Ivo! I hope tremendously that we can guide you forward so you can be more confident in your abilities," he said as Nero came over, holding Ivo's room and class assignments.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm guessing you're going to want to know where to go. I promise I haven't been eavesdropping for anything other than a name," he put his hands up once Eryn had taken the papers from him and turned to go back towards the teachers' hall.
"Here you go," Eryn handed the papers to Ivo once he had written some information on the back of the class assignments, "That's my room number in the school building," he pointed to it, "My email and my cell phone number in case you need to contact me at any point. I know a thing or two that could help you when you're struggling with something," he smirked, "I don't want to give any promises about what you and Mr. Hanamaru discussed, but I don't think our beloved headmistress is going to deny you something that is positive for you. That being said, you could probably discuss this with your roommate. He is a unicorn, and he was walking around in human form. He might be able to give you a pointer or two," he said, pointing to his roommate's name, "Why don't you head to the dorm's and go say hello? I think it might help calm your nerves once your in your own space," he smiled at the teen.

Said roommate was currently unpacking his things in the room, having slid away after the bell tolled, figuring he'd get his class assignments later that night. With their room assignments there was a code to a P.O. box for their personal use in the lobby. He'd check it that night for the class list. He looked at his roommate's name and wondered lazily who that was- he'd had his headphones in so he'd overheard absolutely nothing dealing with the wolf. He shrugged, glancing towards the door, idly wondering if he should remove his headphones so he could hear whenever he came in. Suddenly popping a horn from getting a jump scare wouldn't be a good first impression after all.

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

When Nero entered the main lobby area, Nuka had come back out of her room and was sitting in the lobby with the window open as she had a lit cigarette in her mouth as she flipped through the channels on the tv. Nero raised a brow as she had pulled a chair up behind the couch and had her legs up on the back of the couch, "You realize the couch reclines, yes?"
"So?"
Nero shrugged and continued towards his room. She was exceptionally stubborn when she wanted to be, and he'd learned it was pointless to even try to see reason with her in those particular moods. Not that she was actually in one now. She had only decided after lighting the cigarette to watch tv but knew Katerina got angry if she moved the ash tray from the place by the window and so this made it slightly easier to reach that while still being able to see the tv.


[System]
Race: Koth

Backstory: His parents labeled as pagans and heathens during one of the many inquisitions in the Kingdom of Aquilonia, Abelard was taken in swaddling clothes back to his mother's homeland of Koth. They grew up poor and in squalor, until Koth's secret alliance with Nemedia was discovered when Abelard was a young man. His father helped Koth by giving information of the homeland and gave them a decent living on the outerlying areas of Strabonus' Palace.

One day when he was a young boy, Abelard exploring the palace grounds found a secret chamber in the catacombs where a priest was worshiping the God Asura. Instead of killing him, as the priest almost did, he took Abelard under his wing and taught him of dark secrets beyond the veil. In hushed whispers, he grew as a man of the Asuran faith, practicing what little sorcery he was able to as the years passed and various coups rose and fell.

After his master was discovered as a traitor priest to the God Ishtar, he was executed while Alebard was on campaign with the army as a sergeant, a position gained by his father's loyalty. Once they came back, he discovered the execution and took what supplies and scribes he could and fled without a word, traveling from the wilderness of the Picts to Iranistan. Luckily, he received a tip from a prostitute on where an ancient tomb lay in the desert.

[User]
A strong east wind blew over the desolate earth as Abelard raised his hands in supplication, having dropped his sword and staff. The light of the newly risen sun glinted off the spearheads, their edges sharpened to pierce both flesh and mail. A cry of curious demand in Stygian rose behind them. The two were quickly relieved of their weapons and taken to the camp below to be surrounded by harsh lancers, ebony tribesmen of fierce strength, and towering thugs of stygian strain. Out of the crowd poked Ibn-vakir who was short enough to step through the legs of one of the giants. He spread a smile of teeth the color of mule piss save for the missing teeth so far not replaced with any wealth.

Two of the nomads had brought forth a wooden chair covered in skins that Khaseem Bai reclined upon, sitting as arrogantly as if he were the newly crowned king of Iranistan. In one hand he held his spear while in the other he nipped at an apple unfamiliarly, the fruit a strange sight in this unforgiving land. No doubt a sign of his fortune and prestige. He must be drunk on his own power if he thought that would intimidate Abelard and particularly the warrioress Anya. Even though he attempted to keep earthly matters from his mind, Abelard fretted the imminent fear of death in equal measure to how the smell of the pork churned his stomach.

"How strange to find such two foreign jackals." Ibn-vakir said. His smile spread like the plague with his mustached pulled along as well. "Better kill these two quickly, my lord. We cannot have word getting out on the location of the Opal."

Abelard laughed suddenly, one of the first times he had shown any emotion since meeting Anya. He grinned as feircely as any cimmerian barbarian. "You little fool, Ibn-vakir. You did not think we would ever meet with your precious master, did you? Khaseem Bai you are called? This one had already given me the location of the Opal, and had promised to deliver the same to this one beside me. He then wished to join the winning side and lied to you, telling you we were already in pursuit of the prize. He wished for your assassins to silence us, so that you may never learned he attempted to buy your trust with deceit."

Ibn-vakir paled, the grog in his stomach finally wearing off on his mind. Khaseem Bai's face, at ease before, was now a mask of fury and disgust. With a simple wave of his hand he had two of the giants grab Ibn-vakir the wretch.

"No master! He lies!" The thief shrieked in terror as he was rooted into the ground. Almost ritualistically, and it likely was knowing Set's laws, one of the giants took his belt knife and cut open Ibn-vakir's stomach. Blood and bile and a putrid stench erupted from his torn open belly. The thief sank to his knees, eyes wide opened in death. Despite himself, Abelard found it satisfying. His claim had also been a bluff without divine intervention, but seeing as Khaseem Bai did not correct him, his bluff had been correct and the warlord's side of the claims were confirmed plausible.

[Assistant]
Khaseem Bai watched the execution without much interest before turning back to his two prisoners. His eyes were dark and intelligent and had a pragmatic cruelty about them as he measured each of them.

"Well one of the two of you looks fearsome enough to have given the Thieves Guild pause," he declared. Anya relaxed ever so slightly. It would be better to die fighting than to be killed in chains but it seemed that the bandit lord had other plans for them, else he would scarcely bother to keep them alive.

"As it happens without Ibn-vakir I will require someone to guide me to my treasure, perhaps..." he drew a long knife from his belt and tossed it into the dirt between the two prisoners, "the survivor would be interested in such a position?"

Anya glanced sidelong at the priest, perhaps she could kill him before he could employ his arts, perhaps not, but either way it seemed of little matter. By herself it would be difficult, perhaps impossible to overcome Khaseem Bai and his men, and much as she hated to admit it, Abelard could be an ally to her in that.

"Lord," she said in his own tongue, with which she had a passing familiarity from time spent as a pirate up in Villayet, "I could cut this whelps throat as you ask, but what if Ibn-vakir told lies to all of us, perhaps together we have enough of the truth to pass the traps he described and reach the Opal." Kasseem frowned, arching a dark eyebrow.

"Traps?" he asked, it wasn't clear if he believed the Aesir woman, but there was enough uncertainty in his voice that she knew she had him.

"There are three traps Lord," she proclaimed, confident for all that these traps existed, so far as she knew entirely in her imagination.

"Fool!" Abelard broke in, "There are five traps each more fiendish than the last! I learned of them in my study and I make Ibn-vakir tell me what he knew of them!"

[User]
"Silence dogs!" Khaseem Bai spat, raising his fist. Were he to swing it down the order would be met to execute them both on the spot. "If you do not wish to wander the desert without eyes or tongues then you will speak when I permit it! Do not be so foolish as to think you are so valuable as not to maim." He grimaced a moment further like a tiger that watches a receding bear. His devil-may-care manner returned once silence reigned once again. "You will both lead at spear point. Have I any inkling that you will betray me, if we cannot kill you we will seal you within the tomb, understand?"

Abelard and Anya did not immediately answer, though he took that as an acquiesce to his command and he grinned as a snarling lion. "Good. Now priest, lead the way into the tomb with the northern bitch close to your heels."

The thieves watched expectantly as the two regarded one another, and they turned to the ancient Acheron structure. Abelard approached it warily, eyeing the opening. He looked at Khaseem Bai, holding his hands together as if to beg forgiveness. "My staff?" He bade. "To better serve your desire of entering. I will give it back once I open the hole."

The bandit lord measured him and nodded. One of the Stygian Giants tossed Abelard his staff, which he caught promptly and placed on the ground. There was an audible 'thud' when it touched the sand, as if the staff weighed far, far more than it conceivably could. Anya could perceive a tingle of power emanating from the rod, and through the top jewel the sunlight poured through and struck the Acheron opening through the center. As the light penetrated into the strange slit, the stone began to move with a deliberate slowness that shoved great rends of sand in the earth around it.

"He has done it." One of the bandits muttered.

"No, I have not." Abelard answered boldly, and all eyes turned to him with sudden incredulity. He smiled calmly, with a certain satisfaction to him. "I opened it, but in an incorrect manner."

"What!?" Khaseem Bai snarled, confused. His curiosity would be sated in moments when the door, now gaping wide like a vast wound, spewed forth three unknown shadow beasts from within. Demons, Abelard knew them to be. Shaped like apes and as dark as the blackest night and as even larger than the Stygian Giants. He had foreseen their presence and purposefully awoke them. He placed his hand on Anya's shoulder, the sunlight still within his staff as the beasts moved quicker than any horse, loping over and attacking the band of cutthroats. Men screeched and pissed themselves as huge arms of abyssal matter wrapped about them and consumed their bodies and souls utterly.

"The sun will banish them before long." Abelard whispered, eyeing the now unguarded door to the Acheron ruin. "Grab your sword and follow me!"

[Assistant]
Anya snatched up her sword and darted after the priest. The shrieks of the bandits were ghastly as the shadow beasts fell upon them, rending and tearing. Kaseem Bai hurled a dreadful curse at them as they fled and Anya pivoted smoothly to strike sparks as she batted away the warlords thrown dagger. It had been foolish of him to shout but she supposed it wasn't the worst mistake he had made this day. With a burst of speed she looped after the priest, deflecting a spear thrust from one of the wide eyed bandits and taking his throat with her riposte. The pair of them darted through the door of the ancient structure and Abelard raised his staff again. Stone shrieked as the ancient portal began to seal itself, not quickly but with the inexorable inevitability of a tide coming in, or a glacier sliding towards the ocean. The entry stones boomed together, abruptly cutting off the screams of dying bandits as completely as if they had existed only in the imagination of the listeners.

"I'd give you my thanks priest," Anya said, pausing to spit towards the now sealed portal, "but I don't know if our situation is better or worse."

"We are alive," Abelard replied austerly and turned towards the passageway ahead of them. The walls were of sandstone, smoothed but not built, as though it had once been a cave that had been laboriously polished to remove the worst of its irregularity. A thick mist filled it that reminded Anya of the unexplored jungles that stretched for uncounted miles in the lands beyond the forbidding southern borders of Stygia. There was something else on the air too, a faint taste of sulphur that put Anya in mind of the volcanic hotsprings of Trondhel or Aikanaborg. The mist was so thick they could see no more than a few feet infront of them as they edged their way down the passage until they found an opening. Anya had seen many things in her life that others might deem strange, but the sight before them was more incredible than any she had yet witnessed. The passage opened onto a lush fog shrouded jungle, the air so humid that water condensed in droplets on the tip of her blade. Vast trees reached up towards the sky and large leafed plants squatted at their bases. Strange animals called and hooted in the jungle and lizard like creatures skittered and leaped from the wrist thick vines which hung like spider webs. Vast columns of greenish soapstone reached upwards into the low hanging mist which was none the less illuminated by a sickly green yellow light beyond. There was no way that this place existed within the structure they had scene in the desert, either in scale or in the alien aspect of the jungle which was unlike anything Anya had scene.

"By Wotan's eye," she marveled, staring in awe at the landscape before her.

[User]
At first Abelard considered this a dream or some wild vision granted by Asura. But his skin watered from the humid heat, feeling it course and rough to breathe in. He felt itchy from the brushing of the long fern-like grass, and the microscopic insects clinging to his ankles. The Priest had seen many wonders of the gods; vast cataclysms and eldritch spells given to him within visions and dreams. But what manner of magic this thing was, was daunting to his sensibilities. He sensed that the Opal was not far off, however, and that was what they would need to cling their hopes to.

"Ware and steel yourself Barbarian woman," He said to her, clutching his staff in both hands now. Twisting his hands, the spike at the end protruded again and he changed his stance as if he held a spear, which he practically did. In the distance a grinding roar lifted in the air and a porcine squeal echoed. Abelard had heard tale of the great southern jungle cats thrice as large as a man, and felt their potential all too real at that moment. "Whether we are in the Black Lands south of dreaded Stygia or some nether realm, we must retrieve the Opal at all costs."

The two of them crept warily, Abelard with his spear at the ready. Somehow he felt less suited to the situation that Anya, for the woman seemed just as home here as she likely was in the frozen north. Abelard nearly tripped over what he had perceived to be a log at one point, until he realized it was the midsection of an enormous python, resting in the brush. So large was it, it moved too sluggishly to give he or Anya any notice, and the two stepped over it carefully. Likely it was savoring a recent meal, which brought many uncomfortable questions they needn't dwell on.

After cutting through thickly draped vines and undergrowth that clutched at their hips, the two of them burst into a clearing. Anya landing as any skilled warrior would, and Abelard moving like he preconceived where the correct places to step was to keep his footing. The jungle glade was about fifty square feet with turfts of exotic blades of grass mingled with dirt. Sunken bones of both man and beast jutted out of the soil. What was slightly more concerning and significant was the Opal of Power set upon a dias of tied bone at the very center.


[System]
Freak Label: Anomaly

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Faction: Freak (Not actually a Freak, but fits in well with them due to her lack of arms. She's really an Epic)

Ability: Psychic fists! Xoxi is able to conjure and control up to two psychic hands at will, and each hand would act the same as any old appendage, but it comes with the catch that Xoxi is unable to feel any pain that these hands would have to experience while still being able to feel most sensations (she struggles to differentiate textures, weight, and temperature unless it's an extreme difference). Both hands can vary in size, with it being the size of an average human hand or increasing to around double that size, should she wish for that.

"Mutation": Somewhat tying into her past, Xoxi has permanently lost her arms due to an... unknown disease, and any attempts to give a suitable replacement to her arms via surgical attachment or prosthetics will result in the replacement being completely useless. Effectively, Xoxi is unable to have arms, but she copes with it because she has her cool ghost hands to use instead, so it isn't so bad.

Weakness: Fire. If Xoxi is around fire, she'll go into a panic and lose all connection to her abilities, which makes the situation a bit more problematic as she has no arms to extinguish the flame. Aside from that, there's not a ton that can stop her psychic abilities.

Personality: Xoxi acts rather blasphemous to other's beliefs, hashing them as their own ideology of what they simply choose to believe in, and while she doesn't care about whaat you are, be it a Freak, Epic, or just a nobody, she'll accuse you of being an idiot when you worship a High over all else. Her ultimate goal in life isn't to steal the power of a High, or anything of the sort, but it is to ascend to the position of a High and really see if they're an urban legend or reality.

Aside from that, Xoxi is an incredibly laid back individual, preferring being cold to warm, and she doesn't mind playing a round of video games using her psychic hands. That being said, she's deathly afraid of fire, and she will refuse to go within 10 feet of any flame that isn't small and controlled (stoves don't bother her, but campfires do).

Appearance: Standing at 5'1", boasting nothing but a flat chest, no arms, and a large burn scar down the side of her body, Xoxi is a rather unremarkable specimen. She likes to wear more comfortable clothes and commonly will be seen wearing a purple hoodie and any old set of pants she can find that belong to her.

When she's out and about being Anomaly, however, she'll put a black leather jacket over her hoodie for some added protection, and she'll carry a bandana around just in case she has to hide her identity. Surprisingly, this works out more often than you would think.

Background: Born to a broken household a few towns away from Epic City, Xoxi's life wasn't super interesting aside from the fact that her parents divorced when she was young. In the divorce, her father got custody of her and cared for her like she was the only thing that mattered, and while he couldn't afford a ton of luxuries due to his unfortunate employment circumstances, the two managed to get by in their small apartment on a fair budget, although life got considerably harder when Xoxi was identified with the unknown disease that took her arms away in a mass of rotted flesh and such (it only affected her arms, interestingly).

Now on a smaller budget, Xoxi's father took her out of school in order to help her cope with the loss of her arms, which she didn't really care that she lost as long as she was with her dad. The two attempted many times to get a suitable prosthetic from, but every attempt failed as the prosthetic limbs were unable to be secured without causing some other form of difficulty to Xoxi, including having a set stiffen out to the her sides 24/7, another set completely falling apart as soon as they left the building, and various other ways that the sets fell apart.

When Xoxi was 16, a fire broke out in her apartment complex, and it spread fast to the point where her dad and her were quickly in grave danger. While her dad's life was claimed by the burning, Xoxi was saved due to a voice in her head telling her that she could get out if "she could see the hands that guided her." It was then that Xoxi discovered her psychic abilities, using the ghostly hands in front of her to break down the door and get out of the complex. The fire claimed a bit of her body, as a large scar was etched into her skin that night, but she was alive.

After being admitted into Epic City's hospital burn ward (the town she lived in before didn't really have a hospital able to treat her wounds), the doctors that tended to her burns were dumbfounded that this double amputee managed to survive the fire despite having no arms, dubbing her survival as an anomaly of unknown proportions. She shrugged it off, knowing that she could do marvelous things with her mind fists, but that day has given her a permanent resentment of fire.

She left the hospital's care soon after, in search of a new place to call home. She knew that efforts of adoption in this city were slim if you weren't a kid, and she was at a further disadvantage than some with her lack of arms. Eventually, she encountered another Freak, who assumed she was something like him (though less horrific) due to her lack of arms, and he asked her what she went by. The first word that came to her mind when she had to tell him was "anomaly", so she took up the name in order to protect who she truly was. From that day forward, the Freak that asked her identity would become her best friend, and he showed her where people like them were able to fit in.

Xoxi currently resides in Undertown as Anomaly, alongside the comfort of her best friend Pudding (the only way to describe this guy was that he was an anthropomorphic pile of sludge), and she has her dream of ascending to the position of a High, although she doesn't know if she'll ever amount to that.

[User]
Edward was walking toward Central Park when the High Clairvoyant warned of the Snapper in the park. Edward quickly donned the guise of Magus and headed to the Park. By the time he arrived, several things had already happened. First of all, Dragon Heart and Blacklight were fighting. Again.

Secondly, someone had angered the turtle as evidenced by the fact that it was not peacefully grazing as the snappers tended to do. Instead, one of the Freaks who worked with the Emergency Response and Search and Rescue teams had placed his arm in the turtle's mouth, then proceeded to grow the arm large enough to actually lift the turtle off the ground.

Thirdly, ECPD and a few other Epics seemed to be effectively keeping civilians out of danger. It would appear he was not currently needed, but he would observe and intervene if the need did arise. Then he looked back at the people ushering the crowd away. One of the people, wielding a glass baton, looked familiar. He hadn't gotten a good look at the man the first time they had met, but it was good enough that Magus recognized him now. He approached the glass manipulator, ushering people away as he went. "We meet again," he said when he was just feet away from his adversary.

[Assistant]
Roxana whimpered as Alex found her under the table. "Too much, too much, too much," she repeated, rocking back and forth. Only now did she feslt like she was getting herself back together. Forcing herself to stop and breathe, Roxana looked up at her friend. "It's too open," she managed, uncurling herself. "Too much sky."

---

This was supposed to be a good day. Talk to old friends, go shopping, cook a nice dinner for a gorgeous woman, and maybe do a little heroism on the side. Instead, his brother started ruining everything, like he always did. First killing a bystander and now this... Cowboy kid.

He ran up to the cowboy, grabbed him with an apologetic, "Not now," and bodily threw him towards the crowd. Having removed the main distraction and satisfied everyone else could handle the snapper, he set himself the age-old task of getting his brother back into line. Cracking his knuckles, he turned back just in time to see a thin, wobbly barbell tumble slowly through the air and crack into Blacklight's nose.

Taking a brief glance up, in case it fell from a plane, Dragon took advantage of the distraction and got a hand against Blacklight's cheek, shoving him bodily to the ground and holding him there like a disobedient puppy. "Now are you going to listen and behave yourself or am I going to have to take you to ECPD myself, Jace?"

[User]
Devilstrider snapped another Harpies neck and tossed it to the side. It had become chorelike work, something you did without really thinking too much about it. Instead his thoughts wandered and he started wondering why these Harpies were suddenly violent. They were basically stupid overgrown birds, it wasn't normal. So he started following the direction the Harpies seemed to come from when they first appeared. He had no real idea what he would find, but maybe if he just looked around, he'd find it.

Several other Harpies attacked him, but he dispatched them quickly, methodically. As usual he also fought down his rage that seemed to be on a low boil at the moment. He was no longer muttering which was definitely a good thing.

[Assistant]
---

Traveler - Heroes Cafe - Interior

---

Alex rubbed Roxana between the shoulders, humming lightly. "It won't be so open in your suit protecting everyone and dealing with the threat. You'd be up in that building, where I can't go. Not in the big open sky," she murmured, her voice slightly strained.

---

Blacklight - Central Park

---

Backlight gaped. "I know I know I know I know I know I know," he rambled, the words all flowing together and barely being understandable. He grabbed Dragon's wrist, firmly kicking him in the family jewels at the same time, and wiggled out from under the grasp. A whip took hold of Dragon at the neck, which he promptly removed. But it was a distraction from the whip encircling his hand that had been on Blacklight's face, which forcefully broke the index finger while Blacklight began backing away.

He stood up, a cold smile on his face.

A small tree was nearby, barely the same size as Blacklight. Several whips came around it, and flung it straight into the Snapper.

"I'll find her, Hunter. I know. It's the only explanation. The only solace you could have found in this damned world of mine. I know," he said religiously as he left earshot, effectively escaping as the Snapper became the top priority.

The Snapper, meanwhile, was practically burping up flames. Flames came out around the Claw in bursts, much more along the lines of bubbles than normal flames, as it began to fight against the Claw to return to the ground, properly enraged.

[User]
As Devilstrider followed the Harpies, he realised after some distance that they were coming from atop a Skyscraper. He looked up and thought for a moment. Getting up there wasn't exacly easy. He did not possess flight. He did, however, have considerable strength and speed. Taking a step back, he rubbed at his ring. He was always nervous when he did this. He infused and sped forward, jumping and continuing his speed, it carried him up the building. Within a few seconds he was on top of it.

Well. He was here. Time to figure out what was up.

[Assistant]
Steve

Location: alley across Heroes' Café
interacting with: Harpy

---

---

Steve figured he just had to sit this one out. Events like this happened fairly often and the inhabitants of EC had gotten used to it. Though deadly, most villains or monsters were too distracted by the heroes who were taking them on, to be concerned about regular civilians. If he would stay low in the shadow behind this dumpster, no harm was going to befall him. In situations like this he had often feared it to be his duty to help others and use his giant size. But he was way more comfortable not being in the picture and having lesser responibility as a disabled person. Luckily there were so many people like his friend Robert, who wanted to be a hero. They were almost fighting amongst each other for who could be the most badass hero. The most famous or the most useful. Steve assumed there were more than enough people handling these situations. And his help would probably not even be appreciated.

From: STEVE
To: ROB
Hey Rob, I'm across Heroes Café, hiding in the alley,
in case you're looking for me.
You're probably still melting some birds, so good luck! and stay safe!
I need you in one piece. Let me know when I can expect you.

Seconds after he had hit send, he heard a cat's meow coming from his bag. More specifically, from the pocket of Robs pants that he was carrying with him. He hit his forehead with his flat hand. That was dumb.

And dumb it was. However faint the sound, a nearby harpy managed to pick it up and make a little inspection. Steve was putting away his phone when he suddenly felt sharp claws gripping his shoulders. Two of the talons pierces his skin. Before he could react to it, the Harpy had lifted him up in the air, and out of his chair. In a reflex, Steve curled up to a ball, as to not turn giant. As he was lifted higher and higher into the air, he started doubting whether it was the deadly threat of the harpy, or the social anxiety related to his power, that scared him more.

[User]
Anomaly
Great. The snapper was now partially breathing fire. Anomaly couldn't really tell if the snapper itself was breathing the fire or if the Epic currently had his giant arm in the turtle's mouth was causing it, but frankly she didn't care. She was more concerned at the fact that there was fire. It unnerved her, but she wasn't too close to it for her to really be bothered. Why did a snapper have to appear today?

She stopped trying to get civilians away, mainly because there were no more children to grab and the two guys at the front of the crowd had it covered for adults. Looks like she really only had one choice... she had to help fight the fire-breathing turtle. This was going to be fun.

Anomaly ran closer to the snapper, but still kept a good distance away. She mainly wanted to be close enough for her ghost hands to actually do things and let her see what they were able to do. She heard the Epic with his hand in the turtle's mouth speak, asking if the crowd had any ideas for how they could get rid of the turtle. Anomaly had a single idea, but it was kind of stupid. "We might be able to Mario 64 this guy, spin him around like Bowser." As stupid of an idea that it sounded like, it was entirely plausible. Anomaly went ahead and tried to hook her hands on the tail of the snapper, making sure to get a good grip. It's tail was strong as shit, and it was a tough grab, but she managed to latch on and keep her grip.


[System]
Character Concept: A magic-wielding heap of metal who has an intense case of music appreciation.
Gender: Male

Background: Heavy metal and a tinge of engineering defined Hephaestus' old life. Cool-headed, yet desiring to be hot-headed, Hephaestus lived alone, preferring to keep himself occupied with "professor things" and "metal things." Contrasting to what his preferences sounded like on paper, his life was fairly normal and made him likable to those who worked around him. Alas, his life had a certain tone of boredom to it, for he never showed his true hobbies to those around him that much…

He carried out his life successfully… up to the point where a blue truck slammed into his car. As soon as he died, Hephaestus decided to go full metal when he was granted a new life. His first harmony of deliciously heavy strings told the tale of his boring death in the most exciting manner, and he quickly adapted to his initial death and accepted rebirth with open arms.

Level: 1

Class: Metal Mage – Although he is armed with a heavy mace that deals great amounts of damage, his true strength lies in his ability to manipulate various kinds of metals. As he grows stronger, the metals he is able to control and its strength in general grow in noticeable numbers. Hephaestus tanks damage while relying on his magic to inflict bursts of damage on his opponent regardless of his distance from them.

Due to his heavy armor and just as heavy attacks, Hephaestus is at his weakest when the opponent maintains a "burst range" between oneself and the armored magician- the minimum distance required to act immediately against his attacks. This allows people to outplay his fighting ability if they choose their options right, regardless of whatever Attribute they have. He still excels at point-blank range combat and far-ranged skirmishes, though his large form makes him susceptible to receiving damage from attacks that most people could dodge carefully from. This is made up with his natural ability to mitigate damage by improving the metals he can control and predicting where to shield himself from certain attacks.

Unlike most warriors and magicians, Hephaestus is unable to equip any other armor and weapon without suffering the loss of his Gift's passive effects on his default equipment. Thus, he is stuck with the combat equipment he has been given since rebirth.

Hephaestus cannot learn any other form of magic aside from enhanced levels of metal manipulation. Hephaestus learns how to control new metals upon every ten levels, steadily improving his power to manipulate the material at each power up. While monsters around his level (and above, in some cases) tend to have trouble fighting him, he struggles in retreating when necessary and is forced to fight extremely passively during his early levels against fast-hitting fighters and high-damage mages.

Race: Wraith

Attribute: Force

Gift: Metal Manipulation – Hephaestus can manipulate metals both around him and from metal generated by himself. The metal he can create out of thin air reflects on the metals he can currently control. His armor's durability and weapon strength increase as he levels up, allowing him to overpower more foes up-close and pressure more from afar with his spells. Hephaestus cannot manipulate metallic weapons carried by opponents, but can manipulate weapons thrown by them.

The Metals He Can Control So Far...:
-Copper, Bronze, Iron (Level 1)
-Steel (Level 10)
-Mithril (Level 20)
-And so on...

Equipment: -Metal-Infused Armor. The armor can have its materials magically switched with any metal that can be controlled within his power. (This is the only equipment he can wear that benefits from his Gift)

-Infused Morning Star. The mace can have its materials magically switched with any metal that can be controlled within his power. (This is the only equipment he can use that benefits from his Gift)

-Pouch for "The Less Important Things" (ie. money)

[User] Regina sat up with a yawn and a stretch, looking around to view her surroundings. She saw the man chopping wood. "Hey." she said, approaching him. "Can you tell me about the area?"

[Assistant]
Orion Stoneheart

Was that the right house? Usually Grandmas were nice and good at cooking, the smoke and yelling indicated that neither of these things were true. Somewhat leery of the strange house Orion walked up to the door and knocked, yelling loudly, "Grandma Grinny, I came about the job!" Surely that was just someone who lived with the Granny. The actual Granny was probably really nice the person screaming loudly was just someone that lived with her.

[User]
Hikaru - The Forest

F****in hell, plan worked in a way, but he expected it to work better. Also it surprised Hikaru that one of them was smart enough to figure it out, weren't all goblins supposed to retarded ?! Although to be honest assuming something in a world where he had no idea how things worked wasn't exactly smart either. Heh... talking dog was clearly not happy and needed to do something else. Especially in a situation which started to get worse and worse with each second. But at least Hikaru removed some obstables so maybe he can do it in the end.

Talking dog also hoped that he was fast enough to pull off the new plan. He should have speed advantage as dogs were clearly faster runners then humans (and he REALLY hoped it also worked the same way against goblins) so he sprinted towards the leader which tried to help others and push him in the hole or straight up bite his throat out (whichever worked, if he showed opening). If it worked, he would wait for other goblins to run in (and Hikaru couldn't imagine last one to not run into him in such case) and try to jump in last moment to let last one to drop in. If by any chance plan would fail, he would use Echolocation to find some wild animal(s) like Wolfs or a bear and let it finish the job in killing last goblins. Oh boy... Hikaru sighed, this world so far was truly annoying to deal with...

[Assistant]
Forest:
@Kejmur@Holy Soldier@Belwicket

 The interior inside Grandma Ginny's house was very tight squeezed. It was obvious how many rooms resided in the house. By first inspection, the room walking in was the living room. It had a worn couch; its cushions were in bad shape as fluff was beginning to pour out. The rug looked stained and probably could tell the history of the room from ten years ago. The bookcase did not look sturdy and was covered in dust.

 A door led to an opened bedroom. On the bed was a mountain of clothes and an ironing board set up to the side. Not much else could be seen from the front door.

 Adjacent to the living room was the kitchen area. The area had an opened wall to enter and the living room was in the same shape. The tiles on the floor were coming off and the place smelled like burned cooking. Inside was a black cauldron sitting warmly on the stove. It bubbled rapidly.

 Grandma Ginny turned off the heat and began coughing roughly. "Who? What?" She turned around and smiled creepily at Orion. Her smile turned immediately to a unimpressed expression. "Huh, I was expecting more of a muscle-bound type of guy. I guess this is what I get from posting on the board. I can't be too picky." She cackled.

 Grandma Ginny looked frail and old. Her wrinkles on arms and face were clear as day. She had a long blouse on along with a jacket overneath. She had fuzzy slippers on her feet and her hair stretched down to her shoulders. She had some color in her atleast.

"Alright, so my soup tastes like shit," she said bluntly. She grabbed a ladel on her table and proceeded to dunk it inside the cauldron. "Don't believe me? Try it for yourself." She handed the ladel over to Orion. Grandma Ginny then fished her hand out of her pocket to take out a folded piece of paper. The paper seemed to have a peculiar glow to it that only Orion could see. "Here's a few items I need to get. You might want to do it before sundown," she warned.

---

 The man with the ax stopped hitting the trees. "I'm sorry; I can't." He then began striking down the bark again. "You didn't say please..." He commented. The man with the ax began laughing with every swing. He had to stop chopping wood to catch his breath. "Okay, I'm just kidding. But yeah, you should work on your mannerisms though."

 The man with the ax elbowed Regina in the shoulder in a joking manner. "There's a lot of you today, huh? Well, you just want to keep heading that way," he pointed north. "At the center of this forest is a village. Head there and you'll be good." He gripped both hands on his ax and prepared to swing at the tree again.

"I would lead you there myself, but I really have to make my quota." The man with the ax was going to swing, but stopped mid-way. "Oh, and try getting there before dark, alright?" He chucked his ax immediately after and continued his work.

---

The slower goblin was not able to catch the dog. It had completely slipped past him and was no match in speed. The leader goblin was too preoccupied with trying to get the others that he did not see the dog coming at him. He expected the dog was just an ordinary mutt and had no ulterior motives.

 The leader goblin fell straight through the hole from the push landing among the other trapped goblins. The slower goblin was enraged that his party was fooled by this dog. Aiming carefully, he chucked his dagger at the Hiraku. Pulling out another right after, he darted towards the dog and enabled a war cry. "You stupid dog!"

[User]
Hephaestus turned to Ezekiel, and then at the throne he made.

He had no real answer to give him. Rather, he did not want to give the real answer to Ezekiel, considering that he pretty much got it by simply wishing for something strange. The armored wraith settled for a laugh, though it came off as an intimidating one.

Fortunately, the farmer finished up the chicken salad before he forced himself to come up with a random reason behind the origin of his power. The knowledge of manipulating metal simply infused into his mind as soon as he made the strange decision to accept rebirth. Perhaps he took the farmer's words too much to heart, as he practically slammed a good chunk of the food into his mouth, which lay hidden behind the shade his helmet cast over his face.


[System]
Age: 17

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Home World: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Key-Weapon: Snake-Eyes. A Keystaff that is held not by its handle but by its long shaft. The teeth of the key serve as the bottom tip that usually rests on the ground, while the key's handle serves as the ornate head of the staff. Snake-Eyes in particular also carries the motif of a snake, with what looks like an ornate cobra coiling its body up and around the shaft and positioning its head in the center of the key's handle.

Magics: Fire, Water, Blizzard, Slow, Reflect

Grand Magic: A unique phenomenon that occurs when repeatedly casting the same spell in rapid succession. It's a form of temporary magical surge that allows the caster to channel the same spell but one tier higher for a single use. At higher levels it can used to cast spells otherwise considered to be inaccessible due to high range of power.

D-Links: Jafar

Job: Black Mage (Prefers to be called a Sorcerer)

Appearance: He's a nimble, scarlet eyed youth with short sandy brown hair, though you rarely see it when his iconic crimson hood is almost always covering it. Underneath that is a basic combination of black shirt, black pants, and dark leather shoes. He's also surprisingly athletic for a mage, able to maneuver himself with a degree with agility and acrobatics not typically seen in one such as himself.

Brief History:
Throughout the ages, a silent shadow war has been waged between the Morganians and Merlineans at the behest of their leaders, Balthazar Blake and Maxim Horvath. The Merlineans believed magic was a force to be used for the betterment of mankind, while the Morganians would instead use their magics for selfish gain and subjugation. Canaan was one such sorcerer under the tutelage of Melvor, a Merlinean. Canaan had been an orphan on the streets until he was found by Melvor, who sensed the magical potential within the boy and took him in as an apprentice. Some years after this, their sanctum came under attack by unfamiliar black creatures, appearing to be commanded by a powerful dark wizard that Melvor recognized as a Horvath. Under any other circumstance, he and his student would have fought the intruders off, but this time Melvor cast a powerful spell that opened a tear in the very world and used his magic to throw his student through it to the other side.

Caught completely off guard, Canaan found himself tumbling down a sandy dune in the middle of a desert. It was nighttime, and he could hear horses in the distance. Canaan tried to return through the tear but it had already vanished. Instead he caught side of two horses approaching a distance dune. Their riders stopped, and after a moment the sandy dunes transformed themselves into the shape of a fierce tiger's head that spoke in an ominous low voice, "Who disturbs my slumber?" one of the riders dismounted and nervously approached. Canaan couldn't make out what the short man said, but could hear the Tiger's response clearly, "Know this: Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. The Diamond in the Rough!" the man looked hesitant, but the second rider appeared to be spurring him forward. Shortly after the man entered the Tiger's mouth, Canaan watched in horror as the living cave became enrage and chomped down on the would-be intruder, apparently killing him.

And yet, the other man didn't seem particularly shocked. The bird on his shoulder flew out and fetched a pair of tiny objects from the sand, too small for Canaan to identify them. Then it flew back and landed back on its master's shoulder. After this, the man turned his horse around rode off into the distance. And then somehow - through some kind of magic he didn't recognize, a name seemed to pop into Canaan's head: Jafar. It had to have been that man's name, and yet how did Canaan suddenly come to know it? At that same instance, an unfamiliar object appeared in his hand. It looked like a key-shaped staff, also bearing the image of a serpent wrapping itself around it. And then it vanished just as suddenly as it appeared. Canaan decided to follow the direction that the man Jafar had rode off into. Likely he would find civilization by doing so. But along the way, the desert started to take its toll. And just as Canaan found himself surrounded by more of those things that attacked him and his master, he collapsed from both the heat and exhaustion.

When he awoke, he found himself elsewhere. He'd been saved by an elderly looking man who held in his hand a key-shaped weapon of his own.

Other: Carries with him a dagger that serves as his Focus, an object that sorcerers in his world use to channel their magic with. And although he is able to use magic through Snake-Eyes, he is also able to do so through the Dagger, and in fact can use both to channel his magic to a stronger degree than he could with either individually.

[User]
"Of course she's hiding something." said the Sorcerer, at last breaking his long silence. He wondered how long it would be before someone else had started to notice what he had noticed a while ago, "And she's hiding it under the castle somewhere. I sensed it coming from somewhere below the throne room. Power. Real power. Not like the cheap smoke and mirrors tricks she was doing in the throne room." he reached up and adjusted his red coat a bit, also using the time to let them react however they would. But he wouldn't wait long.

"And best of all? I'm pretty sure I know what it is." he said with a cocky smirk, "A mirror, magical of course. And if I'm right about it, one that possesses near omniscient levels of knowledge, and able to answer anything you ask of it with perfect accuracy. I assume you all realize the implications here?" he glanced about at his current companions. Surely even the most clueless among them would make the connection. That a power like the mirror's could allow one to always know the movements and whereabouts and anyone they wish to track, among a myriad of other ways it could be used... or abused.

"I say the mirror should be our goal." he said flatly, "For two reasons. First: We can probably use its power to locate the Princess, saving us the time it would have taken to search for her. And second: It would be in our best interests to ensure that such a power remains well out of the wrong hands, if you catch my meaning."

[Assistant]
Noticing that nobody was following, Kalak stopped as Canaan brought up some valid points about the current situation. "Don't..." Kalak laughed "Don't want to be a negative nancy on this, but i'm hearing a lot of "Pretty sure" and "If i'm right"" Kalak stated. "Ok, she's got a lot of magical power in that castle somewhere. 1) We don't know for a fact what it is 2) even if it is an all knowing magic mirror, we don't know what's guarding it, could be powerful 3) If it is a magic mirror and its guards are weak enough for us to push through, we don't know it'll answer any of our questions. It might be inclined only for the queen herself. And whilst we're wasting time pushing through a lot of unknowns, that bug-guy and the skull-guy and whoever else is out there are still trying to kill that maiden." He shook his head.

"Our first priority is finding that princess and getting her safe, then we can storm the castle and deal with the magics in there. My point is, one of our goals is time sensitive, the other isn't. We should deal with the one we KNOW about first and deal with everything else later."

[User]
Conner blinked, and gave Verik a look. He wasn't so sure how good of friends someone who was willing to hire mercenaries to kill someone just because they were prettier than her could be. This kid was weird for sure… But he was cute, Conner couldn't deny that! "Um… yeah, sure dude." Conner returned the handshake, and followed the rest of the group.

As they were heading off, that guy in the red cloak suggested going after the queen's magic mirror. He wasn't wrong, he knew the story of Snow White, it had to exist somewhere… Even though he was always up for an adventure, even he thought that was a bad idea. Kalak thought so too, and brought up every reason why. "Yeah, as much as I would love a little action, I agree with him. Unless that magic mirror can teleport us directly to her, we gotta keep the princess safe… Plus… uh… no offense bro, but you kinda give me bad vibes… I don't know what you're gonna do with that thing once we find it."

[Assistant]
After a short argument, the party had decided to search for the Princess and go back for the supposed mirror later. The forest was lush and thick, their first entrance seemed a little difficult with vines and other knotweeds preventing easy incursion. As they finally managed to find a way into the forest, the dense cannopy began to block most of the light, the photosynthesis-starved smaller branches and bushes grabbing at their clothes as if the claws of demons. Cio-Cio began to glow as a lightsource as the forest quickly began to look as if night had fallen. Finally it opened into what looked like a maze of paths. The Dreameater seemed to lead the way, seeming to sense the pure heart off in the distance.

Following her down a path, they could each feel an evil presence emanating from further in. As they continued to walk, Kalak would quietly pick at the strings of the guitar. Suddenly, they would hear a familiar sound before a scream. "What in the heck?" The party set off at a run towards where the sound had come from. As they reached the clearing, they found the body of the green man they had met back at the castle, laying in a slowly expanding pool of blood, his chest impaled by several a large spears of wood. "Ooooooh..." Kalak winced. "Who the heck did that to you?" Cio-Cio slowly buzzed over to the body and began looking it over.

[User]
Rascal

Rascal visibly gasped when he saw the green man, his eyes wide as he rushed over to him. The cocky facade was entirely gone as Rascal's entire body shook, wondering who would do such a thing.

"Is there anything we can do!?" He asked, looking at Kalak and Cio-Cio.

[Assistant]
Verik

Verik eyed the green man as he approached him. "This is the same man who accepted the queen's offer without hesitation, I believe. As Kalak said, I don't think he's got a problem 'killing pathetic creature for money.' I bring this up because I can save him, but if I do, and the same thing happens to one of you, I won't be able to do it a second time. If I help him, he could become our enemy, and even if he doesn't, one of us may unknowingly be trading our lives for his. It's not as simple as self-sacrifice. Any lives we would have saved and any lives he will go on to take will be doomed by this choice, but the alternative is leaving him to die when we didn't need to. We don't have a lot of time before the decision is made for us, so let's go straight to a vote. Raise your hand if you think we should save him."

Verik looks the others in the eye, one by one. It was quite sudden, but they needed to make a choice. He was quite reluctant to spend his only use of Raise on an enemy, but if they could make him an ally, or at least a friend, it would be worth it. He couldn't just do nothing, because when he uses it later, they'd ask why he didn't use it now. That being said, the idea of reviving the green man and being blamed for his choice down the line was scary, so he put it to a vote. This way, no matter what they decide, no one will hate him. It's the perfect plan.

"I will abstain."

[User]
"Who said anything about 'storming' the castle?" retorted the Sorcerer with a scoff, "Have none of you ever sneaked into any place before?" he shook his head. The idea that someone like him would suggest using brute force was laughable, hysterical even. And of course they questioned his certainty about the mirror. Okay then, seemed it was time to spill the beans.

"I know all this because it exists as a fairy tale in the world I hail from. That's how I'm so certain about the Mirror and what it can do." he leaned in a bit for a hard gaze at shorter guy, "And according to the story, the Mirror is a spirit that was enslaved and trapped in the mirror by the Queen. So if we were to... rescue it? Well you can probably guess how grateful it would be to us for saving it."

But that didn't seem to be enough. And now the would-be surfer dude was accusing him of giving 'bad vibes', as he put it. That made the Sorcerer's blood boil and he whirled around to glare at him, "What I'm doing is looking at this from the bigger picture. So I'm sorry if that gives you bad vibes, 'bro'. What exactly do you think I would do with the Mirror? Lug it around with me everywhere I go? Don't be absurd." he rubbed his temples in frustration, "Obviously my suggestion is to take the Mirror back to the old man. If he doesn't know a way to free the spirit, then he's sure to know someone else who does."

But despite his arguments and against all of Canaan's protests, the group voted to search for the maiden first. Canaan hung back as they walked, clearly having no desire to make this choice, "Tch, this is why I hate Democracy." he muttered under his breath. It was also why he hated having to work with other people. If he'd been on his own he could have just gone with his own plan and not have to care about trying to pitch the idea to anyone else.

But as the group entered the forest, Canaan could almost immediately the smell the stench of a dead body somewhere deeper within. Soon they found it, the body of one of the mercenaries that had passed by them earlier. He was clearly dead, impaled on a bunch of tree branches and roots. And now suddenly it was turning into a vote on whether to try to help the poor fool or not. Great, another 'vote'. Because the last one went so well last time. Canaan rolled his eyes, "Look, who cares? He's dead and gone, guy was probably an idiot anyway. And remind me again who it was earlier that was making such a big deal about not wasting our time?" he shot a sideways glance over Kalak and Conner.