[System]
Sir "LightBro"
Sex: Despite being a sir, Jonathan was actually Jennifer Light, a woman who faked being a man and getting into an army from it

Small Appearance Note: Jennifer Light has short auburn hair concealed by her helmet, and her chest is small but not completely flat.

Personality: Jonathan is a noble, typically quiet man, preferring to speak with actions rather than words. He swore himself to his duty as a crusader back in the days of old, and upholds his ideals of being that crusader, despite fighting for a God that he doesn't believe in. He has his own affiliations of religious ideals and is not afraid to call upon them and ask for help. He hates people who think highly of themselves, seeing them as scum, although he understands if someone says they're better than they are if they're in a joking mood. He is slightly racist towards fundamentalist Christians and Scientologists, believing that their ideas of a greater power are very illogical.

Greatest Sin: Pride. Jonathan went face to face against a horde of enemies before he died, and he imagined he could bore through enough of them and get through the insane amount of ruffians so he could flee the battle. Unfortunately, he cleaved through about 10 people before he took a fatal stab into the chest, causing him to bleed out.

Motivation: Jonathan has seen the error of his ways and desires to return to the realm of the living and seek redemption from his God, which he believes shows it's presence through his power. He feels the only way to do this is by making the journey back through Hell and help some people who also wish to make the journey back.

Biography:
 Jonathan was born in 1078 AD, in the city of Constantinople, from Jonathan Light II and his mother, Lelanna Light, two merchants currently selling dyes and clothes to the peasants of Constantinople. He didn't have any sort of formal education, aside from how trading and shopkeeping worked, and was always picked on as a kid for having a bit of a hard time talking, although nobody could really tell if he had difficulty talking or he just didn't like it. Eventually, Jonathan started a small shop near his parents, specializing in art and decorations, and Jonathan made a good living off it, worshipping his own God secretly when he didn't work. He loved his life and what he did, making a good profit off of it and meeting some interesting people.
 However, the First Crusades began, and when the enlistment happened in his area, he went and pledged his allegiance to the cause of the Pope. Jonathan joined due to him wanting a change of pace in his life, and he felt like this was his opportunity for a new chapter in his expansive tale. As a crusader, Jonathan quickly rose the ranks as a very talented warrior, eventually reaching the point where he commanded a small unit of about 6. He lived the tale of a true hero, and enjoyed every minute of it.
 Yet, as many books have taught us, every hero must fall sometime. A large siege happened at around 1101, where Jonathan and his group were stationed, and a very large number of enemy forces were approaching the crusaders. Having no fear and being backed by his powers, Jonathan rushed in with his group and was confident in their abilities to take down the opposition. Even though they had valor and bluster, the group was slain, with Jonathan among them.
 Things took an interesting turn for Jonathan once he woke up in Hell, namely being that he was of course in Hell. He had no idea why he deserved it at the time, but that didn't seem to phase him. He may have been in Hell, but he was not afraid. He still had the passion of his ways backing him, and he still had his mace and shield. He began to work his way into becoming a staple blacksmith in Hell, forging weapons for men, demons, spirits, and even the occasional cambion. He even so much success that he even somehow bought a small pocket dimension, which he can access through an object he carries on him. After a long time, he figured out through a fortune teller that he made it into Hell for committing the sin of Pride, which somewhat surprised him for he committed the sin in his final moments. Either way, the same fortune teller saw him escorting a group of others attempting to leave Hell, and he was alongside them, offering his hand in combat and hopefully reaching his goal of redemption. This brings us to where we are now...

Skills: Jonathan Light III was a very talented warrior and blacksmith, and in combat he specialized with his mace and shield. He is also a seasoned leader, with his military strategies being usually very successful. Although all this is well and good, neither of those skills match his passion and devotion to his God, expressed again through his power.
"The Light" was the power unlocked while Jonathan was a crusader, manifesting via a shining ball of light over his palm when he uses it. Although The Light has no weaponized features or anything of that caliber, it is seen by Jonathan as a God due to it's... otherworldly properties. Jonathan is able to pray to this being and he is then given something enlightening, largely consisting of knowledge, answers, and advice. The result he receives is dependent on his passion towards himself and his powers.

This power came to Jonathan accidentally, during one of his prayer sessions where he began to express his devotion through words, and the power was completely sealed and connected after he wrote the first scripture of The Light, which went as follows.

Even though we live in a world not ready;
There are people in this world who are.
Through this verse we are granted blessing;
Allowing us to find true insight.
Through this verse we are granted salvation;
Allowing us to never truly die.
Through this verse we are granted faith;
Allowing our souls to accept this gift.
If violence is ever to arise;
We must rely not on The Light, but on ourselves.
These are the words of The Light.

This spell is passed by devotion to The Light, and by writing the next part of the scripture attuned to your character's beliefs. However, any attempts at direct physical empowerment is not a belief of this religion. Indirect empowerment is fine. "Knowledge is power" and what have you.

Gear: * Jonathan's Mace, crafted out of fine bronze and scarred by bloodstains from his enemies.
* Jonathan's Shield, adorned with a blazing sun and with the first scripture of the light secured in a compartment.
* An enchanted tent, bought from a demon, containing a pocket dimension.
* The pocket dimension, containing a bed, a chest full of smithing materials, and a very good forge.
* His suit of crusade armor, worn at all times.

Theme Song: youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY (7 Nation Army - The White Stripes)

[User]
Kritch knew that the pain of willingly reforming his hand in a small confined space would be immensely powerful from the dangerously low thought out plan, but he was hoping that the massive amount adrenaline and fear running though his body would null his senses for this very grueling moment. This wasn't the case this time. A familiar feeling of searing pain soared throughout Kritch's hairy malformed body causing it to jolt and contort around several angles. The rat's hand had quickly shot out of the destroyed guardsman's brain, his bloody ruined hand exposed to the suffering rat's eyes caused him to curse within his language chittering, clicking, and squeaking seemingly at the same time with its rapid sounds. Kritch didn't even notice the semi-liquid cloud of death toying with the already defeated guardsman, he was just tightly clenching his limp wrist staring at his ravaged hand. It had been quite some time being subjected to his amount of pain, one of his main goals was to actually avoid being hurt as getting hurt is quite bad! Still, after his cursing subsided for the moment, Kritch's even more blood red eyes landed upon the mess that gas-cloud thing had produced with the last guardsman.

While normally Kritch would run away at the sight of such horrors from an untrustworthy ally, the amount of pain, fear, and adrenaline coursing through his veins threw away his caution to the winds of chaos and merely wanted this nightmare to be over. Letting out a simple snort to V's words, he grabbed the flying keys with his good hand before stumbling towards the locked door. "Lizard-thing better be of use-use," Kritch muttered to himself, unlocking the prison door and unleashing Betty to the prison hallways of temporary freedom. "We must flee-escape building now, monster too power-strong for us, we go to escape-free driver,"

[Assistant]
At the sight of his restraints loosening, the crazed Grog began to flail his arms wildly, shotguns still firmly gripped and all. Of course, a few stray shots landed here and there. As his trusty steed hoisted him over his head and explained what was about to happen, Grog reacted the only way he could. More rage-induced spasms and mouth frothing. That was not to say he didn't like the prospect of serving as a gun-totting human fucking cannonball, in fact, he welcomed the idea with open arms and... Mouth? Of all times, Grog just -had- to use the Pint now. With one gun held awkwardly under his shoulder, it seemed that the (un)masked hooligan had just downed an entire tankard of what seemed to be pure scotch.

 And just like that, he was launched. Barely having enough time to secure his tankard, he felt his face being pulled back by the force of the throw as he flew ripped a hysterical path through the air. The crab-man had already began to launch what seemed to be a counterattack against Head Honcho, and Sir Badass had valiantly napalmed the fuck out of Nefas' legs, or something. Grog was too absorbed in his own high to properly notice. Though the whole scene was truly fun to behold, time was of the essence, especially now that the leather-clad bomber was momentarily airbourne.

 Once again, due to the combination of his own peculiar mental functions and the drugs still going strong within his system, Grog began formulating a course of action that would guarantee maximum damage on the raging half-demon-thing. First, he'd empty his shotguns while there was still distance between himself and Nefas. His heightened awareness made it painfully easy to successfully aim for key points such as the throat, mouth and eyes. With that out of the way, the next thing to do was to somehow avoid being caught by the beast. Luckily, he had just the trick for that. One of his three nailbombs would do the job. He'd simply toss it with all of his (now somewhat formidable) strength towards the baddie. Even if he were to catch it before it hit his face, the force from the impact would still set it off, resulting in a high-powered, nail-filled burst that would certainly give him these precious few moments needed in order to slip by.

 Though that seemed a tad hard to pull off.

[User]
Inside HPIS
Hallway & A bit of Cell Block L-1
Poncho struggled fruitlessly against the muscled man holding him captive. For a second he considered trying to strike before gazing up at the behemoth and seconding guessing himself. At the proposition the demon sneered, but as he was put down, did as told. His shouts began to fill the room, attempting to calm the rioters.

While this was happening, Nefas was being beset upon again. First, the knight of light slammed a flaming shield into his knees, forcing him into a stumble where Old N caught him off guard. This forced him onto one knee, the bullets being fired from Grog grazing his head and causing it to bleed just a bit. The coup de gras came from Deprave, who stepped up and swung his mighty blade down, cracking open Nefas's skull and carving through some grey matter. Nefas slumped over on the blade and his eyes closed themselves. It seemed he was down for the count.

The prisoners began cheering. Long live the king, the king is dead and all that. While some immediately ran to the exit, Poncho blocked the exit and began corralling and calming down the masses, as per Deprave's polite suggestion. Although he did have to punch some of them out, the vast majority seemed to be pretty hype about the whole thing. Mob mentality was running wild, as was adrenaline. As soon as Betty arrived, the group was free to go.

Near Betty's Cell
As the lock clicked open and Kritch swung the door open, the two would be greeted by a 4 foot tall green reptilian demon, dressed in a small shirt and a skirt. She bombastically stepped out into the hall before taking a look around at the rebels that freed her and frowning. "I was expecting someone a bit more heroic, and less dirty and uh..." Gazing down at the the smoldering corpse of the head guard. "Jeez, was that really, like, a requirement? He was nice. Gave me a drink sometimes."

"Well, whatever, we need to get out of here?" She asked, looking between the two men. At that moment, Barkeep cut in. "Weaver is on her way, should be there in about 30 seconds or a minute. Make sure Betty doesn't get hurt." Betty nodded at this, seemingly knowing who this person was. She began lackadaisical trekking down the hall towards the entrance to the prison.

[Assistant]
The crusader had thrown their helmet across the ground in a desperate attempt to get the cloud of air infused with a napalm out of their eyes and lungs. The young Toby saw that the knight was struggling to breathe and rushed over to see if he would be alright after getting all of this crud out of his system, but as Toby would soon find out, the knight was not the man he seemed... or a man at all.

Where Jonathan Light once stood, a slightly ravishing woman was on her knees and hands, coughing up smoke. Her hair was cut shortly in order to fit into the thrown-aside helmet. Through the coughs that were expelled from her, you could hear a confident and slightly feminine voice, and her frame was actually rather slim, and under the armor you could barely see a fair bit of padding under it. This was Jennifer Light, the crusader that faked an identity to join the ranks of the Pope's army many centuries ago.

She looked back towards the prison, now loud with the chanting of once rioting prisoners, still coughing away with a slightly accented voice. "Nefas is - hyeck - taken down now... we have a - chyech - chance at getting out of - bleck - here... glorious." The knight continued to cough after that.


[System]
"asoiaf: Aerion Targaryen" by MathiaArkoniel licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

The current king of Dainia and father to the twin princes of the kingdom. He is highly admired and respected by the people of Dainia, and only few know of his intention to end the bloodline of the royal family of Lunar by finding the heir to the throne of the enemy state.

Queen Velda of Dainia

"Historically accurate Disney - Belle" by Niobesnuppa licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

The current queen of Dainia and mother to the twin princes of the kingdom. She is highly admired and respected by the people of Dainia, and it is unrevealed if she shares or is even aware of the king's intention regarding the heir to the throne of Lunar.

[User]
Raven looked at him a bit Nd knew that Eliezer would have a hard time believe in the Ego part but even here she could tell Mathazar had an ego issue acting like he knew his brother better but yet she was trained to see people for who they are and what is in their hearts. That was the way of the assasin so they coul find their weaknesses or use them against their targets. But when he brought up the question about her flushed cheeks it was obvious he has never been embaressed, nervous or had someone they liked that's they could not help but blush when they think of them or are in there presence.

"I am fine Eliezer." She said to him as he placed the flower in her hair and she blushed a bit from that for no one has ever done that to her. "You obviously never been embaressed or nervous enough to make you blush." Raven said to him with a small smile before she followed him back inside to get something to eat. AS they walked Raven did look at all the things the palace posed it was decorate nicely and all but in her mind it felt empty to her and lonely.

As they made it to the dining area and she thanked him with the help of her chair though when she saw the portrait of the king and queen she could not help but glare at the kings face. THe man that ended her families life and took away what a child should never loose unless to old age.
"I wouldn't be shocked if they told you that their marriage was arrange or something like that." Raven said to him she knew it was a bit insensitive but a man that was so cold hearted to kill her family had no way or actually loving anyone and had to be put together with someone to keep the royal bloodline going.

Raven then looked about him and listened to his questions before she rested her elbows int he tabled with her fingers intertwined with each other. "Hmmm the past.......it may cause me pain and sorrow when I thing back on it how my folks meet and what they went through but my father always told me that even though the past may chew you up and spit you out the past means its behind us now and its there for us to learn from and that sometimes we have to go through grief and pain to learn and do better for the future." Raven explained to him. 'ANd for what you can do instead of basically isolating yourself in the palace waiting for the people who only a small handful can get in come to see you why no do what I did with your yesterday go to the village yourself." Raven explained to him.

"If you go into the village yourself and talk to them, see what their problems are, to see what you can do what is best because you can see it with your own eyes." Raven explained to him. "Maybe just being to put yourself out there as in the wise words of my master he always said to understand another you must walk a mile in there shoes." Raven gave an example. "Meaning you need to get out there and see and maybe who knows try it yourself to fully understand th world and the kingdom your fathers hopes for you to rule one day."

[Assistant]
An arranged marriage? Eliezer pondered over Raven's theory for a moment, finding it to be highly possible. His father and mother hardly spoke to him or Mathazar about each other. Such details were not important to their children as far as they were concerned. Anything that they felt was of no value in the upbringing of the princes was not spoken of, and Eliezer and his brother were raised not to care about such 'trivial' things. He had always thought that he cared sufficiently for his parents, though, as his lady had implied, a part of caring for somebody would be taking the trouble to find out more about them as a person, would it not?

He proceeded to cut into the steaming piece of meat on his plate as he continued with the subject. "You would most likely think it tragic that, if it were true, I would have found such a thing to be normal. That would have been the case, if I had not met you. You speak of the involvement of love and happiness in a marriage. For the longest time, I had accepted that this was a privilege not to be enjoyed by those of royal blood, that we were simply granted different entitlements. I truly am fortunate to have a lady as... special, as yourself granting me what I thought I could never have. Although it is still unclear why you seem to have developed feelings for me, I am convinced that those feelings are sincere."

Raven then brought her village up again in response to his next point. Thinking back to the day before when he had been under the guise of a commoner, he found her to be right. He recalled how much more he had learned about their struggles and their way of life being among them as compared to addressing them as a member of the royal family. What they were willing to share with the crown prince when he would engage them in conversation did not come close to what they were comfortable with discussing around somebody whom they thought was a fellow villager.

"You seem to think highly of your companions back at the village, and rightfully so. I believe I have much to learn from your people regarding these new, perplexing subjects."

After finishing his meal, he took a sip from his glass before standing. "It is interesting that you would mention isolation. You are correct about this tendency of mine, though, I never 'wait' for anyone to come to me. You see, I take pleasure in solitude. I find that those are the only times when I can truly rest and take my mind off my duties."

Eliezer then made his way over to the corner of the room, where a beautiful, intricately-carved violin was placed, and picked the instrument up. "During those times, I would either be in the garden where I have shown you before this, or I would be up here, relishing a few melodies by myself. The sound of the violin tends to calm me."

He instinctively positioned the instrument at his collar and took the bow that was beside it, as if preparing to play a tune right there and then. However, he stopped himself just as the bow touched the strings of the violin, remembering that he had company. It was not that he had forgotten that his lady was present, but he was unsure if he wanted to share this particular pursuit with her. He did enjoy her company, but playing the violin was something extremely personal to him, for it represented the few moments when he was actually allowed to be 'free'. With a nearly-inaudible sigh, he set the instrument back down and sat with Raven again.

"You mentioned wanting to know more about me. I believe that was an appropriate start."

[User]
Raven just pushed her food around her plate for she was not really that hungry but listened to him talk more but when she brought villagers up she actually still hated them for how they treated her when she first arrived as a kid after her parents were slaughtered. But she just created a facade to fool those to get what she wanted like information and other little perks. "Of course the village it basically one big family and you have to help your family." She siad with a convincing smile towards him not letting on anything.

But when he brought up the isolation for him who he liked it for it only showed how different it wax for them. She was eft alone no family shunned by the whole village as soon as she stepped one foot into it and treated as if she did not exist for a long time. But she thought that he must of been surrounded by tutors, royal adviser, performing royal duties and other royal things he had to do. "I guess that does show the different worlds we live in." Raven said to him.

"I have been alone for so long when I was little no one to help me, one to be there for me, and most of all no one to love me." Raven explained to him. "I didn't start meeting my brothers and sister until 4 years after I arrived and that was also when our master took us all in and raised us as his kids." Raven said as she pushed the plate of food away from her. "So the thought of being alone is not something I wish to endure again....I rather end everything then suddenly be thrown into isolation." Raven said trembling a bit remember how her master would punish her by thrwing her in a small dark room with no one.

It was his tactic to know all their weaknesss and use it to get them motivated to train harder and to get it right or if we failed at their task given to them. "I guess that is why I take in the orphan children of the kingdom at least do not feel alone and it gives the kids a stable place to live, food, and we all are like family at least." Raven finished explaining to him. "I know it seems childish but it is one of my greatest fears."

Raven soon shook off everything from what she said and looked at his violin and it made her think of all the lessons her mom gave her with that one strange instrument she cant remember the name of and a flue. Music was a big thing in her parents lives it was how they were brought together one time and lead to them falling in love. "My mom actually taught me how to play the flute but I have not played one in years not even sure if I can recall how to play one again."" SHe said trying to change the subject not wanting to reveal anymore of her past to him.

[Assistant]
Eliezer said nothing about Raven's decision not to eat, but wondered if it was because she felt uncomfortable. Recalling how he felt when he was with her at the village the day before, he figured that just as he was not used to the atmosphere then, being at the palace alone with him was something unfamiliar to her. It was likely that she felt more at home in a simpler environment, surrounded by other people and the sounds of their activities. What she said next only confirmed how much she desired not to be alone, and also seemed to be an attempt to explain to him why.

"I would not judge you for such a fear, my lady. Although I may not fully understand it, I am still grateful that you think enough of me to share it with me."

In fact, he appreciated the mere fact that she would step out of her comfort zone just so she could speak with him. He had promised to repay her on the night she had saved his life, but she owed him nothing, and had inconvenienced herself to fulfill his request. It had come to the point where love seemed to be the answer to everything she did. The very concept was still puzzling to him, but that conversation could be continued at another time, for it was clear that she wanted to talk about something else when she switched the subject to musical instruments.

"The flute, I see. Would you consider playing one again?" Eliezer could think of a couple of possible reasons why she had stopped the pursuit, one of them being that it might remind her too much of her mother. "That is something to ponder over, is it not? For now, however, I believe you must be eager to return to your companions back home and attend to your own duties. I apologize for keeping you away from them this afternoon."

He took her back down to the entrance to the palace, where a carriage was waiting to take her back to the village. "As with the day before, I have had a lovely time with you, my lady. You have given me so much more to think about today, and I'm glad that I have gotten to know you better. You are most welcome to write to the palace at any time."

Remembering how she had kissed him goodbye the night before, he brushed her fringe aside before leaning in and lightly kissing her forehead. He then helped her up into the carriage and turned back into the palace as it left.

---

One of the hallways leading to Eliezer's personal room was the grand hallway of Dainia's history. One would practically travel through time as they made their way down the corridor lined with dates and writings telling of the kingdom's milestones, enriched by the glass casings displaying relics associated with each event. It had come to a time when Eliezer would simply walk through this hallway without giving these features a single thought, but on this day, his attention was caught by a display at the very end - a royal emblem of Lunar, along with a description of the Dainia-Lunar Dispute that had taken place less than two decades ago.

His mind flashed back to the pocket watch that Raven had shown him, and he only then recalled where else he had seen a similar aesthetic.

"This was my father's, it was passed down on his side of the family for years and before my parents were taken from me permanently he passed it on to me. A simple woodcutter could never own this so it was my first clue that my father was not always a commoner."

The pocket watch bore such iconic features that there was no denying that it was of Lunar. Overwhelmed by the realization, he stood in stunned silence, staring at the display for a good while. It could not be true, could it? Was Raven really... an enemy of the kingdom?

Eliezer was suddenly jolted back to a state of awareness by a firm hand on his shoulder. He spun around to face his twin brother, who appeared to have a mixed expression of confusion and concern.

"Your behavior worries me, Eliezer. Tell me, what plagues your mind this time?"

Still getting over the shock, the crown prince stuttered out a reply. "I- I have reason to believe that Lady Omrea is of Lunar, and of no less than noble descent."

Mathazar's eyes widened. "Surely you jest?"

"I wish it were the case, Mathazar, but she bears an heirloom of a noble family of Lunar."

The younger leaned in closer to his brother and lowered his voice, speaking in a cautious tone. "You cannot allow a noble of an enemy state to be by you on the throne of Dainia, Eliezer."

The elder let out a sigh. "I am well aware, though, it also seems... wrong, to reject what I have with her now."

Mathazar chuckled in amusement. "Why brother, was that your heart speaking? At least I am now assured that you actually have one."

At Mathazar's words, Eliezer was caught off guard by another realization. He knew that he had a duty to do what was best for Dainia, but was cutting ties with Raven truly the correct decision? All his life, what was right or wrong had been clear for him, but now, there was no way to tell, for he did not know enough. This time, he was not going to simply act on what he had been given. He was going to dig deeper, and whether or not this was motivated by his feelings for Raven did not matter. It was something he wanted to do.

"I merely wish to make an informed decision, Mathazar," he responded after some time.

The younger only nodded. "I cannot advise you on what to do this time, brother, but know that you will always have my support."


[System]
Age: 35
Race: Human
Weapon: Heavy ironwood mace, capped with brass on either end.
Magic: None
Personality Traits: Strongest: Perceptive/ not easily deceived. Weakest: Often passive, doesn't take charge easily.
Appearance: Huge, seven-foot tall black man, broken nose, many scars, split knuckles, black bear tattoo on left shoulder, burn scars on right arm, and iron talon piercing through left ear. Usually goes shirtless, with a pair of short, tough canvas pants and heavy boots. Occasionally wears an off-white tunic.

[User]
Vlad wasn't sure about how he think of the new order the elf just given. Usually, people would just leave him alone when he joined a group, isolated from the others. Afterall, it is not his fault for them to die due to their ignorance. Adventure and quests are dangerous missions, and they dig their own graves when they do it.

Shifting his train of thought, Vlad looks toward the other, the one that is offering a handshake. His armor is covered in many scratches, with blood and mud almost covered everywhere on that armor. Scars can be seen on his joints, hands, and face. But Vlad knew this is the person that deserves respect, for he had survived through many hard fights.

Shaking the hand that is in front of him, Vlad said with a deep tone, will still able to show his respect for the opposite. "Vladimir Voynich, the Necromancer." Pausing a moment to think of Akono question, Vlad continues. "I need the best melee and the best scout I could get, and this is the best I could find." Vlad repositions himself so Akono could see what he meant. "For look at the other, they all got a decent group. But now they all just sit there and do nothing." Turning himself facing Akono, Vlad continues. "But here, we got a good guy that is good in preparing. Maybe he is capable of leadership too, but that remains in the future. And the best melee in here. So why don't I want to increase my chance of surviving in my next adventure?"

[Assistant]
Jericho nodded as he put the pipe back in his mouth. "Yeah, quite a large crowd in there. Sadly, I'm sure many of them will die within the first few hours of being in the city." He said.

He smiled at her question, taking and shaking her hand. "I'm Jericho. I already have two traveling with me in the city, but I wouldn't mind you joining us. If they give any lip about it, they can fuck off." He chuckled, but looked towards the city when a loud screeching noise filled the air.

Those who were outside looked at the town, and could see the silhouetto of a large winged beast, flying around the city. It landed on the roof of the castle, letting out another loud screeching sound, causing some to cover their ears. Inside the bar, they could hear the beast cries, and caused many to turn and ask the others what it was.

"That thing could be an issue." Jericho said, then looked back at Raven. "So, I'm good with a whip and rifle, can read, and incredible handsome. What can you do?" He asked her, taking a puff from his pipe.

[User]
Akono smiled widely, clapping the smaller man on the shoulder in what was meant to be a friendly gesture, but was perhaps a bit too forceful. "The best melee... I like this title! Perhaps I should introduce myself this way, no?" He shook his head, chuckling to himself, making more out of the comment than in really deserved.

"I'll be honest with you, Necromancer. I wasn't sure about you when I saw you approaching. I don't think much of meddling with the dead. But then, you seem a decent sort of fellow. Perhaps it is a snap judgement, but I believe we will get on just fine. I'm a good deal less sure about the Elf-Man. He seems far, far too confident by my measure. Anyone as sure of himself as that man is either a fool, or dangerous. Or, in this case, perhaps both." The dark giant mused idly, his intent less to speak his mind about the de facto group leader, and more to gauge the Necromancer's opinion of the man, and to test how willing the slim magicworker was to speak openly and confide in a near-stranger.

"Here. Let me pay for a drink for you. Then, with ale in our stomachs, good cheer will come easily, I think. The pretentious Elf-Man may be more willing to put up with our presence if he believes we are getting on well." He waved for a mug of the tavern's home brew, then shook his head with a long-suffering look as he sent the buxom serving girl back to fetch a larger mug. She returned with an enormous flagon, better-suited to serving a table than one man. Akono smiled widely, a fearsome, yet cheery sight, and pushed a thick coin down the bar to her, adding "That should cover it, and whatever my friend here wants." He placed particular emphasis on the word "friend", punctuating it with another good-natured, if painful clap on the shoulder.

[Assistant]
Enduring the force that Akono had placed on his shoulder, Vlad's face started to shift to red, but the mask has covered most of his facial expression. Looking at the action Akono just did, Vlad raises his mug. "Maybe this is going to be a good adventure for both of us, and for the new friend that I just make."

"Hey, barkeep. Give me the best food that you can afford in this place. This should cover what my friend and I want." Placing five coins alongside the table, looking at Akono. "As I believe, we both are human. And human like us can do nothing before having a full meal."

Suddenly, a loud noise can be heard throughout the whole bar, echoing in everyone head, and shutting down any conversation in there. Through the window, Vlad saw a hulking beast is on the top of the castle and screaming. Fill with awe and excitement or maybe feared, many people run outside the bar to have a better view of the beast. But not Vlad, who is sitting there, murmuring to himself, before drinking his ale. "So I believe, our signal was given, and the wheel of fate had begun to roll. " Outside, voices between people debating about this adventure started to rise, like a smoke signal for death to come.

[User]
Akono smiled at the offer of food, but said nothing, enjoying his beverage. At the "both human" comment, he remarked "Aye. Hardly something worth mentioning, were you to ask me, but aye." He returned to his drink, draining it with a fervor that was almost concerning. As he set the enormous pitcher down to take a breath, a monstrous screeching rent the air. The singularly cacophonous sound snapped the bondsman back into the reality that was the impending mission, and he left his drink at the bar in favor of retrieving the trunk-like club that rested against the back wall. He hefted the massive weapon up onto one shoulder, then nodded to the Necromancer and stepped outside, eyes searching for the source of the screeching sound.

He eventually did sight the source of the sound, as well as the apparent leader of the little party, as well as a young woman who he didn't recognize. He strode over to the two, acknowledging them, but saying nothing. He hefted his club down from his shoulder, resting the brass-bound head on the street. The handle leaned against his bulky chest, and he used one hand to keep it steadied. Finally, he spoke.

"Jericho. Who's the woman? She part of our crew, or just hanging around in hopes of catching your eye?" He didn't make any attempt to address the woman herself. If she was worth his attention, she'd make it clear. He broke the tense moment with a grin, and a jovial "Kidding, miss. It's a pleasure to meet you, of course. I'm Akono. Anyone know why the beast up there showed up? Any town guardsmen to deal with it?"

[Assistant]
"It's making itself known." Jericho said, not taking his eyes off the creature, watching as it made its way into a hole in the roof of the castle. "It wants us to know it exists, that it's going to hunt us down." He said, then finally looked at the two.

"She is with us. And we are leaving. Now." He said, going to the door. "If that thing is the main predator of the city, its resting. Which means it'll be awake by the time everyone else comes to town. Aka, free, easy, breakfast." He said, opening the door. "If we leave now, we'll have a better chance of hiding once it is awake." He walked into the bar.

"If you are traveling with me, get your things. I'm going to grab my bag and rifle, then taking off." He shouted, then went to the room he had rented.

"No refunds on the room." The barkeeper said.

"That's fine." He told him, going to his room and gathering his gear. He then grabbed his rifle, putting it in its holster on his back, then heading back down. He gave the barkeep a waterskin, nodding.

"Feel it up." He said, putting some money down.

[User]
"I can do many things," Raven replied after shapeshifting, taking on Jericho's appearance and voice to sound exactly like him. But she could only do that with individuals she'd come across, not complete strangers. Nonetheless, that little detail didn't matter much and she didn't feel the need to disclose it. It was after a deafening screech the Raven resumed her normal appearance. She couldn't lie to herself, she was quite startled.

"Well, isn't that a surprise..."

As the two of them stared, a pair of traveling companions walked up to them, one whom she could have sworn had been inside talking to Jericho right after she had paid for her drink.

"The pleasure is all mine, Akono," Raven smiled once Jericho went back inside the bar. "I'm Raven, yet another person tagging along...hope you don't mind."

[Assistant]
*After some time has passed*

Jericho looked at the wall around the city. It had been built to protect the town many years before any of them had been born, but now acts like a barrier to protect the safe from the infected. For how long, was anyone's guess.

Jericho kept walking along the wall, looking for a way to get in. "Try to keep up. I don't want to lose you guys. Not yet anyway." He said, then stopped, seeing some light, coming near the wall.

It was a group of looters, nothing they couldn't handle, if it came to that. They were pushing a few crates out of the town, using a hole in the wall. "Hurry up! We are too close to the church. I don't want the blood whore to find us!" One said, as the other nodded.

"Did you see what she did to Samuel? She had her servants just rip him apart! Then she just let them have their way with her, right there in the blood! The gods have forsaken this land!" One looter cried. He was rocking back and forth by the wall, shaking in fear.

"Hush kid! We all knew the risk when we went in there! But just think. We only have to split this three ways now. More for each of us!" Said the "leader" of the group.

Jericho looked back at the group following him. "So, what do you think? We can try to talk to them, see if they'll just let us go through the hole. Or we can wait till they leave." He said. "Or, you know, kill them."

[User]
"I vote for killing." Looking behind to see three skeletons hauling a huge amount of supplies containing foods, water, and camping supplies, Vlad chuckles a little bit before looking to the "leader". " I can feel my power getting stronger the closer we are to the city. Even though it is weak for now, but my power is truly getting stronger."

Pausing for a moment to find a reason for the group to kill these looters, the only reason that Vlad could find is to experiment his empowered magic. But it was only his reason for doing so, not the group primary's objective. They might get injured, and after all, Vlad didn't know them very well. But Vlad needs to experiment his power, or else the next time he got is going to be in a desperate situation.

Trying to make his speech to become more of a recommendation, rather than an order, Vlad continues his reason for doing so. "My power is getting stronger when in this area. Even though I still not know for what reason, but the art of necromancy seemed to empowered in this area. So I need to test this before it is too late. For I don't know what is the next situation I will test my power at, so here is the best for me. "

Pausing a moment to see the group facial reaction, Vlad continues. "Of course, you guys can choose not to. After all, the noise of the battle might pull some unnecessary attention."

[Assistant]
"You're as welcome as any of us, Raven. Here's hoping that our slapdash group works together alright. I'd hate to have to be watching my back every moment of every day." He put on a less-aggressive tone. "Let's hope that it doesn't come to that. I'm a trusting fellow, so long as there's nothing too unquestionably odd about someone. Like, say, the ability to raise the dead." He shuddered slightly. The big man wasn't easily scared, but the idea of necromancy unnerved him to no end. It was a relief, at least, to hear that this particular dead-raiser was at least partly devoted to the concept of life.

Akono stepped back slightly at the words of the necromancer. "Damn, man. I'm all for fighting in general, but you're talking about using living people as test subjects. I'm a damn sight more comfortable with just bashing their heads in and being done with it. I'm glad that you're feeling powerful and all, but these are human lives we're talking about. I thought you were a student of life as much as death magic. Can't we just either kill them and get out of here, or hurry away? Every moment that we waste here is adding to the lead that any other party might have over us."

He frowned wearily, and looked to the part-elvish de facto leader, an action which was becoming uncomfortably habitual. "Well, Jericho? It's up to you. I'm satisfied with going in mace-a-swinging, but if you give the order, I'm sure we could take advantage of our slight lead, rather than wasting it with discussion." His meaty hand tensed slightly on the leather-wound handle of the ironwood club, muscles readied for either choice, violent or not.


[System]
"Dia duit núíosach!"
Age: 18
Race: Dathia ("Colors")

---

Appearance
Standing at just beneath 5 feet, Caitriona has several common features for her people - her hair has multiple colors, the deep red of the roots moving into a transitory orange and then a yellow as if her hair was like fire itself. Depending on when you meet her, it may range between extremely well kept or completely ragged as if she had been running through a forest. Her body is lean and thin, and she tends to wear short dresses of a simple cloth comparable to linen or of various gathered plants woven into each other. Her face is fair, and sometimes she will apply various bits of paint to it as some sort of makeup.

On her back usually is a sack of linen, with strings wrapping it around her shoulders so it doesn't have to be carried. Attached to it is a wooden flute that has various engravings running up and down it's length, as well as a small porcelain flask for water and a finely crafted knife of some sort of white stone.

Her shoes are dissimilar to the rest of her selection, looking like something charlotte may be more familiar with in style. Additionally, one of her bags has the slight raddle of some sort of coin.

Abilities
It will only take a few minutes of meeting the girl to figure out a few things about her: she can find anything within a forest, she can music that can enchant the hearts of the hardest to break. This is not to say there is some sort of magic about it, but rather that it is simply really good. Her appearance lends to some sort of tribal lifestyle, so it isn't surprising that the girl knows her ways around nature - she can read the stars, she can find water, and she can find food and even unique plants used in medicine or for other various purposes.

Additionally, her hair glows at night like a fire, and will change color to blue when a powerful magical presence is around, such as a VERY large predator.

The hair has magical properties as well. Caitriona is able to burn it in a flute and allow anyone nearby to speak to animals in a literal sense.

Personality
Fickle, fun, and pun, this bard knows how to enjoy herself with others, often playing minor pranks or teasing them for the fun of it. She is kind, but not ridiculously self sacrificing: she has herself, and the people that raised her. While she believes that teaching others is important, she eventually expects her students to have learned for themselves.

However, she has always been very curious even among her people, which has led to her interacting with other cultures more than what her people would consider normal, and sometimes they even consider it too much.

History
Will Fill in as we go along.

The Uaimh
You don't know shit.
Other
Will fill in as we go along.

[User]
The native nodded somewhat as the woman explained what paper was. Of course she knew what paper was. But ... recording the landscape? How could one do that at all? If this foreigner had some method of tracking the lands aside from speaking to the animals, Caitriona was curious to see what it was. But it was obvious that the other woman was frustrated for some reason.

However, the second times she spoke of the great mothers in a derogatory tone Cait scowled for a moment before forcing herself to pick up the flute and play a little song to let her frustration out. It wouldn't be useful to yell at the woman in this situation, and the orange haired girl was starting to think there was a major misunderstanding.

As fire hair finished, she finally spoke to the other girl obviously a little irritated as well. "The Great Mothers would be able to aid you, I am sure of it. They speak of lands far away and likely have a better mind and gatherings for how things work. Their length is far longer and stronger than mine is, at least." Cait's eyes looked up to her own glowing hair as if she was disappointed before continuing.

"It's obvious you are not satisfied here, for whatever the reason ... although you seem too closed up to speak of what your aims are, if you do know them."

Suddenly the native had an epiphany. She gestured outside before looking at the other woman. "Why not speak to the friends? I am certain of their ability to aid you, if you'd only be their friend too!" Cait was still upset about the entire fiasco earlier, and was hoping Charlotte would understand that small critters weren't exactly food.

[Assistant]
~Charlotte LaChance~

---

"Meh." Charlotte grunted when Cait started speaking. She had her doubts. Certainly they were likely older and knew more about the land than she did, but...it seemed a bit of a stretch that they'd be able to help. "My aims? I do not aim to live here for longer than I need too." Charlotte replied, shaking her head. She had no intention of hanging around forever, after all. She had something she wanted - or rather, she felt like she needed to do, after all. She couldn't do it sitting around here any longer than she needed too. However, at Cait's next suggestion, Charlotte turned around and gave Cait a deadpan expression.

"You are joking." She knew what that meant. She wanted to go out there and try...'talking' with a bird or something. Aside from the fact animals couldn't talk, her and them tended to not get along so well. Or perhaps rather...they got too friendly for her liking. Her old roommates pet Snow Hawk tended to get a liiiitle too friendly. And by that, she meant that it liked using her head as a nest when she was sleeping.

Annoying bird...though, she missed it.

"No." She simply replied. Cait would likely have to do a bit of tugging to get Charlotte out there.

[User]
Cait nodded, a little saddened as the other woman seemed to want to leave. But it was understandable. However, her reluctance to play nice irritated the native to no end. The native grasped the flute in her hand and pointed towards the door with a serious expression. It was obvious the other woman needed a little encouragement to make friends. "Come on, why do you hate them so? I am not teasing you. You need to learn to speak with your friends or things will turn out badly here for you." The orange haired girl was going to get this girl out of her cave one way or another.

If Charlotte hesitated for too long in leaving, her butt would suddenly start to sting as the shorter girl swatted her butt in encouragement with a smirk on her face. It had worked last time, so it would work this time. "Out, now." Cait would use whatever effort was necessary to get this woman outdoors.

The native then looked at the small fire from before, and after having the alchemist sit on the ground as she set up a small flame in the same spot before putting it into her flute. "You've been inside all day anyways, a little moon on your skin won't injure you!"

[Assistant]
~Charlotte LaChance~

---

There she was, going on about 'friends' again. Charlotte really didn't like where this was going. At all. Turn out badly for her? She could handle a few wild animals. Easy enough to shoo them off. Charlotte simply glared slightly at Cait, frowning and not making any sort of movement at all to head outside. Of course, she had not expected the swat on her butt once again. Her eyes widened, face reddening in slight embarrassment as her glare towards Cait became cold enough to freeze even fire solid. Ugh, why did she have to invade her personal space so...easily? With a sigh, Charlotte finally gave up trying to resist.

"Fine!" She said irritably. "I'll go...sit outside or something." Charlotte walked outside, steps hitting the stone floor with obvious annoyance as she made her way out. Once outside, she took a seat near the mouth of the cave, crossing arms against her chest, largely ignoring Cait.

[User]
Cait ignored the other woman's irritated glare, instead focusing on her work. Plucking a few herbs from her backpack and combining them with a stray strand of her hair, the woman lowered them into the fire within the flute and watched the smoke rise and then lower itself to the ground as if it was some sort of fog.

Then the orange haired woman began to play, hair glowing in the starlight. The song was pretty and upbeat, although gradually grew more down in tone and mysterious. Various animals began to come around the local area, and the black haired woman would probably start to realize that there was a slight mental effect from whatever the reagents were as her thoughts became more primal and complex equations and thoughts were slightly harder to organize.

Pointing at a rabbit who wondered nearby the campfire and then looked at Charlotte curiously, the native spoke to the other woman with a smile. "See? Aren't they very friendly?" The fire haired girl moved closer to the irritated woman, lowering herself into a sitting position. "Why won't you say hi?"

"Hello! Who is this?" An excited voice filled the air, coming straight from the direction of the rabbit. Caitriona looked at the small thing, giggling slightly as she reached into her bag and offered the rabbit some greens.

"Sorry my good rabbit, I was talking to this miserable woman named Charlotte." The small creature looked up at the black haired woman, seeming to be curious.

"Miserable? Charlotte simply looks irritated to me, Cait. But what's her problem?"

[Assistant]
~Charlotte LaChance~

---

Whatever Cait was doing, Charlotte was hardly interested in it. She was content to pout, glare, and sulk until Cait was satisfied with her being nibbled on my forest creatures. Whatever she was doing though, was obviously some sort of...chemical reaction. Alchemy of some sort? That is what it looked like, and despite Charlotte's annoyance she was a bit curious as to what the smoke was doing. It didn't seem to be harmful, and Cait was playing a fairly...relaxing tune.

In fact, it was getting a little...difficult to think. And that terrified Charlotte. It was brief, though, very brief.

But that fear was quickly suppressed by whatever this thick smoke was doing, and Caits flute playing. It definitely had some sort of mental effect, but Charlotte couldn't place what exactly it was. Any sort of complex or complicated thoughts were deadened, locked away behind some sort of...fog. In fact, Charlotte didn't even seem to be paying attention to Cait. She was too busy trying to think.

"H-huh?" Cait's words snapped Charlotte out of her thoughts, or at least, out of her trying to reclaim them. She looked over to the rabbit, frowning slightly at the creature with a small glare. She expected it to waltz up and start nibbling on her shoe. What she hadn't expected was for the rabbit to start speaking. She looked from the rabbit, then to Cait, then back to the rabbit. She had been drunk before. She had accidentally gotten high a few times off of some fumes. But never in a million years had she ever heard one speak. It took a moment for Charlotte to fully process this though, and ended up staring at the rabbit for a few seconds.

"E-eeeh?! D-did that rabbit just talk!?" Charlotte jumped up, moving swiftly back a few seconds as if she had just been confronted by some sort of demon. She looked back to Cait.

This...this wasn't right. Animals didn't talk. That was...impossible. She turned her head to Cait, and instead of seeming her normal serious self, she looked more than a little distressed.

"A-animals do not talk!" Was she going crazy after all this time? No, no, it was likely that smoke or whatever it was Cait had done. It obviously had some sort of psycho...psychost...mind-altering effects.

That was not okay, and she might just smack Cait for this. Her knowledge and mind was one of the few things she had in this world she allowed herself to feel happy and a small amount of pride over. She would not take anyone messing with that lightly.

"Cait, what did you do to me?!" It would be increasingly clear to Cait that Charlotte was becoming less and less okay with whatever this was by the second.

[User]
The native smiled for a few seconds as she watched realization run across Charlotte's face, although that was short lived as black hair started to question the world and obviously was sent into a small panic. Cait really didn't understand why it terrified the other woman so much ... wasn't it great to hear the voices of nature? Although other things the Great Mothers showed terrified even some of her people when they were done for the first few times. They had length, and it was strong. It would probably be best to try and calm the other woman down in a similar manner to how they calmed down others.

The orange haired girl approached Charlotte slowly before grabbing her hands and trying to calm her down. "Shhhh dark one. It is fine and normal and only temporary. My strands have this power, and I will explain ... later. Now shhhhh ... you had some questions about the land, did you not?" The shorter woman tried to have as sweet of a voice as possible, and hoped giving her hard working companion an objective would set her mind straight.

"Hey, is your buddy alright? She looks pale ..."

"She'll be fine in a moment. She just needs a little water." The orange haired woman passed the canteen into the other girl's hands. "Now let the calm of the forest fill you and ask away of the friends. You are a smart one, surely you can hold this for later and embark on the thoughts of the world while they last?" Hopefully helping to calm the other woman down, Caitriona started to play a song on her flute as if this was perfectly normal, trying to keep the music to calming tune. She didn't add anything extra though, thinking it was probably best to let the high drop from here.

The excited voice returned. "Anyways tall one, Charlotte! You're not from around here, are you? You smell distant to me, but nice!" The rabbit's sat down and tilted it's head at the tall woman.


[System]
Gender: M

Age: 35

Place of Birth: Seattle, WA

Sexuality: Hetero

Relationship Status: Vin was engaged to a girl he'd been together with since his late teens, and through unforeseen circumstances, the relationship ended.

Occupation: Co-partner of several tattoo shops along the East Coast of the United States, mostly located in upscale areas, Buckhead being one of them.

Skills: A vast background in traditional art, with a focus on tattooing and the use of various inks and their properties.

Power: Tattoo & Body Art Manipulation

Essentially, a telepathic ability that allows him a certain degree of control over the ink used for the tattoos, thereby giving "life" to an otherwise static image on his (or a chosen target's) skin. His ability is most potent when used on his own tattoos, allowing him to lift the imagery from the skin, solidifying it, and giving it a brief independance from the host body. (i.e. A crow tattoo on his chest can "peel" away, transform into solid mass, and fly around).

Natural tattooing inks created by plant dyes, animal minerals, salts and various other natural sources, etc work the best. Synthetic inks are generally weaker.

As a defensive mechanism, if threatened, the tattoo ink will protect itself (and the host), adapting and shielding Vin from physical attacks for a limited amount of time.

Areas that are covered in tattoos also have the potential to heal much quicker, as the artwork essentially "repairs" the affected area. The more severe the wound, the longer time it takes to completely heal and the more mental exhaustion is incurred.

Cost of Power Use: Causes varying degrees of mental fatigue & migraines, and the longer it is sustained, the more lethargic he can become, to the point of unconsciousness if not careful. There are instances where the power, if not kept in check, could lash out violently toward others or the host himself as it begins to take on a life of it's own...
Appearance: Vin stands about 6'1, tall and lean. He generally keeps a closely trimmed beard or clean shaven face, and a neatly comb head of thick dark auburn hair. His wardrobe tends to lean toward a "chic rocker" fashion in blacks & grays, more so to impress the higher-end clientele. His arms, chest and back are covered in various tattoos of fantastical venomous creatures, tribal & gothic patterns, life, death, and various symbols that only he may know anything about.

Personality: Vin comes off as relatively light-hearted and easygoing, and yet can easily be identified as borderline narcissistic due to the fact that he seems to "know everything about everything" and holds nobody else but himself in high regard, which can reflect in his close professional and personal relationships. He is inherently stubborn and critical about a great many things, especially related to artwork, and his intense focus can be misinterpreted as being "socially disconnected" when in the middle of a project as he doesn't tolerate distractions very well.

Generally, however, he's a guy that goes along to get along, and enjoys to socialize in circles where there may be an opportunity for gain or pleasure. As an artist himself, he loves art, especially body art, which he'll gladly discuss with anyone who will listen to his incessant ramblings which inevitably circle around to him talking about himself.

History: As "deceptive appearances" go, Vin had always managed to keep his life running against the grain as much as possible, turning his nose to rules and regulations that seemed to only work for everyone else but him. Although he'd never let on that he had an ounce of the proverbial anarchist in him. Growing up in Seattle during the late eighties, early nineties, he found himself in the midst of the grunge scene, which influenced not only his outlook on life and society, but his love for various rock music and art. His family life was rather eventless (some would even say "normal"); both parents got along, worked hard at their respective blue-collar jobs, and generally made a bearable life in the Lower Queen Anne area of the city. As most good parents did, they both encouraged their son to do something meaningful with his life...

Of course, "meaningful", was a matter of interpretation.

Vin loved the city, especially the underground scenes, and most of his time was spent running with his wayward friends, getting into the seediest dumps to see their favorite bands play or hanging with the best local street artists, painters, and tattoo kings that Seattle had to offer. As his artistic talents flourished, he also reaped the rewards of diligence and hard work. He eventually turned his focus on tattooing, which it seemed everyone was willing to pay good money for, no matter their social status. At seventeen, he'd saved enough from various art jobs to share rent on an apartment in the downtown area, closer to where the action and the money was. Vin was a dreamer, and he wanted to keep the film rolling as long as possible. He'd met, for the first time, a girl he could really see sharing his already chaotic life. A girl who shared many of his own passions and aspirations, which gave Vin the feeling that he could really control the relationship and all its variables.

Funny thing how our own interpretations sharply contrast the harsh reality of things...

Years passed quickly as they would for those living a life that seemed to be an endless party. But for Vin, the fun hit rock bottom when his soon-to-be wife had decided to lavish herself in the lifestyle of another man. A man who seemingly had his shit together and gave her the world. The blowback became a stain that stuck in the forefront of Vin's mind, degrading his outlook of a future he hoped would have been shaped by his own hands. The solid relationship he once had with his parents began to suffer as he spiraled downward and pushed away a lot of people in the process. He eventually made it to a point where was ready to move on, to leave his old life and hopefully never return until he felt ready to return.

And he'd found the perfect way out...

Vincent reached out to James, an old friend who'd moved to the east coast to start up a chain of tattoo and body art shops mainly located in upscale areas. James knew the business, and even the rich enjoyed the opportunity to leave a lasting mark, whether it was social prestige or simply ink on their body, he'd gladly offer it all. Vin, confident in knowing that his artwork would be a great addition to his friend's business, didn't hesitate to take advantage of becoming a co-partner, quickly moving from his hometown of Seattle to a hi-rise apartment in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia.

[User]
Vincent snickered at Nate's direct response toward Jennifer, but after catching her sour expression, wished he hadn't, even moreso after she pulled away from him yet again. He couldn't figure this chick out, but assumed it had something to do with the side effects and brutal damage that her healing had caused on her body and mind. It's not as though he didn't know what it was like to be in pain. He watched Jennifer struggle a bit to climb back into the car, and even when Vin attempted to help her, she pushed his hand away in protest and mumbling something incoherent under her breath.

"Really?..." Vincent huffed, leaning against the outside of the car crossing his arms and staring blankly into the wooded abyss ahead of him. He knew he'd been a bit rough around the edges lately, but he also knew he tried to be there for Jennifer. He wanted to be there for her, and yet he felt like she was hard-pressed to kill herself like no one else cared.

"I care...probably more than I should." He said out loud to no one in particular.

He peered over at the pickup truck as well as the other truck that showed up shortly after. From his perspective, it looked as though the group was getting ready for a zombie apocalypse or a night out at a Rage Against the Machine concert. Of course, one was more plausible than the other, considering that band hadn't been together in years. Regardless, Vincent hoped that this dude "Eli" would come through for everyone, because no one needed more problems. He looked over into the passenger's side seat at Jackson, who appeared to be unphased by the recent occurrences, and noticed he was half-asleep leaning against his propped up arm.

"Man, I wish I had that guy's calm disposition."

[Assistant]
Nate was surprised when Eli extended the shotgun towards him and he hesitantly took it from him from him, looking it over. Shotguns were a little too clumsy for his taste. Too messy. He would much rather have something more precise but he would take what he could get. He was relieved that Eli was relaxed enough to give him a weapon but wondered why he thought he would need it. He had hoped there would be less need for weapons this far out from civilization but apparently Eli thought different. And that concerned Nate. Immensely.

When JJ stormed off, quickly followed by her loyal puppy, Nate blew a kiss at the back of her head in an entirely sarcastic manner. He knew it was probably only a matter of time before Jennifer probably snapped. She had been through so much in such a short time and he felt a little bad for her...A little. But he would have felt a lot worse for her if most of that stuff hadn't been her own fault.

After the others were back in the car, Nate checked the shotgun he now held to make sure that it was fully loaded. It wasn't that he didn't trust Eli...Well, no, it was exactly that. "So what's the plan her, Opie?" he asked. "I imagine if you were taking me into the woods to kill me, you wouldn't have given me a weapon."

[User]
"I told you, if I was gonna kill you. You wouldn't see it coming. Right now get your three amgios in the truck. Eric will take them somewhere safe where they can rest and eat. Me and you are gonna torch your car and meet up with them." Eli took his last drag put it in a small cylinder from his pocket. He didn't want to take a chance someone was gonna try to be smart enough to link it to him. This was paranoid even for him but he he had good reason to be paranoid.

"I got a phone call telling you were coming. Two actually. How did they contact you?" Eli asked as he walked around the driver side it Nates car. Eli stopped for a second, shake the feeling that something was out there watching.

It couldn't have been law enforcement, they were too clumsy in the brush. Guiderone's men might be that good but the fact they haven't started shooting yet gave him pause. There was little point in putting people out here just to watch and gather intell at this point.

As looked off into the trees he couldn't help but wonder if he was just being paranoid, he trusted his gut and it was normally right but something really bothered Eli right now.

[Assistant]
Eric was in a mess of situations right now. "Let... let me get this right... Take them to a theoretical safe house, in my two door truck with two seats, and a pretty decent collection of guns. Like... Really decent. Like if they get their hands on them I will be royally fucked. Then you want me to baby sit everyone? But don't babysit them? Like... I'd be a look out dog? I mean everyone could sit in the bed in the back, I could drive slow and that would work I guess." He looked at his own truck, it was in need of work, it broke down every other week, normally it was an easy fix but still. Eric wasn't too pleased about it. "I'll see what I can do, just hurry up and catch up. I don't want to be found in an episode of Law and Order."

Eric went over to the car full of his new Friends, his shotgun slung over his back. "So hello people, I am Eric, I am your new baby sitter, and I want you to know that due to some cargo that I am borrowing, you all will have to sit in the back of my truck there. I didn't know that was going to be the case or I would have brought a pillow or something." He looked back at Eli, who was giving a shotgun to his new friend. Who when Eric tried to listen in was only getting headaches. It was like there was a whole group of people trying to interact at once.

On his way over to the truck Eric stopped by Eli and his new friend. "I don't know what's going through your head, or what medication you might be on, but listen to some music. Preferably lyric-less music. It will make it easier for you to focus. And help my life by a lot. 'Kay, thanks... Bye now!" Eric strolled his way to his truck, throwing the bag of guns and ammo into the passenger seat.

Getting into the driver seat, he waited for everyone before he decided to drive off. "Al aboard, because shit is going to get real... and chances are we are all going to die." Eric starting up his truck, then driving to the cabin.

[User]
Great...

"Yeah, nothing like riding in the bed of a truck somewhere in the boonies well past midnight. Brilliant idea." Jennifer turned to look at Vin, her attitude not any better. As soon as she stared at him though, she couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for giving him the cold shoulder a minute ago. She sighed in defeat, secretly cursing herself for getting involved with someone she'd known for less than a day.

"Can you help me get in the back of that truck, please? I know I haven't exactly been the ray of sunshine you were hoping for, but it's been a damn long day...for all of us."

She awaited his response, wondering whether she'd already burn that bridge. With someone like Vin, she couldn't really tell.

[Assistant]
Vin wasn't the least bit enthusiastic about climbing into the back of a truck that looked like it came from Fred Sanford himself, especially being driven by a kid who felt it necessary to pack enough heat for an army. However, these were, in fact unusual times for everyone, and desperation had a way of slipping into every situation, no matter how skewed it might be.

He turned to Jennifer as she apologized in her own way, and reached for her extended hand without hesitation, helping her out of the back seat of the car that the group would probably never see again. A few minutes prior, in bouts of pridefulness, anger, and despair, part of him really wanted to blurt out accusations that essentially said to her, Yep, it is you, not me., but those thoughts vanished when he met Jennifer's glistening eyes again for the first time since they were back in Atlanta. Her expression was quite sullen and exhausted, and the mascara left small streaks of black running down her cheeks that Vincent wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt.

"You're a mess..." He said with a wink and a smile, cupping Jennifer's chin in his hand. "But aren't we all?"

Vincent bent down, wrapped an arm under her legs and the other behind her back and lifted her up. Jennifer's face appeared a though she were about to protest, but Vin cut her off at the pass. "And no, you're not too heavy for me, and shut it...because I'm carrying you whether you want it or not." He said again, his previous morose attitude replaced by positivity and a grin that didn't seem to want to go away, as he walked over to the back of the truck, and placed her onto the lowered tailgate. Vin ran his fingers through her disheveled hair, pushing the tiny locks and strands out of her face, curling them gently behind her ears.

"And if our lives are going to be a fucked up tornado of chaos for awhile, let's you and I be broken together from here on."


[System]
Height
5'2

Age
16 in human years

Gender
Female

Race
Poison Dragon

Power
Human Form
Looks like a normal girl but with a strength of double of your ordinary male human

Half-Dragon Form
She grows dragon wings and tails. Her nails sharpen, and she is now able to puke out acid from her mouth. She's able to fly with those wings and her strength is now five times of your ordinary human.

Dragon Form
She turns back into her original dragon form. Standing ten meters tall, she is now able to create strong gusts of wind by her now giant wings. Her acid can now travel far further than when she was just a half-dragon. She would rarely use this form however, with how unwieldy it is. That, and how she would lose her clothes when she transforms, making her naked if she reverts to her human form.

Personality

Silent but haughty, her dragon blood makes her prideful and easily irritable by people she doesn't like. However, once she finds a really worthy friend, she will never abandon them. Problem is, no one has really got into that special club yet. At least, except for that one boy that is.

Background

She was born in a mountain range somewhere in a distant countryside. Her family had always been the guardian of the area, and a result, nearby villagers would periodically give them offerings and the like. She herself would often turn into her human form and walk around in the villages, observing the humans whom she found quite interesting.

One day, she found a boy being punched and kicked by other boys. When she asked what was going on, they said it was none of her business and that a little girl like her should just stay out of it. Of course, this lit her temper, and she ended up saving the boy by knocking out one of the bullies with just a single punch to his stomach.

She ended up befriending the boy, and so their friendship grew over the years. The boy, of course, didn't know that she was the daughter of the guardian dragons of the village. His innocent mind just thought of her as some odd girl with odd clothing from outside the village. Their friendship was more of her bossing him around, saying how he should be stronger and braver. Her dragon nature couldn't tolerate weakness after all.

Their happy days would not last however, since the boy had an uncurable terminal illness ever since he was born. One day, the boy stopped coming, and then she found out that he had passed away, his dream of going into the city unfulfilled. For the first time in her life, she felt a sad emptiness inside her chest.

And so, in honor of her friend, she enrolled in the academy. She wanted to know just what the boy found so attractive about the city.

Likes
Watching people from a distance
Wandering around looking at things
Solitude

Dislikes
Being underestimated
Useless chatter, especially with someone she doesn't like
Being in an embarrassing situation. Her pride simply could not take it.

[User]
Reina

She got to know a little bit more of Zac hearing that he didn't read that often. Well it was pretty obvious still. Boys often only play games and liked rough sports that required strength and made them dirty, she herself didn't know much boys that actually read books or were as fragile as basically any girl.

Shortly after, Reina fell against Zac with no way to stop herself. Luckily for the both of them that there was a wall behind them. Zac fell with his back against the wall and could stop Reina in time before she fell against him. Reina let out surprised yelp and looked wide eyed in front of her for a moment. Her eyes slowly drifted up towards his as the surprise died down a little. Reina only started growing more red though. She was so close to him so suddenly, it would take any girl to the tip of her toes being so close to a guy.

"S-sorry!"

Reina pushed herself away from him and took a few steps back to create a small gap between them. She had one of her arms behind her back as her head turned the other way. Her other hand shyly covered the lower part of her face. This wasn't his fault, he couldn't help touching her just now, calm down.

Zac tried getting them out of the awkward situation right now, he looked rather calm about this whole thing now she caught a glimpse of him. He had kindly asked her if she was okay and if she wanted a new drink from him, the drinks were free and close by but it was still nice of him to ask. Reina gave a soft nod of the head and softly spoke.

"Y-yes I'm fine, I-I think it w-was an accident... Uum.. If you would be so kind hehe."

Hikari

Kurou said that he will try to learn more about vampires later, finally some wise words could be heard from him! The blonde flashed him a pleased smile. Perhaps she should try to fix up a film for him to watch. Something with a lot of blood and jump scares. A really scary one so he would be scarred for life next time he sees her. Hikari grinned evilly at her own thoughts like she was gonna pull a prank on him. Hikari had to get one later at some point it would make for a good laugh.

The boy didn't sound all too pleased about her saying that he had a nut for a brain. Off course it was just a joke she wouldn't actually be so mean that she would call him stupid or an idiot... probably... Hikari gave him yet another teasing smile as she tilted over her toes again.

"Oh! didn't you know yet?! It is a disease actually, brains as small as a nuts. They keep shrinking untill there is nothing left. Only very few people have it, I would let yourself check up on that before it is too late. Most people won't notice that they have it on time so it takes a lot of innocent lives each year. Don't fret though! They have a cure for it so the brains don't shrink anymore!"

Hikari viciously moved her hands around as she spoke mostly pointing at her own head and at him to indicate her words. After she had finished talking she glanced away from him for a moment to keep the teasing smile for her own. She only had to hope he believed in her.

Short after her small terrible joke she had asked him if he wanted anything to drink or eat. Instead of her fetching some for them he would rather go with her to get some together. Hikari gave him a short cheerful nod of approval and started walking already with both hands held together behind her back. It was a short walk towards the side wall of the hallway. There were a few tables lined up together all filled with bowls and plates of foods and drinks. There were some rice balls all different kind of sushis and some wraps with chicken fillet and lettuce but there also were basic candies and chips. Anything that could be eaten cold really, for some reason there was a guy standing behind the table with a plate full of hot burritos. That was a little strange but whatever.

Hikari gave the guy a look as if he was being serious but chose to mostly ignore it at the end. Hikari stuffed her face with chips and different kind of foods before she came back to her senses again, she got herself a drink from the table and faced Kurou again. She poked the straw in the package of tomato juice and gave him a bright smile.

"Stuff yourself! There is plenty! Oh perhaps we should actually get some decent food in the canteen instead later!?"

[Assistant]
~Odette Billeaud~

@hammerman

Aha!

There was a person!

She looked like she was in a bit of a hurry though, but Odette was certain she could catch up with her and ask her a simple question at least! Not hard at all. Before Ash could stop her, the ghost seemingly poofed out of existence within the blink of an eye. The next thing Lily would notice is that the air around her suddenly became much cooler followed by Odette poofing into existence right in front of her quite suddenly while wearing a serious, blank slightly hostile seeming expression and quite easily invading her personal space.

"Hello, good evening! you wouldn't happen to know where the dorms are would you?" Right, shouldn't be too hard to articulate that single sentence.

"...g-gooo..." Get a hold of yourself Odette, say something this shouldn't be that hard! "...D-dorm...you."

Oh dear, that sounded terrible.

[User]
Lily Flameheart

Lily hurried on along, her mind focused on one thing. To tell the staff that they had misassigned Edward to her room. Or maybe it's the other way around, she got misassigned to Edward's room...

Hmph, it doesn't matter. I'll gladly take another room as long as I don't have to share it with a boy.

If Lily had walked with her usual pace, she would've noticed the air changing in temperature and would've put on her guard at once. But now, when her thoughts were on somewhere else, she was caught entirely by surprise when Odette just appeared out of thin air right in front of her. And to make matters worse, instead of properly introducing herself, Odette only said something that sounded like your typical haunting ghost sound.

"Gooo...."

"K-kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Lily's heart would have jumped out of her chest if it was able to. But for now, only her body jumped backwards as she immediately put a distance between her and the appearing ghost.

"W-w-w-who are you and what do you want?!" was the first thing she blurted out in response.

And when her surprise receded, it was replaced with a blush as she realized she just let out another really girly scream due to her being scared of something. That's twice today. A dragon wasn't supposed to be scared by anything, especially a petty jump scare like this. Fine, she could be afraid of a Great One. But just a surprise like this? It was terribly shameful to her.

Now she eyed the appearing person in front of her with an angry glare, though with her blush still on her face creating more of an adorable appearance than a threatening one.

[Assistant]
Asherari "Ash" Dehl

As soon as the ant woman got all of her equipment situated away and got up to turn back to her ghost buddy, Odette told her to ask someone or spoke aloud what she would be doing. After telling Ash what she was going to do or what to do, the ghost girl poofed from Ash's sight and disappeared the ant looked to her left and right looking for Odette she cupped her hands to both sides of her mouth." Odette?!" She called out for her ghost friend.

" Guess I'll catch up with her, there must be a bulletin board telling us where our rooms are." The Ant girl spoke aloud to herself." I hope I'm roomed up by myself then my experiments won't need to be worried about by others."

The ant woman gripped up her briefcase and began heading back inside, as she entered the atrium of the school, her attention went straight towards a large bulletin board and soon noticed her name next to Odette. Quickly she noticed the map as well telling her where the dorms were Ash facepalmed." I gotta tell Odette when I see her, so she doesn't go scaring everyone asking where the dorms are." She spoke aloud before heading off in the direction of the dorms.

[User]
Coralia

Coralia then looked a bit unsure when she hesitated. She wonders if it was true her moral compress was pointing in the right direction. "Are you sure...?" She asked her calmly. Once Hinako reconfirms consent Coralia found herself hopping slowly behind Hinako and then gently and hesitantly she grab hold of her tail and begin feeling it with her fingers. She could help but blush cause of how soft it was. "huuuu...it so soft and clean." Coralia said in delighted with sparkles in her eyes and a face beaming with heavenly bliss, and yet she was gentle. "It feels so heavenly, you must really be a goddess" She comments as she began to rub her face gently against it. Worshipping her tails. after 20 seconds she then stopped herself. "Wept i thing 20 seconds is enough," She said with a disappointed look on her face. She felt that continuing would be a disproportionate reward so instead, she bow to her in a japan like fashion.

"I am humbled to be in your presents..." Coralia said proudly and respectful. "Say..." Coralia told her before she moves the tip of her tail in front of her. "Do you wish to feel my tail?" Coralia asked her feeling that it was only fair to let her tail her tail since she touches hers. "Just be careful around the end cause it pretty sensitive." Coralia warned her. Of course, she didn't know that human exact interests in touch fish tails then they are touching the tails of a fox. Thought she did read that human found their specism beautiful to the point where they would risk being drag down into the sea in which they can not survive under.

[Assistant]
~Odette Billeaud~

Lily screamed.

Odette screamed, though it was drowned out by Lily.

"Eep!"

Unfortunately, the perpetual blank look her face was always in didn't exactly give off a hint of surprise. Instead, she just stared for a few silent, uneasy seconds...floating. Above the ground. She had completely botched up that attempt. She hadn't meant to scare Lily at all. Ack, she should say something! Anything! But what could she say that wouldn't come out even worse? She glanced towards the ground, trying to collect her thoughts in a timely manner, but ultimately came up with nothing to reply to Lily with that wouldn't be just as bad or worse.

So she just floated there.

Awkwardly staring in silence.

Ugh, this was terrible. Maybe if she just stayed still and didn't do anything she wouldn't think she was a spooky scary ghost? She liked to think she was the exact opposite of that...at least, she never made any deliberate attempt to be spooky or scary.

[User]
Even though Lily had asked her, the suddenly-appearing girl merely stood silent, staring at her. Lily noticed that she was floating, her feet not touching the ground at all.

Connecting two and two together, Lily realized that she had to be a ghost. That's why she could just appear in front of her right that out of nowhere. The floating, and the sudden loss of temperature which she just noticed could also be explained by that.

So this little ghost thought of scaring her, huh? Well, she'd show her how much dragons could be scarier!

"So, you're thinking about scaring me, huh?" Lily said to her haughtily, crossing her hands below her chest, "Well, too bad! You only managed to surprise me with your sudden appearance! And now, I'll teach you how you properly scare someone!"

Lily instantly brought out her wings and tails, as she turned into her half-dragon form. Then, she immediately rushed towards the ghost, before letting out a loud dragon-like roar right in front of her face, showing off her pointy dragon teeth in the process.

Oh, it wouldn't harm her obviously, since she was a ghost and all. But it would surely scare the crap out of her. Any ordinary person would have fainted right away.

"There, how about that?" Lily bragged after she returned to her former spot, a confident smirk showing on her face.