[System]
Nickname: Wet Willie, W.W.

Normal:

GM:

Gender/Age: Male / 19

Gamer Title: w3t_w1ll1

Chosen Game Mastery: Worms Armageddon
Passive Abilities
* Becoming a 4' tall worm
* Supply drops randomly teleporting or parachuting from the sky
* Explosion-resistant body

Active Abilities
* Usage of all Worms Armageddon weapons (some may be locked, some ammo limited)
* Activation of an aiming marker that allows perfect ballistic precision. Enemies can see where you're aiming though.
* Backflip!

Personality:
Although he'll never admit it, William loves company. He very much appreciates public approval, and thus can enjoy repeating the same party trick over and over if the crowd cheers. He is fairly easy to manipulate in this way, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Despite any first impression that his gloating may create, Will is always willing to teach and to learn. As easy as he is to anger, he is easy to make reprimands with.

Background:
William grew up in a world of cruel positive feedback: If you're chubby, nobody picks you for football, so you go home and play videogames, end up chubbier, and vice versa. And our hero's over-developed imagination has made the world of virtual achievements even more alluring. His parents weren't rich, so he would usually own a one-generation-ago system and would trade in games to keep new ones flowing. Until eventually simple PCs became cheap enough for his parents to afford.

His preference for games built for careful planning (as opposed to quick response) naturally pulled him towards turn-based tactics such as Commandos, Heroes of Might and Magic, and of course, Worms. He became ridiculously good at the latter, and his grenade trick-shots became the talk of the lan-party. Between the super-sheep and the holy-hand-grenade, William felt right at home. Hell, if he could, he would live among them, in perpetual contest of Last Man Standing, armed with surprisingly accurate 2nd-order dynamics and ridiculous explosives...

Other: The first video game I remember playing was a chinese version of this:

It was colored differently and was on one of those "1001 in 1" custom systems. This was the early 90s I think. Once I immigrated to Israel we got a NES and the real fun began, with games such as Super Mario Bros, weird chinese DBZ stuff, Metroid and all the other popular titles. The first PC game was DooM, at a friend's house (since my parents couldn't afford a PC). The first PC game on my own rig was "Ashes to Ashes", which is a kind of sci-fi doom ripoff, as well as various demos such as Duke Nukem 3D, Wolfenstein, And that one weird first person spaceship game that I spent hours on but don't remember the name. The first Tomb Raider was the first true 3D game I think.

This is enough "other", yes?

[User] Alex hung back and took shots as necessary. He really didn't feel like wasting any arrows. When he heard David mention the fire bombers, Alex swiftly moved past the hollows fairly easily until he came close to the bombers. He raised his bow and took shots at the hollows taking the aggro so that any other ranged fighter could finish them while he avoided their attacks.

[Assistant] Amethyst was playing extremely cautious compared to the rest of them, making sure each shot counted while keeping a considerable distance away for a ranged fighter. She didn't want to get overly cocky, and with how diverse their group was, she was also watching their backs in a way. After all, she realized early in her training that she had very... interesting ways of healing someone, and so she would make sure that they would make it all home safe. This in turn made her notice Alex taking aggro of some hollows, picking up on what he was attempting to do and aiming at one of them. Steady, precise... She felt compelled to do so. Even if she didn't see herself as the leader, she still saw that it was her duty as a ranger and as a medic to bail anyone out if they got into trouble.

[User]
Realizing that the team held an overwhelming advantage over the hollows, he spend what felt like the next several hours teaching anyone unfamiliar with Dark Souls the intricacies of the franchise, especially how simple it is to grind out an area like this by 'resetting the world' at a bonfire. With his knowledge of the game and his team's ever-growing experience, David led the group all the way through the Undead Burgh, and up the tower towards the wall overlooking all of Lordran. All that remained was the boss, the Taurus Demon, that patrolled the wall.

"Alright everyone, gather up" he said as he stepped to the front of the group "Beyond this gate of fog and smoke is our first real challenge, the first proper boss fight. So here's the plan....."

But it was all for naught, for just as the group stepped beyond the gate, psyched up and confident in their plan to steamroll the Demon, they found no challenge awaiting them. Instead, on the far side of the wall, they saw the great beast slumped and defeated, heaving its last breaths, kneeling in front of it, they made out the shape of a human, glowing a deep blood-red hue. It moved swiftly, cutting the Demon's throat and absorbing its soul. It stood and turned towards the heroes, gave a snarky wave, and vanished into thin air.

"What the..???" David frantically tapped at the device on his arm "Navi, what the hell?"
"It's the Default. It appears they have an avatar in a separate rendering of the game world, and they discovered the best way to impede your progress would be to use the invasion mechanic to steal the soul you need to progress"
"What are our options here?"
"If they claim the key construct before you, they will have a clear advantage going forward, and all of your efforts to this point would be rendered futile. Scanning. . . Complete. I can harness the game world's natural corruption to move you towards the second challenge. Of course, it appears that the missing soul will be necessary as you move towards the third challenge... Analyzing.... I've found a fragment of code that may be of service. You will be able to obtain an item to invade the Default world as they have yours, by tracking down the avatar and defeating it, you will be able to reclaim the first soul"

David turned to the others "What do you think guys?"

[Assistant] Aliron had been looking forward to fighting an enemy that provided more of a challenge only to have it robbed as they got there. Talk about a KS. Aliron listened to Navi's explanation and shrugged, "Well it seems to me we won't be able to progress as some point due to this meddler so we'll have to take him out sooner or later. What's more if we try to continue he'll likely interfere once again. We should take care of it as soon as possible." It was the most logical course of action to take. Plus there was no way he would stand a chance against the entire group, in Dark Souls fighting two of anything was challenging, more than that was just hell.

[User]
William The Worm was too distracted to pay attention to David The Knight. He has been staring at a small floating screen that described his 'character' for quite a while now, at an obvious loss about what to do. One of the biggest problems he always had in these games is getting his levelups wrong in the beginning, making the first few chapters a living hell.

And he never started with a Pyromancer before. Maybe he should have. At this point, his aim with arching fireballs was just as good as the archers', and he kept melting the proverbial faces off his targets. But his mana would run out early, leaving him with no tools to fight. This would probably need to be the first issue he adressed. After an additional thought, he raised his magic and faith to the values he guessed would be needed for the next spell, and put the rest of the points into wisdom. At this level, it almost doubled his mana and added another attunement slot he had nothing to put in at the moment.

After finalizing the changes, he looked at his friends questioningly. They seemed to be in thought about something he missed, and having no real way to express himself, the worm simply waited for the next person to speak.

[Assistant] Well, this was a problem. The fact that the enemy was able to get into their game and impede their process was not good. If theey could do this what else could they do. The group needed to do something about this but going to the Default world may be dangerous, "Navi, what do you know about the Default world. I'm not entirely against the idea of going to the Default world but if we don't know what they can do it won't be safe. I also think we should only go there if we can assure that when going there they won't realize it. We have no idea what their forces are like. We need a plan."

[User]
Navi's voice chirped to life.
"The Default are running an undercurrent program to display a Game World identical to yours. However, it appears the Default are leveraging their viral properties into an advantage. Infecting NPCs to bypass them. However, in doing so, they have rendered themselves unable to overpopulate the world with player avatars as I have"

"I agree with Aliron" David said "We need to take the soul back sooner or later, may as well be sooner"

"I will force the game to move ahead to that stage. Constructing a fog gate on the far side of the tower. Please step through when you are ready"

[Assistant] "Good, let's get going then." Aliron said briskly and began walking towards the gate. Waiting around would do nothing and Navi explained that they wouldn't expect anything in the next place to be much different from here. He was eager to progress and honestly somewhat looking for a challenge. Things should be interesting when they invaded. He remembered watching a bit of dark souls pvp, it was quite intense when you combined the brutality of Dark Souls with the intensity of fighting other players and all the diverse strategies involved it become quite interesting. Dark Souls had always seemed like one of the most interesting games to experience in VR. Look at that was this was a unique opportunity.

[User]
The worm silently observed the exchange. If this was anything like the PvP he'd experienced - a salad of glitches, cheaters and general imbalance - they would find out very soon what it meant to die in this world. Then again, being in a team was always different, and so far coordination has been pretty good.

With slight reluctance, he began squeaking his way towards the gray gate. His health was full, his mana almost full. He wouldn't be any more ready to what lay on the other side than he was now.

[Assistant]
@fer1323@Fabricant451@alexfangtalon@Eklispe@MechonRaptor

"Well here goes nothing" David said as he stepped through the gate. There was a moment of pitch darkness, followed by a strange crackling sound as the world began to re-render in front of his eyes, having played all the games to near-completion, David knew something had gone wrong. He was standing in a dark stone chamber, dilapidated and worn down with time. An ancient room with a bonfire lazily casting shadows on the wall, mixing with the dim moonlight shining through the cracks and holes in the high-vaulted ceiling. A doorway to his right led out into the night, on his left, a stairway leading down. This was the final bonfire of Farron Keep, a short run away from where the Abyss Watchers, a core boss of Dark Souls 3, waged their everlasting battle. Looking behind him, he saw that Jaz, Sam, and Alex had loaded in behind him, but the others were nowhere to be found.

"Navi, what happened? Where's Aliron and the others? And why are we here?"
"It appears that the corruption is much greater than anticipated. The attempt to transfer you all en masse was more than the system could bear. I am logging this data for future reference. Scanning. It appears the others arrived at the correct data shard, they will shortly enter combat with the Skeleton Lords and their army of the dead, upon victory, they will receive the orb, and be able to invade the Default. I suggest you push forward. Defeatng the Abyss Watchers and taking their souls will provide enough energy to power a jump to the final boss, the keeper of the first Datacore Key. Additional scans show the route forward is clear, a fortunate side effect of the game corription...... oh."
"What's 'oh' Navi?"
"It appears the overwhelming corruption on these data shards have infected the background programs I have been running, your abilities will be blocked, and avatar protection has been disabled"
"What are you saying Navi, what avatar protection"
"In most of these digital realms, avatar protection is a failsafe program that prevents data from falling through a crack in programming, such as a failed loading state. I reverse engineered it, and applied it to each of you to ensure a continuation of data, a respawn if you will. However with the infection of that program, I fear player death in this corrupted stage may be permanent"

The words hit David like a ton of bricks. Up until now this game world had been all fun, sure they had some setbacks, and everyone was wondering how the hell this had happened and how they were getting home, but it was enjoyable to physically experience their favorite games. Now, faced with the possibility of real death, David was paralyzed. He hardly heard Navi's next words.
"I will relay this message to the other players and attempt to repair the program, however, the data shard's corruption may prevent me from restoring it until all avatar's have been removed. Please do try not to perish"

[User] Aliron appeared at the base of a set of stone stairs leading to a white wall of mist Aliron looked around to se that the group was diminshed in size. "Hm? Navi where is everyone else?" After a few seconds of silence Navi helpfully responded. "The curroption caused the transportation to seperate you. You can still continue going forward to defeat the Skeleton Lords and retrieve the orb, allowing you to invade the default. Also I have already informed David's group but if you die here you will likey die for good." Aliron shrugged. Well it was unfortunate that they had been split but he honestly wasn't too worried about it. He walked up the mist wall and looked back with a confident grin, "Well, are we all ready to go then?"

[Assistant]
Die for good. The words seemed to paint the entire world in a different color. The game was very frustrating as it is, with progress constantly being on the line if the player makes the wrong move. But this wasn't about progress anymore, was it?

William looked upwards. The world was spinning, every nook and cranny threatening with an unseen enemy ambush. They had just started, without any good abilities or equipment, and the start of these games always made a point of killing the player numerous time until they understand it's part of the process. But now, their entire future was on the line. His entire future was in the hands of this foolhardy link wannabe.

With a squeak that seemed to loud for him, William The Worm took a step back. And another. He shaked his head. He is not going in there.


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: F

Godly parent: Babd

Brief description of godly parent: Babd is part of the triple goddess Morrigan. Babd specifically takes the form of either a young maiden or a crow. She watches over the battlefields and ferries the dead to the next life. The complete triple goddiss of The Morrigan is the great phantom queen. She is the queen of death and rebirth. She is the god of strife and sovereignty in Irish mythology. While not a minor god to the Irish Babd is one of the three sisters that combine to become The Morrigan. The other two "aunts" of hers are called Macha and Anand.

Appearance:

Skills/Powers/Weapons: She is a skilled witch unmatched by mortals in the realms of spells that deal with both death and rebirth. In short she is a necromancer. She bends souls of the living into new forms and carries them to the next life. She may animate the dead corpses of not only animals and people but plants as well. She is also a talented tactition on the battlefield and often uses her wits and cunning to win a battle rather than relying on her magical prowess.

Basic reanimation of corpses would be the main skillset she has however there are advancements that can be made.
- Necrotic explosion: Is an enhancement she can give to a body that then absorbs more of her magical power. When it doe or on her command the body will explode and create a blast of negative energy that harms the living. It does not harm her or the other reanimated creatures and does not create an actual physical blast. IT cannot harm a door for example.

- Tough Flesh: Is an enhancement that makes the flesh of the corpse tough as leather and makes it harder to harm it with regular weapons.

- Frozen Flesh: An enchantment that can only be used in the winter months. She uses freshly fallen slow or ice as an additional magical conduit and she freezes the body solid to create an undead thats touch freezes all that it grasps. A single touch can cause frostbite to a normal mortal. However if they are exposed to fire or heat the bodies will melt and break down.

- Soul Awakening: In this ability she can take the actual soul of an individual and stitch it into a body. The body will then have free will rather than be under her control. However she can stich a soul into more or less anything. She has sealed souls into mirrors and swords as well as dead bodies. She cannot force the souls to answer or corporate with her as she does not have the power to infringe on their free will.

- Channeling: She can channel a soul into her own body temporarily in a self created possession that can allow others to communicate with spirits through her.

- Necrotic Touch: She can channel her magical energy through her hands and transfer it through a gentle touch. This touch immediately kills the living flesh she touches and it begins to rot away. It spreads but slowly. If touched on the arm one may remove the "infected" area before it spreads to more vital parts of the body.

Strengths/Weaknesses: Her cunning and ability to spread her magic where it needs to be. While none of her magic is distinctly destructive in a widespread way she can reanimate corpses to do her bidding which can amount up to a powerful force if left unchecked. However one on one her damaging capabilities are far less than many of the other demi-gods and is not suited for combat herself. She requires a conduit of sorts to channel her magic. She has but one spell that she can use without it.

She uses strategy and tactics to make situations at her advantage

Other: She has a pet crow that is her familiar. The familiar will not die of old age so long as she lives and she can look through the eyes of the crow as it flies overhead. She can do a true reanimation of the crow unlike her false reanimation of the living dead. The crow can have a single spell stored on it at a time and can be remotely activated. However the crow itself will not actually have any magical abilities other than its ability to link and send images through its sight back to Beanna.

Her staff is made of dark wood soaked in blood which gives it the reddish appearance. The gold on the tip is forged from the crowns of fallen kings. It is the only physical item that her mother has ever bestowed upon her. It works to focus her magic and if she were to ever loose it the effectiveness and power of her spells would be depleted greatly.

[User]
"There are more options than no training or throwing him into a river. You could teach him gradually as most teachers and trainers would do. Few use total immersion and expect positive results." Johnny replied, smiling at the others seeming attempt at intimidation. He wasn't particularly intimidated by the ice magic, knowing he wouldn't try anything too overt and if he did he would end up having everyone else attack him. So freezing a gun and speaking low and venomous had the opposite effect. It was then that Victoria shot him in the foot. It was then he looked dead serious.

"He may have frozen your gun and endangered a comrade, but actively harming him is a step too far." He said sternly.

[Assistant]
The area was becoming tense again. Least Adrian could do was attempt to defuse the situation. He began to approach Riley. "Don't start, Rie. They get it, you're powerful, and we could use the training, but even you can't help but think your methods are a bit unethical-" BANG! Victoria acted much faster than Adrian could, simply popping the cryomancer in the foot. Naturally, this surprised Adrian.

"AHH! FUCK!" He yelped and flinched on instinct. "Victoria! Really?! Jesus!" That shot was much much closer than he'd like to admit, and sent his ears ringing.

[User]
Riley
 Despite the screaming pain in his foot, he managed to maintain a semblance of his composure. Having suffered far worse wounds, a peek under he shirt could tell you that, he had developed quite the pain tolerance, even in the worst of situations he could manage to stay composed. As blood began to pour from his foot, the entire surface of his flesh was covered in a layer of Ice, different densities forming the intricate muscles and veins, essential repairing his foot for the time being. He was more than capable of turning his whole body into ice, but it ate up a lot of his power, so it only really worked in cases that he needed high defense. Which was rare.

 Facing the gun raised at his head, the pieces clciked together in his head, and he smiled softly.
"Strike Two."
 Was all he said with a whisper, before turning and walking, thinking as he went.

 He was a powerful ally to have in battle, but an even more powerful enemy, she had was near to making an enemy, and if she did, one day, she would suffer ten-fold the damage she had done unto him, he was sure of it. He would destroy her pride, perhaps by breaking her fingers, so she can never fire a gun, or perhaps have her paralyzed, leaving her a useless vegetable for the rest of her days. But, she still had one strike, perhaps she would justify herself.

[Assistant]
"What a bitch." She said as she holstered her sidearm. "So anyway, what was I saying?" She looked over her rifle. "Fuck, this isn't good." She drew her kukri and began cutting the ice off. "So anyway, we're going to need a lot of guns." And a knife. She flicked her head up. That was a weird thought. A single knife? Why did she need a single knife? She had a knife.

Weird day.

[User]
Adrian showed off a pretty good grimace as Riley did his best to patch up the grievous wound inflicted upon him. What was left of his foot was encased in ice...or turned into ice? Adrian couldn't really tell. "I'm not sure feet or ice work that way..." He mumbled, looking on as he hobbled away. "Or maybe they do. I don't know how that guy works..." "He should probably see a actual doctor or something..." He thought aloud, reproaching Victoria...who had gone back to their previous branch of conversation with nary a hitch. She seemed more excited after the event than before. Adrian sighed, grasping for his forehead.

"Typical morning at the Refuge..." He sighed again.

[Assistant]
"We can go over the details for such a thing once I can actually purchase them. For the time being, it would mostly be just talking about which guns we like the most. For now though I think I'd like some breakfast, and the grove has plenty of fruits and vegetables ready for picking." He replied to Victoria. Giving a slight bow as his father had taught him before walking away. The sight of two demigods getting into a fight with one or both being very much injured was almost mundane. Mixing various gods and pantheons was bound to cause problems.

"If anyone would care to join."

[User] Victoria ejected the magazine from her Colt and began slotting replacement bullets into the mag before slotting it back in and working the slide, then slid it into her hip holster. "Sure, what the hell. I already did PT this morning, I was just showing off for the Bow fanboys."

[Assistant] Seeing it as an opportunity to finally exit the scene, Adrian was eager to follow along with Johnny. "YES! Yes. Please, breakfast would be the best right about now." He replied, quickly taking up the rear. "I'm gonna have to meditate on this, after all's said and done...lord have mercy." He was gonna have a headache. He was never a fan of swiftly escalating confrontations.

[User]
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Ephraim attempted to calm himself. His hands trembled, and Nycteris's words once agains sounded in his mind. You know as well as I do that a little R&R can do wonders for soldiers. He was losing his cool, and he desperately needed a break. However, his idea of a break was a lot different from everyone else's. Carefully putting away his newly-strung bow, he buckled on a sword and went into the woods, to an area that few dared to venture.

Drawing the sword, Ephraim closed his eyes and waited. Then he roared and whirled on a target, cleaving it in two. None of the targets or dummies in his personal training area survived. Usually, decimating the many targets in his clearing would cool his head. Not this time.

Gods, he hated the powered ones. So often, they acted as if their superpowers made them somehow better than the rest of them. Ephraim's skills in war didn't come from any fancy blessing or magical power. He had to work for it, and work hard. Anuke was a loving mother, but demanding. Her son would not be allowed to slack. Breathing hard, he waited until his heart rate settled, and went off into the woods. This wasn't something he did often, and every time, Nycteris somehow found him and dragged him back to camp and to the nearest healer.

Sword in hand, a grimly determined look on his face, Ephraim went in search of monsters.

[Assistant]
Michael practiced with the others at archery, he was average and had an okay shot, but he was more better at just relying on the power of his Holy Ghost. Ephraim gave a little speech about how they needed to learn the weapons of mortals to defend themselves. Michael then had to listen to them squabble about methods of training and he rolled his eyes, this is why God is the most worshiped today, he doesn't argue because is the only deity of his faith, no childish and ruinous fighting like these Pagans, he thought to himself. Riley seemed to get aggressive when Rayon approached while invisible. The boy looked rather upset at what was done to him and Michael almost used his Holy Ghost to restrain the demigod if necessary, but he didn't when Riley apologized.

Then the fight broke and Riley ended up getting shot. This pissed Michael off even and he unleashed his Holy Ghost. The divine spirit flew right up to Victoria and punched her hard in the face, thanks to her sins of unneeded violence his ghostly punch would burn red hot and leave a burn as well as a bruise.

"That's what a heathen like you gets for shooting an ally!. Fight all you want you pagan barbarians, but shoot each other or draw needless blood and I'll show you the power of God!!!" he shouted at them with a vengeful fury and his divine spirit flashed brightly. Like with God himself, Michael had a righteous wrath inside of him and detested senseless violence and so he dished what he saw was just punishment. Michael then proceeded to just float in the air watching the others to see if more fighting would break out.

[User]
Victoria reeled back from the strike, then spitted him with a stare. She gave him a good couple seconds, then set her rifle on the nearby table and set it down, then drew her sidearm and set it down next to it, then drew her kukri and set it down beside it.

"Alright, you piece of waste, let's get a few things straight." She opened and closed her hands twice. "One: Don't put your hands on me, spiritual or otherwise." She walked towards him. "Two, don't get self-righteous with me when you claim to be the son of Yahweh, which is such an obvious lie I don't even really need to go into it. And three, I'm not a Pagan, you imbecile. I'm Jewish. Prometheus is my father, not my God." Prometheus wouldn't take well to worship anyway."

"Oh, and four? Ice Boy's literally insane, if you were paying any attention." She ran a finger across the mark on her cheek. "So do you want to do this, boy? Do you really want to fight? Because you've got my blood up, I'm ready to go."

[Assistant]
"Oh please Hachiman grant me the strength, and Omoikane grant me patience." He muttered as he simply ignored the child of god and kept walking back to the grove. He wanted no more part in this foolishness, instead merely wanting to eat his breakfast and possibly enjoy tea and prayer in peace.

"If you are going to fight, please keep it out of the grove. We don't need blood sullying the holy land." Johnny said simply as he continued into the outskirts of the grove. This one styled in a forest not uncommon to northern New York state, heading towards the center where the shrine to his father could be found. Part of him wanted to make a crude joke involving shedding blood on holy soil but he held his tongue. Merely grinning instead.

[User]
Beanna watches on with care as many individuals seem to start in on an argument. She signs slowly before opening her own mouth.
 "Hey. I know that he went overboard slightly with the kid but at the same time you have to see his point. This isn't a god-damned game anymore. This is real. People without powers from their herritage are going to have to work double time to keep up and stay alive."  She rubs the temples of her forehead as her increasing agitation builds up again. "But also it often takes life or death situations to help trigger their power that they didn't know they even had. Lets push but with a saftey net. So put away the guns and put away the ice unless we use them to make our total forces more threatening to the enemy."


[System]
Age

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Two

Gender

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Female

Race

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Semper Fae

Appearance

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Picture:
TO BE ADDED

Description:
Zina is quite tall of her specie, standing at 7,3ft tall and sporting a fuller frame. Her skin is a poison green hue, with burning yellow and pink veins visible on areas of her skin. Her irises are of a glowing green color and her hair is a collection of long, thick dark green leaves tied together in a long ponytail that runs down her spine.
In terms of attire, Zina is clad in an elaborate collection of leaves and wines grown together with sections of hard oak, and her back and shoulders are adorned with a long, flayed cloak of nestle and thorns that flow behind her.

In her hands she wields a long, withered and hardened vine in the crude resemblance of a staff, its tip wrapped and coiled around an ivy crystal ball.

Personality

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Personality: Bubbly, curious, reckless, naive... though her mood can switch drastically when she channels her magic.

Backstory

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Two years ago, as the corruption was born and spread within the womb of the Ebony Mountains far away, Zina would blossom into the world beneath the Mother Tree during a night come to be remembered as 'The Black Veil' by her people; a night said to be so dark that the stars and moons vanished from the sky, to cast the lands beneath in such a complete darkness it left the people blind until the coming of dawn.

Semper Fae are often affected by the time of their blooming; whether it happens during winter or summer, day, twilight or night; which can be reflected in their appearance, traits and personality to wildly different degrees.

So it would also be for Zina, who seemed to have been marked the night she was spawned. There was an unsettling darkness that resided within her, a subtle thing, though could nonetheless be felt by the other Fae around her. Although they remained friendly and cordial, Zina nonetheless found herself drifting apart from the rest of her kin, as they avoided her, and she in turn found herself drawn to the darker groves of her home forest, spending much of her time away from her kin and even coming dangerously close to the scorned on many occasions.

Discomforted by the presence of Zina among them, the Fae grove leaders decided it would be best for their community to send her away. And so when the Emperor demanded tithes or soldiers, the grove-leaders instead offered up Zina, marketing her as their greatest sorceress, full of knowledge, power and ability to be given to the Emperor.
Of course the truth of these claims were debatable, but the Emperor's messengers took it as such, and so "The Great Sorceress" Zina went with them. Zina herself, being only 2 years old and full of curiosity, saw it all as nothing more than a great adventure and went along with it all.

Magic Abilities

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• Dark Magic, 3x Points
 ➤ Zina is inexperieced, but her very being is steeped in negative energies, and has been ever since she was spawned. Its manifestations range from the subtle to the obvious. At its calm, it is an aura of darkness, an invisible sense of foreboding that dims candles and frightens animals. At its most direct; especially when she casts her magic; the air will become thick and oppressive, sources of light will choke and the very ground will erode, plants and life withering at her mere presence.
Despite her great magical strength, Zina's actual control and understanding over her own powers is still limited, wherein it is still more of an act of instinct and intuition that she lacks full control over.

Combat Abilities

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• Health/Resilience, 3x Points
 ➤ Although Fae are commonly considered weak and flimsy, this is a not a stereotype that can be applied to Zina. Whether due to the dark magic inside of her or the unique nature and time of her spawning, Zina's body is resilient; like a garden of weeds that refuse to die. She is larger and taller than most of her kin, and even in her short and reckless life has suffered injuries that would have laid even members of their warrior caste low; yet simply walked them off and returned to her meandering.

Artifact of Dramoria

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Artifact of Dramoria: The Book of Harow, "The Dark Apostle". Pulled from the Emperor's deepest vaults is an eldritch tome filled with secrets, made long ago by the magical genius and religious madman Harow Archendale. Filled with pages upon pages of arcane scripts and diagrams that seem to shift and change on their own, the book is said to hold a library's worth of secrets, from the mundane to the legendary. It is even believed that it holds the mad soul of Harow himself; magically bound into its eternally changing pages; who screams his secrets at anyone with a mind to listen and not be driven insane.

Motive

---

Zina has little knowledge of the world. This is something that she knows, and a major reason for why she is willing to travel onto adventures and quests despite them not necessarily having any direct reward. She journeys the world of experience. The world is great, yet Zina's curiosity is greater
Yet there is also a hidden part of her that drives her, an indescribible sense of fate that arises from somewhere deep within her being ever, pushing Zina towards some unknown destination.

[User]
Keenan didn't even flinch as the wolf was obliterated in front of him. He kept facing the woods until the rest of the corrupt pack showed itself and charged the party. rather than remain braced, however, Keenan charged for the silver wolf as it came towards him. As he charged he subtly tapped into the magic the Fae left behind in the wake of her spell, no one would be the wiser but as the two were about to meet the wolf's front legs were suddenly snared. The wolf was stopped for the split second needed for Keenan to drive his knee into the underside of it's jack, and with a wet crack the wolf's jaw was broken. The stunned beast was then subjected to a flurry from the Twin Fang's blades, ending it's miserable life.

Standing over it's body Keenan roared a challenge at the other brown wolf and it came barreling into him in answer. He took the charge and the two entering a fierce grapple.

---

As soon as the first wolf was gone Lothian aimed for the treeline and began shooting with his crossbow a moment before the wolves had come charging out of the woods. He continued aiming as he had before, taking every available shot to either weaken, maim, or kill. He slowly stepped backward to put himself behind the others as he did to avoid the melee so he could keep firing but he drew his shortsword in case it found him anyway.

[Assistant]
Kean Jossun

---

Icy fingers traced along his spine, bringing a violent shudder. Magic. Odd magic, not exactly malign, but… dark? A dagger was in Kean's hand now, gripped tight with new resolve.

No sooner had he turned from the horses when everything black, save for the dim light hovering in the air. Reflexively, a hand went to his face in panic, but nothing obscured his vision. Then, the world exploded back into light, accompanied but a purple front of destructive energy; it reaved the life from everything that crossed its path, tearing the ground asunder with frightening ease. Kean stood, stunned. He was at once inspired and demoralised by the display.

The Fae fell to the ground, and Kean relaxed, the beast slain. More than slain, obliterated. With the last of the horses corralled, he offered a shaky hand to the Fae, assuming it over. He was going to make a snide comment about how the beast was lucky that he didn't get to deal with, but then the low-burning anger in Brennen's words surprised Kean into silence. Not that he had time to muse over it, as five more perverted wolves tore towards them, as the Templar warned.

The night was filled with twisted-human screams. It was a sound that squirmed into your skull. Kean wanted to claw it out. Man and beast fell upon each other, blood spraying. The burning one was worst. Kean was glad it's skull was cleaved quickly, a mercy for them both. His face scrunched up at the smell. You would not imagine forgetting how frightening the Scorned were. You'd reckon one could steel their mind. Not Kean. The only thing keeping his frayed nerves together, cauterising the newfound dread, was that black candle burning in the back of his mind, that off-magic.

Kean had fallen tighter behind the wall that was Adra now. Lacking the proficiency to attack with the same reckless abandon as Keenan, or the awesome magic that exalted Brennen and the Sorceress of the Brightwood Grove, he had to hope simple teamwork would suffice. His shifted uneasily.

"I've got your back," He said firmly, trying to hide how he felt. A hairless horror bounded towards them. He could run. He should run. Turf was torn up in its wake. Focus. A deep breath in, then out. Calm. Kean launched his dagger at the monstrosity, his magic propelling the blade at speeds approaching that of a crossbow bolt. From the folds of his clothing a larger blade floated into his grasp, ready to support Adra when the melee broke out.

[User]
Neil held his position, shield still angled towards the sky. He need to maintain focus to keep his protection spell in effect. He noticed how the pyromancer had rejected the protection of the night. He guessed it was only fitting that one who held the fire so closely would fear the dark.

He looked over to the pyromancer, and recited a text from one of the many holy-books he had read, "While some may find themselves lost in darkness, those who cling to closely to the light will find themselves blind. The moon gives gentle guidance to any who are willing to look."

[Assistant]
Adra Son Sauhl

---

Adra had never been fond of magic, and she became less so when a beam of power barely lanced over her head and towards the wolf being before her. She watched as the creature turned into nothing. There was a thud as the fae fell behind her. Adra moved towards her, making sure that the woman was fine. She slid her hand across the other's face and waited until the other seemed conscious. "Good job," Adra said with a smile. "I'll cover you while you recover." One of the humans tended to the fae's health, and so the orc didn't think it was necessary to stay with her.

Standing, she faced the five wolves that poured from the forest. Adra pulled her shield closely into her form, staring at them as they clustered around. Their existence varied from something plausible in nature and something totally unnatural. The rogue tended to the fae and relied on her. And as such Adra stood at full guard.

A hairless wolf ran towards them. Adra was the wall between the creature and their prey. She thrust her shield towards the beast. It bounced off of it, and she stood over it, pulling her warhammer into focus. Yet, a dagger peppered its skin. The creature pulled back. It was angry, and yet it tried to attack again.

Pushed from her own drive and the drive of the gauntlets, Adra moved forwards. She dropped her shield and grabbed her warhammer with both hands and slung down on the beast's skull. It fell before her, easily. That being said, she tried to grab at her shield to try protect the fae and the other that tried to save her.

Why had she dropped it so easily?

@jdh97@Lord Zee

[User]
"I'm alright; I'm alright!" Zana called out to the Orc as the Fae scrambled to get out of the dirt and to rise back to her full height, before pausing for a moment to look up at Adra.
" ... and thanks!"

She would have said more to the Orc, but as the situation was at the moment; it wasn't exactly an ideal moment for chit-chat! Turning to look out across the battlefield, she saw a few things. Some good, some bad.

On the bright side, there wasn't much left of her first target; which had been wholly disintegrated from this very plane.

On the down side, there were now a lot more targets scampering and running all around them!

"We are a bit too clustered for a Death Sphere or Holocaust spell, I need something with a bit more finesse!"

Zana privately thought to herself, her mind racing through half a dozen different spells; most of which would be useless right now unless she wanted to destroy the party alongside the Scorned! But then; trudging through her memory; she found it, and she crouched down behind Adra!

"Keep them off my butt! I got a solution!" Zana said to the Orc warrioress, before she pulled the sleeve off her right hand and reached down towards the grass at her feet.

The tips of the Fae's fingers would twist and turn for a moment; before transforming into piercing roots that shot down into the ground! Zana closed her eyes and began to recite the names of the other party members to the best of her ability, or at least those she didn't want to possibly end up killing with the spell!
Beneath her, the ground began to move and churn, before the disturbance began to move out to either side of her; snaking across the battleground as it sought out targets, moving between rocks and the feet of the combatants!


[System]
Age: 5

Sex: Male

Appearance: About average size for a goblin male (about 3 feet 3 inches), with orange-red hair. See below for a picture.

Background: One of a litter of seven children, he was one of five to survive and the oldest male to make it past the harsh winter in which he was born. Breden is a decent hunter but unproven in battle and only a mediocre fighter in the few arena matches he's ever been in. As such, he has had few opportunities for mating with females, a state of affairs he hopes to change soon. He gets along well with male and female goblins alike, but most females have 'friendzoned' him, as they tend to think he's cute and nice, but wouldn't make a good sire for their kids.

Abilities: Breden is a hunter, skilled with a spear and dagger. His average strength prevents him from taking on large quarries alone, but he can definitely feed himself with smaller catches such as rabbits and squirrels, and he is a good tracker, a stealthy stalker, and good at climbing trees.

Clothing/Equipment: A four-foot long spear with a stone dagger and a brown loincloth.

Siwa

Age: 4

Sex: Female

Appearance: She stands 3 feet 1 inch, with brown hair. See her picture for more details.

Background: Unusually, Siwa was the only child born in what would have been her litter. As such, she was given all of her mother's attention and had the opportunity to learn quite a bit from her, especially how to give rubdowns. When Siwa was one, she ventured to the nearby human town and quickly developed a liking for human things. Siwa is almost the only goblin in her tribe who regularly visits the humans, who seem to like her. She sometimes dances for the owner of a human tavern, and she uses what few coins she is tipped to buy food. Being the closest thing that the goblins in her tribe have to a city girl, she is notoriously poor at farming or catching food herself.

Abilities: Siwa is a skilled dancer, adept at giving massages, and has a way with words.

Clothing/Equipment: Apart from her loincloth and top piece, she uses very little else. That said, she has several human possessions in her hut, even if she keeps them for display and not use.

Note: Despite being a dancer and masseuse, she is not unusually promiscuous for a female goblin, despite the stereotypes.

[User]
Breden's ears perked up for a moment when he heard the loud gobliness shout at Griz. A few months ago, this would have startled him. Now, he took one look at the gobliness and felt pity for her. She was a self-styled warrior and he didn't doubt that she had some skill with the stone knives she had on a belt around her waist. Her loud manner and average looks told him that her "brave warrior" routine was a way of getting attention from the stronger males, who would normally pass over a plain-looking gobliness in favor of the more attractive females. The poor lady had probably gone a while without a mate, and even if her looks didn't turn off her desired mates, her eccentric behavior certainly would. As it was, females were too important as mothers to send off to a battle, and the tribe would have to be very desperate indeed to risk them in combat. One male and several females would work just as well as an equal number of each after taking serious losses in a war, but the reverse wouldn't do anything to help replace losses as fast.

The younger hunter and newly-minted warrior cut off a part of the owlbear and delivered it to the granary, as he had promised. He took his share of the meat in a sack the granary guard had been nice enough to give him. It was no wonder why the guard had been kind; she was the only female on duty protecting the granary. It was a volunteer position and a rather boring one at that, assigned only to goblins trusted by the chief. Older goblins and females who wanted to take up arms often had that role, and Breden suspected that the ladies assigned to the easiest job in the tribe were the same who the chief took a fancy to. Were Breden a human, he might have thought that it was a rather questionable thing to do, handing out tasks based on favors in bed. Goblins didn't see it that way, though. It wasn't a favor for the chief, nor was it a favor for the females; it was just something they did when they were relaxed, well-fed, and safe. Only hunger, age, or illness would dull that flame in an adult of their species, mostly.

That said, there were exceptions, Breden had heard tales of goblins taking up the lives of a druid, living in the wilderness apart from a tribe and operating on a different set of norms, as if they were an entire tribe of shamans. Before anyone could consider any of that, they had one more issue to resolve.

"Griz, you don't think there's a connection between the Blue Foot... Blue Feet...? Th-the tribe who's causing us trouble and the owlbear we just killed, do you? And- excuse me, I don't need any of that salve, please. How about we meet tomorrow? I've got to deal with this for now. I-I don't mean to sound rude, but it is important." The shaman's daughter backed off from Breden, giving him a naughty look. She hadn't been laying hands on him to help his wounds.

"So, Griz. Blue Feet tribe. You think they're gonna cause trouble this winter?" Winters in this land tended to be mild, but there were exceptions, and this season was shaping up to be one of them. There might even be snow this time around, something the goblins of the Forest Tribe hadn't prepared for.

[Assistant]
In his opinion the social orders of other goblin tribes seemed strange, well at least strange for Twig that is. Greslarch had tracked the scouting party to the tribe after stumbling upon them as they transported their quarry. In retrospect neither Twig nor his battle-scarred companion were in a hurry to catch up to the hunters and scouts. Curiosity is what drove Twig to follow them, and he found the tribe strange because they seemed extremely organized and seemed to also follow a different philosophy or so he guessed.

Greslarch sniffed the ground and not paying attention bumped Twig through the underbrush and into view with a thump, from where they spied the goblins carrying the owlbear carcass. Swearing under his breath Twig tried to get up slowly, cursing his companions ignorance because he had blown their cover.

[User]
Several members of the Forest Tribe on the fringes of the village saw an unfamiliar goblin poke through the bushes. In this tense atmosphere, the sudden arrival of a strange goblin caused much alarm, especially one with such strange eyes. He clearly wasn't a member of their tribe, but he also wasn't a member of any of their known enemies. Within a few minutes, scared farmers began racing back into the village with news about a stranger showing up.

"Griz, I'm gonna see who that is. You can come along if you like. And ladies, just- just visit me at my hut tomorrow. This is important." He ran off to the outskirts of town, happy to be away from the crowd. It wasn't that he didn't want attention from the females, but there was such a thing as too much at once, and it wasn't like his reputation as a good fighter and hunter was going to vanish in by the next morning. Without looking to see if anyone had followed him, Breden stopped to find a second crowd- much smaller than the one had just left- standing near a weird goblin and a large wolf. The crowd was only equipped with farm tools made of stone and wood, not much of a threat, but they numbered at least a dozen. The entire crowd was made up of older males and a couple of females. Given that males generally didn't farm if they could still hunt, this was to be expected.

"One side, please! Warrior with a metal sword coming through!" He kept the blade Koglan had forged for him sheathed, but he was ready to draw it at a moment's notice. The exotic goblin looked nothing like a Blue Foot. "Who are you, and why have you come?"

[Assistant]
Having pitchforks leveled at you doesn't exactly make for great introductions, Twig tentatively got up and noticed Greslarch step closer and being smart Twig glared at his companion "Down old friend I will call you when I need you!" Twig muttered so only Greslarch heard.

"Hmmph whatever brother" The wolf simply snorted and vanished into the trees, but Twig was distracted by a disturbance in the crowd as a voice called out. The goblin was male and had a metal sword sheathed at his side and after seeing Twig the goblin asked who he was and why he had come.

"I am Twig," he stated his eyes passing their gaze over the crowd "And I am the last Green-Eye and I have come in search of a new home" Twig gazed intently at the warrior.

"But I would also ask who you are?" Twig asked the goblin who addressed him.

[User]
"A Green-Eye?! I-I'm Breden." He looked at Twig, seeing the reason why he was obviously called that. "That's- it's- it's very unusual to have a member of another tribe here. I heard that your tribe was either wiped out or were all druids or something. No one around here really knows what happened to your people, we only heard rumors. We didn't know you were real, even. Maybe it would help if you explained who the Green-Eyes are? Or were? And was it just me, or is that wolf yours? It doesn't look like it was acting like a normal wolf."

If he was a druid, this could be helpful for the Forest Tribe. That said, no group of druids ever took sides in a war without good cause, and it was rare that they interfered with the daily lives of the average goblins. He wasn't even sure if Twig was a druid or not, but his strange appearance certainly lent him a mystical air.

[Assistant]
"If we hadn't seen their scouts in our territory, I would have just thought the owlbear had just reached a bit out of her territory in search for better sources of food. But, unfortunately, this wasn't the case. The area we encountered her was a good distance away from where the latest sighting of a large predator was reported and was starving." Griz said as he deposited his entire share to the village granary. "Owlbears are one of the apex predators of the forest, they won't go out of their territory that far. Something pushed that owlbear out." Griz furrowed his brow and frowned at the thought. "A simple raiding party could probably scare off one...but not for long. I think we'll be facing a warband."

Breden was then distracted by a commotion outside.

"You go on ahead. I have to feed the gatherer before I go to Koglan. Do stay safe." Griz said while turning to the pregnant gobliness and gesturing her to follow. She follows him but grumbles under her breath about Griz not remembering her name.

[User] "I am a druid," said Twig "But the wolf is normal I just have the ability to communicate with wolves." Twig continued fidgeting with his totem. "Greslarch is my companion" Twig proudly stated then peered quizzically at Breden and asked "Would you like to know anything else?" asked Twig still fidgeting with the snarling face of the wolf "I am without a home and all I have to offer is my and my companions protection." he offered.

[Assistant]
@Blackmist16

Earlier...

"Sure thing, Griz. I'll meet you at Koglan's place if I have time." He looked back at the pregnant gobliness. She was clearly hungry and impatient. Strictly speaking, Griz was under no actual obligation to feed her, but if he had mated with her in the past few months, it was possible that she was carrying some of his children, along with those of at least one other male. While he couldn't be totally sure, if he got a good look at her younglings and one of them looked like him, it would be a sign that she had indeed helped him continue his line.

Presently...

"I'm sure the chief and many of my fellow goblins will have more questions for you, but you're welcome to come inside the village walls." He looked around, wary of the wolf. When there was no sign that it was going to return, he started to walk into the village walls, gesturing for Twig to follow close behind.

"You may want to know a bit more about us. We're called the Forest Tribe, and we just call our village, well, the village. Others call it the Forest Tribe village. The shaman says there are goblins in other places who also call themselves a "Forest Tribe", but they don't live anywhere near here. If you are indeed a druid, the shaman will want to see you. We'd be happy to have a druid on our side, but you may be called on to help us fight off other tribes, like the Blue Feet. If you don't want to get involved in that, I understand, but if you're gonna be one of us, you'd have to fight alongside the rest of us."

[User] "I see," Twig glanced warily at the other goblins, still staring at him then skittered after Breden "If I do find a place within your village I will need Greslarch by my side" Twig said glancing into the trees then looked back at Breden, clearing his throat Twig motioned around them "Anyways I would be interested with speaking to your shaman and chief but what about you? You seem like the type to have a tale to tell" Twig asked inquisitively whilst keeping pace withe Breden.

[Assistant] "If you explain that you need to have the wolf- Greslarch, was it? I'm sure the chief will let you keep him in the village. Until you have permission, it's best to keep him outside. As for where you'd live, you'd have to build a hut or we can see if there are any spares. Not sure where we'd put your wolf, but if he causes any trouble, we'd hold you responsible. And as for me, I just took part in a patrol where we killed an owlbear. It's the first great deed I've ever really been a part of."


[System]
Identity:
If energy were personified, then Kanamori would fit the bill. She's unable to sit still and doesn't hesitate to make decisions on the fly. The only thing restraining her is the law, but she pushes it to its limits. She lives for the thrill and doesn't let anything ruin that moment. Her parents have relentlessly tried to mellow her down, but their efforts were in vain. Though this stems from their rightly placed worry that fear, that Kanamori would hurt herself in the future. Kanamori had accidentally gotten herself hurt multiple times, as well as being a part of a police showdown when a criminal stole her parent's car while she was still inside it.

Outside of this, she's a perfectly regular girl. Besides the fact that she drives to school on her moped, she's considered a nice girl, if a little wild. In the eyes of her peers, Kanamori is obedient to her teachers and friendly to her classmates. She'd initiate conversations with her classmates, study when the teacher was giving a lecture, and laugh with her classmates. However, halfway through, she'd quickly lose interest in them.

Kanamori also has a distinct interest in vehicles, mainly motorcycles. During lunch, she could be seen reading magazines or books about various vehicles. Rumor has it that she's been skipping lunch to save up for her car. Even more, rumors are that she's been seen driving her parent's car in the dead of night and zooming down the streets. No one knows if this is true, but she has been seen driving up to the speed limit on her moped. A lot of people have grown either frustrated or Kanamori because of this behavior. For starters, whenever she drives, she somehow leaves a trail of dust behind and sprays over pedestrians. The second is that she treats her moped as if it were her baby and even gives it a name.

The middle schooler treats her moped very well. Washing it every day, refilling its gas, and spending quality time with her moped, Kanamori is incredibly attached to it. If something were bad to happen to it, Kanamori would need to be restrained before something bad would happen.

While Kanamori is carefree, she does feel a slight resentment toward her peers, parents, and teachers. Even if she has a small, petite build that doesn't fit her personality, it doesn't mean she can't decide what she can and cannot do. Her thought process only incentivizes her to do more and become riskier and try to prove them wrong. Undergoing the phrase, "I can live my life how I see fit." As long as she doesn't get into trouble, Kanamori sees no reason why to stop.

Peculiarity:
She has a license for her moped and is often seen driving around in it.
Kanamori cannot swim.
Doesn't like people who are younger than her, especially kids.
Often goes on fishing trips with her father.
She has a pet chicken in her house named "Ferza."
Prior to her recent acquirement of her moped, Kanamori mainly biked her way to school.
Her Moped's name is "Satoshi-chan."

Awakened: 100
Mind [20] | Body [40] | Spirit [40]
Facsimile: N/A

[User]
𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭
__________________________________________________

"Ready to lose? Alright. On three, rock, paper--- the fuck?!"

One moment Duncan was about to drop a figurative rock on Maki and saddle her with getting a hold of alcohol this weekend, the next he was stumbling out of a bus wreck with a busted lip and the worst headache in his life. He was only vaguely aware of what was happening around him, of students pouring past and Daisuke shoving bags into his arms. Everything reeked of gasoline, and his ears rung so loud he couldn't hear a word - but he knew there was shouting. There was always shouting at accident sites, he'd seen enough videos to know.

Various bags flung over his shoulders, stuffed under his arms and even haphazardly balanced on his head, Duncan stepped out into the open summer air, and realized they weren't in Kuroshio anymore.

"Dude," he whispered to Daisuke, or hoped he did. Duncan still couldn't hear his own voice, and as he leaned one shoulder into his cheek to wipe away sweat, the fabric came back red. Was his ear bleeding?! Holy shit, that couldn't be good, right? Man...

By the time they had settled down into a clearing and partook in the collective activity of watching their bus catch on fire (but not explode, too bad) the incessant ringing in Duncan's ears had started to gradually quiet into a buzz. He still felt lightheaded though, and could swear he swerved to the left when he walked, like his dad's old car. That one had exploded.

As his hearing slowly returned, it turned out Duncan hadn't missed much during his bout of deafness. No one around them had any idea what to do, and coming up with a plan of action had taken second seat to arguing and... poetry? At least the class prez was trying, sort of, but tuning the student council members out had become so second nature to Duncan that he didn't catch half of it. From what he gathered though, his grand plan was basically to... wait. Great. Duncan was more and more convinced the dude would have been better off shooting hoops with the rest of the team.

Well, whatever. He, for one, was definitely not gonna just wait around for rescue. Besides, if they'd really gone through a portal, this was basically once in a lifetime experience. The kind of shit you could recount at parties years later and never fail to make an impression.

"Oi, Daisuke, Yuki," he called out, louder this time, as he looked over the sea of heads to find the two. "We're inside a portal, dude. Inside a portal, can you believe it? Bro. We might get to find out if the monsters are real. My old man's convinced they're fake news. Altered footage, you know? But if they ain't... Maki and I had a bet, she thinks she could take one on. I told her I might, but she's like half the size of a carrot, how's she gonna-- huh? Wait... speaking of, where is she?"

Duncan looked around for a tiny brunette dot of a head somewhere among the students. He didn't have to look long; there she was now, dashing into the bushes, launching herself into the air to drop kick a hulking monster.

... Wait, she what.

Duncan spun around so fast he nearly fell over from another bout of vertigo. Either he hit his head real bad, or there were some kind of wolfbear hybrids with an unacceptable amount of eyes running straight at them. Holy. Shit.

Quickly, Duncan took mental inventory of what he had. Shoes, sure, bottle of water, yeah, but that wasn't-- wait. He dropped his bag and squatted down after it, fumbling with the zipper with fingers that were way too big and way too shaky for the job. "Come on, come on..."

Duncan rummaged through the bag and pulled out a basketball with both hands, taking a few steps back as he straightened back up. Good enough, right? He'd gotten hit in the face with these suckers so many times before, and they freaking hurt. Here's hoping they hurt wolfbears just as much.

"Pass!" Duncan shouted as he twisted his body and pulled backwards, throwing the ball towards the monster's head with a motion that went against everything he'd learned at basketball practice. But then, new world, new rules.

"Come on, guys!" he shouted at everyone within earshot, so loud he hoped it would drown out his heartbeat. It was beating in his throat so vehemently he was afraid others might hear it too. He picked up his bag, ready to swing if he had to. "There's like a shitton of us, stop standing around and do somethin'!"

Like run. Honestly, running worked. Duncan really wanted to run, but if he was the first to do it, others might think he was a coward or something, and that'd be worse than getting bitten by a bear. Probably.

Goddamn, he needed a cig right about now.

[Assistant]
---

Asahi was one of those that kept to themselves in the bus. He wasn't much of a morning person even in his younger years and he was definitely not going to become one now. He would need just a couple of moments that he could get all to himself first thing in the morning, or else he would be socially tired for the rest of the day. That didn't mean he wouldn't appreciate small conversations here and there, but it seemed that his classmates had their own thing going on either with themselves or with other people.

He was just scrolling through his phone, admiring a few handsome content creators his age on social media when he got distracted by the noise the bus driver just uttered out. "What the-" He barely had time to process what had happened when the light surrounded everyone.

He was kind of used to the feeling of carrying heavy objects when he was a kid while helping his dad and grandpa hoist a large fishing net over the sea to catch fish, but this was definitely nothing compared to that experience. Asahi felt like the sky just fell down on him. He had a massive vertigo like he had a hurricane in his head. He lost his hearing for a bit and his sight was blacking out so much he thought he could never see again.

He tried to move but groaned in pain when his arm was pinned down by one of his classmates. "M-Move..." He uttered weakly as he also would weakly try to push the person away with no avail. He then heard a familiar voice giving orders, and Asahi never thought he would feel so elated to hear Masato's annoyingly righteous voice again.

Asahi managed to get himself out of the piled mess of bodies though he would groan weakly in pain all over his body. He couldn't see anyone properly because his eyesight still dimmed but he could see the general silhouette of things. He knelt down over what he hoped was his classmate and not a hunk of metal debris. "H-Hey... Hey, get up..." He said as he shook them. 'Good god, don't tell me they're all dead...' He thought, his heart filling up with dread.

He heard Masato giving out orders again, this time to tell anyone who was conscious enough to help Kondo open the door. Asahi would only go and shake others to wake them up before the door finally opened. "C'mon!" He shouted in support of Masato and the others that shouted as Asahi got out of the bus along with the others, helping them as much as he could through his intense headache.

The heat of the outside didn't help Asahi's dizziness, but it was better to be out in the open air than to be stuck in a crumpled mess of metals that used to be the bus. One thing led to the other and eventually everything within the vehicle caught in flames, filling the air with the sickly smell of smoke and burning gasoline mixed with what Kumi had for breakfast while she was vomiting.

Once everyone managed to get their bearings and somewhat recovered a bit, it was time to regroup and take stock of what happened. Mayumi's right: it seemed that their merry class was unlucky enough to go through a Portal and end up at the Otherside. Asahi heard about it a lot online of course, but he'd never thought he would actually experience it himself.

He rolled his eyes when Masato suggested to stay still and call the authorities, as if that really helped a lot of people before. It seemed that everyone was slowly starting to realize where they were too while there were a couple of them that were already on the move. Rin was already out and about breaking branches off the weird trees either for campfire, for making shelter, or probably both, as Tsubaki was making rounds to make sure everyone was in one piece.

Asahi was massaging his temples now that his headache was gradually disappearing when he heard a commotion. All the color drained from his face as he saw an abomination of an animal, snapping at the branch Rin was trying to get. Maki delivered a mighty dropkick to the devilish beast, but it did absolutely nothing to it.

The smell of the burning bus still filled the air, but it was now mixed with the musky scent of one-no, three monsters, all snarling, all eyes focused on their class. Asahi lowered himself on the ground behind his classmates as he made his way towards the bus. He grabbed a thick, long branch nearby and stuck it at the fire, holding it there until the tip was on fire. He didn't know if this will work but he needed to at least try and do something.

"Oy!" Asahi shouted at the top of his lungs, running towards the front of the group facing the wolfbears. "Get away, you filthy animals! Get away!" He continued to yell as he waved his burning stick towards the creatures hoping it was enough to drive them away.

[User]
Shun jerked up at the sudden sound of branches being crushed and the sound of heavy footsteps. The only one who was relatively interacting with the environment was Rin. The middle schooler turned her head around, earning a faint hit of nausea from turning too fast, and saw what was happening. A bear with multiple eyes was attacking Rin. Maki tried to help by throwing a kick at the bear, but Shun had other problems to deal with.

Mainly dealing with a bear that was coming both at Yuudai and her.

"Higasa!" Shun shouted out in a warning. Her hand grabbed a fist full of dirt and threw it at the menacing beast's eyes. She needed to attract its attention. If anything, she hoped that the beast wasn't dirt immune. Unless the eyes were dirt-repellant, Shun thought that at least she could blind the beast. "Hey, you four-eyed teddy bear! Over here!" She screamed to get its attention.

A feeling of catharsis washed over her as she stared at the monstrosity. Now that she had a good look at it, the mutant bear looked incredibly cool. Her classmates might think otherwise, but perhaps this was going to be the time of her life. The chances of her dying were high, but she had already accepted those terms. The world wasn't some sort of manga where they could overcome everything through the usage of an author's pen. If Shun was going to die, then she would make the most of it.

Shun took a few steps back from the bear and backed up closer to the flaming car. On the way, she picked up the longest branch she could find and dragged it against the floor. "You want more! I can make a nasty dirt pie, dung face!" She needed the right opportunity. If she had tried hard enough, maybe she could have collided with the bus and attack it with the branch. While it seemed like a stupid idea, Shun was welcoming to such ideas.


[System]
Appearance:

Age: 16

Personality: Most times, stoic and android-like persona. She rarely talks without sounding like a drone or she lacks emotions. Most likely due to how she was raised and trained. She does talk when addressed or if she deems it necessary to speak.

Motive to live: Unknown

Background: Mai's background is rather mysterious but is considered one of the best up and coming pilots in the Frameworks Project divisions. Much of Mai's background is either unknown or considered classified but the story that's going around about her is that she was one of several "numbers" children that were trained in the early stages of the Frameworks Project when some thought that human emotions were a hinderance against the Cruxi. As such, Mai's personality may have come from the perhaps extreme training but some rumors say that the children were pushed to such extreme's that it was deemed inhumaine even for military standards. Hence why that Frameworks division was disbanded and Mai was transfered to Framework Project XJ9 division.

The goal was to help Mai with synenergy and teamwork with other squads but due to her personality, has trouble doing so. Thus the reason for the transfer amonst other reasons just metioned. Whether anything about Mai "Seven" Twilight is true, though, is another matter. A good pilot and mechanic.

Notable Deaths: Unknown

Other things: As stated, Mai was apart of a disbanded Frameworks division. What became of the other children is unknown but due to her perfect health and training, she was deemed worthy for Framework Project XJ9. But much is not known of her. Motive to live, Notable Deaths and Personal history are classified and only known by higher-ups of the Framework divisions.

Framework Code Name: Setsuka (Model ID code: R-1)

Appearance:

Signature Weapon System: Telekenetic System - Perhaps the most unique of the current Frameworks is to tap into the "energy" that comes from the syncho rate to weild energy amplified by this system. From the frameworks mecha hands, it can then fire it like beams. It can even keep the energy itself stored into the hands to either create "energy based" weapons like swords out of pure energy or simply increase it's punching power. However, this puts a ton of mental strain on it's pilot. If the pilot loses control, his/her synchro rate drops faster than usual along with losing this combat system since the synchro rate must be high enough to produce energy (60% or higher for low output. 80% or higher for higher outputs). Anything below 60% won't produce enough energy to weild. There's also a rumor that this combat system is actually stolen technology from the Cruxi modded for human Framework pilots and Mai is it's first test pilot.

Secondary Weapon System: On it's hips are a pair of mech-sized Magnum Pistols. Each holding 8 shots, the name itself implies high powered shots capable of penetrating high grade armor. However, accurracy becomes an issue past mid range and limited ammo capacity means "spray and pray" isn't an option. A good weapons set for taking out slow but heavy armored targets.

Armor Type: Medium

Special Ability: ???

Current Synchro Rate: 74%

[User]
Within the debriefing, Lora simply resorted herself to sitting still, her arms folded at her waist. Lorenzo was harsh, mocking, and merciless, tearing into every one of the cadets for their faults, only daring to compliment the less-than-half of them that actually teamed up. Again, this was in a test mission in which the criteria of the test the professor reserved for himself, figuring that the cadets should know what to properly do. He made it sound so simple it was easy to forget he was being cruel and illogical about it.

Although, Lora did finally figure out why Lorenzo had claimed nobody had won- because nobody had technically completed the exercise, and he had simply gotten bored and ended it when they were in a stalemate.

In her round of being yelled at, the Caliburn's pilot did pick up on a few details. It was true that she had made an attempt to band together the rest of the lone wolves in hopes of standing a change against Stukov and the Daemon; however, she had made no effort to reinforce the idea further, and the whole plan fell apart when the Daemon spontaneously blew up. Even if it might've helped bolster her chances at survival alone, Lora ultimately refused a partnership just as Miles did, and that didn't end too well for her. It was interesting to hear Lorenzo talk about how Lora had potential, though. Not just that she had an extremely high Synchronization Ratio (now the highest among the cadets, Lora had been informed), but the fact that she had tried to make use of her options of weapons and teamwork and then consecutively failed.

Though the professor claimed that she had fought fine, Lora would beg to differ - already, she had formulated a couple of scenarios where she wouldn't have taken nearly as much damage from Macabre as she did, just by using her secondary cannon where she thought she couldn't have. She didn't just the use of her high Synchro Rate, she underestimated the prowess of her Frame and its weapons, unnecessarily limiting herself as a result. Lora had even banked on Caliburn lasting far longer than it did, and so surrendered when it had been beaten very handily, not attempting to fight any further.

So, in truth, Lora was well disappointed in herself as well. She and the Caliburn were both built to be powerful fighters, syncing well together to create a fearsome Framewerk, and yet, she demonstrated so little of that. It was underwhelming in many ways expect in how crushing her defeat seemed.

One of the cadets - Krista, the one who Lorenzo claimed came closest to success - spoke up about the whereabouts of Alexi and Miles. Somebody had to ask, surely. Lora had heard that Miles had gotten caught not wearing his plugsuit for the battle; based on that and some of his other behaviors, the professor had probably already kicked him out of the program. As for Daemon's pilot, however... He was most certainly dead. He had to be, being caught at the core of an explosion like that. The question was, "What happened?"

Lora stood by her thought that Stukov had tried to tap into some secret ability within his Frame using his near-perfect Synch Rate, but somehow failed or couldn't control it. The thought troubled her again, as her after-battle diagnostic from her engineers reported that Lora's own Synch Rate had managed to climb to 96 percent. And those noises, nagging at the edge of her mind while plugged into that Frame...

The pilot shook her head to clear her thoughts. This wasn't the best time to be thinking about that, and she wasn't sure there would ever be a 'good time' for it, either.

[Assistant]
Romeo had managed to get picked up finally as he had been looking over and reviewing all of the information. He would never be like diver, but he did use the information to try and draw up battle plans, who moved faster in straight aways, who banked better or could come to a sharp stop. Even Komodo was useful to show how to use the kinetic energy of a hit to shift propulsion by going with it rather than fighting against it.

He was drawing up a plan for one pilot to lead a cruxi into the path of archer and let her cannon wing a pilot into a spin, the round continuing on to hit the cruxi while letting the pilot spin around without loosing momentum to launch an attack of their own. In the midst of the computations, a helicopter arrived and he had to reluctantly remove himself from the machine. Now he was no longer a 300 foot tall war machine protecting the world from the intergalactic threat, he was back to being a 14 year old boy who didn't even clear five feet tall.

Standing in the rows again, he once more wore his kimono as they were tore into with words over actions or inactions. Here this one congratulated himself with a desert and whatever else he could have on any given day. His reward was mere denial of the others, a bullies tactic. This was part of the mental tortures that his brother killed himself over, he had to be stronger than this.

"Now let's move on to the people who seemed to actually realize what the purpose of the mock battle was, but even they failed, such as...Ramirez! You actually succeeded at a basic principle of human intelligence: co-operation and tactics! A marvelous feat coming from this rabble! You showed great promise when you took the Black Komodo down together with Reynolds' Framewerk, but after that, you hesitated! You can never hesitate once the fire is on! That's the moment the Cruxi will take advantage of, and then your teamwork will crumble, like it did when Horowitz led you around like on a leash! Still, you have stones, young'un. I heard what you said about me. A fool I may be, trying to get you runts ready to face reality, but I am, in fact, not trying to make 'bloodthirsty assholes'. That would be a very simple procedure, simply lobtomize the subject and treat it with the correct serums, and there you go: a bona-fide asshole, ready to shit on the Cruxi! But assholes don't win wars, son; soldiers do! And the next time you mention humanity to me like that...I'll lobotomize you so it won't happen again."

This was the first time someone had dared to lay a hand on him and the shock set in more than he wanted it to as he went up on his tip-toes as an immediate stance of savate. But he was released before he attacked a superior officer, not that this man was superior in any way. Clearly this one already sacrificed his humanity on the altar to science long ago.

"Now, does anyone have questions before I announce who the squad leader will be?"

Romeo raised his hand after the other two asked theirs.

"Who did you loose in the war?"

[User]
Yeshua swallowed what seemed like a large stone in his throat while he felt sweat trickle down his forehead, sticking his already-long hair to his head. Throughout all of the battle he hadn't sweated one drop and kept his cool even if he was somewhere else for half of the fight. His mind had wandered to meaningless things that even the young man couldn't understand and he would have to analyse his own thought processes if he wanted to still retain his position as a dedicated sniper. That was for a later time, Yeshua remarked, as he and his "team" stood side-by-side for what seemed like the first time in far too long. These were the people he was going to protect and spend his time with in the future. For one reason or another, that made him even more nervous.

Wringing his hands behind his back in the most formal way possible, he displayed the proper stance of someone being talked to by a superior officer. Lorenzo was superior even though he didn't act like it. It took a whole new wealth of dedication to not flinch when the man came in with a . . . Sundae in his hand.

The greatest of us are often the maddest, Yesha remarked, trying to regain his composure. To be honest, he was a slob. Yeshua only became more confused as he started to lecture them on their fighting techniques. After all the preparation, even though they were young, one would think they could coordinate. The boy still had his questions about the combat exercise and how much it had costed for the engineers who had to put back together Setsuka's half-destroyed head. It was madness, in fact, to use the Framework's against each other instead of a computer simulation. Or there was a more sinister reason, Yeshua dared to think.

His ride back to the briefing had been smooth and without interruption, other than a few confused medical staff confused in how he managed to get a large bruise on his right leg. The helicopter made good time and the view was also good. It was such a nonchalant journey after all that Yeshua had been through, he felt like he had just come from a walk in the park. He remembered that this was a walk in the park, compared to what he had to face in the real battle.

When questions could be asked and the rest of his crew inquired to Lorenzo, he knew what he had to ask.

"Sir, the combat exercise seemed pointless. With all the damage done to the Frameworks, it would take a lengthy amount of time to repair them, even if you recover all the materials. A computer simulation would have accomplished the same thing and none of this damage would have happened. My lonewolf tactics were only apparent because I could survive by myself, and after all, the people I could team up with would be my very enemies. Unless I have missed something, sir, the event could have been executed to a much more productive degree." Yeshua slowly let the words trickle out of his mouth, keeping a stern expression and making sure his eyes never met with Lorenzo's. His heart almost dropped to his feet by the time he had let the last words out. "I hope my criticism is appreciated."

It took a lot of willpower to keep his whole body from shaking.

[Assistant]
Mai sat as the Professor gave out his final analysis of the mock battle. As he started, Mai already knew she had failed. This environment was different than what she was used to. But she should have expected this. This frameworks division operated on a different set of rules unlike the more..."extreme" methods employed from her previous division. Still, Professor Lorenzo did have a mean streak like certain other high ranking individuals who she trained under but unlike them, he had SOME shread of compassion despite the failed mock battle mission. Though that depended on the pilot.

Then, he addressed her.

"Twilight! The purpose of an operation is that you operate, not sit around on your ass and spectate the others like a mindless robot! You have vocal chords as a deliberate process of evolution, use them! I don't care if you have to growl and bark like an animal to communicate with the others as long as you do it! If I wanted a mindless robot, I would have built myself one with better AI, and not loan a piece of junk from those short-sighted fools who can't even terminate a project properly, let alone work on one! Still, you did show capability for teamwork and proper combat skills, but it was too little too late. Next time, you'll have to be more interactive from the very start, and not after a warm-up!"

"...yes sir", Mai droned with a salute from her seat before letting her hand drop to her lap. It was as she thought though. She lacked the things she thought she did: Drive, Emotion, Synenergy. But more important, she didn't follow her own instincts nor did she keep her cool when she thought the other pilots were "rubbing off" on her. When she was trained before, acting without any direct order was insuborniation. Even if your being shot at, you engage when ordered to.

Rather obviously, THAT needed to change here...well at least slightly. She still had to follow orders. Just not to an extreme such as WAITING for the order to be given. When necessary, she needed to trust herself...and speak her mind when needed to like Lorenzo said.

She decided to hold any questions till the others have spoken. At the moment, she didn't really have any questions to begin with.


[System]
Alek | The Stranger

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C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Nicknames/Aliases:
Suit, Cleaner, The Russian, Stranger

Birth City/District:
Moscow-0

Age:
24

Height:
6'2''

Racial Background:
Russian

Race:
Y.G Holder

Hair Color:
Blond

Eye Color:
Pale blue

Appearance:
At first glance, Alek has the look of a mild-mannered office worker: polite and put together, his smiles measured and his clothing always immaculate. Since his recent change in career path, he ditches the suits and ties for casual attires, more suitable for the streets. These days, it was more common to find him in leather jackets and jeans, nursing a vodka between gloved hands in the middle of a busy Narazaki bar.

His looks are fairly remarkable, and Alek knows how to use it to his advantage. His features are sharp and refined, icy blue eyes warm with each easy smile and casual touch. His hair is a fair shade of gold, tastefully untamed and meticulously kept, much like the rest of him. For a cold-blooded killer, Alek definitely does not fit the mold.

Mutation Marker(s):
Alek's mutation markers are mostly subtle, but they are all there if one knows where to look. His fingers are tipped with retractable claws, which he often keeps hidden under his gloves. His teeth are unusually sharp, and his jaws strength is inhuman, just enough to tear through even conventional Kelvar.

Personality:
Alek is the kind of guy you'd like at work. He is professional and proficient at his work, while also being fun and make for good casual conversation. Anything deeper than that, though? Alek does what he does for a reason. Under the veneer, he is cold and callous, a cynic who doesn't take life quite so seriously. Selfish and opportunistic, Alek is ruthless and dangerous when it comes to getting what he wants.

Aspirations:
Cheap thrills, good times, and finer things in life. Alek is a simple man, at his core.

Fears:
Weakness. The weak doesn't last long in this world. They need to get lucky.

Vehicle:
A YZF-RAZ0R model. The next generation, cutting edge, top-of-the-line design from Yamaha's SuperSport range. Comes with an arrays of fun and useful features: overclocked YoFuel dual engine, advanced aerodynamic framework, ballistic body plates, nano-thermal heatsink systems, auxiliary weapon attachments, etc. Basically the works. Popular among high-strung stock brokers, wannabe gangster rich kids and military fetishists. While Alek himself is hardly a speed demon, he needed a vehicle to get around, and this bike was just sitting there in the parking lot at his old workplace. Call it his severance package. The only downside though, is that this beast of a machine guzzles YoFuel like a drunkard on last call.

P O W E R / C Y B E R N E T I C S I N F O R M A T I O N

Strengths/Natural Abilities:
Alek always has an inhuman grace about him. His strides soft and swift, his strikes quick and deadly, and his reflexes are almost uncanny. Towering heights do not deter him, and he seems to have a knack of almost always landing on his feet. In the concrete jungle of Neo-Tokyo, few can even keep up with him, and it seems like he can only be found when he wants to be.

A hunter by trade and a killer by choice, Alek is a lethal and relentless opponent. He probably has done it all, from covert ops to corporate espionage to everything else in between. For the right price, his talents are for sale. He takes pride in his work too, and he simply does not enjoy losing.

As a necessity, Alek is familiar with most forms of conventional weapons. While he is most proficient with his own guns and blades, should the need arise, he can still make use of whatever he can get his hands on.

Weaknesses/Flaws:
Being a relatively newcomer with a bit of infamy attached to his name, Alek is still fairly distrust among the denizens of Neo-Tokyo's underground. Everything about him still very much screams 'corpsman', and it seems that he has no desire to really play nice with anyone either.

The termination of his contract with his previous employer did not exactly end amicably. While his old colleagues might not be actively looking for him, Alek is still technically in possession of a great amount of company property, and that could make him a target, wherever their path might cross.

It is not easy to trust a man who does not want to be trusted.

Weapon(s):
A heavy pistol that loads .50 Action Express. Comes equipped with the built in Smart Loading system and custom silencer.

Cybernetics/Gadets/Accessories:
A subdermal armor implant all over his body. Designed by Keyence to appear fully authentic, while providing moderate protection against most forms of physical trauma. However, the most notable function of this prototype is the ability to activate a form of cloaking that renders the user invisible to the naked eye and most surveillance technologies. This ability requires the use of YoFuel cartridges, however, and extended use is not recommended, due to the limited capacity of the heatsink systems.

Another one of Keyence's prominent design, which is quite popular among paramilitary groups or covert ops agents. The blade is designed to be razor-sharp and extendable from the user's cybernetics through a complex system of nano filaments. Alek's piece is located under his dermal armor atop his right hand.

E X T R A

like blood on the pavement |

H i s t o r y

Born in the border towns of Moscow-0, Alek's childhood was one of lessons: lessons in fire and ice, in blood and bullets. He had been beyond the safety of the wall, had seen from a young age what a Yokai could do to a man, and what a man could do in return, with the right tools aimed at the right spot. In his formative years, he ran with the Border Forces in Moscow-0, responding to Yokai threats and scouting the ruined world that mankind left behind beyond the confines of the city.

And then Keyence headhunted him for a position in their Moscow branch. The work seemed simple enough. His official job description? A Solution Consultant. The company had problems, and he provided the solutions. The thing was, the problems were people, most of the time. Not that he minded; people or Yokai, they all bled the same.

For a while, it felt almost as if he would fight and die for his corporate masters. But here was the truth: even the hand that fed could not be trusted, and Alek had seen it coming a mile away. Hostile takeovers, change in management, a new region manager here and there, and he was considered too much of a security risk to keep around. So he acted first, turning his teeth and claws on his own handlers before breaking off and leaving for Neo-Tokyo.

For a time, he ran independent contracts and chase bounties, selling whatever info he had managed to swipe off Keyence's database before he made his escape. It was during one of these transactions that he met Tsukiyama and became acquainted with her gang, the Kurosagi. Eventually, he came to work under her, the promise of more steady work and better pay seemed far more attractive, now that his savings were running low and he lacked the connections to get a shot at high profile targets. |

[User]
Joseph briefly sank into thought at the orders. So this time it was the gearhead, the cleaner, and the little boss. He had worked with all of them at least once before, and if he had to pick someone to watch his back, Alek was easily lowest on the list. It wasn't his skills - Joseph knew skill, and the blond haired russian had it in spades. He even trusted him quite a bit, in a way. Alek was smart, professional, and thorough. It was where his interests lay that was the concern. He could trust him to do the job right, and do it quickly, and that would have to do for now. The russian was a tough nut to crack, and Joseph had neither the time nor inclincation to look for a nutcracker.

"No problems for me, boss." The gruff military man said in response to her question.
Setting aside the question of allegiance, the question of skills was non-existant. Between his 3 teammates, they weren't lacking in any area when it came to infiltration. He had experience with this kind of mission, and there was nothing else left to say. All they would need to do was scope out the compound beforehand and they would be prepared for anything that came their way. Oh, and he'd probably need to ask for a silencer from Gabriel after the meeting.

Joseph reclined in his chair, relaxing his mind as he looked around the room, waiting for the others to respond.

[Assistant]
[@everyone]

---

It was hard to know whether or not the words that left her mouth were genuine or crafted from tricks of the trades, she had hoped it was the latter as it had been a few years since joining Tsukiyama. Things were different this time around, her first gang, Sons of Angels, was just a means to an ends. For some reason she felt like she could finally find peace with her peers, but for now old habits still die hard. Luckily for Hikari, Kiyo recently just cleared all the excess empty bottles in her car so they didn't spill out once she opened the door, a little habit she started to develop on tails. "Seems like he got his money's worth before you know. Well anyways lets hope you don't have to wear his skin for too long. Cigarette?" She asked with the orange end of the filter popping up out of a cramped carton. Hikari didn't seem like the type, but then again none of them did, regardless it was just good manners.

She sunk back into her seat before the engine turned over once more and she took off. "She's my pride and joy, I've had her for a few years now. The only reliable house and bed I've known, take as much of a rest as you need. I'll get there before the meeting starts."

"Out of nowhere, the mind comes forth.", she didn't quite know what Hikari meant by this, but she let it rattle in her brain before she slipped a disk into the tray and let the colorful jazz slip them into a stream of unconsciousness.

---

Headlights pierced the nights fog jutting from the grates below the hideout. Lights dimmed and the hum of her car fell silent. "Right on time" she said before opening the passengers side door to let Hikari out. With no time to dawdle they entered right away. Familiar faces populated the room around her and the smile of Tsuki seemed like a good omen, that or it was just a particularly strong joint. Regardless, she found a seat before pressing the wrinkles out of her pants. It was all business from the start, Tsuki found no avenue for wasted breath or intel. Kiyo hung onto every word just waiting for her name to be called so she could get a head start on her mission, alone hopefully.

After hearing all of the assignments she was a bit remised to have not been on the all girl mission, then again she wasn't one for glamour or sex appeal. Not that having an eyepatch lent any kind of support in that aspect, maybe someone would find it exotic. Explosives weren't her speciality, but she has played the role of saboteur quite a handful of time. As good as she was at stealth, the possibility of it going south was what excited her the most. After all, punishing the weapons dealers with her own weapons seemed poetic.

She stood and began to walk towards her group assignment, "We'll be the first ones done Tsuki" she said confidently, before leaning on a table next to Hiroto.

[User]
Alek swirled his drink, watching the golden liquid slosh gently against the frosted surface of his glass. It tasted alright, not quite top-shelf, but not quite the synthetic sludge that burned all the way down either. He rewarded himself just another sip, before turning his attention back to the screen. The mission seemed simple enough, hardly anymore complicated than anything he had done before. The only difference now was that he had a team. The Old Wolf knew that Alek preferred working alone, but he also knew better than to contest her decision. So Alek just shrugged, and carried on drinking.

Besides, he knew his teammates, and they were no slouches themselves. Yashida was basically their second in command. Gabriel had useful skills, and he was entertaining, if nothing else. Then there was Joseph, the sniper. Alek knew ex-military when he saw it, and the man's gaze was definitely felt.

"So, what's the projected earnings for this mission?" He did, however, have one question. The most important question, if anyone asked him to be completely honest. An army marched on its stomach, after all.