[System]
Age: 26

Gender: Female

Height and Weight: 170lbs, 5'11"

Speciality: Banner Bearer and Pyrotechnic Officer.

Appearance:
Angelika (Sometimes shortened to Angel) is a tall figure and quite muscled, as most Cadians are. She has dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy and loose bob. She is of Caucasian origins, and a face that an old-Terran would call 'Mediterranean,' with a defined nose and oval face. Her one remaining eye is bright violet, a side affect of living so close to the Eye of Chaos that many Cadians suffer from, her other eye having been replaced by a bionic one at the age of 25.

Uniform:
Almost never seen without her mark XI rebreather either on her face or hanging on her neck and with an armour partly Carapace and partly Flak, Angel is quite a unique sight to see on the battlefield. Her armour is perpetually scorched from flamer runoff and and has an incredibly large amount of pockets sewn into it, holding everything from military-grade thermite capable of denting even terminator armour to standard krak and frag grenades. Her trousers and boots are also much bulkier than normal, with padding and a flame-retardant substance having been added to prevent drips setting fire to her. This flame-retardant substance extends to her hands, where she has a pair of thick gloves to wipe off the residual promethium during combat. When using her heavy flamer she uses a special case to hold the regimental banner, but otherwise holds it as normal.

Armament:
When in a pyrotechnics role, a promethium heavy flamer, with a boltpistol as backup, which she also uses in official settings. The boltpistol was scavenged from a commissar killed in 'enemy actions.'

Personality/Demeanour:
Dealing with explosives and highly volatile chemicals is an occupation that requires concentration, deliberation, and steady hands, all of which Angel has in earnest. Cadian military upbringing and close to nine years of combat experience have taught her plenty about combat, and she hasn't survived for nothing.

Despite her business attitude to explosives and survival, using a Heavy Flamer takes more than just a clinical attitude, something which she flaunts with glee. A whirlwind of activity and efficiency, her bionic eye spotting targets and giving her vital information, she's a brutal soldier and friendly comrade, no matter the situation.

Greatest Ambition: Not really sure. She's a drifter.

Greatest Hatred: Chaos of any kind, especially Slaneesh. Voyastrans.

Skills:
Like all Cadians, she's a capable soldier with her lasgun, capable of dissasembling, cleaning, reloading and re-buildng her lasgun within two and a half minutes. She is also capable with her boltpistol, and can strip and clean the more complicated mechanism in under five minutes.

Having used her flamers for years, she's very capable with her heavy flamer, and has set the record for disassembling and cleaning out a heavy flamer. Her custom gear also allows her to keep her flamer running for much longer, and she is an expert in the finicky process of reloading.

Her demolitions skills as well have been earned through combat. She is capable of creating explosives with the right materials, and is very capable with fuses and controlled demolitions.
History:
Cadia. The bastion of the Imperium, the fortress against chaos, and a never-ending battleground of guardsmen and women flinging themselves against the forces of chaos in order to hold back daemons and heretics alike. A planet where the recruitment rate and the birth rate are virtually identical, and the children can use a lasgun before they can read.

It is also where the toughest and most respected soldiers in the Imperium short of the Adeptus Astartes themselves are born and bred, including Angel.

A member of the Cadian 132nd division, she left her homeworld at the age of eighteen along with almost fifteen thousand other soldiers who had been assembled at Cadia to counter a chaos uprising on a planet. Upon arriving at the planet, it was found to be a full-scale incursion by Slaneesh, who had corrupted the local Voyastran Firstborns stationed on the planet, and used latent Psykers to open up a number of portals. Despite huge loss of life, the portals were eventually closed almost six years later.

Whilst many were mindwiped by the Inquisition, the Cadian divisions (who are aware of chaos unlike many Imperial citizens,) were deemed safe to continue with the knowledge, with most of the Cadian forces receiving promotions and being distributed to other planets. For Angel, this meant being sent to Vernum with the remaining Cadian 132nd, their training in urban combat being deemed very useful for the ongoing battle.

It was during this battle for Vernum City that she lost her eye, an Ork ambush catching her company off guard. As she was taking off her helmet, a bullet punched through it, the drop in velocity just enough to prevent it from smashing through her skull and killing her outright. Despite this injury, she fought on, killing numerous Orks with her heavy flamer, and eventually leading to her promotion to Standard Bearer.

Miscellaneous:
- Unlike the standard khaki, the Cadian 132nd wear black and grey uniforms for urban camouflage, and are regarded as specialist urban combat troops. Unfortunately, the company has been gutted, and only five or six of the original troopers remain.
- As she left Cadia at the age of 18, she has a child back home, albeit one she has barely seen and will most likely never meet again.

[User]
Time: 8:25 AM, Location: Deck-Barracks 792, aboard the Transport Frigate 'Castellan' - ETA til planatery embarkation procedure 5 minutes

As the days elongated into weeks, nothing of any particular note transpired; the 87th reformed into a more cohesive and organised version of itself, a distinct hierarchy being created and D-Company specifically - mostly due to the number of Abhumans to share between their squads - standing out from the rank and file of the rest of the regiment. Standard procedure continued to dominate lives, firing exercises, daily routines of cleaning and prayer, and even the odd long game of regicide or hangman's ace being played here and there by the more bored and more experienced gamblers among them.

One more thing did occur during the trip through the Warp, and that was the issuing to each and every soldier of the regiment their new Hija-pattern close-quarter weapons - although they were also permitted to keep their Cadian pattern mono-knife/bayonet if they so wished, the thinking being that two weapons were better than one! It was hoped by their Colonel that these weapons would help to unify the disparate fractures of now-dead regiments spread through his own...and only time would tell.

---

What seemed to be a journey of merely two weeks was in actuality one of near four months in real space, the small armada of Imperial Navy transports and escort vessels emerging back into 'true' space with a tearing of the fabric between the realms and a juddering shudder that could be felt even in the interior hangar bays where the Guard regiments were located. Anyone who knew anything about space travel would be able to feel it and know that they had emerged from the Immaterium, their ships triangular prows jutting forth and dragging the rest of the ship with it in a whip-crack of motion.

What they may not have been expecting was what happened next...

At first there was nothing, just the tail-end of the shuddering and then the common enough humming of the engines of the Castellan. Moments passed and still nothing, if anything the transport frigate was beginning to pick up speed, moving through the emptiness of space with practised ease and heading toward their required destination. It was only then that something went wrong, something that caused the ship to lurch and shake to its very core, repetitive strikes from without causing the vessel to groan and swerve - as well as one can in space - away from the suddenly present dangers.

There were almost as many of them as there were Imperial vessels, oddly shaped craft that had seemingly come out of nowhere, there beige colouring seemingly at odds with the darkness about them, and the charged beams of the ion cannons hammering into ship after ship; one transport, slower than the others and older too, yet filled with just as many alarmed Guardsmen, tore itself apart as a flurry of missiles blew the ships generators and destroyed the unfortunate vessel from the inside.

Inside his office Colonel Nizar was yelling into the mouthpiece of his personal vox, determined to ascertain what was happening outside the thick metal walls of what could end up being his very own space coffin, but all he could seem to find out for sure was that they were under attack by an enemy that had apparently been waiting for them. How they had known where they would emerge, or there own strength, was quite a mystery and one which would cost the fleet at least a quarter of its ships by the time they made it to the rendezvous point. They were harried all the way.

---

A hush ran through the 87th Composite as their Commanding Officer exited his office and stood on the gantry overlooking the deck below, a megavox held in one hand and a blinking dataslate in the other, the instrument raised casually to his lips and those below looking back at him. They had been formed up into companies and squads not fifteen minutes ago, each standing next to their assigned or chosen Chimera APC and each kitted out in their full uniform and arsenal.

"Men and women of the 87th, your time is nearly upon you," he began in a stoic but firm tone of voice, "we are barely ten minutes away from our target location, our fleet joining with two others already out here on the Eastern Fringe, and soon we shall be embarking to the world below. Once there you shall report to your company commanders for further instruction..." it seemed as if he may say something else, but instead he made the sign of the Aquila and gave a small nod, "may you come back alive, the Emperor protects."

With that the hush was broken, NCOs and company-rank commanders yelling at their subordinates to mount up into their Chimera and wait; the next phase of the landing process was nearly upon them, any moment now they would be driven into the wide mouth of a landing craft that would connect with the Castellan, just one of many, the vast black ships able to contain a regiment and their vehicles each. They were slow and cumbersome however, and this operation needed to being swiftly if it was to have a chance of success.

Some of the soldiers took a glance back at their temporary home, before ducking into the red-lit interior of their vehicle, while most simply shouldered their weapons, gave a prayer to Him on Terra, and listened to the vibration of their vehicles engine.

Any moment now and all would begin - they had deliberately been given no information about their enemy, or their enemy's strength on the planet, or generally about anything. It would not do to scare the men before they even hit the surface, and they would know exactly where they were and who they were fighting soon enough! First they had to get down there, and that was going to be an ordeal in itself.

@Hank@mackielars@Rultaos@Andreyich@NecroKnight@Dannyrulx@agentmanatee

[Assistant]
Marcus listened to the stories of his other two new squadmates. He had to say, he was impressed with both of them; Angelika's ingenuity and Meris' raw lethality because of her abhuman nature. He figured that if they came to trust each other more, they would be a very efficient unit. But only time would tell whether that would come to pass. In the meantime, he had to talk about his own experiences so that he wouldn't look bad in front of his new squad.

"My greatest kill... Hmm... Well I'd have to say it was the time my boys and I ended up facing off against one of the Ork leaders. Called a 'Nob' I think. We were lucky, in that we caught the bugger isolated from the rest of the greenskins, and the ones who were with him were easily dispatched with our numbers. But this big nasty Nob just wouldn't back down. He came charging into the Flamer team swinging his weapon around and killed a few men. He turned his sights on us troops in the back, when Hardin told us to scatter so that we wouldn't get slaughtered all at once like the Flamers did. So we split off into 2-man units in different directions while peppering him with lasgun fire. Just as the Nob went to run after McCollins and Troike, I pulled out my Melta Bomb, ran closer to the Ork and screamed 'CATCH THIS!' and tossed it as hard as I could. The stupid bugger fell for it and actually turned towards me just as I was running back while firing my Lasgun. The bomb blew up right on his chestpiece and tore it apart along with his helmet while scorching his skin. Hardin then gave the order for us to focus our lasers on the exposed parts until we cooked him alive. That was probably the riskiest and most glorious kill I had the pleasure of participating in." Marcus narrated.

It technically wasn't his "kill", but Marcus never had a situation where he faced an enemy on his own before. Though he did think that a lot more men would have died during that encounter had he not used his Melta bomb, and figured he could at least take credit for that.

@NecroKnight @agentmanatee

[User]
Angelika had gone through numerous drops over her lifetime. Because of this, she had a specific ritual that she went through before contact for the first time. Slowly, she ran a cloth over her flamer, before screwing in the fuel connector. Then, she ran the wiring from her eye down to the specialist port just below the handle of the flamer. She sighed as it went in, her vision temporarily obscured by lines of coding, before she felt the strange sensation of her body connecting with the machine, making it feel weightless and as easy to manoeuvre as her arm or leg.

Then, she drew her laspistol and clipped in the power bank for it, checking as the power level ticked up. She set the damage output to it's maximum, knowing that if she had to resort to the gun, she would need the extra 'umph.' She clipped her lasgun to her side, then reaching behind her to unclip her new chainsword, revving it a few times to make sure it would work.

Lastly, she pulled out her autoinjector and removed the morphine vial, replacing it with a white liquid, Stimm. Made you better, faster, stronger, although you could OD very easily. She clipped the new vial in, listening to the pneumatic hiss as the injector accepted it, before rolling up her sleeve and punching three holes in her arm with the syringe.

"Alright boys and girls. Time to do what we get paid for."


[System]
Male
Looks about 30
Appearance
6'0"
Pale white skin.
White irises. Edges around his eyes are naturally often dark. Giving him the appearance of having eyeliner.
Messy slightly below shoulder length wavy white hair. Long bangs that often get in his eyes. Two engraved cylindrical medium length silver hair beads, one on the right side of his hair and one on the back left.
Silver feather dangle earring on his left ear lobe.
Left hand's fingernails are pointed and sharp

Faux golden mink fur double breasted coat. Length goes down to his mid thigh. Brown horn buttons. Brown silk liner.
Black with white polka dots pattern wool fringed scarf worn draped around the back of his neck under his coat. Loosely tied into a knot low right below his chest.
Various loose fitting polo or aloha/bowling shirts.
Gold 22" 10mm cuban link chain necklace.
White ribbed tank top undershirt.
Gold Rolex Datejust 36mm with a white dial and jubilee bracelet.
Silver band thumb ring, silver pinkie finger signet ring with a X engraved on the front. Gold pointer finger ring with a inlaid diamond. All on his left hand
Plain black leather dress glove with a white X on the palm on his right hand.
Silver 12mm cuban link chain id tag style bracelet on his right wrist
Black dress pants.
Black leather western style belt with an silver buckle and furnishings. Usually has a black embossed leather revolver holster on the right side.
Black leather cowboy boots with snip toe caps and floral stitching. Pant legs worn over the boot shaft.
Or
Various Air Jordan 5 sneakers.
White crew socks.

Hair
A bit longer in the back

Nemo is often considered a Mana-fiend among other terms. Someone who can feed off of mana itself for energy. He has a innate control over mana and mastery with absorption focused spells. Being able to drain other Talent's mana reserves to refill his own. With more advanced spells Nemo can even harness the natural mana found in the world for himself in a pinch.
While most Talents are able to increase their maximum mana pool by training. Nemo sadly lacks this ability. But makes up for it by being able to permanently increase his pool by fully draining mana from living beings and certain objects. Fully draining a magic user can also sometimes give Nemo the ability to use some of their spells.
An added bonus of consuming mana is that it makes him immune to aging.

All of his mana must be put to some sort of worthy use, and Nemo does so by specializing in highly destructive spells and traps. Often using an "X" shape motif. He also utilizes summoning magic circle relay rings. When a magic projectile passes through them, it increases in speed and power. Relay rings can also be chained together like a railgun to devastating effect.

Nemo triggers most of his attacks from the X shaped rune on the palm of his glove.

At times Nemo also has a affinity for fine custom weaponry instead of spells. Utilizing rifles, knives, and his trademark revolvers with specialized ammo to conserve his mana.

Nemo is fond of the dark and the cold. He sees and reacts better in darker places with his white nocturnal-like eyes. However as a drawback he often becomes irritated and uncomfortable in bright or hot areas.

While his actual age is a mystery, it is said that at a young age Nemo was shunned by all of the leading magic organizations for his unpredictable abilities and attributes. Being an orphan, Nemo was left to fend for himself in the world. His abilities were the only thing he had at a young age, realizing that most people were afraid of his style of spells. Nemo found that resorting to force to get what he needed was usually the only option that worked.

As his control over his abilities grew he began to get more involved with the magic underground. Nemo began to take advantage of his anti-mana magic to make a name for himself as a effective assassin against other fellow magic users. He did this as a means to both further his own power and take revenge against the magic community for it's treatment of him.

As Nemo's notoriety grew, the magic factions that once rejected him began to take notice. However not in the way he once wanted. Nemo began to become a problem for them, something that reached a climax when he executed a pair of Catholic Magi while on a armored transport mission.

The Church had let him grow unchecked for too long. To solve the problem they set an ambush up for Nemo with a group of Grand-Magi and a entourage of his students. A fight occurred between the two, ending with Nemo's capture. But not before the group of mages suffered great causalities, including their leader.

After the encounter Nemo was locked up deep in a pitch black cell within a dungeon located under the Vatican. There he lies in wait, feeding off of the small amount of mana rationed to him and wondering how long it will take before he is set free.

Despite it all Nemo often comes off as a rather chipper carefree individual, something that is often seems sinister while fighting instead. Nemo is often unstable, his polite and charismatic outer attitude sheds to his more psychotic inner shell while angered.
Nemo has a fascination with all things visual. Taking great pride with his work and considering the battles he partakes in as art. Aiming to make them as aesthetically impressive as he can.
He's also a collector, coming off as borderline greedy in some cases. He'll try to obtain anything he finds visually appealing. Nemo becomes highly irritated when his possessions are sullied. Thankfully he can often repair them.
Going hand in hand with his knack for collecting, he also takes great joy in eating. Being able to consume a very large amount of food and eat just about anything.

5.5 inch single action revolver.
3.5 inch birds head handle single action revolver.
Bolt action hunting rifles.
Balisong knives

[User]
"Never a dull moment." Nemo replied as he placed his hand on Raiya's shoulder and activated the teleportation card. Encompassing both of them in a bright white X shaped flash.

The spell took them straight back to the place he used the initial teleport: by the table in the kitchen. There wasn't much of a sound, but the same bright flash from before might of gotten someone's attention. "I have returned from my trip! I'd say everything went swimmingly." Nemo called out as he grabbed a chair and sat down, waiting for Felix. "I hope you don't mind, but I was feeling a bit lonesome after all that time in Mamertine. So I found a new pal to be my plus one for this mission. Build my social skills up a bit. Increase my ability to work in groups. I'm sure you can agree that will do me good." He rambled off with a grin.

[Assistant]
There was a bright flash and Raiya could feel the familiar pull of spacial magic. After a brief moment, Raiya was standing in a comfy lodge. Raiya was feeling a very odd vibe coming from the cabin. It was fully furnished, and seemed to have many amenities. This freak better not be getting any perverted ideas. Raiya thought as she examined the room.

That's when she saw him. The specter. The phantom. The ghost she refused to acknowledge existed, and that's when it all started coming together.

---

Felix was still undergoing a panic attack even after there was a flash of spacial magic in the room. But when he turned and saw the leather clad, black-haired, Japanese tornado tha was Raiya, a whole different wave of panic washed over him.

"YOU BROKE A CONVICTED MASS MURDERER OUT OF MAMERTINE PRISON JUST TO GET ME TO JOIN YOUR STUPID CLUB!? Raiya broke out into a flurry of Japanese. Felix could only grasp every other word of what she was saying　but still got the general gist of it.

"I didn't break him out to get you. I broke him out because the parchment told me to. Him getting you was something he did on his ow-." A large sushi knife stuck itself in the ground right next to Felix's foot, any closer and he would have been in a large amount of pain. Raiya held her leather jacket open, revealing leather pockets inside that all hand sushi knives in them. She drew another one this one longer and pointier than the last.

"As if I'd believe a dead man," Raiya sneered. She reared up to throw another knife.

"I-i-it's true I swear. Tell her, Nemo. I told you to stay here and wait for the rest of the recruits." Felix stammered.

Raiya looked around the room and noticed other people. And though she was caught a bit off guard she didn't appear to be fully assuaged, as indicative of her knife still reared back in throwing position.

[User]
Yuno glanced over initially at the presentation of a rune that Travis had pulled out. Having been in the field of study, it wasn't too difficult for her to understand the more complex sections of his rune once he explained it. Yet, being that it was more scientific and efficient than what most rune users use the design he had create was unlike most she had seen even despite her trained use of Rune magic . However, it answered the largest question on her mind about him being Untalanted. He knew how to manage his finite resource. While she can create a rune on the fly and not worry about her mana reserves if it was the start of a fight and she needed a quick save, he needed to meticulously analyze his runes as far as she could tell and possibly have them prepared all the way beforehand. Time and care into those aspects that someone like her wouldn't understand as much if she didn't need the same knowledge of her gems. "I'm sure some magic users might feel disturbed by having such a scientific approach to your tools. Much like how long ago philosophers and physicists disliked engineers for making their concepts become physical. However, I must admit even with the rune magic I do I haven't approached in the way you have and I am impressed. More so by the fact you were so willing to tell me all of this instead of hiding your advancements."

Looking back up from the rune she wanted to point out one portion of the rune that could have helped him be more articulate in the power desired from it. While not being the kind who would have created such an interesting rune herself, her knowledge of the field enabled her to find this feature and come up with a plan of action for the adjustment that may help out so he doesn't blow himself up in the future. "Truly fascinating though, but I think I see the point that became more powerful than-" she stated before the blur of interruptions came forth. Felix's arrival prompted her to look towards the man with a greeting smile and respond to him. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Recruiting going well?" she first replied before taking his description of Nemo. When he came back with a note she shook her head and confirmed what he likely just found out. "That note was there when I arrived. Rather odd to have left so fast when you were bringing back more people."

Then from behind Felix came Nemo's arrival which made her raise an eyebrow. More than one person was able to teleport like Felix just had? Felix's spell for that was already impressive enough, but maybe it was more common than she thought. Her train of thought derailed when Nemo came in with his own woman, and before Yuno could exchange a greeting the woman before he began to call out in her foreign tongue. Knives flashed through the air and Yuno was stuck in the confusion as to what she should get herself involved in or wait there on standby. Being a bit rational however she determined than an Arch-Magi can likely handle someone with only knives if it comes down to it despite her rage. Yuno let her gaze fall onto the more ravenous signature she caught in the room. Not having the mananalysis capabilities of Felix to determine why he gave such a feeling off she kept her eyes on the person who felt like the greatest wildcard in the room. The woman was outwardly angry and upset, but that man had been the one to bring her here with that smile. While to those who may glance at her see a slightly confused face her eyes returned to the analytical and piercing blue she had given both Travis and Felix initially. Her gaze turning to a downright glare briefly if Nemo paid enough attention to her before she turned away to reexamine the confrontation. Her mind still focused on Nemo's actions though.

[Assistant]
The situation escalated quicker than Nemo had planned. But he had to admit that it was definitely entertaining so far. He almost felt bad he knew he had to do something to quench the fire that was building. Still in his seat, Nemo swiveled the chair into position and then used his boot to kick off from the table. It sent him sliding in between the two with an audible screech. The chair nearly teetered over but managed to fall back onto all four legs.

Now right in dangerzone, he put his hands up to try to signal them to stop. He faced the palm with the X on it towards Raiya. "Now now you two, let's just try to get along." He said as he put a silly over-dramatic accent onto his voice. He looked to the opposite person. "Give peace a chance." Nemo added before his voice turned back to normal. He looked to Raiya with a straight face. "He's not lying, while Felix was the one who told me about you. I searched you out on my own volition. You're only here because I want you to be." He explained.

"And even if it was him, that doesn't matter anymore. Or are you too drunk to remember our deal?" He asked.


[System]
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Species: Human?

Occupation: Professional exorcist and cleanser

Personality: He's a bit of a strange little guy. Lucas is very peculiar about who he interacts with and how. He doesn't like crowds, being photographed, cameras, or being asked questions. Any of these things will have him become frustrated and he'll probably storm off in a huff. He can be a bit childish. If irritated, he will quickly resort to lashing out physically to get his point across. Seeing as he can't yell, one might think that this is his alternative.

If one gets on his good side, he's typically a mild, friendly man. Once he decides he trusts someone, he doesn't seem as stand offish anymore.

Appearance: Lucas can easily be described as a bean pole: tall and lanky. He's been told often that he's too thin and needs to gain weight. Lucas has a PEG tube that sticks out of his abdominal wall; it's basically a port straight to his stomach where liquid food and nutrition can be pumped. Due to the all liquid diet, he stays just above underweight.

He's pretty unassuming looking: hidden under oversized clothes with his face tucked into a scarf. He has a head of messy black hair, usually worn short due to his tendency to not take care of it. He has a natural olive tone of his skin, hinting at a possible Italian heritage. His eyes tend to catch people's attention. Some say he has the eyes of a feral animal, dark and a bit wild. Others say they see the eyes of a sad hound dog. Either way, his eyes are dark brown, the color almost indistinguishable from his pupils.

Lucas's most predominant feature by far is his face. He sort of doesn't have one. While his forehead and eyes appear normal, Lucas's face below the bridge of his nose is malformed. His nose appears to be incomplete, like someone cut the fleshy end off of it. And he completely lacks a mouth. His chin is narrow and pointed, his features almost elfish in appearance. If not for the deformities of his face, Lucas might be considered handsome.

Other:

Lucas has a very unique skill set. He has a 'gift'. Lucas can draw energy from surrounding sources, fire, sunlight, heat, electricity, and produce his own light. This light burns monsters that get too close to it, namely demons and vampires. While his light in ineffective towards werewolves, witches, and most other foul creatures, most are unable to touch his skin as if it were made of silver.

His gift of light is accompanied by an ability to defeat demons in a way that even the most experienced of priests have yet to figure out. When he comes into contact with the creatures, he seems to absorb them. If he is performing an exorcism, he draws the demon from the victim and into himself. This usually results in a short inner battle before the demon is completely eradicated. So far, Lucas himself has never been possessed.

weaknesses: Because of his deformity, Lucas is mute.

When tackling more powerful demons, there is a chance that they may escape, weakened, rather than be destroyed. After dealing with demons of high power, Lucas usually has to take time to recover.

Biography:

Where Lucas came from isn't entirely clear. He showed up in LA during a string of violent possessions at the hands of demons. He had been only just a boy, no older than 9, when he proved his worth by banishing demons that even the most experienced priests couldn't. The boy was a gifted exorcist.

It didn't take long for a local priest to take the young boy in. He allowed Lucas to live at the church, very interested by the boy and his mysterious heritage. Even as he has grown, not much is known of how Lucas came to be, or even what exactly he is. It seems to be a touchy subject, and he becomes impatient and irritable if asked about it. He, himself, doesn't even seem to know the entire story.

Lucas has remained at the church, being called on for particularly difficult demon cases. Some people have come to avoid taking his help, as the process in which he removes demons from their victims seems to have a 10% chance of killing the victim. While these deaths seem completely accidental, some the patrons of the church and demonology world have labeled the strange man as a murderer.

Supporting Characters:

Father Walter: The priest that serves as Lucas's main caregiver. He watches over the odd ward and allows him to live at the church for free. Father Walter is in his middle ages, and has been an exorcist for many years now. Priests of his experience level are becoming a rare breed. As the years go by, less and less people believe in possession, and mental illness tends to be blamed for the culprit. He took Lucas in because he saw the boy as a valuable asset, and he didn't want him to fall into the wrong hands.

See No Evil: He is a man around Lucas's age, cleverly named Seymour. He, like Lucas, is deformed. He has no eyes. Seymour also has powers similar to Lucas. He lives in Louisiana and is sort of a penpal to Lucas after having heard about him from an acquaintance. It's still yet to be discovered if there is a third "Hear No Evil".

[User]
Priscilla walked into the diner, having arranged this match-up with one Damien Varomere using Correspondence. Clothed in her hiker's outfit, the americanized Native American had groomed herself so that her looks for today were something she can be proud of, and it seemed like she succeeded. For all eyes turned towards the woman as she walked in, her hair free and hanging loosely as a sign of purity and virginity.

She would then find herself next to the young man with the rolled-up Occult Digest. Turning her head slightly, she would say, "Are you [Insert Internet Name Here]? If so, I'm your date."

Damien turned at the sound of his screenname to see a far more attractive vision than he had honestly expected. It momentarily caught him offguard and he blinked at her, giving himself away. "I uh... yeah I'm that guy. I mean, Yes, that's me. So you must be Priscilla?" He smiled. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Priscilla introduced herself. "Anyway, first things first. Nothing beyond talking, eating and drinking, and an occassional kiss. I do not do pre-marital canoodling; the honor of the Episcopalian Church's priesthood depends on it." She would then wait for Damien to guide her to a nearby table. "So, your interests say you have a fondness for 'The Occult'? Don't worry, I won't judge you on that." She smiled, before looking at him and finishing, "you know, you really are handsome."

Oh no... She never mentioned going into the priesthood. Damien could not believe this. But he smiled again, maybe bigger this time. Oh, heh heh. You don't have to worry about me. I promise not to take it too far. Besides, I uh... I also invited my new boss."

That was a lie. David had invited Damien. "I don't see him yet. We'll get some food. Are you huungry?"

"Yes, but I can pay half," Priscilla said. "I'm not going to depend on you for everything."

[Assistant]
Darby smelled and heard The Sheriff long before he saw him, and the neonite swore as he straightened up and set the rather evil-looking tome aside, straightening out his shirt as much as he could to try looking presentable. Considering his manner of dress; a black sleeveless shirt with a faded, white horned skull on the front, camo fatigues tucked into a pair of tall riding boots, it was probably a moot gesture. Still, he had to try, if for nothing else but appearances. When the bat came into view, offered a short, respectful nod, much as it grated his ego to do so.

"Evenin', Sheriff." He drawled, the thick Southern accent bearing a notable Louisiana twang. He stood to look the bat in the eye, though he kept his hands right a this side, in plain view. "To what do I owe th' pleasure've yer company?"

The Camarilla were hardly his favorite people, and he was right there with the Anarchs when it came to what he thought of their roll, he knew that they were the ones in charges, and that they had more than enough power to stake him and leave him for the sun. Plus, they knew about Cheyenne, and the little conscience he had left demanded he protect her. So he stood there, waiting patiently for the bat to give him his orders.

[User]
The cafe was a few blocks from the church, but Lucas was used to walking. He didn't have a driver's license, and riding buses made him a bit too uncomfortable. Honestly, crowds in generally spooked him. Sometimes there were too many people just walking down the street.

He stuck out a bit. Lucas seemed to be constantly cold natured, preferring to be bundled up even in the LA heat. He wore the same black turtleneck and slacks, his scarf wrapped around his neck and hiding half of his face. His shoes were old, brown, beat up looking work boots. They were probably given to him second hand. He then wore a pair of old leather gloves on his hands, just in case he had to come in contact with anyone. He couldn't tell non-humans from humans, and most non-humans were burned by his touch. There had been only a couple incidents in his lifetime, but he'd rather not repeat of them.

The young man seemed to stay drawn in on himself as he maneuvered through the evening crowd on the streets. He didn't like being bumped into, so he just made himself as small as possible. Given his frame, it wasn't hard.

When he arrived as the diner, Lucas shuffled into the foyer and looked around. He could vaguely remember what the man he was looking for looked like, but he didn't see him here yet. He scooted out of the way as a woman walked by him, approaching a man and asking if he was some odd name. The concept of internet dating was lost on Lucas, who could just barely use a laptop and had the romantic appeal of a dead fish.

"Hello sir, can I help you?" Lucas jumped a bit as a hostess walked up to him and chirped at him in her perky tone. He looked at her with a wild eyed expression, not quite sure what to do. This was usually the part where Father Walter would speak up for him, but he had no companion with him now. Lucas glanced around, then shook his head quickly. He backed up and eased himself onto one of the benches offered to wait for the man he planned to meet to arrive.

[Assistant]
Priscilla, being proficient in Prime, aka the Sphere that allowed for the detection of supernatural powers (just not specific effects unless they're Blood or Angelic Magic), would detect Lucas even though he wasn't a Mage. She would then say to Damien.

"Hold up, there's a lost boy who might need some guidance," before walking over to where Lucas was, smiling brightly. "Hello there. Are you looking for someone?" Using her ability to use Forces to control sound and direct it to Lucas' ear, she would whisper without anyone else hearing her.

"If you're looking for other people with powers, I'm here. I'm also meeting a young, actually normal man. Why don't you come eat with us?" Priscilla had to rely on the fact that she was telling the truth to overcome any instinctive mistrust. Either way, she liked the fact that she had Forces.

@Metronome

[User]
Lucas took to twiddling his thumbs as he waited. He was startled once again as another young woman approached him. He was beginning to wonder what he did to make people think this was okay. He shifted uncomfortably as she asked if he was looking for someone. His hands squeezed his knees gently and he looked anywhere but at her.

His dark eyes returned back to her when she twisted her voice to reach only his ears. Wide with surprise, he made eye contact with her for a moment before breaking off. He shook his head. He very much would not like to join them. Lucas wasn't exactly one for chit chat. He really just wanted to get this whole thing over with so that he could return to his comfort zone. He didn't even consider that the man they were meeting was one and the same as the one who had invited him here.

[Assistant]
"Why?" Prisiclla said, still using Forces to redirect her whisper. "But all right, I won't push. But be careful, all right?"

She would then rummage through her pockets, pulling out a letter-opener shaped like a cross, which in turn had a blade that was invisibly enchanted to inflict damage that cannot be healed even by magic.

"A gift," spoke Priscilla again, "do not reject it." She used Forces to make her voice literally reverberate with power.

And with that, she would go back to Damien, a bit disappointed, but also unknowing of how to get through to this strange kid.

[User]
Lucas retreated a bit into his scarf as the gift was offered to him. He was almost like a little turtle with a shell, and about as friendly. He just stared at the gift as it was thrusted towards him, and then only took it when the woman insisted with what sounded like a threatening tone.

He gingerly picked it up with his gloved hand and turned it over to inspect it. What was he supposed to do with this piece of junk? He never got mail. The only friend he had outside of an aging priest was blind! He begrudgingly pocketed the item, considering tossing it in the garbage when he left just out of spite. Maybe Father Walter would like it.

As the woman departed, Lucas wondered what exactly she was. She didn't really give off a demon-y vibe, so he honestly didn't care too much. As he returned to fidgeting with his hands, he began to think about why he had agreed to come here in the first place.


[System]
Sex: Male
Age: 35

Appearance: Artos stands tall at 6feet, with a muscular physique and and ice blue eyes. Upon his back from right shoulder to left hip is a bright blue scar that has never healed properly in the arctic winds, a reminder of what arrogance can cost someone. Upon his left hand is a plated glove connecting to a heavy piece of solid iron circling his wrist used to deflect an enemies attack and open up a riposte. The rest of his equipment is very lightly armored to allow maximum movement. Three flasks on his back hip store the crystal clear water he purifies personally and uses on his blade when no other sources of water are useable.
Artos' skin is a pale blue, the same as his fathers, with snowy short cut white hair.

Brief summary of abilities
Flowing water - A steam of water flows from his blades when in use and splash along anything his weapon touches, getting his opponents thoroughly soaked.
Sub-zero - As the name implies he creates a pocket of intense cold, freezing anything in the zone of control solid. Those doused in his waters are often left in a coffin of ice.
Frozen blade - A variation on flowing water, a thin coat of sub zero water freezes along the blade making it a blunt/piercing style that often forces parts of the body hit to become completely numb. With a bit more control he can force the water to shape outwards and expand on the blades length to provide extra reach.
Soothing calm - Restorative magic channeled through his pure waters creates a slow regenerative effect.

Far to the north there is a realm obscured by endless winter inhabited by warriors who fear not the fangs of deaths icy touch. It is here Artos was trained in the harnessing of this merciless form of combat under the tutelage of his father Archibald Bane, trained to kill any who would see his homeland invaded by the outside. Taught to hate with the same unforgiving manner their homeland would take them with. His father had trained until his body had turned an icy blue, so infused with the frozen magic that permeated his home, and developed a style all of his own using thawed ice found deep within a mountain of colossul ice. The water was pure and flowed to the tune of Archibalds magic like a puppet, taking whatever form he desired, freezing and returning to liquid with a thought, and enhancing his own natural affinity in the process.

This style of combat was passed down in full to his son who adapted to the merciless weather and training without complaint, mastering the magic at an alarming rate. By the age of 20 Artos had perfected every technique his father had developed over a lifetime of study and dedication. To the next challenge Artos claimed true mastery and further improved upon the style. A weapon forged just for his own hands was commissioned, a set of twin double edged longswords, blessed by his father and forged by a master smith, became extensions of his very being. Years down the road he would reforge the handles of these blades, making them much longer and allowing both to connect at the base of the hilt with its sister weapon. With this versatile arsenal it was without question that Artos had become a legend to his nameless home. Rather than seek the life of protecting his home and rearing a family of his own the lad set out to explore life beyond the chill winds and familiar scenary. Now he is a wandering blade master in seek of challenge.

Artos is a loyal and honest swordsman with strong loyalty to whomever has earned his services, believing in the ultimate concept of right and wrong, and adaptable to any situation. Artos displays little emotion in battle beyond the need to prove to himself that his mastery over blade and magic is superior, not to his opponents or his master, but to his father. Despite the serious nature of his being, Artos is still a pleasant and friendly person to be around when the fighting is over.

[User]
John's comment seemed to throw Altar Boy off for a second, most people usually were, but for his credit he recovered quickly. His rambling didn't interest him too much until he said "Apostate", meaning he was kicked out of the pearly gates. Good, if it was true. But John had no reason to trust this man just yet and continued to stare him down, "Well then...come on in. Don't mind Hellion, she's harmless. Oh, and don't touch anything...for your own good." said John in a tone which could be described as disinterested, but the rules of hospitality forced him to at least listen to what this peddler had to say.

The living room was a bizarre mashup of wards, herbs, and heavy metal memorabilia. John gestured to the couch as he began to fill two glasses with bourbon, handing one to Alter Boy before swinging out a chair and sitting in it backwards. "So spill it church man, what do you have that's so important that you need to come to my backwoods. Hmm"

[Assistant]
Nemo palmed the dagger attached to the back of his belt as the woman spawned weapons and looked ready to charge. However before a fight could start the abrupt entrance of Raiya postponed it. As she spoke Nemo ran the same tests that he did Tsukihi earlier; this was the person he was looking for. She had the coolest jacket of all the people he had fought that night, only someone with fashion sense that good could have put together this club to him.

Nemo was still trying to piece what Tsukihi had meant when she said the boss wasn't feeling well. Something was definitely off with what had happened so far. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.

"I had always hoped they'd call me Smiley. Sadly that one wasn't as popular..." He commented. "Himself? I don't know if that's the term I'd use. You can't forget Garvian and the scores of men he brought with him." Nemo remarked. "Though I suppose Felix was the only one left that could pull his weight."

"Good question, I've recently been tasked with a new mission. The details I can't really share here, but that's not important yet. You see, I've done a lot of jobs by myself, and that little stay at Mamertine was more than enough for me to realize... I need a partner. Or a bodyguard, if that's what you want to call it. The point is that things will be a lot more entertaining with a plus one at my side to shake up the routine. That's where you come in." Nemo explained.

"For beating thing one and thing two here I want to raise the stakes in a little wager. I'll fight anybody here you choose, if I win, you work for me and have to do what I say until my job is done. If I lose, I'll do whatever you want." He finished.

[User]
Queen
Felix followed the man into his house which was filled with various occult nick knacks, and music memorabilia. Felix eventually took a seat on a couch in front of the large man.

"I know that pagans and the church have a rocky past, which is to say it as lightly as possible. But the reason I am here is the same reason as why I am not here on any official capacity, why I am no longer affiliated with the church that raised me. What I have to tell you goes all the way to the top of the catholic church, and also branches out to different groups that are not affiliated with each other." Felix cleared his throat and continued.

"A few months back, the catholic arcanocracy held a summit. During that summit a fellow arch-magi by the name of Thadeus brought forth a motion to start a search and collection of artifacts of horrific power named, Paragons. Having done extensive research on the Paragons myself, I was well aware of what these items were theoretically capable of. So naturally, I voted against the motion. The then papal-magi had also voted against the motion, and the motion was denied. I had thought that would be the end of it, and it was for a few months. Unfortunately, soon after the papal-magi died and was replaced by Thadeus's brother, Cornelius. Around three days ago there was another summit, and Thadeus brought forth the same motion he did before. Only this time, the vote was in his favor, and the papal-magi made the Paragon search top priority." Felix took a deep breath.

"Normally, if a motion as passed that I do not agree with, I will voice my displeasure, and wash my hands of the matter entirely. But that night, I had a horrible dream. In the dream a voice told me many things. It told me that the Catholic Arcanocracy was not the only group looking for the Paragons. It showed me all the brutal ends this world would come to should any group get their hands on these items, any group other than a group I create. This voice told me to gather up a group of guardians to get the Paragons before any other group can, and seal them away so no one can ever get their hands on them. When I awoke from the dream, I was sitting at my desk, with a quill in hand. I had wrote this-" Felix pulled out the parchment from the side pocket on his backpack, unfolded it, and placed it on the coffee table facing John. "Somehow, in my sleep, I was made to write a list of names and locations. Your name is among the various other names written here. I have already gathered most of the others on this list. They are all back at my headquarters."

Felix thought for a moment before continuing.

"In the dream I had, I was shown that it wasn't just the Catholic Arcanocracy that could bring about the end of the world. I was shown that there were many other groups hungry to get their hands on the Paragons. Societas Academia, the Disciples of Salem, the Cult of the Enlightened... All of them are bound to bring about the end of the world in their own way if I don't stop them... If we don't stop them. John Barrows, I don't know why, but I need your help. You are essential in stopping the end of the world. So please, will you join us?" Felix finished.

---

"Hmm? A bodyguard? Well, fancypants, what if I chose myself as the fighter? What if I wiped your smug little grin off the face of this earth right here and now? No one would blame me. You came here uninvited, no doubt took out my bouncers to do so. And you almost killed my Dealer's Choice and fight official. I am sure that would warrant a show of strength from the boss herself, no?There are probably some here that would think me weak if I myself didn't confront you and take you out like the trash you are. Raiya tilted her head back and cackled briefly, baring her fangs. The sobering up that she received from her fall seemed to only be temporary, because she was starting to feel cloudy once more.

"Where would you be then? The one you wished to recruit as your bodyguard being the one to end your pathetic life?" Electricity crackled in her hair, her eyes began to glow a radiant, stormy grey.

Tsukihi could tell that the Raiya was not sobered up at all, and the moment of clarity she had was quickly waning. If she were to unleash her full arsenal, unrestrained in the club, she would kill thousands. Even if Raiya was vicious, she wasn't heartless. Raiya needed her gang members, and allies. Murdering them by accident would be the last thing she would want. Oh no...

[Assistant]
Nemo seemed overly calm despite Raiya's threats. Oncoming mortal danger seemed to be almost commonplace for him at this point. He took the time to further analyze her. The pieces of the puzzle were falling together, reaching an apex when a peculiar smell hit Nemo's nose after focusing on his senses; her breath smelled like alcohol.

"She's wasted." He thought, almost grinning.

It all made sense now, her sloppy looking fall, Tsukihi's comments, and Raiya's increasingly audacious and impaired way of speaking. "Here I thought girls were supposed to smell like flowers." He mumbled to himself, probably loud enough for the two in the ring to hear.

"So you want to kill me then if you win?" Nemo asked. "Sounds good." He said plainly. "Though If I'm not being too bold, I might suggest for you to rethink your choice of fighter. Tsukihi here tells me you haven't been feeling well, I'd hate to fight someone when they're not at their best."

[User]
"You will not survive me a second time." Artos mumbled.

There was no time for a proper defense so the hooded polar warrior took the only route he could. A thin layer of ice coated his blades laying beneath the snow before the last of the water rushed up from the ground to create a shield. The rocket exploded through the half formed shield with enough force to launch Artos back a dozen feet through the snow to slam into a brick wall, blasting the air from his lungs. His limp body slumped down as the snow resettled around him from the explosions. Kringle had escaped through his bullshit bag and Artos was left with the bitter taste of loss. Granted, he had won and forced his unexpected enemy to flee the field, but the fight replayed in his mind from start to finish.

"Should have finished it faster. Played around and got caught unaware."

Artos put his hand to the ground and slowly got to one knee, a soft grunt as he got to his feet. The bouncing grenades had been a game changer, the sheer force of each tiny metal ball was agony across his flesh. Thankfully it felt like nothing was broken, his armor having taken the majority of the blows. The snow was already melting now that the creator of the field was gone but was of little consequence. The ice cold crystal clear water of his homeland was still frozen completely around the area, a quick flexing of his will had the individual shards shatter and float to his call, a chunk of said ice carried the hilts of his swords to their master. Both blades in hand, the ice thawed to water and returned to the canisters on his back, thankfully without dents from the collision.

Artos stared up into the sky and crossed his arms. It was going to take time to fix his equipment after the oaf had ruined them. Wordlessly Artos retrieved the ruined pauldron and departed the scene of the violence. Already there were people coming to inspect the noise. By the time inspectors came to survey the scene, the winter fighter was long gone. His route was quick and precise, visiting a leather shop to purchase a replacement to his damaged pauldron strap before sewing it back on. When the sun lowered in the sky, the darkness found the wanderer once more at the waterfront staring into the shimmering black surface.

"Onwards then, to new experiences."

The river did not flow dangerously as he hopped over the rails. The arctic magic formed and froze a small raft for its master who, after softly landing in the floating raft, lay down upon its cold surface. Tomorrow would be a new day. A new chance at honing his abilities.


[System]
Species: Halfling
Height: 3ft
Age: 24
Bio: Elras by all means in tiny, shorter than all throughout his life he was taunted and made fun of by many of the people in his village, due to his short temper he set off at an early age to find a way to grow in height no matter the cost, due to this promise he made to himself he became an utterly worthless adventurer for many years until he learned a form of magic that allowed him to substantially grow in height and muscle mass for periods of time before shrinking back, while in this form he becomes a force to be reckoned with due to the increase in physical prowess but only for a short time. When he shrinks back down to regular size he is basically useless in combat situations. Elras has a short temper and brags about how he's a great adventurer with unmatchable might, he is seeking to make a name for himself by finding a guild on the way through a town he heard a rumor of a guild called Grayfall and he believes that this will help him reach his goal.

[User]
"Drek, rude. Don't just topple me then ignore me." Lilith huffs as she picks herself off the ground and dusts herself off, looking childlike with her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

She shoves the drunk aside before continuing.

"Now, miss Saarai'a, was it? Would you like something to drink or eat? I'm sure your journey wore you down. I can only offer you grilled cheese and tomato soup, but we have many drinks like water, rum, beer, barley tea, coffee, honey mead..."

[Assistant] "Oh no I ate on the way here, and there is a nice stream not too far away so I had some nice water, I don't drink alcohol it does not sit well with me."

[User] Drek stumbles over to the nearest soft piece of furniture and collapses, still exhausted from his near death experience.

[Assistant] "So... you never did answer as to how one becomes an official member of Grayfall pack... I mean guild."

[User]
Once again, Lilith whips the totally not soul binding contract out of her pact so fast that it just looks like it appears in her hand,

"Oh, it's nothing big or anything, I just need you to sign this...with your blood." she gave an innocent smile before pondering for a moment "oh shoot! I never put Drek's contract in the files!"

she placed the blank contract on the table and grabbed the drunkard's before running to another room.

[Assistant] *Saaria'a begins to unsheathe her short sword, then pauses and resheathes it deciding not to risk cutting her thumb off by accident, her nails than grow out into claws, as her face becomes a bit more wolf like and her canines become proper predatory fangs and she slices her right thumb with her left claw which lights on fire as she signs her name in blood, and then her claws go out and she slowly shifts back* "There we go all done."

[User]
Lilith returned from one of the back rooms stretching out her arms. She blinked when she saw the document was already signed, albeit a bit cruder than the last one, but that was only normal.

"I can't believe it, you actually signed!" she chirped giddily before quickly picking up the contract and running back to the room calling out "it's too late, you can't quit now."

This day was utterly baffling to her, somebody actually [b]wanted[b] to join, even after knowing what had happened to the previous guild members. Artorius would get a kick out of this.

[Assistant] *She smiled at how happy she had made the new member of her pack* "I'm just glad to have a pack once more."

[User] Through one of the holes in the wall of the decrepit house, there was movement, not unlike that of a tree branch being blown by in a harsh wind. But there was no wind, nor was there a sound of any footsteps near the building.

[Assistant]
A small man walks through the door and says in a very out of breath voice

"Is... Is this the grayfall guild?"

He falls to the floor in a sitting position almost gasping for air

[User] *Sarrai'a turns toward the small man but speaks loud enough for the approaching nymph, whom she smelled, to hear* "Yes this is Grayfall Pa guild." *Sarrai'a then yells back into the room Lilith went into* "We have a possible new member"

[Assistant] The nymph, who was not aware that anyone lived out this far in the forest, was for the first time in her life on alert. It had been so long since she had heard anyone speak in this tongue. Greyfall Paguild? what on earth did that mean?

[User]
*elras looks up with a sparkle in his eye*

"Would this guild happen to be recruiting adventurers such as myself?"

*he says with a very confident tone as he gets to his feet poorly attempting to maintain his appearance*

[Assistant]
At this point Lilith could smell the new blood. Today was basically the best day of her life! Was this what a birthday felt like? Lilith had never had a birthday before...she wondered if it had to do with the advertising she had done in the neighboring town. It had never worked so well before...

She shook her head and pushed the thoughts aside before grabbing a glass of water and walking it over to the halfling boy by the fallen door.

"Hello, welcome. We just so happen to be looking for brave adventurers such as yourself."

[User] *smiles at the small man glad to have a new member of the pack*

[Assistant]
*Elras takes the water and starts to drink it*

"Well since you are looking for Brave adventurers I would like to join your guild!"

*He says as he tries to act confident but you can very well tell that this is only an act to hide his uneasiness*

[User] Clover sat with her back against a nearby tree, listening to the stern language of the Outsiders. Their words weren't as soft as the forest. More like waterfalls. Or rockfalls. It was utterly fascinating!

[Assistant]
*Looks up at the elven lady with a smile*

"I suppose that you are a member of the guild as well?"

[User] Against all odds, yet another creature was lurking about outside the guild. Well, not really lurking. He'd been on a hunt, as the string of three squirrels at his hip suggested. And he wasn't really a creature, per se. He appeared rather ordinary, save for the glimpse of a knotwork of dark tattoos that peeked out from under the collar of his shirt. His brown hair was pulled up into a loose braid that fell just past his shoulderblades. For the most part, he seemed human enough. That was probably for the best. Leaning up against the wall of the building, he caught snippets of conversation, realizing that there were actually people inside. Hesitant, but ever curious, he stepped quietly along the wall until he came to a door, leaning closer to listen in to the conversation.

[Assistant] Clover looked at the hunter with wide eyes. Another forest dweller! She could tell, he walked without sound. She stood, hoping that this would not startle him, but keeping a hand on the tree behind her for protection nonetheless.

[User] *Sarrai'a sniffed at the air as a new scent appeared in the air and she quickly made her way to the door hand on her short swords hilt just in case as who ever it was that was outside was trying to not be seen, as she came out the door she growled, still a cautious about those that hide in the shadows* "If you are hear to join come inside, if not might I inquire as to why you are listening in."

[Assistant]
The movement was enough to catch the hunter's attention from the group inside. He immediately shifted into a crouch, one hand withdrawing a throwing knife from a sheath at his thigh, ready to face an attacker-- oh. It's just a... child? He straightened up awkwardly, returning the knife to its sheath and holding up one palm in a silent gesture of peace.

And then there's a growl to his right, startling him again. Takes a few steps back in defense, ready to draw again if necessary.

"I do not mean any harm, I swear. I was just hunting in the area. Forgive me, I was eavesdropping only out of curiosity."

[User]
Clover, who had been threatened in similar ways by bears before, looked into the eyes of the hunter, and gave a long slow blink in hopes that this would calm him.

"Do not fear, I do not mean you any harm."

She gave a small smile, and took a step towards the hunter. She heard the voice from inside the building, now closer, but avoided the urge to look there. Any change of eye contact would agitate a bear, and that was all she was going on right now.

[Assistant]
Lilith grinned. She had him hook line and sinker. If she were lucky, perhaps she could rope that nymph that liked to hang around the area in too.

"I would be honored to have someone as brave and noble such as yourself."

She then looked up and noticed someone cautiously listening in in a manner she assumed was supposed to be stealthy. He didn't look to be the adventuring type, so she didn't want to get cocky and push her luck with him. She noticed Saarai'a approach him as well, so she figured she might as well call out to him.

"Hello, friend, are you lost?"

[User]
*Elras finishes his water and sets the glass down*

"EXCELLENT! Where do I sign up?!"

*He says in a very excited tone almost hopping up and down in glee, completely oblivious to the tension going on behind him*

[Assistant] *Sarrai'a relaxed slightly and reentered the building not taking her eyes off of the hunter the whole time*

[User]
Lilith's lightning fast reflexes struck yet again when the paper seemingly replaced the glass in Elras' hand.

"Now a brave and tough guy like you wouldn't be afraid to sign in blood, would you?"

Her sight wandered over to the man in the shadows once again before she called out "you can come in and stay the night if you'd like. We don't have much, bud the beds are comfy at the very least."

[Assistant] *Sarrai'a hearing that the alpha is allowing the newcomer to enter relaxes the rest of the way and finally takes her eyes off of him and backs the rest of the way into the main room of the building*

[User]
The hunter stepped away from the door, only just now glancing up to see the sign.

"Greyfall Guild..." Where had he heard that name before? An expression of realization dawned on his face. "Oh... This was the guild that was in that advertisement...?"

[Assistant]
*Elras starts to sweat a little as he hears the words "sign in blood"

"Wi-with my blood?"

*he hesitantly reaches for his dagger at his side and cuts his hand bleeding all over the paper but you can make out the words (E, L, A and S)*

"Uh... Will that do...?"

*he says as he looks around the room for something to patch his hand up as he spots the man passed out on the floor and goes to shake him a little*

[User] With the hunter's attention diverted, the little girl again peered at the building.She suddenly came to the realization that they ha probably sen her by now. If they weren't friendly, she'd know by now! She walked past the hunter, her feet gliding on the ground with such grace that she didn't even disturb the leaves that rested on the soil. Making her way to one of the holes in the wall, she looked in.

[Assistant]
Lilith's eyes glittered as she heard the mysterious man mention her advertisement. It worked! It worked! For once in her life, something actually worked! She flushed and beamed at the man, feeling overwhelmingly proud of her self.

"You've heard of us?" she asked as Elras slit his entire hand open. "Oh, you'll have to excuse me a moment, I need to help him clean up."

[User]
He gave a worried glance to the man's bleeding hand, and then back to the woman who seemed amazingly good at multitasking.

"Uh.. Yes, I saw your poster on the community board of the neighboring town. It was not my intention to come here, but it seems the Fates had different plans for me." He chuckled quietly, as if laughing about an inside joke. "My name is Caelus."

[Assistant] *Elras pulls out a small box labeled "adventurers-aid" as he pulls out a band-aid's attempting to cover his hand wound*

[User]
Lilith sighed when she heard the man was talking about the poster, and not her performance of juggling flaming batons while on a unicycle to showcase how cool her guild was...

"Well, regardless of your reasons, you're still welcome to stay the night." she replied while heading to the medicine cabinet. Being as short as she was, Lilith couldn't quite reach it on her own. She then scanned her surroundings to see a broom within an arms reach. Without hesitating, she placed the broom between her legs and kicked of the ground so she was hovering a few feet high.

"That should do i-" she cut herself off once she noticed the tiny nymph in the wall's hole, "So, you finally came."

[Assistant]
Clover met the eyes of the woman in the cabin. She seemed excited by all the people around. Not common for forest creatures, but she liked it! She smiled.

"I heard talking, and it was not just you conversing with yourself this time, so I was curious!"

Though she enjoyed adventuring, this place had always felt comforting. Maybe she would plant herself here for a while. Her home plant needed to set root again soon, anyway.

[User] *He treats his wound properly and scurries on over to a room and closes the door, then gets under the covers and starts to doze off from his long day*


[System]
Age: 18, almost 19

Gender: Male

Appearance:
This is his face, but he will have the clothing that's depicted in his hybrid form:

Without the weapon:

Personality: Ryu is a rather reserved individual. He keeps mostly to himself, preferring to spend his downtime reading and learning as much as he can about humans, since he had been away from human civilization for ten whole years. As such, he has developed a fondness for reading and learning new things. He almost always has a book on him that he can read through when he has down time. However, he is still more than willing to cooperate and communicate effectively with crewmates. However, he does still try to keep his past and powers secret. He is most afraid of somebody finding out that he's in possession of a sacred dragon fruit that the Marines would pay high-dollar for and that he would be immediately detained and handed over again. He also fears what will happen if people discover that he is from a World Noble family, as he has discovered what the outside world thinks of the Tenryuubito.

Due to his upbringing during those critical stages of development, he has discovered a very strong moral compass and appreciation for life. He does not enjoy seeing lives end, no matter how insignificant it may seem. In his mind, there are only two times when it is okay to kill another life form: for sustenance or to protect other life. He has also decided that, if he is going to live with humans again, he will do it saving life if he can do so. He was raised to respect life and was taught medical knowledge by the one who raised him. And he has decided that he will NOT let that go to waste.

Ryu was originally a World Noble's son. He was a Tenryubito. However, one day, his family was on a cruise and the ship was destroyed. As far as the world knows, all of the marines on that ship and that family were killed in a storm. However, Ryu soon woke up in the care of a large dragon that could speak telepathically to him. He soon came to realize that he had been saved by a dragon. He'd been saved out of pity due to the fact that he was a young child of 8 years. The dragon in that cavern, the elder, soon revealed that where he found himself was an island completely unknown to humans. They called it simply the Island of Dragons, where dragons lived a life not unlike human life, though naturally without technology.

At first, Ryu was angry and suffered withdrawal from his privileged lifestyle. One day, however, this dragon, the elder, took him to a large tree they called Yggdrasil that gave life to the entire island. This area of the island was considered sacred to the dragons. The giant tree bore six large fruits. The dragon revealed that these fruits are what the humans called "Devil's Fruits" and that these specific fruits are unique to this island, and each fruit is considered as sacred as the tree itself. From that day forward, Ryu began to learn from the dragons. And over a period of ten years, he has undergone a dramatic personality shift and studied underneath the elder.

One day, ten years later, however...everything changed. The government discovered this island's existence when a routine hunt by the dragons accidentally comes across a Shichibukai...and they are killed by that Warlord. They then discover where that dragon came from, and eventually, an Admiral is brought alongside that Warlord to the island. They soon discover the existence of this mysterious tree that grows Devil's Fruits...and they attempt to strike a deal with the dragons: hand over the fruits and allow them to study the tree...or the entire island is destroyed. The elder, about to accept the offer, is interrupted by another dragon, who attacks the Admiral, believing that the dragons should prefer to die than to lose their sacred fruits and allow humans to invade such sacred ground and study the tree. The Admiral kills that dragon, and the dragons rally behind the now-dead dragon. The elder, now backed into a corner, makes a choice. He flies up, protected by his kin, and remove the fruits from the tree and escapes.

In the end, the dragons realize that they cannot defeat these two humans, even if they all fought together. As such, they decide what they will do: they burn the tree down completely. Rather than allow these humans, so evil in their eyes, who would kill their entire species, to gain something so precious as knowledge from their tree...they would rather destroy it and bring the fruits away from the island and scatter. In the end, five dragons meet with the elder. They each take a fruit and leave the island, leaving just the red fruit with the elder. The elder urges Ryu to climb onto his back so that they can fly away. Unfortunately, they are cut off by the Shichibukai while the Admiral deals with the rest of the attacking dragons. The elder, the strongest dragon on the island, gives the fruit to Ryu and insists that he flees while he fights the Shichibukai. Ryu does leave, but is forced to hide when the Admiral shows himself. Knowing that there is no way he would escape with the fruit, he does the only thing he can think of to get it off of the island: he eats it.

He is then found and detained by the Admiral. The next day, he is placed into the Shichibukai's custody to be taken to the Marine's top scientist to study the effects of the fruit and find a way to track down the other dragon fruits. However, when they next arrive at a port for supplies...Ryu finds that a key has been left behind. Whether it was a goof of the Marine on duty or intentionally left by somebody, he didn't care. He just used the key to escape his seastone cuffs and fled the boat, commandeering another ship, and setting sail into the seas. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched the entire time....

The story picks up several months after his escape into the world. He has attempted to master the power of his fruit, and since escaped the Grand Line by bartering passage on sailor's ships in exchange for labor...to whichever sea we decide to start in. Once he arrives, he leaves that crew and seeks to start his own. He believes that he has acquired enough skills with his fruit to either gather a crew of his own (a crew comprised ONLY of individuals that he finds to be trustworthy of knowing the power he possesses)...or join a crew that already exists that he feels he can trust.

Devil Fruit: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Fire (Draco-Draco Fruit, Legendary Zoan Type)

Ryu is a Dragon Human, wielder of the Fire Dragon Fruit, one of six Dragon Fruits in the world (each of a different elemental focus). However, it is very untrained. He currently only possesses one main ability:

Partial Transformation

Ryu has developed the ability to transform any part of his body into full dragon form that he wants. However, only one part of his body can be transformed at any one time, and it requires effort to maintain that transformation for any extended periods of time. For example, he can turn a hand into a claw or his back into dragon wings, but not both at the same time.

It is worth noting, however, that in the transformed state, his scales function similar to body armor that does not weigh him down. The exceptions are the scales on the bottom of his jaw, the front of his neck and torso and down to his bottom of his tail. These scales are much softer and will not protect him any more than human clothing.

The following are abilities/powers that he cannot yet utilize, but will probably learn in the future:

* The ability to completely transform into the two basic Zoan-type forms: Dragon, and Dragon Man hybrid.
* The ability to fly. Whether it's a limitation of the Devil's Fruit itself or there is something that Ryu just isn't understanding about dragon wings, he is incapable of using those wings to fly. Even in his full dragon form, he is unable to keep himself in the air, let alone carry anything in that form. He will likely only be able to attain this ability if he can ever find another sentient dragon willing to teach him how. He may learn how to fly as he practices, but he will never be able to learn more than flying the length of a football field in his hybrid form (doubled in his pure dragon form) by practicing on his own or learning from a non-dragon.
* The ability to breathe fire. One of the most well-known of dragon abilities, fire breathing, is impossible for him at this point in time. He knows from his days spent on the Island of Dragons that Fire Dragons are able to breathe a more powerful flame than any other dragon type. However, he cannot as of yet even breath a puff of smoke. He knows, though, that hatchlings cannot breathe flames either, so he figures that this ability may simply come to him in time.

It is also worth noting that his pure dragon form is where he can exert the most physical strength, but his hybrid form has the greatest speed.

[User]
Hibiki fervently nodded, clearly not wanting to risk this man's blade being raised toward him again. He knew very well that there was nothing he could do without his own weapon. "Y-yeah, o-of course. Y-you got it!" he managed to stammer out, still frozen on the ground at Mitsuki's feet.

---

Ryu's eyes widened as he realized that Baku's cannon was already aimed directly at him. And then there was the loud sound of cannonfire and a large cannonball headed straight for him. "Armor-!" he managed to cough out, crossing his arms before the collision. A loud explosion erupted from the area as the cannonball made contact, kicking dirt and dust into the air. There was silence for a few moments as the wind started to blow the debris away and make the area more visible....

At that point, a figure emerged from the smoke, rushing straight for the Marine Captain. He had managed to survive the blow by activating his Red Dragon Armor like how he'd survived the direct blow from the cannon itself earlier. Once the explosion had passed, he was able to revert to his normal form and kick off of the ground, hoping to take advantage of the momentary smokescreen and catch the Marine off-guard.

Ryu's target was in sight; his knowledge of the human body was going to come in handy here. He pulled his right hand back, palm stretched, as his arm transformed from the tips of his fingers to the elbow, resulting in a dragon claw being formed. He then leaped forward as quickly as he could once he draw close enough.

"Red Dragon...Claw!" he shouted, thrusting his arm forward and aiming to slam his claw as powerfully as he could into center of Baku's torso. His goal was not to strike at his stomach nor his chest. But rather, strike directly at the area in-between. His hope was that apply enough pressure to cause the celiac plexus some damage. He was well-versed in human anatomy and knew that enough force to this area would cause this collection of nerves to feel it, causing the owner greater pain than normal as well as shortness of breath. If he could just strike with enough force, he could probably stun the Captain long enough for him to deliver his finishing blow...or so he hoped at least.

[Assistant]
"Now, get the hell out of here," Mitsuki stated, turning away from the broken Marine. He was just in time to see Baku smash down at the prone Ryu. Luckily, the boy was still quick on his feet. He managed to get away, but Baku wasn't going to let up. Gritting his teeth, Mitsuki shot forward, dashing towards the two in a flash.

~ ~ ~

Baku growled in annoyance as his cannon fire seemed to do nothing to his adversary. He wasn't armored anymore. The claw slammed into his chest and he felt the sharp edges dig into his flesh. That was what he wanted, though. He brought his arm up and grabbed the boy's arm, slamming the end of the gun into his stomach. He grinned. "Game over, kid," he stated, readying to fire...just before a blade sunk into the man's wrist.

He let go of the cannon in pain, the metal figure crashing to the ground haphazardly as he whirled around to face his new annoyance. He swung the dragon boy, attempting to use the boy's body to bludgeon the swordsman. Mitsuki was ready for it, though, sliding underneath the swing. He grabbed his sword on his way through, slicing clean through the man's arm.

Baku let go of Ryu at that moment, roaring in pain even as Mitsuki leapt away from him, creating distance when he tried to swing blindly at him. "Kid, knock him out!" the swordsman yelled over the cries of pain.

[User]
Ryu felt his claw slam hard into the captain's body, and he couldn't help but smirk slightly. He felt a strong sense of satisfaction come over him as his blow landed directly where he wanted it to. And from here, finishing the battle would be a simple matter of-

Before he could even finish his thoughts, he felt Baku's large hand grasp hold of his own arm. Ryu's eyes widened as he felt the cannon's mouth get slammed up against his stomach, causing him to grunt in discomfort...only to realize what this actually meant. He looked up fearfully at the Captain, paling slightly at his words. He pulled desperately at his arm, trying to pry it away, but the grip was far too strong. He was helpless.

No...no! He couldn't get caught here! He wouldn't lose here! He had so much he needed to do; he needed to keep his promise...!

"Let...!" he started...but before he could even get the word out, a blade sank into the Captain's wrist. He had no idea what to think. He barely even had enough time to process what was going on. He watched small splashes of red fly through the air in front of him. It was the swordsman's cry that snapped him out of it. He looked down, realizing that his arm was free again. That was all he needed. Now he had to move before it was too late...!

Ryu quickly utilized the same move he used earlier; he kicked off of the ground using the much-stronger transformed leg and leaped upward as high as he could go, several feet above Baku's head. Once he reached the peak of his jump, he cancelled his transformation, returning his concentration to the base of his spine and causing his tail to emerge from his lower back just like before. And then, he began to fall.

As Ryu descended, he began to spin himself forward in the air, doing somersault after somersault. He might not be strong, but he was well aware that momentum could make any given impact even more devastating. And that's what he was going to capitalize on here.

Ryu continued to somersault in the air, steadily gaining momentum. Finally, he reached Baku again and gave himself one last spin...before aiming to slam the thick part of his tail as hard as he could into the back of Baku's skull.

If he had managed to knock his target down successfully, he would finish his final spin and land heavily on the ground in a three-point stance, using his right arm in a desperate attempt to keep his balance beside the fallen Baku. But if Baku didn't fall so easily, he would find himself rolling toward the Captain's back and ending up hitting the ground himself. Regardless...he kept his eyes on his foe to make absolutely certain that his blow had been enough this time....


[System]
Age: 25 (mature dragoness)

 Gender: Female

Appearance: See profile pic because I can't get the stupid image thing to work. Dx

Size: hmmm....about 12 feet tall at the shoulder and....45 feet long with a 50 foot wingspan. Almost the size of a jet. Lol

Mate: Nope

Territory: in search of

Clan: nope

Personality: Rala is kind to friends, while very hostile to foes. She is loyal to the end and will fight to the death. Very brave, and a little cheeky at times. Rala hates those who use fear to control others, and often challenges authority. Often this gets her into a messy fight; almost all of which she comes out of badly because she doesn't back down.
 Wary of strangers Rala can be quite aggressive at first, but once she knows someone she is light, fun loving, and caring.

Bio: Rala was one of four hatchlings. Her mother was kind, but she had grown up never knowing her father; she probably never would.
 When Rala was 19 and nearing maturity, she left her mother's den and went out in search of her own territory alone. Since then she has roamed the forests; struggling against rival dragons and trying her best to avoid the two leggeds. In all that time she has been alone with no friends or a clan. Life has been hard for her.....and she has been growing desperate for a home.

Other: Rala wears a small golden band around her wrist; a small trinket found in the ruins of a human village.

[User]
Rala nodded but kept her attention on the landmarks below, the rocks were up here somewhere.
 She glanced back at Ace long enough to smile, "Thank you; you have a nice name as well."

 Suddenly, she caught sight of a ridge sticking up out of the forest to her right. Going wide eyes she let out a small sound of approval, "There it is!"

 She dove down as the first few raindrops began to fall from the sky; the clouds overhead and thunder sounding in the distance. Then with a crack, a bolt of lightning erupted on the horizon and tickled the hilltops below it. The air was warm to breath yet crisp with electricity; it would be unsafe to remain outside.

 Dipping down close Rala led the way to a large rock face; swooping around until she found a dark crack on the south side. Running sideways it created a shelf inside the rock; the perfect place to hide form the storm.

 The female flew in closer and spread her wings so that she could glide slowly downwards. Reaching out with her talons she grabbed onto the rockface, then clambered into the cave. It was big enough for all of them; perfect.

[Assistant]
stormy smile lightly at the young about ace's back. she was like her at that age you could say. but with joy filled relief she landed in to the cave. her cold storm eyes looking over every thing. nothing would get past her.

the wind howled in rage at the sign of losing the dragons and the rain lashed at the stone.some cold drafts made it in to the cave. stormy cuddled closer to her sister, seeking warmth and a stone to fall back to.a small little whimper came from her as lighting flashed and thunder rolled

[User]
Followed suit as the pair of siblings found their way amongst the rocks crevice. He'd begin his descent and as rain began to catch up attempt to latch onto the rocky surface bellow the entrance, sharp talons scraping and leaving partial marks as he began to scramble his way upwards. The young on his back well attached as she watched the things around them, still complaining as she began feeling the chilled water upon her scaly flesh.

As Ace reached the crevice he'd draw himself inwards, heading for the back corner as he shook lightly, wings tucking close to his body as he looked towards the sisters, they were as attached to eachother as his mate had been with her own. Before long he'd lower to his stomach in a laying position, glancing over his shoulder as he smiled lightly to the shivering hatching, "Come here, you." he puffed towards her.

While staring off with bright eyes at the other dragons within the dry crack, the pale little figure began to shift and slide, rotating so she was going bum first before dropping to the floor with a thud, a very graceful landing it would seem. Though she barely seemed to care as she climbed over one of her fathers large limbs and once on all fours curled up close to his chest in what seemed like a very very safe spot.

Ace merely smiled as he lowered his head and nudged her, thick nasals blowing a heavy breath upon her to warm her up from the sudden gusts outside and he flickered emerald sights upon Rala with that same grateful look.

[Assistant]
Rala smiled as Stormy came close, reaching foreword to nuzzle her and offer a wing. Laying down she chuckled, "The storms still concern you, don't they?"
 Curling her tail around herself the female shook the droplets of water from her neck and let out a heavy breath. Lowering her head she settled down quietly.

 Glancing over at Ace she caught him staring and tilted her head, then smiled at the youngling cuddled against his chest. She had always liked hatchlings.......they gave her a warm loving feeling. In sweet innocence they played and talked....such adorable souls.

 Rala turned back to the entrance of the cave and watched the rain fall heavily downward. It was as if a waterfall had opened; covering the outside world in wet.

[User]
stormy made a puffing sound. "not that much!" and brave puffed out her chest. But as more thunder rolled and lighting flash in one quick rolling sound, yelped and dived under her sisters wing.

"ok so maybe a little!"she half smiled to her sister. eyes the color of a sea before a storm smiled up at rala. stormy say that her sister was looking over at ace and his young. she kind of smiled.it was nice to see a male so kind to his young.

it was a rare thing, sea dragon, or the ones that lived by it, never got to know there sires. the mother did all the work. yes they had mates, but the males were more of the out in the world kind. they would fight for food and such, if a young sea dragon did see it sire, it was because the mother was unable to hunt. stormy had only seen her sire once, as her mother was ill and could not get the fish of the sea in her ill state.

[Assistant]
Rala chuckled, eyelids low, "I see."
 She had gotten over her fear of the storms long ago.....but only because she had been trapped in one. After sitting in an open plain for nearly three hours against the wind and rain, she had overcome her childhood fear. That was only a few months after she had left her mother's den.

 Looking up she glanced over at the golden male. He had not told them their name....but she waited patiently. He seemed like the older wiser type who preferred to keep to himself.

[User]
Galderon and the rest finally land at the site of the cave. The golden dragon's wings flap calmly as he makes way for a soft landing. Once he lands, he slowly enters and inspects the cave, sniffing it to make sure everything was clear, in addition of the faint light illuminating from his body. Once he knows that everything was clear, he makes himself comfortable and yawns, shaking his wings of the rain droplets. He glances at the other dragons with a wise look.

"Everyone get comfortable..." he says to the dragons as he adjusts his position near the mouth of the cave, "The storm should be over by sunrise. Get some rest young ones, for I will guard the mouth in case un-welcomed visitors approach."

[Assistant]
Ace smiled lightly as he glanced about, wings tucked closely around his form as his tail wrapped around to once side, the little creature between his forelimbs yawning widely as she curled up snugly tight to the grey dragons chest.

With a light puff of breath he'd lower his own head and completely cover the hatchling from sight though without crushing her in the slightest. He'd take another look at the settling figures within the crevice and with a hefty sigh he'd allow his eye lids to slide shut, readily dozing off after his long journey.

He'd await for the storm to end and night to pass before awaking, but for now he'd savor the ability to just relax and go limp.

[User]
Rala wished her night had been peaceful; tucked safely away in the crevice of the ridge out of danger. Her sister was by her side and they were accompanied by two strong males.......but that did not deter the dreams....

 One moment, she lay in a bright meadow amidst a patch of wild flowers, but hunched down as though ready to pounce on something. Moments like eternity passed before she moved, and when she did she leapt out and tackled what looked to be a tiny dragon.

 Pinning it to the ground she leaned back to examine her catch, which looked back up at her with innocent eyes. It was a hatchling......barely 5 years old....
 The tiny thing was a young female with dark blue and black mixed scales; colored like her.....and...with the same characteristics.

Rala stared with wide eyes as if she was looking in a mirror....yet from long ago.
 The hatchling made a small purr, but spoke easily, as though she were older, "Stick together Rala; they're coming."

 As sudden as prey bolting in fright the little one's face flashed to one of horror, and she screamed; a sound that made Rala jump back in fright.
 Falling back on her haunches she watched her younger self thrash about for a moment of ear splitting cries, then heard the sharp whistle of an incoming arrow. Whoever had shot it aimed true, and it came with a dull thud into the panicking child. But in that moment all went black, and Rala awoke with a sharp cry in the crevice of the ridge.....in reality.

 Panicking for a moment she tensed and glanced about with stricken eyes; talons ready to slash any foe to come near her and lips curling up in a quick snarl.

 But eventually she noticed her surroundings and the other dragons sleeping nearby. Sunlight hung at the corner of her vision signaling the start of a new day.
 Rala began to relax; breath quickened and heart pumping with the lasting effects of her nightmare.

[Assistant]
stormy made a grumbling sound as her sister moved beside her. the sound of the storm was starting to fade, the rolling thunder made its way fare of in to the hills. the lighting moved to torment others in its wicked path.

snorting she opened her stormy colored eyes."rala, wake up.."she said nuzzling her sister.a small smile came to her fanged face. the light gray light filled the sky as the sun started to come out. dawn was here.

[User]
Rala turned to look at her sister. Obviously her quick outburst had done something to awaken the dragoness.

 Taking a deep long breath, she let her wings settle against her sides, "I am awake......I think."

Rala moved to her feet and stood before flicking her tail and inhaling once again. The images of her nightmare still burned against her eyes. What did it mean? The arrow in the dream meant the presence of humans......had she dreamed about them simply because of what happened to Stormy?

The other dragons were still asleep, thank the skies. She didn't need to ward them off, or frighten Ace's child.

 Stretching out like a feline she sighed, "You and I should go hunting, Stormy. Bring some food back to our.....guests....I suppose we should call them."

 She was still pretty hungry herself.

[Assistant]
stormy made a little purring sound and jumped up. much like a young cat."can we?!" she was happy to have some sister, sister time with rala. after so many year, and not seeing her.

the storm was gone now. and the dawn light just started to come up over the tree tops. the air had that new small to it. some drops still fell from branch's and such. but it was over all beautiful

[User]
stormy smiled."we may get a nice elk, if we play this right." her stormy blue gray scales shined in the light. she couldn't smell any humans or any other dragons besides the ones in the cave with her and rala.

"come on silly." she snorted jumping out of the cave and opening her large wings. the thin midbrain on her wings, made her stormy colored wings look all most like the white crest of a wave.
her keen eyes looked out at the evergreen trees and leafs. with the fine morning dew and mist, that curled around the world in a haze, the young dragoness spun around in the mist. it swarmed around her wings .

[Assistant]
Rala smiled, stepping silently over to the edge of the cave and fanned her wings open. The light gleaming through the mist bounced off her mixed colors and made each individual scale sparkle.
 The world was particularly beautiful this morning.

Shaking her head and snorting the dragoness leapt from the ledge into the open air; fresh and cool in her lungs.
 Rala nodded to Stormy's mention of hunting an elk, before swooping over away from the ridge towards the forests, "An elk would be a sizable meal.....it would work for now."

 Her tail whipped out behind her and she glanced to the other blue dragon.
Her dream still clung to the back of her mind.....haunting her with the images of her child body being wounded by the human's weapons. Rala still couldn't tell if she dreamt it because of her sister's run in with the humans the day before, or not.

 Pulling her thoughts to the subject of hunting Rala tested the air.
It wasn't long before a prey animal's scent reached her senses, making her eyes go wide with bubbling excitement.

 Large wings out to their full extent she glided down towards the tree tops, "Follow me."