[System]
Vena said to post my CS in this tab. Yay!
Age: 8 years
Gender: female
Race: half-Ydran

Appearance: Amuné looks like a normal Muran child at first glance. It is only at closer examination that hints of her Ydran parentage. She is on the smaller side, lacking the slight chubbiness of most younglings. Her features have a sharp cast, though her ears are not so pointed that she cannot pass for Muran. Her coloring is washed out, with pale mousy hair cut a little past her jawline and light grey eyes. At the moment, her clothes are ragged and stained, her hair untidy and her face splotched with grime. She travels in the company of Wyth, a large moorcat. a younger version of Amuné

Element Affinity: Luminous (Seer)
Gear: Amuné has next to nothing in the way of possessions.

Brief History: Amuné's parents met by chance as teenagers when Baldur's tribe passed near Amira's village. Amira, who was studying to be a midwife and herbalist under the elderly village healer, came across him and a few others while out gathering plants. She had seen Ydra only rarely, as they didn't often come to her town, and she was fascinated by them and their animals. Baldur found her bold curiosity cute, and he enjoyed the energetic company of someone that wasn't from his people. They quickly became friends, and over the following few years, Baldur would make excuses to go off on his own to see her whenever his travels brought him within a day's travel. Eventually romance blossomed, and a tumble in the woods lead to a child. Baldur had moved on by the time Amira found out she was pregnant, but when he received word following Amuné's birth, he went to join her in the town. He was met with some suspicion by the villagers, as they had limited contact with Ydrans. This never completely went away, but his bright personality smoothed things over for the most part.

The pair were both Magi. Amira had minor skill with healing, and Baldur was a talented Air Magus. He also had a knack for woodwork and other small crafts, and his toys and kites became popular with the village children. Amuné was not formally acknowledged as his, as Amira realized this would make life easier for the child, and the girl had enough difficulty already. Even as a baby, the girl was a bit odd. She would react oddly to what appeared to be nothing at all, and at times her mood would change for no apparent reason. On occasion she was even afflicted with fits where she would not respond to those around her, instead focusing on something only she perceived and saying things that made no sense. Eventually it became evident that, among other things, she seemed to know the outcome of calls for her mother's services as a midwife before Amira returned home. Baldur realized his daughter had an unusual gift indeed: Sight. He'd heard of the occasional Seer but never met one. By this time technology was taking hold, and there was talk of the decline of magic, and the start of tension between Magi and non-Magi. As the victim of low level xenophobia himself, Baldur realized that her power could easily be viewed with suspicion, and imparted to Amuné the importance of keeping it to herself. She took his advice to heart, but cannot always control her visions, nor what she says during them, and there were at least a small number of villagers that figured out she had magic of some sort.

Life was good for the most part, but when the Church of the Nine Saints turned to technology and tensions erupted, as both a Magus and an outsider Baldur fell under increasing scrutiny. The townsfolk didn't mind Amira, for though she was a Magus she was one of their own, and a healer besides, but became more hostile towards Baldur, accusing him of stealing power from their Demacite crystals to use, even though he had all but stopped using his magic. The pair discussed leaving town, but Amira had spent all her life there, and while she was curious about outsiders the thought of leaving everyone she knew terrified her, and she couldn't bring herself to agree. The ill temper and seething discontent encouraged by the Church erupted one evening, and a mob came to kick Baldur out of their village. Amuné was outside playing, and she retreated to her father's side as the villagers confronted him. Baldur ordered Wyth to sit, so the cat wouldn't seem to be aggressive, and tried to talk them down and reassure them that he was not trying to cause harm to anyone. They didn't listen, and when a man who shoved Baldur brushed against Amuné as well, it triggered a vision for her. She said only "the village will be in flames", but that was enough for the riled-up townsfolk. They tried to grab both her and her father, over Amira's protests. With his daughter in danger, the generally gentle Baldur tried to fight off those going after her, using fists and his magic. He was not a strong man, and hadn't needed to defend himself in years -- not since he'd come to live in the village. Wyth made a better accounting of himself, but there were too many for a single cat, however fierce, to fight off. Baldur's aim was to take Amuné and Amira, if the woman would come, and flee, but he was unable to break away from the attackers. Following a solid stab to his hip and one to his shoulder, he told Wyth to take Amuné and run. The last she saw of her parents was her mother trying desperately to reach her fallen father as the mob turned on the woman as well.

Additional info: Frightened by the events immediately preceding her leaving her home, Amuné is more withdrawn than she was growing up.

Name: Wyth
Age: 10 years
Gender: male
Race: moorcat

Appearance: Wyth has an appearance typical to moorcats. He is a large feline, standing nearly two and a half feet at the shoulder, with a thick, slightly shaggy coat of mottled gray and brown, with a lighter gray and cream underbelly. His paws are proportionally larger, to help distribute his weight on the often sodden and muddy ground of the moors and marshland. His eyes are pale green, on the yellower side of the hue.

Brief History: Wyth was the kit of another moorcat owned by a member of Baldur's community. He imprinted on Baldur as a kitten, and has accompanied the man ever since. When Baldur fell for Amira and eventually went to live in her village, Wyth joined them. The moorcat is very fond of their daughter, Amuné, and treats her like he might a kitten.

Additional info: Originally the companion of Amuné's father, he now stays with her and guards her.

[User]
Geoffrey raised his hands in defense, "O'course! Meant no 'arm jus' figured since ya mentioned clothin' ya'd wanna see her. I'm okay wit' not goin'... She's ... not polite to outsiders, if ya catch my drift..." Grinning when he heard Zander thunk his head on the counter and mutter something impolite he grinned more. This was going to be a glorious morning in his opinion and he LOATHED mornings. Clearing his throat and listening to nodded to Nymira's words and where the lady wished to go.

"The Blacksmith is about halfway from the town square, can't miss the billows, nor the minecart 'e uses for advertising," Geoffrey felt like he was chewing rocks as he talked without his normal slang. "Herbalist is the other way. Lives near the gate to the town we came through. Don't really know alot about 'em. If ya want, I can lead ya to da Smithie, get Mr. High and Mighty," he cast his thumb over his shoulder at Zander. "To head for the 'erbs. Unless ya want to get'em yerself. Anyroad, I'll lead da way. Me aunt's Inn I needs to stop in though, gotsa say 'ello else she'll skin me alive."

"I'm perfectly able to get herbs," Zander said rising as he smirked at Ethan's obvious hangover. "Mayhap grab a few things for my own need. I can't obviously be in top shape to always be there when needed. I see nothing against the obtaining of herbs." He was repeating himself in his annoyance with Geo, but otherwise kept his mouth shut. Following Ethan out the doorway, he tilted his head and watched Cecil drop down to them.

"Good morning, Cecil," Zander said politely... or as politely as he could be. He was slightly shocked the boy could still stand from that kind of drop. "I doubt it, Nymira wants for items to make the travel easier, and Ethan needs a new blade." He went silent after that, waiting for the others to head out. Geoffrey was in the doorway, still grinning. Flute tucked in at his waist, a grin on his face and beckoning to the two ladies of the group.

This, is going to be interesting... Zander thought darkly. He looked up into the clear sky, and let out a disgruntled sigh. Please let no one come to me for healing today...

[Assistant]
"We can go to the smith ourselves I suppose, it would make sense if we're buying the tools," Nymira said, picking up one of the utensils from the table and running her finger along the length of it, "I won't work with sub-par ores or materials, I expect to have the best we can buy here. Of course their best might still be rubbish. And letting Zander handle the herbs makes sense, he likely knows what herbs are used for certain tasks better than any of us." She knew you could chew and use the pulp of a Musen leaf to help stop bleeding, and you could use the sap from a Ulea tree in a mix with some water and honey to help bring down a fever, those were two very basic remedies her clan used. Aside from those two her herbology was very limited, almost nonexistent. That buffoon Ethan probably knew more than she did.

Ethan had correctly assumed that Cecil was up on the roof still, as he had been since late last night. He'd expected his friend to not have gone anywhere and was glad to find his expectations had been met; jumping off the roof without a care, now that wasn't expected. Covering his ears in anticipation for the thunderous crash that never came he glanced up when Cecil landed with barely more than a dull thud, blinking in surprise before sighing in relief.

"Morning Cecil! And what Zander said, plus we'll be getting some herbs or medicines," Ethan added in, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb, "That's his job, we're heading to the blacksmith. And I think Geoffrey's aunt's house?" Or inn, or something like that. Boy was it hard to think straight with his head throbbing. Maybe while getting the herbs one of them could be something to deal with this stinking hangover. Rubbing the side of his head as though to alleviate some pain Ethan glanced back to the door, watching the others finally file out as well. Smiling at Amuné he waved before gesturing her over, crouching down to get eye level when she approached. "You going to come to the blacksmith with us? Or would you rather go see the herbalist?" He should probably do the latter come to think of it, and Nymira was quick enough to voice that thought.

"We're only getting materials and tools, I can go to the blacksmith with Cecil and Geoffrey," the Dimuran said as she glanced to the former, "If you don't mind, I'll need help carrying the materials back, it's bound to be heavy." Depending on the purity of the ore that was, it could be refined enough to be of use or she may have to chip away at it herself. "You should focus on getting better as soon as you can Ethan, otherwise we're stuck waiting on you. Go with Zander to the herbalist and get treated, the sooner you're well the sooner we can move again."

Ethan had wanted to tag along to the blacksmith, see his weapons be made by Nymira in person. He supposed she had a point on his hangover though and the best thing would be for him to get better. Not wanting to hold the others back he nodded once to the Dimuran, smiling as he looked to Amuné once more. "Well I think change of plans, I'll be getting medicine. Want to come with me? I know you're good with medicine, maybe you'll be able to help me?" Not that he doubted Zander's expertise in this regard as he was a healer, but it couldn't hurt to have a second opinion right? Ethan was convinced either way Amuné would likely come with him regardless so even asking was probably a moot point.

"And Cecil, if you're needing any repairs I may be able to help you as well," Nymira added in a low tone, giving the Machina a once over just to look, "It may be a bit crude compared to what Norman could do, but if you're metal then I can work with it. Up to you, we may find someone like him before long if you want any work done." There was a limit to what she could perform with her magic in this regard anyway, if too much was asked of her then they would find themselves sorely disappointed. Usually she was good for about half a dozen smaller items a day so something like a sword was already a big undertaking, any work Cecil needed done would be pushing it. But as she'd argued with Ethan's case having anyone at less than ideal would slow their stride, and the last thing she wanted was to be bogged down.

[User]
"Ethan drank too much," the girl told Cecil, sounding more than a little like a tattletale. "So he feels bad. We let him sleep in. Looks like he needed it." She turned to face the Muran when he crouched in front of her. She was torn. The blacksmith was interesting, yes, and Ethan would be there, but she couldn't use what she knew of herbcraft if she didn't have supplies, and some of them had to be kept fresh. It was the only thing she had any skill with at all, and Amuné wanted very much to be useful. A few images flicked through her thoughts, bits of memory from the fights they'd been in and fears of what might happen.

Nymira jumped in, saying that Ethan should go with Zander, and that solved the debate. But it did leave one sticky issue. She didn't want to be spending time with Zander...but at least Ethan would be there. "Of course I'm going with you to the herbalist," she told Ethan, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. "They might have something that'd help you. Mommy made hangover remedies, but I don't know the recipe. And they always smelled awful." She wrinkled her nose. "But you smelled some last night already so it can't be any worse than what you already drank," she added, her expression turning into a smile.


[System]
Age: 14

Appearance:

Power:"In fearful day, in raging night,
With strong hearts full, our souls ignite,
When all seems lost in the War of Light,
Look to the stars-- For hope burns bright!"

Hope Materialization - Mikhail can sense and transform Hope, either his hope or that of others', into energy, which in turn can be made into constructs, force-fields, anti-gravity, and heal people. Basically, a Blue Lantern Ring* without the need for a Green Lantern one.

However, this power has a big drawback. Mikhail's powers are dependent on how much hope is in the area, and his own ability to be hopeful is failing. That means that he has to depend on other people to have hope, which does not always work. Thus, psychological warfare, as well as taking out any companions or bodyguards he has, is an effective tactic against him.

*greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Lante..

Personality: Mikhail tries to be hopeful, he really does. But getting kindapped, deliberately traumatized until he had powers, then being sold to various private interests as a living weapon, and after that, escaping, sometimes it wears down on a person, and sometimes, it's just too much. And there is the fact that he is literally a freak, someone thrown out of the continuum that is Humanity. At the same time, the kid still has an iron-clad conviction that peace is still possible, that the bonds of sapience, aka the fact that both Human and Powered can feel love, hope, trust, and plan for the future, can still overcome even the glaring differences that now exist. Yes, it's insane, yes, it goes against cold logic. But he will still believe it, because he will not forsake a thinking being, regardless of whether they have powers or not.

"My beliefs are the last reminder I have of my parents. Everything else from them but memory has been taken away from me."

Bio: Mikhail was the son of second-generation Russian Immigrants, fans of JRR Tolkien, whose own parents had fled to America to evade debts from the Russian Mafiya (yes, that's the spelling). Thus, Mikhail was raised by both his parents and members of the local Tolkien Society, and had a childhood immersed in works of High Fantasy, as well as normal schooling, which he excelled in.

Then, one day, the Mafiya's enforcers found the little home the family were staying in, and killed Mikhail's family; just because they were a generation removed from the original debtors didn't mean that they were shielded from the wrath of Organized Crime, and Mikhail himself was taken as 'collateral' for the remaining debt, and sold to DemeterBioTech, a Corporation that was secretly experimenting on people to induce powers in them.

Knowing that trauma can induce powers, the Corporation in their secret laboratories slowly began torturing Mikhail, upping the ante every half-day. Mikhail felt miserable, hurt, but at the same time, hopeful that he would be rescued, that some hero or heroine would come to save him. And, just when the torturers were about to cap the torment by subjecting him to the 'ultimate defilement'...a group of police officers burst in and 'arrested' the torturers. This caused Mikhail to manifest his ability: Hope Materilization.

He was glad! He was safe! Wait, why were the 'police' drawing a cattle prod on him -

When he woke up, he was still in the laboratories, but in a more secure facility, one with reinforced concrete walls and kevlar padding, and he had a shock-explosive collar on his neck. And he knew this, that he hadn't actually escaped. After he was given time to weep, he was forcibly brought out, along with several other children who had manifested powers through trauma, and told that they were now property of DemeterBioTech, living weapons to be trained, bought, and sold to the highest bidder. And that was what happened, with the handlers using every psychological trick they had to keep the kids cowed and under control as they were trained to be, and used as, assassins.

Mikhail spent one year in that life, and he hated it. Not merely that, but he was only able to access his powers in the presence of other people who had hope, as he had none himself in that time. He can barely function, he can barely do anything, and he wanted to die so badly. But he didn't, because just before he decided to do that, the uprising started.

It turned out, several of the kids had managed to hack the shock collars, or just destroy them, then rebel against their captors. Mikhail, feeling hope for the first time since his rescue, joined the rebels, managing to carve a hole through the holding area they were in, and escape to the streets.

Many of them would be hunted down, or starve, or die in other ways, but Mikhail and a few of the remaining kids would find refuge in the estate of one Augusta E. Feather, a rich old woman who had the power of manipulating probability. In said estate, Mikhail and his companions would recover, and the boy would find hope again...especially as DemeterBioTech would find itself shut down by the Government.

Now, Mikhail, as the adopted son of Augusta Feather, would look at the recent news...and know that his days of fear would be returning again.

Only this time...he was ready.

Equipment: Backpack containing Pepper Spray, Food, Water, a copy of Lord of the Rings, an iPod with hopeful music, binoculars, and a swiss army knife.

[User]
Flashback

As one of Mikhail's other contingency plans, a call would appear at Vivenne's computer, encoded in a cipher that she would find it easy, but not too easy, to decode. This call would ask the hacker to meet a certain person at a top floor of an organic cafe in Seattle, for a job. She would be provided with an advance of 8 Million Dollars up front, with a promise of more to follow...

As Vivienne finishes her microwaved popcorn breakfast, she hears a familiar ping from her computer detailing a message. She quickly observes the call only to find an encrypted message. She begins to crack it, having a relatively harder time with it than normal. "Bastard seems to know what they are doing this time. Should be interesting," she says to herself as she hits the last key and decodes it. She reads it thouroughly, taking a big interest in the fee she would be promised. It sounded almost too good, but she couldn't pass up the money. "Seattle," she said to herself again, "Haven't been there in ages." She sends off a simple agreement message along with a familiar anime panda picture that is her "catchphrase" as it were. Afterwards she begins packing for the trip to Seattle.

Present Day

After arriving at the cafe, she would find the top floor empty, except for one wooden table with two chairs, one which was sat on by a fit, athletic-looking man with brown facial hair, who, if not for the ill-fitting T-shirt and jeans he wore, would have looked like a sailor. A CIA Agent chosen by Augusta E. Feather and her probability powers, but Vi wouldn't know that. Either way, the man would say:

"Hello. You must be Vivenne Devon. Nice to meet you." He then got up, and pulled out the second chair. "Anyway, I hope you don't mind, but I ordered organic espresso for the both of us, so that we can talk immidiately."

Vivienne entered the cafe, unsure of how to present herself so she went with a modest black dress and boots along with her special glasses. She noticed the man was alone in the top floor, but she didn't mind the view. If this was anything other than a business transaction, she might have been more interested in pursuing him further.

Keeping a cold face on she sits down in the offered chair, "Espesso is fine, thank you. I would like to know how exactly you have heard of me though. It's not like I go around advertising myself, so I'll imagine you were referred. Not that it matters much when money is on the line." She takes a sip of her espresso and hides the fact it tastes like sewer water.

"We've been...interested in your movements ever since Houston," the man spoke, "that was a fine job, there. Either way, we know that you're not only a Hacker, but a Powered Hacker, one with complete forgetfulness of her early years."

"Oh, don't be surprised; even in this age of powers and sophisticated technology, there is much use for normal human eyes and ears," the man's smile was genial. "Let me tell you a secret."

"A long time ago, there was a great organization, one that supported the greatest of governments. However, said government and said organization allowed the industries and conglomerates and cartels too much power, and now it is living on borrowed time. Now we wish to turn things back, and we are willing to pay any price to do so." He turned towards Vivenne.

"You want leads to find your mysterious past? You have them. You want a billion dollars? You have them. You want Seattle? It's signed over to you; that's how desperate we are."

The fact she was unaware she was being watched terrified and thrilled her. The Houston job was one of her prouder moments, but she didn't expect this, let alone ask for it. Regardless, she was excited, until the man mentioned her powers.

She was about to unleash digital hell on the man until he explained himself and told his story. It wasn't unlike anything she heard before. Corporations that grew too big for their britches and had to be brought down to planet Earth with relative speed and precision.

"Wow, you sure know a lot about me. I'm going to have to up my security, it seems." she sipped her espresso again, forgetting the fact it tasted horrible. "Exactly what is it you want me to do? I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth when offered things like the city of Seattle, but I have to ask. I am willing to get my hands dirty, if necessary, but even I have moral standards."

"Oh, don't worry," said the man, "we no longer kill babies...much. If we do so, the Corporations will just outdo us, then make sure we get all the blame. No, what we want is something that we are sure you would enjoy."

"We want you...to start a war between the Alkaev Corporation and the Free World Group."

"That is a tall request. So, of course, it will come with a tall fee." She leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "I expect that 8 Million you promised at the start. Once the job is done, I request 12 Million. I also want to know about the program you and your bosses used to track me so I can better work around it in the future. Can't have that going around you know, a lady needs to take care of herself."

She tapped her fingers against her arm a bit, and continued, "One last thing I require. I would like to make use of such technology to explore my...unknown past. I want the resources to be able to investigate. Even if it's for a short time, a simple lead is all I would need. Surely that is something within your power."

"First up," the CIA Man said, "agreed on all counts. However, we didn't use a program, we used a special bacterium that gave off a trace amount of radiation - nothing harmful, but enough to act as a natural tracker for anyone in possession of the appropriate device. As for exploring your unknown past, we also have a special stem-cell treatment that can repair any damage to your brain, hopefully restoring your memories."

"Fair enough, then I'll amend. That bacterium you used, I'd like to know more about it. As for the treatment, I would need 100% assurance it would work. I don't just let anyone operate on me, I'm not that sleazy. I would also like to protect myself should anyone - not you of course - wish to do harm to me via this route by rewiring my brain and making me a brainwashed drone. You understand, of course."

"All right, then," spoke the CIA Man, "you'll recieve the relevant details about the bacterium after you've signed a contract. The treatment, meanwhile, is 100% guranteed to begin the restoration of your memories, helping provide you with valuable leads. As for self-protection..." the CIA Man handed over a USB.

"Here, this contains a tape of our conversation. Load it to your computer and program it to be released if you don't answer a password and safety question that can only be answered if you're not brainwashed."

She studied the man's face and, after he made his spiel, nodded. "Fair enough." she takes the USB drive and places it in her handbag. "I believe we have a deal then. I would need to look over the contract, of course, but if everything is as it stands, we should get along swimmingly. After all, since I've been tracked, you know how dangerous I am."

[Assistant]
Breaker glanced at the other two to make sure they all hearing exactly the same thing. His first instinct was to question the boss, but the look on his boss's face said loud and clear that he was serious. Breaker spoke anyways.

"Hang on, so we three where brought here in order to find a birthday present for the CEO? With all due respect sir, I think I can speak for all of us here that we don't even know what she looks like. What makes you think we are suited for doing something like this? Am I expected to infiltrate her house to dig up information about what she likes?"

Breaker leaned forward as he spoke, his annoyance clear in his tone. This felt like some strange prank. Surely there has to be some explanation for this nonsense.

[User]
Mikhail rubbed the back of his head, before saying:

"Heh heh...yeah, I forgot there was a reception desk," he chuckled just as his bodyguards facepalmed. "Okay, then, can I see Mr. Ganze? And I have to apologize for various words I said, then." So much for being able to outsmart Alto.

Yeah, he should have noticed that most people in GanzeCorp were happy and content, providing little hope that he can use.

CIA Operations Room, Seattle

The CIA Officer from before facepalmed as well, as did Augusta E. Feather.

Back in Seattle

If Mikhail's request got accepted, he and his bodyguards would, again, expect to be escorted to where Alto was, where Mikhail can make his pitch. After saying his piece about how he was ready to offe new ideas for Alto, he would then continue with:

"Basically, the idea I have is this: A machine that taps into the 'emotional energy' of the world, which I think has been given physical form by the Meteor. I'm thinking a...ring that allows someone with the power of Emotion Materialization, aka me or someone else, to tap into the world's store of a certain emotion."

"To be upfront, I want a ring that allows me to tap into the hope of the world."


[System]
Alias: Rainer or Killer Orca

Age: 17

Race: Half human half killer whale fishamn

Position: Shipwright/Swordsman

Bounty: 500,000

Appearance:

Rainers fishman traits are his black leather like skin on his arms, legs, and back as well as his retracted dorsal fin on his back. Also when he's completely submerged in water his gills open up, his dorsal fin extends and white spots appear around his eyes that shows he's an Orca fishman.

Personality:
* Ever since he was a child Rainer has always been someone who went with the flow. If he was hungry he'd eat. If he was tired he'd sleep. And if someone dragged him into a situation he'd roll along with it.
* Rainer's biggest weakness is his simple mindedness. He's bad at creating complex plans and strategies. He acts a lot more with his heart then with his head and to him an issue is either black or white, so when he gets into grey situations he has trouble knowing what to do. This often frustrates him and makes him have a harder time thinking straight.
* Rainer is extremely shy about his fishman heritage and tries to hide it the best he can, to the point where he once disobeyed a direct order from his former captain in order to hide it, and getting punished as a result.
* Rainer loves the ocean to the point were he see's it as a sort of god and worships it. Rainer actually pities people who have eaten devil fruits, because in his eyes they have lost the greatest gift in this world, being able to enjoy swimming in the ocean.
* Likes: The Ocean and Seafood. Dislikes: Chains and being stuck on land.

Background:
* Rainer was born the child of both a female human and male fishman, however his father disappeared before his birth and his mother dying during childbirth. Living on the port town of Goton, was shunned by everyone in town because of his strange appearance, looking almost exactly like a human but with fish qualities. That coupled with his fishman strength drew a divide between him and with those of his hometown. After seeing that there was nothing keeping him in his hometown at the age of 5 he builds a raft and sets sail. He sailed for months with no direction, minimum supplies, and a boat that would break every couple days only for him to be forced to repair it. However despite 3 months of sailing with no sight of land he grew to love life off land and on the ocean.
* After those three months he finally lands at a random port town called Gemimi where the inhabitants hadn't ever seen fishman and panicked, thinking he was a monster. After fleeing from Gemimi he learns that the island had reported him to the marines for "Attacking Our Town" and that the marines had placed a bounty on him of 500,000 beri (It's low because he didn't actually hurt or kill anyone). Luckily the bounty had no picture and only described him as a "Fishman with black arms and legs. Learning this he begins to cover his arms and legs with plate mail as well as his neck with goggles in order to hide the fact that he's a fishman from humans.
* Now, he goes from port to port working odd jobs and learning a variety of skills, although the two skills he had a knack for were ship repairs and swordsmanship. While travelling and working odd jobs (Mostly ship repairs), he wanders the seas with no real direction, only knowing that he wants to be able to sail the seas he loves a free man.

Abilities:
* Shipwright - Rainer has the ability to repair most any ships and is able to at least do an emergency repair well enough for a boat to be able to float without any problems.
* Blacksmith - On one of Rainers odd jobs, he learned the art of blacksmithing.
* Fast Learner - Rainer has always had a knack for learning things fast, from learning carpentry to learning how to sail.
* Physical Strength - Being part fishman gives him naturally enhanced strength, although not as great as a full fishman strength.
* Great Reflexes - Rainer is very quick to react to things, and that transfers to fighting. His reflexes are great enough to dodge bullets, if only barely.
* Perfect swimmer - Being part fishman gives him incredible underwater swimming ability. Being able to swim as fast as he can run if not faster and even fight with his sword underwater without any difficulty. He can breath underwater and swim 50 mph.
* Sonar - Like a real Killer Whale, Rainer can use sonar underwater as well as hum a low pitch sound that can disorient enemies.
* Fishman Mode! - Just like other fishman, Rainer becomes much stronger when he is underwater. This is shown when his fishman qualities become more visible when under water, from both his dorsal fin opening and white spots appearing around his eyes. Because of the increased traits Rainer calls this "Fishman Mode!"

Weapons:
* Tansui - The first working katana made by Rainer. The only unique characteristics of it are it's dark blue handle wrappings and blue sheath.
* Metal Gauntlets and Grieves - Metal armor strapped to Rainers legs and arms by leather straps that are hidden under his clothing. Strong enough to parry a blade and cover his whole arms and legs, effectively hiding his fishman features.
* Work Goggles - Just a pair of dark tinted white goggles that Rainer wears when he works on ships as well as when he swims. The reason he wears them when swimming is because they cover his white spots around his eyes.

Techniques:
* Ocean Rain Style - A swordsman style that relies on parrying strikes and only actually attacking once or twice with either powerful and destructive swings or precise and deadly strikes.

	+ Drizzle - A swift strike downwards that ultimately trades power for speed.
* Low Hum - Rainer uses his Orca abilities to create a low hum that can disorient people around him if they're in a 5 foot radius.

[User]
"Had no reason to know, my ass. Explain the last few hours. If you had at least left a fricking note we wouldn't have had to waste time raiding a worthless ship! No seriously, they barely had anything worth while!"

On closer look Musahi had several bags tied to her belt. She somehow had the time to get her hands on some poor smucks' wallets. Musashi grumbled while walking away from them. It would appear that the captain and his first mate could keep their limbs... for now...

"This was pretty much a filler part of a story... I hate filler parts of a story... I mean destroying a marine ship was fun, but I at least want something after taking out the disappointing fake..."

Musashi then realized that this would actually effect her.

"Oh, right! We just destroyed a Marine ship that means my bounty will be raised!"

The swordswoman slammed down her fist on her palm in realization. They pretty much declared they were the enemies of the Marines, by attacking, so the ones that had bounties like Musashi would get it raised, while the ones who didn't might get a bounty placed on them. For Known criminal Musashi this was badge of honor, others might not. Well either way Musashi practically shouted out it out in the earshot of the others. The swordswoman started walking down to the front in a slightly better mood when her foot hit a naked tied up man. The difference in their strength caused the bound man to be sent reeling.

"Oh, right you two."

Musashi tilted her head and put her finger on her mouth, before yelling.

"Hey Abbygail, about the two stripped Marines!? Should I cut them up or throw them over the side!?"

There was a surprising lack of a merciful option, unless throwing them over the side meant with their clothes and unbound, but Musashi didn't seem so merciful.

[Assistant]
Saki cussed under her breath, realizing she'd been heard. Deciding it was safer to just reveal herself, she called out. "I'm coming out, don't attack." She put her arms up first to show she was unarmed as she climbed out of the barrel.

Kyy sighs. "They're right. Whether we like it or not, our first priority should be getting away from here. We can worry about them later."

[User]
Rainer sweatdropped at Abbygails comment. "Usually when I'm stressed I just work on a project or go for a swim, but yeah, raining explosives sounds like a good stress reliever." He said as he took a moment to assess the situation.

This wasn't like usual when he was just fighting random pirates or nobody bounty hunters after the "Black Limbed Fishman" who accidentally found him. No, these were the MARINES!! Law enforcement of the sea and most powerful organization in the world to his knowledge. What's worse is that if they recognized him he wouldn't be an anonymous fishman anymore but an ACTUAL wanted criminal. Ugh, having an anonymous bounty was bad enough, having to cover up his whole body all the time was already annoying.

"Maybe after this I can just become a hermit." He mumbled depressed as he moved closer to the edge of the ship, ready to jump off if any of Janet's spears got a little too close for comfort.

[Assistant]
Janet
Janet stuffed her remaining spears back into her backpack. A person like her wouldn't understand what that man was talking about, but she've gotten the fact that they weren't traitors, in a way.

"Filler? Story?" The tone of speech from that red-eyed girl was too refined and perculiar for a mere pirate. It was the same familiar demeanor of speech that she'd often heard as a child. "Fancy you wasting your time under those boring storybooks, 'High Lady' Musashi."

Janet finished her sentence with a sarcastic sneer. The corner of her eye caught sight of Saki, "Wait... you're that girl from the Marine Ship..."

[User]
"Hold on. Hold on." Abbygail said, making wait a minute gestures with her hands. "Let's not just go cutting people up all willie-nillie. I mean, it's one thing to kill them if they're trying to poke you with their swords, or pencils, or anything else that doesn't belong inside the body, but it's one thing completely different to just stab them while they're naked, and tied up, and their eyes are so wide with fright, they're this close to popping out of their skulls like a pair of rats jumping ship. Swordsman's pride, and all that, I'm assuming." She put her hands on her hips and turned to look at the marines. The men were nervous but hopefully nervous. "We'll get near something, an island with people, or without, probably, and throw them on a life boat."

Lion
"Sure, you can do it that way." The purple haired girl said with a smirk. "But after downing a marine ship, the bounty is going to be pretty high. There's not a place in the world you'll be able to stay without one money grubber or another who'll throw you to the wolves for a piece of you oh so sweet pie." At that, Abbygail shuddered. "Forget that last part. It doesn't work with me." She shrugged. "Well at least nobody can accusing me of not trying."

Right! Right!" Mark said, clasping his hands together. "I'm glad we're all in agreement then. I'm going to hurry on over to the wheel, and angel us somewhere further away from the nearest marine bases, and hopefully we'll be able to get some distance before the marines start looking for us." He nodded happily, paused and when there wasn't a response, turned to his first mate. "As for you, make yourself useful and go get dinner started. I'm sure our pirate friends are hungry now, after destroying a marine ship." He didn't wait for a word before turning and walking away, with Tim, his second mate, pausing just long enough to look at the group and then going down towards the kitchen.

"I'm not going to attack." Abbygail sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose after the newcomer's hands raised out of the barrel. "I am going to question you though. So get ready for that."

Abbygail arched an eyebrow at Janet. "A friend of yours?" She cocked her head in the direction of the newcomer.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Mark's voice rang out from the intercom. "It looks like the marines were a bit faster than I figured they'd be as there seems to be some of ships heading our way. Now, I'm not sure if they're here for us or just responding to the distress call, but I think it would be best for all of you to get below deck. Get some grub in the kitchen or just hang out in your rooms till it's clear. Whatever you do, just don't poke your heads out, because I have no desire to get my head chopped off with the lot of yous!"

[Assistant]
"I was only joking, about the cutting them up part anyway."

Musashi said with a shrug and a wry simile. Though that was cut off short by Janet's mockery. There was just a moment where time froze for Musashi, though she quickly played it off using her years of experience as a criminal known as a murder hobo.

"Aw, thanks for the compliment Janet! Want me to read you a bed time story?"

Musashi teased as she went and looked through some barrels. Lifting the tops up before finding a few empty ones. She walked over to the Marines before shoving a cloth in their mouths then tying a rope around their mouths, gagging them in a scene that was probably from quite a few men and Abbygail's fantasies, which immediately shattered by Musashi violently shoving them into the empty barrels in a reversal of Pop-up Pirates. Pop in Marines! She finished off by sealing the tops and calling it a day. Though she shouted to Rainer.

"Come on only one in five of bounty hunters and Marines are worth worrying over! Though you could get unlucky and meet an admiral! That would suck!"

She grinned as she looked over and saw the newcomers, leaning over Abbygail's shoulder.

"Well, who do we have here?"

[User]
Rainer sweatdropped at Abbygails graphic example of him being chased around for the rest of his life from bounty hunters. "Come on only one in five of bounty hunters and Marines are worth worrying over!" He heard Musashi say, which gave him a small spark of hope that everything would be ok. "Though you could get unlucky and meet an admiral! That would suck!" She finished.

Rainer fell to the floor in a comicly depressed manner, his soul looking like it was leaving his body. "With my luck I'd probably be hunted by all of them." He said with tears.

After a couple of moments, Rainer shook his head and stood up, pushing thethought away till after they got somewhere safe. He then listened as Mark told them to hide under deck, "Yeah, that'd be a good idea for now." He said before noticing Saki, "Ah, who's this?"


[System]
Behind the Avatar
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Bio: He enjoys the competition and teamwork that comes with PvP Warzones and small team Arenas. Competition has really been in Warrick's blood. First he found it through sports. Now through video games. Outside of the game he barely scrapes by while working as a convenience store assistant manager.

The Avatar
Name: Vander "The Watcher"
Appearance

Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Character Level: 100
Alignment: 0
Job Class: Ranger 15 | Scout 15 | The Watcher 5 | Sniper 10 | Trapper 15 | Tracker 15 | Battlefield Tactician 10 | Bounty Hunter 15

Fighting Style: Long Range Nuking and Tactics

Strengths: Being a long range fighter puts the Watcher in an excellent position to observe enemy movements and grants the opportunity to change his party's tactics as needed. His skill with a bow is very high meaning he can hit all but the most agile of opponents. As a scout his base movement speed is increased above that of most others. He is also incredible with tracking and hunting with some powerful camouflage abilities for specific terrain.

Weaknesses: Focusing in long range combat makes the Watcher a formidable force until he enters into melee. While he is capable of fighting in melee with his dagger, Whisper, the combination of a lack of reach and melee power he is only strong as far as normal standards for this new world. While he can move faster than most opponents can run he has no ability to dash instantly making dodging a challenge if he is not expecting it.

Equipment/Abilities Worthy of Note
The Watcher's Longbow: This longbow was earned from the epic story questline, "The Watcher's Final Days" resulting in the unique title "the Watcher" being earned along-side the longbow as a weapon. This quest was known to be one of the hardest to complete in Yggdrasil's hayday, and Vander rose to the challenge simply to test himself. The bow has excellent stats, however they are not the most powerful in the game. The bow has a powerful unique effect especially for a tracker: for an entire day so long as an arrow has been fired from this bow the Watcher knows which direction the arrow is at all times. Distance still needs to be calculated through basic trigonometry or just walking towards the arrow.

The Replicating Quiver: Once a day this quiver fills itself with 24 arrows so long as there is one inside. These arrows have the same effect as the original not counting ointments such as poison.

Whisper: This curved dagger is a crafted reward from a player-run guild vs guild tournament run by the server's biggest merchant and crafting guild. They ended up barely winning in a knock-out drag-out battle. The blade was best suited for assassins, however with the Watcher's active camouflage ability and lacking a decent melee weapon at the time he ended up with the blade.

Active Camouflage: While in natural terrain when using his active camouflage ability, the Watcher is nearly invisible to the untrained eye while not moving. Movement causes a slight distortion as it adapts to the new surroundings. It does work in more urban environments, however it only works when he is not moving at all and it takes longer to activate.

The Watcher's Eye: Earning the Watcher title also granted Vander the unique ability known as "the Watcher's Eye". This is a passive ability that highlights the best trails to traverse that a even a trained eye would have some difficulty seeing. He can also see the trails of all creatures that traversed a natural environment and even detect how old the trails are. While it does not directly let him see invisible opponents he can without too much trouble track their movements as long as they cannot hide their movements at a high level.

How a normal human would view me: He appears to normal humans as a very focused and calculating elf. He also has a constantly combat ready stance giving a slightly paranoid feel about him.

[User]
SpringPuppy

The closing day of YGGDRASIL had been a sentimental one for Spring, in the final moments he could not help bit feel bittersweet as he looked back on all his old memories. He should have been shocked when the game did not shut down when it was supposed to, but in fact he was relieved. Spring had always been bad when it came to handling change, so just a few extra minutes in this game he loved so much only brought a smile to his face and a warm chuckle. He looked beside him at Sapphire. Her presence had brought him comfort, with her at his side he felt that his old guild mates were too with him. Spring parted his mouth to begin speaking a quiet thanks to the NPC but before the words could leave his mouth...

Something was attacking the Apocalypse Now guildhall.   What is this?!? A raid?!?  Spring thought to himself as the feeling of adrenaline began to surge through his body. One last fight didn't seem like such a bad idea and so with a wolfish grin Spring readied his spear. His mind had become so focused on combat so quickly that he failed to notice the differences from YGGDRASIL, Springs hands tightened around the shaft of his spear getting a firm grip on it and he steadied his breathing. Everything was different and yet the same, this was not his body yet it was.

But he did not have to wait long to see what was happening, a knight was charging a monster. A beholder... The grotesque being was sending red beams of energy out from its eye. This discovery caused Spring to hesitate for a few moments, which allowed him to start on questioning things. He had never felt anxiety before combat within the game so why now was he suddenly growing colder, a slight sweat starting to form on his brow.

A sense of dread began to eat away at Spring like never before. However. A light gasp to his side pulled Spring's gaze. Sapphire was staring at the raging Beholder, her face no more expressive than it was when the night began; however, her hands shifted in front of her as she repositioned her grip on Faith's hilt. Spring could tell how tense her body was, one warrior to another. But she didn't move. Her eyes came down briefly and met his.

In one brief moment of understanding, he could see the question she wasn't voicing. She wanted permission to engage. Springs mind was clear of all negative thoughts, with the brave Sapphire next to him his resolve hardened and when he looked back at the beholder once more he no longer felt anxious. He felt his muscles relax as his body loosened up, he did not realise how worried he really was in that moment.

His cheeks turned slightly red from embarrassment as he turned once more to Sapphire. "We shall strike this beast together. Now with me Sapphire, let us slay this abomination."  Spring began to move forward to engage the beholder. His movements were that of such vigour and confidence that none would have guessed this seemingly brave warrior had almost became a coward a few moments before.

@Lord Zee @BurningDaisies @Stern Algorithm @Anyone else in the guildhall.

[Assistant]
"Nn!" Sapphire answered with a nod. She faced the Beholder squarely and raised her sword high to her left.

Two balls of light appeared behind Sapphire's shoulders, spinning outward. Quickly they grew, then stretched. In a beautiful display of majesty, Sapphire unfolded her wings. Pushing the air aside in a short, sharp wind, her wings reached far out to each side. The pure white feathers glowed with a light brighter than mere reflection could produce. Then they folded back, again pushing a breeze into the space behind her. Sapphire crouched lower, tensed her legs, and drew her sword back just a little more.

The Beholder's attention was turning down, the colossal eye swiveling to face the guardian who had attacked it. It wasn't watching Sapphire.

Without so much as a word, Sapphire unleashed the power in every part of her body in one tremendous leap. Instantly she was passing just behind the monster. Her sword came slashing forward, digging deeply into the back of the Beholder and leaving a gash across its back from one end to the other. Her momentum carried right on to the ceiling, where she twisted her body into a somersault, 'landed' on her feet against a beam, and pushed off again, this time aiming straight at the top of the Beholder.

The monstrous eye was turning away from the warrior below to attack the warrior up above, the laser continuing its trail of destruction. Well before it could reach Sapphire, Faith's blade sank into the Beholder tip first, then continued sinking all the way to the hilt. Sapphire crashed down right behind, attempting to drive an armored knee into the abomination as well. "Disobedient," Sapphire chastised vehemently, kneeling atop its head.

Without releasing her grasp on Faith, Sapphire turned and jumped off, drawing her sword through the monster's flesh until it popped free at the edge. She tucked one wing and used the other to spin, giving one final slash as she departed, making way for another warrior's attack. She landed nimbly on her feet below, danced back several steps to reposition herself, and braced for another attack.

[User]
The Watcher would have enjoyed spending some time observing the reactions of everyone else to this change. The only problem with this was the Beholder that barged into the guild hall and started causing havoc. He quickly drew his bow and began to retreat to the other side of the room. The distance he could put between himself and the monster the better. The feeling of The Watcher's Bow felt comfortable in his hand. Somehow everything felt as it should be despite the odd circumstances.

The arrows he had in his quiver were armor-piercing arrows specifically designed for PvP, however, they would serve well in putting the beast's eyes out. He aimed and fired as he reached the opposite side of the guild hall. The arrow soared through the crowd gracefully and sunk into the central eye of the monster. Blood oozed from the newly made wound as The Watcher prepped another arrow to fire.

As the second arrow went flying, he still wondered what was going on. This felt too real to be a video game, and yet he had definitely come to the conclusion that Warrick Thane and Vander the Watcher had become one and the same. He certainly felt that way on occasion during intense battles, however this felt completely different than before. One thing was for sure: he would have to find out what changed.

There were more than enough players in the guild hall to handle this invading monster, so Vander decided to slip outside to scout out the situation. He slipped through a side door and ran down to a doorway that led outdoors through a side exit. He barely made it outside when he noticed just how much of a difference there was. The guild building no longer rested in a city, and now it stood atop a mountain. He stood outside the open door in awe.

Vander had explored the entire map of YGGDRASIL, and no where did the mountains look like this. "What the hell is going on?"


[System]
Born: 17th of July, 1906
Age: 24

Position: Formally valet and infantryman, now a dock laborer in London.
Bio: Roger was born and bred in Cambridge. He was seven when the Great War started (lasted for 7 years). His father served an infantryman in the earlier part of the war and was killed off. His mother still lives London and works as a seamstress where she remarried. At the age of 12, Roger was able to get a position working for the slightly eccentric scientist, Doctor Edwin Brown. He served as a valet, assistant, and overall help around the house until the age of 18 where he enlisted as an infantryman. When the Doctor died mysteriously, Roger resigned from the army and moved back to London to watch over the Doctor's daughter.
Characteristics: Roger is loyal, kind, firm. He's not one to rush in quickly but when he makes a decision he is all in. He's quiet but not overly so. He prefers the company of a few good friends to a room full of acquaintances.
Born: 1909
Age: 21

Position: Tinkerer/Reckoner (create instructions for analytical engines). Basically mechanic. Doesn't invent but is pretty good fixing and breaking down things.
Bio: Jewish-Danish descent, not much is known about Estella's past except the small star of David necklace signifying her heritage. She is handy with gadgets and could take most anything apart and put it back together again. She's great with puzzles and has a quick mind. She is artistic and likes to draw various machines related to her work or imagination.
Though not much of a fighter, she's not one to be pushed around. Many a man was surprised at how quick she can draw a weapon with a few finding out just how accurate her aim was.
Characteristics: Friendly. One would never know by looking at her what pain was in her past. She is smart, kind, a bit laid back, but also is a bit of a smart-aleck.

Antagonists
Pronounced: Clow-ss
Age: 26

Position: Formally captain in the Austrian Air Fleet, now assigned to find the orb of mysticism.
Bio: Son of a noble Austrian line, Claus has an outstanding service record. He served on an Austrian Airship before being re-assigned to find the orb of mysticism.
Characteristics: Has yet to be revealed...
Real Name Unknown

Age: unknown

Unknown Loyalties
Age: 24

Position: WIP
Bio: WIP
Characteristics: Has yet to be revealed...

Other

Position: Tinkerer
Bio: Owns a little small junk shop in the London Airfield (docks).

[User]
"She'll only be napping for a little while," Bea shrugged shifting her bag a little bit as they headed down the poorly lit hallway. But she supposed th at they could set up there and if Ms. Mortimer became annoying, they could move up to her room with the door open. She only tended to walk by often then instead of hover and try to interject it every little thing.

"I suppose we'll just have to see how things are when we get there."

She was silent for a moment, thinking back to make sure that there wasn't anything that she forgotten to tell him about. She knew she'd not felt particularly nervous or like she was being watched. But she was distracted with finals and this whole craziness. So maybe she just missed them. But she doubted that greatly. "No. I don't think so. Everything seemed the same as it was before. No new people or lurking shadows."

《》 《》

Rebeca shook her head firmly at the girl's resistance. "In America, it is customary to tip delivery staff," she said with another smile. "And while this may not be America, I'm still American. So I'm going to tip you and you can take it here or I can go make a big stink of it with your boss."

She shrugged her shoulders, lips pursed some. "I guess if you rather, think of it as a consultant's fee. If you're right or wrong, doesn't matter. You offered advice, even if poorly received." She wasn't about to let it go so easily it seemed, and her father and captain standing a few feet behind didn't seem inclined to stop her insistence either.

[Assistant]
Roger was grateful for that but it didn't set his fears to ease. Just because nothing out of the ordinary had happened, didn't mean she still wasn't being watched. He hoped though that since it had been a year that whoever was involved in her father's murder wasn't to interested in her at the moment. Though, he was sure that if she moved or went somewhere, that would undoubtedly raise questions. Especially, if it was sudden. Thankfully for them, it was summer time and that was a perfect time to go somewhere without raising to many questions.

But then again, she did visit her the room where her father's stuff was stored. Would that raise an alarm? A bit annoyed at himself for letting his mind start worrying, he pushed the thoughts back. He would stay vigilant but worrying wasn't going to help anyone. In fact, it would just make things worse. Not to mention, IF they were being watched, freaking out and acting paranoid might actually give them away to the fact that they knew what had happened. And that could raise even more concerns.

They reached the boarding house. Roger stepped aside so Bea could unlock the door. Ms. Mortimer never left the door unlocked. This is a home of young ladies. Who knows what ruffians might try to come in and take advantage of one of you. And of course by ruffians, she undoubtedly meant anyone of the male gender. Roger wondered if she had always been like this or if some guy had really hurt her. He guessed the latter as something like that wasn't just innate. But at least she wasn't overly hostile... mostly.

He helped Bea spread the papers on the table and then start going over them closely. He was looking for anything that might resemble the handwriting found on the envelope. "Did your father have any friends that he hadn't seen in a long time?" He asked. Though he had worked with Doctor Brown for some time, he really didn't know a lot about the man's past. It wasn't something that was discussed. Though he had always been warmly welcomed, he wasn't privy to something like that.
----
Estella resisted a sigh. This woman was making way to much of an issue out of this. Seriously. She had endured worse. But then again, she found that sometimes some people felt guilty or bad for what others did. Then of course they'd try to make it up. She wasn't ungrateful - no. She just didn't like handouts - no matter what you called them. Her mother's words echoed in the back of her mind. It's not always about pity. Sometimes people want to just be nice and give you something. It'd be prideful to refuse them. She inwardly sighed. Fine. But that didn't mean she'd keep it. She accepted the money with a smile. "Alright. Thank you. Though," she wanted to make sure it was clear. "For the delivery. Not for the any consultation advice." Her next smile was a genuine. "That's free."

She wasn't the type to let something keep her down. Oh she got down, but rarely when she was with people. She was great at compartmentalizing. But then again, humor was always a great way to cope with life.

Pocketing the tip, Estella nodded her thanks to the Captain. She then followed the young woman back out of the bridge.

[User]
Bea got the kettle going once the papers were out, getting cups and tea pot down for tea. They were going to be working on this for a while. Might as well have some tea to fortify them through the search. She thought while she got the tea ready, humming a little bit. "He had lots of old friends. Men from back in his own uni days that had moved on to other places that he hadn't seen in years."

And of course there were even older friends. From when he was younger than she was now. But those were even more distant than his uni friends. And there were old colleagues. Ones who'd gone to other schools to teach, or had walked away from teaching like he had. There were so many people her father had met in his life, and it was hard for even her to say who were friends and who weren't, who were the people he'd kept in touch with, and who were the ones he'd trusted enough with this thing that he hadn't trusted her with while he was alive.

"There's a pile of letters," she said turning around and bringing a little tray over with everything they'd need for tea for a while. "It wouldn't hurt to take a read through them to see what kind of relationship they had. Decerne which one of them might be the most trusted of them."

《》 《》

Rebeca smiled and laughed a little. "Call it what you like," she said. "Doesn't make much difference to me." She looked over her shoulder at her father and gave him a little wave. "I'm going to see her out." He just nodded and went back to whatever it was he was doing before they arrived.

She stepped past Estella, but didn't walk too far ahead of her either and waited for her to turn around and follow her out of the ship. Before they parted ways, she stopped and smiled at the other girl. "Truly, thank you," she said with a smile. "We'll be certain to recommend you to anyone for your professionalism."

[Assistant]
Roger accepted the tea with a smile. "Thank you." He took a sip before setting it carefully aside. He picked up a stack. "Good idea. I'll go through this stack and see what I can find." He wasn't exactly sure of what he was looking for. Neither of them were. They did know that someone, no doubt a past friend, had sent Bea her father's letter. It had to be someone distant that her father would have trusted yet at the same time would not have been suspicious enough to have his enemies look at them - or at least closely. Professor Brown was intelligent if anything. He knew what he was doing. Pulling out a small notebook and a pencil, Roger set it beside him. "I'm going to make notes of every name I run across and the dates of the letters." He told Bea. "This was we can check patterns and last time there was contact."

When had Professor Brown given up his teaching career? The rise of mysticism had slowly gained ground, even having a bit of traces of the movement at the end of the war. However, it wasn't until it really took off in 1925 that the Professor decided to stop all his work. It was interesting really. He had spent a lifetime studying mysticism with his colleagues laughing behind his back. That hadn't stopped him. He had kept going, pushing on. It wasn't until they turned and accepted him - pretending to welcome him in with open arms - that he had actually quit. Roger guessed the old adage was true: Your friends are not those who are with when you are standing tall but the ones who are there when you were down at your lowest. Those were the friends that Professor Brown would trust. Those would be the ones he would ask to hold a letter for him.

Roger glanced through the letters. He skimmed them to get the general idea. Noting down the date, name, and profession - when applicable - he set it aside and moved to the next letter. Despite the fact that Professor Brown had gone reclusive in his latter years, he had quite a collection of letters ranging over the years. Most of them were business related. A lot of the more recent were requests for him to come back to studying. To share his findings. To research. To work in some university. Those Roger noted as well. Though he doubted the professor would have been on friendly terms with them, it might be something he would have done to cast-off suspicion. After about a dozen or so letters Roger paused for a second and stretched. He glanced over at Bea. "How's it coming?"
----
Estella followed the woman out. She didn't dawdle but she did look at the ship as she walked. Exiting the vessel she turned. She smiled. It was touching and very thoughtful of the woman. All she had done was deliver some parts and she now had a recommendation? Especially considering the fact her and professionalism didn't seem to match. Sure, she was friendly and nice. She put up with things but when Estella thought of professionalism she thought of someone more fancy, more...refined. She just did her work hard and with a good attitude. These people were...different. She didn't see this type of kindness that often. "Thank you," she said. She nodded to the ship. "If you ever need more parts, Rufus' got them." She smiled once more, gave a half bow/courtesy before heading off.

Several feet away she thought about pausing and looking back to admire the airship. She glanced back and flushed. The woman hadn't gone in yet. She raised a hand up in farewell, acting as if that was the whole purpose before looking forward again. Of course that was just tacky too. Either way, she kicked herself mentally before deciding to shrug it off. Oh well. It was doubtful she'd see them again anyway. She was only going to stick around with Rufus a bit more before moving on. She frowned. Well, she actually might see them. It depending on when they were planning on leaving. There was no way that vessel would take off - not without replacing that part. She made a mental note to find a replacement and pull it aside after she gets back to the shop. They were going to need it. She reached into her pocket and felt the tip. And they shouldn't need to worry about paying either. She smiled.


[System]
Appearance:
Race: Human
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Job: Engineer
Weapons: short sword
Abilities: Making things on the fly, stealing.
Personality: She usually is greedy, sarcastic, and grumpy, but when someone interrupts her when she's building parts or fixing the engine, she can be more irritable than usual. Also likes stealing things.
short bio: When she was little, she enjoyed learning about engineering. She studied engineering through some books and when she got older, she took up engineering classes. Now that she's older and more experienced with engineering and technology, she wants to explore the galaxy someday. Unfortunately, her family is in debt. When she saw this poster, she took up the job as an engineer and fly on the Stallion.

[User]
Scrap
Scrap wasn't phased at all by the strange guy in old-fashioned clothing. In fact she was antsy. Her hands were behind her back as she listened to the guy speak. Her real hand playing with the crooks and rickets of the mechanical one. They guy didn't look all that much older than her, but the atmosphere around him was something someone that young could never give off. At the question of what she wanted to get out of the offer, Scrap cringed at the memories of the last few days she's had. Escaping the Junkyard Ravagers wasn't easy, it was barely manageable but where she went from there was life-or-death. But for years she was treated like nothing more than a tool, a slave. Whatever happens now would be 100x better than living in the Junkyards. She looked at her new Captain straight in the eyes and raised her mechanical arm in front of her, clenching it into a fist. And with the confidence of a politician she calmly states -
 "I don't know."

After another weird interaction involving a straw, Scrap sighs in relief at the fact of being accepted. She starts to walk off towards the ship before the captain asks her for her name. It was an opportunity to re-name herself other than the name thrown at her from the gang members for convenience. But after a mere second of thinking it over she gives her name- "My name is Scrap: S-C-R-A-P. It's the only thing I know how to spell sir."  She turns away quickly to avoid looking at his reaction and runs out the door ready to start her new life.

-Present day-
Scrap shrunk at the presence of others. Many of whom towered over the 5'2 girl. She stayed in the back while the captain briefed them on what was happening. It was all a fast explanation but she got the gist of it - survive.
As soon as everyone started moving, Scrap was already headed to the engine room. She had never fixed the engine of the ship. It was mostly robotic parts and prosthetics. Thankfully there were going to be 2 others in there, so how hard could it be?

[Assistant]
The bar was dark and dirty and filled with the pollutants of the atmosphere outside. None of these things seemed to bother either him or this captain. A strange fellow this captain, outdated attire and a fancy way of speaking made victor a bit suspicious but otherwise sound. His questions was quick and to the point, "Material wise I need metal as well as any opportunity to look over any tech we find that could be made useful. Second is the chance to destroy or damage any part of this great empire." he made sure his answer was also to the point even if this captain had a strange lie detector.

The captain had simply one more question before he stepped out, his name. "My designation is Victor -103" his blue LED eyes looked toward the man only for a moment longer before turning to the ship. "Sara scan the ship" a blue and red light projected itself from Victors shoulder as it ran across the ship. He had started his scan of his new home, a ship this size would take a little while to fully scan, but after words would have a full schematic and damage report.

--------------------------------
Present.

The ship was rather large but at least the bulkheads were rather tall, in his opinion there were not enough of them. The bulk heads were meant to secure sections of the ship from venting atmosphere after something punctures the hull, also good at slowing down invaders. Sometimes made it a bit of a pain to get through some ships in a hurry. He paused when he came to a cross section.

His hesitation lasted until the familiar female voice of Sara with the Irish accent entered his mind, "Boss I'm detecting radiation leaking from the main reactor" a low computer generated sigh escaped the mechanical suit. Trouble some, first day on a new ship feels like a trial by fire, "Are the projectors working on the drones yet?" a short pause, "One is working somewhat boss, the others still need some time" another short pause the man started down toward the engineering room, "Release that drone and guide it to the command deck with the others have it sit somewhere out of the way and project my image, at least then they will know we tried to be there."

A small blue sphere dropped out of a small dispenser from his left waist. Before it hit the ground a flat ring stuck out from around it and started spinning with a blue hue while emitting a quiet whine. This gave the small sphere the ability to fly, and fly it did. Around Victor a few times before disappearing down a corridor heading for the command deck. The humming bird multipurpose drones, he had four of them and currently it was the only one fitted with a hologram projector.

The drone made it into the command deck and found its perch on a command console near the view screen and began to project victor standing at the back of this rather rag tag group. Victor was able to hear what was being said as well as his new designation, "Jar?" he thought, "well boss at least its simple" Sara chimed in. that small meeting was all he needed to know that this was a trial by fire. "Sara start integrating yourself with the ship and its consoles, if there's an A.I. in here make sure you let it know what we are doing so it doesn't shut you out" a small indication sound was all he needed to hear.

The engineering bay was massive three engine cores mounted at the back of the room with the main hyper drive and reactor for the ship enter twined into one big power source. The large open space was exactly what Victor wanted, all he had to do was kill the artificial gravity in here and have some fun. However, first things first, "Sara deploy the repair drones to fix the crack in the radiation case around the reactor and begin venting the radiation" one thing he truly enjoyed about working with A.I. or V.I. they always listened and remembered their job.

With the meeting completed and the others scurrying off to their positions the small drone flew to a perch near the pilot and began to project a hologram of the Typhoon. The hologram was blue and translucent, tiles filled the surrounding area displaying energy graphs, temperature bars, shield energy and resistance, as well as any hits and hull punctures. Victors voice then began to project from it, "Pain is it. I'm down here in the engineering bay and I got a quick report for you." he paused for a moment as he moved to engine core two.

"Engine core 2 is currently the worst off of the three with 25% available power, I'm working on it. engine core 1 and 3 might be able to get up to 55% or more if you push it. the main reactor is still damaged but no longer leaking radiation, Fuel is almost gone so be aware of that. 5 out of the 10 shield generators have shit coils in them and won't hold a charge. We are working with at best 50% shields. Good news is 3 out of those 5 will still help to charge the shields the other two are completely offline. Good luck" with that he stopped transmitting and began to work on engine 2.

Jest
I hope you don't mind the explanation of the engineering bay let me know if you would like me to rewrite anything.
@KimmiNinja@StormHeart

Engine core's x3

Hyper drive / Main reactor

[User]
Tarkin@Warborn123

Upon hearing Rama and Williams intent, Reina would turn to them and say in a business-like, almost monotone tone, "We should do what the Captain ordered and take live prisoners, including the captain." even with the mask of her helmet, it feels like she is staring Rama straight in the eyes.

[Assistant]
@Hazy

"Don't call me that shit." Telasie snapped at him, head whipping in the direction of the voice. She turned her head back to attention. To anyone who wasn't truly paying attention, it would appear that the pilot was outright ignoring him, but in fact she was listening carefully and already beginning to accommodate for the new information. She prioritized the engines over the shields and did take a rather purposeful hit that caused the ship to jolt. She used the sudden movement to angle the ship rather oddly.

Telasie narrowed her eyes at the gunners currently facing the merchant, hoping the saw the massive opportunity she gave them to do major damage to the other ship's thrusters. She glanced idly at the Taghai, mostly wanting to see his abilities. Next, she would give the human a clean shot, so that she could gauge their skills and compensate for any inability they may have. Not without snide comment, of course.

[User]
@Warborn123 @Kessir Tarkin

Conrad raised an eyebrow as the smaller girl confronted the two huge, armored up boarders about their illogical plan. "Careful now Arms it looks like you have someone with their eye on that first mate seat", Conrad snickered. The big first mate replied with a snort which seamed to mean "as if".

When Conrad turned back the small girl, Reina, was eyeing him. "However I do have to agree with the girl, since were taking prisoners as far as we know the captain is the most valuable person on that ship. Our captain seams to want to keep prisoners for some reason and from my life as a space whaler the captain is just about the only person worth anything on that ship. It would seam pretty counter productive to kill him."

Just as Conrad finished speaking he heard and felt the ship turning to get into position for boarding so he took off his coat and threw it to the side of the boarding party deck and readied his laser rifle. The party was about to start.

[Assistant]
@tal0n@Kessir Tarkin

William laughed and turned to Conrad I would never settle to be first mate, if there was a position I'm gunning for captain William jokingly replied, truth be told he wouldn't settle to be just a captain, his eyes were already set on his course and if he had his way, he wouldn't just be a captain, he'd be the Captain of all Captains.

I disagree, we shouldn't be slaves to the captain's command, we must think autonomously, if we stop to take prisoner's our enemy might catch up and put a quick end to us, and for all we know. the captain might be incompetent and a lowly crew member might be the true owner of this ship William argued, his jetpack rumbled and turned on, William felt a urge to prove himself in glorious combat, he felt a thirst for blood running through his veins, If we encounter this captain, I shall be the one to fight him, the glory must be mine. he informed the crew, eager to get started.

[User]
@tal0n@Silvir@Kessir Tarkin@Warborn123

Traveler noted the conversation and felt it necessary to announce his intent, and to note that they might see some... unusual things.

"This cell notes that orders were to loot and 'if possible' capture the crew of the merchant ship. If possible is a modifier of the command and is not a priority. This cell does recognize that capture of their captain would be a notable accomplishment. This cell will attempt to pacify combatants without killing but will use force should resistance prove it preferential. This cell notes that it is shapeless and can change form much as one can change clothes, a tactical advantage as any opening is an entrance provided it is not water-tight. With that in mind, this cell will travel through the ventilation seeking priority targets."

Traveler did intend to incapacitate, but it felt it necessary to kill and absorb a combatant away from the others. It was concerned the others might act negatively despite it being required for sustenance. While looking for priority targets was not a lie, it was not the main reason behind his intent to separate.

[Assistant]
Jest
Vescallas immediate thoughts of the captain entailed one thing:
 Oh dear lord, he's a child.
When he asked why she was there she simply responded;
"My deceased husbands family is a bunch ah weaklings and want meh to get a safe stand up job, so naturally, I'm looking for an extremely dangerous one."
Then Aaron said his straw was a lie detector or whatever and she thought he was completely bonkers.
But then again so was she.
Then the oddly dressed young man (but of course Vescalla thought it was awesome because it was close to steampunk like her), asked her name.
She proudly extended her mechanical arm (which is horrible because it's the left one and no one shakes left handed)
and stated; "Vescalla, Vescalla Vonderbutch."

TO THE SHIP

[User] The sudden jolt made Asugan stumble back a bit But he quickly regained his balance and stepped back to the console where he noticed that this rather awkward position they were in made for an excellent opportunity to cause damage. He calmly pressed the buttons, one after another, and they all landed perfectly in the merchant ship's thrusters. This should make it easier to board them. He glanced back towards their pilot. It turned out that she knew exactly what she was doing.

[Assistant]
Vescalla quickly ran over to her side of the controls.
 This pilot may not be the smoothest but at least she knows how to get me a shot
When she saw the plasma being shot at the thrusters Vescalla knew she should hit elsewhere, so she looked for the deck, she wanted to cause more panic on the ship so that the boarding party would have a much easier time once they actually got on board.
"Alright ye got this. Aim. No, ye not aiming, alright now fire!"
Who was she talking to? Herself. Most likely.
But she is crazy so it may be voices that only she can hear.

[User]
Alexandra was in shock of how damaged the Merchant was, but hey, at least she can do something to kill time. She then noticed another person at the engineering bay. The first thought that crossed her mind was I wonder if I could steal something from that guy. Then again, can you really steal something from a cyborg? Doesn't matter. As long as the guy doesn't interrupt her, she'll be fine.

She decided to work on the shield generators. Maybe she might be able to get them working again, but whoever damaged the coils obviously didn't know how much this would affect the generators badly. Oh well, it's time to do what she did best. Fix things.


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): None currently available.
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Race: Human

APPEARANCE

Face Claim (Actor/Actress They're Played By): TBA / I've yet to find an actor for this character.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
Skin Tone: Slightly pale.
Height: 6'2
Weight: 170lbs
Build: Lithe, somewhat muscular.
Weapons: Twin swords, multiple daggers and knives hidden on him.

Overall Appearance:

Dark features, Visible, jagged scar that runs down his right eye. Various scars are hidden underneath his clothing.

Ghent is often clad in black or dark grays.
Most of his clothes are made from black leather; his cloak has a hood and a mask to cover the lower half of his face if needed. He has various weaponry concealed; he often wears fingerless gloves, laced up bracers, and boots.

PERSONALITY

Likes: Gold.
Dislikes: Talking, poverty, people in general.
Strengths: Picking locks, leadership, agility.
Weaknesses: Stubbornness, Greed.
Fears: Loss, failure.

Overall Personality:

Stubborn | Calculating | Complicated | Quiet | Incredulous | Shrewd

Ghent's family was very often poor and lived in a lower part of a small, poverty-stricken town. His mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her second son, Garth. Ghent was ten years in age when she passed.

Ghent's father turned to drinking heavily and he came to blame his children for the loss of his wife. Fearing for Garth, Ghent took matters into his own hands; at the age of thirteen, he took his younger brother and left home, never once looking back.

Life on the road was not an easy one, but Ghent was determined to tough it out so that they would not have to return to their father. At first, Ghent began with petty theft; he stole what was needed in order to keep them alive, they took shelter where they could and lied whenever questioned. As the years went on, they moved up in the world. After years of practice, Ghent became a highly skilled thief. This was the start of a life he would live well past his teenage years.

* * *

Ghent has an eerie calmness about him and his emotions are seldom ever shown. Because of this, he is very difficult to read -- almost impossibly so. Ghent handles matters in a diplomatic way and doesn't often resort to violence unless necessary. For the most part, he is quiet and reserved, therefore much of his past is unknown.

Deep down, Ghent does have a heart, though he does his best not to show it. He'd be the last to admit it, but he has a soft spot for those in need.

BACKGROUND

Date of Birth: ? Have to calculate that. ,_,
Place of Birth: Outskirts of Laketown. Not quite within the town, though close.

Family Relations:

- Garth (younger brother)
- Lydia (Mother; deceased)
- Vincent (Father)
- Kaiden (cousin)

[User]
Tauriel sheathed her knives, hesitating when she heard Kili groan in pain. Both races were at odds, but Tauriel took no pleasure in the suffering of others. Especially not one so young.
Shaking her head slightly, Tauriel turned to follow Legolas from the home. "He will not make it," she predicted quietly, feeling oddly guilty for leaving though there was nothing she could do on her own.

Oin hurried to Kili's side, astonished to see how fast he was fading. The poison was unlike anything he was familiar with; it was too deep in his blood to withdraw, and Kili was pale as death itself. Even now, his eyes appeared clouded over and he was struggling less than before.
"We're losing him!" Oin feared what this may do to Fili and the rest of their kin. Dis would never forgive her brother if she found out Thorin had left his side for their quest -- no matter how important.

Bofur ran into the room, frazzled and out of breath from his run. "Here!" Quickly, he offered the kingsfoil to Saeril to inspect. Since she was an elf, he knew she'd have better insight as to what it was and if it would be useful. "Will it work??"

[Assistant]
The she-elf had a blank stare on her once she heard that Kili was nearly close to dying. She never wanted this to happen, and it was her fault that she sent the Orcs after them decades ago. However, once she saw Bofur come back with the weed, she gasped in both astonishment and relief while reaching forward to take it from him. "Atheleas", she looked down at Kili, and then looked back at the plant in her hands before her. This was the time to finally help, but she wasn't sure if she could do it right. She hesitated.

However, once she remembered Bolg, Saeril had the face of stone upon her. "Help me. Hold him down, this will hurt", she finally said after she took a deep breath. She was desperate to see him well again, and she will not lose him at this time. Taking the Kingsfoil in some water, the other dwarves moved the squirming Kili back onto the table. Removing the feverfew, she pressed the weed against his leg, applying pressure on it.

"Menno o nin na honnen hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth", Saeril began to chant after a breath, with desperation in her voice. She looked down at the young dwarf, watching him, as she recited the chant. "Menno o nin na honnen hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth"

[User]
The pressure was torture for Kili. Drawing a sharp, ragged breath, the youngest screamed out and attempted to pull away from them. Oin, Bofur, Sigrid and Tilda were quick to help pin the brunette to the table.
With so many keeping him in place, Kili had nowhere to go. Even Fili was keeping him down.
For a few moments, it looked as if he truly would die right then and there, but this was not to happen. Saeril's chant of the elvish language soon quieted him.
Breathless, Kili could only stare in awe at her, eyes glossed over. One may have believed him out of his mind, but he saw a light, heavenly glow around his godmother as the pain in his leg started to numb. The chant had worked.

[Assistant] Saeril sighed after she stopped her chant. "He must rest now", she said to the surrounding individuals before she retrieved a wrapping bandage for the cut on her godson's leg, wrapping it.

[User]
The others released him, and Kili kept quiet, eyes on Saeril. As she busied herself with wrapping his leg, he slowly reached to take her hand.
"Delva?" Brows knit, he hesitated for what he was to ask next. Kili was very tired, but he was also troubled. "I'm sorry...I broke my promise." Even now, his conscious was weighed. He so badly wanted to be in her good graces again.
"...Are you upset with me?"

[Assistant] Saeril was so concentrated on the wrapping of Kili's leg, she didn't notice him trying to glance at her, even though he would be exhausted from his earlier struggling. However, she didn't expect him to ask of her. She didn't look at him, but just perked her head up, listening. She felt his hand brushing against her own, almost struggling to do so. Just by feeling his hand, she finally, and gracefully, looked towards him, before gently holding his awaiting hand. "I was more afraid than upset, young Durin", she admitted. "I couldn't be angry, or dissapointed when your well-being had to be tended to", she made a small smile upon her Elven features, and showed her devotion for him by giving him a gentle, lingering kiss on the forehead.

[User]
The fact that Saeril was still willing to speak with him meant a lot. When she'd taken his hand, Kili listened intently, hanging on every word. "It won't happen again," he promised, eyes half lidded. He was spent, but he wished to speak with her for as long as possible.

"I'd wanted to help...I thought I could make it back before you did." When exhausted, he gave a confession easily enough.
"Wasn't right...I'm sorry." Kili apologized once more for good measure, a small smile crossing his features as she kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Delva."

[Assistant]
The she-elf rubbed her finger against the skin of his hand, really to soothe him from self-blame. But this kind of self-blame was a confession, to show his honesty; how a child would confess when they'd do something wrong. He was somewhat proud to tell her. She understood his loyalty for his family: Fili and Thorin, but Saeril was a completely different half to this loyalty. Another split in his dilemma, trying not to dissapoint or betray the other by going to one side. Kili couldn't perform two different tasks at the same time; not at the same time. The she-elf understood the difficulty.

"Shh...", Saeril gently shushed him, while using her free hand to stroke his cheek, like how she did back in the Mirkwood Forest, when he was hallucinating. "You should rest", she suggested to him.

Fili was watching and listening to every word between them. He couldn't help, but internally thank their godmother of saving his little brother from death. "Thank you, sweet Delva", he spoke quietly in relief, and genuine thanks, to the figure who watched over them throughout their childhood. Saeril heard him with those Elven ears of hers, and acknowledged him with a bow of her head; her quiet sign of her generosity.

She was about to say something, until an earthquake-like shake manifests, causing the house to rumble. Bard made it back inside the house, right after it stopped.

[User]
Saeril's presence had a calming effect on Kili. With her nearby, he felt safe and protected. Her touch was always so gentle and kind -- so akin to Dís.
"You've done so much for us," worn out, Kili's words slurred slightly, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. Sleep sounded so good right now.

The dinnerware clattered dangerously on the nearby table as the house rumbled.
"What was that?" Kili looked to his godmother in concern, then to his brother.
Bard had entered by then, and both his daughters ran to him, both relieved yet troubled to see him.
"Da? What's happened?" Tilda grabbed onto his sleeve, and Sigrid put a hand to her sister's shoulder to calm her. "Are you alright?"

[Assistant]
Bain looked out of the window towards the mountain in the distance. "It's coming from the mountain!", he announced to them, answering their possibly simultaneous question. "The dragon...", Saeril murmured quietly, her face grave. Sigrid looked worried. Fili urgently approached Bard who just entered the house. "You should leave us", the blonde began to tell the bargeman. "Take your children, get out of here!"

"And go where?!", the Lakeman asked the dwarf, a hint of anger in his voice. "There is nowhere else for us to go!", Bard added with a bit of grave in his voice. "Are we going to die, Da?", Tilda, the young girl asked, looking very frightened. "The dragon, it's going to kill us!" Taking the last black arrow from the ceiling, Bard looked upon his children. "Not if I kill it first", he told them with clenched teeth, before he exited the house with the black arrow in hand.

Feeling another rumble, Saeril walked quickly to the house's entrance and looked upon the Lonely Mountain. "What is it?", she heard Fili at her side as they both gazed at the figure in the distance. It was huge, and it had wings. One thing that would be, is a dragon. Not just any dragon. "Smaug", she breathed out the name. "He's coming this way", she told them with dread.

[User]
At the news, Kili sat up some, feeling sick with dread. If Smaug was to come here, they were done for. All of Laketown would feel the wrath of such a mighty beast; he had heard the stories of Smaug all his life, and he knew the destruction he was capable of.

If the dragon was coming here, where were the others? Kili couldn't help but worry for their safety; they had headed towards the mountain and Smaug may have met them first.
"We need to find Thorin," though tired, he began to ready himself for their departure. Time was not on their side, Smaug would arrive within a matter of moments.

Oin was in full agreement. "We'll need a boat," hastily, he threw his supplies back into his bag, then turned to help Kili who, once again, insisted he was fine.
"You'll have to come with us," the healer explained to Bard's children, but Bane would not hear of it. "Not without our Da--"
"If you stay, laddie, you and your sisters will die." Oin couldn't sugarcoat it, they hadn't a moment to spare. "Is that what your father would want?"

[Assistant]
Fili ran to his brother and tried to help him stand, but the youngest did indeed collapse, which grabbed Saeril's attention fast. Kneeling down to help the young dwarf, the she-elf carefully used her full strength to pick him up completely, holding him like she would hold a child, against her chest. She was ushering Bain, the girls, and the rest of the company quickly to an empty boat they could leave town with.

Smaug was reaching Laketown, and with a ferocious roar, he let loose a jet of rippling orange flame, catching an entire row of houses alight.

[User]
Kili had done the best that he could; he wanted to prove himself capable, but he'd fallen almost immediately. Thankfully, Fili and Saeril had helped him, and before he could protest, he felt his godmother pick him right up. "The floor's uneven," he mumbled tiredly, a lame attempt to shift the blame.

As soon as the group made their way outdoors, Smaug's fire lit up the opposite side of Laketown. The heat from the flames could be felt even from where they were, and panicked shouts and cries of the people were heard both near and far. Oin lead them towards the boat, ushering Bard's children to board. Sigrid helped Tilda, both worried sick about their father.

Kili caught sight of Smaug, though only briefly. Hearing about the mighty dragon was one thing, seeing him was another. Bofur shook his head in disbelief, offering Fili and the others help to the boat. At this rate, there would be no town to return to.