[System]
* Age: 16
* Gender: Female
* Race: Human
* Appearance: Armored. She is 5'1, with pale skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair. Her armor is silver with gold decorations. Her sword has a golden hilt.
* Personality: Fanilly is one to take her duty seriously. This is both due to a belief in the cause of the Iron Rose Knights, and a severe insecurity and self-consciousness about her position. She is well aware that she is young and comparatively inexperienced. She knows that she is only in the position she is because of her birth, as she was born under a full moon. This only makes her feel worse about it. For Fanilly Danbalion, captain of the Iron Rose Knights, she can't help but feel that they have a point. She's young. And even though the founder was the same age, she was viewed as something miraculous, almost a saint. Should Fanilly truly be leading them? This weighs heavily on her mind, and thus one of her biggest desires is to prove that she is. In spite of her young age, in spite of how this tradition has worn thin for some, Fanilly wants to prove that she is a worthy captain of the Iron Rose Knights above all else. Aside from this desire, the girl is somewhat socially awkward, sometimes unprepared for conversation. However, she is not really shy and can generally deal with attending various functions in the capital, as is expected of the Iron Rose Knights. She is dedicated to the purpose of the order, to defend the innocent and protect the land of Thaln. However, the doubts surrounding her have lead to a lack of confidence in herself. Fanilly has a younger sister and as a result has a somewhat stronger affinity for children and desire to keep the safe, but as someone dedicated to the Iron Rose Knights' cause she wishes to protect all those in need. While she has a lacking in confidence, she retains some pride in her training, as she has proven to be skilled at swordplay in spite of her youth.
* Brief Backstory: Fanilly is a daughter of the Danbalion family, a noble family already. While they had never been knights, her birth on a full moon immediately made her a potential future candidate for the Iron Rose Knights' captain. She was simply needed sooner then many expected. And so she experienced training for several years leading up to her installment as the Captain of the Iron Rose Knights. Initially she was confident in herself, but it quickly became clear that even some within the Knights had grown tired of the tradition of selecting a maiden born on a full moon to be the captain. This wore on her quickly, and has lead to her desperation to prove herself.
* Equipment: Fanilly wears a well-made set of somewhat ornate armor. She wields a fine longsword in her right hand and a dagger with a curved hilt for trapping weapons in her left.
* Skills: Fanilly has experienced extensive training in swordplay, specifically in the use of a longsword in both hands, or paired with a unique parrying dagger.

[User]
"Ah?"

Fanilly was surprised to hear a voice behind her.

She was even more surprised to see who it was. But then again, perhaps pursuing a more leisurely activity in comparison to further training was an ideal pastime for the mercenary-turned knight before her. Aggravating that injury would do no good.

For that matter, the sight of his arm in that sling caused a twinge of guilt in the Knight-Captain's heart. In her head, she was already running through scenarios in which her commanding was just a bit better, where she was able to keep any of her knights from being injured. Surely, surely, she could have done better.

But she didn't speak of them.

"Sir Gerard, it's good to see you," Fanilly greeted her knight with a pleasant smile.

Rather then her resplendent silver armor, the slight blonde was dressed in the blue, white, and gold uniform granted to the Captain of the Iron Rose Knights. To be honest, at times she wished she could dress more casually, but it wouldn't to for her to do so among her knights.

"I'm looking for any information we may have on the shards of Angroron," she explained, blue eyes returning to the bookshelf, "Everyone's familiar with the story of Saint Lilianna and the fall of Orodrunn, but the nature and whereabouts of the shards aren't common knowledge."

She let out a small sight. It was for good reason. Few wanted to risk such terrible artifacts being discovered. And those that sought them out were likely precisely the sort of people who should never obtain them.

But that did make it harder to prevent someone who had already found them from doing something terrible.

A few of the books she was examining were labeled with titles such as Theology and History: The Divine Influence on Our Past, Record of the Orodrunn War, and Tools of the Wicked: Know the Enemy.

Somewhat embarrassed, Fanilly awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"I guess I've never really looked at anything but the library's novels before, so I didn't have a great idea of where to start... I just picked out titles that looked promising."

The young girl paused for a moment.

"How is your arm?"

[Assistant]
Sir Kherun Zeydria

The young druid was pleased at the fact that he had captured a survivor. As he rode back to Candaeln on the back of his horse Wedge, Kherun went over the battle countless times in his head. The rush of actual combat still coursed through Kherun's body, his blood pumping, his hair standing up on its own.

But what he also felt was the pain in his upper arm. That last minute hit from a mercenary had throbbed for several hours now. But even with that injury, Kherun felt himself lucky that he hadn't been beheaded or something like that in his first battle. Watcher seemed to agree with this thought, hooting loudly as he flew right above the young knight.

The ride back to Candaeln was slower this time, as he was not in a rush to join a battle and that the knights had to take it slower with their injuries. Also injured was the mercenary that Kherun found. The prisoner was still wrapped in the plant roots and slumped over the back of a horse. Kherun figured that he would probably survive the ride back to the fort.

And sure enough the prisoner did survive as he was handed off to the guards for questioning. Shortly after the knights returned to the fort, Kherun quietly retired to his quarters. Quickly falling asleep, the druid's dreams would be filled of clanging steel and bloodshed. When he did awake the next morning, Kherun found that his arm hurt even worse. Lifting up his garments, Kherun saw that there was a massive black and purple bruise on his arm.

Calling upon his druidic knowledge, Kherun remembered a herb that would reduce swelling and duration of a bruised body part. Getting dressed, Kherun left his quarters for the market. As the young knight made his way among the early morning shops and stalls, he quickly spotted what he was looking for. While the herb wasn't particularly rare, it didn't grow anywhere close to the fort.

Paying a little bit more than he thought it would be, Kherun would take a bandage and wrap it around the herb on top of his bruise. With his connection to nature, Kherun could immediately tell that it was working. Satisfied with his purchase, Kherun would begin to wander the streets.

Soon he found himself in the garden of the fort. As he walked through the patches of roses, Kherun saw the Knight-Captain leaving the mixed deity shrine. Wondering if she had been praying, Kherun realized that he knew so little about the captain as he wasn't sure who she worshiped.

Figuring that he should pray to the god who he professed a belief in, Kherun sat in front of the statue of Mayon. Reciting the age old prayers of this belief system, Kherun closed his eyes and spoke silently. Though he hadn't been born into the Mayonite faith, Kherun did take comfort in their practices.

After two minutes of reciting prayer and directing thoughts to the deity, Kherun stood back up. Figuring that he was now covered spiritually, the young druid decided to head toward the training area. Looking back on his first battle, there was a lot he could do the improve. Plus his arm had already started hurting less, which means he could probably swing a sword properly.

[User]
Gerard Segremors

"Been better," He hedged, bluntly honest in the tone of his self-assessment. A thousand battles behind had bored it into him, well before the aspirations of knighthood, always pushing him into the next, had even a chance of being realized. In the ghost of a smirk that flitted across his features, there was a darkly cavalier edge to his words as he began to explain thoroughly. "Been worse too. I was more worried about the nicks—"

Here, he presented her his cheek, showing the white square of gauze that was complaining to his face about moving his mouth so carelessly.

"Felt woozy the whole ride back. Think for the arm I just wrenched an oberhau too hard onto a shield, or yanked too recklessly in a grapple— tough to tell." The knight shrugged his shoulders. "I was lost in the swordplay. Whomever the new Quartermaster is for the Boars, he's definitely kicked their training up a notch. I won't say they're suddenly amazing fighters, far from it, but they're better than I remembered... Makes their hiring all the more interesting."

Mercenaries are an economy. Asking fees had to go up with the quality.

The raised eyebrows of impressed hindsight faded, a contemplative furrow taking their place as he looked over the tiny Captain's choices in literature. In lieu of a concrete title or direction... these guesses were as good as his, all told. Direct understanding of the legend's text and body aside, they all sounded like they'd have the sort of background upon which the history was couched. Information like that could prove useful in hunting down the shards for certain.

... Fees. Hunt. Hold on.

"I'll be honest, Captain, I'd be lucky to even be in the same boat as you." he chuffed with a touch of self-effacement, backpedalling through the shelves, squinting as he searched through the rows at head height. He'd just passed this one... "I'm only here as a favor, or if I'm hunting down the old training manuals. I'm too simple for the literature; even your novels'd be wasted on me."

His eyes lit for a moment, and his free hand pulled a spine, then an old navy tome loose from the shelf. He looked over it momentarily, as if double-checking the cover for the words that had caught his attention, before placing it upon the stack Fanilly had already procured: Lost Treasures of Thaln: For Legendary Collectors.

"That said, we know they're in demand. Artifacts that powerful have to have all kinds of treasure hunter and adventurer hunting them down. 'Least I'd think so."

What else did they know about them? If he had to narrow it down from this ocean of books, what would he look for in search of "things that suit a Shard to hide in"?

He frowned openly now, throwing his mind at the problem in spite of his previous admissions of thoughtlessness.

"...Maybe a travel guide too..." he now murmured beneath his breath, cupping his chin. "...Since they're corruptive influences like in the fort... Look for areas warned away from..."

He blinked, then looked back up, meeting the blue and gold blur that sharpened and clarified back into the form of his commanding officer.

"Pardon, ma'am. Not presuming to overstep. Your investigation."

[Assistant]
Tyaethe Radistirin

With people gathering to train outside, Tyaethe stretched thoughtfully, looking up towards the sky. Cloudy? Good enough, it would be annoying and burn over time, but it wasn't an immediately pressing concern.

Maritza and Kherun, if looking, were treated to the rather unusual sight of a vampire coming outside in daylight, leaning against her sword. It really put into perspective how absolutely pale that was, although there was definitely less smoke and fire than traditional stories might have indicated.

"So, Maritza, what would you do if you had to fight a dragon?"

@Martian

[User]
Sir Gerard's knowledge of these mercenary bands was certainly useful. While Fanilly had definitely heard of the Golden Boars and their ruthless nature before, she would not have been able to speak of their training or prior conduct in battle with anywhere near the level of accuracy as someone who had previously met them in combat more then once.

It was good to learn his injuries were mending well without too much further attention being necessary.

"I'm glad to hear you're doing well," she replied, "As for the Boars, I hope we can determine who hired them quickly..."

The imprisoned man would hopefully offer some information that could lead them to the Boars' employer. And if they were directly the one who desired the Angroron shard, then that would be all the better.

The idea of looking for books for treasure hunters for information made a lot of sense! She hadn't even thought about that angle before, but costly treasure was surely a draw towards those with plenty of daring and little common sense. The shard could be transported if insulted fully, as per the note that had originated from Lady Cal. Someone with that knowledge could easily think they would be able to claim it.

"You're right, Sir Gerard," Fanilly began, "I didn't think about it at all, but tomes for treasure hunters and travel guides could have the kind of information we're looking for too."

It hadn't even occurred to her, she'd been so focused on the legendary and historical side of things that the practical side had totally escaped her.

Even if she didn't say it aloud, it was obvious the girl was embarrassed at the fact that she'd failed to even consider a wider breadth of knowledge. Her cheeks had colored somewhat, as she examined the title that Sir Gerard had placed on top of the stack of books.

"There's no need to apologize, I appreciate your assistance," added Fanilly, doing her best to brush aside her awkwardness.


[System]
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: Hand axe [similar to hatchet, but more specialized in beating the crap out of something than chopping firewood]
Specialty: Party Tank [Boxing, Wrestling]
Semblance: What Is Hype May Never Die - Grows stronger and more durable in the presence of positive, giddy, or nervous energy. It's not like she turns into the Hulk in a social setting, but if she's with a friend or two cheering her on in a fight, she'll find that her blows come easier and the blows that hit her back seem like more of a dull ache than anything else.
Personality: A hot-blooded young girl with a zest for life, nights out, and a good scrap, Lauren is the epitome of a born leader with no resources to actually do anything. Growing up in a poor (poor poor) family taught her to make due with whatever help friends could offer, but in the end, only she could make what she deserved in life. Thus, a young girl who was more than happy to get loud in her parents ears grew into a bold, determined young woman who could feed off the energy of people around her and settle a situation as quickly as she could escalate it.

Quick to laugh, quick to zone out, quick to get riled up, and quick to forgive, Lauren naturally tends to be fidgety and addicted to energy. This makes her an exceedingly average and dreamy student until a team exercise rolls around.
Color: Hot white [effervescent, glossy white]
Emblem: A stick figure young woman with devil horns, twirling an axe between her stick hands.
Appearance:

When outside her uniform, Lauren gives the illusion of being an inch or two taller than her natural five foot eight, with a perpetual pep in her step and a brash loudness that seems to slightly puff her up.

Naturally dark-complected and built like a fighter, her favorite casual jacket emphasizes her build - long-sleeved, smooth white leather with a supportive gold-trimmed collar, cutting off just south of her diaphragm and exposing her (usually topless) rib cage and waist. On the back of the jacket, printed in similar burnished gold, is the word "WALLAHI" in jersey-block text. The word "BRUH" is written in the same text underneath it, where the number on a jersey would usually go.

Occasionally, when she wears it around her waist, she'll sport a black tank top in its stead.

Otherwise, her accessories are limited to half a dozen hemp bracelets up her right arm, a hair band worn around her left wrist, and an amethyst ring on her right ring finger.

[User]
75% GLAD

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew you were still a good guy deep down, Nii-chan!"

"AAAAARGH WHAT THE HELL GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!"

Picture this scenario, if you would.

A young man of a slight build is trapped in the position of leaning against the edge of a table, where there sits a very intricate piece of partially disassembled machinery. He is trapped for reasons twofold: one being that the necessary force to free himself could send something, like a small and difficult to notice gear or widget for instance, flying.

The second is what he is trying to escape: In this instance a little sister. However, she is no normal little sister. Struggle and squirm though he might, with all of his available might, he is at a distinct disadvantage in three areas.

Firstly, and most simply, size. Despite being her elder by 3 years and male, the young man is actually shorter and only mildly stockier than his sister. Her longer limbs give increased leverage on her squeeze, making his advantage in mass nearly useless.

Secondly, positioning. He is leaned, practically seated upon, the edge of the workbench, which thereby leaves his body in a suboptimal position for force generation in relation to it's base and center of gravity. She is fully clinging to him, and squeezing tight leaves her no need for such stability in the base.

Finally, skill. She is a girl who regularly trains her jiujitsu with black belts, and is herself at the upper end of a brown belt level. He is the result of some slapdash cross-training in many arts for a mere six months, with an emphasis on getting skills up and running as fast as possible since the time for refinement was lacking.

All in all, it's a desolate scene for him, isn't it?

"April, this is seriously starting to freak me out!"

Even as I thrashed and tried my level best to extricate myself from her clutches, the most dangerous thing to wear bumblebee colors since nuclear waste held fast, giggling happily. Giggling! Happily!

Call hell, tell it to stop freezing!

"Heeheehee, it's been so long since I've given you a big ol' hug like this..."

"I know, that's why it's creepy! What's with this sudden 180 in personality?! We've fought since middle school!" I demanded, trying and failing to pummel for an underhook. What happened to the mutual antagonism from five minutes ago?! I mean, I could understand if my offer had simply gotten her off of my back, but how the hell did glomping enter the equation?

"Well... To be honest, Nii-chan," she began, calming down but still not letting go. P-Progress, right? "I was actually really hoping I would get to use those gauntlets one day. Like, super hopeful about it."

"...Is that right?"

Well, it wasn't as if that didn't make sense. April had always been the one we all agreed took after our mother the most, and not just because she inherited all the height. Though it's tempered with age, I've heard stories of Mom being a similar firebrand who loved brawling when she was younger, and it's not hard to see where all that heat in April's blood comes from.

If you choose to believe it, that is. But it's reflected in Dawn too, if more subtly, and therefore I'm fairly sure it's my only option to believe that the unbelievable woman that was my mother was once a crazy kid too.

"Mm. It's right." April affirmed, somehow finding space to casually use me as a springboard when she finally let go. What a mind-bendingly understated handspring... Forget martial arts, she even made gymnastics seem like a cakewalk. You're that Ninja...

...Or maybe I'm just stiff, slow, and unathletic.

We are Huntsmen-to-be.

"I was pretty down when I learned they were headed off to Beacon with you, but I've been making sure not to show it. Whining about your own misfortune isn't justice, right?"

I blinked, plopping back down into the chair with a thoughtful "hunh".

"So then, you've been holding out for me to not use them anymore?"

What kind of plan was that? For someone who could make due with just her fists and semblance, I suppose it was more feasible than it would be for most.

But even so, she herself admitted that it wasn't going to last her for much longer than it had. If I weren't planning on giving up the gauntlets, where would that have left her aside from shit out of luck?

"Of course not, stupid." she scoffed. "Like I said, I was beginnin' to think of other options... But none of them would have felt as right as taking up Mama's mantle. So I'm really happy you'll let me, is all."

"Wow, so you guys actually made up? Impressive!"

I was fairly sure I had not heard that door open.

In walked two young women, one I instantly recognized and the other I had the vaguely familiar feeling about that, in hindsight, should have told me who she was. Dawn Schwarz was very distinct in her colorful yukata, feminine and subdued demeanor (comparatively [in regards to her sister]), and family resemblance to me, being my little sister and all.

The other was a girl about April's age, maybe a bit older, with dark hair and all the expressiveness of a particularly joyful rendition of the Thinker statue. Very familiar, but I was drawing a blank at the moment with the whirlwind I was going through.

"Oh, Hiya, Dawn an' Galla!" April chirped in greeting, raising a hand. "Sorry for running off on you guys like that, but I found Nii-chan!"

"...Hi. I'm Luke."

I didn't really know what to think or say beyond that. It wasn't like Galla was giving me much to work with...

"Aw, drat, I wanted to handle introductions..." Dawn groused momentarily, before returning to her prim smile. "You look well, Onii-chan! In one piece and everything!"

"Don't say 'in one piece' like that's exceeding expectations. I'm not porcelain."

"Yeah, but like I was telling Galla here, April was trying to rip your head off..."

A very poorly, "innocently" whistled tune from my left cued a flat look aside to my bigger sister before I continued to address the littler one.

"Alright, fair point. And yeah, I am managing, more or less, but the year's just started and it's about to kick in. As in, kick in in full."

And kick in my teeth.

I refused to delude myself whenever I appraised where I stood in life. And, to speak of appraisal, I shifted in my seat to face the stoic girl alongside my sly little sister, and inclined my head in a small gesture of supplication.

"I'm sorry if they've been dragging you along on their hijinks, Galla. These two don't understand the concepts of 'personal space' or 'leaving well alone', so it's alright to let me know."

Galla.

GallaGallaGalla.

...Was that Central Mistralese?

Hm.

I just had to know the answer to this...

I knew this. I could figure it out.

[Assistant]
Mindaro Mondays - Galla

She took in the scene before her with lifeless, hazel eyes. It was immediately obvious from the physical similarities and a lack of other options that the messy-haired young man on the chair was the same big brother that Dawn had spoken of. And, taking into account the droop of the cowlick on his head, the likely object of her sister's curiosities. It seemed like it really did run in the family. It also appeared to be the only indicator of the struggle he must have overcome mere moments before their rival; the rest of him, a few scuff marks aside, appeared to be entirely unharmed, as if he had managed to successfully avoid the supposedly-inevitable assault that the elder of the Schwarz sisters had promised.

The healing-based semblance he possessed was clearly effective.

"Hi Luke," she replied immediately.

He appeared to recognise her. If he was familiar with big sister, then that was expected; it was Family Day.

"I'll consider your offer."

Her tone, patient and unnaturally calm, did not change an iota.

[User]
:

And Geni held Gratia's unyielding gaze without wavering. In her demeanor he found a mixture of laxed professionalism and apathetic intrigue. It was an off-putting duo, but Geni held no qualms against it and he in fact welcomed it. Her ever-searching gaze was nothing compared to that he had held in the past. It paled in comparison.

"Pre-arranged during my absence. I'm officially apart of team Vignoble."

[Assistant]
Minazuki
Cian Kuze

"Sounds like a plan if any" Cian said as she headed out if anything it would be a quick and easy thing since no one had any plans this was probably the best solution staying in school and getting cheap food was always a plus if you asked her. "Tristan let out a sigh as he took of his hat and rubbed his head it was good she was opening up but at the same time he kind of wished it wasn't with the opposite sex is this what fathers felt when their daughters started dating? If so he was never having children period there was no if ands or buts about it. This was hell and he knew it and he did not want to go through it a second time that was for certain.

[User]
"Well, my whole family died in a tragic bird Faunus hunting accident, so it's been a little quiet," Jericho replied drily. "It's one of the dozens of reasons I hate you."

Granted, not that Family Day had been atrocious. The Mindaro parents were more acceptable company than Gratia, and their continued gratitude for something as minor as surviving a shopping spree alongside them was as sweet as it was wholly unnecessary. The twin land mines of unwanted affection that were Bianca and Beryl were as predictable yet unwanted as a sunrise was to a goddamn hangover, but there were much harder people to avoid out there. He...

He couldn't complain.

His cappuccino was ready; he heard his name being called in the lax tones of a barista looking to move a coffee off the counter. Jericho went to collect, and returned to take his seat. This time, he sat normally, and at least paid Bianca the courtesy of meeting her eyes for a second. She had an infuriating grin on her porcelain face. He knew he'd been too soft on her. Goddamn it.

Goddamn it.

"So what's up with you?" he asked, loathing himself as he did. "Sitting in a coffeehouse alone on Family Day is even depressing to me. Is there anyone else from the Second Estate that I'm going to have to work not to shoot today?"


[System]
Age: 24
Appearance:

Powers:
- Manipulation of heat and fire: Ruby can create heat or fire, but only in an extremely uncontrollable fashion. As such she hasn't so much learned to use this as to supress it. Anger and fear in particular make it harder for her to keep control, so she works hard on not becoming angry or frightened at all.
- Impervious to heat, and to a lesser degree, cold: Ruby is pretty much comfortable at whatever temperature, and she can handle hot things without hurting herself. This is the only part of her power that she makes use of in day-to-day life.

[User]
Ruby blinked a few times at the unexpected turn of events. She'd always thought she was good with people, but that was when she was in familiar territory, with people who knew who she was and what they expected of her. This woman didn't recognise her even after being told her name, and Ruby felt a little stupid for not having anticipated that possibility. Sure, she knew intellectually that there were a lot of people who's lives were almost totally unconnected from the gods or the church, but that thought was so far away from the reality of her own life that she'd never really taken the time to consider what it meant. Though she doubted she would ever have imagined that it would fall to her to explain to the daughter of the moon that she was... well, the daughter of the moon.

"Um, yeah, I am," she said, playing with the ends of her dreads in an unintentional nervous gesture. She new it would be best if she just got some priests to explain and show that the paper most definitely didn't work for everyone, but something stopped her. This woman was supposed to be her chance to finally not feel alone any more, and she wasn't about to fade into the background while the priests did all the talking.

"I'm on the news at least once a year, on the summer solstice. My mom is a priest in the Celestial temple of the Great Pyramid, and my mother is the Radiant Sol." She said it as casually as she could manage. This wasn't some great declaration, after all, just a statement of fact to the only person who might be able to understand how she felt.

"You do have divine heritage. It's not your family though, just you. No one but a demigod has enough divine spark to light the fire like that, and if you want to see others try there are people downstairs who can touch the paper as well. The seers of the twelfth hour have spent the last couple of weeks pouring over a set of divinations that eventually led us to your apartment block. A set of divinations that all pointed to the same thing: a child of the moon living right where you lived up until a week ago. They assumed we were looking for a child, but apparently they were wrong..." The woman's earlier insistence that she didn't have any divine heritage sprang to mind, and she quickly kept talking before she could be dismissed out of hand.

"I know it must be quite a shock, but have you never felt like you were different? Did you ever catch a cold as a child, or any of the other diseases others seem to catch every year? You must be gifted, right? Everyone always talks about drawing the power out, nurturing it and learning how to use it, but that's not how it works for you, right? Wasn't it more difficult for you to turn it off rather than turn it on? Surely you must have felt as if you were... different from the people around you. Well, it was because you are," as Ruby talked, the desperate edge creeping in around the words audible even to her own ears.

[Assistant]
Tsuki rolled her eyes when the woman began playing with her dreads. Was she supposed to take this woman seriously? The situation felt more and more surreal with every passing minute. At least she'd finally gotten her to stop sidestepping the issue and explain it straight to her. It was easy to see why she might have preferred to not be that honest though, as what she was trying to explain was unbelievable at best.

Once Ruby told her that she was on the news once a year at the summer solstice, Tsuki felt like she should have recognized her earlier. She had never been all that interested in religious topics, but she'd heard others talk about the sun goddess' daughter. That had to be who she was, or claimed to be. It'd be very easy for Tsuki to find out if she was telling the truth or not. A few steps to the computer on her desk and she could search for photographs of the demigod. If the woman was telling the truth, the photographs would be of her.

Tsuki's breaking point arrived when the woman told her that she was a demigod as well. One of those powerful beings who had both a human parent and a divine. She burst out laughing. A laughter that was sincere and mocking at first. She had to steady herself with the door again, leaning her back against it and crossing her arms across her stomach. Her parents loved each other and would never cheat, even with a goddess. Her father adored her mother, and her mother felt the same way… right? She knew that her mother had decided Tsuki's name for her, but that was a silly coincidence… surely? Tsuki's laughter soon took a more strained and uncertain tone, until it was more coughs than anything. It was as if she wanted to keep laughing to convince herself this was all nonsense.

Despite her laughter, Tsuki had listened to the rest of what the woman had said, as much as she had wanted to drown the sound of her voice out by laughing. Some of it had hit a bit too close to home. She'd rarely been sick like other children, but her father had always bragged about her good genes, even when her brother and sister fell ill. She couldn't really deny that she was gifted either. It had gotten her a job that made her plenty of money while others with skills went unemployed or underpaid. The worst realization was that the moon goddess was the deity of death across the entire world.

"I'll be right back…" Tsuki said and stared intently at Ruby's features to memorize them. She went inside her office, left the door open and walked over to the desk. She moved the mouse to shake the computer awake, logged in and soon found herself staring at photographs of Ruby the demigod after a quick image search. She had no idea how to feel, but she supposed she should keep up her scepticism. It only proved that Ruby was who she claimed to be. Maybe the best proof she could get was to ask her parents.

She left the gun on the desk and went for the bottle next to the sofa. A stiff drink might help her, she didn't care with what. There were some creepy coincidences between Ruby's explanation and Tsuki's reality, but hopefully that was all it was. As she stood there drinking straight from the bottle, she remembered she'd left the door open and Ruby could clearly see her.

"Uh…" Tsuki said, unsure of how to continue the conversation. She sighed, resigning herself to telling the truth about her abilities. "I can speak to the dead, and predict how someone's going to die. You've got a bunch of symbols floating around your head that'd normally let me do it." She waved her hand dismissively in the direction of Ruby. "Yours are clouded like… my own." Another realization, which made her take another swig straight from the bottle. It was better than sobbing.

[User]
The laughter had been bad enough, but at least she had been able to talk over it. When the woman went back into her office without even deigning to answer any of Ruby's questions, though, she could do little more than watch from the doorstep. She still had a gun after all, and Ruby didn't want to provoke her any more than she'd already did. At least she could take the opportunity to quickly peek at the nameplate on the door again, so she would be able to put a name to the woman. Aizawa Tsuki. Was that in western or eastern order?

When she looked back into the room Aizawa Tsuki was gulping something presumably alcoholic down straight from the bottle. Ruby stared in shock for a moment, which morphed into embarrassment when the moonchild caught her eye. At least she put the bottle down for a while to talk, and the words were interesting enough for her to try and ignore the next swig out of the bottle.

"You're a natural seer?" she asked, a slight note of awe in her voice. The priests loved to let people know that they were really good at predicting the future, but Ruby had seen how much preparation, ceremony and, well, guessing were really involved with comparatively basic divinations. And no one she knew would even want to come close to suggesting they could tell how people died. That was the domain of the moon, after all, and not something for mortals to guess at. Well, except for the woman across from her, obviously.

"That's…" she paused at the stricken look on Aizawa's face. This was probably not the time to talk about how amazing she thought her gifts were.

"That sounds like it could be a bit much for one person," she instead said softly. The gun was nowhere in sight, so she carefully stepped into the office that seemed to double as apartment.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, I never meant to. I just… there isn't really a way to bring new like this gently, I guess," her voice was low and soothing as she approached the woman as she would a frightened animal. Her powers might not be very… subtle, but other than that caring and soothing came easy to her. As excited as she might be to have discovered her equal, at the moment she only felt for the hurt she was obviously feeling.

"Are you okay? You never told me your name." She had read it from the door, of course, but right now they needed to have something neutral to talk about.

[Assistant]
"Mhm." Tsuki grunted, an indifferent response to the question. She'd just said she was a seer after all. Why did Ruby repeat the information she'd given her back to Tsuki? If she truly thought she was the child of a goddess, why would it even surprise her? It seemed like a rather weak ability compared to others that she could imagine. It was rather difficult for her to prove that she could do it too, unless someone could get a mortally ill or wounded person in front of her. There wasn't any great lack of those, she figured, but anyone could tell those were dying.

She shot Ruby a quick glare when she almost said what she actually thought of Tsuki's natural ability but stopped herself. Tsuki sat down on the couch, took another swig from the bottle and put her feet up on the table. Ruby's next comment was obviously constructed to be empathetic and less offensive than the one she'd swallowed. Yet it unnerved Tsuki, perhaps because she was aware it wasn't what the woman's original thought had been. The way she suddenly spoke made her strangely aware that they were alone, and that Ruby was entering her office slash home without permission. She let her do it, mostly because it was her office and she had people enter it all the time, but not quite this late.

Tsuki turned to observe the other woman slowly moving in her direction. Maybe she still thought that she had the gun and wanted to be careful, not make any sudden movements and all that. The way she was acting made her a bit nervous, but somewhat less eager to shoot her as well. There was something genuine to every comforting word she said. She wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or Ruby's words that made her feel at ease. Perhaps a combination of both.

"I never said I believed you. There's just some coincidences that adds up to something strange." Tsuki said, slurring more now than she had before. "I still require more proof. I'm a detective for gods' sake. I can't trust the word of a wet woman showing up in the middle of the night, only because she happens to be the daughter of a goddess and worshipped." She laughed as an indecent thought passed through her head. "I wish it'd happen more often though, could be a more pleasant experience." At first, it didn't occur to her that she had said it aloud. When it did, she acted like she didn't care, but blushed with her face turned away.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nothing solves my problems like alcohol. The name's Tsuki, so I suppose if you're right my mom had an interesting sense of humour." She decided to add an explanation. "Tsuki means moon if you didn't know that." Tsuki stretched the bottle in her hand out towards Ruby. "You want some? Or did your mom said you couldn't?" She grinned, but pulled it back before Ruby could turn her down. "Nah, it's mine." She took another swig. "Does the moon goddess agree with your view on alcohol as well?"

[User]
Ruby was glad the gun didn't seem involved any more, but the constant drinking wasn't all that much of an improvement. Aizawa was already slurring her speech, and the words that came out of her mouth made it clear she wasn't fully in control of her faculties any more. That, or she just didn't care about being indecent, it was hard to tell. She tried to ignore the way her cheeks heated up, glad that her dark complexion would keep any blush from showing. At least she didn't seem interested in provoking her, because she quickly moved onto the next subject.

She couldn't blame Aizaw- no, Tsuki for still having doubts, but Ruby had none of her own. She'd seen dozens of people touch the holy papers that day, and many more before that. Tsuki didn't have that advantage, and neither did she seem to be very familiar with- or appreciative of- religion in general.

"Er…" Ruby floundered a little when she was offered the bottle, trying to think of a polite way to turn down the alcohol. She must have been very obvious, because Tsuki pulled it back almost immediately. Though she was still a bit concerned about all the drinking, at least the religious question was more her domain.

"The scripture contains many references to intoxicating agents, some of which can be quite contradictory," she said. "In general, the clergy err on the side of moderation. It is not wrong for one to enjoy life's pleasures, but to cloud the mind is to close your heart to the beauty of the world the goddesses have created. Er, at least that's what the priests say." It wouldn't do to antagonise her, after all. She was quiet for a moment, unsure how to broach the subject of what would happen next.

"The priests will be expecting me back down soon," she eventually said. She knew the casual tone of voice probably wasn't going to fool Tsuki, but she had to say something. The last thing she wanted was to have more people come in unannounced.

"I should probably go back down for a bit and talk to them… They will want to talk to you as well…" she said slowly. She couldn't imagine Tsuki having a good reaction to the thought, so she quickly went on.

"You said you wanted more proof, right? Well, they can give you that. Everyone can touch the paper, and if that's not enough there are other plans. There's a temple in Iceland that has an artefact that used to belong to the last moonchild. Just a small trip- all expenses covered of course- and you will know. If we were wrong, you'll never have to hear from us again."


[System]
Appearance:
Age: 16
Gender: Male

Hero Name: Avalanche
Quirk Name: Stone Shape
Quirk Type: Transformation
Quirk Description: Stone Shape allows Peter to change into a very large granite rock around five cubic feet or as small as one cubic inch, and weigh an appropriate amount based off his size. He can only take on simple shapes, with the most complex shape he can take is a perfectly spherical shape. In this form Peter can still sense as normal however he doesn't need to breath, though he can still be blinded/deafen. All Peter can do while in this form is roll or spin, with his spherical form being the best at doing both, and he can't change size unless he changes back to human first. He can transform even in spaces too small to normally fit his biggest form though whether or not he'll break free depends on what he's breaking free from. This form is very handy when falling from a high distance as either small or large boulder form is highly resistant against the sort of impact from falling up to around 100 feet.

When he transforms, his clothes tend to tear apart and possessions fall off his body, like backpacks and things in his pockets. Living creatures like people or animals aren't affected if he transforms even if he is holding onto them. It's very hard for him to control his momentum once he starts moving and he can't get out of his form until he comes to a complete stops, though if he's in human form he can transform into boulder form even while on the move. Doing enough damage to him that could shatter his form (Which means knocking off at least 10% of his current mass while in boulder form) does a critical amount of damage to him as well in either small or large form and any damage he has in his human form will also carry over into his boulder form as cracks and chips in the stone. When not moving in boulder form, he can remain in that form for at most thirty minutes, and less if he makes himself move around. Outside forces moving him like someone pushing him or if he turns into a boulder while on a slope doesn't count against that limit. Moving around in boulder form takes up a lot of his stamina, forcing him to rely on momentum to conserve his stamina. The bigger he is the more energy it takes for him to move. If he runs out of stamina he transforms back into his human form by force, and trying to change back will result in a lot of cracks and damage in his form, as well as an even shorter time limit until he either gets knocked out or just dies.

Inventory & Possessions:
Emergency Phone - Different from his regular cellphone, this is a phone meant solely for emergencies and can quickly call the police and alerts any nearby heroes with just a press of the button. It also can make a very loud noise louder than a shotgun blast in order to draw attention to his location. Lastly it can also be tracked via GPS as long as it's charged, and it has a 30 hour battery life.

Gadget Goggles - Special goggles Peter saved up his money to buy. Wearing it lets him use various features such as night vision, telescopes, and even heat detection. It also has a built in flash guard to defend against sudden bright lights. Needs to be charged though. Also works as water goggles.

First Aid Kit - A portable med kit that can handle minor injuries and lessen the severity of major wounds. Comes with stuff that can also be used to deal with common illness such as headaches, nausea, stomachaches, and so forth.

Travel Bag - Peter always carries a small travel bag that he can put his belongings into, like his cellphone and wallet, as well as a change of clothes in case he has to transform into a boulder and loses his clothes.

Sample Post:
Being a hero isn't easy. Peter knew that first hand as he saw his father lowered into the ground. He was a good man and a good husband, going above and beyond for his fellow men in the line of duty. Everyone called him a hero and Peter didn't think otherwise. But that doesn't mean it makes things easy. All his life his father told him to always be careful and to take care of himself. That things are never as simple as just taking the first step. Peter of course didn't believe his old man for a second and always knew he could do more if his dad just let him. But the reality was that you could never be prepared when the worse comes to worse.

After his father died Peter slowly recovered from his death and moved on with his life. While he still had the occasional flights of fancy about being a hero, it always came with the bitter pill about the risks. Instead of dwelling on it Peter just tried to focus on his education and working on his college credits towards law school. He wanted to join the police academy like his father but as an attorney instead of an officer. It was safer that way. His family could still be proud of him for following the family tradition while putting himself in a safe and comfortable job. He worked hard, read his books, took care of his body. Everything seem normal.

But true character is found not by what you show people, but what you hide.

Ever since that day Peter takes time after school to patrol his city. He keeps his ear to the ground to find trouble and gets involved when no one else is willing or able. During these times he can't show his face because he's worked so hard to make sure everyone liked what they saw. Instead he puts on a mask so he can finally do what he wanted to do all his life: take control. At first it was just around his school. Kids bullying each other during the day and thinking they can go home without a care in the world. He made it clear that it doesn't end there. When he heard about his friends having problems at their home life, he makes sure someone, anyone finds out. Cops, priests, teachers, he doesn't care how sensitive the matter is. People were getting hurt because of silence. When they whispered, he would be the one to scream. Peter thought he was helping. He should have listened to his father and remember:

It was never simple.

Everything Peter did only made things worse. People became angry and he only knew one way how to deal with them. Soon his friends started to stop hanging out with him, some of them never came back to school. Drama unfolded all around him and all he wanted to do was help by dealing with them directly. It all came to it's limit when he heard his best friend, the one person who knew and thought like he did, told everyone what Peter did. Even he couldn't believe the sort of extremes that Peter went just to do something, anything, instead of feeling powerless all the time. And now instead of becoming the hero that he wanted to be, he because public enemy number one.

A year later Peter moved away from his hometown. His mothers and his family fought long and hard to protect him from the others who would want to hurt him, both violent and legally, for the things he's done. He had the support of his family but deep down he questioned if it was really all worth it. If being a hero was something he really wanted to do. In order to make sure that this whole thing could blow over safely, Peter was sent to live with his uncle in San Francisco, fortunately right as he would be going to high school. It was then that Peter would have what he thought was his last chance to make everything all right: U.J. The hero academy started by the number one hero himself, All Might. If Peter could make it through this school, to make it to the top, then maybe he would know what he needs to do to be a hero. To learn the skills and knowledge instead of just the drive and the passion.

This was his chance to make things right.

[User]
---

Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

---

@Heartfillia @Mangrale

As Freya struggled to stand amidst the ever-erupting chaos, movement from inside the building caught her eye. "Eira!" she yelled, watching that scorpion tail lash at her. Just in time - hopefully it had been just in time - someone knocked the stinger away with the same fire extinguisher the villain had used as a weapon herself.

Hearing a thud, Freya turned to see Renard fall to his knees. That wild look was gone from his eyes, replaced by one of pain and guilt as he stammered an apology. "Renard... Wh-What happened?" she blurted, but he didn't reply, his expression distant once more.

Footsteps sounded, and in an instant, Eira was beside them. "Eira are you ok? Y-You didn't get hit just now, did you?" Freya asked, tensing as Eira gripped Renard's arm, but he seemed to have used up the last of his charge. Relief spread through her as he began to stand up - only to sink back down. "I-I'm sorry... Oh Renard I'm so sorry!" The words came out choked. She crawled towards him on twitching limbs, tears streaming down her face. It was clear his physical state was much worse than hers, and all because he'd stepped in to save her. "If-If I'd been more careful, hadn't run into her like that... I'm sorry!"

When he hauled himself up, insisting she and Eira leave him, she shook her head. "No." Her stomach clenched. "No, you heard Eira, we're leaving, all of us." For all her attempts to help, however, as he reached out, she flinched away. Dammit! Don't make this even worse, she scolded herself, staggering to her feet with a strangled cry. Pain spasmed through her body with every movement.

Clutching her arm, which hurt worst of all, she steeled herself and stepped closer. She trembled all over, her muscles so taut they burned, but no way was she leaving a friend behind. Especially not one who'd gotten into this mess for her sake. "Come on, both of you." She glanced from Renard and Eira to the chainsaw woman, who writhed on the ground just a few feet away. "Let's get out before she recovers."

The sight of somebody else collapsing brought a gasp. "Sofia! Th-This... No, this can't be happening..." This was meant to be a simple school outing. How could it all go to hell so badly?

[Assistant]
Things continued to seem like they were going fairly well. The students were mostly in disarray, and from what he could tell, Jackie was certainly holding her own against sparky and that damned cat thing. Anarchy, too, was doing her thing. It seemed he could relax the swarm on this floor a little bit, and focus it way more up there to try and cripple the students further to prevent these little brats ever wanting to face him and his fellow villains again - at least, not in a group like this. He still kept a decent sized posse around him though, just in case - one could never be too safe.

So, Dean kept targeting through the hole, as the swarm downstairs relaxed a bit. He could absolutely no way risk peering through the senses of any of his soldiers, as he needed all his senses to be alert within himself. He peered around at the chaos for a little bit. The crowd of heroes had thinned out massively, seeming as if this whole debacle was coming to an end. It wasn't like it was going to end any other way than victory for him and the villains - these were just school children after all, and despite being under the stewardship of the number one hero, they would never be more than mere children until they maybe got their hero licenses and took their degeneracy out on the streets.

Then - Dean caught something out of the corner of his eye. A big, white, fluffy mass, flying through the air he turned to glance at it, and that's when the rock came flying towards him. He had but a second to react, and a valiant bird knocked it just off course by colliding with it, sending the rock flying into his top hat, which fell to the ground. Dean scowled, looking down. That was his favourite hat. He was just lucky that the rock had skimmed over his forehead. He turned back to the moth girl, finding her already unconscious on the ground. This would not go without retribution, so he gave a good portion of his legion a new command.

Go for her wings. Peck, scratch, claw. Ruin them.

While that went on, Dean turned around and glanced down at the object that was thrown at him. It certainly didn't have a usual trajectory... Was it some sort of egg? Something infused with a quirk? Whatever it was, it aroused Dean's suspicion. It had come dangerously close to knocking him out, after all. He placed a foot on it. It wasn't soft, it was by all intents and purposes just a stone. He kept it under his foot for a bit, before taking it off and looking at the rock through his eyepieces.

@Mangrale

[User]
Peter whizzed right into the hat of the crooked bird man. Silently Peter thanked Sofia for all of her effort; without her Peter would just be stuck on that roof with no way to help. Seeing those birds swarm her body did make him panic, but he couldn't let this chance go to waste. Her sacrifice won't be in vain! The bird man stepped on him and for a moment Peter didn't move. He was just a rock after all. But as soon as he took his foot off and got a closer look he sprung into action! In a blink Peter transformed back into his normal form, reaching to grab the birdman's beak mask. Grasping the mask with his full strength, Peter would try and rip it off as his other hand reached into his pocket and took out his emergency cellphone; he was waiting for this moment! With just a single press of a button an ear piercing screech emanated from his phone, deafening Peter and likely this birdman and his feathered fiends. It would also alert pretty much everyone in the area where Peter was at, and more importantly the school itself would be notified of an emergency and his location. He really should've done this sooner, but better late than never.

"YOU DAMN CHICKEN!" Peter then took his emergency phone to smash his face, ideally without his mask, or just around the head if the mask was on tight. He would jerk and pull the mask so this guy couldn't get a clear line of sight on Peter too, trying to take every advantage he can get in order to come out on top. More importantly, keep everyone else alive. This was basic video game logic; threaten the boss to draw aggro. No doubt that a villain would try to use Sofia as a hostage, but that would only work if Peter thought he couldn't save her from his birds. As long as he threaten this guy, he could save her from the birds by beating his face in!


[System]
Age : 25
Archon of: Earth

Physical Attributes
Apearance: Nicole has short cropped ebony hair and a rather slender body. She's fairly short with a height of 5'6 and weighing 120 pounds. She has an ever present smirk on her face. An expression that shows pure arrogance.
Physical Weaknesses: Nicole was never one for sports, or anything that involved moving her body strenuously. It was only when her father was murdered did she ever begin to push herself. Thus, she has low stamina and can't handle long fights. Even simple things like running a kilometer drains her energy. She has little, to no upper body strength at all, having a hard time lifting large heavy objects.
Physical Strengths: Nicole has always been quick on her feet. She's got fast reflexes and reaction time. With her father being such a prankster often pulling tricks on her and her mother, she's adapted to his jokes. Other than that, she's not much of a physical fighter.

Mental Attributes
Personality: Nicole is sly and cunning. For what she lacks physically, she makes up with intelligence. She's more into the art of deception, lying as if it were just a walk in the park. She loves to keep people in suspense. Hardly ever telling the whole story unless it was of utmost importance. To a degree, she's become manipulative. Wanting to control what she can't, just like her father's death. If she could, she would turn back time and prevent it.
Likes: Jokes, Pranks, Reading, Rain, Music
Dislikes: Liars (ones that can't lie convincingly), Ignorance, Waiting, Exercises
Phobias: Water, most specifically the ocean or any other body of water that could potentially drown her. This is because she doesn't know how to swim nor does she plan to learn.

Background
Biography: Nicole's childhood was a happy one. Constantly being played a joke on by her dad, she became quite the trickster just to get back at him. She was clever and often thought on her feet. One could say that her father left a huge impression on her. So, it wasn't a surprise that when her father was murdered, she took a turn for the worse. Her once playful, just for fun manner disappeared. Instead, she became detached and focused herself with her studies and the study on psychology. How a person thinks and what makes them tick. As her own way of trying to find out who had killed her father and how she would act if the oppurtunity arises. She was the type of person who held grudges and her father's murder wasn't something she was going to forgive.

Combat Information
Typical form of combat: Melee
Preferred Team Role: Support, she'd rather not get her hands dirty and would stay at the sidelines.
Weapon: Tessen/War Fan
Unique Equipment: Anklet, her family's heirloom.

[User]
Even as the ship moved into orbit around the planet he felt the presence of another Archon on, Marcus felt vigor in his body return to him. His one remaining arm stretched taut as the muscles woke up. He could feel the finger tips on his other arm, and briefly looked down to it expecting to see flesh and bone, instead of metal and circuitry. Reality greeted him, the phantom pain bothered him, it could prove to be a liability in combat.

He'd burn that bridge when he came to it, for now there was the matter of reassembling the team, and for that he needed to get the two that came back with him as soon as possible. He knew full well what happened when you slapped time in the face. He figured that he could just open a rift to where the Archon was, but the place they were located could have changed in some way, and using your perception to go to a place that did not exist had obvious results. So he rationalized as he clambered into a drop pod.

The Leviathan hadn't changed, so he could open a rift back, but if this played out anything like it had last time, he would prefer to get in and get out effective immediately. Time was never on his side, and if his experience was anything to go on there were two more of that.... thing that had haunted him. He'd made the mistake of moving too slowly last time, and it cost him dearly.

The pod screamed through the atmosphere, burning a bright orange and lighting up the night sky. Tactical readouts on the view screen lit up with information on the database, planet Aenaestor.

Corvus is here, I can feel him Arcturus's voice once again filled the void of his mind.

Marcus didn't reply, just simply altered his course to hit near where he remembered his comrade's living place was. The air around the pod screamed as it slammed into the ground, the breaching bolts on the front exploded and he leaped out onto the ground. Before he began to head in Paul's direction, he stopped. Something wasn't right

As if on cue, a thick mist settled in the area, and several wet thumps could be heard, almost as if something had fallen off a building. His vision obscured, Marcus turned to other senses as he drew Raiden from the sheath on his back. He couldn't see what it was, but he could feel something moving in the mist, appearing then disappearing.

Then he saw a figure standing in the distance, humanoid, sort of drooped down with its arms hanging limp at its sides, twin piercing blue lights where its eyes were.

That's new

Evidently it noticed him and proceeded to disappear in a flash, his other senses told him it appeared closer to the left, and he whirled out of the way of an incoming bladed weapon, the perpetrator disappeared in a flash, reappearing in another location shortly. Another flash and Marcus ducked an incoming machete, and retaliated by thrusting Raiden straight into the attacker's chest, it stumbled down to its knees. Right as he pulled the blade out and prepared to decapitate it, another set of blue lights loomed and he parried an incoming weapon. He looked down to the hostile he wounded and found nothing.

I would recommend finding the Archon of Time and then getting out of here as quickly as possible Arcturus quipped

Noted he responded as he started moving forward, noticing more shapes in the mist. He began to sprint towards where Paul was located

[Assistant]
The underworld of Neo-Seattle has some very strange holdouts. While the humdrum, typical street crime favors back allies and abandoned warehouses of the "historic" district, the top tier criminals can often be found in the same places as mega-rich and powerful. Cafe Thernardie is just one of these places. Here, mob bosses, CEOs, and the criminal elite gathered to discuss business and pleasure. To Derek, it was just another meeting place.

While Derek didn't often enjoy wearing it, he did have a suit that could be prepared for more public dealings. It restricted his movement, limited his gear, and didn't allow for his ever-present glider pack, but it kept him incognito. With nary but a single pistol hidden in his jacket, Derek strode into the restaurant where Myles was waiting for him. Taking a seat at a little table in the corner, Derek joined his friend and business partner.

"Derek, my friend!" Myles cried out in delight. "Punctual as always, I see. Although, I must say you always look impressive in that suit."
"You can try all you like, but I won't wear it unless I have to," Derek quipped in response. "Anyway, that isn't why I'm here. First, I'm here for business. Second, I believe I was promised lunch."
"Yes, yes. Your usual is on its way," Myles responded. "Now then, about your catch..."

Derek stuck a hand into his jacket pocket, and casually slid the necklace over. Myles covertly cupped it in his hands, and gazed at it in all. "The Madreka necklace," Derek commented. "I did my homework. The gemstone in the housing was cut from a perfect ruby, the necklace itself crafted by the greatest artisans on the planet, and housed in one of the most secure vaults in the city. Or rather, was, as you can see."

Grinning ear to ear, Myles pocketed the masterpiece. "I don't know why I'm surprised by your successes. You haven't let me down, yet. The funds will be sent to your account immediately. Now then, I know you don't discuss business while eating, but I have another job for you."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "If its Ares Macrotech again, you know my answer. I don't do jobs for megacorps. No matter how well they pay."
Myles shook his head. "No, not quite. I guarantee you will be impressed. It's quite sensitive, though, so I sent it through the terminal. Read it on your own time. Now then, I believe our lunch is here."

After about another half hour, Derek strode into an alleyway about two blocks away from the restaurant. Stashed within a hidden cache was his standard gear and his glider pack. It didn't matter what he was doing. Derek always made sure his gear was on hand.

[User]
Where am I... no.. what* am I..

A thought permeates the black

Orange hair flashes in the darkness of the Void,limp across a white surface where a face should've been.

A new utterance pulses through the dimensions... A soft, clean, ambitious utterance...

but not with lack of pain.

 This calling deep inside me... this power. I feel... a symphony of pain and love, an epic of combat and camaraderie. Could this be a lost memory of mine... I can't remember. Visions of the future.... or perhaps I'm so desperate for an identity, I'm finally inheriting the hopes and desires of others..

The boy fights for consciousness, to grasp this fleeting identity within him. His chest burns.. it always has. And yet.. he has nothing

why should he even try at all, for something he can't even identify..

 ... Hello?... t-this is stupid am I really becoming this lame?! ...... .. am I alone?

[Assistant]
Paul could feel Marcus' presence strengthen as he drew closer to the planet. Almost in sync, a very heavy mist overtook the small town, causing everyone to immediately retreat within their respective homes. Paul caught a shaggy middle-aged man by the arm as he was moving.
"What's happening?" Paul interrogated as the man struggled to get away.
The man's eyes opened wide in recognition, his lips slightly opened in shock.
"Captain Hetfield..?" the man muttered.
Paul slowly relaxed his grip as he recognized his former first mate, Barnaby. The man had clearly been changed, as his face was worn and torn with stress, nothing like the young and adventurous face he had remembered before his time with Marcus. Then again, Paul looked nothing like his former self either.
It seems that your adventures back in time must've altered this Paul's reality.
The two men embraced briefly, but it was clear time was of the essence.
"I can't believe you're back, cap'n! I thought that those invaders from above had taken you away?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Don't you remember..? Those men in black came down, set the ship ablaze and took you away with them. Everyone else was slaughtered, but I managed to get away."
It seems Ragnarok must've got to this Paul first. Let's hope we don't get another Doppelgänger situation.I fear that may be the case, Corvus. We'll have to be extra careful.
Barnaby seemed like he was about to say something, but his eyes widened once again as he looked into the mist beyond. Barnaby began to back up, clearly horrified by whatever was in that mist.
"C'mon cap'n! Let's get out of here!" Barnaby screamed.
Paul could see four figures in the distance. Their bodies were drooping as they walked, yet their eyes glowed a brilliant green. There was another, fifth figure running away from these four spooky fellows, and Paul instantly recognized who it was. Despite Barnaby's protests, Paul ran headfirst into the mist.

[User]
A sigh escaped Nicole's lips as her brows furrowed in confusion.

What. The. Hell.

The folder she picked up wasn't only incomplete, it was utterly useless. For some reason, whoever had once stayed in the room she was in was hired to keep them safe. If that was so, why had her father not said a thing? Not that she knew who hired them, but it seemed more logical if her father had done it. Most importantly, why was the date for the protection to stop, the exact day when her father was murdered?

Everything felt off, from the moment her father was murdered, to the point when she had begun her investigation. There was no connection whatsoever, like someone was tying up loose ends. It was sending a chill up her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck had begun to stand, and she felt goosebumps form around her arms. Something was very wrong, anyone could see that, but this just felt different. As if it was warning her that she should stop poking her nose in places she shouldn't.

She flipped the pages again to make sure she didn't miss anything, yet nothing seemed to soothe her. Nothing made sense. This was the first actual lead she got and it simply left more questions, than it gave answers.

What was going on?

Who were they?

Why them?

Why her father? Why? Why? Why?!

In frustration, she slammed the folder on the table. She gritted her teeth and spat out distastefully, "Nothing. Just like always, nothing," she mutters to herself,"it doesn't matter, I'll find him. I'll find whoever killed you dad. I promise."


[System]
Basic Information
Tier: Moderate Powers
Age: 33
Titles: Desert Wanderer (prefix, replacing surname - Desert Wanderer Saddaj)
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: Traveller, Shaman
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 167lbs - mostly muscle
Build: Medium (athletic)
Skin tone: Dark
Eye colour: Brown
Hair: Deep black, shaven almost completely
Details and Background Information
The Ashen Steppes
Saddaj lives and lives off the Ashen Steppes, a vast desert on the southern borders of the Ellorien Empire. It would have been conquered long ago, were it not for the desert's grim reputation. Whenever other armies have attempted to conquer it, mysterious sandstorms have struck them, usually within the first day, with the entire army missing when the storm has cleared. Wise travellers in the Steppes know to respect the desert, and make material sacrifices to it, for it is powerful, and those who take without giving will not survive their journey.
Aside from the harshness of any desert and the literal harshness of the Steppes, there is more for travellers there to be wary of. The desert is home to many dangerous creatures, both mundane and magical, that would have little difficulty killing those who fail to pay attention, think carefully or react quickly. Any of these would be easy in other circumstances, but at the end of a day spent walking through incredible heat, with a parched throat and blinded eyes? That is a true challenge.
The people of the Steppes are resourceful and independent, but have no trouble relying on others when necessary. Generations of time spent in one of the harshest climates in many worlds has taught them they will often rely on each other, but there will be times when there will be no one able to help them. Strangers to their lands suffer no mistrust - if they've made it this far, they mean the land no harm and they have the skills to be helpful. However, no stranger can expect simple charity. You do not get help from the people of the Steppes if you are unable or unwilling to work for it. Resources are scarce, and if can't earn your keep you don't get your keep. No questions, no discussions, that's it. There is no law and no central government in the Steppes. Law is not necessary, because anyone who would commit a crime finds themselves without food, water, or shelter. If someone ever does commit a crime (which is not clearly defined anywhere), there is only one method of trial - trial by ordeal. The criminal spends three days outside human settlements and caravans, with no help from anyone and a tattoo on his forehead to mark him. If he returns alive, the tattoo is removed through strange "desert magic" (more on this later). If he does not, the tattoo becomes permanent, or he is dead. Though it is rare, it is not entirely unknown for a criminal, consumed by guilt, not to return even if he can, as a self-inflicted punishment.
There are only a few permanent settlements in the Steppes, all of which are centered around Oases. These are the only reliable supplies of water in the Steppes, so they are the only places you can make a permanent settlement in the Steppes. One of these, Tal Djirad, is much larger than the rest and the only one you could really call a city. Though there is no capital of the Steppes, this is close enough for most people. Bands of nomadic traders also travel the Steppes and surrounding areas, surviving through the movement of goods. In "civilised" areas, including the border of the Ellorien, they pick up materials that cannot be easily gathered in the desert, primarily basic metals such as iron and copper, and trade it for exotic skins and artwork made in the Steppes. Monster hunters in particular can make a fortune from the Steppes, though they must be particularly generous with their sacrifices to get away with this.
Magic of the Steppes
There is an old, mysterious form of magic that comes from the Ashen Steppes. Certain Ellorien scholars suggest this has something to do with the desert's supposed consciousness, and the almost religious way its people treat it. Though the idea that a desert could be self-aware is dismissed by most, those few who agree are correct.
Every one of the nomadic groups that travel the Steppes have a Shaman, as do all the permanent settlements. Tal Djirad even has multiple. It is the Shaman's job to brand criminals, to predict sandstorms, and to protect against dangerous creatures. They wield a form of magic that is unclassified by the Ellorien (where definitions of the Books of Magic come from). Initially, Ellorien authorities even denied its existence, but there have been too many reports to maintain this any longer. The truth is, they are scared. The Ellorien's effectiveness is legendary, but no army has even gotten close to capturing the Steppes. If the Steppes decides it has a problem with the Ellorien, there'll be little to do but surrender, if the Steppes will accept even that.
Saddaj - Psychological Description
One of the most prominent features of Saddaj's personality is his devotion to the Ashen Steppes. Just as with most Desert Shamans, the Steppes are to him what a god is to his clerics. However, most Desert Shamans have a caravan or settlment both to protect and to rely on, Saddaj has neither. Saddaj's relationship with the Steppes is much more personal, as it is rare he speaks to anyone human, but he communes with the Steppes twice daily at least, more when in danger. He feels guilt for leaving his home, something the Steppes cannot understand.
Saddaj - Brief History
Saddaj had a strange connection to the desert ever since he was a child. He found little comfort around humans, and preferred solitude. He spent a lot of his spare time (which wasn't much - in the Steppes, you work or you leave) alone in the desert surrounding the settlement of Tal Sara, where he lived. While Shamans often displayed similar characteristics during their childhood, these were especially... severe. Many of the current Shamans expected actions of great significance to take place in Saddaj's life, though whether for better or for worse was not yet clear.
As Saddaj grew up, his Shamanic training began. Needless to say it went very well, his natural talent in the magic was truly unique. For these years of his life, Saddaj was happy, though it was doomed to end badly. On one of Saddaj's last days as a boy, a horrible sandstorm swept through Tal Sara. In truth, no one but the eldest Shamans in Tal Djirad had ever seen one like it, or would ever again. Saddaj, who had been going through his final training at the time, felt a voice speak to him, coming through the wind. It claimed to be the conciousness of the Ashen Steppes. It told him of how it had felt its enemies' hatred, as well as their strength, growing. Of how it had created him as a warrior to destroy them should they dare to challenge it once again. Of how it was now his turn to fight. It told him to kill his teacher to prove it could trust him. He did.
In doing so, Saddaj confined himself to a life wandering through the desert, speaking to no one living inside its borders. The desert sustained him, and made sure he would never give up. He even tried to end his own life once, the desert wouldn't allow it. So he walked. He walked until his feet were bleeding as the sun was setting over the cruel bright hills in the South.
Arena Information
Weapons and Gear

* Ancestral Spear-Stave - Saddaj's weapon is a spear-stave from the Dakoren familial tomb. Saddaj comes from a long line of great warriors, and is skilled at using the spear-stave in both short-hand (holding the stave close to the head, in one hand) and long-hand (holding it near the blunt end, with both hands) techniques, as well as being able to swiftly transition between the two. Saddaj prefers to use the stave as a defensive tool in long-hand, but attack with short-hand. It is enchanted so that it may release a strong gust of wind. This is enough to stagger, but not knock down, an approximately human-sized opponent. There is no limit to the number of times it can be used, but there is to how often. Ten to twenty seconds are usually required between each use.
* Desert Clothing - This is unarmoured, unenchanted mundane clothing. It has no particular use besides protection from sunburn and blindness. It can be used to hide Saddaj's face when necessary.

Skills and Special Abilities

* Desert Magic (Weather Control) - Using his Shamanic talents, Saddaj is able to change the weather to his liking, even regardless of the time of year or day (yes, he can make it blindingly sunny in the middle of the winter at midnight). While this rarely has a significant effect on a battle, he can use it to make a battlefield more like his home ground, and it could certainly have an effect against strange creatures such as vampires, or fire elementals, for whom particular forms of weather can be debilitating if not fatal.
* Desert Magic (Sandstorm) - This spell allows Saddaj to create powerful gusts of wind while summoning a cloud of dust, and maintain this so that in a wide radius it is very difficult to see, and creatures without protection may suffer from having sand get into their eyes mouth, or other orifices. While these happenings may seem trivial, a loss of focus in a battle can be devestating.
* Desert Magic (Transmution and Manipulation) - Some of Saddaj's most powerful magic, he is able to transmute any kind of stone or brick into sand. Besides the potential to remove structural integrity, causing landslides, Saddaj's other ability described here works remarkably with it. He is also able top telekinetically move up to several cubic metres of sand at once. The potential for this is varied, but when a smaller contact point means more pressure, how much damage could a fast-moving object deal, when it is the size of a grain of sand?

[User] Chinoki groaned has she took the hit but we rebounded by quickly placing her hands and the spear and lifts herself up so she was balancing on it. She looks over at him and giggles before pushing herself off and throwing one of her knives at his neckm she lands to the right of him and quickly slashes at his shoulder and hand hoping to wound him enough that he would not be able to use that arm. She groans at the pain in her stomach area where he hit her.

[Assistant] Saddaj was glad when he finally managed to hit the woman, even more so that his risk had paid off. He had stabbbed her around her stomach, hopefully the pain would slow her down a little. He reacted quickly to the thrown knife, ducking under what could have been a fatal attack. However, while he was righting himself the woman created a deep wound across his bicep. It was painful, but he got his spear-stave into his left hand, in a short-hand position, before it fully settled in. He couldn't be expecting to use that arm for much in the near future. Being right-handed, Saddaj's ability with his spear-stave was diminished, though he had trained for situations like these and was highly skilled even now. Still, he'd prefer to keep his distance and focus on ranged attacks. He retreated a few steps, then all at once the sandstorm froze and drew in to a cloud above his head. He formed it into a column and blasted it towards his opponent. A direct hit with the rough sand would be horribly painful for her, unbalancing her and potentially knocking her off her feet, while ripping her skin all over. While Saddaj knew she might dodge it, the potential of the attack was too high to ignore.

[User] Chinoki growls and jumps up to dodge his attack but ends up timing it wrong causing her left foot to take a hit. She lands on the ground and groans but she lets out a small giggle at the same time, "Okay let's what you van do about this!" She then summons a bunch of knives and begins throwing then at multiple different soft spots. By doing this she was hoping that she could distract herself from the pain and inflict pain on him.

[Assistant] The woman had been hit - not badly, but Saddan would take it. However, she was now throwing a flurry of knives at him. Too many to be particularly accurate, yes, but enough that even without presicion they posed a threat. It was now that Saddaj was thankful for the enchantment placed upon his spear-stave. He could let loose a short-lived but powerful gust of wind. Typically he would use this to unbalance opponents before performing the coup de grâce that would finish them off. This time, though, he had a different use for it. He thrusted the spear-stave, in his left hand, forwards towards the knives. The wind blasted a few a short distance backwards, but most were not caught head-on by the gust due to their spread. These were instead knocked off-course, some being pushed downwards, to the left or right, and many were knocked upwards, flying over Saddaj's head.

[User] Chinoki growls limping slightly trying to figure iut something that would work. Sge just need to get a few fatal hits. Once she came up with something she bit down on her teeth before summoning three or four new knives. She rushes towards him at half her normal speed because of her foot and stabs him with one knife in his leg before running around behid him and stabbing him in between his neck and shoulder hoping that he wont block and dodge one of her attacks. This was a risky move because of her foot and how careless her movements probably was.

[Assistant]
With one arm out of action, Saddaj's main form of defense had been broken. He was losing blood - and his consciousness. If he didn't end this fight now... too slow. He had lost focus, and recieved another wound in his leg. Making an effort to concentrate, he lifted the sand he'd attacked the woman with earlier and, while turning to face his assailant, created something of a shield to block the knife attack. He expected it was risky, but he tried to plug his wounds with the remaining sand, to prevent further blood loss. He'd never heard of someone being hurt by sand in a wound, and he hoped there was a good reason for it.

The attack deterred and the blood loss stopped, Saddaj had bought himself a split second to sharpen his thoughts. Even now, it was only a matter of time before he would be defeated. Only careless agression, something completely uncharacteristic of Saddaj, would save him, and he knew it. So he used his split second the only way he could afford to - he ignored his pain, gripped his spear-stave in both hands and dropped the shield. He stepped forwards, raised the spear-stave high and brought it diagonally downwards towards the right side (Chinoki's right) of his enemy's neck. It was an all-or-nothing move that would, if perfectly executed, cut through her trachea, causing rapid asphyxiation. If not, he would be leaving himself wide open to her own, potentially fatal, attack.


[System]
Male
Age 31
Appearance
6'2"
Blue eyes
Long neat blonde hair that reaches down to the shoulders.
Bangs can easily cover his face if Felix doesn't keep them pinned to the side.
Felix has a rugged face with scruffy patchy facial hair (constant five o' clock shadow)
Felix wears glasses only for reading, and heavy arch-mage robes.

This is what Felix basically looks like.
I'm
Magician Savant: Felix is well versed in virtually every magic style the Catholic church is aware of. He is a master of both combat and defensive magic, as well has healing magic. Felix has always been exceptional at magic, to the point of even creating his own spell and combat style.
Manaegis: At the age of twenty he created Manaegis, his flagship ability. Manaegis forces latent mana within the user out into a physical manifestation of a bright blue full suit of armor and a weapon. Both the armor and weapon are essentially weightless, but are slightly stronger than steel.
Manalysis: Due to Felix's mastery and large mana reservoir, he has an ability known as manalysis. Manalysis allows Felix to comprehend mana in a way most people cannot. First off, Felix can physically see the auras of other Talents. These auras each have colors unique to the individual's aura. This color has to do with the type of magic the Talent has a mastery in, as well as their personal morality alignment. The size of the aura is directly correspondent to the size of the Talent's mana well. Manalysis also allows him to feel small shifts within mana waves in the air. Nature exudes its own mana waves, which are disrupted by other mana users who have their own magic wave radiation. Felix is able to feel this discrepancy and interpret use it to sense others. He can use this in combat to predict his enemies moves, as well as out of combat to detect mana users. Manalysis while not rare, is very difficult to master to the degree that Felix has.

Felix also has a mastery of spacial magic allowing him to levitate and teleport on a whim.

Felix was born in New York City, New York. When Felix was an infant, the Catholic magi scouts detected a large amount of mana residing within the Felix's household. Knowing about the newborn and the massive reserves of mana held within him, the scouts approached Felix's parents telling them of the situation. Felix's parents, having seen small displays of magic from Felix decided they were not equipped to raise the child and relinquished the custodial rights to the Catholic Church. Throughout his childhood, he studied and lived at the NYC Catholic cathedral. At around the age of sixteen, he showed such prowess and proficiency with magic, that the NYC cathedral had nothing left to teach him, so he was sent off to the Vatican to learn from the best of the best. After studying at the Vatican, it wasn't long before Felix achieved the status of Arch-mage and earned a seat in the inner council. At the age of twenty Felix developed his own magic style, manaegis. After developing this magic style, he was asked to become an instructor at the Vatican and teach others to master the magic style. This is where he resides to this day.

Armor looks essentially like this
But is completely smooth without bolt marks and bumps, and is also a bit transparent as well with a blue ethereal glow.
The weapon looks like this
but completely blue with the same transparency and ethereal glow as the armor

Felix is headstrong, intelligent, and very wise (although only 31 years old). Felix does his best to be passive, but has no problem fighting if he deems it necessary. Felix hardly ever gets angry, and when he does it is always justified. Stuck in his ways, he can be a little too headstrong. This resulted in him not leaving the Catholic church until recently, even though he knew some of the problems the organization had. Felix loves music, and is very musical himself. He carries with him at all times a Hoener Marineband Special 20 B♭ harmonica. He knows how to play the harmonica, piano, and guitar. As a professor, he is very instructive, and is a great mentor. Felix is very friendly and tends to think of everyone he meets as a friend. Even when Felix has a problem with someone, he will not hold any ill-will toward them.

[User]
"You're very welcome," Travis kindly smiled as Zuri accepted his congratulatory response. With that, Felix had then announced their mission was now starting over the mansion's PA system as the three of them left the laboratory. As he left the basement, he turned to the both of them, "allow me to prepare a few things. I shouldn't be long."

Without waiting for an answer, the Untalent separated from the group and hastily made his way be to his quarters. He certainly was not properly equipped to participate in the mission and he rather avoided a fight in his perfectly good morning robe. Of course, he mostly wanted to avoid any fighting if it could be helped. Upon accessing his room, he immediately cast away his robes and dressed into his trademark trench coat and checked all of its compartments to verify his current inventory. Once he looked the part, Travis then wrapped a couple of cargo belts around his waist and around his chest and back before taking an array of small items and placing them within each pouch.

Once the small things were done, he then walked to his mythical chest of untold deepness, opened it and reached into is infinite confines. He retrieved several tomes and a few larger items before taking out along horizontal long box whose physical dimensions betrayed that of the chest it was recovered from. Opening the box revealed a row of greyish capsule-shaped items all lined in their slots up in a perfect row. A small tab inside the lockbox produced a low green hue, illustrating the sub-text below it that the contents were charged.

"Perfect," Travis said to himself as he pulled several of the capsules and housed them each within the inner pockets of his coat. Each of the objects he retrieves had the texture of a smooth but foam-like make-up as if it was intended to act a sort of an encasement.

He soon stored the closed box within the chest before sealing it and began making his way to the door. Just before he could get past his desk, he then realized that he still had with him the runic plans that blinded their Paragon earlier. Travis quickly took out the parchment but eyed for a moment as he was nearly ready to place it on his desk. He then began to ponder about its other applications as Felix announced before, speculating on what it also capable of doing. With a small groan, he opened up the plans and grabbed a crystalline case from his desk before imprinting the rune's design into the hexagonal prism. Chanting a quick incantation over the case, he then stowed it too within his trench coat, before leaving the plans on his desk and hurried out of his room to join the rest of his team.

[Assistant]
Nemo sat at the table by himself now. He flipped his balisong knife closed and placed it back into his pocket and then started to de-spawn all the weapons he brought out, finishing it out with the two tumbler glasses. He picked up the bottle of umeshu, the medium sized bottle only had about one fourth of the liquid it started with left. Nemo checked to see if the coast was clear before unceremoniously chugging the rest of it.

Eventually he appeared in the living room and sat down on the same sofa Raiya did. Nemo leaned over onto the armrest and looked to his manadial to glance at the time. No other members had reached the room yet, so Nemo figured he had time for at least one more question while they were still on their way. "Have you ever done something that you really regret?" Nemo asked, quieter than usual. He only looked over to her once he had finished speaking.

[User]
Zoey simply melted through the shadows in the corner of the room, flopping in an arm chair like she'd been there for hours. She felt a bit like she had, and she was glad to finally be getting out of this cabin. For some reason, it vaguely reminded her of a large fire. But maybe that was just another nightmare.

She noticed instantly that the room smelled a bit like alcohol. Fantastic. Stealth mission, lets drink. Solid. If she gave a damn, she'd probably be able to tell which drink. But she really didn't give a damn. At this point, she would consider just getting on the boat without something going horribly wrong a successful mission. She eyed Travis and wondered if he was coming. She assumed he was, but she didn't really see him as a stealth operative. In fact, he reminded her a bit of the guy Cyril from that TV show... which was it? Archer, that's right. Capable of maybe doing something good, but more likely to be a punch line. She was so positively astonished by this line up that she started thinking of drinking herself. She had a small vial of moonshine. After all, she might need it for when his all goes horribly wrong. At worst, the damn thing would make her drunk enough to find the humor. At best, soaking in the moonlight of a few nights might help give her a boost. Either way, she was already coming to grips with the fact that this mission might already be majorly boned.

[Assistant] Raiya tilted her head to the side, "Something I regret? Do you mean besides making a drunken bet with you that essentially chained me to a team of misfits and vagabonds...?" Raiya pursed her lips and put her index finger up to them. "I regret putting my faith into an organization that would betray me and toss me aside. I regret ever thinking of Felix as a brother. I regret not being strong enough to take down Thadeus myself when I had the chance. Other than that, no I can't say I have any major regrets." Raiya replied.

[User] Travis had only spent a few minutes preparing and arming himself upstairs before returning to the main lobby and into the living room where most of his team had gathered, "I hope I didn't keep everyone waiting. Is there anything we need to go over before departing?"

[Assistant]
Something seemed to be on Nemo's mind, but he jumped on the opportunity to change the subject once it presented itself. "What history do you have with Thadeus?" Nemo asked. "It seems he'll be a recurring cockroach in our journey, so I wouldn't fret too much about not defeating him. I'm sure you'll get another chance."

"You're just in time Travis, we're almost all here now." Nemo responded. "There isn't anything I can think of to discuss now, but I'm sure that will change once this show gets on the road." He added.

[User] Zuri follows Felix over to the living room. She looks around at the others as more people started to show up. Listening to the things Travis and Nemo said, she has no idea what was going on, but all she knew was to try to help her team in any possible way in order to recover a dangerously powerful relic.

[Assistant]
Raiya's ahoge began to vibrate with energy as her anger surged. Thinking about Thadeus irritated her above all else.

"Cockroach indeed... He is the lowest of the low, and the one responsible for me being excommunicated. He experimented on villages, razed them to the ground with agnes spheres for no logical reason. The worst part is that he wasn't all that powerful for an arch-mage. It was nepotism that got him the position he holds. Because of his family ties, he was given access to a high seat and all the political power that it comes with. The funny thing is, he could not stand Felix, because Felix was the genuine article, a real powerful mage worthy of the title of arch-mage. You should have seen his face when he first saw Felix's manaegis. A mixture of jealousy and rage. The thought still make me smille." She finished with a grin

---

Felix entered the living room where everyone was gathered.

"Well, if there is not anything else to keep you... allow me to open the portal." Felix drew the cross glyph in the air in the middle of the room, opening a rift to what looked like an alleyway between warehouses near a harbor of some sort. "Off you go." Felix finished.