[System]
Appearance: Tall for a gnome, short to anything else. His skin is sickly pale and long straw like white hair has a hint of faded red.
His limbs are scarred with fire and chains. He wears grey rags and a thick leather apron. He is covered in soot and grime.
His jet black eyes suggest his fey herritage, the grey lines under it suggest he hasn't enjoyed much sleep lately, or even ever.
Race: Bleachling Gnome
Class: Blight Druid
Main-Hand Weapon: Steel broadsword sized and balanced for an Orcish Warlord.
Off-Hand Weapon: the broadsword is too large for Furnace, so it becomes a two-hander for him.
Secondary Weapon: smiting hammer
Armor: rags and a leather apron
Powers:
Immolate: Furnace can naturally burn his own and readily available energy sources. The flames either fan out to scorch everything nearby or concentrate to melt metal. This requires concentration to manifest, but just energy or fuel to maintain.
Enervate: Furnace can force energy to become positively charged, if he infuses this into a living being it heals wounds and energizes the creature.
Animate: He can also force energy to become negatively charged, this has the opposite effect as Enervate does. He doesn't know it, but he can use it to heal undead and temporarily animate corpses.
Skills: Crafting(Forging weapons and industrial tools), spell-craft(specialty: energy flows) , appraise (he can tell the structural integrity and purity of objects and materials, he has no concept of monetary value though.)
Weaknesses: He has never met a real person. Thus he has no idea how anything social works. Everything is new and wondrous to him.
A former slave he has a weak will and no instincts to speak of. He can easily be bullied around and clings to anyone who shows him kindness.
Personality:  Annoyingly submissive, unnaturally calm, depressingly accepting, surprisingly hopeful.
Themesong

Background: At a very young age, before he had a chance to acquire memories or even a name, Furnace was taken from his home in a bandit raid.
The bandits spared his life when they had seen his race's knack for magical fire, so they decided to "raise" him for that purpose.
This meant stick him in a small cell made of stone and devoid of light. The only opening and sliver of light was the entrance to their war furnaces. Which he was forced to keep alive day and night for as long as he could remember. Though he never got to see his captors, just the weapons of war he made, he was able to catch parts of conversations through the roaring blaze. This way he managed to learn the language but not much else. Since they never bothered to name him he concluded his name was Furnace.
Alone and shackled Furnace toiled through in timeless darkness until one day, months, years or decades later a voice spoke from the earth.
"What do you desire child?"
He had pointed at the small light at the end of his jail.
"Freedom? One day.."
For years to come the voice would come back sporadically and talk to Furnace.
Never did the otherworldly being reveal his origin or goals.
Furnace didn't care. He learned to channel his energy rather than burn it into the air.
He learned of other creatures, races, worlds outside.
And with every bit of knowledge his craving for freedom grew.
The voice always preached patience.
One day there was a loud commotion outside the forge. Screaming and the clash of weapons.
Weapons which sound Furnace recognized, against those he didn't.
Hopefully he dared to let the fires die.
A hand reached into the pit and helped him out, broke the shackles. Furnace was free and blinked as he saw the sun for the first time.

Other: There is a strange creature from other worlds who's taken an interest in Furnace.

[User]
Relief washed over Alula, although she did not relax yet. The possibility of her hurting Carver was still too high for her to relax. And yet her expression visibly softened to a smile, she felt much calmer now knowing that Carver wasn't going to follow her. Her words had finally gotten through to someone.

She took a trembling step away from Carver, looking into the woods. "If I am lucky I can sneak around the attackers." She looked up at Carver, and then to the moon, shivering again. "I will try and keep my lights down, if only to protect you, but I am not sure if I will be able to control it."

Alula gave a final glance over her shoulder to Carver, opening her mouth as if to say more but then deciding against it. She could explain to him later. She angled her entrance in the woods as a way to flank the enemies. All of her movements became clear and deliberate, her limp dissolving into gentle glides. She moved gracefully through the trees, as if she was passing right through them.

Alula looked a bit different from her normal, not glowing, self. But she also looked vastly different from earlier during the fight. Earlier she had cracks of light breaking through her skin, as if her inner forces were fighting against their outer shell. But now she looked more at peace and content, a gentle glow encompassing her whole body. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as she drifted through the trees.

She could hear the rhythmic pounding of Carvers sword against his shield. The sound reminded her of something, a faded memory from her past. She could feel the dread of the memory in her heart, but her mind was blank. She swallowed nervously, moving as quickly as possible. She wasn't going to hurt him. She was going to hurt any of them.

[Assistant]
It was suddenly crowded in the fields.
People were yelling at each other, there were even more people coming with lights.
Alula had gotten away and his chance to see what it was that pressured her was gone.
Weapons were drawn, the approaching people had fire and weapons also.
Had they come to harvest more? We didn't want that. Right?
Carver started to beat his sword on his shield repeatedly. Furnace didn't know why the rhythm reminded him of the rhythm of hammer and forge.
It was comforting, and though he was conflicted over the idea of forging here in the field he was drawn closer.
He stood near to Carver and Separ, close enough that they could see him in the tall grass even when Furnace crouched.
"This is no place to have a forge, there is too much fuel here, I won't be able to contain the fire."
He pulled out his sword. It was slightly bent and dented. The melting had made the blade a little dull and a little shorter. But it could still hurt.
"The glowing girl doesn't want to hurt anyone. I want to help her do that. If that means I have to hurt these people in her stead, I think I want to hurt these people. What do you think?" Furnace stared at Separ and Carver on either side of him. "Do you want to hurt these people?"

[User]
Kelvin

Kelvin awoke to the ringing of metal on metal, his eyes snapping open. He was disoriented for just a moment. The forge? It had been years since he last had worked metal. Falen had always been an early riser though. He rolled onto his side and found his face two feet from the hooded girl's. "No… what happe-" His face contorted in horror and he rolled the other way, standing upright before realizing where he was. Color slowly returned to his face. This wasn't the inn. He took a deep breath before looking around, spotting the lights moving through the forest towards their small opening in the trees, and more importantly, Carver and Separ squaring up to meet them. At his feet was that woman. However those two had gotten here, it was fortune. First things first. Kelvin quickly repacked his bag, glancing about to make sure there were no misplaced items before slinging it over his shoulders. It took only a moment to fill up the crossbows chamber, loading two more slugs from his belt pouch to bring it back to full clip.

Alright. The seer was… He glanced about, not seeing a trace of her, unless the glowing in those trees a bit farther off was her. "Elf, grab the kid, we need to move." Kelvin looked down and knelt, allowing his crossbow to hang off the sling he had made earlier and picked up the black haired beauty, allowing the blanket to fold over her a bit. "Lady, you are heavier than you look. Can't tell if it's you or the dress though." Kelvin grunted to himself and hoisted her a bit higher, adjusting his arms under her legs and shoulder. Truthfully, she wasn't horribly heavy, but he could only go so far like this. "Fair warn'n though. If I need to shoot, I'll be droppin' yeh." Not that she could hear him, but whatever. Kelvin headed diagonally away from where Carver and Separ were making their stand, intending to walk parallel to the Seer and away from both the town and the fight. As long as he and the other guy stuck together, they should be alright. At least, as long as the elf knew how to use that sword. Hopefully Carver was smart enough to realize that he would need a head start if the force in town realized what was happening.

[Assistant] As the team moved out the raiders closed in, they could hear the banging of steel but one heard rustling in the leaves. "There's one over here, trying to get away while the one distracts us." They charged into the woods and intercepted Alula and drew their weapons. Two with crossbows, one with dual long-swords, one with a flail, and the last one being a pyromancer.

[User]
Gentle, gliding, movements. Barely disturbing the forest around her. Alula had gotten pretty deep into the woods, far enough to no longer see the camp and yet she could still hear the rhythmic thumping of Carver. Or perhaps it was just a memory following her, phantom sounds filling her with dread. She shook her head clear.

Alula had nothing to fear from mere humans, and she took a deep breath. No moonbeams. She could handle that.

Alula raised her arms above her head, staff pointed directly at the five approaching attackers. Instead of a beam of light striking the attackers, the entire scenery began to change around her and the attackers. It was as if the entire world became a reflection in a pool of water, shimmering and wavering into life.

To Alula and the raiders they were no longer in the woods surrounded by trees, but instead they were in a clearing, with a path that leads towards the camp, although the path eventually turned back into trees where it was outside Alula's range of power. All around the foes were other, albeit faded humans. They were all laughing and drinking strange liquor. A few of the hazy men came over and clapped one of the real men on the back, congratulating him on a good raid.

"Hey..." One of the vision men said, speaking in a voice that sounded slurred from alcohol. "I hear there is a group of smoking babes just over that way" the dream paused to hiccup, nursing at his drink. "wanting to...heh...reward us brave heroes." The hazy man beckoned towards the fake path, towards where the party was preparing themselves for a fight.

The real men would likely now feel extremely strange and disoriented, like getting drunk and then trying to spin around for a few minutes. Even if they didn't believe in the visions they would still be confused and slow. Luckily for Alula, these men were unable to resist the temptation of a willing woman after taking the day to rummage through the ruined town. They began to stumble, as if blind, through the trees. They were headed right for the blades of her allies.

This haze would not last long, once they arrived in the field reality would set in. There were no women waiting for them, only a handful of tired adventurers. But by then Alula would be long gone.

[Assistant] The men wandered out of the woods and were quite upset to find no women and that they were fooled by the girl, but it was too late for her, the enemy was closing in. The two archers fired arrows at Carver while the swordsman rushed in. If Carver puts up his shield he will block the arrows but will give the swordsman a chance for a sneak attack since Carver will lose sight of him and if he doesn't raise his shield. Well...

[User]
A man ran towards Carver sword raised. But Carver hadn't claimed to desire hurting the man.
There was no time, with a few light steps Furnace positioned himself between Carver and the attempted flank.

"Then I will hurt this one."
He stood crouched, with word held at an angle so the tip reaches the tip of the grass. There, locked in pflug he waited the everlasting seconds while the man stormed closer with his eyes on Carver. The moment the man was close enough. Close enough to see Furnace. Close enough to charge into his reach. Furnace jumped up, sword piercing forward, thrusting in a single forward motion.

[Assistant] The swordsman parried the blade and slashed outwards at Furnace missing only by a hair. Assuming Carver put his shield up the two arrows made a loud bang as they hit the iron. The swordsman looked down at Furnace and laughed, "You think your miserable mess of a weapon can take on a professional swordsman," He then looks up at Carver, "Now there's a man with a blade. How about we have a little one-on-one? My companions will cease fire until you fall to your death. How about it?" The other men caught up and the swordsman motioned for them to stop and then glanced at Carver, waiting for an answer. "Or are you scared you will fail?"

[User]
This man was not so simple of taste as the others, he wanted not just to fight.
This man wanted to fight Carver specifically. So it was important who you fought?
Furnace stepped out to the side, allowing a meter of free room between carver and the swordsman.
The man was right after all. His blade was no longer as keen as he had intended it.
He had gone and join these people in their fighting with a damaged blade.
He wondered if he should apologize for not taking them seriously. It was clear they took it very seriously.


[System]
"It means 'best girl', or something!"
Age: 15
Appearance:
Magical Transformation:
Mana Crystal: A simple, clear, diamond. Imbued onto a choker gifted by her father.
Virtue: Perseverance

Magic: Neuanfang - The Restored World
Take my arms. Take my legs. Take my Soul and take my Heart. I will keep climbing. I will keep walking. I will keep trying. No pain is too great to bear, for our promised Happy End.

Kyouko's Virtue manifests in the ability to reset certain properties of entities to an earlier state in time. She could throw a pebble and turn it into a powerful projectile, punch an enemy harder multiple times despite landing a single hit, or return an attack to a state before it existed, and so on. Currently, her ability can restore the properties of things to up to a 10-second time frame in close proximity.

History:
"Want to know more about me, the one and only, Kyouko Hiruma, eh? Well, first you have to know I. Am. Special! The bestest. Special enough to tell you about MY history! All in first person! Oh look at THAT unique snowflake, shame on her! Well, screw you! Ahem. I was, and am, happy. Sure, I've never got to know my mother. Sure, my nonetheless awesome father has-slash-had pretty much never time AND SURE, a lot of people in school simply haven't realized how awesome I am yet - instead trying to raise their pitiful self-esteem by making fun of those greater such as I, Kyouko. BUT!... What counts is what you do with yourself! No one but yourself is responsible for your emotions, and how you feel.

So, instead of holing up inside my father's rich mansion and crying myself to sleep each night, I rather punch Mr. self-pity in the gut! Go out there. Do things, do more things. All the fun things. And I guess some school, too, urgh. Anyway! No matter how often you fail climbing a, uh tree! If you give up climbing, you'll never make it to the top, y'know? And once you're at the top, you look for a taller tree! Because climbing the same tree again would be boring, right? Right. And, uh, ah! Look at me talking and talking. Guess that's enough!

If you wanna know more about the awesome I, Kyouko Hiruma, you can pre-order my biography now!... It's called biography, right? Right. Just gotta wait a few many years!"

Other:
This never gets old
Some other Theme

[User]
Sugano Chinami

The streets were… very grey. The sky was also grey. In fact, the entire day was more or less drenched in a consistent veil of dreary grey. Nevertheless, Chinami was not one to be deterred. She had become a Magical Girl, and Magical Girls were meant to hunt Vices! To tell the truth, she was kind of quietly excited to see a Vice for the first time. Sure, they were amalgamations of evil and suffering, but they had to be interest things to study, and she was sure she could work some studying in mid-fight… or rather, she would, if there were any Vices to be found.

The Keeper had assured her that this would be the place to look. It made sense, after all, this was the bad part of town, the type of place her grandparents had warned her many times about wandering into. At the time, those warnings had been mostly pointless. She basically spent all of her free time at the beach or the aquarium, wandering the mean streets wasn't exactly a favorite pastime. But such places were where Vices showed up, or at least that's what the Keeper had said, places full of hurt and negativity. Those feelings were certainly in no short supply here. Dread permeated the air, and the weight of it made Chinami nervous… or it had for the first two hours. Now she was more concerned at the prospect that this whole search had been pointless.

"Mister Keeper, are you sure I'm in the right spot? Is there maybe something I should look for, or-"

The sound of a very enthusiastic voice echoed out from a nearby alleyway. Chinami was shocked for a moment, but dashed forward, carefully peeking around the corner of a worn and graffiti-laden building. As she stuck her head into the alley, she saw an energetic girl with bright white hair and… some sort of wriggly shadow person?

"Oh… there it is."

Chinami pulled her head back around the corner, taking a deep breath before gently tapping the koi-shaped charm on her bracelet. The tiny rose gold ornament rang out with a smooth, clear chime, and a swirl of glimmering bubbles swirled around her. In the next moment, her school uniform was replaced by a poofy gown of soft burgundy satin. Her hair had grown several inches in the span of about two seconds, and swirled around her head like black ribbons, seemingly free of the bounds of gravity. She lept out from around the corner, daintily floating to the ground a few feet behind her white-haired compatriot.

"Don't worry. Magical Girl Su… uh, Chinam… Magical… Girl… Fishbones? Is um, here to help!"

Chinami gave a very unconfident thumbs-up to the other Magical Girl, feeling more than a little disappointed in her introduction. She raised a hand, waving her fingers through the air in a delicate, deliberate motion as they began to glow.

"Protosphyraena!"

Two large, skeletal fish appeared in poofs of shimmering bubbles, one on either side of Chinami. They were each almost three meters in length, with long bills protruding from their skulls. They looked something like swordfish, swimming gracefully through the air.

"G-get em, guys!"

Bones rattled as the twin fishes jetted forward, crisscrossing one another before meeting in a point at the Vice, seeking to administer justice in the form of a two-pronged fishy impalement.

[Assistant]
All right, let's do this! The largest Vice had fully taken form, looking something like an oversized armadillo with a dozen deadly claws, but Midori was ready and raring to go. She casually blocked one strike, then spun away from a second attack. Slicing a smaller vice to shreds, Midori backflipped away to get some distance. A golden glow appeared around her, and she felt even stronger and faster than before. Midori smiled at the other girl and her... spell? ability? She still wasn't sure on the terminology. "Thanks for that!" she called.

Midori cupped her hands, feeling the power of a truly massive Fiery Blast charging up within her. Then, something went horribly wrong with the whole operation. As she got ready to unleash her attack, she felt herself get yanked through a portal, ending up in some unfamiliar office. The ball of flame sailed right past another magical girl, probably scaring the everloving bejeezus out of her, and continued on to level quite a few cubicles before fizzling out. "Oh, fuck."

[User]
Ikeda Setsuna

Night was falling fast. The dim light of the defeated sun bled through the horizon, radiance gobbled up by the overcast sky and the long, dark shadows of the city. The changing of realms. In many traditions twilight was a moment of weakness between the waking world and the next. Mankind feared the coming dark. Uncertainty hid creatures of the imagination, the demons of the past, the bogeymen that preyed on fear. They were wrong to be afraid. The monsters of their own design cared little for the real world, the Vices that plagued their souls clung to them no matter where they passed.

Not so for the true children of twilight, the stalwart defenders of that fragile innocence like herself. The day belonged to the enemy, when she had to attend to her real life and maintain the illusion of normality. The night was theirs, their hunting time. The sun fell, the people closed their eyes, and their resolute guardians emerged to protect the dream of their sheltered world. Night was the time to realize the false life that had come to define her. Ikeda Setsuna was a creature that exterminated Vices. Real lives were lost on her success and failure. She had soared to the heights of victory, and witnessed the carnage, the human cost of defeat. Not like a real warrior; her case would not be resolved or redeemed by her death. Others paid for her shortcomings, and for that reason, it was upon her soul to do her duty and do it well.

Black loafers clacked along the rusted steel, her breathing ragged. She flung her arms before her, set into a dead sprint. A maintenance access, a scaffold for a decommissioning that had never quite gone through. Plywood and sheet metal echoed underfoot, the dull beat of her advance radiating from the makeshift tunnel's mouth as Setsuna ran uphill. A cab for the Ferris wheel sat, haloed in sodium lights, ahead of her.

"Bulwark, engaging!"

Her hand rose to her ear, snatching the speck of diamond hanging there and throwing it ahead of her. A burst of blue light spilled from the end of the tunnel, etching bizarre underlit shadows across the Ferris wheel's face. She strode through hovering sigils before her, glyphs of arcane light holdings her limbs back while a new reality stretched across her slender frame. A black jacket pillowed behind her, her blazer tightened down to a harnessed dress of gallant blue. Her fist reached for the horizon, towards the hovering glint of her diamond. Icey light expanded under her fingertips, her scabbard growing from a ripple on its surface. Her fist clenched around the sheathed blade, mana crystal dangling from it after she clipped to her hip.

The magical girl blew free of the tunnel, speed redoubling as her transformed body adjusted to its enhanced performance. She was running late. In the distance the maid was marching confidently up the long-dried waterslide, right up to the foul creature they had stalked to this forgotten place. It awakened, swelling grotesquely, lashing out with its ivory fangs. Setsuna leapt into the latticework of steel above her, boots kicking freely from one beam to the next. The central hinges of the dilapidated amusement creaked as she streaked from the bottom to the top.

Her ascent matched the Vice's meteoric rise towards the firmament, its own trail of rocket motor exhaust culminating in the deafening bang of the weapon's detonation. Pieces of rocket casing scattered by the charge sailed overhead as Setsuna's boots landed on the roof of one of the topmost cars on the monster's side. The suspension shuddered ominously, the wheel almost budging against its safeties as she came down. Dust showered the ground below as she took a single stride forward and launched herself with all of her strength into the void.

Heeding the Maid's request, Setsuna would answer the call. Her sleek body of black and blue flew at the Vice. Long spires of white shot from its body, staining themselves red as they lashed out at any approaching movement. Spines raked across her limbs, grazing her flesh. It wasn't enough to stop her. Setsuna's hand fell to her waist, knuckles clenched white and hidden behind black gloves as her fingers wrapped her sword's hilt. Blood trickled into her grip, only to be cast away. The magical girl's body contorted, muscles flexing and sudden motion shedding away the bloodstains. Her arm threw forward, steel withdrawn from shadow. The sword's edge blurred into a jagged crescent, the impression of shape blurred away by practiced speed. With a vicious, heavy swipe, she drove into the Vice. Magicked metal bit in, crackling against its strange physiology as the honed edge sought to shear it in two. The surrounding air hissed with the passage of a sharpened front, and after a fleeting moment of closeness she passed the Vice by.

Her momentum carried her into a spin, thin trails of blood splattering the pavement crimson below her as she landed soundly on the concrete. Residue from the creature's viscous body sizzled threateningly on her blade. With a cock of her arm she sloughed it off onto a nearby wall to steam and sizzle. Striking a stony face the magical swordsman rounded, facing what became of the Vice to witness their handiwork and to find the composed silhouette of the other hunter.

[Assistant]
"...eh?" Suddenly, just as Kyouko was about to spring into action, another Magical Girl appeared in the scene! Fluffy had told her there were others, but seeing one other than herself for the first time was nonetheless surprising. Like being told about dragons and witnessing one! Regardless, this one clearly had to work on her dynamic entrance stuff! If anything, the girl struck Kyouko more of being an adorable little sister that needed all the protection than an independent strong fighter of Justice that banished all evil.

"...eh?" Kyouko repeated, dumbfounded, as Magical Girl Fishbones conjured two fishy-skeleton-thingamajigs that promptly shot forward to make quick work of the Vice. Just like that. A single attack was all that needed before the humanoid shape gave grotesque screech, collapsed into itself, and left a crystallized fragment of, well, magic!

"Huh..." Kyouko murmured to herself. "Kinda anti-climatic." She concluded at first, before truly understanding what happened. Her first Vice, a vile monster of evilness she had searched for since hours, simply taken by someone else! Just like that! "YOU!" Kyouko pointed her finger at the fishy newcomer. "That... that was supposed to be my first! And you... you just took it." Kyouko didn't really sound, or was, angry, just a bit shocked.

"Aehm..." Pretty much regaining her composure and stopping pointing at the other, the Magical Girl of Perseverance now smiled - grinned, in fact. "Yes, yes. That thing was way too weak for I, Kyouko, anyway. Only the toughest for the bestest, as they say!" She nodded a few times as if to make a point.

"YOU!" She shortly pointed at Fishbones again before getting closer, her eyes nearly sparkling. "Hey, hey, you're a magical girl, too? Right? Right! Of course you are!" Clasping the others hand into her own, she continued. "Ohmygoshthatsprettyawesomeweregoingtobethebestestfriendslikeever!"

Releasing Fishbone's hand, Kyouko made a small jump into the air. "Success!" Before, finally, taking it a notch down and offering a normal hand-shake with a broad smile. "I am Kyouko Hiruma, the one and only!" It was way past her own Dynamic Entrance.


[System]
Race: Gnome

Gender: Male

Age: 63

Appearance: Reaching to the prime height of his race, Ingrim reaches to the skies with his 3'6" little body. Plain and simple, he is short, but what else can you expect from this race? An older gnome, Ingrim was born with short snow white hair with a glorious handlebar mustache to signify his rather strange appearance as his clothing resemble that of a ring master from a circus. Yep, tail coat and the top hat included, Ingrim also carries around a spell imbued walking cane and metallic gauntlet with his generally black and red, golden trimmed clothing.

Personality and Motivations: He is weird, I'm just going to say right now that this character is just plain strange and rather awkward to be around when he speaks to anyone. He generally acts like a ring master, pompous, boisterous, and generally an attention hog. Ingrim, while sounding and most likely being a huge bother to everyone around him is quite kind as well. He likes putting on a show with his many creations, but he does it to help others around him... Generally. In the end, he is eccentric and possibly insane, but has a somewhat golden heart within that tiny body. Also, his motivation to enter this little dungeon crawl is to gather more resources and gold to create more magical objects, and old decrepit dungeons always has stuff to raid and loot for adventurers!

Class and Alignment: Neutral Artificer

History: Ingrim is a wandering adventurer, himself and his constructs roam the lands to entertain, fight, and gain money in the process. Gnomes have always had a knack for being rather playful and curious to boot which make adventuring wanderlust gnomes quite common in the line of business. Ingrim wasn't too different from the average gnome, but his affinity to magical construction raised a few eyebrows. The gnome focused more on constructing other beings to fight for him rather than his own body as getting hit with blunt and sharp weapons tend to kill people. It was only until a wandering circus had set up near his town that finally gave him the last push to finalize his plans of leaving his town to adventure, and that encounter has influenced some things about him.

So, he left and is now on the road with his constructs acting almost like a wandering circus... A wondering circus that can murder you with their dangerous weapons, but if you are a nice person they won't murder you. Generally, he just makes money off strangers preforming and doing quest to further expand his little menagerie of magical constructs to bring more fun to the world and also more power to defend and attack other people.

Equipment:
On person:
* Magical Cane - A short walking cane with a blue orb on the top which can fire out a Cone of Cold, can be fired three times a day and recharges at night.
* Magical Gauntlet - A metal gauntlet that is imbued with Dragon's Breath which fires out a cone of fire, can be fired three times a day and recharges at night.
* Bag - Assorted magical concoctions, empty scrolls, and basic survival equipment including a small journal and some ink.
* Crossbow - Just a crossbow, nothing too awe inspiring but a decent long ranged weapon that can do some damage.

Constructs
* Zip Zap - A metal dog reaching to the height of two feet is comprised of iron with their jaws lined with serrated blades of steel. Imbued with magic for their bites to send a powerful shock through the body.
* Match Stick - A metal dog reaching to the height of two feet is comprised of iron with their jaws lined with serrated blades of steel. Imbued with magic for their bites to burst in flames on contact.
* Pupsicle - A metal dog reaching to the height of two feet is comprised of iron with their jaws lined with serrated blades of steel. Imbued with magic for their bites to freeze the area on contact.
* Cross - A walking crossbow, this tiny construct is perched on the shoulder of the Ingrim that carries twenty bolts and fires at anything the master says so.
* Bow - A walking crossbow, this tiny construct is perched on the shoulder of the Ingrim that carries twenty bolts and fires at anything the master says so.
* Pack-Man - A walking chest with arms, this rather unsightly creation has several compartments to store a fair amount of objects, but it excels in supporting roles as it can forcibly remove objects by the owners will. This includes extra ammo, potions, and even stored weapons that scurries along the battlefield.
* Smokey The Thief - An 18 inch humanoid shadow, this little thing isn't meant for combat but for sneaking in the background to steal from unsuspecting enemies. They are fast, tiny, and can move almost undetectable in the darkness with a knack for stealing without anyone the wiser.

Skills and Spells: Nothing magical going on here, sure he can create magical items but no magic here. Nope. Well, he can create magical items... So I would actually say lots of potential spells that can be imbued in objects but nothing of the sort at the moment.

Miscellaneous:

[User]
Kara trekked down the simple dirt road towards the dungeon she had accepted the task of clearing out. Azarel was particularly enthusiastic about the endeavour. Guilt free LOVE from mindless, hateful undead was a thing he insisted she not pass up, and as always, she was inclined to agree. Of course, it was a bit of a walk. She didn't exactly have the luxury of having a tent to sleep wherever she wanted. The funds from this quest would help alleviate that.

There they are... chimed Azarel. He was talking about her help on the mission, many of which she would have a hard time pinning a race on. The world beyond her tribe was truly interesting. She wanted to ask all of these people what they did, how they got here, who they were. But the one that grabbed her eyes most was a black haired girl. She caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were red, like Kara's. Her back was covered too. Azarel, do you think she's a fairy aswell? Kara asked her partner. He took a second to respond, clearly looking over her features. She could be... but I don't know. I don't know what fairies look like outside of your clan. Red eyes could be something only you have. He reasoned. He would definitely ask her, at a later date. When they were alone and, if it came to blows...

Finally, she was close to them all, talking distance. She introduced herself to them all with a smile, a "Hello!", and the drawing of her dagger from its sheath. Personal introductions were to first be given to her boss. He had been insistent she not come because of her young age, unaware of her power beyond her light ability to draw power from ghosts and ability with her dagger. She was more insistent she ought to come, though, and seeing as she had no money, deigned to let her in on the quest. Apparently there was a necromancer inhabiting a nearby crypt. Though no dead had ever bothered her tribe, much closer to the crypt, tall dwarfs, dwarfs, and elves had insisted the place be cleared out. As Azarel suggested, not just elves were prone to fear, rage, and harm.

"Hello, Wizard Irthorne." Kara greeted, extending her dagger at him first, before realizing the faux pas and switching to her open left palm. "It is nice you allowed me to do work despite my young age. I won't let you down." With a smile that revealed she was, honestly, a little excited at the prospect of getting to harm something. Azarel certainly had been.

[Assistant]
As more and more joined the group so did the Shadow get more and more curious. It traversed from one person's Shadow to the next getting a feel of their physical attributes. It was particularly curious about the mechanical contraptions. It was true that they had witnessed creations like those before but as much as people differed from each other so did the mind of inventors and in return so did the creations themselves. It was like seeing a new species everytime, no one built the same thing for the most part.

Well, it was time, Lorick thought to himself as he closed the clock and pocketed it. He got up, wiped away some dirt from his clothes and made for the others. A quite peculiar group indeed. He didn't need any introduction though as the Shadow was there to witness them all and what the Shadow knows he knows.
Cane in hand he approached the band.
"Apologies for my tardiness. My name is Lorick Lockwell and I'm looking forward to working with you all."- he introduced himself while taking a courteous bow. The Shadow seeing this, exaggerated the action in an attempt to mock him. Well, hope no one noticed that.

[User] Masrith rolled his wrists as the restraints were removed. He turned to see the group of people gather as well as Irthorne verbally tear into a guard. Masrith was somewhat surprised. Noone ever defended an Illithid. Masrith watched as the guards walked off. Masrith turned to face Irthorne and looked down at him. "I have nothing against them." The voice would ring in Irthornes head. "I apologize if this form of communication disturbs you. It is how Illithids communicate. We have no need for verbal speech." Masrith examined the group. "There are things the books do not say about them that I will need to note." His gaze turned back toward Irthorne. "My name is Masrith. I am what is known as an Illithid. Well, more specifically, an Ulitharid. I am physically powerful, but am mostly known for a powerful mind. If you seek a strategist or an individual who could help analyze predicaments or documents then I can certainly be of use. I can also link minds using my psionic abilities to allow groups to communicate." Masrith kneeled down and stuck out his hand. His body movements were somewhat awkward. "I'm have to inform you. I do not represent any form of authority from the Illithid empire. I was exiled at birth form my mutations registered me as an abomination. I hope you still view me as a reliable assest to the group."

[Assistant]
Well, it had seemed the reception to his little act was just a bit half-baked for his taste. The only people that seemed to acknowledge his little sideshow were originally the two people at the current spot. Sure, others had joined in during his little introduction, but they didn't seem to pay much mind to the artificer and his many merry creations. The big guy, Kol'rakul, seemed to have had the best time out of his intro with his hearty laughs filling the air. Ingrim could tell by the looks of this strapping beast was someone earnest and filled with energy, but was using the energy for some good intentioned violent acts, hence the decapitated head of the highway man. The Ringleader liked this man, he could get a few laughs out of him, and possibly use his size and strength for other uses during the trip to the dungeon. "Well, I'm glad to be of service, Kol'rakul the Axeman, and I'll be sure to remember your applause during this adventure," Ingrim replied, his creations settling down from the previous excitement, though in the background seemed the same hooded lady was getting a closer look at his creations. "Ah! Someone curious about my comrades? Why, these amazing attractions have been created by yours truly with the help of some arcane magic to power up these magnificent beast! I have to say that these creations can do all sorts of amazing tricks, but you can see that later at one of my many shows across the land! 'The Troop and Troupe!'" Hopefully this would garner some attention to the gnome's little entertainment act, he did need some gold to continue this lifestyle, and the best way to show some appreciation would be to donate to his cause to bring safety and joy to all.

So, with the interactions between those two had been fulfilled, the contractor had said some things about more people arriving to this location. Wow, the dungeon might just be a tiny bit cramped with the amount of people entering this crypt, especially with all of his creations joining within the unstable cave. Ingrim was worried, if he was to be put inside of rear guard to protect the entrance of this cave, than that would mean less gold and materials for his many varied projects! This was grave news indeed, but hopefully something could be done to avoid being stuck with the boring job. Giving a light sigh to himself, the ringmaster turned to meet the rest of the adventurers that came with the same intent of adventure and gold. The fourth to arrive was some anthropomorphic beast, an owl by the looks of it, and surprisingly held himself up well compared to most other beings with their rambunctious behavior. Ingrim would have to take note of this, polite and well-armed. The fifth the arrive was someone of interest, a towering man clad in armor trugged through the field that almost seemed to be as well built as Kol'rakul! He had no idea of his origins, but Ingrim could tell that this man was someone of great skill with their battered skin and surprisingly wellkempt beard. Another person of importance, and another tall burly person to hide behind. The sixth to arrive was some tall dwarf, a woman tall dwarf with a hint of superiority with the stance and way they help themselves to the others. Strangly enough, this one seemed to know the axeman, small world seemed to the both, but Ingrim could tell that the distance the woman was keeping from him was someone that didn't want to be bothered by this certain gnome. Smiling, the gnome would like to know of their distance from the ringmaster, but the response was likely to be some pompous answer though it would be interesting to get some insight of changing something about his act.

The gnome managed to walk just a few steps towards Feon when suddenly more adventurers appeared from the brush! So many! And so much people only made this situation a bit worrying for the ringmaster. However, something more worrying towered over his concerns as some squid monster carried in chains was brought to the scene! A squid monster! How could they possibly allow this thing to join them on their travels!? Surly they had enough diversity with the owlman, but to bring such creature known for their rather despicable deeds... He would have to keep a close eye on the beast. And what do you know? Another anthropomorphic beast has emerged from the brush, a spider lady to be exact. Her figure said more than needed if someone was into that stuff, but alas her strange contraptions that had donned every limb has made piqued his interest even more. Ingrim would need to analyze those devices later in time, if they are attached to every limb than that would mean that it is something of importance and most likely a dangerous weapon. And lastly, but strangely enough that appeared to be the last adventurer of the group was... A child? Man, the owner must be quite desperate for help if they would allow such a young child to join in this dangerous quest. The Ringmaster would need to keep a close eye on this one as well, if nothing their skill must be something great to be allowed on this quest, and the death of a child would bring morale down quite low if they were to be allowed to meet such an early fate. Now, with everyone addressed within his mind, Ingrim the crafty taking his mental notes on how to approach and treat everyone was now going to annoy the crap out of the female that seemed to dislike the gnome.

"Well! How do you do?" Ingrim questioned, quickly walking over to the disinterested adventurer, "If you didn't hear, my name is Ingrim Nesfit, sole propiter of the wandering circus 'Troop and Troupe'! So, might one provide the same courtesy of giving their title and name? I would love to be acquainted with you, and so would my companions as well!" Ingrim's constructs arrived soon after he had spoke, they looked at her with questioning looks provided if she could even detect it with their inhuman bodies and faces.


[System]
Gender:Male
Age:17
Class:3-2
Appearance:
Griffith is large, in part from his height of about six feet. The genetic lottery has supplemented his above-average height with a bulky frame, and through concerted effort he has filled his frame out with musculature to match—though he has avoided excessive bulk. His lips are almost always upturned in a massive grin, and his eyes shine with mirth. His dark hair and eyes contrast his skin, which is paler than most.
Hobbies and Interests:
More than anything else, Iorwerth likes testing himself. Often, this takes the form of mental challenges—often against other people, like a game of go or chess—but while he isn't unintelligent, he doesn't win very often. That said, he still derives pleasure from the challenge. He fares much better with challenges that test a person's physical abilities, which he approaches with even greater zeal.
He also has considerable interest in folk tales from around the world, but especially from his homeland.
Personality:
Iorwerth proves a match for the mirth found in his eyes. He is warm, and amicable to a fault. His deep, echoing laughter is always bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to burst forth in response to some good natured ribbing of one of his friends, or even of himself. It is a rare day when he is angry, but it often happens in response to some perceived threat to himself or one of his friends. In such cases, his echoing voice turns excessively aggressive, and he has dragged himself into a fair few fights because of it.
History:
Born in Aberffraw in north-western Wales, Iorwerth grew up speaking his native Welsh and, in accordance with UK laws, English. When he was six, business required his parents to move to Japan. While initially temporary, both work and pleasure conspired to have Iorwerth's parents settle in Aikari permanently.

[User]
The black haired teen made her way down the stale hall with much celerity. Each step Rin took made her excitement inflate--finally, no more boredom! Sure, school was okay, but Rin's lack of friends left her social life empty and beyond boring. If she had something to look forward to or even just wonder about, this rumor would keep her set and content for a little while. Her mouth almost watered at the thought. When she turned into the right classroom, she halted at the doorway and let her eyes scan before settling on a group of students clustering.

"Oh, yeah, okay: so y'know that old building here? Well, supposedly, if you enter one of the rooms and enter a special code into your phone, you'll get a response telling how you will die," a boy somewhere near the center urged.

No way! Rin squealed internally. "That is so cool," she sighed to herself, leaning against the roughly sanded door frame. Maybe that Keigo guy was around, but even if he wasn't, everyone around here had to at least know enough to fill her in. Drawn like a moth to light, Rin carelessly pushed herself closer to the developing group of students. The corner of a desk caught her by surprise as she stumbled past it, accidentally shouldering Nori Takahashi and knocking his glasses off his nose.

"Oops."

[Assistant]
Overhearing both Ryuusuke's angry comments as well as a rumor about your cellphone foretelling your own death sent shivers down Annie's spine, weather she believed it or not she was not a fan of all of that spooky stuff.
"oh well you guys h-have fun, I have a thing i need to do... eeh"
turning around to leave she took a wrong step losing her balance she stumbled to the floor with a thud.
"aauh... ewuu..."
she whimpered as she robbed her forehead small tears in her eyes from the pain as she looked back, still laying on the floor.

[User]
As if their stupidity attracted more stupidity, multiple students came buzzing through the doors, seemingly attracted to Keigo's moronic ramblings like flies to honey. All Etsuko wanted in life was to be left alone – so, why oh why, was God punishing her? Etsuko sighed through her nose, attempting to remain polite, the only thing holding her resolve in place would be the punishment her parents would wrought on her if word reached their all-hearing ears. And, undoubtedly, it would reach them somehow – probably from the mouth of a certain neighborly peer.

"So, whaddya think, Ueda? Scary, huh?" Keigo said excitedly, nudging her in the shoulder.

Etsuko stared at him, slightly lost, before remembering what they were talking about.

"Oh…yes." It was a lie of course, but if she encouraged such friendliness towards her then she would be stuck with them for the rest of her life.

"Ha, Etsuko finding that scary?" Chiasa laughed, slapping her neighbor on the shoulder. "I've never seen her scared. Name a horror movie and we've seen it – she didn't jump once and she didn't act scared, either. This girl is made of stone."

Etsuko glanced at Chiasa from the corner of her eye, remembering the days over the summer where her parents forced her to watch movies at Chiasa's house while they were hanging out with her parents. Truthfully, she was utterly terrified after seeing those movies and couldn't sleep right for days. What Chiasa had taken for stone-faced in all reality had been the face of someone frozen in fear. But Etsuko wouldn't correct her on this; then it would give Chiasa the impression that she was okay with sharing her vulnerabilities with her, thus meaning they were friends. And they were not friends.

"Oh, maybe you should go to the old building then." Keigo joked and Etsuko felt the intense need to sneer. She hummed in response, not knowing exactly what to say in the situation.

[Assistant]
Gruffydd was getting very annoyed at this point. He had not thought it possible, but there was more inane drivel here than in his own classroom. He would have put an end to it quickly, if he had found Keigo in the small crowd that had gathered there. It turned out that, despite generally knowing where they were, it is difficult to look for someone when you don't know what they look like.

 But after a few grating minutes—including one mocking underclassman whom he chose to ignore—he was able to puzzle out which one of them was Keigo. As he approached him, Keigo made a rather interesting suggestion to a supposedly fearless classmate of his. While, in the back of his mind, part of him knew that he couldn't really blame Keigo for this when he had jumped into the headfirst, Gruffydd needed to let off some steam. Plus, he was being a little shit. While the girl he was talking to was acting polite, it was clear to him that she had no interest in this cacophony—she just lacked any sort of enthusiasm for it all.

 "My, my, how positively noble." Gruffydd's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "You're Keigo, right?" With the underclassman's affirmative, Gruffydd continued, "I just have to tell you how courageous that is. You go around telling everyone about how somehow got this mysterious code, to text from this mysterious building, and then suggest that someone else go and try it out. How unspeakably brave of you."

[User]
Nori smirked faintly, raising an eyebrow at Keigo's description. This was the big rumor? This was what the students had been rambling about for the past few days? It honestly didn't sound any different from the ghost stories he scared his little sister with.
The mention of how Keigo had found a list of numbers which he supposedly had not written himself made the story only slightly more believable; but how could he prove that he wasn't lying and actually hadn't written the list himself? Even so, even if Keigo hadn't, maybe one of his friends had in an attempt to play a trick on him. (Nori had some experience with this himself after all...)

His thoughts got disrupted when a small, dark figure bumped into him. When he looked down he noticed it was the girl from before who had left the classroom so assertively just moments before he had.
Slowly a name came to mind. "Rin..." Seeing her almost childlike expression of fascination Nori couldn't help but smile. "I don't want to spoil the fun for you, but you know it's just another ghost story, right?" he said nearly apologetically.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" he heard from behind him.
Turning around towards the source Nori could hardly distinguish a dark-haired boy facing Keigo's group.
"Well at least he isn't talking about us," he murmured, more to himself than to Rin. Moreover though, how did Nori realize only now that he was not wearing his glasses? He must have lost them in the small collision just then.
"Ah, don't move..." he ordered Rin and gently grabbed her by the shoulders as to ensure that she indeed wouldn't. Bending down, he reached for his glasses which had fallen exactly in between the girl's feet. He got up again and held them up against the light, checking for any scratches, before putting them back on their original spot.

The first thing Nori noted when he had regained his vision was how teeming the classroom had gotten. Around him had gathered students from all years. Being in one of the higher classes, he hardly recognized anyone. One particular person he could immediately identify though.
Making his way through the crowded room, rising above all other students, was his classmate Gruffydd. With a thunderous voice he overwhelmed the remaining murmurs.

"My, my, how positively noble," he spoke as he approached the center of attention. "You're Keigo, right?" he paused for a moment, awaiting the boy's response. "I just have to tell you how courageous that is. You go around telling everyone about how somehow got this mysterious code, to text from this mysterious building, and then suggest that someone else go and try it out. How unspeakably brave of you."

Nori watched Keigo stiffen up completely. He could understand his reaction; although Gruffydd was a good-natured person, you definitely didn't want to get on his bad side, especially considering his muscular build.
He saw the smaller male struggling to find words and believed he could even smell his cold sweat. A small chuckle escaped his lips at the thought, breaking the tension in the room.
"He's got a point there," Nori immediately added, not wanting to create the impression he was laughing about the large Welshman.
"Why don't you show us the way, and go on in first, Keigo?" he suggested with a teasing voice.

[Assistant]
Ryuusuke's eyes could have popped out of their sockets he was rolling them so hard. Not only did everyone in the room completely ignore him, but somehow the commotion got even bigger. Well, he wasn't going to stand here and listen to this. It was pretty much going to pan out like he would expect it to.

In the end, no one was actually going to go to the old building by themselves. And if they tried to go as a group? Ha, good luck not getting caught.

He turned just in time to see Annie on the floor. Cue a big sigh.

At least Annie wasn't participating in this hysteria. Or was trying not to, anyway.

"This is ridiculous," Ryuusuke said, holding out his hand, "come on. Let's get out of here, before I suffocate on the bullshit."

[User]
"t-thank you..." She said still bewildered by the ever increasing number of bystanders listening to the boy as she took Ryuusuke's hand and helped herself up.
Dusting herself in a flash she nodded to him and said,
"lead the way~"
She added making sure nothing had fallen off of her bag and securing it to her shoulder.
At least if she followed Ryuusuke she would have someone to talk to about things that weren't necessarily related to spooky things or rumors of any type, at least that's the impression Ryuusuke gave her, someone who didn't liked baseless rumors.

[Assistant]
And, when the two anonymous boys jumped into the conversation, Etsuko was faced with the biggest issue she had with people: their sudden need for confrontation. Of course, the talking bothered her, the constant need for companionship, peer pressure, pretentiousness and everything else about humans annoyed her greatly, but at her core, their aggressiveness made her wish she was a tiger instead. Tigers hated everyone and everything; but, most importantly, they were solitary creatures.

When the two boys approached, immediately jumping at the chance to degrade Keigo for a simple joke – an unfunny one, but still a joke – Etsuko had half a mind to speak up. However, no matter how much she hated these undeniable facts about humanity and how much she just wanted to yell and punch everyone in the classroom, it was against her nature. So, she carefully tried to slink away, her foot sliding partially to the side, until an annoyingly warm hand latched onto her arm, seeking comfort that she didn't want to give. Etsuko shot Chiasa a look; it seemed indifferent enough, but on the inside she was boiling.

"Hey, idiots, leave him alone. He was just kidding!" Chiasa hissed, squeezing Etsuko's arm for assistance. "Etsuko-chan, tell them."

The strawberry blonde blinked slowly, taking the time to cool her nerves before opening her eyes again and nodding tightly. "He was."

She hoped that would have been enough to cease the situation and sent a quick prayer to God, despite not being religious in the least.

[User]
This was not what Gruffydd had thought would happen. [i]Maybe if I'd actually [/u]thought I would have seen it coming. Gruffydd's gaze was drawn downwards, and his expression of contempt melted into one of shame. His thoughts spilled out into muttered speech—but in Welsh, the language he still thought in. "Mae'n debyg y gallai fod wedi bod yn waeth, ond mae angen i mi gael hwn o dan reolaeth."

 He looked up again at Keigo. "They're right, it was a joke, and I should have seen it from the start. I was, I will admit, annoyed with—well, a couple of things, really—and I allowed myself to direct it at you, while you held direct responsibility for none of it. That was wrong, and I am sorry." His apology was, as he had long ago learned custom dictated, with a bow. Not a particularly deep bow, as—despite his direct and somewhat grave phrasing—he understood this infraction to be relatively minor. But he was not one to beat around the bush in a situation like this, so both apology and bow were necesarry.

 Gruffydd's rather abrupt change in demeanor had caught Keigo off guard, but the underclassman got out a rather confused expetence. That done, Gruffydd stood straight up and, without missing a beat, delivered his fellow third year and elbow in the side, perhaps a tad more forceful than was necesarry, but the message was clear: "Alright, now it's your turn."


[System]
Age: 37

Gender: Male

Nationality: Brazilian

Appearance: Carvalho is an Afro-Brazilian with a dark complexion and expressive face. He is short (180 cm) and thick-bodied with a barrel chest. He keeps his head shaven.

Occupation: Major, 12 Infantry Brigade, Brazilian Army

Field of Expertise: Carvalho specializes in rapid reaction- a military unit that is able to quickly leap into action with or without support from other units. Improvisation, making use of minimal resources, and snap decisions are his forte.

Languages Spoken: Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, French, English

Personal History: Not many people would have expected João Carvalho to join the Army. Many Brazilians- especially in the upper middle class he grew up in- saw the military as a refuge for the desperate and the impoverished. Growing up in a well-off family and doing exceptionally well in school, most people expected him to follow his father into the world of business.

However, João Carvalho was not a man who was content to sit behind a desk. Excitable and active, he craved the kind of adventure he would never find in his boring gated community in Belo Horizonte. And so he entered a military school, finding the life there to his liking and performing well. Once granted his first command, he proved to be a popular and competent officer with his men and managed to claw up through the ranks to Major.

Carvalho served two tours as a UN Peacekeeper in Haiti, a post that led him into more than one shootout with local gangs. He distinguished himself well enough for the United Nations to specifically request him as a military liaison for UNKEO. Eager for a new and exciting challenge, Carvalho accepted without reservation.

Name: Chaim Abergil

Age: 41

Gender: Male

Nationality: Israeli

Appearance: Olive-skinned with hazel eyes, Abergil is especially thin. His left arm is mottled with burn scars that cover his hand and forearm.

Occupation: Senior Lieutenant, Israel Fire and Rescue Service

Field of Expertise: As an experienced firefighter, Chaim Abergil knows how to save life and property from a variety of emergencies- structural fires, wildfires, building collapses, chemical spills, vehicle crashes, and even arson and terrorist attacks.

Languages Spoken: Hebrew, Arabic, English

Personal History: Chaim Abergil, the descendant of Moroccan Jews, never planned to become a firefighter. A cynical youth, he merely accepted the offer of a friend to join after his mandatory IDF service. As it turned out, Abergil had a talent for the job. Serving in the countryside of Israel and dealing with genuine accidents, the once cynical man had begun to feel a little more optimism.

However, after five years of firefighting out in the sticks, Chaim's elderly grandmother took ill. Concerned, he put in for a transfer to Haifa in order to be near her. It was urban firefighting that soured Chaim's general outlook. Having to solve problems caused by negligence, stupidity, or outright malevolence wore on the man over time. His arm was badly burned in an arson incident, a fire he later learned was started over a petty debt of a hundred shekels. And yet he kept rushing into burning buildings to save people from their own stupidity.

With the death of his ailing grandmother, Chaim is finding himself bothered by how cynical and world-weary his attitude has become. And so, he has volunteered to serve with UNKEO, hoping to find some meaning in his work yet again.

[User] Lorenzo sighed loudly as his plan for rigging some trucks with explosives was shot down however his plan for floodlights was agreed on with everyone so that was something that he could work with. He made sure to put on his seat belt as he braced for the landing and once he landed with the others he saw the man in charge as he explained what they had to work with. Since the others would be working on their own issues Lorenzo needed to set up the floodlights in case they have a chance to simply scare the creature like any other animal would with blinding headlights. Lorenzo saluted as he was trained to do the Brigadier Sir, I need you to get whatever men you can spare and have them get as many floodlights or whatever can give a huge flash to help set up around the perimeter near where we expect the beast to show up. I am setting up for a non violent way of deterring the beast without wasting lives or destroy anything in the city if it works then we will figure out a crucial weakness in the beast." Lorenzo said as he put his hand back down and went toward his own ride and ordered the man to take him to where they expect the beast to show up. Lorenzo had to figure out the best pattern to set up their lights...

[Assistant]
"I was unable to find whether or not your toxin would affect an insect quite as well as a mammal. I'll trust you have that knowledge covered."

Huan smiled as the German posed his question. Huan spoke: "Thanks for your query, and I am glad to say that the toxin will work fine on the insect just as well on mammal. We can see this by looking at our cricket friend here." Huan held up the small plastic box. The cricket was frozen in a struggle, as the spider enjoyed its meal.

When the plane began to descend, Huan fastened his seatbelt and prepared for landing. He was insanely nervous, despite his confident demeanor. He watched out of the small plane window over the beautiful countryside. Huan felt angry that something so ugly, so horrible, was destroying such an amazing thing. Huan would do his best to stop all the kaijus, he vowed that long ago.

The plane landed and Huan got out to stretch his legs. He greeted Brigadier Mahon when he saw him. Huan was exhausted, and he already had everything he really needed. Maybe he could work on the delivery system tomorrow. Right now, he just wanted to rest. He got in one of the cars, and asked to go to the Radisson.

[User]
The Irish troops moved quickly and efficiently, bundling each team member into a car and rapidly bringing them to their desired location.

Knight had the shortest trip of all of them- the Flight Lieutenant was only a few hundred yards away from two green-painted AW139 helicopters. She was met by a Lieutenant- Krawczyk was the name on his flight suit- saluting with just a hint of sarcasm. No Irish airman would be thrilled to have a Briton tell him his job. "We were told the Flight Lieutenant might prefer to fly her own patrol," Krawczyk said, with a gesture towards one of the waiting helicopters. "I know this coast well, I'll act as your navigator. And your door gunner, if it should come to that," he said with a pat on the FN machine gun positioned on the starboard side.

Carvalho nodded as he heard Dirk volunteer for one of the land patrols, then immediately stepped forwards. "I'll ride with Dirk," he said. Carvalho felt at least somewhat responsible for the safety of the civilians on his team. That, and he would feel more comfortable giving military advice if he had at least one scientific expert at hand should they actually run across the mysterious giant. Brigadier Mahon nodded, then got in the car with the two men for the ride to Renmore Barracks. It was a brief ride- twenty minutes perhaps- but one marked by silence. Carvalho sensed the stress that the Brigadier was feeling, the weight he was under.

The Brigadier only spoke once, as they crossed through the gates into Renmore, passing by numbers of cocky, uniformed youths, excited by the challenge of going out to fight an unknown enemy. "They're good lads, and they'll do their best," Mahon said quietly. After the long silence, Carvalho nearly jumped at the older man's words. Mahon sighed, rubbed his iron-gray hair. "I just hope I can bring them all home."

The car pulled to a halt, and Mahon immediately donned his cap and stepped out of the vehicle. "O'Sullivan!" he bellowed at a passing sergeant, decked out in full combat gear. "These two gentlemen will be accompanying you. Show them every courtesy."

O'Sullivan gave a gap-toothed smile and salute. "Right, make yourselves comfortable," the sergeant said, opening the back door of a RG Outrider patrol vehicle for them. A few confident, grinning Irish troops made room for them. "I pity the kaiju that comes across this lot!" O'Sullivan said with a breezy laugh. Doors slammed, rifles were loaded, and the convoy of two Outriders roared out the gate of Renmore. Carvalho loaded and checked his Taurus sidearm, knowing in his heart the 9mm handgun wouldn't be enough.

Chaim Abergil perked up his ears at the conversation. The Israeli had liked the idea of the lights, and walked over to Lorenzo, pressing a Motorola radio into his hands. "Lorenzo, right? If you find good places for lights, just give me a call. I'm going to try and round up lighting rigs for you, just tell me where to send them." With that he walked over to another car and had it take him into the city and fire department, where he would take stop of emergency prep and try to find powerful spotlights. The Brigadier ordered several other men to also begin rounding up floodlights, they scattered in vehicles to procure lights from wherever possible.

The Irish soldier drove Lorenzo out of the airport and deep into the beautiful Irish countryside. The sun was just setting they reached the R336 road on the outskirts of town- maybe a fifteen minute drive from the city center. The roar of the ocean touched Lorenzo's ear, just as the taste of salt on the wind did. "Our best guess is somewhere on this coastal highway," Lorenzo's guide- Private Donlon- offered. "The first attack was in Cathair, the second in Spiddal, further west."

It was getting dark quickly out in the sticks as Donlon slowly began driving, letting Lorenzo take in the countryside.

Soliders took Huan Xiao's luggage (though not without a worried look at the warning labels on the crate containing the toxin) and loaded it into the car, reaching the hotel just after sunset. The Radisson was clean, modern, and comfortable, and the UNKEO had not skimped on their accommodations. Huan quickly discovered a large room booked for each member of the team, as well as a conference room for them to meet in. And with the UN picking up the tab, Huan was free to raid the minibar or order room service to his heart's content. The perks of fighting kaiju were manifold, it seemed.

THE DOCKS

O'Sullivan's convoy of two fighting vehicles hardly drew any looks as it passed through Galway. The citizens were accustomed to seeing military vehicles so near the barracks. However, as the Outriders passed by the historic Docks area, home to a bustling waterfront and nightlife district, they began to encounter crowds milling about in the streets. The sergeant swore as they were forced to stop by the growing crowd of rubberneckers who seemed to be coming out of pubs and homes as the sun slid behind the horizon. "What is all this?" he complained.

Carvalho peeked out. It seemed all the people were coming out to look at something out in the water of the harbor. He saw pointed fingers, uplifted cameras. Curious, he shifted himself over to better see out the window of the vehicle, then froze. "Que porra é essa?" he found himself saying, then immediately hoping no one understood his profanity.

Bright in the gathering darkness, visible under the green water of Galway Harbor, was two glowing yellow circles, moving lazily, indifferently, in slow and searching patterns. "Sergeant O'Sullivan," Carvalho said quietly, "I would suggest you put a man up on that machine gun you have mounted on the roof of this vehicle." He began to ease the Taurus out its holster, for all the good it would do. With a look at Dirk, Carvalho shook his head. "I think it liked the way those two policemen tasted. It's going for more people," he said grimly.

The flashes of cameras increased in intensity outside, while a few of the more sensible rubberneckers turned and ran. The water of the harbor churned into a white froth, and a titanic black hulk began to rise like some new island. Rivers of water washed down from the thing as more and more of the body became clear.

Carvalho was struck by the size, the immensity of the thing. Of course, he knew kaiju were big, that was their whole point. But actually seeing one was different. It was black in color, covered in thick, bony plating. A squarish central body the size of a baseball diamond, supported by eight segmented legs. Glowing yellow eyes atop long and waving stalks, like flexible telephone poles. A horrible, segmented mouth, full of sharp bony mandibles but not teeth. And the claws, of course. Pincers, really. One was small, almost dainty at eight feet long, suitable for fine manipulation. The right hand pincer was the stuff of nightmares, though. Massive, curved, nearly the size of the creature's entire body at a full seventy feet long. The blades of the pincer looked razor sharp. Wincing, Carvalho thought of the Garda car that had been cut neatly in half- now they knew how it had been done.

"It's a crab," Carvalho found himself saying to Dirk. "Of course, a giant, enemy crab." He almost laughed, before he looked at the tremendous monster in front of him- the first kaiju he had ever seen. Carvalho had been shot at before, had grenades lobbed at him. But nothing had prepared him for this. The mandibles in the giant mouth worked, and a horrific clicking noise echoed across the streets of Galway.

The Irish soldiers gaped, the smarter civilians ran for it, and Carvalho grabbed for his radio, sending a message out across the UNKEO frequency. "This is Carvalho, all units please reply," he gasped. "We have a confirmed sighting of the subject in Galway Harbor. Repeat, the subject is in a populated area." Realizing he couldn't keep calling it "the subject" Carvalho searched his mind for an appropriate code word. "Subject is henceforth designated, uh, Fiddler."

Fiddler's rolling yellow eyes finally seemed to fix on the crowd lining the waterfront, and the clicking sound of the mandibles increased in speed. Panic finally began to spread through the assembled crowd, and more than one person was knocked down in the rush for the nearest buildings. The safeties clicked off on the soldier's Steyr rifles, a belt was fed into a machine gun, a rocket was loaded into an antitank weapon. Twelve infantrymen up against this creature. Carvalho swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I've got rifles, machine guns, and a few rocket launchers on hand. Not really sure they'll work, though. Please advise. Over."


[System]
Appearance:
A flat chested, short haired, well groomed woman who fits right in with the men in the office. Although no need, she wears contacts as sorta a protective measure. She keeps her appearance regardless of the occasion, only changing her attire to full nudity when it's time to sleep. Noticeable features include a splatch of scar-tissue on her left forearm, and clothes plagued with fur (as much as she tries to clean it, it never goes away).
Nicknames: //

Age: 24

Gender: female

Rank: 2

Quinque: A shoulder turret that covers her arm and comes to a sharp point over her hand.

Personality: Upbeat, friendly, and a bit too positive. Her life motto is "C'est la vie" and she takes that to its fullest. She has no problem with ghouls, nor does she harbor the same feelings some of her fellow investigators may or may not hold to. She feels ghouls have as much right to life as humans so-long-as they follow the rules. She doesn't, however, flaunt her viewpoint onto her peers.

Biography: Grew up in an area plagued by ravenous monsters who, as a child, thought they were more misunderstood more than anything. One night, a ghoul attacked her mother, father, and two sisters; killing the parents and getting teeth deep into young Yoko's arm before CCG showed and put it down. The eldest sister at the time, Namari Hikari age 20, became head of the household until all three eventually grew up and moved out. Somewhere along here, Yoko got herself a baby red panda who she named Riichi. Namari became a professor at a university while her other sister entered the academy two years earlier than Yoko and was killed on the job before Yoko could join her.

[User]
Out of nowhere someone dropped in between Akurai and the girl and he found himself jump backwards. The guy frightened him and made him shiver slightly, if the girl was a 1/10 this guy was 100/10. "I was pretty happy about being unknown..." Akurai whispered to himself. The words the mand said were like knifes and without knowing Akurai had been steeping backwards and was now with his back to the wall. As the mans Kagune ripped forward Akurai's did the same and coated the boys vital organs as well as it could, but never in his life had Akurai felt so frail.

"I dont care if you kill me. Actually it would be nice. My mom and dad are back at home in a pool of their own blood. A ghoul killed them both and he was eating them as I came home. I lost control and I started to punch" His hands curled into fists "and I didn't stop. I just kept going until he looked more like a gooey mess then a man" He looked right at the masked man "and then I ate him" he didn't want to give a reason. He didn't want to say that even if mommy and daddy smelled so good he forced himself to eat the ghoul. " So kill me... I wont mind"

The girls plea however came as a surprise. He didn't see what reason she would have to want to keep him alive, but as soon as she said they should keep him he started to understand. "I won't hunt, I can't. I have always had food at home, dad provided for me" He looked at the girl as she said she needed a friend "I ate one of us and still you say I could be your friend ?"

[Assistant]
Bakura held his ribs tightly the entire time, that's where it ached the most. He had already gotten over his broken arm but his ribs were broken and he hoped that he didn't have an internal injury. His nose twitched at the smell of human meat, it's smell smelling like life in solid form. He quickly grabbed it and tore it apart from his mouth, devouring it within seconds. He let out a sigh of relief, usually feeling better after a meal. He wiped the blood away with his sleeve as he began to move his left hand It's healing faster than before He turn to glare at the young girl in the eyes, blinking as they reverted back to normal "It was the Dining Hall. But it doesn't matter. That rhino looking bastard is dead anyways" He said as he slowly stood up.

He turned his gaze to the other stranger Ghoul in the shop "If I was gonna draw Doves here, I would of left myself to die out there" By the time he finished, the Ghoul left. He walked over to the table and fell onto one of the seats, grabbing a cup of coffee and taking a sip. He looked down at his hand, squeezing it tightly Just that meal won't suffice for me to heal. I need to eat. "It isn't common for strangers to be coming here this late. Why are you here?" He said to the female Ghoul as he took off his hood and took another sip of coffee.

[User]
Meat, Meat, MEAT!

Just as Bakura finished his question, Edward sat across him with his coffee in hand. "Well, at least you probably won't be going there again in a while," he said, taking a sip from his cup. "You should be better soon enough." He wasn't too keen on the idea of people hunting near the shop. It might eventually lead to the doves investigating the area more thoroughly, giving the ghouls at the shop a hard time. He shot a brief glare at the girl. She seemed like a rather uncontrollable ghoul, or perhaps that was just Edward's perception due to her erratic behaviour so far.

[Assistant] A god-awful noise suddenly rang out from Yoko's phone, loud enough to rival the music and ambient noise coming from the main dance floor of the club. At first Yoko just ignored it in her dreamlike state, but as her migraine started again and the noise didn't stop, she pulled out her phone and answered with a worn out tone before she realized what she was doing. "Moshi..." She started to fade away. "CCG, rank 2, Hikari Yoko. At your service." Before the person on the other side could respond, Yoko quickly recalled any reason why anyone would be calling. The only people that would have this number would be her sister up at the university and her fellow CCG workers, but its not that she had a partner or anything. And she had finished her work for the week, except for that last minute file that appeared on her desk. She has yet to look through it though, which she was hoping that it wouldn't come up. She didn't even know what time or day it was.

[User]
Ishin gave a short and violent growl as the boy spilled his story. Ishin didn't care. This was an offence to his domain and he would have none of it…especially from cannibalising scum. He raised an arm, preparing to strike swiftly before he was stopped by Chou. He looked down at the girl and raised an eyebrow. She was asking something of him again. He knew how uncomfortable that made her so it seemed…out of place until she mentioned needing a friend. He nodded and his Kagune retracted. He stepped forward in front of Chou and towards the cowering boy. He did look far too gone to be of much help tonight.

"another one to train I suppose" he mused before taking off his helmet and resting it under an arm "you have been saved by someone's good graces…I suggest you show more appreciation of that fact, boy" Ishin nodded gently "Chou…take the boy back to Dark Nights" he said quickly "Clean him up and show him around…I'll hunt solo tonight" He tapped a finger to his chin "Go to Rocky and ask for the key to Room 3-B…that'll be yours and boys for time being until I can find somewhere else" he placed his helmet back on to his head and shot up into the sky with the help from his kagune. Now he could be by himself. He could hunt with reckless abandon. He could be at his normal. The scent of humans filtered through the metal helmet drove him on. His stomach tightened in anticipation. His arms covered in thick plates of RC cells, he was 'Savage' once more.

Leaping over alleys and pounding over rooftops, Ishin was a silent predator. His first target, slung over his shoulder and half-conscious, was a girl for Chou. He needed about three more bodies to feed the demands of his Ghouls. He leapt in to a group of teens that were either drunk or high. Breaking the street light above them with a flash of crystal RC, in a flash they were on his shoulder as well, in varying states of consciousness or death. That was enough for now. He returned on his hunting path back to Dark Nights.

Arriving back at Dark Nights, Ishin let himself in through a cellar door and down into a room that was hidden from view. The corpse cellar. Leaving the humans there for later, he returned to his office and changed into his usual day to day attire. Leaving his mask behind seemed most prudent as he needed to check on the drunk before checking on Chou and the Boy. Ishin made his way through the crowds and up to the Drunk Tank, rapping on the door with his knuckles "Open up."

[Assistant]
Izumi

Well, while it seemed that the guy hadn't been damaged by doves, he still had enough of an attitude to be making snarky remarks. Izumi felt that she actually liked the guy more than one would actually think. "Well, now that the no life isn't here anymore, I think I should leave too. Preys might not be as abundant if I delay a bit too much." Izumi smiled, before turning to the waiter, Edward. "Oi, boy. You okay on supplies here? I can always bring over my leftovers if you aren't. I'm giving preferance to you guys, you know?" Izumi said, before taking her cellphone out and tinkering with it a bit. Even if Luca didn't know, Izumi was actually an acquaintance, and a good friend, of the owner of the restaurant. That's why she so nonchalantly moved around the place as it were her own.

Before long, she noticed that what she said might actually gross the guy out. What could be more disgusting that human entrails? Half eaten human entrails. "Oh, but I don't actually mean leftovers like that, I mean the guys I can't eat after hunting tonight." Izumi said, blocking her phone and smiling at the pair of guys before her. "You asked what I'm doing her, no?" Izumi made her way towards the back door. "Well, I was just checking in, you know. Making sure people here haven't lost their balls and so, it is pretty bad when that happens." Izumi laughed a bit.

"And also, you never know with that head of the CCG. He might be onto you the moment you take your eyes off him, or the cameras. You gotta be careful, here in district 8, is eat or be eaten. Now, ciao!" Izumi shouted, before jumping away from the restaurant, and putting her mask on after searching for it inside her bad.

Asuya
"HIKARI!? For god's sake, can't you actually BE where someone needs you? Listen, I've gotten on some piece of information I need checked out. Aside from you, there's no one else free right now, and I need you to come with me. Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up rigth away. Do you have your quinque with you, or should I bring it to you?" Asuya spouted out to Hikari, without even waiting for a reply. "Anyhow, be ready. I know your location anyway. I'll also bring a backup should you not have your quinque with you, or yours if I find it. Bye." Not wanting to stay too much on the phone, Asuya quickly hanged up.

Fortunately (unfortunately for his underlings) Asuya had a tracker put in every and each one of them, using their phones or otherwise. Paranoia is a really dreadful thing. He quickly started up in his phone the application and searched for Hikari. Finding her in the club Dark Nights was NOT a pleasant surprise. "That girl.... you can't actually be serious, hanging around such a place." He sighed with exasperation. He left the building and went to his car.

Soon enough, he was en route to the club, to pick Hikari up.

In the dark alleys of Ward 8

A man, clad in full body armor and wearing a menacing looking helmet, walks through the streets. His kagune that was covering his hand just moments ago disappears into nothing into his shoulder blade. Contrary to his medieval appearance, a ringing sound coming from his phone suddenly rang. He quickly rushed to pick it up and turned it on, the screen lighting up his helmet. The neighs of a horse could be heard nearby.

"They are onto me... and the Cannibal Corpse no less. I will need full support in this one, and there's no reinforcements to call upon besides you, Checkmate. Help me through this, and even if I am caught I will not say anything about you." As a middle aged man would, he slowly slid his fingers through the touch screen of his phone and said what he wanted to write in the message. Before long, the message was sent and he approached the black horse standing in the alley. He climbed onto its back. "Let's go, Yozo. They cannot hope to outwit us, not with her on our side." Knight took the reins of the horse and they set off.

[User]
Yoko kinda just sat there while Asuya chewed her out. Not that she was supprised. She figured it was work calling, here to ruin her time off. She didn't care, she had her time off; as brief as it was. With the phone call over, Yoko finally went to open the door to the drunk tank to see why her captors wanted to be so polite to their victims. She didn't really see herself as a victim of a kidnapping though; she knew she passed out, but just didn't know where she was.

Yoko opened the door to find a boy, about her age, holding a more mature presence than she'd figured for a twenty-something year old. She stared for a moment, captivated by his red hair and matching attire before she snapped back to the realization that this was probably the person who locked her away to safety. She quickly straightened up and bowed with a simple "Thank you" before getting on to the matter at hand. She stared at him a moment: calm, collected, and non-threatening, but taking control of the conversation and strict notice of his facial expressions and general attitude. "Excuse me, my name is Hikari. I am a rank 2 ghoul investigator," Yoko paused to take note of any particular changes the boy infront of him may have released, "... and I have just been called away on business. If you wouldn't mind showing me to the front, the CCG would be appreciative that one of our beloved citizens were happy lend a hand to one of their trusted officers."