[System]
Alias: Metallia
Age: 15
Gender: Female

Appearance:

Personality:
Apathetic, she floats along life, showing little emotion even to the deeply disturbing. She does not mind doing disturbing things herself, either.
Arrogant, she believes she's better than you, even if the opposite is proven. She looks down on any petty act that has no purpose, as well.
Irritable, things that annoy her annoy her a lot, and is about to explode. She's very likely to hold a grudge, which is why she's here.
Graceful, the way she moves and talks would make you think she's royalty. This is her at her best, disturbingly graceful. At her worst…
Childish, that ice-cream looks delicious. I want it. Hey, pay attention to me. Heeeeeeeeeey. … I can't have it? … *ice-cream stand explodes*
Hmpf. Serves you right.

Powers/skills: Her one capability is her understanding of technology way out of her league and capability to construct such. However, if confronted without her toys, Metallia will be but a 15 year old girl in terms of combat prowess.

Equipment:
On herself.
Her headset, those two things on her head, contains extremely powerful transmitters and receivers, allowing her to make use of public satellites to communicate with her robots wherever they might be. They also send back any information they have to update them on what they're doing right now. Using this, Metallia can directly control her robots as if they were her own limbs, should she wish it.

Oh, and that dress is bullet-proof highest grade combat-armor. There's also metal in it, to allow her to control herself with the next machine if needed.

Her chair.
She has her own chair which is called the R5. This machine is equipped with two very powerful magnetic controllers (one in each black box by her hips in the image). These allow Metallia to fly, carry around those two giant metal arms to do her bidding and generally harass enemies with any metallic things nearby. Her magnetic control with this can be pretty powerful, though she cannot deform metal objects with it and there's a limit to how fast she can accelerate things depending on their weight. She probably can't affect a car all that much.

It is also outfitted with machine-guns, capability of launching multiple kinds of rockets or explosives, supreme impact-power in close combat, emergency thrusters and it is also rather customizable depending on what Metallia needs on her newest trip.

Robots.

Tia in the middle. Usual robots to the left and right.
First there's Tia. She's an android that Metallia felt like building because she was bored one day. Tia does not have the capability to display any emotions, but through an AI Metallia considers "rudimentary" she emulates human intelligence to a frightening level, though has no capacity to do anything but follow instructions and answer to her mistress's commands. That is, except for destroying enemies with robot strength and utilizing the rockets/machine guns in her arms. Metallia spent more time on Tia than her usual robots and she should be considered more powerful.

The usual robots are big humanoid shapes that are bulky but quite strong. In their shoulders they can carry weapons from blades, guns, explosives, whatever Metallia felt like putting in it. Metallia can control them directly or she can allow their AI to do the maneuvering based on her instructions. Though, while the AI in them is supposedly very advanced because Metallia made it, they mostly suck in combat and most heroes make short work of them. Their inability to be competent should never be underestimated. However, Metallia can make a lot of them in a relatively short amount of time. If The Presence needs an army, she can provide it.

Of course, in the future, Metallia is able to invent new robots to cause trouble for her enemies. When she does, I'll most likely delve into this link, where I found her image.
conceptrobots.blogspot.se/2012_07_01_a..

Short Bio: Metallia does not know her own backstory. But, if you wish to know, then feel free to open the hider.
Metallia is a drone from a super-villain of galactic proportions. She is, to say, a biological android, having been designed rather than born but yet still have organs and function like a normal human would. Her "father" created her and sent her to Earth in a shuttle that would germinate her on the way so she'd be born upon arrival. She was supposed to gain further orders upon arrival.

However, when Metallia was arrived on Earth and was born, no orders came. Be this because the super-villain was defeated before she arrived or for another reason entirely, the information that was supposed to spur her on her way never came. And then… she was stuck there. … However. Her mind still has information which her father considered "vital for survival", which just happened to include information on superior technology from space.
Metallia started her existence as 14 years old in England. She simply opened her eyes and there she was. Nobody knew who she was, not even herself. That said, she managed to quickly find lodging with a nice old grandma who took pity on her. The police could not find any record of her existence, and when she was sent to the hospital for a check on her mind.

In the hospital, however, something odd happened. She… became extremely annoyed at the technology they used to examine her. Because, it could be so much more efficient, so much more thorough. As it was, they could miss whatever the issue was! She lashed out in anger, and then she was down at the police again, who believed themselves to have a problem child on their hands. They had no idea.

Encouraged to do something about humanity's inferior technology, she started working. Under the name Angelica Wilder, a name she took out of nowhere, she took the job as a maid to a prevalent technological doctor while she worked tirelessly on new technology on the side. She invented something ground-breaking in the field of robotics, and she expected to be praised. Sure enough, she WAS praised by the doctor…

… Then he took patent on her invention and received all the credit. Nobody would believe a young maid like her had developed such a piece of technology. Enraged, Angelica decided to forcefully punish the doctor who took her things by building robots that would do her bidding. Taking the name "Metallia", she attacked the doctor's university. … That's when she found out she stood no chance against the heroes of today.

Managing to escape, Metallia turned her attention to these… "heroes". They had defended the doctor. They had to pay. She'd develop better robots, better weapons. She'd find out their secret identities and who their loved ones were. It became clear to her that the only way she could be allowed to make humanity better… was if she took over it all herself, first…!

… That said, she never had much luck as a super-villain. Her robots were often easily destroyed by heroes she confronted. … That's when The Presence contacted her… … …

Other: … If bored someday, you might find her aimlessly browsing the internet and/or playing a video game. She can be easily distracted if she doesn't feel like doing what she should be doing. Beware her knowledge of the internet.

She can fairly easily get and invent what she desires by selling things she made/fixed on the internet while buying, which is how she gained all the items she needs to make her contraptions. The things she buy look innocent on paper, but become significant when she starts working on them. Money has never been her goal.

[User] Jackal perked up when one his allies spoke of something. "You smell like toxins, got anything that could burn me, chemical burns or flammable liquid?" He asked almost desperately. It wasn't cold enough to kill him, but it was cold enough to weaken and annoy him. The man in question looked rather shady, and he recalled seeing him burn some of the table with his mere fingers. Jackal hoped that he had something that could take the cold away from him, so he doesn't have to resort to exhausting himself by igniting his own body on fire. Then again lighting himself on fire would probably draw unwanted attention anyway, still some chemical assistance is much more subtle then a blazing dragon-man.

[Assistant] Nergal gave a laugh "Oh I could try burning your skin with some chemicals but that's rather ineffective." he replied while adding to himself 'And not to mention I have little interest in rubbing my hands all over your body'. Reaching into one of the pockets on his jacket, he pulled out a small needle he had been using for some experiments, "No what I was thinking was more of an injection. The right dose of the correct toxins can cause all sorts of reactions inside you that can lead to increasing your core body heat. Of course, since these are deadly toxins, the wrong dosage or even too much of the right dosage isn't going to be good for your long term health." Nergal explained matter of factly, given the Presence would not be happy with him poisoning another team member, Nergal saw no reason to keep any information from Jackel, he did not need to be accused of deceiving him just to poison him.

[User]
@SunsetRoses

Mako smirked as the naked one literally prodded at the shark, "Hmmm or better yet I could just have a snack now..." Mako reached out to any water sources nearby and at a moments notice he was ready to summon it as a super heated weapon, "Maybe you'd like to be next on the menu then? you human trash." His eyes began to turn black as wild insanity gripped the boy, "It doesn't matter who you are or what your powers are human," The word human came out like an insult from behind his teeth that were starting to show again, his words came out mixed with a deep unearthly growl, his eyes now black as the pits of hell, "You need to learn the ground rules. Rule one...You fuck with me and I'll kill you...I'm not the guy you want to test your stupid little attitude on."

Mako looked ready to go, but suddenly the words, "Unleash The Kraken!!!" Screamed from his pocket. Mako was shocked back into reality, his eyes snapped back to normal, he knew all these people were "humans" and he was outnumbered. He pulled the phone from his pocket, the most expensive water proof phone one could steal, straight from a shipping container at the bottom of the ocean near china, who knows how it got down there. He unlocked it and saw he had a notification from his favorite app, clash of clans, he took a moment to turn his phone completely off. After that he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He then turned to the girl who had agreed with him on slaughter, "You're probably right...no point in making a scene and having to fight a group of super heroes." A sudden worry washed over him, would they send The King after him? Mako visibly swallowed as a feeling of dread washed over him. There were many people that he could hold his own against, The King Of Atlantis was not one of them.

[Assistant]
"Okay, I'll just head straight to the bank then." Phone Freak said loudly after Mako's outburst, setting off across the field by herself. Someone had to start moving. If they stood around for much longer someone was going to start killing the others, whether by teeth, telefrag, or poisoning and she had no interest in being at ground zero for that mess. There as really no reason they had to stick all clumped together anyway, what with Metallia's little gifts and all. Speaking of...

She pulled the little thing out of her pocket and clicked it on when she thought she was far enough away. "Test test." She said into it "Test test test." Then she configured it to one of the individual channels, Metallia's. "Testing individual channle, test test, check check. You get all this Robo Princess?"

[User]
@Kiss Of Night

Dianna fanned herself as Loud Love called her a pretty lady. She wasn't taken by the compliment, but it was a nice thing for him to say. She didn't get much attention from men, there were always people like Queenie who tossed her into the shade. She didn't think she was ugly, but she also knew men were attracted to them because of their scant clothing, a low she would never stoop to. Wise One would be ashamed if she did so, and it was his magic that powered her, so he still had a large say in everything she did.

"We may have to limit the civilian death toll to one per person, so we don't attract too much attention." She said sweetly to the agitated young man, eyes glinting with murderous intent. "I'll tell you about all my massacres when we get back. Maybe, if the Presence allows us, we can go on a spree together?" She giggled, before her attention was turned back to Mako.

They seemed to be on the same wavelength, knowing the dangers of getting trapped by superheroes. This team could work their way out of a lot, but it was better if they were in and out without attracting too much attention. If a team of superheroes began investigating their operation, they could be shut down before the Presence was done with them.

She shuffled over to Mako, crooking her elbow towards him and fluttering her eyelashes. "Won't you escort me, Mako? We mustn't tarry, and though I know you don't like being messed with, it would be a pleasure to walk with you." She grinned, and Ms. Muffins II meowed by her side, tentatively moving towards Mako in an attempt to rub against his leg.

"Besides, we must catch up with our other teammate, before she gets herself into too much trouble." Dianna said, rolling her eyes with a slight irritation. She had watched Phone Freak run off, the girl was afraid of a gunshot but she very eagerly ran towards the bank they were going to rob.

[Assistant]
'I advice that, as long as The Presence has not told us whatever his plan might be, we might be jeopardizing it by moving out too early.' Metallia commented, having stood by the side for quite a while without necessarily making any sign that she heard anything around her until now. 'I also advice that the larger our body-count, the larger the collective force of heroes focused on ensuring our demise will be. Serial killers are more important to neutralize than bank robbers, after all. Do as you wish with this knowledge.' She added, given the most recent discussion. Though, that conclusion had already been reached.

If those first words was meant to reach all devices, then those words would be reaching all devices.

Metallia became aware of herself being called personally by her own device, and her hand reached into her jeans-jacket's pocket to press the button to answer.

'I am receiving your words properly.' There was a tiny bit of underlying annoyance. Of course she was receiving the words properly. It was HER technology after all. Did she expect Metallia's device to fail? Preposterous. … But she did understand the need to test technology not your own. She was mildly aware of how many tests she might have run herself if someone else thrust a similar device of their own making into her hand...

…

'... "Robo Princess"...?' She commented in a questioning voice. It sounded... odd. As far as Metallia knew, she was not of royal descent. She assumed the first word was derived from her use of technological constructs. The latter, she had to assume, came from her overall appearance rather than actual heritage. It was... … … oddly flattering, to be compared to such individuals.

'... Your nickname for me has been accepted. You may continue using it.' Metallia made a satisfied remark before ending her transmission.


[System]
"I'm a dude, dude."
Gender: Male (Don't let his appearance fool you)
Age: 15
Race: Human
Home District: Karateka
Appearance:
Superpowers/skills: Mao is capable of popping any of his joints out of place and realigning them at will. He is also almost inhumanly flexible courtesy of this and his actual powers. Mao is an extremely good cook and is extremely knowledgable about Karateka.
Mao boasts extremely elastic skin and muscles as well as peak human reflexes. Oddly this elasticity does not seem to affect the resilience of his skin or muscles in any negative manner

History: Mao is yet another native to Imagine Nation, being born and raised in Karateka all of his life by his single mother alongside three older sisters and an older brother. Being the youngest of the bunch in a single parent household put Mao in a rather awkward predicament: During his early years his sisters viewed him more or less as a living baby doll, often using him as a guinea pig for all sorts of map up and accessories. The fact that Mao took more after his mother than his father certainly did not help matters. Luckily Mao's older brother was often there to step in and bail him out of those situations, though it was often accompanied by a jeer or two to rile Mao up. Mao idolized his brother whom had filled the role of man of the house, and was quick to follow in his footsteps, learning all manner of useful tips and tricks to get ahead in the rough and tumble district. When Mao's brother was old enough to move out, Mao stepped up to take up the mantle himself, even taking a job as a delivery boy for the restaurant his mother ran to help bring in more income. He would go on to be considered for acceptance into the school of thought after the manifestation of his powers. All he needs to do now is to try and pass the exam and impress the council enough to get in.

Personality: Mao is a relatively mellow and easy going guy, though being raised in a household mostly made up of women has given him a bit of a sharp tongue and a mild manipulative streak that are made all the more potent thanks to the district he hails from. Mao generally prefers to rely on his sharp wit and wagging tongue to get him out of trouble, though this can occasionally backfire and put him in even further peril. He generally prefers to flee rather than fight, but when backed into a corner Mao can be a surprisingly vicious opponent due to his preference for resorting to dirty tricks mid combat. Mao is more than aware of the fact that he is rather feminine in appearance and has made peace with this. Mao has a serious fascination with snakes, green tree pythons in particular.

Other: Mao carries around a satchel filled with all manner of snacks as well as a box of bandages,a switch blade, three notebooks, some pens, and several menus from his mother's restaurant. The device that he has strapped to his leg is really nothing more than an ipad in a heavy duty casing that he uses for work.

[User]
NOTE: PEOPLE CAN STILL JOIN THE ROLEPLAY, BUT THERE IS LIMITED TIME.

@Ms Arias Axel

 It would be the day they had all waited for... as the new possible students of thought started to arrive at Hero Square, There would be hundreds of people there cheering as they arrived and begun their journey to stand under the Sphere which had multiple rings that seemed to keep rotating around it, kind of fast in all directions. It would be Dedication day, the day where great heroes have fallen from the past thanks to a great war.. and they are honored this day, but it's also a day for current heroes to try and better themselves, so they wont disgrace the names of those heroes who sacrificed themselves for their home. In the great Rustov war.

 People would filled the square, a police force and some other heroes tried to keep a path open for the new students so they may be allowed to arrive at the sphere. to their rights, Varagog's walls could be seen, many people would be covering the ramparts, those who do not wish to leave their district but still wish to see the festival. To their left would be Galaxis, ships would still be coming down and taking off, but they would also see all maners of beings, aliens and otherwise stand on roof tops to watch the festival, the buildings wouldn't look like any regular structure either. Most of the buildings seem to have odd shapes and sizes.

 Kallus looks left and right at the districts and people watching them, then at the people to either side of them in the plaza, he rubbed his forehead with a groan "..so many people... hurts my head..." he says softly to himself, his voice would be strangely deep, and something strange about it. He would look at the other possible students and wonder what is so special about them...

[Assistant]
Seth's white fox ears twitched and moved back and forth as he looked in awe at Heroes Square. It was the first time he had been here and his white tail swished back and forth creating a small dust cloud. It was amazing to him as the sounds, smells, and decorations attacked him all at once and his curiosity and kid nature took over as he rushed to each stand. Examining the food, decorations, and souvenirs, but right now his focus was on shish kabobs. The smell of the meat and cooked vegetables made his mouth water. His focus was broken by his Eye Fly hovering in front of his face as an elderly voice came from it, "I highly doubt we have time dilly dally sir. We must get to the others and report to officials of the School of Thought. We are not here to sight see and have a directive to complete."

"Yeah, Yeah I understand Blake," Seth sighed before he slowly walked away from the stand. Days before Seth and his father went to the scrap yard to get him some material so he could work on some of his ideas and inventions at the school. During their search, Seth found a very old A.I. unit and deiced to refurbish it and add it to his Eye Fly. To compensate for the new part, Seth needed to resize his Eye Fly so the new part could fit comfortably inside. The Eye Fly was now the size of a soft ball and could talk. Seth figured it would be his only friend for a while since he would be busy inventing. Instead of just calling his creation Eye Fly, he gave it the name Blake to give it more of a human feeling.
"Remember: you represent the youth of your kind and as such you need to not embarrass yourself. You're in the presence of heroes that went through what you're going through," Blake explained.

"You've been hanging around my dad way too long," Seth said as he walked through the crowd. The Eye Fly quickly landed on his shoulder so it wouldn't lose track of him and to keep an eye on him as well. Seth stopped and cocked his head a she looked at a stand with different masks. One that caught his eye was a white fox mask eh turned to Blake and said, "You know, I always wondered why many cultures see the fox as some kind of celestial spirit. It's just an animal?"

A sigh came from Blake before he explained, "Different cultures see different animal's different ways. Some see them as lucky while others see them as cursed. I thought you were a genius?"

"What!? I never claimed that, I just work on machines and invent stuff," Seth said before he added, "What made you think that?"

"You invented me and that watch you ware. Plus you're a master in mechanical understanding and can fix pretty much anything," Blade said.

"Not everything, it's more a trial and error sort of thing. I need to examine something then learn the schematics before I can fix it. Most of the time I'm lost in how to fix things so I wing it," Seth explained.

"Yes well, we should hurry. We shouldn't keep the School of Thought representatives waiting, "Blake interjected. Seth nodded and rushed towards where he needed to be.

[User]
Mao moved purposefully alongside the crowd of candidates that filed into Hero square in anticipation for the entrance exam's start. The excitement was palpable, so much so that it was hard even for someone such as himself to keep his cool. Every fiber of Mao's being was bursting with life and energy as he took in everything that was going on around him. Up until this point Mao never thought he'd ever really be excited about being outside of his home district. After all, he'd passed to nearly every district in Imagine Nation at one point or another to deliver orders on his mother's behalf. After a while a desire to complete his orders on time and constant exposure to the goings on of each district had numbed him to most festivities, even one as great as Dedication day. This however was different: It was one thing to be a witness to a festival, but to actually be in it? To be an integral part of it? Simply the knowledge of this was enough to make Mao want to break out into a dance.

Rather than give in to the temptations brought about by his excitement, Mao continued to shuffle into the square with his head held high. He had to maintain an air of dignity. What he did today wouldn't just affect him: His family name was on the line here as well, as well as his mother's business. Success here today held the possibility of bringing in more costumers for the family restaurant.

Mao paused briefly to brush a few errant strands of hair from his eyes and to peer into the crowds around him and the other candidates. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people here today. He knew that his mother and eldest sister would be back in Karateka running the shop, however his three remaining siblings had all promised to show up and cheer him on, as well as record the event for his mother. Mao narrowed his eyes and tried to peer further into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of his other two older sisters, or perhaps his older brother, however he was ultimately forced to give up the search due to both the sheer number of people in the crowds, as well as the jostling of the other candidates. All Mao could do now was hope he passed the exam and put on a good enough show to be accepted into the school of thought.


[System]
Age: 22

Gender: Female

Race: Nem

Class: Berserker

Appearance: Like all nem, Teri is frighteningly pale and absolutely tiny. In fact, she's even smaller than normal nem--only 2'11 when standing up straight! She's more muscled than essentially any other nem, though, whilst retaining a noticeable layer of padding from lots of good food.

With wild, black hair to her knees, a wolf pelt (folded over) as a cape, and scanty amounts of studded leather, she's every bit the barbarian. The red eyes even help. She's just too small.

Personality: Of all the things that could be said of expected personalities from Teri's appearance, you wouldn't expect one of the sweetest girls you've ever met. Seemingly not possessing a mean bone in her body, and rather shy before crowds, the small nem is entirely unsuited to her chosen profession.

But when she gets into a fight, it's easy to believe.

Brief Backstory: Over two decades before, a nem expedition to the far north found itself running into trouble: unprepared for the northern winter, they both ran out of food and firewood, and only one managed to stumble all the way to one of the local villages--carrying their infant daughter. Even they, however, succumbed to the illnesses gained from their long trip... leaving the girl with just a first name to be raised by a proud warrior people.

Always raised in the icy north, Teri avoided the fate of her parents and their partners, growing up without really minding that everyone else was always so much bigger than she was. Despite the size differences--and the inherent physical difficulty of trying to keep up with burly northerners--she grew up about as big and strong as could be expected, but able to prove her strength in the traditional way: wrestling a wolf to death with your bare hands and bringing it back.

She practised her fighting skills a little more, but was granted permission to go on a trip to the south--both to find training opportunities and prove the strength of the north. Of course, there was an ulterior motive in letting her go: she gets to meet other nem.

And find out that she's still tiny.

Equipment: An enormous double-headed warhammer. That is, it's enormous for a burly, muscled man. It is not something that any nem should ever be walking around with, but Teri has the ability to wield it.

Abilities: Teri's enormously strong, despite her small frame, and pretty tough as well. Of course, physical toughness can only take you so far when you're totally unarmoured, so she more often relies on dodging. Of course, when it comes to actual berserk-rages, dodging goes out the window: it's just enormously difficult to bring the tiny girl down, all the while she's smashing anything that can be reached.

Strangely enough, the small girl is an accomplished cook, and her knowledge of recipes has expanded on her travels: you can ask her for most northern or local foods, and she'll be able to provide them.

[User]
"Ah, let me." Jon said.
He'd had a lot of years of experience travelling, and he wasn't a stranger to a good roast boar, so he could tell that it was quite a nice specimen. He drew his broadsowrd and he began cutting off the meaty parts and placing it on the tray that their new water mage had helpfully provided.
"Don't worry about my sword, it's clean." Jon said, sheathing his sword.
Around a quarter of the the boar had been cut up, and it should've been enough for the party right now. He grabbed a piece he'd cut off and sampled it, checking its tenderness and flavour. A smoky aroma filled his noise as he bit down, and the hot juices squeezed out of the flesh into his mouth. He chewed the meat carefully. It was tender, juicy and had a nice flavour.
"Whoever made this, it's pretty good." He said. "Ask me if you need any more."

[Assistant]
It was all that Kaghad could do to keep himself from tearing up as soon as he had a mouthful of boar, unfazed by the heat. To be sure, the roast beast wasn't seasoned--just simple, juicy meat. The dwarf loved it, however. For him, it helped solidify the idea of adventure. Here he was, in the wild with other adventurers, away from the well-loved but stuffy heat and clamor of his forge, with a full belly and a quest! He wolfed down his portion of the boar, ruminating on both the meat and the tale spun by Laurena.

When he had finished his meal, he pulled out some scrap metal from a pouch and put it into the roaring Portable Forge to melt, where he would recast it into bars on the spot for easier future use in crafting or mending. It was fairly routine work, but it allowed him to think, and after a few moments he spoke up.

"Magic en't motch a concern 'mong dwarves, but ya can't live 's long 's I 'ave an' not peck op a few tengs aboot et. If ole 'Aldric's not some min'less zombie, then 'e's been usin' those dark magics ta sustain 'is life. I don't 'spect e's immortal, jus' tryin' ta slow down the whole rottin' process. That sorta stoff needs artifac's, talismans. If we loot or bust 'is stoff, then 'is body should rot."

Kaghad shrugged. "'Least, that's if thess whole teng en't some fairy tale made ta keep kids from stayin' op too late."

[User]
Teri looked at the others in quiet confusion as they carved up the succulent meat, still not moving from her position behind the animal until everybody was served. Then, the nem tentatively moved herself forwards, placing two hands on the roasted flesh--rather than taking any of the neat cuts--and with a few tugs tore off a haunch. The sudden lack of resistance, though, sent the tiny girl flying back to be sandwiched between all of the much larger adventures.

So she took her mind off it by tearing into the enormous hunk of meat and bone in her hands, displaying a voracious appetite totally at odds with her demure and somewhat skittish personality.

"Exploring a dungeon sounds fun..."
 the barbarian finally mumbled, using her arm to wipe away some of the juices now dribbling down her chin,
"But what would we eat in there?"

[Assistant]
Tanya sighed. Seriously? That was what the Nem wanted to know about the dungeon? After the explanation she had gotten? It wasn't as if Tanya particularly cared for magic, though her armor and blade bore enchantments woven into their being she did not practice it herself. But she had at least expected some kind of questioning of what was down there or something. It was so... so simple-minded!

... Whatever... The Nem had cooked a sizable meal for them and Tanya was equipped to store whatever they could not eat. "We will eat whatever we pack with us, if we are down there long enough to require a meal."

There, that should have answered the question. In terms of the rest of the conversation, well... Tanya could give less of a damn about how the Mad King had escaped death. She wasn't exactly up to date on magical immortality or whatever it was, anyway. Her duty was a simple one, to find the insane former king and slay him if he was alive. Or undead. Moreso if he was undead, to be frank, there was no way he would not be one of the malevolent ones.

She unpacked her utensils and swiftly carved herself a nice piece of boar, settling in to eat.

---

After everyone had eaten their fill and the remainder of the boar had been packed away, the journey to the Prison-Castle had begun. It was rather uneventful, crossing wooded areas and plains and a small stream, before at last the crumbling tower was visible in the distance. It had taken hours, but now they had reached their destination.

The walls were crumbling ruins. Certainly, no-one would have any trouble entering the Prison-Castle now, to say the least. Moss and vines clung to the ruined masonry. The tower itself was a wreck, half of it had toppled to the ground at some point and all that remained was scattered stone choked with vegetation. Even what remained of the tower was worn away and heavily damaged, and covered in moss and lichen. Tanya approached the walls, looking up at it for a moment.

"Well, this is more of a trash heap then I even expected..." she said, folding her arms, before turning to face her party. "Supposedly the entrance is on the north side. If it hasn't crumbled away into ruin, at least."

[User]
Jon studied the old ruins before him carefully. He was no archaeologist, but he could tell that it was definitely old. Hell, even a monkey could tell it was old, and Jon wasn't sure that it was stable.
"Well, it's a good thing that most of it's underground, but I hope it doesn't collapse on us." Jon said out loud, adjusting the helmet under his arm.

An old ruin like this would've certainly been a good target for treasure hunters, right? There was a chance that there wouldn't be much in this dilapidated dungeon, but then again, it wouldn't have its infamous reputation if that was the case. Judging by the paladin's apparent zeal to clear the dungeon, there was probably something worth killing down there. Something that the church wanted dead, so the place was likely filled with undead.

Well, he could've found out that much from its reputation. Mad King Harrick's prison tower was filled with prisoners back in its day, most of which the mad king tortured to death, if his reputation was to be believed. Places like these would often accrue and draw the curses of the fallen and they would often become a nest of the newly risen. Zombies, in Layman's terms.

Now for what Jon knew about Zombies. Intense lust of life and flesh, non-existant reasoning skills. Zombies were normally re-animated, or in some uncommon cases, lost souls possessing corpses. He couldn't rule ut either possibility in the Mad King's prison tower because sometimes Liches liked to settle down in places with lots of regret and dead bodies. Now, Undead were slow, rather weak and incredibly stupid. Zombies were usually composed of corpses, so fire would be a good idea. He had plenty of torches, so that was fine. If there were skeletons, it would be a different matter. Skeletons lacked flesh and could be surprisingly spry, but they were usually brittle and Jon was sure his sword would do the trick. It was best to use a mace for skeletons, but if he really needed one, a rock would do just as well.

Jon put the helmet he was holding onto the ground and took his backpack off his shoulder to take an inventory. It would be easy to deal with the undead, but he didn't know how far the dungeon went, and he didn't want to starve to death. After a quick look, he ascertained that he had a few water skins, torches, spare knives and enough food for a few days. He took a torch out for the oncoming underground venture, and slung the backpack over his shoulder once again. he donned his helmet and opened the visor so he could see. He should be ready for what would be ahead.

"Before we go in the dungeon, we should probably take stock and figure out a formation." Jon suggested to the party. "We don't know what we could face so its best if all of know how prepared we are."

[Assistant]
Now that the sun was setting, the nem--somewhat drowsy throughout their journey--had perked up and stopped using her wolf pelt as an enshrouding cloak, making it easy to see just how much bulkier she was than the average member of her species. The boar carcass, or what was left of it, was placed standing up: Teri's idea of 'provisions' appeared to run along the lines of just bringing the entire body along, despite that being far more food than any one person really needed.

"Why would we need to go through the entrance?" she wondered, when Tanya brought up the location of the way in, "Can't we just go through the walls?" The dilapidated castle didn't seem like it would offer much resistance to an unorthodox entry; with its current state she saw no reason why anyone would want to take what was quite probably the most well-defended portion of the crumbling ruins. As well as the place most likely to smell of rotting bodies, if anyone else had come this way recently.

The small berserker didn't respond to Jon's suggestion of a formation, they appeared to mostly be a collection of fighters of various stripes anyway. 'Surround the spellcaster' was the only plausible formation that they could pull off with their numbers... and it wasn't even to Teri's taste in fighting, either.


[System]
Gender: Female

Appearance: Has a more pointed pair of ears than your ordinary goblins. Sharper, narrower eyes as well. Also looks grumpy and haughty most of the time.

Personality: Just like how she looked when she was a human, and how she looks now as a goblin, she has a haughty and stand-offish attitude to her. She had a sharp gaze and she rarely smiled in front of others. Only when she was doing her own thing alone when you could usually find her smirking to herself. She also had a strong sense of justice. She would refuse to bend her own moral code to achieve her goals. She also hated losing.

Past Life History: She used to be a high school student before all of this happened, and she was pretty much the epitome of an honor student. She even became the student council president as a result. She was pretty indeed, but she was also infamous for being quite nagging to the other students, particularly those she deemed lazy and/or irresponsible. She also had a war of sorts with the anime club in their school who wanted to put in all sorts of manga and light novels into the school library. As a literary lover herself, she couldn't stand that such low quality works in the library, especially since she used to be the librarian before becoming the student council president. Thanks to that however, she was quite familiar with all the reincarnation light novels that was getting popular at the time. Quite an irony that she ended up becoming a main character of one.

Gift: The ability of language comprehension. Thanks to her fondness and capability of reading difficult books when she was still human, she now had an affinity for learning languages. For now, she has some understanding of the human language.

Other: She particularly hated those reincarnation story protagonists who would receive a powerful ability right off the bat and then proceed to lord it over to the rest of the world, especially when they acted immorally with it.

[User]
Eek

Soon the chief had blessed them all with his non-divine presence, yet an intimidating presence nonetheless with his towering stature, strange skin, and claws that seemed to be as sharp as daggers to the cowering female. He answered their questions, explained to them how things would work for them once they met the tribe and such, interesting Eek and earning a slight gaze. She allowed her curious mind to begin to wander once more, wondering which of the hobgoblins would have been her parents and what they would be like. It was a strange topic to be wrapped around considering her situation, but it was one that seemed to be priority in that mind of her's.

However, that concentration would be broken when already began to speak to her once again, attempting to coax her out of her comfortable corner. Though, he would learn that she would not budge, even if he earned a small gaze from the paranoid Eek. "Please go away. Leave me alone," she requested with a soft voice, tightening her grip around her knees before her eyes went back to the chief. Eek wanted to ask a question, so she opened her mouth and the words failed to come out, only strained sounds as if she were trying to formulate the words. Quickly did she shut her mouth, sighing at herself for her timidity.

After a few moments of thinking to herself on how to properly ask her question, she looked over to the chief and called out to him, "Are there any quiet spaces within the village that I might have for myself?" Her head cocked to the side in a rather inquisitive manner. Eek felt the need that she needed an area to have to herself so that she may think and clear her head should she need to, a place where she could be left to her own devices, a place where she wouldn't feel this timidity. If there wasn't then she would make her own area, that she was set upon.

[Assistant]
Kluuto

---

Grail
Before Kluuto could hear her answer, the attractive female goblin suddenly talked to her, praising her for having common sense in telling off the goblin who tried to go out.

"W-well, you're welcome," she replied, a little bit flustered since the praise just came out of nowhere. Still, she appreciated the fact that at least someone here had any sense.

She then watched the goblin asking her own question to the chief. The layout of this place, hmm? It certainly would be quite useful to know. She didn't know why she would want digging tools however. She couldn't imagine herself digging dirt like a roadside worker. Perhaps it was related to her gift?

Another goblin asked how the chief and Aya became the way they looked. Hmph, it was quite the useless question. It was obvious they had evolved away from an ordinary goblin. Well, it couldn't hurt to ask, she supposed. She also asked where their parents were. So goblins had parents, huh? For some reason, she was under the impression that goblins just laid eggs, new goblins would pop out, and no one would care who laid those eggs as they were all goblins after all. Monsters shouldn't really differentiate between their individuals that much. Guess she thought wrong. And their parents were hobgoblins, with some of them being elite ones, so at least they got that advantage over the common goblins, though the chief warned they wouldn't get any special treatment just because they were children of hobgoblins. Well, she was okay with that. She didn't need special treatment herself. She believed in the value of shining over the masses with her own strength and efforts.

The goblin who wrote on the cavern walls asked next. He asked for some books and writing materials. She could get behind his question. She had an itch to read books all of a sudden. She didn't expect goblins to be writing books though, so she wished to get some human books instead. The goblins seemed to have an established trade with the humans, so she could tag along when they sent their emissary, the chief's son named Sabu, to trade and asked for some books. That sounded like a good plan to her.

Sonata
"I wish to go to the human city and get some human books for myself," she told the chief, "My gift is language comprehension and I believe I can read their language, even if just a little. Don't you think it will be a good idea for me to do so as I can hone my gift to an even greater level? So if you would give your permission, I will go with your son Sabu in his next expedition to the city. O-of course, I will also ask for his permission beforehand."

She waited for his response. She hoped he would be a reasonable chief and grant her request.

As she waited, she heard the timid goblin asking for a quiet space within the village where she could be on her own. Even though she was nowhere as timid as her, she also would like her own room or house. She couldn't imagine being in the presence of another for every hour of her life. Her instinct demanded that she also had a downtime where she could be alone.

Sonata
"I would also be glad if I could get my own room also," she added to the timid goblin's question. "Reading takes silence after all," she argued.

[User]
Kichi

"Books? Hm, well we have some who like to write, such as Aya here, but if you want them en masse you'll need to go to the humans. They have this structure called a library, grants public access to more books than I'd say anyone in the city's read. Sabu should again be the one to go to on that, most of us stick to oral tradition." The chief explained to Rekzild, shrugging slightly. Part of him felt a bit bad about pushing so much of the burden onto his son, but the boy would have to get used to this sort of thing in due time, even though it was painfully obvious that he had no intention of vying for the position of chief when Kichi himself retired.

"When Sabu gets back, those among you who are willing to are welcome to accompany him when he heads to the human city next. Going on your own without knowing how to speak to the humans is inadvisable, and if you went with one of the others, myself included, we wouldn't be able to show you around as well as he could, so it's for the best that you go with him." He admitted, a hand going behind his head. Try as he might, the chief was still a monster separate from human civilization through and through; while leading a tribe of monsters was well within his capabilities, dealing with the messy web that was human culture was a headache for him, despite how much his son seemed to relish in it.

"As for a private room, well, if you're able to make one for yourself then feel free." The Bugbear remarked with a slight chuckle. "There's not much in the way of privacy out here, but you're free to either mark out a place for your own or even do your reading in the human city, whatever suits your fanc-" Kichi cut himself off, his brows furrowing slightly before he let out a sharp exhale. "...well then. According to Lord Yggdrasil, Sabu's back a bit early and is up to something at the forest's edge. As chief, I'll need to make sure he doesn't get out of hand. Those of you who would like to head to the human city, feel free to accompany me. Those who would rather get the lay of the land here in our forest, Aya can show you the ropes." He explained, shaking his head in light dismay before turning on his heel and moving to set out from the cave, gesturing for the interested parties to follow.

[Assistant]
Rekzild

---

---

While the answer provided by the chieftain was what he had expected it did not brighten Rekzild's mood in the slightest. From the accounts he had been given it was clear that this human city would be even more populous than their little village in the woods. The amount of goblins in the cavern alone was more than enough to set him on edge, though the one with a stick shoved up her rear intrigued him due to her own pursuit of books, he had little doubt that the noise level of the city would be many times louder than anything he had yet experienced in his short life.

With his question answered and the chief moving on to the next batch he returned his focus to the wall he had been carving. Tapping his chin thoughtfully with his free hand he began to scratch against the cavern, though it only for a few moments.

'It has been made clear to me that there is a severe lack of written material within our humble home. I will seek to remedy this so that hopefully by the time you are reading this there will be an abundance of books awaiting you, even if it means I must copy them myself. Good luck in your new lives, and may the ground quake beneath your feet one day.' His work finished, at least here, he placed the rock once more upon the ground.

With his full attention freed he turned it full force upon the chief, just as he was announcing that his son had returned earlier than intended. Rekzild rose off of the ground and made a beeline to the entrance of the cave, following a few steps behind the Bugbear.

"Chieftain, if I may I have a follow up question. How do we acquire the means of barter? It is clear that your son does so on behalf of the entire tribe, so he has access to the resources he needs. But what of those that will be following him?"

[User]
Her first question got more of a "I can tell you later" kind of answer but considering she had effectively asked about their life history she supposed that was fair when there were so many other questions to be answered. The question about parents got some much more useful info, that apparently the goblins went for the whole "it takes a village to raise a child" strategy of parenthood. Well apart from the chief who, considering how much he talked about his son, probably had a much more personal familial relationship with him. She wasn't sure if that was sweet or hypocritical. She perked up a little because if the village was her family and the chief seems to like her and the rest then that was going to reflect well on the rest of the villagers and then everyone would like her and that was good. She smiled to herself as result of coming up with that wonderful line of logic.

The information about the surroundings had been very useful although she was probably more interested in the fact they were in a forest than most of the other goblins, because a forest meant lots of plants to stick in her mouth. Speaking of which, after a few questions about books and private spaces it became clear that there was going to be a little expedition out through the woods too the town of these human things for books, which she wasn't that interested in, and tools, which might be useful for harvesting plants. She decided she would go with the chief because going to the forests edge also met going through the forest which had plants which she could collect data on. She was also buzzing with energy and wanted to be out and about, learning how to navigate the woods rather than stuck with Aya the grump in the camp. If the town didn't look interesting she could always go back with the chief. She jog/skipped after the chief, excited to get outside into the sunshine.

"I'll come to town for the tools and to find some plants to use my gift on."

As she tried to keep up with his longer strides she realized that during answering knife ear's first question he had mentioned two names without much additional explanation who might have had something to do with their gifts.

"So boss, you mentioned these Knoth and Anekanta divine people. Who are they and what makes one bad and one good?"

[Assistant]
Sonata
Kluuto brightened up once she heard that Sabu had arrived back from the city. Of course, she accepted the Chief's offer right away. No sense of just wandering around here with nothing to do, she thought. She had this urge to use her gift right away, and with nothing else to do in her mind, might as well obey said urge. The more she used the gift, she more she would master it after all.

And as for the matter of her own private room, it seemed she had to build it herself. This didn't really please her that much. She couldn't imagine herself digging a cave for her own goblin cavern after all. She wondered if she could find an unoccupied cavern somewhere in the forest, though that meant she had to wander around an area filled with dangerous beasts and monsters. She was a newborn so she couldn't be cocky about her combat abilities. Instinctively, she knew how to punch, kick, perhaps bite the enemy with these decently sharp teeth of hers, but she knew it wouldn't be enough against other monsters who might have more extraordinary capabilities. She knew that ordinary goblins weren't that strong. That was why they lived together as a tribe after all.

She put that problem for later. For now, she wanted to see just how the human city looked. The chief even said she could do her reading in their dwelling, but she quite doubted it would be a truly pleasant experience as she was a goblin and they were humans after all.

As they departed, the scribbling goblin asked the chief whether or not they could get the goods that the goblins were bartering with the humans. That was a fair question, she had to admit. She didn't expect the humans to just give their books for free after all. She had thought she could just ask a book as an extra from them when Sabu traded with them next time.

Another goblin who came along with them told she would get her tools in the city. She could agree with that line of though. There would be all sorts of things there after all and some tools shouldn't be that hard to find. She also asked about Knoth and Anekanta. Now that she mentioned them again, they started to pique her curiosity. Thus, she looked at the chief expectantly, waiting for his explanation.


[System]
* Age: 18
* Gender: Female
* Race: Human
* Class: Paladin
* Appearance: Even in her armor, Tanya is only 4'9, Colors!
* Personality: Tanya is a sarcastic and short-tempered individual. She has nothing but scathing comments for people she dislikes, or people she sees as stupid. Tanya is quick to be irritated and quick to respond to her irritation, sometimes violently. At least when it's violently it's not bad enough to result in any serious injury. She has a sarcastic response to many, many things. Tanya also dislikes that she is rather small, at least to some extent, and has feelings of jealousy towards those who are not so small. In spite of her temper and sarcastic attitude, Tanya firmly believes in protecting those who need it and upholding the law. She seeks to punish all those who do evil to the fullest extent(at least if they are deserving of such treatment). She also has a deep dislike for undead, given that much of her duty is to eliminate dangerous undead. However, she will not harm them unless they give her reason to(or if they're mindless monsters). As a Reonite Paladin, she is deeply devoted to her chosen goddess and, and is also deeply anti-slavery.
* Brief Backstory: Born to the Palayen family, nobility living in the richest quarter of Meridan, Tanya was tncouraged from a very young age to become part of the Church of Reon's more active service. The idea of serving their Goddess enticed her to no end. As such, Tanya Tanya became a Paladin of the sun goddess, sworn to combat evil in her name. Aside from that, she was educated at the "St. Lilianna's Reonite School for Girls", a religious school for girls created by the Church of Reon. She also underwent combat training under other paladins serving Reon.
* Equipment: Tanya wears a suit of heavy armor to protect herself. However, the armor is enchanted to feel exceptionally light, allowing her to move quite quickly. Similarily, her bastard sword, Repharion, is also subjected to enchantments that reduce its weight in her hands significantly. Repharion is kept very sharp, and ignites with the Divine Solar Flame of Reon in response to the righteous fury of its wielder. This is chiefly intended for use against undead, but it's hard to deny the effectiveness against just about anything.
* Abilities: Tanya is a skilled combatant, excelling in both two-handed and one-handed swordplay, though her favored style is two-handed. However, due to the enchantments on her armor and weapons which renders them far lighter than they should be, her physical strength is actually rather lacking, and instead she is more of a speedy fighter who nevertheless hits hard due to her training and choice of weaponry.

[User]
It was rather frustrating to the small harpy that, with everything that was going on, nobody even paused to stay around or listen--not even the person whose arm had just been healed. In Sophia's knowledge, it was generally not a good idea to walk out without knowing if you were in top form. The only warning would be to not stress her arm until tomorrow in case it broke all over again but it was definitely worth knowing if you were that rough.

At least being on the go made explanations considerably easier to hear... though it seemed doubtful that people were listening properly after leaving before they got the chance to hear.

"As you probably know, Mad-King Haldric was once King Grigori Fel Haldric II, ruler of Telrun. The longer his reign went on, the more paranoid he grew, and the castle's original construction reflects this. Even trusted servants fell under suspicion, and the traps and danger either drove everyone off or killed them.

"The last we know is that the king, still wealthy, sought to become undead or otherwise achieve immortality and his kingdom, with no line of succession was absorbed into Velt about nine hundred years ago.

"Though the castle has decayed since then, many attempts have been made to enter, but the most successful were investigating what had happened to cause his kingdom's collapse. Those that survived managed to record important information, as have more recent adventurers.

"The front entrance isn't worth considering for most, due to a trapped lock and a pit trap. The mindless undead that have survived are likely to be unusually tough for something with no intelligence, since their ranks are from the castle's original inhabitants. Even with bare instincts, soldiers with nine hundred years' experience are dangerous.

"Unfortunately, due to numerous recent attempts indicating the state of decay, the original plans are only useful as a guideline. Former pathways are blocked off, and even with many of the traps broken, some continue to be a hazard despite no longer working as intended.

"Finally, nobody has reached the bottom two layers since the castle was inhabited by the living. When we reach the bottom levels, everyone should be as careful as possible."

That was it for the harpy's knowledge, at least that which could be applied without some sort of idea where in the castle they could possibly be.

[Assistant]
"Don't worry, we'll meet you inside!" Al called, waving at the paladin. It was good to see that everyone was so eager to get to looting an ancient tomb.

Picking up his pace, the adventurer led the way to Haldric's Tomb. No doubt the church had hired them for a treasureful sidequest.

[User] As the horse trodded onward, it slowed down its pace to match that of the adventurers. Its rhythmic galloping seemed to lul Sergeant Wykes to sleep, as she slumped over the horse's main and grabbed its neck. Slow as it was, it seemed Sergeant Wykes would not fall off. She had a countermeasure in the form of straps which snapped on- she had them installed after the second time she had fallen asleep while on her horse. It was a trick some of the king's cavalrymen used, or at least a trick that was developed by some of her peers back in training so they could catch up on sleep while out training.

[Assistant]
Fieri, quaking and quivering, gradually regained her wits about her. The ringing, pounding dullness of pure terror washed away to reveal stark ingenuity. Through her torment, Fieri made a breakthrough. Pressure plates activate traps. If I could see and activate them, I'd be safe! Fieri's tail kicked a few pebbles out of the way as she sprang forward out of the fetal position, making a loud clattering sound against the stone floor. Pebbles are easy to throw and strike the ground with some force... I can make them strike with more force. All I need is some power, and a way to contain them...

Fieri looked over to the ruined corpse of the poor adventurer who had post-humuously saved her. With no small amount of hesitancy, she patted the corpse down, blindly searching for pouches, satchels, or sacks. Fieri breathed a deep sigh of relief when her questing hand found the familiar malleable shape of a leather pouch, and she quickly ripped it from the corpse's belt. Fieri snatched a handful of pebbles from the ground, and retreated back towards the entrance of the Prison-Castle. In what dull light spilled through from the surface, Fieri began one of her finest works.

With an artist's skilled hand, Fieri opened her Mana Battery Kit. In it was an array of tools, from paintbrushes to engraving tools, all arranged alongside inkwells, crushed mana batteries, and pastepots. This was the workbench of the Artificer, and this was the home of what makes a normal being into a hero. Each of the tools within was carefully artificed to transfer just the right amount of magic into its canvas.

Fieri gracefully pulled a paintbrush and a fluorescent-blue inkwell from her kit, and daubed the brush in enchanted ink. With one quick motion, she everted the leather pouch, and carefully began drawing arcane designs on its insides. To a layman, Fieri's caligraphy was nonsense-- a meaningless series of geometric shapes surrounded by a wordless alphabet. To an Artificer, however, the shapes and letters were given form. An endless series of carefully-calculated equations designed to selectively alter the inner workings of reality. With an Artificer's aid, one could make ice shoot fire, or a cannonball weigh only an ounce. The inscriptions Fieri was drawing across the innards of this mundane bag were relatively simple by Artificing standards: nothing more than a simple spell to grow anything touching it, as well as empowering them with magical force. The net effect would be simple but noticeable: anything placed within the inside of the bag would grow to twice its size, and whenever it was struck, it would release a small amount of magical force and light equal to a good stomp from a full-grown human foot. To finish her work, Fieri re-everted the pouch and placed a full-fledged, fully-charged mana battery in it. With a soothing hum, The Pebble Pouch filled itself with magical energy. Fieri dubbed it "The Pebble Pouch". Fieri was not very good at naming things.

Fieri smiled confidently, and withdrew the spent mana battery from the confines of The Pebble Pouch. She rubbed her scalp thoughtfully, and began brainstorming yet more potentially-valuable products. Torches that needed no pitch or fire, poles that exerted large amounts of force at one end, plates of metal that heated themselves up enough to cook by! Giggling gleefully, Fieri snatched a few torches from the walls, extinguished them, and happily began her Artificing again.

[User]
Leander noticed that he was being ignored by the others, having been distracted by the broken arm incident. Sure, it was a serious wound, breaking an arm, but it was like no one even bothered to notice his presence. Granted, Leander spent a long time trying to be unnoticed by others in the past, but now it was almost insulting. Leander sighed softly and followed the nun as she explained what the tomb of Mad King Haldric contained, as well as its history.

Leander nodded occasionally as Sophia explained, remembering some of the facts from the various slivers of information he had picked up over the years. He also learned new things, such as the mindless undead being soldiers in their time, which Leander had not realized before. As for the final two layers of the castle, well, that was the most interesting part. Would their party of adventurers be the first to reach it without dying? What valuable information did it hold? What exactly ever happened to Mad King Haldric? The scholar side of him couldn't help but wonder. Maybe King Haldric II succeeded in his quest to become immortal. That could explain why the church was on this quest. However, that was only a theory; the real reason would undoubtedly be explained in time.

[Assistant]
After several hours of walking, our heroes soon found themselves at the entrance of Haldric's tomb.

The foreboding ruins stood silent, towering over the humans/demihumans. The entrance stood shut, a testament to the relative mystery within. Only time would tell whether the adventurers before it would uncover its secrets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...Well, it can't be that bad. Let's get to work!" AL grinned, drawing his greatsword. Ramming the tip of the blade between the doors, the swordsman began to pry, his muscles tensing under the strain.

[User]
Sergeant Wykes woke up to the sound of her horse neighing and kicking back. As she was still slumped over the horse's neck, Wykes was tossed back a bit. Hungover, she rubbed her eyes and groaned. "Well fuck me" she mumbled, feeling absolutely horrible. Her hair was in a mess, and her skin was clammy from having slept in chainmail. It wasn't the first time she had woken up hungover in chainmail, but she certainly did not get used to it.

The knight looked around. "What's for breakfast?" she yawned as she stretched out. She noticed a taller man attempting to break a door open. She remembered that man- he was from the night before. He could recall him breaking her arm, but as Sergeant Wykes moved her arm, it felt more or less fine. "Maybe I should stay off it just in case..." she wondered.

[Assistant]
After walking for a few hours, Haruka had finally come to the decrepit palace of an angry person. It occurred to her that prying his door open might make him even angrier, but it had to be done in order to take care of the evil residing in his house. Immediately, Haruka leapt to assist Al with the door.

"Worry not now about breakfast, drunken lady," Haruka called out to Wykes while attempting to pry the door open with Al, "I posses many rations for everyone and also there is alcohol! We will have you fed and drunk quickly after I take care of this, if you so desire."

Surely, the combined strength of the two would quickly take care of the door no matter how stuck. Then, they could adventure and fight evil and perhaps get money. Money was good, because it made people speak more. This was important in order to find whoever murdered her master.

[User]
The sound of bending metal groaned from inside, until with a sudden wrench the door cracked open several inches, forced off its locks.

"We did it!" Al cheered. Sticking his fingers between the doors, he pried the door open the rest of the way. Several large cogs fell out from behind the hinges, and an auto-crossbow fell to the ground.

"Guess we must have broke the trap. Cool." the swordsman smiled, placing his hands on his hips. Turning aside, he pet the Hundi that just helped him open the way in.
"Thanks for the help by the way."

[Assistant] The knight scratched the back of her head. "Thank you" she told the dog-lady with the strange accent. "If you just have water, that'll be fine. I seem to have misplaced my canteen." she said. Sergeant Wykes readjusted herself on her horse, undoing the safety straps she had on just for comfort. She reigned the horse near the door and took a peak inside. "HELLO!" the knight yelled, checking for an echo more than a real response.

[User]
Well, it seemed as if the commotion was ended. On top of that, Sophia had at last managed to deliver her explanation of the Castle and what lay within it. Naturally they would not be entering through the front door. A trapped lock and a pit trap directly beyond it? Even before Tanya had heard of the specific traps laying within the Mad King's castle she would have guessed entering through the front door to be nothing short of folly. Quite lethal folly. Besides, surely there was some other way to enter through the broken tower, wasn't there? There had to be in such a ruin.

Striding towards the door, Tanya turned to face the assembled party with a small sigh. If only her usual comrades, at least aside from the Mayonite Paladin and Sophia, were not so preoccupied. She hardly enjoyed having to solicit help from people with purely mercenary intent, but it was all she could do at this point. "Follow me, then."

With that, she left the tavern.

She would gather her supplies, and they would arrive at the tower of the Prison quite shortly. There was no point in wasting any further time.


[System]
Age: 24

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Armoured I Unarmoured

Sergio stands at around 5'11", certainly taller than a lot of his compatriots, but his figure is more so enhanced by his armour, which tends to make him look more imposing. He has an interesting demeanour outside of combat that can't be masked by plate armour, an elegant and emotive style of body language that is still tinged with a trained and experienced sense of alertness. He also makes a point of keeping strong eye contact in conversation, even if armoured. His eyes are a fiery orange, and his hair a blazing red, and he tends to keep his hair long and in a bushy ponytail when not concealed in an arming cap. While not egoistic, Sergio takes pride in his looks, and this shows in his clear skin and well kept hair, where other Knights would have servants pretty them up, Sergio has always taken care of his appearance when out of combat. He has a few scars, but his most notable is a large dark red diamond shaped mark across his abdominal region, rarely seen due to his tendency to use battle wraps.

Personality: About as flowery in demeanour as he is practical in mind. Sergio is a warrior above all else, admiring strength and ingenuity, as well as honour. He also values presentation and appearance, believing a Knight's duty is to look the part, as well as act it. Pious but by no means preachy, he follows the codes set by his religion and order but does not let them enslave him. Contrary to the more strictly defensive doctrine used by some Mayonite zealots, Sergio believes that the best way to protect the good from the evil is proactivity - put simply, the best defense is a good offense. This attitude and his appearance earned Gherardesca his title of "Knight of the Harvest Moon", which he embraced in kind. However, his thirst to prove himself as a teenager left a chip on his shoulder that, whilst not visible from an onlooker, affects him in his downtime. He notably dislikes communal meals and prefers to eat alone.

Brief Backstory: Sergio della Gherardesca was born in Southwest Thaln, the first and only son of a family belonging to a minor noble house of the same name. He speaks little of his childhood, only with a fondness and sadness in his eyes when of his father. What is known is that he made an excellent impression on other noble families as a teenager, charming them with his humour and presence, but his mettle was truly tested during the War of the Red Flag, where he was called into action as a squire for a noble of a house of a much higher standing. During his first battle - inside a fort in which they were being besieged he was shocked to realize that the Knight he served was utterly ill equipped and trained, refusing to make plans of attack and resorting to playing passive - a decision that cost their forces heavy losses when the enemy began to cut their supply chains off. Half starving, Sergio disregarded his orders and assembled a sortie of men to raid the enemy camp, the troops in question gladly accepting an actual point of authority. The raid was a huge success, routing the camp and buying enough time to receive proper reinforcements. However, although the troops applauded Sergio's lead, he was given no commendations for the battle, and to his utter disgust, his actions were credited to the Knight he served. Upset, but now emboldened by the knowledge of his purpose as a warrior, the young man fought tooth and nail during the war, often ignoring the wishes of his useless master and earning the love and admiration of the men he served, his natural charisma raising the morale of the troops massively.

The war forged a strong and fierce leader out of the growing man, and even though he was never awarded a Knighthood for his actions during any of his battles, at the end of the war, he was finally given some minor lands around his ancestral home, and became a landed Knight in turn. After the war he continued his efforts to protect the people that other hand-me-down nobles had failed to, and often led militia to destroy slaver rings or defend against Orc raiders, slowly but surely gaining a true reputation, and sometimes even working with Reonite Paladins to achieve the same goals.

A few years later, his great service to the Kingdom earned him the eye of the Iron Rose Knights, and he was extended a formal invitation, to which he gladly accepted, seeing it as the fruits of his hard work.

Equipment: Sergio wears plate armour into battle, which consists of dark silver metal and some leather elements to help with flexibility, as well as a red fabric tabard across his shoulder. He generally carries a dark silver heater shield, two painted crimson horizontal stripes across the front, with him along with his favoured weapon, his warpick/axe. One side is bladed while the other end is pointed, and he wields it in one hand along with his shield. As a backup he carries a rondel dagger for close quarters.

Skills: Excellent in both one-on-one and general skirmishes, and excels further with crushing weapons in particular. Generally he can use anything bladed, but two handed weapons pose a challenge for him, and he is wholly inexperienced with ranged weapons. He can also play piano proficiently.

[User]
The knights' return trip was uneventful, despite the prisoners they were transporting and their prisoners' former captives. The former had no morale left to speak of, with their leader decisively crushed and the veterans either dead or reminded just how large the gap between even experienced soldiers and a legendary knightly order could truly be. The freed prisoners, on the other hand, only strained their resources but temporarily, splitting off along the trip to return to their homes where possible--or to at least salvage what they could, where the bandits had destroyed more than they took. The knights' own injuries had been light for the most part, and whilst some care was needed to transport the injured, it neither demanded haste nor slowed them any further.

Aimlenn had been built long, long ago, construction having begun shortly after Thaln itself was founded. In spite of the country's embattled history, the capital had never wavered, never fallen. Its tall, strong walls held fast. Aimlenn, among the people, was known as the fortress-city, as the white-grey stone walls, lined with sturdy towers, were a sight known far and wide across the land.

The immense steel and wood gate stood before them. In this time of peace, it remained open, and Fanilly led her knights through it.

The streets bustled with activity, merchants transporting goods, citizens going about their business, and as they headed in further, nobility and the rich with their entourages of guards, maids, and manservants walking the street. What was universal to all these people is the glance they cast up as the Iron Roses entered. Many, especially the average citizens, looked on in awe as the knights of legend proceeded in, taking with them what could only be those bandits who had hurt and killed so many.

The guards, many of them soldiers of Thaln, cast dark glares towards the prisoners.

The stone fortress that was home to Aimlenn's garrison and prison soon received the bandits. Their fate was essentially sealed, an execution would greet them. Barring some sort of sudden reprieve (which seemed highly unlikely, to say the least), they were set to die for their murders and thefts.

Onwards, the knights went, winding through further streets and towards Candaeln, situated near the royal castle. Once a purely defensive building, over time it had been modified, and its most obvious defensive feature remained the moat. The walls themselves, although thick, had far too many windows, many with stained glass displaying roses, to truly be a defensive structure, and gleaming blue tile covered rooftops that may once have been navigable battlements.

Some took the horses around to courtyard's external entrance, the part of the building that most retained its old function as a site of war, whilst others entered the building on foot, through the main doors and under the iron rose itself. Inside, they were greeted with floors of spotless wood, clean and varnished; the walls carefully plastered and painted over. Throughout, relics of the past were artfully arranged--the weapons and armour of prestigious knights, portraits of captains past and other notables. Rare was the hallway or room that would lack any adornment, even if a strange number of landscape paintings could be found mixed amongst them all.

Closest to the entrance, in a place of honour, was the Saint's Blade, the Starlight Sword, Bane of the Vos Korvungand. The sword that had taken the head of Meryn the Kinslaughterer. The weapon that had pierced the heart of Volkstraad the red dragon. The silvery, almost ethereal-seeming blade of the Starlight Saint of Roses, lay carefully locked inside of glass case. The blade was strong, but elegant, a sharp tip and a razor edge with a star-shaped crossguard.

Soon after they entered, the captain and various knights split to go their different ways, an order of rest granted. Of course, no sooner had the captain gone to attend to her own matters, a courier arrived at the entrance, bearing a message...

---

Tyaethe

The vampire was particularly glad to be done with travelling and out of the sunlight, having been carefully angling a parasol for a good deal of the return trip as the weather grew fair and bright. With little in the way of unpacking to do, Tyaethe took but a few minutes to change into casual clothing before returning to the same spot anyone knew to look for her.

Within the halls and rooms of Candaeln, there were numerous bay windows offering a sight over the courtyard--some gave a particularly unimpressive view of the smithy's work (fortunately, it was mostly the kitchens that had to deal with such clamour), whilst others looked over the gardens nearest the chapel. Some, however, gave a view over the main courtyard itself, the clear space most often used for sparring or training of one kind or another. One of these windows lay in the former gatehouse turned entrance hall, within easy sight of the founder's sword and armour. In fact, the position of case and window made it easy for anyone occupying the window seat to see that the sword was there.

What really made it stand out, when the knights were otherwise engaged, was how none of the other seats in the building appeared to have acquired quite so many mismatched cushions over time. The rest of the time, the most notable thing about it was likely to be the vampire that could be found there, either watching out the window at the knights training, or keeping a constant guard over the relics that lay within.

It also made it the ideal place to leave missives intended for the paladin. In this case, a carefully sealed letter, with her name marked both in the common letters used by the various kingdoms and the old elven script Talderia had derived it from. She raised an eyebrow at it, but set it aside to read later, pulling herself onto the seat as always and tilting her head slightly to keep an eye on the sword.

"Well, that should be the last of the rebels cleared, or at least all the soldiers," the girl reported, sighing, "We even got off lightly on the casualty front, for all that the bandits managed to capture a griffin. Still, I don't like the order's chances, Elly; we've lost too many veterans. If the new lot don't shape up soon, they're going to be in real trouble if something like Maglad shows up, or we get badly outnumbered..."

[Assistant]
Loser

Serenity shook her head, but it wasn't as if Dame Katerina was looking to begin with.

The song faded from her heart, replaced once more by the crackling of flames, the death-twitches of the beast, and the false remorse of bandits and bastards.

She wrenched her hatchet from the griffin's skull, inspecting its edge for nicks with a disinterested gaze.

Not her kill.

...

Resplendent!

Serenity paraded alongside the rest of the Iron Roses, her armor gleaming once more in the brilliance of sunlight. She wore her helm still, but with her visor up, the knight's brilliant eyes matched the sky itself, an azure offset by flaxen bangs and fringes that framed her noble face. A knight was a lion, and a lion had to look good. Ever-gallant, she smiled at the commoners that had flocked to enjoy their victory march, her gaze just focused enough that it could be construed that she was looking at an individual while she swept through the collective. The people of Aimlenn had reason to celebrate, after all. A flawless victory over the Bandit King, even with an inexperienced commander and the retirement of most of the old guard prior to this, was cause to celebrate.

It was good that the corpses of the fallen were wrapped up and placed discretely in a separate wagon. Better that healing magic allowed for injuries incurred to be hidden beneath sparkling plate and polished boots.

Sir Rickert was dead. Dame Shanil was missing.

A flawless victory, nonetheless.

Off on the other side, Serenity caught a glimpse of the griffin's plumage, pinned to Sir Fleuri's helmet. Loyalty to Reon, and loyalty to the Iron Rose? No, beyond noble pretensions, it appeared the Flower remained.

A smirk surfaced. It was a bright day, but still, it was cold.

...

"Dame Morianne."

The approach had been sudden, a storm broiling into being from once-clear skies. Serenity had waited just long enough for the knights to scatter before she strode towards the elven troubadour, cornering her before slamming a hand against the wall, inches away from Morianne's elongated ears.

A thunderclap, with a gaze like frozen lightning, though her facade remained composed still.

"You are a talented artist and a caster of repute," the younger knight spoke, her voice low. "But I've no interest in being the object of your spellsongs. Save them for someone who...possesses more idealism than battle sense." A pause, a slight loosening of expression. It would be easy enough to envision the most appropriate candidates, under such descriptions. "Please."

If there was nothing of import that Morianne had to say, Serenity would retract her extended arm, take a step back, and smile.

"Ah, and good kill."

With that, she spared not one more glance as she strode for the smithy.

[User]
Having changed out of his armour, and given it to the smith for repairs and polishing, the Knight had dressed himself into his usual outfit of choice for outside wear. On top of his white frilled silk shirt, a three buttoned, long tailed jacket flowed past his waist and toward his legs, bright gold accents and a fiery red dye made him positively shine in the daylight, the sleeves tight around his wrists. He adjusted his black neckerchief as he strode out of Candaeln, his red hair tied back to keep from obscuring his vision, lest a malevolent gust of wind were to sabotage a perfectly lovely conversation.

He stood tall, smiling as he was finally able to see the sun's light in all its glory, with his helmet off - the thought of the moon rising later made him ever the more excited. It was these tiny things that made R&R so wonderful.

As he stepped across the bridge, still mesmerised by the day, he absentmindedly nearly walked into Lein.


[System]
Species:
 Rothian

Race Name: Rothian

Home world: Rothia

Average height: 7.9 feet

Description: Long lived reptilian, egg-laying humanoids who are large and, while they appear relatively slender, have a high muscle density. They are bipedal with digitigrade legs and a moderately long and muscular tail, though they maintain a very straight posture. They have thick scales, giving them a minor amount of natural armor. Their hands have four clawed digits, while their feet each have three clawed digits. Compared to humans, they have less defined shoulders with thicker and longer necks, as well as a raptor-like head. Scale colors and patterns are highly variable among the population. The only noticeable external difference between males and females of the species are that females have a distinctly feminine body shape. (Similar in appearance to this.)

The technology which the Rothians use is highly advanced, boasting strong energy shields and armor plating which is both impact and heat resistant. Their soldiers wear different armor based on their role, but in general, they use lightweight plated armor made from synthetic materials that is designed to hinder mobility as little as possible. Personal energy shielding is standard among all Rothian soldiers. Their ranged weaponry, which have the same curved an flowing aesthetic as their ships and structures, their weapons are often considered large in the hands of most of the other races.

Height:
 8' 2"

Age:
93

Gender:
Male

Rank:
None

Appearance:
Srath has dark grey scales covering his entire body, except where it fades to black along his back and the top of his head, and lightens along his front and throat to almost white. His eyes are bright blue and almost glow in contrast to his dark scales.

Possessions:
5 Person ship, 3 crew 2 prisoners, capable of medium range jumps.

High Damage energy weapon with a non-leathal setting.
Light body armor with small personal shield.

Skills/Abilities:
Decent pilot, very good with pistol weapons and hand-to-hand combat, very good investigator and liar. Lots of experience and has contacts everywhere.

Personality:
Srath has a strong sense of honor, it drove him to his current profession of bounty hunting. He has also taken mercenary type jobs from communities for problems that GMC was unwilling to pay for. He has also been known to run emergency supplies due to his desire to help. Has issues with arrogant individuals who are apathetic to their mistakes, they tend to end up with broken faces around him.

History:
Srath was orphaned at a very young age, he doesn't remember his parents well and has no other family. His birth parents death was never solved. He was adopted by a human family as his parents had moved from their home world. Once he'd grown up he applied to GTC security, once hired he began looking into the file on his parents death. While working for GTC he became frustrated with the work as he was unable to do any real good. Once it became known that he was looking into the death of his birth parents he was fired from GTC.

Still wanting to help people he used what he'd learned while working in GTC to do what they were unwilling or unable to do. Over the course of the last fifty years he's been hunting down criminals and pirates and handing them over to local GTC authorities for a modest fee. Most of the equipment he has belonged to the people he caught, not all of it strictly legal. Even his ship was a gift from a very grateful shipyard owner who's daughter had been kidnapped by pirates.

Once his adoptive parents died, he officially moved to his ship. Preferring to call it home than any of the planets under the GTC.

[User]
Jeremiah's dilated eyes widened even more as Lou yelled at him. The adrenaline pumping through his veins quickened and his heart pounded, but instead of running, he stood there by the panel. If there was going to be more disruption, he at least had to ensure the ventilation systems wouldn't breakdown if hit or molested in any way.

 He bit his lip and shoved his tongue in his cheek as he started to resplice a few of the wires behind each other, creating backup flows in case one were to shut down. He picked up the discarded steel sheet panel that he had ripped off, dug into his suit for nails, and quickly hammered it into patches over the most important coils. With an intoxicated smile he wiped his hands, then quickly turned on his heel.

 His drugged legs launched him to the vehicle in a second splitting sprint, and with a heave, he slid into his seat, slapping the driver's seat in front of him, "let's go!"

[Assistant]
Altenia Tower

 Craig listened to Ailens words and fell off the edge of his bed to the floor, surprised by the sudden change. It wasn't what he was trying to get at, not at all. What he was trying to get Ailen to realize that was that people die, no matter what we do and there is nothing we can do about it; that we have to take the bad with the good and enjoy those moments of happiness while we have them. Sighing deeply he looked up and stared blankly at the ceiling. He figured there wasn't much he could say right then to make him understand. Maybe sometime on Earth would help him, at least make him see that a short time around someone you cared about was better than no time.

"I will but you aren't transferred yet, Silvia has final say," was all he could think to say. Rising from his place he looked out the window and saw the storm raging on, hoping that Silvia was alright but locked in the mines, what chance did she have? "When Srath contact me, I will let you know, until then, continue as normal," he said as he stepped out his doors and made his way to Silvias room. He used his override and entered. Searching for what seemed forever but found nothing. Did she have it on her? If so, it would complicate matters. Sighing he walked back out and secured the door before checking that Tristan was still under lock and guard before making his way to the docks to see if he could find Srath.

The Safe Room Of The Resistance

"Hurry!" Silvia screamed as she felt her strength giving away quickly, she didn't know how much of the cave she was holding up but it felt worse than catching a transport without crystal aide. The blood had quickly gone from drops to a steady trickle as she gasped for breath; her eyes swirling like the storm above and her mind feeling like it was being ripped apart by the increased sounds of the crystal song. Sweat dripping from her body as her muscles burned she began to scream in agony. It was cut short as she felt Jun'Kramas hands on her and pulling her out of place in midair.

"No!" she tried to say but nothing came out as she was flung into the Resistance Room and hit the ground hard, rolling a few times in the dirt before she ended up sprawled out on her chest with her head buried in the dirt. Slowly she lifted her head; her face smeared with her own blood and the dirt of the mines as she looked over and saw the Jun'Krama holding the door closed while the mine shook around them. He had just saved her life, risked his own. What the hell was he thinking? If she had had any strength left she would have asked but her mind was still swimming from the hum of the crystals and her body was fatigued from the entire ordeal.

Slowly she brought her knees in and rested her forehead on the cool ground, her body still shaking uncontrollably as her arms wrapped around her waist. She was in agony, both mentally and physically. The only salvation was that the room was indeed cutting back on the song of the crystals. It still ripped through her but it was manageable for now. Coughing slightly, blood came from her mouth and her tear ducts. She had done a number on herself, it was completely self-inflicted but she had done it out of reflex to give him a chance. She hadn't once thought she was going to survive the ordeal and the last thing she had expected was him coming to her rescue.

Weakly her head turned as she rested her cheek in the dirt, still holding herself and trembling as she heard him laughing, wondering what was so funny but she didn't have the strength to ask. As he finally introduced himself and gave her his true name she was able to manage a small smile. "Karras," she whispered. "Thank you," she forced out before she rolled onto her back and stared towards the ceiling, seeing it was dented from the weight of the collapsing mine and groaned deeply. Had they just truly saved each other or just given themselves an open grave instead of one under crushed earth.

Silvias eyes slowly drifted close as she rested her hands in the cool dust on the ground, trying to regain her strength but it would not come for a while. It was one thing to do smaller shields, to move a person or even a ship with the aid of her crystal but what she had done would have been taxing under the best circumstances. Her chest rose and fell slowly with each breath she forced into her lungs, her muscles still burning and her mind was aching. She hoped she didn't have to attempt that again anytime soon. She wished the lights were out so Karras couldn't see her weakened like this but the room had its own separate generators and was self-contained; so there she lay in her weakened and bloodied state for him to see.

Outside The Mines Of Altenia

Lou and Marx kept screaming for Jeremiah to hurry up and get in the vehicle, but it seemed he had other plans. They didn't know what he was up to but whatever it was seemed important to the engineer. After a few moments he came barreling towards them and landed in the open seat. Lou didn't wait any longer and pushed the vehicle as hard as he could as it spun around and made a break away from the front of the mine. It wasn't a moment too soon as another bolt of lightning hit the face of the mine and it all came tumbling down to the ground, there was nothing left but rocks and debris.

Thankfully everyone had seemed to get clear of the path of the falling rock but not by much, there were a few injuries that the other Moles were grabbing and tossing into other vehicles. Marx turned around in his seat and watched it happen, his eyes widening as he sat there in disbelief. "Sil…." was all he managed to say as he watched the collapse; there was nothing he could do at that point. The storm was raging on.

"Moles to Altenia Tower…..We just lost the mine…." Lou said through his com to the Tower. "Heading in, one known dead, several injuries, will be there shortly. Pulling out until the storm passes," he said before cutting the com. Gwen leaned back in her seat and covered her face with her hands unable to say anything.

[User]
Srath woke for a dead sleep, no dreams visited in the night. Likely due to the previous nights celebration. He was immediately aware of how dry his mouth felt and a pain that was building behind his eyes, as well as a beeping that felt as though it were ringing inside his skull.

Sucking in a breath that burned his dried throte, he groaned in annoyance. The beeping was coming from his desk, slowly lifting his lids the message light blinked with the beeping, scorching Sraths eyes in the pitch black room. Eliciting another groan.

"Computer," His voice rasping like sandpaper. The ship responded with what was supposed to be a pleasant bleep but it sounded like nails on a chalkboard to him. "Cancel message light and bring lighting to 5%."

The ship replied with another bleep, the blinking faded as his quarters filled with a gentle glow. It still made him squint for a minute as his eyes adjusted but he could see the room clearly once they were. "Bring lighting to full over 10 minutes." Another bleep.

Looking to the clock beside his bed he saw he'd slept most of the day away. He pushed himself upright, swallowing to try and remove some of the dryness. He staggered his way to the bathroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he arrived at the sink. "Computer, who is the message from?"

"Altenia GTC Tower Head of Security."

What could Craig want? All his paperwork for Braka was handed over with him along with the location of the ship. Must be something else, couldn't be another shipment, maybe another bounty?

He pulled some pills for his head from the shelves behind the mirror. Washing them down with a few handfuls of water from the tap, wetting his mouth and throat aswell.

"Computer, hail Head of Tower Security." The bleep from the ship was far less grating this time.