[System]
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Species: Human

Physical Description:
Gray stands at 5'11. He is broad-shouldered and lanky, his advantage against his enemies is obviously not brute strength yet he has exercised thoroughly to try to make up some of the difference if he ever has to get that close. He has a long face and a pointed chin and hazel eyes, characteristics that seems to run in his family. His hair color is dark brown and he has mutton chops and doesn't bother to manage his hair so it stands pretty unkempt. He keeps it just short enough in the front that it won't become a problem in combat.

Talents:
Creative Combatant - Gray is a very experienced killer and it comes mainly from his ability to think on his feet and react quickly. Even without weapons on his person he can figure out ways to kill something by using his environment and playing dirty. He certainly doesn't hold back on the playing dirty part which might irk off those noble vampires or whatever the hell else thinks they have some kind of fair fighting spirit in combat. It's always life or death and Gray doesn't plan on being the one dying.

Broad Monster Knowledge - Gray knows how to kill all the common creeps. Werewolves, vampires, zombies(Those are the easy ones), etc. It comes from a personal history of doing just that. If he can't kill it he'll get away and study for some way to do so. After all, his hefty pay check rides on this important task.

Extensive Arms Experience - Gray is both a military veteran and an arms enthusiast. As such he has both experience and extensive practice with firearms. Having talent and practice make him a very accurate shot with long weapons in particular.

History:
Killing monsters runs in the family and family is what really matters. Gray grew up with values, often unapparent to others, that keep him from going too far in the field. He grew up with several brothers and a sister and for the earliest part of his life had no idea what his family really did. They sheltered him from it until he was ready to know the truth. That truth didn't come until it was nearly too late.

Gray joined the military. He was in the army on tour in the middle east when he encountered his first taste of the supernatural world. They seemed like normal middle-eastern villagers. Lured into their village on their patrol, Gray's team didn't pose a very good chance. They had the resilience and constitution of ghouls. Meaning they wouldn't go down without a good headshot or leg shot. Most of his team was felled by their inhuman stamina with mere farm tools. Their adversary was quick and dangerous but he had and the remainder of his squad had the resolve to survive. It wasn't until later that he understood what they were. They weren't undead. They were the "blessed warriors" of a demonic duke known as Abigor that had been piggybacking on wars and feeding off of them since iron was used as a weapon. It made sense why he'd be making his rounds in the most war torn nation in the world.

On his return to the States Gray reunited with his family. Upon hearing his experience they began to explain to him the finer parts of their history. The Conover's have been killing monsters for nearly two-hundred years. Gray had a legacy he was willing to uphold.

Unfortunately that legacy was difficult to acquire with the councils of creatures banded together throughout the world. With the councils keeping everything in check his family didn't indulge in hunting so much anymore. The councils were a necessary evil but they were still monsters and Gray couldn't personally trust them to keep things steady. He needed a group that would let him bypass getting a hit on his head by an organization that vastly overpowered him. It took a while and he took up jobs killing rogue beasts in the process which the council overlooked because of the nature of the cases. He wasn't that good at first. Not many people are. The evil monsters that let themselves be tracked by an amateur are generally the easiest to kill. Gray had mistakes and near-death experiences but his resolve and ingenuity always had the tendency to save him.

When you're feeling hand over hand through the dark you always find something.

Psychological Profile: Gray seems to be morally ambiguous to people who don't know him. To those who do, they see the bold line he won't cross. If a creature isn't a killer and has no potential to be he won't take its life. He sees many jobs he's taken as necessary evil to protect humanity. Overall he views himself as a protector, but damn if he doesn't like a good paycheck.
Gray loves humor in all its forms. He'd be pretty depressing if he couldn't take a good joke every now and then. Even if it's completely misplaced and awkward.

Possessions:
Gray has two large suitcases that are normally too heavy for normal airport admittance. One stores his set of armor. The armor is customizable on the job with many spots for Kevlar inserts, a bite guard, a helmet and a few other minor items to help him adapt to circumstances. Teeth, claws or (preferably not) bullets. He's got something to give him some edge.

Aside from a few spots in the first suitcase for some Glocks and ammunition (Affordability, you lose guns a lot when you're hunting.) he has saved room in his other suitcase for a few sets of street clothes(primarily gray t-shirts, blue jeans and a black jacket) and a compartment for his modified AA12 with silver slugs in three drum magazines. Either crammed in this case or in a car he keeps an Ares 16 with a variety of attachments for use as a long-to-mid range rifle and a grenade launcher(For that beasty who just doesn't want to go down).

Gray wears a small titanium chain around his neck that has several items dangling from it. A small pot-like skull about the size of a thumb that has dried herbs in it, consisting primarily of wolf's bane to ward off a werewolf's ability to smell him. A small alienish shell filled with holes is also affixed to it. This shell happens to be the only item he has that is magic and he only uses it as a last chance item. Thankfully he's only ever used it once before. He isn't quite sure if it has lasting consequences but man does it become handy in a bind. By saying a set of keywords the artifact teleports him an indeterminate distance away to a random location(or whatever location it wants him at, he really has no idea if it has its own agenda. Eerie). The last item dangling from his chain is a simple Celtic cross because it's cool.

A useful item that is never far from his reach is his trusty silver kukri knife.

Yes, and:
Arachne, a master of information has a real talent for finding what she needs and hiding what should stay hidden. Well, Arachne found Gray Conover. A relatively easy, if a little volatile, person to manipulate and point at targets. Contracting Gray for missions with a high paycheck is really quite easy to do.

[User]
Flint began to awake, the ground below him felt like it was shaking and his head was pounding. Oh wait, it was moving, he was in the back of the van, and his head was slamming every so often against the hard metal sides. Groggily, he began to rise from his slumped position. "That's what you get for using your powers too much" He thought to himself as he began to piece together what had happened. He was bellowing flames, then he went to go help Tony. Then… he couldn't remember after that.

 He focused his eyes and noticed Parry, being hugged by Rikive, and remembered what had happened before he had entered the building. It was as if his tiredness had melted away, his mind cleared and he stood up. He felt refreshed and energised as he looked towards parry.

"Hey Parael". He said cheerily, to get his attention. When he turned, Flint's fist crunched hard into the celestials face. Parry would know that they were even now, and so Flint sat back down, removing his large jacket. Sweat stained his white shirt and the shoulder holster was visibly empty. He must have dropped his hand-cannon when he passed out and this made Flint even more infuriated. He unbuttoned his shirt to inspect the bruises and cuts covering his chest and sides. Nothing too damaging, but enough to sting when he inhaled. Flint patted for his whiskey bottle, but remembered he had smashed it onto the floor before unloading his tommy-gun into the club. This just wasn't Flint's day.

[Assistant]
Of all the people in the van who could berate him for what he'd done, Parry found himself flinching more and more with every word Rikive shouted at him. Like a kicked puppy, his smoldering eyes were cast down to the floor of the vehicle, losing their ambient glow until they returned to Parry's natural baby blue color, and even then were positively dejected.

Parry was ready for Tony, Flint, Autumn, everyone to name him a liability and cast him out as a pariah for what he'd done, but losing Rikive's friendship would hurt him the absolute most of all.

So when Rikive squeezed Parry in an almost tackle-hug, he breathed in a sigh of relief and his own breath caught in his throat. So he just hugged her back as hard as he could, one hand patting her own shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Parry said, squeezing hard. "I'm really, really sorry hon. I found some stuff out but it wasn't worth putting you all in danger."

Parry released Rikive just long enough to turn toward Flint, his eyes brightening once again as he saw the perpetually well-dressed-for-a-bygone-era detective wizard.

"Hey Flint!"

CRUNCH!

-------------------------------------

Billy Rikker's feeding frenzy was interrupted by the loudest, shrillest, most ear splitting noise he had ever heard in his century of living.

It reminded him of the shrieking a spoiled toddler would make when denied the flashiest, prettiest, most expensive toy in the toy store and goddammit, she was gonna get that toy if it meant she would have to make a scene that would shame her parents for all eternity.

So while the noise successfully broke the trance the close circle of vampires had been in while lapping the blood from the carpet, their super senses were picking up the sound as nails-on-a-chalkboard centimeters from where they stood. Suddenly his whole surviving clan was on the floor, clawing at their ears to get the noise to stop while up and down the street, car alarms for Mercedes, Lincolns, Bugattis and other half-million dollar vehicles activated their anti-theft mechanisms.

-------------------------------------

Parry was knocked flat on his ass by Flint's punch, his nose once again collapsed. But he could absolutely feel that it was not where it was supposed to be, and Rikive, even if she were so inclined, wouldn't be able to heal him for a while after pulling both Parry and Flint back from the brink in such a short period of time.

Parry had seen toddlers melt down from having scraped knees and other boo-boos. So he was emulating the best as he cried like a baby over his precious nose, the tires of the van squeeling away as they shot off to find Gray and Beth, Parry the Angel, slayer of Demons, protector of the innocent, semi-immortal warrior and self-professed hedonist kicked and screamed, holding his face, and only barely resisted the urge to say 'MOMMY! HE HIT ME!'

[User]
"We're not in an asking mood..." She was enraged, and yet she almost had to laugh. Don't I feel like a lady.

She was completely engaged with the hunter. "Do you honestly believe I would willingly help you against Nemsemet?" She gave an unbelieving shake of her head. Even as she glared at him, her wine-colored eyes carried warm undertones. As if it were the only part of her being that might still be human. Her icy tone was a stark contrast. Each word felt like a bite at the air, "You're incredibly foolish, human. You assault my people, and then you invite me to my own death." She paused, her head tilting as her eyes dipped low for a brief moment, judging his profile. "You don't even know what you're asking," she dismissively stated.

And you didn't even say 'please.'

Vaguely, she was aware of the presence behind her. She wasn't quite sure the nature of being he was, but she had surprise on her side. This hunter - human - would never be able to match her speed quickly enough to defend himself in a significant way. It was unlikely that she was going to get out of here unscathed, but she might as well enjoy the fight. After all, she was a creature of violence, and she didn't like his attitude.

Seconds after the last word left her lips, she kicked off of the rooftop. She sprung from her place so quickly, it was almost a blur. Her body collided with the hunter. All of the concentrated - and complicated - fury she felt towards him exploded from her as she tackled him to the ground with a animalistic snarl. Her attack wasn't coordinated or thought through like her actions of evasion had been. This was purely instinctual. Now that she was close, so close she feel his pulse through his flesh, his scent was intoxicating. It made her lightheaded, but it didn't matter, because she didn't plan to resist the urge to part her lips and bury her teeth into the flesh around his shoulder. With a final draw of his aroma, she did just that, piercing the skin in search of crimson heat.

[Assistant]
The vampiress had lunged with such speed and ferocity that it was too fast for him to react. She grabbed hold of him and the two tumbled across the roof until she had him pinned. He had lost hold of the bag as they rolled, some of the contents spilling onto the roof. Visible was a long metal spike, a metal bat still half-concealed by the bag, and an aerosol can.

A set of fangs pricked his shoulder. It would have been more painful if he weren't already full of adrenaline. Gray moved his left hand quickly to draw the syringe from its place in his front pocket while drawing a Glock with his right, the same arm she was now drinking his lifeblood from. She in her fury smacked the syringe from his hand, pinned his arm and continued to draw from him. It clattered to the side. With his handgun he started to unload the magazine into her abdomen while using the painful opportunity to shove her off of him. Her teeth tore a chunk from his shoulder. She definitely looked more the monster now. He rolled to side to the closest equipment - the bag. What he grabbed was the metal spike. Sure, special wood could kill a vampire. He didn't want to kill her though. He wanted to paralyze her and if the syringe wouldn't work then filling her heart with some cold metal would. If this didn't work he may have to behead her and abandon the information before she leeched more of his life away.


[System]
Age: 24

Bending Element: Fire

[User]
She feigned a smile at Kasai trying to cheer her up. Yes, they could still get all of it sorted out, but she'd rather not have had to do that in the first place. At least there wouldn't be any more dark secrets between them. It was probably better that Kasai learnt the truth early on in their relationship than later on or from someone else. She doubted it was the kind of person a proper cop had imagined themselves ending up with though.

"Oh yeah, I'd make such a great spy." Avani said. rolled her eyes, but smiled when she heard Kasai's laughter. "But I wouldn't want you to be all alone at home while I use my incredible charisma to seduce information out of crooks. Besides I probably couldn't work for the law very long." She'd lose respect for herself if she did. Well, unless she was paid extraordinary well, then she may be able to overlook the part about selling her soul.

She closed her eyes and relaxed under Kasai's touch, turning her face back towards the woman and pushing it against her stomach. Avani sneered at Kasai calling her bad girl style crap. She didn't mind the same comment about being a criminal, but really, she was a bad girl whether Kasai wanted to accept that or not.

"Sorry to disappoint you, babe, but I am a bad girl. You think I fell in with criminals cause I had good intentions?" She laughed at the thought. "No, I was looking out for the only one that mattered at the time - myself. All I wanted was money, and I didn't care much about what they had me do to get it. Maybe the me I am now would do things differently than my old self, but it doesn't undo my actions." She moved her hand to Kasai's throat and caressed it, in a manner she meant to be playfully threatening. If those two could even be combined in the first place. "I thought you liked me for being a bad girl, babe? I'm hurt." Avani joked.

The original question was a good one though. What was she planning to do after she finished this job and got her money? She'd planned to join a fighting tournament before Kasai had caught her. She might still do that, but there was no reason to stay in Republic City for it.

"All of this?" Avani asked. "I don't really have much left in this city after I betray the gang, and my close friends passed away a while back. You'd be the one thing left for me in Republic City. Don't get me wrong, I love our hours of casual sex, hearing you scream my name and that face you make when…" She contorted her face in an expression meant to mimic the expression Kasai had in those moments, and burst out laughing. She calmed down to continue speaking after a moment. "Well, it's all good, but is that all there is to it for you?" Avani grinned and removed her hand from Kasai's throat to squeeze her bosom. "And I like it when you're mushy. It' much better than stuck up cop."

[Assistant]
Well, at some point in time she would have to learn that despite her belief that there was good in everyone, maybe there wasn't after all. Although, Kasai still didn't believe that Avani was fully rotten to the core. Maybe she was, but some of her actions didn't make that truly believable, while on the other hand some of them did.

"Well they do say opposites attract..." Kasai shrugged and raised an eyebrow as Avani's hand grazed her throat. Kasai wondered what things she had done if she truly was the "bad girl" she was claiming to be. But... maybe she didn't want, or rather need to know those things. Some things could be overlooked, others... well she would have a hard time keeping a straight face. Best to not pursue it, at least for the time being.

Kasai punched Avani in the arm for mimicking her, narrowing her eyes down at her as she did so. "I do not look like that." She held the expression for a moment longer before sighing and losing the scowl. "Oh, come on now. I might be a stuck up cop but I don't think I'd be so willing to keep you out of jail and move you into my place so I can 'protect' you if you were just a casual hookup."

Really, she'd already overlooked the criminal activity in favor of saving Avani's ass from an arrest. Twice now, though granted the first one was kind of her fault to begin with. She supposed that didn't make the situation any better either, but she couldn't be blamed for just doing her job this time.

For Kasai, Republic City was the only place she had ever known. Her family was here. Her friends... were... here. Her job was here. She knew her duty was to protect the people of the city. That was all she knew how to do, without structure she couldn't operate. Spontaneity wasn't exactly a very big part of her vocabulary. For that, she almost envied Avani. It must be freeing to be able to do whatever you want whenever you want without a second thought. But she was comfortable with her life, it was just as freeing to her at least.

"Well, you've got a while I guess to think about what you want to do. For now we've both got a job to do if we want to see our paychecks. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Besides the part where we can both be killed, ya know. You more than I. But hey, we stared death in the face before, again couldn't be any more difficult." Kasai chuckled. It wasn't really a laughing matter, but it made her feel a little better about the whole thing.

[User]
"Ouch." Avani said, and stretched her tongue out towards Kasai. "Domestic abuse on our first day living together." She joked, knowing that Kasai hadn't put any real strength behind it or that she'd ever deliberately hurt her. "Hey, what do I know? Maybe you're just really desperate for the touch of another female and I'm the only one you know." Avani giggled, but soon grew quiet and simply observed Kasai that seemed lost in thought.

If they weren't a casual hook-up, she wondered where their relationship was going and where it was going to end. If it was going to end at all. She felt better with Kasai than she had with anyone else before. Maybe it would be worth it to try to tone down the bad girl style for her, even if she didn't want to get rid of it entirely. Besides, if she was going to do that Kasai should lose the cop crap when Avani was around too. It was just another job, there was no need for Kasai to spend her entire life working.

"You could come with me if I did leave." Avani responded. "If we don't die I mean. I feel like we've made ourselves deserving of a vacation at the very least. There's no need to make any specific plans to return anytime soon either. We should travel the world while we're still young." She frowned and caressed Kasai's cheek once more. "Well, while I'm young anyway. Maybe we'd find a place where we liked it better, who knows…"

She sat up in the sofa, and laid her arms around Kasai. "I don't believe I'm attracted to you because you're my opposite though, babe. You're freaking hot, and much more fun to be with, fight with and joke with than anyone else I know. You don't just roll over. I think we're quite similar, just with different beliefs and different paths in life up till now."

Avani turned Kasai's head towards herself, leaned into her and kissed her desperately for a moment that felt like it couldn't last long enough. "I'll roll over for you if you ask me nicely…" She whispered seductively in the woman's ear.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first day as a rat went by without any problem for Avani. She helped the gang get the resources they needed to pull off their big score, and got paid the amount they had agreed on. That should have been it, but as she needed to get in with them for the actual score she stuck around the gang's hideout for a while after that. Once she asked if she could help out with the big score itself, they laughed and made jokes about how she couldn't stay away for long, how she always came back like a good dog. It made her feel a lot better about selling them out further down the
road.

They were wrong about her. She may not be able to prove it to them unless the pigs forced her to testify in front of the gang members, but she'd prove it to herself and that was all that mattered. Avani told Kasai everything about the first day, even if the woman had been nearby and seen some of it.

The following days went by much like the first one, eventually turning into weeks. At times, Avani felt like she was betraying people that didn't deserve it, people that had been there for her when she had needed money to survive. Other times, they pissed her off and she wanted to strangle a couple of them on the spot. All in all, it was genuinely entertaining work. Not the illegal parts of it, but the constant excitement that came with the fear that she could be discovered and murdered at any point. She might be sleeping with the fishes soon? Yay!

As the planned date of the gang's big score grew close, there was a noticeable tension in the air at their hideout. People were on edge. Those in charge were particularly easy to anger during this time, but it only came to a few scuffles that didn't result in anything more serious than bruises. It did make Avani question whether the gang was competent enough to pull of their plan to begin with. Sure, they would be stopped after they had attempted to rob the bank and found nothing because she was telling the police everything she could, but these arguments within the group itself didn't inspire confidence.

On the day of the big score, Avani found herself a lot more relaxed than she had expected to be. She'd gotten through these weeks with her life intact, and now she only had one last thing left to do before getting paid. The gang would likely realize that they had been betrayed once they did enter the vault of the bank, found nothing and then got surrounded by the cops. She would get arrested with the rest of them, of course, but it was only a trick to make them all question who had betrayed them. Apparently it would help the pigs when interrogating them if they were already willing to sell out each other.

Avani would walk free, with her money and she could leave the city with Kasai. Assuming she could convince Kasai to take a prolonged vacation. The more she had thought about it during the last weeks, the more she felt like they both truly needed to get away from the city. They could certainly return one day if Kasai wanted too, but for now it was the decision she had come too. There were other cities and places to visit.

In the end, both the plan of the gang and the plan of the cops were executed a lot more smoothly than she had believed they would be. The gang was arrested after a fight that didn't last particularly long. Avani enjoyed fighting the cops too much, so a few of those who got in her way was in some serious pain once she surrendered.

To their credit, they didn't dock any of her pay due to it. She had figured there was a high possibility they would. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that there wasn't much in the contract she had signed about beating up cops or resisting arrest. If she was to play a believable gang member she might need to be able to do both after all.

Avani did have to give a final statement the following day, but since she'd already told Kasai everything during the time she'd been undercover there wasn't all that much to say which they didn't know by then. She soon left the police station and found herself back in Kasai's apartment.

"Well, I doubt the rest of the gang had as much fun as I did. Or that they will any time soon." Avani said, sat down on the sofa and breathed out. "I'm slightly wealthy too, like right now in this moment. I doubt it will last once I start spending it. I never was good with money, not saving it anyway. I know how to spend it, mind you."

"So…" Avani began, turning towards Kasai in the kitchen and feeling more nervous at that point than she had during most of her time with the gang. "Did you give my idea about traveling the world any more thought? It would be boring to leave you here…" They wouldn't need to leave right away, but she wasn't all that keen on staying much longer either. Partly because the gang could send someone to kill her even if they were in prison.

[Assistant]
Surprisingly enough, the whole operation seemed to go off without a hitch. To Kasai's own surprise, Avani seemed to be fully cooperating with the department and the other officers involved in the ordeal. The process was more lengthy than anything, waiting for the gang to gather enough resources, finalize on their plans, do test runs and drive-by's... Kasai's part was fairly simple, sit outside on the bench drinking her coffee like she did every day before that.

Her stress level could be considered changed for both good and bad. She wasn't as worried with the full stresses her job usually put on her because now she only had to go in to the department to give reports and exchange intel. Other than that, she went home with Avani every night and left with her every morning. It was a routine she quickly became accustomed to.

On the other hand, now she had to worry about Avani's safety. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park to spy on a huge group of criminals that could kill you at even a sneaking suspicion that you were betraying them. Kasai sat outside everyday and breathed a sigh of relief each time she caught a glimpse of Avani still in one piece.

The final hurrah went over exceptionally smooth as well. Everything fell into place as it should have, and every member of the gang that was on hand that day was arrested, plus several more who were quickly ratted out by their comrades that were looking to strike a plea deal. The mission was documented successful, and everyone was allowed to go home a rest for a couple days.

During the weeks they spent together, Kasai continued to wave off Avani's idea of travelling the world each time she brought it up. It was an interesting and appealing idea for sure, but the likelihood that she would find herself in a position to do it was slim. Still, she gave it some thought when she found herself a quiet moment to think.

Now, faced with the question head-on she had a decision to make. Of course she let it come down to the last possible second to choose whether to stay or go. The fact that she hadn't even asked for any more time off from her superiors didn't help her in deciding either. Extended vacations were usually something bosses liked notice for. A lot of notice. And quitting wasn't an option for her, her service had already given her so much.

"Well..." Kasai scratched the back of her neck and looked at Avani. This wasn't going to end well. "I'd really love to, you know. Its just..." Kasai swallowed hard and tried to think, she really didn't want to turn Avani down on her offer but she didn't see a way for her to swing it. Unless...

"Don't you remember talking about how we should find someone to tell our story? Get the mayor to recognize what hell that was?" Kasai was rather impressed with herself for remembering the card that man had given her that day, the contact details for a rogue reporter. "Just think, if we could get the story out and get the sorry asshole to recognize or even reward our efforts. That would be the perfect send-off for a vacation."

And a perfect reason for the police department to reward her with some down time, maybe even offer an advance on her salary... the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to just leave and forget all of her responsibilities for a while. It was something she would never think of doing, which was maybe why the thought of it was so tantalizing.


[System]
Age: 28 (assuming standard human lifespan)

Gender: Female

Race: Naga

Appearance:
 13 ft in total length, Mari's human half is 3 ft from her waist to the top of her head and her tail half is 10 ft in length. Mari has tanned skin, short black hair, golden eyes and pale olive green scales. When out of armor, Mari regularly wears a simple sleeveless tunic and belt over a sarashi-esque waist & chest wrap.

Personality:
 Mari is an odd duck. Half nomadic wild child, half daughter of the church, the Naga is as sophisticated & eloquent as she is blunt & plain-spoken. While she is a firm believer in the core tenets of the church, Mari will quite often interpret them through the harsh & pragmatic lens of a survivalist; frequently leading her to decisions that put her at odds with those who had more 'civilized' upbringings.

Brief Backstory:
 Born & raised as part of a nomadic tribe in the scrub-lands & savanna to the east of Thaln, Mari was kidnapped by slavers in her early-mid teens. After a short but brutal experience with slavery, the young demi-human was freed by Mayonite paladins. Taking pity on the young Naga, Mari was taken in by the church; an action that was met with mixed results. On one hand, Mari took to the core tenets of the dual church like a fish to water. On the other, she constantly fought with the rigidity of it's structure and by extension the structure of 'civilized' society.

 Naturally combative by nature, Mari began training with the resident Mayonite paladins as soon as she was able. When the War of the Red Flag broke out, Mari saw action on multiple battlefields, serving as the squire of a Mayonite paladin in the service of the Iron Rose Knights. Shortly after the conclusion of the war, Mari was granted her knighthood in which she swore her oath of loyalty to the Iron Rose Knights.

Equipment:
 - For armor Mari has a gambeson, partial steel plate covering her upper torso, arms & head and partial chain-mail over the rest of the exposed gambeson. For her helmet she has a sallet with a bevor. She currently has pair of heavy leather gloves as she currently can't afford a proper set of fully articulated steel gauntlets.
 - For weapons Mari has a quarterstaff with a small flanged mace head at either end. She carries a long knife and a hand axe balanced for throwing as backup weapons. In addition she has a long bow, though she usually doesn't carry it unless requested. Her weighted quarterstaff is also mildly enchanted for increased durability.

Skills:
 - A talented tracker, hunter and survivalist on account of her nomadic youth.
 - Skilled in combat with more utilitarian weapons; spears, staves, axes, bows and to a lesser extent hammers & knives. While she can use traditional blades, they are hands down the weapon that she's the least proficient with.

[User]
~ Fort Daelantine ~

Interacted with: @VitaVitaAR, @Raineh Daze, @ghastlyInc

"Hold on, guys. What's an 'Angry Moron'?" Jarde's question was drowned out by the other knights who were infuriated that a piece of immense evil was housed secretly in this fort. But context was enough, if it angered the veteran Iron Roses and somehow managed to cause all of this carnage then this 'Angry Moron' must be quite the artifact. Not only that, it appeared that multiple groups were aware of its location and had come looking for it. The pileup was just making Jarde's head spin.

Sir Gillian suggested to team-up with the mercenaries for now in search for the evil artifact, something that Jarde completely agreed with, but he made it pretty clear that once found, the 'Angry Moron' piece would be coming with the Iron Roses. Something that might cause an issue with Alette's band who was sent here to retrieve said artifact.

"W-Well, why don't we actually find this black metal first and then worry about who gets it later?" Jarde tried to diffuse the tension. "Who knows, maybe Miss Sharky-Shark may later change her mind about lugging around a piece of wacky evil that took down a fort by just being there. She doesn't want the same thing to happen to her own mercenaries, does she?"

"Now then, who goes with who and who goes where? Most importantly, does anyone have some extra sheets or cloths to wrap 'Angry Moron' with?"

[Assistant]
A shard of Angroron?!

Fanilly's eyes widened in shock. She had no idea shards of Angroron were even still in existence, let alone that one had been in Thaln. How was this even possible?

"You... you can't be..." she stumbled over herself for a moment, before shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts, "A real shard of Angroron? Here? I can't believe it, who would possibly want it?!"

The abominable black blade wielded by Orodrunn, the Lord of Domination. A hole in reality itself in the form of a sword, into which was sucked light, life, and all else. Never to be seen again. An unnatural thing that had been broken to pieces by Saint Lilianna with the power of the Sun and Moon at her side. But even the fragments of the blade, it was said, were so utterly corrosive to anything alive, so opposed to the very concept of life itself, that it could shatter the heart and soul. Killing anyone who touched it, or worse driving them beyond madness. It had been called the Absent Blade, once, because its very existence was as an 'absence' of anything else.

"Tch, I knew it had to be bad news when they said not to touch it but that's beyond bad news," commented Alette as she rested her spear on her shoulder, "Hmph, no way I'm telling you who hired me, but I guess I can see your point. No reason not to cooperate when it's something like that."

The fact that Alette refused to divulge her employer's name even now did have at least one implication: She didn't believe her employer had treated them as disposable tools.

"If you won't tell us the name of your employer, can you tell us what they were planning on doing? Do you know?" Fanilly asked, after taking a moment to clear her thoughts.

"No idea," Alette responded with a shrug, "Just they wanted to put it somewhere safe, who knows what they planned to do after that. I don't exactly ask about that kinda thing, you know?"

"... If it's still here, it's likely inside," Fanilly concluded, "So... we must search the fort. Don't touch anything suspicious!"

Inside, Abigail tilted her head slighty.

"We'd only just begun our search, really... finished cleaning up all the ugly piggies~" she replied, giggling to herself lightly as she did, "The captain's quarters must be upstairs, right...?"

Indeed, upstairs lay the quarters of the fort's captain. They were a grim sight as well. While they were mostly undisturbed, the captain's desk unmarked, the bookshelves undamaged, in the bed lay the captain himself, a strong-looking man with a short black beard and mustache.

His throat had been slit while he was asleep.

@TheFake@Crimson Paladin@PaulHaynek@FlappyTheSpybot@Raineh Daze@ghastlyinc@Krayzikk

[User]
Gerard Segremors

Paladin@VitaVitaAR

Even through the stern cast of his face all throughout the pleasantries exchanged between his knightly senior and former peer amongst mercenaries, Segremors found himself compelled to draw out a low whistle, awed by what the former had suddenly proposed. Though he doubted his education was anything more than fragmentary, one could hardly live long as an Iron Rose without hearing tell of their honored founder's duel with Orodrunn, how her divine favor granted her the might to shatter his accursed weapon, a sword of shadow. If the curse was to spread its darkness by darkening the hearts of man with merely a touch... Yeah, little wonder that picture of composure, rivalled only perhaps by Sir Nicomede, stood plainly wide-eyed before him.

At the tilt of Sir Fleuri's head, Gerard nodded and stepped forth, more alert than ever. "Gerard Segremors. Pleased to be cooperating rather than meeting the Stingray on the field. Heard a lot about your toxins." He'd long been familiar with the rumors surrounding the ethereal figure that stood before him, and now having the association of deadly toxins coating the edges of all the knives on her person made him quietly relieved that her company's reputation had preceded them.

He doubtlessly would have run himself onto a swift death had he fought them unknowingly, at the behest of all those who had seen him expendable. And ended life that accomplished the mission was noble sacrifice, one he figured himself still willing to make, but suicide through ignorance was beyond even he. As Sir Fleuri spoke, he made for the door, deferring to his elder comrade for much of the conversation.

While for it to have affected the entire garrison this shard needed to be somewhere that all could touch or at least feel its presence, Gerard didn't deny his better's point— something so valuable, so dangerous, surely must have warranted record, assuming it was passed here through standard procedure. Captain's quarters were as good a start as any— overseeing the entire fort meant he would have a hand in all forms of administration, even if only as a signatory.

As they traversed the stairs, Gerard's mind was awash with possibilities regarding where the supposed shard could have ended up. Mess hall? Public, certainly, and likely would have allowed for it be in the immediate vicinity of a lot of soldiers. Likewise the barracks. For how it would get out of storage... Well, the same question could be extended to how it even afflicted more than a handful of men. Either it took less than touching it, or the first soldiers, in a maddened frenzy handling the slivers of an immensely powerful sword... used it to attack eachother?

No, they died from what looked like their own weapons. What the hell? Did it get crushed up and mixed in with the food that had been sent down their gullets?

This is going to give me a fit.

Why would such a dangerous object be transferred here to begin with? Surely the crown would not have been so careless...

As the somewhat unlikely trio gazed upon an undisturbed room, nigh-pristine from when it was lived in, and a cleanly cut gullet of the Captain of the base, a thought occurred as Gerard wordlessly began to search, scouring the man's desk for any charters or documents regarding a black shard that was not to be directly handled.

"What if it was planted here by another party?" he ventured after a few moments of searching, breaking his silence as he felt around the bottom of the desk. "By people further trying to destabilize things around Thaln, I mean. Feels like a concerted effort with all the recent stuff we've been through, Knight's Doom aside."

[Assistant]
Tyaethe Radistirin

If there was a power that it was now certain that the vampire didn't have in any capacity, it was the ability to cut through things by staring hard enough at them; both Gillian and Alette still had completely intact heads. Yes, they were just dealing with a hole in reality that would kill anyone who so much as touched it, but this ridiculous client confidentiality was so important... because it wasn't as if it was the utmost importance to find where this had come from so they could determine a motive or even who was keeping secrets.

Of course, if it was something that powerful and that evil, completely unshielded by magical means, then there was possibly a way to tell if it was here without turning over every last room in the fortress looking for a bit of not-metal...

Although she appeared to be just looking at her umbrella now, Tyaethe was facing in the vague direction of the sun. Maybe she'd get an answer, maybe not, it might take a while to tell.

[User]
Maritza Verenna
 As the conversation unfolded, the Knight Serpenta's trail of thought took a notably different turn from the others. Wherever the shard of Angroron ended up, it would be easy enough to track through the devastation left in it's wake. A horrific loss of life to be sure, but an acceptable cost if it meant they made good on the opportunity to hunt down whoever wanted it in the first place. On the topic of said individual, Maritza's eyes narrowed behind her visor as she stared down Alette, vocalizing the rest of her thoughts.

 "You know..." The Naga started off slowly, a hardened edge to her tone that had been missing previously. "The livery of the Iron Roses is hard to mistake for anything else, the armor of our captain especially. So, now that you what kind of mess you've been hired for, along with the fact that you still won't tell us who hired you, leads me to one conclusion." There was a cold pause as Maritza lowered herself in a fighting stance, one hand dropping the rune-lined head of the axe in her belt. "You believe that your employer is an enemy to both the Church and Crown of Thaln. I think it would be in your best interest to prove me wrong."


[System]
Callsign:
Bolt
Age:
196
Species:
Argolt(see second hider)
Personality:
 Crevix is a pragmatic, unfeeling and uncaring person, seeing most of what goes on around him as pointless. He does however know when it's better to help rather than stay back. He is very intelligent, and relies on his intelligence for many of his battles and disputes. He is poor mannered and often seen as rude and oafish because of this, but he doesn't see it that way. In his eyes, he was simply doing something he either needed to do, or that someone else failed to. He has been known to have a minor obsession with human culture. The only emotion most people see is a sadistic rage towards the Shard.
Biography:
 Crevix has lived on stations most of his life. Most Argolt do, since they do well in harsh and unforgiving environments. He spent much of his time as an engineer and mechanic, doing maintenance on stations systems and improving old ones. This satisfied him for a while till the station was attacked and destroyed, and in that said event he had to fight for his life. He quickly learned to use a gun when that happened, and managed to get to a shuttle before the station was torn apart.
 After that, he longed for that rush of battle again. When his shuttle landed on the planet he orbited for so long, the first time he had ever been on any planet since his birth. He went and immediately signed up to become a pilot, wishing the rush of fighter combat. After years learning how to fly and dogfight, he was graduated and stationed on a mining outpost in an asteroid belt. There he had his first encounter with the Shard. After years of only minor skirmishes, the Shard ruined that peace by devouring his squad and the outpost. He managed to flee before they got to him, but he finally knew what anger felt like. And he wanted more.
 He signed up for the pilot program a year later, and he knew what he was going to do with his rage.
Favors:
Old Human music
Books
Tinkering
Small carbon based organisms
Disfavors:
The Shard
robots(thinks they are a inferior Argolt)
heat
Affinities:
-Engineering experience
-Piloting skills
-A lot of knowledge
Faults:
-He gets too engaged in what he's doing
-He has poor social skills
-He cares little for opinions and doesn't take them into account
Text Color:
3498DB
Personality:
Lazy and patient
Classification:
Joker
Capabilities:
 Langcastor is a dangerous to large groups, but odd in the fact that he plays a more supportive role.

 Langcastor uses energy and electricity against his enemies and to help his allies. His main weapon is an E.M.P beam projectile that if an opponent is not killed, is disabled if they rely on technology. As both a weapon and a counter measure, Langcaster can produce a smoke that is electrified, and if this smoke is on an ally, breaks up any enemy locating measures and provides a slight energy barrier that is only good while allies stay in it. The smoke does however decrease visibility to 5 ft, but Langcastor is not effected by this since it relies on a sonar to 'see' everything and know it's surroundings within 1 kilometer, 75% of that if an area is dense such as a forest, and 150% that if large amounts of fluid or humidity is present.
 Langcaster's armor is highly conductive, yet this benefits the beast greatly rather than hurt it. With the material being so conductive, Langcastor can evenly disperse energy across his entire body if an attack is energy based, meaning energy based attacks are not very effective against him. However, physical attacks harm him greatly if the impact is strong enough.

[User]
Okay. Okay.

Okay okay okay.

Okay.

Okay okay.

Adrian breathed deeply, struggling to keep himself calm as he started the test. It wasn't as though he hadn't done this before, but there were... complications. Not the least of which being the antlered Dragon right across from his berth, with a very particular, very familiar auburn-haired individual sitting in its mouth.

He'd know that shade anywhere. Being just a few shades lighter than his own.

His hands clenched on the controls in his cockpit as his teeth ground together. What the fuck is he doing here...? He'd worried about something like this happening at first; his brother emerging from out of nowhere to drag him back by the collar to his old, boring life. Back when he was happy to be out here. Before the operations. Before the fighting. Before anything else. After that, his fear was of someone he cared about being dragged into this awfulness alongside him, but he'd reassured himself that there was no way that could happen. Thomas had a life in Demeter- a good job, a girlfriend, a future. Not like him. He'd comforted himself that his brother would never be stupid enough to force himself out here, into the black.

He'd clearly overestimated how smart Thomas was.

"Uuuum... sir?"

Adrian jumped, distracted from his reverie by the sound of the technician chiming in over the comms. He'd been leaving them hanging while he glared at his brother and his brother's Dragon.

"Okay," he said out loud, a little sheepishly. "I'm strapped in. Start the test."

Not that this was a whole lot easier. Adrian could never get used to this part, like his comrades.

"Alright, sir. Activating integration, please standby."

Tendrils began to emerge from the walls of his cockpit, writhing like living snakes as the darted toward him, the ends neatly slotting into the ports up and down his arms and legs, a small jolt running up and down his nerves as they did so. Not every Dragon was like his, but the philosophy was the same- becoming part of the machine, part of the Dragon. He started to shake slightly as his vision started to blur... going double. This was the worst part...

"Physical uplink: complete. AION coming online. Neural uplink engaging in 3... 2... 1... engage."

A shockwave crossed across his brain, feeling like he was being knocked unconscious repeatedly, until... he could see again. Specifically, he could see through different eyes. Del Lago's eyes.

It was always easier after the uplink- like breaking the sound barrier. A lot of unpleasantness, then... this moment. Being... different. More. Complete. It almost made everything else worth it, connecting to his partner like this.

He looked down at his/Del Lago's limbs, giving them a tentative shake to make sure they were working properly. So far, so good. Next, to test weapons--

A splitting headache suddenly struck him as their sensor suite was appropriated for something, sending a burst of cacophonous sound and pain surging through their heads. The connection severed before Adrian's head exploded, leaving Del Lago shaking its head to shake off the lingering headache, he himself pressing a hand to his forehead to stave off his own suffering.

"Sir? Are you alright? We got some interference--"

"Yeah, no sh--" started Adrian, before cutting himself off. "...Sorry. Yeah, something just... pinged off of my sensors. Someone testing a sonic weapon or something. Check up on the other Dragons, make sure they're all alright." He sat back as the physical uplinks started to withdraw, an announcement coming in over the ship's communications. Briefing, huh? Alright. We must be close to the border, then. If not over it, by now. He sighed to himself. Once more into the breach, then. At least, if we win here... we might not have to fight for much longer. He waited for Del Lago to deactivate their connection completely, eager to get all of this ugliness behind him.

---

A little less than an hour later, Adrian found himself just outside the Situation Room where the meeting was taking place, just in time to hear the tail end of his new squadron leader's... enthusiasm.

"...Squad are slacking off! I shall have to give them a lesson in punctuality later."

Adrian blanched. Fuck. There goes my chance to make a good impression on the boss. Regardless, he squared his shoulders and walked in, moving into the corner to get a good feel on everyone here, as more started shuffling in. Including...

Sigh. That conversation could wait. They had a job to do.

[Assistant]
The Armada
Sector Date 5115.64
Time 1900
Situation Room A

---

Admiral Serrano watched as the last of the Pilots entered the room, just in time for the briefing to begin. He inclined his head to the assembled group, then turned to Maye, to address her question.

"In time, Captain, in time. For now, we need to discuss more long-term goals- we're not out here just for a patrol, after all. We are here to turn the tide of the war, for good. So, without further ado, let us begin the briefing."

---

Act 1
Chapter 1
Ingress

---

"Vi. Situation Room A. Projection, Operation Checkmate." In the middle of the room, a hologram popped up, a representation of the Red Sector, and more importantly, the territory just beyond the Red Line. A red triangle appeared just past the No Man's Land, their current location.

"To start off, I would like to thank you all for your service on this mission in advance. Whether veterans of the Pilot Program already, or merely recruits with incredible potential, you all have accepted a very essential, very dangerous mission to take back our homes from the Shard. It will not be easy, but your success here will mean securing the future of Origin-kind. Now, to business." He indicated the triangle on the map.

"This is our current position- just past the Red Line. In approximately one hour, Operation Checkmate will begin in earnest, and from there, there's no going back. Until we succeed, or until we are destroyed. Our first step in the Operation will be to reach this sector, here," he said, a large section of debris and asteroids highlighted in green on the map. "We call it the Graveyard- the remnants of one of the last battles of the Shard War before the Dragons. The wrecks and corpses of Shard and our own vessels alike will partially shield us from their sensors, and their Leviathans' relative lack of maneuverability means that they will be unable to field too much resistance against us should we be detected. From here, we can conduct scouting missions and raids with relative impunity. This leads us into Phase 2."

He highlighted the star system that the Graveyard hung just outside of. "This star is Delta Black. It's not much, but it will make for a good stepping stone. The second world of this system is our target- we'll call it Sundowner." He flinched almost imperceptibly at stating the name, but moved on before it could be noticed. "It's the capital of an old Jovian colony. Manufacturing and mining, mostly, which makes it ideal for our purposes. Most importantly, it's the nearest source of Phase-capable materials we can identify. Our mission will be to lay claim to Sundowner, destroy the Shard hive present on its surface, and drive out the enemy occupying it before proceeding to Phase 3."

The map disappeared, replaced by an image of something and spacefarer worth their salt would recognize: a Phase gate. The fastest and most reliable method of FTL travel in the Sector.

"Sundowner was host to one of the largest Phase gates in the entire Origin Sector before the Shard came in. And while it has been disabled and likely harvested for parts, sources say that the majority of the infrastructure is still there. This, is our ultimate objective: with the material and manufacturing capabilities of Sundowner at our disposal, our Engineering Corps will attempt to reconstruct a functional Phase Gate, deep in the heart of enemy territory. On the other side of the Red Line, another Gate is being constructed. And once we connect the two..."

The image changed to that of a fleet emerging from the Sundowner Gate, larger than any that had been fielded before in the war, armed with Dragons and the most advanced ships and weapons that could be mustered.

..."We will be able to launch a full-scale offensive on the Shard, right in their blind spot. Instant, easy ingress into their territory. From there, the Shard will be fighting a war on two fronts, and our victory becomes only a matter of time. Check, and mate."

The image disappeared, leaving the crew to mull over the information they'd been given in the silence that followed.

"Are there any questions?"

[User]
Crevix peeked his head out from the shadows. "I have a question admiral." He walked up to the area and saluted lazily. "Do you know the exact position of the Hive force on sundown, and an estimate of their numbers?" He looked at map, analyzing the plan with a seemably robotic focus. This was a great plan in his opinion, but one with many, very unfavorable risks.
 He wasn't a gambler by any means, but if he was to put money on the two forces success, he would reluctantly put it on the Shard.

---

 There it was again.

 Langcastor was hearing something quite interesting that was occasionally touching the other Dragon's systems. First parasite was interfaced with, then another dragon shrugged it off. And at the same time, he heard a sound. It was curious, but not worth his attention yet.

 Again, he heard it, and it was louder.

 He got up and looked around, nothing the various technicians and other crew in the pens. He scanned them all with his sonar for a bit, waiting to hear the sound.

 riik riik riik riik

 He detected the person producing the sound, holding a data-pad. Langcastor produced a metallic growl that echoed through the pens while 'looking' directly at him. The man looked up, frightened. Langcastor growled more intensely. The tech doing diagnostics in Langcastor was very wary.
 Jack O'Loocish knew Langcastor better than the other technicians, and was the only one that would work with it after an incident with a particular person who tried to make him wake up and stay awake. When Langcastor growls, he knew someone was doing something annoying and wrong. He saw what, or rather who, Langcastor was focused on. "He'! What are ya' doin'? Ya' pissin' off Langcastor, which isn't somethin' ya' wanna' do!" he yelled in his thick accent. Langcastor's target just ran towards the crew quarters.
 Langcastor looked at Jack and gave a little grunt before laying down. Jack patted the dragon's metallic hide and went back to work.


[System]
Game Origin: Doom

Appearance:

Personality: The Doom Slayer shows little to no emotions, his way of communicating is strictly though body language. Although he can speak but rarely. His main purpose is to kill demons and those who get in his way, focusing on this goal. This obsession consuming him finding those around him to be a nuisance. He has though a strong sense of justice helping though he deems fit for saving. Having a soft spot for certain things, especially if it's a small fluffy animal. When angry or excited in a battle, he becomes an unstoppable beast. Using his building angry to fuel how he fights.

Background: The Doom Slayer was happy to finish his fight kill the Spider Mastermind, he thought it was all over. The thought of taking care of Daisy (His pet rabbit) excited him. But before he could teleport back to his castle in space, he was teleported in front of Dr.Samuel Hayden. His smug speech and the thief of his The Crucibles, and the icing on this shat cake was being teleported to back to his castle with nothing. This angered him that his blood felt like it was boiling. Going back to earth to find that the denizens of hell invading earth, working his way on earth killing the dark lords of hell.

Smirking and laughing internally when he saw the wrecked carcass of Hayden's robotic body, Using VEGA to help him finally kill his last challenge The Icon Of Sin. Once he stood victorious he went back to his castle to hone his skills, but while he was practicing he was engulfed in a bright white light. Losing most of his equipment and arriving in a strange land.

Specialty: Doom Slayer is skilled in killing demons, he has alot of endurance and able to take alot of damage. He is not very defensive and mostly with play offensively in a combat situation. The Doom Slayer is skilled in using guns, swords and other melee weapons and finally his fist.

Level: 1

Experience: 0/10

Strengths: The Doom Slayer has alot of strength and endurance, his strength would be comparable to a bear and his endurance could be comparable to a tank. The Doom Slayer has some tactical knowledge, as well as being a expert in combat.

Weaknesses: The Doom Slayer is slow and because of his one track mind which can make him separable to traps. He can become easily fatigued because of his heavy suit.

Power: Glory Kill - If Doomguy deal enough damage to an opponent to stun it and closes to melee range he can instantly, brutally kill it. Enemies killed this way always drop health pick-ups.

Spirits: None

Kindred Spirits: Geralt, Courier 6, Hat Kid.

Inventory: Pistol, fist, doom blade (Wrist blade), meat hook, combat shotgun

[User]
Courier 6 and Jak & Daxter and Cuphead!
Level7 - (35/70) EXP (+2), Level 5 - (4/50) (+2), Level 2 - (18/20) (+2)
Location: Spiral Mountain
Word Count:796

The place was utter chaos. The battle became an extended hit and run, hide and seek exchange, with their own group getting several skirmishers into the tower, back again, and once more into the breach. Not wanting to take any of the attention onto himself, Jak had to move more methodically. He could run, roll, and jump at full speed while invisible, but it didn't last long and took just as long to recharge as it did to utilize. Naturally he fell behind, but figured it was for the best in this instance. The normally talkative Daxter knew not to utter a peep to ruin their distinct advantage, which would soon present a great opportunity. Two of the sharpshooters had been killed, others injured, and two more fell from the tower down below.

Cuphead, having been revived by the Ace Cadet a short while ago, was dropped off at the base of the tower. The giant and the swordsman in blue were engaged with whole groups from their entourage, quite busy with that. He thought about jumping in, but he didn't want to get in the way. He knew he could be reckless sometimes, but he didn't want to repeat the mistake he had just made. He may have been impatient, but he could learn! Instead, he looked to Imani and Sniper, dazed by their fall, and ran in (finger) guns blazing! "Golly, this pea shooter sure isn't too slick. Sure wish I had my charge beam!" he said, showering the two with a hailstorm of small energy bullets, mostly only capable of scratch damage.

Meanwhile, Courier 6 nodded acknowledgement to the Ace Cadet for reviving him and kept to the cover he had found with Princess Peach and Kamek. The last thing he remembered before being turned into a trophy was firing off a full clip from Michael's anti-material rifle in VATS. If he remembered correctly, he was able to hit two of the enemies: the giant and the woman in the bikini. He had to take stock of the battlefield before jumping straight back into things. He listened carefully and watched, activating VATS to get infinite time to observe, but never using its targeting system. From the looks of things, the giant was still alive and kicking despite the grievous wound from a gun designed to blow up tanks, but the bikini sniper was gone. No doubt all that was left of her was some red mist. Another enemy seemed to be gone too: the old man. He couldn't see the boy in blue, but listening there were still the sounds of battle elsewhere, and the old man would undoubtedly be incapable of a melee fight, so he reasonably assumed it was the boy. That left the other two who had fallen from the tower.

The Courier reloaded the anti-material rifle with his pack of rifle ammunition and spoke into his PIP-Boy. "GT, I need suppressing fire on the snipers on the ground."

"Boss, I'm glad to hear you're ok!" Gaige-Tron's synthesized voice spoke back from the PIP-Boy speaker. He couldn't help but grin.

"An' bring Bugfoot, but I don' want 'im engaging. Might not get close 'nough an' I don' want 'im gettin' hit. Keep Drumstick where she's at."

"Got it, boss!" The connection cut out, and just then Cuphead came charging toward the sniper and Imani, firing off his pea shooter while jumping up and down like a maniac. The Courier snorted in amusement, then lifted up the rifle to take aim.

Right on time GT came charging up the hill, firing off her built in pea shooter (the handgun received from the living bullets, not the magic finger energy of Cuphead) right at the two enemies. The robot and the ceramic cup acted as a pincer against the snipers, coming in from opposite locations, Bugfoot the heracross creeping in from behind GT.

The Courier breathed in, and held it. V.A.T.S. activated. Targeting Sniper, torso. Probability of hitting: 89%. Now that he was on solid ground and the distance much closer, naturally the chances of success were much, much higher. Targeting Imani, torso. Probability of hitting: 82%. Targeting Imani, head. Probability of hitting: 75%. Even a headshot was likely at this point, but undoubtedly overkill. Just stick to the torso, then. He queued up one shot for each of them, in the chest. Fire!

"Now Jak!"

In an instant Jak and Daxter reappeared right behind Imani and Sniper, the invisibility broken not by Daxter's voice, but by Jak's weapon. He had the morph gun out in Scattergun mode and fired a large cone blast of red eco point blank.

[Assistant]
Blazermate and Queen Sectonia

Level 6 Blazermate - (1/70) +0 (small reaction)
Level 3 Sectonia - (7/30) +1
LoA - Spiral Mountain
Word Count: 460

The giant sniper, while their enemy, perplexed Blazermate. Echoing Donnie, she said. "Yeah seriously, why would he want to die? If thats what he wants, I think making a striker out of him would be... disrespectful? But its up to you guys."

Sectonia awoke with a splash of water thrown over her from the Lord of Games, washing away most of the Jarate that was on her. "there, its not a shower, but you smell much nicer. Now off with you, get your revenge. Its not like you'll have a chance in the future." LoG said, Sectonia shaking herself awake. A quick sniff reminded her of what had happened, the outdoorsman sniper threw his own piss at her, and while enraged, she got smacked by that giant! She was going to make both of them pay for what they have done, especially that guy who threw the jar! Getting back up, she glanced at the Lord of Games, gave him a nod, then flew out of the house to rejoin the fight. "If only she knew what I actually meant. Ah well. Back to making games." He said, going back to his workbench and continuing along his work.

Sectonia has been out for longer than she had thought, the tower was badly damaged, and most of the snipers had been dispatched already. She could see the form of the giant sniper, falling off the tower, disintegrating to dust. "Serves him right." Sectonia said to herself, looking around the battlefield for her other target. As her gaze came to the base of the mountain, she saw him, the soon-to-be dead man.

Flying at a fast pace towards Mundy, Sectonia conjured and threw her Rings of Light at the sniper, 6 small ones aimed right for him flying at awkward angles. It was around this time that Jak and the Courier showed up, attempting to deal with Mundy and his sniper ally themselves. "He is MINE." She said, closing the remaining distance with a series of rapid blinks before attacking Mundy by swirling her swords around in a dervish. If he somehow got through all of this, Sectonia had one more trick up her sleave, involving a large light disc and her bare hands...

[User]
The Last Snipers
@Archmage MC

Sometimes you played the odds, and sometimes the odds played you.

All too soon, there came the sounds of movement, and not on one front, but two. The rattle of gunfire rang out from both sides--a pincer attack. Alarm shone in Imani's eyes as she reached for her belt, going for one of the smoke bombs. "We're..."

A hideous roar heralded the sharpshooter's messy bisection. Her entire torso disappeared in a visceral spray as her eye went wide. Red turned black as she near-instantly began to turn to ash. The Sniper did not scream, since before he could so much as open his mouth, he too was gone.

When Gaige-Tron and the others rounded the tree a moment later, they found only two spirits sitting in the dust.

Dead Zone

Unfazed by the leftover mobs and the spear-tipped tendrils sprouting up from the street, the Doom Slayer strode toward Echidna at a steady pace, firing his shotgun over and over. Each slug broke down her focus, and after a few moments she withdrew her tendrils with a snarl and rose into the air. V, however, was one step ahead. Without an opening to attack during the underground onslaught, he commanded Shadow to charge instead, and now that the Slayer drove Echidna back he could make use of it. The demon panther dashed below Echidna and unleashed Hedgehog, becoming a ball of spikes that jammed between Echidna's scales from below.

"Aaaah!" she shrieked, her voice shrill, but the attack was far from over. Taking a page from Echidna's book, V bade Shadow sink into the ground and extend a forest of great needles straight upward to pierce his foe's dragon body and stop prevent her retreat. "Kuh!" The demoness fought to break free, but her struggled only made the spikes tear into her further. With her bottom half immobilized, she raised her hands to cast, but Nadia pounced first.

The feral thief popped off her own head, set it like a volleyball, then leaped up to spike it straight at Echidna's face. Her noggin hit that of the demoness with a pronounced bonk, but a flap of Nadia's ears propelled her back in for more. Using her ears and jets of blood from her neck to move, Nadia sank her teeth into Echidna's head over and over again. "Omnomnomnomnom!"

Nero's wire flew up and latched onto one of Echidna's horns. With a strong yank he pulled the demon's head down to the ground, leaving her next to helpless. Nadia went to collect her own as the demon writhes, screaming. "Nothing to it," he remarked casually, before glancing at the Slayer. He offered no thanks, but it was clear he appreciated the help from his offer. "Want this one?" If the Slayer moved quickly, he could finish Echidna off before she broke free.

[Assistant]
Level 1 Doom Slayer
Location: Dead Zone
Word Count: 306

The Slayer was gaining much enjoyment form killing the lesser demons, along with the demon that stood before him. He felt all the adrenaline rushing though his body, the thrill of killing demons once again was like a drug. Concentrating his gun fire towards the demon, riddling down her defenses. With the help of the these strangers who held the demon's head towards the floor, hearing form the white haired man of wanting to finish off the demon.

Silently moving towards the demon, grabbing hold of her horns firmly. Pulling forwards slowly ripping off her head. Not caring for her screams and pleads for him to stop. If anything her screams of pain made this moment even more pleasurable. After what seemed like five minutes, with one final pull he ripped the head off of the large demon. Holding it up in the air like a trophy, which he was going to put into his home base once he gets back.

Being covered in the large demon's blood, he wondered if their was a some place he could wash his armor. But that would be a bridge he would cross later. Turning around towards the group, "Did these demons...come out of a portal form hell?" He spoke pointing to the decapitated demon behind him. He wondered if their was other Dark Lords coming after him for killing their leader.

"A sense another demonic presence coming form the white haired man" VEGA spoke up to which the Slayer was now staring at Nero. Clenching his fist for just a moment before relaxing. He didn't sense any malicious or dark intentions that could be a danger to humanity. So he was going to let this one slide, for now.


[System]
Gender: FemaleAge: Twenty-three
Appearance: Kaylia is quite tall, slender and shapely with long toned muscles, a thin face with a long nose and full lips, all covered in tanned sun-kissed skin. Her hair is thick and a sun-bleached blonde in color. It is pulled up into a loose ponytail that falls to the middle of her back. Twisted into her hair are several finger width braids, many of which have Green or white beads woven randomly into or on the end of various pieces. Two braids fall to either side of her face and are shorter than the rest of her hair, resting at just below her shoulders. Her outfits mainly consist of pale green or white shirts that lace up at the chest and throat, with long voluminous sleeves that gather at her wrists with tight cuffs. Over this she usually wears a dark green or brown tunic, That has no sleeves, a v-neck, and usually falls to the middle of her thighs, with slits on either side up to her hips. Her pants are a dark brown relatively thick leather, with pale leather crisscrossing along the outer seems. Her boots are a slightly lighter brown leather, coming up to the middle of her calves, with a section that is folded over several inches and held into place by silver fastenings. around her waist is a wide black belt with a long thin black and silver sheath at her left hip. Both sheath and belt are usually on the outside of her tunic. On her right earlobe dangles a small silver chain and a small teardrop emerald, with a matching silver ring on the middle finger of her right hand with a circular emerald on its face. Matching both of these, her eyes are wide and almond shaped with bright green irises flecked with silver.

[User]
As the heat Of the day finally began to loosen its grip On the land, The birds having their last go at a Serenade, Kaylia Was finding that the dip Of the sun Into the horizon was increasing the amount of tightness In her shoulders with every degree. The death of the sun as it gave birth to the night Was always something that had made the muscles in her stomach tight and her nervous agitation increase, even if she couldn't remember why that was. Her stallion snorted softly beneath her, turning his black head to lip At one of her sleeves In a concerned sort of way, dark eye Focusing for a moment on her face. One corner of her mouth twitched up and she gratefully scratched at the side of the horse's nose. "I'm fine. Look where you're Going before we both end up in the river." The horse whickered softly as he turned forward once again, as if listening to his rider. The improbability of such a thing helped Kay feel a little better as it made her smile widen briefly.

The two had been Traveling all day, Taking a delivery of horses out to A small farm between Glayde Village, a large town nestled at the base of the Ochre Mountain range along the eastern border of the kingdom, and the domain of a fishing population bordering the edge of a lake called Vista Shore, having met the owner of the ranch the day before in Marivienna City, the largest city in the northern providence of Liodia Kingdom. And although She had made it out with no problem, she had foolishly thought that she could make it back to Horse Grass Ranch where she currently lived by nightfall. She hadn't been Expecting the monster That had exploded from the surface of the river, inexplicably shooting Something that looked like a rock the same size as her head in her direction. Her horse hadn't been too keen To stick around and find out. She had barely glimpsed what she thought looked similar to a hunchbacked frog for part of a second before she was more concerned with gripping the reins and holding on as the stallion turned tail And headed in the exact opposite direction of the way she had wanted to go. Sighing Softly, Kaylia gently patted Storm on his shoulder. She didn't blame her partner, she probably would have run in the opposite direction had She been given the choice Herself. But It did put them into an interesting situation, one that quite logically didn't sit well with her. As her thoughts were tugged Back in that direction, she found herself wishing all the more fervently that she hadn't been thrown into a situation that put her so off course.

First, there was the unsettled and rather nervous agitation that she felt when the darkness came. But secondly, Kaylia had overheard several conversations back in the city about farmer's crops beginning to fail them, shriveling and turning black as if scorched, where as they had been healthy and flourishing only the day before. Even their animals health seemed to be declining, getting sick, and weak, driven to insanity and attacking their owners unprovoked, only to die hours later gagging on black bile or being overcome by throbbing dark boils that seemed to be consuming their bodies. Rumors had even begun to spread, always uttered with Wilde eyed expressions and nervous gestures, about how even a few people were beginning to come down with strange illnesses that not even the most skilled medicine worker could heal. The strange and frightening rumors had begun to produce shadowy images in the woman's mind, to the point where she thought she saw half crazed creatures crawling towards her behind every bush and hill, intent on her death. The idea was silly and childish, part of her understood that, but her uncertainty of why she feared the night so much added fuel to the wild and unfounded imaginings.

 Kaylia pulled up on the reins As she came level with a pair of short scrubby Looking trees, swinging her leg behind her and sliding down from the saddle. After Removing the bit from Storm's mouth, determinedly ignoring the way her hands shook as she did so, and putting it and the reins into a pouch on his saddle, She dug around in the bags until she produced a hobble, hooking it around one of the stallion's front legs before unfastening her bedroll and beginning preparations for her camp. When she finally had her bed to her liking and a small fire crackling in a comforting way, Kay went to Storm and unlatched his saddle, allowing it to fall to the ground before collecting a brush from within another pouch and beginning to rub her partner down for the night, forcing herself to concentrate on every motion she made to keep herself from allowing her thoughts to slip back into nightmares.

[Assistant]
Naked steel glittered against skin in the fading light of the day. With a practiced slice, the main artery in the neck was cut and bright red blood pooled onto the fallen leaves. A smile played at the corner of Garris's cracked lips at least until the red turned to black and began to slowly ooze out of the wound.
The ranger scrambled back, only just barley remembering to wipe the blade off on the dead deer's nape.

<<Food?>> The comment was internal. It felt warm and soft like rabbit fur. It tingled at the back of his neck the way Ra's touch had as she caressed him at their farewell. Garris looked at his companion. Cainmere was no bigger than a large dog but she had the litheness and built of a wolf. Her dark fur seemed to swallow what little light the sun had left to give but her violet eyes shown as bright as ever. They had traveled together for a little over a week but she had rarely spoken. She must be as desperate for a meal as he was.

"You don't want that," he replied and pointed to the carcass at his feet. Her nose twitched slightly then she uttered a pained whine. He understood her exactly. Everyone would go hungry tonight. Loosening the water skin at his hip, he rinsed what little blood was still clinging to his knife and replaced it back in its sheath. "It does explain a lot though." Garris continued. It explained why there was very little game to be found in the area. Not, mind you, that he had time set traps or to go out of his way for tracking. They'd been lucky to stumble upon the deer, or at least that's what he thought an hour ago.

Garris sighed and fished around in his travel sack for the correct parchment. As he unrolled it, the scrollwork glowed faintly under the ever dimming light. "The next town should be in a day, maybe a day and a half's walk away." he announced.

Like most things that came out of his mouth, Cainmere seemed to meet his words with indifference. He could have been talking to a tree for the good it did him. Wallace, the master ranger Garris served under and the original owner of the creature, had assured Garris's of the beast's intelligence and capabilities. As of yet, the Cainmere had offered no advice or even hint of suggestion and the only thing she seemed capable of was frightening off the local farm girls. Still, he supposed, a quiet companion that didn't complain was perhaps better than no companion at all.

"I'd rather press on further while there's even a little light left." Garris said, taking off in the opposite direction they'd come. Cainmere, as usual, plodded silently behind.

They hadn't been traveling for more than an hour when the familiar scent of wood smoke stung Garris's nostrils. The wind carrying the smell came from the west and even though it was a little out of their way, the thought that someone generous was cooking a hot meal was far too tempting to pass up. If not food, well perhaps the owner would at least be willing to trade information.

It didn't take Garris long to find the source. A small fire was crackling away in a small clearing. On the opposite side, someone was grooming a horse. Like him, they seemed to be traveling alone.

<<Food.>> This time the word was more a statement that a question. From where he stood in the shadows he didn't see any cooking utensils near the fire or smell anything besides smoke coming off it. "I don't think so," Garris whispered back, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "And you can't eat the horse… or the girl."

Deciding there was nothing better to do, Garris took a breath and stepped out of the shadows. "Hello there." he said, trying to muster up his friendliest grin, "We were just traveling through when I saw your camp fire."

[User]
Kaylia wasn't one for screaming. And perhaps that was a good thing, especially when the voice spoke unexpectedly out of the darkness behind her. Her heart leapt, her stomach muscles contracted with panic, and she dropped the brush from her hand as she world around to face the speaker, her now free hand flying to the hilt of her sword as she did so, but not so much as a whimper escaped her lips. She stared for a long moment at the stranger looking at her from over her fire, and scrutinized him briefly with a swift pass of her eyes, before his words finally seemed to penetrate her sudden and inexplicable panic. Glancing quickly down at the dancing flames automatically, she forcefully pushed back her irrational fears and worked her mouth into a small smile that quirked The corners of her lips. For she more naturally reacted with friendliness towards others, not paranoia or fear. There was no need to jump down someone's throat just because they surprised her...

"Well," she managed to laugh, "you gave me quite the scare." Quickly retrieving the fallen brush, Kaylia straightened with an unconscious step backwards, Storm's flank consequently bumping into her shoulder.

The stallion snorted once, finally lifting his head from his bit of grazing to swivel it around to peer curiously at the newcomers, sizing up any possible threat. Reaching up to cup her hand against one of her horse's cheeks, Kay followed his gaze to the animal that had stepped into the clearing at the man's side, noticing it for the first time and unable to help the nervous flutter in her stomach at the sight. Wolves, after all, were not something any livestock handler liked to see. But the creature made no move towards her or her horse, as if it was no more than a trained dog following its master. Perhaps, that was exactly what the canine was,a companion to the Hunter. Turning her green eyes back up to the human, she adopted another timid smile.

"Was there something I can help you with traveler?" She asked helpfully, deciding to continue the conversation on a more friendly note. "Perhaps I can offer you a bit of food? I was just about to start some soup..."


[System]
Appearance:

Symbol:
Age: 18

Height: 6'0

Weight: 130 Ibs

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Weapons: He wears bracers that have a retractable 7-inch blade in the shape of an arrow. When retracted, the bracers shoot 10mm rounds. Each bracer holds 20 shots, with extra ammo in pouches on his belt. A visor he wears with its own Heads Up Display uses a pair of crosshairs to show where he is aiming his weapons, improving his accuracy. They were designed and created by his dad when he unsuccessfully applied to Beacon around the same age as Robert. They are the only physical objects remaining from his family's past.

Specialty: Robert is best at fighting an opponent one on one, and because of this he relies heavily on teammates when in a large conflict with multiple enemies. It is also because of his helpful and team-player attitude that his teammates chose him to be the leader of his original team, RPGD, to his surprise.

Semblance: Robert's semblance allows him to subliminally affect probability fields, causing improbable, but not impossible, "unlucky" events to occur to enemies within his line of sight. At the time, Robert has no idea that he even has a semblance, let alone has been using his semblance on himself for years to increase his already bad luck to near-immeasurable levels.

Personality: Robert is an average geek with an interest in subjects like comics and ancient world history. Most groups of people would probably describe him as everyman due to him not having much in the way of impressive skills while others might see him more as a goofball thanks to his usual optimistic and joking attitude. When the going gets tough though, the red haired boy is a good person to have by your side as he will never give up or surrender, even when all may seem lost.

Eight year old Robert sat in front of the television, playing with his toy cars and action figures. Behind him, Robert's dad sat in a reclining armchair, half reading the newspaper in his hands and half listening to the TV. "John, could you help Scarlet with her dinner," Robert's mother called from the kitchen. "Yes, Marian," Robert's dad answered, walking towards the small toddler that was Robert's sister. Robert looked up from his toys to see the news channel that was on show the words "Breaking News". The anchorwoman then read the new news, "A warning to all human families living in neighborhoods with large majorities of Faunuses, the organization known as the White Fang, previously known for its peaceful protests, has been attacking humans in the before-mentioned neighborhoods. This recent aggression is suspected to be a result from-" Robert's dad turned the TV off. "You don't need to listen to that garbage, son," he said. He then walked back to the dinner table where Scarlet was playing with her food. Robert went back to playing with his toys. Unbeknownst to the Fallson Family though, a small crowd gathered outside.

Six Faunuses stood, looking at the happy family inside. "Burn it down," said the leader. The other five threw Molotov Cocktails at the two story house, the fire quickly spread throughout the bottom story and the roof. No one inside knew what was going on, all they knew was that the house had spontaneously burst into flames. Robert's mother screamed, Robert's sister cried, Robert's father yelled orders, and Robert continued sitting there confused, trying to understand what was going on. His father grabbed Scarlet, his mother grabbed a family photo album, and they both sprinted towards the staircase. As they reached it, his dad stopped and turned around, "Come on, Robert!" he cried. Outside, the leader of the attack turned and grabbed a baseball bat that was strapped to his back. It suddenly transformed into a grenade launcher, and one shot was fired. The single grenade incinerated the wall it struck, as well as the three humans standing next to it. In a flash, Robert's family was gone. A single, burning photo floated into Robert's lap. He stood there dumbstruck at what just happened. The creaking of the roof brought him back to reality though, as a large burning beam fell from the roof. He tried to dodge, but was too slow. It fell right on his back, pinning him to the ground and burning his flesh. He was able to quickly wiggle out from under it though, and jumped out of the hole in the wall that the grenade had made earlier. He laid on the lawn of his house, clutching the photograph from earlier. He saw the six Faunuses slowly approaching him, ready to finish the job. The sounds of sirens around the corner stopped them in their tracks though, and they escaped. Robert continued lying there, unable to move, sobbing. One of the officers picked him up and carried him to a patrol car. After sitting in the passenger seat for several hours, one of the firemen walked up and gave him the only other thing that survived the fire, his father's visor and bracers which were in the basement during the fire. Afterwards, the officers and firemen left Robert alone. Bad choice. He rose from the seat and walked off into the night, passing a street sign that read "Loxley St." Robert's eight year old mind thought of nothing but wanting to be alone.

For the next several years, Robert would live on the streets. Stealing food and other necessities only when he had no other choice, and only from people who could still live without those necessities. Witnesses would often report to the police that the only thing they saw before their things were stolen was a figure with a green hoodie.

Robert didn't go it alone for all those years though. He did make some friends at a restaurant named Fryer Tuck's Diner; namely Tuck, Alan, and Miller. If not for them, he might not have been able to go to Beacon as they were the ones who helped him acquire a GED as well as the application for Beacon. If not for their moral support and assistance, he would have probably never gotten off the streets and into the prestigious academy.

Theme Song: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

Based off of: Robin Hood

Color: Rosso Corsa

[User]
"I'll have a gander at it," Aurellius said as he stepped up to the plate, windmilling his right arm to stretch it. Even without his Semblance, he was feeling good. Exercise was just another daily thing for him, and the stuff thrown into PE was for pipsqueaks. He barely felt the burn through his arms and legs, and even then he paid it no mind. He was used to harder stuff. Even if he was tired, all he had to do was activate his Semblance and let the pain trickle away.

Watching Diamond walk back, he grinned slightly and gave her a thumbs up. Their solution to the problem was pretty boring, but he had to congratulate her for finding another person to do the job with. Equal split of labor meant an easier time, too bad Agesander was being a bit of an ass. Aurellius stepped forward as Agesander clicked another button, the area reforming back to its previous state so participants couldn't just steal another student's way with no work.

He rubbed his chin as he examined the area. Blocks of all sizes, grappling ropes scattered in random places. It would be pretty stupid to go through all the effort of stacking, so he improvised. Technically, there was no rules against what he was going to attempt as he bent forwards, picking up a small foot by foot cube.

The medallion wasn't too high up. Shot-put was easy, too. All you needed was good form and even a modicum of strength turned into greater gains. The box itself was the problem. It obviously gave the finger to aerodynamics. He let out a deep breath as he got into position, activating his Semblance. Whatever the teacher didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and he needed the extra strength to make the shot more accurate.

It was a damn good shot. Almost perfect as it soared through the air. His slightly pulled arms growled at him, but he paid them no mind as the box impacted with the rafters. The medallion clattered as it was ripped from its post, jingling as it impacted with the wall and fell back down to the earth with a final clang. Aurellius calmly strode over to the trinket, picking it up and grinning.

"All you said was that I had to touch it, boss."

[Assistant]
Trad Oak – Practice

"Well, not exactly." Trad turned his gaze to the ground, he knew someone would ask that sooner or later. "Let's just say I wasn't technically accepted here until a few hours ago." He wasn't ashamed to admit his failure, but he rather not go around telling everyone about it. Besides, he was just getting to know this guys, he didn't even know his name.

"Ah, there's time for stories later. Let's get to the range before we get our heads ripped off." Trad changed the subject mostly so they could get a move on, he dared not imagine what Vanhomrigh would do if they lagged behind. "My names Trad by the way." He held out his hand to the tank driver, but couldn't help but notice pain in his voice as he called out another student's time. "You alright? Didn't hurt yourself on the course did you? "

[User]
Robert Fallson - 5th Period, Practice

Robert didn't really pay attention to Ms. Vanhomrigh's instructions on how to properly load a rifle. He knew how to load his own weapons and the teacher's aid had already said earlier that each student could use their own weapon. He did pick up bits and pieces of what she said though, one of which was the new instruction that the earlier instruction about using their own weapons was no longer applicable. Robert panicked a bit. He had to hope that using these rifles wasn't much different from using his own bracers. Of course they were.

Robert chose a random rifle and fumbled with it at first. He'd seen so many movies where action stars would easily lift up heavier guns one-handed that he'd expected himself to be able to do the same. Now holding the gun with both hands instead, he carried it to the firing line. Robert took his stance, wishing he had paid more attention to the aid beforehand. Instead of being parallel with his chosen target, he had his left food forward and his right foot back. He completely missed the instruction of leaning forward and bending at the knees. At least his feet were at shoulder-width distance and his head was brought to the gun.