[System]
Would you enjoy another blind person?
Nickname: Nick

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Brief Personality: Nick is a cheerful, light hearted kind of person who is constantly trying to find ways to lighten the mood or make people happier in general. He can make jokes about bad things that happen to him, but is sensitive and tries not to tread on any toes. He likes people and dislikes loneliness.

Ability: Nick has an intrinsic 'awareness' of things in a certain radius around him. He knows the shape, location and details of any object within a certain range of him, like an area where he can sense everything. Kind of like a sixth sense. It's useful in fog because fog doesn't hinder it.

Limits to Ability: Currently, its range is quite short, sitting at about 10 meters. Also, his awareness doesn't give him an awareness of colour, or light in general. His ability is apparently limited to matter and solid objects, though he can perceive gaseous substances similarly to heat waves.

Age admitted into Riverwood: 16

Background: Nick was always a fairly cheerful kid since he was born. He liked hanging out with his friends but was kind of average otherwise. That changed when he got into a car accident. The car accident scarred his eyes and made him put a bandage around them for all of his life. Life got more difficult for him, in more ways than one.

The first reason was because he had to adapt to a life without sight. The second reason hurt him more, however. People didn't really talk about the incident. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it felt like people were avoiding him. And they kind of were. Beforehand, most of his class could talk to him, and he had a lot of friends and acquaintances. Now, only his closest friends were around him. It made Nick feel alone in class, because he couldn't see anyone and they wouldn't talk to him.

One day, however, his powers awakened. Everyone was shocked at how it was like he could see again. The atmosphere became close to like how it was before. But his parents wanted him to go to Riverwood. They had heard rumours of what the government did to kids with strange powers, and they didn't want it to happen to him. At first, he objected, but he realised the pain he would put people through if he died, rather than if he disappeared. So Nick left, and travelled to learn at Riverwood.

Appearance: Nick has short, brown hair and is around 160 cm. He's got a rather average build, and is rather average altogether, save for the bandages he has around his eyes.

Other: Nick likes soft things, because they are soft. Also, Nick isn't that great at combat. Because he's blind, he can't read or see colour. He almost can't write.

[User]
Rebound nodded and shook her hand gently for a moment before dropping it, his gaze locking onto her eyes for a moment, then he quickly looked away. "Yeah, uh, you're right. This happens to you about, umm, I think every two or three weeks." He began walking towards the lounge, assuming that she would follow him. "Today's Saturday, so we don't have any classes today. Plus, it's kind of a weird day cause we've got so many new students arriving today." He waved his hand towards the rooms they were passing and said, "These are the girls dormitories, and we're about to enter an area that has some classrooms in it." Sure enough, they began to pass a few classrooms soon after that, some set up like normal classrooms, while others seemed like places for training.

Then they went down a flight of stairs and he said, "Down here is the main floor, where the guys dormitories are, as well as most of the recreational rooms. There's a gym, a lounge, a library, a game room, a cafeteria and so on." He stopped and turned back to her, raising an eyebrow. "You know, most of this you can get from your map. If there's somewhere specific you want to go right now, I can take you. Otherwise, you might as well find your way with the map. How about it? Anything in particular you're feeling you want to do? This place is huge, it has..well, just about everything you could want." His eyebrows drew together in a scowl for a moment. "Well, except normal humans. Good riddance, I say."

[Assistant] "Nah I can't cook at all." Lucas yells in response to the question he has just heard. He walks his way past the two people in the main doorway making his way to the lobby. Upon reaching it he notices Levi up and about the almost empty room. "Hey whats up dude looking for something? Oh by the way a couple of new people are in the kitchen." He leaves the room and heads back outside running into Dolor and Chris (although he doesn't know that Chris is his name yet)."What more new people? Guess I should come to expect new people seeing as this place is for protecting people with our special needs."

[User] "Hm?" He wanted a name? Her hair began turning from water to a liquid iron, each strand a strip. "Chris Valentine, wasn't that the name of like, a character? Resident Evi-- Anyways, you...can call me Dolor Oublier. Everyone just calls me doll though. You'll get used to it, trust me. I mean, you're here now, you really don't have a choice." Some part of what she said was serious, while other parts held humor. "Trust me, it gets crazy..You should see the fights! They're hilarious."

[Assistant]
Pamela chickled "maths isn't so bad. But then, I have a good memory. Not like I could just look at paper as a kid and go "oh, two plus two is four!" No, I didn't even know what numbers looked like until I was 12, so I had to remember tha 12 times 36 is 432. If you want, I can help you with your Maths" she said.

She blushed as she realized how she was rambling and cleared her throat as Nick asked is anyone could cook. At the reply of no, she sighed and looked to Nick. "I can cook toast. If you are happy with toast" she said, with a shrug. Although she herself was sick of toast, she ate it still. She was also sick of fun food, but she didn't want to do any more fancy cooking, scsred of the risk of fire.

[User]
"Toast, huh?" Nick said. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm down for pretty much anything at this point. But if I just..."
Nick strode over to one of the pantries and opened it. Once open, he quickly grabbed the thin, rectangular box and took it out.
"Here we go!" Nick said, revealing a box of cereal. Cornflakes, to be exact.
Thankfully, his power made it so that he didn't have to look very hard. He knew where everything he needed was as well.
"I'm really glad that this place has cornflakes." Nick said, rifling through another cupboard. He withdrew his hand to reveal his prize: Sugar. He moved to another cabinet to grab a bowl and spoon, and came up arms full with breakfast materials.

Nick Loved cornflakes, obviously. He liked their delightful crunch and the way they went down so easily. He could tell they were good quality cornflakes judging by the shape and the thinness, and he liked adding sugar to it. His friends used to say that he had some obsession with cornflakes. There was one time he justified it by saying that he might do worse in his studies due to lack of motivation coming from cornflake deprivation, but that hadn't really worked out. Regardless, cornflakes were justice. But he knew he'd need more than just cornflakes, so he went to another cupboard and reached for an item he knew was there.

"Jam for toast!" Nick declared, retracting his hand with strawberry jam in his clutches.
He added it to his pile and made his way to a table, carefully placing the items onto it, but Nick noticed there was something missing. Nick thought for a moment and remembered it. He went back to one of the cupboards and pulled out another bowl and spoon, as well as 2 plates for the toast and 2 cups. He then put them onto the table and went to the fridge again, grabbing a bottle of orange juice. By placing it on the table, the table was set.
"Tadah!" Nick said, stretching his arms wide, as if to show off the table. He turned back to Pam and grinned.
"Breakfast preparations are complete!" He announced, smiling widely. "Now we just need toast and we're good to go. Oh, actually, what about Lance? What does he eat?"

[Assistant] Ryuu looked over at Nick, who was preparing a meal of cornflakes and toast. She moved her bacon on a plate and sat down. Ryuu carefully grabbed a piece of bacon, trying not to stab it. She are it, thankfull that she knew how to cook most meats pretty well.

[User]
"I'm sorry for your loss."Terraline said quietly. She felt guilty for being a bit rude to the girl. This was not a joke and she knew that deep down. Truth was she wasn't quite over what had just happened. Her emotions were all over the place and she had never felt so confused in her life. It felt so dream-like. However, every time she pinched her arm, nothing happened. She had to try to face this with an open mind if they were going to get anywhere with this.

It seemed that the only reason she was still alive was because of the people who brought her here. The many questions she had would have to wait. Surely there was someone in charge who could explain everything. This girl had went through the same thing as Terry. Cammy was also kind enough to use her free time to help a stranger. Terry at least owed her some respect and understanding. In fact, she had felt a rush of pain relief in the brief moment that she had held hands with Cammy just the way she described it. "I... I will try to humor you but the thing is: I have no special or bizarre reason. I'm unaware of anyone in my family having-"She broke off as her mind went back to the memory of her brother appearing and disappearing before her eyes. What exactly had he been doing...?

With impeccable timing, Xander strolled into the room. Dressed in his usual all-black attire, he made his way over, taking a bite out of an big apple he clutched in his hand. He loomed over the girls with his startling height with slightly interested blue eyes. "Morning, sis. Heard you almost got your throat slit. That sucks."
Terry traced the shallow cut on her neck, the memory returning. She swallowed hard. "You okay?" He asked her, plopping down on the bedside. They had never been super close but they could be considered at the least friends. He seemed genuine enough with his inquiry.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Terraline replied, "You?" She couldn't help but wonder where he had been in the mess and what had happened to him. "So I'm guessing you know what happened, right?"

"Well yeah. I asked around so I can inform your clueless ass. Our parents got murdered by some secret government force and they were gonna kill us too when a bunch of guys showed up and saved us. They then took us to this school to live in. Neat, isn't it?" He took another bite of his apple as his eyes traveled to Cammy, "Hello there beautiful." He gave her a warm smile and a wink. "Thanks for keeping my sister company. It's very sweet of you."

"How are you so calm ...?"Terraline asked in surprise. He was acting like none of this was happening. It was just another day to him.

"Well no reason for me to freak out. Life happens and we move on." He shrugged and grinned suddenly, "Better get out of here. Josie's right in the next room. "

The color drained from Terry's face and she sat up fast, "What?"She whispered. "She's here."

"Yep... "He glanced back at Cammy, "Say, cutie, what's your name?"

[Assistant]
Pamela watched as Nick went through gathering breakfast stuff. Lance watched, clearly hoping for some food. She went over to a fridge, and managed to find some food for him, looking over as Nick asked about Lance.

"Whatever this meat and such is" She said "don't let him fool you if he give you puppy dog eyes for some of your food. It's enough for him" she said, putting it in a bowl, and filling another bowl up with water for Lsnce, putting it down so that Lance could eat and drink"

She went to the toaster, starting to cook the toast. It unnerved her and made her feel nervous to be responsible for someone else's food, but then, Nick seemed to enjoy cornflakes.

As the toast was ready, she dished it out, and went over to Nick. She smiled nervously "there we go"

[User]
"Thanks." Nick said, taking his plate of toast. There were 2 pieces, and he grabbed one of them in his hand. With his other hand, he opened the Jar of Jam and grabbed a the butter knife on the plate. Nick took some jam on the blade and spread it around, coating the surface of the toast with thick red jelly. He took a bite and was satisfied with the taste.
"This is pretty good." Nick said, chewing the taking another bite. He quickly finished the slice of toast and dusted off his hands.
"That was tasty." He said, satisfied with it. "Though maybe butter might have been a good idea... Oh well."

Nick took the box of cornflakes and poured some into his bowl. He liked the sound they made when they dropped into the bowl, and he remembered that if you angled the bowl just right back home, the light would make them seem like gold. It made an impression on him when he was young, so maybe that was why he was obsessed with cornflakes.

Nick finished pouring cornflakes and put the box down near where Pam sat, so that she could get some if she wanted it. Suddenly, Nick remembered that there was another person eating breakfast on the table.
"Ah, I'm being rude." He said.
He picked up his plate with the remaining slice of toast and offered it to the girl eating bacon, who was sitting close to Nick and Pam.
"Sorry for ignoring you." He said sheepishly. "Would you like some toast?"


[System]
Age: 20

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Standing at about 5'9" tall, Tiral has a fairly average build for his age, which is kind of strange considering how he's perpetually surrounded by the other Iron Rose Knights who seem to be much sturdier than he. His light brown hair is cut short, but has found a way of remaining a shaggy mess that barely avoids his eyes, even while he is wearing armor. More often than not, though, Tiral opts to avoid the usage of any large plate armor or metal armor, instead only wearing stronger equipment over his vitals and leaving the rest under regular leather garb. His sword will often times be sheathed at his side, ready for combat at a moment's notice.

Personality: Tiral is... Actually fairly deliberate for a knight, if not somewhat bored by the peace of everyday life. His journeys at a young age meant he was already able to experience life in the real world, and since then the dusty old libraries that the mages hold in such high regard have been... Well, fairly dull. This doesn't mean that he isn't devoted to his work, but rather that he does not wish to learn anything unless he finds it interesting. Even so, his patience when it comes to such things is unparalleled. Or maybe it's just the fact that he can slap some ice onto people's mouths when he's trying to focus. That too.

Brief Backstory: Having been orphaned a young age due to an illness that wiped out the rest of his village, Tiral was taken in by a priestess of Mayon who was moving with a group of travelers to bring aid to those in need. Though he was never explicitly religious, he greatly appreciated the efforts put forth to save his life, even then. As he grew up alongside these people, the priestess soon found that Tiral had an aptitude for magic. With a recommendation from her (and the goading of those around her), Tiral went off to the capital to further his studies of magic. Sadly, the monotonous life of a studying magician was not quite what the then-young boy had expected of magic.

It was then that he heard of the Iron Rose Knights, whose feats were oft recorded in the books he was forced to pore over. Deciding that the life of a knight was much more entertaining than the life of a magical scholar, Tiral packed up his things once more and went to join the order. Learning the sword came about as easily as magic did to him, but the combination of the two (and his somewhat strange insistence on learning both at once) made him particularly noteworthy among that year's recruits. Since then, Tiral has been honing his abilities, both magical and physical.

Equipment: Other than his rather 'unique' set of armor, Tiral wields a shortsword and a small ceremonial dagger. While the sword is standard-issue, the dagger is mainly used as a catalyst for some of Tiral's larger spells. It may be used as a glorified kitchen knife, but he'd probably never stand for that. More often than not, this dagger is tucked away in his shirt or under his breastplate, but it never leaves his person.

Skills: Contrary to many of his peers, Tiral has chosen not to solely specialize in the way of the blade; rather than just being proficient with his shortsword, Tiral is also proficient in the usage of magic in combat. This magic, focusing mainly on the manipulation on water and ice, has become particularly noteworthy for those who are particularly religious. He, quite frankly, just sees it as sort of a coincidence; his specialty being water does not mean that anything was pre-ordained by the gods.
Probably.

[User]
That... annoyingly, before she had closed the gap entirely and got into position, the necromancer began moving backwards and Tyaethe was forced to be considerably more reckless, unable to prepare her defence entirely. There was just enough time to hiss at the nem captive to stay still before swinging the sword down and directing a ghoulish smile in the conspirator's direction.

"Do you know how many necromancers I've killed?"

The swung sword, meanwhile, would either simply obstruct the nem from direct reprisal... or sever many of the bindings, had she heeded the instruction for the scant instant needed to target the attack with minimal risk of injury.

[Assistant]
"Peh." Bobd gritted his teeth as the vampire continued his onslaught, his shield and that of his brother still on the defensive, as the vampire seemed to rip itself out of the ice at the cost of several limbs.

Was this how the captain Nero felt back at the Barrow? That these monsters were seemingly undefeatable? The man said, as his body tensed, the strain of the battle taking a toll. And then, something happened. An opening. A shiver went down the spine, as blood rushed from his face, into his muscles. This was it. He cast a furtive glance at his brother, who didn't need to answer to know what to do.

Both raised their shields, and tossed it at the vampire's legs. One last, all out attack. They skipped their breath as they lunged after the creature and the toss, their swords describing a brutal yet synchronized arc over the monster's head, as if a heavenly shear had come to pluck out the unholy being.

Meanwhile, the half giant winced. Despite her many wounds, the noise was bringing her back to the world of pain. A soft breath nearby, a gentle smell. A hand quivered, then shot against her target, bringing her close to her damaged body. The half conscious, delirious Mariah yanked Fanilly close to her frame, while whispering.

"Dolly, It hurts. Don't leave Mariah. So cold...but burning." She mumbled, half awake.

---

Nero smirked as he twirled his sword, seeing his taunt had worked on the mage... who was now struggling against the Delacroix's sudden spurt of offense. "Careful, I think the ladies want you." He smirked, as his attention turned to the other side of the battle. "Pity, though, I have to wait for my turn then." His eyes darted to the quickly closing line, as Sult's flames swung vividly against the skeletons. She grunted, panted, delivering heavy blows at the creatures, eating their defense bit by bit with the holy power of Reon.

"YOU WILL NOT HIDE FROM THE WRATH OF THE GODDESS." She spat, as she pointed at the Necromancer. But Nero could feel, that she was running pretty much on willpower alone. Maybe if she had trained more...

And then Nero spotted Tilli, and flexed his fist. His androgynous face sported a big grin. "Let me help you reach your sister." Nero said, and with the speed of a poisonous cobra, shot his arms to the Nem's main frame. His body flexed as he exhorted the name of the attack as a mockery.

"LION'S THROW! HA!" He said as he literally threw Tilli over the skeleton wall, right next to her sister.

Payback is sweet, isn't it? The ominous captain of the Ravens smugly told himself.

[User]
Sir Garrett

Sir Garrett followed the hurtling vampire with swift strides. Wrenching the axe he'd lodged in the stones of the floor free as Tiral encased himself in ice Sir Garrett made no sound as the Vampires impending death came in from behind. Sliding the axe to its very end Sir Garrett stepped to the left of the vampire as it clawed at the Ice and swung like his life depended on it. Right at the base of the bastards neck. With a hiss he removed the Vampire head in a single clean stroke. Stutter stepping to his left Sir Garrett bled off the excess speed from the dash turning to his left he spun to face Sir Tiral.

"You are needed down stairs no doubt." With a heavy sigh Sir Garrett slumped against the wall. The blood loss had been a bit more than he'd been expecting. "I'm going to stay here for now if you don't mind" With that the big Knight slid down the wall and closed his eyes. "Don't worry I'll be fine. Make sure the rest of them get out okay." I'll see you on the other side. Sir Garrett flashed Sir Tiral a smile and gestured towards the stairs. "Make sure Captain Fanily is okay."

[Assistant]
Fanilly took a step forward. The fight with the vampire was intensifying more and more, even though he was bloody and injured. She had to find a moment to strike, to jump in and try and help. But before she could do much, she felt strong arms wrapped around her, pulled her in close. She couldn't help but let out a yelp of surprise. Mariah had woken up and... and grabbed her? There were a few moments of confusion, but it seemed like Mariah was just in pain and trying to reach out to any possible source of comfort. Fanilly was no expert, but while the half-giant's wounds looked painful and unpleasant she thought it wouldn't be too difficult to mend them successfully. None were deep from what she could tell.

"M-Mariah," she began, hastily, hoping to try and calm the half-giant girl, "Please, I... I have to go help the others, we'll get you healed as soon as we can, but for now try not to move too much."

Meanwhile, it turned out her assistance was not exactly required. The vampire staggered when then shields hit his legs, going to his knees. But the followup he twisted to avoid, getting one leg back up under him... just in time for an axe to come down. It struck his neck and bit right through it, a cascade of crimson pouring from the stump as his body keeling over and his head hit the ground nearby.

And yet, in spite of the beheading, the vampire's head was not quite dead yet.

"... You did it, huh...?" Damon Cal said, staring at his own corpse lying on the ground, "Bastards... I should have gotten to taste all of you, but now I'm reduced to this..."

He seemed more annoyed, as opposed to the rage he'd expressed moments ago.

"Hah... at least I got to taste one of you before it ended," he remarked with a sigh, glancing at the collapsed Knight, "You're in for a trip to the healers, aren't you?"

He chuckled a little to himself.

"Heh... you better keep an eye out," he added, "Even if you kill all of us, that's not the end of it..."

With that, the light faded from the vampire's eyes, and he was finally, truly dead.

---

The skeletons were, of course, losing ground. With every moment, another of them crumbled under Sult's assault, leaving scattered bones and armor with nothing left to animate them. Only a scant few of them remained, raising their shields to at least keep the forces of the knights split apart, away from the captive. But even that had quite clearly failed.

The Necromancer paused, finally, when Tyaethe's slash forced him to back off. So she had killed necromancers before? He noted that one of the nem girl's bindings, between her hands, had been severed, and she was reaching down to try and untie her feet.

"Ah, have you?" he asked, cocking his head to one side, "How quaint."

The situation was rapidly deteriorating for him, but it wasn't showing. He still seemed quiet calm and collected.

"Here I am, little girl," he continued, simply, spreading his arms, "Try and kill me."

And then Tili kicked him in the head. It wasn't the most powerful kick ever delivered, but it still sent the necromancer staggering, reeling from the impact. The little assassin had hated getting thrown, but really she had to make the most of it as quickly as possible. Landing beside him, she darted to her sister almost immediately and tugged the gag off of her.

"Tili!" cried Kyphi, ceasing in her attempts to unbind her legs to wrap her arms around the other Nem in a tight embrace. Tili returned the hug with one hand, but the other swiftly went down to untie the bindings on her twin's legs.

The necromancer held the side of his head, but straightened, taking another step back.

"... Have it your way," he sighed. Snapping his fingers, he activated the defensive wards placed on his body, and swept his hand to the side, revealing a set of jars strapped to his belt, each filled with a sickly brown fluid.

He pulled one off and made to throw it down and shatter it. If it could be helped, it probably wasn't a good idea to let him do this.

Zalo swiftly raised his gauntlets, managing to move back enough to deflect the blows to his arms. The punch to his stomach, however, hit home, and the lightning mage let out a rattling gasp as he staggered back, clutching his stomach with one hand. But as the arrow came down, a field of electricity erupted from his body in a bid to knock his attacker back.

"It won't be that easy!"

[User]
Tiral's smile quickly went away as a shower of blood sprayed against the ice, making him unable to really see what was going on in front of him. If the last minute or so of the fight was any indicator, though, then Sir Garrett had done as he had hoped, at the vampire out for his blood was probably a decapitated body right about now. With a sigh of relief, the mage dispelled the barrier, removing what had been obscuring his vision up until now.

The vampire's final words were... Ominous, to say the least. Did that imply that there were more out there? Fighting one vampire was enough of a hassle on its own, but even just the idea of having to deal with more made the mage shiver involuntarily.

"If they all fall victim to rage like you did, then I'm not that worried," Tiral said to the corpse, fully expecting nothing to be said in return, before looking over at Sir Garrett. The fact that he had been kind enough to even acknowledge him made Tiral frown, and given the wounds that the knight had sustained, coupled with the fact that he was going to rest...

"...Sleep well."

With a silent salute to Sir Garrett for his efforts, Tiral walked back over to the Captain and the half-giant that had been hugging her like a stuffed animal.

"...We should get moving, but well... It seems as if you're a bit occupied at the moment, aren't you?"


[System]
Age: 20

Gender: Male

Appearance: Short swept hair, and a tall, firm frame keep this man solid in a consistent stance. His shoulders aren't too broad, nor his legs too thick. His pride is apparent on his stance, but he isn't one to let it become apparent. He likes tighter t-shirts and jeans, and bright colours are definitely his style. In fact, a few layers of his hair are coloured in a vibrant pink

 Personality: Austin is confident, but it comes in twofold. On one side he's willing to admit he's wrong and allow other people to take the lead because he's confident in his own skills. On the other side, his pride can often get the best of him, especially when it relates to his talents. Otherwise he has a soft bravado with a quiet presence, as if denying the brightness, he tries to bring to his appearance.

 He isn't afraid of who he is. You either love him or hate him, trust him or deny him, but either way he doesn't care. He trusts that he can handle whatever situation that's thrown at him. If he can't, then someone he knows should be able to figure it out.

 At least until things get dangerous. His confidence takes a serious downfall if in the face of danger. Like his flirting style, any confidence behind his words stumble and fade away when challenged by someone else. He won't run away, per se, but he can find the whole situation to be overwhelming pretty quickly and crack under the pressure.

 Also he's a pretty serious flirt.

Backstory: Being a Psych major with a serious passion for his field, Austin grew up spending a lot of his time understanding people. He'd read up almost any book he could find on the subject, or books based on romance and friendships. Novels were something he'd spend every free hour consuming until he started becoming friends with people.

 His priorities were always pretty straight. First focus on becoming a therapist, then on relationships, then reading. It was around high school age that romantic relationships entered that cycle. He'd end up with many relationships with many different people, but end up breaking them off a month or two later. He searched for the "perfect" relationship, believing that somewhere in all of his empathy and research he would be able to find it.
 That has not been achieved quite yet.

 Currently in the throes of his third year of school, romantic relationships needed to take a backseat for the work he was doing, involving plenty of extra credit doing research for numerous psychology professors. He was going to be one of the best therapists, and that meant he needed to do as much work as possible.

 It was some research into old case files at a ghostly asylum that he remembered reading last.

Talents: Austin is a master of empathy, and he's very good at judging current emotions or sanity levels in other people just by looking at them or sharing a short conversation. He can read and speak in most languages, although he sticks to English mostly (thanks to a lot of time spent wanting to understand books of various different languages). Austin's an expert in language and logic-based puzzles as long as he's given time to figure it out, though he cracks under pressure.

Other: He tends to keep people in his head on various scales. A mental, physical, and emotional chart from 1-10 so he can keep track of how people are doing. Usually he also keeps notes on this, but he can usually keep a decent mental map if he needs to.

Also not really important but Austin's pan so romantic relationships can be with practically anyone.

[User]
A scream was the only thing of interest that Cleo could hear or see. In this case, hear. She turned to her left - a hallway as it seemed. To the front - a wall. To the right - another hallway and apparently kind of the direction where the scream had come from. She holds the hatchet high and tight. Ready to strike anyone down if needed. With slow and careful steps she walks along the wall down the right hallway.
The only thing encouraging her was the text. Do whatever you want. If that kidnapper of hers had any moral whatsoever, he would not "punish" her for anything he instructed her to do. Hopefully.

[Assistant]
Room 16

Aedin scratched the back of his head with a big frown on his face. "Well gee whiz, not a prank and not a reality show that does me good. Well what in the heck is this?" He thought for a second before any response came through. "Y'know what don't even bother. I probably don't want to know anyways."

He looked at the previous texts. "Says that my first job is to borrow something from someone. I'm guessing there's more jobs to come, right?" At this point he was more talking to himself than anyone else, whether there was a response to his talking or not he didn't exactly care.

He grabbed the busted box cutter and the cloth and pocketed them. Then he hid the water bottle and last can among the garbage within the room. He then broke down the box and put it under the bed for the time being he figured there might be a need for it later. He then headed out the door as he spoke to the phone in an accusative tone. "So, what did you do to my arm?"

Outside of Room 16

Aedin looked up and down the hallway to see many other doors. Right across there was a room labeled Room ?? with faded text, the numbers were so far gone that he couldn't tell. As his gaze turned to the left after the door closed he saw a woman about his age. Holding a hatchet seemingly ready to strike at anything. She was only a couple steps away, so he took a few steps back with his hands -- phone in his left hand -- raised in front of him. "Whoa, hey! Careful now you could take an arm with that thing." The darkness was so bad that if he hadn't been operating by the light of the cell phone he would have not seen her unless he literally ran into her.

[User]
For a moment, no sound came from between the two as Justin held his breath and tried to analyze the small object that the other man was holding. Sure enough, it was an identical phone to his. Though still understandably wary, the young man began to relax and let out a small breath of relief. He shifted away from his stance, returning to his usual posture as he gave the other man, Austin, an apologetic half smile.

"Yeah. Looks exactly like the damned one I have." Justin fished for his pockets, pulling out the small device. "Except mine has this little guy, and yours is obviously different." He pointed to the skull charm dangling from one of the corners of the phone. "Any idea what this means? I promise you, though, even if mine looks ominous, I absolutely have no idea what it's for so I hope you're not getting any wrong ideas about me. Even if I did threaten you just a bit. Sorry about that."

Justin gave a tired sigh, leaning back against the wall and flipped through the phone again. All of that adrenaline that flooded his veins now left him feeling tired and nerve-wracked. Still, he did his best to kept a cool head and slowly he began to regain his wits and forced himself to slow down and breath. "I also got the box that you mentioned," Justin said, tapping his foot casually to the thing at his feet. "It was also filled with food and...other stuff." The young man glanced up from his phone and eyed Austin with a peculiar, raised eyebrow, as if knowing that he too must have something that he didn't want to show. Justin already agreed to himself earlier to keep his syringe a secret until a situation calls for it. Hopefully the other man would not protest.

But as he played with his phone, Justin noticed a small icon that made him push away from the wall with the first good news of the night. Or day. He then realized he had know clue what time of the day it was and wondered how long he was actually stuck in here for.

Regardless, he flashed Austin a grinned, then turned towards the blackness that stood before the two men. "Let there be light," he said before touching the flashlight icon and a blinding flare emitted from the camera lights of the phone. Immediately on the screen, a warning blared that the app was consuming a lot of the phones power but Justin ignored it completely, because as soon as his eyes adjusted to the flash of bright light, he saw a girl with a giant mattock in her hands. The man immediately stepped back beside Austin, too stunned to do anything but give a frightened shout.

[Assistant]
Keeping one hand against the wall, Irina slowly shuffled forward through the hallway. Since leaving her room, Irina was lost in the pitch black darkness and couldn't make out much more than the ground in front of her. From in the distance, she heard muffled voices. Irina's grip on the mattock tensed and she slowly inched forward. Straining her ears, she tried to hear anything from the conversation, anything to figure out if the voice was a threat or not. Or maybe there were two voices? Irina couldn't really tell. Her breathing was ragged, the events of the past half hour had left her drained, and all she wanted was to wake up from this nightmare.

"Any idea what this means?"

Irina heard a voice, getting louder with each step, announce. She let out a breath of relief to herself. The man in the darkness knew just as much as she did about this situation. She leaned against the wall for a moment, letting the cool dampness of it sooth her warm skin. Just as she was about to announce her presence, a piercing white light blinded her.

Irina stumbled backward, one hand flailing to shield her eyes. She had grown accustomed to the darkness, so the sudden flash of light nearly blinded her. "W-wait! Please." She shouted out, holding her arm in front of her face for a moment, and raising the mattock up in fear of the strangers. After a few seconds her eyes adjusted and she lowered the hand covering her face. Keeping the mattock up just for good measure, she stared at the two men. "I-I don't want any trouble," her voice was surprisingly steady, given her situation a few minutes ago. "I don't know what's going on either." Keeping one hand up in a defensive manner, she slowly lowered the mattock to her side.

[User]
Austin started to relax just as Justin's stance returned to its usual position. So it seemed that despite having a phone almost identical to his, the little bauble that it came with was a different shape. Now, did that difference mean something? He had a skull on the end of his versus the half-heart at the end of Austin's.

 "Hey man; no harm, no foul,"  Austin grinned while his hands found their way back to his pockets,  "If you got a phone, then I'm guessing you probably got a similar message-"

 He was trying to access more information when he realized that Justin's light had lit up. Austin had to squint just to see past it. His eyes had just grown accustomed to the dark dwelling, and the blinding light was not doing much for his vision. But when Justin made a tiny yelp and his position moved, Austin swung around to see the girl with the mattock. One hand was blocking the light from her face as the other lifted the mattock above her head.

 At first, Austin braced himself for whatever plan this dangerous intruder had, but it only took a moment longer before he realized that her positioning was not aggressive. The way she stood, and the shaking of her voice suggested that she was protecting herself, if anything. Survival of the fittest didn't necessarily mean a direct jump to an offensive. Just by looking at how she stood and talked, already he could tell that her emotional and mental values were pretty high on his ranking. The fact she was willing to use a heavy object like that one suggested that those values were probably a 6 or 7 out of ten on his own scale.

 That wouldn't be a problem. He was more worried about what the presence of the mattock was doing to everyone's psyches. Already Justin had proven to be somewhat fragile in his current state, ready to lash out with large amounts of adrenaline if people violated his personal space. Who knew what would happen if that weapon stayed around to agitate everyone.

 But as she talked, her voice slowed down, and her weapon lowered to her side. She was proving to be pretty reserved. Honestly Austin couldn't blame her for the self-defence. If he had a mattock, he would've brought it with him too.

 Instead all he got was an expensive paper weight.

 Again, Austin found himself revealing his hands. The sooner he could present both himself and Austin as victims of a similar fate, the better it would be for all three of them.

 "Look, we're in the same spot as you. It's been a rough few hours for all of us,"  he nodded,  "Did you get that axe with a box? And if so, did you have a phone and a mission?"

 He was getting quickly to the point. His questions had to be rapid like a hornet sting if he was going to retain any sense of sanity or order between this triangle.

 As it stood, both of the other humans in this circle were wild cards, but Austin couldn't believe that either was malicious. Both were just as lost and confused as he was.

 "If we're going to figure this all out, we should pool our resources. If you got the same thing as us, what did your phone say? Are we wiling to at least work together to figure out what happened?"


[System]
Gender: Female

Age: 132

She stands 5'6" with a slight frame. She seems very delicate to others, though she has muscle and spirit to fight off any would be attackers.
Personality: : Evelyn is very proper. She is not a lady taken to encouraging the morally corrupt or extreme passions. She loves tea and a good book, a fireplace and a comfy chair. She often hums sad hymns to herself without noticing and rarely makes a grand expression like a full-fledged smile or horrible frown, more like smirks and nods, slightly furrowed brows and shaking her head. She is quieter but has never been pushed to the extreme by anything. Even when horrible things happen she is a lady, not throwing herself into depression but working through it and coming out stronger.

Likes: Books, tea, quilts, fireplaces, walks, dresses

Dislikes: Cursing, unnecessarily loud people, classlessness, ignorance, lack of imagination, the cold

History: Evelyn was born in London. She was raised by a wealthy family who wanted only the best for their daughter. She went to private school, then finishing school, and then to a normal college where she planned on learning to be a school teacher. While there she fell in love with one of her professors, Marcus de Winter. He taught English and took an interest in Evelyn's poetry, sweeping her off her feet with his own. She married him, not completing university. Her parents weren't sorely disappointed though, considering she married a wealthy man who took good care of her. Soon they wanted to start a family though, and Evelyn was concerned about the state London was in and whether it was the best environment for a child. Marcus agreed and found a teaching position in a small school in Ipswich. They moved but during the move Marcus was run over by a carriage with a horse that went mad, running him down. Evelyn was heartbroken, unsure of what to do with herself. She was forced to make decisions though, decisions she thought she and Marcus had years to discuss. She had Marcus buried in the graveyard of Ipswich, going ahead and moving into a smaller home than they had picked out together in the village since she was by herself. She needed something to do with her time besides mourn her love, and took a job in the local bookstore. There she encouraged others to read and sometimes just sat outside with her husband's favorite poetry book and read. Many nights she visited the graveyard at dusk or even at night, telling Marcus about her day. It was during one of these visits she was approached by a man who was injured. Never one to turn away anyone, she took the pale injured man to her home. She knew something was off about him though, and pried until he admitted his affliction of vampirism. Quite taken with him, she asked to join him, and although he refused, he continued to visit her, seeking her company. One night, the villagers had noticed too much and stormed her home, demanding the vampire. He was not present, so they accuse Evelyn of being one in their bloodlust, trying to beat her. Within an inch of death, her friend returned, fighting off the villagers and rescuing her. He changed her in order not to lose her, and her life, or death rather, has never been the same since joining him and the other aristocratic vampires he covened with, unaware she was in fact a descendant of Dracula himself until it was revealed by her new 'family' through some digging.

[User]
William's eyes opened. He stared up into the dark recesses of the room he lay in, perfectly posed, as if he had died, feet and legs straight, arms crossed over his chest. He looked up, and thought he could make out the outlines of stone above him. As his senses came on and he began processing information, he collected them all and began putting them together:

In his peripheral vision, more stone, less darkness. Torchlight; unusual for the day and age. What day and age? Unsettling; he couldn't remember what day it was. What year it was, even. Just knew it was... modern. Torches aren't of this world anymore, except for cosplay, camps, and decoration. Maybe for less fortunate countries, he supposed.

From the scent, he detected mustiness, a dry dustiness, indicating that he was, perhaps, somewhere usually unused? Combined with the stone, he figured perhaps an old castle. He picked up another smell- somewhat sweet, he guessed. Perfume? Cologne? Really nice BO? Unknown; he filed the thought away for future observation and thought.

From the feel, he was in a dry place. Stone, slightly cracked, slightly worn, lay beneath him, and he could feel a layer of dirtiness on it. Cold, dry. Unused, with no central heating system- unusual for the modern age, again. At least, unusual where he was from.

By sight, he could see that the room he was in was smallish, but had a high ceiling. Stone bricks, all the way, with wood beams to help support. He turned his head; indeed, the corners of the room had slightly crooked, warped beams of wood supporting the ceiling, with logs crisscrossing the roof, tied to the vertical supports. He found he liked the design, even if it seemed crude or most definitely not-modern.

But feel, again. He was sore all over, and felt like a demon had awakened, and began clawing at his stomach. He lifted an arm; he felt as weak as he had ever been. He tried to think back, why he was here, why was he so weak, but found nothing in his mind, no memory, no history. Oh, he remembered history well enough- World War II, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, the Renaissance, but no dates, no numbers, nothing that connected anything to the 'modern' day.

He noticed a book that both his hands rested on, and he, groaning, sat up, taking the book in aching fingers and staring down at the cover. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Don't Panic was sprawled ironically appropriately on its cover, evidence of someone- maybe him- using a sharpie to write it on. It was worn, used, well-read.

He looked up and around, and found himself in a sort of cell-room. It might have been, if the iron door wasn't sitting wide open. Some distance away, echoing down the hallway outside, he could hear steps, multiple sets of footsteps, coming towards him. And so the welcome wagon comes.
Just where in the goddamn hell am I? And what the hell is my last name?

[Assistant]
A slim, pale woman walked as if she were gliding through the castle halls. Her slippered feet made naught a sound, though the occasional brushing sound of her dress while she walked. The vampire had a regal, no nonsense air about her, though her blue eyes seemed softer than the chiseled demeanor of her expression. Her hair was brushed smoothly from her face, but remained down, flowing in soft large curl to just rest on her narrow shoulders. She seemed to have a firm direction in mind and yet her gaze flitted about wildly, hardly resting. Perhaps she'd never truly become accustomed to the barrage of senses that came with becoming the undead.

In her light hands she carried a silver tray of glass goblets, each filled half way with blood. Though if one only saw the color and not the consistency, they might mistake it for wine. The goblets caught the faint light from flames as she lowered herself to the dungeons, where the fledglings had been laid to wake. She didn't know if they were rested quite enough yet, but she knew they would thirst upon waking. And so the woman in white turned to the first open cell. She halted immediately upon seeing the new one standing, looking towards her, feet firm on the stone beneath them.

"Oh, you've awakened," Evelyn said simply, staring back at him. His hair seemed quite messy and the look on his face distraught.

[User]
"De Winter manim, I'm going to have to borrow one of those." Taeyang announced as he glided lightly into the cell, swiping a goblet gracefully off the tray. "I hear another early riser." he added, giving the fledgling boy in the cell a wink before leaving again, turning right and going two cells over, where the other waking fledgling was groaning herself to life- or rather, not. He leaned against the bars and swung the goblet lightly with a grin. "Hey there, little sister, I'm guessing those are groans of hunger."

-*-*-

"Ugh..." She woke with a groan and pushed her body up from the floor. Looking around to let her eyes adjust, she noticed the slim figure leaning up against the bars. 'Wait, bars? Am I in jail? What did I do?' she ranted in her mind, not moving an inch. 'I should cal...I should...I should call...who?' her mind stuttered to a halt. "Who- where-"

"You, castle." The one in the room replied in a smirking tone. "We don't know your name so you'll have to figure that out yourself." He kneeled down next to her. Her body felt paralysed by the knot in her stomach, and she stared as his face came into focus. He was older than her, but he still looked young. Her body tensed in warning when he touched her shoulder and pulled her into the sitting position. "Calm down, kiddo, I won't hurt you. Drink this, you've been without for a few days at least." Her lips remained firmly sealed up until she caught the smell of the drink. Without a second thought her lips were parted and the liquid was going down her throat, making her feel stronger ny the second,

When her limbs finally unlocked, she snatched the cup out of the surprised man's hand, tilting her head back as far as it would go and savoring every last drop. "More" she demanded with a growl when there was nothing left. She reached out to the man, glaring at his empty hands.

"Whoa, woah, it's ok. C'mere, De Winter manim has some more a few rooms over." He held his hand out to her and helped her up. With a slight bow, he led her out of the room and down the hall, where a woman in a white dress was watching a guy just a bit older than Anrah herse-

"...Anrah?" She whispered as the two of them entered the cell. The Korean man looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a smile.

"I'm guessing that's your name. De winter manim, this is Anrah." He introduced after bowing to the woman in white. "She needs another goblet for her thirst."

[Assistant]
He looked at them, face creasing into a distraught, confused expression of dismay. He stared at the lady, who, when she first appeared, he had responded to with a, "Well you're a thing of beauty, huh? Welcome Wagon in the form of a dress, I guess." He blinked, surprised at his unintentional rhyming. He couldn't remember where the term 'Welcome Wagon' came from, but he used it anyways.

He eyed her, brow creased downward, as he cautiously took a few steps forward, feeling ravenously thirsty. He knew what she carried almost immediately; he could smell it.

Then the Korean showed up, sending William into a hasty retreat, pressing his back against the wall as he narrowed his eyes at the ever-smirking man. As he left, he began moving forward again, now eyeing 'De Winter' carefully. This time, he came close enough to hesitantly ask, "May I?" and then taking one of the cups without waiting for an answer. He paused as he brought it up to drink it. He knew what it was, from the sight and smell of it. The hunger clawed at his innards, but still, he showed none of it, a forgotten lifetime of hiding expression and thoughts coming into play.

Then he drank and felt instant relief. It didn't even take five seconds for him to empty the cup, and though the gnawing died away, the hunger remained, calling for more. Instead, he set his mouth into a firm, unyielding line, and asked, "I'll let anyone else like me take a drink first. Wouldn't be right for me to force them to stay with the gnawing for longer than I." Any other words were cut off as a pretty darker-skinned girl followed the Korean back in, and he noted the name "Anrah" for further use. De Winter, Anrah, and the Korean- one presumably like him, the other two being somewhat older, and yet he sensed a certain... ancientness around them.

Then he took another cup anyways, replacing his already-empty one, and drank that too. As his thirst subsided to a distant, dull throbbing, he set the cup back, and said, "So, we're vampires. Am I right? Blood is normally revolting- and yet it is the thing that sates my thirst." He paused for a moment, then contiued before anyone could properly reply, "William the vampire. I guess I always feared death- just never expected to still be walking afterwards."

[User]
Evelyn blushed a vivid shade of red, eyes widening at the boy's words when he complimented her, obviously caught off guard. Her lips parted, as if unsure what to say until he reached for the blood. She was about to properly offer him some when Taeyang stepped in and took one.

"Yes, of course," she said, turning slightly so that he could reach without brushing against her. She watched him leave and turned back to the young one, seeing he had moved further back away again. She raised a brow, unsure why he seemed more frightened of the male than she, but he also may have been fearful that there were two of them instead of one. Surely, that would be more frightening to wake up to. She felt sympathy for these newly turned ones, not wanting to curse anyone with the life she herself had to exist within.

"Yes, take one," she spoke when the man asked, although it seemed he would have partaken anyway. Evelyn gave a soft smile, happy to have helped satisfy what she knew had to be an undying thirst. Though his reaction to taking another made her look at him questioningly.

Evelyn turned around when other footsteps entered, seeing another new one and Taeyang return. "Hello Anrah," Evelyn said, holding out the tray for the girl to receive her own goblet, but not before the boy she'd welcomed took another. Evelyn looked back at him, watching while he partook, and looked hesitant to reply to his words. "I suppose William is your name? You both may call me Evelyn. Or Ms. De Winter, whatever you prefer. But yes, I'm afraid you are… vampires," she said, simply confirming his suspicions. "When you feel well enough I suppose we can show you the castle and you may exist outside our dungeons," she spoke, basically thinking out loud as she looked between the two young ones.


[System]
Kurogana Kobuto - The Fox
Nickname/Alias: The Fox
Gender: Male
Age: 35

Village: Hidden Stone Village
Birthplace: Hidden Stone Village

Rank: S
Position: Tsuchikage
Chakra Nature: Earth

[url=]Additional Appearance Details:[/url] 6'3

History: At least three paragraphs.

Personality: One or more paragraphs please.

[url=]Theme:[/url] Optional.
Base Weapons & Items:
X explosive tags.
x Mikabishi
X smoke bombs.
X kunai

Specialized Weapons & Items:

Name of Weapon or Item: Chakra Reducing Gloves

Description: Kobuto wears a pair of gloves that muffle his chakra in his hands. These gloves's ability to muffle chakra also make them unable to be affected by seals. Kobuto can carry seals on them without himself being affected. The index finger of these gloves are cut off to allow him to use jutsu.

====================

Name of Weapon or Item: Jade Books of Heaven: Creation Jeweled Spear

Description: The item for which Kobuto is most known for. It is a part of a series of books that are connected together.

The book draws in chakra from a radius of half a kilometer, in proportion to it's strength, siphoning it in. The amount stolen is minuscule, and due to being proportional, is rarely ever fatal, as it will always leave a portion behind.

The cover of this book is hard as stone, and it's chakra draining amount is much higher in direct contact. Without special gloves, it can drain a person of most of their chakra in minutes. This draining on contact also renders it resistant to chakra enhanced blades, as their chakra is stolen on contact.

The pages of this book are excellent conductors of chakra as well, making them ideal for seals. Any book in the series whose first 30 pages written upon will have the writing appear across all books in the series. The pages can be erased via chakra.

The book itself consumes chakra passively, meaning there's not a 'constant' charge between battles for Kobuto to draw on, but he can steal chakra from it gathered midbattle.

====================

Name of Weapon or Item: ( '').

Description:
Special Traits
Average Chakra Pool
Average Endurance
Average Strength

Versatile Earth Style Techniques
Very Intelligent
Physically Fast
Talented in Barrier Jutsu
Talented in Seals
High Chakra Control

Techniques:

Canon Jutsu

Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique:
Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique:
Earth Release: Hiding In Rock Technique:
Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage:
Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique:
Earth Release: Tunneling Technique:
**He's like a fish going through rock if ya haven't guessed.
__________

Earth Release: Earth Style Wall: Kobuto's wall is engraved with Ionic Order
Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear:
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave:
Earth Release Gun Technique:
_________
Finger Carving Seal: With Kobuto's excellent chakra control, he's able to use this to create seals at high speeds. Generally he can create a seal across his equipment at the speed it take a normal ninja to create a handsign.
Chakra Draining Seal:
Contract Seal:
Summoning Technique: Kobuto is able to summon his Jade Books of Heaven, as well as his ninja arsenal(kunai, ect.)
Chakra Absorption Technique: Used to regain chakra from his book.
Paper Shuriken
Barrier: Canopy Method Formation
Sensing Technique: Can read chakra drawn into his Jade Books of Heaven, such as the direction it came from, as well as its feel/owner
Sealed Bomb Square Release

Custom Jutsu
Name of Technique: Explosive Tag Seal
Type of Jutsu: Sealing Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Contact
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: N/A
Description: The user creates the seal for an explosive tag with volatile chakra behind it.

Weakness: Being volatile, they can be detonated prematurely.
====================
Name of Technique: Seal of the Spider Bite
Type of Jutsu: fuininjutsu
Rank: B
Range: Contact
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: N/A
Description: A seal that draws from the opponents chakra system in order to seep out their chakra.

Weakness: If the seal is interupted to a large enough degree, such as from a large cut, or a burn, its effects disappear.
====================
Name of Technique: Summoning Seal: Star Crossed
Type of Jutsu: Sealing Space Time Ninjutsu
Rank: B
Range: Contact
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: N/A
Description: Placing a summoning seal onto a surface, Kobuto is able to summon an object through the surface

Weakness: Requires close range, seal can be destroyed.

====================
Name of Technique: Jade Books of Heaven: Jeweled Spear Creation
Type of Jutsu: Supplimentary Ninjutsu
Rank: D
Range: Close
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: 3
Description: Kobuto refreshes his book, wiping clean its pages, and recreating any damaged ones.

Weakness: The paper is flammable?

====================
Name of Technique: Jade Books of Heaven: Pure Land Devastation
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: S
Range: 20 Meters
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: 20
Description: Using a seal placed in the middle of the book, and flooding it with chakra with his gloves off, Kobuto increases the effects of it's chakra drain to a high degree. The drain works by blasted his chakra throughout the area, then pulling back on it. At a high cost, a simple Kai can release one from this drain, though it still removes a large amount of chakra as it will 'rip' out the portion it's latched to.

Weakness: It's heavy tax damages Kobuto's chakra system, he can only use it once a day, and it weakens his jutsu use after one use due to the damage.

====================
Name of Technique: Jade Books of Heaven: Seal of Yomi
Type of Jutsu: Sealing jutsu
Rank: B
Range: 10 Meters
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: 4
Description: The pages in Kobuto's book burst out, sealing an object infront of them inside them.

Weakness: DODGE! Burn the pages. Also, Jade Book of Heaven's pages need refreshing afterwards.

====================
Name of Technique: Jade Books of Heaven: Barrier of the Koi Fish
Type of Jutsu: Barrier Ninjutsu
Rank: A
Range: Short
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: 3
Description: Using chakra gathered from the Jade Books of Heaven, Kobuto is able to create a barrier to spread out matching incoming chakra across a screen. Only large amounts can be spread out enough to have an effect.
I.e. If he's absorbed someone's chakra, he can create a barrier to black large area attacks with their own chakra, but it doesn't work against small concentrated attacks. Kobuto must concentrate to keep the barrier up. The barrier is a non-physical chakra screen

Weakness: Small attacks or physical attacks. Kunai are this barrier's worst nightmare.

====================
Name of Technique: Jade Books of Heaven: Barrier of Uke Mochi
Type of Jutsu: Offensive Barrier Ninjutsu
Rank: B
Range: Short
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: 5
Description: A barrier with the consistancy of glass is created using chakra borrowed from Jade Books of Heaven. When it is broken, it shatters, and it's shards home in on the chakra used for it.

Weakness: Let it be? Dodge?

====================
Name of Technique: Earth Release: Hidden Makibishi
Type of Jutsu: Supplimentary
Rank: E
Range: Medium
Nature Type: Earth
Handseals: N/A
Description: Using a small of dirt that will collapse if any pressure is placed on it, dozens of Makibishi are hidden across an area.

Weakness: Don't let him place them.

====================
Name of Technique: Earth Release: Gaia Magnum
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Medium
Nature Type: Earth
Handseals: N/A
Description: Touching the ground with a finger, Kobuto creates a small area of pressure in it, that will eventually build up until it releases firing a small piece of earth like a bullet at his opponent.
Weakness: Dodge?

====================
Name of Technique: Finger Carving Seal: Palm Displacement
Type of Jutsu: Sealing Jutsu, Taijutsu
Rank: N/A
Range: Close
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: N/A
Description: Using the Chakra Reducing Gloves to his advantage, Kobuto carves a seal on them that is rejected by the gloves. The seal can then be transferred to whatever he strikes. Any seal placed on his gloves will disappear in under 30 seconds.

Weakness: Whatever Seal he uses only lasts for half a minute.

====================
Name of Technique:
Type of Jutsu:
Rank:
Range:
Nature Type:
Handseals:
Description:

Weakness:

====================

[User]
Kobuto, the Fox
The Weakest Kage

---

Kobuto hand left the wall. He watched the stalactite drop, and at the sound of a shattering barrier got to work, starting a series of handsigns. He still twitched from the brief contact, his speed on it's own was shot, if he wanted it back, he would either have to find some distance, gain a tempo, or....

Genmyou reappeared, something he hadn't quite expected. Kobuto groaned as he noticed Genmyou's position, and decided against his strategy. It couldn't be that easy, it wouldn't be worth the effort.

"I'm not sure why you would think I've be so observant. I don't possess a dojutsu, nor am I very able with genjutsu. My taijutsu and ninjutsu are decent at best. I think you're overestimated my abilities."

Despite his 'humility', Kobuto still had a devilish smile on his face as kicked up his book against the rail, catching it with his gloved hands.

"I suppose I'll just have to flee, thank goodness these walls are so thick, and earthy."

Kobuto stepped back against the wall, and seemed to disappear into it.

Earth Style: Hiding in Rock

The wall itself started to bulge, and those bulges headed downwards at a 45 degree angle towards the hand signs statue. The walls weren't THAT thick however, they would barely fit a man his size, skinny or not.

Earth Style: Tunneling Technique

[Assistant]
Genmyou – The Shade of Clarity
Playing the Long Game

---

Summoning a sheet of Inshō-shi to his free hand, the kage began conducting his chakra through it, channeling it into patterns to craft a seal on the sheet's surface. As he did this he moulded chakra internally before channeling it into his Seigennashi no ei. Thus he stored a raiton technique within its form.

"If I did not know better, I would call you a terrible liar," stated the raikage as his seal finished manifesting on the surface of the sheet. It was the Kōshin kankei seal that he had placed on the sheet, but he had done so multiple times. In fact, he'd done it 10 times on the same sheet. He began folding the sheet into squares in his hand. After a two seconds he'd finished and it was at this point that he physically manifested some of his chakra, thus cutting the sheet into 10 smaller pieces. Each was 1x1 inch in size. He then charged the edges of the sheets with his raiton chakra, which he linked to his person. For a split second his barrier flickered. Something that Kobuto might not even notice.

The sheets of paper altered their composition utilizing the transformation technique, making them as hard as iron, though not even vaguely as heavy. They drifted to the ground in various locations around the battlefield, sometimes moving once more at Genmyou's behest. Once they were properly arranged Genmyou suppressed his chakra to its lowest state, giving off only enough to be identical to that given off by the pieces of paper. When he moved, so did the sheets. If he had known genjutsu he would have had them assume his appearance. He could have used the shadow clone technique or transformed them, but one required a fair deal of chakra and the other drained him gradually over time. This whole time, roughly a period of 15 seconds in total, he had continued to slowly supply chakra into his sword. It wasn't filling any of the 6 other slots.

He wondered if the Tsuchikage intended to collapse something on him or beneath him.

[User]
Kobuto watched somewhat entertained. He also felt something interesting, through his book. Useless as the pages were, the volume itself continued to function. He intended to fix the paper issue as well however.

The Chakra's smaller.... no, that's not it. It's feeling scattered across those papers. Some feel larger as they are closer, others no so much. Your main chakra is less dense, you must be lowering it. Your chakra is unique, and hard to figure out, I've not felt any like it before. It's like doing a rubix cube...while blindfolded... and drunk. So nothing I haven't done before.

Now should I render his chakra scattered techniques moot, or study it a bit more? It's a hard decision, letting a man like that have what he wants is always dangerous, but my other option would render me even less able. I'm still recovering my mobility a bit, and he just might catch on soon enough. If he does, I might just be a bit hurt. If he doesn't, well, that's his problem.

Kobuto started on a series of handsigns, tucking his book under his elbow once again. Once 3 were reached, he would use Jade Books of Heaven: Jeweled Spear Creation to refresh his book. He would continue to prepare himself with more handsigns afterwards, Genmyou was, he didn't want to be caught offguard. A smile flashed seeing the barrier flash.

Well.... this might work out well. A barrier that he can control.... how unfortunate for him.

The bulges in the wall would reach the ground, then much to Genmyou's prediction, they did not simply flee the building. They headed at him at an angle. They wouldn't come straight under him, but would taunt him in a circular motion, closing in on the barrier, but not touching it.


[System]
Age:
Twenty-seven
Brand:
Mist
Weapon/Rune:
Compound bow. It itself lacks runes, but Astrid uses several different types of trick arrows with various runes that allow for explosive/incendiary arrows (her own mist brand); laser beams, shield arrows, flash arrows, light arrows (light runes); poison arrows, freezing arrows, and razor arrows (liquid runes).
Non-magical twinned curved swords, about as long as one's forearm, the blades are designed to draw as much blood as possible and make wounds that are difficult to close without magical means thanks to well-honed edges.
Non-magical throwing knives. It's honestly surprising how many she carries, seemingly pulling them out of nowhere.
Faction:
Ex-Old Path, now a freelancer that takes contracts with the White Teeth, Golden Boys, et cetera.
Personality:
Distant and reserved, the only emotions Astrid seems to display are those of negativity. Often appearing scornful and annoyed, few people realize that these emotions are more of a face than reality, although they were originally adopted from two things. First, her time in the Old Path taught her to eschew and deride the modernity of current day Kokotha, a feeling she often has difficultly setting aside despite enjoying many of the luxuries afforded to the modern citizen. Secondly, most people call her "Rougish Astrid," a name she highly dislikes due to her actual training as a scout.
Background:
With several years of training as a scout and ranger in the forces of the Old Path, Astrid eventually found herself wandering further and further from the Path, both literally and figuratively, as she saw more and more of the modern world. Eventually, she went AWOL, leaving the order to begin working as a freelancer and information gather that is usually under contract to the White Tooth Men or Golden Boys.
Other:
She still wears her own armour from her time in the Old Path, although it has been dyed and repainted. Its black and grey colour scheme offers a lot in the way of stealth.
Dialogue colour

[User]
Johnny Conagher

Excellent! It seemed like they were really starting to come to a head with all of this nonsense. Now they just needed t-

...

Johnny took one look at the abomination that had just rode in on his trusty bug steed and said one word.

"...Nope"

Johnny seemed to fade into dust before the arthopodal cavalier's eyes, vape-a-porting to Yoshimi's position.

[Assistant]
"Hurry it up, eh mate?" Duff called over from his position. "Wouldn't be surprised if they're on their bleedin' way!" He had taken cover around the corner in Gustrag's room, the barrel of his beloved rifle ready to fire down the corridor to the room they had just fought Xenan in. There's only so long I'll be able t'keep anyone offa yeh!"

---

Astrid scowled. "Oh for the love of Kodo'Yim," she said. Bringing her hands together, she pulled the Mist into a large, almost opaque cloud around the newcomer before igniting it with a dull roar. Turning to the door, she addressed her colleagues.
"Let us go." She was seething.

[User]
Her pack filled to the brim, Mercury nervously takes a look out the window, doing her best to stay out of sight while getting the best point of view she can. Naturally, what she sees is cause for concern.

"Gregor, if you could make this go any faster at all, it'd be greatly appreciated. These folks don't look too friendly..."

[Assistant]
Yoshimi
Storm@Nashie

I hope you guys have an exit route in mind! Yoshimi shouted, as she began to make her way towards where they came. Stick to the narrow corridors! He shouldn't be able to follow us through there!

As the insect rider began to chase after them, the two of them would disappear with in a rift in Yim, unable to follow the group through the narrow corridors.

The exit is close, when we reach it do you have any escapes in mind in case we run into more trouble? Because I'd love to hear them.

While the cistern where they entered was in sight, there waiting in it was the Amalgamate Rider, having traveled through Yim to get there, waiting for them.

---

Gregor
@Ember Storm
Gregor concentrate, he couldn't lose concentration for a single second, if he did he'd have to start all over. As he concentrated, he murmured a prayer, a common chant used by worshipers of Dualism. "Oh Strong Father Kodo, protect me with your shield and your spear, oh Kind Mother Yim, wrap me in your gentle embrace, oh Kodo'Yim, the two gods who are one, guide me in the best and the worst of times."

Then, out from Gregor's gun came a flash of light, opening up a white rift in space. Go! He shouted, motioning towards it. They won't be able to find us here! As Gregor shouted, Sallix was closing in on the group, dragging his heavy weapon behind him. You guys go through first!

[User]
Johnny Conagher
Storm

"Astrid an' I can get back up th' cliff the same way we came down, but...."

And there was that horrid abomination again. Johnny had no patience for this Blattodeic bullshit, so he was just gonna run right through Master Ku if he could.

He drew his wakazashi and went into a full tilt run, making little platforms of ice under his feet so that he could effectively leap at Master Ku and deal one hell of a savage blow with his blade.

[Assistant]
Astrid didn't miss a beat when Johnny attacked. Pulling on her Brand, she began to suck the moisture out of the air behind their adversary and his beetle-Amalgamate. The result of this was clever: A breeze began to push Johnny along faster, insuring that his blade would impact with even more force. As well, as the mist she was moving about condensed, all of that energy had to go somewhere, and something would heat up. She chose to see just how hot she could make the atmosphere around their opponent - not only would the temperature increase, but the condensation would also cloud his vision. Johnny could complete his attack and the two women should be able to skirt past a hopefully blinded Child before the steam cleared. Clean and clear. Hopefully.

---

"He's on 'is way!" Duff called over as Gregor's portal popped into existence. Upon the conman's directives, Duff lingered just long enough to fire a single Voidtip down the hallway, hoping to slow the knight enough for the quartet to escape. The soldier had no idea what their new adversary was capable of, and he didn't intend to stick around long enough to find out. Unsure of what would happen to him - a non-Caster - through the portal, but also lacking any time for self-debate, Duff ran through.

[User]
Yoshimi

@Ember Storm
As Johnny would fly towards the amalgamate and rider, a large pair of chitinous growths would rise up from the beetle amalgamate's back. Despite their thin appearance, they proved to be an adequate shield for the small rider. The blade would slash through the organic shield and strike the rider for minimized damage, nearly knocking him off. Then, as the cloud of steam would form, he'd be left blinded, looking for the group.

Hurry! I'll be the last one through! Yoshimi shouted, heading for one of the walls, close to the entrance. Waiting for the others to pass through, she would rear back with a punch and hit the wall. Blocking off the exit. ...And hopefully bringing the roof down on the rider. As the wall and chunks of the roof began to collapse down, Yoshimi would hurry through the exit to join the others.

Avoiding the collapsing ceiling, Ku growled, his targets escaped. His mount large enough to clear the rubble in the way, but too large to go through the pipe. Queen... I have failed you...

Gregor

Storm
Sarcastically saluting the Children's knight with a grin and a flick of his hand, Gregor jumped through his rift, entering Yim.

The world in question was significantly smaller than one would expect from a pocket dimension within Yim. As a matter of fact it looked like it was only meant for 1 person, not 4. Looked to be a small office, with a chair and record player in the center of the room.

A large painting of Gregor sat at the back of the room, dressed in a fine suit, and looking much younger and smooth. They say that a dimension in Yim is affected by the creator's ego... But this was something else.

The rift closed up, leaving the group safe on the other side. Panting, Gregor stood up, brushing himself off. So uh... We all good...?

[Assistant]
Johnny Conagher

As the cistern crumbled behind them. Johnny faced the spot where he'd last seen Master Ku, still stanced for a fight. Once he was sure that the creepy fuck wasn't coming after them, he sheathed his weapons, leaned himself against the wall of the pipe and let out a loud "Whew!"

"How're you two holdin' up?"

[User]
"Uh... About as good as I could be, I guess... I cleaned out the fat bastard's desk, basically. My pack is loaded with stuff that looks important, and we're not dead. Seems like things went relatively well..."

For them, at least. She examines the small room for a moment, though her expression seems a bit vacant. Now that she has a moment to breathe, she realizes just how worried about their situation she really was. That could have easily resulted in death. Thankfully, Gregor's quick thinking had gotten them out alive, and now her thoughts drift to the other team, more specifically Yoshimi.

>Dammit, they'd better have made it out okay...

"Do we have any way to get a hold of the other team?"

[Assistant]
Astrid dusted off her shoulders. "I could be better," she said before scowling. "Damn dhe Children! We lost a man and dhere will be many more deadhs to come if we do not do something!" As much as she didn't consider herself a part of the Old Path anymore, someone needed to make sure they knew that everything was just a front for the Children. She glanced back at the pile of rubble. "Let us be moving."

---

"Not that I know of, lass," Duff said, rubbing the wounds in his arm. "They're tough cookies, though. Should be fine." He looked over at Gregor. "Not gonna say I'm not grateful yeh got us outta there what with that tree-lookin' fellow comin' at us, but yeh sure yeh couldn't've gotten a bigger room? 'Sides the point, where even are we? Never been through a hole in the air into an office b'fore."

He glanced around, noting the decor and thinking on the unusual method they got here. "Aw, Forest no. This is that friggin' magic world, eh? On'y thing I can think of it bein'. Mate, am I gonna be all right here?"

[User]
Yoshimi

@Ember Storm
Panting, Yoshimi commented on the situation Tired. My arms are hurting. She said, removing her gloves. Her knuckles are hands were bruised. These gloves needed more tweeking to prevent damage to herself. Doing a quick stretch as she headed for the exit, she asked the others We... Have a get away vehicle right? Might have to wait til all the Children are gone. They would leave right? There weren't going to hang around at the manor all this time were they? NOt gonna lie... But I can go for a rest right about now.

They still had things to do. Gotthard was still out there somewhere. They knew where he was. They just had to go there... But she was by no means ready for such a thing.

---

Gregor

Good. Information on whatever they're working on. The identities of the Children. Anything was good. Gregor said reaching into his coat pockets, pulling out a few trinkets. Gold, jewelry, and something resembling a spyglass. I snagged a few things from the party back there, couldn't help myself. They say honor among thieves, but honor isn't my thing.

Gregor chuckled, trying to add a bit of humor to the situation, but quickly, his tone turned into a more serious, empathetic one, almost like Gregor was talking to a student or child he was proud of. But uh... Glad you did all that. You took more of a risk than any of us and it paid off in the end.

Storm
But then, once Duff started talking, Gregor swapped out for his usual tone Hey, you try to make a world within Yim! That's right, ya can't! Brushing himself off, he sat down in one of the chairs, switching the record player on, But yes, you're in Yim, the world of magic. A pocket dimension I created. I'm not talented at it, but it's the most I can do with my skills. This is the place I go when the heat gets bad... Either the law or the occasional guy I owe money to. Unless they search through Yim, we're safe here... So what do you say we lay low and head back to the Wick?

He came here to take advantage of the party and the guests, not get involved with action like this. A bit much for him, but he'd be lying if the adrenaline rush didn't excite him a bit.

[Assistant]
Gregor's praise does a little to help ease Mercury's slowly ebbing nervousness. As much as she pulled from Gustrag's desk, there's bound to be something in that pack that's useful. She hopes they can get it into the right hands without any extra resistance. Hearing that they have no way to contact the other team, however, does not help her nerves at all.

"Shit... There's no way we can help them at this point either, is there?"

[User]
"Yeah, yeah," he replied, "Rub it in, eh?" He chuckled nervously. The adrenaline from the night's events still raced through his veins. At Mercury's question, he nodded, however, continuing, "D'you know how t'reach 'em or are we ess-oh-ell on that until we get back t' New Wickburough?"

Nothing for Astrid to add.


[System]
Alias - Marina Watercrest
Age - 24
Gender - Femme
Home Sea - Imperial Sea
Aether Sign - Moon (Water)

-

A Dolphin's Madness
Marina was already a girl who was… a bit bold in her academy days. She was thrill-seeking, loud, cheerful, and assertive. Her penchant for messing with people and laughing it off has not changed, though she has become blatantly less stable after all of the endeavors she has survived as a diver. After staring death in the face twice one could say Marina has lost her wavin' mind. She has become rattled and fascinated with the oblivion of death and seems obsessed with facing it again. It can be pretty unnerving.

Independent Heroine
Marina seeks to be seen as great as she feels she is. She hates comparisons to her father and mother, no matter the intention. She still has much to achieve and one day people will see her more as the spawn of her parents and the legend-in-making that she feels she has the potential to be.

The Greatest Diver on Aruth
Marina's confidence and assertions have always been encouraged. Growing up in the Imperial Sea as the daughter of one of the most prolific admirals in the world and possibly the greatest diver-adventurer of her generation, Marina's parent's pedigree has always inspired her to think like she was the greatest creation in all of the seas. This has not changed since Marina abandoned the Imperial Sea and sought to become her own woman. Actually, it's gotten worse.
 | Aether Abilities

Marina's aether abilities are enhanced by the moon. Specifically, she specializes in the manipulation of the element of water.

Marina learned to tap into her aether abilities when she was but a small child, though she was no prodigal genius. Everything she has achieved has been done with a large quantity of hard work and a small degree of talent. This hard work was supplemented by Marina's attendance as a student of the Imperial Fleet Academy based in proximity to the imperial capital. Though despite having a well-trained connection to her aether sign, Marina still tends to struggle regarding her focus and nerve. But the moon has blessed the purple-haired young adult nonetheless, enhancing Marina's abilities as a diver and combatant; she envies those who are talented artificers and aether engineers given that she lacks the patience for such things.

Marina as an aether user can be aptly described as a utility specialist, which in short means that most of Marina's combat prowess is done practically rather than magically. Aether exists to enhance Marina's skills as a diver and adventurer, though in a clutch situation she can be pushed to using her more esoteric abilities that are better suited to combat. Some common aspects and techniques she is prone to utilizing include the following:

* Fysallidakinesis: Marina tends to use Fysallidakinesis in combination with her hydrokinetic barriers. It's good to be able to breathe underwater, especially if your diving gear isn't with you or is compromised.

* Hydrokinetic Barriers: Marina's primary focus when it comes to her aether abilities is the creation of a "hard" water fields that can be used as shields, deep dive barriers, and containment fields.

* Pressure Manipulation: Manipulating the water pressure around her can aid Marina when she is surrounded by pirates, raiders, or other sorts of antagonists. Requires focus and can exhaust Marina quickly if she's not careful.

* Purification: In certain situations Marina can focus on purifying any form of liquid she comes into contact with. She's had to use this in certain parts of the ocean where ancient corruption magic has tainted the water to the point it is too dangerous to swim in.

* Regenerative Water: The most difficult aether technique that Marina knows and probably the most valuable when things look the most dark. Similar to her purification techniques, but allowing to apply a transformative water to another person to reinforce their immune system and healing faculties.

Character Conceptualization
TBD REWORK |

[User]
─────── ⥢❂⥤ ───────

Ah... the sun, the sea, the salt. All things Crus had been enjoying until the freakish storm overtook the ship. He'd seen plenty of storms in his life, from rain showers to hurricanes, but none that came on quite as fast as this. None as brutal either. Whatever was haunting this isle was really territorial. Crus had clung fast to the ship's mast, feeling every sway and lurch as the ocean and tempest did their best to pull the vessel under. During the worst of it Crus' heart felt as though it would be ejected from his throat, but was as exciting a feeling as it was terrifying. And just as quickly as the barrage of wind and rain came, it passed.

It was a couple of long moments before Crus unwrapped himself from around the mast. He shook his head in canine imitation, clearing it of sea water. Damn, what a storm!

Dark clouds and the harsh howl of the squall swirled around them on all sides, threatening to engulf them again, but here where they were it was more of less clear. Seems they'd gone right through and into the calm at the center. Without the din of the storm to compete against, Gale's voice rung loud and clear.

"Yessir," Crus chirped, raising two fingers to his forehead and then motioning them towards the Sharkfin's captain before making his way below deck. It was a little weird onboard, with people snapping to attention and practically rushing downstairs. Much different than the peaceful voyage they'd had so far. For all he knew though, maybe this kind of thing was normal. Crus was just going to pretend he knew what he was doing as he followed the flow.

It had only been days since he'd been onboard the Sharkfin. Though successful, his stowing away had not been very stealthy at all - and the crew had discovered him mere hours into setting off after stopping over at a little island for a short shore leave. They'd found Crus in the mess fixing himself a meal. The young Southerner didn't have much of a plan, and it was only with Gale's good humor and charity that the Sharkfin's crew hadn't stuck him in a rowboat and pointed him back to Ororuel.

And look at him now! On his way to become a Diver. Or so he liked to think anyway. He'd schmoozed with the crew over the last few days, made himself useful, and now he was going to prove himself in the water alongside the professionals. Oh yeah, things were going swimmingly.

One of the downsides of having stowed away was that Crus didn't bring a lot with him though. At least he wasn't bogged down with stuff, but he didn't have much gear to gather. Crewman insisted that he take a rebreather at the very least, and so he did. Maybe in the future he could buy one of those fancy suits. For now, it took him all of a couple minutes to get ready.

"Hey, Kami!" He called, craning his neck to look around for the other young man. "Last one t'make it back up on deck s'gonna cover the other's swabbing duties after this. I hope you've been practicing with your mop."

Challenge made, Crus started back towards the stairs. Now, there were plenty of people on the Sharkfin's payroll. Gloryhounds, misfits. Runaways. The nature of some eluded Crus, like those Imperial women. One such person was nearby, leaning against the cabin wall looking a bit lost all things considered. He was going to pass her on the way out, and so he flashed her a disarming smile.

"Tell me y'aren't sea sick, miss." It occurred to Crus that he hadn't spoken with the woman much, if at all, since he'd been here - so he wasn't about to guess her name and get it wrong, leaving it at 'miss.' It was an easy enough comment to brush off if she wasn't in the mood.

---

mentions: @Lemons@Taka

---

[Assistant]
---

The Sharkfin | South Seas Ocean

---

As the storm began to settle around them and the Sharkfin came to rest, Kaitha, like plenty of the other crew members, stared up at the patchy break in the clouds. Blessedly, the sun had not vanished from the sky to leave the world bleak and gray forever; the rays that touched the ship were warm and welcome. Tonight the moon would be beautiful—"dark days, bright nights," as the saying went.

Something to look forward to, anyway.

Orders were given and Kaitha made her way giddily down belowdecks. The dark here was much starker than it had been outside, even in the guts of that awful storm, and unlike the sunlight that warmed her skin and sank down, this brought her a warmth that radiated from within. She smiled, bouncing in each step with all the grace of a feather on the wind until she found the storage. Others were here, a young man and woman. Crus and Tella, who, Kaitha believed, was imperial. She hadn't been so vocal about it yet though, so for the time being she was given a pass.

"Pardon~" she hummed, slipping past them with water's own fluidity to find her things. She doffed her habit's cap and overcoat, but left the shawl and waist-coat on over the rest of the outfit. Choir habits were designed for diving, which made traveling much easier.

Well, mostly. She did have one bit of luggage that could be cumbersome now and again.

As she retrieved her Bo Saw, she couldn't help but overhear Crus and be just a little intrigued. Seasickness? A diver? Hopefully not, what a dreadful affliction to have in a profession like this. Or any profession, really. Frankly it might as well have been called 'worldsickness.'

"Think it might be more that the sea's sick of us." She flashed a grin, and tried to remember that showing too many teeth put people off. Quickly, she gave the blade a test-revving, happy to see that it hadn't been damaged in all that rattling. "Luna's luck we'll be out of here before it finds a remedy."

[User]
The sea wind rushed past Kaminari's nose, twitching in response to the breeze. Feeling the breeze was a common hobby for the son of the Captain, his body hair straightening, goosebumps forming on his arms, he loved every moment of being on the sea. Storms were part of the fun iun the case of Kami. He could enjoy the rain hitting his face and the lightning streaking through the sky. This was a love instilled in him by his real father and mother, they loved being on the sea, and the little they got to spend together resonated deep within the boy. He stared across the sea from the porthole under the deck of the ship. His mind focused on the joy of being a Diver.

Suddenly a voice broke the silence of his mind, Kami looking back to see Crus. A challenge brought to his feet, a challenge that the teens normally instigated. A friendship had spawned between the boys, regardless of the short moment that they've known each other, and Kami felt as though he could tell Crus anything. Everyone else was older with far less joy that Kami but, Crus could match his energy with ease whilst also giving Kami someone to teach since he already had years of Gale's knowledge under his belt.

"Not fair. Ya already close ta the stairs.", Kami yelled back to his friend, lifting his feet to chase behind him.

Reaching to the deck behind his friend, he embraced the feel of the sun hitting his skin. He loved it and felt as though his body was being revitalized, filling with aether. Lightning, purple in color, sparked just a bit between his fingers, Kami playing with it like a toy. His eyes scanned the deck until the landed on the man that he admired the most. Giving a few greetings to the crew that knew him, and the few that didn't, the teen made his way over to his adopted father.

"Hey Pop." Kami gave Gale a huge smile, "So what do ya want me ta do?"

[Assistant]
Marina Watercrest smiled widely at the crewmate who had challenged her to three sets of Maker's Grace. The cards on the table plain for them to see as the sound of the ocean hammered against the hull.

"This is what you get, you know." The young woman smiled, "For dueling one of the greats."

The older man groaned before nearing a laugh. He hadn't interacted with the diver much, but the girl's gall and confidence nearly set him off. That was before the cards spun off the table as a particularly strong wave had tucked itself against the ship. Were they nearing their destination? That accursed storm? Must've been. Marina could hear the yelling, faint as it were through the ship's floorboards. She supposed it was now where the real fun began. The real adventure. It would be like her travels before when she left the Imperial Sea but as a girl seeking to find her way. She had failed, triumphed, and then failed again. She was hoping in this venture it would be a return to greatness.

She smiled as she scooped up the shelma from the table, standing from her seat that she had barely kept upright when the ship braced against the waves. It was always fun for Marina to taunt and gloat, much like she had done at the academy.

She brushed off her cloak, "Alas, I would love to continue robbing you blind, but I must dive."

The crewman began to mumble unpleasantries as Marina pranced out of the room and toward her belongings and the area where she and the other divers would convene.

The thrill of the dive was something else and while Marina had not interacted with any of the other divers, with her rebreather on she could still feel a sense of camaraderie, a sense of belonging. One of the other divers in particular did remind her of someone, though she couldn't quite place it with their own rebreather on and the fact they had not run into each other during the voyage into the storm. It would be a familiarity that she would press on at another time, but for now, she was getting ready. The diving chamber was not as nice or as shoddy as other ones as she had been in, a delightful middle ground. She stretched her legs as conversation began and continued, mostly idle comments, things that weren't terribly interesting or fun. She jumped up and down, getting the blood flowing and muscles ready while smiling inanely underneath her diving gear.

One of the women talked of Luna and Luck and Marina looked slightly in her direction.

"Luck isn't in the equation, my love." Marina looked toward the diving platform that was sealed shut with a dark temptation growing in her chest. Her eyes widened and there was a glimmer in them that could be seen by anyone who looked at the purple-haired diver. "If you listen carefully, you can hear the terror of the tides. Isn't it wonderful?"