[System]
Gender: Male

Godly Parents: Lugh and Morrigan

Sphere of Control: Light, Craft, War, Shapeshift, Restraint

Personality: Despite being a war god, Cynbel is fairly relaxed. He strives for a glorious battle, one that tests all of his limits, but he accepted that such a battle will never appear. Cynbel isn't a merciless god, nor he is exactly merciful, and will only assist those who truly deserve it. He hates laziness, and admires those who are willing to do anything to reach their goals. His calm and relaxed exterior, hides his disdain for many of his fellow gods, as he finds a good number of them immature and annoying. Within him also lies a thirst for power, and to have all under his thumb.

Sacred Animal: Raven

Powers:

Combat Prowess - Cynbel is definitely one of the strongest gods in the Pantheon, but he mostly prides himself in his ability to fight. Being the child of the greatest Celtic warrior god, and the strongest warrior goddess, Cynbel is the greatest warrior of the Pantheon. He might not have the overall crushing strength of others, but his instincts of battle are second to none. He is also a great military commander because of this.

Shapeshift - Cynbel can change his shape into any other living creature.

Eye of Balor - Not something Cynbel was born with, but something he was given as a child. Whatever the eye makes contact with bursts into flames. Cynbel keeps this eye hidden at all times, seeing as it would cause constant ruin. It is an eye of pure destruction.

Weapons:

Fragarach: A sword that can cut through any defense, and would leave wounds none could heal from. If it is held to someone's throat, that person can't lie, nor move. Was owned by Lugh.

Gae Assail: A spear that will always hit, as long as the word "Ibar" is said. The spear will return to the owner when the word "Athibar" is said.

Other: Has poor vision because of one eye, but the rest of his senses are heightened.

[User]
Cthylla had just entered the throne room of Zeus. She started to approach the throne with her shovel in hand. She had always wanted more power, which was the reason for her former killing of her own mother Kali. She hadn't really cared who she killed to obtain her goals, she just wanted more of it. As Cthylla approached the throne she came to realize one thing, it was too big. She wouldn't be able to fit on this throne at all. She sighed for a moment before stretching out her shovel at the throne. As she did several tentacles came out and filled the inside of the throne to make it a suitable place for her to sit.

"Much better." Cythlla said with a smile as she approached the throne and sat in the slithery throne she had created, she looked very small compared to the rest of the throne but she didn't care. "I have to admit sitting in this chair feels right, I don't see why none of you other gods have taken the opportunity to take this chair." Cythlla said as a twisted smile came on her face. She believed in the rule of First Come first Serve. Though she did know she wasn't a proper queen of the gods she did enjoy this. Of course with this move she had declared herself as a runner up to become ruler of the gods.

[Assistant] Connor entered the throne room of Olympus. . . "Cythlla we need to talk. I apologize for arriving on such short notice, but I couldn't help but realize you defeated one of the most powerful gods of the entire world, and it was such irresponsible murder I had to take the matter up with you. Shiva is angry, incredibly angry and he has asked me to get revenge for it. I'm not sure I can do that but I can try to reason with you somehow. You have put the world in danger by murdering a goddess." His hand was by his sword but his demeanor was diplomatic. "Please try to understand that by the wanton murder of Kali you have angered far more than just the gods of India".

[User]
Of all the people to be sent on this mission, it just had to be him. He hated dealing with most of the other gods, especially those of his generation, but being forced to directly confront one of them made it far worse. However, when you're asked nicely to do things, you don't want to say no.

Those who didn't bother you wouldn't bother you as long as you don't piss it off, and pissing off the rest of the pantheon was one of the last things Cynbel wanted to do.

Cynbel entered the throne room, happy that he found the girl he was searching for. The son of Shiva being there was a bit of a surprise, but him being there was only appropriate given the girl's crime. Still, Cynbel was just going to act as if he wasn't there, it was a lot easier that way. He didn't exactly dislike him, but he didn't exactly like him either.

"Cythlla, the pantheon requests that you come with us down to his domain. The murder of Kali must go through the court. If you refuse to comply, I will be forced to take you there with me. I'd much rather we handle this peacefully, but I was sent for a reason. "

Cynbel wasn't expecting her to go peacefully, and he was sure the pantheon thought the same. There was no point in sending Cynbel, especially considering who was sent as Cynbel's backup. It was more like Cynbel was the backup. The person that was sent with him was more than capable enough of "dealing with" her, but that didn't mean he would. . .

[Assistant]
Masrith sat in his own throne. His faced looked blank as he peered into time itself. He could see the fate of Kali and the trial that now was ahead. The fate of Kali was known to him long before it happened. He could have stopped it if he wanted to but simply chose not to interfere.

He smirked to himself. "Why do people do such pointless things?. I understand that the strong replace the weak but how is it taken on such an emotional response." He stood up from his chair and paced the floor. He hoped they wouldn't want him to appear at the court. It would be such a bother. "I see everything. They may want me there for that fact." Masrith let out a sigh. "I'll watch something else." His face turned blank again as he stared into time.

[User]
Cthylla watched as some of the other young gods entered, she gave them a toothy grin before sitting up right. "Looks like the Lap dogs have arrived. Have you ever considered that you aren't living up to your potential?" Cthylla said with a smile. She knew she couldn't take on two at once, while she was powerful she wasn't the strongest. However she understood one thing above all else, all of the children gods who let their parents lived weren't living up to their potential.

"It's time for a change don't you think? It's time you stop being lap dogs. Nothing but slaves to your parents." Cthylla said with a grin as she stood up coming down from the throne, her shovel in one hand.
"You deserve more, you have been working hard, and yet they use you as simple errand boys, that's not living you to your potential, that's then keeping you down, keeping you under control." Cthylla continued as she approached Conner soon coming face to face with him. She stopped once she was at his feet, putting her shovel down in front of her to use as sort of support, she was the shortest of the gods, but she was also the scariest.

"Your so much more powerful than them, and they know it! Their keeping you below them though, is that really what you want? Do you want to be their errand boy for the rest of your existence? At least until you have out grown our usefulness, then they will kill you. That was what Kali was planning to do." Cthylla said, she looked over Cynbel too, her question was directed at both of them.

[Assistant]
"...young one, you forget yourself."

Five lines intersect in the world, and one of the five is cleaved away. Arms, legs, torso, heads, come into being.

Space bent, the world itself distorting as per the right of those divine weapons designed to conquer all. Standing in front of Cynbel, looking forwards at Cthylla, He appeared.

The one who had remained dormant while the Merging had occurred. The one who had maintained his nature through coalescion of divine right. The one who had refused to acknowledge the Merging as anything of note. After all, all gods are merely the component of the same central font, emanations of that transcendent power that overflows all. The point where it is realized that Atman is Brahman, where expansion becomes contraction.

Brahma appeared before the gathered children, three of his heads speaking in quiet undertones, constantly reciting a forgotten legend, while a single one of them addressed the one who had dared to murder one of the emanations of the Black One.

"Even he of the terrifying roar at least sought power for the sake of making an ideal world. He became a monster, but he became one so that he could bring mankind together in joy."

There was no feeling of anger in his voice, no emotion, no wistfulness. It was simply there.

"Young one, won't you stop this farce and come with us? I do not wish for more blood to be shed."

[User] Anatole then came into the throne room next. "This is ridiculous. The murder of Kali was inexcusable, but should it really take Brahma or all of us to take her in. I say we let three of us take her in and let it be done with. It isn't like she's the entire titanic Pantheon or anything, she's just one of us. A quite powerful member of the divine family nonetheless, but not necessarily so strong that she could overwhelm both two or three of us and Brahma as well." Anatole's old body looked in stark contrast to the beauty of Brahma, as a less refined, but deceptively intelligent, if wild old man.

[Assistant] Mei then entered the scene. . . "Cthylla, Kali was known as both a good and evil goddess. . . What proof do you have that what you're saying is true? You didn't have to march up here to Olympus and claim the throne if you thought that would be good for your case at all, in fact, it's entirely counter intuitive, incoherent and irrational. I think you're just an insane paranoid psychopath." She sighed. . . "Can't you see that it was unwise of you to just slaughter her and then come up here demanding to sit down on the King's throne as the new Queen?"

[User] "You are wrong, Cthylla." Yet another voice entered the conversation. It was Ronin. "Letting my faðir live has made me stronger. He teaches me. Helps me grow. I love him, and he loves me." Her voice dropped to a growl. "No matter what you say, no one will harm my faðir. Not if I can help it." Counting on the fact that everyone knew of her weakness with fire, she concentrated and summoned a tiny wisp of flame, just like earlier. "You see this? Yesterday, I could not conjure flame. Today, I can. Because of faðir's teaching." With a disgusted look, she turned on her heel and left the throne room.

[Assistant]
He had seen many gods in his lifetime, nearly all of them, but none could even come close to the presence Brahma had. Cynbel couldn't really even explain what it was about Brahma, though it probably had to do with the multiple arms, 4 heads, 3 of which spoke ancient hymns in a language Cynbel didn't understand, and how emotionless he always seemed to be.

Out of all the people Cynbel could have been partnered with, he was happy it was Brahma. He was pretty quiet, easy to work with, and was always willing to help you out if you need it. Brahma was much better than the majority of the "others".

Speaking of the "others", 3 more walked into the room. Ronin and Mei did nothing but annoy Cynbel, but Anatole wasn't that bad. He just did his own thing.

"Cythlla, this isn't about being 'lap dogs'. If I am a simple errand boy, then I am a simple errand boy. Somebody has to do it, that is how it will always be. Even if you're Queen, someone will be stuck with running errands, and doing things they'd rather not. It is a cycle, one that will never end. I'm not going to preach and claim that I'm a better person than you, nor am I going to act is if you're some kind of 'evil' entity that only wants to create a river of blood. I get your motives, and to an extent I agree, but that doesn't mean you get to go free. You broke the rules, and now you must be punished for it."

He wasn't going to act as if he was some kind of saint. All of them were flawed, and all could commit terrible, unspeakable acts. Playing the "Who is better" game was petty, and did nothing more than make them feel better about themselves. The rest might act as if they're morally correct, but Cynbel knew each one could do something horrible to move their agenda.

Cynbel did find what Ronin said about Loki fairly comical. He knew his legends, and he knew that Loki could never love anything other than himself, but if it made Ronin feel better about herself, she could live in her delusions.

" I agree Anatole, but only two of us are needed. Let me and Brahma handle her, the rest of you leave, and do as you normally do."


[System]
Species: Orc

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Appearance: A large woman standing at 6'2 and weighing around 166 pounds. Having short dark brown hair, with striking blue eyes. Her body type is very muscular, comparable to her male counterpart. Wearing a large black suit of armour, with a helmet that is shaped like a skull.

Bio: Matilda was found by the previous head of the guards named Hilman as a baby, being adopted by Hillman and trained to be a warrior. At a young age, she was in battle with her adoptive father. Carrying his supplies and weapons, killing his first person at the age of 14. Working hard to become the current head of the guards, with her predecessor retiring.

Skillset: Matilda is skilled in swordplay, and archery, and is skilled in battle tactics. Skilled in hand to hand combat.

Spells: Curse Of The Ironsword Clan (Passive)

Matilda's family has been cursed with going into a berserker like rage, increasing their strength and durability at the cost of them attacking enemies and friend. Most orcs do not use this ability because of how dangerous it is, only a small amount of orcs are able to control their rage while using this ability.

Botanical Communication (Passive)

Matilda has the racial ability to communicate with any form of plant life.

Equipment:

-Her suit of armour is called Drakhjärta, is an heirloom like her sword. It is rumoured that it is made out of the skin of a dragon.

-Her sword is called Oändlig Törst, which means Unending Thirst. This sword has killed many people and is the signature weapon of the Ironsword Clan, passed down from generation to generation.

-Crossbow that is mounted on her right gauntlet.

Other: None

[User]
The attack deflected with a twang, for normal humans that recoil alone would have shattered the bone, but the noblewoman, either she was above normal or just due to sheer of ingenuity used the push to feed her own momentum and swing the poleaxe back to the bear's unarmored crotch.

Nasty burns he had there! Holly shit! —Hold on! Something's happening here! The small lady is at it again! The two of them are at a standoff, but she is using the weapon thrice longer than her size! What is happening here?! Is she hoping to take on Ted's gigantic bulk with that?! Unbelievable if you see how enormous the difference in both size and power!
I can't emphasize this enough—! The balls! Right onto the balls! We have witnessed many nuts busted in this sorry arena but the bear's nut! Holly hell! What an ugly sight! But we all must bear it together!"

It was Stritzel turn to rush from her throne. Despite her butler attentively ushering her, the old hag outpaced him. As she arrived at the edge, she watched in horror as the small lady from the newbie team castrated her occasional nightly comfort with a nasty-looking halberd. "NOOOOO!!! MY TEDDY BEAR NOO!!" angry and sad, she turned to Gerrald! "Forfeit this match, now! Gerrald! Don't you see these newbies are not ordinary people?!

***

The bear did not howl, did not growl, nothing. The pain was so immense he was not even registering his master's cry. But when he did, he had already made his stance, and when fully woke up, he held the polearm with his injured arm and let his body fall, giving the little lady tough choices; either abandon her weapon or get mauled.

The noblewoman failed to make her call in time and the bear's paw swatted her aside. Sending Yvonne flying and tumbling across the arena. It was due to pure sheer luck that she didn't move from her original position and get the paw instead. Had she tried to dodge backward, she would have faced the full wrath of the bear's claw, and the result would have been much more grisly.

Still, she took the full brunt. Some broken ribs and dislocations were in order.

[Assistant]
Henri reached the dead giant while the bear was curled and nursing his battered groin. The lumbering creature probably wouldn't stay down long, so he worked fast-- once more searing off the steel helmet and pauldrons, filling the air with the acrid stench of burned meat. He could not smell it himself, having long ago lost that sense-- but he remembered well enough. The heavy plume coming off the giant would have risen a stench to heaven.

As the metal flowed into him, he felt his legs begin to work, and the damage to his chest subside from the metal sealing the gaps between the cracks, and filling the shattered empty voids. He looked like an irregular jigsaw puzzle, of broken white shards and dark grey bands between them where the iron had solidified.

He chuckled, then staggered up onto his feet. The repairs were not that great; Iron was tough, but lacked the hardness and strength of the ceramic, and was much heavier. His legs threatened to bend in ways that were not conducive to walking with each step, but at least he was upright.

Yvonne looked spent, clutching her arms against her body with a grimace of her own. He waved at her and smiled. She only looked at him for a moment as the hairy brute stood up and once more started to lunge, a thick trickle of blood going down its rear legs, matting the fur.

He crouched, then propelled himself forward by skating on the sandy ground, to dart between those legs, before turning over, and reaching up with both hands to grasp the breast plate in a bear hug. The bear had the metal he needed, and he intended to have it.

The bear tumbled from the sudden increase in mass on his chest, and fell forward on top of henri-- an event he made full use of, despite several hundred pounds of usine bulk crushing him into the sandy floor. The beast bellowed, then tore at Henri's back with its clawed hands, but to no avail-- he had fused himself with the breastplate, and the center of it glowed red hot as it flowed around him like a shell, leaving the corners pristine and shiny, with an ugly blue, purple, and orange banding pattern surrounding where he had stuck himself fast to his opponent.

He looked like a crucified man, stretched out over the beast's chest.

"GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!!!" roared the creature, as it rolled and tossed while tugging at the straps of the breastplate.

[User]
Looking over at the records of what had been shipped out, she could find nothing of use for her investigation. Although she did wonder if a load of armour and speartips had made their destination. "And could you direct me on a map where his house could be? Or perhaps you could write some directions of where his home could be?" Her eyes quickly looked over at the apprentice.

Investigating Brik's house could bring some useful clues. But that would have to wait as she needed to investigate what she could in the village.

[Assistant]
There was a pregnant pause as Yvonne's strike found its mark, the announcer and the hag's voice a dull echo in a faraway place. Then the mercenary saw the bear regained his (heh) bearings, and for a split second she recognized what a bad spot she's in - attack already fully committed, now within mauling range of a very pissed off bear who just lost his crown jewels. Who's fault was it to land her in this situation? Riiight, it was past Yvonne. What a bitch-

A heavy swipe filled with rage and little sense. The arena spun, the mercenary oddly serene as she reflected over the blow, noting that it's all blunt with no claw involved. Too angry to properly kill her, huh? Though, to be fair, this was normally enough to shatter an average man-

Her thoughts was interrupted again, this time by the sandy gravel of the arena. Bounced once. Twice. Found orientation, didn't matter, bounce a third time. A final fall, and she's still. Ow. That hurts. Okay, let's see. Nothing was stomping over to finish her off. That's good enough for now, either the bear was in too much pain to move or her team managed to occupy it. Yvonne laid on the ground face-up, assessing her own condition for the time being.

Quick version: Not good. Not good at all. In fact, she's feeling fucking terrible. Been a while. Anyway.

Sore was the first thing she felt. Sore and bruised. As for where the bruise was, well, it's probably faster to ask where the bruise wasn't. Yvonne can only be sure that it's her neck - just about everywhere else throbbed with pain. Could taste iron in her mouth, huh. Must've split her lips in the impact. Elsewhere...

Head felt fine. Can think. No pain from within, so brain should be fine. Breathing hurt. More than it should. And more difficult. Fracture there, then. Next, limbs. Right shoulder... didn't felt right. Heh. That's what impacted ground the first time. Probably dislocated. Gotta fix that soon. Left arm was struck by the bear, but no bleeding. Hurt like a motherfucker though, it'll bruise real bad soon enough. Legs were functional, likely with an additional mace-shaped bruise where her own mace was pressed to the flesh by the impact.

First thing first, the shoulder. Boss - of the mercenary company, not Sparky - showed her how. Step one, sit up. Pain. But she sat. Right leg folded up, clasp both hands around it. Lean the head back, roll the shoulder forward-

Click

"Fuckshitbitchdamncocksuckermotherfuckingdirtywhore- that hurts-"

It felt like she blacked out for a split second there. Yvonne very much would like to collapse back into a bruised heap, but the enemies wont wait for her to recover. Wobbling, she slowly and carefully returned to her feet before surveying how's the battle going on. The polearm wasn't around anymore. Didn't matter much, she doubt she can wield it effectively in this state. Sword drawn again, the mercenary glared at the faint trace of bloodstain on it. Tch, cleaning the scabbard will be such a pain. But that's for future Yvonne to worry about, after she survive this whole debacle.

[User]
[GM Post]

"Well ain't that a lengthy walk!" Quite a bit. Most travels were done on some sort of draft carts or wagons. "Cant say we've got special deal or nuthin', ya pay what ye eat but we've got a lot. Manifold your weight, I'd wager!"

The farmhand gestured at the stall, before pointing at the field not far away. A good portion had been harvested, but the remaining was looking very much bountiful.

"We have pork in here, if that's yer thing. Got lots of pumpkin and squash. And potatoes, never could'a go wrong with taters. All sorta beans too! For vegs, lettuce and spinach and cauliflower. Ya can pick what ya want and tally it up later, or say how much ye wanna buy an' I'll tell ya when it's reached."

[Assistant]
[GM Post]

The blacksmith didn't look bothered at Matilda failing to find anything. Well, it would be weirder if she could find some dirt, as far as he knew there's nothing shady going on. He's making good living already, no need to dip fingers into muddy water. "Dont have map or anything here, I'm afraid." He noticed the glance. "But we can guide you. Oi, Timmy!" The apprentice in question immediately stood straighter. "Guide the good dame to the hunters' place, would you kindly? You know where it is, aye?"

"Yesser! Right away! Uh, this way ma'am!" The youngster walked a total of three hurried steps before stopping, almost stumbling in the process, as he turned around to check if Matilda was keeping up. His ears reddened from the sheer embarassment as the other apprentices definitely saw it all happening.

[User]
Kaito assessed the situation. The wolf was preoccupied with getting out of the net Chounan had tossed and would soon be free to attack the samurai. The werebear was a totally different story. That creature had managed to swat away Yvonne like a fly but had found himself in an even worse spot. The strange latecomer had somehow managed to fuse himself with the bear's armor and turned it into a frying plate. The creature was in absolute agony and tried frantically to get rid of the glowing hot torture device that was strapped to his now burning chest. Judging both creatures, it was clear that the bear was paying the least attention to his surroundings.

The fox circled around the top right pillar, making sure to stay out of the rolling bear's field of vision as much as possible. For a moment he quietly observed the werecreature's movements from behind the pillar. Kaito knew that he had to deliver an instant fatal strike. If he would give the bear the chance to retaliate, he would be in grave danger.

The moment the suffering bear rolled with his head into the direction of the pillar Kaito initiated his strike. Lunging forward from behind the pillar the fox thrusted his wakizashi with all his might into the exposed head from the bear. The fox could only hope that he has enough strength to pierce through the werebear's tick skull.

[Assistant]
The knight nodded her head, glad that someone would be able to show her where Brik lived. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate your assistance in helping me with this investigation. Your efforts will be greatly rewarded." She said bowing towards the blacksmith in appreciation. Walking out of the building with the apprentice. Not speaking to the young man during the duration of the walk over, but occasionally she would glance over towards the apprentice.

Despite her heavy armour, she was able to keep up with the apprentice. When they arrived at the house, she thanked the apprentice. Handing him a single coin for his troubles. Heading towards the house, hoping that she would be able to find a crucial clue in the house. Opening the door and heading inside the house.


[System]
Rank: Cadet
Allegiance: Federated Suns
Planetary Origin: Kestrel
MOS: Mechwarrior

Synopsis of Role: A fourth year student at the New Avalon Institute of Science, Johan is a small, meek, and often seen as weak student. He's often getting bullied and ridiculed by the other cadets at the NAIS, despite the fact that he's survived three years at the intense academy already. A point that they often bring up is Johans family, his father, a former mercenary married into a minor noble family. Because of that the more conceited cadets of noble lineage see him not as a true noble, but instead a bastard.

Despite the constant harassment Johan shows a surprising amount of resilience, in a battlemech he can withstand more heat than most of the others in his year, he fights longer, harder, and his aim in a 'mech is killer. Many of the instructors say to him that if he could improve his battlemech movement, he could easily become an ace with his accuracy. In simulated combat between Cadet groups, Johan often racks up quite the kill count, staying back and supporting his more courageous teammates, and picking off the more courageous on the opposing side. This usually gets him some peace and quiet for about a week.

Battlemech: The Rifleman RFL-5D.
A brand new variant of an ancient mech. Introduced this year, the 60t RFL-5D is an upgraded version of the RFL-4D, which was introduced nearly 30 years ago. Where the RFL-4D suffered from severe heat problems and a reduced loadout, the RFL-5D actually increases the weapon loadout to two ERPPCs and two Magna Mk.III Large Lasers in the arms, and returns the two Magna Mk.II Medium Lasers to the side torsos. To free up more tonnage, an XL240 Engine was installed and to manage the heat, Double Heat Sinks were included. The new variant also increases the armor to nine tons.

When Johan was presented with the brand new RFL-5D variant for the opportunity to test the battlemech, he nearly burst out into tears of joy. The instructor noted that the mech was suited to Johans strengths, the two ERPPCs and two Large Lasers allows Johan to capitalize on his skill in aiming, while the two medium lasers leaves him not entirely defenseless in close quarters.
Since the mech variant is brand new, Johan hasn't modified anything internally, externally he has painted the his fathers old mercenary symbol onto the right kneepad, a white circle with a chevron pointing upwards.

Height:
Weight:
Appearance:
Callsign:
Father:

[User]
Edric Burns

"Roger, lead," was Edric's curt reply to Capt. Hart's orders. Ever the utilitarian, Edric kept his voice over comms minimal and to-the-point. His head, however, was abuzz with suppressed excitement. The cadre was, for once, doing something other than routine equipment tests or getting slaughtered by the Star Guards in simulated battles. For that, he was thankful. Admittedly, there had been a wealth of knowledge gained from each destruction at the unit's hands, a wisdom beyond the basic coverage of academy lectures. But that didn't make the washouts any less dejecting.

The horizon bubbled under the heat outside as Edric scanned the terrain for a suitable location to take up watch. Some days, the cadre had taken to wearing their cooling vests just to go outside. He didn't fancy the thought of battling both the ambient heat and that of his weapons. For that, he felt absolutely no envy for Han's laser-heavy WLF-1, nor its nine standard heat sinks. A quick glance to the side showed Lyris and Peter on the move to their own perches and Edric followed suit, gunning for an outcrop that gave him both adequate cover and a good field of vision.

With a depression of his pedals, his Valkyrie lurched from a running gait and Edric felt the ground disappear from its feet. The 'Mech bounded upwards toward the spot he'd pinpointed, and after hitting the apex, Edric gritted his jaw as the inertia tickled his innards. He positioned himself for landing, his neurohelmet filling in the blanks, and he touched down with a soft rumble, servos whining under the weight of the 'Mech. From here, he could pick out the Star Guards' advance, and the rest of the cadre maneuvering into position.

Edric confirmed his position over the comm and settled into his chair. As he looked down from his canopy, there was a feeling of invincibility worming its way to the surface of his mind. Of course, he knew that was hardly the case, but there was a mysticism that came with sitting in the cockpit of a BattleMech that never truly died.

Blinking, Edric banished his fantasies and tightened his grip on the control yoke, roving the landscape with his eyes.

[Assistant]
Mazigh sat in front of the tactical screens showing the terrain of the region as last shown before the whole debacle with the sensors net started. The matter had made communication difficult, especially between the vehicles out in the field, and Mazigh felt very uncomfortable in the cool, air conditioned confines of the mobile HQ. Still, Captain Hart's transmission broke through the gentle thrum of sensor equipment and soft lights, distorted though it was: Mazigh was to make sure the flanks of the lance were secure, and to see that as much data was collected by the UAVs in advance of their approach as possible.

"Affirmative," was all he said when the orders came in. He immediately turned on his seat to face the tech officer sitting to his right. "Miles," he said quickly, "direct the deployment of our drones. I don't want a single square meter left unsurveyed before the big boys get there. Brauer," he added, looking to the communications officer next, "I want to know the moment anything anomalous is spotted in the AO."

"Aye, sir," said Sergeant Brauer, reaching up to clutch her headset. "Nothing to report thus far."

"I know," muttered Mazigh with a sigh, reaching for his coffee as he swiveled about in his seat. He stared at the map of the Pitt Basin, frowning as he sipped from his mug. The coffee was perhaps too sweet in his mouth: two teaspoons of sugar and coconut creamer would do that, but Mazigh didn't have any notions of black coffee being more masculine. The coconut flavor relaxed him, anyway, and helped him focus. It always had.

The map before him was marked with blue diamonds and circles indicating the recon lance and the vehicles out afield. Mazigh's men were still arrayed in their patrol formation: trailing behind the lance with the Condors in front, the Plainsmen in the back and the drone carrier in the middle. The remaining vehicles were far from the area of operations, arrayed around the Daimyo Mazigh sat in.

Mazigh set his warm mug of coffee down, stroked his beard, then made a few quick marks on the map with a little black pen. Green lines formed on the holographic screen immediately. "This is HQ," he began in his deep, serious voice. "Hex 1 and 2, navigate these coordinates." He made another quick series of dashes on the map before continuing. "Hex 3 and 4, follow these nav points around the southern perimeter of the Basin. All units: proceed with caution and maintain pace with the recon lance. Relay any and all new data to HQ. HQ out."

"You're acting like something's going to bite us," laughed Warrant Officer Miles, turning his head to face Mazigh. "I don't think there's anything waiting out there to surprise us."

"That's the thing about surprises," Mazigh rumbled, his thick eyebrows folding down as he regarded the tech officer. "They're unexpected. Treat this operation with the same seriousness you would if you were in the Succession War again."

Miles frowned, then turned back and started tapping at his display with his black pen, relaying his own orders to the drone carrier. Miles focused on his own screen. It was standard operating procedure, really: one Condor and one Plainsman were now on each flank of the recon lance, fanned out enough that there would be advance warning for the mechs if weapons fire were to occur on the flanks. The vehicles were fast enough to quickly redeploy to cover the Rifleman's rear, too, in case anything came from behind.

That last thought made Mazigh pause. "Miles," he said, "deploy one UAV drone behind Johan, facing the rear, two hundred and fifty meters back. Just in case."

Miles shook his head, but relayed the orders. As drones began appearing on the screen, Mazigh picked up his coffee and took another sip. At the very least, the operation would be a good exercise in moving in formation.

[User]
AFFS Subaltern Johan Rosales-Eichberg
Rifleman RFL-5D

 Steelton. Johan had never heard of the world before. It was a warm place, not too hot, the briefing called it an arid planet. Arid it was, plateaus in the distance, sparse vegetation, brown and dusty. He'd never been to a place like this, and Johan found himself daydreaming about what kind of animals and insects were native to this planet. His father cashed in a few favors and got him a Comstar developed Combat Neurohelm, a prized item for any mechwarrior, his father said proudly. 'If I were still active I would take this helmet for myself' his father said. He glanced upwards towards the sky, his Neurohelmet not too restrictive. The faceplate slid up obscured Johan's vertical peripheral vision a little, but it also provided some shade against the sun, and in combat he could always just slide the faceplate down. He found himself thinking about what kind of birds soared these skies, until the beeping of his lance radio channel pulled him out of his daydreaming about the wildlife.

"Rat 1-6 here, we're redeploying the mechs from planned patrol to focus on sensor anomalies in the Pitt basin. Burns, von Wulfhart, Mattlov, use jets to obtain overwatch positions and maintain security. Rall, Bjornson, Eichberg and myself will push through along to grid 5-Bravo-9'er-Delta from here. Lieutenant Mazigh will oversee drone deployment and security to cover the flank approaches."

Johan swallowed, this was irregular, but it must have been important. He shifted in his seat, getting more comfortable, he took his hand off the right side joystick and slid down his faceplate. Screens inside the helmet displayed a small radar, displayed his heat gauge, his mechs armor and internal structure, and a host of other information. Despite having screens inside the cockpit which displayed the same thing, Johan enjoyed having the option between glancing at his neurohelmet information and his cockpit screens. He was more used to looking at the display screens anyways.
"Aye." Johan simply replied. He heard Bjornson's reply and saw his Wolfhound speed ahead, at his speed Bjornson was easily twice Johan's top speed. Johan was admittedly a little envious at the speed of the other mechs in his group, but considering the Rifleman's firepower... maybe he wasn't about to give that up. Johan shifted his direction to match his lance's, he turned to look at the other group, the ones with jumpjets. He twisted his mechs torso to face them and tracked them, though his guns were facing downward. Practice. Johan needed to practice getting used to moving in one direction, aiming in another, and hitting that target. Stationary Johan was a crack shot, but the enemy rarely lets people just sit around. The Star Guards taught him that harshly, the simulated battles they did made Johan's shortcomings glaring. Against other cadets, Johan could afford to sit around and take his time aiming, but against veteran mechwarriors, experienced in actual war it was clear Johan needed to be mobile and shoot at the same time. The Star Guard mechwarriors showed incredible prowess at controlling their battlemechs, one even ran at full speed then halted in only a short two steps. That agility boggled Johan's mind and he made a mental note to ask that pilot how he did that.

His radio beeped again, it was Bjornson. "Captain, if I may, how far are we from the sensor network?"
Johan found himself the same thing, but he stayed quiet. Instead he glanced down at his radar and noticed that a UAV was moving in to shadow him, a few hundred meters behind to reveal any hidden flankers if there were any. Johan quickly flipped his visor up, awaiting a reply from their Captain. He grabbed a canteen of water that he had strapped to the side of one of the consoles, and took a quick drink of water. He strapped it back in and moved the visor back down. In actual combat he had no doubt his mech would get steaming in this ambient temperature, considering his heat heavy loadout, and he would need to stay hydrated if he broke a sweat. He peered ahead, zooming in with his mechs optics. The area ahead was particularly sandy, he saw dunes and plateaus with no signs of any water, but he knew that anything could be behind those rock formations.


[System]
Age: 24

Gender: Female

Mother: Juno

Preferred Minions: Browns

Compatibility: Oya has learned spells and styles specific to working with a group. As she knows she has to in order to get the most out of her minions. As such she can work with another if it furthers her agendas. Finding having allies in positions of power fo be most lucrative. However, she will not hesitate to kill them if they betray her.

Weapon: Urumi

Spells:
Vortex: Creates magical whirlwinds that suck up anything but allies, and thrashes them around violently. While also allowing allies to pound on them with their own spells.

Lightning bubble: forms a protective barrier around the overlord. That when attacked sends out a bolt of lightning to damage the enemy to even paralyzing them.

Deadly Rainbow: Creates a rainbow that shimmers with different colors. Enemies with lesser minds are forced to stare at, and cannot look away. If left active long enough it causes hallucinations, and seizures.

Legion of Boom: Enchants the minions with the power of wind, and lightning. Doing different things for different minions.
~Browns: They get an aura of wind, and lightning that makes them even more destructive than before.
~Reds: They occasionally shoot lighting instead of fire, and when fire balls land creates a small vortex of fire.
~Greens: Paralyzes those that they attack, and can move poison clouds by blowing it at the enemies with a gust of wind. That dissipates after scattering to the wind.
~Blues: Helps revive more minions as a chain of lightning connects up to three of the recently deceased. While their movement speed gets a great increase.
Worshipers: Dwarves

[User]
In another corner of the castle, the silent Wolfram had his room. It was quite a comforting room, at least to him. Crystals of all sorts of color were embedded in the walls, and the room was deep enough to profit off of the toasty warmth of the underworld. He was just sitting in a corner of the room, reading a book. "100 ways to torment people with molten metal" it was called. It had been a personal recommendation from gnarl to someone with his specific preferences.

Then, the silence was broken by a minion. "Metallic master!" he shouted. "You are requested by the old one". Wolfram sighed deeply. What did the old geezer want now? If it werent for the fact he organized all the tedious parts of managing the castle, wolfram would have made a silver sculpture out of the bastard already. "Right" He simply said. He stood up, took his hammer out of the weapon rack, and threw his book at the minion to place back in the bookshelf. He left the brown looking somewhat hopeless, as the book belonged on the top shelf.

He stepped forth up the stairs, and up the stairs... and up some more... He quite liked his deep room, but the stair climbing was one maddeningly tedious downside to it. He would really have to look for a solution to that problem sometime... perhaps he could chain some minions to a quant-looking box suspended in a shaft... what did the dwarves call that recent invention... a lift? He would have to get Gnarl on it sometime.

Soon, he came upon the throne room. He siad nothing to announce his presence, but his arrival was quite hard to miss between the clanking of his armor and the uncaring manner with which he threw open the door.

[Assistant]
Luna awoke to the bumbling and rambling of the browns. Before they even had a chance to touch her bed, she grabbed her sword from the headboard and pointed it at them.

"The old one calls." one said, backing away slowly.

She put the sword back and moved to her closet to dress in a pair of black, leather pants, a black, ornate tunic and a pair of black, hard leather boots before pulling the hood on her tunic up. She grabbed her sword and sheath from the wall and left her room, only to glance in her sister's room and see her strangling a minion with a pillow. She watched for a bit before continuing on.

Once in the throne room, she looked at her brothers, knowing it must be important if they were all being summoned. She eyed Gnarl, who stood beside the throne, before turning her attention to the frantic minion that had just run in.

"What is it this time, Giblet?" Gnarl yelled.

"The hives!" Giblet responded.

"The Tower Heart, the forges, the hives, what do they think we are?" Gnarl frowned, muttering to himself.

Luna looked around again, noticing there were quite a few less minions running around than there had previously been. She hoped her sister wouldn't take long so they could hear the full story.

[User]
After hearing their explanation for disturbing her, Pix had to concede that Gnarl was never one to really waste someones time. Dismissing the minions, the blue-skinned red-head was quick to dress. A task made simpler by the minimal nature of her outfit of choice, as she favored revealing silken garments over the suits of armor some of her siblings were partial to. Sauntering out of her room to see what the ancient and shriveled brown wanted, she found her siblings already assembled in the throne room.

"Well then, I certainly hope we haven't all been called together at this delightful hour for tea and crumpets." The question was largely a joke, though the way she said 'delightful' and 'tea and crumpets' sounded far more like a despicable proposition than a pleasant way to spend a morning.

[Assistant]
"I'm sorry for disturbing you." Gnarl said, looking around at the 8 young adults. "But the humans, dwarves, halflings and elves have begun to, once again, defy us. With your father... away on business, It is up to you to make them fear us again. Giblet has been holding gifts from your mothers in the armory."

The mentioned minion smithy waved from one of the downward staircases. "This way." he said, disappearing down the staircase.

Luna looked around with a sigh before punching a nearby pillar. Wordlessly, she followed Giblet towards where the forges had once been.

[User]
Their subjects wanted to break free again. "outrageous" Wolfram simply muttered. iT appeared he would have use for those books in his room after all. He was quite indifferent to the disappearance of the tower heart, bloody thing just gave him flashy magic stuff. He had learned magic more to get Gnarl of his back about it rather than any personal interest. What he was quite angry about was that the forges appeared to be missing now."unacceptable" he muttered. It would appear he would be participating in a protracted session of ser-stomping with his siblings.

He clunked down the stairs after gnarl. Already thinking up which mixture of metal he would be pouring in people's eyes soon.

[Assistant] Oya crossed her arms sighing deeply having heard the more than displeasing news. "When will they ever learn they're better under our thumbs? I mean their so stupid I'm surprised they don't drown in their own spit," she said. Then followed Giblet down the stairs. She was worried about the other minions she loved her browns yes, but the others were just as important to domination.

[User] I wondered when I could use my favorite poisons" soulless said with a grin following Gnarl down the stairs. Honestly soulless wondered if he would ever go out of his own home and see what's out their. He also wanted to get the chance to use his poisons on the magical creatures and watch them suffer. If he can get his subjects loyal to him then he can get them to give him a forge to make an even better mace then what he has now. So many possibilities so little time to get ahead of his siblings to do so...

[Assistant] "I suppose whipping them back into line is important." Pix acknowledged, though she looked no less grumpy about her abrupt awakening. Following Giblet alongside her brothers and sisters, she pondered with a frown what had become of the Blues. Their revival magic made them easily the most valuable of the minions, capable of making even a single brown an endlessly reusable meat shield. If they and their hive had been stolen from the castle, then some actual whipping might be in order.

[User]
Zyphus had never really had the knack for magic that some of his half siblings had but that did not mean that he was stupid. Quite the opposite in fact. As he followed his siblings and Gnarl down towards the armory, when he finally spoke he betrayed a vastly different line of thought to that of his various kin. "We can hardly blame them for seeing an opportunity to seize more power for themselves at the cost of another and taking it; Any of us would have done the same in their shoes in a heartbeat. What I'm more interested in is how exactly this opportunity presented itself to them. The way I see it, there are three possible ways that this went down. The first is that they attacked with overwhelming force and claimed our artifacts as spoils of conquest, in which case we should have been alerted about what was going on. The second is that our security was so poorly organized as to be considered grossly incompetent. The last is that we have been betrayed from within our ranks."

Turning his gaze to rest solely on Gnarl, Zyphus's smile seemed to gain an unnervingly sharp edge to it; Much like a knife in the hand of a mugger in a dark alleyway. "So Gnarl, who is it that is in charge of the security of our home in the absence of our father?" Considering that the old minion was in charge of the day to day affairs of their home, it was clear that Zyphus had a strong inclination about who was head of security.

[Assistant]
"That would actually be Biter." Gnarl said with a frown. "But I haven't seen him since he went to wake Lady Pix this morning."

Luna looked at her sister with a hidden smile. She had known what had happened, as every other minion had returned from the woman's room.

Giblet stopped at the bottom of the stairs before looking at the three older women that stood before them.

"Our children are all grown up." Kelda smiled.

"Ready to take on the world." Juno added with a chuckle.

"Ready to conquer it, you mean." Fay laughed. "Each of them alone is strong enough to do so. Just think of the chaos they could spread together."

"Anyways." Kelda jumped back in, an unpleasant look towards Fay. "You've come for your gifts."

Juno moved towards each cabinet, opening it wide to reveal each of the young adults' new set of armor and weapons.

"You don't have to wear them but we thought you'd like them anyways." Fay said, looking at each of the armors.

Luna was quick to slide the armor on and pick up her sword, giving it a few practice swings.

[User]
Oya made a purring noise as she walked to the cabinet that was meant for her. She easily slipped the armor on which had a dark steel plating protecting the entire torso, head, legs, and forearms down. While her vital spots, and joints were protected by a very light yet incredibly strong dark brown leather. A softer padded leather also lined the inside of the gauntlets, boots, and torso for comfort. All of her armor made as to accentuate her fine figure. Around her waist was a thick metal plate belt that hugged the hips, and dipped down at the front with a minions face as a face in the center, and a cloth train connecting to the belt. The train was an electric blue on the outside, and black on the inside, and was open at the front, stopping just above the ankles. The gauntlets being talons at the finger tips, and the right being thinner than the left; both had an almost feather looking layering to them. The left gauntlet was what controlled her minions as evidence by the large white glowing gem imbedded in it. Her helmet covering her entire head save for a narrow slit of darkness with two glowing yellow almond shaped lights that were her eyes, and a hole where her long brown hair came out of. While three long feather looking blades jutted out from both sides in a fan going up towards the cranium while the design resembled a birds beak with its curving sharpness in the front. An intricate jagged and swirling storm like pattern adorned the entirety of her plate armor. A steel evil looking avian face with glowing brown gems in the eyes protected the left shoulder, while leaving the rest bare skin between the shoulder, and gauntlet. While the right arm had a wide billowing sleeve of electric blue cloth coming down to just above her hand. Her boots being thin, with many sharp plates that reached up her thighs, and metal minion heads on her knees. With the feet having the sharp claw like blades at the toe, which was only 5 centimeters long.

"Oho this I like," she said. Then turned to look at her siblings hefting her new Urumi onto her back. Which had a black blade, and a brown handle with fur lining the hilt like a mane. She could tell it was forged with a good many minion sacrifices with the way the white jewels glowed on each blade segment where it connected to the cord inside, with a brighter shine than her previous Urumi. This weapon had no element of its own, but it was powered to be impossible to sever the cord of the weapon. Unlike her other one where one good slash could sever the thing apart. While the blade segments of the weapon were incredibly sharp and could slice through solid stone.


[System]
Age: 23
Gender: Female

Appearance: Roze stands at about 5'4, with a slim yet curvaceous build and tanned skin. Her neck, wrists and arms are peppered with silvery, circular scars from past bite marks. According to a few people, she's the only person they've seen that had been bitten so much without being turned. Lucky her.
Her eyes are a bright cerulean blue, framed with long dark lashes and naturally slim dark brows. Her face is heart-shaped, with a dimpled smile and button nose. Atop her head sits a mane of black curls, which reach about her mid-back.

Creature: Human

Type of Hunter: Lycan, although is not averse to killing Vampires if necessary. In addition to this, if she catches a slight wind of demonic activity, she is there like a shot.

How long have you been hunting/afflicted: New to hunting – knows plenty of the lore and whatnot thanks to her (dead) vampire boyfriend, but hasn't had any in-field practice with Lycans. As for Vampires, she's killed three of them.

Growing in South Dakota, Roze lived a fairly middle-class life with successful parents, and a nice, big ass house. Her family wasn't too big – there was no-one on her Mom's native Italian side, and her Dad just had an older brother; her Uncle Bobby.

Bobby was great – having no kids himself, he doted on Roze, generally paying far more attention to her than her parents did, what with their busy jobs and travelling that they did. However, Bobby had a more than disturbing job – demon hunter.

And when you hunt demons, they don't appreciate it too much.

Sometime after Roze's sixth birthday, she was horrified to discover her Mother and Father fighting in the kitchen – her Mother had a knife, and was acting extremely aggressively. By the time her Father subdued her, something occurred that Roze could never forget; something rose out of her Mother's body and entered her Father, who then turned to her, knife that was slick with blood being gripped more tightly.

Except it wasn't her Father anymore.

And by the look in his suddenly unfamiliar eyes, he was ready to make hamburger meat out of her like her mother on the floor.

It was pure luck that Roze managed to dodge him, and run up the stairs. Pure luck that her Father had left his safe open and the gun out. Pure luck that Bobby had insisted on showing her how to load and fire a gun, despite her parent's disagreements with showing a child so young something so dangerous.

Dangerous, yes. But it saved her life. As her Father - or rather, whatever was inhabiting her Father's body – bore down on her, she let off the entire clip of bullets into his chest, the recoil of the gun knocking her to the floor.

The first person she called was Bobby, and then the police. By the time the police did arrive to the house, her prints had been wiped clean from the gun, and Bobby had rehearsed a story for her to say. Neither of them wanted her Father to be seen as some crazy man who deserved to be put down – so, they invented some masked figure who had broken in and killed her parents, but had fled as soon as Bobby arrived.

It didn't really match up with the evidence, but she adamantly stuck to her story. The cops didn't think for one second that a little girl would lie about it. So, while they chased this mystery man, the case eventually became cold, and forgotten about.

But not to Roze.

Now growing up with Bobby, he began teaching her about the world or the paranormal, and what those things were that killed her parents. She never blamed him for it, not for a second. As it turned out, trouble would have eventually found her anyway.

As puberty hit, Roze began falling into some bad crowds at her High School. She was getting wasted every other night, and curing her hangovers with skiving classes and yet more alcohol. However, when her first boyfriend began pressuring her to take drugs, she refused, not wanting to take a path as dark as that.
Her boyfriend didn't like that.

Late at night, at one of their less cosy haunts in the woods for parties, he threatened her with plenty of horrific things if she didn't do as she was told. Despite her training with Bobby, she wasn't strong enough to over power him, and would have ended up a druggie (Or worse) had it not been for Samuel.

Coming out of nowhere and nightmarishly swiftly killing her boyfriend before her, Roze knew that this guy was definitely not human. However, he acted as such with her, treating her with such care and concern that she truly believed that he killed that silly teenage boy to protect her. This was not the case.

Samuel had been immensely enticing to her every sense, and she had finally found her new vice of ecstasy with him. Rather than spending her nights drowning in alcohol, she cleaned up and spent most of her time with Samuel.
Bobby was somewhat suspicious of this newcomer, and wasn't particularly happy that he obviously had ten years on his 18-year-old niece – but Roze was much happier and healthier with this guy. Even if she did spend most nights with him, he couldn't be a bad influence... surely?

And then Bobby noticed the bite marks peppering Roze's body.

At first, he just that Samuel had some strange kink with biting – but then he realized. Vampire. Vampires were something Bobby avoided like the plague. Partially because a lot of them were actually nice members of society; but also because they fought in ways he wasn't used to. Blood magic – like the magic Samuel was using on Roze to make her think that he feeding off of her wasn't a bad or dangerous thing – wasn't something Bobby was comfortable with. But what could he do? Stepping in could just risk both of their lives, but if it continued, Roze could be turned.

Thankfully, someone else put a stop to it.

Another vampire, by the name of Thane; his mere entrance was enough to turn Samuel aggressive, and with a threat of ripping her throat out, demanded that he leave. At that moment, the blood magic evaporated, and Roze realized how foolish she had been. Turning on Samuel, the pair of them managed to take his head off before morning even broke.

Thane wasn't like Samuel – rather than pat her shoulder and reel off some sympathy, he instead explained things to her - why bad things, supernatural things had been pretty much all around her throughout her life. There was something in her blood – something unknown – that made it smell almost irresistible. It had drawn the demons to her home, and it had drawn Samuel to the forest that night. It had also drawn Thane to her, and in doing so, had saved her from Samuel.

After that night, Roze didn't go home. Instead, she left a voicemail for her Uncle Bobby, telling him to not worry about her anymore. She had to leave; otherwise she'd just be putting him in danger.

For the next couple of years, Roze stayed with Thane. Together they killed any Vampires that attempted to harm her, and bonded quite closely. He never drank from her, or used his magic on her. For once in his life, she had a partner who treated her like a human being.

Tragically, a few weeks ago, she lost Thane. Something had torn him apart like a rag doll – most of the evidence pointed towards Lycan, although it was a strange thing, for a pack of Lycans to target a lone vampire who obviously didn't pose any threats. Either way, Roze had nothing left, but an aching heart and lust for revenge. After wandering for a few weeks, Roze turned north, towards Maine. Thane had told her about a hunting group up there, a group that would welcome both the living and the afflicted. It would have been the perfect place for them both.

Except there was no both about it now.

Reason for Joining: She had nowhere else to go, and nothing left to do. So far, the only decent things she's done in her life have been ridding the world of bad things - why not turn it into a career of sorts?
Also, she may even be able to find those who took away the people she cared about so much.

Arrived: Today.

[User]
Ingrid chuckled at the man's explanation. "Probably not something you'd want to push away in the future then." Her eyes glanced down the road for a moment before returning to the conversation at hand. "I wouldn't worry too much about it hitting anybody, didn't seem to be goin' too fast." Even if it had been, she imagined the people in the camp had faced much worse than an unoccupied vehicle. When the young man introduced himself, Ingrid extended her free hand with a grin, a grin that showed a particularly sharp set of canines. "Pleasure to meet you Ryan. The name's Ingrid, Ingrid Venn." She giggled again at the nickname comment. "I dunno, I've had my share of nicknames, some tend to be longer than your real name... especially the unflattering ones." For what was supposed to be a cold-blooded killer, the girl was unusually chipper. After introducing herself, the young woman nodded. "Aye, I'm here for this meeting, and I suppose I am a hunter of sorts.

 As she spoke to Ryan, the vampire noticed a rattling sound growing nearer and nearer to their location. Eventually, a figure came into sight. He was a tall man, somewhat intimidating even, but that had more to do with the axe in his hand than his height. A grin still on her face, Ingrid's hand fell to casually rest at her left hip as she turned toward the newcomer. As he called out to them, her smile only widened. So it was his 'establishment'. "Oi, hi there. I wouldn't say we're lost, I do believe we're actually heading to your establishment at the moment." She still sounded unusually cheery. "Ryan here met with a little... um... misfortune. I imagine that was his truck, unless some other driver-less car decided to head that direction." She laughed at her own joke. "So you're the one in charge of this whole operation then, right?"

[Assistant]
William released a sigh of relief. He felt it safe to assume these two were just more hunters trying to reach his camp. He gave his axe another flick and angled the bladed edge towards the ground, which allowed the shaft to retract and return to its previous state. "Aye, I'm the one in charge around here. The one and only William Hendrick, but you can call me 'Captain' if that suits your fancy more." The worn hunter said with a slight welcoming smile. "And lad," William said, glancing at Ryan. "You'll be happy to hear that your vehicle has roosted itself comfortably in my town." He strapped his axe back onto his belt, turned towards the town again and started walking. He beckoned the two to follow him.

 "We're not far from the town. Just a short little walk is ahead of us now." He stated to the two following him. It was easy to see the details of the shield that rested comfortably on his back from behind him. The painted image of a wolf's decapitated head was clearly visible on the center of it. "Anyways miss, you told me the boys name, but what about you? You got a name or something I should call you by?" William asked, only glancing slightly over his should to look at the woman. A few minutes later, the small group would reach the town, finding Henryk near the pathway.

 "Ah, Henryk! Glad to see someone took my post while I was gone." William said as he approached the hunter. "You two make yourselves at home somewhere. Just don't get too comfortable, we'll be having a meeting in a short bit." He stated to Ryan and Ingrid, before turning to face Henryk again. "While I was gone, you didn't happen to see anyone else arrive did you?" William asked the Lycan.

[User]
Roze felt happiness rush through her, a feeling she had figured wouldn't ever be returning to her after the past couple of weeks. Peering at the town in the distance, with lights flickering here and there in the old buildings. Shelter. That usually meant food and warmth.

Hopefully I get food, and not become it for once. Roze thought to herself, hoisting her bag more securely on her shoulder. Her back and shoulders were killing her, what with walking for so long with such a heavy load. She would quite happily kill someone for a hot shower. Hell, she could settle on lukewarm - it would probably feel like lava either way after this cold weather.

The snow had been falling steadily since she made it to north-eastern New York, and the cold had just become more and more biting the further she headed north. She had managed to find shelter most nights - a lot of people simply felt sorry for her and let her bunk in their homes, or even their barns. But Maine didn't have as many villages and small towns as New York or Vermont - which meant more camping out in old mines, trees, and self-made (fairly crappy) wooden shelters. Fair to say, Roze was feeling pretty miserable, right until she crested that final hill.
And there was the fishing village below her.

As she descended the hill, some of the happiness began to ebb somewhat at the thought of her future fellows-in-arms. Vampires and Lycans would be here.
And they sure did enjoy the smell of her blood.
Even demons were attracted to it. Although thankful in not encountering any of the latter two on her lonesome road here, she had encountered a couple of Vampires who hadn't seen her as much of a threat. Although not killing them, several were missing teeth and fingers - one of them missing something just *slightly* more important. She doubted that that appendage would be growing back anytime soon.

"Well Thane... I finally made it." Roze muttered to herself as she neared the town, the hill and the road now behind her.
"Wish you were here. She added silently, and she fell to a stop a couple of paces short of the four stood at the border of the village. Two older men, one boy, and one girl. The girl was clearly a Vampire - Roze had been around enough of them by now to recognize one at sight. The boy was a human - and looked awfully innocent looking for the job at hand. The two men were definitely more stoic, and more intimidating - and although she couldn't be certain - they weren't entirely human.

She stood in silence for a few moments before directing her shrewd gaze to the guy in the duster and hat.

"Hey there John Wayne." She began with a smile. "You still accepting hunters?"


[System]
Character Sheet
[VICTUS STYLE]
Nick Name: Shelley
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Appearance/Physical: Shelley is rather petite and doesn't have much of a figure. She has black eyes like shining onyx gemstones and long black hair that she sometimes braids into a ponytail or into pigtails. She tends to play with the ends of her hair with her hands when she's nervous or absent-minded which looks an awful lot like fidgeting. Her skin is porcelain pale.
Appearance/Attire: Shelley prefers comfort and modesty, so wears loose-fitting or baggy clothes with dark, dull or subdued colors, which can make her look a bit trashy. She's been pressured into wearing contact lenses in public even though she doesn't like putting things in her eyes, so when she is at home, she prefers her big, round, thick glasses that make her look the part of her inner personality, that of a soft-core nerd. Shelley never got into make-up. Shelley tends not to attract attention and prefers it that way.
Bio: Shelley is quiet and non-confrontational. Shelley has difficulty connecting with other people but wants to help them. She has compassion but not empathy, which means that she can see that people need help, and she wants to help them, but she usually doesn't know how to help them and doesn't know how to comfort them. This makes her feel pretty powerless at times. On the one hand, she is motivated by approval and will do anything to please those around her, on the other hand, she has an instinctual fear of this desire to please being exploited, so she avoids social interactions so that she only gives her all to the people that are truly close to her. She cannot stand arguments and disagreements and deeply resents those who disturb the fragile peace of her life, which she will do all in her power to preserve. Shelley tends to take everything personally and does not respond well to criticism, often internalizing her emotions and pretending she's 'just fine'. Shelley is an 'external locus of control' person. Though Shelley has never been diagnosed (her mother believes psychiatric care is costly and pointless and that her daughter is 'just fine'), it is possible that she falls somewhere on the Autism Spectrum.
History: Shelley comes from an upper-middle class family. When she was young, her father had an affair, resulting in her parents' divorce. Her mother who was a pharmacist, raised her alone and couldn't spend much time with her. Shelley's grandmother (from her mother's side) also lived with them. Shelley's mother and grandmother often argued. Shelley developed an isolated independence and learned how to take care of herself in a very basic way (simple cooking, laundry, etc.) and contributed to house chores as much as she could. Shelley's mother was something of a typical Asian 'tiger mom' so Shelley was pushed to excel at academics. She did remarkably well in elementary and middle school, but has started struggling in high school. Shelley never picked up a musical instrument despite the stereotype. She has instead immersed herself in popular media as her hobby, enjoying comics, manga, cartoons, anime, etc. Being socially awkward, Shelley finds history and English classes as fairly pointless, and only sees utility in science and math classes, in which she does better than her other classes.
Weaknesses: Shelley is easily manipulated, and even though she may look stoic, is actually quite emotional.
Strengths: Shelley is dedicated and loyal, sometimes to her own detriment.

[User]
Heon's morning started on routine, Wayne had returned sometime in the night and was snoring in his room while Marcus sat at the dining table with a stupid grin as he glaring at his smartphone. The smell of fresh bacon and eggs tantalised Heonhime's taste buds as Marie cooked up his morning meal while humming an unfamiliar tune. Sitting at the large dark wood dining table, Hoen resting his cheek on one hand while he peered into the world outside the window. As Marie laid out Heon's breakfast before him he paid her no mind as he started to eat. He felt so far away from that world outside as he picked at his expensive thick slices of bacon with finely crafted silverware.

"Hey peasant, what is that dumb look for?" Marcus said with his mouth full of bread and bacon.

"Dumb look? Are you sure you're not projecting again Marcus?" Hoen offered back quickly.

"We're too far apart in prestige little brother, I'd never make such a mistake." Marcus huffed with a grin.

"I guess it would be hard to project when you're already so far up your own arse."

"Cut the pissing contest!" Marie shouted from the kitchen not far away. With her command Marcus shrugged his plump figure before glaring back at his smartphone once more while Hoenhime went back to eating.

With the morning pleasantries cut short by Marie, Hoen finished his meal before shifting to the third floor bathroom to clean up and prepare himself for the day. He pondered on his commitment to meet up with Jonathan at 2PM, though you could hardly call it a commitment, Hoen reasoned any excuse to stay out of the house was a good one. Shifting to his bed room Hoen eyed the rolled up parchment that sat on his desk, he'd contemplated throwing it away on more than one occasion and yet there it sat. Although he'd never admit it to his face, Jonathan was right, the parchment held an odd aura of curiosity that Hoenhime wouldn't mind getting cleared up.

It was 10:30AM by the time Hoen left the house, luckily for him Wayne was still asleep and besides a few snide remarks, Marcus remained primarily glued to his smartphone. Wearing an expensive long sleeved, black silk shirt and pants, Hoenhime made his way towards the school, intending to stop by the local library on his way.

[Assistant]
Shelley woke up at 11AM. Her mother didn't like her sleeping in this late, but she usually didn't say anything about, thinking Shelley was old enough to manage her own sleep schedule. At any rate, it was a weekend, and Shelley didn't have anything she needed to do. Shelley groaned to herself. She had stayed up pretty late playing games, even though she kept telling herself she would finish her homework early so she wouldn't have to worry about it over the weekend.

She washed up, brushed her teeth, and headed downstairs where her mother was preparing lunch. Shelley usually skipped breakfast if she woke up this late.

"Good morning, Shi Ling," her grandmother said, "I used to wake up late when I was your age."

Shelley nodded, unable to count how many times her grandmother had said this in the past. "Hey mom, I'll be going out later today," Shelley said.

"Oh? What for?" her mother asked.

"Oh, umm...well, you know..." Shelley didn't have a good excuse, it wasn't like she had any friends that she was close enough with t ohang out with over the weekends. "There's this...game coming out..."

"Shelley, I swear, you spend too much time and money on those. I've a mind to forbid you from playing games until your grades improve," Shelley's mother complained.

Shelley bit her lip. She had slowly stopped buying at game stores, and started making more and more purchases online so her mother wouldn't nag her about it as much. "I...I know mom...but I really want this game...I'll work harder at school, so will you please let me...?"

Shelley's mom didn't say anything for a bit, but because she had argued with grandmother yesterday, and they had sort of reconciled, she felt that maybe today she should be nicer to Shelley, if only to make grandmother feel happy. "Fine."

"Th-Thanks...Mom..." Shelley said, wishing that she was actually going to buy a game because it wasn't normally this easy to get her permission.

After finishing lunch Shelley headed out. It was 12PM, and she had two hours to figure out how to get to school. She normally took the bus, but it wasn't running on a Saturday as expected. She also hardly ever went out without her mother who drove everywhere, and school was too far to walk to. Shelley wandered around, until she found a bus stop for non-school-buses. She had a hard time reading the bus lines map and determining which bus she should get on, and by the time she had figured it out, realized that several of the buses she could have gotten on to go to her destination had already come and gone. When the next one finally arrived, she got on, and then had a hard time paying the bus driver, fiddling nervously through her wallet.

The rest of the ride she sat through nervously, desperately afraid she'd miss her stop, and causing her to hit to 'next stop' button twice, coaxing some condescending giggles from the two younger boys sitting in the seats behind her.

She got off, seeing recognizable scenery of the area near the school. It was only 1PM. She had made good time considering she didn't get on the bus until 12:30PM, but now she was an hour early and had no idea what to do in the mean time. Well, almost no idea. She pulled out a handheld gaming console, found a place to sit and whiled away the hour playing, not even considering the possibility that the school gate might be locked for the weekend.

[User]
It was fifteen to two when Heon left the Library, his backpack hung over one shoulder weighed down by the tomes he had hired out. Looking at his watch he decided to head to school. 'Jonathan sure had an odd way about doing things.' Heonhime thought to himself as he marched towards his destination. But the location made sense, it was familiar to all involved and the fence surrounding the oval and gym had a section to it that was broken.

As he walked Hoen's mind filled with thoughts regarding the parchment, he wondered if they're really find out anything if they brought all of them together, nothing about Hoenhime's parchment seemed to indicate that that'd be the case. "Ahh well, no use in trying I guess." Hoen huffed throwing his hands behind his head and looking up to the sky as he walked. It was quite a nice day, or say Heonhime thought anyway; overcast and windy yet not a hint of rain, though this type of weather had a tendency to change quickly.

Coming into view of the school entrance, Hoen noticed a young girl seated with her eyes glued to a handheld console. Shifting closer he peered at her for a moment, she looked familiar some how and that bothered Hoenhime. "Are you one of Jonathan's peons?" Hoen asked abruptly raising an eye brow. He couldn't think of any other reason why'd someone her age would be here. "Got one of these right?" Hoen probed further as he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a piece of square parchment with a glyph printed on it.

[Assistant]
Shelley had noticed movement from her peripheral vision, but paid the approaching figure no heed as several people had walked by this street in the last 45 minutes. However when he talked to her, she looked up at him. "P-peon? N-no, I'm just..." she said until he pulled out the parchment, "Y-yeah...that..." It suddenly occurred to Shelley that she didn't remember grabbing the parchment on her way out. In a panic she looked through her purse, which her mother told her to always bring whenever she left the house even though she didn't like the idea of carrying a purse. She relaxed when she remembered stuffing the parchment into her purse the night before, and promptly located it.

"Whew...I-I thought I forgot to bring it..." Shelley sighed to herself. She looked up at Hoen, not recognizing him. "Y-you know what these papers are? Did your classmates spread rumors about you having a stalker as well?"

[User]
"Why would I care what they think?" Heon asked confidently as he stuffed the parchment back into his bag. 'So she's a student dragged here by Jonathan as well. No wonder I couldn't remember her, she seems so timid.' Heonhime thought to himself. "Anyway, if you're waiting for the gate to open you might be here awhile." Hoen stated coldly. "If you want to get to the gym, you'll have to cut through the oval, there is a hole in the fence." Hoenhime continued. He didn't want to be kept waiting if she didn't know how to get to the gym after all.

As was typical of his conduct with others, Heonhime turned back to his journey without offering his name or even a proper greeting. Sliding his hands into his pockets he followed along the school's border until he reached a large grass oval, the oval fence followed through to a small clearing of trees and untended grass, it was here that the fence was damaged most and a large hole could be found, produced by a split in the fence's links that were pulled back to produce an opening. Ducking through the hole, Heonhime took a deep breathe when he emerged on the other side. This hadn't been the first time he'd done this and he doubted that it'd be the last. Across the oval sat a large red brick building with a basketball court to it's side, Hoen could see some figures next to the large structure off in the distance and started making his way towards them.

[Assistant]
"Oh!" Shelley remarked after Hoen told her of the hole in the fence. She stood up abruptly, then looked back down at her device, making sure to save her progress before putting it away. "T-thank you for telling me." She felt that it was fortunate he passed in front of her, otherwise, as had he said, she'd really be waiting at the front gate for a long time. She followed him to the hole, and waited for him to pass through. Shelley took her time going through, not wanting to get too many burrs on herself from the grass, nor wanting for any part of her clothes to catch on the chain link fence and tear; she'd have a hell of a time explaining how that happened to her mom.

"W-we should tell a custodian or janitor on Monday about this hole," Shelley said, for no other reason besides that it was 'against regulations'. Not really expecting Hoen to reply, she simply followed him to the rear of the gym where the others were waiting. None of the people here seemed to have that 'weak freshman' look, so she assumed they were probably all upperclassmen. She was really glad that Hoen passed by the front, because all these people had made it in here without her knowing. Shelley was surprised that a total of five people had this same parchment problem, though she didn't hear any dumb rumors about anyone else.


[System]
Theme:
For Ironic Reasons

Gender:
Female

Species:
Goblin

Appearance:

Goals:
Survive

Past Life:
Orchid's life was simple. She was just an everyday girl born and raised in a rural countryside in North Carolina. Her family were farmers; they raised cattle and grew corn to sell both locally and to various food industries. It was a family business and as the eldest child, Orchid often had to do all the chores herself if her parents weren't doing it. Feeding cattle, harvesting crops, taking care of her siblings. All while balancing an education and a social life. Sufficient to say she had to make some sacrifices.

She grew big and strong, stronger than most boys and even her own father (Though it didn't help that he was growing old). She could carry a small cow, push a truck out of the mud, and haul hundred pound bags of cornmeal in a ten mile walk. She never really took care of her appearance beyond some acne problems, and physically she was healthy, but her burly muscles and general demeanor did not earn her many friends. Girls insulted her for her manly physique and guys were either intimidated or just disgusted by her lack of femininity. Orchid learned not to care; she was doing more for her family now than those kids could with their entire adult careers. Always the dutiful daughter, she did everything for her family. Even sacrificed herself for them.

It was a cold winter morning. Though it was snowing heavily, school was not out due to important tests the students had to take. Orchid was waiting at her bus stop with her two siblings who were also going to school. It was cold, but they had made sure to dress warmly. But this also meant they were sluggish and a bit slow. As they were waiting for the school bus Orchid heard it coming. But something was wrong. The bus wasn't stopping. It started to slide and in the fraction of a second she knew what was going to happen. Her school bus was going to swerve and possibly hit them. She could jump out of the way but her little siblings couldn't they would be too slow. So as the adrenaline pumped through her body she picked them both up and threw them to safety. This left her no time to save herself as the bus crashed into her. Her last memories was looking up to the sky and noting how warm the snow was.

Abilities:
Light Equipment - The use of small tools, and lighter forms of armor, weaponry, and other items. Skill granted by birth as a Goblin.

Pacify Animal I (1.0) - You remember how to handle animals and read their body language. Through your own actions, you have a higher chance than normal of getting a hostile beast to calm down and become neutral towards you.

Stronger I (1.4) - Hauling bundles of hay and sacks of grain isn't all about size and muscle, though that certainly helps. Leverage is also a large part of strength, and you remember that. Your raw strength is increased by a minor amount.

Crafting III (3.0) - You can now craft more complex objects with a single moving part (like a flail or a wheel) more easily. Stamina usage from crafting decreased. Sub-stat Enhancements of items crafted from this point on are increased, but items previously made are still the same.

Material Analysis I (1.15) - You have developed an eye for determining the qualities of inorganic or non-living objects. At this level, you will only be able to gain surface information about an object. When used in conjunction with a crafting skill, it may help discover more compatible items.

Monster Analysis I (1.0) - Flat teeth indicate herbivore, binocular vision implies a predator or gatherer. Allows you to analyze animals and monsters, even those you've never seen before. At this rank you'll only learn basic information

Smash I (1.0) - A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage!

Transformations:
Goblin

Inventory:

Raw Dire Rat Hide (Equipped)
Loincloth (Equipped)
Sharp Stone (Equipped)
Rawhide Bag (7/12) (Equipped)
* Hard Stones x2
* Goblin Bones x2
* Herbs x3

[User]
He was stuck. It felt almost like a dream, except for the fact that he was aware that it wasn't real. As soon as he had selected his 'evolution' he was struck by this sense of weightlessness and almost… etherealness. He had passed out, his body collapsing to the ground and instinctively curling up into a foetal position as his wings cocooned themselves around him; he knew this because he could see it happening from outside of himself.

Before he had any time to ponder the reality of this out of body experience he had begun to rise upward, floating higher and higher away from his body and the cave floor. As he ascended it was like his senses expanded, his awareness of the world growing beyond what he should have been capable of, seeing things from far away or even seeing through the cave to the world outside; it felt like he would keep rising, keep expanding his range of vision until he could see the whole world at once, keep rising until he reached… something high up above.

But then he stopped.

He remained in the cave. He did not rise any further, but he also did not fall; he merely stopped and was struck by the sensation of being held in place by something. And then the world turned red.

Oberon's vision was drawn to a cave. Inside that cave was a group of familiar figures of various shapes and sizes. This group was gathered around a crystal and that crystal was behaving very strangely.

The green Wizard Slime was reaching out for the crystal and the crystal in turn was reaching out to him, growing more than moving in his direction and extending long thorns that were strangely, geometrically, perfectly straight. It reminded Oberon of the lines on a circuit board or really of any time some work of fiction wanted to depict something as technological, or at least non-biological; nature rarely produced such perfectly straight lines after all. Despite being so far away with this peculiar, all-seeing vision Oberon could see the happenings going on in the cave as if he was standing right next to them. He tried to activate Magic Analysis on the crystal, but who knew if he even had access to his usual abilities in this form.

A system message, combined with a voice in his head interrupted his examination of the crystal. At first the voice was unfamiliar and somewhat robotic; it sounded vaguely like an error message he would expect to see at work, in his old life. Then the voice was replaced by one a lot more… human was probably the wrong word, given who it was, but alive at least. The words in the message and the words being spoken were perfectly understandable yet at the same time they seemed distorted or corrupted somehow and filled his head with static. The Demon King sounded curious, surprised, maybe even a little approving; it seemed they were progressing faster than he had expected.

The message ended and Oberon's awareness of the cave returned. At some point he'd turned away from the cave and was looking down at his body, at the corpse of Rattleskull and at Mourningstar, who was now alone. In the distance, approaching Mourningstar and his helpless body, was a group of Goblins led by the one who had escaped from the bonfire earlier; the one who had tried to cast a fire spell.

Oberon used, or at least attempted to use, Magic Analysis on the approaching Goblins and their leader in particular. He turned back to the Wisp below and tried to call out, to warn her of the enemies approaching. Hopefully he would wake up before they arrived, or else he might get to experience his own death from a third person perspective.

Used "Magic Analysis III" on Dungeon Core and Jason
Used "Magic Analysis III" on Crispy and the approaching Goblins
Attempt to communicate from the other side

[Assistant]
Reoth

---

Deep in thought on how to use magic, or how to find out if he even could use it, Reoth hardly paid any more attention to the others as they went about their own business. Someone may have said something to him, but he didn't hear them. And so he lay there, watching Ash's attempts while his mind worked. Then just as the rock Ash was focused on started to move, he fell asleep.

Having no idea how much time may have passed, Roeth's eyes slowly opened to find that the others had left. Looking around quickly, he noticed the goblin and... dragon? It seemed he had awoken mid-conversation. It was only due to the voice of the reptile that he recognized her as Ash. Finding himself to be in a sort of awkward situation, Reoth stood and shook himself awake before looking to Ash and speaking, "Uhm... What happened to you?" He couldn't quite think of what to say other that that, or asking who the goblin was.

[User]
Asura felt himself turning into a gelatinous egg when he decided to evolve into the Amorphous Slime. It felt...strange. What was even more strange was that he left the egg...spiritually? He rose up a bit of a ways before he was stopped by something. He could look about the cave, have a vague feeling of things beyond it, and that Jason seemed to be doing something dumb. Messing with a red colored orb didn't sound like a good idea really.

Then everything got tinted red as if an alarm were going off. Which there was considering the system message that garbled its way onto his mental screen. Soon the Demon King took over as well which made his eyebrow go up. Solid choices and playing to their strengths? He had simply picked what sounded sensible for the direction he wanted to go in. But while the Demon King talked Asura took note of Crispy coming down the tunnel. I should have hidden first...dumbass. He thought.

He was stuck by some invisible force which wasn't good. So he started to struggle to get back down to his body so he could get the hell out of Crispy's way instead of being a sitting duck. Even with Mother Slime and Mourningstar there he wanted to be able to move damn it. He was pushing all of his will into moving himself in whatever direction he needed to to get his ass moving once more.

[Assistant]
The sun was starting to come into the cave, indicating that it was now nearly morning. It had been quite an eventful night, and frankly Orchid just wanted to put it all behind her. Fortunately Ash felt the same. Orchid had doubts that she could convince all of the goblins to come with her. Hell, now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure about the goblins she has on her side would be willing to join her. With any luck perhaps Ash might be the needed influence to get them on her side. They'd have to move quickly; it sounded like the fighting has died down which meant one side had managed to gain some sort of upperhand. Not to mention Orchid felt something... Strange... Happening in the cave. She wasn't sure what it was. But it wasn't going to be good.

"Agreed. After everything that's happened, I wouldn't be too surprised if things only get worse from here. Weather the storm."

Just as Orchid was getting ready to go a voice speak to them. Her first instinct was to get her shield up and get ready for another fight. It was then she noticed it was another fanged lizard and Orchid slightly relaxed. It would make sense that Orchid managed to gather others like her. But now wasn't the time for pleasantries. "Ash, I'll leave it to you to fill him in. I need to go. Be careful." Orchid left the two behind in the cave to head back to the bonfire. She remained on guard in case something did follow her and was lying in ambush; just because the sun was coming up doesn't mean this place was safe just yet.

She knew that Rattleskull would be dead by now. Even if she had bothered to actually fight for the goblins, she knew that he would have been overwhelmed and anyone who was helping him would have also died. If he was smart he would've listened to Orchid and chosen to weaken the monsters first with the only advantage the goblins had; fire and wood. Despite what Crispy had said about these holes that would provide ventilation, the smoke would've driven the other monsters out of the cave or better, towards the goblin's defenses, where they could have picked them off at their leisure. The same way Orchid would have taken out a hornet nest back at the farm; instead of going there with a stick, burn them out with fire. Even if these monsters were smarter than bees, that just meant it would take a bit more participation. Hopefully with Rattleskull dead the goblins would realize that strength alone will not be able to save them, and they would look to Orchid for guidance... Or they'll just brand her a coward who ran from a fight. That was a very real possibility too. She did, at least scream very loudly not too long ago, just as she had told the goblins when she first left. If they didn't follow her command, it can't be said it was because she didn't follow through on her end.

Already Orchid was making up a few lies and misdirections to trick the goblins. It was easy enough; she's done this plenty of times with her own family just to get them off her back. While she wasn't a trickster by nature, that didn't mean she didn't know how to weave a decent white lie. In any case right now Orchid needed to examine the area and figure out what the hell was going on. Something was happening in this cave and she intended to find out what it was before it finds her.

Health - Mostly Full
Magic - Full
Stamina - Mostly Full

Skills -
Use Light Equipment (--)
Pacify Animal I (1.0)
Stronger I (1.4)
Crafting IV (4)
Material Analysis I (1.15)
Monster Analysis I (1.0)
Smash I (1.0)

Inventory -
Raw Dire Rat Hide (Equipped)
Loincloth (Equipped)
Stone Spiked Club (Good) (Stored)
Wicker Shield (Well Made) (Equipped)
Torch (Equipped)
Plant Fiber Sling (Loaded) (Equipped)
Rawhide Bag (8/12) (Equipped)
* Hard Stones x2
* Antidote Fern
* Fiber Cordage (Average)
* Bloody Garrote

Leaf Sling Bag (1/3) (Equipped to Rawhide Bag)
* Sling Stones x4