[System]
Height : 174cm | Weight: 140lb | Age: 16
Appearance:
Transformed
In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up.
Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say.

Grimoire:
 • Title:  Merlin's Prophecies
 • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows.
 • Abilities:  The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object.
Misc:
Sidhe Staff
Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.

[User]
Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes.

By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed...

"Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power.

As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices?

"I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far.

"Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.

[Assistant]
"And... shoot!"

The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her

"Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!"

Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!"

Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now.

'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'

[User]
"You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one.

The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course.

Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.

[Assistant]
Ayaka Meru

---

 The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building.

 From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside.

 "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..."

 Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.

[User]
Studying.

Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly.

He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window.

By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase.

The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive.

"Let's get you out of here shall we?"

Anyone know the closest exit?

Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam.

"Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.

[Assistant]
"Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike.

When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin.

"What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction.

Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility.

---

[User]
For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said.

Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker.

Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself.

Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.

[Assistant]
Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!"

Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards.

'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!'

Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.

[User]
 From outside the office building, Ayaka watched intently as the battle pursued. Her attention being caught by the magical flurry of butterflies making their way inside. Her brow lifted in interest as she observed, though suddenly the Jack-In-The-Box released blades of air that rushed from within the building to the outside. Almost instantly did she raise her hand to form a barrier, her glance focusing on the box's escape as the wind-blades dissipated along her shield.

 The boss or the commander of the pageless began its escape and she watched Robin follow its path. Preparing for additional aid, the wizard would grab a selenite crystal from her pocket. As she sat on the staff she would begin chanting a spell under her mouth, the crystal being enveloped with white light. Eventually its form would dematerialize and shift into a ball and as it changed it would shoot into the building and rush itself towards Robin.

 It hovered and followed the archer, granting Robin sight over the majority of the building. If Robin were to focus on her surroundings she would be able to see the full capacity of the building along with any magical disturbances hidden from plain sight.

 I have to help defend against the Pageless! Use my sight spell to shoot the Box through the floors!

 Ayaka says exclusively to Robin, she prepares another assortment of spells. This time manifesting small orbs around herself, creating a dozen of purple-colored creations as she pointed to the building. The group of orbs would zip past her and go inside. Their form would shift into needle-like shapes dashing towards the Pageless and impaling them to give cover for Momo and Yuri.


[System]
Age: 23
Rank: Count of Torremolinos
Personality: At first impression, Diego seems to be a bit of a fop. He truly cares about the people under his rule, however, and is a master swordsman.
History: Diego is the result of the joining of two noble families, with the marriage of the Count y Correz and the Countess de Silvan. He has two younger sisters, whom he adores. With the sword skills he learned from his father, he happily chases away any suitors he deems unworthy of his sisters, which are most of them. Occasionally, Diego follows his father's example and disguises himself to go among his people, to see how they truly feel about their Count and Countess.
Extra: Deigo's sword skills are second only to his father's, and his mother has taught him to be a perfect gentleman. Some people make the mistake of dismissing him as not a danger; those people find themselves sorely mistaken. Literally, sorely.

[User]
Crown Prince Niall Collins
Location: Palace Ballroom/ Courtyard

"Mother, really we needn't be so decadent with the decorations. We have nothing to prove during the ball tomorrow, absolutely nothing. You mustn't fret so much over things like this, it will grey your hair." Niall was imposing as he stood next to his rather petite mother, he had inherited her dark hair though his was not quite so dark as hers. His face held a sly grin as he spoke the last several words and she turned to scowl at him. "Niall, sometimes you are much too big for your already rather large breeches." Though she scolded him she held a slight hint of a grin on her face, it was only the twitch of the corner of her mouth that belied that she's wasn't particularly serious. What she was serious about was the massive amount of decorations that covered the ballroom. It was a ball for no particular reason than to celebrate their wealth and the wealth of the people on Indra. His mother did love balls a bit too much sometimes for Niall's tastes.

Standing six foot seven made the Crown Prince stick out like a sore thumb, one of the reasons he chose to ride an Orica rather than an Epsuli as many of the courtiers and people directly under the crown did. He father always chided that he wasn't quite sure what they had fed him to make him so tall and broad but they needed to figure it out and give it to their young training soldiers. Though Indra had not been at war for many years now they kept a very elite master military force at all times, as men got past their fighting prime they retired to become teachers for the new recruits. They had master archers, swordsman, and cavalry and they fought to ride the horses Niall trained himself. Niall's Epsuli horses were revered for their bravery and instincts in battle. The cavalry trained on horses that knew the battlefield already. The horses learned rather quickly that it hurt to get hit with a sword and quickly learned to dodge blows if at all possible. Niall trained them with swords with a wooden edge so that they wouldn't get cut but it would still sting something fierce. It was just up to their riders to stay on top of them and not screw up their maneuvers.

Niall shook his head at his mother, "I will leave you to your work my dearest mother. I am going to see the horses and spend a bit of time outdoors." Though he wasn't really required to bow because of his position he did so anyway, sweeping one of his long legs out behind him in a graceful movement towards his mother. "Be safe my son," Was all the Queen of Indra replied. Niall took his leave, returning to his full height and striding out the doors of the ballroom into the courtyard through one of the side doors. The royal stables were within eye sight of the courtyard for him, just over the tops of the tall hedges that gave the illusion of privacy to the people sitting in the nooks and corners of the maze of hedges. He knew all the turns by heart, he had since he was a child. He used to pack his sister Selene out here when they were children. He was the epitome of health and strength and she was entirely too frail. If he could feed her his strength he would do so in a heartbeat.

He found an unoccupied bench in the larger side courtyard that was lightly more private than the one out front of the palace where visitors of his father, ambassadors from other nations and courtiers walked about freely. They were more liable to get lost in this maze that his mother had put in when she first married Niall's father. She was the second Princess of Zeelu, their king at the time's youngest daughter. Now her eldest brother and Niall's uncle was King. Zeelu was not as wealthy as Indra or Escova but not quite so poor as Manora who didn't even have a monarchy. Today Niall wore one of his favorite simple long sleeved shirts. It had come from he Bazaar earlier this year in Escova. It was made from a lovely light fabric that kept him from sweating so fiercely in the heat of the day. Niall leaned back against the back of the stone bench that he was apparently much too large for as his legs stuck across the walking path nearly completely and if he were to lean his head back he would undoubted end up with a head full of leaves from the bush behind him.

[Assistant]
When Adalaide came to reside at Court, she requested a room facing the East. They were unpopular, due to the morning sun, but in her home city there was no escaping the sun. If it did not face you directly, it would reflect off the sand and blind you just as badly. She was use to rising early and she didn't want to break the pattern.

Except for this morning. This morning she would appreciate if she could sleep in just an hour longer. As much as she normally loves people, she would be dreading interacting with as many people as were here today. It's always draining, and she just didn't look forward to it. The one thing she did appreciate about this, was that she could wear clothes from home, instead of the stuffy dresses from Indra. No one could say anything because there were going to be a lot more important people here wearing the same exact clothing.

Speaking of more important people, Adalaide glanced at the letter that was on her bedside table. Her sister sent it about a week ago, but it only arrived last night due to a sandstorm that blocked the mountain pass. It said that both her sister and her sister's husband would be arriving sometime this week. Something to cause her normally good mood to dampen her mood even further.

"M'Lady are you awake?" Adalaide's maid, Dinah, knocked on Adalaide's door and Adalaide sighed. Never two moments to herself.
It could be worse, Addy, you could be part of the Royal family. Adalaide smiled despite herself before calling her maid in.
"Would you grab my blue dress from home? I'll give them the biggest show tonight, and maybe they'll leave me alone for the rest of the nights." Adalaide said as she got out of bed and removed her nightdress. She stepped into her gown, seriously it was that simple, and had Dinah braid her hair while she applied her make up. It was over stated, but it was what people expected. Adalaide sent Dinah off to do whatever Dinah does during the day, and Adalaide went down to breakfast. Luckily being up so early had it's perks and she didn't have to dine with anybody. She made her rounds around the castle, talking to more people then she usually talks to the whole day in the span of a few hours. Finally Adalaide had enough and went to hide in the gardens, more specifically the maze. She didn't enter far, for she was claustrophobic enough as it is, but entered just enough to hide her. She was compact enough to hide her small frame on a bench, across the path but down a ways from where the Crown Prince had decided to sit down. Adalaide could see his legs in the aisle, and stifled a smile.

Adalaide tried not to say anything, to keep up the silence she so desperately wanted but she couldn't say nothing and so finally she broke the silence in the worst way possible.
"That's a good idea, Your Highness, sticking you legs out like that. People might things they're logs in the path and be dissuaded from coming down this corridor." Adalaide let a small smile fall on her face. She would forever tease the Crown Prince about his height, and she couldn't stop now just because it might be considered tactless at this point. They had both come to escape but if there was someone near her, Adalaide couldn't help but say something.

[User]
Princess Selene Collins

Due to her condition, Selene had often been able to escape the more constricting garments of court, as long as her clothing still showed the wealth of the royal family. Today was no different; Indra and her rulers cared more for their daughter's health than her finery. Therefore, her maid, Tallulah, helped her into an opulent creation of silk and lace that was both beautiful and light.

"Purple again?" Selene gave a slight, amused smile. The court dressmakers did seem to like to make her dresses in various shades of purple. This time, the dress started out as a light, silvery lilac on top and gradually changed to royal purple. Delicate white lace accented the neckline and the sleeves. "Well, it does suit you, and your status, milady." Tallulah replied, fastening the gown up the back. "Now, milady, if you'll let me do your hair next?"

"Of course." Seating herself at her vanity, Selene looked through her makeup to decide what she would apply that day. Tallulah hummed gently under her breath, a lullaby from her native Escova that she had often sung to her lady. As she did so, she carefully brushed and styled Selene's hair in the fashion of the times.

It took a while, but Tallulah finally set down the hairbrush, satisfied. "Now, isn't that lovely." She moved to kneel in front of Selene. "Have you decided on your makeup today, milady?" Selene nodded carefully, indicating several makeup containers gathered away from the rest. "I'll just get started, then." Applying the makeup took quite a bit more time, but eventually it was done. Her makeup was quite a bit lighter then was fashionable, but the court physician had warned her away from caking her face with cosmetics. Standing, Tallulah backed away a few steps. "Beautiful, milady."

"Thank you, Tallulah." Selene rose gracefully and, with her maid following, made her way down to the ballroom to possibly assist her mother. She could certainly help with the placement of the decorations, if not with actually placing them.

[Assistant]
A shot rang out throughout the courtyard, followed by the breaking of ceramic. Julien nodded with satisfaction at his shot as he began to load another shot. One of the many perks about being the Marquis (and for having a home so far out of the way any villages) is that you can have your own shooting range. Many of Julien's fellow nobles would look down on both owning a shooting range and using a musket, but that has never stopped Julien, or anyone else in his family. Many military officers frown on firearms, as their considered unsporting and potentially dangerous in the hands of a common soldier. Julien's family, the Guesclins, have been advocates for the use of such weapons for years, and Julien himself was nearly raised on them.

Julien had just begun to ram a bullet home when one of his houses servants spoke from behind him. Like many of the help in Julien's home, the servent was a former soldier in Julien's regiment, so he snapped to attention as though Julien were still in uniform.

"Message for you, sir." the man said, handing Julien an envelope before giving a salute, which Julien returned. "Thank you. Dismissed." After the man left, Julien opened the letter. To Julien's surprise, it was an invitation to a royal ball in a few days. Julien breathed a heavy sigh, he really didn't want to go, but it would seem antisocial if he didn't. "It seems as though I have no choice." he said to himself as he went back into his house in order to get his dress uniform ready.

[User]
One would think, looking at Diego, that he loved parties. They would be dead wrong. However, he had a reputation to uphold, so he gave a sigh and went to put on his finery. After all, he had two noble families to represent, and two lovely sisters to watch over.

"Never fear, Mami." He muttered. "I will take care of them." His parents had retired about a year ago, moving to a manor in Friesia and leaving their only son to take care of Torremolinos. The two girls, Alejandra and Idoya, had been given the choice to follow their parents to another country or stay in Indra with their brother; they chose the latter.

It would take him a while to change, even with the help of his manservant; it would take even longer for his sisters to decide what to wear. They would be ready by the time they had to leave, however. Diego knew that.


[System]
MARKED BY THE VIGILS

Cast out of her like-haired tribe of warriors, Theresa has adopted a lifestyle of combat and wanderlust. As such, she has come to the Continent out of sheer adventurous nature, wanting to dig up its mysteries and meet its many inhabitants, however dangerous the expedition may become.

---

GERALD PITHERS
MARKED BY THE VIGILS

The product of a mix-up in a sinister necromantic ritual, the drunkard Gerald was cast to sea shortly after his resurrection. After he washed up on the shore of the Continent, he decided he had nothing better to do and began exploring.

---

COASTAL VIGILS
Servants of an ancient and accursed proclomation, the lumbering Coastal Vigils announce all arrivals within the Continent, and mark them in such a way that they are never permitted to leave.

---

JOLLY GUTTERS
A leader amongst the black-blooded, inhuman Cleaver-Men originating from the ruined city of Aardvale, Jolly Gutters is the perfect example of a coloquially named "mark hunter", going out of his way to put down any such threats to the natives of the Continent.

---

JULIAN, KEEPER OF THE JUNCTION
A much, much older native of the Continent, Julian maintains the cross-connecting haven known as the Keeper's Junction. Full of information regarding the Continent and what lies within and around it, Julian is a friendly character who provides whatever he can to those he calls friends.

[User]
Jaded Woods: Creekside Path

The creek was long, curved, and flat. The forest, once they'd reached the point where the trees didn't let any sunlight at all through, didn't change much. The only visible source of sunlight, at the moment, came from the center of the creek, which was for the most part unshrouded by the trees. The terrain, however, did start to change slightly. It was gradual, but the ground slowly started to slope upwards. The creek, too, grew faster and the occasional rapids could be seen.
The green sand, which continued to blanket the ground, became coarser and more gravel-like as they continued.

Eventually, after a few hours of bickering as to what they'd do when they reached the creek's end, Chumi was treated to the hilarious sight of Piper walking directly into a green wall that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She let out a squawk of surprise as she fell back into the creek, and shot a burst of water in the general direction of the wall.

"You ok, Pip?" He said, once he stopped laughing enough to get the words out.

"Yeah, I'm, um, fine," she said, face red, looking at the thing she'd run into. The wall, it seemed, stretched far above the trees. Piper, already in the water, waded to the center of the creek. The creek's head seemed to be here, and the water was flowing out of a very small crack in the green expanse. The wall itself was mostly smooth, and looked to be made of the same green stone the gravel that covered the floor was made from. The spot where her blast of magic had hit was gouged, far deeper than it would have been if it had hit any sort of stone she could think of. There was still water dripping from it, carrying a sort of sandy sludge with it.

"Chumi, what do you think this thing is?" she asked, touching the wall with her hand. It was grainy and rough, almost as though it was made from the sand, rather than the sand being made from it.

"Some sort of cliff? Can't say I can think of any cliffs this smooth, though..."
"Maybe a wall of some sort?"
"Let's follow it and find out!"

Chumi reached into his bag, and pulled out a lantern. A quick spark, and warm red light shone from it, lighting the deep, dark forest.
The creek abandoned, they followed the sandstone cliffs edge. The map, bound to her own perception, simply marked the structure as the forest's edge, calling it Jaded Wall. The cliff was as unnaturally straight as it was smooth.

Barrier Cliffs

An hour of following it through the forest later, and they encountered what looked like the walls' natural counterpart. A tall cliff, whose very presence caused for there to be no neighboring trees to obscure the sunlight. So tall, in fact, that they couldn't actually see the top of it. What they could see, however, was something shiny, blue, and slightly sparkly. Piper's heart started to race in excitement at the sight- That couldn't be what she thought it was, could it? It was hard to tell, the sun was hiding behind the cliff itself.

"Chumi, are those gems up there..."
"I think they are. Can you cut me a spot for the ladder?"
A few measurements later, and she gouged out a hole near where the glimmering rocks were. Chumi threw up a rope, tipped with a strong hook, with many little rungs to the sides. When it landed within the hole she cut and found purchase, he gave it a few tugs, and offered her the rope. Piper began climbing.

Just as she thought! The glimmering gemstones in the deep green sandstone were none other than perfect, raw, un-used orbs! Deposits of them were very rare, and highly sought after. Just the amount she could see from here would leave them rich and wealthy beyond anything they'd ever had before.

"They're orbs! I'm gonna cut some out! Be ready to catch them!" She called out to Chumi, who fiddled with his bag for a moment, then pulled out a large net. While Orbs couldn't be broken until they were enchanted and then exhausted, it wouldn't do for them to fly all over the place.
The net was spread out on the ground, so Piper pulled out her wand once more, and started blasting the gems out of the sandstone. It was really fortunate that the stone was so weak.

Before long, there was a massive hole in the side of the cliff, and still hundreds of clusters of the little fist-sized gems. She'd really hit the motherlode! Her arms were getting tired from holding on to the rope ladder, though, so it was about time to climb down.

The net below was absolutely stuffed with orbs- They'd never be able to take this many with them, even with magic on their side. Even then, you could only compress orbs within other orbs so many times before the spells started to become unstable. A rush of water later, and the sandy slush that had come down with the orbs was cleaned away. Chumi got to work magically compressing some of the loot, and Piper sat down, watching him work. Chumi really was quite the masterful enchanter, with a few tricks, he could compress a whole second layer before compression instability started to become an issue. As it was, despite his prowess, they could only take sixteen of them, not including the orbs used to store the others.

They both looked at the compression orb once he was done, watching the tiny ones below its translucent surface spin.

"Even if we just took this one home, we could afford to live comfortably for the rest of our lives," Chumi said.

"Yeah, but..." Piper frowned.

"We'd never be hungry or anything, we could even open our own business," Chumi reasoned.

"We won't go down in history that way," Piper said, with a sort of finality to it that didn't actually close the topic.

"Right, we'd have to really take home a lot of these if we were to make history," Chumi agreed.

"How would we, though? There's no way we can carry that many, you know the rules about carrying around more than one top-level compressed orb," She said.

"I mean, if we got a cart, maybe..." Chumi proposed.

"What would pull it? This forest's far too thick for a centaur to make its way through, even if we'd brought one," Piper shook her head.

"We could pull it ourselves," Chumi said, obviously joking. Obviously. Piper ignored it just in case.

"You know," Piper said, thoughtfully, "they did do that thing over in Palimalou, where they found some strong, stupid Paliise, and got them to handle the agriculture. Saved them a lot of money, not having to ship workers over,"

"What are you proposing?" Chumi asked.

"I'm saying, if we were to find some... Whatever savages live around here, mystify them into thinking we're gods or something, we could have an entire mining operation handling all these orbs for us, and we wouldn't even need to do anything," Piper said, somewhat pleased with herself for thinking of it.

"I mean, there's no guarantee that they'd fall for it, though," Chumi said.

"Well, yeah, but we can just have anyone smart enough to figure that out either elevated to a management position or executed as an example," Piper said.

"Right, good idea. I think they did something similar in the Pali Pals Tomato Company, and they were very successful," Chumi reinforced.

"Okay! That's that settles it, then. We'll leave the net here, give me a moment," Piper pulled out the map, and touched the spot they were on, the only place not called Jade Something, with her wand. A little blue dot appeared there, marked Orb Mining Facility.

"We just need to find ourselves some savages, and we'll be good to go," Piper said. She also went over and released the grappling ladder from the cliff face, and handed it to Chumi. Chumi stored it, and the compressed orb as well. They looked around, trying not to forget anything, and decided there wasn't anything they needed. They looked at the now-soaked cliff face, and followed it once more.

[Assistant] Saaria remained silent and flew down to stand in front of Gerald. Fiery magic danced at her fingertips, and she gave them all a look that told them she wasn't going to back down. Her entire personality had flipped, she was just waiting to be tempted, and when provoked, she would not hold back. The fire in her throat and the magic in her soul stood ready to be accessed the moment these disgusting men tried to lay a hand on her new companion.

[User]
Cia

Cia gave a sigh as she flew closer to the others. She looked towards Jolly Gutters. "You say that he is marked for death, yet he's already dead? What's the point of killing him if he's already dead?" Cia asked them landing on top of gerald now. "And what's the point of him being dead to begin with anyways?"

Cia wanted to know as much as she could of the situation. Maybe they wouldn't have to fight. Cia wasn't exactly the best fighter to begin with anyways, though she was sure that Saaria could handle this herself. "I would hate for you all to die without understanding the situation after all. Besides I can't make an informed decision to give him up unless you explain to me why." Cia said now sitting on top of Geralds head.

[Assistant]
Brunhilde

An enormous green man, horns sprouting from his head and tusks the size of daggers, was charging through the forest, swinging his axe wildly and shouting obscenities in some unknown language. He resembled, loosely, what the people of Sorvir referred to as an Orc.

Brunhilde looked behind her as she 'ran', a look of complete confusion on her face. "Who the hell are you? Did I do something wrong? Stop following me."

The orc's hands were covered with tree sap, his hair was full of pinecones, and her questioning only enraged him further. He pushed himself as hard as he could to catch up to the human, and aimed his axe at her head.

Thump.

The orc's head hurt like hell, and it took him a few moments to realize he had run head first into a pine tree. His axe was lodged firmly in the wood, sap running down the grip. He shook his head to try to clear out the shock of running into several tons of solid wood, and heard giggling above him.

Brunhilde was hovering several meters above him, looking at the dazed orc, and trying desperately to hold in her laughter. She plucked a pinecone from the tree and tossed it at his head, and burst into even louder laughter. The orc got up and yanked his axe out of the tree, being pelted with pinecones all the while, and tried to pull her out of the air. Brunhilde dashed off into the distance, returning to the ground, and the orc gave chase once again.

[User]
Jolly Gutters, Gerald Pithers

---

Gutters stretched out his hands and grew an inquisitive look on his face. "Don't you know... the Continent's Curse?" He asked, sounding genuine this time.

"These lands of the lost? Ye forlorn, forgotten... fragments of history? Any of it?" He asked, "You two must be... very detached, from the rest of us..."

That crooked smile etched itself on Gutters' face again as he continued, "Any foreigners... who bear the mark of the Vigils... they're a threat to everyone they meet. You, us... they try to leave, and we may just... disappear..." He drew a long, rusting, serrated knife from within his coat, and held it forward.

"Maybe the dead man's smart enough not to leave, but... we Cleaver-Men don't take chances..."

He stepped forward, and several of his men followed. "Now hand him over..." He said, "So we can grind him into dust..."

Gerald backed away further. "IF, EH, OITHAH YOU RICHARDS CAN VACATE US FROM THIS EMCOUNTAH..." He said motioning towards Cia on his head and Saaria in front of him, "WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED..."


[System]
Rain Guardian

Normal Appearance

TYL Appearance

Known simply as 'The Serpent', or 'Il Serpente' in Italy, Hisaki has become a powerful assassin under the Vongola as their Rain Guardian. He wields Rain Flames, with Mist Flame abilities to compliment it. His main style is trickery. He hides his snake katana with Mist Flames, disguising it as a cane shortsword. His trickery around his weapon alone is as a result two-fold. He employs the use of Rain flames to augment his strikes and slow the opponent down, while using Mist flames to outpace them. To make up for his lower mastery of Mist flames, he uses small-scale illusions at an incredibly fast pace. He carries hidden throwing knives as an alternative combat option, known for striking them with his blade to throw them in unexpected ways and directions.
Aliases: Namimori Serpent
Age: 17
Gender: Male

Combat Data
Faction: Vongola
Position: Rain Guardian Candidate
Flame: Rain
Equipment:
Type Preferred - Sword with sheath weapons

Training Bokken with Sheath: A training sword with a specially made sheath.

Fighting Style: Hisaki's fighting style is deceptively passive, moves slowly, then suddenly lashes out explosively at the right moments in a counter-attack. The way Hisaki personally fights is using deception, and baiting his opponents into making the wrong move. He employs an Iaido style of swordsmanship, as well as hand to hand to compliment it. He'll often try to provoke his opponent though, which matches with his style. His rudimentary skill and precision is best shown in his ability to strike knives towards targets accurately as ranged weapons.

Techniques:

Shinsuiryuu Original Techniques
Ryuubi (Dragon Tail) - Backhanded strike with the sheathed weapon, before bringing himself into a draw stance. A standard pro-active move where the user strikes first.
Ryuusou (Dragon Claw) - A sideswipe attack using the blade handle as the contact point that simultaneously brings the blade into a draw stance. Used to parry. When he enters a draw stance with any of these two moves he can simply do normal slash and draw moves, or the special techniques below.
Totsukawa (Crashing River) - A simple dashing draw slash that if blocked can be appended into a Battou attack, converting it from an Iai move.
Niseiryu (Twin Crossing Dragons) - Two slashes in rapid succession before sheathing.
Senkou Shinryuuken (Flashing True Dragon Sword) - From any draw, a wide range slash that slashes everything around him. It's not a simple horizontal cut, but a single slash that changes direction, intensity, and angle to strike multiple targets in key spots in a single swing. This is a draw technique and ends with a sheathing of the sword, and is the first advanced technique learned in this style.

Hisaki's Original Techniques
Jakatsu (Snake Slide) - Enters stance while dashing to the side. What makes this unique is that the footwork is so quiet and subtle that most of the time the attacker doesn't know where he is based on sound and direction he moved out of their sight alone. This move will end with him entering a draw stance, where he can use the following, or any of his Shinsuiryuu techniques.
Jadoku (Snake Venom) - A slash that's aimed at vitals or muscles, it requires the least amount of effort, and is often the best way to disable opponents, or defeat them without causing greivous harm. At the same time it can cause the most harm by striking more painful places instead.
Zanrouga (Slashing Prison Fang) - While in draw stance right before being struck he'll execute Jakatsu backwards, then forwards past them in quick succession while slashing them once.

Special Characteristics:
Multiple Flames (Mist, not yet awakened).
Personal Data
Background: Hisaki was born to a poor and neglective family, father and mother eventually were imprisoned, and he was sent off to his uncle in Namimori. He was a problem child, but his uncle's dojo allowed him to better focus his emotions. He was an excellent student in the Shinsuiryuu Itto-ryu, or "True Water Dragon" style, a single blade style, but maybe a little zealous or rebellious, as he very quickly started developing his own techniques and style based around trickery, something his uncle isn't happy about. The fact it was before he was even recognized a master of the style too added to this.

Him being a problem child didn't really stop though, it just was far less. He gained a reputation for being fairly provocative, and this didn't sit well with the other juveniles and the gangs they formed, so he beat them up when they came looking for him. Because of the way he moved he was likened to the fast and sudden strike of a snake. This brought him to the attention of the Vongola in the area as well, partly due to his lineage, he was then recruited and it leads to now the present day. He knows little of the Vongola, but he sees joining them here as a chance to make use of his skills, something he's painfully aware that won't land him any jobs were he to choose to live a normal life.

His uncle was actually once part of the Vongola, but fell ill, leaving him with some permanent damage to his body's functions, preventing him from ever using his dying will flames, or exerting himself physically. Hisaki's mother and father were actually traitors, and are currently imprisoned by the Vindice. His uncle is uneasy about his current involvement with the Vongola, as he wanted to lead his nephew on a more righteous path without involving himself with the world of Mafia. He is unaware of this so far.

Personality: Hisaki is a rather callous person, he would taunt his enemies snidely and sometimes if provoked, rather angrily and without relent. He has a softer spot for small animals, his favourite being lizards, and despite that attitude does have honor towards those who earn his respect, and not actually very easy to provoke, if anything most of the time it's his opponents who are provoked. Those were the result of his discipline under his style of swordsmanship. Had he not gone under training and discipline he would have become a much less cooperative person.

Relationships:
Reina Saotome [Friendly Rivalry]: She attacked him believing the gang members he was brutally beating up were being bullied by him, that was not the case and they clashed. They are slightly at odds due to Hisaki's seeming disregard for others, though Reina was one of the few who earned his respect. It won't stop him from taunting her if they fight though.
Yoshiaki Sugihara [Acquaintance]: The two have occasionally met on the account of him being Reina's friend, and that the both of them frequent the arcade.

Nationality: Japanese, small quarter Italian.
Birthdate: 16th of July
Blood Type: No clue.
Height: 5'7
Weight: 52kg
Likes: Fried seafood and egg dishes.
Dislikes: Arrogance.
Hobbies: Fighting games at arcade.
Talents: He's talented with a knife, he hasn't learned to, but he can learn to make high class sashimi if he put time into it.
Family: His uncle, Touya Kawaguchi, and his parents, Sako and Jiro Kawaguchi.
Character Theme: Gluttony Fang TYL: Gluttony Fang II
Other:

[User]
Sachiko Kanno

"Understood thank you honored instructors" Sachiko said with a slight bow of her head before she left to follow the rest. Her thoughts though was racing a mile a minute. Not only was her sister admitted to a hospital but there was also people watching to make she was ok this was beyond what she hoped for. For once perhaps she was going to be able to move on with her sister being cared for she was able to focus on her tasks at hand. Without really noticing a smile graced her lips things was finally looking up but one thought plagued her mind she wanted freedom from her past. Something she thought she torn at the seams separating herself from her present and past though here she was taking a plunge promising to use her past skills to get help for her sister.

No she thought to herself her choice was was a good one if she had to kill again than she would do so if it meant the safety of her sister. With that thought in mind she walked forward the group of her "peers" was meeting at the shopping district to buy the needed equipment but something told her that she might be walking into a metaphorical mine field that might end up with her being in closer contact with the odd one known as Ayumu. No matter how much thought and time she put into thinking about it she could never figure out what he gained from contact with her. "Though what would happen if he knew all along about the whole situation and used that as a way to get closer to a future peer?" She muttered to herself as finally found the group. Continuing with her thoughts though "If that is the case than his earlier attempts would make perfect sense. Either way I will need to keep my guard up more often around him just in case." She muttered to her self once more. "I hope I am not to late I had some final clarifications I needed to clear up." Sachiko said outloud as jogged lightly to the group.

[Assistant]
As the odd squad continued on their quest for 'treasure' he decided to strike up a little convo. Hisaki nice choice. "Yo Hisaki right? Well tell me something about yourself, I'm kind of in the dark and if we're gonna be a team you're gonna need your strongest member to be your friend." As he said this he was doing keepy upies with the bats band ball, he was obviously sarcastic, but maybe he shouldn't have been some people don't take sarcasm well if he was lucky Hisaki would be fine.......

Wouldn't he.....

Maybe it was the fact that he only REALLY knew Rei and everyone else was new but, things were different. Usually it'd be Sanji being shouted over by his friends, but here with them it would be different just another guy people not, seeking his attention trying to make him laugh even if it wasn't funny. Sanji liked it

Is? Is that werid?

[User]
More or Less Yoshi was okay with the turnout. Even if Rei was the only one he really trusted. It showed too when he watched the small group form and stayed away. "More like I'm glad to have you with me. Would have sucked if I was in the mafia and my best bud was nowhere to be found." He laughed a bit before glancing towards the group. Crap, he needed a shopping bag... But... Ayumu... He wanted to stay away from him... And his questions. Why does he ask so many? What does he get out of it? He always wondered. Especially when Ayumu tried to sneak in little tidbits that he assumed the upperclassman just wanted to hold over the apparent mafia boss. Out of everyone else, he could have done without that pretty bastard.

"Still, I'm pretty interested. Camping huh? There's gotta be more to it than that." It was something of video game mentality. Somehow he felt there had to be more to it than simple bonding. "Gonna need to buy a sleeping bag. Old one's messed up to hell." He smirked and glanced at Rei. "Wanna race? Not sure how everyone else plans to do this, but the quicker we get through this shopping thing the better." Was what he said, though there was more to it than that. It was sort of a way to excuse separating himself from the group. A little competition. Out of everyone surely only Hisai would join right? Even then that wasn't a guarantee. He seemed more interested in games than anything else. But who knew how far that rivalry would spread.

Yoshiaki shook his head when he realized the somewhat competitive glare he was giving one upperclassman after enough. "Welp! I'm not waiting for you Rei! I'm gonna beat you there for sure!" He said before running off. "Usual bet! Loser's treating the winner to food and games!" He added loudly to his friend. Best to get things out of the way quickly. They had one night left. Tomorrow at 8AM The group was diving into the mafia world. Sure camping seemed like a silly start, but he was ready for this little challenge.

---

"You should relax Shiso. It will come to you. As of now, you are doing quite well in your work. You can only stand to get in your own way with such worries." Fon said simply as he watch things play out further, even offering a chuckle at the boss's actions. "He certainly is different. I'm curious as to how this'll pay out." He then spoke before turning to Shiso once more. "Shall we be off? There are still some preparations needed for this little trip." He spoke simply before leaping from the roof, heading off, assuming Shiso would folow.

[Assistant]
Hisaki was about ready to just get going to the shops, though during that time he was approached by one of the others gathered here, what was his name again... Sanki? Sonto... Oh right, Sanji, it took him a moment. He mentally noted "One Piece" as he looked to the boy as he addressed him. More about himself? Maybe this question would have gone down better, but to Hisaki it was meaningless and idle, but he was never one to simply shut it down aggressively unless he was in that kind of atmosphere, instead...

"I'm a one thousand year old ghost who has returned from imprisonment in hell and I roam this earth in search of my captor's descendants... And you might be one of them", he announced to Sanji convincingly. How he would respond, he would enjoy it, but shortly before more dialogue could be made to possibly clear that up, Yoshiaki decided on a race.

"A race? What are you an elementary student?", though as soon as he mentioned whoever was last was going to treat everyone to food... He looked at the amount of people here... Then quickly counted up the little bits of money in his wallet... And then he was out of there and after Yoshiaki in an instant. There's no way he was going to pay up though, even if he lost.


[System]
Age: 18

Personality: She'd seem like the 'nice girl' type, with her ability and her use of it supporting that statement, but she can be in fact surprisingly childish. She is not evil however, just a bit childish. She even looks a bit young for her age, but she does get offended by others calling her out about it. She developed a mix of fear and hatred for elves, unless they prove to be friendly and not haughty, which she doesn't believe will happen anytime soon. Looks up to Minotaurs, helps them every once in a while, although this is pretty much on a whim.

Abilities: She is capable of flying, that's her regular ability for a fairy, but she has two little special abilities. The first of those is Photosynthesis - through what seems to be her wings, she is able to absorb some power from the sun, and convert it to power and some neutrients for herself. The extent of this is about the same as human meals - she has to focus on it actively for about 10 minutes to get a feeling of 'fullness' (it can vary depending on the amount of light) . She passively does it too, but it's not nearly enough to actually be anything significant, it just means a bit longer 'recharge times'. The second special ability is to transfer energy from herself to other living beings, including plants. When she does this, it looks like twinkles of light coming out of her towards her target.

Bio: Having run away from some elves she come to anger more than once, she is a bit against staying in one place for long periods of time. (for now I guess.)

[User] As Eris was lying on she decided that it would be a good idea to try and find out if the ones on the boat were friendly or is they were like the elves, 'maybe it's just the elves or the minotaurs coming back' she thought to herself hoping she was right. After she came to this choice she got up from the seabed and started swimming towards the shore when she came out of her cave. When she got to the shore she got out of the water behind a rock out of sight of the boat where her tail quickly turned into legs and rushed to where clothes were laid out and slipped them on, then rung out her hair, it immediately becoming straighter than before and ran back behind the rock waiting for the ones on the bot to arrive.

[Assistant] As each passing moment went Clarisse grew more worrisome of the others and no longer wanting to sit there she decided to go warn other tribes, even if the elves didn't particularly like others. "Hm," she looked at the steep hillside that surrounded her cove, she didn't want to get wet again for a little bit and tried to figure a way out. She started climbing a nearby palm tree, "maybe here and then... here," she muttered to herself her pattern jumping from one tree on the ground to another imbedded in the hillside. She was out of breath and panting once she managed to reach the top and felt pretty triumphant of herself. Though that was short lived when a bit of earth slipped from under her and she started tumbling down the other side of the hill, "Ow, ow, ow!" she exclaimed every time she hit the ground. When reaching the bottom she landed in a pile of leaves which was good I guess, picking herself up and sighed, "well that was fun," she brushed herself off and picked some twigs from her hair. When she finished she started walking, staying hidden within the trees as she moved to the shore and her round, green emerald eyes, spotted the boat not far off shore and seeing a smaller boat get lowered they were preparing to come ashore their island.

[User] Faeya slowly walked along the sand and saw a boat. Her eyes widened and she decided to go see what it was. She let her wings come out and she started to fly over to the ship, keeping as concealed as possible. She noticed the smaller boat and she felt extremely aware of the situation. She looked around for the merfolk that were once swimming in the beautiful waters, but she couldn't see any.

[Assistant] Seth was to relaxed to notice Daichi, Ahab and Dawn leave the boat. He'll just have to swim to shore later. But for now he double checked the boats anchor and sat on the border of the boat watching the row boat that held his crew mates move closer towards the island. Seth ran back inside the ship and came back out holding a fishing pole. "Might as well do something before I'm stuck wondering the mysterious island." He said throwing the line into the ocean. He sat back on the border and wistled a light and peaceful toon. Hopefully a mermaid or any other type of watery majestic like creature doesn't bite onto Seth's bait. He was just looking forward to catching a regular fish.

[User] Mint was doing her usual round around the island's forests... at least the round itself was usual, but her route was never really decided, as she went wherever she wanted that moment. Along her route that time, she happened to see from a distance someone who seemed to be another fairy, on the edge of the forest. Despite the fact that it'd be quite meaningless to just hide and follow the fellow fairy, Mint decided to do it anyway, officially disrupting her flight through the forest. She thought that later, when the fairy does find her, she'd tell her where she noticed her... but then... ship. A large, intimidating ship. What particularly caught Mint's eyes was the large skull mark on the sail. She almost even failed to notice the smaller boat reaching for the island, if it wasn't for the other fairy's cautious movements. Letting her 'follow target' get away, Mint focused on taking her distance from the ship and boat reaching the shore although she still was curious to know what would come out of it. 'Just don't let it be more elves' she thought to herself.

[Assistant]
Fotis

He was helping the others clean up after their morning meal, leaving the food that was untouched for the later hours. Another Minotaur poked him in the side pointing on a frail looking woman.But to be fair most things looked frail compared to him. ''Why is the mermaid walking?'' He called out walking closer to her, the young children stared curiously at the girl, but hiding away letting the older speak to her. ''Did something grave happened to one of yours?'' His voice strong and a bit cold at first sound. His tail swung in concern.

Zvezdan

Zvezdan looked at Athena bite. Nodding to the idea to inform first the tribe of Minotaur, instead of fairies. But before everything he swam deeper to the sea floor picking things out and placing the sea plants into a empty clam as he broke the surface. Just in time to see Athena all dry and clothed starting to walk away into the forest.
''...I assume that means you didnt need a paste for the bite.'' He sighed a smile on his lips she was always a inpatient one in her own world. Not minding he was left behind he placed the mixture for healing he made between a few stones. Hiding it under a piece of driftwood for later.

Swimming away from the shore he made his way to the wooden thing that carried someone to ensure no one he knew decide to give it another visit. He was a bit of shocked as he watched something hit the sea floor. A anchor was the thing but Zvezdan couldnt even phantom what it was. He poked it it didnt bite him....... He gave up on it and being sure no one was around he swam away...well at least he tried to swim away until something tugged on his long hair.

The hook of a fishing pool got tangled in Zvezdan hair. He tugged and turn around trying to find the creature that was causing him the discomfort, not knowing that his turning around only tangled the metal object more with his hair. Feeling his hair up not finding any fish his worry grow.

[User]
Athena Stepped up to the minotaur with newly found courage and said "There are strangers coming on the island.." She said all worried like and had but a clueless face. She had an unshakeable beauty, Even one so crass could not but soften at her appearance. Dainty was athenas favorite word to describe herself and she smiled at the thought of getting complements from the warriors but shyly said "They are in a wood structure and they look mean" she said and folded her arms almost childishly.

As They neared the the island Dawn Jumped from the boat and began to walk through the water to shore, showing signs of happiness she never imagined she could feel on the voyage here. Once she hit the dry sand she pulled the row boat up on it "So Who has the map?" She asked with a smirk. Looking around a bit to ensure their safety, she adjusts her singed sword.

[Assistant]
Fotis found the mermaid adorable like a young child. Even thought he didnt show it with his stoic face or stiff stance it was his tail twitching that become softer, showing the reaction. ''A wood structure...did it float?'' Fotis asked caressing chin. He continued thinking aloud. ''hm.... I wonder if the old tales...''

 He looked at her snapping out of his thoughts. ''Your kin and you should hide in the waters deep inside the island, if they looked mean. '' He nodded and petted the top of her hair, in a comforting manner. '' From which direction are the strangers arriving?'' He asked still caressing the top of her head, planning to see if they would be willing to trade and leave, but if they were out for harm....they will wish they never came.

[User] Akira unsheathed her weapons and held them firmly in her hand as the people walked onto the island. She was hesitant on whether or not to trust them. But she assumed that the merfolk had told the other races.

[Assistant] Daichi hopped out of the boat as it came up on land and took out his rifle, readying it and keeping watch for anything that would try to attack them or that figure from before turned out to be hostile. Dawn asked who had the map but he didn't have it, in fact he thought she did, maybe Ahab had grabbed it.

[User] Mint watched as three people got off the boat, successfully invading the island's shore. She retreated away from the coast, however to still get a good view of the invaders she also got closer to the route she assumed they were going to go from, assuming they would go straight. She noticed that someone out of the three was asking something from the other two. She couldn't hear what exactly the question was, but it led her to think about the possibility that their reason for invading the island was a sort of 'trip' or 'detour' going wrong. Noticing what looked like weapons on them though, adding to the skull mark on the ship, the possibility that their trip was a peaceful one went down quite a bit.

[Assistant] Seeing weapons drawn Clarisse's eyes narrowed, "I knew it," she muttered to herself. Clarisse retreated back into the forest to lay low for a little bit, although she was rather confused about what the female invader said. Surely they weren't lost, maybe looking for trrasure? Something drew them to this island, she didn't know what exactly but she was certain it was no good. As she retreated further into the forest she spotted something...purple, although there was one fairy she knew with that color hair, "curiosity kills the cat Mint," she spoke in a soft melodic tone and gave out a.slight giggle.

[User] Eris looked over the top of the rock and as the people came into view she ducked down her hands clasped over her mouth, tears beginning to form in her eyes. humans, her mouth formed the words as though a nightmare had just come to life, 'why are they here?' Eris thought as she began to sink lower to the ground 'maybe I should run, no they'll see me..... but if I stay here...' she trailed off in her mind and slowly peeked back over to the rock at the humans who had come ashore hearing the woman ask for a map. As she watched, memories of those weeks onboard a human ship began to rush back to her and she felt her sickness coming on and fought to keep herself from throwing up as the memory of the guns pointed at her flashed through her head.

[Assistant] "Wha-" Mint managed to say while trying to be quiet for some reason, even if the pirates weren't that close yet. She looked back in a sharp movement, her eyes widening a bit. It seemed like the unknown, for her at least, was scarier than the pirates. ... even though the pirates were a kind of an 'unknown' factor too. When she saw Clarisse, Mint sighed in relief. "Geez, don't scare me like that... for a moment I thought it was one of -them- coming straight for me from behind or something." Said Mint, getting closer to Clarisse. It was partly Clarisse's choice of words that caused the misunderstanding to begin with, Mint was also guilty of the same thing straight after - She emphasized the word 'them', but she really didn't mean the pirates, but other potential threats like elves. "So... what do you make of those people?" She asked, that time she did refer to the pirates.

[User] Clarisse chuckled and patted the little fairy on the head, "well I'm sorry Mint I didn't mean to scare you." Her face turned serious when she asked abouf those people and sighed, "unfortunately i have run into people of their kindd before, all they know is how to pilage and plunder, not caring about anyone else but themselves." Though she shouldnt be quick to judge, but she didnt trust humans after that encounter. "Anyways its best if we steer clear of them cor a little bit, least till we know what exactly they're here for."

[Assistant] Mint endured the little pat on the head, forgiving the little scare rather quickly. She just felt it'd be a waste of time to bother saying more than she already did. "Oh, so you do have experience with them, Clarisse? They don't sound too friendly, from what you're saying.. drawing weapons like that also being rude." Said the little fairy as she wondered what kind of experience could Clarisse, the mermaid in front of her, possibly have with those people. She imagined that it wouldn't be anything good though, from what she heard. "... But couldn't we just watch them like this, so we could just know what they're up to by their actions? That's what I thought anyway." Mint didn't completely disagree with withdrawing, but she didn't really agree with just letting them come without any warning about their possible routes. She couldn't know about the mermaid which already went and warned the minotaurs, but she didn't want to be the one responsible if the pirates just decided to pop out of nowhere inside the minotaur village.


[System]
Race: Human

Age: 21

Gender: Male

Appearance: Rowan is a tall man with a average frame and a muscular build. He has one icey blue eyes as well as upper-back length, black, messy hair. He's a pale-skin with a deep tan and scars covering his torso and arms. The strangest thing about his appearance is the birthmark on his forehead which resembles a third eye, one which becomes more prominent when he is more enraged. The last notable piece to his appearance is a brand on his upper right arm which resembles a jagged swirl.

Clothing/Armor: He wears red, tattered pants, a leather belt, a red, tattered shirt, leather boots and a black, tattered cloak. Over his clothes, he wears thin armor over his feet, shins and knees as well as bracers and a light chainmail. Around his neck he wears a circular locket with an ornate celtic design, inside of which is a picture of him as a child and a girl with their names, Siegfried and Brynhildr, scratched into the inside opposite the picture.

Weapons: Rowan wields a long broadsword with nothing special about it other than its extended handle, allowing him to switch from single hand and two hand wielding styles, which he keeps sheathed on the side of his backpack. His only other weapon is some sort of eastern dagger (similar to a scimitar) that he keeps sheathed at his left hip.

Alignment: NG

Skills/Abilities: He's proficient with longswords and bigger blades but has trouble with new weapons at first. He learns quickly how to use weapons. Very proficient at hunting and fishing as well as other survival skills. He knows how to work a forge well as he repairs his broken weapons and tries to keep the others from breaking.

Magic: The branding on his arm magically calls monsters and demons to him. Because of the dragon blood in him,

Backstory: He doesn't know much about his history other than the fact he's always fought monsters, his name and the girl. However, this is only a small part of the man.

When he was young, Siegfried spent much of his time running around the little northern village he'd grown up in with his best friend, Brynhildr. Other children would pick on him because he was smaller than them. Because of Brynhildr, he became braver, stronger and bigger. When he became of age, his village was attacked by a dragon, Fafnir, which he battled and defeated, accidentally swallowing a bit of the beast's blood and covering his wounds. Since then, he's been wandering, fighting, surviving, honing his skills and defending the weak.

[User]
After wandering from place to place in the town Tobias slowed his pace lost in his thoughts muttering to himself "We could just get back on the boat, we came here to try getting ahead of all this.." Katia punched Tobia's arm forgetting he was wearing heavy armor due to her temper she rubbed her sore hand as she continued on at Tobias "No!, i'm not getting back on the ship again, and where would we even go this time?!". Tobias turned to look at her "It's just not safe Kat..." Katia cut in again "No!, i know things were bad back home, and yea this attack on the town was just a taste of what we ran from, but we actually helped people here... i don't wanna keep running i'm tired of it Tobias and i know you are too... so... i mean..." Katia trailed off as if failing to find the words to get her point across when a heavy hand patted her head.

Tobias looked around at the busy street they'd been wandering getting sent from one officials building to another everyone claiming they where too busy to meet with outsiders due to the recent events, "Well our more immediate concern is where are we gonna stay for the night at least, before we decide on any future plans". In the back of his mind though he was hoping that the destroyed building back there wasn't the only pub in the town. Katia smiled at Tobias brimming with confidence "lets go back and ask!, i mean you helped the locals & the guards i'm sure someone back there will recognize ya and help us out?".

Tobias rubbed his forehead unable to come up with a better plan as they where getting nowhere with the town officials on the other end of town, "Seems the best option for now, I really hope we can find a place to stay". Tobias turned and slowly walked back to the scene of the fighting his thoughts now flooding with worry and concern for what the future held for them & for Katias continued safety. Katia on the other hand was her usual cheerful self closely following beside Tobias as they went back, her demeanor was only interrupted briefly by a loud grumbling noise. "Well i hope there's a place that serves food still running, i'm starved!".

[Assistant]
After no response from Tabitha, Tirarrian realised there was a story behind this. However, since there was 2 other people following her around who were injured and she didn't have time to hear it. She turned to them "Do you want to go to the other side of the square, I'll do what I can for both of you."

There was probably some kind of shade they could get under too, since it was approaching midday and the others lacked the same headwear as the Gnome. She brushed the feather on her cap, as she always did once immediate danger had passed

@IcePezz@Tabitha Jade@Elitestpotato

[User]
Durin stood there on edge, waiting for something to happen. But then nothing did. Was it all a trick? Durin turned back to face the gnome, she didn't seem to be hostile anymore, so he would go with her, for now. He thought over her request for a few seconds before nodding.

"Aye. That'll probably do in the short run. I aught to see a healer later to get this thing properly patched up." Gnomes generally weren't the sort to have extensive knowledge of medicine. They were too squirrely for a practice as delicate as the bodies of other creatures. Asides, they appeared more familiar with machines than people. Why else would they give each other such odd tattoos.

Fated Fallen @IcePezz @elitestpotato @Tabitha Jade

[Assistant]
She growled. One of her biggest pet peeves was to be ignored. She had a solid point, and no one seemed to care. Very well...

The gnome spoke up trying to diffuse the situation. "Do you want to go to the other side of the square, I'll do what I can for both of you.". The question prompted her to look over her own wounds which at first she thought were minimal. The scrapes and scratches seemed to be a bit more extensive. Apparently the pain of hunger had overpowered the sting she might have felt radiating down her arm and her backside. But as the blood seeped out of the torn cloth and stained almost everywhere, she nodded to the gnome.

"Aye. That'll probably do in the short run. I aught to see a healer later to get this thing properly patched up.", Durin chimed in.

"We should get somewhere safe. Perhaps to that inn that Robert mentioned? Or I'm sure this bloody town has more than one healers shop that can take care of you properly, sir", she nodded to Durin, glancing over his wound. "We'll leave these two to their own fate. Maybe they'll kill each other, maybe they're destined to fall in love. Either way, waiting for them to settle their squabble only leaves us as open targets. Lead the way, my friend"

She couldn't help but look back at Edict and Jade. She knew that the group would be no match for what lay ahead of them without Jade and Edict. She couldn't fault them though, so many times in the past, her pride, passion, faith ... whatever it was ... it always managed to get her into fights, brawls were more like it, and often at the most inopportune times. One thought... a hope really, lingered with her as she tore her glance away from the two - they would settle things quickly and join the rest before things got even more out of hand than they already have.

It was only a matter of time until the next attack ... until they were all doomed.

[User]
"We'll leave these two to their own fate. Maybe they'll kill each other, maybe they're destined to fall in love. Either way, waiting for them to settle their squabble only leaves us as open targets. Lead the way, my friend"

There was something sorrowful in Izzy's voice, though Tirarrian had no idea why. She cleared her throat "Yes, Durin. This is your home, lead us where you think best."

As the adrenaline of the fight wore off the Gnome started to feel aches in her small frame, where she'd pulled muscles dodging. Aparrently being cooped up in the cargo bay of a ship wasn't good for me. she mused. As they strode off Tirarrian couldn't help but turn around and say childishly to the wrestling pair "Get a room!" while smirking to herself and burying herself in her bag to prepare various treatments

[Assistant] Siegfried strode into the Crazy Cat Inn wearing a long, black cloak. After taking a seat beside Robert, he waved to a bar wench. "I want milk." he said plainly. Looking to the man beside him, he shrugged. "No sense drinking if you can't get drunk, am I right?" He nudged him lightly with a chuckle. Once his milk was brought to him, he chugged it quickly and slammed the mug down, a temporary white stain adorning his upper lip. He wiped it away with his sleeve as he looked at Robert again. "You look pretty strong. Think you can help me with a job?" He waited to see the man's reaction with a small smirk.

[User] Durin looked at the two women, his mind in a haze. Why were they looking at him like that? Suddenly he was supposed to be leading them somewhere? He had been pretty certain that he was just following them. He dug through his own mind for a few seconds before he remembered that there was supposed to be some sort of healer's shop near here run by a pale elf woman. He blinked a few more times before he remembered where it was. Wordlessly, the dwarf began to hobble off through the debris towards the store without waiting for either Tirarrian or Isabeau to catch up to him.

[Assistant] Robert couldn't catch sleep. He lay on his bed constantly drifting in and out of sleep. He decided that he might just go downstairs drink some strong booze. Go get drunk and try it again. He didn't take his sword with him. Because it would start whining again. He walked down the stairs went to the bar ordered some beer. And started drinking. He then noticed someone entering the room. He looked very weird for a human. He then sat beside him. witch really surprised him. He then ordered milk." Wow what a wimp"'He thought to himself as he finished his drink. He was about to leave when He said. "No sense drinking if you can't get drunk, am I right?" This made Robert laugh a little and decided to order another drink. He then asked Robert if he could help him with a job. Robert Raised and eyebrow and without looking to him said." That depends How much i get paid"

[User]
No sooner had Tirarrian asked the Dwarf to take the lead did he turn and walk away. The strong silent type, without a doubt she thought to herself. While rummaging through her bags the Gnome's curiosity got the better of her (as is so common with her people in general). "So, Durin. I made an educated guess about whether you actually lived here. I'll assume that you do, so tell me, how does a Dwarf end up settling in a marshy out-of-the-way human settlement?"

@IcePezz

[Assistant]
Isabeau pulled her hood back over her head, tucking whatever out in the open strands of hair neatly within the soft black cloth that managed to hide most of her features. Her injuries weren't anywhere near as bad as the dwarf's, but they somehow still managed to slow her down some.

She lagged behind the two, though it wasn't completely unintentional. She had to be sure - sure they weren't being followed, or tracked, or hunted, or worse ... watched. Her eyes darted along the beaten path ahead of them, then to each side, glancing down the abandoned alleyways, still full of corpses.

Night was finally upon them, and it was beautiful. Perhaps only because of the dreary scene that surrounded them, but non the less, it brought her comfort. The smoke had finally started to clear, allowing one to see the stars that had blanketed the sky that night. Bright and vast, expanding along the horizon and away from the town, as if to escape death's grasp.

Izzy drifted elsewhere as her gaze was lost in their twinkling light, leaving her a bit farther behind than she intended. Tirarrian's words interupted her thoughts and she ran to catch up to them. Quietly she followed along. She hated healers, never truly could pin point why, but for the most part, she didn't trust them. Unfortunately for her, she was never really good at patching herself up. Maybe the basic balm and bandage here and there. But any trip to an infirmary usually had her pouting and whining like a child. There was something else to it this time though. She didn't want anything to do with their war, and now she was smack in the middle of it. Who were these people really?! Caution and paranoia usually paid off, but she was completely in the dark here and had no idea what to expect. So she suddenly found herself quite curious with the dwarf's answer to the question asked.

[User] "Half the bounty." Siegfried said with a smirk. "We both leave happy, right?" Looking around, he frowned. "Normally, I wouldn't ask but what man can take on a Grand Basilisk alone? No actual bounty yet but there's much you can take from the beast once it's slain to sell in the market for a hefty price. It's venom is the priciest." He looked at Robert again with a smile. "And if you say it's from a Grand Basilisk, the price should be ten times the average basilisk venom price." He leaned his head back with a stretch. "You in? You can bring however many people you want. If you know any friends that'd be willing to fight alongside you, that is. I mean, this is a Grand Basilisk."


[System]
Sex: Female
Age: 29
Appearance:

Basic Appearance: As the picture suggests, she is one of the few in the Lunar Coven to fully devote herself to the more animalistic side of their magic, having developed a purplish fur and skin across her body, a tail, and oversized wolf ears. However, unlike most within her specialized group, she has studied the other magics in conjunction, producing an artifact that may cast the illusion of her former appearance.

This appearance is that of an averaged-sized, if beautiful, woman in her late 20's. Though her clothes may change to suit the occasion, she is most commonly in street clothes; tee-shirts and jeans. However, she does consistently wear a small gold necklace with a wolf charm, in both forms, into which the illusion magic is imbedded. Her eyes are silver, and her hair does come out purple now, though it used to be brown. The most common excuse she uses is that she dyes it.
Zoey uses a her clawed feet and and pouch of throwing stars as her primary weapons.

Abilities
Passive:
 Wulvmorph: She is able to smell and hear better than normal humans, and has the ability to see clearly at night. She is also more agile and resistant to injury
 Lunar communication: She is able to understand and communicate simple messages with and through creatures of the night. These include things such as bats, wolves, and similarly disposed creatures.
 Alchemical experience: She has a proficient knowledge in night time flora and their uses, typically applied to wounds and antitoxins.
 Illusory-form: She can pass off easily as a normal human with good senses because of her pendant, which is easily charged.
Active:
 Shapeshift: She is able to shapeshift at will into a wolf, which dramatically increases her ground speed and agility. She is still able to cast magic out of this wolf form, meaning that if she were ever trapped as a wolf she would still be able to communicate and uphold her duties.
 Illusion magic: She is able to cast a quick spell for minimal affect: Speech out of wolf form, a brief vision, a flash of light, etc. with no preparation. Otherwise, depending on the complexity of the spell, and the distance of the illusory site from her casting zone, there can be a substantial set-up time for the spell.
 Teleport: She is able to teleport up to a distance of about 20 yards without preparation. Other distance may require anywhere from a 40 minutes to an entire week to prepare for.
Noctalance: A lance of silver life that causes a freezing puncture wound, called from above. It is most effective at night with a full moon, but can be used to affect even in the day. (Though at such times they are little more than needles the size of a toothpick.)
Shadow dance: A highly complex maneuver of shadow magic, it uses two steps. Manipulation of shadows and darkness, and a unique, highly specialized teleport that requires those shadows. The effect is a blindingly fast teleport that can be used to apply rapid strikes to a target, typically one per teleport. It looks like passing through liquid shadows to pop out of another liquid shadow.
Moon's Bounty: A small-scale healing and stabilization magic, it involves drawing a crescent rune on the target and charging it with magic, which will ensure the target won't die of something physical and slowly heal them over time, for as long as the rune persists. The mark is low-energy, but also generally doesn't heal much more than a scraped knee in it's duration unless it is charged beyond. The direct-spell version of this would feel like getting dunked in ice water, and coming out with fresh, but the feeling is described as, "Undesirable, to be used only if the person would otherwise die. Because they would otherwise wish that they had."

Backstory
Zoey is from a town called Billings, a relatively large town in Montana. Her story of joining the Lunar Coven is actually one of the less eventful ones: she was approached one night while she was in college and accepted. A talent, she quickly acquired her skills within the Coven and acquired the title of Acolyte. As an acolyte, she established herself as one of the best, able to easily practice in the large, open ground of her home state, and train in the rougher, mountainous regions also found in the unremarkable stretch. Eventually, she reached a status of elitism. Having chosen to pursue transformation magic, this culminated in a visit from "the Aspect of the Wolf," a spirit entity of the highest rank within their order, though also not human. She received it's blessing, becoming infused with it's power to become the creature she is today. She still faithfully serves the Coven, believing in their work to make the night a little less bumpy for the more ignorant humans of her region.

Personality
Cheerful, though both independent and private, she is used to going long times with only brief social contact. While she isn't overly rude, she does speak her mind and may occasionally misspeak, missing a social clue or such. That said, she is concerned with helping people, and will act in the way she believes will help humans. She believes herself to be a good person, and still human. While she is used to such comments now, it still will sting her pride if she is referred to anything else.

She does not get angry often, but if she is made to become angry, she tends to act quickly and explosively. Such outbursts do not usually involve violence, but it is still not recommended.

The Lunar Coven:
docs.google.com/document/d/1KxiyMJLvF1..

[User]
Raiya felt a bit disturbed by the overt emphasis Nemo placed on, "protecting" her. After a bit of mental deliberation she decided to just ignore Nemo's insanity. Raiya released her sword letting it evaporate into her manainventory.

I mean, if he isn't just being crazy for the sake of it, he is probably just trying to manipulate me. Either way, I won't let anything get in between me and my goal so it's best to just disregard it and focus on my goal of finding my parent's murderer Raiya's mind briefly wandered.

Raiya leapt on top of a shipping crate and sat down on it letting her legs hang off it.

"Well," Raiya said to Nemo with a soft undertone of forced enthusiasm, "That's a useful trick."

[Assistant]
Despite the bright light, Boslan closed his eyes and used his advanced manalysis to locate Zoey, just in time to roll out of the way of her elbow drop. Boslan then levitated himself back to feet and dispersed the bright distraction stuck to him. Boslan had been getting a bit irritated by now, causing him to lash out by sweeping his arm across from right to left, generating a twelve foot tall wall off magic energy that rapidly swept across to hit Zoey. "A persistent one aren't you?" He spat out.

---

Nemo didn't face Raiya once she got on top of the container. He instead looked off to the distance in thought. Judging by what I saw happen to Mr. Hunley earlier, that intimate display with her sword earlier wasn't just for show. She must have venom in her saliva. That's an interesting thought.

"Indeed it is. That technique doesn't seem like all that much, but it's been one of my most effective over the years." Nemo replied. He suddenly got an idea, licking two fingers and running them through a lock of his hair, causing it to temporarily stand up. "Hey Raiya," Nemo turned around with one hand still on his throat, "Who am I now?" He asked, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Raiya's own female voice sounded awkward coming out of Nemo. "Do you think that Zoey and Zuri will be fine on their own, or should we swoop in and steal all the fun?"

[User] Zuri didn't know how to stop that huge wave of energy that was heading straight towards Zoey. It was just too fast for her to try to cancel it out, so instead of doing something that most likely wouldn't work out, she aims her staff straight at Boslan and charges up her spell before blasting it straight towards him, the shape of a spear and the speed of an arrow shot from a compound bow. The spell is intended to penetrate any magical shield, so the only way to stop it is to dodge it or cancelling it out with the same amount of force, which shouldn't be easy with the rate at which the spell was traveling at, however Boslan noticing that Zuri was charging up the spell earlier could be a possibility unless he was distracted or too occupied by something else.

[Assistant] Zoey simply fell through a shadow and back up through his, "Persistent? You have to land hits before you can claim I'm tenacious," she bluffed. She wrapped an arm around his neck and started to squeeze. "Now, this little puppy just failed his mission. He should fall asleep like a good little pup and forget he ever saw us," she mumbles through gritted teeth, having noticed the other one had dropped.

[User]
Raiya was a bit annoyed at the voice bit, but what really irritated her and pushed her a bit over the edge was the mock ahoge Nemo managed to erect. Normally she would have suppressed her emotions to not let it bubble out into a physical display of expression. But Nemo's joke got Raiya's goat so efficiently that she could not help but be flustered. Her face grew a bit red as she clenched her teeth and balled her fists a bit.

She turned her head upright violently and scoffed, "That's not very funny." She puffed out angrily. After regaining her composition, her lividity and expression returning to normal, she replied, "I don't know. Both of those girls are oddities. If things turn too ugly we could always step in, though."

[Assistant]
Boslan emitted another shockwave from his body to get Zoey off him. "This isn't gonna stop till one of us is dead." He remarked, suddenly being tipped off to Zuri's attack thanks to his manalysis. Boslan spun around and generated shield, figuring he had taken care of it. But instead the spear punctured straight through his shield and impaled him right in the abdomen. He let out a howl of pain, clutching the spear until it dissipated into energy, leaving a large wound in his stomach. Boslan bled from the wound profusely, blood dribbled from his mouth as well.

In response he shot out a large explosive blast towards Zuri with one hand, the other trying to halt the bleeding.

---

Nemo used his hand as a visor and squinted, looking towards the action. "Looks like they've got it covered." Nemo commented after seeing Boslan get hit. He fixed his hair and turned back to her. "It might not have been a show stopper, but seeing you blush was worth it." Nemo admitted. "Your talent mark is lovely too. I presume that's what began your interest in snakes?"

[User]
Raiya raised her right hand to cover her right eye in contemplation. It was a talent mark, but unlike others who were talent marked, he aura was blank like a normal talent before she decided to specialize. This led her and others to ponder whether or not it really was a talent mark and not just a normal birth defect. However, the slit pupil was not something that could be a natural biological flaw, it had to be a talent mark.

"It's funny, I hadn't ever really thought it was snake-like until recently..." She explained with her right hand still on her eye as she looked down from her perch. "No, I didn't get to choose my iruzumi beast. There are only so many of them, so they are assigned and recycled throughout the generations in the yakuza. They are only reassigned after the previous wearer dies." Raiya explained, "Although, the style and depiction of the tattoo is up to the wearer. The iruzumi beast imbued into the tattoo is not a choice. It is assigned as a status symbol to the lieutenants and administration in the yakuza."  Raiya continued, "It just so happens that I ended up with the hebi iruzumi." Raiya lowered her right arm, and pulled up her coat sleeve to reveal a flame-like orange snake coiling around her arm.

Raiya didn't fully understand how the spell worked herself. But she knew the iruzumi artist who gave her the tattoo somehow created a complex runic formula with his tattoos, and that the ink he was was special as well. It was natural for her to not understand it, though. The only person who did fully understand it was the artist himself. The method was documented, however the scrolls that contained the knowledge required to create the tattoos were hidden and closely guarded.

[Assistant] Zoey sighed, having hoped to have gotten through this without killing the guy. If that's what he wanted,, though, that was what he wanted. She pulled out her pistol and fired at the back of his head from her prone position, having been thrown a couple of meters away from the guy, as he shot his concussive blast at Zuri. It was a shame she'd have to kill a human. She much preferred monsters.

[User]
"Ah yes, your tattoos. You know I'm a fan of art, so body-art like that is right up my alley." Nemo replied, slowly spinning around with his arms outstretched as if he was trying to become a helicopter. "Such vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges on that one. The yellow really matches your eye as well." Nemo stopped spinning, slightly dizzy. "People often considered my appearance to be the result of a talent mark. But I surely wasn't born a talent. I suppose it's more like an un-talent mark."

---

The sudden usage of the pistol caught Boslan off guard, which unfortunately was his final downfall. All that could be heard after the quiet sound of the silenced pistol was the sound of the bullet impacting Boslan's skull, and then his body limply falling over dead. His spell he used against Zuri would be his last.

With Boslan dead there was nothing keeping the realm spell going. A sudden rush changed the scenery back to the real world, though that didn't bring much of a change. Besides the damage done by the spells clearing up, one could only notice minute details change. Like the sounds of seagulls calling to each other from up high, and the tides coming in.

---

"Well that's that." Nemo said, looking around to make sure the workers haven't returned. Thankfully it was all clear. Without Boslan or Logan there to sort them out it didn't surprise them it was taking extra time. He looked over to Travis. "I'm hoping you're almost done over there or else were gonna be in for more trouble." He called out to him, looking back. "Also I'm hoping somebody has something to sort out there bodies unless we want to cause a stir." Nemo added.

[Assistant] Zoey sighs and puts the gun away. She looks at her feet for a while, as if sending a prayer, then turned and looked around. "Right, which container's our mark. Would rather get this over with quickly. Also, what do we do with the body?" She had a feeling that if Felix were here, things may have gone differently. She put her illusion back up and leaned against one of the containers, looking tired.