[System]
Chris Falcon
Alias: "The Street Samurai of Brazil"
Age: 19
Nationality: Brazil
Gender: A boy, as girly as he looks like.
Appearance: A somewhat tanned skintone with blue eyes and a smooth, straight black hair that goes a bit down further his waist. His body is somewhat slender, but with the results of rigorous training and some scars that are the consequence of his fighting life. Far from being a body builder, but with some muscle developed - as far as his rather androgynous appearance goes. His clothing consists mostly of a tanktop, a pair of gloves, the common "baggy pants" used by Ninja and a pair of tabi. Hair is always kept in a ponytail, as both as a matter of preference and practicality.

History: Kurenai-Ryu dojo has a bit of history in both Japan and Brazil - formed by descendants of Hanzo Hattori and Kirigakure Saizo, they were nearly extinct by the time that Japan had the Meiji Restoration. However, practitioners who kept the tradition alive spread the ways of the dojo to every country they could. Cue the Japanese mass imigration of 1908 and a few Kurenai Ryu representatives spreading around from the moment they got off the Kasato-Maru.

More than a century later, A certain pretty boy who's been training on the style since childhood managed to make quite a name for himself. Little is known about his origins or his true identity, except he was adopted by the Kurenai Ryu masters and showed a natural talent for it. When he started witnessing a skyrocket in crime rates, at first, he used his knowledge to protect himself. Then, when a former student of the Dojo with a grudge came in, stormed the place and started a smearing campaign on the internet, Chris decided to take matters into his own hands. After taking care of the salty ex-student, he was approached by a livestreamer and offered an interesting proposal: Beating up thugs and nasty mutants known as the "Rakshasa" for the crowds on social media to have something to watch while he could easily clean up the name of his school.

And soon, Eva Roulette got her attention on the "Street Samurai of Brazil" and the large fanbase he earned.

Personality
Motivations: His main motivation are the vows to his dojo, and a bit of a personal enjoyment in being a vigilante himself.
Sexuality: He's straight to the point of beating men when they attempt to flirt with him.
Likes:
* Reading. His favorite authors are Sun Tzu and Ludwig Von Mises
* Cute animals, like Hamsters, Raccoons and Squirrels.
* Cookies and Coffee

Dislikes:
* Guys hitting on him
* Television
* Alcohol

General: Pretty chill guy, even though problems come to hit him hard. He's far from being the stoic, arrogant martial arts expert and a compassionate at times. He's not bloodthirsty, even though he loves the thrills of a good fight. He can easily get bored when he has to deal with mundane, slice of life situations where "nothing interesting happens at all".

Fighting Arts
Skills: He's an agile traceur, able to use online technology with ease and stealth to an extent.
Fighting Style: Kurenai-Ryu is a style of Ninjutsu that was created by the descendants of Hanzo Hattori and Saizo Kirigakure after Ieyasu unified Japan. With the ban of weaponry in the 16th century, only special agents of the Shogunate were able to practice the arts. It faced a decline in the Meiji restoration era, but it returned with full force when Ninja movies became a fad in 1980's.

Kurenai Ryu focuses in taijutsu, mostly in the use of kicks and leg-based grappling to pin down and strike opponents. The strikes focuse on hitting the pressure points that could immobilize enemies or bring them off-balance while grappling is a way to "beat a bunch of bastards using this bastard". Kurenai Ryu ninjas also use a lot of Chi, but instead of shooting, they channel it to enhance their durability and strength, making legs stronger than steel.

Weaknesses: Being a leg-based martial art, expect him to be in a big disadvantage if he can't kick. And Kurenai Ryu is focused in fighting against large numbers of foes at once, so he's not quite the best in ring battles.
Special Techniques:
* Oborozuki: A somersault kick that hurls the opponent upwards.
* Seiryuu no Mai: A stylish three hits combo that is executed in the air, tossing the opponent back in the last blow.
* Shirohebi: A grapple with the legs. Opponents hit by this will get themselves swirling and slammed to the ground.

Super Arts: Kirin Matsuri Kyaku: Chris darts around in a Pentagram-like movement, stunning enemies. Then he jumps up and kicks down, Kamen Rider style, which ends with a big burst of chi.
Exp: 0
Equipment: A few shuriken he carries with him, in case he needs to keep enemies at bay.

Other: While he has a background as an internet celebrity, it doesn't interfere much on personal interactions - I don't intend to make this character be a victim of the fame tampering with his views, but rather as a rather energetic young lad. Characters who are familiar with livestream are a bonus for interaction and, while I prefer having the concept simple, room for social development is always welcome. For a personal motif, go with Loud Faith, by T.Stebbins.

As a beat'em up Junkie myself, both the games that range from the old-school arcades and the more modern, fresh takes on the genre are equal in my book. My favorite old-school entry in the genre is TMNT Hyperstone Heist, and in the modern age, I'll stick with the Musou games. Even the Non Koei Tecmo ones like Fate Extella Link.

[User]
As Naja took on the defensive, she somewhat got aware of the others of her team going on the offensive. She noted Llexe launching herself in, and… so violent! It wouldn't normally be an issue, honestly Naja herself was equally violent, but Naja had just thrown her target out the building specifically to avoid hurting the any part of the shop, the floor included! … She has claws on those gauntlets, huh. It did look like Llexe took a pretty bad hit, but she seemed utterly unaffected so perhaps she didn't even need to dodge that.

Light was playing with some of them and Christopher was engaging a few outside. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi was moving to take apart some opponents with his sword… though not literally, she was observing. Somewhere out there Sam acted as a literal wall that their opponents just couldn't escape against.

With those monsters outside, Llexe in here threatening to kill them and Kiyoshi swinging a sword with movements like a blur, it somehow came to be that the few remaining, panicked gang-members saw the muscular cyborg as their best chance. Honestly, she wasn't sure if they were wrong. If they somehow took her down, they'd have hostages. Which, of course, was the very reason Naja placed herself here.

Two of them were running in to punch her. Their simple plan was that coming from two directions made them more likely to win. It made sense, but their style… it was untrained. This was just sad.

Rule number one of taking on multiple opponents… take them on one by one. Before they reached her, she sprung forth to meet the one on her right, fists raised to punch. He raised his fists to guard his face… so Naja punched him once in the gut with her right hand, doubling the guy before her second fist struck him him in the face, knocking him out, and the hand in his gut held onto his clothing so he didn't fly into the wall.

The second guy pursued her to strike her from the side. Naja spun towards him, still holding attacker #1 in her right hand as her right metal foot flew up to almost strike her opponent's head. He blocked it with his left arm, but his whole guard cracked after blocking Naja's high-power metal leg. He shouted, and was about to career into the wall of the store's goods… when Naja jumped from left to right leg bringing up her left leg in a swift kick into the man's side from the other side, nullifying his movement and knocking him out. Her left hand quickly flew forth to grab him by his clothing before he fell into anything.

'You're safe for now, we got you,' Naja told the couple as she gently put the two Tunnel Snakes on the floor, no harm done to the store on her expense. Nobody took her on after that.

+2 KOs. Total: 13 KOs, 3 injured, 1 winded and 1 fighting Light. 2 unaccounted for, but they're probably pretty scared by now.

[Assistant]
When her allies came to deal with these thugs in force, Light noticed there wouldn't be that many playmates left. Sam was an unstoppable wall, while everyone else was either beating up people inside the store, or were with Light dealing with the people outside. Giving out a sad "Awww" as she noticed this, she caught the fist of the one person she was fighting with. Using her other hand to pin his other arm to his side and stopping him from moving, she began to play with him by doing a mock dance with him. Sure the thug tried struggling at first, but when Light could effortlessly drag his feet across the ground, he eventually just gave up struggling knowing he was just completely overpowered. Of course this didn't stop him from saying obscenities, but that ended fairly shortly when Light began to sing a slow dancing 60s song in eldritch.

The thug she had gut punched earlier recovered from being winded to the scene of his buddy being played with like a doll from a cloaked figure that was just speaking tongues. Seeing this, he tried to swing at Light, who swung his ally to block the attack, following up with using his allies own fist to smack him. This continued with a playful side kick from Light, followed by a smack by his buddy, and eventually the weirdness of the situation really got to both thugs. But just as the free thug was thinking of running away, Light grabbed him and put both thugs in a big hug, swinging them around like dolls and squeezing them until they passed out.

Throwing her unconscious playthings on top of the third thug she had knocked out earlier, she moved to help the others. If this meant dealing with anyone who was going to run away, or anyone who called for help, time would tell.

+2 KO, total 15 KO, 3 injured, 2 unaccounted for.

[User]
Two more punks stood on Chris' way as he just finished playing with Trio the punch. He smiled softly after wiping the blood from the knife slash that he received. "Looks like you got lucky, lassie. But this time we're not going to go easy on you!" One of the two bikers roared as he was cracking his knuckles.

His reaction was to yawn at the bully's threat and scratch the back of his head. "Whatever, chump. I had to hold myself back and let them give me some hits on purpose, because you are just that weak. Besides, the fact you always attack in numbers and go for people who can't defend themselves says quite a lot about how much your strength and fearsome reputation are nothing more but a mere facade."

This time Chris was serious; He had some fun playing with the other three thugs, one of them he just let go, albeit somewhat conscious. When the two came rushing and ready to fight, he was already in his fighting stance. The playful persona gone, just the adrenaline rush he was barely able to contain. The first thug tried to come with a combination of jabs, all of which he dodged with grace. Then, the biker was countered with a fierce kick to his ribs, followed by another two on his solar plexus and his face. While flinching, Chris performed a scissor grapple with his legs and tossed him towards the other.

While the two were getting themselves up, or rather, struggling to, Chris just went to a nearby oil can and smashed it. A pleasant, and ironic surprise followed as a succulent turkey leg in a luxurious porcelain plate was waiting for him. Once he finished the meal, it was time to finish the job. The second thug came close, but fell down after getting hit by a sweep and knocked away with an Oborozuki. He had hit a wall and slowly slid downwards, and on his eyes, two comical spirals spinning.

KO: Biker Thug 1

"Hey, don't run away, you're the next." Chris was faster than him, and as his opponent was trying to run, his parkour abilities gave the ninja an advantage. The man was caught in a scissor joint and dropped. "You know, I could kill you right now. But I have orders to keep you alive."

"P-p-please! I surrender! Don't hurt me!" The man was crying. His pants were wet after he emptied his bladder in sheer panic. "I don't take surrenders. Your friends are very tough when it comes to people who can't defend themselves, but it's time for you to know what happens to those who prey on the innocent." Chris sniffed the air, feeling the strong stench and sighed, "Damn, how much of a whiny coward you are!"

In a short burst of fury, Chris threatened to stomp on his face. The biker fainted in fear and Chris let him be. "All right, who's next in line?"

KO - Biker Thug 2

Total KO: 4, 1 injured.


[System]
Nickname(Optional): Pfft, no.
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Physical Appearance: Of Average build with short dark hair, Neil isn't exactly the most unique specimen. He is fit but not noticeably so. He isn't big at all, but he is also not small. He has a face girls can find cute, but not exactly dreamy. Tanned skin and a ruddy complexion from all of the machine's he's worked on, coupled with the calluses on his hands gives him an experienced look despite the very youthful appearance he has. All in all, other than the twinkling of his eyes and the trademark grin, he is essentially average. He has dark eyes and very dark brown hair, enough to be considered black under most light. He's about 5'10 and 165 pounds.
Clothing: He often wears baggy pants, mostly military cargo. He likes to wear single colored T-Shirts. Usually he wears red.
Personality: Oh, now that is a question. To say Neil is eccentric is...well, that hits the nail on the head. Very good with hand-eye coordination, competent combatant, good engineer, and a daring pilot. But prone to sarcasm, snide remarks, unorthodox behavior, and just good old fashioned explosions. He's a born jokester, though behind his charming yet insufferable demeanor belies a certain intelligence, and to those he enjoys, he does tend to have a big heart.

[User]
Neil's hand gripped the branch above him to steady himself in his seat, and he needed the added measure at the moment because he was very confused at the turn of events. He hadn't expected Sayeeda to exit the safety of the ship, particularly without armor on and...she was speaking to them. "That's new," he breathed, carrying the 'a' sound in 'that' for a bit to emphasize just how perplexed he was.

He wasn't exactly sheltered, but he wasn't nearly as well traveled as Junebug, so at the moment he was entirely sure that she either had been here before, or had learned their native language in case of a merc campaign. Did Sayeeda know where this planet was located? Did she keep any secrets relevant to their safety? If they lived through this, he would wait until they were alone and she was properly dressed or he'd be a bit too distracted.

A wiry but tall and strong looking man, strode to the front of this staggered formation of barbarians. His black hair was long and his eyes were bronzed from the sun's light. A short spear was in his left hand, held as easily as one would expect from someone who's livelihood depended on how well he could wield the weapon. The spearhead was not rock or iron, but a tooth or claw of some massive animal.

His next words were quick and without suitable pause for Sayeeda to understand them. She would catch the phrases of 'food' and 'water,' perhaps the word 'people' and what sounded like 'legend.' There was a small amount of reverence in his voice, but also a bit of fear and anger, as if he both did and did not quite know what to make of the ship. Gesturing to the ship, he bared his teeth and struck his dirt covered, chiseled chest with his fist.

Neil had managed to shimmy his way across to another tree without drawing any attention. He might not be used to the forest, but he was lithe and dexterous. If worse came to worse he'd need to do something to help his Captain.

[Assistant]
At first Junebug thought it might all go badly. The locals seemed agitated even though they hand't initiated the encounter with violence. The langauge was a struggle, it was a distant ancestor of the versions of the languges she half remembered from sleep learning during transits to various deployments. He seemed to want to know if they were with the Steelmen or maybe if they were men from the steel beast. Junebug eventually decided this must be some sort of group or faction she didn't know of and shook her head.

"We are ...merchants," she said unable to bring the word to explorers or castaways to mind. The man shook his head in confusion.

"We need your help," she tried vainly.

"Our ...chariot.. has been damaged we need to heal it," she stumbled unfamiliar words tripping her at every turn. At the word heal the chief and the assembled villagers seemed to perk up markedly. He gestured at her with his spear.

"You healing spirit. You come village. Eat we talk," he said, making exaggerated gesture. Junebug nodded and smiled broadly before turning to where Neil was cautiously advancing to the wary regard of their new hosts.

"Either they want to eat us or we are being invited to their village to eat," she said shrugging helplessly. Taya had still yet to appear from the Highlander, but it didn't seem that the presence of an armed amateur could contribute usefully in an case.

"Taya," she said queing the link to to the Highlander with a crook of her little finger.

"Get my first aid bag and stash some weapons in something inconspicuous

and get up here on the double."

[User]
"Tremendous." Neil replied in an extravagant and ostentatious accent. He almost felt like he was in one of the holodisks he sometimes viewed back before he joined the crew when he actually had free time. Ancient humans of the 'Victorian' kingdom dealing with savages at the edge of the known world. Well, at least when he appeared before the tribesman, they only gawked at him a bit before he was sure they were not going to stick him like a pig.

Once Taya stumbled out of the ship with a bag, a few of the tribesmen turned around, spears leveled. She squeaked and nearly dropped the sack. Neil was nimble enough to catch the drooping bag and help her yank it level again. "Nothing to see here. No firewater here." He said, hand in the air to halt anyone coming closer.

"Thank you," she whispered, nervously glancing about. "Do things like this always happen with you two?"

Neil placed his hands in his pockets, giving the fierce spears and wild eyed stares from the locals a cursory look. "...I'm noticing a pattern."

With a wave of the lead one's spear, the small band of hunter gathers and the three Highlander crew members made their way deeper into the temporal forest, soon looking a bit more like a subtropical or even tropical jungle as they moved. Mostly the tribespeople seemed to look outwards, as if expecting some sort of attack. Neil was hoping that they just felt awkward looking at the crew and decided to look elsewhere. Not that he wasn't against excitement, but he had just gotten out of a lot of hairy situations. Oddly enough, the alien mark on his palm from his and Junebug's first mission was itching a bit.

Within the hour, the treeline thinned, and though the area before them was still forested with copses of trees and brush, there were islands of stone and wood that rose out of the ground between them. Primitive ziggurats with oddly alien pictographs chiseled at their sides dominated the low river valley they now found themselves entering. A stout stream flowed across a Grand plaza, filled with trees with surprisingly spaced out and neatly swiped dirt travel paths. On second inspection, the stone and wood ziggurats did not go high in the air. Maybe three stories, and soon they found smaller huts. But it was impressive nonetheless. They sometimes crossed under small roadways of vine bridges above them, and disturbingly, there were times when corpses hung by their impaled wrists and naval cavities swayed lightly below some trees, being picked at by the local birds.

It was past the Plaza and over the river on one of the vine bridges when they made it to what looked like a meeting hut. It was circular and made of wood, and upfront there was a guardsmen who seemed to give a disapproving look to the leading tribesmember, before fingers were pointed at Junebug and the others. Immediately they were allowed inside, where they found a few slaughtered beasts strung up, some still bleeding. There was a firepit in the center.

It took Neil just until this moment to think of it. Yes, the settlement of city they had just walked through was not impressive by his standards, but it was impressive for these people. Yet, it looked nearly deserted. He had seen only a few dozen other villagers since they had come here, other than the close to two dozen who led them. He wasn't good with demographics, but he expected there to be thousand or two people here, not a few hundred.

What happened here?

[Assistant]
The smell of blood, sharper and more coppery than one found in Terran species was heavy in the air. The locals stepped out and pulled the door shut behind them. Sayeeda opened the door but found two unfriendly looking tibesman standing with spears leveled, the gestured decisively.

"I'm getting the impression they want us to stay in the hut," Junebug commented dryly. Behind her Taya let out a low moan. Turning she found the girl hugging herself tightly and eyes brimming with unshed tears. There was an uncomfortable moment as Junebug tried to figure out what she should say.

"They are going to kill us aren't they!" The girl blurted before the former mercenary could summon up the correct formula open the conversation. Junebug laughed a short mirthful laugh, the sound as unexpected to the young woman as breaking into a hymn might have been. Her face immediately began to color with anger but Junebug held up a hand.

"Sorry Taya, I'm not laughing at you. It is just I have been in the game so long that it never occurs to me to assume that people ARENT trying to kill me." The girl managed a wry smile at that.

"It really dosen't make that much sense for them to bring us all this way to kill us," she went on in an attempt to comfort the girl. They locals might want them as slaves or sacrifices of course, but there was no point in bringing that up.

Sayeeda felt fairly ridiculous in her sports bra with an air suit wrapped around her waist like a diver taking a few minutes break but there was no help for it. She reached into the medical bag and drew out the sub maghine gun and the one reload of ammunition the girl had brought. She worked the action and caught the ejecting round she kept in the chamber and slipped it into the base of the clip with a quiet click.

"Beside if push comes to shove I guess I've done worse thing than blowing away a bunch of indiges with bones through their noses." She tucked the weapon beneath the fabric of the airsuit and drew out a pistol which she tossed to Neil. Taya hadn't bought a weapon, which was alien to Sayeeda's sensibilities but was probably the right choice given the girls lack of training. A wizard at the data terminal she might be but a gunman she was not.

"They were speaking Zil, or at least an old version of it, you see it sometimes on old colonies that haven't had much contact, I can make out maybe one word in ..."

The door banged open interupting the conversation and an old twisted man stepped through the door flanked by the two spear armed body guards. No, now that she got a closer look he wasnt that old. His body was covered with scar tissue and he had been twisted by massive injuries. His right eye was completely gone replaced by an ugly fleshy patch.

"Are you with the Starmen?!" he demanded in heavily accented but perfectly understandable common.

[User]
Neil caught the pistol casually, childishly enjoying the effortless catch. He doubted the two guards at the door knew what the pistol was, so he didn't exactly try to hide it. Tucking the firearm in his belt would do. He let Sayeeda handle Taya initially, his nod accompanied Junebug declaring she assumed everyone would try to kill them. "T's how it is, girly." Neil replied, before getting a huge stinking whiff of the animal carcasses.

Despite how much it smelled, he had to admit he was hungry. Hopefully they'd use the firepit and not just toss them bits of meat to eat. He'd need a real drink if that were the case.

"Are you with the Starmen?!"

Whoever the man was, he'd definitely seen better days. Actually, on second thought today must have been a good day. Most of his others looked even rougher than one would expect on this world.
"We uh," Neil began, looking to Junebug. Taya hugged herself in the corner, shivering despite her obvious curiosity on what was happening. The pilot turned back to the man. "We technically are starmen, right?"

He immediately fell to his knees. Not exactly groveling, but giving respect in some primitive fashion. "The Rakeeri have spoken of you." He said breathlessly, nearly in tears. "We...we have offerings!" He said. "Offerings, but first let us eat and speak. It has been since my father's generation many cycles ago. The God of ash has roared thrice since I last saw your star chariots." Neil was slightly taken aback, but he was not about to say no to a free meal. Still...

"I am sorry, who are you?" Neil asked. He was ready to shoot his way out a few moments ago, but he was curious on what this guy was blathering about. That and, what offerings could they give to them? The man drew himself up, and gave a more serious albeit still somewhat daunted look. "Wetumpkah, son of Warheeka." Neil did his best to follow, but with the accent and those names he simply nodded, not knowing if the man was giving a name or if he tried to speak normally. "The shaman of the village, and the interpreter of what the Rakeeri will."

"I see."

"But first, let us feast!"

Neil did his best to absorb the information, but before he knew it, half naked men and women began to stream into the hut and gather up the animals, and soon a fire roared as Neil, Sayeeda, and Taya were given the pick of the best meats available.


[System]
Species: Human

Age: 28

Appearance:

Faction: None

Equipment: Blue crystal lightsaber. Utility belt which includes underwater rebreather, grappling hook and pouches. Communicator. CloakShape fighter.

Skills:
* Lightsaber Combat- Form V- Tez is skilled in lightsaber combat. However, he personally favours Shien style. Shien (Form V) specialises in reflecting blaster bolts back at assailants, which is useful in Hutt Space filled with blaster slinging criminals.
* Force wielder- Trained in the ways of the force by his deceased master, Tez can use the force with precision rather than luck, able to use the Force Push, Pull, Jump and Mind Tricks among other techniques.
* Intimidation- While not every battle has to be fought, Tez has learnt ways of dispelling a group of troublemakers with a little bit of physical force, no blood being shed. His imposing figure also helps in this regard, being tall and broad.
* Flying- Tez discovered a starship that seemed to be abandoned for many generations. It was a wonder the thing still flew. However, Tez can pilot the ship and it's armaments quite well.

Weaknesses:
* Seriousness- Even during down time, it's rare to see Tez relaxed. He's mind constantly racing on the next thing to do, the next gang to take down, the next person to save. It's hard for him to take a joke so he is often reserved and silent amongst more laid back individuals. This makes him quite hard to be around.
* Incomplete training- Despite his skill of a Jedi being equivalent to that of a Knight, he is nowhere near the level of a Jedi master, and he may never attain that level due to the abrupt ending of teachings. Perhaps he may be able to ascend to the next level, but that remains to be seen.
* Target- While some may not be familiar or may well have forgotten the tales of a Jedi, he's not seen wearing different attire and proudly displays his lightsaber. Despite this being a symbol and at the same time a warning, this doesn't deter particularly fiery combatants or imperials alike.

History:
Tez was born in the Outer Rim, being parented by his lonesome mother as his father fled from the picture before he was born. Living conditions were poor and the surrounding area was almost lawless, only the good will of people being the only thing from keeping the village from devolving into warring tyrants. His childhood was hard, even though his toiling beside his mother in the field was voluntary, it was truly a difficult day-to-day upbringing. Tez received no proper education, however the village elder did her best to teach the younglings knowledge however no one was forced to sit and listen. Tez did have brief periods of enjoyment playing with his friends around the outskirts of the village. However, it was clear that Tez had... abilities.

Not knowing it at the time, Tez was discovering that he was indeed force-sensitive. He kept this secret from his mother and friends, believing that was something that they wouldn't know much about. However, revelations such as these cannot be hidden from those attuned to the force. It was lucky that it was not one aligned to the dark side of the force that discovered Tez. A wizened elder human approached the boy in the cave Tez experimented with his abilities. This man would become his master, seeing the potential of the young one, fortunately at the perfect age. The man had to prove he was not only no threat to the boy, but also one who understands. The man introduced himself and showed that he too possessed the abilities that Tez discovered. The man then told the young one his story. A story of the Knights of the Galaxy and the etheral entity known as the Force.

Tez wanted to discover more and was more than eager to learn under his Jedi Master. The old man had a hard negotiation with the boy's mother. In fact, they literally argued for over two days straight. However, eventually Tez's mother gave in, and allowed her only son to follow the path of a Jedi. Bidding farewell for the last time. His new master transported the pair to a nearby planet, devoid of civilisation, only bearing home to themselves and the law of the jungle. Over the next couple of decades, Tez was trained in the light side of the force, following the path of a Jedi fledgling.

Tez showed great aptitude to the moral teachings, the force lessons and combat. He passed all the required tests to becoming a Padawan, spending a few years with a Padawan braid as part of his hairstyle. It was also during this period that Tez discovered an abandoned starship. It was old, rusty and dated back to a time his Master remembered. Outside of lessons, Tez set to work trying to fix the old bucket, using what little books his master possessed on the engineering of such ships. Soon enough, the CloakShape was up and running. As his master already owned a ship, this was to become Tez's personal ship. This was furthermore dubbed the "Rim Skimmer".

After fixing the Rim Skimmer and constructing his lightsaber, he journeyed with his master across the Outer Rim. While his master said that the Order of Knights no longer existed together anymore, he could still provide a duty to the people of the Galaxy until a time of Union were upon the Jedi again. His master worked as a vigilante against the gangs of the Outer Rim, and this was also how Tez wanted to utilise his training. He wanted to visit his mother so badly, but his master solemnly warned against it. Confused and angry, Tez disobeyed his master and raced to his home planet. However, the village was razed and burnt. Charred, unrecognisable corpses littered the ground as the graffiti of a gang plastered the now desolate home. His master finally caught up to him, explaining why he withheld this information. Tez spat back in anger, until imperial ships descended into the atmosphere.

His master thumbed the activation button of his lightsaber, and Tez raised his hand to join alongside his master. However, his arm was lowered back as his master turned with a smile on his face, telling Tez that this was not his fight. With nothing else left, he followed the order to run and flee, heading back to the Rim Skimmer and beginning to take off. As he looked back, Tez watched as two shimmering red blades clashed with a single green one. However, the last image of his master was being viciously tortured and contorted using the darker powers of the force. With master and home slain, Tez vowed to right these wrongs, taking up the mantle his master left behind, and is currently hiding throughout the outer rim, waging his own righteous crusade against all the gangs and wrongdoers in the lawless sector. Although, he knows the difference between a violent gangster and some stumbling drunk Dug causing a ruckus in a Cantina because he lost a bad hand which he swears is rigged. Tez isn't deluded in this sense. His judgement is fair and just.

[User]
Elias Joranis Ordo|Another Job gone Wrong

Elias grinned at the pair, allowing the lizard's started threat to go ignored since it seemed from the argument he'd caught the tail end of had put her in a bit of a bad mood. Motioning the bartender droid over, he ordered a class of Corellian Brandy for the three of them and made it three for the Togruta's lizard companion. "So what brings the two of you to Paradise? Most people here are either hiding or job hunting." He takes a sip of his brandy and enjoys the taste, unaware that his problems had followed him to the safe haven.

Meanwhile, the response from Koren did not do anything more to Elarn Taurus than anger him further, as it would seem all of Hutt Space was full of disrespect for the Imperial power. "I will do no such thing, scum! Forward Batteries, open fire!" A small tirade of green burst forth from the front of the Victory Class Star Destroyer. Elarn was fully unaware that the ship he had set his sights on was fully functional and more than capable of handling his flagship, but by this point he was so enraged, that he hardly thought about it.

[Assistant]
Paradise
Nightclub

While Sirka was still reluctant to answer, Delni was perfectly willing to be social with the charismatic Mandalorian. Sirka was not much closer to warming up to him, but the steady flow of free drinks was, admittedly, helping.

"Business, this time. My brave sister here is finishing up a job for a client. But as for myself, I am simply hoping to meet people." Delni explained, leaving it intentionally ambiguous on whether she was seeking to meet others for business or pleasure. "It's just so rare to find a place in this part of the galaxy where you can really just relax without having to worry about keeping a blaster at the ready."

Sirka gave an amused huff and nudged Delni's side with her tail. "Easy for you to say that when you've got 350 kilos of muscle sitting beside you." She finally joined in on the conversation, even if it was also a subtle warning to the Mandalorian, should he try something of which Delni did not approve.

"You know I'm always grateful for you, sis." Delni replied before looking back at Elias. "Ah, but where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Delni, and this is my sister, Sirka."

[User]
Tez Novacore
Illos City

---

The last member of the 'Gunjack' dealers stumbled backwards against the wall, his eyes darted around the battle-torn room. Many of his associates laid crumpled amongst the environment. These guys were starting to become a major problem in this Illos City, and the distribution of Gunjack was causing a small amount of the populace to become a bit more than unsavoury. If Gunjack started getting to other gangs, then their physical strength would increase and the authorities would quickly begin to struggle. Not like they could be reasoned with under the influence of Gunjack anyway. Tez raised his lightsaber, the tip hovering straight at the Houk Gangster's neck. Tez stared the gangster down, his expression of total control clear.

"I could tell before I came here, you guys don't actually make Gunjack here do you?" Tez asked, noticing the distinct lack of equipment that would be required for creating the substance. "You get this stuff from someone else, right? Who?" He asked, his tone had a slight hint of menace.

"I ain't telling ya nuttin'. I don't give two bantha ticks who you think you are. You're better off killing me now." The Houk spat, attempting to keep their boss's identity and whereabouts a secret."

Tez tutted, swishing his lightsaber around to manoeuvre his azure lightsaber horizontally across the gangster's neck, who seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the closeness and heat emanating from the blade. Tez focused onto the Gauk's mind, unlocking that metaphorical padlock and performing a Mind Trick. "You will tell me who and where your boss is." The Jedi commanded as he waved his hand.

"Sola'nuga. Twi'lek, he's going to a slave auction on the other side of town." The gangster admitted, completely under the Force's influence. The Gauk then shook his head, clearing his mind. Suddenly, the lightsaber was withdrawn from his neck.

"I'm destroying this building. You may leave if you wish, but the next time I have to visit you, I will show the same amount of mercy as your friends here." Tez warned. He watched the Gauk about to make his way out of the building, until he attempted to spin on his heels and attempt to potshot the Jedi, who easily deflected the hastily made shot and reflected it into the chest of the final gangster. Tez sighed, he did offer the gang a chance to destroy this place themselves.

---

20 minutes later...

---

Satisfied with his work with the place, Tez shut the door and used his saber to weld the door shut. Tez holstered his weapon and made his way away from the area. While the general location was vague, finding a shifty looking Twi'Lek on this planet shouldn't be too difficult.


[System]
Age: 23

Gender: Female

Personality: Cold, methodical, and absolutely against the entire concept of 'wishes' in the first place. As a Master, she holds to the view that her role is support: sustain the Servant, gather information, and avoid having to interact with the others taking part in the war (or people in general). Despite being a born-and-bred magus, she holds no great antipathy for technology; only an idiot would hate a potentially useful tool.

Skills: She's not completely technologically illiterate! That's not to say she's immensely good with it, but Bridget isn't defeated by the mere concept. She's also good at freehand drawing.

Abilities:* Sorcery Trait: "Bloody Circuits". The Carran family has long existed as something of an oddity: extremely plentiful, good magic circuits... and an ability to utilise magic energy below that of an average magus. The accumulated energy simply melds itself with bodily fluids far more than is normal, leading to their blood containing far more energy than is at all normal. They also have the ability to control their blood once outside their body, which without the appropriate knowledge would only be useful for not bleeding out when they need this level of mana for something.
* Runes: Bridget can be considered something of a master of this type of magecraft, though she can hardly inscribe them as fast as some. Instead, if there's some need for high power or rapid inscription... take a little of her blood, and have that form the required rune on some surface. A momentary action, a spell, and the energy to power it all in one. She prefers to set up more subtle or permanent effects, but in no way shies back from something more destructive... or being able to use them to boost speed for a quick escape.
* General Knowledge: Though not specialised in anything else in particular, both carrying her family's magic crest and an interest in conserving her own blood give Bridget a good understanding of thaumaturgy in general. She also has a surprising knowledge of Formalcraft.
* Elemental Affinity: Earth

Brief Backstory: The heir to an old family, Bridget herself has little involvement with the Mages' Association, church, or too much interest in socialising in general. Her father, on the other hand, cultivated a good deal more relationships and was involved in the fighting preceding the dismantling of the Fuyuki Holy Grail... at least until he died, that was. Having found out that some idiots went and rebuilt the thing, Bridget decided to honour his death by setting out to dismantle the new version.

[User]
Hakuno

Please don't yell at me, Hakuno found herself mentally begging the approaching Servant, her diminutive stature doing little to suppress just how intimidating she seemed at the moment. It was a miracle that Hakuno wasn't already shaking at the moment, and she braced for a rather stern lecture. But instead, she got... well...

As if dazed, Hakuno blankly stared at the disapproving Saber. That was both... anti-climactic and devastating, though it took her a moment to figure out why. Silently, Hakuno stared at her clothes currently being worn. Yeah, she wasn't much for making an effort, but... did she really look that bad?
Saber was still giving her that look, and the chances of the matter being dropped were less than zero by now, so Hakuno simply nodded meekly and shuffled to the pile of clothes. Normally, she'd just grab random garments and be done with the matter, but... the novice magus doubted her ability to survive another comment.

It took several minutes of fretting over which colours matched (dark green and midnight black were good colours together, right?! What about blood red and boredom-festering grey?!) before Hakuno nervously presented Saber with what she considered safe clothing; an old school uniform of hers that was hopefully to Saber's tastes.

...Which was highly doubtful, but Hakuno was not much of an expert on style.

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

Lancer

Blend in? Lancer affixed Jonathon with his usual glare as he left the room, wondering why he would need clothes to do that. After all, he could hide his presence as necessary from the general public, and wearing this country's clothes would do little to prevent another Servant from recognising his true nature. Simply a waste of effort, to do the work of a... well, servant.

As much as it bugged Lancer, he decided to put up with it for now. In the best case scenario, his master was simply eccentric, and would prove to be someone worthy of fighting under. With nothing else to do at the moment, Lancer explored the rest of the building, giving the rooms and doors nothing more than quick glances before moving on. Eventually, he found himself in the surprisingly-expansive gardens. He couldn't say they quite compared to the castle grounds he was used to, but it was a pleasant enough surprise to discover.

Eventually, his Master re-appeared, handing over the modified clothes. He did little to hide his disdain, evidently not a fan of modern clothing. As his Master went back inside to change, Lancer growled and followed. He prayed for an opponent to show up now. He needed something to vent with now.

[Assistant]
Saber

For a few moments, the black-haired Servant quietly regarded her Master, until the somewhat taller girl proceeded over to her bed and began to look through her clothing. Good. To be honest, Saber had little faith in her Master's ability to dress well after seeing how she dressed herself, but perhaps with her prompting an excellent outfit would be selected that would surely make a fine impression upon those whom they encountered. And indeed, her Master seemed more discerning as she searched through the various outfits, before at last locating something she deemed appropriate to wear and handing it over. Saber's dark green eyes fixed on the outfit as she held it in her hands. It was some form of formal wear, lacking in color but certainly appearing to adhere to modern standards of respectable attire insofar as the Servant could guess. This, indeed, would do. Perhaps her Master was not entirely helpless in this respect.

A green light shimmered from the center of Saber's chest, and with a flash and a small shower of green sparks the armor and fabric she had been wearing beneath it was entirely long, leaving her fair skin bare.

"Thank you, Kishinami-dono," she began, holding the outfit and directing her eyes back once more to her Master, "I shall now put it on so that we may leave."

With that, the black-haired girl swiftly donned the uniform. And indeed, thought her Master was somewhat taller it fit decently... for the most part. There were some locations in which it felt rather restrictive and tight, much to Saber's disapproval, but perhaps replacement clothing could be located. For now that was not a priority.

"While this outfit is uncomfortable in some locations, that matter can be addressed at a later time. I am ready."

[User]
Archer
With his tasks complete and new clothes fitting for the age he found himself in acquired Archer returned to the hideout his Master had first summoned him in so that he could report the results of his mission.

"Master, the surveillance stones have been placed so that their line of sight should form a reliable network of fields-of-vision throughout each area of this city. In addition I took the liberty of acquiring new clothing for the modern age which is quite fitting if I say so myself." With his mission thus complete he settled in with a look of relaxed smugness. Soon the Grail War would commence, he would win it and get it over with and he could fade away once more.

---

Mamoru Hayashi

Well, pretty sure there goes any secrecy or subtlety about who my Servant is so I guess I'll have to hope he's strong. But more importantly...

What did Mamoru want the Grail for, what were his motivations? These were definitely important questions and apparently if he didn't answer them right his Servant might refuse to comply with his orders or work with him properly and that would be completely disastrous. He considered lying and going with what his family would expect him to say about gaining power or infinite knowledge or glory forever or something like that but...

"Honestly? I just want to keep the Grail and all that power away from anyone who might use it for evil purposes. But if I had to have a wish...I'd wish to have enough power to help the world and be a Hero of Justice!" He actually found himself striking his best sort of dramatic pose as he shouted his true intentions, much to his embarrassment a split second later. It was probably better to get the truth out now than be found out later and if that sort of answer wasn't acceptable well at least he'd tried.

[Assistant]
Caster mused for a few minutes as he pondered the small set of possible locations to set up base in his mind. While the forest did seem enticing at first, he had to push those thoughts out of his mind. As easy as it was to set up there, the ability to siege against such a location and break through it from all sides was much too threatening for his tastes. No, in fact, of the remaining two, the burnt-down mansion seemed to best suit his taste for this particular scenario. The fact that Fio had mentioned the remaining location to be the 'site of the original town hall' made him worry about it; for all he knew right now, that location might have already been turned into something unsuitable for defense.

At the same time, though, the ruins of a mansion wasn't exactly the most reaffirming of options, but... He could make do with that, for sure. Might take a bit of remodeling, but it could work just as well, if not better, than what he was used to. Of course, checking out the third option was still there, but that was troublesome to his Master, especially given the fact that she was carrying all of his research materials. Maybe another time, then.

"Understood; personally, I would like to examine the latter two options, if it comes down to it. For now, though, I believe I would like for us to be unburdened before scouting out any of these aforementioned locations. Would it do us well to return back to your initial household for the moment?" he asked, looking around the area warily. Being ambushed like this was a death sentence, especially if the creator of this sigil was still lurking around the area...

[User]
With her servant suddenly stripping in a rather flashy manner, Hakuno very quickly turned her head away, focusing on the corner of her room as Saber got changed. She hoped there wasn't any noticeable blush on her face, as the last thing she needed right now was for Saber to get the wrong idea or something.
With her Servant now dressed and (thankfully) not commenting on its quality, Hakuno looked her over quickly. As she thought, Saber's... proportions were quite noticeable in these clothes. She'd need new ones bought as soon as possible, though Saber would no doubt insist on the patrol thing first, knowing her.

...The comment was not entirely necessary though, Hakuno decided glumly.

"R-right, well... let's go!" Hakuno said with some forced cheer, and headed for the front door once more.

[Assistant]
Fio Mal-Rai

Fio shrugged.

"It doesn't make much sense to be carrying all this stuff around when we go out to investigate things," she said with a shrug, raising the bags slightly, "I guess we'll have to head back."

When her servant returned to spirit form, Fio headed back. Jeez... maybe having such a methodical Servant was going to be more annoying then anything. I mean, he had a point, but going all the way back before visiting the sights was going to kind of be a pain. Oh well. With a sigh, Fio headed back. Maybe it'd give her time to try and work out what was up with the sigil that was marking part of a bounded field. What purpose could something like that have? It wasn't active, at least, as far as she had been able to tell. Her Servant didn't seem to think it was either, and as Caster he naturally had a pretty good idea about that kind of thing. So the question was what its purpose was and when it would be activated. She could guess that there were other sigils, but it was difficult to say.

It wasn't long before they had returned to Fio's temporary home. She placed the bags aside, for Caster to pick up and investigate.

Saber

Saber shifted uncomfortably in her clothing, but nevertheless she was quick to follow her Master out the door. Outside, she was instantly on guard. Her Master naturally needed the best defense possible, and so the black-haired Servant rapidly circled around her, watching every possible angle as carefully as she could. Threats could come from anywhere, after all, and it was important to keep her Master completely safe. At least as safe as she could be when they were outside and without further defenses. Saber had faith in her abilities, however.

... Still, her constant circling and vigilant watch on her surroundings must have seemed rather strange.

[User]
"Excellent," the runemage said, not turning away form her work inscribing on the ceiling, "It's unlikely that we'll be able to gather much information before nightfall, as the war normally takes place when people aren't around to observe, but until then, it's simply more time to prepare."

The Irish girl looked away from her work to observe Archer's choice of fitting attire. It was... garish. Garish, overly decorated, and she wasn't entirely sure how he'd gone about acquiring it, though 'outright theft' seemed most likely for someone that was, in every possible respect, legally dead.

"You aren't history's greatest pimp, are you?"


[System]
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Religion: Taoist
Sexuality: Bisexual
Occupation: Tai Chi Instructor
Abilities

Ana is well versed in Martial Tai Chi and is very good at cleaning, cooking and organizing. She speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently, and has a near photographic memory.

Faults

Ana is terrible with technology, and is plagued with OCD.

Power

Puppetry - The power to bind any nonliving material to a part of her body, so that when her body moves, the material does too.

Personality

Ana is very calm, following her beliefs by allowing the universe to flow around her despite her OCD. She trusts that everything is always as it should be, whether or not she interferes, and so it takes a strong push for her to be compelled to action.

History

For the first half of her life, Ana was nearly strangled by her OCD. Her need for everything to be controlled and predictable kept her from forming any sort of relationship with anybody and eventually caused her to retreat into herself. It wasn't until another social outcast, a first generation immigrant by the name of Ling, and her only friend, talked to her about studying the Tao that she made any headway against her disorder. The idea of Tao instantly clicked for Ana, and now instead of retreating into herself when her mind became overrun, she could fall back on her new teachings to give her strength. Eventually, the natural progression of her studies led to her dedicating herself to the mastery of Tai Chi, and she barely took any time for a social life. Still, she was happy, and although she still feels the impulse to keep everything organized, it no longer dictates her life.

[User]
"So, here we are."

Joanna panned the camera over the furnished living room of the apartment. It was tidy, clean, and thoroughly bare of any type of personality. It was banal in its sterility. Personally she was glad of that. It meant, as far as she could tell right now, that the place was perfect to imprint some personality upon. Besides, considering some of the shit-holes she'd stayed at recently...

She flipped the camera and the display back on herself. She had to admit, she looked tired. The fact that her jacket was soaked and ger hair was plastered to her head didn't help dispel that impression at all.

"I know you guys were looking forward to the trip to Santiago. So was I. It's just not going to happen with all the infrastructure damage that those storms caused. I said in the last video that I'd figure out what to do after getting here and my answer is... an in-depth look at living in Atlanta. Cascade Heights, Aatlanta, Gerogia. Home sweet home for the next few months."

"I don't usually do this, but I've wanted to do something like this for a while. To stay somewhere long enough to get more exposure to the good and the bad. Whether these vlogs do well or not, we'll see. I just want to say thanks for the support, it means a lot and I'll see you in the next video. JOurneyer signing off."

That ending could've been better, but Joanna didn't have the stength to care at this point. She made a beeline for her bed and collapsed. There was a spring in the lower right quadrent that would pop in a year. The far right cabanet in the kitchen had a screw loose. Her jacket was fine, but a higher quality leather would look and feel better. The list went on and on.

She wasn't even shocked by it any more. Two weeks of suggestions, warnings, and information were getting to normal by this point. The intrusive thoughts only served to exhausted her. She just wanted them to turn off for a while so she could sleep.

The bathroom sink needs drano to clear a clog.

"Oh god..."

[Assistant]
As the sun began to rise over the beautiful city of Las Vegas, two types of people were about. Some of them were there for a holiday, to enjoy the sights, spend a little money and just unwind. Others were here to make a lot of money, but it's naive to expect to make money at a place like this. Only about 1% of people will ever win bit in a place like this.

And with that, enter Mr 1% himself, Sebastian. Sebastian was a rather tall and slender man with long red hair and a wide smile slapped on his face. Sebastian usually spent his time driving taxis, but he had saved just enough for a night in Vegas at a casino. He hadn't had a chance to go to a casino since he had moved to Atlanta, what with them being not actually legal and all that. But, after a rather eventful night, he had emerged with an extra twelve grand under his belt. It started with a few small wins, but he just kept winning and winning. And he didn't even have to cheat this time! Granted, last time he tried that he wound up in an alley with some rather unfriendly gentlemen. He waved down a taxi as he got to the street.

"The airport thanks. I have a flight in like… half an hour? If you can get me there quick, I'll throw in a rather nice tip." He said with a wink to the driver as he stepped into the back seat. It felt a little odd not to be in the driver's seat, but he was a little too tired to care. He hadn't slept since he arrived yesterday, so he was understandably a little tired. He didn't even bother with accommodation, in his mind sleeping just meant you had less time to have fun. That was starting to take a toll though, as he found himself drifting off to sleep as the movements of the taxi rocked him slowly to sleep. But his peaceful respite was interrupted by the gruff voice of the driver informing him that they had arrived. He rubbed his eyes before checking his watch to see another twenty minutes before he had to leave.

"Well look at that, you did pretty well" He said as he rummaged through his wallet, handing the man what he assumed was a $20 note. In his sleep deprived state, he had accidentally handed the man $100 but he left before the man could say anything. Not that he minded too much, he had enough to keep him going for a while.

He stumbled his way through the check in and through the baggage checks, made far easier by the fact he had forgotten to bring a bag. He wasn't sure if he had planned to bring a bag or not. Or even if he had actually brought one with him in the first place. That said, he didn't have one now so he didn't think he had actually brought one. He sat in his seat and the plane proceeded to take off shortly after. His mind started to wander though, he had never really been too lucky when it came to gambling. That was a lot of the reason he kept going back, he was determined to finally have a lucky break. He had to wonder if it was a good thing though, was it possible to use all your luck? What if he had used it all and got hit by a car when he got home or something.

"Naah, my luck has turned around, I can feel it in my bones..." He muttered before he drifted off to sleep.

[User]
Kieran Hishamie

Introduction

Today had not turned out for the best. What had thought to be an amazingly easy contract was just about the most unfortunate contract he has had in a while. Murphy's law at its finest. Kieran walked down the sidewalk of Atlanta, Georgia in extreme pain. He was wearing a scruffed up long sleeve black jacket with a black undershirt. His black jeans were slightly torn up on his right leg with a small amount of blood protruding from it. His boots were scruffed to hell, making a squishing sound with every step. Kieran was holding his right arm with his left arm, and one of his eyes was slightly shut. To everyone around him, it would seem like he had gotten into a slightly horrible fight and came out the loser. Kieran was thankful that no one stopped and asked him questions. Kieran assumed it was because of the average clothes he was wearing. If he had looked like a homeless man maybe people would be reacting different. With a grunt of pain Kieran pushed his what was normally smooth black hair, now a matt of sweaty ruffled black hair, out of his face with his right hand.

Kieran was on a mission, contracted by a US Government agency. Which one specifically he did not know, he wasnt getting paid to ask questions and to know. Kieran was contracted to steal classified documents from an ex intelligence officer gone rogue. He was supposedly holed up here in this city, but with the limited information he was given Kieran was able to track down the rogue agent. Kieran tracked down the agent where he was squatting in an work in progress home. The construction crew was paid off not to show for the week by the rogue while he was staying there, waiting for the buyers for the stolen documents. Kieran was able to suprise the agent but a fight still ensued. After a grueling few minutes Kieran found himself backed into a corner. He had scouted the house in advance and was able top avoid the traps set, but the rogue was good. Not better at hand to hand combat, but he knew how to use his enviroment better than Kieran. The rogue gained feet using out of the way objects in their fight and gained the upper hand. But just when Kieran was backed into a literal corner, Kieran did something unexpected. He raised one hand, almost like he was trying to keep something away. Thats when hell awoke.

A small black shape in his palm, gaining more width and size in seconds. The rogue took a step back.
"What the hell?"

Kieran shook suddenly. Not many things scared him but this did. This had happened twice so far, once two weeks ago, and another time a week ago. Both times ended in blood and explosions. Kieran to warn the Rogue, tell him to get away, but couldnt. He was sweating, in pain, and already extremely tired. After five seconds the orb was the size and shape of a soccer ball. Then the soccer ball orb shot out, and hit the rogue in the gut. The ball, and rogue, shot back and the moment they hit the wall the orb exploded, incinerating the rogue, starting the collapse of the building, and hurting Kieran. Kieran forced himself up, and maneuvered his way out of the collapsing house, and falling to the front lawn in pain. He did a cool guy thing, not looking at the house as it was on fire, and collapsing. Not to be cool but because he was on his knee's in pain. Every time this happened Kieran always felt after effects from using this strange power. The pain was immense. Hopefully he could find a place to stay before he passed out, or better yet find his hidden cache to grab his money.

Thats were we are now. Kieran was walking along the sidewalk, passing people by, passing houses and apartements, trying to head towards his hiding spot. But as stated before the pain was immense. He needed to find someplace to crash for a bit, to rest so he can continue on later. And there was still the matter of needing to find those documents. Kieran had no doubt in his mind that the documents were located offsite of where the Rogue agent was. He had a job to do and he needed to do it quickly.

[Assistant]
It wasn't a lot, but sometimes Chris liked doing the little things himself. As he dragged the toothpick through the foam in the cup one last time, he reflected a bit on how surreal it was that he actually owned his own shop, but was still doing the same things he had been before. The only notable difference he could find was that now he had a lot more paperwork to do. Still, he didn't mind. There was a significant amount of pride to be found in running your own business, and he was certainly happy that his mother could relax now, after taking care of him for so long.

"This one's ready." He called over the divider between the kitchen and the serving floor. Normally the barista would be out at the coffee bar to make drinks, but since the incident yesterday he was afraid he'd scare away more customers if they saw him. His eyes were back to their normal blue now, but seeing a crimson glare from his own face in the mirror had been intimidating, even from him. His waitress had managed to play it off for him, but when she came at him for answers of her own he had none to give. Being the gem she was, she had dropped it for the moment, and agreed to cover him on the floor while he figured out how to get this new... quirk of his under control.


[System]
Age: 19 years

Bio: One of many children born to a farmer and her lazy husband out in the boonies, Leblanc has always been something of a delinquent whose lack of aptitude with a hoe left her with little recourse but to leave home early like the majority of her siblings. Scattered and with no interest in reconnecting, she settled comfortably into city life and embraces the night life of decrepit alleys and deserted streets readily.

She's always one to have a blade close in hand and has found herself needing to use it on a daily basis, given her tendency to look for trouble just for the hell of it. A hint of blood thirst drives her actions yet it seems to do little to liven the expression of boredom upon her countenance, and very rarely does it abate. Her actions while violent are done with skill and succinct barbarism, the actions of one very comfortable with what they do and have not the slightest regret as they hone their talents.

Despite her troubling predilections for enticing conflict as readily as she draws eyes with her suggestive attire, Leblanc was accepted into Cadenza, if only as a means to restrict the time she's prowling unsupervised. For obvious reasons she is withheld from being invited to any public functions or exhibitions.

Vessel: Blunt and lacking much of anything in the way of sentimentality, Leblanc never named the braid of ebony silk that is the Vessel around her neck. When activated it is drawn out into a choke.

Abilities:
 Conscious Control:Activating her Vessel confers Lablanc unparalleled control of her own body. The rate at which her heart beats, each dose of adrenaline, and the elasticity of her muscles are but a few aspects which Leblanc can manipulate as she sees fit, allowing for an impossibly fluid range of movement beyond the most advanced of contortionists as well as a wide range of benefits outside of combat.

Equipment:
 Slasher's cutlery:A set of nine knives, eight of which are smaller throwing knives typically hurled or held between her fingers, while the ninth is a larger knife she keeps a firm hold of for slashing up close.
 Whetstone.
 Floral Extract: A parting gift from her mother in a brief moment of sympathy, Leblanc dips the tips of her blades in the extract to provide them with a localized paralytic toxin which briefly deadens the nerves around the entry site.
 Spare Clothes

Trivia:As her tattoos would suggest, Leblanc has a fondness for snakes and does indeed own one, but has since left it on the family farm for safekeeping. Additionally, the peculiar nickname of Lucky, or Better Lucky in even more peculiar circles, is of entirely unknown origin.

[User]
"I. Um. I thought you saying it was classified was informing us that we weren't supposed to tell other people rather than it being purely the purview of command. In hindsight that makes sense though. My apologies Captain, I'm still getting used to military jargon"

While it was entirely hidden by her mask it was pretty obvious from her voice she was blushing furiously beneath it.

She wasn't exactly the highest grading student, what with her splitting her time between her official training at the academy and her heading back over to the Institute in her free time to continue her medical training. As a result her understanding of military stuff was a bit spotty. Now that the thought about it, she hadn't exactly been very helpful militarily during this whole expedition. She resolved to do better on that front in future.

"I understand what you mean by being careful. Believe me, as a Doctor
in training
, I'm not about to do something that gets people hurt. While no amount of thinking will prevent disaster if we don't have all the information to make the right decision, I can understand that we trainees can't be trusted with sensitive information, lest it end up in the wrong hands."

After a few moments of contemplation she added, rather redundantly as a result of the adult comment.

"Though considering you and the princess are the ones making the decisions and presumably know what is going on, I guess that answers my own grievance"

 In a sense she was trying to make herself feel less patronised by coming to the same conclusion via her own line of reasoning. It didn't work particularly well.

Still somewhat embarrassed about all this she tried to switch the conversation to something else the Captain had said.

"So what caused those colonisation efforts to fail anyway?"

[Assistant]
Leon Brandeau

It was as Althea eventually mentioned; Leon had thought she meant they weren't to tell anyone else, not that the information would not be shared with those that had fought for it either. Truth be told, he could see how that was naive of him to believe. It was something his elder brother had criticized in him and the others in his family often, and it was the reason many in the Brandeau family gravitated to low ranking positions rather than high command. Still, he had yet to forswear his idealism, and this situation had hardly changed that. What had changed was his opinion of the captain. His only question was whether her response could have been any more patronizing, condescending and down right rude. To ask if there was something wrong with them merely for asking, as if they were idiots, was the height of insulting. On top of that, she chose to give them some speech about how they should "let the adults take care of things", as though she had assumed they had every intention of running out the door and avenging Wagnil this instant. It was an offense to the dedication Leon had shown so far; what on earth could he be counted on, if not following orders? It was as if the captain had no idea who he was.

Silently enduring her nonsense, when she finally finished Leon told her, "Nothing further, Captain." Then he left. He was going to go do laps of the village or practise with his vessel or something. They had a mission to prepare for, and the mission was important, but the captain was not.

[User]
---

Regina finally reached the bathhouse after her book distracted her from heading there immediately. She was on a very good scene about how a princess was about to the prince rather than the other way around. However, after seeing a few others head to the baths Regina finally decided that she should get back to the task she had in mind. Closing the book and adjusting her glasses, Regina approached the old woman and gave her the money, which may or may not be from her own bank account, taking the towel provided and entered the changing room.

She noticed three of the lockers were occupied by belongings of the other members of the class, and Regina briefly considered taking something from them. After all, most of the nobles that she has met, especially noble children, always treated her like garbage even if she was part of the nobility herself. However, her father came into mind and Regina recalled what he said. While she should not get caught, she should also not be the aggressor first, and so Regina instead just focused on changing out of her clothes, putting away her glasses and heading out into the hotspring, with nothing but a towel to cover her petite form. This was of course not her first time in a public bathhouse having gone with her father in one but she did know the looks that she would get from, mostly, males and did not desire this attention should one come in. She found three others already inside after peeking her head outside the entrance to the pool, but due to her near-sighted eyes she could not see who they were exactly combined with not being familiar with any of her classmates. However, she did hear the mention of Leblanc and Szeren, names who she noted were among the list of classmates that she would be working with. Regina thought about going to a different pool, but this was as good of a time as any to mingle. Quietly, she walked over to the pool, dropped her towel, and eased herself into a spot near the edge. Not like she could help being quiet: her father taught her to be stealthy from a young age and that training stuck.

"Ahh, it has been a while since I've been to a place like this!" Regina commented to no one in particular, closing her eyes to relax. She knew there were two classmates here, Szeren and Leblanc, but she only vaguely knew Szeren for having traveled with her with the Princess's escort. However, who was the blonde and green-hair? One of them was Leblanc of course but which one? Regina figured she was about to find out.

@TheFake@Lonewolf685

[Assistant]
---

The Golden Sheep

---

"More often than not it's the monsters, there's too many of them to get rid of. When there are no monsters, there's wild animals or even the weather," the Captain replied to Althea while paying attention to Leon's behavior as he left them. The poor kid couldn't even disguise his displeasure. The best thing to do was give him time, thus Sonata remained silent, turning her attention back to her drinks unless Althea had anything else to ask.

---

Orello

---

The night would soon pass, bringing a new morning to follow it.

While the Princess conducted her review of Orello's troops, the Cadets would find themselves lined up in front of the Captain, outside of the fort. "Listen up, Cadets!" The Captain said, calling for their attention. "I have already informed you of the mission details so I'll not go over them again. From this time forward you'll be on your own with the Princess and Viola. I'll wait for your return here at Orello. This will be the last mission of some of you before graduating, so make it count, and don't die on me. I don't want to be the one to present your parents with a medal," she said with a less stern voice.

"There they are," the Captain said as soon as Viola and the Princess walked out of Orello, ready to join the Cadets' group. "I wish the best of luck for all of you," she said right after saluting the Princess and leaving back to Fort Orello."I'm sorry it took us so long. You won't believe what that Commander did to sneak his way out of a problem," Viola said as she joined the group once again, now completely armed and ready for their long expedition.

Meanwhile, the Princess remained silent for a few moments, pacing back and forth to take a better look at the Cadets. Once she was satisfied, with her evaluation, she said, "Before anything else, thank you for being here. I know that this may have come as a surprise for some of you but the truth is that, as an Academy mate of all of you, I believe this will be a good chance for all of us to learn more together."

"Please, don't feel intimidated by my social standing or rank. I'm as much of a student as you are. In fact, I propose that as soon as we stop for lunch we decide who will the leader of this expedition by voting," the Princess continued her speech talking in a normal tone, very different from the imposing one she used when she arrived at Orello, "Sonata also told me that you are a very spirited group. She believes that all of you will have a brilliant future after being properly polished and I believe in her assessment. So, how about dropping the formalities and have you call me Ires from now on as well?"

"Either way, how about we get going?" Ires said as she gestured for them to begin their march, keeping up the impression for the Orello guards that observed them from atop the fort's ramparts.

A few hours of marching later and the group would arrive at the destination of the first part of their trip, safe and sound for the time. The location of their resting spot were the old ruins of a village that succumbed a long time ago and was overrun by nature. A location that offered not only ample cover but fresh water and plenty of firewood as well. Certainly, they couldn't find anywhere better in this desolate region, or so Viola thought as she began to unpack and procure some provisions.

[User]
TZI TI'AMTUM

With an excellent meal finished and the night passed in the comfortable beds of the village, it was no wonder that Tzi Ti'amtum woke up incredibly refreshed for the day ahead of him. His blood was pumping in anticipation of a chance of a good tussle with a monster, and the Cap's short speech only served to motivate him even further. A shiny new medal too! This was a serious opportunity for profit that they'd be given, especially with the Princess tagging along too!

With the Captain leaving them to their own devices, however, said member of royalty immediately took the reins in giving them another quick speech, one that Tzi focused on 100%, his arms crossed in front of his shirtless torso as he took in her words with the utmost of seriousness. She was definitely not what he'd expected from the biggest of bigwigs. He'd always thought they'd be more scary and intimidating, but the girl in front of them didn't seem like that anymore. Not when she wasn't using that hoity talk from earlier.

So that meant he probably wouldn't get smited bad if he took her up on her offer then!

"Fine by me, Ires," said Tzi with a grin, holding a thumbs-up of approval in the Princess' direction. If she said it was okay for them to be on first-name basis with one another, then he'd listen to what Her Imperial Highness wanted.

Besides, less worry of stumbling over formalities or whatever. It got a tad hard for him to wrap his head around sometimes.

And so their march began, one that the tall young man definitely enjoyed. It wasn't like he had just gotten off the islands or anything, but the sheer diversity of environments on the mainland were so exciting to see. Joining up with the Military Academy was definitely the right choice if he could see all this stuff. You couldn't get this much fun just by hanging around the docks and fighting folks, even if that was pretty entertaining too.

"Hey," he said as they finally stopped at their destination, crouching down next to where Viola was unpacking. "Need any help with that? And -"

This time, his question was directed towards the rest of the group.

"- think we should split up and grab water and wood first, or do that voting thing?"

[Assistant]
Leblanc Farris
 [[ Location : Orello Village - Hot Springs]]

She hadn't expected a third person to join them in the bath so soon, but it was no concern. As they were shrouded in shadows, literally, the snake could presume she was one inclined towards things of a dubious nature enough to be comfortable concealing herself even among comrades.

Ignoring the words spoken, she sunk into the water up to her nose and began to drift towards Esther, a nefarious gleam of ill intent welling in her eyes until they too disappeared beneath the water and steam, unseen till her hands grabbed Esther's feet and pulled her under as well.

Hijinks ensued.

---

"A team leader? That's an...unenviable position. It would have to be someone who can stand to bark orders in the middle of combat and survive being the highest priority target of an intelligent enemy." Leblanc mused aloud, hand raised to her chin as she contemplated the present topic. "That would disqualify most of the woman barring the Princess. Lean is too shirtless to be drawing bullets and Natsu...just no."

"I'd vote for Gradon as Team Leader. No offense to the Princess, but he has a natural aptitude for surviving abuse that would make him a far better target then Ires. "


[System]
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Ier-Briar Thorn-of-Mountain Volkovin

17 winters have passed since my birth.

You're seriously going to ask? Female.

Like my father and his forebearers, I will strive to become a Shieldbearer capable of providing shelter from hellfire and shadowsteel.

As a nobleman's daughter, I am well-versed in art, languages, embroidery, music, dining etiquette, and philosophy. As my father's daughter, I can ride as well as any man, know how to care for my own armor and weapons, and can recite our family's pre-battle prayers from heart, no matter what situation. I will leave it up to you to consider which set of skills is more polished, considering my current vocation.

A lion doll. …are you laughing? You're laughing, aren't you. No, it's not cute. No, I don't care about other dolls. Why would you think that? Gods above, it's a memento you insufferable dweeb. Now come over here so I can break your shit-eating face.

Look me in the eye. Can you tell what sort of person I am? Good.

…

I have to explain anyways? For the readers? Gods, you're insufferable.

My mother thinks I'm an uncouth, rude tomcat, a terrible example for my younger sisters. My father thought I was the son he never had, full of the fire and steel he himself had during his springtime. My sisters, unlike what my mother would like to think, adore me. And for good reason. Though some rubbish-headed academics may consider me a hot-headed brute stuck in the body of a soft woman, I am anything but that. Challenge me to a drinking contest and I'll send you home with a face redder than the sun. Challenge me to an arm wrestling contest and I'll send your hand straight through the table. Challenge me in anything and I'll prove to you that I'm better.

Think I can't? I'll do it until I can.

My father, before he passed away, granted me the name 'Thorn-of-Mountain'. And if I can be a thorn to even an entity as mighty as the mountains that forged my people, then you better hope you don't find my thorns sticking into your sides. Insult me and I will break your teeth. Insult those I cherished and you better pray to the gods that's all I'll do.

My name is Ier-Briar Thorn-of-Mountain Volkovin, eldest daughter of Dry-Ael Blood-of-Wolf Volkovin, the Blue Fang of Alcidea, the Holder of Farrow's Deep, who passed away bravely two winters ago against the sullen horde of Valkraza the Hollow-Hearted. I was also engaged to some guy that was apparently of good blood, but I sure hope they gave up on it after I dumped a casket of wine on him.

As for my past, you can say that I was raised like any son in a warrior-lord's household would.

I'm a woman? Yes, I am. That's the point. My father was for it, my mother was against it, but considering how she kept on shunting out more daughters from her womb (thank gods for that), there was really nothing she could do. The glorious Volkovin name would be besmirched if there was a generation incapable of passing on the family arts to the next, after all. Alongside other, more 'sophisticated' arts befitting of a lady of my own standing, I've also learned the warriors' craft since I was a child, honing my skill with halberd and horse, sword and shield until I can say with confidence that I was one of the finest warriors in my age bracket.

Of course, the man my father swore a blood oath to didn't care for womenfolk amongst the ranks of his guard, and when my father died, all my mother could think about was selling us off to the highest bidder.

Perhaps I am being a bit harsh on her. Perhaps she simply wanted what was best, even if that vision doesn't align with my own interest.

But gods damn that conniving sow regardless.

Anyways, I took my horse, my armor, my steel and what have you, and now I'm here.

What do I planned if you turn me away?

…

Hahaha, why would you turn me away?

[User]
M α ʅ ʅ σ ɾ ყ

---

Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

 "I'll be glad to have you both. Sign the charter however you wish, Siwan, Mallory."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Miss Ier-Briar!" Mallory shrilled in an unusual bout of enthusiasm. After accepting the warrior's handshake she swiftly took the pen without word, making a quick, convoluted cursive signature on the charter. She thrust the pen and paper into Siwan's direction once she had finished, and finally looked to address the younger looking mage. Before she did however, Mallory took some time to examine her, and made no particular effort to hide it. There was something behind the girl's timid shuffling and gentle voice, something that caught Mallory's attention; an ambitious flickering within the mage's large, round eyes, shining through clouds of juvenile innocence piqued the fire mage's interest. Mallory simply smiled.

"Well, I suppose you could call me a fire mage, or fire magic specialist, whatever you prefer, dear. The beauty of my extravagant blue flames is truly something to behold, yes it is! Oh, but I've also got a little book of basic spells to help with solely domestic tasks, if you're interested," she babbled, taking out a hand sized, paperback book from her satchel.

"There's not many in here, but you can do a lot with a little! I haven't exactly learned all of the spells just quite yet because my mana control can be a bit... spontaneous sometimes, but that's besides the point. I am a fire mage at heart, after all! What are we without our... inherent spontaneity?"

Mallory kept her smile, hardly breathless from her sudden flurry of speech, awaiting the girl's response as another young man approached the group. Turning her head, she began to inspect him as well, keeping a watchful eye over the relaxed, somewhat modest movements in his walk. The instrument he carried especially intrigued Mallory, and she clasped her hands with excitement as soon as her gaze fell upon it.

"Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a musically gifted bard amongst us! Let us hear something sweetie, don't be shy! Show Miss Ier-Briar what you have to offer!"

[Assistant]
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Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

It looked as if only dregs remained now, the rest of the new adventurers either too intimidated by a group made almost entirely of women or too prejudiced to think that such a party could not ascend to glory. Ier-Briar had her own concerns, of course, about how much 'weight' she would be burdened by if she was the sole individual capable of standing at the vanguard, but those concerns could become a 'legend' just as easily, of the singular warrior who shielded her lesser companions from the grasp of devil and beast. Yes, she certainly will consider this situation as an opportunity for great growth.

The apparent final adventurer that had the testicular fortitude to stand up to her challenge was one who was certainly more keen of eye than strong of arm, judging by his lacking muscles, and Ier-Briar couldn't help but sigh in disappointment at the quality of the men who had so far presented themselves before her. Another beardless eunuch, it appeared, and though being a loresinger didn't REQUIRE a great beard and a belly full of mead, it was still disappointing that southerners were so bereft of manliness. A rogue or a bard, neither of which she could trust her flanks with in combat.

Sounded like her legend was only going to grow at an even more exponential rate at this point.

"I'll take you then," the blonde warrior said flatly, "Sign here. And as for your musical persuasions…save your voice so you may sing tales of our valor once we return from our maiden massacre."

The charter and pencil was thrust into Nimr's face, and, after giving the green-haired skinny lad a scant few moments to mark down his own signature (literacy wasn't a real requirement, after all), Ier-Briar snatched it away again and marched right up to the bespectacled woman by the counter, setting it down with finality.

"I've found my comrades, unorthodox as they are. Now, what work have you to offer those eager to prove their valor?"

[User]
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Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

"That was fast. I'm almost impressed."

Priscilla looked over the group as she took back the charter and glanced down at the list of names – and their atrocious handwriting, which, as expected was for the most part a bunch of scribbling. Another pain of the job she bore as guildmaster. Two mages, a cleric, and a wannabe-bard led by a stuck-up failed knight. That kind of composition would do them well until something unfortunate or ungodly stupid happened.

"Only a few initiate-level jobs for today." She remarked, coldly. "A nearby village lost a shipment in the Fogmere Forest. The local blacksmith here in Ilagorn needs a sword delivered. That's about it. Typical initiate crap. I wager anything a little messier like goblin cleanup or kobold interference in the mines is still an issue as well. Just don't make me wait all day."

[Assistant]
Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

As the guildmaster began to list off the available quests, Ier-Briar quieted as well, organizing and examining the possibilities for glory in the back of her head. A delivery, no matter what opportunities there were for beating back the hordes of bandit scum, held little to no interest for the knightly woman. It was a pedestrian duty, and couriers existed for a reason, did they not? The prospect of being sent out to exterminate kobolds or goblins was met with similar disdain, those sorts of monsters mere vermin compared to the true threats that besieged the world. Even children could kill goblins, after all, and killing kobolds who attacked mines was a short-term solution, when any half-decent mine owner would have had a long-term solution in play already.

To adventure into a forest as mysterious-sounding as the Fogmere Forest, however, that certainly sounded fun suitable for the maiden voyage of a new group of adventurers. Exploration, unknown monsters, and a treasure hunt, all rolled together into a single bundle. Perhaps it was merely a shipment of basic foods, but in times of duress, grains were worth more than gold, and a journey through a fog-ridden forest was almost certainly more enticing than literally anything else that had been offered.

…or maybe Ier-Briar just unconsciously didn't trust her comrades to handle an extermination quest yet.

"We shall take on the duty of recovering the lost shipment then," the knight said, decisively deciding for the rest of the team. "Are there any details as to where in the forest it had been lost? Or what it contains?"