[System]
Age:  18
Gender: male

Talent: Lightning
Backstory:
Alex is the son of an MMA fighter and a Doctor. At the young age of 5, his mother taught him how to fight MMA style. Thinking he would follow in her footsteps, while his father taught him all about medicine. It was hard to keep up his studies in both fields, but it seemed fate had other plans for him. His grandfather on his mother's side visited him on his 18th birthday. As soon as he saw Alex, he knew he wouldn't be a MMA fighter or a Doctor, but something much greater. His grandfather told him he could see Magic around Alex's body, a gift only those who poses magical powers have. He then asked Alex if any elements stood out to him.

Alex couldn't think of any, but then he realized how much he loved rain storms. Not because it brought a cool breeze or the rain, but because he loved watching the lightning dance in the sky. His grandfather told him of a powerful magic user in the forest he explained where it was and what challenges he would face. Alex was scared, but knew if he wanted to learn more about the magic his grandfather talked about. He would need to find this great magic user and learn from them.

Alex was skeptical at what his grandfather told him, until his grandfather snapped his fingers and a flame appeared on the tip of his fingers. Alex was dumb founded and when he confronted his parents about what his grandfather could do, they shared with him a massive bomb shell. His mother could wield magic. His mother used Magic to quicken herself to get on top of the game of the MMA world, while his father had the choice to learn magic he was one of the stubborn ones that believed in scientific reasons and modern medicine. He still believed in magic, but he knew he could put a scientific outlook in the reason why normal people can use magic and how it works. His parents told him he had a choice: go to the master and learn from them or stay home and live a normal life. Alex wanted to learn more about magic and his capabilities

Magic Color and Meaning: Bright blue: strength and dependability.
Primary Source of Magic: Magical Current: Think about how electronic current run through wires, but instead magic run through his nervous system.
Other: Alex carries with him a medical kit, sports tape, his IPod, and a note book to write down anything and everything he sees as noteworthy.

[User] Mecca had taken a place far away from the other apprentices and had commenced to staring at her hands. She honestly had no idea how to let the magic flow. She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something stupid. Trying to clear her mind of her thoughts she just kept staring at her open hands.

[Assistant]
the master rubbed his chin looking at bristle "well you activate the first seal... then you can go out and work like the others" he states "there is multiple ways to activate it, the best method is with your own mind so you don't even need to move, one point you'll be able to do it without even a glance at your hand and you can adjust your magic easier... heck at one point you wont need the seal anymore" he states "you must find a method to activate it for now, now it'll stay activated once you do it, but it's not like your magic will just flow out off you, no instead you'll then have access to that amount of magic" he states "no matter what you should get the lowest level when you activate it this time, but in the future it will be unclear what seal levels you will get when you activate it for more power" he tells bristle. "I'll let you find an suitable method for now so you can start training"

The Master would look over at Mecca and then at Alex and sighs "I said you must concentrate, just staring at your hands will do nothing!" he states "Look for your essence of magic, your source inside of yourself then draw from it to create the sphere, and like i said don't force it or it will kill you" he states again "Focus, Concentrate!"
@Rex

[User] Bristle nodded like he understood everything that was being said, he did more or less. He took a few steps back making sure he had a clear area around him and concentrated, use only your mind hm? Bristle stared at his hand and mentally grabbed at the card laying there on the top. With agonizing slowness the card slowly lifted up and was held in front of him. He could feel the power coming from the card, this was amazing. He wasn't quite sure how to use it yet though and he certainly didn't want to try to do anything recklessly given they'd been warned multiple times that doing this could kill them. Should he try drawing power from the card? Turn the card into power, maybe try turning the card into the sphere? Bristle thought it over slowly as he examined the card closely and tried to figure out what to do next.

[Assistant]
Zephyr loved the look of the canyon they were in. If this is where they would be training he would enjoy it quite a bit. Then what the master said hit him, "wait, months?" He was sure he wouldn't get an answer about it, but it was crazy to think that months had passed when it felt like he was only asleep for the night. Whatever though, he knew that doing this would mean being gone from home for a long time, possibly forever. The other started dispersing, and the master wanted to talk to Bristle away from the others. Zephyr found a nice spot and sat down cross-legged.

Closing his eyes and putting his hands in a circular shape in front of him, he took a deep breath to clear his mind. Meditation was something he did on a daily basis. Well, used to, considering he had been asleep for several months according to the master. Still, it came naturally to him after all this time. He opened up to the sensations around him, the faint breeze through the field, the sounds of the others as they tried to access their magic. He remembered what the master said, do not control the magic, let it flow.

After some time, Zephyr felt tingling in his hands. He looked down and saw tendrils of energy flowing from is palms. Taking another deep breath, he focused on it, causing the energy to swirl until it was finally a sphere. Remembering what the master said about not getting overly emotional, Zephyr made the sphere go away before pumping his fist in the air excitedly. He wasn't sure if he was the first or the last person to get it but he was just happy he did it at all.

[User]
Look for the essence? How the hell are we supposed to find it when we have no idea what we're looking for? Alex thought. Alex took a deep breath and pushed his hunger aside and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. He stood there for a few moments until he heard a humming sound. It almost sounded like the humming sound one would hear near a telephone pole as the electricity went through it. He opened his eyes and the humming disappeared. He looked around for the source, but couldn't find it.

He closed his eyes again and concentrated, but once again the humming came back and it made it hard for him to focus. He sighed and opened his eyes before he said to the master, "with all due respect sir. This little pocket of reality you made is making it hard to concentrate. It's like I'm standing near a telephone pole. All I can hear is the humming of electricity going through the wires. Is that normal for this kind of magic?"

[Assistant] Mecca let out a small, annoyed noise in the back of her throat but closed her eyes and let her mind relax. She sat for around a minute with her eyes closed—thinking of the canyon that was around her—when she felt her hands tingle. Her eyes hesitantly opened and she saw a small amount of energy but enough to let her make a sphere. This time she kept her eyes open and focused only on the energy in her hands and forming it into a sphere. She let the small sphere stay in her cupped hands for a few moments before she let it dissipate.

[User]
The master would look annoyed and suddenly appeared infront of alex flicking his head "idiot use your head and put two and two together" he says annoyed "Science and Magic are two different things, and if you can't hear it when your not concentrating then it's not my magic idiot" he says "use your head instead of just assuming things"

He claps his hands "good, good.. little weak which is strange.. for that color.. but good you got a wild energy in you, red.. the color of a wild nature" he says "you'll need to work a lot on building up that energy on the inside.. let alone fully control it, or find other ways to gather energy which would be to dangerious to learn so soon" he states "now Mecca I want you to begin the phyiscal training, start taking full laps around this place, it should be simple to do, I'd say 20 laps will do without slowing down" he states

he raised his eyebrow at Zephyr "well that's good... sense you managed to get the sphere as well, begin on your phyiscal training as well, same as Mecca, 20 laps no walking" he says.

He looked at bristle and sighed appearing next to him from how much thought his putting into it "think of the cards like keys more then sources of power" he tells him "concentrate on the card and have it 'release' when it does the card will vanish.. then you'll probably feel something strange inside... once you feel that concentrate on it and try to create the sphere" he tells him "as you train in magic you'll be training to control your energy far more than the others" he states "until you have proper control over your abnormal amount of energy and it's.... nature then you will have to deal with this strange method" he tells him. "it's either that or i could unless it all and allow you to simply kill yourself."

[Assistant]
"Ow!" Alex said as he stepped back and rubbed his forehead before he said, "Geez, I'm getting the feeling you have something against me. I only ask because this magic thing is all new to me. Not all of us come from a family that explains magic. Hell, I found out about magic not too long ago." Alex sighed and closed his eyes to concentrate once again. He does have a good point. If I'm the only one t hear the humming, then that means this is where the magic is coming from. Like an electrical current Alex thought.

In Alex's mind he saw telephone poles all connected by electrical wires. He was able to go into the wires and see what looked like electricity running through the wires. Not electricity. Magic! He saw the magical currents running back and forth through the wires. He held out his hand and waited. For a few seconds nothing happened. I can see where the magic is coming from, so why can't I use it? Alex thought. Maybe, it's not as simple as finding the magic, but pulling it out to use it? In Alex's mind he saw his hand reach out to the wires. As his hand got closer, the
magic slowly flowed out of the fires and into his hand.

Alex opened his eyes to discover a sphere of magic in the palm of his hand. it was the size of a golf ball. The magic in his eyes looked almost electric. Like he had pulled it right out of an electrical wire. The small sphere soon pulsed then disappeared. Alex fell to one knee like all the energy was zapped from his body.

"Well, guess I found the magic," Alex laughed.

[User] "Yes sir!" Mecca said, hopping to her feet. She waited for him to walk away before she started running, pacing herself so she didn't wear herself out fast. As she ran her first lap, her loose-hanging blond hair flew out behind her slightly.

[Assistant]
Bristle nodded fractionally, "No sir, this is fine" in a somewhat strained voice while still focusing on the card. Release it hm? He mentally let get go of the card and it dissolved into a stream of something that floated around his body. It was almost euphoric, was this what magic was? He could feel it flowing through his body, now he had to form it into a sphere. Using the same trick he used to grab the card, he grabbed the magic streaming and tried to make it go between his hands.

It roughly sloshed against his mental walls eventually getting most of it to condense between his hands. Now dropping the walls he made to get the magic there he tried to from it into a sphere with his mental hands. He pushed it closer and closer together, squishing it into a shape. Several seconds later he had managed to materialize a sphere, well more of an oval, about the size of an apple.

 The sphere was warbling and nearly fell apart before Bristle but his hands back into place holding it together. It stayed together a bit better but after a couple more moments it fell into nothingness. Bristle sighed exhaustedly, how had doing that taken so much energy from him. Checking his magic level he still had a bit of residue from his card but not enough to make another sphere. "I guess I'm on laps now right?" he asked, both dreading and expecting the answer.

[User] "Hai," Zephyr shook his head after speaking, old habits die hard he supposed, "I mean, yes sir." Zephyr stretched for a moment before starting his laps, he'd really messed his legs one time when he ran without stretching, he wasn't going to let that happen again. As Mecca was making her way around Zephyr figured he'd run with her, laps were always easier when you had someone to talk with and distract you from being tired, at least that's how he found it. "Hey, wait up," he jogged up and kept pace with her, "I'm pretty sure we haven't been formally introduced, I'm Zephyr. I'd shake your hand, but, you know," he shrugged his shoulders and laughed as they ran.

[Assistant]
@Eklispe @booksmusicanime @Rex
During this entire time they may have not noticed but their bodies was aching in pain not to long ago and throughout the time they have been in this canyon that pain has subsided, they have slowly started to feel more energetic.

The master nods to bristle and Alex "you both need to work better on manipulating your magic espically your imagery" he says looking at alex "... but you both barely managed the sphere so ya to laps with the both of you" he states "move quickly and keep moving you got a lot of laps to do"

[User] "Mckenna. Though Mecca for short. It's nice to meet you Zephyr." Mecca said sending a small glance at him. Her golden eyes sparkled with amusement at his comment. "This running isn't bad actually...I was kinda dreading it when he said to run twenty laps." Mecca spoke quietly as she focused on her breathing.

[Assistant]
Alex sighed and stood up before he stretched and said, "Laps it is then. I may not know much about magic right now, but physical work is something I'm used to. That would be thanks to my mother teaching me MMA." Alex smiled before he began to run the laps. His mother always made him run around the gym before teaching him MMA. Said it was to help the blood flow and pump the adrenaline through your body. Physical work is my forte, so I should be good. Alex thought.

"By the way master," Alex asked as he ran past him and added. "When will we get out stuff back? I'm guessing by the end of all this, but maybe if you could. Let me have my IPod? Running without music is kind of dull. Plus, music helps the adrenaline. That's what I feel anyway"


[System]
Alias/Nickname: "BD", "The Guy Chose Friends Can Never Let Him Live a Joke Down"

Appearance: Could be described as handsome, in a scruffy, almost rogueish manner. Decently tall and decently muscled, he's not giant of a man but he is above average in terms of both height and physique. Active lifestyle'll do that for ya. Auburn hair's of middling length, held out of his lively brown eyes by a red-and-orange headband/ bandana / whatever the fuck it's called. Typically garbed in minimalist armor of boiled leather, he makes what he has work, content knowing he'll run into better things down the line if he works hard.

CREDIT TO SPHERE FOR DIGGING UP A PRETTY DAMN NICE PICTURE WHERE I COULD NOT

Age: 23

Race: Human

Personality: Positive, loyal, and perhaps just a bit too hotbloodedly ballsy for his own good, Kleinsmann is one of those guys that does his level best to both look after his own, and keep the overall spirits of those around him high. Despite his roughshod, at times questionable appearance, the young man is honest, cordial, and friendly as the come, if just as rough around the edges in his words as he is in his looks. A jokester (at times leaning into "smartass" territory), he'll just as often do something he feels he can get away with because it's funny as he will something necessary. Despite this, he will rarely stoop to something outright malicious, instead having a generous and honest desire to help those in need. At times, a bit dense and too straightforward. Depending on how you look at him, he's anything from your typical bro, to your typical annoyance, to possibly even your typical liability. Of course, if you ask him he's really only the first one of those. C'mon, man, would this guy lie to you?

Probably not.

Biography/history: A son of a small town a decent way outside of Angel's Landing, Otto was the ringleader (or closest equivalent thing) to a band of six friends, sometimes just a group of kids horsing around, sometimes closer to a bunch of little ruffians. Really depended on the day, and what was going on in town. They were never ones to back down from a brawl, after all. Sticking close together all through adolescence and well into young adulthood, they began to, as a group, plan for adventure, struck by mutual wanderlust and a desire to chase dreams, to become larger than life legends that one day would inspire boys just like themselves.

In short, it didn't pan out so simply. His mother falling terribly ill even as he was nursing off an injury he normally would have just soldiered through on his own, they were forced to come to a meeting and make a hard decision.

Where six planned to embark from town, only five were able to actually do so. With Big Johnny as the de facto leader, the band of brothers cast themselves out into the world to chase glory, to chase dreams, at Kleinsmann's behest. After all, there was no sense in him selfishly holding everyone else back, right?

Months later, himself and his mother now fully healed, Otto Kleinsmann set off on a quest of his own.

And he has catching up to do.

Reason for recruitment: To get an opportunity to find his party of friends again, to do good (fending off evil is all kinds of good), to grow stronger as both a fighter and person, to be a knight like he always heard of in stories as a kid.

Strength of Will: Unnatural

Magic: None thus far, has a decent yet undiscovered affinity for force magic, particularly involving fire.

God relations: Minor affinity with the Elemental Lord of Fire, unbeknownst to him. Beyond that, not much.

Tech: Laptop, Phone, Basic model Vibroblade.

Possessions/items/property: A simple red headband with orange stripes running across, a basic design that apparently means a lot to him and thusly, always stays on his person. It supposedly has five cousins somewhere in the rest of the world.

Skills: Swordsmanship: Otto is a self-taught swordsman that has somehow, through what could only be avidly watched netvids, practice, half-fucking-around-half-actually-sparring-with-friends, and sheer dumb luck, managed to learn his way around a blade well enough to be considered "not half bad".

Unarmed Martial Arts: Where he really shines in combat, despite defaulting to his sword whenever possible (dude! It's a freakin' sword!) Otto is a longtime veteran of brawls as a kid, and a big fan of the fighting arts, enough that between being in plenty of fights himself as a kid and eventually learning both striking and grappling from an old, one-eyed monk. This leaves him skilled and educated enough to defeat almost anybody you throw his way that isn't an expert or above in their own right.

Cooking: Dude's surprisingly facile in the kitchen and can easily follow a recipe. Chalk it up to culinary classes in school.

Survival: Is familiar with multitude of survival skills, thanks to having formerly been the planned leader of an adventuring party with all of his old friends. Silly though they are, they aren't dumb enough to not read up on what they'd need to know.

Misc: Theme song ideas :

Maybe this, this, or this

You pick for yourself, dear reader.

[User]
Testing The Waters

Krayzikk

Day 1, Morning

"Delta, show me my pending cases." A neat list of indexed files flitted into view within Justin's field of vision, just transparent enough to avoid obstructing his vision, but solid enough to be easily read. As useful as the tech was, the command was pointless. He already knew the state of his work load. Checking it when he woke up was something of a morning ritual, and he hasn't been awake very long. Enough to dress and brew a good, strong cup of coffee. He sipped at it as he looked over the list one more time anyway, checking for anything he might have missed. Not because he had missed anything, or even because he thought he had. Just because he was bored. There were only two active cases, a theft and an extortion. He had already tracked the thief down and sent both the evidence and his coordinates to the police, so he was just awaiting a confirmation so he could close the file. Delta would send a request for payment to the client automatically once he did, cutting that step out of his schedule. The other was a waiting game, too, though for different reasons. He had baited his trap, he was just waiting for them to bite.

But none of this was alleviating his boredom. Such a small list should have been a good thing. Fewer cases meant fewer people needing his services, which meant fewer crimes, which meant greater order and justice. All things he actively strove for. But without anything else, he was at a loss for anything to amuse himself with. Nor was his environment helping. His new quarters in the Tower, graciously provided by the Knights upon his recruitment, were quite comfortable. Sizable enough to avoid feelings confinement, and well-furnished enough to be pleasant. Their occupants were of course expected to tailor their environment to their liking, but Justin hadn't yet gone to the effort. He was staying, for the most part, to grow accustomed to the Tower and the people who dwelt within it. His loft wasn't far away and he knew he would have been more content sleeping there.

If he was going to work with the Knights, he needed to know them. He reminded himself of that just as the coffee in his mug ran out, as if a sign from the heavens. A nudge out the door. The investigator sighed, setting the mug on the table next to his chair and pushing himself to his feet. He didn't bother with anything more in the way of preamble before heading towards the door, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Clear view. Delta, lock laptop. Full encryption." A soft beep was the system's only reply. The only reply it ever gave, actually, given that Delta was nothing more than sophisticated voice command system. True AI weren't unheard of, but far outside of his price range. Delta was perfectly well-tailored to his needs. His footsteps carried him easily out into the hall, and he was already committing all the details he saw to memory while he locked the door. Getting around the Tower wasn't hard, though he hadn't exactly seen all of it. Or most of it. Whatever had been needed for his recruitment, and that was about it.

Perhaps it was time to explore. Maybe see if he was needed for anything more.

[Assistant]
Shadow Play
Themerlinhawk
Day 1, Morning

Ralrisk bounced the knife off of her desk leaving another ding in the surface as it flipped through the air and stuck in the wall. "This is stupid, there is no reason for me to be here why is Chris being such a hard ass about this. No one comes to see me and I have work to do" "I can provide your documents so you may continue planning for your missions if you wish but Shard has insisted you be present today for the next 12 hours." Senechal stood off to the side of the doorway. Ralrisk frowned "Whatever"

"Display new from last night and run through the new episodes for my holo dramas would you? At least I can catch up on something interesting."

Ralrisk kicked her feet up on the desk and leaned back to watch while she waited out her twelve hours in purgatory for her.

[User]
Pandora's Box

Wind Wild

Ludelle

Day 1, Morning

Another second passed. Another second of my life that I'm never getting back. So far I'd counted three thousand fifty two. Fifty three. Fifty four.... I grumbled at the ridiculousness of my endeavour and stopped. Surely there must be more useful ways to spend your time, even in confinement. Like trying to escape, you'd suggest? Ha. I'm pretty sure it's the first thing on anyone's mind. Including the people who actually design your cell for you right before they lock you in it.

I'd already tried everything I could think of. Brute force was out of the question: there was nothing around that I could break off and swing at the bars. Magic was also useless. Not because the Blind fool had abandoned me... which he had... but because even though I could still feel the magic inside myself, the leather-like skin that was bestowed upon me didn't let it out. I'd spent hours feeling my surroundings when my eyesight was rendered useless. Hours spent trying to find the sensation of metal or electricity under my fingers that I could influence. Nothing. I could feel the unmistakable cold but only on a purely physical level. So what was left for me to do except for counting the seconds or remembering my past? I definitely wasn't doing the latter.

I nested my head between my knees and flinched when the long inhuman beak hit the floor. Imprisoned. In a prison, in a cell, in a foreign body, not even the skin or face my own. If it was mere clothes it would have been better. Surely there would be the consolation that at least I'm still myself. As things were, I wasn't. Even that was taken away from me. Everything was taken away from me, even my awareness. For a person such as me, used to always being in the loop, it was particularly scary to not even know where I am. Not even knowing how long I've been here.

I should have kept count of the days. But how do you tell the days when there's no light? My meals are not regular. I haven't been out since I came here. Everyone around me is quiet – is there even anyone around? I wish there was commotion around. Voices, shouts, anything. Anything but the dreadful, suffocating silence that went hand in hand with impending death.

There was only one thing I had left. My dignity. The knowledge that whatever the charges were, they didn't have enough evidence to execute me straight away. The knowledge that I had covered my tracks well enough to buy me at least another day. The bitter-sweet knowledge that the reason they were so terribly harsh with how they treated me is because they knew I wouldn't break easily.... They say knowledge is power. I used to agree, and deep down still do but knowledge wasn't power in this case. It was power enough to keep me alive. But not power enough to get me out of here. And did such a power even exist...?

[Assistant]
Man of the Rising Sun

HereComesTheSnow

Day 1, Morning

Blinds were, if utilized correctly, invaluable tools to the late riser. Allowing for protection against the early rays of morning, they could help one who had stayed up late or was simply obstinately not a morning person extend their period of slumber for a couple of hours, which, in sleep time, was almost always invaluable. By artificially maintaining the darkness of the room, they could keep the inherently wakeful light away from the lidded retinas of the occupant in question, which would in turn help them continue to sleep.

Seriously, people's eyes respond to that stuff, no matter how poorly the narration explains it. Case in point being:

One Otto Kleinsmann had evidently not been trained in proper and correct utilization of blinds. And as one might expect, a glorious golden ray of sunshine lanced through the crack offered to it in the window's defenses, casting itself upon his sleeping face with wild abandon. To his credit, his fortitude against the dawn was not one-note-- a scrunching of the face, a repositioning of the body; adequate steps to remain inertly unconscious were taken.

However, it was too still too little, and still too late. The movement had actually served to wake him up more, getting the blood moving and brain working, so to speak.

"Wuuuugggggh..." he groaned, blearily sitting upright in the comfortable little bed issued to all residents of the Tower's dormitories. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes for something resembling a full 90 seconds before checking the clock. Still blurry, and unfocused to boot.

Whatever. "Too early"'s good enough. he groused internally, hauling himself out of bed as soon as blood was flowing past his patellas. Really needed to curb that whole "sleeping on a leg" thing...

One short shower that cleared his mind and sinuses later, and he was at his sink, dutifully brushing away at his teeth before breakfast like any respectably raised young man, when the world reminded him that it wasn't done just yet. He'd set his alarm early by mistake, and had forgotten it was even on at all when woken up extra early by the sun, which resulted in--

AMADOU-amadouuuuu

A majestic spray of mint flavored foam splattered into the bowl of the sink, and a loudly uttered profanity followed soon after as the young man beat his alarm into submission. Today had the makings of...

"Well, something... interesting." he concluded some time later, after carefully avoiding any more surprises as he finished his morning routine. Affixing the sheathed HF-Blade upon his back via magical future technology (read: a simple leather belt), Otto stepped out of the door and into the halls, intent on locating the most crucial thing for any man in the morning:

Breakfast.


[System]
Age:22

Gender: Female

Race: Nem

Appearance:

(As above, but with rounder ears! Though her hair is naturally black, she dyes it pink to stand out. A merchant's most powerful weapon is being remembered. In addition, on the occasion she needs to go outside during the day, she wears a cute, floral, wide-brimmed hat)

Personality: Sweet, caring, and good-natured on the outside. Calculating and selfish on the inside. Lirrah does what she can for the people she likes, and everyone else is scarcely a concern of hers. She has no particular investment in Velt or Ithillin aside from the knowledge that brewing hostilities are a good business venture. It would be easy to label her as another amoral war profiteer, but it's hard to make the title stick when she's personally serving hot meals to the folks on the borderlands (for a fee, of course). In any case, she is outgoing, personable, and really lays on the cute. Cute is good for business.

Brief Backstory: Born into a humble family of sweets-makers with three older brothers and three older sisters, it would be no exaggeration to say that Lirrah was the baby of the family. If she wanted acknowledgement, she had to work for it. Whether she had to lie or exaggerate or even shout, she was always yapping in order to get attention.

From a young age, this served her well, though it got on her siblings' nerves. She learned how to cook, and was quite talented, but her gift of gab often had her strutting the sand to entice customers instead. She and her family's trade became so well-known through her raw, extroverted moxie that she was considered by many to be the unofficial mascot of the store. She and her family's brand of sweets soon became inseparable.

For most attention-seekers, this amount of notoriety would be enough to live a lifetime, but Lirrah wanted more. Her cries yearned to reach more ears. She wanted to say something that the entire known world would one day need to listen to.

On her sixteenth birthday, people came from settlements all around to celebrate her. It was at this moment that she decided to cash in all the affection and goodwill she had earned from a lifetime of honeyed words as sweet as the ripest melon juice. She wanted to leave the village, and travel north. For that purpose, she collected many investors and partners who would fund and stock her caravan, with no proof of success other than the borderline disgusting amount of aplomb with which she conducted herself.

Everyone likes sweets.

Her network was enormous. The affection that everyone had for her was overflowing. And flow it did, into coins and goods and equipment that would enable her desire to reach north. As far northward as she could go… so far, and so high, that even she could look down at the world despite her people's relatively short stature.

It took a while, of course, to get everything ready. But within a few years, funds and equipment in hand, she reached Velt. This was only going to be her first stop, but it would be a profitable one. She had weapons to feed into the growing fires of hostility, and Nem glasswork and art pieces to appeal to nobles who wanted to show off how world-wise they were and who had more money than sense. With her charms, and the situation to her advantage, it was almost impossible to fail. She made a killing when she finally arrived and, happy with the numbers, decided to move onto Ithillin. What happened when everything boiled over wasn't important. What was important was making her money off both sides and getting out, continuing to reach ever northward.

The situation was not exactly as it was described to her.

The conflict was practically already happening, and the borderlands were almost a war zone, with skirmishes and bandits and monsters out in force. Lirrah learned this when she picked the most reasonably under-staffed point on the border to make her trip, and found her caravan surrounded by marauders. Though she could shoot a bow (her home village was small enough that everyone needed to learn), she was not a real fighter. Her hired muscle fell quickly to the deluge of bandits, and she was soon surrounded.

She didn't want her ambition to end there, but what could she do?

Then, the Lions roared.

Routed efficiently to the last, the bandits went from an overwhelming bellow to a simpering swan song within moments. Lirrah explained the situation to the Lions, embellishing to make herself seem less opportunistic, and she soon learned that things were more dire between the two nations than she had imagined.

A caravan cannot move north through a river of blood. Even avoiding everything else, the upcoming conflict could capture her supply chain and leave her stranded. There was nothing else for it. Thinking quickly, she talked her way into a mutually beneficial exclusivity contract with Velt during wartime. Her supply chain would be useful, and she could set up shop personally among the group that had helped her. Until the war was over, she would need to hold out. She didn't want to pick sides initially, but as it turned out, a side picked her.

Equipment: A diverse array of highly saleable wares! Within reason, of course. The art objects get sold far before they reach Lirrah, because warriors on the frontline have little need for such things. If there's something specific a soldier wants, however, she can usually get it in a week or so depending on rarity. She stocks generic weapons, along with some more interesting exotic weapons from her homeland. Nem bows, especially, are in high demand. With the ever-present threat of skirmishes, she stocks a ridiculous amount of healing potions. More high-end wares include enchanted rings and brooches, with a variety of protective effects, and even magical weapons. Nem alcohol is, to most, a novelty, but she gets enough requests from those who have taken to it to keep it in stock (and to drink herself).

When out and about, she carries a bow and a good supply of potions, as well as a few explosive flasks and acid bombs. She has an enchanted hat that cools her and gives her a lot of shade, though seeing beyond the immediate bound of that shade is still difficult as a Nem. Mostly it makes travel during daytime much more comfortable.

Skills:

Diplomancer: Lirrah is very good at talking to people, and even getting them to agree to things they normally wouldn't. She's that charming! She's a natural in any environment, from swanky party to seedy bar. She can lie as naturally as she breathes, and can make herself the center of attention with little effort. Conversely, during a combat encounter, she can turn up her cute and helpless act such that most reasonable enemies wouldn't target her unless they had no other choice. Very helpful as a merchant!

Swift: Lirrah is dexterous, agile, and quick on her feet. On the rare occasion she can't talk or act her way out of danger, she can usually escape it. Her sight, mainly in the dark, is immensely keen. She's good with a bow, though aiming far away is difficult for her during the day. She's practiced enough with the sling to fling dangerous flasks many feet away. Fast hands are useful in the kitchen, and she's also quite good at sewing and knitting.

Gourmand: Lirrah is an excellent cook. She's best at dishes from her home country, but picks up new cuisine quickly as well. Sometimes, the difference between a dead soldier and a living one is a happily-fed belly. She's especially gifted at desserts, which she can make at the level of a genius patissier. She can only make so many to her exacting standards day to day, that they run out quickly. People have gotten into fistfights over the strawberry shortcake!

[User]
@Crimson Paladin

---

Hraesleg Lions Base Camp

---

Val had make her way back to the base camp, not too far behind Hector. Though he had a flying mount and should logically have faster maneuverability, she was quite confident in her own agility in slithering among the tree branches. Arriving back, she looked toward the largest tent in the camp. Velvetica would soon call for her subordinates to regroup there and report their findings. She quickly made her way there, seeing her other allies following suit. She honestly was still a bit nervous in working with so many people from different backgrounds, but Vel would push those thoughts to the side for now.

Convening in her tent, Valmyra had looked intently at their leader. She had already met Velvetica once before, when she personally came to her rebuilt village and recruited her. She was smaller in stature than most, and even more so compared to a lamia like Val. Despite this, her presence came with an undeniable authority and reliability that a seasoned leader would naturally give off. Besides, Val was not one to give assumptions based on another's appearance. As a lamia, she could tower over everyone in the room, depending on how she coiled her lower body. In this case, she did just that, but only because she didn't want to take up too much standing room. She blushed with a bit of bashfulness, not wanting to have drawn too much attention to herself.

She listened as the griffon rider gave his report. "While I was there to observe as well, my near-sightedness prevented me from being able to properly see the effigies" She said. "Thankfully, Hector and his steed didn't have that problem." It didn't even occur to her that she could be getting the man's name wrong.

Apparently, the signs they saw indicate several different things. The leader didn't think that it was the work of bandits, or due to Ithillin criminals. Val's eyes narrowed with a predatory rage at the mention of that nation. She won't be forgetting what an attack from their warriors took from her. Velvetica told the group that the perpetrators were likely cultists, those who worshiped fell spirits. The thought of such people caused a sick feeling to well up inside Valmyra's stomach. She'd never understand what could lead a person to follow such a wretched faith.

"Just give word, and my lance will be at your ready."

[Assistant]
Gisela

"A briefing? Sounds boring, call me if a fight starts," the demon announced when everyone started gathering, turning to look at the merchant, "Or if you can get another one of those pastries."

With that, she turned around and... well, seemingly just stepped forward. But, as if passing through an invisible doorway, she disappeared without any trace of having been there in the first place. It was always quite an odd sight to see, for the Hundi, because it didn't work anything like the teleportation magic she knew existed. There, you either had to move yourself via magic, or establish a stable connection first... both of which were highly visible.

Demons didn't really obey the same rules as mortals did, so it was only to be expected.

At the briefing, the mage did her best to stay small and out of the way, especially once the actual threat was described. No, she had nothing to do with the raising of the dead... but she was a necromancer in practice, even if it was the legal, healing-oriented side of it. Better to not get the attention of so many armed and armoured soldiers whilst everyone was consumed by outrage. She might need to talk to Velvetica afterwards, though--

--She might not be able to raise undead, but when it came to putting them down again, there were few people who had more options available.

[User]
Lirrah parted with her customers, having sold a relatively good amount, and packed up before heading over to the briefing. The Demon woman, notably, seemed to be able to vanish rather quickly for one so big. If a Demon could truly just come and go as they pleased, it was perhaps a little bit alarming, but more in a cosmic sense than an immediate one.

Well, as long as her pastries were well-liked, she probably wouldn't be killed.

Lirrah heard Velvetica out, knowing that having her finger on the pulse of the latest goings-on was a great tool for a merchant, and also a fantastic way to not die. Lirrah didn't get get the Juyuem vitriol against necromancy. Though Ila-Nem also warned against their evils, it wasn't quite so ingrained in her people. Hadriyu were the more pressing concern, but perhaps one's scorpion men were another's necromancers.

Hadriyu were, by nature, monsterous Nem-killers. Was there something in the nature of necromancy that ensured a particularly monsterous person? If not for the mindless undead craving for flesh, eternal unskilled labor seemed a good business prospect. Though if that's what a necromancer wanted, they could just learn to make golems. It was probably that innate viciousness that could be pointed to in any civilized discussion about the subject: mindless undead were killing machines, and if a necromancer were to lose control, they would continue plaguing the world until dismantled.

Like a Hadrid.

Lirrah felt some degree of disgust well after anyone who actually despised necromancy, but she got there. Only, she looked as if she hated necromancers the entire time she was debating whether or not there might be any business viability. She knew her clientele. All the people around her hated it, so she hated it too. She looked just as disgusted by the mention of the dark arts as anyone else.

An easily-changing value system was yet another magnificent tool for a merchant.

Once she was finished speaking, Lirrah timidly approached her. Velvetica was yet another person who was kind of scary, though by no means tall. Lirrah knew, however, that she was good-hearted. Even if everyone told her not to spend time on bandits, she could not ignore those in front of her.

Lirrah understood this value firsthand.

"San'yashu, lady Hraesleg," Lirrah greeted her softly. It wasn't really something she wanted a lot of other people to hear. She looked up at the woman, eyes glistening innocently, and briefly wondered if the fact that Lirrah had to look up at her when they spoke made Velvetica feel tall.

Lirrah hoped this was the case.

"I would not dare ask you to leave anyone pehind on my account, nor ask for anyone to escort me to home camp. You need as many people as you can get to deal with these awful necromancers, so... I was actually thinking I would like to help you more! To do my part for Velt," she lied as naturally as she breathed, "I wanted to pring some items along, and maybe help keep an eye out. My eyes are very good in the gloom, and I am an expert at avoiding danger! Only... I do still get scared. May I count on you, again, to see me through the night? E-even though I am weak... I would like to do something."

Lirrah turned her meek and cute act up to maximum. If this didn't make Velvetica want to protect her with everything she could, Lirrah didn't know what would.


[System]
Age: 16

Nationality: Romanian

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Noble Arm Abilities:

Wings of Freedom: User summons a pair of wings that greatly enhance the height at which they can leap into the air. While airborne the wings can also be used for a time to maneuver their descent or even slow it down to a glide before the wings vanish.

Meteor Impact: A follow-up where, after using Wings of Freedom to leap high in the air and position themselves, the user crashes down onto their intended point of landing spear-first. The spear itself is a piercing enough attack but the actual landing also tends to generate a small shockwave directly around the user as well, hence how the ability got it's name.

Dragon Spiral: A more powerful variant of the Meteor Impact. In this attack, the user himself becomes the spear so to speak. Before they wear off, the user wraps himself in his wings and comes spiraling down on his intended target like a giant drilling spear head. The impact is greater and thus produces a stronger shockwave, and the drilling nature of the attack gives even more of a maximum penetration to break through most shields or defenses. As a trade-off, this variant is more taxing on the user's stamina and thus can only be used a limited number times before rest is needed.

A Hero's True Form: Rather than merely summoning a pair of wings, the user summons for himself a suit of matching scaled armor that greatly resembles the form of a silver dragon. While donned, the armor grants extra protection from enemy attacks and enhances the power of his other Noble Arm abilities. The form has a limited time, however, and once that time runs out the user is drained almost completely and is unable to continue fighting until they've had a period of rest. When the form does run out, the user expels the power by way of wrapping himself in a cloak of flame that immediately takes the form of a lunging dragon that flies forth to devour his opponents.

Personality: Drake is a driven individual, but that alone is not particularly unique. It's what he is driven by that makes him stand out among his peers. Drake is driven by one thing, his desire to become a "true hero". What that actually means or entails... well he's always pretty vague about it as if he himself isn't entirely certain. He is, however, certain that it involves strength and honor and those things are typically what he latches onto. This makes him a particularly chivalrous sort, not afraid to leap into battle to protect someone weaker than himself or to simply punish an evil doer. That's what he says, anyway, but there is something else hiding in depths of his heart. A darkness rarely seen but dangerous if left ignored: desire for revenge. It's not something Drake would ever openly admit to, but to say the temptation hadn't ever shown its allure to him would be a lie. He does his best to keep it buried, to give that darkness no quarter in his heart. But one person's willpower can only do so much.

 *Likes: Stories, Legends, Heroes, Reading, Training, Hunting, Fishing

 *Dislikes: Corruption, Liars, Cowardice, Disablers, Cats (yes, seriously)

 Fears: Losing his family, losing friends, and in some ways... himself

Bio:

Drake Lecarde was born in a small rural town, the name of which he can't even recall. When he was still a small child, the town was... "visited" by a segment of the Disablers. They believed an Arms Master lived there and they were determined to see them neutralized before they could become a threat. The Arms Master they were looking for was not Drake, but another man living in the town wielding a blacksmith's hammer as his summoned weapon. As for Drake himself, he was separated from his parents, left hidden in a barn wrapped up in his father's jacket like a blanket. The town's community was the kind that stood up for one another, and the townspeople stood by their Arms Master neighbor and paid the price for it. The town was practically reduced to a ghost town.

Drake would have starved, but as luck would have it, was found by a passing Romani family who took him in and raised him as one of their own. In the old days, during medieval times and even into the Renaissance period Romani often lived in caravans of traveling minstrels and entertainers, among other things. And while those caravans don't really exist anymore in the modern age, some Romani families maintain traditions revolving around song, dance, and storytelling. Drake's adopted family was one such example. Drake grew up on tales of heroes and legends, and chivalry and heroics. And when he summoned his Noble Arm for the first time, Drake instantly realized that he could become like the heroes in the stories he was told. Drake's first bit of training involved using his spear to hunt and fish.

But his first experience with the Disablers would not be Drake's last. They reared their heads again, having discovered him among his adopted family. He was determined not to lose another family, and it paid off. He was able to successfully defeat the Disablers, but Drake's adopted family saw something in him. They called it a darkness, one drawn to him by a desire for revenge. In end, agreed upon solution was to let Drake live somewhere among others of his own kind. Perhaps being around other Arms Masters and receiving real training and mastery of his powers would give Drake the clarity he needed to not let his heart be consumed with vengeful thoughts. Drake, of course, saw this as his big chance to finally become a true hero.

And so, Drake made it to Trinidad, now among the newest transfers beginning their first years there. He would have to start at the bottom like any novice, but Drake was determined to make his name known and to leave him mark as a True Hero.

*Current Goal: Become a True Hero. Right now that seems to equate to becoming the top ranked Arms Master.

Student Rank: 1500 (being among the newest transfers, it is natural he be made to start at the bottom rungs)

[User]
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Like clockwork, Charlie rolled out of bed and killed his alarm with one fluid motion. He rolled his neck and stretched as he rocked back on his heels a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over to his dorm mate, noting that his alarm setting was low enough to leave the other undisturbed, and spent a few minutes making his bed in the dim light of his phone screen. He switched into the running clothes he laid out last night and neatly deposited his dirty pajamas into the laundry hamper. He popped in his headphones, synced them up, and set off for his morning run with Queen burning away the last of his lingering fatigue.

When his father first started him on this, the morning run was the bane of his existence. Why in the world would any sane person subject themselves to this? It took him almost a year for the utter loathing to fade as he ran. It was peaceful this early, only a handful of people out at the hour. He learned to love it, to have this time to just exist, no missions, no motives, no expectations. He could breathe.

As his soundtrack wound down, he made his way back to the dorm. He showered and dried off in his usual twelve minutes, went through his hygiene routine in five, and was dressed in the school uniform in three. Double checking his tie, he checked the clock and nodded. At this rate, he should be approximately twenty minutes early. Perfect.

 "Charles." The boy nodded in response to Pablo's loud and hyper introduction. He sent an unimpressed look towards his dorm mate at his commentary. Why was this inflammatory discussion necessary and he planned to cut him off when Carsi spoke up.

"If you're providing security, its likely in the job's best interest not to announce your assignment to the entire school." Charles said dryly, reviewing what work would have to be submitted across his various classes today. If there really was an attack imminent, and Charles could only hope the Disablers were planning one, announcing your position on a security team before the official details was released compromised the security of the task force's assignment. Case in point, Charles would keep a close eye on tht and try to wiggle in. Ensuring this attack made it into the campus would help galvanize the student populace and he could get to work earlier than planned.

And then the jerk off, contest courtesy of his roommate Chris, really got into full swing. Some girl launched herself to the ceiling and started talking a bunch of smack. Lame smack at that. Charles pointedly ignored her with a roll of his eyes and turned his attention back to Carsi.

 "Targeting the next generation of Arms Masters is a solid strategy. Pointing out the current ones can't protect their young and goad out a disaster from the startled unstable, unskilled trainees would gain the group a lot of traction." Charles mused. The more he considered this, the more he would love for this rumor to be real. With a top ten student as big a security breach as you could ask for, circulating confusion and orchestrating a few mistakes would be a breeze. "But if that attack is rumored to happen, why would the President still visit? Wouldn't it be safer to clear the issue first?"

[Assistant]
Trinidad Academy - Early Morning [6 AM]

Pablo said nothing as he saw Charles begin to underestimate him; good. As for the Disabler attack, it was real, but in a way that none of the people present in the group would expect. But it was best to hide how much he knew; he'll pay for it later when the time came to expose his own lies to himself, but he might also learn that he had no other choice. So he listened to Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone continue to boast a little more.

"Who knows," the Half-Irish Filipino said, trying to catch himself, "Maybe she won't be visiting after all, or perhaps she's sending a body double and this is all a sting operation to lure the Disablers out; the possibilities are endless."

He smirked, "Why am I telling you all this? Well, One, gossip is a cherished Filipino custom. Two, the people accompanying me will be chosen through a raffle. Three, I don't like random people watching my back, so I'm planning to... Arrange said raffle in my favor, to put in people I can depend on, even if it is only by virtue of seating arrangements." He looked around, settling on Drake if the latter was fuming at the mention of the Disablers. "So, who wants a place in the security team?"

Carsi was avoiding eye contact with Pablo, while the latter was busying himself typing something in Filipino at the desk laptop; just study stuff.

Unnamed Oil Tanker Off the Philippine Coast

The hijacking was easily achieved, with the captain and what loyal crew there were bound, gagged, and kept in the brig. Now the Disabler cell which had infilitrated the vessel had no obstacles to their safe operation for what few minutes of life they had. All of them had lost family and friends; innocent children and youth cut down undeservedly, to those monsters. All of them had felt the sting from the wrongful privileges that those monsters had accumulated, putting them above hardworking men. And so all of them had volunteered to die, in order to make sure no new monsters took the leadership of humanity away from true people.

As the Oil Tanker entered into Manila Bay; Trinidad Academy was going to come in sight in an hour or two, none of the crew, including their Amazonian leader, noticed the fact that their shadows had small pieces cut from them...

Trinidad Academy - Director's Office 6 AM

The rest of the Top Ten had been tasked to guard the Academy itself, while Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone began the first stage of the purging. Problem was, Legazpi was insisting that there was hidden strength in the first batch of students selected for 'The Culling'; maybe he was right, but just because someone can reveal the universe's truths did not mean they were obliged to speak them; the boy will have to be watched.

If the students to be culled did not prove themselves at Carsi's prompting, he, Jose C. Bathala, will have to hope that Angelito Jaime would act on the tip he had given him. If the 'Hero of 1987' refused to act as planned, then he would have to use brute force.

Getting up, the man walked close to the windows and checked his shadow, once, twice, three times; nothing was missing and that was good.

He was paying a high-stakes game; Pablo was extraordinarily fond of his chosen group despite the danger such a band of idealists - Yes, even the Hammer Mole was an idealist - posed. Just what did he see in them when he had used his sword on the Academy itself?

Turning to another set of papers, looking for another method to cull the deadweight from the student population, the Director mused that a mix of idealism and pragmatism was what won wars - the latter controlling the former.

@Smike@Trainerblue192@Bartimaeus@Eklispe@TsundereStorm

[User]
"Saved a town? No, but I've tangled with my share of monsters." Drake said, crossing his arms. People seemed to like showing off their Arms around here, made evident when Xris followed up his introduction by doing just that. Apparently he could make copies of himself. Some kind of Strength in Numbers power? Personally, Drake preferred having strength in himself rather than in numbers, but it was all just preference at the end of the day. And then the tomboy spoke up, questioning Drake's ability to back up his claim before, of course, showing off her own Noble Arm.

But the third guy to speak elected not to present his Noble Arm. He instead questioned the logic of announcing a presumably top secret assignment to one's classmates, which admittedly was a valid point. Drake spent some time listening, especially to Carsi's eventual reply. That was when got his chance to speak up again and he didn't hesitate. Drake rarely ever did. "I'm sorry, run that by me again? A raffle?" he cocked an eyebrow, a look of confusion appearing on his face, "The security of the President herself... and it's determined by random luck? What kind of sense does that make? Why not choose the team based on ability level or on skillset specifics?" maybe Carsi also realized this and that was why he was inclined to simply arrange the raffle regardless of the outcome?

But Drake would be a liar if he claimed not to be somewhat interested in the prospect of kicking some Disabler ass. His last encounter with them went well enough for him, but what he really needed was chance to cut loose and properly gauge just what he was capable of. He clenched a fist and smirked, but rather than join in on the Noble Arms show-and-tell he just reached for his coffee and took another drink. Despite being the first to speak up and being one to declare himself a hero, Drake elected not to display his Noble Arm, "Oh I'm sorry, I guess this is the part where I was supposed to show everyone my Noble Arm? Drawing your weapon and waving it around when there's no battle taking place isn't what I'd call very good heroic conduct. And besides... I just hate the idea of giving away spoilers." that last part he said with a quick and playful wink.


[System]
Real World Character
Age: 24

Gender: Female

Appearance: Somewhat tall at 6' even, and a rather thin build due to high metabolism and lack of physical exercise, as well as being quite pale.

Short Bio:

For Cheryl, life was always about a fight. Sadly, she never was really good at fighting like how it usually would be in the streets, which led her to sequester herself in her room most days. A small gig doing gunsmithing on the black market with an old combat vet showing her how it's done helped pay her bills in the American mega city, but she always needed an escape. Books, movies, music, and eventually video games. Making friends with some of the bootleggers peddling video games like moonshine came to in her favor when she got a hold of Gun Burst Online, and she soon found herself extremely sick and tired of the North American server, as it was half the time dead and the other half saw the same roving band of players running around and wiping the floor with anyone they saw.

Cheryl was able to get her version and console spoofed and allowed her to connect and log in to the Japanese server while also giving her a translator for audio that would show up as subtitles on her HUD. This finally let Cheryl begin to hone her skills, and start leveling up her character. While still at the lower levels, there were some things you didn't need to level up to get skilled in. Cheryl learned how to tune her senses, wait for the right moments, and be aware of her surroundings. Eventually she broke down and bought the "Hell in the Jungle" pack that was chock full of old Vietnam style gear. She always had a soft spot for history and a respect for the classics, and she got as much in-game currency to do it as she could manage before paying the rest of it out of pocket.

With more room to practice and more people to fight, it wasn't long before Cheryl had begun to make a name for herself as a solo operator. It helped that she had a personal library chock full of old war stories and even some old US Army handbooks on things like Counter-Insurgency and Small Unit Tactics. Her usage of hand signals is well-known by those who have fought with her on occasion, along with her usage of quick text orders.

Gun Burst Online Character

Name: Leadslinger

Gender: Female

Appearance: 6' 2" and a more muscular build than her player's

Level: 44

Specs:
- Fast Aim 1
- Improved Reflexes 1
- Improved Strength 1

Signature Weapon/Combat Style: Colt M16A1 with detachable M7 bayonet to be utilized in close quarters. Adept at night fighting and jungle warfare.

Inventory:
- US Army style Vietnam era olive drab jungle fatigues with EDRL "Low-lands" camouflage pattern helmet cover
- US M1 Helmet with late-war liner
- M69 Flak Jacket
- M17A1 Gas Mask
- Vietnam era pistol belt and suspenders with ammo pouches, holster, and canteen
- Colt M16A1 with "67" written in blue marker on the receiver
- Colt M1911A1
- M7 Bayonet with scabbard
- 2 M76 Frag grenades
- 1 M34 White Phosphorous grenade
- Camo paint
- Music module
- 4,000 Credits
- 10 Crystals

Skills:

- Gunsmithing 1000
- First Aid 1000
- Assault Rifle Proficiency 1000
- Handgun Proficiency 500
- Bayonet and Knife Proficiency 200
- Stealth 150
- Salvaging 200

Sample post:

Branches whipped by at an alarming pace as Leadslinger beat feet in a dead sprint. Behind her was a a three-man team out for blood. Her blood. She had popped one of their friends who she suspected had been stalking her and now she was finding out that she really hated fighting alone, even if she was good at it. Well, she had to be good at it. No one could really communicate effectively with her to pick up on a team fight so she had to make due on her own. A lone wolf. Well, the wolf was on the run now. But the wolf had a few tricks up her sleeve...

After a few minutes, she stopped and hunkered down behind a tree. She worked on calming her heart rate and catching her breath as she looked all around her. It was night. Good. She could operate well in the night, and the forest she had run into served to really hide her shadow. She just had to focus. It wasn't long before she heard the crunch and snap of leaves and twigs. The team was closing in, and she saw the subtitles of their talking on her HUD.

"Spread out and find her! I want her dead for what she did to Tanaka!"

"Yes sir!"

What she "did" was self-defense, but these didn't sound like the kind of guys that could be reasoned with. She sighed as she drank from her canteen and then put it back in its pouch. She then took the M7 bayonet out from its scabbard on her belt and affixed onto the end of the lug on the A-frame of her M16A1. With the sounds of footfalls getting louder, she knew they were getting close. But they were at least somewhat smart. The middle man was letting his teammates on the flanks push ahead of him in a sort of V formation. That was going to make it difficult, even more so if these guys had NVGs. She didn't see it, but no one could be sure.

Leadslinger listened as she planned her engagement. She could...no, she would take these guys out in one fell swoop. She had to. One twenty round magazine would be fine on semi-auto, but she was going to have to fire bursts and that would run the thing dry damn quick. She took a deep breath as she heard the footsteps now directly on either side of her. Do or die time.

The woman who looked like she stepped right out of the late 60's stood up and sighted on where she heard one of the crunches of leaves to her right and sprayed a long burst. In the light of her muzzle flashes, she saw the man go down. Not enough time to confirm the kill; She swung to the left while keeping the stock tucked into her shoulder and sprayed another long burst behind her. She walked the bullets across the way and cut down the second man. Now that just left one last guy. She popped out from the tree and emptied the rest of the magazine in his general direction. Sadly, with her position, she couldn't gauge exactly where he was like the others. So the fire was meant to suppress more than kill.

But, in the same manner, she saw the night light up and watched the guy duck behind another tree. There was no time to reload or else she'd be caught up in a prolonged gun fight, and she didn't want to deal with that at night. Too much could go wrong. So she put her rifle down at her hip, grabbed the handguard and stock firmly, and rushed out from behind the tree. The last man stepped out from behind his position to sight her in but he was too late on the draw. She had already closed the gap, and he had presented himself as a target for her. The bayonet sunk into his gut as she rammed into him with enough force to knock him to the ground. He didn't have time to try to get back up before she took the rifle up and used the butt-end of the stock to bash his face. A quick stab into the heart and it was over.

The scene was a bit grizzly as Leadslinger went to each individual and made sure the were no longer a threat and then left them there. It was done, and she was heading to the nearest populated settlement to bed down for the night. Hopefully without anymore trouble, as she nonchalantly slapped a new magazine into her rifle and smacked the bolt release. She activated her music module and listened to a song as she walked with the map.

[User]
---

A rush of Schadenfreude had a smirk tug at Roche's lips when their sprint into conflict was curtailed by an ambush that as inaccurate as it was obnoxious. A hailstorm of high caliber rounds pinged off the metalwork around them and Roche was quick to dive forward and roll into cover, her shoulder roughly crashing against it and sticking close to minimize her profile. Casting her eyes around she was quick to notice Kanna doing the same, while Ryuko took to cover with significantly less...poise

"And there goes Lemon Soda. He's going...going....and safe. Must have the devil's luck about him." She opined before ducking back behind cover as bullets pinged off rusted metal with renewed vigor. Roche shook her head to clear the faint ringing, only to realize that was actually Gudako's screams for help, bastardization of Roche's handle included. "You know damn well it's not Roach."

Regardless of the appropriate time for chewing out her friends stubborn habits of annoyance this really was a situation well suited for her particular weapon. From the shores of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam, there were few incentives as effective as a horrible burning death via jellied fuel to get an enemy to flee their fortifications straight into gunfire.

"Alright, the shooting is about to stop in five seconds. Get ready for a shooting gallery." Roche shouted over the gunfire before judging the attack and making a break for the next closest piece. In truth she didn't care for the position but the movement itself made her a slightly harder target without affecting her own ability to attack. The advantage of a one handed weapon shown as her gauntlet aimed just overhead of the machine gun nest. Clenching her fist triggered a pressure plate which unleashed a torrent of flame upon the crane. Having very little time to saturate the area she slashed her arm diagonally upwards before releasing the trigger and barreling into safety, covering the crane from the base upwards in raging fire.

"That's your cue to start shooting everyone."

[Assistant]
"I don't know, but it looks more like they are the type who doesn't tolerate your face. I mean, you look like the kind of person who drags a crowd of haters behind you whenever you go. If you know what I mean," ICEY said in a somewhat sarcastic voice. She didn't mean to actually berate Gudako, but having some fun wasn't going to kill them, was it?

Well, maybe it would on Lemon's case. But his idea of fun seemed to be pretty extreme already, putting his head on the block might just add to it. That said, ICEY took the opportunity created by Roche to zip towards another cover where she could get a better view of the opposing team using a mirror, taking note of how they scattered around, breaking their suppression fire, thanks to the flames forcing them out of their defensive position. "If I were a trigger-happy brat that's totally not trying to compensate for something else, what kind of gun would I use in a team such as this one?" ICEY said to herself as she tried to think of the possibilities until something obvious came to her.

"I can't be sure about it, but I guess that the last of them isn't up there because they may be using something even heavier that's impractical to wield on higher ground. In that case, they may as well be buying time for their friend to— Called it!" ICEY shouted, interrupting her brief explanation to throw a smoke grenade behind Gudako. "Get out of there if you don't want to become Swiss cheese," she yelled before opening fire at a heavily armored avatar that was slowly rounding the corner of one of the many piles of scrap behind their team, while the minigun in their hands began to produce the characteristic whirl that preceded a hail of deadly lead, aimed at Gudako's back.

---

Meanwhile, the battle at the Assembly was getting more and more heated up with each passing second.

Grave Trench's disoriented attack would fail to connect to its target. Since SHOUSUKE expected some kind of reaction from his mark, be it a blind spray of bullets or physical retaliation, he was ready to avoid it, throwing himself on the floor to roll under the swing while taking the chance to deal a slash aimed at Grave Trench's side. Falling to the ground would prove to not be a wise move either as it opened the chance for SHOUSUKE to chain a second strike, this time a low, reverse roundhouse kick, converting the momentum from his roll into pure striking force, meant to hit Grave Trench like a hammer blow that would be much harder to avoid now that he was prone.

On another side of the room, AmyLee and MESH finished dispatching the remnants of the third team in the area, before turning to assist GRDaze and SHOUSUKE. The machine gun-wielding avatar positioned herself behind a pile of metal crates, opening suppressive fire at Clementine and Kiss❤Shot while her shotgun friend went to help GRDaze, after the later was knocked down to the ground by the exaggerated attack coming from Kiss❤Shot. MESH kept a couple of smoke grenades at standby, just in case the reckless girl had any thoughts to do it again. She judged that even people like the other team wouldn't be dumb enough to use explosive weapons while completely blind. At least if they were in this tournament to win, instead of just to create chaos.

[User]
Leadslinger had been taking her time as usual in her travels. She found the silence eerie, and made sure to take the less open routes on her way out. She checked the map periodically to ensure she was going the right way. Her teammates dots were always shown but the enemy dots only appeared when they fired. Which meant that anyone who was that smart knew to hold their fire if they were planning an ambush. She had to actually open the map from her menu in order to find her team's positions and move to them. It was a long haul, but better she got there late than not at all.

Leadslinger eventually heard the echoing gunfire from the firefight and knew she was getting close. The had to be really careful now, and made sure to check the map more and more. She waited until one dot kept appearing in the same position in sequence with the amount of fire she was hearing. Well, if they were going to stay in the same place, then she would teach them that she should have people either watching her back or she should have more situational awareness. From the sounds of it, the attacker had an LMG of some sort. She poked her head out and couldn't tell if anyone was watching her, so she moved around to get a better view.

In the time it took her to scout the machine-gunners position, the girl would need to reload soon. Leadslinger, satisfied that she couldn't see anyone around as they were dealing with her other three teammates, took her rifle and slung it over her shoulder before pulling one of her M67 fragmentation grenades off her belt. She pulled the pin, let the spoon fly off, and counted to two. From her position it wasn't a far throw, which allowed her to chuck the thing underhanded like a really small bowling ball and rolled it right under the girl's legs. Since green stuck out like a sore thumb, Leadslinger quickly ducked behind some pipes and took her rifle back out. She stayed crouched and thumbed the selector to full-auto, mentally preparing her to burst out and gun down anyone who came to look for her.


[System]
Age: 29

Gender: Male

Appearence: The character is inside a nano suit made for battle with the latest technology, the character has a large pony tail and a calm, but sturn look on his face, wich is covered by his helmet. His chest has a scar that has a cross shape. Long-ish leggs and short feet.

Personality: Calm, but serious at war, and other things. Doesn't really care about others. Lone wanderer. Doesn't speak much. Gratefull to those who join him. Fights for answers, honor and peace. "One blade, one purpose...", quiet, misanthrope.

Strenghts: Huzuni has the power to control the wind, but since he got upgraded into a nano samurai, his abilities have enhanced. He is able to finish oponents that are mid air, since they are left with nothing to do other then watch Huzuni finish them off... they are living their last breath. Enhanced vision, mobility, awareness and strength.

Weaknesses: Huzuni can get a little out of control when messed arround with his feelings. If cought out there's not much he can do. If the nano suit is disabled, he's left with his skills, wich for the time, are not effective.

Equipment: A full nano suit, wich has been created with the latest technology (Has a built in radar, a gliding kit, and more). A nano blade, wich was just an ordinary samurai sword that could only control wind. (Now, it can controll nano-energy, as well as wind)

Biography: Huzuni was once a normal samurai, that lived in Ionia - his place of birth. He lived a happy life with his friends and master, until one day... Ionia was attacked and Huzuni had to defend his master. He was full time alert, to make sure his master would be fine. His people needed him on the battlefield, so he decided to go and help them for as backup. But when he came back to check on his master, he was laid on the floor... with a cut on his heart. The master used his last breath to tell Huzuni that he got killed by a wind technique, wich only he knew. Huzuni has failed his people, and when everyone came to check on him as well, they tought he was the killer. Betrayed by his own, Huzuni became revolved, and became a lone wonderer. He had survived for 7 years alone, but then... a shadow attacked him with a strange force, wich killed Huzuni. Many, many years later. Huzuni has woken up from the dead on a laboratory, with a confused look on his face. The scientists explained to him what has happened, they turned him into: P.R.O.J.E.C.T H.U.Z.U.N.I ,even so, he was relieved and gratefull to them. Once he got up, he tested out his old and new abilities on a test room. He had fully recovered what he learned from his long dead master, and now, with the wind and nano-technology on his side. He became a mercinary it not for glory or money, but for answers, honor, and peace. Will he find out who the killer of his master was? Will he find out who, or what was, the mysterious shadow? One thing's for certain, Huzuni, will find out eventually... (Also, technicly, he's not 29, but... since he died when he was 29, it'll stay as such. Otherwise he'd be a lot older)

Romance: Yes, Straight, but doesn't talk much with females (or anyone in general)

[User] James quickly took his change and ran up to Belle. Trying to push her on the ground. When that didnt work he just grabbed both here hands and like a cop pushed her against the wall." need Some help here." Barely having control he was still able to hold her but not for long.

[Assistant]
Huzuni walked up to Belle, wich was being held against the wall by James. "You'll feel better, for a good amount of time..." He said.

He tried to do the same thing as last time, exept this time, he used the syringe on the neck, for more affectiveness. "She should be feeling better, at least I can only hope so." He told everyone on the room. As he was leaning in with the syringe to her neck.

[User] "No! No! It's going to hurt me! It's going to," The young woman was interrupted by sharp pain in the back of her neck. The gave a moan of pain, however this quickly subsided, as well as the buzzing. "It... What... It's gone... The buzzing is gone..." Belle says, blinking. "It is really gone." She says, before gently pushing back to get free of James' hold, since she had recovered. She stumbles toward Ramia, and hugs her suddenly. "Ramia, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried," She whimpers quietly.

[Assistant]
" *Chucle* Well, isn't that a relief... anyways, let me scan if the virus is dead or still alive, ok? " He asked, hoping that the threat was now destroyed.

Even bofore she said anything, Huzuni examined the outside of her head, without being to close to her, or doing anything without permission, he just scanned from afar. Waiting for an answer as he did.

"The outside seems fine, let's hope the inside is to..." He tought to himself. As he waited for a response of the girl that had suffered quite a lot just then.

[User] " ok this is the time that i leave." Im going to try to fly this ship again shouldnt take to long now." And with that he left the two lovebirds. When he finaly arrived at the brige he locked himself up tool a cigar and then flew to the wargate." Well that went great. I just hope that it doesnt happen again." And with that last thought going through him he warped through the gate to the system that held the missing ship.

[Assistant] Scarlet still couldn't decide if she had just stumbled onto a ship filled with nutters or if something was seriously wrong with that girl, something that couldn't be reasoned out of her.. it did however worry her that this ship wasn't the place she thought it was going to be. "Any chance of a room?" She asked trying to sound polite even if it sounded more like she was awkwardly trying to get away from the strange situation that was being revealed in front of her.

[User] Ramia was slightly taken aback by the sudden hug, but answered it with an embrace of her own. "It's alright, it's alright." I was so worried... "I'm going to agree with you on that one, but the important thing is that you are alright." She actually managed to smile so warmly that for just a few seconds it seemed like her face wasn't burned at all. "I'm so glad."

[Assistant] Belle smiles warmly, forgetting everything that was going on around her. "I was so worried, too. I didn't want to..." She whispers, leaning forward shyly and placing her forehead against Ramia's as her arms slide around her neck. "I didn't want to leave you." She whispers again, including the part she was shy about saying. To Belle, Ramia was amazing, pretty and sweet. A heavy blush on her face, she awaited a reply from Ramia.

[User]
"awkward." She whispered near the two lovers, her eyes constantly moving as if the floor, ceilings and walls were a more interesting sight. However she did need to find somewhere to sleep within this ship and if they weren't able to provide her with such information she would have to find someone who is more able, perhaps that James fellow, he seemed sane; she grimaced at the idea of the sanity of this ship being so questionable.

"Hey, lovers.. Is there a spare room around here that I can put my stuff?" She said in her most peaceful sounding voice.

[Assistant] Those aren't just words of approval... "I would have been very saddened if you would have left like that." Ramia blushed slightly, it had felt like ages when she had last been so... caring towards another person. She's different... "I'm sorry... I'm... not... uh... very good... with sweet words..." She admitted while smiling sheepishly.

[User] James heard Scarlet on the radio and decided to help the pretty girl. So he called her via comm and Said" we still have a room its near the bridge. Be sure to get a good nights sleep." As he looked at the swirling vortex James became sleepyer and sleepyer until finaly he fell asleep.

[Assistant] I don't know how to tell her... Belle didn't listen to the other person in the room, as all she was focused on was Ramia. She's just so... Caring. She looked Ramia in the eyes, her face turning red. "I-If you're... Not good with words..." Belle whispers, quite shyly. "Then you can just use... Actions..." She closes her eyes, smiling really shyly. She didn't know what else to say.

[User] "Okay you guys are totally on my hit list" She jester. I guess I owe you one big ears she thought as she headed towards the cabin that she hoped would become her bed for the forseeable future. Today had been exhausting, so she chucked her gear down, kicked off her heels, pulled off her skirt and top then flopped onto the soft gray bed and fell into dreamland.

[Assistant] She's adorable... Ramia went noticeably more red faced, but did her best to ignore it. What kind of an action is she expecting? I havn't even kissed anyone since Adel... No, that's in the past. This is now. She gathered herself for a moment. That smile is so vulnerable... You have been through so much today... The dark haired woman closed her bionic eye and very cautiously and gently kissed Belle on the lips. So this is what makes life divine? Is this love? It's been so long...

[User] Belle feels the touch of lips upon lips, and she tightens her arms around Ramia's neck, gently kissing her back. Do I... Love her? Belle thinks about how Ramia had been beautiful upon their first meeting, how Ramia had been when she had been contaminated with that strange virus. She didn't even remember how she got it, though her memory had recovered the tiniest bit, causing her to realize that she had been smacked into by something. Ramia had been very supportive, and though it hadn't seemed like it at first -with the sudden arm grabbing and holding- she proved to be one of the best people Ramia had met. Yes, I do love her.

[Assistant]
"Well fuck." Artyem mumbled under his breath. He was currently stuck behind a crate, while a group of bounty hunters were moving up towards his position, staggering their fire as they hopped from cover to cover. He had been shopping for supplies among the blackmarket, and had bought an analog pistol when the confrontation began with a tank rated EMP hitting the bazaar. "If i survive this," Artyem thought, as he squeezed a few blasts from his pistol at the advancing wall of power armor, "I'm gonna kiss whoever decided that shipping crates had to be able to tank a an orbital bombardment!" He shouted to Jack, who had managed to avoid the EMP that had shut down Artyem's armor and gun. Jack's response was to spray his laser rifle at the oncoming party, scattering them. Artyem took that moment to leave the crate, throwing a flash grenade at the mercenaries, dived into a nearby alley, and began to run. his suit and rifle still had a few minutes until they were clear for use, minutes Artyem didn't have.

Diving behind a dumpster, Artyem took stock of his tools. He had a pistol, 3 unmodded frag grenades, and a flash bang. As well, he had: a suit of depowered power armor, a depowered rifle, his cybernetics (which he was glad that the scientists weren't joking when they said that they would stand a ship-rated EMP), and a sentient android/human consciousnesses in a robot shell that had a functional, basic, laser rifle. Hiding behind the dumpster, he heard his comrade jump down behind him. Turning around, Artyem said, "Jack, give me your programming chip." and he stretched out his hand torwards the silent robot. Jack nodded, and began tearing a hole in his chest, looking for the original drone chip in his processor. Finding it, he pulled it out and placed it into Artyems hand, who then placed it into his suits radio. Looking back at the robot, Artyem gave one final instruction, "Amelia, Go find help." Before he bolted down the alley into the maze of the station. The now rechristened "Amelia" leaped back up the sides of the close buildings electrical innards flailing about, just clearing the roof when the mercs bounded down the alley.

"Where the hell are they, Hector?" one of the mercs asked their leader. "Hector" merely grinned behind his enclosed helmet. "You three, follow me, where chasing after the 'Prodigal Son'. You, "pointing at the merc who had just spoken, "Return to base and get the rest of the team, and bring 2 of the APCs," and turning to the last merc, a female one clad in a slimmer, black and red armor with goggles, "Hesse you chase after the scientist. Now move!!" "Hector" began moving after the fleeing cyborg, the now identified Hesse jumped and began flying through the air. The lone merc sighed, and began the long trudge back to the HQ.

9 ft tall (2.74 meters) 335.2 lbs (152 kg)

Former Byzantium Merc. Discharged for being to insane and violent for the PMC. Served With Artyem. Used to be lovers. Driven insane by biotech transfusions.

An insane bitch, who has a fetish for murdering people. Has a flight suit, carries two hardlight sub machine guns.

basic mercs. not much to say. All are sociopaths and dishonorably discharged soldiers and mercenaries.

[User]
Huzuni, after getting out of the room, was just weirded out. "Who would want to do that to such an inocent person? Hm, let me go back to where she was fixing the engine... hopefully I can track down who did this."

And so, he went to the engine and started with a scan arround the place, only to find some marks of blood stains and footsteps, wich seemed to be from... "Larry? No... It can't be, I killed him at the bar! How did he even mana- unless... he didn't die? He just played dead? Surviving a cut from a blade isen't usual... unless, he made an AI take his place or something? I need to tell everyone about this!"

He met up with James, and told him about what he could have potentially discovered, then asked him if he could tell everyone via comm.