[System]
Gender: M

Age: 26

Career/Class:Soldier / Ex-Soldier

Weapons:
* Basket Hilted Broadsword
* Imperial Dagger
* Norscan round Shield (Took from his first felled enemy)
* Aged Pistol

Physical Description Cyrdic is tall and lean, but solidly built, standing an inch over 6 feet in height. His eyes are reminiscent of shaped wrought iron. His face is ruddy and echoes a youthful appearance, though battles and training had roughed him into the look of a mature soldier. He has quite the rugged quality about him. Two scars mar his face. One parallel to the bottom of his left eye, and another scraping across his right jawline. His legs are long and his his facial hair is only a coarse, 5'oclock shadow thanks to his knife. He's clad in fine and tough leather over a chainmail hauberk, with sturdy traveling shoes and a worn belt.

Mental Description/Personality: Cyrdic isn't a fool. He spent a year apprenticed to a Quartermaster (as punishment for recklessness) and learned how to read and write (to a degree). The best way to describe him would be a hardened, rough soldier at the brink of his youth. He'll use what he can in his disposal to win, though half the time it turns out he'll need to fuck someone up anyway. His fierce independence and rough nature can only be matched by his determination to survive. He's not tactically intelligent, but he has a sense of how battlefields shift and can command smaller troops with his powerful voice. He tends to have a take-no-shit (unless it's from a superior officer) lookout on life. He's amiable to certain people however, and will have a dry wit around those he enjoys (or to people he wishes he could be more honest with). While fighting and killing and marching has been his entire life, he's not particularly fond of being thrust into impossible situations and doesn't lack a healthy sense of self preservation. He's gotten quite tired of working for corrupt officers. He's a devout Sigmarite thanks to his upbringing, and has a hammer chained necklace upon his breast to signify this.

[User]
Cyrdic shook his head, confusion warring with suspicion was writ upon his face. He didn't know how to answer Camilla, but he intended to find out. "Keep your voice quiet," he whispered to her, his eyes locked on the slender man that stood before the crowd. He saw the leader turn, and display his hands outward as if summoning a great daemon.

"Hear me, brothers! Only by the light of Heldenhammer can we take back this land from the heretic and apostates! We shall not linger from our vigilance." His hawk eyed gazed fell upon the remaining prisoners. "Nor our punishments." With that, the hung men were cut from their ropes, and their bodies were dragged toward a makeshift pyre. What in the hell is going on, Cyrdic wondered? All of his life, he'd worshiped Sigmar, as any empire man would. Yes, he worshiped Ulric as well, and occasionally called upon Taal's guidance, but among those deities, Sigmar was the most enlightened. These...pirates dare preach in his name?

"We're going to find out the truth of it," he said to her, his voice filled with a dangerous edge despite his calm reserve. He didn't want to wantonly kill people that hadn't shown themselves as hostile. That is, until the men had dragged up three more prisoners. Among them was a young girl, no more than fourteen years old, by the looks of it. The lean leader slapped her across the face when she struggled, and Cyrdic had seen enough.

"Please!" She cried as she was yanked into a standing position. "Shallya's mercy! I've done no wrong!"

"Confess, slut!" He roared back, the flame of his torch so close to her it singed the bangs of her hair. Camilla could see Cyrdic's hand inching toward his aged pistol.

[Assistant]
Camilla let out a particularly vile curse in Tilean. By Ranald's teeth this was bad. If these really were Sigmarites then they should be on their way, preferably far away before they realized that some of their retainers had been murdered. Sigmar was no Tilean diety but she had heard plenty of him and his Witch Hunters since she came to the Empire. But why would Priests of Sigmar block the river, why use pirates like this? If the problem was big enough they could just bring in the army couldn't they.

What if the people down there really were corrupt. Worshipers of the Dark Ones? They had to do something.

"Find somewhere to hide, You'll have to meet us on the other side of the Island," she said to Cydric and then she was off racing down the embankment towards the boats the waved her hand frantically at Gilbrecht. The sailor was already backing the boat out with a long pole, she was pretty sure it was only the looming form of Petrovich that stopped him from rowing for all he was worth out onto the Talabec. Reaching the barge dragged up on the beech she vaulted over its low gunwale and onto the deck with an easy grace. Landing on a mass of rope she lost her footing and stumbled but caught herself on one of the ports for oars. Glancing around she found what she needed and seized a shuttered lantern from a hook.

With a muttered prayer to Ranald she hurled the lantern into the pile of rope with a glassy crash. The smell of lantern oil immediately overwhelmed the slightly fishy aroma of the barge as it soaked the rope. Drawing out her pistol she layed it flat against the oily rope and pulled the trigger. This time the priming caught and the gun went of with a boom that seemed deafening in the still night air. The flash out of the priming pan set the oil on fire with a wooosh and Camilla only barely avoided burning her hand as she jumped back. The fire spread with improbably speed, the decks must have been sealed with tar and polished with linseed oil as within moment hungry flames were climbing boards.

Camilla leapt from the barge onto the rocky shore and scrambled ungracefully across the beach to their own boat already a good ten feet out onto the water. She splashed into the Talabec shouting "FIRE! FIRE!" at the top of her lungs as she splashed into the water. She probably need not have bothered, there was no chance that the assembled crowd hadn't heard the pistol shot. She was perhaps three feet from the boat, she could see Skaldi holding a squirming Gilbrect with one arm, and fighting the current with the pole with the other, when the ground abruptly vanished from beneath her. Her mouth was still open to shout when she plunged beneath the surface of the river and she consequently took a great mouthful of river water.

Panic seized her and she began to thrash but then something grabbed her by the back of the neck and yanked her with force of a crossbow discharging. Ivan Petrovich deposited her on the deck of their own boat with the ease of dropping a sack of grain. Water burned at her throat as she coughed and spluttered. Gilbrect was shouting something but she couldn't focus for a moment.

"You need to watchs your feet Little Dove," he rumbled in amusement.

"Crazy Bitch what in Sigmar name are you doing?" Gilbrecht shriek. His eyes were very wide, she could see white all around them. Behind them on the beach the barge was burning with enthusiasm. Skaldi gave the youth an idle shake, as though perplexed at his apparent cowardice.

"You should have thrown some flames to the others Little Dove," Ivan went on, ignoring the sailor, "be harder to chase us if all boats are on fire da?"

"Would you stop calling me Little Dove," she protested weakly. Ivan shrugged, his face splitting into a grin. He made a gesture at her soaking clothes and the puddle of water around her. Maybe next time she set a ship on fire while running from a group of maybe religious fanatics she would remember to burn all the boats.

"Maybe I could go for Little Duck?" he asked innocently. Camilla managed a weak laugh as she pushed herself to her feet. She thought she could see angry figures cresting the ridge and she hoped that Cydric would be able to avoid them. There hadn't been any time to discuss things.

"Row," she called out, "we need to get around the Island before they figure out whats going on, Cydric needed a distraction." She thought Gilbrecht's eyes might bulge out of their sockets. It was perversely comforting to see someone more terrified then she was.

[User]
"What, by Ulric?" Cyrdic hissed, perplexed at Camilla's sudden disappearance. He was about to shout he didn't understand, but he realized shouting was not the best option at the moment. He cursed again, and then remembered the girl and whirled to face the sacrilegious questioning. He was on the brink of whether he should run or go and aid the prisoners. Luckily, the decision was made for him when a very real gunshot was heard from across the bank.

He's definitely question Camilla once he saw her again. The broad shouldered man had at once realized that as soon as the firearm had been discharged, the score of men had turned to look at him. He froze, and then suddenly shouted 'they're over there!' towards the eastern shore, not away and not toward where the actual noise had happened. With that, he hunkered down and sped as fast as he could around the small hillock, crouched.

He popped his head up when the land sloped up, much closer to the makeshift gallows. He gazed around, and only saw one man milling about to watch the prisoners. Cyrdic hustled over to him, acting very much out of breath, pointing toward the shoreline. "Orcs!" He claimed, causing the man to look at him with fear. "What? Greenskins, here?"

He didn't have time to finish his thought before Cyrdic walloped him across the head. The man fell like a poleaxed-ox. With that done, Cyrdic took out a long knife and began undoing the straps on the prisoners. "Quiet" he told them. They thanked him by Ranald, Taal, and Sigmar, but he scolded them to keep calm and silent as he freed them. Once he reached the three up top, he freed the young girl first.

"Oh Ulric, thank you sir," she wheezed, tears streaming down her cheeks. The young woman embraced Cyrdic. "Be strong, young one," one of the other prisoners next to her said. The two next to her looked almost as muscled as Cyrdic, with bushy beards and hard eyes. He knew a fellow veteran soldier when he saw one. They were about a decade older than he, with skin like leather.

"Follow me," he told them. Cyrdic had almost believed this had gone without a hitch, before he heard a cry from the village. "Traitors! Men, the prisoners are escaping!"

---

"Well long legs," Skaldi said nonchalantly to Camilla as he held Gilbrecht in one, muscled arm. "There's yer Manling." The Dawi nodded toward the shoreline, and 6 people ran straight for the shore as Cyrdic guarded their flanks, his broadsword flashing and blocking spear and cutlass thrusts from pursuing pirates. A gunshot went off, and one of the fleeing prisoners fell into the sand, dead.

[Assistant]
"Admittedly I didn't plan for pirates to be chasing him," Camilla confessed as she heaved at her oar. Well no one had appointed her Captain General of Pavona had they? Skaldi let Gilbrect go and grabbed the oar Ivan released as he saw Cydric running across the beach. Gilbrecht immediately reached for the tiller bar to turn them away from the beach but the Kislivite turned a baleful eye on the sailor, freezing him in his tracks.

"You no exactly Captain General of Pavona," Ivan rumbled. Camilla did a momentary double take at the statement, not only because it so closely resembled her own thought, but because she would have bet good money Ivan couldn't even point in the direction of Tilea. The Kislivite wasn't sparing her attention just now though, instead he raised that strange horsebow of his and loosed an arrow. From the scream he hit someone but there was no time to look.

"We are going to hit the beach," Gilbrecht chirruped in alarm. Skaldi let out a roaring laugh.

"That's the idea manling!"

A second later there was a scraping sound, the shore here was sand rather than rock, so the bottom didn't tear out, but the impact smashed Skaldi and Camilla against their oar. Ivan was already off the boat and wading through the calf deep water with murder in his eyes. Skaldi looked at the water skeptically, his lesser height a distinct disadvantage. Camilla badly wished she could stay on the boat but this was her plan and she could hardly hold back now.

"Stay and help Gilbrecht guard the boat," she told the dwarf somewhat euphemeistically, and then leapt over the gunwale into the waist deep water and waded as quickly as she could towards the beach. Hoping there weren't enough pirates left to kill them, inspite of her oh so clever trick.

[User]
Good thing the entire score had not come to fight them. The companions were too tired and too drenched to do as well as they did last time. The number against them was two to one, and though numbers were on the pirate's side, they hadn't counted on reinforcements for the prisoners.

Cyrdic fought like a wounded wolf, snarling and moving on instict, his sword flashing to and fro. He stabbed and chopped, running another pirate through and shoving the dying man to the sand as the prisoners streamed past them. The young girl's two bodyguards halted however, picking up fallen swords and joining Cyrdic, Ivan, and Camilla in a counter offensive. They fought like they were born to the sword, and the aggressive attack stunned the pirates, who were swiftly cut down where they stood.

Ivan gave a laugh, boasting these pirates were simple brigands. "Ihve faught muach werse, my friends" he said, looking almost disappointed at the lack of sport once the other two prisoners had joined the fray. Cyrdic shook his head, and then thanked the two captured soldiers who had come to their aid.

"Anything to protect the lady Todbringer," one said, giving a nod in return. Cyrdic was about to call and cast off, but he blinked and looked at the guard with amazement. "Who?" He asked incredulously.

"All will be explained in full, but let us get to safety first." the other replied, and they managed to cast off with the rescued men and women, as well as the remaining companions.


[System]
Arsenal Walker Pilot/Second Lieutenant

Standing at about a meter seventy, though rarely reaches that as a result of less than ideal posture. Her build is slight enough to be somewhat obscured under her pilot's uniform, moderately toned from an active lifestyle rather than any specific focus on form. Her features are angled, though smooth enough to prevent a sharp, gaunt look to them. Inky eyes peer out from her russet complexion, with dark freckles spreading out across her nose and cheeks. A mess of thick chin-length hair frames her face, stark white and silvery

A thin, pale scar traces down from her hairline to just above her left eye, and a similar scar runs along the underside of her forearm on the same side.

Laconic, though more quiet as a result of being more content to listen and watch than any sort of shy or antisocial tendencies. Quite the opposite, she prefers the company of others and tends to get antsy if left up to her own devices for too long. Enjoys testing herself, something which translates into a mild streak of competitiveness from time to time. Avid stargazer, prefers nighttime on Earth.

Intelligent and adaptive, great when thinking on her feet and works well under pressure; all traits which warranted her selection as a Walker pilot. As long as something's got engines and a throttle, she can get it flying. While mechs the size of buildings aren't exactly her forte, she's catching on quick. Trained in combat

L7-S pistol. Federation Navy standard sidearm. Designed for use in zero-g and low gravity environments, works perfectly well in standard atmo at 1 g. Pilot's kit and survival gear. A few extra personal tools.

Nova was born in the Lunar city of Tycho, one of the larger settlements on the Moon which had grown around a Federation naval base established in the location. Initially little more than a drydock and R&D facility, by the time her parents had arrived it was a thriving city in its own right, with a permanent population of nearly a million. Her father was an officer in the Navy, and her mother an engineer. Both extremely dedicated to their work, up to, and even after, her birth. This lead to a somewhat distant relationship with her folks from a young age, which they viewed as necessity rather than a disservice, and her early life was spent around all but strangers. Not that she minded all too much at that point, being fiercely independent.

Her father had retired from the service in her early teens, fostering a love of anything and everything that flew that she had inherited from both her parents. A combination of hard work for exemplary marks and a few strings pulled by her father got her accepted to the military academy a year early. She graduated with a degree in aerospace design, following in her still-absent mother's footsteps, and was nearly completed training to be a navy pilot, specializing in deep space combat fighters, the same kind being developed at the military installation right in her home city. Her combination of qualifications on building and flying spacecraft landed her a position as a test pilot on the R&D department there, where she spent four years designing and flying the next generation of combat craft.

It was, of course, no surprise that she lept at the chance to pilot one of the Federation's flagship pieces of technology. While her time in the cockpit of an Arsenal Walker, both real and simulated, was limited, the Raptor offered her a new challenge. She was only recently brought into the program, and transferred to the Earth-side city of Horizon, which has its own unique challenges for the Lunar-native.

Having lived nearly her entire life in the artificial and microgravity environments offworld, she can tend to be a bit clumsy on Earth. Has more experience flying in a vacuum than atmosphere, and the lack of freedom of motion leads to her alternating between piloting too cautiously, or forgetting and nearly ripping wings off of things.

---

---

FAW-007[Ex IV]

Essentially a late model FAW-007[S] frame build from the ground up for use as a testbed for the experimental thruster pack which later evolved into the FAW-022. The thruster pack itself was deemed inefficient and the concept was abandoned in favor of the Raptor design, though the Walker still retains many of the secondary flight characteristics. The prototype was only used during controlled testing, though it is rated for combat. It only recently was pressed back into service.

Gallia

To decrease overall mass and allow for flight capabilities the Ex IV stands somewhat shorter than a normal Warrior frame at only 21 meters. The modifications work to cut as much excess weight as possible without moving too far out of standard Warrior operating parameters. The Walker makes heavy use of composites and alloys to further decrease weight, particularly for the chassis and armor.

Rather than the boxy, utilitarian design of a normal Warrior's armor, whose reinforced plates are built to last, the Gallia's armor is molded and aerodynamic in shape. Resembling the smooth shell of a high performance supercar, the unpainted white armor wraps around the limbs and chassis of the mech. The armor is a silicon carbide composite, with larger plates covering vital areas toughened by ablative black ceramic tiles arranged in an interlocking hexagonal pattern.

Air intakes are strategically placed around the machine, with the largest being sequenced pairs of triple intakes running down the torso. Twin short, ridge-like wings at an acute angle to one another run from the machine's shoulders down to its hips. The control surfaces along their edges aiding in stabilization during high-speed maneuvers.

While the flight pack is no longer present, the maneuvering systems are still in place. Augmenting the standard thrusters are a system of solid fuel booster blocks to provide bursts of strategically placed speed, the kind that would be used to complete tight aerial acrobatics. The exhaust vents are inlaid with the armor to preserve the aerodynamic shape, and are positioned both to amplify the standard thrusters and additional movements. Given the nature of the fuel, the thrusters are only fired in short, intense bursts, and only have marginal impact on flat out speed. Expended fuel cells are ejected from the boosters when depleted, with new ones loaded from internal stores.

The Gallia is unpainted, and is primarily just the stark white and black of its armoring, broken up by the dull grey of base mechanics and orange of the inlaid boosters. Its right lower arm is of a different make, more rugged in appearance, and a dull grey color.

Though originally built to fit armaments for testing, the project never reached that stage, and weapon systems have only recently been added.

United Armaments XC-71 Carbine- Twin barrel 50mm bullpup rifle. Fed from a sheathed belt mechanism that leads directly into the right arm to reduce drag, the original limb replaced at the elbow with a dedicated version with the new loading system and ammo store. Loaded with HVAP rounds to penetrate most medium armoring. The belt feed can be detached and the compact rifle stowed on the Walker's back. An undermounted side-loading launcher provides additional firepower, loaded with dumbfire HE grenades.

Federation Ballistics xK8(i)- A pair of wide, trapezoidal blades built into the top of the Gallia's forearms. The blades are superheated to cut through armor, and divided into three sections along their length. Explosive bolts are able to sever each section, leaving it embedded in targets to continue to melt through armor and critical systems. Magazines of new blades are positioned on the Warrior's hips.

Tajcorp S-3a Ballistics Shield- Downscaled Walker shield mounted on the Gallia's left shoulder. Just large enough to cover the machine's upper torso and head when viewed face-on. The ablative layering is durable enough to defend against most light and medium caliber AP rounds, while the underlying composite can take the brunt of most explosive attacks. The shield resembles a stretched hexagon, and the surface is slightly convex to improve protection.

Tycho Dynamics L44 Autocannons- Twin 20mm revolver cannons mounted on either side of the Warrior's cranial unit as CIW systems. Fires HE rounds at a slightly lower rate of fire than standard rotary cannons, though with the benefits of reduced mass and complexity.

Kreuller Weapons Systems iLDS 6 Projector- An incendiary weapon for close range anti-armor and asset denial. Mounted on the underside of the left arm, fires a short range blast of thermite from a flattened barrel. Firing the weapon generates a huge amount of heat, and a heat sink must be ejected from the weapon after a few shots.

The Gallia's lack of sustainable armor is its primary weakness, relying on the agility of the machine to avoid enemy fire. It can take a solid shot, but the ablative armor is designed to weather down over time, leaving it vulnerable to repeated hits in the same area.

Nova Marcus

[User]
"You sure you don't wanna come? You've been cramped in this place for at least a week now," Liam shook his head and continued to clean his sidearm with care. He glanced towards his fellow pilots who were dressed in their civilian cloth's and preparing to head out to the nearest bar.

"Maybe next time, I'm just going to do a double check on my equipment and get some extra work done," he said before a click filled the air and he raised his empty sidearm to look down the sights. "Besides, some extra target practice will help me from getting rusty," he stated before looking to the group of pilots with a small smile. They were a bit hesitant seeing as how they didn't want to just leave their comrade, but knowing him they knew there was no talking him into it and accepted it before heading out.

"Alright then, but if you change your mind you know where to find us," a pilot said before leaving the locker rooms with the rest of the group. Liam nodded and offered a grateful smile as they left. A small part of him questioned if he should really stay back, but he had already made up his mind and shrugged it off. With one final run down on his sidearm he rose to his feet, holstered his weapon to his side and left the locker rooms. The base was quite today, which was no surprise to anyone seeing as today was a day of celebration. Liam walked through the base, silent and expressionless as he made his way towards the shooting range, but paused as he passed the Rec room.

Liam thought for a moment before tuning towards the door. "Wonder if anyone made coffee," he thought to himself before entering the room. Honestly quick kick of caffeine sounded nice. It was no surprise to see the Rec room empty due to the occasion. Well, it was almost empty as he noticed a familiar face. "Morning Sergeant Matsuo," Liam greeted with a nod before glancing over to the counter to see that half a thing of coffee was just waiting for him. With a satisfied sigh he walked over to the counter and began to pour himself a cup before turning around and leaning against the counter. "I take it you are not taking part in todays celebrations?" he questioned as he took a sip of his drink. It wasn't the greatest cup of joe, but it still did the trick.

[Assistant]
Hassan Ahmad

While the rest of the base was out in the city enjoying their holiday, a lone pilot entered the hangar. Hassan strolled through the hangar, empty and quiet safe for the Raptors' section, where a skeleton crew of mechanics were prepping them for the flight display in the afternoon.

Why people would want to be out in the open in the Panamanian afternoon?! It's so humid! It's worse than Cairo. At least you don't end up sticky over there.

Hassan stopped just short of the Raptors, as he reached his Walker, a bronze and russet Warrior. The Jinn. In the absence of flood lights, it looked imposing.

Hassan ran his hands along the Walker's side.

"How are you doing Genie?"

The Walker didn't respond.

Hassan looked around and found the diagnostics panel, hooked up to the Jinn's docking bay. He moved over and booted it up, checking for any issues. The rookie mechanic they'd assigned for routine maintenance after training manoeuvres had screwed up, and with the help of an overly energetic ~~manic pixie dream girl~~ expert mechanic he'd fixed the Jinn up properly. He'd picked up practical knowledge on how to maintain Walkers, one of which was running passive diagnostics.

He waited as it booted up. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He'd promised the on-site crew he'd whip up some of his signature kebabs.

Natalie Martell

Among the crowded, happy streets of Horizon, Lieutenant Natalie Adelaide Martell strolled along the streets on this a warm day.

Natalie didn't particularly enjoy such weather. It reminded her too much of her last posting, actively suppressing and combating a bellicose rogue state on another continent. It also brought back memories of why she transferred there...

No. None of that. This is a holiday. I need to... Need to let go.

Absentmindedly, she decided to buy a corndog. It tasted quite good. She began to relax and take in the sights.

I guess this place isn't so bad. I could enjoy this place... Someday.

[User]
Arsenal Walker pilot Nova Marcus gazed up at the morning sun above as her feet carried her along at their own accord. Well technically she was a pilot, it's what was on her identification card, even if she hadn't actually been issued her own Walker as of yet. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she had been let off base for the day; free to attend the festivities.

It had only been a few short months since she'd been transferred to the Walker program, and even fewer in the Earth-side city of Horizon. Her time had been largely occupied by getting herself settled from the transfer, the majority of free time she had filled with training.

She had been let off base a few times, but was never really inclined to explore too far from it. The facility's myriad of corridors, hangars, and simulators bearing a strong resemblance to her city back home, giving it a sense of welcome familiarity. It was, she considered, far cry from the surroundings she found herself in now.

Walking around outside made her feel uneasy, particularly without the comforting enclosure of a full vac-suit, and it took conscious effort to stop herself from falling back on controlled breathing. This was only exasperated by the fact that the equatorial sun was, even diminished by an actual atmosphere, way hotter than it had any right to be. The oppressive heat warranted civvies as opposed to her full uniform, the shorts and tee making her feel unprotected and at the mercy of the elements.

Even so, it wasn't enough to put a damper on her mood, nor the excitement she felt in the early morning air.

As such, there was a slight bounce in her step as she made her way towards mainstreet, unwilling to miss the parade that was to start in that area. The majority of the crowd were civilians, looking just as eager as she was for the display, though up ahead she spotted a familiar mess of caramel-colored hair.

"Natalie!" She called, recalling the pilot's name. Nova had spoken to her when Natalie first transferred to Horizon, the both of them newly transferred to the base, taking a liking to the woman of similar engineering inclination. Nova waved as she approached.


[System]
Age: 17

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: My arrows, forged in the greatest depths of the lands, will always find their ma- hey, wait, where are you going?.

Personality:
 With a tendency towards the theatrical, Koji can only be described as... Well, a delusional kid who never grew out of his habits. Though his accuracy is top-notch, Koji's inability to keep those delusions in check make him a pain for most people to deal with. Though he acts like something he clearly isn't, Koji never actually expects people to play along. If they believe him, then he ends up getting flustered and ends up in a state of disbelief more often than not before trying to find a way out of the hole he just dug himself into. More often than not, this simply ends up making the problem BIGGER, and sooner or later everything compounds and he's forced to come clean.
Or, well, just ditch town for a while and let things cool down instead.

Abilities:
 Koji is an amazing sharpshooter, though his accuracy is decreased when dual-wielding (and firing) his crossbows simultaneously. He is also surprisingly mobile, able to scale things like large trees or boulders in order to get good vantage points on his targets or dodge slower attacks.
 Thanks to being raised in an inn, Koji's also a decent chef, both in AND out of the kitchen. This would be great, if it wasn't for the fact that he can't catch any game because of how he always announces his attacks before they go off... Which usually means that the animals are off and running well before he can shoot them.
 Because of his limited funds, though, Koji has also become somewhat obsessed with collecting all the bolts he's fired after a mission is over, simply to skimp on any funds that would involve him having to buy more in the future.

Notable Equipment, Traits, etc;:
Equipment:
 Crossbows: Koji dual-wields a pair of automatic crossbows, one red and one blue, that magically reload their bolts. He has taken to calling them 'Phoenix' and 'Dragon,' respectively; made of what seems to be mana-infused steel, the bowstring never seems to wear down on either weapon. No, they don't change the bolts in any ways; they just reload automatically.
 Mask: Actually just a mask that someone was selling at a festival. Koji concluded that it was imbued with a special power, but it's actually just a normal mask.
 Bolts: Yes. he has bolts. To fire. From his crossbow. Normal bolts. They're not magic. He's lying through his teeth when he says they are.
Traits:
 Chuuni: Living in a world of fantasy where stories of heroes and villains pervaded every nook and cranny of his life, it's a wonder that he didn't grow out of it and see it as the norm like every other person his age. Koji adds flair and drama to a lot of what he does, and overdramaticizes the mundane more often than not. He's capable of speaking normally, of course, but that's no fun.
 Knowledge of Useless Trivia: As a byproduct of his chuuni nature, Koji knows a lot of random bits and pieces of mythology that may or ma not ever be of use. A majority of it is, in fact, also a product of his imagination, so take his blathering with a grain of salt.
 Actor: Because of his theatrics, Koji's actually a damn good actor when not going full chuuni. Whenever he gets coerced into a performance, the kids love him and his acts.
 Easily Caught Off Guard: Self-explanatory, but this applies to daily life just as much as it does his behavior. Many times, Koji loses himself in his own thoughts on whatever his subject-of-the-day is. As a result, his lapse in awareness becomes mindbogglingly huge.

History:
 Born to the owners of an inn in a town somewhere out west, Koji grew up surrounded by stories of adventure and of grandeur. While his older sister grew up relatively normally, Koji became enraptured in this world that was basically just outside of his reach. His parents, being the sensible people that they were, wanted him to take a safe job in the town instead of going out to adventure. His sister shared their sentiments, offering to help him find something else he liked that wouldn't put his life at risk.
 Of course, Koji would have none of that. As time passed, his parents (at the behest of his uncle, who Koji convinced with a few bottles of wine on the sly) decided to let him travel the world, hoping it'd get the delusions out of his system. With a pair of crossbows that he picked up with almost all of his savings over the past decade, Koji left home to travel south, the first stop on his "adventure into the unclaimed wilds."

Other: Is an adventurer, but makes more money babysitting for people than ACTUALLY adventuring. Works part-time at a daycare to help entertain kids.

[User]
Nyla looked around a bit curiously as one after another began to show up asking to join the party. A pout began to form on her lips. Fearing that her admittance into the formation of the party would be over looked and she was be cast aside. Though one of the last arrivals had gotten her attention. Maybe because the girl was placing her entire attention on Nyla. She looked at the girl, maybe a bit too intently. She was often off put by horns, viewing them as something dangerous, but some reason this girls didn't bother Nyla. Nyla was beginning to feel a bit, what's an appropriate term.. Captivated. Yes, captivated just by looking at the girl. She felt herself hesitantly inches closer; Kuzie noticing and being unaffected began to tug at her hair as if to hold her back. Nyla innocently swatting at the Squirrel to cease.

Before she knew it a hulking mass of green stepped in between the two and broke Nyla's line of sight. That simple act seemed to sever the charm. Shaking her head and filling a bit dizzy she tried to process what had just happened. 'Was that girl using some kind of charm spell?' The ditsy girl tried to reason. Now that she was no longer effected she could listen to all that was going on. Apparently they all seemed intent on keeping Nyla in the party, which was welcome news. It would have been a nightmare trying to find another group. But then again there was that girl... Nyla peeked around the green man once more to look at the girl. She could feel herself getting drawn in again, but this time she quickly snapped away and hid herself behind Mr. Green once again. Shaking her head and clearing her mind of those dizzying thoughts.

[Assistant]
Smith's plan had started to crash and burn with the first of the three amigos attempting to show off his skills. She didn't particularly like being referred to as a "creature of the night", especially by such a rambunctious cretin. The demon watched as the boy threw money away, absolutely dumbfounded by what she was seeing. So not only was this kid a moron, but he was also a wasteful moron.

Smith was about to speak, but stopped herself as soon as the catboy opened his mouth. It felt as if he loved the sound of his own voice, letting out his thoughts in an endless fashion that was sure to grate on one's ears eventually. This asshole had no fucking filter. Smith refrained from interrupting him, and instead chose to let him get all of his inept comments out. And then..

"YOU HELP US OUT, YOU GET THE BOOTY."

Smith was dumbfounded, agitated, and amused all at once. She couldn't tell if this kid was a genius, or really dumb. Either way, she felt like toying with him. Apparently, this boy's name was Falsch, though Smith decided to refer to him as Catboy instead. Catboy was now on the receiving end of several glares from various adventurers. You see, when you yell a statement that essentially accuses a hot young woman of prowling for "the booty", you tend to become the subject of pure, unadulterated hatred, especially when that hot young woman is also a succubus.

The green giant had started to speak as well, but Smith was more focused on the crowd which had begun to gather around the table.

"HEY, BUDDY!" Some large man in the front of the crowd yelled at Catboy. "Whadd'ya think yur sayin' bout dis gurl 'ere? You assume she be some sorta horny monster, when she ain't done nuthin' to support dat thought. Scumbags like you make me sick." Smith watched as another, smaller man joined in.

"You guys are pathetic. Accusing her like this." The small man seemed to blame all 3 of the amigos for Catboy's words. "I bet you three were just trying to get some, yourselves, attempting to push away someone who was simply trying to protect another girl from the clutches of evil so that you could have that other girl all to yourselves. What I'm saying is, you're just defending that girl in some sick, pathetic attempt to score!" Smith almost laughed at his lack of self awareness.

"Alright boys, alright, I think they've had enough. Go back and drink your drinks, and leave these guys alone, I'll be alright." Smith gathered her thoughts as the mob went back to their own business, each man keeping at least one eye on Catboy. The succubus stood from her seat, and examined the three amigos and the cute girl from a different angle for once. She started to speak to each of them in sequence, starting with the grand moron himself.

"Are you alright? You seem to have an ego large enough to cost you money, no offense." She quickly moved on to Catboy, who was as rude as they come. "I don't think I've ever encountered someone as rude as you, but you do happen to be quite amusing." As Smith said this, she leaned in, putting her face rather close to his, while delicately caressing his chin with her hand. "I might just keep you around." She quickly moved back, her tone and mannerism instantly switching from flirty to much more judgmental and serious. "But, seriously, you need to stop judging people and assuming things so easily. Just because i'm half succubi doesn't mean i'm always thinking about sex. It's people like you that make it really hard for me to get anything done without people wanting sex out of me. People always see the succubus part of me, and never the human half. I'm just a girl. I asked her-" She quickly pointed at Nyla "to join my party because she legitimately looked capable, and I didn't really know how I felt about you three. But, now that i've seen a little more of each of you, I think I've got my idea of you three in order. That guy seems a bit crazy, a bit reckless, and a bit of a mess." She said, pointing towards Koji. "Catboy, you seem rude, but rather amusing. Not exactly sure what you can do combat-wise, but at least you wont bore me to death." And then there was the big green guy.

Smith slowly stepped towards the hulking mass of a green bard. "And you..." She playfully poked at the orc's chest with a single finger, and acted as if she was impressed by the firmness that was returned against her touch, "Ooo, nice." She stepped back and looked up at him. "You seem like a nice guy, I guess." Smith took a deep breath and walked up to Nyla.

"I'm really sorry about all of the misunderstandings. I'm not a bad person, I just can't really turn off my natural charms. Being a succubus isn't all sex and rainbows." Smith's thoughts had begun to blur together. She didn't really remember what things were honest, and which were lies. "Anyways, I should introduce myself. You can call me Smith." She reached out her hand to the cute girl who she stood in front of.

Smith's glorious plan was rudely interrupted by a loud, obnoxious demon who ran into the guild trying to goat people into taking her in to their parties. As soon as Smith got a good look at this demon, she immediately hid behind the large Orc. Beatrice knew her. This girl was, for lack of a better word, one of Beatrice's past demons.

No, no, no! The past no longer mattered. Smith was no longer Beatrice. Still, that girl would know Smith's face as that of Beatrice, and would immediately shatter the image that she had created for herself.

"Okay, I'm definitely good with partying with all of you, but whatever you do, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT let that demon join our party. There are very few people in this world who have egos so large that any other traits or skills they would otherwise have are completely useless. That girl is the epitome of uselessly egotistical." Even if Smith had seen even slightly ingenuine before, this moment threw all of that out the window. She was clearly serious with her disdain for Elysia.

[User]
Koji's internal worries quickly turned to indignation as he was all at once ridiculed, mocked, and reprimanded. What, could they not see that he clearly had the skill to back up his claims?
Even IF that was sheer luck just now...

But that last comment from a bystander really... IRKED him. And, honestly? While the man in green and the girl from earlier were perfectly fine with him, the other two... Well, needless to say, their first impressions weren't exactly the most helpful. After all, how could insulting the future leader of the group lead to anything GOOD? Even he had that much common sense!

"...Hrmph. Well, before I can address any of your issues, I must turn in my contract! Leave me at peace as I mull this over, else I make a choice that ruins us all equally!"

Pulling his mask over his face to hide it, Koji moved to hand in the paperwork at the front desk, almost beginning another one of his usual dialogues before someone entered and cleared their throat... Quite loudly. Half annoyed at being interrupted AGAIN for no good reason, Koji silently thanked the receptionist instead of launching into another lengthy spiel before turning to face the source of the interruption. What he was met with, however, was beyond what he could have imagined.

Someone with a sense of grandeur almost as big as his own! Truly, this must have been a fate ordained by the gods! After all, who could understand him better than someone cut from the same cloth? Completely ignoring the annoying demon woman who had chosen to off him just a few moments earlier, Koji, his face now much less red, approached the self-proclaimed summoner with a smile on his face.

"If I may, madam, but surely you may find such an invitation from one such as I! Yes, I know the pain of being ignored as you have far too well, so I shall extend my hand in aid. Let this be my request to you, from whom I know naught but a name; join me in my journey across these perilous lands!"


[System]
Ranger 2 (300 XP)

Lightfoot halfling (m), Lawful Neutral

Sage

[ ABILITY SCORES ]
Str 10 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Con 10 (+0) Int 14 (+2) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 14 (+2)

[ PROFICIENCIES ]
Proficiency Bonus +2

Saves Str +2, Dex +5

Skills Arcana +4, Athletics +2, History +4, Insight +3, Perception +3 (passive Perception 13)

Weapons simple weapons, martial weapons

Armors light armor, medium armor, shields,

Tools

Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Halfling

[ COMBAT ]

hp 16 ; HD 2d10

Init +3 ; Speed 25 ft.

AC 14 (leather 11, Dex +3)

Rapier. Melee : +5 (1d8+3 piercing ; finesse)

Spear. Melee : +2 (1d6 piercing ; thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8))

Longbow. Ranged : +7 (1d8+3 piercing ; ammunition (range 150/600), heavy, two-handed)

[ SPELLS ]

Spellcasting Ability Wisdom ; Spells Save DC 11 ; Spells Attack Bonus +3

Slots 2

Known Spells (-) / 2
- Lvl 1 : hunter's mark, detect magic

[ FEATURES & TRAITS ]
Favored Enemy (beasts)
Natural Explorer (grassland)
Fighting Style (Archery)
Lucky
Brave
Halfling Nimbleness
Naturally Stealthy
Researcher

Additional Features British Accent

[ EQUIPMENT ]
Rapier, spear, longbow, leather, thieves' tools, disguise kit, 20 arrows, backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, torch (10), rations/1 day (10), waterskin, rope/hempen 50 feet, ink/1 ounce bottle, ink pen, clothes/common, small knife, letter from a dead colleague, belt pouch

Equipment weight 84 lb - Cost 197.52 gp
40 gp
Coins weight 0.4 lb

[ CHARACTER ]

Height Small / 3.3 ft / 40 lb. ; Age 35 years (apparent age 35)

Eyes Blue ; Skin tanned white ; Hair Brown

Appearance Halander Wilkins is a 30-something man who is usually seen in Library clothes, as he volunteers there when not doing mercenary work. His festival clothes, which he wears on top of his leather armor, have a stitching of a wisp emblazoned on them.

Personality traits There's nothing I like more than a good mystery.

Ideals Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful)

Bonds I work to preserve a library, university, scriptorium, or monastery.

Flaws I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones.

Background Sage (Librarian)

Character/Item Backstory
His lost item is a marble, one he calls the Dreammarble, that looks like the earth. It was given unto him by a small halfling boy that he tutored every Saturday, who told him that his mother had given it to him before she had died from a sickness, and the reason that she got it for him was that so that he could remember there was a big world out there. This was shortly before he was found dead in his bed, taken by the same disease that took his mother. At this news, he fell into a deep depression, sad and angry at himself that the boy had not trusted him enough to explain such an important thing. Days later, He attended the funeral and resolved to keep the marble with him until he died, and make sure the last remnant of his student did not go missing, thereby forgiving himself. From that day on, he occasionally traveled across the world when he had time off, all to respect the last message delivered to him.

Allies & Organizations His Workplace
His fellow mercenaries

[User]
Brutrumukk

Brutrumukk wasn't opposed to having Gabriel and Jub join him in his Feywild fruit pursuit, the bugbear even welcomed the company when Gabriel helped him find a trio of gourds shaped like plump dragons. Brutrumukk picked up the gourds, snapped their heads off, and stowed them away in his head sack while sucking the innards of one gourd out of the neck stump left behind and passing the other two gourds to Gabriel and Jub. "You got some good eyes in yer 'ead, Gabe." Brutrumukk said once he'd drained his gourd before turning to Jub. "Let's see if yer eyes are just as good, booyagh." Having said that, Brutrumukk returned Jub to his place of honor on the bugbear's shoulder to give the goblin a better view of their surroundings. So long as Jub pulled his weight, a second set of gourds would soon be found. Once more, Brutrumukk took up all three gourds. But this time he didn't snap the heads off any of them. Instead, Brutrumukk simply passed Jub and Gabriel their gourds and stowed his own gourd away in his backpack for later.

Brutrumukk searches for more fruit. Provided he has advantage, he rolls another 15 and rolls another 8.

[Assistant]
Hither
Telemy Hill

Much to Gabriel's, Brutrumukk's, and Jub's surprise, they didn't have to travel far from the group to forage. They found gourds that looked like plump dragons. After Brutrumukk ate the innards of one of those gourds, he immediately looks refreshed. Did his fur/hair get glossier?

The path Brutrumukk pointed out is a narrow game trail. As the group follows this path, they would hear rustling, and other sounds of movement.

Before they can look around, they eventually find three huge trees blocking the path. They look at the group, and upon seeing Jub, the trees proceeded to move. Each one of their boughs move as they perform a bow to Jub, their bark creaking as they move somewhat awkwardly. Apparently it is difficult for a tree to bow...

One of the trees speaks to the group in a low rumbling voice, and addressing Jub as the leader of sorts,

"Your Excellency, Witchlight Monarch! We welcome you and your entourage to Telemy Hill. How long will you be staying?"

[User]
Brutrumukk

Brutrumukk blinked in surprise as the very trees themselves came alive, moved, and even spoke. "Nine bleedin' 'Ells" Brutrumukk then said as the trees all bowed and hailed Jub as the Witchlight Monarch. Brutrumukk then looked to the little goblin seated on his big shoulder. "Word sure travels fast 'round 'ere don't it?"

[Assistant]
Jub the Peculiar

Jub had instinctively tensed up when the trees started moving, as if anticipating yet another fight. However, when the trees instead bowed to him, all he could do for a few moments was blink in surprise with an expression akin to a startled rabbit. It was only when Brutrumukk spoke that the goblin able to regain his composure.

"It sure does," he muttered in response to the bugbear. He spoke again, this time louder so the trees could hear him and with a dramatic flourish he usually applied to his street performances. "Erm, it is I! The Witchlight Monarch! Me and my cohorts will likely not be staying long but... erm..." He glanced towards Brutrumukk and Gabriel, with a look that showed he had no idea what he was doing or where he was going with this. "If you would like to show us around this, err, place or point us to any places of interest, that would be most, err, gratifying."

[User]
G A B R I E L

Deadpan, as the half-elf slipped the oddly shaped gourd away he turned his head slowly to the short goblin the trees called 'Excellency' . Gabriel's expression was a mix of surprise and amusement, his brow was raised as to say 'Yes what is your command your excellency?' as Jub looked between Gabriel and Brutrumukk with confusion "Oh a mighty fine request your Excellency." Gabe chuckled, giving the goblin a pat on the back.

"So then your royal majesty," kneeling next to his companion, Gabe rested his hand on Jub's shoulder looking at his small friend with a smirk "What shall we call ourselves? Your stewards? Or heralds? Sworn to protect the life of our king." he gave Jub's shoulder a squeeze before standing with a reassuring smile.

"Oh, I jape of course but really the best question is how do these trees know you Jub?" Gabriel glanced towards the trees as he said so, he wondered if the trees knew who Jub was then it might mean others could recognize the one crowned as Witchlight's monarch. For better or worse this could be as much a blessing as a curse if the wrong type of attention was brought to them, he couldn't be too careful. They weren't in Faerun anymore after all.

[Assistant]
Aurora

Aurora looked at the trio as the headed off in a direction that only their noses could lead them. A glance back at raft to Zavakri, who was next to Bob the snail, and the newly acquainted companions. All seemed rather distant and quite. "I suppose those of us who are going ought to start for the cave then." The elf stated rather irritated that the others took off with little care about trying to free Talarvar. She went to grab the cage to start to lift it. The awkward shape of the cage caused her to pause for a moment.

With a shrug, Aurora dropped her pack to the deck of the boat, taking some of her rations, the rope from it, and a small leather roll that had he thieves tools. Now that she had most of what she would need, the elf started to fasten a crude harness to the cage so she could carry it on her side or back as needed and keep her hands free incase of trouble or needing to climb.

"I apologize now if this ends up being a rather uncomfortable trip for you Sir Talavar. I do not think the others will be joining us until they've had their fill of whatever they have found. I will never claim to be the strongest person but at least this way I can carry you with relative ease." Rory said as she started up the winding path to the keyhole shaped at the top of the hill. "Perhaps to pass the time you can tell me more about yourself or Prismir?."

A bit of the way up the hill Rory spotted Brutrumukk, Gabriel, and Jub. The trio seemed to have been stopped by several trees. In an attempt to try to pass by unnoticed, Rory slipped off path moving along as if she had not seen them. That would have worked had she stepped further off the path and not tread on the roots of one of the three trees. Immediately the tree started to inquire if Aurora was with the Witchlight Monarch. "I have been traveling with Jub recently, though I do not know if we are heading the same way at this time." She states as she looks over to Jub to confirm this with the trees.

[User]
Hither
Telemy Hill

The trees look to each other somewhat confused by Jub's request. One of the trees usher Aurora to the rest of the group after she told them that she was with them, while the trees answer the goblin, "I'm afraid we're just a humble hill, Milord. There isn't much to us. Our friend, Jingle Jangle, does live here though," Because of the tree, Talavar was not able to answer Aurora at all, and could only pout a bit.

Then Gabriel asked his question, and the trees answered him, their voices creaking and groaning, "We can sense the charm upon him. Everyone in Prismeer can sense it on any visitor who earned the charm. After all, the Witchlight Monarch is a respected title. While not as high of a title as the Queen's, it is certainly worthy of nobility here,"

[Assistant]
Brutrumukk

"You know a Queen?" Brutrumukk asked at the mention of a Queen. "Is she the Doormat Queen? Some clowns at the Carnival asked us to come free the Doormat Queen. That, an' find the alley corn. D'you lot know where we can find the alley corn or 'ow we could free the Doormat Queen?"

[User]
Jub the Peculiar

At the tree's explanation of how they were able to recognise him, Jub looked a little pale. As much as he enjoyed being the center of attention, he wasn't sure he fancied the idea of any fey creature being able to recognise him. It took a great deal of restraint for the goblin not to pull his hood over his head.

Instead, Jub turned his attention to what Brutrumukk had just said. "Dormant," he corrected. "It means 'inactive' or 'sleeping'." He turned looked back to the trees. "But yes. That. If you know anything about a Dormant Queen, could you please tell us? And if not, would you be able to direct us to Jingle Jangle? We need her help with something."

[Assistant]
"Dormant? Perhaps these trees could tell us how the Queen became that way, and it might lend some help in finding a way to release them. Erm, trees? I can hardly believe this is happening, but I'd hope you can lend us some aid. Do you know the story of the Dormant Queen?"

Dormant Queen, Dormant Queen. Hmm, could I have read about that somewhere?

(Insight check?)


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Race: Witch

Personality: Vanilla is a very adventurous witch, and is very quick to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, she can come off as being extremely annoying as she either talks about things that other people don't understand, or just talks so much that she gets told to shut up. She really likes to read and usually has a collection of books on her person, some of her conversations revolve around these books and the things she learns by reading them. The only one who really understands her is her familiar, Zeal.

Appearance:

Biography: Vanilla never had many friends growing up and usually studied by herself in the Magic World. It also didn't help that she studied Barrier magic, which was a very unorthodox type of magic for many witches and wizards, and very difficult to master. Nonetheless, she studied day and night, and didn't let her loneliness get her down. When the day finally came for her to travel outside the Magic World, she met her Familiar, Zeal, a quiet but caring bird familiar. Zeal decided to travel with Vanilla as he feels that her Barrier magic may not be enough to protect her.

Vanilla traveled across many worlds and even spent some time in the Arctic, where she learned to harness her barriers more effectively after saving a group of familiars from a sadistic orca.

While she rested at a village in the arctic, she learned about the upcoming Gray Festival that was coming up in the Gray Garden. Seeing an opportunity to make new friends, Vanilla decided to make her way there, with Zeal close by her side.

Abilities/Weapons: Barrier Magic: Vanilla can form barriers of solid magic of varying sizes to protect herself or others. She can also trap things with her barriers, as only powerful magic can break them. However, Vanilla cannot move while focusing on her magic, making her vulnerable to attack.

Zeal: Vanilla's familiar, he will protect her with his life. He wields a glaive that he can use to repel attackers and can turn into a giant falcon to shred and tear apart enemies. He is considerably large when transformed and can carry Vanilla on his back or in his talons.

Misc: Vanilla has a big sweet tooth and carries a pouch candy on her at all times. Zeal is mute and mainly communicates through body motion and quiet mumblings. Vanilla says Zeal can talk but only ever talks to her.

[User]
Now Yosafire had a confused look on her face, why did Dorma get so down in the dumps all of a sudden? "Hey wait, Dorma. What's wrong, why so pouty?"

"Hm... I wasn't aware my pies were so famous..." Dialo said as she finished up with a couple of festival goers before getting a slice for Eddie. "Here you go... If you want anymore, just ask..."

---

Vanilla glanced at Zeal, the familiar thought it over before finally giving in. He nodded and gave her permission to speak her mind. Vanilla smiled and looked back at Daisy. "Well I'm glad you asked. This is the Gray Garden, a large part of the Gray World. Angels and Demons live in peace with one another, but this didn't always used to be the case. From my studies, I read that this world used to be embroiled in a war, angels and demons fighting against eachother. But that was a long, long... Long time ago. And this festival is held in commemoration of the peace treaty formed between the angels and demons. Their leaders, God Etihw and Devil Kcalb, even have a relationship with eachother." Vanilla took a breath and glanced at Daisy to see if she were still listening. "Hm... Hey, could you maybe... Look up at me? It's kinda spooking me out how you haven't really been looking directly at someone..." she asked.

[Assistant]
Daisy

While she had been listening on to her explanation of the world she had arrived in she soon found her guide now asking for her to look up at her. Had she really been so obvious in her attempt to avoid rousing suspicion? Her expression of uncaring stillness gave way to a small frown upon being confronted on the matter. She looked up, keeping her attention on the lady while many a person's fears swam closely overhead.

"Pardon." She replied quickly, looking at her with unbroken focus whilst the tall cloaked avatar loomed over them both. He was as still as the dead as he looked on but in truth he was carefully watching both the two who were speaking with his summoner as well as the rest of the crowd. A silent guardian was he.

Daisy simply waited, expecting more from this one. She quietly hoped she hadn't misjudged this one's usefulness.

[User]
Eddie & Dorma

Oh this is just great. Now Dorma had gotten Yosafire worried and all. "I-I'm quite alright, Miss Yosafire. No need to worry about me." Dorma tried to assure Yosafire. "Please, enjoy Dialo's signature pie. That would be enough for me."

Yet another encounter with Yosafire that ended not as well as she expected. Dorma felt she just wanted to just go home and lose herself reading books or something. Perhaps watching the performance would take her mind off this little encounter, she thought. Yes, Dorma would do that. That said... "Miss Yosafire, do you know who is performing in this festival?" She asked.

"Hey thanks, sista." Eddie received the pie. He could not help but notice Yosafire comforting Dorma and he could not help but ask Dialo about it. "Hey uhh, those two got a history or something?" Eddie considered the possibility that the two were an item. People from the other worlds tend to have all sorts of relationships regardless of their genders, Eddie noticed.

[Assistant]
Vanilla nodded with acceptance after the girl looked up at her and continued her explanation. "Ok, back to what I was saying... The Gray Garden has seen a very long era of peace since the war, until recently of course. Apparently, another world lead by a devil and his minions tried to invade this world, but the invasion didn't last long thankfully. Thanks to a handful of angels and demons, the invasion was beaten back. The funny thing is though, since the devil that invaded has disappeared out of nowhere, the world that invaded has been trying to form a peace treaty with the Gray Garden. Things have going smoothly on that end, but there are still a few who don't agree with this peace. I don't mind it, but hey, that's just me."

Vanilla smiled happily, having finished her little info dump. She was happy to have someone to actually talk to. "Oh! I almost forgot, my name is Vanilla. Mister tall, dark, and feathery behind me is Zeal. What's your name?" she asked.

---

Yosafire scratched her head in thought before answering Dorma's question. "Well... I heard that they come from the sea... But that's uh... All I really know, sorry..." she said giving a lighthearted chuckle.

Dialo glanced at Eddie before looking back at Yosafire and Dorma. "Not really... Dorma looks up to Yosafire but there's clearly something more to it... But Yosafire is already with another so... I don't think things would work out..." she said as she went back to tending to her pie stand.

The sky was changing into a bright orange as the sun drifted closer to the horizon. The evening was almost upon the festival and the performances would soon begin.

[User]
Eddie & Dorma

"Oooh. Girl's got it rough." Eddie replied, cringing a little.

"Anyway, time to take a bite out of your famous pie." The actor took a bite and chewed a little, immersing his tongue on the pie's flavor. Apple was certainly a part of it but it was baked in such a way that the flavor was enhanced. Freshly-baked meant that it was also warm so that helped too. "Hey! This is pretty good. Certainly better than the pies that you could buy around the corner." He complimented Dialo. "Compliments to the chef, of course." He added.

"May I know the name of the chef though?"

"Ah, is that so? Macarona said so too earlier." Dorma replied. "Perhaps they shall bring some new and exotic music to the festival. I shall certainly look forward to it."

Dorma was still quite down from earlier but she was a bit better. No use dwelling in the past, she thought. She'll get another chance. And hopefully not screw it. The thought of that began to weigh Dorma down again so she shook them off. Got to focus on the positive.

[Assistant]
Daisy

Listening along to the lady's recountance of the world's past. It was good to get a grasp of the world's standing so she wouldn't be left in the dark when it came to such matters. She listened on until she introduced themselves and inquired as to her own name. She took a moment, looking distant as she dwelt upon her answer carefully.

"My name is Daisy." A simple answer, a brief one. Though her face wore little evidence of such concern she was not one to trust others with ease. Experience had taught her more than a few unfortunate lessons which had done far more harm than help for her. She looked out to the rest of the festival. Given the duration of her stay time moved along ever the same as always.

"The evening hours approach. We may wish to enjoy the festivities for now... While they last."

Perhaps a tad bit more ominous sounding than what she was going for unfortunately. She never did fit into conversations naturally.

[User]
The festival went on for another hour or so before the sun had finally set over the horizon. An assortment of colorful lights lit up to provide light and it was as if the sun was only shining around the festival. A crowd was gathering near the stage that had been set up not too long ago. "Ooooh, this is so exciting! I can't wait to see what happens!" Vanilla said enthusiastically. "I wonder if it's gonna be a talent show, or a play, oh oh oh, or a musical performance... Ah! Am I rambling again? Getting too excited?" she said to those around her.

The crowd grew silent as the two rulers of the Gray Garden stepped onto the stage, Etihw and Kcalb. Kcalb stood back away from the front of the stage as Etihw walked up to address the crowd. "Welcome, one and all, to the Gray Festival!" she called out. A white crystal that was hanging above the stage seemed to propel her voice like a speaker. "To those of you from other worlds, I am so glad that we could share this day with you. What good is a festival without a lot of guests?" the members of the crowd who were residents of the Gray Garden chuckled at how laid back Etihw was being.

"Now, as many of you should know... This festival marks a very important day. A day of peace amongst the Garden's residents, the demons and angels. It warms my heart to see that this peace has lasted for so long, and with so much support too." she bowed to the Gray Garden residents. "Thank you for making all of this possible... We gods can only do so much on our own." she said with a smile. "Now then, who's ready for the main event of the festival!?" she called out as the crowd cheered.

The two cloaked and hooded figures from before were standing in the back of the crowd. "Eff, man... Why are these people so laid back and cheerful... I might need to consider a change of landscape..." the taller one of the two mumbled. "Shhhh... I want to hear what's happening..." the smaller one said.

[Assistant]
Eddie & Dorma

As the crowd cheered, Eddie himself clapped at Etihw's speech. "So I'm guessing that's the head honcho around here, right?" The former actor told the person beside him who happened to be Yosafire. Eddie has found himself beside Yosafire and her group.

Meanwhile, Dorma was on the other side of Eddie, clearly annoyed and upset that this random man had just stolen the spot next to Yosafire. "Yeah, that's Etihw. The God of this world. Right behind her is Kcalb. The Devil." She dryly answered Eddie for Yosafire.

"...Do they have nicknames?" Eddie asked both Yosafire and Dorma. "I mean, no offense to their names and all that but... I'm gonna seriously butcher their names if I continue talking about Eteewee and Kakalb."

[User]
Daisy

Upon parting from her acquaintance Vanilla she had gone about the festival alongside her conjured servant, taking in the sights and observing a lot of the culture at work. She was largely more of an observer than a participant across the whole event, remaining detached from it all as she and her companion drifted from place to place. All in all it was a pleasant and insightful experience, a new world to take in and learn.

Come sunset she arrived at the stage where the realm's leaders were mentioned to make an appearance. Standing in the back with her hood up again she stood and listened on to this realm's leader make his announcements, her pale face concealed once again in the hood's dark shadow.

Having been standing at the back of the crowd herself she noticed two hooded figures not dissimilar to the ones she saw earlier looking on at the event as well. This wouldn't be too notable were the land's fashion more inclined towards dark hooded cloaks but aside from herself and her summon there were few denizens who took on this particular fashion.

She would not act upon this quite yet, opting to remain the observer for now while the main event was to initiate. She simply tried to keep a discrete eye on the other pair of cloaked figures, careful not to let them see her watching them in particular.

[Assistant]
Yosafire was a little confused at Dorma's sudden interruption, she could've answered Eddie herself. She shrugged it off though and turned back to face the stage before Eddie asked her another question.

She couldn't help but giggle at Eddie's attempt at pronouncing their names. "Well... You got the old man's name right, but you pronounce her name as Eteehew." She explained. "As for nicknames, I just like to refer to Kcalb as Old Man... He hates being called old..." She said with a quiet giggle. "And as for Etihw, Eti is fine."

Both Dialo and Chelan looked at Dorma curiously. "You got something against Eddie or something?"

---

"And now, I'm sure you are all ready for the festivities to truly begin. But before that, we have a guest from across the great expanse of water close to our humble village. She has been looking forward to the Gray Festival and wishes to share her musical talent with us all. Now, I want all of you to give a warm welcome to the Gray Garden's very own Great Blue Sea Witch."

Etihw bowed and walked offstage with Kcalb as the curtains of the stage opened up. A young girl in a navy blue, sailor-like witch outfit stood center stage in front of a piano. She bowed to the crowd as everyone clapped for her, it was easy to see that she was a little nervous. "H-hello everyone, my name is Wadanohara..."

Amongst the onlooking crowd, a familiar scarred face stood out to Eddie. A shark finned familiar watched Wadanohara with a slight smile.


[System]
Alias: Rainbow Fist

Appearance:

Age: 25

Position on the Ship: Captain

Personality: Abbigaill is fiercely loyal to her friends and allies. She believes herself as nothing more than the creation of the world around her and so does what she can to make other people greater. She's also quick to forgive others in most situations as again we're all just pieces of a game of dominoes falling on each other. The one exception to this is when someone messes with a person she's close to or cares about deeply. Do that and hell boils out. It's this level of caring that has caused Abbigaill to keep mostly to herself as she has a hard time doing the right thing when her heart is in the way.

It is due to her understanding of what people really are that she has decided to resist both kinds of marines as their ideas, noble as some may be, are not meant for the future, but more for a more peaceful present.

Abbigaill's biggest problem, if one were to ask her deceased family was an inability to take things seriously. Even after all the tragedy in her life its hard for her to invest too much energy into worrying. She'd rather relax, have a few drinks, or just take a nap and watch the sunrise. To her the world is full of great things and even while living on a mission to free it from oppressive hands one can't be expected to surrender everything that would make their personal life worth living.

Abbigaill has a snarky and biting sense of humor which usually surfaces in times of great stress and danger as if daring the god of death to try and do to her what it did to her parents. She can't really control this as her mouth seems to her to be working independently of her brain. She can bite her lip but usually by then its too late and all the blood in the world isn't going to get the cat back into its hat.

Background: Half of Abbigaill's young life was spent living in a tiny town with her parents and younger siblings in Shell town. There she made few friends, because with so many siblings who needed anyone else, but the few she made turned into people she became very close to.

The second half was spent on the road. She never did quiet find out why. One night her parents woke her and the rest of her kin up and said they had to go! That night they boarded a ship and headed out to. From there on they made their home wherever work could be found for a little while. It wasn't a wise move and most of her siblings died early on, but her parents were adamant about the decision and would never explain why. One day they found themselves caught in a crossfire between the two groups of marines. The tiny vessel they were on never stood a chance and the rest of Abbigaill's family perished. The only reason she survived was thanks to a scavenging group of pirates who managed to find her and take her on board.

These people became her family. Several years were spent adventuring and learning with the group. Sadly they met with a similar fate to those that were bound to her by blood. Once again in a battle with the old marines she was the only one who survived. However, this time she didn't have the fortune of finding herself being picked up by a harmless group of pirates.

Weapons/ Items:

Abilities:
Hand to hand combat expert-Abbigaill is a talented hand to hand combatant and specializes in a fighting style similar to boxing but with more jumping around and the occasional kick. Also she fights dirty as hell so its wise for people to guard their crotches when engaged with her in combat.

The Suitchi-Suitchi no mi(switch-switch fruit) is a paramecia type devil fruit that grants its user the ability to switch on areas where a charge can be manipulated. After coming into physical contact with an object the user can switch the spot on. What this means is a dark circle will appear at the area of contact followed by the initial charge the user wants the area to be. These spots can also be activated at any time, anywhere, on Abbigaill's body. These activated areas are represented in a yellow(-), red(+) or blue (0) circle. These 'charges' push away from similar charges and pull opposite charges together. The exception is the blue charge which has no effect on any other charges and acts as a place holder more than anything else. When a negatively and positively charged object come into contact all the kinetic energy in the action goes into the positively charged object(s). When two negatively charged objects react together there's no damage on either side, and when two positively charged objects press against each other both sides receive the same amount of kinetic force. Through direct physical contact it is possible to move the activated area from one object to another. .

Abbigaill is capable of holding six activated areas at a time, and can switch an activated area's charge at a moment's notice. She's also able to manipulate the total forces behind the reactions of the charges, but she cannot finely tune the forces... ie it the amount of force behind one reaction applies to them all. The maximum range she can hold a space active is 50 meters.

Techniques:
Orange Air gun-Abbigaill touches the air with her finger and creates a small positive charge in the air. Then she activates another positive charge on her finger. This causes the activated air to shoot forward like a bullet that tracks its target. She can do this is semi-automatic fashion but cannot fire another bullet till the first one found its mark or the air will simply dissipate before reaching its target.
Orange Megaton punch-Abbigaill marks an object with a positive charge, and activates a negative charge on her fist. Then she cranks up the power and literally goes flying towards whatever it is she wants to hit.

Other:

[User]
[@malmshods]
The doctor smiles and gestures at a back alley." They'll be trying to stop us at every turn so let's convene at the one you came in on." Smirks devilishly and raises a flask as more soldiers start into the town center. He smashes the flask a giant plume of white ice fog filling the center of town as he walks towards the docks in the confusion removing the face face and glasses smiling like the devil .

[Assistant]
Calder Graham

'Wait was he talking to me?', Calder looks left then right he shrugs and walks up to the marine. Calder walks up to Effen and says, "What do you want Sir?" speaking as if he was a marine. Calder was a bard by trade and figured this situation was perfect to try to use his skills as one. What was a bard though? A person who makes music and tells stories? Or is there something more to it then just that. For Calder it was a bit of clever work, almost like a spy. He is able to get close to someone because of his profession as a bard and get information.

Calder knew this might be a bit dangerous but his reputation with the marines is only that he stole a guitar that has devil fruit powers. He wasn't very sure whether this marine would recognize him or not. Calder was hoping he could somehow help those pirates without actually looking like he was helping them. There was a few things he could think of that could help and getting behind the lines of the marines as a friend might just work. Calder was also preparing for this to go wrong as he was getting a hand closer to his bag wanting to grab one of his dials out of random and use it. He had three times of dials in his bag, an impact, breath and flame. If this confrontation went bad he planned on using which ever he grabs out of random.

[User]
Aka
Aka realized that Lisa was chasing after her. She did expect something like this to happen in one way or another, as she sent a few javelins in front of Lisa. Those javelins weren't meant to kill Lisa, but instead it is used to buy time for Aka to back away to a more favorable ground. Things weren't so fortunate for Aka, the street she was in is just a straight wide street with no place for her to ambush. The end of the street is the Harbour, which is pretty much a dead end to her considering that she is a mere street gang without any boats for stowaway.

Impossible, that guy is still alive? Aka hissed as she turned back to face her opponent. Its clear that the Marine Lisa isn't any pushover, and would have caught up to her by now. With her back facing near the harbour, Aka pulled out her javelin, holding it tight with her two hands, using it as a spear seeing that kiting Lisa isn't an option considering how she's faster than Aka. "I'm not Bomberman, I'm Aka ~" Aka smiled as she thrusted her javelin towards Lisa's heart, as a last stand attempt against the Marines. She was ready to fall at this place, and had no regrets to what she did. Yeahh, just blow up as much Marines as possible... ~

[Assistant]
For a moment, Handel stiffened, but it soon passed as he continued walking, picking up his pace ever-so-slightly. He turned to look at the voice that called him from behind and put on a fake smile of relief. "Captain Ruckus! Just the man I was looking for! Shame what happened in the town square, isn't it? A real shame, so many unruly pirates interrupting our ceremony. I figured, 'these pirates must be making towards the dock to secure themselves an escape,' so I came here as fast as I could, if only to slow them down with what little strength I have. But it appears great minds think alike; and now that you're here, those pirates haven't a chance! Tell me the game plan, and I'll follow it to-the-letter."

He doubted this little ploy would actually work; Handel's desertion may not be known by all marines, but Ruckus probably knew. Handel's best hope was for the escaping pirates to show up, they'd have to fight Ruckus to get off the island, which should distract him long enough for Handel to make his own escape.

[User]
Abbigaill paused to look back at the man with the strange smile on his face. "Uh. You mean the marine ship?" She blinked and looked around. "We could do that. I mean, a ship is a ship, right? Long as it moves across the seas I'll take anything." It was tempting to say more, maybe make a joke or two, but bullets started flying behind them. Which was one thing, but the loud, buzzing sound moving towards them was even more concerning.

Effen paused as the man he called walked up to him and questioned what it was he wanted. "What do I want?" The marine's puppet crossed his arms and shook his head. "For starters, what I want, is for the common man such as yourself to stop acting like every marine in the world is someone to be defensive against. As for why I called you over." He paused and leaned forward to get a better look at the man. There was something familiar about the figure but he couldn't put his mind on it. "You aren't from around here. So what I want is a name and a reason for what you're doing here in Shell town."

Lisa's eyes narrowed at the woman's sudden change in direction. There was a moment's hesitation behind her eyes where things flashed and possibilities danced like anxious old folks at a conga line. She wasn't a fool. One couldn't get as far as she was if being a fool. Of course, she didn't slow down as she moved and by the time she realized what was going to happen, it was too late and the javelin was thrusting forwards towards her chest. The sharp end went through, with no problems, but there wasn't any blood.

"Close." Lisa said, jumping back before her target could cause an explosion. "But not close enough." Without waiting for a response from her target, Aka's opponent's made a fist and her hand, followed by her arm shot forward as if on a spring.

Algorithm
Ruckus stepped up to the man he was addressing and put his arms behind his back as he waited for the former marine to finish his lines. Once it became apparent that the man had completely what he had to said the marine captain grunted and shook his head. "Great minds indeed. It's insulating for a traitor like you to claim us having anything in common what so ever." He smiled. "Now, normally I'd prefer to kill you were you stand, but the world government is in a kick these days. They want public executions and a lot of them. So if you surrender now and come quietly I can guarantee you a few extra days of life as your shipped off in a boat to whatever little piece of land they want to try this on next." He shrugged. "Or you can resist. It really doesn't make much difference to me. Personally I prefer you resist." The larger man's eyes narrowed. "It would really help me to relieve this aggression I've built up over that botched job you did before running like a dog."


[System]
Gender: Male
Level: Baby - 1
Appearance:
No obvious difference in appearance
Height: .5m
Personality: A very brave, if not stubborn, rash and hot-headed Digimon who spends many of his days looking for any Digimon he can do battle with and get stronger. Ever since he was hatched, he watched many powerful Digimon fighting, which always excited him. One day, however, he ended up getting caught in the middle of a particularly heated battle. But what happened then shocked him. An attack had come flying in his direction, off-target. He was sure to get destroyed by the blast...but the Digimon that had been the initial target took the hit for him, hindering his chances to win the battle. And yet, that Digimon did manage to win in the end. Ever since, he decided to follow that Pegasusmon's way of life. He pledged to one day be the strongest Digimon that ever existed...and he would use that power to protect those who couldn't protect themselves from dangerous or destructive Digimon. He will stand up for what he thinks is right, no matter what that might mean.
Family: Virus Busters
Attribute: Vaccine
EXP: (0/0)
Techniques:
* Acid Bubble

	+ Energy cost: 2
	+ Type: Baby Technique
	+ Element: N/A
	+ Effect: Attacks the target with an acidic bubble. Ranged; 1d6 damage.

Features:
* Vengeful Smite- After being damaged by a Virus Digimon, this Feature allows Techniques use to attack that Digimon with this Digimon unable to miss. Failed to-hit Rolls become glancing blows, and do half Damage. This does not stack or carry over between turns and must be used immediately. (Free.)

Stats:
---Hit-Points: (4/4)
---Energy: (2/2)
----------Power: 6
----------Endurance: 7
----------Force: 4
----------Fortitude: 5
----------Dexterity: 3
----------Agility: 2
----------Vitality: 7
----------Wisdom: 1
----------Cunning: 2
----------Generation: (0/8)
----Weight: 6g
Equipment:
* N/A - Nothing is equipped. No effects or bonuses.

Name: Hideaki "Hide" Saitou
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Appearance:

Bio: Hide was born in the United States, but raised in Japan. His parents were successful lawyers in the States and soon moved to Japan in order to become successful in another country's legal system as well when Hide was still a toddler. His father is a defense attorney and his mother a prosecutor. They both agree that they want Hideaki to also become a proficient attorney when he gets old enough, so they spared no expense to give him the greatest education they could. They home-schooled him, gave him the best private instructors that their money could buy.... When his high school-level days approached, he was practically buried by his books. Both those that he needed to study with and the ones he read in his personal time. However, his parents did often disagree on which side of the courtroom they wanted him to pursue. It was nothing major that they fought over, and the times they did fight about it, it was only in small bickers at a time. But eventually, Hide decided that he needed to start getting some fresh air to clear his head and get some fresh thoughts flowing.

It is during times like these that he often found himself wandering the town by himself, exploring and eventually making his way through various schools around the city, driven by his curiosity about how other children received their education. He would always carry a bookbag to avoid looking out of place. However, he never made outside friends. But he was content living the way he was. Loneliness never struck him so long as his parents continued to set time aside for him and play his favorite games with them...usually puzzle or strategy games like Chess. In fact, Chess quickly became his specialty. He played and studied the game so much that he was able to beat his father and any computer AI-controlled opponents in any program he ever installed on his personal computer on any difficulty level. He became a phenomenal tactician, learning how to read at least a couple of steps ahead. His parents harbored this talent of his and helped him grow it, as it would become very useful in courtroom arguments.

Hide continued to live peacefully in this manner, continuing his usual routine until he soon realized that his High School-level days were nearly behind him. It would not be long before he was sent off to a private college, where he would then transfer into a prestigious law school. He just hoped that he would be able to handle such a change in his lifestyle....

Stats:
- Morale: *****
- Athleticism: **
- Spirit: ****
- Knowledge: *****
- Psychology: ****
Inventory: Small Wallet (contains: a few different ID cards, a debit card, a credit card, ~1500 Yen), pocket chess board, a non-digital watch, Medium Bookbag (contains: a few small books, notebooks (70-page college ruled x3), water bottle, small medi-kit [contains: miniature flashlight, backup flashlight batteries (2 sets), adhesive bandages (10), gauze pads (5), gauze roll, elastic bandage roll, painkiller medication (unopened, 100 tablets), small scissors, mini turkey baster, tweezers], writing utensils (pencils, pens and a highlighter)), unopened package of "Wild Berry" flavored gum (15 sticks)
Bits: 0

[User]
"Wh-what the..." Nadica mumbled, rather startled by the strange visage which had appeared mere inches from her face.
The creature simply continued grinning, stepping out of the bushes with purple leather boots, which seemed to have claws or spikes of some kind, in a regal red, affixed to or sliced through the face of them. While the being in question seemed to wear pants, in lieu of a shirt, its small, bat like wings were simply crossed over its chest, and a blue gem was suspended between on golden chain, with several belts strapped around its pale arms. The creature's large hands with sharp, regal-red claws were placed on his hips in a rather comically authoritative manner, and its diminutive tail swished around behind it.

It was then that Nadica's thoughts finally clicked, and she looked down at the bubbly creature that was clinging to her chest. The other small creatures seemed able to talk- she had heard the muted murmurs of conversation from both sides, and the two boys which seemed to be around weren't talking to each other. Slowly, her gaze dropped from the bizarre visitor to the creature at her chest, whose constantly effervescing surface was starting to feel strange against her lace hemmed blouse.
"Um, hey little guy..." she began, rather nervously, before her voice seemed to calm significantly, "Don't worry, I gottcha."

The creature simply whimpered, causing the girl's lips to furrow in concern.

"Say, what's your name? And like... what even are you?" she asked as she began to catch stride with the situation.

"P-Pabumon," the little creature's tiny voice barely sighed.

Further conversation was halted by the rapid approach and rather loud exclamation by what Nadica could only process as a fat little land tadpole with ears or something. The fanged creature took notice rather quickly of the red creature's approach, his eyes seeming to sharpen for a fraction of an instant, as if something was wrong with this creature. However, the exclamation returned the comically self assured expression for which it would appear the creature was known. In a rather silly gesture, it lowered its large, clawed hand to the red creature's level.
"Don't be dense toddler," scoffed the imp demon, as he swatted the other on the head, before crossing his arms before his chest and laughing loudly.

However, the laughing soon stopped, as his gaze turned to the sky. A flash appeared, and a bright streak flowed with a strange, vectored pace, crashing to the ground. As the flash evaporated, another human appeared, soon accompanied by a small black fuzzy creature with tiny ears and yellow eyes.

"Well meatures, welcome to Digiworld!" the pale, masked Digimon announced.

[Assistant] The implike creature decided it was best to annoy, or otherwise taunt me, and to be honest, it worked "Who the heck are you calling 'toddler'!? I'll have you know that I-" I was cut off by Alan, of all people, saying "Don't do that. He looks quite a bit stronger than you are," I then made my way back to Alan, who might have just saved my skin back there, and overhear him calling something, or likely someone 'meatures'... he also welcomed us to something he called the 'Digiworld'. Digiworld? What in the world is that? Wait... obviously digi is short for digital... the term 'meatures'... does that mean that the imp guy's a robot!? Well, then, I guess I'd really be outmatched if I tried to fight him, then. I don't think I'm ready to fight a robot... not in this weird state I'm in after... well, that. I think, trying to make sense of everything the imp robot said to me, at this point blissfully unaware of the fact that I wasn't actually included in the term 'meatures', as he probably indicated that he was talking about the children, and not the... other things, like myself. This place being some sort of a digital world made a few things, such as the trees, and general lack of life up until now make a lot more sense... well, that was only relatively speaking, of course copper and plastic trees just growing out of the ground didn't make much sense in any context, but it made just a little bit more sense in this exact one, at least in that circuits usually used copper wiring due to its electrical properties, and plastic was a material commonly used to cover said electronics.

[User]
The two individuals made their way over to where Nadica, Pabumon and this strange, masked creature was also standing. Hide felt almost as if he had accidentally walked into some stranger's conversation and was momentarily tempted to leave. However, he was stopped when the short creature mentioned the term "meatures." He immediately realized what he meant by the portmanteau of "meat" and "creatures." Did that then mean that these strange critters were not made of flesh and bone like humans were? But then, what were they exactly?

Well, the next thing the creature said definitely held some potential answers to that question. "Erm...excuse me, but...what do you mean by 'Digiworld?'" Hide asked, speaking up again. "Surely you don't mean that it's some kind of digital universe or something, do you? Because...I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that I'm not digital." At this point, he had completely accepted the fact that these weird creatures were even present in the first place and that they could speak in plain English. He still wasn't sure what they were, but if there was any kind of credence to this "Digiworld" thing, then perhaps these strange non-"meatures" were actually made up of some form of physical data? But how could something like that be? He had felt Botamon himself. He was certainly no hologram or anything....

"Huh?" Botamn said, looking back at Hide questioningly. "Pft. Geez, I guess you can be a bit dense. Everything in the Digital World is digital. Why else would we call it that?"

"D-dense...?" Hide repeated, a little surprised that the single-minded creature would call him dense. "And...what do you mean, everything?"

But Botamon wasn't paying attention anymore. He was now looking at the larger, masked creature. "So who are you supposed to be, anyway?"