Paul
*Balance is a fool's game. The masters failed trying to protect it. Proof of the weakness of unity. There is only power, and the victory goes to those who take it!*

*That was what the scrolls had read, posted all over several nearby villages. Many were stained with blood and ink, some seeming to be green colored, infected. The parchment stunk with necromancy, especially for our local edgelord.*

*Atop the great mountains, there had been a massive dojo, home to the some of the land's greatest masters, hosting nearly over a thousand students.*

*Yet, rumor had it that it had fallen, the once peaceful place overtaken by dark magics. Some even say that a former student had aided in its downfall.*

*And yet it keeps growing. Everyone at the base of the mountain could feel a large sense of unease, the shadows whispering to them.*

*Then one day, a student of the temple stumbled onto the village, her arm withered and dying with necrotic flesh corrupting it. It was amputated, and she was taken in to the local healer. She had said that she was the only one alive.*

*It was obvious that this had grown into more than a problem, and it needed to be purged. So you four had been called in.*

*You would begin entering the medical center, where the girl would be waiting to explain the situation.*
Joan
*Alloces Raizos idly watched the brief wisps of steam from his breath leave his mouth, dissipating slowly into the chilling air. His gloved hands grasped the reins slightly, tugging back lightly. His warhorse, an expensive breed hailing from the southern lands, snorted but obediently stopped. Alloces dismounted, pulling back his hood to reveal lightly pointed ears and a tan face easy enough on the eyes, patting his horse slowly.*
"Stay here, Ventus. Try not to eat everything you see."
 *Alloces said wryly. His horse was uncharacteristically silent, ears flattened. He too, could tell that something was off about the place, and without his training, would probably have bolted to a safer place. To calm himself slightly, Alloces reached up to check that his dual blades, Eins and Zwei, were safely ensconced in their scabbards.*
 *He would have need of their services soon enough, Alloces thought grimly as he waited slightly by the entrance to the medical center, not quite entering just yet, so that he could catch a glimpse and some conversation with the people he would be working with.
Nancy
*It had been a long time since Mevis had gone out on a job. He had spent the past month training at New Sunlight, as well as learning how to be a proper Squire for the guild. He was aware he still had a ways to go, but staying cooped in for so long was starting to feel a bit cowardly for him. What was the point of getting stronger if he didn't actual use his strength to help those around him?*

*Thus, he left the guild to get some fresh air and find something heroic to do and so happened to come across the infected village. Mevis wasn't particularly fond of the undead, recalling his previous unfortunate encounters with them, causing him to shudder a bit. For better or worse he had equipped himself with some anti-undead enchantments due to those encounters, but as of late they seemingly stopped working. Were the runes faulty, or did he have to refresh them? In either case with his ace in the hole gone, fear and anxiety naturally consumed him. But regardless of the negative emotions that were consuming him, he would slowly make his way to the medical center.*
Jesus
*As usual for quests and jobs the large six armed titan took he didn't really put much thought into it whether he should take it or not or if it was dangerous in anyway. He had just saw the stinky scroll that had something about a game written on it with interested him* "Uhhh Hello?!?!?" *Ardon had shouted out upon entering the medical center after being called in for... Something? He didn't really know and he wouldn't have listened either way but the stinky scroll did say some interesting stuff* "Uhh I read something about some kind of game and power and then something of victory? Is this the place that I have to go to get that or something?" *He just asked out loud into the room while one of his hands reached over to scratch the back of his head in the sort of manner one would do if they were confused.*

*He had brought with him all his usual adventuring gear which included his topless armor and the bag filled with provisions leaving only his cute little pets Furry and Rocky 2.0 not interested in bringing them with him when on jobs because of the possibility that something bad might happen. Whenever wondering about the room his heavy footsteps thumped and his deep voice bellowed with every word, it was clear that the man was excited and curious and very very confused all at the same time.*
Doris
The stench of death and decay hanged low in the air. Ashnard felt like his nostrils were *Burning* From it, causing him to flinch under his hood and clench his nose. It was times like this he thought a sensitive sense of smell was more of a curse than a blessing, especially when he didn't need it to know that something here was really, really *Wrong*.

Though the fell energies made his fur stand on end, the dark beastkin could not deny his growing intrigue over this perilous situation. The call of power was not one he dared refute, part of him even agreeing with the words writing on those bloodstained scrolls. His cloaked figure stopped right before the entrance to the infirmary, few ways away from what seemed to be a rogue dark elf. For now, he disregarded the fellow wonderer. His priority now was to know *More*.

His gaze studied the injured survivor underneath his hood. It stunk like hell in there, but he had to persevere a while longer... Until there was finally time to learn what he was up against and act.
Paul
*Once you all entered, the girl, dressed in bloodied blue robes, both her own and foreign, would sit up from the hospital bed. She blinks once, to make sure that she's seeing everything right. A massive, 6 armed Titan, a hooded figure with two swords, a martial artist with an oni mask, and what looked like a hooded canifor. Oh well. Not the strangest thing she's seen. She's keeping a calm complexion, but those who were more attentive would be able to see that she was really quite frightened inside.*

"I hope you all know the circumstances. And no, this is-goddamn it."

*She didn't seem to expect the nearly childish Titan, but she's going to have to deal with it.*

"I'm just going to get straight to it. You could consider it a game, if you consider dying losing. A necromancer's taken over the dojo. They've turned everyone in it to undead. They have to be stopped."
Roxanne
>*Mevis would look over the group that had come with him. To say the least, they didn't really look like the heroic sort, but he knew that would just be hypocritical of him considering his attire. That being said he had never seen a titan before and would stare with a bit of awe in his eyes at how massive he was. He would then return his attention to the task in hand and nod in understanding.*

"Do you happen to know how the necromancer gained control over the dojo? Cus frankly I'm a bit concerned that the 4 of us might not be enough to take down someone that managed to take down dojo filled with what I assume to be competent martial artists..."<
Doris
Fucking hell. He'd have to deal with the constant stench of rotting corpses *And* A loud titan? Now, the beastkin was *Really* Questioning whether or not the gold and promise of power was worth going through this ordeal, but it was too late to turn back now regardless.

"So a single necromancer managed to bring down a thousand monks, huh." The beastkin murmured sardonically. "He has earned bragging rights all across the nearby, I'll give 'em that." Ashnard leaned across the infirmary walls near the entrance, crossing his arms. With his travelling cloak on, he seemed like the most unassuming of the group, aside from the spiked hinges of his jaw and a severed right eye, though his voice was deep and ominous, bereft of any empathy.

*"Have you anything actually useful to tell us of the necromancer's twisted 'game', lass? Or has your mind already rotted alongside your arm?"*
Jesus
"Okay then! I'm ready for this!" *He started to get himself pumped up for this 'game' that they were about to play. He began putting on his enchanted knuckle dusters but nor before cracking his fingers intimidatingly.* "Undead huh? I've never really fought undead before but I have heard a great deal about them, can I punch them back to death Miss Bloody Blue Robe woman?" *He looked over to the other people who surrounded him remembering that he had to work with them since they were there to play the 'game' too. He gave all of them including the robed woman a wave with one of his hands* "Oh yeah! Hiya there everyone!!! My name is Ardon, Ardon Surfist. You can just call me Ardon though. Its nice to meet you." *He had a big bright smile on his face as he greeted them all*
Joan
"Do you want any of the bodies to be intact?" *Alloces said bluntly. He had heard of such assignments before, and knew somewhat that they might not appreciate the sight of their valued ones chopped up into sashimi. Of course, he didn't normally leave the bodies in such a state if possible, but it would help to have a list of people to be careful in dispatching. He looked at Ardon, instinctively feeling that the man might be a bit gullible, but refraining from telling him that the sky was composed of purple moldy pizza until he annoyed Alloces somewhat.*
"Hello, Alloces Raizos. I don't really mind what you call me, so long as it's legible."
Paul
"Ok ok, one at a time."

*She visibly rolls her eyes at the Titan's childishness.*

"First up. The masters. She beat *All* Four. Then once she turned them into wights, it was easy to force the students to turn."

"Second. It only takes turning one master into a wight. They retained all their powers, but none of the good."

*The girl would look at the canifor with a dead look.*

"Already? Not quite. I didn't hear everything, but I remember the necromancer requesting a 'duel' with each of the masters. Individually. And most of the students there are simply mindless zombies now. A few of the advanced ones still retained their skills, but the majority became simple moving corpses."

"Show no mercy, please. They have to die. If you take down the necromancer, they'll all go. But there's no bringing them back."
Doris
"Mercy is a luxury we cannot afford. Nor can we expect any in return..." The beastkin stated nonchalantly, well-aware of the situation they were in. "To duel undead martial masters... At least she keeps things interesting. Or at least more interesting than cutting through swarms of mindless thralls."

His gaze turned towards the rest of the group, piercing eyes of scarlet regarding each individually. "Name's Jackal. I trust each of you can handle yourselves well enough to not become a liability, hm?"
Nancy
*Mevis would click his tongue and shake his head in disappointment. There was no meaning behind crying over spilled milk, but he still couldn't help but feel some regret over the loss of all those lives. To think the necromancer would take advantage of their honor and dignity to take the masters down in a 'duel'. All the culture and teachings of this dojo was more or less loss all because of one selfish individual. As a hero, he could not let them go unpunished, and as a fellow martial artists, he felt responsible to restore at least some of the honor lost by his comrades*

"I'm sure mercy will be delivered through their deaths. I'm certain as fellow martial artists they didn't hone their bodies only to be used as puppets. I'm sure their spirits will find peace in seeing their bodies be put down" *Mevis would say to the girl*

*As for his fellow compatriots, he would turn and bow his head slightly as a show of respect* "The name's Mevis Malum. I hope we will work well together to clean up this undead crisis"
Joan
*Alloces frowned to himself, wondering how many of the undead swarms he would need to chop through.* "Alright, I think we know all we need to know. No worries, I believe I shall handle myself well." 
*He turned over to the girl.* 
"Are there any entrances to the building that we might slip through without much trouble? Old windows and the like?"
Jesus
"Well Hi there Jackal! Mevis! And Alloces! Its nice to meet all of you guys. Miss we're gonna do the best that we could to help you and defeat this woman who had turned the masters into uhh rights? Is it rights? Yeah rights that sounds wright!" *Turning towards the beastkin still with a smile on his face as he was just happy being there meeting new people he spoke once more.* "Yeah! I can handle myself... I think? I can punch stuff really good and I can throw cool light pilums too! Wanna see?!?" *He said excited to learn if he can show off the recently learned ability of making light pilums and throwing it really hard. He had always liked throwing things at people*
Paul
"Thank you, Mevis. And no. Last time I checked, there was only one door for each room. Though, some of my other friends may know about some other places..."

"And it's ok, Ardon. You don't need to show us now. Before you go though, you should learn at least a little about the masters."

"The first one is Shifu Shi Zong. He's a Mogash, and his style is called the Sky Scraping Mountain Fist. I don't know much about it, but it's very grounded and strong."

"The next is Shifu Zhang Qi Xiao. She's a Tigress Felinid, wielding the Tiger Claw style. It's fast and ferocious, with a lot of slashing."

"The third is Shifu Yan Wang. He's a Pale Oni, and he uses the Hurricane Fist. I haven't seen it at all, only his students, but he's supposed to be really fast."

"The last one... Shifu Suan Ni. My master. She's a treton, with the style Flowing River Palm. The style's all about using an enemy's force against them, focusing far more on deflecting and entangling rather than launching powerful strikes, which she can still land. Shifu's able to throw opponents far larger than she is, despite not being the strongest."
Doris
The dark beast listened intently to the girl's information, taking a mental note of each master. So subterfuge was not an option here- their best bet for getting by was by one on one duels. Perfect. It had been a long time since he tested his own martial arts against a master, doing so when in a life or death situation made it all the more interesting.

"Playing along the necromancer's little 'game' seems like wisest plan here, I reckon. Better than facing a swarm of rabid corpses at any rate." He stated nonchalantly, unfazed by the direness of their situation. With one last nod and tip of his hood, the shady canifor padded out the infirmary, his winded cloak flowing behind him.

There was one last thing to do before leaving for the monastery. Assuming they were anywhere to be found, he would seek the village elder, keeping a hand under his cloak. *"Once you treat this girl of her wounds, make sure she's kept under tight lock and key. For the sake of your people."* He didn't wait for an explanation or argument, but would offer a pouch worth 5 gold if he noticed any hesitation from the elder. Once it had been said and done, the jackal made his way promptly to the edge of the village, waiting for the rest.
Joan
*Alloces committed the information given to memory, nodding to himself. He would probably be better against Zong or Suan, since they seemed to be mainly unarmed, and relied upon qualities that he could mitigate to some degree. Well, it wouldn't be long until he got to put his theory to the test, he thought as he bowed quietly and left the medical center, mounting Ventus again, checking his composite longbow with the requisite arrows in the saddlebags, before digging in his heels and sending Ventus into a canter, to the edge of the village.*
Jesus
"Aww... Okay then. Guess we better go now. Goodbye Miss Bloody Blue Robe Woman!" *Ardon mumbled to himself what the names of the masters as well as what they were able to do doing his best to remember it in his head but by the time he left the door he was already focusing on a monotone looking butterfly or something not remembering a word she had said except for the fun ones like Sky Scraping Mountain! And Flowing River Palm hehe fun names. Hmm How would punching dead flesh feel different from regular ones? Is it weird he's thinking about dead flesh? How is Rocky 2.0 and Furry doing? Did he turn off his iron?*
Nancy
*Mevis would take mental note of each of the masters and would get more nervous the more he heard about their styles. Mevis didn't receive formal training from a proper martial arts master, so he had no idea how strong they usually were, but considering the unique styles each of them had, he was certain it wasn't going to be easy. Especially now that they had the advantage of being an undead that doesn't tire, have pressure points, or feel pain. He still shuddered recalling the impact that the normal zombie gave him to his belly by simply going beyond its physical limits. He couldn't imagine how much more devastating a blow from a proper martial artists that was now an undead could do to him...*

*That being said, as Jackal said, there didn't seem to be any other option that to 'play' along with the necromancer's game, despite it being very disadvantageous to them. So Mevis would just 'suck it up' and start to head toward the dojo with the rest of the group*
Paul
*The climb to the dojo would be a steep one, taking place on a series of towering mountains. The dojo itself would prove to be large itself, the entrance a massive series of stone steps. Fires might have burned once in braziers, but they were now dark. What looked like smoke rose in massive plumes from the black mountain tops.*

*In front of the entrance would be a single wight, sitting on the ground cross-legged. It would be male, wearing white robes, but it seemed to be controlled by an external force. Its eyes would glow purple, and its voice would be an echoing feminine one.*

"So you accepted my challenge. Good. 4 masters, 4 warriors. This will be fun. Let's see if you can survive..."

*The doors would mysteriously open, revealing a massive stone arena. The wight would seemingly die as it collapses.*
```Round 1```
Joan
*Alloces took out two talismans labelled Scion in rapid succession, summoning into being two soldiers with crossbows replacing their polearms. A polearm probably wouldn't be effective at all in swarm environments where impaling one just made you a target for Rick, Harry, Steven, Edgar, John, Nathan, Wallace, and that douche that always stole the last nacho, Malcom. 
He pulled out his swords after he had summoned his troops into existence, hearing them hum lightly as he swung them out, before looking into the arena, and proceeding slowly in. His two soldiers would go ahead of him, shields raised forward and arming swords pointed outwards.*
"Come, we'll probably need to slog through a few dozen grunts before reaching anything of note. Those not suited to melee, can stay near the back. My summons will try to protect you if possible."
Steven
``` 30/150 Mana, Mana cap of 120.
Gen Speed: 1.12```
Doris
Ascending the mountainside was an arduous task to test one's endurance before the battle even begun. Thankfully for the dark beastkin, he was light on his feet and saved his energy as he padded across steep rocks until he finally reached the main destination. 

Listening to the wight's welcoming message, his concerns of dealing with a very potent necromancer were fully confirmed- he'd have to be *Very* Careful moving forward on a path any sane man would have long ran away from. 

Standing before the dojo's gate, the dark jackal took a deep breath, closing his eyes in focus for a moment. Clenching his fists, an aberrant pair of blades sprung from the sides of his arms, tearing through the leather cloak, followed by a scorpion-like tail on his back. 

Once his moment of meditation ended, an ominous scarlet aura radiated from him briefly, taking a quick jab on the now dormant wight with his tail stinger, right between the eyes. He was not going to take any chances with undead. "Keep your eyes open, and mind clear. Death waits for no one." He snarled, stepping forward into the darkness, his senses on high alert and blades ready to feast.

```
Psionic Speed used - 2.5/15 Mana left
Gen Speed: 1.5
Heightened senses (1000%) and parallel processing active```
Jesus
*He didn't really do anything extra like what the other two had done since he could just cast what he needed in battle. Instead he simply walked forward joining the two summoned knights of course giving them a friendly wave before readying his stance. Keeping his feet wide and his torso low while two arms were raised to defend his face and body the other four were ready to hit anyone that came near. He was curious though, are the battles actually going to be one on one? 4 Masters, 4 Warriors huh. This would be very interesting for sure!*

```
 Impervious, Seraphorm, Corrupted Skin Active
```
Nancy
*Mevis would be hanging in the back, clearly not eager about walking into the lion's den of undeath, but would slowly trudge forward. He made mental note that Alloces was some sort of summoner which would certainly be helpful in handling the hordes of weaker undead and that Jackal was some sort mutant filled with blades. I would seem everyone was getting ready for combat, for which Mevis was grateful or as it showed that the group was serious about this. He would also prepare himself, but he didn't have the inner chi necessary to sustain his defense for long, so he decided it would be best to hold off till an enemy was approaching. For the time being though, he would shift his mask over his face and turn on his thermal vision. He didn't expect it would help much considering the enemies were all corpses, but it didn't hurt to perhaps look around for survivors* 

```Thermal vision activated```