Blood and Glory - Additional IC

Xerxes had made his way through the city with little to no effort at all, no specific rush and no type of urge to speed his way through the great lengths of the city. He wanted to enjoy himself as he approached the location, he even took his shoes off and let his feet feel the warmth of the sun on the pavement with each long stride he took. His free hand floated up to scratch the side of his head to find a small pebble was still stuck in a little nook. He brought his hand down and rubbed the pebble with his index finger and thumb thinking of how the pebble was harmless and went unnoticed until it was disturbed that is when something..being himself got hurt, even if it was a small pain. He started to think of how it was relevant to the current situation. Relevance however would have to wait and he tossed the thoughts into the back of his mind as he took a turn into an alley way which covered him in darkness. Next came a left turn that turned to a very slim stairway that was hidden along the wall in plain sight, the darkness along with the forming of the walls it looked as if there was no sudden break at all. It didn't take long until he reached the doorway at the bottom of the stairs to which he'd punch in a code and open the door revealing a massive basement of a sort to the spire that rested in the middle of Arcadia, the center for all transportation and underneath was a location of business and a literal..underground meeting. Xerxes continued on his way until he reached the center of the room and almost as if on cue Jack had also came into the light of the center of the room. A certain gloom in his eyes and a sense of dread around him. They stood idle for a few moments just staring at each other, having a silent conversation of sorts as all men do when they are close then Jack finally spoke.


"You're really going throu-"


"Shut up. You know very well as much as I do there is no deferring me from my current path." Xerxes cut him off with the in such a lethal manor that'd relate to that of a guillotine during the French Revolution. However it didn't differ Jack from what he was going to say.


"..Through with all of this, you could end up being taken away this time if things go bad, if they find out you..as a well known champion now is dealing with gang members you'll be in a lot of trouble.."


"That is exactly the reason why I asked you to bring me my kit. I don't have time for banter Jack I have to get going..soon."


"Xerxes.." Jack held it for a moment looking at his nephew who's eyes only held a yellow flame, that's when he noticed they were glowing. "Wait, you still haven't expelled any radiation..this is two weeks worth no wonder you're thinking this way!"


"JACK!" Xerxes shouted at him with a tone that was filled malevolence, he'd then outstretch a hand for the box Jack was still so dearly holding in his hands. Jack however stood staring at Xerxes, it was like being in a cage with a panther..the yellow eyes, the feeling of death looming around him. "May I have the kit now." Xerxes said again this time in a more calm tone and Jack would indeed hand the kit over to Xerxes.


Once Xerxes had the box which he referred to as his 'kit' in his hands he'd bring the box towards his lips and whisper to it like it was a child. What he said was unknown but once he finished the box would first open the top square and then the center of the front would split and open themselves as well. As the process continued Xerxes placed the box on the ground and looked to Jack as if telling him to leave now. Jack did exactly this, walking past Xerxes without a word..he needed a drink. As for Xerxes he gazed upon the now flattened box that held five things in it: a waist-belt that had four softball sized bells on it, two ankle bands that looked like a sort of tech, a black rope dart with a triple pronged kunai at the end with a red sash a few inches below it, and a white mask with black designs and two long horns that represented a demon.

The rather quiet walk home didn't surprise Iris much, she was sure Roy wouldn't be up for talking much until he got a long nap in and possibly some pain killers. She didn't think much on Heinrich joining them to go down to the street, she doubted he would wanted to have stuck around for the unorthodox methods of training. Regardless she didn't mind much, the streets were much quieter and calmer. The paparazzi and reporters back on their side of the river leaving the Champions to live and rest in piece. As much as she didn't mind the attention after the past two days some quiet was nice. The redhead acted as a buffer between Roy and pretty much very thing else keeping his sluggish swaying form away from the street and the occasional passer by.


As they walked her mind started to wander to the excursion that would be going on the next day. The prospect of going out to some ruins was exciting! Arcadia never dabbled much in advance tech and any ruins they targeted were raided and pillaged by Techavia by the time they got around to even sending droids in. There was no telling what could be in the city, it was always a chance between finding nothing but broken bits of inferior tech or a treasure trove of new advancements and possible better weapons for fighting monsters.


Before there were champions the world had to defend themselves somehow, There used to be amazing weapons and defense systems in place if it hadn't been for wars of resources and energy the need for line and Champions probably would have never come about. The generation in charge before them were very self serving and paranoid about a possibly ally city betraying and stealing from the other. A war fought on too many fronts which resulted in the near downfall of man kind overall. now only a hand full of cities remained standing world wide. Two or three in each country, only one in places that were much less populated. Communication between the cities was limited at best since the paranoia still lingered but they were stills surviving. Even if it was at the cost of sanity Iris didn't mind doing what she could to make sure Arcadia was safe and avoided following the path so many other great cities followed.


Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she tensed slightly quickly turning her head to spot Heinrich with a hand on her shoulder along with Roys. She had forgotten he had been walking with them and was confused as to the suddenly contact until she felt the pain along her ribs disappear more. It was the third time he had done this and while it was a welcome relief she was starting to worry about the effect it had on him. Her concerns were only more justified at the rather focused and strained look which painted the blonds features and she frowned. Placing a hand over his she tried to remove it. "Heinrich stop." She said her tone still soft but holding a more serious tone.


The day before had been less than stellar and the momentary relief was accepted with out much of a second though but now not so much. "I mean... if it were really bad I would have just taken pain killers by now but It's not." She assured. "As much as pain is unpleasant it's there for a reason. Just cause you take away the pain but it's just that much easier to strain an injury or even make it worse with out some kind of sign." Casting a glanced over to Roy she continued. "And sometimes pain is just a way of telling someone they probably shouldn't drink so much and hopefully keep them from doing it again." Was it passive aggressive? Yes, but yelling at him would just make his headache worse and just cause him to tune her out.


"Just cause the pain is gone doesn't mean the injury is." Iris stated hoping she wasn't offending the other champion with her refusal of his aid. She then remembered the full extent of his ability and frowned slightly. "And don't you dare think of taking on my injury either." She added sternly. There was no point in having him with a few cracked ribs especially if his father was hard pressed on going to the ruins.


@Tree @Mad Prince of Sanity

Roy


[the walk of shame?]


The young champion eventually found his hangover alleviated momentarily while Heinrich took on his sickness. Roy had absolutely no qualms about allowing this to transpire, mostly because if Heinrich wanted to be sick... Well, then by all means he should be so. The group eventually neared the apartment building. Once they actually got into the apartment, Roy felt as though a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Was Heinrich in the room with them? Well, yes. Roy had grown to not see the man as much of a nuisance as someone who wanted to be a member of their team, so it was not as though Roy felt completely skeptical. He had proven multiple times that he was not around to impede whatever it was the two decided to do, at the very least.


Immediately upon walking through the door to his apartment, Roy moved to use the bathroom. Of course, this meant breaking Heinrich's touch. Locking the door behind him, he immediately vomited into the porcelain throne. It was only going to get worse from this point on, and Roy was perfectly aware of it. There were a couple of necessary precautions that needed to be taken before he accomplished what he needed to, but vomiting was the very first thing on his list. Grasping his toothbrush from the side of the sink, he got to a-scrubbin' before cleaning his hands as well as his mouth appropriately. Then he removed the technology strapped to his back. Zipping open an extremely small pocket, the young man would remove a vial of nectar alongside a sterile syringe. He really, really enjoyed this process. Insert sarcasm here.


Taking the plastic top off of the needle, he disposed of it in a nearby trashcan before sticking the syringe into the vial. He drew up just the right amount, using a finger to flick at the barrel belonging to the syringe. Using a spare finger to locate one of his veins, he immediately stuck the needle into his arm without hesitation, or even a slight flinch. He pushed the plunger down and administered the drug, which he immediately felt seep into his bloodstream. The initial rush had killed his hangover completely, but Roy knew that he did not have much time before the side effects of the ingestion caught up with him. Roy's hair color instantly turned from black to white while the drug was coursing through his veins.


He flushed the toilet and walked out, after putting both the syringe and vial back into the pocket of his tech before zipping it up. Roy even placed it onto his back before walking into his room; throughout this entire process, he had not said one word to Iris nor Heinrich. Rummaging through the drawer withholding all of his important things, Roy would remove a plastic bottle with a couple of pain killers. He popped the top off and practically threw two into his mouth, chewing it up. Hitting a small button on the side of his knapsack-esque technology, his fingerprint would be scanned before the his exoskeleton was built around him. He walked out of his bedroom with determination painted across his visage, the stomping of the metal contraction saw Roy near Iris rather quickly.


"There's two ways we could do this, Kitty. The easy way, or the hard way."


Of course, Roy all ready knew exactly how things would play out. With the assistance of his suit, Roy's around would wrap around Iris' midsection before lifting the girl up and walking her over to the couch. Once he placed her there, despite her thrashing, he would straddle the kitty. Placing both hands on her ribs, Roy's frame would become enveloped with a green aura - which in turn would also surround Iris' own. As his bare fingers were sure to touch the girl's skin, he would sit there for an entire minute. That was all that was needed to heal her of her ailment, considering the fact that it had mostly healed up on its own to this point. Really, all Roy did was provide an extra buffer.


After he removed his hands from her ribs, the champion would push himself up off of the couch. Roy's exoskeleton would retract with the press of that same button as he stood beside the furniture. Visibly, the young man was pale. He was tired, and his stomach was turning. He was clammy. The small amount of nectar he used had not granted him an extended period of time, so the side effects were coming on quicker. Fortunately, the small amount of use also limited the side effects, so there wouldn't be much to worry about. The color of his green aura was overcome with the color of orange; it's natural state. Roy winked at Heinrich, giving the man a closed mouth half-smile before he walked away from the two. Moving back in the direction from which he came, Roy moseyed on down through the hallway before entering his room and shutting the door behind him. Placing his technology on the table beside his door, the young man would move to his bed and crawl up into the covers. Shivering slightly, he wrapped himself as much as he could with his comforter before placing his head on his pillow and passing the fuck out.


@Shura @Mad Prince of Sanity

Charles A. Fisher


Preparing to breach Kazuko's safe-house.


At least ten to twenty minutes must have passed as Charles waited in his bedroom after getting changed. He just sat there, staring through the window and at the city before him. His phone sat on one side of his lap, a pistol on the other, and a small shot of rum on his nightstand. He quickly reached his left hand over to the rum, grabbed it, and gulped it down. He then began adding bullets into the clip of his pistol, before sliding it back and cocking the gun.


Upon doing so, his doorbell rang, something he had definitely not expected. Sliding the phone back into his pocket, Charles stood up and held the pistol with his left hand, and hid it behind him as he walked towards the door. Once he got a few inches away from the door, the doorbell rang again. Noting the persistence of the ringing, Charles gripped the gun a little more as he used his right hand to unlock the door and open it, slowly. The worst he was expecting was one of Kazuko's men, even though in reality they wouldn't even know where and who he is.


But it was really just Max at the door. Charles gave off a sigh of relief.


"Hey, I've got some bad news! K-"





"Get your ass inside, Max." Charles said in a rather hushed tone as he grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him into the apartment room, and locked the door behind him. Max dusted off his shirt, and noticed Charles' pistol.





"Whoa, how come you're holding onto a piece, did I piss ya off that badly by coming here?"





"No, but it better be urgent as to why you came here."


"Right..." Max trailed off as he sat down by the dinner table. "The men you sent, they were able to snag a good amount of kills. But, Kazuko hauled ass to his safe house, it's boarded up to the teeth. Our men are positioned outside in the middle of a crossfire between the safe-house and them. They would have gone in and breached the place at the cost of most of their lives, but Dan has an idea as to how we can do that more efficiently." Max said as he watched Charles slowly pace back and forth.





"So in other words, you think that it would be best if I went to deal with this myself?" Charles asked as he stopped and stared at Max, hoping to get a solid answer from him. Max nodded.





"It's why I came all the way here, boss. Well, we, the other two are waiting for us at the car. You're the only one I know who can infiltrate Kazuko's hide out and kill him, while simultaneously lowering the moral of all the other goons he has holed up in there, causing them to surrender to you. It's one thing that our guys kill him... but it's another thing if the leader of a high-profile syndicate killed him. That will really show the other gangs to not mess with us." Max responded as Charles had a large grin on his face.





"That's what I like to hear. Come on, we're heading to your car. Drive over to the checkpoint near his safe-house, I'm going to need to change into my suit and brief our men on what's going down. While we are on our way there, you can tell me more about Kazuko's predicament." Charles said as he opened the door and exited the apartment room with Max, and then locked the door behind them. Charles then followed Max to his car and hoped into the back of the car. Afterwards, Max drove off back to the eastern side of Arcadia.





"Good seeing you again, boss." Dan said with a nod, while Kenneth slightly waved from the passenger seat. Charles smiled.


"It's good to be back."


---------


After parking the car inside the checkpoint's parking garage; which was a four story building funded by a local corrupted real estate broker, the four headed up to the second floor and moved into the armory after clearing the members of the Fourth Echelon out of there and into the garage, where Charles will brief them after changing into his gear. And so, Charles did just that; he put on his 4E Elite suit, calibrated his headset's sensors, rearmed his silenced SCAR-L rifle and "hooked" it onto the back of his suit, holstered his silenced FN Five Seven pistol, snagged a few grenades, a couple of smoke bombs, and a C4. Cracking his knuckles, Charles gave off a soft sigh, stared at the other three, nodded at them, and made his way downstairs to the parking garage at the first floor as the other three followed him.





When he got there, a good thirty men and women stood there patiently for him. Smiling at the sight, Charles examined the crowd, and cleared his throat. "As you all know, a small squad of our men have been able to begin the destruction of Kazuko's gang from the inside. They were able to mark a decent amount of confirmed kills, but Kazuko ran back into his safe-house not too far from here. Our mission? Breach the building from three sides. I say three sides because I will use the unattended side to slide into the building and take out Kazuko as quickly and as quietly as I can. I will separate you all into three groups of ten; each group will drive their way towards the enemy safe-house with an armored van and park outside of the building. The vans must be parked on either the North, South, East or Western side of the building, so long as you leave one side open for me. When you all get there and start lighting up that building with your weapons, I will come around back and get ready to break in while all the attention has been drawn by your advance. Team Alpha will be in charge of planting an explosive onto the entrance to the building, while Delta and Omega back Alpha up as much as you can. The bomb will give me five minutes tops to infiltrate the building and eliminate our target. Which to be honest, that's more than enough time for me." Charles stopped as he stared at the large group again from left to right.





"It is a very simple task. Granted, some of you may not come back at all, but killing Kazuko will prove to our rivals to NEVER cross us. We do have reason to believe, however, that Kazuko may have contacted reinforcements from the outside, so do not let your guard down at all. Any objections?" Charles asked. Fortunately, everyone seemed to be on the same page and had agreed to join Charles on his mission to kill Kazuko.


"Good. Now, let's go exterminate this parasite once and for all."

Xerxes stood on a six-story building near the Safehouse Kazuko had called him from, the situation seemed very one sided and the failing side's defenses were starting to wither rapidly, the disadvantage being them all holed up. The outside can simply get more amounts of ammo or bigger guns while the inside must only defend what it can on a currently nonrenewable amount of resources. Resources that provide them with a means of ranged defense at least and thats how Kazuko always was, never let them to close and you won't have a problem. Xerxes on the other hand would wholeheartedly invite them into close proximity and greet them with a swift death in terms of him being nice. However this was not Xerxes gang. nor was it his position to be barking orders he only rested on the roof crouched with his arms between his legs handing over the edge. He hung there like a devious familiar planning up on how it would interfere with the humans and their means of conflict. Rocking on his heels Xerxes fell to his but while placing his hands on his ankles activating the devices, the first was the cancel out any sound or scent that would come from him. The next was a cloaking device that worked to erase his heat signature and his own appearance. Upon him coming into intense combat the system would turn off and release a large blast EMP as an emergency procedure, the device can sense when he's in an intense situation due to it monitoring his heart rate. This being done Xerxes would roll back forwards and leap from the roof-top letting his rope-dart begin to unwrap itself while he rolled himself forward in the air doing a flip and using the extra seven meters of released rope to go out and catch a nearby building metal piping which changed Xerxes immediate falling direction torquing him and making him return upwards so that he landed on top of this piping that connected the two buildings. It was at decent enough height for him to leap down and he did so landing with a roll at the end of it to reduce the shock his ankles and legs would receive.


Now he finally had a ground view of everything and decided to move forward behind this other groups position, finding the farthest truck he'd leap on top of it and sit criss-cross as he watched them all chat and try to make a plan that's when he picked up on a specific conversation with some of the three men.


"When can we just go in there and kill those bastards! They are sitting ducks!"


"Yeah lets just burn that place down!" Chimed in one of his thug-buddies before another spoke up.


"Word is Max and some others went to go see the boss and they're going to come back and doing it themselves, as far as I'm concerned it saves me the risk of dying during this whole thing." The sounds of gunfire shot off around them as their own allies shot down at the safehouse before a bit of return fire was followed up, he'd continue afterwards. "Why don't we just blow the damn place up, or burn it to the ground."


"Because it'd open up more suspicion and the entire city would be on high-alert are you insane?"


"Yeah well I hope the-" He was cut off by the sound of incoherent gurgling and choked up screams as blood shot out from the front of his neck and the back, his body also went limp as if he lost control of it the nerves from the neck down nonfunctional. The two men would look to their comrade in surprise taken back for a moment before they both saw white followed by the quiet ring of ominous bells followed by a sharp pain in their necks as their vision began to blur. The one who had begun the conversation stared up at the assassin who had just ended his life and only saw what looked like a demon from some Japanese folktale before an ax kick crushed his head and made putty of his brain.


@TheStorm

She was happy to be home to say the least. Back in her territory and place of familiarity Iris was able to actually relax and stop worrying. For the moment at least. The redhead set her pack down on a small table that was by the door along with the collar beside it. She moved along through the living room to the a joined kitchen where only a counter space separated the two areas. The shutting of Roy's door didn't come as any surprise as he would no doubt be hit with another wave of nausea. She simply shook her head and reached into the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water.


Scoldings of child hood came to mind as she remembered Henrich had walked with them back to the apartment and she peeked out from behind the door, "Uh... want anything to drink?" She offered grabbing a second bottle if the answer was yes. Twisting off the plastic cap she downed nearly half the bottle in the first go. Iris hadn't realized just how thirsty she had been, then again water hadn't been much of a concern for her the day before so she had some catching up to do.


A soft sigh crossed her lips as she quenched her initial thirst and looked over towards Henrich finding it a bit odd having anyone but Roy or Anton in the apartment. Still if they were going to be team mates it was something she would get used to eventually. It was certainly more comfortable than being pulled along to the apartment he shared with Krieger. Shaking off unpleasant feeling Iris smiled slightly "Thanks for the help last night... and this morning. Things aren't usually that... hectic." She shrugged slightly before taking a sip of water. "Normally only happens if alcohol is involved. Then again I suppose that's kinda normal." She chuckled.


The familiar sound of metal clicking together caused her ears to perk up and her muscles to tense slightly. Emerald eyes shifted quickly from the blonde to Roy's room as heavy foot steps thumped quietly against the ground. The door swung open revealing Roy already glowing faintly, exo-armor already locked into place. The suit alone was enough for her to know what would happen next, glowing just confirmed it. The hair along the feline champions neck as she instinctively perched on the balls of her feet like a cornered cat ready to bolt. "Roy...."


"There's two ways we could do this, Kitty. The easy way, or the hard way."


The tense stand still was then broken with a flurry of movement. The instant Roy had shifted forward Iris threw what was left of her water at him while trying to jump over the counter. The water proved to be a very poor distraction but she had managed to get half way over the counter before she was caught. Iris hissed and growled as she struggled to get out of his grasp cursing his armor at that moment. It was the only reason hew was as fast as she was. A shot of line would have taken too long to work so the chance Iris escaping Roy was minimal at best, but that didn't mean she was any happier about it. "Let me go!" She yowled digging her claws into the armor along Roys arms and kicking her legs. Any bit of pain that she would have been feeling was overridden by adrenalin. To any one else it would seem comical almost. Iris never made a good patient but she was the worst when aid was forced upon her.


She grunted as she was dropped on the couch and tried to scramble away but was pinned before she could get very far. Iris hissed at her teammate as he put pressure along her ribs causing sharp jolts of pain. An earthy green aura engulfed him and flowed down his arms to surround her as well. Iris grit her teeth as she felt the familiar warmth of the healing aura followed by the sharp burning sensation of her bones stitching themselves back together sealing the micro fractures which had compromised her ribs before. She could still feel the natural healing of her body being forced to speed up. It was for the best but it hurt like hell to say the least.


Emerald eyes narrowed into a glare though there was no malice or real anger reflected mostly frustration. Just as quickly as everything started it came to a stop. The aura faded and for all intensive purposes Iris was back to full health with only a lingering dull throb left as any sign of an injury. The redhead sat up as Roy quickly pulled back, his armor retracting into the pack on his back. No words were share between the two, Iris only glared at him as he retreated back into his room for the rest of the day most likely. He had already been hung over and the paleness of his skin before withdrawing already spoke of the side effects from the line taken. He was an idiot, a caring idiot but still an idiot.


@Tree @Mad Prince of Sanity

Charles A. Fisher


Moving to the Eastern side of Kazuko's safe-house.


Charles, Max, Dan and Kenneth followed right behind the three armored vans as all four vehicles drove down the street in a single filed line. The van at the front of the line of vehicles, and the van right in front of Max's car, both had mounted ,50 caliber machine guns locked and loaded. As the convoy headed to it's location, this gave Charles and the others some time to reflect on the situation.





"You ready for this, boss?"





"You bet your ass I am. I can't wait to have that damn Kazuko by the final strings of his pathetic life." Charles viciously said. Dan nodded and patted the man on the back.





"What I'm worried about, though," Kenneth began, "Is who and what Kazuko contacted from the outside."





"Yeah... This does not feel right, not one bit." Dan said as he scratched the back of his head. Max simply frowned as he glanced back from the rear-view mirror.





"Guys, when you drop me off, I do not want you three to get out of there." Charles said abruptly, which in turn made the others stare back at him.





"You have got to be joking, man." Max said, his tone sounding more tense than it usually is.





"I am not, Max. I am not risking my best men in a mission like this, and that is final. Whoever Kazuko contacted is also giving me a bad feeling, like something fierce. I am not putting you three in the middle of this."





"And why in the hell not?"





"Because you each have something to lose, Dan." Charles responded, which made everyone in the car succumb to silence. Charles simply leaned forward and crossed his fingers. "And as I said, I am not willing to risk my best men with a raid like this. Just let me deal with this." Charles finished as he closed his eyes, and waited patiently for the convoy to reach their destination. Whatever it was that would surprise Charles after making it to the raid, he was willing to meet face to face with it. And there was no way he was going to let Kazuko slip away this time. No way, no how.





"Aye," Dan started, "You were always the one to walk among devils."


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


As the convoy got close enough to the building Kazuko was holed up in, all three of the vans


separated; both of the vans that held a mounted .50 caliber machine gun, Delta and Omega, respectfully, parked on the Northern and Southern side of the building, while the other van, Alpha, parked on the Western side. As Delta and Omega parked, they began to light the building up with their machine guns, killing a number of Yoshitobi gang members. As they fired at the building, all of the Fourth Echelon soldiers except for those manning the machine guns exited their vans, and proceeded to cover Alpha squad as they moved in.


The Yoshitobi gang members tried their best to return fire, but it was clear to them that they were both outgunned and outnumbered. The fire-fight itself was becoming a rather bloody one, as they kept sharing casualties on both sides, more-so on Kazuko's end. The building they were in was also being torn apart by the machine guns. Max quickly drove around back, to the Eastern side of the building. Charles immediately got out of the car, and watched as Max hauled away from the fire-fight as Charles had demanded earlier. Looking back to the building, and hearing the drumming sounds of gunfire, Charles breathed in and out slowly, and curled up his hands into fists as he made his way to the building.


Charles did note that the men he had previously sent to "protect" Kazuko was no where to be found at the moment.


A pipeline can be seen on the wall, stretching up to the roof. Charles climbed up the pipes, passing by a window here and there. The building only had two floors, so it wasn't too bad of a climb. Activating his sonar sensors, he could see all of what was left of them in the building; five men by the windows to the west side of the building as they try to return fire, fifteen more on the first floor, and Kazuko, who was on the second floor. Charles quickly crouched down and pulled out his C4 and awaited for Alpha squad to plant their bomb.


Speaking of the Devil, Alpha squad had announced that they were breaching the building, after Charles gave them the order to proceed, of course. Within mere seconds, the metal sealed entrance doors were blown from their hinges, and the Fourth Echelon soldiers rushed into the building and returned fire as they took cover. The five men that were on the second floor immediately rushed downstairs to support the others as soon as they heard the explosion. Charles grinned.


He placed the C4 onto the ground after turning off his sonar sensors, with the intention of blowing it to hell so that he can jump down on Kazuko and end his life there. After stepping back a good distance, Charles detonated the bomb, opening a hole on the roof for him. Quickly, Charles jumped down from the hole. Upon landing, Charles made sure to have the palm of his right hand meet the back of Kazuko's head, making the runt fall face first onto the ground. Kazuko screamed and rustled about after meeting the ground with his own face.


"It's you, isn't it, Nightmare?! That's what they all call you, don't they, you motherfucker! Wasn't our deal enough for you? You and everyone here are so fucked when Oni shows up, you hear me?! You're making the worst enemies if you end up killing me, because Oni will HUNT YOU DOWN! Heaven and Hell will never hide you away from his raw power, you hear me?! Because he devours people like you for a living! You are going to rue the day you ever killed me, I swear it! You-"





Kazuko stopped his bantering as he watched Charles pull out his pistol, and aim it at the man's head. After clocking the hammer of the pistol back, Charles slowly placed his finger onto the trigger. He need not say a word, for Kazuko knew what was to come of him after Charles pulled the trigger.


He was his first kill that wasn't a monster in a long, long time.


 
@Phantom King

Xerxes lingered down near the bodies of multiple men now as others heard the commotion and came to check only resulting in their own death's this amount certainly wouldn't go unnoticed for much longer. This is when the ripping sounds of .50 caliber machine guns could be heard making a mess of what used to be the safehouse, followed by a considerable amount of explosions. Thus marking the start of the siege Yoshitobi gangs current position and possibly the end of the gang entirely, and though the causalities of this rival gang seemed few the numbers were about to grow drastically. Xerxes turned slowly looking over his shoulder at the situation and got into the drivers side of one of the vans that carried the opposing gangs soldiers, considerable room in the back...That is when an idea struck him, causing him to leap back out of the car and begin searching the men stripping them of their ammunition and explosives and piled them all into the back of this van sealing the package with a small amount of C4 on the back-door to set off the van-bomb. The explosion alone would be lethal, but the hail mary of bullets that would come from being heated up and shot out from this van would add a certain finesse to the simple explosion. Once all was in place Xerxes turned back around grabbing the nearest dead body and tossed him into the drivers side of the vehicle, blood getting all over the place along with pieces of bone falling from the torn skin that was once the mans skull. He'd take the means weapon and place it through and opening for the drivers wheel and brought it through towards the speedometers location and jammed it twice to be sure it'd stay in place. He'd then grab another rifle and lodge it into the seat near the dead body closing the door causing the carcass to fall on top of the rifle and push it downwards at an angle to which would cause it to press the gas pedal to the floor.


The van was off at full speed heading towards the north side of the building where one of the 'heavy' vans was located along with many of the other gangs soldiers opening fire the sound of an engine being pushed towards its maximum was silent compared to the amount of gunfire they were already around, until it was too late however. A soldier spotted the black van and screamed to the others that they were getting a bit of reinforcements however it was to the contrary, they were all about to be greeted by a fiery death. The area seemed to go quiet for a moment, the gunfire the screaming the distress of a gang-firefight currently going on then came the screams of a man who was pinned to the wall inside the north side of the building, the van made it in and so began the dance of flames. The van exploded in a massive fury the concussion even felt outside of the walls causing the whole of the building to shake down to its foundations. The vans metal make-up turned into white-hot metal shrapnel on a larger scale accompanied by the shrapnel from the other grenades whatever was left in the damned van. The result of this was a great amount of losses from both Yoshitobi and the opposing's soldiers the shrapnel cutting limbs clean off while the flames burned others alive, some smaller pieces getting lodged in faces of some and throats of others if not killing them the internal bleeding and melting would as the shrapnel was still red hot from the explosion.


Xerxes watched the fireworks as he was making his way towards the western side of the building and just before he came round a sound of thousands of shots rang out through the air, now came for the encore of the initial show the bullets would kill those who thought they managed to live it all. The thoughts were cut short when a zipping sound was heard followed by a thud and upheaval of cement. A bullet had gotten to as far as Xerxes position from the explosion, even those who believed they escaped it for being far away would surely end up unlucky. Due to the noise the van had given off Xerxes bothered not to activate neither of his anklets and charged swiftly towards the men still in the van firing upon the western side of the building. The first that noticed Xerxes was someone taking position a few meters away from the van helping a comrade who had gotten shot, it was the ringing..the bells they rang out with each step Xerxes took and got louder as he approached. The man was frozen in his place for what he saw was inhuman, it had to be a creation the government had been working on and it escaped and it just had to have made its way here. Yup that was the reason he currently had, and it was reason enough to open fire of the god-forsaken creature. Another fear immediately swept over him as he realized he couldn't move his arms and he was hard at breathing right now. A burning pain was in his neck and as his eyes went down he saw a red sash flowing in the wind as blood shot out from the wound on his neck. When had it happened..?


Xerxes pulled on the opposite end of his rope-dart and caused it to fly back towards him to which he'd grasp it with his right hand once again and continue towards the van not even giving the dying man a second look. He leapt high in air performing a front-flip and coming to plant both of his feet into the back of the .50 cal gunner's head and force it upon the roof of the van snapping his neck violently and ending his life there. Reaching down and removing the man effortlessly Xerxes took his place in the van and changed the target. Those men who believed they were safe and in cover had been horribly mistaken, the ripping of the .50 cal began again, painting the walls of the building with that of the blood of the opposing gangs soldiers, tearing them apart with each massive bullet. A man tried to duck behind the wall but it was useless Xerxes only opened fire on the wall tearing through that and his chest as well making ground beef of his muscles and internal organs. The majority of them downstairs were dead and so his focus went upwards, he began mowing up the wall and through the windows hoping to kill anyone who might of made it upstairs. What was a great amount of men and forces was now reduced to blood paste and rubble of the building.


Xerxes rose from the hole he was standing in and looked about of the mess he had created and would leap down from the roof of the van and proceed up the side of the building. It was time to go see the damage, and if Kazuko was even still alive the short amount of time to make it up the wall was good enough time for the smell of burning flesh to fill his nose, along with the warmth radiation still steadily flowing into his body. Once he arrived at the window he gazed down to see a man who was obviously no ally and he'd instead activate his anklets and would afterwards breaks a series of seven windows so it wouldn't be obvious to where he entered. However Xerxes did note a hole was present in the ceiling already and continued upwards and made his way towards the hole. Crouching down he'd gaze upon Kazuko with a hole in his head then to the man, deactivating his anklets he'd decide to speak to the assailant. From Charles point of view a low eerie jingling would be heard from above. Xerxes looked upon him with a great amount of death flowing around him his yellow eyes fluorescent from the amount of radiation he currently contained, while hanging between him was the triple-pronged kunai that made up the most lethal part of the rope dart.


"You should of stayed away..could of saved the life of all those men.." He'd state his voice was not his own, it held no specific emotion, however the tone of his voice would send chills down any mans neck. It was watered down and it seemed to be more than just one voice adding a sense of other-wordlyness to it all. Now Xerxes sat staring at the man waiting for the next motion and how he'd come about it all.


@Darksoul90

Heinrich Glishten


Iris 'The hairball' Felinesworth V.S. Roy 'Kidney Failure' SakeMillerBudweiser for the AWE World Heavyweight Championship


Heinrich blinks and slowly nods his head as Iris offers him a bottle of water, hoping she was coping with the returned sensation well as she moved about the apartment. Roy on the other hand.... well... Heinrich could hear the retching and puking. He slowly takes a drink of water and simply stands in the center of their living room. Awkwardly holding the capped bottle of water in one hand as he watches Iris take to relaxing at finally being home. He was.... glad that these two were now comfortable. More... well... he could not, in good conscious call it 'more importantly', but he was also looking forward to relaxing himself once he got home. Though the prospective ramblings of his father still sat in his mind, Heinrich was willing to weather them, if it meant he could allow himself to unwind and mentally prepare for the... 'trip' into the wilderness. Unfortunately for the poor boy, his day still had quite a bit of hectic activity to throw at him, and it had only just begun.


Heinrich tilts his head as he notes Roy emerge from his room in his exoskeleton and trudge warily toward Iris, like a hunter stalking a tiger in it's natural habitat. Heinrich... merely sighs and sits down, watching the lunacy unfold before him with a very tiny amount of humor at first, and were he not convinced he had grated himself on Iris' nerves enough today he would have intervened on her behalf, that, or if it appeared she REALLY needed it. But now he was content to sit her and for her to 'take her medicine, so to speak. Not so much so in a malicious way but... the girl and Roy both were being completely irrational about this. Heinrich rubs his face dejectedly and leans his head back in the chair, almost completely ignoring the commotion entirely before he actually heard Iris becoming... well... angry. Not fully angry but... very grumpy child angry. Heinrich merely blinks at this and feels... surprised and.. a bit guilty. Iris did not seem to be the kind of person to just get... upset like that, and taking into account how she had denied his help earlier, while he could understand her reasoning, made him think perhaps he had.... rubbed her the wrong way. A subtle, small wink from Roy makes Heinrich blink and... then get a bone-deep chill and he almost pales a bit at the prospect of having to full-fill that promise NOW. Granted he had said it was for when he attempted to heal her but.. did he.. MEAN afterwards or...? He sighs, confused and lost in a world of things not his own.


Heinrich stares at the door to Roy's bedroom for a handful of seconds before turning back to look at Iris. She still seemed very upset, her ears twitched in aggravation and were lowered in a sort-of... pouting, aggravated position which even he knew to keep his distance from... normally. Well, he still KNEW to stay back but, he was obligated not to listen to himself this once.Briefly wondering how much time he would need training or staying solitarily in his room to cool down after all this as he moves to sit beside Iris on the opposite side of her from Roy's door. He gently touches her arm, not wanting to be... well... awkward, not aware that that in and of itself was causing him to fail at that goal in his own way. "Iris um..." Heinrich tightens his hands nervously into fists against his lap, having actually given no thought whatsoever as to what he would say. Finally deciding on what would probably be the hardest for her to hear, the truth. "He... only did it because you needed it. Uh..." he turns his attention to the floor just ahead of his feet as he feels himself become embarrassed at now having to reference himself. "I.. realize forced help is sometimes.... little better than injury so..." he gives a ghost of a shrug "I cannot excuse my earlier actions..... I... am sorry."


Heinrich looks down slowly, his vision still not on the girl he had been speaking to for a moment before he briefly glance at her from the corner of his eye. "From... my own actions and... Roy's more recent ones you most likely wish to relax so... I believe I will be leaving now. I... would enjoy seeing you and Roy also on the excursion but.. you've your own.... um... dealings. Have a good day Iris." He gives her a short nod before stepping out of the apartment, closing the door behind him and absentmindedly making his way back towards his own apartment. Not even remotely aware of his father's latest lunacy.


Krieger Glishten - Lucille Chromatia [Kagura rides the Prince's coattails.... kidding]


The communications department always swept Lucille up in its hectic nature – the cramped cubicles, constant chatter and strange people made her feel like it was a different company. When she stepped out of the elevator it was like she was stepping into another world, moving with the flow of foot traffic to one of the middle lanes. Due to the limited number of spots on the excursion Atech only assigned three of the call agents to answer the line. Despite that, each of them was currently on line, making quick work at their computers as they talked.


Dr. Chromatia took a moment to peer over Sebastian’s shoulder, looking at the already starred names and taking a moment to drop her folders on the ground yet again. Without further ado she started shuffling, glancing up at the screen again after she pulled out the names she was looking for. The folders were less than intact, but she had most of the information on her console anyways…at least she assumed they were. Sebastian briefly looked back at her now that he was off the line, and shook his head before his line signaled another call.





Krieger was so engrossed in preparing himself, he had almost missed the alert his monitoring system for Iris had let off in his pocket. He removes it from his pocket and scowls at the odd readings. Odd being the best word to describe what appeared to be her... life... self... heart rate, to be subjected to another's. They were not far out of her normal parameters but distinguishable enough Krieger had the idea that this was not Heinrich's doing. More than likely that other boy... Ross? Something of the sort. Hmph. Well... perhaps he would need to watch the stunted boy more closely. Regardless there were other things more pressing on the scientist's mind at the moment. Such as actually making his presence on this most momentous of occasions known to the scientific community. So it is with the haste such an announcement would require that Krieger removes his own phone from his pocket and dials a number he knew all too well.


Krieger impatiently raps the tips of his fingers on his desk, reclining ever-so-slightly in the chair he had spent many a hour in as he toiled the days away in his own personal laboratory. The man almost brings himself to smiling as he hears a cordial, if yet formal greeting from the other end of the phone. Krieger sighs and does not even bother paying what was no-doubt a standard follow-up to Sebastian's usual greeting. Granted he had never met Sebastian personally, but he had observed enough of him to get a rough idea of whom he was dealing with "Yes yes Sebastian now if you are quite done I understand you are newly in the presence of a.... Dr. Chromatia? May I speak to her... please?" Krieger's usage of the word please would make most people prefer a normal's person's swear words, as it seems biting, impatient and insistent on itself beyond reason.


Sebastian was only on the phone for a couple of minutes, reading the script line-by-line until he had to improvise the forgotten parts. Lucy noticed a long pause in the spiel and glances up, noticing a quirked brow as he pulls away the microphone on his headset. "Somebody's asking for you" he hovers over the transfer button long enough for the young doctor to stand and look at the caller ID.


K. GLISHTEN


Only a moment of confusion clouds her vision before she suddenly remember the brief encounters she had with the scientist and inventor. Lucille hesitantly holds out her hand, figuring if the man had enough decency to remember her name, he deserved a conversation. Sebastian's questioning eyes made her gesture again, when he finally transferred the call and handed her a free line. Before she could change her mind, she put the reicever to her ear and headed away from the stations and prying ears.


"This is Dr. Chromatia, Mr. Glishten - what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you today?" she talks as she makes her way tot he break rooms, hoping to find a private room to have the call in.


In hindsight, Krieger's greeting was rather loud and... what one could almost call over-zealous, but even Krieger doubted he would have shown any more mercy on the young Doctor's ears given the chance. Those office types were stuffy enough as it is "Doctor Chromatia so wonderful to speak to you again!" Krieger grins to himself, having been more than prepared for the violent ringing noise her headset would feedback from the strain of volume and... particular way his phone was set up to communicate with office receivers. Often-times he sets this violent ringing on infinite feedback so as to avoid being put on hold for longer than say oh.... ten seconds. "I trust things have been well for you yes? What one with such a brilliant mind such as yourself does in a whole building of paper-pushing work-monkeys baffles the soul!" Krieger chuckles and adjusts his goggles "At any rate, I trust you will be ecstatic to hear I will be joining you on this little... impromptu excursion. into the wilderness."


Krieger grins just a tad more "I trust all the appropriate paperwork has been handled, filed and you should find it on your personal computer nice and neat, awaiting your expert review." Krieger gives a moment's pause, but he does not, however, allow the good Doctor to respond before his voice lowers to something more serious as he leans his elbows forward on his desk and laces his fingers beneath his chin "However.... Lucille... I must beg a bit of... expediency in your acceptance of my proposal. Scientific inquiry and the like, you understand. It has been awhile since something has gotten such acclaimed medial attention during Hunting season than just that. I trust you are looking forward to this field research as much as I am, yes?"


Dr. Krieger's over zealous nature made Lucille's ringing ears hurt more, already disturbed by the little stunt the man pulled on hold. The woman took a moment to rub at her temples, straining a smile in response to his niceties despite the fact he couldn't see her. "Why, yes - everything is well in the monkey business... and yourself?" she tries to placate him well enough, immediately wary of the man's intentions.


These suspicions proved themselves when Kriger continued talking, mentioning her current case and how he was excited to be coming along. Lucille all but froze on the spot, breath caught in her throat as he jumbled on about appropriate paperwork being forwarded. It wasn't until he called her by name that she snapped out of the stupor, hearing him go on about scientific inquiry and his interest in research. They were the words she was looking for, but she had only met the man a few times in passing...


Then again, she had heard a deal about the inventions he made and the contributions to the scientific community, and if she remembered correctly his son was a champion as well. It took her a moment to realize the silence of the line, realizing she had yet to say anything in response to the poor doctor. "As long as you realize I will be leading the excursion under the Industry, Dr. Glishten" putting her reservations aside for the time being, she could only put the one stipulation in place. The technology was neither his nor hers to research, but the company that she worked for.


Krieger had indeed gone famously silent for a few moments as he allowed Lucille to... think or.... whatever it is women do whenever they stare silently into the distance. Plot world domination most likely. Regardless of whatever her estrogen-fueled fantasies may have been Krieger was pleased to see he did not lose the good Doctor to such idle fantasies as she breaks herself free from her reverie and he finds himself chuckling before he can help himself. Equally so for her abrupt assertion of authority as well as her use of the term 'Doctor' for himself. Granted he had the qualifications yet he did not consider his own work nearly so.... stuffy. Indeed one could call his work anything BUT.... licensed nowadays. Though it does take Krieger a moment to subdue the natural male response of wanting to tease the good-natured doctor. As males often want to do when females are in a position of authoritative means. Instead he smile to himself and clears his throat. "Of course Lucille. I trust then that you will have all the equipment required on-hand? No need for me to bother lugging around a heavy equipment pack?"


Lucille was sure she heard the scientist chuckle in response to her stipulation and hissed out her breath, feeling somewhat scorned in her authoritative position. Still, the man agrees with her before asking if she was going to have all the equipment required on hand. "Atech will provide all equipment" she can't help but be a little snippy with him, the question seemed almost simplistic for her. "You are welcome to bring anything you think we don't have, though..." she smiles to herself, knowing the well-stock technologies of the company herself.


One of the agents pops her head into the break room and Lucy trails out all too suddenly, realizing how long she had probably been on the phone for. "I'll have the pleasure of seeing you tomorrow and we can compare notes then, yes?"despite the slight against her, she was willing to cooperate with the man.


Krieger hangs up the phone and smiles to himself, humming as he picks up the bottle of 'Catnp' extract and sets about mixing it into Heinrich's current cologne. Screwing the cap back in place before returning it to it's proper place and grabbing a snack. Perhaps something... a bit... spicy?


@Shura With: @Kagura


Currently in a corpse-like state: @Tree

Time Skip ATech Labs : March 15, 4021 : 9:30 a.m. ::Getting Ready to Depart:: ​

There was a hum of excitement and nerves as the team's associated with the excursion bussied themselves getting everything ready. Tech teams readied equipment and packed it away for a safe transport. There was a team of medical personnel also making sure enough supplies was being taken. Going into such a dangerous field they needed to be prepared for any kind of emergency. Then there were smaller teams of scientists each with their own specialty to study, monsters, plant life, architects, ect. Overall there was team of about 50 or so civilians buzzing around on the tarmac where four large @LotusSan @HoneyBear-Kat @Morridan @DescriptedEnd @Demensia @Kiwi @King Of Imagination @The Kaosophile @Phantom King @Darksoul90 @XxDeAwesomeNessxX @las0r0o7 @ViAdvena @Prizzy Kriyze @Rifleman

ORION


Mathias "Matt" Blackwell


Auditorium


Riiiip..... Cruuunch..... Crackle.....


Mathias let out a long sigh, then blew the ashes from his hand.


Riiiip..... Cruuunch..... Crackle.....


Why did she sign him up for this? He was looking forward to just chilling in his newfound home back at Eximius for a couple of days, then keep training to decrease charging time.


Riiiip..... Cruuunch..... Crackle.....


"Will you stop that?" A passing medical worker asked, and Matt sent the man a death glare. He didn't do anything else though, he knew well enough not to get on the medical unit's bad side. After all, he could just come down to relying on them. Although, in comparison with how often other people got hurt during hunts, Mathias practically seemed immortal in the statistics.


Mathias obliged with the medical worker's plead and threw the notebook back on the space provided for anyone carrying books. He'd been sitting in the auditorium for about thirty minutes, occupying himself by ripping pieces of paper out of his notebook, crumbling them up into little balls and then causing them to explode. It caused a low crackling every time he did it, so it wasn't exactly a surprise that people got annoyed by it eventually, it's just that he wouldn't usually care. Letting out another long sigh he sat back in his seat and put his feet up on the chair in front of him. The only reason he was here was because Alexis had signed him up without his consent, and when it actually came to him he didn't want to piss Alexis off, so he agreed.


Alexis was going to come along on the trip, as well. Mathias wasn't sure where she'd gone, but she was planning to come along and see how he was doing with his fighting this time around. Since the mission was over the course of a couple of days, Elias had almost decided to follow along, but after some convincing from Alexis' side that he shouldn't put his life on the line and that she was perfectly capable of looking after Mathias on her own, he reconsidered. At least he wouldn't have to deal with his creepy ass demeanor.


A muffled thump reverberated throughout the largely empty Auditorium as Orion put his feet back down on the ground. He was already fully dressed in his personal combat gear, save for the mask which hanging at his side, and the thinly armored hood was hanging down his neck instead of hiding his face in the shadows. The gear wasn't uncomfortable either way, almost as if he was just wearing a second layer of skin. Just below his left shoulder was something new though. A tiny little machine designed to dispense line into his body, although it was unloaded at the moment. Just in case he'd find himself in a predicament where he didn't already have line, but could use some.


"Hrrm..." He muttered. There wasn't even any other champions there yet. Why'd he gotten up so early? Oh yeah, he couldn't sleep. Forgot about that for a second. Nonetheless, he was bored. Nothing. Nothing was happening.


@Lonely


@Iamsolonely


@Ihavenobody


@ofmyown

Kyle Chandlers





Kyle slowly sifted his fingers through his hair walking into the auditorium for the briefing with a slight grumble as he felt his mindset trying to get in place as Grit motioned his head around the room before glancing over at Kyle. Kyle made his way torwards the refreshment table and grabbed a few sandwiches feeling his stomach rumble as he ripped off a piece and held it up to the bird. Grit just glared at the piece of the sandwich before looking back at Kyle. A slight chuckle squeezed out as he said out loud. " Oh forgot, robotic birds don't eat any more. " He poured himself some coffee, mixing in the various additions of creamer and sugar and then sipping it before motioning over to an open area and just stood around.


He looked around the room, slowly engorging the sandwiches that lay motionless on his plate. Grit flapped his wings before Kyle slowly gasped for breath letting out a slight burp before saying to himself. " People looking scared... Wonder why. " Slowly he motioned his hand over to the back of the bird and pet the back of his neck feeling the mixture of synthetic feathers and armored scales that remains of the eagle. Slowly he lowered his head and shut his eyes as he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. Feeling his instincts fall into place. Kyle couldn't really tell if what they face up there is going to dangerous to a group of champions, let alone this line up. He knew he had a vial of nectar ready for use, he never personally liked using the stuff, knowing the chances of addictions among the champions from before.

Jekyll hummed as he looked the refreshment table, observing the various snacks and goodies that were available to aman such as him. With his hands in a praying position, but pressed firmly against his lips, the referenced part of his face being scrunched together in thought, Jekyll was the face of thoughtful. They had a lot of finger foods, as well as full meal opposites, and all he could think of was how that brownie he had just had tasted awfully familiar. Of course he would know the taste of it though, as it had only been two days since he had blacked out while eating brownies that had the same consistency, ingredients, cooking style.


Oh yes, these were definitely Pastry Pot brownies. If that were the case, which it most certainly was, then the fact that all of the pastries here were also from Pastry Pot. All of the Liquorice, Bubble Gum Fondue, Gummified animals, all of it was from one of his favorite chain restaurants. He had second thoughts about going along with all of this. Sure, he would have a great time taking the free stuff from the ruins, and the various people, but he might not even get there alive. This food...it was much more dangerous than it appeared. He would need to one day publicly sponsor the chain if he wanted to know what exactly happened in that giant factory they had.


Looking warily at the snacks, laying his hands down as they began to twitch from the temptation, Jekyll wondered if he was having an attack from his usage of Nectar, or Line as he had heard people call it. Nectar sounded much cooler to him. Either way, he might need to lay off of the sweets if he wanted to keep in shape, so with some hesitation, Jekyll beat back the wolves of pressure and walked over to where he could smell the more substantial, nutrients laced food.


Ah yes, along with the Pastry Pot orders, the refreshment bar held Sandwiches. What kind of sandwiches, Jekyll was about find out. Going to the food, he peered at it closely, wondering which one was the right one. He wanted to find a ham sandwich with just the right amount of mayonnaise, along with a proportional ham. It would be terrible if the Mayonnaise was too much, but even worse if there wasn't enough. Reaching his hand out, Jekyll picked one up and took a bite of it, reeling back when he tasted the lack of ham or mayonnaise and instead tasted peanut butter and jelly. Sure, PB&J was fine, but not when he was in the mood for a sandwich of the ham variety.


Throwing it away, Jekyll went back to the table, the correct section this time, and picked up one, biting into it. Yes, yes, he found a ham one, but would it be the right proportions...enough ham...slightly dry....perfect mayonnaise distribution. Jekyll nodded as he looked at the sandwich munching away. Going into the auditorium, Jekyll saw a few familiar faces, one being the guy he stole a phone from the other day, Mathias. Unluckily for that guy, the phone was now lining his wall of treasure. Well, wall was a metaphor. He actually had it in a little compartment in his closest.


If he had a wall of stuff, Mrs.Whickerbottom would have a field day cleaning it out and either finding the rightful owners or throwing it away, the actions depending on how much she decided to care. Speaking of the old hag, she was so ready for him to go, but had declined the option to go with him. Apparently, even with her cane and adamant protests against retiring, Mrs.Whickerbottom did have her limits. Too bad they didn't keep her from bugging him all the time.


@PastryPotMonopoly @Sandwiches @Prizzy Kriyze (mentioned)

Connor looked around at the crowd of volunteer hero's slowly assembling. He'd already gotten Ripper set up with a dog sitter. After bidding the Scraffi a hearty goodbye he now found himself standing in the auditorium. He spotted a few heroes he recognized, he hadn't seen the recap of the hunt due to...the activities of the prior day. However, he stuck to the edges, not wanting to make casual conversation, with his pace in speech, that was going to a problem. Most people would not understand, or think that line affected him more than it did. He did manage to grab a few refreshments from the table though before anyone had managed to speak to him.


He looked at his phone 9:30 am. He wasn't sure if Borris would be coming on this one. The man hadn't responded to the text from earlier. He sighed shaking his head and muttered a statement to himself, "Damn...No idea where is...could be drunk. Could be on way. No idea." Still, Connor had plans should the other half of team Vodka didn't show up. Perhaps he might team up with Team stealth strike for the mission should they arrive. Roy didn't hit line too often, and they had experience with retrieving Iris when she went nuts. Carrying back his unconscious body might not be too hard.


Though another thought hit Connor, He could lay off the line this time around, sure he wouldn't be as powerful...but at the same time he might be powerful enough. The Graphine composite armor was up and running, and being nauseous for a few hours after the effects of line hit would not be tactically sound. He was going to have to save the line for emergency situations. Even then, a 15 minutes wait time for it to hit was going to be problematic. That meant he was going to have to guess if he was going to be in an emergency situation. That was impossible to do. His mind kept twisting around the issue. He wouldn't be as tough without line, but with line he was only useful for a 2 hour period, with a 15 minutes warm up. After that he'd be puking his guts out. The options were not exactly the best.


The issue was going to have to be addressed later though, right now someone was supposed to be briefing about the mission soon, he didn't need to be worried about the logistics and potential scenarios. He wasn't leading the expedition, he was following, he was protecting. He would have to adapt as the situation arose. He walked down to the first row of chairs and sat down. He leaned back and looked up towards the ceiling, the pristine structure was going to be meet with the harsh contrast of a destroyed city, that much he knew. Everything else...not so much. All he had to do was wait for the information to fall into his lap.


@peopleintheauditorium

Katherine "Kat" Ariat


Practically Empty Auditorium


Today was exciting. There was finally something to do! All this time training and preparing for a hunt kept the young champion busy and occupied. But she never expected life to be so boring afterward. It was like....eating a really good cookie, the best you've had so far, and since the standard bar moved higher, other cookies are just a little disappointing after having that one. In anycase, she was going to have that cookie again, that same excitement as before. However, this excitement was to be rationed through out a few days. Kat had taken multi-day trips before but nothing like this. This trip had an objective so there wasnt much room for fun. Bummer......


Katherine was already on her way to the debriefing meeting. She was in a hurry, feeling as though she was late. But she wasnt. Her car pulled up, Kascey Greene in the back seat with her. The Ghost girl flung the door open and jumped out. However, a force quickly pulled her back in, pulling her by the straps on her shoulders. Kacey had grabbed onto the little champion's pack and pulled her back in. Kat flew back, her butt landing back on the leather seats and the back of her head hitting the car,"Ow!" Both hands flew back to hold the back of her head,"Fuck!" She bit her lip, shut her eyes tight and made a frustrated, high-pitched groan. She faced the outside world with her legs hanging out of the car, faced away from her trainer. "Relax, relax, just leave your stuff here, Ill give them to you before you go." Kat was acting like a child too excited to go and play. Her eyes were fixed on the auditorium and with out a word she was quick to obey Dr. Greene, she just wanted to get there and arguing will hold her back from doing so. With haste she shimmied her shoulder's and arms out of the back-pack straps and this time she was free to take off. She jogged to the entrance, which was quite a jog away but in her mind, there was no time to waste....well there wasnt anymore time she wanted to waste.


Anyway, she finally made it to the auditorium doors. A surge of happiness and excitement ran through her body while she gripped the knobs firmly in her small hands. Twist and push. The double doors bursted open with an especially petite female standing between them. She panted and looked around. ....There was...hardly anyone...... Kat grew stiff, taking in the scene. Kascey said she was late, she lied. She stared at the empty hall in disbelief. Katherine had a chaotic morning leading up to arriving for the trip because she was told she was late, and seeing that no one was here...well....Kat wasnt too happy.


Heres a brief summary of what happened earlier that morning:


Kascey came to her house announcing Kat was late. Katherine quickly got up and headed straight for the bathroom. In there, she showered, slipped while getting out and caught the shower curtain in attempt to catch her fall. It ripped. Her blow dryer stopped working in the middle of it being used (giving her slightly frizzy hair this morning). She hopped, jumped and struggled to put on pants and brush her teeth at the same time. Her tooth brush fell out of her mouth and managed to fall in the toilet. Its still there...


Moving onto the kitchen, she almost caught her kitchen on fire when trying to make a descent breakfast. In the end, all she ate was crispy bread and shrivled up charcoal. It was supposed to be pancakes and bacon. The water in her sink wasnt going down, and when she flipped on the disposal, a spoon came flying at her, luckily she was already high strung and wound up enough that her reflexes saved her, but now theres a spoon lodged in the door of a cupboard. Spilled hot coffee on her legs. She stepped on her cats tail by accident. She got orange juice in her eye. Had a can of cat food down her shirt (dont ask). She had to change all over again and finally her jacket ripped on her way out of the door. All because she thought she was late and tried to hurry up.


Back to real time, Katherine could feel her face heating up with anger. She took a deep breath, wanting to yell. She held it back and just let the air out instead. In anycase, the bight side was she was never late, infact she seemed to be early. Kat let it go, its best to not make a scene. She walked down the walkway looking for a seat....until something caught her attention. A whiff of the refreshments set up on a table managed to reach her senses, instantly making her day and her mood better. With out another thought, she sped walked over to it, the sound of her foot steps rippling through the empty silence of the large room. Kat stopped at the end of the table looking at what it had to offer. It wasnt anything extravagant, but it was still food, and Katherine could eat. She picked up a sandwhich and took a bite,"Mmm~" she moaned. Her tummy was happy, and Kat was happy knowing she didnt have to settle for her burnt breakfast earlier that morning. She was standing at the table for minutes, and had already finished two more. There were a lot so she didnt feel too bad. But it was still sort of rude to be eating them all before anyone was there. Oh well, first come first serve right? She swallowed the last bite of her third sandwhich then grabbed a napkin. She unfolded it and placed it on the table. Three more sandwhiches were piled on top of eachother on the spreaded out napkin. The Shadowcat knew that the longer she stood at that table, the more food she was going to eat, but before she would leave to find a seat, she took a few more for the road.


Katherine slid the napkin with the food stacked on top to the edge of the table and placed a hand under it while putting the other at the top of the stack, holding them in place. Carefully she balanced the stack of sandwhiches while walking and found an empty seat around the center of the auditorium seats. She side stepped her way to the middle of the row she chose and used her foot to lower the cushioned part of the seat. Paying no attention to the few other Champions thatw were there, her mouth continously munched and nibbled the food that saved her, and anyone around her, from a very nasty attitude.


@whoever


@thefewchampionsthere

Iris


Atech Auditorium


Back to normal, or at least what was considered normal for Iris. The strangeness of the two days following the first hunt had been a fun, albeit rough, break from the norm. She had been only slightly surprised when Henrich left, they hadn't exactly put their best foot forward when it came to their new team mate. The small scuffle between her and Roy wasn't anything knew, she was a horrible patient especially when it came to Roy healing her and he was extremely stubborn. But the lingering tension between them hadn't lasted long. She knew it was Roys odd way of both apologizing and getting back at her for champion day.


A good days rest and a lecturing from Anton had set the duo straight for the excursion to the ruins. Iris yawned softly they made their way into the large auditorium already geared up. In the two days between the hunt and now her suit had been reinforced to absorb more damage should any be inflicted but was still light weight. Kreigers 'gift' was in her bag, bringing it along as not to be rude but also wasn't quite sure how it even worked. Her ears perked up at the dim echo of voices around the auditorium some of the familiar. She scanned the large space quickly spying Connor off to the side with out Boris and wondered if the Russian drunk would be going on the trip.


Taking another look around she spotted a few more familiar faces one of which, Orion, she was surprised to see since he had retired a few years ago. It was good to see him back but a bit worrisome at the same time, especially since this was going to be a multiday trip. Still the experience would be helpful. Jekyll being there was more worrying since things tended to disappear when he was around. Hopefully he would find more interesting things in the ruins to swipe. There was a vaguely familiar face of a green haired girl she was one of the newer champions that much she knew. What as her name though? Phantom... ghost... shadow... one of those she couldn't remember exactly but she was one of the more hyper and friendly type which would be nice. A sharp screech caused Iris's ears to rings and fold back in annoyance. Her gaze traveled to find another duo, though it was more of a Champion as his highly advanced pet, Grit and his eagle Glory. She hoped the bird would be a hell of a lot quieter on the trip. Oddly enough as much as she searched there was no sign of Heinrich or Kreiger through, odd since she figured he would be the first one to show up with how eager he sounded over the phone. That or he was already there just on the staff side of things.


Iris spotted the table of snacks and refreshments out of the corner of her eye and she shifted paths to grab herself a pack of juice, she had already eaten a light breakfast, nerves wouldn't exactly allow for much more. She glanced over to Roy knowing he'd probably be the opposite since he was always hungry. Leaving him to his fill she made her way over to Connor with a grin. "Hey, Connor!" She greeted happy to see he'd made it "Where's Boris? Who'd you get to watch over Ripper?" The feline champion tilted her head slightly before taking a sip of her juice.


@HoneyBear-Kat @DamagedGlasses @Prizzy Kriyze @Rifleman

Kyle Chandlers


The feeling around the auditorium was eerie at best among st those who weren't champions, and the champions just arriving already have their cliques, then there was Kyle. He typically felt like a loner, didn't mind it, but this was going to be a team effort as these peoples protection relies on us. Kyle chugged the rest of his coffee letting out a slight sigh at the end before glimpsing around the room. Glancing at the emotions of those who are about to venture out before showing off a slight grin before looking at Glory with a grunted look and then a slight chuckle as he stroked his chin.


Kyle slowly motioned his head at Glory who spread his wings without hesitation, he chuckled as his wing batted him on the back of the head, slowly saying. " Hey asshole what was that for.... " The bird just stared at him before stirring its head looking at someone who glanced at the bird during its call, even though it was supposed to be quiet, the eagle call is quite loud for an enclosed room. He slowly shunned his head as he felt Glory extend his wings. Kyle watched in hesitation as Glory took off from his shoulder, landing at a location nearby. He didn't know what the hell Glory was up to, his ego must of blew up or so Kyle thought when ever he made a joke about the bird. Glory was always behavioral the bond between Kyle and Glory was a long lasting one, since the opening of the night club and the acquire of the rare robotic eagle due to a card game bet.


Kyle slowly shook his head as he straightened his back out and stretched his shoulders without hesitation as he made his way over to the group, one thing he noticed was Iris, cause of her race, she was a champion he knew about but never placed any wagers on. Slowly he felt slightly embarrassed but was going to make the best out of this situation, as there were other champions around, and he needed their acquaintance for this mission. He slowly hummed as he made his way over to the group and motioned his head towards the bird without a slight chuckle. " Sorry.... He doesn't like to be stared at...." Letting out a slight gruff as he looked around and said chuckling not expecting the bird to act like a direct asshole it already was acting like. " Glory.... Come. " Watching as the bird shook his head in decline as Kyle looked at the bird with a stern eye and cleared his voice without hesitation, announcing loudly. " Glory.... Come...." Finally, Glory extended his wings and began to flap just a few times before taking off and made a slight rotation before landing back on Kyle's shoulder, Glory motioned his head back to Iris before looking back at Kyle and pecking him in the side of the head. Kyle let out a slight grunt before laughing, stating shortly after. " I might as well introduce myself, since your a fellow champion.... I am Kyle Chandlers, this is Glory.... My best friend. " Slowly he petted the synthetic feathers on his body. He always wondered how the hell the bird managed to survive going through so much and only to end up becoming a damn robot in the first place....


@Shura @Whoeverindatgroup @Idkneednewfriends

Roy


And so, Iris was right.


The first thing that he did was delve into the food on display. There were no hellos to anyone in order, nor did Roy care enough to greet anyone as it was. He was around for one reason, and that was to eat. The actual hunt fell second on the list, in all honesty. Especially considering the massive amounts of bacon that were being piled onto the young champion's plate. When Iris moved to say hello to Connor, Roy would find himself sitting down promptly with a couple boxes of juice and a fork. He was practically salivating all over himself by the time he took a bite into his first strip of bacon.


Someone said hello to someone. Kyle? Who gives a shit?


Roy continued eating happily, with Anton sitting at his side and eating at a considerably slower pace. What a sight it must have been; Roy's frame was much smaller, in height and width, when it came in comparison to Anton's. Yet, he ate much like an elderly woman while Roy ate like a pre-pubescent boy who had just discovered Marijuana for the first time. Often, Anton found himself staring at Roy and watching the young champion pound down large portions of food in amazement. Roy had gotten used to the attention after such a prolonged amount of time knowing Anton. The man had been his and Iris' coach for years, after all.


For this hunt, much like a majority of the ones he participated in, Roy planned on avoiding use of line at all costs. Considering how difficult things were last hunt, with it being the first one of the season, the young champion let himself off easy. The problem with Roy was the fact that when he decides on anything, he goes at it a hundred percent. If Roy is going to take nectar during a hunt, he's going to finish the vial before the day is done. For the last hunt, Roy dug himself into a hole early and had to use the nectar in small doses from the vial to keep a hold of his advantage. Roy would not be found in the same situation again. Over his dead body.


As for the tech and supplies Roy brought, it was everything Iris hadn't thought of - or did not have room to fit. This included his own technology obviously, as well as a spare change of clothes as well as a sleeping bag. Roy did not bring a vial of Nectar this time around. He did not bring the gifts that Heinrich's father had bestowed upon him - hell, on the contrary, Roy was contemplating having them destroyed. It would be a cold day in hell and pigs would have to sprout wings and fly on Earth before the young man maintained even an inkling of trust for the old German bastard.


@whoevercarestoread

Charles A. Fisher


Kazuko raid aftermath, collaboration with @Phantom King.


Rising from the ground, Charles looked up to the hole he had dropped down from to see a rather demonic looking man standing above. His comment made Charles smile slightly behind his mask.


"Men like them are expendable, but you, you must be who Kazuko called 'Oni,' correct? You must feel embarrassed by following a false leader." Charles said in a demeaning manner. Oni did not say anything at first as the two intensely stared at each other. It was clear to Charles that he had angered the beast Kazuko had let loose unto him. Quickly, without further delay, Charles raised his hand up, pointed his pistol at Oni, and fired.


Almost as soon as Charles started to raise his hand to take aim, Oni immediately hoped down through the hole on the ceiling, completely dodging the bullet as it passed over him. After landing, Oni flung his rope dart towards Charles' gun, completely knocking it off of his own hand. Oni then pulled onto the rope, bringing it back and calmly spun it a couple of times until his right hand was able to reach the handle of the dart.





"I have no leader." Oni said as he ran towards Charles with his dagger at the ready. Furiously, Charles pulled out his karambit knife with his left hand and slashed upwards at Oni. The demon in turn caught Charles' knife with his dagger midway, and hurled his fist towards Charles' face. Charles ducked quickly, and lunged his right fist towards Oni's stomach. The attack was successful; Oni gasped for air and groaned after getting hit, but he quickly grabbed the back of Charles' headgear, and rushed his right knee towards Charles' face, causeing Charles to let go of his grip from the knife as he fell to the ground.


After Charles fell back from the hit, this gave Oni a chance to catch his breath before his next move. Upon falling, Charles could see that his headgear's screen was cracked, followed by the obnoxious pain that he felt on the left side of his face.


Motherfucker, I have a mission to go to tomorrow... CAN'T A MAN GO HOME IN ONE PIECE FOR ONCE?!


As Charles was about to get up from the ground, Oni rushed him; he stepped forward and hurled his dagger down to Charles, aiming for his neck. Within mere seconds, Charles was able to prevent himself from dying by grabbing Oni's wrists midway with his bare hands; the dagger only inches away from his neck. As the two struggled, Oni with trying to dig the edge of the knife into Charles' throat, and Charles trying to NOT die, the man forcefully kicked Oni off of him, came to his side, and had begun to pound his fist onto Oni's face. Charles definitely could not tell if he was really doing much with this form of attack, but he did not care one bit. He was pissed. He was pissed that someone like this even existed in the underworld he seeks to conquer.





Suddenly, after taking three punches to the face, Oni head-butted Charles, who then stepped back as he groaned in pain and cursed under his breath. Oni took this opportunity for another attack; a sucker punch to the face. Oni pulled back his right hand, leaped towards Charles, and hurled his fist unto Charles' face.


Charles fell back again, moaning in pain a little as Oni slowly circled him. "A formidable foe, you are. It is a shame I have to kill someone like you here." Oni's demonic voice echoed throughout the room as he spun his rope dart around. Charles simply chuckled. "It truly is a shame..." Charles trailed off as he immediately got back up from the ground, pulled his SCAR-L from off of his back, cocked the rifle and pointed it at Oni, who stopped in place and devilishly smiled behind his mask.


"Just what the hell are you, Oni? A contract killer? Or are you just another one of Kazuko's goons?"





"I am merely a force to be reckoned with, Nightmare."


"Ah, so you know of me? How flattering." Charles said as he slowly began to press his finger onto the trigger of his gun.





As if Charles' day couldn't get any worse, though, a group of men can be heard coming up from the stairs, some of them yelling out "Boss!" Charles recognized their voices, and as he did so, his eyes widened from behind his mask. It was Dan and the other two. Oni noticed that there were others coming up from the stairs, and this became his advantage. As the three made their way upstairs, they found Charles and Oni face to face and pointed their guns at Oni, and demanded him to drop his weapon.





"This will not be the last time we will meet, I promise you that much." Oni warned, and flung his rope dart towards Dan's left thigh and immediately pulling it back after puncturing the man's skin with the blade. Charles saw this, and reverted his attention back to Oni and started firing his gun at him rather angrily. Oni was able to swiftly dodge these bullets as he acrobatically made it out of the building through the hole on the ceiling with the help of his rope dart. Charles cursed under his breath again as he moved over to Dan to see if he was all right.





"Son of a gun got me... I'm sorry about that, boss." Dan struggled to say as he groaned in pain and held the palm of his right hand onto the wound. Charles sighed.


"It's fine, there's always the next time."





"Hey man, at least the dagger didn't reach your b-"





"SHUT UP AND GO GET ME A DAMN DOCTOR!"





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


Auditorium


The next day finally came around, the day of the mission Charles volunteered to go on yesterday. Even though it was an important day for him to focus on what sort of technology he and the crew of scientists and champions would find out there, yesterday's encounter with Oni still bothered him. His demonic voice still lingered in his mind, almost sending chills down Charles spine.


Was he afraid of his raw power?


Charles simply shook it off. Or at least, he tried to. Whoever Oni was, will have hopefully now been made aware of to not underestimate Charles' ability to fight. Still, Oni matched him, if not surpassed his ability to fight in close quarters combat. The thought of fighting him again really troubled him. He can even pose a threat to his entire organization if the man is a contractor. He'll just be bought out by Charles' rivals and will just get in his way. Kazuko's death also lingered in his mind, even though what Charles did was just business, and only business. To top it all off, all of the wounds Oni made still left a bad sting. Charles rubbed his forehead at the thought.


He took the time to note the other champions' presence in the auditorium, but he wasn't feeling up to really interact with anyone there. He really just wanted to get this all over with.

Katherine "Kat" Ariat


Auditorium


The room wasnt as empty as it was when Katherine first arrived. More were arriving and two of her favorite had shown up. Iris and Roy. Oh how she admired them. An audible gasped escaped her throat when she saw them walk in. They were a powerful duo and even more so with eachother than when alone. Kat was especially attracted to Iris' agility and feline features, being a cat fanatic and all. Cats were another weakness of the newbie champion, besides food of course. But that weakness was usually kept from society, she wouldnt want others seeing her the way she sees herself....forever alone with a cat. Those adorable ears twitched and rotated, and soon Katherine had to keep herself from staring, wouldnt want people getting the wrong idea.... Roy also had his own way of attracting Kat. She thought of his ability to manipulate auras to be unique and mysterious. She doesnt exactly know the mechanics on how it works, but thats what makes it all the more interesting. (Remember, Katherine has a mental arsenal on Champion's and their information. Nothing about their personal lives but things that were released publicly when the Hunts were active....mostly stats and facts). In anycase, she looked up to every champion in some way, whether it he their mannerisms or their ability in combat, they each had something she liked about them.


Munch. Munch. Munch.


Okay. Seriously. It was time to stop looking at them. Emerald eyes moved from the pair to the other Champions around her. Her eyes were big and twinkling, she (still) hasnt gotten used to being around them, in the same room, even! In her thoughts, she matched their names to their faces, just incase she had the chance to say hi or speak to them. She didnt want to feel stupid and ask for their names....unless they were one of the newer ones such as herself. Katherine was never offended when an older Champion asked for her name, it was understand able. Just like them, she had to make a name for herself, earn the right to be respected and well-known. And to her, it was such an honor to have an experienced Champion ask for her name, made her feel important.


Anyway, enough admiration. The Ghost girl looked back down at her lap. The stack of sandwhiches turned to half a sandwhich in such a short time, she surprised herself. 'I guess the excitement made me eat faster,' she smiled to herself. She scooted back in her chair and suddenly her feet raised 1 - 2 inches off the ground. A reminder of how short she was. Her face went straight and bitter "...( ")." Shoulders shrugged and tossed out the thought, accepting she probably wasnt going to get any taller. One leg pulled upward and bent at the knee, her foot now on the seat infront of her bottom. With one leg up, the other hung freely and light kicked. Her slender arms spread across the top rim of the back of the chairs on either side of her. She sat and waited, debating whether the debriefing would begin, or if her trainer would show up first.


....She betted on the debriefing...


@Shura (mentioned)


@Tree (mentioned)


@almosteveryonelol

Connor's thought were interrupted by a familiar voice, He smiled as he brought his attention to its source. "Hey Iris, is nice to see you." He scratched his chin in regards to her first question. "Honestly No idea. Might be drunk. Or fighting. maybe both. Not mutually exclusive. One leads to the other. Is never fun. Hope not to much trouble. Will be fun for Chad and Jen. Not really. Is not fun dealing with drunk Borris." He slid his hands into his pockets, "So for this mission means flying solo. Not fun prospect. Can take care of self sure...but Frenzy Connor is not good. Might charge off. Might stop in middle of field, crippling pain and all that."


He looked over to Roy and back to Iris, they were the only two he really knew so it was probably his best option. He asked rather sheepishly "Is alright if I join up with Stealth Strike for the mission? You know me, and powers...hit hard. Also Chad has taught me Technical things. And surfer lingo. First important, second not so much. Many Brahs, and tubulars. is odd vernacular. Ugh why I even say it. Anyway would be useful not to be loner on mission. Probably won't hit line to much for mission. probably need to clear with Roy. And Heinrich. and support crew. Will Also have to contact chad if not on Borris duty."





Then when it came to the question of ripper, Connor pointed to the direction of the normal residential areas. "Sent to best dog sitters. Sent to parents. Dad has no problem with Ripper. Mom not so much. Then again did eat table leg. But was puppy, teething issues done should nto have a problem anymore. I hope. I think...maybe got a taste for wood. Would be bad. Very bad. Then again has not eaten wood in..." He paused blinking, "Am sorry, asked simple question get long winded response. Is rude. I dominate conversation...will need to tone it down. Not good for social occasions...and am rambling again. Shutting up now."





@Shura


@Tree (mentioned)

The rumbling sound of his bikes engine brought a hum to his mind as he began recapping last-night having flashbacks to moments of his killings but more specifically his meeting with this 'Nightmare'. Xerxes did a bit of asking around later that night and found they were called the Fourth Echelon a gang from not around here as an old head had called it. The gang wasn't anything of Xerxes concern it was however the man behind the mask that held his own, even if it was for a little bit that was something Xerxes both envied and despised. Perhaps after the encounter the man would try to get better and perhaps Xerxes could be further entertained, with the way he fought anger surely ruled the mans emotions and that means he was going to see Xerxes again. The other gangs feared this 'Nightmare' and his Fourth Echelon comrades it'll only be a matter of time before they meet again. However the Atech building came into view and he began slowing down before pulling off to the side and dismounting his bike pressing a button on his key to cause it to bring its metal curtain over it.


Xerxes checked over himself for a moment and felt to his back where his bag had rested, it was magnetically locked to his back from his suit. Apparently Jack had left him a few surprises he had yet to discover, he'll have to toy with them later when he gets onto the field and they're under way. As he made his way towards the doors he went to touch his face where a bruise had only just gone away this morning from the angry face-pounding Nightmare administered to him. He will return the favor eventually.


Opening the door he gazed upon the room seeing he was later than most others, hopefully not latest. He spotted an abundance of faces he could name, the Duo he had helped Roy and Iris. The 'Berserker' as Jack calls him Connor aka Frenzy who was with Iris and Roy there was another face as well not really recognized..just there. Orion, the other B rank champion aside from himself and there was the ever interesting rubber man whos name slipped his mind briefly..Xerxes made his way towards him before turning over his shoulder to spot a young Green haired girl and a man who looked aged and combat worn, a certain aura drew Xerxes towards him but he resisted it and made his way towards to the table full of sweets ending up nearby Gummi. He'd give him a half-grin while putting his hair into a ponytail before grabbing a handful of gummy bears.


@AllInTheAuditorium

A small smile couldn't help but spread across Iris's face as Connor rambled, most because it was nice to have someone else around who had the same issue. She new there were few who keep up with Connors hyped mind and fewer who understood his slurred speech. "Ah I see, well Boris is Boris. I'm sure he's fine. Hm? Join us? I don't see why not. Strange lingo not needed" She glanced over to Roy who was busy stuffing his face and just shook her head. "Then again I don't think team's matter. Everyone together working to stay alive. So it like we're all on one team... maybe two? Depends on how many other champions maybe?" She muttered thinking a loud the tempo of her speech quickening to match Connors. It was really something that could not be helped.


"Anyway! Should still be an interesting. A little worry some. Going into their territory instead of other way around. A lot of monsters from what I heard about. Team work will be needed." She nodded ears perking slightly at the mention of ripper and Connors parents. She chuckled softly. "Ah I see. Well I wish them luck. Ripper is not a puppy any more but might still act like one." Speaking of animals Iris's attention was caught by the movement of the noisy bird that had been screeching earlier. She raised an eye brow as it landed near by large emerald eyes observing the mechanical fowl. In the back of her mind she wondered if she would be able to still catch it despite the enhancements of technology.


It was quite a marvel to see such a creature a hybrid of technology and the simple design of pre-infection wild animals. Simple but still deadly and very dangerous. There were only pictures left of the simple era where humans and animals were at odds but not quite at war. There was balance there now there was just a power struggle to see who could take over the most territory. A shifted in sound and movement and her eyes shifted to the owner of the Bird. A fairly rough looking man who almost looked half asleep. She chuckled softly at his attempts to reign in his mechanical partner. "No worries." She assured with a nod "I'm Iris. Nice to meet you." She grinned her natural friendly disposition showing through. It was nice to see Chamipons gathered together before a hunt, well something close to a hunt, and not be trying to zone out everyone else.


A flash red and attention was shifted yet again. With so much going on keeping focus on more than one thing would be impossible. It wasn't really surprising to see Xerxes among the volunteer champion, she would have been more surprised if he didn't given his draw to powerful creatures. It had been a bit odd having the older champion around last hunt but thinking back on it with a much clearer mind it made a fair bit of sense. Their luck with keeping to lower tiered monsters had been horrid. Then again the whole forest had been teeming with life and way more dangerous then it normally was. There were rumors that the reason was because of the nesting ground with in the ruins. Things would certainty be interesting once the mission got on its way.


@Rifleman @Der Kojote


Mentioned: @Tree @Phantom King

Heinrich Glishten


Atech Auditorium - Immense Pain/Temporarily 'Blind'


His father was truly reaching new levels of lunacy with his idea of what was 'beneficial' for his son. If Heinrich would have known this was his father's interpretation of his request of enhancing his senses he had briefly considered telling his father to cancel any of the other designs he had asked the older man to look into for him, but the man's insistence on this being the 'worst' had stayed his tongue. Presently the current improvement the mad scientist had installed in his son now was what he referred to as the missing piece in keeping his son always alert. His gauntlet had come equipped with an infrared radar, his retinal implants had allowed him to see in the most obscured or dark environments and now those functions had been deactivated for about an hour while they 'test run'... whatever the hell this was. Heinrich was blind, undoubtedly vouched for by the color black that dominated his vision but... he had quickly learned how to navigate with this odd 'sight' program. His eyes would... 'pulse' with a varying intensity depending upon the size and distance of the object in question. Relying somehow, on motion, Heinrich was the least bit thankful for the fact that should he be standing still, he would not have to concern himself with the constant pulses due to inadvertently staring at a tree (*snickers*) in this state.


What irked the boy the most was that this 'blindness' was entirely of his father's own design as a 'test run' and to allow his son to adjust himself to the sensation that he had claimed would only truly be used to detect those hidden by modern stealth technology or even just sneaking out of regular sight, and that it could be activated and deactivated at will. The range, for good reason, wasn't very far in the grand scheme of things. Maybe about the effective range of a modern handgun or so... he wasn't sure. He was at least glad in the fact his father had saw fit to escort him to one of the auditorium's entrances before bolting off, muttering something about finding a 'colleague'. Leaving the boy to his own devices in the process. Thus with a resigned sigh he cautiously steps through the doorway, getting a brief pulse now and again and stopping each time, turning his head to the left or right until he felt a similar pulse and deduced the trajectory of the person in question. Using one hand to feel out just in front of his body in a manner only slightly off, meaning he was not openly hunched over and groping the air in front of him like a senile old man trying to catch a drifting dandelion in the wind. He feels the back of one of the many seats and moves his way around until he can sit, assuming at best he was in the very back row of the large room.


Now.... he did not know, he waited? He hardly knew of anything he could do in this state and he did not fancy the idea of falling flat on his face in an attempt to recklessly explore the room. Still, he would have expected much more activity, and thus, more pulses from his new... gift? He supposed they were fairly early, though he had no REAL way of telling now did he? He was hardly the most outgoing individual and would feel... off, asking a random passerby Champion if anyone else would be arriving. What would be the point? For now he would merely have to try and make his condition as unknown as possible. Let's see.... fifteen paces to the right and three back, followed by a 90 degree turn to the left and seven paces forward would see him beside the entrance once again. At least... he thought so and if he had truly been in the very threshold of the entryway when he had... entered. He sighs to himself, this was so very aggravating.....


@Audience-atorium.


@TheVeryBestTreeHumor

Jekyll Wilson


Auditorium, waiting to be briefed.


There were quite a few champions around, that was for sure, and quite a bit of them were in the last hunt from what the records had told him. The mortality rate must have been at an all time low this time around if this many people were up and ready to do stuff. The same went for Jekyll, though. He had only a few days to rest up from his injuries, but that wasn't a big problem. His wounds had seemed bad, and for some, they probably would have been, but in his experience he had dealt with much worse, and the phantom pains from the ordeal were quickly fading. He knew that, and Mrs.Whickerbottom knew that, so he was sure that that was one of the only reasons she had even thought of this punishment. Not like it was a punishment at all, because for Jekyll this was a prime opportunity to dig into the riches around him. Looking around the auditorium, the rotation of his head being slightly too extensive for it to be healthy for anyone not made up rubber. Jekyll's eye caught on a few other Champions, some he knew, others he didn't.


There were the newest pair of Champions, Iris and Roy, or maybe it was Ray? Those two had made a considerable mark on the community of Arcadia from the point of their debut. Of course, Jekyll had no qualms with them, though her more zealous and radical fans could...get over the top. He would go so far as to say the went above the levels of Crazy cat ladies. Not to mention that Iris did in fact have a few crazy cat ladies in her bundle of fans. It was Ray he knew of as the person who would usually never use Nectar. It was kind of impressive and he respected the guts he had to do so, but to Jekyll it was kind of impractical. It slowed down the effects of the Nectar, the hallucinations and shakes Jekyll got were sometimes annoying, but that didn't mean anything if you died out in a hunt because of them. Ray was probably already crazy if he decided of his own free will to go out there will only his base powers at first. Though he did have that impressive sniper and he had heard that even without Nectar, Ray was able to use his abilities quite flexibly.


Looking around, Jekyll also saw that Mathias was there, in all of his mundane glory. He looked bored as could be and rather tired. He also looked quite comfortable in his spot, as though he had been sitting there for a while. Jekyll didn't want to mess around with him though. His grip was fatal and Jekyll quite liked the idea of his arms staying where they were at currently. His sight wandering around, Jekyll took a bite of his sandwich, and looked at all the the other Champions. Yes, there was quite a turnout this time around. What he was really looking forward too, though, was the citizens. While the Champions were all naturally wary, the amounts varying from person to person, citizens had a slightly harder time knowing when he was going to get them, and from experience, it wasn't hard to intimidate them if they did catch on to half of their accessories being gone. Reclining back in his chair, he waited for the briefing to begin, wanting to be on the road.


Mentioned: @Shura @Tree @Prizzy Kriyze @Kagura (Sort of)