Fantasy Gate Main Thread IC

[The Black Knight]

The large bugbear had been staring at the two humans—one folded over top of the other. A smaller one crept over and gave the bodies a few sniffs before nudging them with his club. The remaining elements of the larger one’s unit continued to race down the halls, beating students and teachers who attempted to flee their classrooms to death.

“Chawa grot pata. Grot rem Yorja,” the larger one told the subordinates.

The creatures barked in acknowledgment before they turned to join the others raiding the school. The bigger one had been prepared to head back to the roof when it encountered another puny human ( Phineas Forge ). The creature’s lips rolled back, presenting its yellowed teeth. Its yellow eyes bulged threateningly in its disgust as it growled, and the bones in its hand could be hurt popping as it tightly gripped its club.

Spoiler: Greater Bugbear

Greater Bugbear
Rank: C
HP: 410/410

Outside, the eyes of the man in the blue suit were gliding across the wall of the school as though he could see the higher ranked creature. His attention then turned to some foolish kid who trespassed the police tape to barge into the school. It was mainly filled with E and D ranks at this point. He figured the kid must have thought highly of himself if he thought he could clear the school himself. He near felt compelled to involve himself to try and save him, but other low ranks were beginning to follow suit.

Excuse me Sir, you’re a part of the Hunter Association right?...

The man turned his head to regard the young man who addressed him. Another low rank…he didn’t know why he expected anything more. High ranks weren’t interested in C-rank dungeons even if it was an emergency situation like this one. Korea was lucky that it was only a C-rank that had been open for too long and nothing higher, otherwise it might have been a national emergency.

The HA representative narrowed his eyes when Jiwon showed him his C-rank weapon. It only meant the mage hadn’t been just any E-rank. “My name is Seung Ryu. I am one of the supervisors in the Monitoring Division. There are already some low ranks inside. Some might be a little full of themselves, but I’m sure if you meet with them, then all of you will be enough to clean up the school. That is, as long as you avoid the C-rank in there. None of you would be strong enough to take him.”

Seung glanced up at the roof and sighed some as though entering a C-rank dungeon was even painful for him. “If you and those kids make it to the roof, then I may join you and help you close the dungeon. Here, take this.”

Jiwon acquired a Swap Stone.​

“Use that stone like chalk to mark the ground. I will stand on your mark. If you or your party run into trouble, then use that stone to swap places with me. You will come out here, and I will take your place in there.”

In one of the home room classrooms, a D-rank teacher was standing in front of his students, wearing armor and wielding a sword and shield like a knight against three E-rank bugbears and one D-rank magician. The kids were cowering behind him, having used the desks to make a lousy attempt at a protective enclosure. The teacher’s right eye was swollen and his lips and nose were bleeding as though he had already taken a few beatings from the E-ranks' clubs. The mage was standing by, grinning as though enjoying the tenderizing of its prey.

“Mr. Gwan don’t die!” one student cried.

“Don’t worry; I won’t. It’ll take more than some E-ranks to kill me!” he growled. Internally, he knew he was in danger. He couldn’t take another blow from each of those monsters, and he was lucky the mage hadn’t attacked him yet. If he fell here, then his students would be murdered.

Spoiler: Bugbear

Bugbear
Rank: D
HP: 170/170

Spoiler: Lesser Bugbears

Lesser Bugbear 1
Rank: E
HP: 65/65

Lesser Bugbear 2
Rank: E
HP: 65/65

Lesser Bugbear 3
Rank: E
HP: 65/65

Character Locations: Only those players involved in the school incident are mentioned below.

Inside the school
Fill
Heterological
Gaius Danius Griinia
Elenion Aura
Phineas Forge (Warning: Encountered C-Rank)

Outside the school
Heyitsjiwon
Pseudo-nim
Elaeja

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Jiwon listened carefully to what Seung Ryu had to say. It looked like he wasn't personally going in. At least, not yet. The politics and procedures of the hunter association never made sense to Jiwon. Regardless, it looked like he had the green light to enter and a means to escape if things got hairy. Jiwon took the swap stone and did as he was told. "Understood, get to the portal on the roof, avoid the C-rank monster, and if things look hairy then use the stone. Wish me luck." Jiwon curtly replied. Jiwon then looked around for some other hunters nearby. He saw one woman standing around with her hunter weapon out along with someone else who seemed to be trying to chat with her. He approached them and said "I got permission from the Hunter Association to enter and form a party to help clear the school. If you're interested in helping, then follow me. We're going to try and group up with the other hunters in there and save as many people as possible. There's also a C-rank monster in there that even 10 E ranks will not be able to handle, so we have to avoid that big guy." Jiwon turned to the school and began jogging towards the building. If he saw other hunters he would start calling out to them and ask them to join him in trying to reach the roof and save as many people as possible. Otherwise, he would start going floor by floor to try and clear out the building in a methodical manner and fighting monsters along with those who join him.

Pseudo-nim
Elaeja

Jiwon entered the building and one of the first things he noticed was the sound of someone... or something very aggressively hitting some thick metal. Jiwon took out his weapons and started quietly approaching the noise. It seemed to be coming from a home room. Jiwon took a quick peek into the room and saw a lone armored hunter fighting four very hairy and large monsters of some sort. He would turn to whoever joined him (if any) and put up four fingers then wait for them to be ready for a fight before hopefully launching an attack and catching the four monsters off guard in an ambush.

 

[Twist]

The black dragon's head turned and gazed upon the door to the stairwell. Its eyes gleamed like orange coals and dark smoke left its flaring nostrils in ribbons. A low growl rumbled in its chest as the creature seemed to detect a warrior approaching.

1:00 left​

Tag: Twist

Like a lean mountain goat, Young-Soo scaled the stairs, reaching the door to the roof with less than a minute left. Now here was the hard part, how to approach the dragon. Probably being only one of the lucky, or unlucky few, to gaze upon a such a terrifying beast, Young-Soo had nothing to draw from apart from a few myth's about such a beast, though in most if not all of them, Dragon's were always the bad guys. And always felled by a great hero. But being an E Rank, Young Soo heavily doubted his chances to repeat such a feat.

So he would have to draw on his knowledge of being an Animal Control Officer, though this was limited too. But the year and a half he had spent being one easily trumped his few months of being a Hunter so maybe it was his best shot at getting close to the dragon. They were sometimes intelligent so maybe if he could make his motives clear, as best he could, he might be allowed to approach. However the quest he had been given hadn't made his goal too clear when it came to the Dragon so hopefully this wasn't meant to be fight. With his weapons in hand and with his stomach was tossing and turning, he pressed in the bar to open the fire door, opening it ever so carefully as he heard the Dragon's low growl from behind it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door completely and looked upon the magnificent monster.

Holding up his weapons for the dragon to see, Young-Soo spoke to it in a calm, quiet tone. "Don't worry, I ain't here to harm you" he cooed.

Keeping his eyes on the dragon, he bent down, placing his weapons by the door. This might be have been a stupid move, but his weapons were more than likely useless anyway if the Dragon came at him he thought "See, nothing to worry about. Just relax"

Holding back the urge to vomit, Young-Soo steadily approached the beast...

 

[The Black Knight]

The black dragon watched as the stairwell door opened, and how the timid Hunter stepped out. The beast had expected him to behave like most fools did and try to challenge him. When the Hunter instead set his weapons on the floor, the black ropes of smoke that had been leaving its nostrils ceased. A low, rumbling hum sounded from the creature’s chest as it lowered its head to observe Young-Soo closely. When its maw parted, its breath was hot like a furnace and smelt of coal as it spoke to him: “Hashkaar ssro oostrel. Raana xaash loor zamen?”

The dragon’s tongue made a click sound and a non-threatening hiss rolled between its teeth, which could have been further communication. “Manamen za karowen?”

A window appeared before Young-Soo stating:

Which do you choose?​

Tag: Twist

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Dae-Jin had just found some snacks among the corpses he had found while exploring the ruined school. Luckily the blood of hormone fueled teenagers was only on the outside of the packet. As he wandered about the first floor of the school, snack in one hand and sword in the other. He began to hear the unnatural gurgling of something vaguely bestial. Popping his head around a corner. He could see a group of student under the protection of what looked to be a battered Hunter. It would appear they were faced with a trio of furry monsters under the sway of a mage. Such creatures looked to be D-Rank and below in ability. However Dae-Jin was an E-Rank. So going in without a plan would likely just result in his death.

As he looked around for something to even the odds a little. He caught his reflection in some shattered glass. For a moment, he could see the outline of his armor. Said armor was rusted, used and likely unsanitary. Though this did give him an idea. Ducking down and locating a dead student. Dae-Jin began to cover the majority of his armor with the gore of the corpse. While from an outside perspective, he wouldn't appear to have rolled in viscera. He would certainly SMELL like it. Carrying the scent of the dead would help in preparing for the battle ahead. His first attack would give him away. Such was the downfall of being a close-range combatant. Plus he had to take the students cowering behind desks into account. Their teacher looked to be on the verge of imminent demise. Which led Dae-Jin to come up with his final plan of attack.

First he made sure to memorize where each person was standing. His sight could be impaired at any time, he couldn't rely on it. Then he pulled the keys he retrieved from his pocket and threw them at one of the overhead lights. Thanks to his enhanced strength as a Hunter. This would cause it to break and send sparks flying down. His goal was to create a momentary window of distraction to allow him to hide behind an overturned desk. If all went well so far, his scent would just seem like yet another dead person to the monsters. The moment the monsters started advancing on the teacher was when he struck. Popping out from behind the desk while their focus was on the teacher. Dae-Jin struck the face of his shield with his sword Three Times. This was to activate the ability held in said shield. It had a 40% chance to stun his enemies. However he wasn't about to leave so much to luck. Which is why he made sure to hit it thrice. After that he whipped around and slammed his shields into the mages face before aiming for the vocal cords so he wouldn't be able to incant any spells...

Ability Use (Stun) on Bugbears
1d100 (41) Miss

Basic attack x2 on Mage
1d100 (70)+15 = 85; damage 45
1d100 (91)+15 = 106; damage 45

Fatigue: 30/100

The Black Knight

 

[Pseudo-nim]

Seo-Yeon watched the action with a measured gaze. A dungeon break was uncommon since the Association was fairly quick in dispatching Hunters to deal with it. Judging from the fact it was within a high school, the portal was most likely hidden in a corner of the building with little student or faculty traffic. Given the fact that it was unnoticed for an entire week must mean it was deep in the building to not give off waves of energy their sensors needed to scan its magic signature.

All of it was just a set of circumstances that created a disaster no one saw coming. With Hunters hastily trying to come in without a plan, it'll lead to unnecessary deaths if more try to tackle the monsters within. That isn't something they needed right now. Given the chance, she'd have marched straight in, but seeing as how her boss was fairly adamant in her participating in this dungeon break, she'd take it slow and get to the meat of the event when more hunters showed up.

Her thoughts were interrupted when another person walked up behind her. She gave the man a quick glance over before returning her eyes towards the school as several more officers ran around her. Definitely a mage type by his clothes, though they should learn to hide their armor if they want to be ready at all times of the day, but she wasn't gonna say anything about that.

"Situation is bad, in case that isn't clear yet," she replied absentmindedly as she stared at her phone. "Not enough Hunters deployed so there's civilians still in the building."

She ran her hand through her hair with an exasperated sigh, annoyance clear on her face when she checked her phone's messages again. More texts to join the rescue efforts when she's just an E-rank, good for company image apparently. There were a few mutterings in the crowd after she'd arrive of a few people already inside the school, so civilian evacuations were in their beginning stages. It didn't mean much considering they had little idea of the amount of monsters that spilled out, so she was hesitant on entering without proper back up.

At least, until another hunter jogged to the both of them and inform them of the Association's permission. Guess it was inevitable that she and other low ranks would be responsible for this dungeon break instead of the rank equivalent Hunters. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say.

"Guess we better do our jobs," she grumbled, nudging her head as a sign to follow her. "We'll stay on his tail and make sure no monsters are behind us. Keep your head on a swivel or it'll be on one later."

She followed the Hunter, walking into the building and spaced herself a few feet behind him, keeping her awareness open for any potential ambush. Too spread out and she can't get in close, but being clumped up means they get surrounded real fast. Better to space so she can either retreat or engage comfortably against other E-rank monsters.

Interactions: Heyitsjiwon Elaeja

 

[Phineas Forge]

As Ji-Ho settled into the idea that she had to face this thing, her mind settled on the situation at hand. She took in the location of the water fountain to her left and lockers to the right. But more importantly, she realized the creature in front of her was not an enemy she could handle... maybe if she had undergone some sort of special hunter training at one of those academies, but having just run into it at near full speed had told Ji-Ho one thing, she couldn't make it move even if she used all her power. She was nothing more than a mosquito to this thing and that, in its own way, was reassuring. Given the option between fight or flight, a decision had to be made... but she now realized there was no decision, she just had to run, if she wanted to live. A slight glance to her left indicated that she could turn her back on it and make a run, but there was no guarantee that she was quicker than this thing. She also, though stupidly, wondered if either of the two bodies covered in blood were alive behind that thing, but there was no way for her to get past the creature as it was staring her down.

She kept backing up, small steps, but enough to slowly increase the distance a little. She wasn't sure too keen on turning her back on this creature, but backing up wasn't going to get her very far either. She turned around as best she could while keeping an eye over her shoulder as she bolted down the hall, away from the large creature. She hoped it didn't follow her cause she very much wanted to live.

Escape roll: 78
Fatigue: 10

 

[Elenion Aura]

Sector 10
Hanyoung High School​

Na Kyung and company followed the sounds of fighting and sure enough, before long they had arrived outside the home room wherein a sole instructor was fending off a squad of bugbears. Not much glory to be won, here, Na Kyung thought. The portal was on the roof, and the Boss was probably lurking somewhere within. Slay that as an E-rank and he’d have more renown than he knew what to do with! Just kidding. He’d use it to harvest more. And more. Until he stood on the top of this dog-eat-dog world of Hunters and Monsters!

“Eh?”

He blinked, having gotten too lost in his own visions of grandeur to notice that his party wasn’t the only one here. Hmph. Coat-tail riders already, huh? So be it.

“What’s the hold up, here?” He asked of the party standing outside the home room. “The fighting’s that way. Join or stand aside. No point dawdling around on the fringes of history or else that’s all you’ll ever be.”

The members of Eclipse fanned out behind him as Na Kyung forged ahead, attempting to pass by the group waiting outside and enter the fray. “Eclipse: Formation A!”

“Right!” Said his three compatriots in unison as they followed blindly their rash, young leader.

Heyitsjiwon

 

[Dextra]

Dae-Jung's arrows hit his mark, just as he wished Firefly didn't let him down. This cat and mouse game appeared to be coming to a close, which was a relief. The thief's legs had two arrows protruding from them and were no longer useable, but Dae-Jung wasted no time because he didn't think it would be enough to stop the thief completely; whatever this monster was, it was determined to flee. Dae-Jung slung his bow over his shoulder and drew his feather dagger, rushing towards the thief.

The thief's mad scramble to the edge of the buildings was startling, but not unexpected; did it intend to fall off the building? That would be one way to get away, but it would almost certainly result in death unless it had some way to mitigate the fall; either way, Dae-Jung wasn't going to let it happen. Dae-Jung had already closed a large portion of the distance by sprinting at the thief, which was faster than crawling. When Dae-Jung got close enough, he'd dive at the thief, hoping to capture him, holding his knife against the thief's ribs.

Dae-Jung would start speaking if this worked. "Are you going to make me put you down or are you finally going to stop?"

The Black Knight

 

[Twist]

The black dragon watched as the stairwell door opened, and how the timid Hunter stepped out. The beast had expected him to behave like most fools did and try to challenge him. When the Hunter instead set his weapons on the floor, the black ropes of smoke that had been leaving its nostrils ceased. A low, rumbling hum sounded from the creature’s chest as it lowered its head to observe Young-Soo closely. When its maw parted, its breath was hot like a furnace and smelt of coal as it spoke to him: “Hashkaar ssro oostrel. Raana xaash loor zamen?”

The dragon’s tongue made a click sound and a non-threatening hiss rolled between its teeth, which could have been further communication. “Manamen za karowen?”

A window appeared before Young-Soo stating:

Which do you choose?​

Tag: Twist

Young-Soo's gambit seemed to work, as the dragon settled, observing him closely as he approached before opening it's massive maw to speak. The hesitant Hunter felt slightly abashed as the dragon spoke to him as it was indeed intelligent but embarrassment turned to surprise as strangely enough, Young-Soo could understand the dragons ancient tongue though he could not decipher what word meant what. Or repeat them, for that matter.

Still he been given two choices to pick from, and even though he couldn't say the dragons words, he knew the answer in his own. "Mind" he answered, looking at the window that had suddenly appeared in front of him, before moving his gaze back towards the Dragon. With great effort he locked eyes with the terrifying titan, as he awaited it's response.

 

[The Black Knight]

The thief felt Dae-Jung's knife against its ribs. It then turned its head to regard the archer. Shadows seemed to only fill the thief's hood, and in a burst of black smoke, the thief vanished leaving behind Dae-Jung's arrows. A window expanded before the archer's eyes.

Quest Complete.

Skills Acquired!

Sprint Lv. 1
Defense increased by +10 when activated.
MP Cost: 10
Fatigue Cost: 10

Jump Lv. 1
Leap high into the air avoiding all ground attacks targeting your character that turn.
MP Cost: 10
Fatigue Cost: 10​

Tag: Dextra

 

[The Black Knight]

The black dragon nodded its large head in understanding before it lifted back into the air upon its thick neck. The creature's wings flared and began to flap, creating twisters on the roof. The beast rose into the air, extending its neck as it soared high into the sky to vanish.

You have chosen:
Intelligence +15​

Tag: Twist

 

[Heterological]

On his way, Jiyeon encountered the remains of several students and teachers. A few had worn-down armor, but most hadn't had the chance. Most of them had either been broken down out of the shape of a human, but he passed two that still had most of the upper body parts intact. Every carcass he passed added a few degrees of panic and terror to the whole situation. Was it really worth dying? No, it wasn't. But Jiyeon had faith that he'd find others, and they'd be able to handle anything that came their way.

Everybody he passed gave him a drive. To carry on, to prevent any more death from happening here. For some reason, no C-rank or D-rank heroes had come. Maybe this situation was too low on the radar, but lives were lives. Apparently, the need for power and fame had caused much more death than Jiyeon had realized over the years.

Something snapped him out of his thoughts. A call for help. He rounded the corner and, hearing sounds of clashing, quickly ran over to survey the situation. A young mage, a knight, and a battered-looking teacher fought against three bugbears and one magician-looking fella. Time seemed to slow, but his ears roared with blood. His first actual fight. Life-or-death. One wrong mistake, and it was all over. All those dead souls... their deaths would not be unavenged. Jiyeon's grip tightened on his sword as he leapt into the fray.

Prioritizing the magician, Jiyeon used his Kraken Blade to slice at its midsection, activating the C-rank weapon's inherent ability before. He took a split moment to get his balance back before stabbing the sword, once again, at the magician's mid-section.

Regardless of whether it hits or not, Jiyeon backs off, breath heavy from adrenaline, and prepares for another round.

combat (rolls in dc channel):
2 basic attacks:
accuracy: 91+45=136, 44+45=89, p. damage: 105
stun: 37, success
(magician, 2 bugbears)
+20 fatigue, 20/100 fatigue

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Jiwon looked back at the folks who followed him here. Though they had lost their element of surprise as Jiwon watched some hunters decide to randomly charge in at the bugbear mage... if they didn't join the fight now, then it simply meant that more people would die at this rate. He clenched his orb and dagger harder and then said "Shiro, grant me your protection! Let's go and help these people out! Otherwise, they're all going to end up dead at this rate!" He then turned the corner around the entrance to the home room and began launching two bolts of blinding, magical energy. One was launched at the bug bear mage, while another was fired at one of the lesser bug bears that was fighting the battered knight. From the corner of his eye, Jiwon also saw Shiro seemingly sending magical attacks right after his as well.

---

Round Summary:

Jiwon:
Launches 2 basic magical attacks at the Mage and Lesser Bugbear 1 in an attempt to try and blind the enemies
+20 Fatigue

Shiro:
Casts Guardian Aura Level 1 on Jiwon (Jiwon gains 10 AP)
Launches 2 basic magical attacks at the Mage and Lesser Bugbear 1
+50 Fatigue
-50 Mana

Dice Results:

Jiwon's Basic Attacks: M Att = 115
Roll 1 at Mage: 86+30=116
Roll 2 at Lesser Bugbear 1: 63+30=93

Blinding Roll: 55 (Miss)

Shiro's Basic Attacks: M Att = 75
Roll 1 at Mage: 32+15=47
Roll 2 at Lesser Bugbear 1: 25+15=40

 

[Haze-]

Jwan Min-Jee - E Rank

Sector 10 - Hanyoung High School


The day was hot, somehow going hotter, even if she were trapped in her cold dark room; she could feel the heat seeping through her window and connecting right with her face; sunlight caught in eyes that received the morning light with a look almost unimpressed, only a hint of movement as the blurry view readjusted. She wiped the fine sheen of cold sweat from her brow and sunk her head into her arms, a drape of unkempt hair hiding her from the sun’s burning gaze. Min-Jee sighed, finally, at the feeling of drowsiness ebbing away. Peeking from the curtain of hair, that sigh grew into a low growl, as she gave a scornful stare at the time.

“12:00 AM.” – The screen of her monitor, apparent leader of the gang of cheap beer cans littered on her dusty desk, read. It was her day off, from the competitive dog-eat-dog world that was scoring the highest grades, and actual work – or as she lovingly called it, her smoke break. Whether it be hunting or damn near breaking her back carrying building material, the fact that she could chain smoke all she wanted while at working hours made her two gigs bearable. To an extent, that is.

Many would find themselves in a rush of freedom long denied from them, relief writ on their face as if they’d never received yesterday with tire. The overbearing weight of earning your piece of bread at work, and the momentary release as if one had resurfaced from the depths; it didn’t go like that for Min-Jee. Even in days like these, all she wanted was to dive back into said depths out of impulse. Breathing the exact same air felt rough, asphyxiating, whenever she wasn’t at work. Which left her in a bigger predicament in of itself, if work is what she craved, there was only one thing left for her – The hunt. And let no starving wolf trick you into believing they enjoy a good hunt.

She dropped to her swivel chair and pushed away from the desk, drifting around her room with a glare cast to the ceiling fan as if a routine she’d practiced a thousand times over, taking the only things she would need for the day. A cold cup of leftover coffee. A pack of red stars. Her phone – “Hm…” – She took a sip, then a pause, made a face. At the faint taste of cigarette butt still clinging to her lips from last night, she figured she really needed to get better hobbies. At this rate her lungs would give out before a monster got to her. One last bounce the yellow ball gave before it was gripped like a vice; she rolled her head to either shoulder and got up to stare daggers at the smiley face drawn with a marker on the ball. Min-Jee sighed once more, dropped the case.

Getting dressed for a quick jog, she froze for a moment when she unlocked her phone, her eyes following the red popup of a notification. Jutting out in her contacts, it was her brother, Sung-Ho. Her hand was gliding above it, giving it all she had to not jump into what well may be an incoming headache. How long had it been since she spoke with that kid? – How long had it been since she saw what he looked like, rather? She could barely reminiscence the image of a preschooler beaming bright as the sun at her, innocence still captured in a bottle. But as she opened the image Sung-Ho had sent her, it got a chuckle out of her, worthy of another bitter sip of that ice cold coffee. She hoped she was just being delusional at this point, it’d mean that she was the worst sister known to man if she wasn’t. Tan and blond, a fringe of ash white hair, a big idiotic smile plastered all over his face. The kid in the selfie looked nothing like her brother; it was more of the type of guy that perpetually looked 15 until he hit his forties, the type of guy to get thrown as cannon fodder in a dungeon when things got wild. And seeing him wearing his stereotypical rank B Healer outfit didn’t quite make her bowels turn the right way, she clicked her tongue instinctively, breaking out of her overprotective sister trance when she realized Jung-Ho was inviting her to grab some dinner.

“Guess who’s back in town. I’m over at dad’s place, waiting on you.” – The message read. For once in what seemed like months her look of tire was overridden by nostalgia, and she smiled honestly, opening her mouth as if she were to read out loud her reply. Then her phone buzzed again. An estranged look crossed her face, then one of disbelief, eventually ended up locking itself into something a little bit more outré – “C Rank…?” – Her face remained impassive at the news of a tragedy blown out of proportion in Hanyoung High School. This was the type of call to duty she dreaded, and grew tired of. She knew this story by memory, the hunter association wouldn’t go the distance if there wasn’t any monetary value or fame to gain, and it was quite interesting how that high rank hunter in the pretty suit had just showed up when the dungeon break happened, when the cameras were conveniently on. Conspiracy theories aside, this didn’t exempt her from duty – A hunter must hunt. Even if it meant canceling her oh so needed reunion with her brother – “Tch.” – She kicked off from the floor, her chair spun an arc for her to snatch a pair of earbuds from the night stand.

Spoiler: Music

“I’m kinda busy, but I’ll let my hair down. Tell the old man I’m there before midnight.” – She hastily replied, not waiting on a response. Got up and got to work.
Min-Jee arrived at the scene like many others – On cab and getting a dozen stares thrown at her as she nonchalantly stepped up to the yellow tape separating the crowd from policemen. She tried to keep the word “Hunter” written on her like a billboard, cadence to the almost unnatural blasé on her appearance. She wore a fake varsity team jacket, one hand stuffed in a pocket, another holding actual caffeine this time around, recently bought on her way there, her feet impatiently tapping the ground and her head bobbing to the music as she made reconnaissance.

She took a sip – This time getting a satisfied sigh out of her – Head went up as a bird took wing, then her eyes were glued on a brooding beast she could see roaming the school through a window. That was as monster as monster could get. She wandered off from the sight and to the policemen handing out homilities to the families that had just lost their children. The thick, nauseating air and overall ambiance making her coffee taste a hell of a lot stronger.

“Ma’am, please step back, we’re doing all we can to get your families out safely-“ An officer started. The man had been holding a thousand yard stare into nothingness before he noticed Min-Jee. Either lost in macabre thought, scrambled up memory after witnessing the scene, or merely stuck in reverie; she’d recognize that lost stare anywhere. Min-Jee discretely gave him a look of pity – “Hunter.” – all before raising a hand, dark crows manifesting out of thin air and taking the form of sturdy leather gloves.

“Huh.” – The officer paused, sizing her up. She had good enough equipment to be mistaken for someone competent – “Are you going in? They already sent out a couple low ranks, cleanup crew until they close the gate.” – She took a longer sip, licking that bitter-sugary stain sticking to her front teeth; she punched in a sigh before speaking casually – “I’m low rank as well. I won’t do well on my own, but, not like I have any other choice. ‘See where the wind takes me.” – She shrugged.

“If you’re fast enough, you might still be able to catch up to them.” – He pointed towards the entrance the other hunters took. The man took off his cap, running a hand through his hair as he slicked it back in an exhausted sigh – “Good luck out there. It’s hell on earth…”

Min-Jee shook her head – “Sounds like a party.” – Then nodded – “Same goes for you.” – She gave him a light tap on the shoulders, black feathers enveloping her entire body, coming out of the veil with a dark cowl and a blood red scythe. She gave out her coffee, the officer mirroring her actions as he took a sip – ending in a guttural noise that made him inch forward. There was something special mixed in with her coffee, the kind of mix that makes a grown man bawl his eyes out about a recent heartbreak at a local bar. Min-Jee gave the officer a flash of the eyebrows before heading into the building.

As she approached the other hunters, lagging behind them, Min-Jee tapped twice on the nearest locker with her scythe – an acute scrape of steel against metal to grab their attention – finally popping the locker open and holding out her scythe slightly above shoulders to let them know. She was coming with them.

_______________

Mentions/Interactions: Elaeja Pseudo-nim Heyitsjiwon

 

[Pseudo-nim]

Seo-Yeon grimaced as her hands reached to both her holstered weapons. They ended up ruining a perfectly good ambush too. She needed to get in to attack so the ranged don't immediately get swarmed by melee.

Fueled by adrenaline alone, she rounded the door way and immediately identified the mage. Judging from how the other Hunters seem to have their focus on the biggest threat in the room, she did the same. An axe on her right and a crude sword on her left, she weaved through the chaotic mess inside the classroom and swung her weapons one right after the other. A flurry of blades bared down onto the mage itself, but even her usual calm mind was nothing compared to flowing adrenaline that blinded her vision. Whether they hit or not, she would give space.

Retreating slightly, she took in the position she was in, slightly off center to give the mages an easy line of sight to the target, but keeping herself between them to prevent attempts of rushing in. She readied her weapons in case they decided to retaliate.

Basic attack x2 on Bugbear (D-rank)
1d100 (48)+45 = 93; damage 45
1d100 (16)+45 = 61; damage 45
Fatigue: 20/100

 

[Twist]

The black dragon nodded its large head in understanding before it lifted back into the air upon its thick neck. The creature's wings flared and began to flap, creating twisters on the roof. The beast rose into the air, extending its neck as it soared high into the sky to vanish.

You have chosen:
Intelligence +15​

Tag: Twist

Young-Soo bowed as sign of respect for the dragon, before being quickly blasted off his feet by the sheer power of the creature as it took flight. Young Soo's hair wafted violently around as he watched the dragon go, having to shield his eyes with his hand now that his hood had been blown down. Uncertain if he answered the dragon's question correctly, he was relieved when another window appeared stating to his gift from the bestowing beast.

Already on the ground, Young-Soo fell backwards, breathing deeply to regain his composure as he lay on the concrete roof. That had to have been the scariest thing I've ever done thought Young-Soo. It was in these brief moments of respite, the meditating mage's mind began to wander as he stared into the sky.

Since his dad had returned, Young-Soo had more free time on his hand of late giving himself time to contemplate on certain aspects of life. Mainly his role as a Hunter. And seeing how this encounter with a ssi-ball dragon had gone pretty well maybe he should throw more time into being a Hunter. Still maybe he shouldn't drink the Kimchi soup first, just because it went well once doesn't mean that it would again.

However, thought the deliberating Dragon whisperer, scratching his chest absentmindedly as the clouds rolled by, he would have to do more as a Hunter first, to see if he was good enough in the first place. Or if it was the right thing for him. Wow maybe I am more intelligent now! thought Young-Soo, bolting upright.

With his decision somewhat made, the analyzing animal catcher got to his feet, brushing the crud from his robes before heading towards the roof door, scooping up his weapons as he went. It looks like I'm heading to Hanyoung High School.

There was an air of determination around Young-Soo as he hurried down the stairwell.

 

[Dextra]

Dae-Jung has finished his quest and gained several valuable skills as a result. Being an archer, having skills that enable him to escape attacks and even move quicker was a vital element of his class, so getting two out of this quest was well worth it, especially since the quest wasn't particularly tough, just exhausting. Returning to his feet, Dae-Jung double-checked his new skills, focusing on the leap skill. He was glad the thief didn't get it to the edge since he wouldn't have been able to follow him if he hadn't had such a skill. After a few seconds to regain his breath, he checked his phone and saw a message from his boss; it appeared that the pursuit had gone into the time he was supposed to start work, which meant he was expecting a furious message from his boss because he had stated he would be at work today, but instead he received a completely different message. "I bet you went to Hanyoung High School to assist with the portal; good luck, and save as many of the students as you can; a dungeon break in a school? I can't think of a worse location. Don't worry about the job; we'll take care of it."

Dae-Jung instantly took his phone out of his pocket and began browsing through the news. The initial story revolved around suicide, but it soon became clear that the story was about a portal at Hanyoung High School, a C-rank portal. Dae-Jung wasn't sure what aid he could provide as an E-rank, but as a hunter, he couldn't just leave the youngsters to fend for themselves; even if he could only save one, he'd try. Dae-Jung thought this was a good opportunity to put his new talent to the test, so he activated Sprint LV.1 and dashed down the stairwell he had followed the thief up. Dae-Jung's Sprint ability undoubtedly aided him in locating a cab, with the enhanced speed above his regular pace proving to be a significant benefit to his limited armament. Dae-Jung flagged down the first taxi he saw, climbed inside, and was on his way with a few simple words. "To Hanyoung High School please and step on it."

The following six minutes felt like an eternity; he was warmed up, ready, and anxious to assist, but the wait was killing him and his nerves were frayed; all he could think about was how many children would suffer as a consequence of this attack, and he prayed he wouldn't be too late. His heart sank as he considered the parents who have no idea if their kid is alive or dead; it would kill Dae-Jung if his daughter was ever put in this predicament.

 

[Elaeja]

Nori followed after the woman and the young Hunter. The woman's cold nonchalant confidence was welcome but it made Nori feel like the woman was looking down on him, and made him think she was perhaps more experienced in these types of situations. He didn't give his conjectures any more heed though and silently took up the rear guard with his D-rank dagger and skull.

Walking through the school was a solemn affair; some bodies were strewn about the halls with bits of debris here and there. Nori, not one to be deterred by blood, disgusting things, or his emotions, carried on with only a second glance at the dead children. Some of the high schoolers were probably only a few years his junior, and yet, they now lay dead. Such thoughts filled Nori's head but he shook them off, letting his adrenaline hone his focus on the situation at hand. His head, as recommended by the woman, was on a swivel as they journeyed through the halls.

The group reached a complication as they found a teacher fending off a bugbear squad. Sadly, another Hunter group arrived just as they did, but decided to rush in and ruin their element of surprise. Nori watched as the man he and the woman had followed charged in after the group followed by the woman. Not one to be left behind or be called a coward, Nori gained his wits about him. Nori took off at a jog behind the woman and matched her speed while staying out of reach of her weapons. It seemed as though she was gunning for a mage Nori noticed while moving. With the woman clearing a path towards the monster, leaving the mage's lackeys behind, Nori took the chance to act as a guard of sorts, watching for lesser bugbears who would dare help the mage, while getting his own blows in when possible.

Basic Attack on Bugbear (D-rank)
1d100 + (50) = 79 + 50 = 129
Intelligence Stat: 40
Fatigue: 90/100

 

[Haze-]

Jwan Min-Jee - E Rank

Sector 10 - Hanyoung High School


She always had a thing for schools, fascinated by them. A feeling she couldn’t put into words, made under compulsion; constantly drawn over by the homely atmosphere. Bright lights, dim colors, not so friendly banter, the annoying clamor of students bumping into each other in cramped hallways, everyone swallowed by the crowd as they made their way to rows of lockers, perfectly in order – All of it seemed like its own, faulty ecosystem. It all festered a fellow feeling inside her, as if she commuted with the horde of teens long enough in hopes for some sense of belonging to manifest itself. Min-Jee had felt this way in both her High School and current College days, like a thousand greetings from a place she’d grown all too familiar with – “…” – Yet, now. That illusion had shattered into a million pieces. Crossing the crimson puddles on her way; she was back in the real world.

And all she could hear – A thousand, blood curdling screams greeting her.

Thinking back to it, comparing those days to this uncanny scenario, made her feel detached from the whole slaughter. That eerie numbness latched onto the back of her neck is what put one step in front of the other, propelled her onward, what kept her from looking down at all the mangled corpses and kept the loosening grip on the scythe’s cold steel tight. She placed a hand on that raging fire at her neck, took a deep breath. It’d been a whole year ever since she woke up as a Hunter, and she’d learned how to put up a pretense, to appear unfazed by everything – It seemed as though she was still learning.

Her group, if she could call it that, was far ahead. Already rounding the corner, she could stop to bring down the cloth tampering her breathing and wind down for a moment. The world drifted away for brief seconds as she held one earbud, gaze fixated on her phone as she switched the rhythm for something more appropriate. She wanted to live on pure nerves, fear and adrenaline pumping through her veins for the upcoming moments. She couldn’t picture herself moving properly if she didn’t. At the feeling of eyes burning into her, she looked over – A dented locker staring right back at her. Unlike the other ones she’d passed, this one in particular was pristine with not a splatter of blood on it. Shingled with calendars and other nonsense, there was a picture pinned into the locker, more or less engraved unto it now that whatever struck the locker had left its mark. The corners were tattered as if it’d fared through better days up until recently, one big dent adorning it, some of the picture caved in and unrecognizable. But one could still distinguish the image of a girl, auburn hair and a clean uniform.

Min-Jee froze, feeling those same eyes pointed straight at her. She looked down at the bloody silhouette of a student, recumbent against the locker. Same uniform, same hair, and much like the dent on the picture, half of her face was ca— “Urgh…!” – It made her flinch, she had to arch forward and summon all effort within every fiber of her being to clench her teeth and not throw up. Feeling bile climbing up her throat, she endured it. With a glare that seemed sorely abused, she bit the bullet and tapped play on her phone

Spoiler: Music

She really was still learning. She would move faster if she rolled with the current rather than away from it.

Catching up to the other hunters, the woman and the two other men, who appeared to have grown in numbers in her short-lived absence. Not like they’d waited on her anyways. All of them seemed to be ganging up on a group of monsters, ogre-looking with unnaturally big muscles and tusks. More specifically, the bigger monster in the room – Albeit, they could’ve dished out more damage with a different approach, she wasn’t complaining at all, they weren’t exactly doing anything wrong – In the real world, outside of a portal, if you saw a liger, you thought nothing of the caged, likely in-bred animal in front of you. If you saw a liger in a dungeon, however, you either ran for your life or struck before he could. The monsters that were higher ranked than the usual ones were quite distinguishable for how blatantly exotic they looked in comparison.

Seeing the kids cowering behind a desk in that small classroom, she sighed behind her cover, spun the scythe in a crimson arc as if winding herself up. Min-Jee didn’t let a second carry out into the other, over her cover and straight at their throats – Entering that state of mind where thoughts were on par with pure, instinct driven action, seamlessly merging into one another – She slammed her scythe against the first lesser monster’s chest, hoping to tear a big enough gash, she drove it through and onto the next one, a strike that carried some extra momentum from the initial hit right into the monster’s head. Unfortunately for the third one, she’d have to spare a hit, he was out of range. And greed kills.

She instead slipped between the ones she struck and got in front of them and the teacher, already feeling beads of sweat running down her face. Min-Jee huffed – “If you can run, then take the kids out of here while you still can; hope you don’t mind me taking your place for a while.” – Words that slid off her tongue in just one breath, she signaled over to the exit. A gaze unflinching, stuck on the monsters ahead of her as she threw the words over her shoulder. She struggled some on the thought of fighting three lackeys at once, hence why she slowly stood beside the nearest hunter that could even up the odds.

________________

Action Log . . .

Basic Atk. (x2) on E rank Bugbears (x2)

Mag Atk. on Bugbear 1º . . . 1d100(+35)= 68 (+35) > 103 (Slash)
Mag Atk. on Bugbear 2º . . . 1d100(+35)= 85 (+35) > 120 (Blunt)

Stats . . .

Mag Atk. = 90
Agility = 35
Hp 80/80
Mp 120/120
Fatigue 20/100

 

[The Black Knight]

Mr. Gwan glanced up at one of the classroom lights and saw it spark before it went out. It seemed the bugbears had noticed, and while they were glancing up at the ceiling, he saw the young man sneak into the classroom. Mr. Gwan tensed as he wondered if the boy was insane, and why had he been covered in blood?

The mage watched a pair of keys clatter to the floor, and its golden eyes narrowed. “Joga ura grassa!” the mage alerted.

@Gaius Danius Griinia

Results:

Element of Surprise lost.

Stun Attempt: Fail

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

The black bugbear held out its hand, and a blue, magical barrier blocked Dae-Jin’s strikes. Its fingers then curled as it bellowed to its men: “Mapa nyu!”

Before the lesser bugbears could overwhelm the lone warrior, a second young man appeared and attacked.

@Heterological

Results:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Stun Attempt: Success!

When Jiyeon’s sword struck the mage’s barrier, the bugbear grinned smugly, baring its lengthy incisors until a mysterious wave came out of the Hunter's blade. It slammed into it along with Lesser Bugbear 1 and 2, sending them flying back across the classroom.

Mr. Gwan’s brows rose in surprise as he thought, That has to be a C-rank weapon!

Another Hunter entered the classroom then. Where had they all been coming from? This one was capable of summoning a familiar, and his primary weapon appeared to also be C-rank. Word must have gotten out that the school was in danger. He watched him go for the mage.

@Heyitsjiwon

Results:

Jiwon:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. Lesser Bugbear 1: -50

Blind Attempt: Miss!

Shiro:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. Lesser Bugbear 1: Miss!

The bugbear mage growled as it kicked and thrashed about in a tantrum. Jiwon’s and Shiro’s attacks were being absorbed by the barrier that covered its body. Lesser Bugbear 1 shrieked in agony as magic burned its furry body.

Mr. Gwan now understood the possible rank of the Hunters. They weren’t high ranks as he had hoped. No high rank would waste their time with this place. They were E-ranks hoping to gain some experience. They wouldn’t be able to get through the mage's defense even with their high-ranked weapons. Mr. Gwan took a moment to check his pockets now that he had time to rest. He recalled always keeping a mana crystal on his person. It hadn’t been a greater one, but even a lesser one would be enough.

The bugbear mage sat upward in time to see another human worm try to touch it. Weak! All of them were weak and would make for easy pickings. Seo-Yeon’s attempts were met with its barrier.

@Bob

Results:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

Mr. Gwan was shocked by how many Hunters kept pouring into the classroom. E-rank; E-rank; E-rank; had the Hunter Association really left this situation in the hands of Hunters classified as bottom-feeders? It enraged him. While he understood that E-rankers needed a chance at leveling, this wasn’t that situation. This was an emergency, and already so many students and teachers had died.

They were all inexperienced and kept attacking the mage to no avail. It was as though the Hunter Association was throwing more lambs to the slaughter.

@Penlod

Results:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Bugbear: Miss!

A young woman had fought her way into the classroom to assume a defensive position before him. Lesser Bugbear 1 wasn't getting up anytime soon and Lesser Bugbear 2 staggered from the blow to its skull.

@Haze-

Results:

Basic Attack 1 vs. Lesser Bugbear 1: -30
+5 HP Lifedrink

Basic Attack 2 vs. Lesser Bugbear 2: -30
+5 HP Lifedrink

Mr. Gwan tossed a small, gleaming crystal into his mouth. He crunched it between his teeth, and a blue glow flashed over his body. He replied to Jwan: “I cannot do that. If I runaway, then the rest of you will die. I only have enough strength to use this last skill. Please, protect my students. Don’t worry about me!”

Mr. Gwan’s aura erupted in a red flame around his being. An eldritch power created a small twister at his feet and his eyes filled with a blazing, crimson energy. He clanged his sword against his shield and bellowed a war cry that shook the bugbears. Their eyes gleamed with the red glow as they saw an illusion of the teacher, towering over them like a mighty colossus. The same red energy would envelope the Hunters in the room.


Mr. Gwan

Results:

Skill: Rallying Cry
Allies are empowered by the spirited cry of their comrade and receive a +50 stat increase to their attributes (the five main ones) for three turns. Enemies are frightened and their defense and agility stats are reduced by half for three turns.
All Effected:
Gaius Danius Griinia
Heterological
Heyitsjiwon
Pseudo-nim
Elaeja
Haze-

Spoiler: Bugbear

Bugbear
Rank: D
HP: 170/170

Spoiler: Lesser Bugbears

Lesser Bugbear 1
Rank: E
HP: Defeated

Lesser Bugbear 2
Rank: E
HP: 35/65

Lesser Bugbear 3
Rank: E
HP: 65/65

Defense and Agility reduced by half for 1/3 turns.
Knockback Bugbear, Lesser Bugbear 1, and Lesser Bugbear 2 unable to attack this turn.

Haze-
Enemy Kill +10 XP
Total XP Awarded: 10 XP

Heterological
Assisted Kill +5 XP
Total XP Awarded: +5 XP

Heyitsjiwon
Assisted Kill +5 XP
Total XP Award: 5 XP

Note: This is not the end-battle XP. The end-battle XP will be awarded once all enemies have either been eliminated or fled the battle.

Drops

Lesser Mana Crystal
Restores 50 MP when used.
Quantity: 2
Value: 118,000 won
System Store Value: 50 gold

Note: Drops literally drop on the ground. They can be picked up by characters, stolen, or shared.


Mr. Gwan’s aura extinguished and his arms weakly lowered, dropping under the weight of his weapons. With a groan, he fell to his knees before he collapsed upon the floor. His fatigue meter had reached its limit. The students cried in fright and sadness:

Seonsaengnim!

Mr. Gwan!

No!

Lesser Bugbear 3 growled in irritation. There were so many Hunters in the classroom. Its allies had been knocked down, but it was free to attack them. Lesser Bugbear 3 went on a rampage darting wildly between the Hunters and striking them with its club.

Lesser Bugbear 3

Results:

Basic Attack 1 vs. @Gaius:
1d100+10= 48
Miss!

Basic Attack 2 vs. @Heterological:
1d100+10=104
Miss!

Basic Attack 3 vs. @Heyitsjiwon
1d100+10=81
Miss!

The Lesser Bugbear ceased its attack upon realizing it couldn’t hit any of the Hunters. The club trembled in its grip. It felt so terrified that it couldn’t focus to make an accurate attack. Whimpering in fear, the creature bolted out the door. It had to return to the portal!

Escape
1d100=60
Success!

Spoiler: Bugbear

Bugbear
Rank: D
HP: 170/170

Spoiler: Lesser Bugbears

Lesser Bugbear 1
Rank: E
HP: Defeated

Lesser Bugbear 2
Rank: E
HP: 25/65

Lesser Bugbear 3
Rank: E
HP: Fled!

Defense and Agility reduced by half for 1/3 turns.
Knockback Bugbear, Lesser Bugbear 1, and Lesser Bugbear 2 unable to attack this turn.


To Ji-Ho’s misfortune the Greater Bugbear pursued her like a bear when she chose to bolt. Its weighted steps stomped through the school, its teeth still fixed in a threatening grin. It wanted to crush her like the human gnat she was. It hated the fur-less creatures that invaded its realm. Now it invaded their realm, and it would show them no mercy.

Spoiler: Greater Bugbear

Greater Bugbear
Rank: C
HP: 410/410

Greater Bugbear in pursuit of Ji-Ho


Character Locations: Only those players involved in the school incident are mentioned below.

Inside the school
Fill
Elenion Aura
Phineas Forge (Warning: Encountered C-Rank)
eloise

In Combat
Heterological
Gaius Danius Griinia
Heyitsjiwon
Pseudo-nim
Elaeja
Haze-

Outside the school
No one (this does not include those outside the sector. It literally means right outside the school. Those not in the vicinity aren't counted here.)

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Jiwon was shocked as he watched the Bug Bear mage tank shot after shot like it was nothing. He felt a pit form in his stomach and began to wonder if they could deal with it despite out numbering the mage by a lot. Thankfully, one of the lesser bug bears died thanks to their efforts, but the elephant in the room was still as confident as ever as its barrier hadn't been pierced by anyone. How were they supposed to deal with the D rank monster? Jiwon was almost convinced he needed to pull out the swap stone. He even subconsciously began to reach towards it in his pocket. Until he saw the teacher began to glow red. It disturbed Jiwon a bit as he had never seen someone's eyes change all of a sudden like that. The red aura soon spread to all the hunters and Jiwon felt... empowered. He felt like he could run a marathon without too much issue all of a sudden. It seemed the teacher buffed all the hunters before passing out from exhaustion. They couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Jiwon quickly began to cast a spell, hoping to defeat the bugbears before the buff vanished. "Quick! Attack while we can!" Jiwon called out to the other hunters as he began to cast more magic in hopes of defeating the monsters quickly. Jiwon also then yelled at the students "Jump out of the window and get out of here towards safety! We'll protect your teacher!" He planned to attack the Bugbear Mage a couple of times and hopefully successfully use tame on the wounded Lesser Bugbear. Afterall, they only had a small window of opportunity to deal with the D-rank monster, so they had to try and hit this bugbear mage as hard as possible while they could potentially do damage to it.

---

Summary:

Jiwon casts Tame on the wounded Lesser Bugbear (Bugbear 2)

Jiwon attacks the Bugbear Mage three times with magical attacks (Buffed M Att = 175)

Fatigue: 90/100
Mana: 160/210

Shiro attacks the Bugbear Mage three times with magic attacks (Buffed M Att = 140)

Fatigue: 80/100
Mana: 120/170

Shiro also attacks the Lesser Bugbear 2 if Tame fails (Buffed M Att = 140)

Fatigue: 90/100
Mana: 120/170

Rolls:

Jiwon:
[d100 : 42] + 80 = 122
[d100 : 5] + 80 = 85
[d100 : 15] + 80 = 95

Shiro:
[d100 : 43] + 65 = 108
[d100 : 57] + 65 = 122
[d100 : 28] + 65 = 93

Conditional Attack on Lesser Bugbear 2 if Tame fails:
[d100 : 18] + 65 = 83

 

[Hexblood Bandit]

Park Deiji - E Rank

Sector 11 - Yongsan Photoshoot
________________​

“You have been cleared to go Park. Move in, snap a few of the idols’ pictures, and move out immediately afterwards. Please leave the questions and chatter to journalists.” An animated voice cuts through Park Deiji’s earpiece, alerting the fashion photographer to take to the Blitz photoshoot. This is her first time landing a gig for an idol group, and right now she has more than a few butterflies floating about in her stomach. Before all of this, she mostly dealt with modelling agencies and was given the leftovers - fashion models who were now too old or ones who were not nearly eye-catchy enough to sell clothes. Given the Warrior Princess’ almost cult-like following, someone within her guild came up with the brilliant idea to form a K-Pop group as an alternate source of revenue. Where better than the eleventh district, famous for being a popular tourist destination and housing established K-Pop Label companies, to showcase the up-and-coming Blitz idols. How Daisy even managed to land the job was a miracle in itself, and a matter of knowing someone who knows someone - who just so happened to feel extra generous that day and took a chance on an unknown photographer. She agreed to the job immediately, much to the envy of other photographers.

While it may have been dated since the arrival of hunters wielding magic, Daisy stuck with tradition and set up the photoshoot with the standard studio equipment. Unlike with fashion runways, she was able to arrange her camera, tripod, and other accessories up beforehand and adjust accordingly to her client’s desires. For a hunter group as prominent as Blitz, a precious balance between making the K-Pop stars cute to appeal to the general audience and appear powerful enough to not earn ridicule from the likes of the Spear Hunting Guild, needed to be struck. Shooting photoshoots was a different sort of beast compared to entertaining the masses, but nevertheless the reputation of a K-Pop group may be praised or dragged through the mud with but a picture. In order to dismiss the butterflies from her stomach, Daisy hums a catchy tune while finishing her photography set-up. The idols were due to arrive any second, so now was the last chance to steel herself and get into a more professional mindset.

 

[SilverFeathers]

Haneul Seo - E Rank - Warrior
Sector 19, Haneul's Condo (Skyrise Lux, Condo 106) -> Sector 10, Hanyoung High School - Front Gates​

Slender fingers danced eloquently on the piano keys, playing a captivating but rhythmic melody which livened the ears. Upbeat and with a lively tempo, the jazzy tune brought forth the need to dance and boogie, almost as if it was a sin not to do so. Abruptly however, a startling buzz rung through the air, disrupting and shattering the illusion of a festive party in an instant. With a frown, the bespectacled musician peered over at her phone on the glass desk. A curious glint shone in her eyes as she glanced at the startling news headline.

Without a second thought, she poked at the notification and enlarged the screen, watching the following chaos and destruction with a silent gaze. Whether or not the man, supposedly from the Hunter's Association, mentioned the portal's rank, Haneul had already internally decided on making her way there. The last time she went on a hunt was more than two weeks ago, and her hands tingled at the mere prospect of wielding her blades once again. With a beating heart that pulsed unsteadily with excitement and anticipation, she quickly tapped in a few familiar numbers before bringing the device to her ear.

"Vince, be ready in five. Destination is Hanyoung High School."
"Roger, Miss."

Without another word, Haneul hung up the call, whilst quickly peeking at herself in the mirror and throwing on a fleecey coat. Her twin tails of hair flew lightly behind her, as she rapidly made her way out of her luxury condo. Just as her feet touched solid ground, Haneul's aqua eyes located her chauffeur, who smiled at her gently with wrinkled eyes as she approached.

"Best of luck out there, Miss Seo. Remember above all, to be safe. No need to put your life on the line for such a matter." Vince advised gently and amicably as he stepped on the pedal, although, Haneul had long known he was nothing but a convenient lackey for her parents to use to spy on her activities. He was someone Haneul had hired herself too, purposefully to try and hide the darker/dirtier sides of being a hunter. Heaven knows when they had bought him out, though it was good that she found out sooner rather than later.

Making idle small talk along the way, as if nothing was amiss between them, it didn't take long for Haneul to arrive at her destination. With a soft smile that worked well with her harmless appearance, she waved Vince off before approaching the barred off gate and the dozens of guarding police officers trying to control the situation. Her eyes carefully spotted and recognized the man in a blue suit, alongside the news reporter from earlier, though her attention was more focused on the former.

Her expression was startlingly cold and calm as she materialized her equipment, whilst approaching the figure by the gate. "Haneul Seo. Just an E-Rank. Is there anywhere that requires immediate attention or aid? Otherwise, I'll wait for some backup to entry with." She explained her plans concisely, whilst double-checking the three blades she carried on her being and their condition. "Do you know how many C-Ranks there are, and where they are located? I'd like to avoid them of course, if possible." Her eyes wandered to the strange crystal mechanism he had utilized earlier.

The Black Knight

 

[ERode]

---

Sector: 16 [Yangcheon]
Mentions: N/A

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Mokdong Stadium’s ice rink, during this time of day, was refreshingly empty. A vast, smooth expanse of white ice, recently cleaned, stood before Rui-Ling, polished so well as to reflect the fluorescent lights hanging above it. Sitting on the ringside bench, the pink-haired youth wiggled his toes inside the ice skates that he had borrowed for the occasion, a slight frown forming at the realization that those definitely weren’t a size 8. He could probably get it changed out, swap to one that didn’t have a finger-width gap from his toes to the hardened end of the skate.

But the Zamboni had slipped back into its place off the rink, and the fifty-something attendant unlocked the gates, a cheerful, plasticky smile on his face as he ushered the few patrons in. Toddlers with their parents on a day off. Young figure skaters perfecting their routines before competition. Couples holding hands and stumbling shakily. And Rui-Ling himself, tripod in hand, carving smooth arcs as he glided upon the ice towards the center of the rink. From the sound system, a familiar and sappy song played, echoing through the cold air. Romantic lyrics that didn’t suit the song he’d be dancing to, but it was no problem. Rui-Ling was a professional, and he had practiced for this beforehand.

Slotting his phone onto the tripod and flipping the video recording on, Rui-Ling took a deep breath, adjusted his pin-adorned baseball cap, pulled at his sleeves so they partially hid his hands, and practiced a few different smiles. Good. He was great even. Perfect as always, boyo.

And with a spark in his bright eyes, his mind already envisioning the special effects he’d be adding in later, Rui-Ling called out abruptly, “Gooood morning, rui-ers! This is Kazanari coming at y’all live from Mokdong Rink, for today’s top-voted challenge! Drumroll please…though I’m sure you all know what it is! Dadadadadada…jajan!” He did a quick jump, firing a wink off at the unfeeling lens and digging his skates into the ice to prevent any cataclysmic skidding. “The Heelclap Challenge…on ice!”

It was a simple enough song and dance number that he didn’t need music to keep up with, and after a mental countdown, Rui-Ling jumped right into it, his hands grazing dangerously close to the blades each time his feet kicked backwards. The trend itself had been a facsimile of tapdancing that emphasized the dancer’s flexibility and the length of their limbs, with quick upward skips and snaps, but the pink-haired youth took it a step by arcing his spine in sync with the movements as well, a ‘forced’ natural movement that gave an extra spring to his movements.

Of course, doing so on ice was suicide, and failures were just as eye-catching as success anyhow, and fifteen seconds in, Rui-Ling’s right foot jerked out just far enough that the slipperiness of the terrain did the rest and he fell right on his butt. “Owwww,” he groaned, wiping a non-existent tear from his eyes, “Guess that’s a challenge failed…” Five seconds was enough to record the material he needed, and he could envision easily enough the bystanders’ reactions being caught on cam as well. It’ll make for good, blurry reaction material later. He grinned cheerfully at the camera, flashing a peace sign. “But I’m still alright! Subscribe if you’d like, everyone, and maybe next time I’ll succeed one of these challenges. Maybe?”

Rui-Ling shook his head, that sparkle in his eyes once more.

“No, definitely!”

And he stayed still for another three seconds, before he ended the recording. Good enough material, that was for sure, and he hardly felt his fall either. Good idea to put some extra cushioning between his underwear and his sweatpants. He replayed the video a couple of times, then nodded with some degree of satisfaction: it was good enough to use as is. The eyes of others, curious children or disturbed adults, prickled his skin, but he simply maintained his smile, hummed a popular tune, and scanned through his social media, kicking off into an effortless slide as he gracefully looped around the rink.

There were always more interesting things to do, after all, and more interesting places to be. Both as a Youtuber and as a Hunter.

Now if only he could break the 1000 subscriber barrier already.