Fantasy &nbsp; Vehemen Academy - Academy of Hunters

It felt like a grievous oversight on his own part that he didn't notice Hanna's injury until the three of them had arrived in front of the mansion. It was only when the remnants of his last portal disappeared that he finally turned to his companions, frowning slightly in concern when he saw the tilt of Hanna's posture and the thin sheen of sweat on her face. Her breathing was irregular, cut short as if it pained her to carry it out. As she addressed him, she slowly lowered herself to the ground.

"Kiyoshi, you should contact Ravyn, tell her that we're here, and ask her how we can get to her. Or unless you have a better idea?"

In most cases, he would have accepted Hanna's suggestion to ask Ravyn where she and the others were, but the memory of their last exchange was still glaringly fresh. She'd responded with no small amount of profanity or panic — certainly not something he could or would hold against her, but he doubted that spending any longer out here than was necessary would be a wise decision. Besides, considering what she'd said, he was unsure whether Ravyn would be in a position where she could answer. Worst case scenario, his voice coming out of the earpiece was a distraction she could not afford while she was in the middle of a confrontation.

No, better that his team entered the mansion now and provided what reinforcements they could.

"Allow me to get us access to the mansion first," he said, eyes already scanning the exterior of the mansion. They could enter through the doors, but it was a predictable maneuver — and one that took a decent amount of human labor that his power could ideally circumvent, and would leave them vulnerable once they entered the mansion. He doubted after all that the entrance opened into a defendable location.

His gaze landed on the window. Although the mansion was old, the window was clear enough that he could see through it, enough to make out the only minimally hazy shape of a long table and some assorted furniture. That should be good enough. They could regroup there to track down the rest of their peers if needed.

Hand unconsciously clenching around the key, he used his other to direct a portal to open in front of them — the exit manifested just barely in his line of sight, in the center of that room that the window led into, casting a pale blue glow over its interior. Kiyoshi gestured to Frederika, indicating that she was free to step through if she wished, before he turned to Hanna, apologetic.

"I know you just sat down," he said regretfully, "but opening a portal underneath us makes the landing... a little jarring. Do you—" He paused. He in no way wanted to imply that Hanna wasn't a terrifying capable fighter, but she was injured. Carefully, he continued, "Do you want me to support you as you stand, or step into the portal?"

code by

xXx.lovely.xXx · Aug 8, 2020

Ravyn

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

trying not to die

Ravyn's body was screaming in pain and the noise was echoing in her throbbing head. Her mind was swirling mess and every movement sent shockwaves of pain from her head through her entire body, then amplifying at her nearly blackened wrist. She had taken down her ponytail to try and relieve the pressure in her head.

'This sucks. Royally. But at least we aren't dead!' the redhead thought.

She slowly looked around the room. A note on the door. That had merit. She'd go check it out. Eventually. Then there was the infamous storage closet. That definitely needed to be looked at. Her eyes moved to Adrian and the rapidly increasingly amount of blood on his shirt. Shit. On the plus side, he didn't seem to be in much pain. Ravyn mentally cringed at the fact that she unceremoniously dumped him on the ground upon their arrival. Oh well.

“What... happened? Are you two alright?"

Ravyn, in theory, had a perfectly good response but opted for a mostly incoherent muttering with it's few comprehensive words being 'little shit', 'chomp', and 'dining room'. Then Ravyn's sweeping gaze made her way to Usami. Oh dear. Was the poor girl... steaming? She did not look too hot. Well, metaphorically.

Ravyn closed her eyes and gently rested her head back against a chair leg. Her 'rest' was quickly broken by someone trying to retrieve the backpack. The redhead slowly opened her eyes to find Usami at her side, vying for something in the backpack. She shifted ever so slightly so that the leather pouch would be more easily accessible. Ravyn watched out of one eye as Usami retrieved the water and crackers. Good. The dark-haired girl seemed totally exhausted. She needed the energy. Ravyn was surprised when she felt the plastic wrapping of the crackers poking into her arm. She opened her eyes once more and looked to Usami with a quizzical expression.

"Please eat"

The silent threat and promise in Usami's eyes were enough to move Ravyn to take a cracker and slowly nibble on it as the dark-haired girl set her sights on their teammate. The team probably needed just a few minutes of recouping, then they could get back to figuring out what the heck they were doing.

But no. The flash of blue just in front of the group caused Ravyn to flinch, almost whacking her head on the chair. She covered her eyes with her arm as the light from Kiyoshi's portal filled the room. Her headache was so bad now that Ravyn felt as if she could throw up. It did cross her mind that she should try not to look so pathetic as the forest team joined them. The redhead straightened up slightly and glanced under her arm-shield.

"How wonderful of you all to drop by," Ravyn said with a grimace-like smile. "You just missed us that much, didn't ya?"

Poex kill count: 1

c o d e b y t r i p l e s

Ravyn's body was screaming in pain and the noise was echoing in her throbbing head. Her mind was swirling mess and every movement sent shockwaves of pain from her head through her entire body, then amplifying at her nearly blackened wrist. She had taken down her ponytail to try and relieve the pressure in her head.

'This sucks. Royally. But at least we aren't dead!' the redhead thought.

She slowly looked around the room. A note on the door. That had merit. She'd go check it out. Eventually. Then there was the infamous storage closet. That definitely needed to be looked at. Her eyes moved to Adrian and the rapidly increasingly amount of blood on his shirt. Shit. On the plus side, he didn't seem to be in much pain. Ravyn mentally cringed at the fact that she unceremoniously dumped him on the ground upon their arrival. Oh well.

“What... happened? Are you two alright?"

Ravyn, in theory, had a perfectly good response but opted for a mostly incoherent muttering with it's few comprehensive words being 'little shit', 'chomp', and 'dining room'. Then Ravyn's sweeping gaze made her way to Usami. Oh dear. Was the poor girl... steaming? She did not look too hot. Well, metaphorically.

Ravyn closed her eyes and gently rested her head back against a chair leg. Her 'rest' was quickly broken by someone trying to retrieve the backpack. The redhead slowly opened her eyes to find Usami at her side, vying for something in the backpack. She shifted ever so slightly so that the leather pouch would be more easily accessible. Ravyn watched out of one eye as Usami retrieved the water and crackers. Good. The dark-haired girl seemed totally exhausted. She needed the energy. Ravyn was surprised when she felt the plastic wrapping of the crackers poking into her arm. She opened her eyes once more and looked to Usami with a quizzical expression.

"Please eat"

The silent threat and promise in Usami's eyes were enough to move Ravyn to take a cracker and slowly nibble on it as the dark-haired girl set her sights on their teammate. The team probably needed just a few minutes of recouping, then they could get back to figuring out what the heck they were doing.

But no. The flash of blue just in front of the group caused Ravyn to flinch, almost whacking her head on the chair. She covered her eyes with her arm as the light from Kiyoshi's portal filled the room. Her headache was so bad now that Ravyn felt as if she could throw up. It did cross her mind that she should try not to look so pathetic as the forest team joined them. The redhead straightened up slightly and glanced under her arm-shield.

"How wonderful of you all to drop by," Ravyn said with a grimace-like smile. "You just missed us that much, didn't ya?"

Poex kill count: 1

nios

OldTurtle

OldTurtle · Aug 8, 2020

Adrian September

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

Adrian peeled his his shirt away from the wound to examine it unobstructed. Though it wasn't bleeding as profusely as at first, the shallow marks still oozed stickily. The others were in terrible condition as well. As Usami labored to rise from the ground, Adrian stared at the strange steam rising from her body. As far he knew, human beings weren't exactly supposed to look like a pot of boiling water. Despite the obvious pain her injuries caused her, she still managed to rise to her feet. Already growing strangely used to his condition, the bleeding boy watched silently as she staggered her way to assist the injured form of Ravyn. Oh dear, it seemed that none of them were in any useful condition.

Usami, against all expectations, seemed to be the one taking charge for now. Having relieved the other girl of the burden that was her backpack, she was now trying to get Ravyn to eat something. A smart decision, if Adrian's exhaustion was any indication of the rest of the group's status. They were burning out rapidly when they couldn't afford to. Having dealt with Ravyn, their makeshift medical expert approached Adrian next, gripping her gym jacket in both hands.

"Gomen nasai," the standing girl muttered, raising her hands and pressing the jacket against Adrian's shoulder stiffly. Having already released his own hold on his wound, Adrian tensed and hissed in pain, digging the nails of his working hand into the armrest of the chair he sat in. Once the initial pain faded back to the familiar, dull throb, he reached up and slipped the jacket from Usami's grasp. Clumsily, he worked the fabric around his shoulder and tied the ends together tightly, freeing himself from the need to hold it in place.

"Thanks," he murmured to Usami, only now noticing her unsteady gait. He glanced around for her walking stick, but found no sign of it. The tool must've been left behind during all the chaos. How unfortunate. "Let's just... rest for a little, then."

Thankfully, the shut door seemed to be enough of a barrier from the Poex, who stayed exactly where they should be: far, far away. Well, they weren't actually that far, but right now, the thickness of the door felt like a dozen leagues of impassable seas. And yet, before the trio had had more than a single breath of relaxation, a strange, blue light filled the room. Abso-fucking-lutely not. No. No. Just one thing after another. Adrian felt like either dying on the spot or jumping up and setting fire to the building. Given that neither option was very valid at the moment, he instead opted to reach down, searching the floor until he retrieved the small axe from where he'd previously kicked it to.

Wonderful. Chop chop time. Unfortunately, he realized, the blue thingamajig was out of reach. Looking down at his comfortable seat, Adrian decided that either way, it probably wouldn't matter if he got up and remained seated. Instead, Adrian raised the axe overhead with his good arm, preparing to fling it at the strange blue oval, feeling a strange sense of deja-vu.

Kill Count: 10

LOCATION: ENTRANCE HALL, MANSION, SIMULATION
INTERACTION:

nios

xXx.lovely.xXx
MENTIONS: N/A

Adrian peeled his his shirt away from the wound to examine it unobstructed. Though it wasn't bleeding as profusely as at first, the shallow marks still oozed stickily. The others were in terrible condition as well. As Usami labored to rise from the ground, Adrian stared at the strange steam rising from her body. As far he knew, human beings weren't exactly supposed to look like a pot of boiling water. Despite the obvious pain her injuries caused her, she still managed to rise to her feet. Already growing strangely used to his condition, the bleeding boy watched silently as she staggered her way to assist the injured form of Ravyn. Oh dear, it seemed that none of them were in any useful condition.

Usami, against all expectations, seemed to be the one taking charge for now. Having relieved the other girl of the burden that was her backpack, she was now trying to get Ravyn to eat something. A smart decision, if Adrian's exhaustion was any indication of the rest of the group's status. They were burning out rapidly when they couldn't afford to. Having dealt with Ravyn, their makeshift medical expert approached Adrian next, gripping her gym jacket in both hands.

"Gomen nasai," the standing girl muttered, raising her hands and pressing the jacket against Adrian's shoulder stiffly. Having already released his own hold on his wound, Adrian tensed and hissed in pain, digging the nails of his working hand into the armrest of the chair he sat in. Once the initial pain faded back to the familiar, dull throb, he reached up and slipped the jacket from Usami's grasp. Clumsily, he worked the fabric around his shoulder and tied the ends together tightly, freeing himself from the need to hold it in place.

"Thanks," he murmured to Usami, only now noticing her unsteady gait. He glanced around for her walking stick, but found no sign of it. The tool must've been left behind during all the chaos. How unfortunate. "Let's just... rest for a little, then."

Thankfully, the shut door seemed to be enough of a barrier from the Poex, who stayed exactly where they should be: far, far away. Well, they weren't actually that far, but right now, the thickness of the door felt like a dozen leagues of impassable seas. And yet, before the trio had had more than a single breath of relaxation, a strange, blue light filled the room. Abso-fucking-lutely not. No. No. Just one thing after another.Adrian felt like either dying on the spot or jumping up and setting fire to the building. Given that neither option was very valid at the moment, he instead opted to reach down, searching the floor until he retrieved the small axe from where he'd previously kicked it to.

Wonderful. Chop chop time. Unfortunately, he realized, the blue thingamajig was out of reach. Looking down at his comfortable seat, Adrian decided that either way, it probably wouldn't matter if he got up and remained seated. Instead, Adrian raised the axe overhead with his good arm, preparing to fling it at the strange blue oval, feeling a strange sense of deja-vu.

Kill Count: 10

PixelSymphony · Aug 8, 2020

~Frederika von Eisenhart~
-- Into the Breach --

Status: Moderately wounded (facial knife wound, claw wound on torso)
Wearing: Vehemen Academy Gym Uniform, female
Wielding: Worn greataxe, lantern
Carrying: Dagger, winter gloves, tarp
Location: Vehemen Academy, Basement, Virtual Training Room, Initial Assessment Simulation, Forest

---

Frederika glanced backwards at Hanna as they moved through countless portals, noting her roughened-up condition but remaining silent on the subject; though she had only known her roommate for the span of a day or so, she had become familiar enough with her mentality to know that nothing short of imminent death would keep her from fighting on. In a way, it was oddly comforting, as Fredi was initially concerned that her own... assertive tendencies would cause friction with the group, but here was a kindred soul, a literal firebrand of a girl who wasted no time in getting into the thick of things. She was glad she had chosen to cohabitate with the girl, and was beginning to look forward to her years in the academy with her.

That is, assuming they made it through this. Obviously, barring a freak accident this simulation posed no threat of death, but it would certainly do a number on their standing if they just happened to turn a big ol' goose egg in terms of gems after everything was said and done, and so far they'd put up numbers in the combat and item retrieval category, but nothing in the true big score. With a grumble at the thought of how elusive these things were proving to be, she brought her attention back to the present, and their current situation: Hanna speaking to Kiyoshi, slowly slumping to the ground as her injuries began to take a toll on her stamina. "Kiyoshi, you should contact Ravyn, tell her that we're here, and ask her how we can get to her. Or unless you have a better idea?"

"Allow me to get us access to the mansion first," the blue haired boy responded, his eyes already scanning the exterior of the mansion before alighting upon the window in front of them. As one hand clenching around the key they had so dearly fought a harassing battle for, he used his other to direct a portal to open in front of them before gesturing towards Frederika in an offer to go first.

"Ja," Fredi said with a simple nod, "Allow me to ensure our safe entrance into the mansion. I will see the both of you shortly." Without a further word, she stepped through the rift in space, bearing her items in both hands as usual.

On the other side of the azure portal, a dimly light dining room came into view, causing the blonde girl to squint in an attempt to make out any discerning features within. As such, she was mildly surprised when a familiar voice came across loud and clear, and more than a little pained. "How wonderful of you all to drop by," Rayvn said with a grimace-like smile. "You just missed us that much, didn't ya?"

A slight crinkle of Frederika's lips upwards was her first response to the crimson-haired classmate. "We did not want you to enjoy the gift we had given you too much- ACH, NEIN, HALT HALT HALT-" she suddenly switched conversations with as she spotted Adrian rearing back to plant the hatchet he held square between her eye sockets. As she scanned over the rest of the mansion team, looking much worse for the wear, a thought crossed her mind: Perhaps now is not the time for humor...

---

Interaction:

vxnilla ,

xXx.lovely.xXx ,

OldTurtle
Mention:

Nessi

SilverBlack · Aug 10, 2020

Cleo Donovan
Location: Backyard

“Jun!” Cleo yelled when the energy ball collid against Jun, sending him flying several feet away. Her face was stern as her eyes rested on the motionless figure laying on the floor. Elise’s cry entered her ears and she watched as the girl ran to his side, probably blaming herself for it.

Cleo’s grips tightened, feeling the rage burning inside of her. She is by no means a law-abiding, good citizen. Never was. Even before she had entered this world she had killed people before, beaten them up, shooting them off, and she wasn’t hesitant to do it again. As if to prove her thoughts with her actions, her hand rose immediately, and a blast of explosion shot toward Uldrin. Her eyes brimming in anger moved from him then toward the figure hiding in the sky--her scowl greeted the smug face from Icarus hiding in the sky, flapping his chicken wings, still holding onto Rei Fey’s gun for her.

She recalled their previous actions--the way the duo broke the barrier, blinding them, and attacking them from behind. Dozens of energy balls fired their way, but Cleo was fast enough to dodge most of them. One hit the side of her shoulders, leaving blood to flow down from the wound. Some other minor wounds were made, but none were serious enough to really make an impact on her ability to fight. She watched the way Elise looked to the Faciete members vigilantly, and judging from the way she looked Jun probably hasn’t died yet. Or else the cloud of doom would probably envelop her so much she wouldn’t even be able to see her.

“Ya bastard…” Cleo mumbled under her breath as she glared at Icarus, nonetheless taking a deep breath and two to calm herself down. Anger and rage wouldn’t do you any good. Eiichi is coming anytime soon. The barrier’s broken, any large scale attacks would lure in more troubles than what’s already here. Stay calm. Stay logical.

Stay logical while you beat that motherf*king ass---

Within a moment, bursts of white explosion crackled beneath her feet as she leapt into the air and shot herself toward Icarus in high velocity. Another orb emitting radiant glow gathered energy from her palm as she reached out to grab on Icarus’s face. However, just before the orb could make an impact, Icarus raised his arm swiftly, creating several fireballs that were sent her way just as she was inches away from him. Cleo inhaled a sharp breath, jumping backward, the crackling beneath her feet grew louder as the orbs were fired in increasing intensity to keep her in the air.

Icarus smirked, his whole body engulfed in his own flames. Hot airflow was sent her way as he flapped his wings.

Allowing herself to land back onto the ground momentarily to preserve energy, she gritted her teeth, inhaled a deep breath, then leaped into the air again, barely dodging the fire blasts that were sent her way, taking the form of a slash. Stretching out both arms forward, several explosion orbs gathered around Icarus and set off as soon as Cleo closed her fists. Icarus dashed upward right as they exploded, avoiding the attack, and sent forth another wave of fire slashes her way. Forced into a battle of fire and explosion orbs back and forth, Cleo gritted her teeth. The ability of this man to dodge--that disgusting pair of wings--

Cleo could feel herself slowly descending. The ability to keep up in staying midair while repeatedly attacking were wearing her out, and she could feel the exhaustion creeping up on her. As if seeing this as an opportunity, Icarus flung his wings and zoomed straight toward her, a fire fist gathered in his palm and ready to punch into her cheek.

Facing the sudden attack, Cleo tilted her head roughly to the side just as the fist brushed across the surface of her skin. As his arm crossed above her shoulder, her right fist punched upward, placing a hit right into his stomach. She bit down on herself as her hand was burning from direct impact against him.

She could hear him growling in pain, momentarily losing his composure. Despite the exhaustion she felt, noticing this might be the only good opportunity, she mustered up strength to gather another blow of power underneath him, and soared herself higher into the air until she was right above the other. Using both of her hands, an orb began to form in the air, increasing in size, emitting a brighter glow that could only mean an increase in intensity.

“Cover yourselves, Elise!” She yelled out just as the orb was slammed down toward Icarus, ready to create an explosion that was louder and more powerful before.

This is what we call revenge, asshole--

Icarus’s eyes widened, and in a moment of defense he took out the gun by his belt and fired. A bullet heavily grazed into the side of Cleo’s waist. She yelped in pain, falling back to Earth right as the orb exploded.

Loud bombing sound echoed into the thick air. The ground cracked upon impact and well, shook briefly. Cleo hissed. Her butt was burning from the rough collision it had with the ground earlier, but she could care less as her hand was holding onto the wound that was gushing out blood from her waist. She frowned. Remembering that there’s still Uldrin and that other woman. Wow, she wanted them both chopped up to pieces right now.

And she felt like she forgot something else…

...Right, the broken barrier.

After the loud commotion she just made, it wouldn’t be surprising if she attracted something else--

The frown turned into a blink of faked innocent confusion when suddenly, in front of her, a giant tiger-like beast emerged from what she assumed to be an invisible giant hole in the middle of the air. It leapt out of wherever it once came from, roaring as its mighty paws pressed against the ground.

Oh, looks like it had one of the faciete members under one of those paws--ah, was it the one Jun defeated? At least that’s satisfying…

Cleo used one arm to support herself up against the ground while the other scratched the back of her head. Great. Where’s Eiichi?

---
Interaction/Mentioned:

nios · Aug 12, 2020

Endo Usami: Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

Ammunition

role: third generation
location: mansion, simulation
mentions:

PixelSymphony
interactions:

xXx.lovely.xXx ,

OldTurtle

The corners of Usami's lips twitched into a frown once she applied pressure to the wound. It deepened when she registered Adrian's pained expression. At first, she thought she was pressing too hard and would lighten her hold. She could only guess how unpleasant having a wound such as Adrian's would be.

She stepped away from him once he secured her jacket into a makeshift bandage. "Thanks," he said, to which Usami blinked drowsily back at him, "Let's just... rest for a little, then."

"Don't have to tell me twice," she thought as she scooted a chair out from beside him and fell into it with a tired sigh. Usami spared Ravyn a look, checking to see if she was actually eating the food. She nodded her head in satisfaction before resting a hand fell over her eyes, which watered at its ducts with every blink. "A quick nap would be nice," her subconscious hummed lazily.

At the same moment when Usami was slowly falling into a slumber, a bright blue glow thrust through the gaps between her fingers. "...or death. Death is good too."

She decided to be unbothered, outstretched comfortably in her seat, and ready to surrender to the uninvited guest- the awaited end. Will she get to taste it? The sweet nothingness- even for a moment before being resurrected back to life?

The feeling, however, never came. What did was Ravyn's voice welcoming whomever it was and another voice entering the room in mirth and then quickly into a panic.

Supposing that neither a nap nor death will come her way, Usami removed her visor- a regrettable decision on her part. The problem was not the room being too damn bright, but it was the fact that Adrian's ax was the first to enter her sight and was about to hack itself into their only rescue. In a stroke of alarm, Usami blindly reached for her walking stick- opting to whack the ax out of his hand- but remembered where its whereabouts were.

Now feeling mildly irritated, both from exhaustion and the current situation, Usami covered her eyes with her forearm. What a mess, she thought. Wake me up when it's over.

coded by weldherwings.

The corners of Usami's lips twitched into a frown once she applied pressure to the wound. It deepened when she registered Adrian's pained expression. At first, she thought she was pressing too hard and would lighten her hold. She could only guess how unpleasant having a wound such as Adrian's would be.

She stepped away from him once he secured her jacket into a makeshift bandage. "Thanks," he said, to which Usami blinked drowsily back at him, "Let's just... rest for a little, then."

"Don't have to tell me twice," she thought as she scooted a chair out from beside him and fell into it with a tired sigh. Usami spared Ravyn a look, checking to see if she was actually eating the food. She nodded her head in satisfaction before resting a hand fell over her eyes, which watered at its ducts with every blink. "A quick nap would be nice," her subconscious hummed lazily.

At the same moment when Usami was slowly falling into a slumber, a bright blue glow thrust through the gaps between her fingers. "...or death. Death is good too."

She decided to be unbothered, outstretched comfortably in her seat, and ready to surrender to the uninvited guest- the awaited end. Will she get to taste it? The sweet nothingness- even for a moment before being resurrected back to life?

The feeling, however, never came. What did was Ravyn's voice welcoming whomever it was and another voice entering the room in mirth and then quickly into a panic.

Supposing that neither a nap nor death will come her way, Usami removed her visor- a regrettable decision on her part. The problem was not the room being too damn bright, but it was the fact that Adrian's ax was the first to enter her sight and was about to hack itself into their only rescue. In a stroke of alarm, Usami blindly reached for her walking stick- opting to whack the ax out of his hand- but remembered where its whereabouts were.

Now feeling mildly irritated, both from exhaustion and the current situation, Usami covered her eyes with her forearm. What a mess, she thought. Wake me up when it's over.

OldTurtle · Aug 12, 2020

Adrian September

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

Adrian squinted into the strange blue light, trying to make out if there were any shapes beyond it. Quickly enough, one such shape emerged from the disc into the room. Muscles coiling tightly, Adrian had already began the motions of throwing the small weapon in his hand when he recognized said shape.

The tall, blond figure was quite easily recognizable as that of Frederika, slightly banged up but entirely whole. As for how she'd arrived, it seemed so obvious now. Kiyoshi, of course. Adrian now remembered the other boy's supernatural ability, his portals. Having only really seen the incredible gates up close once before, Adrian had completely forgotten about their appearance.

But on another note, this was quite good. Given how lightly wounded Frederika was, Adrian was sure that their reinforcements would be enough to finally finish the damn assessment. Well that was only if they -

"- ACH, NEIN, HALT HALT HALT," a loud flurry of German interrupted Adrian's thoughts and drew his attention back to the scene. Mildly alarmed by the exclamation, he searched the room for any sign of danger. Finding none, he adjusted his grip on the axe - oh, right. The axe. The axe that was still held in a position to attack with. Swiftly dropping his arm from its raised position, he nonchalantly hid the bladed weapon behind his back. Schooling his face into an expression of innocent confusion, Adrian looked at Frederika questioningly. "Is something wrong?"

Kill Count: 10

LOCATION: ENTRANCE HALL, MANSION, SIMULATION
INTERACTION:

nios

xXx.lovely.xXx

PixelSymphony
MENTIONS:

vxnilla

Adrian squinted into the strange blue light, trying to make out if there were any shapes beyond it. Quickly enough, one such shape emerged from the disc into the room. Muscles coiling tightly, Adrian had already began the motions of throwing the small weapon in his hand when he recognized said shape.

The tall, blond figure was quite easily recognizable as that of Frederika, slightly banged up but entirely whole. As for how she'd arrived, it seemed so obvious now. Kiyoshi, of course. Adrian now remembered the other boy's supernatural ability, his portals. Having only really seen the incredible gates up close once before, Adrian had completely forgotten about their appearance.

But on another note, this was quite good. Given how lightly wounded Frederika was, Adrian was sure that their reinforcements would be enough to finally finish the damn assessment. Well that was only if they -

"- ACH, NEIN, HALT HALT HALT," a loud flurry of German interrupted Adrian's thoughts and drew his attention back to the scene. Mildly alarmed by the exclamation, he searched the room for any sign of danger. Finding none, he adjusted his grip on the axe - oh, right. The axe. The axe that was still held in a position to attack with. Swiftly dropping his arm from its raised position, he nonchalantly hid the bladed weapon behind his back. Schooling his face into an expression of innocent confusion, Adrian looked at Frederika questioningly. "Is something wrong?"

Kill Count: 10

Nessi · Aug 13, 2020

Hanna Aldrin: Health (critical)

Stamina

Magical Enegry

Location:
Simulated forest Interactions:

vxnilla

"I know you just sat down, but opening a portal underneath us makes the landing... a little jarring. Do you—" Kyoshi paused for a moment, before continuing. " "Do you want me to support you as you stand, or step into the portal?" Kyoshi asked Hanna. She opened her mouth to decline the offer, but as she started to speak, pain bloomed across her chest. She coughed, which made the pain worst, and once her coughing fit was done, looked back at Kyoshi. "If you could help me... that would be much appreciated." Hanna said quietly.

Hanna extended her hand out, and kyoshi pulled her off of the ground, supporting her as they went through the portal, only a few moments after Fredi had went through. Hanna had arrived just in time to hear Fredi yell at Adrian, who swiftly hid an axe behind his back. Hanna took a moment to process the fact that she almost got killed by her own teammate.

Hanna ignored ravyn’s comment, and turned her attention to Adrian. She limped over to him, and placed a uncomfortably warm, almost hot hand on his shoulder. “After this assessment is over, we’re gonna have a nice long talk about friendly fire.” She said quietly. She gave him a very menacing smile before turning her attention towards the group. “To answer Adrian’s wonderful question, yes, as you can see by how busted up I am, something is wrong. We were able to deal with the first big poex with ease, however, their was a second big boy, who seemed to be guard this fridge thing...what do you call it...an incubator! That’s the word-“ Hanna felt a strong sense of pain stretch across her chest.

Hanna set herself on the floor, groaning in pain as she tried to breath. Eventually, the pain subsided, and Hanna decided to keep the rest of the explanation short. “Big poex snacked me into a tree, Kyoshi got weird key for you guys.” She said before curling up into a ball on the floor.

Nano · Aug 13, 2020

Mitra.

Within the solitude of the monitoring room, the only sounds that could be heard were the occasional scratching of graphite against paper and the shouts and murmurs originating from the simulation room’s sound system. The relaxing (?) atmosphere, however, was tragically short-lived. Mitra clapped his notebook shut the moment the thinnest threads of light from the hallway cut through the darkly lit room. By the time he felt a warm weight place itself atop his head, the book was already up and out of sight.

Before Mitra could attempt to give his greetings to the man perched on his head, a slew of words already fell from the man’s lips—none of which the golem could comprehend. The impromptu lecture merely resulted in the brunette remaining silent and blinking slowly in a vain attempt to process Vince’s advice.

“Sweet? Sexy?” Mitra finally said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully, as if he believed that he had misheard something. As social creatures, he understood why humans might do their utmost to endear themselves towards one another. However, he was a golem. His only purpose was to complete the duties set before him. Kikuchi’s presence was not required at present, and he had no business sticking his nose into his coworker’s affairs, so why would he ask him to stay? It would only serve to irritate the man, if not repulse him.

Ignoring whatever Vince was doing by pointing his phone towards his face, Mitra swiveled his chair to face Vince. “Professor Kikuchi appears to be the type who likes his personal space and privacy. You may get along better if you remain mindful of that,” he said. Though his phrasing caused his words to come off as criticism, his tone contained at least a smidgeon of sincerity. It was sound advice, he thought. At least, his relationship with Eiichi wasn’t as sour as unripened grapes.

Turning back to the assessment, Mitra nodded in satisfaction upon spotting Kiyoshi notice and extract the key from the poex’s neck using his portals. Like what Vince mentioned, some of the students were clearly already familiar with how to use their powers. They were resourceful as well. Unfortunately, a handful still only had a rough and rudimentary understanding of their powers, and one even had trouble getting her powers to work for a few moments.

When Vince inquired on his opinion of the mansion team’s members, Mitra held back the urge to first address the professor’s poor taste in poex. Though the students would be forced to face such monsters at some point in their careers, he felt that it was a little harsh to immediately throw such deceptively harmless creatures at the students on their first day. After all, they were particularly vicious despite their small body size, like a chihuahua. Nevertheless, he bit back his words and instead tapped on the screen where Ravyn was displayed

“Naive. Too trusting of potentially unreliable sources,” Mitra said, recalling the manner in which Ravyn had readily accepted the information from the rats without question. Perhaps in Ningen, where animals saw no need to lie, the redhead’s logic wouldn’t be too faulty. However, in Lumen, those who shared her ability to communicate with animals were a dime a dozen. It wouldn’t be surprising for one or two of them to hand over faulty information.

“However,” he continued, “her directions are very clear, and she’s a quick thinker. Her and September’s attitudes seem to be a good influence on Endo’s lack of confidence as well.” Though left unsaid, his words insinuated that he meant that he thought of her as a good leader. After all, no one was willing to place their lives in the hands of a leader who was indecisive and fumbled around with their words.

“As for weapons…” Mitra paused briefly. He wasn’t fond of them, but work was work. “Endo’s powers don’t require her to stand on the front lines and she has a good eye and judgement, so a firearm might suit her well. However, that leg might get in the way if she doesn’t position herself carefully, and a weapon that stations her too far away might hinder her ability to shield the others. Bellanova certainly is not suited for close combat, either. A weapon to defend herself if something comes too close might still be necessary, but focusing on using her powers more efficiently will likely yield better results than weapon training. At least, offensively. September’s case is more simple. A pair of gauntlets better fitted to compliment his power over gravity should do, though he’ll require a lot of training to pack a greater punch.”

Compared to the athletic Frederika, Adrian movements were less practiced. Additionally, though the boy had successfully felled a few poex with an axe, it required him to use his power and weapon separately rather than side-by-side. It was the best option at present given the limits of his powers, but he felt that future development would suit a gauntlet better, as the weapon and powers could be used in tandem.

Nano · Aug 14, 2020

Elise Friedhelm.

Elise felt either sweat or blood trickle down her temple. Tension racked her entire body as she followed Cleo’s every movement. However, before she could lament her inability to provide offensive coverage, the orb in Cleo’s hands grew in intensity like a bright alarm. The moment the girl shouted to take cover, Elise crossed her arms in front of her to materialize and support a barricade barely large enough to cover Jun and her with a spare two feet on each side.

Squinting through the dust that the explosion had kicked up, Elise wildly moved her gaze from right to left to spot where Cleo had fallen. She felt like she had heard a gunshot and a yelp prior to the explosion, causing chills to run down her back.

Please be ok.

Before the dust and unease had completely settled, a guttural roar rattled her bones, and Elise found Cleo nonchalantly staring down a beast. Forcefully swallowing down her nerves, Elise finally took note of the faciete member trapped under the poex’s oversized paw. Right, the faciete. Given that their leader was down and a monster had appeared, there was a high chance that the two remaining members would make their escape if they were smart enough.

Ignoring the sour taste of allowing the scum go, Elise looked at the woman whose hand Cleo had blasted off and then turned towards the leader of the goons. Though she somehow doubted such an ill-organized and hasty group that couldn’t even beat a few students would be too high up in the ranks, their leader would surely have at least some semblance of use. She felt apprehensive about taking her eyes off Cleo while a poex was around, but she was sure that her friend would tell her to give this job precedence regardless.

Lifting Jun’s arm over her shoulders, Elise inwardly cursed at her vertically challenged stature. Though she was stronger than the average human, her augmented physical strength did little to offset the imbalance of having the taller boy’s legs drag on the floor. Inwardly apologizing to Jun, she moved his other arm over her back and hoisted his body over her shoulder like a potato sack.

No one except Cleo will see. I swear, she thought in a vain attempt to comfort herself.

Upon confirming that her path was relatively clear of danger, Elise hobbled over to the winged man with Jun in tow. In a complete difference in courtesy towards the faciete member versus Jun, she quickly bent down and grabbed the man by the ankle.

Though tempted to shout towards Cleo that she had secured the leader, the girl decided against it in the case that the remaining members were loyal enough to come for her the moment they were alerted that their leader was taken prisoner. Instead, she glanced around for what she assumed was the most optimal spot to lie in wait until Professor Kikuchi arrived and roughly dragged the man towards the spot with her. She felt like his head had bumped itself on a few small rocks on the way, but that didn’t matter.

Dawnsx · Aug 15, 2020

!Uldrin and Jacob gawked at the Poex that descended from the sky. Icarus was down too. It was over for them here.

"We've gotta go," Jacob hissed, backing away slowly as the Poex lifted its clawed paws off of Bob. It didn't notice them yet, and this could be the perfect chance for them to escape. "Get Bob, I'll get Peggy and Icarus!"

His partner obliged, carefully weaving around the Poex's legs to peel their comrade from the cratered ground. God, it'd be a miracle if Bob didn't get paralyzed from that. Waving off that thought, Jacob slung Peggy over one shoulder, scrunching his nose in disgust when what was left of her hand swayed limply and bumped against his stomach. He looked around for signs of their leader. The blonde one blasted him out of the sky, and he should've landed... There!

Jacob began to walk towards him, but froze mid-step when he saw the shield girl next to Icarus. She would no doubt cast a barrier over them the moment she sees them coming. He cursed quietly. They didn't have time to try and wrangle Icarus from their grasp, especially not at the risk of attracting the attention of the Poex. Which, speaking of, was starting to grunt and roar in frustration as it struggled to move around in the limited space.

"Hey, what about Icarus?" Uldrin asked with Bob on his back.

"Screw him. He got us into this mess," Jacob spat. "Let's go."

Being right at by the entrance to the yard, the duo quickly slipped back into the alleyway.

---

Eiichi flickered in and out of his pocket space periodically to make sure he was still on the right track to the Second Generation's location. By the time he stepped out for the fourth time, he spotted an ominous sight in the distance.

Just a few streets away, the distinct figure of a bestial Poex tore out of the sky and leapt out of view behind some buildings.

Right. The broken barrier. If the students and the Faciete got engaged in a fight, it'd be no wonder if a Poex or two got attracted by the noise and slipped through the barrier. Eiichi quickly dialed VHA's emergency communications center, feeling a flare of impatience as he waited for the other side to pick up.

"Hello, this is VHA's emergency communications center. Is there something you'd like to report?"

"I'd like to report a break in the barrier over the city, as well as a Poex that managed to slip in. The location is—"

Once he relayed all the necessary information, Eiichi made another call to the Vehemen Academy nurse's office. The staff on duty stammered in surprise upon recognizing his voice, but Eiichi didn't have time for pleasantries. First the Faciete, and now a Poex. As capable as he trusted his students to be, he doubted that they could get out of this situation unscathed.

"I have students with me in need of treatment. Send a healer to—"

All the calls made, Eiichi reentered his pocket space and made haste. If he had to point out one flaw of his ability, it was that he couldn't see what was outside. At what he presumed was the right spot, Eiichi braced himself and stepped out. As luck would have it, he found himself right in the alleyway that led into the abandoned yard. The first thing that he noticed was the tinny voice of the emergency broadcast overhead.

"Emergency Action! A Poex has been spotted in Raevedel Square. Repeat. A Poex has been spotted in XXX. Classification...Level B. Classification...Level B. All nearby civilians, please evacuate the area immediately. All nearby certified hunters, please move to the location immediately. Your assistance is required.”

Eiichi blocked out the irritating noise, gaze sweeping across the area to assess the situation. He saw the familiar head of blonde hair first. With all that blood flowing from her waist, Cleo was looking worse than she did after the Poex fight at Raevedel Square. It took him a moment to spot Elise, concealed in a more inconspicuous spot with a feathered man in tow. The man was covered head to toe by burns, no doubt Cleo's handiwork. Eiichi didn't have time to relish the grim satisfaction he felt towards the man's sorry state, the feeling instead replaced by a pang of worry when he spotted Jun's unconscious form.

Jun was—alive, judging by the determined way Elise guarded him. Eiichi breathed out slowly. Whatever happened to him, the academy's healer would be able to handle it.

First, they had to do something about the Poex. It was thrashing about in the small space, slamming its body into the walls and stomping down towards Cleo with little success.

Not particularly keen on walking past the Poex while it was flailing about, Eiichi stepped into the pocket space and reappeared next to Cleo.

"We should take it out before authorities arrive," Eiichi said lightly. His eye flickered towards the remaining Faciete member. Once VHA personnel arrives, Eiichi won't have the chance to speak to him. They needed to finish this quickly.

vxnilla · Aug 21, 2020

橋本清

hashimoto kiyoshi

location

mansion (dining hall)

tags

Nessi ;

At the time when Kiyoshi made the decision, he'd thought it wise to simply regroup with the Mansion Team whenever they ran across them. He had told himself that the risk of his voice coming over the earpiece to startle Ravyn was too great, especially since he thought they were likely to be currently engaged in combat—but when he went through the portal, careful to take as much of Hanna's weight as she was willing to lean on him, the scene he was greeted with proved him wrong. Clearly, he had made the wrong call.

"ACH, NEIN, HALT HALT HALT—" he heard Frederika yell. He was immediately on high alert, his first instinct being that there was some Poex they needed to apprehended, but as his eyes scanned the room he saw nothing out of place. (Even if the Mansion Team being there did surprise him. He had expected them to be in the middle of the fray, not regrouping.) But—

Ah. The hatchet in Adrian's hand. That would do it.

Hanna pushed away from him to stalk over to Adrian, and Kiyoshi winced, mindful of both her injuries and her hot temper, but making a move too late to stop her. Besides, even in her battered state, he didn't know if his willpower was any match for hers. Sure, he questioned what merits there were to threatening a peer. Surely not more than there were drawbacks. But the blame here, if blame had to be assigned, rested solely on him. How could he chide Hanna when she was rightfully worried for Frederika's safety? Likewise, how could he blame Adrian for being on edge?

"Hanna," he interjected quietly. "It wasn't his fault. I was the one who decided to forego your suggestion to contact them beforehand. Tensions are running high... he was just on edge. Understandably so." He inclined his head in acknowledgement of the appearance of the other boy as well as Ravyn and Usami, all of whom looked a little worse for wear. "As it stands, they had no reason to think we were friendly. The fault lies with me."

She turned to address the group at large afterwards. When she mentioned the key, Kiyoshi uncurled his palm and held it up for the others' inspection, allowing it to catch what little light was in the dim room. "Yes," he agreed, giving Hanna a worried once-over before he turned to the group. Was it wise for her to curl into a ball, with her ribs injured...? Could his judgment even be trusted anymore? "We thought it would be wise to join forces, as it seems our quests aren't wholly separate. And it seems reinforcements wouldn't be unwelcome, considering the number of foes you have."

code by

PixelSymphony · Aug 23, 2020

~Frederika von Eisenhart~
-- A Moment's Rest --

Status: Moderately wounded (facial knife wound, claw wound on torso)
Wearing: Vehemen Academy Gym Uniform, female
Wielding: Worn greataxe, lantern
Carrying: Dagger, winter gloves, tarp
Location: Vehemen Academy, Basement, Virtual Training Room, Initial Assessment Simulation, Mansion, Dining Room

---

Frederika had to bite her lip to keep from chortling at Hanna's barely contained anger, even as she simultaneously held a great deal of sympathy for what Adrian had to be feeling at the moment. As her roommate departed to curl into a fetal position in a convenient corner, Fredi took the moment to approach the dining table, clunking the lantern down atop the wooden tabletop and leaning her axe along side. "Do not fret too mightily Adrian," she said, the very smallest smile creeping upon her face, "Hanna is merely being a touch protective. I hope some day perhaps to maybe convince her to redirect some of that towards herself, as I would very much prefer to have a roommate for more than a week."

Kiyoshi spoke up at this point, and she stood silent at the edge of the table, nodding along with what her team's leader had to say. "Indeed. If we are the cause of this mess, it stands that we have a duty to clean it up. As as it stands, the incubator that Hanna mentioned is impassible for us at the moment; in addition to being guarded by a fiercely destructive Poex, it possesses a four-digit combination lock that we do not possess the keycode for. Given its guardian's capabilities, I highly doubt we would be able to fend it off for long enough to attempt all ten thousand possibilities, and that's not even taking into account the possibility of other deleterious effects on us should be enter too many incorrectly. So as it stands, it is highly likely that much as our path is blocked but resultant in an item which may be of your team's use, we suspect so it goes for you." She surveyed the surrounding area for a moment, then in a slightly less assertive voice, said, "Once we have recuperate, I very much would be interested in learning what our enemy's capabilities are, but for the moment, I believe I am going to check on my roommate, who has taken the lion's share of the wounds we have sustained. Please excuse me."

She made her way over to the corner of the room Hanna had retreated to with measured steps and knelt down beside her, placing a hand upon the other girl's shoulder as she asked with an unusual amount of concern in her voice, "Are you all right, Hanna?"

---

Mention:

vxnilla
Interaction:

OldTurtle ,

Nessi

SilverBlack · Aug 26, 2020

Cleo Donovan // Eiichi Kikuchi
Location: Backyard

Cleo groaned, her whole body ached in pain. There was no longer any excitement in her eyes when she saw the poex popping up. For once, she’s kind of tired of the whole bullshit.

With a hiss, she shifted her body position until she was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Somehow this pose made her feel more comfortable. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Elise carrying Jun like a potato sack and then dragged the chicken man to a safer spot together. She probably recognized that the man may be of some use.

The tiger poex’s mighty roar forced her attention back onto the beast. She inhaled a deep breath and let it out, massaging her own shoulders and taking a moment to evaluate her own body condition.

Meh, probably could fight some more.

Judging from the poex’s size and intensity, it looked simpler to deal with than the one they encountered at Raevedel Square. Especially since its movement was limited in such a small space, even the Poex itself looked agitated as it could not move freely as it would like.

Without Jun, Cleo was pretty much the only offensive-type attacker here. Even when Eiichi came...He’s more so a support-type too. A history teacher that wasn’t really the type for combat. Well, she’s sure with his support, things would still be a lot easier somehow. But that’s not important--he would need to get here in the first place. So, meanwhile…

Raising a sore arm up against the Poex who was stomping towards her, several medium-to-small sized explosion orbs formed from her palm then blasted toward the beast, firing all around its face. The Poex roared and slumped back, raising a paw to defend itself. Its butt slammed into the wall, forcing cracks upon the structure just as the emergency alarm was set off and Eiichi arrived.

"We should take it out before authorities arrive," Eiichi said lightly.

“Yeah, duh,” Cleo replied. She stared at the Poex which had already regained its composure as it stood up firmly. Its eyes mixed with brimming rage as it grind its teeth, revealing its fangs, staring furiously down at Cleo. “Alright, Eiichi, here’s the plan. I couldn’t leap in the sky anymore. Too sore. So what ya gonna do, is that ya gonna bring me to yar pocket space, pop up midair right in front of the beast. Its gonna want to eat us, but when it opens its mouth Imma place just the largest blast I could gather so far into it. Then we gonna sneak back to your pocket space before it explodes. How does that sound?” She suggested in rather the informal tone as she glanced sideway at her professor.

Eiichi peered at Cleo, unimpressed by her attitude but all too used to it to reprimand her. Instead, he gave a sharp nod and grabbed onto her elbow.

“We only have one chance at this,” Eiichi reminded her. The plan wasn’t foolproof, but the best they have with Cleo being the only offensive player here. With the limited space and the lack of proper support, Eiichi doubted he could pull off something like what he did at Raevedel Square if this went wrong.

Cleo nodded, “Worth the risk though.” A smirk promptly formed on her face as she said so. “Now get to it.”

With a small huff, Eiichi brought them both inside his pocket space. Considering the height of the Poex, jumping to its eye level shouldn’t pose much of an issue.

“We’ll jump together on the count of three.” Eiichi said, adjusting his grip on Cleo’s arm to make sure she’d have the maneuverability to aim for the Poex’s mouth. “One, two, three!”

Cleo closed her eyes when she entered the pocket space, though the time passed by so fast that it made it look as if she’d merely blinked. As she opened them again, the gigantic head of the beast was already right in front of them, huge, sharp eyes staring at them, locking them as its prey. Even without Eiichi’s ability to lure the poex’s attention, the fact that they popped up right in front of its face was enough to enrage the poex even more.

She felt Eiichi’s tight grip on her arm, which directed her hand to point directly at the poex. Her gaze sharpened at the beast. Taking in a deep breath, she drew in as much energy as possible from her body as an orb began to form in front of her palm again. The white light it emit grew brighter just as the poex leapt toward them. With a mighty growl, it opened its mouth wide to chomp the duo down. Its fangs closing down on them just as Cleo let go of the orb, shooting it into the mouth of the beast.

Before the Poex can tear them to shreds, Eiichi brought them both back into the safety of his pocket space. Once they landed on the glass-like platforms floating below them, he quietly counted to five before stepping out again, just in time to see the Poex collapse, its head and neck little more than gruesome remains of blood and bones.

“That was easy enough," Cleo said, crossing her arms as she stared at the beast. A couple moments later, its body began to fade, turning into dust that disappeared with the winds. She was exhausted. “I want to leave before we have to deal with the VHA people coming,” her golden orbs looked toward Elise, who’s holding down the chicken man while taking care of Jun’s unconscious body.

“You wanna check him out to see if he has anything valuable on him?” She asked Eiichi.

---
Interacted/Mentioned:

Nano
(Collab post with Dawnsx)

Nano · Aug 26, 2020

Elise Friedhelm.

Professor Kikuchi’s arrival drew out a long-awaited sigh of relief. Just as Elise had expected, the timing of his and Cleo’s usage of their abilities was impeccable, successfully felling the Poex without further complications. The rest of the Faciete members had retreated, but at least they had the leader and the coast was now clear. Due to being distracted, she couldn’t quite catch what Cleo had told Professor Kikuchi, but Elise took Cleo’s staring at the winged man as a sign to rouse the man for questioning.

“Hey,” Elise murmured while shaking the man’s ankle. He had been in close proximity to Cleo when her orb had detonated, but his wounds weren’t as serious as Jun’s. With a little prodding, he should wake up. Perhaps they would even be able to draw out useful information from the man. At least, that was what she had thought.

When the winged man stubbornly remained unresponsive even after wildly shaking his leg a few more times, Elise huffed in frustration. In the past, she had considered patience to be one of her greatest virtues. However, after two years in Vehemen, she found her fuse growing ever shorter for the VHA and especially the Faciete. Still, her timid nature only prompted her to look back uncertainly at Cleo and Professor Kikuchi before continuing in her attempts to rouse the chicken man with her gentle methods. However, when she gently placed Jun down on the floor and propped the man up to give his face a rough pat, she noticed the corner of his left eye twitch ever so slightly.

Was this man feigning sleep?

For a brief moment, Elise considered giving the man a good slap to the face. Since he was already banged up and dirty from the fight against Cleo as well as when Elise herself had dragged him across the floor, she was sure the VHA wouldn’t question a few extra marks here and there. In the end, figuring that such a weak threat would result in nothing, she found her gaze turning towards those white wings of his. It was an evil thought, but she was sure she’d be forgiven as long as she didn’t actually carry out the action.

Without further hesitation, Elise dove her hand into the fluffy plumage and grabbed a fistful of feathers. She jumped at the resultant yelp and loud swearing, nearly plucking a sizable bald spot on the man’s wings. Though her surprise drove her to feel an instinctive spot of remorse for how she had almost disfigured someone, the reminder that the man was an enemy allowed her to remain somewhat firm. In hopes that it would deter him from running away, she quickly wrestled and secured the man’s arms behind his back..

“I-I’ll umm…” Elise stuttered while fumbling for the right words, “Don’t move. And answer our questions...or you can say goodbye to your wings.” Yet as soon as that was said, the girl remained silent. As someone ill-suited for interrogations, it came as no surprise that she had no clue as to what questions they should be asking. Instead, she forcefully turned the man to face Cleo and Professor Kikuchi. As for her role, she mentally prepared herself to form a wall should the man pull free from her grasp.

xXx.lovely.xXx · Aug 27, 2020

Ravyn

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

don't worry, i'm screaming on the inside

Ravyn rested her head on the chair leg and watched the drama unfold out from one eye. Adrian being smexy with an axe, Hanna being hot in multiple ways... As Ravyn thought, she decided that hey, if she dies here, at least she'll die being surrounded by really, really, really attractive people. Maybe that was the brain-rattling headache talking, but it was a fact that all the Otherworlders, to her at least, were not difficult to look at. Stupid dumb flirty brain.

Her gaze loosely followed Hanna as she curled up in a corner. Mood. Ravyn then turned her attention to Kiyoshi and Frederika as they gave their respective speeches. She opened both eyes this time to listen to Frederika as she spoke, especially after hearing 'if we made the mess, we should clean it up'. Once they were done, the redhead sat up a little straighter. So, they had gained a key and powerful allies. Cool, but now what?

As Frederika made her way over to Hanna and checked to see if she was ok, Ravyn picked up on the heavy hint of concern in the German girl's voice. Hmm... Did she ship it already? Maybe...

"Alrighty, well thanks for your help, although we could have used it better thirty seconds ago..." Ravyn half muttered the second half of her statement. "We haven't really checked out the room yet, so feel free to do that if you want. I would join you, but it feels like my head is about to explode, so I'm not really in the mood to move."

Ravyn looked around the room once more, and her bright green eyes locked onto the storage room door. Maybe she should go and check it out. Or Usami could. The girl could even find another makeshift walking stick. The redhead shifted slightly so she could cradle her swollen wrist and winced- another reason she didn't want to get up. It was probably broken.

Well isn't this just swell... Ravyn thought with satire. After her small moment of pessimism, Ravyn turned to Usami.

"Hey, do you wanna go check out the storage closet? You might be able to find a new staff in there. Or walking stick, but staff sounds cooler." The redhead offered her a small smile. Surely they were almost finished. It seemed like this simulation had been lasting for months...

Poex kill count: 1

c o d e b y t r i p l e s

Ravyn rested her head on the chair leg and watched the drama unfold out from one eye. Adrian being smexy with an axe, Hanna being hot in multiple ways... As Ravyn thought, she decided that hey, if she dies here, at least she'll die being surrounded by really, really, really attractive people. Maybe that was the brain-rattling headache talking, but it was a fact that all the Otherworlders, to her at least, were not difficult to look at. Stupid dumb flirty brain.

Her gaze loosely followed Hanna as she curled up in a corner. Mood. Ravyn then turned her attention to Kiyoshi and Frederika as they gave their respective speeches. She opened both eyes this time to listen to Frederika as she spoke, especially after hearing 'if we made the mess, we should clean it up'. Once they were done, the redhead sat up a little straighter. So, they had gained a key and powerful allies. Cool, but now what?

As Frederika made her way over to Hanna and checked to see if she was ok, Ravyn picked up on the heavy hint of concern in the German girl's voice. Hmm... Did she ship it already? Maybe...

"Alrighty, well thanks for your help, although we could have used it better thirty seconds ago..." Ravyn half muttered the second half of her statement. "We haven't really checked out the room yet, so feel free to do that if you want. I would join you, but it feels like my head is about to explode, so I'm not really in the mood to move."

Ravyn looked around the room once more, and her bright green eyes locked onto the storage room door. Maybe she should go and check it out. Or Usami could. The girl could even find another makeshift walking stick. The redhead shifted slightly so she could cradle her swollen wrist and winced- another reason she didn't want to get up. It was probably broken.

Well isn't this just swell... Ravyn thought with satire. After her small moment of pessimism, Ravyn turned to Usami.

"Hey, do you wanna go check out the storage closet? You might be able to find a new staff in there. Or walking stick, but staff sounds cooler." The redhead offered her a small smile. Surely they were almost finished. It seemed like this simulation had been lasting for months...

Poex kill count: 1

OldTurtle · Sep 3, 2020

Adrian September

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

As the final two members of their group emerged from Kiyoshi's portal, it was rapidly becoming clear that Adrian's facade of innocence was nowhere near as convincing as he'd hoped it would be. Regardless, he'd already committed and there was no backing out now. Adrian kicked the innocence up to eleven as Hanna, who somehow seemed to be in even worse shape than anyone else, pressed a hand against his (uninjured, thankfully) shoulder and spat out some very, very thinly veiled threats. Adrian forced down an involuntary twitch and managed to maintain his composure. The golden rule of life: when in trouble, deny, deny, deny. Thankfully, Kiyoshi came to the rescue with soothing words and soon enough, Hanna turned away, hopefully permanently losing interest in this topic.

“To answer Adrian’s wonderful question, yes, as you can see by how busted up I am, something is wrong," Hanna addressed everyone. "We were able to deal with the first big Poex with ease, however, their was a second big boy, who seemed to be guard this fridge thing...what do you call it...an incubator! That’s the word-“ The heavily-injured girl cut herself off with a pained groan and lowered herself to the ground, clearly struggling to breathe. After a few moments, she seemed to have recovered enough to finish speaking, albeit with much less verbosity. "Big Poex snacked me into a tree, Kyoshi got weird key for you guys.”

After taking the opportunity to place his axe on the table and slide it out of reach surreptitiously, Adrian cast a quick, pitying glance at Hanna as she curled up tightly into a ball, a strange choice given the nature of her injuries. Turning to examine the key Kiyoshi presented, Adrian frowned. Well, wasn't this a conundrum. If there were multiple keys, then there had to be multiple locks. In turn, that likely meant that there were multiple locations they had to go to. Disappointingly, it seemed that the assessment wasn't going to end anytime soon.

Unaware of his surroundings, Adrian started in surprise as Frederika set her lamp down loudly on the table. "Do not fret too mightily Adrian," she reassured. "Hanna is merely being a touch protective. I hope some day perhaps to maybe convince her to redirect some of that towards herself, as I would very much prefer to have a roommate for more than a week." Something that might've been a smile when viewed under a microscope tugged at the edges of her lips. Adrian blinked at her silently. It was... surprising. Clearly, the tall blonde had grown attached to her roommate. Despite himself, Adrian felt a minuscule pang of jealousy somewhere deep within. It was admirable to see how strong a bond the two had developed after what was at most a single day.

"We thought it would be wise to join forces, as it seems our quests aren't wholly separate," Kiyoshi began, drawing Adrian's attention back to the others. "And it seems reinforcements wouldn't be unwelcome, considering the number of foes you have."

"Indee," Frederika continued on the heels of Kiyoshi. "If we are the cause of this mess, it stands that we have a duty to clean it up. As as it stands, the incubator that Hanna mentioned is impassible for us at the moment; in addition to being guarded by a fiercely destructive Poex, it possesses a four-digit combination lock that we do not possess the key code for. Given its guardian's capabilities, I highly doubt we would be able to fend it off for long enough to attempt all ten thousand possibilities, and that's not even taking into account the possibility of other deleterious effects on us should be enter too many incorrectly. So as it stands, it is highly likely that much as our path is blocked but resultant in an item which may be of your team's use, we suspect so it goes for you." She paused for a brief moment, surveying the occupants of the large dining room. "Once we have recuperate, I very much would be interested in learning what our enemy's capabilities are, but for the moment, I believe I am going to check on my roommate, who has taken the lion's share of the wounds we have sustained. Please excuse me."

"Alrighty, well thanks for your help, although we could have used it better thirty seconds ago... We haven't really checked out the room yet, so feel free to do that if you want," Ravyn instructed, injured and still seating on the floor. "I would join you, but it feels like my head is about to explode, so I'm not really in the mood to move."

Adrian yawned as he slumped back in his seat, draping his usable limbs along the piece of furniture. So the two tasks had never really been separate. Not much of a surprise given that the simulation was meant to assess their teamwork, but annoying nonetheless. Well, no point in overthinking it, right? That was a job Adrian was more than happy to let others complete. Instead, Adrian prodded his left shoulder gingerly. The makeshift bandage made form Usami's jacket was proving to be successful in stemming the bleeding, but who knew how long that would last? In addition, that strange numbness throughout the affected arm had yet to fade. By now, he was sure it was unnatural. Was it the bite, then? Had the Poex been armed with some sort of venom? Slumping down even further into his seat, Adrian sighed morosely. That was going to be yet another pain to deal with. Hopefully, the minor paralysis was the most that was going to happen. The external wound on its own was already enough of an issue; Adrian didn't want to think about what might be happening on the inside.

Slowly, Adrian rose from his seat. No point in worrying about it. Might as well go ahead and do what Ravyn recommended. Now that there was no impending threat of a Poex incursion and the various wounds were either being treated or had already been treated, Adrian finally took the time to examine the room better. A second, more thorough examination provided little more information than the first cursory one. Instead, the main objects of interest were the pair of doors on the far side of the dining room. Grumbling the entire way, Adrian shuffled over to them. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the one on the left, where there was a rather familiar piece of parchment attached. Yet another note, he realized upon a closer look. The same handwriting and the same recipient. This note was, however, much shorter than the first and read more as a warning than instructions.

Well, this surely meant they were on the right path, right? And yet, why was there a note here, in the dining room on the first floor, when the previous one had pointed them towards the second floor? Adrian didn't like it. It was quite possible that there were even more clues that would be missed if the Otherworlders didn't search every room, a task that was all but impossible with those packs of Poex on their heels. Pushing away his doubts for a short while, Adrian reached for the door. Cracking it open just a sliver, he peered into the storage room. His line of sight was severely limited by the door and made worse by the lack of lighting, but at the very least, there appeared to be no Poex lying in wait. But it wouldn't hurt to be careful, especially given what had happened the last time he'd assumed an area was safe.

"I think there's something we should check out," Adrian called back to the others, raising a hand and motioning them to approach. "Look at this."

Kill Count: 10

LOCATION: DINING ROOM, MANSION, SIMULATION
INTERACTION:

Nessi
MENTIONS: N/A

As the final two members of their group emerged from Kiyoshi's portal, it was rapidly becoming clear that Adrian's facade of innocence was nowhere near as convincing as he'd hoped it would be. Regardless, he'd already committed and there was no backing out now. Adrian kicked the innocence up to eleven as Hanna, who somehow seemed to be in even worse shape than anyone else, pressed a hand against his (uninjured, thankfully) shoulder and spat out some very, very thinly veiled threats. Adrian forced down an involuntary twitch and managed to maintain his composure. The golden rule of life: when in trouble, deny, deny, deny. Thankfully, Kiyoshi came to the rescue with soothing words and soon enough, Hanna turned away, hopefully permanently losing interest in this topic.

“To answer Adrian’s wonderful question, yes, as you can see by how busted up I am, something is wrong," Hanna addressed everyone. "We were able to deal with the first big Poex with ease, however, their was a second big boy, who seemed to be guard this fridge thing...what do you call it...an incubator! That’s the word-“ The heavily-injured girl cut herself off with a pained groan and lowered herself to the ground, clearly struggling to breathe. After a few moments, she seemed to have recovered enough to finish speaking, albeit with much less verbosity. "Big Poex snacked me into a tree, Kyoshi got weird key for you guys.”

After taking the opportunity to place his axe on the table and slide it out of reach surreptitiously, Adrian cast a quick, pitying glance at Hanna as she curled up tightly into a ball, a strange choice given the nature of her injuries. Turning to examine the key Kiyoshi presented, Adrian frowned. Well, wasn't this a conundrum. If there were multiple keys, then there had to be multiple locks. In turn, that likely meant that there were multiple locations they had to go to. Disappointingly, it seemed that the assessment wasn't going to end anytime soon.

Unaware of his surroundings, Adrian started in surprise as Frederika set her lamp down loudly on the table. "Do not fret too mightily Adrian," she reassured. "Hanna is merely being a touch protective. I hope some day perhaps to maybe convince her to redirect some of that towards herself, as I would very much prefer to have a roommate for more than a week." Something that might've been a smile when viewed under a microscope tugged at the edges of her lips. Adrian blinked at her silently. It was... surprising. Clearly, the tall blonde had grown attached to her roommate. Despite himself, Adrian felt a minuscule pang of jealousy somewhere deep within. It was admirable to see how strong a bond the two had developed after what was at most a single day.

"We thought it would be wise to join forces, as it seems our quests aren't wholly separate," Kiyoshi began, drawing Adrian's attention back to the others. "And it seems reinforcements wouldn't be unwelcome, considering the number of foes you have."

"Indee," Frederika continued on the heels of Kiyoshi. "If we are the cause of this mess, it stands that we have a duty to clean it up. As as it stands, the incubator that Hanna mentioned is impassible for us at the moment; in addition to being guarded by a fiercely destructive Poex, it possesses a four-digit combination lock that we do not possess the key code for. Given its guardian's capabilities, I highly doubt we would be able to fend it off for long enough to attempt all ten thousand possibilities, and that's not even taking into account the possibility of other deleterious effects on us should be enter too many incorrectly. So as it stands, it is highly likely that much as our path is blocked but resultant in an item which may be of your team's use, we suspect so it goes for you." She paused for a brief moment, surveying the occupants of the large dining room. "Once we have recuperate, I very much would be interested in learning what our enemy's capabilities are, but for the moment, I believe I am going to check on my roommate, who has taken the lion's share of the wounds we have sustained. Please excuse me."

"Alrighty, well thanks for your help, although we could have used it better thirty seconds ago... We haven't really checked out the room yet, so feel free to do that if you want," Ravyn instructed, injured and still seating on the floor. "I would join you, but it feels like my head is about to explode, so I'm not really in the mood to move."

Adrian yawned as he slumped back in his seat, draping his usable limbs along the piece of furniture. So the two tasks had never really been separate. Not much of a surprise given that the simulation was meant to assess their teamwork, but annoying nonetheless. Well, no point in overthinking it, right? That was a job Adrian was more than happy to let others complete. Instead, Adrian prodded his left shoulder gingerly. The makeshift bandage made form Usami's jacket was proving to be successful in stemming the bleeding, but who knew how long that would last? In addition, that strange numbness throughout the affected arm had yet to fade. By now, he was sure it was unnatural. Was it the bite, then? Had the Poex been armed with some sort of venom? Slumping down even further into his seat, Adrian sighed morosely. That was going to be yet another pain to deal with. Hopefully, the minor paralysis was the most that was going to happen. The external wound on its own was already enough of an issue; Adrian didn't want to think about what might be happening on the inside.

Slowly, Adrian rose from his seat. No point in worrying about it. Might as well go ahead and do what Ravyn recommended. Now that there was no impending threat of a Poex incursion and the various wounds were either being treated or had already been treated, Adrian finally took the time to examine the room better. A second, more thorough examination provided little more information than the first cursory one. Instead, the main objects of interest were the pair of doors on the far side of the dining room. Grumbling the entire way, Adrian shuffled over to them. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the one on the left, where there was a rather familiar piece of parchment attached. Yet another note, he realized upon a closer look. The same handwriting and the same recipient. This note was, however, much shorter than the first and read more as a warning than instructions.

Well, this surely meant they were on the right path, right? And yet, why was there a note here, in the dining room on the first floor, when the previous one had pointed them towards the second floor? Adrian didn't like it. It was quite possible that there were even more clues that would be missed if the Otherworlders didn't search every room, a task that was all but impossible with those packs of Poex on their heels. Pushing away his doubts for a short while, Adrian reached for the door. Cracking it open just a sliver, he peered into the storage room. His line of sight was severely limited by the door and made worse by the lack of lighting, but at the very least, there appeared to be no Poex lying in wait. But it wouldn't hurt to be careful, especially given what had happened the last time he'd assumed an area was safe.

"I think there's something we should check out," Adrian called back to the others, raising a hand and motioning them to approach. "Look at this."

Kill Count: 10

nios · Sep 3, 2020

Endo Usami: Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

Ammunition

role: third generation
location: mansion, simulation
mood: just want a nap
mentions: forest team ganggang and adrian
interactions:

xXx.lovely.xXx

The underlying threat in Hanna's voice along with hints of agony brought Usami displeasure, sympathy, and then pity for the male beside her. Usami opted to keep her eyes shielded with her hand- not wishing to see what was going on between the two. It would be best to avoid crossing paths with Hanna, the logical side of her brain wisely suggested. Her attitude matched with that of a wild flame and Usami wished to live peacefully without being scorched alive.

There was no doubt the roar from a while ago was linked to the-said larger Poex Hanna briefly shared with the temporarily handicapped trio. Unless there was something else lurking within those trees that the novice group had not yet discovered? What would have happened if she had gone with them into the forest? Conditions far worse than what she is currently experiencing, her subconscious answered for her. That was the only answer she needed to avoid her imagination from wandering into places it shouldn't be.

What a drag...

Usami promptly sat in silence with half-hearted attentiveness through Frederika and Kiyoshi's rundown of their part of the mission. However, being the sloth she was, she couldn't help but doze on and off in her seat. Her ears could only pick out a few words and phrases along the lines of "incubator", " a key and missing keycode", "joining forces", and "recuperate".

Recuperate... That was a word Usami liked and could not object to. It automatically translated to "nap" and perhaps if she slept heavily enough, the others would carry on without her. What use would the dead weight such as herself be anyway?

With a mental shrug, Usami attempted to nestle further into her seat. They'll deal with the list of problems later on... As the wise German female said, it is time to take a nap.

"Hey," Ravyn's voice cut in as Usami had just about found a comfortable position, "do you wanna go check out the storage closet? You might be able to find a new staff in there. Or walking stick, but staff sounds cooler."

Resist. You heard no one just now, her sloth of a conscious persuaded. The dark-haired girl, though extremely tempted to fall into a slumber, lifted the digits covering one of her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, but she did her best to lay a glance at Ravyn.

What would be the odds of finding a new... staff as Ravyn preferred to call it... in there? The urge to decline was crawling up her throat- her body as heavy as lead at this point. Surely, there could be someone else to check, but out of the three, Ravyn's condition was out of the question. The way she cradled her wrist and the headache she spoke of caused Usami to swallow her laziness back down to its cage. She peeled herself off of her seat just as Adrian was, but she could only get herself to sit up.

Usami rubbed at her eyes, thinking it would help clear her vision a little. It did not. She sat there, blinking and squinting at the wall until she could make out something. This is the best she could do, she figured.

"I think there's something we should check out," she heard the dark-haired male say. "Look at this."

Usami's limbs had just about regained blood flow as Adrian advanced through one of the doors. She could still make out his body and she became aware of how he didn't seem to have trouble moving about. Was there not enough Poex venom to spread throughout the entire body? Not that Usami wanted that to happen. She was merely curious about how big of dosage would knock them out. It took a moment for her to finally got onto her feet, as she did so in a sluggish fashion. Not far she spotted what appeared to be Hanna in a fetal position and then her team members standing by. She had to acknowledge their state- not entirely as bad as the rest of them.

The dark-haired girl trudged around the long table while holding at its edge for some bearing. She kept it up until she was near the same doorway as the male counterpart with a cloth coiled around his shoulder. She leaned her body against the wall, not sure if she was waiting for an all-clear signal or an attack.

coded by weldherwings.

The underlying threat in Hanna's voice along with hints of agony brought Usami displeasure, sympathy, and then pity for the male beside her. Usami opted to keep her eyes shielded with her hand- not wishing to see what was going on between the two. It would be best to avoid crossing paths with Hanna, the logical side of her brain wisely suggested. Her attitude matched with that of a wild flame and Usami wished to live peacefully without being scorched alive.

There was no doubt the roar from a while ago was linked to the-said larger Poex Hanna briefly shared with the temporarily handicapped trio. Unless there was something else lurking within those trees that the novice group had not yet discovered? What would have happened if she had gone with them into the forest? Conditions far worse than what she is currently experiencing, her subconscious answered for her. That was the only answer she needed to avoid her imagination from wandering into places it shouldn't be.

What a drag...

Usami promptly sat in silence with half-hearted attentiveness through Frederika and Kiyoshi's rundown of their part of the mission. However, being the sloth she was, she couldn't help but doze on and off in her seat. Her ears could only pick out a few words and phrases along the lines of "incubator", " a key and missing keycode", "joining forces", and "recuperate".

Recuperate... That was a word Usami liked and could not object to. It automatically translated to "nap" and perhaps if she slept heavily enough, the others would carry on without her. What use would the dead weight such as herself be anyway?

With a mental shrug, Usami attempted to nestle further into her seat. They'll deal with the list of problems later on... As the wise German female said, it is time to take a nap.

"Hey," Ravyn's voice cut in as Usami had just about found a comfortable position, "do you wanna go check out the storage closet? You might be able to find a new staff in there. Or walking stick, but staff sounds cooler."

Resist. You heard no one just now, her sloth of a conscious persuaded. The dark-haired girl, though extremely tempted to fall into a slumber, lifted the digits covering one of her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, but she did her best to lay a glance at Ravyn.

What would be the odds of finding a new... staff as Ravyn preferred to call it... in there? The urge to decline was crawling up her throat- her body as heavy as lead at this point. Surely, there could be someone else to check, but out of the three, Ravyn's condition was out of the question. The way she cradled her wrist and the headache she spoke of caused Usami to swallow her laziness back down to its cage. She peeled herself off of her seat just as Adrian was, but she could only get herself to sit up.

Usami rubbed at her eyes, thinking it would help clear her vision a little. It did not. She sat there, blinking and squinting at the wall until she could make out something. This is the best she could do, she figured.

"I think there's something we should check out," she heard the dark-haired male say. "Look at this."

Usami's limbs had just about regained blood flow as Adrian advanced through one of the doors. She could still make out his body and she became aware of how he didn't seem to have trouble moving about. Was there not enough Poex venom to spread throughout the entire body? Not that Usami wanted that to happen. She was merely curious about how big of dosage would knock them out. It took a moment for her to finally got onto her feet, as she did so in a sluggish fashion. Not far she spotted what appeared to be Hanna in a fetal position and then her team members standing by. She had to acknowledge their state- not entirely as bad as the rest of them.

The dark-haired girl trudged around the long table while holding at its edge for some bearing. She kept it up until she was near the same doorway as the male counterpart with a cloth coiled around his shoulder. She leaned her body against the wall, not sure if she was waiting for an all-clear signal or an attack.

Nessi · Sep 9, 2020

Hanna Aldrin: Health (critical)

Stamina

Magical Enegry

Location:
Simulated forest Interactions:

vxnilla

"Do not fret too mightily Adrian, Hanna is merely being a touch protective. I hope some day perhaps to maybe convince her to redirect some of that towards herself, as I would very much prefer to have a roommate for more than a week."

"wait, what?" Hanna thought to herself. Fred was reading her like they had been friends for years. Could she read her mind or something? Hanna hoped that she couldn't, because if that was the case, then some unholy thoughts would have been exposed. Hanna lifted her head, and watched as Fred made her way over to her.

"Are you all right, Hanna?"

Hanna got a little blush on her face, but quickly banished the sinister thoughts in her mind. "I'll live, hopefully," Hanna started. She then moved her hand, and patted the space next to her, "Come and join me on the floor, it's super comfortable." Hanna said sarcastically. In truth, she just wanted to be close to Fred since she could trust her to not throw an axe at her. Plus she could get to know her roommate better.

"So, did you play any sports back home? I played basketball, was pretty damn good at it. Even got this jersey that said "Hanna thee Almighty"....Yeah that was pretty cool." She said with a small smile. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she actually came to Lumen, but in reality it had only been a day. Man,Hanna was ready to call it quits.

xXx.lovely.xXx · Sep 10, 2020

Ravyn

Health

Stamina

Magical Energy

don't worry, i'm screaming on the inside

"I think there's something we should check out. Look at this," the dark-haired hottie called out to the rest of the group.

Wait, Ravyn thought to herself. There are two dark-haired hotties on this team? No. Adrian's a hottie and Usami is a cutie. There's a difference. Get your head in the game Ravyn!

The telekinetic was tempted just to stay there. Hottie-- Adrian and Usami should have it under control... but it might be beneficial to go check it out. Ravyn opened her eyes a smidgen and peered out at Adrian. Huh, he was looking pretty ok for being bit by one of the tiny demon Poex. That was good.

Ravyn let out what could be described as a dying pterodactyl screech/groan as she peeled herself up from the ground. Her head swam and vision blurred when she stood, and the redhead had to steady herself on a table.

"What would I give for an ibuprofen..." Ravyn muttered under her breath as she rubbed her temples. But now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. She made her way to the storage closet. She noticed Usami's sneaky ninja wall hidey thing (only the most technical terms) and tried to figure out what she was doing. Was there a threat in the closet...? Ravyn had a feeling this whole assessment just had them on edge. She peered around Adrian's arm being too short to look over his shoulder. What the--

It was a normal closet? Aside from the hole in the ground and the... clock? 0/50?

"The heck...? What's that supposed to mean?"

Poex kill count: 1

c o d e b y t r i p l e s

"I think there's something we should check out. Look at this," the dark-haired hottie called out to the rest of the group.

Wait, Ravyn thought to herself. There are two dark-haired hotties on this team? No. Adrian's a hottie and Usami is a cutie. There's a difference. Get your head in the game Ravyn!

The telekinetic was tempted just to stay there. Hottie-- Adrian and Usami should have it under control... but it might be beneficial to go check it out. Ravyn opened her eyes a smidgen and peered out at Adrian. Huh, he was looking pretty ok for being bit by one of the tiny demon Poex. That was good. Ravyn let out what could be described as a dying pterodactyl screech/groan as she peeled herself up from the ground. Her head swam and vision blurred when she stood, and the redhead had to steady herself on a table.

"What would I give for an ibuprofen..." Ravyn muttered under her breath as she rubbed her temples. But now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. She made her way to the storage closet. She noticed Usami's sneaky ninja wall hidey thing (only the most technical terms) and tried to figure out what she was doing. Was there a threat in the closet...? Ravyn had a feeling this whole assessment just had them on edge. She peered around Adrian's arm being too short to look over his shoulder. What the--

It was a normal closet? Aside from the hole in the ground and the... clock? 0/50?

"The heck...? What's that supposed to mean?"

Poex kill count: 1

@ everyone I guess

Dawnsx · Sep 16, 2020

As the Poex began to disintegrate, Eiichi looked towards Elise and the winged Faciete member. The man had woken up at some point, and Elise already had him safely secured. Too injured to put up any real resistance, the man could only struggle weakly against her hold.

"Let go, you fucking brat! I'm gonna-" the man began, but paused when Eiichi strode up to them. Eyes narrowing, he spat out, "Eiichi Kikuchi, huh? Came here to finish me off?"

"I have some questions for you," Eiichi said, though a shadow of doubt grew in his mind. Despite finding this to be a golden opportunity to get information when Cleo first called about the attack, he wasn't hopeful about getting anything useful out of this man. Their attack had been too sloppy, and the members' abilities left something to be desired. The fact that they turned-tailed the moment the Poex appeared also revealed poor planning. They simply weren't to the standards of what he would expect from the Faciete.

Predictably, the man scoffed.

"I'm not telling you anything. You're just another one of Vehemen's fuckin' dogs."

Eiichi stared unblinkingly at him and slowly knelt to his eye level.

"I'm not above hurting you to get what I need," he warned lowly, ignoring the irritating feeling that Cleo would call his words cliched. Interrogation methods weren't a requirement for Hunters. It was all he could do to intimidate the man.

Thankfully, his words seemed to have an effect on him. His eyes widened a fraction and the corners of his mouth grew tight.

"So what? You're gonna torture me? What's it gonna look like to- to the authorities? To the public, huh? One of Vehemen's Hunter torturing a man for information?" he shot back, a quiver in his voice.

"If you know who I am, then you should also know what my ability is," Eiichi said dryly.

"You're gonna hide me? I- My allies are gonna find out! Y-you're gonna get-"

"Your allies left you to die," Eiichi interjected coldly. He looked towards the alley, then around at the empty field. "No cameras, and no one else who witnessed the fight here. As far as I know, no one reported Faciete presence here, only the Poex. No one knows you were ever here, except your so-called allies who couldn't care less about whether you live or die. If I take you with me, no one would know, and I would have plenty of time to make you speak."

Color drained from the man's face, and he'd gone still in Elise's hold. Good.

"What do you know about the Fangen Tragedy?" Eiichi demanded.

"T-the... The Fangen...? I- I don't know. Just- that kid, Rei Fey went crazy and- and got a bunch of the academy's students and teachers killed or somethin'."

"Everyone knows that," Eiichi scowled. He pursed his lips, and after a brief moment of hesitation, grabbed a handful of the man's hair and pulled. He yelped, eyes watering. "What happened to Rei Fey? Did the Faciete have contact with him?"

"N-no! I mean, I don't know! I just- I just know that the Faciete's always been interested in those brats! I don't know anything else! I'm no one important, just let me go!" the man babbled, voice growing a pitch higher with each word.

Eiichi frowned. That wasn't surprising, but being let down when he held on to a bit of hope still stung. He released the man's hair and moved his hand down to give his body a pat down. The man flinched and stiffened, but didn't resist. Pants pockets, empty. Nothing inside his shirt... Eiichi unzipped one of the pockets of his jacket. He reached in and-

He paused at the feel of parchment before pulling it out. It was a crinkled envelope, already opened but with the letter still inside.

"What's this?"

"A-an invitation," the man stammered out. Eiichi opened his mouth, but was interrupted by sirens from the distance and voices coming towards them. Time was up, then. He sighed. The man wasn't much use to them after all.

"Hand him over to the authorities, and we'll return with Jun," Eiichi said to Elise and Cleo.

He pocketed the envelope, its unknown contents and the man's words a heavy weight on his mind.

An invitation.