[B][I]GM Post[/i][/b]

"I'm all right," was Ascot's answer to Jonathan's question. He knew what the man thought of him, and, well, part of it was true. While Ascot was a good fighter, his emotional and psychological blocks, well, those were something he held on to, for fear that his great power would corrupt him otherwise. He was certain of this, that his emotional and psychological blocks were what prevented him from being corrupted...

After the group repaired most of the Public Market, clearing away the bodies, Ascot used further Law-Based enchantments - this time, in cooperation with other Law Magic users - to suppress the Shadowland further, so that its transformation back to a Desmene would not be interrupted. Even with magic and technology, the repairs took most of the day, meaning that, in the end, Ascot and the others, now tired, had to go back to the [i]Alfred Nobel[/i].

The next day, the group went to the beach...in order to clean up trash and the like that tourists left; it built character. Then, once they've cleaned up the beach, they changed to swim clothes and, well, had fun. It was to be noticed, though, that even when playing in the water, Ascot made sure to keep his shirt on, which was unusual behavior, as well as impractical.

After that, the group stayed in Baler City for a week, helping people, having fun, buying souvenirs, and, of course, helping people more by doing what, in a videogame, would be termed 'sidequests'. They repaired cars and buildings, they drove out mischevious Nature and City Spirits, they grew trees, and they helped people cross the streets. Of course, a few, mostly older people, resented them as busybodies, but they did no more than grumble.

Either way, new orders came from on high, saying that the group, should now move on; the Alfred Nobel is staying in Baler, but the team themselves were going, by truck, to Aurora Province proper, in order to help in refeorestation projects. Basically, their mission had shifted from 'being bait for terrorists' and 'repairing the mess-ups that occur', to generic 'create new forests'.

A bit boring, but necessary, because the Philippines was a nation known for losing most of its forest cover in the 20th and early 21st centuries, to the point where only 7% of its forests remained standing. While programs before the Coming of Magic had helped remedy this, the Philippine Government felt that more needed to be done. So, when the group arrived at their destination, Ascot brought out the contents of the truck...

...Instant Seeds and Seedlings. The Instant Seeds were for those who wanted to grow trees quickly, the Seedlings were for those who wanted to do things 'the old-fashioned way', as well as to avert mistakes that came with growing trees too quickly, such as growing them in the wrong place, which would result in having to cut them down, something no MPC member wanted.

"Gods," spoke Leslie, one of the MPC members, "finally, no fighting, just planting trees in peace." Ibrahim, her companion, smiled happily as he began designating planting areas for the Instant Seeds and Seedlings. His mathematical mind complimented Leslie's caring nature (of course, said caring nature went unexpressed due to her disagreements with the direction that the MPC was going).

"That might not be the case," replied Ibrahim. "Sorry to rain on your parade, but, well, there are rumors that the Yakuza have been spotted as far as this place. And, you know what happenes when our leader catches whiff of Organized Crime." Ibrahim was already forming...suspicions about Ascot and his past, suspcions that Leslie was forming too, and the woman responded:

"That boy, he was formerly a child soldier for...someone, I'm sure of it. You can see it in his eyes, his body language, and his training. I'm saying this where people could hear, because, well, what's the worst they can do? Kill us?" Leslie's face then turned sad, her caring nature actually asserting itself for once. "The kid should be in therapy; he needs help." And with that, the two went off to plant trees.

Ascot, meanwhile, was sad that he had to leave Amelia behind on the Alfred Nobel to talk to literal ghosts, but, that was also a necessary part of the job. He was also sad about...other things, and it showed on his face for a brief second, before he went to work, Jonathan, Myriad and Co, Hibiscus and Danny with him. A ragtag, unorthodox bunch of misfits, they all were, and it showed.