Much like the previous guardian of the Cloud, Akira is a cold, silent man with a tendency to stay isolated and away from groups of people. But it's not necessarily due to a hatred for being around others, but more because he prefers to train his mind with investigating mysteries in peace. He may act cold and insensitive around others, but beneath the icey exterior is a kind and loyal man of the people. When someone needs his help for whatever reason, he would be quick to try and solve their problems without much resistance. He would often point out that he usually requires payment for these actions, but he never enforced that notion nor reminded them to pay him for his service, practically confessing it was a joke without actually saying it.

He believes in the righteousness of the country's laws, laws made not by singular people atop ivory towers, but by the common people below that makes up the bulk of a country's civilization. No one is above, nor beneath the law, and no crime is beneath due process and fair trials. He is aware of its potential corruption, as well as its many faults and the unyielding difficulty that they create for justice, but feels it is the right way to do things, the way that causes the least harm to others, and is willing to walk that path regardless of the many failures it could bring. When he sees crimes being done, or committed, without a word, he would jump on solving it and bringing the criminal in question to justice.

Because of this and a past incident, Akira has a deep-seeded loathing of criminal organizations such as mafias, drug or slave cartels and Yakuza clans. To him, they are all an army of low-lives and barbarians, who could not find their worth in society the hard way, so instead they take the easy way at the expense of others well-being and possibly lives. Even if a particular family or clan or cartel is less malicious than others, they are still committing crimes that endangers others so that they might help people in need. Even Vigilantism, while not as unforgivable to him as its usually for a justified cause, is still committing brutality and death of someone without any trial or evidence to prove their claims. To see other children like himself be a part of these criminal organizations, such as someone being the heir to a Yakuza clan and possibly being in the same school as them, is a personal conundrum for him. While he would likely be very...bitter towards their family, silent and ignorant for the most part of them especially, at the same time, if they are truly in dire need of help...he simply cannot bring himself to tell them off or ignore those troubles. They are still students after all, and it's not as if they could choose who their parents are. That said, he would likely immediately go back to ignoring them once those troubles are gone.

Speaking of Parents, while his is still alive, he has essentially disowned them after the incident. In his mind, his mother sold her soul for personal gain and his father was a monster from the very start. he does not quite know the full story of what happened, or why his mother abandoned their heritage like she did, but he doesn't care either. The very mention of his parents serves as a major source of discomfort, prying into the matter will only serve to earn you his scorn.

It should also be noted that Akira is actually a Pyrophobic, traumatized after the Komaeda Estate burned down with him and his Grandfather still inside. Things like a lighter or someone activating DW flames won't cause too much of a reaction save for wanting to look away from it, and prefers to keep away from particularly hot places, but if there is a massive fire anywhere near him, he'll practically burst out of character, curling up in a ball and panicking.

The Komaeda Family has been around for many generations in the past As a family of private detectives of a particularly excellent quality, so much so that they managed to keep off the radar of federal authorities until recently, serving as Private Detectives with an unknown past and future, using their skills as a detective to find and capture criminals of the underworld.

The third latest generation, Naoto Komaeda, Akira's grandfather, decided in his early days to step the family out of the shadows so that they may help, not just because he felt it was the right thing to do, but because he felt it was the natural evolutionary step forward for a family like them. Akira's mother and Naoto's daughter, felt ultimately that the detective family business was unfit for someone like her and her child, her husband wanting her use those smarts she had with him for the sake of business opportunities.

Akira, on the other hand, loved his grandfather, was fascinated with the stories her mother told of him, and the stories he himself told of their ancestors. From childhood, Akira has always idolized his grandfather, and much to his parents' dismay, aspired to be a great Detective like him and the rest of his family, going as far as to live with him rather than his parents.

However, things did not go quite well for him as it were. As it turned out, the 'business' his father associated with was being a former Yakuza turned member of Vongola's CEDEF branch, working as an affiliated liaison between Vongola and multiple Yakuza clans. While he indeed had good intentions, trying to keep the Yakuza in line in exchange for favors with Vongola, it was still seen by his grandfather as an utter betrayal, not that his mother cared.

However, The Yakuza found out who his father was married to, and wasn't too keen on trusting a woman whose father lived for the sole purpose of screwing them over, and from a family with a reputation of being a pain in the asses of organized crime everywhere. At the same time, they couldn't just kill her and make an enemy of something as powerful as Vongola. So instead, some of them took matters into their own hands to make an example be demonstrated to her.

This was the cause of the incident that froze Akira's heart shut.

That fateful night, A group of Yakuza henchmen, disguised as psychotic arsonists, snuck in and burned down the Komaeda estate with Akira and Naoto still inside. Naoto managed to use what strength he had in his olden body to grab Akira and escape in tow, the burning unbreathable air engraved in the boy's memory. That should have been the end of it right there. They didn't kill Naoto in the fire, but it would at least set an example to him. However, one of the henchmen broke orders after noticing he was still alive, and began to panic. Though they tried to stop him as he pulled out a gun to shoot them both, in the end, he pulled the trigger, and Naoto, noticing quickly that his grandson and himself was being aimed at, used himself to cover Akira, taking the bullet square in the back of his neck, and dying right in front of Akira's eyes. The other Yakuza grabbed the one that killed Naoto, and dragging him back to their headquarters for his punishment for screwing up, but Akira only saw them running off as the police finally came.

He must have cried for hours, his mind unable to process everything that happened, traumatized by his beloved Grandfather dying like that. The bright, dreaming, and optimistic boy died along with his grandfather that day, officially so when he found out about his parents' "job" for the Mafia, though he was unaware, and uncaring as to which mafia.

Seeking revenge and justice for his Grandfather, He strives to become a detective just like him, and vowed to take down all organized crime, one by one, his parents included.

Cut to the present, and he is now a second-year in High-School, A practical honor roll student, exercising his skills as a detective by helping fellow students privately, just as his ancestors did before. With each day, he's a step closer to becoming a true detective, and a step closer to having the power to take down any mafia who'd dare stand in the way of the law.

Little did he know that he was about to be unwittingly a part of the very thing he despised, as a Guardian of one of the most powerful Mafias in the world...and as it happens, the exact same one his parents are affiliated with.

...Fate truly does have a sense of Humor.

Detective level intellect - While he is still in high school, Akira was training to be a detective like the previous generations of his family since childhood. As such, by the time he has reached high school, he managed to gain enough deductions skill to go beyond his current grade level. While he's not exactly a genius per se, even he feels he still has a ways to go before he can call himself worthy of being a detective, he is more than capable of figuring out things that may pass by the heads of others around him. He is quick-minded and perceptive enough to see through lies, deceit, and most traps, though there are times where he can let his guard down if his opponent is intelligent enough to keep him focused on one thing while they make a move somewhere else.

Skilled combatant - Combat was another thing he was trained since childhood to learn. As a detective, it would be all but inevitable to wind up in a fight with a criminal. Much like the previous guardian, Akira has a gift for being particularly strong and agile in a fight, and take down most opponents that come his way as a result, and in addition, he applies his own brains into the fights, creating strategies against particular opponents he can't just fight normally. But it should be stressed that he is by no means a master. He has no real discipline of note, mostly being self-taught as advised by his grandparents, and as such, can likely be defeated by those with the skill and mentality to use his physical gifts against him.

The Komaeda Cane - A very special cane passed down from generations of the Komaeda family lineage since the 19th century. As a Komaeda is always diving into danger of the underworld, this cane was made to combat its criminal dwellers there. While it looks like a normal cane, the stalk is metal and fragmented with a bladed edge, connected to a cord of tough nylon, making it capable of turning into a bladed whip of sorts, as well as a blunt instrument to hit people with. Eventually, the powers of the cloud flames shall allow the nylon and blades on the whip to multiply considerably, making it capable of wrapping around enemies with.

45(?)

If Johnathan had to be summed up in one word, it would have to be "Eccentric".

Johnathan is often seen as an optimistic and energetic fellow as the ringmaster of his circus, both inside and outside of his job. He sometimes speaks in a rather high-pitched tone, likely to purposely be annoy others or make the general impression that he's about as much of a clown as his mask seems to indicate. He does often use a more normal, gentlemanly tone under more normal circumstances, genuinely using the high-pitched tone and laughter whenever he feels comedic at the time, and often when he does feel in the mood for that, it's hard to snap him out of his ball of comedic energy.

If there's one thing he always show in anything he does, it is just how much he absolutely loves his job, as if it's a dream come true for him. He has a great love and respect for all of his audience, and wishes only for them to be entertained by the acts he and his men performs for them. He shows himself off as a very theatrical man with a flare for the drama and comedy alike, even sometimes changing his mask to fit whatever mood he's suppose to be for the act, or whatever colors or patterns fits at the time. Everything he does, he goes all the way with; he shows throughout any show that he's having the time of his life and wants nothing more than to just keeping doing this.

There are two things that the Jest values above all else. The first is the care, amusement, and well-being of his audience. Despite the arrogance in a title such as the "Circus King", Johnathan is honestly anything but prideful. To him, it is nothing less than an honor to please and respect the crowds who were kind enough to come to his show, usually making damn sure to keep them safe and sound before any performance, especially after a particular incident years ago. Without the people coming to watch him, he is nothing more than a lonely clown and he knows and admits it. In his mind, they are the reason he exists.

The second is the care and well-being of the performers under him. This circus is a family, of which he sees himself the patriarch of, and he cares for each of his performers as if they are his own children. Ask any of them and they will tell you how much of a father figure the masked man has been to them. He never talked down to any of them, never treated anyone without at least a shred of disrespect, and has never picked any particular favorites. If they did something right, they got praised for it. If they did something wrong, they were disciplined.

However, behind all of this happy-go-lucky nature lays a darker and more sinister side of Johnathan, one he hides behind his smiling mask. His tone often turning deeper and more solemn when he goes into more darker aspects of his life, his jokes and comedic, upbeat attitude becoming dark and sarcastic. He is, after all, the head of a large Drug Cartel distributing illegal drugs throughout Europe and even overseas to the Americas. Most of the performers are not only aware, but assist in these activities whenever possible, and when failure comes around when it comes to this, he can be reasonably less tolerant of it than he would with circus activities. He is well-aware, after all, that what he is doing in the shadows of his circus is undoubtedly criminal in nature, and he has no excuse or defense that says otherwise. If you tell him that it's wrong to be doing this, he'd agree with you in an instant. It is why he hides it away from his audience, wrapping it in a veil of lies and deceit, and any activity that reveals this to the audience, or trying to make the audience 'customers' of the product, are met with harsh punishment.

Despite this Cartel and how serious he is with it, it seems he does hold a high moral standard when it comes to these drugs. It's been mentioned by other more powerful Cartels that his "pussified guidelines", as they dis-respectively call them, are the main reason why Johnathan's Cartel is weak and inferior to their own, that if he didn't let a moral conscience get in the way, he'd be among the most powerful kingpins in the world. Johnathan knows that the drugs he gives out is highly addictive in nature, and as such, he does not allow for any of the audience, nor any of the performers themselves, to touch nor sample the merchandise, that it cannot be given to anyone younger than 21, and that it should only be distributed to those who they feel need his drug, including hospitals and the like. Anyone who breaks these guidelines will be punished severely, even more so than revealing outright.

It's likely because of these moral standards that Johnathan often allies himself with the Vongola Famiglia, as they share a similar sense of conscience that he does. He is respectful and loyal to Tsunayoshi Sawada, though insists that he and his circus stands alone, away from the mafia, much like a Cloud Guardian would.

Either way, the fact that he always hides his face under a mask gives way to the possibility that none of these emotions he has are "real". Not helped is that when the trouble comes a knocking on Vongola's doorstep, Johnathan can be quite unpredictable in how he and his circus responds to it, giving credence to the potential he has to betraying them. Even within the circus, kind as he makes himself out to be, no one can say for certain what he's truly thinking, or what his plans truly are, an enigma in nature as a wielder of the Mist should be. He uses illusions and lies to entertain the masses, while hiding the truth of his darker side from them, undergoing a philosophy that lies and deceit can be a necessary evil for a good cause, when used in the right hands.

It's not entirely known what this guy's past was like, as he's very tight-lipped about who he was before becoming the Circus King. What is known so far is that Johnathan apparently was the son of a master illusionist, whom he learned all his tricks from, as well as gained his signature cane from, and started his journey by gathering gifted performers during the days when Vongola Nono was still the Boss, which means any time between 20 years ago, to during his childhood. During his travels, he found a collection of freaks and gifted but unpopular performers and took them in as his own, while also discovering the Croceoscura Hell Ring. It was also during these travels he discovered "Misty Eyes", a unique psycho-tropic drug created from mist en-coated plant life, capable of the anesthetic numbing of a user's body and mind, and further enhancing mist flame induced illusions. It came in the form of a powder, much like Cocaine, but can be melted into a liquid and injected through the bloodstream. Like all narcotics before it, it can cause damage and threaten one's own life if Overdosed, and the mist-enforced nature may be too much of a high for younger people to use, and could result in death by shock.

Upon discovering these plants, Johnathan made it a point to completely monopolize and manufacture this drug as a way to financially back his supposed dream job of becoming a Circus Ringleader, or "Ringmaster" as he calls it. However, for reasons unknown, it seemed he developed a conscience during the reproduction and distribution of the drug, making it a point to restrict the distribution to only those of ages 21 or older, and only to those who are in dire need of it for medicinal value, such as mental patients and hospitals. Next thing anyone knows, Johnathan essentially became the Kingpin of a Drug Cartel, small compared to others due to the minimalistic of his customer selection, but still valuable due to the exclusive nature of his drug. Meanwhile, the illegal income created through the drug trafficking combined with hard and legal work from everyone involved, gave him enough money to create his Circus.

Due to the talent of his performers, combined with his own mastery of illusions and the Mist Flames of his cane, made his show a spectacular success with each viewing. His Jest by day, Kingpin by night way of life earned him the title of "Circus King", and a high reputation from audiences as well as a low reputation from fellow Cartels.

However, not all was sunshine and rainbows back then. 10 years ago, there was an incident that occurred during one of his circus performances. The Misty Eye Drug was leaked, unknowingly, to both an audience of thousands, and the other performers, by which to say, it was unknowingly given to them beyond anyone's knowing. The Influence of the drug caused chaos in the tent and bedlam outside of it, as people were put in a state of delirium as a result of the drug's effect. Most performers and circus visitors were hospitalized under urgent care due to the higher-than-nominal intake of the drug, but there were many casualties from this, most of which were children who could not handle the drug at all. This incident, that came be known as the "Bloody Tear Massacre" lived in infamy and scarred Johnathan's Reputation, as well as, as they say, his soul. He shut down his Circus and placed himself under arrest as the perpetrator of this incident, the truth of the matter being unknown to everyone...

That is...Everyone but the Vongola Famiglia.

While they do not know the details or who is responsible for it, an investigation was carried out into the incident and it was concluded that whatever it was that happened, Johnathan was not as guilty of it as he made people believe he was. They ensured his release from prison, and once the performers were healed, of which they helped, they worked together to cover up the incident so that Johnathan can get back to doing what he wanted to do: entertain.

Because of this act of mercy and their saving of his family and circus, Johnathan feels he owes the Vongola his life, and is willing to do whatever they ask of him...Although keeping up a facade that says otherwise.

Master Illusionist - Even before having a ring for his mist flames, he had a gift for creative parlor tricks and magical acts, using illusions and farces to entertain the masses around him, ever since he was a child. Combine the experiences of creating illusions on the fly with the powers of the Mist Flames an A-rank ring to harness it, and his own creative mind, and now he can create rooms filled with wonders implausible to the basic human comprehension and lands of fantasy within a circus tent. Often uses his mastered crafy to mystify a crowd, or to confuse, trick, and horrify his enemies. While he has used it for numerous tricks and illusions, one of his personal favorite is a classic disguise, in which he covers himself head-to-toe in mist flames and essentially become someone else, regardless of gender or age.

While usually they are just illusions conjured by the mist flames, focusing hard enough on those illusions can allow the mist flames to materialize them with actual physical elements, granting a realistic touch to them.

Mastermind Extraordinaire - The real gift of any excellent mist flame user comes not from the strength of his illusions, but the strength and quality of his mind. Despite not acting like it most of the time, Johnathan has the intelligence, street smarts, and tactical prowess befitting a criminal mastermind. Most of his circus' criminal activity was saved by his improvisations and wit, and has made him renown as an orchestrater of criminal renaissance. He prepares for just about any occasion he can possibly factor into a plan, creating backup plans and gambits to ensure the successes of whatever plans he makes. He may not be physically strong enough to fight with brute force alone, but much Verde, he doesn't need to fight directly either, letting his men and his "magical" illusions do the work for him instead.

Ringmaster's Cane - The signature cane of the Circus King that he can't be without. Unlike Akira Komaeda's cane, it can't normally change its form for a battle, (Although with the mist flames such a thing could be possible) it is, however, made of a sturdy enough metal that it can be used as a durable weapon in combat. That being said, the real charm of this cane is the large jewel on its tip. While it looks like a blue diamond, it can actually change colors depending on Johnathan's emotions at the time like a glorified mood ring. Inside this gem however, unbeknownst to all, lies an A-Rank Mist Jewel through which he can channel his wave energy into Mist Flames, technically making the Cane itself his "ring". Using this cane as the medium for the Mist, he can use it like a wand of sorts, conjuring his illusions.

Of course, because of it being a cane as oppose to a ring, it can never be on his person forever like a ring, and so can be stolen, lost, or even destroyed if enough pressure is applied. In the unlikely event of this, he has a number of low-level mist rings in his pocket instead.

Croceoscrura Ring - One of the legendary Six Hell Rings. The Croceoscura (Dark Cross) Ring was said to be forged from the metal of the holy lance wielded by Saint Longinus and modeled after the crown of thorns worn by Christ when he was crucified upon the cross. Its main ability is to generate a near infinite amount of vines upon any illusions within a 10 meter radius of the user, taking complete domination of illusions, both real and otherwise, that they're wrapped in. But like all Hell Rings, there is a cost to this ability, for every vine the user wraps an illusion around, thorny vines wraps around the user's body, piercing and constantly twisting at his body until control is lifted or the illusion itself vanishes. A clever user of the ring and one who is able to truly bear the constant agony would be able to use his own thorny vines as improvisational whips against his enemies in addition.

Of course, like all of the Hell Rings, The Croceoscura has a "War Potential Doubling" ability, but Johnathan, who considers just using this ring as an act of desperation on his own part, has never actually been desperate enough to use his in particular, so he has no idea what'll happen if it came to that. This lack of knowledge as to the situation has led him to essentially deem this ability a Last Resort.

16

The best way to describe Alex is that she is a little ball of pure energy.

Alex is often upbeat and energetic to the point of hyperactive, and potentially annoying as all hell. When she strives to do something, she goes all the way with it stubbornly until its done or backfires on her.

Said energetic nature gives way to her Optimism, confidence, and an absolute love for just about any food near her since she can often tire herself out like a kid on a sugar high. Ever the social and active type, she loves nothing more than hanging around her friends, ...and teasing Luca when the opportunity arrives.

Dig past the energy, and what you get is someone with a gentle heart of gold. If someone's hurt in one way or another, she always steps in to try and help. If someone down in the dumps, she's there for them. She may not be able to fight alongside the others, but she can at least be there for them when they need her.

There's not much to say of much significance in regards of her origins. She was orphaned since she was 2 years old, separated from her sisters at the time, and sent from one foster family to another for years until now. Besides said story, she's a normal girl who transferred to Namimori not that long ago as a Sophomore at the high school the Vongola guardians and boss just so happens to be in, Of all of them though, she was particularly interested in one Ienari Sawada. As such, she has attempted to befriend him, not knowing about his family legacy.

Unknown, as she never tried a ring before.

Intelligence - While no genius by any stretch of the imagination, Alexandria is sharper and smarter than most people make her out to be. She passes all of her exams, studies hard, and even helps out other students with their respective work. Even if she doesn't understand how any of this flame stuff works, if explained, she'd be able to comprehend it more than others.

Morale Booster - As she hasn't a ring of her own, there is little she can to physically assist them in their battles against whatever forces want to take them down. However, she is highly supportive, and combined with her smart mind, often knows what to say or do to keep people from falling apart completely, even if she has to be a little mean or blunt to light a proverbial fire in them.

Knowledgeable in Martial Arts - While she's not exactly a fighter, this is a dangerous world they live in. As such, she has apparently taken lessons on how to fight for the sake of self-defense. Not exactly a black belt, and against the kind of people her friends have to fight, she may not stand much of a chance, but against more normal folks, she'd be able to hold her own.

None, really.

25

True to his title of Demon, and to the legacy of his family, Benito is a sado-masochistic sociopathic madman with no sympathy for anyone or anything around him.

But he wasn't always like this. Got most of his childhood and teenage life, he was something of a black sheep among his psychotic family, He was kind, considerate of others, generous and gentle a soul, you'd never expect him to murder a small animal much less commit mass homicide like his family was trained to do. He was often bullied and abused by his parents and siblings, but he had a special trait of sturdy mental defenses against those acts.

After a certain incident, however, Benito lost himself in the psychotic nature inherited by his family, which essentially killed his humanity.

Benito finds pleasure now in the infliction of pain and suffering on others, as well as himself. He has no remorse or feelings of pity for his victims, often laughing at their misery, as well as his own, and having a tendency for being a dark comedian. Even so, he sees himself as a professional murderous fiend and executioner, having his own standards of only killing targets he knows are gonna give him a worthy challenge, not because he wants to spare the weak, but because he's killed so many weak people that their reactions and screams have become mundane and boring to him; they don't entertain him anymore. The world itself is a boring cesspool of misery and despair in his mind, and if he ever had the chance to burn the world to ashes, he would take it without a second thought as the ultimate show of the Diauomo creed.

He's no where near intelligent, probably more so than others before him due to his time before taking this position but still not exactly an honor roll student. He's impatient, and prefers more direct approaches to solve any problem they may have, often getting annoyed and put to boiling point when he has to step down from killing someone to achieve some sort of clever plan. However, he is street smart, a great improviser and a quick thinker above all else, he may not know nor understand the intricacies of a complicated plan, but he has enough common sense to be able to figure out why a plan could fail. When the time comes that a plan fails and resorts to him just killing someone, nothing gets him more excited.

He is often brash, blunt, and insulting towards others, often talking down to his victims and enemies, and often being a bully of sorts to the other pawns, Snipe especially, since he reminds him so much of himself, and would want to essentially show him there's nothing in the world of any worth, like he had to learn that day.

Like other demons before him, he has an undying respect for the Monarch of Incubus, a position given to a family of people somehow more deadly and more fearsome than his own. While Knight is someone he can't bring himself to greatly respect, his skills as a warrior and lack of tolerance for people like him, make him someone Demon fears the discipline of, as Knight wouldn't hesitate in actually killing him if he had to. Rook and Bishop, however, are those he'd rather be around, as he feels they understand him and can relate to his blood lust more than any of the others, often making respectable but dark jokes around them both. Of the two, he prefers Rook's company more, since Bishop never responds to his quirks as much.

The Diauomo Family, or "The Demon Family", was among the last of the 7 families to join the organization, having a great respect for their nature as unrestrained guns for hire. They had a long history of murderous and malevolent psychopathy, inherited like a curse in each generation that came after, creating serial killers, kidnappers, and even a few legal executioners for death penalties. They operated on an inherited philosophy of Nihilism, Sado-Masochism, Anarchy, and the importance of conflict and hatred in the overall balance of the world. They have next to no care for their own well-being or the well-being of those close to them, essentially raised from birth to become heartless monsters

The Purpose of the Demon Pawn is the ultimate personification of the Pawn in Chess: They are the front-runners, the first to attack and likely the first to fall. They are berserkers, in a manner of speaking, hired to commit brutally violent murders, arson, and overall chaos-spreading, usually as a way to distract the authorities and proverbial "heroes" from the employer's greater schemes. That, or they just really want someone to die badly, and will take the fall for it to protect their employers' skin.

There were of course some who wanted to break out of the family tradition, and it became a family rule to have multiple children for just this kind of occasion. Benito, sure enough, was one of those type of family members at the time.

Born the youngest of three, Benito Diauomo was home-schooled by their parents along with his two brothers. As the whole purpose of their family was to slaughter and kill other people as if they were animals, they didn't want the three brothers to have any friends outside the house...far easier to kill people when you don't have a connection to them, after all. As far as their learning were concerned, they only taught them the important need-to-know knowledge that was a matter of survival to learn and skipping the rest, never giving the trio a proper education as a result. Once that was done, the parents then proceeded to brainwash Benito and the other two with propaganda videos, news recordings, anything to make the world around them look like a giant cesspool of negativity that needed to be burned down, teaching them that all life were a cancer that needed to be extinguished from the world, and that they should have no hesitation in killing anyone and everyone who gets in the way to their satisfaction.

Benito, oddly enough, was the one resistant to the method of his parents' brainwashing, immune to it, in fact. No matter what they showed him he never showed any sense of killing instinct that his brothers did. All he could feel was sorry for the victims and a desire to help people like them as they die. Eventually, it became too much of an annoyance to his parents to continue attempting to groom him into a killer, and so they dropped him on his mother's side of the family and essentially disowned him, putting their bets on their other sons to take the title of Demon Pawn.

After that, Benito spent the rest of his childhood like a normal student, more gentle than most, going through high school without much problem, and a few friends along the way. The teachings of his parents told him that the world was in a horrific state, and so he strive for an occupation in fixing that. As such, as a start to this, he planned on being a part of volunteer work in Africa after his days of school are at an end.

However, it wasn't meant to last.

During the last days of school, the students of his class, him included, was gassed, knocked out, and woke up in the middle-east, with no idea how long they were knocked out for, and terrorists of an unknown faction being the ones responsible for it. It seems that they were thrown in the middle of a war zone and were told that if they want to return back to their lives, they had to kill each other for it. While Benito was among the few who tried to keep together their class and keep them stablized, in the end, there were a number of his friends who killed each others, and were then killed in turn. They've attempted for many days to escape, having to do plenty of horrific things forced on them by their kidnappers along the way, such as laying another victim before them and forcing them to cannibalize the person if they did not want to starve to death. It was revealed to them as well, that they're families and friends were also being targeted for destruction, just like they were.

Even still, he and another friend, an optimistic woman who had the potential to be the love of his life, led his fellow students to a hopeful escape from their situation.

Only for it to be revealed that she lured them into a trap that would have killed them all, had Benito not used his instincts to get out of there before hand. All of his friends, however, were not so fortunate. Apparently she revealed that the people who brought them there said that only one could make it out of there alive, and she, desperate and longing to get out of the hell they were put in, broke from the pressure, broke from seeing a picture of her parents being killed off, broke from despair. Without much hesitation, the now psychotic woman tried to kill off Benito, only for him to stab her in Self-defense, her still trying to strangle him even after that.

That day, Benito lost his friends, lost the one he loved, was surrounded by war and death, and just when it could not possibly get any worse, it turned out the ones responsible for all of this was his own family, the Diauomo Family.

As it turned out, the Brainwashing of the children was only the first step of the promotion process of the Demon Pawn. Not only did they expect Benito to resist the brainwashing and leave the family, they anticipated it. They allowed Benito to do what he wanted to do, expecting him to resist the feelings of hatred, and prepared this very situation during all the years he was in school specifically to groom him into the perfect killing machine. The Demon Pawn, after all, is an agent, an embodiment, of Destruction and Despair, and what is Despair but the complete and utter destruction of Hope? They let Benito think he is going against the family creed, let him hope for the future, only to completely destroy it, the relationships he forged, and everyone's lives around them. They knew Benito had what it took to survive the situation at hand, but in the event that he didn't, someone else would be worthy people to take his place. They even slaughtered their own family, the relatives he was staying with, just to cement that there was no where else for him to go.

The final nail in the coffin, however, was the revelation that the girl he just killed was the one responsible for killing everyone's families, her own, as well as his own, included. Turns out she was a high school Serial killer that his father kept under the radar of the federal government for the past 3 or so years, that her loving personality was just an act, and that she helped slaughter everyone, in exchange for becoming the next Demon Pawn herself, should she have succeeded in killing Benito. Why? How? Doesn't matter they say; the details are irrelevant. All that matters was that she planned this trap from the beginning, and she had no remorse or hesitation in sacrificing everyone in the class, her included, to gain the privelege of getting paid to do what she loves, ending their explanation with asking Benito if this was enough proof that the world is rotten and needs to burn.

Benito broke after hearing about everything, what hope he had crumbled into despair. Everything he thought about, everything he learned from his classes, everything he stood protect, was all arranged, all a lie. Mentally speaking, the man he was died that day with his class, as he gave into his seething hatred and madness. He took his weapon in hand, and slaughtered his brothers and parents, they, in turn, did nothing to stop it, simply chanting in a latin tongue as he slaughtered them all...his eyes radiating a demonic red glow and a crooked smile as he was covered in their blood.

The rest, as they say, is History. The madman went back home, donned the Demon armor, and while he was planning to condemn working with Incubus, along came a Knight to force him to honor the commitment his family had to the Monarch of Incubus, beating him down until he was forced to submit and officially pledge himself to said Monarch, becoming the Demon Pawn.

Berserker-style - True to his name, his family, and even the Storm flames he uses, Demon is a Merciless killing machine with no care for anyone around him, not even himself. His style of combat and methods of dealing with his enemies greatly reflects this heartless nature. As a dark and corroded form of the Storm Guardian's role as the "furious storm that never rests", Demon is reckless and relentless in his battle style; he does not stop attacking his enemies until either himself or they drop. Having been trained from birth to battle and kill as many people as possible, He rarely ever gets exhausted, capable of going on the attack for hours on end if he had to. In addition, his sado-masochism leaves him able to provide effective methods of torture and slow death, to a point where he'd bring harm to himself if it meant doing so to his enemies as well. Of course, his recklessness is his weakness; he is a firm believer in "the best defense is a good offense" and does not focus on defending himself from attacks. As such, there are several openings in his moves for anyone perceptive enough to spot them to exploit. He enjoys the pain of it, and does not go down easily, but he is still only human, there's only so many blows his injuries finally catch up.

Adaptation - Demon is by no means intelligent, in fact, he is by far the least intelligent member of the Organization. However, when it comes to war and combat, he has a gift for on-the-spot improvisation, need it be for weapons, methods of death, or the environment around him. He's not above playing dirty, and would do/use whatever it takes to achieve victory in battle.

Cyber-Claws - The cybernetic arms he possesses ends with the claws on his hands. Like all the others, they main purpose is to serves as regulators for the unstable Storm Flames in his body, keeping them sealed up so that he doesn't erupt into red flames and disintegrate himself. With a turn of the knob, at the back of his hands, he can direct the storm flames solely into his bladed claws making them glow red-hot (no pun intended) with large amounts of storm flames. During this RM, his claws are able cut through toughs metals like butter, and even cut his way through other flames except his own, need they be projectiles thrown at him or area-wide flame fields, this makes him especially dangerous for Lightning users, who rely on lightning flames to harden defenses. However, like all RMs, it's only usable for a limited time, after which it needs a day to recharge.

Improvised Arsenal - As mentioned, he is a skilled improviser in battle. he happens to find something in the area, you can bet he'll find a way to make it inflict pain and death. Of course, this does not apply to things that are too heavy for a common human to use.

27

True to her title of Temptress pawn, Anna holds a high esteem of herself, her body, and knows how to use it to make men, and sometimes even women, do what she wants them to.

The phrase of the body being a sacred temple applies to her in spades, as she worked from the moment she could walk to be able to walk down a catwalk, working from dawn til dusk on her intelligent mind and her healthy body, effectively making her become a vain and narcissistic woman over time.

Even so, she used to have reservations in the past about killing people for her inherited family business. She had a dream to be a fashion model and impress people with her beauty, rather than using her beauty as a weapon like her ancestors before her. But after a horrific incident in high school, her body felt the blood of someone else for the first time, and in her mind, there was no longer any turning back from her destiny.

Still, that doesn't mean that she has to like it, and indeed, like Snipe, she's not too big a fan of her job. But unlike Snipe, who truly doesn't want to kill for pacifistic reasons, Tempt simply sees it as never being able to achieve her dream now that she fell off the slippery slope that led her hear. She gave up on her dream, seeing this as just fate giving out a bad hand and she's gotta deal with it. In other words, it's less due to the idea of not wanting to kill anyone, and more due to sulking over a dream she had to burn to the ground for this.

In that aspect, Tempt often feels bored at the prospect of killing more than anything, the idea of how tedious it is to do kill and then have to cover her tracks tends to make her feel bored and lazy as a result. It's this desensitized boredom for the prospect of killing that puts her right in the middle between her two fellow pawns, neither feeling the pure unbridled bloodlust of Demon, nor the tragic sympathy for targets like Snipe. Even so, she'd do it in a heartbeat if she felt she had to, if not for self-defense, than for her loyalty to Monarch and at least a little bit of praise from her client.

If Demon is the muscle, and Snipe is the heart, then Tempt is undoubtedly the brains. She takes pride and confidence in how smart she can be, and often is the one keeping both of her partners from essentially ruining plans and all around being stupid with their respective..."traits". As such, she considers herself the De'facto leader of the pawns, arranging the plans and keeping them in line.

As the Temptress Pawn, she is very manipulative, seductive, and is a surprisingly good actress. She's been through the ringer enough to know what men want from her, and has enough experience in her life to be able to read men's thoughts through intuition alone and effectively accommodate to their every need, her favorite part of any given job she gets. The very thought of getting into the minds of her targets and infatuate them with her looks intoxicates her with a feeling of praise that fuels her vanity and makes her feel like her dream is real again. Nothing makes her more happy and feel more alive than others appreciating her beauty.

...Likewise, nothing makes her more enraged and livid than someone insulting that beauty or reminding her of the tragedy that led her down this path, the latter of which is often triggered with a gun being pointed at her or being called Annie, or god-forbid both. This anger freezes her blood and gives her the drive to kill whoever makes her so upset to begin with. Unlike Demon still however, who would prefer to play with his victims and torture them to death, Tempt will just prefer to kill whoever made her upset regardless of how quick or slow that death is.

The Jackson family is one of the three pawn families who were the last to join the Incubus Organization, Hailing from the United States, they were a family of models and bordello owners who watched the rich and powerful indulge in their base vices and desires, and decided to use their own appeal to their advantage, letting their rich and powerful customers do what they wish, then manipulate them to do what they want, like a Siren casting their spell on their victims.

...Then, like a Siren, killing them while they are left mesmerized and off their guard.

Thus the purpose of the Temptress Pawn, or "Tempt" for short, is to manipulate and command the wills of the rich and powerful all over the world for the benefit of the Incubus Organization and their respective clients, then assassinate them when they are no longer of use to them, often making sure it looks like they are victims and preparing alibis in advance.

Anna Jackson was born an only child, unlike the other families, they saw no need for more children once they gained a girl. However, it was more that the mother had no want for anymore children when a gender-aligned heir was conceived, while the Father was killed after it was confirmed the baby was female, so as to ensure he did not get in the way of her teachings.

As such, Anna was raised from birth to be a beautiful femme fatale, focusing on her beauty and sex appeal for pretty much all of her life, her mother even her making do....morally damning things for the sake of early experiences. She was also one of the only ones who was not only allowed, but forced, to go to public school, so as to be able to learn how to be socially attractive in addition to physically so.

While she embraced the life of fashion and looking beautiful, the more she hanged around other students and teachers, who both loved the way she looked, the more her killer instinct was diminished. From the beginning, she worked hard to please her mother but only managed to be within her maximum expectations, wanting her to be perfect in her beauty and nothing else, and so not getting anything more than minimalistic praise for it by her. Everybody else, however, was either admiring her beauty, or was utterly jealous of it, and she loved every minute of both. It seemed pointless to kill those very same people who admired and praised her for her hard work over the years.

For her mother, this was a predictable reaction to the world outside. Having those same feelings when she was her age, she knew she needed to do what her mother did for her: giving her a gentle push down the slippery slope. It was predictable that Anna would gain enemies in school; it's only natural for people to envy from others what they themselves lack. As such, Anna's mother used those very enemies to her advantage, creeping into their groups like a spider and giving away her daughter's weaknesses, secrets, and current interests of love, and then, which in turn resulted in plenty of occasions throughout school of bullying, harassment, and blackmail.

Still, Anna took it in stride. Her attitude was darkening as the stress started to slowly creep into her, and it slowly seeming as if her mother was her only friend. She had the looks, she had the effort, and now she had the jealousy and envious hatred kicked up, but it was not enough to enable a killing intent in her like her mother wanted. Anna needed to take that last step before she was ready, but never did for most of the time since her school days. Drastic actions had to be taken, even if it meant potential harm to Anna, to kickstart her killer instinct. She didn't want to lose Anna, her only heir to her title of Temptress Pawn, but with no other option remaining, she arranged a dangerous situation for her, a climax of bullying involving her and what friends she had left.

They blackmailed the love of her life to essentially lead her into a dangerous side of town, alongside her best friend at the time, and had him betray her and handed them both over to gangsters residing there. Anna and her friends resisted, and were shot unfatally for their troubles, their aggressive classmates who led them to this situation laughing all the while, mocking her for how gullible a beauty she really was, and claiming the world had no need to either of them. This sickening turn of events peaked when they cut her torso deep enough to leave a scar, and one of those friends, her best friend, died from the shock of getting shot like she did.

Her best friend dead, her beautiful body she worked so hard keeping up now forever scarred and ruined, she was at her limit. She took out a strand of fiber, something her mother gave her for self-defense, and threw it around the neck of the assailant making him drop his gun after being caught off guard, before she tugged at the cord and seamlessly pulled it off his neck, decapitating him as a result. While everyone in the area was shocked at what just happened, she grabbed the gun he dropped, and began shooting at his friends, before then shooting at two of her bullies and throwing the gun at the last one to distract her then grabbing her by the neck and crushing it until she suffocated.

Her mother got what she wanted from Anna, she went down the slippery slope, and she knew it, telling her surviving friends to get out of there as she herself walked away.

Back at home, she cried in her mother's arms, seemingly unaware that she was the one who orchestrated, and the former temptress pawn, a skilled actress herself, played along as if she had no knowledge of anything...before Anna grabbed a kitchen knife while she wasn't looking and quite literally stabbed her mother in the back.

Seems one of her bullies decided to idiotically blurt out how her mother was involved in all of this, as one last twisting of the proverbial knife on her mentality. When asked if she could ever forgive her, Anna simply and bluntly refused, to which the mother then pulled out a key and smiling as she died, uttering her last words: "That's my girl..."

Anna noticed too late that she essentially got caught in her mother's trap, that this was exactly what she wanted her to do so that she could take her place. She went past the point of no return; whatever dreams she had for a better, brighter future died in that alley with everyone else that day. As much as she hates her mother for what she did, there was no going back now that she crossed that line. The only way to go now is forward...Starting with the one she loved, the traitor who led her friends into that short-span of misery and allowed her best one to die. Using a mix of fragrances recipes created from her ancestors, combined with her own acting chops, she crawled back into her life, and seduced him into admitting his guilt, pretending to forgive him for it, that he was just forced into it. Then she got him somewhere private...and he was never seen from again. All the police ever found were blood and flesh sprinkled about an alleyway. No one knows what happened to the actual body.

The rest is history, she found out about the current generation of Incubus, and pledged her loyalty to the King. If she could not gain fame for her beauty, then she may as well gain infamy for it, and so became the next Temptress Pawn of Incubus.

Enhanced Physical Attributes - Because of the internal cybernetic regulators are in an eternal release state due to the sun flames running through her entire body, Tempt possesses strength, speed, and stamina beyond the normal human limitations. She could easily punch a dent into a metal wall or car, and could speed down a street at the speeds equal to that of a race car. In addition, unlike the other members of Incubus, her sun flames grant her a near-infinite amount of stamina, and so she rarely ever gets tired. However, because she is always in a regulated release state, and because of the sun flame's activation ability, she has no means of turning it off, and no way to further empower herself like her partners.

There is of course, a final release mode, which shuts down her regulators and allows her sun flames to burst out beyond her control, maximizing her physical abilities, but because of the Sun Flames' side-effect of cellular destruction when too much is applied, Her body will deteriorate from the inside out without stop, eventually killing her.

Masterful Psychology - Tempt is undoubtedly the brains of the three Pawns, and one of the most intelligent members in the whole of Incubus. Her high intellect is often used for tactical purposes, coming up with plans for the pawns to use to accomplish the missions they're assigned to, but her field of expertise is undoubtedly Psychology. As a Temptress Pawn, Tempt was trained to be able to understand the human and criminal mind, so that they can use the vices of their targets against them as a way of controlling them. This training, combined with her own personal experience with "clients" has led her to be very knowledgeable of how humans tick. This has allowed her to know what her targets want, and manipulate others to go to, and do, what she tells them.

Bladed fiber wire - While she mostly prefers using her fists, her deadly weapon of choice for occasions where she needs to kill quickly is her multitudes of wires, each one bladed and able to cleave through flesh and bone with ease, yet thin enough to camouflage around the environment, making them perfect for deadly traps.

9mm pistol - Every good and clever assassin has something to use as a backup or an immediate aid for self-defense, in her case, it's small 9mm pistol she keeps a holster on her right wrist. There's nothing particularly special about this gun, only that it's small enough that it often goes unnoticed by her...targets. Other than that, it's just a simple gun.

20

For a member of Incubus, Snipe is the only one that can be considered...mentally unworthy of doing the jobs given to him. If Demon is the Muscle, and Tempt is the Brains of the Pawns, then Snipe is undoubtedly the Heart and Conscience of the Pawns. Snipe is a timid individual often seen trying his best not to make eye contact with anyone and acting nervous, cautious of others around him, and oddly fearful of being insensitive towards them. He is truly a kind, gentle soul deep down beneath his family name and his job, never wanting to ever really use any of the guns he has to work with on anyone, despite his prodigal gifts of handling them.

Because of this, he often considers himself the black sheep of the family, never truly wanting the position his father had, and saw himself unworthy of it compared to his brothers despite being the one his father chose to take the title. Still he never wanted to let down the people he loved, and when even his brothers were proud of him becoming a Sniper Pawn, he felt it as a moral obligation to take up the mantle and not let any of them down.

Despite what they may think of him, he himself truly cared for all of his family, especially his little brothers. Even though he hated the very prospect of killing something like animals, when it was believed one of them were going to be the next Sniper Pawn, he supported and helped raise them as hunters to the best of his abilities, and although they weren't really grateful, he was happy to help them anyways.

Even though he never liked his job as an assassin, his role as an observer is something he always found cathartic. Likely because of his timid nature and despite his kindness, Snipe has always been anti-social to the point of often being a lone wolf, often seen stalking whatever cities he's in, passing the time by watching people go about their lives from afar. When the order comes to actually try and threaten someone into silence, he often whispers to himself for these people not to make him shoot him and to keep quiet, hesitating to actually pull the trigger. It's only when they start doing something like snitching among others that he has no choice but to pull the trigger. Unlike Demon, he takes no pleasure when the time comes to kill, often closing his eyes just before squeezing the trigger, and often never wanting to see the actual corpse he made someone become, and often becoming nauseous when he actually does see it. Yet despite this, he does have the utmost confidence in his skills as a sharpshooter and gunslinger, never questioning his ability to kill, but rather the lack of choice to kill. As his father once pointed out: If his resolve to kill was ever sharpened to a point when human life was no longer something he cared about, he'd be one of the very best assassins the world has ever known. A shame then that unlike most assassins, this one has a Moral Compass.

Because of his moral compass, he's Incubus' black sheep, often making him the victim and target of Demon's frustrations and bullying, and in return, Snipe is the one often trying to prevent his comrades from causing needless slaughter frenzies on the street. He considers Demon as "the worst friend he's ever had" but a friend nonetheless, often trying to keep him contained, while assisting Tempt in whatever ideas she has in mind for their missions. He shares no real interaction with Bishop, he respect Rook's strength and considers him something of a coach or mentor for him, and Knight is someone he fears, and yet also has great respect for, seeing as how he's among the most morally sound members of Incubus like himself. As for Monarch, There is a part of him that honestly wishes he and his family would disappear, than his own family wouldn't have to raise killers anymore. But he has watched Monarch perform some of the most impossible jobs, jobs that had an effect, however small it may be, on a global scale, and sometimes without shedding a single drop of blood. Combined with the stories his parents told of him and his father before him, Monarch's Reputation made it easier to gain the respect to stay loyal to Monarch, and continue on his job, hoping he too can make a benevolent difference in the world.

The "Vakivatamari" was one of the later families to join Incubus, but their history was often nomadic and observant of others as oppose to a violent one. Analysts, tacticians, record keepers, they only ever used their perceptive nature as snipers during the periods of World Wars, where simply being a neutral observer was a dangerous notion, and there was a cause to protect Finland from the enemies that came their way. They were silent, and resistant humans of nature, capable of standing outside in the winter storms or summer heat for hours on end, in order to watch their targets, and act as soon as they were within clear sight.

The purpose of the Sniper Pawn in Incubus is to serve as the extended and ears of the Client, to watch over any target from afar while keeping away from the sight of anyone else. It does not matter where they are, out in the open, inside their own house holds, or even in police custody, the Sniper Pawn will find them and never keep their sight off of them until ordered to. If you needed a loose end tied up, or to convince a snitch to stay silent or be made silent, you hire the Sniper Pawn to do just that.

However, this generation's Sniper was always different from the others, and not just because of his cybernetics. The Oldest of four brothers, Abraham was set to be the heir to his father's title above the others, a notion that was smashed when he seemed unwilling to kill whatever target he set his sight on. When hunting small game like deer, he preferred to get up and make friends with it rather than kill it. When going for much larger and more deadly enemies like boars and bears, he would instead run as far away from it as he possibly could before his Father shoots it down himself.

His three younger brothers clearly had more of a killer instinct than Abe, so both their parents instead trained them for the position of Sniper Pawn instead. While Abe was sad about being left out from the "family hunts" as it were, he would still root for them and help with the training as best as he could, while thinking about another career path he could go into instead.

Unlike his siblings, Abraham went to public schools so that he could choose an occupation of his own. More specifically, he was looking to gain a job like an Airline pilot that can make use of his superior eyesight and perceptive skills. For a good while, it seemed as if things were going as he wanted, as his grades were high and his family seemed to be doing just fine.

However, all of his dreams of a better life came crashing down one day, when the younger brothers were kidnapped by a rival assassin to their father, and held for ransom. Seems the sniper pawn was getting too good at silencing people for interrogation by one of the mafias, so said mafia took measures so as to silence him in turn, threatening that he abandons his client or have the three heirs to the title of Sniper Pawn killed. They took advantage of Incubus' weakness of their families being of vital importance to them, but did not account for the fourth son they left behind.

Abraham, scared as he was, decided to skip school one day and run off to help his father and rescue his brothers. He provided his father with a necessary distraction, firing a gun he was given by his father long ago as self-defense at a wall to alert the mobsters, giving ample time for the father to rescue his siblings. However, when the jig was up, and Abraham had to fire on the mobsters lest they shoot him first, he panicked, just like before, and could not bring himself to actually killing someone. The Mobster thugs, needless to say, did not have that same hesitation.

But just before Abraham was killed, his father rushed to him and threw him out of the line of fire while entering it himself, killing a few mobsters with his own gun as he fell, bullet holes all over him.

Realizing what just happened, that his father took bullets meant for him, something that may not have happened had he actually fired his gun, something inside of Abe's mind snapped. In an instant, without yelling a single word, with tears flowing from his eyes, he took hold of his father's gun and, combined with his own gun, began opening fire on the mobsters in question, using his environment and gifted perception to his advantage by impeccably aiming his gun for the walls at just enough angle to ricochet off them and led the bullets lodge where they are least expected to.

He finally gained what was missing from his heart at the time: Killer Instinct.

After this, Abraham was quick to take his family to the hospital, but while the brothers were going to be fine, there was nothing that could be done for his father. Before he died, the former Sniper Pawn spoke of how proud he is of Abe, that he finally had what was needed to take the reins in his stead. He confessed that while his brothers did not share Abe's hesitation they also did not have his gifts of sight and instincts like he had. Finally, he made one last request, to become the Sniper Pawn in his place, and protect their family in his stead. Abe swore on it, that he would abandon the dreams he had in order to keep his family safe, a fact that made his father smile, just before passing away, leaving behind a sobbing Abraham at his bedside.

The Rest is history. While he did not agree to the brutal, moral-less nature of his organization, he now knew that this was his father's only way of ensuring the safety and financial security of his family, and now that he's gone, that he had to do the same. He pledged his loyalty to Incubus, and became the new Sniper Pawn.

Expert Gunslinger/Sharpshooter - Snipe was raised with a gun in hand, and has trained with using all sorts of guns and rifles since childhood. He maybe timid enough not to want to hurt anyone, but he is still a professional assassin and gun for hire, with plenty of experience and kills under his belt.

Incredible agility - While he can't reach inhuman speeds like Tempt, Snipe has always been quick on his feet, often trained with leg and parkour exercises so as to be able to move quickly from one sniper position to another without much hassle or wasted time. This also helps in a gunfight as he can dodge and duck for cover relatively quickly, however, he is still bound by normal limitations such as exhaustion, and the release mode, ironically enough for a user of lightning, slows him down due to the hardened skin becoming heavier than normal.

Nemesis - Named after the Greek Goddess of Vengeance, Nemesis is the Sniper Pawn's traditional Sniper Rifle, technologically advancing with each generation that passes by. Under normal circumstances, the rifle is quite powerful, firing large high-caliber explosive rounds that has done in a number of targets in the past, the explosive element designed to erase the bullet's existence before it could be used for Evidence. However, during Snipe's RM, the lightning flames hardens the bullets further giving them even more piercing ability than normal. Of course, in exchange the bullets are significantly slower than normal, still capable of high distances with remarkable speed, but it slows down the farther away the target is. The rifle itself comes equip with an advanced digital scope, and an optional laser sight function.

Six Desert Eagles - If his parents taught him anything, it's to always have a gun in your hand. If for some reason a rifle is ill-suited for a job, always have something to use as back up to get it done. In Snipe's case, He often carries six Desert Eagles Mk. XIX, each carrying eight rounds of .44 magnum bullets, in holster pockets inside his coat, along with 6 spare magazines for them in the event that he needs to reload. Normally his body type wouldn't be able to handle the recoil of firing these guns, but his cybernetic arms allows him to handle the intense force of the gun, further diminishing the recoil whenever he enters RM due to the lightning flames hardening of his arms. Of course, the ammunition is far from infinite, and once he's out of it, they're essentially useless to him.

Cyber-arms - Like Demon, Snipe's cybernetics are in his arms, though unlike Demon they are not meant to be used in battle offensively. In fact, mirroring Demon's own arms, Snipe's is more designed for Defense rather than Offense. They were made with sturdy reinforced metals so as to use them as a shield under normal conditions, but more importantly is his Release mode. Not only does the hardening effect of the Lightning flames further increase his defensive capability, but he is able to connect those flames into his guns and rifle, hardening each bullet he fires and giving them a piercing ability of sorts.

During his FRM, should he ever be put in such a desperate situation as to use it, His body becomes consumed in the lightning flames, to a point where he becomes akin to a human lightning rod and, as a twisted form of the role of the Lightning Guardian, uses those lightning flames against others by blasting them with it, rather than for the protection of his allies. His entire body, his arms especially, becomes hardened to the point of becoming near indestructible against DW flames, even Storm users would have a hard time tearing through his defenses. However, eventually, his body will harden up too much and essentially clot all of his arteries stopping his blood flow and causing the heart to stop, killing him as a result.

18

Although he seems calm, kind and generous at first glance, take care not to pick a fight with him, because his mindset quickly dispenses with the kindness and takes upon the mindset of a focused, calm combatant. Where others would fall prey to provocation, he would not, choosing to fight on his own terms, and not play into those of his opponent's. Prefers to take his targets alive if the option is possible, but if that's not an option, or they'll end up suffering greatly before the end,

Getting him angry might seem like an easy way to win against this mercenary turned mafia hitman, but that one is a costly mistake, as he'll then start shooting to kill. Those who think they can push his buttons and get away with it will find themselves going home in body bags. And even then he's still not easy to fall victim to a provocation.

Formerly a world-wandering mercenary turned hitman for the Mafia, Crobalt has seen a lot of conflict over the last decade, and has been seasoned in various conflicts worldwide, earning his fair share of scars and experience along the way. Despite the fact that he basically kills people for a living, he retains a gentle mindset when not on a job.

Though he doesn't know much about how a Mafia family is run (And frankly, it's not something he's thought about having to learn), he's developed the sort of mentality to offer one hand, but keep a pistol in the other as a "just in case". Some might call it excessive to be so suspicious, but when some people are likely to stab you the second you turn your back, no caution is too much. Just ask the corpses of past clients in a ditch somewhere because they thought they could outsmart him.

While he is still young compared to more seasoned members of the Mafia, he is wiser than his age would suggest. Any failures he makes, he makes a point to learn from them later, and he's always looking to improve his skills. Self improvement could take any number of forms, afterall. And even if he can't immediately spot these differences, he's not prideful enough to not ask for pointers.

He does tend to take on advisory roles on occasion, the individuals he provides it to benefitting from his experience on and off the battlefield. He's quite content with his current "On again, off again" habit of going between hitman and advisor, since it keeps him on his toes. Course, nothing ever stays the same for long as far as the Mafia are concerned... Especially when a job from an unknown client sends him to Namimori on what would prove to be the defining moment of his entire life.

Cool-headed - Able to maintain a calm outlook in almost any situation. You'd have to really go out of your way to tick him off.

Analytical - Capable of observing targets and deducing weaknesses, then exploiting said weaknesses with surgical precision.

Experienced - Has survived a few close scrapes in the past and came out wiser for it; Is willing to share his experience with others to help them avoid those same pitfalls.

Seasoned Marksman Though he probably doesn't hold a candle to the Arcobaleno Reborn in terms of his sharpshooting skills, he's still a good shot in his own right. If it shoots bullets, he can use it with precision.

Swordsman Although a bit irregular for a storm user, he took up swordplay as a contingency plan for close range battlefields where firearms would be unable to be aimed in time. In his role as a hitman, he sometimes found himself engaging in a sword duel with his intended target, and these skills proved invaluable.

Dual 9mm handguns, Suppressed - Concealed beneath his coat, hidden inside the main body of the coat. Carries the suppressors inside hidden compartments in his coat's tails.

Double-edged 1-handed Sword - Concealed beneath his coat, on his left hip, always on hand. Simple, but effective.

M4A1 Carbine - Primarily used for short to medium range combat where discretion is no-longer or never was important, with a strap to support it on his back when not in use. Owing to the weapon's size, however, he can't go wandering around in public with it, so he'll likely leave it somewhere out of sight and secure.

16

Erika is by all accounts a lovely girl one whos frail and innocent fragility often has the habit of stirring up the desire to protect her. She has a hard time understanding the feelings of others but she is by no means a mean person. While she may not fully understand her own or others emotions she is a kind gentle person one who tries to gain an understanding and offer a hand of help but often comes across as something completely different than what she was intending. She can often time come across as cruel but rather means well with her words. She has an odd sense of humour often taken often smirking or laughing at others misfortune.

While she is more than capable of fighting she is easily able to hold her in a majority of situations. Though she has a dislike of fighting in general and if at all possible would rather avoid it in the entirety. Though she is by far from helpless as she has been shown more than capable of holding her own against others. She also has been shown to have an extreme appetite that often leaves many wondering how she manages to eat all that yet never seems to gain weight as such.

Erika grew up moving from one spot to another due situation out of her control. She grew up pretty much alone as a result lacking much interaction with her family. Still, she did not let the lack of interaction with her family really get to her. Being relatively normal beyond her parents being head of a company left her in an odd spot at times often lacking friends due to how often she moved. Though as time passed so did things change one day a black car drove up. Then in a singular manner, she was told of her parent's death it was a devastating blow to her young self. Just like that all that she knew was changed once more with her parents gone she was entrusted with the running of her family's business and the like. With her parents' death, she was moved once more to a branch location in Namimori where she would be able to get a "fresh start" as the adults put it. While she was unsure of why or what the main meaning was she adapted as usual.

Though due to her young age a lot of it was left to the advisors and the like. She wasn’t sure what was truly going on but she knew she didn’t trust the lead advisor that helped run the company till she was able to. Knowing that something was foul in Denmark mad Erika seek out tutors in many different fields from medical to self-defence. Each one she put her all in learning all she can. She wasn't for sure what happened but she knew now that her parent's death wasn't of natural causes or an of a car crash. Or so she thought. She eventually hired a set of private investigators specializing in the recovery of information and the like. While they were unable to turn up much information they were able to regain something that was important her father's laptop. While she unable to gain access to a lot of the files on it and the hiring of experts was out of the question as one advisor was particularly dodgy and adamant that as acting head all information be given to him. So she was left with trying to do it by herself.

She set out continuing lessons but also in secret trying her best to gain access to the files on the laptop. Though she knew that going by what she did manage to gain access to that it was definitely not what they told her for her parents' death. But beyond that, any other info was locked to where she couldn't gain access to it. She knew that she would have to be wary as to not and draw too much attention to herself as she still didn't trust a lot of the advisors and by proxy her guardian of sorts. This meant she had to tiptoe around the subject and work on the laptop in secret as to now drawing unneeded scrutiny to herself. Which would slow down her progress a lot.

Rain

Death Ballet - A style of fighting that is based on basic ideas and principles behind ballet and figure skating. Mainly focused on kicks it is anything but a dance as with it she is able to deliver harsh kicks at the enemy. A unique style of combat she has formed from her love of ballet and figure skating along with basics of Chinese martial arts.

Understanding of human anatomy - Due to personal interest and training she has received from hired tutors she has gained a solid understanding on the human anatomy and is as such able to perform basic medical procedures within limits though it is limited and she has shown to have little interest in pursuing it further.

swordsmanship - Proficient in the use of swords Erika has been shown to be comfortable with them enough to be able to use them in a combat situation.

The gift he gave - A Jian with a scarlet blade given to her by her teacher when he decided she learned all that was needed. It is a precious gift one that has seen battle before and carries with it a weight she doesn’t fully know yet.

17

Aleksandr is a light hearted, kind, and cheerful, individual who rarely allows anything to keep him from moving forward in order to accomplish any goal he may have set his mind to. He acts with kindness towards anyone who may come his way, though he makes exceptions for those who he feels do not deserve such treatment. For instance, as the head of the Student Disciplinary Committee, he treats every member of the student body with care and is always willing to offer a helping hand. The same goes for the Archery Club for which he is the president. Even so, while he will offer a shoulder to cry on, he is quick to take action against somebody who would bring harm to another member of the student body.

It goes without saying that Aleksandr is strong willed. He has a strong sense of duty when it comes to sticking up for those who are unable to do so themselves. Even so, he has trouble believing in the system of law in place, favoring his own sense of morality and “justice” as he puts it when taking the time to make a speech. This likely stems from the legal proceeding regarding his custody between his mother and father and how he had no say, and how despite the fact that his father was a good man, money and influence were all that really mattered. He has a bit of a problem with people trying to force him to do things he doesn’t want to, because so much of his life is under the control of his mother and his grandfather.

Because of them, and his status, it is not often he is allowed to truly speak his mind, whether at home or at public events. Thus, he makes sure to do so when given the opportunity. As the president of the Archery Club and the head of the Student Disciplinary Committee he is afforded this right far more often. That is, so long as he is ready and willing to do so, which he always is. Those who engage him learn fairly quickly that he is indeed quick witted, quite the actor, and almost always ready and prepared to use anything at his disposal to defend himself, his friends, the student body and anybody else left under his care. Perhaps all of this comes with the notion of being a person of influence, a dutiful grandson and child, and being true to himself.

Aleksandr Minamoto was born into the prestigious Minamoto and Russian Orlov families. The Minamoto’s history in Japanese spans decades, if not centuries as descendants of the historic Minamoto clan. Alek’s grandfather, Hiroshi Minamoto, even boasts being the descendant of the legendary Minamoto no Yorimitsu. As a young man his grandfather gained wealth and fame by opening what began as a small food stand. This food stand grew into a small restaurant which grew into a larger restaurant, into a catering business, and into a chain of restaurants known worldwide. He worked hard to build his empire while learning all he could about business in order to better fit the roles he’d be taking on. Now, the Minamoto restaurants boast prestige, full restaurants and catering to the the biggest names in entertainment, sports, and any other member of the upper echelon you can think of.

The Orlov family reached its status of wealth and power through Aleksandr’s great grandparents, Alexei and Izolda Orlov. Working together the two created a fashion empire. It had been his great grandmother Izolda’s dream after all, and his great grandfather Alexei had no qualms helping make it a reality. As time went on the corporation would be passed down to their son, Aleksandr’s grandfather Mikhail who would then pass it on to his mother Veronika.

That being said, Alek’s story truly begins with his parents engagement. As preparation for a corporate merger in which doors would open up for both companies in regards to public relations and celebrity sponsorship, among other things, Mikhail and Hiroshi developed a plan. Their children would marry. Aleksandr’s father, Itsuki had his reservations, but ultimate agreed to meet the girl at Hiroshi’s behest. Veronika spent time charming Itsuki, refusing to let anything get in the way of her plans to further build her family empire.

In the end, the two married. However, once the wedding had been completed Veronika was able to show her true self. She was manipulative, power hungry, and ruthless when necessary. However, she deterred Itsuki’s notions of worry by explaining she had to be like that for business. Still, she only needed to keep up the act until she conceived their first child, Aleksandr. Itsuki had had other names in mind, but ultimately forfeited the first name in order to appease his wife. He loved her after all. And so, Aleksandr was born.

He grew up happily with his father around. Hiroshi was still in charge of the business, and with Veronika taking the reigns of her own family business, he spent most of his time with Itsuki. He would often take him camping, showed him how to hunt, and made sure he never had a problem with getting his hands dirty. Veronika never argued. It was good if he knew how to protect himself. Aleksandr, her precious little Shura, was her treasure after all; not to mention a free model and a good way to get into other industry she had no time to pursue herself when she was younger. She could make him act, push him into photoshoots, and many other things that could only serve to boost her fashion empire.

Itsuki didn’t like this. Aleksandr wasn’t a tool. He wanted to give the boy a choice when it came to his life. He always made sure Alek knew this. He had a choice, much to Veronika’s dismay. They simply couldn’t see eye to eye. Even so, Itsuki refused to let her force his little golden boy to be anything the child didn’t want to be. Veronika would scoff at his opposition. However, she knew it would take more than just her. So, she brought in Aleksandr’s grandfather.

Itsuki didn’t fall in line as the two planned. And because of his presence, neither did Aleksandr. This was how it came to divorce. Hiroshi was completely on Veronika’s side. If Itsuki would not do as he wished, he would have to leave. They were able to pay for better lawyers. Veronika got custody. Itsuki was not allowed visitation.

Aleksandr was upset about this. He was more upset about the lack of control he would have in the future of his life. He was put in many classes: self-defense, archery, business, modeling, etc. His mother and grandfather wanted to keep him busy. The busier he was the less he could resist. He learned his lessons well. He even began to use this to his advantage. He got funds for the school Archery Club, of which he quickly became president of. He took CPR and first aid classes after an incident with his grandfather. He was determined to take what his father had taught him and use it to turn his family businesses around. He could play the part of a good son and grandson if it meant enacting his own plans in the future.

It helped later on at least when he met his now best friend, Ienari Sawada. He wasn’t much the ambitious type, but he was about the same age and fun to see at parties and events. Even when he went away Aleksandr would call him on an almost daily basis. Perhaps that is why he felt a little betrayed when Ienari was put on the Student Council. He’d hoped to secure the place as president, but lost to Akira Komaeda. Still, he took up the position as Student Disciplinary Committee president. He needed to keep Akira in place and fight for the students and it was fun to see Ienari in a position where he might need to do a little work. Besides, his friend was still his friend through and through. Aleksandr was never the type who could simply drop someone he trusted.

And so, the story continues.

Sun

Eagle’s Eye - Aleksandr sees things differently than others. Apart from his amazing sense of vision, which allows him to see things from great distances with astounding clarity, he can see things from another perspective. It’s almost as though he has a bird’s eye view of the battlefield around his immediate vicinity (roughly a mile or some in diameter around him). Because of this he is able to accurately survey his surroundings, strategize, lend a helping hand, make seemingly blind shots, and possibly even predict the moves of his opponent if he takes (and has) the time to study them.
Freerunning - Aleksander's mother tried to force him into gymnastics classes in order to further the appearance she was trying to create for him. However, rather than simply refuse, he talked her into the alternative that is Freerunning. He is incredibly skilled in the art, and its practical applications as a style similar to Parkour helps him greatly with mobility and the slightly higher focus on the flashy side of Parkour appeased his mother. It's also a fun hobby as he doesn't really get to go hunting as much as he'd like and archery practice can only entertain him for so long in a given day. He's found that Freerunning is also helpful when it comes to self-defense and keeping himself safe and at a distance if he gets into a fight.
Combat & Skills - This young man’s abilities go much farther than simple natural talents. His skill set has something of a broad range, the most prominent of which can be found here:

Compound Bow - Although Aleksandr owns and maintains a composite bow uniform to those used for club activities and competitions, his weapon of choice is a custom made compoun bow. This bow is primarily “curled” to a smaller size unless needed, in which case Aleksandr can fairly easily uncurl it to its full length. The bow is yellow primarily with black accents adorning the smaller pieces of it and certain parts, though only in small amounts so as not to overshadow the yellow. It also helps the yellow pop a bit more. It was a stylistic choice on his part.

Quiver - Aleksandr’s quiver is composed of a light-weight, symmetrical outer frame that houses two separate bundles of arrows. Each bundle typically holds an average of 20 arrows, 40 altogether. The frame surrounds the arrow bundles at the top and bottom, with a narrow spine between while leaving the arrow shafts and arrowheads visible.

Arrows - Currently, Aleksandr uses regular arrows without much variation. They are sturdy and well balanced. He also has smaller throwing arrows which he can use with amazing skill in case he chooses to avoid wasting other arrows unnecessarily.

First Aid Equipment - Aleksandr is rarely without a number of items which could be used to administer first aid for quick fixes. He has a few smaller compartments in his quiver which house these items, though he also keeps a few in small pouches hung at his waist and snugly wrapped around his left leg.