Cryptek12

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Interaction: @Lotrix Molick
Mention:@Bea

---

Nari smiled.

@Lotrix Molick

But listening to her sales pitch immediately rang alarms in Sheffield's head. He was expecting weird produce, but the examples she gave hit him like a hammer that reminded the young man of what mutants could do.

Sheffield frowned, though more in thought. Exotic foods were one thing, but the mutant variety? Scientists around the world had all sorts of test subjects for a reason. And Sheffield would know.

Still, Nari had a good reputation, and she wouldn't be out here selling goods that would lower her standings in the market popularity charts. If anything, this was a chance to try whipping up something, or test them on someone--maybe that thief if he found him--before Sheffield does.

The young man quirked one corner of his lips. "I heard of mutants growing all sorts of wacky stuff, you included. But that kind of stuff is starting to become my brand of normal goods lately, as much as I hate to say it. Still, you've got a nice range here."

He bent down to look at the label on one bottle of red wine. Assuming it was red wine.

"I'll take a look at all these vegetable and fruits, but right now I'm thinking of using a wine in sauces, the kind you'd pair with oven-baked meat. As in, the kind you boil in a pan and mix with melted butter? Do you have something like that?"

He'll probably have to explain to his boss about bringing home some stuff, but he was grinning a little now.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Interaction: @Lotrix Molick.
Mention: @Bea.

---

After apologizing to the woman for something he wasn’t responsible for in the first place, Sheffield ducked away from the stares his shouts got him.

Thieves. He doesn’t know that kid, like most of the other poor people here. But he simply wanted to help, only, people were naturally cautious of each other.

Trust.

She (Nari) let out a quick, sharp whistle to try and draw Sheffield's attention. "Sir, with the buns, come on over here!" While she yelled at him, Nari stood up and let the vine chair revert into a non-recliner.

@Lotrix Molick

Sheffield looked up from the pepper bun he was picking up. The kid hadn’t even bothered to take it! Still, the lady he had wanted to see at first was now waving at him.

At least this day wasn’t getting any worse. He walked over to Nari Sol and greeted her, ”Good morning, Miss Sol. Sorry for the commotion.”

He looked at all the fancy colors, attractive and hypnotizing in their own way. Maybe Sheffield could get something for desserts. ”What goods do you happen to have on hand today?”

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Interaction: @Bea

---

Maksim's eyes started to glow blue then, simply out of heightened fear and the distress caused by the current situation. The stranger tried to catch Maks' interest when he shook the bag, but the boy wasn't having it. He used one hand to help himself stand quickly, not saying a word before bolting from the small clearing, ducking and jumping over the small shrubbery in an effort to get away quickly.

@Bea

Sheffield barely registered the eyes when he automatically caught at the kid. Little thieves tended to bolt like rabbits too.

But he only just snatched air. Blinking, he saw the kid pumping his legs, turning this situation more complicated. And tiring if he chased after him.

Instead, Sheffield gritted his teeth at being surprised, not to mention his dull reaction time. He yelled, "Oh, have it your way! Your parents are gonna be ashamed ya know! And here!"

He threw a pepper bun, wrapped up in oil-stopping paper, embossed with the Rain's Knell logo with big words, letting it sail in a perfect arc that bopped the stumbling boy on the head. The kid had run a good distance, but Sheffield's aim was hardly daunted by that.

"Eat, so that I won't catch you stealing again, got that!?"

Boy, did this feel familiar, except this was not a petty little sister he was dealing with.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Interaction: @Bea

---

There was that look again. Someone was caught red-handed; in one hand was their steal, and in the other their prize (which was rolling away on the ground). The scared face. The wide eyes. The steps away.

Sheffield just gave the purple-eyed boy a smile and picked the bun up, dusting off a few leaves.

"What did I tell you about snacks?" he said, stern and reprimanding. "I told you I'd get you some, right?"

Without waiting for another word, he snatched the stolen bag from the boy's hands and put the bun he had inside. He offered both to the woman who had been watching with astonishment ever since Sheffield shouted.

"Sorry 'bout that ma'am! My little brother here's been getting cheeky-- I mean hungry lately. Just growing up, but really, we're sorry. Riiiight?"

Sheffield pointedly looked at the kid, not subtly shaking his own bag. The smell of fried meat wafted over them a little.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Basic Information

Sheffield Dusk
- Named by his parents after seeing a bloody knife that happened to have the company name.
- Also named after 'sheperd' and 'sheepdog' which both phonetically sounded similar.

Vigilante Name
- Red Striker (formerly, for the red streaks he would have in his costume)
- Reddy

Age
17 years old, turning 18 in a few days.

Species
Human

Gender
Male

Ethnicity
America

Nationality
Chinese

Occupation
Waiter (sometimes Cook) - At the Rain’s Knell Café of Azure City.

Part-time Voice Acting and Writing - Doing occasional work for a video game company named Wyldsine. He has refused their requests to join them full-time after realizing they are cooperating with the Raiders. (See Origin below for explanation.)

Alignment
Neutral Good - Sheffield had taken up arms not just for the money, but for the purpose of defending his troubled home city. He stayed away from having to kill people, even if he will when truly pushed, and having actually killed someone made him realize he was a little too good at killing, or getting people killed. It made him feel resolved not to do it again.

Detailed Information

Appearance

Sheffield is a young-looking man cutting a slender figure, as tall as 5’6” (167 cm) or so, muscles more on the lean but not-so-apparent side. He has short, oak brown hair at the roots that fade into burgundy tips just at his neck, as well as bright brown eyes.

He often wears a black field jacket, unzipped, sleeves rolled up before his elbows, and brown around the waist. Underneath it, he wears a red T-shirt with short sleeves, also wearing thin, dark brown gloves he procures from his jacket should there be rough work. For the lower body, he wears grey sweatpants, sneakers, and white socks.

Personality

Traits: Responsible, independent, considerate, and irascible.

Sheffield is not exactly a complicated character, being a simple caring person that is easy to rile up, be it because you are not taking care of yourself under his watch or you just insulted him. Even so, he is honest to himself, and open to others. Almost all the time at least.

Having been to other countries, lost his parents and spent time as a vigilante (though people thought he was more of an unofficial hero), he has been through quite a many things, ultimately preferring to help people in his little part of the world, but not everywhere.

Origin

Sheffield Dusk was born in America and lived there for three years with his older sister and parents before moving to China. His parents had an opportunity to make a deal with another movie-making company with the one they worked in at the time, changing their families nationalities including that of Sheffield’s and Dani’s. Henna, their baby sister, was born on Chinese soil.

In China, Sheffield lived for eleven more years, toughing it out in the schools and getting involved with shady organizations. But then an accident happened at the site of the meeting in which an angry mutant rioted and blew up the building Sheffield’s parents were in. Amongst the dead were his parents and several other people, while the culprit was on the run.

Grieving, orphaned, and unsure what to do now, the children went back to America to live with their uncle. It was there in the city that Sheffield requested training by his uncle, military-style, then testing those skills on petty criminals; he succeeded every time save for a few, drawing the attention of the Raiders of the Lost, a good-willed vigilante organization. He was certain to be a hero that would make sure something like his parents’ deaths would never happen again.

From fifteen to seventeen, Sheffield fought as a prominent vigilante in clandestine missions, as the lithe, secret agent-like, power-less Red Striker that ensured he captured his targets, all while attending the nearby high school. However, Betta Bill, a mutant with psychokinesis that had been on a murder spree, and related to the mutant that killed his parents, was the very last mutant he faced as the Striker.

Betta Bill was killed from a trap set up by a merciless Sheffield; he quickly found he did not relish deaths despite his comrades’ reassurances and praise, and he just killed the father of two, both of whom were sent to an orphanage. Sheffield visits the orphans every now and then, having bluntly told them the truth. The older sister, a teenager like Sheffield, did not take it too well; the much younger brother just cried and wondered what his “daddy did wrong”.

Now seventeen, bordering on eighteen, he moved to Azure City for a cliché new life; he plans on going to a college and take up work as a writer for a game studio. He has taken up residence in an apartment, working at a café named Rain’s Knell and a game studio named Wyldsine.

Of course, he does fight crime, but only when he chances upon it, and in his ordinary public persona, claiming he had training...

Notable Relations

Dani and Henna Dusk:
His sisters, Dani being 21 years old and Henna 11. The three siblings had lived together until their parents’ deaths. Sheffield stays in contact with them all the time.

Raiders of the Lost:
A small organization that had risen in America decades ago, one that Sheffield joined for vigilante work and equipment. He had enjoyed his time greatly there with the members, but he had a recent falling out with some of them who decided to work for a larger vigilante organization that believed too much in killing.
He still has contacts with the Raiders.

Cinnamon and Bailey Hailstride:
The siblings of the criminal mutant villain, Betta Bill. Sheffield has tense relations with Cinnamon, the older sister, even if they had met in better circumstances, but he had a surprisingly amiable bond with Bailey, the younger brother. The two had recently run away, and Sheffield has no idea where they are.

Resources

Back then as a vigilante, he would gain money by capturing bounties, ultimately ending with his kill of Betta Bill that awarded him $100,000. He had made friendly connections to black markets and had the backing of the Raiders’ technology (which sadly did not include something like laser beams as they were not that advanced, but at least had elemental munitions).

Upon quitting, he moved into an apartment and planned on going to college. Whatever connections he had as the Striker were still maintained, albeit far fewer, but thankfully including the Raiders. For now, he took up work at a café and does voice acting or story-writing work for (video or board or otherwise) game companies every now and then. In summary, Sheffield has plenty of money to buy a house and a small armory, even though his income has gotten much lower than before.

Everyday Skills

Cooking - His cooking is top notch, although he is still learning for more recipes and styles, like French, Dutch, and Indonesian for instance.

Experience with Entertainment - His parents worked for an entertainment company that specialized in movies, including ones that involved mutant actors. Sheffield would at least know several good points to be in such a business.

Self-defense - He is trained and experienced in fighting, particularly non-lethally.

Repair - Above average, as demanded by how much equipment he had. Otherwise, he can fix planks, sew dolls back up, and get a generator working. Not on the level of a good engineer though.

Sociality - He used to work in a close-knit team for all his lack of powers, and is never above considering talking to a stranger an option.

Combat

Fighting Style

Sheffield’s tactics are based on what he prepares, what he has or is within his reach, and what kind of enemy he is up against, especially one he would never kill. But generally, he prefers to end fights as fast as he could, be it quietly or loudly. Ruthlessness and 100% completion is key to any quest of his.

He is well-versed in sword-fighting, bare-handed combat, gymnastics, chemistry (average actually) and shooting, and more importantly, is capable of processing a moment quickly and reaching a decision full of conviction.

Strengths

- His reflexes are more than enough to dodge bullets.
- He is a rather agile and limber fighter.
- He received military training from his veteran uncle, although it is incomplete.
- He has two years’ worth of experience from his time as the Red Striker, working in a team, or going solo, and retiring has not dulled his skills much.
- He has experience and talent with melee weapons and firearms.
- Knows the rule of “Imagination is a weapon. Those who lack it die first.”

Weaknesses

- He is still training himself to deflect bullets.
- He can rather impulsive.
- He is still human, and is at a natural disadvantage against mutants.
- He normally relies on equipment, which could mean trouble if he loses them.
- Practice time has gotten sparse for him between his jobs, so his skills are slightly dulled.

Equipment



(Credits to Nick Hanzo)

The Nanokatana (named as Dusty Edge by Sheffield) is a nano-like weapon developed by the Raiders’ scientists. It is completely grey in Inactive Mode, around thirty inches long, and would ripple and harden to show a slightly darker blade in Battle Mode.

It was formerly a katana made by a mutant blacksmith centuries ago, created from a tree-like mutant that had wood far stronger than steel, and was reinforced by mutant powers. Sheffield is the first to use it as part of a test, Dusty Edge being linked to Sheffield by a DNA lock.

At the moment it is wrapped in a black bag meant for bokutos (wooden Japanese swords).

Strengths:
- Sharp (can cut through titanium or alloys at least).
- Can be bench-pressed by three Jumbo jet airplanes.
- Does not need to be pulled out of a sheathe; can form a blade anywhere on it as it responds to the user’s mind.
- Can repair itself in the event it somehow breaks.
- Can camouflage itself and ‘stick’ to any surface through secreting sap from its tree-like nature.
- Can absorb and insulate electricity.
- Can return by turning to dust instantly before reforming in the user’s hand.
- Being a non-metal and a ‘dead’ stick, it cannot be controlled by magnets or plant-based powers.
- Still has more functions Sheffield is trying to use such as splitting off into two shorter blades.

Weaknesses:
- Only has the reach of a katana in melee range.
- Default shape is always a katana, and cannot transform into anything else other than a bar of metal.
- Can actually be broken. In this state, the katana will ‘lose power’, stay in Inactive Mode, and can be broken more easily. Once it regains power, it will draw all of its lost parts together, although they cannot come together if constantly separated.
- Being made of a special wood, forcing it to disperse if hit by too much fire.
- Full reformation time: Normally ten minutes. Repair time: Depending on damage inflicted, usually in minutes.
- Requires special equipment for modifications. Even then, it would require material similar to that of the tree mutant it was made from.

Other equipment: An WWII-era M1891 (Mosin-Nagant) rifle (he has a gun license), a BB handgun, a plastic handgun with plastic bullets, knives, daggers, frying pans, armor and cloth protection reminiscent of military wares, a gas mask, various bombs and concoctions that induce stink, itching, and more, and a motorcycle (he got his driving license last year), a special government license that allows all this weaponry, etc..

Power

Being just a combat-effective human, Sheffield has no actual mutant powers.

Extra

- Likes: Sweets, games, tools and equipment
- Dislikes: Spicy foods, swearing (in excess at least) and horror genres
- He sometimes can be easily distracted.
- He can speak Chinese.
- He could have qualified for the military, any international sports competition, a private corporation involved with technology (he was scouted at some point), but he decided to look for simpler jobs.
- He has a few friendly ties to black markets from where he could gain equipment.
- He often replaces his swear words with friendly ones.
- He has a mask to hide his identity when needed, especially during his vigilante days.
- He occasionally makes some obscure reference to video games, movies and pop culture.
- His hair fading from brown to red is a genetic mutation in itself, not that it actually grants him powers, and therefore still classifies him as ‘human’. His father had brown hair and his mother had red, though his sisters have a crimson shade as opposed to Sheffield’s burgundy.

Cinnamon Hailstride

Basic Information

Cinnamon Hailstride
- Something of an irony, given her buff appearance, but somewhat fitting when it comes to personality.
- Her father was the one who gave her this name, when Cinnamon smelled cinnamon rolls and smiled.

Titles/Nicknames
- White Strider
- The Cat with Fists

Age
16 years old

Species
Mutant

Gender
Female

Ethnicity
American-Japanese

Nationality
American

Occupation
Construction Worker
Secret Agent (for the Raiders of the Lost; she says she is a Professional Hero instead)

Alignment
Chaotic Good – She helps people if she could, although she would rather save people closest to her as opposed to total strangers. Even so, it would hurt her if she actually stands by.

Detailed Information

(Credits to 'waka (shark waka)' for their character, Ichika.)

Appearance
Cinnamon is a young woman around 5’8” (172 cm) and 143 lbs (65 kg). She boasts a lean figure with several apparent muscles, mostly her abdominals, and faint scars that came from fighting constantly on the streets. Her face is often a blank frown, where her left green eye and right yellow eye would stare ahead (or close, or intensely focused) when she is calm, but quickly change upon some situation. The worst one for people would be on the end of her tooth-gritted glare.

She often wears a dark black (or brown) coat, white shirt, equally dark trousers or grey sweatpants, combat boots, and a belt pack. Her gloves, matt black and studded with special alloy, are normally kept in her pockets until she has to fight or work. Sometimes she ties up her hair with a green scrunchie or cuts it at neck length in hime-style. Whenever she is called upon for agent operations, she wears a black beanie to tuck her hair into, a red oni mask, more dark clothing, and a special coat.

Personality

Traits: Stubborn, family-oriented, cool, rude, and indecisive.

Cinnamon is good-natured, but the type who would call themselves your friend and still call you names anyway. She admires mutants in general, although she is aware of how good and bad they can be from an early age. As such, she can be prickly towards people, and friends are rare for her despite her open demeanor.

She does not readily stay true to her feelings, leading her to feel conflicted when such moments come and ultimately try to avoid it or run away. She cares for people, especially when they get hurt, but she had received hard lessons in trying to fix things herself and has been receptive to other people.

Origin

Cinnamon was born to mutant parents Bosley Hailstride, an American psychokinetic magician, and Ran Hayashi, a Japanese mutant born with the ability to control wind, and lived in America before settling down in a city. Six years later, her mother died giving birth to her baby brother, Bailey, leaving it up to Bosley to suddenly take care of his children. Despite this change, and living in a rather rough part of a neighborhood, the three lived happily, if not at risk with the several shady organizations based around the city.

At some point, Cinnamon met Sheffield and thought they were going to be good friends until her father suddenly disappeared, reappearing in public crazily declaring himself to be Betta Bill, and began a psychokinetic rampage on a level very unlike him or his powers. It killed civilians, Heroes, Vigilantes, and bounty hunters alike by the dozens, until Sheffield, known as the Red Striker at the time, was the one who finally killed Betta Bill. Horrified, angered, and grieving, she was later sent to an orphanage where she met Sheffield again.

Having heard his confession as the Red Striker that killed her father, their relationship plummeted, and slowly mended with Sheffield’s constant visits, Cinnamon understanding that the destruction her father caused had to be stopped, and her brother and the little orphans simply being there to distract them. Even so, distraught that her father, rough but kind, turned into a mad Villain without an explanation, she went to Azure City to search for such a source. When one night got her into fighting Villains, and winning, she was invited by a member of the Raiders of the Lost into their ranks, whom she knew from Sheffield.

Joining the Raiders, Cinnamon has since then acted as a guard for certain facilities located around the city or as assault, in which she would be one of the first fighting Heroes on the scene.

Notable Relations
• Bailey Hailstride
Her younger brother, who is 10 years old. She cares for him dearly, especially when he became her last living relative.

• Sheffield Dusk
Complicated. They had met two weeks before Betta Bill’s rampage, at a mixer in which Cinnamon was forced into, and Sheffield was supposed to meet an arms dealer. They met, got along, got annoyed by each other, got along anyway, and got each other’s contact number before realizing they attended the same school a few days later. But then Sheffield killed her father.

It had been half a year since Sheffield confessed himself as the killer, whom she viewed as a justified sort of killer, but still the one who did it anyway. It took time for them to talk normally again, until Cinnamon had enough of her orphanage and ran away with her brother. Though, one of her reasons was Sheffield himself, who grew on her despite what happened.

• Bosley Hailstride and Ran Hailstride née Hayashi
Her American and Japanese mutant parents respectively. She knew her mother for six years until Bailey, whom she gave birth to and died despite her mutant constitution, leaving it up to their father to raise them. They enjoyed their years together as a family in America until Betta Bill rose up as a criminal. The reasons as to why Bosley went berserk were lost on her, and she could not believe he happened to kill without reason, which factored into her decision to find out why by joining the Raiders of the Lost.

• Raiders of the Lost
The low-profile vigilante organization that Sheffield was once a part of, which had now partnered with some shady organizations. Cinnamon was scouted by the Raiders after she ran to Azure City with Bailey, in which she acts as a forward scout and (occasional) security for some of the Raiders’ and their partners’ facilities. Of course, she was only in it for some sense of payment for her father’s crimes, to find out why her father became a Villain, a job, and a want to do good, even if it was somewhat at odds with her sense of freedom.

Resources

Decent, having an ordinary apartment to live in with her little brother. Her daytime job (construction) and nighttime job (secret agent) provide the two with more than enough income. She also has a ‘Hero’s’ license that would justify her work in protecting the peace (and avoid whatever trouble she has to do in public).

She also became the leader of her own gang, though unnamed, which is composed of many mutants and a few humans who had lost homes or are looking for friends. They act as an information network, but more importantly as backup for Cinnamon and each other, at least when it does not involve work.

Everyday Skills
• Cooking (mostly meat and vegetables)
• Taking care of children
• Throwing
• Mapping (as in navigating, drawing maps, and including important places)
• Cleaning

Combat

Fighting Style
Rush in, fight, and win, sometimes not in that order. She works straightforwardly, however impulsive she acts, but is not a fool, especially having walked through many unfair streets where she sometimes had to fight (or purposely gets into fights). She is far from adverse to using weapons and tactics, but the reason she would resort to fists would be when she wants no deaths.

She has knowledge of several Asiatic schools of fighting, most of which includes disarming and posture; that would include Japanese aikido and South Indian Kalaripayattu. However, she has a preference for boxing and (her more brutal form of) taekwondo.

Strengths
- Roughhousing.
- Any crowded fights.
- She has above average education.
- Her body is incredibly tough due to the nature of her power, to the point a knife would barely get past her skin.
- Her reflexes are very on point, particularly adjusted for her power to work efficiently.
- Doing mathematical calculations (or pure instincts) are also a condition for her if she wants fine control over her power and throwing strength.
- She has incredible willpower.

Weaknesses
- Something like a Xanatos Gambit (planning for each and every outcome to be beneficial) is beyond her, including avoiding being caught up in such machinations.
- She is an impulsive person.
- Her brother is a sore/weak point for her, along with any mention of her family or friends.
- She is a loner by nature, and is unused to teamwork.
- She is more of a human with their natural resistances multiplied, hence the wounds she takes are still significant over time.

Equipment
Her best clothing is incredibly tough, designed with her powers and fighting style in mind. Her black gloves and boots are studded with metal alloys that can endure nearly anything she punches and are made of threads resistant towards heat, burning, corrosion, and other ailments. Her special black coat is interwoven with titanium, also with the same resistances. A whip is often at her side to use to lash onto enemies or objects, whether to pull at them or herself towards them.

Her packs are often full of small gadgets and items, including cinnamon sticks that help her focus, tracking beacons the size of quarters, and a retractable baton.

Psychokinetic Enhancement

Strengths

- This ability entails adding forces acting upon Cinnamon, or an object or a person she is in contact with, using her mind.
- A punch she throws can have the force of a speeding bus, or comparable to that of a meteor if she exhausts herself. A feather as light as ever could be dropped and suddenly have the weight of a bull. Anything that leaves her will still have the power-added force until it disperses for any reason.
- One technique is to add on the force she has on her arm delivering a punch; in the instant she makes contact with her target, she adds onto the force pushing the target back, sending them flying. Another is that whenever she falls, she can act upon resistant forces to slow her fall enough to at least not take damage.
- She can immediately remove the force she adds and add on the resistant force of whatever is in her hand, allowing her to stop an attack of hers in time (if she processes the thought).
- The power also resulted in Cinnamon’s high endurance, which adapted to the rigors of using it.
- It is theorized she can emit a personal forcefield or on whatever she holds onto, or strengthening her body, though she has yet to be able to do so.
- It is also theorized her power can mutate to subtract forces upon anything she is in contact with.

Weaknesses
- The power only activates when Cinnamon comes into contact with the target.
- It cannot ‘subtract’ or remove a force.
- While she can add force onto multiple objects at a time, she can only do it on one force acting upon each object (e.g. she cannot add on gravity combined with kinetic force for her punches).
- The mental strength required to interact with an object/mass is proportional to its size. If the object is smaller than Cinnamon, then it would take next to no cost. If it is larger, then the mental strength exerted would be more noticeable, added onto the amount of force she wants to add.
- The enhancement is dependent on Cinnamon’s mental strength, which can be interfered with through mental means, putting her in depression, or such that conflicts with her mind and will.
- Cinnamon can mentally exhaust herself using her powers too much, sometimes putting herself into short comas lasting up to a day.
- There are no long-range forms of this ability, such as lifting an object with the mind.

Extra
- Likes: Sushi, close people, fighting, and TV.
- Dislikes: Villains, coffee, bad ink, and the police.
- She likes TV dramas, particularly Korean ones.
- She can speak basic Japanese.
- She won a competition in knife throwing and another in eating spaghetti.
- She has a verbal tic where she gets high-pitched when flustered, nervous or emotional.
- Her heterochromia were often a source of tease and insults. She ends up getting into fights this way too.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Sheffield Dusk

Interactions: @Bea Mentions: @Lotrix Molick

---

Two people dressed in uniform, sky blue for the top and deep black for the bottom, front covered by green aprons, were preparing a stall like most of the people here were doing. One was young-looking, had brown hair tipped with red, and something long wrapped in black canvas, hanging by his belt. The other was much taller, moving several long tables and chairs for future customers to sit at.

It was smooth going so far.

"Sheffy, those boxes!"

"Got 'em!"

Sheffield's hand shot out and stopped a small tower of crates from tipping over. That was the sixth disaster he had to stop within just an hour. The employee gave a glare at the root of the problem.

"Mister Tusk... wooden boxes? Mind finally explaining what's in these? And don't call me 'Sheffy'."

The man with shaggy brown hair, excited eyes hidden behind his glasses, grinned, showing off his fangs. He was a mutant, just like many others at this gathering, the ones he was determined to show off for today.

"Jalapeno peppers, grown by a certain mutant from Deadridge Farms!" he answered proudly.

"D-Deadridge Farms!? What the heck kinda peppers did you get this time!?"

"The very best! We need more customers more than ever my boy, and the new recipe I taught you all is bound to rope them in."

Sheffield sighed and shifted the boxes at the top, making sure (praying) that they didn't explode or something. It was true that the man was better at cooking than Sheffield was, admirable even, but they had a tendency of blowing up in their faces. Sometimes literally.

"Where is everyone else, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, they've gone to see the other stalls, the little traitors." He sounded like a father talking about his playful children though.

"...So we're supposed to man this stall, just the two of us?"

"Not at all! I wouldn't leave you to suffer such a fate--"

"You did, once, at the cafe, leaving me with a celebrity," Sheffield muttered darkly.

"--so we're all doing it together after a break." Tusk waved a hand at all the stalls. Despite being on a job, Sheffield was wondering if he could ask for a break to see them all. Mutants have always fascinated him.

"You can go ahead and take a look for a while," Tusk told him.

Sheffield felt a smile and looked to his boss gratefully. "Really?"

"But bring this along."

Tusk shoved a plastic bag into his hands, one with the Rain's Knell logo on it, which was a rain cloud being pushed away by a coffee steaming underneath, painted in varying shades of blue. And if the peppery smell meant anything, Tusk wanted his young employee to advertise the pepper buns.

"Of course..." muttered Sheffield.

"Don't be like that! You don't have to shout or anything," Tusk said as he nudged Sheffield to move. "Now go on! Have a good time."

And so Sheffield did.

There was one booth that was particularly flashy, set up just a few stalls away from Rain's Knell's. The woman manning it looked like she had ivy for tendons, like... Wildvine? As in the cartoon, only more human. Everything on her table of nature seemed to glimmer.

Sheffield heard of Nari the nature mutant, renowned for her botany and alcohol, and maybe a hero by night. He was about to walk over to her before he spotted a hand, poking out of a bush.

He (from Sheffield's view, he only saw a hand) moved slowly, but with intent, crawling quietly through the bushes until he was on the backside of the bench. He then reached underneath it, carefully watching the woman above as he slowly took hold of the bag, minding the plastic and making sure not to cause too much noise, before lifting it off the ground ever so slightly and pulling it back towards the bushes.

@Bea

Thieves. If it was a plastic bag clearly full of food, then this one must be hungry.

Sheffield looked at the one in his hand. His manager might get mad at him for this...

He walked over to the bush and brushed aside some foliage. He saw a mop of black hair and a blue jacket, one that looked rather well-kept. A thief would normally not have that much hygiene, what with their circumstances.

Sheffield cleared his throat and exclaimed, "There you are!"

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

First one:

Sheffield Dusk

Sheffield Dusk

Basic Information

Name
Sheffield Dusk

Vigilante Name
Red Striker (formerly)

Age
17 years old, turning 18 in a few days.

Species
Human

Gender
Male

Ethnicity
America

Nationality
Chinese

Occupation

Waiter (sometimes Cook) - At the Rain’s Knell Café of Azure City.

Part-time Voice Acting and Writing - Doing occasional work for a video game company named Wyldsine. He has refused their requests to join them full-time after realizing they are cooperating with the Raiders. (See Origin below for explanation.)

Alignment
Neutral Good - Sheffield had taken up arms not just for the money, but for the purpose of defending his troubled home city. He stayed away from having to kill people, even if he will when truly pushed, and having actually killed someone made him realize he was a little too good at killing, or getting people killed. It made him feel resolved not to do it again.

Detailed Information

Appearance



Sheffield is a young-looking man cutting a slender figure, as tall as 5’6” or so, muscles more on the lean but not-so-apparent side. He has short, oak brown hair at the roots that fade into burgundy tips just at his neck, as well as bright brown eyes.

He often wears a black field jacket, unzipped, sleeves rolled up before his elbows, and brown around the waist. Underneath it, he wears a red T-shirt with short sleeves, also wearing thin, dark brown gloves he procures from his jacket should there be rough work. For the lower body, he wears grey sweatpants, sneakers, and white socks.

Personality

Traits: Responsible, independent, considerate, and irascible.

Sheffield is not exactly a complicated character, being a simple caring person that is easy to rile up, be it because you are not taking care of yourself under his watch or you just insulted him. Even so, he is honest to himself, and open to others. Almost all the time at least.

Having been to other countries, lost his parents and spent time as a vigilante (though people thought he was more of an unofficial hero), he has been through quite a many things, ultimately preferring to help people in his little part of the world, but not everywhere.

Origin

Sheffield Dusk was born in America and lived there for three years with his older sister and parents before moving to China. His parents had an opportunity to make a deal with another movie-making company with the one they worked in at the time, changing their families nationalities including that of Sheffield’s and Dani’s. Henna, their baby sister, was born on Chinese soil.

In China, Sheffield lived for eleven more years, toughing it out in the schools and getting involved with shady organizations. But then an accident happened at the site of the meeting in which an angry mutant rioted and blew up the building Sheffield’s parents were in. Amongst the dead were his parents and several other people, while the culprit was on the run.

Grieving, orphaned, and unsure what to do now, the children went back to America to live with their uncle. It was there in the city that Sheffield requested training by his uncle, military-style, then testing those skills on petty criminals; he succeeded every time save for a few, drawing the attention of the Raiders of the Lost, a good-willed vigilante organization. He was certain to be a hero that would make sure something like his parents’ deaths would never happen again.

From fifteen to seventeen, Sheffield fought as a prominent vigilante in clandestine missions, as the lithe, secret agent-like, power-less Red Striker that ensured he captured his targets, all while attending the nearby high school. However, Betta Bill, a mutant with psychokinesis that had been on a murder spree, and related to the mutant that killed his parents, was the very last mutant he faced as the Striker.

Betta Bill was killed from a trap set up by a merciless Sheffield; he quickly found he did not relish deaths despite his comrades’ reassurances and praise, and he just killed the father of two, both of whom were sent to an orphanage. Sheffield visits the orphans every now and then, having bluntly told them the truth. The older sister, a teenager like Sheffield, did not take it too well; the much younger brother just cried and wondered what his “daddy did wrong”.

Now seventeen, bordering on eighteen, he moved to Azure City for a cliché new life; he plans on going to a college and take up work as a writer for a game studio. He has taken up residence in an apartment, working at a café named Rain’s Knell and a game studio named Wyldsine.

Of course, he does fight crime, but only when he chances upon it, and in his ordinary public persona, claiming he had training...

Notable Relations

Dani and Henna Dusk:
His sisters, Dani being 21 years old and Henna 11. The three siblings had lived together until their parents’ deaths. Sheffield stays in contact with them all the time.

Raiders of the Lost:
A small organization that had risen in America decades ago, one that Sheffield joined for vigilante work and equipment. He had enjoyed his time greatly there with the members, but he had a recent falling out with some of them who decided to work for a larger vigilante organization that believed too much in killing.
He still has contacts with the Raiders.

Cinnamon and Bailey Hailstride:
The siblings of the criminal mutant villain, Betta Bill. Sheffield has tense relations with Cinnamon, the older sister, but a surprisingly amiable one with Bailey, the younger brother. The two had recently run away, and Sheffield has no idea where they are.

Resources

Back then as a vigilante, he would gain money by capturing bounties, ultimately ending with his kill of Betta Bill that awarded him $100,000. He had made friendly connections to black markets and had the backing of the Raiders’ technology (which sadly did not include something like laser beams as they were not that advanced, but at least had elemental munitions).

Upon quitting, he moved into an apartment and planned on going to college. Whatever connections he had as the Striker were still maintained, albeit far fewer, but thankfully including the Raiders. For now, he took up work at a café and does voice acting or story-writing work for (video or board or otherwise) game companies every now and then. In summary, Sheffield has plenty of money to buy a house and a small armory, even though his income has gotten much lower than before.

Everyday Skills

Cooking - His cooking is top notch, although he is still learning for more recipes and styles, like French, Dutch, and Indonesian for instance.

Experience with Entertainment - His parents worked for an entertainment company that specialized in movies, including ones that involved mutant actors. Sheffield would at least know several good points to be in such a business.

Self-defense - He is trained and experienced in fighting, particularly non-lethally.

Repair - Above average, as demanded by how much equipment he had. Otherwise, he can fix planks, sew dolls back up, and get a generator working. Not on the level of a good engineer though.

Sociality - He used to work in a close-knit team for all his lack of powers, and is never above considering talking to a stranger an option.

Combat

Fighting Style

Sheffield’s tactics are based on what he prepares, what he has or is within his reach, and what kind of enemy he is up against, especially one he would never kill. But generally, he prefers to end fights as fast as he could, be it quietly or loudly. Ruthlessness and 100% completion is key to any quest of his.

He is well-versed in sword-fighting, bare-handed combat, gymnastics, chemistry (average actually) and shooting, and more importantly, is capable of processing a moment quickly and reaching a decision full of conviction.

Strengths

- His reflexes are more than enough to dodge bullets.
- He is a rather agile and limber fighter.
- He received military training from his veteran uncle, although it is incomplete.
- He has two years’ worth of experience from his time as the Red Striker, working in a team, or going solo, and retiring has not dulled his skills much.
- He has experience and talent with melee weapons and firearms.
- Knows the rule of “Imagination is a weapon. Those who lack it die first.”

Weaknesses

- He is still training himself to deflect bullets.
- He can rather impulsive.
- He is still human, and is at a natural disadvantage against mutants.
- He normally relies on equipment, which could mean trouble if he loses them.
- Practice time has gotten sparse for him between his jobs, so his skills are slightly dulled.

Equipment



(Credits to Nick Hanzo)

The Nanokatana (named as Dusty Edge by Sheffield) is a nano-like weapon developed by the Raiders’ scientists. It is completely grey in Inactive Mode, around thirty inches long, and would ripple and harden to show a slightly darker blade in Battle Mode.

It was formerly a katana made by a mutant blacksmith centuries ago, created from a tree-like mutant that had wood far stronger than steel, and was reinforced by mutant powers. Sheffield is the first to use it as part of a test, Dusty Edge being linked to Sheffield by a DNA lock.

At the moment it is wrapped in a black bag meant for bokutos (wooden Japanese swords).

Strengths:
- Sharp (can cut through titanium or alloys at least).
- Can be bench-pressed by three Jumbo jet airplanes.
- Does not need to be pulled out of a sheathe; can form a blade anywhere on it as it responds to the user’s mind.
- Can repair itself in the event it somehow breaks.
- Can camouflage itself and ‘stick’ to any surface through magnetism or secreting sap from its tree-like nature.
- Can absorb and insulate electricity.
- Can return by turning to dust instantly before reforming in the user’s hand.
- Being a non-metal and a ‘dead’ stick, it cannot be controlled by magnets or plant-based powers.
- Still has more functions Sheffield is trying to use, such as splitting off into two shorter blades.
Weaknesses:
- Only has the reach of a katana in melee range.
- Default shape is always a katana, and cannot transform into anything else other than a bar of metal.
- Can actually be broken. In this state, the katana will ‘lose power’, stay in Inactive Mode, and can be broken more easily. Once it regains power, it will draw all of its lost parts together, although they cannot come together if constantly separated.
- Being made of a special wood, forcing it to disperse if hit by too much fire.
- Full reformation time: Normally ten minutes. Repair time: Depending on damage inflicted, usually in minutes.
- Requires special equipment for modifications. Even then, it would require material similar to that of the tree mutant it was made from.

Other equipment: A Kar98k rifle (he has a gun license), a BB handgun, a plastic handgun with plastic bullets, knives, daggers, frying pans, armor and cloth protection reminiscent of military wares, a gas mask, various bombs and concoctions that induce stink, itching, and more, and a motorcycle (he got his driving license last year), etc..

Power

Being just a combat-effective human, Sheffield has no actual mutant powers.

Extra

- Likes: Sweets, games, tools and equipment
- Dislikes: Spicy foods and horror genres
- He sometimes can be easily distracted.
- He would have qualified for the military, a private corporation involved with technology, or a secret organization like the MSU (he was even scouted at one point), but he decided to look for simpler jobs.
- He has a few friendly ties to black markets from where he could gain equipment.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

@Shard
Hello there! I saw this RP and saw it might be exciting. Is there a limit to the number of characters we can submit?

Spells in the Dark (18+ for Dark and suggestive themes)

Sheffield

Mentioning @hotsyrup.

“Uh.. Ahm.. Well. It seems there is nothing much out here. I was wrong. So I’m going to… pop back into the tavern.”

Was it the smell? Or what he said? Was it what he was hiding? Or literally everything he just did?

Whatever the case, staying out in the wild too long must have done horrible wonders for Sheffield's social skills, even as someone who lived around forests. He made a surprised sound and raised a hand to... do whatever. Stop her? He let his hand fall to his side in shame. It was his fault he scared Lyra off. It's been weeks since he actually sat down and talked to someone. Even if she was a troubled person, he had a feeling she was practically harmless.

Except now it was clear she was going to do something. Call someone on him maybe, that a kid covered in blood was rambling. He quickly stood up and wondered what could happen if he ran, or if he stayed.

There was another tavern, said the townsman from earlier. He could probably stay there, but seeing as there had been nothing notable about it, a cleaning of himself was in order, as much as he could anyway.

The well. Or maybe stables. No, the tailor, and perhaps a blacksmith willing to accept some scrap metal.

He promptly shrugged off his upper armor, revealing his black tunic, a tabard with a little splash of red over grey colors over it, torso-protecting chainmail, and arms thinner than what the plated sleeves suggested. Then he slipped off the lower part, showing off black trousers tucked into boots.

The young Hunter's elbows felt a little colder now, but he shrugged it off. Without the covering armor he probably looked less leery or messed up, and maybe less imposing what with the height the whole set seemed to show.

Sheffield looked back at the windows of the tavern. He considered what to say to the shopkeepers of this town where Hunters often visited. But he managed to spook Lyra, for all her aloofness.

Maybe he should go inside the tavern and apologize after all, then see if this Bobby would get him a room--

Sheffield?

The young man felt chills all over him. He spun around. That sounded like...

"Teresia?" he asked aloud. There was no one walking by at this point in nighttime, but he heard her.

He walked over to the road. Then he looked to the Forest, where the borders of the town met an unspoken line.

The moonlight could barely pierce through the canopies, but there, a girl that seemed to catch what pitiful amount was left.

She had brown hair, braided into twin ropes over her back. She wore a cloak, red as blood, and robes as white as ordinary canvas. Her tough messenger bag would sway a little at her hip. Her purple eyes would shine like amethyst. She stood tall, acting neutrally, carefully, and expectant.

But that was then. This girl was much shorter, perhaps a little over Sheffield's waist. This girl still had her face, her eyes still like purple gems, but her hair was a sheet of ghostly white. She was dressed in a more lily-like white, short-sleeved, flowing dress, with black frills running down her sides. Even her bag was there, despite these changes.

She stared at him. Then she turned and ran into the gaping jaws of darkness, into the forest where the strange and the impossible awaited.

"Hey, Teresia! I-If you are... wait!"

Sheffield shouted desperately, but the girl who seemed to glow in the dark still ran off.

The reasonable part of Sheffield said he had to wait until morning. He was no one-man battalion for all that he survived. He could ask the Hunters for help. But no, that would be asking much of them, especially so for two strangers involved.

The other part told him to just go then! This was a chance he should not risk missing.

And he often listened to that other part. He registered everything he had against the Forest; terrible odds. But there was his best friend.

He started to walk. At this moment, he wished for someone who would be walking out, someone he could simply ask on what might be a suicidal search.

Spells in the Dark (18+ for Dark and suggestive themes)

Sheffield

“Looks like things haven’t been too great for you either.” She paused for a moment. “Sorry if I’m assuming too much. I’m Lyra, by the way. Tonight has just been, a bit much. So much death. I never… expected so much of it when I became a hunter. I don’t know what I expected. I’m sure you think I’m a fool.”

@hotsyrup

Sheffield couldn't help but feel a little alarmed when she started to get depressing.

"Don't be hard on yourself now, Lyra," he said comfortingly. "Anyone and everyone could suffer much. Me? It's nearly my birthday, yet I was chased by the walking dead hardly a few hours ago. But I put them down, made sure they won't come back up. You could just... swing a sword at these kind of problems. But that's nothing to all the humans staring at you right?"

Sheffield considered what he said, then sat on the ground. "Sorry. About the humans, I mean, I don't mean to scare you or... such. If they were humans. I don't know what happened, but if what I guess is true, then I'm very much worried for my friend."

He looked up at the night sky. Rather white, like Lyra's hair, or his lost friend's hair, supposedly.

He said off-handedly, not sure what to say anymore, "The red splotch here, on my hair? It's just a dead man's blood. I ended up hearing his breaths. The ones at the ends of my hair are natural, though. But both of us definitely saw dead people, if there's comfort in that, Lyra."