Cu Chulainn

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Balmung Castle - Sleeping Quarters
war crimes of my own!

---

_{Mentions: @Psyker Landshark@Ogobrogo}

The festivities were much more awkward after Aelphis's scene. While the Black Mage was thankful he didn't hear much negative words on his... occupation given his spectacle, Aelphis is sure he achieved notoriety in a different sense. Oh boy, he can already hear the countless nickname. Butter-Boy, Butterfingers, Butter-Off-Dead... Aelphis was sure that was the name that Viera had picked out for him. He shivered in his sheets once again at the thought of that butter knife at his throat. Ah well, at least he didn't end up bunking up with that vicious fellow.

Speaking of his bunkmates, Aelphis didn't have any strong opinions of them. The shifty-looking fellow was pretty good-natured, if a bit playful. The Faye's instincts told him that this man would be the source of all his butter-themed nicknames in the near future. As for his other roommate, even for someone who was as secluded as Aelphis, the reputation of Mystrel woman was something he was at least aware of. To be honest, Aelphis had no stake in the war, so he didn't care too much if someone who was once an enemy of his country was now watching him sleep. It was almost comforting to know she didn't seem to look at his apparent magical talent with the same scrutinizing gaze most people gave him.

And so Aelphis was quick to sleep, almost passing out from all the walking and nervous shaking he had done on the way to their quarters. He didn't even change out of his clothes, though he was at least mindful enough to store the strange concoctions buckled across his body into his pack on the side of the bed. As for his stave, he seemed to cling to it as if it were a teddy bear, sleeping with it soundly in his arms. It was a cute sight, really. The staff was barely taller than the mage!

Sadly, it seems that despite the vast assortment of food at tonight's banquet, it seems that a good night's sleep was the one thing not on the menu.

The sound of a shattered bottle was what stirred the Black Mage awake, and a call for action by one of his allies had caused him to sit up in surprise. The group was being attacked! Aelphis quickly shuffled out of his bed, using his staff to move his sheets out of his way. Thankfully, his bunkmates all seemed to grab the attention of their attackers. Aelphis observed the situation, seeing his allies make quick work of the soldiers. With their firearms rendered useless and a few of them missing one or two of their extremities, the Faye resolved to take care of the remaining soldiers.

Aelphis took a deep breath, raising his staff into the air as he allowed the aether to flow into his catalyst. The twitchy, nervous gremlin seemed to have a moment of lucidity as the winds of magic flowed through his robes. It's as if the magical energy that flowed through the Black Mage also gave him a sense of lucidity, despite the situation they were in.

"Behold the mighty voice of the heavens, that echoes with fury and power untamed! Let Dhinas' electrifying wrath strike down my foes, and leave them trembling and ashamed!"

Azure pheres of electrified aether filled the eyes of the boar's skull that had adorned the Faye's stave, the energy surging through Aelphis. The static electricity had even caused Aelphis's hair to stand up and surge with sparks of blue and white.

"Thundara!"

The energy dispersed for a brief moment before a mighty bolt of lightning struck Aelphis's staff like a lightning rod, a current of lightning zipping forth through each of the remaining Valheimian soldiers, frying them one-by-one from within their metal armor. The black magic that Aelphis had cast was mightier than anticipated, nearly blasting the Faye back as he struggled to hold onto his electrified staff. As the last spark bounced to the poor soldier who had his knees give out on him, the Faye quickly snapped his staff back as if to end the flow of aether.

And with that, their battle was over. Aelphis sighed as he wiped some sweat from his brow, not realizing his hair was left standing at its ends as a result of his spell. The colors, they began to fade, the noticeable loss of saturation bringing about a single gulp. Man, some ether would be nice by now...

"S-sorry I hadn't awakened sooner. A-are we being attacked?" The mage asked, quickly eyeing his pack. There wasn't enough time to shuffle out a bottle of ether from his pack, especially since all of it's in that damned distiller. He'll have to conserve his energy a fair bit. He just needs a few deep breaths, and some concentration. Focus on the colors, don't let them fade away, just like Mother had taught him...

"We should s-see if everyone else is fine."

Expedition to Isekai

Hitotsumi-Kun

"Draped in darkest darkness, cloaked in crimson carmine, the One-Eyed Demon King appea-... W-wait! Where are you going?! I'm not done yet!"

---

Name
Tsutsumi Kogen

Identity
Tsutsumi Kogen, much like his peers, was born in raised in Kuroshiro, where he lived with his parents and cute younger sister. From a young age, Kogen was fascinated by the world of punk rock and anime, often daydreaming about being a powerful wizard or a cool rock star. However, as he entered middle school, his fantasies turned into something more extreme.

Kogen is what one would call a "chuunibyou," prone to acting out his fantastical delusions in real life. It didn't help that he was also something of a troublemaker, pulling pranks on his fellows while blaming it on his "air of misfortune." Naturally, his classmates generally avoided him, as they found his tendencies to quote the lyrics of his favorite songs in gratuitous English while ripping on an imaginary guitar strange and off-putting.

Desperate for friendship, Kogen thought he had found it with a certain group of delinquents and hooligans in the baseball club, introduced to them by one of his very few childhood friends. They seemed to accept him and his eccentricities, and he was overjoyed to finally have people to share his interests with. However, he soon realized that he was being used as their errand boy, and that they didn't actually care about him at all.

Determined to prove himself, Kogen stood up to them one day, but it ended in disaster. He was beaten so badly that he had to wear a bandage over his eye for several weeks. The other students took pleasure in taunting him, calling him "Hitotsumi-kun." At first, Kogen felt ashamed and embarrassed by his injury, but he soon realized that the whole reason why he got beat in the first place was so he could truly stand up for himself.

Kogen began to embrace the name "Hitotsumi-kun," even going so far as to wear an eyepatch as a fashion statement. He no longer cared what others thought of him and continued to live his life as he wanted, even if it meant being an outcast. As Kogen prepared to enter high school, he knew that things wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to stay true to himself and not let anyone bring him down. Having been coerced by his homeroom teacher to make at least a few friends before graduation, Kogen knew at heart that even this wouldn't cause his peers to accept him for who he was.

After all, who would want to be friends Hitotsumi-Kun, Demon Lord of the Evil Eye?

Peculiarity
As a generally peculiar person, it is almost a given that Kogen would possess a multitude of... talents that set him apart from his peers. If asked, Kogen would be more than happy to talk about his peculiar abilities, including his hidden right eye which holds all the world's misfortunes. Sealed within it is the very essence of Hell itself, a scar born of betrayal...

As far as actual talents go, he is a treasure trove of obscure facts and trivia, especially in regards to topics like the occult, J-rock, and fantasy anime. However, his depth of knowledge into these topics is quite shallow, kind of like a kilometer-wide kiddie pool. In fact, his accumulated knowledge is so surface-level that even the otakus don't consider Kogen to be one of their own, among other reasons.

To be honest, a lot of Kogen's talents are pretty useless for survival situations. He may possess the mischievous nature of a prankster, but not the mental abstraction needed for anything elaborate. He could take a punch or two, but he's by no means tough. Even Kogen's ability to entertain others is middling, his musical talents extending only to the air and broom guitars.

If there was one thing that Kogen has that sets him apart from his peers (aside from his admittedly pretty sick air guitar skills,) it would be his ability to stay true to himself. Even when he was beaten by those he once called his friends, even when he was ridiculed by his classmates, even when his teachers have told him to grow up, Kogen's sense of identity has not once conformed. Call it willpower, stubbornness, or the inability to mature, Kogen's true strength lies in his strong sense of self.

In other words, Kogen's true strength lies in "being Hitotsumi-kun."

That said, there is another talent that Kogen possesses, one that will likely never be truly realized due to his past traumas.

That is, his genius talent for the sport known as [Baseball.]

Awakened: 100
Mind [33] | Body [33] | Spirit [34]
Facsimile: Armor - Manifest incredibly durable armor over body. Capable of withstanding most forms of physical damage, but doesn't change mass.

Expedition to Isekai

Bus, ???

---

_{Mentions: @Yankee}

Hell.

It was a feeling all to familiar.

An ever-distant heat, a burning smell, a sense of pain reverberating through his body. This truly was hell, wasn't it?

Kogen's eye fluttered open instantly, his maxed-out earphones muffling the sound of chaos from all around him. With his one eye directed to the window, he took a glance at his surroundings. It was an almost tranquil sight, really. A nice scenic view of a forest once undisturbed. Kogen couldn't help but smile at what he has seen, his tumultuous heart filled with a sense of peace.

"Ahh, how nice it is for the weather to clear up." He spoke to himself, his eye slowly closing as the cacophony of screams and the shredding of metal that he called music filed his ears...

... Wait. Why are we stopped at a forest?

It was then that Kogen opened his eye once more, sitting up from his seat to truly behold the chaos before him. The once packed bus filled with his peers had turned into a sight unimaginable. Shattered windows, caved-in seats, what is left of his classmates all scrambling out of the hell that they had found themselves in. This can't be happening, surely. This must be a dream, a nightmare that he needed to awaken from. All Kogen could do was place his hands on his face in utter shock of the scene around him.

It was then that he realized the blood on his face. His right eye ached... it was bleeding.

It only made sense, after all. It was the eye that contained all of the world's misfortunes. Surely it had been trying to speak to him before this had all happened! Surely if he was awake for the crash, he would have been able to prevent it! Surely such a thing happened because his cursed leaked out into the school bus, and his classmates were to suffer! And surely, his eye wasn't bleeding due to any rational reason such as the rhinestones in his eyepatch cutting into his eyelid during the crash!

In any case, Kogen could not help but feel responsible for this catastrophe. He needed to take responsibility for his actions, or more accurately, his inaction. Resolutely, he would stand up, realizing only now that the pain in his body was much more severe than he had thought. He keeled over and retched, his breakfast almost rematerializing as the sheer agony had almost caused him to throw up. His AirPods fell to the floor unceremoniously due to the sudden jerk of his upper body, allowing Kogen to truly take in his surroundings.

Scream of panic, frantic scrambling, and a foreboding crackling coming from the front of the bus... and yet, amidst the hell that they had found themselves in, a familiar voice called to Kogen. A familiar voice that he had not heard in too long.

That voice... it couldn't help but rile up the One-Eyed Devil!

"J-just who the hell do you think I am?!" Kogen shouted out in defiance as he did his best to keep in this morning's meal. Lifting his head high in the air, Kogen would almost leap out of his seat, rushing through the aisle as his one eye would dart around the bus. The doors were already handled, and it seems that most of the students were already being lead out of the bus in an orderly fashion. Knowing that these two vital roles were already fulfilled, Kogen would instead search for anyone in need of help, his eye settling on a wayward hand grasping the air for aide. Someone was buried in their seat, the cushions having collapsed over them!

"I've got you!" Kogen yelled as he grasped the hand tightly, pulling them out with all his strength as he kicked the rubble out of their way. Whoever was under there didn't matter to Kogen. All that mattered was that he was able to act, to at least save one person's life in the same way his was saved as well. He couldn't help but grit his teeth into what was almost a grin, thinking once more of the voice that stirred him to action.

It was ironic that the only times Kogen had heard that voice holler for him desperately was when his right eye was already bleeding.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Balmung Castle - Banquet Hall
Butterfingers

---

_{Mentions: @Vertigo@Ambra[@honestly everyone lets be real here]}

Aelphis was focused on one single thing. Not the flowy speech by their gracious host, nor by the rowdiness of those who feast alongside him. No, he had a single-minded goal for the butter. Yes, just one block of larded up fat that he so desperately needed, else he'd get shanked! Or worse! He wasn't sure what Viera did when they were angry, but he did not want to find out.

Thankfully, the Faye did not need to climb onto the table to grab the butter for himself. A plate of butter appeared before his very eyes, given to him by the blonde-haired woman who was seated to his left. Graciously, Aelphis bowed his head in thanks as he slowly grasped the plate.

"T-thanks." Aelphis muttered, his shaky hands holding the plate. Finally, the butter was his! All he needed to do now was pass it to the Viera and rejoice in his guts remaining in his body for another day! Aelphis's eyes were fixated to the Viera's knife, the plate of butter moving in accordance to his own will.

However, before he could fully let go of the plate, Aelphis froze, his knife-shaped ears twitching as they keenly picked up on the Lord's speech once more. Did... did he just say ten million gil? Ten million gil?! That's... that's a lot of gil! Assuming it's evenly distributed among, say, everyone on this table, that's still more than enough gil to buy all the ether Aelphis could ever dream of!

As Lord Leonhart concluded his speech, goblet raised in honor of all those who have gathered today, Aelphis could not help but literally jump out from his seat, standing atop his chair. His fist was raised in the air as he hollered in celebration, striking an almost dramatic pose as his hood flew right off his head.

"For the Goddess! For the Mothercrystal! For the Gil!"

Aelphis stood (relatively) tall and proud on his pedestal, in something of a victory pose. The Faye, in his excitement, did not realize the skeptical he made of himself, though it probably was not too egregious given the rest of the festivities. To be honest, this was the most motivated Aelphis has ever felt! For this one brief moment, all his worries began to wash away, his eyes settled almost firmly on the prize!

Almost, of course, as a glint of white and pale yellow caught his eye.

"... Oh, shi-"

Aelphis reached his hand out, but to no avail...

CRASH!

The plate of butter had found itself shattered on the floor, spared naught by the Black Mage's hubris. He stood there on his pedestal, frozen in both fear and shame. If they weren't already, all eyes were surely on him now, especially those of the particularly vicious Viera seated next to him! Right, suppose it's time to save some face, then?

"Aelphis Vres-Lii. Practitioner of Black Magic." The Faye said, giving a formal bow to his new colleagues, trying hard to avoid eye contact with anyone. "I will be in your care." Without a moment of hesitation, Aelphis readjusted himself to a seated position, straightening his clothes and doing his best to subtly kick the mess of butter and the shards of the shattered plate under the table.

Expedition to Isekai

I'm sorry.

I made a mistake

"Draped in darkest darkness, cloaked in crimson carmine, the One-Eyed Demon King appea-... W-wait! Where are you going?! I'm not done yet!"

---

Name
Tsutsumi Kogen

Identity
Tsutsumi Kogen, much like his peers, was born in raised in Kuroshiro, where he lived with his parents and cute younger sister. From a young age, Kogen was fascinated by the world of punk rock and anime, often daydreaming about being a powerful wizard or a cool rock star. However, as he entered middle school, his fantasies turned into something more extreme.

Kogen is what one would call a "chuunibyou," prone to acting out his fantastical delusions in real life. It didn't help that he was also something of a troublemaker, pulling pranks on his fellows while blaming it on his "air of misfortune." Naturally, his classmates generally avoided him, as they found his tendencies to quote the lyrics of his favorite songs in gratuitous English while ripping on an imaginary guitar strange and off-putting.

Desperate for friendship, Kogen thought he had found it with a certain group of delinquents and hooligans, introduced to them by one of his very few childhood friends. They seemed to accept him and his eccentricities, and he was overjoyed to finally have people to share his interests with. However, he soon realized that he was being used as their errand boy, and that they didn't actually care about him at all.

Determined to prove himself, Kogen stood up to them one day, but it ended in disaster. He was beaten so badly that he had to wear a bandage over his eye for several weeks. The other students took pleasure in taunting him, calling him "Hitotsumi-kun." At first, Kogen felt ashamed and embarrassed by his injury, but he soon realized that the whole reason why he got beat in the first place was so he could truly stand up for himself.

Kogen began to embrace the name "Hitotsumi-kun," even going so far as to wear an eyepatch as a fashion statement. He no longer cared what others thought of him and continued to live his life as he wanted, even if it meant being an outcast. As Kogen prepared to enter high school, he knew that things wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to stay true to himself and not let anyone bring him down. Having been coerced by his homeroom teacher to make at least a few friends before graduation, Kogen knew at heart that even this wouldn't cause his peers to accept him for who he was.

After all, who would want to be friends Hitotsumi-Kun, Demon Lord of the Evil Eye?

Peculiarity
As a generally peculiar person, it is almost a given that Kogen would possess a multitude of... talents that set him apart from his peers. If asked, Kogen would be more than happy to talk about his peculiar abilities, including his hidden right eye which holds all the world's misfortunes. Sealed within it is the very essence of Hell itself, a scar born of betrayal...

As far as actual talents go, he is a treasure trove of obscure facts and trivia, especially in regards to topics like the occult, J-rock, and fantasy anime. However, his depth of knowledge into these topics is quite shallow, kind of like a kilometer-wide kiddie pool. In fact, his accumulated knowledge is so surface-level that even the otakus don't consider Kogen to be one of their own, among other reasons.

To be honest, a lot of Kogen's talents are pretty useless for survival situations. He may possess the mischievous nature of a prankster, but not the mental abstraction needed for anything elaborate. He could take a punch or two, but he's by no means tough. Even Kogen's ability to entertain others is middling, his musical talents extending only to the air and broom guitars.

If there was one thing that Kogen has that sets him apart from his peers (aside from his admittedly pretty sick air guitar skills,) it would be his ability to stay true to himself. Even when he was beaten by those he once called his friends, even when he was ridiculed by his classmates, even when his teachers have told him to grow up, Kogen's sense of identity has not once conformed. Call it willpower, stubbornness, or the inability to mature, Kogen's true strength lies in his strong sense of self.

In other words, Kogen's true strength lies in "being Hitotsumi-kun."

Expedition to Isekai [Short-Term Dungeon Delving]

I may shift from delinquent to unfortunate village idiot on his Good Will Hunting arc, if people want to join gangs more than I.

Expedition to Isekai [Short-Term Dungeon Delving]

I don't mind a discord.

Also, willing to work with and implement backstory shenans with others if anyone is interested. I know @Yankee and I are cooking something up.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Balmung Castle - Banquet Hall
Grand Introduction

---

_{Mentions: @Vertigo}

The young Faye fiddled with his bare wrists, clearly uncomfortable with the festivities. Between the banter being passed about along with the food, a lot of it was almost too much for the shut-in. He thought this would be a more... discreet affair. Maybe he just showed up to the castle, meet the lord or, more likely, one of his pencil pushers, and sign on for some adventure! To be honest, Aelphis wasn't quite sure what he expected, but a banquet full of distinguished warriors was not something he was prepared for, for sure.

The talking, bickering, shouting even, watching the food fly out of people's mouths as they spoke. The smells that filled the hall, the mix of fragrant aromas. The splattering of colors, the mix of strangers he was seated a bit too close to. It was all a bit too much for Aelphis. He already missed the quietness of his home, the mix of dark greens and browns, the tranquil humming of the insects and other animals that made their homes in the trees that surrounded his little hamlet. Aelphis thought of that feeling deeply, wishing for a sense of familiarity, once more.

A hit would be nice right now.

Aelphis shuffled underneath his robes, doing his best to maintain a sense of discretion. He poked at a strange glass device hooked to his hip, a contemplative look on his face. Maybe he should take a hit now. Maybe that'd help with the chaos, that loud grating noise in his ear. That noise, those colors, these people... They were staring at him, weren't they? Staring at him with disdain, with distrust, something that even a shut-in like Aelphis had gotten accustomed to. After all, he was a filthy witch, a dirty witch, a fiendish witch.

A witch, just like mother.

Aelphis pulled his robes fully over him and the device. It's best not to, with all these eyes on him. What he needed was to relax, to act natural. He grasped his utensils, resting the ends of them on the table eagerly as he looked at the food served on his plate. Quillback, was it? Aelphis wasn't exactly paying attention to what was put on his plate. He scarfed the morsel hungrily, smacking his lips exaggeratedly with every bite. It was... actually good. Aelphis continued to eat with genuine gusto, going so far as to disregard his utensils as he stuffed his face.

Perhaps this banquet wasn't so bad, after all. With a big gulp, Aelphis leaned over, hoping to grab more of that quillba-

"W-wah!"

The Faye jumped back, in surprise. That's... that's a knife! A dining knife, but still a knife! His head turned slowly as if on a rusty swivel, looking up to the Viera like a rodent cornered by a fierce, bunny-eared predator. This was the same man who was staring intently at him, Aelphis thought... or was it through him? Was it because he looked too eager to eat? Did Aelphis look weird, gross?

A sigh of relief was let out when the Viera simply asked for some butter.

"B-butter! Right, I can grab that! Butter!" Aelphis exclaimed, almost saluting the man as he would reach to the butter. Oh, it's awfully far, huh? The diminutive Faye struggled as he reached forward for the butter, a look of exertion on his face. He's... he's trying, that's for sure, but he struggled much more than the Sollan girl beside him who was reaching for some drink just a moment ago.

Oh lord, someone help him before he splays himself over the table...

Expedition to Isekai [Short-Term Dungeon Delving]

Probably urged by the people who really know him to attend since they are about to graduate junior high. I was considering the "delinquent who is actually smart but needs the right push" vibe. Figured they were slowly getting on the right track, but they haven't quite gotten past the initial hurdle that set them back in the first place.

Expedition to Isekai [Short-Term Dungeon Delving]

Thinking of a delinquent with unrealized potential who thinks he's a dumbass because he's taken the fall for something really dumb in the past and doesn't mind the heat for it. Troubled youth finding his purpose, etc. etc.

... and I guess he is childhood friends with some nerd or something.