Lord of Evil

_PROJECT: P.H.O.B.I.A._

That was quite a bit less informative than Ardin thought it would be. Doctor Williams did answer some of the questions he had, but not all of them. He wanted to know the nature of their powers and what precisely they would be doing on the missions they would be given, but he didn't really want to ask. He wasn't sure he wanted to know about the powers they'd all received because, judging by the spider girl, there could be some serious side effects. He certainly wanted to know what they would be expected to do on mission but in all likelihood they would be told before they got too far into it.

Ardin quietly rose to his feet and tried to make a quiet exit. The idea of exploring the complex he would in all likelihood spend a good chunk of his future days in sounded appealing to him. If Ardin was perfectly honest, he did want to know more about their current situation, but he just didn't want to ask about it. A lot of things had happened today, after all, and he wanted to get used to the situation. And he was a bit tired, and a little hungry, and more than a little creeped out by the spider girl, but what he really wanted was some alone time.

He began a slow walk down the halls of the underground complex, wary of exploring past his limits as the feeling slowly returned to his legs. He should probably have just tried talking to someone, maybe share some goodwill around to people he would likely have to work with later on down the line. He should probably have stayed in the waiting room, start a conversation with someone next to him, but his legs carried on in the opposite direction. He took a deep breath, letting it back out in a weary sigh. He could socialize later. He didn't really care where exactly he went, but right now, Ardin just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

The escape from Wolfwing's lair

I am in a difficult spot with what should happen next. I may need some more time to think about it, @Dusksong and @Lord of Evil.

@Hekazu

I still have a few weeks left until school starts up again so go for it.

Pokémon Village

I like the sound of this. Color me interested.

_PROJECT: P.H.O.B.I.A._

Ardin wasn't 100% sure how he'd expected the other subjects to end up, but he most certainly hadn't expected a spider person. He involuntarily twitched a little when she walked into the room, which made him feel guilty. But honestly, there was no way to be ready for something like that. The spider girl made Ardin a little apprehensive about the other subjects but besides the girl who looked like she got rained on, the rest of the subjects seemed relatively normal. Although that was no reason to believe that they were still normal.

Ardin quietly listened on as the others spoke. He had nothing to add and thus nothing to say. He also wanted to speed things along, but he wasn't in any hurry. Pleasantries were all well and good but he wanted to know what the procedure had done to them, and what exactly it was they would do. He adjusted his position to a more comfortable one, raising one of his knees to rest his head on. Nothing much for him to do know but listen, since it seemed that the scientists had more to say.

The escape from Wolfwing's lair

Well, that most certainly failed. There wasn't much he could do about it now, but the worst thing was that he hadn't managed to save Mistletoe. He supposed that 1 out of 2 wasn't as bad as it could be, but that wasn't a good attitude to take. Even then, Derrick was in no position to help much. With the Jailor grabbing him like that he couldn't move, but if he could put out a few words then maybe it would work out.
"The flames! I hurt him by touching the flames!" Derrick said.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

The escape from Wolfwing's lair

Will probably post sooner or later

_PROJECT: P.H.O.B.I.A._

This may have been a mistake. It wasn't the needles or the treatments or anything like that. It had been pretty painless all things considered, although his legs were a little numb for some reason. But he wasn't so worried about that.

Ardin was in his comfort spot, on the floor in the corner of the room. It seemed that the other subjects that had gone through the experiment were gathered here too, and judging by their faces, their operations hadn't gone as smoothly as his did. Perhaps they shared his thoughts - signing up for a project to weaponize their worst fears was probably not the safest idea. At least, he hoped someone did.

Ardin tapped his fingers on his thighs impatiently. The numbness could've been a side effect from the treatment but it could've just been because he'd been sitting cross-legged for so long. Maybe he could've been on a chair, but he liked the floor. Being on the floor in an underground bunker made him feel better when he was nervous, and he was most certainly nervous right now. He wasn't sure what to think about the situation, but he didn't believe it would end well.

If he was right in his assumptions then the experiment had been to create a weapon. The world was at war, after all, and he was sure that this experiment was to help the war effort. Most things were these days. Using fear as a weapon was nothing new, but using it like this was something else. And that was what made him worried. Ardin eyed the other occupants of the room, a grab bag of strange people he didn't know. Perhaps it would be too early to make assumptions, but the aim of the experiment had apparently been to turn a weakness into a strength. And if that was the case, it wasn't unlikely to assume that the strength would be used. And if that was the case, it spelt trouble for Ardin.

He stopped staring suddenly, and pinched his eyes. If he had to admit it, he didn't really want to be here. He didn't like trouble and usually went out of his way to avoid it. But this wasn't something he wanted to do, but something he should be doing.
Anything is better than that. He told himself.
He sighed quietly and sank back against the wall. Ardin was on the floor of the underground bunker, as low as he could be, but all the good that it did for him wasn't enough to keep down his anxiety.

The escape from Wolfwing's lair

Derrick was in dire straits. The Jailor had him in his grasp and didn't show any signs of hurrying, so it was probably thinking that it had it in the bag. And it was probably true. Things were bad, though he wasn't sure how bad. Still, Derrick could do something. He knew he could hurt it somewhat, and he'd hang on to that feeble hope however he could.

As the Jailor grabbed him, Derrick grabbed onto the cord with both hands, determined not to be taken away. He flailed his legs in direction of the Jailor's flames as best he could, but he knew that it probably wouldn't do much. Not alone, anyway. But he didn't really want Mistletoe to fight the Jailor, and that probably wouldn't work so well anyway. And besides, there were the other gargoyles. If they weren't here then they'd be coming. So what could Mistletoe do for him?

Derrick thought quickly, forming a rather desperate idea. It had a higher possibility of working than anything else, but that didn't really mean much.
"Mistletoe, take my body!" Derrick yelled desperately, still flailing his legs. "Somewhere - anywhere, just not here!"
@Hekazu@Dusksong

_PROJECT: P.H.O.B.I.A._

Ardin

“Aiming high is just asking for trouble.”

---

Name: Ardin Joyce

Age: 21

Phobi-ablility: Acrophobia (jump really high, aiming at higher targets is easier)

Personality: Realistic on the side of pessimism, bordering on nihilistic. Fairly logical and intelligent but unambitious and can be a little short-sighted at times. He speaks his mind and may seem surly and rude but is really more resigned and self-deprecating, and maybe just a little bit over-cautious. In spite of all that, he’s not a particularly bad person. He does what he’s asked and follows the rules, and he doesn’t actively shun people.

Relations: Estranged parents and a not-particularly-close relationship with his 2 brothers.

Backstory: The middle son of a reasonably average middle class family, Ardin was often compared to his older brother. He did his best to meet their expectations but in the end it was never enough. For some reason or another he just couldn’t get there, and it probably had something to do with his fear of heights. He was always a little too cautious when he got to a high place, and reasoned that his fear was preventing him from reaching his full potential. Deciding to try and conquer his fear, he took a gap year during college to travel the world. The mounting pressure of trying to do well was getting to him, making him more pessimistic and sucking out his enthusiasm, and he figured that taking a year off would do some good for him. But it was during this year that the incident occurred.

They said it was an accident, though Ardin couldn’t be sure. The plane he was riding had exploded in middair. They said it had been a fault with the fuel tank, or the engines, or any of the the enumerable variables that could’ve been behind it. Miraculously he’d managed to survive, but he’d never be the same. The incident was the final nail in the coffin that shifted his fear of heights into a full-blown phobia. By the time he’d recovered from the incident he felt like a husk of his former self. Working felt like a chore and he didn’t know what to do. Soon enough he dropped out of college and shut himself into his apartment. Soon enough however, the phobia project began. Ardin thought that if he hadn’t conquered his weakness, then maybe he could turn it into a strength. Thus, he signed up for the project with the tentative hope that things might turn out better for him.

Theme: Don’t have one

_PROJECT: P.H.O.B.I.A._

@Lord of Evil

As in their aiming, like if they use a sniper rifle, gets enhanced to reach farther.

Guess i need to add that info huh?

@Majoras End

Well, the way you worded it sounded like it only had better aim against a target that's in an elevated position, so I just wanted to know if that's what you meant. Like an accuracy modifier that goes up the higher they are above sea level or something.