ONL

PXO: Alpha Academy

Bentley

Level: 3
Day/Time: Day Three - Evening
Location: The Forbidden Lands Temple (Bridge: F4 -> F2)
Tag: @Holy Soldier @DracoLunaris @DJAtomika @Tenma Tendo
Word Count: 496
Experience: ////////// ////////// ////////// (0/30)

Without the bombastic voice of the Boss ringing way to loud in his ear, Bentley observed passively the grand silence that surrounded them, his little Gang away from home. Rolling onwards on his wheelchair, the masterly crafted wheels rolling on the cobblestone giant of a bridge with not too much bouncing around. When Piper went past him and wished him and his Gang good luck, Bentley looked up at her and gave her a saluate with a smile. "We'll do our best, and you too, Captain! I've been in strange open landscapes before, so we'll be fine. If and when the Boss calms down, tell him to hit me up over the comms, just to test." Bentley told the impressive machine lady, turning arond his wheelchair and continuing across the bridge.

As Bentley led his little gang onwards, he periodically looked around them with his thick-glassed turtle eyes, switching back to looking at Delsin and Tiz, and the map on his Shell-laptop. "Oh I appricate your concerns, Delsin, but I think we should be fine. I just...I don't know why he was so angry..." Bentley replied to Delsin's protective words, shooting him a thoughtful look for a moment as he wondered what was going on with the Boss. Perhaps they too would get some answers after they'd defeated the Colossus? Looking back at his Shell-laptop, Bentley traced the route they had to take in order to get to the prison. "Let's see. First we have to go north along this bridge, then circle west around the edge of the canyon, and then we should be there."

With both Delsin and Tiz in possession of their own Binocucoms, and Tiz briefly introduced to it, Bentley continued his tutorial on how to use them. "Yeah that one, Tiz. Good! The Cooper Gang have used these for years, and you wouldn't believe how handy they've been!" Bentley said enthusiastically to the two humans, stopping as they had gotten past the halfway point of the bridge. Time to show them some more.

"Okay you two; To bring up the Binocucom, press the R3 button. That's the thumbstick, no THERE! Okay... You can move it around as you want to look at things, but to zoom in and out by moving the left thumbstick back and forth. Try looking at..." Bentley instructed Delsin and Tiz, looking around himself for something to practice on, when he noticed something moving in the distance. Pulling up his own Binocucoms, Bentely zoomed in on the moving things as he had instructed, to see what was moving around on the plains. "Horses. Yes, try zooming in on those horses down there, on the plains!" Bentley looked back through his binocucoms at the horses, seeing the various colours they had. "Hmm...I wonder if they could be tamed. That would drastically shorten the time spent travelling. If I could get within range of my dartgun, I could put one to sleep, and then...any of you good with animals?"

🦄 Darker Than Black - Merged With T.S.

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Robert Adler

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Location: Chicago (Grimaldi Books)
Skills: N/A

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"You what?"

Robert had been quietly continuing to listen to Adeliade's explainations of what had happened the past days, walking back and forth in close proximiy to where his boss was seated, never out of sigh for too long. Grieving widows and people like that, they needed to be looked after, some with more care and compassion than others, some just in case they were lying their asses off. Adelaide was of the first, and Robert was geniunely hoping there was something he could do to help. But it was at the end, the part where she offered him a job in doing some good old digging, that he realized what she had said.

"Hold your horses! You got a package, a real box in the mail from him?" Robert had to repeat it for himself more than as an actual question, but it sounded too cliché to be true. And yet he couldn't help but believe her. Walking back over to Adelaide, he stood in front of her and looked at her, clearly deep in thought. "Look Adelaide, I'm not some normal private detective just jumping on the first case I get thrown at me. This...this really isn't my speciality. I deal in insurance fraud, not conspiracy shit like this..."

Robert sighed deeply, running his hands through his thinning hair and rubbing his eyes. Crouching down in front of her, he tried to look her in the eyes. "But if that's what you want me to do, then fine, I'll do some digging. I just hope neither of us gets fucked over sideways because of this..." This really wasn't what he was supposed to do. Having gone from making sure some ancient book wasn't fraudulently misplaced to investigating murders and conspiracies? What on Earth was he doing? But maybe, just maybe, this was the little piece of excitement the desk-chained fraud-investigator needed?

"I might as well work on both cases as long as I can. Firstly, where's the package you got from Lawson? I need to see it if I'm gonna know where to dig. Secondly, you think I can get in contact with Wentworth? I need to know from someone tech-wize how one could get through their systems for that book. I'll do what I can do, even if I only deal in insurance normally."

🦄 Deeper Than The Sands - Merged With T.S.

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Mahendra Huq Zalil

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Location: Second Deck (Dining) -> Benha (Docks)
Skills: N/A

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"Sighseeing around the town?" Mahendra repeated Mosi's plans for the day, taking a moment to consider what his own plans were as well, before she promptly offered him to join her. In all honesty Mahendra hadn't thought too much about what the whole new day could be filled with. He hadn't been on these kinds of tours before, and the only thing that had crossed his mind was to rendevous with the Fellowship and explain the strange events of the previous day. But as Mosi spoke, it dawned on him that a city-visit wouldn't necessarily cross that out. "If I may, then yes I would like to join you. But I'd like to find the others as well, if just to say good morning."

Mahendra had finished his most pleasent cup of tea before he followed suit after Mosi. The sight of Benha in front of him was, if not breathtaking, certainly one enjoyable one. The closest Mahendra had to witnessing this was when he first travelled to England long ago, or him arriving to the Middle East as a soldier even further back. Today he was a civilian though, and had only the duty of a free man to contend with; Or rather a free assistant to a most respectable lady of a expedition leader. Mahendra took note of the voucher handed out for lunch on land, and carefully tucked it close to his body alongside his new ticket and other belongings. He hoped today would be less falling into the Nile and more pleasent things.

On firm land again, Mahendra took a good breath as he felt a little surer that he wouldn't fall into any massive pool of water, sticking close to Mosi. "About yesteday, my dear Mosi..." Mahendra was about to explain the events of yesterday, perhaps hoping that she would not completely throw his brush with the unexplainable away, when he noticed Lauren at the docks with them. He halted his words, giving his dear friend a smile and a wave. "Oh look, I do think I found some of our fellow companions."

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Richard Barker

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Location: Lower Deck (Dining) -> Benha (Docks)
Skills: N/A

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"What? The high-ups don't want the lower classes to mingle around their tight-assed noses? Well that does complicate things..." Richard was done with his coffee as Faye finished her elaborating on the plans for that day. He put the now sadly empty cup on a nearby table, just tasting the slowly dissapating spots of coffee left in his mouth one last time before he was left dry Rirchard continued to listen to Faye as she suggested they head out to the city to search for clues. Now that didn't sound like a bad idea, even if Faye sounded like said clues would drop from the sky by angels or something. "Now that's a fancy word, "premonition". Remind me to look it up in a dictionary. Come on, we've got work to do." Richard half-wittedly said, standing up and heading towards the main deck and the gangplank.

"So let's see, first of we've got Mr. Gould, that's our primary vic'." Richard stated as he walked calmly through the ship and towards the stairs, pulling out his box of cigerattes and preparing a smoke, as if back in his office talking to himself before starting a case. "Secondly we've got our funny bunch from yesterday, Mr. Fraklin the Journal man and our Olympic Swimming Team." Richard continued on, placing the cigarette in his mouth and fiddling for the lighter. "I hope you're right about us getting some clues, 'cause my gut tells me it ain't gonna be a walk in a park. Especially with Mr. Gould, much less with the others. But the Gould-case is what we're getting paid for, so..." Richard found the lighter as he had ascended the stairs and made his way to the gangplank, grabbing a voucher on the way as there wouldn't be any lunch onboard today. Or for Richard, breakfast. "...so we should prioritize that. Let me think for a moment..."

Richard lit his cigarette and took a good, deep first breath of nicotine in and a good look at the city of Benha lying in front of them. His detective-brain was at work. "What do you think is a good first place to start nosing around? Perhaps a local hospital or something. If Mr. Gould got seemingly sick just after his little dinner date with King Tut, perhaps he went there before going home?" Richard mused out-loud to Faye, his detective-partner as he began descending the gangplank. In all honesty they didn't have a whole lot to go on, except grieving widow's suspicions and a most-likely coincedental path crossed by a mummy. But unless Faye had something better to think of, Richard would try that approach. At the very least perhaps he could get something for his nose? "What'ya think, Miss Masterson? Any premonition about that?"

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Alexander Polawski

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Location: Camp Mexico Beach: Quarantine (Conference Room)
Skills: N/A

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Alexander continued to sit in silence as he and Beatrice ate their much-needed and hopefully well-deserved meal for the first time in ages. It was odd how much the post-apocalyptic world reminded him of his army days, besides the shooting and fighting for your life of course. Military food was never 'good' per-say, even on the occational 4th of July or Thanksgiving when they got 'decent' food. But when you'd been out on patrol or a mission for severals days and nights in Charlie-territory, you'd be damned if you didn't look forward to the sorry mess of a meal you got back on base. Alexander, even for the talking going around him, just continued to sit in silence and eat with Beatrice who also kept silent. This was nice.

It was almost normal.

It was this sense of normality that made the ol' veteran contemplate whether or not he should stand in attention when they got more visitors. Visitors and more carts. Three new people from Camp Mexico, two of which Alexander couldn't gather much from but the leading one? Yeah, that was the telltale sign of a US Marine. A good old Jarhead officer of The Crotch as they said back in 'Nam. Not that Alexander was going to say that out loud, he was a grunt after all. Speaking up to an NCO was a bad move in the Army. Talking to a Marine NCO was suicide. So Alexander stopped eating and turned around to listen to him. Gunny gave them one very simple rule; Don't screw them over.

Sounded reasonable enough to the old veteran, and kept his silence. But he did give Beatrice a brief look, then over to where Manny and Thalia were seated, just to make sure they were okay.

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Nigel "Hadrian" Cooper

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Location: Camp Mexico Beach: Quarantine (Conference Room)
Skills: N/A

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Nigel "Hadrian" didn't know what to take from Erica. Was she being ironic in a funny way, or was she serious? He had never seriously considered the 'bald roman statue' look before, and in the less-than friendly enviroment they had been in the past weeks and years, he might have taken her words as the first. But Nigel shot Erica a slight smile back, hoping that she was being sincere. Of everyone in the quarantine-room, Nigel though she would be the honest one. "I'll take that as a compliment, so thanks. You should try it." Nigel "Hadrian" said to her, slowly a slight chuckle escaping his lips from the surreal situation. That, and them being able to eat as much as Wayne. "Now that I wouldn't take as a compliment. I'll try to hold my stomach, Doc." Nigel said as well to the Doc, continuing to eat from his plate as he decided to follow Eric to an empty seat. "Have you gotten anything to eat yet?"

That's when the man calling himself Gunny entered the room like a victories Roman Legion marching down the Via Aurelia, followed by an old lady and a hamburger-eating Asian guy. More strangers to remember and deal with, and more people who Hank and Wayne could spread their 'fun' little game. But more important issues flew through Nigel's head as he got a closer look on Gunny as he briefed them about what was expected of them.

Nigel had seen him before.

Back in the fishing camp in the Georgia swamp way back, the day their merry little band of survivors had first met and taken up position for the night, Nigel had found something. A small tin box, hid underneath the floor boards. Inside he found pictures, plenty of them, all of various people but three standing out. A girl and two older men. Gunny had been one of them. And once his real name had been revealed, he remembered the single word written behind the photograph as well. "Martin". Nigel didn't freak out or anything, because what was there to be afraid of? Nigel "Hadrian" sat in his seat alongside Erica and continued to eat, silently observing Gunny. Would he get thrown out if and when they found the pictures? Or would they simply interrogate him...

Yes, he had brough the pictures along with him. Now time would show if it would come back to bite him in the ass.

The Empire State

@Pepperm1ntsNo worries, that happens. Like I said, I don't mind you having it. Perhaps we could make some kind of deal IC? Tribute for control over the island, obviously leading to more disputes over it?

The Empire State

@Dinh AaronMk @Pepperm1nts

It forms a robust commercial structure with its headquarters on Liberty Island, which itself has grown to become the center of a city administered directly by the Order.

@Pepperm1nts

I might not have made it clear in my claims, but I also claimed Liberty Island when I made my second round of claims. I don't mind a rival merchant-entity owning it, as it most likely will prove a great plot-device to who can control the island. Just wanted to point that out if if my claims wasn't clear.

The Empire State

Guild of the New Jersey Families WIP

Name:

The Most Serene Trade Guild of New Jersey; Fascilitator of Trade, Commerce, Crafts, Shipping and the Coin's Fine Arts; Protected by, with and for the Most Serene Doge of the families of New Jersey; The Neeros of the City and Harbor of Jersey, the Silvani-family of Bayonne, the Sheriff of The Liberty Park, the O'Connor Family of the Western Side, and the Protectors of the Island of the Lady; Patrons of the Bays.

Leader:

Most Serene Don Marcus Vito, Patriarch of the Neero Familiy, Holder of the Keys of Jersey Bank and Representative the United Commission of Families.

Location:

Hider

History:

In times now long gone, the founding families of the Guild of New Jersey were but normal citizens of the now destroyed nation of America. They were criminals, illegal businessmen, gangsters, call them what you like, but they were far from the sole rulers of New Jersey back then. They operated in the shadows, away from the law they didn't approve. All that changed once the world fell to pieces.

In the aftermath of the great plauge that swept the land, the rule of law was quickly tossed aside in favour of the anarchy. No authority remained, only New Jersey with countless people trying to survive. But the old families remained, and they grasped what they saw as rightfully theirs. What remained of the various families of New Jersey's criminal underworld seized control of the streets with both words, money and fists. But not as an united force. For generations the Italian and Irish mob-families fought each other for territory and resources, until the arrival of Joseph O'Brien.

Born into poverty by a mother of unflattering profession, Joseph O'Brien learned from the very start how to take care of himself. Not by brute force or savoury words, but by both. His story is as legendary and shrouded in mystery as himself, but if the stories are to be believed, he rose through the ranks of one of New Jersey's Irish families, until he himself stood ontop. Not only as the leader of one Irish family, but practically all of them. The rest were quickly brough into line, and sometime in the 2260's there remained only an united Irish mob, contested by a haphazardly alliance of Italian families in fight for their own stakes.

But instead of war, O'Brien offered a settlement.

Still WIP

Basically the Italian and Irish mafia took control of New Jersey, slowly establishing full rule over the area and evolving into a merchant and trade guild of the various families. They vie for control over the shipping going in and out of the Hudson River, and manage banking and loans to whoever needs it in return for a fair price or favors.

The Empire State

@Dinh AaronMk I'm still here, just have been backclogged with other RPs and private life past week. But I'll try to finish up my application today!

🦄 Darker Than Black - Merged With T.S.

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Robert Adler

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Location: Chicago (Grimaldi Books)
Skills: N/A

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An ex-serviceman turned FBI, former assosiate with the murder victim broadcasted on live-television? Yeah Robert had seen that too, but in his line of work he had gotten so used to just digging certain images and thoughts deep down...He didn't know why, perhaps it was to not get attached to clients? Or frankly, my dear, he didn't care after so many years? But for Adelaide he would care, and those memories were dug up from the proverbial garbage pile.

"FBI and trooper you say?" Robert repeated after Adelaide, walking slowly over to the coffee machine and filling up his empty cup. It sounded like the beginning of a classic Tom Clancy thriller, though Robert was always one for the older classics to be honest. At this point it sounded like a sound conspiracy, especially with the theories thrown at the wall earlier with Wentworth spying and possibly murdering people, the so-called grouped called "Juno" and Adelaide's book being stolen. Robert rarely bought onto the whole conspiracy-thing after 9/11, and yet with all that he had heard that day, even he was starting to formulate some thoughts in his insurance-fraud mind.

"What about the arms dealer? A guy like that surely won't go quietly into the woodwork, even if he's dead. Could it..." Robert began to ask, walking back over to Adelaide and handing her his cup of coffee. Surely she needed that more than he did. "I'm sorry about your ex-husband too, real mess...but say hypothetically, it could be that the two cases are connected. I don't know what your ex-husband was into, but him working with Marc around that time could have brough him into the line of fire as well. Made him a target, or made an example...Geeze, I sound like I work for the Mafia or something." Robert continued his musing, starting to walk around the room a bit as he theorized, but quickly turning back to Adelaide. "Anything you want me to do? Can I get you anything?"

🦄 Deeper Than The Sands - Merged With T.S.

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Mahendra Huq Zalil

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Location: Second Deck (Hallway -> Dining)
Skills: N/A

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The teeth-gnawing cold that was gripping Mahendra's mortal vessel must have knocked his sense of surroundings quite out, as he failed to take any coherent notice of Mosi's appearance and her talking to him. The Bengali geologist gave her a fatigued look, his mouth moving but no words leaving his shivering lips when he slowly turned to face her, but she was far too quick for him. Whether he trying to answer her honestly about his state of being, or simply giving the quite eccentric lady a polite answer mattered little, as Mahendra was left by himself as quick as Mosi had arrived.

It wasn't until she had left that his brain was back to functioning properly again, and he realized his grave mistake; He had failed to answer the fairer sex's question! Mahendra shook his head slightly, trying to get his brain into the right socket, before he realized where she had gone. Without any further wait, Mahendra followed.

Mahendra was quick to find his way to a buffet table, grabbing various assortments of vegetables, bread, an pair of eggs and a big, BIG cup of steaming tea. It was just freezing body needed in his state! Mahendra found Mosi having saved a seat for him, to which he gave her a slight smile as he sat down and held his cup of godly tea with both hands. The warmth spread to his fingers, which was nice. "You must excuse me, dear Mosi, for not answering you earlier! To be honest, tonight has not been kind to me, and in my freezing state I couldn't answer you. You know, being a Colonial and all as the honorable Lord Major would put it." Mahendra tried to explain to Mosi, slowly taking sips of his tea as it cooled down enough for him not to catch fire.

His breakfast went down in a similar manner, mannered but rapidly. His body needed the sustinance. "How are you feeling today then? All better than me, I hope? What are your plans for the day?" Mahendra The Shivering enquired further, soon finishing his breakfast and seeing that serving was soon over. "I do hope none of us have a repeat of yesterday's events. Too many strange events and accidents for my liking..."

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Richard Barker

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Location: Lower Deck (Richard's quarters -> Dining)
Skills: N/A

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"...Jesus Christ...Don't think about it..." Richard muttered in response to the poor sod of a servant that had made the terrible accident of dropping more plates than the White House had. He was annoyed at him, whoever who was, but he had bigger fish to fry. And by that he meant worse cases to deal with; His shaving. His hands were shaking like a Catholic nun having told a lie for the very first time in her life, and he could have sworn he was about to cut off his own damn throat several times! But in the end Richard managed to shave himself decently enough not to look too shitty. He felt shitty, but at least he was presentable enough to go dine.

Richard got dressed in the same pair of awful ex-wife pants from the day before, but sported a more fitting grey jacket and white shirt underneath. And in contrast to the day before, Richard took off his bandages of his nose, revealing a pretty deep-scarred sight to behold. He hated looking at himself in the mirror like that, but then again he never really thought to highly of himself, so why start now? Dressed and shaven, Richard exited his quarters and went to the dining area.

As to be expected, the dining room was full. Strangers, even if Richard perhaps had seen their faces before. None stuck, except a certain paranormal enthusiast Yank Richard had the pleasure of baby-sitting, and not in a necessarily negative way. Richard walked up to his companion, today in a new dress. His younger self might have given her a compliment for the nice color of it, but that Richard was long gone into hybernation. "Morning, Faye. How did tonight treat'ya?" Richard asked her in his New York accented voice, all rough and tired from just waking up. "I really need a coffee, a strong black one." He commented, going over to the table and grabbing a cup of coffee while Faye could do whatever she wanted to. With the steaming cup of coffee, Richard was satisfied with his first meal of the day; Coffee and nothing else. The PI's perfect breakfast, now with less hard-boiled eggs. "So what's the plan for today? You wanted to do some nosing around the higher decks? Personally I'd like to either dig up something on Mr. Gould, or find my 'good pal' from last night."