Ink 'One of the Three Kings' he says. 'Most powerful monsters to have ever been slain by man', he says.
Elpidio is a practiced con artist. Intentional or not, he has a tendency to overstate his own excitement when it comes to monsters. To begin with, his description of the Three Kings has 2 qualifiers, along with a level of uncertainty. His own words of praise imply that stronger demons have been slain, and that not only are there stronger monsters out there, but the monster he's asking them to take care of is already well-trodden ground. Furthermore, with abilities like Ink's own out there, the phrase 'most powerful' becomes a lot more subjective, and to top it all off, there's no guarantee that the statement in question is correct at all. Plenty of mediums don't have the luxury of having the circumstances of their death verified. All in all, there's zero reason to buy into Elpidio's 'for glory' pitch, which is just as well since Ink doesn't give a rat's ass about fame or recognition.
What kind of name is Rex Caelistis anyway? It's true that most monsters don't get popular names, and thus end up with whatever latin mess Elpidio or other cryptozoologists slap on them, but Ink knows enough about the names of dinosaurs and RPG characters/settings that never stop getting sequels to know that it means 'King of the Heavens'. It's the kind of name that screams 'exaggerated myth', or alternatively, 'Elpidio wants to market the latest addition to the daemon program in the most over-the-top manner possible.' Either way, it's stupid, and Ink decides he's calling it the flying chameleon from now on.
Setting aside Ink's motive to participate, it's hard to tell if this is even a job for him to begin with. A lot of monsters use magic to avoid the issues inherent in biological systems. Snakes have to control the amount of venom they inject because if they don't, they'll run out of it and can take quite a while to replenish their supply. Dragons are especially suspect because some of them use specialized organs instead of magic. Magic is almost universally a more logistically sound option, but since they're conceived through completely mundane animals, it's impossible to know until a magic circle forms... or doesn't.
"This doesn't seem like my kind of job."
Elpidio immediately interjects. "Au contraire, I think it's the perfect job to add to your resume, if only to flaunt it in the face of your detractors."
Ink responds in a monotone voice, completely expressionless. "My 'detractors' can go suck a dick."
"How about doing it for your career?"
"I'm fine where I am, thanks."
"Then, for the good of Agartha?"
"Elpidio, you're acting like this is the first time we've met."
"I'm just messing with you. I'll have a box of the usual delivered."
It's about what Ink was expecting. "Throw in a bottle of Vodka while you're at it."
Elpidio gives him a wry smile. "Not enough on hand to go day-drinking with?"
Ink puts one hand over his chest in an exaggerated manner, feigning offense. "Why, I'd never! Alcohol upon a Paladin's lips? Obviously it's a necessity for watering my houseplants."
Were it Ink's prerogative, this would be his cue to go back to sleep. The eye-piercing blues of the fake sky above Agartha are just starting to roll in through the overdramatic orange-purple sunrise, bleeding against it from the opposite end of the fake sun peeking over a horizon that doesn't exist. It's pure artifice, and it makes him feel grumpy, if not downright angry, every damn time. He's not one to tout the supposed inherent value of that which is au naturel, but if the sun is supposed to be either aesthetic or utilitarian in nature, why did they choose to replicate the fact that it's a blinding ball of fiery hate?
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Ink wasn't trapped in a vicious cycle of inconsistent sleep schedules. His circadian rhythm was like a sundial on a cloudy day that grew limbs and started breakdancing. At this point he doesn't question what woke him up or why he's tired anymore, he just accepts that waking up at times determined by roulette wheel is his new normal. Today he had the misfortune for it to land on the tender hour of 3 am, which called for extra coffee in his morning mug full of milk and sugar. He considered a shot of vodka while he's at it, but wouldn't you know it, he's all out. "i'Ll BuY mOrE lAtEr" he muttered, mocking his past self. Truly, that guy is an asshole.
After burning a couple of hours starting his day, lazily consuming literally cursed sour candies and rewriting the hastily scribbled notes he made yesterday, he got up and out, ready to begin the herculean task of existing in a public space.
Ink wasn't famous per se. Among mediums, sure, his abilities and position were unique enough that they stood out if nothing else, but for most of the middle and upper class, he was more infamous than anything. In some ways it was nice. He seemed to inspire dead silence as he walked by others, a simple glance more than enough to kill the gossip on their lips, though that might be because his resting bitch face is worse than he thought. Either way, it was some much-needed peace and quiet. He gets more than enough judgmental word vomit from the many enemies he's made and/or spontaneously acquired. Really hard to remember which is which at this point.
Brionac Academy is an ostentatious beast of a building. Ink was once told it felt like sacrilege for him to even step foot on the premises ever since his so-called 'fall from grace', which to some is just when he left the Lysander family and abandoned the Paladin tradition, and to others was when he decided to become a Sorcerer even though he's incapable of casting a single spell. Maybe it's just his habit of summoning a bag made from the fossils of dead angels in order to eat candy in such a professional setting that ticks people off. It's still better than a smoking problem, in his opinion. At the end of the day, Elpidio needs his unique 'talents' for the daemon program, so all the petty bullshittery and empty legal threats tend to slide off him like water off a duck's back.
Ink walks through the front doors with his usual nonchalance, through the elevators, down towards Elpidio's office. He's taken the same route many times already, never interacting with much of the rest of the Academy and its facilities. It's routine at this point, just like the way that one medium's bag of gummies mysteriously vanishes while he's in VR, no matter how bad of a curse he places on them to catch the thief. It's his own damn fault at this point, really, he doesn't even try to hide them.
As he tosses the rest of the bag into his angel fossil hammerspace, he opens the double doors to Elpidio's office and is met with a bunch of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Frederica Simonova, former vanguard, first class juggernaut and darling protector of Agartha, a reoccurring name when his father compares him to other mediums, though he's never met her personally. Fire girl, first class valkyrie, someone he's almost certainly worked with before but probably not someone he's actually ever spoken to. Finally, there's some girl he doesn't recognize who was wearing not one but two articles of sleeveless upper body clothing, just to show off the tattoo on her arm. He begins to think he's intruded on either Elpidio's harem or a collective sexual harassment complaint when Elpidio says, "Ah, Ink. You're just in time. Lock the doors, will you?"
Ink didn't exactly like where this was going, but in his moment of hesitation, the three girls didn't seem interested in stopping him, so he did as he was told before walking across the room, producing the notes he was asked to take and presenting it to Elpidio. "As you requested."
"Ah, thank you, this will help greatly. Say, why don't you stick around, Ink? I've got quite the story to tell you."
Blissfully unaware of the message sent on the Maji-nEXT he keeps breaking, Ink walks ass-backwards into Elpidio's trap as he comes to lean against one of the cabinets full of plastic monsters lining the wall. "Sure, I'll bite. What's going on?"
Name: Incurro Ⅱ Lysander Nickname: Ink Alias: Ink. Sometimes referred to as a (or "the") Fallen Paladin, Oathbreaker Paladin, or Dark Knight, though it's usually derisive or in jest. Gender: ♂ Age: 23 Birthday: November 13, 2347 Blood Type: O- Species: Human Job Class: Sorcerer, First Class Hometown: Agartha
Height: 5'10 Weight: 178 lb Eye Color: Black Hair Color: Black Senses: Capable of smelling and tasting magic. It's supposedly sweet in both ways. Even if neither is possible, he can sense magic in his immediate vicinity, including enchanted/cursed items, but is not able to distinguish the nature of the magic. Scent: Were someone other than himself capable of smelling magic, he would constantly smell like caramel. Voice: Matthew Mercer when he's not doing an accent, or something similar
Personality
Usual: Nonchalant, kind of lazy, tries to stay cool and collected but lacks impulse control. Has a weak conscience and is somewhat untrusting. Curious enough to be open to trying new things and attempting to befriend others with similar interests. Proclivity for chivalry or even kindness, in spite of lacking moral principles. In Battle: Cruel, pragmatic, and relaxed. Tries to stay detached and calm but can't resist being snarky when the opportunity arises. Speech: Snarky as sin. Inappropriately calm in dire situations. Tends to sound tired or annoyed for no reason. Habits: Highly addictive personality. Making Friends: Makes friends almost solely when he can think of something worth talking about; will give up otherwise. Prefers asking questions over receiving them; doesn't generally like talking about himself. Likes: The taste of magic, Sugar, alcohol, carbonated beverages, easy jobs, lazing about, staring at the night sky, overcast weather, and petrichor without rain. Dislikes: Surprises, the feeling of being watched, archers/gunmen (especially magically created ones, e.g. the undead), hot days, the sun, cleaning up dead bodies and/or viscera. Hobbies: Sleeping, stargazing, making bets with confident Warlocks or Sorcerers, helping out with the Daemon program. Issues: Sticky fingers. Not a kleptomaniac or some grand thief, but if he wants something and can take it easily, he doesn't mind borrowing it for a while. He doesn't want for much, but he can't return candy he's already eaten. Alignment: True Neutral
History
Childhood: The Lysanders are a prestigious family known for serendipitously producing skilled Mediums frequently throughout the generations, and Ink was no different. As family tradition dictated, Ink was trained from a young age to become a Paladin; their iconic brand of vanguards. It was an informal title passed down between mediums within the Lysander bloodline, harkening back to the Paladins of ancient history. The title itself is venerated, containing historical significance, and Lysander Paladins often became elected officials simply because of the public and political clout granted by the title. The fighting style of a Paladin was associated with light and blessing magic, and was typically flashy and garish, making them stand out among other Mediums, as if the specialized training regimen wasn't enough. In addition, Paladins are taught to follow a strict code of conduct, upholding justice and righteousness wherever possible. Ink didn't exactly enjoy this style of upbringing. The expectations both internal and external were crushing. The code of conduct was a load of bullshit and he didn't even think Paladins were cool from a spectator's perspective. They were overdramatic and excessive and he'd rather just have literally any other form of magic than that holier-than-thou shit constantly touted by his tutors as the ultimate in "heroism". Ink didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want to dedicate his life to serving Agartha and its people; it seemed like a thankless job, and being a B-list (or even an A-list) celebrity just meant losing his privacy and being judged over every little thing he did. Still, he pretended to go along with it, because what else could he do? Run away from Agartha? He wouldn't be the first in his family to try, but even unimpeded, the records of what became of them paint a clear example of how that wouldn't work out for him. He was being indoctrinated of course; he was sure the accounts were exaggerated to scare him off trying, but living under demon rule was undeniably not ideal. Basically, his options were to become a social pariah, die, or become a Paladin.
Adulthood: In spite of failing to uphold the Paladin's code of conduct even if he tried, he eventually completed the training of the Brionac program, turned 16, and entered the void to invoke a Jinn. When he reemerged, he had mixed feelings. On one hand, he got a Jinn to say the word "bullshit". On the other, he was told he needed to go eat bullshit or die. Either way he was exhausted and needed rest. When he next woke, he was hungry, but otherwise didn't feel any different, but he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong during breakfast. Before he could look for more food to satiate himself, he was rushed off to continue his Paladin training. He was finally to be trained in the use of magic, "the Paladin way". Unfortunately, he quickly found that he didn't have any magic to speak of. He was accused of lying about meeting a Jinn, of disrespecting the Paladin name, and thrown out, presumably to reenter the void and contract a (new) Jinn. He had been expecting something like this even before entering the Void. Instead he returned to Brionac Academy, gained a newfound understanding of his abilities, (the Jinn wasn't being literal, thank god) and used money stolen from his family to live comfortably in a new home, never to return to House Lysander. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable that he'd have to carry out his duty as a Medium. He started off as a Third Class Pioneer, but as his body count steadily grew, he was promoted to Second Class and eventually First Class. To that end, he didn't like the current arrangements. He felt like he was mainly just killing demons who were reliant on magic. His constant need to eat magic made it risky to travel too far from Agartha, (buying magic stones or commissioning special supplies from Valkyries all the time was costly) and it was difficult to handle demons he had a bad matchup against. After a while, he started to feel like he was just doing the job of a Sorcerer, so he casually decided he would apply to be one. After passing a written test and practically cheating in the practical exam, he was officially a first class Sorcerer despite being completely incapable of even basic magic. If he wasn't famous for being a black sheep of the Paladin family, he was certainly more notable now. The Jinn had truly cursed him to never live a normal life for the rest of his days. Well, in any case, being a Sorcerer meant managing Warlocks and Valkyries, so it was a convenient position from which to exploit his subordinates for magical sustenance, so he did the best he could to defend his position from his detractors, the most notable of which were the Lysander family.
Family: His father is getting on in years, but is the only living Paladin in the family, and seemingly the last of their bloodline, since Ink was an only son and has no intentions to continue the tradition. His mother died at a young age, and he never felt close to the step mother his father remarried. There are also a number of wannabe Paladins who his father took under his wing who helped in Ink's Paladin training. They are considered "part of the family", but do not have the Lysander name. Plans are probably being made to declare one of them the next Paladin, which would be the second time in history the title was given to someone outside of the Lysander bloodline, although the first time was because of an exceptional individual, rather than an effort to avoid the tradition being destroyed entirely.
Religion: Ink believes that if the Father exists or existed, which, to begin with, would be doubtful in his eyes, at least as he is described; then the Father has/had probably long since given up on humans, which he should have already done long before the last time he was killed. Short of divine intervention to the contrary, he thinks it's best to go about as if he does not exist. Hell, even with divine intervention, isn't the Father indifferent to, if not outright complicit in humanity's current predicament? Proof of his existence alone wouldn't be enough to dedicate his life to the Father. Murdering the Father in seemingly blind rage as he had been in the past would be uncalled for, but if the Father demands they start being friendly ("love one another, as I have loved you") with the demons trying to kill and enslave them, then maybe those demands aren't worth listening to.
Combat Information
Armaments
Inkwell: A cursed Kris (wavy dagger) that disrupts magic, absorbs it, and coalesces the magic onto its tip. Every time Ink deals damage with it against an enemy who is either capable of magic or has magical properties, he gains 1 blood charge, which can be used for his skills. Blood charges do not carry over between battles. Has a special insulating handle to keep Ink from draining the blade of its potency, since it in itself is a magical item. The magic on its tip will apply random curses to those exposed to it, though it can be made to retain the magic for later use.
Gun: Gun. Closest thing to a mass-produced Medium weapon there is. It's made mostly from mundane materials and doesn't have noteworthy features, but it's effective enough.
Armor: Prefers dressing light for maneuverability's sake. Has all of his clothing magically enhanced specifically for the sake of enduring magical attacks, especially his pants and underwear. Running face-first into magical attacks does quite a number on his clothing, and he has already had to experience the consequences of failing to prepare for this during his Pioneer days.
Items: A small bag that can be summoned at will, mainly containing magic stones and cursed candy. Requires a free action to safely consume one in the middle of battle, similarly to elixirs. The bag also contains a few potions which Ink purchases from a witch living outside of Agartha. He has no idea what effect they would have on an ordinary person, but on him they have an identical effect as the candy, and they taste WAY better than elixirs. He doesn't usually drink them, but keeps them around in case someone pays too much attention to him, claiming they're elixirs. He tries to keep his dependence on magic a secret, claiming his curse is just the inability to use magic.
Wish: "I wish I could be free from all the bullshit in this world. The expectation to be a Paladin, the demon army, being fucked over by the whims of you Jinns, all of it. I just want the freedom to live a normal life." Curse: "Your wish is too broad to grant completely, but I will grant you this: You will defy expectations and ignore many of the hardships you would not see in a 'normal life'. However, you will yearn for those hardships, that 'bullshit', and you must feast upon it, else you will be consumed, body and soul. You should know better than to ask a Jinn for freedom from their own curse." Aura Color: Transparent, with fleeting streaks of black Fighting Style: Fast and deceptive, he does the best he can to maximize his ability. His gun helps keep the pressure on any time distance is created, and most enemies are helpless to stop him from closing the distance, where he uses his cursed dagger to make them suffer.
Attack Skills
Just a Taste: Ink consumes all blood charges on the Inkwell, literally, activating a curse on himself proportional to the amount of blood charges removed and triggering an enhanced version of "Delicious Desires", treating Ink as if he has +1 Resilience for every consumed blood charge. Cannot be used without blood charges. Requires a free action to be used without risk.
Ink Over: Stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell, disrupting their magical capability and subtly "silencing" them; If an enemy tries to cast a spell during the same turn or the turn after they are hit with Ink Over, the spell will fail unless it was a wind-up spell Safe Cast before being hit with Ink Over. Wind-up spells (including Calamity spells) that are started during Ink Over's effect but activated after it ends are unaffected unless they are hit with Ink Over again, wherein they will fail even if the spell was Safe Cast. Spells that fail due to Ink Over still use up the action used to attempt them and do not generate RP, but do not consume any either. Characters with a Resonance stat of 6 or more will be able to detect the silence and react accordingly before casting a failed spell. Characters with a Resonance stat of 5 or less will be unable to distinguish Ink Over from Ink's other attacks.
Dab of Ink: Briefly tenses up, reeling back with his free arm over his face and his weapon pointed behind him before taking off at the enemy faster than the eye can see. If Ink's strength with this skill would result in parrying or breaking through an attack, he instead dodges the attack. He does not gain RP from dodging in this manner, but enemies gain 0 RP from their attack, and Ink rolls to perform a separate counterattack. Otherwise, it is treated as a parry or break through respectively. If this skill activates successfully, Ink gains +3 Reaction until the end of his next turn. (Which applies to the counterattack roll)
Heavy Drawing: Ink stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell and twists the blade. Landing this attack on a target that is either capable of magic or has magical properties will generate an extra blood charge on the Inkwell. (For a total of +2)
Line Across: Ink rushes across the battlefield, closing the distance between him and a target of his choosing, attacking the target and potentially damaging multiple enemies in his way. Will parry attacks without interrupting Ink's attack(s) on other targets if Ink's strength is sufficient and the targets were in the middle of attacking. He must use the same weapon for all applicable attacks. Can attack up to a maximum of 3 targets, including the one at his destination.
Tender Embrace: Ink hugs an ally. He likes to think they're hugging back in spirit. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully, and counts as a rescue if they are being targeted by a spell, granting Ink +1 RP. While being hugged, any magic attack or effect on the ally is absorbed by Ink, including ongoing blessings and curses and attacks or effects that would normally target them both separately. Triggers "Delicious Desires" if a magical attack or effect is absorbed. Allies cannot move while being hugged, though they can still launch ranged attacks while remaining hugged. The same applies to Ink. Affected allies can break the hug without consuming an action, if they so choose to abandon the safe haven of Ink's bosom.
Galactic Mermaid: Ink slices through the enemy with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge to lay a random curse on them. (Determined by a d8) Curses are lifted at the beginning of their next turn after the duration, (before they act) rather than the end of the last turn it has an effect on them. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
Berserk: The target loses all self-control and just starts attacking either the nearest enemy they can find or the one they find the most infuriating, usually Ink. They gain +1 strength and their basic attacks gain half a star in damage, but they can only use basic attacks with any and all of their actions. Lasts for 3 turns.
Bloody Mary: All of a sudden, the target starts seeing double. Whenever they attack, their target is treated as having +4 Perception. Lasts for 3 turns.
Charm: The target falls desperately, madly in love with Ink. For 3 turns, they ally themselves with Ink and will begin fighting against Ink's enemies or helping Ink and his allies. (If they are the only enemy, they will cease all aggression) They will also obey Ink's requests, within reason, if they can understand Ink. Will end early if they receive any damage from Ink or his allies.
Clouded Thoughts: The target becomes distracted, and can only take one action per turn. (not including recovering) Lasts for 4 turns, or until the next time the target takes damage and recovers.
Confusion: On each of the afflicted character's Turns, a D4 will be rolled to determine if the character attacks normally, uses a basic skill or spell, guards, or dodges. If the roll is a 2, a D10 will then be rolled to determine which basic skill or spell is used, based on the order they are listed in the character sheet. A list of all the battle's participants will then be randomly generated, and the afflicted character will attack them all in that order, if applicable, removing two participants from the list on each Turn. Even if the victim of the confusion status is taking damage or recovering and a D4 roll is not necessary, two names will be removed from the list on each of their turns. Once the end of the list has been reached, the status will end.
Fear: In the eyes of the target, Ink's visage is replaced by a horrifying creature clad in inky blackness. They cannot willingly approach or attempt melee attacks against him, even as reactions. Lasts for 3 turns.
Sleep: The target enters a magical slumber, patiently awaiting true love's kiss to wake them up again. Lasts for 3 turns, or until they take any damage whatsoever. Sleeping targets take x1.5 damage from attacks that wake them up, as well as all consecutive attacks in the awaking combo.
Slow: The target's senses are drastically dulled as the world passes them by as if in fast forward. Their Reaction stat is reduced to 0 and their perception stat is halved (rounded down) for 3 rounds, not including the round it is inflicted.
Marked for Death: Ink bullies cursed enemies with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge and one curse of Ink's choice to curse the target with Death Mark. Enemies with Death Mark take an additional half star of damage from all sources, not including Marked for Death. Lasts for 3 rounds, including the round Death Mark is inflicted. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge and curse is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
Unique Skill - Ravenous Impulse: Costs 6 RP to use. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully. Grants Ink additional Strength for the attack equal to half the target's Resonance, rounded down. Only usable against enemies who are either capable of magic or have magical properties. If the attack goes through, Ink gets in close to the enemy and bites them, doing his absolute darnedest to eat them alive. Deals an extra star of damage for every magical effect (blessings, curses, transformations, Ink Over's silence, etc.) on the target and triggers "Delicious Desires". Alas, his enemies are often pretty big, and his jaw is just too small. Ink will be forced to give up on eating them when they next recover. At least, for the time being.
2-Hit Rush Skill - Second Coating: Costs 3 RP to use. Performs 2 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
3-Hit Rush Skill - Neapolitan: Costs 5 RP to use. Performs 3 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
4-Hit Rush Skill - Four Color Theorem: Costs 7 RP to use. Performs 4 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
5-Hit Rush Skill - Five Basic Flavors: Costs 9 RP to use. Performs 5 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
Finest Arts - Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Costs 10 RP. Ink attacks repeatedly with his various skills, such as Line Across or Heavy Drawing, as he gathers up blood charges in preparation for Just a Taste or other skills.
Finest Arts - Out of Fucks to Give: Costs 10 RP and up to 5 blood charges. Gathers up blood charges as necessary and burns them on Galactic Mermaid and Marked for Death, doing everything in his power to make his enemies suffer.
Finest Arts - Feast of Bullshit: Costs 16 RP and up to 4 blood charges to use. After breaking through the enemy's defenses, Ink smothers them in as many curses as he can with Ink Over, Marked for Death, and Galactic Mermaid, before finally digging in with Ravenous Impulse.
Resonant Power
Due to his passive "Insatiable", Ink has never used his magic abilities, and therefore doesn't know what any of his spells do. He knows what Backfire does though.
Backfire: Cannot normally be cast. (Not a complete spell) Occurs when another spell is cast while having the "Insatiable" passive. Requires a free action to attempt without fear and two actions to complete; Ink can cancel the cast early as he senses the impending danger. If he goes through with the cast, the spell short-circuits, causing magical recoil and lowering his RP by 10. Does not trigger "Delicious Desires".
???: ???
???: ???
???: ???
Personal Skills
Magic-Eater: Ink is completely immune to all magical attacks and effects. Physical objects lose all magically imposed momentum as they touch him and magically generated attacks pass over him like a gentle breeze.
Negativity Nullity Engine: Ink can spend or lose more RP than he has, going into the negatives. Any time Ink falls to a negative amount, after the skill finishes, he regains RP until he returns to 0 RP and loses 10% of his health for each RP gained. (Can kill him after using Finest Arts) If Ink has used finest arts at any point in the battle and falls to .1% HP through any means, he will no longer be able to use finest arts for the remainder of the battle. If Ink fully restores his health and acquires 10 RP while at full health, his finest arts will be usable again.
Delicious Desires: Any time Ink is subject to a magical attack or effect, (regardless of "Magic-Eater") he restores (Resilience*5%) of his health and gains (Resilience/2, rounded down) RP. Elixirs are 1/4th as effective on Ink, because they taste bad. Ink can also consume and digest any magical object or creature he can fit in his mouth with no adverse effects; doing so will trigger this ability.
Curse - Insatiable: Any spells Ink casts will Backfire. Excluding his first turn in combat, at the end of each of his turns, If he has not triggered Delicious Desires since the beginning of his last turn, he loses 1 RP. Every 5 consecutive turns he loses the same amount of RP due to Insatiable, he'll start losing an additional RP every subsequent turn.
Name: Incurro Ⅱ Lysander Nickname: Ink Alias: Ink. Sometimes referred to as a (or "the") Fallen Paladin, Oathbreaker Paladin, or Dark Knight, though it's usually derisive or in jest. Gender: ♂ Age: 23 Birthday: November 13, 2347 Blood Type: O- Species: Human Job Class: Sorcerer, First Class Hometown: Agartha
Height: 5'10 Weight: 178 lb Eye Color: Black Hair Color: Black Senses: Capable of smelling and tasting magic. It's supposedly sweet in both ways. Even if neither is possible, he can sense magic in his immediate vicinity, including enchanted/cursed items, but is not able to distinguish the nature of the magic. Scent: Were someone other than himself capable of smelling magic, he would constantly smell like caramel. Voice: Matthew Mercer when he's not doing an accent, or something similar
Personality
Usual: Nonchalant, kind of lazy, tries to stay cool and collected but lacks impulse control. Has a weak conscience and is somewhat untrusting. Curious enough to be open to trying new things and attempting to befriend others with similar interests. Proclivity for chivalry or even kindness, in spite of lacking moral principles. In Battle: Cruel, pragmatic, and relaxed. Tries to stay detached and calm but can't resist being snarky when the opportunity arises. Speech: Snarky as sin. Inappropriately calm in dire situations. Tends to sound tired or annoyed for no reason. Habits: Highly addictive personality. Making Friends: Makes friends almost solely when he can think of something worth talking about; will give up otherwise. Prefers asking questions over receiving them; doesn't generally like talking about himself. Likes: The taste of magic, Sugar, alcohol, carbonated beverages, easy jobs, lazing about, staring at the night sky, overcast weather, and petrichor without rain. Dislikes: Surprises, the feeling of being watched, archers/gunmen (especially magically created ones, e.g. the undead), hot days, the sun, cleaning up dead bodies and/or viscera. Hobbies: Sleeping, stargazing, making bets with confident Warlocks or Sorcerers, helping out with the Daemon program. Issues: Sticky fingers. Not a kleptomaniac or some grand thief, but if he wants something and can take it easily, he doesn't mind borrowing it for a while. He doesn't want for much, but he can't return candy he's already eaten. Alignment: True Neutral
History
Childhood: The Lysanders are a prestigious family known for serendipitously producing skilled Mediums frequently throughout the generations, and Ink was no different. As family tradition dictated, Ink was trained from a young age to become a Paladin; their iconic brand of vanguards. It was an informal title passed down between mediums within the Lysander bloodline, harkening back to the Paladins of ancient history. The title itself is venerated, containing historical significance, and Lysander Paladins often became elected officials simply because of the public and political clout granted by the title. The fighting style of a Paladin was associated with light and blessing magic, and was typically flashy and garish, making them stand out among other Mediums, as if the specialized training regimen wasn't enough. In addition, Paladins are taught to follow a strict code of conduct, upholding justice and righteousness wherever possible. Ink didn't exactly enjoy this style of upbringing. The expectations both internal and external were crushing. The code of conduct was a load of bullshit and he didn't even think Paladins were cool from a spectator's perspective. They were overdramatic and excessive and he'd rather just have literally any other form of magic than that holier-than-thou shit constantly touted by his tutors as the ultimate in "heroism". Ink didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want to dedicate his life to serving Agartha and its people; it seemed like a thankless job, and being a B-list (or even an A-list) celebrity just meant losing his privacy and being judged over every little thing he did. Still, he pretended to go along with it, because what else could he do? Run away from Agartha? He wouldn't be the first in his family to try, but even unimpeded, the records of what became of them paint a clear example of how that wouldn't work out for him. He was being indoctrinated of course; he was sure the accounts were exaggerated to scare him off trying, but living under demon rule was undeniably not ideal. Basically, his options were to become a social pariah, die, or become a Paladin.
Adulthood: In spite of failing to uphold the Paladin's code of conduct even if he tried, he eventually completed the training of the Brionac program, turned 16, and entered the void to invoke a Jinn. When he reemerged, he had mixed feelings. On one hand, he got a Jinn to say the word "bullshit". On the other, he was told he needed to go eat bullshit or die. Either way he was exhausted and needed rest. When he next woke, he was hungry, but otherwise didn't feel any different, but he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong during breakfast. Before he could look for more food to satiate himself, he was rushed off to continue his Paladin training. He was finally to be trained in the use of magic, "the Paladin way". Unfortunately, he quickly found that he didn't have any magic to speak of. He was accused of lying about meeting a Jinn, of disrespecting the Paladin name, and thrown out, presumably to reenter the void and contract a (new) Jinn. He had been expecting something like this even before entering the Void. Instead he returned to Brionac Academy, gained a newfound understanding of his abilities, (the Jinn wasn't being literal, thank god) and used money stolen from his family to live comfortably in a new home, never to return to House Lysander. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable that he'd have to carry out his duty as a Medium. He started off as a Third Class Pioneer, but as his body count steadily grew, he was promoted to Second Class and eventually First Class. To that end, he didn't like the current arrangements. He felt like he was mainly just killing demons who were reliant on magic. His constant need to eat magic made it risky to travel too far from Agartha, (buying magic stones or commissioning special supplies from Valkyries all the time was costly) and it was difficult to handle demons he had a bad matchup against. After a while, he started to feel like he was just doing the job of a Sorcerer, so he casually decided he would apply to be one. After passing a written test and practically cheating in the practical exam, he was officially a first class Sorcerer despite being completely incapable of even basic magic. If he wasn't famous for being a black sheep of the Paladin family, he was certainly more notable now. The Jinn had truly cursed him to never live a normal life for the rest of his days. Well, in any case, being a Sorcerer meant managing Warlocks and Valkyries, so it was a convenient position from which to exploit his subordinates for magical sustenance, so he did the best he could to defend his position from his detractors, the most notable of which were the Lysander family.
Family: His father is getting on in years, but is the only living Paladin in the family, and seemingly the last of their bloodline, since Ink was an only son and has no intentions to continue the tradition. His mother died at a young age, and he never felt close to the step mother his father remarried. There are also a number of wannabe Paladins who his father took under his wing who helped in Ink's Paladin training. They are considered "part of the family", but do not have the Lysander name. Plans are probably being made to declare one of them the next Paladin, which would be the second time in history the title was given to someone outside of the Lysander bloodline, although the first time was because of an exceptional individual, rather than an effort to avoid the tradition being destroyed entirely.
Religion: Ink believes that if the Father exists or existed, which, to begin with, would be doubtful in his eyes, at least as he is described; then the Father has/had probably long since given up on humans, which he should have already done long before the last time he was killed. Short of divine intervention to the contrary, he thinks it's best to go about as if he does not exist. Hell, even with divine intervention, isn't the Father indifferent to, if not outright complicit in humanity's current predicament? Proof of his existence alone wouldn't be enough to dedicate his life to the Father. Murdering the Father in seemingly blind rage as he had been in the past would be uncalled for, but if the Father demands they start being friendly ("love one another, as I have loved you") with the demons trying to kill and enslave them, then maybe those demands aren't worth listening to.
Combat Information
Armaments
Inkwell: A cursed Kris (wavy dagger) that disrupts magic, absorbs it, and coalesces the magic onto its tip. Every time Ink deals damage with it against an enemy who is either capable of magic or has magical properties, he gains 1 blood charge, which can be used for his skills. Blood charges do not carry over between battles. Has a special insulating handle to keep Ink from draining the blade of its potency, since it in itself is a magical item. The magic on its tip will apply random curses to those exposed to it, though it can be made to retain the magic for later use.
Gun: Gun. Closest thing to a mass-produced Medium weapon there is. It's made mostly from mundane materials and doesn't have noteworthy features, but it's effective enough.
Armor: Prefers dressing light for maneuverability's sake. Has all of his clothing magically enhanced specifically for the sake of enduring magical attacks, especially his pants and underwear. Running face-first into magical attacks does quite a number on his clothing, and he has already had to experience the consequences of failing to prepare for this during his Pioneer days.
Items: A small bag that can be summoned at will, mainly containing magic stones and cursed candy. Requires a free action to safely consume one in the middle of battle, similarly to elixirs. The bag also contains a few potions which Ink purchases from a witch living outside of Agartha. He has no idea what effect they would have on an ordinary person, but on him they have an identical effect as the candy, and they taste WAY better than elixirs. He doesn't usually drink them, but keeps them around in case someone pays too much attention to him, claiming they're elixirs. He tries to keep his dependence on magic a secret, claiming his curse is just the inability to use magic.
Wish: "I wish I could be free from all the bullshit in this world. The expectation to be a Paladin, the demon army, being fucked over by the whims of you Jinns, all of it. I just want the freedom to live a normal life." Curse: "Your wish is too broad to grant completely, but I will grant you this: You will defy expectations and ignore many of the hardships you would not see in a 'normal life'. However, you will yearn for those hardships, that 'bullshit', and you must feast upon it, else you will be consumed, body and soul. You should know better than to ask a Jinn for freedom from their own curse." Aura Color: Transparent, with fleeting streaks of black Fighting Style: Fast and deceptive, he does the best he can to maximize his ability. His gun helps keep the pressure on any time distance is created, and most enemies are helpless to stop him from closing the distance, where he uses his cursed dagger to make them suffer.
Attack Skills
Just a Taste: Ink consumes all blood charges on the Inkwell, literally, activating a curse on himself proportional to the amount of blood charges removed and triggering an enhanced version of "Delicious Desires", treating Ink as if he has +1 Resilience for every consumed blood charge. Cannot be used without blood charges. Requires a free action to be used without risk.
Ink Over: Stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell, disrupting their magical capability and subtly "silencing" them; If an enemy tries to cast a spell during the same turn or the turn after they are hit with Ink Over, the spell will fail unless it was a wind-up spell Safe Cast before being hit with Ink Over. Wind-up spells (including Calamity spells) that are started during Ink Over's effect but activated after it ends are unaffected unless they are hit with Ink Over again, wherein they will fail even if the spell was Safe Cast. Spells that fail due to Ink Over still use up the action used to attempt them and do not generate RP, but do not consume any either. Characters with a Resonance stat of 6 or more will be able to detect the silence and react accordingly before casting a failed spell. Characters with a Resonance stat of 5 or less will be unable to distinguish Ink Over from Ink's other attacks.
Dab of Ink: Briefly tenses up, reeling back with his free arm over his face and his weapon pointed behind him before taking off at the enemy faster than the eye can see. If Ink's strength with this skill would result in parrying or breaking through an attack, he instead dodges the attack. He does not gain RP from dodging in this manner, but enemies gain 0 RP from their attack, and Ink rolls to perform a separate counterattack. Otherwise, it is treated as a parry or break through respectively. If this skill activates successfully, Ink gains +3 Reaction until the end of his next turn. (Which applies to the counterattack roll)
Heavy Drawing: Ink stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell and twists the blade. Landing this attack on a target that is either capable of magic or has magical properties will generate an extra blood charge on the Inkwell. (For a total of +2)
Line Across: Ink rushes across the battlefield, closing the distance between him and a target of his choosing, attacking the target and potentially damaging multiple enemies in his way. Will parry attacks without interrupting Ink's attack(s) on other targets if Ink's strength is sufficient and the targets were in the middle of attacking. He must use the same weapon for all applicable attacks. Can attack up to a maximum of 3 targets, including the one at his destination.
Tender Embrace: Ink hugs an ally. He likes to think they're hugging back in spirit. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully, and counts as a rescue if they are being targeted by a spell, granting Ink +1 RP. While being hugged, any magic attack or effect on the ally is absorbed by Ink, including ongoing blessings and curses and attacks or effects that would normally target them both separately. Triggers "Delicious Desires" if a magical attack or effect is absorbed. Allies cannot move while being hugged, though they can still launch ranged attacks while remaining hugged. The same applies to Ink. Affected allies can break the hug without consuming an action, if they so choose to abandon the safe haven of Ink's bosom.
Galactic Mermaid: Ink slices through the enemy with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge to lay a random curse on them. (Determined by a d8) Curses are lifted at the beginning of their next turn after the duration, (before they act) rather than the end of the last turn it has an effect on them. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
Berserk: The target loses all self-control and just starts attacking either the nearest enemy they can find or the one they find the most infuriating, usually Ink. They gain +1 strength and their basic attacks gain half a star in damage, but they can only use basic attacks with any and all of their actions. Lasts for 3 turns.
Bloody Mary: All of a sudden, the target starts seeing double. Whenever they attack, their target is treated as having +4 Perception. Lasts for 3 turns.
Charm: The target falls desperately, madly in love with Ink. For 3 turns, they ally themselves with Ink and will begin fighting against Ink's enemies or helping Ink and his allies. (If they are the only enemy, they will cease all aggression) They will also obey Ink's requests, within reason, if they can understand Ink. Will end early if they receive any damage from Ink or his allies.
Clouded Thoughts: The target becomes distracted, and can only take one action per turn. (not including recovering) Lasts for 4 turns, or until the next time the target takes damage and recovers.
Confusion: On each of the afflicted character's Turns, a D4 will be rolled to determine if the character attacks normally, uses a basic skill or spell, guards, or dodges. If the roll is a 2, a D10 will then be rolled to determine which basic skill or spell is used, based on the order they are listed in the character sheet. A list of all the battle's participants will then be randomly generated, and the afflicted character will attack them all in that order, if applicable, removing two participants from the list on each Turn. Even if the victim of the confusion status is taking damage or recovering and a D4 roll is not necessary, two names will be removed from the list on each of their turns. Once the end of the list has been reached, the status will end.
Fear: In the eyes of the target, Ink's visage is replaced by a horrifying creature clad in inky blackness. They cannot willingly approach or attempt melee attacks against him, even as reactions. Lasts for 3 turns.
Sleep: The target enters a magical slumber, patiently awaiting true love's kiss to wake them up again. Lasts for 3 turns, or until they take any damage whatsoever. Sleeping targets take x1.5 damage from attacks that wake them up, as well as all consecutive attacks in the awaking combo.
Slow: The target's senses are drastically dulled as the world passes them by as if in fast forward. Their Reaction stat is reduced to 0 and their perception stat is halved (rounded down) for 3 rounds, not including the round it is inflicted.
Marked for Death: Ink bullies cursed enemies with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge and one curse of Ink's choice to curse the target with Death Mark. Enemies with Death Mark take an additional half star of damage from all sources, not including Marked for Death. Lasts for 3 rounds, including the round Death Mark is inflicted. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge and curse is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
Unique Skill - Ravenous Impulse: Costs 6 RP to use. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully. Grants Ink additional Strength for the attack equal to half the target's Resonance, rounded down. Only usable against enemies who are either capable of magic or have magical properties. If the attack goes through, Ink gets in close to the enemy and bites them, doing his absolute darnedest to eat them alive. Deals an extra star of damage for every magical effect (blessings, curses, transformations, Ink Over's silence, etc.) on the target and triggers "Delicious Desires". Alas, his enemies are often pretty big, and his jaw is just too small. Ink will be forced to give up on eating them when they next recover. At least, for the time being.
2-Hit Rush Skill - Second Coating: Costs 3 RP to use. Performs 2 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
3-Hit Rush Skill - Neapolitan: Costs 5 RP to use. Performs 3 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
4-Hit Rush Skill - Four Color Theorem: Costs 7 RP to use. Performs 4 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
5-Hit Rush Skill - Five Basic Flavors: Costs 9 RP to use. Performs 5 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
Finest Arts - Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Costs 10 RP. Ink attacks repeatedly with his various skills, such as Line Across or Heavy Drawing, as he gathers up blood charges in preparation for Just a Taste or other skills.
Finest Arts - Out of Fucks to Give: Costs 10 RP and up to 5 blood charges. Gathers up blood charges as necessary and burns them on Galactic Mermaid and Marked for Death, doing everything in his power to make his enemies suffer.
Finest Arts - Feast of Bullshit: Costs 16 RP and up to 4 blood charges to use. After breaking through the enemy's defenses, Ink smothers them in as many curses as he can with Ink Over, Marked for Death, and Galactic Mermaid, before finally digging in with Ravenous Impulse.
Resonant Power
Due to his passive "Insatiable", Ink has never used his magic abilities, and therefore doesn't know what any of his spells do. He knows what Backfire does though.
Backfire: Cannot normally be cast. (Not a complete spell) Occurs when another spell is cast while having the "Insatiable" passive. Requires a free action to attempt without fear and two actions to complete; Ink can cancel the cast early as he senses the impending danger. If he goes through with the cast, the spell short-circuits, causing magical recoil and lowering his RP by 10. Does not trigger "Delicious Desires".
???: ???
???: ???
???: ???
Personal Skills
Magic-Eater: Ink is completely immune to all magical attacks and effects. Physical objects lose all magically imposed momentum as they touch him and magically generated attacks pass over him like a gentle breeze.
Negativity Nullity Engine: Ink can spend or lose more RP than he has, going into the negatives. Any time Ink falls to a negative amount, after the skill finishes, he regains RP until he returns to 0 RP and loses 10% of his health for each RP gained. (Can kill him after using Finest Arts) If Ink has used finest arts at any point in the battle and falls to .1% HP through any means, he will no longer be able to use finest arts for the remainder of the battle. If Ink fully restores his health and acquires 10 RP while at full health, his finest arts will be usable again.
Delicious Desires: Any time Ink is subject to a magical attack or effect, (regardless of "Magic-Eater") he restores (Resilience*5%) of his health and gains (Resilience/2, rounded down) RP. Elixirs are 1/4th as effective on Ink, because they taste bad. Ink can also consume and digest any magical object or creature he can fit in his mouth with no adverse effects; doing so will trigger this ability.
Curse - Insatiable: Any spells Ink casts will Backfire. Excluding his first turn in combat, at the end of each of his turns, If he has not triggered Delicious Desires since the beginning of his last turn, he loses 1 RP. Every 5 consecutive turns he loses the same amount of RP due to Insatiable, he'll start losing an additional RP every subsequent turn.
Troy It took a while, simply, to answer Minccino's challenge with some modicum of sincerity. Troy couldn't help but stand and stare at Minccino, who was expectantly doing the same, waiting for him to send out Shuckle. It felt unnatural, having been strung along by that other student, and it left a sour taste in Troy's mouth, to receive Minccino's gratitude like this. Well, that wasn't all, either.
Troy had skipped over it earlier, but as he brought his pokedex out again, he confirmed that Minccino's ability was Cute Charm. In essence, it was worthless. Blatantly inferior. Troy had made it a point to not rely on his father's resources, barring some widely available vitamins, and ability patches were not easy to come by. Although it seemed like a talented specimen, not even having Technician drastically reduced its usefulness, even as an interrim pokemon. Why is he even doing this? Because he fears Shuckle getting taunted and losing in a dramatically pathetic manner? Because the journey of a successful trainer involves amassing a wide array of tools, many of which quickly become redundant? Because he let himself think finding perfection like the breeders on the Caecilius ranch could be so easy? Troy ran his clean hand through his hair as a scowl tarnished his ever-placid facade. He could feel his composure slip as the frustration mounted. He liked Cinccino. He kinda liked this Minccino. Still, Cute Charm is fucking useless and so is Rivalry. He got wrapped up in capturing Minccino regardless because he was told the Minccino had a stash of garbage he had to retrieve, but seeing this Minccino demand a battle of him, like it was testing him after it already failed his test, pissed him off.
Troy took a deep breath, as he so often found himself doing, fixing the expression on his face. He was an expert at mental resets and no one could tell him otherwise, but he still found himself changing his course of action. A crack in his inflexibly infallible mask. Cognitive dissonance, he thought, as he made the conscious choice to act on his emotions. What difference does it even make? -Since this is all irrelevant to the end result. He took a step forward and came to a stop near the grass Minccino stood on. "What exactly do you think you're waiting for? Get in the ball or don't, I don't care anymore." He tossed a pokeball on the grass in front of Minccino. An olive branch, a symbol of defiance, a cynical ultimatum, he didn't know himself what it should have represented, but the burden of decision lifted off his shoulders like a pile of bricks. Perhaps the gesture was just a coping mechanism, as if to put the blame on Minccino rather than himself for not meeting his impossible standards. He didn't like this line of thought, because it was obvious to himself and any hypothetical higher beings capable of reading his thoughts like posts on a forum that he didn't like such stringent pursuits of perfection, but it was unavoidable and irreconcilable with his goals and obsessive compulsive nature.
He awaited Minccino's response, holding off on threats just yet, already wondering how many days he would have to cover the gardens with mud before Minccino would give back the things it stole.
As the day of reckoning finally came, Alexis took her first steps through the gates of Hoseforn, a place known across the entirety of Ealinata for the famous adventurers it produced. The courtyard, the main hall, the giant glowing crystal in the main hall, everything was larger than life, no matter where Alexis looked.
Speaking of giant glowing crystals, it seemed to be sentient, given the booths full of students talking to it. It was exciting, stepping to a booth and having her own personal rainbow appear in front of her. She reached out to it right away, but her hands phased right through.
"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."
There it was, the crystal's voice. The rainbow seemed to pulse with each word. She wondered if messing with the rainbow affected her... Or it. Can crystals have genders? It seems like a magical automaton. It's called Athena, so the intent seems to be a feminine identity, or perhaps that's just because it was deemed more agreeable when dealing with would-be adventurers? Unless some form of necromancy was at work, binding the soul of a woman named Athena to the crystal. Something that big and crystalline seems like it'd have the magic properties necessary for that. Alexis reached out to the rainbow again, waving her hands through it and observing how the light would bend. Try as she might though, it just seemed like an ordinary projection of light. Makes her wonder if mirrors or prisms would have an effect.
"Please present your acceptance scroll now."
It seemed she took long enough that Athena felt the need to repeat herself, so she got on with it and pulled out her letter of acceptance.
"Letter accepted. Welcome Alexis Atropos."
As she spoke the words, the letter of acceptance glowed slightly, its text disappearing, replaced by a map of the school with a colorful line going from the main building to a separate building.
"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 777. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within an hour and a half for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."
Dorm number 777 huh... She did try to use magic to improve her luck with school life, but for it to manifest in such a way... Actually, does it have anything to do with her magic? If this crystal determines everything, then it probably had no effect, which would mean it's a coincidence?
How mysterious. It was more believable that someone or something was behind this. Alas, she'll probably never get an explanation for this. Oh well, time to never think about it ever again.
Alexis, finding that she could not contain pieces of Athena's rainbow in a rudimentary magical container, said goodbye to the crystal and moved on to her dorm. It only had a single bed, so it seemed she had the room all to herself. It also seemed decked to the nines with instruments of pure GAMING. When they said the dorms contained any supplies students would require, they weren't kidding. Her room resembled a combination of a casino and an arcade, perfect for practicing pretty much any spell she could think of. She had brought a few things, but there was no way she could bring physical versions of all the objects relevant to Gambler magic. Did they do this for anyone with the Gambler class? Sure, the cost of all of it pales in comparison to the tuition, but it was still impressive. How many Gamblers were there in Hoseforn's? It wasn't exactly a popular class...
In any case, she took a long shower, enjoying the luxury of magically heated water on demand, then tried on the school uniform. It fit in quite well with the rest of her wardrobe, and she liked the way it looked on her. She didn't hear anything in the school rules preventing students from accessorizing, so she didn't see the need to change anything else about her look. With that, she was ready to head back towards the Main Hall for the feast.
When she got there, it was a bustling cacophony of dissonant chatter. Students from all walks of life were here, and a number of students were of races Alexis had never seen before. In particular, the girl with the large pink fox ears and a tail stood out among the crowd, to the point of drawing constant lingering glances and stares from other students. She had never seen a bestial race with qualities such as hers, though it wasn't that unusual given the numerous similar races.
It was more peculiar, in her opinion, to see a young man sitting by himself, gawking at practically all of the other students and acting stiff and twitchy, a sign he's on edge. Alexis walked up to his table and sat herself down next to him, uninvited.
"Hello. My name is Alexis. I could taste your fear from across the room. Mind kicking it up a notch? My favorite flavor is abject terror." Alexis gave the man a warm smile, not matching her words at all.
I controlled Minccino slightly, because I figured that any other course of action would just loop back around towards this outcome and this seemed like one of better ways of handling the encounter. Let me know if I should change it or something @wisteria.
Troy The Minccino took the bait, but it was all for naught as the pokeball failed to trigger. Troy was on his feet, ready to grab the pokeball, but the Minccino simply carried it away in its mouth and hid in a bush. It lingered a bit in the process, more than Troy expected, possibly thrown off by the weight of the pokeball, giving Troy the opportunity to send out Shuckle and land Infestation. This mirrored his original plan B, to use Infestation to track it down and continue applying Infestation or disrupt its coordination with Mud-Slap. They're a pair of accurate moves that minimally harmed the greenery, so they were usable to some degree even if Minccino was hiding, and as long as he stayed on Minccino's trail, it should get worn down eventually. The specialty of human hunter-gatherers was persistence hunting after all. It may have been drawn out, but it's not like he didn't have all day. The spectating student, however, didn't have the patience for that and decided to interrupt. It annoyed Troy at first, given that he specifically asked him not to, but when he dumped the trash out into the clearing, it sent Minccino into a tizzy immediately. The student then ran off, as if he couldn't bear to see the results of his actions. It was confusing at first, but the more Troy thought about it, the more it seemed infuriating. If he knew it would behave this way, why didn't he do it from the start? Was he just trying to goad Troy into doing it so he wouldn't have to? Right after threatening Troy over damage to the garden and ranting about people who litter? What was his plan even, to get his stuff back, then yell at Troy? If he wanted to see if Troy could do it differently, why didn't he just leave and let Troy's plan play out, like Troy asked? He knew enough about trapping moves to know how they were applicable in hunting a wild pokemon down, did the student not?
He still hadn't been told his name, but the president of the beautification committee was honestly infuriating. The most irritating part of it all was owing him a debt for helping Troy, because as annoying as the situation was, his actions were still a net positive in terms of saving Troy's time. Persistence hunting can take hours if things drag on, and even if he had to put up with the hypocrisy of the student's plan, they eventually got on with it and spilled the trash themselves. I suppose this is one way to avoid getting him angry at Troy over it, though it'd be a lie to say it was something he thought to do, since... Troy shares some things in common with Minccino, one could say.
To begin with, why is this Minccino so obsessed with cleaning? It could have just waited for them to leave before cleaning it up. Minccinos were cleanly, but this bordered on obsessive compulsion. Either that, or it just didn't care about what might happen to it while cleaning, which Troy wasn't sure whether to interpret as insulting to him or indicative of its desperation. He sighed, watching Minccino try to pick up the trash with its tiny paws while the lingering dregs of the Infestation stung at it and returned Shuckle to its pokeball, thereby freeing Minccino from the attack.
Troy walked up to the Minccino and the trash, crouching down and nudging the Minccino aside. It was honestly just in the way for trash of this size. It didn't get the memo at first, but started realizing what was going on as Troy began cleaning up the trash fast enough to monopolize the trash bin. Troy bulldozed huge chunks of the trash back into the dumpster before grabbing big piles of the mess that Minccino had to clean piece by piece and tossed them in, pile after pile. He could paint the whole garden brown with Mud-Slap later if need be, but owing anything to the smarmy fuck from the beautification committee didn't sit right with Troy.
In a flash, all the trash was back in the dumpster, which Troy returned upright. He had only used his right hand, which was still stained with berry juice, thus keeping his left hand clean. Minccino was already swiping away at the grass with its tail to get off any incidental muck that remained. While it was still distracted, Troy pulled out another pokeball with his clean hand and tossed it at Minccino when its back was turned.
Class: Gambler, the magical embodiment of chaos. Sometimes alternatively referred to as a Wild Mage, though the two aren't always considered the same thing. The spells of a Gambler are akin to that of magical contracts, said to be wagers against fate itself. Gamblers are so named because their spells rely on random chance, be it the flip of a coin, the roll of a die, the spin of a roulette, or the way the cards are dealt, their spells are a literal magical gamble, complete with visible magical abstractions depending on the spell. When things go their way, they can wield power unparalleled, but when luck is not on their side, they are their own worst enemy. That being said, a Gambler's power lies in their ability to cheat the odds, at least more often than it cheats them.
Gamblers are generally thought of as a terrible, or at least unreliable class, though they're at least flashy and lucrative.
Personality: Although she can appear aloof and standoffish, it's generally a result of not caring what others think of her and/or not being interested in a person or activity. She bores easily, but when anything catches her interest, she is fun-loving and impulsive, not afraid to do things just for the thrill of it, and not afraid to break a few rules if they're inconvenient. She takes pleasure in messing with people, and loves a friendly wager, so long as the odds are in her favor.
Strengths:
Excellent cook.
Great at mathematics.
Skilled with a bow, though she is out of practice and prefers magic anyway, insisting it's more "fun".
Well-versed in cartomancy. (The non-magical kind)
Fearless, with a flawless poker face to boot.
Can runecraft with gold coins and her known spells.
Learned a few Gambler spells and skills pertinent to Gambler magic
Can manifest objects related to gaming, such as coins, dice, playing cards, tarot cards, roulette wheels with any number of spaces or pockets, balls, pucks, cups, pachinko machines, slot machines, bingo machines, bingo sheets, scratchcards, tickets, tokens, chips, a variety of board games, their respective pieces, and so on out of magic. They're glowy, tinted a light blue, break easily, don't always abide by the laws of gravity and dissolve if away from Alexis. She was taught how to create some of them as the basis of Gambling magic, and went on to learn how to make the other stuff out of boredom.
Can magically manipulate mundane (physical) random events in her immediate proximity, changing them in her favor about half the time. Alexis cannot apply this to magical random events, including her manifestations, runecrafted items, or any Gambler spells.
"50/50" - Launches a powerful magic attack with a 50/50 chance of either success or targeting herself. Works with any medium with potential outcomes that are divisible by 2. Technically speaking, this isn't one spell, but a collection of nearly identical spells. (Heads/Tails, Highs/Lows, Primes/Not, Evens/Odds, Red/Black, etc.)
"Life or Death" - Flip a coin. On heads, fully heals a target, reviving the unconscious and resurrecting the recently deceased. Landing on tails results in Alexis falling unconscious instead. If the target is dead, then she dies instead of falling unconscious. There are many variations of this spell that are less dangerous, but Alexis has not learned them yet.
Capable of modifying magic attacks with random elemental properties based on the outcome of a simultaneous 8-spaced roulette spin, adding Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Lightning, Dark or Light properties and their associated additional effects.
Capable of generating gold out of thin air on successful outcomes of Gambler attacks. Gold generated is proportionate to the spell's power and potential risk, and increases with experience as a Gambler. Gold is awarded directly to Alexis, though a spell with no risk generates no gold. Does not work with healing spells.
Capable of converting gold into more mana for herself, though the exchange rate is inefficient.
Weaknesses:
She's a Gambler. (class)
She's a gambler. (personality trait)
Stubborn. Doesn't like being told she's wrong, what to do, to stop casting spells, etc.
Lacks self-preservation.
Inconsiderate and irreverent. Not really concerned with how her actions negatively affect others. This is technically a necessity for Gamblers acting as adventurers, but she generally doesn't feel any guilt over it and can easily get into fights with people who have a problem with her lack of restraint.
She is inexperienced as a Gambler
Incapable of meaningfully influencing the outcomes of Gambler spells. This is a matter of magical experience, as sleight of hand doesn't work on Gambler spells. A magical coin flip shouldn't have 50/50 odds for a Gambler.
Can't heal people without becoming useless half the time.
Equally likely to attack herself as she is to attack enemies.
Doesn't even produce that much gold yet
Biography: Although she was born and raised near the All Tree, a turbulent marriage led to her parents splitting up. Given the difference in their lifespans and her childhood spent in the forests, it was agreed that she would move with her human father to Balmoria, though her mother still visits often. Being the daughter of a single parent, she had plenty of time to herself, but solitaire wasn't quite stimulating enough, so she would often get into trouble with the kids and vagrants in her neighborhood. There, she met a woman who ran various street gambling scams. When they first met, she was running three-card monte, and, of course, Alexis wanted to play. The woman, seeing an opportunity for a free shill, shuffled the cards very slowly at first, making sure that 'any stupid kid' could keep up, causing Alexis to feel insulted. She demanded she make it as difficult as possible, so the annoyed woman obliged, moving her hands fast enough as to appear a blur. To this day, Alexis isn't sure if the woman swapped the cards to let her win, or if she won on her own, but either way, the nature of the game became clear to Alexis as the spectacle drew in an easy mark who the woman proceeded to rob blind. Naturally, one of the accomplices then announced that the local law enforcement was on its way, and they all ditched before the mark could argue. Alexis lingered afterwards. They never showed up.
Through a series of negotiations mostly involving Alexis harassing the woman, She came to become one of the woman's accomplices, and in some ways, her apprentice, teaching her the art of scamming people out of their money. But of course, the woman was an experienced Gambler, and taught her a few things in lieu of payment and/or to keep Alexis busy so she would stop bothering her. Magic had always fascinated Alexis, and gaming magic was the perfect way to pass the time on lonely afternoons. Alexis grew to become a bit of a gambling addict, so she ended up following in the woman's (questionable) footsteps, making herself a killing running various games with the kids she used to play with as her accomplices. It goes without saying, but the house always wins.
Her father deeply regrets not being there for her, for taking her from her mother, for ever letting a filthy street urchin contaminate his precious daughter's mind with such folly. The gambling was fine, but becoming a capital-G Gambler? It's like having your child tell you they want to be a circus clown, but even that would be a more stable, safe job. Alas, Alexis had accumulated enough money that she was already ready to pay for her own education in the art of Gambler magic. Her father could not deny her without straight up stealing her money, which he couldn't bring himself to do. In his eyes, sending her off to Hoseforn's meant her fate was sealed, and she actually made her father cry over this. Alexis' mom insists that it's just a phase, and that she'd get tired of it after a decade or two, which didn't really help. Still, Alexis was and is set on becoming a Gambling adventurer. After all, there's no class more lucrative and exciting. She wanted to escape the boredom of a mundane life, and if she was going to be an adventurer, might as well have the most exciting adventures possible, right?
BunniesOfDoom
Noctis
Carlyle
Fetzen
Lewascan2
LuckyBlackCat
Crimson Flame
koi
950