STATUS:
Wow three years since an update....well - I guess I've been busy. Finally getting back into real story writing instead of just editing and submitting old stuff.
8 mos ago
Current
Wow three years since an update....well - I guess I've been busy. Finally getting back into real story writing instead of just editing and submitting old stuff.
2
likes
4 yrs ago
Responses didn't come like I meant them to. I'm working on being able to get to them this week. Thank you for your patience with me.
1
like
4 yrs ago
Responses to those waiting to hear from me will come tomorrow. Apologies.
1
like
4 yrs ago
Shit happens, responses slow. Working on it. Please be patient.
I'm an adult with a family and responsibilities that take priority, as well as mental health issues that can cause me to not get on this site for periods of time. Just know I will get back to you within a few days. If I had something going with you at some point, and you're interested in either starting it back up or starting something fresh, just reach out.
I recently started working on getting published, and have self published one story so far. Check it out on Amazon - Into the Night by Alexia Wynd.
You can also check out more of my work - short stories and the like - at my recently started Patreon: patreon.com/storiestocaptivate
At some point you have received this welcome letter. Are you a new student eagerly awaiting your turn to start at the first ever official school for metahumans? Or are you a returning student eager to see what the new year has in store?
This will take place in an alternative timeline from our own. While most world events will be the same, elements of them are altered to include the introduction of magic/metahumans. If there is a world event you would like to know our spin on, feel free to ask how it happened for our RP. Examples of such events will be covered in the History section, but for the most part we're looking at highlighting pieces of American history as this world has altered them.
As far as technology goes, there are all sorts of tech we view as futuristic that have been around since the 90s here. While fossil fuels aren't a thing of the past, it is the alternative energy source now as opposed to the main source. While flying cars still aren't a thing, electric and self-driving cars are the prolific mode of transportation for many, and technology continues to advance at an accelerated rate.
Magic, as well as meta-humans in the form of mutants and beings of lore, has been public for only a little while. While it has mixed reception in some communities still, it is - for the most part - accepted as something that is not going away, and people have learned to cope with the fact that humans really aren't the only sentient life out there; that reality itself is far more than what they previously thought.
Every day, you pass someone on the street - usually unaware there is anything more to them than what they appear. That's just as true for this universe. The barista that just made your coffee could be teaching herself how to use magic, or perhaps that "self-made millionaire" was born with the superhuman ability to see probabilities and uses it to pick just the right stocks to amass his fortune. Perhaps the guy that you always see working the night shift isn't actually as human as he appears.
Not everyone in the world can learn to use magic; some are born with innate powers, while others can study to learn it. Whether or not you can is something you are born with, or perhaps was thrust upon you by some external force. It is illegal in many countries to experiment on people, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and sometimes pesky extradimensional beings will leave their mark after a visit - that was how this all began, after all.
But let's stick to the basics. There are 2 major categories all meta-humans fall under:
Those with innate magical abilities, and those that have the ability to learn to use magic. From there, magic breaks down a bit further into a few more categories:
Nature - this covers all abilities that utilize elements, beasts, plant life, and/or even summon beings of such elements to you.
Personal - this covers abilities that come from the mind (psychics, telepaths, telekinetics, etc) or augment bodies (strength, speed, endurance, invisibility, shapeshifting, etc).
Intellect - this covers not just hyperintelligence, but also those with an innate knack for building complex and advanced devices.
Void - this covers powers akin to interdimensional access, such as teleportation, summoning/communicating with things beyond this world, extradimensional travel, and even drawing on powers from a dimension called the Void (top scientists are still trying to get a firm grasp on what that exactly is, but their best explanation currently is a realm of negative energy.)
Ki - this deals with the ability to manipulate the latent tangible energy found in all living objects and manipulate it for various purposes such as energy blasts, flight, and - in a few rare cases - healing.
Mutants - while previously believed to be the proper term for those born with the innate ability to use magic, it is far beyond that; aliens, beings of supernatural lore such as vampires, and people that were experimented on into being able to use magic all fit into this category. Mutants tend to already have a handle on how to use their natural powers, but some (particularly those that experimented on) do not.
While history in this world has unfolded much like our own, below are highlighted differences that have lead to where we are today.
- Early 1900s saw the first encounters with beings from other dimensions and the depths of the Void.
- Chaotic energies seeping from these locations lead to unrest and corruption of minds leading to the events that proceeded WW1.
- Uncontained locations where extradimensional beings appeared and through several of their continued presence continued to corrupt human minds.
- This corrupting influence indirectly resulted in the Holocaust.
- Both wars ended in much the same way, but lead to secret investigations of the appearance sites and containment efforts to prevent such issues again.
- 1952: The first sightings of magic and fantastical abilities reported
- Reports scattered around the globe varying from people creating fireballs to shooting blasts of energy to augmenting physical abilities, and more.
- 1955: The 1st Meta-Human Crisis
- Superpowered African Americans engaged as domestic terrorists to help protest segregation
- Crime syndicates use meta-humans to take over a number of cities across the US
- Legion of Hope created: a task force of sanctioned meta-humans designated to help combat criminal meta-humans
- 1958: Crisis ended through use of Legion of Hope
- The Legal Vigilante Association (LVA) created by the US government, used to oversee and sanction actions of meta-humans
-1960s saw a period of unrest, not only for those fighting for civil rights, but also with a growing distrust between humans and meta-humans
- Dr ML King became known as a powerful figure fighting for both civil rights unrests, becoming known as the first widely accepted and inspirational meta-humans with his gift for persuasion
- Dr King assassinated in the 70s as Nixon gains power.
- June 10th, 1976: 2nd Meta-human Crisis
- Elemental and other dimensional forces invade Earth
- Heavy losses incurred, but through coordinated effort Earth managed to win and sealed off gateways to prevent a second invasion.
- Throughout the 1980s, following the end of the 2nd Crisis, public opinion sharply declined toward meta-humans
- Meta-humans blamed for attracting the alien forces, and thus starting the war
- Most meta-humans try to live in secret to prevent discrimination and violence toward them.
- February 18th, 1993: US government, among others, discovered to be experimenting on humans to try to create meta-human mutants
- Determined to be lead by a meta-human (though there is still debate whether this is merely a scapegoat or not) public opinion further plummets for meta-humans
- Remainder of the 1990s sees continued unrest and simmering potential for another crisis or civil war
- September 11th, 2001: Hijackers attempt to crash planes into prominent US locations
- 2 meta-humans manage to stop the planes from hitting the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon with minor loss of life, and brave passengers down the plane destined for the White House.
- Public opinion shifts sharply
- Government and media focus on highlighting positive events surrounding meta-humans intervening to prevent loss of life, as well as Op Ed pieces from prolific public figures regarding how they have been living double lives hiding their meta-human status
- August 20th, 2003: Anepool Academy for the Gifted sanctioned by the LVA and opens its doors for the first time.
- Anepool Academy for the Gifted remains open and active, hosting students from around the world.
The Setting
We will be students at the Anepool Academy for the Gifted, a boarding school dedicated to teaching meta-humans not only standard school courses, but also helping them understand, control, and utilize their magic in productive ways. There are plenty of extracurricular opportunities outside of learning magic, and even their standard classes offer a wide range of interests outside of standard curriculum and magicks. They host students in 7th - 12th grade, and graduates have the same opportunities as those graduating standard schools. The campus is enclosed and monitored, so sneaking onto and off of campus will be difficult (but not impossible, if you were to ask some alum). Students are assigned dorms based on gender, but recent years have seen some shift to that with transgendered students being offered housing in a newly constructed dormitory that is based on a gender neutral concept; students housed here will still share a dorm room with another student, but both students will be of the same gender identity.
Anepool is one of the top most prosperous cities on the east coast, and is known for it's food, diversity, and has recently become an economic center for the US. It consists of six boroughs - Lewis, Minks, Sphinx, Roldo, Polis, and Cannes.
Lewis
The largest borough, it sports a major residential section. It is known for being ethnically diverse, while sporting a large Asian and black immigrant population. Noted as one of the safest boroughs of the city, it's commonly said to be a great place to raise kids. While it does sport commerce, most shops are department stores or small shops.
Minks
The most populated district, it is subject to gentrification for many years. It is known for having an extremely active street life and lots of gang violence. Minks, being the most populated, is known to be referred to by its two distinct sections - South Minks and North Minks. South Minks is home to an affluent business sector and a great place for many aspiring to start large businesses to move to. It is also the home of Anepool Academy for the Gifted. North Minks is, colloquially, a ghetto - known for its violence, as well as producing very talented drill artists.
Sphinx
Considered to be the upscale borough out of the six, it's known for its high rises and banking centers, as well as it's fashion, art, and entertainment destinations. This is where the seat of the city's municipal government resides.
Roldo
Known to be the most violent borough, most of the city's organized crime is based here. It has several street gangs, and almost all major criminal syndicates and organizations have roots here as well. It's known to be the city's hub for illicit trading and black market dealings, especially for advanced weaponry and other illegal goods.
Polis
A small island off the coast of the city could be considered a town of its own - this happens to be Polis, the 5th district of Anepool. It is known to be a fishing town, and is also known to be the quietest borough as it does not boast any real attractions aside from great fishing spots. Many believe it to be cursed, as it is one of the many locations where otherworldly invaders first appeared.
Cannes
This borough was recently designated an experimental section created by the Anepool city council to be host exclusively to meta-humans. Known for being the base for many major technology and manufacturing corporations, it makes start competition with North Minks for business ventures.
Bioforst Comp. - A major tech manufacturer based in Cannes, they have a heavy focus on computers and phones and are seen as the company to watch regarding the next best in computing technology.
Reo Mafia Family - A major crime syndicate based our of South Minks, they are renown for their drug ring.
Big Baller Street Gang - A growing nuisance from North Minks, they worked as drug runners and enforcers for the Reo Mafia before starting to make a name for themselves as a more serious threat than petty thugs.
Legal Vigilante Association - With branches in every major city, it's no surprise they have a branch here as well. Their headquarters in Anepool is located in Sphinx, and closely advises the Anepool Academy as well as A.M.E.M.
Legion of Hope - Resurrected after the failed hijackings, the Legion of Hope keeps their headquarters in Anepool's Sphinx borough.
Anepool Ministry of Education and Meta-humans - Also located in the Sphinx borough of Anepool, the Ministry of Education and Meta-humans is a separate body trying to develop a program in association with other countries for regulating the education of meta-human youths. It works in conjunction with the standard city board of education to ensure education requirements for meta-human students are comparable to that of regular humans.
Nefarious League - A criminal association exclusively of meta-humans, it remains elusive to both the Legion of Hope and the LVA. Rumor has it their headquarters is based out of Roldo, but it has yet to be confirmed.
AnTech Comp. - A manufacturer with its primary plant in Minks, it has several plants across the country and dabbles in a little of everything, after growing and acquiring a few related industries before branching out. It's mainly known for its manufacturing of "next gen military tech" but has started becoming a household name for camping gear, and airsoft and paint ball guns and gear.
Rerah Labs - A bio-chemical company linked to the government scandal in '93, it has done its best to stay out of the news since then. It operates out of Cannes, and has been linked to several high profile mutants.
RVC Street Gang - Still minor leagues compared to the Big Baller street gang, they are still known to be the ones to go to if you need something boosted. They operate out of a garage in North Minks, but their base of actual illicit activity is unknown to the authorities.
Melynk Crime Family - A relatively mysterious organization based out of Cannes, they seem to have a leg up on most of their competition. Rumors have it the main family are meta-humans that have controlling stock in several businesses around Anepool, authorities have trouble getting any real dirt on the big players.
Like I said before, we'll be playing students at the Anepool Academy for the Gifted.
More information about character creation and further information regarding the setting and major players will be available if this garners enough interest to move into a proper OOC.
Nyssa blinked. “Fight?” She blinked again, but smiled a bit wider after a look around. “Oh, right. The fight. Your guild is putting on a show. That will be interesting to watch. Ariel said they have lots of different powers. Others are going there now, right? I know what a few of them smell like so at least I can find them that way.” She grinned.
“It was nice meeting you, Jarvis, Dalton. I look forward to future talks.” With a cheerful wave, she hopped off the barstool and headed off after the rest of the group leaving the guildhall for the show.
She wandered for a bit, occasionally stopping to admire some display in a store window. Every time she stopped, she put her nose to the air and sniffed. This human form didn’t catch all the scents in the air though. It couldn’t separate them the way the fox could. So she stopped at a relatively empty section and transformed with a little flip. She’d almost trotted away when she remembered the dress again. A bit of maneuvering, and she managed to get it looped around her neck like a scarf.
There, she thought. Another sniff, and she was on her way tracking Ariel’s not-lifemate-mate, Nolan. She’d spotted him leaving with the one that shouted about a fight, and that meant he was one of the ones fighting since he left before many others. But he was the one that she was tracking and if he turned red from a kiss by his not-lifemate-mate then he would surely turn red if he saw someone naked. People seemed uncomfortable about nudity.
Once more, she trotted off, sniffing the air every now and then until she finally found her way to the arena.
“Of course,” Markovis nodded. Was he surprised by Jasmine’s offer? No. Would he likely take her up on that offer? It was uncertain. He didn’t truly see anything she could help with, but then again, if she wanted to help he could figure out something. Like just letting her serve while he just made sure he kept everything the proper temperature. Not a hard task, and certainly one she would likely do well.
He stepped out of the kitchen with the food for Trinity and headed over to where he’d last seen her, only to stop a few feet short. Had he been in the kitchen that long? Where did she go? She wouldn’t have just left knowing he was making her food.
Neil noticed the stoic member of their little trio step back out of the kitchen, and looked over to see a touch of puzzlement in Markovis’ eyes. “Yeah, she’s gone.”
“Where?”
Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. She got abducted.” He put a hand up almost instantly. There wasn’t any real shift in Markovis’ features, but the look in his eyes definitely suggested dark thoughts. “Sorry, poor choice of words. Ariel - you know, Nolan’s girlfriend? - showed up and grabbed her. She had something she needed Trinity to look at, and I think they’re likely going to end up at the event.”
Markovis nodded. “I see.”
Neil glanced back at Perry for a second. “Oh hey -” By the time Neil turned back to catch Markovis, the man had already disappeared back into the kitchen. He shrugged and turned back around to face his guildmate. “Well, it was going to be a long shot getting Mark to work with you anyways. But...” He offered Perry a smile. “My schedule is open. Sounds like a lark. So, how about you and I work together for this, hmm?”
Markovis stepped back into the kitchen and placed the dishes down on the counter. He looked at Jasmine. “Trinity is no longer here. Neil suggested she will be at the event. It appears most have left for it already. Were you planning to attend? I can escort you, and - if you would like - you could assist in serving the food, but there is no obligation.”
Location: Outskirts of Shirotsume
Interactions: --
That mission had been quite the cakewalk. Anthony was prepared for a long drawn out ordeal given he was dealing with missing kids and mysterious happenings around the town. Turned out they were related. Unfortunate, but at least he was able to give solace to the families of the missing kids, and solve why weird things were happening around the town. The kids understood they were dead and were trying - for the most part - to just communicate with their families; there were the two brats that seemed to enjoy torturing the town in general, but that sounded much in line with how the town viewed them before they went missing from what he heard. Maybe next time he’d pass on actually helping the families get closure and act as a medium for the kids and parents to say their final goodbyes. As much as he understood people liked that sort of thing, and as much as he knew that might be the right thing to do, he hated it. But - from what he saw - witches kinda needed some better optics. So for going in there with his card magic first, it was easier to work with a whole town dealing with some lingering spirits using his other powers than he figured it might be for a more well practiced witch to pull off their rituals. It didn’t mean he had to like it, or even feel like he needed a shower after all that crying and emotions, and the snot and ugliness that came with it.
He shivered just remembering the hug. A deep rumble in Kyros’s chest made him laugh. “Yes, that’s true.” He gently ran his hand through the lion’s mane. Emotions were never his thing. He was taught they were tools to be used against those that had them and that anger was the only one worth having; sadness and fear were useless to have and just cannon fodder for enemies. Over the past three years, through his meditations with Kyros and just generally exploring the ways witch magic worked, it was getting easier to not be so disgusted when faced with them. He always managed to fake the sympathy, but it wasn’t immediately revolting now. Growth, as Kyros put it.
“How about we get something to eat when we get back to town, huh? I know, I certainly would appreciate having something better than my cooking.” He laughed again when Kyros mewled quietly. The job paid well, with a little more on top. Why shouldn’t they splurge a little? Priscilla would get her cut for the guild, and he and Kyros could eat something good before reporting back. It wasn’t like they needed him at first light, right? It would take at least the rest of the night to get back, anyways.
* * *
Ria hummed softly to herself as she painted. She’d tried sleep, but when it didn’t come quickly she figured she might as well just do something. The chores were done. She needed a new book if she was going to read since she’d already worked her way back through the collection a second time this week. Sure, she could draw or even patch up her winter blanket - it needed to be done eventually - but painting just felt right.
“Oh, did I tell you I saw Micha in the market yesterday? He said Saddy and Kyoki were taking good care of him. He’s looking very well. He seems to be doing well too.” She giggled softly. “I know what you’re thinking. That dirty old man is just being nice to get a better look at you. Don’t you fall for his giles. You always said that whenever he’d come by the stand. But he’s just sweet. He even gave me the rose to give to you. You never did believe he came around to see you and not me. But that’s okay.” She sighed wistfully. “But he asked if I would make him another painting. He can’t travel much further than the farmer’s market, you know. Saddy says they all like my paintings. So I figure why not?”
She paused and shifted a little. It wasn’t necessary, but it was an absentminded habit. Minerva never needed her to move when she’d been alive, but she still did anyways. Minerva’s favorite spot was just to the side and behind where Ria had her easel set up, and now - on the side table next to the chair - was where Minerva remained.
“What do you think? It was my favorite place to go. Nice and peaceful. I -” She lost her smile for a moment. No, it was best not to think about that. After a hitch in her breath, she got it back. “You would have loved it.”
Ria started painting again. “Anyway, I finished with the latest batch of ripe berries. They’re all set for delivery first thing. Just like always.” She hummed softly to herself once again.
The witch and the lion had just left the diner when Anthony paused in his tracks. At the far end of the street, where the fruit vendors set up, a lilac haired woman caught his eye. She moved and smiled and certainly looked a lot like - it couldn’t be. What were the odds? For a long moment, he stared at the woman as she unloaded fruit from a cart. Maybe it was just one of his hallucinations. He’d thought he saw Astoria a month ago in the valley near Mt. Hakabe. A few months prior, it had been on a job that took him to the border of Seven. Before that, and before that - hell, there’d been the time last week he thought he saw her in the guildhall. At least that time he hadn’t drawn too much attention to the specter since she’d been arguing with her brother; if he knew for a fact one wasn’t there, then the other wasn’t either.
But here...there were people - townsfolk he saw on his trips through - that were talking with her, responding, interacting. Was it just that he didn’t come to this side of town so early in the morning? Perhaps it was just a partial illusion. Someone with a similar facial structure just getting superimposed with her hair and eyes. Yeah, that had to be it. But the longer he watched her, the more uncertain he was.
Kyros nudged him. Anthony blinked and looked away. It felt like for a second but when he looked back, the girl was gone. “I -” The witch looked back out at the crowd, searching for a trace of the girl he’d been watching only to spot a cart heading out of town from the market. He looked back at the lion beside him. “Look, I know they’ll probably be wondering where I am, but...” He started walking off in that direction. “I have to make sure.” This wasn’t the first time he’d chased a mirage, but maybe...maybe it would be the last.
* * *
Ria hummed to herself as she finished putting the cart away. Zek had been just as sweet as ever with little Cassidy excitedly chittering away about the latest cute cat she’d seen. This time, it was a grey tabby no bigger than her fist - or so she said. Perhaps it was good Cassidy was talking so much, though. It meant she didn’t get distracted by Ellie being at the stand to show off baby Xavior instead of unloading the latest batch of fruit and getting paid; Zek would have made sure she didn’t get too distracted, but it would still delay what should be a quick delivery. She’d have to mention that to Minerva, but that would have to wait for a bit.
She swayed with each step, in rhythm to the tune she hummed, as she headed into the gardens. If she hadn’t set out first thing, she would have already watered the garden. Right now wasn’t too late, yet. A few small clouds formed where she motioned, and drizzled controlled amounts over the rows of plants and bushes with very little effort. If any spell should come naturally to her at this point, it was one that she used almost exclusively for the past few years.
“Astoria?”
The rain stopped and clouds dissipated almost instantly. Her mismatched eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. She stopped moving, and stood stiff as stone. You’re just hearing things. How long had it actually been since she last slept? Surely not that long. She had trouble falling asleep last night. Usually -
“Astoria Ocenade? I-is that you?”
She almost didn’t want to turn around. Her head refused to turn initially, so she forced her whole body to pivot. But there, on the other side of the fence, stood an apparition from years ago. “Y-you’re d-...I-I saw...” Tears pricked in her eyes before she closed them and shook her head.
Anthony vaulted the fence and picked his way around the plants to get to her. He hesitated to touch her. After a tentative withdraw of his hand, he wrapped his arms around his long lost friend and pulled her into a tight hug. “Shh, hey. It’s okay. I’m not dead, see? You don’t have to cry,” he whispered against her head. Of all the places, of all the times, he found her here? How was it possible he’d lived nearby for this long without ever discovering this?
“A-Anthony...I - you - how -?” Ria pulled back enough to look up at him. Her eyes sparkled as she sniffled and fought to choke back the tears.
“It’s...complicated. Here, come on, can we go inside? You should dry those eyes and calm down a bit. Then we can talk.” He offered her a soft smile.
She nodded, and smiled back, before leading him inside. “Here, um, ha-have a seat...” She motioned to the couch as she headed for the kitchen section of mostly open floor plan of the house. “I - You still drink tea, right? Because I need some tea. I think that will help.”
"All you got is flame, no heat - no one's getting burned here," Kaden laughed. They could trade shots all day, but when it came down to it, taking verbal jabs at each other wasn't going to get anywhere. Tone could be a hothead but he could turn a quip, and neither of them would ever let on if the other was starting to rake nerves. But why waste time on jabs anyways? They had better things to do, like fight.
Too bad the new girls weren’t around, or - in the case of the new maker-mage - interested, to watch the fight, but he supposed that was for the best. The last fight was a good warmup for this. It sucked he'd used his shield's charge already, but he didn't need it. He just needed to focus on his speed over his strength to keep up with the dragon slayer. That was one of the benefits of branching out into other elements. It would certainly be interesting to see how things would go down. He hadn’t tried converting slayer magic yet, but just how different could Tone’s fire be from his own? Just took a bit of firsthand observation to figure out how to mix it into something else - just like anyone else’s magic he figured. Piece of cake.
“Even the kid knows where to go to train. If you’re busting up shit elsewhere, that’s on you. A proper guild would have made sure even someone as thick headed as you knew where to go to train. Bad form getting in trouble training outside the designated location - gives the guild a bad name and it’s already got a hard enough time as it is.”
At least now the guy would know where to go. Maybe. If he was paying attention. Best way to ensure that was to go directly there. Kaden originally planned to meander there, see if maybe he could find the new girl and Zen and convince her to come watch the fight. Show off a bit. That wasn’t much of an option if his sparring partner didn’t know where the hell the training grounds for the guild was. So, much to the older mage’s dismay, he wasted no time leading the way straight to the fields just outside of town where Fenixtear had claim on a training spot.
Ria smiled softly to herself listening to Damian grumble. It was different worlds, she supposed. Given direction, Tone could do well in a military unit like Damian had been. Then again, he would have likely done well back with the clan too. Even Kaden could likely thrive in the same environments. But it was all about location and timing and so much more. It was easy to make an assumption based on small samples of what they saw of the individuals without having better reads on them. She figured she was likely falling into a similar mindset: making an assumption based on what she saw and knew about them all without any concrete proof. Then, that was what she was taught to do.
She’d realized she’d become lost in her thoughts and had missed some of what was said when she blinked and noticed she’d nearly scoured a hole straight through the bottom of the pot she was scrubbing. The smile vanished with another blink, and returned just as quickly after a quick rinse and rub verified it was still usable.
“Hmm? Oh, steak? Um -” She realized she wasn’t hearing music anymore either. And almost bumped into Trinity when she turned to put the pot on the drying rack. A soft laugh escaped her. “Sorry, didn’t notice you came in here.” She tried her hands and turned back to Damian. “I don’t tend to eat meat very often, so I’m not terribly picky so long as it’s tasty. I believe just going medium rare for everyone will be generally satisfactory.”
Upon being offered the bar, the lead goblin slowly crept toward Jessica. It clearly eyed her and was ready to attack if it was being tricked. Then reached out and snatched the offered food before scurrying back out of reach. It eyed and sniffed the bar, then watched Carver eat the piece he kept. After another sniff, it took a bite. Its eyes lit up and it let out a delighted squeak before finishing off the rest of it. Once it was gone, though, the lead goblin began squeaking and waving its arms again.
Carver smiled softly and adjusted his glasses. “Very well. You see. Hungry. Now let me just...” He dug around his pack again. “Hmm, I think if - yes, well...okay -”
He pulled out several more bars. “Well, it would seem we shouldn’t make camp here tonight and should just continue on until we find a better spot. Hope these little guys stay here to enjoy their feast while we find safety elsewhere, but...sharing shouldn’t cut too far into the supplies I have stocked up. I did overprepare a bit for food. Never know when you might need to bargain with the local fauna,” he laughed nervously.
He slung his pack on his shoulders and picked up all the bars he’d taken out for the goblins as he stood. “Right...so...I suggest we - ” he threw the food into the bushes in the opposite direction they were headed. The goblins all darted away from them, off to their loot. “- Run!” The historian took off as best he could, holding the straps of his backpack to help keep his balance with it bouncing, along the trail and further up the mountain.
"Well now, that's an idea." Carver nodded as he looked back at Asher. "I can't speak Goblin, no, and I'm not quite sure what their actually trying to say, but...if your assumption is correct and they are just hungry..." He let his thought trail off and fished around in his pack once more. This time, he came up with a protein bar.
The historian unwrapped the bar and broke a piece off, then looked between his companions. "Um, perhaps it would be safer if someone else were to hand this to one of them, wouldn't you say?" He offered the remaining bar to the others. "But one of you should offer it to the leader. I'll show them it's safe by eating this part, and if they accept the other part and eat it...that may help quell the hostilities if they're here because they're hungry. If not...well a quick departure would be in order, I suspect."
Still, to prove the point, once someone took the bar to offer, Carver would follow on his part to show it was safe by consuming his part.
Watching Percy change from female to male was probably about as impressive as the first transformation; Neil always found such things fascinating. He had to be mindful to not allow his curiosity to get the better of him, least he start looking into more concoctions he could potentially manufacture with his alchemic pursuits, but still - he enjoyed watching any transform with the same delight each time. This current one was perhaps a little less shocking - as he knew what to expect. Sure enough, Percy was in his own skin again, and coming to terms with what had been requested.
Neil looked at the job posting he'd been handed and offered it to Percy to read. "It's been posted up on the board in the center of town too. Anyone could do it so long as they have a partner. One person enters the drinking contest, the other plays look out in the audience, and the point is to catch the thief. Someone's been robbing contestants of everything from valuables to clothing. According to the posting, your -" he stopped and let out a half laugh, with a charming grin gracing his face - "other half, as it were, would likely be a better piece of bait. Though I'm sure you might fair just as well so long as you got a partner."
"So to determine what level jobs I can take requires determining how experienced I am with my magic, which is determined by either you, or the Jamie in a meeting, or one of the mages that left for the fight." Nyssa thought about that for a long moment. It all seemed to make sense. After all, someone might assume they were ready for a job even if they weren't, and potentially get hurt - not only not good for the group, but for the individual and the person that needed the thing done. It was better someone else decided if they were ready or not. It was much like any of the labors at the village; one needed to prove they were ready to do a task in order to be able to handle it alone.
She nodded, smiling as she looked back at Jarvis. "Okay, yes. That makes sense. So when does that happen? Does this mean I am a member of this guild now?"
Around normal people, the growl of a hungry stomach may have been embarrassing. Seeing as Markovis wasn’t normal, he didn’t think a second thought about it. Or, rather, not one that would be embarrassing. Jasmine was a dragon slayer - and like other slayers he had encountered, such abilities that could topple immortals and the likes came with an amazing natural energy conversion ability, which meant lots of energy stores needed. Energy stores, for the most part, meant needing to eat a lot.
Usually, he didn’t bother having anyone taste test anything for him, but Jasmine was a cook. He trusted she would be truthful in her opinion. There were several variations to the recipe that involved more or less spice, and since he wasn’t sure everyone else’s taste for it - he just went with a moderate spice level. He knew Trinity would like it, but the others - that was why he needed Jasmine’s opinion. She cooked more often for the others in the guild than he did. Short of that, Jarvis or one of the others might have an idea what was a good ratio, but that required far more work than just hoping for the best.
And if no one else wanted any, that just meant more for Smokin’ Bottle and Jasmine.
“Of course, though assisting in serving is unnecessary. I planned to just set up a spot for people to just get their own food if they’re interested in it, and I would simply oversee it.” He already had an idea of how he would serve everything anyways - which was to announce that it was available then leave it for others to take their share. The only one that he was actually going to serve the food to was Trinity. And now Jasmine.
Markovis transferred a portion of the rice into three dishes - a small-ish bowl for Trinity, a larger one for Jasmine, and then a dish large enough for the rest of the rice. Then portioned out a serving of the cakes and dip for Trinity. After getting utensils for the collection of food and dishes he’d gathered, he offered Jasmine the bowl and spoon. “Here is your dish. I’m going to bring Trinity her food then get everything set to bring to the exhibition. If you would like to get yourself a serving of the sweet potato cakes and cream dip, help yourself. I should be right back.”
Given how timid Jasper was when he first showed up - hell, even now - Kaden hadn't entirely thought it would be easy to connect with the kid. Yeah, he was young. It wasn't entirely a deal breaker though. He was capable enough. Poor kid just needed to get out of his shell. That had been the tricky part; not so much in convincing the kid to chat, but in doing so in ways that didn't always appear like he was actually nice, even to Jasper. Next someone might get the notion he cared about what happened to those in the guild. That would ruin his entire game plan. But with the crowd the way it was currently, it was easier to just hide amongst the patrons and chat with the kid.
A floorboard creaked behind him. Kaden's gaze shifted to a glass on the table to catch the reflection of Tone winding up to kick him - if he judged it right. But before he even had the chance to react to stop the dragon slayer's foot from connecting with him, some other guy had appeared and caught his foot. This was certainly a turn of events. The S-class turned slightly in his chair, adjusting to watch the exchange with a soft smirk.
Ria was cleaning up a table when she heard a commotion on the other side of the guildhall. She wasn't surprised Kaden or Tone were there. Tone probably wanted a fight and Kaden was Kaden. Even though he'd been in a fight once already, there was no doubt he was still ready to go another round and that was probably what Tone was looking for. The fact that the new face around the guild was in the mix added another element to it all together. She sighed and set to finishing up clearing the table and setting it up for the next possible customer.
"Don't go dragging me into this, kid," he laughed as he held his hands up in non-engagement. He was quite content to see what went down. This Ronan guy was new, and he couldn't get a read on him at all. There was something off about that. Usually he could get a read on other mages without an issue, but this guy. There was something more off than just maybe not being a mage. When he'd walked in earlier, the guy had been at the bar and he hadn't seen the guy move - just over near the bar, then right near him in a flash. Even Torys didn't surprise him like that.
Ria walked over and stood near the others. "Tone, you were warned the last time -" Of course she could finish reminding him, he'd already launched a hit at the new guy. Only for Ronan to dodge it. Hit after hit, dodged faster than Ria could believe. Tone was fast even without amplifying it with magic. She had no desire to fight him, and knew if she did she needed to keep her distance least she get seriously hurt. But the way Ronan dodged...Gwen didn't move that fast. She'd seen Holly and Gras fight, and she was fairly certain those two couldn't keep up with Ronan. "Stop before -"
Kaden shifted ever so slightly to fully put himself between the scuffle and Jasper. Tone could get carried away, and he wasn't going to be taking the blame for if the dolt hurt the kid. That was what he would certainly tell them if anyone noticed him move. He could handle a hit from Tone - even likely handle stopping a hit if Tone managed to use this Ronan guy to hit him. He doubted Jasper would fair near as well. But swing after swing was dodged by this guy and Kaden was starting to grow more suspicious of the one eyed man's ability to dodge the strikes. But even with a strike fast enough that Kaden - though he'd never admit it aloud - barely could follow, Ronan not only dodged, but reversed it into an arm bar that could have seriously messed up Tone's ability to fight for even a little while. It was clear that wasn't the new guy's intention.
A smirk slid onto the S-class's face while the water mage frowned and crossed her arms. Kaden found the whole thing entertaining - Tone was always a fair deal more entertaining than the brat whenever he went to instigate a fight - while Ria was debating on giving them both a scolding for their antics (but largely ready to ensure nothing was broken and nothing came close to injuring the others in the room should it get too wild). Luckily the patrons that were around had moved back to keep from getting involved, and it seemed most were entertained too. If it wasn't clear this all wasn't just in gest, then perhaps there may not have been so much ogling and perhaps a bit more excitement from them.
"Help make it more of a scene? Great job. Really saved me the trouble of actually having to acknowledge the hothead before he landed a blow." The smirk on his face only grew as he lounged against the back of his chair. "Maybe next time you try to not make much of a scene, you just don't bother getting involved, yeah?" He may have been smiling, but there was a clear threat behind it. Kaden looked at Tone. "But so that was what you were coming to ask earlier. Well, I guess since Akemi is out with the wash-up, I've got time for a match now." He stood, shooting a look over his shoulder at Jasper. Might do the kid some good to get out of the crowded guildhall. "Wanna tag along? You could stand to learn a few things about fighting - if this chump doesn't lose too fast." He shoulder checked Tone as he started past toward the door.
"If you all are quite done..." Ria's tone was far tamer than what she felt inside. She looked around and a soft smile slid onto her face as she focused in on Ronan and Tone. "Tone, why don't you just ask Kaden next time instead of attacking? You know Torys doesn't like you doing that while we have customers at the tables. Ronan, thank you for trying to assist. Why don't you head back over to the bar to wait for Torys? I'm sure it won't be long now." She turned with a larger, more apologetic smile to the table closest to the rabble. "Terribly sorry about all that. Everything alright for you?" With everything settling and the patrons all fine and resuming whatever they'd been doing before, Ria finished setting the tables before heading back into the kitchen.
She finally headed into the kitchen to put stuff away she didn't need to finish setting tables. "Tone? Oh he was just looking to fight with Kaden. Apparently he figured he'd just get the drop on him and challenge him after. He has some issues sitting around idle - he's either out training or doing jobs - so I'm not terribly surprised. He misses some nuances of, you know, actually just asking people to train. Though I think that's because his initial attempt to ask Kaden for a match was foiled by whatever Akemi was drinking today."
Ria listened to the music Trinity played and hummed along quietly while she scrubbed. So far, she wasn't willing to call it quits on this last pan, but it was getting close. There was another pan that was beyond repair as well. Not terrible. Easily replaced. In fact, she was doing a bit of the math about if they needed to get any other cookware or dishes to make one trip instead of realizing they needed more and needing to make several trips. She'd just need to do a full check on everything and evaluate the food supplies before heading out.
She put the dish to the side and finally dried her hands. It was certainly going to be all she could do to get it fixed. Two out of all those pans? Not terrible. Not terrible indeed.
The humming continued as she moved to the pantry to take stock of those supplies, then headed to the walk-in to verify their cold stock. She was pretty sure they didn't need anything from market - it had just been stocked this past weekend, wasn't it? Or was it only two or three days ago? - but it didn't hurt to double check. After all, Lavinia might have used more food than necessary, or even the wrong ingredients, in her attempt to make her cookies. It didn't seem they needed to do much to restock the supplies lost in the venture, though. Not enough to need to include in a run to the market today - which meant they likely wouldn't need her to run out to get a replacement tray and bowl until they went to restock again anyways.
The water mage finally ventured over to where Damian was working on the soup. She took a large sniff of the air, absentmindedly close to brushing right up against the older mage, before leaning back. "That smells delicious. That's definitely going to be a hit with customers!" She offered him a cheerful smile before gathering up the stack of menus from the holder near the door. "I'm going to get tables set if you don't mind keeping everything handled back here." He seemed like he had everything under control though.
She offered Trinity and the new guy a smile as she passed, heading to the tables to start placing menus out and taking mental count of how many still had place settings from the breakfast rush.
"Hmm...That's - unnerving..." Carver adjusted his glasses as he looked around. He was certain he had mapped out around the territory of most monsters. Perhaps he'd been mistaken. It didn't sound like it was anything terribly big. But even little things in great number could be deadly. "But I don't believe we are in any real danger. It sounds like - "
A small rock hit him in the forehead.
The historian fell flat on his butt, dropping the food bar that he'd been holding. The rock hadn't landed hard, and didn't sound like it had. He picked up the pebble and looked at it.
The chirps and squeaks turned to loud chittering. Several of the bushes shook and rattled, close to the same loud ruckus whatever hid in them was making. Then, a large (at least for something typical the size of a raccoon) goblin stepped out. It chittered and squeaked, motioning with it's spear - a crudely fashioned stick not much longer than the creature was tall, with a rock tied onto the tip with vines - toward Carver's feet. The other cacophony of complaints from the bushes and shadows around them died down, as if to give the creature before them more preference in its demands.
Name: Anthony Forrest Age: 22 Birthday: January 24th
Magic: Air magic and Card Magic, Witch of Shu Magic Level: A
Shu is a god of air, wind, lions, the protector of the sun and a god of light, a judge of souls, and a keeper of peace; acknowledged as a creator god, it is said his support of the heavens to hold the sky from the earth and his breath gave life to living creatures on earth.
As part of his pact, Anthony has found his Air magic has been amplified with effects lasting longer or being more powerful.
The pact requires Anthony to attempt to overcome his nurturing and strive to maintain a balance of peace and protection in his life and the world around him. If he intentionally seeks to sow strife or animosity with others, or enacts vengeance rather than seeking to protect the natural order, he stands to lose both his magic gifted by Shu as well as his Air magic. Thus far, Anthony has done well at maintaining peace in his life in the form of calm breathing meditation with Kyros each day, even when traveling for jobs or to investigate claims of wayward spirits.
His patron has tasked him with sending wayward souls off to judgement, as well as the souls of any that may die at his hand, in a ritual that involves touching the spirit with a blessed ostrich feather - which will cause both feather and soul to vanish.
Calming Breeze: Summons up a gentle, cooling breeze (reminiscent of a perfect breeze for a warm day) into a large space (about 100 meter diameter) to help calm tempers of those within it. It is a subtle effect that does not happen instantaneously. The longer one is within the area, the more calm and reasonable they may become. This does not make anyone open to being friends, but at least no longer hostile and looking to act on their anger. The area of effect lasts for 10 minutes longer than the caster maintains concentration on the spell; the breeze will gradually fade away in that time, and the cooling effect may fade as well.
Breath of Serenity: Blowing air over one’s hand directly at another’s face while in close (arm’s reach) proximity can set the target in a mild daze, sapping strength and anger away in mere seconds. Effects can last for up to 10 minutes, but also have the potential of leaving the target with the desire to no longer pursue a fight if they were not particularly hostile in the first place.
Air Barrier: Thrusting forth a hand with a blessed ostrich feather, air takes shape into the form of whatever the caster desires at the time of creation. Lasting for as long as the caster can concentrate on holding it, each time the barrier is hit, it has a chance of breaking the caster’s concentration. The larger the barrier, the more concentration it takes to maintain and the easier it is to break.
Divination: While Anthony has lost his ability to magically divine with his cards, he has found he can make predictions on a broader scale, levels that can affect a group of people instead of individuals.
Lions (Favored Animal): Anthony can communicate with them, but has no control over them. While he has an affinity for the beasts, he hasn’t met many and needs to build a relationship with them in order to properly make use of their abilities. Through this connection, though, he has developed a roar much akin to Kyros’s - used to help act as both a way to scare off threats and a warning signal to guildmates.
Kyros (familiar): A white lion of standard size, he is Anthony’s companion and, until recently, mentor on how to utilize his new craft. He can communicate his feelings to Anthony, and they have limited ability to communicate telepathically by doing this. Mostly, Anthony talks to him, and Kyros responds with varying vocal responses.
Lion’s Might: Channelling the strength of lions into his body, Anthony can land faster, and more powerful, strikes than he previously could - especially if they involve leaping to cover distance. This can be used in combination with Lion’s Leap to gain most effect of the two, but it is not necessarily exclusively used for it.
Lion’s Leap: The distance able to be covered by jumping is greatly increased by channelling a lion’s pouncing ability. This can be used in combination with Lion’s Might to gain the most effect of the two, but is not necessarily exclusively used for it.
Mist Body: The caster transforms their body into mist allowing them to roam around freely at high speed and teleport. While in this state, all physical and magical attacks are negated; caster cannot attack while in this form.
Aeria Dome: The caster creates a dome, lowering the oxygen within the affected area and as a result, suffocating all inside due to the lack of oxygen in the environment; as the pressure has been altered inside the dome, those within it experience a sharp pain in their ears.
Piercing Blast: Caster points their hand in a direction and closes it into a fist, then points like a finger-gun at a target. Upon dropping their thumb, a blast of air shoots forth from their finger tip in a straight line. It has the piercing capacity of a 9mm bullet, and will travel until it comes into contact with an object; it will disperse after impact.
Concussive Blast: Caster forms a hand into a fist and then thrusts the hand out, sending a large blast of air at the target. Can cause bruising, and even break bones, upon impact - depending on how close the target is to the caster. Has the ability to break apart large rocks if targeted correctly.
Aerial Bomber: The caster fires a series of blasts toward a target, which detonate around the target to inflict moderate sonic damage. Can also be fired at multiple targets, but does not have the same damage power as a single target.
Destructive Vortex: Caster sweeps an outstretched arm toward themselves, pulling their target towards them, before enveloping themselves in a sphere like cyclone to inflict damage to their target as well as destroy any surrounding obstacles.
Expelling Vortex: Caster creates a tornado of wind that pushes out from their palm. Lasts for only a few moments but has enough force to launch someone a few dozen feet into the air or just send them tumbling backwards.
Levitate: Spell allows caster to adjust the density of the air to either lift something up or slow the falling speed of a number of targets. The larger something is or the more targets there are, the more energy is needed to lift or slow the object(s) in question. Spell will last for as long as energy is directed into it, or until the target has reached its destination. Spell ends immediately should the caster fall unconscious, or run out of magical energy. *Anthony has found since making his pact with Shu that he is able to maintain his levitation abilities for longer if he does a small ritual or prayer to his patron before casting the spell. If done in a reaction to protect others, he can also do it for longer as gifted by Shu, but will lose some potency from his other air spells for up to a week if he does not pay tribute (meditate and pray) after all are safe.
Compriseds of a multitude of cards, Anthony’s main deck has become more of a supportive tool than a main weapon. Cards that call upon elements of fire, air, and light channel into stronger abilities, while those that oppose them are weaker; he attributes this to the pact he made and the domains that the god controls.
Anthony also has a standard tarot deck he drew all the artwork for himself. He can use these to do standard fortune telling if he so chooses. Trying to use his cards to divine magically hasn’t worked out since making his pact.
Cloak: Allows user cast a spell that makes a target invisible for up to an half an hour, or until the target uses magic - holder or caster - or comes into contact with another living being or (magical source not present at the time of the casting.)
Mirage: Allows user to cast a spell that creates an illusion. Illusion does not hold up to much investigation, and is just a temporary visual trick typically used as a distraction.
Summoning Series: (not listing out all the cards, so here’s just a quick overview) Allows user to call forth an item imaged on the card. Examples: sword, shield, pen, pitcher of water, feathers. Items summoned in such a manner share standard durability with items of that nature (i.e. a metal shield will hold up like a standard steel shield. A pen will snap as easy as any standard pen. So on.) and will last indefinitely unless placed back into the card. Summoning cards are called Holding Cards, and are interdimensional space like Card Conversion but can only hold inanimate objects.
History: Few things are so instrumental in setting one down a bad path as being the cause of a parent’s death. Much is how it was for Anthony, who grew up resented by his father and older brothers for the fact that his mother died as a result of complications from his birth. The doctors had done everything they could to save her, but their efforts weren’t enough. That stigma is a weight on his shoulders Anthony was forced to bear.
His father led a cult of fanatical dark mages working in the shadows and accumulating power in any ways they could in order to bring about the end of times. From an early age, failure wasn’t acceptable and weakness was not an option. You either were strong enough to survive, or you were dead. For him, the trials and tribulations of the group were worse than his brothers - something he saw as punishment for something he couldn’t have prevented. He grew and adapted with each shift to how they tested him, both resentful of his family and their followers and ambitious to be greater than they could handle.
When he was old enough, he started venturing off to see what else he could learn. Time away from the family helped temper him away from the bloodthirsty path they were setting him on. On one such excursion, he met a girl - innocent and sweet and oh so damaged like him. That first time, they sat and talked - it was all superficial but she seemed excited to share when he asked things about her and the way she talked made him realize he could have nice things in his life that weren’t about power or destruction. So he made a plan to meet with her again and gave her a card to reach out to him when she was available.
And so it went, little trysts to meet with a girl as broken as he but so full of life he wanted to keep her with him. Her magic was beautiful, and powerful, and could surely change the way the world for him was shaped. He used it - he used her - but he told himself it was to build something better for the two of them. But the more he thought of ways to secure the future he wanted for them, the more they needed; that, in turn, meant taking more and it led to hurting people. He was okay with it, and it seemed she was too.
It was the final time they met up, he’d made arrangements to get them both away from there. Everything they stole had been sold, and he had the jewels to pay for them to get anywhere and remake themselves to whatever they wanted. He hadn’t counted on her being nervous about the prospect; her family made her miserable just like his did, they abused her just as much as his - he had trouble understanding why she wouldn’t want to run. It had taken time, and he’d nearly convinced her, until she spotted an eavesdropper. Her brother had overheard and took off to get others to help stop them.
The two of them raced off to catch up with him, hoping to convince her brother to let them just leave. They didn’t catch up in time. What happened next was chaos in his mind. Her father and brother argued to make him leave and never see her again, while he refused to abandon her to their torment. He refocused his attention to the only thing in his life that mattered - trying to convince her to cut them off from her life and just escape with him. She seemed so torn, all he wanted was for her to focus on him and cut out the noise around them so he could make her realize what was best.
Then she let out a magic attack in her confused frustration. One minute he was shoved back through the air by a powerful tidal wave, the next he was plunged into complete and utter darkness. It was entirely surreal floating in nothingness - stretching on for eternity and yet not existing at all. A voice spoke out to him, everywhere and nowhere at once, and offered him a second chance at life if he were to agree to serve. What he saw wasn’t a bent knee in service to a patron, but the state of the village around him and the souls lingering - of his father and the others continuing their plot to obtain more power unimpeded - people that needed to be sent to the other side for judgement and their own eternal trials.
There wasn’t even a second thought to this offer.
Anthony’s eyes shot open and air pressed into his lungs as if he’d forgotten how to take a breath himself. As he sat up, gasping lustfully for air, the world finally came into focus. Eerie silence, save for the way the wind moving ice shards over an icy landscape sounded like chimes, greeted him. His eyes took in the damage. Bodies strewn in unnatural ways, homes demolished and hiding others. As he got to his feet he finally could see the haunting visions of spectres walking the village. That was when he noticed a white lion watching him. It was almost as if on eye contact with the beast, he knew what he needed to do, and set about sending the spirits off to be judged.
It felt weird, once the village had been cleared. He had lost signs of where his friend had gone - she wasn’t among the dead so she had to have survived - but now he was left torn. He’d survived, her family and everyone else in her life was now sent to judgement, and he felt both empty and full of purpose. After sitting for a bit with the lion, he finally found his bearings. He knew what he needed to do next - the path cut out for him that was not entirely what he planned when the day began.
Kyros - the lion - and Anthony traveled back to his home to set things right for his path. His father and the others had already turned him into an effective weapon, and he used that against them. Each new death sent another ill fated soul to be judged, and removed one more dark mage from the world. But these were just the ones he was set to judge. It felt like they walked aimlessly for a long time, but every time he started to think that - he would find more spectres needing help being sent along for judgement.
Eventually, he found his way into Fiore and further to the Silverbranch Glade. In the months - going just over two years - since he had started on this new path, he had grown in understanding of how his magic tied with the gifts he’d been given alongside his original magic, but not in how the gifts of Shu could be used to their full potential. He waited with Kyros for a short time - mindful to not do more than make the patrolling wolves aware of their presence - while seeing what his cards had to tell of the new undertaking. Eventually, he ensured it was safe to meet with the guild within the glade - or, rather, the master of the guild - to discuss joining to gain better understanding of his gifts and the proper way to utilize them and this chance.
Personality: He prefers to wear a smile like a mask, and has turned it into an unreadable one at that. Anthony strives to be a calm, neutral, almost care-free presence for most things, but that sometimes fails; when it does, he will - sometimes without communicating - attempt to remove himself from a situation where he may lose his calm persona. He never shows outright signs of hostility unless someone is insulting/hurting a friend; if that happens he’ll jump in to defend the friend and end the confrontation - in whatever manner will get it to end. When it comes to protecting someone, he has been seen to be ruthless in how he fights - willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate the threat and keep his charge safe.
Extremely intelligent, Anthony is generally able to see how things connect together and details others may miss. He tends to use these kinds of things to his advantage, something he was taught from an early age and never broke out of. His manipulative charisma is something he tries to avoid, and does that by trying to seem apathetic at this point, but some things will never change. Years of manipulating odds into his favor and people to what he needed aren’t easily pushed aside.
For as much as he likes to figure things out and try to come up with plans, he also has little issue reacting on instinct and impulse. Plans, then, are generally fluid and made much like one might play chess - with several ideas of how things can go depending on how others might react so he is rarely left at a disadvantage. It makes it hard for him to wrap his brain around working with someone else that he doesn’t know very well, and he has a dislike for working in teams in general, but he will manage if necessary. When it does come to teamwork, he prefers it best to not take the lead, but instead let someone else take the forefront on that and make it known he will end up doing his own thing.
Guild and guild mark location: Wolven Pyre - right bicep, light sky blue Team Members: --
Strengths: Charismatic:
Calculating/Cunning:
Perceptive:
Intuitive:
Skilled Combatant:
High Endurance to Pain, Tireless, Deceptively Strong and Agile:
Energetic:
Weaknesses: Impulsive:
Manipulative:
Moral Ambiguity/Pragmatist:
Fearless/Daredevil:
Over Protective:
Ruthless:
Confined Spaces/Trapped:
Appearance: 6’ and has multiple scars all over his body. Has a branding on his left shoulder blade of the sigil used by his father’s cult.
Additional Details: Anthony has some issues with reality - in that there are times when he’s not entirely sure if what he is seeing is real or just in his head. Since making the pact, it has only gotten worse with being able to see lingering dead when others cannot.
He is fond of drawing and playing standard card games. If required to sit around, he will likely play a solo game or start sketching.
Ria hummed softly to herself as she scrubbed, then power washed, then scrubbed the pans some more. She was pretty certain that some of these were completely done for - too much scrubbing or pressure washing and the bottoms would surely be worn away to nothing. For now, she was set to trying to salvage what she could. There were glass bowls with cement - oh, right, this was supposed to be cookie batter - hardened in it that took some extra concentrated blasts, but they seemed to be coming up now. A few of the pans were set to the side, soaking in soapy water to help loosen bits up.
She glanced over her shoulder at Damian when he asked how things were going. A smile spread on her face, wiping away the focused concentration she had taken on in her task. "I think your soup will be ready before I have even the mixing bowls cleaned." She laughed softly. "Some of these are beyond saving, but I won't know how many until I'm finished. I'm not entirely sure what she used to make the cookies, but I'm starting to think they wouldn't have been edible even if she hadn't caught half the kitchen on fire. Lavinia must have just been too shy to ask Zenith or I for cooking tips." She looked back at what she was doing to make sure she wasn't scrubbing through the pan. "Maybe Zenith or I can do cooking classes for people interested in helping but uneasy about keeping up with orders. Would you be interested in participating? Having someone else willing to cook and help might encourage the others too."
Neil blinked when Ariel - he assumed it was Ariel, considering it looked exactly like her except she now sported tails and ears like the girl on the other side of Dalton - showed up. In a swirl of partial chaos, she swept away the third member of the team away before Trinity could even receive the food Markovis had headed off to make for her. He shrugged to himself. It was certainly going to be a fun thing to explain to their sometimes obtuse friend. He doubted Markovis would believe him if he told the whole mess, so he figured it would be better to stick to the basics.
His gaze instead fixed on the woman that had approached looking for Markovis. That was certainly a name he knew his friend wouldn't enjoy, but he certainly did. A smirk crossed his face at the thought. A drinking contest? That seemed right up his stoic friend's alley, but he was pretty sure the request wasn't to compete with each other. It was to lure out a potential threat - that meant it was better for someone to be in the crowd than the pair to both be contestants. "Well -" he started before it seemed she broke off to an internal debate.
And then Perry was speaking. Though that didn't quite seem right. Unlike Edarn, who didn't have much of a choice, Perry seemed to be incapable of switching back to the proper body. He knew the light mage had a body - he'd seen the transformation before. It was another thing entirely to see that this Elana could switch bodies and minds and all that without Perry being able to do much about it. "Well, I'd say that's a new one, but I suppose you're in the same bucket as Edarn and Karn. Tough break. But, you know, this little minx you're bound with - not sure you were aware she wants to take a job with Markovis, or if she can hear me right now like sometimes can happen with the Karns but - I'm not entirely sure would end up getting a yes out of Markovis for this job she's looking to take. He's not much for the, um, playful sort." He did look sorry to say that, but maybe it was in everyone's best interest to break some hopes before Markovis shattered them.
Nyssa's ears flicked with the ruckus around her, but kept redirecting to Jarvis. All the new people around threatened to steal her attention even though she was determined to keep on task before getting distracted. So if she found a job she was interested in, she could bring it to him, or the woman Jamie that was in a meeting, or one of the S-Classes. Her gaze shifted a moment when the man that stood near a table with another female at it called out for the S-Class mages to leave, and two others left with him. Oh, Ariel's not-mate Nolan is an S-Class. Interesting.
That glance to the side distracted her more than she anticipated, with a swish of tails that caught her attention. She thought it was Ariel but since when - OH!. Right, Ariel's magic...Nyssa had forgotten about what the older girl had said about her magic when she transferred energy to her to repay for the food and travel. The shift in appearance looked good on the model, but then - all the shifts in the mage's appearance she had seen had looked good. She seemed a bit more playful in this form than the others the kitsune had seen, hopefully that wasn't too problematic for her friends. Surely they were used to it.
Her mouth opened when Ariel swept up the girl that had been introduced as Trinity and carried her away. How was she going to meet this Karn person now? She looked at Dalton beside her. "The girl that was going to show me where this Karn person lives just left with Ariel. Do you know where he lives? And, if so, would you show me to his place?" Once she was a member, she reminded herself.
"Oh, right. First things first." Her attention turned back to Jarvis. "So does this mean I am a member? Or is there more to it? And - Oh, what is that?" She pointed to the stamp. "And how do you determine skill level?"
All things considered, it was the prep that took Markovis the longest to cook. Prepping the ingredients for - what he'd counted quickly was about twenty-five people - for both dishes wasn't something he could just use his magic to fast cook. He was sure he could figure out a way to do it with his newer magic, but that likely wouldn't go as well as just having standard Earthland food. Besides, he enjoyed cooking. It didn't come as a surprise to him when Jasmine said his name. She had been bound to show up eventually, and he didn't have to hear Rajah to know the entitled Exceed was with her. "Hello, Jasmine. Hello, Rajah."
Much to his chagrin, the sentient cat - perhaps the kindest definition of the dragon slayer's companion - perched atop his head to oversee the meal prep. If this were the first time, he may have bothered trying to protest. Instead, he simply adjusted his stance to accommodate the excess weight rather than fight it. "I am - oh." When he noticed Jasmine trying to reach the flying cat, he stooped down a little to assist. Jasmine brought her away and he focused back on finishing up the Bosco Rice. A large platter of sweet potato cakes sat on the counter with a few set out on plates to serve up already. Small cups of cinnamon cream sat on those plates, with a larger bowl of cream and more serving cups set beside the platter of cakes.
"I have made sweet potato cakes with cinnamon cream to dip, and am finishing up Bosco Rice now. This should be enough to feed the guild present. Trinity was upset and I decided to cook her something to help lift her spirits, and with so many returning - comfort food is supposed to be good for helping with gatherings like such. At least, that is what I have read." He retrieved a spoon from a drawer and took a small scoop of the rice. Cupping his hand under it as to ensure none fell to the floor, he approached Jasmine and offered it to her for taste. "Tell me what you think."
I'm an adult with a family and responsibilities that take priority, as well as mental health issues that can cause me to not get on this site for periods of time. Just know I will get back to you within a few days. If I had something going with you at some point, and you're interested in either starting it back up or starting something fresh, just reach out.
I recently started working on getting published, and have self published one story so far. Check it out on Amazon - Into the Night by Alexia Wynd.
You can also check out more of my work - short stories and the like - at my recently started Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/storiestocaptivate
Also found on Twitter: @AlexiaWynd
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I'm an adult with a family and responsibilities that take priority, as well as mental health issues that can cause me to not get on this site for periods of time. Just know I will get back to you within a few days. If I had something going with you at some point, and you're interested in either starting it back up or starting something fresh, just reach out.<br><br>I recently started working on getting published, and have self published one story so far. Check it out on Amazon - Into the Night by Alexia Wynd. <br><br>You can also check out more of my work - short stories and the like - at my recently started Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/storiestocaptivate" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">patreon.com/storiestocaptivate</a><br><br>Also found on Twitter: @AlexiaWynd</div>
Member
Red Helix
DrakeEricsen
Urizen
Squirrel98
AlteredTundra
Vesuvius00
Noctis
Lunarlord34
Lighthouse
