STATUS:
What was a one-rep-max three weeks ago was a 3x3 today, with a rep and a half to grow on. I imagined some anime sideliner like "Amazing! In such a short time, his power's increased tenfold!"
14 hrs ago
Current
What was a one-rep-max three weeks ago was a 3x3 today, with a rep and a half to grow on. I imagined some anime sideliner like "Amazing! In such a short time, his power's increased tenfold!"
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4 days ago
I rolled my eyes at the Status Bar; it's like these people thought the First Person Smartass trope was *so* overdone. As if they've picked up any YA books since Twilight was hot, right? Me neither.
5 days ago
I can't mansplain, manipulate, or manwhore my way outta this one, boys. So manslaughter it is, then!
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10 days ago
Obviously, the bottom team has had their Sports Shonen training arc. Didn't you see that brand new technique that one guy revealed at the most dramatic moment? Or the flashback that other guy had?
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10 days ago
Beat off the horny, you say... ? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Bio
On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.
From what I could tell, it wasn't so much a "there can only be X number of accepted applicants," it's "there's a bar of expectations we expect junior knights to pass, if you're not there yet then nobody's gonna let you in."
That Sekke guy ("Zeke the Bronze") got absolutely bodied by Asta in the spar, and wasn't anywhere close to Yuno in terms of power, but still got picked by the Green Mantis squad. Meanwhile, Yuno himself had the approval of every captain so he got his free pick of who to join. Essentially, it depends on the standards of the captains themselves and whether or not they think someone qualifies after they've seen what that person's capable of.
Also, Asta wasn't the only newbie--Noelle was stated to be a new recruit from the same batch. It's just that nobody wanted to be on the Black Bulls even if Yami raised his hand, cause, before Asta joined up, they were too dysfunctional. They were at -30 Stars for their missions because of their screw ups, lol.
@ERode@ReusableSword "Don't ask me!" Auguz growled as Esfir departed. "Whenever I gets ready to train youse bunch again, ya'll will know!" Upon picking her rewards from the chest at the Warchief's Dwelling, she would finally have some proper gear with which to begin the next part of her journey.
Your Wolffur Cloak, Leather Shoes, and Antler Bracers all grant a Light Defense Boost. Your total Defense Boost is Medium!
Gained Weapon! Bolas - Equip, 1H Weapon, Thrown - At close range these rocks tied with strong cord can be used as a flail. When thrown with a proper arc and spin, they can inflict the Bind status on an enemy!
The mountains around the camp served as a natural barrier against the outside world, but they weren't impossible to climb. In some places the rock walls were sheer, of course, but in others Esfir would be able to find handholds and footholds. Near the nearly-dry spring, running water over the years had sent cracks and fractures webbing through several large stones in the rocky face. She would be able to pick and pull her way up onto a ledge, probably one too narrow for an adult orc to have used, and from this edge she would be able to take a winding, switchback path to an upper outcrop overlooking the rest of the camp. From there, it would be a matter of finding new handholds, creeping along goat trails, looking for big rocks that could serve as platforms to jump across...
But, then, she heard Agar's voice calling out to her.
Agar, for his part, accepted Auguz's words eagerly before gathering his new supplies. His clothing choices didn't look especially odd to the other orcs, so no one questioned him on the modifications he made to the pieces of roughspun fabric or fur. His Sling came with a small pouch of ammunition--12 rocks worn smooth, either because they were picked from a river, or because they'd been rubbed together, who could say. However, their points had been ground down until they were almost sharp. These weren't just pebbles, but proper sling bullets meant to pierce a target. Such a weapon had slain Goliath according to the histories of his old world, even again bronze and scale armor. As far as primitive weapons went, it would be pretty devastating--if he became skilled enough with it to land a shot.
In addition, the System informed him that his Buckskin pants he'd received from Shamar, the Buckskin Shirt he chose from the pile, and the Leather Boots all offered a Light Defense Boost--bringing his Total Defense Boost up to Medium level. @King Cosmos Akeno's wooden sword cracked against her opponent's knee as she intercepted his blow with her shield. Her defending arm rattled even with only half the force of that longer sword, as even without leverage the greater weight and strength of her opponent came to bear. Still, her opponent cried out and went down to a kneeling position--but, as he let go of his sword, his eyes blazed as he shot forward! Under her upraised shield arm, he dove into her guard and wrapped both arms around her waist!
Their feet scrabbled at the earth. The male orc was trying to either pick her up and slam her down, or "run" her into the ground like a greco-roman grappler. Whichever way Akeno's balance gave way first, if she couldn't figure something out, would determine how the tall male's body moved.
It would be the wrestling matches all over again, it seemed, but would she continue to fight with the weapons in her hand, or abandon them to fight with her fists as her opponent had? If she didn't do something quickly, the other orcling's greater size and strength would be a hard advantage to overcome... @Kazemitsu The runt's makeshift wooden polearm caught, as an axe or halberd was meant, on the edge of Grunthor's upraised shield. Thought once again he didn't take the brunt of the impact, his opponent was able to jerk down on the already numb arm, prying the shield away! With half his defenses gone, Grunthor still stepped forward under the haft and used his Rapid Strikes skill--this was what made the difference.
The Rapid Strikes was notably not as "rapid" with the large shield as it would've been with his bare arm or a lighter weapon. However, it was still much faster than the other runt expected the big wooden disc to be. The strike to the orcling's chest knocked them back a step. They had to pull their polearm back even further to prepare another strike--Grunthor hit them in the face this time. There was a crunch before their nose spilled blood like a faucet. The runt screamed in fury and agony, stumbling away as they blinked through teary eyes. Grunthor's next punch caught them on the ribs as they tried to get away, and knocked the runt to the ground.
"Finish 'em!" Auguz called, as the rest of the tribe hooped and hollered. Grunthor's opponent blubbered on the ground, having dropped his weapon, and was struggling to blow the blood out of his nose and breathe through his mouth at the same time...
If Grunthor had ever played DnD as a human, this was his "how do you want to do this" moment. Just about any blow would be enough to either knock the other runt out, or reduce them to a sobbing wreck in the fetal position. Both outcomes would see Auguz haul them away by the scruff of the neck, berating them for losing before throwing them back into the crowd--however, what Grunthor chose to do would likely color the perception the other Runts in the tribe had of him, as they leaned forward to watch with baited breath.
Upon being given his rat skull for passing the first day of training, Grunthor too would have the same pick of the "loot" that Esfir and Agar had been offered.
You do have experience with time-displacement from earlier rp's
Also I just realized that not everyone has posted their accepted character in the cs
Lol, indeed.
Who are we missing?
Also, how exactly do brooms work in this universe? Can I use Kohra's Whirlwind Jump spell to give herself a burst of speed to catch the targets?
Pretty much the same as Harry Potter, though they might glow in the same color as the character's element and whatnot. It basically requires magic as fuel to fly with them, and your level of control determines things like speed and maneuverability--or at least, that's what I'd assume. Like most forms of non- airwalking or free-flight in anime, the brooms kinda get left behind after a while lol.
I think using the spell like that would be fine, although maybe since the idea is for a jump instead of a straightforward "boost" maybe treat it like a sudden upward draft?
I don't think "solid mist" is pushing the bounds of what magic allows and does not allow within Black Clover.
Note that I didn't say you couldn't use the spell, I pointed out that a "wall of mist" is going to be different compared to a "wall of earth." The idea of a labyrinth with shifting walls is something that implies a lot of rigidity, something intentionally difficult to smash straight through otherwise it'd obviously defeat the purpose. Compare this to other disorienting mist spells like Bewildering Forest of Mist and Illusion Vortex, and it gives the appearance that Mist Magic is not inherently suited for that type of construction. In the case of Sealing Spectral Hands, you also have to consider that the user of that spell was much more powerful than where we are right now in the RP.
It's not that Mist Magic can't make solid constructs or do things that "mist" can't do, because yes, it's magic. It's just that, unless there's a significant power difference between the two parties, I don't see a wall made from Mist Magic holding up the same as other types of constructs. It's something you as a player would need to keep in mind, the same as any other drawback any of us have on the other characters' abilities. Considering that the labyrinth can change its layout and attempt to block those trapped inside from going over or under it, based on your wording, I think that's a a suitable balance.
Right, Zeroth, Kreszenz will have asked if there was any restriction towards working with other applicants or taking multiple of the Harry Potter balls.
Also, eyeballing the crowd thus far, how many ball-wanters are there?
There's no restriction towards working with other applicants, but only one applicant can be counted as "in possession" of a winged ball.
There's no restriction against taking multiple winged balls, but they must be held within the hand, not solely by a spell, bag, etc. If you had a vice grip you might be able to hold two of them in one hand but it'd be difficult.
An update has been posted! I tried to make it a little less wall of texty by putting the captain's various discussions in hiders! Remember that, given their height, our character can't really hear what they're saying--but, certain gestures and whatnot could certainly be visible! This is just a way to flesh them out from a reader-standpoint.
Those of you who haven't posted for the first set of trials yet, don't worry! A little time-displacement won't hurt anything just yet.
As always, questions, comments, concerns, just let me know!
Short talk to @Agunimon Should I have paid more attention to the others? No one was really using their magic in public, though, so maybe that wouldn't have helped... Tristan's thoughts were racing from the moment the doors closed. He'd tried to hold his calm until now, and looking over his shoulder for those nobles--and maybe another glimpse of that blue-haired girl--had been a short distraction, but... Maybe we won't have to spar each other? No, that'd be stupid, Magic Knights are all about fighting...
Then, a pair of bright green eyes framed by shocking pink hair filled his vision. He leaned back with a muffled "Nnn!" sound as the girl asked him if he was okay.
"Ahh...umm...N-no more th-than anyone else, I, I guess..." He said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as his eyes drifted to the upward corner. She continued to encourage him, pointing out that there wasn't a numerical limit on how many of them could become knights. As he glanced back at her, a blush growing on his cheeks, Tristan nodded. Was it just him, or had all the girls he'd seen today been easy on the eyes? There were a lot more of them here, too, compared to kids his age back home...
"R-right. Um, thanks...That actually does--" Then the trumpets blew, and the whole crowd began rippling with anticipation. The captains were introduced. Tristan's eyes were drawn to them much the same as everyone else--including, of course, the bewitching Bisera, though he also found the other two female captains quite pretty--but his own gaze lingered on the Purple Orca's leader.
Oh wow, check out that articulation. Did they get the colors with heat patination, or is that a lacquer? It's too far away to see the maker's mark--I wonder if he'd tell me if I asked...
Then the testing began, and it was back to waiting. He was 176--even with multiple other applicants going before him, including the pretty pink-haired girl, it was easily another twenty or thirty minutes before he'd be called. But, now that he actually had a chance to see the different magics on display, he was less nervous and more...awed.
It's all so cool. Nobody back home was this strong except maybe some of the militia guys... The villagers only used their magic to help out with daily tasks--water spells for laundry, earth magic to till fields, and so forth. No one had the strength or skill to put on grand displays like this. But then, of course, Tristan realized he had to match what he was seeing. And he was only allowed to use one spell.
Crap.
He looked towards the stone columns. Magic Bullets weren't something he was great at, but he had bird-hunted with them and played games with other kids in the village. He had no idea, however, how he would cut into such a sturdy object. The best swords he could create were still only of the kind of quality any average smith might turn out--not a masterpiece for an expert fencer, just the kind of every day use gear a soldier might use. And without Azure Edge, a separate spell that couldn't be used without a focus in hand, there was no way they could cut into stone...
Even if it was a block of wood, though. It's thick, reinforced with magic, and its shape isn't smooth or round. I'd have to chop into it, instead of slashing, so even a razor sharp blade would probably just chip or break--
An idea came to him. And just in time, for they called his name.
On the tile test, his shots were slow. His Magic Bullets looked more like magical spikes of some kind: plain, glowing orange-yellow projectiles with tapered, pointed shapes. They didn't usually break the tiles either, though they pierced through several times. However, he actually ended up with zero complete misses of the shots he took, and while only a handful were bullseyes, the vast majority were extremely consistent--once he'd figured out a couple of tricks, he'd been able to repeat himself over and over again. Rather than leading a shot, it was more like he figured out a certain area in front of him that the tiles would always pass through at some point, even with random movements. Like a strike of the hammer hitting the same place, he held each shot steady.
Then he stood in front of the column. He looked around at some of the others, and the powers of destruction they brought to bear. He took a deep breath. Right. There wasn't a limit on how many of them could be made knights today.
Tristan raised both hands, and magical power came to life between his palms. Like watching molten bronze pour upward, the thickened aura began to take a shape. He needed a sword with a design that could cleave, not just slash, something that would stand up to a hard impact on a solid target. Like flakes of hot metal breaking away with the final blow, his magic dispersed and left behind the final creation!
That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron. Solid black save for its edge, a foot wide, taller than most men--the sword didn't even have a cross guard.
Tristan's grip tightened around the hilt. His cloak billowed back over his shoulders, revealing solid arms that bulged beneath his sleeves. His forearm muscles stood out, a vein like a steel cable drawing taut across each one. How many times had he swung the great wood splitting maul, to fuel his father's forge? How long had he worked the bellows, pushing and pulling levers longer than his own body? How heavy were the great sledgehammers they used to pound red-hot steel into shape?
Another vein pulsed in his neck as his whole body leaned forward. His broad back pulled with enough power to move a great anvil. He brought the monstrous blade down with a loud warcry!
CLANG!
Three hundred pounds of magically wrought iron, levered from a handle over six feet away from its tip, chopped into the column. It bit down, driven by gravity and Tristan's not inconsiderable strength. Though watching it come down felt like ages to Tristan, in reality it was a mere instant before the blow stopped cold. The shock reverberated through his entire skeleton, rattling his teeth.
But, there it was--a giant sword wedged over a foot, at the deepest, into a magically reinforced column of stone. Sure, he hadn't broken the thing in half like some or ripped it out of the ground--but if that were a human being, or most other flesh and blood creatures, Tristan didn't see any possible way to survive such a blow. And that's what swords were supposed to do, right?
His blade burst into orange-yellow sparks as he turned away from it, and, with heavy breaths and a bead of sweat rolling down his face, he returned to his place in the crowd... Captain's Commentary @Xaltwind
"...The Azurios family, did he say?" Helve looked down the row of seats towards her fellow captains. "I thought they had been wiped out. What ever came of that investigation?"
"...Unfortunately, it was inconclusive." answered Walden with a frown. As the group watched the young noblewoman's somewhat lackluster performance, he sighed. "We ran into a dead end. Some few we caught were charged, but..."
"If I remember correctly," spoke Argos, his tone measured as he narrowed his eyes, "the perpetrators were revolutionaries, were they not?"
"The attackers themselves claimed so, but the movement denounced them." Walder shook his head. "And we had to admit the modus operandi didn't match--the CRP hasn't been involved in violence on that level before or since that event."
"Openly." Azarleon all but spat.
When Camilla blew up her chosen stone column, they all showed varying signs of notice...
"Yarr, what I'd like t'know is, what they been feedin' th' lass?" Giles stuffed a wooden pipe with some manner of herb as he leaned forward in his seat, grin plastered on his face.
"She's a child, Giles." Helve said pointedly, while Bisera giggled. The Blue Rose captain, on the other hand, coughed into her fist and looked away from the uncouth sailor.
When Illios let loose his first Magic Bullet, several of the captains raised an eyebrow at the speed. Argos immediately gestured to the elderly official.
"Mr. Gerald, who is that applicant?"
"Ah, th-that's..." The man adjusted his spectacles as he looked down, then consulted his clipboard. "H-his name is Illios Avalona, sir. It says he uses...S-Sun Magic?!"
"Avalona?" Azarleon spoke up with a sharp look. "There was a magic knight by that surname in my squadron...I want to say almost ten years ago?" He crossed his arms and glared back down at the arena floor. "I only recognize the name because the man went AWOL. I...I think he left a wife behind? I didn't know they had a child."
"Sun Magic, huh?" Bisera placed her delicate chin on her gloved hand as she looked coyly at Argos. "I don't suppose he would be a relative of yours? My, imagine the scandal...did our perfect knight have a passionate night, some long years ago?"
"Of course not." Argos's lip curled for a moment as he too turned his attention back to the floor. "...Clearly, the boy has no idea what he's doing with it." There was a loud crack when Illios punched the pillar. The level of reinforcement was impressive, but...
"Oh, she's good!" piped up the cheery-eyed captain of the Blue Rose. Lanner's double-Magic Bullets garnered several looks of approval, as did her clever use of her portals.
"Spatial Magic, that's always a good find." Walden nodded with a smile.
"You mean 'convenient,' right?" quipped the childlike elf a few chairs down. Giles laughed, while Bisera shot the pointy-eared captain a glare.
"...That one's accuracy is impressive." spoke up Azarleon as Albie repeated Lanner's feat of using Magic Bullet with both hands, but in addition led nearly every shot to predict the tiles' movements. "...I think he missed that target on purpose?"
"A simple boy with a simple magic. Just like the one with the sword." Helve said dismissively.
"Snipin' from afar ain't me style," Giles took a puff from his pipe, "but th' lad's doin well fer 'imself, methinks." Below them, Albie's Spinning Arrow drilled right through the stone column just like the demonstrating official's fire lance had, leaving an even cleaner hole.
Long before Solveig's name was ever called, the captains took note of the flaming streamers around her.
"How interesting!" Birusk the elf's eyes lit up with a literal glow, small static sparks playing among his eyelashes. "The spell uses the Fire element's nature to "burn" ambient mana for fuel, as well as her own! Compared to something like the Heart's method it's woefully inefficient, but in a setting like this where there's so much energy already being wasted..."
"She'd better hope she can control it all." Helve said, raising one hand slightly as if preparing to swat a bug. Her sigh fogged in the air as the temperature on the balcony began to drop, sharply.
The rest of Solveig's performance brought nods from several of the group. Azarleon, Argos, Walden, and the otherwise silent Grant even joined politely in the applause of the crowd. Giles, on the other hand, stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, which earned him another glare from the Silver Eagle's leader.
"...Well now." Argos noted as the captains watched the purple serpents tear through their targets. "These particular tests aren't well suited for Poison Magic--you can't paralyze or atrophy stone. And yet..."
"Having enough raw magic to create such strong manifestations out of the element is one thing," Walder added, "but his control over them is notable, too. Commoners born with that level of power can't always manipulate it well without a great deal of training."
"If he slips, the infection could kill a dozen of them." Azarleon pointed out with a wrinkled nose. "Bisera, you could treat something like that, yes?"
"No need for our handsome lion to worry!" the witch winked with a dip of her hat. "I already used Mana Sense to analyze it. It's only a paralytic!"
"In high enough dosage to "paralyze" a heart." came the growled reply.
"...How vulgar." Helve shook her head and leaned back in her chair with both arms crossed. Argos made a sound of agreement. Azarleon, however, cracked a hint of a smile before immediately coughing into his hand. When he removed it, his face was once again pleasantly unreadable.
"'E's a mighty big feller fer a magic like that." Giles used his pipe to point at the steam erupting from the top of Hikari's pillar. "Don't seem t'be a great combination."
"And his attitude? Does that remind you of another young fellow, Captain Lavaretz?" Walder elbowed the sailor with a grin.
They watched as one of the officials helped heal the boisterous boy's burns, and then the next applicant was up...
"...Why are so many using reinforcement attacks?" Argos questioned, tapping the arm of his chair with one rhythmic finger. "Have the commoners all forsaken spellcraft for brawling, now?"
"The column test is partial to elements with a lot of raw power." Jennifer spoke up, in the tone of a kindergarten teacher. "They may not have big flashy attacks, but I bet many of them have lots of other skills outside of combat!"
"Jenny, dear, even you have to admit that's hollow praise." Bisera shrugged with one exaggerated movement of a limp hand. "Your pinky packs more punch than most of these children."
"...Combat...is a Magic Knight's...primary function." spoke Grant for the first time since they'd sat down. "An inability to fight...is a significant...design flaw."
"See! Gran-chan agrees with me!" Bisera seemed especially pleased by that, looking towards the Purple Orca captain with a glittering smile...which was completely ignored. After several long seconds, the sparkles faded, as did Bisera's smile. A few seconds later, it became awkward, and she turned away with a sigh. The armored head never even looked her way.
"Leichenberg. That's another name I haven't heard in a while." Helve sniffed. Then, as ozone stench filled the air, her icy facade cracked via the tiniest, cutest, most small-animal-esque a-chu! sound of her sneeze.
"The Clover's border guard, once." Azarleon noted as the princess next to him sniffled, her eyes screwed shut as she struggled to resist another sneeze. A-chu! It didn't work. "I suppose she's out to prove herself, then." A-chu!
"She's off to a fine start, in that case." said Walden. A-chu! He tilted his head to one side with a smile that tried to show more understanding than amusement. "Bless you, Captain Silva."
"A-chu!" Behind the chairs, Jennifer reached past Azarleon's seat to pass Helve a white handkerchief. "D-dank yu Jinnefuh..."
The Third Test
OOC: No worries if you haven't finished an intro/first set of trials! Please continue at your pace, and let me know if you need some kind of collab!
As the last few tiles were destroyed without regenerating, and the remains of the columns were absorbed back into the floor, another official raised their hands and opened a portal quite similar to that used by Lanner, though much larger. As if he'd turned a large bag upside down, an enormous quantity of brooms tumbled out onto the floor. Two more officials used their magic to telekinetically pass the brooms out to the applicants as fast as they could.
"For many years, you may have heard that being able to fly was a must-have ability for a magic knight." said the old man in the green robe and white stole. "But, as you can see by looking at your companions, in recent years the number of applicants have only continued to grow! Now, we ask for a little more than just the ability to fly by itself..."
The next official to appear carried a treasure chest like one might find in a dungeon, and set it down in the center of the floor. He then gestured, and a simple glowing line of magical energy was drawn on the floor in a large circle that covered most of the open arena's space.
"Everyone, you must move behind the line before we begin! Take your broom in hand, and mount up!" As everyone did so, the official opened the chest and quickly removed something before shutting it again. He held it up as the announcer continued.
"Within the chest are 100 objects just like this one!" In the other official's palm was a small, glowing, golden sphere with a tiny halo, and two pairs of tiny angel-like wings. As soon as it was exposed to the open air, the object began to rapidly flap both sets of feathers like a hummingbird, though the official was careful not to let it break free from his grip. "When released, they will randomly fly at high speed around the arena! When all of them have been caught, the third trial will end immediately!" He paused to let that sink in for a moment. "In addition to your flight skills, you may use any other spells that will help you catch, restrain, or defend your quarry--so long as you do not use lethal force!"
Again, he paused. But he seemed to be looking among the crowd, gauging the reactions on various faces. A few of the applicants suddenly began looking around at their fellows with suspicion...some even started edging away from larger groups, or carefully pulling things like wands out of their pockets...
"Are there any questions?" The man would wait, and if asked any, answer them politely. "Alright! Riders, on your marks...get set...ready..."
The officials had moved well out of harm's way, save for the one with the chest. The light on the ground blinked red, then yellow...
@FatPrincess Hello and welcome! I like the character idea, just a few things to hash out:
How familiar would you say you are with the series? As an inhabitant of the Witches' Forest, it's very likely she'd never have encountered men, at least not directly, until entering the Clover Kingdom. The Witches are kind of an autonomous group, all-female, and many of them possess types of magic that are considered taboo or unsavory by other kingdoms. They've also had conflict with both Clover and Diamond Kingdoms in the past, so there are some negative feelings on all sides. I feel like this might need to play more into her personality or fears somehow, although feeling superior to non-Witches is a good start. What are your thoughts?
For the prophecy mentioned in the backstory, if it's a major element you'd prefer to keep secret, that's something we'd probably need to figure out over PM. Otherwise, did you have any specific plans for it?
For her labyrinth spell in particular, due to the nature of Mist Magic even if the walls are magically "solidified," it's not really going to be the same as something like earth magic or stone. It matches the themes of illusion and misdirection used with that magic type in the series pretty well, but in canon Mist Magic is also presented as fairly easy to scatter, especially with Wind magic. The ability of the labyrinth to recover would offset this, but I just thought I'd point it out--certain types of enemies would likely only be slowed down by it, and more powerful foes might just tear right through it.
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