[IC] ~RUNE~ Adventure and profit in a land ruled by magic and industry!

[Freeshooter92]

Blazing Sands Mercenary Company HQ, Rosa. 10:00 AM, Monday, 45th of Spring.

Well, look at what we got, a new day. There is much to be done...

The old man thought as he looked out over the lobby of the building, no, his building. The day was just beginning, and the various employees, the secretary, the door guards, were getting ready for the day ahead. Now, this wasn't any ordinary day for the Blazing Sands mercenary company. You see, today was the 45th of spring, or 'rookie day' as many employees referred to it. It marked the beginning of a new recruitment drive. Every three years or so, Blazing sands started advertising new openings in their ranks, as the sad reality of their line of work was that good men & women were often lost in battle. So recruitment drives were necessary in ensuring they had enough warriors to meet the needs of the planet.

But a little background might be necessary. The blazing sands company focuses on small groups of elite warriors, sent in to deal with problems severe enough to require mighty heroes, but not severe enough to require full scale warfare. Though based in TERRA, they are independent of any national affiliation, so as to prevent Bias. They also handle several more mundane threats, if they have the manpower necessary. They are known for their particularly good nature, as they won't take just any job. They were protectors, not assassins or thugs-4-hire. It was founded 15 years ago by Garcia Alastor, the man currently watching over the lobby from his balcony, as a means of protecting the people without worrying about all that red tape that often kept him from doing so back in his military days.

Today, new recruits would come pouring in, and with the help of his squad leaders, commanders, and trainers, he would whip them into a proper fighting force. In a mere half hour the doors would open, letting in people from all over the globe that answered the call. Though his secretary often tried to tell him that projected statistics told them that recruiting was at an all time low, he refused to worry. It was people's nature to want to protect others, and there would always be brave souls willing to risk their lives for their clients. With a smile, he turned away and headed to his room, he had to get his good dress uniform on after all. One couldn't very well give a rousing speech in their pajamas, could they?

Saadri Daelus

The woman at the reception desk, however, wasn't so optimistic. 'Rookie Day' was a nightmare, as far as logistics were concerned. All the statistics would need adjusting, many new files would need to be written, and a new tally on equipment would need to be done. Some people even insisted on bringing their Animals in. Gods above she hated those beasts. Constantly sniffing everything and defecating everywhere. Ugh. Though she had at least hoped the statistics weren't lying. If they turned out to be right, she would face a significantly reduced workload, and might actually be able to get back to her studies. She tapped away at her keyboard, taking a moment every so often to adjust her glasses, or brush her shoulder length alabaster hair out of her icy blue eyes. She wasn't exactly fond of the climate here either. A desert was no place for an Iron Elf. Her fist day here in town resulted in her getting a sunburn taht turned her stone gray-skin purple.

As such, she wasn't really looking forward to this day. But, she was dedicated, and she wouldn't let mere discomfort prevent her from doing her job.

[Rtron]

Dirae

She stood nervously outside of the recruitment building, to the side of the doors so she wasn't in anyones way, hands in constant motion in front of her. If someone was to look more closely, they would see her hands moving to pockets in her vest and pulling bits and pieces from them, before returning to waist height. There was a quiet noise from a silver ball on her left left shoulder. It was like a buzzsaw, only quieter. Dirae glanced at her shoulder, in slight irritation. She spoke quickly, but quietly. You'd have to be next to her to hear her. "I know that. It's just..I'm not sure it's such a good idea now. I have no combat experience or training, much less having actually killed someone!"

The buzzsaw replied again. "That doesn't count. He didn't listen to my rejections. So, I made the Golem and told it to hit him. I had nothing to do with it." The buzzsaw again. Dirae shook her head in vehement denial, hair whipping back and forth. "He's not dead! Just still recovering from fighting a metal Golem. He's regained the use of his legs. At least I think he has." She was silent for several long moments, then she began to speak again. "What if my mask gets knocked off, or they have to take it off? They'll surely ask about it, and then I'll surely lie about it when they do. If my mask cis accidentally, or forcibly, removed then the truth will come out. And I'll have to explain how I'm the daughter of a god whose parenting skills need a lot of work, and that I know the goddess of Dark far better than most. After all, her essence is inside of me."

As if on cue Alice, the name Dirae has given to her Dark essence, took off from her arguing to talk to Dirae directly, forcing the unfortunate Siren to listen and acknowledge her presence. You bet I am! And stop all this hesitation! There's a mercenary guild awaiting! They promise adventure! And adventure means plenty of opportunity for personal gain! Play your cards right, and you might even become the leader of this operation! Think-

Forcibly, Dirae shoved Alice back behind the mental barriers she had erected long ago. However, that allowed the Light essence through. Amy, Dirae had taken to calling her. She Who Shall Not Be Named- Alice interjected here, Alice. I keep telling you. My name is- Amy continued, undeterred. She Who Shall Not Be Named, as I was saying, has a point. There is nothing to be gained by wallowing in indecision. As she so crudely put it, the Blazing Sands and adventure await. Adventure means more opportunity for helping people, as I'm sure you'll do. After all, you take most after me. Dirae gave a soft groan of despair. "Here we go..." YOU?! I hate to break his to you, miss I'm-so-better-than-you-because-I-stick-my-neck-out-for-stupid-strangers, but she takes most after ME. You know, the essence whose aff- Dirae's hands ketp moving and building the entire mental conversation.

A dull ache began to build in Dirae's temples. Recognizing the warning signs, she quickly shoved the two arguing essences into the back of her mind. "Please. No incidents today guys..." the silver ball buzzsawed again. "Alright! Alright! I'll go into the stupid guild and get recruited!" Before she could delay any further, she started heading towards the doors. After two steps, she paused, looking down at the contraption in her hands. "I suppose I'd better get rid of this." It looked to be a small and crude helicopter. Made out of a combintation of wood, leather, paper, and some metal. She wound the blades tight, and released her little twist up helicopter. It flew into the air, shuddering for a few moments before smoothing out, rising steadily higher.

Suddenly, the silver ball on her shoulder uncurled itself, and launched itself forward. In two flaps of it's wings, the tiny dragon had reached crashed into the helicopter. Over balanced and being attacked by a metal dragon, the helcopter began to spiral downward. Drilling could be heard, beneath the loud buzzsawing of the dragon's glee. It even set the poor contraption on fire before leaving. Nothing but a small smoldering ruin was left. Quite pleased with itself, the dragon flew back to Dirae and perched on her shoulder, drill arm still covered with bits of wood from the helicopter. Dirae rolled her eyes. "You, Sis, are a show off." Sis ignored this comment.

She quickly walked into the building, and then paused again, glancing uncertainly about. She didn't exactly know what to do or where to go from there.

[The Irish Tree]

"*huff**huff* Who's...who's idea was it to make deserts?" Tordavask asked to no one in particular as he clutched his knees as he stopped, the recruitment building for the Blazing Sands Recruitment Building dead ahead, if the word of that stranger was to be trusted. Overall his journey had been exceptionally uneventful, save for the sweltering heat and blisteringly cold nights of the desert, but at least he'd expected that. What he hadn't expected was a rather disgusting looking violet burn to appear along the bridge and tip of his nose as well as the entire back of both his hands from the sun; they almost looked like bruises, save for the consistent purple texture and lack of anything but the single color populating the burn. Luckily he'd avoided burns appearing elsewhere with a simple hooded poncho that he'd picked from the garbage somewhere along the way. The thing smelled of moldy cheese and booze, but beggars couldn't be choosers, he'd spent every piece he owned to get enough to convince them he JUST might be experienced. His Luger hilted at his left hip and his shortsword resting on the opposite, he felt confident that any pissant mugger would get more than they bargained for if he came upon them somewhere.

Rising from his stance, he confidently began striding toward the building; this was no longer a matter of choice, he needed to support his father, and if he needed to fight for his life to do it, he'd fight Asmodai itself. Before he came upon the door, he stepped onto what appeared to be some sort of wooden wreckage...looked like it could have once been a child's toy.Thinking nothing of it and simply brushing it aside with his foot, he stepped inside, removing his hood and glancing around the building as he stepped further in.

[Mateotis]

Castiel looked at his map. All right, this should be Rosa. Finally... he murmured to himself. He had been travelling for days now and could only have a rest between continents while he was on one of those massive ships sailing back and forth between two lands. He had the option to get on a ship that would travel through the whole world, only stopping at the major ports of each continent, but that would take away all the pleasures of exploring from him. With that decision however, he had to cross two oceans to even reach TERRA, not mentioning the hours he had to trek to reach his destination. He could've gone the shorter way through IGNIS, but despite his adventurer spirit, he knew it would've been a suicide, so he chose the beautiful land of NOVA. A much better route for anyone with at least a bit of common sense. His rough estimate for the arrival (because who needs detailed travelling plans anyway?) was not met, as he spent two days just exploring the so-called holy land and visiting the world-famous crystalline forest as well. After finally arriving at the northern port of TERRA, he was slightly disappointed by its overall look, most probably because he just started getting used to the dazzling biomes of NOVA. However, he was impressed by the diversity of the continent and he already saw numerous places he would like to throughoutly explore at some point.

Now that he is behind all that, he found himself standing before his final destination: the Blazing Sands mercenary company, which is hosting its recruitment day today. Castiel's main reason of interest was of course the many exotic places he could visit as part of an elite team dealing with evil-doers all over the world. At least that's how he thought it will go. Unusually for him, he actually did plenty of research about the company before starting his journey and thus he knew it won't be easy getting in. Still, if he would miss his chances today, he would have to wait for years for another opportunity.

"Now or never, let's do it!" he thought and marched into the building.

[tobiax]

The desert winds whipped by as a cloaked figure rode towards the city. The pace was slow, but the large creature did not seem to mind the biting hot sand. Its hard plating and arched back clearly distinguished it from most other creatures, giving it a slightly otherworldly appearance. The figure pulled the dull grey cloak closer, shielding the wearer's eyes from the bright sun and the stinging wind. However, as the two entered the city, the wind almost immediately died, shifted and muted by the buildings to a dull draft.
"Shame," the figure muttered, voice muffled by the facial scarf, "I liked the wind... but it was salty," the voice rasped.
It was then that the pair came across a building with open doors, into which several individuals were drifting. Curious, the figure dismounted the spiny creature and tied a rope to the saddle bags and cart behind the Ingan Pangolin, patting its rounded head before inspecting the building. Slowly, the figure drifted in, looking about at what was happening inside.
"So... what's going on here?" the figure asked, voice muffled by the scarf still.

[Rtron]

Dirae

She stood in the hall for a moment, noticing that more and more people were filing in. They seemed about as confused as her as to what was going on, and what to do, so she assumed that they were also new recruits. She hoped. If they were the normal employees...it did not bode well. Regardless, she couldn't just sit there all day. Not with Sis constantly buzzsawiing in her ear. "Okay, okay! I'm going. Just shut up!" She snapped at the dragon. Sis simply curled back into a ball on her mistress's shoulder, looking as smug as a mechanical dragon with a tool arm can be. Dirae, for her part, looked around for anyone who could help her. For the most part, there were what looked like regular employees, going from place to place with a singular purpose. Obviously not interested in helping any of the recruits coming up. She shook her head in frustration, dual ponytails whipping back and forth in a purple frenzy. "Who to go to, who to go to." She muttered, glancing about. She could hear the two essences inside of her, presumably arguing. They were back to an annoying buzzing in the back of her mind, and that's where she wanted them to stay. The less she had to deal with them screamin in her skull while interacting with other people, the better. Her hands were still moving nervously in front of her, taking and pulling and combining.

That's when she noticed the secretary. She looked slightly irritated, but then, what secretary didn't? "Well, she seems like my best bet." Dirae muttered to Sis, who simply gave a buzz in response. Quickly, so she wouldn't stop herself, the Siren made her way in front of the desk. Her hands began moving faster. "Um...I'm here for the...the recruitment into the...Blazing..Blazing Sands." She mumbled, eyes avoiding the secretary. Her voice came through surprisingly clearly for wearing a mask. Her hands moved faster, and two humanoid figures began to take shape. By the time she was done(which was about a minute and a half after she had finished speaking), two crash test dummy like figures were held in her hands.They were connected at the hands, with one having a wind up at the back. Quickly,she wound them up and they began, jerkily(hey, all she had to work with was wood and string and leather), ballroom dance.

If the secretary had been able to see Dirae's mouth, she would seen a smile.

[Lucius Cypher]

It has been three days since Sheo left IGNIS. She had been moving nonstop to make it as fast as possible, not even allowing such things as nature, hunger, or sleep slow her down. She ate on the go, rested lightly when it was smooth, and made sure not to hit anything in the skies. Truffles even managed to catch up to her at around the end of day two. It was only a matter of time before Sheo's kid arrived as well. She just hope her child had a better landing that she would.

"Truffles, I'll be real honest with you! I'm hoping that your body cushions my landing!" A sense of deja vu filled Sheo's mind as the waters and land between her home country of IGNIS became the foreign lands of TERRA. An experiment gone wrong; magic and technology never mixed well together, but still Sheo was willing to bet her life on the genius minds of some IGNIS inventors. On the bright side, the explosion didn't kill her or Truffles. But she was fairly certain that their "Subterranean Vehicle" wasn't suppose to explode this violently. About three sunrises had passed since Sheo had been launched into the skies, and only recently did Truffles follow suit. She imagined that today she'd land low enough towards the ground that she could latch/crash into a tree and somehow break her fall, while also not breaking her own body. She had been living off the rations she had on Truffle's armored carrying case, and drank water from clouds. And with any luck, she'd hit the Blazing Sands Mercenary Company HQ before sun down. And with more luck, she'd live to ask to join.

It felt like hours before she saw the sands just a couple hundred feet below her. She was dropping at a steady inch-per-second give-or-take, so she needed to devise a landing strategy real soon. Luckily, she had her tent tarp on Truffle's armored carrying case, some rope, and was drunk on enough Grog to tell herself it will work. "Alright Truffles this is the moment of truth! TIme to show these fellas how we do things back in IGNIS!"

The only warning others had was a whistle in the air. Low pitch, almost incomprehensible unless you were looking for it. But it was there. But soon, at around fifty feet off the ground, an orc and her boar deployed their parachute and began their crash landing back to the unforgiving sand. At least, that's what Sheo wanted to hit. What they ran into instead was a couple of roof tops, a tree, a water tower, and someone's camel. Soon enough through the two came rolling right in front of the Blazing Sands Mercenary Company HQ. Truffles took the main brunt of the damage, but being a war boar clad in enough armor to protect a giant from a falling mountain, he was only dazed. Sheo was a bit tied up in the ropes, but with her trusty dagger she got out soon. Aside from their crash landing and some bruises however, the two survived. Somehow. Sheo hitched Truffles to a post outside and gave him a smashed apple to chew on while she walked inside the building. "Howdy! Hope y'all doing well this fine day. Where do I go to join up with the Blazing Sands?"

[Keia Vewyx]

The engines hummed calmly as the blue seaplane circled the harbor city of Rosa like a vulture in the desert sun. A big child-like smile on the pilot's face gave away her love of flying as she peered down at the desert port.

"There it is! Rosa! Can't really see why the would call a city on the coast of a desert something sounding like "rose," but I guess I can't judge. Buckle up and hang onto something 'cause we are going in for a landing!" As the pilot, Katherine Avans, announced it, the plane entered a steep diving turn and looped around the city a few times before leveling out. The waves jumped around the seaplane as it touched down into the harbor's waters, the sudden jerk of the landing causing her peculiar cloaked passenger to stumble before they righted themselves. Crouched low and away from the windows, as if in hiding, was the female Asura Demon with the name Prahba Dena.

The demon was quite aggressive just a few days earlier on the ground with that pirate business, yet Katherine noted with a grin how meek and quiet she became only few minutes after they were airborne again. It reminded her of how desperate and pitiful the demoness acted when they met...

Flashback

The bar was like any bar in a sailing down of IGNIS. Barred windows, floors stained with all sorts of fluids, and gruff and tough captains and sailors sitting around having a drink. Bar fights were to be expected, almost mandatory, and everybody around had a price. A price for the beer, a price on their head, a price to pay for those who were dead. Though among these rough individuals sat a young woman at a table near the front. She seemed out placed from her clothing, her demeanor, or even frankly her age, but her eyes like many were a dead give away of an experienced traveler. She wore a well worn grayish brown jacket over a dark green wool shirt with a short dark green skirt. On her was plenty of pouches and equipment, though the large gun on the table stood out the most. Her name was Katherine Avans, pilot of the seaplane Stingray and expert mercenary, or at least she thought she was.

She brought her cup to her lips when something caught her attention.

“Please hear me out,” a female voice requested from underneath a large Fathaur Convent black cloak. It was deep and dark, carrying a rich tone and yet gave off an uncomfortable feeling. The subtle snarl underneath it was hidden but not unnoticeable, and along with the dark, murderous aura surrounding the owner, the voice clearly belonged to a demon.

“I already told you, I can't,” reiterated an exasperated captain, his gruff voice full of impatience and disappointment.

“You do not have to take me to Rosa. Just Silic would be-”

“I said I can't. It'll take a full two days by ship to reach even Silic. Even if you were the most beautiful Siren in all of UMBRA, you need coin to be able to get a ferry. If word got out that was giving free rides, all of the beggars in IGNIS would come running to me asking for a ride.”

“I will not say-”

“That doesn't matter. You should know that there are eyes and ears everywhere in IGNIS. Staying alive in this place is already hard enough, and running a business is even harder,” he confided. Bringing a pipe to his mouth and lighting it, he took a deep breath in and exhaled heavily, thick clouds of smoke escaping his lips. “I'm sorry, but I'm not going to risk everything just so you can go to TERRA.”

He started towards the door but an arm shot out of the cloak, an ashen black color and many numerous scares dotting the flesh, blocking him from moving towards the door. He flinched for a moment, her balled fist and quiet growl indicating the cloaked woman's frustration. Suddenly, as if realizing her actions, she slipped her arm back into cloak and exhaled deeply as the man regained his composure.

“Please,” she pleaded one final time, but her begging met deaf ears and the man calmly shook his head.

“I can't. Now if you'll excuse me...”

The cloaked woman stood silently as the man maneuvered around her and left the bar. Inside her cloak, her balled fist trembled with anger and disappointment. Her hood slightly tilted back with her head and she audibly sighed, forcing herself to calm down. In her mind, she repeated that she was better than other Asura. Stronger. She had the strength to reign in her anger, to control her wrath. Her anger was innate and primal, but she was better than it.

After calming herself down, the cloaked demon woman examined the bar once more. There were quite a few sailors and captains since it was later in the day and most ships that were to arrive today already have. Every table had at least one person sitting in it and most of the bar stools were occupied. It was the best time to try and find a way out of IGNIS by ship.

Spying two men alone at a table discussing transporting cargo to TERRA's capital, Gaia, the woman approached them and asked if she could ride along for half of the trip. Unfortunately, the conversation quickly headed to the same end as the one before. As did the one after that. And the one after that. And the one after that...

After the seventh rejection, Katherine simply shook her head and slammed her cup down.

God dammit.... Curse my need to be good person! she thought to herself as she got up from her table and holstered her large firearm. She walked up to the woman in the cloak who had just been rejected an eighth time and tugged on the woman's sleeve. Up close, Katherine couldn't help but feel small, only coming up to the woman's chest. "Hey, big girl, you said you need a lift to Rosa?"

The mild irritation from being called a “big girl” when she was most definitely a small Asuryaa was completely overwhelmed by the sudden anxiety and surprise of a young woman's voice asking what the demoness most definitely wanted. Quickly spinning around to face whoever tugged on her cloak, the hood glanced down naturally and found Katherine looking up at her.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, happy to see someone understands but still hesitant to be fully relieved of her worries. Even though she seemed like a nice girl, the demoness was not naïve enough to believe that she would help her for free. Clearing her throat, she continued, “Yes, I want to go to Rosa.”

"Well then, I run the "Stingray" out in the harbor and I think I will be willing to take you there," she said to the tall woman, much to her visible relief. Katherine led the large woman to her table and once they were both seated she continued. "Okay, I know you ain't got any money or you would already be out of this hell hole so here's the deal: You're a pretty big person so you can lift heavy stuff right? Well those crates of food, barrels of fuel, or any other cargo ain't getting any lighter for me, so if your willing to pull your weight and do the harder manual stuff, then I think I'm willing to take you to Rosa. Deal?" She asked, extending her hand forward for it to be immediately grabbed by the demoness. Apparently, she was quite happy with such lenient costs.

"Alright, great! It should be fueled up by now so let's get a move on." Katherine said, jumping up from the table and walking out with her new companion. As they walked to the docks, Katherine explained the schedule and warned it might be a bit cramped for her. As they arrived at the docks, Katherine introduced herself. "I'm Katherine, Katherine Avans by the way."

The demoness pulled back her hood and finally revealed her face, a small if slightly forced smile on her lips. “Prahba Dena is my name. You can call me Dena.”

With the grin of a proud parent, Katherine pointed towards the large vessel floating out by the docks."That right there is the Stingray,” she proclaimed, “and what a beauty she is!"

Dena's confusion was easily seen on her face, and she mumbled quietly to herself about why a boat would need metal sails on the sides, and why there were engines on the sails in the first place. Katherine asked if the demoness said anything, but Dena simply shrugged.

…

With the last of the supplies on board, the two themselves climbed into the Stingray. Katherine positioned herself in the pilot's seat and began to start up the aircraft. Strange symbols glowed as she warmed up the Rune engine. They were carving symbols used to control various aspects of the aircraft. She gave the small smile as the hum of the rune engine began to fill the seaplane. It never ceased to warm her heart with the sounds of her plane coming to life.

Katerine passed a small headset to Dena and motioned her to put it on her head as she did so. "Alright, can you hear me? Good. Take a seat over there on the bunk and make sure you grab onto something solid. The waters are a bit choppy, so things might get a bit bumpy." She said. The Stingray began to taxi out the bay and a few spectators came to watch from the docks. It wasn't everyday a seaplane takes off in this harbor, so it was something for the people of the bay to be entertained by. The aircraft slowly backed up from the harbor, than Katherine turned the aircraft and switched the engine to normal. After a few more preflight checks, she gave a thumbs up to Dena and throttled up the engine, who nodded blankly in return.

The hum grew louder and the aircraft began to pick up speed on the choppy waters. The seaplane began to bounce across the surface as the wings built up lift before it finally began to launch into the air...

Dena's face was priceless.

“...What? You've never been in a seaplane before?"

The aircraft taxied up to the dock and slowly drifted towards the wooden platform until it lightly bumped up against it. Katherine took her headset off and shut down the engine while Dena got out as fast as she could, her onyx face looking unnaturally pale. Katherine stepped out of the aircraft and looked over at the busy port city of Rosa. She sighed and faced Dena who was leaning over the dock railing and spitting out what sour aftertaste still clung to her tongue. "Well my friend, it seems our journey is at in end." She paused for a moment as Dena pulled away from the dock and nodded in agreement. Katherine continued, "I guess this is where we part ways. Good luck on your journey, where ever it may take you. I bet you're gonna miss our luxurious flights!" Katherine said with a giggle.

“Phir se nahim,” Dena snarled as she glared daggers at the Stingray, before translating, “I am not going to miss it.” She started stretching, the sounds of cracking emanating from everywhere under her cloak. When she finally finished, she turned back to Katherine and was met with her smile and outstretched hand.

"Maybe we might run into each other further down the line,” Katherine mused. Dena stood quietly for a while, before scoffing and grabbing Katherine's hand with three of her own. “The strong always find each other. You and I are strong, so we will definitely meet again.” It was hard to tell if she was just clumsy at dealing with her feelings or if she was genuinely angry, but Dena's scowl and her angry voice didn't match up with her encouraging words at all. Yet her confident huff and expression revealing she was obviously pleased with herself made the meaning a little clearer

"Happy Trails Dena! And Hey! You still owe me a drink from the "Crazy Cat" saloon!" Katherine called after Dena, who responded with an irritate huff but couldn't hold back a grin. With that, Katherine turned her attention to tying down the seaplane as Dena set off into the city. This.... This is where the story truly begins for these two adventurers.

[Freeshooter92]

Saadri Daelus

Saadri had noticed several new arrivals enter the building through the corner of her eye, and was a bit exasperated at how they all seemed confused. She'd warned old Garcia that those fliers were a bit vague. No matter, they weren't technically open for another ten minutes. However, she was a bit surprised when what appeared to be a Siren wandered right up to the desk. She wore a breathing mask, for whatever reason. So she's from Samsara then... She thought. It was common for Sirens from that city to wear breathing gear, such a clean environment breeds weak immune systems.

Saadri was silent as the Siren spoke, merely more or less staring at her, her expression neutral. Ugh, really? she didn't seem like much. Thank Iva for the 'trial' missions, weaker jobs intended to weed out the weaker ones. She could be described as cold, but she still couldn't stomach the thought of recruits running to their deaths because they greatly over-estimate their own abilities. When she finished stuttering, the Siren had apparently finished making some kind of automaton. As the two figures danced around on the receptionists desk, Saadri gently scooped it up and moved it before it knocked over an inkwell, not taking her eyes off the girl. "I see. Well, You just need to fill out this form and wait until we call your name." Saadri said as she handed the girl about four sheets of paper, once again not looking away. "If you cannot write I am afraid you will have to find someone who can. Good day." Finally, she turned away and proceeded to return to typing, wincing a bit when a particularly loud Orc had come in. Ah well, the guards would sort her out.

Guards

At this point, any recruits here were visited by a guard and given similar instructions. Head to the desk, get paperwork, finish paperwork, turn it in, wait. Most also warned them not to bother Saadri, she tends to get crabby when she has to cover for the receptionist.

[Lucius Cypher]

Sheo was met with some guards, and for a moment she worried that her entrance might have earned her some time in the brig. Instead however, they just told her what needed to be done. Get some paperwork from the desk, finish it, bring it back, and don't bother to lady until you were done with it. Seems simple enough. Sheo went off and did so without a hitch, aside from spending a good while trying to find something to write with. She borrowed a fountain pen and ink from another receptionist desk as she read over the papers and filed out the work. Sheo didn't particularly like paper work, but like war it had it's place. All she could do now was finish it and hope that it goes through without any problems.

After painstakingly writing out everything she needed written, Sheo went to the desk and silently handed over her paper work. There was another girl, a masked woman who seemed to radiate a sense of... Divinity? Demonic energy? Something odd. Sheo dismissed it as nothing, just the local air getting into her head. "Well met stranger. Name's Sheo. Who are you?" Perhaps failing her spot check a while ago, Sheo just now noticed the odd shapes in the girl's hand. They seemed to be... Vaguely humanoid. And dancing. "What a weirdo."

[Keia Vewyx]

The desert heat of TERRA couldn't compare to the scorching air of IGNIS' Hellfire Valley. It'd need more than just the sun's glare and sand's reflection to be able to burn Dena. And with her body coated in her black ash whenever she left the Convent temples, something so meek as obtaining a sunburn was a foreign concept to her body. But that was the good thing about being here: the Convent wasn't here.

Abusing that fact as much as she can, Dena had completely abandoned the Convent's disciplines of modesty and reservation. With her cloak completely shifted over her shoulders and acting as a large cape, her six arms announcing her demonic heritage and missionary attire announcing her Ignan origin were in full view for the whole city to see. And she liked it, a mischievous and violent grin spread across her face. How good it felt to feel free, away from the Convent that caged her and the Asuras who despised her. She was alone in a city that did not know her. She sucked in as much desert air as her lungs could take, looked up towards the sky, and with a bit of magic exhaled a flood of smoke and embers. She grinned as the smoldering black cloud floated up and dispersed, pretending that it was her worries and anger being relieved from her. If only it were that simple...

Content with the feeling, she pulled her cloak back over the rest of her body as well as her hood over her head, hiding herself behind her Fathaur Convent vestment once more. Her arms shuffled around inside the cloak before one slid out, holding a Blazing Sands flier. She was thankful that her sisters help teach her to read and write, even if she wasn't particularly good at either. But she was thankful. Thankful for their help and support. Thankful for their teachings, teachings that Dena herself wanted to impart on some souls drowning in blind violence just as she was before. And what better place to do it than a mercenary company?

Criminals and Bound demons truly are the antithesis of the Convent's teaching, but they are probably like true Asura; delighting in their own carnage and malignancy, regretting nothing as they suffocate their minds and bodies with bloodshed and fighting. Mercenaries, though, only do it for coin. True, there may be some who do it so they may bathe in their desires for brutality and rampage, but Dena believed that there were many who do it only because it was the only thing they knew. It may be selfish and arrogant, but Dena wanted to find and help these individuals just as her sisters had helped her.

And so to the Blazing Sands she walked.

And for the Blazing Sands she cleaned.

Rolling up the rope and cloth left in the street, Dena constantly reminded herself not to be so angry over some fool littering the streets. In IGNIS, litter allows pests places to hide. And in IGNIS, pests were sometimes more dangerous than the predators stalking the wilds. She may not be in IGNIS anymore, but habits were hard to break. Still, what use would some round piece of cloth tied to some rope be? Lifting the rolled up garbage, she glanced around for a Ignan firepit or street incinerator before spotting the large boar tied to a post at the side of the building. Huffing bitterly and going against her own upbringing, she wandered towards the boar and placed the cloth trash between the post and building.

Finally ready to head into the building that she believed was the Blazing Sands HQ, a hand quickly grabbed her and demanded compensation for wounding a camel. Dena quickly denied getting into any fights and tried explaining that she had just arrived her moments ago via a plane. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because the man seemed completely convinced that Dena was the one who hit his camel. He then when on to say that he saw Dena folding up her parachute and setting it by her boar. Dena was about to deny this again when some city guards came over and asked if it was true. Dena tried explaining that she was just getting trash out of the way, but the guards quickly surrounded her and explained that they would like a few words elsewhere. Smoke was venting from Dena's cloak and hood as her irritation violently grew, but she forced herself to stay calm and asked the guards why the wanted her. They stated something about vandalism and a water tower, but they spoke too quickly and with too much legalese for Dena to understand.

Dena argued bitterly and resorted to cruel name calling and even yelling profanities in her Asura tongue as four men struggled to drag her away. But at least she technically didn't get violent, so that's a start...

[Mateotis]

It's been since 5 or so minutes since Castiel has got in the building. The supposed hall was filled with people, both human and non-human. Heck, a few of them were particularly scary. He saw a few coming from the inhospitable IGNIS as well. As more and more people were pouring in, Castiel started searching for the place to sign up. Finally, he turned to one of the guards, asking for directions. The guard, armed to the teeth and being a lot taller than him, questioned if he really wants to be part of the mercenary company. And true that, Castiel didn't look like a potent contender for a spot in an elite team. His determination, however, helped negate these issues. "Indeed I want to!" he replied with excitement in his voice. The man told him to go to the reception desk, get all the paperwork done and then wait for further instructions. Thinking about the huge queue that might be forming with this many people, he rushed to the desk immediately, even forgetting to say "thanks".

Fortunately, there was no sort of queue at the desk. Everyone was handed out the papers they needed to register and after that you needed to give them back to the...receptionist? Secretary? Castiel had no idea what the lady's, who was sitting at the desk seemingly being very busy, precise occupation was. She was the one responsible for the whole thing, that's for sure, which must be very frustrating. The guard told him not to mess around with her too, so he just took the papers and opened his backpack to get something to write with. He didn't find anything. Jeez, how could I forget bringing a pen?! he panicked. He was always too quick jumping to the consequences and not thinking over the situation. Eventually, he did find one in one of the hidden pockets of the bag. The paperwork itself wasn't particularly intereresting, just a simple registration form, so he got done with it easily. After giving it back to the lady, he leaned comfortably to a wall, with his arms clasped together, trying not to get bored.

[Rtron]

Dirae

By all of the Gods, except two, why is she so freaking interested in me? Dirae wondered. She was distinctly aware of, and uncomfortable with, the woman's unwavering eyes. She preferred to be a relative unknown, something that made things work but no one paid attention to. Of course, given her blood, that was impossible. Her discomfort increased when she noticed that the woman grabbed the automaton and moved it without looking away. She didn't like this. This whole, center of intense attention, thing. It was a minor phobia, probably stemming from an entire childhood of being the center of attention no matter what she wanted. "I'll be...sure to give this back quickly...you can keep the dancers." She mumbled again, eyes still avoiding the secretary's and taking the paperwork. When she tried to leave, however, she was approached by an Orc. Now, normally, Dirae would have attempted a conversation. But, given that she was still high strung and nervous from even working up the guts to walk into this place and apply, and she was unnerved by the secretary's unwavering eyes, she was in no mood to try and sustain a conversation.

At least she could talk clearly. The Orc was far less nerveracking than the application process. "Dirae. From U-Samsara." She had nearly forgotten to give the lie for mask a basis. Time to cover your bases and leave. Now. Hurriedly, hopefully before the Orc noticed her near slip up, "It's why I have to wear this mask, annoying as it is. If you'll excuse me, though, I need to finish this application." Quickly, the Siren fled away from the desk into a relatively empty corner. She began searching her pockts for a writing utensil. She found nothing. Her pockets were emptied and then refilled. Old coins were flashed and then replaced, string, sticks, small gears, nails, etc. All were pulled out and then quickly put back into her pockets. But not a single thing to write with appeared. "So many pockets, and not one single writing utensil? Really?" She complained to Sis. The dragon only gave a smug buzzsaw whine in response. Dirae turned and gave the metal dragon the evil eye. "You're lucky you're useful, otherwise I would have turnedyou to scrap eons ago!" The dragon gave a buzzsaw whine in response. "Just write down what I want.." Dirae grumbled. It was kind of insulting. She could write, and write well. She had at least learned that before things went horribly, horribly wrong.

Chuckling to herself(which sounded like metal coins clacking together) Sis turned one arm into a pen and flew down to the papers. For several moments, any passerby was given the interesting sight of a Siren directing to a metal dragon, arguing with it, and threatening several times to cut off it's pen arm and write it herself. When she was finally finished, Dirae snatched the papers from her before she could make 'improvements'. Sis huffed and flew back to the Siren's shoulder, curling into a ball once more. She walked up to the desk and handed over the papers, quickly retreating back to her relatively empty corner again.

Now all she had to do was wait. And try not to let her nerves get the better of her. Unconsciously, she began making something else from the supplies in her vest.

[Lucius Cypher]

"Aye, good nice to see you... Too..." And like that, the girl known as Dirae was gone. Didn't even get a chance to make much small talk. Sheo left the girl alone however, thinking of trying to chat her up again some other time. Sheo herself was thinking of finding a place to get drunk when she noticed some commotion down at the front entrance. She heard someone shouting in Asura (It's been some time since she last heard it, but it was distinctive) and from all the shouting, it wasn't nice. Sheo went down to investigate and saw the guards drag away a hooded figure. Getting into business without even the slightest idea of what it was about, Sheo called out to the guards. "Oi. What are you doing with my friend there, gentlemen?" The Axe-Fist began to crack her knuckles, which sounded a lot more like sharpening blades on a grindstone. Somehow. Truffles turned her attention towards Sheo, than towards the guards. She knew that her master was looking for a fight, and she wasn't about to hog all the action herself.