[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjExNi4zMDQ2MDEuU205dVlYTWdUR0Z1WjJWeS4wAA,,/ferrum.extra-condensed.png[/img]
[hr][b]Otsana K. Corral[/b] ([@redbaron1234]), and [b]Brown Kasshouku[/b] ([@Crosswire])[/center][hr]
	As Jonas held out the extra umbrella to Otsy, he watched as she instead pulled out a poncho and deftly through it over her just as he would swiftly don his own coat with... multiple, clinging and clashing knives... and less flair too.

	He slowly raised an eyebrow as he began to slowly retract both arm and offer as she did a small, quirky, almost cheeky smile. [b]"Thanks for the offer Doc, but umbrellas are a [i]lot[/i] less tactical, 'f ya know what I mean."[/b] He replied back with a short shrug and a nod, with a small thought crossing his mind that maybe he could adapt his own coat to be like that.

	... why had he never thought of that idea before.

	However, the thought came as fleetingly as the wind upon Brown piping up and reminding him that he was also on babysitting duty. Right. As he turned back to face the girl, both lips parted and contorted in tandem with the teeth, becoming no different than a snarling wolf. Pivoting back and slowly marching, he quickly snatched up any of the wrappers she discarded...

	Couldn't of Otsy picked up anyone that wasn't short of childish and irresponsible?

	[color=598527]"If you couldn't tell, the robots aren't here for the hot-springs,"[/color] he shot back, voice cool as the rain, if such droplets had any modicum of human formality. He groaned a bit to himself muttering in irritation over how she was constantly littering; a few of the cases blew away, but the doctor preferred that he didn't get a fine for this girls actions.

	Shaking his head, he eventually leaned back up, wrappers and an unfurled umbrella in one hand. He wanted to try and teach this girl some manners, but there wasn't any time for that as a copy sloughed off from Jonas, heralding the same annoyed mien as the original, holding a copy of the trash he had and the two umbrellas.

	The Doctor nimbly transferred all the waste to the mimic with furrowed brows; it seemed to understand what to do as it dumped the contents, copied or otherwise, into the ki copied bag and marched ahead into the crowds of gathering nomads and MAVERICK personnel alike. Anyways...

	[color=598527]"The reason we came out here [i]was[/i] because of the job MAVERICK posted, which required us to assist them with the robot threat,"[/color] he groaned lightly as he felt part of his arm tugging the umbrella against a cold blast of wind, splattering droplets across his face. His grip remained iron as his own own breath and words, as he took a couple of steps forward towards where they were being directed.

	[color=598527]"While that does mean they know where it is, we also came here for a paycheck,"[/color] Jonas pressed his other free hand against the side of his temple, running scenarios constantly in his head over how he could convince this womanchild not to run off the moment she was pointed in the robots direction.

	[color=598527]"... think of it like this,"[/color] the Doctor spoke up, lightening his tone of voice as he raised a finger up, pointing skyward at the rapidly darkening sky. There was a facade of a genuine smile, with the undertones of it being more sardonic than anything as his head lurched slightly around.

	[color=598527]"The three of us need money; if we don't have any, that means we can't go anywhere, and by definition,"[/color] he suddenly paused, emphasizing the end of his sentence as that finger he was wiggling upwards early suddenly coiled towards the girl, pointing at her with a sort of serpentine flair. Peering over his shoulder, he made sure to wait until the girl acknowledged him to ensure she was listening before continuing.

	[color=598527]"...[i]you[/i] can't go anywhere and fight interesting things."[/color] Hopefully that would get to her, but all things considered, there were other things he was doing in his mind, rummaging about certain information with trying to satiate Brown as an aside, duly noting that she was still recovering, even though the estimated date had come to pass.

	Turning back to face forward, he began marching forward at a steady pace, following the designated roads as he proceeded to multitask between certain actions with his... comrades, i.e. doing his best to make some benign small talk with Otsana, trying to satiate Brown with more answers in a seemingly futile attempt to keep her roped down instead of childishly running off and getting killed, and discerning the nomads around them as the group continued to wade through the midst of the growing storm.

	At this point, keeping the umbrella out was more of a nuisance than letting the rain splash across him. Deftly, he began closing up the umbrella and popped it straight into his satchel. If anything, it caused Jonas to walk with a spring in his step, desperately determined to escape the wrath of the rain as they arrived in the creeping shadow of the building, overlooking the myriads of scattered tents, large vehicles, and other technology.

	In his haste, he saw a rather... disgruntled figure trek outwards and past the trio in some rather flashy clothes; made him think of the stereotypical rich kid, hell even his ki wasn't too much to write home about... and yet, Jonas kept the same discerning eye on him as the other nomads the trio moved passed. He couldn't even be surprised when a figure who appeared in a comparatively snazzy outfit shouting to the man about his cane.

	Of course, the moment he stuck his head out was the moment this new figure took the center stage as they got closer to the entrance. There as a slight frown as Jonas scrutinized the feminine man, all the way down to his ki. Raising a hand to his lips, he began tapping away with both his index and thumb, stopping the moment they arrived directly at the building.

	Of course, when this happened, the man in the beret was already off, leaving the door to slowly close, if not for Jonas clasping and catching it rather deftly at the departure of that face in the crowd. Looking back at the duo, he backed away from the entrance, gesturing the duo to head into the relatively cramped lobby.
[hr][hr]
[center][hr][sub][b]Jonas Langer[/b] ([@Savo]), [b]Otsana K. Corral[/b] ([@redbaron1234]), [b]Shippai "Brown" Kasshouku[/b] ([@Crosswire]), [b]Calvin Redug[/b], [b]Rod Lightning[/b] ([@wxps350]), [b]Rosier "Rosie" LeVai[/b], and [b]Seshat[/b] ([@lavulman])[/sub][hr][/center]
	As time went on, most nomads shifted around as the mild chattering that was once there before was replaced with an anxious silence. Whether it was out of a fear for MAVERICK, boredom due to how this felt like the longest ten minutes, or just some other nuanced emotion. The only foreboding sounds that filled the atmosphere was the sounds of raindrops tapping against the side of the building, and the sound of a tv changing every few minutes between multitudes of channels.

	Most of the soldiers were a part of the impending atmosphere as well. Most of them began ending their activities half-way through, save for a few that began checking up on their weapons and drones. A few rose from their seats and migrated to one of the many walls that littered the spacious lobby, standing attentive and ready.

	There were nomads that also lingered outside as well, whether it be due to the obtrusive amount of others that occupied the space within or some other reason, benign, anxious, or otherwise. There were a couple of tents being posted up near the entrance, sheltering both soldier and wanderer from the rain. At first, it felt... calm; no warning of any impending downfall.

	That didn't last; the oppressive rainfall soon followed. The harsh rain attacked the tops, attempting to tear through the durable and stable material by force. Some smarter drops whisked through the side as a result of a gust of wind, assaulting the few that took shelter from the baleful drops.

	Despite this all, he was exactly on the mark as an [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f5/fa/bd/f5fabde4fdadefbc7f070edca77b46bb.jpg]armored[/url] individual marched down out of one of the hallways. The MAVERICK soldiers snapped to full attention as the man in what could be considered a paradox of a mildly damaged, yet sleek combat suit stood directly in front of the receptionists desk, causing the person behind it to make themselves scarce for the time being.

	From the loud speakers outside to the head of the suit, the sound of a man clearing their throat could be heard, garnering most of the rabbles attention. Once he was certain that he had the attention of all the individuals in the lobby (and hopefully outside as well).

	[b]"Good afternoon Nomads,"[/b] he spoke crisply with an air of professionalism. [b]"I am Captain Rodnell Armstrong and I would like to briefly thank you all for coming here to assist in our endeavor."[/b] With that brief introduction, he then placed his hands behind his back, peering and scanning the crowd through the eyeless helm before continuing. [b]"I'm sure most of you know about the robot issue in Rio a few weeks back; some of you might of even participated in trying to repel them before the arena was leveled. We suspect there is a repeat issue here as well, with the robots settling here and planning some attacks on this city, as seen by the metal corpses some of you passed on by."

	"While there has been speculations over their objective, we believe that they are being controlled somewhere around this area."[/b] Raising one hand up from behind his back, he made a V shape with his hand, holding it out for everyone to see.

	[b]"We have two objectives - find the source of the control and either destroy it if necessary [i]or[/i] report to us about the location if you can safely secure it. While we [i]highly[/i] prefer the latter, if you can bring back any sort of proof over who this could be linked to, that will do as well. The second job is patrolling the city; as boring as it sounds with your... capabilities, we still have daily incursions that try to strike at areas where we have the least amount of soldiers there, so you will be able to test your mettle against these robots."

	"Outside, we have groups of soldiers, separated between tents; you will travel in not only your group or another Nomad group, but with three MAVERICK soldiers who will monitor your progress, update you on any changes, provide support in any fights against these robots, et cetera. If you have further questions, speak to one of my two Lieutenants, Ms. Boutet or Mr. Tibayan."

	"Now, moving onto your payment... it will be rewarded either in full or by a salary depending on how quickly you handle this menace; probably both. That is one of the other reasons why MAVERICK soldiers will be accompanying you. Other than that, listen what they say and we should both benefi-"[/b]

	Suddenly, the mans voice cut out as both of his arms came to position, pivoting his head to look behind him. Whatever he received in the feed, he was left in silence for a minute or two before him clearing his throat before continuing. [b]"Apologies for that, but we have received an update on a situation down in Tokyo; we will update you all on further instructions in thirty minutes or so through my two Lieutenants. Questions and concerns can be directed towards them as well. Other than that, good day."[/b]

	With that final statement, he rushed back to whence he came, going at a complete jog as he disappeared down some hallways until the rhythmic tapping of his footsteps were the only thing left of him. With that, the scene mostly returned to normal with reactions ranging from confused to groans of boredom and so on. Some people went to flipping on each channel on the only tv, bouncing between the news to a show to the Tokyo Martial Arts Tournament.

	Regardless, something was up; that much was obvious.
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[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjExNi43ZDE0ZmYuUVd4a2IzVnpJRTFsY21ObGNnLCwuMwAA/antro-vectra.regular.png[/img][hr][b]Jill Breicen[/b] ([@lavulman]), and [b]Emmanuel[/b] ([@wxps350])[/center][hr]
	A small, guttural sigh escaped his bony mandibles; the Justice Rider wasn't blinded by any sort of unruly, zealous righteousness, unlike this belligerent, religious dog... and she instead decided to attempt talking him down; a respectable course of action in the necromancers eyes. While she was busy handling the rabid crusader, Aldous was busy detecting the energy flowing throughout the arena.

	It was a mixture between being a relatively simple, yet complex case of detecting energy about the arena. Per usual, the ki that permeated the air made it difficult to detect the origins of the constantly resurrecting oni statues, but it made it even more obvious to sift out those of a dissimilar power.

	It took a few seconds for the skeleton to detect the two masses of nomads; a group of nomads rallied by the armored fellow from earlier and a much more organized group of people. Before he could get a full read, he was interrupted by a stone oni who was attempting to take advantage of his "vulnerable" state.

	The red orbs, however, didn't budge an inch as he stared in the direction of the ki, fist soaring straight at his crown, attempting to crush his head in one blow. However, he knew better as one of his minions spawned by a Spectral Flare rushed back to assist the skeleton, taking on the full brunt of the assault.

	While it did somewhat drag the arm down a bit, Aldous casually reacted by swiftly tossing his skull into the midst of the air, causing his body to instantly dive into the earth. Of course, this also caused the being to crush the place he was last standing on, only to have a part of her face fly off as the body of Aldous shot straight up from the ground, fist first.

	During the counter attack, he finally got a full read on who the other people grouping up were - the MAVERICK soldiers. What more, he found them safeguarding some injured civilians and nomads alike in a phalanx, with a few medical professionals that seemed obviously exhausted. Valiant as it was, he saw every little thing in their ki and the damage they were sustaining; same went for the other group.

	The main issue was... how would they rally both groups together? That was the main issue as the red orbs became no different than thin lines as he felt each phalanges grasp at his mandible and carefully landed to ensure that no parts of his skull would fly off after the prior attack from the crusader.

	Upon reattaching his head, he recalled the Justice Rider had a bike of her own - a method of transportation; soon the bone cogs began to creak and turn between his parietal's. He had a part one of a plan down, but the main issue was that even if they tried combining their strength, the onis would retaliate by pouring most of their strength into keeping them back... while it would thin out in a few areas, Aldous was certain most of the forces would be wiped out trying to get a few through if he went with that plan...

	... they needed an outside force; Aldous suddenly rotated his skull all the way around to face in the direction of the MAVERICK personnel. If they still had forces out there, then maybe, just maybe...

	[color=662d91]"Justice Rider,"[/color] he announced, fervently in such haste, head once again snapping to look in her direction. [color=662d91]"Plan concocted; we need to combine the two groups of nomads,"[/color] he spoke as deftly as he dodged and shot a spectral bolt at an invading oni, whirling to the side as he ducked under another.

	[color=662d91]"Alo-"[/color]

	Before he could continue, the explanation and oni assault was interrupted by a rather striking figure. His attention was drawn for the duration of the whole entrance of the hulking individual, caked in a natural color of red. This... this couldn't be; they were all extinct!

	Aldous was gawking at the imposing man, standing over and intimidating the crowds, making a characteristic scene that washed over in waves as much as the storm. Of course, that mixture of awe and desire to possibly learn more about a forgotten race was interrupted upon witnessing what he wielded - a white gauntlet.

	If anything was going to get his attention, [i]that[/i] would. Suddenly, those orbs began to glow even brighter, widening as if there was something stirring in the soul. While it was obvious that this person was the cause for the stone oni incursion, the fact that this oni, this last remaining oni, as the skeleton assumed, was in possession of a [b]Virtue[/b].

	[color=662d91]"... I'll explain, walk and talk, forget the maniac"[/color] Aldous hissed between his teeth as the crowds abated. The skeleton spoke in such haste as he frantically rushed a bit toward the general direction of the MAVERICK hold out, gesturing for Jill to follow. While his voice, still ethereal and guttural per usual, there was more emotion to it than before. He was more impulsive than ever, toes and  tarsals rhythmically moving as if itching to leave the woman behind any second.

	With every action Aldous took and made, it was all held together by one tangible feeling - fear.
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[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjEyOC40MzIyOTEuVm1WeVoyRWdTV3huY21GMlpXNCwuMAAA/wind-sans-serif.regular.png[/img][hr][b]Fafnir Sigurd[/b] ([@dragonmancer]), and [b]Klara Grimolfdottir[/b] ([@KaiserElectric])[/center][hr]
	The area Verga occupied was nothing more than a maelstrom for the next couple of seconds, drawing all manner of debris, fighters, and other unfortunate things closer and closer to the eye of the storm. A few of the warring nomads and oni found their attacks veering off-course, either violently striking another ally or foe with an empowered attack.

	The results of the collateral damage were palpable, as some stone creatures and nomads alike dropped like flies in this pursuit, with chunks of stone and flesh being rend off. Yet, she stood there, still keeping the same stone cold indifference as she stared with a crushing gaze amongst the raw maelstrom.

	Eventually, that patience paid off as gravity began to return to manageable levels. She noticed a bit of a fold along the pebbles obstructing the way out. Before giving them the chance to recover from the dervish of an attack, coldly put a hole through two at once, shoving the now broken beings back into one another.

	It became like a domino as a few crumpled back with an arm or two breaking off in the process. While it didn't completely thin out the horde, it was more than enough to get their attention as them clambered over some of their fallen comrades, attempting to deal with the disruption within their ranks.

	However, in contrast to how she acted, ignoring the oni menace, she instead alternated between a short retreat and a short skirmish. This caused a bit of a fold, causing the density of oni to form in a specific area, yet this caused a small pocket of an escape to slowly form as she drew the stone beings closer and closer, only to engage, destroy a few or cause a knockdown and fall back.

	The rinse and repeat was grating and getting on her nerves; there was no challenge in tricking these imbeciles into bringing them closer and closer to the verges of even bigger fools who wanted to hold out. Eventually, she was able to bring the incoming wave of oni's towards them... and unlike last time, she mercilessly fell behind those the armored moron rallied.

	With a brief sigh, she swiftly weaved and swayed between the masses of nomads, vanishing into the crowd of them, leaving the two opposing forces to fight each other. Instead of chasing for that woman, the legion of onis that blocked the way out descended on the last place she was - the rallied nomads that Fafnir called to his aid.
[hr]
	With that bit of time spent, she slowly watched the engagement, alternating between elbowing a part of an opponents rocky face off to chipping off a foot of one, causing the thickheaded oni to struggle with maintaining a shred of mobility. Verga continued evaluating the clash with both groups, guessing that it would be as short-lived as the intelligence of a few nomads.

	Eventually, the perfect, opportune moment exhibited itself before her, with a large enough clump forming between both groups... a small bit of crackling energy was forming at her fingertips as she eyed the area above the fighters. What was even more impeccable is that as she prepped the attack, all of the stone figures stood still... as well as the others they were battling against.

	Instead of tossing the unstable ball of crackling energy above them all, Verga instead snuffed it out, clasping the hand that once radiated the power into a fist. The reason for this was simple - the nomad found herself briefly watching as a large, brutish, red being step into the arena, making his announcement, playing up such a ridiculous bravado...

	... a puckered frown formed on her lips as she squinted at the creature as it further revealed to the arena that he was the one responsible for this. Quite frankly, the only thought Verga had imprinted on her mind was that this was daft decision; to expose himself to an arena filled with nomads and even MAVERICKS?

	That insolent pride would be his own undoing as the woman didn't bother staying put during this... "ceremonial" procedure. Instead, she headed directly for the stands, bobbing and ducking through the onis... pah, even [i]they[/i] had stopped as well, not even acknowledging her presence; wouldn't surprise her if a few even attempted to leave... most nomads were fickle after all.

	Of course, whilst heading for her vantage point, Verga noticed out of the corner of her of her eye that the bland boy from earlier attempting to intercept and attack him in the middle of his speech... foolish from the looks of it all, but a thought crossed her mind as she continued her dash towards the stands.

	The gears were turning in her head; it wouldn't take long until others assaulted him... she would strike then... after all, their rash behavior would prevent them from taking this bout of glory...
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[hr][b]Karliah Reis[/b] ([@Darkmoon Angel]), [b]Al Denton[/b] ([@A Lowly Wretch])[/center][hr]
	Katsuo could feel the pressure straining on him, his limbs slowly starting to give out as one of his arms angled back, causing an awkward bit of imbalance in how the boy held this gigantic blade. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his temples his legs began to wobble even further.

	He couldn't tell if there was any other intent outside of murderous, or a glint of emotion outside of instinctual rage. All he found himself looking at was the three Morai, as he closed his eyes and began picking a god and praying to it... and thankfully that was short lived.

	The massive weight that found itself wrestling against the boy was... somewhat mitigated, albeit by how lopsided it felt due to most of the pressure either lifting or going to where his other arm was being held. It gave him a mild bit of strength to crutch his other arm up to pathetically repel it all, and enough courage to slowly open one of his eyes, only to witness three stone onis careening and becoming a stone pile.

	With the pressure dispersed and in his moderately weakened state, he stumbled a bit forward, causing the blade to crash into one of the onis head. It wasn't a clean cut, more like a jagged smash as part of the uneven head splintered off into bits and pieces of stone.

	Katsuo sucked in a deep breath of air, before hacking and coughing out the dust he had managed to inhale as well. The ensuing chaos only caused him to groggily move his head up to the closest thing shouting at him. Amongst the swirling cacophony of destruction and death, he only saw the guy gesture swiftly and briefly before watching another makeshift club flying at his face.

	The only break he had was the fact that this average, mildly bruised up guy manage to catch the fiend and... tossed him all the way over to the center of the arena... that was a good distance away... when could he... nevermind.

	The boy wobbled as he did his best to stand up erect, swinging his sword around his head once and sheathing it on his back. Damnit... just... maybe... ugh. Katsuo proceeded to weakly whip his head away, as a sort of response to the boy, hair ruffling and shuffling about as he attempted to display some sort of aloof defiance...

	... even though he was still gonna save the girl, or try to... fuck, how was he... ok, breathe in and out through your nose. Stifling a sneeze, he felt like he was going to keel over as he began kneeling, exhausted as one of his arms slipped themselves under the girl. The swordsman's other limb soon followed after, rolling the girl into sort of a bridal carry.

	She was still... pretty, despite how brutalized she appeared... damn, what was something cool he could say right now? Mmm... Hmm... [color=9e0b0f]"Sorry 'bout that, tougher than they look,"[/color] he winked, attempting to force out a chuckle, only to get a peculiar mix between it and a painful groan.

	From the looks of it, MAVERICK seemed to attract attention from both oni's and wounded nomads alike; some joined with the phalanx of sorts, others utilized as a way to lick their wounds... but from the looks of it, the whole deal appeared to be a half-and-half chance of survival based on how many were being cut down or rounded up.

	If the girl had any sense of feeling, she could probably hear the palpable heart of the boy, beating steadfast as the mayhem about the remnants of the doomed coliseum. Along with that, whether or not his arms were shaking out of weakness or fear, therein lacked a difference as Katsuo took a step forward, audibly gulping at the scene as he weakly rushed forward, doing his best not to tumble over.

	Hopping over the stands and back into the arena ground, his legs shook and swayed as he attempted to find some form of balance. Trudging forward, he could barely go at a sprint, let alone, full out jog as he stumbled towards what could count as safety, ducking and twisting between each fight; it was difficult and he almost managed to get roped into one of those "murder" circles if not by another nomad that intercepted two of the five oni's.

	While he did eventually make it, as if on cue to a curtain call of a performance, a small portion opened, up allowing him and the girl to be swallowed up into the group. Of course, the needs of the nomads were barely being tended to by a few support units from MAVERICK, as well as other nomads and nurses trying their best... but the input was far greater than the output; they wouldn't be able to continuously sustain this many people as all of them were beginning to lose steam, and tire out or succumb to hopelessness.

	[color=9e0b0f]"... you're gonn' be fine; I'll make sure of it,"[/color] Katsuo looked down, trying to sustain some modicum of strength, but the beaten, bruised, and mildly bloodied display didn't do much, save make him appear just as sapped just as the rest of those occupying the space.

	Of course, in a grandiose display, there came a reverberating, ear-blasting shout echoed across the arena. He was more than certain it would be enough to shake the foundations of the place, if there were any left. The strange thing was, despite the overarching threat, there was a brief moment of tranquility as most of the fighting came to a close, save for a few pragmatic nomads who utilize this fleeting "peace" as a way to break the ranks and attempt to flee the arena.

	If anything, Katsuo was [i]not[/i] one of those as he stood, shook and bewildered by the sudden imposing figure, standing above the rest of the dust, the grime, the blood-soaked dirt. This man... this... thing was more flesh than the oni's about, and left a nameless fear in the boys heart that could verge on a heart attack.

	As much as he wanted to try and be a hero, he... couldn't. There was not a lot of resilience left he could muster up... [color=9e0b0f]"... fuck,"[/color] he hissed to himself, slowly setting the girl down on the ground, slowly hobbling back up as he grasped the grip of his blade.

	Some of that bravado remained, but there was a lack of conviction in his body... and a gnawing lack of one steadily building up at the back of his mind.