Bartimaeus

Academy of Noble Arms Reboot - With TheHangedMan's permission!

I am interested.

Royal Rumble!

"Without balance, there is chaos...and while chaos is fun and all, what kind of ruler would I be if I can't control my own subjects?"

-God of the Underworld

This was Kheraket's task. To maintain the balance of the dead and the living. The largest task he had accepted in his entire life. Maybe he was out of his league here, but if he was he didn't care - this was the only way he knew for him to see his parents again.

But in the meantime, he had been convinced by some friendly stranger he met on the street to try and enjoy this "tournament" that was being held. It was that same stranger that had stopped Kheraket from almost jumping into the arena as he saw various children pummeling each other into the dust. "Hey, now! They'll be fine," he said as he grasped Kheraket's shoulder, "they won't hurt eachother too bad, this is a professional event!"

"But why are they trying to hurt each other?"

"It's for fun. We do this every year." he explained as he watched, wide-eyed, a spectacularly fun moment. "You must be new here?"

Kheraket was indeed new to Rhea. He was new to civilization entirely, to be technical. Since he was spit back into the earthly realm, he had been working a low-wage job as a shepherd on a farm in the countryside, to sustain himself until an unsavory event reared its head. However, idleness in the face of a task did not suit him. So he headed towards the place where he felt the most inter-dimensional spirit travel: Rhea.

"Indeed, I-"

"HOLY SH-"

There seemed to be something wrong. Something had happened and Kheraket could see tournament officials running towards the battlegrounds as one student in particular was drawing them in. He didn't know her name, and couldn't see her expression from so far away. But he could see her injuries, and her posture. They were not befitting of each other. She rose one hand skyward, launching an attack to the heavens, or rather, the protective barrier. It faltered.

The announcers assured the audience that this spectacle was OK, but Kheraket wasn't so sure. Something felt wrong. Especially something about that fiery girl who had just flown away in the chaos.

He looked back and saw that his stranger was gone. And quite a few people were getting up and shifting around as well - it seemed like the tournament was over, then.

_Before

------

_Present

After some time of snacking on a churro and wandering back inside the stadium to explore the vendors, whom some of which had left after the events, Kheraket had decided it was time for him to go-

He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt a cold, deep tingle wash over him. His gaze snapped to an empty space ahead, and his eyes growing blank, as if they were unfocused...or incredibly focused. He had known this feeling more than a few times - and he didn't like it. But at the same time, it meant the opportunity for success. The opportunity for redemption. The feeling was that of someone plunging their hand into the Underworld.

He dropped his churro and brandished his staff as he briskened into a jog down the hallway.

When he heard a voice. "..I will try to leave you alive... for the time being."

Kheraket stood in the doorway, looking upon the scene of the Medical Pavilion.

He held out his staff, the orb atop it, along with his eyes, glowing brighter in tone until they each reached a bright, vibrant blue. "Excuse me. I am afraid I can't allow that creature to harm anyone." he called out to the man, his voice echoing in on itself, and through the room more than it should have. The Draugr stopped moving - but it didn't vanish, as it should have. Kheraket frowned.

Interesting...something is keeping the creature held to this plane. Something I cannot quite disperse. But I can feel it quivering. Surely this masked man is not more adept than I at plane-tethering...

Unfortunately, the combined efforts of Diana's magic and the cultist's manipulation was enough to keep the beast material. For now. Even more unpleasant, however, is that Kheraket's tampering would likely not allow one to control it. So...

The creature staggered in place, towering over everything near it. It seemed somewhat sluggish - Kheraket had been able to slow it down, but its strength was still very much there. Still a formidable threat to anyone too close.

"Riveting.." Kheraket's glow lessened in intensity as he focused on something else.

He didn't know what was going on, but what he did know is that he could see a group of bandaged kids through the torn fabric on the other side of that beast. A beast that did not look friendly.

And then its presumed summoner, the masked man.

"You." Kheraket pointed with his staff. "Necromancer. I adjure you to come with me. At once."

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

"John" Booke

Basic Information

Name
⦁ 'John' Booke

Vigilante Name
⦁ N/A

Age
⦁ 67

Species
⦁ Mutant

Gender
⦁ Male

Ethnicity
⦁ British

Nationality
⦁ British
⦁ American

Occupation
⦁ MSU Investigations Officer

Alignment
⦁ Neutral Good / Chaotic Good

Detailed Information

Appearance
⦁ Booke has well avoided the danger of frailty as he's aged. Standing at 6'2", and weighing 188 lbs, his liver spots and wrinkled skin belie his actual strength. He has made sure of this - due to the nature of his job. His hair is very much already grayed, and his eyes are a blue-gray tone that makes it seem as if he is in deep thought, in idleness - but those eyes can quickly change to a scrutinizing or angry mood.
When it comes to fashion, Booke prefers simple or discreet outfits - opting to don long-coats and Trilby-esque hats.

Personality
⦁ In Booke's younger years of the MSU, he was one cocky bastard. Since then, he has mellowed out with maturity - however, the confidence that came with that attitude has not fully left him. With age comes experience, and Booke knows this. A fine advantage over the common crooks of the modern day.
Booke generally tends to watch a situation before speaking or acting. He knows when to listen, and when to initiate. This applies to conversation, his job, and even combat.
Socially, Booke is more reserved than most, but also laid-back. With age he has developed multiple facets to his personality, being able to be very serious, as well as playful, or even competitive, in the right circumstances.

Origin
⦁ WIP

Notable Relations
⦁ Socially, None.
⦁ Offices and Personnel of the MSU

Resources
⦁ Sir Booke makes more money than the average citizen, and as such lives without financial worry.

Everyday Skills
⦁ Household Chores (Cooking, Cleaning, etc)
⦁ Swimming
⦁ Board games / Card games
⦁ Exercise
⦁ Subterfuge
⦁ A large array of other skills gained throughout his lengthy life, and his occupation.

Combat

Fighting Style
⦁ Booke is not even close to being the best fighter out there, but he is one of the most-fit of the elderly ones. His strength, and to a lesser extent his agility, are more befitting to someone in their forties, and this is a great asset to someone unbecoming of such traits. This is not because of any power or augmentation, but due to careful training and conditioning over the years and present, on Booke’s part. However, someone with a good build and younger physique will overpower him. He often is seen carrying a (uneeded) cane, which he will use to deliver swift, energy draining strikes to precise points in the body, such as the temple, jaw, or calf muscles.
He has a various toolbox of martial arts, due to his lengthy time in the MSU, but if he has to resort to true hand-to-hand, he opts to use techniques from several styles at once, making it difficult to read.

Strengths
⦁ Booke has an easy time fighting people he can keep at a distance and strike with his cane, or his power.
⦁ He also has a nasty surprise factor in both his power and physical ability - who expects an elderly man to rival their physique in any way?
⦁ Time in the MSU has enhanced his combat sense by a great degree.

Weaknesses
⦁ Booke, while he has the strength and agility of someone younger, can still tire. While he still has more stamina than the average seventy year old man, this is still a risk in prolonged fights.
⦁ He has little defense against someone who has more range than him, which isn't too hard to have.

Equipment
⦁ His ordinary cane.
⦁ Light, scale-plate Vambraces / Greaves
⦁ Occupational Mutation-Use License

Power

Booke's power is a very odd, lyncanthrope-esque faculty. However, instead of a wolf, he has features of a Tasmanian Devil.

Strengths
⦁ This animal-attribute power gives Booke traits of a Tasmanian Devil, without the tell-tale signs one would normally receive from being a Lycanthrope; Howling, being especially hairy, loss of control, etc.
⦁ Booke's sense of smell is impressively more than that of a normal human's, and he has superior vision in dark environments. His reaction speed is also enhanced for someone of his age. His nails are also hardened and grow sharper than normal, and his canines grow sharp as well.
⦁ Additionally, he also has developed a system of tough, vein-ish vessels for use in conjunction with his ability to produce a easily-manipulated bodily fluid; this allows him to expel chemicals and other mixtures to around 3 yards. Moreover, being exposed to such odors for so long has desensitized him to pungent and harmful scents.

Weaknesses/Limitations
⦁ The animal-attribute power also provides Booke with an array of negatives as well.
⦁ His eyes are light-sensitive, so he appreciates shade, tinted glasses, and brimmed hats.
⦁ His physical attributes are not enhanced, unlike Lycanthropes.
⦁ Beyond changing the odor of his "special fluid", Booke has to take customized pills to imbue it with additional effects - which can require varying amounts of time to take effect.

Extra

⦁ Booke trims his nails so that they are not sharp.
⦁ Booke's canines are duller because of his age, but as we know from dogs, they are still quite dangerous - if they can even get close enough to hurt someone.
⦁ Booke trims his facial hair regularly, as his power makes it grow at an increased rate.
⦁ His pills can take anywhere from a couple seconds to half an hour to take effect, and the longer he waits, the more boosted the effect.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

Booke's Apartment/Festival Grounds

Interactions - None

The soft shuffle of feet sliding into a pair of slippers was the first sound that permeated Sir Booke's room as he sat upon the edge of the bed. The older gentleman plucked a pair of rounded spectacles from his night stand, before unfolding them and placing them upon his face. He stood from his comfy perch, stretching out his limbs slowly as he shuffled towards his wardrobe, an exhale of relief escaping him. He gently pushed a sliding-switch about half an inch upwards as he passed by it, the lights in the room slowly becoming less dim, though not fully lighting the room.

He ran a finger across the face of a calendar he kept next to his wardrobe as he began to unbutton his sleep-gown. "Ah. This is the day of the festival." he said to himself as he pulled a pen from his nearby desk, before planting an "X" on the current date. "Well...I suppose I should attend, shouldn't I?"

There were a series of muffled chirps.

Booke turned to his desk, stepping over to it before placing his hand on a round-top cylinder-shaped piece of cloth. He pulled the cloth away to reveal a bronze cage - within it, several cockatiels. "What do you dears think, hmm?" he inquired as he opened the cage with a soft smile, rubbing each of the three under the chin, in turn. They emitted soft, pleasured coos as their owner did so.

He closed the cage softly once more, moving back to his wardrobe as he got dressed.

After he was finished, he took the cage by the top and moved it with him as he left his bedroom. He moved it to the dining counter, opening the cage door once more for the birds to come and go as they pleased, before he strolled over to the window, pulling the curtains to the side before slowly shifting the blinds to the open position. "There you are, lovelies."

Booke soon retrieved his wallet from the bedroom, as well as a lightweight, light-brown longcoat - one of his favorites - along with a darker Trilby hat. He donned both the pieces of clothing, concealing the wallet in an inward chest-pocket, before proceeding to his apartment door. He snatched his cane from the corner nearby before closing the door behind him, the jangle of his keys signaling his departure as he locked the door.

------

Whump!

Beep-Beep.

Booke stood beside the passenger-side door of his self-driving Sedan as he tucked his keys back into his chest coat-pocket with a gloved hand. He turned around and took in the air around him. Even from several blocks away (where even then, his car had a tough time finding a parking spot), one could smell the environment of the festival in the air. Tons of people, food, festivities - all awaiting those social enough to find their way there.

The older man made his way closer to the festival at a stroll's pace, greeting friendly faces along the way - various people going to and from the festival carrying bags of food and the like. People are always so friendly this time of year. It's quite soothing. he thought with a smile.

A fresh breeze brushed over him, carrying the many scents that told him - he was there.

The drone of the people was the most prominent sound one could hear when they came to the festival every year; the bargains, purchases, stories shared - they all contributed to the common noise that was, in itself, a part of the spectacle. Sometimes, even the events that took place on stage were drowned out by the people that surrounded it - if you weren't particularly interested, that is. However, there was one thing that was never drowned out. Nico Devina.

Even having just recently arrived only minutes ago, Booke had heard Nico's commotion from some ways away. And the crowd that surrounded the stage was a testament that many others had as well. While Booke had never been a fan of Nico's modern genre, he had to admit that the 'young' talent had a certain charisma to him. He definitely turned heads.

But for now, Booke would forego the artist's rambling, in favor of fetching himself some sort of meal, or drink. He explored the festival grounds at a leisurely pace, searching for something to indulge his palette.

------

Booke wasn't unaware of the MSU's presence at the festival. It was common for them to at least surveil the event. There was a lot of people present, and a lot of mutants. And a lot of potential for accidents.

But today was his day off. The MSU could last a couple days without him - he was sure.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

@DarkRecon, I enjoy how you integrated Booke a bit into your post :3

Are you in the group Discord, by the way?

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

"John" Booke

Basic Information

Name
⦁ 'John' Booke

Vigilante Name
⦁ N/A

Age
⦁ 67

Species
⦁ Mutant

Gender
⦁ Male

Ethnicity
⦁ British

Nationality
⦁ British
⦁ American

Occupation
⦁ MSU Investigations Officer

Alignment
⦁ Neutral Good / Chaotic Good

Detailed Information

Appearance
⦁ Booke has well avoided the danger of frailty as he's aged. Standing at 6'2", and weighing 188 lbs, his liver spots and wrinkled skin belie his actual strength. He has made sure of this - due to the nature of his job. His hair is very much already grayed, and his eyes are a blue-gray tone that makes it seem as if he is in deep thought, in idleness - but those eyes can quickly change to a scrutinizing or angry mood.
When it comes to fashion, Booke prefers simple or discreet outfits - opting to don long-coats and Trilby-esque hats.

Personality
⦁ In Booke's younger years of the MSU, he was one cocky bastard. Since then, he has mellowed out with maturity - however, the confidence that came with that attitude has not fully left him. With age comes experience, and Booke knows this. A fine advantage over the common crooks of the modern day.
Booke generally tends to watch a situation before speaking or acting. He knows when to listen, and when to initiate. This applies to conversation, his job, and even combat.
Socially, Booke is more reserved than most, but also laid-back. With age he has developed multiple facets to his personality, being able to be very serious, as well as playful, or even competitive, in the right circumstances.

Origin
⦁ WIP

Notable Relations
⦁ Socially, None.
⦁ Offices and Personnel of the MSU

Resources
⦁ Sir Booke makes more money than the average citizen, and as such lives without financial worry.

Everyday Skills
⦁ Household Chores (Cooking, Cleaning, etc)
⦁ Swimming
⦁ Board games / Card games
⦁ Exercise
⦁ Subterfuge
⦁ A large array of other skills gained throughout his lengthy life, and his occupation.

Combat

Fighting Style
⦁ Booke is not even close to being the best fighter out there, but he is one of the most-fit of the elderly ones. His strength, and to a lesser extent his agility, are more befitting to someone in their forties, and this is a great asset to someone unbecoming of such traits. This is not because of any power or augmentation, but due to careful training and conditioning over the years and present, on Booke’s part. However, someone with a good build and younger physique will overpower him. He often is seen carrying a (uneeded) cane, which he will use to deliver swift, energy draining strikes to precise points in the body, such as the temple, jaw, or calf muscles.
He has a various toolbox of martial arts, due to his lengthy time in the MSU, but if he has to resort to true hand-to-hand, he opts to use techniques from several styles at once, making it difficult to read.

Strengths
⦁ Booke has an easy time fighting people he can keep at a distance and strike with his cane, or his power.
⦁ He also has a nasty surprise factor in both his power and physical ability - who expects an elderly man to rival their physique in any way?
⦁ Time in the MSU has enhanced his combat sense by a great degree.

Weaknesses
⦁ Booke, while he has the strength and agility of someone younger, can still tire. While he still has more stamina than the average seventy year old man, this is still a risk in prolonged fights.
⦁ He has little defense against someone who has more range than him, which isn't too hard to have.

Equipment
⦁ His ordinary cane.
⦁ Light, scale-plate Vambraces / Greaves

Power

Booke's power is a very odd, lyncanthrope-esque faculty. However, instead of a wolf, he has features of a Tasmanian Devil.

Strengths
⦁ This animal-attribute power gives Booke traits of a Tasmanian Devil, without the tell-tale signs one would normally receive from being a Lycanthrope; Howling, being especially hairy, loss of control, etc.
⦁ Booke's sense of smell is impressively more than that of a normal human's, and he has superior vision in dark environments. His reaction speed is also enhanced for someone of his age. His nails are also hardened and grow sharper than normal, and his canines grow sharp as well.
⦁ Additionally, he also has developed a system of tough, vein-ish vessels for use in conjunction with his ability to produce a easily-manipulated bodily fluid; this allows him to expel chemicals and other mixtures to around 3 yards. Moreover, being exposed to such odors for so long has desensitized him to pungent and harmful scents.

Weaknesses/Limitations
⦁ The animal-attribute power also provides Booke with an array of negatives as well.
⦁ His eyes are light-sensitive, so he appreciates shade, tinted glasses, and brimmed hats.
⦁ His physical attributes are not enhanced, unlike Lycanthropes.
⦁ Beyond changing the odor of his "special fluid", Booke has to take customized pills to imbue it with additional effects - which can require varying amounts of time to take effect.

Extra

⦁ Booke trims his nails so that they are not sharp.
⦁ Booke's canines are duller because of his age, but as we know from dogs, they are still quite dangerous - if they can even get close enough to hurt someone.
⦁ Booke trims his facial hair regularly, as his power makes it grow at an increased rate.
⦁ His pills can take anywhere from a couple seconds to half an hour to take effect, and the longer he waits, the more boosted the effect.

Origin/Bio are still work in progress :)
Also Personality section will be edited more.

Heroes of Azure City 🎫 Always Open

@Lotrix Molick It's safe to say we do :P

Azure City - Another Superhero RP.

@Shard Do you have a preferred style for Face-claims/pics? Do you want anime/anime-ish? Photo-realistic or similar? Or does it matter not to you?

Azure City - Another Superhero RP.

May potentially join this.

Royal Rumble!

---

---

Aram could hear Rurik, albeit barely, from his position behind the stone pillar. It seemed he was making a plan to flush Aram out, from the sound of things. He'd have to come up with a plan fast.

It grew silent. And then... BOOM!

The big one looked like she had some of those missile-launcher thingamajigs-

Whoosh.. BOOM!

Those probably launch at a handsome speed-

Thud.. BOOM!

And I think the boy...is chunking pebbles? That's what I thought I spec'd out before Brutus went boom... those are gonna be much slower he thought, And if they're taking turns-

Whoosh.. BOOM!

-then I'll have to wait until pebble boy is the one guarding the sides...

Thud.. BOOM!

Here we go... he said inwardly as he changed his stance to a sprinting one.

Whoosh..

He took off full-speed, heading straight for the hall's doorway.

But unfortunately for Aram, the pillar he was hiding behind was the one Bak had been aiming for. Shit. The missile soared through the air to his left until it impacted behind him as he ran, the resulting explosion sending him into a semi-controlled tumble towards the entrance.

His tumble was short, leaving Aram in a half-lying, half-sitting position a few feet from the doorway. Wait-

The boy barely had enough time to raise an edge of his shield into the path of Rurik's pebble, the small object coating him and his shield in a blast of force then sent him rolling a couple more times.

He would be groaning if he could. He rolled his left shoulder and wrist this time - the explosion had jarred his arm a bit through the shield, which obviously wasn't comfortable. Not to mention than it had messed up his hair and sent his hat flying.

He stumbled to his feet as quickly as he could.

This is no fun...I can't even jeer at them because of this damned silence! he complained.

He turned towards the two Mephisto students, and held up his index finger in a "one moment" gesture, before turning towards his hat that was a few feet away.

He wobbly-walked over to it, and picked it up, before dusting it off, placing it on his head, and squaring it with his left hand.

He walked back to the spot he had ended up in after the tumble, and then faced the two again. He smiled. And sprinted to his right, out of their view.

But he stopped shortly after, hiding behind the doorway. Hopefully Rurik would follow suit.

(feel free to interrupt hat-retrieval)