FunnyGuy

Avalia

Dante & Darius

Location: Outskirts of River Port
Time: Late Morning
Interactions: Ashari @Shard @Alivefalling

---

Darius was aware there was no guarantee that anyone would come to his and Dante’s aid, so when he heard rustling in the bushes his face perked with a hopeful smile.

“Oh shit… It worked!” Darius could cheer.

Dante looked around and saw small green humanoids armed with their weapons drawn, pushing their way through the bushes. "Those are fucking goblins man if I've ever seen one! I think it worked too well. You better pray we survive.” He looked over to Darius with a worried expression.

“Oh… shit. OK, WE NEED REAL HELP!” Darius shouted as loud as he could once more before the crude sound of metal against metal filled the air. The two looked below, spotting someone wielding both a sword and shield combating the goblins. “Ha! It worked!” Darius could only watch in awe as he and Dante seemed to have dodged death yet again.

"Damn, I sure hope this guy is on our side.” Dante said to Darius, staring intently as the person cleared the path towards them. Their movements were impressive, to say the least. The warrior almost appeared as if he was dancing through his foes.

“Same…” He hadn’t considered that just yet. With the thought now crossing his mind, it was no surprise that terror gripped him when watching the goblin slayer launch himself towards them. It was then that Darius and Dante caught sight of his face. Gray skin and glowing eyes. NO!. Both brothers’ eyes widened.

“No, don’t!”
“No, don’t!”

The two men shouted at once before they were freed from their traps.

Dante watched as they both fell to the ground hitting it with a hard thud knocking the wind out of him but with the adrenaline pumping through him he was able to quickly grab his sword cutting his feet loose before getting up and protecting Darius while he freed himself. A low groan escaped the younger of the two brothers before he rose to his feet and lifted his leg to loosen and remove the noose. Sword! He reminded himself as he grabbed the weapon off the ground holding more like a baseball bat than anything.

“Come on!” Darius inched toward the green creatures but stopped in his tracks as they appeared to be coming from every direction.

Dante stepped toward Darius and turned so they were back to back before slashing at a goblin that jumped towards him. The blade slashed down its body before it fell to the ground. It was only mere seconds before another took its place! “Fuck, how many are there?” He said aloud before reeling back and stabbing the one before him in the chest and kicking it in the head and off the blade. Darius had just slashed a goblin across the face.

“Do you wanna count or keep fighting them so we don’t die?” Darius watched as the goblin reeled back while grabbing his face. With a hesitant step, he stabbed the goblin in the gut. The young man winced in disgust, never having committed such violence on anything in his life. He just didn’t want to die. Neither of them did. The two humans just had to hold their own until their savior finished off the scampering green creatures.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Aldrakh
Interactions: Myra @13org, Maeryn @princess
Mentions:

Equipment:

Outfit (left)

---

Maeryn’s actions toward his fairy companion appeared to please Vrexen as his gaze finally left her. He was glad this hunter took his threat seriously.

“She will not.” He repeated as if it were fact.

I’m so glad he didn’t snap. Astra momentarily peered down at Myra who was holding her purchase in her hands. For someone so quiet, she bought those? Astra’s eyes returned to the soft featured face of the dark elf in front of her, same as Vrexen.

"Thank you, maiden. I find your deliberation of River Port an intelligent one. I am pondering however, if any legitimate word has gotten here and if we can find a certain lead. I may have to do some more talking with the orcs here. If nothing comes about, then River Port might be my best bet."

River Port… Our original destination.
Maiden? Intelligent? Wow he is really trying to subtly shoot his shot. A detour wouldn’t hurt.

"Do our goals perhaps align?" The question posed garnered a visible response from both Vrexen and Astra. Vrexen narrowed his eyes while Astra grinned. Both were interested for their own reasons. Vrexen would have the chance to hunt humans and even substitute Astra for someone much more capable. Then again, Vrexen had mixed thoughts. The dark elf hunter seemed more suitable, but demonstrated her knowledge of the current landscape was superior.

“Yes.”
“Yes.”

The two briefly glanced at each other, but their agreement allowed them to just run with the flow of things.

“I wish to hunt these humans… find their worth.”

“And we wish to get to River Kingdom. We had planned to cross the wilderness, but heading due south might be safer for our party. Plus as Lord Vrexen said… humans. They are an enemy we little about outside tales told by the decrepit.”

“An alliance. Temporary perhaps, but it will benefit us all.”

₃₈

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Myriamor Plaza- Summer Harvest Festival
Interactions: Leaf @Helo and Aurora @Mole
Mentions:

Equipment:

Pocket watch
Black stetson
Hat and Cowl
Black Duster Outfit
Repeating Crossbow
12 Iron Bolts
Champ (Oak Horse)
One-horse open sleigh
Hunting knife
Rope
Saddlebag
Black neckerchief
Tinder box
Canteen
Matches
Two Gold nuggets
$40

---

“Miss…” Slick uttered, but was too late in stopping her from addressing him as a human. How could he have predicted for the woman to address him as… as what he was. Damn… He eyed Leaf who had the appearance of someone who pondered the divulged information. Double damn. Slick figured he would just have to let things play out. He hadn’t been around Leaf long, but he didn’t peg the cat-man as a threat to his type that were summoned here. Aurora’s “fragile” snuck past Slick as his attention was focused on the sudden vocalized revelation. He wanted to address her swiftly, but…

The lady speaks so dang soft. It’d also be mighty rude to interrupt such a pleasant blind lady. She just don’t stop smilin’. Slick was caught between a rock and a hard place as he wanted to be defiant, but decided to simply hear the woman out. Aurora had hit a soft spot for Slick, which was not an easy feat.
She first stated he was correct about her disposition towards alcohol before expressing her desire to go swimming. Shucks…She does have a point though. Slick raised an eyebrow towards Aurora but quickly remembered she could not see his intimidating expression.

“So give and take then. I help you play in the fine water and you let me gamble to my heart’s content… Hm… You got yourself a deal, Aurora. I’ll even pick out a modest little bathin’ suit for you. If somethin’ like that is available of course.” Slick smirked as he reached for the woman’s hand, grasping it firmly. He turned to Leaf and presented the Champ’s reins. “I know cats and water don’t mix well so you could keep Champ company. And don’t scare my dang horse.” Slick removed his slung crossbow and placed it into Champ’s saddlebag to the best of his ability with just his one free hand. He made sure to be careful in not damaging his merchandise but that it was also secured. With a firm squeeze of Aurora’s hand he started walking towards the swimsuit stall. “Come on.” He said softly as he served as a guide.

The approached the stall with Slick looking quite confused. “These are bathing suits?

“Yessir! We have men’s and women’s!” The elven stall owner spoke with the biggest smile Slick had ever seen. Slick stared at the selection. “Eh… I mean.” Slick had talked Mikazuki into picking out a revealing dress with ease, he had swindled the most gullible of people, and he rarely had pity for anyone. A blind woman asking for his assistance however… It had been the first time in a long time that he was morally challenged. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really a modest choice. The men’s were quite basic, but the women’s looked more like undergarments than anything. He’d have to just go with his gut.

“I think I’ll take one for myself. The black one. And uh… that one for the respectable lady here.” Slick nodded in the direction of the chosen swimsuit. He exchanged 10 amas for both garments before he handed Aurora her swimsuit. “How’s that?”

Code Vein (Closed)

---

Location: Strategy Room
Interactions: The Commune
Mentions:

---

One by one, the members of the Commune trickled into the strategy room. The early birds to include Licorice had mingled within the room until the others arrived ready to set on their mission. Looks like everyone’s here… except Sleeping Beauty, but I got her covered. Hell yeah let’s do this! Erik’s eyes filled with a fiery passion as he hyped himself up.

"So, what're we waiting for?"
"There are Lost that need killing!"

"Well I am here now so everyone is here. So when are we leaving to get this mistle or is that more to talk about?"

The eagerness of the group, especially from two of the fresher faces only impassioned him more!

“Easy there! I want to go out there as much as anyone else here but we can’t accomplish anything without a little bit of organization. We’re bringing along almost everyone for this trip into the Ruined City and I want to make sure all my companions, old and new make it back safely.” He had directed “new” towards the two who spoke due to their eagerness. “Now…” Erik had walked over to far corner of the room where a grabbed a hold of a large whiteboard with wheels. Rolling it over towards the table, he grabbed a marker from the tray below. He made sure to keep the side he wrote on away from everyone else while he went to work on the board. “So because we have so many people going, eleven to be exact, I thought about splitting us up into three teams. The Forward Team, Rear Team, and the Home Team.” Erik’s tone had gone from what one would consider to be carefree, to slightly more serious. It was definitely a noticeable switch as he gave his briefing. “I really gave this some thought based on some of my early fighting days that I honestly barely remember… Ah that doesn’t look right…” He mumbled before continuing. “Alright, so the Forward Team will consist of yours truly, Cerise, Pops, and Akaia! The telescope is cool and all, but we need to use our scouts to survey the area ahead. If we find a threat we can’t easily pick off, then we send in the big guns. And that’s the Rear Team consisting of Ajax, Vincent, Lys, Dallas, and Desmond! Your team will follow right behind ours. Ensure you do not lose sight of us. We don’t want a situation where we have Lost in between our teams. I will be at the rear of the Forward Team so I’ll be the bridge for communication between both teams, assisted by Akaia and Licorice. Finally, the Home Team will be two lucky young ladies. Ionna and Amelia. Ionna’s far too young to come along on a mission like this, and it would be irresponsible to leave Amelia alone when she could wake at any time. Remember, we’re heading into some unexplored territory, spots that I’m not even too familiar with myself.” Erik turned the whiteboard around.

“Just in case anyone forgot, here’s the breakdown of the teams. Now if there are no questions, let’s load up in the vans and have an adventure!”

Avalia

Second Son

Darius Blackbourn ⋆ 24 ⋆ Male ⋆ Human

---

Appearance:

[

Height:

6ft 2in

Weight:

205

Hair Color:

Brown

Eye Color:]

Brown

Skin Tone:

Brown

---

Psychology:

Likes:

⋆ Socializing
⋆ Cooperation
⋆ New experiences

Dislikes:

⋆ His magical ability
⋆ Awkward silences
⋆ Stagnation

Fears:

⋆ Losing his brother again
⋆ Large wild creatures
⋆ Being at the mercy of Malthemoor

Sexuality:

Hetero

Personality:

When it comes to interactions with others, Darius is open, but perhaps too open at times. He'll ask the questions that aren't necessarily appropriate, but levels that with his transparency. His honesty can be seen as the best and possibly the worst quality. Darius is an advocate for working and earning his keep, but also thinks it's good to give to those that may be at a disadvantage.

Darius' dramatic nature does little to help him in stressful situations. Sure, he'll get through whatever he has to, but he will complain the whole way through to let everyone know just how much he hates it. When nervous, Darius finds it best to talk his way through things, either by building up his own confidence or talking through the process.

Darius is no mathematical genius or mastermind, but he has common sense on his side with a mix of some interesting experiences. Charisma is his game. He comes off as being slightly obnoxious, but he's entertaining and actually gives others enough attention to show he actually cares. As far as humor, Darius attempts during melancholy times. He is not a comedian, at least not intentionally. As far as energy goes, this is probably his strongest attribute. One may wonder where this guy has the energy to talk, scream in terror, exclaim at every foreign thing to him, and still move about.

---

Background:

Occupation

Fitness Trainer, Photographer, Social Worker

Living Immediate Family Members:

Father - Eric Blackbourn
Mother - Monica Blackbourn
Brother - Dante Blackbourn

Dead Immediate Family Members:

None of note

Current Companions:

Dante Blackbourn

Current and Past Lover(s):

None of note

History: Darius was the second child, second string, second fiddle, second EVERYTHING to his older brother Dante. It wasn't completely bad however as Darius enjoyed not being the center focus of his family’s criticisms. He had been allowed to focus on the things he wanted to accomplish and take part in rather than being like Dante who did what everyone else expected of him.

Dante grew up being the best, and Darius being the comfortable shadow. Darius lived a bit more freely with limited pressure on his career path and life goals but he stumbled through life like a drunk trying to get to bed after a long night out. Despite their differences, Darius and Dante were as close as two brothers could be.

It was a tragic moment when Dante’s military service came to an abrupt end. Dante was deemed MIA for several months before he was determined KIA. It was only during his funeral that Darius learned that Dante was far larger than life than he perceived. Seeing so many people show up to say such great things about him made Darius prouder of Dante than he ever had been. The man had accomplished a lot in his short life while Darius simply flew by the seat of his pants. Over the course of six years, Darius sought to put his life together in the wake of his brother’s death. He went to school and pursued a career in social work. He also had two side gigs in personal physical training and photography. All was going well and then poof! Avalia.

---

Combat and Magic:

Strength: 7
Speed on Land: 6
Speed in Air: N/A
Magical Ability: 2
Dexterity: 6
Weapon Proficiency: 1
Stealth: 1

Ability on Avalia:

Hyrdrokinesis

Avalia

Darius

Darius Blackbourn ⋆ 24 ⋆ Male ⋆ Human

---

Appearance:

[

Height:

6ft 2in

Weight:

205

Hair Color:

Brown

Eye Color:]

Brown

Skin Tone:

Brown

---

Psychology:

Likes:

⋆ Socializing
⋆ Cooperation
⋆ New experiences

Dislikes:

⋆ His magical ability
⋆ Awkward silences
⋆ Stagnation

Fears:

⋆ Losing his brother again
⋆ Large wild creatures
⋆ Being at the mercy of Malthemoor

Sexuality:

Hetero

Personality:

When it comes to interactions with others, Darius is open, but perhaps too open at times. He'll ask the questions that aren't necessarily appropriate, but levels that with his transparency. His honesty can be seen as the best and possibly the worst quality. Darius is an advocate for working and earning his keep, but also thinks it's good to give to those that may be at a disadvantage.

Darius' dramatic nature does little to help him in stressful situations. Sure, he'll get through whatever he has to, but he will complain the whole way through to let everyone know just how much he hates it. When nervous, Darius finds it best to talk his way through things, either by building up his own confidence or talking through the process.

Darius is no mathematical genius or mastermind, but he has common sense on his side with a mix of some interesting experiences. Charisma is his game. He comes off as being slightly obnoxious, but he's entertaining and actually gives others enough attention to show he actually cares. As far as humor, Darius attempts during melancholy times. He is not a comedian, at least not intentionally. As far as energy goes, this is probably his strongest attribute. One may wonder where this guy has the energy to talk, scream in terror, exclaim at every foreign thing to him, and still move about.

---

Background:

Occupation

Fitness Trainer, Photographer, Social Worker

Living Immediate Family Members:

Father - Eric Blackbourn
Mother - Monica Blackbourn
Brother - Dante Blackbourn

Dead Immediate Family Members:

None of note

Current Companions:

Dante Blackbourn

Current and Past Lover(s):

None of note

History: Darius was the second child, second string, second fiddle, second EVERYTHING to his older brother Dante. It wasn't completely bad however as Darius enjoyed not being the center focus of his family’s criticisms. He had been allowed to focus on the things he wanted to accomplish and take part in rather than being like Dante who did what everyone else expected of him.

Dante grew up being the best, and Darius being the comfortable shadow. Darius lived a bit more freely with limited pressure on his career path and life goals but he stumbled through life like a drunk trying to get to bed after a long night out. Despite their differences, Darius and Dante were as close as two brothers could be.

It was a tragic moment when Dante’s military service came to an abrupt end. Dante was deemed MIA for several months before he was determined KIA. It was only during his funeral that Darius learned that Dante was far larger than life than he perceived. Seeing so many people show up to say such great things about him made Darius prouder of Dante than he ever had been. The man had accomplished a lot in his short life while Darius simply flew by the seat of his pants. Over the course of six years, Darius sought to put his life together in the wake of his brother’s death. He went to school and pursued a career in social work. He also had two side gigs in personal physical training and photography. All was going well and then poof! Avalia.

---

Combat and Magic:

Strength: 7
Speed on Land: 6
Speed in Air: N/A
Magical Ability: 2
Dexterity: 6
Weapon Proficiency: 1
Stealth: 1

Ability on Avalia:

Hyrdrokinesis

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Avian City
Interactions: Yuka @princess, Orias @Helo, Aiko @CitrusArms, Xavier @potter
Mentions:

Equipment:

Cloth armor reinforced with mithral (armor in the picture)
Sin of the Father is a spear crafted from the wyvern’s tail that killed Augus’ father. The spear has a Return and Shift enchantment that allows it to become a sword
2000 amas

---

Refugees from Roshmi had arrived in Avian City by way of the hasty amora port setup since dawn. Roshmi had been conquered, though, subtly, those that knew better knew it was under the control of the forces of Malthemoor. There were citizens that would remain, but the goal of Avian City was to provide a choice to those who did not desire the dominion of the Twin Headed Dragon.

Taking in refugees was not a simple task however. Wolves often used this opportunity to don sheep’s clothing, not all refugees were upstanding citizens, and the logistics alone could be a nightmare for the city that had such limited access. When refugees arrived, they were searched upon entry and all weapons were confiscated to ensure the safety of other refugees and Avian City citizens. The refugees were free to roam about so they could access food and wares across the four sky isles. Unfortunately, despite the refugees being welcomed there is a bit of aversion from the Avian City citizens due to many not being used to having so many outsiders in the place they called home.

Each group that arrived were met with the sight of the Sky Guard tasked with providing security to this avaliatarian operation. As Aiko approached a young Avian City worker hired to ensure the Amora port was cleaned, a swooping sound overhead caught the worker’s attention before he could reply.

An armored silver-haired, black-winged avian gracefully landed before the group. Though he did not appear hostile, his face expressed his discontent with those he laid eyes on. He especially stared holes through the skulls of Orias and Xavier. Not only were they men, but they were elves too. The armored avian man remained silent before locking eyes with the worker who had only been gazing upon his form.

“I believe you have a job you’re meant to be doing, isn’t that right?”

“Y-Yes sir!” The young worker glanced at the new arrivals once more before going over to the furthest end of the amora port.

Caelestis Verencia was now before small group of new arrivals, meant to welcome them despite his unwelcoming disposition.

“Terraneans, greetings. I am Captain Verencia. State your business here. Tell me about each of your backgrounds…” He sighed as he noticed something. “...and hand over the weapons in your possession.” He crossed his arms over his chest with his icy stare shifting between Orias, Xavier, and Aiko as he assumed one of them to be the spokesperson for this group.

Avalia

Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: River Port Beach
Interactions: Kharnem Neeson @Kazemitsu, Arn, the Trickster @Omni5876, Saoirse, the Unseen @potter, and Slime Slayer Ismael @Th3King0fChaos.
Mentions:

Equipment:

Male Outfit
Backpack (top right)
Bow and quiver of arrows

---

What had Kaleb reverted to? A barbarian? A savage? No, Kaleb considered himself a go-getter if anything. From his perspective, Arn only presented an obstacle to his goal of slaying a considerable number of slimes. Kaleb felt it suitable to combat the slimes by any means necessary. The dwarf managed to utter “What?” was disregarded as an attempt to save face. A man up to no good never revealed his entire hand, especially if he was caught without tangible proof. And that was the issue. Kaleb lacked the receipts to openly out Arn for what he believed the dwarf truly was.

When Arn apologized, Kaleb narrowed his eyes again but did not face the dwarf. He simply continued with his onslaught against the slimes. He was about to reply to Arn, but the towering appearance of Kharne grabbed his attention. Liam Neeson… The dragonborn was spattered from nose to tail in slime guts. And I thought I looked like a mess…

The demi-human spoke purely of the only objective that mattered to most on the beach. Kaleb was not most. Acquiring amas was great, but fame and notoriety were intangible currency in society. Kaleb stomped on another slime.

“Arn, you heard that? Kharne here is telling you to shut up and focus on killing slimes. You can buy me and my friends some drinks after this if you want to really apologize.” Kaleb would get a little something out of the dwarf for trying to “fool” him.

It was only a few moments later that the incursion of slimes ceased. The amorphous creatures inflicted limited damage this year due to the Slime Day participants and their enthusiasm. As the participants filed to the stands where they could earn amas for their slime slaying, wheeled stalled rolled up and down beside the lines selling memory glasses with images of certain contestants during the event.

Kaleb had wound up next to the Kharne and Ismael in line that would allow them to collect their reward for killing slimes. He found his breaths to be a little heavier than usual. The young actor hadn’t exercised like this in months and was seriously debating a nap after a thorough bath.

“Dragon-dude is popular.” Kaleb motioned towards one of the many rolling carts that were selling memory glasses with a slime-covered Kharne in various attacking poses. It was only natural due to the Kharne’s high kill count. Kaleb had seen his likeness in a memory glass swinging down on a slime with a flaming mallet. It was a bit alarming, but he couldn’t help but smirk at how cool he looked.

His attention eventually found Ismael who he had yet to formally introduce himself to. He appeared as a demi-human but Kaleb had already discovered his true nature due to the Raven’s many admissions

“You’re with us, right?” Of course Kaleb knew this. “My name’s Kaleb if you didn’t catch. I was- Wait wasn’t the sidekick-looking chick out here too? You know. R.B.F, short hair, cat-suit. weird boots…”

---

It wasn't much longer until the participants received their rewards and were led toward the east side of town. Traditionally, the River Port Spa, Salon, and Bathhouse offered complimentary baths and worked with the laundry service to clean slime off of clothing, armor, and gear. Those who relinquished their items were given a ticket as a receipt while they enjoyed a soothing bath in the company of other slime slayers. Once you were called up by ticket and name, you were meant to leave.

Kaleb, Arn, Kharne, Ismael, and Saoirse walked along the boardwalk in a sloppy formation. They clearly looked to be together amongst the crowd yet they were so misfit. Kaleb strategically placed himself slightly up front and at the center of the pack, head up, and his chest slightly forward.

“So who got the most? 67 over here!” Kaleb whipped his head from left to right at the others, now realizing he was in a weird position to make conversation.

Young Justice

Location: Poseidonis, Conference Room
Interactions: The Team

---

Helping Aleen’a back to the submarine took quite a bit of time, especially with Viktor insisting she not use up any additional energy. He assured her he was capable enough to swim the two back on his own. Along the way, he had internally cursed a few members of the team and the squid Talon navigated the submarine into. If not for them, Aleen’a might have avoided wasting the UV device given to her for the mission. Half are fools, and half blindly follow the fools. Viktor was obviously bitter about more than the UV device. When thinking of the team that had advanced and improved so much in such little time, Viktor only noticed the flaws.

Zach sees this as nothing but a game… a way to be center stage.

Daphne. She knows little of her capabilities and weaknesses. A walking L… Liability.

Talon is a mess. Distracted. Unsure of himself. Impressionable. His skill means nothing in the presence of his lackluster initiative.

Ja… Kila… His mind is divided and unpredictable. His skill set appears to shift, but how do you factor such a thing into your planning?!

Alisa and Aleen’a toe the line to whoever gives them orders. Jump off the cliff, won’t you? Uneedly sacrifice yourself won’t you? It’s unfortunate.

And then Kass. She…

Moments later…

Viktor sat with the team amongst the audience to watch Dr. Bingley finish the briefing where he left off. Unveiling samples he had brought along to distribute to the Atlantean people for test trials was not something Viktor expected. He simply raised an eyebrow at how forward the scientist was. It reminded me of his days as a child within H.I.V.E. That organization employed those with boundless ambition and curiosity. Their ingenuity was something to praise yet it was all for conquest and deviance. Dr. Bingley would have fit right in. He used the fear of a sub-group to push his research. Demonizing those with certain genetic traits was disgusting to Viktor. In fact, he didn’t agree with this research in the slightest. His mind was simply wired to ensure the success of the mission. For the good? For the better? For the worse? It mattered not once he was given his objectives. Squids could die and nations could fall in his wake and he would barely bat an eye.

As the samples were handed out, Viktor noticed Kassy attempting to address Dr. Bingley. She found failure in her first attempt but managed to snatch his attention with an assertive tone that attracted the eyes of the audience. The back and forth between Kassy and Dr. Bingley intensified with each passing moment.

As soon as Dr. Bingley called for the guards, one of the four guards took the initiative to start swimming forward towards the stage. To the guard, Kassy was simply a disturbance he would remove from the conference room.

“Team…” Viktor uttered before-

“I. AM NOT. DANGEROUS!”

Viktor winced at Kassy’s sudden scream. He had been planning to intervene, but he was much too late. Viktor attempted to look in Kassy’s direction but distorted images and sounds made him avert his gaze.

The other three guards attempted to reach Kass, but the affected audience made it even more difficult to swim to the young Atlantean. Some tried to escape, swimming straight into objects and others. Others cowered or flailed in fear. And then there were those that simply attacked, pushing others away as they found their safety compromised.

“Fuck! We have to stop her!” Viktor shouted as he peeked in the direction where he last saw Kassy. He held the armrests of his seat and planted his feet on the backrest. A grunt of frustration could be heard over the communications channel.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bingley had fallen in the presence of the young woman who objected to his research. He had attempted to flee, but due to him being so close to the source of the illusions, he felt the full brunt of it. Dr. Bingley found himself unable to find comfort as his feet failed to plant on the ground. His senses were so distorted, he felt as if he had no equipment and was simply opening his bare eyes and ears to Kass who shouted at him. Her figure blurred and her words slightly muddled. This was the monster he sought to eradicate.

“GET AWAY FROM MEEEEEE! I WON’T DIE HERE, YOU ABOMINATION! I WON’T! GUARDS! GUARDS! GUAAARDS!” Dr. Bingley screamed, putting all his hope in the guards that slowly encroached on Kass.

It was then that a sudden disturbance of the water occurred in the vicinity of Kassy. Viktor had taken some time to aim himself at the center of the illusionary distortion before pumping his legs to launch himself towards her. He couldn’t see or hear her clearly, but Viktor could only assume Kassy could hear him. And so he spoke to his teammate.

“Kass!” He called to her as closed the distance. Kass! His body inched closer and closer to his target that only grew to be more and more distorted as he approached. “Stop!”

And then Kass. She… She questioned my capacity. Questioned my place on this team! There was genuine emotion that surfaced as his face contorted behind his visor. His fist cocked back as he readied himself to deliver a strike toward the distortion. He grunted as he had put a significant amount of force behind the punch. He wanted to hit her fast and hard. A quick burst that would knock the Atlantean out of her ill-found senses. With a powerful thrust…

…

…

…

…

Viktor missed. His fist thrust an entire foot past Kass’s head. Shit.

Code Vein (Closed)

---

Location: Garden → Armory
Interactions: Cerise, Dallas, Lysandra, Desmond, Vincent
Mentions:

---

A warm greeting from the sweet Cerise managed to lift Erik's spirits even higher than they already were. It was a feat only made possible by the female Revenant's pure and genuine kindness.

“Yup, all done! Once we're geared and packed up we'll meet back in the Strategy Room to get our bearings. There'll be more of us out there than usual.” Erik said in passing, but he turned his body to address her until he was briefly walking backward.

With a quick effortless turn, he was back to moving forward and towards the armory. His eyes caught several members of the Commune working cooperatively. “Wow, look at the dream team setting us up for success!” Erik beamed as passed by to reach the armory. Unlike his bow he placed around willy-nilly, his swords were always set in the same place within the armory. He equipped his two swords, one depicting a sun and the other a moon.

“Sun for fun! Moon for fortuune” A very poor rhyme he announced as he equipped the two weapons. As poor as it was, those in the Commune that had witnessed Erik engage in enough combat situations discovered how much weight the rhyme held. Despite equipping a pair of swords, he only used one. Eventually, someone would ask, curious as to why he brought along a weapon he never unsheathed, and he'd always answer with his big ol' smile.

“For good luck!”

Stepping out of the armory, he eyed the crew loading some of the last few items into the van.

“When we get back, don't worry about unpacking anything. You've already earned an immediate post-mission relaxation.” Erik was fine with taking on the busy work after the mission, partly because he wanted to pull his weight in the group.