Inertia

Just Another Hero

Tag(s): @BlackMaiden@sly13

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The cute little girl almost looked confused to be addressed, like someone taught the her to not speak to strangers. It seemed that she was looking for Hasaki Todoroki. "I can lead you to hi-" He was interrupted by Hasaki himself. Keiji shook his head as both conversed and thanked them, they seemed to know each other well enough so it'd likely be fine to leave both alone. "Don't mention it," Keiji patted his legs as he got up from the squatting position, "I really didn't do anything."

Mister? Keiji thought, The hair makes me look old, damned genes.

Both were Todoroki. One of the most illustrious families in Japan. Eyes were drawn to the two when they conversed further. Especially one being a possible successor of the Todoroki dynasty and his apparent younger sister. Though Keiji had little dealing with Hasaki as they were from different classes, he was never this tame. Hasaki reminded him of Dietrich, so seeing him like this was surreal.

Keiji glanced at his watch and became a little wide-eyed. "I really gotta go," He mumbled before calling out to the Todoroki sibilings who were leaving, "Hold her tight so she doesn't get lost, Hasaki... Oh and I know I'm not your representative but be there at the internship recruitment thing."

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"Hey Big Bro, didn't keep you waiting too long right?" Keiji asked, a goofy grin on his face. His brother, Hideaki, was not as amused, his red eyes were cold as he looked down on his brother. Keiji definitely made him wait too long.

"Well, you can glare at me later," Keiji said, "Come-on, let's go."

Just Another Hero

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Keiji's interlaced knuckles turned white as the broadcast ended. It seems that his suspicions were confirmed. Even his family's been in a stir, try as they might to keep it under wraps. The general atmosphere of the firm just felt warped. Sasuke's idea to bring both classes into the know seemed a tad reckless. Still, it was better to know than be left in the dark.

Keiji listened to Sasuke's words before letting a smile seep onto his face. Sasuke seemed to be atleast be driven by a desire to help the classes than himself... probably. His smile faltered as the boy began to speak about their ex-class representative- Īda Enka. Īda was a reliable, if a bit flamboyant, and diligent representative. One could always count on him to come through, so his betrayal stung all the more. It was sort of a whiplash to Keiji and he wasn't as close to him as others, so he couldn't imagine how the others felt.

What was more surprising was that Keiji was to replace Īda as the male class representative rather than Dietrich... or even Hatsumi. The fact that he was named class representative was something that gave him pause- he's never had such stringent responsibilities set on him. Nevertheless, Keiji accepted the position and has been trying his best to fulfill his role. He's pretty much has had to rely on Oda to take care of his many short-comings, which made him remember to get her a thank-you gift sometimes int he future.

Keiji listened to his Shinon then Amaya's words and internally thanked them. He wasn't exactly one for disagreements but it seems like there's a certain expectation from his classmates that he should defend their class. Their death stares directed at Sasuke seemed to indicate as such.

Keiji got up his seat and sauntered over to Sasuke's location and approached his side. "Now, now, Sasuke," He said, slinging his arm over the irritable boy smiling all the while, "Aurora's right, It's not the time for us to be divided, Classes A and B should be united to strengthen each other."

"Riling up rivalries between our classes isn't exactly Student Council President material," Keiji unslung his arm and gripped Sasuke's shoulder, "... is it?"

Truth be told, Keiji was undecided if he would even shoot for that kind of a position. It seemed like an indoctrinate amount of work and other people seemed more deserving.

"But... it's as class rep Sasuke has said," Keiji turned to his colleagues, "Be sure to attend the recruitment, please. I don't want to hear that someone's skipped a mandatory event... again."

"That said, I'll excuse myself early as I have to meet my brother," He continued, walking to the exit, "If any of you need anything, just call me."

Keiji stepped out of the Miyako Common Room and made his way outside. The wave of students and people made it hard to do so, but he could mostly move around or power through the wave. This was before he saw a small, helpless girl seemingly frozen in the current of people. Being who he is, Keiji dropped his current task to help. His brother could wait, probably. He made his way to the girl and squatted at the girl (@BlackMaiden). Luckily the crowd seemed to notice this and gave both of them some space.

"Hello there," Keiji said, "I don't mean to pry but, are you lost by chance?"

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Hideaki Matsushima arrived at the entrance of Eirei Academy. His black limousine was dismissed with a wave of the hand as he stared at the building. It had been a few years since his graduation from it but he still feels like home in the institution. Hideaki adjusted his cuffs and crushed his cigarette before throwing it into a bin. With an icy look he scanned the premises, trying to find his brother whom promised to meet him before the internship recruitment drive.

His parents had given him this task to be the representative of the Matsushima firm. He's been told that this internship drive is important and he should perform his best to gain the most performers. Keiji had complained that he was too cold and "pretty intimidating", to be able to do the recruitment 'properly'. As such his younger brother had put him through drills on how to smile with your eyes.

A small smile cracked on his frosty exterior. ... Runt has the audacity to say I am not charismatic? Hideaki thought, glad that his brother was being proactive as he is. This smile also seemed to scare a random passerby who glimpsed his expression.

Now... where was his precocious brother?

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Tag(s): Everyone

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Ixius felt drained, to say the least. Physically, his body was screaming out at being forced to go at Calven's pace and then being pinned by an Arrow for Dex. Mentally, he was grasping on to any thread of reason that prevented him from killing a fellow Magus. One of the tenets of the Librarium was the absolute restriction of confratricide (To kill one's fellow colleague), but still, there had to be an exception to every rule, right? Mana circulated and gathered within Ixius, then stopped, then started again; this cycle repeated a few times before fully settling. The waves of spiking and throttling mana could be felt by anyone who was even a tiny bit proficient in sensing mana.

As the 'warm-up' came to an end, he stared daggers at the oblivious blond. The red-eyed magus was practically fuming as he pushed down the rage and the vomit scratching its way up his throat. He controlled his breathing, mostly to catch his own breath and restore some stamina as the students lined up. Ixius once again stood in the 'at-ease' position. His rage was still palpable, but less so. It was clear who it was directed at. Unfortunately, he only heard bits and pieces from Sir Vermont as he was busy trying to calm himself down.

Ixius watched the (objectively speaking) beautiful teacher's 'performance'. It was other-worldly... for swordsmen. Still, to be able to put that much effort in anything is to be commended, even with an inefficient method of combat. That, and his fears of Instructor Maya being dangerous were true. He was unsure if anything less than an Arch-Magus... no maybe a Grand Arch-Magus could fight evenly with this teacher.

The mannequins too were quite something else. It was clear that they were moving with magic, but it was extremely advanced and subtle. Sir Vermont had mentioned that they 'adapt' to your skill-level, which was interesting. Ixius couldn't put his finger on exactly how they would adjust to an opponent's strength on the fly, so it was impressive to him.

The fight continued... it was like an enrapturing dance. Ixius, to no one's surprise, couldn't quite keep up with the faster sections. He's always had an observing eye, but most of the intricacies of the fight went over his head. All he could tell was that; Maya was extremely skilled for a swordsman, and that the mannequins could somehow even provide a challenge to her. Even that moment mid-air, she somehow maneuvered the dodge an incoming attack.

The fight had essentially ended in a flash. Slow when they circled each other but too fast for his eyes when they clashed. Still, as impressive as the display was... learning magic seemed to be more superior to him- less risk whilst having much superior fire power. What can a sword do to a slew of fireballs sent from a singular mage's chant. Besides, unlike steel weaponry and armour, magic's the type of thing to never break, right?

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Ixius stepped up against a training dummy. It readied itself against him as the magus drew a blank. Wait, how does one even begin a fight without magi- Ixius thought as the dummy raised its fist and hooked him across the face. That was how. He looked inwards, into his memory, had he even read any book pertaining to such? As another fist came flying towards his face, he remember that he'd read one in passing, that an adventurer left in their libraries, to laugh at it.

A basic block, the cross-block was within the first few pages. Ixius tried his best to emulate the block; he held his fist up in a cross-like fashion, causing the oncoming fist to land land on his right forearm. Defend the face, that was the basics... I think. The mannequin seemed to note this and jumped backwards, but just in range for a kick. The magus looked at only one other move before he scoffed and threw the book back on the table he found it.

It was a twisting kick, a round-house kick. The same kick that Maya had performed for the students to the last mannequin. To some it may appear he was simply mimicking the instructor but it really was the only kick he read from the book.

As the mannequin landed, Ixius tried to recall the movement. Bring his leg up to the side and snapping his entire body sideways into a spin. Well, the 'kick' was a kick, if you could call it that. The kick missed its mark by quite a bit, and it barely reached the top of the mannequins chest. It didn't help that he was also out of stamina, so his body couldn't quite match up with his mind's vision. As his kick found no landing he spun further and exposed his sides to the mannequin who took no time to take advantage of the opening.

With a swift front kick Ixius was thrown to the dirt as he didn't have steady footing after the kick. Ixius pushed his body up and punched the dirt as he heard a few faint giggles from the eyes watching him. He would get this mannequin without magic or he'd be damned. No swordsman nor combat class would get the better of him, even if inferior. That and he was a tad sick of being shoved and pulled around.

Just Another Hero

@Stern Algorithm

I'll do a quick one; Haze is pretty unassuming and polite in general interactions. Her quirk's the type of quirk that'd pique his interests so he may bother her about that but otherwise I don't see them interacting much outside of joint class activities.

That said, if they did ever match together in say, the Sports Festival, she might remember him for how insane and crazily he fights and with alot of glee.

Just Another Hero

Haze

_{𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐠𝐨}

Haze

_{𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧}

Paige

_{𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤}

Steam Machine – Mutant type quirk.

Haze's skin is separated into pentagonal-shaped scales. The 'scales' in question are closer to a metallic textures like steel or iron than a scale. The colour resembles normal human skin, allowing him to pass off as 'normal' when seen. When Haze activates their quirk, his body becomes tougher, stronger, faster. Haze starts generating enough body heat to harm others through physical attacks.

When Haze is in use of his quirk it begin to consumes water his body, the only way to 'deactivate' his quirk is to purposefully expel steam from his body to bring it back to equilibrium, otherwise known as his 'neutral' state. In his neutral state, he is nothing more than an average human.

In addition, by closing the scales on his whole body and selectively opening them in certain sections, the user can shoot high-pressure steam at high speeds to attack or direct it to the ground to make big leaps from those openings. The steam can also be used to increase the speed of his attacks via acceleration (e.g. Expelling steam from behind his leg to speed up a kick). This comes with the caveat of bringing him closer to equilibrium, hence weakening his quirk's overall power.

Haze's quirk is battle against time; the longer his quirk is activated, the faster the water in his body is consumed. Though he can slightly control the rate at which his body burns through water. He has to keep the scales closed to prevent the steam from escaping to conserve his power- at the risk of overheating. Additionally, he still gets tired and can become dehydrated if used for prolonged periods of time. This coupled with the risk of overheating can prove to be very dangerous.

_{𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧}

Haze, otherwise known as Matsushima Keiji, in stark contrast to his renowned family's coldness and stoic demeanor(s) is a very amiable and friendly hero. He is usually found with a smile on his face with a joyful bearing on life as a hero and is the most approachable of the Matsushima. It doesn't take much asking for him to do someone else a favour, seeming glad to just be able to help out. This happy and genuine approach to life seems to earn him a bit of a good reputation with others while somewhat alienating him from his business-oriented and strict family.

Keiji is naturally inquisitive and curious, whenever he founds someone or something that piques his curiosity he tends to cling to that particular 'thing' until his curiosity is sated. It's rather difficult for him to switch rails when this happens and he becomes almost obsessive to sate his curiosity.

An odd quirk of Haze's personality is that he likes fighting quite a bit, bordering on a sick enjoyment. Something about the feel, feel, and atmosphere of an unrestrained battle feels invigorating to him. His personality even shifts drastically, turning into a bit of a blood knight; he uncharacteristically becomes more foul mouthed to goad his opponents into attacking and (when safe) he holds back and tempers his abilities to prolong the battle for his enjoyment. This has earned him an unofficial appendage to his Hero name; 'Crazed' or 'Bloody' Haze.

_{𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝}

Matsushima Keiji born to the Matsushima family, one of the most renowned and well established Hero agency in Japan. Born as the second son to a large family dynasty, he really wasn't expected to inherit and learn anything that's necessary to keep the family business running. He was mostly there to serve as a 'backup' just in-case anything happened to his older brother. As such, he was mostly allowed free-reign on whatever he wanted to do or pursue.

During his youth, his found his quirk was extremely hard to control and regulate properly and Keiji would spend most of his time in a sick bed in a grueling effort to control his power. It wasn't until his parents hired a quirk user, with similar capabilities, to help with simply controlling his quirk. It was a long and hard few years before he was able to enjoy a childhood.

It was only by chance that his brother had mentioned graduating from Eirei Academy in passing that he became interested. With a slight chuckle (an abnormality from his relative), his brother slapped his back and wrote a recommendation to the academy to appease his younger brother's insatiable curiosity.

Just Another Hero

Tell me if something's off or the quirk's too much. Also I hope this is still open.

Haze

_{𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐠𝐨}

Haze

_{𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧}

Paige

_{𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤}

Steam Machine – Mutant type quirk.

Haze's skin is separated into pentagonal-shaped scales. The 'scales' in question are closer to a metallic textures like steel or iron than a scale. The colour resembles normal human skin, allowing him to pass off as 'normal' when seen. When Haze activates their quirk, his body becomes tougher, stronger, faster. Haze starts generating enough body heat to harm others through physical attacks.

When Haze is in use of his quirk it begin to consumes water his body, the only way to 'deactivate' his quirk is to purposefully expel steam from his body to bring it back to equilibrium, otherwise known as his 'neutral' state. In his neutral state, he is nothing more than an average human.

In addition, by closing the scales on his whole body and selectively opening them in certain sections, the user can shoot high-pressure steam at high speeds to attack or direct it to the ground to make big leaps from those openings. The steam can also be used to increase the speed of his attacks via acceleration (e.g. Expelling steam from behind his leg to speed up a kick). This comes with the caveat of bringing him closer to equilibrium, hence weakening his quirk's overall power.

Haze's quirk is battle against time; the longer his quirk is activated, the faster the water in his body is consumed. Though he can slightly control the rate at which his body burns through water. He has to keep the scales closed to prevent the steam from escaping to conserve his power- at the risk of overheating. Additionally, he still gets tired and can become dehydrated if used for prolonged periods of time. This coupled with the risk of overheating can prove to be very dangerous.

_{𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧}

Haze, otherwise known as Matsushima Keiji, in stark contrast to his renowned family's coldness and stoic demeanor(s) is a very amiable and friendly hero. He is usually found with a smile on his face with a joyful bearing on life as a hero and is the most approachable of the Keiji. It doesn't take much asking for him to do someone else a favour, seeming glad to just be able to help out. This happy and genuine approach to life seems to earn him a bit of a good reputation with others while somewhat alienating him from his business-oriented and strict family.

Matsushima is naturally inquisitive and curious, whenever he founds someone or something that piques his curiosity he tends to cling to that particular 'thing' until his curiosity is sated. It's rather difficult for him to switch rails when this happens and he becomes almost obsessive to sate his curiosity.

An odd quirk of Haze's personality is that he likes fighting quite a bit, bordering on a sick enjoyment. Something about the feel, feel, and atmosphere of an unrestrained battle feels invigorating to him. His personality even shifts drastically, turning into a bit of a blood knight; he uncharacteristically becomes more foul mouthed to goad his opponents into attacking and (when safe) he holds back and tempers his abilities to prolong the battle for his enjoyment. This has earned him an unofficial appendage to his Hero name; 'Crazed' or 'Bloody' Haze.

_{𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝}

Matsushima Keiji born to the Keiji family, one of the most renowned and well established Hero agency in Japan. Born as the second son to a large family dynasty, he really wasn't expected to inherit and learn anything that's necessary to keep the family business running. He was mostly there to serve as a 'backup' just in-case anything happened to his older brother. As such, he was mostly allowed free-reign on whatever he wanted to do or pursue.

During his youth, his found his quirk was extremely hard to control and regulate properly and Matsushima would spend most of his time in a sick bed in a grueling effort to control his power. It wasn't until his parents hired a quirk user, with similar capabilities, to help with simply controlling his quirk. It was a long and hard few years before he was able to enjoy a childhood.

It was only by chance that his brother had mentioned graduating from Eirei Academy in passing that he became interested. With a slight chuckle (an abnormality from his relative), his brother slapped his back and wrote a recommendation to the academy to appease his younger brother's insatiable curiosity.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Tag(s): Everyone

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Ixius had woken up relatively earlier than his peers; two hours before the sun creeped over the horizon. It would be a stretch to call him a morning person, however, he was noticeably more irritable in the early morning than later. Still, it was a habit drilled into him by his teacher in the Librarium. "An early mind is the sharpest." was what they parroted repeatedly, to the point where the saying grated on Ixius' nerves.

The crimson eyed-magus had just finished his morning ritual- basic Cardio to keep in shape and improve his stamina. Though nothing too strenuous for swordsmen, it did make him work up a bit of a sweat. He made his way back to his room to freshen up with a shower before classes started. After twenty minutes he would step out of the bathroom and wear his uniform adorned with his robes and sat on his study desk to read and await for classes to start.

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Ixius closed his book and was out of his dorm as soon as Athena sounded an alarm. He leisurely sauntered over to the Hall of Combat. The hall was more grandiose than he initially thought it would be. It seemed endlessly large in scale, moreso than anything he's seen within the Librarium.

The magus stood in line with his fellow students; his feet were shoulder-width apart and his hands were behind him, thumbs interlaced. It was the 'at ease' position, once again taught to him by his teacher, when in presence of those higher in rank than him. However, unbeknownst to him, this stance wasn't mandatory at all. In short, his teacher was messing with him and it was entirely unnecessary. Ixius, being as serious as he is, stands in this position whenever in a class setting.

Even if Ixius found combat classes entirely unnecessary and undoubtedly (atleast in his mind) inferior to magic, he wouldn't go against the classes tailored by the academy. Would he voice his displeasure to anyone standing by, sure. To the Teachers, likely not. He listened closely to Vermont's words and took them in. He groaned internally at two things; the fact that no magic was allowed and that failing this, in his words, unnecessary class could lead to expulsion.

Ixius did a double take as the teacher did an impromptu run to finish off his speech. The students near him scrambled into a sprint to catch up to the instructor. The red-eyed boy clumsily followed suit, not having any time to take off his robes. As he managed to get his head right, he thought it would be unnecessary to sprint and run out of stamina quickly. It doesn't seem like there's a penalty for being las-

As he thought those words, an arrow cut through the air and hit a larger student right behind him on the side causing him to keel over in pain.

"Oh." Ixius unconsciously said.

It seemed that being near the back of the pack or last was asking to be knocked over by what appeared to be a blunt arrow. Ixius eyed a boy going over to help the downed student, only to be rewarded with getting pushed down himself as the douchebag caught up with the pack. Valencia shoved the bully as he merged back into the pack, earning a stifled chuckle from Ixius and a few other students near him. He even shot him a mirthful, evil smirk as their eyes met.

Ixius focused back on the matter at hand- the best position possible while avoiding being pelted the Instructor Dex's arrow. He had no real illusions of being able to take even one of Dex's arrows, especially without magic. To make up for his relatively lacking stamina, he had to run at a steady pace while meandering towards the back of the herd. It seemed that the benevolent student was the one that was being focused by the Instructor.

Ixius' breath began to catch in the back of his throat as more beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Hopefully his strategy of staying at pace with the back half of the pack would work.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Jin opened his mouth to reply to Ryan but was abruptly stopped by a figure barging into the dining room. The man sounded Russian; Jin looked towards Ekaterine, "Is he speaking Russian?" He asked, keeping an eye on the stranger whilst simultaneously studying him. The man was draped in the garments of a priest- a cassock etched with familiar Latin writing. Jin studied and is relatively fluent in Latin due to the nature of his work- Latin chants and verses proved effective in fighting The Serpent and his unholy cohorts.

Jin took one more deep look at the man's features; the man seemed in dire need of rest. This lends credence to a theory brewing in his head- this man was likely an exorcist. Still, it's not unheard of for priests to be possessed. He has dealt with more than a few non-exorcist priests succumbing to demonic possession. An unknown variable like this man was risky. Jin's clergy had mentioned three other priests that he would work with and was even given their personal dossier, though it wasn't like they weren't well-known in the exorcist circle. He didn't know if this man was backup or a potential 'trick'; it was certainly a trick that Satanists would enjoy employing.

Jin turned to address the stranger before Ryan spoke and teleported away. The Satanist's quick exit surprised the Priest, instantaneous teleportation was far from common. In-fact, this was the first time Jin's been able to see it first hand. it first-hand; he didn't like the feeling that the magick gave him... It felt sinister and inhuman. A dozen-or-so unnamed Satanists clad in thick plate armour took his place. It didn't take a detective to guess that their party was expected. Jin readied his tonfas in a reverse grip.

Two Satanists charged the Korean Priest; one wielding a towering greatshield and an even larger spear. The other, from what Jin could tell, seemed more particularly skilled than his 'friend'. His movement, his steps specifically, denoted one seasoned in the usage of dual weaponry. Their rush seemed faster than expected. Jin noticed that Yu was in the way as he lit his censer, the Korean Priest apologized to Yu in his head before roughly shoving him out of the path of the shielded Satanist. Right before the two could collide, Jin spun to the shielded side of the Satanist to barely dodge the charge. Using the momentum of the spin, he hit the man on the back of the helmet with the long end of his tonfa. The concussive force of the weapon caused the shielded Satanist to tumble forward and lose his footing.

The dual-wielding Satanist barely stopped to acknowledge his fallen comrade and immediately attacked. Jin locked tonfas with his blades for a moment before he bashed it aside. He spun his tonfa around into a normal grip, and aimed for the opening between his helmet and chest- the throat. The hit landed squarely on the intended target as the man was pushed backwards, letting out a sharp exhale of air.

Jin retreated inwards into the room, keeping both men within view. The dual-wielding Satanist was on one knee, catching his breath. The shielded Satanist was already up and if looks could kill... Luckily, with the weight of the spear, shield and even the full plate armour, the range of motion of the man's spear was limited. They were still human, after all. The thrusts were fairly simple to deflect and bash way or sidestep and short end.

Jin tried to concoct a plan, he had little time before the dual-wielding Satanist would be up again. This time he stood on the spear side of the man. He waited for a slower and lower thrust than normal as he deflected each stroke. The next one seemed aimed at his feet, it was now or never. He used the bare minimum amount of motion to turn sideways to dodge the thrust. The spear lost it's momentum as it missed Jin. He flipped the tonfas into the special grip, as he tried to trap the weapon between the Soko and Tsuka- the opening between the handle.

Jin clicked his tongue as his tonfas narrowly missed, he misjudged the timing. The spear tore his side open as it was harshly retracted by the Satanist. Through God's grace, the wound wasn't very deep, it stung but that was the end of it. He noticed that the dual-wielding Satanist had almost recovered- there was no third chance. He stepped back as he deflected each thrust and waited for an opening. It came soon with another relatively low thrust. This time, he did it as he planned in his head. The thrust lost momentum after he dodged by a hair's breadth. His tonfa came down quicker than normal as he trapped the thrust even lower, low enough for him to stomp the spear into the wooden floor.

In the same moment, he flipped his right Tonfa turned into a reverse grip as he aimed an upward hit under the helmet, towards the Satanist's chin. Next, he flipped his left Tonfa into a normal grip and raised it high to brutally bash it downwards, on the man's helmet. The force of both concussive attacks caused the man to slump onto him. Jin quickly brushed him aside as the dual-wielding Satanist was already up and recovered. A clean, solid hit to the throat and the man had recovered in less than a minute. On Jin's side, he had suffered more than a few nicks and scratches here and there in the fight so far, the most prominent being the gash on his side.

"Please," Jin pleaded with the man, knowing it would fall on deaf ears, "Drop your arms, this isn't necessary."

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Ekaterine's energetic kick forced the door open, practically breaking the expensive hinges and wooden decor. The room beyond that door was just as impeccable as the rest of the mansion. It seems that the rumors of Satanist's had a penchant for the grandiose were true. The whole room set the scene. Jin's eyes scanned across the room and landed on a painting- a painting depicting 'the Last Supper'. However, it was The Serpent that has taken the place of Jesus, and his unholy servants surrounded him. The Priest's smile wavered ever so slightly; to have such blatant blasphemy on full display was unforgivable.

Jin shook his head to clear his mind- he needed to focus on the two figures in the room. One 'man' in a suit of armour was playing the beautiful music. Another, who had introduced himself as Ryan Chambers, was strikingly handsome and endlessly cordial. Satanists were like that, charming and approachable so they can reel you in with lies and deception to turn one against God.

The Priest waited for Alistair to finish before he spoke up, "I'm Jin Dak-Ho, a simple protestant from South Korea." Jin could see Ekaterine's antsy fingers, "Please, Ryan Chambers, turn away from The Deceiver and walks the righteous path once more. It is the only way without bloodshed." It was unlikely that his words would have an effect, however. Satanists have convictions just as strong, if not more reverent, as priests. In his life he's never seen a Satanist change their ways. It always rends his heart to have to kill a fellow human being.

Though Jin looked towards Ryan Chambers, he kept the man in the suit of armor within his peripheral. He wasn't quite as tense as Father Alistair was, but he was ready to jump into action as quickly as possible if need-be. The Priest also eyed the food that was offered, it seemed unlikely to be poisoned. However, accept a meal from the servants of The Deceiver is the same as accepting a meal from him.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

The rest of the ride went smoothly- well, as smooth as it can get being chased by demons. Father Alistair swiftly dispatched of the two remaining demons, it was apparent that the pastor had some experience with guns despite specializing in swordplay. It made sense, in a way, an exorcist has to consistently adapt to the situation that their church sends them to.

It also compounded Jin's thoughts about his fellow exorcists- they were definitely experienced and well trained. Jin, being the among the first and few exorcists in South Korea, lacked their technical know-how and rigid experience. South Korea had only just began developing a protestant presence in the newly seceded nation. The clergy and pastors were mostly off-hands with exorcists as they're busy establishing their presence. Most South Korean exorcists are self-trained and only bother their church for supplies. It'd nearly taken a year for Jin to be even supplied with and allowed a concealed carry.

Jin has heard, from the grape vine, that exorcists across the globe are stretched thin. Often times exorcists deal with cases alone. In rare cases they have a partner with them. So being sent in with three other exorcists- notable ones even, was a rarity amongst rarities. It meant that the situation was dire, or atleast that's how Jin viewed it. As god's servants, and through his divine providence, they would see it through. Jin had the utmost faith that it would work out. The driver's abrupt speech cut through his thoughts. The massive mansion had indicated that they arrived.

The priest had imagined that the house would be more... smaller in scale and dilapidated. The pristine and spotless condition betrayed that notion. It stood out against its surroundings, but in a reversed, odd way- the perfection of it contrasted the other buildings and house they had passed. Jin exited the beat up Chevelle and followed the driver to the trunk. He offered to help but the driver seemed insistent on opening it himself.

The rain seemed to pour harder as the driver went through the plan and described the interior of the mansion. Jin thought it was more of more of a labyrinth as the driver spoke of the plan. The map was then handed to him, "God bless you." The man had done far more than enough; Jin shot him an earnest smile to the driver as he slipped the map into one of his inner pockets."Leave the rest to us."

Jin stared at the pristine entrance of the mansion. The door was beautifully and impossibly ornate and gave off an almost ethereal feeling. The priest swallowed his disgust as he couldn't help but wonder how expensive the mansion is- how that money could have been used for those in actual need. Instead it's boasted in such a distasteful manner, one through needless pride and avaricious greed.

The priest was, once again, snapped out of his rumination. He figured since he had the map he should lead, not that he would need to use the map as he remembered the instructions clearly. "Shall we?"

The group followed the directions well enough. The door was odd and seemed to shift and change whenever Jin blinked. Still, Ektarine had her way with it and they soon entered. He had to stop himself from silently staring at the interior as they walked past- it was just as ornate inside as it was outside. Expensive, gaudy paintings, fanciful and beautifully carved chairs, silky rugs and more. It helped drive home the point of how rich the owner of this mansion truly is.

Jin recognized the music that played- Nocturne op.9 No.2. It was the most beautiful rendition of the piece he's ever heard. The music turned the mood sombre and oddly ominous. The music emanated from the dining room which helped in locating it. He stopped himself in-front of it and turned to his compatriots. "Are you all ready?" Jin asked as he gripped the cross on his neck, unsure of what exactly to expect on the other side.