OwO

Murder for Fun and Profit: Mercenaries in London

Robot Boy

“If I attached two more guns, I'd have named it Cerberus. It'd probably make more sense that way.”

Name

Elias Washington

Age

34

Gender

Male

Role

Technician

Allegiance

CDA, mostly.

Personality

Elias is a fairly relaxed mercenary. Naturally a comedian, he often makes wise-cracks in the middle of combat. Despite his often joking demeanor and his buffoonery, he actually holds a PhD in 'Robotics, Controls, and Intelligent Systems'. On the field, he essentially hates the ever living shit out of snipers and has an extraordinarily fierce rivalry with combat sappers. He doesn't even try to hide the reason why. His cool robot has been damaged by snipers and landmines on multiple occasions. Really, his best friend is a robot and that's kind of sad.

Weapons

Elias uses a MK18 Mod 1 and a P229R DAK, neither of which are named because he's not "a lonely, friendless sniper." Additionally, he carries a three smoke grenades with him because "fucking snipers are pussies."

Gadget

A 150 pound, all-terrain quadrupedal sentry gun, Laelaps is Elias' best friend on the field. Equipped with a triple-jointed, extendable arm that can fire 9mm rounds semi-accurately in 360°. With a second "reloading arm" located on the metal beast's ass, it is capable of autonomously firing via a mixture of RFID identification and live body recognition using two cameras located on the front and on the main arm itself. Decently armoured, Laelaps is able to shrug off most small arms fire so long as they do not directly hit.

The bot has three modes it can be set it. The first is a fully autonomous mode. While in this mode, Laelaps follows Elias and uses both lidar and radar sensors underneath the frame, the twin cameras, and gyroscopic sensors to semi-accurately move alongside Elias' RF chip. While in this state, it is unable to fire due to its constant proximity to Elias. Without Elias to guide it, the robot is essentially a roomba that can't even vacuum.

The second mode is a fully controlled mode. Using a controller and a touch screen on his left wrist, Elias is able to direct the robot where to go and where to fire. The third mode is a sentry mode, which allows the robot to assume a recoil reducing position closer to the ground and fire at enemies it sees. Because of the slow nature of live body recognition, RFID checking, and a whole bunch of 'ethic issues', the robot is heavily inaccurate and is more deterrence than anything else.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

Reconvening with her associates, Ash's time alone had been brought to a halt. Back to the grind against fate with her inscrutable allies.

"Recruiting is a good idea. Hunting is, unfortunately, not an option. A deer would be unable to attack you with a sword. It's not enough money, either. That is, if we're even lucky enough to encounter enough to make money. Our best options for reliably getting enough is either the skull-faced goblin or the toad, if they haven't been slain already." But would they actually find someone to join them? Was Muu even in good enough condition to leave the bed? They were put in a difficult place.

"1 silver, 5 silver, 2 silver. Those are our debts to the hospital," Ash informed Muu, "with a minimum payment of every three days. We have two days left to get enough silver for all our debts. We have zero silver and a hard deadline, so we need to start whatever we're doing now. For now, let's just give Muu some privacy." Her right hand instinctively moved to tap Matteo's shoulder with her knuckles, the global sign of 'we should really let the naked girl put clothes on'.

Suddenly, My Favorite MMORPG has Become Real?! — A Log Horizon-inspired RP

Seriously, it's perfect. The original was not much better and this works perfectly, complete with the hat and a lion motif for the armor.

@Ozerath

yowch my feelings

Neo Sorairo

“Well,” Yui joked, “nothing stopping you from going ahead of us. Except you getting ganked and accidentally blowing yourself up while we try to keep our feet dry. C'mon, Pubert.”

She walked around the perimeter of the marsh. Strange, she thought. If Falk had said that they were being watched earlier, why hadn't they attacked them already? They may had been just waiting for the trio to be put in an unfavourable position, like being isolated or stuck in mud, but were they that intelligent? Probably. Yui didn't really know much about the invaders, besides they were evil and looked metal. Despite her worries, she wasn't upset. If they were able to complete this mission without any combat, then they were technically the best group out of the lot since they would have avoided engagements. Unless the other teams didn't really fight. That would mean they were just slow.

Still, though. Talking an extra moment to avoid mud made the mission a lot more tolerable.

Mass Effect: Sinless

I appreciate the hard work you guys did reviewing all of the heavy tomes of submissions the past few days and all of the careful work you guys put into this.

@Dervish

"*Groan of pain* why does everyone in advanced write novels?" - Scrub Mage on spending 4+ hours reviewing characters in one sitting before getting up to violently play random instruments, 11/01/2019.

Neo Sorairo

“That's a big no from me, Pubert,” Yui replied to the undergrown youth, “if we get ganked, we'd have to deal with two nerds trying to fuss with batteries while our nonnegotiable gunner pal has to deal with all of them. With explosions. While they to take our juicy man goo. From two feet away, I'd say.” Her tone was laced with a bit of venom, but still remained in her normal tongue-in-cheek tone. With a hop, skip, and a second skip, she was off to the races. She followed Falk away from their flying mobile base, trusting in his decision.

“Well, if they're following us, we don't gotta worry about where to go. Pubert, get on my ass and body block for me. Falk, uh, you do you. I don't know how the gunner 'do'.”

Yui forged a path for the three compatriots, giving a soft whistle as she forged a path. Slowly, the ground began to squish and ick. It was soft and muddy. Yui didn't really like it at all. In fact, for a Striker, muddy ground was one of the biggest obstacles they had to overcome. If the ground was soft, your power was reduced. There was a chance of slipping and the low range of strikers meant that they had to overcome the soft earth to get to their targets. Of course, Falk could make a bridge between trees. That was stupid, though. If they were ganked, they were now fighting on a wire bridge and/or trees. Plus, they all got that comms message from Afterglow about a lost child.

“Let's go detour out of this mud. I'd rather flop around on collapsing buildings rather than gunk up my shoes.”

Yui had taken a leader's role. She was garbage at it, but she had taken it.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

"One of us has to die."

The claustrophobic darkness was kept at bay the roaring fire. A familiar warmth, but this wasn't made by her. No, this was made by the bear. She was only a visitor in his domain. The bear was a predator and the damaged youth an intruder.

"Nothing personal. It's nature, you know."

The bear circled the fire as he spoke. Despite the fire, his breath formed a thick vapor from the cold. His calm words were snarled from the ineffable jaws he possessed.

"The strong live, the weak die."

---

Her eyes opened slowly, but surely. Easy, she thought, don't shake. Just breath in and out. Behind the front leg, then move up. Do it perfectly. Her tensed hand let go. A distinctive snap resounded through the trees. The arrow flew directly into the deer, it sinking deep in the flesh. The deer panicked. It leaped onto its hind legs, dodging much too late. It began to run. Just as quickly as it started, it collapsed. The arrow had penetrated the heart. A clean kill. She walked towards the deer, small knife in hand. Memories of the past week had been on her mind.

Ash was the first to wake up. That dream with the bear, it pervaded her mind. One of them had to die, the bear had said. But Ash couldn't dwell on it. It wasn't important. She got up from the bed the church had given her and was given the bad news. Half a silver for each day of treatment, totaling one silver. She had 10 days to pay it off, more or less. She had the money, but abstained from paying it. She didn't know if it would be important later. Seeing her two companions near her, she realized that she was the only one who was functional. She wouldn't waste her time. She would get information.

She placed large rocks together in a circle. Placing dry twigs and sticks into the pit, she began to spin a twig above it. The skin on her hands had since been worn down into nothing, rebuilt, then worn down again. The pain didn't bother her. Not anymore, not ever. She ignored it. The spinning became more frantic. First came smoke, second came embers, and lastly, a flame. She kept the fire stoked. A thick heat began to emanate.

Her journey in the morning gave less than stellar results. Nobody gave her the time of day. She wasn't exactly surprised. She felt gross. She knew she was gross. Next, she went into bars. Loose lips sank ships and alcohol was a patented remedy for the tight lipped. She offered drinks. Not the most expensive, but not the cheapest. Two people had taken her offer.

The first was Beako, a lightly armored Fiend Knight with a long spear. Her hair was tied up in a complex braided ponytail and she had henna-esque tattoos stretching up her neck to her cheeks. Her tag was steel, much better than Ash's copper one. She enjoyed Ash's attempt to break the ice by describing in vivid detail how she almost lost her life while training to an angry bear. The Fiend Knight gave a great amount of information. New people should stick to the western forest. Goblins and slimes were easy to beat, save for slimes being primarily affected by magic. Money was made without bounties by primarily looting what the monsters had. Less lucrative but still money, taking proof of a recently killed monster's body made for a steady source of income.

The second was Padoze. He had got lucky and was picked up by a party of 'nice older sisters'.

Gross.

The second day had been less lucrative. Ash had, compelled by curiosity, talked to the rabbit slaying man. He talked of The Fanged God and the two had a short and awkward conversation. took a bath for 20 copper, thankfully. She needed it.

It was lucky she was so close to the river. The deer had been trying to drink when she found it. It made cleaning easier. Careful, careful. She drove a knife into its midsection and sliced. No nausea overcame her. She was used to it now. This was her new normal. The knife cut through flesh with some difficulty, but it wasn't enough to ruin the cut. Blood flowed into the river - back into nature. Intestines and stomach had been removed, then the lungs. Kidneys, liver, tongue, and what remained of the heart were bisected from the body. She began to cook. Liver first. That was for her. It was meat to replace what she lost. Even though it tasted so thick and gamey, it was a blessing. But, despite how much she needed it, she didn't eat it all. She left a small portion alone. Next, the kidneys, then the tongue, then what remained of the heart. She did the same and left a portion for the wilds. It was thanks for the protection that night.

The third day, she had met with Matteo. He had awoken from his painful slumber and Ash was the first to see him. Ash shared what useful information she had with him. Matteo said they could train, but they had no money. The only experience they could get was to go back into the forest with just the two of them. They talked about getting new members of their ragtag party, but it would be difficult to find any. The two parted, each going their own way.

Ash had decided to go back to the Ranger's Reserve to practice. For six days, she didn't leave the reserve. She practiced a little bit of everything; marksmanship, endurance, shelter-building, tracking. Any skill she thought she would need, she practiced.. On the first day, she fired arrows at trees and ran through the underbrush. The second day, she practiced following tracks and worked on her endurance, hitting a tree with a stick until either the stick or her body broke. The third day, she sprinted through the underbrush. She ended up tripping and falling into a river. It chilled her to the bone and she had to spend hours warming up by a fire. The fourth day was similar to the first three. The fifth day, she practiced tracking and managed to step in a precious 'track'. It smelled gnarly. The worst part about the training, however, was the nights. Dreams of the bear pervaded. She was afraid and the dreams only escalated.

The sixth day, by a stroke of good luck, she managed to find a deer by a watering hole.

River washed the carcass. Careful now, it was heavy. She carried one end over each shoulder, its open midsection on her neck. She couldn't keep this meat. She needed money. She left the forest and to the butcher. A clean deer carcass had only brought 50 copper. Not surprising. It wasn't a large deer. Still, the money was important. She graciously pocketed it and went back to the church.

Returning to the church, Ash had went to check on Muu. There was a strange man there, watching over the sick bladedancer. He was clad in black, the only color he had on him came from a red scarf that was wrapped around his head. Only his eyes were visible. He turned to Ash.

"You're her comrade?"

Ash was taken aback. Who was this man and what did he have to do with Muu? No point in lying. Lying was too dangerous. Practically anyone who wore strange clothes was probably strong enough to demolish all of them combined.

"For the time being," Ash replied. Her tone was cold. After all, this man was dangerous as long as she didn't know why he was there.

"She owes me one silver a week. Where's the money." His voice was unwavering. Despite being a question, it felt more like a command.

For a moment Ash paused. She looked at Muu and grit her teeth. She pulled out a silver coin from her pocket and held it out. "Take it."

The strange man took the coin, gave a harumph, and left. Ash walked up to the sick blade dancer. There, she saw a strange crimson symbol on Muu's hand fade away. Ash sighed as she ran a hand through her greasy hair. Later, she thought, I'll talk to her.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance [Looking for 1-3 New Players]

We can technically take two more.

Just one priest would be a necessity because of what's goin' on.

Neo Sorairo

'The Effects of Prolonged Ionized Radiation Exposure on Native Japanese Wildlife After Second Genesis' by Yoshida Naoto

Yui's attention had been grasped by the book. During the plane ride, she had been reading the dense, slab-like report. Though, the term 'read' wasn't the most apt word. She looked at a poorly printed black and white picture, glanced at a few sentences, then tore off a piece of paper to fold into an airplane. Each paper airplane had been thrown at Falk with all of the force her thin arms could muster. Considerable force, as it turns out. The vast majority of planes had done bizarre loops, slammed directly into the ground, or went completely off target. Periodically, a plane would be launched directly towards the explosive American with the force of a thousand suns. When the lieutenant gave the mission details, Yui sat at attention. Replace sensor batteries, follow the map (therefore the directions of the stinky nerds!), avoid fights. That's all there was too it.

As the osprey touched down, Yui didn't really feel much. Not excitement, not anxiety, not really anything besides a desire for the operation to be over already. The sooner the operation was over, the sooner she could slack off. She liked doing that, but there was a time and place for everything. Military sorties didn't exactly scream "slack off now!" to the bored youth. With Tian-Gui and a few others out first, Yui stood within the dark confines of the ship. Her eyes remained closed because of the difference between the inner ship and outside sun. A familiar sound flew into the dark room and reverberated.

“Final Red...”

Wait, was that what she thought it was?

“TRANSFORM!”

It was.

Instantly, Yui out. She ran towards the cargo door and opened her eyes.

She made it just in time to catch the end of the transformation. Also known as, the super bright flash and loud noise.

"Yagh! The magical girl just flash-banged me!" She yelped. Instinctively, she moved the thick book to block any more light from demolishing her poor, poor eyes. After a brief moment of rapidly blinking and trying her best to mitigate the flash blindness. Soon, her vision returned and she looked back up. Right. The mission. They had to do the mission and, preferably, complete the mission. In a comparatively less cool manner, Yui walked over to the cargo hold and pulled out an extremely long case. Eight by one feet, the case slid out from its neatly packaged spot for a uncomfortably long time. Popping the clips open, she retrieved her gargantuan blade. Sheathed in a thin, canvas-like plastic, the blade (thankfully) wouldn't cut anything around her. She grabbed four batteries and, like some super-hobo, hung them on the sheathed sword. She lifted and rested the blade over her shoulder and walked out of the cargo hold, careful not to thwack anyone on the way out.

"Falk, Smelly Nerd, let's get this done so I can finish this book."

Neo Sorairo

ey, seems like we're stuck together, so any opinion on team names and all that jazz?

@ERode

Team Yui.

Even if she's gone, she'll be there in spirit.