Raijinslayer

You Can Become a Hero!

Yasuhide Seo

To his credit, Seo's face remained perfectly in his calculated expression of happiness and interest, even as he cursed it with everything he had. He could sense the distance growing between them, could feel the discomfort in Namie's words as she let awkward pauses punctuate the conversation, he own fake smiles cracking underneath the weight of. . . concern? Disappointment? The mute boy couldn't tell, and it ate him up inside as he wiped his board, clean, the empty smile on his face staying in place despite his best efforts to let it fall. He had an old friend from way back just asking for him to chat like the old days, but he couldn't open up to her. couldn't even begin to drop the mask, despite how glad he was to see her, how glad he was that she didn't seem to pity him, how glad just. . . standing by her made him. He couldn't convey any of that, the kanji he started to write down seeming to be as empty as his smile.

Luckily, the attention was torn away from him for a moment as Namie called out to Osamu. Unfortunately, that meant he'd have to interact with the stick in the mud as well. Turning around, Seo would produce his intro card with a sleight of hand flourish, holding out behind his fingers for Osamu to take and read. As he did so, he once more wiped his board free of what had been written won't prior and penned a new message.

~So. . . how did you guys take to the presentation? Kinda boring towards the end, am I right?~ He playfully gave Namie a punch in the arm as he showed off the message, perhaps a tad harder than he meant to. But it's fine, he'd done it like that before, right? This is what she wanted him to act like, the old joker that took nothing seriously.

What do you mean 'act'? That's what you're like. It's who you are, stop overthinking it. Don't let that dumb hallucination shake you u, Seo. You're fine. You don't need to worry about it, you don't need those fuckin' pills to feel normal. You are norms. You're just an normal, average kid trying to make friends and get by. . .

@Etranger@Pirouette

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

A v a d d o n

Avaddon couldn't help but let his grin soften as he listened to his compatriots' chatter amongst themselves behind him. He had been a tad bit worried that the lot of them would likely stay quiet and subdued in dour seriousness the whole length fo their journey given how little most of them seemed interested in conversing in the Guild Hall. But he was glad to be proven wrong in this instance, though he chose to keep his words to himself as he continued to keep an eye out for their prey.

Like the others, he noted the change in the air, the miasma growing thicker as they approached the lair but while they felt nervous and apprehensive at the thought of approaching battle. . . Avaddon relished it. The scales that lined his neck and shoulders were now standing up at their full height as he lumbered forward, ember-lit eyes darting this way and that at every flash of movement he could spot. One could liken his gait and readiness to be akin to that of a tiger slowly stalking his way through the underbrush, jaws open ever so slightly in anticipation for the strike.

It did not take long for the prey to show itself, however, as a miniboro scuttled out of the brush to face the party, tendrils flailing and eyes scanning them. It was the next action, however, that gave Avaddon pause. The creature, with neither brainpower to recognize it's own disadvantage nor a sense of self-preservation, ran away? Like Baldr, the large monk did not trust this development, his scales lowering slightly as he cast his eyes upward at the many trees that surrounded them. He'd little familiarity with such terrain but with how easily the bark gave way beneath his fingers. . .

"Blaike, your idea sounds good. . . but I think only one of us should move ahead." Avaddon motioned a hand upward as he began to stretch his arms and calves, not even glancing at his other companions nor leaving the decision up to them as he already began tracing a path through the treetops. "You, Baldr, Mitra, and Ianthe are the best candidates to keep the others safe in case this does end up a trap of some kind, what with your combined skills in magic and martial prowess." Having stretched to his heart's content and feeling properly warmed up, Avaddon walked backward towards the Rearguard, stopping just momentarily to cast a glance towards Luna.

"You're right. Stand up, breathe deep, and face it proudly, or stay hunkered down. I doubt that this will be the worst experience you'll ever experience if you continue down this path." With his peace said, Avaddon cracked his neck, taking a breath to ready himself before he burst into forward in a blur of action. In one instant he was in front of Baldr and Blaike, body lowered and tightened like a spring, in the next he was airborne launching himself at the base of one of the many trees that surrounded them. With a shuddering crack, the monk slammed into the bark, using his feet and clawed grip in the wood to steady himself as he took a moment to see if his new height advantage told him anything new. If so, he would report it to the group, but if not, he'd line up his next leap to the nearest tree forward, taking a moment to call back to the party if he felt the way ahead was clear or not. He never stayed still for too long, knowing that his weight would likely prove to be a mighty strain if he simply hung off it, so he made sure to keep his center of gravity as close to the tree as possible, to lessen the effect of his mass on his handholds as much as could.

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

A v a d d o n

"Same here for me, though given the nature of our target. . . it'll likely blend in with all of this greenery." Avaddon walked with Balder towards the head of the pack, finishing up the last few details of his own weapon maintenance. Rather than the battle gloves or tiger claws that many of his profession tended to go with, the Fabulian Monk wore only a set of hand-wraps. Tough ivory colored fabric clashed with the orange-red of his skin as it coiled around his hands and forearms, ending with a corded threat that hung down for his elbows. At the end of this cord sat the Aldite which he'd been given, casting a dull red glow as if it were a dying ember. Tightening his wraps with a single tug each, the large man gave a contented nod.

As the group came to a halt, Avaddon took a relaxed stance, arms raised high and fingers curved inward in a clawed fashion. The first few strikes struck at naught but air, distorting it as it passed through due to the heat being generated by the Aldite placed in their sockets. Mostly satisfied at seeing that his wraps were functioning properly, the Monk would strike once more. This time, with a target in mind.

The poor tree had no chance to defend itself as Avaddon's fingers tore into its bark, the acrid smell of burning wood flowing into the air as he left the strike to sit for a moment, then tearing the chunk of charred bark he'd created out, smiling in anticipation. Tossing the charred would back and forth in between his hands, he turned his attention out to the forest proper. With an almost nonchalant air, he tossed the charred lump out into the side forest, falling into a stance in tune to the soft rattle of his scales clattering against each other.

This is what he loved more than anything else. . . the quiet before the storm, where everyone was on a razor's edge. He had nothing to say, nothing to proclaim, only a desire that was barely held back by his years of experience in the Fabul deserts. In situations like these, the one who acted first was the one who exposed the biggest opening.

You Can Become a Hero!

Yasuhide Seo

Seo barely paid attention as the others were called up to meet their roommates, still thinking on his little episode from before. As such, it took him a moment to realize that someone was talking to him, another to realize it was Namie, and a third to quell the flood of emotions that threaten to spread across his face as he quite literally froze up. He opened his mouth absently, as if to speak but snapped it shut before he could embarrass himself further in front of his former friend. Clearing his head with a shake, the young boy was quick to slip into the usual mask. As he started to write up a response, however, he couldn't help but curse the slight shake to his hold on the whiteboard. Of all the times to get hit with a surprise visit from his old life, it had to be after he was already put off by his stupid brain playing tricks on him.

~Wow, wasn't expecting to see you around here, Superstar!~ Lifting up the board for her to see, breathing an internal sigh of relief as she kept her questions somewhat general. Namie have never really been one to pry, and for that, he was grateful for. ~Oh, Isshin just seemed to be a good place to go. They take the whole hero thing really serious and you know me, I try not to do anything halfway.~

Plus it's nice and far away from her. At that thought, Seo couldn't help but feel a scowl carve itself onto his face, remembering how he'd spent this morning gearing up to leave. Her husband had seemed possibly ecstatic to see him out of the house, their kid wouldn't stop crying and clinging to him, and his mother. . . she'd stayed in her room. 'Catching up on work' her husband had said. A lie, but that's fine. It was what their relationship had been for a while now.

Lie after lie after lie. . .

It wasn't until he heard his name being called that Seo came out of his thoughts, blinking as he caught the tail end of his roommate's name. He had no clue who that was, but after taking a quick look around, it became. . . rather clear who that was.

Wow, there are a lot of girls in this class. He thought with a scratch of his chin, giving a wave of acknowledgment his dormmate, but making no effort to actually hurry over to them. He had all the time in the world to say high to fleet admiral stick-in-the-mud. Despite his somewhat shaky response to her approach, he was genuinely happy to see her., and even more so that she even wanted to talk to him. He had. . . kinda blown the whole team off after his incident, and thought they'd wanted nothing to do with him after that.

@Pirouette@Etranger

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

A v a d d o n

Avaddon nodded at Blaike's words, finding the reason behind his adventuring suitable if not as noble as he'd have liked. As Balder spoke up about the actual content of their mission, the giant man scratched at his chin in consideration. Malboro, even if they were only small ones, were not a creature to be underestimated. The variant he'd encountered in the desert had a breath that could blind those who did not take proper precautions, so if these miniboro were anything like that then he did not want to be near them if he could help it.

"Weeds indeed. . ." He muttered as he knelt to the ground, finally letting Luna dismount. Once that was done, he signed the needed forms, still uncharacteristically silent as he considered what would be the best way to handle this. If he was back in the desert and facing such an issue, he'd liked to use some sort of bait in order to draw them out and then. . . oh, and they just so happened to have two engineers with them.

By the time he had formed the plan, Blaike had already walked towards the exit so he simply placed a hand on Edgar's shoulder, turning the boy around as he knelt down to their level. While he'd been boisterous and extremely animated before now, his tone now was much calmer and controlled.

"Tell me, Edgar, how versed are you in the creation of explosives? Particularly small ones. . . "

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

A v a d d o n

Avaddon gave a grin, glad to see people getting more lively now. At Mitra's misunderstanding, however, he shook his head with a chuckle.

"As much as I hope to get to know all of you in the time to come, me and Luna here are strangers. She merely asked for directions to the Hunter's Guild and I, being on my way here already, decided that it would be faster for both of us if I carried her there." Stomping over to Blaike after his introduction, he gave the man a rough pat on the back with his giant mit of a hand, letting out a slow whistle. "A researcher of the Royal scientist, huh? Sounds like we have quite the important fellow in our midst. . . though I must wonder, why leave your work to join the Hunter's Guild? Surely someone skilled enough to receive the funding of the nation's royalty would be better off staying at their side, both financially and socially?"

Avaddon scratched at his chin as he stared down the smaller man, his skin around his neck and shoulders seeming to almost . . . ripple in undulating patterns as the scales that covered him in patches rose and fell. Before long, however, he seemed to come to an answer that suited him as he snapped his fingers, nodding in agreement with a voice only he could hear as he placed a weighty hand on Blaike's shoulder.

"Clearly, you and I are kindred spirits. More adapted to the way of wandering the earth than to stay in one place forever. Danger, Peril, the possibility of death, it only serves to enhance the feeling that comes from being alive, no? The rush of adrenaline and the warmth in your heart knowing that through your efforts, others may not have to suffer in fear of monsters and savages." Tightening his grip in a sign of camaraderie, the giant desert-dweller lifted it up to beat a closed fist against his chest, eyes positively glowing as he seemed lost in thought. "I salute men like you, who leave the comfort of assured luxury for the life along the road less traveled."

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

A v a d d o n

"Is there a reason no one is speaking?" The first to break the enforced silence was a rather massive man who stood before the others, hand held up to support the dainty, and likely somewhat embarrassed, maiden who had been hoisted on his shoulder since he'd entered the guildhall. A good Samaritan deed of his own design to help a fellow recruit get to the Hunter's Guild in time to make it for the trial. However, if said trial was just going to be them standing around in silence for minutes, Avaddon wasn't quite sure he was in the right place. "Not to be rude, Mr. Proctor, but you've been staring at us for the past few minutes and I'm not much for waiting around when there is work to be done."

Turning around with a smile to the other applicants, the large man beat a hand against his chest with a raised voice.

"If we are to take this test together, I will say the first thing we should do is introduce ourselves, no? My name is Avaddon, of the Red Storm tribe. I hope that we all make it through together and prove to make good allies in the test to come." His piece said Avaddon cracked his neck a bit as he turned dot look at the Proctor once more, hoping his little display would be enough to get something out of the man. If not, then Avaddon felt he might need to look elsewhere for assistance in matters of his quest. Perhaps the Hunter's guild he'd heard so much about was full of nothing but hot air. A disappointing fate if true, but not one the large Fabul man had been unprepared for.

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

My Hider

Name: Avaddon
Race: Alter(Hyur)
Age: 27
Class: Monk
Place of Origin: Kingdom of Fabul
Personality: Avaddon is a man of strong passions, stronger appetites, and carries in his chest a heart that burns with a desire to help everyone he comes across. Honorable to a fault, and a staunch believer in second chances, one will have a hard time spotting a meaningful frown on the gigantic man's face.
Backstory: Avaddon comes from a tribe known to serve as guides and guards to many that travel through the burning deserts of Fabul. This group, known as the Red Storm tribe, are well known for their strict codes of honor and militaristic warrior culture. Everyone in the tribe must be able to fight and hold their own, or be cast-off as weak and left to the desert sands. If they manage to survive long enough to find the tribe again, however, they are declared worthy of being welcomed back.

Avaddon has always been a strong warrior of his tribe, huge in size and ferocious in battle, with an eye and nose suited well for braving the fierce desert wilderness. But he has never been able to rest easy among his sworn brothers, for to them all, he is something strange. An Alter, mutated by magic into something less than human, at least in the eyes of his tribesman. He had to fight hard to prove himself worthy, but many achievements were put down to his curse. That he fought with the strength of a beast because he was himself one, that he needed to be kept away from, that he was a danger to everyone.

It was a rough experience to grow up under, unable to make friends or close relationships with any others in his tribe, but it is this very isolation that made him so great with foreigners. While others of the Red Storm maintained a professional attitude of cold social distance from those they ferried, Avaddon drank, made merry, and set himself with a strong network of friends through his duties. The companionship he sought at home was found with foreigners and travelers who looked past his origins to see him as a man, the same as any other. Not all were like this, but enough that he knew that life in the tribe was no longer what he wanted. Unfortunately, he was an honorable man and refused to leave his family without him, who had always accepted him as their son.

Luckily, the chance to escape one day came in the form of a marriage proposal, and from the chief of the tribe no less. As tradition dictates, the strongest and most skilled warrior in the tribe would be offered the hand of chieftan's daughter, so as to ensure a strong line in the future generations. So it has always been, but with Avaddon, the prospect of allowing such a beast to claim such a position would undoubtedly cause much strife. However, the chief mad this offer with a twist. For to prove his worth as a warrior, the chief would send the prospective husband to go out and slay a beast of great power, bringing back a trophy of some sort to present as his wedding dowery. Doe Avaddon, the beast in question was named. . . a Behemoth. Rare as they are powerful, it was a death sentence in all but name. . . and one Avaddon accepted with reverence.

With this quest, impossible as it was, he was given free leave to explore the world as he saw fit, secure in the knowledge that his family would be cared for as the rules of the challenge dictate. while leaving it all behind was a bitter-sweet feeling, Avaddon left his home into the world with a feeling of excitement, unsure of what awaited him.

Arknights - Project Neptune

T h u n d e r e r

"Of course. I would not seek to endanger the machinery. Very important, very expensive." Thunderer raised his hands with a slight wriggle to show that his gloves were indeed on, before making his way to one of the capsules that lined the walls. Giving a small nod to the people helping to maintain the systems along with Diver, he laid inside the pod with closed eyes. He'd done the simulation 100 of times by now, but he still hated to see the opening close over him when he went under. The Sarkaz was unsure if it was awakening some kind of instinctual memory or just a sense of claustrophobia but it always made him panicky. Before long, he felt the slight tingle of his nervous system being re-routed, his mind sinking away from his physical form and before long. . . he was in.

Opening his eyes, he found himself on a street near to where the action was taking place, the sounds of gunfire and crunching metal drawing his attention as he brought a hand to his ear, patching into the frequency of their communications as he strode forth.

>"Oi, occupied with armored units up here! Requesting anti-armor support!"

"Roger that. Support Specialist has arrived. Codename: Thunderer, and it's very nice to make your acquaintance. Welcome to Retra." Turning the corner onto the battlefield proper, his 'Wands' at the ready as he ran past the backline Operators to fire a rapid-fire barrage of electrical pulses at the armored Droids. While the damaging effects of his attack would be hampered by the Arts dampening field, he hoped they would still prove capable of disrupting their systems, slowing down the lumbering juggernauts enough for the others to clean them up. Along with this, rather than fall in line with the Dragoon, Chariot, and Vlad, the Supporter would keep moving to a flanking position, pacing his shots and keeping an eye on the other droids to make sure no one snuck upon him. "Armored Droids: Occupied. Length of occupation: Not very long."

He thought of saying more but hewas here to assist in a purely supportive function. Slightly irritating, given that he was certain he'd be effective in leading these forces, but that was not the point of the exercise.

Vault of Rising Thunder.

My Hider

Name: Avaddon
Race: Alter(Hyur)
Age: 27
Class: Monk
Place of Origin: Kingdom of Fabul
Personality: Avaddon is a man of strong passions, stronger appetites, and carries in his chest a heart that burns with a desire to help everyone he comes across. Honorable to a fault, and a staunch believer in second chances, one will have a hard time spotting a meaningful frown on the gigantic man's face.
Backstory: Avaddon comes from a tribe known to serve as guides and guards to many that travel through the burning deserts of Fabul. This group, known as the Red Storm tribe, are well known for their strict codes of honor and militaristic warrior culture. Everyone in the tribe must be able to fight and hold their own, or be cast-off as weak and left to the desert sands. If they manage to survive long enough to find the tribe again, however, they are declared worthy of being welcomed back.

Avaddon has always been a strong warrior of his tribe, huge in size and ferocious in battle, with an eye and nose suited well for braving the fierce desert wilderness. But he has never been able to rest easy among his sworn brothers, for to them all, he is something strange. An Alter, mutated by magic into something less than human, at least in the eyes of his tribesman. He had to fight hard to prove himself worthy, but many achievements were put down to his curse. That he fought with the strength of a beast because he was himself one, that he needed to be kept away from, that he was a danger to everyone.

It was a rough experience to grow up under, unable to make friends or close relationships with any others in his tribe, but it is this very isolation that made him so great with foreigners. While others of the Red Storm maintained a professional attitude of cold social distance from those they ferried, Avaddon drank, made merry, and set himself with a strong network of friends through his duties. The companionship he sought at home was found with foreigners and travelers who looked past his origins to see him as a man, the same as any other. Not all were like this, but enough that he knew that life in the tribe was no longer what he wanted. Unfortunately, he was an honorable man and refused to leave his family without him, who had always accepted him as their son.

Luckily, the chance to escape one day came in the form of a marriage proposal, and from the chief of the tribe no less. As tradition dictates, the strongest and most skilled warrior in the tribe would be offered the hand of chieftan's daughter, so as to ensure a strong line in the future generations. So it has always been, but with Avaddon, the prospect of allowing such a beast to claim such a position would undoubtedly cause much strife. However, the chief mad this offer with a twist. For to prove his worth as a warrior, the chief would send the prospective husband to go out and slay a beast of great power, bringing back a trophy of some sort to present as his wedding dowery. Doe Avaddon, the beast in question was named. . . a Behemoth. Rare as they are powerful, it was a death sentence in all but name. . . and one Avaddon accepted with reverence.

With this quest, impossible as it was, he was given free leave to explore the world as he saw fit, secure in the knowledge that his family would be cared for as the rules of the challenge dictate. while leaving it all behind was a bitter-sweet feeling, Avaddon left his home into the world with a feeling of excitement, unsure of what awaited him.