Savo

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

PENUMBRA's announcement to the world.

@Ruler Inc

Amazing. I didn't know Eggman was the leader of PENUMBRA and wanted to piss on everything. Why didn't Kai tell me this Q~Q

Danganronpa Alternate: Apologies to Hope (Reboot) [Deader than Disco]

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Slowly but surely, everyone began their departure, heading on their own paths as the boy convinced the girl everything was fine before joining the others. The thief could only really squeeze his hands to the point where his knuckles became an ivory white, lips sealed tighter than any vault he managed to bust into, grinding away at his teeth as the crowd slowly dwindled, bit by bit.

God damnit. Nothing was planned out at all with him standing around like a blithering idiot, watching as the whole place crumbled around him, leaving him with just Ryuma in the general vicinity. He just... ugh...

...

Aurel just took a seat, dejectedly grabbing a seat and tearing it out from a table and flopped down from it, ruffling his hair. Idea... Idea... right... Ryuma wanted to hear him out on his plan.

"... Ultimate Tutor... the plan is for me to head to Hibiki's Lab and... discuss a few things with him... it... might help us all out in the long run to the point where we can organize a proper meeting..."

Ryuma watched whatever he could of Aurel’s thought process from his face—whatever else was true, the guy was clearly stressed out. He pulled one of the chair out and sat on it, putting himself on the same level with Aurel. “Are you okay, dude? You seem pretty out of it,” He scrunched his face a bit, “And… What exactly are you planning to go to Hibiki’s lab for?” He shifted in his chair—man, he’s glad Snow didn’t end up hitting him with one of these. They were anything but cushy.

The thief blinked, still keeping his head tilted down, staring down at his own knees. He swiftly shoved one hand into his pocket and fidgeted about, all while he began nibbling at his index as Aurel continued to avert his gaze from the Ultimate Parkourist.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, it's just... uhm..." He paused and bit down hard onto his finger, silence lingering as he kept his finger tightly clamped, only releasing his captive hand the moment he felt that it could bleed if he held it like that any longer.

"... th-the atmosphere... _{yeah, that...} it's probably just getting to me or something... a-and, I just... want some advice? He is the Ultimate Tutor after all."

Ryuma raised an eyebrow, “You think he knows what he’s doing any better than the rest of us? Cause it’s not like he’s solved the mystery of this place or anything,” He shrugged, “Though who knows, maybe I’m just being cynical,” He said, though he didn’t really believe it, and nothing in his tone suggested that he expected Aurel to either.

“What are you so worried about anyway? I mean,” He gestured casually to the whole room, as if trying to point out some embodiment of the situation, “besides the obvious.”

"... it's not that he knows better, it's just... because he's a tutor, he can... erm I'm, uh, worried about..." Aurel began stuttering a bit, shifting around in his seat as he cleared his throat, letting the silence take over...

... and just as he started he ended, slowly scooting the seat out, almost in a manner befitting of a robot - stiff and mechanical. His gaze was moderately suspicious as well, a little more evasive and jittery than the other day. It didn't help that the thief began to "brush" his hair out of the way multiple times to an ludicrous degree before stopping instantly. he went about brushing his hair in and out of the way to the point where it looked like he was rubbing his head.

"... eh, it's nothing important... r-really."

“Man, don’t ‘it’s nothing important’ me,” Ryuma said, a bit annoyed at this point, “It’s obviously at least a little important, or it wouldn’t be bugging you. Hell, even if it isn’t, you’re kind of one of the few people here who isn’t a total maniac, so you probably haven’t gone off the deep end of rationality yet.”

Aurel froze, like a deer caught in the spotlight of some poor fellows car. He didn't want to say anything else, feeling his embarrassment rising up to his neck, constricting and choking him, preventing him from digging a deeper hole with his lies. As his body worked for and against him, his hands slowly moved towards his lap, curling into fists, digging into the sides of his thighs.

"... it's n-_n-nuh... uhm... mmm..." He began murmuring and mumbling to himself before weakly walking back to the seat and slumping into it. "I... uh... well..."

"... I… couldn’t do anything right..."

Ryuma opened his mouth for a second, then closed it. After another moment, he spoke, “Listen, I know what it’s like to feel like a screw up. But like, there’s only so much you can do here, you know? I mean, I get wanting to be able to help and to fix all of this, but it’s not solely on you to get us out of this, and if you mess up it’s not going to completely keep us from getting out, y’know?”

"... yeah, I... I sort of get that, I suppose... but..." There was something rising in his voice before the sound dissipated. He pursed his lips, clearing his throat as he did his best to pick at the words, opening his mouth for a second before shutting it again.

"... I just didn't do anything..." Slowly, but surely, a paradox of a complete, yet incomplete thought escaped his coarse throat.

"I didn't communicating any important information, interjected when this whole discourse was devolving, and I possibly played into that... that..." His voice was hoarse, nearly inaudible due to the fact that it was more restrained rather than his usual silence.

Ryuma shrugged, “Well, then speak up more next time, I guess,” He leaned forward, “But hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. This situation is complicated, y’know? Just be glad you didn’ start whatever cat fight happened back there.”

Aurel's chest tightened for a second, voice almost ready to burst like a balloon... granted, it would of him talking at a normal volume, followed with tranquil words laced with fury. Regardless, instead he just pondered on Ryuma's words, speaking naught a word for the next few minutes. Silence lingered in the air as his hands loosened up, only to interlock as the thief continued staring at the at the ground, until finally...

"... yeah... I... I suppose you're right," he spoke up, barely above a murmur followed by an audible sigh. Yeah, this whole situation, while a crappy deal was complicated, especially since not everyone wanted to work together or play nice...

"... though, I don't get why she’s just... aggressive... er, Momoe, I mean..."

“Pfft, man, I don't know what the bitch’s problem is. Just ignore her, if all she's gonna do is cause problems then there's no point in bothering with her,” Ryuma stretched out, “Well, hey, I’m gonna go chill out after all this mess. You can come with, or don't, but either way do yourself a favor and don't worry about the bitchfest.”

The thief just blankly stared, absorbing the words of Ryuma as did a sponge would to with syrup. Even as Ryuma moved on, he still pondered on those words... why? He could only visibly frown as those seconds passed; there had to be more to it... Momoe didn't seem like a stupid person, yet...

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that... also, I think I'll take you up on your offer."

... despite all that, his answer was instantaneous.

Aurel and Ryuma grew a little closer today!

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

Speaking of, I need to @ some people.

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

Jonas Langer

"Jus' call me Doc."

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⦋ 27 || American || Male ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Jonas is a man that stands out for many reasons, mainly it involves looks. His height is striking 6'4" with an athletic build if the indents in his clothing have anything to say. He does his best to remain prim and upright, he would honestly prefer to slouch and walk in a relaxed manner... but he has to live up to the stereotype of a doctor. Regardless, he isn't much of an attention getter... or so he wishes was true. While it is difficult to distinguish him as a nomad with his dusty white coat, a traveling man that looks like he came out of a hospital is definitely suspicious. While barely recognizable at first, there seems to be a glint of sharpened silver within the coat. Other than the coat, he sports a crisp green shirt underneath, along with blue slacks and black shoes. he also carries along with him a satchel which stores all sorts of necessities he utilizes as a back alley doctor. While he was born in America, he seems to be of German and Welsh descent, judging by his subtle accent; he also seems to have a bit of a tan.

(Ignore the ponytail, his hair is short).

PERSONALITY TRAITS

■ Blunt
■ Calm
■ Enjoys razzing people
■ Farsighted
■ Favors pragmatism
■ Laid-back
■ Loyal (sometimes conflicts with pragmatism)
■ Mildly Snide
■ Observant
■ Open-minded

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

Born within the sprawling urban jungle of N Y to the C, Jonas came into a very unforgiving realm of uncertainty and poverty. His parents were always scrapping by to make ends meet within the chaos, always attempting to procure a "normal" job so their son wouldn't face the same struggles as they, nor would he have to be a fighter just as they once were. Parents are impressionable to a degree...

The two problems with that was the wee boy getting into a bunch of scraps with other hoodlums, hell, even joining a small-time gang at the age of five with other young guys and gals of seven to fifteen. You could say Jonas was born for this sort of thing with his influx of ki; thank his ancestry for passing on some of their ki to the kid as his fighting spirit made him the lawnmower and turned other kids asses into grass quicker than someone speeding by a cop. But even with the amount of ki he heralded, there were bigger, badder, older kids who could take that ki and shove it so far up his ass that not even a colonoscopy could save it.

So what did he do? Jonas got out of dodge, sprinting as fast as he could to put as much distance between said teenagers. When he knew he couldn't outrun them, he just set up boundaries that would slow them down, even going as far as to set up a couple of traps ahead of time. Man, he felt proud when he Home Alone'd one kid by having a trashcan swing straight into one of their chests and turning the squad into human dominoes.

The other problem was that they had to resort to underground fights where usually Nomads would triumph. They made good money, enough to send the tyke to school... which would be a problem if he didn't have a Doctor Jekyl, Mr. Hyde act in play. Sure, he's a kid, but he wasn't stupid... plus he didn't want to live in a horrible apartment all his life... so he studied as hard as he fought on the streets.

Anyways, one day when he was coming back, there was almost a surge within him, a strange overpowering feeling within him that almost caused him to choke. Heading home as quickly as possible to alert his parents, he found not a single person occupying the space. The young Jonas figured they must of been at one of their super secret underground duels and were kicking chumps to the curb. So he did his thing and hung out with his gang of friends.

And then the same thing happened the next day... which resulted him staying at a friends place since he was starving.

And then the next day, again... he was met with nothing.

Again... and again.

This went on for five days before it was announced that his parents were found dead in an alleyway with suspicions of foul play, possibly hit-and-run. He was watching the news at a friends place... the seven year old was in a catatonic state of shock. On the streets, he built up his oppressive front, became essentially a teachers "pet," but this? This made everything useless and caused him to crack, spewing all types of emotion.

It didn't make it all any better when he was taken in by an orphanage and a couple of hours later adopted by a couple of old weirdos... who took him far away from that urban mess he called a home. But during that time, he became vengeful and gained the stereotypical trope of wanting to avenge his parents.

That, or satiate his hunger for revenge. Either way works.

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Jonas could say this was a rags to riches stories, being taken all the way to Virginia from New York... by chance, the old man who adopted him happened to be Conrad Miyamoto, the successor of many other Miyamoto's behind them. After a long journey, the first greeting he was introduced to was the sight of a huge mansion, part of it resembling a dojo. The second thing he was shown was that he had multiple other adopted siblings who were pondering upon their situation as well.

By chance, Conrad Miyamoto had stumbled across myriads of orphaned children with high amounts of ki during his travels to the country. Due to infertility like his former master, he lacked an heir to his household and most importantly, their dojo, their way of life. So he spoke of doing the same thing as his master and followed his methods to ensure a successor...

Said method basically had the children become more disciplined over time, which would eventually whip the young Jonas into shape.

Now under the Miyamoto name, everyone's weeks of of training transformed into years as they all became proficient in their master's style of martial arts - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; along with that, they developed their ki even further and acquired certain perks that came along with it. Along with that, the family was also very harsh when it came to cracking down on their education as well, pushing all the children past the normal limits of human expectations. No matter what, at the end of the day, their minds would be throbbing just as much as their muscles.

Despite all the discipline, training, and essentially being whipped into shape as well as the education he underwent, Jonas still went off the radar when it came to being himself as everyone grew older. Going out to have a night of debauchery? Pretty difficult, but nevertheless, he accomplished it. Sneaking through the mansion? Avoiding the guards make it a challenge, but he does it.

Getting into the lab Conrad's adoptive siblings would disappear into late at night? Impossible at first, but he got lucky... and managed to steal some of their documents. He never did get around to returning them.

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A couple of years down the line, Jonas has a full life ahead of him - his act was (partially) straightened up, he was working as a doctor with a Ph.D at the young age of 18, exercising through jiu jitsu, harboring large amount of ki he could pass down to his descendants, etc. Basically life was too grand for him, too perfect at this point!... with how good this all sounded, something was bound to go awry sooner than expected.

... and, well, it did.

Jonas was met by two of Conrads bodyguards when he was twenty years of age when he was heading home after resigning from his job and finding opportunity somewhere else. They both implored him to do two things - return the documents he had pilfered from his family's labs, and return to Virginia... unfortunately, those two returned in body bags.

This action left him with a bounty on his head that was imposed on by his family for theft and murder, causing Jonas to take up a new life as a back-alley doctor, and more importantly a Nomad.

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That was seven years ago. Over the span of these next years shaped many things, ranging from his mind to his fighting and so on. He ran into many who would try to turn him over to the Miyamoto's, many others who would try to group and befriend him... no matter what, all folk and nomad who traveled with him would end up befalling the same fate as each other, so was the life of a nomad...

Even his closest friends during that time span were privy to such fates, jading him further and further.

However, after all these years, Jonas's mind is always drawn back to the root of the problem, trying to analyze whether or not he should be thankful to be wanted back alive. He continued to make deals with other nomads and money-hungry mooks that varied in personality, how dodgy they were, etc... though, he always handled them. After all, surviving is what he did best.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

While he does employ some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, his main method of madness comes from his ability to fight dirty! Not fully exploiting what you can do and abiding by "honor" is for chumps; to survive, you have to invent new ways to take your opponent down, just as he did in the streets before. Eye-gouging, elbowing the gut, hell, even the classic nut strike is fair game to him.

Innately, while he does process a high amount of ki, he utilizes this in various methods, making him faster than he usually is, to performing acrobatic stunts and dodging opponents, to actually infusing his own attacks with ki. Jonas is one to play mind games with people, essentially screwing with them on the battlefield. Along with that, he draws ki from his reservoirs to create almost perfect look alikes of him, as well as imbuing them with some of his ki. Along with that, he is pretty damn good with a knife, even better when he starts tossing them with precision and power.

However, he just doesn't use knives and a medicine pack mule, oh no. Jonas has the greatest weapons of them all - fists. Bringing ground-fighting and grappling to the table, he puts a lot more emphasis on ground-fighting and striking an opponent while their unable to get up. Along with that, he packs a pretty damn good punch, so that should be accounted for. Jonas also has access to the ki-sensing technique.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Misdirection

Infusing one of his recorders with ki, ranging from little to massive amounts of it. Jonas then quickly dashes in and blinds his opponent by throwing dust into their eyes and in one swoop, activate the recorder while tossing it into the air.

■ Multiple Sclerosis

Swiftly grabbing onto an opponent, Jonas attempts to "overpower" them, either forcing them to retaliate with even stronger strength to overpower him or attempt to escape his grasp. He will adapt to this and shift his weight to wherever the opponent is. In case of the former, he will "lose" his weight, causing the opponent to spin around. He then follows up with a kick that lands them straight on the ground. In the case of the former, he will just shove them away and hope they don't recover quickly.

■ Physical Examination

Effectively used on downed opponents, as the first punch he tosses at the chest will knock them back. If utilized on a downed opponent, he will quickly drop his weight on to their chest, and unleash four quick jabs to the opponents face before rolling off.

■ Cheap Shot

Drawing a needle with unknown contents from his satchel, Jonas quickly jams it into the victims neck and unloads the contents into their bodies. This sends the person into a fleeting state of shock, as well as causes two status effects. The first disables a persons ability to sense ki and the second caused the opponent to become more sluggish. This ends after a while... unless someone can flush the contents out of their system.

■ Live Dissection

Drawing one to five knives from his coat, Jonas focuses on his target before tossing his knives one by one or all at once at bullet swift speeds. Jonas can also purposely miss the target he is aiming at as well. Due to having string tied around all of his knives, he can control the thread as it moves past its target. This in turn causes it to transition into a pendulum-like state, in which swings around and stabs the victim. He can use this to either yank them and throw them off balance, pull himself closer to a fleeing opponent, or anything he can think of.

■ Ki Decoy

Manipulating his ki, Jonas creates a replica of himself through a process that makes him look like he is shedding his skin; during this time, he can transfer as much ki as he wants to the decoy. It doesn't take too long for the decoy to start acting on its own accord and is just as fast as its real counterpart. The only difference is that the Decoy isn't as durable, as one strike will cause it to shatter after five seconds. If it attacks the opponent, it will break after one hit as well. The Ki temperature of the decoys will always match their user.

■ Going Into the Light

Utilizing his white coat, ki, and light, Jonas bends light to turn himself invisible, putting him out of sight for any assailants. If he moves while invisible, this will break stealth and make him visible once again. This is best used after Cheap Shot or Ki Decoy.

■ Bitches Get Stitches

Tying two knives to each other with thread, Jonas follows up by tossing one at the ground and another a few feet away. While it can take some time or be forgotten, when an opponent comes into contact with the obstruction, this usually causes an opponent to trip and fall over

■ Bound 'n Gagged

Procuring gauze from his satchel, Jonas quickly does one of three things. The first thing he can do is bind a persons legs which disables their ability to move and can sometimes cause them to fall over. The second thing he can do is wrap up their hands which can stop them from utilizing their main methods of attacking. The final thing he can do is asphyxiate his opponent, dealing some damage over time but mainly forcing them to focus on removing the gauze, leaving them open. This cannot be spammed; only one of these three effects can be applied to an opponent and can only be reapplied once the effect wears off. Best used with Misdirection and Ki Decoy.

■ Dexter Acrobaticus

Jonas takes a deep breath as he puts some focus into himself. After a few seconds, he suddenly begins moving faster and performing acrobatic stunts at a swifter rate. This is due to the infusion of ki. While he can normally be a fast mover and perform some pretty good acrobatic stunts, this is it amplified. This buff also increases his attack speed as well, making most of his moves and specials even more dangerous. However, Dexter Acrobaticus only lasts ten second; once it wears off, he must wait another twenty seconds before he can perform it again.

■ Cervical Clone Rupture

Jonas pirouettes, creating a partial clone that appears on his back, as if he is suddenly summoning a stand. If the opponent tries to strike Jonas during this time, the clone takes the blow for Jonas, negating the damage. Following that, he will backhand the opponent if they are close enough, causing them to spin around and turn their back for a moment. This will stun them for at least a second, giving Jonas enough time to start up a combo. While he can utilize this move to dodge projectiles, it his highly disadvantageous to do so, as the follow-up backhand leaves him open, unless he's within range of the opponent.

■ Tomoe Nage

A variation of Jonas' grab; if he grapples the opponent, he can push them back just a bit which, in return, can possibly cause them to shove back. If they try to retaliate by shoving back, Jonas uses the small amount of momentum against them, proceeding to put his foot onto their abdomen, and shift himself backwards. He can either complete the whole transition, which ends with him rolling them onto their back with him on top, granting him a free chance to use Physical Examination on them, or he can stop half-way and launch them upwards.

SUPER MOVES

■ Flash-step

Blinding his opponent from the side, via dust, Jonas follows up by tossing one of his recorders infused with either large amounts of ki to the side; depending on how much ki was infused will determine if he taunts or not. As he does this, Jonas focuses on manipulating ki before finally unleashing himself into a flurry, trapping the opponent in a vortex of afterimages. As he rushes around his victim, he tosses myriads of knives from random directions.

■ Doctor's Order's

Blinding his opponent with dust, he follows up by kicking them straight in the stomach to knock them down versus throwing a recorder to mislead them. Afterwords, he hops back, focusing and manipulating his ki. If uninterrupted either by him or the opponent, Jonas will spawn four more Decoy's with random amounts of ki. Until all of these Decoy's are destroyed, he cannot employ his Going Into the Light ability, nor his Ki Decoy; their durability is no different than those created from a Ki Decoy and will absolutely mimic the users Ki temperature.

■ Anesthesia

When an opponent is grounded/downed, Jonas will start things off by elbowing them in the gut before unleashing a shower of eye-gouging, fish-hooking, choking, and hitting pressure points. Once that's over with he readies one final blow, no ki infused, just his own physical strength. With one punch, he slams his fist down onto the enemies face.

While the first phase of Anesthesia can never downright knock out an opponent, if it said attack did enough damage that it could knockout the opponent, the opposing fighter will be left with the equivalent of one health and be stunned. This will trigger the second phase in which he gets off the opponent and begins writing a check for his services before tossing it on said opponent. This final "blow" will deal one damage to said opponent, knocking them out with a piece of paper.

If the requirements for the second phase aren't met, he will just get off the opponent and jump a few feet away.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS
While he does have strong attacks and mix-ups, most of Jonas' move-set is heavily reliant on trickery and ambushes through usage of Misdirection and Ki Decoy. If an opponent manages to avoid the beginning of his Misdirection, they could easily capitalize on this and punish him. Even if he does get the Misdirection off, he could still be interrupted if the opponent manages to target him by a stroke of luck. While he can create a Ki Decoy, it can only withstand one attack from the enemy, or deal one blow before shattering and returning to Jonas.

OTHER

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■ Despite his upbringing on the streets, he has always secretly enjoyed orchestral music, and finds jazz to be soothing for him.
■ Has a Ph.D in Medical Science; claims he was more or less lucky in getting this degree.
■ Always has a lollipop on him to give to a kid to cheer them up if they're feeling blue, though he insists it's to shut them up before they throw a tantrum.
■ Practices dissecting, via any sort of food he gets his hands on; breakfast, lunch, nor dinner are exempt from this form of training.

Aldous Mercer

"Instead of applying designs and colors for ritualistic purposes, commoners embalm the ink into their skin for nothing more than their own amusement... fascinating..."

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⦋ ??? || N/A || Male ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Aside from his crown, the necromancer reaches a height of 5'8" with a... skeletal build to boot. If one were to strip him of all his clothes, there wouldn't be a single scrap of flesh on his body, rotten or not. Despite this all, the bones, while pale, seemed to be meticulously cleaned to a pint, making it someone difficult to spot a bit of dirt on him, lest they be at his feet. Aside from his other body parts, his skulls eye-sockets glow with an iridescent shade of crimson and function similarly to eyes. If you question how he speaks without a tongue, he chalks it up to magic. Other than that, it isn't unusual to find some wrappings in his attire, namely around his feet, hands, and torso. He also dons a signature brass appearing crown with what looks to be a tattered, faded robe with some markings on the lower front of it.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

- Calm
- Curious
- Excitable (Dependent)
- Nonchalant
- Open
- Passive
- Vigilant (Especially in regards to his phylactery)

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

The only history one will get out of him was that he was a simple farm boy whose family dabbled in witchcraft, namely the arts involving souls and the dead. Along with that, he was more persistent and passionate about the future more than anyone else and instead of using soothsaying magic his family had access to, he decided to see and record for himself; after all how far into the future they could see was limited by at least fifty years. In his prime he bound his soul to a phylactery, which was when he truly, physically "died." During this time, he left on his travels, skin and flesh rotting away, eyes falling out and being replaced by red, floating orbs, the works. He does recall multiple horrific incidents where he was killed, even once having to walk through the sea to get back to shore.

Afterwards, he will inquire said person who asked their story, how it affected them, etc. Rather basic. From the brief way he puts out his story, Aldous does not seem to care much for the past, but rather what the future beholds. That is the reason why he sealed his soul into an enchanted gem after all...

... oh, and screw those religious zealots, they can go die in a spectral fire for all he cares... impeding his journey and destroying some of his recordings... speaking of which, was taught by his surprisingly literate mother over how to read. Probably had to do with magic allowing her to understand and relay it to a wee Aldous, but it doesn't matter now.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

To be frank, Aldous has no fighting style he can call his own due to his lack of training in most known martial arts. Instead, from over the years, he has compiled a basic set of moves he has studied and mimicked. How he gained these moves was due to his travels in the east and modern Europe (slinking in the shadows nevertheless), but disregarding stories, his fighting style is a combination of Karate and Boxing, but leans mainly towards Boxing, saying his style would fall under outboxing. One thing to note when using his fists, he will coat them with ki, usually to keep his hands from breaking when hitting someone. Finally, to top this off, Aldous utilizes his array of spells to enhance his body in specific ways, resurrect the dead, or to just send out spectral blobs at an opponent.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Spectral Flare

Aldous conjures up an ectoplasmic blob that is filled with the skeletal remains of some poor soul. When lobbed at an opponent, the bones inside seem to circle around the skull which is usually placed smack dab at the center. If it makes contact with an opponent, the amorphous sphere will burst, causing most, if not all of the skeleton to smash into the victim. If this blob is left alone, it will eventually plop onto the ground and spawn a temporary minion in the form of a skeleton to fight for Aldous. These skeletons can usually take around one to two hits before they return to their grave. If they do manage to last longer than usual, they will eventually crumple to the ground, lifeless after one minute has passed.

■ Vertebral Column

Utilizing his necromancy, Aldous summons spines that swiftly mesh with his own backbone. In a swift burst of energy, Aldous' spine suddenly elongates upwards, sending his own head flying up as well. This causes him to look a bit like a freaky human giraffe. This acts as a way to hit those characters who stay in the air, as well as knock other opponents up. At the end of it all, his body shoots up, breaking parts of the newly formed spine as it reattaches itself with his head. Breaking the spine in the middle of its movement will do minor damage to Aldous.

■ Bone Storm

Aldous' eyes blow a brighter shade of crimson before he suddenly travels forward with his skeletal torso and legs becoming a literal tornado of bones. While this is fast, he can only travel in one direction.

■ Skull Cracker

Grabbing his head, Aldous tosses it across the stage as his body disappears into the ground. As the head traverses across the area, the body can emerge on three different occasions. If the skull is hit mid-flight, the body will pop up where the skull recoils in mid-air. The necromancer can choose whether or not to emerge from the ground while its flying, which can work as an informal "uppercut" as it will impact with an opponent. Finally, if his head just lands on the ground with no interruptions from either side, Aldous will automatically emerge.

■ Rise Up and Smell the Ashes

Utilizing his ki, Aldous raises a new skeletal companion from the dead to assist him in battle. This move can be charged to create stronger, and much more powerful minions for the necromancer, but can leave him and his minion to be very open. This move gives stronger servants than ones that rise up from the necromancer's Spectral Flare move and while in the process of reviving an unfortunate soul, Aldous can use the being he is summoning as a shield. Depending on how long the charge is will result in minions that can take about four to seven hits before being defeated; if they haven't fallen, they will despawn after one to three minutes.

■ Homeostasis

This move is similar to his Rise Up and Smell the Ashes move, save for the fact that the revival process for the minion to be is almost instantaneous. However, there is a catch. Instead of having a new minion to battle with him, Aldous instead siphons health from the newly formed lackey, slowly regenerating health over time. While this can restore a good portion of his health and repair broken bones, the process is immensely slow and leaves the necromancer wide open to attacks. Using the skeleton he is taking life from as a shield won't work this time around either.

■ [Passive] Unliving, Undying

When defeated, Aldous crumples down into a pile of beaten bones. Depending on how far his phylactery is will depend on how quickly he is revived. If it's across the globe, it may take him years, possibly a decade to be restored. If it's close by or even on his being, it will take him five minutes, maybe even less to completely rejuvenate himself. However, while in this state, anyone who is aware of the circumstances involving Aldous will find that this is his most vulnerable state. By destroying his phylactery, one can permanently end Aldous' life.

■ [Passive] The Evil Dead

Due to the way he fights, Aldous can't just have a whole army of the dead running rampant considering it would take a substantial amount of effort to control a whole hive mind of them without them running rampant and inflicting chaos. That would require him to stay in one place and constantly focus and meditate! How would he have time for his studies? Instead, he puts a hard limit of three minions out per time in a fight. Depending on which move is utilized to summon them will result in how long the minions can stay on the field before returning to their graves. Incidentally enough, they cannot be put into combos; a more apt way to describe it is that performing combos to easily dispatch the undead is a waste of time, as one combo would be equal to one hit. This, however, doesn't exempt Aldous from being hit with combo's.

SUPER MOVES

■ Necronomicon

Retrieving his grimoire, Aldous lets the book float in place before the pages suddenly begin flipping. He then stops on a certain page and begins chanting a magic spell. If left uninterrupted, he will shout "Unlimited power," or something else. Regardless, this will leave the necromancer bathed in a soft blue light. Incidentally, this increases many things - Aldous power, speed, and defense rise temporarily after the usage of this super move, allowing him to deal more damage and easily tank or dodge more damage than he would usually. However, this can be stopped if he is interrupted mid-chant.

■ Army of Darkness

Chuckling maniacally, Aldous pulls out his book of spells and chants an incantation. If left uninterrupted, the ground will suddenly start to rumble before numerous skeletons start emerging to assault the assailant. While these skeletons are the weakest in terms of attack power, what they lack in quality they have in quantity. While they do get destroyed in one hit, they are also very speedy and annoying to deal with. Along with that, once this super move is set off, Aldous will constantly spawn minion after minion. To stop this super move, he just needs to be hit once and it will cause him to stop summoning minions. Thankfully, he is immobile in this state. Also, any skeletons that are left on the battlefield will still continue to fight for him, even after the ability is interrupted.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

For one, Aldous is an undead creature who is essentially bare bones. While, surprisingly, the holy light does the same amount of damage to him as any other human-being (sorry Sage), any sort of damage done to him will be permanent until he utilizes one of his restoration abilities or revives himself upon "death." To top that part off, the necromancer is very fragile; not as fragile as, per say, Yeong-Suk or Seven-Seven, but his defenses are middling. Due to this, he is semi-reliant on his minions to distract other Nomads. Finally, relatively speaking, Aldous is also an all-rounder. This means he can do a lot, but he isn't relatively strong in any category.

OTHER

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Verga Ilgraven

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⦋ 48 || Siberia || Female ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

A tall, unsmiling woman who breaks six feet by an inch or so, Verga does not put off the friendliest sort of appearance. Her teardrop-shaped face is solemn and unrevealing, and her sharp, almond eye has a way of telling you, no, she would not laugh at that joke, so don’t try. Verga’s skin is somewhat light, and her body is visibly strong—her massive reserves of life energy have prolonged her youth, appearing more like a woman in her early forties, or maybe late thirties, though her eye has a certain weariness to its lined and lidded gaze that does not match her appearance.

The siniydusha condition that Verga was born with stained her hair, eyes, eyelids, and nails a valley lily shade of blue. Her hair falls nearly shoulder length, and the bangs over her face are swept carefully to the side, hiding the place where her left eye would be. Behind the hair, an eyepatch covers up an empty socket—you give up some things, chasing power. Verga’s fingernails are all filed into long, sharp points, and her fingers are thin and calloused from years of work.

On the surface, Verga's wardrobe is rather simple. Clean black turtleneck jumpers and white cargo-pants. Very efficient. Her boots are dark and hardy as well, though maybe a bit sleeker than functional, with heels a bit higher than would be fitting for a martial artist and survivalist. Her belt is also notably nice, dark with a round brass disc to buckle the warm leather. She also often wears a dark, heavy greatcoat, with sleeves and a collar marked with subtle but intricate floral designs. Bits and pieces of her hidden vanity, always poking through.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

■ Cold
■ Proud
■ Willful
■ Unsympathetic
■ Single-minded
■ Introverted
■ Socially awkward
■ Superstitious
■ Power-hungry
■ Merciful
■ Commitment issues
■ Uncomfortable around children

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

Verga could not have shown you her hometown on a map. She could not tell you the name of the lake below the village, the mountains that blocked out the morning sun, or the woods that surrounded her childhood on all sides. Her world was nameless, one made up of plowing snow and dark forests, and fairy tales whispered over crackling fires. The village was the only thing there was—that, and the bristling wilderness.

Verga’s education had no room for science or history. She learned how to cut down trees and how to make camps, how to kill animals and light fires, how to keep the frostbite from turning her fingers and toes into blackened corn-husks. She learned basic math and literacy so outsiders couldn’t trick her, and she learned to distrust people, and to distrust nature, because both would always be looking for ways to gain the upper hand. However, if given the choice, she felt most at home in the forest, preferably in the wintertime, when the snow made everything peaceful and hushed. One day, far in the future, she would emerge onto the world stage as a renowned martial artist, but even as an adult with years of experience in the outside world, she could never feel comfortable in urban areas, or among crowds.

In Verga’s world, your worth was determined by the weight you pulled, and no one pulled more weight than Verga Ilgraven. Though her neighbors were never the affectionate type, and most exchanges, even with family, were short and gruff, she was always appreciated for her natural abilities. Verga had been born with a unique condition, siniydusha, the blue ki, which endowed her with enormous innate strength, and grew faster than any normal ki. By the time she was sixteen, Verga could carry more firewood than any man in the village, and could endure biting cold that would glue even the hardiest lumberjack to the fireplace. Each year her strength swelled. But it was never enough; the more powerful she grew, the more Verga wanted. During excursions, she would stray farther and farther into the wilderness. If she could, she stayed away from the village, which began to seem unbearably small. One day, when she was 19, a hunting expedition took Verga to the very edge of the valley. Without giving it any conscious thought, she just kept walking.

For over a year Verga traveled east through thick, unforgiving wilderness. She was searching for something, and she didn’t know what, not exactly, but she knew she wouldn’t have found it back in her old valley. She fought off beasts, and she fought off the elements. Even with her prodigious strength, it was a grueling ordeal. More than once Verga sat beneath the trees, staring up at the sky, dizzy with exhaustion and starvation and certain she was going to die.

The handful of towns she passed slowly filled in the gaps in her knowledge of the world—she was in Siberia, which was a part of Russia, and, the few times her power was brought to light, they called her strannik: a Nomad. Eventually, after months in the wild, she reached the Chinese border.

After a run-in with border patrol, Verga would embark on a two-week string of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and several fights, before she was ultimately scooped up by a local tai chi master. He took notice of both her raw potential and her lack of affiliation to any competing nation or martial arts school, and was quick to recruit her.

Verga’s new master would aid her in obtaining Chinese citizenship, and teach her the local languages. And during the next three years, she found exactly what she had wanted for so long—training, purpose, and power. She would study tai chi and, eventually, arnis, and begin to learn more and more about this strange new world beyond Siberia.

Tai chi did not agree with her at first, Verga’s hard, inflexible personality making the fluid, changeable martial art a frustrating challenge. Years passed. Verga worked, and worked, and at some point that work paid off. Her blue ki grew, ravenously. After only a shocking five years of training, she used her natural gifts to equal her master himself. Success met her in multiple local tournaments, and she was soon something of a small celebrity. Pride, power, success—Verga had all of these in no small supply, and she was drunk on them. She even began developing her own martial arts style—tai chi and arnis weren’t enough, it seemed. As with everything in life, Verga would not be satisfied with what things were when she could see so clearly what they could be.

Verga was not stupid, however, and sometime after leaving her old workshop she realized it took more to survive in the outside world than flashy martial arts. With this in mind, Verga enrolled in a local university at the age of 25.

It was at school that she became acquainted with Runsu Ryuga, a Japanese exchange student. Verga rarely had strong feelings when it came to other human beings who, in most cases, either confused or alarmed her, but she wasted no time in deciding she felt, openly and mightily, a strong hatred for this boy.

Runsu was from money, and it showed. His clothes, his laptop, his car, and of course his bragging. Like Verga, he had quite the ego, though where Verga was reserved, and preferred to speak with actions, not words, Runsu was all talk. Unfortunately, he too was an aspiring nomad, and Verga soon found he had the bite to back up his bark.

Runsu would be the first person to ever challenge Verga. Sometimes they sparred, and sometimes Verga would win. Her raw ki reserves providing a slight edge over the skill-oriented Runsu, but if she did beat him, she would be challenged for it. Often, Runsu would win. These wins burned the skin of her pride like frostbite. When he mocked her for her strange habits, her accent, her grades, it killed Verga to know that any punch she threw at him could be matched by one just as strong.

In academics, Verga was hopelessly behind her other classmates. While Runsu was only a middling student, he was studious enough to stay ahead of her, and his successes in the face of her failures frustrated Verga in a way only her early years in tai chi could rival. She channeled her anger into her work, and sometimes into her fists during sparring matches. The rivalry between Verga and Runsu would reach a peak during one clash in the spring semester when, after gaining the upper hand, Verga lost her temper, and her rival was very nearly killed. All Verga’s frustration poured out of her just then, her confusion at the strange new world she lived in, her hatred for the industrialized inner city, her frustration with her own academic progress, her loathing of Runsu—all of it. Eventually, she pulled back, not knowing or caring if Runsu was still alive. Then, she did something she couldn’t have explained, just like she couldn’t have explained why she kept walking all those years ago, when she left her village for good. Picking him up, Verga took Runsu to a local hospital.

She allowed doctors to extract her own ki for healing. For some reason, the thought of him dying, and her being responsible, drove a deep, uncomfortable spike through her belly.

She was there when he woke up. There wasn’t much to say. Uncomfortable, unhappy, half-wishing she had left him to die, Verga left. She would return only once afterwards, to drop off a bag of pao after the local streetcart accidentally gave her extra. Later, Runsu confided in her that she was the only person to visit him while he was hospitalized. Parents were too busy, he said. What about your friends? she’d asked. He shrugged.

It wouldn’t be long before Verga realized the sickly feeling that had been following her since the fight was guilt. She felt guilty. It was unfamiliar, ugly territory she wanted nothing to do with, but apparently that wasn’t an option. Runsu, for his part, seemed more reserved around her. There weren’t any more taunts, at least.

It took time, but eventually the two took to talking. Runsu, despite whatever he said before, was quickly fascinated by Verga’s stories of her upbringing, and listened raptly to her descriptions of traditional Siberian fairy tales and folklore. Verga eventually found Runsu was the only person she was comfortable asking simple questions that, prior, she had been too embarrassed to ask her master. They began to confide in each other. Their old egos, both injured by that unhappy fight, began to swell again. They trained together, they studied together, and before long they were dating.

It felt, to two young adults, both in their own ways unfamiliar with the realities of the outside world, that they were at their peak, the top of the world. Their feats in tournaments brought them modest fame, but to them, modest fame felt like the most glorious thing in the universe.

Both were interested in refining their own, unique takes on martial arts, and their arguments over whose was better were ultimately settled by a strange, alien thought—what if we had a child? They could teach that child everything they knew. A legacy worthy of their talents (and egos), a trophy that would combine the best of both of them, together, united. This was only an idle thought, and they didn’t start actively trying for a kid so much as they stopped actively avoiding it. After all, even without condoms, it could be months, maybe even a year, before anything happened. But within two weeks, Verga was pregnant. Under encouragement from Runsu, she decided to follow through with it.

Not long into her pregnancy, Verga decided she wouldn’t return for her second year of university, and, with more than a little dissatisfaction, moved away from her more strenuous training. Runsu visited regularly. They had arguments over the child’s name, of course, both wanting a name to reference themself over their partner. Verga developed a bit of cabin fever, cut off from her training, but she endured. A checkup in the first trimester told them they would have a girl. A checkup during the second trimester told them their child would be born with Senshinōben.

It was a hereditary disease, one that drastically stagnates life energy. The baby would be pitifully weak from the moment she was born, with minimal ki reserves. If she was born at all, that is—the baby’s chance of survival was incredibly slim. A doctor hesitantly gave the option of an abortion, though this wasn’t something Runsu or Verga were ready to hear.

The two tried to talk about it, afterwards, but talking was never their strong point, even at the best of times. Learning their child would likely miscarry was nothing they were prepared for, and the two realized, privately and separately, that they were still very young, and there was so much outside of their abilities. They ended up arguing, and things probably would’ve gone better if they hadn’t said anything all.

Runsu didn’t visit as often, afterwards. From the way he talked when he did come by, you would think Verga wasn’t pregnant at all. He made no acknowledgement to her pregnancy, or the Senshinōben, and when Verga tried to press him he stammered and dodged and half-answered, and usually left early. Verga felt spite germinating inside her, like a spiky, armored creature squeezed between her organs, imagining Runsu going to classes, pretending she didn’t exist. She had always known he was the weak one. She began consulting with doctors on the possibility of an abortion, but something—stubbornness, fear, pride—held her back from committing. Still, while Verga stewed in her apartment alone—her belly round and full, her thoughts dark and unhappy—the ‘A’ word floated regularly through her head, though it always drowned below the sea of bitterness inside her before it could take root. She had Runsu’s number, but after the first few days, stopped texting, stopped calling, and would not respond to his few attempts to reach out.

As well-known and successful martial artists, the two had funds for extensive medical care and consultation. Eventually, it was decided to remove the baby by caesarian section, and place it in a heavily monitored sustainment tank. The surgery was a success, but the baby’s condition remained uncertain. Runsu avoided the hospital and Verga completely, and made no appearance. When the child finally stabilized, it was time for Verga to figure out what it would be called. Runsu failed to show, which Verga told herself was inevitable, but it didn’t stop the angry disappointment that flickered through her as she held her baby, alone. The child would take her surname, ‘Ilgraven.’ On the paperwork, feeling all those weeks of spite and anger come boiling over, Verga jotted down ‘Shippai’ in a burst of impulse. It was a Japanese word, her husband’s language, and it translated to ‘failure.’ Shippai Ilgraven would be her daughter’s new name. When Runsu found out, they shouted, then they fought. This one was a stalemate. Bloodied, bruised, Verga went to the car to take little Shippai out of the back seat, while Runsu stormed off.

If mastering tai chi was difficult, figuring out how to care for a baby was something else entirely. Verga was in and out of the house, constantly, always in need of new supplies, new clothes, new diapers. Shippai needed weekly check-ups, as her Senshinōben persisted in weakening the baby’s already delicate body. Verga had no idea what was right or wrong when it came to raising this tiny, squealing, fragile creature. Then, when Shippai was half a year old, Runsu returned. To Verga’s enormous surprise, he was back to apologize. She, of course, would not and could not forgive him, but he was there to help, and Runsu couldn’t refuse.

Runsu, likely with the thought of his own parents haunting his mind, did his best to stay by Shippai’s side at all times. He took off from university as well. Verga, who tried to care for the girl best she could, felt guilt for the second time in her life, this time over the child’s name, not to mention a certain amount of wounded pride over her daughter and heir carrying such a shameful moniker. Not that she ever said these things out loud, of course. Runsu was no longer the handsome boy she confided in, all those months ago. To the public, of course, it was a sweet little picture—two famous martial artists raising a child together. News of their strife would not reach the tabloids.

But as Shippai began to walk, and speak, the two began training her. Verga was determined to have this child throw off her name, her disease, to fight through and conquer it. Maybe if she did, all Verga’s past pain and confusion would be vindicated. Or, maybe, the guilt would go away.

Where Verga was a cold wall, pushing Shippai silently to grow no matter the cost and holding the girl at arm's length, Runsu was a constant fire, always telling her to do better, to be better, a fixture at Shippai’s side.

Meanwhile, no longer pregnant, Verga returned to her own training. To her frustration, the meteoric growth of her teens had slowed down, and her ki would grow only at a normal rate now that she approached her thirties. Still, it was good to be fighting again, seriously. But her martial arts seems hollow now. She continued to fine tune her blend of tai chi and arnis, which she now dubbed ‘Tikhiyvolna,’ the Tranquil Wave. She garnered attention in local tournaments, and imitators of her technique began to crop up, enough to gain her little experiment in martial arts proper respect as its own school, and, for herself, the title of Tikhiyvolna Master. But the limits of punches and kicks and self-defense seemed so small in the face of the struggles of the last few years. It was like being back in her old village again, surrounded by trees, unsatisfied by the smallness of the world. Verga hated that no matter her skill, no amount of martial arts could take away her powerless to situations like miscarriage, and broken hearts, and crying babies.

Whatever she did, whatever she said, Verga loved her daughter. She didn’t know what to make of that, of course, and, on some level, it disturbed her. But those few moments when she would play with the girl, show her how to build little towers out of wood blocks, or how to make twig dolls like the ones her parents made, or laugh while Shippai roared like a movie monster and knocked over her buildings—Verga was happy. But it didn’t make the guilt go away, or the pain, and having to deal with happiness and unhappiness at the same time felt more confusing than unhappiness on its own. And even if she loved her, love isn’t enough. If anything, it made Verga’s actions worse—a mother may be cold and heartless, and that’s a simple, understandable evil, but a mother who loved her daughter—she should’ve known better.

Verga and Runsu were not good parents. They pushed their daughter to reach the stars, and when she couldn’t, when the reality of the Senshinōben beat her back down, they, either consciously or subconsciously, would blame Shippai. Runsu would lose his temper and shout, Verga would go cold as stone and speak only curt, harsh indictments. Eventually, the tiny shred of goodwill that had built up with Runsu’s return fell away. They argued, and argued, and argued, and Shippai cowered on the sidelines.

When Shippai was seven, the two took their daughter to Japan, where Verga hoped to put her through survival training like what she endured in Siberia. On the way, as they often did, Shippai’s parents fought, and fought. In the airport. In Japan. Up in the mountains. While they walked the hiking trail, Runsu finally succeeded in pulling Verga’s trigger with a comment about her taking his future from him, and suddenly her icy sniping became vicious shouting. She ordered Shippai to wait for them by a bench on the hiking trail, and told Runsu that she was done. Done with him, done with Shippai, done with all of it.

That broke through his bluster. But what about Shippai? We can’t leave her here.

I can, said Verga. If you want to raise a child on your own, be my god damn guest.

She marched off down the path, and Runsu tried to follow her. By the mountain base, they came to blows. For the first time in a very long while, Runsu was victorious, but he must not have felt victorious, because when Verga met his gaze, beaten and gasping for breath beneath a Japanese fir, he turned, and he fled. Verga knew her daughter was waiting for her up in the mountains. But she couldn’t return. Not to China, and not to Shippai, not to Runsu. Once again, Verga was marching off into the wilderness, alone.

For the next fifteen years, Verga sought only the hard and tangible. She sought power. She sought anything that would keep her from powerlessness. She sought something clear and simple, and something that she was actually good at. And Verga was very good at amassing power. She let her martial arts skills go rusty as the benefits of her blue ki slowed with age, and instead spent her time scouring the corners of Asia for ancient ki techniques derived from old powers and terrible sorceries. She might occasionally participate in tournaments, a way of maintaining her fortune, but other than that Verga Ilgraven faded from the public scene. The thought of people, always somewhat uncomfortable to Verga, even at the best of times, was now downright frightening to her. Power had been her first love, and, she now realized, it should have been her only.

In the last few months, noting her loss in a recent tournament, Verga has decided to begin work again with her martial arts skills, and has quietly returned to the city in order to find sparring partners. She keeps on a straight face, deflects questions about her daughter, and hides admirably her great distaste for almost every single thing about the busy cities of Japan.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

Verga spent much of the last fifteen years tracking down, learning, and refining some of the most dangerous ki-attacks known to martial arts. She fights with a balance of these attacks alongside her own martial arts prowess, generally using her special techniques to beat down the enemy with raw aggression, then closes in and finishes them off with her martial arts.

Her martial art style, Tikhiyvolna, is based on her studies of Chinese tai chi and Filipino arnis, and focuses on control and adaptability. Verga is an aggressive fighter by nature, but her martial arts style is ultimately more suited to waiting, reacting, and controlling, and while she is the inventor of Tikhiyvolna, it’s techniques are not suited towards her natural disposition, and she relies almost entirely on her ki abilities for direct offense. While still skilled, Verga has grown rusty as a Tikhiyvolna practitioner, and currently seeks to refine her old skills again.

Because Verga pursued only the most powerful techniques, almost all of her specials require enormous amounts of ki to function, and her body can only sustain a certain number of ‘shots’ before requiring a lengthy recharge time.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Singularity

The world folds inward towards Verga, and a powerful gravitational pulse draws a single target towards her. The Singularity can move at ranges between twenty to a hundred feet, but cannot draw a target all the way towards her. Verga cannot perform any other kinds of ki-techniques while the Singularity is active, and, if it misses, it will take about twenty seconds for gravity to settle down enough to reuse the attack. Targets do not have their movements inhibited as they are drawn towards Verga. The reach of the Singularity appears as a multicolored rippling in the air, and, while extremely fast, it is possible to dodge.

Singularity is her only special move without a shot limit.

Another side effect of the Singularity is that it pins Verga in place while it’s active, allowing her to counter other, similar distance-grapples by using Singularity on another random target and locking herself in place. However, it also means she can't use Singularity while on the move.

■ Time Warp

Verga uses both hands to swing a massive ax-headed blade of ki that folds time as it passes. Time Warp has medium range, but the spread of the attack is quite large—the blade itself is the size of a small car—and can travel about ten feet before dissipating. Targets hit by a Time Warp temporarily receive a small drop in speed, as their body’s passage through time is inhibited. Time Warp has three shots per hour, and is Verga's preferred attack.

■ Gravity Lens

A powerful shielding move that warps incoming attacks around Verga, and exerts a violent outward push and downward weight on all nearby objects. It takes huge, ki-infused power to shatter the Lens, though its defense isn’t impenetrable. Gravity Lens has two shots per hour, though if shattered, becomes more difficult to use again too soon.

■ Aether Field

A vicious scythe of light that moves at high speeds. With middling damage, the Aether Field is Verga’s weakest attack, but it has long range and moves extremely quickly—Verga’s most versatile move. She can grab onto the Field’s tail end and use it to close distances quickly. Aether Field has two shots per hour.

■ Paradox

Verga phases her body through dimensions, allowing her to dash at extreme speeds by flickering through spacetime. Paradox has two shots per hour.

■ Supernova

A luminous ki attack that spreads out from Verga as a thick, rippling wave of stardust and superheated energy. The Supernova has wide reach and spread, and can dizzy opponents with the strength of its light. Supernova has one shot per hour.

■ Black Hole

Verga hurls a projectile of crackling gravity, then detonates it at will. When a Black Hole detonates, anything loose within ten feet is sucked towards it and dealt crushing gravity damage. Once they reach the center, the target immediately goes free. However, Verga is also affected by this attack, and has to time the Black Hole to ignite while she herself is out of range. If succesfull, it can interrupt combos and create an enormous hole in an enemy's tempo, opening them up to further attacks. Black Hole has one shot per hour.

■ Dark Matter

A powerful, invisible attack that warps space and time as it moves. Dark Matter has medium range, high damage, and is exceptionally dangerous due to giving little physical warning before striking a target. Dark Matter is one of Verga's strongest attacks, and has one shot per day.

■ Antiparticle

Igniting the atoms themselves, Verga unleashes a massive, highly destructive blast that overwhelms everything it touches with an oppressive cold heat. Antiparticle is Verga’s single strongest attack, bar none, but it is a short range move that requires Verga be within punching distance of her target. Antiparticle has one shot per five days.

SUPER MOVES

■ Harmonic Release

A technique Verga developed using tai chi principals of balance and rhythm. Verga overrides the limits of her body, pushing her natural abilities right over the brink. Adrenaline and oxytocin production skyrocket, her heartbeat slows while each beat pounds like the world’s largest drum, and Verga gains a dramatic, supernomadic increase in movement speed, reaction time, and hit strength, as well as endurance to extreme temperatures. This is an entirely physical, martial technique, and does not rely on ki. However, it will only last for about five minutes, and once it wears off her speed and strength are halved for the immediate future.

Unlike her daughter’s Full Release, a move that forces the body into overdrive like a screaming taskmaster whipping an unwilling servant, Verga’s Harmonic Release seeks to breach human limitation through symphonic balance between mind and body, and, while exhausting, does not inflict as serious harm on the user as the Full Release.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

While Verga’s ki attacks are enormously powerful, their raw power is also their greatest downside. Verga has pursued only the most dangerous of techniques during her quest for power, and, as a result, most of her special moves have a limited number of ‘shots’ before her body can no longer sustain them, and she must act conservatively against stronger foes, something that doesn’t come naturally to Verga due to her pride. In addition, almost none of her abilities can safely be used in closed in spaces, like hallways, and are difficult to use without harming allies. This also means she has a certain lack of versatility, as her abilities cannot be easily fine tuned or controlled—they operate at either 0%, or 100%, with no middle-ground.

If her abilities are spent, she has to rely on martial arts, and, while more than competent, her style focuses on self-defense, and isn’t appropriate for the shows of aggression and power that Verga relies on by nature.

OTHER

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Verga’s old fascination with fame has faded in the last twenty years, and she now has a very low opinion of it, and people who seek it out.

Katsuo Ketsueki

"Heh, not bad, but you'll have t'do more than that t'match me!"

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⦋ 18 || Japanese || Male ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Standing with a tincture of valor in his dark blue eyes, Katsuo stands at about 5'9," a bit below average for what you might expect out of a nomad, but that can be overlooked for... certain reasons. To add onto his rather unassuming appearance, he does have a rather average build, flat midsection with some difficulty in telling if he has any muscles at all. While he does stand upright, for the most part, he walks with a slight slouch. His clothes seem rather ordinary as well, wearing a slick black jacket with white stripes and indents here and there, with some fluff at the collar as well. The rest of his clothes don't stand out, with a plain white t-shirt underneath, some black pants and shoes to complete the style. Other than his confident and haughty smile and his obvious Japanese accent, the biggest thing that stands out is his sword. It's nearly as large as him and is a lot heavier than what the average could wield. Some parts of it seem chipped away, yet it holds a sharpened edge to it all, seemingly pulsing with energy, glowing red from time to time.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

= Confident
= Excitable
= Idealistic to a fault
= Pompous
= Relaxed (Most of the time)
= Shallow
= Stubborn
= Tendency to white knight

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

Myths recount of many things, such as the tales and triumphs of figures who when on a spanning journey to return home, or the trickery of creatures that would inspire fear or lessons into the hearts of others, however there is one story that has been lost to time. Long ago, legends tell of a fabled sword that was wielded by a warrior and his descendants that would fall any enemy that was unfortunate to come across time and time again.

With each passing generation, the sword would become bathed in myriads of blood to the point where it was sopping wet with the crimson hue. As a result of the mixture of the blood bought with the lives of enemies, the blade began to develop powers and grow into its own being. It held an insatiable bloodlust that would only extend to its victims if they lacked the willpower to control it, forcing them to tame it through absorbing a specific amount of blood. Many lacked the strength of mind and soon it became lost to the sands of time.

Fast forward to me, Katsuo, a normal Japanese highschooler into his second year. Life was... decent I suppose with your typical family of four - dad, mom, a younger sister, and I. Life in high school was pretty friggin' great for the most part to the point of sheer perfection. I wasn't the top student across all classes, sure, but I was always expected to be in the top ten by my peers.

Participated in a couple of clubs as well, ranging from being Captain of the Kendo Club, a member of the Occult, Singing, and Anime Club, and even was a part of the student council. Never decided to go for President since I fear my perfect charisma wouldn't allow another person to be elected for the entirety of my semesters here! I did participate in a bit of track as well, though that was one of my weaker areas I would say.

Honestly, life got boring pretty fast, as not only did I have a set schedule, but I was always surrounded by chicks who would fawn over me. Jeez, I like the attention, but y'gotta tone it down sometimes, you know? Doesn't matter if you're cute or sexy. Regardless, I was strained for any sort of reprieve from this boring life was interrupted by a sudden visit from Aunt Camila, an anthropologist of sorts.

She claimed to have discovered the sword of their descendants and how a mystic (a fortune-teller, not one of those cute nekomata's at my school) foretold of a prophecy which I was shown wielding this weapon. The prophecy was a bit vague, but it basically surmounted to me repelling a great evil and saving the world. However, in using the sword, I would have to end up making a pact with it to satiate it with the blood of fallen enemies, which should be easy since I was attacked by multiple villains trying to shut me down before I could grow strong enough to fulfill my destiny.

So I spent the rest of my high school years not only dealing with the stresses of hot chicks and normal life, but fighting off evildoers while training under my master... god bless his soul. Regardless, with my high ki levels, training completed in about one and a half years, as well as my graduation, I'm heading out to prevent this evil from destroying our world.

Wish me luck, though I'm damn sure I don't need it!

---

Blinking, he began looking over the notebook once more, smiling to himself as he tapped a pencil at his lips, passing by many people who glanced over at Katsuo. Most of them made a few comments, keeping to themselves as they shrugged and continued walking out of the airplane terminal. He then beamed to himself before closing the notebook with a satisfying thwack as he lightly jogged towards the congregating group of Nomads.

Time for him to shine.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

The only real training he has is from swinging this heavy ass sword around. Most of it is seemingly self taught with some of the basics nailed down, albeit nervously. Focusing more on overwhelming power, he uses his sword and slightly above nomad average amount of ki to try and slice at opponent with as much power as he can possible, albeit crudely and clumsily to a certain extent. He lacks any sort of fighting style and hasn't done a whole lot of research on how to really put it to proper use, but hell, it's badass! Along with that, he seems to switch between three different "stances," if you could call them that, unwillingly due to his sword. Depending on how much damage he deals or soaks up allows him to progress into different "stances," changing his defensive fighting style to one where he becomes no different than a bloodthirsty beast. So to summarize, think of a knight and berserker and how they might seemingly fight... this also may or may not reflect on a sudden change in his personality.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Executioner

Katsuo rushes forward, slashing his sword horizontally at the opponent. Under a specific circumstance, if Katsuo manages to hit his opponent's throat, this attack will do twice as much damage, as well as double his blood build up from it.

■ Penetrating Toss

Lunging forward, Katsuo grits his teeth as he stabs the tip of his blade into the opponent. He then proceeds to put all his power into this attack and slice upwards into an uppercut. This launches the opponent off of his blade and into the air.

■ Purge

Slowing down and taking a deep breath, Katsuo grasps the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, closes his eyes, and holds the fuller close to his body. He then remembers his true goals, casting aside his more... bloodthirsty thoughts. Not only does this keep him from losing himself, it also alters what stance he is in. If he is Blood Born he goes down to Blood Thirst and so on. It has no effect once he is in a Blood Starved state and does not work the other way around (e.g. making him go from Blood Starved to Blood Thirsty and so on).

■ [Blood Starved] Dark Signal

Focusing all of his might into his sword, making it glow a dark shade of crimson, he braces himself for the next attack made by his opponent. If the opponent attempts to strike at him when he does this, Katsuo immediately retaliates by parrying the the opponent with his large blade and striking them. This doesn't deal as much damage as Executioner when it strikes the neck, but it does deal more damage than a regular Executioner strike.

■ [Blood Starved] Tricky Weapon

Seemingly going in an overhead arc, Katsuo quickly switches the way he is holding it in midair and smashes the pommel of the blade against the opponents head. While this does stun them, it destabilizes them as well, making them easier to hit for the black swordsman.

■ [Blood Thirsty] Bloody Maria

Stabbing the ground with his sword, Katsuo surges his ki into the sword, causing an explosion of blood around him. While this does little to no damage, it knocks opponents down, as well as leaves them coated in a thin layer of blood. If an opponent steps into the blood, they will slip over and fall down. Only one blood puddle can appear on the battlefield at a time.

■ [Blood Thirsty] Crossbleed Slash

Katsuo runs forward, slashing the enemy from side to side twice in and X formation. If they are covered in any sort of blood, they will end up bleeding out, resulting in damage over time for the adversary; along with that, the layer will be removed upon being hit with this attack.

■ [Blood Born] Blood Letter

Arcing his sword above him, Katsuo strikes the bloodied blade down onto the opponent, slamming them into the ground. After ten seconds, the opponent will suddenly cough up a bit of blood, in which during this time, they will take damage over time for a short bit and their defense will be decreased in the process.

■ [Blood Born] Leeching Mongrel

Utilizing his ki in tandem with his sword, he rushes forward, jamming his hand into his opponents chest before swiftly utilizing this power to turn it into a bloody looking claw. This causes the opponents to feel not only a sharp pain in their chest, but when he tears it out, blood will explode everywhere the opponent will feel a bit woozy as a result of extracting blood from them during the attack. No gashes will be left, but they will still take damage and attack damage will be sapped just for a bit. If utilized on a person covered in Vile Blood, instead of lowering the damage dealt to Katsuo, it will deal double damage.

SUPER MOVES

■ [Blood Born] Beyond the Abyss

As if he's about to use his ability Purge, Katsuo performs the same thing as he would during it, taking a deep breath, holding the fuller close to his chest, and taking a deep breath. However, as soon as he breathes out, his eyes suddenly open, his gaze a mixture of rage but also of a strange sort of calm. Swiftly, he stabs the tip of the blade at his opponent, leaving them in a stunned state for the duration of this super if not dodged or blocked, but not before yelling "This blade of mine boils with an awesome power!" He then uses Penetrating Toss, shouting "It's searing edge tells me to defeat you!" While they are descending, his sword radiates with bloody power and grows in size before Katsuo performs a spin attack on the opponent, crying out "TAKE THIS! MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW!" for the duration of the attack. He then quickly jumping back and performing a front flip and slashing the opponent with all his might, giving one last howl of power "BEYOND THE ABYSS!" This completely resets him to Blood Starved.

*He may or may not say the dialogue that appears here.

■ [Blood Thirsty] Soul of Chaos

As if he's about to use his ability Purge, Katsuo performs the same thing as he would during it, taking a deep breath, holding the fuller close to his chest, and taking a deep breath. As soon as he finishes, parts of his body begin to randomly glow a scarlet shade. Temporarily, he becomes a fast as he would be in his Blood Born state, as well as gaining high defense as with his Blood Starved state. This slowly fades over time, however there is something additional to go along with this - he gains access to all his moves for the duration of this super.

The moves he utilizes during this super will result in him being either put into his Blood Starved or Blood Born state at the end of this; if he relies on Blood Starved attacks or attacks with no state attached to it, then it will count towards him ending up in his Blood Starved state. If Katsuo utilizes Blood Thirsty or Blood Born attacks, that will count towards him becoming Blood Born. Incidentally enough, he cannot use Purge at all during this state.

■ [Blood Starved] The Vile Blood

As if he's about to use his ability Purge, Katsuo performs the same thing as he would during it, taking a deep breath, holding the fuller close to his chest, and taking a deep breath. However, as soon as he breathes out, he instantly opens his eyes which are glowing a bright shade of red before instantly stabbing himself. This deals a good amount of damage to himself and immediately makes him Blood Born. This isn't the end of the move as he will swiftly ripping the sword out of him and launching a Vile Blood wave at the opponent. If it hits them, it barely does any damage, but it soaks them in Vile Blood and makes their movements slow for a short amount of time, as well as grant the user the ability to regain health every time he deals damage to them. The time to regain health also does have a set window as well, though it does last longer than the slow.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

One of the major downsides to his fighting style is that he cannot access all his moves at once and is forced to play it by the ear when going from one state to another. Moreover, he can only change his state in a few ways, one of which is through Purge, which lowers his "blood" level. The other way he does this is through dealing damage or taking damage, which inadvertently increases his "blood" level.

Continuing along with his forms, each of them give him weaknesses to match the benefit; his Blood Starved state gives Katsuo high defense, but he lacks speed in this given form. When he transgresses into his Blood Thirsty state, his defense and speed become equal, making it so that he becomes a jack of all trades, but master of none. And finally, when he becomes Blood Born, his speed increases but he takes more damage in this state due to his defense become abysmal. There is also the fact that his personality alternates as well, but that's better done than said.

To follow up, while he does dynamically change during the battle and hits very hard, Katsuo has the tendency to overestimate his capabilities and act smug... a lot. Along with that, he has a sort of a romanticized predisposition, which means he may try to interject himself into specific situations and possibly make things a lot worse, especially when it comes to women. And most of all, from the way he fights, it looks like he lacks finesse and seemingly doesn't have a lot of substantial training.

OTHER

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■ He seems to carry around a notebook with him in his satchel. Has different scribbles in Japanese, as well as a page with his name in it and details over myriads of things. Along with that, it seems he has drawn chibis of himself using the weapon.
■ Seems to be a huge fan of the Soulsborne Series, as some moves he has written down in his notebook seem to be based off of the games.
■ Along with that, he seems to write small excerpts in the remaining space he has, ranging from short stories to journal entries.
■ Whoever makes a pact with the sword he wields will end up having their ki levels spiked; an example being is if a regular person made a pact, their ki would be boosted to levels similar to your average nomad.

Gabriel Bressol

"Good luck, you're gonna need it goin' up against me!"

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⦋ 25 || American || Male ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Gabriel is a titan of a man, standing pridefully at 6'5" and is about 200 lbs of pure, solid muscle. His physical stature is athletic, as he sports the body of a gymnast or, as said by himself, a Herculean build. Among the many irregularities, normalcy still stands, whether its his rugged dark brown hair, a lightly tanned, almost sandy colored skin, and gray eyes... with glowing golden specks in them, not dissimilar to distance stars or the Earth's own sun. There are other... unusual characteristics when it came to his own looks.

He was born handsome, his own attractiveness teetering on the edge of impossibility... but Gabriel is genuine in his visage, yet he was too perfect to be real. It was as if he was painted on the canvas by Raphael, yet sculpted and given life by Michelangelo. Of course, this was completely intentional, being born as a designer baby as a part of a now depreciated, dilapidated rich family. He was meant to be physically alluring; they did want everything for their own child after all.

Of course, due to some... issues, he is forced to hide his breathtaking visage from the world, keeping everything, mainly his face, hidden behind hoodies, sunglasses, and so on. His muscular frame, on the other hand, is obscured by baggy clothing, though, it isn't too hard to tell he's a nomad, given his ki, and the fact that he covers his hands in ivory colored hand wraps.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

⍟ Casual
⍟ Competitive
⍟ Conceited
⍟ Eccentric
⍟ Energetic
⍟ Friendly
⍟ Hedonistic
⍟ Immature
⍟ Tough
⍟ Uncooperative

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

The Cold War, known frequently for the tension and rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, as well as the threats of nuclear war, espionage, and myriads of other items. Both nations always vying for power, fighting not with guns but with money, propaganda, and so much more. While everyone paid attention to the ensuing conflict that came with the Space Race and Korean War, just to give a few examples, a much more subtler development was occurring somewhere in the U.S.

In 1953, just two years before the launch of the satellite Sputnik 1, the U.S. began looking into getting an edge in this war, via superior genetic development by possibly creating Super Soldiers. During this time, Nomads weren't as globally popular as they were in the 2000's, but they did still merited the wonders of researchers and scientists looking to see if they could replicate not only the strengths Nomad's had and their high ki, but looking into creating them with higher functioning brainpower.

In their heads, if they developed smarter and stronger people, they would not only have an edge physically, but be able to out-develop the Russians rapidly. Of course, this wasn't without two underlying issues that followed. For starters, the Soviet's did manage to get ahold of this technology during the beginning of 1955 and further more, one of the biggest events of the Cold War, the Space Race was about to occur.

How is this all relevant you might ask? The program for developing these Nomadic Super Soldier began to slow down in favor of much more broader pursuits, such as putting more funding into their Space Program, affairs such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion to name an example, took precedence over such a fantasy far from reach that the program was temporarily suspended. The Soviets on the other hand did not have the same issue and would go on to developing what would be known as Project: Lilith, with the name NIKA being later discovered by U.S. spies.

Fast forward about twenty-five or so years to around 1983, in which a frivolous rich family, known as the Bressols took to the stage of genetic development... or rather, funded it to say the least. Born to old money and supported by the small fortune inherited, Mr. Bressol came into learning about the genetic programming the U.S. was originally trying to undertake, but pulled out due to the funds. Out of self-interest and believing he would be lauded power, prestige, and more, he made an investment into this project, as well as made the demand that they would give their family the perfect child.

With multiple agreements being settled, they went on to create multiple tests, trying to keep this whole development in secret... which might of been a tad difficult due to the Bressol's tendency to gloat about it all, and their imaginative visions of what type of child they would be; they even had a name and gender prepared for him - he would be a boy known Gabriel... they were also a bit religious too by the by.

Of course, they did make other lucrative investments, such as hiring the "best" martial artist to train their son, sinking money into investing in the WMAF, and so on and so forth. However, it was during this time that they went into a great decline due to spreading themselves so thin that they struggled to keep up with their original investment. However, they were eventually reimbursed when the program declared that they would have conclusive results in the next few months or so, as well as details of the project. This caused the Bressols to spring into action, with Mr. Bressol swiftly impregnating Mrs. Bressol so they would be prepared for when the last results were in and they could prepare their child for the best they had to offer.

Later, in the year 1993, their perfect specimen, their trophy, their child, Gabriel, would be born. Even with their fading legacy, they made sure to give him everything they needed, grooming him not only to be the proper heir to their legacy, but a legendary Nomad. One who would exemplify (to them) the virtues of the United States and become a world wide hero. Of course, these delusions were sprinkled with humble bragging, letting rumors spread, and above all, molding Gabriel into the man he would eventually grow to.

However, there were consequences for leaking out such information.

This bragging, as well as involvement and attention hogging would eventually attract the attention of the organization known as KOSCHEI, the architects of the long running Project: Lilith. Even with the end of the Cold War years ago, tensions still remained at a high as they came to discover that they had managed to create the specimen known as Gabriel due to the Bressols. They surmised that this family must of had certain secrets due to their involvement, as well as possibly developing a possibly superior genetic being.

The organization took a venture to steal and possibly destroy this family, the organization developing these clones, as well as this so called Gabriel. The clone known as NIKA was given strict orders to take out the family and Gabriel first, as well as recover any sort of data they had before going for their rival organization and destroying the whole operation. In 2008, she took up the pseudonym of Marilyn Durand, and presented herself as a business woman from one of the companies in the US, taking an interest in Mr. Bressols project, as well as seducing the man to let her in so they could talk... business.

Of course, he fell for her trap, and was murdered alongside his wife. Once she found no information regarding the operation, aside from payments and the location, she was given orders to burn the damn house to the ground. She expected the young Gabriel to perish in the fire, but she was caught off guard when the fifteen year old Gabriel challenged her amidst the flames. She found it amusing and believed it to be an effortless fight.

Well, she was right about one thing. One solid hit was enough to not only cause her head and neck to snap back violently, but also sent her spiraling into the flames. Something about this power invigorated him, and inspired many emotions in him during the time. But with smoking filling the air, it was hard to concentrate on that as he rushed outside the manor, finding it all burning and broken with none of his parents in sight.

What happened to the young man during the following years was unknown. Most say he started his journey as a Nomad right then and there. Others say he sought the truth behind his conception. Hell, there were even rumors circulating that he was picked up by his Master and their organization to train the young man for their own nefarious ends.

But regardless of what happened, only he truly knows, stepping off the plane of his recent flight... to Zun.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

Gabriel, while specializing mainly in close range combat, also utilizes a heavily Americanized version of Qigong, combining the Chinese aspects taught with American values and customs, even going so far as to base most of the ki-focused moves more on the meaning behind the colors of the American flag; he considers these attacks to be so strong that they could act as crippling blows. Along with that, his parents might of gone a bit overboard with designing their child, going so far as to give Gabriel the ability to control every muscle in his body if he wanted to.

Focusing more on the Qigong techniques he learned, the first was representative of the red on the flag - hardiness and valor. This was known as the Technique of Valor, which strengthens his physical form, as well as slows him down. The next form he learned was representative of the color white on the flag - innocence and purity. This was dubbed the Technique of Purity, which gives him the ability to concentrate his ki into a physical form and fire them as projectile(s), but at the cost of weakening the ki shielding him (i.e. he takes more friggin' damage). Finally, the last of the techniques he learned was representative of the blue on the flag - vigilance, preservation, and justice. This was named the Technique of Justice, which increases the speed at which he moves, but at the cost of less robust physical attacks.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

⍟ Star-Spangled Strike

Gabriel empowers a certain part of his body with ki, causing that specific area to cause more damage to the opponent or area. If he does not make contact with an opponent or object after twenty seconds, the area he charged with ki fades and will have to reapply it.

Uniquely, when applying it to his fists, he specifically targets the torso of his opponent, allowing him to, instead, get three hits off. When performing each of these strikes, these colors, starting with red, then white, and finally blue all erupt in a fiery explosion from the opponents back.

When applied to his feet, instead of doing a regular attack using them, he will automatically jump into the air and shoot downwards, feet first. Upon making contact either with the opponent or the ground, the area will erupt with a small explosion, following the prior colors of red, white, and blue.

⍟ Filibuster

Gabriel slowly empowers his lungs with ki before letting out a bellowing cry. While this does low damage, the main strength lies in its utility. It knocks opponents who are near him not only down, but backwards, as well as giving them a major headache. This can also be employed to dispel or knock down projectiles. Its main weakness is that he can't instantly use it, making it unreliable to constantly spam or when someone is already up in his face.

⍟ American Affinity

Gabriel focuses, physically, mentally, and spiritually attuning himself to one of his techniques, allowing to use these moves at their strongest form. However, doing this blocks him off from accessing his other techniques, at least until he either switches to it, or attunes himself to all techniques, reverting himself to his original attunement.

Techniques of Valor

⍟ Massachusetts Moonsault

Amassing strength in his lower body, Gabriel performs a backflip, launching himself high into the sky... or, at least above the ground or the nomad he's fighting (hopefully) and slamming stomach-first into the opponent. Can be used to punish opponents rushing headfirst into Gabriel in his normal or Valor form.

⍟ Counter-Terrorism

Just before the opponents move makes contact, Gabriel suddenly flexes his biceps, giving the opponent the bullhorns while performing this. Gabriel proceeds to take paltry damage from this attack, but gains a boost in damage for his next special. If the attack the opponent makes is physical, then afterwards, he latches onto the opponents limb with one of his arms before tossing them behind him like a rag-doll.

⍟ Mr. Olympia

Gabriel flexes on the opponent, striking a pose as he does so, his skin carbonizing in the process. This turns him into a walking, hulking, flesh-hardened tank, allowing him to brush aside most forms of damage for the next thirty seconds. While he does take a very, very low amount of damage, his speed becomes pathetically laughable until the effects wear off; you either have to be neglecting your surroundings or legitimately trying to get hit when he's like this.

Techniques of Purity

⍟ Ki-Four

Gabriel throws a small blob of ki onto the battlefield that shoots a beam of light at the opponent every ten seconds, up to a total of four times. If the victim approaches the small ball, he can detonate it, not only causing them to stumble if they are within the proximity, but cause the remaining amount of beams to rapidly shoot out and pierce the opponent.

⍟ Sharpshooter

Gabriel brings both of his hands together, forming a finger gun. Charging up energy into the tips of his fingers, he then proceeds to shoot out a piercing, white beam which can hit opponents at long ranges; usually great for ambushing, but not a whole lot outside of that.

⍟ First Aid Ki

Gabriel can either apply this attack to himself or another; if he performs this on a person besides himself, they will not suffer from the repercussions of this move. When used, he puts his hand on the target, imbuing them with his own ki, healing them for a medium amount of health. Of course, the move takes a long time to get off as he needs to keep completely still, as well as staying in contact with the target. While this does leave him vulnerable to attacks, even if he gets it off, he still isn't out of the woods yet. Regardless of whether or not he healed himself or another, he will take more damage for the duration of this move (i.e. 1.5x more damage; if he was doing something like blocking, he would take 0.75x damage).

Techniques of Justice

⍟ Patriotic Pummeling

Gabriel lets out a flurry of blows, arms becoming a complete blur as he pummels the opponent (think of Star Platinum when he's doing his signature ORA ORA).

⍟ Actus Reus

Gabriel becomes a tornado as he spins around, arms wide open, while rushing the opponent. Anyone caught by him will be forced to take a flurry of blows as an afterimage of three to five fists strike the opponent before he comes to a halt. Of course, keeping this up for too long will cause Gabriel to become dizzy, leaving him open to attacks for the next five seconds.

⍟ Subpoena

Gabriel launches himself forward at the opponent, leaving behind afterimages as he moves. Whether or not he makes contact with the opponent doesn't matter, as the "initial" strike deals no damage. Following that, if he does a specific punch or kick from range in this form, suddenly, an afterimage pops out near the opponent to strike them. This does around average to below average damage, but can disrupt the opponent.

SUPER MOVES

⍟ United Smash of America

Gabriel invokes the virtues of all three of his techniques, Valor, Purity, and Justice, as well as calling upon the energy of all those in the United States to lend him his power. Suddenly, his fist glows brightly as he rushes at his opponent with unparalleled speed. There's really only a short window to dodge, but if he makes contact, he will pump as much ki as he can into the attack, burying his fist into the persons gut. As the fist is buried into the victims gut, their back suddenly begins to glow red, white, and blue in the shape of the United States before suddenly not only being launched away, but having an explosion erupt from their back.

⍟ Little Boy

Gabriel invokes the virtues of all three of his techniques, Valor, Purity, and Justice, thrusting his arms up to the heavens, holding his hands wide open. Suddenly, a dense energy ball of ki forms above him as a glowing bright, white light that could probably blind opponents if they look to long at it. Suddenly, he throws down the radiant energy onto the battlefield, obliterating everything in the vicinity, save himself... expect collateral damage.

⍟ Justice Delayed

Gabriel invokes the virtues of all three of his techniques, Valor, Purity, and Justice, before taking a deep breath in. Suddenly, he rushes forward at the opponent, similarly to the United Smash of America attack, save he passes through the opponent, almost as if he was a ghost. If he manages to pass through his opponent, Gabriel will cross his arms before arrogantly stating "You're already dead." Suddenly, a barrage of afterimages pummels the opponent as Gabriel slowly walks away from the scene, not even bothering to watch.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

While he does have access to all his moves from the start (aside from Supers), they are all heavily weakened until he focuses on specific technique, allowing them to be used to their full potential, taking the term "jack of all trades, master of none" to a radicalized extreme. However, his "normal" specials are not affected by this falloff in damage, but they do change in speed, damage, and ki consumption when he does use a certain technique.

When utilizing his Techniques of Valor fully, his muscle mass, while allowing him to become stronger, also causes his attacks to become slower, as well as the time it takes for him to recover. So, swifter opponents should usually be able to take advantage of him whiffing and just dodging his attacks in general.

When utilizing his Techniques of Purity fully, he gains strong, ranged ki blasts, but turns him into a primarily ranged combatant. The main weakness of this form is that due to how draining the attacks are, they not only eat away at his physical stamina, but at the "invisible shield" most nomads have, causing him to take increased damage.

When utilizing his Techniques of Justice fully, his muscle mass decreases just a little, bit causing him to become a lean, mean, gymnast-like machine. As said, he becomes swifter in this form, but has a decrease in how much damage he does, forcing him to do hit and runs. Tankier characters can take his blows in this form without breaking a sweat.

OTHER

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N/A

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (DEMO MODE)

Just gonna move my oldies here, might modify them particularly in the backstory around the time the ooc is up.

@dragonmancer

Well, the only one that's really an oldie is Sigurd; Vlad is a new one, so like our velveteen rabbit, he's gonna need a bit of a review later :P

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (DEMO MODE)

To pass the time, what if we came up with intro dialogue akin to Injustice 2/Mortal Kombat 11? Liiiiiiiiiike



<Snipped quote>

@Savo I had an idea for one with Alduous:

<Snipped quote>

@Ruler Inc

We did winquotes before, but I can't see why not... I'll just do one of these briefly.

Aldous: I would say that you should be more careful going off such arbitrary measurements; there are some things you can't measure with Ki alone.

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (DEMO MODE)

@KaiserElectric Hello and thank you :)

Alrighty then, interest shown!
Will work on a CS later (most probably wait for others' reference 1st XD)

@Celsius

Since I have a returning character for this rp, I think I could help you by giving you (and possibly any others) a reference to use if you need help. Thankfully, he's... sort of a shotoclone, but with some nuances.

Here's Aldous Mercer, the resident Necromancer and possibly the least "villainous" of my character.

Aldous Mercer

"Instead of applying designs and colors for ritualistic purposes, commoners embalm the ink into their skin for nothing more than their own amusement... fascinating..."

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⦋ ??? || N/A || Male ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Aside from his crown, the necromancer reaches a height of 5'8" with a... skeletal build to boot. If one were to strip him of all his clothes, there wouldn't be a single scrap of flesh on his body, rotten or not. Despite this all, the bones, while pale, seemed to be meticulously cleaned to a pint, making it someone difficult to spot a bit of dirt on him, lest they be at his feet. Aside from his other body parts, his skulls eye-sockets glow with an iridescent shade of crimson and function similarly to eyes. If you question how he speaks without a tongue, he chalks it up to magic. Other than that, it isn't unusual to find some wrappings in his attire, namely around his feet, hands, and torso. He also dons a signature brass appearing crown with what looks to be a tattered, faded robe with some markings on the lower front of it.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

- Calm
- Curious
- Excitable (Dependent)
- Nonchalant
- Open
- Passive
- Vigilant (Especially in regards to his phylactery)

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

The only history one will get out of him was that he was a simple farm boy whose family dabbled in witchcraft, namely the arts involving souls and the dead. Along with that, he was more persistent and passionate about the future more than anyone else and instead of using soothsaying magic his family had access to, he decided to see and record for himself; after all how far into the future they could see was limited by at least fifty years. In his prime he bound his soul to a phylactery, which was when he truly, physically "died." During this time, he left on his travels, skin and flesh rotting away, eyes falling out and being replaced by red, floating orbs, the works. He does recall multiple horrific incidents where he was killed, even once having to walk through the sea to get back to shore.

Afterwards, he will inquire said person who asked their story, how it affected them, etc. Rather basic. From the brief way he puts out his story, Aldous does not seem to care much for the past, but rather what the future beholds. That is the reason why he sealed his soul into an enchanted gem after all...

... oh, and screw those religious zealots, they can go die in a spectral fire for all he cares... impeding his journey and destroying some of his recordings... speaking of which, was taught by his surprisingly literate mother over how to read. Probably had to do with magic allowing her to understand and relay it to a wee Aldous, but it doesn't matter now.

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

To be frank, Aldous has no fighting style he can call his own due to his lack of training in most known martial arts. Instead, from over the years, he has compiled a basic set of moves he has studied and mimicked. How he gained these moves was due to his travels in the east and modern Europe (slinking in the shadows nevertheless), but disregarding stories, his fighting style is a combination of Karate and Boxing, but leans mainly towards Boxing, saying his style would fall under outboxing. One thing to note when using his fists, he will coat them with ki, usually to keep his hands from breaking when hitting someone. Finally, to top this off, Aldous utilizes his array of spells to enhance his body in specific ways, resurrect the dead, or to just send out spectral blobs at an opponent.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Spectral Flare

Aldous conjures up an ectoplasmic blob that is filled with the skeletal remains of some poor soul. When lobbed at an opponent, the bones inside seem to circle around the skull which is usually placed smack dab at the center. If it makes contact with an opponent, the amorphous sphere will burst, causing most, if not all of the skeleton to smash into the victim. If this blob is left alone, it will eventually plop onto the ground and spawn a temporary minion in the form of a skeleton to fight for Aldous. These skeletons can usually take around one to two hits before they return to their grave. If they do manage to last longer than usual, they will eventually crumple to the ground, lifeless after one minute has passed.

■ Vertebral Column

Utilizing his necromancy, Aldous summons spines that swiftly mesh with his own backbone. In a swift burst of energy, Aldous' spine suddenly elongates upwards, sending his own head flying up as well. This causes him to look a bit like a freaky human giraffe. This acts as a way to hit those characters who stay in the air, as well as knock other opponents up. At the end of it all, his body shoots up, breaking parts of the newly formed spine as it reattaches itself with his head. Breaking the spine in the middle of its movement will do minor damage to Aldous.

■ Bone Storm

Aldous' eyes blow a brighter shade of crimson before he suddenly travels forward with his skeletal torso and legs becoming a literal tornado of bones. While this is fast, he can only travel in one direction.

■ Skull Cracker

Grabbing his head, Aldous tosses it across the stage as his body disappears into the ground. As the head traverses across the area, the body can emerge on three different occasions. If the skull is hit mid-flight, the body will pop up where the skull recoils in mid-air. The necromancer can choose whether or not to emerge from the ground while its flying, which can work as an informal "uppercut" as it will impact with an opponent. Finally, if his head just lands on the ground with no interruptions from either side, Aldous will automatically emerge.

■ Rise Up and Smell the Ashes

Utilizing his ki, Aldous raises a new skeletal companion from the dead to assist him in battle. This move can be charged to create stronger, and much more powerful minions for the necromancer, but can leave him and his minion to be very open. This move gives stronger servants than ones that rise up from the necromancer's Spectral Flare move and while in the process of reviving an unfortunate soul, Aldous can use the being he is summoning as a shield. Depending on how long the charge is will result in minions that can take about four to seven hits before being defeated; if they haven't fallen, they will despawn after one to three minutes.

■ Homeostasis

This move is similar to his Rise Up and Smell the Ashes move, save for the fact that the revival process for the minion to be is almost instantaneous. However, there is a catch. Instead of having a new minion to battle with him, Aldous instead siphons health from the newly formed lackey, slowly regenerating health over time. While this can restore a good portion of his health and repair broken bones, the process is immensely slow and leaves the necromancer wide open to attacks. Using the skeleton he is taking life from as a shield won't work this time around either.

■ [Passive] Unliving, Undying

When defeated, Aldous crumples down into a pile of beaten bones. Depending on how far his phylactery is will depend on how quickly he is revived. If it's across the globe, it may take him years, possibly a decade to be restored. If it's close by or even on his being, it will take him five minutes, maybe even less to completely rejuvenate himself. However, while in this state, anyone who is aware of the circumstances involving Aldous will find that this is his most vulnerable state. By destroying his phylactery, one can permanently end Aldous' life.

■ [Passive] The Evil Dead

Due to the way he fights, Aldous can't just have a whole army of the dead running rampant considering it would take a substantial amount of effort to control a whole hive mind of them without them running rampant and inflicting chaos. That would require him to stay in one place and constantly focus and meditate! How would he have time for his studies? Instead, he puts a hard limit of three minions out per time in a fight. Depending on which move is utilized to summon them will result in how long the minions can stay on the field before returning to their graves. Incidentally enough, they cannot be put into combos; a more apt way to describe it is that performing combos to easily dispatch the undead is a waste of time, as one combo would be equal to one hit. This, however, doesn't exempt Aldous from being hit with combo's.

SUPER MOVES

■ Necronomicon

Retrieving his grimoire, Aldous lets the book float in place before the pages suddenly begin flipping. He then stops on a certain page and begins chanting a magic spell. If left uninterrupted, he will shout "Unlimited power," or something else. Regardless, this will leave the necromancer bathed in a soft blue light. Incidentally, this increases many things - Aldous power, speed, and defense rise temporarily after the usage of this super move, allowing him to deal more damage and easily tank or dodge more damage than he would usually. However, this can be stopped if he is interrupted mid-chant.

■ Army of Darkness

Chuckling maniacally, Aldous pulls out his book of spells and chants an incantation. If left uninterrupted, the ground will suddenly start to rumble before numerous skeletons start emerging to assault the assailant. While these skeletons are the weakest in terms of attack power, what they lack in quality they have in quantity. While they do get destroyed in one hit, they are also very speedy and annoying to deal with. Along with that, once this super move is set off, Aldous will constantly spawn minion after minion. To stop this super move, he just needs to be hit once and it will cause him to stop summoning minions. Thankfully, he is immobile in this state. Also, any skeletons that are left on the battlefield will still continue to fight for him, even after the ability is interrupted.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

For one, Aldous is an undead creature who is essentially bare bones. While, surprisingly, the holy light does the same amount of damage to him as any other human-being, any sort of damage done to him will be permanent until he utilizes one of his restoration abilities or revives himself upon "death." To top that part off, the necromancer is very fragile; not as fragile as, per say, Yeong-Suk, but his defenses are middling. Due to this, he is semi-reliant on his minions to distract other Nomads. Finally, relatively speaking, Aldous is also an all-rounder. This means he can do a lot, but he isn't relatively strong in any category.

OTHER

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Also, hi, co-gm here; if you got any questions, or need help, message Kai, or I about it! Our other co-gm might be a little busy at the moment.

Danganronpa Alternate: Apologies to Hope (Reboot) [Deader than Disco]

Aurel Fuchs

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Location:: Cafeteria
Interacting With:: Ginshi(@KenjuGuy), Lilly(@Vocab), Ryuma(@TheSeriousJoke)

---

Oh no, oh no, no, no, this was becoming even more of a disorganized friggin' mess, made even worse by the insults and squabbles coalescing into one volatile concoction! As the chaos ensued, Aurel wasn't even certain if Ginshi heard him the first time, opting for a more direct approach by shakily tugging at the side of his... uniform? Gi?

It didn't matter as he let go as quickly as he latched on, arm dropping onto his side. His other hand slipped towards his lips as he began chewing away at his index finger. What to do, what to do? He couldn't just... say something out loud; the thief knew he wouldn't even be heard above this cacophony of voices, made even worse by the sudden shouting from Snow about being noted as a Lich Queen.

The explosive anger snowballed into him biting down a little too hard on his finger, yelping silently as his hand shot out of his mouth. This was... great. Even with the insults being traded back, no one had a clue about the circumstances they were under! They didn't know that the electric fence could probably kill them in less than six or seven seconds if they made contact, nor did they know that when getting within around nine meters of the machine guns guarding parts of the lake would trigger the targeting system, or whatever, and that was just the minimal amount of information about this place.

Of course, what seemed to follow was something that shocked him out of his stupor regarding everyone's thoughts about this whole place. The thief winced back, almost shuddering in pain with a contorted, dreading visage as this whole car crash in slow motion took place.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, slowly bringing one hand up... but nothing left it, nothing but the dry air escaped his lungs, his lips. Aurel couldn't do anything as he withdrew himself a little further, hand and all... why? Just... why couldn't he contribute, even just a lick?

Aurel was almost ready to mentally retreat if not for feeling something small gently bump into his torso... and saw the same, cute white-haired girl he procured the bunny from the other day. She was no different than the small breeze, even chilly as well... oh.

Blinking, he found the front of his jacket partially soaked... which wasn't too much of a big deal, save that the Ultimate Hacker was now fumbling over her own words, frantically trying to dry him off. Aurel, however, found himself staring at her short-sleeve shirt, even as he stared off to the side.

One thought really crossed his mind, clacking and slamming in rhythm with the closing of the doors as he delicately grabbed her jacket whilst she was patting him down. As delicately as he could, he held her clothing still, forcing out a rather awkward smile.

"U-uh, n-no, it's fine, really, it's no problem! I've a tendency to... vanish without a trace... S-so it's my fault... my fault..." Aurel murmured the last part almost absentmindedly as he juggled between watching the numbers of the other Ultimates began to dwindle and the fact that Lilly was trying to get him dry.

"... yeah... my fault... erm, a-anyways, lets put yer jacket back on." Of course, between him trying to get Lilly to stop drying him and get her jacket off was he approached by Ryuma, questioning what the plan was going forward.

... that. "Er, uh, gimme a sec' Ryuma, I might have another pla- n-no, really, you can stop; don't wantcha to get chilly or anything if you decide to go do your own thing..." It was somewhat difficult to juggle the two conversations, between trying to stop and reassure Lilly and stating that he had another plan right off the bat to Ryuma after another one spectacularly failed.

Danganronpa Alternate: Apologies to Hope (Reboot) [Deader than Disco]

Aurel Fuchs

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Location:: Cafeteria
Interacting With:: Taka/Taya(@Ammokkx), Izo(@Pyromaniacwolf), and Ginshi(@KenjuGuy)

---

Well, even without it being blatantly obvious to him, Aurel felt that he might of made the right decision, as evidenced by the involuntary, minuscule smile that grew on his face... no, he knew he made the right decision as he silently glided across the cafeteria, grape juice and water in hand. The small, yet mildly inconsequential interaction did accelerate him across the floor; it was the small things that helped, right?

... but even though it helped him a tad, there were questions, such as the why over how he performed certain things. Why did he go for milk? Why did he decide heating it up for Snow was the correct course of action? Why specifically add honey?

Hmm... did anyone else perform strange things such as he?

...

Well... it was something to look into, but the mood was high as more poured into the area, showcasing, er, well, more like shouting their thoughts in a disorganized fashion. If it wasn't for that interaction, he might of been disgruntled, grimacing, irritated at the fact that everyone's thoughts were not properly aligned in place to do this in an orderly manner and the fact that everyone. Is. Shouting.

Ok, he might be a bit annoyed at the noise, but kept it under lock and key, suppressed under that cool, disconnected visage, never meeting someones eyes for a second, even as he swooped in near Taka?/Taya and Izo. Ghostly and ethereal, he didn't make his own presence known (or, well, he didn't know he was invisible) until the two cups clattered gently on the table.

One glass of water for the... Fanatic, right? And grape juice for the Crossdresser... hmm... maybe a small quip could lighten their mood? He did seem a bit... sour... oh god, he better not fuck this up like his whole announcement he copied Shirou doing the other day.

An audible gulp could be heard before he swallowed his fear and cleared his throat, he instantly made himself known to the duo, almost appearing out of thin air, An audible gulp could be heard before he swallowed his fear and cleared his throat, he instantly made himself known to the duo, almost appearing out of thin air, "I, erm, things might look bad, but we... should try to make the best of it?"

It sounded less encouraging and more as if he was asking a question towards the fanatic It probably didn't help that he sounded so deadpan and appeared completely neutral the entire time, with him peering off in the opposite direction... the usual, really.

"And, uh here... Tak- Taya, Taya. I got you some grape juice if you like," he murmured, lightly tapping the side of the glass with purple liquid before backing away. As he did so, he noticed a couple of new, well, "old" faces enter the area; Ryuma and Hibiki seemingly had slipped in during what he presumed was the middle of the chaotic dialogue between everyone, as well as Naomi (or so he presumes) being the last one here, slipping in quietly and trying to distance herself from the rest of the people.

... well, looks like everyone had finally arrived... more or less.

Regardless, he still listened to the cacophony of people announcing things back and forth, based on certain investigations and what they did the prior day. He didn't ignore all of the talking, as disjointed as it was, taking in a deep breath, processing the information, and, at least, attempt to formulate his thoughts.

"Ah... uhm... h-h-," crap, no, no, no, he couldn't do this, not after what happened yesterday! As much as he tried to emulate the others, he ended up being an idiot, a fool! Sure, there were some decent ideas, but they were largely overshadowed by how grossly incompetent he was acting! Aurel shrunk back, almost vanishing for a moment, blinking in and back in to existence.

... though, despite his nervousness, he managed to hide a lot of it behind the calm, composed facade... though it did sort of help that he was barely speaking above a whisper, so only Izo and Taya could hear him... maybe.

Regardless, most of the information was in his head, he just... couldn't communicate it. His teeth were chattering as he began to chew away at his own finger before finally blipping out of sight. Right now, he was just... falling apart mentally.

His breaths were shallow and wispy, but he had to do something, find a way to communicate... communicate... communicate... wait a minute. Maybe he could use...

...

...

...

"... Ginshi," he spoke barely above a whisper, appearing behind the Martial Artist, as if he had teleported from one place to another. "... mind helping me e-explain what the four of us discovered the other day, a-as well as some other things," Aurel stammered out, leaning in a little too close, before backing away, staring off into the distance whilst biting at one of his index fingers.

:: Dragon Heart ::

An Interlude of Information

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Interacting With:: ???
Location:: Abandoned Townhouse, Albero

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"Oh, non, non, non, perish the thought mon ami, I understand the circumstances quite distinctly," he bellowed jovially, waving one of his hands in a nonchalant manner one of his guards lead the chains binding the poor sods to one of the quartet of magi, leaving only three to accompany the Maestro. "But oui, I am more than happy to learn about my... prospective business partners."

With the snap of his fingers, both his escorts flanked behind him as he coiled and curled the cigarette, a snake slithering through the airy grass. "Why of course not! I am always on the look for more lucrative opportunities after all, Monsieur?" The slowed down the speech near the end seemed to indicate that he was curious about the leaders name, marching towards the staircase and began to ascend them with his two... "subordinates."

With Maestro heading up the stairs, the remaining trio turned and walked up next to him, the man who spoke earlier continuing as they walked to the top of the stairs.

”We are pleased to hear it! You have such impressive goods, and surely could not have had much notice about our presence here; it is certainly a sign of good things to come.”

On the second floor landing, there was a staircase ahead of them, but the trio turned to the left instead where a large double door dominated the wall. Heading over to it, the trio opened the doors to reveal a lightly furnished meeting room.

”Come, sit down, and we will talk about business here.”

---

Unbeknownst to the group, they were being listened to. Having heard them heading up the stairs, Ceri immediately stopped heading in their direction and paused just out of sight at the top. Business partners? Goods? Whatever were they talking about? Silently, as they turned to head towards the door, she took a few silent, light steps down certain that she was not noticed.

A large man, flanked by two obvious guards. A trio of obvious mages followed. Narrowing her eyes, she hesitated. She could ambush them here, easily. So easy. Silently. End their miserable lives - But she didn't, quickly stepping back as she decided best not too get involved for now.

She headed back the ways she came, moving to one of the third story windows, opening it and hopped out, gracefully landing not far in front of Mis.

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@Lord Sawsaw2@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Raven@Spanner@alexfangtalon