Sutoratosu

Actually, I've already begun to talk about it in the PM, but.... Maybe something like murdoc said? A shape-shifter of sorts Perhaps a bit like the concept of it in G4's tv series "Heroes" For example, there's a Character on there who had the ability... http://heroeswiki.com/James_Martin (further reading if interested) http://heroeswiki.com/Shape_shifting I think this might actually be really interesting if it's allowed...

The biggest issue I see in this is that you put down anthropomorphism as your characters ability as an Awakened... Now, I'm pretty sure that Flux didn't have that type of thing in mind, seeing as how Awakened like this would really make no sense in the story (Speaking from the whole fugitive standpoint that all the Awakened have had to go through since their discovery, given that not drawing attention was pretty necessary to this, and well... anthropomorthic individuals tend to draw a crap-load of attention.) though I may be wrong. Maybe he'd be...okay with it, wait for him to decide. (P.S if he's not okay with it and would like you to change it, I can help you out if you have trouble thinking of another ability, just PM me.)

protocal prohibits them from interacting with Cadets any more than is necessary for them to, like in the case of Clint trying to leave for Echo1 or his current situation outside the Guard shack... Not that they don't give a shit specifically persay, but most of them have GAOs of their own and aren't exactly phased by them... that and the fact that the soldiers on guard duty along the wall have the funny habit of prioritizing what occurs immediately outside the Bases borders over anything happening on base... I don't know where they got that habit though....maybe they learned to be alert when there's a bunch of super-powered animals on the prawl in the local forest? Also, just a notice: The Profiles of characters in the OP have been cleaned up and edited to better reflect how they've manifested in the story as well as provide some light on the background for some of them.

it's fine for abra to stay unevolved.

Anver ground his teeth a little as he listened to the intruder's ultimatum... "I come from a group called Utopia, a group you have so generously agreed to assist. You will help us eradicate those who would hold back the Awakened, using the power that the Pillar must hold." this couldn't help but make Anver think What is he talking about, I never agreed to assist any group called "Utopia"...hell, I never even heard the name before now... the one thing Anver wanted to do most was raise his Glock and just open fire into this kidnapper until the clip was empty or the silencer simply wore out... but if what the man had said was true... Anver couldn't read the guy's face for any bluffs... he had no way of knowing whether or not he was lying to him... He put his glock on the counter and popped out the clip, placing it beside the weapon on the pure white marble surface... his anger rising though he made sure not to show any of it, no need to give this bastard any more power over the situation than he already had. He was infuriated at himself that he hadn't been able to stop this... to somehow be here to protect them... as a husband and a father, that had been his duty, and yet he had failed, off God knows where while his family was being abducted... but he had even more anger for the man standing before him, his arrogance irritating Anver. but he could not act on his emotions... if he did... He knew there was the very real chance he'd have no family at all... Anver chuckled a little despite his brown eyes growing stormy as he struggled to keep himself from causing a wild temperature shift corresponding to his emotions. he did his best to give off a calm demeanor "Fine..." he said simply "You hold all the cards right now. my wife and children's lives hang in the balance." but even as he said this, he swore a silent vow mentally I don't know who you are... I don't know what you really want by "Getting rid of those who hold the Awakened back"... You want my help? Fine.... But I'm only going along with it until I get the right opportunity... and when I do get that opportunity... I will free my family... I will ensure their safety... and after I have done that... I will bring the wrath of an enraged Father and Husband down upon you... and I will kill each and every last one of you MotherF*****s He looked the blonde haired man in the eyes, not giving any hints as to the silent Rage beginning to build in the depths of his soul "I have no choice but to assist your group... what type of man would not with so much he held dear at stake...?" ((Flux, please don't have this guy have the ability to read thoughts...))

Ethic did as Annie Asked, grabbing hold of her other arm as she reached down to help the others into the trees, feeling a surge of what felt like raw power enter his own arms. he look up and out over the plaza beneath the tree tops, seeing nothing but the small path Byron had cut; everything else was the bodies of these Hell spawn. as he assisted Annie, he had the feeling that merely climbing trees would not be enough to save them... not if these things were capable of communicating and managed to co-ordinate their actions into a single assault on the group... which he really hoped they would be to occupied with their... obsessions to be able to do.

Supernovae Sergeant Wellus looked out of the window of the guard shack as he leaned back in his chair, feet up on the small table in the center of the one room building. it had served as a rest house for Guards waiting for their shifts to begin back when the base was still being built at the start of the virus outbreak on the continent, though the wall surrounding the base was a lot larger now than it was then, so this old place had been relegated to simply being... an old guard shack that few paid any attention to at all...and the only ones who even noticed it was still here were the Soldiers assigned to guard this section. Wellus took his feet of the table and got up, heading to the window the get a better look. He thought for a second that he could see somone out in the distance... but why would anyone be out here? This was the very outskirts of the base, where the wall was the lowest and supplemented by a simple barbed wire fence... no one came out here, no one had any real reason to, at least... there was no need for more than two or three guards in this entire section; it faced a river winding through the forest, and as such had been deemed a minimal security concern. The Sergeant squinted a little, this time definitely sure that there was someone out in the snow drift. he went back over to the chair, throwing on his insulated fatigue jacket and black beret, then reaching down next to the table leg and retrieving his rifle, slinging the thing over his left shoulder as he called out up the stairs leading to the small observation tower on the roof of the building... "John, we got some company out there I'm going to check it out!" A voice echoed down from the stair case "Roger, I'll keep Eagle eyes from up here." With that, Wellus opened the door and stepped out of the shack, taking his rifle of his shoulders and getting it into ready position in his hands as he walked over to meet the figure in the distance, the snow beginning to pick up with the wind as more and more fell. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Erick took a step back from the ledge, confused by what he had seen. Ray still stood without moving, then the doctor reached into his labcoat, pulling out a capsule and letting his arm drop to his side as he continued to observe the thing out on the ice... "so you see it as well?" the Doctor finally asked, breaking the silence "Yeah... I see something out there..." was all Erick said in response. Ray turned, a smirk on his face "Good," he said "That means that I'm not crazy yet." With that he took a bounding step backwards and sent the capsule in his hand flying into the air as he hopped off the ledge and back next to Erick, the thing exploded in midair and out came Salem in a burst of white light, the beast roaring as it landed on the icy surface, it's body heat beginning to melt the ice as it realized this and kept itself moving. the thing on the ice turned around and let out a strange, echo distorted howl, apparently unaware of the other beings being in the area until just now. "Salem!" Called Ray "Hit it with a burst of flames" Salem did as Ray ordered, closing in on the thing, it's mouth opened wide as a blast of hot flames issued forth. but the creature had somehow managed to smoothly dodge the attack, positioning itself behind Salem with a surprising speed and unleashing an Ice-Blue ray of energy from it's body, the beam causing Ice to form around Salem's body, encasing the beast as it roared in outrage, trying to turn and attack the creature again, but unable to as the ice completely covered it's Tiger like form. The hovering creature now turned it's sights on Ray, hovering higher into the air and rushing towards him, closing in fast.

Let's just all count our blessings that Notus didn't throw in a giant talking serpent to make this horror version of the Garden of Eden complete... (Watch, he'll come back and see this... then he'll probably do just that...Damn...)

Ethic didn't trust these strangers... he didn't have a reason to...nor did he much want to give them a chance... But that didn't really matter at the moment. these fiends were closing in, and he was screwed unless he found a way out of here... but He got over that as he saw the man, his name Byron apparently, leap out of a tree and start opening fire on what he had begun to Denote as "The Loving Dead", clearing a path and calling for everyone on the ground to gather towards him. part of Ethic's mind protested angrily, but he ignored that part as he ran towards the man with the shotgun, not giving a damn about past qualms he had... This was a matter of sheer survival now. and if he didn't look past this petty grudge holding and Wrathfullness of his, he'd die right here on these very stones. he dashed over to Byron, Lucian tripped and disappeared as a Loving Dead went to strike him with a brutal swipe of it's fingers. Ethic could feel the Mage's presence in his mind again as he continued running towards where Byron was. "The Freaks almost hit me... surprised I can manage to even get back in your head in my state..." As he slowed down, now in the path that Byron had managed to clear, he heard something behind him, and turned to find the women from before hanging from a low lying tree branch, her arm outstretched to him. "Ethic! What matters now is not if you trust me, but if you want to live! Grab my arm!" he stood there for a minute, then glanced back at the things that had risen out of the earth... Now's not the time to be stupid... They're both risking their own selves to help... isn't that proof enough that I can trust them for now? He looked Annie in the eyes, seeing the urgency in them convinced him. making his decision, he grabbed hold of her outstretched hand as more of the things began to close in on the path Byron had made.

Ethic and Lucian had stopped half way down the narrow path when the sun had finished setting and the moon had come out... along with these... these... Things... the two men stood back to back as the... things advanced... a bright orange flare lit atop Lucian's staff, but Ethic noticed it sputtering alot...as if struggling to stay alight. Ethic turned his head and looked at Lucian, he could see a sweat breaking out on his face, and the Mage's skin had gone pale. "What's the matter?" Ethic asked, returning his attention to what was coming towards them "Spooked by these things?" He looked as they continued their strange... for lack of a better(or more appropriate) word, Obsessions... and felt a shiver up his spine of disgust at these things and fear of what they may do... "that's not really an embarrassing thing...all things considered right now..." he felt himself beginning to shake a little as the things got a little closer, looked like he was spooked as well. Lucian spoke through strained breathes "Ethic... somethings...going on with...me..." the flame atop his staff died and he breathed a little easier. "For... some reason... I can't sustain... it like I should be able to..." then he looked up at the moon in it's blood red hue, remembering something. "Damn...this is a perfect storm... of bad factors for me... Forgot what happens with Ethereal Fire when the moon comes out...and there's something about this one that makes it even worse..." Ethic looked to Lucian once again. not liking where this talk was heading... "Wait...so you're having trouble with that...? Can't you wield any type of fire, not just etheral?" Lucian replied, irritated "Damn it, man... Use your eyes and stop asking useless questions for once... you see any fires around here for me to manipulate? No? didn't think so..." Ethic was really not liking where this was headed. "Then we're screwed here?" "No we're not," Lucian replied quickly "We can always just run like hell." At that moment, both men nodded, knowing just what they would do. "On the count of three?" Ethic Asked "The Count of Three." both young men counted down quickly, then turned and sprinted off down the path way as they hit three, trying to put as much distance between them and the creatures as they could.

you now... Why don't we all just go back to simpler times, when people killed folks plain and simple without flashiness? (Random voice: "Yeah, like this guy's one to talk...") banishes random guy to the depths of the hill's cavern "Perhaps it's best for an example, no?" *Shanks Rose with a ball point pen* Hmm...oh... looks like... I'm King :Kappa:

^if you brought something down in defeat during the battle, you can claim half the levels that would be gained from that tier of intensity, but you'd have to actually win in order to get the full level increase provided. (Not that anyone's match went past tier 1) @Supernovea Where exactly is Clint supposed to be right now. from earlier post you made it made me think he'd found a vacant area on Base to train, but your latest one makes me think that he somehow found a way to entirely circumvent a wall manned by at least fifty armed guards at all times with at least 2 super-powered animals at every one of their beck and call, and proceeded to a field out in the bexly forest... if that's the case, then you'll have to let me know because I can't really have the Guards act until I have a concrete Idea on where Clint's location is. that and the fact that at least fifty people will need to be fired for failure to preform their duties

I can see your point, Hukuna I wasn't exactly entirely done with editing the thing when it first went up in fact, I just got done a few minutes before writting this. no Kevlar anymore here's the reasoning behind it all: The system that the Keepers work is that there are 21 lesser Keepers and 1 high keeper(The Wheel of Fortune) charged with overseeing all the others... at least, that's how it is on paper, in reality, the Keeper of the Devil doesn't follow orders from the High Keeper, but is more of a neutral party who only acts if it's in their own interest. Ergo, when the Kill Order for Ethic went out, the KOD wasn't going to follow that order either way, and really doesn't care how the whole situation ends. think of the Devil Arcana keeper as Great Briton during the American Civil War; they don't really care how it ends, but their willing to assist Both sides (Where-areas Briton provided both sides with weapons) Maxwell helped Ethic out by giving him back some items he had lost, and some new articles of clothing (Regular, not Kevlar lined) he's also going to be turning right around to report on Ethic's every location to the other Keepers to preserve his own interest (He wasn't kidding when he said he'd be watching very closely) there'll also be several other repercussions to the little bargain that Lucian manage to convince the KOD to do. just to make it clear, there are 20 Keepers seeking to erase Ethic's Existence. 1 Keeper who is more or less playing the Part of Great Briton as described above. and 1 Keeper who has Abdicated the position (And will soon lose all abilities of the office) in order to assist Ethic due to a fundamental conflict of interest between him and his former colleagues . Lucian's is the only help from a Keeper that Ethic gets from here, and he's soon to become nearly useless. In all honesty, I kinda did it to add some type of comedic relief by making satirical fun of the various religious and paranormal stigmas about hell Ethic really doesn't have any more power now than he did before it happened, just a new set of clothing and his old things back. if anything, this whole thing is going to prove detrimental to him, as no one really wins in a Devil's Bargain. ((That whole Kevlar thing wasn't meant as a personal spite to you or anything, I realized that was going to far while making the final edits and switched it to being regular clothing. Another factor is that it's getting kinda late and that also has an effect on my coherence and thought, which is why I needed to edit so much on the post))

Ethic watched in silence as the burning card disappeared, then heard a sucking sound from behind him, turning to see a circle with a familiar illuminated pathway in the air behind him. Out off the path and into the plaza walked a man in a business suit and whose hair was slicked back, he had an ominous grin on his face as he approached and began speaking to Lucian, A desk materializing in front of the man as he took a seat "Well Lucian, a deals a deal. this is all very much against the rules...and strictly against a certain someone's orders... not that I care in the first place; You got me what I required, so now let's get down to business..." Lucian stepped up to the desk, turning to face Ethic, Who was still by the fountain. "Ethic," He said "Meet- The man behind the desk cut Lucian off. he spoke like a refined individual... his voice full of Charisma... if Ethic didn't know any better, he'd say this guy could be the Anti-Christ himself... "Maxwell Cunningway, Keeper of the Arcana of the Devil and probably the best damn Lawyer ever to be damned to burn in this pit of sulfur and brimstone. here's my card." A small business card appeared in Ethic's hand, reading in Golden lettering: Maxwell Cunningway, P.H.D. in Deceit and Treachery Lawyer extraordinaire Keeper of The Devil Arcana Head Clerk and manager of 'Devil's Bargains R us' Inc. can be contacted at: 660-000-0006 Between the hours of Midnight and 3:33AM The man snapped his fingers and a pitch black suit case appeared in the air, falling to the desk and flipping open slowly. "Now then, Lucian, I have what you requested for Ethic here." he waved his hands out like some type of magician, and the suit case flew wide open "So glad you decided to shop at 'Devil's bargains R us' today, Lucian," the man said in a comedic tone. "But enough funny business, let's get down to why we're here." he pulled a knife out of the suitcase... it looked familiar... the blade was tinged a light redish-pink hue... "Now then, Young Ethic, oh how I do despise such a name, but not important... This, as you can see is a knife... your knife, actually.... My apprentice stole it from you after your little scuffle, sorry that he's such an Ass... " The knife, which was obviously Man Without Honor, materialized into a sheath which then looped itself onto Ethic's belt. "Out of consultation for how badly he whipped you, I've gone to the trouble of adding a little "Umph" to your blade; normal weapons, like bullets of lead or edges of steel or iron, have no effect on a Keeper... it'll just pass right through us... but now Man Without Honor will have no issue if you choose to use it when my colleagues start hunting you down like the rabid dog you are." Maxwell chuckled "Joking on that last part. moving on." A black book bag was what he pulled out next. "This, is a bag filled with all the shit you were carrying with you in that raggedy burlap sack you had turned into a knapsack, plus a few things I added myself. Scott stole that from you as well. again, in consultation, you'll get both of these Items free of charge." he tossed the bag, it landed at Ethic's feet with a slight thud. a black shirt came next, and Ethic noticed his old, hole filled t-shirt had been replaced by this one on his body, though he didn't know how... "don't think too hard as to how it happened," Maxwell said "You'll never figure it out. it's pretty self explanatory as to what this is, and there's pants as well..." Ethic looked down to notice he was also wearing a new pair of pitch black pants, made of some sort of mystery material. "What are they made of?" he asked "Souls." Maxwell replied, his mouth curling into a smile as he began chuckling once more "No... no, souls are too good to be used to make pants, but those are made of a denim blend..." The next item especially caught Ethic's eye; a pure black and grey camouflage fatigue jacket. like with all the other items, this too placed itself mysteriously on Ethic's body without explanation. "That," said Maxwell, leaning in his chair with his feet on the desk "Is a new jacket." with that, the suit case closed and slammed itself shut before disappearing. an old fashion register appeared on Maxwell's desk with a loud thunk. the Keeper leaned forward, bridging his hands and resting his chin on them. "Now then, Let us discuss payment..." Ethic couldn't help but get a tad jumpy at this "Payment... do you mean my soul or something..." Maxwell just laughed at this "Oh, no no no no no, Ethic. this is completely off the books, if anyone asks, then this never happened... so I'll be taking Gold in payment..." Ethic watched as the small pouch of gold coins he had kept for emergencies on the road flew out of his pocket, landing on Maxwell's desk and disappearing. "Wait a minute..." Ethic said "You're gonna take it all?" Maxwell looked at the young man, amused by the question "Why yes, yes I am. that's the price, all the gold you have on you." Maxwell typed a few keys on the register "Nothing personal, just store policy. Would you like a receipt? No? Good, because I don't have any paper to print it on." the man again chuckled at his own humor Ethic spoke, not very amused "So me not getting charged for my knife and bag didn't really mean anything in the end..." "Ah, now you get it! Actually, That's what capitalism is in a nutshell: Deceit!" With that the register disappeared, leaving the desk barren. Maxwell stood up, extending his hand to Lucian "Well, Lucian, it was nice doing business with you, and sorry about that whole burning at the stake thing the Catholics did to your mother...I feel your pain, they've always been quite difficult and extreme on the smallest issues..." Lucian's face was unreadable as he swatted the hand away. "Shut your mouth. and don't try that handshake crap again; I know you can power siphon by doing that... sneaky bastard..." Maxwell looked hurt for a moment, then his face gained it's ever present, yet ominous smile. "All right, fair enough, but remember, Lucian..." The desk vanished. "We're in hell. I'm far stronger here than any of you all who are gonna be running around trying to exterminate young Ethic here. if I really wanted to take your power, I could do it to you without physical contact...but I'm far more content with simply being a mere spectator in the mission to destroy the former Evoker, Crusades have never been my thing, you see..." He looked at Ethic "You better thank that being you call God that I don't give the time of day to any orders given by the Keeper of the Wheel, because if I did, you would've died and been erased as soon as you were found unfit as an invoker." Maxwell began to fade away into the air, speaking as he evaporated "And remember," he said "I'll be watching you, Ethic... and be on the look out for my Apprentice, the little bastards decided to go rogue from our style and start answering to the high keeper... With that, the man disappeared entirely but his voice echoed once more. "Oh, and one last thing, Find somewhere to stay during night here... things go bump in the night... and they bump very hard..." "Wait." Ethic called out "What do you mean by that?" The voice echoed again "Hmmmm.... you know, I don't quite even know exactly what myself... guess you'll find out for all of us though. too-da-loo." With that, the voice was gone. Lucian turned to Ethic. "We should probably do as he suggested... God knows what horrors will come out... especially in a place that looks so... peaceful... it's always a trap. don't ask any questions about how I set this up, I don't wanna talk about it... just get walking..." the Magus turned and walked back down the path they had came. Ethic looked around, realizing it was the only one leading into and out of the area they were in... reluctant to go back and face Shotty-McGee and that women, yet without much choice, he picked up his bag, hefting it onto his shoulders, noticing the weight. He followed off behind Lucian's quick pace, the sun beginning to set overhead. what the young man couldn't of possibly known was that every piece of clothing he had on him was rigged to work for his many hunter's strategic advantage... ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- As Ethic and Lucian continued farther down the path and out of earshot, Maxwell's voice echoed out yet again for a final time. "And remember, Ethic, you Trusting fool... Lucian, you over zealous, overly sentimental bastard... you'll always lose in a devil's bargain... even if it seems you've won, your victories will always turn to Ashes... It's time for me to get to work now, isn't it...? let the games begin... and oh how entertaining they'll be..."

Ethic could hear someone shouting something at him as he walked away with lucian. he was still close enough to hear exactly what was said though... "And if we want to survive, we'll have to stick together. Knowing each others names will help, non? Sometimes, E, you need to put up with people you dislike. I'm doing it right now with you!" Ethic couldn't help but wonder... "Lucian... is there anything we should... watch out for here?" Lucian replied as he picked up the pace "How am I supposed to know? not like I live down here or something... though, we'll be seeing someone soon who can answer your question." after a while, the two exited off the pathway and into a little plaza that had a babbling fountain in the middle. Lucian stepped up to it, then looked to Ethic. "Ethic," He began "Hand me the Devil Arcana." Ethic took a moment to absorb what he had been asked to do, then began getting a little suspicious of what would happen if he did "Lucian, answer me this, because this is starting to get suspicious..." he stepped up next to Lucian at the fountain "We're in the second circle of hell right now, right? Ergo, that means that Satan must be lurking somewhere in this pit... so what exactly happens if the Devil Arcana is Invoked here?" Lucian looked at him, a bit annoyed "Look, stop all that and just give me the damn card, Ethic... besides, we're not gonna invoke it, encase you haven't realized it yet, YOU KINDA GOT FIRED..." Ethic couldn't help but grit his teeth a little at lucian's last remark as he reluctantly reached into his pocket and pulled out the Arcana in question, handing it to Lucian, who then set in a float into the fountain, a small black and scarlet flame engulfing the thing as it hit the water, though it didn't seem to be consuming the card... "Etheral Fire..." Lucian began "one of the many perks of it... It's versatile as hell and doesn't destroy things unless you specifically tell it to..." Ethic looked over at Lucian "so what happens now?" "Oh..." Lucian responded "You'll see in a few moments..let's just say I managed to convince someone to help us...."

Ethic decided right then that he didn't much like this chick. he completely ignored this Byron guy or whom-ever he was as he spoke after her. "I don't tell you my name for security's sake..." He glanced over quickly at Kenny "But it seems security went out the window when my friend here spoke... So fine, my name is Ethic, strange name, yes I know." He glanced back at her as he continued "If you think I'm being vicious to you now, then you've seen nothing of what I can be capable of, no one here has. I want to clear that up right now. You're right though, I don't know you, but I just saw you act pretty aggressively towards two individuals involved in a conflict which had nothing to do you until you inserted yourself right in the middle of it... So what am I to think except that you're a threat to my companions, after witnessing that?" he actually chuckled a little "Fear? you really think I give a damn about whether or not people are afraid of me?" He chuckled a bit more then stoped "you're right. I already know why your here, I just wanted to ask anyway because I wanted to see how you'd answer." He cast a glance over at the group, knowing he should just stop himself now before he escalated this situation and put them needlessly in danger "But You voiced your objections loud and clear, and I'm a man of my word, so I'll leave now in hopes of not completely escalating this situation." With that said, he stuck his hand into his pockets, pivoted on his heels, and walked off towards lucian, whispering to Rose as he passed "Hey, don't get the wrong idea here, I'm not abandoning you guys. I just have things that need to be taken care of... that and the fact that I know I won't be helping anything if I continue to talk to her" Not waiting for a response, he walked past her to Lucian, who turned and began heading down the path, with Ethic following in tow "You don't know when to shut it." the magus said simply "Yes I do." replied Ethic as they walked farther and farther away "Hell, I just shut it for the good of the group right now."

"I am not 100% sure what she wants, but no sense in being cold in your negotiations, all that shows is that you don't really care about the outcome. Why would she want to make a deal with you if that was the case?" Ethic looked over the women's shoulder to see a man was behind he now; Shot-gun McGee. he really didn't have any time for anyone budding in. he looked to the man "Oh, I'm sorry, Shotty McGee, but do you speak for her now?" He said rather sarcastically "I don't see anything wrong with her mouth except for a bit of blood at the edge of it. It hasn't been sewn shut. her throat hasn't been cut and filled with hot lead. her tongue obviously hasn't been cut out. she seems like she can still talk herself, so stay out of this." he was going farther in this then he should've and Lucian was giving a signal to cut it out. Ethic sent a mental message to the mage "If you don't like how I deal with this, then why don't we just leave?" it sounded like an excellent idea actually, as Ethic recalled why he'd begun denoting the Man as Shot-Gun McGee in the first place. He spoke again "Of course, If she has any objections to my tone that she'd like to voice herself, then I'll go attend to some business i have elsewhere and let someone else do the talking here."

Ethic heard as the young women gave them her name then demanded they do the same. he didn't really feel like going to such pleasantries as he did just wanted to get this over with and head off to see what Lucian was so adamant about, so he decided to just get to the point "Names are nice little pleasantries, but they aren't necessary to Negotiate." he said plainly "That's Business 101... you don't have to know a person's name to enter into a trade with them." Ethic stepped forward a little, placing himself and Kenny now protectively in between the others in the group and this women. getting even more agitated by the hold up,Ethic went into full business mode. "Now what do you want?" though it was more of a demand than a question with the coldness in his voice

Bibarel Private Remus leaned against the wall, watching with a little amusement as a cadet tried in frustration to apparently train his team. He glanced over at the hippo like creature napping at the other young man's feet, his amusement fading at that moment. Good God... He thought to himself Feel kinda sorry for the guy now... he got pegged with one of those stupid hippo things just like I did when I first got here... He glanced down at the Capsule containing one of his two partners, a GAO species called slowbro... then at the old air horn he had used to train his own Hippo creature... it had still been pretty much useless because it had insisted on sleeping a lot... but at least he could get some conditioning in... and that was more than this cadet was able to now without it... sympathetic, he reached down and grabbed the air horn from his belt, taking a sharpie out of his uniform's breast pocket and writting: I feel your pain... damn Slowpokes don't know when to wake up and actually work. Use this to wake the little bastard... and keep using it every time he falls asleep again. Satisfied the message was ambiguous enough not to give clues as to who wrote it, Remus laid the air horn on the ground and rolled it over to Lionel, the canister rolling across the soft packed snow and nudging the sole of Lionel's boot. Remus looked at his watch, checking the time. 08:24... Time for me to go take over shifts for Renly on Guard duty... know he'll be glad about it...that guy's a complete wuss when it comes to the cold... he turned away from the Cadet and walked off in the direction of the Guard towers by the Main Gate to the base.

Ethic heard as shouted sounded off in the distance, followed by a burst of red and green light, almost as if electricity or something was being tossed around by crazy people... then he saw as the hooded figure looked over to see what it was, apparently able to see from where they were... he was a bit surprised when the person reached their hand up to their mouth and then chomped down, drawing a sizable amount of blood, then dashing away towards the noise. deciding to risk a look he walked over to where the figure had been standing a few moments ago, to see some kind of altercation ensuing... and lo and behold, who did he spot... But Shot Gun McGee... except... He was a little confused Wait, He thought as he backed away back around the corner to the group What's going on? didn't he transform into that rat thing? why the hell are there two of him? he walked back to the group, about to suggest they get moving, when Lucian appeared beside him, his form pale in the light of the sun above the garden, but gradually growing more solid looking. he spoke hurriedly to Ethic "I've gotten something...Come with me, quickly." he started walking off down a path leading to the south, then stopped and looked back at Ethic, considering something deeply.... he seemed to make up his mind quickly though. "On second thought, deal with this first..." he pointed his staff over Ethic's shoulder, and he found the stranger standing back where they had been moments ago, hands on their hips, he could see their face now and the blonde hair pulled back into a bun and realized it was a women.... and he couldn't help but get a menacing feeling from her presence... he pushed it down though, and cast a quick glance at the others, thinking to himself. What is this, a freaking staring contest? he looked at the young women again, then over his shoulder back to lucian mouthing the words: and just What am I supposed to do about this? Lucian gave no response, simply continued standing there waiting, his form shimmering now, a sign that he had chosen to make himself visible to others. Ethic looked back at the women. he was beginning to get a little agitated about this situation for some reason... maybe it was just the monotonous silence? he spoke up, deciding to break to apparent silence of the situation, loud enough for the whole group to hear. "So... " he began, wishing he didn't have to say anything... "Guess we should try negotiations to make sure this person doesn't come rushing over here and cut our throats...dying isn't permanent here... but still..."

As for my feedback, Notus, this is pretty damn fun. Story's actually going pretty smooth so far (Not that I doubted you or anything like that.) in fact, I've had more fun writing in this RP than any other i'm currently in (Even my own, LOLS) Like Hukuna said, You make a pretty good host. keep it up and this thing will become quite epic before long *Drops a hand written note...*

hey Flux, we still doing this thing with Anver or should I just have him move on?

alright, notus, let's get to it... so is this garden filled with venomous fruits/ toxic water like an arena from the "Hunger Games" or is this stuff legit safe to touch? (Not that I would believe you if you said it was safe... This is hell we're talking about, after all...")