Lancaster: School of Battle

[ThatInsaneKid]

Ruroen yawned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Thirteen hours of sleep..." he mumbled, swinging his legs over to the side of the bed. His roommate was still asleep. "Too much for me." The young man went into the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the sink, running his head under it. He then dried his hair off, combed it, put on deoderant, and exited the small room. After grabbing his longsword, iPod, and cell phone and checking the time, he left the dorm room and went to his first class.

---

"Hello again, Bardok-sensei!" Ruroen exclaimed as he entered the Advance Combat class room.

"Good morning, Ruroen," the teacher said, nodding at the rambunctous young man. "Early as always."

"Eh. I fell asleep immediately after the opening ceremonies," Ruroen replied, taking a seat. He was the only student in the class room. "That trick never fails, does it?"

Bardok shook his head. "Works every time."

Ruroen chuckled and pulled out his iPod in an attempt to kill time until the class started.

---

"Owww," Ruroen said quietly, alternating massaging his arms and side. "That was a bruiser... This year's going to be fun." The young man once again pulled out his iPod and headed back to his dorm, having plenty of time until his next class begun.

 

[Brad]

Super special awesome revival!!!!- OOC

Brad returned to his room. He went over to his sleek bookshelf- it was in a shape of stiars, with various books in many places. He pulled out one at the top- a worn book with a black cover with red, somewhat evil writing on it- The Catalouge of The Rarer Dark Spells, a classic cult book for those truly attuned to dark magic. He opened its pages, and began to think about waht kind of spells he needed.

"Hmm... I have offensive, and I could use transport on missions, one that could fight while I'm riding. I need a transport summon." Brad thought.

he flipped through many pages, but eventually reached 42- Summoning section. He looked down the page, and saw the transport summons. There were various types- griffin, pegasus, ogre, but one really caught Brad's fickle attention- the DRAGON. Brad looked below the spell- it read:

"This spell summons a large black dragon as an offensive transport summon. The most powerful of all summons, it is hard to use. It is controlled using verbal commands. It is a serpentine dragon, with a long head, a fang filled mouth, and horns. Then, it extends to two muscular arms ending in hands with 6 golden claws. After the arms, the scales begin to deteriorate, and soon begin exposing skeleton. However, it is protected by magic. The tail ends in a ball of spikes. This summon, being relatively small, is easily ridable by humans. This spell has not been used since about 1347."

"Odd... 1347? That is the time of... THE BLACK DEATH! Could it be an innocent coincidence? Well, this was written in 1660, 347 years ago, and 319 years after the spell's usage stopped... so it has been 666 years since it's usage... strange coincidence there too... could it be dangerous? Oh well, it is a good spell. Might as well learn it." Brad thought gradually. He wrote down the words, and went to relax outside. It'd be... calming. He was still tense over the possible harm the spell could cause- 666 years ago, last used before the Black Death... eerily suspicious...

 

[Kansas]

OOC: wonderous! i was waiting for someone else to finally post. nownow lets get some char interaction, shall we? :)

Fen walked slowly through campus, the events of his archery class whirled through his head.

"A skill that can increase my range even more...I HAVE to have it..."

The thoughts kept hammering at his brain and before he knew it, he was standing in front of a small brick building, its insides weren't visible from outside, just darkness. Fen looked the building over, then looked back to his schedule, comparing the class to the building.

"Welp... this is the place... Elemental Control 101." He reached out and turned the knob, walking into the room slowly. As he stepped in, he peered through the darkness and flipped a stiff light switch, signaling light to engulf the room. No one had arrived yet, just a wide empty room with desks. The ceiling was tall, easily 3 stories high. Fen walked around a bit then grabbed a seat in the back corner of the room, allowing him to lean his bow against the wall. He slumped in his chair and sighed audibly into the quiet room. He reached in his pocket and flipped his cell phone open to check the time.

"Hm... i guess i'm real early... class wont start for another 20 minutes..." he said to himself.

Fen returned to his lazy seating posture and stared at the ceiling, awaiting the next student to enter the room.

 

[Brad]

Brad sat on the bench, and no one was outside. Most students were still in class- a testament to Brad's light schedule. Brad was currently daydreaming, drifting off as "I Am A Rock" played in the background. He thought about his home- surfing, scuba, relaxation on the lana'i, all things he wished he had here. However, he did enjoy the structure here- for an isolated person, relaxation gets... tedious after a while. He then, bored with just sitting, decided to go slake his boredom. It was noon- perfect for some training. Brad relished the thought in his mind, and decided to go shred up some boulders.

Brad ran to the nearest site of rocks, and prepped his body with some calisthenics and weightlifting. Brad cut and cut the rocks with Apocalypse, slashing them in a euphoric frenzy. He didn't think about anything- he continued to swing at the rocks, continuously slashing the various rocks. After most of the former boulders had been slashed to pebbles, he decided to move to another quarry. However, before he could walk up the mountain, a mild stomp of his set off a small landslide- Brad, in his furvor, must not have seen the obvious structural instability of the upper rocks, teetering on their pedestal. The rocks fell, and Brad, charged with adrenaline, returned to slashing. He was sweaty, and nothing guarded his chest- he had to make this training session count. As the rocks fell, Brad slashed them, and he eventually cut enough rocks to run away. He ran, and after the landslide stopped, he saw a glint atop the pedestal. He ran up the large hill, and saw two identical rings, the size of his middle fingers, made of gold, inlaid with rubies. On the band, he saw a simple hexagram, like the one on his jacket. When he put the rings on, however, he spasmed. They were obviously powerful. Unconscious, Brad began to glow black, and he phased down to his building. However, the aura broke, but as Brad woke up on a bench, he felt a certain feeling- one of energy, but not normal- an ominous feeling emanated from the rings. He took out a vial of his Mom's famous Anti-Aura Potion, poured it on the rings, and the ominous aura dissapeared. However, brad still felt power flowing through him. Even so, he was not assured of his safety- it was dark power that had engulfed him, and dark power objects always ended up bad in most cases. He went back to his dorm, and again started to read: A Historic Catalouge of Dark Objects.

"He opened the page, and looked under rings. He went to the section, and read of various evil rings- The Skargnoth Ring, which helped an olden prince of Denmark named Hamlet conquer Norway, The Jukinta Ring, with which magical forces under the samurai captured various lands, and the Delphi Ring, ring of Hercules. Then he saw his rings, the Silmarilion. It said that "these two rings, enchanted by magic, were originally owned by the ancient rulers of China, and were brought to England by the Romans. After Boudica used them to try to fight the Roman Empire and lost, the Romans buried them. They can amplify the most powerful dark magic to cataclysmic levels. If wielded by an elemental magic user, they change and adjust to the user. They adjust also based on finger size. Always used on middle finger- if put on other fingers, they teleport. Can't be taken off. Their magic powers are great, and powerful- which is why they are still hidden."

"Not any more, book..." Brad said with a coy smile and a wry tone. Then, Brad got some soda, drank it, and continued to read the book of dark magic. If he had dark rings, he might as well learn some more dark magic. Besides, he had some good sword maneuvers, and Judgement- but all he had for magic was his summon, for outside of battle, and Dark Vortex. Brad read the book, and after a long night of copying down good spells to train for, he went to bed, interested in his new treasure trove of powerful magic.

 

[Kansas]

OOC: I don't normally do a whole post dedicated to an OOC but Brad, your char is gettin a tad ridiculous with the forbidden spells and super death ray destroyer rings... tone it down a bit, kay? take conversation about it to the OOC thread

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: Seriously, who finds ancient magic rings in the middle of nowhere? And isn't there some kind of cost for wielding power on this level? Besides... Ed wants them for synthesis material. XD

IC:

"Sing! Tiger's Edge!"

The red-haired youth adjusted his crossbow, aiming it directly at Edward. The ninja seemed apathetic about his current position, twirling a kunai idly on one finger. "You just copied that 'sing' thing from one of the students in the auditorium," he stated as he slung the knife at the boy holding him hostage.

Peeved, the ranger leapt out of the way of the kunai quickly, though its keen edge still brushed along the edge of his old-fashioned vest and left a small rip in the side. "Hey! I know a good line when I hear it!" he riposted before releasing three successive bolts from his crossbow. The bolts shot towards Edgar before veering off in different directions, seemingly out of control. They looped through the air in corkscrew-like spirals before forming a triangle of point-downwards bolts centered around Edgar. At the ranger's nod, the bolts rushed in towards their prey. Ed skillfully flipped up and over the bolts, causing them to crash into each other with a grating sound that reminded him of the turning of a rusty gear. Two bolts fell, the life that the ranger's wind-based shot had seemingly breathed into them gone. The remaining bolt hurtled towards Edgar at breathtaking speed, aimed directly for his heart. The ninja was ready and he quickly swung with his tiger-claw, blocking the projectile. The bolt flipped end over end before burying itself in the ground. The ranger removed three new bolts from a pouch at his waist and prepared to fire again, but was forced to leap to the side to avoid a flurry of shuriken launched in a counterattack.

Ed smirked at his opponent. "I've got your schematics," he muttered.

The ranger, otherwise known as foreign exchange student Jack Rigarts, cocked his head curiously. "What's that about schematics?"

"This," Edgar muttered before clapping his hands together, palms inward. A slight breeze trembled around him, but nothing else happened. Ed looked at the opponent sheepishly. "Er... I mean, this!" He repeated the manuever twice, with no more results then the first time.

The ranger raised an eyebrow. "Huh, I didn't think you were a duffer the first time I met you. Ah, well, guess this game ends now." He pulled the crossbow's trigger, sending three more bolts hurtling towards Ed. For a moment the attack seemed to have been launched without a hitch, but all three arrows stopped abruptly not three inches from Edgar's face with a screeching noise. Suddenly, a network of cracks spread throughout the surface of the air. The American stepped back in shock. "Wh-what?"

Edgar walked forward nonchalantly, breaking the points from all three bolts as he spoke. "That technique that I 'failed'? I set up these invisible ice walls. That Ranger's Gaze of yours may allow you to track my movements and penetrate disguises, but it can't see physical barriers any more than a normal eye could. So you've just wasted your last three bolts. Now that you no longer have a ranged weapon, you're mine."

"Is that so?" The ranger level his crossbow. For the first time, Edgar noticed the iron spike built into the bow itself. The spike gleamed for a moment, and then its wielder charged. Ed leaped back in alarm as Jack lashed out, hammering his spike into the wall. The ice shattered, sending shards flying across the battlefield. The ranger prepared to follow up his attack with a bolt of pure wind energy fired from his bow when one of the shards sliced into his skin. "Ah!"

Ed smiled. "Game over."

"Wh-wha...." Jack attempted to maintain his stance, but a sudden, painful sensation was spreading from his spinal cord to the rest of his body. Groaning, he allowed his arm to drop as tears threatened to come to his eyes. He knew very well what was happening, he just didn't know why. "Poison... how..."

Ed smirked. "You need to pay closer attention. When I clapped my hands together I crushed a small pellet between them. The pellet was filled with powdered poison, which I froze into the walls. When you attacked, I simply directed my energy to cause the walls to break into sharp pieces. The poison I use is extremely toxic, but you've taken a low dose in a non-vital area so you should be okay. However, I think we can agree that I've won this round, eh, teacher?"

The old, bearded man nodded, clunking his cane on the ground while his robes swished. "Indeed. Truly, an entertaining bout. You both have good potential, and I do admit that I've never seen that variation on invisible wall tactics before." His face clouded and the sunlight reflected from his bald head as he continued his speech. "But do not become complacent! If you lower your eyes to an enemy for a moment, they will out think you. You must be swifter than your enemy, but more importantly, more observant. Remember class: the keys to analysis of any foe are sharp minds and eyes. On that note..." he smiled fleetingly. "Class dismissed. Remember, I want a two-page report from everyone here on the importance of concealing your tactics."

Ed nodded quickly, making sure that his eyes weren't averted very quickly, before darting away from the practice fields. Enemy anaylsis was definitely something he excelled at, as opposed to the elemental control class that was next on his list. The expressions and tactics he had used to lull Jack into thinking that his technique had failed were convincing because he had experienced first-hand the difficulty of a larger technique. Without engineering, he had no way to equal the firepower of students with more powerful killing moves. His poison and treachery suited him well, but Edward didn't like relying on the stupidity of his enemies to ensure victory. He wanted to end fights quickly and without incident. Privately, he cursed the school for not allowing conventional firearms. A small handgun would be a perfect weapon for Ed. He had some of his mother's aim, after all. He just didn't have the skill required to use a longbow or crossbow. A gun on the other hand was much easier to implement and had a longer range anyway. As these thoughts meandered through his brain, he felt himself bump into someone. "Oof!"

Ed stared at the boy in front of him, and more importantly, at his white bow. "Hey, you were the one at the assembly, right? You fired the arrow that started all of us off." He chuckled. "I wasted three explosives on those illusions."

 

[Brad]

Not to spam, but as I said in the discussion thread- It WILL HURT HIM!!! And no, Ed can find teh other three rings for synthesis material.

 

[Kansas]

Fen stood up, bored as usual. No one had entered the class yet so he decided to stand and take a look around outside. He stood slowly and grabbed Angel's Song off the back wall and slung it onto his back. He walked through the dusty room and opened the main door, stepping outside. The fresh air instantly hit his face... along with something else. something solid.

"Oof..."

Fen looked in front of him to see a blond boy... blue hair and a face mask. "Must be a ninja..." Fen thought to himself. "Hm? oh hello there" Fen responded to the boy in front of him. He caught the boy's eyes shift, someone once again, who seemed more interested in his bow than Fen himself.

"Heh, ya I fired the arrow... I guess everyone knows it was me. This big bow lets off such a massive sound when I shoot it... Its hard to not claim that first shot. heh..." Fen responded letting off a weak chuckle after he spoke.

"I wasted three explosives on those illusions." The boy responded

"Ya... I judged the size of the monsters too quickly and wasted one of my armor piercing arrows...They're made out of a somewhat rare metal and the tips are covered in a layer of powdered mineral similar to diamond... so you might be able to imagine how disappointed I am at having to use one...Oh my, i'm sorry I started rambling. When i get going about the structure of my arrows or my bow, its kind of hard to stop. I guess its natural since I'm always trying to construct arrows and make up for ones I couldn't retrieve." Fen continued to speak on and on, then stopped in realization.

"wow. where are my manors? I apologize, my names Fenra Kurai...But you can just call me Fen if you'd like. I'm a long range Sniper, I'm sure you already gathered that much though. And you are?" Fen questioned, motioning forward for a handshake to the boy.

 

[Brad]

Brad, bored of his mind, decided to go test the new dragonic summoning. Little did he know what he was about to unleash...

Brad went to a large clearing deep in the forest, and spoke the spell-
"Extraho of obscurum , extraho tantus EGO voco thee prosecutus an inimicus EGO contemno Morsus quod slash him Smash quod vercundus him Planto lemma vox Causa lemma poena accerso mihi letifico Ex vestri atrum dormio EGO dico super thee Causa meus inimicus untold dolor!" As Brad said it, he felt untold pain, and he screamed in agony. He felt his blood drain out of him, and before him stood the mighty serpent, angry. Brad ran, but soon sank into a hole. He felt heat, unbearable heat, and saw jagged rocks- he was in Hell. Before his senses could come to, he was swirled around, and quickly felt spikes jab into him as pain enveloped his body. He tried to remain calm, but as soon as he got out of the whole, the dragon started firing dark energy. Every time it fired a blast, Brad felt more blood drain from his body. He decided to attack. As he stabbed the beast, he felt horrid pain, but continued to stab. The rings, he discovered, took blood for payment, and the dragon, using his spell, triggered more payment. As Brad fell through the air, a clawed hand swung him into the hill where he found his accursed rings. He tried to take them off, but to no avail. The dragon almost ate him, but it dissolved when a shot of wind magic hit it. Brad surmised his teachers watched him study, and before him stood Dr. Malentus and Ms. McDowell. Before he could tell them of his horrid experience, he collapsed. Although he was already pale, one could tell, by his limp form, he had lost blood. Brad collapsed, and he was taken to the infirmary. When he got there, he woke up, and was told that he was fine in classes- he could miss a few weeks to recuperate from the horrid damage. Brad smiled weakly, and drifted back into his slumber. In his week-long dream, he would relive the experience thousands of times, spasming in the same pain as before. He knew, in his subconscious, that he now had control over the dragon- the dragon probably submitted due to Brad's obvious bravery. Brad eventually found peace later that night, but the horrid experience would haunt him in his dreams throughout his week-long slumber.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: To make this clear since I missed where exactly Fen's arrows are kept- Ed is either leaning down and staring into his waist pouch or looking into the quiver on his back or whatever.

Ed stared at the profferred hand. Apparently, his reputation hadn't preceded him. "I'm... Edgar. Most students call me 'The Mechanic'. My official class is ninja, but I specialize in alchemic synthesis and engineering." He tentatively accepted the hand and shook it. "My parents are snipers, so that's what I came close to signing up as. Funny thing though. I've never been that good with a bow. I can aim all right, but when I try to shoot..." Edgar imitated the sound of an arrow flying off course as best he could. "I'm great with anything else, but bows just won't do what I want them to. If only I was licensed to bring a gun into this academy I could have a weapon by now..." He clenched his fists, frustrated at his lack of ability to get an effective weapon once again. Then, he perked up. This student... if he was using arrows with that kind of build, perhaps he would be willing to use Ed as a supplier. Quickly, Ed switched tactics. Under his mask, he smiled broadly in order to ensure that he didn't appear angry as he made his sales pitch. "Do you mind if I see one of those arrows? Hold on just a moment."

Ed leaned down, scrutinizing each bolt in Fen's pouch with the utmost care, making sure that no detail escaped him. "Mm-hmm.... zirconium steel alloy mixed with adamantine, no doubt about that, it's the usual combination for armor piercers. And that mineral is definitely powdered diamond treated with life energy for maximum strength and piercing results. Yeesh, these are fine make. My parents never used arrows like these, and they were supposedly pretty accomplished snipers. Oh, and let's see here... fletching is probably swan's feathers, am I right? Or are those griffin feathers? Too similar to tell, and I'm a mineral analysist anyway. Alright, Mr. Fen, that should do it." Ed stepped back proudly, his eyes shining, completely unaware of the awkward-looking situation he had just forced Fen into moments before. "I think I can help you out. You want help getting new arrows, correct? As an alchemic engineer, I specialize in weapon synthesis. If you can provide the money needed to buy the raw materials or just slip supplies to me, I'll build you any arrows or bows your little heart desires. Just find me after class and I'll take care of it." Ed continued smiling, oblivious to any reaction from Fen as he warmed himself into his act. "Don't worry about thanking me, just get me supplies and I'll get you as many new arrows as you need. And what's more, I can make them better then those arrows you've got there. An alchemically synthesized, fully engineered arrow from my mechanic's shop is ten times more powerful than anything you could get from a school armory, take my word for it. So, do we have a deal?"

 

[Kansas]

OOC: he keeps his quiver vertical on his back alongside the bow.

Fen smirked slightly at the boy's instant business proposition. His straight forward nature gave Fen a good feeling as he talked to this "Ed". He assertiveness and ability to say his exact intentions made him an easy person to trust. He was definitely a no nonsense person which Fen could appreciate.

"You know, 'Mr. Ed'" Fen said to him, mocking Ed's usage of 'Mr. Fen' earlier. "You seem to definitely know your materials, as well as arrow structure. Now replacing this bow... Is never going to happen. But arrows on the other hand, are a constant pain. It takes days just to make a full quiver of these babies. So, I'll take your offer. You seem like a reliable engineer, and I can see beneficial opportunities in working with you." Fen said to the sly ninja. But Fen, being a master of stealth arts in a different fashion, tossed forth his own proposition.

"Now... I've accepted your offer to make my arrows. But heres my offer to you. Now i don't mean you any offense. But looking at you, I'd assume you aren't much of a monster fighter. On the other hand, this bow, Angel's Song, happens to be a monster killing machine. Now my proposition for you is this. If you can craft my advanced arrows like you say, I'll provide you with my strength on ANY dangerous monster hunts you may need to do for collecting materials. Any materials... for any weapon you wish to create in your shop. And these skills will come 'free' of charge... As long as I get my arrows of course. And on top of that, I'll even be your advertiser, showcasing your work to other students, via my Sniping." Fen finished, still grinning at the proposition. He knew he had to have struck a sensitive business chord with the crafty ninja, and if agreed, would help Fen a great deal.

"The first person i actually met here and he's a weapon smith... what luck. Though he's a bit shifty, I'm pretty sure he's trustworthy" Fen thought to himself as he awaited an answer.

"So in other words... You make me arrows, and i'll do your dirty work. Well, 'Mr. Ed', what do you say? partners?"

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Ed smirked. This Fenra... he was definitely an interesting sort, and his proposal was most intriguing. Yes, it meant he would have to rely on another. On the other hand, this Fenra was also relying on Ed as his supplier and employer. It was one thing to beg someone for help. Paying someone for their services was another thing entirely. It was for this reason that the ninja clapped Fenra on the back and said, "We have a deal. Now get ready, because as my new advertiser and hit-man you're starting work right away. Also, keep in mind that I'm probably going to ask for help getting materials that don't always have to do with making your arrows. I have to make weapons for other customers and myself as well. However, since I'm a generous employer, we'll start by getting the zirconium and iron I'll need to replace your armor-piercers. I've got some alchemic iron already, quite a bit actually since it's a base material of most alchemic weapons. All we need is a bit of adamantine, some zirconium and some powdered diamond."

Ed removed his katana before thrusting it into the dirt and tracing a pattern. "This is the school," he said, indicating a box he had scratched in the ground. "These..." he continued, placing two X marks beneath the areas meant to represent the main grounds, "Are natural adamantine deposits. Most heavy weaponry manufactured by Lancaster relies on adamantine material in some way, so smiths," Ed's nose wrinkled at the mention, as if they were obviously inferior beings in some way to engineers, "Come here to trade for it all the time. I don't have nearly enough money to purchase adamantine, so we're going to have to be a little... illegal, shall we say. We're going to steal about fifteen kilograms of the stuff and take it away before we're noticed. That covers one element of your arrows. Powdered diamond can be found in the school armory free of charge because it helps coat bowstrings for advanced students. All we need is a teacher's permission and we can take all we want for free, as long as they don't suspect what it's for." Ed paused for a moment as if he had forgotten something. "Right.... forgot to mention that technically manufacturing weapons is an after-school job, so I'm technically not allowed to do it for personal profit even if my career class relies on me having money," he said finally. "But that shouldn't concern you too much. Now, let's move on.

"Zirconium is the hardest metal to obtain. There's no natural source of it on school grounds, so we'll have to either melt down weapons containing it and separate the metals out which could take weeks or make a substitute material. The best substitute, which often performs a better job for snipers in my opinion due to the longer range that that arrows can be launched at, is probably alchemic steel that's been extra-refined. For that, we'll need some tin and a little bit of silver. Now, this school is located near a silver mine but the mine is infested with a manticore. Tin can be obtained from ordinary pots in the school kitchen, I'll figure out how to nick those so don't worry about that. If we can't get enough of a particular metal, we'll have to raise funds and buy it to make up the difference. At present, our capitol, that is, the money we need to purchase supplies and run a business is..." Ed tallied his funds mentally, "Er.... 25 Euros. Not much. So we'll have to start right away. Now, knowing all of this... are you still ready?"

 

[Kansas]

"I have to say...you're a shrewd business man, Ed." Fen said chuckling to him. "Trickery, Thievery, haha... Manticores...You definitely have my work laid out for me. But, I expected as much. With that said. I'm ready." He finished confidently, looking at the funny little ninja.

"Welp? When would you like to start our little side Mission? I'll be finished with class at 1pm. I'd prefer to head to the silver mine and get the Manticores out of the way while I'm still completely equipped on arrow supply. They aren't the easiest beasts to take down, especially being a Sniper in an enclosed space. It could take quite a few arrows just to take down one, and its a definite given that I'll be dealing with more than just one in that cave." Fen proposed to his new business partner.

Fen was beginning to appreciate his new partner and friend more and more. This kid clearly thinks before he makes his moves. It was quite apparent that he was the offspring of a Sniper. His ability to see through and plan were exceptional. It was almost like this meeting was set up for business profit. Fen awaited Ed's reply to his suggested plan of breaching the Silver Mine this afternoon after class.

"We need to decide quick... Elemental Control will be starting in just a few minutes." Fen said, following up his suggestion.

 

[Brad]

The infirmary shook as Brad was stirred from his slumber. It had been one night, and Brad was... perfectly healed. He was scared as ****- those injuries were supposed to have at least given him 3 weeks leave. He saw on a paper he still had break- probably for psychological recuperation. Then, a nurse came in, and told him that they had found a potion in his room to heal him.
"Hmm... must have been Mom's potion..." Brad surmised quickly. Then, the nurse left, and Brad went back to his dorm. There, he found his sword, and his armor, as well as his red dragon scale jacket with the small patch of leather adorned with a black pentagram on the back. The rings were still on him. He knew he couldn't remove them- only the others could be removed. He had heard around campus about someone needing synthesis material and helpers to defeat monsters. Although Brad was completely apathetic, he knew he'd be bored most of the time of his "leave". Therefore, he sought the person after everyone was done with classes. Brad was going to ask this person, who had heard was called "Ed", about seeing if he could get a job finding said material. He knew Ed needed material- his reputation was for making superior weapons, which would be eventually made at a black-market, on campus armory he owned himself. Brad also assumed that Ed needed money as well. If Brad became a business partner of sorts, he'd bring the muscle, the time, and the money (10,000 Pounds- I assume we're in England. Wouldn't the currency be pounds, since the UK isn't part of the EU?). Brad was bored, and "Ed" was his ticket out of it.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: In England the currency would indeed be pounds, but since Ed is Irish he uses Euros instead. He hasn't changed out his money yet, and he only orders from Irish suppliers anyway. More importantly, however, how the hell does Brad have 10,000 pounds? That ain't chicken feed. 0_o Anyway, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to assume that Brad is somewhere in the vicinity.

Ed raised an eyebrow as he gazed at his cocky employee. "You expected this, eh? You're definitely not naive, that's for sure," he chuckled. "Anyway, tackling the silver mine may have to wait. I have a plan on how to get rid of the manticores, but it involves one of us getting crushed under boulders unless I can fix up the explosives right. Right now we need to get to class and act like nothing has happened. Afterwards we'll work on getting the adamantine. Once that's taken care of I'll be able to finish a little invention I've been working on..." Ed removed a small, clockwork object from his pocket that bore an uncanny resemblance to a large garden spider. "This little baby is packed with powdered explosive charge, the best I can get," he explained. "Problem is that it's too volatile to use right now. I set these things and they'll blast everything to kingdom come, including the mine if we set them. Obviously, we want to kill the manticore, not the mine. If I could use a thin layer of adamantine bracing, I might be able to produce a more controlled explosion. Or I could use lower grade powder. Either way, it'll take time to change the design for what I have in mind."

The pricking smell alerted Ed of the presence before he registered what it was. That faint, tangy, rust-like odor that permeated the very ground beneath his feet with its scent. He knew what it was, well enough. To an alchemic engineer, every mineral had its scent. Ed had never smelled this one before. He could almost taste it. And he wanted it, oh yes, he wanted to know where it was coming from. He began to salivate unconsciously, and had it not been for his face-mask drool would certainly have covered his chin. This scent wasn't raw, it was most definitely refined. That didn't matter. Even seeing an object made out of material this rare would be a treat to a true engineer. A wide, leering grin split Ed's face as he returned his attentions to Fen. "Change of plans," he stated. "I just scented rare material. Yes, scented, it comes with the class allignment. This could be the rarest bleeding piece of material in the whole school. Something more valuable than anything I could build. And it's right here. I can't believe I didn't notice it before," He seemed to be barely restraining himself from leaping in excitement as he gestured agitatedly towards the infirmary area. "This... this scent is coming from in there. I've got to see what it is. This could be the find of a lifetime! With material like this, who knows what could be accomplished!" With that, he kicked off and sped towards the doors.

Moments later, the awakening of a certain albino knight was jarred as a flying kick knocked his door open, followed by a red-haired, short-tempered Irishman in a ninja costume. Ed's eyes met the other student's as he bowed slightly in recognition. "So... you've got something ancient, have you? Would you consider loaning it out for study?" he asked cautiously, noting the dangerously large biceps of his 'mark'. "I'm Ed, resident engineer. I'm here because I felt the call of a material." His eyes narrowed. "It's here, in this room. I can almost taste it. That thing... whatever it is, I have to..." the words died on his lips as he saw the rings on Brad's fingers. A Gaelic exclamation of surprise passed from his lips as, without waiting for permission, he leaned in for a closer examination. "This workmanship... and the perfect synthesis... amazing! Who made this? What is it? Where did it come from?" Ed finally took the time to look up and ask one final question to Brad. "And who are you?"

 

[Brad]

OOC: Oh.... yeah. That is from the fact that his parents savedv up to send him here, sort of like how people save ofr college. Not to mention, he is sort of a rich kid... he just lives a non-spoiled lifestyle. Anyways, back to ye old RPG'ing.

Brad looked aboslutely dumbfounded as the boy who had just barged into his study began ogling his rings. the boy, by the look of his costume was a ninja, but as the boy began to talk about materials and synthesis, Brad also knew he was an alchemic engineer.

"Ah. He-lloooo... I am Brad Matthews, Dark Paladin. These are two rings I found recently while training. A book I have says they were made sometime around the rebellion of Boudica, queen of the Celts. Originally hers, they nearly defeated the Romans. Unfortunately, I can't take them off unless I pass away, and I have no intention of doing that. These two rings ar dark rings, powerful objects used for dark magic. These rings specialize in occult spells, stuff involving the Devil and such. Therefore, any occult spells I use with these rings take blood from my body. However, they are great for regular dark magic amplification. If you need to study ancient materials, I also have my sword and armor from the same period. The original owner of those was an ancient Roman soldier. I think these rings are made of alchemic gold, hell crystal, and alchemic rubies and onyx, but I'm not the alchemic engineer. If you are truly interested in the rings, there are less deadly rings that can be taken on and off- 3 to be exact. I can help you find them- I want to learn more about these mysterious rings in hopes that I can stop the deadly price of my two rings. You are actually the person I was looking for. I overheard talk of an engineer- an alchemic engineer. You would be the one person who would know how to stop the blood sacrifice. I can also help find any other materials- I mean, I am a preety good fighter- mostly close range. However, I can use magic long range if you require. What is your name?" Brad curiously asked. He was surprised by the sudden appearance of the ninja, but not too surprised- powerful objects draw people like flies to a light. Brad didn't really care- the appearance of the engineer would be extremely beneficial to Brad- something he couldn;t just let slip by.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

O....kay....

This Brad guy was pretty forthcoming in Ed's opinion. Not many people would respond by telling a random engineer what they wanted to know the moment he barged into their infirmary room and started spouting nonsense about ancient rings and proceeding to fill them in on the rings in excruciating detail, dragging in something about Roman soldiers and armor. Ed knew all about the armor, it was forged by a weaponsmith and not an engineer. The rings, on the other hand, were definitely alchemic in origin. He was startled by the burly albino's sudden proposition to join the group. It was at this point that Ed fleetingly remembered a certain video game he had enjoyed back home. If the writers for that game had been scripting his life, now would be the time that a text box would pop up, saying "Ed's sudden arrival has prompted extremely up-front Paladian BRAD to join the party!". This was followed by a bizarre mental image of himself dressed as a stereotypic RPG hero, complete with massive sword and spiky hair. This day was getting surreal, even from the perspective of someone who dealt with griffins, trolls, and manticores on a daily basis. Shaking his head, he stepped forward. "Well, Mr. Matthews, you seem to know quite a bit for someone whose class doesn't involve forging weapons. However, you're mistaken in two instances. I'll tell you what they are in a moment, but right now..." a strange gleam appeared in Ed's eyes as he finished his sentence in a strange, hushed, excited tone, "I'm going to find some things out for myself. Hold those rings still a moment, and don't move, please."

Ed layed a finger on the ring's stones before closing his eyes. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then a group of blue, electrical bolts shot down his arms towards the gems. Once contact was made, the bolts began leaping back and forth between the gems and Ed's temples creating a circuit of power. After a few moments, Ed removed his fingers from the gems and the electricity surrounding his body faded away. Lifting his hand gingerly, he patted down his hair which had become extremely frizzy during his electrical performance and sat down in a nearby chair. "Well, mate, I don't fancy being you right now," he clucked in dissaproval. "Those rings are natural catalysts for Dark Magic, true, but they're also parasitic. Those things are draining life force. The reason you've been payin' for occult spells with blood is that those rings allow you to override your body's natural limits on what it can and can't do with its life force, so every time you use those things, it's going to get worse. See, I'm sure you know this but everyone is born with a certain level of life energy available for use. Once we use that up, we have to wait for our bodies to generate more, right? Well, these spells you're using require a level of life energy that it's almost impossible to generate naturally. You obviously can't, along with ninety-nine percent of the population. Those rings are designed to override that limit. When they do, however, your body pays for your spells in blood rather than life energy. To make matters worse, your body reacts to this by lowering the limit of life energy you can safely use in order to protect you because it thinks you overextended yourself. In other words, every time you use those rings, you run the risk of being unable to use magic at all someday. They're extremely dangerous, but..." Ed couldn't help smiling in admiration, "They're true works of art. Alchemic gold is the base, but he's inlaid it with powdered brimstone and dragon's blood as well as forging in liquified hell crystal. This thing is truly a masterpiece of ancient synthesis! To think that I've been allowed to see it!" Ed's face gleamed.

It dropped again moments later as he returned to business. "You want a way to get around blood payment, correct? Well, I don't know how much I can promise you, but if those other rings are as valuable as you say, I can promise you that I'll use everything I learn about ancient synthesis from them to... cure you of this unfortunate side effect if you'll really agree to work for me. Oh, and one more thing?" Ed's smile turned into a glare. "Boudica never used those rings. I would know this, I'm Irish. These were forged somewhere in Irleland. They're... from my homeland."

OOC: Ooh.... btw, one last thing. Ed's implication here comes from an idea of mine as to how the rings get their payment negated. And yeah, I might have taken a bit too much liberty within those post in terms of how life energy works, but since the original description was pretty vague and we have a limited amount we can use I thought it would be okay if I added a few specifics. :3

 

[Kansas]

Ed shot off like a rocket in the opposite direction of class. Fen stared in confusion for a second as Ed actually followed... the smell of a metal.

"He...smelled it? What the hell? We're gonna miss the first day of Elemental 101 at this rate. ugh.. I better make sure he doesn't get into any trouble i guess... looks like he's headed towards the infirmary" Fen said as he ran off, following Ed.

Fen rushed inside and looked around, seeing a receptionist at the counter.

"Did you see a small blond kid run by here... probably a slightly crazed look in his eyes..." Fen questioned cautiously.

The receptionist merely pointed a direction and Fen darted off down the hall, following the doors. After running down a few doors he spotted an open one and skidded to a stop, almost passing it. He caught the glimpse of Ed's blond hair and walked into the room. Inside the room was the big scary looking guy from the opening ceremonies. Ed seemed to have sparked a conversation with him but Fen quickly interrupted anyways.

"Hey...you're that huge steroid freaky guy from the opening ceremonies..." Fen said bluntly. He looked to Ed, "You can't just dart off like that...we don't even have contact information, and aside from that... we're going to miss class..." He said in a somewhat scolding tone. "Its not gonna be very easy to run this whole gig if every teacher is onto us for truancy problems."

Fen leaned against the wall and folded his arms in front of him and shifted his eyes back to the large kid in the bed.

"hmpf, so whats his story? You find that metal you were goin on about?"

 

[Brad]

Brad's calm facade was in danger of being ruined when the boy said he may never be able to use magic if he used the Silmarilion too much. Brad needed magic to be a good Paladin, and he hated himself for ever even putting on the rings.
"Oh... hmm... details like the original user do usually get mixed up. Whatever. Good that they're Irish- better materials over there anyway. Well, I shall work for you, for this little favor, and even after we solve it. I'm actually quite bored- I'm on three week psychological leave. You see, the first time I used the rings, they sort of sent me to Hell. Yes, there is one. It was horrible. I still have nightmares of being ripped apart or stabbed or dipped in liquids metal. Most of the dreams didn't happen- I assume all that happened to me was a huge loss of blood, and maybe a few wounds. I got lucky.I assume that my body overcame the rings just in time. So, what do we need, business partner? Or is it boss? I don't know. But wait... they may not make me unable to use magic. Maybe its just my knowledge of biology, but a parasite makes sure not to kill its owner- so it can thrive as long as possible. And it only takes blood when I use demonic spells- I used a dark magic spell today, to see if the rings would take blood, and they didn't. I'd still ike to join, and stop the bloodstealing- that way, I can learn the lost art of the occult without injury or death. What is my first assignment- I'm available any time for the next three weeks, unless it is unbelievably early in the morning, or too late at night.

 

[Shadow_Yue]

OOC: I'm sorry this is so late. I hope this doesn't get closed or anything.

Opening her eyes Hikaru groggily sat up from her bed and scooted her way off the bed. It looked like someone was already in her room. She must've had a roommate now. She shrugged her shoulders not bothering to care about that and looked over at the clock. She would deal with it later.

'Geez, it's early..' Hikaru thought sourly and decided to go take a shower in the bathrooms after figuring out they were there. Her mind was still mixed up from waking up early, in which she normally does the opposite and sleeps in. Deciding she would leave before her roommate got up and would meet her later, Hikaru left her room making sure to turn her iPod up and get her art book out. Walking around the campus for a few minutes she found a fairly large tree and climbed onto one of the larger branches, letting one of her legs hang off the edge and one of her arms dangling off to the side holding her bow. Reaching and then digging in her bag Hikaru pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with her schedule on it.

'Advanced Close Combat
Elemental Control 101
Marksmanship 121'

"Man…I have to work today. I hate close combat, my legs get so tired.." Hikaru whined pathetically, stuffing the paper back into her pocket. 'Might as well get it over with.' Hikaru said after 15 minutes of lounging in the tree.

(I'm not exactly sure if Ill do this right so I'll just skip ahead ok?) Hikaru's first class was needless to say, very troublesome and knocked the wind out of her. Her teacher was like some kind of drill sergeant making her run laps and fight people who looked twice her size. But then again it's advanced close combat. That means more work for her and more work that she should be expecting . Hikaru rubbed her head in annoyance. Maybe she could switch to an easier class..?

Pulling out her schedule again she noted that she had Elemental Control next. She paused, bringing her finger to her chin to remember where that was. After a few minutes of this, and walking around a bit she figured out where it was and began heading towards it. Though she was walking quite slow for someone who was probably going to get there so late. Hikaru didn't whether it was because her leg hurt from her first class or if she was just being lazy again but she shrugged it off and continued to walk just as slowly. She was early to wake up so she could afford to be late in this next class was her logic.