Wondershot

Well...If I was in this I would be either Kevin Winnicot from Xenosaga, (myOtaku avatar) or an AC (my banner/avatar). I really like the way the story is going, and I am in favour of PoisonTongue's idea to sticky this.

[i]Aren't you afraid?[/i] I'm not afraid, I'll find you and I'll put you to rest. [i]If you did, you would contradict everything that makes you what you are.[/i] ... [i]It's true, isn't it? You do know why you stayed alive...right?[/i] ...Be quiet... [i]...Right?[/i] I SAID BE QUIET!!! Kaze snapped from his coma as as though he had recieved a shock. Without a second thought, he whipped out one ethereal pistol and fired, narrowly missing Ensis' head. He tried to shoot again, but Ensis pushed him to the ground, where Kaze writhed and fired shots into the air. Everyone backed off until Kaze stopped shooting, and Ensis got up. Kaze bounded to his feet and his wild eyes scanned the area feverishly. "WHERE IS HE?!?!" Kaze roared with rage unlike anything he had ever felt before. Every fibre of his being was suffused with a heat he could not control. He stomped a few feet and looked around, breathing heavily and sweating. "He's gone, Kaze, you need to rest..." "I'LL SHOW HIM! HE CAN'T...HE'S NOT..." Kaze whirled as Elda tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He swatted it away and took staggering steps back. "DON'T YOU TOUCH ME! I'M NOT...I'm not...I'm not..." Kaze staggered and fell over, backing up to the wall of the cabin, breathing heavily. "I'm not...I'm not..." Ensis looked at Kaze, who seemed to be trying to avoid his gaze. Ensis took a step forward, and Kaze curled himself up, his face buried in his knees, repeating. "I'm not...I'm not...I'm not..." Ensis kneeled down and tried to look Kaze in the eyes. Kaze looked up for a moment, his eyes peeking just over his knees. Ensis stared, as the green in his eyes seemed slightly more intense then usual. Kaze looked down again, and Ensis took a step back. "He's taken some trauma from the spell, evidently, we should try and let it wear off before getting close to him again." He stated confidentially to Kan and Elda. "But..but the [i]aethera[/i]...those wounds...he should be dead!" Kan stammered, Ensis looked at him. "Kaze is...special...I've seen him take worse wounds than this. He once slit his own throat and survived..." Ensis trailed off, as he saw Elda look over at Kaze fearfully. Ensis began again. "Just tell your men to leave him right where he is, don't talk to him, don't try and look at him, he should snap out of it in a little while." Ensis continued. The three of them looked over at Kaze, who was still curled up, repeating madly: "I'm not...I'm not...I'm not..."

SECTION A In the following section, please answer each statement with one of five answers: A) Strongly Agree B) Agree C) Somewhat Agree D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree 1) I find OtakuBoards rules easy to understand and follow. [b]A[/b] 2) I feel that the staff at OtakuBoards understand their job and are capable of performing it appropriately.[b]B[/b] 3) OtakuBoards is easy to navigate.[b]A[/b] 4) OtakuBoards has a friendly atmosphere.[b]B[/b] SECTION B Please try to keep your answers relatively short in this section. 5) How often do you visit OtakuBoards? [b]Once or twice a day, usually every day.[/b] 6) Do you feel that the rules are too strict/not strict enough/fine as they are? [b]Fine as they are.[/b] 7) Should we continue to uncensor the creative writing areas on OtakuBoards? [b]Yes, provided people remembber to rate their stories[/b] 8) Would you rather a decentralized forum system on OB (more forums, less activity per forum) or a centralized forum system (less forums, more activity per forum)? [b]Probably decentralized, I spend all my time on only one or two forums anyway.[/b] 9) Would you like to see a closer integration of myOtaku and OtakuBoards? [b]Yes, absolutely[/b] 10) Are you signed up to myOtaku.com? [b]Yes[/b] 11) If you are not signed up to myOtaku.com, do you plan to sign up in the near future? [b]N/A[/b] 12) Do you read Announcements at OtakuBoards? [b]Yes, but sometimes I don't notice them right away.[/b] 13) Which single Category (Category, as opposed to individual Forum) do you spend most of your time visiting? [b]Adventure Arena.[/b] 14) Do you think that OtakuBoards should offer an in-built chat system as part of our service? If we included a chat, would you use it? [b]Probably.[/b] 15) If we offered an "OtakuBoards Wireless" service that would be accessible via Internet-capable cellphones, would you use it? [b]Maybe, if I did have a net cell phone.[/b] 16) When we offer a next generation version of OtakuBoards, should we continue to provide semi-regular community events in our Event Arena or a similar forum? [b]Absolutely, at least, more regularily anyway.[/b] 17) If you could add one new Category (Category, not Forum) to OtakuBoards, what would it be? [b]Don't know.[/b] 18) If you could remove one Category from OtakuBoards, what would it be? [b]Don't know[/b] 19) If you could add anything to OtakuBoards (in terms of a new forum, a technical tool/feature, etc), what would it be? [b]Maybe an Old Games forum, so that new stuff would be restricted to the regular games forums.[/b] 20) On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest), how would you rate your experience at OtakuBoards since you registered? [b]10, great place to be.[/b]

[center]Heifon 4-5 Orbital Ring - 08:00h - - -So, now we have more Ban to take out on our way to Heifon, they probably aren't too happy about Sata doing a number on even more of their men, or us stealing their experimental ship, Malus Gemellis.- - - - - -Malus is a real enigma, the complete ship has a total volume of about 600 meters cubed, but the ship only has a bridge, an observation deck, crew quarters and an engine room. There seems to be a whole lot of unused space near the wings and the bottom of the ship, so about 60% percent of the ship has yet to be explored. I don't know why the Ban were so interested, since it doesn't pack much more power than any of their other ships. It doesn't even have grappler arms. Maybe it has something to do with Sata?- - - - - -Guess I'll find out soon enough...- - -[/center] "Ban ships within 2000 kilometer range, they are within spread beam radius." Sata announced from the firing station. Rao returned the command from the helm. "Go right ahead, fire wave one." He replied, watching Sata pull the trigger. four long beams fired from underneath the wings, and curved upwards to strike two Ban ships from underneath. They appeared to have sustained some damage, but now that they were aware of the Malus' presence, they fired small fighters at it. Rao couldn't help but grin slightly, those idiots. "Fire microlasers," Rao told Sata, who replied by pressing another trigger. This time, a smaller turret emerged from the observation deck, and fired multiple small beams at the oncoming fighters. About ten of them were vaporized, but several more were closing in. Just as they were about to reach the ship, they were also vaporized by the ship's powerful shielding. "Fire wave two." Rao ordered, but Sata did not reply by pressing the trigger. Instead, she reached onto a contol panel and pressed a few buttons. "Effect #7, active." Sata answered. the observation deck turret emerged again, but this time, it fired a larger beam at the first Ban ship, blowing a hole right through it. Rao's eyes widened, he had never seen that before. "Effect #12, active." Sata announced, and the observation deck turret fired a ball of electricity at the second ship. The ball collided with the hull, and the ship was shocked and ceased function completely. Rao stared at Sata, who simply replied calmly: "Both ships are out of commision. Resuming normal course for Heifong." Rao stared at her a moment longer, unsure what was happening... [center]- - -Once again, I did see something like that coming, but even though I saw it I still found it hard to believe. At least now I understand why they wanted the Malus so badly, those wapons were unlike anything I've ever seen. Furthermore, Sata appears to be the only one who is capable of using them.- - - - - -The only question now is, how long will she stay with me?- - - -END TRANSMISSION- -LOGGED AS RJhf450800.txt-[/center]

[center]Blue Heaven (Free Town) - 23:00h - - -Normally, I would not be found in such a place, especially not with Sata with me, however, today was a special case, since we were now about to make our greatest, albeit toughest, hit: Fred Luo himself. We suceed, we will probably be known as the greatest assasins in existence, we lose, we're just thrown into a scrap pile with all the other losers. I brought Sata here so that she could be put more in touch with her human side. If that works, I might try for her feminine side next, heh.- - - - - -Maybe Sata is the greatest weapon in history, not counting ships, but she sure has a hell of a lot to learn when it comes to being, or at least acting, human. Maybe tonight will loosen her up...- - -[/center] Rao took a long drink as he watched Sata roam around the bar, apparently fascinated by the concept of alcohol. Rao couldn't help but grin slightly, she must not have been completed with all of the human data, he thought with amusement. Sata walked back to their table. "This appears to be a moderately powerful hallucinogen that can alter a person's sense of conciousness, slowing reflexes and perception. Furthermore, it tastes, by my conclusion, awful." Rao nodded as Sata continued. "Why do you drink it, then, when it's bad qualities outweigh it's good?" Rao smiled. "If I could answer that, then I would know everything about human beings." "Then, human beings are by nature, illogical. They hurt themselves willingly while other less intelligent species must struggle to survive. This shows a most complacent and arrogant attitude on the part of humans." "Other non-intelligent species are unable to derive a sense of pleasure from anything other than fresh food. We humans prefer to find other ways to occupy ourselves." "When your time could be better spent evolving or creating new and better technologies like myself?" Rao laughed. "Sata, if everyone were as critical as you, then there would be no point in being human." "I am unable to understand why that would deter..." Sata was cut off as a loud bang echoed throughout the bar, and saw that a man had upturned a table in what appeared to be a drunken rage. However, Rao quickly dismissed this theory as several other men did the same, all of them seemed ot have their eyes on Sata. "Ban..." Rao said quietly, so only Sata could hear. Sata's eyes whipped around the room, there were some nine or ten men in the room, all eyes on Sata and Rao. Rao, strangely, sat back down, nodding to Sata. "Go ahead." Sata walked into the middle of the club as the men surrounded her. Her right hand whipped to her side, as her hand closed around her jitte... One of the men behind her lunged, and she spun around and smacked him hard in the face with the rod, he reeled, nose bleeding. Two more ran at her from the sides, and she jumped up and kicked out with both feet at once, striking them in their chests. Another tried to attack from behind again, but she kicked him in the stomach as he approached, then whirled and dealt him a blow with her elbow to the back of his head. He fell, limp and unconcious, as three more pirates raced forward. She kicked the first one out of the way, then spun around and heel kicked the second. The third one moved forward, but she grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and smashed him in the face with a headbutt. He fell limp, and the second man got up just in time to recieve a double kick to the side of the head. Sata landed in a full split position, and as the first man tried tried to hit her again, she blocked it, and her other arm began crackling with electricity. She then punched him in the stomach, and he flew through the window all the way across the street. The remaining few backed up in surprise as Sata got up again. She flashed them a dangerous smile, and got back into her ready position... "Hey girlie!" A man called from the back of the bar. Sata whirled and saw Rao, and another man behind him pressing a knife to Rao's throat. Sata stared for a moment, before taking a step forward. "You move, he dies!" Sata was pleased to hear a definite note of fear in his voice. With her other foot, she reached out and stepped on a fallen chair. With one kick, the chair flew through the air and hit the hostage-taker right in the face, where Rao took the opportunity and kicked him into submission. Sata whirled and saw two more men racing towards her. She picked up another chair and smashed the first in the face with it. She then held out the chair like a lion tamer would, and pressed it against the man's chest. She then lifted both the man and the chair over hear head and threw them straight up. She then crouched down, and landed a vertical kick right over her head at the chair, which smashed as the man took a huge shock to the spine. He fell like a puppet, and Sata jumped back as another man reached for her with a knife. She jumped back over a table, picked it up with one hand and hit the man over the head with it. She looked at another one at the other end of the club, and threw the tabletop like a frisbee at him, smashing his skull. He fell limp as another man went for Sata, she whirled and punched him in the face, then smashed him in the gut with her jitte. He vomited from the impact, then passed out. The last man standing backed up fearfully, then dashed forward, knife in hand. Sata summoned up some more energy, and this time a white bolt shot from her outstretched palm and blew the pirate back out the door. Rao's eyes widened. He had no idea that Sata was capable of that. Sata returned to his side. "I suggest we leave before the commotion starts." She said confidentially before walking out the door. Rao eyed the destroyed club around him. "It hasn't?" [center]- - -To be perfectly honest, I was never doubtful that Sata was capable of things like that, but to actually see her in action was one of the greater thrills on this crazy trip. I can now tell, for sure, that Sata is probably less human then machine. She definetely has human skin and a human brain, capable of rational, yet somewhat ethical thought, and faster processing and reflexes than a machine. However, I am fairly certain that she does not have a heart, but rather another power source that keeps her going, even without oxygen or food. She doesn't show this from her outward appearance, but I have a feeling that someday, I'll finally know who she really is.- - - - - -The question is, what'll she think?- - - [i]-END TRANSMISSION- -LOGGED AS: RJ-BH-2300.txt-[/center][/i]

Kan looked at Ensis enquiringly, but shook his head with a small grin. "Nothing really, mate, just a little act of kindness was all." Kan replied, and looked up. "Maybe there is one thing you can do, though." "Name it." Ensis replied with determination. "All I want, is for you and lady Elda to take good care of our little friend, he's had a rough time and all he wants right now is for someone to help him along." Kan stated seriously. Ensis nodded understandingly, and Kan clapped a hand to Ensis' shoulder. "Thanks, mate, I knew I could count on you." He answered, and then walked into the cabin where Kaze was currently... [i]Fear my presence... Falter before your own malice... ...die...[/i] There was a loud creak as the door to the cabin swung open and Kan entered. Kaze was sitting on his bed, facing the opposite wall, away from Kan. "Hey, mate, you feeling okay?" Kan asked with concern. Kaze shook his head. "Fine...little tired...go away..." He answered thickly, as though he were having trouble swallowing something. Kan didn't notice, however, and nodded before closing the door behind him. Kaze looked up, and in a mirror from across the room, he saw a huge gash across his left eye, and he was also bleeding profusely from the mouth. He groaned and rolled over, tasting blood in his throat. He lapsed slowly into unconciousness, almost unknowingly, but sure that he was dying... Kan looked out from the deck and let the wind whip through his hair, he glanced around, and saw Elda and Ensis together, and saw land ahead. He looked over at the fast-moving chains on deck, but he knew that he had to keep the reality of the ship a secret...even from Kaze. A technician leaned closer to him. "[i]Sore ai, ka san je ora no kijea?[/i]" He asked, pointing a finger in Elda's direction, Kan just reached up and slapped him. "[i]Kui, no ate ora ko jarake so kijea, na ate [/i]Ensis[i], kora oso ta[/i]." "[i]Ku, nai tetran no ke an noin sorke?[/i]" "[i]Kui, no tetran sare kasetira akura [/i]Ma'Uriith." The man nodded uncertainly, and then walked off to the pipe leading belowdecks. He yelled into it over the mechanical roar. "[i]Jo eta no katekan navis ein [/i]Ma'Uriith..." There was a stutter as the machinery began to alter slightly, and some of the chains descended lower to the deck. Kan flashed a hand signal to the man on deck, who nodded, and then Kan turned towards his crew. "We will be arriving within a few minutes! Get ready to attach to the [i]tetran[/i]!" There was a roar of agreement at Kan's words, satisfied, he walked into Kaze's cabin, and opened the door. "Hey mate, it's...[i]SUTRE! KO ANE DOI KIMAI![/i]" shocked, Kan ran back out and rushed to the closest man. "[i]Ane medin! No ora duse aethera[/i]!" "[i]AETHERA[/i]?!" The man roared, shocked, and immediately the whole ship was thrown into a panic. Ensis and Elda looked around to see what was going on. Kan rushed over to Ensis. "Mate, something's wrong, Kaze's..." Kan wsa cut off as he heard a door swing open behind him. Kaze stepped out, both his eyes were completely white, and his face was scrathced and bloody, as was the rest of his skin. "Ensis...it's the...Ma'Uriith..." Kaze said in a raspy voice, then collapsed. Ensis bent over him. "Something's wrong, this was caused by spritual damage..." "What? We call this [i]aethera[/i], and it means pain inflicted by a curse..." Kan replied, Ensis looked up. "Curse? Why..." "Didn't he ever tell you he was from Ma'Uriith?" Kan asked, Ensis looked shocked. "Well, I guess he didn't, then..."

I think I'll put up a new character, but now I realize that I forgot the intro for my character (actually, everyone did). A cool gust of wind blew into the alley as an old homeless man curled up into a tight ball to shield himself from the biting breeze. There were small footsteps, actually the clicking sound of high heels, and the man covered his ears, both to prevent frostbite, and to block out the sound that jarred his brain. He had become sensitive to things like this, and he was somewhat surprised when the footsteps drew closer and closer, and then stopped completely. He uncurled himself slightly and opened his eyes. There were two pairs of feet standing in front of him, one of them wore large sneakers, the other, expensive-looking black heels. The man looked up slowly and felt the biting cold sting his face, but he defienetely saw two figures. One was a young man, not more than a teenager, with long fine hair that rippled slightly in the breeze, and a black-haired asian woman in business dress, who did not appear much older, but carried an air of high class and age. The man sat there for a moment, wondering what these people were doing, when the blonde teenager held out a hand and the man seized it... "So, who exactly are you?" The homeless man asked, reathing lightly and smiling over a cup of coffee. The blonde boy grinned and turned his head. "Just a couple of people who thought they'd do something good today." He replied simply. The homeless man drained the coffee, and the woman in the suit went to fetch another one. The teenager grinned even more widely. "And you might be?" "My name is Saito, Hakure Saito." The man replied, eagerly awaiting his coffee. The teen's eyebrows arched. "Weren't you...a large member of a corporation?" "Hah! I'll have you know, boy, I was the CEO!" Saito replied roughly as he drained his next coffee. "There was a time when my company was considered the best in the ship making industry! That meddler Fred Luo had to stick his nose in..." The teen's eyebrows arched again, then contracted. "Luo? What did he do?" "He took over my business, and I was removed as CEO! I even tried to get that famous assassin to take him out, as part of a deal with other corporations that Luo had taken, what was her name..." "Twilight Suzuka?" The teen asked helpfully, Saito snapped his fingers. "Yes, she was the one, worthless, didn't even finish the job." "So, you want Luo dead?" Saito grinned maliciously as he began to drink his next coffee. This one tasted a little different for some reason. "If I could find that money grubbing little bastard I'd..." Saito made a small gesture with his hands, when suddenly he grasped his chest, and scamed as he convulsed and fell off his chiar. He jumped as though receiving an electric shock, then stopped. The teen checked his jugular vein for a pulse...nothing. "Sata, we did it." The teen announced. The woman stepped out of the kitchen. "Poor old man, should never get his blood pressure up when you add [i]this[/i] to your coffee..." She flashed a bottle marked [i]Tetrahydrozylene[/i] at Saito's shocked face. The teen grinned. "What are you smiling about, Rao? We finished our only lead too soon." Sata asked, annoyed. Rao continued grinning. "You heard him, our next target is Fred Luo." Rao replied smoothly, drawing a knife from his pocket. He looked down to his jeans and pulled his shirt up, showing that he was wearing a chain link belt. He looked down, and scratched two tiny names onto one of the links...: - Saito - Luo - Names: Sata and Rao Jaihera Ages: Rao: 19 Sata: 25 Races: Rao is human, Sata is a bio-android like Melfina. Gender: Rao is male, Sata, female. Occupation: Freelance Assassins. Affiliation: None Descriptions: Rao stands at about 6 feet, and has bright sea-blue eyes and fine blonde hair. He wears large white sneakers and baggy seafoam colored jeans. He wears a green t-shirt with a yin-yang on the back and the jeans are held up with a chain belt. Everytime he kills someone, he writes the victim's name and their next intended target onto one of the links. Sata is about 5'9" and wears a black suit top and skirt, and a pair of black high heels. Her hair is straight and black, and on the rare occasions that she uses hairpins they are normally weapons. Weapons: Rao uses a large guardless Tai-Chi sword with a ying-yang engraved into a black leather hilt. Sata fights with her fists, but also uses hairpins as weapons (held or thrown) and a jitte (swordbreaker) rod. Spacecraft: [img]http://www.namco-xenosaga.com/gallery/avatars/images/x_avatar_49.jpg[/img] Malus Gemellis, (Latin for Evil Twin) contains several wide spread laser cannons, but only one grappler arm, making it weak in close combat. Since Sata was built exclusively for combat purposes, she is not the navigational computer like Melfina was, she was only given the location. The Gemellis also has an exceptional fuel consumption ratio, and is great for long hauls across the galaxy. Sata does have some sort of connection with it, however, and Rao believes that the Kei built it. He also guesses that the laser cannons are generated by energies similar to those in Casters, but he is unsure how the Kei got that kind of technology, and why Sata knows about it. Bio: Rao and Sata are brother and sister, despite Sata being a bio-android. Rao was originally trained to be a Ban pirate, and his skills were considered, even at a young age, to match or surpass those of Kei's Anten Seven. Sata, on the other hand, was built to be a fighting machine by the Kei Pirates. After [spoiler]Hazanko's[/spoiler] death, Sata was never completed and or activated. After the Ban tried to find what was left of the Kei property, Rao came across the case containing Sata. He unkowingly activated it, and when she awakened she recognized Rao as her master. The Ban pirates figured that she could be used as a weapon, but the more compassionate Rao reprogrammed her to still stand by him and protect him, but also gave her a free will. Rao decided to leave, now that he found a sister, and Sata cleared the way for him, leaving many dead Pirates behind. Sata and Rao now work as assasins, but have so far developed a new killing method for their own satisfaction which they call the "Revenge Chain". The chain started with Sata's original creator, one of the Kei technicians. Rao tracked him down, but before killing him, accepted an up-front contract on another man, and then killed his employer. They then tracked down their prey, accepted a mission from [i]him[/i], and then killed him. The enire thing is a sick loop, they kill their employers because they were the targets of their past employers, whom they also killed, forming links in a chain. In my intro, they accepted a contract for Fred Luo, so he, of course, is their next target. Any personal information they keep to themselves.

Wow, I can't believe I haven't read this until now! Real good, and some of my favorie bits include "Syk trying to avoid unintentionally crushing everyone," and the "cookies" reference. Fun stuff, Solo, can't wait to see what happens in Adventure Arena. [size=1]Now [i]I[/i] want to be in it...Adventure Arena is my pad, man...[/size]

Vince rolled his eyes and dismounted. He pulled his hat even lower down over his eyes and turned his back to a couple of Caballeros, who appeared to be mocking his unkempt appearance. He grinned slightly and walked over to them, hand at the ready. He looked up slightly, but his eyes were still hidden. "There some kind of problem?" He asked coolly, the two men looked at each other and laughed even harder, and Vince reached for the Colt under his jacket. "Hey, you boys have children?" He asked with a small smile, the two men continued to laugh. There was a small wooshing sound, and the two men looked down in some surprise to see two Colt six shooters pointed between their legs. Vince grinned maliciously and holstered his weapons as quickly as they had been drawn. He walked off, leaving two furious-looking men behind. Vince heard a small ting of metal, and he whirled and pointed his knife at the man's throat who tried to sneak up behind him. He grinned and leaned close to the man, whispering in his ear. "You cool down, now, it's only a bit of fun." He whispered as he released the man. Vince looked over and saw a huge dead tree looming in the middle of nowhere. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then walked over and climbed up to the topmost branches. Up there he sat for the longest time, while his fellow Desperados ignored him, knowing that he did this only too often. Later that evening, the men were gathered around a small fire, and despite being in such close proximity, did not seem to come to blows. Vince gazed down every so often to see what was happening, but nothing so far. He winced as he saw the group closest to the fire eat, and he looked down to see much of the group was in fact, eating. A few of his companions looked ovr in his direction to see if he would come down, but he didn't. One of the Caballeros turned around and stared at him for the longest time. "Why doesn't he come to eat?" He asked with annoyance, A few of the Desperados stopped and one looked over at Vince as well. "We call him the 'Saladman' cause he never comes down to eat, crazy son of a gun." the Desperado replied with a grin, turning his attention back to his food. Vince, on the other hand, stayed lying up there, even though his stomach was starting to protest slightly...

Kaze groaned slightly, and rolled over in his sleep. [i]Face the truth...don't fear... You can't save what you don't understand... You can't hurt... What you can't face...[/i] Kaze grumbled incoherently and rolled over again, a small trickle of saliva running out of the corner of his mouth. [i]You try and face death... You don't see...[/i] Kaze reached a hand out as though groping for some distant rope. His body was half hovering over the ground, his legs still in bed. [i]You'll try to stop me... but you can't... ...die...[/i] Kaze jumed as though he had recieved an incredible shock, eyes still closed, he fell out of the bed he was lying in and started convulsing violently. He opened his eyes just as he spat a stream of blood onto the wall. Gasping, he wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth and looked around, he was in an almost totally empty room, save the one bed he was sleeping in, and now a huge bloodstain on the wall. He stood up just as the door on the other side of the room opened. "Rise and shine, ma..." Kan cut himself off just as he saw Kaze already awake. He didn't see the blood on the wall because Kaze was standing in the way. "Oh, good to see you up, mate, we'll be leaving soon. Oh, and your friends are here." Kaze glared at him, Kan winced slightly, then gave Kaze the smallest look of pity before closing the door again. Kaze sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. He had that dream in Ma'Uriith before, but it never had an aftereffect like that. He turned his head to the bloodstain on the wall, and moved over to wipe it off... "My apologies, our little friend doesn't feel very good, so he won't be joining us right away." Kan said apologetically to Elda and Ensis, who had already arrived. Ensis stared at the chamber door at the end of the ship, and Kan leaned over to Elda. "Excuse my bluntness, but I don't think he wants to see you." Kan whispered. Elda stared at him apologetically, when Ensis began to talk. "So this is that flying ship Kaze was talking about." He said aloud, Kan's vace went pale, and many of the crewmembers stared first disbelievingly to Ensis, then angrily to Kan. "Uh...the little master told you about...that?" Kan said in an unusually low voice. Ensis leaned over, but then jumped back as Kaze shouted. "Oh, THAT'S REALLY NOTHING, see, and our little friend MUST 'AVE MADE A MISTAKE, so he was PROBABLY KIDDING about that." Kan grinned nervously and Ensis stared at him. Kan pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and offered it to Ensis. "A little drink before the journey?" He offered sweetly. Ensis shook his head. "Oh come on, it'll help you relax, this thing is so noisy..." Kan trailed off as Ensis cast him a withering glare. Kan sighed and flashed a hand signal to a man on the other side of the ship. The man nodded and began speaking into a pipe at the end of the ship. "I suggest you cover your ears, madam." Kan advised kindly to Elda, who obliged, but not before giving him a confused look. Kan put his hands over his ears, and Ensis just stood there looking confused, when suddenly there was an incredible bang and a cloud of fire erupted from behind the ship. The ship jolted and Elda lost her balace, and the ship began to move forward. "Hah!" Kan laughed uproariously as the ship began rumbling and the chains on the deck began to move again. "Fuel explosive, mate! We made ourselves a little gas cloud, and we ignite it to get the ship moving!" Kan yelled to Ensis over the din of machinery, but Ensis barely heard, since his ears were still ringing from the blast. The rest of the crew glanced nervously at Kan, as though they were trying to hide something. Kan ignored them and continued on. "You see, my lady," Kan began speaking to Elda now. "This entire enterprise was built using the lightest wood at our disposal, but it's flammable. Lucky our little friend survived when the..." That was it for the crew, and Kan was cut off just as a heavy instrument smashed into the back of his head. Kan glanced around in dim confusion, and one of the crewmembers picked up the instrument, gave Kan a look of deep significance, and walked off. Kan grinned slightly, and walked back into Kaze's room... Kaze had finished cleaning up the mess, and was now lying in bed, he was still dead tired. He glanced at the wall where the blood was, it was now slightly darker, showing evidence of a stain. As he moved to try and clean it up better, the door opened again and Kan began to talk. "Hey mate, if you want to see it now, here's your chance." Kan and Kaze walked back out from the chamber, and Kaze flashed another signal to the man at the helm. The man nodded, and spoke again into the tube. A moment later, the ship stopped moving. Kan leaned down to Kaze, gave him a wink, and strode over to Elda and Ensis. He began talking to them, an unusual seriousness in his voice. "Now, I want to show you this because I trust you..." He was Cut off as total silence fell on deck, someone had cleared their throat loudly, and Kan wheeled just as a much shorter man walked over to him. "Yes, mate?" The man seemed incredibly nervous, and seemed to be having trouble speaking, he opened his mouth, and spoke slowly. "Captain...are you sure that we can trust...them?" He asked with a quaking voice. Kan smiled serenely, and spoke. "Yes." He said simply, and the man ran off. Kan turned back to Ensis and Elda, despite nervous looks from the crew. "I want to show you this because I am sure I can trust you, mate. Do not tell anyone about what you are about to see, please." Kan continued seriously. Ensis and Elda nodded, and Kan whirled to the man at the helm. "[i]Navis tetran ka are katsui![/i]" Kaze yelled, the man stared back in disbelief. "[i]Kai atanke de ora?[/i]" "[i]Ora?! Nan tsu dake no mien! Aketa dori, nakaerte navis tetran![/i]" Kan grinned back to the rest of the group, just as the man shouted into the pipe. "[i]Navis tetran![/i]" Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the group looked overboard to see that some of the side panels had fallen off. Kaze looked in amazement as two large sails came out of the sides of the ship, and there was an even greater roar of machinery, as several large balloons erupted and inflated all along the deck. The machinery grew louder, and Kaze felt a weird feeling, and looked over the side of the ship to see that they had lifted off the ground, leaving half the ship, including wheels, behind. Kan clapped his hands together, and spoke again. "There you have it! The original ship is now able to fly! Fun, no?" Kan grinned brightly, and not even Kaze could contain himself, he grinned too.

Edited again, tried to make everything a little more violent... I did what I could, if that's not good enough then I don't know what else to put (except maybe a weapon pic if I can).

All right, here I go. Name: Tatsumaru Habaruku Age: 19 Race: Ctarl-Ctarl Gender: Male Occupation: Hired gun Affiliation: Neutral Description: Attached pic Weapons: Twin assault handguns, oddly square shaped and with very poor accuracy. Low caliber bullets, but still do a lot of damage when fired in rapid succession. Spaceship: N/A Bio: Tatsumaru is a Ctarl-Ctarl, but he was infact raised by humans and lived as one. He was thrown out of his home due to certain sympathies he felt towards humans, thereby defying the proud Ctarl-Ctarl nature. His human family treated him slightly differently than everyone else, due to some fear of angering thier son and having him transform into an animal, and gave him a lot of slack. He was never punished even when he did something wrong, and therefore grew up with a somewhat distorted perspective of what is right and wrong. Tatsu is gentle by nature, due to his growing up with humans compared to Ctarl-Ctarl, but due to his oddly negligent upbringing, he was unable to find place in the working world because of his inablility to understand when he makes a mistake or deos something wrong. To that end, he became passive in his personality and despite his strength and fighting skill, he lacks the discipline or the inclination to fight to become a soldier. Eventually, necessity took over, and after some training, he learned to gunfight, if not exactly the most accurate, he is definetely one of the fastest draws in existence, due to his catlike reflexes. His inability to aim properly, coupled with his somewhat high-strung nature as a Ctarl-Ctarl, drew him to acquire a pair of burst fire handguns with low accuracy but high power and speed. Since the day he learned to protect himself, he moved out of his home to seek his fortune, and due to his lack of moral code, he will do anything for anyone, regardless of motive, side, or monetary reward. Might add more later, please bear with me.

Name: Vincent R. A.K.A.: Vince, Saladman (strange but true) Affiliation: Desperados Age: 25 Appearance: Vince always looks relaxed and doesn't care too much for his appearance. His face is weathered and unshaven, and several tiny red marks indicate that he scratches his face a lot. He usually wears a cowboy hat that partially covers long brown hair. He keeps his eyes hidden at almost all times and wears a red bandanna around his neck. He wears a torn leather coat and somewhat muddy cotton shirt underneath. He also wears leather overalls which have holes at the knees, his knees have also been bandaged up. He also wears boots which are very muddy and discolored. He is about 6'2" and weighs 140 pounds. He also has two holsters for twin Colt six-shooters, a shotgun attached to his leg, and a Derringer and a knife under his jacket. Personality: Vince's appearance is very contradictory to his actual personality. He is very smart and chooses his words carefully, and he has a very articulate voice. Otherwise, he is very relaxed and cool about everything, and never seems to worry about danger. He thinks things through before trying to carry them out, and is very prudent despite his calm attitude. Basically a walking contradiction: gritty but smart, cool but careful. Biography: Vince lived a relatively normal life throughout his time, and the only thing was that despite being part of a wealthy family, he was an incredible troublemaker. He would run rampant throughout his hometown, destroying property and pushing other kids around. He would leave school to walk around wherever he pleased, and took a great pleasure in wandering through the town, outside the town into the deserts and mountains, and coming home with all kinds of scratches and bites as proof of his exploits. He also hated having a clean-cut appearance, and every day would come back more filthy then the last. No disciplinary measure or rule could bind this free-spirited young man, and nothing his parents could do could change him. He was even thrown in jail once to be taught a lesson, but managed to break out and wander off again. His parents had finally reached the end of their rope, and would not allow him back in the house. They were still his parents, but they treated him like some wild animal, throwing him food outside. He got rid of his last name because of this, and always puts Vincent R. as his full name. He was actually happy to oblige, and spent much of his time walking farther and farther away from home before coming back again. There were times when his parents wouldn't see him for whole days before he returned, and sometimes he came back with money, liquor, or someone's gun. In his early adult years, Vince knew everything there was to know about his town and the surrounding area whole miles away. One day on one of his walks, he saw a huge group of bandits rushing in his direction. Vince hid and watched them pass, intrigued, he followed them in the direction they were going, and returned home to find that the town had been pillaged, and his entire family had been robbed. Vince grimaced at this news, and then departed on one of his longest trips ever, one that he did not return from... After more years of exploits, Vince, without giving any details as to where he was, resurfaced as one of the Desperados after Captain Finn himself personally appointed Vince as one of his men. Vince, despite keeping his eyes hidden, has excellent aim with his Colt and keeps the Derringer and knife for more close-quarters situations. He rarely takes out the shotgun unless he is serious, which is almost never, and he is very adept at learning about terrain and taking full advantage of the lay of the land. He earned the nickname "Saladman" as his reluctance to eat meat, or food in general, and he is rearely seen at the meal table, probably an inherent trait from his years outside. Hope this is okay...

Kaze lay down in the midle of the alley, sobbing slightly. He took a small gasp of air, and looked down the street, people were collapsed there, evidently drunk, or maybe fainted. "Serves...them right." Kaze said to no one, then he looked down at the ground, thinking about all that had happened. He lived a life in Ma'Uriith since he had left his family, no one had any objection, but despite the lives he could have saved, they just showed spite. They all did... He tried to do what he could, he protected the simple town from the minor curses of the dead, and kept the town aware of what was going on...they had never listened when he felt that curse awakening. Never... He gasped and shuddered, they had branded him as some kind of herald of doom, they hated more than any human ever did. He thought back to the sleepless nights under the stairs, the people travelling in tightly knit groups to keep him away, the cries and curses of those whom he passed. He closed his eyes slowly, repeating over and over to himself. They deserved it...They deserved it... "Mate?" Kaze awoke with a start, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He placed a hand down to steady himself, and it closed around something furry. "Oi, just thought I'd see how you're doing." Kan said with a light smile. Kaze just stared back down at the ground, and another tear slid down his face. "Oi, this is the most depressed I'd ever deen you? Something the matter, mate?" Kaze stared up, blinked, then looked at the wall of the building across the street, talking blankly to it instead of Kan. He told Kan the whole story, his life in Ma'Uriith, how the people hated him, how he felt about the curse, and how he left when he felt it... "Wow, rough life, mate." Kan said with a note of sadness in his voice, Kaze nodded, and tears began flowing again. He stared back at the ground. "But...there's one thing I don't get." Kan said suddenly, Kaze whirled. "I explained it all, there's..." "No, I mean why didn't you tell your ladyfriend about all this? If you left her like that she must be confused." "What? She would just hate me like everyone else." "No, mate. She's a friend, she took you in and helped you get better when I couldn't, she wouldn't hate you just because you can see ghosts and such." Kan gave Kaze a fatherly smile, and then held his head up slightly. "You should hear a little of my life's story...here..." Kan reached down to his belt and pulled out a small flask. He took a big gulp and handed it to Kaze. "Helps me tell the story better." He said, and Kaze took a large gulp too. The drink was strong but incredibly sweet, it made him feel drowsy and Kan was starting to talk... A few minutes later, the two were leaning on each others backs, still sitting, and they were both wobbling slightly. "So I said to myself, Kan, someday you can take this life of yours...and grab it." Kan immediately grabbed Kaze by his hair. "Like so, and do whatever you want, and if someone doesn't like it, that's their problem." He looked up and saw he was holding Kaze up by his hair. "Sorry bout that, mate." "S'...s'okay" Kaze replied, slurring slightly. Kan grinned. "Du'n that feel better, now? You can relax, and I'll take care of ye." Kaze looked up. "Now that you mention it..." Kan looked back with a huge grin. "Name it, mate." "I need to borrow that ship of yours, I want to go back to Ma'Uriith." Kan's face fell, and he suddenly looked very shifty and nervous. "Um...that's quite a trip, mate..." "Your ship got me here in a few hours..." Kaze replied, burping slightly. Kan reached back for the flask and gave it to Kaze. Who took another big gulp. "Well, mate, maybe we were just lucky, you know? Maybe..." "Yeah, you're right.." Kaze replied with a groaning voice. Kan grinned. "You know, though, if you do want a ride, I could offer it." "Thanks, Kan, maybe Elda would like one too." Kaze pointed in the direction of the house. Kan nodded, and got up to walk off. "Kan..." Kan whirled around, and Kaze was standing up too. Kaze put both arms around Kan's shoulders. "You're the best friend I ever had..." Kan smiled and helped Kaze back down to the ground. He lay there for a moment, then fell asleep instantly. "Sweet dreams, mate." Kan turned on his heel, then walked in the direction of the house. On the way, he passed a man who looked quite mad, and had a large red mark on his cheek. "Sorry, mate, but you know the house of Lady Elda?" Kan asked, but the man just stared at him, shaking with rage, despite the fact that he looked like he was about to burst into tears, and walked off, even faster. Kan watched him leave, then continued down the path to the house. He looked at the door for a moment, then rapped smartly on the door. Ensis answered. "Oh, sorry mate, thought this was the house of lady..." He trailed off as he saw Elda sitting on the bed in the guest room. "Oh! Sorry mate." Kan said as he brushed past Ensis, without allowing him to say a word. He walked down and kneeled next to the bed. Elda stared at him. "Sorry to bother you, Kan Tsu'Kei at your service." He said with a short bow. He looked back up. "I just wanted to come tell you that our little friend is going to Ma'Uriith and he thought you might appreciate the lift. You can just go to the ship right next to the town gate and ask for me. Oh, and don't take it too hard on him, he's in a bit of a state." He winked and made a clicking noise with his tongue, undeterred by the look of bewilderment on Elda's face. "Well, goodnight, madam, and if you see our little friend, just treat him real nice, he'll appreciate it." He got up, brushed right past Ensis without saying a word, and moved out the door, slamming it loudly behind him. He walked down the street with a light skip in his step, and stopped outside the gate, where the ship on wheels stood. He looked up at one of his mates. "We leave tomorrow, and we'll be having guests, and don't worry, they don't know about the you-know-what." Kan winked again, but the other man on deck stared back. "Are you sure? what if we have an accident with the other you-know-what?" Kan grinned. "Don't worry, we must've checked them a million times, they should be safe this time around." Kan stepped on deck and walked into the solitary cabin, where there was a small trapdoor leading to the cargo room. He opened it and gazed down into the darkness. There were many crates lined there, marked with red triangles. "Perfect." He said quietly, and slammed the trapdoor down...

Kaze was now hopelessly lost in the crowd, as Kan moved extremely fast for someone of his...appearance. Kaze looked to the left and right through a sea of bodies, and although he managed to get glimpses of tails, none of them were quite the lustrous purple of Kan's tail. He looked back, and realized that in his haste he had forgotten where Ensis and Elda were. He was now lost for certain, as he had never been in Fenwyr before. He turend around and stepped on something. "OUCH!" A voice with a strong accent yelped, and the person began cursing and walking away. Kaze looked over to see what had happened. He had stepped on someone's foot, apparently, but he had definetely recognized the voice again. "KAN!" Kaze yelled into the crowd, but his voice was drowed out by the voices of several others. He began chasing the dark purple tail all over again... Several minutes later, Kaze emerged, gasping for air, from the huge crowd, and saw Kan's tail disappear into an alley. He followed suit, and did an incredible double take at what he saw. Kan's ship had been rebuilt, and he looked in amazement at the huge wheels attached to the sides and the large fans and sails used to propel it. There were still many ropes hanging over the sides, and it appeared ot be under maintenance. What was more, the ship seemed to be shoddily built, as the top half, consisting of the deck and sails, appeared to be built using a different wood from the bottom half. The giant two toned ship began to shudder slightly, and, before Kaze could fathom what that meant, he was grabbed and pulled forwards by someone from behind... "Caught this character snooping near the ship." A deep voice said. Kaze shook his head and looked up, his arms had been tied back and he was being held in front of someone. His head had been forced down so he was staring at this person's knees. "Well, can't have done much harm, he mustn't have been there too long." Replied the second voice, only he spoke in a rich accent that Kaze had heard before... "What if he heard us talking about the..." "Wait, I think he's coming around." Kaze looked up slightly and saw a long purple tail flicking in his face. "So, son, how are you doing, then?" "KAN!" Kaze yelled, making the person behind him jump. "Wo's that? How come this boy knows your name?" "Where did you get my name from, boy?" Kaze looked up, and this time Kan was the one who jumped back in surprise. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Kan bent down and gave Kaze a huge hug. "OH, IT'S THE BOY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I THOUGHT THAT..." "Kan..." "WHEN IT EXPLODED, WELL, I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE DOING THAT, MATE, BUT I THOUGHT..." "Kan!..." "IMAGINE! THE LITTLE BOY BACK HERE IN FENWYR! I WAS SURE THAT YOU HAD..." "KAN!" Kaze roared, making Kan release him. "Something the matter, son?" "I'm glad to see you too." Kaze said, cracking a small smile. Kan smiled too, and the man behind Kaze grunted. "Yeah, wo't you want?" "Doesn't he know about the..." The man pointed a thumb back towards the ship, but Kan shook his head. "Naw, we can trust the kid. Can't we, son?" Kan rumpled Kaze's hair affectionately, and Kaze nodded. "Beautiful! Now we can..." "KAZE!" Kan and Kaze wheeled and saw Elda standing in the alleyway. Kaze squinted as she rushed forward to see waht was going on. "It's all right, mate, nothing to worry about..." Kan muttered as he undid the ropes binding Kaze's wrists together. Kaze got up and looked at Elda, who seemed incredibly upset. "You never told me you had a ladyfriend, mate." Kaze whispered coyly to Kaze, who looked at Elda indifferently. "So you heard the news too." Kaze asked, mildly amused. Elda burst into tears and Kan looked utterly perplexed. "Wo's going on?" "Ma"Uriith has been destroyed by our curse." Kaze replied, almost with a tone of pleasure in his voice. Kan jumped even higher and farther in surprise, and then he and his crew quickly said a prayer in a native tongue. Elda continued sobbing, so Kaze walked over to her. "Is Ensis all right?" "He...he..went to...help the...others..." she gasped though sobs. Kaze helped her to her feet, and the two walked off. Kan yelled to them as they left. "If you ever need a lift, you can come to me and my mates! EH? YOU HEAR ME, MATE?..." Kaze and Elda now walked through the panicked populace, and they saw people being treated for injuries and sobbing groups all whispering like this was a funeral. Kaze began to grin, and Elda stared at him. "What are you so happy about?" "Ma'Uriith...gone..." Kaze began to laugh softly. "What's so funny?!" Elda demanded, Kaze looked up. "Ironic, no? The greatest city in the world, couldn't even escape we we all tried to avoid, the power of the human soul, and death..." "Why are you so happy about it then?" Kaze stared at her. "Well, this is really nothing important to me, as I saw it, that place was a pit of indecency and disgust, even when it was in full power. It's destruction was its just reward." Elda recoiled. "How can you say that?! You came from there! Didn't you..." She flinched at a cold stare from Kaze. "For your infromation, that place would have taken me with it, not even death could have saved me from it, as you know, and we should be so fortunate that we recieved this as ample warning for our misdeeds." "Misdeeds? What are you..." "Well, that is all I have to say. If you have any more enquiries about the nature of death then please never talk to me again. It is irritating and unimportant, you will understand when your turn comes." Without another word, Kaze turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction. "Kaze!..." Elda called, but he whirled and began to shout. "So, I'm just a monster, eh? I'm just an evil being obsessed with the death of the innocent and the removal of spiritual souls from our plane. Just because I understand far more than you ever will, I am some kind of demon, no? I'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT WON'T I?! GO AWAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH A MONSTER LIKE ME!!" Kaze turned and ran as fast as he could...

[color=red]EDIT:[/color] I just saw Kill Bill, and now I'll edit my post accordingly. [color=red]EDIT AGAIN:[/color] Okay, I've edited with a true name, alliance, and some other "Kill Bill" details, other new stuff I put in bold lettering. Name: Henry Vallard Callsign: Teotihuaca'n (or Teo for short) Age: 23 Gender: Male Alliance: Southern Vipers Bio: Only known to his employers as Teotihuaca'n (the Aztec city of the Gods). He will do almost anything for a job, and even more to survive. Teo specializes in assasination and reconaissance assignments, and he is a very skilled actor who can work undercover and is very resistant to pressure and torture. He refuses to give out personal details about himself, but he is said to live somewhere in Canada, near the Arctic Circle. He moves around constantly as his employers demand more of him, and he is afraid of domestic intercontinental flights due to their vulnerability to attack. He prefers to take private planes or late night charter flights if he can. Exhaustive background checks have revealed a few facts about Teo's history. However, he was able to hack into and edit his own personal files, so important information such specific location have been deleted. Apparently, he survived a plane crash at a very young age, and lived in a city which became the target of an extensive bombing raid, which he also survived. His parents were also killed in a drive-by shooting when he was in his late teens, [b]he also had a brother was murdered a few months later[/b] and he lived with his uncle and aunt in southern Mexico until he was 21, and they were killed by terrorists. No one is certain how Teo managed to miraculously escape so many incidents, but he appears to have mantained an aura of indestructability around himself for a very long time now. He is now on many government and ex-employers' blacklists. His exceptional stealth and low-profile skills have kept him alive until now, and he continues to work for any man with a job for him, always remembering the Grim Reaper constantly floating over his head... Now he has joined the Southern Vipers, and he still has a price on his head, so he prefers to tread lightly and distance himself from the rest of the group. Teo often works alone on missions and stays away from anyone he suspects would be after him on orders from someone else. His current state of mind is going from a simple sense of danger to full-blown paranoia, and he trusts everyone less and less every day. [color=red]PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY RE-EDITED:[/color] The nature of Teo's personality and constant escape from the law can be traced back to his early childhood. Since the authorities were unable to discover his name, they have no connection with, or access to, next of kin. Teo is the only one who knows the truth about his family, however, and the drive-by shooting in which his parents died was definetely not random. Teo's parents were both high-ranking government officials, and they were making a steady climb to the top. His father worked in the CIA, and his mother was a secretary in the White House. Neither of his parents were home often, so Teo developed a moody and reclusive nature. He always enjoyed his parent's return home, but the rest of the time he always kept his emotions in check. One day, his father acheived a top-secret promotion into the CIA, and his parents were home less and less each day. Teo did not have anyone to look up to, and although his parents provided the best of care for him, which he greatly appreciated, he still had an empty space in his soul. The day of the shooting, Teo was insatisfied by the explanation that the shooting was a random act of violence, so he snuck into the CIA office himself in the dead of night. Turns out that someone had always suspected that Teo's father was a double agent, working for other countries and selling U.S. secrets for secret funds. This was not the case, however, and Teo happened to find the ones responsible for having his father killed. That night, in his father's office, Teo overheard a conversation over a cell phone, and the man on the phone seemed to be selling secrets himself and was preparing an exchange. In a flash, Teo realized that this was the traitor, and he made it look like his father was the one selling the secrets and arranged the shooting all on his own, keeping his hands clean all the while. Rather then bursting out with rage and attempting to exact revenge immediately, as others may have done, Teo listened intently to the conversation, taking in details and learning more and more about the situation he was listening in on. After the conversation was over, Teo hid and escaped from the building. [b]A few weeks after Teo's investigation, he and his brother continued to live in their house, since his brother was 20 and able to maintain the house. That evening, Teo watched the news and saw a replay of the shooting, and the newscaster explained that Teo's brother was now living in the house, conveniently avoiding mention of Teo himself. That night, Teo slept soundly, while his brother was shot in the head through his window. Several months later, Teo did some more research, and trained himself in the art of close-quarters combat with nunchaku. He eventually exposed himself as the last remaining son of the parents of the tragic drive-by, effectively drawing the assasins to him. That night, Teo did not sleep, but rather hid in his backyard with a pair of nuchaku fitted with blades. When he heard the shot, he escaped to investigate, finding a man just climbing down the fire escape of an adjacent building, holding a rifle. Teo moved over behind him smoothly, and took one quick swipe, removing the man's head. He took of the black ski mask the head was wearing, and it turned out to be the man on the cell phone himself. The next morning, Teo's foster parents went into his room to wake him up, only to find a goodbye note from Teo, and the headless body in his bed. Now, many years later, Teo returned from Mexico, carrying an obituary column where he had the honour of seeing the last of his family's names in print. He still carries his nunchaku in his pockets, and everytime he forgets, they cut him in the leg, reminding him that he is still out for the blood of the other man on the phone.[/b] Teo keeps a close connection to the underworld in order to someday find the identity of the man on the other end of that cell phone conversation so many years ago. He carefully treads the streets, leaving no tracks, and constantly shifting between the lawful world and the underworld, trying to find middle ground and escape time after time from his enemies. The few who know Teo are familliar with only his underworld history. Many want him dead, some want him to suffer, but only Teo knows that he wants one thing. Revenge. Personality: Teo is very quiet and moody whenever he is not on an assingment, but if he has a job to do he can act perfectly according to what he has to do. He is also fluent in many languages and can blend into his surroundings flawlessly pretending to be someone else. Weapon: [b]Black nunchaku with small razor sharp daggers attached to either end. The blades have been decorated with the Japanese kanji for "spite" and sometimes he never has to use the blades, but rather silences his targets with quick blows or strangles or breaks their necks with the chain. Since he is still fairly untrained in the effective art of combat, Teo still relies on stealth to get the job done, and is still not perfect when having to take on more than one target. If situations get tight, he sometimes carries small tranquillizers with him, in order to have a chance to stun his targets instead.[/b] Picture: [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?postid=508038[/img]

Rave Master seemed pretty cool to me from what I saw. (only the first volume manga, this is why I hate living in Canada.) Anyway, I intend to purchase some more volumes over the internet, once I can bring myself to do it. (Ordering over the net annoys me for some reason.) The story seemed very basic from what I saw, guy learns his destiny is to bring down an evil corporation...and battle ensues. The story didn't seem like much, but I do like the action, and I am a little curious about how it will continue. I also find the Japanese worded sound effects amusing for some reason, even though I can't read them. The Ten Commandments is also really cool, and I want to see what other shapes it has. Well, that's about all I can think of for now, I'll get back to you once I read more than one volume. P.S. I get confused whenever someone calls it "Groove Adventure Rave." Is that the Japanese title translated?

Kaze stared around the room as he heard voices coming up from underneath him. He looked around for some kind of sign, but then felt a cold chill over his back. He stopped and looked out the window. "There's some kind of spiritual force here." He said calmly, Elda stared at him, and she shivered slightly, she must have felt the same thing. He looked back at the floor, and stopped walking around. Elda was staring at him. "Is there something about me that bothers you?" Kaze asked, almost nonchalantly, Elda jumped and looked at him. "Oh, nothing, just that I thought you said something about Ma'Uriith..." She shook her head, and Kaze gave her an apathetic stare. "I believe I did, was there something you didn't understand?" Elda recoiled slightly, and Kaze looked out the window as sunlight began to shine across the horizon. He sighed and looked back into his room, the voice under the floor continued. "Don't you know where Ensis is?" Elda asked. Kaze shrugged. "No idea..." He was cut off as another chill blew down his shoulders. He could definetely feel a spirit in the area, but it didn't want to show itself... Kaze stared out the window again, and saw people rushing in and out of town faster than usual. They seemed scared, and were talking rapidly. Elda looked out the window as well, and there was definetely some kind of commotion in town. There was a particularily loud groan from under the floor, and Elda shuddered. "What IS that?" She asked nervously, but Kaze didn't reply, he was already out the door and walking into the center of town, leaving Elda at the house. In the incredible river-like current of bodies moving in and out of town, Kaze squirmed and tried to see what on earth was going on. There seemed to be some kind of new notice posted there. Kaze sneaked through the crowd and looked at the notice there. After reading the message, he looked at the ground, and laughed slightly. "Ma'Uriith...gone...just like that." He found this incredibly hilarious for some reason, and began to laugh harder, a tear ran down his face and he bent over slightly, clutching his sides. He righted himself a moment later, and looked back in the direction of the house. He was on his way back to tell Elda what was going on, when he bumped into someone, who failed to look at him. "Sorry, mate." The man said, his voice sounding strangely familliar. Kaze whirled just in time to see a long purple tail disappear into the crowd... "Kan?" Kaze began to walk forwards into the crowd, looking feverishly for Kan...

Thanks for comments, all. Anyway, here is a new animated banner I made to show off a new quiz I'm working on in Quizilla. I haven't finished yet, but I hope to be done soon. Here it is...

Kaze rolled over and opened his eyes to the insistent knocking. He slipped to his feet almost soundlessly, and walked to the door. He paused for a moment, wondering if Ensis would mind, when the person knocked again, and Kaze opened the door, and Elda jumped slightly, not having expected him to answer. "Oh!" She gasped in surprise, forgetting herself slightly. Kaze looked at her, before answering. "Did you want to see Ensis?" "Oh, ye.." "He's not down here, I think he's asleep somewhere upstairs." "Oh, I'm sorry." She said hastily, and began to walk off, when Kaze gave her a small stare. "I'm..very sorry." Elda paused and looked at Kaze. "I caused a lot of trouble here, I'm really sorry." He was looking at the ground, a dead stare as usual. Elda looked at him for a moment, when he stepped out of the way and began to close the door. "Wait!" Kaze paused, and looked at her for a moment. "Did you want to come in?" He asked with an almost bored tone, Elda took a step forward, as though she afraid she would hit an invisible barrier, then walked inside tentatively, Kaze closed the door behind her and walked back to his bed. Elda looked at him for a moment, he seemed very depressed, and acted very solemnly about everything, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Kaze began to speak, not even looking at her. "I don't know if he'll be around soon, you might end up waiting for a bit." He said slowly, fixing up the sheets on his bed. Elda looked over into the hall. No other signs of life were around, she looked back at him. "um...do you have any idea when he might be up?" "Strange really," Kaze replied, almost dreamily. "You go to sleep, and then you might wake up, and sometimes you might not. Very odd..." He paused for a moment, then got up and stared out the window. "The moon..." He said, continuing in his dreamy voice, as though reminiscing. "I'm sorry?" "You rarely see it in Ma'Uriith. I never knew it could be so close." Elda recoiled slightly, shocked. "Did you say...Ma'Uriith?" Kaze wheeled and looked at her for the first time. He seemed equally surprised. "Um, yes I did..." The two stared at each other for a few moments, when they became aware of a faint noise in the background, a small groaning, it sounded almost human... "What?" Kaze said, as though trying to break the uneasy silence between them. He walked slowly, as though stalking someone, into the adjacent kitchen. The groaning grew louder, but there was nothing in the room. It definetely sounded like a person, though. "What is that?" Elda asked, not knowing Ensis was just under her feet, deep in a trance-like dream... OOC: Queen Asuka, I noticed that you sometimes refer to Kaze as a "young man". He's only a kid, check my signup.

Well, terra, yes that is an AC holding (and firing) a machine gun (hence "mach" (machine) gun banner). If you look at my avi, it is actually a picture of the flame from the same machine gun only from a different angle. Krademon, maybe you did somewhat inspire me to make the banner, (it IS a really nice pic.) but now I motion capture my own pics using my PS2, so otherwise they are all mine. Additionally, I know of only three people who made an AC banner before, Krademon, (_)ltryneo, and me. You asked for it, you got it, this is another banner following the same theme. Also, in terms of title, "Karasawa" is the model name of the rifle that AC is holding.

Kaze rolled back onto the bed, head pounding. He had wondered what was going to happen next, now that he had arrived. For a bleak moment, he wondered about the safety of his friend, Kan, who had also been in that accident. He looked out the window and saw that it was beginning to darken outside, but at a second glance, he noticed that someone was closing the window. "Thank you..." He said with a raspy voice. The man there spun around, and nodded his head before leaving. "I hope you feel better, and enjoy your stay in Fenwyr." He was about to close the door when Kaze shouted. "Wait!" The man opened the door again. "Did you say...Fenwyr?" The man nodded slowly. "I'm not in..." Kaze sank back into the bed, wondering how he had ended up on a completely different continent in the first place. Summoning up all the energy he could, he shouted. "ENSIS!" The mage rounded the corner, looking quite mad, but not as mad as Kaze. "What's the idea screaming like that?!" Ensis yelled, but Kaze yelled right back. "Why didn't you tell me this was Fenwyr?!" The mage looked at him, almost amused. "You didn't ask." Kaze flopped back onto the bed. "Kan...that..." "Who?" Ensis asked suddenly. "He's the guy who let me on his ship when I was going to Tal'Ebot, and instead I wind up here!" "So...what did you say his name was?" "Kan Tsu'Kei, he had a strange ship, it moved on land..." Ensis wasn't listening, though, he was trying to remember where he had heard that name before. "Why did he take me here?" "If he did take you here, then how come you came out of the lake like that?" "The ship crashed, it exploded, threw me into the water..." "Exploded? Ships don't explode." "This one did." Ensis looked at Kaze as though fearful for his sanity. "You're sure about this?" "Yes, and Kan..." "You were saying that you came from the road to Tal'Ebot when Kan picked you up." "Yeah." "When was this?" "Maybe yesterday, I fell asleep on board." "That can't be right, how in the world did you get here so fast?" "What?" "The searoute from here to Tal'Ebot takes much longer than a day, and even if this ship could move on land, it would still take a long time to get from here to there." Kaze leaned back on the bed, thinking about what had happened on the journey. [i]"We're just taking this to Tal'Ebot, so that we can test and see if it's safe to use the..."[/i] "Flight..." Kaze said just as Ensis walked to the door. "What did you say?" "What if we didn't get here by land or sea?" "What in the world are you talking about?" "Kan's ship, he said that he was going to test something, maybe it was a ship that could fly?" Ensis paused, then laughed aloud. "You dream too much, boy. Here, take this." He said with a slight grin, handing Kaze a vial. Kaze knew what it was, but took it anyway. He began to feel drowsy, then fell asleep listening to Ensis laugh. "Flying ship..." EDIT: oops, major misunderstanding here, have corrected.

Real nice, I like your new Scrapped Princess banners (and yes I have heard of the show, never watched it though). The first one is really cool, but the second...I think it wuold be a little better if the guy on the right didn't seem so isloated from the rest of the banner. As for Pita Ten, you're right, it is ridiculously cute, and I kinda preferred your old comic one, even if it lacked color. (Where was that from, anyway?)

Well, the story does move around quite a bit, but the time will no longer skip around so much now, and yes, things will start to clear up as I explain some of the characters... You probably don't have to understand AC very much to get the story, though. The idea is, normally a storyline from an AC game has a plot, but no essential characters. We don't really learn much about anyone in any AC game, aside from maybe tidbits about their history or personality, that don't really have much of an impact as part of the story. Therefore, I introduced so many people at once because we probably won't learn much more about them other than their AC's and maybe a paragraph's worth of other details. Even in the games, we know nothing about the main character, and everyone just calls him "Raven". Since he's you, his history is limited only to your imagination. So...the characters aren't your main point of concern for a story like this, there will be a lot of action, as you saw, and that is the basis of a story following the AC plotline. Things will definetely clear up, though, so to all who read this stay tuned for more! [size=3][b][center]Chapter 2 Good Times[/size][/b][/center] YOU HAVE NEW MAIL Ren paused while checking his garage status. A new mail? No one had sent him a mail since the last time he had taken a mission, which was for almost a month. There were no new request for Ravens since Teo had gone on his last mission. He opened the mail folder. SENDER: Jira SUBJECT: Duel Ren opened the mail and looked at the message. The sender had a very odd emblem indeed. It consisted of four squares, inside the squares were a sword, a shield, a lightning bolt, and a drop of liquid. In the background there was another strange symbol, but then the message popped up. Jira: I hear you are a pretty good pilot, so I'm coming to you with a formal request. I want to have a match with you, one on one, and I want it to be at Archive Area. I don't want to fight in the Arena because I am related to someone who was recently stripped of his title as a Raven. If I go to the Arena, I may end up being questioned about his whereabouts, and I would prefer to avoid that. To that end, I'll meet you at Archive Area in a few hours, if you have the guts. Oh, and let's make it 100000 credits to the winner. Ren stared at the message for a few minutes, rereading and checking the pilot's emblem a few times over. He also noticed tiny writing in each of the squares, and under the square with the liquid drop was written "Jira" in tiny writing. Ren looked at the message again. 100000 credits? He wasn't even aware that other pilots had that kind of money. Ren himself had bagged a good 300000, but he was ranked second best in Arena! This Jira had never even entered! Ren thought to himself for a minute. This guy is an enigma, he thought, if he didn't know what he was up against, it could be dangerous. On the other hand, Ren was a very capable pilot, and had faced the unknown before. "I think you shoud try it." Ren wheeled and faced Teo, who was standing right behind him. Before he could say another word, Teo began talking again. "You're even better than me, you know that. So whoever this is should be no problem." "But you're the top ranked Arena competitior! How am I better than you?" Teo stared at him for a moment, an almost deadened look in his eyes. "I've been around longer than you, that's all, someday you'll fight me and win." Teo looked at his feet, as htough extremely preoccupied. Ren looked up. "Yeah sure, I'll give it a shot. It's just a friendly match, right?" Teo looked up, giving Ren a penetrating stare. Ren looked back down at his screen, and hit "Accept Mission." The match was on... OPERATION CODE: Backyard Rumble CLIENT NAME: Jira LOCATION: Archive Area START TIME: 15:50 ESTIMATED SUCCESS RATE: 18% RECCOMMEND RAVEN RANK: S Ren Hikigane: Okay, I'm here... Spitfire floated slowly along the sandy path into Archive Area, a sandy desert with several rocks and crashed spacecraft littered the area, and apparently it was known for hazardrous magnetic storms. The operations border closed around him, and he scanned the area fervently for Jira. He looked to the side and saw an immense sandstorm coming. He moved forward and sent another signal outwards. Ren Hikigane: Hey, where are you? The storm closed in on the operations border, and Ren lost radar visuals. The Archive Area sometimes had magnetic storms like this, which reduced visibility and destroyed radar visuals for long periods of time. He was now relying entirely on sight. Suddenly a message came in. Jira: This is Imago, do you copy? Spitfire rotated slowly on it's base and looked to it's side. Standing there was a large bright lavender-white AC, with heavy legs and missile arms standing to his left. Jira was on board. Ren Hikigane: Hey, shouldn't we wait until the storm clears? Jira: No big deal, just makes it more challenging. Ren looked at the AC, it didn't look to tough despite heavy armor. this guy seemed very sure of himself... Ren Hikigane: Ok...lets go! The two AC's dashed away from each other, and the sandstorm his Imago from sight. Ren dashed up to try and get a better view, when a cannon shot came booming from the ground, narrowly missing him. He moved to the side and scanned the area for Imago, when a trio of missiles came soaring in from behind. Ren dodged them, but when he looked down Imago was no longer there. He heard another loud bang, and another cannon shot came rushing at him. He dodged it, but then another shot, a laser, came pelting from out of nowhere. Spitfire tried to move, but it struck his arm, costing him some life. Ren looked back, but Imago wasn't there either. Suddenly a laser shot hit him in the back, and he lost even more life. He dashed up into the air again, and this time a missile salvo came from above, which he barely managed to dodge. Ren then became dimly aware that something didn't seem right, there were too many shots coming from too many places. Imago was a heavy AC, and didn't look to fast. How was he landing all these shots? He barely had time to think, as another cannon shot came from behind him. He moved out of the way, right into the path of another shot. Ren was rocked in his AC, and he looked around feverishly. How was Jira doing this? He couldn't see anything because of radar interference, and he still hadn't locked on once! Spitfire turned around, and his FCS locked onto something! "I've got you!" Ren shouted to himself, and began unleashing his machine gun fire, but the target moved out of range. "Dang..." suddenly another missile swarm came from right above his head, and he moved out of the way, when a cannon shot hit him in the back. "No...no...this isn't right..." Ren said to himself, he whirled and caught a glimpse of Imago again, but then he moved out of range. Just as he began to wonder when this would end, the magnetic storm cleared up, and he checked his radar. "What...?!" Ren checked again, according to radar, there wasn't one AC in the area, there were three! He looked to his computer data screen. AC'S Imago, Hydrophobia, and Cannon Wake Identified Jira: So...you lasted much longer than we thought... Zora: Well...that doesn't matter, you won't last any longer. Niyura: This isn't about a match, it's about your life! Ren backed off, this whole thing was a trap?! A light blue AC lunged out from behind a rock and prepared to slash Ren with it's blade... Suddenly a bazooka shot came out from behind Ren and blew Hydrophobia's blade off. Both pilots seemed equally stunned, and Ren wheeled to face the source. Zora: Another one?! AC Whatever Identified Teotihuaca'n: You call this a match? "Teo!" Ren called out inside his cockpit, then noticed with some surprise that he had forgotten to open the public channel. Ren Hikigane: Teo! You... Teotihuaca'n: Wanted to see how you were doing...I thought something was up when he asked you to go to Archive Area, since few pilots go there... Zora: This isn't going as planned! What should we do?! Jira: They're still outnumbered! We can take em! Imago luned forward and fired a missile swarm at Teo, who jumped out of the way with ease. Teotihuaca'n: Come on, I'm not that slow... Whatever sailed into the air and fired it's twin bazookas with great accuracy, knocking off Imago's laser cannon. The third AC, a sandy yellow unit, came pelting out and fired it's twin grenades at Teo. the shots looked like sure hits, but a small shot came out of nowhere and pierced them both, causing them to explode. Ren looked over, and saw a large red reverse-jointed AC standing on top of the fallen spacecraft. Kizurojia: Thought you might like some help. AC Magma Identified Niyura: Big brother! There's another one! Jira: Shut up! Now we're all even! Let's finish em! Magma dashed high into the air from the ship, and began firing sniper rifle shots down at Imago, who avoided one, but his leg was hit by the other. The bullet ripped right through the AC's leg, owing to it's high caliber. Imago dashed back and fired a missile swarm, which Magma easily avoided, when three more missiles just barely missed him. Magma whirled and looked down at Cannon Wake, who was sitting there. A hail of bullets came raining dowm on the offending Cannon Wake, supplied by Spitfire, who had taken the opportunity to move out of the way and circle behind the AC. "Can't take it, can you?!" Ren shouted gleefully as Cannon Wake Overboosted out of the area. He turned his attention to Imago, who was currently tied up with Whatever. The two exchanged blows, but the more skilled Teo seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Ren overboosted past them both, and unleashed a storm of bullets at Imago. The AC now looked badly damaged, and had begun to retreat. Suddenly a number of bomblets rained down on Ren from above, and he dashed away, Hydrophobia in hot pursuit. The two of them circled around a rock, and when Spitfire rounded the corner, Hydrophobia chased after him, and ran straight into the bazooka shots fired by Whatever. The immensity of the shots caused the AC to topple over, and it lay there, incapacitated. Zora: AUUGH! Niyura: Zora's down! What now?! Jira: Keep fighting! They can't have much left! Magma was still high in the air, and was effortlessly dodging Cannon Wake's slow firing grenades, and continued to pelt him with sniper shots. He moved out of the way of another triple missile swarm, and he was hit in the back with a shot from Imago's cannon. Kizurojia: No! The AC dropped like a stone to the ground, and the impact shock caused one of it's legs to buckle and break, bringing the AC to the ground, incapacitated. Imago looked triumphant, when a swarm of bullets came from behind him, and he turned to face Spitfire. Imago tried to fire a few missiles, but Spitfire flew into the sky and avoided them. Imago fired two cannon shots, which the very quick Spitfire avoided effortlessly. Spitfire rained even more bullets down on Imago, who finally faltered and fell to the ground, incapacitated. Ren looked triumphant for a moment, when two grenades crashed into the underside of his floating legs, causing them to cease. Ren's AC hit the ground hard, and Ren felt an incredible jolt as his AC smashed into the ground, causing a small crater and a larger dust cloud. Ren looked up and saw Cannon Wake standing there, cannons pointing at Spitfire's core. Ren Hikigane: We...spared...your brothers...lives... Niyura: Makes no difference, now you die. Cannon Wake loomed over Spitfire, when suddenly there were two large explosions, and Cannon Wake turned just in time to watch his arms get blown off by bazooka shots. There was a third bang, and the AC's head was blown off with a grenade. The force was so incredible that the AC flew backwards and what was left of it's head smashed into a rock. The AC fell to the ground, and Ren saw Whatever, bazookas still smoking. Teotihuaca'n: You okay? Ren Hikigane: Yeah, Let's help Kizu. Spitfire, by some miracle, managed to get it's hover legs back online, and the two AC's helped the fallen Magma back to it's feet, and carried it back with them. The three beaten brothers still lay on the ground, unable to get their AC's back online. Niyura: You'll pay for this! Zora: Who do you think you are, anyway?! Jira: This is the END of you! You mess with us, you mess with our other two brothers! The three victors stopped, and turned around at this last statment. Jira fully expected them to be fearful, and was instead shocked and infuriated by their response: Ren Hikigane/Kizurojia/Teotihuaca'n: Whatever. [i]Teo was a great guy, even if he was a little paranoid. He kept his cool in battle, and never really told us how he felt afterwards. He never seemed too interested in live combat, but his spirits picked up again soon enough. His last mission seemed to take a lot out of him, and even though I saw that tape, I never really understood what it meant until it was too late, and Teo had gone.... Still, I wonder what might have happened if someone else had taken that mission, instead of Teo...

*Sigh*, I have tons of AC pics now, so whenever I make a new banner I'll just stick it here. This one is very simple. I thought it might be better, since I notice that people with smaller, simpler banners seem to make them look a whole lot better then when it is clumped with weird sayings and such. Anyway, If anyone wants any of them for some reason, let me know. Also, comments and such would be appreciated too.