Horizon Demon Hunter Academy (IC)

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"The maps are useless," Saria stated as they stepped into the portal. With a flash, they arrived at Kinich West. Saria didn't have to explain the statement; as soon as they stepped outside Kinich the reason was clear. It was the Amazon on demonic steroids. The grass was as tall as a bush, the bushes towered like trees, and the trees stood like skyscrapers. The canopy far above blocked out any view of the sky, but the leaves were thin enough that the area was well-illuminated with golden light.

"I came here first year with Bridgette on a Behemoth hunt, but the forest completely changes within a month. After a year and a half, I won't recognize anything. Something out here wrecks the comm, too, so we're relying on sight and sound. The good news is we'll definitely hear the Behemoth before he hears us. Ready?"

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"Excuse me! Sorry about that! Oh, sorry!" Isaac was trying to fight his way through the crowd to reach his group. He was late, and he would have to apologize for that, but he did want to make sure he didn't fail this request. Those three men needed to be found.

His course was interrupted when he found a sign with his name on it. He was so stunned that he stopped mid-step--then had to hop forward on his foot to keep from tipping. He didn't know the human, so Isaac reasoned that he was a first-year. Without a name to call, Isaac jogged over to greet him.

"I'm Isaac. You're looking to join the rescue squad?"
 
"I haven't been to this area for some time. I'd forgotten it did that," Davin replied as he looked around at the towering trees and vegetation. The translucent canopy meant there was plenty of light for the undergrowth to flourish. Which meant movement on the ground would be reduced to a crawl. "Although I wasn't hunting Behemoths. One of the Research Divisions wanted samples of the plant life in this area. They wondered if the wild, rampant growth was due to some demonic influence or if something else were responsible."

He nodded to Saria and added, "Let's go."

Without further ado, Davin's wings slipped into view, scattering loose feathers. He showed no sign of the serious injury he'd received to one of them. However, when he went to take off, his mind flashed back to the momentary helplessness he felt when his wings couldn't hold up his sudden, leaden weight. Such an experience was humiliating for someone so used to flying with ease. He wondered how Ariel had gotten over it so easily. Davin wished he could kill the Rugarus Alpha responsible over and over again for it. He shook off such thoughts, however, and flew into the air to begin surveying the area. The huge trees provided plenty of places for landing, which would help prevent fatigue from extended flight. It was a good thing too, because the huge trunks made it so the wind barely had any influence here.
 
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Ariel
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In truth her head still hurt, but she didn't want to give up now so she just kept a straight face and trekked on. "I'm fine. Its just a small head ache. It won't be any problem. I probably just need to drink some water." Ariel pulled out a bottle and drank from it. They continued down the path, and soon the town that they were to investigate was in sight. Her headache had indeed disappeared. Off in the distance, sounds of laughter and merry times rang out. They soon arrived in the village. All the buildings seemed to be abandoned, yet all the villager were in the town. They were just in the center of the time dancing and laughing. "This is a little unsettling in truth... Look at their eyes." The details of the request seemed to ring true. They all were laughing without a care in the world, but their eyes told a different story. They were cold, and without joy. Ariel's ears picked up on something. It was faint, but she could hear the sound of a violin playing in the distance. It grew in volume steadily. A sudden strike of pain struck her, and she fell to her knees clutching her head. "Gah!... Stop it... Get out of there!...It hurts... It HURTS!"

Eventually her arms fell to her side, and she stopped yelling. "Hey Frey?..." She was smiling now, and she turned to Frey "Let's join them... We can dance our cares away... Dance until we die... Dance the dance of death..." She tried to pull him into the group of people dancing. She leaned in close to his face and smiled. "Come on, Frey... No need to be shy. Its all in good fun..." Her hands released him and she joined in with the group dancing and laughing.
 
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There was a murmur in the room coming from students chatting among themselves as they waited for their turn to be sent to their destinations. Brant started catching words here and there. Scary. Creepy. Scars. Thug. They are talking about you. Postures were turned so as to get a better look at him. Eyes flicked at him and away again. It was almost as if he could feel the pressure of their attention, the murmurs and furtive glances seemed to be all he could notice. Voices were becoming clearer, as if he were standing next to the people who were whispering about him. He felt surrounded. Claustrophobic. Brant closed his eyes and brushed away the influence of his demon with a thought, Desist and shoved her away into a corner of his mind. Beal chuckled.

There were people talking about him of course, he knew that, but it wasn't something he payed much attention to. Except one guy, briefly looked like he was going to approach him but noticed someone else and began talking with him. That may have been the Isaac he was waiting for, he made note of him but kept on waiting, just in case.

Several minutes later a student came rushing in, excusing himself as he bumped through people. It was apparently Isaac Traverz. "Yes, I'm Brant. I was wondering if you'd be okay with me joining you on the mission, I think I may have a way to find the missing researchers."
 
"I like the enthusiasm, Brant! Welcome aboard. Liam! Yosuke! Over here. Gale, hold our spot in line."

"Yessir!" Gale hopped over to trade spots with the two students, letting them join Isaac and Brant to the side.

Isaac knelt and spread his map out on the ground. It covered the open mile of land between Loxdon and the mountain, and then the mountain itself. Isaac pointed at the empty fields first. "It's only a mile, so we're going by foot. This should be completely empty; the open area makes demons easy pickings for the gunners. When we reach the mountain," he continued, sliding his finger up the road, "this side is almost a sheer cliff, with only sparse shrubs and boulders for cover. If you could fly, it would be a fast and easy way to the top; but the average scientist can't fly. They would take the road that wraps east around the back of the mountain here. This is an evergreen forest: lots of hiding places, and lots of habitat.

"Now, the team of three researchers vanished yesterday. They didn't make any contact after leaving Loxdon, so we don't know where they disappeared. They were in a jeep, though, and it has been raining for the last two days. If they ran off the road, we'll find their tracks. If everything had gone as planned, they would have parked the jeep here," Isaac placed his finger on the back of the mountain, "and taken the foot trail to the top. From the wall to the peak is only a three mile trip, give or take.

"Our squad is the four of us: Isaac, third; Yosuke, fourth; Liam, second; and Brant, first. I only grabbed three comms, so one person is going to be without. Hopefully that won't be a problem, as we're going to stay in pairs anyway. Our mission is to find three missing researchers and bring them home to their families. I'll take questions on the road, but it's our turn to jump. Fists in everyone; Rescue Heroes on three! One! Two! Three! RESCUE HEROES!"

Isaac led the group into the portal, Gale latching onto his shoulder just before the light took them.
 
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Liam! Yosuke! Over here. Gale, hold our spot in line." Isaac called.

The group gathered around Issac. He put a map on the ground and began to explain the mission. While Issac was talking, Liam snapped his fingers. His demon, Astaroth, materialized behind him. "My dear contractor.... Oh, the moons that have passed... since we last meet..." It said in a raspy, insidious voice.

"Nice to see you too, Astaroth. I need you to look at this map. Were looking for three people somewhere in this area, so be sure to alert me if you sense them."

"My contractor..... how does one...... find a needle in..... a haystack?" Astaroth said.

"I know it's not going to easy, Astaroth. All I'm asking you to do is try." Liam said. Issac mentioned that he had only three comms. "I can go without a comm. It's close to impossible for me to get lost thanks to Astasroth here." Liam offered.

The group jumped in the portal. Liam gave Brant a wink. "It seems to me that you have some potential, Brant. I just hope that we get to see it today." Liam said.
 
With out the chance to speak up, he jumped into the portal, leaving them in a mountain side town that was closest to the search are. Yosuke had thought about Isaac's plan and what Liam said about it being impossible for him to get lost. Four people split into two groups searching for three people? That didn't make much sense to him. If they were in at least groups of three it would be much more efficient.

"Isaac, why not go in three groups. You and Brant could pair together, and Brant could hold the com. Me and Liam take the others and head out on our own. He can't really get lost, and if I do, I can send Ambrosia to find the path, or signal with Lightningbolt. It would save time, and possibly lives." He had been around here long enough. He knew how things went down generally. The longer they are out there the less likely this is a rescue mission and the more likely it is a recovery mission. And if these researchers learned anything important, then it would be much better for this to be a rescue mission.
 
Alex stood at the portal with some of the other students, preparing to depart on his first mission. The anxiety was killing him. What if I screw up and get killed...or worse, he thought. His hand tightened on the handle of his blade. Thoughts and memories of his past poured into his head as he recalled all the times a mistake he made had almost cost someone their life. "Do or die." Alex mumbled to himself as he stepped into the portal. "There is no margin for error now."
 
"Negative, Yosuke. We're all staying together right now. I hope everyone's ready for a light run. But you're right, you and Liam take a comm. I'll keep Brant with me." Isaac handed the two an earpiece, placed his own in his ear, and started jogging along the empty road, setting a pace that everyone should be capable of following. "We're staying on the road until we find the researchers' vehicle. If it's safely parked at the base of the footpath, we'll head up the mountain together. But I'm not sending you off into the forest alone when it's likely they aren't even in the forest."

Isaac took another look at the empty mile they had to cross. "We have a few minutes still. Hmm... Alright, a question for each of you. Who's the cutest girl you've met so far?" Isaac's grin was as mischievous as Gale's usual.
 
Sheridan decided to not go, by the time she got there all the good missions would be taken so why bother? Besides, she was almost done with her book. So she sat back down and went back to reading her book. Coal just shrugged and went back to his own too.
 
Yosuke
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Of all the things to ask, it had to be that one. As many know outside of combat and missions, Yosuke is a wreck. He stutters, he speaks in double meanings and innuendos(With out really noticing until the damage has been done). He was a social wreck around girls, and it really doesn't help for him to call them cute as it is immediately passed off as perversion. He hasn't really been able to hold a conversation save Kia, who is surprisingly resilient to his inability to speak well with girls. In fact that is probably her main reason for talking to him. He could turn this around. In fact it would be quite simple to do.

"Why do you ask? Afraid someone's gonna steal your Saria from you?"
 
Isaac chuckled. "Saria isn't mine. If you know anything about Saria, you know she is no one's to claim. If you want to try, you do so at your own risk. I doubt you'll fare any better than Christopher Gabrison did." Isaac stressed the name a little more than necessary, even adding the last name to make sure Yosuke would remember the angel clearly. Last year had been Christopher's fifth and final year. A certain second-year had caught his eye, so he tried to hook up with Saria. As the self-proclaimed "God's gift to women," he was always looking for a new girl to add to his flock.

Christopher made it away with his life and all his body parts--though only barely, and only because he had four years of combat experience. If he'd been any slower in his retreat, mayhem would have ensued. Isaac took a moment to enjoy the memory--it was hilarious from an outside perspective--then turned back to Yosuke. "So Saria came to your mind? You could give it a shot; just remember to treat her as an equal, not a prize. Really, I think a date would be good for her; she spends too much time focused on school."
 
As soon as they exited the portal, Issac began giving commands. Liam grouped up with Yosuke. He put his comm on and followed Issac, who had broken into a light run. Out of the blue, Issac asked the group, "Who's the cutest girl you've met so far?"

Liam had never really given it much thought. He came to Horizon to defeat demons, not to get a girlfriend, after all. Youske had already answered, and Liam didn't want to be the odd man out, so he desperately started to think about some of the girls he had meet, debating witch one was the cutest.

"Oh yeah...," Liam said. "There was that one girl that helped me in the sick bay... what was her name... Skye? Yea, That was it. Skye's pretty cute. Nice too, now that I think about it. But, I heard she wasn't allowed to go on missions for some reason. You know anything about that, Issac?"
 
Oooh, nice rebuttal. Yosuke had not planned this. In fact he had the feeling that if he even looked at her outside of a mission or combat scenario, she would likely do worse to him than Christopher. He remember one time he accidentally walked into her. She was on his case every time she saw him for days, all because of his reputation. It took a while to clear his name. He shuddered at the thought, and address the question, though he was failing miserably.

"W-Well, that isn't what I meant, its just-I didn't-It isn't like that-I mean-Oh whats the point. Lets just go with that one and focus on the mission at hand."

 
Yosuke beat a hasty retreat--disappointing, but not all that surprising. It was true that many of the girls complained about Yosuke, but they had him wrong; he wasn't creepy, just awkward beyond belief. Where a normal person would simply say, "I'm sorry I bumped you," Yosuke was more likely to explain the many ways he wasn't trying to touch her. Putting him on a date with Saria... he'd kill himself, and she'd spit out the bones.

"You haven't heard, Liam? I thought all the rumors started with second years. Here, come closer." Isaac moved right next to Liam, a conspiratorial air around him. He lowered his voice--though not so low that the other two couldn't hear as well--and let fly a rumor of his own. "Skye Irofiin is the next Saint, but her powers haven't blossomed yet. Samuel thinks when she does, she'll be able to cleanse entire countries at a time. For now, she has to train in safe secrecy." Isaac kept his face totally straight through the entire delivery. It was fairly obvious he made the entire thing up and exaggerated it every step of the way; nevertheless, he didn't crack a smile until three seconds after he finished. "You can ask her when we get back, and I think she'll be happy to tell you. She's probably volunteering as a nurse again." Isaac clapped Liam on the back, then moved back to Brant's side. They had reached the mountain.

"Alright, weapons out and stay close. These trees are the demons' territory. Keep your eyes on the edge of the road. The rain left the ground soft, so keep an eye out for tracks." As they moved around the cliff face, they stepped into the evergreen forest. The woods around them remained perfectly still. There were no small animals, no chirping birds, not even a low breeze to rustle the leaves. The ground on both sides of the road was dirt and gravel--there was neither grass nor bush in sight, nor even fallen pine needles. It was bare mud, so any tracks that came since the rain stopped would be impossible to miss. Advancing up the highway, though, no tracks presented themselves. The mud was smooth, the trees were silent, and the air was still.
 
Davin and Saria wandered deeper into the colossal forest in search of their prey. Davin flew slightly ahead to keep an eye open for surprises, since Saria's view would be largely obscured by the underbrush, such as it was. The lack of wind lent a disturbing silence to the endless boughs that made Saria's movements below and the flapping of his wings seem loud. Every little noise seemed to echo, putting him on edge every time something rustled in the distance. As they went along, he thought about how they could communicate. Could he use his spacial distortion in some way? Sound traveled through the air, so maybe. He landed on one of the gigantic branches and glanced back towards his partner. He focused on the space directly in front of his mouth and the space next to her ear, and whispered, "Testing, testing. Saria? Can you hear me? Say something if you can."

Instead of nothing, Saria heard him as if he were whispering right into her ear. While he waited, he focused on doing the reverse for Saria so she could respond, careful not to accidentally move so much of the air that it stopped her from breathing. He turned his attention head, surveying the dense growths below and the many interlocking branches that practically formed a second floor. As he did, he spotted a strange break on one of the branches. He narrowed his eyes and flew a little further forward, murmuring, "I see something, hang on a second."

He landed next to a huge section of bark that had been torn in such a way that suggested claws. Fresh, sappy tree bark gleamed beneath the dry outer layer and filled Davin's nostrils with an earthy, sweet scent. He knelt down to wipe a finger along the smooth wood and drew back to see it still wet and slick. He glanced over to the other branches further ahead and saw similar gashes on the others in an alternating pattern, as if something huge were swinging from one branch to another. He planted his hands and peered over the edge of the branch to see the tree it sprouted from. Similar gashes stood out against the dimmer bark, and huge strips of broken bark could be seen on the ground below. "I think I might have found our target's trail. It's fresh."
 
Brant raised an eyebrow when Isaac had put his fist out, expecting the others to join in. He participated in this team...whatever it was but refrained from shouting. They were about to step into the portal when Liam winked at him, saying he'd hope to see Brant's potential in this excursion, and he responded "I hope you don't have to."

Stepping out of the other end of the portal they came upon the mountainous jungle terrain Isaac had displayed with the map. Brant wasn't completely familiar with this type of terrain but he had done everything he could to prepare himself for operating various environments during his previous missions. He attached his shield to his back and channeled some energy into his boots, activating them. They would prove useful here, helping him maintain balance over rocks and keeping his feet from sinking too deep in any lakes of mud.

Isaac briefly went over the plan for the current circumstances. Approach the mountain, look out for the jeep, alter search pattern as necessary. Seemed a good enough plan. They broke into a jog and made their way to the mountain. Along the way Isaac directed a question to the group, Brant hadn't been expecting him to ask about girls. What he had expected was something more tactical, like abilities and the respective proficiency of each member of the group. But it was girls, his eyebrows scrunched together a bit. He wasn't going to say anything, unless he was asked directly, until then he would float on under the radar. The exchange wasn't completely useless though, he had learned something about the people in the group and he remembered the names. Unexpectedly images of various girls he'd seen, and one in particular he had met flashed before his eyes and almost made him stumble to the ground but he recognized it for what it was and forced Lasciel's influence to the back of his mind with mild irritation. You really ought to talk to more girls, my master Lasciel said. Brant ignored her.

They had come to their destination, the mountain. The place was eerily still and the ground lacked the usual layer of leaves, pines, or other fallen loose foliage. Brant was already reach for his shield as Isaac recommended preparing their weapons. Brant mentally nudged at Beal On guard. Aye, master! Beal responded, with a little too much enthusiasm. Brant adjusted his shield more comfortably. "If we can find a scrap of cloth from one of the researchers I can use it to find him," Brant said to Isaac, before they started heading deeper into demon territory "Also I could take point, I have a preemptive defense that alerts me to incoming attack. Might be useful." Brant left it at that and was ready to proceed with the group.
 
Issac told Liam a painfully obvious farce about Skye. Liam gave small sigh. "Telling lies isn't for your heath, you know." The group found their destination, the mountain were the scientists had gone missing. At the foot of the mountain was calm, quiet forest.

"Wait a second...." Liam said. It was not a pleasing, serene quiet in the forest. It was an oppressing silence. A silence only present in places totally devoid of life. Liam glanced around. He didn't see even the smallest bird in the forest. Oddly enough, not a single pine needle was on the ground. " Astasroth, Can you s ense anything ?" Liam said.



"Only infernal beings dwell here, my contractor... and even then, only the vaguest shadows...." Astaroth whispered.

Liam spat on the ground. "Only demons!? Guys, be on alert! Asaroth says that the forest is enemy territory. The chances that those scientist are alive are even slimier now."
 
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Yosuke
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It was quiet. Nothing stirred the unbroken silence. It was all so serene... No that's the wrong word... Ominous. He had weapon at the ready. The ground was covered in mud, as if there had been a mudslide in the rain that had just passed. He felt anxious about it all. Even if nothing had disturbed the area, it was too perfect. There was not a flaw in the mud's surface. That unsettled him the most. He could see something far in front. "I think I see the jeep, from here. If that's it, then it doesn't look like they were driven off the road. But if they came by, then why is the mud still smooth... Even after the rain we should see traces of tire tracks. It just doesn't fit... Lets hurry to the jeep. That is our best bet, to finding these people." Yosuke quickened his pace. However the jeep was only part of the reason for his haste. He felt very sick about this place. It was as if all life had run off, or just disappeared...
 
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