Immortality's End - IC

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Asuras

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Chapter I: Out of the Dark​

The start of a new day, and the start of a new era. Ten new warriors join the shadowy Bloodpeace Guild, intent on exacting revenge upon the worldwide oppressors. Their backgrounds are colorful, but their aim is true, and their hearts determined. As gods fall to earth, their divinity shattered, those mortals they had looked down upon now stare straight back.

The bounty board was boisterous as members uncovered their very first missions. Five person teams for each mission. Starting off easy. Few doubted that the Bloodpeace Guild would start off slowly. Kick off too fast and any stumbles will hit a weak and young entity that much harder. Care was taken to reduce the attention they were getting as well, for fear of an expedient attack by the Rautefracht Empire. None doubted they would cull the cancer before it could take off.

Individuals visited the literal board, covered in tacked posters labeled with names and information on the mission. They stepped aside to make room for the countless others. Two pertained to our 'heroes'.

Target 14
Lord Omaine
Yiwanul Hamlet
Extortion, oppression
Rautefracht Empire Lord, presiding over Yiwanul area. Known for oppressively high taxes, violence against those that cannot pay. Wanted dead. Advise heavy stealth.
Ren Shokunin. Jagred Hollowcrest. Elias Hawken. Rue Van Achteren. Gestalt.

Target 27
Ingrid, warlord
Mastema
Brutal oppression, mass murder
Local warlord. Sworn allegiance to Empire. maintains control through extreme violence. Region unstable.
Wanted dead. Eliminating soldiers is a bonus.
Aesil Kelthuriaz. Sahms Hayan. Faylaen. Amulak al Acterus. Glinda von Hearte.

At the top of the bounty board was a message in red ink.

"Though the missions are many and your skills focused, we expect greatness from each of you, no matter the situation. Now is when you show us what you can do. The future will see you put into more proper positions, according to your skill." --Guild Leader Noteya​

Glinda von Hearte stood behind a mass of members, her height allowing perfect view of the bounties. She crossed her arms and turned back. The room was a circle, with many, many different paths branching from it. It was almost overwhelming. Thanks to the signs above each hall, however, she knew where she was to go.

The Blackhall, was its name. A cathedral housing several different, actively shifting magitech teleportation devices. It was the, "Most expensive, non imperial thing on the continent," or so many of the guild heads said. They applied to each mission group, porting them to their specific region in an instant. One hallway remained with its door shut.

The sign above it read, "Rautefracht Capital." The Phalanx still remained, after all.

Glinda walked to her team's hall '27' and waited there for her four other, unfamiliar members. To be honest, she was quite happy with the size of the team. Had it been smaller, like a two-man team on the onset, it would have felt awkward. She needed to warm up to the idea of working with others intimately. Leaning against the hall's right column, she looked through the crowd.

What unique individuals would brighten her day?
 
A slow sigh escaped Sahms as he reopened his eyes, but remained seated. Almost two months now and his body and blood still yearned for the magic filled air of the forest. While he made no outward show of it, he did feel a bit of annoyance at the "dependance" he hadn't even been aware of for much of his life. It mattered little though, today was the first time the Guild gave him a task and his first glance into this "revolution's" true nature. The shadow cast by the building he sat behind showed that it was about time. He planted a hand into the ground to stand and then paused to stretch. A hand came to rest upon the breastplate he wore, the metal warm despite the lack of sun upon it. A few moments passed as he stood there before he turned and headed back inside the building.

Even from a distance, the postings on the board were rather easy to see and there was no need to try and make his way through the crowd that had gathered before it. Even from a distance the individual messages were clear as day. He had to move his head slightly when others got in the way, but it wasn't too hard to find his name among the many slips of paper. While the target hardly seemed to be anyone to feel pity for, Sahms could hardly be sure that the Guild hadn't simply spun their own story. The vast majority of postings seemed to list corrupt and scoundrels without morals, but he didn't believe that the Empire his father knew could have changed so much, so quickly.

For now he put his doubts aside and left the room to do away with his breastplate. If he was to enter the capital he didn't wish to do with such a conspicuous piece of equipment. It was only a minor detour and he returned to the Blackhall quickly enough. While the paths were many, they were easy enough to navigate. His eyes wandered over the numerous halls in the brief moments he had before he stepped into the path that would take him to the teleporter for the "Rautefracht Capital."

A few moments later and he stepped inside the hall. Though he didn't miss the shifting creation of magi-tech that floated in the room's center, his attention was drawn first to the red-haired lady. There was an odd sense of familiarity that he couldn't quite shake nor understand, but he didn't let that show. Instead, he simply raised a hand in greeting as he approached before he reached out for a handshake. "Sahms the name, and I'm guessing you're not Amulak."
 
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Rue had to admit, the notion of going up against potential former comrades was a fair bit awkward and ultimately left a bit of distaste in her mouth. Indeed, many of her former number had done no wrong except for the crime of living and being an enlisted knight, but countless others had blood and even worse on their hands. Many more of their ancestors had done so for eons beforehand. It was for this reason that Rue had left the ranks of the Knights. She had not the wherewithal to change the empire for the better within the ranks of Rautefracht Empire's military. But with the death of their high protector and the destruction of the nation's ubiquitous death machine, the former commander saw the writing on the walls. If there was to be any reform, it would not be found inside the Empire, but outside it. If it meant fraternizing with rebels and unscrupulous looking assassins, so be it. She only hoped that if any improvement came out of this, she'd live to see it.

The central hall in the cathedral was crowded. It had a higher turnout than Rue expected, and being somewhat short, she had a difficult time seeing the boards that listed the targets and bounties of the Bloodpeace Guild. This problem was solved quickly enough by fashioning a small stepping stool that allowed her to rise above the others. Ignoring the vapid glances that others in the mass gave her, she lightly read over her assigned target without ceremony. With nothing more than a sigh, the brown-haired girl stepped off the stool as quickly as she'd made it. The metallic object melted and returned itself within a pocket in a black frock coat as she made her way to the room corresponding to the assigned target.

While the target was a lord, Rue was not deeply familiar with Omaine. She'd never had the occasion to visit the region he presided over, but he nonetheless carried the reputation of textbook corruption over his head. That was the extent that she knew of the man, and from his described profile, did not seem like a lord that the world would miss.

Rue was the first to arrive at the room. Settling against the wall, she waited for the others. Pulling her sheathed auxiliary weapon out of her belt so that she could lean, Rue set the scabbard between her hands like a staff. While subtle, to a trained eye, it was recognizable as a weapon that belonged to an agent of the empire. In the end, perhaps, it would be troublesome, but she knew well enough that it was a fact that should be made known at the onset rather than later. Indeed, the former knight was curious, and perhaps apprehensive at seeing and meeting the four other individuals that would become her team. Would they mesh together, have the right motivations, and more importantly, be competent? And how would they react fighting alongside somebody that had represented all that they had fought against? It was all in the air.
 
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Jagred came packed for war. Well, not the type fought in the fields where steel rang and men bled, but his type of war. The type fought in shadow and won with one slit throat at a time. He was glad that the guild delivered. So decked in his usual attire, his mask hanging from his belt, the sword strapped across his back and two daggers in their horizontal sheath, he arrived at his new workplace.

As expected of a guild, they had a central hall where missions were posted on board for members to see, which reminded him more of military camp than a guild of assassins. It was rather crowded inside, with people walking to and fro. With his above average height, he had little trouble with reading the notice posted on the board, though he still had to maneuver through a mass of bodies before reaching a comfortable position. His name wasn't that hard to find, along with the profile of his next target. However, he was surprise to notice other names also listed beneath the same target. So they worked in teams here? It seemed like a sensible course of action, given how the Empire was the only government body in the entire known world managed to maintain an army. It was just that he hadn't worked with a team for years now. Just years, and yet it felt like lifetimes ago. But he supposed he would adapt.

Another point of interest was the list of crimes beneath the name of each target. He raised an eyebrow at this, unsure of its purpose. Was it some sort of tactic employed by the guild masters in order to give members more motivation through hatred? It seemed that way to him, except the fact that he didn't really feel that motivated. Hate had its applications, sure, but not in a fight. In fact, if you were to bring any kind of emotions to a fight, you would have a bad time. Then again, he was biased. A touch on his elbow jointed him from his thoughts, and he stepped out of the way for a woman who was making her way toward the board. Maybe that was his cue to move on.

On his way to the exit of the hall, he noticed a young woman created a metallic stool with just a wave of her hand. Diverse talents, indeed. This was a far cry from those nomadic warbands or raider gangs he used to associate himself with. He took a mental note of where she kept the strange liquid metal.

The Blackhall was his next destination. The crisscrossing hallways were a challenge to traverse, but those helpful signs above helped immensely. He eventually found hall '14', and noticed a figure already waiting there. It was the woman from before, the one that seemingly manipulated metal with her bare hands. His gaze scanned her, subtly of course, as he slowly approached, deliberately making his footsteps audible. Despite her humble appearance, the woman's straight posture suggested ex-millitary and her weapon was unmistakably Empire issued. So they had themselves a deserter? Either that, or a veteran with an interest in trophy.

Once in appropriate distance from the young woman, he stopped and extended a gloved hand –"Hello there. The name is Jagred. I take it that you are also here for target 14?"
 
Elias pulled his hood further over his face. He had not expected there to be quite so many others in the guild. The noise assaulted his ears, almost deafening him. He had grown accustomed to the peace of his retreat, the silence broken only by the crackle of burning torches and the mutterings of various works of magic, the understanding of which was beyond him. The writings he had discovered and studied had taught him much, but there was a lifetime of knowledge still locked away in dark passages and behind sealed doors. Maybe he would return one day, and continue his work. The timing was too fortunate. The Empire was reeling following the loss of both the Angel and the Priestess - it was better to move now before they could adjust and adapt.

Sighing, he threaded his way through the crowds, slipping closer to the bounty board where targets were posted. Pushing a couple of stragglers aside, he scanned the list. An oppressive lord? Wanted dead? Elias smiled, eyes devoid of mirth. Well, it wasn't like he lacked experience in that area, though admittedly the guards had mostly been out checking on his prior handiwork. The man's howl of terror had been heard by but a handful of people, and they were so far away that Elias had walked straight out before he could be challenged. A good start in his mission to remind the Empire that they were not the only monster around.

As he headed towards the Blackhall, Elias idly twirled the staff of the Soul Reaver, a harmless length of wood without magical input. Some would refer to the weapon as magitech, but Elias disliked the term. It seemed too industrial, too...crude to describe the effort put into this weapon. The use of wood from from the trees of the Coldwood forest, steeped in arcane power and uniquely capable of controlling the flow of magic. The runes and magic applied to harness the channelling capabilities of the wood. The records said it had taken several years to create, and the curse-laden magic it spewed had, during accidents, claimed the lives of those working on it more than once. Still, they had ultimately succeeded, creating a formidable tool that allowed mages to fight up close without being handicapped by their focus on the higher arts.

The Blackhall was a repository of magical devices rivalling the vaults of the ruined keep. Magitech gates hummed softly as they prepared to transport assassins across the Empire to strike at will. Elias whistled softly as he walked through. The Empire would kill to get their hands on this facility, if only to stop their opponents using it. Scanning the numbers, he headed to the number that was listed on the bounty. Time to see what his 'teammates' were like.

Well, it seemed two were there before him. A man and a woman. The woman looked pretty stern and upright, not what you'd expect from an assassin. She didn't seem the sort to be sneaking around - her posture suggested she was more at home on the drill field. The man was fairly tall, and looked more like a typical assassin. Assassinations on Empire targets were rare in the years leading up to this, so the man likely had signed up for the work, not the cause. Interesting to see how that played out. As long as they didn't get in his way, things should be alright. Elias walked up to them, the cold smile still on his face. "I understand we'll be working together on this job. Name's Elias Hawken." Meaningless pleasantries done with, Elias leant against the wall, the staff of the Soul Reaver resting on his shoulder. "So, anyone here killed an Imperial governor before?"
 
Loud. Feverish. Crowded.

A deluge of voices pushed down on Aesil, threatening to drown out her own thoughts. Every word was spoken too loud, too frivolously, too pointlessly, as members of the newly formed Bloodpeace Guild crowded by the mission board. From the back of the room, the huntress could pick out her own name, alongside a few that she didn't recognize, below Target 27. A warlord of the Empire, and a mass murderer at that.

But the elders of the Kelthuriaz did not recall a time when the Empire did not rule the continent, so why was this Ingrid labelled as a warlord?

It was an odd title to give to someone who could not have waged a war, but Aesil decided not to dwell on it. She was thinking too much, when all that mattered was the prey before her. The region of Mastema was not one of her past hunting grounds, and it sounded likely that there would be many Knights of the Empire present, so those were two 'deductions'. Her prey was also largely unknown, giving her little way of preparations. Another deduction. Her packmates have yet to be tested, so yet another deduction.

Her red eye narrowed, worried. While she was confident that the Bloodpeace Guild would not have brought on any who were less experienced than herself, the Soul-Blessed still couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about all this, and all the damned noise around her wasn't helping. The tribe knew how to keep quiet when there was nothing worth saying, but this lot? So utterly, completely enamoured with pointless chit-chat and bravado. Aesil flashed her teeth at a particularly irritating mountain of half-naked muscle, before storming towards the Blackhall, the voices of dozens still bouncing in her head.

Though familiarized with the sights that the grand cathedral offered, she nevertheless gaped at the awe-inspiring constructions of magitech, the teleportation runes that instantly transported occupants of separate rooms into any part of the Rautefract Empire imaginable. Even the Capital could not escape the grasp of the Guild, regardless of the fact that one would be a fool to teleport there the first place. Once again, the child found herself smiling widely.

After all, while hunts were fun, travelling to those locations weren't.

Readjusting her black eyepatch, Aesil removed her white-feathered cloak as she stepped into hall 27. The smell of ozone and snow refreshed her, sharpening her mind as she looked over the two who had arrived before her. No, she looked at one, and stopped immediately.

Was it red like roses? Or like a pool of blood?

Her fiery hair tumbled down her back, smelling of blood-lotus, a sweet-bitter tang against the roof of Aesil's mouth.

Her scarlet eyes matched Aesil's own, alight with the same savage violence that laid beneath a silk-thin veil.

Her snow-white skin glowed warmly in the torchlight, a wintry landscape against a setting sun.

The Huntress had not expected one of the Favoured of the Goddess other than herself to have joined the Bloodpeace Guild, and the apprehension in her heart instantly disappeared. With a toothy grin, a hand over her left breast, and a dip of her head, Aesil said, "Arylmest, sister. It warms my heart to see one of Goddess Celaena's Blood-Blessed in my company. I am of the Kelthuriaz Tribe, Aesil the One-Eyed, Devourer of a Hundred Hearts. May our hunt be prosperous and swift."

And there's some other guy there as well, she supposed, but he looked normal compared to the Blood-Blessed.
 
Renchu beamed to herself as she took her first step within the hall of the Bloodpeace Guild. Ahh, finally! Beside the weird smell in the room that likely emitted from assassins who were too edgy to take a bath now and again, the atmosphere in general of the place was enough to get Renchu's spirits back up again. Her previous days had been a boring a monotonous feat of walking without action - so when she'd at last arrived at the secret society, she was more than eager to get started.

Mom, Pops... all my friends. This is where I begin making those bastards pay. So... wish me luck, alright?

A big smear of oil was plastered over Renchu's right cheek, a pair of goggles were strapped up on her head, and a small wooden toothpick gently being chewed in the corner of her mouth - candy flavoured, of course. The Apis Mk.IV Magitech Rifle took its usual position strapped over Renchu's body - the ornate and intricate weapon catching a few glances from members around the guild - and her leather coat gently trailed behind her, various devices and tools strapped to her waist via many belts. The majority of the members in the guild were as shifty and reserved as Renchu had predicted - but she hadn't expected anything less from a group of assassins.

Doing her best to push through the crowd to check out the quest board, Renchu's weak frame was shoved around pretty easily whenever she had the misfortune to bump into someone. Getting there eventually, Renchu wiped her brow, before scanning around for her name. Ah! There it was. So, her first quest was to sneakily eliminate some greedy twat that went by the name 'Lord Omaine', with four other people on her team. A selfish bastard who made a steady income of money off the suffering of others, by the sound of things.

Hm, well, for a first mission - that sounded kinda good! Stealth wasn't really her kind of thing as the Apis let off a hearty blast with D.T. shots; Renchu had yet to develop some sort of 'silencer' for the weapon. But, she supposed if she could find a good far-away spot to take point from, she could vaporise a few heads and cover the inevitable sneaky melee people that she was guessing her team would consist of. Figuring standing around ogling the board wouldn't get her much further, Renchu made her way to join her new besties for the mission in 'Hall 14.'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whistling as she entered the hallway, Renchu spotted the three others who'd made it into the hall so far. Sporting a friendly smile, she made a little salute-like gesture as she walked into the room.
"Heya folks! I'm Ren." She stated cheerfully, instantly introducing herself at the doorway. First impressions were good, after all; she didn't want to get shanked by her own team because they didn't trust her. Swiftly walking into the room, Renchu figured the others were in the middle slowly introducing themselves slowly and in a cool/edgy manner. She figured she'd just get it out of the way.

"So, uh, if you hadn't guessed already, I'm a sniper and a mechanic, at your service. If any of you use any Magitech gear, I can keep it in check for ya'! Though you people don't look like you're into the good stuff." Renchu said, taking the Apis rifle off her shoulder, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and laying it on her lap. She got out her tools, preparing to make sure everything was in check with the rifle. Even one loose screw in the middle of the battle could end up in blowing herself up in a fiery death - and whilst that sounded cool - she'd prefer not to die like a total idiot so soon.

She looked up for a moment at the three team-mates she'd been given so far. Firstly, there was a girl who had a pretty stern look about her, with long/raven black hair, who seemed to own some sort of fancy sword. Pretty hot, too, but that wasn't really the focus. Judging from her severe lack of equipment - Renchu guessed she was some sort a mage-y type? Magic sword woman? Those seemed to be pretty common in the assassin industry nowadays.

There were two blokes, too - one of them seemed like your run-of-the-mill sneaky deaky chap - perfect for this mission. A mask at his belt, armed to the teeth with a duo of daggers and a long sword, a rugged face that'd likely seen some shit in the past - whatever. Likely a speed fighter - a pretty cool guy to have on the team, and a perfect way for Renchu to test out her Invigoration Shots when she had the chance; she'd been looking for someone to pump them into - though this mission wouldn't be the best time for it.

The other guy had his hood covering the most of his face, leaning against the against the wall in a manner that just screamed 'edgy' - and the guy's weird smile was sort of giving Renchu the chills. Judging by the guy's staff, he was certainly some sort of mage - though his figure did possess some decent muscle, too, unlike your average mage - perhaps he was suited to CQC, too? Either way, he looked like another cool guy to have on the team.

None of them really looked like happy chappies she'd spend time off-field having a pint with, sure, but at least she hadn't been paired with a group of rowdy, beefy men who were more interested at glaring at tits than slicing throats. That was always a bonus. In fact, Renchu felt pretty out of place here - as usual - but still, her and the Apis could definitely bring threat and cover to the battlefield if she used it at a distance.

Chewing the candy-flavoured toothpick in the corner of her mouth peacefully, Renchu figured she'd sit back and listen to the others whilst she made tweaks to the Apis - hopefully they'd say what they were good at, though Renchu thought she'd still got a pretty good idea at what they could. So, whoopee! When the final person arrived, this would be her team! It was sorta exciting, but sorta nerve-wracking, but sorta... y'know... at the same time. But if she kept everything under control and striked at the right moment, she was sure this mission would go smoothly~.

"Sorry if I'm a lil' late, by the way." Ren mumbled as she fiddled with her weapon with a small screwdriver, discarding the toothpick from her mouth and holding a few screws in her teeth as she worked. "Didn't manage to catch any of your names - had a little trouble pushing through jerkwads in the main hall. But I'ma guessing you lot are all used to this sort of thing?"
 
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Noisy.

That was the single best description Gestalt could say about this collection of ... allies now, weren't they? The kind of people it was supposed to not tool around with. It was like a contract with a Witch, yet different. Rather than being bound by ancient rites and what-not, it was simply a matter of....trust? One of many human emotions that Gestalt wasn't even sure anymore if it ever felt such a thing by default. Regardless, without a contract, there was always the possibility, the need, the thirst, simply the wild instinct of an ancient animal.

For now, however, Gestalt was sated. This frail, but useful, body it took control over had given the Old One more than enough satisfaction, the look in her parents faces were still fresh in its mind. The only thing Gestalt was wondering however was if its victims were aware of what was happening once they surrendered themselves completely. Like some sort of dream were one could only watch? If that were the case, the girl would be beyond broken even with her mind returned.

A sigh escaped the lips of the young body Gestalt was residing it. The aura she gave off could have only been described as weird, with her Soul being in the depths of an eternal void, and Gestalt's presence itself only been detectable by the most keen-eyed, the blonde had literally zero presence, yet, she was once a noble, still is, and that made it all simply...weird. Regardless, her frame and weak human body were off no help when Gestalt actually decided to move forward. After all, it wasn't here without a reason, no, it had a purpose, it always had.

Walking towards the board, it took her quite a while, as most didn't even care about her and got pushed around left and right. Finally at the board however, Gestalt got a good look at all the available targets, but was ultimately only scanning for 2 terms: 'Gestalt' and the name of this body. Sadly though, Gestalt found only the former, which meant unless its...allies...were dumb even for human standards, it couldn#t simply use the girl's name as an introduction. As for their target, Gestalt did not care what he did or would do, evil or good, both could be in order, and order was bad. The realm was supposed to constantly shift, change and live. And just like that, Gestalt was turning around, taking another friction of too-much-time to finally make haste towards Blackhall by following the signs.

Once there, all that was left to do was find the place titled with a 14. As for the mighty teleporters itself, it could only chuckle, being anywhere in an instant was sure useful, but by no means unique. A few Old Ones could travel great distances in a short amount of time too, but the fact this combination of so called 'technology' and magic that made such a task possible for something frail and as a human being was simply entertaining and yet...somehow freightening? Regardless, Gestalt soon found the place it was supposed to be, and considering four other beings were already present, Gestalt assumed it was the last of the bunch and those were the allies that....it was not allowed to push into the depths of chaos.

Gestalt stood there for a good 20 seconds before it finally decided how to go about this, after all, humans could be quite entertaining. Giving a small childish chuckle Gestalt was giving a noble bow. "I am Alicia 'Gestalt' von Wetterstaufen. I'll look forward working with you."
 
He hadn't waited long enough. The existence of this marvelous magitech teleportation system was just further proof of that. If he'd just delayed his plans by another two centuries, he'd have won. Then again, there was no use crying over the past. What mattered was that he was still alive. Still alive with infinite time to plan. Perhaps the Bloodpeace Guild would succeed in toppling the Rautefracht Empire. Perhaps they would fail miserably and be wiped out to a man. Either way, he would ensure his survival. Because Amulak al Acterus had infinite time to plan, but only one life left to live.

The target he had been assigned to seemed perfect for him. Eliminating extra soliders was a bonus? Magnificent. More dead soldiers meant more fresh bodies for him to raise. Perhaps some of his assigned compatriots might object to the practice of necromancy, but this was a guild of assassins. If they had any qualms about using whatever means possible to bring down the Empire, they were in the wrong line of work.

As he entered Hall 27, he adjusted his mask over his face, making sure it was secure. No need to unduly disturb anyone by revealing that he had nothing but a skull for a face, after all.

"Good day." He bowed to those assembled inside. "Amulak al Acterus, at your service." Perhaps his name may be recognized. But that was unlikely. Over a century had passed since his glory days, after all.
 
It didn't take much more than a few minutes for her fellow members to come trickling into the room. The first to arrive was a well-armed fellow with several bladed weapons strapped to his body. Taking in the man's appearance, Rue shifted her sabre fully to her other hand before reciprocating his greeting with a bare hand.

"Rue Van Achteran. May we work well together."

She wasn't all too impressed with his question and dismissed it, just in time for an edgy looking bastard to swing by, followed by a rifle-wielding girl. She wasn't terribly fond of introducing herself thrice more but pushed herself to do it out of courtesy. The scythe-wielding, hooded boy and the cheery magitek sniper girl were quite the contrasting characters though. While Rue wasn't inspired by the rather large scythe and the demeanor of the person holding it, having somebody that could back up the team at range was a welcome addition to the party.

The last member of the five-man team arrived quite late. Not moving from the wall, she tracked the new girl with her eyes as she came closer. The immediate impression that she got of the girl was something that Rue could only describe as odd, and she continued to look at her apprehensively when she stopped. Even she was unsettled when the blond-haired girl stood there for what almost seemed like a minute as she stared blankly ahead before chuckling and introducing herself. Oddly enough, it was a name that Rue somewhat recognized, but she wasn't aware that the Wetterstaufen family had a background in assassin work, let alone having resentments toward the empire. Something felt off, but she couldn't pin it on what, exactly. At the very least, she knew that she would have to watch her back.

Now that all the elements of their group had formed, Rue took the initiative to coordinate the five members. "Alright, now that everybody is here…In the interest of making this a viable and capable team, let's hash out our skills and roles. Me, I'm no stranger to leading a squad, but I also specialize in liquid metal magic. Don't do anything reckless, and you shouldn't die."
 
Jagred plastered on a half-smile for Rue Van Achteran, and he kept it there for the others as well, now they had all arrived. The first one had the appearance of a magic user, cladded in a black robe with his staff in tow. He turned to face the mage fully, but didn't offer a handshake. Instead, he nodded slightly, just a small incline of his head and a soft acknowledgement –"Sir Hawken.". The wayward Klonian had never been had much interest in the magic arts; however he would not protest having it on his side. The young man's smirk was somewhat disconcerting though. It was the kind of smile that drew eyes at taverns, and soon enough, you'd earn yourself a broken nose one way or another. Not to mention the man's question. It made Jagred raised an eyebrow, for he couldn't understand the purpose behind it.-"'Tis an odd question to ask, is it not? Is there a trick to killing one? Do they not die the same way as all men do?"-Jagred's tone was even and void of any sarcasm; it felt as if he were truly interested in knowing. Not really the case, he was just wondering what prompted the mage to ask such an useless question.

The second to arrive was a chirpy young woman who introduced herself simply as 'Ren'. She had also elaborated on her skillset and profession, though it wasn't such a hard guess from the impressive rifle she was carrying. He couldn't really determine her aptitude with the weapon just from watching her calibrating it, of course. His own experience with firearms was sloppy as best, seeing as Klonian culture often promoted a more 'hands-on' approach. She would be useful as the ranged support of this little group. As long as she managed to hit, of course. He would give her the benefit of the doubt for this one, at least.

The last to arrive was another young woman, though he thought she was more at home in a nobleman's court than the battlefield. It didn't help that she carried no weapon for him to identify her fighting style with, and her name was also quite uncommon. His knowledge of noble houses outside of Klonia was slim, but Alicia 'Gestalt' von Wetterstaufen was not a name peasants gave to their daughters. His gaze lingered on her a touch longer than the others, but he bit back questions. After all, there were many ways to be dangerous; not all of them involved a sturdy sword arm or a flashy staff. She would explain herself soon enough, if not here, then later, on the battlefield.

It was then the woman from earlier, Rue, suggested they introduced their skills to the group, then proceeded to take the first turn. He was not surprised, really. He had seen her magic in the hall, where she folded metal with a flick of her hand. Such skill would surely have plenty of applications of the field. When Rue had finished, Jagred decided it was his turn. He began with his name, as there were others who had not caught it. Just the first name though; he felt throwing around houses and bloodlines and titles quite tasteless. Not that they would know, or care. Klonia kept its secrets.

"I'm specialized in infiltration, assassination and close-quarter combat. In that order. And I use these."- As if to demonstrated, he pulled a dagger from its sheath and gave it a quick twirl around deft fingers before slamming it back into its place with barely a glance.-"This mission doesn't appear too complex. I'm quite certain that with proper stealth, there won't even be resistance."
 
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"Indeed I'm not," Glinda said with a smile, shaking Sahm's hand loosely, "A wonder that we were paired with such a person, or that he was even recruited here in the first place. They take what they can, no doubt." Her eyes once again traced over the crowd, presumably looking for said person. He would be unmistakable, she thought. Dead an decaying, yet walking all the same.

With the first teammate came the trickling of others, and Glinda found herself looking doubtfully at Aesil as the girl introduced herself. She raised an eyebrow and exhaled through her nose quickly. A scoff. "I think you're mistaking me for someone... something else, " she said, crossing her arms. "I've got no clue what in the world you're talking about." Perhaps it was his mask, but Glinda only seemed surprised when Amulak actually vocalized his name. She stared at the necromancer with a discerning eye, chin tilted slightly up.

"Brought as low as an assassin, hm? No grand plans this time around?" she said under her breath. The witch sighed and looked about, expecting a fourth stranger to eventually show up. Even after minutes, just the four of them stood there. She sighed again.

"I already know what you can do," she said, nodding to Amulak, "but I'm curious what the rest of you sport? I heard a lot of us aren't even meant to be assassins, and that this is more or less a guild of deviants and freaks, more than anything." She turned to Sahms and threw a chin at him. "You. What do you do?"
 
Sahms had thought the name was familiar, but hadn't been able to place it. Still wasn't really, but there had to be a reason she didn't seem to appreciate Amulak's presence. Given the lack of any attention on him, he was free to unhook the magi-scroll from his belt.

At least that had been the plan until the fourth of their group entered the hall. The man might have had his manners, but as Amulak introduced himself Sahms couldn't help the goosebumps that formed. The red-head clearly knew who he was judging by her remarks, and Sahms thought on them for a moment before things clicked.

The dread lich who had been slain by over a dozen Knights, and finally killed for good nearly 50 years ago. Apparently not though if the individual before them was truly the undead and not someone who had simply donned the title and mantle. How the Guild had found, and why they would work with such a being was beyond Sahms. With a deep breath he flicked the switch and things snapped into focus. It was simply more evidence that the Guild was just as bad as they portrayed the Empire to be, another thing for him to watch.

He could hardly disagree with her assessment, and for a moment he wondered if their reasons were as odd as his own. Then again, it was already pretty bad for the Guild if there were many who had come with the same idea as his own. He raised an eyebrow at the lady's haughty attitude, but otherwise didn't challenge the question.

Raising a hand before him, he made a fist and blood quickly began to seep from between his fingers. Ignoring gravity, it swirled and coalesced into an orb that enveloped his hand completely. After that it swiftly took shape and within seconds he had a crimson bow in-hand. "This is my weapon," he remarked as he brought his other arm up to draw back on an invisible bowstring. Blood flowed from the bow to his fingertips, rapidly forming a projectile. "And that's how it works." He eased his draw hand forward again and the projectile dissolved back into the bow, restoring the lost volume. A moment later and the bow itself dissolved, forming around his hand as a sphere of blood before it was reabsorbed into him.

"Hopefully no questions. Anyone want to be next?" He gestured towards the others with an upturned hand. He had some guesses to what Amulak was capable of, but hopefully the lich would reveal something unknown. As for the others, he frankly had no idea what to expect. Aesil had mentioned something about being Blood-Blessed, but that could have many meanings. It would be rather unusual to run into another blood-magic user, but perhaps the Guild had arranged it so they would meet?
 
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Elias smiled a condescending smile. "Oh, they die just like anyone else does, don't get me wrong. Just curious as to whether anyone here had dared to go against the Empire before, or if they were looking for someone to hold their hand. I'm not here to babysit, and I certainly don't intend on playing nursemaid to anyone."

That said, Elias surveyed the newcomers. Magitech rifle girl, constantly tinkering. Possibly nervous? Magitech that wasn't done by the Empire was usually either fine or exploded in your face. Elias sincerely hoped her rifle was the former kind, if only because he didn't want to clean up the aftermath. The other one...something seemed a bit off, but otherwise she just looked like a little girl with a posh name. Teenage rebellion perhaps? Run away to join the assassins to make mummy ashamed? Elias sighed. He didn't hold high hopes of this one.

The uptight woman seemed to have some kind of interesting toys to play with. Liquid metal? That would be something to see, and study. Meanwhile, the generic assassin seemed to be...depressingly generic. Well, always a use for someone with that set of skills.

"As for me, I'm a magic user and a scythe wielder. This is my scythe-" Elias paused briefly, allowing a crackle of magic to briefly manifest the blade, "and I can also cast bolts of magical energy and shroud us in mist. Other than that, I do a pretty decent job of slaughtering those who would get in my way."
 
Renchu mentally winced a little as the others introduced themselves. Eh... nobody really seemed like a happy chappy, but she didn't really know why she was hoping for such a person in the Bloodpeace Guild. Someone to talk to whilst the boring parts of the missions passed, she guessed...? Ah well. Spitting out a screw as she gently slid a long cleaning rod into the barrel of the Apis, Ren finally seemed satisfied with the condition of the weapon as she listened to what the others could do.

So, uh... the chick that came in after her was really starting to creep Ren out. She didn't appear to be heavily armed, or possess any notable strength - so that must've meant this 'Alicia' had some sort of freaky hidden magic powers. What they were, Ren was clueless, but hey! She was sure they'd be powerful; they wouldn't be here otherwise. They were still a weirdo though... eh, who knows, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Even if Renchu felt really freaked out by the way she looked around.

Rue seemed pretty cool. Sophisticated tongue, a clear sense of direction and leadership by the way she said things - and she was some sort of 'liquid metal' caster, too? That sounded pretty cool. Ren was imagining something like causing waves of quicksilver to splash upon her enemies. Actually, scratch cool, that would be fucking awesome to see. One thing Rue said did make Renchu giggle, though. 'Don't do anything reckless, and you shouldn't die.' Jeez, talk about A-Plus advice. Ren would be sure to keep that in mind when performing super secret assassinations.

Jagred, as expected, was the kind of guy that was perfect for the mission. He even gave his dagger a cheeky little twirl to prove that he could use one - and whilst Ren didn't really doubt him in the first place, if doing that made him feel better, than whatever. Jagred seemed pretty cool too though, Ren guessed. Straight-to-the-point, polite, and formal - and someone who likely did a good job of his work.

Elias, akin to Alicia, sorta creeped Renchu out to a certain extent with his creepy smiles and his 'woo hoo I'ma cut a bastard' sort of attitude. He was a melee/ranged magic hybrid guy, who'd probably come in more handy if they needed to go loud of a sudden - but Elias was probably able to get things done quietly, too. What Elias said to finish his little introduction, however, ticked Renchu off somewhat. He didn't seem like an unbearable guy, but what he said there was past being edgy and being kinda... y'know... evil.

"Hey, buddy," Ren called out to Elias calmly. "Those who 'get in your way' are all people who deserve it, right? Otherwise... uh... I dunno how to put it to you... but... we're gonna have a problem. I'm here to aid the guild kill for the right reasons. Dunno about you." Ren said, though her tone was still cheerful and she gave a wink at the end. To cut the tension somewhat, Renchu added: "Neat scythe, by the way."

After a brief pause, Ren supposed she should go into a little detail about what she could do.

"So, uh, I'll spare you all from going too far into how my rifle here works. In short - it can shoot three different types of magic shots. Long-ranged beams to snipe people from far away, blasts of healing energy that'll increase your strength-slash-reflexes in the middle of a fight, and a short-ranged blast of sludge that'll get bastards with axes off my back - though that shot probably won't be needed here." Renchu explained.

"Ideally, I'm thinkin' that when we're there in the mission, I can sneakily set up in a good vantage point, and pick people off for you guys if things go wrong. But, if we wanna keep this quiet, it's probably best I don't let off a shot unless I really have to - the Apis here sure likes to scream. Maybe you guys could do some sort of signal if you need me to fire?"
 
As Aesil completed her greetings, the fourth member of this motley pack joined them, a masked being shrouded in a black cloak, standing in an almost regal manner above the rest of them. His voice was deep, gravelly, tinged with an unnatural presence, and, as Aesil stared into his mask, she noticed something. Where men had eyes, Amulak only had a gaping abyss, holes devoid of the seeing light.

A Lingering Shell. The result of a soul tainted by rejection, a heart spoiled by decay. Now, its ribcage held no life-treasure, and its impure soul held the remains of its body together, shambling about. A shadow of its past self, even though it survived long enough to regain its mind. Pitiful indeed, though such a feeling wasn't what the Blood-Blessed and the non-descript boy faced Amulak with. A proper death would be most comforting for this wretched being, but Aesil stayed her blade. The Bloodpeace Guild required his services, at least for this particular mission, and while she wasn't certain of the capabilities of this skeleton, it looked like none of the others were eager to decapitate and incinerate the Lingering Shell, so she won't either.

What surprised her more, however, was the fact that the Blood-Blessed was unaware of her own legacy. Did she not awaken to her purpose in the Goddess's plans when she was ten? Or had the older woman forgotten Celaena's calling as the years became decades? Or, perhaps, she was just naturally red-haired and red eyed?

Nah, how can that be? Almost all the people that she had seen in recent memory had dark brown hair and brown eyes, so really, it could only be a miracle that the older woman had such coloration. Well, maybe isolation from other worshippers of Celaena had led to this.

"Blood-Blessed," Aesil began patiently, "Are those that bear red eyes and red hair, gifted with blood of beasts and an uncommon strength of body. They are the fangs of the Goddess, avengers and berserkers who tear out the throats of the enemy. Is that not what you are?"

Nevertheless, it appeared that the Blood-Blessed demanded demonstrations of power next, starting with a boy who, funnily enough, used his blood as a weapon, first creating a bow, and then arrows. While the One-Eyed didn't exactly think that taking dirtied blood back into his body after a fight was a brilliant idea, the raven-haired youth seemed accustomed to it. No doubt, his magic purified his weaponized blood before he went on to absorb it. Of course, there was the question of why he doesn't just use normal bows, but, upon second glance…

…rather scrawny, isn't he?

Such was the fate of mages, it appeared.

Stepping up next, Aesil pointed to her red eye. "I'm a hunter of monsters, from storm-singers to earth-shakers," she stated flatly, "I have a good eye and a good blade."
 
Well. This was awkward. It seemed his name was still more well known than he'd assumed. Two of his four compatriots seemed to recognize him, and didn't quite seem that enthused about it either.

"Now, now. I mean none of you any harm. Rest assured, I share the same goal as you and am fully willing to cooperate. I promise you, none of you have anything to fear from me, so long as we are united in our aim of bringing the Empire down." Amulak tilted his head at Glinda and Sahms, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Still, I am rather impressed that my name is still so recognizable. It has been many, many years since I was last heard from, after all." He chuckled, lowering his hands as the strange, eyepatched girl spoke.

Blood-Blessed, eh? What a quaint little legend this odd girl spoke of. Likely some sort of primitive tribesman. Still, he wouldn't say that out loud. Best not to antagonize the one person in this group who didn't seem to recognize so far.

And now it seemed that it was his turn to share his abilities. Oh, this was going to go well.

"It seems that some of you already have a clear understanding of my abilities." He began, nodding at Glinda and Sahms. "But I will acquiese. I am a necromancer. He who robs Death of his rightful due and raises the dead to do his bidding. If any of you object to my art, I apologize. But we will have to work together for the foreseeable future."
 
Elias laughed. A dry, mirthless laugh. A moralist assassin. Who would have thought it? Someone so naive, so sheltered, that they failed to see the consequences of this job and this guild. "You're here to kill for the right reasons huh? How wonderful. I never realised that there was anything moral about taking a life. No matter who they are, no matter what they've done; there's always someone who cherishes them, misses them. Who are you to decide that it is just and right to take them from that someone? Who are you to draw the line between the innocent and the guilty, and condemn the killing of one while endorsing the killing of the other?"

Let me set this out for you. Our role is as bringers of death. We leave behind blood and bereavement. We bring darkness to the light of people's homes. And if you aren't prepared to step into that darkness and face what you have done head on, to keep walking along the path of bodies you leave in your wake? This isn't the place for you. I only hope your conscience isn't going to hold you back, otherwise we're going to have a real problem."

With that said, Elias turned towards the last member of their team. The mysterious girl with the strange aura that he couldn't quite place. Alicia.

"Well, care to give us some insight as to how you operate? It may help ensure we aren't the ones lying in a pool of blood at the end of this job."
 
Renchu blinked at the surprisingly long response from Elias. It was... er... interesting, to say the least, but she really wasn't phased by his words. Truth be told, she was more impressed how he'd managed to come up with those words on the spot rather than the actual meaning behind the words.

"Uh..." Renchu mumbled when Elias was finished droning on. He turned away from her, prepared to leave it at that, but Renchu carried on anyway. "I appreciate the pep talk and all, buddy, but I don't think you understand what I'm getting at. Although... for someone who just said they'll cut down anyone who gets in their way... that's an awful thoughtful speech of ya'. Real metaphorical; beautiful imagery... I'll give it an A plus." Renchu said indifferently. She... really didn't understand this guy. Which was kinda cool, she supposed she could get to know him better as the missions went on. But her biggest guess was that he just thought that little thing up just so he could condescend her.

"But seriously... uh... Elias, was it? I was stabbing at you back there because I thought you were implying you chopped up innocent people that got in your way. Like, civilians. Sorry if I misunderstood you there." Renchu said; there were no intentions of passive-aggression in her voice, either.

"And... I'm old enough to know every kill has consequences by now, but every kill can have benefits that sometimes outweigh those consequences. I'd like to think killing to free this world is for as much of 'right' reasons as killing can be. Y'know? I don't think we're on the same wavelength, but... I can handle a kill or two, pal. No need to worry about that, hehe." Renchu said calmly. Elias seemed like a pretty stingy guy, so she tried to explain what she meant as calmly as possible before he unloaded another attempt at condescending her again. Renchu's 'conscience' had never stopped her from pulling the trigger before.

Ren figured Elias already had a pretty high killcount on his hands, so he must've thought he knew all about what it meant to kill and all that. Renchu really wasn't in the mood for getting all philosophical before the first mission, so she hoped stuff would be left at that. If not, Ren supposed she could talk with him over a cup of tea after the mission if things went fine.

Thinking for a moment, Renchu shrugged off the thoughts, and went back on track. Arguements or just too much talking general would get in the way of their mission and cause discord in the team in general. Truth was, her mouth was too big to just ignore a big thing put out at her like that. On another note - she was certainly curious about what Alicia could do, too.

"Uh... yeah, anyway. I agree - spill the beans, Alicia - you a magic-wielder or what?"
 
Well well, it seemed like nobody knew the name of this body, or in case they knew her tragic fate, decided to remain silent. In the end though, it didn't really matter, after all, they were allies. Listening more-or-less interested to the skill set of each individual Gestalt was ultimately not capable of judging their powers proper, after all, in comparison to itself it only thought of other Old Ones as equal. What did interest Gestalt however was the fact that one of its allies had apparently deeper knowledge into the inner workings of that silly magitech, what Gestalt would give to get a good view into that little mind of hers.

Alicia could only chuckle listening to the banter between said girl and Elias, it was just silly how worked up they could get over such a petty topic. That was, until the attention of the two shifted to Alicia, much like the others, Gestalt wasn't getting around giving some sort of 'introduction' in terms of what it was capable of. Putting up a lie did not even cross Gestalt's mind, why should it? Of course, that didn't mean Gestalt would just blurt out the truth either. "Magic wielder?" Alicia replied, giving it a second of thought. "I suppose you could put it like that." Another moment passed, thinking about how to put it in rather simple terms...

"I am capable of connecting our Souls: share emotions, dreams, fears, moments of joy and grief. I can protect your frail minds, your Souls, from petty magic tricks. Burden myself with pain in your stead.... ." Gestalt just couldn't help it, continuing on in a manner as if a child was reporting about its exciting day in the woods to its mother, -with closed eyes- it continued. "And if our connection is deep enough, I am even able ease the pain inflicted upon you." Now giving a look at Alicia's own open palm. "I can also grant immense raw power, though, a frail body like this one would quickly break under that pressure." With that, Gestalt was finished.
 
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