A Delicate Balance

[Youmu Konpaku]

(Rules)

Hey everybody just a quick review of how hopefully this RP is going to work, and  few comments about some changes and other things I think are important to mention.

Now if your too lazy to read this big block of text, there is a summary near the bottom entitled "Summary". 

RP Rules, Regulations, and mostly Notes.

First off, unlike last game posts will not be in "rounds", this means that you don't need to wait for everyone else to post before posting again, this will allow for conversations and make the overall story smoother. However, you may not do things that fall under the decision of the GMs (changing locations, etc.) It will also mean that after a time if you have said nothing it will be assumed that your character had nothing to say, and the story will move on.

That said however, please post. If you feel its appropriate that your character not talk once in a while that's great, but the game is a lot more fun if everyone posts regularly and often. Obviously we can't enforce this but please trust me, games where the action keeps going are amazing. 

When you post, please say more than four words, we don't need an essay (though those are cool too,) but a sentence or two is great.

There are two almighty beings planning and posting for this RP, please be aware that we might get confused or mix something up. Mistakes happen to everyone.

If you have a problem tell us. We might not be able to fix everything but we'll try our best. This RP will be a lot better if no one has any huge issues with it.

Outside of this game we do have lives, as meager and pathetic as it is sometimes. Meaning there will be times I (and I imagine everyone else) will have something (in Contemplator's case, calculus) get in the way of the RP. Thats fine, it's life we'll deal with it and hopefully move on. Delays happen to everyone.

If there are parts where people stop posting completely or their characters have serious issues and nothing happens or changes, lightning bolts will strike them down, or if that doesn't work deadly cups of water will be used instead.

Gm's will each be playing a kind of guide character; 

Contemplator: Mr.Free, and

Youmu Konpaku: Elena.

We will each be posting for all the other NPC's but whoever posts for them may change.

All of the rules (except this one) are not absolute, if you feel it fits your character to ignore some of these rules then do it. If your charcter see's thier entire loved family cut down in front of then and can only scream (thereby hving  post of less than 4 words), thats fine it makes sense. These rules are for the most part really only suggestions. If they get in the way of what or how you want your character to be or act ignore them. just please make sure it makes sense to do so first.

Summary (at least read this):

-Unlike last game posts will not be in rounds.

-Please Post.

-Please post more than 4 words (and that doesn't mean post 5 you pedantic ...) essays aren't required but some depth is nice.

-There are 2 GM's, be aware this might cause some confusion at some point.

-Problem with something? Tell us! We'll fix it. (Probably).

-Character and player problems will be fixed with lightning bolts or deadly cups of water.

-Life in general and Calculus in specific are stupid.

-Gm's will each be playing a kind of guide character and the NPC's of course.

-Please be reasonable with your posts and actions.

-I'm not going to say have fun, fun shouldn't need to be in the rules, it should just happen.

-These rules and our posts are not absolute.

Finally we GM's have done some very open broad planning for the RP. This is to give you all a choose your own adventure game. That said if your characters feel like joining the enemy side and thereby destroying the only part of the plot we actually have set in stone, that's fine, we'll come up with something else, that's our job. Still if your actions don't make sense or you can't explain why you suddenly switched sides, we will create a horribly convenient earthquake or a teleport through space and time in order to achieve some kind of normal that makes sense.

- Contemplator and Youmu

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The story of the land of Renascentia is one that is truly interesting. The world is diverse; populating its landscape are rolling green hills, lush, verdant forests, plains that stretch ever onwards, towering mountains, and cruel tundras. The residents of this world are one with the land. Their resilience has led them to find ways to settle, live, and thrive in all of the landscape which the world offers, each in their own ways.

The bustling cities of the world advance greatly, making great strides in science and technology, going hand in hand with magic. It is thanks to the cultural acceptance of magic worldwide that the strange blend of the two has led humanity to develop remarkable devices unlike anyone has ever seen.

Both the rich and the poor thrive in their own ways. The strong occupy positions of power in governments and companies, while the poor will often turn to the blade, or the gun, or the bow, or whatever other weapon that humanity has found itself able to create. They join the government armies or mercenary groups, armed with these weapons with power which was previously thought impossible. But with magic and technology working hand in hand, the development of said devices was unavoidable. What lies outside of the cities is a divided mess, split up into sections with those who side with the balance of the world, and those who have chosen to tip the scales, be it for better or for worse.

Even then, the will of the people has determined that the balance will be maintained. But how long will this remain true? That’s for you to decide. This is the land on which you live. Will you uphold the balance? Or will you tip the scales, bringing about radical change? The choice is yours.

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...st recent attack is the fourth in as many weeks, and though no leads have yet been found, Chief Detective Joe Gumshoe promises to bring those responsible to justice by the end of the week. In other news the local combat school Moonvale..."

You groan waking up, and looking around your room. Your radio alarm is still blaring away in the corner, the time on it reads 8:00 am. Sunlight streams in steadily through the open window, looking out you can see clear Asuna skies with only a few faint clouds. Remembering you have a sparring exam today at 10:00 at Moonvale Combat Academy, you get ready to leave.

(First arc OP - Valkyrie)

[Contemplator]

Welcome all, let it begin.

[Youmu Konpaku]

I woke up, yawning to the sound of my alarm. Today's the day. Exam day! Fun.

I stretch my back and look over to the corner of my room, where my partner, Kristal, stands. Or uh... not really stands, I mean... ah, whatever. Verbs. Not important.

"Morning, Kristal!" I greet him with a cheery voice.

"Morning, Elena."

"Today's exam day, you know."

"Yeah, yeah it is."

"You're not talking much. You ok?"

"As ok as a sentient crystalline bow can be. Besides," he adds in a gruff voice, "I'm not a morning person. You should know this by now. How in the name of bloody hell do you get used to this? I'm telling you, it's unnatural to be that... cheery in the mornings."

I simply responded by sticking out my tongue at him. I got out of bed, and changed into my usual clothes; an ash coloured shirt and blue jeans. I stop to take a look at myself in the mirror, fixing my hair. I take another look at myself, and it must've been for longer than I intended, because Kristal took notice.

"Elena? What are you doing?" He asks me, sounding somewhat concerned.

"Just wondering... how do you think I would look if I were to dye my hair Asuna?"

"Girl, what in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" He replies with complete confusion.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," I respond with a giggle. "Now come on, let's go!" I pick up Kristal and put him on my back, and walk out of my dorm towards my class. Maybe I'll meet up with some of my classmates along the way! Not that I know any of them... but still! 

"To adventure!" I exclaim, raising my arm to the sky, possibly waking up a few people in the dorms next to me. Whoops...

From behind me, I could almost hear Kristal with a flat, unenthusiastic, "Yay..." He likes to ruin the fun sometimes. Don't mind him.

[Primusa]

"The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”


- Revelation 13:1-4


I woke up to the tugging of something large on my web; judging from the vibrations, it appeared to be coming from outside to the west. I was sleeping in a large hole in the ground, suspended in a web cocoon above the bottom of the pit with bits of web connecting it to the rock sides and the ceiling (which was also web). I had set up a network of webs throughout the forest surrounding the pit going from tree to tree, all connecting back to the web ceiling (and eventually my cocoon) so that I could instantly feel the presence and location of any intruders. Being the chosen prophet of the God of Insects, Arthria, definitely had its benefits. However, it also had its downsides... Much to my chagrin, the god in question had insisted on sleeping with me in the cocoon, despite my offer of spinning her another one. I promptly shook her awake, and her very dark eyes opened. She then proceeded to cling onto my body forcefully and hit my chest, saying: "Idiot, don't you know it's bad manners to wake me up!" I said with much annoyance: "There's been a disturbance in the web that I would like to investigate, and I can't exactly do that with you clinging onto me, now can I?" The avatar Arthria had chosen to follow me around with was that of a pre-teen girl with very dark and straight hair stretching down to her shoulders; in contrast to her hair and eyes, she wore the same green and yellow clothing that I did. Yes, I was stuck with an annoying brat with loli-tsundere aspects to her personality, but I have a hunch that it was all an act designed to annoy me. She calmed down and said: "Alright, let's check out this disturbance you felt".

I transformed my mouthparts into those of a spider, and chewed my way out of the cocoon, with Arthria following closely behind me. Transforming my lower body into that of a spider, I crawl out of the pit after chewing through the ceiling. Arthria rides on my back, due to her being unable to use any abilities beyond that of an ordinary human while using her avatar, which was only designed to keep an eye on my progress. All the while, I make sure to keep the source of the vibrations in mind. I sprout beautiful butterfly wings and fly towards the source of the vibrations. Upon arriving at the scene, I see a pilgrim trapped in the web, about to be eaten by a giant spider. I fly down with the grace of a bird, and say: "In the name of Arthria, God of Insects, I command you to leave this man be". The spider immediately flees the scene, disappearing into the darkness of the forest canopy. The man is filled with reverence, and says: "Thank you, what is your name?" I reply: "I am Ezekiel Faust, Prophet of Arthria". The man takes hold of my hands and says: "I am forever indebted to you for saving my life, and I will now follow your patron god for the rest of my days". He disappears into the distance, ready to continue his wandering ways. Arthria rushes to my side, lets out a wicked cackle and says: "These idiots are just too easy to trick, aren't they Ezekiel!" It was true, I was the one who called the spider to his location, and he was caught in a web that I spun in the first place. Never mind that though, I had an exam to get to. Considering it was around 8:00 am, I still had ample time to make it to the sparring area on time if I flew. I then set out into the Asuna colored skies on moth wings, headed for the city close to my temporary forest hideout.

[Contemplator]

Mr.Free woke up to silence. Most people woke up when they're alarm started making sound, Mr.Free... well... Mr.Free wasn't most people, even on a bad day.

Groaning and getting up as his music box started playing Radioactive, he glanced at the calendar, the date was noted by big asuna coloured letters. 

Wolf, was it that time of the year already? Getting out of his den, he jogged over to the academy. Once inside the spectator stadium that would be hosting the 4th and 5th year's sparring exams, he looked over the pairings sighing. It was the same as last year one on one pairings between people  around the same level, where was the fun? The excitement?

Then an idea hit him, chuckling to himself he started writing down new combat sets. Yes, this would be a lot more interesting to see.

[Oneal812]

All I could hear when I woke up was blaring sirens. I stayed lying in my bed with my eyes shut but could still see the red and asuna lights from the police flashing throughout the room. For it to be that bright from all the way outside it still must have still been dark out. If I had to guess it couldn't have been much past 5:00 am. Most people would be upset at being woke up this early, but I like to see it as an opportunity to get some extra work in. Most of the criminals in this city are lazy and stay asleep till noon giving me plenty of time to get a kill in before they wake up. I mean, mid day assassinations just never end well. You sneak up on the guy to kill him and then he tuns slightly to the left and you miss the vitals and all of a sudden they are screaming and flailing and there is blood going everywhere! The worst part is that I have to stay there after to clean up the blood and get rid off all the evidence. Sometimes I get so tired after the ordeal that I just end up passing out at the scene. Its not very fun. As I finally get out of bed and manage to get my eyes open I come across a sudden realization.

"This isn't my room."

It was at this point I noticed the body's on the floor and decide it would be a good idea to not be here when the cops get in. Climbing out the window I use the fog to create a dense covering near the woods. With how dark it was they were definitely not going be able to see me even if the fog is spread a bit thin. Well, on the bright side of things this day cant get much worse from here! 












I have an exam today.

":C"

[Touch of Ruin]

Seras woke up to her alarm clock and casually pulled her M9 out from under her pillow, blasting the clock to pieces. She then rolled out of bed and pulled another identical alarm clock out of her closet from a pile of what must have been a hundred others. Seras then looked at her watch and smiled, today was sparring day, and sparring could mean anything from hand-to-hand to "sparring" which meant just don't kill each other... to much. Picking up her beloved sniper rifle, Seras quickly fitted a medium range scope and bipod onto it. Turning around, she grabbed a few ammo packs, her energy blade, and her pistol holster. After slipping each object into the designated slots on her belt, she slung her rifle over her back and began the walk down from her shack nestled deep in the woods.

She liked it out in the woods. It was quiet, away from people, full of animals and beautiful plants, away from people, large and and non restricting, away from people, a good firing range and most of all, away from people. Seras cared little for most people and had managed to make very few friends in her life time. Not that she needed many of course. But she had met a few people at Moonvale combat school that she didn't COMPLETELY hate, so that was progress.

Speaking of Moonvale, what an academy it was. Full of people, some of whom were a little tolerable, and many of which were destined to be great warriors. Many of the students had apparently come from poorer backgrounds and that gave them a sort of bond she supposed. After all, it was a lot harder to steal bread from someone who knew how to steal bread themselves. So there were many games of thievery between the students. All in good fun of course, until someone died. Thankfully that didn't happen... to often.

Lost in her thoughts Seras continued the journey to the academy with a slight smile on her face.

[Youmu Konpaku]

In the midst of a large group of students you enter the giant arena that has suddenly sprung up where Moonvale School used to be, through one of the many entrances.

As you step inside lights turn on dramatically one after another showing a giant dome, sand covering the bottom, while up top you can see rows of bleachers crowded with younger students and family members chatting quietly with each other, vendors walk the isles selling all sorts of cheaply made yet extremely expensive food. To your right in the middle of the bleachers stands a heavily shielded and walled off area behind which the teachers seem to have gathered, most of the teachers look vaguely annoyed and keep glaring at the center of the sandy floor, where a sphere, 20 meters in diameter sits. Suddenly the surface of the sphere lights up and Mr.Free's face appears on it, grinning. Suddenly, giant speakers pop up all along the sphere and Mr.Free's voice booms out, quieting the crowds above as Asuna coloured lights sweep the arena below.

"Hello competitors, audience members, and welcome to MR. FREE’S BADASS ARENA OF BADASSITUDE! I am the wolf-man himself, your physical combat instructor, Mr.Free, and today I'll be your MC for this event, the Senior Final Exam!"

"The goal of this exam is simple, show that you know what you’re doing, and fight! You do not need to keep fighting to prove yourself, fighting to the brink of death is stupid and you will be docked marks, furthermore if you go past that and actually die, you will fail this exam. Remember everyone, the rules are simple, no killing, or permanent dismemberment, though, if somehow you do die you weren't going to make it far in life anyway."

"Our combatants today," he adds, "should not prove to be disappointing! In the north side of the arena, Seras Theta! In the east side, Virgil..." he paused for a moment, seeming very confused. In a whisper that was still audible to the arena, he adds, "How the hell do you pronounce that...?" After a few seconds of awkward silence, he continues, "Ham...bar...zam? Screw it, Virgil Whatshisface! In the south side, Elena Thompson! And last but not least, in the west side, Ezekiel Faust!" The crowd resumes its cheering for a moment, before Mr. Free's final addition.

"Finally, the previous exams consisting of equal match ups are boring, and though my colleagues disagree, I locked myself in the command booth so I DECIDE THAT I AM RIGHT! Now the new pairings are simple... FREE FOR ALL!!!! 3-2-1 GO!!!"

As the students turned combatants stare at the sphere in shocked silence, music starts playing from the speakers, in accompaniment to the deafening cheers of the crowd.

[Primusa]

Coming into the arena, I reflected on the fact that it was the first time in two years I had actually set foot in the school. Not much had changed really, and Mr. Free still seemed as insane as ever. Although I was still technically a student the entire time, I was away on a period of "Individual Studies" which began as a personal quest to gain strength and ended with me traveling the world and gathering followers as a prophet. I honestly had no intention of returning for my final exam before Arthria pointed out that it would be an excellent opportunity to gain public exposure, and thus more followers faster. But I suppose it would be an excellent opportunity to test my new abilities on the strongest humanity had to offer. After all, if I couldn't kill even the strongest humans easily, how could I hope to kill a god? Before becoming a prophet, I was certainly a formidable foe, but I still stood no chance against the so called S-rank students. They were on a level completely different from everyone else. The question was, had I gathered enough followers to surpass or even stalemate with them? Before entering the fight ring, Arthria says to me: "Let's hope you do well". "Don't hope, because you made me your prophet, you must be sure that I'll do well" I retorted. She starts shifting uncomfortably and says: "It's not like I made you my prophet because I like you or anything". I can't help but cringe at this development. She abruptly drops her act, switches to an extremely harsh tone and says: "You better not disappoint me". With that, I stepped into the ring and quickly surveyed my opponents. It appeared that there were two assassins using firearms across from me and to the left of me, and one archer using an Asuna colored bow to the right of me. Considering that the archer would be slower at firing shots than the other two, I decide to quickly take her out first, then deal with the other two. Resolving to take her out of her combat comfort zone, I use grasshopper limbs to quickly jump across the arena at high speed while trying to impact her, and transform my forearms into large wasp stingers midair to use as weapons in close combat.

[Contemplator]

OOC: okay everyone remember we're not doing rounds this time, so you don't need to wait for us GM's to post before posting again. Feel free to fight to your hearts content, and when your feeling satisfied let us know and we'll continue with the plot, based on how well you do in this exam.

[Oneal812]

I can already tell I am going to mess up this exam. It really isn't my fault in the first place so I shouldn't be that upset with it. I suppose I could just hide and pretend to stab them in the back. Either way it seems I need to come up with a backup strategy. It seems like the bug is going after Elena first which just leaves me and Seras. I never saw him at the school so I can only guess he doesn't know all of our abilities and weapons. If he did I would probably be being stabbed with giant wasp stingers. After all, the only things I have are a knife and some fog that can only do things with dead or dismembered people. TOO BAD THE ONLY RULES IN THIS EXAM ARE NOT KILLING OR DISMEMBERING. The only thing I can do right now is use Seryu (OOC Yes it's called Seryu now, deal with it) to hide and wait for an opening. Hell, if I could team up with Seras I bet she could put some non lethal holes into people. That in itself is a risky move. Any way you look at it there is no guaranteed safe route to go with this. Guess it's time to watch and... OH LOOK AN ASUNA BIRD OH MY GODIAHFJIOSJFAJOF. 

.

[Youmu Konpaku]

Huh. Mr. Free really went all out. I got to hand it to him, this is pretty awesome! Mr. Free always has been one of my favorite teachers. He had good taste in music, and he pulled stunts like this despite all of the other teachers not thinking it was a good idea. I'll miss the guy when I graduate.

But back on topic, Mr. Free had just announced... a free for all...?
















Awesome. This'll be a blast. 

I had seen both Virgil and Seras before, but I don't remember this Ezekiel Faust guy. I don't think I recall ever seeing him at school, but that doesn't matter now. There was now a battle to fight.

I had contemplated on who to go after first shortly before the fight began, but it seemed that the newcomer had chosen to go after me first. Yay, I'm popular?

But what was unsettling is that he... grew grasshopper legs and wasp stingers. Is this guy for real? I've never seen a power like that... but, I suppose it's a fair fight, since he doesn't know about my powers either. He had probably thought I was vulnerable because I came in with a bow. But I've got my own surprises too.

"Number 7!" I commanded, and on cue, Kristal had taken the form of a large Spartan shield in his familiar Asuna color.

It didn't take long before an impact would occur. In an attempt to counter, I waited until just the right moment before the impact, where I swung my shield towards him, aiming to meet his attack with a shield bash.

This is going to be a fun exam.

What'll happen next?

[Primusa]

The impact of the shield knocked me back on the ground and completely countered my attack, causing moderate pain. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty to underestimate this opponent. It appears that she has a rather diverse arsenal considering that the shield was only "Number 7". However, I think she'll find that I have a rather diverse arsenal of my own. I can't afford to mess around with her for too long because I can see that the East side of the arena is fogging up, and I'm not sure what the south side assassin is planning yet. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience fighting shield-wielding foes from my past as a melee bruiser. The biggest problem with shields is that although they are extremely effective at deflecting attacks often inflicted by swords, they are extremely bad and can often be a liability when facing powerful, direct mace and hammer attacks. The reason for this is that many shields made of wood will simply shatter when facing such an attack, and when they are made of metal or harder substances, the force of the blow can often break the shield-wielder's knuckles. Thus, I recover quickly, change my arms into those of a Mantis Shrimp, and proceed to land a direct impact on the shield.

[Youmu Konpaku]

My opponent had made a quick recovery, much faster than I anticipated. With that, his arms had changed again, into the arms of another creature that I had never seen before. This time, I had underestimated him. Even when I blocked his attack, it was much more powerful than I had anticipated, forcing me back a few feet and sending an intense pain down my arm.

"Elena!" Kristal called out to me from within my mind.

"I'm fine. Got an idea. Whip. Now." My opponent hadn't seen the full extent of my abilities yet.

Kristal seemed unsure but he followed my command anyways, as he transformed into a long whip which I transferred over to my good arm. Using my true power, I placed a "singularity" of light at the tip of the coil. I can make light act as it naturally does, but I can also force large amounts of energy into one place. When I will it to, it will scatter, exploding with a flash of bright light and a burst of thermal energy.

With my projectile in place, I lash out at my opponent with the whip, forcing the singularity to scatter upon hitting my target.

[Touch of Ruin]

Seras looked to the other side of the arena and smiled. She had been there longer than the others and recognized the strange powers of Mr Ezekiel Faust. Elena was going to have a tough fight on her hands. Suddenly, fog drifted into her view and she looked over to Virgil. The poor kid was freaking out over a bird, but Seras knew he was extremely deadly when he actually wanted to fight. Unfortunately, all of his abilities involved killing people, so here he wasn't much use. Unless... Having an idea Seras ran towards him and quickly projected her voice forward toward him.
"Hey Virgil lets help each other. Ill put holes in people and you control them alright?"
Not waiting for an answer Seras shouldered her rifle and sprinted to medium range from Faust and Elena before opening fire with her RSASS aiming at non lethal spots on their limbs.

----------------
OOC: Ari told me I was allowed to shoot holes in people as long as they didn't die.

[Primusa]

This time around, I was ready for the attack from my opponent and quickly shifted into a crab to shield some of the impact. I was blown back a few feet by the explosion from the whip, but much of the impact had been shielded by the crab armor. Just then, I got shot in the leg from the side causing intense pain. "Arrgggh, damn it" I said as I shifted back to human form. I was negligent, spent too long fighting the bow-wielder and as a result lost track of the others in the ring. Who does this asshole think she is, intruding on my 1v1? While the assassin's attention was turned to my "bow" wielding opponent, I covered the wound with spider silk to stop the bleeding. While the injury wasn't as serious as it could have been because of the crab armor, the bullet penetrated at least a quarter of the way through my leg, rendering it unusable for the rest of the fight, not that I couldn't work around that. Time to change tactics. "Truce" I shouted to the bow-wielder, knowing it wouldn't make sense to decline considering the other two could be aligned now. I sprouted butterfly wings from my back, changed my remaining limbs into large scorpion stingers filled with nonlethal venom and flew at the assassin intending to strike.

[Youmu Konpaku]

My opponent had changed once more and grew crab armor, absorbing the hit, but I had managed to create some space between the two of us once more. Just as I was about to follow up, Seras begins firing rounds at the two of us, one of which hits Faust in the leg, and one lodging itself into the same arm that took the hit from the shield.

"Fuck!" I hissed once the bullet had hit my arm, just below the shoulder. Luckily it hadn't gone all the way through, or I would've been in serious trouble.

"Elena! Are you alright?"

"I've had worse."

So, it would appear that Seras had intruded on the 1 on 1 I was having with Faust. Put all the fun in camps, why don't you?

Considering how Seras ran towards Virgil, still hiding in the fog, and came back out unscathed, I can only assume the two are now working together. Faust had called a truce, but I'm not if he has any intentions of actually us teaming up against the two. If not, we might be at a disadvantage. He never explicitly said to team up, but I suppose I'll support him for the time being.

He was making his way for Seras now. To ensure his strike would land, I focused a bright beam of light on Seras's face to blind her. 


No one ruins my 1v1 and gets away with it.

[Oneal812]

Well that kinda just happened, I didn't even participate in that. It was cool though. It seems that I am teaming up with Seras now, which was nice. She also managed to shoot two holes that are large enough for Seryu to do things! It was kinda a dick move even if it is helping me. I mean, aren't we all going to be on a team after this thing? I think getting a gaping hole shot into your arm would cause some friction among team members. Anyway, I should stop standing still and thinking and participate in some way. It looks like Elena and Ezekiel are a bit upset about having their MLG PR0 1v1 on rust broken up and are both trying to murder my new found team member! Despite the fact that I can't use the full extent of this power I can at least provide support for Seras. Moving the fog as fast as I could I began to thread it through the holes. They are not big or deep enough for full control over the limb but I can at least trip up Elena to mess up her giant asuna flashlight and keep that butterfly on the ground. After fully threading Seryu through the holes I command it to pull the limbs toward the ground.

[Touch of Ruin]

Seras smiled as she saw Faust cringe and turn on her. Sure, he was gonna be pissed at her. But hey, if you aren't aware of all your enemies then you will wind up dead. Suddenly a bright light flashed in her face and she cursed loudly, covering her eyes and sending out a sonar pulse to locate the two. Feeling Faust come in fast she prepared to dodge to the side. Then something strange happen. She "saw" both opponents smack into the ground. It seemed Virgil had been able to finally attack, which was wonderful. As soon as they hit the ground the light stopped, which was also nice.  Drawing her knife, Seras slammed the ground with a sonic boom which vibrated through the cracks in the arena floor and hopefully giving her opponents a rather bad headache. Smiling back at Virgil, she projected her voice and thanked him before running towards her opponents in an attempt to end this quickly. Standing over Faust, she turned her knife to stun and swung down aiming at his throat.

[Youmu Konpaku]

It seemed that Virgil had finally started to do things, starting with directing my light beam away from Seras and pulling Ezekiel to the ground. Seras also creates a sonic boom which briefly stumbles me and leaves my ears ringing for a bit.

Over to where Ezekiel is, Seras is aiming for a melee attack. Now having fought Ezekiel, I can say that this will be... interesting, let's just say that.

Now, since Ezekiel's probably got something up his sleeve, I should work on doing something about that fog. 

With my arm (sans holes), I channel my light through Kristal into the fog, revealing Virgil's silhouette. With my target sighted, I order Kristal to transform into a hand cannon, and fire a large concussive blast at him.

Haven't you heard the newest sensation sweeping the nation?

Bitches love cannons.

[Oneal812]

I may have made a mistake in doing that. On one hand Seras is safe and is in a good position. On the other hand, I'm getting shot by a giant concussive force. I manage to move fast enough that the main force of the blast only hits my left arm. That being said, I can't feel my left arm any more. It's definitely broken, if not worse. If I don't act soon I'm going to be out of this thing. You know what, this is stupid. This exam is just all of us trying to kill each other with out actually killing anyone. I was assuming at least some of these people would go SOMEWHAT easy on each other. After all, we are all from the same class. Hell, there are people watching and enjoying this! I guess it's true then. This isn't just stupid. 

"This is ADVANCED STUPID." 

I want to get this over with fast and see if there is anyone in the audience I can kill later for kicking puppies or something. I begin to spread Seryu thin over a large portion of the arena. I'm not remotely hidden any more but stealth is no longer part of this fight. I'm going to regret this plan later, but hell, if it gets me through this I'm willing to do anything. I cut off a long strip of my jacket and old it in my mouth. I can't feel my left arm right now anyway, so this should end fine. I stab my knife into my left arm making a large hole all the way through. I then put the knife in the palm of my left hand and use my right hand and mouth to secure it with the cloth. Running Seryu through the newly made hole I use the fog link and my normal running speed to charge at Elena. The fog's speed is at least double my own and will increase my speed to that level. Sadly this will only effect my left arm as its the only thing with a proper hole in it and I really do not feel like cutting my self up any more. It hardly matters if the rest of me is linked anyway. As long as I can keep the fog around us, I will definitely have the advantage on speed and endurance. After all, Seryu is doing all the work now. Hope she has some fun.

[Youmu Konpaku]

It would appear that the shot has found my target, and there's Ezekiel's only possible interference taken care of. That being said, aren't we going to all be on a team after this? What a way to introduce each other, via the old fashioned way of beating the crap out of each other and/or putting holes in each other. This sounded like an interesting idea at first, but I'm not sure if Mr. Free intended it to go this far.

Aw hell, who am I kidding. He probably saw this coming, and thought it would be more entertaining that way. Just then, I can hear "Advanced stupid" from Virgil's side of the arena. At this point, he's damn well right. With the medical equipment we have at the school, it wouldn't take very long to heal these wounds but still, what was he thinking? "Nothing says hello quite like a broken arm?".... I'm willing to bet any amount of money that that's the case. 

However, now Virgil was running at me with his knife, which appeared to be secured by a cloth to his hand. This would mean he will not be capable of precise attacks, but then I notice the hole in his arm. He may be planning to speed up his strikes. With this in mind, I have Kristal transform into a Spartan shield once more to absorb his hits.

I already broke his arm. I should probably lay back, since I don't want him to hate me too much, seeing how we'll be working on a team after this.

[Oneal812]

It looks like Elena is prepared for just about anything with that magical Asuna bow. Luckily for me, she is going on the defensive now. From the look on her face she seems just as annoyed with this as I am. Maybe she feels bad about my arm? Still, I can't hold back the possibility that this isn't some sort of trap. I need to be careful with my next attack. That shield is massive and with my left arm being controlled only by Seryu, it only has speed and not the usual speed and precision that it would have if we both had control. I don't exactly know what Mr. Free considers passing in this exam. Maybe I am supposed to surrender, and this whole thing was really another hidden lesson about how there is other ways to solve problems then fighting and that we should all try to lead peaceful lives and lead the world to a better tomorrow! 



The more I think about it the more stupid I feel for even having the thought. Like Mr. Free would think of something that required a solution that wasn't hitting things. Now that I think about it, he made up the fact that this was a free for all in the first place. I have a feeling this entire exam is going to be off the record due to how many violations there are. In that case, I think I'll minimize damage and take a new approach to this thing. As I finally close the distance between me and Elena I strike the shield fast but lightly just to create some noise. There might be microphones somewhere in here and if Mr. Free heard what I say he would probably fill the arena with tigers just to keep the fight going. Hopefully she can still hear me over this. 

"So Elena, I assume you find this exam as counter productive as I do. Want to find a way to get this over with?"

[Youmu Konpaku]

Virgil hits my shield with... a surprisingly minimal amount of force. Just enough to make a clanging sound against my shield. I was confused for a moment, but what he said next blew my mind.

"So Elena, I assume you find this exam as counter productive as I do. Want to find a way to get this over with?"

Wait, he's sane? To a degree, at least? Good enough for me. 

As for my standing on this, I think I'll have to agree with him. We've effectively killed ourselves enough, and I have decided not to cause any further strain on our future teamwork. Picking up on why he had hit my shield with minimal force, I decide to adopt a similar strategy.

I transform Kristal into a longsword, and simply parry his blade to create another metallic sound through which to cover my voice.

"That would be nice. What do you have in mind?"

[Oneal812]

"That would be nice. What do you have in mind?"

It looks like I got that agreement. In order to stop this were going to need to get the others to cooperate. I'm not sure how we are going to do that, but I guess we will decide that as we go. Speaking of which, they have been over there for a while. Have they even moved? Eh, whatever, as long as we can get them to work with us it doesn't matter. Still creating noise with the fake sword fight we were having, I lay out the beginning of a plan.

"Let's wait for Ezekiel to counter Seras then intervene. I'll cover up the area with fog and you can make some flashy lights to make it look like we are still fighting. I'll get Seras to fire off some shots in order to cover up the sound and make it more realistic. We are going to need their help. That sound good?"

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