Matarael

Let's see... my family before myself were never big gamers. My grandparents in particular would cringe at the very mention of violence. However, the game that started my collection was Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Megadrive, which I got when I was 7. This was followed closely by Echo the Dolphin. I guess my folks thought that games involving creatures with names would be alright for my younger self, and from there it was a simple matter of convincing them that all games were similarly tame. Now my console collection spans a fair amount, all thanks to the antics of a fast, blue hedghog!

Alright, just for my own personal benefit, who else is painfully looking forward to this game?! For those of you less educated, Jump Superstars on the Nintendo DS will be a fighting game in much the same style as Super Smash Bros. yet featuring all your favourite Shonen Jump characters. Naruto, Goku, even Bobobo-bobo, duking out in all their splendour! I'd supply a link, but my pc isn't what it used to be :animeswea

Destis was walking to his temporary job, when he felt a commotion of energy by the subway station. He smiled, Shadow walkers always made such nice meals. As he reached the subway, his grin wavered. These were not Shadow walkers, they were something else, and there was a lot of them. Still, it must be worth a look. He quietly descended the steps into the darkness that engulfed the station at night, taking of his sunglasses as he went. Now he could see perfectly. As he neared the bottom, a pair of shadows from the light ahead made their way towards him. Reacting almost on instinct alone, Destis transformed into a bat and perched himself on a nearby pipe to see the newcomers. Suddenly, his vision started to fade. Such was the pain of being a bat. He squeaked, cathcing the echoes just in time to see the two figures turn sharply in his direction. [I] What the...[/I] he thought, [I]since when can humans hear ultrasound?[/I] The figures walked towards him, so Destis was forced to act. Flapping in a somewhat disorderly manner, he fluttered out of his hiding place, towards the sky that stretched out above him. The two gave pursuit with shocking speed, and Destis was soon flying at full pelt. [I]Hell, what's with these guys?[/I] He was cut short, as one of the figures sprang, forcing him to the floor. He felt his bones breaking in the vice-like grip of one of the people. "What is it?" "A bat." "Spying?" "It's a bat, how can it spy?" "Well, either way it's lunch." The talking figure opened what Destis could see were jaws, which loomed closer to him. There was a flash of purple light, and Destis forced himself into human form. "What the hell?" "A vampire, I thought they died out." Destis eyed the two attackers. They were quite muscular and tall, with what seemed like elongated teeth and nails. Probably just his imagination. One similar feature they had was snow-white hair. "Hey, I ain't the eating type." "Well then I suppose we'd just better kill you." One of the figures lunged at him, whcih Destis easily dodged. He reached into his coat, pulling out a long silver knife which glittered in the moonlight. The figure lunged again. This time Destis grabbed him by the neck, forcing him into the wall to his side. He plunged the knife into the wall just by his head, and turned to the second figure. "Unless you want your friend hurt, you'll answer some questions." The figure scowled, and said nothing. "What are you doing here." "That's not for you to know." "Suits me." He sliced through the skull of his friend like paper. [I]Silver was a werewolf's worst enemy[/I], he thought. That was probably what they were anyway. "You BAS****!" The second figure jumped forward, roaring. As he ran, a faint glimmer of energy rippled off him. He was transforming. [I]Can't let him do that.[/I] Destis reached once more into his coat, pulling out a Luger pistol. Old but efficient. With a blast that shook the very walls, he planted a silver bullet in the figure's head. "No problem" Destis said, twirling the pistol and smiling evilly to noone in particular. A commotion started up down the stairs.

It was getting late, and Destis was hungry. As he walked along the streets of NYC, he glanced at the passers by. Only a few payed any close attention to him, the paranoid ones. The ones that read up on the Shadow incidents. The ones that steer claer of him because his skin is too plae, or his teeth are too sharp. Destis sighed, he hated this part. Not that he liked the rest of the vampiric game he was forced to play, but he hated this bit in particular. He came up to an alleyway, cool and dark. As he watched, a dim glow lit the dark ever so slightly. As it died down, a thick wad of smoke poured out of an unseen source. This was his target. He walked into the alley. The man looked up, lowering his cigarette. "You the snitch?" "Not exactly." "What's that supposed to mean?" Destis looked at him from over his sunglasses. "It means I'm not here to give out valuable information. I am here to take your money, though." The man laughed bitterly. "You think you can take me, punk." "Oh, and I want one other thing." "Oh yeah? What?" "Your blood." Destis lunged, forcing the man into the wall behind him. The man grunted, but smirked, before attempting to force his fist into Destis' gut. Destis grabbed the arm, and twisted it behind the man. He screamed, but not for long, as Destis broke his neck with a sickening crunch. The man slumped to the ground. Destis sighed before kneeling down, and sinking his teeth into the mans neck.

[B]Name:[/B] Destis Borani [B]Age:[/B] 24 [B]Race:[/B] Vampire [B]Race Information:[/B] None needed, I think. [B]Description (Mundane):[/B] Quite a calous individual, Destis seems quite aloof to those who see him. He wears a long black coat and sports a pair of sunglasses. He also wears a black bandanna under his mid-length black hair. He does have a few friends where he works, but they are none the wiser. To them, he is just a witty, slightly gothic, character, who always provides decent conversation. [B]Description (True):[/B] Under his disguise, Destis is a hardened battle-fanatic, but still over-confident with his abilities as a warrior. His canine teeth do seem a bit sharper than average, but this is generally overlooked. His blood-drinking is only at night, and is kept secret, as he kills his victims after drinking their blood. [B]Occupation:[/B] Bartender at a Nightclub. He lives above his place of occupation, in a small apartment room without a window. Perfect! [B]Bizarre/Supernatural powers:[/B] Other than being able to drink blood without becoming nautious, Destis has the ability to transform in a selection of small, darkness-themed creatures, such as bats or snakes. However, this requires quite some energy and he can only keep the form for a small time. He also has the ability to move silently, and has pin-point accuracy as well as night vision. [B]Weapons/Possessions:[/B] He owns a rather over-sized pistol, the bullets of which have been specially made on the Black Market by melting down silver. This makes them very effective against both vampires and werewolves. He also has a small dagger crafted from silver, which has the same effect. [B]Background:[/B] Destis grew up in Italy, in a small town near Naples. He was bitten by a vampire when he was 13, and the change became obvious quite quickly. He suddenly became distasteful at sunshine (not great when you are living in the Mediterranian) and he could no longer use his parents silver-ware. When it became clear after he was found by the corpse of an old man, he was disowned from the family, and ordered to leave the country. So, he came to New York, where he wishes to both hone his skills, and stop others from suffering the same fate as he. [B]Misc. Information:[/B]

*OZ systems mobilise* Ki's Suit powered up, and the screen flashed into an activated stage. The OZ symbol glowed brightly on the screen, and the mission briefing suddenly materialised. A bored sounding technician droned through the cpeakers on a recording. *Good morning, Saito. As you know, an Egg carrier system has dropped through the Earth's atmosphere. Preliminary scanning shows a presence of Gundanium. Your task is to intercept the craft and capture the Gundam for OZ. You will be going with a squad of 5, your usual squad. Good Luck.* A click signalled the end of the transmission. Ki sighed, just another mission. Ki - All troops, sign in. OZ 1 - OZ 1 ready. OZ 2 - OZ 2, ready. Ki listened through his squad's prep. Ki - Any questions on todays mission? OZ 3 - Just one, sir. Ki - Yes? OZ 3 - What opposition will we be up against? Ki - Not that it matters, this is a free-for-all. Expect any number of enemy units. Destroy all who are not OZ. OZ 3 - Yessir. Ki - Anything else? Silence. Ki - Good. All units, prepare for launch. The air transport floor suddenly gave way, sending the Tragos units falling to the floor. Jet boosters engaged, cushioning the blow, but Ki still felt the crash shake through his very soul. Ki - All units OK? All - Yessir! Ki - Good. Let's move out! The platoon moved across a motorway, leading into a non-OZ city. Perhaps some demolition work was in order. The magnifiers in his helmet scanned the setting, looking for any supposed enemies. Ki - OK, let's move in. The Tragos' plodded forwards into the city, keeping to the walls. With blasters in hand, they looked surprisingly like an infantry squad on an espionage mission. The unit nearest the corner peeked around, before suddenly falling back behind the building. OZ 5 - Have sighted the target, sir. OZ 5 was a friend of Ki's, a woman known as Naomi. They got on quite well outside of work, but this was no time to be thinking about social situations... Ki - Good. Units, sweep the area. All - Yessir. The units moved around the buildings silently, their visual motors whirring, searching for the enemy. On his Nav, Ki noticed that all but one unit, 4, had reached the destination on the outskirts of the square in which the Egg had landed. Ki - 4, status report. OZ 4 - Sorry, sir. Have sighted enemy unit. Ready to engage...

Bastian opened one eye slowly and carefully. The cool night breeze felt good against his face. The stars gazed down on him thousands of little bright eyes, observing his every move. He stretched and jumped out of his hand-made hammock of silk, falling down several storeys before he grappled onto the wall of one of the two brick buildings that made up the alleyway in which he had slept that night. He clambered down the rough wall before his feet touched the cement floor of the street. He went over to a nearby dumpster and took out his belongings. A rucksack, which he slung over his back, and his coat. As he slipped silently out into the streets of NeoTokyo, he gazed upon the broken cityscape of a forgotten city. Old signs dotted the buildings that crumbled as the time past, lost, forgotten relics of a time when troubles did not plague the world. One particular sign caught his interest. It read [I]Z-Tech[/I], the arch-nemesis of all those like him, the Zoanthropes. [I]Tonight...[/I] he thought darkly, [I]tonight, I shall enact my revenge[/I]. He ran across the road, carefully avoiding the cars that zoomed along the motorway. As he reached the building, he searched it's metal frame for a window and, having selected one, proceeded to climb up. The window was fairly wide, but very strong, almost as if they had expected someone like him to break in. He pryed around the edges of the window with his long fingers until a fingernail caught inside the frame. Slowly, he levered the the window out of its hole and climbed into the complex. Inside was dark, not that that hindered him, and Bastian ran along the corridor with ease. Around the corner, a pair of guards where smoking and chatting about nothing in particular. Carefully, Bastian crept up behind them and, with great precision, smashed a pane of glass over their heads. They were knocked uncoscious instantly, and Bastain stepped over their forms to continue his journey.

Austris looked up from his unconscious prone position on the floor and stared at the arrow on the floor. He felt behind his head and grimaced. He attempted to charge a healing spell... "What the..." His spells didn't seem to be working. The image of his teacher appeared in his head. [I] "You idiot, you can't use spells in the Blackmoor."[/I] "Then, how was I doing it before?" Austris asked. [I] "Your body stored spell power from the real world. Now, it seems, you have run out."[/I] Austris cursed under his breath. "So... now what?" [I] "Don't worry. I have seen your skill with a blade and have left a little present for you."[/I] lightly unnerved, Austris looked around the surrounding area. "I can't see anything. Just the others, and the trees and...one hell of a big snake." [I] "Snake? Oh..."[/I] His mind was cut off by a snake-like tail crashing into the floor barely millimetres from his position. It was, in fact, the tail of a snake. A head reared up ahead of him. He tried to move, but a second crossbow bolt protruded from his leg. "*******" he cursed, before a mouth enclosed around him.

Austris rose above the camp, spreading white light around him for sheer effect. "I'll show you all what I can do..." He launched himself down to where the others were fighting. Nobody seemed to pay much attention to him, which he took as an insult to his size, so he charged up a nice big, impressive attack to get things rolling. Two short blades of light came out of his arms, and he adopted a fighting stance. He singled out a creature and charged straight towards in, dashing up as it reached out to grab him and slicing it in the neck from behind. The creature roared, and steam pored from the gaping wound. All acid which touched his light simply burned into nothing. Handy, that! he thought to himself. He looked across the camp with the time he had to spare and checked out the state of the others. "You've gotta be kidding." It was the same group from before, the group he had helped take out the crossbowmen on the roof. The female waska was unconscious, probably sleeping, but she seemed to have a habit of not being awake when he was around. He was shook from his thoughts by a shadow behind him, another monster. With a flash of light, his tail doubled in length and shone with beauty. A couple of the group were starting to show interest in his antics. About time. He flung his tail around the beast's neck and pulled it tight. The head melted instandly, leaving the body to writhe on the floor before dissolving. Now to get things interesting. He fired, without charging, a pair of bolts either side of him, piercing the flesh of two more creatures. he adopted his best cool-guy stance and turned to the others. "Need a hand?"

Austris kicked the corpse of another successful kill and it swiftly blew away in the wind. So many creatures, so little time. His thought was suddenly jolted by a gunshot in the distance. "What the..." Austris began running towards the source of the sound, but skidded to a halt as he reached the edge of a presipice. It was a long way down. Austris smelled blood on the wind and looked across the gorge. Figures moved amongst the trees quickly, as if unnerved by something. Austris tried calling to them. "Hey! Are you..." There was a rustle in the trees behind him, and he was forced over the side in a death-grip with one of the Moor's spider creatures. he was falling, and fast. All the time the spider was lashing at him with barbed fangs, but each time they were smashed out of the way by a bolt of white thunder. Austris yelled and, fist burning with sulpherous flames, thrusted his hand into what he guessed was the creature's eye. It screeched, and black smoke poured out of it. The ground was coming up fast. "Screw this for a lark." Austris burst from the spider's grip and shot up into the skies. As the spider hit the ground with a sickening crack, Austris smiled in victory. As it thrashed on the floor, Austris fired a flame down onto the soon-to-be corpse. A great white light, brighter than the combined light of the stars, filled the gloom for miles around...

Austris lifted his head from his pillows and looked around. [I]Strange[/I], he thought, [I]since when did I have wallpaper that looked like a swamp.[/I] He sniffed at the air. [I]Yuck! What is that?![/I] "Wouldn't you like to know." Austris leapt up, hand reaching out to grab the katana under his bed, but ended up hitting solid ground. He yelped in pain, and looked up at his attacker. It was, in fact his Psychology teacher again Ik'Maru. "Oh *****!" he said out loud, "I'm dreaming again." "No you are not, Austris. How else would you have that bruise on your hand." He paused whilst Austris pondered this. "This is, in fact, the Blackmoor." "The what?" "It's a mythical realm, full of danger and deciet." "Is this because I skipped school?" Maru laughed, "No. In fcat, it is quite fortunate that you didn't come to school. It has been a lot easier on my part." "So...why am I here?" "You are here to face a great evil." His face became deadly serious. "Something that dwells in this land is attempting to entre the real world, something that might destroy the universe as we know it. "You are one of my best students, though I never admit it, so I have chosen you to fight this evil." "But I can't fight?!" Maru interupted him, "Don't doubt yourself, I saw how you killed that Homak. Truly masterful!" Austris smirked in pride, "So, what do I do?" "North of here lies a castle, supposedly abandonned. In it dwells this evil. You must travel there and defeat the darkness that threatens to corrupt the land." Austris was about to set off when, "Be careful, Austris. Many beasts of awesome destructive power lie here. There are others here too, perhaps on a similar quest. Find them, you will be safer in numbers. "I will be watching you from the classroom. Good luck!" He vanished in the hazy swamp air. "Wait!" cried Austris, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of a terrible beast.

OK, guys, this is all superb! I'm actually quite surprised at the success of this RP. However, for the storyline to be somewhat adequate, we might need a few more players. So, just bare with me for a while. Thanks

Austris jumped where he sat as the Waska girl suddenly disappeared. Once he had calmed down, he then managed to use most of his energy to stand up. The alleyway was in chaos, blood streamed across every wall, and from several different sources. "Enough of this, I'm off." He forced his legs to move, and he proceeded out into the street. He kept along the walls for support, as he had not fully woken up yet. He stumbled over a bottle on the floor, but kept his balance. He mustn't fall asleep again. His Psychology teacher had the power to enter people's dreams whilst they slept, which explained his ruined fantasy earlier. Austris decided he wouldn't go to school today. He would say that he'd contracted sleeping sickness or something. And with that, he set off home. [CENTER]---[/CENTER] "Austris, where were you?" Austris' mother greeted him in the lobby. "You were out all night we were really worried." "Yeah, I'm ok." "Why arn't you in school?" Austris fumbled for an excuse. "I...err... fell on a broken bottle on the way there. They mage me come home so didn't get gangrene." His mother looked at him, only half believing his story. "OK, then, there are some spare bandages in the bathroom cupboard." "Thanks." Austris hobbled up the stairs to the second storey, where he intended to sleep all day.

Austris liked to dream. His rampant imagination ment he could change anything he wanted in dreams just by wishing it. Therefore he was always conquerer of the universe. [I] "Mr. Luvernicus, sir." "What is it? Stop wasting my time." "There is a man here who wishes to see you." "What does he look like?" "He's a Kiro, quite smartly dressed, he want's to talk to you about some sort of appointment." "Tell him I'm busy." "But... he insists." "Tell him!" The Kiro aide ran from ther room for fear of Austris' legendary wrath. As he closed the door behind him, Austris could hear the sound of raised voices, and of a clash of metal on metal. Another assassin, he thought to himself with a smile. Another chance to prove his superiority. Suddenly, the door was flung of it's hinges with a great crash, and a tall Kiro came into the room, totally out of the ordinary, carrying a huge hammer. "Austris, living it up as always, I see." His face looked somewhat familiar. "What's it to you?" "It is to me that even in your dreams you cannot have the skills to defeat me, and therefore be excused from lessons." "Huh?" The Kiro suddenly charged swinging his hammer down to Austris' head. Quick as a flash, Austris dived to the side, and started to charge up a spell. But before he could finish it, he looked up into the face of the Kiro, a very powerful fire spell in his hand. "Now get your *ss over here before I permanently remove it from your body!" He fired.[/I] ****, Austris thought, I'm late for school.

"Wahh!" Austris and Lo were making good time, until Austris nearly tripped over the body of a Waska. "What the h*ll?" "A Waska!" Lo said in awe. Few people of this city had seen a Waska, except the guards and Austris' parents, who saw them often in visions. "Get used to it, there are plenty around." Austris studied the body with a mixture of sympathy and contempt. She was badly hurt, it looked like nearly evry bone in her body was broken, and several bolts stuck from her side. "Is she..." "No. Just badly hurt." "Who would have done such a thing?" Lo's question was answered by the arrival of a figure on the roof where they presumed she had fallen. His sword was bloodied, and he was quite large in stature. A Homak. "Get outta here, shrimps, don't you have school to go to?" "Not for a half an hour." Austris charged himself up, surrounding himself in a beautious light. From where he stood, the Homak saw him as an angel. Using another one of his party tricks, Austris levitated himself up to the Homak's level, an evil grin on his face. The Homak was stunned, his face rought with awe. However, he suddenly changed his mood, swinging his blade at Austris. "Take this!" There was an almighty flash, as bright as the Sun itself, and Austris flung himself high into the sky like a comet. Another flash and he rocketed down behind the Homak, grin still on his face. "B*stard!" With a yell, Austris sent his foot into the Homak's skull. It was thrown backwards, surrounded in a light which burnt it's flesh. With an explosion which shook the houses for yard around, the Homak was crished against the wall of another building, and fell to the floor in a heap of smouldering flesh. As gracefully as ever, Austris lowered himself to the ground. With hands outstretched, he cast a light over the Waska girl. She winced in pain but her wounds gently sealed up, and the arrows in her side evaporated into nothing. Austris lost his glow and sat back on the ground. "Better get to school." And with that, he fell asleep.

"Hahahaha!" Austris let his laugh ring across the dawn skies. "There is nobody who will take this city whilst I am here!" He stared smugly at the corpses of those he had already prevented from destroying his kingdom. Those Waskas would be around here somewhere, and once they were defeated, the world will be safe! Thanks to him, Austris Luvernicus! The greatest warrior in the world! "Hahahaha!" he laughed again. All shall here of his victory. "Hey, keep your voice down." Austris turned in surprise to see one of his friends from school, a Kiro named Lo'Withe. "Hey, Lo." Austris said before showing him his nights rewards. "These guys tried to get into the city, but I stopped 'em!" Lo looked rushed, and spoke as if he was too. "Yeah, whatever. Listen, do you know what time it is? School starts in a couple of hours." "Really?" said Austris, looking puzzled, "The morning's so dark." "I know, but the clocks can't be wrong." Austris looked up at one of the city's many clock towers. It was indeed a mere two hours to school. "D*mn! I'd better get breakfast." "There's no time. C'mon, we've got to go now." "But it's two whole hours!" complained Austris as he followed his friend up the hill.

Name: Bastian Junghen Age: 19 Gender: Male Nationality: Germany Beast Form: Spider Fighting Style: Quick and Efficient, very fast, weak attacks Appearance: About 5'11. Quite thin and wiry. He always dons a long, brown-leather jacket along with his black shirt and nondescript black pants. He has short black hair and a pair of unusual top canines, which are surprisingly long and thin. Personality: Bastian is very elusive, he doesn't give away much information. He wouldn't be described as lonely, as he dislikes the company of others. He tells himself that they are not worthy of his presence, but he knows that he just can't let anyone know what dark secrets he conceals, for it may kill him. Bastian keeps himself to himself, and always travels alone. Short Bio: Bastian was born and raised in Germany until the age 16, when it was discovered that he had the Zoanthrope gene. Though his parents would accept him for what he was, other people would generally stare at him, or avoid eye contact altogether. So, when he was able to drive, Bastian left Germany in search of Z-Technologies. He says he is attempting to find out who he really is, but also, deep down, he doesn't wish others to suffer as he has.

Now Austris had gotten results from his attack, he was systematically destroying every possible hiding place for what he could only assume was a Waska, based on it's incredible speed. Another bolt of white lightning fired from his outstretched hand, slamming into a shadowy gazebo outside a house, shattering it instantly. One of his teachers, who had been awoken on discovering that he had no roof called down into the haze. "Austris, what have I told you about using other people's property for target practice." "Sorry, Mr. Kengriff" The teacher retracted his head, and Austris calmed down. He turned to see the Kippor looking at him with critically. If there was one thing that set Austris off, it was being publically humiliated. "And what are you looking at?"

Austris was furious. Here he was attempting to regain his pride from his schoolmates and here was some Waska attempting to settle matters peacefully. Honestly! He was flung from his thoughts by a yell from the assembled group. "ON THE ROOFTOP!" Austris reacted immediately. If he couldn't gain his friend's admiration, he might as well gain that of a bunch of total strangers. He grasped at the powers stored within him, and unleashed a bolt of pure white light into his palm. The figure on the rooftop clutched at his eyes in pain. His other hand came up, similarly holding a ball of energy, and forced it at the figure on the rooftop. The ball flew in a blazing fire towards the enemy, obliterating the roof where he once stood. Yet he had somehow managed to avoid the blast, and was making his way across the rooftops. "What are you waiting for?" he cried at the other whilst regaining energy, "Get him!"

[COLOR=Navy]Kisho chose that moment to look outside. "Isn't that Jim from school?" Hiroshi looked up from his computer and at the two figures outside the Café. "I wonder who that other guy is, you think it's his dad?" Suddenly, the man's arm lunged out and gripped Jim by the throat. Kisho and Hiroshi gasped before turning to Mr. Saito. "Saito-san," screamed Kisho, "Jim's getting hurt outside." Mr. Saito jumped up from his desk and looked through the Café's main window. Jim was struggling now, his arms tugging at the shadowy figure's coat. Saito rummaged through his drawer again, before retrieving a large pistol. All residents now carried firearms (or all those competant to use one), and Saito seemed ready to use his. He ran outside, before aiming his gun at the figure's leg. "Hey! Let go of him!" He fired a warning shot, the sound of the explosion shaking the very sky itself. A few of the police looked outside, before brandishing pistols of their own and aiming them at the man. The figure let go of Jim, who ran to the safety of the Café. Nobody's eyes left the man, until another, larger explosion ripped through the evening silence. The police station suddenly burst into flames, and everyone was hurled to the floor. Kisho felt his mouth, and it came away red. He would have that mark for a while. He looked up, suddenly aware of the danger he was in, but the man had gone, leaving a desolated station behind him.[/COLOR]

Austris was calmly sitting in the wake of one of the city's bigger trees when the assassins arrived. He loved the night, he loved the way his white robe broke through it. It would take more than some black sky to get to him, he thought. He started humming his favourite tune to himself, as there was no-one around. Everyone was asleep. He felt like he was the greatest living creature alive. He could take on the entire world if he so wished. He climbed nibly to the top of the tree and stared down at the houses below. He let out a long laugh, piercing the night's silence. He was the greatest, nobody could oppose him. "Hey, Aussie!" Austris slipped from his branch and fell to the ground. His back hurt, but his dignity was in tatters! He looked up into the face of one of the city guards, looking down on him with hidden amusment. "You'd better get back to your home, I think some assassins are trying to get in." Austris got up off the floor and dusted himself down before the reality sunk in. "Wow! Really?" "Yeah. Two of the guards have been found dead outside the gates and, surprisingly, drained of blood." Austris grinned. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Now he would prove to those at school who doubted his power just how strong he could be! Before the guard could shout "Isn't your house the other way?", Austris had run down the street, craving a battle.

[COLOR=Navy]Kisho sighed as he watched Ami leave. The novel had ended even before the climax. Sham, it would have been fun. Still, there was always tomorrow. Then he wondered about Keitaro's part to play in this elaborate game of Cluedo. Perhaps one of her friends had died. Just goes to show that it could happen to anyone. He glanced at his watch, before running full pelt down the road to the Internet Café. "You're late, Tanaka-kun." "Very sorry, Saito-san" "It isn't like you to be late, Kisho. In fact, you normally turn up early to get more done in time." "I know, but I had some urgent buisness to attend to." Mr. Saito laughed at this. "Oh well, one in three hundred days isn't bad." SubZero was empty today. Whilst Mr. Saito rummaged around in the complaints drawer, Kisho looked sadly at the many computers not being used, the many browsers not being surfed. The fear of the people was too great to contend with. "Ah, here's one worthy of your expertise." He slipped on his reading glasses and read the rather scruffy Kanji. "Number 20 has a faulty server, it shuts down when you log on." "I'll get right on it!" Kisho hopped onto the stool by Computer 20. Next to him sat his schoolfriend, Hiroshi. "Kannichiwa, Takahashi-san." "Kannichiwa. What's up?" "Oh, nothing" Kisho felt it was best to keep this little adventure hidden for now. "What're you doing?" "E-mail doesn't work. Says something about an overloaded inbox on every computer. Thing is, it won't let me into the inbox in the first place." "Well, good luck with that." Kisho's computer showed the successful login screen, complete with little dancing anime mascot. "It's working fine." Kisho called back to Mr. Saito. "Hmm, never mind then." Kisho reached for the logoff button, but stopped as an unusual message in red appeared on the screen. [CENTER]TOO CLOSE...[/CENTER][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy] Kisho smiled as he watched Jim's slow descent into sleep. It was quite amusing. He then returned to his book. If there was one thing Kisho enjoyed doing, it was reading. Give him a book and he could be entertained for hours. He just liked books. Yet this time he was fuelled with the excitement of a murder mystery. It was very much like a novel, the four brave, young detectives, working on a case that could very well put them in real danger. He stifled a smirk at his own thought, and returned to his study. Time passed quickly that lesson, and Kisho followed the others out into the corridor. The end of the day brought with it a sudden sense of relief, followed by excitememnt at the task ahead. "Shall we get going?" asked Ami. Kisho figured Ami as the leader in this little group, having come up with the idea in the first place. "No time like the present." he added cheerfully.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][B]Stats[/B] Name: Austris Luvernicus Race: Lyc Age: 96 (the equivilant of about 16) Sex: Male Class: Mage Weapon of Choice: Rapier-style blade Brief Stat Description: Very fast with skill in basic light magic. Quite weak physically and doesn't pack much of a punch. [B]Appearance[/B] Eyes: A deep sea-green Hair: Light Grey Skin: Very pale, albino-ish Build: Quite small, but by no means fat Tail: Light Grey [B]Preferences[/B] Fav. Color: White Likes: Knowledge Dislikes: People of lesser intelligence Wears: Quite a basic white robe with gold lining, and the Kiro emblem on the front Bio: Austris, or 'Aussie' to his friends, was brought up in a large Kiro city, and thus became friends with the people he grew up with. He is the son of a much respected Lyc, who provides the Kiro government with sources of information concerning the Rebellion. This way, Austris grew up seeing the governmental way as the right way, as the downsides of the Kiro rule are kept hidden from him. He is quite intelligent for a boy his age, and heir to his father's position in the government, but this sometimes makes him a bit big-headed, and tends he to laugh in the face of those inferior to him. He is a skilled warrior, training on the larger beasts and insects on the edge of the city with a small, thin blade, which he mysteriously found one day in the woods, and has a concealed dark power. He therefore keeps it concealed from his parents. He has many friends in school, in which he is the only Lyc. [B]Side of Conflict[/B] He is an agent for the Kiro government.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]Kisho Tanaka walked down the hall to his next class. As he walked, he noticed Ami emerging from the bathroom, eyes red with sadness. Kisho almost went to talk to her, he boasted himself as a good listener to problems and concerns, but faltered in step and forgot the idea. There was no way he could muster the confidence to talk to a girl, it was his greatest weakness. His next class was English, so he strode into the classroom with a positive demeanor. He sat at his desk before turning to the boy beside him, his friend and co-worker at SubZero, Hiroshi. "Hey, you here about the murder?" he asked in a hushed voice. Although it was fine to talk about the situation freely, he felt uncertain at making this particular one public knowledge. "Yeah, this won't be good for buisness." Kisho nodded. He was referring to the murder down by SubZero, the most recent one yet. He had heard about it from Joiko, who he talked to occasionally. He was about to say something else before the teacher entered the classroom, commanding total silence.[/COLOR]