Futuristic Territory 6

White Masquerade · May 19, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Pendeji Plains --> Little City North Exit

Lahz Cho

Teetering as if hit by an invisible force, Lahz was stunned at the spray of rudeness. For people who came to save her, Kesi - er, Anubis was an ungrateful boar. Her comment of wanting to go to a bar after business finished warned her more to the disposition at her core. A quick draw to her clothes revealed something as well. While Lahz did like to show off a little skin, this Anubis girl - who could have been no older 20 - felt right at home showing more.

Barely anything there at all.

And she meant it in more ways than one. Eyes snapping forward, the twitch of the wolf gripped her attention as it dug its paws. Noticing it did not choose to move, rather, stayed put, Lahz surmised it must have felt its chances were bad with essentially 5 on 1. Animals knew these things instinctual, so it calmed her to know it felt better defending than going full frontal. Steeling and clenching her fists, Lahz seemed about ready to go when it gave a terrifying howl. Feeling the reverberations penetrate air, her shoulders shook. Squinting at the hound, Lahz tried to take a step but only moved an inch. Grappling with the fear of getting mauled by a dog, she was sure the world's nervatics would make her feel every bite. Really, it seemed almost silly they'd keep in something like pain, but sure did it keep people from doing stupid things...like staring wild animals down.

No. Come on. Cho. Get a hold of yourself. You're a Codebreaker! Buck up and get to it Lahz! You're the oldest here! Back straight and show them how to act! Be the good example. Now just move. Step by step. Doesn't have to be fast. One at a ti-

"You!" A voice shouted. "DorkenStein! Don't let me die. It would seriously put a damper on my day."

???

Lungs stuck in her chest, Cho spied Trouble donning a steel pipe with fire in her eyes. Gazing at the girl, she watched astonished as Trouble ran forth, bar raised with no hint of fear at all. Then, movement. The dog saw her too. It did not move ahead, but positioned itself for what she believed to be a counter.

Ohhhhhhh no.

Absentmindedly reaching out a hand, she instinctively called out,"TROUBLE!"

Un-hearing, the girl continued on and when the beast jumped, inexplicably cracked the weapon down with tremendous force on its open jaw. Her own mouth dropping aside, Lahz could see the hound was duly shaken as blood poured from its jowls. Bending low to the ground with an eye rolling around, she was taken at how Trouble stood bold.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!

Eh?

And overhead came a powerful light, she having to shield her brows to look up. Looking down from its trajectory she'd see it came from Yung Icarus. As a large arc of electricity sprung forward, his own arms tuned the same crackling shade. The sound of smash boomed even before her sight registered what went down. Gawking, as she turned her head to the Anubis, it was...gone. Lingering streaks of azure cut the air when time seemed to stand still. Turning toward Icarus, he looked surprised too. On him, to the crater, then to device floating in the sky, she pulled up Code Academy, verifying what class he was on the list of party. Deviant Artist. Reading through its main description, the words were apt.

You're kidding.

There were Codebreakers like this? Looking at each of her party's classes in turn, she for the first time went into detail of the paths of the Explorer.

WHAT!? I CAN HEAL!?

Shooting a look toward Anubis, exploring the Edge Lord she now understood how difficult she was to kill. A vast new world was opened unto her. Threading back to Deviant Artist, she nailed down the skill Icarus must have used: Perfection. No wonder the kid was so confident.

Level Up! You have reached level 2, Yung Icarus. You have received 1 stat point to spend anywhere you wish. Please take your time and choose wisely.

Level Up! You have reached level 2, Stein. You have received 1 stat point to spend anywhere you wish. Please take your time and choose wisely.

Level Up! You have reached level 2, Anubis. You have received 1 stat point to spend anywhere you wish. Please take your time and choose wisely.

Level Up! You have reached level 2, Trouble. You have received 1 stat point to spend anywhere you wish. Please take your time and choose wisely.

Level Up! You have reached level 2, Black Gold. You have received 1 stat point to spend anywhere you wish. Please take your time and choose wisely.

"We've got more company coming, though I'm not finding myself wanting to meet them. I'd say it's time to leave, no?" Moving focus from the status in her app, Cho thought, More company?

"You mean more dogs? There are more on the way? You can tell there are more of them?"

Ack. This quest would be harder than she thought. Considering the payment amount, she was not obliged to complain. This was what she signed up for. The quickest path to money for the galleries she wanted to set-up world-wide. In reverence to the father she lost.

Rodge, I swear. Promise. Promise to show the world you raised a talented little girl. Please forgive me dad. I almost forgot.

Falling quiet, lost in thinking, re-centering on why she began to Codebreak at all, it was only when Stein laid a hand to her shoulder did she melt back to the happenings of the virtual world.

"Are you going to be okay, Miss Cho?"

'...'

Waking and jerking around, "Y-Yeah, Stein. I'm fine. Just a little...overwhelmed is all." She smiled, appreciating the concern. Not quite sure what she was agreeing to when he then asked if any opposed, she'd say no, finally bringing thoughts back to the situation at hand. What he had said was definitely true, if there were more monsters on the way, then it was best that they left, but before, there was still something they needed to do. Eyes now on Anubis, it was a curious thing. Not just the dog that sat perfectly by her side, but the way Trouble walked over, patted it, then lugged it under her arm. Wondering what the hell she missed, Lahz put a hand towards her hip.

"So we have a dog now? After one of them just tried to kill us?" Not comprehending, she held the objection down for now, as the majority seemed to be cool. "Seriously? That thing is coming with us?"

Still incredulous, she shut her mouth seeing their new companion was seemingly set in stone. Sheesh. Fine. As long as it was going in the backseat then, where she wasn't going to be. Trouble held open car door for Anubis and Lahz gave Stein a snide look.

"Kids are out of control don't you think?" She muttered walking to the front of the car to get back in the passenger's seat.

Now She's Ours
Edge La

Filtering through their speakers of their APPS a very ecstatic voice filled the air.

"Well hello, hello! And buenas noches to you everyone! Look at you all especially strong today. Mm. Mm. I proud. Very proud. Ha! Not only because you managed to level, but because you managed to complete what I wanted you to do too."

In front of Anubis a big, wide request to join the guild popped up.

"The illustrious Anubis," she mused. "Is finally ours." In the background the master could be heard at a whisper talking to another likely standing by her side.

"You don't need to worry Anubis," she came back. "I'm an open woman. I don't discriminate. I adore animals and humans alike. You are welcome in this guild and so your pet will be too. You have quite the mouth though Kesi Kimura. It's not something I'm particularly against, but I would very appreciate it if you showed your new employer a little respect. Bearing in mind you're in the cross-hairs of somebody powerful. In essence, this guild is your protection. I paid a lot of money for info on you Kesi. I will be looking forward to the return. Though for now, you never mind that. I think payments are in order yes? Everybody should find the reward for this mission in your accounts. Anubis. You will receive 300 Kirito as a small welcome to the guild. Try to keep from causing trouble and I will make it sweet for you. Now. In closing. I want to say good job everyone. You can head back to Little City. There are some new missions I'd like people help out with. Take a look on the ride back and do try to avoid that castle in the Northern Exit alright? Don't ask questions. Just do as you did before and drive right by. I will see you soon. Later."

Kirito Awarded: Yung Icarus, Trouble, Stein, Black Gold 105 Kirito has been transferred to your bank account.

Kirito Awarded: Anubis 305 Kirito has been transferred to your bank account.

The communication closing, Lahz was too preoccupied with her money and level to pay much mind to the advent of the dog, long as it kept itself settled down. Glancing at Icarus, she would jump inside the vehicle and close her car door. In Code Academy she wondered what skill or maybe even item she should purchase now. If Lahz were going to keep on par with people like Trouble and Icarus, she would have to get good and get good fast. Pressing the push-start button, she'd at least give the boy less work. Leaning back in her chair, she had a lot of things to think about. Her powers first of all. Freezing up in front of her juniors once was embarrassing enough. Next time - she would not be caught off guard.

"Do your best to avoid hitting the castle in the Northern Exit," she said to those sitting in the back.

"Let's not let Mister Icarus forget."

Private Message From Previous Unknown To Anubis So you have friends now, babe? That's cool. The one I really to play with is you, but the more the merrier I guess? Maybe they can watch while that tongue of yours gets ripped out of your mouth? Hot. It's always more exciting when others watch right? Oh boy. I can already tell you're my kind of girl. Well, your party seems about ready to go. Have a good drive, love. Catch you on the flip-side. Muah.

Pequeno Burraidh · May 20, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Anubis didn't worry about too much as they all filtered into the vehicle. In fact as she was addressed by the stalker lady, who totally proved all her points by dropping a comment on how much money it spent to go digging up her admittedly well hidden information, she bit back a rather scathing remark about the use of her name. Still, the lady seemed to get the hint later and addressed her as Anubis, so she didn't think anything of it and shrugged it off.

Another point of interest was the other message she received, but when she noticed the sender held the same address as the coded message from before, she shrugged it off and didn't even bother to look at it. She had more important things to worry about that some punk kid getting all up and excited because she actually responded to him.

Instead her attention shifted to her right, even as she idly flicked at Mshai's ears as he sat on the seat to her left. Because what was to her right interested her more than anyone else in the vehicle. She'd caught the roving eyes earlier, the glances up and down, the stares here or there. Sure, the lady seemed to dress classy, but she had the subtlety of a brick through and window in both words and looks.

"Don't worry Mshai, I've been called worse things than a dog or a thing." she remarked with a smirk and sidelong glance at the speaker now in the car.

Twisting to the side just a touch to get into a better position, Anubis sidled up into the space between the two front seats, practically next to the older women and let her gaze run up her jawbone, then up to her cheekbones, and then to her eyes. Stretching an arm out and letting it rest across the back of the seat just past Lahz's shoulders, Anubis spoke with a smooth confidence honed by years of practise.

"Noticed you giving me a once over earlier. Then a twice over... and a thrice over... Also, I'm great with control, trust me," she spoke easily, her mouth just centimetres from Lahz's ear, "Still, I'm guessing you noticed my scarification? I like to imagine myself as a canvas for masterpieces, if you would. You Explorer types are all the medically inclined sort though, right? Tell you what, if I caught your eye soooo much, you're more than welcome to give me a thorough examination when we get back."

Leaning back confidently Anubis grinned as her show of bravado fell upon the car. Leaning back from Lahz's chair, she gave the others a quick once over before settling on the girl to her left that had lifted Mshai into the car. With a stretch, she found her arm resting easily on Trouble's shoulder before laying her head across the same shoulder and casting a look towards the girl.

"So," she grinned, "Any specific reason they call you Trouble? Or is it something I may get to find out for myself?"

Errantly, she remembered the invite for joining the guild, but she was having too much fun to worry about it at the moment. She'd get it taken care of eventually.

White Masquerade

The Suspicious Eye

If this is a double post I apologise, but I'm not sure if it is posted correctly or not so yea, here we go, possibly again.

Refaulted · May 23, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Stein
Shunjiro Miyata
Current Location: Little City North Exit, Territory 6, Little City

Level: 2
HP: 5/5
HP Recovery: 2 per post
PP: 4/4
PP Recovery: 1 per post
VIT: 2
NRV: 2
AGI: 1
PROW: 3
Skills:
N/A
Items:
-305 Kirito
Equipment:
N/A

Stein watched in surprise as Trouble seemed to effortlessly lift the Wastehound with only a fraction of difficulty. Especially due to her size and physique. She was slim, and didn't seem to have that much upper body strength. Though, the same could be said about himself. He wasn't oozing testosterone, lacking a lot of muscle that other men his age seemed to have. Especially most of the other members of Pwnies, such as the man named Axis. He hoped that he never got on the man's bad side, for fear of his own life.

"No arguements here, DorkenStein. Let's make like a tree and leaf. I don't want to deal with anymore dog piles. I have a reward to collect, so get in the car losers, we're going shopping."

Stein pushed his worry out of his mind as he looked up at Trouble again. He tilted his head to the side, then let out a gentle sigh. "I assume I should come to terms with this nickname you've given me, Miss Trouble. However, I do feel like you're trying to get some sort of rouse out of me with it." Honestly, Stein had heard people be called worse names than what Trouble labeled him, so he was content with her name for him.

He turned to Lahz, who seemed to be perplexed, then surprised as she looked over the party. Stein wasn't sure what she was thinking, but her mouth was left agape as she silently pondered whatever she was thinking about. The look she shot to Trouble and Icarus was a studious one, and Stein came to the conclusion she was looking more into the classes of the party. The situation brought a small smile to his face, which he quickly forced away before it was noticed. He wasn't sure if Lahz would think he was laughing at her or not, so he would rather be safe than sorry.

"Y-Yeah, Stein. I'm fine. Just a little...overwhelmed, is all."

Stein nodded in understanding as he looked around them, to where the Anubis hound had been just a few moments before. "'Killing is not so easy as the innocent believe'." The thought of killing left a foul taste in his mouth, but he knew that this specific instance, their opponent had been a combination of numbers and formulas. But what if their quests led them to killing a being with a real-world body? Stein questioned if he could handle it. Sure, they may not die exactly, but the feeling that he could easily take a life away made his stomach turn in sickness. He was glad he had decided on his current class, so he could focus more on giving life to his teammates, rather than taking the lives of his foes. But even then, was it morally sound to do such a thing, even for the greater good?

He shook his head. No, he was a Codebreaker. He had a duty to his Guild, and he would do what had to be done to protect his comrades and the innocent people of Little City. He couldn't get a weak stomach. He had to push through it, no matter his own beliefs.

"So we have a dog now? After one of them tried to kill us? Seriously? That thing is coming with us?" Stein watched Lahz walk over to the passenger door and look back over to him. "Kids are out of control, don't you think?"

Stein let out a light laugh as he shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, my brother would do the same thing in this situation, so I am not that surprised." Stein walked over and leaned down so only Lahz could hear him. "However, I do agree with you to a degree. But it's only a short...ish car ride." He leaned back up and walked over to his car door, looking in. He wondered if he should invite her out to lunch or coffee at one of the cafe's in Little City. He wanted to understand who she was a little better, similar with Trouble and Yung Icarus. But the other two didn't seem so fond of him yet, so he felt his best odds were with Lahz, since she didn't seem to detest him very much.

As he looked into the car, he saw the Anubis girl was sitting where he had originally been sitting, with the dog in the middle of her and Trouble. He stepped back, scratching his chin as he wondered how he would fit in the car with them all. He then bent over and spoke to Anubis. "Pardon me, Miss Anubis. Would it be possible for you to slide over a little bit so I can fit in there?"

He stood back up as Edge La's voice echoed in his ear, and he listened closely to what she said. Stein enjoyed the praise the leader of Pwnies gave them. When she was finished addressing Anubis (who also seemed to be referred to as Kesi Kimura, but Stein didn't say anything about this), Stein felt curiosity pull at him about the castle Edge La had mentioned, but if she wanted them to avoid it, Stein deduced it was probably for a good reason. He wanted to make sure Anubis made it back to Little City safely if someone was hunting her.

The Suspicious Eye · May 23, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Current Location: Territory 6, Little City

- Level 2 -

HP: 4/4 (Recover 1 HP per post)
PP: 3/3 (Recover 1 PP per post)
CDR: 4/4
VIT: 0
NRV: 1
AGI: 2
PROW: 3
Skills:
-

Items:
- 305 Kirito

Armor / Equipment:
-

TroubleLooking over the car at Stein as Anubis slid inside, Trouble smiled, "a rouse? Me? Never. I call em like I see em. Don't like it? Then let me see more." With that she glanced over at R.E.D who was laughing and pointing at Trouble. 'Pffft, flirting with DorkenStine huh? Felling something stirring aren't cha? Don't worry I'm sure it'll....' Suddenly she felt the rise in strength in power and R.E.D grinned. 'Muhahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!!' Trouble made her way into the car closing the door behind her.

'Awwwww yeah! Look out world here comes level two Trouble, Double the trouble!' R.E.D cheered from outside the car tossing cash all around her like it was raining dough. With their two new pets in the car it was getting pretty cramped even for a imaginary friend. Pressing her face against the glass R.E.D began to make faces trying to get Trouble to crack up. Trouble, was having nothing of it. Sure I leveled up, but it means nothing until I actually lean how to use my Codebreaker skills glancing over at R.E.D she saw her mouth pressed against the dirty window cheeks puffed out like a giant fish, without help. Trouble pulled up Code Academy and began to study the Trojan Horse a bit more heavily. After that she focused on the other classes to see what was worth having. It was cool to break the game like she could, but she didn't want to end up like R.E.D over there, she had bigger plans for herself.

Mind deep in plotting she was pulled out of it as their new member began to interact with the others. Glancing over at her and Black Gold it reminded her that she would have to thank Ms. Picture Perfect for her concern during the battle. Although it wasn't needed it was nice to hear someone be concerned for her well being. Returning back to her research she figured out the best level to really start her plans. This is going to take a fuck ton of time, but it'll be worth it... I hope. Her mind was pulled back to the others as she felt a arm and a head rest against her. A soft smile grew on he face as she glanced over to their new resident badass. "Oh there's a reason, but I wouldn't recommend looking for it. I don't think you're up to the challenge. Most people can't handle trouble." She paused and tilted her head to meet Anubis's gaze as her smile grew. "Then again trouble always starts off as fun. Are you looking for fun Lassie? Or do your tastes run deeper?"

Leaning through the window R.E.D stared at the two of them like a nosey 'Ooooo are you flirting with her?! You are aren't you?! Oh how fun! Shoot her with more trouble puns! Make blunt like, you look like the type who likes to get into trouble or when you invite trouble in, its usually quick to accept. Or just say your dtf, with the way you're staring her down is pretty obvious. And why not she's hot as hell!! Look at that outfit she knows what she's got.' Giving a high whistle R.E.D grinned always entertained when Trouble finds someone she likes. I want to torture her but this is just far too much fun. Pulling put a bag of popcorn she popped the kernel into her mouth and watched this unfold.

Pequeno Burraidh · May 24, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Anubis went ahead and scooted over, pressing somewhat on Mshai as she lifted her arm from Trouble. I wasn't necessarily where she wanted to be, shoved up against the hound, but they needed everyone in the car so they could go. As she did so and the man got in she focused on Trouble. She had to admit, she hadn't expected the girl to flirt back so unabashedly, but she wasn't going to complain either.

Pulling up her mod menu yet again she highlighted the 'appearance' section and manoeuvred her way through it. 'Aggressive' didn't fit the situation, it was sharp and tribal, 'Party' was fun, flowers and other designs, but that wasn't her goal either, 'Business' lame plain, no fun. Dammit, she knew it was here, she just needed to find the right... ah, right below 'Natural' sat the 'Alluring' option. Highlighting the option and clicking for confirmation, her scarification swirled around her body before taking a new shape, augmenting the natural curves of her frame and giving designs that led the eyes well.

Leaning over to Trouble, she got close to the girl's ear and whispered with a grin, "If you're serious, we can see exactly where my tastes run."

Leaving it at that so that there was more to the imagination, Anubis suppressed a giggle as she leaned back and found herself shoved up uncomfortably against the man, Stein. Looking over at the man, who seemed to be sheepish in their proximity, she opted for a solution. Easily the smallest person in the automobile, Anubis did her best to stand up and free the seat, allowing Stein to space out just a bit more as she motioned for him to do so.

Then, with nary a care in the world, she seated herself on his left thigh and leaned back against the man's chest. Shifting her weight a couple of times, she cocked her head off to the side so she could look up at the man's face and offered her hand in greeting.

"Mmm, you're oddly comfortable. Nice to meet you, name's Anubis," she greeted as she pulled her cigarettes from her inventory, "Anyone care for a smoke? What about you kid, driver, want something to relax on while you drive?"

Kalin Scarlet · May 31, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Current Location:

HP: 4/4 (Recover 1 HP per post)
PP: 2/2 (Recover 1 PP per post)
CDR: 2/2
VIT: 0
NRV: 0
AGI: 2
PROW: 5
Skills:
-Perfection

Items:
- 255 Kirito

Armor / Equipment:
-

Icarus dropped his hand to his side as he stared at the spot where the beast had once stood. As he sensed the flow of experience and the slight bump of power it gave him, he looked at the small blinking status screen, where the Perfection skill blinked for a moment longer before fading.

So this is what a Deviant Artist is capable of, huh....

Icarus smirked, turning as he heard the car start up behind him. Noticing everyone had hopped in, including the dog, he walked over to the driver's side door, pulling it open and hopping in.

Yeah, that'll work just fine.

"Anyone care for a smoke? What about you kid, driver, want something to relax on while you drive?"

Icarus looked back towards their new passenger, his good vibes dying quickly as yet another person calls him kid. He sighed as he set the car in reverse and started to make a u-turn.

"My name is Icarus. I'd ask you to remember it, and I don't smoke, real or not. Open a window if you're actually going to do that in here."

As the car starts its way back from where it came, Icarus reaches down to the dashboard and flips on the radio. He raised a brow as he twisted through the stations slowly, but not finding a song he was interested in. Giving up not long after, he glanced into the back row once again.

"Anyone have something they want to listen to? A bit of music is a nice way to wind down after a fight, or so I've heard."

White Masquerade · Jun 2, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Lahz Cho

Interrupted by a long motion to her left, Lahz stopped in mid-press, just finishing off the last bits of her newest skill's purchase. Avast Antivirus. It had a weird name, but it was the effect she wanted. Restoring both PP and HP. What a joy! First alighting on the listing, she smirked in her head. And she was part of the only class that did it. Giggling in silence she made a mental note to show it to K whenever she had the chance.

Well. Maybe more like rub it in her face.

Was it petty? Sure.

But so was pouring a drink all over my head. For no reason at all.

Now with the immediate threat of danger gone and class research all squared away, Cho's mind was left to wander and among thoughts of her late father, they'd soon rest on that act of disrespect. How could they not? Her philosophy was not exactly an eye-for-an-eye, but neither was it turn-the-other-cheek. It had nothing to do with trivial jealousy or petty revenge; it was really quite simple. It all came down to one thing: K was going to respect her, and that was that.

"Noticed you giving me a once over earlier," A voice sudden spoke in her ear. "Then a twice over... and a thrice over... Also, I'm great with control, trust me." The breath thumping her neck was hot. "Still, I'm guessing you noticed my scarification? I like to imagine myself as a canvas for masterpieces, if you would. You Explorer types are all the medically inclined sort though, right? Tell you what, if I caught your eye soooo much, you're more than welcome to give me a thorough examination when we get back."

Then the girl, the one named Anubis leaned back, and with, Lahz's gaze was pulled too. Dull and unperturbed, the Explorer looked to the face of the Edge Lord and for a long second, left her eyes right there. If words were to be exchanged in that moment, they would have been, "I'm not afraid you," and, "I'm not amused by you either."

Turning back front, Lahz Cho sunk further into her chair physically making sure the girl in the second row knew she didn't have time for foolishness with an audible, "Tsk."

Eyes closed, Lahz half-tuned out the discussion between Anubis and Trouble already certain it was one she did not want to engage. Honestly, the sooner this ride was over the better. If only more interesting company taken up this quest instead. Like Axis, Cobolt, Royal, or even that kid JinX. Anything would have been better than the bane chatter of those two in the back. She almost felt sorry for Stein; having to have two wild childs, plus a dog there with him. It was was fortunate he was right - it was a short-ish ride. They had already gone past the portal, back down into the mountain pass and drove on still even as the Castle Edge La warned them about loomed to their left. She lobbed a glance through the mirror to aforementioned man only to see Anubis rested firm into his chest. Cigarettes flushed out of her inventory and brazen, she offered them to the boy on the driver's side.

Cigarettes? You smoke too?? Unbelievable..

Incredulous, Lahz scrunched her face. Just how uncouth could one person be? Walking across the Pendeji Plains like that..did she even have parents? Suffice to say a small victory was win in her heart when Yung Icarus denied and further went on to suggest she roll a window down. Sharply cocking her head to the left, the Deviant Artist would have caught a shocked but brilliant smile across her face.

Wow.

Facing front again though grin still in place, Lahz ceded that maybe she was wrong. Sneaking a peek once more to Icarus, she had to admit she was impressed. He was little rough around the edges, still had a little more growing to do, but might actually turn out to be a decent guy one day.

"Anyone have something they want to listen to? A bit of music is a nice way to wind down after a fight, or so I've heard."

...?

The blonde was speechless. Not only was he in some way disciplined, once off a mission he was...relaxed? The day was full of surprises.

"One-oh-six-point-one," the woman said after nibbling her lip, leaning to spin the knob herself. "Didn't picture you interested in music. They play relaxing music about this time of day."

Click.

The dial stopping on the station, a song very familiar to her began to play. Very familiar. One she always hummed whenever she had alone time to think about her fa-

Click.

"One-oh-five-point-two is good too," she spoke quick, changing the station.

"Ah. There we go. This one sounds nice. Nice and relaxing for the ride."

Immediately opening up her app, Lahz would throw up many tabs of floating screens and shortly lose herself within its walls. Furiously flipping through the rectangles, but not doing anything in particular, the job board pinned under the Pwnies' home caught her eye.

New Job Listing: Drawing Fire Edge La needs Codebreakers to make contact with PK Fire. It seems after the success of a few missions, the shadow organization has taken notice. There has been a publicly issued threat stating if members of Pwnies do not show up for an invitation to talk, they will attack the Little City Regional Airport. Ask Edge La for more details.

What?

"Guys...check this out," said the woman, rising from her self-imposed exile to show the latest job. "Attack the airport..? Why would anyone do that?! That's crazy!"

Still staring at the quest, a large white piece of board would appear far off on the trail. Squinting through the window they were nearly back within Little City's limits, but along the way stood a shivering young man with a large sign saying,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT!!!
HURT!!!
HELP!!!
Need Ride 2 Territory 4!!!
Little City General Hospital!!!
Will pay 500 KIRITO!!!
PLEASE!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gawking, Lahz almost reached to pull Icarus' arm and stop the wheel. Reading the sign, then tilting her chin in shame, Lahz was conflicted.

He's hurt and you're over here thinking how much you could get paid?

So definitely wanting to help the man, burning, for now she would keep her opinion to herself. Turning from the glass she avoided looking in the stranger's direction, but inevitably the others would see him too. No doubt one of them would call to stop; she just hoped it wasn't coming from a place with less than ideal motivations. Lahz didn't want to leave him, yet at the same time didn't want to look like she was only doing it for the money either. Realistically, it was stretch to take this. Picking up some random traveler they knew nothing about. They had no more space for another anyway.

...

If they were going to stop, it darn sure wasn't going to be because of her.

Homecoming

Game Break!

1) Drive by and continue on. It's unfortunate. You will be free to go on other missions.

2) Stop and help him. It's the right thing to do. You will activate the "Case In Point" Quest.

Kalin Scarlet · Jun 3, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Yung Icarus

Current Location:

HP: 4/4 (Recover 1 HP per post)
PP: 2/2 (Recover 1 PP per post)
CDR: 2/2
VIT: 0
NRV: 0
AGI: 2
PROW: 5
Skills:
-Perfection

Items:
- 255 Kirito

Armor / Equipment:
-

As the car cruised through the portal once again, Icarus regained his cheerful attitude, a soft smile crossing his lips.

This all went better than I expected. I knew that these skills were powerful but I didn't realize just how strong until now. If this is what I'm capable of now, then soon...

Icarus glanced to the side as he turned towards the front once again and noticed the woman smiling in the seat beside him, her gaze turning towards the front only just as he laid eyes on her. He raised his brow in confusion, then returned his gaze towards the road as well, brushing the moment off...until he noticed her turn to look at him once again. Icarus brought up the free cam in his menu, examining himself for anything that might be reason enough to draw her gaze. There was no wound, however. No strange remnant of the beast he'd killed, no blood splattered on his cheek...

Before he could say a word about the matter, Cho reached for the radio and turned to a station, only to shift to another one even more quickly than the first.

What's her deal? Seriously. Do all girls act this strangely?

Glancing in the rear view mirror, watching Anubis sitting on Stein's lap, and Trouble, sitting silently but obviously taken by something.

Apparently so...Apparently so.

Soon enough, he let it go once more, focusing on the rest of the ride rather than any of the weird moments to be had with any of the passengers. His attention was drawn as Lahz brought up another quest, but he was unsure if anyone else was interested. Considering that he was part of this party, he couldn't say whether or not he would just leave if the opportunity for progress showed itse-

Icarus noticed the man standing out across the road, asking for help for his...substantial reward. He noted Lahz pulling away from his arm. He looked her in the eyes, and nodded his head out to the road, his foot pulling off the gas slightly as he waited for a response to his implied question.

The Suspicious Eye

Refaulted · Jun 7, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Stein
Shunjiro Miyata
Current Location: Pendeji Plains, Territory 6, Little City

Level: 2
HP: 5/5
HP Recovery: 2 per post
PP: 4/4
PP Recovery: 1 per post
VIT: 2
NRV: 2
AGI: 1
PROW: 3
Skills:
N/A
Items:
-305 Kirito
Equipment:
N/A

Stein slid into the car as Anubis and Trouble made space for him. As he sat down, he shut the door beside him, and off they went. He pushed himself up against the door to make sure Anubis and Trouble had enough space along with the dog they were bringing with them. He would have been had it only been Anubis they were picking up, but the extra baggage made things quite uncomfortable. He glanced out the window, wondering if the ride back would feel longer than the ride from Pwnies.

As he opened his interface and began to catalog all of the events that have happened to him so far today, he heard Trouble behind him respond to his previous statement. Turning to look at her, he furrowed his brow in confusion. "Frankly, I don't think there is much to show of myself. Out of you all and the rest of the Pwnies members, I think it's safe to assume I'm the most average out of all. I just didn't know if you were attempting to be rude or not to me." Turning back to his interface, he continued to enter words. "I wasn't sure if it was an insult because I had done anything to offend you. If it is just some playful little nickname you thought of, then I have no problem with it. Though, I'm sure my opin-"

Stein froze mid-sentence as he felt weight on his lap, and the weight leaned back into his chest. His eyes darted to the source, and he tried to push himself back away from the new addition to their guild, raising his hands back as to not have them anywhere near her. He was taken aback by the girl's lack of decency. He looked around to the rest of the group, hoping for some sort of help. But all he got was a glance from Lahz before she turned back to the front, ignoring the problem Stein was dealing with in the back. He frowned, but didn't blame her. To be fair, it was a strange situation, and someone as dignified as her probably wasn't sure how to handle it.

Or she just didn't care. There was also the chance of that.

As Lahz messed with the radio in the front of the car, Stein tried to think of a way to deal with his current dilemma. Anubis pulled out a carton of cigarettes, and as she offered it to Icarus, Stein looked at the clock on his interface, and tried to figure out how long he would have to deal with this. The answer was...too long, in his opinion. It was a very compromising position. For him, at least.

When she introduced herself, Stein realized that the only better option than this was having the dog sit on him, though it still wasn't something he was a fan of. He was stuck between picking two evils. He let out a sigh of annoyance. "My name is Stein, and I'm...not comfortable. A human shouldn't be used as some sort of seat for another. It's rather humiliating, and degrading. I agree that there aren't many options...though maybe the trunk isn't such a bad idea at this point..." How was he supposed to deal with this girl? He was at a loss. He usually didn't deal with girls, especially ones so brash and uncouth. "I must apologize, but maybe you could-"

Again, Stein's attention was diverted to Lahz as she showed her interface to the rest of the group. He tried to look from his position, and he quickly adjusted his glasses so he could read better. He muttered the words as he read, and as he finished, he gave a look of surprise and worry to Lahz. "This seems serious, since it may target innocent civilians."

Just as the words left his lips, he saw a man standing alongside the road. No doubt the others saw him to, and he knew that there was a chance someone wanted to stop and pick him up, but Stein felt himself hesitate. It was a complete stranger, and he was not someone to quickly trust another. The only reason he was somewhat okay with Anubis was because of Edge La's orders. This man seemed...suspicious. He needed to get to Territory 4, and he didn't seem to have anyone around him. But that didn't mean there may be people hiding. It could easily be a trap, and Stein didn't want to risk them getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The reward seemed suspicious as well. 500 Kiritos? That translated roughly to five thousand American dollars, which was quite the sum of money for simple ride. And if the man was really in trouble, he wouldn't have a sign like that, unless his penmanship was as fast as lightning. But he was in trouble...

Stein grabbed Anubis's shoulders and pushed her forwards and away from him, and leaned forward so he could speak to Icarus and Lahz. "Don't stop. Keep going. I don't like the setting. A stranger out here with no visible wounds offering so much for a simple ride? I don't buy it." He turned to look back at the man before turning back to the rest of the group. "I think we should deal with that PK Fire group. They seem like a larger threat at this point. But we can let Edge La know about this guy and another group can come and help him." He was being insensitive, but he was not ready to risk the life of the group because of something that smelled like a trap. Not to say the PK Fire situation was anymore safe...

The Suspicious Eye

Pequeno Burraidh

White Masquerade

Kalin Scarlet

(And now I'm feeling like an asshole.)

The Suspicious Eye · Jun 8, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Current Location: Territory 6, Little City

- Level 2 -

HP: 4/4 (Recover 1 HP per post)
PP: 3/3 (Recover 1 PP per post)
CDR: 4/4
VIT: 0
NRV: 1
AGI: 2
PROW: 3
Skills:
-

Items:
- 305 Kirito

Armor / Equipment:
-

ToubleWatching her appearance literally change in front of her. Wow, so that's how you can change your appearance. She looked hot before but...wow. Trouble was certainly aroused by Anubis's new appearance, with just a hint of jealousy. With R.E.D in her brain there were a few limitations to what she had access to. As much as she'd love to see what she can do with this body it wasn't her call, that was on R.E.D and R.E.D is a asshole. Often she was stuck looking even younger than she already does. It was a horrifying and annoying experience then and it's the same now. She was just glad that the time passed when she was no longer called a cute widdle kid.

R.E.D appeared on Trouble's lap and poked her flushed cheeks. 'You're blushing.' Trouble frowned and swatted R.E.D's finger away as he blush subsided and a look of annoyance settled in. 'Enough flirting I have for you a simple twelve step program to make you like me!' R.E.D pulled out a large diagram that had a seriees of arrows, circles and bullets on it. Trouble raised a eyebrow as she said like you, did this creature really think she wanted to be anything like R.E.D? As if. R.E.D caught that and grinned, 'oh come on now. Don't deny it. You want to be just like me. INFINITE COSMIC POWER!!! ittybitty living space.' She poked Trouble's head, once again having it smacked away. 'I know this is true because I'm you, you're me. We're the same person. I'm just who you were meant to be.'

Shut up.

'You made me because you needed a friend.' R.E.D leaned in closer and sat on Trouble's lap as she placed a hand on the girl's chest.'No one was there for you then and now you can't get rid of me. But that's not because you can't it's because deep down you still don't want to. You know you need me, that you can't be without me.'

Shut up.

The apparition leaned in closer to Troubles ear with a smile and whispered softly. 'Because you'll know, you ain't ever had a friend like me.'

"Shut the fuck up!" Trouble shouted. Stopping just as quickly as she realized where she was. Looking at the others she saw the surprise on their face and quickly thought of a way to cover up her outburst. Then she noticed the guy outside, her eyes narrowed as she focused on him. Piecing together the conversation that was going on in the background as R.E.D talked she figured it was about him. As much as she needed to vent some frustration and he looked like the perfect opportunity, Trouble wasn't dumb. Injured, wealthy, he was a easy mark, too easy. From the corner of her eyes she saw R.E.D nodding pushing her to do it and knew better than to do that. Letting out a sigh Trouble broke her gaze at the man and rested back against the car's seat. "Sorry about that...DorkenStien is right. The guy is too easy of a mark it's gotta be a set up. Help him and there's a chance we'll be wandering the streets of death like a bunch of losers. Call it in. We're needed at the airport."

She pulled down her hat to cover her eyes and looked out the window. 'You really think that's a good idea T?' R.E.D asked as she returned to Trouble's side this time her tone sounded one of concern rather than mockery. Trouble ignored the apparition and focused on the outside scenery until R.E.D vanished. It hurt too much to hear R.E.D talk like that, fake concern for her.

Kalin Scarlet

Refaulted

Pequeno Burraidh

White Masquerade

(I'm just really mad at this new live action Aladdin guys)

Pequeno Burraidh · Jun 15, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Anubis' mood was, despite her progress towards a friendly understanding with Trouble, poor at best. She'd caught the slights the uptight lady up front had tossed her way. Nothing verbal, but the subtlety of an elephant head butting a bell seemed like an at description in her head. Sneers at her, smirks and smiles at Icarus when he spoke about not caring for cigarettes.

Which was actually fine, she didn't care, they were more a habit than a necessity anyhow. Tucking them away in her inventory, her mind instead shifted to the comments from Stein. It truly must be nice to have a full seat and retain the capacity to complain so much about seating arrangements. It wasn't like she was only sitting on his lap just to bother him. Yea, maybe it could be funny, but the truth was she didn't want to be pressed in between a bony scrawny nerd and a scaled, bony, musclebound hound.

Full truth was, she couldn't help but compare sitting on Stein's lap to sitting on a fence with her legs on either side of it. And he wanted to complain about the situation? Nice. Rolling her eyes while rolling to her right, there was a brief moment of straddling the man while she faced him in which she gave him a wink, nothing sultry, just a 'I've got this' wink before putting her back against the window, reaching behind her to find the mechanism to roll it down.

While doing this she didn't even notice the man on the side of the road but was quick to take note of him as she began to pull the strap for the seat belt out until it hit it's max before stretching it across to the front seat, lodging the connector firmly under the front seat.

Two quick tugs later she was pleased with the result. Using one hand to ensure the chest strap was behind her, and the other to open a menu as she listened to the input or noncommittal responses of the occupants. Sliding her torso out the window until she was seated on the sill, she only leaned back enough to make sure the belt would bear her weight on a turn before settling into a more comfortable position, hooking her left foot under the crook of Stein's knee for balance as she rummaged through her options, compiling a short message.

"Look Stein, no longer a seat, but an anchor. Is that moving up in the world or does it give you a sinking feeling?" she jibed with a smirk, "As for the man, he's in the plains. These are wild areas, more subject to glitches or coding errors than the cities. You've seen all of two people out here, myself and him. No one else is coming for him. Well, unless we do something. Which I have, so don't worry about it."

She wasn't going to mention Trouble's outburst, and as much as she would have liked, she wasn't going to make any rude comments to Stein about his trunk idea. Though if he ever got on her bad side she now knew what to do with him.

Clicking send, she leaned back until her left shoulder was pressed against the top of the window frame. For her right side the strap held firm across her right thigh up to her mid-back, not budging an inch. Resting her right arm on her lap so it wasn't dangling out the car.

Realising where she was too, she pulled a cigarette back out from her inventory and lit it up, taking a deep drag that she held in for near twenty seconds before exhaling through her nostrils before muttering to herself,

"Shouldha just kept walking..."

Name doesn't matter. If you need help, follow the contact information in the link here. I never plan on using the service, it's no charge no questions. Automated response should send you an automated vehicle, then just follow the instructions and it'll take you wherever. The conveniences of the rich and those with rich mothers that worry too much but not enough, no? Don't message me back, I won't care.

Kalin Scarlet · Jun 16, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Yung Icarus

Current Location:

HP: 4/4 (Recover 1 HP per post)
PP: 2/2 (Recover 1 PP per post)
CDR: 2/2
VIT: 0
NRV: 0
AGI: 2
PROW: 5
Skills:
-Perfection

Items:
- 255 Kirito

Armor / Equipment:
-

"Alright then. I guess we're heading off to meet that other guild. Let's do it, boys and girls!"

Icarus smirked as he pressed into the gas harder, leaning back against his seat as the car quickly picked back up to full speed. Tearing down the road, he turned around to find Anubis hanging out of the window. His eyes lingered on the artful designs covering her body he was fairly sure had changed since the last time he'd looked at them. He leaned out of his own window, looking over and offering a thumbs up. "Looking good over there! Just don't go splat, ya hear? I'm not cleaning up any mess you make of yourself!"

Sliding back into his seat, Icarus turned his attention back towards the road ahead. He looked over at Lahz as he opened his messaging menu. He typed and spoke at the same time. "Sooo. You alright? Ya seemed pretty taken in by something a minute ago. Besides the guy on the road, I mean. I'm still not sure that was the best idea, just leaving him...and all that money...back there. Oh well. At least nobody can say our motives were selfish. I figure you feel at least a bit similar to me, considering."

Private Message From Yung Icarus To Edge La
Hey there, dead woman walking! You need people to talk to that PK Freeride guild or something, right? Well, you've got 5 willing participants. Hit us up. And I'm going to need a raise on these jobs. Lost out on 500 kiritos for refusing to play cabbie for a bit. No excuses. I know our resident "angel" can make miracles happen.

After sending the message off, he noted another he'd forgotten to reply to earlier.

Private Message From Yung Icarus To Jinx
Hey there, my biggest fan XD. Just offering you a front row seat to the show. That is if you're interested in a team up sometime. Let me know, send me a friend request, whatever. BUENA-

Yeah, no. Not doing that.

-Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb.

White Masquerade · Jun 18, 2017

Another Codebreaker Quest:
Little City North Exit

Lahz Cho

...

"It's going well Edge La, thank you for asking. We passed the castle just like you asked and haven't had any problems so far."

...

"Yeah. Though we did come across something odd. A guy on the side of the road with a sign saying he needed urgent help. Needed to be taken to Little City General in Territory 4. Was paying 500 Kirito for the lift."

...

"Strange. I know. He was shivering and looked panicked. We were thinking on what to do but Stein thought it was a trap. Trouble and Anubis agree too."

...

"Yeah...he does. I mean, his reasoning is right? It is a little too coincidental. I'm still conflicted on whether we should stop, though the consensus seems to be move on. The quest about PK Fire? We saw that and were wanting to take that on."

...

"K? Level 4? How..? Did something special happen to get her that?"

...

"You have got to - Edge La. If wanted to reach level 3, what quest would help me level right now? Meaning as soon as possible?"

...

"Fifty Kirito...that's kind of low. Need money to buy items and skills too. But gaining levels is important as well. I'll need time to think this out."

...

"That is...true. I'm expect as we do more to help Little City, trouble will start to come from people who might not like us so much. Well. Alright, I will let the others know."

...

"Haha. Party? That sounds fun. I have nowhere to go tonight so I'll be there. I will see you then Edge La. Take care."

...

Getting off the phone with Edge La, Lahz could do nothing but stare at the fold-up sunshade pressed to the roof of the car. She flapped it down in one quick swoop and feigned checking makeup to see how her face'd contort. Not too pretty. Katsura. Level 4. Annoying. How in the hell did she grow so fast? She just went to play sitter to that kid Mya. How could that possibly have been so hard?

Kuh.

They went into the wilds of the Pendeji Plains, fought a wild dog and now she was behind? What? It didn't make any sense. There was no way a rude, crude child like K would have the mind to put herself together and accomplish something of effort. Dumb luck. Sheer dumb luck. That's what it had to be. "That's the only answer," she affirmed, nodding her head and turning to Icarus. She just had to go back to the guild hall and confirm. See the status with her own eyes. Katsura? Working harder? Yeah. Right.

"Edge La says Buenas Noches everyone," Lahz spoke, putting the mirror back up to the rest. "Stein. Edge La agrees with you. When I told her about the guy she was almost certain it was a trap. However, she thinks it's about time we discover what our...enemies want from us. A lot of the guild have been successfully completed their missions and people are starting to take note. Unraveling who or exactly what may come after us is beneficial. I kind of agree. Even though we passed him now, she's still putting up a mission for him to be inspected. As for PK Fire," she slowed.

"She won't keep us from going, but feels that we...would be safer if sent back-up by the name of K. Another guild-member. Satellizer and the highest level out of all us now. Four." There was a commotion following the statement, a shifting of weight from the back row and inquiring, the blonde turned to look. Her jaw dropped. Her tweezed brows furrowed in V as Anubis was literally contorting herself outside the window of the moving car.

"..."

This girl was starting to grate on her nerves. Lahz was getting pretty annoyed.

"Look Stein, no longer a seat, but an anchor. Is that moving up in the world or does it give you a sinking feeling? As for the man, he's in the plains. These are wild areas, more subject to glitches or coding errors than the cities. You've seen all of two people out here, myself and him. No one else is coming for him. Well, unless we do something. Which I have, so don't worry about it."

Lucky for Anubis she had decent command of logic. At least could analyze a situation despite besides having the etiquette of a pig. Seriously, Lahz bemoaned. When would that child grow up? Eyes shifting toward Trouble who had her cap bent low, Lahz, slightly more sympathetic to the girl who so far minded her business, was brought back to when Trouble shouted in rage inside the car. Clearly, there was something going on. The girl was untamed in a way just like Anubis, yet quiet and pensive like Stein. An unusual mix. Stuck in the middle between teo polar opposites, Trouble looked like a kid that needed a guide. Maybe someone older who'd be the one to tip her in the direction that was right. Cho certainly had no time for the irreverent Edge Lord, but this troubled Trojan...she could give it a shot. Whether Trouble accepted what she had to offer was up to her. Opening up the messaging app, Lahz typed a small paragraph with words she hoped looked as soothing as they sound.

Message From Black Gold to Trouble Hey Trouble. This is Lahz: the one sitting up front on the passenger side. The guildmaster says she doesn't think we're ready to meet PK Fire. I'm sure she knows better than us. We probably have to get a few more levels before we can go in and seriously handle what might go on. I would like to spend some time with you. Get to know you a little better. Is there any other mission you would like to do and would it be alright If I came along? I'm an Internet Explorer. You can be the muscle and I can heal. I'm sure between the both of us there'd be nothing we can't handle. If not, just let me know and I'll head back to the guild hall myself. There's a training session Edge La is going to hold and I think it would help. Whatever you decide I wish you the best and want to say you know you can talk to me anytime...about anything.

Pressing send, Lahz glanced at the Trojan staring out the window, then turned back front.

"Looking good over there! Just don't go splat, ya hear? I'm not cleaning up any mess you make of yourself!"

Crossing arms and subtly rolling her eyes, Cho signed internal at both Icarus and Anubis. And here she thought the boy was more mature than he looked for a second. "Sooo. You alright? Ya seemed pretty taken in by something a minute ago. Besides the guy on the road, I mean. I'm still not sure that was the best idea, just leaving him...and all that money...back there. Oh well. At least nobody can say our motives were selfish. I figure you feel at least a bit similar to me, considering."

Hm. At least he was trying.

"Yes.." the artist dragged on that one syllable. "Thank you for asking, Icarus. Was only thinking about something from my past; I'm over it now." And finally the van entered into the cemented gray of Little City's outer roads. "As for the guy we saw, I didn't want to leave him either. I'm a helpful person at heart, but careful too. Edge La called it a trap and if the others feel the same, then it was best we were wary. Money doesn't sway me in the slightest Icarus, but I admit it was a lot. Say it was real and we did stop to help, it would have been out of a feeling to aid someone in trouble. If that's how you felt too then yes, our sentiments would be similar. However." The Explorer raised a brow.

"If it was the money that caught your eye, you better correct that. Greed is ugly to a girl."

System Message to Anubis Error. Message not sent. Returned. Invalid recipient.

Message From Edge La to Yung Icarus Lol. Oh? Miracles? Interesting. Very well. I will do one for you. Alright, "One who will take me down". I have doubled the reward for every mission open right now. How's that? Show me you deserve it yeah?

The One Eyed Bandit

New Quest!
The Another Codebreaker Quest is now finished! The car has arrived in Little City with Anubis sound and safe! Please refer to the summary or Territory 9 thread to see the available missions. Or you can ask White Masquerade in the OOC. Either way, time to take those next steps!

P.S. Lahz's full conversation can be found by combining this post with Edge La's last post in territory 9. =P. For you people that like Easter eggs.

Life. · Jul 7, 2017

Little City Regional Airport:
Drawing Fire
Dez
It was a bustle of activity compared to the other places that Dez has been to recently. Somehow this comforted him. He didn't feel so out of place or that he stood out. "Well I guess it's time to contact the guild master."

Private Message to Edge La I'm at the Little City Regional Airport, partaking in the Drawing Fire quest. What are the details for the quest?

Once the message was sent Dez pulled out the cursed phone once more and re-read the message from a Basalte. From the number of times that the young Codebreaker read the message he had memorized every single word in it. Normally Dez would be feeling frighten and a little nervous, but he simply felt nothing at this point. So much was felt earlier that everything eventually crashed.

White Masquerade

The One Eyed Bandit · Jul 13, 2017

Katsura "K" Kagenetsu, Guild Hall (Territory 9) > Little City Regional Airport (Territory 6)

Unluckily for Royal and probably K herself, her bus had arrived only a few moments after her self directed pep talk.

So their fateful meeting would have to wait.

The trip itself was slow and arduous. The bus was empty, which was nice, but it was slow. So painfully slow. She'd been alone with her thoughts the whole time, forced to go through the same loop of questioning her situation and rebuffing herself again and again. Her younger self would have scolded the shit out of her for getting hung up on something like this. Hah. That was enough to get her to laugh. Thinking about how a conversation with her self of however many years ago would go. Like one of those old-world exercises where someone would record themselves asking a bunch of questions, then answer them twenty years later? Man. She wished she'd had the industry to do something like that when she was a kid. Instead it was just studying and dollhouses.

Keeping herself thinking along that particular line of thought was at least enough to keep her cheery looking until she stepped off the bus. Her hands motioned to open Code Academy to check over the quest details. There was an unfamiliar name there.

"Dez?" She muttered aloud. Not someone from the meeting. A late joiner, or an early charge? Not that it mattered. Either way, she'd be introducing herself for the second time today. Another first impression to take care of! It was a good thing she took care of all her gloomy shit while on the bus.

Private Message to Dez I'm your backup for this meet and greet. Katsura Kagenetsu, but we can save proper introductions for when we meet face to face. Where are you? I'll be waiting at the Central Terminal's Entrance. Black hair, red glasses, no shoes. Can't miss me.

Life.

Lucem

Lucem · Jul 16, 2017

Drawing Fire:
Little City Regional (Airport)

Elijah Royals

Elijah watched from behind clear glass as an aircraft began to make its departure, the sound of metal gliding through the air still audible from inside the bus. It would soon be drowned out by the many voices that surrounded him, people rushing to make their flights and catch up with arriving loved ones. It was the first time he had visited the airport, never once leaving the boundaries of Little City. The atmosphere was quite lively, comparable to the more popular areas within his home territory. Although, the people waiting may not have been having as much fun as those that went about drinking and shopping around Dega Square.

He never spent much time outside of Territory 2, unless it to do with a bar or his old activities. Naturally, he didn't own a form of transportation either. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to drive, being quite skilled behind the wheel when he had the use of both legs. He simply didn't feel the need to own one with his tendency to never stray far from home, relying on public transport for long trips. Although, considering his new line of employment, a car may be a decent investment. He had traveled quite a lot today, visiting Pwnies, City Hall, and even the afterlife.

With the bus behind him leaving to make its next round, Elijah scanned through the crowd of people, hands settling into his pockets. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to catch up with Katsura before she made her own trip, now unable to spot the woman among the new arrivals. It wasn't very surprising, as the airport was quite large, the woman likely waiting at one of the gates. Thankfully, being a CodeBreaker did have a few perks, allowing him to speed up the location process with a bit of private messaging.

With the minimized window at his fingertips, the man paused before he could start typing, taking notice of something new. As his legs carried him forward, his eyes were drawn to the third name listed in the quest details. Dez. It was foreign to him, unable to recall anything from the initial introductions. Did that mean this was a new member? He did remember there being quests that had to do with recruiting for Pwnies. Whatever the case may have been, having more hands would definitely be beneficial. Meeting PK Fire with just two people on their side didn't sound very appealing. Well, simply meeting them was unappealing, regardless of how much backup he had.

Looking up from the silver screen, the text was replaced by a familiar figure. It was hard to tell from a distance, but Elijah was pretty sure that he had the right person. There weren't a lot of other people in the airport missing shoes.

Waving away the menu, the Trojan sauntered over with a hand slightly raised in greeting, the black sleeves of his jacket sinking downward. The other remained pocketed as he approached the bespectacled woman, coming to a stop a short distance away. "Long time no see."

The One Eyed Bandit

Life.

Life. · Jul 17, 2017

Little City Regional Airport:
Drawing Fire
Dez
Well it appeared that Dez was not going to be meeting with PK Fire alone. A tiny part of him was filled with relief but then his pessimistic side began jeering remarks of how embarrassing it'd be if he failed in front of some more members. The young Codebreaker subtly shook his head to clear up any corruptive thoughts. From the app Dez saw the names of K and Royal. A message also popped up onto his window.

Black hair, red glasses, no shoes. Wait...no shoes? Why the hell would I be looking at people's feet for to see if they have shoes or not?

As much as it was weird, Dez unconsciously began looking around at stranger's feet to see who was wearing shoes. Stupid. But the exasperated boy found himself still looking at the shoes of people as he passed them by. Now I must look stupid or lost. Fortunately he saw a sign directing him towards the entrance of the Central Terminal.

Dez was the last to join the group. There he spotted a lady with black hair, red glasses, and, exact to the detail, no shoes. Next to her was a man with black hair and dressed in dark-themed clothing that seemed to match his initial impression. They both appeared as strong individuals which increased Dez's anxiousness in trying to prevent another failure. With a deep breath held in his lungs and the calmest walk he could manage Dez approached them, "The name's Dez. You guys must be Royal and K." Normally he would've added the courteous 'nice to meet you' but it would've felt wrong on his tongue.

The One Eyed Bandit

Lucem

White Masquerade · Jul 18, 2017

Drawing Fire Quest:
Little City Regional (Airport)

Dear Pwnies,

Little City Regional. The only location on Floor 1 to find a flight that will take you to the others. Usually full and bustling, it is for good reason. A megaport, the floor's only, it serves as the gateway to the world beyond...and a gateway for the world beyond to here.

"Incoming, GIF Airlines - Flight 2232 from Floor 10, en route to runway 4 - arriving in 7 minutes. Those with passengers on this flight, you may begin heading now to 'Arrivals' for pick-up."

In digital reality, there are 100 megaports. Only one allowed per floor, that is not to say there are not others to be found through less...official means. Yet, that is a story for another day. On this one we speak of another narrative. A narrative centered on the one, no two, no three members of Pwnies gathered at the Central Terminal entrance. Katsura Kanetsugu. Black hair, red glasses, and socks but no shoes. Elijah Royals. Tall, equipped with a black jacket and a thin set of watchful eyes. Cayden Venz. A teenager, blessed with a mop of blonde, and a look of anxiety that could unsettle the calmest monks. An eclectic group even for an eclectic guild soon to be run by an eclectic pair of leaders. Eli-Katsu-Cay. Why were they gathered in a circle at the front of the busiest terminals in all of the airport? Easy. They -

"Watch out, bruh," spoke a person, pushing past Royal without giving the slightest glance back. My. It certainly was busy in here. The truth was Saturdays were always like this. Especially late in the afternoon. The de-facto middle of the weekend, Saturday was good for doing things that sounded like too much fun, exploring places one's never been, and relaxing with not a care of what had to be done tomorrow. Why? Because Sunday was another day off as well. Sip that extra wine. Chug that extra beer. Watch that extra movie. Read that extra book. Saturday was the day to cheat a little. If there was a slip up, the day after would be there to hold the guilty in arms of understanding. For that reason, a literal throng of people tromped through the beige linoleum to their varied destinations, some with an actual place to go, and others just looking to kill time until thei-

"Scuse-meh, brah." Someone accidentally stepped on the foot of Katsura, shooting a short glance back before continuing off on their way. Er. Well...that was airport life. Or maybe was just the general fiber of humans in society going to hell? The latter would be a very tempting truth, but in this context, it would be the former. People were busy. Saturday was only 24 hours and near 8 of them were dedicated to sleeping (read 'catching up on it'). These hours were precious. When it came time to move, people had to get where they had to go. Whether it be towards relatives picking them up or finding someone they were acquainted with themselves, no one was at the airport for fun. Not even the three mentioned before: Dez, Royal, and K. They were at LCR with seriousness in mind. They were there for business. Broad-casted through the airways was a message. One from an infamous group known throug almost all floors. PKFire. They were going to attack it if they did not get a meeting with Pwnies. Asking for them to come to the airport, PKFi-

"Excuse me, bro." A bag slung over the shoulder, knocking it into the head of Dez, the patron continued on in hurried pace past a man dressed in black. Hm. Coming to think of it, there were quite a few men dressed in black. Stationed at counters, nearby departure gates, and seats built by bathroom doors, the bulk of them yawned while others were lost in their phones. Odd. This was a mysterious phenomenon also seen in Territory 2; particularly around Dega Square, Royal's home. Was there some sort of connection? Or it could be that security was beefed up? It was a public message through open channels after all. Which begs the question...why was the airport was still running at such a time? Surely with the threat of siege, it'd be best to shut down the port as precaution, delaying hundreds of flights and ruining the plans of thousands as they cheated a little this one Saturday afternoon. Maybe. What's then to stop a random prankster from doing the same thing? Sending a malicious message to shut down the airport encore? Heck, once a week if that's what they fancied? There is something that needs to be understood: that terror works on fear. Uses the fear of uncertainty to sow confusion and discord among the motions of society to bring it to a halt. That is exactly what a terrorist wants. Yet, they cannot be allowed to win. To beat a terrorist, one must conquer their fear; show they are not afraid. And that is the very reason Little City Regional remains packed and as full as it is today. That is why people continue on with their business. And that is why those three accepted this quest.

"Incoming, GIF Airlines - Flight 2232 from Floor 10, en route to runway 4 - arriving in 3 minutes. Those with passengers on this flight, you may begin heading now to 'Arrivals' for pick-up."

Little City Regional. The tempered glass creates a stunning effect, allowing one to see the grey concrete and surrounding terrain for miles around. However, there was something of more curiosity to watch taking place right now. Patrons taking second glances at the trio of Pwnies, some would recognize the girl as the one they saw on the news at Harrods, while others would gawk at the papers stuck to their backs. Getting a nice quick hit to the backside, it would be impossible for Dez to know who chanced the blow as onlookers rushed by and paper fluttered in the wind.

Kick Me.

Perhaps it was because Royal looked menacing and not having shoes was already misery enough in the way of K, no swipes came their way. Kick Me though? How crude. Where did these papers come from and when? Searching through the crowd, most faces were a blur, but one staring right back at them could be glimpsed. Smirk with pink lips wrapped soft around a straw tucked into a cup of pea colored-juice. In full-on smile, the girl shook her head, turned, and began to walk away. For just a second, the crowds parted and another set of eyes could be seen focusing hard off to her left. It was a young man sitting down on a thick couch by stacks of magazines with backpack on his thigh. Getting up he put it on and slunk off in another direction. Kids these days. Why did he have a bandanna on his face?

Little City Regional

GAME BREAK!

1.) Follow the girl.

2.) Follow the boy.

3.) Stay put.

clarinetti

The One Eyed Bandit

Lucem

Life.

hosaki · Jul 18, 2017

Drawing Fire: Little City Regional Airport

Lynn Hong
Rhyme

One. Two. Three.

Lynn squeezed his eyes shut and allowed himself to succumb to the queasiness that typically accompanied any attempt at using InstaTravel. In hindsight, saving his CDR at the expense of his curiosity was a smart move. Edge La was fascinating in that she seemed to just know what the right thing to do was supposed to be. He... he wasn't so sure. Back at office, he knew something had to be done about McMurdo, but exactly what was the question Edge La had attempted to answer. The emotion of her speech hadn't quite resonated with him, only made him feel a little worse about the fate of humanity.

The man peeked an eye open and was hit with an immediate wave of vertigo. Crouching down seemed to help, and the world soon settled into the image of what it should be. People hurrying through airport security, businessmen on phones, parents trying to shush crying babies... Not the alien lines of code that took their place whenever he tried to do something reality-disrupting. Edge La was only one person, and she depended on people like... him?

Legs shaking slightly, Lynn picked himself up from the ground. Well, this was a test to see how far he could push himself. Going from a pick-up errand to confronting possible terrorists was a rather drastic leap, but he knew that if he allowed himself to get used to small tasks he would never work up the courage to take on something more dangerous.

If he remembered correctly, Katsura was spearheading this mission. Surely she was already here, since he'd spent so much time dillydallying at the base. And maybe Royal was with her, since Lynn had found the bar devoid of life when he finally chanced upon it during his extended tour of the house.

Sucking in a breath, he blinked to magnify and began to scan quickly through the crowd for a couple matching their description. Who knew a skill he'd taught himself to help with cataloguing and inventory could be so useful? Business woman lugging along a suitcase... Man kissing his fiancee goodbye... Aha!

He hurried over to the pair standing at the entrance of the terminal, but slowed when he noticed a third person with them. Still, despite his growing uncertainty over their identities due to the unaccounted for presence, Lynn was compelled to approach out of sympathy for the trio. The woman didn't even have shoes and someone had been mean-spirited enough to prank her.

"You have something stuck there. Let me get it for you..." Lynn plucked the notes off quickly, with a look of sympathy, yet he found himself keenly aware of the humor (albeit childish humor) of the situation and could not wholly suppress a smile when he presented the notes to their victims.

The One Eyed Bandit

Lucem

Life.

IG42 · Jul 19, 2017

Little City Regional Airport

???

Across the terminal a figure watched the four Pwnies aimlessly mill about, nothing stood out in an airport more than someone who didn't seem to be going anywhere, while the observer was also planning on sticking around at least she had grabbed a coffee cup, a stool in a cafe and a genuine air of impatience that helped her blend in with the crowd a lot better than the MiBs, the wheeled suitcase that she protectively perched a foot on top of only added to the disguise.

Chugging at her coffee she pretended to examine the departure boards and sighed. While she understood that the management was worried about the message she had taken her job at the airport as an alternative to haring about with random arsehats trying to kill her off because they thought the world was their sandpit to stomp around in and all the people who just wanted to get a life were those kids that painstakingly built the sandcastles they trampled on and she realised the metaphor was getting out of hand. "Ugh screw everything." She might not care for all the adventuring and questing she still knew how to fire an honest to god laser from the sky and wasn't afraid to use it on anyone who messed with her workplace.

Still at least Gimbal wasn't here, she knew he could be the worst of the suicidal adventuring types. If that twat had turned up he probably would have already picked a fight with the MiBs for some stupid reason.

Life.

Lucem

The One Eyed Bandit

hosaki

The One Eyed Bandit · Jul 25, 2017

Katsura "K" Kagenetsu, Guild Hall (Territory 9) > Little City Regional Airport (Territory 6)

Katsura squinted. Kick me signs? It cut through the tension so well that she almost laughed.

They may have been murderers, but Katsura certainly had to admit PKFire knew how to make a first impression.

"Huh." Turning the paper over in her hands the glasses wearing woman regarded it for a moment, scanning it for a moment like she once would have an important document, before reaching back around and sticking it to her back. She wasn't going to suggest her comrades do the same, but she got a feeling letting this gesture sit would work out in the long run.

"Right, now that everyone's here, let's get to business. First off..." Turning to Dez, she put on an expression that felt almost foreign today. Her friendly smile. "I prefer to go by Katsura. Usernames have always felt stiff to me. Good to work with you and whatever... I guess you missed Edge La's little orientation?" Part of her was thankful for that. Having someone around that didn't know about her spat with Miss Slavery would be nice. "At the behest of our Guild Leader, I'll be heading up this operation. And with these gifts of ours... Royal, I'd like you to take Rhyme and try out find our culprits. I'll take cute young Dez here and do the same. Try to keep in contact. For all we know, they'll try and take us out while we're split up, so... Make sure your messages give away your location or something. Might not be able to get one out while we're being accosted by serial killers."

She folded her arms, satisfied. it'd been a while since she'd been able to sit down and organize like that. It was kind of refreshing.

Lucem

hosaki

Life.

White Masquerade

Lucem · Jul 26, 2017

Drawing Fire Quest:
Little City Regional (Airport)

Elijah Royals

Eyes settling on a head of golden hair, Elijah finally met the Pwnies member that had been unknown to him. While he didn't have any expectations of his other teammate, he hadn't thought that Dez would be someone like this. There were many young people in the guild, but the boy in front of him couldn't have been older than eighteen, still having the youthful appearance of an adolescent. Well, it didn't seem uncharacteristic of Edge La to recruit people like that, recalling that there was someone even younger within their ranks. Although, said child was a possible murderer, so she certainly wasn't normal.

At Dez's introduction, Elijah offered a nod in confirmation. "Yeah. Nice to meet you." With the blond's arrival, all members of their party had been gathered.

Feeling a force against his shoulder, Elijah turned away from the young man, watching as the one responsible pushed forward without looking back. It seemed like the airport became more crowded with each passing second, a sea of people brushing against each other as they rushed to their destinations. Katsura and Dez would also experience collisions, albeit a bit rougher than his own. Out of the two that rudely passed his companions, the one in the black suit caught his eye.

While it wasn't unusual to see someone in a suit at a place like this, there were quite a few people wearing the exact same attire. It was a familiar sight, having seen men dressed in black scattered across the streets of Territory 2. Coincidentally, his home was also a location where PK Fire had a presence. With that connection, it was possible that these people were involved with them in some way, or were tasked with some form of security. Both seemed likely, considering that the airport had been threatened by the terrorist group.

Elijah's observation would be cut short when the youngest of their trio received a swift kick to the backside, dark eyes drifting to the paper attached to Dez's back. Katsura seemed to have one as well, but was fortunate enough to avoid any blows. 'Kick me?'

Before Elijah could give much thought to the slips of paper, a familiar voice entered his ears. Turning to face its owner, the man was met with the sight of Rhyme presenting the sheet that had previously been attached to his back. Taking note of the librarian's poorly hidden smile, Elijah responded with one of his own, lips curving slightly upward in amusement as he took the paper into his hand. "Thanks."

With Rhyme's arrival, Katsura began to address the full group of four, splitting the members into pairs in order to seek out the people that had summoned them. Regardless of their efforts, Elijah suspected that they'd eventually meet up with PK Fire. Considering what had happened so far, it was likely that they had already been found. The criminal group may have been having a bit of fun with the CodeBreakers, since groups like Pwnies interfered with their business. If they truly desired a meeting, PK Fire would come to them. After all, they hadn't been given a specific location.

"Understood." With a bit of playfulness in his voice, Elijah followed the junior master's order like a proper subordinate. He would be searching the area with Rhyme, the same partner he had during the meeting with McMurdo. He knew a bit about the man's behavior, so this pairing may have been for the best.

As far as potential suspects went, there were two people that stood out. The first was a girl that had been focusing on their small group, her smirk widening into a larger smile. It was possible that she had simply noticed the prank and was laughing at Dez's misfortune, but the expression made him somewhat suspicious.

The second person he observed had a much shadier appearance, covering his face with a bandanna. While wearing one didn't guarantee that someone was up to no good, it was out of place. The backpack he carried was also a point of interest, possibly concealing something dangerous.

Weighing the two options, Elijah settled on going after the boy. He had a feeling that Katsura and Dez would have better success with the other suspect. Two grown men chasing after a young girl may give others in the airport the wrong impression.

Making sure not to lose sight of the masked boy, Elijah turned to Rhyme. "Ready?"

White Masquerade

Life.

hosaki

The One Eyed Bandit

Life. · Jul 27, 2017

Little City Regional Airport:
Drawing Fire
Dez
Sure Dez had not reach his growth spurt, so he appeared lanky and a tad shorter than the average man, but why did he seem to attract blows? First it was the bag to the head. He let that one slide considering the others received physical contact of some kind and that the airport seemed to be bustling with activity. There was just bound to be rude people around every corner. But it seemed that those collisions were more than simply rudeness. Papers were stuck onto the trio in which some people promptly obeyed whatever it said on it. Well really people only did it to Dez. A sharp flare of pain shot up Dez's leg as he reflexively turned to see who the assailant was, but to no avail. They had quickly merged into the crowd. Of course Dez did not know why he received a kick. Dez was pissed, angry, frustrated, upset. Finally he was feeling some kind of emotion in contrast to his empty state earlier but it was a burning emotion. It stung. He could feel his face expressing the perfect shade of embarrassment and anger. It didn't help that when Dez turned towards the crowd his eyes met the smirk of a girl from the crowd. She held a smile that surely showed that she was up to no good, but it could also be that she was laughing at Dez's misery. Then she slithered away into the crowd. The movement of another figure also caught his eyes.

Dez's attention returned to the other Pwnies that stood in front of him when he heard an unfamiliar voice. But he recognized the figure. He had seen the man across a video call before his first mission. What was his name again...oh right Rhyme. The young Codebreaker watched as he pulled off a piece of paper from K. It read 'Kick Me.' So that was the reason he was kicked. How come he was the only one to receive a blow though? Whatever. The boy swiftly reached behind his back, tore off the paper, and crumpled it. His anger was finally calming down since he couldn't direct his anger to a specific target. Although the feeling was surely to stay inside his heart.

The blonde boy looked up when he felt the eyes of K on him. There he saw an expression that warmed him up, but in a comforting way. Katsura, as she liked being addressed, gave Dez a friendly smile. The boy could tell it was genuine and for just a moment he felt as if everything was going to be okay. But that was a hopeless thought to cling onto. Dez knew it. After all they were dancing into the hands of PK Fire. They were known to be a notorious group. It's not like they were simply going to invite them for some tea or something mundane like that. Katsura had directed who was to go with who. Dez didn't mind being with Katsura. So far she was the only good thing in Dez's series of misfortunes.

But who were Katsura and Dez going to follow? Clearly it was between the cheeky girl and the suspicious boy. Dez carefully watched the team member Royal who was looking off more in the direction that the boy disappeared to. Right after he asked his partner, Rhyme, if he was ready. So I guess that means Katsura and I are going after the girl? Ugh... First Dez was looking at the shoes of people and now he was to chase after a girl? Was it too much to ask to be normal? Well Dez thought about it and figured that all of this was happening since he had joined Pwnies. Well better get onto the mission then...

"K-I mean Katsura, shall we go after the girl then? But don't take it the wrong way. She appeared to be up to no good is all." Dez was become slightly flustered in trying to reason why they should follow the girl. The last thing he wanted to do was give off an impression of seeming like a typical, hormonal, teenage boy. Especially in front of his guildmates, because Dez wanted to show he's so much more than a boy.

The One Eyed Bandit

Lucem

hosaki

clarinetti · Jul 28, 2017

A Concerned Citizen
Little City Regional Airport - Drawing Fire Quest

The air of Little City Regional was one of anticipation. You heard in it the hurried footsteps of passengers rushing to reach their gate, even when their flight wasn’t boarding for another hour. In the voices of passers-by in transit, from tourists heading to exotic foreign locales to the weary flight attendants in layover before continuing to their final destination. Even in the quiet pacing of those waiting in the arrivals area for friends and loved ones to stroll through those gates it could be felt, a quiet hum amidst the cacophony which they were all immersed in. This anticipation was fuelled by expectation- most have a habit of assuming that all will go well and that they will reach their destination without incidence. When the fulfillment of said resolution is delayed, or else our presumptions are proven wrong however, this only strengthens the feeling of apprehension which innately arises in us. People have an instinctual need for resolution, for questions to be answered and loose ends to be tied up- he himself was no different in this regard. But to forestall that conclusion, to let one remain hanging in suspense… that was where anticipation became a valuable tool to harness.

It was for this reason that the man remained where he was even after a voice chirped in his ear that the Codebreakers from the Pwnies Guild had arrived at the meeting point. After all, the time which had been proposed was merely a guideline: no need to rush hastily into things. Glancing over the HUD, the figure opened the attachment which had been sent to him, which in turn brought up a livestream of an aerial view of the hallway. Amidst the bustling crowd of travellers and staff, the group stood out like a sore thumb, and that wasn’t even taking into consideration the paper ‘Kick Me’ signs that the lackeys stuck to their backs. Ughh… these thugs serve their purpose well enough, but their lack of professionalism is completely tasteless. I’ll have to see about bringing that up at some point, not that they’ll care to heed my words, he thought dryly to himself before redirecting his focus to the feed.

While he sought to enter this meeting with no expectations, he couldn’t help but find himself a tad disappointed at the lot before him. The tall man whose gaze swept the area seemed to have some common-sense about him, but the rest of the lot were lacklustre at first glance. The reedy twig of a man who’d just teleported in appeared to be a rather docile creature, tentatively removing the aforementioned notes off his colleagues backs. The woman might pass as intimidating, if not for the fact that she was wearing tacky red sunglasses and only socks on her feet. As for the youngest member of the quartet, the blonde lad was mediocre in stature, his expression was rather tense, as though trying (and failing) to hold back some great frustration within him. And yet there was something particularly familiar about this individual’s appearance. He could swear he’d seen that face before, and took a moment to search his mind... but alas, the answer did not come to him. A relation to one of his associates maybe? Perhaps it might dawn on him at a later point in time, most likely when his head wasn’t so occupied with more pressing issues. No matter, it was likely of little consequence anyways.

All in all, despite the suited figure’s initial displeasure, he was curious to see what these amateurs would bring to the table. That the venerable Edge La herself had taken them under her wing certainly said something, likely that there was more to these Codebreakers than first impressions might imply. Or else that she and her fledgling guild were pressed in finding recruits, and that the new cyber security task force the mayor had taken to gloating about was for little more than show. Of course, the master Edge Lord’s cohorts had already begun to make ripples in the ebb and flow of their operations. But he had learned from personal experience that the biggest splash tends to only happen at the beginning, and that it’s not long afterwards that those disturbances quietly fizzle out, leaving the surface as placid and unchanged as before. But who knows? Perhaps this lot will prove more persistent than their predecessors.

The man’s train of thought was interrupted as once more a tinny, monotonous voice spoke to him, curt and abrasive in their speech. “White noise is distorting most of the audio, but it seems that the woman with the sunglasses is in charge, username starts with K-A-T. It’s most likely an alias, but I’ll run it through the database, see if anything of interest comes up. In in the meantime we’ll see about cleaning up the sound so we can get something discernible.” It notified him, and in response he tilted his head slightly and fixed his gaze on the security camera to his far right, eyeing it momentarily before returning to his beverage. A few minutes passed uneventfully, him sipping on the now lukewarm drink whilst observing the feed, privately wishing he could read lips in light of the poor audio.

His attention was just beginning to wander when a flicker of movement caught his eye. Gazing at the screen before his eyes, the man noted the group was organizing themselves into pairs, their eyes locked in the directions which his cohorts had gone. Divide and conquer- a perfectly reasonable strategy. Two versus one would give them the advantage after all, if we were comparing apples to apples, he mused quietly before closing the screen. He’d be kept informed of their locations, but he suspected that his cohorts would lead the Codebreakers according to plan. There was too much hinging on this operation for them to fool around. Rising from his chair, the stranger smoothed the creases out from his suit before peering at one of the numerous clocks which populated the airport. Right on time. Extending the handle of his rolling briefcase, he scanned his surroundings one last time before picking up his paper cup and melting into the crowd.

White Masquerade

Life.

hosaki

Lucem

The One Eyed Bandit

White Masquerade · Jul 30, 2017

Little City Regional Airport:
Drawing Fire

Kid Brahhh
On forward through the crowd the boy walked. Pushing to the side of people waiting for flights, he didn't need to turn around to know he was being followed. Goody-two-shoe Codebreakers - how could they not? Yeah. These people were becoming a thorn in their side. The organization's. Least according to boss who watched these things. Said they were trying to put a rein on things. Which was not something he liked. The recruiting of dozens of members he had let slide. They were novices, probably never did an ounce of Codebreaking in their life. Newbies were bound to be scared at some point, frightened back into their cave of an ordinary life. However...it did not happen. They actually coalesced. Getting things done. Most noted of all, Anubis. The one linked to the Rahatan Preserve. She was somebody boss wanted to get his hands on; lure to their side, but Pwnies got there first. How they even knew the girl would be headed their way meant the leader of Pwnies was serious. There was no way that info could have been gotten by normal means. Edge La was using her back to do this. A long stable balance was being upset.

...

Not that the boy particularly cared. All that mattered was that these people were being some serious killjoys. If someone started doing things, stepping in to interfere with their plans, playing some kind of two-bit police, it would make things hard. Much harder than they needed to. And that was so uncool.

"Ouch! Hey! Watch where you're go-"

"Shut the fuck up, bruh."

Popping out his shoulders the delinquent continued to walk, rather, ram through the crowd in a straight line with no deviation right or left. It didn't matter anyway, he just needed to get far away enough from those two...and that man. Divide and conquer. People were pretty strong in a group, but what really showed who one was when they faced problems by themselves. These Pwnies. There were a group of upstarts who wanting to play hero without knowing what that really entailed. His mouth un-moving beneath the bandanna, he would show them reality. People around here had the bad habit of forgetting what that was.

Right here should be good.

And slowing his walk, the boy came to a stop in the middle of the floor near the entrance of Gate P, and upon it turned around. Eyes instantly locking with two, both Royal and Rhyme, he put one hand below his breast.

And inverting the symbol, held it down while he stood his ground, staring both in the eye. Bringing the other hand below his first in the shape of a "K", the man held the pose even as others present stared while walking by. Not moving one iota from the two's field of view, that shit was serious business. Shifting the bottom hand into a "P" and the top into a "K" the man then stuck both hands in his pockets and held his ground.

"Sup f*ckboys. You made it right on time. The name's Kid Brahhh and you're pissing some people off. How about you just go back home and call this hero thing quits?"

Lucem

hosaki

clarinetti

Girl
Girl
Lol.

Snickering under her breath at K still with the sign stuck to her back, the Breaker made no effort to hide she knew she was being tailed. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it, looking back casually over her shoulder every now and then, making eyes at Cayden Venz. With a light sip every three seconds from her pea-colored juice, the Breaker transitioned from a walk to a leisurely skip. Where the boy would run into people clearing his own path, this one took another route. Making it a challenge to get through the crowd without touching one, the child hopped on tippy-toes, spun in flexing pirouettes, and stutter-stepped in opposite directions to avoid any contact. Even forgetting to sip from the head of her straw, the girl was breathing hard after the first few minutes of this. But not from exhaustion.

Fun.

'I have to put on a show for you after all,' she thought, looking once more to Dez. Yet she wasn't thinking about the boy. No, no. Far from it.

K.

Her two eyes were constantly sitting on Dez, but once in a while they slipped to K, and when they did, they would sparkle wide. Then falling back to the boy they would dim to that standard flirtatious scale. Dez was a little cute, but you never fraternized with the enemy. That was until...well - this was what they were her for.

"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm."

Skipping still down the crowded corridor and effortlessly dodging each human this time around, she pondered if she was far enough from the other two and that man. Take an extra-long sip from her cup, she didn't even remember his name. She had no idea why he was here, but it was insisted upon he came along. Maybe he was bothered by their activities like boss too? From how many walls Mister hit, she figured these Pwnies got him very upset. Losing that target Anubis seemed to be what set him off. Those pets. Tsk. Never send one to do a human's work. Had he preferred sending one of them instead, her, Anubis would've been on the way back to him right now. Then again, who knew these Pwnies would be so bold?

Especially you, K.

And satisfied, stopping on a dime, the child, cup of juice still in hand, twirled to face the two that tailed her, instantly locking eyes while giving a low bow. Then rising back up it could be seen one hand was splayed inverted under her chest in the shape of a "P".

Removing her hand from the cup, which amazingly sat hovered in the air, she completed the sign, forming the second fist in the stretch of a K. Exactly the same of the gate she arrived. For a long few seconds she held the pose as others, more interested in the floating cup, passed by. Holding up her chin, she relaxed, placing one hand back around the drink and the other along the straw.

"K," she spoke, wiggling it around. "Shoe-less K. I saw you on the news today. You're a Satellizer aren't you? I could tell by the hole they kept zooming in on the roof. Haha. You know you messed up Gay Lord's career like that right? Exposing him? Our location-block won't even help now that everyone knows what he did. Those dummies at IWA could never quite figure out where he lived IRL. I guess next best thing's making VR so miserable he'll want to log off forever? Or...maybe I could help you out? I could give you his real-life location right now. You give it to IWA, they'll lock him up and you accept all the praise. Would you like that K?"

Then turning to Dez.

"You think K would like that, kiddie? It's a good deal no? Locking away criminals! Righteous! I'm not even gonna ask for much! You two can be heroes! Whee! Just quit the Pwnies guild and the information is yours!"

Life.

The One Eyed Bandit

Futuristic Territory 6

QuirkyAngel's Red Oni

Beag Combatiente

You're Done!

Your Darling Devil

Beag Combatiente

RPNation's Overpowered Heroic Sword Saint

QuirkyAngel's Red Oni

RPNation's Overpowered Heroic Sword Saint

You're Done!

Your Darling Devil

Beag Combatiente

RPNation's Overpowered Heroic Sword Saint

QuirkyAngel's Red Oni

Forever Wandering

rotworm

Ten Thousand Club

Forever Wandering

QuirkyAngel's Red Oni

One Thousand Club

Paranoid Android

rotworm

Ten Thousand Club

Forever Wandering

Spectre

QuirkyAngel's Red Oni

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