Graded &nbsp; [The Underbelly] Where&#039;s this Bloody Dragon Scale?!?

Maxxob

Sisyphus Happy
Character Sheet
Titles: Construct, Otherworlder, All-Purpose Intelligence
Languages: %Analogue%, Common

Relieved to see that the approaching threat was successfully dealt with thanks to the combined efforts of hers and Erich's literal firepower, considering the firearms that were possessed and that Scylla might as well have been counted as high-grade explosives at this point considering her magical capabilities, Viokii gave a look in the direction of Kalina to make sure that she was completely okay after the aftermath of which she did appear to be so. Interested by the fact that she was so capably prepared to fight in the fray of such danger, Viokii internally wondered what travels she must have went to in order to reach such a point.

"Your Highness, I am truly glad to see that you are okay and well. At some point, I must ask how you have managed yourself to reach such a point of capability and potential for my own research" Viokii spoke to her, hearing her point and pondering to herself for a moment before answering blatantly.
"My love, I think it is an internal conscience for any being to not wish to near something that one recognises as likely to cause harm or act rabid. I am quite sure that is your nervous system and brain functions working as intended" the construct pointed out over her thinking she should not near the vampire spawn, having expected that if she was capable of so much then she should have been able to understand what was simply a part of her organic existence.

"User Erich, I applaud your capability to use such firearms you may or may not be accustomed or well-versed with their quality. I trust and take you are fine with all you may need to do with your own entrusted project by the Professor? Hopefully such work proves valuable to you" she spoke to Erich before looking in the way of Scylla, clasping her hands together in delight as her ears gently twitched.
"Oh Cutie, you did so well, I'm so impressed and proud! A powerful and brave cutie like that could take on the whole world and anything, I'm sure~!" she cheerfully added.

Taking a small look between the others present, the other three appeared as if they were fine enough to move on at least to her as she nodded.
"I am capably fine with continuing... " she answered, supposing that Erich may need some time to fix up his own tested weapon but knowing Scylla's bouncy mood she was probably ready for anything at this point if it was on a sudden whim. Eventually watching Liu as he approached what appeared to be a remaining entity from Vaihere's notice, she raised concerns.

"Do be careful, you do not know where the thing you are approaching has been" she said, wondering if he did indeed know what it was considering he made the first move to approach and handle it. If he knew how to handle it, at least it was better than someone else blindly investigating.

RavenSong · Mar 15, 2024

Panting heavily, the half demon rearranged her bubblegum hair behind her ear. "We.. did it." She said in between breaths. The adrenaline in her body was slowly subsiding as she scanned about the area for any potential danger. "Is that.. all of them?" She said to no one in particular before straightening up and dusting her skirt. She fiddled a bit with the charred spot that had caught fire and made a brief frown as she inspected it before looking up at Viokii.

Suddenly putting on a smile to hide her "Y-you really think so?!" She asked naively, "That was the first time I ever used that spell! I.. I thought it was totally going to fail! I mean.. thank you love! You're so encouraging and loving and thoughtful and.. and .She giggled. "I'm so relieved i didn't blow us up instead!"

Walking up to the vampire bodies she frowned a bit as she crouched down to get a closer look. "Hmm. Curious." She muttered before going through her bag and pulling out the Almanac of the Dead combined with [Arcane E] for any potential clues as to how the circumstances came about that turned these vampires from various walks of life.

Then the rat with a message. She pondered as to how or more importantly who knew Hydrangea by name? Then Vaihere broke the silence to which Scylla suddenly got up and joined the group, bringing her catalyst wand up as she stood behind Chandra. "What is it?! What's crawling?!"

Maxxob · Mar 15, 2024

Erich Zann

Femboy

Erich's grin only grew, as he witnessed the shower of projectiles exiting the double-barrel of the firearm. However, soon enough he would feel the effects of the weapon’s recoil, his black shoes started to slide backwards, the friction of the soles against the grime surface of the concrete floor starting to leave marks on the dirt. From the looks of the situation, either the engineer lacked the strength to keep the Tommy Gun steady or its full-auto function simply kicked too much. Still, despite the intensity of the moment, he felt for a moment some sort of quick movement taking place behind him. He made no movement to turn around, as the situation clearly didn’t allow him to. And, as soon as he was going to release the trigger, the submachine gun came to a full stop, a distinct metallic sound coming from it as the bolt, which was working tirelessly back and forth, stopped midway. With a faint trail for white smoke leaving the tip of the double barrel, because of the heat, his eyes left the direction of the alleyway, which now had none of the approaching creatures left standing, focusing solely on the firearm.

His expression morphed, from the excited state, induced by the adrenaline rushing through his body, to a curious expression with raised eyebrows. “Wait, what? Oh…” His darting eyes finally locked on the bolt, seeing it was stuck midway. Removing the drum-shaped magazine from the gun, he placed it into the side pocket of his lab coat, creating a huge bulge on it. Holding the firearm between his legs, both knees firmly hugging its stock, he leaned downwards and began working on it. As Erich’s left hand reached the bolt, which was located in the right side of the gun, Viokii spoke to him. He pulled the bolt back, fully, before answering her. “Thank you, Viokii, you are quite the marksman yourself. Have you performed long-range assassinations?” The tinkerer asked, in a bit of a monotone voice as his attention was fully focused on fixing the gun. His right hand began fishing into the front pocket of his lab coat and retrieving a thin metal tool from it. Gently inserting it into the ejection port of the Tommy Gun, deeply, he began searching for the case which failed to eject properly. “Don’t worry… I will get it fixed…” Erich added, his voice a bit strained, his tongue escaping the corner of his mouth as the search continued. The engineer’s eyes widened when he found what he was looking for, forcing the spent case out of the gun, the small object making a pinging noise as it bounced off the floor.

Taking the Tommy Gun in his hands once more, he began to force the bolt to cycle: keeping the trigger squeezed with his right index, while his left hand kept cocking the bolt back after each dry fire. Repeating the motion quite a few times, he finally was happy with the condition of the firearm once more. “So, the angle of the case ejection is not that fine tuned. Making the ejection port larger would likely fix it. I will keep that observation for the professor.” He thought to himself, taking a mental note of the first detail to be fixed in the firearm. Putting the metal tool away, he retrieved the drum-shaped magazine of the firearm from his pocket, sticking it into the receiver once more and cocking the bolt back, making it ready for use once more. Finally, he turned back to the group, his eyes now focusing on Scylla, just before she began to approach the pile of bodies. “Indeed, you are quite a powerful one. Like an organic mobile artillery!” He added to Viokii’s comment, being back to his relaxed self once more.

Noticing the big rat pitter-pattering with something addressed to Hydrangea, Erich tilted his head to the side a bit. “Careful of what he tells you, he is a rat!” He warned the guide, in a joking tone, with a silly smile on his face because of the literal and figurative meaning of his words. When Vaihere mentioned something was still moved, the tinkerer’s eyes darted to the pile of bodies, the Tommy Gun now being held by its midsection in his left hand, while his right drew his own Danger Vaporizer, aiming the laser gun at the general direction of the corpses.

Elvario · Mar 16, 2024

Mentions & Character Goals:

Elvario Kalina – Find the 'Bleeding Dragon Scale' Professor's Goal: – If Lykra shows up, fend her off.

RavenSong Scylla – Help out Kalina. Professor's Goal: Teach his assistant some [insight] and/or [empathy].

Sisyphus Happy Fei Liu – Go on a day trip from the bad slums to the even worse Underbelly. Professor's Goal: ~~refused~~

Maxxob Erich – Explore what unethical inventions a place like the Underbelly might have to offer. Professor's Goal: Test the Tommy gun and fix it if needed.

Femboy Viokii – Avoid getting sold. Join Erich in the search for unethical technology. Professor's Goal: ~~Explain how her 'skin' is made.~~

tika-concept-behdx-dehkhoda-photography-of-fantasy-dark-underground-passa-dd99f9ed.jpg

Location: Second Continent, Ryken, Ryke, The Underbelly, Dark Passage
From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WBDKxy

As Liu addressed the rat, the creature just titled its head to the side and stared at him with beady eyes. It was clearly not understanding what was up. Luckily enough, collecting the bag without any inspection didn't lead to any trouble. The attempt to scratch the rat, however, got him bitten at. It was a good thing he was a boney boy, as having no flesh and blood likely saved him some diseases. Now he just got off with a small bite-mark (in his gloves if he's wearing them). The rat was quick to skitter off afterwards, having seemingly done its duty in delivering the package and having no desire to do more.

Upon opening the bag, he'd find a nota and five potions. Map was good. Things are heating up. Throw these at enemies. That was all the note read. It didn't say what they did, other than likely being something harmful if they were meant to use against enemies. They did have different colours. One was a bright, vibrant red. The second was a blue-ish hue. Another was a bright, toxic-like green. Another was a weird purple-ish colour with some pink mixed in. The final one was a very bright yellow.

Chandra Jarmil

Upon Viokii's praise, Kalina chuckled. “Perhaps I'll tell you eventually, although it's a fair bit of a story.” She figured she'd keep things at that for now. She was a bit surprised at Viokii's next statement. “No... I mean, you're not wrong. It just felt different, this time around.” She wasn't sure how to explain it. She doubted that it was due to turning half-Fae that she was disgusted by these things more than normal, right? She was pretty sure she saw something else that was off.

As Kalina spotted Scylla walk up to a vampire corpse, she got over her initial resistance and joined her. There was too much they could learn from it.

On the topic of learning, the Almanac of the Dead that Scylla was using was not showing a single thing. Whatever 'soul' had been in these things, it seemed to be too far and/or long gone for the Almanac to display any information of them. Either that, or these Souls weren't meant to be damned. Scylla's [Arcana] got her a snippet more of information, as it did seem there was some magic affecting these vampire spawn.

Meanwhile, Erich successfully got the gun working again (seeing how it's out of combat) thanks to some tinkering around with it.

Upon Vaihere pointing out something moved and Scylla hiding behind her, Kalina finally noticed what was going on. “It's the blood...” They rest would see it as well. The blood from the vampire spawns was leaking out, but not in a natural manner. It seemed to be moving, ever so slowly, towards the arena in the centre of the Underbelly. As if, even after being slain, the remnants were still summoned for duty. “That's...” Kalina was looking for the right word for it. “... disturbing.”

She leaned in to whisper to Scylla. “Distract the others for a bit.” She instructed. Whilst Scylla would (hopefully) do so, she'd quickly dip her finger in the vampire spawns blood to stealthily taste it. The moment she used her [Blood Appraisal] on it, in tandem with her [Blood Celebrant] title, she flinched back. Enough so for the others to notice. Her breathing had gotten unsteady.

[Blood Appraisal] – Appraisal B, Blood Drinker F – Character is able to appraise some titles from drinking blood, rather than from watching the blood's owner. Works in tandem with [Blood Celebrant] title. - Grade B – 4 Post Cooldown
[Blood Celebrant] - You are a connoisseur of different types of blood, including fae, human, and others. You know the differences of such.

It only lasted for a few moments, before she recollected herself as her [Critical] nature set in. Even though what she'd uncovered was bad, it surely couldn't be that bad.... They were in Ryke, after all. Even if this was its most crime-filled part, something like that surely hadn't been able to come down here.

[Critical] Character has an easier time finding fault with anything and anyone. They are less likely to be caught speechless or without an opinion.

She sighed, realising she had to say something to the others after what she just pulled. “I recognised some things and I think these might've been turned by a direct servant of one of the most dangerous vampires ever.” She wasn't technically lying, but she did use deception (B) to cover up just what she recognised. She also wasn't sure what to expand upon, so she didn't. “It should only be a servant though, so nothing we can't handle.” She told herself and the others, although she did hold her rapier ever so slightly more tightly.

Taking a deep breath, she realised what she was doing. “If any of you wants to get out, this would be the time. I wouldn't fault you for it.” She stated. She couldn't risk any of the others to risk their lives and well-being here. “I'm sure I'd be fine on my own.” Despite her high deception ability, the last part didn't seem too convincing, as she did have doubts about the type of enemy she'd be up against.

Vaihere

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d0PyeX

Vaihere looked at Scylla. “Your call.” She stated, suggesting she considered the task Scylla and her had been assigned of learning 'insight and/or empathy' to be important enough to go on a life-endangering task for it.

She then turned to Erich. “Although the professor seemed to favour you, so if you go, I shall join as well.” She stated, figuring that protecting this one might be in the Professor's benefit.

RavenSong · Mar 18, 2024

"Curious.. very curious!" Scylla whispered to herself in thought and wonder. It had seemed these vampires possessed no soul or at least not a soul that could be detected with the Almanac. She'd quickly put it away, some of the pages crinkling in her bag. Then her [Arcane] appraisal, it seemed the vampires had been influenced by some spell. Which was rather disturbing since, although vampirism wasn't exactly a magical thing it rarely registered as such or emitted traces of magical residues. The half demon hummed, then turned to look at Chandra with an uncertain smile.

That was before she jumped up behind her partner, and screeched at the movement coming from the corpses. When it was the blood itself that I as running, she shuddered a bit her face smeared with worry and concern mixed with a slight bit of disgust. "By the hells!"

Quickly then Kalina asked her to create a distraction, against her very own friends which wasn't exactly ordinary. However, she followed Kalinas lead almost nearly to a fault and to much of her hesitation she suddenly opened her arms widely. "Everyone!! Prepare to tote upon the loveliest half demon you've ever seen! Me!" She'd suddenly move about seductively, then a pose, a wink and blowing a kiss. Using [Seduction E] and [Persuasion E] she'd attempt to be as convincing for everyone to fixate their eyes in solely her. She'd lift her skirt up slowly and slightly just before Kalina seemed to have a bit of a panic attack of sorts. Turning around she'd drop the act. "W-what's the matter?!" She asked with a shrill voice before the damphir explained.

Closing her eyes with a sigh in disappointment. "So.. you just made me embarrass myself for no reason." She stated disapprovingly. Then addressed her concerns, "A dangerous vampire?" She repeated as a worried hand came over her mouth. "Do.. you know who it is?" Then Kalina seemed to change her whole tone about the situation here, "Oh don't be silly, of course we're still coming along! Well.. at least me!" Turning to Vaihere, "Uhm.. we have a lot of work to do dear! I suggest you come along with me! We have lots and lots and lots to talk about!" Of course she was merely exaggerating, so far it seemed like Scylla was doing most of the talking!

Maxxob · Mar 18, 2024

Erich Zann

Femboy

Erich kept leaning left and right, even raising himself on the tip of his toes to try and see what was going on with the pile of dead creatures. The Danger Vaporizer was already charged, ready to be used if whatever moved was dangerous. However, since neither Scylla nor Chandra appeared to have attracted anything hostile from the pile, he figured it wasn’t anything dangerous. His curiosity remained piqued, however. Holstering the sidearm, he was about to take his first step towards the pile of bodies when the pink-haired-half-demon-girl turned towards the group.

His right hand moved, shifting his working goggles on top of his head once more. The engineer’s hazel eyes locked on Scylla’s odd performance. [Seduction E] and [Persuasion E] were totally ineffective against him. Yet, his attention was caught due to how bizarre her actions were, even to someone such as him. Was that some mating ritual? A victory dance? Appeasement to this world’s gods? And, when she lifted her skirt slightly, it only got worse. “Wait… is she planning to undress in here? I mean, Chandra did say her mind was not all there, but this is too much. Poor thing…” He whispered to Hydrangea, his tone being one of empathy and concern, knowing how far someone’s mind could crack under pressure. Thankfully, the odd performance was put to an end when the black-haired swordswoman appeared to suffer some sort of panic attack.

With his attention now fully focused on Chandra, he listened to her findings. His expression shifted slightly to a more serious one and his eyes narrowed a bit. “A servant of the most dangerous vampire, huh?” He repeated the information given, his right hand starting to scratch his hairless chin as he appeared to recoil in thought. While he didn’t fully comprehend the danger a vampire could pose, regardless of being powerful or not, he certainly would not let things go unfinished. That would leave a bitter taste in his mouth. However, before he could answer the black-haired swordswoman’s concerns, he was caught by surprise when Vaihere addressed him, for the very first time, since the group met her. With his expression once again relaxed, he answered the half-construct with a lighthearted tone. “Then I appreciate you coming with me, because I don’t plan to turn back now.” He said, deciding to continue on the search for the scale.

Then, at the back of his mind, an idea pulsated ever so slightly: the immortality of a vampire, while retaining autonomy and sanity was an alluring prospect. Much easier than his long planned transhumanism. With that, he decided to pose a question. "Chandra, you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge about these creatures. To know what to avoid, do you know how one gets turned into their kind?" Erich asked, as he approached the pile of bodies just enough to be able to see the spilled blood, moving on its own, towards their destination.

Sisyphus Happy · Mar 18, 2024

Erich's joke elicited a pained chortle from the skeleton, "hmhmhm," which distracted him just long enough for the rat to strike. Liu pulled his hand away just a moment too late. A wild rat indeed. He curled all the fingers on that hand into a fist to hide the perforation -- the rat was huge and teeth were proportional. After reading the note, relief began to lap at the corners of his form as the sound of post-battle euphoria began to fill the alleyway. He would likely not have to hear from the rat again, and certainly doesn't owe it anything. It was as much a relief as a bump to his ego, in fact. Perhaps his charts were not as niche as he first envisioned. Shifting the potion bag into his 'injured' hand, he inspected them carefully, gingerly even, as though he were holding an explosive. He imagined that a volatile substance was not out of the question. The rat scampering off distracted him from any subversive activities and he carefully made his way back to Erich. If anyone in the party had any hope of figuring these things out, it was him anyway. On his way to the artificer, he responded to Viokii, "well, it cannot have been anywhere far worse than we are now," he suggested, gesturing around to the giblets strewn about from high-speed projectiles ripping through undead flesh.

Approaching Erich respectfully, he proffered the bag of potions and inquired, "do you have any chemical expertise? Where I come from the disciplines of artifice and chemistry are considered separate," and he inclined the mouth of the bag toward him. Holding it up, he looked around and inspected the surroundings once more, distrusting the stillness. That there were more things lurking in the dark was clear, the city was being invaded by such creatures. If he had no privilege to what was going on, he would have been rather unhappy to be roused from rest by these things vandalising his squat. So far, so good. Inside the bag, the red, blue, green, yellow, and striated purple vials clinked with the motion of his head.

Femboy · Mar 18, 2024

Viokii
7

Maxxob

Sisyphus Happy
Character Sheet
Titles: Construct, Otherworlder, All-Purpose Intelligence
Languages: %Analogue%, Common

As Viokii listened to Kalina speaking upon that her capabilities may be a story for later, the construct's attention was eventually diverted to the rather questionable excuse of a distraction that was whatever it was Scylla was supposed to be doing. It was at least working, but probably wasn't good for her outside image when it came to other people if it was the kind of thing she did, Viokii just believing that this was just another of the kind of random things Scylla's mentality would lead her to do for some reason.
"That's very sweet of you Cutie. Although questionable, maybe it can wait until later, it's considered indecent to lift your skirt like that in public, simply because Chandra may be appreciative of it and that I would not mind if it was something you wanted to do does not make it entirely okay to do with other people. But I wouldn't know. I don't have anything organic to hide or wear a skirt or pants of any kind. That is what my artifically designed common sense tells me" Viokii blankly answered as she watched Scylla, hearing that she was planning to go on ahead to much more dangerous situations.

Seeing as Erich, Scylla and potentially Liu were all going to risk their own life and time to coming along to aid, Viokii knew that it probably wouldn't help if the person who had offered to give her residence and living support were to meet an unfortunate syntax error and missing input line crash, plus she wasn't designed to just let someone walk into a dangerous situation anyway.
"I will be going to in order to keep an eye on your welfare and safety, my repayment for your assistance is not currently finished anytime soon and it wouldn't be very courteous of me to abandon my mistress, love" Viokii spoke, giving a gentle bow of her head to show respect.

"It is appreciative that you two may be providing such continued assistance to my darling Highness in her own efforts, I hope to wish for your welfare and that I may also keep an eye out for you. Hopefully I can repay you in some way I can in order to show appreciation and that further cooperation would be potentially profitable for both parties" Viokii spoke to Liu and Erich, gently bowing her head in respect to them also.

Elvario · Mar 19, 2024

Mentions & Character Goals:

Elvario Kalina – Find the 'Bleeding Dragon Scale' Professor's Goal: – If Lykra shows up, fend her off.

RavenSong Scylla – Help out Kalina. Professor's Goal: Teach his assistant some [insight] and/or [empathy].

Sisyphus Happy Fei Liu – Go on a day trip from the bad slums to the even worse Underbelly. Professor's Goal: ~~refused~~

Maxxob Erich – Explore what unethical inventions a place like the Underbelly might have to offer. Professor's Goal: Test the Tommy gun and fix it if needed.

Femboy Viokii – Avoid getting sold. Join Erich in the search for unethical technology. Professor's Goal: ~~Explain how her 'skin' is made.~~

Location: Second Continent, Ryken, Ryke, The Underbelly, Dark Passage
From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WBDKxy

Chandra Jarmil

Honestly, Kalina felt a strong desire to face-palm. Scylla's distraction had worked well enough to avoid anyone spotting her means of figuring out what they were dealing with; tasting the blood of one of the vampire spawn, yet Scylla openly calling out that she embarrassed herself for no reason wasn't exactly a good way to keep the ruse up. After all, most would wonder 'what from' if Kalina didn't come up with something even slightly viable. “No, no, dear, you did great. Now we know we can rely on your distracting talents should we need them.” She stated, trying her best to sound convincing (deception B) to the rest.

“There's only so much I can learn from studying a vampire spawn's corpse.” She replied to the question if she knew who it was. “Yet from the … traces of whom might've turned them...” She wasn't sure how else to put it without giving too much away about herself. “... I can only conclude that it was the handiwork of someone exceptionally powerful and likely related to some of the ones I saw before.” The last part wasn't exactly true (deception B), but she figured it'd fly by, as only Scylla might know the truth.

She chuckled at Scylla's conviction to come along. “I'm glad to have you then.” At least with Scylla, she knew the witch was more than capable of defending herself. She was more concerned about the others in that regard.

What surprised her, however, was Erich's sudden interest in the process of being turned. “From what I've learned, you need to be bitten and the vampire biting you needs consciously infect you through it. I've heard that stronger vampires tend to get some form of control over whomever they turn, when they do so, whilst weaker vampires often end up failing and killing their targets or creating a mindless vampire spawn. The ones we just fought, I think, were purposefully made to 'fail' to turn into a real vampire for easier control of them in large numbers.” That's the theory she'd been working on. “In either case, the best way to avoid vampirism is to ensure none would want to turn you. Other than simply staying out of biting range, of course.”

She was a tad surprised by Viokii's reply, unsure if the reply was still part of the program or genuine. “I'd not wisth to force you to risk your life for what assistance I gave you, but I won't stop you from doing so either.” That's what she figured the best reply would be to ensure the construct wouldn't feel obligated whilst still conveying gratitude if she did join in. She took a deep breath. “Well, it seems that this Lykra we heard about won't be the only truly dangerous foe we might run into. We should also be weary of whatever vampire orchestrated all this.”

Vaihere

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d0PyeX

“I see.” That was all the reaction she gave to Scylla's suggestion to come along. She'd just nod at Erich's statement of appreciation, an action only visible by the slight tiling of the helmet.

With that all said, it was time to move on. Oddly enough, in the little time they'd been fighting, the Underbelly had gotten quiet. Eerily quiet. As if everyone had collectively decided to hide or run. Then again, neither option seemed to have worked for some, as they'd spot a few corpses of mercenaries, muggers and bandits along their way to the arena.

As they got closer to the arena, however, those with [Darkvision] and/or [Heightened Sight] would start to see two red eyes peering at them from the dark. Whatever it was seemed to be following them as they got closer to the arena. In fact, it was likely to catch up to them before they'd reach the arena itself.

“Anyone else notice it?” Kalina asked, looking ahead of her to avoid alerting whatever was stalking them of the fact she'd caught up on it through her Darkvision.

Maxxob · Mar 20, 2024

Erich Zann

Femboy

RavenSong

~On Hydrangea's package of goodness~

With Hydrangea approaching Erich, the engineer leaned over to peek into the mouth of the bag. Shifting the experimental firearm in his hands to be held in his left one, he carefully reached and retrieved the bottle with the toxic green contents from the bag. Lifting the bottle up, his eyes narrowed, looking at the liquid inside of it against any source of light the alleyway might have. While his mind worked its very best to try and uncover what such a solution would be, the tinkerer lacked the proper knowledge [Alchemy] to do so. “I am really sorry to disappoint you, but chemistry and pharmacy aren’t really my forte…” He looked into the bag once more, seeing that the green color didn’t repeat in any of the other flasks. “... I guess testing it is also out of the question. Only one of each.” Placing the bottle into the bag once more, his gaze shifted to the guide’s dark hood. “I suppose we will only know their effects when they are used. It might be wise to lob them only when we are outdoors or indoors, if there is enough ventilation.” The tinkerer advised, albeit from the guide’s actions so far, he appeared to have a cautious nature and didn’t seem the type that would end up having the whole group suffocated by one of the solutions, the ones that needed to breathe anyway.

~On Viokii being thankful for further assistance~

Erich would then turn towards Viokii, as they expressed their thanks in the continued assistance offered by both himself and their towering guide. “%And I will watch your back in return, make repairs as far as my skills allow, if you need it. When time allows it, I am sure the knowledge about your chassis and software will be enough payback for my assistance. Further quid pro quo does seem in both of our benefits, doesn’t it?%” The engineer said in analogue, on purpose, to leave those without the knowledge of the language in the dark as that only pertained to him and the bot. The beeping and bops took on a more corporative tone. What the tinkerer did was not only out of the kindness of his own heart, but primarily safeguarding his own interests in diving into the Underbelly. There seemed to be much more to be discovered under his usual lighthearted self, hiding steel beneath silk.

~On Chandra's explanation about vampirism~

Next, the human would focus on Chandra and her explanation about the whole process of vampirism. He parsed every word with great care, his mind already running with the possible implications of it. All in all, the idea brought a lot of danger with it, mainly becoming a mindless drone. Yet, the other alternative also had quite a few dangers in itself, the main one being his primate brain not being able to withstand all the technological transformations which his body would need to go through. “I see, so better keep these creatures from closing in on us. I appreciate that information.” Erich said in a grateful tone, keeping the true nature of his questioning hidden. While questions remained, he knew better than to try and get further information on the topic.

As the group continued their course towards the arena, the engineer would fix his gaze towards the bodies as he passed through them, his hands gripping the Tommy Gun and ready to use it. The eerie silence of the place started to catch his attention, sharpening even further. He couldn’t imagine how many lives must have been lost with the advance of the fledgling vampires towards their destination, but his worries were if the number of creatures had been increased by it. Then again, taking in consideration the black-haired swordswoman explanation, it seemed the creatures would be unable to produce new spawns. Suddenly, with Chandra’s questioning, his hazel eyes darted around, albeit his head was kept looking forward as well. “Notice what…?” He asked in an overly inquisitive tone, not being sure what she meant by the question.

Femboy · Mar 21, 2024

(short bost, am busy)
Viokii
8

Character Sheet
Titles: Construct, Otherworlder, All-Purpose Intelligence
Languages: %Analogue%, Common

Maxxob

Hearing out Kalina and Erich on their responses, Viokii briefly waited until they were ready to move on.
"Remember to be concerned about yourself before you can be concerned about me, my love. You do not wish to create your own blind spots by trying to give vision to mine" the construct answered over her concern as she looked to Erich.
"%I'm sure progressive cooperation will occur and happen with time, let us see through the success of this current goal for now, User Erich. I'm sure there is plenty to be discovered as much on this trip as there would be in a workshop%" Viokii added.

Following further on until they got closer to the arena, Viokii wouldn't be entirely aware of what it was that Kalina was exactly saying that they were noticing, unsure if it was a high sense of theirs that had located something in the vicinity or if they were having one of those unprecedented organic being moments. A bit concerned by the quiet nature of the Underbelly despite having been given evidence that it was prior given way to many more of the vampire spawn that they had dealt with earlier, Viokii was hypothesising that it was only likely they would encounter at least one or two other random encounters or currently unpartnered parties before they were done with their own little quest. Especially since the major attention of their problems seemed like it was focused somewhere else, which may have concerningly been where they were needing to go.

"What is it, mistress? Is there something wrong? Do you need for me to hold your hand during this dark walk?" Viokii asked curiously as she prodded the tips of her index fingers together.

RavenSong · Mar 22, 2024

Scylla, unable to keep her embarrassment contained would begin to feel hot and red. Viokiis openness didn't help much either and just pulled her hair over her eyes. "I've never wanted to be a tiny little ant in my entire life. If only I could polymorph myself to smithereens!" Chandras deception, being as high grade as it was translated quite believably. Although it did little to ease her mind, although never hearing Erichs comments his eyes sort of said it all.

The witch sighed, and found the strength to continue, besides, she was a demon. Albeit half human it very much was in her immediate nature. Much to Velvets distaste, but finding it somewhat humorous to see Scylla floundering.

As the party moved along, the half demon followed besides Viokii, looking down as she did so, "I wish it wasn't so quiet, I can hear myself thinking." She muttered before lifting her gaze and scanning about a bit. "Hmm. Maybe we scared them away." She shrugged and was just about to relax when the corpses came into view. "Good hells. Is that what I think- it is!" She' tip toe around the corpses. "awe, if only Iberis were here, she'd made quite the cute little servant collection out of all these bones." She'd giggle for a bit at herself before suddenly hushing up. "Shh.. see what?" Asking indifferently making it seem like casual conversation.

Elvario · Mar 22, 2024

Mentions & Character Goals:

Elvario Kalina – Find the 'Bleeding Dragon Scale' Professor's Goal: – If Lykra shows up, fend her off.

RavenSong Scylla – Help out Kalina. Professor's Goal: Teach his assistant some [insight] and/or [empathy].

Sisyphus Happy Fei Liu – Go on a day trip from the bad slums to the even worse Underbelly. Professor's Goal: ~~refused~~

Maxxob Erich – Explore what unethical inventions a place like the Underbelly might have to offer. Professor's Goal: Test the Tommy gun and fix it if needed.

Femboy Viokii – Avoid getting sold. Join Erich in the search for unethical technology. Professor's Goal: ~~Explain how her 'skin' is made.~~

Location: Second Continent, Ryken, Ryke, The Underbelly, Dark Passage
From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WBDKxy

Chandra Jarmil

“No.” Kalina's reply to Viokii had been a bit short, as she was still staring out into the dark corners. Holding someone's hand would be the worst option, if she was anywhere correct about what she thought she saw. At the moment, however, she couldn't see a thing... was this thing using stealth, like she was? Or perhaps magical invisibility? She was sure she'd seen something though, even if for a moment.

Combat Rules are now active!!!
Remember to keep track of cooldowns.
Use three actions per post at most.
Basic attacks and/or defend actions, talking a lot (more than a few sentences) and moving far (more than a few steps) all take up an action.
Friendly NPC's will generally act defensively, unless told otherwise by someone they'd be inclined to listen too.

As the others confirmed they hadn't noticed it, 'it' had certainly noticed them. Out of nowhere an extremely gross looking orb of greenish-brownish bile was spat at them. If they'd been looking in the same direction as Kalina, they'd shortly see the creature from which it originated...

From: https://goblincoach.com/spined-salientian/

… Yet the creature would immediately slink away in the shadows. Leaving them to deal with the foul projectile coming right at them.

Kalina, unsure what to do, decided to halt the projectile through a counter-attack.

Precision Strike D: – Fighting Style [Specialized] [Precision Strikes] D, Accurate D, Penetrating D, Range D, Continuing [Vampiric Infection] D, Contagion D. Character attacks with their fighting style, ignoring 3 grades of speed, 3 grades of armour, reaching 100ft (30m), continuing to deal 1 hp damage for 3 posts and spreading to up to 3 others. - Grade D – 2 Post Cooldown

As she stabbed her rapier, its forced kept going far beyond the weapon's length, clashing with the bile projectile and making it take on a hue of different colours as it splattered into different, tinier splatters of bile. Although it'd been stopped from reaching them, the remnants of bile were still eating away at the stone floor wherever they'd splattered. Contact with that stuff wouldn't be healthy.

“Where'd it go?” She called out, looking around. Sadly enough, she couldn't spot the creature. Perhaps one of the others had a plan, for she was blanking on how to counter its next attack, which she surely expected to happen again soon. She just had no clue from where. Or, worst case, where else. After all, if this was an ambush, perhaps there was more than one.

Bile Spitter(s?)
Taken Out – ??
Slowed Down / Wounded – 0
Still Approaching - ??

Erich – CD's –
Tommy Gun Attack –

Viokii – CD's -

Scylla – CD's –

Kalina – CD's – D (0/2)

Fei CD's -

Sisyphus Happy · Mar 22, 2024

Liu nodded in response to Erich's admission of ignorance, completely unsurprised. To Viokii, he warmly responded, lowering the bag and placing his arms stiffly at his side, in his usual straight-backed posture, "of course. There is a contract, after all. It only stipulates that I am not expected to fight; I will lead you into hell if you want -- but I will not fight your demons..." he said. Even through the cloak he radiated muted self-satisfaction, finding his wording of the situation clever. As they continued, toward the red eyes, he began to examine it but couldn't glean anything particularly interesting before a booger was hurled at him.

It was calm reflex that drew him back away from it, using just a bit of speed to jump away from it. He clocked the creature fading away as well. What he could not tell, however, was whether or not the creature would be returning. Was it hunting or being controlled? Can vampirisim affect creatures? The rats earlier were a joke, but this may not be, it seemed too strange to be a common issue and too coincidental to be unrelated. Chandra's explanation of vampirism, as a disease, left him wondering that as he surveyed the area calmly. With this asymmetry in numbers, he wondered if the creature still figured that it was the hunter, as it were.

"Chandra, was that creature being controlled? Is that something this... most dangerous vampire can do?" he wondered aloud. He had no real intention of allowing the creature to slip away unobserved, and so he dashed forward in a snap, appearing near where the creature slipped away, scanning the environs for any trace of it, thankful for his apparently increased affinity for the darkness he found himself swathed in. So far, he found little reason to fear it, but if his speed allowed, he wanted to try to launch himself up to a nearby roof ridge to put some distance between himself and the creature. He did have the wherewithal to look out for any further orbs being hurled at his face.

1. Move to a rooftop overlooking creature's last known location [Fast E]
2. Inspect the area to see if the creature or a trace of it can be found
3. Pre-emptive dodge?

E CD 0/1

RavenSong · Mar 23, 2024

"Eeeeek! Watch out!" The witch shrieked as she attempted to find cover, it was no use. Suddenly, Kalina stepped forward and sliced the attack in half sending acid ichor everywhere, effectively saving everyone it would have hit.

Scylla would panic, breathing heavily as her mind scattered for ideas. "Right, uhm.. uh.. erm.. we need light.. right!" Quickly taking her wand her hands quivered a bit as she casted her spell.

Flash Light - Magic Affinity F - Fire Affinity F - Duration Magic F - Lights a small flame at the palm of her hand to see a bit clearer through the dark lit rooms. Grade F - 0 Cooldown

There was no telling what she would illuminate, but she felt at least they could see whatever projective shot at them coming towards them at the very least!

"Uhm! Maybe we should all come closer, backs to one another and get a full view for our best chance to detect this.. this.. thing!" She'd glance at the acid eating away at the ground, she absolutely did not want that on her pretty, delicate skin. Nope.

Maxxob · Mar 25, 2024

Erich Zann

Femboy

Erich’s eyes widened as he saw the sudden ball of green and brown being hurled towards the group. Before he could even react to it, Chandra sliced through the air, hitting the projectile still in midair and away from the group. His eyes would then gaze at where the liquid had been spilled, seeing how it was corroding away even the stone floor. From what it looked like, not even the inorganic member of the group would be safe from its effects. “Is that… is that industrial grade acid?!” The engineer exclaimed, in surprise, understanding the dangers of such a solution presented.

Bringing the Tommy Gun upwards, aiming left and right, he was thankfully that the witch could illuminate the surroundings with her arcane capabilities. And, while he couldn’t formulate any battle tactics to deal with such a situation, Scylla’s plan was pretty sound. “Scylla is right, we need to have as much of a field of view as we can!” He added, slightly agitated as he tried to keep his composure. Quickly turning around, he would move as to have his back against the pink-haired girl, bringing the experimental firearm up, ready to use it. His eyes darted from one side to the next, trying to guard as much as his 180º vision would allow him to.

Actions:

1 - Move and position himself with his back against Scylla
2 - Overwatch?

Elvario · Mar 25, 2024

Mentions & Character Goals:

Elvario Kalina – Find the 'Bleeding Dragon Scale' Professor's Goal: – If Lykra shows up, fend her off.

RavenSong Scylla – Help out Kalina. Professor's Goal: Teach his assistant some [insight] and/or [empathy].

Sisyphus Happy Fei Liu – Go on a day trip from the bad slums to the even worse Underbelly. Professor's Goal: ~~refused~~

Maxxob Erich – Explore what unethical inventions a place like the Underbelly might have to offer. Professor's Goal: Test the Tommy gun and fix it if needed.

Femboy Viokii – Avoid getting sold. Join Erich in the search for unethical technology. Professor's Goal: ~~Explain how her 'skin' is made.~~

Location: Second Continent, Ryken, Ryke, The Underbelly, Dark Passage
From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WBDKxy

Whether it was bravery or foolishness that caused him to do it, Liu dashed forward in time to see the creature using stealth as it was sneaking away into an alcove to the sides. His Darkvision allowing him to see the last traces of it, despite it fading away before his eyes. Luckily for hi, however, it didn't seem like the creature was going to attack again...

In fact, it was as silent as it'd been before.

Chandra Jarmil

“Is it... gone?” Kalina asked, a bit confused, but unable to pick up any trace of it. “I'm afraid I don't know what that was, or what it was doing... Although... it's almost like it was just testing us for a moment?” She asked the latter part aloud. That wasn't a good sign.

As Scylla lid up some of their surroundings, they could at least confirm there weren't any more creatures in the immediate area. Although she did also make them a lot more visible from afar. “Keep an eye out behind us, I'll keep an eye out ahead.” She replied to Scylla. “We're close to the arena, perhaps we can make it before it tries to strike again.” It might be wishful thinking, but she didn't have a better plan.

Vaihere

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d0PyeX

It was the assistant who suddenly spoke up. “It seems to have gone. I don't sense any others near either.” The half-construct pointed at some of the bodies in front of them. “Perhaps it was just drawn to the corpses?”

As they would continue towards the arena, they would eventually notice that something was going on inside of it. Sadly enough, however, the building was made like a fort. Whilst the front gate seemed open, the other access points seemed to be either destroyed or barricaded. They'd either have to go through the front entrance or not enter at all. Luckily enough for the group, someone had already made their way through the front door, leaving it clear for them to follow through, should they not wish to turn back after having made it here already.

For those that entered, however, what they witnessed next was a highly chaotic sight.

Most notable from was the blood-red woman (T/U4), seated in a chair on an elevated platform looking out across the entire arena. It was likely to be none other than Lykra, the Blood Wraith they'd been warned about. The one likely in the possession of the Bloody Dragon Scale and they one they were warned was currently one of the strongest inhabitants of the Underbelly. She was surrounded by some heavily armoured guards. Both on the platform besides her and in the arena below her.

Second of note was a woman in the middle (U14). Considering she was casually smoking, she seemed to be rather confident. Perhaps this was the head Vampire? She spoke up upon seeing the others arrive. “It seems the 'guests' your creature spotted have arrived.”

An older looking fellow, to the left side of the arena (K12) replied. “So it seems.” A few of the same type of creatures as they one they'd encountered in the alley were surrounding him.

A man wearing some odd back-pack type of contraption spoke up next, turning towards those that'd entered the arena. “The group of you seems strong enough. Care to join us in taking down this creature?” He smirked. “As you can see, we've already got quite the upper-hand, so trust me when I say I'll only offer once, out of politeness.” He gestured around, to the large amount of vampire spawn that were cluttering the arena, floor and stands alike.

It was then that the Blood Wraith herself spoke up. “Numbers mean nothing in the face of true power.” She too, looked at the group of newcomers. “These vampires have no place in the Underbelly. Help me get rid of them and I will grand you the ability to operate here.”

As they were talking, the group would be able to position themselves near the entrance (below row 22, between column O and AA). Naturally, they'd also be able to reply to the offers made and/or come up with one of their own or scan the arena in an attempt to gain more information. Or to attack indiscriminately, should they not wish to waste any time. It was pretty clear anyone here that wasn't already with the party was either a monster or a criminal, possibly both.

Combat Rules are still active (though previous rounds' Cooldowns will have reset).

Remember to keep track of your cooldowns.
Use three actions per post at most.
Basic attacks and/or defend actions, talking a lot (more than a few sentences) all take up an action.
Friendly NPC's will generally act defensively, unless told otherwise by someone they'd be inclined to listen too.
Use the grid (1-22 and A-AQ) to clarify where you go when changing positions. All movement, expect for scaling up or down the walls of the arena will take 1 action.
Scaling the walls from the ground floor to the tribunes/stands, which is an action of its own.
Use the grid (1-22 and A-AQ) to clarify which enemy/enemies are being targetted, otherwise I might randomly assume stuff in the case of unclarity.
Don't hesitate to ask questions when/if needed.

Erich – CD's –
Tommy Gun Attack –

Viokii – CD's -

Scylla – CD's –

Kalina – CD's –

Fei CD's -

Lykra, the Blood Wraith

From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qY9xe

Heavily armoured guards.

From: ???

Head Vampire?

From: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1282813312

Older Man

From: https://whaql741.artstation.com/projects/Ya0Y5Y

Spitters

From: https://goblincoach.com/spined-salientian/

Back-Pack Contraption Man

From: https://whaql741.artstation.com/projects/Ya0Y5Y

Vampire Spawn

From: https://twitter.com/slackandslash/status/1425592018340827140

Maxxob · Mar 26, 2024

Erich Zann

Femboy

Dummy Remix - WAVESS MUSIC

As the group made their way through the front entrance of the arena, Erich’s eyes would widen momentarily with the sight in front of him. His eyes swept the arena from left-to-right, taking note of the many vampire spawns that were there, both on the ground level and also at the spectator’s stand. In addition, he also noticed a few of the creatures which were like the one who had appeared for just a split-second, a few moments ago, and had tried to ‘prod’ the group with an attack.

The human listened in silence to those who spoke, both the three at the ground level of the arena and also the one who sat on the chair overlooking the soon-to-be battlefield. The tension was palpable, as the two cliques had different desires and wishes. That made the tinkerer’s mind run as many scenarios as he could in his mind, thinking that no doubt Viokii would do the same as long as their logical nexus had not been compromised. Erich didn’t care if one side was ‘right’ or not, even more, as it would be difficult to find a ‘right’ side in the hive of illegality they were in at the moment. He also didn’t factor in the assassination attempt carried out by the group which commanded the mindless undead drones and the bile-spitters.

What Erich did take in consideration, however, was the composition by both groups. The failed-vampires had been shown not to be that much of an active threat and, while their numbers here far surpassed the ones which his group had faced at that alleyway, their quality would certainly remain the same. The quality of the bile-spitters still remained unknown, the only thing he knew was of their acidic capacities. Taking its usage of hit-and-run tactics, the tinkerer created the hypothesis that they could be pretty fragile. The main players of both cliques remained an enigma. Still, one would assume Lykra had gained power in the Underbelly for a good reason. After all that contemplation, which took but a moment, the man would use his right hand to snap his goggles onto his eyes, speaking in his usual carefree way. “Thank you all for everything this far. I really hope all of you make the smart choice.” Saying that to his own colleagues, he would bolt before they even had a chance to process what he meant by his words.

Kicking up the dirt under his black shoes, he would dash from (U27) to (U7), stopping with his back turned towards the blood-red woman, facing the arena now from the opposite side. His choice had been made, his allegiance had been picked as he looked at his comrades at the other side of the arena, wondering who, if any, they would join. That very moment was a turning point who could very well test the fragile bonds who had been built thus far. Standing between two of Lykra’s armored guards, Erich spoke up. “We shall talk about what will be granted when this is over.” His tone took, once more, the corporate edge as his mind saw that as a business transaction.

Without further ado, he would hold the Tommy Gun with both hands, aiming from the hip towards (T9), squeezing the trigger to fire a long burst in that direction. If the gun didn’t jam or presented any malfunction, he would next shift the firing arc towards (W9), also firing a long burst in the new direction. If it did jam, however, he would draw his own Danger Vaporizer from his lab coat, firing the charged laser-shot towards (W9).

Actions:

1 - Moved from (U27) to (U7)
2 - Attacked with the Tommy Gun towards (T9)
3 - If the gun didn’t jam, fired with the Tommy Gun towards (W9). If it jammed, Concentrated Fire - Fighting Style [Gun] E + Overcharge! F [Range] + Dial Up! F + Blight [Flames] - By careful aiming his laser pistol, shoots a beam effective up to 10ft and causing extra burning damage - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown

Sisyphus Happy · Mar 27, 2024

The colosseum swallowed them, it's squat mouth reminded Liu somehow of a giant fish. Enormous in size, crouched among the lived-in rubble of the underbelly, smoldering gently beside hordes of vampires, denizens strewn among the wreckage. Liu drew his scars close to shield himself from the scene while they trudged. It was nothing new, and round-eyed watery stares followed him often in life anyway. Round brown eyes trained on him while a jostling truck carried him on his way, to the next fight, their cheekbones anointed with ash and foreheads with sweat-mottled blood. It is natural for the pedestrian to be crushed underfoot when ambitions flare. Long and dark, the hallway they stepped through pulled him far away from the scene; theatricism played on that level of organization, and the colosseum was a building with theatricism in the mortar.

They broke into the unusually bright interior of the sandy building. Liu wondered how they got such clean sand down here. Stepping into the light, even before the scarlet woman began to speak, he turned himself 270* and surveyed the enemies present. About 83 fell into one category, the ghastly creatures they encountered previously. Another 10 seemed to stand out as different from the creatures he clocked first, strewn among them, perhaps in an adversarial manner, but grouped in with some of the acidic beings that attacked them before. He did not read into that, as battlefield animals are still animals. And, well, he wouldn't be surprised if it had meager intelligence and still had a go at him. The queens occupied the board opposite to each other, another undead creature standing in the center, and the scarlet woman across the way, bored in her chair. They both said their peace, and seemed to petition them.

Liu didn't forget where he was, or what these vampires trampled to get to their goal. This woman, he understood, occupied an important part of the order here. Though it could stand for some improvement, he could not cast moral judgement. Standing up straight, he leaned all the way down toward Viokii and, attempting to cut through the noisy crack of gunfire, he suggested, "firearms have an advantage when firing from above. Shall we go up?"

.

RavenSong · Mar 28, 2024

A bit frantic Scylla was able to regain composure by listening to Kalinas instructions. Nodding quickly she started behind the group as she was told to do. Luckily, there wasn't any other threat and before she knew it she stood before a large arena. "Uhm.. this.. isn't good." She said timidly as she stepped besides Kalina. Then there appeared to be a divide within all the characters involved. It was perhaps at the very beginning of some sort of stand off, a conflict of sorts.

Considering she had originally come here to help Kalina, her own ambitions here would be quite irrelevant and unconducive to her goal if she wasn't in sync with the damphir. Leaning in she'd ask shortly after the decisions before them had been presented. "Uhm, dearest, whom will you be siding with here? If you don't mind me suggesting, perhaps if we're after this silly blood scale it would be in our interest to help the ones trying to kill the red vampire over there. Ahem, of course, we might have to kill them too. There can only be one owner of the thing after all!" She let out a soft giggle, her eyes turning a bit like red burning coals. She'd soon relax a bit however and returned to her usual self. "Right. Hm. It would seem we would have to.. well.. hurt that Erich guy though." She frowned. "I truly hate fighting friends, he seems so.. I don't know, strange but he's cute in his own way I suppose." Rolling her eyes, "I'm blabbering because I'm anxious!"

Femboy · Mar 29, 2024

Viokii
9

Character Sheet
Titles: Construct, Otherworlder, All-Purpose Intelligence
Languages: %Analogue%, Common
Viokii looked around the sight of the arena trying to comprehend what was apparent, internally questioning the scale and significance of what she had gotten herself into. Trying to silently count a rough guess at how many were present as she looked around, she watched Erich's quick choice to support and assist the Blood Wraith before having consulted the group or whose mission it was in the first place. Seeing as similar vampire akin to what attacked them before were present, at least they could be assumed to be hostile difficulties and variables positively optional to the choice of being eliminated from the equation.

"Mistress, I shall leave it to your dictation on whom you believe should be sided with or what course of action taken, but I will support with elimination of confirmed danger and opposition" she spoke as she looked to Scylla, who appeared somewhat nervous about what they should do especially with the potential crossfire that could be caused.
"Cutie, remember to take deep breaths and not take it faster than you are capable of handling. With those around you and a little bit of calm patience, I'm sure you'll do great and everything will go well, just take a small step at a time and believe in yourself and your companions cutie" Viokii answered as she looked to and listened to Liu's offer. Going along with him to higher ground would very much prove beneficial to offering better shots and a safer vantage point, and also more likely put her out of Scylla's way if the girl were to do something big.

"Agreed, I'll accept your offer, a smart decision" she briefly spoke.

Actions
1. Inspire Scylla with Viokii is Talking - Business (F), Leadership (F), Investigation (F) - Viokii is always trying to learn and get progressive communication and interactions done. Hopefully they go better and she learns a thing or two - Grade F - 0 Post Cooldown
2. Take Liu's offer and go along with him to higher ground

Elvario · Mar 29, 2024

Mentions & Character Goals:

Elvario Kalina – Find the 'Bleeding Dragon Scale' Professor's Goal: – If Lykra shows up, fend her off.

RavenSong Scylla – Help out Kalina. Professor's Goal: Teach his assistant some [insight] and/or [empathy].

Sisyphus Happy Fei Liu – Go on a day trip from the bad slums to the even worse Underbelly. Professor's Goal: ~~refused~~

Maxxob Erich – Explore what unethical inventions a place like the Underbelly might have to offer. Professor's Goal: Test the Tommy gun and fix it if needed.

Femboy Viokii – Avoid getting sold. Join Erich in the search for unethical technology. Professor's Goal: ~~Explain how her 'skin' is made.~~

Chandra Jarmil

Kalina was surprised when Erich just told them 'thanks' and ran off. She'd expected him to be a tad more of a team-player, perhaps first sticking it out to try to discuss things, but she turned out to be wrong. She clicked her tongue. She wondered if siding with either of these would also void their deal with the Professor, glossing over at his assistant. There was a fair chance it would.

Erich himself, meanwhile, nearly got his chest ripped open when he run straight at some of the vampire spawn. It was only the head vampire calling out “Leave him.” that saved the creatures from attacking him as he ran straight through the middle of the battlefield. “If you're coming to run to throw yourself at my feet and beg for mercy, you...” She started, but she saw him run straight past her to join her opponent. “Very well then, I guess you'll die slowly and painfully.” She concluded, somewhat shocked her offer would be ignored and that someone would really just run through the entire battlefield of enemies like that.

However, as Erich tried to fire the Tommy Gun, a loud 'BANG' could be heard not from the muzzle, but from some of the inner mechanisms. He'd feel the air being pushed out of lungs from the impact, with his whole body being thrown back a space and landing on his back. It'd cancel the 3rd action from happening, as he'd need to get-up and refocus. It looked like it'd take a bit to fix it up again. To add insult to injury, he could hear the vampire and her two more human-like goons laugh.

“I guess we're not missing out on that one.” The older looking man stated.

Thankfully for Erich, one of the guards would quickly help him. “You made the right choice.” He'd say, before moving in front of Erich as some of the vampire spawn had been getting closer. Thanks to Erich's Tommygun misfiring before, a battle hadn't broken out just yet, but it was clear that it could happen at any possible moment.

On the other end of the arena. Kalina turned towards Scylla, wondering what to reply. “We're not here for the Scale, remember. We're for whoever's after it.” She replied. “I'm here for her.” She nodded in the direction of the Head Vampire. She sighed, the spoke up at a more hushed voice. “I'll need answers from her, so it's time for me to start up my acting career. If acting nice doesn't work, I'll stab her from behind and try to team-up with the blood gal to get my answers by force. I don't care whom you side with, so long as the vampire lives to answer me, but I'd appreciate if you would help try to get the others to abstain from killing me, if you would. They're allowed to know I'm acting.” She hoped those instructions wouldn't be too complex for Scylla to handle, but it was the best she could do right now.

Before their eyes, her appearance (and titles) would change, as she approached the head vampire a bit further.

Yurena

From:
href.li

“It seems I'm in the presence of a sister, so I'll drop the act.” (Deception B). She grinned. “I'm not after that Scale though, so I'll gladly help you obtain it. There's just one little thing I'd like to know. I heard someone you might've known once turned a Vampire Hunter, a Lune Elven girl named Kalina Xyvern.” She figured she might as well try being as direct as possible. “I want to know who did it and why.”

As Kalina was trying to get answers from the Head Vampire in her new disguise, Liu managed to convince Viokii to climb the walls. (Be sure to add intended locations so I know where to put them on the map, for now I just put them nearby atop the stands/tribunes).

Vaihere

From:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d0PyeX

Meanwhile, the assistant was clearly taken aback by the events that were unfolding. “One betrayal after another...” She muttered, as she tried slowly and subtly making some distance between herself and the rest of the group. The latter wasn't easy though, with how many vampire spawn there were around.

Combat Rules are still active (though previous rounds' Cooldowns will have reset).

Remember to keep track of your cooldowns.
Use three actions per post at most.
Basic attacks and/or defend actions, talking a lot (more than a few sentences) all take up an action.
Friendly NPC's will generally act defensively, unless told otherwise by someone they'd be inclined to listen too.
Use the grid (1-22 and A-AQ) to clarify where you go when changing positions. All movement, expect for scaling up or down the walls of the arena will take 1 action.
Scaling the walls from the ground floor to the tribunes/stands, which is an action of its own.
Use the grid (1-22 and A-AQ) to clarify which enemy/enemies are being targetted, otherwise I might randomly assume stuff in the case of unclarity.
Don't hesitate to ask questions when/if needed.

Erich – CD's –
Tommy Gun Attack – (2/10) Backfired, disrupting further actions and needing 3 actions to be fixed.

Viokii – CD's -

Scylla – CD's –

Kalina – CD's –

Fei CD's -

Lykra, the Blood Wraith

From: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qY9xe

Heavily armoured guards.

From: ???

Head Vampire?

From: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1282813312

Older Man

From: https://whaql741.artstation.com/projects/Ya0Y5Y

Spitters

From: https://goblincoach.com/spined-salientian/

Back-Pack Contraption Man

From: https://whaql741.artstation.com/projects/Ya0Y5Y

Vampire Spawn

From: https://twitter.com/slackandslash/status/1425592018340827140

Maxxob · Mar 30, 2024

Erich Zann

Titles: [Isekai Mundane], [Apprentice Tinkerer]