To Kill a God, Chapter 1: Chimera Tower (IC)

[Firstaria]

Daniel was quite convinced these people liked to do things in an over-complicated manner, as he explained to his brother " So pretty much all the criminal organization in the world are the good guys? I still don't get it, to be fair, but I guess when god is the bad guy you should not be surprised to feel like you are in opposite day. " he said to him as they were heading for the SUV. One would be surprised (especially Hector) the guy most normal of the group would not even flinch to it, but he had discussed already with his step-brother and now guardian that he was EVEN deluded by the things he found out.

" I mean, you said to a kid he's gonna join hell, and then you expect to scare him saying that to him again? That he's gonna be a criminal? I don't know, being the good hell seems degrading how I was scared of it...then again, modern world tend to desenzibilize you from murder and pain so much I may be insane already. " he stopped for a moment to smile, then to add " And remember, this is our only path to find your memories. It's the organized crime, they have to know about set up murders and faked accidents, right? "

Hector had to admit his brother was right, but he was liking the deal less and less. His only memory was about his brother and the feeling to protect him, and he couldn't avoid to think he was not doing a good job in this way, exposing him to this war. But then again as a Black Demon he didn't had much choice on the matter. His only chance in the end to keep that promise was to make the best of this training, so that he could protect him een from God itself.

[BlackDeath27]

" I wouldn't call Aria a demon buddy maybe demon nuisance may fit her profile better. Though she does have her good qualities at times I can respect. So how about you who's your partner? Questioned Raven trying to get a handle on why a girl as pretty as her was involved and agreed to this.

[Glovania]

" I wouldn't call Aria a demon buddy maybe demon nuisance may fit her profile better. Though she does have her good qualities at times I can respect. So how about you who's your partner? Questioned Raven trying to get a handle on why a girl as pretty as her was involved and agreed to this.

"Well, my partner is Emily. Emily Croft. I find her a bit... assertive at times, but we're reasonably close. I guess they're a buddy or companion or something. I don't like calling them a 'familiar' - it makes them sound like mindless beasts at your control. Anyway, when did you two meet? Or sign the deal or whatever?" Asked Charlie.

[The Templar High Council]

Arriving down in the back of the tower, Jackie dropped off his violin case and duffel bag in the trunk of the rear-most SUV, and plopped down in the back seat of the car with his satchel. The two voices in Jackie's head were mildly arguing over shaping up before getting everyone killed, stopping being such a butthead to his comrades, and so on. He looked over to the Japanese fellow in the car with him and stuck out his hand for a handshake a bit awkwardly, as though he was trying to reveal something on his wrist. " 'Ey, vassa', Kin'? How are you, the name's Jackie, one of your new partners in crime. Presuming we don't get reassigned to red paint duty, of course. Heh heh."

"Uh, hey. I'm Maiso." Maiso reached out and shook the guys hand, wary of his enthusiasm. Maiso may have been starstruck by the prospect of becoming a gangster, but this guy was a little too excited. "So, you're excited for this, huh? I can see it on your face."

[Nekronia]

"Uh, hey. I'm Maiso." Maiso reached out and shook the guys hand, wary of his enthusiasm. Maiso may have been starstruck by the prospect of becoming a gangster, but this guy was a little too excited. "So, you're excited for this, huh? I can see it on your face."

Jackie grinned a bit at Maiso's analysis, but it was probably not a very terrible difficult one given Jackie's constant frivolousness on the matter. "I guess you could say that. I'm not all la-la land about it, but I can say I'll most likely enjoy it overall. Already having a fun time planning, like with the Ira Dei. Overall, it should go rather simply, if my predictions are correct. We'll more than likely lose a few of us, but hey, it's a war. War's hell, and we're supposed to become the new devils, heehee~ Anyways, yes, I'm definitely looking forward to our gruelling endeavors and our magical girl shenanigans."

[The Templar High Council]

"Uh, hey. I'm Maiso." Maiso reached out and shook the guys hand, wary of his enthusiasm. Maiso may have been starstruck by the prospect of becoming a gangster, but this guy was a little too excited. "So, you're excited for this, huh? I can see it on your face."

Jackie grinned a bit at Maiso's analysis, but it was probably not a very terrible difficult one given Jackie's constant frivolousness on the matter. "I guess you could say that. I'm not all la-la land about it, but I can say I'll most likely enjoy it overall. Already having a fun time planning, like with the Ira Dei. Overall, it should go rather simply, if my predictions are correct. We'll more than likely lose a few of us, but hey, it's a war. War's hell, and we're supposed to become the new devils, heehee~ Anyways, yes, I'm definitely looking forward to our gruelling endeavors and our magical girl shenanigans."

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no? All I can say is that I won't be one of those being lost. There's no way I'm gonna lose." Maiso gave off a confident aura about him, before looking outside to see what was the holdup. "Hey, are we gonna leave or what? Karlson's been gone, and though I'm not assuming myself equal, shouldn't we get going too?"

[Charmera]

If Karlsons eyes were burning, Luara's eyes were Ice cold. She could be especially hard to read at times. The car ride had not really fazed her, being used to dangerous driving from her foster parents. She briefly considered what she could want from Starbucks.

"I'l have some water." She replied, she was a little thirsty, but she hated coffee. Something about hot drinks she had never liked. She wasn't hungry, and food would just make a mess if the driving was going to be as fast as before.

Water? What are you a fish? Get some coffee or a cookie or whatever the hell you kids consume! Your going to need the energy if this training is going to be as hard as its been built up!

Shut up. She replied in her head. She was tired of him criticising every solitary thing she did. It was beginning to annoy her, though it did not anger her yet. She didn't change her expression much, though if one looked carefully one could see her displeasure at her familiars constant running commentary.

Fine. He replied, before going back to brooding. I'l be where I always am if you need me. Inside your head.

Before Karlson could leave, she did have one question. "Where exactly is this training facility, sir?" Wondering briefly if sir was correct. She assumed that was how people were addressed in the army, but Karlson had explained they weren't.

"Water it is," he said with a grin.

As he turned to leave, he was stopped by Laura's question. So, she can show some respect after all.

Is that all you think about, Jessica?

If it was, I wouldn't have made it this far.

He turned back to look at Laura, considering whether or not he should give an answer out in a public area like this one. He finally decided it wouldn't be a good idea, so he instead replied, "The facility is located over in the eastern portion of the state. Aside from that, I can't tell you more right now." He presses a few buttons on his smart-phone, and threw it to her. "However, I've locked the coordinates into my phone. So, if you want to know, you can study it for a bit while I get some drinks."

OOC: It's basically smack-dab in the middle of the Channeled Scablands.

IC: With that, he headed into the coffeehouse. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by one of his favorite smells: Coffee. When he had first been given Lightheart as his Familiar, he had already been chain-smoking for about a year. As a result, his sense of smell was completely shot. One of the first things she gave him back was this sense of smell. He never realized just how much he was missing until he was able to smell coffee again.

You are ridiculously easy to please, Karlson.

Shove it up your ass, Jessica. You have no idea what its like to lose one of your five senses.

Yes I do, I died smart-ass.

Karlson nearly laughed. Today was going pretty well, as far as days for him went. He walked up to the counter, ordered Selena an iced coffee, a large Caffé Americano for himself, some water for Laura, and a randomly picked dark roast coffee for Sgt. Corbin.

After a minute or two, he was headed out with the drinks in a carrier. When he got outside, he handed Laura her drink and, after much deliberation with Lightheart (Fine. But if she so much as fucking scratches it, I'll take the repairs out of your paycheck!!!), the keys to his car. "If you'd like to head out to the coordinates on the car's gps, you can take us to the training base."

Lightheart's voice rang in Laura's head. Jim? I am temporarily releasing your spirit's first-level bonds. Until we reach the base, your Red Demon abilities will be unlocked, giving you and your host enhanced reflexes.

Karlson added, "Since this is only temporary, I suggest you two take advantage of this." He smiled. "Just don't wreck my car."

He got in the passenger's side, placing Selena's and Corbin's drinks in separate hot/cold carriers in between the passenger's and driver's seats. Meanwhile he sipped on his own drink, and leaned the seat back slightly, taking advantage of the time to relax a bit.

She looked up, having already checked the co-ordinates on the phone. Surprised with this request, yet actually a little exited to get to drive this car. After all, this was a rather nice car. She didn't show this excitement, however.

Was this some sort of test or was Karlson just tired of driving? She reasoned it was likely the latter considering what Balaam said about how the higher ranking Demons behaved, often doing whatever they felt like doing.

The temporary advancement was like a rush of adrenalin to Laura. Her eyes widening at the increase of power. She was tempted to try out her new Red Demon powers, but she decided against it. She didn't have much time, and the drive was a long one if the GPS was to be believed. Jim was likely also likely slightly overwhelmed by the increase in power, but he guessed the feeling from this temporary boost would pale in comparison to a real promotion.

One thing at a time Luara. She thought to herself, getting up and walking over to the drivers seat, her hands gripping the wheel at the ten and two position she had heard. Though she was unsure how she was going to drive, seeing as she had only tried driving a car twice and had never taken any real lessons.

Don't worry, let me guide you.Said Jim, his voice firm yet the anger seemed to have gone for now, replaced by… something else, I used to be quite the agile driver back in the force. You had to be to catch the assholes who thought it would be cute to run away. He said the last part with a sort of sadness, of a time he could not return to. Ironic that he was now on the other side of the law, though he didn't seem to care much.

Laura was a little surprised by this from her familiar, she had assumed he had nothing left but bitter rage and hatred, though she supposed he still didn't have much. Refocussing herself, she took a quick last look at the GPS before the car moved. At first she went a much slower than Karlson, trying to get a handle for the car. However as she got a feel for it, Jim began helping her. Not taking control, but more guiding and indicating using her nerves. With the newly promoted reflexes and guiding from Jim, she was able to control the car at speeds rather effectively. That wasn't to say she was perfect or there weren't close calls (It would be best not to get into the many, many traffic law violations). More than a few times she had nearly hit other cars and sometimes even narrowly missing people, however her enhanced reaction times helped her avoid hurting anyone. There was a very close call with a cat that may or may not be injured, but the less said about that the better. While the driving experience was exhilarating, she managed to keep herself calm and collected. She knew if she lost focus for too long, she could end up crashing.

She came to a red light before a highway, stopping and waiting for it to turn green. She quickly checked the GPS to see if they were going the right way. She then asked "Am I going too slow, or should I speed up?" She was a little unsure about driving, and wondered if she was doing anything wrong. After all it would be best to learn now, rather than screw up in an emergency situation.

[Nekronia]

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no? All I can say is that I won't be one of those being lost. There's no way I'm gonna lose." Maiso gave off a confident aura about him, before looking outside to see what was the holdup. "Hey, are we gonna leave or what? Karlson's been gone, and though I'm not assuming myself equal, shouldn't we get going too?"

"We'll have to see until we all get some more experience, and maybe until we see what a lesser angel's capabilities are. Some of us might not be able to mentally handle war, some of us might feel right at home, some of us might just be unlucky and die early before they even have a chance. Someone accidentally taking cover behind a wall only to realize that drywall doesn't stop a flurry of gunfire too well would be rather unfortunate. If our first target happens to have a guardian angel, there's a good chance of us being a bunch of thirty-two ounce red slushies. Such is life in the zone, comrade. But, the good news, is that we have a good chance of overall success if we aren't horrendously incompetent. Remove leaders, plant evidence, tarnish rep, so on for a while, until Gnostichristianity is thoroughly demonized and unpopular in humanity's eyes, and G.G. no ree. Bonus points if we get them to start worshiping Lucenfer and help report angel sightings and such, but we're still in winning shape even if we don't do that. If we manage to kick out the man upstairs' foothold down here, we can train and do whatever god-manufacturing ritual it is that Lucen and Balaam have in mind. Stretch our legs, pop our knuckles, get our swords' first drink. All is well in the long run, however maybe not for all. Planning is fun!"

Jackie shifted gears from his slightly-dark frivolousness to addressing the concerns of the hold-up. "Well, my guess is that we're checking and double-checking that everyone's present and ready to move. We'll probably be moving soon once we're done rolling perception over and over. Karlson and Lightheart are probably off grabbing coffee at sahnic speeds, and are going to be waiting for us at summercamp tapping their feet and getting ready to be annoyed with us. I wonder if we'll get delayed violently in our convoy via ambush like a cliché action flick? That'd be fun. Get to fight with our powers, wear our pants in. Death and dismay, get hype!"

[Isle of Lithonia]

She looked up, having already checked the co-ordinates on the phone. Surprised with this request, yet actually a little exited to get to drive this car. After all, this was a rather nice car. She didn't show this excitement, however.

Was this some sort of test or was Karlson just tired of driving? She reasoned it was likely the latter considering what Balaam said about how the higher ranking Demons behaved, often doing whatever they felt like doing.

The temporary advancement was like a rush of adrenalin to Laura. Her eyes widening at the increase of power. She was tempted to try out her new Red Demon powers, but she decided against it. She didn't have much time, and the drive was a long one if the GPS was to be believed. Jim was likely also likely slightly overwhelmed by the increase in power, but he guessed the feeling from this temporary boost would pale in comparison to a real promotion.

One thing at a time Luara. She thought to herself, getting up and walking over to the drivers seat, her hands gripping the wheel at the ten and two position she had heard. Though she was unsure how she was going to drive, seeing as she had only tried driving a car twice and had never taken any real lessons.

Don't worry, let me guide you.Said Jim, his voice firm yet the anger seemed to have gone for now, replaced by… something else, I used to be quite the agile driver back in the force. You had to be to catch the assholes who thought it would be cute to run away. He said the last part with a sort of sadness, of a time he could not return to. Ironic that he was now on the other side of the law, though he didn't seem to care much.

Laura was a little surprised by this from her familiar, she had assumed he had nothing left but bitter rage and hatred, though she supposed he still didn't have much. Refocussing herself, she took a quick last look at the GPS before the car moved. At first she went a much slower than Karlson, trying to get a handle for the car. However as she got a feel for it, Jim began helping her. Not taking control, but more guiding and indicating using her nerves. With the newly promoted reflexes and guiding from Jim, she was able to control the car at speeds rather effectively. That wasn't to say she was perfect or there weren't close calls (It would be best not to get into the many, many traffic law violations). More than a few times she had nearly hit other cars and sometimes even narrowly missing people, however her enhanced reaction times helped her avoid hurting anyone. There was a very close call with a cat that may or may not be injured, but the less said about that the better. While the driving experience was exhilarating, she managed to keep herself calm and collected. She knew if she lost focus for too long, she could end up crashing.

She came to a red light before a highway, stopping and waiting for it to turn green. She quickly checked the GPS to see if they were going the right way. She then asked "Am I going too slow, or should I speed up?" She was a little unsure about driving, and wondered if she was doing anything wrong. After all it would be best to learn now, rather than screw up in an emergency situation.

Are you satisfied with your choice?

Karlson smiled. Of course, Jessica. She utilizes her new-found reflexes quite well, isn't afraid of taking advantage of this car's abilities, is able to maintain focus and a level head in spite of the demanding situation, displays quick and rational decision-making skills, and her Familiar seems to be effectively guiding her movements. Overall, they already seem prepared for permanent promotion, although I should give them a bit more training before that occurs. Nevertheless, they'll prove to be quite capable assassins.

You've summed up my own thoughts quite nicely.

When they stopped at the light, Karlson finally lit one of his cigarettes, rolling down his window to keep the smoke from distracting Laura too much. Her question made him grin, and he replied calmly, "How fast you drive is up to you. I am quite impressed that you and your Familiar are able to control the car so well at these speeds. I am also impressed that you two are willing to actually push things to their limits. Most people would be afraid to take advantage of the situation like you two have, which means that you two have proper self-confidence and the guts to actually use your abilities."

He flicked a bit of ash from his cig, blowing out a long stream of smoke out the window. "Tell you what, if you make it to the base before the rest of the gang makes it, I'll spend the time we have giving you some training with firearms. If you maintain an average speed of one-hundred-and-fifteen miles an hour on the freeway and fifty miles an hour on the dirt roads (which we should reach in about two hours if you maintain 110 mph average), we will reach the base in about four-and-a-half hours. This would give us about an hour-and-a-half of pre-training."

As the light turned green, he smiled at her and stated, "Gun it."


Meanwhile...

Once everyone boarded the SUV's, and the luggage was finally placed, the vehicles began to move. Their journey would take around eight hours, and they would do their best to keep moving, in spite of traffic.

[Achidyemay]

As the vehicles began to pull forward, Conor pulled his cowl deeper over his head and reclined in the seats, taking the eight ours they were provided with to catch up on some sleep on the fantastically comfortable leather. Pouton, meanwhile, was occupying himself by perfectly rapping "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The old man's rapping was as excellent as was to be expected from a 56 year old, despite him knowing every word and keeping to the beat perfectly.

[BlackDeath27]

"Well it's weird how Aria and I met because I was in the shower when she popped up out of nowhere. The experience nearly killed me and scared me half to death. After about ten minutes of her babble about fighting I found a the contract read it over and singed it thinking "what a joke". Then I realized what was really happening when that idiot started talking in my head." Stated in a mater of fact tone to the girl. It's not like she didn't like the girl it was the first day of meeting Aria was unpleasant.

[Glovania]

"Well it's weird how Aria and I met because I was in the shower when she popped up out of nowhere. The experience nearly killed me and scared me half to death. After about ten minutes of her babble about fighting I found a the contract read it over and singed it thinking "what a joke". Then I realized what was really happening when that idiot started talking in my head." Stated in a mater of fact tone to the girl. It's not like she didn't like the girl it was the first day of meeting Aria was unpleasant.

"Wow. Sounds... fun? Emily suddenly started appearing in my dreams, and pestered me for about 6 months, gradually revealing more and more about the situation in heaven and such. I didn't really know what I was getting into either, until she started talking to me in my head, and appearing next to me." Charlie replied, remembering how it all began 2 years ago.

[Kuwabarka]

At last, the SUVs started to move. Desmond actually hadn't been waiting for too long, but the anticipation made it that much longer. Apparently, the ride was going to take roughly eight hours. This would probably be one of the longest rides he had been on, at least when it comes to land vehicles. He had no idea how to spend the time. For now, he pulled out his phone and headphones and started listening to music.

[Charmera]

She looked up, having already checked the co-ordinates on the phone. Surprised with this request, yet actually a little exited to get to drive this car. After all, this was a rather nice car. She didn't show this excitement, however.

Was this some sort of test or was Karlson just tired of driving? She reasoned it was likely the latter considering what Balaam said about how the higher ranking Demons behaved, often doing whatever they felt like doing.

The temporary advancement was like a rush of adrenalin to Laura. Her eyes widening at the increase of power. She was tempted to try out her new Red Demon powers, but she decided against it. She didn't have much time, and the drive was a long one if the GPS was to be believed. Jim was likely also likely slightly overwhelmed by the increase in power, but he guessed the feeling from this temporary boost would pale in comparison to a real promotion.

One thing at a time Luara. She thought to herself, getting up and walking over to the drivers seat, her hands gripping the wheel at the ten and two position she had heard. Though she was unsure how she was going to drive, seeing as she had only tried driving a car twice and had never taken any real lessons.

Don't worry, let me guide you.Said Jim, his voice firm yet the anger seemed to have gone for now, replaced by… something else, I used to be quite the agile driver back in the force. You had to be to catch the assholes who thought it would be cute to run away. He said the last part with a sort of sadness, of a time he could not return to. Ironic that he was now on the other side of the law, though he didn't seem to care much.

Laura was a little surprised by this from her familiar, she had assumed he had nothing left but bitter rage and hatred, though she supposed he still didn't have much. Refocussing herself, she took a quick last look at the GPS before the car moved. At first she went a much slower than Karlson, trying to get a handle for the car. However as she got a feel for it, Jim began helping her. Not taking control, but more guiding and indicating using her nerves. With the newly promoted reflexes and guiding from Jim, she was able to control the car at speeds rather effectively. That wasn't to say she was perfect or there weren't close calls (It would be best not to get into the many, many traffic law violations). More than a few times she had nearly hit other cars and sometimes even narrowly missing people, however her enhanced reaction times helped her avoid hurting anyone. There was a very close call with a cat that may or may not be injured, but the less said about that the better. While the driving experience was exhilarating, she managed to keep herself calm and collected. She knew if she lost focus for too long, she could end up crashing.

She came to a red light before a highway, stopping and waiting for it to turn green. She quickly checked the GPS to see if they were going the right way. She then asked "Am I going too slow, or should I speed up?" She was a little unsure about driving, and wondered if she was doing anything wrong. After all it would be best to learn now, rather than screw up in an emergency situation.

Are you satisfied with your choice?

Karlson smiled. Of course, Jessica. She utilizes her new-found reflexes quite well, isn't afraid of taking advantage of this car's abilities, is able to maintain focus and a level head in spite of the demanding situation, displays quick and rational decision-making skills, and her Familiar seems to be effectively guiding her movements. Overall, they already seem prepared for permanent promotion, although I should give them a bit more training before that occurs. Nevertheless, they'll prove to be quite capable assassins.

You've summed up my own thoughts quite nicely.

When they stopped at the light, Karlson finally lit one of his cigarettes, rolling down his window to keep the smoke from distracting Laura too much. Her question made him grin, and he replied calmly, "How fast you drive is up to you. I am quite impressed that you and your Familiar are able to control the car so well at these speeds. I am also impressed that you two are willing to actually push things to their limits. Most people would be afraid to take advantage of the situation like you two have, which means that you two have proper self-confidence and the guts to actually use your abilities."

He flicked a bit of ash from his cig, blowing out a long stream of smoke out the window. "Tell you what, if you make it to the base before the rest of the gang makes it, I'll spend the time we have giving you some training with firearms. If you maintain an average speed of one-hundred-and-fifteen miles an hour on the freeway and fifty miles an hour on the dirt roads (which we should reach in about two hours if you maintain 110 mph average), we will reach the base in about four-and-a-half hours. This would give us about an hour-and-a-half of pre-training."

As the light turned green, he smiled at her and stated, "Gun it."


Meanwhile...

Once everyone boarded the SUV's, and the luggage was finally placed, the vehicles began to move. Their journey would take around eight hours, and they would do their best to keep moving, in spite of traffic.

"Fears not ever been a problem for me. " Laura replied. "Never saw a point to being afraid instead of doing something about it."

Jim was silent, but his response would have been similar. Quietly, he noticed quite a few similarities between him and his host. Their shared practical nature and their strong will. Though he had noticed that Laura had an odd lack of passion, which Jim seemed to make up for.

When the light flashed green, Laura didn't need to be told twice. Her foot pushing down on the accelerator pedal and the car moving at phenomenal speed, leaving the other vehicles at the light in the dust. As she sped down the freeway, overtaking car after car. As she drove, underneath her concentrated eyes, a dull red from the temporary promotion, was a small smirk, rare for her. Perhaps it was the feeling of driving a ton of industrial metal and machinery as fast and free as a cheetah chasing prey. Perhaps it was the power high from the temporary promotion. Perhaps it was something in the water she had taken half of by this point, still cold.

Whatever it was, she was enjoying this. Though the smirk vanished as she had to concentrate to navigate past a few more cars. Now that she was on the freeway, she was pissing off more than a few people with her less than safe and friendly driving. Though she didn't seem to care or notice what the other drivers thought.

OOC: Should I post with her arriving before the timeskip or after?

[BlackDeath27]

"Well it's weird how Aria and I met because I was in the shower when she popped up out of nowhere. The experience nearly killed me and scared me half to death. After about ten minutes of her babble about fighting I found a the contract read it over and singed it thinking "what a joke". Then I realized what was really happening when that idiot started talking in my head." Stated in a mater of fact tone to the girl. It's not like she didn't like the girl it was the first day of meeting Aria was unpleasant.

"Wow. Sounds... fun? Emily suddenly started appearing in my dreams, and pestered me for about 6 months, gradually revealing more and more about the situation in heaven and such. I didn't really know what I was getting into either, until she started talking to me in my head, and appearing next to me." Charlie replied, remembering how it all began 2 years ago.

"Well if you survive this training with me I'll show you something cool that me and Aria can do." With a devilish grin occupying ravens face.

[Mnar Secundus]

Clarence had been put in the same SUV as Desmond. He didn't really care. The trip was going to be boring, so he was keeping himself busy by playing word games with Boali. "Fork." "Katar." "Rat." "Tulwar." "Running." "Ginunting." "Gnu ..." "Ulfberth." "Teriyaki?" Clarence smiled. "Wrong. "Ulfberth" ends with an H." If Boali could have pouted while fused with him, she would have. "That's unfair. What's an ulfberth anyway?" "Ulfberth was a famous brand of sword manufacturers in Scandinavia between the eighth and the tenth century." "You only ever say weapon names," complained the litle girl, miffed. Clarence laughed aloud : "Well, obviously, it's what I'm the most familiar with. Instead of complaining, you should use that to your advantage. Here, it's useful information, so learn as much as you can from my mind," he thought, opening his memories to his Familiar. "You know which areas to avoid." Boali smiled mentally. She loved learning things. "Thanks!"
The little girl went quiet while she viewed his knowledge, and Clarence sighed. Maybe he had made a mistake there. This trip was going to be very boring indeed.

[Glovania]

"Wow. Sounds... fun? Emily suddenly started appearing in my dreams, and pestered me for about 6 months, gradually revealing more and more about the situation in heaven and such. I didn't really know what I was getting into either, until she started talking to me in my head, and appearing next to me." Charlie replied, remembering how it all began 2 years ago.

"Well if you survive this training with me I'll show you something cool that me and Aria can do." With a devilish grin occupying ravens face.

"Umm, okay..." Charlie replied, creeped out by the way Raven was grinning. "Emily can manipulate crystal. I guess that means I can too." Charlie said, realising she had never tried.

[Kuwabarka]

Desmond was about to dose off until Lilian shouted "What dull music you listen to!"

Apparently she had looked at his phone and saw what track he was playing. For her to know it was dull, she must have heard it before. "Dull? It's anything but. Air on the G String is wonderful. It always puts me at ease."

Any sleepiness Desmond had felt was gone at this point, and he was quite frustrated at the thought of someone not liking what he considered a masterpiece. Desmond cursed under his breath as he turned off his phone, no longer in the mood to listen to the song. Lilian had ruined it for him. How long had they been riding? He had no idea.

Clarence had been put in the same SUV as Desmond. He didn't really care. The trip was going to be boring, so he was keeping himself busy by playing word games with Boali. "Fork." "Katar." "Rat." "Tulwar." "Running." "Ginunting." "Gnu ..." "Ulfberth." "Teriyaki?" Clarence smiled. "Wrong. "Ulfberth" ends with an H." If Boali could have pouted while fused with him, she would have. "That's unfair. What's an ulfberth anyway?" "Ulfberth was a famous brand of sword manufacturers in Scandinavia between the eighth and the tenth century." "You only ever say weapon names," complained the litle girl, miffed. Clarence laughed aloud : "Well, obviously, it's what I'm the most familiar with. Instead of complaining, you should use that to your advantage. Here, it's useful information, so learn as much as you can from my mind," he thought, opening his memories to his Familiar. "You know which areas to avoid." Boali smiled mentally. She loved learning things. "Thanks!"
The little girl went quiet while she viewed his knowledge, and Clarence sighed. Maybe he had made a mistake there. This trip was going to be very boring indeed.

Desmond turned to the other person who was in the SUV. What was his name again? He knew he had heard it atsome point, but he couldn't remember. Well, he decided to stir up so conversation to pass the time.

"So, what do you think of this whole situation?" he asked him.

[The Templar High Council]

As the cars left Chimera Tower and the other guy in Maiso's car was doing god-knows-what, Maiso decided to do what he did best: waste time.

Deciding not to sleep until later, he pulled his guitar out of it's case, and tuned the strings to make sure it sounded right. After it was in order, Maiso plugged his headphones into his phone, turned on the music, and was glad to hear something iconic first on the playlist. Without hesitation, Maiso began strumming along to Fortunate Son, and quietly mumbled the lyrics to himself. He planned to play for a while, then sleep later. Might as well enjoy himself while he was awake.

[Imperial--japan]

-SNIP-

Selena looked over at Karlson and was a little taken aback. The thought of someone blowing off Mr. Balaam like he was nothing visibly angered the pink head as she clenched her teeth momentarily. Then she sighed and headed upstairs to find this latecomer who had the gall to come late. Like everyone yesterday, it was clear he should know the mission already, and the fact he still showed up must clearly mean he was interested in the mission. She would explain the rest on the way, and dispose of him on the way if he declined to be a part of the mission. Exiting the doors and stepping over to where Marko was standing, Selena moved hand him a manila folder.

"Why hello, I'm Selena Da' Ravielle, Mr. Balaam's secretary. I am very glad that you decided to finally show up. I have no doubt you will be an asset to Chimera Industries if you would be so kind as to join us. Everything you missed yesterday is in that manila folder, and if you have any objections I suggest you don't," Selena said with a smile and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Since the SUV's are about to leave I'm in a bit of a hurry, Please ride with me in my vehicle. I'd be happy to answer any questions on the way," Selena added. She gestured for Marko to follow her to her car.

Selena looked back to Marko when the two of them got to her vehicle. Oddly enough, she handed him a flashlight, and since he would undoubtably question her reasons she took the initiative.

"The SUV's are leaving already. Your lack of respect for Mr. Balaam is something I could never possibly forgive. You shall be riding in the trunk for the time being," Selena said. Interesting enough, Sully was nowhere to be found and quickly, she grabbed Marko and forcefully stuck him in the trunk of the car. Before he could protest, she shut the door not caring if he hit his head or any other appendage. Selena banged on the top of the trunk and spoke.

"Sit tight. If you struggle to get out I can't guarantee your safety," was all she said before hopping into her transport. Sully appeared suddenly and gave her an inquisitive look.

"Don't you think there might of been a better method? Tar and feathers worked wonders back on the fools of my time," Sullius added. Selena chuckled a bit before backing out and beginning the drive towards the base.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Are you satisfied with your choice?

Karlson smiled. Of course, Jessica. She utilizes her new-found reflexes quite well, isn't afraid of taking advantage of this car's abilities, is able to maintain focus and a level head in spite of the demanding situation, displays quick and rational decision-making skills, and her Familiar seems to be effectively guiding her movements. Overall, they already seem prepared for permanent promotion, although I should give them a bit more training before that occurs. Nevertheless, they'll prove to be quite capable assassins.

You've summed up my own thoughts quite nicely.

When they stopped at the light, Karlson finally lit one of his cigarettes, rolling down his window to keep the smoke from distracting Laura too much. Her question made him grin, and he replied calmly, "How fast you drive is up to you. I am quite impressed that you and your Familiar are able to control the car so well at these speeds. I am also impressed that you two are willing to actually push things to their limits. Most people would be afraid to take advantage of the situation like you two have, which means that you two have proper self-confidence and the guts to actually use your abilities."

He flicked a bit of ash from his cig, blowing out a long stream of smoke out the window. "Tell you what, if you make it to the base before the rest of the gang makes it, I'll spend the time we have giving you some training with firearms. If you maintain an average speed of one-hundred-and-fifteen miles an hour on the freeway and fifty miles an hour on the dirt roads (which we should reach in about two hours if you maintain 110 mph average), we will reach the base in about four-and-a-half hours. This would give us about an hour-and-a-half of pre-training."

As the light turned green, he smiled at her and stated, "Gun it."


Meanwhile...

Once everyone boarded the SUV's, and the luggage was finally placed, the vehicles began to move. Their journey would take around eight hours, and they would do their best to keep moving, in spite of traffic.

"Fears not ever been a problem for me. " Laura replied. "Never saw a point to being afraid instead of doing something about it."

Jim was silent, but his response would have been similar. Quietly, he noticed quite a few similarities between him and his host. Their shared practical nature and their strong will. Though he had noticed that Laura had an odd lack of passion, which Jim seemed to make up for.

When the light flashed green, Laura didn't need to be told twice. Her foot pushing down on the accelerator pedal and the car moving at phenomenal speed, leaving the other vehicles at the light in the dust. As she sped down the freeway, overtaking car after car. As she drove, underneath her concentrated eyes, a dull red from the temporary promotion, was a small smirk, rare for her. Perhaps it was the feeling of driving a ton of industrial metal and machinery as fast and free as a cheetah chasing prey. Perhaps it was the power high from the temporary promotion. Perhaps it was something in the water she had taken half of by this point, still cold.

Whatever it was, she was enjoying this. Though the smirk vanished as she had to concentrate to navigate past a few more cars. Now that she was on the freeway, she was pissing off more than a few people with her less than safe and friendly driving. Though she didn't seem to care or notice what the other drivers thought.

OOC: Should I post with her arriving before the timeskip or after?

Just make your next post mention that she made it there in time and spent an hour and a half recieving (and then my spelling goes to shit... I comes before E, except after C) receiving the promised firearm training. Although it will mean little right now, it'll affect your stats if I decide to add in a statistics chart for the characters (shit, I gave it away...)

Karlson quite enjoyed the ride, and even Lightheart complimented Laura's and Jim's skills. That girl really knew how to make things interesting. As he asked, she kept a 115 mph average speed on the freeway, and even pushed 60 on the dirt roads (which, if Karlson actually experienced fear like most people, he would have shit the entire Empire State Building by the end). Nevertheless, Laura made it to the base safely.

So, as promised, Karlson took her over to the shooting range and gave her one-on-one training with pistols for the next hour and a half. When the kids didn't show up on time, he spent the next hour giving her training with sub-machine guns.

TIMESKIP AHOY!!!

Nine hours after the SUVs departed (damn that traffic), they finally reached the base. They neared the front gate and were waved inside by several armed guards.

As they moved in, the kids heard a voice ringing in their heads, obnoxiously familiar to those assholes that announce ads on the tv. It told them the following exceedingly useful information:

The For the Love of God training camp is a paramilitary base constructed by Chimera Industries. On the whole, this base is not that large, mainly to avoid too much attention from outside sources. To the right of you lie two apartment complexes, each with three separate apartments. These apartments are furnished quite extravagantly. There's a professional-grade kitchen; a living room with a leather couch, HD Television with cable, a lazy boy chair, and whatever the fuck else you want; a bedroom with a walk-in closet, and two king-sized beds with sleep number mattresses; and two bathrooms with a digital toilet (yes, I said digital. What the fuck does that do? In one word, shit. It cleans the shit off you with a touch of the touch screen, and other things as well... Awesome, right?), a stand-up shower, and a Jacuzzi. Everything you could ever wish for, including ultra-speed internet, is contained in one apartment, all for your enjoyment.


But... That is only if your name is Karlson, Selena, or Anthony Corbin. Otherwise, you are shit out of luck. Since your superiors don't give a damn about your comfort, They have reserved these wonders for themselves. That's right, themselves. You insignificant subordinates, on the other hand, get shit compared to them. In your apartments, you get a small kitchen with a sink, fridge, and electric stove-top; a bedroom with two queen-sized beds (with rock-hard mattresses) and a small closet; a bathroom with a shower-head situated above a drain in the floor, a sink, and your favorite porcelain shit-chair; and a small living space with a lumpy couch. You have no internet (and your superiors don't use WiFi, so shit to your luck), or even a tv.

Now, to your left lies an indoor shooting range. There is a shit -load of weapons there (kept under more than just lock and key, so don't even attempt to raid the weapons stash), and you all will get the privilege of utilizing them during training. Just in front of you is the massive Hell's Training complex (If you think the name is gay, go cry to your momma). What the hell is it (See, I made a funny joke. Teehee)? Well, its where you'll train specifically to kill anyone that gets in the way of your superiors. Just beyond that building lies the PT area, complete with a running track and indoor gym.

So, I hope you enjoy your stay at For the Love of God training camp.

[Kuwabarka]

Superiors getting better treatment? Desmond can understand that. Harsh conditions for people like us? He could understand that as well. However, insignificant? If we were insignificant, we wouldn't be worth consideration. Yet, here we are at the training facility. It was obvious that higher ups were just trying to put us down. Maybe for their own sadistic pleasure or they were trying to rile us up. It doesn't matter anyways, it wouldn't do much good to try and get into their heads. It's filled to the brim with conceit.

Desmond was sure Lilian would reject these living conditions and request something more fitting for her, but maybe even she knew her place here. Well, Desmond himself wasn't too worked up about it. It's a training facility, so he wasn't here to relax. As for everything else, well, it sounds similar to when he lived in this one particular worn-down trailer. The only complaint he had was the name. For the Love of God? Is that supposed to be a joke? If so, it is a bad one.

[Mnar Secundus]

"Come again? What's with that difference in treatment?" "They're our superiors, it's to be expected. Though they may be rubbing it in a bit too much for the troops' morale, but clearly they don't care much about that." Clarence wasn't really surprised. Karlson seemed to have a bit of experience in handling men, but Lightheart was an unhinged madwoman - almost as bad as Clarence himself - who wasn't as smart as she thought she was and only knew how to inspire fear ... and not very well at that. As for Selena, she appeared to be a secretary. And who was that Corbin guy? Clarence wasn't really overjoyed by the prospect of being under their command ...

Ah, well, I've seen worse in my time. What he had never seen, though, was the practice of blatantly picking favorites from among the ranks. Obviously his officers back in Eastern Europe had had their favorites, notably the men and boys who offered them their bodies, but it was all done underhand, and those favorites tended to be, well, picked on, to say the least. Here Karlson had taken an official favorite. He was lucky that they were a small troop with little esprit de corps; otherwise, he might have destroyed his war effort in one go. That said, at least he picked the right person for this wrong office. Most of the people here were unexperienced and weak. Clarence was probably the most experienced and the best fighter, but he was insane. So that left that Laura girl.

Apparently Karlson had taken her in his car, and they had arrived here earlier. If they had faster cars, they could have given them to us, too. As Clarence had expected, the trip had been boring. He had found some enjoyment talking to Desmond, but there was only so much talking you could do before getting bored of that too. Boali had fallen asleep after the first five hours, and Clarence during the last hour. Then they had been woken up by that absurd voice.

Clarence and Boali sighed in tandem when the voice finally concluded its god-awful jokes. "Honestly. Can't the demons have better communication experts?" "They do, actually. They just haven't put them in charge of us. "Hell's Training Complex"? "What the hell is it"? I'm going to file a complaint if I ever get back home,", said Boali, cringing at the memory.
Well, it was time to get started.

[Achidyemay]

Conor had woken from his nap when they hit the loose gravel and bumpy road section of the drive. Conor had never been outside Seattle except for that time he had been flown to Wisconsin for a family reunion when he was seven. Out of the concrete jungle at last, Conor stared enraptured out the window at the surreal landscape, a phrase which here means: he glanced coldly at the piles of dirt through the no-longer clean window and then closed his eyes again, though not really falling asleep.
He saw the facility when he opened his eyes in response to the vehicles slowing down slightly, the message began to play and Pouton looked feverishly at whatever the broadcast thing told him to. As he was told about his new living conditions he thought, a hard bed is perfect, he was used to sleeping on harder and had always hated sleeping in a soft bed, opting instead to sleep on the floor even as a child. He supposed he'd have to put only his formal close on a hanger in the closet and then keep the rest elsewhere, so there was room for the others, he hated the idea of putting others first, but he needed to make some friends, or at least tolerable allies.
When it got to the part about the training complex, Pouton burst out laughing and doubled over in his seat, his laughing nearly drowned out the rest of the message and when he stopped suddenly he said, "I don't get it."

[Charmera]

"Fears not ever been a problem for me. " Laura replied. "Never saw a point to being afraid instead of doing something about it."

Jim was silent, but his response would have been similar. Quietly, he noticed quite a few similarities between him and his host. Their shared practical nature and their strong will. Though he had noticed that Laura had an odd lack of passion, which Jim seemed to make up for.

When the light flashed green, Laura didn't need to be told twice. Her foot pushing down on the accelerator pedal and the car moving at phenomenal speed, leaving the other vehicles at the light in the dust. As she sped down the freeway, overtaking car after car. As she drove, underneath her concentrated eyes, a dull red from the temporary promotion, was a small smirk, rare for her. Perhaps it was the feeling of driving a ton of industrial metal and machinery as fast and free as a cheetah chasing prey. Perhaps it was the power high from the temporary promotion. Perhaps it was something in the water she had taken half of by this point, still cold.

Whatever it was, she was enjoying this. Though the smirk vanished as she had to concentrate to navigate past a few more cars. Now that she was on the freeway, she was pissing off more than a few people with her less than safe and friendly driving. Though she didn't seem to care or notice what the other drivers thought.

OOC: Should I post with her arriving before the timeskip or after?

Just make your next post mention that she made it there in time and spent an hour and a half recieving (and then my spelling goes to shit... I comes before E, except after C) receiving the promised firearm training. Although it will mean little right now, it'll affect your stats if I decide to add in a statistics chart for the characters (shit, I gave it away...)

Karlson quite enjoyed the ride, and even Lightheart complimented Laura's and Jim's skills. That girl really knew how to make things interesting. As he asked, she kept a 115 mph average speed on the freeway, and even pushed 60 on the dirt roads (which, if Karlson actually experienced fear like most people, he would have shit the entire Empire State Building by the end). Nevertheless, Laura made it to the base safely.

So, as promised, Karlson took her over to the shooting range and gave her one-on-one training with pistols for the next hour and a half. When the kids didn't show up on time, he spent the next hour giving her training with sub-machine guns.

TIMESKIP AHOY!!!

Nine hours after the SUVs departed (damn that traffic), they finally reached the base. They neared the front gate and were waved inside by several armed guards.

As they moved in, the kids heard a voice ringing in their heads, obnoxiously familiar to those assholes that announce ads on the tv. It told them the following exceedingly useful information:

The For the Love of God training camp is a paramilitary base constructed by Chimera Industries. On the whole, this base is not that large, mainly to avoid too much attention from outside sources. To the right of you lie two apartment complexes, each with three separate apartments. These apartments are furnished quite extravagantly. There's a professional-grade kitchen; a living room with a leather couch, HD Television with cable, a lazy boy chair, and whatever the fuck else you want; a bedroom with a walk-in closet, and two king-sized beds with sleep number mattresses; and two bathrooms with a digital toilet (yes, I said digital. What the fuck does that do? In one word, shit. It cleans the shit off you with a touch of the touch screen, and other things as well... Awesome, right?), a stand-up shower, and a Jacuzzi. Everything you could ever wish for, including ultra-speed internet, is contained in one apartment, all for your enjoyment.


But... That is only if your name is Karlson, Selena, or Anthony Corbin. Otherwise, you are shit out of luck. Since your superiors don't give a damn about your comfort, They have reserved these wonders for themselves. That's right, themselves. You insignificant subordinates, on the other hand, get shit compared to them. In your apartments, you get a small kitchen with a sink, fridge, and electric stove-top; a bedroom with two queen-sized beds (with rock-hard mattresses) and a small closet; a bathroom with a shower-head situated above a drain in the floor, a sink, and your favorite porcelain shit-chair; and a small living space with a lumpy couch. You have no internet (and your superiors don't use WiFi, so shit to your luck), or even a tv.

Now, to your left lies an indoor shooting range. There is a shit -load of weapons there (kept under more than just lock and key, so don't even attempt to raid the weapons stash), and you all will get the privilege of utilizing them during training. Just in front of you is the massive Hell's Training complex (If you think the name is gay, go cry to your momma). What the hell is it (See, I made a funny joke. Teehee)? Well, its where you'll train specifically to kill anyone that gets in the way of your superiors. Just beyond that building lies the PT area, complete with a running track and indoor gym.

So, I hope you enjoy your stay at For the Love of God training camp.

Laura sat on a bench inside the facility where she had been told to wait for the others. Her eyes returned to their normal Demon black, the power boost having worn off. While the training had helped her with her firearms skills, she was still not perfect competent in that area, much to the irritation of Jim, who had to resist the urge to shout at her every time her shot was too off centre. She had found out she shot much better with handguns than sub-machine guns. Hopefully with more training those skills would improve.

Laura was unsure of what to think of Karlson's newfound interest in her. Though being favoured would likely bring perks, she realised that with being favoured would come a higher expectation of her and Jim. Though she didn't have to worry too much, as if she could handle what was thrown at her, then she would only get stronger as a result. There was the others, and how they would react to this new development, though she didn't really care what they thought. Eventually she would have to get to know them a little, but she wasn't about to care what they thought of her.

Jack

Considering I'm used to sharing a room with eight other kids, this should be a welcome change. He thought to himself in a rare optimistic mood. Hell, the stuff in each room sounds better than what we had in the orphanage. Maybe this won't be so bad after all…

Theres the spirit James. Jane said in his head Sometimes the glass is not always so half empty.

Though, I will have you in my head. So… He partly jested, this was probably going to be the best mood he would likely be in for a long time. Something about a new begging of sorts exited him somewhat.

That was slightly less great, but we are making progress. She replied, rolling her spectral eyes Maybe in the future we'll have a half minute where you don't mope, make a sarcastic comment or complain. Ah, if only such was possible.