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

[Isle of Lithonia]

The SUVs came to a stop outside the Hell's Training Complex. Once the kids got out, Karlson grabbed (metaphysically speaking, not literally)Laura, and walked over to them.

As they neared them, he had Laura join the group and had them all line up in front of him. That perpetual smirk of his came back as he addressed them. "Good evening to all of you. I suppose you had a rather pleasant drive, albeit a boring one. You all had better be prepared for some shit, 'cause Lightheart and I are getting bored as well. So, I am going to hand you all off to the lovely Selena for a little physical exercise to get that extremely thin blood of yours flowing. If you aren't dressed for the occasion, that's your problem."

Lightheart materialized next to him, wearing a jet black officer's uniform with a short skirt and boots. As usual, she wasn't looking happy (to say the least), but rather looked ready to gut someone. "But before you all head out, we have some basic rules that need to be laid out for you all to understand.

"Firstly, do exactly as you are told, and without complaint. If you've got problems with the way we do things here, shove it up your ass.

"Secondly, when speaking to your female superiors, address them as 'ma'am', or 'my lady'. When addressing your male superiors, address them as 'sir'.

"Thirdly, when in formal training hours, you may only say the following: 'yes sir/ma'am', 'no sir/ma'am', 'permission to speak sir/ma'am', 'permission to ask a question sir/ma'am'. If you are given permission to speak or ask a question, make it short and to the point. If you are denied permission, then shut the hell up.

"Fourthly, when walking by a superior when you are not currently engaging in any formal activity, say, 'good morning/afternoon/evening sir/ma'am', and continue on unless they stop you.

"Fifthly, if you do have any real concerns (not complaints), first bring it up to Sgt. Corbin or Lieutenant General Puller (whom you all will meet relatively soon) if you are not engaged in a formal activity, and they will either deal with it then and there or relay it to Selena, Sullius, Karlson, or myself, depending on the problem. If you have concerns when engaged in a formal activity, bring it up to whoever is leading the activity. Sometimes, your superiors may actually give individuals express permission to speak directly to persons higher than Corbin and Puller, but enough of that for now.

"Sixthly, you may not leave this base or have interaction with anyone outside of this base unless given express permission by your superiors.

"Seventhly, any infractions of these rules (or any other rules that your superiors create), including disrespecting your superiors or being smart-asses with them, will be punished in whatever way we feel like. Just so you all know, both Sullius and I have the ability to resurrect the dead. So, we are more than willing and able to kill you on the spot for severe infractions and then resurrect you in order to continue your training. So, don't pull any shit with us.

"Finally, good behavior will be rewarded. Rewards include specialized training, better food, recreation time, personal interaction with the higher-ups, money, access to better weapons, and even better living conditions. But, those rewards will be taken away for infractions of the previous rules."

When she finished, Karlson continued. "So, keep those rules in mind when you are here. As of now, all these rules apply, so don't pull any shit. Now, I hand you off to Selena."

[Kuwabarka]

Well, the rules weren't too bad. Maybe that wasn't the right way to put it, as they certainly weren't favorable. However, it's about what Desmond had expected from this place. The only rule he had a big problem with was the fact that he couldn't contact anybody outside of the base without express permission. He was worried about his sister and wanted to contact her as much as possible, but he would need express permission to do that. He doubts the superiors would be flexible, and they certainly don't give a damn about his sister.

Nevertheless, he would ask about it at some point. For now he would listen to what the superiors said and get situated in this place as best as possible.

[Imperial--japan]

Selena nodded and stepped up to address everyone after her companion had finished speaking. She wanted to make sure everyone was able to train on the same level and those who couldn't meet the standards would have to be given extra consideration during the regimen. She guessed they could start with a simple track run. A very very very long track run.

"I hope all of us can have a successful time training together. I have confidence in all of your abilities to be successful. We wont run into any trouble as long as we can all reach a respectful understanding. Follow the rules that my companion has laid out for you all and we'll have a great time together," Selena smiled brightly at the group before her.

"I would like to think all of you are capable young adults who have a mind of their own. Now don't make me regret giving you all the respect that I am offering," She finished.

"Now I think we'll start today with some simple laps. I'll give you exactly two minutes and thirty seconds to stretch before you begin running the track. I expect you to complete twenty-five laps within an hour, but please try to complete it as fast as possible. Those failing to complete the laps within the time frame will be subject to punishment," Selena said. She pulled out a stop watch and looked away from the group.

"If you stop at all during the excersise. I'll be very disappointed in you," she said and gave off a solemn expression.

"Your stretch timing begins now," Selena said and went over to the track. With her, was a clipboard for recording the time of each individual and her Ipad for entertaining herself while the trainee's ran.

"When you finish stretching begin running immediately," she finished.

[Achidyemay]

Conor led himself through a series of simple stretches that he had learned in football practice, focusing on the legs. He had never made the team, but now he had his familiar and Conor was, to be honest, just as curious about his newer physical limitations. Despite having been together for years, Conor had never really had to run away from something, Pouton had always kept him out of trouble and his knowledge of the city had given him plenty of places to hide.
After he had finished limbering-up Conor stepped onto the track and felt Pouton's energy flow through him. He started out with what he used to call a sprint, but was now more akin to a hard jog, he didn't want to burn through his enhanced stamina right away. 24 and a half laps to go, he counted down....

21 minutes later Conor crossed over the line, breathing rather hard. The track had been longer than he had expected, but he had managed to keep a pretty even pace throughout, slowing down for the last three laps only.
Conor walked away from the track and began to stretch again, Conor didn't really know if this was the right thing to do, but it was what his Coach had insisted upon. When he sat down to stretch his hamstrings, Conor was surprised to find that he was breathing evenly again.
"You really are helpful, I guess" Conor said. Pouton slid out of his body and Conor suddenly started breathing heavily again and a painful cramp formed suddenly over his stomach.
"You have no idea!" The older gentleman said, taking apparent delight in the young man's pain.

[Kuwabarka]

Out of all the superiors Desmond had met, he hated Selena the most. The main reason being that he hasn't given her a reason to. Even though he still disliked her, merely because of her association with the other superiors. Well, there is a fine line between dislike and hate. Desmond just hopes she doesn't cross that line. Certainly not for her benefit, but for his.

As for the track run, well it wasn't too bad. He wasn't looking forward to twenty-five laps, but he was confident in his abilities. He was in the track and field club at his school, and had quite a bit of stamina. He would take a jog every now and then to keep up his performance in the club, so he had built it up over time. Although, he was disappointing that they must jump straight into this. It would be beneficial if we were given a moment or two to drink some water. Dehydration here would be terrible. Well, not much he can do about that.

He took advantage of the stretching period and did a number of stretches, mostly comprising of leg swings and lunges, and started running. Obviously pacing is an important thing while running, but sometimes it can be tricky to find a suitable pace. Desmond usually starts of running really slow and gradually gets faster until he is at a comfortable speed.

Desmond began doing a few calculations in his head to see if he should go faster. If this track is the same length as the one at his school, which it at least appears to be, twenty-five laps should be roughly a 10k run. The 10k run is exactly as it sounds, you run 10 kilometers. It can be a dreadful event, especially during the summer. Desmond could do this under an hour under normal circumstances, he was certain. However, this time he had the benefit of having the stamina and strength that Lilian provided him. This won't be fun, but he can do it in around 30-45 minutes. He was positive. At the very best, he'll get a good runner's high from this.

As expected, he finished the laps in about 25 minutes. He did some finishing stretches and crossed his arms behind his head. This was a trick he learned in track and field, it makes it easier breathe.

Now, is this officially "formal training"? He didn't know, but he was going to assume it was. The last thing Desmond wants to do is to take chances at the moment. Desmond went over to where Selena was standing and asked "Permission to ask a question ma'am?"

[BlackDeath27]

Without much hesitation Raven made her way to the track and began a slow jog. "Twenty-five laps this should be a breeze without warming up Raven make this quick so we can find a sparing partner." Aria announced in Raven's head without a care in the world.

"Maybe your right but think like this if we show off the others might get offended or something physical things are easy for us but mental, mystical, and weapons and extremely difficult. If we show out we may seem like perfect candidates to be picked out and treated worse." Suggested Raven trying to convene Aria showing out was not good. Knowing she would regret the action Raven sprinted about fifteen of the laps easy with only ten to go she jogged the rest. Upon ending all her laps with in nineteen minutes and being the first to be done the girl went to grab a drink by water fountain. After seeing another finish after Raven walked over to the boy." So your a physical type like me right."

[The Floating Island of the Sleeping God]

Krouse huffed his way around the track, sweating furiously. Jack kept pace easily, breathing lightly and taking long, regimented strides as he ran. "You're an old man. Shouldn't you be a little more tired than this?"
"You can take the man out of the army, but you can never take the army out of the man!"
"Come on, Jack, don't just spout cliches. Give me something concrete."
"After my retirement to Australia, I took up surfing, if you're so interested."
Krouse studied the old man's wrinkled face, skeptical, before Jack smiled and started jogging backwards, keeping the same pace. "Oh. Good. I can't work up the effort to go to a gym while the World War Two vet is out surfing all day." He shook his head and kept running.
Thirty-five minutes. Not terrible, not special. Story of his life. He collapsed in a heap at the end of the run, leaning against a wall for support. He looked at the others who had finished. Several appeared to be in great shape, and were talking. How are they talking when there isn't any air in the room? Wait, no, that's just me and my crappy stamina, it seems everyone else is a superb athlete with the lungs of an alligator. At least I won't draw attention to myself if I stay this average. He looked over at his demon partner, who was sharpening his claymore on a whetstone. Well, for a certain value of "average", I suppose.

[Achidyemay]

Without much hesitation Raven made her way to the track and began a slow jog. "Twenty-five laps this should be a breeze without warming up Raven make this quick so we can find a sparing partner." Aria announced in Raven's head without a care in the world.

"Maybe your right but think like this if we show off the others might get offended or something physical things are easy for us but mental, mystical, and weapons and extremely difficult. If we show out we may seem like perfect candidates to be picked out and treated worse." Suggested Raven trying to convene Aria showing out was not good. Knowing she would regret the action Raven sprinted about fifteen of the laps easy with only ten to go she jogged the rest. Upon ending all her laps with in nineteen minutes and being the first to be done the girl went to grab a drink by water fountain. After seeing another finish after Raven walked over to the boy." So your a physical type like me right."

Conor looked at the girl who had beaten him so easily, then looked around, unsure she was talking to him. He stopped frowning when he realized he had actually done quite well and then replied, "Well I wouldn't say I go to the gym every other day, but the cops and thugs alike have proven to be very inspirational trainers in the art of fleeing and hiding. What about you? You definitely look like you could hold your own, who's your trainer?" Pouton looked up at the conversation from his position beside the track before going back to laying siege on a small ant hill. He was using telekinesis to trebuchet pebbles at the mound.

[Nature-Spirits]

Throughout the long drive, Dana read one of her books, interspersed with short cat-naps. Upon arrival, she listened to the telepathic message in silence, thinking that perhaps some of the wording was unnecessarily cruel, but having nothing to say on the matter; though Bader, for his part, gave her the impression that their living conditions would be better than those he'd enjoyed in life.

She listened as Karlson and Selena spoke to them, nodding occasionally and committing every rule dictated to them to memory. And, when Selena instructed them to begin exercising right away, she nodded with a quiet sigh, suppressing her groan of dismay. She stretched throughout the allotted timeframe, and afterwards began running at a slow and steady pace. After the first few laps, she began to pick up her pace, remembering that her physical abilities had been augmented by Bader. She hadn't yet altogether put them to the test, and she was curious as to how much more she could push herself. For the last lap, she picked up her speed more, and finished in about 35 to 40 minutes. She walked around in circles for a while after, breathing heavily; though after a minute or so she had to sit down and remove her shoes, which were really not suited to running. Damn, my feet are killing me.

---

Sander went through the trip by listening to music and sleeping. Stephanie kept mentally whispering sexual innuendos at him, but he ignored her--much to the spy's dismay.

Upon their arrival, he listened closely, and began his stretching with a smile. He began his laps at a medium pace, slowly speeding up over time until, from the tenth to the fifteenth laps, he was almost sprinting outright. After that, he began gradually slowing down until the last few laps, when he rapidly sped up to his top speed. Altogether, he finished in about 30 minutes--not bad, he thought to himself. After a few minutes of walking, he laid down on the ground, breathing deeply.

You're so sexy when you do exercise, whispered the princess seductively. I just looove the smell of your sweat.

Sander rolled his eyes, then began glancing over at all the other boys, trying to decide which one he liked better. Well, she does have a point, he noted. Exercise and sweat do look really sexy on a lot of guys.

[Mnar Secundus]

"Ah, they're overtaking us," noticed Boali as Raven, then Connor ran past him.
"It doesn't matter," answered Clarence, breathing evenly. It didn't. "This isn't actual training, it's designed to rate us. I'd rather be rated as someone who manages his effort than as a reckless sprinter." He had started running after a few military stretch-outs, and was taking it easy. He could have effortlessly done this whole thing at a half-sprint alone, but he had to carry Boali on his back.

"I'm sorry," said the little girl in a small voice. Clarence, berating himself for letting her read that last thought, patted her head lightly, saying:
"What did I just say? It doesn't matter. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. You're significantly lighter than the backpacks I used to train with in the army, anyway."
"If you say so," said Boali, her voice falsely upbeat.

He looked over his shoulder: his Familiar was still looking down. He observed the track ahead. Let's see, I still have five laps to go ... Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. "Tell you what, Boali," he said with a disquieting grin, "I'll finish this with a sprint, just to show that I was holding back. They can't consider it showing off, not after what that Raven girl did."
Boali looked up with a small smile: "You can do that?"
"Of course I can. Who the hell do you think I am?"
The little girl giggled. "I appreciate the reference," she said, "but you neither take the blazing sun in your bare hands nor endure the searing heat. You don't even have sunglasses. That character doesn't really suit you."
"For the time being, yes, I know," said Clarence while his grin turned into an insane smile, "although I think searing heat wouldn't be a problem for a while. But once we finish this training, taking the blazing sun in my bare hands might be possible, right? And I promise you I'll buy orange sunglasses, though the shape might not live up to your expectations."
Boali shook her head. "Alright, you have my permission to sprint the remaining five laps." She clung to his back tightly.

Clarence surged forward faster than anyone could have expected. He did at least an hour of anaerobic exercise every day: sprinting wasn't a problem. He covered the remaining laps in a flash, and ended up third by a small margin, completing the course in a little under 22 minutes.
His breathing was still slow and deep, though it had accelerated since before the exercise, and he wasn't sweating much. Nevertheless, he didn't want to inconvenience Boali, so he put her down next to the fountain and did a few stretch-outs, then took off his shirt and washed both himself and the garment quickly before hanging it up to dry and sitting down next to his Familiar.
"Well done," said Boali, patting his shoulder. It was the least I could do, Clarence thought privately as he patted her head in return, literally.

[Charmera]

Miranda finished first, the stretching being strait-forward enough. Her stretches were logically quite focused on the legs, She had done similar exercises during her boxing training, so with the enhanced stamina it was quite easy. She sprinted for the first few laps, Marcus fused with her as she ran. She slowed down slightly with each lap, not out of tiredness but to conserve energy, managing to make in in a total of 23 minutes. She was a little irritated with herself that there had been others faster than her, but she supposed it would give her a goal. Besides, she suspected this was little more than a warm up. She wasn't too tired, again thanks to the Demon stamina.

When she finished she walked over to the drinking fountain, seeing others there. She supposed it would be best to meet the people she would be with for the foreseeable future, so she walked in the direction of a guy sitting on a bench with his shirt off.

"So you've finished too?" She asked rhetorically. "That was fairly easy, though I do suppose it's only the beginning…" She commented.

Laura cursed the fact that the red demon promotion hadn't lasted longer. With the enhanced speed and reflexes it gave her she could have had this done with little to no effort. She did however suppose it wouldn't be too hard, after all her stamina had be greatly increased by Jim. She did some generic stretches, ones she had accumulated through a general desire to keep fit and healthy. When she began running, she cooled down the air around her using Jim's ability, so rather than running in the blistering heat, she had managed to get it down to a nice bellow room temperature, making sure she didn't overheat. Though even with this advantage she made the whole trip in about 27 minutes and twenty three seconds. She was rather disappointed with herself for that.

Ever since she got the temporary promotion, she had missed that rush of power, that feeling of control. And she knew it would pale in comparison to the real thing. She knew the only way she was going to feel that again was if she grew stronger, it was also the only way she was going to survive this training and their objective.

Jack on the other hand, while he did rather well in the opening laps, started to lag behind a little in the later ones. Despite his newfound stamina, he always had more speed than endurance. He did have an odd temptation to simply create an illusionary jogger to run his laps and camouflage with the area around him, but he discarded the idea. It was too much risk for too little reward, and he was too indifferent to Karlson and Selena to simply do so out of spite. Instead he finished at 36 minutes, panting a little and sweating quite a bit.

[Mnar Secundus]

Miranda finished first, the stretching being strait-forward enough. Her stretches were logically quite focused on the legs, She had done similar exercises during her boxing training, so with the enhanced stamina it was quite easy. She sprinted for the first few laps, Marcus fused with her as she ran. She slowed down slightly with each lap, not out of tiredness but to conserve energy, managing to make in in a total of 23 minutes. She was a little irritated with herself that there had been others faster than her, but she supposed it would give her a goal. Besides, she suspected this was little more than a warm up. She wasn't too tired, again thanks to the Demon stamina.

When she finished she walked over to the drinking fountain, seeing others there. She supposed it would be best to meet the people she would be with for the foreseeable future, so she walked in the direction of a guy sitting on a bench with his shirt off.

"So you've finished too?" She asked rhetorically. "That was fairly easy, though I do suppose it's only the beginning…" She commented.

Clarence looked up to the young woman - Miranda, was it? - and answered: "Yes, I've had military training, so this wasn't really a problem. You look quite fit, too." He briefly studied her muscles: they were long and swift, trained for responsiveness and stamina rather than brute power. She walked with her weight slightly on the balls of her feet, tucked her chin a little inwards when she stood, and had calluses on her figer joints. He smiled at her and asked, "Have you practiced martial arts? No, perhaps rather some form of boxing, right? Anyway, please do take a seat and rest a bit before everyone has finished. I'm expecting worse to come all too soon."

He picked up Boali, who was sitting next to him and had gone silent next to the stranger, and sat her down on his lap, making some space for the young woman. "My name is Clarence McAllister," he said, extending his hand in greeting.

[Charmera]

Miranda finished first, the stretching being strait-forward enough. Her stretches were logically quite focused on the legs, She had done similar exercises during her boxing training, so with the enhanced stamina it was quite easy. She sprinted for the first few laps, Marcus fused with her as she ran. She slowed down slightly with each lap, not out of tiredness but to conserve energy, managing to make in in a total of 23 minutes. She was a little irritated with herself that there had been others faster than her, but she supposed it would give her a goal. Besides, she suspected this was little more than a warm up. She wasn't too tired, again thanks to the Demon stamina.

When she finished she walked over to the drinking fountain, seeing others there. She supposed it would be best to meet the people she would be with for the foreseeable future, so she walked in the direction of a guy sitting on a bench with his shirt off.

"So you've finished too?" She asked rhetorically. "That was fairly easy, though I do suppose it's only the beginning…" She commented.

Clarence looked up to the young woman - Miranda, was it? - and answered: "Yes, I've had military training, so this wasn't really a problem. You look quite fit, too." He briefly studied her muscles: they were long and swift, trained for responsiveness and stamina rather than brute power. She walked with her weight slightly on the balls of her feet, tucked her chin a little inwards when she stood, and had calluses on her figer joints. He smiled at her and asked, "Have you practiced martial arts? No, perhaps rather some form of boxing, right? Anyway, please do take a seat and rest a bit before everyone has finished. I'm expecting worse to come all too soon."

He picked up Boali, who was sitting next to him and had gone silent next to the stranger, and sat her down on his lap, making some space for the young woman. "My name is Clarence McAllister," he said, extending his hand in greeting.

Military? What banner were you trained under? If you don't mind me asking. Asked Marcus, interested. As a knight, he was very interested in the subject of war. He didn't question the fact that he was still a boy, youth soldiers being fairly common in the past. Though, I am a little unfamiliar with the Kingdoms of this time.

Marcus unfused from Miranda, a tall figure of a knight, his eyes barely visible in his helmet. On his waist was a scabbard, yet his sword was absent. Miranda smiled as he responded, sitting down next to him. Marcus on the other hand stood, almost like an ornamentally suit of armour in a castle. "Yes, boxing. I've trained and sparred for it quite a bit." She responded, then she introduced herself "I'm Miranda and tin man over here is Ser Marcus Athas. What's your name?"

Marcus obvious didn't get the reference. "You may suspend the honourific if you wish, my lord and house are long dead." He added.

[Mnar Secundus]

Clarence looked up to the young woman - Miranda, was it? - and answered: "Yes, I've had military training, so this wasn't really a problem. You look quite fit, too." He briefly studied her muscles: they were long and swift, trained for responsiveness and stamina rather than brute power. She walked with her weight slightly on the balls of her feet, tucked her chin a little inwards when she stood, and had calluses on her figer joints. He smiled at her and asked, "Have you practiced martial arts? No, perhaps rather some form of boxing, right? Anyway, please do take a seat and rest a bit before everyone has finished. I'm expecting worse to come all too soon."

He picked up Boali, who was sitting next to him and had gone silent next to the stranger, and sat her down on his lap, making some space for the young woman. "My name is Clarence McAllister," he said, extending his hand in greeting.

Military? What banner were you trained under? If you don't mind me asking. Asked Marcus, interested. As a knight, he was very interested in the subject of war. He didn't question the fact that he was still a boy, youth soldiers being fairly common in the past. Though, I am a little unfamiliar with the Kingdoms of this time.

Marcus unfused from Miranda, a tall figure of a knight, his eyes barely visible in his helmet. On his waist was a scabbard, yet his sword was absent. Miranda smiled as he responded, sitting down next to him. Marcus on the other hand stood, almost like an ornamentally suit of armour in a castle. "Yes, boxing. I've trained and sparred for it quite a bit." She responded, then she introduced herself "I'm Miranda and tin man over here is Ser Marcus Athas. What's your name?"

Marcus obvious didn't get the reference. "You may suspend the honourific if you wish, my lord and house are long dead." He added.

Banner?, thought Clarence, confused, until he saw the Familiar separate himself from the young lady. Ah, a knight. I suppose it makes sense, then. He answered: "We didn't really have much in the way of banners ... It was one force among many in a civil war. I suppose you would have called them a rogue House. I never had much choice in the matter." He avoided giving too much details. Thinking about his past too much tended to make him snap, and he did still have that fork down his sleeve.

He shook Miranda's hand and bowed slightly before Ser Marcus, smiling. "Boxing it is, then? It seems we have the makings for some good fights here." He would have to control himself precisely. "You can both call me Clarence. As for my Familiar here ..." He talked to Boali in his mind: "Sorry about this, but could you make an effort to introduce yourself, please? We will be living with these people for a long time."
The little girl spoke up hesitantly, trying with limited success to look at Miranda and Marcus face to face. "I'm ... I'm Boali. Clarence's Familiar. I'm pleased ... pleased to meet you." She blushed vividly and sank back into mortified silence, clinging to Clarence's chest.
Clarence shook his head derisively and said, "As you can see, she's quite shy, but she gets sweet enough when you know her."

[Charmera]

Military? What banner were you trained under? If you don't mind me asking. Asked Marcus, interested. As a knight, he was very interested in the subject of war. He didn't question the fact that he was still a boy, youth soldiers being fairly common in the past. Though, I am a little unfamiliar with the Kingdoms of this time.

Marcus unfused from Miranda, a tall figure of a knight, his eyes barely visible in his helmet. On his waist was a scabbard, yet his sword was absent. Miranda smiled as he responded, sitting down next to him. Marcus on the other hand stood, almost like an ornamentally suit of armour in a castle. "Yes, boxing. I've trained and sparred for it quite a bit." She responded, then she introduced herself "I'm Miranda and tin man over here is Ser Marcus Athas. What's your name?"

Marcus obvious didn't get the reference. "You may suspend the honourific if you wish, my lord and house are long dead." He added.

Banner?, thought Clarence, confused, until he saw the Familiar separate himself from the young lady. Ah, a knight. I suppose it makes sense, then. He answered: "We didn't really have much in the way of banners ... It was one force among many in a civil war. I suppose you would have called them a rogue House. I never had much choice in the matter." He avoided giving too much details. Thinking about his past too much tended to make him snap, and he did still have that fork down his sleeve.

He shook Miranda's hand and bowed slightly before Ser Marcus, smiling. "Boxing it is, then? It seems we have the makings for some good fights here." He would have to control himself precisely. "You can both call me Clarence. As for my Familiar here ..." He talked to Boali in his mind: "Sorry about this, but could you make an effort to introduce yourself, please? We will be living with these people for a long time."
The little girl spoke up hesitantly, trying with limited success to look at Miranda and Marcus face to face. "I'm ... I'm Boali. Clarence's Familiar. I'm pleased ... pleased to meet you." She blushed vividly and sank back into mortified silence, clinging to Clarence's chest.
Clarence shook his head derisively and said, "As you can see, she's quite shy, but she gets sweet enough when you know her."

"Ah, civil war... They tend to be the worst." Replied Marcus, speaking from his own experience. He left it at that, understanding he was digging up bad memories. Instead he turned to Boali. As all the Demons were somewhat familiar with each other, he knew of the child demon. He bowed slightly to her "Hello. Good to meet you." He said, "I hope your host has been treating you well." He joked.

Miranda was surprised that there were Demon children, though from what she knew of demons it was possible. "Pleasure to meet you too." She replied, then turned back to Clarence. "So, what do you think they have planned for us next?' She asked curiously.

[Mnar Secundus]

Banner?, thought Clarence, confused, until he saw the Familiar separate himself from the young lady. Ah, a knight. I suppose it makes sense, then. He answered: "We didn't really have much in the way of banners ... It was one force among many in a civil war. I suppose you would have called them a rogue House. I never had much choice in the matter." He avoided giving too much details. Thinking about his past too much tended to make him snap, and he did still have that fork down his sleeve.

He shook Miranda's hand and bowed slightly before Ser Marcus, smiling. "Boxing it is, then? It seems we have the makings for some good fights here." He would have to control himself precisely. "You can both call me Clarence. As for my Familiar here ..." He talked to Boali in his mind: "Sorry about this, but could you make an effort to introduce yourself, please? We will be living with these people for a long time."
The little girl spoke up hesitantly, trying with limited success to look at Miranda and Marcus face to face. "I'm ... I'm Boali. Clarence's Familiar. I'm pleased ... pleased to meet you." She blushed vividly and sank back into mortified silence, clinging to Clarence's chest.
Clarence shook his head derisively and said, "As you can see, she's quite shy, but she gets sweet enough when you know her."

"Ah, civil war... They tend to be the worst." Replied Marcus, speaking from his own experience. He left it at that, understanding he was digging up bad memories. Instead he turned to Boali. As all the Demons were somewhat familiar with each other, he knew of the child demon. He bowed slightly to her "Hello. Good to meet you." He said, "I hope your host has been treating you well." He joked.

Miranda was surprised that there were Demon children, though from what she knew of demons it was possible. "Pleasure to meet you too." She replied, then turned back to Clarence. "So, what do you think they have planned for us next?' She asked curiously.

Boali was frozen, but she suddenly spoke up with force, afraid that someone might suspect Clarence of mistreating her. "Yes, he has! You, you, you mustn't say that. Clarence is a good person!"
Clarence was surprised by her outburst. More importantly, he was moved. He wasn't often moved. He swallowed that strange obstruction in his throat, keeping his face blank, then patted his Familiar's head reassuringly. "He's joking, Boali. Don't worry about that."
"But, Clarence,", thought Boali with agitation, "Everyone always ..."
"This isn't the same. Besides, it's no-one's fault that I am the way I am." He leaned back against the bench's backrest and smiled, coiling an arm around the little girl. "Thank you, Boali. Your feelings make me happier than I can say."
Boali blushed again and apologized to Marcus: "I, I, I'm sorry, Ser Marcus. It, it seems I misunderstood." She still couldn't meet his eyes, but it was a progress.

Clarence put his dried shirt back on, then turned towards Miranda to answer, thoughtful. "Well, I can't really say, but this here wasn't training, it was a test. However, it was an incomplete one at best, so I'm expecting more tests. Maybe fighting bouts, to test our battle strength, or firearm tests, or both. I guess we'll see. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of common sense, so you can't really rely on me for that," he concluded with a wide grin.

[BlackDeath27]

Without much hesitation Raven made her way to the track and began a slow jog. "Twenty-five laps this should be a breeze without warming up Raven make this quick so we can find a sparing partner." Aria announced in Raven's head without a care in the world.

"Maybe your right but think like this if we show off the others might get offended or something physical things are easy for us but mental, mystical, and weapons and extremely difficult. If we show out we may seem like perfect candidates to be picked out and treated worse." Suggested Raven trying to convene Aria showing out was not good. Knowing she would regret the action Raven sprinted about fifteen of the laps easy with only ten to go she jogged the rest. Upon ending all her laps with in nineteen minutes and being the first to be done the girl went to grab a drink by water fountain. After seeing another finish after Raven walked over to the boy." So your a physical type like me right."

Conor looked at the girl who had beaten him so easily, then looked around, unsure she was talking to him. He stopped frowning when he realized he had actually done quite well and then replied, "Well I wouldn't say I go to the gym every other day, but the cops and thugs alike have proven to be very inspirational trainers in the art of fleeing and hiding. What about you? You definitely look like you could hold your own, who's your trainer?" Pouton looked up at the conversation from his position beside the track before going back to laying siege on a small ant hill. He was using telekinesis to trebuchet pebbles at the mound.

"I really don't have a trainer I was in sports most of my life also Aria the spirt I have contracted with is truly only good at physical things. Say like running strength and things like that when fused with her all of it becomes like second nature to me. I am not trying to brag but or anything I am not conceded like her." Raven was trying her hardest to empress this guy he wasn't bad to look at but at the same time she didn't want enemy's.

[Charmera]

"Ah, civil war... They tend to be the worst." Replied Marcus, speaking from his own experience. He left it at that, understanding he was digging up bad memories. Instead he turned to Boali. As all the Demons were somewhat familiar with each other, he knew of the child demon. He bowed slightly to her "Hello. Good to meet you." He said, "I hope your host has been treating you well." He joked.

Miranda was surprised that there were Demon children, though from what she knew of demons it was possible. "Pleasure to meet you too." She replied, then turned back to Clarence. "So, what do you think they have planned for us next?' She asked curiously.

Boali was frozen, but she suddenly spoke up with force, afraid that someone might suspect Clarence of mistreating her. "Yes, he has! You, you, you mustn't say that. Clarence is a good person!"
Clarence was surprised by her outburst. More importantly, he was moved. He wasn't often moved. He swallowed that strange obstruction in his throat, keeping his face blank, then patted his Familiar's head reassuringly. "He's joking, Boali. Don't worry about that."
"But, Clarence,", thought Boali with agitation, "Everyone always ..."
"This isn't the same. Besides, it's no-one's fault that I am the way I am." He leaned back against the bench's backrest and smiled, coiling an arm around the little girl. "Thank you, Boali. Your feelings make me happier than I can say."
Boali blushed again and apologized to Marcus: "I, I, I'm sorry, Ser Marcus. It, it seems I misunderstood." She still couldn't meet his eyes, but it was a progress.

Clarence put his dried shirt back on, then turned towards Miranda to answer, thoughtful. "Well, I can't really say, but this here wasn't training, it was a test. However, it was an incomplete one at best, so I'm expecting more tests. Maybe fighting bouts, to test our battle strength, or firearm tests, or both. I guess we'll see. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of common sense, so you can't really rely on me for that," he concluded with a wide grin.

Marcus was also surprised by the outburst, and despite Boali's apology, his honour demanded he apologise to the both of them. "No lass, it Is I who needs to apologise to you two. I was the one who made the careless jest. I did not mean to cause offence or to insinuate anything about Clarence's character." he replied.

"Don't worry about Marcus, if he thought anything bad of either of you, he would have said so." She explained.

"I'm not amazing in the common sense department either. I may have had that knocked out of me." She then replied to Clarence. "If I were to guess, if their testing us, they will likely pit us against each other sooner rather than later. Determine our fighting styles, powers and try and separate the weak from the strong, something along those lines..."

[Achidyemay]

Conor looked at the girl who had beaten him so easily, then looked around, unsure she was talking to him. He stopped frowning when he realized he had actually done quite well and then replied, "Well I wouldn't say I go to the gym every other day, but the cops and thugs alike have proven to be very inspirational trainers in the art of fleeing and hiding. What about you? You definitely look like you could hold your own, who's your trainer?" Pouton looked up at the conversation from his position beside the track before going back to laying siege on a small ant hill. He was using telekinesis to trebuchet pebbles at the mound.

"I really don't have a trainer I was in sports most of my life also Aria the spirt I have contracted with is truly only good at physical things. Say like running strength and things like that when fused with her all of it becomes like second nature to me. I am not trying to brag but or anything I am not conceded like her." Raven was trying her hardest to empress this guy he wasn't bad to look at but at the same time she didn't want enemy's.

"Yeah I know what you mean, sometimes it can feel like these demons we're paired with are the worst possible match, not that I'm saying your familiar is bad." Conor rushed in that last part, he didn't want to insult her familiar and thought the girl would make an awesome ally.
"Actually, I think expertise over fighting can be extremely useful at times. That's Pouton over there, by the way," Conor continued, gesturing at the old man playing in the dirt. "I still have no idea what he's good at." Conor resumed his perpetual frown as he gazed at the figure on the ground.

[The Templar High Council]

Maiso. Poor, unassuming, uninterested Maiso. After the ride ended, and he exited the cars with the other recruits, he half-heartedly listened to the announcements made by the two important people he'd seen so far while standing with the other "recruits." Then the lady came up, and started talking about running. Maiso groaned. What was the point of it? They were accepted here for what they could do, and now they were doing whatever anyone did when they were recruited to something that might require physical exertion. Honestly, he expected more from an organization of demon contractors.

Regardless of his opinion on the matter, he took advantage of the opportunity to stretch, listening to Fuma's advice on distance running. "Why does it matter? Running laps is pointless. Plus, I've got you. And you bolster my physical abilities, so why bother?"

"Because if you continue to act like, that, I'll leave you, and you'll have to go home to your parents!" Maiso snapped to attention, and continued his stretches until time was up. Even though he applied little to no effort during the run, Maiso finished with a little more than 25 minutes on the clock, with barely a sweat broken. He thought for a moment, before deciding to join a group of students talking. He approached Miranda and Clarence, and gave a nonchalant wave to the both of them. "Sup. I'm Maiso. This is Fuma." He gestured to his familiar, who bowed to show respect. "Just came to say hi, since I don't know anyone here yet."

[Nekronia]

Jackie was relatively bored during the eight-hour car ride, but avoided sleeping due to both paranoia of an ambush, and anticipation of the superhuman future. He entertained himself with the occasional game on his laptop, but spent most of the time retreated into his head, making anticipations and plans, considering what the best combat usage of his powers would be, and so on. Walter was generally excluded from the mental gibberish, but the slow-pace of most of the demon's life let him handle such a ride much better. By the time the dark duo arrived at the facility a bit later than told, Jackie was slightly sleepy due to usually being a night owl. The teen snickered at the various shenanigans in the announcer's introduction of the facilities. He was also completely unsurprised by the generally crappy accommodations for the people that were supposed to save the universe, but was rather fine with it. As long as there wasn't bugs infesting the place, he'd be fine with the floor. Walter would likely just stay inside of Jackie as usual.

Once they were out and were informed of the rules of the station, Jackie thought up a few more frivolous thoughts, with Walter being confused with many of the terms and references. However, Jackie was a bit annoyed with the need for permission to speak. He still made an inappropriate remark in his own head when Lightheart arrived. Kinky. A few more inappropriate references and implications later, and confused moments for Walter, Jackie was considering whether to have fun and be a smart-ass, or be a good lil boy. While Walter was obviously in favor of being good, Jackie considered both, as dying would be a new experience and smart-assery is always fun for him, but 'loot' is always appreciated as well. It was a topic that could be decided later, and so it would.

Once Selena had given her own instructions, Jackie put his satchel in the back of the the SUV with the rest of his stuff, and lightly jogged over to the track, both to travel there and as a mild warm-up. He proceeded to thoroughly stretch his shoulders, neck, and, most importantly, his legs. After using his stretching time, the teen moved at a fast jog or light run, completing the final lap at around 25-30 minutes. He ran on the balls of his feet with good form in his legs, but as for his arms, he was horrendously poor. He generally was fiddling with things the whole time, showing off how 'easy' such an activity was by doing things like check his phone or scratch his back while doing his run. Although, said showing-off was rather unjustified since Walter was still present and the superhuman boosts made such a quick track run possible. Aside from a mild pain in his gut and the urge to breathe slightly harder, the teen was rather fine due to said boosts. John, against what would be healthy, caught himself and forced himself to breathe at a normal rate, both forcing the heartrate to lower and making him seem very unphased by the run. Disregarding how uncomfortable such an action is, John trekked on over to Raven, Connor, and their respective demons, still moving around a slight bit to 'cool down' once he arrived. Jackie had seen how sometimes failing to cool down after a hard run would cause people to get sick and vomit, so such the justification for avoiding staying still. Upon arriving, he overheard the bit about people getting the worst possible demon matches.

"Hallo, everyone. Yeah, it seems many of us are getting ying-yang style match-ups. My demon is just the opposite of me: Dead-faced, penitent, and always trying to work 'for the greater good'. My shot for this is, since we'll be all getting merged with our demons, that it's to balance ourselves with the two extremes, yes? Or it's for Balaam's and Lucen's entertainment. Classic 'They're opposites and they're ROOMATES' sitcom setup. Either one."

Rather hot by the heat of the sun and run, John turned his jacket to smoke and used the smoke to put his sweat up into the air and give himself a slight bit of a breeze, before reforming it back onto himself casually, giving off the vibe that such an act is business as usual.

[BlackDeath27]

Releasing herself from Aira Raven made the demon appear out of thin air." Well everyone this is Aria we usually don't split, but since other demons are out she's decided to join the fun." Signaling towards her now visible friend." Well I do think she is my opposite, but at the same time she is just like me in some ways. I bet the same goes for all of you I mean the demons you contracted with actually compliment you in a way. I doubt we all got short ends of a stick and if the leaders think this funny well good for them." Said Raven in a reasonable tone.

"Well even if they are high up the pole then us now I'll surpass all of them and make them bow to me. After I get stronger no one will oppose me and I'll take that body Raven." With all deviousness in her voice Aria spoke without care for who heared.

"Well Aria you'll have to out smart me first and we all know how good you are at that now if that's all please think of a plan to get stronger." Biting back at Aria's comment Raven was not going to wield especially in front of others." Sorry guys but this is why we never split arguments like this tend to arise."

[Nekronia]

Smirking at the conversation unfolding, Jackie addressed the demoness. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and presume you meant the whole 'taking your body' thing in the possession manner and not in a sexual one." Cackling a bit to himself, he continued a frivolous tone while changing his focus to Raven.

"Yeah, the differences are good in the long run, as they bring balance or add another perspective, hence my ying-yang comparison. My demon is rather passive and prefers not to be aggressive, whereas I am perfectly fine with flip impending death the bird. I'm all snarks and games, but Walter's a boooore. Anyways, Aria does bring up a point about climbing up the totem pole. We're intended to become gods, presuming the forces of Hell aren't lying, so even powerful demons like Lightheart and Sullius will ants to us in time. Also presuming we don't die due to incompetence of teamwork, heh heh. But hey, at least we'll try to give the other guys Hell, right?" Jackie finished off his statement with some light chuckling at his own pun.

[Achidyemay]

Conor looked at the newcomer, what was his name again? Jon, Jackie, something with a 'J' I'm sure. Well, he seems fine.
"I agree," Conor said simply, "nice to meet you by the way, I'm Conor." Pouton had gotten up when Jackie came over and had watched, amazed, as he had turned his coat to smoke and back again. Not caring that he was butting straight into a conversation that had moved well past that point, Lord Pouton approached Jackie and started poking his coat.
"Do it again! Do it again!" He chanted excitedly in a childish whisper/beg.
"Lord Pouton." Conor chastised tiredly.
"Yes." Pouton looked at him, batting his eyes in feigned innocence.
"We don't prod our friends, now introduce yourself and stop acting like a loon."
"Oh! Right!" Pouton stopped poking the jacket and suddenly became very sober and formal, " Good evening, Dearest Sirs, It is my pleasure to humbly make your acquaintance." The old lord bowed deeply then thrust out his hand, palm facing slightly upward.
Conor:

[Mnar Secundus]

Maiso. Poor, unassuming, uninterested Maiso. After the ride ended, and he exited the cars with the other recruits, he half-heartedly listened to the announcements made by the two important people he'd seen so far while standing with the other "recruits." Then the lady came up, and started talking about running. Maiso groaned. What was the point of it? They were accepted here for what they could do, and now they were doing whatever anyone did when they were recruited to something that might require physical exertion. Honestly, he expected more from an organization of demon contractors.

Regardless of his opinion on the matter, he took advantage of the opportunity to stretch, listening to Fuma's advice on distance running. "Why does it matter? Running laps is pointless. Plus, I've got you. And you bolster my physical abilities, so why bother?"

"Because if you continue to act like, that, I'll leave you, and you'll have to go home to your parents!" Maiso snapped to attention, and continued his stretches until time was up. Even though he applied little to no effort during the run, Maiso finished with a little more than 25 minutes on the clock, with barely a sweat broken. He thought for a moment, before deciding to join a group of students talking. He approached Miranda and Clarence, and gave a nonchalant wave to the both of them. "Sup. I'm Maiso. This is Fuma." He gestured to his familiar, who bowed to show respect. "Just came to say hi, since I don't know anyone here yet."

Clarence turned towards the newcomer. "Oh, hello. I'm Clarence, Clarence McAllister. My Familiar here is Boali," he continued with a grin, "but don't expect her to say much, because she just went far over her usual shyness barrier so she's going to need some rest." He patted Boali's hair, extending his other hand in greetings to Maiso.

The boy didn't leave much of an impression on him. It wasn't that he was unpleasant: he just didn't seem to have anything particularly noticeable. This was good. Clarence thought that he could get along with someone like that. As for Fuma, the Familiar ... He was strong, that much was assured. Some kind of assassin?

After Miranda and Marcus introduced themselves, Clarence spoke up again: "We were discussing the near future. What kind of unpleasant tests do you think they've got in store for us?"