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

[Imperial--japan]

-SNIP-

-SNIP-

Lavi beamed at Karlson as he explained the exception that he had made for her. She wouldn't have to kill people after all, and she would still be able to go to heaven. Then again, Lavi realized she was going to fight heaven. She also realized that she had a demon familiar. Then it hit her.

"I'm going to go to hell,"!! She blurted out. A look of panic was shown across her visage. Her arms flailed before Lavi positioned them behind her head and began to breathe erratically. A new thought struck her. If she became god, then she could totally make herself go to heaven. It was brilliant and she would need to use these fools around her as her pawns. Her evil scheme would be set into motion.

"I'm gonna do this"! Lavi exclaimed. She grabbed the handgun, and loaded the magazine. Then the safety was switched off, and as much as some expected Lavi to miss every shot and fall over, the brunette fired all her round in quick succession and reloaded after each one emptied. Finishing off all of the rounds, Lavi looked expectantly at everyone.

"Did I do it? Huh Huh Huh?" She begged.

Lavi
Round 1: Perfect
Round 2: Perfect
Round 3: Good

---

Selena smiled at Karlson, unbeknownst to the specks of blood on her cheek due to the thrashing of the victims heads against the trunk door. In a lazy motion, the secretary slapped her hands together and nodded at her companion.

"Of course I did. Maybe, just maybe I'll ressurect him if time requires, but until then, I've avenged this slight against Mr. Balaam," Selena said proudly. It was her job to manage the affairs of Mr. Balaam and this constituted as an affair of the business type as usual.

"I was so week kneed when I thought I heard the kids skull crack against the door of my trunk....I almost wanted to take his arm to savor the occassion. I could mount it with the other arms on my wall. The wall of everyone who's offended Mr. Balaam," Selena enthusiastically shared. She wrapped her arms around her own figure and shuddered excitedly at the thought of doing so.

[Kuwabarka]

Desmond knew a thing or two about guns and shooting, but that doesn't mean he was a marksman. Far from it. However, he had experience. Not battle experience of course, but experience at a shooting range. His father would take him to the shooting range, as a matter of fact, it was practically the only bonding time they got. His father was a very busy man, but Desmond was unclear of what his job was. Shaking those thoughts aside, he asked Lilian if she knew anything about guns before he got started.

"Oh, relying on Lilian. You sure are helpless. No, Lilian doesn't know the first thing about these wretched weapons"

That's about the answer Desmond was expecting. He took a few breaths before he started shooting down the range.

5m: Perfect
10m: Good score
15m: Pass

[Hetland 2]

Nolan burst out laughing when Memoir let go of him. "Aww, you're no fun Memoir. But Lily and Nolan can't help playing. Lily is a Succubus and has to play, and Lily is stronger than you. So, we aren't going to stop, meanie."

Then his eyes blazed. "And be nice to Nolan. Lily don't like bullies, and Nolan don't either. So, no bullying, or we will send both you and your host to Hell and back again as many times as we want. Either that or we'll tell White Eyes about you bullying me."

He laughed again, and hopped away, chasing his shadow.

Memoir let out a small laugh, which turned into a hearty chuckly, which quickly changed into his usual insane laughter. "I'm no fun? I'll take your head off and play the xylophone on your long intestine!"

He suddenly appeared right behind to Lily, leaning over until his face was upside down. His grin split his face revealing rows of sharp fangs. He pulled something out of his coat pocket, his tiny pupils flickering over to glance at the Item to make sure it was real. Held in his hand was a large orb was in papers covered in scripture. This thing absolutely reeked of blessings from a church, and very powerful ones at that. Anyone who looked at it for even a second could tell it was a holy weapon, sanctified by some christian church.
"Li-lyyyyy! Let's play! Masterrrr gave me a ball to play with, so we should take turns stuffing it down each other's throats and see who dies first! My money's on the paperboy!" He let out another long burst of meniacal laughter.

[Nature-Spirits]

Dana, as well as she could, tuned everything out. Considering that it was natural for her to take in and analyse everything in her environs, it was difficult, but not impossible. She got into position, holding her gun just like the cops in The Mentalist (which was her favourite TV show; she often felt that she and Patrick Jane were in the same boat). She aimed for the "heart" on the first target and took a deep breath, then exhaled as she pulled the trigger, flinching at loud noise but still managing to hit it in the centre of the chest -- surprising, considering she'd never fired a gun before in her life, but then again, she did have Bader to help her.

Don't worry. You get used to the noise. For now just try to focus on aiming, coached the boy, and Dana smiled, pulling the trigger again, and again, and again until she'd emptied the magazine, without having once missed a shot.

She reloaded the gun in a few seconds, then moved onto the next target, taking a bit more time to aim. It's all just physics, she reminded herself. Just aim for the chest. She squeezed, and continued to do so every second or so, adjusting her aim occasionally to counteract deviant trends, managing to hit the general chest region all times except for one close miss.

She reloaded again, and though doing so was still unfamiliar to her, she was getting a bit more used to the actions involved. She took aim, and pulled the trigger, taking a bit more time between each shot to readjust. She didn't hit the centre like she'd aimed for, but only missed the target 6 times.

All together, it took about 1 minute 50 seconds.

5m Perfect
10m Good
15m Pass/Average

---

Sander focused on the target, holding the gun a bit awkwardly -- he'd never held a firearm before -- and taking aim. Is this right? he asked Stephanie.

Yes, but just try to relax a bit more into the pose and angle yourself a bit more to the side. Yes, that's it. Good.

Sander bit his lip, hesitating. It's just.... I know these aren't real people, but I'm holding a weapon in my hand that's capable of killing.

Stephanie sighed mentally. Sander, dear, the whole reason you're here is to learn how to kill. Remember, that's how we're going to save the world.

Sander nodded. "OK," he whispered as he adjusted his aim again and pulled the trigger, hitting the target in the chest. He continued firing, with Stephanie's encouragement giving him some confidence as he managed to hit the target in its vital areas every time.

He reloaded, somewhat clumsily, and took aim again, steeling himself again for pulling the trigger. It was such a small action, but carried such huge consequences for whomever was at the other end of the weapon. Stephanie hushed his thoughts, and he nodded. I can do this. He fired off all of the rounds in fairly quick succession, trying to make sure that his bullets didn't stray too far from the vital areas but still missing 5 times.

Reloading again, he took aim and began firing without any protests this time; he was gaining some confidence, despite his inexperience, and was determined to show his superiors that he could do this. He missed 8 times -- over half -- but did manage to hit the target twice close to the centre of the chest, and the others were mostly on the torso.

In the end, it took about 1 minute 45 seconds.

5m Perfect
10m Pass
15m Pass

[Isle of Lithonia]

Memoir let out a small laugh, which turned into a hearty chuckly, which quickly changed into his usual insane laughter. "I'm no fun? I'll take your head off and play the xylophone on your long intestine!"

He suddenly appeared right behind to Lily, leaning over until his face was upside down. His grin split his face revealing rows of sharp fangs. He pulled something out of his coat pocket, his tiny pupils flickering over to glance at the Item to make sure it was real. Held in his hand was a large orb was in papers covered in scripture. This thing absolutely reeked of blessings from a church, and very powerful ones at that. Anyone who looked at it for even a second could tell it was a holy weapon, sanctified by some christian church.
"Li-lyyyyy! Let's play! Masterrrr gave me a ball to play with, so we should take turns stuffing it down each other's throats and see who dies first! My money's on the paperboy!" He let out another long burst of meniacal laughter.

The small Succubus' ears twitched in anger when Memoir appeared behind her, and she teleported a few feet ahead. She turned to face him, hissing like a cat. "Back off, fuckball! I'll rip you to pieces if you try using that on me!"

Meanwhile, Nolan was hopping up and down with excitement, holding his hands inside his froggy costume's hood behind his neck. "Get 'im Lily!!!"

[Isle of Lithonia]

Lavi beamed at Karlson as he explained the exception that he had made for her. She wouldn't have to kill people after all, and she would still be able to go to heaven. Then again, Lavi realized she was going to fight heaven. She also realized that she had a demon familiar. Then it hit her.

"I'm going to go to hell,"!! She blurted out. A look of panic was shown across her visage. Her arms flailed before Lavi positioned them behind her head and began to breathe erratically. A new thought struck her. If she became god, then she could totally make herself go to heaven. It was brilliant and she would need to use these fools around her as her pawns. Her evil scheme would be set into motion.

"I'm gonna do this"! Lavi exclaimed. She grabbed the handgun, and loaded the magazine. Then the safety was switched off, and as much as some expected Lavi to miss every shot and fall over, the brunette fired all her round in quick succession and reloaded after each one emptied. Finishing off all of the rounds, Lavi looked expectantly at everyone.

"Did I do it? Huh Huh Huh?" She begged.

Lavi
Round 1: Perfect
Round 2: Perfect
Round 3: Good

---

Selena smiled at Karlson, unbeknownst to the specks of blood on her cheek due to the thrashing of the victims heads against the trunk door. In a lazy motion, the secretary slapped her hands together and nodded at her companion.

"Of course I did. Maybe, just maybe I'll ressurect him if time requires, but until then, I've avenged this slight against Mr. Balaam," Selena said proudly. It was her job to manage the affairs of Mr. Balaam and this constituted as an affair of the business type as usual.

"I was so week kneed when I thought I heard the kids skull crack against the door of my trunk....I almost wanted to take his arm to savor the occassion. I could mount it with the other arms on my wall. The wall of everyone who's offended Mr. Balaam," Selena enthusiastically shared. She wrapped her arms around her own figure and shuddered excitedly at the thought of doing so.

Seeing Lavi's performance, he pulled his cig out of his mouth, flicking some ashes before replying with a grin. "Not bad, kid."

When Selena made her comments about the dead fucker, he chuckled. "Damn, Selena. You really take Balaam's honor seriously. If I didn't know better, I might think that you two had a, well, more pleasurable relationship."

[Hetland 2]

The small Succubus' ears twitched in anger when Memoir appeared behind her, and she teleported a few feet ahead. She turned to face him, hissing like a cat. "Back off, fuckball! I'll rip you to pieces if you try using that on me!"

Meanwhile, Nolan was hopping up and down with excitement, holding his hands inside his froggy costume's hood behind his neck. "Get 'im Lily!!!"

Memoir just laughed hysterically. "Torn to pieces?! That hasn't happened since two thousand years ago! BUT Lilllllyyyyy~ WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF BALLS?! A SUCCUBUS AFRAID OF BALLS?! THAT'S A ROMANTIC COMEDY IN THE MAKING, AND ALL WE NEED IS FABIO TO FILM IT! WAIT, you called me fuckball! Does that mean you're afraid of me."
"Memoir."
Memoir suddenly straightened up wringing his hands and giggling. He spoke both outloud and telepathically, "YESSSSS my MASTER? What is thy bidding?"
"Shut up and get over here."
"As you wish my MASTER!"
He started laughing even harder, nearly doubling over, his eyes never straying from Lily's.
With that, he teleported off to his master.

[Imperial--japan]

Selena flushed at Karlson's comment about her and Balaam's relationship, and she quickly turned away to hide her embarrassment. The thought of something like that happening had occurred to Selena a few times, but she had normally dismissed the thought after knowing about how it would look for Mr. Balaam.

"I would never think to sully Mr. Balaam's honor with someone as worthless as I am. I am trash compared to Mr. Balaam," Selena said to Karlson. Everyone was trash compared to Mr. Balaam, and she didn't hesitate to assert that fact. Even these kids needed to be reminded how worthless they were compared to Mr. Balaam.

"I don't have the satisfaction of pleasure when working for Mr. Balaam," Selena spat. It was the only line anyone would ever get out of her that held even a little bit of contempt for Balaam. Out of Selena, it was near impossible, but she just had a hint of it in her voice.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Memoir just laughed hysterically. "Torn to pieces?! That hasn't happened since two thousand years ago! BUT Lilllllyyyyy~ WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF BALLS?! A SUCCUBUS AFRAID OF BALLS?! THAT'S A ROMANTIC COMEDY IN THE MAKING, AND ALL WE NEED IS FABIO TO FILM IT! WAIT, you called me fuckball! Does that mean you're afraid of me."
"Memoir."
Memoir suddenly straightened up wringing his hands and giggling. He spoke both outloud and telepathically, "YESSSSS my MASTER? What is thy bidding?"
"Shut up and get over here."
"As you wish my MASTER!"
He started laughing even harder, nearly doubling over, his eyes never straying from Lily's.
With that, he teleported off to his master.

Seeing Memoir leave, Nolan let go of his .50 caliber Guncrafter Industries M3 which he kept hidden in his hood for Demon hunting. He laughed as Lily fused with him again, and walked off towards his personal SUV.

Selena flushed at Karlson's comment about her and Balaam's relationship, and she quickly turned away to hide her embarrassment. The thought of something like that happening had occurred to Selena a few times, but she had normally dismissed the thought after knowing about how it would look for Mr. Balaam.

"I would never think to sully Mr. Balaam's honor with someone as worthless as I am. I am trash compared to Mr. Balaam," Selena said to Karlson. Everyone was trash compared to Mr. Balaam, and she didn't hesitate to assert that fact. Even these kids needed to be reminded how worthless they were compared to Mr. Balaam.

"I don't have the satisfaction of pleasure when working for Mr. Balaam," Selena spat. It was the only line anyone would ever get out of her that held even a little bit of contempt for Balaam. Out of Selena, it was near impossible, but she just had a hint of it in her voice.

Karlson puffed on his cig for a moment, trying to choose his words relatively carefully (which was odd for him). He looked towards the kids that were still shooting, and said, "You're not trash, Selena. Not even when you are compared to Balaam, and you should know that. In the realm of Demonic hosts, you are only one step below him in power and authority, and that is impressive for someone of our age." He puffed a few more times. "Although he may be quite a reputable man, his reputation would only increase of he managed to catch a lady like yourself. But, he's just not the type to realize that fact, or even to care if he did. For that reason, and that reason only, I pity him."

He nodded at her last comment, and puffed on his cig. "Balaam is quite the taskmaster. The only enjoyment I get is when I am allowed to go beat the shit out of Yahovim's followers. Still, Balaam treats us far better than the other White Eyes would, so I shouldn't complain too much."

[Imperial--japan]

Karlson puffed on his cig for a moment, trying to choose his words relatively carefully (which was odd for him). He looked towards the kids that were still shooting, and said, "You're not trash, Selena. Not even when you are compared to Balaam, and you should know that. In the realm of Demonic hosts, you are only one step below him in power and authority, and that is impressive for someone of our age." He puffed a few more times. "Although he may be quite a reputable man, his reputation would only increase of he managed to catch a lady like yourself. But, he's just not the type to realize that fact, or even to care if he did. For that reason, and that reason only, I pity him."

He nodded at her last comment, and puffed on his cig. "Balaam is quite the taskmaster. The only enjoyment I get is when I am allowed to go beat the shit out of Yahovim's followers. Still, Balaam treats us far better than the other White Eyes would, so I shouldn't complain too much."

Selena was stunned by Karlson's compliments, and was speechless. Not knowing how to respond, she merely let her face become a strong shade of crimson before collecting herself properly. The fact that Karlson thought that about her was really shocking as the pink haired secretary rarely received compliments from anyone; even her family. It always seemed she had everything figured out, but Karlson managed to surprise Selena and put a smile on her face.

"I appreciate your kind words....the lapdog secretary doesn't get many compliments in the office," she said resignedly.

"You're right though. Mr. Balaam has treated us well and I should not have sounded that way when addressing him," Selena apologized. She moved to lean against the wall, mustering the courage to say her next sentence.

"Perhaps when the kids have a break...we could....do something?" Selena inquired.

[Mnar Secundus]

Clarence had actually been rather pleased with his punishment. It got him away from the guns, and, more importantly, he had been expecting uncomparably worse. In his old urban warfare unit, he would have been flogged and left in an isolation ward for a week. So he didn't protest, or even put up a vexed front. He had messed up big time. He said, "Sir, yes sir." and he walked over to the exit.
Still, it stung to be sent out, but he wasn't confident in his ability to stay sane inside the firing range. "Maybe if they allowed me to train in the dark, or with my eyes closed ..." He could do it, he knew, for target practice at least. It didn't take much to memorize a target's location, and then it was only a matter of replacing eye to hand coordination with mind to hand coordination. He had fought abundantly in sewers, cellars and such before, after all.
"I suppose you can request that from Karlson, but don't hold high expectations," said Boali, clinging to his back again. "Besides, you'd still react to the sounds."
"I guess I would. Never mind, then."

After Conrad put the kid away, Anthony approached him and tried to talk to him. "Kid? I know what Conrad said is right, but where did you learn to do that? I've seen grown men that can't do what you did."

Clarence stopped and faced the man, his hands behind his back under Boali and his eyes lowered. "Sir. I was a ... a child soldier, sir. In Eastern Europe, in the last civil war. Sir. I was assigned to a specialized urban warfare unit. Children were considered better for it, since they could fit into tighter spaces. Sir. It ... it wasn't a good time, sir." He clenched his teeth briefly, his hands grinding each other behind his back. Took a deep breath. Continued. "I ... couldn't really handle the memories, sir. Boali can keep me in line, usually, which is why she stays on me most of the time, sir, but I saw something move behind the targets, and with the handgun, I just ... snapped, sir. I'm sorry. I'm fine with close-combat, sir, but firearms aren't ... all that easy. Sir." Now came the hard part. "Sir. If I can make a request, sir, I would like for you to shoot me in the spinal chord if I snap again, sir. That is, if I'm allowed to resume training, sir."
Boali was shocked. "Clarence, what are you saying? Even I have trouble healing spinal damage and you know it. You can't -"
"What I can't do," thought Clarence without letting anything show on his face, "is let myself shoot someone, because we both know that I would aim for the head, and that I would hit it ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Black demons couldn't handle that at all."
He waited for Corbin's answer, nervous.

[The Templar High Council]

Clarence had actually been rather pleased with his punishment. It got him away from the guns, and, more importantly, he had been expecting uncomparably worse. In his old urban warfare unit, he would have been flogged and left in an isolation ward for a week. So he didn't protest, or even put up a vexed front. He had messed up big time. He said, "Sir, yes sir." and he walked over to the exit.
Still, it stung to be sent out, but he wasn't confident in his ability to stay sane inside the firing range. "Maybe if they allowed me to train in the dark, or with my eyes closed ..." He could do it, he knew, for target practice at least. It didn't take much to memorize a target's location, and then it was only a matter of replacing eye to hand coordination with mind to hand coordination. He had fought abundantly in sewers, cellars and such before, after all.
"I suppose you can request that from Karlson, but don't hold high expectations," said Boali, clinging to his back again. "Besides, you'd still react to the sounds."
"I guess I would. Never mind, then."

After Conrad put the kid away, Anthony approached him and tried to talk to him. "Kid? I know what Conrad said is right, but where did you learn to do that? I've seen grown men that can't do what you did."

Clarence stopped and faced the man, his hands behind his back under Boali and his eyes lowered. "Sir. I was a ... a child soldier, sir. In Eastern Europe, in the last civil war. Sir. I was assigned to a specialized urban warfare unit. Children were considered better for it, since they could fit into tighter spaces. Sir. It ... it wasn't a good time, sir." He clenched his teeth briefly, his hands grinding each other behind his back. Took a deep breath. Continued. "I ... couldn't really handle the memories, sir. Boali can keep me in line, usually, which is why she stays on me most of the time, sir, but I saw something move behind the targets, and with the handgun, I just ... snapped, sir. I'm sorry. I'm fine with close-combat, sir, but firearms aren't ... all that easy. Sir."

"Alright, the first thing is you don't have to say 'sir' so much to me. At least when I'm not commanding the unit, I mean teaching the class." Anthony flushed a bit from the military terminology. "You can call me Mr. Corbin, or just Corbin. Heck, I might even let you slide with Tony or TJ. Second, I don't know how to respond to all that. If you were older, I would crack some jokes, slap you on the back, and make nice with you. But since you're a kid...I'm not sure how to respond. I'm not sure you want a commendation, and I'm not the kind of guy to be scared of you.

"But I know one thing." Anthony placed his hand on Clarence's shoulder. "You have potential. Your wildness might not be wanted on the test range, but there's no one more reliable in a live exercise than a professional. Tell you what, you heard Leiutenant Karlson pick Laura as his 'protege' or whatever, right? I'm picking you. I'm going to help you harness that fury, and make one hell of a God-slaying weapon. And you might not snap the next time you're holding a gun. Deal?" He held out his hand for the boy to choose. "I'm not planning to force you. I want to help. And there's perks for you. As one of the recruits selected for 'personal training' or whatever, I'm sure Karlson will let you have something a little better than what everyone else is getting. Maybe not as nice as Laura, but better nonetheless. So, whaddaya say?"

[Nekronia]

Jackie remained in the corner, leaning against the wall looking out to the various shenanigans evolving in the range. His massive flood of panic and swear words had subsided, however he still had a blank 'oh shit' look on his face lingering from before. The teen rubbed his neck to try to help relieve his stress, and mentally critiqued the form of his peers' performance of what he was restricted from. Fine. Fine. No you idiot you're doing it wrong, you hold it like... no, just no. Great. Average. Fine. G-... damn it Laurence or whatever your name is, don't run out onto the range. No, you're not supposed to- god damn it mate. Quit the Pisces pills and hop off the train. Welp, here comes the yelli- yup. Oh damn it now I have to shit around with Laddy Two-Stock. Oh, a child soldier? Well... that explains just about everything about him. Ever. Hey, his name is CLARENCE, not Laurence, whoops. Oh, Faust time. How fitting, given our side. I wonder what...

Deviating from combat-related thoughts, John was somewhat distracted by Selena and Karlson. As the conversation went on, Jackie's eyes dilated ever-so-slightly while watching the loyal, blood-spattered secretary, her responses, her blushing, and her outfit. So. Fuckin'. CUUUUUUTE. Plea- Can we PLEASE set up some kind of wall or something? This is becoming a comedy routine with me thinking to myself and then you waltzing in like Kramer. I agree, but who is 'Kramer'? Comedic character. One of the running gags is him bursting in through the apartment door at random moments. Ah. Okay, so if I were to imagine two sheds, and we both get one, and we open up when we want to talk, would that work? Maybe. You're my first host, so I'm not sure. Let's give it a shot. With that, Jackie quickly thought up two identical, plain 'sheds', with windows covering a large portion of the walls. He 'walked' into one and Walter into another. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? ... ... Finally. *opens door* Okay, it works, okay? Alright. Just know that I am always here if you need me. Yeah, sure. Now back to lewdness. Wait what please d- *slam* God damn that is fucking adorable I mean Jesus Christus that is some grade-A kawaii shit right there. I'd love to get stuck in her web and... The black-haired loser shook off his increasingly creepy thoughts of his superior and resumed observing everyone instead of just one loony.

[Mnar Secundus]

"Alright, the first thing is you don't have to say 'sir' so much to me. At least when I'm not commanding the unit, I mean teaching the class." Anthony flushed a bit from the military terminology. "You can call me Mr. Corbin, or just Corbin. Heck, I might even let you slide with Tony or TJ. Second, I don't know how to respond to all that. If you were older, I would crack some jokes, slap you on the back, and make nice with you. But since you're a kid...I'm not sure how to respond. I'm not sure you want a commendation, and I'm not the kind of guy to be scared of you.

"But I know one thing." Anthony placed his hand on Clarence's shoulder. "You have potential. Your wildness might not be wanted on the test range, but there's no one more reliable in a live exercise than a professional. Tell you what, you heard Leiutenant Karlson pick Laura as his 'protege' or whatever, right? I'm picking you. I'm going to help you harness that fury, and make one hell of a God-slaying weapon. And you might not snap the next time you're holding a gun. Deal?" He held out his hand for the boy to choose. "I'm not planning to force you. I want to help. And there's perks for you. As one of the recruits selected for 'personal training' or whatever, I'm sure Karlson will let you have something a little better than what everyone else is getting. Maybe not as nice as Laura, but better nonetheless. So, whaddaya say?"

Clarence was dumbfounded. "Again, I suppose," he thought, making Boali snigger internally. He didn't know what to say. Corbin seemed like a genuinely nice person, and this was a good opportunity from a tactical viewpoint ... though TJ wouldn't do at all - even if Clarence had had friends, he wouldn't have called them TJ ... but in Clarence's mind, being an officer's protege meant being his whore. Except that here, that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe there really was a difference between paramilitary organizations in the West and the East ... Or then again, this was probably en exceptional case.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Boali, outraged. "You can't afford not to accept and you know it. He's making you a huge favor."
Clarence knew that much. He wasn't hesitant as much as paralyzed by surprise. In his old unit, he had never been appreciated by the officers: he had been one of the most talented elements, but he'd aways been too independant and difficult to control, with an embarassing tendency to actually spare civilians and try to stay alive. This was too new ... Ah, well. Corbin was likeable, and this could be very useful. Maybe demons can heal psychological issues. It felt strangely nice to be appreciated for something that he had always hated about himself, too.

He took Corbin's hand and shook it firmly, bowing slightly with the motion. "I'm honored, sir - I mean, Mr. Corbin. I would be thankful to work with you."

[Isle of Lithonia]

Selena was stunned by Karlson's compliments, and was speechless. Not knowing how to respond, she merely let her face become a strong shade of crimson before collecting herself properly. The fact that Karlson thought that about her was really shocking as the pink haired secretary rarely received compliments from anyone; even her family. It always seemed she had everything figured out, but Karlson managed to surprise Selena and put a smile on her face.

"I appreciate your kind words....the lapdog secretary doesn't get many compliments in the office," she said resignedly.

"You're right though. Mr. Balaam has treated us well and I should not have sounded that way when addressing him," Selena apologized. She moved to lean against the wall, mustering the courage to say her next sentence.

"Perhaps when the kids have a break...we could....do something?" Selena inquired.

Seeing her reaction, Karlson chuckled internally. He grinned, flicking some ashes on the ground. "People that call you a lapdog do so because they are jealous of your position and power. Just keep that in mind."

He turned to her. "And its about time for the kids' dinner break. I would love having you over to my place for some food at that time. It's a good time anyway, since I've invited one of my best personal chef's to prepare my meal tonight. But it's up to you." He smiled and said partially joking, "I can even bring you that iced coffee that I promised."

So, you're picking up the Secretary? You've never even had a girlfriend, dickhead. So how do you expect to keep one?

I don't expect to keep one, bitch. He sighed internally. Dammit, are we the only ones that can't enjoy themselves every now and then?

[Imperial--japan]

Seeing her reaction, Karlson chuckled internally. He grinned, flicking some ashes on the ground. "People that call you a lapdog do so because they are jealous of your position and power. Just keep that in mind."

He turned to her. "And its about time for the kids' dinner break. I would love having you over to my place for some food at that time. It's a good time anyway, since I've invited one of my best personal chef's to prepare my meal tonight. But it's up to you." He smiled and said partially joking, "I can even bring you that iced coffee that I promised."

So, you're picking up the Secretary? You've never even had a girlfriend, dickhead. So how do you expect to keep one?

I don't expect to keep one, bitch. He sighed internally. Dammit, are we the only ones that can't enjoy themselves every now and then?

Selena thought about Karlson's offer and didn't want to sound to desperate. She had never been in a relationship before as being Mr. Balaam's secretary left little time for a love life. Her only lover that she ever had was the piles of paperwork sitting on her desk, and she couldn't be intimate with those. Could she? She shooed the thought away to respond to Karlson's invitation.

"I'd like that a lot. You had me for sure at 'iced coffee'." Selena joked.

"So how are the students doing? I trust you haven't killed anyone yet"? Selena asked, still oblivious to the earlier fight with Raven. She changed the topic and returned to business as usual. If her and Karlson were going to discuss more about this it could be out of earshot of the trainee's.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Selena thought about Karlson's offer and didn't want to sound to desperate. She had never been in a relationship before as being Mr. Balaam's secretary left little time for a love life. Her only lover that she ever had was the piles of paperwork sitting on her desk, and she couldn't be intimate with those. Could she? She shooed the thought away to respond to Karlson's invitation.

"I'd like that a lot. You had me for sure at 'iced coffee'." Selena joked.

"So how are the students doing? I trust you haven't killed anyone yet"? Selena asked, still oblivious to the earlier fight with Raven. She changed the topic and returned to business as usual. If her and Karlson were going to discuss more about this it could be out of earshot of the trainee's.

Karlson sighed, holding his cig-hand up to the side of his head. "Well, most of the students are doing decently. One of them is a complete jackass, that being Jackie Friedman, and has achieved the privilege of pissing myself, Lightheart, and Sgt. Corbin off. I don't see him lasting for long. Another of them, Clarence McAllister, obviously has psychological problems and should be closely watched when he is given a weapon. And Laura Smith just kicked ass with her handgun.

"Overall, the only person I've completely wanted to take out back and beat the shit out of was the dickhead Jackie." He rubbed the side of his head, closing his eyes. "But circumstances have a bitchy way of fucking things up.

"Raven Croft, you remember her? She's the strong headed girl that seems to have more brawn and determination than logic. Anyway, she made a comment inferring that this training was beneath her, and that she was prepared to fight. So, I threw her my pistol, and gave her the chance she wanted. But, she threw back the pistol, inferring that if she fought me with a firearm, it would be an unfair fight for me. 'Cause obviously it would be far more fair if she just used her fists."

He growled. "Honestly, that's one of the worst fucking insults that any of these bastards have given me. Its a fair fight for an insignificant dipshit like her to take a me on with her bare hands?! Does she honestly think I'm a useless windbag with the bark of a pinball and the bite of a mini poodle?!" HE cooled himself off and continued. "Regardless of all that, she then attacked me with a flying kick. So, I put her in her place."

He rubbed his temples. "But I resurrected her, and was letting her rest in my apartment (the beds in their apartments are shit compared to my own, and she needs as much rest as possible since she went to Hell and back again).

"Which reminds me." He gave a call to his guard, letting the man know that it was time to grab Raven and bring her to the shooting range to continue her training.

He put down his phone, and looked back at Selena. "But fuck that shit. What do you think of the kid's abilities thus far?"

[Imperial--japan]

Karlson sighed, holding his cig-hand up to the side of his head. "Well, most of the students are doing decently. One of them is a complete jackass, that being Jackie Friedman, and has achieved the privilege of pissing myself, Lightheart, and Sgt. Corbin off. I don't see him lasting for long. Another of them, Clarence McAllister, obviously has psychological problems and should be closely watched when he is given a weapon. And Laura Smith just kicked ass with her handgun.

"Overall, the only person I've completely wanted to take out back and beat the shit out of was the dickhead Jackie." He rubbed the side of his head, closing his eyes. "But circumstances have a bitchy way of fucking things up.

"Raven Croft, you remember her? She's the strong headed girl that seems to have more brawn and determination than logic. Anyway, she made a comment inferring that this training was beneath her, and that she was prepared to fight. So, I threw her my pistol, and gave her the chance she wanted. But, she threw back the pistol, inferring that if she fought me with a firearm, it would be an unfair fight for me. 'Cause obviously it would be far more fair if she just used her fists."

He growled. "Honestly, that's one of the worst fucking insults that any of these bastards have given me. Its a fair fight for an insignificant dipshit like her to take a me on with her bare hands?! Does she honestly think I'm a useless windbag with the bark of a pinball and the bite of a mini poodle?!" HE cooled himself off and continued. "Regardless of all that, she then attacked me with a flying kick. So, I put her in her place."

He rubbed his temples. "But I resurrected her, and was letting her rest in my apartment (the beds in their apartments are shit compared to my own, and she needs as much rest as possible since she went to Hell and back again).

"Which reminds me." He gave a call to his guard, letting the man know that it was time to grab Raven and bring her to the shooting range to continue her training.

He put down his phone, and looked back at Selena. "But fuck that shit. What do you think of the kid's abilities thus far?"

Selena took a few moments to digest the information that was just shared with her by Karlson. So a couple of them were jackasses and some of them had potential. It was expected when you were dealing with a couple of kids and their black demons. By the end of the program, it was hopeful that they'd have a new appreciation for life. Raven Croft might have a new appreciation for life as soon as she woke up; being to hell and back. That tended to have reprocussions on some peoples psyche. She was sleeping in his bed? Selena found that sort of amusing

"Well I can't say I didn't expect some of them to be a little difficult personality wise, but assholes will be assholes," Selena muttered. She realized she had accidently had another slip of tongue, but didn't bother to correct herself. If she was lucky, Karlson probably wouldn't care.

"Since this is still the beginning of the training, it's no surprise that there's always room for improvement, and I can't say I feel too strongly about any of the trainee's. I'll give it a week or so before I really put them into behavioral categories," the woman explained.

"Though I will admit, some of them do appear to have quite a bit of potential so far," she added at the end. Looking over, she kept a close eye on the students at the range while she talked with Karlson.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Selena took a few moments to digest the information that was just shared with her by Karlson. So a couple of them were jackasses and some of them had potential. It was expected when you were dealing with a couple of kids and their black demons. By the end of the program, it was hopeful that they'd have a new appreciation for life. Raven Croft might have a new appreciation for life as soon as she woke up; being to hell and back. That tended to have reprocussions on some peoples psyche. She was sleeping in his bed? Selena found that sort of amusing

"Well I can't say I didn't expect some of them to be a little difficult personality wise, but assholes will be assholes," Selena muttered. She realized she had accidently had another slip of tongue, but didn't bother to correct herself. If she was lucky, Karlson probably wouldn't care.

"Since this is still the beginning of the training, it's no surprise that there's always room for improvement, and I can't say I feel too strongly about any of the trainee's. I'll give it a week or so before I really put them into behavioral categories," the woman explained.

"Though I will admit, some of them do appear to have quite a bit of potential so far," she added at the end. Looking over, she kept a close eye on the students at the range while she talked with Karlson.

Karlson nodded, his eyes scanning the kids. "Well, if I'm right, it looks like assault rifles are next." He yelled to Corbin. "Hey Sarge, how about you bring out the AKs? Its almost time for dinner, and I'm fucking starving."

[The Templar High Council]

"Alright, the first thing is you don't have to say 'sir' so much to me. At least when I'm not commanding the unit, I mean teaching the class." Anthony flushed a bit from the military terminology. "You can call me Mr. Corbin, or just Corbin. Heck, I might even let you slide with Tony or TJ. Second, I don't know how to respond to all that. If you were older, I would crack some jokes, slap you on the back, and make nice with you. But since you're a kid...I'm not sure how to respond. I'm not sure you want a commendation, and I'm not the kind of guy to be scared of you.

"But I know one thing." Anthony placed his hand on Clarence's shoulder. "You have potential. Your wildness might not be wanted on the test range, but there's no one more reliable in a live exercise than a professional. Tell you what, you heard Leiutenant Karlson pick Laura as his 'protege' or whatever, right? I'm picking you. I'm going to help you harness that fury, and make one hell of a God-slaying weapon. And you might not snap the next time you're holding a gun. Deal?" He held out his hand for the boy to choose. "I'm not planning to force you. I want to help. And there's perks for you. As one of the recruits selected for 'personal training' or whatever, I'm sure Karlson will let you have something a little better than what everyone else is getting. Maybe not as nice as Laura, but better nonetheless. So, whaddaya say?"

Clarence was dumbfounded. "Again, I suppose," he thought, making Boali snigger internally. He didn't know what to say. Corbin seemed like a genuinely nice person, and this was a good opportunity from a tactical viewpoint ... though TJ wouldn't do at all - even if Clarence had had friends, he wouldn't have called them TJ ... but in Clarence's mind, being an officer's protege meant being his whore. Except that here, that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe there really was a difference between paramilitary organizations in the West and the East ... Or then again, this was probably en exceptional case.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Boali, outraged. "You can't afford not to accept and you know it. He's making you a huge favor."
Clarence knew that much. He wasn't hesitant as much as paralyzed by surprise. In his old unit, he had never been appreciated by the officers: he had been one of the most talented elements, but he'd aways been too independant and difficult to control, with an embarassing tendency to actually spare civilians and try to stay alive. This was too new ... Ah, well. Corbin was likeable, and this could be very useful. Maybe demons can heal psychological issues. It felt strangely nice to be appreciated for something that he had always hated about himself, too.

He took Corbin's hand and shook it firmly, bowing slightly with the motion. "I'm honored, sir - I mean, Mr. Corbin. I would be thankful to work with you."

"Good deal. If you think you can handle it, come back inside. If not, you can watch, or do something else. Just don't piss anyone off." Anthony smiled, and returned to the building.

"Conrad! Help me get the next set of guns from the armory!" Anthony noted the scores of the kids, and retrieved all of the handguns from the booths. He made sure they were empty, and carried themin a cardboard box to the nearby armory (to which I'm unsure if Anthony has a key to, or where it is. I was guessing it would be near the range, possibly a side room).

"Sir? I thought we were doing three sets of guns today: handguns, submachine guns, and assault rifles. Should we skip the SMGs for now?"

[Isle of Lithonia]

Clarence was dumbfounded. "Again, I suppose," he thought, making Boali snigger internally. He didn't know what to say. Corbin seemed like a genuinely nice person, and this was a good opportunity from a tactical viewpoint ... though TJ wouldn't do at all - even if Clarence had had friends, he wouldn't have called them TJ ... but in Clarence's mind, being an officer's protege meant being his whore. Except that here, that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe there really was a difference between paramilitary organizations in the West and the East ... Or then again, this was probably en exceptional case.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Boali, outraged. "You can't afford not to accept and you know it. He's making you a huge favor."
Clarence knew that much. He wasn't hesitant as much as paralyzed by surprise. In his old unit, he had never been appreciated by the officers: he had been one of the most talented elements, but he'd aways been too independant and difficult to control, with an embarassing tendency to actually spare civilians and try to stay alive. This was too new ... Ah, well. Corbin was likeable, and this could be very useful. Maybe demons can heal psychological issues. It felt strangely nice to be appreciated for something that he had always hated about himself, too.

He took Corbin's hand and shook it firmly, bowing slightly with the motion. "I'm honored, sir - I mean, Mr. Corbin. I would be thankful to work with you."

"Good deal. If you think you can handle it, come back inside. If not, you can watch, or do something else. Just don't piss anyone off." Anthony smiled, and returned to the building.

"Conrad! Help me get the next set of guns from the armory!" Anthony noted the scores of the kids, and retrieved all of the handguns from the booths. He made sure they were empty, and carried themin a cardboard box to the nearby armory (to which I'm unsure if Anthony has a key to, or where it is. I was guessing it would be near the range, possibly a side room).

"Sir? I thought we were doing three sets of guns today: handguns, submachine guns, and assault rifles. Should we skip the SMGs for now?"

Karlson's grimaced, his head swimming because of his lack of rest for the past few days. "Do them all. I'm just a bit out of it right now. I think coffee is called for." He whispered to himself and Selena. "Besides, those dickheads are gonna need all the training they can get for the hell we have planned for them tonight." At that, he grinned.

[BlackDeath27]

By the time Raven had been retrieved by Karlson's guard most of the problems with her body went away except for the mild headache. Having to be escorted to the shooting range felt more emberising then dying in front of everyone. Rubbing her head from the migraine that was antagonizing every time a thought or mental communication with Aria occurred. Passing by Karlson with some lady she had seen somewhere before but couldn't place the face." I think this is far enough I can walk my self to the rest of the way." Raven told the guard as she moved towards a free stall waiting for instructions to do something. Everyone seemed ok on the surface when she passed by and as a bonus some new kids has showed up." Things sure seemed to have progressed nicely since my death. Maybe I should just keep to my self until someone approaches me or I could just find the gym then live there." The young girl suggested as she spoke to herself. Fidgeting with her hands a bit out of neves and boredom mixed with nothing else to do until a view of Clarence presented itself. When the chance appeared to smile or wave she just hid in shame.

[Isle of Lithonia]

By the time Raven had been retrieved by Karlson's guard most of the problems with her body went away except for the mild headache. Having to be escorted to the shooting range felt more emberising then dying in front of everyone. Rubbing her head from the migraine that was antagonizing every time a thought or mental communication with Aria occurred. Passing by Karlson with some lady she had seen somewhere before but couldn't place the face." I think this is far enough I can walk my self to the rest of the way." Raven told the guard as she moved towards a free stall waiting for instructions to do something. Everyone seemed ok on the surface when she passed by and as a bonus some new kids has showed up." Things sure seemed to have progressed nicely since my death. Maybe I should just keep to my self until someone approaches me or I could just find the gym then live there." The young girl suggested as she spoke to herself. Fidgeting with her hands a bit out of neves and boredom mixed with nothing else to do until a view of Clarence presented itself. When the chance appeared to smile or wave she just hid in shame.

Seeing Raven, Karlson smirked. "So, Raven, I trust you've had enough rest?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "Good. Then Corbin can set you up."

He yelled to Corbin. "Hey Sarge, get this kid a weapon. I'm sure she's just dying to get started and get all the unwanted attention off her."

[BlackDeath27]

Hearing Karlson voice sent shivers up the spine which was followed by the urge to kill. Respecting him didn't mean that she liked him though he seemed a lot nicer when not attempting to be a badass. Raven waited on the man that Karlson had called to help her with the shooting range equipment.

[The Templar High Council]

Hearing Karlson voice sent shivers up the spine which was followed by the urge to kill. Respecting him didn't mean that she liked him though he seemed a lot nicer when not attempting to be a badass. Raven waited on the man that Karlson had called to help her with the shooting range equipment.

"Fine. Conrad, can you take these back to the armory, and bring the SMGs out? I'll help after she's done." Anthony set the box of handguns down and pulled one out, along with three magazines. He gave the equipment to Raven, pulled the lever on the wall, and three more targets popped up.

"Load the gun, cock it, safety it, and tell me when you're ready. You have three magazines to expend on three targets, one apeice. Do it quickly, accurately, and safely. On your go."