UNDERGROUND KINGS ◑ IC Thread ◐ Open

[Forest State]

OOC THREAD

CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW CLASS

The hangar on the inside of the airship was filled with the first class of the Kings Academy, the ones who were the next generation. The next generation of famous thieves, and people that would go on to topple governments, and legends who would do battle with their heroic rivals for the next decade and a half. There were also ones that would end up behind bars and ones that would live long enough to see them drop out of the game entirely, going for safer careers. Some would be dead in a few years. Being a member of the Kings Family was rewarding, but it wasn’t easy or something for everyone. Some just weren’t cut out for it. There were others that believed they were cut out for it, but they would fold under pressure and fail when the training grew tough or when they were given field exercises.

It was impossible to sort the students into both of those groups right now, however, and Trey Foley could only look at them and try to guess whether they would succeed or fail. Of course, he had already read their reports from the recon department, and had a good idea of their powers and capabilities. But experience over the years told him that powers didn’t make the person. Someone could be the strongest metahuman in the world when it came to powers, but if they didn’t have a good head on their shoulders someone would find a way to beat them. On the other hand, a quick thinker with good problem solving skills could get out of trouble using weaker powers.

They had all just entered the airship, and Foley was looking them all over as they waited for their introduction. The arrangement had been a bit complicated, with all of them being ferried to the secret airfield in the north of England, and then brought aboard the airship that had traveled here in secret by making use of the advanced cloaking technology that made it radar proof. But despite the tough process of getting everyone here, they were assembled in front of him now, and they would soon take off and head over the Atlantic Ocean. “You are all here, everyone,” he started, getting their attention with his first words. “Because you have a chance to get everything that you’ve ever wanted from life.”

“I don’t know what that is, that you want. But I know that the Kings Family and this academy can provide a lot. Money, status, power, attractive members of the opposite sex, cars, whatever. We wouldn’t be criminals if the rewards weren’t greater than living a normal life without danger. However, the path to getting what you want isn’t an easy one, and this academy is designed to test your mettle and give you some experience before joining the organization full time. You’ll learn to defend yourself, learn about running a criminal operation effectively, and about combatting heroes and other things. These tests will be physical and mental, with more of an emphasis on hands on work than classroom activities. Not all of you will make it, but those that end up dropping out will be sent back home with financial compensation for your efforts,” he continued.

He paused to judge the reaction of the people he was talking to. “But you’re probably wondering who I am and why I’m talking to you. My name is Trey Foley, better known as Ink, and I’m the Headmaster of this academy as well as a longtime member of the Kings Family. It’s my job to guide you through your experience here, and soon, I’ll show all of you to your quarters here on the Scourge, our state of the art airship that cannot be detected by radar or other traditional means. For now, however, I’m going to allow you to ask any questions that you might have about the academy or the life of someone in the Kings Family. Don’t be shy. The person that speaks up and asks a question might feel embarrassed for a moment, but the answer to the question could save their life later and put them above the one who stayed silent. So ask away, and remember that there aren’t bad questions. And also, these answers won’t always be so easy to get, so take advantage of this moment right now…”

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa

She'd managed to entertain herself during the speech by silently tagging every last one of her 'classmates' with her telepathy. It wasn't hard, but it was time-consuming, and it allowed her to multi-task while listening to the Headmaster and gathering useful information about the people she'd be stuck with while she was here. Their names, mostly. Surface thoughts, easy things to pick out about them immediately, and perhaps most importantly, their mental patterns. Knowing who was who and where could be invaluable, especially considering that an airship would naturally be of limited size and so she'd have a good idea of where people were, whether or not they were in her range as if they weren't, well, there was only a limited amount of places they could be.

The sole thing that she actually disliked was the mention of combat. She was not a fighter in any sense of the term. She abhorred combat; it was beneath her to have to trade blows with others. She was a commander, a leader, not a common soldier. If she had to fight she had already lost. But she'd deal with that when it came to it, since it was hardly an issue now.

---

Nike ‘Nika’ Mezerova

Nike tapped her feet against the floor impatiently. She did not like ceremonies, she did not like speeches. They were all so stuffy and boring and generally said the same damn thing; 'blah black future blah you blah blah I am blah blah questions blah go away'. Or something similar, normally with some other thing mixed in every once in a while but it was never worth listening out for. The sole interesting bit of that entire speech had been the mention of cars, and she could get herself a nice car whenever she wished by stealing one. She didn't need the Kings for that.

But they had broken her out of jail to attend, which she probably wouldn't have been able to do so alone, so it was fine in her book. Even if she did hate schools of any kind, since, well, they just bored her, and when bored her mind tended to begin working on elaborate and complex schemes that were almost never completed but on the one time her mind had finished such a scheme, the results had been... Quite spectacular.

And it had also gotten her arrested and here, so there was that too. She didn't have any questions, so she stayed silent and settled for readjusting her skirt instead as she waited for something actually worth noticing happening.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Rachel

It had been a good morning. Oslo was nice and quiet during the early hours, not much commotion. The first noise Rachel heard as her golden eyes fluttered open was a groaning sound next to her. Turning to her left she saw the couple she had seduced and brought back to her lair the night before. Corrupting mortals was always fun, especially lovebird couples like these. They were simply adorable to watch fall into degeneracy. Now though, they were annoying. Grabbing them both by the legs, she dragged the sleeping pair to the door, before throwing them out of the door, yelling at them "Don't try to come back!"

Stepping back into her apartment, Rachel rubbed her temples. It was damn orientation day. She was beggining to regret writing that application to this academy. Sure it got the Order off her back for a period of time, but was it worth her freedom. Sighing, she prepared a small breakast for herself. Eggs, biscuits, virgin sausage, and some blood coffee. Eating it in the peace of her own home, she looked across the street to find a boy looking at her. Realizing that she had not yet put on clothes, she blew him a kiss before finishing her meal. Putting away her plates and preparing another cofee to go, she took a quick shower and got dressed, putting on a pair of black jeans, boots, and a sweater that hung around her arms and went just high enough to cover what needed to be covered. Putting on her sunglasses to hide her eyes, she stepped outside and got in her car, driving off to the small airport where the plane awaited to take her to the academy.

A few hours later, and the orientation speech was finally over. She had spent most of it chewing her nails, or checking out some of her new classmates, even blowing a kiss to those who met her gaze. When the Headmaster finally asked for questions Rachel rose her hand over her head, and as though almost stretching asked "So, what are the rule regarding... well rules. Is there a limit to what you allow aboard this school, and if so where is it set." She licked her lips as she finished the statement, looking at the headmaster rather hungrily.

[Wysten]

Sarah
Sarah shivered a bit at the cold in the hanger as she stood with the group watching the man talking to them above. Apparently his name was Foley and she suppressed the urge to yell out Ramirez. She looked around and saw the group before her and already knew this was not going to be the best of times for her. Among the group she could probably count all men (if they could be called that) on her hand and she could probably guess a good portion of the women were at least Bi by the not so subtle glances to the other women. She then stole a couple of glances at one boy though she didn't know why but she thought he was cute in a weird nerd way. Slowly trying to stroll through the crowd to stand next to him she stood next to him. She was about to ask who he was but she heard if there was any questions. "Where is the firing range?" She yelled out.

[Union Princes]

Maria Ludwig

Among all the peers that stood for the orientation, Maria seemed to be the one with the most luggage: two backpacks, a birdcage, and a suitcase containing daddy's smg. "Hush, Plato!" whispered Maria to one her doves, 'I want to hear to what he has to say." The girl with extraordinaire healing powers listened with upmost joy as this was the closest thing to going to school. Her eyes were wide with interest and her smile unrelenting as she process every single syllable of Trey's words. Oh, if only father could see me now! Maria beamed at the thought of what her father would say to her if he saw the orientation. Aristotle and Hippocrates were already fighting for space in the cramped birdcage while Plato was stuck in between them. "It won't be long now, stay calm you birds." smiled Maria, never looking back to check on them as Trey got her full attention. When he asked for questions, she carefully raised her hand while everybody else was blurting out their concerns. Is this what school is normally like? No wonder father kept me in home.

"I have a question," announced Maria in a calm but firm voice to segregate herself from the sea of chatter, "Where is the Medical Bay or Room? I wish to reside there with my pet birds. I was told that there was need for medics."

She didn't look like a medic though as she wore a black high school uniform with skirt, black stockings, and a neck bow whose bright red color contrast well with her eyes. Maria's blond hair, brighter than wheatfield, was adorn with a red hair pin and a rose flower hair clip. Standing among the crowd, she looks way too innocent to join a criminal empire that has influence on a global scale.

[Camelone]

Cromwell
Observations were one of the most important things anyone could do to get a feel for their surroundings and that was exactly what Alan was doing and from what he could see he felt really out of place. Many of these people seemed to just be criminals, incredibly dangerous criminals yes but criminals nonetheless, and for a revolutionary like himself who's crimes were done out of a desire to forge a better world for his fellow man he doubted if there was anyone here that he could connect with, perhaps this was a bad idea to get caught up with the Kings but on the other hand what else was he going to do. His soldiers lay dead and he lost almost all of his connections, resources, and most importantly his ability to speak in public, thankfully videos of his speeches were still circulating the Internet but there is no organization for those who would fight for me to rally around. Alan resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as he listened to Foley in military rest, his face with a lopsided grin on his face, while his fellow 'classmates' may have be a bunch of dangerous criminals these lessons would be useful for continuing the revolution and rebuilding. At the moment though he would allow others to ask the questions, there was nothing pressing on his mind and he trusted that he would learn more by just being in the background than bringing attention to himself.

He leaned over slightly to a girl standing next to him, she had been quiet for awhile and he was wondering what she was up to as she didn't seem as dangerous as the rest but looks could be deceiving, a lesson he learned far to late and for a to high of a cost. Deciding snapping her out of her thoughts was better than asking directly "How many questions do you think is going to be asked before we get on with this? I don't feel like standing around all day." He whispered to her in good nature.

[The Cross and Davids Star]

Nev

Nev really didn't care what the guy above had to say, except for the fact that he was headmaster, rather he was listening through a pair of wireless earbuds to some hardbass. Despite having stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from banks, corporations and the like, Nev wasn't dressed like it, rather, he would fit much better into a group of hobos.The reason? He's the suspect of a global manhunt, known only to citizens by his his alias, Smiley. Looking like he lived in a trashcan for several months allowed him to hide in plain sight for as long as he could, until he had to go from safehouse to safehouse with the authorities on his tail. He was chewing on a metal rod he had found, something of a habit to him, but not necessarily bad. What he didn't know was that he had apparently caught a girl's eye, and to be fair, he didn't really care if he did, he was in a state of apathy, which wasn't a bad thing, he in fact liked to not feel any emotion.When prompted to give a question, Nev decided to give one. "Just how secure are your servers? Asking for a friend." He said, giving a slight smirk as he did.

[Stattr]

Jenny Jango

Jenny was still in the process of wondering how they even found her in the first place. She was standing slightly farther away from everyone, finding a nearby shadow to stand next to. She didn't trust this place and she definitely didn't trust this man standing before her giving everyone the welcome ceremony. She didn't mind those honestly, she actually liked sitting in on these, gives her a chance to get to know everyone a tiny but better with how they respond. Her crow was currently perched on her shoulder listening as well. She clicked her tongue slightly in response to the cloaking mechanism of the aircraft.

Thoughts ran across her mind while she was on the ferry and the blimp over here. How long is this going to last? When can she eat? When can she shoot? Lots of pointless questions to think about drowned out what the headmaster was saying. She wasn't going to be sent back home, she was too stubborn for that. She looked at her crow and reached up and pet him with her index finger, kissing him on the side and ruffling his feathers as he opened his beak and ruffled his feathers back. She looked back at the headmaster and listened to the last part he was saying about questions. She had a few but decided to figure them out by herself. She did look up and pay more attention to the female who yelled 'where is the firing range' jenny hadn't been to a range in such a long time. She might end up learning how to use close had guns because her snipper zooms too far in.

Today she was wearing her black skinny jeans and a black tank top with a red hoodie on that was zipped up to just below her collar bone, her hair in a loose ponytail, wearing flat converse shoes and her snipper on her back. Today.... is going to be a long day. She sighed slightly.

[The Cyberiad Council]

Corpus

Lance stood towards the back of the group, watching. He listened half-heartedly to the Headmaster's speech, he heard a similar spiel when they had come to pick him up, which had almost ended poorly for one of the representatives. They had to resort to knocking him out before explaining the offer. Looking around, Lance took note of the bodies around him. Already, they were glancing at each other. Some out of genuine curiosity, and others fueled by a curiosity of a different sort. He could almost feel it, these were no innocent children. Most carried the same psychological mark as himself: they had taken lives. But all in all, the group had "good" bones.

Out of all the class, he probably had the least on his person. Besides the beat up white tee shirt and jeans he was wearing, he had a gym bag with another shirt and pair of jeans, but it was mostly filled with bones which even he would admit was a bit unusual and macabre. Lance eyed the ones dressed with money behind them with interest and curiosity. He had always been dirt poor, and robbing banks weren't really his style, nor was it really in his wheelhouse. Steel tended to resist Osteokinesis.

The male to female ratio wasn't bad, but it did appear that some of the girls batted for the other team. He creeped most people out, but maybe this group would be more... accepting of who he was. It might be best to not try and take the lead. Let the god complexes have their fun for now, Lance thought to himself. Then Ink finished his speech and some of the others called out questions before Lance spoke up.

"Do you validate parking?"

[Skaldia]

Vachel

Blah blah blah blah. Money. Cars. Guns. Blah. Same noise. Different Friday. He'd rather be sitting in group therapy in prison rather than listen to this Ink blab on about his family. The very notion of so many different mindsets or what have you actually operating as something as coherent as a family, well, it was ludicrous. Ludicrous. Wasn't there a rapper by that name? Oh yeah, something about hoes and area codes and slapping bitches down. The latter sounded interesting, the former exhausting. But! He was drifting. Again. How boring. Ugh. He needed to find the john on this tub or else he was just going to have to start streaming away in front of everyone. Not that the image of him whipping out his snake in front of all the charming ladies around him gave him much pause. A snort. Yeah. Maybe not the first best impression to have on those around them. Gotta act respectable and all that jazz.

He was glad to be surrounded by like company in his rather drab attire; black button up casually open with nothing underneath. Despite the chill air, he was rather warm with so many breathing morons around him. The pants were simple track pants, same color. The goggles were for, well, he wasn't quite sure. He had seen them in a Walmart and decided they deserved to be on his head, holding back his too blonde hair from his red-tinged eyes as best as they could. The shoes were just a pair of regular tennis shoes, one of the soles having become worn off the rest of the shoe. Sentimental those. The only testament to vanity was the gold chain and that was purely for the irony imposed on the rest of his attire. Something that gave him a private chuckle whenever a stare was directed his way.

Questions began to be fired at the Headmaster --shit Dumbledorp really chose well with that title-- like machine gun fire with their echoes still ringing in the chamber. For his part, Alexander didn't feel the need to drop the IQ points in the room further by allowing his drivel to be added to the natter, instead he chose to stand slightly apart from the crowd, arms crossed loosely across his chest, fingers of right hand dribbling a tattoo of some music he had heard from somewhere no longer relevant. As he waited for the questions to die off and for the next round of ooh's and ahh's to begin, he allowed himself to daydream while eyeing a piece of ass that was just too tantalizing not to stare at. It practically begged for his attention. No matter the lady in question seemed to be another authority on this Hindenberg 2.0. And that skirt. Damn. Legs like those belonged around him. A sly grin as gone as quick as smoke to be replaced with yet another detached, bemused stare. Oh, he'd have plenty of time to become well acquainted with, well, whoever! Fuck, a year in prison and his Palmala Handerson was getting a bit old.

"Let me show her my edge girl. The cut's fine and quick. The point slides in smooth. And she never misses. Yes ma'am." He muttered under his breath in that same soft, slightly Southern American accent of his and reluctantly broke contact to stare back at Headmaster Stink as if pointedly saying Get on with it.

[Song-Lu]

Ghoul/Thorax

7 DAYS BEFORE ORIENTATION DAY
A Random Maximum Security Asylum
London, England, United Kingdom

The poignant tapping of the reinforced steel door forcibly opened Justine's (Ghoul/Thorax) eyes. The scent of blood permeating his asylum cell, along its crimson stain splattered across the cell like a Jackson Pollock painting, incited a strong sense of hunger. His pitch ghoulish eyes, save for the glowing red pupils, glared at what lied beyond the bloodstained white steel door. As the incessant, poignant tapping, seemingly serving as a knocker-upper for hyper-sensitive hearing, continued, Justin tried his best to ignore the unpleasant sound as he reviewed his surroundings like a predator in the jungle.

As usual, Justin found himself slumped on a bloodstained wall across the door, bound by bespoke, heavy restraints in his legs neck. He thought that these were made my genius metahuman minds, as normal restraints such as handcuffs could be easily broken. He had no bed, as his cannibalistic diet always created a huge mess, particularly his bed. The maintenance people must've been complaining about having to clean his bloodstained sheets in an almost regular basis, so they took the bed altogether. Of course all of this was done while Justin was sedated.

Justin's head hung low for a while, until he felt fiery warmth from the small of his neck. Rearing his head backwards, he beheld sunlight filtering through the 'window', a mere square concrete cut-out fenced with steel rods. Judging by the angles of his shadow and the intensity of sunlight, Justin discerned it was a cloudy 7 AM. It was quite a mistake to gaze into the sky, his stomach seemingly lurched and knotted itself as he turned his attention to the door. A chilly sensation rocketed through his spine. He wasn't sure if it was due to casadastraphobia or a forthcoming sequence of events.

The tapping ceased to be.

"We're coming in." A voice through the door called out. It was synthetic, like something out of a megaphone. A few seconds later. The steel door groaned unpleasantly as it opened, armored security personnel armed with collapsible batons in white uniforms barged in his cell. As Justin looked up and glared at them with his ghoulish eyes, a security officer whacked him with a baton in the neck.

"Don't even think about it," the officer commanded.

Justin's neck throbbed a little from the impact, and he was tempted to rub the spot where the officer had hit him. But of course, he was bound in a straitjacket. He lowered his head for a little while but then faced the officer afterwards. He thought it was a good idea to provoke the officers. He just felt like doing it. All he could do is retort.

"Don't mind if I do." Justin snickered.

In a heartbeat, not one, but three security officers start to beat him up with their batons. Justin was a little bit delighted and a little bit pissed off as the beatings continued. He was hungry and a little mad. He wanted to eat these Untermensch and see their horror twisted and carved into their faces. He growled. It wasn't until for a minute that a booming voice reverberated across the cell, freezing his tormentors. He glowered at the direction of a particular stranger.

"Enough."

A well dressed man in sharp glasses walked in Justin's bloodied cell. The guy had a neat buzz cut, had broad shoulders and was a brown as a nut. His whole getup, along with a black leather briefcase, anyone could've identified him as a stereotypical bodyguard, secret agent or man in black. He had an assistant beside him as well, a forgettable, non-descript female secretary. He handed the briefcase to the secretary in one smooth motion, motioning her to open up the case. He then retrieved a yellowish folder, opened it, and skimmed through its contents.

"Justinian Blakely, otherwise known in police archives as -"

"- Thorax. By the way, how the fuck do you know my name?" Justin spat. He hated when someone knew so much about him. He feared that the strange man might have even more info about him.

"Asylum records, FBI records and reports from the Recon Department, that's all I could say," the agent answered.

Justin cocked an eyebrow. He was now indignant. "The fuck is a recon department?"

The agent said nothing in return and motioned the security officers to set Justin free. While a little hesitant, the officers nodded and complied. They drew out RFID cards and swiped through the restraints, unlocking them. Justin felt a surge of euphoria within him as he rubbed his wrists and feet. He looked up to the agent. While he never spoke anything, his ghoulish eyes clearly read just who the man was and where he came from.

"Starting next week," the agent answered, "You'll be joining the Kings Academy."

---

Present Day
Kings Academy Airship Hangar
Location Unknown

Justin never expected an airship to function as an academy. It was kinda bad for him. Any second, he thought, gravity will vanish, causing him to drift to the void of space and dying from asphyxiation, his goals never achieved and his life directionless until now. But there were far more important matters than his irrational fear of falling into the sky. At least the days before, he was well-fed (with human body parts, of course) and his injuries were tended, either by himself of by a medical worker that checked in him everyday.

He had no fucking clue where he his and where this bloody airship was headed. He stood slightly farther than everyone, and he found himself beside a raven-haired girl, with vine tattoos in her neck and forearm. In his mind, there are only two - no, three, conclusions: either she is a thot, a serial killer or perhaps even both.

His attention turned away from the female stranger to the place he was in. Judging by the soft clicks coming the girl and from the faint ticking sounds somewhere in the airship, he suspected that there was a cloaking mechanism to hide an aircraft this formidable and titanic as this. Hell, this airship is probably bigger than two AIrbus A380s staked atop each other. He mostly ignored the headmaster's speech, whom was also known as Ink. If anything, the speech was nothing but mostly generic blathering, and Justin didn't give a fuck with promises of money and power. He was a serial killer looking to overthrow the present social order, not a run-of-the-mill mumble rapper.

Justin was a bit weirded out to the woman next to him as he looked at her, kissing her pet crow and stuff. He shrugged it off, however, but it looks like he wasn't the only weird person in the sea of seemingly mundane metahumans. He spotted a guy with a gym bag, and judging by the faint dry smell emanating from it, it could be bones. Edgy, Justin thought. He scanned through other metahumans, which would obviously be his 'classmates' as Ink continued blabbering until the end of the speech. Then, it was question time.

He was an all-black getup that made him look like something straight out of a cyberpunk game or anime. Specifically, he was wearing a black bandana around his head, black shirt, layered with a black plate carrier vest and black techwear pants with emo/goth style boots. His commando knife, sat snugly in its holster in his pants. He was wearing a black surgical mask with a zipper in the mouth, too. It was quite an odd but nifty feature, because by unzipping it he could eat and talk properly without his mouth being totally obscured by his surgical mask. A reason why he wore a surgical mask is that he would have eaten every single body in the ship thanks to the tantalizing scent of their flesh. Justin's stomach growled as one-by-one, students started asking questions.

Justin wasn't in the mood to stand all day as the headmaster answered the normies' queries. But then again he just felt like asking where they are right now, for no good reason. Thus, he queried. He called the attention of the headmaster (and probably a few students) through repeated 'Hey's and by raising his right hand in an infamous middle finger. Justin unzipped his mask.

"Important question," Justin stated, in a feigned slurry and sarcastic matter, "WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?"

[Segral]

Roxy Buswell

Among the large crowd of people, criminals, some who've killed without breaking a sweat, Roxy seemed rather...different. While most stood in dark, neutral colors and unfancy dress, little luggage at their side, with high posture and a sense of authority, Roxanne emanated something quite different.

There was her very strange appearance, to start. She had shoulder-length dyed blue hair, a thick smear of dark lipstick, and was wearing a studded leather jacket, a small purple skirt, and purplish fishnet stockings. Again, a far cry from everyone else. She had her guitar case on her back, and was lugging several other items, including a bass guitar case, a french horn case, and a few other instruments. The whole thing was hell to move, but she needed this stuff.

But it wasn't just her appearance and throng of luggage that set her apart, it was her attitude. Instead of standing up rigidly with natural leadership, she was slightly slumped and was looking more at her feet than anything else. Why was she even here? All she had done was break into a few houses and beat up some producers. Should she just go back now? No...no, she had to stay, there was nothing to go back to in New Orleans, this was her home now. It had been once they had found her staking out in that alley.

The headmaster's speech was...your regular headmaster's speech. Boring and dull, as it always was. In Foley's defense, the parts about airships and criminal operations sounded slightly cooler than the average speech, but only slightly. Not long after he finished, a right hailstorm of questions, some important such as the rules and limitations, but others a little more trivial. "Why do ya need to know where the firing range and medical bay are, if you haven't even been accepted yet?" Roxy whispered to herself in her light Boston accent, shaking her head and sighing slightly.

A thin piano melody, a very quiet one had begun to emit from Roxy's keyboard case without her even knowing, her emotions accidentally manipulating it.

[Caruolinda]

Vesid "Prion" Bazhunaishvili
7 days ago, Suburbs of Belgrade

The bus began wobbling a bit, it was clear that they had already left the actual city of Belgrade. Vesid dressed casual clothes, hoping his charisma alone would be enough to keep him out of trouble, as well as to convince the Serbians that he was just an Albanian tourist passing by. He leaned his head against his seat's window, clearly thoughtful. As much of a tough image he usually gave, Vesid was still hurt about having to kiss his family goodbye in such an abrupt manner. Vesid had told them he was going to Britain... And while that was true, he had some business to solve in the cursed land of the Balkans.

The vehicle came to another stop - the one Vesid had been expecting. It looked like your average big city's outskirts, except a little more remote and uninhabited. One could assume most people never even saw someone leave at that spot due to its sheer remoteness from the actual city, but it was just perfect to him. Not far from there, there was a depot at which he had something stored for a while... You, noble reader, should already know what it is.

He greeted the security guard of the storehouse as he entered - a familiar face to Vesid, and one of the few people to which he could talk a little more openly. He had told them he was a Chemistry teacher storing laboratory equipment and hazardous compounds away from the school he worked at until he needed them - more than enough to keep any curious staff away.

Vesid entered his own storage area, which was obviously significantly smaller than the others, after all that was all he could afford, and honestly all the space he really needed. He turned the lights on and, to an average person, that would have been it. He was right: there were microscopes, centrifuges, all kinds of equipment. There were samples all around, some with names, others with none. He walked further into his area and locked the gate behind him. He put on his gas mask and got to work, his own footsteps echoing through the empty areas of the room. His greatest creation so far, not suitable for combat... but definitely great for terror. Hadn't he had enough of the whole killing people thing? Well... That was the problem: he had enjoyed it. As he approached his cell-glycerol-liquid nitrogen mixtures of Clostridium botulinum, Vesid knew Belgrade was in for a great surprise in a few weeks.

Vesid "Prion" Bazhunaishvili
Kings' Airship

Although not a prideful person at all, the fact he was in an "Academy" bothered him a bit. But he couldn't really complain about it: considering what people called "metahuman abilities", his were relatively niche and not suitable at all for direct confrontations or battles. This time, he wore a black leather jacket, as well as a regular pair of jeans, and some dull shoes. He was one of the last to arrive at the scene, so Vesid got there just in time to hear the speech... Although he didn't really like the beginning part of it: Get all we ever wanted in life? What is this, a ponzi scheme?

Prion, however, knew that the guy was right. They were all criminals there, they wouldn't be gathering at a very specific place if the rewards weren't going to be great. He needed money for his research, and at the moment that was all that mattered. He continued listening to the speech which, although boring, was a bit informative. Turns out he would get his hands dirty and be under the protection of an organization, so that's a double win for him, as it all legitimately sounded really cool. He would have to rely solely on his gas mask, his shotgun, and his canisters for all the combat.

As the speech ended and the obviously stupid questions arose, Vesid started getting a bit annoyed. These were going to be his "mates" from there onwards...? In the middle of that, he overheard a blue-haired girl whispering something. Vesid couldn't make sense of what it was, but she seemed clearly annoyed by the questions that were being asked. Eh, it wouldn't hurt to fuck around a bit, would it? "I assume you already love all of these future mates of yours, don't you?" He said in an obviously joking tone and in a weak Albanian accent.

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa

"Too many and yet not enough." She replied cryptically, a slight smile forming on her face as she continued to stare straight ahead, crossing her arms. She hadn't brought much luggage; a single, if large, suitcase, but she'd learned how to travel light while she'd been on the run. Everyone here seemed so... Undignified. They looked like a complete assortment of random people from all across the globe, but not a single one of them had a degree of class in their appearance. They wore clothes that made them look like common thugs for the most part, while here she was in her suit. Black jacket over a white shirt, a short black skirt and tights and low heels. No mask either, unlike so many others. She didn't see the point. If she was seen something had gone oh so horribly wrong for her.

"Pay attention to whom asks what and whom doesn't ask anything, Alan. Or do you prefer Cromwell? I don't mind." He hadn't said his name, but she'd picked it up from her telepathy. It was a useful thing sometimes, creeped people out a little. "You can learn quite a bit from what their priorities are, when they ask their questions." Who the idiots were, for example, for asking the dumb questions, such as the guy with the gym bag and battered clothes asking about parking on an airship or the guy all in black, surgical mask included, who asked where the hell were they. You could also tell tho was interested in what or did what by they asked about. The innocent-looking one in the high school uniform with all the luggage was almost certainly medically-inclined from asking about the medical bay. The girl who shouted out about the firing range was a shooter of some form. The guy who looked like he'd been dragged right off the streets of Zurich asking about servers was a hacker. The girl in the sunglasses and high-cut sweater who asked about limits had either authority issues or a strong desire to do whatever she wanted or both. Even Alan asking how long expected this to drag on revealed he had no patience for receiving lengthy speeches.

Those who didn't ask anything were either the smart ones who didn't wish to reveal anything, the self-reliant loner type, or the ones who simply didn't care. Potentially the most dangerous ones, the unknowns.

---

Nike ‘Nika’ Mezerova

All these questions were stupid. You could find the range or the medical bay yourself, no need to ask it here and waste her time and force her to sit here. At least she'd picked something comfortable to wear for this, not her 'serious costume'; her completely unmarked black leather jacket thrown over a red tank top with white sleeves that bared her midriff, a knee-length red skirt and red trainers. Her helmet, her bike and the pair of duffel bags she'd brought her stuff in were her only luggage.

And then finally the girl in front of her asked a question that was relevant to her; namely, the rules. She didn't ask it because she would do whatever the hell she wanted, rules or no rules, but she'd pay attention to the answer regardless. Her hair was rather nice too.

"So, you're a rule-breaker huh?" If she was taller, she'd have rested her arms on her shoulders; but she wasn't, and so she instead settled settled for whispering into her ear.

[Segral]

Roxy Buswell

Suddenly, Roxy heard someone whispering in her ear. Turning slightly, she saw another guy, slightly older and a good bit taller than herself, despite her being decently tall. He had purplish hair, much like hers a month or so ago, and a trace of European in his accent, even thought it was easy to tell it was a little faded, like he had been in another country for a while. It was the same with her Boston accent, it was slowly fading from years in the Deep South.

With a small smirk on her face, she answered her question in an equally as quiet whisper, shifting her hold on the guitar case. "Yeah, these guys seem like a riot. I'm sure we'll be getting along just fine." she sarcastically replied with a small laugh. "I'm sure I'll be using my newfound knowledge on the location of the medical bay a whole ton in the near future."

[Wysten]

Sarah Victoria

Seeing how her question wasn't going to be answered soon the woman navigated her way through the group till she saw one who had a crow on her shoulder and a rifle slung behind her back. Walking up next to her she smiled and waved and gestured towards her rifle. "Thats a nice rifle you have there." She said her southern accent starting to show a bit.

[Stattr]

Jenny Jango

Jenny was still giving attention to her crow who was clearly enjoying it as she doesn't usually give him attention like that unless he's been good to people. She noticed someone walking to her and looked down slightly, very confused as to why someone was walking up to her. She didn't respond for a while as she had never had someone even talk to her face to face for years besides her uncle. She looked at Gabriel and shrugged. "Thank you." Her voice almost a whisper and raspy as she responded. She's almost my height, but then again most the females in here look almost my height...I wonder what her weapon of choice is....should ask. "What kind of guns do you have on you? Well, what guns do you prefer would be a more accurate question."

[Wysten]

Jenny Jango

Jenny was still giving attention to her crow who was clearly enjoying it as she doesn't usually give him attention like that unless he's been good to people. She noticed someone walking to her and looked down slightly, very confused as to why someone was walking up to her. She didn't respond for a while as she had never had someone even talk to her face to face for years besides her uncle. She looked at Gabriel and shrugged. "Thank you." Her voice almost a whisper and raspy as she responded. She's almost my height, but then again most the females in here look almost my height...I wonder what her weapon of choice is....should ask. "What kind of guns do you have on you? Well, what guns do you prefer would be a more accurate question."

She nodded and was kind of surprised by how meek her voice was. "Oh I don't really have a favorite." She said holding out her hands she summoned the Twilight SVLK and inspected it. Pulling the bolt back and catching the bullet with her off hand she said. "Yours is good enough though the minute somebody hits you close you might as well use this as a club." She said looking at her. "Oh I am so sorry, my name is Sarah, Sarah Victoria." She then held out a hand for a shake.

[Stattr]

Jenny Jango

Jenny was still giving attention to her crow who was clearly enjoying it as she doesn't usually give him attention like that unless he's been good to people. She noticed someone walking to her and looked down slightly, very confused as to why someone was walking up to her. She didn't respond for a while as she had never had someone even talk to her face to face for years besides her uncle. She looked at Gabriel and shrugged. "Thank you." Her voice almost a whisper and raspy as she responded. She's almost my height, but then again most the females in here look almost my height...I wonder what her weapon of choice is....should ask. "What kind of guns do you have on you? Well, what guns do you prefer would be a more accurate question."

She nodded and was kind of surprised by how meek her voice was. "Oh I don't really have a favorite." She said holding out her hands she summoned the Twilight SVLK and inspected it. Pulling the bolt back and catching the bullet with her off hand she said. "Yours is good enough though the minute somebody hits you close you might as well use this as a club." She said looking at her. "Oh I am so sorry, my name is Sarah, Sarah Victoria." She then held out a hand for a shake.

She nodded slightly, not minding the fact her snipper was now in Sarah's hands. "I like to stay far away from targets preferably, Gabriel helps with that as well." She cleared her throat slightly. "It's a nice snipper, my uncle gave it to me a long time ago." She sighed slightly and gabriel rubbed against her neck. "Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Jenny Jango; you can call me JJ." She looked at Sarah's outstretched hand and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I'm not used to human touch. Maybe once I get used to you I'll owe you a handshake." Jenny was never comfortable with people touching her or trusting her to touch them, half the reason she was still single. After her father's funeral she even refused hugs from her uncle, she only ever accepted touch from gabriel now.

[Wysten]

She nodded and was kind of surprised by how meek her voice was. "Oh I don't really have a favorite." She said holding out her hands she summoned the Twilight SVLK and inspected it. Pulling the bolt back and catching the bullet with her off hand she said. "Yours is good enough though the minute somebody hits you close you might as well use this as a club." She said looking at her. "Oh I am so sorry, my name is Sarah, Sarah Victoria." She then held out a hand for a shake.

She nodded slightly, not minding the fact her snipper was now in Sarah's hands. "I like to stay far away from targets preferably, Gabriel helps with that as well." She cleared her throat slightly. "It's a nice snipper, my uncle gave it to me a long time ago." She sighed slightly and gabriel rubbed against her neck. "Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Jenny Jango; you can call me JJ." She looked at Sarah's outstretched hand and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I'm not used to human touch. Maybe once I get used to you I'll owe you a handshake." Jenny was never comfortable with people touching her or trusting her to touch them, half the reason she was still single. After her father's funeral she even refused hugs from her uncle, she only ever accepted touch from gabriel now.

"Ah I get it Jenny." Sarah said. "So why are you here?" She asked to what she thought was her friend.

[Stattr]

She nodded slightly, not minding the fact her snipper was now in Sarah's hands. "I like to stay far away from targets preferably, Gabriel helps with that as well." She cleared her throat slightly. "It's a nice snipper, my uncle gave it to me a long time ago." She sighed slightly and gabriel rubbed against her neck. "Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Jenny Jango; you can call me JJ." She looked at Sarah's outstretched hand and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I'm not used to human touch. Maybe once I get used to you I'll owe you a handshake." Jenny was never comfortable with people touching her or trusting her to touch them, half the reason she was still single. After her father's funeral she even refused hugs from her uncle, she only ever accepted touch from gabriel now.

"Ah I get it Jenny." Sarah said. "So why are you here?" She asked to what she thought was her friend.

She moved her shoulders slightly and gabriel moved to her other shoulder. She wasn't used to this much talking. "I can shoot more than 2000 meters away and always hit. You?" Jenny shifted again and made sure her sniper was still on her back before looking at the one in Sarah's hands. Does she make them out of nothing or is it some sort of material she uses. I'll find out later. Jenny looked back to the Headmaster and others, keeping track of the conversations happening. She could go spy there were enough shadows but that would possibly be showing off and she prefered to not be drawing attention to herself. She patted her throat slightly and muffled her cough, her throat wasn't used to talking this much either.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Rachel

Rachel was waiting for an answer when her spine prickled the way it did when someone was approaching her. The feeling came from years of being watched and pursued. Seeing that the Headmaster was likely going to give an aggragate answer, she watched a girl move into frame from the corner of her eye. Relaxing a bit, she even smirked a little when the girl whispered in her ear.

Turning around to face the girl and using a spell she did to slightly enhance her already supernatrual beauty, she smiled and whispered back "Well, it depends if they have rules against some of my more... particular tastes." She paused for a moment and sucked on her finger a little "Though you are looking pretty tasty yourself. What's your name hotcake?"

[Wysten]

"Ah I get it Jenny." Sarah said. "So why are you here?" She asked to what she thought was her friend.

She moved her shoulders slightly and gabriel moved to her other shoulder. She wasn't used to this much talking. "I can shoot more than 2000 meters away and always hit. You?" Jenny shifted again and made sure her sniper was still on her back before looking at the one in Sarah's hands. Does she make them out of nothing or is it some sort of material she uses. I'll find out later. Jenny looked back to the Headmaster and others, keeping track of the conversations happening. She could go spy there were enough shadows but that would possibly be showing off and she prefered to not be drawing attention to herself. She patted her throat slightly and muffled her cough, her throat wasn't used to talking this much either.

"Oh me I can what I call 'making guns out of thin air' and that I could probably see blades of grass from up here." She said feeling her eyes changed to blood red and as she opened them back up they gave a faint glow as she ran her hand over the the rifle it faded away as she summoned something more practical for her environment. The SIG MPX dropped into her hands and the small reflex sight flickered on. Putting it on safety she slung it over her shoulder.

[Stattr]

She moved her shoulders slightly and gabriel moved to her other shoulder. She wasn't used to this much talking. "I can shoot more than 2000 meters away and always hit. You?" Jenny shifted again and made sure her sniper was still on her back before looking at the one in Sarah's hands. Does she make them out of nothing or is it some sort of material she uses. I'll find out later. Jenny looked back to the Headmaster and others, keeping track of the conversations happening. She could go spy there were enough shadows but that would possibly be showing off and she prefered to not be drawing attention to herself. She patted her throat slightly and muffled her cough, her throat wasn't used to talking this much either.

"Oh me I can what I call 'making guns out of thin air' and that I could probably see blades of grass from up here." She said feeling her eyes changed to blood red and as she opened them back up they gave a faint glow as she ran her hand over the the rifle it faded away as she summoned something more practical for her environment. The SIG MPX dropped into her hands and the small reflex sight flickered on. Putting it on safety she slung it over her shoulder.

Jenny didn't seem to be physically impressed but mentally she thought that was really cool Sarah could pull a gun from anywhere. She didn't want to delve too much into how Gabriel helps her in order to see farther. She was eager to see who could see and shoot the farthest with Sarah, she hadn't met anyone that could out shoot her, her father probably could have but it was only an accident that caused her to be connected to Gabriel in such a way. She shrugged slightly. "Interesting. What do you make of the lot up there." She motioned with her head to the group of student in front of them.

[Wysten]

"Oh me I can what I call 'making guns out of thin air' and that I could probably see blades of grass from up here." She said feeling her eyes changed to blood red and as she opened them back up they gave a faint glow as she ran her hand over the the rifle it faded away as she summoned something more practical for her environment. The SIG MPX dropped into her hands and the small reflex sight flickered on. Putting it on safety she slung it over her shoulder.

Jenny didn't seem to be physically impressed but mentally she thought that was really cool Sarah could pull a gun from anywhere. She didn't want to delve too much into how Gabriel helps her in order to see farther. She was eager to see who could see and shoot the farthest with Sarah, she hadn't met anyone that could out shoot her, her father probably could have but it was only an accident that caused her to be connected to Gabriel in such a way. She shrugged slightly. "Interesting. What do you make of the lot up there." She motioned with her head to the group of student in front of them.

"If I had to guess a good portion are fans of their own sex and from what I have seen of the men I can't blame them though there is one that looks cute for a nerd." She said adjusting her belt the Virginia battle flag engraved on it flashed in the light.