Expedition Duz'rar - Day 1: The Venture Into the Unknown [Fan Plot] (Open)

The ancient city of Duz'rar is a myth often told in children's stories and legends. As these stories go, Duz'rar is a long lost city that once stood at the top of the world thousands of years ago. The city itself covered an entire island, and as such, was safe from the outside dangers of Grimm and other, opposing civilizations. This allowed it's people to prosper. Wealth, technology, research, all of it was completely beyond it's time. Duz'rar was completely unrivaled in every aspect. All of it was lost though, when something happened causing the island civilization to sink. Some say it was a natural disaster, others say it was the works of some dark power. All that can be said for certain was the city was lost, and with it, an entire population, a once superior culture, and wealth that would rival that of a god...

For a while now, Duz'rar was simply passed off as mere legends. Most people thought of it as nothing more than some myth. Recently though, there have been growing rumors of an expedition to Duz'rar. When Vanheim Freelance Industries heard of these rumors, they sought out the source of it all. What they found was an old professor, William A. Giovanni. What he had was years of research, transcripts that were not supposed to exist, and a strong belief in the truth of the legends of Duz'rar. Seeing an opportunity in gaining long lost wealth and technology, Vanheim Freelance Industries took up the responsibilities of making an expedition, and decided they would fund the entire thing in exchange for a large percentage of what is found.

The recent, chaotic events in Vale as well as growing tensions across all of Remnant left Vanheim Freelance Industries a little short of available manpower. In order to make up for this, the Corporation sought the recruitment of students and hunters alike at Syne Academy for this expedition, believing the promise of adventure and wealth would be enough to lure people in.

Expedition Duz'rar is an adventure into the unknown, a journey into the legends. The challenges and struggles that would be encountered will  like no other. This is a clear, unique, and once in a lifetime experience. Though not for the faint of heart, expedition is open to all. It just comes down to one question, are you up for it?


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[OOC Rules:
Due to the nature of this plot, it will span the course of several threads. Each thread will basically be a single day. Once the events of the day are up, the plot will move to a new thread. In between each thread, characters will be given the chance to rest up, thus Health and Aura can be restored to full at the start of each thread.

There will be daily supply runs to the expedition party. New characters can also arrive with each of these daily supply runs.  This means that at the beginning of each thread, new characters who weren't involved in the previous day can now join this current one.

Also because this is an unsanctioned plot thread, purchased dust will not be consumed upon use. Instead, keep track of how much dust your character usually carries on them. This is the limit of dust your character can use per day. At the start of each day, supply runs will restock the dust your character normally carries.

This plot will have no posting order, but everyone cannot post more than once per cycle. Each post involving William A. Giovanni and encountered enemies will mark the start of each cycle. Each cycle will be restarted after everyone makes a post or one week after the last post in the cycle. If anything comes up where a you fail to make a post in a cycle, feel free to jump in the next cycle. Just try to make the transition from the missed post to the current one as smooth as possible. Just keep in mind it is assumed your character went into autopilot mode during the missed post, so they didn't do much other then follow the expedition party around.

Due to how the thread will be moving, it will be hard to have private interactions with different characters. If you want a private interactions with another character using the setting of a certain moment in the expedition, feel free to start a private thread. There will be plenty of time lapses at certain points during the expedition (i.e. In between the days when everyone is resting up) where it would be appropriate for private interactions to take place. I'll mark certain spots in the threads to better identify when these appropriate points will be. I plan to be making a master thread timeline later that covers all the events in the expedition, if you want your private thread in the timeline, make sure you include in the first post in the thread when it is taking place.]

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The following flyer can found hanging up in multiple locations around Syne Academy:


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Location: Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0350, Day 1


Fisherman's Pub was very simplistic, small establishment that was nothing more than a local bar for the surrounding community. It sat on a wooden dock that extended from Kompress Beach. It was nearly 4 in the morning, but there was more activity going on at the pub then they usually have in the middle of the day. Airships were parked on the beach and a fairly large freighter ship with the words 'Vanheim Freelance Industries' printed across it's side sat on the edge of the dock, just across from the Fisherman's Pub. Floodlights were set up all around the docks and the beach, completely illuminating the area. Men in grey white uniforms were busy transporting and moving wooden boxes filled with rations, survival gear, ammunition, and other equipment from the airships onto the boat.

The interior of the pub was mostly cleared out of tables and chairs in order to make room for the briefing. On far side of the room of the entrance, William A. Giovanni stood, dressed fully in Archeologist gear with body armor on top of it. Giovanni was an elderly man with thick glasses and gray hair. Despite this, he still had a sturdy build and seemed strong for his age.

William A. Giovanni waited inside of the pub for the arrival of those who would be joining the expedition from Syne Academy. Upon arrival, those from Syne Academy would need to fill out paperwork that explains Vanheim Freelance Industries will not be responsible for personal safety as well as other rules for the expedition. These rules include that any artifact found on the expedition must be handed over to Vanheim Freelance Industries. The form also asks for other information, including a portion that asks for skills in order to get an idea of what everyone is capable of. The paperwork sat on a small table next to where Giovanni was standing.

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[OOC: Include the following in your post]

Name:

Skills:

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Giovanni waited for the arrival of everyone before he would start his briefing and simply waited at the front of the room as people began to walk in. Giovanni couldn't help but grin to himself as he waited. A journey to Duz'rar. He could barely believe it was going to happen.

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Kei

Kei yawned tiredly as he parked his moped at the side of Fisherman's Pub. "It's too early in the morning for this..." Kei muttered to himself as he walked up the dock past all of the men in uniforms that were loading up a fairly large boat, "Honestly, who even thought starting this early in the morning was good idea?" He wasn't expecting this to be set up to be so large. It seemed as though Vanheim Freelance Industries went all out with this expedition. Men in the Vanheim uniforms were working hard at unloading crates from airships parked on the beach under the bright floodlights. These crates were being moved onto the boat that would be used for the expedition, which was parked at the docks. Kei couldn't help but wonder what state of the art technology Vanheim Industries was packing in some of those crates that they were intending to use in the expedition. Kei wasn't the type of person to believe in children's stories and as such, he was originally hesitant in taking place in this expedition. Eventually though, he decided to partake in it, mostly because the allure of money and wealth was really tempting. Part of him also wanted to keep an eye on Vanheim Freelance Industries as well. There was no telling what they could find, and no telling how dangerous it would be in the hands of the weapons manufacturer corporation. Although Vanheim Freelance Industries would be providing food, water, sleeping bags, and other survival gear, Kei brought a rucksack with him. Inside it he brought along a blanket, extra ammunition, some change of clothes, and of course, several bottles of vodka. Making his way inside Fisherman's Pub, Kei saw an elderly man who appeared to be the expedition leader. Kei didn't say anything to the elderly man, but instead made his way to the table next to him, promptly filling out the necessary paperwork. Upon filling out the paperwork, Kei made himself comfortable, removing the rucksack from his back and resting it on the ground propping himself against a wall. On the paperwork, Kei wrote down the following: Name: Kei Heiwajima Skills: Combat Experience, Minor Dust Capabilities, Electricity Semblance

Mood: Curious Condition: Fine Health: 200 Aura: 150

Character Profile

Status, Health, Aura, Equipment Conditions:

Damage:

damn waking up early in the morning sucks Crimson thought to himself as he got ready to go on the expedition and got dressed and he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't heard of the place Duz'rar before but it seemed like a place filled with treasure the way the advertisers were sounding it. Crimson gathered his gear and his armour and weapon and he put on his armour. Then he put his weapon on his back and gathered some things before hand some rope and a torch with a solar powered charger and a compass.

Crimson made his way to the pub like the flyer had said at 4 am in the morning. When he arrived he checked his watch and he realised the time was about near enough 4. As he walked through Kompress beach to the bar he noticed the air ships along with a massive freighter ship. Crimson had never been to Kompress before so he was trying to familiarize himself with landmarks.  

Crimson entered the bar and noticed Kei there who he had been on a hunt with before "yo ninja man" he said as he walked in with a blank expression on his face. Crimson sat down on a chair at the same table as Kei "so are you here for the money or the exploration? personally Im here for both" Crimson noticed the elderly man in the corner but didn't know who he was. Crimson figured he must be the leader of the expedition. Crimson signed the papers too as he sat with Kei.

Crimson noted that all artifacts that were found on the expedition were meant to be handed over to a company called Vanheim Freelance Industries and he remembered that the name was the same as the one on the shipping freighter outside in the docks. That must be where the dust provided for people is coming from he assumed.

stats and other stuff:

Name: Crimson Waters
Skills: Sword and hand to hand combat. Semblance invisibility.

Adventure abounds! Hyght's alarm screamed through his earbud. The young baker opened and blinked the sleep from his eyes. Adventure abounds! It screamed again and again until Hyght angrily triggered the dismiss function on his scroll and let out a long sigh. Sudden, weary regret swelled in his stomach as he cursed himself for being interested in that blasted flyer.

This is a journey to the ancient city of the legends, Duz'rar. The goal of the expedition is to find lost artifacts, technology, and wealth. Your job will be to deal with any hostiles that are encountered.

Hyght recalled the text in a mocking tone and groaned as he hefted himself from his bed. It took him twenty minutes to have gathered his things and be out the door.

It took nearly an hour for Hyght to make it to the designated rendezvous, the Fisherman's Pub on Kompress Beach. Hyght was not familiar with the area or the pub as he's spent most of his time since coming to the Academy inside its walls. However, Hyght was familiar with the company that issued out the flyers and the legend they spoke of. While he wasn't an expert by any means it was a story he had heard and read about when he was younger. Hyght wasn't much of a dreamer when it came to legends but he knew that he couldn't spend all his time at the Academy and would need to put his training to the test at some point.

So why not do this? Bartholomew Samos said as he thrust the flyer in the young baker's face. Hyght had initially declined but after a little thought, and possibly coercion from Bart, he agreed and set his alarm to wake up at an ungodly hour to meet with a company of freelancers for a job in protection on a mission in search of a legend. Hyght hoped they paid well and that his training was enough.

The Fisherman's Pub was a quaint building, no doubt meant for nothing more than a local bar. The exterior and interior reflected the simple design but they were in business and didn't seem to be in any dire need for lien. Inside were dozens of people, most in the uniforms of the Vanheim Freelancers. Which was understandable as most of the airships docked outside were owned by Venhiem Freelancer Industries. Aside from the normal uniformed personnel there were three individuals that stood out.

Two of the three were people Hyght had come across before. Kei was an older man than himself that chose to wear an interesting style of clothes. He opted for a mask and long sleeves, despite the temperature outside. Hyght had met Kei during a lesson in survival with the groundskeeper Alexander Davis. The event wasn't very long ago but Hyght figured it might not be something to mention thoughtlessly. The second was a man he had seen but never actually met. Crimson Waters, a red haired youth that he had seen in a classroom perhaps a month ago. It was a history class if he remembered correctly but Hyght hadn't stayed long enough afterward to engage in any conversations.

The final person was an older man in full Archaeological garb and had the sense to sport dash of protective armor. The older man stood by a table and seemed to all but glow. Hyght took notice of the man's surprisingly well kept physique despite his higher age. It wasn't until the man had turned his gaze upon him that the young baker recognized the man. William A. Giovanni, the man behind the expedition and a long time researched of the city of Duz'rar. Mr. Giovanni's eyes were wrinkled at the corners that betrayed the slight grin on his lips. The man could possibly burst at the seems he was so excited. Hyght figured the man's excitement was contagious as his stomach began to do tiny flips.

"G'morning, Mr. Giovanni." Hyght said politely as he finished filling out the paper on the table. "My name is Hyght Briggs. I used to read stories about the Duz'rar as a child and even followed some of your research over the years." He paused for a moment and made himself breath more steadily. "Apologies. I'm a tad excited." He said with a weak smile. Hyght was excited, true, however it was hard to tell which he was more excited about, his worry for what they might encounter, or for the destination. A city of myth and legend, Of technology and knowledge not known to the people of Remnant. Perhaps both. He thought to himself with another series of tiny belly flips.

Spoiler:

Name: Hyght Briggs
Skills: Dust Capabilities, Minor Combat Training, Near Professional Level Cook, Bookworm(has some knowledge of legends and myth lore and general information), People person, and decently skilled in first aid.

"Are you out of your mind?! The expedition is sponsored by the Vanheim's! If he finds out you of all people are assisting in the expedition..."

The blonde halted in her packing and tilted her head in thought. That's true. "Well if you cover for me, he won't," she beamed to the person on the screen of her video call. "Besides, this Durara is an ancient city on an island which means people haven't been there for a while which means! The beach will be top notch~ Forget about the bodyguard mission, I'm going there for a vacation!"

Avery Frost knew this probably wasn't the best idea in the world considering the business competition between her family and Lloyd's. Her relatives angry would be an understatement; she could almost see her death sentence when they find out not only was she in this expedition, her sole hunting partner was a Vanheim. It was that bad.

Yet, her vision was tunnelled to that of the excitement of a 'journey'. And the beach of course, but mostly the adventure. With her rapid growth in skills, the thrill of combat had started to fade and she was beginning to have second thoughts if huntress life was for her. This expedition would be a change of pace, she hoped.
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The roar of her black motorbike's engine died as she parked it beside a moped and hopped off, removing her helmet and taking her backpack with her to head inside the pub. She appeared to be going to a resort instead with her red & back checkered blouse, ripped jeans shorts and high-cut sneakers. She even brought her wireless headphones with her resting around her neck. Though when she noticed the large airships and men in uniforms moving boxes of supplies to the boat, she realised this expedition was bigger than she thought. Inside the pub, the first thing Avy noticed was the guy dressed in all-black with a red scarf by the wall.

"Oh hey. Wasn't expecting you to be here too," she said and gave a small wave. Beside him was someone Avy didn't know and wouldn't bother to know and by the table was a bigger guy whom she met before but couldn't bother to remember. Then there was the old man seemingly the head of this expedition based from his gear.

Avy made her way to the table and filled up the form. Once done, she walked away and looked for a place to sit but since the pub was cleared out, she tapped a foot on the ground to materialise her own ice throne and made herself comfortable. She wore her headphones and closed her eyes to nap while waiting for the rest to arrive.

Name: Your Highness
Skills: Combat experience, ice semblance, grey hat

Stats and Equipment:

This sounded like something that could be interesting. Jet may not look like it, but he is a bookworm, he just reads at night, so people rarely sees him with a book. He doesn’t limit himself to stories, but textbooks, biographies, encyclopedia, anything that strikes his interest really, he absorbs it all. When a he read that an expedition to Duz’rar was planned, he didn’t even realised he had signed his name on the paper before he saw that he didn’t need to register for it anyway, just had to show up.

His bag was a mess. He filled it with first some change clothes in sealed bags since it was sunken ruins, a bunch of snacks, a lighter, most of his portable tools and a few books about the place, in case legends and old transcribed scripts could be useful. Who knows, maybe he’d solve some long forgotten puzzle thanks to a key he’d find in the book!... Or just blow up the wall. When in doubt, blow something up.

Jet made his way to the beach on his motorcycle with a smile on his face. He didn’t know what to expect exactly. He knew of the Vanheim company and honestly didn’t care that much about it. Anyway, he was in it for the fun of it and the discoveries.

Entering the Pub, he was surprised to see a bunch of people he already knew. “Oh wow, Av, Crim… ehm… Hyght! Yeah that’s it, and… I don’t remember if he named himself during that hunt…  Anyway, seems like I know everyone. That’s cool.” Jet was talking out loud but only to himself really so unless someone was paying attention, they wouldn’t hear him. Making his way to a table, he waved a quick hello at everyone with a big smile to Avery sitting on an ice throne of all things. That fit her so well. “Well hello! We really need to stop meeting like this. People will begin to talk.” Jet’s tone was obviously joking as he went for that cliché line.

Truth is, it almost always have been actual pure chance encounters, they pretty much almost never plan on stumbling on each other but they still always do. Syne isn't all that big so it's normal to cross people you know in corridors and all, but how they always end up fighting togeter against a bunch of Deathstalkers without planning to is pretty weird. Still, it's not like he was ever unhappy about any of those encounters, she was actually pretty fun to have around. Well, guess this expedition actually got even more fun now!

Stats and Stuff:

He looked at the message on his scroll. It was a message from Jack, telling him to go on this expedition of something. He sighed. Were they serious? Clearly. Jack never joked around. Rolling his eyes, he got up. He looked around his room. Where was it? He soon found what he was looking for in his rifle and leaned it against the door. The giant didn't even have a shirt on, and his first priority was his rifle. God, that training was kicking in and it was doing terrible things to his social life. You aren't supposed to carry a rifle on your back while lacking a shirt. Terrible idea.

After putting on his bullet-proof vest, he slipped on a white t-shirt. Yawning before doing the next bit, he grabbed his rifle, and slipped it on over his back, the strap going right across his chest. Making sure it was fit nicely, he then went to getting a bag ready. He grabbed on of those hiking bags, and started by stuffing another set of clothing in it, considering he wouldn't be able to just wear someone elses. He was pretty sure that he'd be buggered if his clothing got ripped. Not that he didn't feel himself attractive, but that it was a douche maneuver when it came down to it. So, in went the set of clothing, pretty much identical to what he was wearing.

"Hmm. I wonder if I'll need any flares." He said aloud to himself, as he went deep into his closet where he kept his flares and various other survival tools. After all, can never be too prepared. Never. His brother had learned that first hand, and he had a nice laugh remembering it. He then dug out about four flares from it, and shoved those in the bag. He then shoved a bunch of rations in it, about five bags full. Each thing preciourisly picked. His mission was to survive and make sure other survived, that's what his scroll had said. Apparently, they hadn't figured school hard enough, that he needed an extra challenge. After all, Jack could be a convincing bastard. Not that Evan didn't have any traits himself.

After packing it all up nice, he ended the packing with a blanket to cover the entire big up, as to not get it wet. Storms were rough, especially when it came to clothing. So, after fixing it all nice, he zipped up the bag, and after shifting his rifle to the front, he put his pack on and started off. He took his feet there, running there. Physical exercise was good for a guy, you know? Sure, it took awhile, and he took all the shortcuts, he arrived with a bit of sweat on his brow to find some others here. A portly fellow, a man who was wearing sunglasses, and a smaller girl on a throne of what looked like Ice. He then looked towards the wall and saw a man who looked just like a ninja. He had a smirk, and waved. The giant was in the house, and carried a lot of supplies. It was all in case something bad happened.

He wouldn't sit down, though. He felt more comfortable standing, but took the paperwork and took a few moments filling it out with all the proper skills he had. He had quite a few, but he was sure they weren't the same as the others here. He sure hoped someone else here was a cook. Unless they wanted to be eating burnt beef every other night. He then handed his paperwork back to the older fellow, who he assumed was Giovanni.

OOC:

Location:Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0355, Day 1

"Good morning to you too Mr. Briggs." Giovanni replied to Hyght, with a very kind and cheerful smile, "I'm glad you found all my research interesting enough that you would want to take part in this adventure." Giovanni let out a chuckle when Hyght mentioned his excitement, "Don't worry about it Mr. Briggs, I'm sure we are all excited. Now if you will excuse me, I need to prepare for our briefing."

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Location:Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0400, Day 1

Giovanni read over the paperwork as the newcomers from Syne Academy were handing them in. It was important that early on, he had an idea of who he was working with and just what they were capable of. There was one name in particular he wasn't really sure what to make of. Your Highness? He wondered to himself. He would have to figure that out later.

Upon reading the last paper, Giovanni lifted up a glass cup next to him as well as a metal spoon. He then proceeded to tap the glass with the spoon a couple of times, resulting in a loud ringing noise that should have gotten the attention of everyone in the room.

"If I may have everyone's attention," Giovanni called out to the room, "Now is the time I shall do a quick briefing over this expedition." Once the room was silent enough, Giovanni continued to speak just loud enough for everyone to hear. "To start off, I would like to say it is a great pleasure to me that you have all decided to partake in this adventure. I am sure you all know why you're here, but for formalities, let me go over it. You have all agreed to participate in an expedition to the legendary, long lost city of Duz'rar taking the role of bodyguards. Your jobs as bodyguards simply mean to protect the expedition party as from any external dangers. I would like to warn you each beforehand that we are going into these ruins completely dark. I, myself, will not have the slightest idea what kind of creatures we will encounter. Keep in mind that we are venturing into a territory that man has not stepped foot in for thousands of years. It is safe to assume that all sorts of ancient, powerful Grimm have accumulated in this territory over the centuries. That being said, I cannot guarantee the safety of anyone on this expedition. If any of you wish to drop out with this in mind, feel free to do so. I will not hold it against any of you. After all, what I am asking you each to do is to fight against the unknown."

"With that out of the way," Giovanni continued with clear enthusiasm in his voice, "Let's move on to the actual procedures of this expedition. We will begin our journey heading East, proceeding to where the entrance of Duz'rar should be by boat. The entrance will be in a small grouping of islands. Though an airship would be much faster, there is a large fog that covers the area, thus making the islands very easy to miss by travel from airship. Once our boat arrives however, it will be possible to set up a homing beacon making it possible for airships to arrive to the entrance of Duz'rar. This will make it possible to for additional supplies and resources to arrive on a normal and usual routine to the expedition party. That being said, we should be able to travel fairly light. Still, just in case an emergency does occur where the supply line will not be able to reach us, we should still carry some supplies on us. There are extra bags in the back filled with basic supplies. Feel free to take one."

[Each of the Expedition Bags in the back contain the following if you wish to take one:
-Sleeping Bag
-3 Days worth of rations
-12 Matches
-Flashlight
-Towel
-2 Liters of Water
-6 Rolls Of Bandages]

"Alright," Giovanni continued, "Next part of this briefing, I'd like to introduce you all to two others who will be joining our party, Ms. Trish and Sir Orion."
On that cue, two people walked into the pub. One was a young woman with brown, long hair who appeared to be in her early 20's. She was dressed in a similar archaeologist fashion with the body armor over it just like Giovanni, but also had a red cross etched into her right arm sleeve. The second person to walk in was a man with short grey hair who appeared to be in his mid-40's. He was dressed in all black BDU's and wore some kind of black, combat armor over it. There was an advanced looking assault rifle strapped over his shoulder as well as a couple of other pistols he had holstered to his belt.

"Hi." The female spoke up first in a very, bored and neutral tone, "I'm Amy Trish. I'll be overseeing the medical side of things. Basically scratches, bruises, broken bones, yada yada, I should probably be able to fix you up. Also before any of you guys ask, I have a boyfriend, so don't bother."

Next, the male dressed in full combat attire spoke up with a deep voice, "I am Sir Orion of the Vanheim Freelance Industries. As you may know, recent actions in Vale have left Vanheim Freelance Industries a little low on manpower. As such, I will be the sole member in the expedition party who is from Vanheim Freelance Industries. For this expedition, I'll be the representative to Vaneheim Freelance Industries. Overseeing Mr. Giovanni's duties is my main job for this trip, thus I will stay out of most of combat encounters unless it absolutely threatens Mr. Giovanni's presence."

After the two newcomers introduced themselves, Giovanni spoke up, taking hold of the conversation. "With those introductions done, I think we are just about ready to head out. Before we do though, does anybody have any final questions?"

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Kei

Kei recognized a few of the other students who made began to arrive. First was Crimson, who greeted Kei. "Ninja... man?" Kei responded and began to joke neutrally, "You know, I'm not a ninja. Just cause I look like one, doesn't mean I am. That's just stereotyping. Anyways, you ask what I'm here for, it's simple; I'm here for the money." The next one to show up was Hyght, whom Kei kind of met in one of Alex's classes. Kei didn't really talk to the guy during that time though, and as such, he didn't really know the dude too well. Avery followed, mentioning how she wasn't expecting Kei to show up to something like this. "Well you know how it is in this economy," Kei replied, "Gotta take any job I can." Following Avery, the guy Kei knew as the sunglasses guy showed up. Jet... was it? Finally, the last person to arrive was someone Kei hadn't seen before, a male who carried a sniper rifle. After his arrival, Giovanni began to speak, going over the major details of the expedition. Most of it was stuff Kei was already aware of though, things that he read in the advertisement and the paper he had read earlier. Two others who were joining the expedition entered. First was Amy Trish who was going to be the field medic. Honestly, she was pretty attractive... or so he though until she brought up the whole boyfriend as an attempt to keep people from hitting on her. "Hey what the heck?!" Kei angrily called out to her, "I didn't even try to make any moves yet." She ignored him though and the second newcomer began to introduce himself. Sir Orion. Something about the name sounded familiar, but Kei couldn't quite place what from. Anyways, Kei learned that Orion would be the Vanheim Freelance Industries representative during the expedition. Disliking Vanheim Freelance Industries in general, Kei already didn't like Orion. Besides, there was something about his general atmosphere that gave off a menacing feeling. After that, Giovanni asked if anyone had any questions. Kei himself had none and grabbed one of the expedition supply bags from  the back of the room and slung it over his shoulder, and waited for the groups departure.

Mood: Curious Condition: Fine Health: 200 Aura: 150

Character Profile

Status, Health, Aura, Equipment Conditions:

Expedition Pack:

Damage:

Finding the proper room? Finding out her classes? Finding out who's who and what's what? Nah, after her wicked trip through the air when she got to the academy she took a nap in the Academy commons. Sprawled out, half naked in her normal clothes with only a jacket, a hat and pants with stomping boots on, it's a miracle she even woke up around 4am.

She looked around and saw the lights were still on but the commons were pretty much empty. As she rubbed her eyes sliding her shades on feeling like shit and shifted on the couch. It was then she saw a flier on the table for a mission, happening in... 5 minutes ago. "Holy Golden Bowl!" She checked her bag with her possessions and she didn't have much before stripping off her jacket, revealing her breasts before sliding a tank top on with the words, 'Going down?'. As free as she likes to be, it's early in the morning, meaning it's cold. (A tank top for the cold...)

Nikki got up and did a big stretch, taking her katana and sliding it along belt letting it dangle. She made sure her lucky coin was still around her neck as always before she whispered to herself lightly, "I'll find ya soon poppet." she whispered to herself, running her soft digits along the brim of her hat before setting off.

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Luckily she had her scroll on her or she would've been extra late. Waving to many of the dock workers, chatting it up with them, talking about the beach and even different kinds of fish... wait.. what was she doing again? Oh right, as she stopped in mid conversation to head toward the pub once she obtained a couple more directions.

She didn't kick the door down, but she made far too much noise for 4am as she opened the doors with no hesitation, immediately scanning the area under her ebony tinted shades. A ninja dude, at least he had a fashion sense she thought. The ones she's seen just use black and night time as their idea of fashion. Then was Mr. casual, sweat shirt, jeans, glasses and just an overall look of 'teddy bear' to her, she could dig it. Right next to him was a dude with a pair of shades just like her, she smiled and immediately followed a welcoming pose with her thumbs. "Ayyy!" She then glanced at the redhead, damn he looked like a hurricane hit him this morning but at least he made an effort to look good.

Then there was the other female, she was happy to see a friendly face. All these older dudes and Nikki sporting her limited clothes, yes but no. And this ravishing girl was her age. Double sweet, eye candy for Nikki as she lowered her shades and ran her eyes up and down to check out her form. "Beauty and sophistication, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout." followed by a faint whistle with her slightly racy tone. Walking up to Giovanni and the papers. "What's up gracious one?" she said with a genuine excited attitude. She was way, way too hyped too early.

Stats/Equipment/Buffs:

OOC Form:

All of a sudden Crimson noticed some others turned up. A girl came in and made a throne of ice? and sat down on it someones a bit high and mighty he thought. Then a guy with purple hair was also there and he seemed to have a sniper rifle which could come in handy. Then right after Kei and Giovanni stopped talking crimson noticed someone else came in late with a cowboy look alike hat. the girl named Amy trish spoke with Giovanni to them and he listened. He noticed that the Orion guy must be pretty high up in the Vanheim industries if he could organise all this and he was the one who probably brought the ferries outside for them full of dust. He didn't have any questions he just wanted to get the show on the road.

Crimson picked up one of the bags and looked inside and as Giovanni said all the equipment he listed was in there. He was glad at the fact there were grimm in the area as well it would give them something to fight. So there were more than a few of them there which would easily be enough if grimm attacked. Crimson pulled out his sword for a second and he had also brought with him a metal file and as he sat in the chair as he waited for the others to ask questions he sharpened his sword quietly with his left leg crossed over his right but his right leg on the floor.

He was still tired from waking up so early but he was starting to wake up more so now than before. He finished sharpening his sword katana sword and the bag that Orion gave then he put in his own equipment which he had brought originally, the solar charged torch, compass and the rope. "welp looks like im good to go" he said as he sat there waiting for the others

The few movements from the front caused Avy to open an eye lazily and was greeted by the sight of an annoying guy in sunglasses who for some reason started popping up so often in her life. Tsk. Of course he would be here... She folded her arms and was about say something typically sarcastic but was caught speechless by the absurdity of what he said next. Leave it to this guy to ruin her morning.

"Yes. About how you keep following me around." She scoffed and looked away.

Just then a ridiculously tall purple-haired guy walked in and Avy wondered what the hell his parents fed him to shoot up to that height. Not that she was jealous of course! And following him was a minimally clothed female. Avy was looking at her phone at that time that she didn't realise the girl was referring to her. Only when she heard the whistle did she raise an eyebrow and looked up at the girl only to see the latter already filling up the form. She turned to shades guy in mild disbelief while pointing at the other blonde. "Did she just...?"

But all that was halted as Giovanni silenced the room and gave a brief explanation of the expedition, introducing two more personnel to accompany them: a medic woman and a combat man whose names Avy already forgot. With those done, she went to the back to open one of the expedition packs. Instead of grabbing a bag, she only took the ones she thought she needed after thoroughly checking them and placed it in her own backpack: 3 days of ration, 3 rolls of bandages... and she was having second thoughts on the sleeping bag. She unrolled it, checked for tracking devices or who freaking knows, bombs, that could kill her in her sleep, before rolling it again and attaching it to the top of her backpack.

All done. Now all that's left was to leave.

Jet laughed at Avery’s answer, he was expecting something like that and wasn’t disappointed. Honestly, he was happy to see her. He’s been trying pretty hard to break through her ice armor and he felt this expedition would be a nice opportunity for it. They would have to interact in some way multiple times so there could be positive development. Anyway, as harsh as she sounded sometimes, he was sure she didn’t think that badly about him, she was just like that in general, which was pretty fun most of the time. “Aww stop it, I know you don’t hate me that much. As for me I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not happy to see you’ll be part of this expedition too; you’re fun to have around, as well as dependable.” He didn’t feel the need to point out he never followed her around or tried to, it was always a happy coincidence – at least to him – and he was certain she knew that, she was just being witty.

The tall purple haired guy was surprising but Jet was more interested by the sniper riffle on his back. Snipers weren’t a very common weapon type for Hunters, most of them preferred the more close ranged weapons. Well, considering how Hunters also tended to use their weapons in the most original and over the top way, he probably had a way to use his weapon in close quarters. At least, Jet hoped he did, because underground ruins typically don’t have much open space.

The other girl that followed was quite the eye catcher. Fancy hat, shades and pretty light clothing considering the temperature. Funnily enough, she seemed much more interested in Avery than the guys here. At Avy’s unfinished question, Jet could only chuckle and nod. Still, not much time to chat. Jet smiled at the overhyped girl that just got soundly ignored. Well, they were here for a purpose and things were already moving along some.

Jet went and grabbed a bag, taking the time to look at the two other people that would be coming with them. The nurse/doc was pretty but with an attitude, the guy was like… so businesslike it was boring. Well, he might have tried for fun to flirt with the nurse, but one girl with attitude at a time. Slinging the bag on his shoulder, he waited for whatever would come next.

Hyght nodded to the older man and watched as Mr. Giovanni went to work on his preparation for the briefing. With the papers filled out and his introduction to the expedition lead he turned and made his way toward the bar all the while taking note of the people that had joined. There had been one or two more familiar faces among the newcomers but no one he knew personally. With no reason to break into a random conversation with unknown people, the former baker found a comfortable stool and waited for the briefing to begin.

Not a quarter hour later Mr. Giovanni rapped a metallic utensil against a glass. The action drew the eyes that weren't already glued to the older man. The briefing the followed was relatively short and sweet, the initial plans, the general warnings, he introduced his two compatriots; one being an attractive medical professional whom either seemed a bit full of herself or has had plenty of run-ins with sleazy people. The second was a grey haired man with the eyes of a predator. He stood in a way that Hyght found reminiscent to a knocked arrow, ready to be let loose and eliminate a threat. The grey haired man, Sir Orion, was the head of the mercenary group that was here, however, he was apparently the only member of it. He informed them that he wouldn't step into combat unless Mr. Giovanni was in immediate danger. Hyght wondered if he would do it out of more than it being his job or not.

With the introductions complete Mr. Giovanni inquired if anyone had questions. Hyght pondered that for a moment, letting his mind wander to the way they were to get to the island, the GPS tracker that will be used for the airships to find us afterward, and the possibility of unknown creatures. He raised his hand a moment later.

"Mr. Giovanni," Hyght said politely as he stood from his seat. "Should anyone die on this expedition, is there any compensation to the families of the lost or, with this being voluntary, do they just get an honorable mention when it over? I don't mean to cause any issues but I'm sure you understand what I mean." Hyght could feel the weight of some gazes on him now but he didn't move his eyes from Mr. Giovanni. Relax, Hyght. Relax.

Location: Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0405, Day 1

"Just going over the briefing," Giovanni responded to Nikki who had shown up a little late, "Don't worry you haven't missed much yet.

--------------------
Location:Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0440, Day 1

"I am afraid not Mr. Briggs." Giovanni responded to Hyght's question with a sad tone, "Unfortunately Vanheim Freelance Industries will not be responsible for any personal injuries, be it even death. There would be an honorable mention I'm sure, but that would be about it."

"I wouldn't be too worried about it though," Giovanni suddenly perked up, "Afterall, I'm sure you are all very capable warriors."

--------------------
Location: Fisherman's Pub, Kompress Beach
Time: 0445, Day 1

A man with a Vanheim Freelance Industries uniform walked into the front door and stopped in front of it.
"The ship is prepped and we are ready to take off." The man called out across the room, informing Giovanni.
"Very good," Giovanni said in reply to the man, "We are just about ready on our part. We will be out shortly."

Facing those from Syne Academy, Giovanni said, "It is time we head out. Once you are all ready, board the ship outside on the docks.”

With that being said, Giovanni grabbed a couple of bags that sat on the ground next to him and exited the pub. Behind him, Sir Orion and Trish followed.

--------------------
Location: The Neptabyss, Kompress Beach
Time: 0500, Day 1

The Neptabyss:

The Neptabyss is a large, steam powered freighter ship. Fueled primarily by dust in order to create the steam, the ship stands at several stories tall. It has a large, open space above deck. Below deck, most of the space is meant for shipping cargo. Despite already having a lot of expedition equipment already inside of it, there was still plenty of space for recovered artifacts. Below deck above the cargo rooms, there was several spaces for crew quarters, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a recreational room.

Giovanni made his way into the control room of the ship, Sir Orion following him. Trish just headed inside of the ship into one of the crew quarters.

“Make way for departure!” A voice said over the intercom, “All systems check. All gauges check. Steam pressure is good! We await the signal!”
“Green light for departure! Green light for departure!” Another voice replied.

At this moment, the engine in The Neptabyss began to rumble and the ship began to move forward. On the docks, several men with Vanheim Freelance Uniforms waved green flags directing the ship away from the docks. Others on the docks who weren’t doing anything, were cheering The Neptabyss off as it began the start of it’s journey into the unknown.

“This boat trip is going to take mostly all day,” Giovanni said over the intercoms to those from Syne Academy, “You’ll be free to do whatever you want for now. Just be on standby for combat or any other emergency should it happen.”

[OOC: At this point, if you want to start a private thread, now would be an appropriate time.]
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Location: The Neptabyss, 386 miles west of Kompress Beach in open waters
Time: 1430, Day 1

“There seems to be a storm approaching.” The captain of the ship said to Giovanni.
Grabbing a pair of binoculars, Giovanni looked at the black clouds on the horizon. The storm looked massive, filling the entire sky.
“Should we try to avoid it?” Giovanni asked.
“Nah, this ship should be fine.” The Captain said, “She’s handled much worse.”

Suddenly, Sir Orion, who had also been standing in the control room of the ship, approached the front viewing glass, squinting his eyes as if he had been trying to see something far away in the direction of the storm.

“Giovanni,” Sir Orion said gruffly, “Let me see the binoculars real quick.”

Shrugging, Giovanni handed Sir Orion the binoculars. Upon receiving them, Sir Orion used the binoculars to look closely in the direction of the storm.

“Shit.” Sir Orion said, handing Giovanni the Binoculars back, pointing to a spot in the sky towards the incoming storm, “Look at that.”

Looking through the Binoculars, Giovanni spotted a large group of black dots in front of the storm. They were getting close fast.
“What are those supposed to be?” Giovanni asked uneasily.
“Griffons.” Sir Orion said bluntly, “A little under several dozen it looks like.”
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Location: The Neptabyss, 388 miles west of Kompress Beach in open waters
Time: 1435, Day 1

“All combat personnel, report to the top decks!” Giovanni’s voice blared over the intercoms. “I repeat, all combat personnel report to the top decks! Prepare for a Grimm encounter! Large incoming waves of Griffons are approaching our position!”


Out in the wilds far from civilizations of humans and fauness, Grimm roamed rampant, accumulating in both numbers and strength as they remained untouched by any hunters for years and years on end. This, was the case of this current pack of Griffons that were approaching The Neptabyss.

With a large storm close behind them, the group of Griffons approached The Neptabyss at high speeds. Each Griffon could feel fear oozing from the humans and fauness inside of the ship. This fear they were sensing, it only excited the Griffons, further prompting them to speed up as they approached The Neptabyss.

All at once as they entered range, the Griffons began swooping down on the ship, attacking at both the people on it and attempting to damage the ship at the same time.

Griffon 1, 100/100 HP: Griffon 1 swoops down, attempting to bite at Crimson. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 2, 100/100 HP: Griffon 2 swoops down, attempting to bite at Crimson. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 3, 100/100 HP: Griffon 3 swoops down, attempting to bite at Hyght. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 4, 100/100 HP: Griffon 4 swoops down, attempting to bite at Hyght. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 5, 100/100 HP: Griffon 5 swoops down, attempting to bite at Avery. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 6, 100/100 HP: Griffon 6 swoops down, attempting to bite at Avery. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 7, 100/100 HP: Griffon 7 swoops down, attempting to bite at Jet. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 8, 100/100 HP: Griffon 8 swoops down, attempting to bite at Jet. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 9, 100/100 HP: Griffon 9 swoops down, attempting to bite at Evan. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 10, 100/100 HP: Griffon 10 swoops down, attempting to bite at Evan. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 11, 100/100 HP: Griffon 11 swoops down, attempting to bite at Nikki. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 12, 100/100 HP: Griffon 12 swoops down, attempting to bite at Nikki. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 13, 100/100 HP: Griffon 13 swoops down, attempting to bite at Kei. (-20 DMG)
Griffon 14, 100/100 HP: Griffon 14 swoops down, attempting to bite at Kei. (-20 DMG)

Griffon 15, 100/100 HP: Griffon 15 swoops down, Attacking random crew member.
Griffon 16, 100/100 HP: Griffon 16 swoops down, Attacking random crew member
Griffon 17, 100/100 HP: Griffon 17 swoops down, Attacking random crew member
Griffon 18, 100/100 HP: Griffon 18 swoops down, Attacking random crew member
Griffon 19, 100/100 HP: Griffon 19 swoops down, Attacking random crew member
Griffon 20, 100/100 HP: Griffon 20 swoops down, Attacking random crew member

Griffon 21, 100/100 HP: Griffon 21 swoops down, trying to attack the front glass of the control room.
Griffon 22, 100/100 HP: Griffon 22 swwops down, trying to attack the front glass of the control room.

Griffon 23, 100/100 HP: Griffon 23 swoops down, attacking radio tower
Griffon 24, 100/100 HP: Griffon 24 swoops down, attacking radio tower
Griffon 25, 100/100 HP: Griffon 25 swoops down, attempting to grab hold the side of the ship to tear it open
Griffon 26, 100/100 HP: Griffon 26 swoops down, attempting to grab hold the side of the ship to tear it open
Griffon 27, 100/100 HP: Griffon 27 swoops down, attempting to grab hold the side of the ship to tear it open
Griffon 28, 100/100 HP: Griffon 28 swoops down, attempting to grab hold the side of the ship to tear it open.

Griffon 29, 100/100 HP: Griffon 29 swoops down, attacking one of the steam stacks
Griffon 30, 100/100 HP: Griffon 30 swoops down, attacking one of the steam stacks
Griffon 31, 100/100 HP: Griffon 31 swoops down, attacking one of the steam stacks

[Note: Griffon have protective bone-like armor covering their head. Attacks to this part of the body will not be very effective.]

[OOC: If no one has a problem with it, I am just assuming everyone is on the deck of the ship awaiting combat. If it turns out you’re hiding inside of the ship for some reason (lol), I’ll fix it in the next post.]

Kei

Immediately, Kei headed for the ship. He was just about ready to leave. He got a glimpse of the boat earlier when he was entering the Fisherman’s Pub, but now that he was actually getting onto it, Kei realized that the ship was actually pretty large. He didn’t mind that at all. It meant more space for him. Not caring about the sendoff or anything like that, Kei immediately went below decks into one of the crew quarters. Finding a nice and cozy bunk, Kei jumped in, and decided to catch up on some lost sleep from getting up so early… ---------- The sound of Giovanni’s voice urgently blaring over intercom suddenly awoke him. “What the h***…” Kei muttered to himself all groggily from just waking up. From what he gathered in his half awake state, there seemed to be some kind of attack on the ship. Leaving his unneeded bags in the room, Kei made his way up to the deck. Upon reaching the deck, Kei was greeted by the strong winds. Looking out on the horizon, a large storm was quickly approaching. His heart dropped though when he looked up from the horizon. Though still a bit far, Kei could make out perhaps what was the largest grouping of Griffons he has ever seen in one place, quickly closing in on The Neptabyss. It was at this point Kei realized how urgent the situation was. With not much time left before the encounter, Kei quickly checked over his equipment, preparing himself for combat. Everything seemed to be in check. Kei also gave his surroundings a quick check as well, noting what would be disadvantageous and advantageous to him. Even as the Griffon came within range, Kei raised his right fist, and pointed it at the incoming mass of Griffons. Kei didn’t fire his wrist rockets yet though, but instead waited. Against fighting such large numbers, he couldn’t just attack all of them. Instead, Kei knew that he would need to prioritize his targets, and attack those that were going after him. With one clearly flying directly at him, Kei fired two wrist rockets at its face, side stepping the incoming Grimm as he did. As he did though, out of the corner of his eye, Kei saw a group of Griffons going for the radio tower. Crap, they’re actually trying to cripple the ship. Kei thought to himself as he aimed his fist at one of the Griffons attack the radio tower, firing a rocket at it. Kei only had time to fire one rocket before he was struck from behind from another Griffon. The Griffon bit down on his shoulder, but thanks to his protective trench coat, the bite was unable to pierce his outer clothing and had done minimal damage. In response to the Griffon biting down on his shoulder, Kei elbowed it in the stomach area.

Mood: Combative Condition: Fine Health: 195 Aura: 150

Character Profile

Status, Health, Aura, Equipment Conditions:

Expedition Pack:

Damage:

Chace listened as Giovanni said they wouldn't be responsible for any deaths. He wondered what other things they hid in the signed papers. Chace watched in the bar as the other guy came in saying the ship had come into port. He held his bag and stepped outside and he saw the massive steam powered ship. Chace thought to himself how much money did this thing cost. Then again its all purchased by Vanheim industries so they would easily have enough money being one of the largest dust organisations. Crimson stood above deck ship and the waves were crashing against the boat and he saw the storm approaching. Oh crap he thought to himself what happens

if we get caught up in that thing. Damn it Crimson said allowed as he saw the masses of Griffon flying directly to them. 2 of them tried attacking him with their claws but it was an easy dogable attack. Crimson wearing his armour drew his sword and then as griffon 1 clawed at him he jumped to the side and sliced through Griffon 1's chest then when Griffon 2 came at him he used the Griffons own back and jumped off of it and then he aimed down with his sword and stabbed it in its back and then jumped off the Griffon and landed back on the above deck section. He then stood in his samurai pose with his sword and waited for the Griffon to attack again.

Spoiler:

"Of course I am," Avery responded nonchalantly. Soon enough the ship was ready to sail and everyone made their way inside. As usual, the blonde simply looked at the gigantic ship once and moved on, naturally unimpressed. What managed to astound her though was how small the cabin was. So she might have mistaken a freighter ship for a cruise one. Nevertheless Avy made herself comfortable, catching up on some lost sleep.

That afternoon, Avery was in the dining hall playing a game on her phone after finishing her lunch when the sudden blare of Giovanni's voice surprised her. And I was just about to beat my high score. Avery grumbled. Finishing her glass of water quickly, she bolted up and headed to the top deck. Normally the sight of countless griffons descending on them would've thrilled her more than anything but the circumstances were different; there were civilians around and they were easy kill for these grimms.

Wasting no time, Avery broke into a sprint hopping to a summoned ice board which shot forward and zoomed her through the air towards the nearest crew member. Once the person was in range, a belt of ice would materialise around their waist with Avy immediately controlling the ice to suspend them in midair and drag them with her to get them away from the grimm. The process happened instantaneously that she only needed to pass by to pick them up and move on to the next crew. She did this for all the crew she could see before dropping them off in the entrance to the inside of the ship.

"Combat personnel to the top deck, which means you pests should've went inside!" she growled in annoyance before returning to battle. Her eyes closed briefly as she felt lightheaded from the burst of aura she'd used. Doing so, blunt fangs dug onto her shoulder and another on her arm causing Avery to wince slightly but decided to ignore it, letting her armour do its job. If they're attacking her, that's two less grimms attacking the ship.

Avery then took out her guns and proceeded to finish off the griffon attacking the tower that Kei bombed. She then attacked the other griffon along side it, as well as the two others attacking the glass of the control room. Her guns didn't have enough power to finish them all in one go so she aimed to weaken them or distract them while another person could seal the deal. "Can someone back me up?"

Battle Log:

Hyght said nothing in response to Mr.Giovani's answer, he had already known what the elder gentleman would says but he didn't like that idea of some people joining with the idea that this would be a simple job. This wasn't going to be easy or simple by any means and if they weren't aware of the risk then they should be told before it came to that. At the reveal of the news the portly baker glanced around the room and saw few hired hands leave. While it did mean a harder time protecting the survey crew, it also meant that there were a few that were saved, should this venture go south. Hyght adjusted his glasses

A few minutes later a Vanheim Mercenary announced that the vessel was prepared. Mr. Giovani thanked him and issued a final statement before he scooped up two bags and left, followed in tow by his two companions. Hyght watched them go and took note of the way they moved, though admittedly he was still a bit star struck so he could just be watching them to make sure they didn't just vanish into thin air. Once the main three had departed, Hyght turned to glance around the room once more and look over his own things before exiting the Fisherman's Pub.

Once outside he heard the whistles of multiple people impressed by the vessel they would be venturing out on. The Neptabyss was a monstrously large ship, with multiple levels and smoke stacks that could house sections of Syne's dorms within. Hyght caught his jaw as it fell and returned it to its hinges. He was obviously impressed by the sight and hoped that it ran well. He wondered what exactly they used for a fuel supply but a nearby box had a crudely styled large, black stamp on its side that read "fuel supply". The words had been stenciled right over the emblem of the Schnee Corporation's logo. Hyght understood than and wondered what type of Dust was inside. He thought of asking but the aggravated look of the deckhands made him think twice.

Once aboard the Neptabyss, Hyght took his time looking around as the ship began it's departure. Mr. Giovani's voice came on over the ship's intercom system and explained how the trip would take most of the day and to stand by for emergency combat situations. THe idea of fighting at sea made Hyght think of the old stories of swashbuckling pirates and buried treasure. We've got the treasure part at least. He thought childishly and made his way below deck.

After a brief nap in an empty cabin he navigated his way to the mess hall. "I guess on ships it's called a galley?" He corrected himself as he passed the sign on the side of the entrance. Once inside he could smell the aroma of well prepared food. The rotund young man patted his belly and inserted himself into the lunch line. Hyght gathered a hefty plate of food and sat down to eat, noticing the gun wielding girl with hair so blond it looked white. He couldn't recall her name but he remembered the feeling of being shot by her. Absentmindedly touching the point of impact on his right breastplate he looked away from her, he had no reason to speak to her and she seemed invested in her game.

Hyght ate in silence and was half way through by the time the emergency klaxon rang out from the intercom system. Finishing the last bite he had in his mouth Hyght dropped his silverware and took off to the top deck, his vision flecked with strands of blond-white hair until they reached the corridor leading toward the top deck. He then lost her among the crowd. From his spot one level below deck he could hear the sounds of battle, the cries of the injured and the hideous wails of the attacking Grimm. "MOVE!" Hyght bellowed, his voice carrying into the ears of all that filled the stairwell. A hole appeared in the crowd and gave the heavyset combatant a way through.

Hyght broke through the sea of people, ripping his gladius styled sword free of its scabbard and slid his shield home onto his right arm. It took a moment for him to orient and prepare himself to combat. That moment, however, would cost him.

A Griffon took Hyght aware, its spear like beak tore through the hoodie as his shoulder and sent heat coursing through his body. A bark of pain spat from Hyght's mouth as the surprise attack sent him to his knee just as another Griffon swooped down upon him. To Hyght's luck he had dropped himself low enough to avoid the possibly mortal wound that would have befallen him had he stayed standing. Hyght turned and spotted the two Griffon that had targeted him climb high into the air and disappear in the sun. "Sonova...!" He cursed and let his eyes sweep the sky for a target. A breath or three later he saw another Griffon swoop down toward him but Hyght was ready this time.

Hyght stepped backward until he was only approximately a meter or so from the bulkhead of the ship. The Griffon swooped toward him, claws extended, and its red eyes burning with the fires of hell. Once the Griffon's claws would have connected to Hyght's shield the young man bent at the knees and rolled back letting the Grimm's momentum lead it over him, and with a little push from Hyght's legs, sent it on a crash landing into the bulkhead. The metal wall had taken on a concave appearance but gave the Griffon a moment of disorientation. Something Hyght monopolized on. Scrambling to his feet, the former baker drove his sword into the large body of the Grimm, feeling the sickeningly smooth sensation of his blade as it sank into the muscle and sinew.

Spoiler:

"Damn right we are!" she yelled when Giovanni complimented them all on being warriors. Once the man was finished she went to the docks placing her hands along her head, keeping her shades and a massive grin along her face. Her auric strands waving behind her as she just continued to check out her fellow teammates before they all headed to the ship. Unlike the majority of her team, she was wide awake and just spoke to the crew members, it was like she fit in perfectly with that crowd.
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She was lazing about ontop of the deck, resting along piles of barrels just enjoying the weather. Aiding the dock workers on setting up the skyship was her primary focus at the time, they were quite pleased with the extra hand but attempted to stay as couth as possible given her choice of clothing. When she was inquired about being a youngster up this early, she just laughed it off remarking, "The young never die!" which was swiftly followed with bellows from the workers around her. Afterwards she just sat on the edge of the skyship, holding on to her hat and staring off into the horizon letting out a quiet whistle. 

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When she heard a storm coming she was actually quite excited, she couldn't help but enjoy the rain and the natural air. It represented a life outside of that hell hole that she grew so accustomed too before coming to the academy. However that was quickly short lived as she breathed in the natural air hearing over the comms about Griffons. Nikki just had a sly grin over her face as she stood up on the edge giving a light stretch. "It's showtime!" she thought to herself, lowering her shades slightly just to see the approaching Grimm. Around this time, most of the other teammates began to jump along the deck as well. 

As two of the nasty Grimm flew directly at Nikki, she rolled out of the way to dodge the first's swooping bite and whipped out her 'Mornin Wood' to block the second. The Grimm was directly in her face as the bird caw'd at Nikki while she held it's mouth open and afar from consuming her through pure strength. She let out a faint up-tone whistle before peeking up at the Grimm above her shades with her cropped jacket whipping in the wind. She flip kicked the beak of the Grimm away from her in hopes to deflect it elsewhere. 

Nikki was going to act as support for now. She first sprinted toward Kei who was being swarmed first and just broke into a roll placing her hand on the Griffon that bit on Kei's shoulder blasting it away with her semblance, causing an instantaneous concussive force to blow the Grimm off of him. She'd salute to him before hearing the fair maiden ask for back up. Using her semblance under her feet, she leaped extremely high in the air, directly at Avery, hitting the ground running she gave herself an extra boost dashing right past her, hopefully her momentum blowing back the grimm that were having the night frost for lunch.

Before she passed her though, she'd be sure to attempt to give Avery a nice firm slap on the ol' posterior before flying past her at extreme speed and up toward the glass of the control room. As soon as she flew up there like a missile she spun toward the two Grimm, taking both beak attacks instead of the glass. Her boost jumping allowing her to move along the deck with extra swiftness, before radiating the edge of her weapon for extra sharpness for only a moment before letting out one explosive slash (+2 STR) outward toward the two Grimm which would blow Nikki back into the glass, putting her back into it. She'd rather the Griffon focus her instead of the glass for now 

Attack Info.:

Everyone went their way after boarding the ship and Jet lost sight of the blonde woman. Well, they'd be on the same expedition for a while, he'd get his chance to chat her up some other time. Right now though he went around to check up on the equipment that was below deck, basicaly to know what they were working with. Most of it was standard stuff, the rest were either hidden or he would have needed a more closer look, but wasn't allowed. That was disappointing really, but to be expected. Anyway, it's not like he really was expecting to be allowed to play around with what was most probably very expensive equipment. They trusted them with security, he doubted they'd really trust him with technical stuff even though he's probably more knowledgeable than 9/10th of their technicians. He wasn't apprenticing with Perri Scone, the best mechanic in the kingdom, for nothing.

Finishing his walk down the cargo hold and indeed noticing the large amount of free space available for artefacts, he decided to go grab a bite in the galley all the while wondering what they really expected to find in those ruins to need that much space. There were people in the galley and he thought about going to chat up with some of them but decided to spend this free time reading up some more on Duz'rar. He did bring some books on the place, might as well check them out.

He had been reading for a good while already when the shit hit the proverbial fan. Of course there would be complications, they're raiding an old legendary ruin! Anyone who ever watched movies, ever, would know just getting to those old legendary ruins would bring it's load of troubles! Well, not that Jet was complaining, that was why they were hired. Putting his book down, he went against the flow of the non-combat personnel that had the good sense of getting to safety.

Out on the deck, Jet saw that things were already on their way and the Grimms were getting close. He could definitly appreciate Avery's effort in getting the crew to safety. He nodded at this action even though he doubted she'd seen him. Looking around he tried to spot where he would be the most useful. As he was doing so, he was charged by two Griffons from behind him. The first one clamped it's beak on his shoulder, startling Jet into rolling away, dodging the second one at the same time. While rolling, Jet made a wide circular attack with his chain toward the two Grimms, attempting to make them move away more than actually hurting them, but potentially hitting both with one attack if he was lucky.

Getting back to his feet, he heard Avery call for back-up just as he saw four Griffons going for the ship's side, making Jet's pale a bit. Looking back quickly at Avery, he saw the other blonde girl had come to help her in the end. Running to the side of the ship and ignoring the immediate yet less threatening Grimms attacking him, he peared over the side and saw the flying creatures were trying to rip a hole in the ship. Potentially getting to the defenseless crew inside, but most importantly, potentially endangering the structural integrity of the ship. With the comming storm, that meant they would most definitly sink, not a pleasant thought.

"There trying to rip the hull! We have to get those attacking the sides fast or we won't survive the storm!" Jet screamed over the wind before unleashing his weapon at the Grimms while holding on some rope that was attached to the deck so he wouldn't fall over the ledge. Once again he wasn't aiming for one in particular, he was mostly trying to get them away from the ship and maybe have them attack him instead of the ship. Griffons weren't dumb, but they weren't the brightest either, it's possible they would let their instincts of attacking humans override their apparent desire to destroy the vessel. That, or they're feeling the fear from the humans inside and are just trying to get to them... which would be bad.

Using his semblance after the wide swipe, he used his control over metal to speed up his weapon, allowing him to attack twice more, this time aiming straight for the two closest Griffons with piercing strikes.

Battle Stuff:

Location: The Neptabyss, 389 miles west of Kompress Beach in open waters
Time: 1436, Day 1

Sir Orion saw this current horde of Griffon’s as an immediate threat to the success of the expedition, and as such, immediately joined in. Wielding his custom battle rifle, heavily modded with various gadgets as well as an electric bayonet and a grenade launcher, the ex-spec op jumped into the fray of the battle. He was originally going to jump in to help save the crew members that were in immediate danger, but one of the females from Syne quickly solved that problem using her ice semblance as a means to quickly move herself and them. Sir Orion had to admit that even by his standards that was pretty impressive. Immediately spotting the next main threat amongst the Griffon’s attempting to tear apart the steam stacks. Taking those out would halt the movement of the ship and would immediately end the expedition. Moving around the side of the ship, Sir Orion came into sight with some of the Griffons attacking the steam stacks. Without hesitation, he quickly blasted down Griffon 29 and 30.

In the meanwhile, Giovanni and the Captain of the ship remained within the control room, watching over the battle as Trish, remained somewhere inside the hull of the ship.


Thanks to the efforts of Avery, all of the crew members on the deck of the ship were moved to safety and not a single casualty was suffered so far. On the bad side of things, doing so only attracted the attention of all of the Griffon’s who were originally aiming for the random crew members to attacking Avery. [Crew members 6/6 safe]

The Griffons attacking the control room glass were shot at first by Avery [-70 HP; Griffon 21 & 22], and then quickly finished off Nikki’s explosive slash [-40 HP; Griffon 21 & 22; Dead]. Very quickly, the threat towards the control center was completely dealt with. [Control Room Glass – 100%]

The Griffons attacking the radio tower became targets of Kei and Avery. Griffon 23 was the first as it took one of Kei’s rockets to its side [-50 HP]. Griffon 23 was then quickly finished off by Avery, who showered it with bullets [-70 HP; Dead]. Avery continued to do the same with Griffon 24 [-70 HP], but it wasn’t enough to completely finish it off, and the Griffon manage to make it all the way to the Radio Tower, tearing away one of the side panels on it. [Radio Tower – 90%]

Multiple Griffon’s came swooping down around the side of the ship, trying to attack the hull of the Neptabyss. Alone, Jet tried to hold them all off, using his sword to slash at the entire group. His attack caught Griffon 25 and Griffon 26 along the side, doing full damage [-50 HP; Griffon 21 & 22]. Griffon 27 and 28, quickly veered away from the attack, moving to attacking the hull of the rear of the ship. Griffon 27 and 28 each planted themselves next to each other on the side of the Neptabyss, tearing their talons into the hull of it. Griffon 25 was slow to avoid Jet’s quick pierce attack which quickly finished it off [-50 HP; Dead]. Griffon 26 suffered the same fate as Griffon 25 to the hands of Jet [-50 HP; Dead]. [Ship Hull – 96%]

Griffons 29, 30, 31 were all attacking the steam stacks of the Neptabyss. Sir Orion intercepted their approach and blasted down Griffon 29 and 30 with his battle rifle [-100 HP; Griffon 29 and 30; Dead]. Griffon 31 managed to get past though, and landed on the steam stack, tearing off a metal panel from it. [Steam Stacks – 95%]



Griffon 1, 100/100 HP: Takes chest slice and backstab from Crimson [-50 HP]. Griffon 1, leaps at Crimson, closing the distance between the two and attacking with a body slam. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 2, 100/100 HP: Griffon 2 makes a large round aerial flight around the Neptabyss, before swooping back down at Crimson (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 3, 85/100 HP: Griffon 3 is struck by Hgyht’s attack [-15 HP]. Griffon 3 leaps at Hgyt, slashing at him with a talon. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 4, 85/100 HP: Griffon 4 is struck by Hgyht’s attack [-15 HP]. Griffon 4 proceeds to take flight again, circling the Neptabyss then diving at Hgyht from behind. (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 5, 100/100 HP: Griffon 5 takes air again, circling the Neptabyss before swooping down and attacking Avery. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 6, 100/100 HP: Griffon 6 takes air again, circling the Neptabyss before swooping down and attacking Avery. (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 7, 100/100 HP: Griffon is stuck by, Jet’s AOE strike, and takes damage [-50 HP]. A counterattack, Griffon 7 leaps at Jet. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 8, 100/100 HP: Griffon 8 Sidesteps Jet’s AOE attack, and slashes at him with one of its talons. (20 DMG ATK.)

Griffon 9, 100/100 HP: Griffon 9 takes flight, flying around to the Neptabyss then diving at the radio tower of the Neptabyss, attacking it.
Griffon 10, 100/100 HP: Griffon 10 takes flight, flying around to one of the steam stacks of the Neptabyss, attacking it.

Griffon 11, 100/100 HP: Griffon 11 continues to fly at Nikki, trying to bite at her (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 12, 100/100 HP: Griffon 12 is struck by Nikki’s kick, but bone-like armor on its head protects it from damage. Griffon 12 flies after Nikki, trying to bite at her. (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 13, -/100 HP: Griffon 13 is blasted out of the sky by Kei’s 2 wrist rockets [-50 HP + -50 HP]; Dead
Griffon 14, 80/100 HP: Griffon 14 is blasted by Nikki’s explosion semblance [-20 HP]. Continues to attack Kei, slashing at him with a claw. (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 15, 100/100 HP: Griffon 15 attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 16, 100/100 HP: Griffon 16 attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 17, 100/100 HP: Griffon 17 attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 18, 100/100 HP: attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 19, 100/100 HP: Griffon 19 attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)
Griffon 20, 100/100 HP: Griffon 20 attention is now on Avery, flies behind Avery, swooping down attacking her. (20 DMG ATK)

Griffon 21, -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 22, -/100 HP: Dead

Griffon 23, -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 24, 30/100 HP: attack radio tower

Griffon 25, -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 26, -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 27, 100/100 HP: Located on the back of the Neptabyss on the hull next to Griffon 28, attempting to tear ship open.
Griffon 28, 100/100 HP: Located on the back of the Neptabyss on the hull next to Griffon 27, attempting to tear ship open.

Griffon 29,  -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 30, -/100 HP: Dead
Griffon 31, 100/100 HP: On one of the steam stacks, continuing to attack it.

[Note: Griffon have protective bone-like armor covering their head. Attacks to this part of the body will not be very effective.]

[OOC: If no one has a problem with it, I am just assuming everyone is on the deck of the ship awaiting combat. If it turns out you’re hiding inside of the ship for some reason (lol), I’ll fix it in the next post.]

Kei

Kei simply raised an eyebrow at Nikki after she saluted after she blasted the Grimm of his shoulder. He wasn’t really sure what to make of her. He didn’t have time to wonder for long though, as Griffon 14 immediately tried to attack him again, slashing at him. Kei ducked under and as he did, released both of the mini-harpoons from the launchers under each of his wrists and held them in his hands as make shift daggers. He then followed with 2 quick jabs on the Griffon’s side. Kei then quickly leapt back, avoiding anymore attack that should come his way. “That’s one less problem…” Kei muttered to himself as he saw Avery rescue all of the random crew members on the deck of the ship from the attack of Griffons. In doing so though, she made herself the attention of many others. “And that’s another…” Kei added as he raised his left fist at the flock of Griffon’s following Avery. Kei let loose two rockets, and sent them flying into the large grouping, aiming at the two closest to Avery.

Mood: Combative Condition: Fine Health: 195 Aura: 150

Character Profile

Status, Health, Aura, Equipment Conditions:

Expedition Pack:

Damage:

[OOC: There might be a lot wrong with this post, I've been drinking. If you see a problem just PM me and I'll fix it]