.Raven's Eyes.

Dead men don't feel. Dead men don't dream. Dead men don't care. This was what the Remnants were supposed to be based around. The idea that one man once everything had been taken from him was in fact no longer a man but the shread of one. A corpse. A remnant of the human that had once been. For Belmont. This truth had always been one he had found difficult to accept. But it had always been one that rang the most true in his heart. When it had happened. The burning of their village. The destruction as the demons laid waste to everything that he had cared and loved. It had created a hole in his heart. One that had never been filled no matter what he put there. Attempts at love were futile. For there was nothing but emptiness. The void was hungry. it was vast, unfathomable. And every Remnant he knew had that very same description of it. There was no turning back from this. The only thing that existed where that hole was, were the things that were on the fringe of it. Hatred. Anger. Things that made it seem less horrible. Made him concentrate on it less. Drove him to do precisly what he needed to do.

Kill. Every last one of them.

He gripped his hand and looked up from the darkness in the carriage way. They were now headed away from the south western forest where things had begun to kick off. Where he had been involved in the recruitment process for this year. And this like last. Only one had been the survivor. A woman. Strange but not unheard of. A corpse was a corpse so long as it served. He spoke no words to this new girl. After all, what were the whispers of the dead? She had been where he had been, the village. Like him, merely a Remnant of what it had been before the spirits had their way with it. A long standing and constant reminder of their struggle to survive. And why humans could not trust them. Could not live along side them in peace. There was a bump in the road, but his facial expression did not change. The girl had offered soup in a tone that was all too gleeful. That glee would soon be broken out of her. Replaced with the iron cast will to destroy that made each Remnant what they were.

Nothing would ever be the same.

EXP: 456
PWC:416

Her mind wandered as she looked out the windows of the carriage. That smile still plastered upon her face until they were well clear of the place. Then she let out a yawn and stretched. The smile fading slowly as she glanced at the man in the mobile transport with her. Little did she know the course of his thoughts, or little did she care. The bump in the road cause those completely unclothed orbs to bounce and her hand came to keep them from hurting. Like jello they jiggled but she turned and glanced back out the window. Her view changed for as the forest trees gave way to smaller bushes and shrubs amidst sparse trees and would finally give way to grasslands. Suddenly she spoke to break the silence, her face still looking out at the view. "So why did you ask me to do this test? You seemed not to seriously think I would survive."

Finally those impossible blue eyes glanced at him before sliding back to the window. Her voice itself was full of strength and determination. A backbone, rare among most women. The tone of a leader. She had met the challenge and now wanted to know what actually came next. But that would be revealed later. His stony expression spoke volumes of his attitude. Well he would come to understand that she was not someone to assume things about. Her attitude would probably grate on his. Since he seemed to be a man use to giving orders and being obeyed without question. He also seemed like a man holding a lot of baggage. Something that made poor leaders in her opinions.

304/304
+1txp (10/3) 2 rps

She spoke though words were not required. The movement of her flesh stirred something that had been asleep within him for some time. But he averted his eyes once again to the ground and embraced the nothingness that was this void within him. The void called humanity. Or lack there of. He however, would indulge her questioning. If one was to learn then they would need to know. " You displayed talent". Normally that would be all that Belmont said. Enough to get across the point of why she was brought and tested. However he knew this would not be enough for some. " You were able to kill spirits with efficency. As I said before now. We are the Remnants. A group of elite spirit hunters existing within the Mare Maris military. Our number only takes those who show this level of specialisation....". His pale blue eyes moving upwards at her again. " The test is simple, but not easily survived. None of your group save you survived....there are many years when none survive. Such is the way of things".

That he thought would be sufficent in explaining just why she was there, and why he hadn't expected survival. " Because of your survival". He said clearly, eyes to the wooden floor. " You are worthy for entry into our number if you still so wish it".
EXP: 276
PWC:

Her eyes glanced at him through their corners and watched him glance at her and then back down. Strange, perhaps he was being shy. She was comfortable in her nudity. But that might have been since she was constantly around males of the humans species and if she emitted one word of embarrassment or even feminine blush and they would have been on her like white on rice, in the middle of a glass of milk in a freak snowstorm. But on a lighter note, it really didn't bother her. She knew she had a good figure, slender, small, and sleek with a generous chest and pretty curvy hips. So it could be that he was modest. She would teach him not to be so. Or he might even be one of those that thought sexuality was a sin. Although Kitsume didn't peg him for such. A virgin perhaps.

All of this was processed and thought about while he was answering her questions. One might think she was looking for answers to the questions she had stated, but in reality she was finding out more about him. Reading him like an open book. The breaks and the awkwardness of their placement were a sign that he was not one for words and more for action. He could have stopped after the first few words and been done with it, but it might have been in his past that he encountered people that wanted to know more, so he was just filling in the blanks before the questions were asked. That led to her a belief that after he finished it would be a ride in silence. Unless she made the effort at conversation again.

When his eyes moved up her again, she turned her head and met his pale blue orbs with the bright blue of her own. A slow smirk bloomed across her face. Some might have called it arrogance, some might have mistaken it for an invitation, but what it really was that deadly smirk of a cat ready to pounce on a large hoppy bug. A predator's smile. But soon it was gone behind that plastered smile of glee from earlier. "Of course that is still my want. I wouldn't have agreed to the test if I wasn't prepared to continue onward.

404
+1txp (10/4) 250 exp

" Good"

Once again just a single gutteral word with little feeling or meaning behind it. belmont wasn't really going to go into any specfics about how he was happy to have someone of her talents or whatever crap they spewed to new recruits in Mare Maris nowadays. Her smile was for the most part ignored. And unreturned. He didn't know if this girl really knew what she was getting into. Which reminded him about those papers he had to fill in once they had reached the barracks. As today's recruitment commander it was down to him to write up the evaluations on both the newly dead, and the rotting dead. The only one of which really mattered was this girl in front of him. And if he was going to gauge over her personality then he would have to engage her in conversation. A means to an end. " So then". He said gruffly, a hidden speck of resentment behind having to speak in his tone. " Tell me, just what is your full name? Where do you come from? Whats your back ground experience?".

Of course, likely he could have gotten all that from her application in the first place. However when it was something like this he had to gauge her reactions to every question and answer, find out the person behind the paper. She may have made it through basic recruitment. But there was still a long way to go yet. A long way of scrutiny and screening. But there was a feeling that perhaps she would make it.
EXP: 304
PWC:

The young woman raised an eyebrow and settled back into the seat, turning those blue eyes directly on him and giving him her undivided attention. After his barrage of questions she remained quiet for a moment and continued to stare at him. The smile slowly fading. "Well, it doesn't seem like you really want to know, so we'll just leave it at what I wrote on that little recruitment paper. It works anyways. All The same, luv, we are dead to the world." With that, her serious face came back into the play. It appeared as if he wasn't falling for that girlie routine. Or perhaps it was just that he did not want to get close to anyone. Mentally she shrugged, it did not matter anyways. She would probably rarely see him anyways. New recruit and all, it was same to assume that she would be trained by someone different. Her papers had been vague and so was she.

She turned back to the window and watched the moving scenery seemingly ignoring him, then softly she sighed and a single word came out in true response, "Kitsume" The others had called her Runt, Kitten, among other names, but it was a new life and she was going to leave it at that.

230 exp

So this was an interesting point. It would seem that the remnant had hit on a bit of a sore spot with his companion here. She aid that he could tick to what had been put down on the form. When asked in this way most people would be completely open and honest if it was someone that they had to call their superior. Unless of course she had a reason to be suspicious, which she didn’t have any reason that he knew of to be suspicious of him and the whole strangers aspect to this hadn’t really entered into the conversation prior to this. So she had something to hide or there was something that was particularly sore about her past. He wondered. Regardless of what she wanted he would need to wrestle that information out of her eventually, it was part of the papers. That and he couldn’t keep her within the Remnants if he knew there was going to be something in her past that was going to hold her back or impede her from duty. Then again. Perhaps it was just like that even that had occurred in the lies of the other remnants as well. The fire of the village Twenty six survivors who had went on to make this unit in Mare Maris. Fuelled by their hate of spirits. Perhaps that was it.

In fact it seemed likely. But still. He would need to find out for sure. It was at the point she seemed to backtrack slightly and give her name to him. He already knew as much from the form but still that fire bit of ice breaking was required. Dead men they may be but dead men didn’t last long outside of a legion. They needed to work together and at least trust in one another to keep the others corpse walking. To keep dragging them out of the fires of hell and the frosts of heaven. He reached out a single gloved hand and laid it out there in front of her for her to shake. “ Belmont”. He said repeating it in a similar way to her. A single word that would identify the one to the other. It would be the first stepping stone in building up a little trust with this recruit. Perhaps he would find out more as time progressed, but find out he would whether or not she was going to tell him or if he had to dig himself.

EXP:427
PWC: 417

As he pushes out his hand and offers his own name, her own slender digits reached out and grasped his. Her right hand to be exact, and as she grasped his hand a soft metallic click barely audible over the carriage might be heard. Her grasp was firm as she gently shook it, if one was astute enough at judging strength, they would be able to tell that she was holding back. Slowly she pulled back her hand and smiled at him. "A pleasure to meet you." With that her hand would come back to her lap as she continued to look at him. "So where exactly will we be going after this?"

Her eyes glanced him over again piercing into him as if studying him for something. "Oh and I can I get bath sometime soon. I don't know if I want everyone to have my fashion secrets just yet. If I walk in like this, it will become the next fashion craze and I wont ever get the credit for it." The tone was light and teasing. she was being playful and was hoping to draw him in and aware from questions of her past. Of which she could not remember much more than eighteen and half years ago.

214
+1txp (10/7) 2 rps

Interesting. As she took his hand he felt that grip, it was a strong one. A strangely strong one. Not the type he was used to. It seemed that she was stronger than the average human. And yet he felt as if this was somehow. Held back. This made Belmont suspicious. But yet. He couldn't pick up any sort of spiritual signiture from her. If she had beeen a hybrid it would have been easy but. No. There was nothing. Just a human. How interesting indeed. He withdrew his hand after the shake and continued the ride in silence. This would be the way it would progress for at least another few hours. The carriage at which point would stop. Belmont got out and watched as the rest of the caravan heading towards Mare Maris also pulled to a hault. Night was coming and they would be setting up camp here. It would take at least another two days ride to get to Mare Maris from here.

Sometimes being a human limited you in that way. He had seen mages transport themselves thousands of miles in an instant. Magic. If he could learn it. That was what he was going to use it for. Well that and learning how to kill more efficently. Using your enemies own weapons against them and such.

He turned to the new recruit and nodded to her. " They'll set you up with a bed, there will be food prepared in roughly thirty minutes. We'll rest here for a few hours and then continue on".

EXP:296
PWC:261

So the hours crawled by as Kitsume and Belmont continued their journey. It would be a few days and she wondered at stopping. But that question was soon answered when the carriage stopped in order to make camp. So according to him, she had a few hours of rest before continuing on and thirty minutes before dinner. Smiling she nodded as she stepped from the carriage. Those impossible blue eyes searching over the terrain her mind processing the information. Turning those same blue eyes on Belmont she asked, "Do you think I can take this time to bathe? There is a stream not too far." Kitsume used her head to nod towards the direction of the stream. "and possibly can I get some clothing, please?"

If given the clothing and permission to go bathe, she would follow her instincts and hearing to the stream not to far from their position. This might give Belmont the perfect time to observe the 'new recruit' as well. If she made it to the stream, she would set the clothing or not on the bank and step into the cold water. With the running water, she would clean the blood off her body, revealing every cut, bruise and welt that she had from the time in the building with all those demons. The three days had been harsh to her body, but she was still able to smile through it. Thinking that she was alone, she would finally let out sigh and grimace, as she looked over a rather large cut down her right leg. In the light left in the sky, the glint of metal could be seen through the cut as the water washed the dried blood away. The metallic gleam of her right leg would vanish as more blood began to well up. "That will leave a damn scar" She muttered to herself as she held her hand over the wound and just applied pressure to it. Using the vine that was still tied around her ankle, she let the makeshift flint knife fall to the ground as she used the vine to tie off the area above the cut in order to stop the bleeding.

386
+1 txp (10/9) 250 exp

There was little interest in this girls bathing, however she did ddraw a few eyes from around the camp. Mostly from the servants not from that actual Remnants themselves. Although there were a few that couldn't help but bring their eyees over to the petite girl now washing herself. One thing that did catch Belmonts eye however was a distinctly metallic gleam that came from under her skin. Now that was strange. And it drew his curiousity. What kind of human would have metal under their skin? What kind of human COULD have metal under their skin? He had heard of many strange thinggs that mages had done to their own bodies. Even in the most vile practices of necormancy. Attaching undead limbs in replacement of their perfectly functional living ones in an attempt to grow much stronger. But could this girl have been subject to such mage experiements, perhaps a mage of metal magic had turned her bones to metal?

It would explain why she did not wish to speak so much of her past, and would likely explain why she wanted to join the Remnants. A hatred of spirits and their weapon. Magic. Belmont decided that this was the likely answer to his questions. And decided upon that for now. He tossed her some bandages. As well as a Remnant uniform slightly larger than her but it would do for now. " When our bones break, they heal, they become stronger. Harder..When our skin is cut...it heals...becomes a scar...stronger....harder....". He moved over to the nearest fire not far from Kitsume. " Be thankful for your scars". He said.

" They make you stronger".


EXP:337
PWC:

Silently she watched Belmont approach a little ways and toss her some bandages. Reaching up into the air, she caught them and brought them down as she stepped out of the water from the stream. There was a bigger uniform sitting near her as she found a rock to sit upon. Settling down upon the hard surface of the bit up earth, she stretched out her leg and began to bandage it in a quick and efficient manner. "Thank you." She spoke to him indicating the bandages. At his words, a memory stirred but was not able to form. Little did either of them know just how grateful for her scars they would both be in the future. Or just how strong those scars had made her. As for what she was, there were no visible scars on her body from the operations before the dawn. In fact she had never had a single physical scar form. Emotional ones were the worse those and those that were just under the skin.

To his words, she chuckled as she pulled on the clothing and glanced down at herself. "Blue?" Shaking her head so that the long brown hair swung back and forth she approached Belmont as he sat by the fire. "I find that the worst scars are never visible. Those make you the strongest of all, but still they wound deep and heal slower." With that she plopped down beside him. She was shorter than him and could easily rest up against him and barely reach his shoulder. Within the petite frame though, lay a weapon no one had seen in this age. Not even herself.

291

" Indeed". He said looking over his shoulder as Kitsume approached. Staring down into the fire, a reminder of his own emotional scars. The ones that had brought about the formation of this group in the first place. " Years after the dawn, in the place where you fought to survive...a group of humans made a settlement, it was a good village. A community well bonded together....but it would seem that fate made them wake up on the wrong side of the map". His eyes were distant at this point, misty staring past the fire. " The demons rose up from the earth and attacked, destroyed everything...killed everyone...save for twenty six survivors....those who survived travelled together to Mare Maris, a place rumoured to be safe from spirits....there...they settled once again joining in with the army. For what else did they have left?". He picked up a stick and brushed aside some of the fires kindling. Adding more to the small blaze. " Of those men the strongest became the first Remnants..those who showed enough vim and skill in hunting the spirits that the Army gave them special leave to form their own unit...after which each of the twenty six survivors became members..". He looked over to her.

" Myself included".

EXP:268
PWC:

She looked up at him as he spoke upon the history of the group. Her eyes watching his facial movements and gestures. She was good at reading people and right now it was showing that he was still hurting twenty years later. "How old were you?" It was a simple question that the answer would open up and answer more questions rattling around in that mind of hers. She slowly scooted closer to him. In her line of sight she registered the moisture in his eyes and distant look in them. He was hurting and as a woman she felt that tug of emotion. She might be at least half metal but the rest of her still retained the emotions and such of her human life. She knew that she had an option, especially with everyone else looking on. The first impulse was to lay her head against his shoulder, but that might get her hurt if it annoyed him. But the second option was to touch him to convey her regrets and her own emotions. Well this was Kitsume and she never did anything half-assed.

After he answered her question she chose door number three and rested her hand on his knee as her head rested against his shoulder. She was warm and safe, as she used her own body to convey the sorrow she felt for his lot in life. Then she offered her own tale, which she knew he was wondering about. Why else come so cleanly out in the open about his own. With a measured sigh, she softly spoke as she stared out into the fire. "I woke up in a crumbling building in the Core about eighteen months after the dawn. Before that, I have no memories. All I knew was my name. Some things in the last eighteen and half years I have learned are a bit difficult for me. I have been at the mercy of spirits and evil things that I do not wish to think on since that time. I have survived." Her voice got lower just so that he could hear and not everyone else. "Strangest thing. I am still the same age I was eighteen and half years ago." She looked up at him. "I think I might have been an experiement. But I don't remember" Her hand came up off his knee and she flipped it over to show her palm. In the fire light, barely visible, on the underside of her thumb was a symbol -EX55178- The tattoo was so small that unless it was pointed out, most people would not have seen it.

450

“ It was perhaps fifteen years ago, I had been but a boy, a teenager”. Did that make it worse for him? Perhaps. He had been old enough to fight. Old enough to join the military when he had reached Mare Maris with the others. Perhaps not as capable as them back then but certainly he could remember the terror standing against the demons trying to protect his home with a poorly crafted short sword in one hand and a plank shield in the other. So long ago. He listened to Kitsume’s story and indeed it seemed as if he had been correct in his assumption. Belmont had heard many stories concerning the area known as the core. Mostly that it was a hive of the vilest evil known on Terra and that one did not go in there and expect to return alive. He himself wanted to lead a group into the core one day to find out for himself if the stories were indeed true. But the Remnants didn’t have interest in that place. Yet. “ An experiment. Yes I had guessed it may have been something like that when I saw the steel under your skin”. He commented on it lightly not sure if such a thing was a sore issue with her or not.

“ There are stories that people go missing from villages, that mages and spirits conducting vile magical experiments upon innocent people, corrupting them beyond recognition. I assumed that the mage working upon you may have been a mage of the metal school of magic...Whilst I can imagine the benefits of having armour beneath your skin. I cannot help but pity you. Such a thing must be painful”. He tossed another piece of kindling on the fire and stared down at it. “ But then I suppose if it wasn’t none of us would be here right now”.

EXP:334
PWC:317

Well at least he hadn't moved when she was getting all close and personal. Strange. Challenging. Kitsume was intrigued. She had always loved a challenge and most men would have made some sort of reaction by now to her being this close. If he really considered himself that dead, then he was going to be cold, but now Kitsume saw it as her personal challenge to warm up this dead man. It was her mission to teach him that just because you considered yourself dead didn't mean you couldn't have feelings that were warm and fuzzy. His heart still beat so that meant he wasn't all the way dead yet. A challenge was just want she needed at this point. She hadn't had one in quite some time.

At the mention of the metal under her skin, she gave a half hearted shrug and mentally shook herself for letting that one occur. "Pity is for the weak. And pain, well that is not the case at all. Most of the time, I cannot even feel the pain. I know I should, but something keeps me from feeling it, much like I rarely if ever feel fear. I know I should be afraid of certain things, but instead I just get a calculating mindset. I guess it comes with the strange vis...." She caught herself and blinked. Oh he was good. She stopped since she had already said too much. Getting her to open up like that. Now it was more of a challenge. Kitsume had a love for challenges and puzzles. So instead of give more of her secrets away she said, "That must have been hard on you to have survived such an ordeal so early in life."

301
+1txp (10/10) 250 exp

Belmont couldn’t help but get the feeling that despite them two appearing to be all close together and warming up. They were actual in a battle of wills and minds, trying to extract information about the other. It was a carefully played game. Belmont was letting out details about his life, those of which weren’t much of a closely held secret, the origins of the Remnants and in turn was seeing if he could get her to spill more of the beans than she had wanted to. And she almost did it as well. He’d gotten more information about her however. She had a calculating mind that numbed whatever fear or pain she was feeling through her internal metal. Cold calculating minds were usually the result of emotional scarring. So perhaps she had more of an internal scar than she would liked to have admit. The fact that she found that pity was for the weak indicated that she wanted to be strong, or at least was putting that as a front face in an attempt to convince herself that she wouldn’t be weak again. Or alternatively Belmont’s assumptions based on her conversation were entirely inaccurate and she was indeed just some sort of demon killing freak.

Entirely possible.

She stopped just as she was saying something about what sounded like her vision. He wondered just what she meant by that. But then it was going to be another point to bring up on the game wasn’t it? She offered her point so now it was his turn. “ Perhaps. But it was worse for those that were older. I had no parents, our community looked after one another. Those who were older lost children, wives, husbands. I lost friends, a lesser loss but still one none the less. But it made us strong. Gave us purpose. Power”. . And now for his question in a veiled answer.

“ It made me see the world through different eyes. Wouldn’t you say?”.

exp:366
pwc:333

Now this was getting fun. A game of sorts, he was rather obvious in his scoop for information on this last point, but she ignored it for the moment. Time to change up the game plan. "Check" She whispered as in her mind she gave him the point in this mental combat they were having. She had spilled a bit more than she was willing to, but two could play that game. Her mind went over everything he had said, it was all superficial which meant that he was intelligent as well as dead. They were forming assumptions about each other since it was vague referencing they were giving one another. this was like a game of chess to her. Strategy upon strategy and right now, some of that strategy involved sacrificing a few pawns of information to get the bigger pieces of his to come out to play. So in an aggressive move, she totally ignored the deeper portion of the question and moved a question of her own in for the block along with bait for the trap.

"It could be said that events such as the ones you and I have experienced can make one see through new eyes." Her bait laid down in a vague answer and now for the block, "Did you find that the strength and power you were given because of your past, were different than what others received?" Sometimes the best strategy was letting them come to you on your own terms, and that was what she was doing. The tidbit of what she might have experienced should draw him into her field and allow her to start controlling the questioning.

So now for her own input on him. To her it seemed that he was still carrying around emotional scars of his own from this. To be that cut off from it spoke of trying to conceal the emotions behind a mask. Which meant that all she had to do was find the crack in the mask, however small and widen it. The fact that he spoke of purpose and power after the events gave the impression that he was a bit fanatical. Her hand came back down and rested against his leg again.

390

She avoided the bait, whether or not she had actually spotted that one he didn’t know but it seemed likely. She asked him another question and once again he’d throw out his own tid bit of information. Again, nothing that couldn’t be easily found once she reached the main barracks. “ Different? No. Its difficult to explain however...each of us has a specialisation, thats what makes us better than the rest, not just our hatred for spirits but our ability on any battlefield...my specialisation was sword and shield, armoured combat. I’m a vanguard, a sentinel.... the powers that we were granted were made by our superiors...techniques that for the most part the Remnants all round have...Grave Senses for one...our ability to sense spirits..their type...location and be able to track their movements even if they haven’t been in the area for some time...”. Perhaps that was a too complicated way of explaining things, he turned to face her. His pale blue eyes gazing into hers. “ Simply put, each Remnant is a specialist in their field, this makes up the core of their combat ability, this core is enhanced by a shell of abilities that training as a Remnant will grant you, abilities that will help in the tracking and defeat of spirits”. That was a simpler way of putting it.

“What my past did give me was the drive and belief that we are not safe in this realm so long as spirits continue to transgress from their rightful places in Heaven and hell into our world”.

He tossed another stick on the fire, “ Man has corruption enough without theirs being added to it”.

EXP:318
PWC:277

Yes, he was most certainly a fanatic. But to each their own. She was also fanatical she found out early on. Demons had a special place in her heart. It was a place of pain and suffering, a place of destruction, a place of death. But to the outside world, she loved to give the feel that she was just another normal, slightly stupid, woman. It got her closer to those she wanted to kill. But by now, Belmont had probably cracked through that shell and saw at least the thing that resided underneath. Above all she was a coldhearted killer.

When he spoke on the neutral ground of the Remnants, she listened but was still trying to find the weakness in this man. Something to use to get close to him. So she wasn't thinking too hard on her reply to this part of the conversation. "Sometimes I can do that with most of my senses, but it is rather sketchy at best. But I digress, if you are the sentinel I wonder what my area of specialization will be?" then she caught herself and almost did a face palm on herself. It was time to bring this conversation back to what she wanted not her giving up so much information. She liked to be mysterious. And so far he had the upper hand in their little game of mental chess.

As to the rest of their conversation, he blocked her again and gave her more superficial information. But the undertone was there, he was still a hurt but doing a good job of covering it. The crack in the mask was there. The hurt he was suppressing. Time to make the offensive dig just to make sure it was the truth. And she was right about her hunch. "You are made of very strong stuff indeed. But you still haven't told me much about that fateful day. There is a story there that is not being told. Weren't you scared being that young?" There time to bring out the hurt.

358

She was wiley, but he had taken enough of the game for tonight to wet his appetite. Perhaps later. He looked around at the girl once more, she was a bit close for comfort. Yet, then again. Dead men didn't mind being in mass graves did they? For now he just hsook his head at her. " Not a lot of it to speak about, and what of it we shall perhaps in time I will tell you". For a moment he wondered about her specialisation and then just shrugged again. He grabbed his bedspread and pulled it over him. " Only you can really answer that question". What he didn't say to her was that if she didn't answer that question for herself and begin to train that specialisation thelikely hood that she would die in th Remnant training never mind the actual fighting was going to increase exponentially. Remnant training ws designed to test your strengths and exploit your weaknesses. So that you oculd use one to balance out the other. If she didn't know yet what she was good at. Then perhaps her survival in the lake had just been a sheer coincidence.

" Sleep well girl"
EXP: 236
PWC:

A true smile blossomed on her face when he admitted defeat. Well not really defeated more like a ceasefire, but still it was a start. So the man was hiding the hurt of that time. Now she had the crack in the armor around him and because of that she was happy. In the night, she mirrored his movements, pulling her own blanket over her. She remained where she was just to try to make him uncomfortable. She snuggled under the blanket and gave a yawn before letting herself blink sleepily and whisper to the night, "Checkmate" Before she finally fell into a light sleep. Through the night she would remain as still as the dead but she would dream as she did every night. Her dreams just the files in her mind rebooting, but she could never remember them in the morning upon waking. Tonight was something entire different than the usual dreams it was a memory from a better time...

...three beings sat around the table playing cards, another lounged in a cot as they laughed and joked with each other. all of them male. Cards were on the table. A fifth male entered the scene and sat at the table being dealt into the card game of poker. The one in the cot was reading a large book with a white cross on it. They were in a large warehouse kind of building. In a flash of light from the outside as the door opened and then closed them all into the darkness split by the few stark bulbs hanging around. A woman appeared, herself and plopped down on the cot beside the dark skinned man reading the book.
"Come on, Priest. Reading that again." The man placed his book mark in the book and looked up at the little Kitsume.
"Well, Runt. One can never be to versed in the holy text." one of the others laughed and threw a coin at the black man, who caught it with such skill.
"He's hoping to learn to bless the fuckers."
"Watch the language Poet"
"Come on Runt, you want to be dealt in?"
"Nah, not tonight, got some thinking to do. I am the leader of you little shits. And f we want to survive tomorrow's training. I have to figure out the best strategy" Laughter all around except for the fifth guy who looked so out of place at the moment. He was oddly out of place.
"Wait, she gets to curse and I don't. So not fair"
"Shut up Poet. She's the leader, you heard her. The leader gets to curse."
The new guy looked between them all and tried to laugh with them and be like them, but he was lacking and it showed in his next words. "Why let the runt curse but not him" Before the words could fully leave his mouth a dagger was stabbed directly into the table between his first two fingers. Kitsume knelt on the table, having moved so fast that he didn't even see it, "One thing, Captain. I only tolerate my unit calling me Runt. Not fully human pricks like yourself. You are not one of us, never will be. Do not try to get in our little cliche. It wont work. The only reason why you are tolerated at the moment is because I have not figured out where to hide your body. Now take your money, go back upstairs where the brass belongs. Don't mingle with the riffraff." The young captain scurried away with his money in a heart beat.
The others watched as she pulled her body off the table and returned back to the cot beside the black man.
"Don't you think that was a bit harsh Runt?"
"Not really, Poet. They sit up there and watch us every moment of the day, they control us, Our free will is sold to the highest bidder. We are the best weapons in the world. How dare the try to mingle with us and be like us. They created us for one purpose and that is to fight their battles. If it didn't cost so much to create just one of us, there would be more. I can only deal with it for so long, their stupidity. Its like being a slave. They train us to test our abilities since no two of us are the same. Look at you Priest, they took your demon possessed body and ran all sorts of stuff through your body. And that is the least of all the things that they have done to us. Since we do not fall under the laws of humanity for humane treatment they can do just about anything to torture us. They took my demon ripped apart body, told everyone I was dead and then rebuilt me into this. How many of us never made it. Every thought of that? they changed my appearance and told my family I was dead. In order to have complete control. If I were to run, where the hell would I go? My family wouldn't even know it was me. That why all I know is that no matter what they tell us. All the same we are dead to the world." The last part of her speech was echoed as she got up and padded off to her own cot in the corner to be alone....

In the real world all that would be heard was the soft barely audible murmur of "Only my unit calling me Runt" and "we are the best weapons in the world." and of course the phrase she had repeated a multitude of times. "All the same, we are dead to the world." After that if allowed to continue to sleep she would sleep peacefully without another murmur.

1021

Belmont had laid awake for awhile within the camp waiting for the girl to sleep. Regularly people who had issues with themselves tended to focus it more in their subconscious, he knew this had been true to him for a long time. Long up till the point where he had embraced the meaning of the Remnants and had crafted himself into a true walking corpse worthy of the title. There was no more bad dreams. Just blankness. He looked to where Kitsume lay, and there was those words again. He whispered to himself. “ We’re dead to the world”. Wondering just what it was about that phrase that made the girl repeat it over and over again. It certainly wasn’t the Remnants, but it was something. Something that made her dead long before the Remnants. Perhaps this is why she had came to them, the legion of dead men. But what concerned Belmont more than the idea that she considered herself dead before coming here was the idea that she had said “ we”. It seemed that for whatever reason there were people in her past that were also “ dead to the world”. People that, whoever they were had already stopped walking. Or she just couldn’t really remember them, just as she had said.

But there was too much energy wasted on these thoughts. They had to be up in a few hours. So he lay down in that bed rest and closed his pale blue eyes. Embracing the oblivion that was sleep.
EXP:276
PWC: 256

The night was cool as the winter began to approach. The night noises were soft and lilting almost like a lullaby. Crickets chirped and little bugs with lights on their asses flickered in the night. The sound of a nightingale could be heard trilling in the distant. But for the most part, everything slept in this beautiful night world. The moon was a soft crescent shape that cast strange shadows through the trees. But it was a soft gentle night as the cool breeze creaked through the branches of said trees.

After he spoke those words, in the dark of the night, kitsume's impossible blue eyes would fly open and begin to dilate as if she was not truly seeing anything. Her soft voice broke the night and was almost monotone in quality and totally devoid of any emotion. "Password incorrect. Authorization required. Please state proper password for a list of command prompts." She remained so still and motionless as she lay there on her side. If he were to roll over and look, it would be an eerie sight as those eyes seemed to glow with a soft inner light. If he ignored it or did nothing the eyes would shut in a few minutes.

226
+1txp (10/11) 2 rps

Belmont wasn’t quite sure what he was hearing, but from the look in her eyes and the way she was talking. It seemed as if she was under some kind of spiritual possession or mind control. He jumped up from his bedroll. Cautiously approaching her, unsure of whatever spirit was causing this in her. He felt more pity for the girl, clearly this was a result of her experimentation under the metal mage. She seemed to be asking for some kind of password. No, that wasn’t quite right. She was asking for a – correct- password. Which meant assuming that she didn’t react like this with every other word, he had came close to the actual password from whatever spirit was asking for it. Now what was it that she said? If that was the incorrect password, then perhaps the correct one would be the very thing she had been repeating over and over. Word for word.

Just what was it she had said though? His mind began scanning over the memories of their conversations. He looked down into those blank eyes and then it came to him. “ All the same, we are dead to the world”. At least that’s what he thought she had been saying. If it was a password for this spirit then it wasn’t a very good password to have her repeating it again and again. But then again, perhaps if it was. This thing wanted her to be commanded in this way. He would just have to see.

EXP:272
PWC:255

"Password Accepted. Cybernetic Experiment 55178 online. Default settings activated. Purpose to destroy demonic beings. Damage to internal microchip 65% Cannot access files predating twenty years." Kitsume sat up and stared at the man in front of her. Those eyes did not blink and looked devoid of emotion. If he looked close enough those eyes had lost their blue color for the moment and seemed to be strangely mechanical. Just like some of the left over mechanical relics from the time before the Dawn.


"Please state Full Name for voice recognition." She continued to track his moments as she sat there, her voice emotionless and monotone. Should he state his name the cyborg would continue, "Voice Recognition Programmed. Please state a personal override code." Again the girl would wait for him to either say something or not. At anytime should he not respond in a give amount of time, the girl would shut down and faint. should he come up with his own password, Kitsume would continue her voice changing to a higher pitched saleswoman like recording. From Kitsume's eyes there was a blue light that showed the woman speaking almost like a visual recording projected in front of the girl. The woman was dressed in the overcoat of a scientist.

"Congratulations on your purchase of" there is a moment of static interference. and for a moment the figure fuzzed out but the recording seemed to continue as she finally came back in the middle of a statement. "---ori Company's latest design of Cybernetic Equipment. The Living Cyborg. A genetically and physically altered human weapon designed to obey commands but also due to the still human soul and body, able to think freely and act without constant supervision. You have limited access to the control systems of the cyborg known as Kitsume. Orders will be accepted unless they directly interfere with the default programming. To change default programming, you must present the override codes that are written within the Dossier" at this point the image of a folder with papers and strange lettering on it rotated in the recording before going back to the woman "That was included in your purchase. This model comes with four other lesser cyborgs and can activate them as needed. Each with their own abilities and specialties." Throughout most of this visual of the woman was grainy and fuzzy at best. "If you have any questions concerning your purchase or future orders, please contact" Again she fuzzed out, "....Company at our headquarters located in Downtown. Thank you for your purchase and enjoy your weapon of the future."

With this the recording died and Kitsume blinked, the eyes going back to their normal blue. She held her head and looked around feeling like she would be sick."W-what the hell happened?"

610

So that had been the password it was looking for, and now the spirit in possession of Kitsume was wanting his name. He would all too gladly give it " Belmont". He spoke his name and the spirit seemed to continue speaking through her mouth. It was indeed vile, however it was asking for a new password of sorts. And he supposed that it would be easier to prevent this happening again if he was the only one who knew the password. " Dead men tell no tales". It seemed a suitable one in both keeping with the Remnants, the nature of a password. And getting this spirit to shut up, however the thing that began to itch at Belmont was the fact that whatever this was it did not feel like a spirit. His grave senses wern't picking up anything but Kitsume. Which meant it was likely that the mage who had experimented on her had created some sort of homungulai within her. Vile magics. It then began to talk about the purchase of Kitsume's body. Something which made even a dead man flush with colour.

" No, I do no-"

He looked around, and then something strange happened. Images. A dossior. Cyborgs? He didn't have a clue what the thing was talking about, and before he knew it. Kitsume had seemingly regained control. " I have terrible news Kitsume". Belmont looked down at the dirt. " It would appear that the Mage's experiement on you may have implanted some kind of Humongulai...it seems to take on the personality of a merchant who sees your body as its....er...wares".

EXP:296

At his words Kitsume grabbed her head with both hands and shook it. "A what and a who? Are you taking some sort of drug, there luv? What are you talking about. I'm the only one who can sell my body. And if there is something inside of me, we'd better get the damn thing out and kill it. Stupid mages tampering with someone like this." With that she looked up at him pleading until there was click in her mind and something began to make sense. Instantly she calmed and took a deep breath.

"What exactly did it say? What words did it use? If it can control me, or is trying to sell me, perhaps you can summon it again and then kill it before it makes me do something I will regret." With that she waited. her right arm itching under the skin for some reason. She began to scratch it and watch the man in front her. "get your sword, and if you can't kill it then you can kill me to destroy it." She was dead serious, if she was possessed by a demon or a spirit of some sort, she wanted it destroyed even it meant destroying her.

206

If Belmont ever had to be convinced of Kitsume’s worthiness to be a Remnant. Then it was done now. She was willing to die rather than be tainted by the presence of a spirit. A commendable attribute. There was no hesitation in her voice, something that not many of even the older members could say. He laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. “ Worry not, my senses would have told me if you were possessed by the taint of a spirit...you are free of this....there is no taint in you”. He looked up at her strange eyes again. “ What appears to remain inside you is a homunculi, I have heard tales of mages creating artificial lives, devoid of souls, they are capable of talking running out rudimentary commands...however as much as it may seem like it, a homunculi is not a spirit, merely a construct, a puppet, an imitation of life”. It was at this point Belmont made a decision, when they got back to Mare Maris he had simply decided like with most of the recruits he would be passing Kitsume onto the instructors for basic training. But with the soul of bravery within her, Belmont decided that he would oversee her training personally.

“ The homunculi spoke of a place called ‘down town’ I believe this is where we may find the answer to rid you of it, however...I believe the creature runs off a password, and shall not surface again till this password is spoken”.

Belmont wasn’t going to tell her just what this password was, after all that would be giving her her own personal kill switch. “ However you have convinced me of your worth this night as a recruit, sleep well. I will oversee your training personally when we return to the city”. He petted her cheek. Then returned to the bed roll.

EXP: 342
PWC:312

Belmont's hand came down to pat her shoulder and remained there as he spoke. Telling her of this thing that resided in her. But apparently he wasn't picking up any signs of spiritual beings inside her. This thing was a construct of some sort apparently. Not alive and not a spirit and without a soul. What was going on in her. It wasn't fear that she was showing, but rather more curiousity and disgust than anything else. Now she had more than just spirits to hate, but mages too. They had done this too her. But something seemed to change in Belmont for a moment. He said 'we' when he spoke of finding a way to rid her of this thing inside her.

At the mention of a password, she blinked at him about to ask him what the password was but he pressed onward and didn't give her a chance to ask. His next statement was rather warm for the man. She had proven herself, how? This caused her to be stunned as his hand came up and petted her cheek for a moment. It was rather strange feeling him stroke her cheek, she didn't even think about it, but leaned into the touch and turned her lips to kiss the palm of his hand. No one, especially not a man, had ever shown tenderness like this. And really she was just too stunned to anything but let her natural instinct take over. As he moved off to his bedroll she snuggled back down in hers and couldn't fall asleep for a good thirty minutes as she thought about everything and tried to compute it all.

289

Job roll

The member 'Jack' has done the following action : Dices roll

'10 (aka Steal) Roll' : 3

Soldier Job

The member 'Kazakura' has done the following action : Dices roll

'10 (aka Steal) Roll' : 7

updated Belmont
updated Kitsume