Drago Ryder

(Sorry for the delay. I kind of lost track of time.) The leader of the group gave a light nod as he motioned towards a tent that seemed a bit larger than the others. “It’s not much, but that should provide all the privacy and convenience we need to discuss such matters. Granted, it might be a bit of a tight fit with your friend.” A few other tents could be seen in a loose circle, though no campfire was lit with the sun at its current height. There was no reason to potentially give themselves away with the rising smoke. Within their destination lay a small oaken table, most likely reappropriated from some slaver, covered by a map of the local area. Markings could be seen of potential and checked locations, along with a variety of side notes and ink stains. After a moment of thought, the stallion continued on, figuring that now would be a good a time as any to get introductions out of the way. “I apologize for taking so long to provide my name, though I figured saving one of my own from his own foolishness was more of a priority. You can call me Rorik, and the hostage you had taken is Liam. Foal can be a bit headstrong, but who isn’t at their age.” Glancing at the other members of his groups within the general vicinity, he simply nodded. “At ease, the lot of you. These two are friendly.” Gale looked around and was a bit surprised at how quickly the mood could shift. One moment, they were ready for a fight, and the next they were a bit more relaxed than one might expect. “I can wait outside or help around here if need be. My name is Gale” The dragoness wasn’t too sure about giving her own name to these ponies, but the least she could do was give them the benefit of the doubt.

It didn’t take long for the pony that midnight had once used as a hostage to rejoin their comrades, though he would most certainly be bitter about this whole ordeal, if only from the embarrassment of it all. Either way, the perceived leader of the group didn’t seem to notice, instead opting to continue the conversation. “I don’t see why not. It’s not like we’re gettin’ a reward for this.” A smile then graced his lips as he moved on to Midnight’s second question. “As for the legend, it’s just one that’s been circulating around the zebra tribes concerning a lone wanderer hailed as a hero for the deeds he accomplished in life. We just tend to focus on the ones involving the liberation of those taken from their homes by force. Granted, some sources say he had a companion or two, though those instances are rare.” Figuring that hostilities had ceased for the time being, Gale exited the tree line and moved to stand next to Midnight. While she still didn’t trust these ponies, she would at least make them think she did for the time being. For now, it would probably be best if the talking was left to him.

Albin gave a light hum as he looked to the heavens in thought. Between the monsters that inhabited the world of Remnant and criminals that merely wanted to take advantage of a bad situation, it made sense that most would choose to live in large, walled cities. The protection more than made up for the high cost of living, though that didn’t mean there weren’t a brave few who decided to try life in one of the settlements scattered about the countryside. Most tended to fail within the first year, but those that survived tended to last. “Yes to both, though my home is one that has more than a few capable fighters. It also helps that it isn’t exactly an easy place to find unless you know where you’re going. All in all, it was a nice place.” Granted, the settlement itself wasn’t very large, having a population of just under a thousand people, but they made due with what they had. Turning his attention back to the present, Albin noticed the distinct scarcity of prospective students, and figured that it might be best to get whatever this place had in store for them out of the way. “We should probably get moving. The last thing we need is to be late on the first day.” With that being said, the teen began to walk down the path, taking in the beauty of the forest surrounding him.

Albin thought for a moment on Yuki’s words before simply shaking his head. “Oh, that was normal for her. To be honest, there are only a few individuals that she absolutely loathes, though that might have something to do with our home. Either way, you’ll know if she doesn’t.” The raven might have been small, but having access to a natural force that could strengthen and heal the body made things a lot more complicated when she was upset. If it weren’t for his own aura, then Eva might have very well gored him with her beak. Of course, that had led to the development of more... creative punishments for when she needed to get a point across. The mere thought of some of those tactics sent a shiver down his spine.

After a few minutes of trekking through the forest, Gale eventually caught sight of the group of ponies, along with Midnight, and figured that it would be best if she simply watched from the shadows of the tree line. If they tried anything, she would easily be able to respond in kind, though given how the situation had yet to escalate into an all out brawl, that might not have been needed. The stallion merely gave a light sigh as he simply shook his head. If subtlety wouldn’t do the trick, then perhaps being a tad more blunt would do the trick. “Yes, and that is precisely why we thought you might have been one of those slavers, and a particularly skilled one at that. The unicorn among our party would have used her own magic to levitate the dragon safely to the ground, though apparently that was not necessary.” It wasn’t hard to guess what might have happened to Midnight if such a thing was actually successful, even if the dragoness he was with would’ve gone free. “I suppose you could say an old legend inspired us to try and change the way things worked around here.”

Once he was off the vehicle, Albin managed to slowly regain his bearings and looked around. Other students already seemed to be milling about in the general area, most likely figuring that socialization would be a better alternative than making the journey to the main campus. He would probably have to muffle his semblance, lest he be swarmed by birds. He might enjoy their company more than most people, but he had already suffered enough humiliation for one day. “Yeah. Hopefully, that doesn’t become a common occurrence, though I see Eva likes you.” If it were possible, the raven would have rolled her eyes, before leaping off Yuki’s shoulder with a flap of her wings and flying into the forest. All things considered, she was rather curious about the new territory, and it wasn’t like she was missing anything important anyway.

@Acnologia I’m a bit iffy on whether or not the maidens will be involved within the story being weaved, though magic may or may not be given to our characters as time passes. Either way, technology is basically diluted back to a early industrial revolution level, with Atlas still being an innovator on that front. I’m still working out a few kinks when it comes to the gods, though I can safely say that people do at least do worship them in the sense of a duality of good and evil. Other religions most certainly exist, albeit rare, and as for the kingdoms, those changes exist on a case by case basis.

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to remember that.” He might not have went through the same training programs as most of the people here, but that didn’t really mean anything if he still knew how to fight. Either way, he was honestly hoping that they were put on the same team. He felt his normally tense muscles relax around her, and she had honestly made him forget about his motion sickness. Granted, that only lasted up to the point where his lunch came back up in a rather explosive display, but at least he had managed to turn his head to avoid hitting her in time. He had already felt Eva fly backwards in order to not get tossed off, not noticing how she landed on Yuki’s own shoulder. It was at the same time that the vehicle had come in for a landing on an isolated pad connected directly to the Beacon campus by a short nature trail. Considering its proximity to the school, the chance of grimm being nearby would be practically nonexistent. Once off, students would be directed to head to the academy’s amphitheater for orientation by conveniently placed signs.

For the time being, Albin ignored the offered medicine, not really trusting the source entirely and not knowing what it might do to him. Either way, a light chuckle escaped his smiling lips as he leaned back in an attempt to at least soothe his nausea. The fact that the wolf faunus flirting with another potential student reminded him of a friend of his didn’t exactly help, but all he could do was ignore it for the time being. “That doesn’t really sound to boring compared to my own weapons. I’m more of a board and sword kind of guy myself. It might be simple, but it certainly works most of the time.” While Eva was not exactly prideful, that did not mean she wouldn’t preen whenever a compliment was given, and it did certainly help with her opinion of the girl.

“Well, I’ll be sure to remember that, Yuki.” It might have been a bit presumptuous to assume that she considered him a friend after only a few seconds, but he tried to at least have some confidence for once in his life. After all, she wouldn’t have said anything if they weren’t right? Either way, he was glad to at least be holding a conversation with another student, though he did wince slightly at the mention of the word she used to describe Eva. “Either way, the school typically doesn’t. Thankfully, loophole in the rules let me bring her along, not that I consider her one mind you. She’s more like an adopted sister with one heck of an honor code.” Granted, he was mostly to blame for that, but he figured that such a thing would be best kept a secret. For now, Eva would forgive the fox faunus for the slight, though that didn’t mean she would a second time. After all, it didn’t sound like she was a resident of the village she and Albin had grown up in if her name was anything to go by, and she certainly would have remembered someone with her appearance. With that in mind, the bird simply jumped and landed on her human’s left shoulder, observing another conversation occurring nearby from her new perch, letting a light croak escape her beak in annoyance.

The raven watched as the fox faunus approached one of the two scions of the Wolfram family that belonged to this generation. All things considered, she didn’t seem like much of a threat at the moment, but one could never be to certain. Moving a bit closer to the boy that had unlocked her aura, she let what sounded like a light croak escape her beak, tilting her body forward slightly and extending her wings. ”It’s fine, Eva. There’s no need to be rude.” While it wasn’t exactly vocal, Albin’s voice did seem to calm the bird to some degree, though that might have also been due to the slight activation of his semblance. He then turned his attention towards the newcomer and let a weak smile grace his lips before moving to stand. “Yeah, I’m not exactly used to traveling like this, so my stomach is violently protesting the decision to come here. My name is Albin, by the way. You’re another applicant of Beacon, right?” It was a bit redundant given the vehicle’s destination, but it would make a good conversation starter.

@TBD Yeah. I kind of mentioned Ryu’s own views on the current hero system earlier in the rp, though him vocalizing those frustrations would certainly give others something to think about. Overall, he takes most of his inspiration on heroism from the legends and histories of old, from Gilgamesh to Jeanne d'Arc and everything in between.

The RP is up and running. I apologize for the delay.

OOC: https://mlpforums.com/topic/189457-into-darkness-a-rwby-rp-ooc/ @Acnologia @Meson Bolt @dragon4111 “If one were to ask me how I might best describe the world of Remnant, then I suppose its very name would be the most accurate depiction, cliche as that might sound. The kingdoms of mankind that once spanned entire continents have been reduced to nothing, besieged by the grimm and abandoned by the still worshipped brother gods due to the actions of a few. Whether it be through stubbornness to live or ingenuity, the new breeds have managed to eek out a meager existence in comparison to what their predecessor once had. Brief glimmers of the old world still remain, albeit hidden, though whether or not such power is ready to be released is unknown. All I can hope is that this fragile peace lasts.” -Journal of an old man Albin would have been lying to himself if he didn’t expect something to go wrong during his tenure at Beacon, most of it stemming from his Introverted personality. His parents had already provided a few details, albeit vaguely, but he knew enough to know that he would almost certainly be spending the next four years with three other people. Whether or not he would actually come to enjoy spending time with them was something he tried to not think about, simply deciding to let fate do as it please. The funny thing was that he had yet to even step foot onto Beacon’s campus, but was sitting in what he would describe as a flying box of death, most commonly known as a airbus, that was taking him, along with every other first year applicant, to one of the most prestigious huntsman academies in the world. The mode of transportation in of itself was rather rare, with trains being far more common, though it made sense that such an establishment might have one or two at their disposal. Sitting with his back against one of the few walls not made of glass with his body as compact as possible, he could see other potential students milling about or sending him wary glances, and Eva, the beautiful raven that she forever will be, was perched on the railing to his left. He could understand why she might be a bit reserved about being close to him at the time, but it didn’t exactly help with his current predicament. “I can ride Faith into a pack of beos and come out smelling like death, and not even that gets a reaction. A pox on whoever made these accursed things.” The thought might have been a bit exaggerated, but the point still stood. At the very least, he would only ruin his casual attire on the first day, with his combat gear being shipped the day prior.

Roleplay:https://mlpforums.com/topic/189487-into-darkness-a-rwby-rp/ Welcome to the OOC thread for Into Darkness. I am still open to the idea of a second team of four. Current Members: @Drago Ryder @Acnologia @Meson Bolt @dragon4111 If you have already joined, I am looking forward to seeing how this project might progress, though there are some obligatory ground rules that must be covered - In order to avoid confusion, please post in the order of the list above. - Feel free to send ideas for subplots to me, and please ask before executing them - If you wish to leave the rp, please inform everyone - Aside from Beacon professors and Salem, the appearance of canon characters will be kept to a minimum The RP itself will be up shortly.

The pony seemed to merely roll their eyes at the threat, though one of the older members that stood opposite of Midnight, an earth pony with a heavy build and a dark brown coat, spoke before he could carry such a thing out. “Please forgive him for his manners, or lack thereof. The youth today can be quite brash at the most inopportune moments. We saw you riding the dragon and heading in the general direction of a popular trade hub, even if the wares are something some would shy away from. I take it you are not from around here?”

@Bakugou Is My Man ❤ Ryu’s agility and social skills could certainly use some work, and mitigating his take off time and weakness to low temperatures certainly wouldn’t hurt either. He’ll probably try to find new facets of his quirk in his free time either way.

(Sorry for the delay. Holidays kept me busy, Either way, I’ll go with the first option.) For now, the projectiles stopped, though whether this was due to the fact that one of their own had been captured or a lack of bolas was up for debate. Upon closer inspection, Midnight could potentially notice the swords that had yet to be drawn and light armor that shielded their body from harm. Of course, the ponies also took this time to study Midnight and the weapon he held to their companion’s throat. The craftsmanship was unlike anything they had seen before and also made them wary of doing anything too drastic. In a world of magic, a weapon could easily sheer a mountain in two if the correct enchantments were applied, though such skill was nonexistent at the time. Of course, one just couldn’t keep his mouth shut, specifically the one closest to certain death. “Heh, and here we figured someone like you would’ve used the dragon to just burn the whole forest down.”

(Fair enough) Once Midnight has dismounted, Gale continued forward, swerving between the trees. With that in mind, the projectiles seemed to stop targeting her, so that allowed her to at least land on the ground and catch her breath. Were they only targeting anything within a certain radius? Slowly, the dragoness moved back to where she had dropped off the pony, Either way, it seemed that their new target was Midnight, though only one came at him at a time. There were certainly enough trees to provide decent cover, though how long such a thing might last was unknown.

While Gale was a bit surprised by the pseudo-hug, she had to admit that it did feel rather nice, though it was probably best if she remained focused on the task at hand. “Right. I’ll fly low, but you might have to jump off. Be careful, please.” The dragoness then angled her body downward and tried to get as much speed as possible before leveling off a meter or two above the ground. She had a few close calls with whatever those projectiles were , the chain of one grazing the edge of her wing. It stung a bit, but she would work through it.

“The mountain caves would be a good location for storage or hiding if their practice is looked down upon by a majority of Equestrian society, though that wasn’t exactly the impression I got from our earlier conversation. If we’re lucky, they’ll be out in the open.” It would be good if the slaves weren’t already being transported, though she could certainly provide air support while he took whatever boat they were on. Before the dragoness could continue with the conversation, an object that could best be summarized as two weighted spheres connected by a thick cord shot past her, one of the balls missing her face by a few inches. More of the same type of object came from the forest below, though she tried to avoid them without throwing Midnight off her back. The projectiles seemed to be meant for immobilization, though the cord itself wasn’t long enough to wrap around her midsection with her wings extended. That didn’t mean they couldn’t do some damage or force her tail fins closed. “Whoever’s throwing those things either has a good bit of strength or their using magic.”

(Right. I’ll try to do that in my next post.) Gale paused in thought at Midnight’s observation, simply gliding in a straight line for a few moments before pulling into a gentle U-turn. “Yeah, I probably should’ve asked which way we were heading before taking off like that. Thankfully, you’re a bit more familiar with Equestrian cities than I am.” Honestly, she couldn’t even remember the last time she had looked at a map, so it would certainly be best if she left navigation to someone with a bit more world experience. Either way, she did notice the stronger grip he had on her upper chest and shoulders and figured it would be best to at least help him relax to some extent. If this was his first time doing this, she wanted him to at least enjoy it. “I suppose it might be a bit of both, though I do apologize if it was a bit rough. Thankfully, the hard part should be over, so it should be a smooth glide from here on out.” Assuming that the weather didn’t go south, she would certainly try to land in some inconspicuous location within walking distance of their destination, if only to avoid drawing too much attention to them.

Gale nodded in understanding, hoping that the dorsal ridges on her back weren’t digging into his chest. It honestly felt like a large, thick blanket had been placed over her, though she tried to not think about that too much. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I had in mind. The air gets a bit thinner the higher up you go, and it can have some nasty side effects if you aren’t used to it.” Granted, flying low would also make her more vulnerable to any being that might want to chance catching a dragon, especially since they were about to start investigating a potential slaver operation. Trying to push that thought to the side, the dragoness took to the sky with a beat of her wings and leveled off just a few meters above the tree line. She wasn’t exactly at her top speed, though that was mainly a result of Midnight’s weight upon her back. Aside from that everything she associated with flying was still there: the wind rushing over her scales and a feeling of freedom that allowed her to not care about whatever might be occurring on the ground below.

Gale nodded slightly, figuring that such might be the case. This was also the first time that she would be doing this as well, so they would at least be breaking ground in new territory together. She also made sure to keep the wing next to him close to her body when she felt his hooves on her back, not wanting to hit him by reflex on accident. “That sounds to good to me. I’ll try to start off slow and see how it goes from there as well.” The dragoness then lowered her body as instructed, figuring that having Midnight jump on top of her would probably do more harm to her back than anything else. The added weight would certainly slow her down, but it would still probably be faster and less risky when compared to walking.

Gale paused for a moment to think about the question Midnight had posed. She doubted that either of them had a means of giving him a secure seating arrangement on her back and simply carrying him underneath via claws and feet would only increase the risk posed by the activity they might undertake. “I suppose the best thing to do would be to just lay on my back and hold on as best you can. I’ll try not to go too fast, so that would certainly help. This is sort of a first for me as well.”