Teen Titans: Heroes of the North [CLOSED]

[Hotaru987]

"I'm awesome." Milani silently praised herself seeing her disks make contact, and even taking one of them out in the process. Thanks to Hikaru's music they were already disoriented, and her attack had them even more in a fray. Next Luxa appeared, her fingers having transformed into some love plant like vines. They were different from the plant she used last time, but Milani wasn't much of a botanist so that's as much as she knew. Through the ear piece she heard Luxa's voice, "Kowen, Milani now!" Milani quickly moved into action. Kowen had already moved in - having been closer than her - and changed into a Silver-back gorilla running head first into the remaining enemies.

"Don't forget about me." She said jumping in, and aiming a 360 round house at one of the guy's heads. Unsure of whether her attack took him out or not, she settled for going after another, thrusting her staff in his gut. If her thrust made contact, then she would follow with an over head smash to the guys shoulder.

[Saiba Aisu]

Although she would never admit it to the others, Luxa was relieved to see that her teammates were willing to work with her and take advantage of the opening she had created. For a moment, she had been worried that the battle would dissolve into the same type of disorganized skirmish that had cost them their last mission—but things were different now.

Reacting quickly, Luxa pivoted gracefully on one foot like a ballerina, her arms aloft and extended as one of the black-clad individuals flew past her, tossed aside by the sheer ferocity of Kowen's animalistic charge. Regaining her grounded stance and turning back towards the others, she could see that Milani had also entered the fray, her movements sharp and acrobatic as she engaged the mysterious enemies. Yet as she continued to observe, she came to a sudden realization with a sinking feeling.

[i]We're not going to win at this rate[/i], she thought in surprise, watching as the remaining foes engaged her teammates. Although Kowen's gorilla-enhanced muscles were clearing a wide space around him, he had yet to connect a single solid blow, except for the man that he had hurled past her earlier. As for Milani, she was beset on all sides, her staff reduced to a shimmering blur as she feverishly parried the jagged daggers that darted past her.

One of the enemies broke off from the main group, springing away in a series of back-handed springs. With smooth, swift movements, he strung and drew a customized bow. Before Hikaru could react, he had released a volley of hooked arrows, buzzing with an ominous hum as their invisible electric current pulsed through the air. As the musician was forced to deal with the attack, the hypnotic tune of his melody dwindled and then faded.

As Luxa watched, attempting to find an opening, one of the assailants suddenly sprang past Kowen's peripheral vision, towards his unprotected back. Drawing a flailing cord of golden energy, she brandished the electro-whip and then lashed out, catching firm hold of the young Titan's bulging forearm. With a dismissive flick, the black-clad woman twisted her weapon, watching as Kowen fell to his knees with a scream of agony, temporarily overwrought by the powerful electric current coursing through his body.

"That was just a taster," the woman breathed excitedly, her eyes flashing through the green goggles, raising her weapon to strike again. A moment later, a thorny tendril wound its way around her raised arm. Before the woman could react, Luxa swung her up and around, releasing her and watching as she crumpled against a nearby wall and tumbled to the street.

"[i]Imbécile[/i]," she said softly, "I'm not going to let you hurt them!" Turning back to the fray, the French girl splayed her fingers and sent a writhing mass of vines into the mass of foes, buffeting them aside for a few seconds.

"Kresnik," Luxa spoke calmly into the transmitter, watching as the enemies began to get to their feet and surround her, Kowen, and Milani, "we could really use your help right now."

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik's ear twitched when Luxa's voice rang through the communicator. She mulled over some tactics in her head for a moment, then nodded to herself and took the hand of the strange girl she had rescued before expertly cutting it with a scalpel-like item item pulled from her satchel; the finger bled for but a second, but a drop balled on the tip of the blade; she touched it to her lips immediately afterwards, while walking to the mouth of the alley.

"Stay close, and away from them. Let us take care of it," she said quickly, though professionally. With the girl's blood in her system now, she didn't fear their only lead running away from them- she could always be tracked as needed. While it would have been safer to stay nearer to her, it would appear the titans didn't have quite that luxury.

Fully armoured enemies. Direct antisoul attacks effectively useless- likewise, it was very unlikely she could draw blood in the heat of battle. Bullets unlikely to be particularly effective- while the force behind the heavy pistol would be enough to turn a concave steel wall convex, it was still just one shot off of an admittedly sub-par marksman, especially considering the height of the sun. Shrapnel was unlikely to be particularly effective, given the enemy's equipment.

The direct method then. The enemies were largely weak humanoids equipped with powerful technology- in a way, it was almost a throwback to her old police days. Well well. It seemed her training [i]had [/i]prepared her to a certain extent after all.

Kresnik jumped from the alley and leapt upon the closest enemy towards her. The old saw came to mind as she scanned the piecemeal armor he wore- identity weakpoint. Strike, disorient, strike again, dispose weapon- then repeat. Infinite variations within itself, but a solid, simple pattern she could follow and repeat, improvising as she went. That was the essence of methodical work- a solid base. It was like a mantra, allowing for a zen-like state of strikes and blocks that could only be found in intensive study and combat against a large group.

She even threatened to smile a little.

[Ren✧]

Kowen roared in frustration, his powerful attacks kept hitting air and Kowen was getting tired of it. [i]'Gah, this is just as bad as trying to get through the breakers with a tied up arm,' [/i]Kowen thought to himself, using a popular surfing anecdote. Realizing he needed to change tactics, he prepared himself to take on a different transformation. Before he could though, he felt something lash around his arm and then before he could even see what it was a terrible, burning pain ripped through his entire body. Kowen screamed in agony and fell to his knees.

Knowing that he couldn't take two of those hits twice in a row, he turned to see his assailant. This member of the group appeared to be a woman, although Kowen couldn't tell for sure, seeing as they wore protective masks as well as padded armor. Before he could even think of a plan to engage the enemy, a spiked vine wrapped around her arm. Not even realizing what was happening, the woman stalled for a second. She was then mercilessly thrown against a wall, slumping to the ground she didn't rise again.

Kowen turned to Luxa and shouted a quick thanks before returning to the fray. He would thank her more in depth later, right now he needed to get back into the battle. Reverting his arms back to their normal size, Kowen surveyed the battle at hand. An idea then came to him, but doing it involved a transformation he had never attempted before. [i]'Won't know in less I try,' [/i]He thought to himself. Closing his eyes in concentration he first focused on the easiest of the transformation, his arms.

A thick, plate-like armor began to cover his outstretched arms, completely encasing them. His fingers, not including his thumb, melded together and began to grow longer and sharper. His arms had transformed into those of a scorpion. "Wicked," He said to himself. At that moment he saw a flash of golden light, identical to that of an electro whip. The light wrapped around his newly transformed arm, but instead of the intense pain he had felt before it was not more of an annoying itch. Smiling to himself, Kowen realized that the scorpion armor-like plates protected him from the jarring electricity.

Kowen raised his hand and attempted to hit the figure, this time a male, with the flat of his claw, hoping to not have to snap him in half.

[Hotaru987]

Milani didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep this up. Her saving grace was her speed, and acrobatic movements, but with that she could land a blow solid enough to incapacitate one of them. It was hard enough trying to keep them all within her sights, but accompanied with their throwing knives it was proving harder than she thought. Despite the obvious trouble, she was enjoying the battle for now anyway. She was detracted when she heard Kowen cry out in pain, which was enough time for Milani to get impaled in her right shoulder by a throwing knife. She cursed, dodging another barrage of knives.

With a wince she yanked the knife out, and dove back into the enemies twirling her staff like a madman in an attempt to get a good shot. Though now her shoulder was burning from the pain. Even with the pain, she got in a a few kits on her opponents but like before they weren't enough to stop them. In fact it seemed to only make them angrier and fiercer in their attacks. [i]'Hm...Some super awesome exploding powers would be helpful right now.' [/i]She mused in her head, effortlessly weaving through more knives. Just where were they getting all these knives from? Luckily, Krensik was able to finally join the fray, but she also noted that she couldn't hear Hikaru's playing anymore. Did something happen to him?

"Woah there!" She laughed ducking under another a attack that almost took her head off. She continued to parry her assailants attacks. Though she wasn't getting anywhere, she was able to keep the ones coming after her at bay.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

He had to admit, the improved teamwork of the Titans was paying off. After he had released a musical cue, things were falling into place; that is, until their enemies started to regain their bearings and actually use their weaponry. Due to his focusing on his music, Hikaru almost missed seeing the volley of arrows flying at him. At the last possible moment, he leapt back and managed to dodge most of them, but one arrow in the back of the formation was aimed higher than the rest when it was launched, and struck him right underneath his left shoulder blade as it lodged itself underneath his clavicle.

When the arrow hit, an electric current was released throughout his body, causing him to cry out in pain as his body underwent uncontrollable spasms for a few seconds. After regaining some control in his right hand, he grabbed the arrow and pulled, but couldn't remove it due to it being lodged firmly, the hooked tip preventing him from pulling it straight out. Steadily regaining control of his body, Hikaru sat up, and, gripping the arrow firmly near the fletching, broke it into two pieces. Throwing aside the fletched end, he reached behind his back with his right hand, and using three fingers, slowly pulled the arrow out from behind before throwing it aside.

After removing his piccolo and harmonica from his vest, he took off the black garment and wrapped it around his left shoulder, tying it into a makeshift tourniquet to staunch his bleeding. A large red stain was now relatively easy to spot on his formerly flawless white dress shirt; he made a point to see Kresnik after the fight was over. His left arm was out of commission, as he couldn't hold his cello or piccolo in the proper position. He resorted to using his last option, his harmonica.
Slinging his cello onto his back over his right shoulder after pocketing his piccolo into his dress pants, Hikaru held the harmonica in his right hand and played some blues, hoping that their numbers were reduced enough so that his music would have an increased effect. He made sure to give himself some decent cover this time. He slightly shuddered from remnants of electricity still coursing through him.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Le Bleu Ciel District, Aurora City]The dark-haired girl seemed a bit surprised when Kresnik drew and subsequently consumed a drop of her blood—she hissed slightly and raised one hand, if to push the scarlet-eyed girl away from her. At Kresnik's instructions, however, she relaxed visibly and nodded, seeing the sense in the plan; without another word, she whirled and disappeared further into the alley, taking advantage of the surrounding chaos to seek a suitable hiding place.

Meanwhile, Kresnik tore herself from the shadows of the alley and leapt into the fray like a nightmare, her superior combat skills allowing her to disarm her foes and incapacitate them with a series of methodic movements. At that moment, Hikaru managed to recover from his injury and began to play his harmonica, summoning a mournful tune that dragged at the enemy's movements, allowing Milani to score a series of solid hits, buffeting the foes aside with powerful strikes to their chests and legs. Thanks to his transformation, Kowen had managed to make himself temporarily resistant to the powerful attacks from opponents wielding electro-whips. Taking the shift into stride, he struck out with his newly formed scorpion claw in a hammer-like motion, clubbing the black-clad male before him soundly.

"Where's the girl?!" one of the villains barked suddenly in a deep voice, obviously displeased with the most recent turn of events. He growled as he went head-to-head with Milani, exchanging a swift series of parries with his own electrically-charged staff before springing away from her a few feet.

"I don't see her," one of the women replied, cartwheeling aside and away from Kresnik before she could be outmatched in hand-to-hand combat. Her head turned from side to side with a disconcerting intensity, like a lioness seeking her prey with the hot lust of hunger. "We should retreat for now!" she cried, coming to a sudden decision.

The man who had spoken earlier seemed annoyed at her suggestion, but he complied readily enough. "Fine," he snapped, "retreat!" He must have been speaking into some kind of communicator or hidden radio, because within moments, a large van had screeched around the corner and hurtled towards them. With swift, practiced motions the group loaded their fallen comrades into the van and sped away in the opposite direction, back towards the heart of the city. A few moments later, Hikaru had clambered down from the rooftop slowly, obviously hindered by his injury as he rejoined the others.

"Should we feel insulted?" Luxa asked disdainfully, retracting her demonic plants until her hands had resumed their usual color and shape. She tossed her hair with her usual haughtiness and then dusted herself off, although her ruffled skirt was impeccable, as always. "Clearly, those black-clad freaks were more interested in that girl than in us. Did you manage to get a lock on her?"

This last remark was directed to Kresnik, who was still holding a few of the weapons she had torn from her opponents, as if she were planning to study them for more clues later.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Please Read.]Alright, guys. This post marks the successful completion of our second battle scenario—however, the mission is by no means over! Please stay active and on your toes as you track down the mysterious girl and attempt to discover why she was being pursued so intensely. You might inquire into the identity of her attackers, too.[/spoiler][/center]

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik felt her heart beat faster and her body heat up when it looked like the enemies were getting away. They were winning! Their quarry was slipping through their grasp and if they didn't do something, they would [i]lose their [/i][i]targets-[/i]

She managed to calm herself quickly the moment she realized her mouth was salivating, slightly- it was a only a momentary failure, but for a second she had been looking at the criminals as her [i]prey. [/i]She didn't want to know what lived at the end of that thought path, and purged it from her head as soon as she could- criminals were criminals. People who deserved to be subject to punishments as dictated by the law; nothing more, nothing less. Allowing them to escape was not necessarily a failure, especially considering these individuals were almost certainly just a small cell of a larger unit.

Before their van managed to blow past him, she flicked out her pistol at lightning speed and replaced the usual magazine with a special wheel she'd prepared just before the mission; she trigger clicked and the parcel dispatched silently, a needle flying through the air at bullet speed before it neatly pierced the exterior of the van, entering the interior of the vehicular and dispatching a number of tracking nodes as the needle collapsed in on itself.

Soul tracking was the ultimate way of finding a person, but sometimes finding an object was more important.

She holstered her gun again, and watched as the car left the general area. She considered phoning in the location of the vehicle to the police, but remembered soon after that she was part of the Teen Titans now. Officers were not under her jurisdiction, and they were expected to make due without help from the justice department in the first place.

"They're hunters," Kresnik said when Luxa mentioned the group's apparent obsession. Her eyes were still flushed red from increased bloodflow. "That stood out quite readily. I suspect they were chasing her as much for sport as for any other reason," she murmured, before recognizing Luxa had asked a question. She nodded.

"I have a lock, good for about twelve hours."

[Yang Xiao-Long]

Hikaru found himself relieved when the group the Titans were fighting ran off. [i]Good to know that our ensemble is getting in some rather nice teamwork[/i], he thought to himself as he slowly clambered down from his rooftop position. When he finally reached the ground, he slowly walked over to regroup with his fellow Titans; it didn't hurt to walk, but he did have a hole going through his shoulder, and small steps had to be done in order to prevent aggravating further pain.

"Well, that was eventful," he said as he stood by the others. He half-wondered what their reactions to his injury would be; after a brief thought, he returned to reality. "Alright, so where to?" he inquired of Kresnik. As he waited for an answer, he winced from the pain in his shoulder. Out of reflex, he brought his right hand up and held his shoulder by his makeshift tourniquet. His lack of vest was clear as day, the large bloodstain even more so.

[Ren✧]

Kowen lashed out with his claws at those around him, but before he could get close enough to land a solid hit a clear order was given to the Titan's enemies, "Retreat!" Attempting to land one more hit, Kowen tried a quick hammer-like blow to a fleeing enemy that ran beside but to no avail. He considered going after them, but noticed the rest of the Titans were making no attempt. He gave a sigh of both relief and disappoint, because they were not able to apprehend them. Retracting his scorpion claws, he started to make his way over to the rest of the group.

"Who were those guys?" Kowen asked. Kowen was about to inquire as to where the girl was, but Kresnik confirmed that she could track her before he could get the words. "Do we split up then? Three of us after those guys," He said, gesturing with his thumb in the direction the van had fled," and then two of us after the girl?"

[Hotaru987]

Milani was disappointed that the enemy managed to get away. [i]'At least this time we all managed to work together much better than last time.' [/i]That was an understatement. Last time they were all over the place, but this time it seemed like they were a bit more in sync, and worked better off of each other. She turned when the others started to group up. Kresnik then said that she had a tracker on them, and that it would last for 12 hours. Kowen suggested that they split up, three after the van and two to catch the girl. "Didn't Kresnik already secure her?" She faced Kresnik, "Did you hide her away?"

Glancing at Hikaru she noticed he was injured, and seeing that it reminded her of her own injury. She rotated her shoulder, checking to see how much range of motion she had left. Luckily there didn't seem to be any damage to her ligaments, or nerves. Just normal pain from being stabbed. "So what's our next game plan? If it means anything, I agree with Kowen in that we should split up."

[Hydra of Ages]

"I did," Kresnik said, eyes locking onto Hikaru's obvious wound as she walked over to the musician's side, opening her satchel and retrieving a number of medical instruments. "She's hiding on top of the fire escape on that alleyway. Identify yourself before you attempt to collect her, she has access to the roof and will be able to flee before you catch up to her, if she thinks you're a threat," she muttered as she indicated for Hikaru to lay down while she attended to his injury.

She removed the bloody vest he'd used to try and staunch the wound, and cut through the shirt beneath with a small scalpel she held, before lightly probing the injured muscle with her fingers. The injury was deep, but the arrow hadn't broken and his shoulder muscles hadn't been traumatised- he'd be fine as long as he allowed the wound to heal properly. Moderate exorcize for the next week, and avoid injuring that side of his body any further than he already had- playing his instruments should be fine, so long as he didn't force his hands to move faster than they likely could at the moment.

A small needle jabbed into the injured area and injected a small dose of muscle relaxant into his shoulder, loosening the broken muscle so as to prevent the hole from tightening his shoulder and weakening his arm for the rest of his life, followed by a fine mist of antiseptic. She ripped off a number of bandages from the same roll she'd used for Kowen earlier, tying them tightly while still not cutting off the bloodflow. Finally, she pulled out a dark red vial and with a dextrous movement, slashed one of her finders near the tip. A scarlet drop mingled with the rest of the liquid, brightening it almost imperceptibly.

"Drink this," she said to Hikaru. "Don't overwork that arm, but make sure to keep it moving for the next week or so. You should be able to remove the bandages by tomorrow morning. See me if it starts bleeding again, or hurting more than you think it should be."

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img]

[b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Le Bleu Ciel District, Aurora City]Luxa stood aside as her teammates discussed the situation and Kresnik began to treat Hikaru's wounds. Now that the conflict was over and the group was out of danger, she was quickly returning to her usual indifference—it was fairly obvious that neither the mission nor the girl interested her very much.

[i]Still[/i], she thought, half-listening as Kresnik revealed the girl's hiding place, [i]the faster we finish this assignment, the sooner we can return to Titan's Tower[/i]. With her thoughts arranged along those lines, she walked over to the mouth of the alley with her usual impudent grace, until she stood close to the fire escape that her teammate had described.

Cupping her hand to her mouth, Luxa called out, "We know you're up there! The group that was chasing you is gone, so you can come down now." She waited for a moment to see the efficacy of her words; when the girl did not appear immediately, she decided to call out again.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," she added, although her cold haughtiness and flashing silver-blue eyes made no such promises.

There was a brief pause and then, with a graceful feline motion, the girl uncurled herself from the shadows, where she had been balanced precariously on the fire escape. Her wavy dark hair trailed after her as she sprung down onto the ground with hardly any noise, landing lightly on her feet. She rose slightly as she approached, her eyes wary as she surveyed the Teen Titans, clearly ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger.

"Well, come on then," Luxa interjected, tossing her hair with an impatient flounce. "Who are you? And why were those people chasing you?"

At her words, the dark-haired girl straightened, a wry twist on her expressive, tanned complexion. She was slightly taller than Luxa, a fact which evidently displeased the French girl. "My name is Elena," she said at last, the same rich accent from before coloring her words with a tropical hue.

"And those people.. they are [i]los Extinciónistas[/i]."[/spoiler]

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright, everyone. It's time for a little bit of backstory. Elena's remark is very significant—"[i]Los Extinciónistas[/i]" is a Spanish translation of "The Extinctionists." Within the alternate DC Universe that I have established, the Extinctionists are an infamous, zealous group whose influence spreads across the planet. Composed exclusively of rich businessmen with a passion for cruelty and hunting, the group dedicates itself to tracking down rare animals and killing them. Although they are notorious, they are also very secretive—until the Teen Titans' encounter with the group, there were hardly any accounts of their movement or appearance. For this reason, they have come to be known as an urban legend, meaning that most of the Teen Titans should at least have a rough idea of what they're dealing with. Unfortunately, it would appear that a division of the Extinctionists is now operating within Aurora City. What could their connection to Elena be?[/spoiler][/center]

[Yang Xiao-Long]

Hikaru watched as Kresnik began treating his shoulder injury. He only winced twice while being treated; once when she had probed the injury to determine the extent of the damage, the other being a needle stuck directly into the injury. He had to commend her for skill in treatment.
After having his shoulder wound bandaged, he was handed a small vial with a red liquid inside of it, and was told to drink. He did so without questioning, then handed the vial back after noticing a slight tinge of iron in the taste. After standing upright, he slowly rotated his shoulder to test his movement.
"Thank you, Kresnik," he said with a small grin.

As the team moved to meet the girl they had just rescued, he realized his shirt wasn't exactly perfect; it was bloody, and cut from where Kresnik had treated his injury. He figured a missing sleeve was better than a cut one, so he grabbed it and tore it off, sliding it off his arm before throwing it and his bloody vest away in a nearby trash can, all the while listening to the conversation between Luxa and the girl they rescued, learning that her name was Elena.

"Wait, did you say the [i]los Extinciónistas[/i] were after you?" he asked, upon hearing the name. "I've only heard rumors of them when I moved here from overseas. They might have been related to some rather strange occurances in some of my later professional concert performances, but other than that, I didn't even know they were actually operating. But why would they be after you, Elena?" he inquired.

[Ren✧]

Kowen watched Luxa leave the rest of the group and go to fetch the girl that the group had been after. "Well I guess that answers that question," Kowen said, mostly to himself. It appeared as if they would not be needing to split up, but if they were going to chase down those guys they needed to get started. Having take Spanish 1 in Junior High, Kowen knew the group name translated into 'The Extinctionists', a name that made him shudder. Of all the crime groups in the world, this was the one that actually got Kowen's attention. Having shared a mind with many of the rare animals that were killed at the hands of 'The Extinctionists', the thought of someone purposely killing them enraged him.

"Why were they after, Elena?" Kowen asked the girl repeating Hikaru's question, giving his signature boyish smile. The girl was quite cute and while yes they were on a mission, that didn't mean Kowen couldn't lay the ground work, right?

[Hotaru987]

Milani folded her arms behind her head, waiting while Luxa left to get the girl they saw being chased. The girl was brought over, introducing herself as Elena. She was tanned as well, a real beautiful complexion. When asked who were those people chasing after her she replied [i]Los [/i][i]Extinciónistas[/i]. Milani remembered hearing her father mention their name a few times. Their influence was quite widespread, and she remembered hearing something about them and hunting rare animals, though most of that was information that most people knew. As for that, she didn't know much about what or who they were. Since the question of why she was being chased was asked twice, she just stood back and waited for the answer.

She looked back at Elena, now more curious as to why she was being targeted. What was so special about her that [i]Los [/i][i]Extinciónistas [/i]would go through so much trouble as to chase after her.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Le Bleu Ciel District, Aurora City]Despite her bedraggled appearance, Elena seemed very calm—in fact, she even smiled faintly into the tumult as the three teenagers addressed her one after the other. "Yes," she replied, directing her remarks to Hikaru, "they are part of that same group. [i]Los Extinciónistas[/i], or as you would say, the Extinctionists...? I thought I had escaped them before, in my home country, but it seems that their influence is greater than I thought."

The dark-haired girl's bright demeanor suddenly changed, giving way to a much more tempestuous expression, until her chocolate eyes were flashing with righteous indignation. "Those people, they are worse than [i]puercos[/i]," she growled, making a passionate gesture. "They care nothing for the animals that they hunt—the rarer and more beautiful, the better it is for them. The reason that they are after me is—"

Before Elena could finish her sentence, there was a sudden whistling noise from somewhere above and behind the group, as if an invisible sparrow had swept over them. With a painful shuddering motion, Elena's slender frame collapsed forwards, her eyes rolling upwards, as if to stare at the bullet that had lodged itself in her forehead.

The Teen Titans whirled as one in the opposite direction, hearts pounding with righteous fury, ready to avenge the girl's murder. A few rooftops away, a black-clad member of the Extinctionists strapped a modified sniper rifle to his back. Brandishing a silver pole, the assailant spread the wings of the glider and then leapt, hovering swiftly away from the team and into the hazy distance. Within moments, he had disappeared completely.

"Well, there goes another one."

Spinning around at the same speed, the team stared in disbelief at Elena, who was dusting herself off with a look of exasperation. She took one glance at the golden bullet in her hand and then tossed it away in disgust. There was still blood on her forehead, but her wound seemed to have closed somehow, and she was still very much alive.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we should finish this conversation at Titan's Tower," Luxa said coolly, breaking the shocked silence. For once, however, her words lacked their usual frozen spite.

===

"It's a complicated story," Elena began slowly, a guarded look in her eyes as she glanced among the Teen Titans. The group was gathered in the Central Complex, staring at her fixedly. "But if you really want to hear it, then I will tell you."

With a fluid, effortless motion, Elena sank into a sitting position with her legs bent and crossed at the ankle. Despite the fact that she was sitting on the floor rather than the sofa, she seemed perfectly comfortable. As she gazed expectantly at the team, they realized that they were supposed to do the same—one by one, the Teen Titans sat down around the strange dark-haired girl, forming a rough circle on the floor.

"What I'm about to tell you," Elena said softly, "you cannot repeat to anyone without my permission. Do you promise? Swear it!"[/spoiler]

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright, everyone. I know I promised I would post this morning but I just didn't have the time! I hope I didn't disappoint you too badly in that respect. I will be at a water park with the kids tomorrow, so we'll see how tired I am when I get back. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and are enjoying this mission. Before we can embark upon Elena's odyssey, however, I need you all to promise that you won't share her secret![/spoiler][/center]

[Ren✧]

[size=3]Kowen literally fell backwards in shock when the bullet struck Elena. Crying out in surprise, Kowen fell backwards. He looked to where the bullet had come from and saw one of the group members flying off in a glider. He was a second away from following him when he heard motion behind him. He turned to see an astounding sight. Elena was calmly pulling the bullet out of her skull. Kowen rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't.[/size]

[size=3][font=tahoma, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we should finish this conversation at Titan's Tower," Kowen just nodded, unable to do anything but stare at Elena. Once the team arrived back at the Tower he made his way over to the freezer in the kitchen and pulled out an ice pack. He set it gently on his electrical burn and let out a sigh of relief. Ready to hear Elena's explanation, he joined the rest of the team that was around Elena. Before she would start her story though she rounded on them, making the entire team promise to keep her secret.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=tahoma, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Kowen raised his right hand and jokingly said, "Scout's honor," smiling slightly. He slumped down on the couched, wanting to hear everything Elena had to say.[/font][/size]

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik sat in [i]seiza [/i]position rather comfortably, keeping a hawklike watch on their new guest. She resisted speculation on the girl for the moment, given they were about to receive more information- forming a bias this early in the game was a very simple way to skew information in the future. It was best to avoid conclusions until you had garnered a respectable amount of informations, a skill many young detectives and officers failed to pick up early in their careers. As such, she kept herself neutral as possible, though wary- evidence was starting to indicate Elena could be a very dangerous person if given just cause.

That said, she also seemed to have evidence regarding the [i]Extinctionists, [/i]a commodity they had been sorely lacking as of late. News of the elusive group rarely to never reached the ears of common law enforcement individuals, though whispers did trickle down once and again. As a freelance investigator, information was far more forthcoming- though evidence was nill. It was a case that Kresnik had marked down in her files for later attention, but a simple lack of evidence had stopped most plans in their place- there was nowhere to start, given that even the darkest of Black Market animal products didn't seem to have any relation to a shadowy group of bored millionaires.

The revelation that this strange masked group and the elusive clan of rich thrill-seekers were related had already set her razor sharp-mind thinking of possible connections, though what she really wanted to do was retreat to her room to examine her files in relation to her recent first-hand observations. An event of this magnitude had to leave a trail of some sort- given enough time, it was definitely a lead she thought she could follow back to the nest, as it were. It was almost exciting- such notorious, elusive criminals? A chance like this wouldn't come up again, she was aware of it. If she wanted to catch them, she'd have to act quickly- indeed, almost to the point where she considered, if for a brief moment, not listening to Elena speak and allowing one of her allies to fill her in on details later.

But no. No investigation could work without all the information available to her.

She sat quietly and waited, hoping her icy expression masked the sense of urgency pulsing through her body.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

He had to admit, seeing Elena take a bullet to the skull and still manage to survive was rather surprising. He thought this to himself as he quickly indicated towards his room and pointing to his sleeve, implying that he was going to quickly change his shirt. [i]But still, [/i]he thought to himself as he buttoned up a new dress shirt, [i]the bullet that hit her...was it originally gold to begin with? [/i]He grabbed another vest from his closet and buttoned it up as he walked out his room, pondering on the curiosity of his observation until he reached the Central Complex, and joined the others; placing his cello on the nearby couch. His instrument remained in place for a good second before gently floating a foot above the cushion, staying in place all the while.

Sitting in [i]seiza-[/i]style as he was accustomed to back in Japan, Hikaru placed his hands on his legs, and waited patiently.

"I swear not to tell anyone else about what you are about to tell us," Hikaru said respectfully, giving a slight nod of his head towards Elena's direction.

[Hotaru987]

[i]'How on earth is she still alive?' [/i]Milani screamed at herself as she watched Elena stand up after taking a bullet to the forehead. Just what was she that made her able to live after going through something like that? Whatever it was, Elena was already used this sot of thing tossing the golden bullet away in disgust. In light of this new event, Luxa spoke up to return to the Titan Tower as to not be over heard. Once at the tower, Elena took a seat on the floor waiting for the rest of them to do the same. Before she would actually tell them Elena made each of them promise to not say anything to anyone about this. Just like everyone else, Milani was curious about this girl but most of all wanted to help her escape from those hunters.

Milani was the last to agree, "Don't worry, you're secret is safe with us."

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Titan's Tower, Aurora City]Elena waited until Milani and Luxa had sworn to keep her secret before she nodded. "Very well," she said, sitting up straighter and assuming a different tone than before as she told her story.

"I was born in a small town near the coast of Sector 6," she began, referencing an area that had previously been known as the border between Venezuela and Brasil. "Unlike the other newborns in the hospital, I did not wail in distress or laugh with joy—I was quiet and motionless, having been born two months early. Eventually, the doctors realized that I was going to die, and there was very little they could do about it. My parents were poor, but they loved me very much, since I was their only child. Realizing that they had no other option, my parents took me deep into the remains of the jungle, trying to find the Shrine of the Spirits."

Elena's eyes flashed as she enunciated the "[i]S[/i]" in the words—clearly, this was a site of some importance. "In the past, the shrine was a sacred place to my people," she explained. "No one knows when it was constructed or by whom, merely that it was meant to pay worship to the gods of the jungle. But as time passed and the people began to disregard the ancient ways, the shrine fell into disrepair and eventually, like all things, it was forgotten and lost."

The dark-haired girl paused for a moment and took a deep breath, a pensive expression on her face. "My parents searched desperately for many days and nights, going without food and water in an attempt to find the shrine. When they had almost lost hope and I was near death, a panther crossed the path in front of them. My father was frightened at first, but my mother interpreted it as an omen of good fortune—she followed the panther over water, under trees, and through the brush. Eventually, they reached the Shrine of the Spirits. Believing that their panther guide had been an envoy of Ngurvilu, the cat deity, they offered their prayers to him on my behalf. Thanks to his intervention, I would live."

Elena's tanned features suddenly assumed a mournful expression, and she lowered her head for a moment, like a vivid flower bowed down by the weight of the storm. "Eventually, my parents discovered that Ngurvilu had done more than merely save my life—he had given me some of his own power. My senses and reflexes had always been sharper than those around me, but it wasn't until I turned 12 that I realized I could also transform... into this."

The dark-haired girl got to her feet, closed her eyes, and assumed a look of intense concentration. Her slender frame tensed and an invisible pulsing energy rippled the air. Black strands of fur burst from her body and her chocolate eyes darkened and acquired a golden cast. Within moments, the transformation was complete, and a remarkable creature stood before the Teen Titans. Although she retained her long hair and bipedal structure, Elena's new form also possessed several feline characteristics—sharp claws, pointed ears, a swishing, prehensile tail. Her exotic beauty was just as overwhelming as before, but now, it was also savage and fierce, suggesting a wild power that was barely contained.

"I am Elena Perez," she said softly, her sharp teeth flashing in the light. "I am the Black Panther."[/spoiler]

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright guys, sorry for the delay! I didn't have any time yesterday to make the post, so here it is. I hope you are enjoying the story so far—Elena still has a bit more to share with the group (namely, why the Extinctionists were chasing her, as well as how she survived the bullet), but I thought I would take a moment to showcase her panther form and give your characters a chance to comment. Renegade, I especially feel like Kowen will feel a (possibly romantic?) connection with Elena, as their powers are both deeply linked to animals and nature. I'll make the next GM Post after a bit of interaction, and then we'll take it from there![/spoiler][/center]

[Ren✧]

Kowen listened intently to Elena's story. She then surprised him, for the second time today, by doing the most astounding thing he had ever seen a human do. She transformed. A dark, glossy coat covered her body and her eyes became the color of melted gold. Her perfectly rounded nails elongated and sharpened, becoming those of a jungle cat and she adopted the characteristic of a swishing tail. [i]"Just like me..."[/i] Kowen thought to himself.

He sat on the couch, not knowing how to react. "You're beautiful," Kowen said. He instantly felt his face redden. He didn't know where the words had come from, they had just jumped out of his mouth. He pretended to cough and clear his throat in an attempt to hide what he said, but it seemed like a futile effort. Still staring at her feline-like body, Kowen attempted to quickly switch the subject, "How did you survive the bullet though?"

[Hydra of Ages]

An ailing child that was saved and given new life by a powerful, perhaps supernatural entity, and received power from it- becoming stronger than a normal man, greater, but forever separate from such people forever more.

Kresnik's scalp prickled a little at the similarities, and she could help but wonder how benevolent this [i]Ngurvilu [/i]truly was. The supernatural world was filled with few entities that help out of their own kind will, and Kudlak had shown Kresnik that they always came to cash in their debts- and for beings that weren't human, that debt could be especially dire indeed.

She made a mental note to do some research on ancient South American deities and religions when she got the time, and a further note to make use of the Titan's facilities to try and find her vile patriarch. No police force in the world had the technology or ability to track down a man that could command the shadows at his will, an escape from a crime-scene of literally hundreds of murders without leaving a shred of evidence to his whereabouts behind; as far as the law was concerned, he was a phantom. Nothing we could grasp or punish any more than we could grasp a typhoon, or the oceans themselves.

Kresnik had a slightly different philosophy of thought regarding it; if it could bleed, it could be caught. She, of all people, would know that Kudlak had plenty of blood to spare, if only she could hunt him down. He was an elusive beast, and she would need all of her cunning and wit, combined with the technological wonders kept by the Justice League and Teen Titans programs; if it weren't for those assets that were unavailable to the general public, she probably wouldn't have joined the team in the first place.

But first things first. Before she could chase her own prey, she'd have to hunt the hunters.

"Then we can presume the Extinctionists are hunting you as a matter of sport, then," she said after a moment. That was a problem. If her very existence was the cause of the hits, there was little they could do to deter attacks. On the other than, that made an ambush scenario all the more appealing. Kresnik folded her arms and tapped a finger on the ground, running scenarios in her head.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

Hikaru could only gaze on as Elena transformed before the group; her features became darkened by black fur, and she gained catlike features such as the prominent ears and tail, as well as the sharp claws now on her hands. Her eyes glowed golden, and when he gazed into them, he saw a fierce and powerful warrior before him. [i]So this is why the los Extinciónistas[/i] [i]were after her. For the matter of mere sport, they would kill this young woman because of her transformation.[/i]

Getting up and getting his cello from its floating position above the couch, he slung it over his shoulder as he stood nearby the couch, when Kowen made a comment from out of the blue regarding Elena's transformation. After a second of thought, he realized that Elena's transformation was similar to Kowen's own abilities. [i]Except, Elena's black panther form is more thorough for a single form than that of Kowen's abilities.[/i]

He had to agree with Kowen's question though. "I've been wondering about that myself, Elena. How did the bullet not kill you when the shot would normally be fatal?"