Penumbra Cielo - Supernatural Ghoul-Hunting: RPG

[Tame]

Chapter 1: Beginnings

On one of the uppermost floors of a darkened building, in the confines of a still darker room, an old man sat behind a desk, his hands resting in front of him, his fingertips pressed together.  There was only one other prominent ornament in the room; a large canvas hanging on the wall behind him.  It was white for the most part, with ornate black trim decorating it.  In the middle was the obvious centrepiece, a circle within which were various complicated angles and lines that together formed a vague lily shape.

In front of the desk stood four people in a row, each very different in appearance, height and clothing.  The only thing they had in common were the coats they wore; though each very different in shape and design, and though two wore black and two wore white, they each had the same symbol on the back as was on the canvas.  This was the sign of Heaven, the emblem of the organisation known as Penumbra Cielo.

The man at the desk began speaking in a serious tone to the people before him.  'I take it you've prepared fully for any eventualities during this exam.  We don't want a repeat of previous years.  As examiners it's your shared responsibility to see that no potential entrants do anything to get the authorities involved.'

'It's all good, boss,' replied a young man, one of the four in front of him, in a relaxed voice.  'You worry too much.'

'Please, do not be so flippant about it,' the first man said in an even more serious tone.  'This organisation only operates because it is allowed to do so.  If it were to lose the confidence of this country's government then it would soon lose the confidence of all government.  That would mean a lack of cooperation from them, and without their permission we would not be able to operate.  I need hardly remind you that our line of work often means bending the rules.'  The man put extra emphasis on the last three words.  'The world governments let us do as we wish because it suits them, but they could stop doing so at any moment!'

'Okay, okay, I get it,' replied the other.  'Leave everything to us.'

'I assure you, there will be no slip-ups,' added the young woman next to him, sounding like she was taking the exam more seriously than her comrade.

'Right, well make sure there are no slip-ups.  I shall of course be there to observe the final test myself, and I look forward to the results.  I have a good feeling about this year.  Who knows, some of them may end up replacing some of you.'  The old man smiled a little and stood up.

'Good luck, all of you.  I know you won't fail me.  And the next time you enter this castle, it shall hopefully be with some fine new recuits at your tail!'


*****

The head of the organisation Penumbra Cielo had had his little meeting the night before the exam began.  It had been dark and over-cast then, but now bright sun shone down on the guild's buildings.  It also shone down on the nearby coastal town whose residents had long been used to the influx of outlandish characters into their midst that marked the advent of the guild's annual entrance examinations.  People from all over the world came to apply, many of them rude, arrogant and violent.  It was all the local police could do to keep them under control.


It was eleven o'clock in the morning, and Lianna James, the guild's assistant librarian stood by the quay while potential applicants gathered slowly before her.  Behind her on the mast of a small ship blew the guild's banner, which bore that same emblem that decorated the back of her long, narrow, white coat.  At five foot four inches, Lianna did not strike the onlookers as threatening.  But the determined look on her pretty, pale face, warned some of the fire that lay behind that petite frame, and from behind her rectangular glasses, her blue eyes examined and evaluated all the applicants coldly.  Glancing at her watch she read the time.  One hour until the exam began.  Anyone who wished to apply would have to arrive by midday...

 

[Anonymous]

Aster stood still and completely silent, waiting for instruction. She was hardly an intimidating young woman, short with a frail build and wide blue eyes. Next to the people who were slowly gathering around her she still looked like a child.

Still, she had been raised for this and this exclusively. If she didn't manage this, she had been a failure for the last 19 years.

She moved a little to get more out of the way. The people at the entrance exams were known to be irritable after their long journeys and desperate to prove themselves in combat, sometimes against each other. It was imperative that she avoided causing upset. She had been the first one here, her father had left her here in the early hours of the morning and told her to wait. So she had, several layers of clothing protecting her from the cold of the early morning and the coastal wind. Now the clothing's white colour kept the sun off her and kept her cool.

Her father had told her to bring weapons, so she was carrying caltrops, blades and a reel of thin wire in her backpack as well as a cutter mattock to set up traps. She wasn't sure if she was expected to fight, it was entirely possible her father was just forcing her to be prepared.

 

[Spoo]

With all of the commotion of the new recruits, Damian had trouble thinking clearly about the day ahead of him.  He'd never really been judged by others, so this time, at least , he wanted to be extremely calm and professional about it.  Damian's hopes were high that the examiners had some experience with this.  He wanted to look good, but the pressure was getting to him. 

Damian did what he could to calm himself down.  The other recruits looked far too much like they weren't new at all.  Especially the boy on the short side looking very cocky.  Then there was Aster.  Aster was one who actually scared Damian, with her eerie calm and concentration.

This wasn't helping.  He began to fidget around with his revolvers, making sure each were clean and ready to use at a moments notice.  He hoped he didn't have to fight, but he would do what was necessary to support Penumbra Cielo.     

 

[Yggdrassil]

Wimps. This was going to be easy as pie, Lucian decided. If his brothers had been able to pass the exam, he would make it for sure. He was better than them in every way he could imagine, and this test would prove it.

Who else was here? A girl, shorter than him, he noted happily, was standing stark still and at attention. How long has she been here? he wondered absentmindely, then deided it didn't matter. She wouldn't make it, and neither would the medium build man walking around. Both of them looked like wimps! If everyone else was like this, the exam wouldn't be a challenge at all!

His hands reached to his side and felt the familiar leather wraps around the hilt of his heavy sword. He pulled it out and flipped it in his hands for a few silent minutes. Lucian gave his weapon a quick test swing and smiled as he felt the grass around him bend inwards, drawn to him by the force of his countersword. The short young man was about to swing again when he felt a pair of eyes upon him, boring into his back like twin drills.

He cast a tentative glance over his shoulder and there she was, a small woman with a strange aura around her, her white coat flapping out slowly behind her. He slowly sheathed his sword and stepped forward, away from the strange figure carefully.

Maybe, he thought, this could be interseting after all. Quickly he zipped up his vest over his black shirt and waited. Shouldn't be much longer.

 

[The Cry of Fallen Angels]

Nervous, an hour before the exam'd begin and she was left waiting. Waiting for late-comers, people that cannot even manage being on time couldn't possibly manage becoming a hunter, were they this desperate enough to give the underdogs a chance, or were they just short on members? Playing with a small knife for over ten minutes, while pondering these questions, Johanna Elise was done with waiting and more than ready to take the exam.

She wasn't the only impatient one, the crowds were tumultuous. Several had been observing their fellow applicants, some had been showing off to each other or were practicing their skills. Hardly an impressive bunch, amateuristic street brawlers mainly, most likely hoping to find an excuse for violence and rulebending. Also many younger men and women, of who some looked like they hadn't yet left puberty behind them. The more competent looking participants were in the minority.

The exam would begin at approx 45 minutes from now, all she could do was wait and grow more impatient doing so. She had to do something, before she'd feel the urge of throwing the knife she held loosely in her hand.

 

[Tame]

The nearby town clock tower rung in the midday with twelve long, deep chimes.  As they rang, the clamour of hopeful candidates murmured through the crowd.  Lianna estimated there to be some two hundred people crowded round her, waiting to apply.  When the clock finished ringing, she began to speak to them all.

'Welcome, all of you!' Her voice rang clear, loud enough for all gathered to hear, even those at the back of the assembled mass.  'My name is Lianna James, and I will be your examiner for the first portion of your entrance test into our most prestigious organisation, the Penumbra Cielo.  I will start be saying that of the hundreds here now, only a tiny fraction will succeed in joining our ranks.  Some of you will not even be able to apply!'  A murmur ran through the crowd at this statement. Why would some not be allowed to apply? What was this woman talking about?

'Hey, lady, what's this crap you're spouting?!'  One angered man stepped forward to confront Lianna. He was huge, at least seven foot in height, and you could see, as he loomed over the woman, that he was at least double her width.  In his hand was a large axe.  In the face of this man, however, Lianna didn't budge, nor flinch. She didn't even blink as she stared coldly up at him, her eyes meeting his and holding them.

'If you would listen, you will find out,' she replied curtly.  The man sneeered, and raised his axe threateningly.

'Cut the crap,' he sneered.

The next sound any of them heard was a crunching of bones. In less than an instant Lianna had leapt up and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick directly to the man's nose, which had obviously shattered. She stumbled back, screaming in pain. He dropped his axe to clutch his nose with both hands, and as Lianna landed she grabbed the huge weapon, which was nearly as large as she was, and threw it into the nearby sea, where it sank into the depths.

'Consider that a mercy; your sort will find worse than a broken nose during this exam,' she concluded, as her wretched assailant stumbled off through towards the back of the crowd, wimpering quietly now.

'To continue,' Lianna said, as if nothing had happened, an as if unaware of the surprise and shock she had induced in her audience, 'Official registration will occur, six hours time from now, on the nearside beach of that island.'  She pointed out to sea, not at the island on which the Penumbra Cielo's headquarters stood, but at one further out to sea, to the east of it. It was an island just as infamous, though. None of the local inhabitants would step foot there, such was the danger. Even the hardiest of sailors wouldn't ferry passengers the whole way short of a small fortune.  'Only those who reach that island by six o'clock this evening will be able to take the full exam.  You may attempt to use any means to get there - swim, sail, whatever, as long as you get there. The only condition is that you do not break the law in doing so. If you do, I will find out, I assure.'  The examiner gave them all a steely glare.  'I will proceed there now, but I assure you, I will know. That is all.'

And with that, Lianna jumped into her waiting boat, and immediately set off towards the island, expertly manning the craft. In a few minutes, a bewildered group of examinees stood on the quay, watching her sail away, wondering what to do next.


Then, the most pro-active began putting their quickly thought-out plans into action; those who had sailed to the town immediately hurried towards their own boats and ships to ready their launch; one or two dived into the water, attempting to swim the mile or so to the island; some went along the quay side, going to one of the many sailors who hired out boats, or who could be hired to sail to any location for a large enough price.  Those examinees whose hearts hadn't been in it from the start shrugged, muttered things like 'crazy woman, crazy test...' and wandered off, already given up.

The best way to get there was seemingly to hire a boat, but the wily locals had expected this rise in demand for vessels that always came about at this time of year, and had wisely multiplied their charges by ten, for this day only.



A young man with tanned skin and spiky, black hair, wearing loose blue canvas climbed aboard the small dinghy he had used to sail to the town.  'Piece of cake!' he exclaimed exuberantly as he readied to push off.  Sailing was his forte; even if there were dangerous rocks waiting him at the end of his journey, he was confident that he could make it across, and be amongst the first to reach the application point.  As he pushed off, he failed to notice a dark form slip into the water beside his boat and cling to the bottom of it, limpet-style, hitching a lift towards the island.

 

[Spoo]

  Damian put on a cocky grin.  "This is where I shine."  Immediately after Lianna James left, he began to think of his plan.  He had about six hours to go a mile out into the ocean, with a few trees around and a hatchet on his belt.  A raft was the first thing that came to mind, as he started chopping down a tree, but much to others' surprise, Damian had, within two hours, used old Indian skills to make a kayak type boat using boiling water, some stones, and a large tree trunk.

"I'll use a branch as an oar."  Damian thought.  He did this, and thrust his boat, carrying all of his supplies, into the water.       

 

[Devon Jacobs]

Billy being faster in water then most humans waisted no time. He put rubber bands at the end of his shorts to prevent dragging from the soon to be wet clothing and headed towards the water. 'Deep breathe in, deep breathe out' he thinks to himself before looking back at his opponent Damian still on land. "See you all later" he shouts with a playful smile. He takes takes a pair of goggles out of his pants and puts them on his head.

"I'll make you proud father", with a deep breathe Billy leaps into the ocean and dissappears from sight.

 

[Anonymous]

Aster wasn't a fool. She wasn't at all surprised at the small woman's strength - the woman would not have been allowed into the group if she was not strong. It was a simple enough deduction, and she knew full well to think a little more deeply than just looking at someone's size.

Of course, right now she was relying on being underestimated. It was what was going to get her to the island.

She had taken note of the distance. At a steady speed she could make it in maybe three hours and not be too tired. At a faster speed she would exhaust herself but might make it in two. If there were rocks, though, swimming might be very dangerous especially if the tides the rough. Also, wet clothing and equipment would be a huge hindrance in the exam.

She had been taking careful note of her fellow examinees. A good trapper had to know everything about the environment around them, it was a given. The one she was following was a fellow with an Irish accent, he had come in a group of two with a friend. The friend had been one of the few who quit after hearing about the first task.

Sure enough, her hunch was right. The boat he was preparing to sail was small, it had only needed to travel from Ireland, but it was large enough to require two men to sail it. He might be able to do it alone but with the reputation the island seemed to have among the locals for being dangerous it would not be wise for him to try.

"Hey, hey sir!" She shouted from the sand below as if she had just noticed him, running toward the boat and waving.

"What do you want, kid?" He asked, not turning around as he struggled to prepare the boat for sailing. It was definitely a job meant to be done by two people.

"D' ya need a hand?" She asked cheerily, clambering up onto the deck before he answered and helping to open up the sails. "The boat looks like it's made to be worked by two people."

The man, a foot or so taller than Aster with shoulders twice as wide as hers, nodded in thanks. He obviously didn't realize she was an examinee because the next thing he said was "I can't pay you, kid."

Aster knew what he was on about. She'd followed him through the local town, anyone who'd been willing to help him had asked for outrageous prices. That was why he'd been trying to do it alone.

"It's peachy." She said, twisting her head to the side and smiling widely. "I want to get there anyway."

There was a moment of silence.

"You're an examinee, huh?" The man asked. Aster nodded.

"Yup yup. My big brother's going the exam, see." She lied effortlessly and convincingly, giggling a little in between breaths. She wanted to seem as non-serious and harmless as possible. "I wanted to go with him because we've always been together and if he gets in and I don't - well, you know..." She trailed off. "Wales is a pretty long way from here, I won't see him much."

She would have liked to say somewhere further than Wales to sound more desperate but she knew her accent would betray her if she tried.

"I wanted to stick with him but I guess we got split up in the commotion after the lady was strong." She continued. "I figured that I'd be able to find him if I went to that island and - if you don't mind me saying - this boat looks like it'd be hard to steer for one person and the rocks are apparently dangerous."

There, she was a helpless child following an older brother around and wanting to help. Aster could hear the gears turning in the man's head. He needed two people to get across safely but at the same time he didn't want to support the competition.

This was where appearing helpless came into things. He would have no qualms about helping someone unlikely to be successful anyway.

"...take the sails." He said finally "And if you've not sailed before just do as I say."

"Thank you sir!" Aster chirped, bowing a little and standing by the sails as the man lifted the anchor, pashed away from the shore and moved to the wheel.

 

[Yggdrassil]

This is a shame. No law breaking? Oh well. There were ways around laws. As long as he didn't kill anyone, Lucian would be able to wriggle his way out of any charges. To his right a couple was struggling with their small watercraft, trying to push it into the water and shove off before anyone noticed them. Too late for that.

"Hey, hey! You're going to let me ride along with you, right?" Lucian shouted to them as he trotted over, making sure there was no way to misinterpret the question's real meaning. You are going to take me there, or there will be a great deal of unpleasentness for both of you.

The man started, but swallowed down his protest as Lucian drew closer and began to flamboyantly display his large sword. As he helped them move their boat down to the he cast a glance over his shoulder at the examinees still standing around hoping to catch a ride. To late, wimps! I've got my ride, and if this works out, most of you won't have yours!

It was simple enough, he figured. Laws were lose little things up for heavy interpretation. If a couple boats happened to "break" on his way past them (because he would break them himself) or smashed apart from "rocks" (also done by him) and the survivors were forced to turn back, drown, or pay a sizable fee for rescue, or even if a couple of people died from "strange circumstances" and their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea... (done by him, of course.)  Everything's legal if you don't get caught! He laughed a little, and it came out more menacingly than he had hoped, for the couple was now staring at him as if he were a demon of some sort. Not a demon. Just someone better than you. He was well on his way, and no one was going to stop him from finishing, except...

The image of the woman crept back into his mind, and he felt a cold shiver run down his back as he recalled the way she had stared at him, as if she had known he was up to no good. She can't see what's on the sea! he thought and let out another laugh at the pun. He had the feeling the man was already regretting not running at first sight of Lucian, and this made him laugh even harder. Wimps! he thought again, all of his fear and nervousness evaporated. Wimps, all of you!

He would let these two get him halfway before they would meet with an accident and die. Who knows? Maybe I can even blame it on someone else. From there he would finish his passage to the isle carefully and slowly, arriving just before time was up. Unless they had scouts on the way, nothing would interfere with his plans.

Onwards, onwards, and onwards again! On my way to surpassing you! he smiled darkly to the sky, and it seemed to him that it smiled back the same way.

 

[The Cry of Fallen Angels]

"Bastards"

The sailors at bay charged way too much, Jo had little money and even less intentions to pay the sailors by other means. "My face is up here sea-dog!"

Most of the other participants had already gone off, per ship, swimming and several others were busy crafting boats. The circumstances to set sail weren't ideal. The strong wind would most likely make the boats uncontrollable, participants were not allowed breaking the law, but was this test fully legal? It would surely be fatal to several participants. Many would be smashed into rocks or thrown over by the waves. Then there was a second wave of participants, imitating the character of the wild sea, the biggest ship would win that race. The watercrafts were already bumping into each other. No, unless she'd have gone aboard early, a ship was no longer an option.

As she looked at the island, the wind toyed with her hair. The wind seemed to be warm, pulling everything up high...

"That's it!"

The reflection of a boat sparkeled in her eyes, it's captain had dived into the ocean earlier. Now it wouldn't be a bad time to "borrow" his sail. She picked up an axe, that had been left by another participant, realising that this captain wouldn't survive the tides of the sea, then chopped off several other parts of the boat. Within an hour the ship was no more, and Jo had the materials to craft a hanglider.

"Soon I will be there, unscarred and without risking my life" The wind hadn't changed directions since.

 

[Tame]

Lianna James held up a powerful telescope to her eyes, scanning the mile-long stretch of sea that separated her from the island.  She followed the usual attempts to get to the island with little interest; sailing was the chief method employed - at least a dozen boats could be seen approaching already.  There were also swimmers, though she could only make out the odd splashes they made from this distance.  She wondered with some regret how many would drown in the attempt. Or they would be blown off course by the strong currents completely. Or they may get swept onto the rocks and smashed to pieces. It was the same old story, countless swimmers and sailors had died on this short mile, and Lianna briefly wondered how many corpses lined the seabed here.

She had reached the island a few minutes ago, and was to receive the coming applicants; behind her stood a fold-out table she had brought in her boat, on top of which were many application papers, all bound together in one file to avoid becoming prey to the harsh winds.  Lowering her telescope she looked down at her watch.  Twenty-one minutes past twelve.  The best sailors would arrive soon.  Then later, she guessed, would come the swimmers, if any had survived.  Finally would be the most enterprising entrants - those who had taken time to construct their means by which they got here, or who had waited on the quay to observe the others to see where danger lay.  In short, the patient ones who felt no need to kill themselves getting to the island first.

***

Back on the mainland, most of the candidates were running up and down, looking for a means of getting to the island.  Two men frantically put their heads together, counting their money to see if they had enough to pay for the expensive boat rental.

'We're way short!' one yelled at the other.

'I know, but I'm all out!'  They turned pleadingly towards the old bearded man who owned the vehicle.  He shook his head and took another drag of his pipe.

'I'll give you ten times the asking price if you'll take me there yourself,' said a smooth voice from behind them.  'I hear you're the best around here.'  Up stepped a man, in his late twenties at most, who shone with wealth, but yet who still retained an impressive air of hunting experience.  His clothes were of the highest value, yet practical, and his large and extensive pack of gear on his back showed he meant business.  Flowing silver hair ran over his shoulders majestically and his face glowed.  He took out a hefty purse of money and tossed it to the man.

'Why, of course sir! I'll take you there personally and immediately, and yes, I am the best!' the old man said, leaping to his feet and readying the boat.  The two onlookers were astounded, impressed, and most of all, jealous.

***

A dark, good-looking young man stood on the quay in a relaxed fashion, apparatenly unconcerned by the task Lianna had set for them all. As he stood straight up, looking straight out to sea, the breeze blew his medium-length, dark hair in a way that he was right in assuming would make him look very impressive.  Turning away from the water, he looked keenly at the wannabe hunters do their best to procure means by which they could get to the island.

'Boring, boring, boring...' he muttered as he saw three different candidates bartering unsuccessfully with three different local sailors for the loan of their boats.  His eye fell on a shortish man interrogating a couple.  He saw him flash his large sword at them, then get into the boat with them.  As they set out, he heard the man give a menacing laugh.  'There's one...' he thought.  Running to the nearest sailor, he threw a small sack of gold at him, and leapt into his one-man dinghy before he could protest.  Setting sail as quickly as he could, he aimed for the same short kid's boat, keeping a discrete distance.  To anyone he would seem just like another candidate, making his own way to their collective destination...

***

Nearing the island was the dark, spiky-haired sailor who had left first.  He was an expert at this kind of thing, having carefully avoided the currents that might have pulled the less-experienced onto the rocks that lay on either side of the beach where Lianna waited.  His only problem had been the continued tilting of his ship towards the port side, as if something were weighing it down.  If he had looked down at it, he would have seen a tall man clinging to the bottom of his ship, his face just above the water on that side.

Reaching the island, the man leapt into the shallow water to drag the boat ashore, and as he turned to do so, he was surprised to see a tall man, wearing a white shirt, straight black trousers and a black bowler hat, carrying nothing but a cane, standing ankle-deep in the water behind him.  Jauntily, this man strutted past him, swinging his cane as he did so, walking straight towards Lianna, seemingly not caring for his dripping wet clothes, or for the surprise the man's face registered.  'Thank ye,' he said casually, 'for the lift.  Looks like I'm the first one here! Good sailing by the way!' 

Lianna, now stood beside the small table, handed the appraoching man and a small, round disc with the number 1 on it. 'Congratulations,' she said unemotionally, on being the first to arrive. Please fill in this brief form and return to me. And keep that tag safe.'

'Thank ye!' the man replied in a friendly manner, taking the paper and disc from her, grinning at her broadly. Lianna eyed him narrowly. Always a good judge of character, she read behind his friendly manner an eery, malevolant nature, and she had to admit that this man scared her a little.


12:33. Off in the distance, the two boats now closest to the island crashed into one another, sending both their occupants overboard...

 

[Devon Jacobs]

"cough, cough", Billy awoke on land. He takes a swift look around. "Am I on the right island?" He questions himself looking around for scary lady instructor. He pulls off his gogglesand rubs his eyes before gazing out onto the rampant waters. Boats were still trying to manuever the crashing waves, many seemed futile. "They are heading here so this must be the right island." He looks west along the shoreline then down to his wristwatch. "Better hurry don't want to be late."

With another cough and a quick stretch he jogs down the beach to the supposed landing point of the ships.

12:43, Billy arrives to the position were Lianna was waiting. To people were already there, patiently awaiting for the other contestants. Billy walks quickly past them, greeting them but to no response. He looked at Lianna who handed silently handed him a paper. Billy smiled and looked into her eyes. A cold shiver runs down his spine as he takes the paper, thanks her and sits down by a rock to fill it out.

 

[Yggdrassil]

"Aww, sorry guys. We're being followed. I can't kill you after all." Lucian half whispered to his companions while keeping one eye on the craft behind them.

"B-being followed?" The woman asked and Lucian nodded.

"Yep. Whenever I've shifted our course, he's shifted with us. If he was a regular examinee, he would be taking the short route instead of tagging along. He has no idea where he's going, I think. Or maybe he has another reason. Whatever it is, I can't kill you in plain sight!"

He smiled, letting his lips raise slightly above his sharp canines and felt a bit of pride at the nervous expressions on the couple's faces. He was proud of his teeth. They were in perfect condition, sparkling white, and sharper than most people's. The man reached out for the rudder and began to redirect the boat back on track before Lucian stopped him.

"We can take the long way. Plenty of time left. If we get lucky, he might be stupid enough to let us get close. Then I can off him and you two at the same time!"

The woman gasped and sweat began to appearon the man's face. The short warrior unzipped his vest and allowed his fingers to dip into the water as he leaned backwards over the edge of the boat. "Just joking!" he laughed. "No point in killing you now! We're here!"

The island was nearly upon them, and five minutes later they were on shore, and the couple ran away as fast as they could as soon as they could. Lucian let them, sure he would have another chance to hunt them as the exam proceeded.

Now then, to wait for our little tag-along buddy! Lucian scanned the streatch of water but could not find the boat that had been trailing them the whole trip. Damn! They must have made it to shore when my back was turned! And they were too far away for me to get a good look...

Oh well. He had passed part one, and for now that was all that mattered.

 

[Spoo]

3:02 PM

Damian's arms were burning and sore after rowing that mile or two.  He'd been afraid he wouldn't make it for a while, but he pulled himself through.  After a few moments of rest, Damian decided to observe who had made it to the island.    So far, it was the chubby boy and an old man and...off to the right, the arrogant Lucian sat on his throne of pigheadedness, gloating to two others.  Lianna was patiently waiting for the other contestants, so Damian went to get his disk and paper. 

 

[Tame]

'A swimmer actually made it,' thought Lianna, impressed by the man, though she didn't show it on her face.  She handed him the application form and a tag with the number 3 on it.  'Once you've handed that in, you're free to do what you want until 6 o'clock, provided you stay on this beach,' she told him.  The application form was fairly simple, mainly just formal questions such as name, address and a contact address in case something 'happened' to the contestants and they had to get in touch with relatives to inform them of their loss.  The last part had to be signed by the applicants to say that in case of injury or death, the Penumbra Cielo organisation was not to blame.

The next to arrive was Lucian, who was handed the fourth disc.  His two victims and his pursuer were now nowhere to be seen...

***

'Hey, wait, you two!'  The shout came from the same good-looking man that had been following Lucian.  He hurried up the beach towards the scared couple.  They looked even more scared to be accosted like this, but the man spoke calmly and apologetically.  'My name's Thos Alderete, I'm sorry about that man before,' he said regretfully.  'He wasn't meant to do that... But, please, let me make it up to you by accompanying you back to the mainland.  I can explain everything on the way...'

However, no matter how much he tried, Thos couldn't convince the couple to let him take them back.  Naturally, their trust was shot by their recent experience.  The best he could do was return them to their boat, which they boarded for the mainland, while he headed towards the other examinees who had already passed.

The group now included a fifth member, the wealthy gentleman who had hired a lift.  Thos walked past them all to the table where he was handed the application form and the tag bearing the number six.  He sat down on the sand near the top of the beach and began to fill in the form.

***

Over the course of the next two hours the half-dozen who had succeeded in applying grew to over thirty.  The notable applicants among them included number 9, a short man with a pointed hat and high collar called Viv Serkham, numbers 13 to 17 who were a group of men all of different ages but of similar appearance calling themselves the Bratislav Brothers, and number 24, a Japanese woman armed with daisho and dressed in samurai robes called Kasumi Kyoko.

At 3:03pm, just over half way through the test's time, Damian approached the table, just as a tall, broad-shouldered bald man handed in his form.  He noticed the name to read 'Abraham Cornelius' as Lianna took the paper from him.  When it came to Damian's turn, he was handed the tag with the number 33 on it along with his form.


'Halfway to go,' Lianna noted as she looked down at the time on her watch.  She looked round at the waiting participants.  Most were standing or sitting alone, observing the others suspiciously, sizing each other up.  Others were checking their equipment to make sure they had everything they needed.  Very few had extended the olive branch to their opponents; trust was running low among them, as was expected.  From here on out, they were officially enemies.

With half the time gone so far, the ones that would come now were either slow or very patient.  Of course, the very patient ones would be those who arrived last, and it was usually these ones, and the ones who had arrived at the very beginning that were the ones to look out for.

 

[Anonymous]

Had that ship...rammed them?

Aster grabbed the sail's rope to help her run up the mast, letting it go after a few steps as the climb became less and less steep and the boat rolled. She wasn't too far from the cliffs, she would be able to make the jump easily.

Well she would be able to, she realized in mid air, if there was anywhere to land on the other side. The cliff side had long been smashed smooth by the waves. There was a tree root but the earth around the tree was eroded to the point where it was hanging from a thread of a root and it didn't look too stable at all.

Sure enough as soon as she wrapped her hand around the root the tree started falling forward. The girl scrambled up it onto the safe ground at the other side. She could swim and the water wasn't so far down that the fall would hurt her but the waves at this side were strong enough to crush her against the rocks. She sighed with relief and looked as the boat vanished into the waves. The tree didn't fall after all but it had moved a worrying distance.

They hadn't been sure if the other boat had been in trouble or trying to attack them, it had moved quickly and unpredictably. They had given it a wide berth, which was why she was on the cliff side now instead of by the beach, they were about a quarter of a mile off course. It wasn't a worrying distance at all until they discovered that just that quarter of a mile made the area a lot more dangerous. Even that far off course the rocks were everywhere and the wind twice as strong. To make it worse they hadn't avoided the other ship.

Her partner had been a very skilled sailor but they were eventually trapped between the cliff side, the rocks and the boat that was fast closing in on them. The boat was crushed between rocks and the other boat. Her partner had leapt onto the boat that had rammed them, Aster hoped for his sake that they were honestly having difficulties and were not actually trying to attack them. Judging by their behaviour, though, it seemed unlikely. Apparently, her partner has admitted, he was a well-known fighter and had been a favourite to pass. That alone would be a good enough reason to try to take him out.

Having gotten her breath back, Aster stood and began heading towards the meeting point at a fast walk. She was glad she hadn't swum, despite the close call. She wouldn't have wanted her trap equipment to be wet.

Unlike the other examinees, she smiled and laughed cheerily as she headed to get her number and thanked Lianna warmly for the disk when she received it, giggling and waving when a larger examinee who was obviously picking out the weaker ones gave her a glare that seemed to spit poison. The less of a threat she appeared, the easier this would be.

 

[The Cry of Fallen Angels]

Jo stood up and quickly scanned her enviroment. She was at the island at least, not the first one, but surely one of the less tired and dry participants. She threw a quick look into the distance, her ride had crashed into a tree. Above the sea the currents of the air had been managable, not a moment Jo had to worry about speed. But upon reaching the island these currents hadn't lost any of their power and rather than taking a risk she had dived, pushing the nose downwards, pulled up fast and jumped. There wasn't much left of the hanglider, but it didn't matter.

"Please fill this application form."

Jo looked over her shoulder. The small woman stood a few steps away, her coat waving in the air, her eyes looking straith into Johanna's, her arm stretched with the mentioned application form. Jo turned around and took the paper out of her hand.

"Once you've handed that in, you're free to do what you want until 6 o'clock, provided you stay on this beach"

The small woman turned and walked in the direction of a man that looked as if he had almost died in the process of crossing the sea.

Johanna filled in the form, and was slightly shocked seeing the letters:

"Penumbra Cielo can and will not be held responsible for eventual casualties and/or in case of death."

But signed it.

 

[Devon Jacobs]

Billy took a stroll down the beach reminiscing about the time before the tournament.

"Billy."
"Yes father?"
"This tournament cold be very dangerous. But no matter the danger, don't cause any useless bloodshed."
"I won't father."
"And whatever you do Billy, don't use that technique.....not unless..."

Billy picks up a stone and throws it into the water. 'Sigh' He watches the tides which stayed calm on that side of the island. "Father, I won't use it." He clenches his fist crushing another rock into pebbles. "Not unless I have to."

*Grumble...."Ooh I guess its been a few hours scince i've eaten last, time to get us some food."

Billy smiles and walks back to the incampment of contestants. He strolls up to Lianna cheerfully.
"So when do we eat."

 

[Spoo]

He'd talked with every contestant that made it there.  He'd polished and cleaned both of his revolvers.  He'd even walked down as far as he could down the beach.  And Damian was bored.  He defiantly didn't want to look bad during his exam, and he was dead set on passing the next part, whatever it was, but there was nothing to do on this barren beach. 

"Maybe..." Damian thought to himself, "They'd let me explore the rocks in the gulf." 

Damian went ahead and started hopping from rock to rock, attempting to get to the larger ones a few feet off of the beach.  He found one of the larger rocks and climbed onto it to watch the waves.  Soon, one of the later arriving contestants came out to the rocks as well.  It was a Japanese woman wearing a traditional kimono and sheathed daishÃ…