Emerging from the Dark Barrier, Advere looks around for the rest of the cats and hears a scream coming from somewhere not too far away. He crashes through the brush to see James Blond and an unknown woman, presumably the screamer, facing down a panther. James seems injured, sprawled on the ground and disarmed, but no matter- Advere gives a savage yell and rushes the cat before it can attack again, slamming the blade of Lamina Tenebraum into the back of the panther's neck (Roll + CQC = 5), severing its spine and instantly killing the beast. Casually pulling the sword out of the corpse's neck, he turns to the two: "Hello there. Sounded like you needed help."
Passive Abilities
CQC (+1 to rolls involving close quarters actions)
Light Step (+1 to rolls involving stealth or sneaking)
Magneto Field (A magnetic field that deflects enemy bullets)
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Death Stare: Paralyze enemies with a terrifying gaze. Cost = 10 Energy
Shadow Hurl: Hurl out tangible shadows against your foes. Cost = 20 Energy
Dark Barrier: A full-body shield of compressed dark energy; heals all bodily injuries. Can only be used on self. Cost = 30 Energy
Shadow Wave: Create an explosive shockwave with a condensed ball of dark energy. Cost = 30 Energy
Annihilation: Unleash Godly fury with this high-energy attack; leaves you unable to fight for 1 turn. Cost = 80 Energy
Weapons
Lamina Tenebraum
M16A4 Rifle (30 rounds/90 spare rounds)
L9A1 High-Power Pistol (13 rounds/39 spare rounds)
Machete
Inventory
3 M67 Grenades
Full canteen of water (3 uses, restores Energy)
Hat and sunglasses
Condition(s)
Energy: 50 / 100

Sneaking through the forest, Damien looks around, trying to find more panthers before they find him. Suddenly, he hears the slightest sound- a whoosh of displaced air- and whirls around, but too late. A panther is at his throat, and it knocks him down with a snarl. Before he even hits the ground, though, Damien's combat training kicks in, and he whirls and slams his elbow into the beast's snout, then quickly rolls away with the cat slashing at him. He slams a foot into its neck, and it retaliates with a great chomp of his ankle. Gunfire suddenly breaks out from nearby, and the panther, hit by a few stray shots coming from Damien's left, lets go of his leg with a grunt of pain. Not wasting any time, he quickly pulls out his gun and slams the butt into the panther's face, knocking it over and buying enough time for another gunshot to ring out, this time from his right, and for the accompanying bullet to punch through the cat's face. Damien looks around to see Wilson and David standing on either end of the path he's in the middle of. "Nice one, guys!"
Passive Abilities
Marksman (+1 to rolls involving long-range combat)
First-Aid (+1 to rolls involving healing actions)
Null Field: An energy field that incinerates projectiles.
-Only when blurred
Hyperion Edge: A powerful light sword that spawns automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Dragoon Wings: Strong wings made out of light that spawn automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Blast: Generate a kinetic shockwave. Cost = 20 Energy
Panacea: Heal any and all injuries. Cost = 50 Energy
Sun Tendrils: Streams of tangible light. Cost = 20 Energy
Tsunami: Generates waves of burning light that rapidly expand in all directions. Cost = 50 Energy
Weapons
Barret M107 CQAM Rifle (2 rounds/50 spare rounds)
FA-MAS (20 rounds/60 spare rounds)
Conditions
Deadly Venom (Unpreventable death in 3 turns when activated)
Energy: 40 / 100

Deciding to be safe, Fred shoots at the spot where he saw the dark glow, but when he runs over to the area, there's nothing there, other than the scorches caused by his pulse laser on the tree bark. "Hmm... what could that thing have been?"
Passive Abilities
Juggernaut (Increased health and endurance, reduces all damage taken)
Commando (+1 to rolls involving killing/shooting at animals/people; less affected by recoil and weight)
Awareness (Increased perception, less likely to be surprised by traps or ambushes)
Life Detection (+1 to rolls searching for people or vital signs)
Strong Arm (+1 to rolls involving throws; doesn't stack with "Knife Throw")
Techniques
Knife Throw (+2 to knife throw rolls)
Burst (+1 to a roll, removes negative modifiers temporarily; -2 to next roll)
Weapons
M240 w/ Foregrip & EOTech Holo-Sight (75 rounds/200 spare rounds)
Upgraded Mini-Uzi (Kinetically Charged Battery: 85%)
Combat Knife
Ban Ali Obsidian Spear
Inventory
First Aid Kit
Binoculars
N.V.G.
Heavy Kevlar Armor (Woodland Camo)
GPS
Atomic Watch
5 C4 Charges w/ detonator
Conditions

Moving along briskly, David stays on the lookout for any panthers, soon coming to a small four-way junction in the thick jungle. Before he decides which way to go, though, he hears gunfire break out on his right, and turns around to see Damien tangoing with a panther in the middle of a small path, Wilson on the far side. David raises his PDR and lets loose a burst of rounds- the pain from his scratched leg, rather than hindering him, seems to heighten his awareness and accuracy, and the bullets fly true, finishing off the feline with a splatter of blood. Damien looks up to see his saviors on either side and shouts, "Nice one, guys!"
Passive Abilities
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions)
CQC (+1 to close quarters' actions)
Knife Mastery (+1 to knife attacks; stacks with CQC)
Reactive Energy (Automatically attacks incoming threats. Four uses.) [**--]
Techniques
Long Jump (+1 to jumping)
Weapons
Magpul PDR (27 rounds/60 spare rounds)
MGL-140 loaded w/ High Explosive Grenades (6 rounds/16 spare rounds)
-Anti-Tank Grenades (5 rounds/0 spare rounds)
Trench Knife
Inventory
Shoulder Bag:
-Rations
-Comprehensive First-Aid Kit
Conditions

Wilson comes round a corner and hears a scuffle going on to his left. Looking down the dark path, he sees Damien, on the ground, slamming his foot into an attacking panther. With the beast stunned, Wilson seizes the chance to fire off a good burst of rounds, some scathing the cat, but it growls and jumps away, and now, Damien is in Wilson's line of fire. Before he can decide what to do, another volley of gunfire rings out from the opposite side of the path- David, having heard Wilson's attack, happened to be nearby enough to help. Damien looks up to see his saviors on either side and shouts, "Nice one, guys!"
Passive Abilities
Charismatic (+1 when interacting with people)
Tactical Mind (+1 when carrying out plans)
Blade Mastery (+1 to rolls using heavy blades, like machetes and scimitars)
Techniques
Dark Hands (Makes dark energy envelop hands. Four uses.) [****]
Double Slash (Roll twice for blade attacks, take the larger roll.)
Weapons
M4A1 (20 rounds/132 spare rounds)
-M230 Underslung Grenade Launcher (1 round/6 grenades)
MAC-10 (32 rounds/96 spare rounds)
Composite Scimitar
Inventory
Backpack:
-N.V.G.
-$2.74 in loose change
Conditions

With her shoulder healed up, Blue Demon promptly rises and goes down a side path, looking for more cats. Just mere seconds down the trail, she hears a scuffle coming from not too far away, and forces her way through a few brambles and bushes to see Vlad rushing a panther, stabbing its flanks before being knocked away. He and Andrew are facing down the cat, now limping, but before any of the three combatants can do anything, Blue lets out a yell- "Butenko Raisen!"- and slams her fist into the ground, facing the panther. Caught by surprise, the cat can do no more than blink before the shockwave overtakes it, sending it hurtling bodily into the air. It slams into a tree trunk with an audible crunching of bones, and falls down onto the ground, motionless.

Still recovering from her attack but now almost ready for combat, Die Angelus stands up in the clearing and stretches a little as Blue Demon trots off down a side path. Just about twenty seconds later, she hears a rather loud shockwave emanating from Blue's general direction.

Andrew stands tall, slowly takes his machete out and crosses his arm over his chest, then flings it out at the Panther as fast as he can. The machete flips end over end through the air and impales itself into the Panther's side, making it fall over sideways from the force. It scrambles to get up again and - still limping - hurries away as fast as it can. Andrew can't be bothered chasing it, and Vlad is puffed out from his rugby tackle.

Appearance:
20, Black hair, brown eyes, 6', well built.
Condition(s)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Abilities
Fists of fury (+1 to actions involving melee)
Forced Break & Entry (+1 to actions involving breaking things)
Hyper Focus (+1 concentration. 2 of 6 uses)
RAGE FACE (+1 to intimidation & pain-ignorance)
Anti-Laser (Immune to attacks using Pure Energy as a Main Source, unless rolling a 1)
Blast-Proof (Immune to explosive forces, unless rolling a 1)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Berserk Mode - Uses all abilities as needed and an additional +1 to all rolls. -1 to the roll in which you exit this mode. Maximum 5 consecutive uses and 2 turn cooldown.
Knuckles Busted (Negates Fists of Fury for 5 turns)
Weapons
M4 'Beowulf' Carbine (0 of 30 rounds)
Beretta 92FS (7 of 10 rounds)
Extendable baton (snapped in half)
Inventory
Top gun sunglasses (Worn)
Blast-Proof Jacket (Pockets: 7 slot used, 3 available)
- Jacket Usage Manual
- 8 Rations (+1 to next action)
- A water bottle (+1 to next action, 1 use)
- Ammo (5 Handgun magazines)
Waist Pockets (18 slots used, 2 available)
- 3 rockets for a SMAW
- Swiss army knife
- Ammo (2 Drums, 4 Handgun Magazines)
Botanist's Backpack (19 slots used, 11 available):
- Flare Gun and 3 red flares
- A Folding Shovel
- Some empty vials
- 30ft of rope
- Briefcase (Broken lock but closed)
- 5 Beowulf Magazines
[/url]

Andrew stands tall, slowly takes his machete out and crosses his arm over his chest, then flings it out at the Panther as fast as he can. The machete flips end over end through the air and impales itself into the Panther's side, making it fall over sideways from the force. It scrambles to get up again and - still limping - hurries away as fast as it can. Andrew can't be bothered chasing it, and Vlad is puffed out from his rugby tackle.
"Yew siem tew heyv theyt waun kahvor'd, theyn..."
Appearance:
27, Russian. 6' 2", shaved blonde hair, green eyes, well built.
Condition(s)
Rested for ∞ turns, ∞ turns before tiredness.
Holey foot (-1 to running every second turn)
Apricot Effect ( Anti-Poison )
Abilities
Cybernetics (+2 to mobile actions, speed is doubled, 4 of 5 uses)
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions, passive ability)
Scar-face (+1 Intimidation, -1 Charisma etc)
Resilience (Gains one extra roll before death)
Pilot Training (Able to fly aircraft, Cannot roll 1s)
Mental Link (Can project thoughts to others and 'see' theirs)
Slow Motion (Uncontrollable)
Instinctual Actions (Vladimir does things without thinking or knowing)
Say what? ( ??? )
Weapons
Saiga-12 Combat Shotgun (6 of 8 shells)
Khazar-replicated knife
Spy's Grappling Cane with hidden blade
Inventory
Containment Unit (37 slots used, 13 available)
- Carved Wooden Statuette of self
- Radio
- Cellphone
- Flare gun
- Ammo (18 Shotgun Shells, 8 handgun magazines)
- 5 days of Rations (15 meals, +1 to next turn)
- TOP-SECRET Information File
- Bubblewrapped Mechanical Cube (Downed Phoenix?)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Kit (1 Use left, nonrefillable)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Upgrade Kit

Asfer replaces the MK.III with the MK.IV from his cargo area, but can't find where the Panther is. It must have run away.
(SixthSense=1): Nothing.
Ruben and Johnny are suddenly there next to him - Ruben asks:
"Is there some way I can help?"

Appearance:
Pilot: 21y/o. Mobile Armored Frame EXpirimental 103 Cannon Exosuit.
Condition(s)
Loud (-2 to sneaking, stealth etc)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Limp (Old wound, -1 to running or faster)
Heavy Armour (Asfer's body is mostly safe from harm)
Generator Power 90% (Being ignored for ease of gameplay)
Abilities
Large Muscle Mass (+1 to action requiring strength)
Sixth sense (+1 to detecting enemies, traps etc)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Super Sprint (Diverts all power to the legs of the Exo-Suit to sprint. Max 3 consecutive uses. +2 to sprints, -2 to any other power-using action)
Weapons
Mk.IV 20mm Thermite Revolver (5 of 5 rounds, minor action to reload) READY
Mk.II 5.7x28mm Vulcan Gun (35 of 250 rounds, 1 turn to reload) READY
Bladed Shield (Left arm) EXTENDED
Inventory
Mk.III Current Grenade Loadout: 1xHE, 1xFrag, 2xSmoke, 2xStun
MAF-EX103C Exo-suit (1 turn to enter/exit)
Ultra-compact generator (Recharged by light, 5% per turn or 15% if resting)
Sensor node (Left Shoulder, IR, NV, auto-targeting camera)
Underslung Harpoon Gun (Attached to Thermite Revolver, loaded)
- 2 spare Harpoons
Rear cargo container: (14 slots used, 36 slots available)
- 40mm cannon rounds (2xHE, 2xFrag, 4xSmoke, 3xStun, 9 slots total)
- 250 spare Vulcan rounds (3 slots total)
- 4 spare Thermite rounds (2 slots)
- Mk.III 40mm Revolver Cannon (0 of 6 rounds, 1 turn to reload) RELOAD!

He and Johnny sidle over to Asfer and he asks:
"Is there some way I can help?"

Appearance:
24, blue eyes, 5'6", curly hair, stylish hat.
Condition(s)
Sprained Ankle (Countered by makeshift splint)
Night Vision Goggles (No darkness modifier)
Abilities
Veteran Sniper (+1 to sniping actions)
Sneaky (+1 to stealth actions)
Night Vision Goggles (+1 to seeing in low-light/darkness/etc)
Branch Balancing (+1 to actions involving movement in/on trees)
Weapons
Silenced Dragunov Sniper Rifle (5-15x scope, .44 FMJ, Magazine 6/7, slung)
Silenced MP5 (Magazine 15/30, wielded)
Molotov x5 (Roll a 3 or higher to successfully throw)
Inventory
Wet Wooden Torch used as a Crutch
Night Vision Goggles (Worn, activated)
Backpack (12 slots used, 13 slots available)
- 5-10x Thermal Scope (1 turn to switch to, 1 slot)
- 5 Dragunov Magazines (2 slots)
- 5 MP5 Magazines (2 slots)
- Rations (3 days, 9 uses, +1 to next action, 3 slots) One used as padding on makeshift crutch
- Lighter (1 slot)
- 21pk Cigarettes (1 slot)

He and Johnny sidle over to Asfer and he asks:
"Is there some way I can help?"

Appearance:
22, stereotypical Chinese face, average build
Condition(s)
Instant-5 Recuperation ( 1/10 )
Shot (-1 to using non-preferred arm)
Heavily Injured Shoulder (Serious bullet wound, restricted movement but no death)
Abilities
(Johnny's abilities are unknown and will only be revealed when he uses them)
Night/Thermal Vision (No Darkness modifiers)
Motion Tracker (+1 to aiming at moving targets)
Sword Mastery (+2 while fighting with Tang-Jian & Sheath, -1 when using other melee weapons)
Observant (+1 to examining or similar)
Make it happen (instant-5, can only use once per 10 rolls, see condition)
Weapons
(Johnny's weapons are hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses them)
JS 7.62 Sniper Rifle (10 rounds, hidden)
FN P90 Silenced (50 rounds, hidden)
Tang-Jian (Sheathed across back, under coat)
Tribal Belt Knife (1+ to hidden or stealthy attacks, sheathed)
Inventory
(Most of Johnny's inventory is hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses it)
Bright Green Apricot-like fruit (Unknown effect, 1 slot)
Black Overcoat
Aviator Shades (NV, TV, Motion Tracking)
Bulletproof Vest (100%)
2x Laser InfraRed attachments (used)
Black Backpack (9 slots used, 16 available)
- 3 P90 Mags (2 slots)
- 3 JS 7.62 Mags (2 slots)
- Laptop (Touchscreen, linked to SR Scope) (2 slots)
- 2 Spare Laptop Batteries (Shake-to-charge, 100%-100%, 2 slots)

"GREETINGS. I AM UNABLE TO TEND TO YOUR WOUNDS DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY APPENDAGES CAPABLE OF DOING SUCH TASK. I SHALL DEFEND YOU UNTIL SOMEONE CAN ARRIVE TO ASSIST YOU."

The signal is faint and slowly dying, so the VN Warrior makes sure it is moving at an optimum speed. It finds a soldier clutching itself in pain near the previous fighting location. The signal comes from him.

Appearance:
10ft tall Spider-mech, Jungle Camo, Y-shaped feet, Serial no. on back, Robotik© logo
Condition(s)
Large Size (+1 to taking specific damage, cannot fit in small spaces)
Core Processing (Exploitable, Fast 'thinking')
Loud (Cannot sneak)
Abilities
Metal Plate Armour (Immune to small arms fire)
Thermal/Night Vision Camera (Automatic, no darkness modifiers)
Enhanced Radio System (External Mic & Speaker)
Wireless (Internal Linksys Wifi Card)
Weapons
Rotary Autocannon (125/125 shells)
Modified M1b Browning Machinegun (290/500 rounds)
Inventory
Mk. IV Robotik© Octo-Core Realtime Processing Unit (A.I. V1.1b)
High Resolution Camera (Thermal/Night Vision)
'Black Box' Situational Events Recording Archive
Backup Processing Core (Storage only: must be manually connected)
3x Extra Firearm Mounting Ports
Storage Container (10 slots used, 2 available)
- 9x Cannon Ammo box (125 shells ea, Minor reload action)
- 1x Browning Ammo box (500 rounds, Major reload action)

"GREETINGS. I AM UNABLE TO TEND TO YOUR WOUNDS DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY APPENDAGES CAPABLE OF DOING SUCH TASK. I SHALL DEFEND YOU UNTIL SOMEONE CAN ARRIVE TO ASSIST YOU."
Tyler blinks a bit.
"What. Is. This."

Condition(s)
Slashed Midsection (-1 to all rolls, can bleed out if kept unchecked)
Appearance:
19, 6 foot, shaggy hair, skinny grey jeans, T-shirt, dark zippered-hoodie, skate shoes.
Abilities
Stealth (+1 to stealth actions)
Athletics (+1 to agility-related actions)
Chaotic (Things are more chaotic or gory around you)
Akimbo (Can use two weapons at once, 4 or 5 to use successfully)
Auditory R&R (+1 to any non-combat action while listening to your music)
Weapons
Silenced H&K UMP45 (25 of 25 rounds, stock-less, slung)
Silenced H&K USP .45 (12 of 12 rounds, holstered)
Machete (Sheathed)
Ballistic Knife (Single use unless retrieved, sheathed) Paralysis
Pair of Throwing Knives (1 turn to extract from shoes)
Inventory
Skiing mask
Chocolate snack bar
iPod and Skullcandy headphones
Garrote (5 of 5 uses)
Cellphone
Broken Roomba thing

Advere just saved your life. Say thanks.

Condition(s)
Back Pain (-1 to next roll)
Appearance:
British, tall with an athletic build; blond hair, blue eyes, attractive.
Abilities:
Ambidextrous (+1 to rolls involving the use of both hands)
Sly (+1 to sneaking, deceiving, picking up ladies etc)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Weapons:
Super-Heated-Plasma-Rounds Rifle (92% Energy)
High-Powered Dual Laser Pistols (70% | 68% Energies)
Mono-filament Bladed Bronze Knuckles
Inventory:
Backpack (20 slots used, 5 available)
-Rations (12 meals, +1 to next action, 2 slots)
-Water Bottle (1 use, +1 to next action, 1 slot)
-One hand-lit flare ( slots)
-Box of 6 Cigars (lasts 2 turns, +1 to awesomeness, 1 slot)
-Box of 42 matches (3+ to use, 1 slot)
-1x C-4 Explosive (3+ to use, 2 slots)
-3x Flash bangs (3+ to use, 2 slots)
-Blasting caps (3+ to use, 1 slot)
-Box of 6 Cigar guns (Disposable, single use, 1 slot)
-Fancy Expensive, manly cologne (1 slot)
-Plasma Rifle Ammo (5 mags, 5 slots)
-Utility machete (2 slots)