Daybreak Academy

[A]

After what amounted to a major surprise encounter the previous day, Gunvolt was up most of the night looking over a flash drive provided to him by Zeno. ...It was indeed not comfortable reading, and there was just so much he couldn't go over it all. Thankfully, Zeno thoughtfully provided a readme file about what files he should focus on looking at first.

The following couple of days, Gunvolt sought out anyone he knew or trusted to share what he could with them, providing a warning that the content would be deeply unsettling.

Turned out, Sumeragi had gathered quite a large supply of data about many people.

After sharing this data with you, Gunvolt looks stonefaced and grim.

"Just when you think Sumeragi was bad enough, they find ways to be even worse. We might be close to a boiling point."

...Of course, with fires popping up all over the world now, Sumeragi was just another big problem in a pile of Big Problems.

[B]

Perhaps in a twist, Gunvolt isn't working himself to death in response to all this news. Instead, he's found himself going to the gym to exercise and train, though less of what would be combat drills. No, this time it's flexibility and agility training, and even partaking in some pickup games of basketball or football, whichever he could get into.

He felt like all of his lab work had slowed him down a bit, and that he needed to give that part of his mind some time to rest.

And he'd be lying if he wasn't having some fun in doing it. He might be playing a sport with you, or cooling down at one of the smoothie bars.

[C]

Alternatively, you can catch him back in the Aube dorm, having freshly showered and changed... and for once, his hair was down and unbraided. Seems he's been trying to brush it back into shape and holy shit this boy has a lot of hair, going all the way down to his legs. With it down, it's probably way easier to mistake him for a girl, particularly from the back.

[D]

Wildcard it, if you want.

A: Mythril Cage

[Since encountering what turned out to be the next Herald and feeling that sort of immense pressure and fear, Gunvolt has redoubled his training difficulty. Enough to push himself to new limits; though considerably more dangerous than before. He still played by whatever rules the Cage set up for training protocols, but he's much less conservative in his training regimen.

Whether you're watching him, or actively training with GV as a form of sparring, at some point during this intense training, he takes a gash in his arm. He recoils in pain, hissing and throwing his hand over the wound to put pressure on it as blood starts to flow. A quiet curse in German follows, though it's more at the discomfort and his own screw-up rather than at whatever hurt him.]

Better get this patched up before we continue. Just give me a...

[...A strange sensation fills him as he speaks, which is what gives him pause. Removing his hand from the injury, sparks of bright blue lightning arced through his blood and wound, criss-crossing over it and dancing down towars his fingertips. In a matter of moments, the wound's bleeding all but stopped, and it started to close up on its own. Blinking in confusion, Gunvolt tested his hand and arm... it still stung and was tender, but... he had full range of motion.]

Huh. That's... new. Did you see that...?

[The young man still looks completely baffled by this.]

B: The Anvil and Testing Grounds

[If you're a frequent comer to the Anvil for runic inscription, forging, or anything else involving crafting magical things, you've probably seen Gunvolt there pretty often. Much of the time, he's been tinkering with his armor and Dart Leader, adding and adjusting features and further protection to his equipment. But like his training, he's pushing his limits further, looking for new ways to use his skills and adapt his powers. His toil has been practically relentless over the past couple of weeks; whenever he had time where he wasn't scheduled to train, go to class, or relax, he was here, working on a few new inventions. One was still in blueprinting, but he had started to procure a number of parts... a long pole, some magical runic engine... and he'd ordered what looked like a heavy axe head and speartip. Whatever he had in mind looked to be... quite a thing. It also looked like he was in the midst of developing an entirely new Dart Leader pistol as well, judging by the gun frame on his worktable and several vital components and internals covered by a clear plastic lid.

But for now, he donned the other thing he had been working on. A pair of mythril bracers, etched and runed to the gills in his own specific style. Sturdy, yet flexible, the bracers' purpose wasn't immediately clear by look. GV moved into his testing ground, though it was more like a shooting range.]

Time to see if all this sweat has paid off.

[The Candle closed his eyes, looking like he was envisioning something in his mind's eye. His focus looked intense, and soon enough a few runes on his bracers lit up a dark orange. Drawing his Dart Leader, he fired off a set of darts at the target down range, and then channeled his Radiance. His Flashfield remained a brilliant blue, lightning coursing all around him, though when he threw out his hand to direct it, instead of the usual lightning, a series of fireballs launched out from the field and homed in on the dummy unerringly. The flames exploded and erupted on impact, but the dummy remained standing, thanks to its magical durability. Smoke and brimstone filled the air along with the smell of ozone that sometimes followed Gunvolt's electrical power.

GV looked over to the screen next to his station, which measured estimated damage and energy inflicted on the target dummy, and clicked his tongue, in a mixture of triumph and disappointment.]

...It's working, all right. But I'm still bleeding power in the elemental transfer. The question is... is it the runic pattern I used not efficient enough, is it me, or is this something that can't be helped? ...Maybe another element.

[It was at about that point that Gunvolt realized there were eyes on him, and he turned around to glance at whomever it was over his shoulder. He was still focused on his work, so he might not be paying full attention at just who he was looking at.]

Hey, sorry. Didn't know you were back there. Commissions are a little tight right now, but if you need something made, I might be your guy.

C: Wild Card, Relaxation

[Fortunately, despite his intensity with work lately, he's still not forgotten what Nana and his friends have taught him. Take time for yourself. Recharge. Relax. He takes time to stop by Cafe Phantom to enjoy coffee and sweets while doing some light studying, while also spending time in Aube's common room playing video games, either on console or handheld.

In these places, he can be joined by Monarch, if so desired.]

Who: Gunvolt, Jailbreak, Desidera, Vivi, Lia, Kohaku, guest starring Asimov
What: Invading a Sumeragi Armored Train and put a stop to Project Monarch
When: November 3
Where: Somewhere in Eastern Europe
Warnings: Fighting and violence, and imprisonment of an AI

( Strike! )