Okay, I've gotten enough OCs for the remainder of the story. Also, although each person has one unit each, I will hold summoning polls for whichever unit gets summoned.
Current poll: Chrome, Holia, Avani, Lauda, Avant, or Viktor
Note that if Holia, Lauda, or Viktor is chosen, the next unit is guaranteed 7 star max.
Occasionally, I may also hold rare summon polls (3-5 stars), which you decide the units and vote on whoever to choose.
So, the units right now are: Yuura, Dion, Krantz, Zenia, Libera, Melina, Averus, and Azami. Summoned units will not belong to a lone summoner, but to the group in general. However, a unit may become more attached to a certain summoner (upon request).
As the group walked to their rendezvous point, they did not realize that they were being watched by a figure.
"Humanity is so interesting," the figure mused. "Especially those of this realm. But how did their gods feel that the summoning was a curse?"
"Really, so you gods have gotten to the point where you stalk humans?"
The figure turned around and was greeted with a pale, vampiric-like being who was dressed in drab colors and had white hair. What was prominent, however, was the sword by his side that was about the same size as he was.
"Oh? A demon? What is your name?"
"My name is of no concern, goddess. And you?"
"Lafiel."
The demon blinked. "That name ... I believe I heard the prodigy scientist speak of it once."
"Indubitably. After all, he did base his 'Mock Unit' research off of the work of my counterpart."
"Were you not destroyed in the clash between you and the dark goddess?"
"My body was torn apart after the forced 6th dimension travel. However, by sheer luck, my consciousness survived and here I am."
The demon shook his head. "Technology is so confusing. That is Beiorg's domain, not mine. Hell, Barion himself would have had more experience than me.
"So what do you plan to do, knowing that they are following the disturbance? Surely, the great demon lord must have some plans?"
"I'll merely follow them for now. After all, I cannot leave Ishgria for long. I must look after Ilia. And you?"
The goddess giggled. "Like you said. I'll just follow them for now. But maybe, once they summon my body, I'll fuse back into it and speak with them. Which reminds me, how can you see me?"
The demon glanced at her. "I am Kalon, demon lord of life. So long as a part of you remains, I can sense you."
"Yo, Nevryn."
Nevryn looked up from where he was resting and saw Noah. "Yeah?"
"Apparently, Lord Owen found some complications. Mostly involving rib cages exploding from the chest and spikes protruding from skulls of the fallen victims ... anyways, he decided you need a larger force. He also has a senior commander to direct you through the basics of summoning.
Nevryn tilted his head. "But don't we already have our summoned units?"
"I'm not gonna lie, I don't understand this anymore than you do, but if Lord Owen wants something done, you should probably do it."
Nevryn sighed but knew it was true. Lord Owen wasn't called the First Summoner for nothing.
"Also," continued Noah. "I think that they're gonna show us that new summoning method -the one with gems."
Normally, units were summoned by a summoners innate bond with an unit. Occasionally, after a certain amount of tasks, summoners could summon in the form of a ticket that could be redeemed and used at a secluded area of the empire. However, the odds of getting this ticket were slim to none, and it was almost forgotten by most people.
Gems, however, were a different matter. Although they were nowhere near the abundance of the commonplace zel or the mystic karma that proliferated in the region, they were still more common than the tickets. Given out for certain events, whether it be exploring a new area or achieving a milestone, they were invaluable due to Randall's restrictions on expanding your storage bank.
"How much would it cost?" asked Nevryn, his curiosity by the though of a mainstream. Summoning currency.
"I didn't t hear the specifics, but apparently it should be around 3 or 5."
A fairly expensive price, but an understandable one. After all, a summoned unit was priceless.
"Also, the new team will meet with you near the village."
"Eh?"
Nevryn fought down the urge to rub his forehead. Already were there some complications.
Introductions were simple enough. There was Evelyne and Elimo, James and Melina, Aiko and Averus, Yume and Libera, and finally Damien and Azami.
Evelyne had long blonde hair with dark streaks near the end, glasses over her red eyes, a white long sleeved coat, a back scarf, black shorts, and brown boots. She held a diary in one hand while she held a small but stocky gun by her hip. She appeared sreious, though upon further inspection, one might even call her apathetic.
James had unkempt silver hair with midnight blue eyes, his left face was bandaged as well as his left hand, wore a black trench coat, and has a white scarf as well. He had a greatsword slung across his back while he kept a revolver at his side. He held an impassive look on his face while casting uneasy glances at any people that wore rather revealing clothing.
Aiko had short, wavy ice-white hair with bangs and sported eyes akin to dark-blue agate. She noticeably had a fair skin tone, which worked in tandem with her slender body to give her a frail appearance. She wore a black, white and blue dress with flaring sleeves that covered her hands, as well as black socked leggings and boots. Her hair was loose and contained pale blue ribbon bows on both sides of her head. She held dark blue daggers with cyan veins in her hands.
Yume was a young girl who was rather silent. She had long wavy, chocolate brown hair with midnight black eyes. She also sported side bangs that covered her left eye. She had fair skin, a thin body shape, and was mildly short. Her clothing included an oversized black sweater that allowed her fingers to poke through, black leggings, and black high-top sneakers that had silver buckles and a silver zipper on the side. She had dual revolvers on her sides and was doing her best to act polite, while singing a quiet song under her breath.
Damien had opted to stand as far as possible from the group without being too impolite. His eyes were a sandy brown, had short black dreadlocks that ended at neck level, stood at an imposing height 6 ft., had a complexion that was a mix of dark and sandy brown, had a build that was commonly found in those of the military, and his right arm had a black wolf tribal tattoo. He carried a katana in a red sheathe and had a throwing axe as well as a crossbow by his side. Interestingly, above his left eye, there was an insignia, though Nevryn opted not to comment on it.
Getting the group to work together, however, was much more difficult.
For one, most of the people in question were introverts. The ony exceptions were Lunar and Kamari. Everyone else, however kept more to themselves.
Nevryn sighed before speaking up.
"Alright people, you probably know what's going on, if Lord Owen assigning you to me is anything to work with. we've been given a black box, or what is left of one ..." he trailed off before giving Krantz a knowing look.
"Guilty," added Krantz with a cheeky smile, causing Kamari to smack the back of his head lightly.
"Anyways, we're aiming for Mistral. Apparently, we should get our first clue to as what the hell is going on over there. Everyone in agreement?"
The others muttered assent before a voice spoke up.
"I have some ... questions I would like to ask you later on," stated Evelyne. "Is that alright?"
"Sure."
Once the general agreement was settled upon, Evelyne took to Nevryn's right side as the group trekked to the edge of town - where Owen stated would be their pathway to Grand Gaia.
"So, I've tried looking up some information on you - being the person who will essentially be our guide - and I'm mildly surprised when I have almost data on you whatsoever. Was it your doing?"
"No. My sister's."
"Ah. And your sister?"
"Dead."
Evelyne blinked before continuing. "That's ... unfortunate. So ... in what way did clearing any mentions of you or your family help whatsoever?"
Nevryn sighed. "Let's just say that ... our family has a lot of jealous subordinates. Halcya did what she must to prevent them from going to me."
'So her name is Halcya ...' mused Evelyne. 'Where have I heard that name before ... was she the one known as the Higanbana?'
"So ... do you have any particular biases against any races whatsoever?" Nevryn blinked before looking at her.
"What?"
"I will be honest with you. I am not human, nor are my emotions registered at a level that humans can understand. I would, however, wish to know - would this cause any conflict of interest?"
Nevryn opened his mouth to answer but remembered a piece of advice from Halcya.
'Never give a definite answer - Murphy's Law will always bite you in the rear.'
"As of now, no. I must confess - I cannot distinguish you from a human nor will I attempt to do otherwise. However, I cannot promise what lies in the future."
Evelyne nodded, evidently satisfied with the answer before moving back into the group.
As they finally reached their rendezvous point, they found Lord Owen who was waiting patiently with them.
"I see you have all prepared." He was met with nods of assent.
"Good, now watch me," stated the First Summoner. He held out his hand, revealing 5 gems. His eyes suddenly glowed as he concentrated on something before the gems disappeared and a raimbow gate appeared before them.
"To summon, one must hold 3 or five gems within their hand, the number of gems invoking the strength of their unit."
Owen touched the gate, and it opened. what walked out was a dazed pink-haired woman, sitting atop of some cubes.
"Huh ... I didn't expect to be back so early. Well, my name is Lafiel, pleasure to meet you."
Owen then turned back to the group. "Alternatively, we may deem you worthy of summoning for free; HOWEVER, this is a privilege that we will grant very rarely, and do not expect the units you receive to be as great as the ones you earn from gems (A/N basically honor summoning, although will always be SHS). We will permit you one summon now, who will be up to it?"
The group looked among themselves before Shimmer raised her hand. As she stepped forward, Owen stared at her, his unyielding glare causing her to wilt slightly.
"Take my hand in yours, and concentrate on something you cherished. I will feed you the energy you require to summon, so complete your part."
Shimmer nodded, and closed her eyes and concentrated on her stuffed dog. She felt something farm inside of her, but to those watching it appeared as if the two of them were glowing.
When the glow died down, it revealed not two, but three figures. The third figure was a woman clad in armor using a sword as a weapon. She had blue eyes, and a distant look in her eyes.
Owen nodded, impressed. "My, to summon one of the Six Heroes on your first shot, that is impressive. As for the rest of you, remember that once you liberate an area to come back and rest. A fatigued warrior is worse than an inexperienced one."
He then turned to Lafiel. "Follow their journey, please. I would be more relieved if I knew that they had someone else looking after them.
The goddess gave him a warm smile. "Of course. After all, I would hate to let anything happen to such precious humans." Despite her friendly demeanor, the group shuddered at how she referred to them.
"Anyone know how to cook?" asked Owen. Damien raised his hand.
"Well that should be about it. I'll leave the rest to you, Nevryn." With that, the First Summoner left the group.
Krantz eyed the gate warily. "He checked to see if this thing wasn't faulty, right?" Libera seconded that.
Lunar rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! It can't be that bad! We're just going to Grand Gaia."
Kamari smacked Krantz's head lightly again. "Oh, woman up already! Besides, you've got a lot more people backing you up this time."
Libera was about to bring up another point before she was suddenly hugged from behind by Lafiel.
"!"
"Oh relax! Don't worry, this goddess will do everything she can to help you humans out, okay?"
The rest of the group laughed slightly at the bickering, grateful for a respite from the tension in the air.
And with that, they set into the world of Grand Gaia.
Do you want Tilith to appear before or after Maxwell?
Do you want Maxwell to be evil or have a second side?
Who do you want as the next summoned unit (see poll above)?
I apologize if your OC did not get enough spotlight now, but I will give it to them later on.