13org

The Envenomed: Military Science Fiction Deniable Operations

Echo's oppressive firepower and durability quickly showed themselves to be quite vital to the group as it was still able to stop the power armor soldier on it's tracks, despite the heavy assault it was suffering from the enemy forces, which made the task of eliminating the rest of the enemy forces much easier to the rest of the group. One by one, the automata began to fall, hit by continuous attacks from the Envenomed.

Fortunately, despite how resilient the power armor soldier showed itself to be, their relentless attack was starting to have effect. Alice's needle rounds were definitely hindering it's movement as it became clear by the somewhat sluggish way it was moving after she pierced it's legs and how he lost control of his gun for a moment after she shot his arms. Taking advantage of the opening, Echo immediately lunged towards the armored trooper before it raised it's gravity maul.

At that very moment, from the very back of the enemy forces, a tubular protrusion Alice herself haven't given much importance earlier made a loud noise as it finally revealed it's true purpose. A very old, anti-tank rocket launcher. Despite how dated it was, receiving such a hit at close range would definitely cause some damage to Echo.

"ANTI-TANK ROCKET INCO-!" Alice shouted, trying to warn Echo. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for her to even finish her phrase as the rocket exploded on Echo's side, at the exact time his gravity maul struck the power armored trooper's head, crushing it in a loud, disturbing noise.

Immediately following Echo's attack, Ilshar sent a wave of chasm-spores towards the enemies, aiming to rot and cripple everything they touched. With most of the automata dealt with, together with the power armored soldier, Ilshar's attack would immediately start killing the remaining enemy forces in a truly gruesome display, as their feet rotted after being touched by the spores, making their legs crumble under their own weight as their bodies decomposed in front of their eyes, quickly incapacitating even the soldiers who had fired the first rocket at Echo, before they could load another one.

But things were far from over. Apparently, even in the middle of the ambush by the Envenomed, the CivSec forces still had time to call for backup, once it became clear that they were losing. Much to Alice and the rest of the group's misfortune, the reinforcements they had asked for had finally arrived, laying down heavy artillery fire from above. A call for help from the allied Gealtirocht forces quickly confirmed Alice's worries, that they were being attacked by a gunship.

"A gunship?! Why now of all times..." Alice said, with a heavy sigh. Even if her needle bullets could likely deal with the gunship's armor, hitting some kind of minuscule vital component on a target of that size, flying above them and sending suppressive fire was just impossible. The only hope they had was to find something able to deal significant impact and damage to the gunship...

"There should be still a few rockets around the rocket-launcher used against Echo! It might not be ideal, but if we do not find any anti-air weapons, it should work if we somehow can make the gunship stay still for a moment!" Alice said through the comms as she heard Salvator's order, before she began running towards the enemy encampment, following Salvator's orders and searching for anything that could help them take down or at least damage the gunship laying fire above them.

Alice began to quickly scan her surroundings, searching for anything that would be able to help their situation, but found little more than anti-infantry weapons. Unlike Alice though, Kleo seemed to have found something that would definitely help them. A TitanKiller from one of the CivSec soldiers. The moment Kleo dove behind one of the rocks and began aiming at the gunship, Alice immediately knew what to do.

Rushing towards the tent where the anti-tank rockets were, she entered inside, almost gagging as the hot, fetid air of the rotting and decomposing bodies assaulted her nose. Enduring the horrid smell and fighting against the desire to throw up, Alice quickly located the anti-tank rocket one of the soldiers was trying to load before they died, halfway submerged in the rotting remains that once was a CivSec soldier. While she had never thought about such things earlier, the very moment she picked-up the anti-tank rocket, Alice found herself thinking of how fortunate she was for not having feet to touch the disgusting rotting sludge beneath her.

Taking the anti-tank rocket from the ground with a disgusting squelching sound, she immediately loaded it in launcher as she pointed upwards, waiting for Kleo's shot. The moment it struck the gunship, it hopefully would impact it enough to make it stop moving or at least slow down enough for Alice to hit it with the anti-tank rocket.

"Kleo, waiting for your shot! I'll try following it up with an anti-tank rocket." Alice said, grunting as she moved the heavy launcher around as she aimed.

"Clear!" she shouted, warning for anyone nearby her that she was about to shoot.

Avalia

Time: One week after Zora arrived into Avalia.
Location: Riverbloom, The River
Interactions: Aurora @mole, Barrock @Conscripts, Rowan
Mentions:

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Zora listened in curious silence as both Aurora and Rowan made their offers to Barrock. Honor, while not something material, was definitely an offer that would be of great interest even for Zora as it also meant respect, power and influence, but the one thing she was even more curious was the word Rowan mentioned next. Freedom. For someone like Zora, it was most precious than an entire world's worth of riches. No amount of gold, power or influence could match something as simple as freedom for her. True and complete freedom. Which was why Zora's final months on Earth were so agonizing for her after realizing that the power and influence she sought came with a cost... Her own freedom.

After that very word was mentioned by Rowan, Zora's stare became even more curious as she watched Barrock's reaction. While she still knew little about him, the way he replied to Rowan's offer would say quite a bit about his values. Especially since Rowan hadn't specifically mentioned any kind of material rewards to his aid.

Surprisingly for Zora, Barrock would surprise her yet again with his reply, clearly stating that he had no interest in riches or even honor. Her expression as she heard so was a very satisfied one almost as if Barrock had passed some kind of test.

"Freedom. No amount of riches, power or influence would be able to match true, unrestricted freedom. More than anyone else, I would know that well." She said with a satisfied expression, letting out an acid chuckle at the end.

"I feel genuinely happy to see you know exactly how precious true freedom is." she said, looking to Barrock with a genuine smile.

13org's characters

Klara "Sanngridr" Weiss

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Klara Weiss	General Information Name - Klara Weiss Age - 23 Height - 1,55m / 5'08" Hair Color - Platinum blonde Classification - Ex-officer and ace pilot from the Ruviyane Empire. Captured and then defected to the 'allied' forces.

Detailed Appearance

The first impression most people have upon first looking at Klara is of a petite, delicate girl with a doll-like beauty. Such impression is only made stronger by her long, platinum-blonde hair, the particular hairstyle she mostly always use and most importantly, her usual choice of clothes, often preferring a gothic-Lolita style, going as far as asking for a custom uniform to be made to her liking. Despite her frail and delicate appearance, Klara had formal military training by the empire of Ruvyiane, meaning that despite the size and weight disadvantage, she can still hold her own in a combat situation by using her stamina and agility.

Apart from her appearance, the other thing that seems to immediately draw attention on her appearance are the cybernetic arms she has, one black and one red. A quick look is enough to tell that these seem to be very technologically advanced, despite their appearance. The fact that their design make no effort to make them similar to human limbs seem to be intentional, as it's evident by the fact that both arms are not only painted but decorated with patterns on the surface, indicating that the reason for their design might be other than just purely cosmetic...

While it does blend quite well with Klara's usual style of clothes, the black collar she wears on her neck is a actually a device that is able to immediately incapacitate her via electric shock. Only the captain of the Phantom Brigade can activate it.

Personality

At first glance, Klara is not much different from other members of the high-nobility of the Ruviyane empire. Polite, intelligent, proud and delicate. Thanks to her good upbringing, Klara was taught everything she needed to be a perfect lady, despite her mischievous and somewhat whimsical personality. Her impeccable manners and dignified air, despite being rather conceited, only make her 'porcelain doll' charm even more apparent.

A deeper look at her personality, past the initial impressions quickly reveal that Klara might be more dangerous than her appearance or her behavior might show. Very logical, cunning and calculating, Klara shows little to no remorse in manipulating others to attain her goals, as long as the benefits outweighs the consequences for her actions. Saving those she consider being very close allies, she also doesn't seem to care at all about others, having no problems in saying exactly what she thinks to other people or even let them know she doesn't care about them.

It is only in the battlefield where one can have a real grasp of how dangerous Klara really is. Cruel, sadistic, heartless, bloodthirsty and terrifyingly ruthless, Klara goes beyond just showing a 'cold efficiency' on the battlefield. Where many soldiers would simply perform their duties, Klara seems to enjoy the carnage on the battlefield, the chaos and the violence. Her extreme brutality on the battlefield and the modified Lancer frame she used when she was fighting for the Ruviyane empire, stripped of most of it's heavy armor and armed with a heat lance, gave her the nickname 'Sanngridr', the name of a mythological Valkyrie, roughly translating to 'very violent, very cruel'.

Despite having such a terrifying personality, Klara shows herself to be surprisingly approachable, always receiving those who wish to talk to her with a polite, dignified smile. To those she is close with, Klara often is more friendly and amicable instead of simply polite, showing an unexpected outgoing and rather cheerful side. Her twisted sense of morals and lack of respect towards human lives often show themselves a bit more frequently, be in her words or actions, to those she is close with, since she doesn't seem to be as concerned as she normally is with hiding her true self.

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Bio

Despite being born into a family famous for it's extensive military history, Klara wasn't originally raised neither to be a soldier nor a pilot, instead being raised to be a perfect noble, being taught everything she needed to thrive in Ruviyane's society by the best tutors. In the beginning, her sharp, cunning mind and how easily she could manipulate others made her father immediately think she had all the right talents to thrive in role he had chosen for her. Due to that and the fact that Klara was the youngest daughter, not having a claim to the title of family head like her elder brother and the only woman of the family after her mother died a few years after her birth she had little choice in the role she would perform in the family. After all, the family needed a woman to marry into other powerful families and forge connections to other families to further expand their influence.

Surprisingly enough, as Klara grew, she began showing an increased interest towards a military career, particularly towards the huge battle-frames the knights piloted. Both the tales of her father's feats on the battlefield and the few times she was invited to watch her older brother in the training battle-frame slowly made her drift away from the role her parents had set for her, until her interest was solely focused on a possible military career as a pilot. It was only after a considerable effort and insistence from her part that her parents gave in and allowed her to enroll into the military academy, under the condition that she should have satisfactory results or go continue focusing her teaching on the ways of the high-nobility, economy and politics. At first, neither her family nor the instructors believed she would be able to do anything other than being an officer on the intelligence department, which required only intellect instead of physical prowess. After all, there was no way a delicate noble lady like Klara was fit for the military.

In the first few months of military academy, Klara was able to surprise everyone with how well she was able to perform under pressure and deal with the harsh training. Despite her small body, she was fast and agile on her feet and most importantly, had an unusually sharp and quick mind, even when under pressure. As the first sparring sessions in battle-frame simulator began, all the remaining doubts regarding Klara were immediately cleared, both by her family and the instructors. Whenever Klara was in a combat situation, even if it was a simulated one, she turned into a completely different person. The unbelievable ferocity, efficiency and ruthlessness she displayed, even on trainings was enough to quickly overwhelm and knock down all the other cadets and give even a few of the instructors a hard time, despite her preference towards using melee weapons.

Thanks to her performance, Klara graduated from the Military Academy quite early, with only 17 years, being assigned into the same armored division her older brother and father were. Even as a beginner pilot, her ferocity on the battlefield quickly made her known as a very promising talent. Performing better than some experienced pilots despite using only a stock Lancer frame, Klara's contribution only grew as the battles continued, as it did her infamy due to her cruel fighting style and the seeming excitement she felt when in combat. The blood curdling giggles, laughter and humming that could be heard from the radio as she mercilessly pierced enemy battle-frames with her Lancer and broke their formation, despite being unnerving, was enough to boost the morale of ally pilots and soldiers.

Unfortunately, even for such a naturally talented pilot such as Klara, there was only so much she was able to do with a stock Lancer frame. Especially given the fact that her unique fighting style didn't really match the frame. In one of the combats, the poor match of her frame with her combat style finally caused an incident when she was unable to dodge out of the way from an explosive shell from an enemy long-range battle-frame, which exploded just before piercing her frame. The pressure from the explosion was enough to immediately send her unconscious, even before she noticed that shrapnel fragments from her own battle-frame's armor cut both of her arms. Fortunately, she was quickly rescued by her allies and immediately sent to a hospital. Due to the strong shock of the explosion, Klara would end up waking up only a few weeks later, already having her arms replaced by highly advanced, custom made cybernetic arms, provided both by the army and her family.

Even though Klara didn't receive any psychological trauma for seeing her own arms being torn to shreds, due to being unconscious, the rehabilitation still took a decent time, including getting used to her new arms. At first, when Klara stated her intention to go back to the military to her family, there were some protests, but they were quickly silenced by her father, a hardened veteran which stated that not only it was right for her to go back to the military, but it was her only choice, as she had chosen the military career herself. Regardless of her father's rough words, which were in part expected, given how famous he was for not being exactly someone to openly show his feelings, it was still evident that she had his support, especially with her receiving from him, a modified Lancer frame, including an upgraded heat lance and focusing more on agility instead of armor.

Armed with a modified frame and her new cybernetic arms, Klara's return to the battlefield was nothing short of terrifying for the enemy. With a frame that was able to keep up with her quick thinking and move itself in the way she wanted, Klara's contribution on the battlefield, was enough to rise her status from a mere pilot to an ace. The quick, lightning offensives commanded by her father and led by her brother had an immense success whenever she was included on them, always followed by devastating losses for the enemies. The battles after her return to the battlefield were the ones responsible for giving her the nickname 'Sanngridr'.

Unfortunately, despite the many years of service her family had dedicated to the empire and even hers and her brother's achievements in combat, something neither Klara herself nor her family was expecting. While neither one of them were oblivious to the tactics the empire used, which saw both equipment, pilots and soldiers as mere 'numbers', willing to abandon an entire platoon if the loss of units and resources was considered to be acceptable when taking in consideration the result, they had never expected such fate would befall them instead of mere low-ranking, volunteer soldiers...

Despite the repeated successes in the quick offensives Klara's division had recently, on that particular day, they encountered an unexpected resistance from the enemy. The initial plan was to quickly infiltrate behind enemy lines and attack a convoy of transportation units before they reached the front-lines carrying ammunition and resources. According to the data they received from scouts and surveillance, the convoy should have been escorted only by a few enemy battle-frames and in the beginning, everything was going on according to the plan. But on the very moment they made their attack on the convoy, the transport vehicle opened up, revealing another unit of battle-frames, ready for combat. Being quickly surrounded, Klara's unit did her best to retreat, but having been caught off-guard by the reinforcements, there was little they could do but to ask for support, which according to the report they received from the headquarters, would take a few minutes to arrive.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Klara, her father, her brother and their unit continued slowly retreating while waiting for the promised reinforcements. Focusing only on maintaining a tight formation and avoid being flanked, they continued slowly retreating, but for every two enemy battle-frames that they damaged and incapacitated, one of theirs was completely destroyed. This grinding battle continued until there was only Klara, her brother and her father remaining. At that moment, a radio transmission was received on their radio. Relief was clear in their expression, believing the reinforcements had finally arrived. Much for their dismay though, instead of the contact from friendly units and battle-frames, they received a single message...

"Klara Weiss, Alexander Weiss and Maximilian Weiss, thank you for your years of service for the empire. May the emperor's grace be with you."

The moment they finally understood the meaning of that message, it was already too late as the artillery shells began bombarding their position, immediately annihilating both the enemy battle-frames and theirs at the same time. The empire had decided that mobilizing an entire unit as an emergency measure to enter in direct combat with the enemy forces and rescue their unit was simply too much of a waste of resources to rescue them, so instead of ending that confrontation in a total loss, they calculated it would be more beneficial to send long range artillery to bombard their position as there would be much bigger losses for the enemies than for the empire themselves. The last thing Klara remembers was the deafening explosions as the shells impacted the ground, before her battle-frame was almost tackled by her father, Maximilian and her brother Alexander...

Klara woke up hours later with the alarms of her custom Lancer unit exploding into her ear. The cockpit, albeit cracked and damaged, was still functional and the upper limbs seemed to have retained at least part of their movement, but the lower part of her battle-frame was completely gone, exploded to bits due to the bombardment. The moment she turned on the monitor again, much to her own despair, she could clearly see the reason for her survival... Above her own battle-frame, there were the contorted remains of her father and her brother's frames, having shielded her before the explosions. Enraged, Klara got out from under the scraps of her former family, dragging her broken battle-frame back towards the front-lines. During that time, there was only one thing in her mind... She wanted to know why... Who was responsible for such decision. After all the years her family dedicated to the empire and they still treated them like mere numbers.

Before she could reach her destiny though, she was stopped by a squadron of scout frames from the enemy forces, searching for survivals in the smoking crater that was once the place where the ambush convoy was. Unarmed, exhausted and with a broken frame, there was little Klara could do but to surrender herself... Oblivious to the events that led to her capture, she was considered a high-profile prisoner, due both to her status as a noble and her achievements as a pilot. It was only during her time captured that they came to know about what really happened and made Klara an offer... If she volunteered to fight for them in the Phantom Brigade and agreed with their conditions, they would not only give her a chance at revenge, but they would also consider give her political asylum and protect her, should the empire come after her after considering her a traitor. For Klara, the answer to such proposal was an easy one. Not only she would be able to go back to the battlefield, she would have a chance to get revenge on those who betrayed her.

Skills

Cybernetic arms: Klara's cybernetic arms, despite being incredibly advanced, weren't designed to make them look like human arms, instead they were designed with the sole purpose of being effective on the battlefield. Be it while piloting her battle-frame or in close combat.

Military training: While Klara is definitely at disadvantage regarding size and weight, her military training made her very fast and agile, playing to the strengths of her petite frame. Additionally, it gave her an incredible stamina in order to deal with extended periods of time piloting her battle-frame. Her cybernetic arms, due to their enhanced strength ended up covering for her previous disadvantage in close quarter combat.

'Sanngridr': Klara is incredibly proficient at piloting light, agile battle-frames on the battlefield. While she is capable of using an aggressive combat style focusing on melee weapons and heavy disruption, she is also very proficient at using her battle-frame's agility and mobility for stealth and infiltration. Her capability of moving quickly and unnoticed in the battlefield, position herself perfectly before beginning a violent carnage is what gave her such nickname.

IRISU-002X - Wraith

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Battle-Frame Name - Interception, Reconnaissance, Infiltration and Stealth Unit number 002X (Experimental)

Weight Class - Light

Description

This experimental unit was developed with the intention of being a very lightly armored, extremely fast, agile and mobile unit focusing on infiltration, interception and reconnaissance. Fitting to it's name and purpose, this frame is and incredibly light one, lacking the bulky armor that most frames have and instead focusing only on shielding the most vital components, doing as much as possible to keep it's overall weight low. It's low weight and the excessively powerful Therranite reactor, normally used for heavy-units, allow this battle-frame to have an extreme mobility and speed, despite not making use of auxiliary booster systems.

Due to the extreme weight and size restrictions in order to maintain maximum speed, mobility and to keep it's radar signature as low as possible, the Wraith is completely devoid of any auxiliary or backup weapon systems and has no ranged capability other than throwing it's knives, which is only effective at medium range at best It's tail can also be used as a weapon due to the blade on it's very tip, which heat-up similarly to it's knives and is also capable of generating and discharging a powerful electric current to temporarily deactivate or even fry the electronic systems of frames which it enters in contact with.

The multiple arms and the auxiliary, thigh mounted arms not only make it a devastating frame in melee combat, but also allows it to climb and latch itself even upside-down if necessary. The shoulder-mounted harpoon system also give it quite an incredible mobility, being able to even be used as weapons if necessary. Having an almost exclusive focus on melee-combat, the Wraith frame is also equipped with a multitude of disruptive systems, such as a cloaking device, smoke and chaff area systems and the ability of producing EMP pulses.

Despite how incredibly complicated and difficult this frame is to pilot, when in the hands of an experienced pilot, it is an undeniably terrifying frame, being capable of extreme mobility, disruption and extremely effective at melee combat. It's capability of creating chaos on the battlefield after infiltrating the enemy backline only to disappear soon after was exactly what gave it's particular model name "Wraith".

Primary Systems

Upgraded Heat Knives: Given this particular frame's extreme dependence on it's melee weapons, it was provided with the most advanced model of heat knives, able of piercing and cutting through even the thickest armors either instantaneously or if given a bit of time, depending on the armor's thickness.

Flexible Anti-Mech Weapon System 'Stinger': The characteristic flexible tail is armed both with the capability of discharging a potent electric current in order to temporarily stun, disable or even fry the electronic systems from battle-frames that enter in contact with it and is armed with a heat-blade similar to the ones present in the heat daggers the frame uses. Aside from that, it can also be used to restrain and trip other frames or in a multitude of other ways.

Secondary Systems

Disruption and Counter-measure System: The IRISU-002X - Wraith frame is capable of deploying a wide area smoke and especially heated chaff made of a thermally reactive material in order to either serve as a countermeasure to guided weapons or in order to counter other frames' visual and detection systems. It is also capable of generating strong EMP pulses or even maintain an EMP field around itself.

Extremely small radar signature: Due to the way this Battle-Frame was designed the materials and even the special coat of paint used, it's radar signature is extremely small, being quite hard to detect via radar.

Advanced Radar and Detection System: In order to avoid being blinded by it's own EMP and countermeasure systems, the IRISU-002X - Wraith Battle-Frame has especially designed, strong radar and detection systems in order to prevent interference and jamming. It's capability of accurately identifying enemy units in an area around itself, by using either conventional radar systems or even special types of detection systems such as thermal vision, infrared & etc. also allow it to directly relay this information to allied units inside it's range.

Prototype System

Wraith Active Camouflage System: This experimental system, developed especially to this particular battle-frame generates an electromagnetic field with a special, very specific frequency. This electromagnetic field coats the battle-frame almost as a second skin, allowing it to bend light waves, essentially turning it virtually invisible even to infrared based detection systems. While it still works when moving fast, it's effectiveness is heavily reduced, with the frame being able to be detected as a rather noticeable 'light distortion' when observed carefully.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

With the preparations for the trip back to Arcaeda nearing it's end, Nellara was left, for the first time in a decent while since the arrival of the humans, without anything to do but to watch over the final preparations and wait. It was exactly at that moment that General Kvarr called her, giving her instructions about the oncoming mission she was trusted with.

"Understood General, I will shortly announce our intentions to depart soon. It shouldn't take long until the humans, Seeker Kareet and whoever else might be accompanying us will be ready to go." Nellara said, agreeing as General Kvarr continued.

Just like the General himself had said, Nellara had no doubts that the current mission was way more important than her daily routine as Lenkik's Castigator, so she was grateful when the General mentioned there would be someone to temporarily take over her position in Lenkik. General Kvarr's next words though, were the ones that made Nellara much more nervous than the mere temporary substitution of her as Lenkik's castigator. Not only she was to escort the human 'ambassadors' directly to the Archmagister, but General Kvarr himself said it would be highly probable that the Archmagister herself had some words to tell her. Most people in the Ascension, Nellara included, saw the Archmagister almost as something of a living legend. The possibility of a meeting with her was definitely something that Nellara would have to mentally prepare for.

"The Archmagister herself? Understood, I will be sure to prepare myself." Nellara said. Despite keeping her composure, the General would still notice that the possibility of meeting directly with the Archmagister was something that made even Nellara a bit nervous.

Just after she said that, Nellara would call one of the soldiers under her, asking him to help her to notify their intent to depart soon, both to the humans and the rest of those who expressed their desire to accompany them. With the help of the soldier, Nellara would soon go after she was done talking with the General.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess, Dante @FunnyGuy Darius @Samreaper Menzai
Equipment:

Steel Dagger of Unbreaking

Cannot break or become dull.

243 Amas

While at first Viola was glad to see Ophelia was still the same kind girl she always knew, worrying not only about her and Cyrus' well being. But the moment she mentioned the words 'friends and family', Viola felt a surge of negative feelings storming her mind, a dark side of her that was influence from the experiments and the incomplete 'reeducation' process she underwent back in Daka Island...

Did Ophelia really forget about everything? About her siblings and what happened to their family... Did she really forget about her... Or had she deliberately abandoned them? Abandoned Viola to suffer by herself in Daka Island? Abandoned her siblings, forgot about her family and everything that happened to them?
But still, it was undeniable that Ophelia... or better, 'Phia' was happy where she was right now. Even though she forsook her name and who she was. Should they really try to make Ophelia remember who she was or should they just let 'Ophelia' stay dead and let 'Phia' live her new life? Even if that was the case, did Ophelia really deserve such peace and happiness, after having abandoned her... Abandoned all of them? Why was she entitled to such happiness after Viola had suffered so much?

Even though it was a very subtle change, her brother Cypress would likely have noticed Viola's expression getting darker and if not, the vines shifting uncomfortably around her body while an internal conflict raged inside her mind. Even after they entered the small village after being guided by Phia, Viola's expression remained the same, too distracted by her internal conflict to even notice the stares of mistrust and almost hostility directed at them as they made their way to a small restaurant.

"Some food... would be nice indeed..." Viola said after a few seconds.

The time they took to get to the village and the small restaurant they were in at the moment did seem to be enough for Viola's mental to get a bit more... stable. At least for now.

---

Time: One week after Zora arrived into Avalia.
Location: Riverbloom, The River
Interactions: Aurora @mole, Barrock @Conscripts, Rowan
Mentions:

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Zora watched, curious as Rowan expressed his reluctance in disclosing any more information about their 'training' than what he deemed necessary, undoubtedly in order to avoid any possible problem regarding information leak. It didn't take long until Aurora interceded for Barrock, mentioning that perhaps they might be able to trust him.

"Aurora's approval of Barrock already has a great deal of weight for me regarding whether to trust him or not. Besides, I do consider myself being quite a good judge of character and despite our brief first meeting, Barrock doesn't seem like someone who would betray others after giving his word." Zora said, looking to Barrock with a brief smile.

When Barrock asked what would he get for joining them, Zora let out a mischievous smirk, of someone that not only already expected such answer, but would be in fact, disappointed if it wasn't the case. It was good to know some rules remained the same, whether she was in her old world or here in Availa.

While back in her world, a favor from 'the' Zora Sene would be worth more than an entire ship and the lives of it's crew, she was well aware that here in Avalia, her name did not carry nearly as much weight as it used to... At least for now. Besides, she had little to offer regarding riches or material possessions, seeing how she had arrived on Avalia only a few days ago.

"As Rowan said though, this... 'mission' is not free of danger and ultimately, it is your choice whether you decide to help us or not. Regardless, I can assure you that your help will be rewarded, should you decide to assist us." Zora said with a calm expression before she looked to Rowan, as if waiting to see what he was willing to offer Barrock for his help.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

While Nellara had felt a bit... 'attacked' by Vigdis' previous comments, the misunderstanding was soon cleared when she mentioned human laws. Nellara had no idea of how human laws worked, but to their race, which seemed to be rather... prone to violence, drawing a weapon wasn't seen the same way as how people in Kanth-Aremek saw it.

"I see... I can't say I am knowledgeable about human laws, although it would be better if we both agreed against 'drawing' our weapons unless we actually intend to attack, kill or wound someone, as drawing and pointing one's weapons are a clear and obvious display of hostility... And as far as I am aware, neither one of us here are enemies, right?" Nellara completed, hoping to clear that misunderstanding and avoid any 'future' misunderstandings of the same kind... considering how much trouble such incidents could spell for both of them.

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Nellara heard Zeynep's requests. From common things such as clothing to lightning mages, most of them proved to be quite basic and relatively easy to grant. The one request that made Nellara a bit worried was the recovery of the parts of the Jotunheim that apparently fell off on their 'arrival'. While normally it would be quite easy to form a scout party to search for it, it definitely wouldn't be as simple, considering how the ship parts were on Mythadia territory.

Unfortunately, the Ascension would have to cede that specific request for the Mythadians.

"The Ascension is well known for it's mages. Gathering lightning mages would be easier, faster and more efficient if we were the ones to do it. Safer as well, considering we will bring trained mages that are trusted by the Ascension." Nellara said, glancing towards Silbermine before she looked to Zeynep.

"Additionally, the Ascension would gladly provide you with durable and efficient work clothes. As I mentioned before, the Ascension accepts everyone based on their skill, regardless of race. Due to this, we are accustomed with making the most varied type of clothes to fit most races." Nellara said, once again looking to Zeynep.

"In return, I believe searching for the parts from the Jotunheim that fell on the marshlands would be a better task for the Mythadians, considering both the terrain and the territory they are currently at. Besides, invading Mythadian territory would be... incredibly rude and could be misunderstood as an act of hostility of our part if we did so, wouldn't it?" Nellara said, this time looking to Silbermine. Her remarks were once again clear, although rather delicate reminders of the offenses Silbermine had committed against the Ascension.

Regardless of her personal thoughts about Silbermine, negotiations were negotiations and Nellara knew well she had to cede in some aspects, if she wanted to gain the upper hand in others.

As General Kvarr mentioned about having no need to secure a separate location for the humans, Nellara simply nodded, agreeing with him. She had no doubts Silbermine would love to 'take' the humans for himself, but the proposal they had, to give the stretch of land the Jotunheim fell for the humans, was not only more 'neutral' but definitely fit the humans' interests better than Silbermine's.

Unfortunately, Silbermine, in his arrogance, still continued to claim that land belonged to Mythadia. Nellara's expression visibly hardened, as she looked at him with a cold stare. While General Kvarr decided to take the calm approach to such insults, Nellara still saw the need of being firm and standing one's ground. Still, she did little more than just look at Silbermine menacingly while General Kvarr continued to talk.

"I believe the matter of sovereignty was never in question here, 'Lord' Silbermine. The treaty that divides our territory is old and was always respected by both of our nations. There is little need for Mythadia, or you in particular to want to take Ascension lands, as I believe your territory would be already quite enough for your kingdom, just as ours is for us." Nellara asked, looking to Silbermine with a serious expression.

"It would be best if we avoid lighting any... unnecessary sparks that might result in disagreements between our nations, since there is a possibility that they could affect our relationship as neighbor nations, don't you agree?" Nellara asked, her sharp eyes watching every movement from Silbermine.

"Should our nations see a new discussion about the treaty to be unavoidable, I hope Mythadia will show itself an honorable neighbor and not try to push any... unfavorable conditions to the Ascension, in order to preserve our relationship as neighbor nations." Nellara concluded.

With the humans deciding to send two groups, one to Mythadia and the other to Ascension, the negotiations seemed to have dwindled down, at least for now. After they were mostly done with it, General Kvarr ordered Nellara to prepare a small group of soldiers to escort the humans back to Arcaeda by using one of their boats. Taking the rest of the day to rest, Nellara spent most of her free time handpicking the soldiers that would fit best to that particular task among the ones present and instructing them about their task. Even though it was unlikely they would encounter any danger, escorting the humans so they could arrive in Arcaeda safely was their top priority so during all the trip back, she instructed them to always be on alert.

The Envenomed: Military Science Fiction Deniable Operations

Capturing the armored soldier alive, just like Ilshar said, would be a challenge. Not only due to his equipment, but mainly due to the fact that it was highly improbable he wouldn't have some type of fail-safe implant in order he was captured, to prevent him from being interrogated or something. If that was the case, they would have risked themselves for nothing. Still, however small the possibility for a successful capture was, Alice still didn't want to throw it away.

With the first signal being given by Salvator's shots, a hail of bullets followed, focused on the armored soldier. Alice's tungsten needles successfully pierced the armored soldier's knees, but due to their low impact, didn't have enough damage to fully immobilize him. The pain did seem to be enough to affect his mobility, causing him to almost fall and take cover behind a tree, which, when coupled with Salvator's EMP rounds disabling it's helmet, were undoubtedly advantages their group could use.

The CivSec soldiers didn't stay surprised for too long though and after the armored soldier barked orders, they immediately began organizing themselves. As the suppressive LMG fire started, Alice hid herself behind the tree, taking cover. While they didn't seem to know exactly her position, the wide sweeps made by the LMGs forced her to hide, the audible noises of the stray bullets hitting the trunk of the tree she was hiding behind reminding her that it would be a terrible idea to move now.

The enemies' formation and defenses were tightening fast, as they retreated and took cover. Even though the Envenomed had the advantage of surprise, not even hers and Salvator's stealth field would be able to hide them forever, especially thanks to the automata' detection systems. Fortunately, not only Echo was starting to use it's heavy firepower to further disorientate the enemy and reduce their numbers, but a well placed EMP grenade had shut down the entire left side of their formation, which would buy enough time for her to reposition herself.

It was just at that moment that the beam cannon that Echo was charging finally fired, lighting up the battlefield as it went directly towards the place where the power-armored soldier was hiding. Unfortunately, a moment before if hit, Alice was clearly able to see the power-armored soldier sprinting away from the cover, before Echo's beam pierced it, hitting the cargo container behind, which caused a massive explosion, it's shock wave being enough to make Alice hide behind another tree.

"The armored trooper seems to have recovered from the EMP rounds! He sprinted away a second before Echo's shot!" Alice said, using the comms as she reloaded her rifle with a new magazine.

Following the explosion and making use of the chaos that it created, Echo rushed forward, making use of it's heavy armor and extensive weaponry to draw fire towards itself. Using the distraction that Echo was causing, Alice immediately followed with two more shots towards the automata that were disabled, just after they woke up and began firing at Echo. A single, precise shot to their processing unit should prevent them to get up and fighting again.

"Four operational automata left before enemy reinforcements arrive." Alice said through the comms. Having re-positioned herself earlier, she had perfect vision of exposed side of the power-armored soldier, which seemingly had recovered from the explosion and EMP rounds and was now firing at Echo.

"Acknowledged! Focusing fire at the power-armored soldier!" Alice said, replying to Salvator's orders as she crouched down, holding her breath and aiming at the power-armored soldier again.

"Please be ready for follow-up shots." Alice said, holding her breath for a moment before firing two more times at the power-armored soldier, once again aiming at the joints of his armor, but this time aiming at his left arm. With one needle aimed at his left wrist and the other at his left elbow. Her aim was to either force the power-armor soldier to change to his backup weapon after disabling one of his arms or forcing him to fire his rifle with one arm, which would undoubtedly affect his accuracy.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda, Baba Yaga @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

Faye's preoccupation regarding Micheal soon showed itself to be quite justified, as he seemed to be completely out of energy, soon passing out. Fortunately, his friends were quick to drag him to safety. Still, there was little time for Faye to worry herself about others' safety, as the creature's arm was still swinging at her despite the hail of bullets Scarlet was sending towards the creature.
Caught by surprise, Faye didn't have enough time to blink to safety, let alone react. She knew that if she was hit by that creature, having most of her bones broken would be the least it could happen to her.

Closing her eyes, Faye braced for the impact, but surprisingly enough, it never came. When she finally opened her eyes again, she quickly realized what happened. Before being able to hit her, the creature's fist had stopped, blocked behind a sturdy black wall that was conjured just in front of Faye, before a strong blast of magic struck the surprised creature, sending it flying away from Faye, before hitting a wall.

The very moment Faye felt that magic, she immediately knew she had already felt it before. It was a powerful, old and ancient magic. One unique enough that Faye knew exactly when she had felt it. It was back when she first met Madam Alexeya.

"M-Madam Alexeya?" Faye said, surprised by her sudden appearance. The same old magic she had felt before now emanating from her with a frightening strength and power.

Now knowing Madam Alexeya's real name, it made perfect sense for Faye. Why she felt such strong and ancient magic coming from her. Why she had the immediate instinct of respecting, fearing and revering the woman.

Still dazed by the revelation, Faye took a moment to notice the creature angrily rushing towards Baba Yaga. When she finally did, she hastily blinked behind the woman, letting a surprised yelp as she hid from the creature's angry tackle before Baba Yaga immobilized it with a wall of wooden thorns, impaling and piercing the creature so it couldn't move.

"I... think I can help you guys with this!" Faye said, as she conjured six small portals around the creature, every single one of them linked to the portal next to them.

"If you guys have anything that can pierce the creature, feel free to use it and watch the show!" Faye said with a smirk.

"That'll teach it to not try to attack me." she said, with a confident expression, despite still being hiding behind Baba Yaga... Just in case the creature was somehow able to free itself.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

While Nellara's experience with the humans was brief, she had already noticed their tendency towards violence and threats. Just as Ixtaro told her before, it seemed like the humans had an extensive history of violence and wars among each other and many of them tended to act in a quite fitting way, like Ezra or Darnell... Always expecting the worst out of everyone and everything else. Quick to jump to hostility instead of acting defensively.

One person that surprised Nellara though was Vigdis, as she accused her of doing exactly the same as Nellara accused the humans of doing, back when she used her spheres when she first met the humans.

"If I wanted to point weapons at you humans, I wouldn't have used the spheres. They were always used in a strictly defensive manner. Just like I ordered my soldiers to not unsheathe their weapons when we first met... Unlike your soldiers. If I remember correctly... You were as far as ambushing us with your machines from outside the ship." Nellara replied, looking to Vigdis, Ezra and Darnell with an irritated expression.

"Not everyone in Kanth-Aremek has the same patience and tolerance with people who so easily freely show their hostility like you two do. I suggest you to be careful." Nellara said, this time looking directly towards Ezra and Darnell.

"There is a very palpable difference between acting in a hostile manner and acting in a defensive manner. Still, what happened then matters little to the situation at hand. As I mentioned before, there were enough misunderstandings for a day. We don't need anyone raising their weapons without any intention to actually use them..." Nellara completed, her voice taking a rather scary tone at the last part, as she glanced towards Ezra and Darnell, before her expression returned to her previous, calm one.

Fortunately, the situation seemed to defuse itself as quickly as it started after a brief conversation, with Kareet succeeding in convincing Kolvar to calm down.

After the group returned, Captain Zeynep made her desire to start the negotiations known soon enough, soon being replied by General Kvarr, which had a similar opinion regarding how the negotiations should start as Nellara herself had.

"I agree with General Kvarr. It would be most informative if we knew the conditions or requests you and your crew might have, Captain Zeynep." Nellara said, giving a step forward.

"Besides, as I said previously, I was being honest and truthful regarding our objectives since the first time I spoke about them." Nellara said, referring to all the times she reinforced the Ascension's objective was simply to forge friendly relations with the humans and maybe forge a trading agreement both could benefit from.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

The noise of Scarlet's gun firing echoed through the courtyard as she shot at the creature Amanda was fighting against. While it didn't seem to be enough to penetrate it's tough hide, the impact was more than enough to daze it, at least for a few precious seconds. The noise was so sudden and loud that made Faye flinch. But the fact that not even that shot was able to penetrate the creature's hide was what made her even more surprised.

"Scarlet, are your wounds okay to handle the recoil?" Faye asked, worried about the wounds Scarlet received a moment ago.

Scarlet's follow up to that shot was much more powerful though, firing an explosive-tipped round which was enough to knock back the creature and make it kneel down, dazed. The noise made by it was enough to make Faye cover her ears.

"What is this thing even made of...?" Faye asked, incredulous as she looked at the creature, which still seemed to be relatively unharmed by Scarlet's shots.

"Micheal, can you handle it? I can still open a portal to send it away if it gets too dangerous!" Faye said as she looked at Micheal.

The amount of power that was concentrated on him after the ritual was such an enormous amount that even those without any magical blood would be able to feel a strange 'feeling' coming from him. For Faye though, it was almost as strong as the corrupted aura from the creature. She knew well that Micheal was overexerting himself. The natural magic coming from Micheal's ritual was probably the only thing that was helping Faye deal with the corrupted magic emanating from the creature. With that said, the eldritch beams the creature started firing quickly began to worsen Faye's condition, with her feeling visibly more shaken and weakened.

The second Faye stopped paying attention at the creature to check on Scarlet and Micheal was the moment the creature directed it's attention to Faye. Distracted, dazed and weakened by the eldritch magic emanating from the creature, she wasn't able to even react in time as Amanda warned her about the titan, being able only to raise her hands as a reaction to the oncoming blow.