13org

The Envenomed

Receiving both Ilshar and Salvator's reply through the comms did made Alice quite relieved, especially on how they at least sounded like they had everything under control. Echo's assistance would definitely be essential for the success of the mission, especially now that both Kleo and Alice couldn't help much. The good news were that the stims she had injected on herself were kicking in full force. The pain she felt a while ago had almost completely faded, even if just temporarily.

"Thank you. Starting the first-aid procedures for Kleo!" Alice said, replying and reporting to Salvator and Ilshar by the comms.

Wasting no time, Alice carried Kleo away from the front-line where Ilshar, Salvator and Echo were while trying her best to support her weight without moving her body too much, due to the possibility of her having internal wounds.

"Ilshar, Echo and Salvator are covering us. I got you, Kleo." Alice said, trying to comfort Kleo a bit as she took her somewhere safe.

"My wounds aren't nearly as grave as yours. The stims will be more than enough to keep me going for now. How are you feeling? Do you have any trouble breathing?" Alice said, gently and delicately lowering Kleo on the ground, trying her best to lay her down somewhere flat.

Just as Alice said that, the loud message sent to them by the allied ZRF forces interrupted them, making Alice immediately take her hands to her ears, startled. Regardless of how uncomfortable the contact was, the message they received was an incredibly good one. The allied ZRF forces were finally making their move.

"Even if they're loud, it's good they finally decided to make their move." Alice said to herself, a bit annoyed by the sudden loud voice right in her ear.

"Still, while I am a biologist, I specialize in void and abyssal creatures... You will have to guide me on how to deal with your broken ribs and maybe any internal wounds that you might have, Kleo. Can I count on you?" Alice continued, focusing on continuing to speak to Kleo, hopefully to distract her from the pain, even if a little bit.

"Trust me, Kleo, I got you. My hands are stable enough to do anything a medic can, with the right guidance, of course." She said, trying to sound as calm and soothing as possible despite the adrenaline running through her veins. Panic, both for her and for Kleo was the last thing they needed.

With luck, Kleo would be at least good enough to stay on the rear together with Alice in a support position, but the possibility of her needing an immediate extraction, should her injuries be grave wasn't zero.

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

Nellara was already expecting her electricity to not have enough effect to stop or to hinder the creatures' charge due to their resistance to magic, but she wasn't expecting them to be completely ineffective. As the creatures continued to charge, Nellara saw herself forced to dive away to not be trampled by them. Most of her soldiers, after the hasty warning she gave by following Seeker Kareet's warning were able to dodge as well, saving for two unfortunate souls who were completely crushed under the relentless charge and massive weight of the behemoths.

With that said, not everything were bad news. One of the Behemoths, despite being incredibly resistant to magic and almost impossible to pierce with spears, simply fell dead after being shot by the strange weapons wielded by Zeynep and her crew, announced by the loud cracks coming from their guns every time they fired and followed by their cheers as the heavy body of one of the beasts fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Focus on dodging the alive one! Don't try to stop or even attack them!" Nellara shouted, dashing away from the two trampled soldiers as she noticed the beast was focusing it's attention on her.

Truth be told, Nellara had no idea if they could be saved... Or even if they were still alive. Plus, stopping to check them while being chased by a rampaging beast was a bit difficult. Regardless, the least she could do was asking one of the mages to see if they could be saved... Or in the worst case, at least make them presentable for a funeral later...

"Do we have any life mage? Take care of those two!" Nellara said, using her agility to make sharp turns, dodging just as the beast charged towards her, while being careful to stand away from the other soldiers.

"Captain Zeynep, are you and your crew able to fire your weapons once more? I can try to position myself in a way to give you and your crew time to shoot, but I need you to warn me when you are ready!" Nellara shouted as she dashed away from the remaining beast just as it once again charged angrily at her.

The Five Senses - Second Arc (Accepting New Players!)

Karina Frost

Karina listened to Tayla's words with a concerned expression, seemingly not even realizing she had caught Tayla in the middle of changing herself.

"My magic also doesn't seem to be working. The fact that Octavio's magic works will definitely be of a huge help to us though." Karina said, thinking.

"What? Not only Chres is by himself but the princess was also captured?" Karina asked angrily as she heard Tayla's words.

"Damn it! It was always a trap! Since the very beginning!" Karina said, cursing herself for not having noticed it sooner.

Karina's mind was swirling with thoughts. For such a trap to be set in such a short notice, the possibility of the army having an information leak was substantial. It would explain how the enemy, whoever they were, were somehow able to know in advance that they were going to the prison with the princess. Regardless, getting nervous right now would do Karina no good and after taking a second to breathe and recompose herself, she looked towards Octavio and Tayla with a serious expression.

"We need to stay together and go find Chres and the Princess. Not only we can't use our powers amd in numeric disadvantage, but we are basically walking in the dark right now... With no idea where the Princess or Chres might be and no idea from where our enemies will attack us." Karina said, immediately heading towards the door as she listened Týfurkh's words coming from another room.

"Discretion is not our best option anymore. We need to prioritize being fast. I can hear Týfurkh and Jen on the other room. Octavio, we'll need your support. Now more than ever. Can I count on you?" Karina asked, looking to Octavio with a serious expression as she opened the door, her rapier still on her hand.

"Tayla, do you remember at least the direction Syl went?" Karina asked, looking to Tayla.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Menzai @samreaper
Mentions: Ophelia @princess
Equipment:

Steel Dagger of Unbreaking

Cannot break or become dull.

243 Amas

As Viola looked towards Menzai, waiting for her answer, she was satisfied to know Cyrus seemed to agree with her previous words. She had tolerated the wolves actions until now. Despite helping against the Roc, despite adopting a defensive posture all this time, they continued to toy with her goodwill and her patience. Cyrus would easily notice how dangerously on edge Viola was, especially when Menzai looked back at her.

With that said, it seemed Menzai wasn't just trying to aggravate Viola even further. As their eyes met, Viola began realizing her surroundings slowly changing. When she realized what was happening, what Menzai did with his stare, her annoyance began turning into anger and hatred, further fueled by the aftereffects of the time she spent in Daka Island.

Not only did Menzai and the other wolves proved consistently to be themselves obstacles for Viola's goals, but despite her tolerance, they continued to challenge, threaten and aggravate her. Even though Viola chose to tolerate their rudeness, in an act of respect both to her brother Cyrus and for Phia, they continued to try to threaten and subjugate her... To try and control her...

Even as Menzai's figure disappeared, her surroundings radically changing and the growls threatening her, Viola felt nothing but anger. To have been attacked like this despite showing tolerance and patience, for Viola, felt like being betrayed. If they believed her to be just a monster, shouldn't she just act like one? The Blood Rose's vines shifted and twisted, reacting to the adrenaline on her blood and her breathing. The anger she felt was more than enough to motivate them to move by themselves, digging into her skin and preparing to attack.

As the visions changed around her, despite her altered mental state, Viola still paid attention to what she was seeing. Phia and the wolf she imagined being Menzai. But the moment the images disappeared and rush of wind threatened to throw her to the ground, forcing the thorny vines to dig into the ground to support her, her patience finally ran out. The clear threats coming from Menzai after what was clearly a mental attack, going as far as to show her a giant maw closing around her and an almost deafening scream were too much for Viola to continue to tolerate in silence.

"ENOUGH!" Viola shouted as the thorny vines of the Blood Rose exploded outwards, bursting out from the ground it had dug into and the vines on Viola's body, covering her surroundings in sharp thorns and threatening to cruelly impale anyone who stood close to her or wasn't fast enough to jump away from the immediate area around her. Fortunately, almost as if knowing Cyrus wasn't a threat, they seemed to almost completely avoid him, making it so he wouldn't be wounded even if he didn't move at all.

It was only after Menzai fully disappeared that the thorny vines finally returned and the Blood Rose calmed down once again, with the vines retracting their thorns from Viola's skin and gently pressing the wound in order to staunch the bleeding.

After a few seconds of heavy silence, Viola's posture seemed to visibly relax and calm down, her expression, despite being as monotonous and empty as always, showing a hint of the mental exhaustion that entire situation had caused her.

"I am sorry brother Cypress but... Can we eat something? I am famished." she said after a while. Both the fight against the Roc and the exchange with Menzai had took their toll not only on Viola's mind but on her body as well.

---

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

---

As she began speaking to Barrock, Zora noticed how Rowan's body tensed up, a clear giveaway of his discontentment after having lost control of the conversation. Amused, Zora could simply smirk as she continued. Provoking people who believed they were in control had always been one Zora's favorite pastimes.

Her thoughts were also quickly proven to be true, as Rowan didn't hesitate to immediately try to regain his lost 'authority' by saying they would be training and teaching Zora, which only caused her to let out an amused laughter, which, coupled with her amused expression as she looked at him would definitely annoy Rowan even more.

But Zora's attention quickly changed from provoking Rowan to Aurora as she spoke. Staying true to her words, Aurora's very tone of voice and even her eyes looked quite exhausted, which caused Zora to gently put her arms around her, gently hugging her.

"Kindness will always be repaid. You are not alone, Aurora. whenever you feel tired, exhausted or just needs someone to pamper you, don't hesitate to call your sister." Zora said with a gentle smile.

Just as she finished saying that though, she noticed the reason why Aurora had hesitated in speaking further, as her brother was now observing them instead of continuing his talk with Barrock.

"Oh please Rowan, don't tell me you are trying to control our girl talk now? Or maybe... you intend to join it?" Zora said, with a provocative smirk.

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

While the tight formation from her soldiers would serve incredibly well both against the arrows and against most animals, the same didn't seem to be true for the beasts charging towards them. Upon hearing Kareet's words, Nellara didn't lose a single second as she quickly shouted, ordering her soldiers to follow Kareet's instructions.

"You heard Seeker Kareet! Spread your formation right now! Stay away from it's path! Soldiers, draw it's attention and focus on dodging. Any mage who can, alternate ice and fire magic!" Nellara shouted, glancing to her soldiers for a moment before looking back at the enemies again.

While her magnetism or electricity wouldn't be as useful as fire and cold magic, and the fact that the creatures were resistant to magic meant that it was unlikely they would be dazed by her electricity, she could use a strong current of electricity to try and heat the creatures hides.

Focusing as much power as she could, Nellara prepared her small 'trap' to make a powerful electric current run through the beasts, the moment they approached her soldiers.

The Envenomed

The time for commemoration as the gunship fell was rather short. With the last powerful attacks by Salvator and Echo, the gunship became basically a flaming wreck slowly falling towards the ground. Unfortunately, despite the extensive damage the gunship suffered, it seemed it still had enough structural integrity for one last act of defiance... The moment it began to fall, Alice watched, alarmed as the remains of the gunship were steered directly towards her and Kleo.

"Kleo, RUN!" Alice shouted, immediately turning around and desperately dashing away as fast as she could from the falling wreckage.

With the corner of her eye, Alice watched as a missile pod and part of the gunship's wing slammed into Kleo's side. Still, there wasn't much time for Alice to get concerned about Kleo as immediately after that, Alice felt a searing pain burning her back as countless, burning hot pieces of shrapnel hit her.

Falling to the ground as the pain spread through her back in a wave, Alice slid through the mud and filth that the battleground was covered upon, before hitting the trunk of a tree. Despite the searing pain, a quick self-examination quickly showed Alice that luckily, the damages were rather minimal. Despite her armor offering almost no defense, the shrapnel that struck Alice luckily didn't penetrate deep enough to hit her lungs or her heart.

"Salvator, Ilshar, we've been hit!" Alice shouted by the comms as she got a syringe ammo from one of the small pockets on her armor, loaded with exactly the same mix as the one she gave Kleo and plunging it into the area just below her hips.

The pain from the injection was almost irrelevant when compared to the one she was feeling due to the shrapnel in her back. The drugs would take a few seconds to work, but she still had to move right now. Not only they were in a dangerous position, with enemy forces approaching, but Alice had no idea of the state Kleo was at the moment.

"Kleo, can you walk?" Alice asked as she got nearby Kleo and began getting her arm and putting it over her shoulder to try and support her. Even if Kleo was unconscious, Alice knew she had to at least get her into cover. It was on that very moment that Alice began to feel the rush of adrenaline from the injection, with the pain subsiding and giving her the boost she needed to help to carry Kleo.

"Damn... Another dose of painkillers and adrenaline isn't an option... Ilshar, Salvator, we're unable to provide support at the moment! We've both been hit by the falling gunship. I need to take Kleo to cover!" Alice said through the comms as she looked to Kleo again, trying to examine her overall condition and if she was still conscious.

Avalia

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

---

The new addition to their group, was a curious one indeed. Despite their promises, Zora was well aware that they hadn't much to show... apart from promises that might as well be empty ones. So, the reason for him joining them was still something that greatly intrigued her. Regardless, it was still true that the path they had in front of them was a long and arduous one. Both for Zora herself and their 'rebel group'...

"A very, very distant land indeed." Zora said, with a mischievous smirk as she listened to Barrock's questions.

"Ain't it a nostalgic question!" Zora said, after Barrock asked her who exactly she was. Those words... Those exact words were ones she had already heard many times back in her world... And the answers she gave were always as varied and enigmatic as the interpretations people gave to them.

"One who was asked me even back in my world... Back then, I was called many, many things... Witch, soothsayer, mystic... Some called me a demon, while others, a goddess... It was always so amusing to hear the names, titles and stories the people used to give me..." Zora said, laughing, almost as if she was fondly reminiscing her past.

"But that was in the past... Those names and titles died together with the woman I once was and the power I once held... Here in Avalia, I am just Zora Sene, a mere human... At least for now." she said waving her hand as she dismissed that past as 'unimportant', finishing with an enigmatic smirk as she said the last phrase.

Even though she lost the power and influence she once held... The spirits often opened new doors when old ones were closed and here in Avalia, it was no different. She might have lost the power and influence she once held... but those were never truly hers... They were merely borrowed. What she had gained here in Avalia, was the opportunity of having a power that wasn't borrowed... A power that was truly hers.

While Zora did notice how Rowan seemed to want to steer the conversation away from her, she didn't interrupt him and instead let him do as he pleased. Unlike Aurora, it was very hard to believe he had done so in order to protect any of the secrets she might have. Instead, it was much more likely he had done so out of jealousy. After all, it probably was hard for him, who believed to be the 'leader' to have Zora so blatantly said she would obey no one and even have her being the subject of the current conversation. Such hypothesis made Zora quite amused, as she glanced towards Rowan, with a teasing grin.

With Rowan having taken charge of the conversation, Zora turned her attention to Aurora, who seemed to be more quiet than usual. Sitting besides her, Zora gently took Aurora's hand, letting a warm smile as she looked at her.

"Why the worried expression, sister? At least for now, everything is going as planned, is it not?" she said with a chuckle. By now, Aurora would already have gotten used to the affectionate way Zora seemed to call her 'sister', despite them not having any blood relation.

"And even if something happens, we need just to adapt ourselves and adjust our plans." she said, with a smile.

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

Nellara's expression as she looked to their assailants was almost frightening as she noticed they had no reaction to her words. Their lack of reaction, their immediate assault and how they were enough to confirm Nellara they weren't just common hunters or bandits. Depspite her initial intention of dealing with that matter with just intimidation, the amount of arrows being fired at them and the fact that there were already wounded soldiers between her men was a signal that intimidation and defensive formations would only take them so far.

While Nellara already knew that, due to her previous dealing with the humans, it was still a relief to know they weren't just harmless politicians and envoys to be escorted and defended. Vigdis quickly quickly grasped the situation and waited for the right time before returning fire. The humans' strange weapons, despite not being particularly loud or intimidating at first sight, were undoubtedly effective, with their projectiles flying faster than the eye could see.

"Vigdis, Captain Zeynep, thank you for your support. Feel free to fire at our assailants without reservation." Nellara said, glancing at the humans for a brief moment before she looked at her soldiers again.

"Soldiers, prepare fo-" Nelara began, just before she was interrupted by a worrying sound. From amidst the trees, the sound of a horn echoed, just before two frighteningly large creatures appeared, charging directly at them. Nellara didn't need to know exactly what were those creatures to know they were dangerous.

"Force mages, focus solely on defense against the arrows! Soldiers, shields raised, tight formation, prepare for impact!" Nellara said, hurriedly as the beasts charged towards them.

"Kareet, J'eon, do we have any information about these creatures? Vulnerabilities, weak spots... Anything?!" Nellara asked, grabbing a few of the iron beads with her hand, shooting them at the creatures using her electricity and magnetism magic to propel them at great speeds. One after another, Nellara tried to hit the head, the side of the head or any place she thought had any chance at deterring their charge.

Additionally, with the force mages focusing in defending them against arrows, Nellara was free to use her iron sand in a different manner. At the same time she shot the iron spheres, she made the iron sand form a long line in the ground, starting on her feet and continuing all the way after the shield formation made by the soldiers, forming a line just in front of them. The moment the creatures stepped or crossed the line, she would produce a strong electricity current, touching the iron sand line on her feet. Due to the creature' size, Nellara knew it was highly improbable it would be able to incapacitate them, but as long as it dazed them enough to confound or lessen the impact of their charge, it would be enough.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Menzai @samreaper
Mentions: Ophelia @princess
Equipment:

Steel Dagger of Unbreaking

Cannot break or become dull.

243 Amas

As Cyrus spoke about how much he was sorry for not having rescued her, Viola simply heard in silence. Nothing Cyrus had said was a lie... While Viola had indeed suffered a great deal, with her hopes of being rescued, of someone caring about her being slowly crushed, in the end, they both have suffered. Both her brother Cypress and Viola herself.

"We both suffered, but in the end, you came for me. Even if it was too late." Viola said, looking to Cyrus with a brief smile.

While Viola knew that her meeting with her brother was completely by chance, the fact that her brother hadn't forgotten about her, how he kept thinking of her despite the things that he faced were enough for her to believe he did not forget about her.

So far, everything Cyrus had said to her was of great help to calm down her mind, but his suggestion afterwards, when he told Viola to 'explore' her thoughts made Viola hesitant. The time she spent in Daka Island had changed her and after that, she felt some of her thoughts would be better left buried, sealed and undisturbed. Giving them attention and 'exploring' them could make the seeds that were planted in Viola's mind take further root and turn her into something much more cruel and dark than she already was... Even to those close to her.

Unlike Viola, Cyrus did seem to not think that bad of the constant vigilance they were being subjected to and to the wolf's intrusion into their personal matters. Menzai's words, despite everything that happened were still rather soft. He apologized for the harsh treatment Viola and her brother were put through by the other wolves and reassuring them that what he heard from them wouldn't be shared with anyone. His reply to Cyrus's question about revealing Phia's past or not, was predictable. To keep the truth hidden, to keep Phia's past a mystery was definitely in Menzai and the village's interest. While it was true that they might want to prevent Phia from suffering, couldn't that also be seen as an attempt to prevent Phia to reunite herself with her family?

Despite her silence, Viola's sharp, cold stare was enough to tell both Cyrus and Menzai himself how she felt about his 'request'.

Regardless of the animosity Viola felt towards Menzai, his offer to answer two of their questions was an interesting one. After thinking a little bit, Viola looked to Menzai, with a sharp, cold stare that seemed to pierce straight through him, almost as if she was trying to read his very soul.

"For how long do you intend to keep Phia away from her real family?" Viola asked with an icy, sharp tone as she watched Menzai's reaction and waited for his reply.

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

Thanks to Kareet's effort, with Nellara's help and the other mages that were among the group, the barge was safely put in the margin of the river, out of the strange black liquid. The very moment they thought they were safe though, a multitude of people were noticed by them. Even though they were partially hidden by the foliage, Nellara could still clearly see that they were a rather strange group. Without any noticeable marking, uniform or identification, the group's integrante were of many different races. They also didn't seem to be equipped for actual combat, resembling more hunters than even bandits, who often were equipped to some extent, even if only with plundered and stolen equipment.

Before Nellara or any of them could say anything, the group immediately sent a volley of arrows towards their direction. Without any warning or any negotiation, they definitely didn't seem to be bandits of any kind.

"Form a protective perimeter around the humans, right now!" Nellara ordered, as the iron sand she kept in a pouch quickly began floating around, flowing in the air as it gathered together, hardening to deflect shots before going back to it's previous form, again and again.

"Force mages, defensive formation! We need a barrier." Nellara continued before she gave a step forward towards the group, both aiming to make them focus their fire on her as she focused the iron sand to defend herself and to speak to the group.

"This is Castigator Nellara! Cease fire, stand down and identify yourselves immediately! You have exactly one chance to follow my commands and surrender." Nellara shouted with the loud, authoritative voice of someone who was used to commanding and coordinating large groups of soldiers echoing through the riverbanks.

"Failure to comply will be dealt with lethal force." Nellara finished, her voice quickly taking a darker tone as she threatened the group of hunters.

Despite the first volley of arrows getting most of them by surprise, a single glance quickly revealed that the humans were definitely quick to react and had mostly already took cover.

"Not neighbors. They didn't try to negotiate or steal us, nor they even tried to talk to us. Definitely not bandits and most likely not just normal 'hunters', as they would not have any reason to attack us if they were so." Nellara said, replying to Vigdis.