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[sub][color=#B9BABC]	T H E  D R E A M[/color] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKPeK0AVhQs]●[/url][/sub][hr]
[i]A mellow breeze washes over her consciousness. It leisurely swirls and caresses her hair as though drowned in the depths of oceans. An expansive tallgrass prairie unfolds within her perception. It dances slowly with the rhythm of her heart. The flowers bloom and raise again within seconds. The sprouting nature around her is green and lush, yet brightly ablaze by radiating light. Nearby stands a shrine devoted to Shiva and its candles burn with an icy flame. At the edge of the prairie stand the brothers of Conrad, mourning the lifeless body of their fourth. On a ridge beyond them is an oaken tree, consumed by starlight and roots of the earth. By its side stands Samuel, observing the galaxies in the sky.

	[color=#6A5B7E]“Sam?”[/color] She asks.
	[color=7F7881]“Hey there, beautiful.”[/color] He answers with a smirk.
	[color=#6A5B7E]“How… I… We thought you were dead.”[/color]
Samuel chuckles heartedly. He slides his fingers to interlock with hers.
	[color=7F7881]“I’m not dead, just lost out there in the dark world.”[/color]
	[color=#6A5B7E]“I tried to look for you, but nobody would believe me… that you were alive. I’m so sorry, Sam, that I didn’t find you.”[/color]
	[color=7F7881]“Don’t worry about that, Andy. We’ll be together again soon enough, I promise.”[/color]
Her cheeks blush with rosen hues. She steps closer to the warmth of his body and holds tight.
	[color=#6A5B7E]“Still calling me by my second name?”[/color]
	[color=7F7881]“Your mother would’ve liked it.”[/color]
	[color=#6A5B7E]“Maybe… She would’ve liked you, of that I’m sure.”[/color]
	[color=7F7881]“She is up there, you know.”[/color] He says and casts another glace and the skies.
	[color=#6A5B7E]“I thought everyone returned to the earth when they died, to Gaia.”[/color]
	[color=7F7881]“She is with the All Father, beyond the reaches of Gaia.”[/color]
They remain silent for a few moments.
	[color=#6A5B7E]“So, what happens now?”[/color] She asks.
	[color=7F7881]“Now you have to go back, my dear.”[/color]
	[color=#6A5B7E]“But, I want to say here with you.”[/color]
	[color=7F7881]“I know you do… but, we will see each other again.”[/color] He says and reaches down to press his lips against hers. He walks away further beyond the oaken tree. She is unable to follow.
	[color=#6A5B7E]“Sam… Wait!”[/color] She calls.[/i]

[sub][color=#B9BABC]	T H E  F I E L D S[/color]  ┆┆  [color=#6A5B7E]J u n e  6[/color]  ┆┆  [color=C54E4E]H a m m e r  o f  t h e  A r m y[/color][/sub][hr]
	[color=#6A5B7E]“Sam!”[/color]
A flash of lighting struck the stormy fields and Olivia awoke with a scream. Her body had bathed in radiating light for the entire duration of being unconscious, but it receded the moment she retained control of her senses. She found herself in the care of the mountain himself, protective as he was of those friends with his own point of reference in life—Eric Wormwood. Olivia instantly remembered the vehicle being hit by the plasma barrage, the violent tumble, and then the crashing halt. She was rather fragile for being a Guardian, so losing consciousness from heavy impacts to her head was not uncommon.

Olivia patted on Rogart’s back as an indication to let her down on the ground. She reassured him that she was fine and that her strength had returned to her in full. The spirits within still held domain of her flesh and bone for the sake of precaution. Olivia’s skin let out a faint glow as a result. Olivia took note that Monika had made it out in one piece, the effects of her spirits lingering in the icy wreckage and remains of snowy glitter surrounding her. Nicholas and Graham were nearby, ready to move out on foot. Everyone was accounted for. Olivia reached for the entrance of the demolished vehicle to retrieve her weapon. The chilly temperature inside did not sit well with her soaked being, but her gunblade was intact.

	[color=#6A5B7E]“Everyone seems to be somewhat okay, except the drivers.”[/color] Olivia said and glanced back at the wreckage. [color=#6A5B7E]"We have reach High Command in that M.O.V., so let's get moving."[/color]

The frontline was not far away. They could actually make out the immense Mobile Operations Vehicle in the distance. Several other vehicles were passing them at high speeds. In these conditions, they were not allowed to stop and retrieve stragglers or fallen soldiers. The army was in the middle of a large-scale attack. Everything had to adhere to protocol. The plasma barrage stopped a few moments after Olivia had returned to the others, which meant that the air force had taken care of the creatures for now. However, the ruckus of the tumbling and crashing vehicle had attracted something from the depths of the earth.

The ground before them began to crack and spew specks of dust and stone. Large chunks of ground were folded upside down and violently thrown about. A horrendous Mordrem creature emerged. Its head consisted of a gaping maw clad with sprouting tentacles. Its limbs and body was of hardened rock and moss, fungus and things of nature growing about. This monstrosity had clearly consumed hundreds of thousands of spirits of earth and nature. Convoys of the army began to divert their path around the presence of the threat. The Guardians had to deal with the threat themselves.

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Olivia unsheathed her gunblade with a fast, jerking motion that cut falling droplets of water in a spray of specks. They were in the middle of the plains. There was nowhere to run and nobody was going to help them. Fighting was their only way out. This would be Olivia’s first encounter with a Mordrem of considerable threat without anything or anyone to fall back to. Even if the training simulators at the academy did a great job at what they were designed for, nothing could fully replicate the diversity and danger of the Mordrem.

	[color=#6A5B7E]“Okay, don't panic. It looks like this thing is alone, and there are five of us. Observe its movements and call out any weaknesses.”[/color] Olivia said, waiting for the monstrosity to make the first move against someone.

[sub][color=#B9BABC]	D O R A L[/color]  ┆┆  [color=#6A5B7E]J u n e  6[/color]  ┆┆  [color=C54E4E]D o r a l  R e c r u i t s[/color] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lXy-z0Qskg]●[/url][/sub][hr]
	[color=99B3A6]“Psst.”[/color] A voice sounded in the dark. 

A man dressed in civilian clothing approached the Guardians whom had just arrived at the somewhat shabby displacement device. It was a miracle that the thing still worked, let alone teleported the students from Oakridge in one piece.

	[color=99B3A6]“You must be the Guardians from the academy, yes? I was a bit worried that you wouldn’t show up. This fucking thing hasn’t worked correctly in ages.”[/color] The man said and kicked at the displacement device, some manner of scraps and screws falling to the floor.

	[color=99B3A6]“I’m Stevens, Roy Stevens—good to meet you. The army sent me here a few weeks ago to identify some of the key players that need to be… persuaded in order for everyone else to join the operation as well.”[/color]

Stevens was a sort of spy for the army. His usual duties involved retrieving sensitive information from city regents and Nexus Industries, among other things of questionable nature. However, because of operation Downfall, his services were needed elsewhere. Doral was an assignment for which he was overqualified, but the cause resonated with his personal beliefs. He was a true devil dog in that sense.

	[color=99B3A6]“Everything boils down to three individuals, really. Two of them are Guardians like yourselves, and the third is some kind of former special operations type. All of them are rather violent, so I’m not sure if it matter who you try your luck with first. One of the Guardians, ‘Rick’, seems to influence the other two quite a bit, though—it’s up to you guys.”[/color]

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[sub][color=#B9BABC]	S I D I O  V I L L A G E[/color]  ┤├  [color=#6A5B7E]J u n e  6[/color]  ┤├  [color=C54E4E]Mt. K i n a b a l u[/color][/sub][hr]

The center of the village was a modest plaza with stone textures. In the middle of the square was a fountain. Its statue depicted some ancient Eidolon or other creature of reverence. The surrounding buildings mostly consisted of the shops and offices that could be found, but a number of private residences were also represented. Children and elderly people peered out of their windows, curious about the military presence. As Selene slowly moved towards the fountain to have a seat and wait for the others, she caught the glimpse of Subira. The dark beauty was probably on to something, having received a lead from the young boy she was with. Selene gave the girl a meek acknowledgement before she disappeared down the street.

Selene rested her weapon against the rounded frame of the fountain and seated herself upon it thereafter. Next to her on the warm pavement lay a rather large dog with gray, white, and marmalade colored fur. It raised its head tiredly and stared at Selene. The girl ran her fingers through the creature’s soft fur and scratched it behind its ear. The dog’s tail began to slightly waggle. What happened next was not the most common thing in the world, but it was not the first time Selene had experienced it. The spirits of the world, when massed in the body of a sentient entity, had many marvelous effects. One of those effects, especially in animals, was to grant a higher state of consciousness and the ability to verbalize given the training.

	[color=BA9344]“Mmm… that feels good.”[/color] The dog finally uttered with a deep, rugged tone. Selene stopped for a split second to realize that the dog could talk, but then she continued with a smirk on her lips.

	[color=7C585A]“You can talk. That’s nice.”[/color] She said.
	[color=BA9344]“Indeed it is… Words are marvelous things to know, but I’m afraid I don’t get to use them as often as I’d like to.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Why is that?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“Oh, the people around here don’t care for what I have to say.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Because you’re a dog?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“I’m not a dog, missy. I’m what you humans call a timber wolf.”[/color] The creature frowned.
	[color=7C585A]“I guess that explains why you’re so big.”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“Hmm… ‘Big’… A peculiar word, relative to each individual being. If I were to stand on two legs I would be taller than you.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“You got a name?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“The people around here call me Xander, but that’s not my real name.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“What’s your real name?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“Oh, you wouldn’t be able to pronounce it.”[/color] Xander chuckled.
	[color=7C585A]“Well then, Xander, do you know anything about the disturbances in the mountains?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“I might know a thing or two. People tend to talk quite openly when I’m near.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Care to tell me?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“The Eidolon of Fire is up there. I’ve seen him myself, but the townsfolk here blame it all on whoever controls the mine. And… There was a woman who entered the mountains during the night, but I don’t know her name.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“She hasn’t come out yet?”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“I haven’t seen her, but I can tell you that she is a beacon of spirits. I have never sensed that many of them in a human being.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Hmm… we didn’t get any information about that, but we’ll deal with it.”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“Oh, so you aim to go in there?”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Yes, that’s the plan.”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“Would you mind if I tag along? I’m very curious about that woman.”[/color]
	[color=7C585A]“Uhm, okay, I guess.”[/color]
	[color=BA9344]“I can take care of myself. The spirits flow inside of me as well, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to speak these words.”[/color] Xander chuckled again.
	[color=7C585A]“That much I figured. Come on, let’s go.”[/color]

The team gathered moments later and shared what they had learned. It was clear that some kind of threat lingered in the mountain. Some of the townsfolk suggested the rumors of the Eidolon, whereas others blamed Nexus Industries. There was also the possibility of the woman that Xander had seen had something to do with the disturbances. In any case, there was only one way to find out for sure: climb the treacherous mountain path and descend into the depths Kinabalu. At least they had an additional Guardian by their side. The wolf appeared rather amused with the happenings. Seeing as he was rather old, he mostly slept and lazed around the village. This was an exciting change of scenery for him.

[hider=Summary]
Olivia dreams about Samuel, the Oak Tree, and Thael while unconscious from the crash. When she wakes up, she retrieves her weapon and does a head count. As other vehicles cannot stop, the team is forced to continue on foot. However, they are ambushed by a large Mordrem creature beneath the earth.

Army Spy Roy Stevens receives the Guardians from the academy in Doral. He explains that he has spent a few weeks identifying the key players that need to be persuaded first. He gives the student the option to choose whichever to approach.

Selene converses with a wolf in the central square of Sidio Village. It turns out that the wolf is a Guardian and can speak humans words. He tells of a mysterious woman that entered the mountain at night, and asks to join Selene and the rest out of curiosity. The team climbs the mountain path towards the entrance of the mine/mountain.
[/hider]