Though Ssarak of course had more in-depth knowledge of the background of this situation than the others, he knew no more than they did. He did not believe it was a misunderstanding, but it seemed like either Meirin or Annabeth's solutions might work...if it were even possible for anything to work. His head hung low as he listened to them, his expression despondent, but he was deep in thought. Other than her reputation, he simply did not know much about Dirssi. She was important enough to clan Xhoth that she could be trusted to collect him, even if it was strange to send an important member of the clan such as her on such a simple task. There were aspects of the situation that did not add up to Ssarak. After all, it wasn't as if he ran away from his clan under the cover of night; they knew he was going into exile. It was possible that clan Xhoth had called for his return, but he simply did not know. Information was something they lacked, so perhaps, he reasoned, that should be what they try to gain.
"I do not know what action is best. Indeed, we lack a great deal of vital information here. Perhaps we should try to learn, try to explore every option? I do not wish for Dirssi to know we are investigating her, as it would make her more cautious, but we could attempt to be subtle. I cannot talk to her, but she doesn't know who my friends are. It just has to not be suspicious, which may be difficult, as she may not be social with members of the college. I do not know her schedule, but...she is a warrior, much like me. She would have to take some time to train. I do not know when, but if you can get in the gym at the same time as her, it might seem natural to talk or spar with her. And she also has her guards. I believe three of them survived the attack. I do not know if they have any information, but it might be worth trying." Ssarak suggested. As he looked across his group of friends, his eyes stopped on Coco. He had thought on how she might be helpful before, and it seemed like he was correct.
"Coco, you tend to ask quite a lot of questions; it is part of who you are. You have sort of a...reputation for it. If you were to speak to one of them, you could ask essentially anything without causing any real suspicion. Do you think you could question one of them, perhaps Dirssi herself?" Thinking objectively, Coco seemed like the best fit to be the one to talk to Dirssi. The others could attempt to learn from the guards. Of course, there was always the option to try and sneak into their rooms, but that was an option Ssarak would prefer to save as a last resort.
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Seeing as they now had a plan, Rareth pried open the elevator doors as quietly as she could, then stepped out and hid behind the large crate blocking the line of sight to the guards. She looked up at the scaffolding above her, then teleported just the right distance to end up on top of it. There was a small risk in doing so, as it put her within the line of sigh of the guards for a moment, but she was able to cloak herself in invisibility immediately afterwards to avoid detection.
Now that she was up on the scaffolding herself, she could get a better look at their purpose. Glancing up at the ceiling just above her, she could see the clamps hanging down just alongside the scaffolding's pathways. She had seen similar setups aboard human warships, so she recognized them as clamps to hold drones and other machines in compact storage, with the scaffolding making it easier to access them for repairs. In this case, they were probably meant to hold maintenance drones, but all of them seemed to be empty. Whether the rebels had managed to activate them, or they had simply never had any to begin with was unknown.
Fortunately for Rareth, the scaffolding was not transparent, so once she got into position above the group of four on the opposite side of the room, she was able to deactivate her invisibility and still remain hidden. She was not currently equipped with any nonlethal explosives, so she grabbed a fusion grenade from her belt. Instead of a traditional explosion, the fusion grenade produced a high-intensity sphere of energy contained within a magnetic field, the size of which could be set before being thrown. It could melt or vaporize most materials caught in the blast radius, and the group beneath Rareth was tight enough to all be caught within it. In her other hand, she held her pistol, just in case it became necessary for her to fire down from her vantage point.
"Bit, Opus, see if you can take out at least one of the lone patrolling guards quietly before getting into position to take out the other two. Once everyone is in position, I will call for everyone to strike at once. Be aware, I am going to use my suit's radio transmitters to scan for any hostile communications. If any of them manage to access their radios before we can kill them, it will automatically activate the program to force the station to block communications. As I said before, that will put us on a time limit. It cannot differentiate between their signals and ours, so once I initiate the attack, I am calling for complete radio silence until I give the all-clear. Now, sound off once you are in position." Rareth explained.
Now that she was up on the scaffolding herself, she could get a better look at their purpose. Glancing up at the ceiling just above her, she could see the clamps hanging down just alongside the scaffolding's pathways. She had seen similar setups aboard human warships, so she recognized them as clamps to hold drones and other machines in compact storage, with the scaffolding making it easier to access them for repairs. In this case, they were probably meant to hold maintenance drones, but all of them seemed to be empty. Whether the rebels had managed to activate them, or they had simply never had any to begin with was unknown.
Fortunately for Rareth, the scaffolding was not transparent, so once she got into position above the group of four on the opposite side of the room, she was able to deactivate her invisibility and still remain hidden. She was not currently equipped with any nonlethal explosives, so she grabbed a fusion grenade from her belt. Instead of a traditional explosion, the fusion grenade produced a high-intensity sphere of energy contained within a magnetic field, the size of which could be set before being thrown. It could melt or vaporize most materials caught in the blast radius, and the group beneath Rareth was tight enough to all be caught within it. In her other hand, she held her pistol, just in case it became necessary for her to fire down from her vantage point.
"Bit, Opus, see if you can take out at least one of the lone patrolling guards quietly before getting into position to take out the other two. Once everyone is in position, I will call for everyone to strike at once. Be aware, I am going to use my suit's radio transmitters to scan for any hostile communications. If any of them manage to access their radios before we can kill them, it will automatically activate the program to force the station to block communications. As I said before, that will put us on a time limit. It cannot differentiate between their signals and ours, so once I initiate the attack, I am calling for complete radio silence until I give the all-clear. Now, sound off once you are in position." Rareth explained.
I'll let you describe the situation Sabine is going into. I can write for the two cultists if needed.
Vinaremo shook his head. "No, we require the rest of you to join us for the fight in the courtyard, else we will be too greatly outnumbered. With the others eliminating our opponents' ambush points, we should have the advantage. Now, let us move."
For Meesei, being that she was unarmored, getting prepared was as simple as putting on the robe over what she was already wearing, though she was not very fond of it. Not only did it make her look like one of the cultists, but it felt cumbersome to wear. She would certainly discard it as soon as the fight began. Lorag took the largest cloak they had and wore it over his armor, which made him appear absolutely massive, but given the stereotypes against Orcs, it was actually believable. Kaleeth was small enough that one of the larger cloaks could fit over her rather easily, and since Ahnasha, Fendros, and Sabine were taking part in the ambush, it was not necessary for them to dawn the robes.
It was not long before the group was in sight of village, so they paused to give time for the two ambush groups to get into position. After a few minutes, Meesei, Lorag, Janius, Kaleeth, and the remainder of the cultists would head into the ruins of the town leading the skeletons disguised as prisoners. Ahnasha took the lead to guide Fendros to their target building. Much of the town was ruined, and even the building they were going to seemed to barely be standing. Once they were at its base, she signaled for Fendros to stop, then climbed up the side to peer into the second floor through the cracks in the rotting planks. After a few moments, she climbed back down to explain the situation to Fendros in a barely audible voice. "There are three upstairs. Two are sitting near each other talking, and the third is sitting near the top of the stairs to the second floor. I can take out the two on one side of the room, and you should be able to get most of the way up the stairs without being seen. Once I strike, you quickly, and quietly, take out the one near the stairs. Alright?"
For Meesei, being that she was unarmored, getting prepared was as simple as putting on the robe over what she was already wearing, though she was not very fond of it. Not only did it make her look like one of the cultists, but it felt cumbersome to wear. She would certainly discard it as soon as the fight began. Lorag took the largest cloak they had and wore it over his armor, which made him appear absolutely massive, but given the stereotypes against Orcs, it was actually believable. Kaleeth was small enough that one of the larger cloaks could fit over her rather easily, and since Ahnasha, Fendros, and Sabine were taking part in the ambush, it was not necessary for them to dawn the robes.
It was not long before the group was in sight of village, so they paused to give time for the two ambush groups to get into position. After a few minutes, Meesei, Lorag, Janius, Kaleeth, and the remainder of the cultists would head into the ruins of the town leading the skeletons disguised as prisoners. Ahnasha took the lead to guide Fendros to their target building. Much of the town was ruined, and even the building they were going to seemed to barely be standing. Once they were at its base, she signaled for Fendros to stop, then climbed up the side to peer into the second floor through the cracks in the rotting planks. After a few moments, she climbed back down to explain the situation to Fendros in a barely audible voice. "There are three upstairs. Two are sitting near each other talking, and the third is sitting near the top of the stairs to the second floor. I can take out the two on one side of the room, and you should be able to get most of the way up the stairs without being seen. Once I strike, you quickly, and quietly, take out the one near the stairs. Alright?"
I was hoping for some more discussion on the plan of attack, but I can get us started. I just have some assignments to do first. With Leon back, I think I'll need to have some things happen to make us go loud.
I'd like to post, but I think my next one might take a bit, and I don't think I'll have time tonight. I'll make one tomorrow, hopefully early. Goodnight.
Lyn and Ssarak Dyreackthanose
Lyn’s heart clenched deeper into her chest as if someone had squeezed it tightly, inwardly prayed her idiotic actions hadn’t worsened things. If only she had asked Lucilia more about the little vials before the vampire helped smuggle her inside, then maybe, despite the reality, she could’ve braced for the downward spiral. At least grabbed a hold of the wagon’s edge first.
Why…why wasn’t she better at this? Lyn inwardly scolded herself.
Her drowning eyes peered up, her body still shaking, when she felt Alaira move. The half elf pulled out two strange stones, each marked with a series of sigils and symbols, a blue glowing ink filled the creases, into a complex circular pattern over the flat face. In the center was a star. Both rune looked crude and rather silly, however they held an intermediate’s artist’s pride and soul which to heal several types of wounds. For a moment Lyn’s tears had ceased to look at the item in awe before it was placed upon her forehead. Warmth, followed by a pleasant tingle swirled from where the rune came into contact with her skin. Her skin took on a soft, slight glow that made her outline a bit fuzzy in its check over her. Other than a few bumps and bruises, the rune didn’t find anything life threatening to heal. However, instead of fading back to its original state, the blue ink glowed a slight red in response to something unknown.
Something beyond its design to heal as the cause was unknown.
It was a brief display, one so short and subtle, that in Alaira’s condition it was reasonable she wouldn’t have paid any thoughts to it. Or noticed it. Lyn had never seen any of Sam’s healing runes do that before, but then again she hadn’t had one used often on her. Usually her mother wanted her to heal naturally, to boost her own immunity, and gain some toughness in her skin from it. Even broken bones, a rarity with everyone’s, namely Alaira and her father, observant eyes and quick actions, had requested to remain for a few days before being mended. It was a lesson well learned though only for a few weeks before she started to climb once again.
Once the rune deactivated, Alaira’s words started to peer through her rattled emotions.
“I-I’m so sorry Lyn…So sorry…”
What did she have to be sorry about? Lyn wondered, worried her Aunt had done something bad but quickly tossed the notion away. Alaira wouldn’t do anything bad. She was a good person, even if she had her flaws, Lyn’s arms tightened to squeeze what little comfort into her care taker. To say it was going to be alright. However it seemed to help very little while Alaira continued, her throat rattled and blood specks were thrown up from the harsh sound.
"Lyn... M-mei's fine, Lyn... Stop crying..." Lyn felt a wave of guilt again edge into her heart.
She hated to see Alaira’s state. Gently she felt her hair stroked and gave a forced smile, her hands gripped tightly about the rune placed into her hand. Then slowly she was lifted, listening to each word and growing more tensed with each cough, then placed to the side as Alaira collapsed. Quickly Lyn placed the rune down and tried to shake Alaira. She whimpered, fearful her caregiver wasn’t going to wake. Gently she leaned her head down, her ear strained for any sign of life, rewarded by two glorious things: a heartbeat, faint, but strong followed by shallow breathing. Lyn lifted her head to looked pleadingly to Darius, missing his glare at Alaira earlier, for help yet the man had already turned his back to deal with the driver.
It was then, Ssarak’s voice filled with soothing and reassurance. ‘Do not worry, little one. Meirin and I are alive, we merely need to find a way back up.’
Lyn nodded, but while the guilt had faded, the worry hadn’t. Please hurry... Lyn said, using the name she had heard once before used for the young woman. It likely would be rather clear to them Lyn hadn’t had any experience with severe cases of Blood Sickness, even her own was mild compared to Alaira’s action. She didn’t know she was witnessing a severe reaction due to overexertion and past consequences, the latter from a time she was too young to understand.
Ssarak could still hear Lyn's voice, her fear, in his mind. He had only caught a glimpse of Alaira before he dove after Meirin, but from the thoughts he could hear from the others, he could tell she was not in a good position. His eyes darted around the landscape until he spotted a section of the hill by the river that seemed just shallow enough for them to climb. "We need to get up to the others; I believe Alaira is in trouble." Ssarak informed Meirin. He did not like moving on without assessing her injuries, but the situation did not afford them the luxury of time. Regardless, he kept a close eye on Meirin and gave help when needed.
Given that Alaira was unconscious for much of the trip, she stayed in the wagon while Ssarak carried Lyn. Although she could walk on her own, with what Lyn had been through, Ssarak assumed that she would be exhausted. His outward armored appearance might not suggest it, but Ssarak was surprisingly gentle in handling Lyn. After having gone through raising three children of his own, he knew exactly how to hold her in order to keep her comfortable, despite his armor. Indeed, unless there was something fundamentally different about her that he was not already aware of, then caring for her would be well-within his skill set.
Ssarak heard the caravan driver's objections to Lyn's presence, but he mostly remained silent and ignored them. No matter how much he shouted or argued, it would ultimately be up to the guards on how to proceed, as it was they who had the position of strength in this situation. He could not continue on without them, and it would even be dangerous for him to just try and return to the college alone. Despite this, Ssarak did agree at least partially with the caravan master. He did not believe it safe nor wise to complete their mission with Lyn. He was hardly going to abandon her or anything, but he did feel that it would be best just to turn around and head back to the college. They could try making the trip again later, and whatever they would gain by proceeding with the mission could not be worth risking Lyn's life.
As they entered the town, there were a fair number of issues to deal with. The caravan master was handling their rooms, and Ssarak did not believe his own injuries serious enough to warrant paying for the physician, but Ssarak was concerned for the health of Meirin and Alaira. Even if she had nearly caused their deaths, he did not wish to see her harmed. After she recovered, however, they would need to confront her about her recklessness. Lyn was someone she cared about deeply, so perhaps hearing how she had nearly caused her death would be enough to force her to listen.
Outside the inn, Ssarak walked alongside Meirin as they were leaving the wagon. She had appeared to be shaken up after falling from the bridge, and he, of course, wanted to know if her condition had improved. "How are you feeling, Meirin? Do you think it will be necessary for you to visit a healer?"
Lyn’s heart clenched deeper into her chest as if someone had squeezed it tightly, inwardly prayed her idiotic actions hadn’t worsened things. If only she had asked Lucilia more about the little vials before the vampire helped smuggle her inside, then maybe, despite the reality, she could’ve braced for the downward spiral. At least grabbed a hold of the wagon’s edge first.
Why…why wasn’t she better at this? Lyn inwardly scolded herself.
Her drowning eyes peered up, her body still shaking, when she felt Alaira move. The half elf pulled out two strange stones, each marked with a series of sigils and symbols, a blue glowing ink filled the creases, into a complex circular pattern over the flat face. In the center was a star. Both rune looked crude and rather silly, however they held an intermediate’s artist’s pride and soul which to heal several types of wounds. For a moment Lyn’s tears had ceased to look at the item in awe before it was placed upon her forehead. Warmth, followed by a pleasant tingle swirled from where the rune came into contact with her skin. Her skin took on a soft, slight glow that made her outline a bit fuzzy in its check over her. Other than a few bumps and bruises, the rune didn’t find anything life threatening to heal. However, instead of fading back to its original state, the blue ink glowed a slight red in response to something unknown.
Something beyond its design to heal as the cause was unknown.
It was a brief display, one so short and subtle, that in Alaira’s condition it was reasonable she wouldn’t have paid any thoughts to it. Or noticed it. Lyn had never seen any of Sam’s healing runes do that before, but then again she hadn’t had one used often on her. Usually her mother wanted her to heal naturally, to boost her own immunity, and gain some toughness in her skin from it. Even broken bones, a rarity with everyone’s, namely Alaira and her father, observant eyes and quick actions, had requested to remain for a few days before being mended. It was a lesson well learned though only for a few weeks before she started to climb once again.
Once the rune deactivated, Alaira’s words started to peer through her rattled emotions.
“I-I’m so sorry Lyn…So sorry…”
What did she have to be sorry about? Lyn wondered, worried her Aunt had done something bad but quickly tossed the notion away. Alaira wouldn’t do anything bad. She was a good person, even if she had her flaws, Lyn’s arms tightened to squeeze what little comfort into her care taker. To say it was going to be alright. However it seemed to help very little while Alaira continued, her throat rattled and blood specks were thrown up from the harsh sound.
"Lyn... M-mei's fine, Lyn... Stop crying..." Lyn felt a wave of guilt again edge into her heart.
She hated to see Alaira’s state. Gently she felt her hair stroked and gave a forced smile, her hands gripped tightly about the rune placed into her hand. Then slowly she was lifted, listening to each word and growing more tensed with each cough, then placed to the side as Alaira collapsed. Quickly Lyn placed the rune down and tried to shake Alaira. She whimpered, fearful her caregiver wasn’t going to wake. Gently she leaned her head down, her ear strained for any sign of life, rewarded by two glorious things: a heartbeat, faint, but strong followed by shallow breathing. Lyn lifted her head to looked pleadingly to Darius, missing his glare at Alaira earlier, for help yet the man had already turned his back to deal with the driver.
It was then, Ssarak’s voice filled with soothing and reassurance. ‘Do not worry, little one. Meirin and I are alive, we merely need to find a way back up.’
Lyn nodded, but while the guilt had faded, the worry hadn’t. Please hurry... Lyn said, using the name she had heard once before used for the young woman. It likely would be rather clear to them Lyn hadn’t had any experience with severe cases of Blood Sickness, even her own was mild compared to Alaira’s action. She didn’t know she was witnessing a severe reaction due to overexertion and past consequences, the latter from a time she was too young to understand.
Ssarak could still hear Lyn's voice, her fear, in his mind. He had only caught a glimpse of Alaira before he dove after Meirin, but from the thoughts he could hear from the others, he could tell she was not in a good position. His eyes darted around the landscape until he spotted a section of the hill by the river that seemed just shallow enough for them to climb. "We need to get up to the others; I believe Alaira is in trouble." Ssarak informed Meirin. He did not like moving on without assessing her injuries, but the situation did not afford them the luxury of time. Regardless, he kept a close eye on Meirin and gave help when needed.
Given that Alaira was unconscious for much of the trip, she stayed in the wagon while Ssarak carried Lyn. Although she could walk on her own, with what Lyn had been through, Ssarak assumed that she would be exhausted. His outward armored appearance might not suggest it, but Ssarak was surprisingly gentle in handling Lyn. After having gone through raising three children of his own, he knew exactly how to hold her in order to keep her comfortable, despite his armor. Indeed, unless there was something fundamentally different about her that he was not already aware of, then caring for her would be well-within his skill set.
Ssarak heard the caravan driver's objections to Lyn's presence, but he mostly remained silent and ignored them. No matter how much he shouted or argued, it would ultimately be up to the guards on how to proceed, as it was they who had the position of strength in this situation. He could not continue on without them, and it would even be dangerous for him to just try and return to the college alone. Despite this, Ssarak did agree at least partially with the caravan master. He did not believe it safe nor wise to complete their mission with Lyn. He was hardly going to abandon her or anything, but he did feel that it would be best just to turn around and head back to the college. They could try making the trip again later, and whatever they would gain by proceeding with the mission could not be worth risking Lyn's life.
As they entered the town, there were a fair number of issues to deal with. The caravan master was handling their rooms, and Ssarak did not believe his own injuries serious enough to warrant paying for the physician, but Ssarak was concerned for the health of Meirin and Alaira. Even if she had nearly caused their deaths, he did not wish to see her harmed. After she recovered, however, they would need to confront her about her recklessness. Lyn was someone she cared about deeply, so perhaps hearing how she had nearly caused her death would be enough to force her to listen.
Outside the inn, Ssarak walked alongside Meirin as they were leaving the wagon. She had appeared to be shaken up after falling from the bridge, and he, of course, wanted to know if her condition had improved. "How are you feeling, Meirin? Do you think it will be necessary for you to visit a healer?"
Sure, link it to me.
Do you wish to see if it would be appropriate to collab?
Fallenreaper said
Shouldn't be long. I'll let your post bring Lyn into the village then, unless you want to see if we can combine our posts in a small collab?
Perhaps. Mine is mostly finished, so I don't know if it will really work, but we could see.
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