icmasticc

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

Hey everyone. So, some of you may or may not know, but I used to be a member of this RP. I was forced into a hiatus of sorts about six months back and kind of disappeared for a while. To make a long story short, now that I've resolved my time and such, I feel like I can once again rejoin this RP on a more seasonal basis. With the GMs approval, I've been allowed to pursue that avenue and I'll be bringing one of the characters I started with into the RP. Hopefully I don't disrupt anything.

To be completely transparent, I'm also the Co-GM of another RP at this moment so that's the main reason for my seasonal status. I look forward to writing with you all.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

Post is up peeps. Go forth as you will! Sorry for taking so long too. Had one hell of a weekend, but I got it done. If you have any questions or concerns, you can post them here or PM Rockette and myself as needed.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

_{I S L E O F I V A L I C E / / M A N Y Y E A R S P R I O R}

---

The Hall was exactly as large and grand as it had always been touted to be. Cream sculpted columns towered around the oval space, bases rooted in pristine marble floors and tops cemented in the recessed, golden, high ceiling. Ornate statues claimed four of the towering structures-- one for north, south, east, and west--wrapping themselves around the carved stone and seemingly caressing the posts in their unique poses. The table was firmly the center of attention, however. Matching the oval shape of the space around it, the handcrafted piece stood in the center of The Hall, freshly re-finished and stretching down the length of the floor. One hundred chairs stood guard around the outer edge, each one uniformly placed and enforcing the sense of order and structure that was deeply associated with the room. The Hall was the most famous of all the rooms in The Estate and a wide-eyed Corbyn silently took it all in as he marched into the grandiose environment alongside others in matching armor.

Brigand led the group to the table, helmet under arm, and found a seat at the nearest head. His followers instinctively began filling seats in order on each side, Corbyn taking his seat somewhat far from the commander of the Order of Ivalice. Exasperation slithered into the air, a light hiss parting the annoyed soldier's lips. He had waited years for the day he would finally be allowed into The Hall and now the recent announcement would overshadow what was meant to be a personal achievement. Metal clanged against wood causing a quick glance from the boy to meet the welcoming expression of a girl. Aqua irises bore into umber as the two seemed to examine each other within a brief moment; dark hair, a slim, angular visage, and painted lips comprised the facial composition of the mysterious lady knight. Corbyn sucked his teeth and shook his head. The lady knight raised an eyebrow. "Do you have some kind of issue with me?" She asked in a light, fair voice.

"Obviously. Did you think someone would be impressed?" Corbyn shot back. The confirmation of the impending war and the immediate deployment was bad enough, but it was the gall of his foreign comrade that broke the camel's back.

"Well well, aren't you testy. Scared of deployment? Or are you just afraid of war in general?"

Corbyn turned to fully face the lady knight. She had finally gained his full attention.

"The hell you'd just say?!"

"I'm quite certain there were no misunderstandings. Which one is it? Look at you, you're even trembling in your armor. Is this baby's first deployment?"

Corbyn stopped short of replying. He suddenly became aware of the tremors across his skin and quickly turned away from the lady knight. It was not only true that this was his first battle assignment within the Order, it was also true that he was scared. He tried to settle his mind as the background chatter grew quieter and Brigand stood from his seat. It was time to discuss stratagem for the approaching deployment.

_{S O L D I E R E N C A M P M E N T / / Z A L E R A T U N D R A}

---

It had not taken long for the cold to dig its claws into the skin of the commander. Corbyn rubbed his triceps and shivered a bit as the group slowly grew bigger with each arriving SOLDIER. His shirt was long sleeve to a point, stopping at his forearms, but the material was supposed to be able to retain heat - a custom order made especially for the mission at hand. With his luck though, it was no surprise his clothing had done a half-ass job. Thankfully, one of the first to appear in the growing circle was of the mind to offer coffee and not the instant-made, choke-till-you-die type. Sammel was not an especially close associate of Corbyn's, but he definitely had a name the commander had heard before. Like the gentlemen he was, he offered cups to two of the newly arrived girls first - there was no complaining about that. As the offer was extended to the rest, Corbyn quickly, yet gratefully, snagged a cup of his own and immediately gulped a portion. The heat soothed the sharp piercing of cold and relaxed tensed muscles.

"Is this, uh, coffee thing really that good?" Asteria echoed. Corbyn took a single second to consider ignoring her.

"The hell do you care?" Corbyn thought, sharply.

"I do not. Your body just suddenly had this reaction and there's only three reasons I can think of for such an occurence... "

Corbyn immediately repressed his mental line of communication, turning his attention back to new faces. There was the blonde and the short-haired girl followed by another huge guy and a few others. The quick dialog had distracted the commander enough that he had missed a few entrances, but he was just in time to hear Corr finally mention food. Adrenaline pumped and energy flit across Corbyn's eyes. Food was one of the few things that could really make the man sociable and since Asteria was always causing him to appear rude at the moment, the commander considered this upcoming impromptu dinner his chance to get to know these people somewhat. Apart from Carmen, there was hardly anyone he actually knew. Names floated around the Fort all the time and various reputations followed in tandem, but one could never truly separate truth from fiction without meeting or seeing the person for themselves. SOLDIER was still a hush hush program and it was hard to even meet other SOLDIERs properly at this point. The most exciting part of this mission, for Corbyn, was not the fact that he would finally see battle, but the fact that he would actually get to meet others who were just like him in terms of power, ability, and affliction. This was the thing missing from the program that even training could not properly cover - building association with others in a team.

With that, it was decided that this would be the perfect time for the final meal before the mission. Not only was everyone hungry and making comments about it, but it was getting finally getting dark and the shyps would not be arriving before the break of the next day anyway. The group moved themselves to the meal tent which was considerably bigger than the operations tent they had previously bundled under. There was still an influx of personnel floating around, but there was also a rather large, rectangular table with stools for seats and wimpy looking legs - obviously cheap furniture for use on the go. The group found themselves seated not long after Bruce's--thought unseen--lightning display. Corbyn took his chance, and his newly refilled coffee, to finally learn some about the people around him.

"I, uh, probably missed some of your introductions because of a certain ridiculous someone, but I don't think it'd be too rough if we do so again, formally? I'll even start off. My name is Corbyn Vesper."

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

Hey everyone! The schedule is shifting a tiny bit and the plot post will be up tomorrow. I apologize for the minor delay.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

Okay, announcement time.

I'll be handling the first plot moving post. I'll be writing it tonight and throwing it up tomorrow at some point. So, at this point, take the rest of today and tonight to post if you wish. Tomorrow, you'll need to wait until the plot post is up to begin the next round of posts. This first round went super smoothly and we couldn't be happier.

That's all for the moment. Keep up the good work!

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

@Raijinslayer@FantasyChic

Lmfao. I went back and read through that whole exchange.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

Just putting it out there again, but don't forget you can post multiple times during the week within reason. So if you want to respond to a character who may have interacted with you, you're more than welcome.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

And my post is up. I need to check for minor editing as usual, but it's there.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

^{| An Omen Yet Defined |}

_{I S L E O F I V A L I C E / / M A N Y Y E A R S P R I O R}

---

Her eyes cried out as her voice, laden with awe and fear, sunk deeper into her bloody esophagus.

Amidst the competing sounds of clashing metal, shrieks, and armored feet stampeding against the broken earth, the young soldier could only gaze in horror at the sight before him, stumbling backwards and allowing the heft of his golden armor to yank his back to the ground. A multitude of thoughts wracked his brain and he choked on a gaggle of jumbled words as he frantically heaved breaths and struggled to return to his feet. The body before him finally fell to its knees and its head slumped to the side, an eyes-wide visage permanently claiming residence. Fresh blood poured down the neck and stained golden armor as it continued to make its ground-ward descent, quickly escaping from the wound created by a long, shining blade lodged straight through the throat. The terrified young solider squealed and slid backwards before finally finding the momentum to rise to his feet. Shimmering blue eyes of the now deceased bore into him under the light of a setting sun just as a taller and much bulkier armored figure approached the boy. He stopped just beside him and closed his eyes briefly before turning to face his horrified charge.

"It's not your fault, Corbyn," a deep voice almost bellowed over the sounds of battle. "This is war, my boy. She knew what she signed up for, same as you."

Corbyn's fear slowly subsided and twisted itself into a whorl of anger as the bigger man spoke. Pools of darkened ocher soaked up the image of the armored woman on her knees before liquid overflowed and dripped down from the corners of each pool. In spite of this, his countenance remained steadfast. A large hand gripped the young soldier's shoulder and the equally large body attached turned to face Corbyn fully. "I know this is war... " he said without breaking his gaze "You don't have to console me, Brigand. I understand perfectly."

Brigand removed his hand and unsheathed his sword. It was tall and slim, a weapon that at first would seem too dainty for a larger man, but those that knew the man who wielded it also knew just how deadly it could be in his hands. "Good. Even if you are only eighteen years old, a man should be able to compartmentalize loss in the heat of battle. It's the only way we survive in times like these." Removing the tower shield from his back, the hulking knight motioned toward the horizon and took off at a jog, blending in with the other golden-clad soldiers heading off in the same direction. Corbyn continued to gaze at the armored woman.

Her brown locks were still tied back in a ponytail, the few rogue strands swaying in the gentle breeze as her lifeless head hung to the side. She was petite even in the somewhat form-fitting armor and one hand tightly clutched a blade sized perfectly for its owner. "At least you died in defense," Corbyn muttered as he slowly bent down to pick up the sword sprawled near his feet. He glanced at the shield on his back before wrapping his free hand around the hilt of the sword as well - his resolve was clear. "I'm sorry... " He said as he rushed off after Brigand and the rest of his fellow company.

_{S O L D I E R E N C A M P M E N T / / Z A L E R A T U N D R A}

---

For a man of the abilities of Corbyn Vesper, the commander was surprisingly less than fond of flying. Fear played no part in his objection, rather he felt the most vulnerable while traversing the skies in some iron behemoth. He had elected to take a seat with the rest of the various SOLDIER personnel in the back of the Shyp, in spite of his ranking, simply on the hope that it might bring some additional comfort. As the others made conversation amongst themselves, Corbyn rested against the back of his seat, arms folded and eyes closed. In stark contrast to the rest of the armored individuals, the commander chose to wear the uniform most associated with his personal comfort at Fort Lullin - a form-fitting carbon weave top of navy blue fibers disappearing into ebony bottoms of the tactical variety and combat boots. A single shoulder pauldron adorned the left shoulder, its chest and back strap also home to a presently empty holster. Armor was just too troublesome for the man, so he had made the decision months earlier that he would never wear it on active duty. His resting mind cleared suddenly and an inaudible groan escaped in the same moment. She was awake.

"You're sure this isn't a simulation, right?" the voice of a mature woman echoed.

"I told you already, we've been deployed. And why in the hell are you still talking like that? I thought it was an experiment?" Corbyn replied within his mental space. Asteria, the Aeon forcibly bonded to his DNA, almost never spoke beyond the mind of her host.

"I've come to enjoy the broken speech of humans. It's amusing," She echoed with glee. "Do you still plan on ignoring my offer?"

Corbyn audibly sighed. "Obviously. I'm capable enough without your devil's deal. I'll manage."

"Deployed means going into battle, does it not? Are you sure you'll manage?"

"It's not like they're sending me alone. I'll be with a team and besides, our team's role in the mission is infiltration. I know you don't understand us completely, but that word usually means stealth. Avoiding a fight if possible."

"Sounds pretty cowardly to me."

"Who the hell asked you anyway?"

"If I'm forced to come along, I'd rather do something than watch you and others sneak around."

"No one's forcing you to do shit. Go back to sleep or dormancy, as you call it."

"The moment you borrow my power I'll be reawakened anyway. Or did you forget that it's my power?"

Corbyn's body shook roughly as the Shyp made its landing. The pilot over the loudspeaker apologized for the roughness as the commander rolled his eyes and grabbed the large, double-headed lance leaning against the wall next to him, placing it into the holster on his back. "I don't have time for this pointless argument, I have to meet the others," Corbyn relayed in his mind as he rubbed his forehead.

As expected, the air was frigid in the Tundra. Corbyn briskly strolled down the ramp of the Shyp and crunched down on the collection of brush and cold underneath with each step as he made a beeline for the main tent. The encampment was not necessarily large, though it was exactly as the lancer expected. Various SOLDIER personnel scurried from point to point and the general atmosphere of the area was heavy with preparation and rush. Just ahead near the tent, the commander could easily make out the figures of those he would be working with, chief among them the giant known as Corr and a fellow associate, Carmen Auset. The air grew colder and sharper as he neared the group and white breath soared into the skies in the form of wisps as an exaggerated sigh escaped. Auset was doing her thing again. As Corbyn approached the group, he slowed his walk and offered a risen hand as a form of general greeting to all.

"Please, please tell me you've got some decent food," He said to Corr, his eyes pleading with hunger. The travel by Shyp was bad enough due to flight, but the worse sin was the god awful crap they tried to pass off as food. Even SOLDIER could not have the luxury of high-quality cooking.

[♛] 𝓡equiem. // the rise of soldier.

@The Survivor - The Shyp our group is taking is actually capable of flight so we won't be riding across the water as of yet. I'm sure that's gonna happen at some point though lol. Right now, as stated in the post, SOLDIER is still a mysterious sort of organization so they're not going to take means of travel that would force them into a situation that could expose them too much.