Mas Bagus

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

The first warg rammed its almost invisible bulk toward the captain on the left, pushing him away from the group and pinning him to the ground. Its great maw opened, trying to score a bite on his face, but the captain quickly blocked it with his armored hand. Reacting just in time, he plunged his sword into the beast's neck, using the pushing movement to run it deeper. The seemingly mystical entity grwoled as it retreated back to gain some distance. The captain pushed himself away and brandished his sword, grunting frustratingly as he tried to get back on his feet.

The second and the third warg attempted to do the same to the two enraged thugs in front of the captain. Compared to what the first warg did, they seemed to fare better; with repeated strikes and adequate mass, they managed to stop their advance and pushed the thugs slightly to the left.

But somehow, they were unable to bring any of those guys down.

Their great jaws bit into their skin, but it won't go any deeper. They attacked again and tried to tear, twist, and rip, but the thug's body endured it. Along the ordeals, they seemed to be planted firmly on the ground, and no matter how persistent the yanking and bites and maulings, their body seemed to be unreasonably heavy and almost unflinching.
__
Athena had moved sideways and placed herself between Jazdia and the enemies who were now being halted by Evan's wargs. Shield ready and spears pointed.
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Ignoring the shiny and obviously bigger target in front of her, Yvonne lunged sideways and swung her halberd to chop one of the thug's legs. The blow felled the enemy, but the recoil was so violent she felt her own bones trembling. Worse still, while it would take a while for the enemy to get up, his knee seemed to survive the strike; the blade only cut a portion of his flesh and bones, and then stopped halfway as if his leg were reinforced by something tremendously strong. Blood poured unnaturally from the wound before stopping, and crystalized into a substance that emits a faint red glow.

___
It was a small relief that Yvonne had intercepted one, but her situation was far from ideal still.

Despite the failure of the previous attempt and the lingering darkness making it harder to aim, Louise didn't seem to learn anything from that. Trying to not get distracted by everything that was happening beside her, Louise aimed at one of the thugs rushing toward her. Either out of desperation or panic, didn't matter if luck was on your side.

Fire

It hit the enemy right on his neck, and then a terrible shrill could be heard as he collapsed on his knee.

The last thug was still beelining toward her, and with guns unloaded, Louise made her stance. The thug trusted his spear, slow and unrefined even an amateur could dodge that and she did it. With flexibility and precise footwork, the squire spun and rammed her bayonet into the thug's stomach.

But it again, went shallow. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the thug she shot before.

Still kneeling, his hand tried to clutch the wound on his neck, which apparently shallow. The same glow of blood could be seen from the cavity, and he glared at the squire with immense hatred.

Meanwhile, the thug in front of her screamed. "DIE!", and he raised and retracted his polearm before making a quick jab on Loise's midsection. The strike was slow but unexpected it connected to her breastplate and jostled her backward.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

The battle has begun. The opposition had made their moves. Three were on a hot pursuit toward Louise's position, and two others were rushing toward Jazdia.

Compared to their leader and his captains, those five seemed not very right in the mind. They rushed headlong like berserkers in a warpath, raising their swords and pike with no technique or finesse whatsoever. Nor did they seem to possess any sense of survival; Their armor were a mere gambeson and ordinary clothing, and When Jazdia raised her bow and was ready to shoot, they didn't change their course.

But they were crazily fast, and if the team didn't do something, they might find themselves overwhelmed by these guys.

Jazdia was the first to recognize the need to relocate. Taking her stance, she propelled herself backward and fired her arrow. It missed the charging thug and hit the captain behind it. The lack of power caused the arrow to bounce off harmlessly, only leaving a small dent in his breastplate.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"We could have spared him..."

Jazdia paid Evan and his opinion no heed. Swiftly she moved toward Athena and had her eyes scanning the entire mansion for potential ranged counterattacks from the enemy's primary forces. The blast indeed roused the rabbles from their sleep and they all prepared themselves to meet the intruders. When she counted their number however it was indeed unspectacular.

Jazdia rubbed her pocketwatch and brought it closer. "Veronica, I saw two enemy personnel in the basement. It seemed to be Stritzel's storage area. Once you pass the door on its north, you will find a corridor and stairs leading to the second facility."

She saw all the important individuals in the second bunker. Two thugs patrolled around the room that looked like a laboratory, the other was guarding the dungeon. In that dungeon, she found Cedar, another bear that somewhat looked familiar, and the red-haired woman wearing a white robe and eyeglasses.

Beyond that laboratory, sealed by a solid iron door, was another tunnel. It looked smaller than the bunker corridor but seemed like part of an underground complex rumored to be Stritzel's way to aid the rebels.

Jazdia could only catch a glimpse of an underground labyrinth before fatigue set in and forced her to shorten the range of her vision back to the inner courtyard. Behind its wall, five men that she had identified before has already gathered in a combat-ready position.

""Five more guards." Evan pointed at the inner wall towards the west."Attack them too?"

"Oh, don't worry, they will come to us."

Activating her eyes to scan the manor again, Jazdia saw two men standing outside Stritzel's room, while three others were stationed on the stairs leading to the second floor. They seemed to be listening to someone she could not see, and the movement of that entity was almost unobservable, like an abstract man-sized distortion in the air.

That entity stormed toward the front door and opened it.

Deactivating her eyes, Jazdia saw a man walking bravely through the ruined gate. He was tall and muscular, wearing polished mail, pauldrons, and graves that emphasized his imposing figure. His eyes glinted under his deep brows as he bent his gaze upon the intruder, and then to his men, who hurriedly sprung out to the open, leaving only two on his sides.

He took a long, deep suck on his cigar before tossing the stump down and having it squashed beneath his iron boots.

"So, Fredricus Lapdogs finally came to collect his due."

Stomping his partisan to the ground, a mass of pure energy gathered on his left hand, forming a shield made of concentrated light. The wind blew his cape and his handlebar mustache as he stared at his men darkly.

Jonas Delving, the patriarch of the Delving clan hadn't made his move, but his two bodyguards, with a simple gesture, sprung forward to follow their brethren, who was now rushing toward the group with weapons at hand.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Blood sprinkled on the grass when Yvonne yanked the dying thug and used his body as a meat shield. An effective show of brutality, but fortunately (or unfortunately) Athena's fire magic was a better deterrence, a purplish fire conjured itself on the thug's crossbow and started eating its wooden frame as it slipped away from his grip.

Yvonne took advantage of the enemy's surprise to close the distance and swung her ice polearm.

The thug futilely tried to grasp his secondary weapon, but it was too late now. The bardiche cleaved his arm off like a twig and bit deep into his ribcage. With his only one good hand, the dying thug grabbed the polearm by the hilt before going limp and falling to the ground.

The last thug, who for the entire ordeal was watching from afar, had already made a run toward the gate, understandably freaked out by the quick decimation of his group.

"Dude! What the hell! Open the gate! Let meeee innn!!"

From the other side of the courtyard, Jazdia repositioned herself and imbued her arrow with magic. Aimed at a higher degree to compensate for the distance, her black bow tensed for a while before sending the illuminated arrow to soar until it arched downward and the hit the brick construction right next to the inner gate.

The last thug was lost in the explosion. Meanwhile, the brick post and the metal bars that stood between the courtyard and the manor shattered and fell apart. The other half of that gate managed to hold for a while before it too had its hinges given up and fell.

*****

Before Solomon could observe much, a blasting sound of crushed stone and clanging iron alarmed the entire manor, including the twitching guard. With a quick motion, he gripped his polearm and walked forward, though slow, his pace was steady, and no verbal expression could be observed from him.

Meanwhile, the entrance to the basement lacked any sort of door or physical barrier. If one wandered inside, one might find that the entire basement was a sturdy bunker made of concrete and brick as wide as the house itself. On the north side of that bunker, there was a door, guarded by two of Delving's unsavory characters, who were now fully roused by the explosion's thundering blast but seemed undecided if they should check it out.

"What the hell was that? Did you hear that?"

"Fuck me! I was this close from kissing the dirt! Some nutjob from Rascade is attacking us, or Mechean bastards must be one of 'em!"

"Shit, I'm starting to think this ain't worth it. Four months ago it was that bakery incident, and now this. It ain't right man, I ain't signed up for this crap!"

"The boss said he knew they were coming. That's why he is here. And you stay where you are! Unless you want to join Marty and the others in the dungeon."

"Might not be the worst idea. That redhead is hot!"

"Don't push your luck. Our job is to guard the place so keep your eyes peeled!"

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Western outer wall --> inner wall, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Keeping an ear out for their replies, Veronica turned towards the inner wall and elected to begin scaling it as well. Slowly, she hauled herself up, until her eyes could peak over the top, checking to see that the way was clear.

@Lewascan2

The small space between the wall and the basement entrance was not completely clear. If one looked to the right, in another corner next to a tree to the south, one could see a guard standing by. However, his vision and attention seemed to be focused on what was in front of him.

And there he stood perfectly still, save for some periodical twitching and coughing. Probably because of the coldness of the early morning? Maybe because he was sick? One thing was for sure it didn't look natural.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"HAH! I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"

@A5G

The death growl in the form of a high-pitched scream assaulted the thugs' hearing, inflicting them with pure terror enough to stun them briefly. Not even darkness could conceal them from the incoming wrath of Rosenving Scion when she rushed forward to close the distance between them.

Now she got their attention, and their reloading was almost finished.
---
A smaller clamor boomed from the road behind the destroyed gate. Still in the same position and stance, Louise took aim and discharged her musket toward the frontmost thug. But the darkness failed her aim this time. The bullet flew straight, but it missed its supposed target by a few centimeters.

Not bothered to reassess her flawed aim, the squire hunkered down and reloaded her weapon.
---
Evan, either undaunted by the prospect of getting shot by standing in the open like this, or smart enough to see the opportunity to launch another offensive, walked forward. While the thugs were occupied with Yvonne, Evan created another fist of ice, smaller this time to allow precise control when he picked up the thug's torch and hurled both items toward them.

The smaller ice fist struck one of the thugs right in the face and toppled him with a nasty bruise and broken nose. His crossbow fell and discharged haphazardly once it touched the ground, with its bolt embedded in the grass not far. The torch that hurled with the ice landed just a meter ahead of them.
He attempted to move the chunk of ice he had previously launched, but it seemed the thing was outside his control, and won't budge a bit.

---
With a shield readied Athena followed suit. One thug down but there were still two more standing and ready to shoot Yvonne. The charge was arguably done in a reckless manner, and she had no means to catch up. What would she do now?

---

Jazdia emerged from her cover, shaking her head when she witnessed the sheer swaggering Yvonne displayed right now. She was all for a blaring attack, but attacking recklessly was...reckless. She pulled her bow and had one of the cold arrows fly toward one crossbowman and embed itself on his neck, killing him instantly. Almost immediately she readied for the next shot, but considering the time it takes to aim and her arrow travel speed, it seemed Yvonne would have to deal with the last one herself.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Who the fuck--- Whose ass was it dares attacking our turf!"

A thunderous sound of a gunshot answered it, and despite the aggressive interrogatives and bold posturing, the thug was merely a target for Louise's musket. The bullet sped off through the darkness unhindered, and his gambeson did little to prevent the full-sized lead ball from plowing a hole in his midsection. The first casualty in this battle jerked backward and fell to the ground, expiring with blood gurgling from his mouth and nose.

The lack of light indeed slowed one's response. When the second thug heard a thud, it took him a full second to discern what in the world happened to his friend. Though he had his sword ready in his hand, whatever reactionary action he would perform was already too late. An ice fist the size of the biggest cannonball he had ever seen hurled toward him, and when he laid down on the ground with his jaw and other facial bones broken, the last thing he saw was its bluish color as the mass of ice impacted his head.

Due to its sheer mass, the ice landed shortly afterward and stopped just a few meters away from the incoming thugs after skidding for some brief distance. It startled them, but they managed to handle the situation smarter than their downed friends. Instead of blindly approaching a group of people who clearly capable of flattening their gate with a devastating explosion, they regrouped and had their crossbow readied before throwing the only torch they had toward the gate, adding more illumination to reveal the incoming attacker.

Seeing the incoming danger, Jazdia made a wide step toward the wall, just a moment before the sounds of bolts whizzed in the air. One of them hit Louise's shield with a distinctive twang, and it tumbled in the air before embedding itself on the grass next to her. The other flew past Evan's ear, while the last one darted harmlessly into the darkness.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Meanwhile on Jazdia's side.

The other party had made their advance, and it was time for their turn. Jazdia activated her eyes, monitoring the infiltrator until they reached an adequate distance for her to start the assault.

"let's move out," she said, gesturing her hand to point at the gate, and they followed.

When the elf walked down the road leading to the manor, she prepared her arrow. It glowed bright, temporally illuminating the path ahead of them, until she released it and had it fly straight to the gate, blasting it open in a fiery explosion.

The sudden clamor alerted the camping thugs. Some of them jumped up from their sleep, and some already brandished their weapons. As the party continued their quick advance, so did the thugs running toward the gate to welcome the gate breakers.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Jazdia and Veronica returned back to the group, ready to finalize the plan.

"Alright, Veronica here will lead the infiltration team," said Jazdia. Her gaze first fell on the blue elf.

"Varya, that team will need a reliable frontline, and ranger so you go with her. You will also need Doc Solomon and his expertise for this rescue mission. The Twins, you two are coming with them as well. Help them find your brother."

Returning to Veronica, she flipped open her pocket watch and asked the pale woman to do the same with her metal compass. "I will monitor your approach from the courtyard. We may have the power to see through obstacles, but it is dangerous to be entirely dependent on it. Check your corners and tread lightly at any crossroad. I strongly suggest the western wall be your insertion point."

Turning to Varya, she gave the elven man three of her explosive arrows. "Use them to defeat any insurmountable obstacle. Or to give your enemy a nasty death if you feel so inclined." Winking, she added. "Or consult with your team before use. These are strategic ammunitions, so it is wise to use them sparingly."

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Time passed, and everyone who felt they needed to sleep finally got their rest.

The hands on her clock were clicking toward 2:30 when Jazdia awoke. The fire was still burning brightly, and although she felt refreshed and adequately charged, it would still take some minutes to fully gather her wit. After that, all was simple; after having some bites of waybread and steaming tea in a tankard, she was ready to depart.

Rechecking the map, she gave the party some time to wake up on their own. During the wait, she sorted four arrows from her quiver and channeled her magic into them. All four were the explosive kinds, with the outer coating slightly harder than usual so it could withstand reckless handling.

Ten minutes passed, and it was apparent that not everyone seemed to possess a similar level of discipline. Jazdia felt it was too rude to rouse them up one by one, and she also felt reluctant to ask Solomon or Veronica to do the deed.

"Good morning, Baron Evan. Already awake I assume?" Jazdia tried to not forget the pleasantries, smiles, and greets, but time was a precious commodity she couldn't help but be curt. "We are ten minutes behind our schedule, and I would like you to command your animal to give them a good howl.

The man only gave her a nod, but behind such a small gesture, he apparently was quite creative with his command. All Three of his canine companions gathered, and like a choir group, they started singing with unusual and off-pitch howlings that reverberated in the early morning's chilly air.

After some grunts and rude awakenings laced with displeased curses, most everyone else followed suit with their preparations not long after. Weapons, equipment, and horses are readied. The plan was set and they started riding to the north.

****

It was 4.01 AM when they arrived at the outskirts area of Stritzel's Manor.

Jazdia asked Veronica to come with her before walking toward the northernmost tree near their parking spot. Activating her eyes once revealed the bluish veil protecting the area ahead of them from any magical spycraft, and carefully she stretched her hand, feeling the magical current. Thankfully it was a passive magical jammer designed only to distort.

The second time she activated her eyes, the manor and its surroundings finally came into view. It was a two-story building, and gloomy was probably the perfect word to describe it.

Its front was on the south, straight facing the gates. The roof, while seemingly in a good condition was rather squalid, with moss hanging by its gutter and old branches strews about on its old and stained rooftails. In the middle of the roof, there was a spire enclosed only by wooden railings on its four sides.

Below, several windows showed lights behind their dusty curtain, a small ray of hope despite being surrounded by dilapidated walls that already had their plastering chipped off here and there. In the middle of the building, a wooden door sealed the manor shut from the outside world. There was a path leading to west-side of the building, and there, she saw an entrance almost as large as the inner gate itself, leading somewhere underground.

Surrounding the manor was two fortifications in the form of outer and inner wall. The outer wall was a two-meter wide, five-meter tall masonry work with parapets on both sides that seemed to have seen better days but was still a solid obstacle nonetheless, and the inner one was a pasalide made of decorated metals and brick. Both walls had gates made of irons and were quite sturdy for a dilapidated dwelling.

"The opposition seemed minimal. I only saw four patrols near the inner gate, while in the outer courtyard, there are six more thugs congregating around some sort of a camping spot."

Jazdia beckoned Veronica to walk a bit ahead of her. "I can't see anything more than what's inside their inner courtyard. Not in this distance at least. But I tell you, the veil is already behind us, and if you try to scry the entire building from here, your vision will not be impeded. Still, if Jonas Delving is really here, there is still a risk that your attempt could alert him. He might not be able to pinpoint our location that way, no, that's not how that kind of sense worked. Not without specialized talent or training. Anyway, it's your call."