Post-Battle I
Total Gil: 2416
Individual Gil: 220+500When the Raptors had been taken down, the friends could finally catch their breaths. Not that the confrontation was major, but combat always took its toll on people no matter what its extent. They had all performed beautifully, and they did not spare any expenses when it came to unleashing their full potential. Olivia made a quick headcount and everyone seemed to be intact, for the time being. Simultaneously, a text-message pop up on Oliviaâs phone, through the WARG applicationâs closed message board, which stated that five hundred Gil had been transferred to everyoneâs accounts, as payment for âsignificant contributions towards the war effort.â However, being compensated for her work was the least of her concernsâin fact; anything other than Oliviaâs infuriation towards one person in particular did not exist in her conceptions. The slender brunette approached Aaron with determined steps, each foot extending in front of the other as far as it possibly could. Her facial expression was no longer that of warmth and altruism, but of fury and concern. She stopped right in front of the boy, her nose not an inch away from the heat of his body, staring him down with a heavy pant. Then it happened, instantly; Oliviaâs lower palm barreled across Aaronâs cheek in a fierce blow bound to leave a reddish mark.
SMACK!âAnd just what the fuck were you thinking?!â Olivia shouted at the top of her lungs. âHuh?!â she continued; âDo you want to get yourself killed, is that it?! I donât give a shit how angry you are; we are all fucking angry! Iâm calling the damn shots here, whether you like it or not, and if you ever pull a stunt like that again, Iâll kill you myself! You got that?!â Olivia exclaimedâher position as Captain forcefully falling into a questionable placeâsore in her throat from all the screaming. Before the poor boy could properly retort, Olivia turned her back on him: âI donât want to hear it, Aaron,â she said, sheathed her gunblade and began to rapidly walk towards Doral, which was within their sights; âCome on⊠letâs just get this over with,â Olivia finished. She was not angry about Aaronâs insubordination, but rather his reckless behavior and the fact that he could have been seriously injured. She would not have been able to live with herself if he would have died on their first mission, during their first battle. It would have been too much to bear and she would have blamed herself, which was something that she did not desire.
Olivia did not feel quite alright with shouting at one of her friends like that, least of all Aaron. She had no idea where this alien feeling came from, or what it was, but it did a number on her stomach as well as her head. The moment made her retrospect on times that were different and less complicated; it was about a year ago, when the friends visited Ascalon Isles. With every passing minute and hour of the present, this long forgotten past became ever so brighter.
Flashback: Ascalon Isles ***
It was the summer prior to the friendsâ current endeavors as members of the Special Warfare and Reconnaissance Group. Olivia had been hard at work for several months with attempting to get them all together and do something. Whenever there seemed to be an opportunity, someone had a prior commitment or obligation. It nearly drove her mad, but when the physical school year was over and done with, there was one week on which all the friends were available. However, a simple drainpipe waterslide event would not do; Olivia had to conjure something with more grandeur, which is when she suggested a trip to the Ascalon Isles. None of the friends had ever been there before, so it appeared to be an excellent idea, even if traveling there was a bit pricey. In the end, however, Olivia convinced the friends that they could hitchhike on a cargo ship from Haddon, Niaux to Poeiras, and then to a tiny fishing village named Sintra, where they would be able to stay for next to nothing and still enjoy the sun and the warm waters. On the second day of their vacation, the friends finally got around to relaxing.
Olivia was quite used to tanning herself during the summers, even if she thought it extremely boring. In her other circle of friends, which consisted of shallow, materialistic cyprians like Britney Farron, it was almost a requirementâif you returned to school without a tan after the summer, you clearly had no life whatsoever. As much as Olivia enjoyed being herself, she had to keep up with appearances at school, which is why gracing at the beach was the top priority. Besides, Sintra had little to offer in terms of activity or tourism: there was a wooden jetty, a few huts to sleep in, a restaurant-bar with a television set, and a beachâthat was it, however more than enough for Olivia to enjoy. Naturally, some of the boys were hanging around the bar a lot; not only for the alcohol, as the legal drinking age in Ascalon was eighteen, but also because the World Series was wrapping up with the semi-finals. It was difficult to believe that they were vacating during a war with an extraterrestrial race. The Ascalon Isles were so far away from the rest of the world that it had barely been touched by the tragedies. It was surreal to say the least.
Olivia was lying on the west end of the village, squeezing every second out of the sun. She had been half asleep for a couple of hours, so she did not know what the others were up to, however she could hear some noise from the water, and some silent chatter in the background, and screaming and shouting from the barâthe game was on. Olivia yawned and seated herself in an upright position, unsure of what time it was. âUghh⊠what time is it?â Olivia asked whoever was close by. It could not have been more than four or five in the afternoon, but one could never be sure in Ascalon Isles, as the sun barely set during the evenings. This particular night the friends had agreed to make a fire on the beach, with plenty to drink and marshmallows to eat, and just talk until dawn.
Doral ***
By the time that the friends arrived in Doral, the dark weather had caught up with them and heavy rain was descending. It was if night had obtruded upon day and consumed its light, even if it was just late afternoon. The town was busy with motion, back and forth, down and up shady alleys and streets. Doral was not exactly a safe place to be, least of all at night. It was the heaven for a multitude of suspicious characters and businesses. Not even its Mayor adhered to the common laws regarding intoxicating substances and other semi-illegal activities. The friends immediately made their way to the harbor, where the harbormaster informed Olivia that the Norton Naval Vessel had not yet arrived, but was bound to dock within thirty minutes. Completely soaked, Olivia returned to her friends at the end of the pier: âThe boat from Norton will be here in thirty minutes. Since we donât know what weâll run into over there, I suggest that we do some shopping before we depart; weâll meet here in twenty-five minutes,â Olivia instructed.
As the friends slowly scattered, Olivia gently placed her hand on Aaronâs arm to indicate that she wanted him to stay for a second. The brunette stood silent for a moment, eyebrows pushed together in a concerned expression, eyes staring deeply into the boyâs. âLook, AaronâŠ,â Olivia sighed, âI didnât mean to give you a hard time back there⊠itâs just that⊠I canât lose you, or anyone else⊠I just canât,â she said. âIf I do, Iâll probably go insane and kill myself⊠so, please⊠donât do stuff like that again, if not for yourself and the others, then for me. Okay?â Olivia asked. The girl gently put her palm on Aaronâs cheek, where she had hit him; stroking it ever so slightly. âI know how you feel about everything⊠about Sam⊠I do as well; and thereâs nothing else Iâd rather do than to destroy the world for him, but I canât do that⊠we just canât,â she finished. Olivia waited in silence for the boy to say what he had to say.
LaterâŠWhen everything was said and over with, Olivia needed some time alone. She stuck to the main streets of the town, as she did not want to get into any trouble with the local scumbags. However, it was exceedingly difficult to stroll down the busy boulevard without getting bumped into by peculiar and suspicious individuals, and disgusting, old fat men who muttered foul words as they ogled Olivia. To get away from the disturbing strive, she slipped into a small pharmacy that appeared to have fewer customers than the other shops. âMadamâs Pharmacyâ it was called. An old woman was standing behind the counter, who appeared to be in her sixties, at least. She smiled at Olivia as the brunette entered the shop.
âHello. How are you today, young girl?â the woman said, which seemed suspiciously nice. Olivia hesitated for a moment before she answered.
ââŠIâm fine, thank you.â
âWhat can I do for you?â the woman continued.
âDo you have any sales going?â
âNo, Iâm afraid we donât.â
âOkay, no problemâIâll have an âElixirâ and three âPotions,â please,â Olivia said. The woman proceeded to retrieve the items requested and put them in a small, green plastic bag, and then she tapped on the register to input the purchase.
âThatâll be six hundred and fifty Gil,â the woman said. Olivia swiped her card in a tiny, black machine on the counter, which registered and withdrew the amount indicated. She could not help but to notice that the woman was staring at her, which she finally responded by starting right back.
âForgive my asking, but are you here all by yourself?â the woman inquired.
âNo, Iâm here with some friends. Weâre from Oakridge,â Olivia replied.
âAhaâthe military academy?â
âYup...,â Olivia said while writing a text on the closed message board: Picked up Elixir and 3 Potions.
âThatâs nice. We could certainly use some of your fine soldiers patrolling these streets.â
âIâm getting that, as well,â Olivia said, put her phone away and shot a glance at the street outside, which was riddled with dirty, worn-down people.
âOh well, thank you for stopping by, please come again,â the woman finished.
âThank you, I will.â
In Doral, you are free to create your own mini-combat encounters without using the stagger system. These encounters could be against muggers, mutated dogs/cats, or whatever else seems likely to attack you. This is optional, of course.
The Boat
To their astonishment, the vessel from Norton City arrived exactly when the Doral harbormaster said it would. The vessel itself was a military grade patrol vessel, however in a questionable shape. Thick, strings of rust could be seen coming down, vertically, on the port and starboard sides of the hull. The cannon at the bow, which had probably malfunctioned ages ago, were covered by a green-bluish tarpaulin in order to disguise the ship as non-military from the air. The lower interior of the vessel did not have much to offer: there were a couple of bunk beds, a tiny kitchen, and a table around which one could gather to eat and talk. The boat-ride was utmost uncomfortable. It was extremely warm; the boat-engine uttered a deep, mind-numbing humming sound, and the motion from the sea added insult to injury. The friends had to endure these conditions for six hours, which felt an eternity, yet many times faster than it would have taken them to travel to Norton City by train.
Olivia had attempted to take a nap, but it was nearly impossible. She stumbled outside onto the deck for a quick breather. They were four hours into their trip, and the time had passed eight P.M. When she floundered inside again, she made her way to the tiny table and slid herself into the wall-mounted seats. âIs anyone making dinner? Should we eat something?â She inquired, addressing whoever was awake and nearby.
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