[IC] Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

[tex]

Rumors

The recent Diver murders have shown no sign of stopping. Well-known diver deaths in no-man’s-land are at an all-time high. Survivors, as few as they are, have only been able to give one detail about their attackers, that being their very strange eyes.

Swimmers are reported to be moving further inland. They are to be considered armed, and extremely dangerous – or so they say.

‘A little dog told me that there’s some serious treasure east of Illon! Hyznia King Thrallmor has been sending unlicensed Divers in Illon’s directions in search of it, apparently. Haha, he’d better hope Arcadia doesn’t catch wind of that!’

[tex]

Shattered Shades

Arcadia Chronicles

Arcadia

_{University of Duvell - Several days earlier}

---

"I assure you, it'll be worth your time, Ebenezer," headmaster Franklin declared, pressuring the idea further and further with each passing minute. "They've assured you a spot on Group Alpha's roster if you're willing to take it. The CMAS is confident that your expertise would be most useful when paired alongside their most elite officials. I've heard that the Survey groups will be going much farther out than most Arcadia-based Divers. Imagine what you could find to aid your studies! Imagine the reputation it would bring the university..." Franklin had gone on and on for at least ten minutes now about the benefits of this venture. The CMAS had been rather adamant about enlisting Ebenezer's help, and with good reason too. Most who specialized in arcane runes were too busy, or too cowardly to leave city bounds, but Ebenezer? Feh, he'd done it of his own free will many times before. He had the mettle of a Diver, despite not accepting the label willingly. Of course, his assistance wasn't mandatory, nor did the CMAS invest a great deal of confidence in Demonology as a practical science, but with a squad size of 12, there was nothing to be lost if Ebenezer accepted their somewhat generous offer.

Arcadia

_{Survey Initiative HQ}

@blue demon@Unfortunately@tatszico

---

The walls of the meeting room reached several meters high despite how little the square footage was, towering over the small group of Divers and CMAS officials that stood opposite to the entrance as they exchanged looks of anxiety and mistrust. This was the first official meeting of Survey group Alpha, called early in the morning with very short notice, to overlook the path these registered Divers were to be taking in the coming days. Needless to say, those from within the CMAS that stood in that room carried a great deal of weight with their names, changing the atmosphere of what would've been a calm and collected meeting, into a trial of very fragile first impressions. Lead of the CMAS head council, Sydney Duvell, stood silently behind Yvette Eridal and Joshua Minet, acting as a witness to the events that would unfold in that meeting. Although he was a very important man, today his only duty was to supervise the first official Group-Alpha meeting, to assure professionalism, efficiency, and of course, to look over the people responsible for Arcadia's future himself. Sydney glanced at each of the 11 registered Divers who stood in a neat little line before him, with Karida Arconis standing front and center. He didn't like the look of them very much, and expressed it rather blatantly with a disdainful cringe. Were these the best that the Divers had to offer? There had to be at least 200 applicants! Sydney paused when his eyes met Karida's, and his lips curled into a subtle smirk. Well, perhaps not all of these individuals were worthless. Karida's reputation was very positive within the CMAS, especially with Sydney. She'd shown a great deal of promise in her actions, and unbeknownst to most, was one of the most viable candidates to replace councilman Leewood as the head of Magic supervision. Sydney huffed happily while Yvette overlooked the paperwork of her soon-to-be field mates. Regardless of the relief he'd received though, Sydney was bored to pieces in that stuffy room.

"Fuck" Brian Tormal hissed, carefully tracing his index finger along the lines in his left palm. Today was certainly not the day to be pulling him away from his daughter. But as usual, the CMAS held little concern for the personal matters of anyone on their payroll. Yvette and Joshua whispered to one another, before turning back to the group. Yvette cleared her throat, attracting her group's attention.

"Are we all listening? Yes? Good, then I'll begin," Yvette started, forcing an insincere smile on the registered Divers. "Today at Noon, Karida and I shall be leading survey group alpha through the northern gate on our first mission of the year. We will be using an all-terrain vehicle - graciously funded by President Tedos and supplied by our allies over in Teknoh I might add - to traverse no-man's land for several hundred Kilometers." Yvette flipped a page up on her metal clipboard and cleared her throat again. "Our mission objectives are not set in stone, but if we are to find an unoccupied Node, we will return to Arcadia immediately and report its location. If we are to find a ruin or artifact of significant size, we will return to Arcadia immediately and report its location. If we are to find an undocumented nation, we are to- Well, you get the picture. Other points of interest are those littered with technologies of significant mettle, and any areas that are high in natural resources such as water, minerals, or trees. We will only return to Arcadia prematurely under the following conditions." Yvette paused and breathed in deeply, clearing her throat a third time before reading off the conditions in an autonomous manner. "If Karida and I are incapacitated on duty, and are unable to efficiently serve as commanding officers. If at least half of our group is killed on duty. If an impassable obstacle presents itself. Or, if we are ordered by the CMAS head council to return immediately."

The room was silent for a short while as the Divers were given time to think over the summary of their mission. It was a particularly cold debriefing, which Joshua seemed completely indifferent towards. The head of project S-S kept his eyes glued to his clipboard as Yvette spoke, refusing to even look at the group she'd chosen. He was more concerned with the progress of the Arcane node, than anything else. Sydney nodded silently when Yvette finished, waiting to see if the Divers understood their position, and orders.

Diver's Paradise

_{Otherwise known as the Ulimani Crags}

@fateweaver@Sessamaru@Jensoman

---

"Settle down, settle down!" Luke roared, demanding the attention of the giant crowd beneath him. Diver's paradise was certainly a crude base of operations if you judged it based on appearance alone. It was completely underground, had little in terms of a light source from the giant arcane lamp hanging from above, and the stadium from where Luke spoke was rickety, decrepit, and barely any higher than the people he was addressing. He'd used the excuse that it was simple to 'remove the illusion of superiority' that people gave him, and he wouldn't be lying, but nobody really believed that. As the crowds quieted down, Luke looked over them and counted as many as he could with his sharp, green eyes. "64...187...241...510?" He muttered to himself, somewhat disappointed with the turn out. It seemed that there weren't that many who were enthralled by his plan to sabotage project S-S, for good reason too. If they found out who was responsible, the Divers wouldn't stand a chance against the combined might of the Quadra powers. Luke sighed and waved his allies onto the small stage to join him. Two men and one woman walked up, and stood on either side of him. They were the famous Divers that helped him establish Divers paradise, and continued to assist him to this day; His sister, Laura Juuno, one of the two telekinetic prodigies that relayed information among all the popular and trustworthy Divers across Thorisa, her husband, Tinon Frez, who did the same, and Alvios Maeti, Juuno's right-hand man who managed the political and economical aspects of the paradise, as limited as they were.

"Are you going to start, sir?" Tinon inquired, tapping Luke's shoulder curiously.

"Huh? Oh, right. Yes, of course," Luke stammered. "Ehem... Welcome, my fellow Divers, and thank you for heeding my call! I know this must have been short notice for many, hence the low turnout, but I am deeply thankful for those of you who made it-"

"Get to the point!" One man roared, interrupting Luke mid-way through his sentence. Luke stopped for a moment at nodded.

"The Survey initiative is a menace to our lifestyle! We need to stop them, because uh, well- Well we kind of like the way we do things around here, don't we? Life is good- I mean, relatively speaking- It's a blast! We've got a community here, and- And..." Luke paused his poorly conceived speech, rather abruptly. Tinon clasped his forehead, embarrassed for his leader's poor vernacular. Tinon stepped in and shoved Luke aside respectfully, despite the hushed murmurings of the impatient and doubtful crowd.

"Friends," Tinon started, clearing his throat before continuing, "Arcadia is planning something far more devious than it would appear on the surface. Us four have come to a rather startling conclusion over these past few weeks." Tinon was far better at addressing the crowd, but he wasn't convincing to every last Diver there. Several individuals already began to make their way towards the only exit out of Diver's paradise, while others headed towards the dining area. Tinon sighed before starting up again. "It is under great confidence that we believe Arcadia's new survey initiative is going to Phase Divers out of Thorisa, permanently. I know it sounds rather far-fetched, but the possibilities are looming overhead, and the threat to our way of life is very real, I assure you all. It's only a matter of time before the survey initiative takes full flight, and no-man's-land begins to shrink. The need for Divers will dwindle, and eventually, I fear that unregistered diving will be made illegal in the coming years." Tinon paused for a moment to gauge the crowd's reaction. Several Divers were still headed on their way home, back into no-man's-land, but the vast majority stayed behind, attentively listening to what Tinon had to say. Luke stood back, still trying to get over his miserable failure at getting his message across. "That is why we have called you all here today. Luke, Alvios and Laura are looking to put together a team of Divers, in order to sabotage this unrighteous attack on our freedom as Divers. Those who are willing to volunteer, I urge you to stay behind. Everyone else, I'm sorry to have wasted your time." As Tinon finished, a tenth of the initial group had already decided to leave this crusade before it started. Luke glared at the back of Tinon's head irritably, partially blaming his forward behavior in addressing the crowd. Still, with over 400 Divers left behind, he shouldn't have been so negative about the results.

It did sound very insane, to be fair. Coming to such a powerful conclusion based on something that couldn't possibly account for all of no-man's land was preposterous, even though it was a common concern among Divers in no-man's-land. And what of fighting against the Quadra powers? What Luke was proposing was a cold war, something that may have been out of the realm of logical action if they weren't careful about how they approached the situation.

[Jensoman]

- Removed post-

[Hatman1801]

Diver's Paradise

_{The going-only-okay Divers gathering}

Alvios Maeti stepped forward now, giving Tinon a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He took a long gaze across the sea of Divers. Now that the inspirational speeches and the main worries were out in the open, his eyes scanned the crowd, wondering if any Divers would be standing out to him. It was his job, after all. Divers weren't some government, or some army; they were the rebels, and rebels sometimes went into No-man's-land just to escape things like hierarchy and orders. He just had to make sure that his friend's speech didn't turn this into chaos.

"Remember everyone, we're Divers! We have all come out here for our own reasons, but unquestionably, we wanted freedom, in some shape or form. If you don't want to fight, we won't force that. However, if we don't fight, as my friends have said, that freedom could be stripped away from us. Diver's Paradise will still be open to you all, whatever your decision. If you plan on fighting, gather near the southern exit. Supplies will be waiting there, and you should group up properly and band together against this CMAS threat. Now more than ever, looking out for each other is going to be very important. Against CMAS dogs, and whatever Junkers have decided to help them."

Alvios took another look across the crowd, to see if what he had said changed anything. Only a handful more Divers had walked out now, likely some newbies wondering if they'd be kicked out of Diver's Paradise for not helping. Still others murmured with a little more ease, knowing that they wouldn't be running in without some semblance of a plan. And just a few were inspired further by the idea of kicking some Junker ass. About what I excpected, he mused, looking over at Laura once to see if she had anything to say. He didn't wait long, though. She was keen on keeping to herself, and was probably busy seeing if there were any Divers in the crowd that they should be wary of. He'd probably hear from her telepathically before audibly.

"If you have questions for us, go ahead and ask now while we're still all grouped up."
@Jensoman@FateWeaver@Sessamaru[

---

Arcadia

_{CMAS Council Hall, before the S-S meeting}

"...Understood, Sulfrax? You aren't allowed to interfere with the S-S Project anymore until we say otherwise. It was a hard decision for us all, I assure you--"

"This decision is foolish, Sir Duvell. The only reason this initiative is even possible is because of my work. I have tolerated you wrapping me up for years now, but this project is mine. I will see this come to fruition." Sulfrax was outwardly calm, but inside, he was livid. His hood was drawn back, and individually he eyed each of the council members with disdain, his gaze stopping and holding on Sydney. The council hall was arranged similarly to a courthouse, with the four members of the council sitting on high, while he stood before them. The room was overly spacious; rows of empty seats were behind him, for meetings with multiple official people, to discuss things that the public didn't need to hear.

Sydney pinched his brow in annoyance. He had long since grown tired of dealing with Sulfrax; the man was respectable in the past. Now, he was delving deeper into his own special brand of insanity by the day. "No, Sir Lauchlin, you will not. Our decision is final. You've grown too reckless to be a part of this. The S-S Project is going to succeed, and we will not be having any of your input. We have plans for the people, not your selfish desires."

Sulfrax rose his brow slightly, then lowered his head, pulling up his hood."...Hmph. I suppose you do have final say, Council. However, it is not on my hands if this project goes awry without my helping hands, Sydney."

Sydney's eyes narrowed, leaning forward slowly. "Is that a threat, Mr. Lauchlin?"

"...I'm not sure. Goodbye, High Councilman Duvell. the forsaken Arch Mage said solemnly, turning to leave. Years of his work were being stripped from him, and finally they had cut him off completely. He didn't really want vengeance, though. He was more disappointed now than anything. Perhaps he would just head back to Hyznia, and just try to forget about it all. He could find something better to do, surely.

---

Arcadia

_{Outside the Survey Initiative HQ}

Sulfrax could hardly believe that they were sending Divers to handle the initial surveillance. He didn't hold a strong disdain for the group, but he did think they were idiots trying to get themselves killed at the prospect of finding pretty trinkets and a free hand from the government's thumb. What a waste. If they wanted power, they could train. If they wanted money, they could find honest work. And freedom was an abstract concept anyway.

The S-S Project will fail without me. My official leave will be spent observing my work, even if I don't get to play a part. Or maybe I should, just to see how Sydney's replacement fares in my stead, were Sulfrax's thoughts as he waited a short distance away from the northern gate of the Survey Initiative HQ, curious about the events to come.

@tatszico@Unfortunately

[Unfortunately]

Arcadia

@tex @Hatman1801

Of all the near-dozen Divers laid before the councilmen's eyes, Karida was a favorite. And she knew this. Not from back when she was appointed a commanding officer of the group, not back when she saw Sydney's expectant smirk when he laid eyes on her, but even back when she found herself positioned straight in the middle of the line. While Karida certainly found it pleasing, there's many things to do right now that it's best to carefully spend her time planning the trip ahead. Especially when considering the circumstances in the case that some barbaric Diver filth happened to come by.

Karida listened intently. Board a transport, leave at noon at the north gate, and find a Node. If Yvette and herself were to, in some sort of mishap, die, get unconscious, whatever, anything that happens afterwards aren't her business. Any other unfortunate circumstance other than that IS part of her business, unless she's dead, too. Artifacts, resources, unknown people living in an unknown place, take note of them. When they're done, they go back. After Yvette did all the explaining, Karida replied with a simple "Understood.".

To be honest, Karida liked the concept of Scattered Shades. Arcadia was too small to her liking, and the success of the project basically meant more living space and overall better lives. The woman, however, was more concerned with finding anything she could use for herself. Whatever mysterious stone or ancient technology in there that would certainly help her fit in with the ranks piqued greater interest in her than looking for a way to plop down a node, unless nodes could empower, too. However, if they were to be used with priority by the Council, Karida would be willing to wait. After all, being selfish towards CMAS is dumb.

[Jensoman]

Diver's Paradise

Jenso remained within the crowd that wanted to sabotage Project S-S. He had listened to every word that the four famous Divers had spoken. He looked around himself, taking in the amount of people who remained in his mind. Their numbers didn't seem to be very large. 'I thought there would be more of us..' He thought. Still, he had no intention of backing down. He had no intention of letting Project S-S succeed, regardless of the number. Jenso took this matter very seriously, not wanting the freedom of Divers to be taken away by anyone. And he hoped that this plan would work, for the sake of everyone in no-man's-land.

Of course, there was always the chance that it would fail. But these four seemed to know what they were doing. Jenso had a confident look on his face. At the very least, if it did fail, he would get some action at least. He smiled at the thought. The thought that this could lead to war gave him some concern, but he trusted these four Divers enough. He heard many good things about them. He was impatient to hear the rest of their plan. He began to walk away, stopping near the southern exit that Alvios mentioned. The words that Alvios added after Tinon's speech did give Jenso some peace of mind. It seemed that they weren't trying to gather ruthless killers, but real freedom fighters.

[Sessamaru]

Diver's Paradise

@tex@Hatman1801@Jensoman

Lone listened to the announcement with his hands in his pockets, his expression one of apathy. The entirety of the mission, to sabotage the Project S-S, was purely suicidal. However, that intrigued the youth and he remained at the meeting. None of their leaders seemed impressionable to him, despite the telepathy that was used to call him to Ulimani Crags. Lone did not know for sure why he remained there; this mission involved collaboration, something he immediately disliked. Perhaps it was the fact that the Junkers were going to invade his home in droves? Lone loved No-Man's-Land, for it was a place of true freedom and the constant need to travel continued to help satiate his own wanderlust. The adventures, full of pleasant surprises, would all be dashed and an existence full of mundane living grated at his nerves.

He began to feel aggravated by the mere thought of his current lifestyle being destroyed by the CMAS.

Lone let out a low sigh, pulling his hands out of their pockets and crossed his arms, shifting his feet beneath him as he tried to not let the tedious task of standing and listening get to him. The warrior felt something growing inside of his chest, his taut muscles tightening, and his mind filled with a constant hum. Irritation. When it was finally announced that if they wish to fight, they were to gather at the southern exit. Lone wanted to fight, he wanted to continue his carefree lifestyle, and, ultimately, he wanted to see the most dangerous thing CMAS had to offer. Taking the relief to finally move again, Lone walked towards the designated exit in haste.

In his line of vision, Lone saw a young man with fiery red hair and fierce eyes. This will be interesting, he thought, causing him to grow even more excited. Though it was a suicide mission that he agreed to, Lone felt as though there would be nothing better if he had opted out of a good fight.

[FateWeaver]

Alexander Valerian - Diver's Paradise

---

Alex watched the events on the low stage with a grin of satisfaction spread across his face. Arms crossed over his chest, he kept his eyes on each speaker and drank in every word. He had been waiting for this. What the CMAS had in mind was going to flood his home with strangers and, if they were successful, eventually civilians. It was a threat to his way of life, one he would not abide. Thankfully, he clearly wasn't the only one thinking so. If those before him were anything to go by, he wouldn't be lacking for strong allies in this fight.

People started to head toward the southern gate to meet up, and Alex already knew he was going to follow them. Fighting the CMAS would likely end up being one of the greatest challenges of all time, and he couldn't resist the thought of that. He didn't feel alive if he didn't push himself, and he expected to be testing his limits in the time to come. Adjusting his bag so it lay more comfortably across his shoulder, he waited to start off until he would be at the back of the slightly smaller crowd heading for the gate. So many people being around was starting to wear on him. One of the charms of No-Man's-Land is that one could often run for miles without seeing another soul.

Wonder what all these people are capable of, if we can actually work together. Wonder what we'll be up against, he thought, scanning the sea of faces for anyone he was familiar with. One guy with bright red hair certainly stood out in the crowd, and something about one dark-haired man with a leather jacket kept catching his eye. At the very least, this should be fun. Can't wait to get out of here.

@tex@Hatman1801@Sessamaru@Jensoman

[Blue Demon]

Ebenezer's leg bounced as he sat in the Survey Initiative HQ. His anxiety was showing quite obviously. So much in fact that no one was sitting anywhere near him. Or sitting at all. The other eleven were all nicely lined up. Lambs to a slaughter, his mind supplied. Not that Ebenezer cared. Instead his eyes jumped from person to person, never settling on anyone or anything. He had been so close to not coming to this meeting. Despite the veiled threats directed his way. That the CMAS had used the Headmaster at Duvell had only served to agitate him. The only reason he was here was because of one man.

Ebenezer focused on the words the woman who was speaking. If Ebenezer thought too much about that man, he'd think of his name and his face. Which would mean trouble for that man. Ebenezer wasn't the only one with demon problems. And while they hunted him, it was nothing compared to what they were doing to find that man.

The woman's droning voice was a nice anchor for his mind. Not even Imp's swaying could distract him. His task here was to determine what the CMAS wanted from him. And maybe a few other things along the way. Prove demons were real, find ancient ruins, the usual.

"Cold." Imp hissed. It's reptilian voice was flat, much like the woman who was still speaking.

"You are?" Ebenezer asked curiously. Imp always spoke in riddles.

"Her. Cold." Imp's claws dug into Ebenezer's shoulders as it swayed. It's great black eyes were wide as it stared.

"Interesting." Ebenezer murmured. He already knew she could care even less than him about other people's lives. This crew they established could all die and she wouldn't care. CMAS never would care about any lives but their own. Which was why they forced him to stop his research. They knew he was onto something. Those demons that pulled CMAS' strings didn't like that not one little bit.

[tex]

Diver's Paradise

_{The Southern Exit}

@FateWeaver@Sessamaru@Jensoman

---

Luke found his way off the stage as Alvios offered his final words to the mass of Divers, a little disappointed with the turnout, and himself. He was never very good with words, but then again, he'd never had to say anything of such great importance before. As he made his way towards the southern exit, to rally the few troops that offered their help, Luke heaved a heavy sigh of discontent, before perking up and reliving the trait that made him so lovable in the first place, his joyful disposition. Seeing him depressed would likely ruin morale. Who would want to follow a big crybaby like that? No, people respect men who wield weapons fearlessly, and cut down any obstacles in their way with an unbreakable smile! That's the man he had to be, even if it pained Luke to live up to such heavy expectations.

Tinon noticed Luke leave the stage in disarray as Alvios beckoned the Divers in regards to their concerns. nearly half the group had already disregarded Luke's call to arms, and the other half weren't very invested in the situation at all. Only 30 or so men and women headed for the southern gate, the rest not even considering Alvios' offer. No questions were asked. This turned out to be a more 'do or die' turn of events, it seemed.

"Hey guys!" Luke announced his presence with a wide grin, standing atop a large pile of supplies, including a heft cache of A/A, partially charged and completely empty A/B's, and several types of weaponry useful to any Diver who needed the extra firepower. Luke waited a few moments for everyone to turn their attention towards him, as Alvios was still on stage with the rest of his comrades. "So you're the golden group we're countin' on, eh?" He rasped, nodding eagerly as he looked them over. "Alvios'll be glad to have ya on board, I sure as hell am! Lookin' forward to learning all about your capabilities in the coming hours, haha!" Luke waited patiently for Alvios to join him, knowing well enough that Tinon and Laura would be able to handle the Paradise's usual tasks without them nearby. Until them, the famous Diver would happily answer any questions his new allies had. That, or make small talk. He was better at small talk, anyways. "Don't suppose y'all have names? It'd be good to get acquainted, since we'll be workin' together and all, yea? How about you there, with the shaggy hair!" He insisted, singling out Alex randomly. "We've got some time before Alvios comes over ere' and drags the mood to a halt with the technicalities of our mission, tell us a bit about yourself!"

[FateWeaver]

Alexander Valerian - Diver's Paradise (Southern Gate)

---

When everyone finally settled again near the South gate, Alex took a quick head count out of curiosity. Out of the many who had come to listen to the speech, less than fifty remained. Figuring others just lacked the guts, he turned his attention to Luke as the other man climbed the pile of equipment before them. Apparently it was still time for talking.

Shaggy hair? Alexander questioned internally with one eyebrow raised, looking around briefly before realizing that he was the one being addressed. What a pain. I thought we were going to smash some heads, not exchange pleasantries. Of course, Alex was now much more practiced at keeping his thoughts to himself than he had been many years ago. No point in putting off your only allies when your way of life was threatened.

"Name's Alexander, most just call me Alex. Left my family back in Sinon almost eight years ago. Not looking to see the place I now call home invaded by every Junker punk who thinks he can make something of himself by participating in their little government shindig. And if you want to know what I'm capable of, challenge me to a fist fight. It'll be fun, I promise." When he started to speak, Alex's voice was flat and matter-of-fact. Before long though, his true nature showed through in the snarky tone with which he delivered the last few phrases. He was starting to get bored, standing around so much. Though the crowd was significantly smaller, it still bothered him to have so many people about.

[Jensoman]

Diver's Paradise

Jenso frowned as there were only about 30 men who remained at the southern gate. He felt slightly dissapointed by this sight, but it didn't break his confidence. He was determined to fight for his freedom, one way or the other. As Luke reached the group, he appeared to be very optimistic, despite the low number of people. Jenso watched in silence as Luke singled out Alex. He listened closely to every word that was spoken, and got slightly annoyed as Alex finished his words. 'Wow, he's pretty arrogant...I wonder what he's capable of.' He thought, the annoyed look in his face turning into a grin.

He turned towards Alex. "Wow dude, you're pretty confident. I wonder if you have the strength to back it up." Jenso said, with a wide grin on his face. He knew that his words could possibly lead to an argument, but he was genuinely curious about how powerful this man was. He also wanted to somewhat defend Luke from Alex's arrogant words. If Alex were to attack Jenso now, he would surely find out how strong he was. Still, if he wouldn't find out now, the chances that he would see him go all out during combat soon were rather high. Jenso kept his guard up after speaking this, prepared for any sudden moves that the man could do, if his words angered him too much.

@FateWeaver @tex @Sessamaru @Hatman1801

[tex]

Arcadia

_{Survey Initiative HQ}

@blue demon@Unfortunately

---

"Ahem," Yvette cleared her throat, glaring at Ebenezer, who'd shown little respect for her orders. From the looks of it, he didn't even want to be there. No matter, if the CMAS heads wanted him around, she couldn't object. If Ebenezer was to be a bother, Sydney would speak up far before she would. Yvette wouldn't say anything, until they left the confines of Arcadia, anyways. A series of nods followed Karida's affirmation of understanding. The groupd seemed awfully obedient, for the most part. That was good, insubordinance would not be tolerated by the CMAS, and certainly not by Yvette. "Good. Joshua, is there anything else that I may have missed?" She said, glancing at him curtly. Joshua finally looked up from his clipboard, looking at the group of Registered Divers as if he'd just been dropped into a cage of rattlesnakes.

"Uhh... N-No, No! No madam! You've covered everything. Very clear explanation," Joshua sputtered, assuredly nodding as he looked back at Sydney for some kind of agreement. Sydney nodded silently, relieving Joshua to some degree. "I haven't looked over their files, we have what we need, right? Survey head, sub-head, two Machinists, two medical mages..." Joshua buzzed, his voice quickly becoming indiscernible as he flipped through his clipboard in a hurry. "Ah, yes. Ebenezer will be taking the place of Julius as this team's Glyph specialist, if I'm not to be mistaken? Good, Glad to... Uh, have you on board." Brian looked back at Ebenezer for a split second when Joshua said that. No way! He'd heard of that crazy old kook before. His daughter would go on and on about his theses regarding demons and ancient magics that haven't been relevant for ages. A regular warlock, from what he'd heard. A chill ran up his spine as he turned back to Yvette, acting as attentive as he could manage. The rest of the registered Divers had little to offer in terms of personality. Both machinists looked straight ahead, the medical mages stood close to one another but didn't exchange any looks at all, and everyone else stared with great expectation at Yvette and Karida, soaking up the squad leader's orders like processed sponges.

"If that's all, Joshua, then I shall dismiss my colleagues," Yvette said, raising one hand. "Report to the aforementioned gate within the hour preceding noon. Karida, you come with me. I've more details to discuss with you," She ordered, heading towards the room's exit where Sulfrax stood. Brian nodded and looked around nervously as all his allies began to leave the room, marching in a line like robotic drones.

[Sessamaru]

Diver's Paradise

@tex@FateWeaver@Jensoman@Hatman1801

When Lone had at last reached the southern exit, he took note of both the fiery haired man and the shaggy looking Diver. They both looked strong and were thick with muscle, and at first glance it would seem Lone was the odd one out in terms of physical strength; however, Lone knew he himself had the edge. His contemplation and analysis were interrupted, however, with Luke's reappearance at the south gate atop the pile of supplies. This guy really likes having a leg up on everyone, doesn't he? Lone thought, shaking his head. The diver crossed his arms as he waited for this entire display to end. Everyone seemed hellbent on consuming time by talking, but he didn't let it annoy him too much.

He wanted to get moving to fight the Quadra Powers' finest. There had to be at least one person to satiate his desire for fighting, to remind him that he was not an undying thing... he wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline again, the need and want to survive. All of this idle chit chat was getting them nowhere and his excitement for a fight welled up within his chest. His expression was one of irritation.

At this point, Luke had randomly picked the shaggy Diver, who introduced himself as Alexander (or simply "Alex"). His demeanor and arrogance made Lone's eye twitch but he held back his tongue. It would not do for a fight to break out among themselves; this entire force of... Lone counted and found that there was only 50 of them. Though he was relieved at that, he also found it to be underwhelming when compared to an army of Junkers. I guess I'll just have to work as hard as an army, Lone thought, something that brought a smile to his face. Whether or not he believed it was possible for him to put out the work of an entire force didn't matter; it was the fact that he had more folk to fight without needing to share it with the other mediocre and incompetent Divers. The 50 of them that remained must be competent; otherwise, they were just suicidal.

Once again, Lone's thoughts were interrupted by the fiery haired man, whose response to Alex was... blatant. No sense of nuance, no pussy footing, just a blunt remark. Lone sighed, expecting a fight to break out. However... if there was a fight, Lone could watch and learn much about his own comrades. Thus, he decided to watch it play out; after all, it was getting very boring.

[Hatman1801]

Arcadia

_{Outside the Survey Initiative HQ}

@tex@Unfortunately

---

Sulfrax wasn't exactly waiting for anyone in particular as he stood outside the Survey HQ. He just wanted to see who they had decided to put on the team. Maybe try to force off anyone who he didn't think should be there at all. He was on leave, but usually a good bit of intimidation would suddenly give people other obligations. Maybe he'd be put back on if he just scared everyone else who was capable away. Then again, he wasn't supposed to be out there either. As long as I'm not working on it I'm just behaving as a casual observer. Whatever they react to because of my presence is on their heads. That was his reasoning, that he was not going to interfere unless he wanted to interfere. Brilliant.

Their meeting didn't last long. Whoever CMAS decided to put at the helm of this operation must have been very cut-to-the-chase. Good. He liked that, unless he felt like talking about something important for awhile. He glanced over to the door as Yvette and Karida began stepping through. Two women. Both definitely younger than him, although he looked about their age himself. Didn't recognize either of them, and all of this added up to him being annoyed. He barely bothered to let them walk out of the door before he began speaking. "You two are the ones replacing my mission, then. I wonder why?" He didn't give so much as a reason. He just asked the question regardless as soon as he thought they could hear them. And at least one of them would. Yvette had to have known she was replacing an infamous Arch Mage, and while she didn't defer to him, his reputation went before him; powerful, cold, impulsive, and possibly unstable. Ignoring him would mean a very bad time for everyone involved.

---

Diver's Paradise

_{The Southern Exit}

@FateWeaver@Sessamaru@Jensoman@tex

---

"Luke! Can't leave you alone for a second, can I old friend?" There wasn't exactly much if anything to tell the Divers who hadn't decided to show. It was mostly by chance, and probably lack of responsibility, that had Luke getting here before him. The purple-clad swordsman took a single leap up to the top of the boxes, giving Luke a quick shove to the back of his head before he could start running his mouth any longer. "Don't go singling out everyone. They can get to know each other their own ways, on their own times, during this skirmish. Not everyone came here to sit around a campfire and tell life stories, y'know. Alvios took a moment to look over at Alex and Jenso. The former seemed overconfident, and the latter seemed...well, either as friendly as Luke or just felt like instigating things.

Alvios actually smirked a little at the sight. It wasn't really uncommon, but Divers roughhousing each other was always a good time, even if he didn't usually admit it. Except for right now. "You two! Save that energy for the Junkers, alright? Once we take down the trash, you're free to share a few drinks and bruises. Now then, to business. Alvios cleared his throat once, looking out among the group. "So, from what we know, they've got Junkers and CMAS guys working up on that little expansion project. Your job is to go up, beat the living hell out of them, and leave a mark saying how we won't put up with them stepping on our turf. What it doesn't mean, is going and hounding down any of them who retreat back to Arcadia. No need to get bloodthirsty if they aren't out for blood either. Long story short, we're here to stop them, not attack them. Because if any of you manage to turn this into an all out war, I'll see to it that my boot goes so far up your ass that you'll be tasting it. Oh, and CMAS armies could come marching in and wreck everything we've established as our little culture, community, what have you, and turn the lot of us from adventurers into fugitives."

Alvios sighed, taking his hat off for a moment and running his fingers through his hair, stressed out. Clearly, he didn't want to be giving this speech either, but he was probably the only one who would. "Look, I'm not trying to be an ass here. I'm not trying to be your boss. I just want to protect this way of life as much as the rest of you. That's why you stepped over here, raring to go in the first place, right? Anyway, this pile we're standing on. A/A, A/Bs, some weapons, some of it made and some of it looted, and all of the other rudimentary things like food and water are here and yours for the taking. Use it well, because usually I'm trying to conserve this stuff for every Diver passing through. We just need to make sure the guys and girls out there willing to fight have all the tools they need." Alvios let out a heavy sigh, looking back to Luke, giving the man a hard palm on the back before stepping back. "And now that you're done listening to me drone on, go ahead and bother Luke with all of your questions and complaints. I need a drink."

[Blue Demon]

Ebenezer didn't even blink as the cold woman glared at him. Imp, however, hissed low. A barely audible sound. It truly didn't like the woman at all. When she yielded the podium to a harried looking man, Joshua, Imp loosened it's grip. The poor fool stuttered and kept looking to others to reassurance that he was doing okay. Ebenezer dismissed him as not a danger. The fool was just another cog in the demon machine. Not someone to be overly worried about.

Of course even small sharks were dangerous in large enough quantities. This group might not have any individual thinkers, but pack mentality was just as dangerous. Blind devotion was hazardous to everyone's health.

When the meeting ended Ebenezer climbed to his feet. His knees gave a small pop as he did so. Sitting in one place never sat well with him. He was made for movement. The demonologist stretched his arms towards the ceiling. The dislodged Imp gave a hiss and landed on the floor. Long claws made a distinctive sound as they hit the floor. There was a small skittering sound as Imp scurried off to go investigate something. Ebenezer wasn't worried Imp would wander too far. Imp valued it's life too much for that.

When the two women swept past them he dropped his gaze down their bodies. They were both fine looking women. And just to piss them off he smiled.

[Jensoman]

Diver's Paradise

Jenso turned his attention towards Alvios as he leaped upon the pile, landing beside Luke. He listened closely to what he had to say. "Sorry about that.." He replied, as Alvios told him and Alex to stop their argument. Alex did not have the chance to respond to Jenso yet, but perhaps it was better this way. Alvios managed to divert most of the group's attention towards him now. Jenso continued to listen to every word, giving a relieved sigh. As he had hoped, these men were indeed not aiming to start a war. They were not focused on killing CMAS personnel and Junkers, which is what Jenso would not have done either way. It was simply against his morals. He would only kill when absolutely nessecary.

Feeling comforted by this, he would certainly be able to put his all into this plan. He was slightly dissapointed that he didn't get to clash with Alex, but Alvios was right. He would surely see him in action soon enough anyway, and getting into an argument with one of his allies would simply waste time. He couldn't help but think about the boot comment that Alvios made, however. 'Holy crap.. that sounds...painful..' He thought. As Alvios left the scene, he did not have any immediate questions ready. He did want to hear more information about the plan, but he assumed that Luke, or two of his other companions would continue their explanations soon.

He looked at the pile of things that Luke was standing upon. He already had a backpack full of supplies, so he was already good to go.

[Unfortunately]

@tex @Blue Demon @Hatman1801

Karida remained awfully quiet as usual. She had little to visibly comment on as Joshua nervously and hurriedly spewed out barely coherent words to Yvette and to the rest of the crew, or while the deranged, self-proclaimed "demonologist", of whom she had questioned about why was he chosen to come along, was busy talking to his "imp" again. Not that she didn't actually care about the last one. Even though almost everything Ebenezer spews out are nothing but delusional garbage, whatever made Arcadia seek him out could be worth finding out. Then again, it might be nothing.

Other than that, though, Ebenezer is just a plain and lackluster man. Just like everyone else in the group. Nothing special, really.

With the same, eerie silence she's put on, Karida followed Yvette as per her orders, giving a slight affirmative nod. Not a word since then. Not even when some self-entitled "arch-mage" complained about something she didn't pay mind to.

[tex]

Arcadia

_{Survey Initiative HQ - Exterior}

@Unfortunately@hatman1801@blue Demon

---

Yvette barely noted Ebenzer as she left the room, sneering at his smile and heading outside without any delay. What did stop her, was when Sulfrax started spewing nonsense. She didn't turn to face him though. Instead, she continued her march across the Survey Initiative's outer courtyard with Karida in tow, towards the only other building on the grounds. A small bunker, which served for smaller discussion and intricate planning for Yvette, and any high-ranking CMAS officials she'd chosen to accompany her.

Yvette seemed less threatened by Sulfrax's presence then she ought to of been. Consequences were sure to follow, but her orders were clear. If it came down to Sulfrax V.S. the entire CMAS... Well, it's safe to say that she'd be on the winning side in that exchange. As she approached the survey command center, Yvette reached forward and clasped the door handle, but didn't turn it immediately. Truth was, her muscles were overcome by a tremendous fear. Had she been a catalyst for her team's doom, then and there? Yvette stared at the doorknob, slowly turning her hand before rushing into the command center to escape Sulfrax's ever present glare. The only one close enough to witness her distress was Karida, though. "Karida, please come inside," Yvette stammered, holding the door open, before promptly shutting it behind her as Karida entered the building.

Arcadia

_{Survey Initiative HQ - Command Center}

@Unfortunately

---

"I apologize for Sulfrax. You may have inferred this already, what with Joshua standing at my side during the debriefing, but Sulfrax has been removed from project Shattered Shades," Yvette explained, still easing her nerves with deep breaths between sentences. "At any rate, his presence shouldn't be of much concern. If he acts out of place now, the CMAS will swarm these grounds with officials. Thankfully his power is only a drop in Arcadia's cauldron of Arch Mages. I'm sure he'll return to Hyznia disgruntled- But enough of that!" Yvette made her way across a large rectangular table lined with several seats, stopping at what appeared to be a refrigerator, before raiding its contents for a pair of cold drinks. She tossed one copper bottle at Karida, and began chugging the contents of the other with reckless abandon. Thankfully, they were only loaded with fresh water, not Gin. With a long sigh, Yvette contained herself and turned to Karida with a fleeting smirk. "There are several factoids that you'll need to know as my right hand, Karida. However, as much as I respect and trust Joshua and Sydney in their judgement, I still have very little reason to trust you." Yvette paused and took another swig of her drink before slamming it on the table. This was as leisurely as Yvette could act. The responsibilities and burdens that came with leading a survey group were new, but they'd already taken a significant toll on this poor woman's soul. She sat down after a few moments of tracing the lines that swirled across the wooden table between them. "But an order is an order, I suppose. Still, it would be a huge relief if you could assure me that your allegiances lie with the CMAS, one last time. I just... I need to hear it straight from your mouth."

Arcadia

_{Survey Initiative HQ}

@blue demon

---

Brian spun around and began to follow after the rest of his team, but stopped as he caught Ebenezer standing up, frozen anxiously in place. It wasn't just the man's presence this time, Brian could've sworn he heard something just then. A small animal? A mouse perhaps? Or was it just his imagination? Imp's scurrying should've been inaudible to him. "Did you hear that?" He squeaked unintentionally, reacting to the disturbance he'd picked up on ever so slightly. Brian began to scan the HQ right after, unable to track Imp, or find anything else that permitted such an eerie sound. "I think I might be hearing things," he spat forcefully with an awkward smile, trying to inch his way away from Ebenezer. The last thing he wanted was to start up a conversation with that psycho warlock freak-show, but his manners wouldn't allow him to walk away if Ebenzer responded.

Diver's Paradise

_{The Southern Exit}

@FateWeaver@Sessamaru@Jensoman

---

"Right, yes, questions should be shot in this direction, right here! I am the uh, leader, after all!" Luke assured the small group. Several Divers were already anxious to get moving, which was to be expected. Divers weren't often known for their patience, or content nature. When Alvios walked off though, Luke stepped back onto the pile of supplies with a suspicious smirk. "As much as he'd like to avoid causalities, we're not obligated to abide, if ya catch my drift. We can't exactly expect those pride-ridden snobs over at the CMAS HQ to give up easily, eh?" Luke said, hushing his voice ever so slightly so that only the front rows of Divers could hear him clearly as he pointed in Alvios' direction. "But yea! I think it'd be a good idea to head out, as soon as possible, fellas! There's a great distance to be covering before we get anywhere near Arcadia, let alone the site where we're planning to ambush Survey group Alpha!" Luke didn't quite catch it, but he'd given away more information than he should've. Nobody knew that the survey groups were being labeled with titles like 'Alpha' and the fact that they were ambushing this group was a little strange. How did Luke and his allies even know where this group would leave Arcadia? Who relayed their path to him? Luke stood there proudly for a moment as he realized what he'd said. He didn't let it get him down though, and immediately heading towards the southern exit. "Don't hold your questions until the end of the tour, guys and gals! I'm perfectly capable of walking, and talking! One of my many talents, haha!" Luke continued on his path for the exit, despite not clearly ordering the group to follow him out. It was assumed that they would follow, regardless. It was very clear that this man's biggest strength wasn't leadership, though.

[Jensoman]

Diver's Paradise

Jenso listened quietly to Luke's words, still not having any questions in mind. Well, he did have some. It was clear that Luke knew a lot more then he was telling them, but he was unsure if it was wise to dig deeper into the matter. Of course, he could still try to ask, but that didn't mean that Luke would provide him with straight answers. For the time being, he decided not to say anything. He followed closely after Luke, remaining aware of his surroundings and the people near him. Even though these Divers were to be his allies for this plan, Jenso had no intention of completely trusting them. At least not yet.

'I want to know how Luke and the others are so well informed. Hopefully I'll find out sooner then later.' Jenso thought, narrowing his eyes at Luke. He did not seem like a bad person, and neither did the other three important Divers. But were they truly trustworthy? Only time would tell. For now, Jenso would keep most of his focus on the plan to stop Project S-S. That was the most important thing right now, and he could not afford getting distracted.

@tex @Sessamaru @Hatman1801 @FateWeaver