13org

Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

Klara quietly listened as the other members of the Phantom Brigade made a small introduction each, coupled with their respective call signs. To call their little group 'diverse' was indeed quite an understatement but regardless of that, Klara could clearly see that quite a decent amount of effort was put into the Phantom Brigade, both regarding equipping them and the entire operation. The expectations for each one of the pilots should be quite high. Due to that, even if they didn't really trust her, she knew she could at least expect them to be competent.

"Regarding my call sign... I have no problems in using my old one... 'Sanngridr'." Klara said with a proud smirk. Even though she knew that the name would likely bring some terrible memories to people who had seen or heard about her on the battlefield, she didn't seem to care at all about it. Instead, she seemed to almost be proud of such call sign and by extension, the terrible histories that were told together with it.

"It would be quite exciting to have the very same call sign that once terrified their enemies, the pilot they once threw away, back into the battlefield, now slaughtering their own forces..." Klara said, the very brief excitement in her voice before it suddenly went back to the calm, polite tone from before only made her words even more unsettling.

The very moment the commander started briefing them on their mission though, Klara stopped speaking and paid attention. Unfortunately, it seemed that the enemy frames wouldn't be the real threat about that mission, with their forces mostly consisting of older models. Instead, what they would need to be worried about was their fortified positions. Heavy caliber guns and bunkers would their worst enemies. The plan seemed to be quite solid, with the pilots being paired with each other carefully by the commander, before he finally gotten to Klara. Upon hearing the disdain on his voice, Klara couldn't help but let out a mischievous smirk.

"Yes commander?" Klara replied, clearly teasing him as a reply to the disdain on his voice.

"Understood." Klara said, satisfied after hearing the role the commander had for her.

After that small briefing, the commander gave Edward permission to show them the AI he was responsible for and would be assisting them on their next missions. As soon as he finished saying so, Klara's screen lit up as the avatar for the IA showed up, introducing itself. Apparently, it was Vinland's first AI designed for combat support.

Edward's explanation followed soon after the IA's introduction, mentioning that she would be helping to link their systems and assist them in many ways.

"Oh, not only doe she have a sense of humor, but also quite a sharp tongue!" Klara said, laughing as Aurelia replied the commander, after he mentioned Edward's lack of a sense of humor.

With the Captain giving the last few words before the hangar doors started to open, Klara gripped the controls tighter as she began getting ready to exit the Crawler.

"Good hunting... I like it." Klara said to herself with a chuckle as the water flooded the hangar, followed by heavy rain and wind.

To call that weather harsh would be an understatement. Fighting in those conditions without the assistance of advanced equipment was simply impossible. Fortunately, the frame she was equipped with seemed to be perfect for those conditions. Equipped with advanced detection systems would make it able to see it reasonably well in that weather and the fact that it specialized in close combat made such low-visibility battlefield perfect for it to move around without being focused by enemy fire.

Both to Klara herself and even to other pilots close to the Wraith, it was almost frightening to think a battle frame was able to move the way Wraith did despite not using any thrusters and more importantly, doing it so almost completely silently. It's small profile and light weight made it incredibly hard for anyone who wasn't marked by it's systems as being an ally to spot it, both with visual and other detection systems.

As Klara and the other pilots reached the beach, Commander Kas gave a few words, reminding them of their objective before the mission formally started.

"Saint, do you copy? It seems you and Aurelia will be my 'handlers' for this mission." Klara said with a discreet, but still noticeable 'acid' tone on her voice as she changed to the frequency she would be using with Edward, clearly referring to how the commander seemed to not trust her and paired her with someone he knew he could trust.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Nellara nodded in silence as she heard General Kvarr's advice. Truth be told, Nellara knew she would find it to be considerably hard for her to show courtesy to someone as Silbermine, who simply invaded their territory, giving them no semblance of respect while doing so. and if the reinforcements Silbermine called were even a bit similar to him, Nellara would likely have problems in keeping silent while being disrespected.

"I hope the reinforcements Silbermine asked will show us the respect and courtesy that is expected of a guest inside our lands. Hopefully they will understand the fact that bringing an army inside our territory is already an offense." Nellara said with a heavy sigh.

"But I warn you, General... Should they not understand how grave their actions are and how damaging they might be to the diplomatic relationship between our nations, calm words might not suffice to show them we demand to be treated with respect." Nellara said with a harsh expression.

With the general changing subjects and asking more about the humans, Nellara pushed those thoughts about the glen reinforcements aside for a moment as she reported what she knew about their new 'neighbors' to the General.

"Indeed, General. Their arrival wasn't intended and seemed to be caused by a malfunction on their ship. Even now, their crew seems to be working tirelessly to repair it." she replied.

"Despite the... issues with Silbermine, the humans seem to be quite receptive. I believe they would have no issues with accepting to met us in a less 'formal' meeting. Some of them have already shown a desire to do so, wanting to know more about this world and our culture." Nellara continued.

"In fact, they will probably find such proposition to be quite pleasant... Considering the political issues and the tension the last meetings had due to Silbermine's invasion of our territory and his goals regarding the humans' ship." Nellara finished as she looked to the General.

Just as Nellara finished explaining, a loud horn made her immediately stand up, alert. Her expression immediately hardened, knowing that the glen reinforcements had finally arrived. Their way of announcing themselves already left quite a bad impression on Nellara, which immediately killed her hopes that they might understand how delicate that situation was to the diplomatic relations between both their nations.

"It seems the army Silbermine called to invade Ascendancy territory have finally arrived, General Kvarr..." Nellara replied, with a furious expression as she turned to the General.

It was exactly at that moment that Shirik entered their tent, announcing the arrival of the so called 'warden' the glen talked about, together with the fact that Silbermine was already talking with Zeynep about it.

"Thank you for the warning, Shirik." Nellara said, nodding to Shirik before she turned towards the General again.

"We might have to give the warden an equally 'firm' reception in order to reinforce our position, general. Courtesy aside, it seems only appropriate to greet their army with our army as well." Nellara suggested, intending to do as the General himself said earlier and be sure to show the Warden and Silbermine that they would not give them any ground.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Forest near Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess, Dante @FunnyGuy Darius @Samreaper Menzai
Equipment:

Steel Dagger of Unbreaking

Cannot break or become dull.

243 Amas

While the wolf warrior and his subordinates continued showing quite a bit of hostility towards Viola and Cyrus, his other companions, particularly one of the two 'elves' that held strange earth magic was the first one to speak up. Surprisingly enough, not only he tried to deescalate the situation, but he also interceded for them, confirming to the wolf warrior that they were in fact, allies and had helped them against the roc.

Despite being somewhat surprised by how quickly he decided to speak in their defense. Viola maintained her cold expression towards the wolf warrior, who was called Ulysses, according to the elf. After one of the two strange elves decided to speak up, Ophelia also expressed her dissatisfaction with Ulysses' actions. Despite the situation, Viola couldn't help but notice that Phia there was a noticeable authority in her voice... An authority that was more suitable to a princess than to a random fairy.

"I did, brother Cypress." Viola said as Cyrus pointed the way Viola spoke.

"I hope but... It's still too early to tell, brother..." Viola replied with a sad, distant tone as Cyrus mentioned that her tone of voice was a signal that deep down inside, Ophelia still remembered who she was.

There was a part of Viola that hoped Ophelia remembered her past and who they were but the other part... The part that always inflamed the doubts and negative thoughts in her mind found it hard to believe... Hard to trust that her sister was still there and even if it was, it refused to believe she still cared.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be little time for inner reflections, as despite the elf and Ophelia's words, Ulysses and his subordinates continued advancing towards Viola and Cyrus. The moment Ulysses gave a step forward, the blood rose's thorns, which were already shifting uncomfortably, started moving much more rapidly and violently, shooting into the ground around Viola and Cyrus, breaking the ground with an audible noise as they quickly spread outwards. Moving under the ground like serpents, they stopped just in front of Ulysses and his warriors, the cracks and the vines that rose up from ground every now and then clearly indicating that if either Ulysses or his warrior crossed that border, Viola would attack.

At first, this area was quite large, but when Cyrus got in front of Viola, she quickly understood that his words were also a subtle way for him to tell her to stand down and so, the thorns retreated to half of the previous size, visibly more relaxed than they were a moment ago.

"I will not be made prisoner again, brother." Viola said, looking to Cyrus with a cold, menacing tone. Cyrus would know well how she felt regarding the very idea or possibility of being a prisoner and being thrown in a cell. If any one of the villagers insisted to do so with her, Cyrus knew Viola would rather kill every single one of them before she even thought about the idea of spending a single night on a cell.

Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

Adapting to her new 'life', showed not to be as difficult as Klara previously thought. The crew's rooms in the crawler, while not as luxurious as the ones she had back in the Empire, were still much better than the war prisoner cells and the interrogation sessions she went through just after she was captured.

With that said, Klara did notice a rather evident difference in treatment compared to how she was treated on the Empire. Despite her skills and contribution to the Empire, a stock lancer was all she was given, with the custom modifications that were made to it coming directly from her family's pocket. Here, not only she was given a frame despite being technically a defector from the empire, still under probation, but the frame she was given was an experimental prototype. Something that normally would be kept under absolute secret... Especially from someone with ties to the enemy. Still, Klara wasn't as naive to think that there weren't other motives for her to be given an experimental frame... Such as avoiding losing one of their 'loyal' pilots due to a frame malfunction... Regardless, it still felt good being recognized by your skills. Something that the Empire didn't do that much, especially with their tendency of looking at their forces merely as numbers.

Unfortunately, the trip in the crawler was far from a pleasant one. More due to the terrible monsoon they were facing than the stares she received from the other crew members. Being pummeled by waves and shaken by the stormy waters was enough to make even Klara, who was used to being inside a fast-moving frame feel a bit nauseous... Even if Klara was good at disguising that fact... Which was mostly thanks to the cheap chamomile on the crawler's kitchen that she kept taking small sips from, while sitting on one of the kitchen's chairs, being as quiet as she could to avoid the rocking caused by the waves. Again, the flavor was nowhere as rich as the teas she had back in the Empire. It was at best a bland tea, hot water with a faint taste of chamomile, but it was more than enough to help her with the constant nausea... Besides, the tea's aroma helped to distract Klara of the other crew members' constant visits to the bathroom to vomit and the resulting smell whenever someone opened the bathroom door.

Fortunately, it didn't take long until orders started being shouted by the captain and soon after, the commander. The shaking of the Crawler as it hit a sandbank served as an additional warning both for the crew and the pilots, urging them to move and take their posts.
Those orders were received by Klara with a satisfied and excited expression. Having a chance to go out to the battlefield and have some fresh air was a very welcome change compared to being stuffed inside the crawler, continuously being toyed and thrown by the waves.

"Regardless of the weather, a chance to go outside and have some fun is a very welcome change... It's definitely preferable to having to stay stuck inside the crawler." Klara said to herself with a smirk and a satisfied expression, finishing her tea before calmly walking to the hangar to enter the frame that was given for her to use.

Even though it definitely wasn't Klara's first time seeing her frame and by now was already more than used to it, she couldn't help but stop to admire the frame for a few seconds whenever she saw it.

The IRISU-002X - Wraith was a very brutal unkind frame, reacting in a terrible way to any errors made by it's pilot but if one was skilled enough to tame it, the frame was capable of moving exactly how the pilot wanted it to. Thanks to her talent, Klara didn't take too long to get used to the frame and by the end of the training, she had already became quite attached to it.

Klara quickly got inside the cockpit, which, despite simple, was still somewhat comfortable. One of the few places in that frame were some degree of luxury, although basic, was present. Whenever Klara got inside it's cockpit, she couldn't help but be grateful for whoever designed it. Controlling that frame was already something that required extreme concentration and even physical effort. She had no doubts that it would be much worse if it wasn't at least comfortable.

Klara was still in the middle of checking the frame's systems when the commander shouted through the comms, making her flinch and hastily lower the volume, adjusting after the commander stopped shouting.

"Pardon me, Commander Walter, but wouldn't it be equally as effective to use a direct channel to yell at the offending pilot?" Klara said through the comms, with her ears ringing and a slight tone of annoyance in her voice as she readjusted the volume.

"As my first operation as part of the Phantom Brigade, this is Klara Weiss, reporting. All systems are warmed up and ready. The IRISU-002X - Wraith is ready to go." she said with a clear note of excitement in her tone, formally indicating all the systems were warmed up and ready for combat.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Forest near Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess, Dante @FunnyGuy Darius @Samreaper Menzai
Equipment:

Steel Dagger of Unbreaking

Cannot break or become dull.

243 Amas

---

With the Roc now dead, the roses' thorny vines made sure to take their time draining every last drop of blood from it's corpse. With the threat now gone, the vines embracing Viola also loosened their grasp, making the small holes in her skin apparent for a brief moment, before the vines adjusted themselves, carefully covering them and delicately applying some pressure by using parts of it's vines that have no thorns. Completely unfazed by the puncturing wounds left behind by the rose's thorns, Viola watched with a satisfied expression as the rose fed itself with the Roc's blood.

"We are fine. Thank you, brother." Viola said, turning to Cyrus with a smile, before she continued watching the rose feed itself.

Even though the Blood Rose was considered a dangerous predatory plant from Daka Island, the bond it had with Viola was indeed a curious one. The fact that it seemed to care enough about Viola's well being to cover her wounds and be sure she was comfortable meant that it considered her more than just a host, similar to how a parasitic life form would. In return, Viola seemed to care about the plant with great care and attention.

"She was always very kind... Always helping others... Considering their pain to be her own..." Viola said with a discreet smile, looking at Phia as Cypress mentioned her being safe.

At first, just like her brother, Viola simply ignored the wolf warrior's presence, finding his presence or even his reason to be there of no relevance to her. The moment he looked towards her and Cyrus with suspicion though, ordering to stay where they were with a thump of his battleaxe, he finally earned Viola's attention...

The Blood Rose's thorny vines shifted uncomfortably around Viola, reflecting her mood as they finished feeding on the Roc's carcass, leaving it completely dry. Similarly, Viola turned her gaze towards the wolf warrior. Despite her silence, her expression and gaze made it quite clear that she considered him nothing more than a bother and only barely worthy of her even acknowledging his presence, not caring about his 'warning' at all.

Unfortunately, the very moment he put his axe on his shoulder before clearly threatening them with a swing of his axe, he ceased being 'just' a bother in Viola's eyes. For now, he was still just an obstacle in her eyes, but Cyrus knew that if she considered him a threat, she would definitely act.

"Unprovoked hostility... It threatens us, brother." Viola said with a disinterested, but still clearly annoyed tone before she looked at Cyrus, almost as if waiting for his decision regarding what to do.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

Just as Amanda said, it didn't take long for the group to be on their way to the apartment complex after the location from the car they were after was identified. As it became evident by Amanda getting ready as soon as she exited the car, Faye knew that they should be on guard as their arrival was likely already expected and the reception definitely wouldn't be a warm one.

"So, Amanda... Just to be sure... When you say to 'teleport them out of sight' do you mean to teleport them anywhere or somewhere in particular? I totally paid attention while we were discussing our plan I just wanted to be sure... you know?" Faye asked, a bit nervously. It wasn't incredibly hard to imagine that she might have indeed gotten distracted by something and missed some parts of the explanation about their plan while they were in their way to the apartment complex.

"You know... Teleporting them away from us is easy... But they still have to go somewhere and explode there. Don't get me wrong, I can do either one perfectly fine. Teleporting them to a particular place or just randomly away from us, I mean. It's just that having a particular reference point would make a bit more consistent and avoid... unwanted explosions... Like the mines and traps back on the first mission..." Faye continued, trying to explain, only to be interrupted by the loud sound of a gunshot, followed by the metallic noise as the bullet ricocheted from Amanda's face.

"Okay! No time to discuss small things, I get it. I'll just teleport them to the parking lot, away from our car." Faye said, flinching before she quickly blinked behind Amanda, taking cover behind her and her axe.

"Just so you guys know... I can still teleport them back inside the building... As long as we don't care about what's inside, that is." Faye said with a chuckle, indicating that she might like explosions more than what others might have initially thought.

The Five Senses - Second Arc (Accepting New Players!)

Karina Frost

Unlike Sil, Karina was clearly not amused by Tayla's joke, looking towards both her and the mischievous little familiar with an icy cold expression.

"Very funny Tayla, just don't-" Karina began, just before she was interrupted by Sil. Whom unfortunately, didn't seem to miss a second of their small exchange and was ready to further reinforce the misunderstanding that Karina felt something for Tayla.

"Sil, please stop... I merely wanted to be considerate with our-" Karina tried futilely to put some order into the chaos that situation was quickly devolving into.

Akai, who was a bit distracted by observing the mansion, immediately noticed the very moment Sil mentioned Karina and Tayla, stopping everything she was doing and paying close attention to them.

"Don't look at me, I'm quiet!" Akai said to Karina the moment she noticed Akai approaching them, holding her laughter.

Muck to Akai's enjoyment and Karina's dismay, Tayla's reaction after Sil mentioned Karina was a big 'foot person' only made it look even worse to everyone involved.

At this moment, the cold air around Karina was visible to those around her.

"Sil, Stop." she said, looking to the familiar with an irritated expression.

Akai who was laughing, immediately stopped when she noticed Karina's reaction and instead simply looked away, pretending to be paying attention on something else.

"You should know better than to believe this sort of nonsense. Please tell me you aren't taking her words seriously..." Karina said as she looked to Tayla, clearly annoyed as she tried to correct any misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Tayla believed Sil's words enough to warrant her rather immediate reaction when Týfurkh mentioned them sharing a room for safety, immediately saying she would share a room with Octavio, thankfully interrupting Sil before she said anything.

"I will be sure to ask them for a few extra blankets for you." Karina said to Chres as he asked if she would take the bed, before heading to her room.

"Well... This will be a very cold night for us..." Akai said, sighing as she looked to Chres.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Nellara heard to General Kvarr's words in silence reflecting upon them. While it didn't really please her that they would have to abide for the Mythadians' traditions and culture, it was undeniable that it was the safest way to solve that situation, without risking a potential war. To turn his own allies on Silbermine himself by displaying how disrespectful he was as a guest on Ascension lands was a smart move. It would both stop his advancing upon Ascension lands on it's tracks and it would also jeopardize his reputation with the very allies he called for... And potentially with his king himself.

"In the end, depending on how things go, all of Silbermine's actions would be put in doubt regarding both their legitimacy and reason. I understand." Nellara said, nodding her head, indicating that she both understood and agreed with General Kvarr's plan.

"Everything should be ready for our next move, General. I am quite sure the humans wouldn't deny a request for a meeting. Both as a means to introduce you to them and to talk about granting them the rights to this stretch of land." Nellara said, pointing towards the specific place they were on the map.

"This time, Silbermine's presence might be preferred instead of us doing so by ourselves. After all, there is still a chance that he will dig his own grave with his reactions to our small 'gift' towards the Humans." she finished, indicating that she was ready to move with their plan.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

"Yes, I... Understand, General Kvarr." Nellara said, breathing deeply as she heard his words in silence.

Even though she didn't like the General's passive stance towards Silbermine and the Mythadians, she knew how much experience he had against the S'tor. To claim she could understand and foresee their actions better than he could would be arrogant of her... And she knew that well.

In another hand, just as the General mentioned, there were other ways of dealing with Silbermine without having to give in to his provocations...

"Depending on the outcome of this situation, we could even demand reparations from Mythadia for Silbermine's actions. He did, after all, gather a small army inside our borders. If his provocation attempts don't have any results, he will have a lot to answer when he goes back to Mythadia..." Nellara said, thinking after considering the General's words.

Until that moment, she could agree with the General's words with no issue, but when he mentioned they should treat the Mythadians as guests, she frowned her brows, looking at him with a shocked expression.

"With all respect, General... Guests do not bring armed soldiers inside our borders, nor they gather a small army and establish a military camp... Our 'guest' clearly sees us as unworthy of giving us the honor and respect his tradition demands him to. While I am not suggesting we should take an offensive posture, I am suggesting we should stand our ground and protect our borders." Nellara said with a firm expression.

"We don't need to show any courtesy to those who showed us none. We aren't a weak and pitiful nation to allow them to step on our pride as they want. As long as we act defensively, we won't give them any reason to attack us." Nellara finished, looking to the General and expectantly waiting for his decision.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Nellara heard General Kvarr's words in silence. While she didn't blame the general for being careful, it appeared he had missed the point of her explanation.

"General Kvarr, the S'tor won't move if we don't give them reason or opportunity to do so. This is exactly why the gamble I mentioned should work. Both ours and the Mythadian empire are in a similar situation. Neither one of us can afford to start a war, both due to the S'tor and the humans. This is exactly why we can stand our ground and defend our borders instead of letting do whatever they want." Nellara said, explaining her thoughts to the General once more.

"It is not just a matter of thinking about this situation with war on one's mind or not, General. It is more than just defending our pride as well. If we do not firmly stand our ground and protect our nation's territory and interests, the Mythadians will keep testing how far they can push us around until they start freely taking our territory, our resources and send their soldiers into our cities because they know we won't react. Even if their military is stronger, we cannot lower our heads and accept as they challenge us, General. The only thing it will happen if we do so is Mythadia taking our territories and resources without even having to fight for them." Nellara said once again, looking at him with a serious expression.

When the General mentioned his idea of ceding that particular stretch of land to the humans, she took a moment to think about it. While it wasn't exactly the approach she would have to deal with that situation, it could work in their favor if done correctly.

"Hm... A diplomatic approach. Ceding this territory to the humans would definitely make them see us more favorably and it would also be a discreet way of telling Silbermine and his rabble that this territory was ours to decide what to do with... And in case he has something to say about our decision, it would only make them look bad for the humans." Nellara said, reflecting about the General's plan before she let out a smirk.

"It will help us both to make the humans see us in an even better light and to deal with Silbermine. It won't eliminate the need for us to firmly stand our ground in future, similar situations with Mythadia though. Sooner or later, we will have to make our stand, General. If they continue testing our tolerance, that is." Nellara said with a serious expression.