6slyboy6

Rise of Rasalhague

Chapter 4:
Pirate Facility

~Lamar IV, Unknown Military Installation~

Acknowledging the dutiful attitude of Karel and Zohra with a quick nod, the two light mechs trod off into the distance as their sole Mech protector was now Hamazasp. The Locust looked like and overgrown metal chicken about to fall over at any moment, but the pounding of its metal feet with every step was surely going to put the fear of god into any pirate still thinking about being a nuisance.

"We're ready to go Lieutenant. Lead the way." Ulrik didn't have the chance to get familiar with the meager infantry contingent accompanying them on the Ankhanne: veterans of the 4th Succession war like him, they mostly kept to themselves on the ship. He had entertained the thought to introduce himself informally, but he knew from his infantry days the mechjockeys and boots usually don't get along on a fundamental level. Perhaps they'll have to make time for it eventually.

As the infantry moved into the gaping maw of the tunnel and Hamazasp's Locust followed them as a giant metallic effigy of death, Ulrik rounded up his pilots and followed the group at a respectable distance. The nascent base slowly whispered century old tales into their ears with every step taken further into the complex. Mechbays of various sizes lined the spacious tunnel on either side, sitting empty and abandoned, with most housing equipment either broken or already stripped for parts, not much use for anyone other than storing the many hundreds of crates laying strewn about the base. Truly a nasty habit of pirates to find the derelicts of the Succession Wars and make a home in them like rats. Some mechbays still had the chipped logo of the Steiner first on their half-opened doors. One could only wonder how many similar systems exist: littered with the corpse of the Star League, a graveyard brought about by the nuclear annihilation of the First Succession War.

By the time they got to the end of the hallway, they must've seen a dozen or so mechbays, most of them inoperable and used as storage units, all with the faint reminders of a Steiner legacy. A few overturned forklifts and broken railings led like a paper trail to a large sealed door heading further west into the compound, the infantry contingent already busy setting up some breaching charges. One-by-one they placed the disc shaped objects onto the door, and then scurried away from the blast zone. He too hurried to cover next to one of the grumpier looking marines, a chest-high elevated walkway that ran the length of the last dozen meters between the mech bays and the large door.

The Lieutenant motioned with his hands, and the group lowered their heads in unison as the Locust's hi-beams illuminated the door.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK-

A thunderous explosion shook the hallway, kicking up a whirlwind of dust and debree all around them as the blasting charges turned the doors into beautiful petals of a flower, jagged and broken metal edges still shining with bright orange slag. It was only after the brief tinnitus of the explosion faded that a familiar sound seeped through from the other side of the door: the sound of engines.

"Contact!" One of the marines yelled just as a bright red beam swept across the open doorway and narrowly missed decapitating the man as he ducked behind cover. That was all the encouragement the other marines needed to open fire through opening, and clearing the way for Hamazasp's Locust to get a clear shot.

Steeling his courage, Ulriks scooted closer behind the walkway he used as a berm, and as the parties exchanged fire he peeked around the corner.

Through the opening he saw a gargantuan hangar occupied by a Leopard, currently being boarded by what seemed to be the last of the pirate forces. Retreating into cover to avoid a salvo from a particularly defiant pirate who soon received a tenfold answer from the pirates, he unleashed a few bullets from his pistol just for old times' sake. By the time he felt it safe to look back, the ramp of the Leopard was already closing, and the marines felt it time to push through the breach and try to take down the giant beast before it left. With another red flash of light, this time they weren't so lucky, and like a crimson lance the laser impaled the right side of a marine as he fell to the ground. Before he could even hit the floor in the low gravity, two of his comrades had already grabbed onto him to move him to cover, firing their weapons with one hand.

A smell of burnt plastic and tar snuck its way into his nostrils as the heavy DropShip began to gently lift off the ground and burn the tarmac of the hangar. Even with the Locust's laser unloading a few promising salvos into it's right engines, the lumbering brick sailed out of the hanger through a gate the offered an unparaleled view into the massive crate upon the rim of which the base was built. Clutching his autopistol in one hand, Ulrik let off the rest of the bullets in his magazine into the Leopard that was slowly becoming smaller and smaller in the distance, an escort of familiar VTOLs following the vessel as it disappeared over the horizon.

The entire firefight didn't last longer than a minute or so, and yet the mess left behind felt like the site of a major skirmish: pirate bodies taken out with expert marksmanship or the brutish efficiency of mech-sized weaponary laid strewn across the hangar floor, supplies, crates and tools haphazardly abandoned and toppled over once the pirates realized they were about to be set upon.

"Ankhanne to Alpha Lance Leader, we have a bogey on ascent, do you copy?" The headset crackled to life, and Ulrik drew his ire-filled attention away from the distant black sky and clutched the radio on his chest with one hand.

"Read you load and clear, we just missed the party." Static took over the channel as he paused for a moment and motioned for the rest of his gallant foot-lance to gather up inside the hangar whilst the marines got busy treating their injured comrade and securing the perimeter. Taking the second to look around the hangar again, it truly made him any any other hangar he's been in before feel insignificant: a whole platoon of Atlases could probably fit if they wanted to hold a Steiner scout party. Quickly switching the comm channels so the rest of his lance and marines could listen in, he continued. "Can you get a reading on where they're headed? Any bases our scan missed?"

"That won't be necessary Comamnder. We just picked up an engine signature. Something is leaving the planet's shadow. They must've been hiding from scanners when we first arrived." Well shit, there go any plans of catching the rest and getting some answers. If they had a DropShip, then there's no point in sending a rustbucket like the Ankhanne after it just to get shot to pieces. If they filled up the Leopard, that was at least another lance of 'mechs they'd have to contend with. "Roger, keep me updated Ankhanne, we'll inform our Raslhague contacts when they pick us up."

Without delay the channel sprung to life again, but after a brief pause only static could be heard. A slight shuffle and an inaudible curse later the gruff sound of the captain replaced the comms officer. "This is Götz. I'm afraid that won't be possible Commander. I checked three times to make sure it wasn't the faulty ventilation of this rustbucket slowly poisoning me, but scans indicate it's a JumpShip. No matching ComStar ID, probably a Scout or a stripped Invader Class."

What kind of pirates have their own JumpShip? "Thank you Götz. Keep us updated when our friends leave the system, I'm sure Mimir will be interested."

As concerned looks began to fill the faces gathered in the hangar, walked over to some of the crates left behind in haste by the pirates and squat down besides them to give them a good look. Most identifiable markings on them have been scratched off or painted over so many times that he'd need a mech laser to get it off, but after a little more investigating he finally found one where the paint was still fresh and easy to peel. Slowly the original owner of the crate revealed itself, and Ulrik couldn't help but groan in disapproval: once again, the familiar iron gauntlet of the Lyran Commonwealth could be seen shining through.

Perhaps the Lyrans didn't abandon this planet after all. That, or the pirates had some powerful supporters. "Great... I suppose we might as well see what's inside." Waving over the rest of the lance and using a prybar found by one of the corpses, with a joint effort they managed to pry off the lid and the heavy metal slab landed on the hangar floor with a loud clang.

Mech parts. High quality cargo for lowly pirates like these, but perhaps not surprising that even they need spare parts. However, as they began to open more and more of the crates, and like a dinosaur fossil the parts of the mech came together, albeit missing a few important components either taken by the pirates or hidden in other crates, it seemed like none of the parts were from anything he had ever seen or even heard about. After the getting an ancient DropShip barely fit to fly, now they were fighting vehicles and mechs not seen for at least 400 years. Perhaps not that surprising: everything worth taking was already shipped back home by the Kuritans and Steiners when they left this part of space. Hopefully Elena could make sense of all the scraps they were finding.

"Ankanne, get a transport ready, we have cargo to haul back home." Addressing his lance over the radio and pulling those in the hangar with him closer, he continued. "Job's well done. I'm sure our Rasalhague contacts will be happy. Let's get these crates loaded up, we'll have plenty of time to see what's in them once we're in the safety of the Ankhanne's pressurized hangars."

---

@Psyker Landshark@AndyC@Smike@Abstract Proxy@QJT@Starlance

Rise of Rasalhague

Chapter 4:
Facility

As the dust began to finally settle over the battlefield and deposited on the mechs as a thin grey layer, the sound of gunfire and laser discharges finally died down. Now Ulrik found himself left with this own thoughts, the sound of blood rushing in his veins, and the quick reports from his pilots. The black vignette of adrenaline that had obscured so much of his vision as he faced down the barrel of an AC 20 slowly faded away, and he could finally, finally let out a deep sigh that he had been cradling this entire fight in his chest. It was almost unbelievable that they didn't lose even a single mech: the worst injury was Fuka's Dragon, and though damaged it could still stand on it's two legs. If this was the Succession Wars... A single drop of sweat ran down his temple, dragging a painful line across his skin. His glove creaked loudly as his fingers tightened their grip on the joystick. A single exasperated breath as his eyes darted across the sensor readouts.

THUNK

Hitting the side of his neurohelmet with a hearty slap, Ulrik dragged himself back into reality, kicking and screaming if he had to. No point in dwelling on the past. He cleared his throat as the silent static of his comrade's reports came back into focus, each word soon enough as clear as daylight.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted the neurohelmet on his head, the Centurion shaking lightly as a result. "Noted Hamazasp. I'm sure the MechTechs will be able to fix it when we get back on the Ankhanne." There was a short pause before he continued. "The way's clear now for the infantry: I'll message the ship and we'll get some boots on the ground. Zohra, Karel, you two get back to the ship and escort the infantry. The rest of us stay and make sure there's no more surprises." He acknowledged the command with each and every member of his lance, and watched as the two lights mechs darted back off into the canyon, towards the ominous black egg in the distance that was the Ankhanne.

---

-30 minutes later-

The wait had given them enough time to move the wreck of the Hunchback out of the way with the combined efforts of their mechs, but a recovery vehicle would be needed at a later date to haul it back to the Ankhanne. Something to do in the few days they had before their taxi arrived back in the system. He was busy clearing out the rest of the wrecks when the radio crackled up once again, and the familiar voices of Zohra and Karel chimed in, their mechs soon appearing behind the bend in the canyon, a somewhat ancient looking APC in tow. Par for the course, but maybe they could find something else hidden in this base of theirs that wasn't a thousand years old.

"Look alive people, we're back in action. Hamazasp, you have the honor of being fire support: the locust can probably fit through these tunnels and discourage any soldiers left in the facility from doing something stupid: but I doubt these pirates want to fight much after their loss. The rest of you, if you don't feel comfortable holding a sidearm, you can stay here and keep watch: we don't want any surprises whilst we comb the inside of the facility." The rumbling of the Centurion slowly came to a halt as Ulrik began to power down his mech, shutting off panels and switches whilst he wrestled his respirator out of it's cabinet. "If you're coming, grab your respirators and meet me at the gate." With one last rattle of the joystick to make sure the Centurion was truly powered down, Ulrik placed the respirator over his face, adjusting the straps and checking the seal before he popped the cockpit open.

The low gravity of the moon made the climb down his mech a simple exercise, and he landed on the ground in a cloud of misty grey and brown dust. Watching the battlefield from the human scale made everything feel so much bigger and much more personal: one can so easily forget what it feels like to have boots on the ground when they pilot a giant fighting machine.

Surely the infantry from the Ankhanne felt the same: their small group of a dozen or so soldiers made their way quickly across the barren landscape in short hops and jumps, as if a bird was ready to swoop them up if they stayed outside for too long. At the very least their gear seemed far superior to their vehicle: shiny new blue Rasalhague uniforms and refurbished Kurita armor as far as Ulrik could tell, not too dissimilar from what he himself worse when he first enlisted. For a moment he felt right at home as he saw the other grunts, but his place wasn't with the infantry anymore. Picking up the pace to dash across the short sprint between his mech and the hangar, he soon found himself in the company of the infantry, standing at the precipice of the ominous hangar from which the Hunchback emerged.

Inside the klaxons were still blaring, informing the the staff about a breach and loss of atmosphere. Surely if there were mechanics in the hangar they'd be pretty scared right about now, but it seemed like everyone with a good head on their shoulders left at the first sight of trouble. Tools still laid discarded on the floor, and it seemed like whatever they were doing here before Ulrik's company landed was pretty important: dozens if not hundreds of crates laid abandoned on forklifts and cranes, ready to be either transported or their contents unloaded: whatever the purpose they'd find out soon enough.

---

Debrief

Combat is over for the time being, so it's just the facility left still. A little bit of a preamble in this post, but I can promise the next post will be just one long description/story: it won't take us 20 years to finish this one encounter haha.

I just mostly need to know what everyone is choosing to do, so I can tie that into the next post. I don't expect big posts for this one :)

@Letter Bee@Psyker Landshark@AndyC@Smike@Abstract Proxy@QJT@Starlance

Rise of Rasalhague

Chapter 3:
Assault

Ulrik never fancied himself a betting man. Gambling was the luxury of those who didn't wager their lives every day on the battlefield, a stake he wasn't too fancy on putting into the pool. But right about now, if he was a betting man, he'd probably go all-in and hope to go big or go home.

"Can't say no to such a pretty salvage, can I?"

Musing to himself as his cockpit lit up like a Disco from the barrage of friendly lasers hitting the Hunchback, and soon enough the cool blue hue of radiating coolant and an angry fusion engine also joined the mix as he stared through a person-sized hole into the innards of the Hunchback. One more hit and he would've been turned into nuclear paste along with the Hunchback in a glorious reactor meltdown, but this precarious situation gave him an opening. He could feel the strength of the Hunchback quickly seeping away as the myomer bundles in the mech bundled up from heat, and power fluctuations caused all sorts of systems malfunctions. Even though the cockpit window of the pirate mech was several layers of armored glass tinted a deep jet black: it wasn't hard to imagine what was going on inside: warnings blaring, sparks flying from consoles, and incessant heat that leaves your skin red and peeling for weeks to come.

There wasn't much any mechwarriors could do in this situation, and Ulrik fancied that only some crazy Northwind Highlander or cold blooded Wolf's Dragoons pilot could weasel their way out of this situation. And though he'd seen mechs in way worse condition fighting in significantly more intense battles during the last Succession Wars, he wouldn't put his money on some pirate console jockey.

He had already readied one of the deadly metal fists of his Centurion to smash into the exposed internals of the Hunchback, aiming to deliver a killing blow and finally gut this dead mech, but probably sensing his imminent demise and going through the same things in their mind as Ulrik, the Centurion's Betty chimed into his ears with soothing words: "Ejection Detected"

FWOOOOOSH-

A small pop, a wriggle, and then the mech he was grappling fell limp in his hold as he watched the cockpit windows burst open and the enemy pilot eject from his doomed mech. Good choice. With the Hunchback dealt with and its pilot on a ballistic trajectory, he let go of the crippled mech and turned his attention towards the rest of his lance to help them: only to find that amidst the chaos of the brawl, they had cleaned up most of the troopers who had attempted to assault them. He made a mental note to commend the team on their steadfast presence: he knew plenty of mechwarriors who would've locked up in fear when assaulted from multiple directions. Then again, his pilots must've been at least a little crazy if they became mercenaries.

"Hunchback down, it seems like that's all they had! Run a systems check and regroup on me." The radio hissed as he closed comms and quickly panned around the battlefield: it seems like all the enemy forces were either defeated or on the run. The Hunchback's pilot crash landed about a hundred meters away off their position beyond the canyon's edge, and the buzzing of the VTOLs was long gone. All that remained were the few unlucky infantry still on the Firestarter, but Ulrik was sure that Remy could take care of them with ease.

Having encountered two ambushes on their very first mission, these new pilots were doing surprisingly well. A quick glance at the armor piercing shell still embedded in his cockpit from the first shot fired after landing, Ulrik knew he had to have it framed once they returned to the Ankhanne. For good luck. God knows they needed it, but maybe, just maybe, they can all survive long enough to see what will become of Rasalhague.

---

Combat Info Panel

Enemy Mech:	Distance (Hex):	Difficulty To Hit:	Other Modifiers:

Not much happening this post, time for everyone to catch their breath, examine their wounds, and then we're on to see what's inside the mysterious compound. First story arc is almost over :)

@Letter Bee@Psyker Landshark@AndyC@Smike@Abstract Proxy@QJT@Starlance

Rise of Rasalhague

Chapter 3:
Assault

For an ambush, things were going well. Suspiciously well. Trained by paranoid officers and forged in the lames of the 4th Succession War, Ulrik was no stranger to an ambush, and yet the hairs on his arm stood up as he watched the Hunchback get scorched by weapon fire from just about every member of his team, and despite that keep charging towards them as if it was nothing. Kept charging towards him, having already positioned himself between Fuka's injured Dragon and the menacing Hunchback. "Stupid idea Ulrik..." He muttered to himself, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't want to lose a Dragon, or worse, a pilot in the first mission. He made sure to read everyone's reports several times before they boarded the Ankhanne, and he knew Fuka was a great shot, but a terrible pilot. If the Hunchback got to him, chances are she'd be ripped to shreds before the rest of the lance could get through it's armor to save her.

No, that's why he was up in the front. The Gladiator was an equally menacing brawler in the same weight class as the Hunchback, and as long as he could keep it tied down without taking an AC 20 to the cockpit, the rest of his lance should melt the enemy before it could do too much damage.

His eyes darted across his scenner as the Huncback approach: 100 meters. Then 80. 60. A slow mech or not, it had waited until they were close enough to where it could reliably immobilize someone and then charge them. Smart. Too bad they targeted the Dragon: they would hopefully soon find out how big of a mistake they've made. Squeezing the trigger to unleash a bolt of bright blue laser fire towards the Hunchback, the Large Laser hummed angrily and managed to strike exactly where he had wanted: like a scalpel it had cut a gaping hole through the armor plates of the Left Torso on the Hunchback, exposing the internals where the armor for it's monstrous gun was located.

Clearly not impressed by this, the enemy Hunchback returned fire, and it's AC/20 once more threw up a cloud of dust all around the mech, as the muzzle flash temporarily blinded Ulrik's scanner. A moment later his mech jolted and shook, as warning lights began to flash and his VA babbled warnings about a hull breach. "Fuck..." The impact was enough to give him a small whiplash, and it took a few seconds for him to assess the damage: the shell had torn right through his Centurion's Right Torso, leaving a nasty wound on it. Thankfully, there wasn't anything too important there: only Heat Sinks, which whilst annoying when lost in battle for an energy boat like his mech, weren't too hard or expensive to replace in a mechbay. Far too close for an LRM return fire now, all Ulrik could do was attempt to land a salvo of Medium Lasers on the Hunchback before it crashed into him. With a green flash, Ulrik aimed to finish off the mech once and for all, but with the damage he had just suffered still straining his Gyro, they just barely missed: instead tearing up the Center Torso of the Hunchback. For a moment the damage wasn't obvious to Ulrik, but then a bright blue flash emerged from the hole he had just torn, telling him that he had managed to hit something important. The Hunchback's stride faltered, but at this point it was so close already that it didn't really matter.

Moments later the metal beasts clashed, arms locked as the two brawlers tried to gain the upper hand and blast each other in the process. There was precious little time before the AC/20 would fire again, and Ulrik tried his best to stay away from the barrel of the weapon. "Quick, shoot him now! I'll keep him in place!" He shouted into his comms, focused on trying to keep the Hunchback in the same position so that the rest of his lance could take potshots at it.

At the same time, the remaining transport that had witnessed their squadronmates get ripped apart by laser and SRM fire decided that their lives were not worth it, and made a hasty retreat towards the base, dipping below the edge of the crater to break line of sights. The remaining jump troopers weren't so frightened however: if anything, witnessing their allies get turned into fine red mist and crispy chunks by the Firestarter made them much, much more angry. Now that they had time to assess the battlefield, they began to zip across the battlefield with their jetpacks, hitting them nearly impossible as they targeted the lance below them: before long, a good number of them had clung onto the Firestarter's back, and began to use Remi's machine as a firing platform as they peppered the other mechs with laser fire. At the same time, they began to plant explosive charges on it's back: soon enough, they could blow a hole right through the machine if they weren't stopped.

The rest, realizing that their Hunchback was their only real shot at winning, swarmed Alvin and Jaromir's mech: taking out the guns would do them good. 3 Troopers landed on Alvin, and 4 on Jaromir's, one clinging to their cockpits to obscure their vising, laser rifles unloading into the thick glass window for more confusion. At the same time, the rest of the soldiers began to plant charges of their own onto the backs and head of the mechs: though not swarmed nearly as much as the Firestarter, they would surely do a great deal of damage, or even cripple the respective mechs if they weren't dealt with in time.

---

Combat Info Panel

Enemy Mech:	Distance (Hex):	Difficulty To Hit:	Other Modifiers:
HBK-4G	1	5	In A Brawl
Troopers	N/A	6	Mounted

The long awaited GM post of 2024 :)

There are two important gimmicks for this encounter: When rolling to hit either the Hunchie, or any of the troopers, rolling ANYTHING below their to-hit, except for a crit, causes you to hit the mech they are attached to. This means back armor for most, but in case you attempt to hit the ones clinging to Jaromir or Alvin's cockpit, it would be a Head hit, so watch out.

These two can attempt to swat them off, which means spending your "attacks" on removing them. Alternatively, you can shoot at anything else, but you'll take 2 damage to your head, and you have a -3 to hit any other target.

As a qiqck recap, the Hunchie has both the CT and ammo exposed, and both legs are below half armor: there's a chance it goes critical and you get no salvage, but it might be worth fishing for a Gyro hit too, if you're feeling lucky.

Sorry for the wait once more, I feel like I say this every time, but I think we've really just become a slow burner RP haha

@Letter Bee@Psyker Landshark@AndyC@Smike@Abstract Proxy@QJT@Starlance

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---

"A two way street indeed~ I've asked you about your sister, and yet I must bear your insults despite you never making the same attempt to inquire about my abilities. Am I healer? A cleric? A wizard or mage? Maybe a witch?" A teasing chuckle left the half demon's lips, her fingers crossing behind her back as she returned Gertrude's gaze. With a hum and a hop, she'd position herself next to Gertrude, examining the girl's changing aura and tempest of negativity with a somewhat amused expression on her face. A challenge was always something she was happy to take on, as long as it proved to be entertaining. And Gertrude, well, she was anything but boring, despite her dreary attitude.

But before Amy could take advantage of the girl's outburst and expose her weakness, the mystery guest decided to step in. Finally.

She'd been keenly aware of Lilette's presence ever since they first stepped foot in the Garden, and counted on Gertrude's pride and the mage's quietness to let her escalate things without an issue until she could hopefully rely on the girl for assistance. It seemed that her gamble had paid off; other than a little scold she was more than happy to pretend like she deserved, Amy was met with a response that absolved her from all responsibility. Figuratively washing her hands clean in the mage's words, she'd offer Lilette a polite bow before nodding thoughtfully in response to her small speech.

"Ah, as expected of Miss Lilette, no magic can be obscured from your vast knowledge~" She explained cheerfully and playfully clapped her hands together in front of her chest. "Alas, I must come clean Miss. I had stopped here precisely so I could rely on your guidance and protection." She then turned to Gertrude and offered an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, perhaps I should've told you about it beforehands, but as I'm not much of an battle mage, I didn't want to risk confronting you alone."

The stage was set, the actors in place and the audience in attendance. Now it was time to finally pull back the curtain and deliver the lines she'd been preparing for.

"A witch brought you here, one who trapped us all in this... realm. We all know this isn't just a dream like it was the last time this trick had been played on the Roses. Everything feels too... off about it. I wanted to make sure you weren't a part of this world, a trick to deceive us. I hope you can forgive me, but your unique signature made it quite hard to decide if I can trust you. But clearly, I was wrong." Taking a step back she smiled at Gertrude softly before she reached into her bag to pull out her flute. "A deal's a deal. A truth for a truth, I'll show you just what I can do."

Taking a deep breath and lifting the flute to her lips, Amy began to play a mellow tune; quietly at first, but soon increasing in volume and tempo. As she did, their surroundings began to slowly change in small but noticeable ways: flowers bloomed and burst from vines on the walls. Clouds cleared from the sky, and small critters and birds began to gather around the garden as if listening to her tune. With the arch of a rainbow and yet another set of flower wreathes for the three of them, the illusion was complete.

She opened her eyes and extended one hand, a small bluebird landed on her fingers and chirped a happy tune before flying away once more. "As a half-demon, I'm afforded some abilities that are unusual to most mages... I can't blame you for not knowing what to make of it, but I hope you can now see what kind of a mage I am. I deal in illusions and trickery, making sure I keep people's spirits high and devout~" With a flick of the wrist and a little bow, Amy would disappear from Gertrude's sight, but funnily Lilette could see her the whole time as she skulked around to behind the mage. Placing her hands on Gertrude's shoulders as she appeared once more for the girl, Amy chuckled softly and adjusted the wreath on the mage's head. "Incidentally, those same powers allow me to read people's feelings... and thought. Worry not, I can't pry your secrets from your head, but if you're aching for a warm shower, I'll know before anyone else~" With polite smile she stepped back to give Gertrude some space, and spun around in a shower of flower petals before bowing deeply.

Soon the illusion faded, and the garden returned to it's mundane, above average beauty. "All I ask is that you're honest with me and your fellow knights. We need to trust each other when the darkness that lurks in every corner decides to step out into the light and confront us. And when that time comes, we cannot hesitate if we want to protect each other. I know some of them are a bit rough around the edges, but they will each stay by your side and protect you as long as they know you're willing to do the same. If you're searching for enemies in them, you're looking in the wrong place. If you're going to believe anyone, then let it be the half-demon cleric who messes with people's minds; I call them my comrades and friends, and so should you."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---

"The only prank here is the face you'll make when you realize there's no trick! But don't worry, if you require some persuasion to prove to you that I'm not lying, I'm more than happy to offer my assistance!" Holding the wreath up in one hand and making the jazz hands with the other, she quickly swiped her free hand in front of the wreath, making it disappear as the arm passed in front of it. She proceeded to do a little pantomime act of trying to find where the item disappeared to, before she eventually slapped herself on the forehead lightly and clicked her fingers as the wreath appeared right on top of Gertrude's head.

"Thank you, thank you, I'm here all day ladies and gentleman~" With a small chuckle she made a bow and then waited before looking back at Gertrude with her usual smile. Truly, she wasn't surprised about how the mage didn't trust her or any of her little tricks, but that was not going to stop her from trying to prove to the girl that she was indeed harmless and didn't mean to make too much fun of her. Not more than the rest of the Roses, anyways. As for her belittling the church, well.. she was used to it. Not everyone had the same conviction as her, but that didn't mean she shouldn't accept them for who they were. Even if they were hard to deal with, like Gertrude.

"I think you need to broaden your horizons a little Gertrude, we have some beautiful flowers blooming this time of year! Well... whatever time of year it is in this weird realm anyways..." Humming quietly, Amy looked around the garden with a finger on her lips as she tried to figure out what she was looking at. She wasn't exactly a botanical expert, so she couldn't really name any of the flowers she saw, but that hardly mattered when most of the ones she currently saw weren't even the same as they had in the real Candaeln. Oh well, it was worth a try. "Er... what I meant to say is, try to enjoy the little things! You said our boorish comrades got on your nerves, so no place is better to relax than a quiet garden on a pleasant day!" The irony of that statement wasn't lost on her, as the garden was anything but quiet with her in it. Of course, that couldn't possibly stop her from acting the way she always did.

Well... that couldn't, but in reality, she did have something she wanted to ask Gertrude, a question she felt uniquely equipped to answer. "In truth, there is ooooooone thing that I wanted to ask you. Maybe two. And I didn't want you to have to spill your secrets in front of the whole group, so I brought you to a place where I knew we could be alone." Her smile faded a little as her voice took on a more serious tone and she took a single deliberate step towards Gertrude. "Who exactly is the person you call your sister? And don't lie to me, because I know they are not who you say they are. You needn't know how I figured it out, only that I know you're not telling the truth... or not all of it. Is she some kind of an elaborate illusion? Some kind of a mimicry spell, or a duplicate of yourself?" She had so many more tantalizing possibilities that she wanted to ask about, but she quickly realized she was getting far too excited and serious compared to how she'd usually behave. Clearing her throat a little, she took a step back and offered an apologetic smile to the girl. "Sorry... I'm not trying to accuse you, but if we are to be members of the same team, I should know I can trust you, and even though the others might not realize it, I know you're lying about her. All I ask is that you tell me the truth, and I'll keep it our secret. Of course, you can choose not to do that... but that may or may not impact our chances of becoming friends in the future, and I'd much prefer we were good friends~"

Amy offered the warmest smile she could muster, and stared at the girl to try and figure out her reaction. At the same time, her senses were all tuned towards the girl, trying her best to pick up any thought or emotion fragment that came from the otherwise very closed-off girl, so she could gain a glimpse into the inner workings of the new mage in their party.

@Octo

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---

"You see, that's where you're wrong! I AM pleasant~" Amy explained with a bright smile once she had finished listening to Gertrude, and used the closeness of the mage to tiptoe up towards her, then with an extended index finger she poked the girl's nose. "I'm sure you'll grow to appreciate it with time, the rest of this bunch is way too serious for their own good. If you already don't like Renar, just wait until there's fighting and they all become grumpy. I suppose I can't blame them though, I bet I'd be gloomy and serious if I had to wear armor all day and swing a sword."

Taking a few steps back, Amy once again offered a cheery smile as she examined Gertrude with a curious glint in her eyes. She'd anticipated a much more hostile response at first, but she was glad to see the most the mage could muster was to crouch for her, a gesture she didn't really mind. She knew she was short, and it didn't bother her in the slightest. It was good to see that it wasn't impossible to work with their new... recruit.

"Now, follow me, let's go take a look around this place, I'm sure there's things even I haven't seen!" With a quick click of the heels and a spin, Amy turned around to go and explore Candaeln with the mage. She would've loved to take her to the kitchen or the library, but there were already other knights in those places, so the best bet for now was to explore other parts of the fort where Amy suspected nobody would be: first the chapel, then the gardens and personal quarters. Maybe check the armory out for fun too, though she knew little about weapons and armor.

"So, what brings you to us?" Amy asked between short hops, looking back at the girl over her shoulders. "Other than magically appearing in the sky, I mean? Or do you prefer to keep that a secret? Maybe as mysterious as that... sister of yours, hmmmm? If she's your sister at all~" She shook her head and smiled softly before stopping in front of the tiny chapel's doors, where she'd do a little bow and gesture at the wooden doors playfully. "Either way, welcome to your first stop! Candaeln's very own little chapel, perfect if you have a sin to confess, or want to say a prayer with to Mayon with the best cleric of all the Roses, yours truly~" Tiny sparkles emerged from her fingertips as Amy shook her hands playfully and offered a bright smile at Gertrude, just long enough for the silence to grow old and give the mage a chance to look around. She doubted Gertrude really wanted to take a look at the Chapel, or really any part of Candaeln other than her personal quarters, and places where she could be alone. In that, she felt a strange connection to the mage, even if they were barely anything alike.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" As she clicked her fingers, another little wreath made of flowers appeared in her hands, and she'd hold it out in front of herself towards Gertrude. "Take this~ I know it's not the most interesting welcome gift, but it's better than... how did you put it?" Amy put one finger to her lips as she hummed quietly, thinking back on what Gertrude had said about the others before she used her magic to do her best impression of the girl. "Manhandled by an oaf, glowered at by a boor, and threatened with a lynching. Haha, glowered, funny word that one~ You don't hear it often, but it almost rhymes with flowers, just what I'm offering~ Hopefully opposites cancel each other out in this case, and you'll forgive my fellow knights for being so distant; finding oneself in a strange world tends to do that~" Her smile was as genuine as it could be, a part of her whimsical personality, even if the flower wreath would only exist until she focused on conjuring it. An insignificant gift, perhaps, but if her hunch was right about Gertrude, surely the girl would appreciate the gesture. Besides, it really was ill-mannered of the other Roses not to greet a new recruit with a little gift or speech at the very least.

@Octo

Rise of Rasalhague

Chapter 3:
Assault

Shots rang out all around Ulrik, the organized chaos of the battle unfolding in the blink of an eye. One lucky shot after the next, the ragged lance of light mechs that came to greet them stood no chance against the firepower of their small, but otherwise swift lance. With the Thumper and Javelin out of the equation, indirect fire was no longer a threat to them or the Ankhanne, and neither would they turn any of his new pilots into a fine pink mist with a lucky salvo. So far so good.

Leaning forward in his seat, Ulrik pressed his Centurion forward as he began to gather speed on the 55 ton brawler, taking steady steps through the labyrinth of burnt out husks that remained of the enemy tanks. They should've known better that to send vehicles out into a narrow shooting gallery against almost two lance's worth of mechs, whatever the weight class. Chances are, the enemy wasn't expecting a rustbucket dropship like theirs to unload 'Mechs, much less any force they couldn't deal with. But now that the gunfire had died down and only the crackling of ammunition fires remained on the battlefield to cover up the sound of their Mech's mechanical thumping, it was evident that the enemy severely underestimated their firepower. Any infantry that remained after Remy's stunt had either fled already or curled up under their thermal blankets and probably hoped they wouldn't accidentally get stepped on by a rouge mech.

A quick glance through the ferroglass cockpit window to the left and right, Ulrik made a mental note about the location of all his squad members, before he adjusted his neurohelm and updated his scanners with the newest data from the Ankhanne. The straggling scout mechs they've picked up earlier halted their advance on their position, and seemed to be taking a detour as they headed towards their compound, likely trying to avoid the same fate as the lance that met them head-on. Good, if they pushed the advantage now, they could get to the facility before the enemy and capture it before this battle escalates any more.

"Good job everyone, excellent shooting. Let's keep the momentum and push forward. Keep an eye out on the flanks, the valley's coming to and end in 500 meters, and then its a straight climb to the top. Regroup at point Delta-2 once you're through the valley." With that, Ulrik adjusted his terminal and sent a ping to his squadron's mechs to highlight the desired coordiantes on the map. With Fuka already pulling ahead and Alvin not far behind, he pushed his throttle to the max, sending the Centurion running forward at a blazing 64 kph. Better get there later than never.

The route up the valley seemed longer than it really was, several twists and turns making the journey take longer than it really should've, but Ulrik preferred not getting shot the moment his mech was poking out from behind cover. Still, the high walls eventually flattened to a point where he could see his lance on either side on the high ridge, the difference in elevation becoming less and less as they approached their destination. At the same time, visibility began to worsen as they climbed up the hillside: snow had begun to fall, large white crystals that quickly started to eat away at his visuals. At least the sensors were working, but if something was waiting for them up at the top, they wouldn't know until it had already fired on them.

First thing he noticed of the enemy compound were the blinking lights perching atop its antennas and towers, flashes of light that penetrated the slowly brewing storm. Warnings began to sound in his cockpit by now: the weather was turning for the worst and a storm was quickly brewing that promised to worsen the already questionable visibility to essentially stumbling around in the dark. He forwarded the information to the lance, his leg fidgeting as he leaned forward in the cockpit. "Come on baby, give me a little more..." Mumbling under his breath to his machine, and eyes squinting as the first buildings of the enemy compound appeared, he finally regrouped with the rest of lance. He loved the Centurion for many reasons, but at times he wished it wasn't so damn slow. Even the Fuka had managed to outrun him, despite riding in a Dragon and being one of the least experienced pilots on his team. Nevertheless, he was glad that nobody tripped over or got ambushed.

"Take point Fuka. Move as a team now, we don't know what to expect. If we're lucky, they don't have any more surprises."

Pushing up as a team, the first buildings of the compounds finally came into view: four large mechbays with doors open on all but one, warning lights flashing inside and the sound of distant sirens absorbed by the snow. The rest of the reinforced concrete buildings lined the hillsides behind them, a few dozen grey faces that poked out from their underground foundations. No turrets in sight, or any signs of a welcoming party. The sort of silence that made any mechwarrior anxious. Last time he barely had time to leave the dropship before getting shot, but this was making him much more anxious.

A quick glance at his rangefinder gave him the distance to the compound: 720 meters. "Eyes open everyone. Alvin, Jaromir, keep check on that mechbay. If the doors open and it is anything other than a bunch of pirates waving a 'Mech sized white flag, don't stop shooting until its slag." He too trained his guns on the 'Mechbay doors, but so far sensors didn't indicate anything to be worried about, and they continued to push up without opposition.

640 meters. The quiet whirring of the myomer bundles and fusion engines from his lance pierced the sound-absorbing blanket of snow falling from the sky.

500 meters. The faint blaring of klaxons could now be heard, small windows and details on the compound becoming visible to the naked eye through the snow.

420 meters. The ever increasing snowfall was starting to leave their mechs steaming as their fusion cores were evaporating the water on their vehicles.

280 meters. A faint buzzing sound began to fill the air as they approached the base, but the sensors still didn't read anything. Then again, Ulrik wasn't sure if they were designed to be all-weather, or if they were supposed to work in temperatures so far below freezing.

They were less than 200 meters from the base now, and Ulrik was starting to think that the job was as simple as they had expected it to be, when all of a sudden a sound that would terrify any mechwarrior sounded in his cockpit. MECH POWER UP DETECTED.

"Open fire, open fire!" Ulrik shouted, but before he could even squeeze the trigger on the stick, a thunderous boom echoed through the snowy landscape as a brilliant orange light appeared in place of where the mechbay's doors stood just a second ago, as it was blown into pieces by the AC/20 firing straight through it. Whirring through the air with a ghostly whine, the 203mm shell tore through the right leg of Fuka's Dragon, taking half the damn structure and all the armor with it as a deadly cloud of shrapnel covered the snow behind them for at least a hundred meters.

Through newly formed hole in the mechbay's doors, the smoking barrel of a Hunchback slowly appeared as all the snow it kicked up finally settled down. The mech was painted in a simple off-white color, a single red stripe running down across its left torso as the only identifiable marking. Several extra pieces of armor were welded all over the mech's torso and arms. Taking use of the confusing, the enemy mech pilot quickly pressed his mech into full speed, the Hunchback running out of the bay at full speed towards Ulrik's lance.

Seconds later, the Hunchback was illuminated by gunfire, and Ulrik squeezed the trigger to join the onslaught and unleash a beam of blue light that cut into the Hunchback's center torso with a shower of sparks, melting through the additional armor plates and digging into the enemy mech. "Take that you bastard!" Squeezing the trigger again, his Medium Lasers impacted the enemy's left torso, and he cursed under his breath he had missed the same location with his other attack: cooking the ammo of the Hunchback was a quick way to get a dangerous foe out of the equation.

At the same time, the buzzing sound from earlier intensified and grew louder, and just when Ulrik had thought a sneaky Hunchback was their only problem, a flight of fourp Ripper VTOL's emerged from beyond the crater's edge, unleashing a volley of Medium Lasers that kicked up snow all around Ulrik's lance but scored no direct hits. Tilting forward as the began their advance, Ulrik caught a glimpse of the infantry bays opening, before bright sparks of light appeared in the sky like shining stars: the light of jump packs as their owners jumped out of their transports and headed towards Ulrik's lance, small beams already cutting across the air as their rifles began to fire on them.

"Fuck!" Ulrik cursed as the situation went from bad to worse, the transport VTOL's starting to circle around now that they ahd dropped their troops for an attack run. It would seem that their opponents weren't out of ideas just yet. "Spread out, don't let them board your mech! Focus your fire on the Hunchback, we have to silence that AC/20 before it tears us to shreds!" Groaning angrily, his Centurion tilted to the left as she jumped in front of Fuka, taking up ground between her injured Dragon and the charging Hunchback. He readied his Centurion like a Solaris Gladiator or an old-earth boxer, waiting for the imminent clash between the 55 ton mechs. If the enemy pilot wanted a brawl, he'd give them one.

---

Combat Info Panel

Enemy Mech:	Distance (Hex):	Difficulty To Hit:	Other Modifiers:
HBK-4G	4	5	N/A

I know you all love the Hunchback, so here it :)

Maybe if you don't turn it into slag, we can have another medium mech that can barely keep up with the rest of the lance.

For this round, there's a few simple rules to keep in mind: Hunchback can be targeted as normal, but if you want to melee it, it will also get a free guaranteed charge hit on you, since its already charging. I didn't want to list the VTOLs in the table to keep it clean, but to hit them you'll still need to roll an 8. Any damage will kill them instantly. The troopers won't land or make attacks until the next turn, but you can only make attacks against individual ones unless you have specialized anti-infantry weapons: flamers, machine guns and small lasers. A cumbersome AC or SRM is not going to do much against a mobile floating target that can change its movement rapidly after all.

That's it, if you have any questions, ask them on the Discord as usual.

Also, Merry Christmas for everyone, hope you have great time during the holidays :)

@Letter Bee@Psyker Landshark@AndyC@Smike@Abstract Proxy@QJT@Starlance

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---

At the Chapel

Amy watched quietly as Sergio slowly unwrapped the fabric covering the delicious treat, revealing to the sweet-toothed half-demon a tasty looking brick of tiramisu. Her eyes lit up immediately, thoughts ablaze with the delicious flavors she'd experience if she took a bite of it. A soft blush slowly formed on her cheeks as she looked back up at Sergio and his half-brother, feeling just a tiny bit uncomfortable as she was presented such a gift in front of a Knight she'd just met, and her grumpy vampire superior/bestie. For a moment the thought of refusing the gift formulated in her mind, but she quickly dismissed it as she found herself too attracted to the sweet smell of the fresh pastry to say no.

"Ah! F-for me?" With a shy smile she'd tilt her head to the side a little and gently put her hands together. "Thank you Sergio, you really shouldn't have. It wasn't that long ago that I ate some, uh..." Maybe admitting to her "crime" of stealing pastries in front of Tyaethe wasn't the best idea, even if she doubted the girl would care. She wasn't that hungry, but that Tiramisu was looking reeeeaaaalllly good. "Nevermind~ If you and your brother, sorry, half-brother, baked it for me, I can't refuse, now can I?"

Smooth going Amy. Now they DEFINITELY won't figure out that in fact you are dying to give it a taste. With an almost invisible smug smirk on her lips, Amy grabbed a little piece of the tiramisu, and mumbled a quiet excuse me as she tasted the creamy dessert.

Suffice to say, it was enough for Sergio to score a point with Amy. Anything even remotely sweet was a surefire way to earn the half-demon's goodwill, and something as delicious and soothing as tiramisu would go a long way to impress her. Cleric or not, Amy wasn't above worldly delights, especially not this one. As she got a good taste of the sweet dessert, she let out a happy little moan before clapping her hands politely as a smile flashed across her lips. "Wow, that was really delicious! Hope you don't mind if I taste-test the rest of it, haha~" She put her hands lightly on Sergio's shoulders as she giggled a little at her own joke, before she stared into the Knight's eyes for a brief moment. "Thank you Sergio, that's a very sweet gift! I appreciate it! If you keep baking delicious sweets like this, I can tell you and I will be on great terms~"

With the rest of the knights leaving the chapel, Amy sat on one of the pews beside Sergio, and spent the next few minutes making some small-talk with him. Certainly, the tiramisu was the highlight of the day for her, but she definitely appreciated the time she spent with her fellow knights and getting to know them, especially the ones who made her tasty treats. Perhaps Tyaethe was right, she was still young and new to the knights; with time she'd make plenty of friends with her fellow knights.

---

In the Dreamscape

A dusty plateau under a pale blue sky. She didn't recognize this place. It felt... off somehow. Like when she was projecting in a dream. Or when she tried to take a deep dive into someone's mind. A sensation akin to floating in water, senses dulled even if the mind was sharp. Or maybe the other way around? Whatever it was, something weighed on her, like a heavy hand on a shoulder as it made itself known without outright trying to suffocate her.

Maybe she was just finally getting used to overbearing emotions and thoughts after the last two massacres she was a witness to, but this time there wasn't any blood. Or even hostility. Just serene, peaceful... choking silence. Amy had plenty of questions, but she found herself unable to speak as she finally got up on her feet and spotted the rest of the knights. All familiar faces, those she'd spent her last few weeks with in and out of missions. She expected them to seem equally confused and disoriented, but it became immediately clear that none of them seemed too bothered by their predicament. Clearly she was the only one truly surprised, and most infuriatingly, she couldn't ask questions. Even her mental powers were obfuscated by whatever was in the air around them, though slowly she was able to tune that out and start making sense of what was going on.

But then, a woman appeared, and the mystery of their current predicament became a little less confusing. Whatever she was feeling until now, it was linked directly to the aura of this woman. With a clear source in sight, and a pattern of sorts that she could identify, it was much easier to drown out the almost static-like noise of emotions and thoughts that she was feeling before. Like surfacing from a lake, she finally felt free, her mind focused and her own again.

Giving her newfound attention to the Witch, Amy didn't learn nearly as much as she had hoped. Indeed, she found herself having many, many more questions. She realized that she knew woefully little about the history of the knights and about the name being mentioned, though a few rang bells in her mind. Maybe she should've listened more when these things were explained to her, but she never was a fan of memorizing people she hasn't met before: the emotions of people made for a far easier method of remembering them than their name and who they were (as told by others).

In the end, all that she could surmise was that they were brought here to get stronger... and to babysit a surprise guest. Er... two of them. Forgetting the part about potentially dying several times and having to face tough challenges, allegations Amy found to be a bit overly dramatic, she was extremely confused as she tried to approach the two girls. She was hoping she could make friends with these... twins, but as she approached there was something weird with them. They felt like the exact same person, down to the very last detail of their auras that she could detect. Their emotions were in constant flux all the time though, and they didn't match up like they should've if this was some sort of powerful illusion magic. It's like she was faced with a single personality, but two distinct bodies with their own emotions. Or maybe it really was twins who were incredibly similar? No, that couldn't be...

"... what in Mayon's name is going on?" A quiet mutter under her breath, Amy decided that this mystery was one she'd better look into once they were in a safe space, and for now assumed that there was some magical trickery going on that was connected to the dreamscape. If the Witch could take all of them into this weird dreamscape built from memories, then maybe she could just as easily obfuscate the magic around people two make them appear like the same person. If she did her research, then the Witch would've known about her powers after all. And even if that wasn't the case, whatever magic was the cause of the uncanny similarity between the twins, it didn't change the fact that it made her job somewhat easier if she wanted to find them, as she only had one signature to look for and she'd find them both. Awkward as it was to get used to constantly sensing two of the same person, by the time they had reached Candaeln, she had gotten somewhat used to it.

Which was great, because everything felt off about this place. It was simultaneously just like the place she was used to, but it carried an entirely different atmosphere with it. If this was built from memories, then Candaeln used to be a VERY different place in the past. Hard to decide if that was for the better or worse, but perhaps she was a bit biased towards what she was familiar with.

For the best part of the conversation Amy was spacing off, trying to make sense of their current predicament, and looking out for any trouble. But she couldn't sense anything just yet, the knights of old seemed as genuine and helpful as they claimed themselves to be. However, what wasn't helpful was the incessant ramblings of the new girl. By now, Amy had dashed any hopes of making friends with her... them, and she uttered a silent prayer to Mayon, hoping she wasn't this annoying when she first joined the Knights.

She was content with observing from afar for the most part, but even she got upset when Gertrude spoke to Fanilly the way she did. More disrespect than even she could tolerate with her whimsical personality. Seeing Fion seethe with rage and Renar trying take the girl to the side to talk some sense into her (and failing), it made her realize that she can't exactly stand by idly. It wasn't exactly her responsibility to teach people manners, and she also didn't expect her words to change the behavior of this bratty girl, but at the very least she could keep her fellow knights from possibly murdering this person within a short timeframe.

Sliding beside Fionn, she waited until the knight was done talking with Cyrus (who's imposing stature definitely scared Amy despite his calm demeanor), and placed a hand on his fellow Rose's shoulder. "Sir Fionn, I sense a terrible pressure inside of you. I know you feel strongly about discipline and manners, I've seen it last time, but I suggest you avert your mind from Gertrude's rude behavior. People like her thrive on interaction. Starve her of words she can cut into, and you'll find her a manageable nuisance, rather than a babbling menace." Amy offered her kindest smile to Fionn, doing her best to lift his spirits and make him forget about his previous annoyance before lightly patting his arm and taking a step back. "I'll see what I can do about her with Renar. But if you ever feel your heart fill with anger, don't be afraid about coming to me. I know a few quick prayers that will clear your mind and cleanse the hate, just like that~" She explained and snapped her fingers, and a delicate flower wreath appeared on top of Fionn's head. Simple and unobtrusive by design, it had just enough flair to it so that the knight wouldn't immediately discard it. Of course, not like she could, or would, try to stop him if he did.

Waving a quick goodbye to Fionn, she turned her attention to Renar and Gertrude, biting her lips in anxiety as she approached the two. It only lasts but a moment, before she put on her best smile once more, humming quietly as she stops beside Renar. She mused over placing her hand on his shoulders too, to show Gertrude that she was standing against the whole team with her rude behavior, but Amy honestly couldn't decide if she was more afraid of Renar, or failing to do anything in the situation.

"A new member, I see~ And already fitting in quite nicely to boot!" Amy teased lightly as she politely bowed towards Gerturde before she looked up at Renar. "Sir Renar, there's no need to try and scare our newest member on her first mission, especially in such a weird dreamscape as this one. I'm sure that she is merely unaware of our etiquette, and feels out of place with so many armed knights who seem out to get her at the slightest slip of the tongue." Whether or not she was doing it on purpose, it wasn't clear whether or not Amy's words were meant to be sarcasm, or a genuine concern for the other girl. "I think it's best we forgive and forget, and have a fresh new start without all this unnecessary..." She stopped for a second as she looked off to the side, and waved her hand in a circle as she was trying to find the words. "Let's call it spite. Hostility is such a strong word for a friendly spat like this, right Renar?" She asked, looking once more up at the knight for support, though she very much expected him to counter with much stronger words. She never took Renar for the type to say more than he needed to, much less try to obfuscate the true meaning of his words. She respected that, but at the same time, she knew some situations required a more... delicate touch.

"Anyways, I think everyone should forget about leashes and orders, and just focus on the task at hand." Amy clasped her hands together and smiled brightly at Gertrude. "Do you want me to show you around? I might not be a veteran like the others, but I know my way around Candaeln, even if this version is a bit different. Plus, I doubt anyone wants a guided tour from Renar, he's much too..." Amy stopped for a moment as she looked back at Renar, sizing him up for a second as she deliberately made a concerned expression before turning back to Gertrude. "Tense. Of course, I'm sure that a capable wizard like you who's trusted to be able to keep up with the Roses doesn't need guidance, but it never hurts to ask. Part of being a knight, and all~"

---

@Octo@Psyker Landshark@The Otter

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---

Amy seemingly ignored Tyaethe's protest, as well as Rolan's quips about a prayer, her fingers already clutched together as she began to think about what prayer would suit their little party the best in the moment. As a Mayonite cleric, she knew plenty of sermons by heart, but she also knew that the best prayers were those that were spontaneous and came from the heart. As such, she took a deep breath and waited until both of the other knights had quieted down and joined her on the pew before she'd beg-

*click-click*

The sound of even more boots hitting the hard stone floor of the chapel. Truly this was the day of the devout, as Amy could swear she's never seen this many people inside of this chapel. Of course, after Tyaethe and Esienhorn, she'd already dashed her hopes of seeing a fellow cleric or devout, and her suspicion was confirmed as she saw Sergio standing with something in his hand, an unknown face right behind him.

"Ah, Sir Sergio! Just in time!" She smiled softly as she scooted to the side on the pew and waved for the two newcomers to come closer, before patting the wooden seating. "Have a seat! It is good to see you in good health after the last battle. Let us have a quick prayer, and then Miss Tyaethe and Sir Rolan can be left to discuss their important... things." She wasn't sure what the best word to use was, all the high and mighty knightly duties of her fellow Roses seeming like a distant mirage. She knew she'd never get used to all the fighting like they did, nor ever wield a sword and shield, but every moment she felt more at home amongst them. The strangest devouts of Mayon and Reon for sure, but a likable bunch when they weren't covered in blood. Certainly a cacaphony of emotions and thoughts, even inside this little chapel.

Clearing her throat, Amy waited until everyone was finally seated before she closed her eyes and began to murmur a quiet prayer.

"Hear us, oh Mayon, and all those devout to your light. We celebrate all the bounty thy have given us, the good fortune and health so we may be here amongst friends today. We celebrate those who are here, and mourn those we lost, and pray for your guidance on future endeavors. May your guiding light always shine on us in the darkest of nights, and illuminate the path we shall never stray from. We thank your grace, and pray for your blessing."

Waiting in silence for a few long seconds, Amy let out a soft sigh as she finally looked up and smiled at her fellow knights. "Thank you all for praying with me, I appreciate it. I shall hold you no longer. Except for Sergio and his friend, it seems they were looking for me, rather than Mayon~" She explains and offers a small bow as she stands up from the pew. Her eyes then slowly shifted over to the mysterious item under wraps that Sergio was holding, a somewhat confused expression on her face as she was clearly sensing how flustered the knight was. What could this item be?

---

@VahkiDane@Eisenhorn@Raineh Daze