AvaP

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Okay, finally posted. And that would complete the introductions to Alison's core "team" as I imagined them. These three people are the people Alison can really count on since arriving to the new world. Figured having something like that would be fun. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy it! A young french woman warms a cold spook heart lol.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Alison was a dry sponge being dipped into a pool of water. MacKenzie's story of how they arrived in this world and their journey thus far was absorbed fully and committed to memory. As the girl talked, Alison ran it based on what her sources and Pete had told her. Blanks were filled in, gaps bridged, and soon a broader picture began forming about the current situation this otherworldly party found themselves in.

"James and Zell are quite the duo and so much fun to be around. Barracker and Adam are darlings. Clive is a character and Fenna is an incredible woman." Mackenzie said smiling. Alison gave a soft smile and nodded along. This girl's praise of the group and its members almost made Alison feel sad about their current predicament. She knew so many people across the world in her previous life. She could grab a beer with a friend in Bangkok, get a friendly ride in Milan, or have a chat in a Polish bar. All of that was gone now. And her core team, Mike, John, Henry, Gary, and Hannah. People who she'd risk her life for and have. People who have saved her life. Many in her field lived life on the edge and weren't right in the head, but they were all the family she knew. All gone.

Trying to refocus away from the dark thoughts, Alison returned her attention to the present. When Mackenzie listed off the names, one stuck out. She had a hard time remembering why in the moment, but filed it away to look into it later.

"Sounds like you guys have bonded since arriving here. You made your way through it and not only stuck together but worked together. People don't often realize it but those two are very different things when it comes to a team. Happy to hear everyone seems to be eager to get along." Alison said with a smile.

They approached the inn "The Drum" and Alison faced the doors with some trepidation. Everything said it would still be up to the rest of the group to live up to the praises of Mackenzie. Yet as the doors opened, the place was mostly empty, save the innkeeper at his station. He explained the rest of the group was out in the town taking care of their chores and tasks. Alison had thought this might be the case, as the siege left few hands idle, but was still disappointed.

"Oh," was MacKenzie's response, disappointment in her own voice. She gave an apologetic look before more positively introducing her to the keeper. "She is from our world," she told the innkeeper.

Alison inwardly bristled at this, but her expression didn't waver. Information was currency, power even to someone like Alison, and that was a pretty big bag of money that Mackenzie had just handed over to some innkeeper. Sure, they had a reputation of being from an otherworld, but Alison kept her cards close to her chest as much as possible. Thus far, only Pete, Olaf, and Kerensa had been specifically told she wasn't from this world, and she'd like to try and keep it that way. Alison made a mental note to educate MacKenzie and possibly the rest of this group on the basics of OPSEC but focused on the moment at hand.

MacKenzie looked back to Alison. "Fred has been a perfect host and gentleman to us, since our arrival in Valhiem. He and his staff, have been nothing short of excellent," she said, now with a bit more apparent naivety To Alison.

Alison politely nodded to Frederick before shaking his hand. "Nice to meet someone so highly recommended by the young lady here." Frederick seemed like a normal enough man, but trust didn't come nearly as easily for Alison. Another mental note was made. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Mackenzie turned to Alison.

"I do apologize for wasting your time. I will tell the others about you and - if you are available - perhaps we could all meet here for lunch, tomorrow? Or at The Brass Monkey, if you would prefer." MacKensie said, a little embarrassed at the situation. Alison gave a soft laugh and waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it, ain't your fault that everyone was busy this evening. I wasn't expecting the red carpet, or really, any carpeting for that matter. I think meeting everyone tomorrow for lunch is a good plan. Besides, I'd enjoy the opportunity to try some of Fred's cooking and drink, been so busy since I arrived here that I honestly haven't had a chance to enjoy some other places." Alison finished with a confident smile. They still had time, as far as Alison could tell, before things started hitting the fan, so taking advantage of this and getting everyone together to coordinate would be for the best.

With that settled, they said their goodbyes. Alison began to turn to leave but was caught a little off guard when MacKensie suddenly hugged her. "I am so glad we found you. You no longer have to be alone in this, Alison. We will get through this together." she said, before letting her go.

Alison stared for a moment, before turning away and nodding. "I'm sure we will. It was really nice meeting you MacKensie." she said as she walked away with a wave, some dust from the road clearly getting in her eyes.

---

Alison turned a street corner before maneuvering into an alleyway. As she walked, Pete fell in behind her from the shadows.

"Nevuh thoughts I'd see the day you'd get all mushy like. And heres I was wonderin if you really were a woman. Nevuh seen that mug of yours light up that- Owe!" the elbow firmly in Pete's stomach cutting him off.

"Quite joking. What do you think?" Alison said, her face suddenly hard and serious. Pete's face also quickly grew more serious.

"The girl's strong and capable, but a bit too friendly. Nots a suspicious like, more innocent kind like. That said, she's a better shot than Olaf with them crossbows. All of em from the Second Chance are like that though. Like you. Unique abilities, talent, powers, and whatnot. What tipped me off from the start. They're gonna take some molding probably. Otherwise, nobody else followed you two when you left the Brass Monkey. Ears and eyes was abouts, but nothin lookin yors way." Pete finished with a sigh. Alison nodded as well and continued walking.

"And the operation tonight. Everything set? No funny business?" Alison said, not bothering to look over her shoulder as Pete followed.

"Everythins in place boss. But we gots a bit of a complication. Our VIP has a guest rider. Guy that's gonna be guardin him for the operation been change. None other than one of em Second Chance people. Zell Brooks was his name." Pete said, walking now beside her.

A spark lit up in Alison's mind. MacKensie mentioned that name! Now that... was concerning. It quickly became obvious as the dots were connected in her mind. Zell somehow found out about the op, damn savages couldn't keep a secret between two rocks. A frustrated groan came from Alison as she picked up the pace towards The Brass Monkey.

"Fuck, god dammit Zell, after MacKensie praised you, you better not be planning what I think you are!."

---

Midnight, an unassuming spot in the woods outside of Valhiem

The tunnel was damp and suffocating. Gave Alison bad memories. How many tunnels had she been in back in her world? The ones on the border were dry and dusty. She had her team in position. Pete was hidden, punching dagger ready in the darkness of a hidden nook. Olaf was perched in a tree near the exit, heavy crossbows at the ready. They all wore muted clothes, Olaf even covering himself in leaves and branches to further blend with the tree above. He was a small, stout man, yet shockingly nimble and swift. One of Alison's makeshift squad, her attempt at rebuilding a team in this new world. They had met soon after Pete, bonding intensely over a robbery gone horribly wrong. Olaf owed Alison his life and Alison hers. His crack shot skills had kept many of the blades from ever reaching her.

A voice whispered next to her.

"What do you think Master Walker, will the young man return?" said the soft, refined voice of Kerensa Rostfallia. Alison's face remained neutral. Kerensa was a former head maid to a now-disgraced and ruined household. She had been instrumental in surviving the Library job and through facing the horrors of that place, had become one of Alison's closest comrades before Pete. Smart, well-spoken, and deadly with a curved blade. Alison grimaced under her dark, cloth facemask.

They were tasked to hold the entrance for their guild member who would be returning once the Ambassador was a safe distance away. Zell had weaseled his way into being that guide. The makeshift explosives in Alison's pouch felt uncomfortably heavy. A contingency courtesy of the guild master should their plan tip off the enemy or even worse... should they be betrayed.

"If he's smart, he strong-arms the Ambassador and gets a free ride out of the city. Could probably make a good excuse for it too if he can talk well enough..." Alison whispered back. Kerensa sat beside her, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face.

"And if he's loyal?" Kerensa asked.

"Then the Second Chance really does, well, have a chance. It's up to him now to prove himself." Alison said, her eyes continuing to scan the entrance ahead. Zell wouldn't be wrong. The city was probably not up for a stand-up siege. Once that barrier went down, it would be a desperate fight. Alison herself had climbed the ladder and earned the loyalty of the guild, just so she could get this job and betray everyone inside. She had a team to save and protect, and they all would more than happily cut their losses and move on from this war. The four of them owed nobody a suicidal final stand.

Alison pictured MacKenzie's glowing ramblings of her friends, how they were all in this together. This afternoon had changed priorities. There was a lead, a strong lead, here, in Valhiem. There were answers here, in this sieged city, that Alison would not leave behind. But more importantly, there was a young woman who was given a second chance like Alison. Who could relate to Alison in a way nobody could. Not Pete, Olaf, or Kerensa. Alison would not abandon her.

The question was now, would Zell?

@Zool @Saiyan

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I should be getting a post up later today, responding to @Zool and tying into @Saiyan tunnel mission.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Alright, posted! And @xenon, me and @Saiyan have been discussing things. Per his suggestion, placing Alison as the person in charge of the tunnel and the one who lets Zell back in when he returns before dawn would equally flow well with the time and allow her to be introduced to his character in a fun way that ties in with her connections to the Thieves Guild.

I imagine she's garnered a fairly impressive reputation within the guild by now to be trusted with that info, but due to the less-than-scrupulous nature of the guild, she's left in the dark about a lot of the more official sides of adventuring, like the comms and what not. She knows enough of the basic common knowledge through cultural osmosis and hearsay but never got any formal teaching if that makes sense. Either way, I think it helps give her that established history a bit more and have some developed contacts without putting her too far ahead or behind, but let me know what you think. I like the idea of the group having to catch Alison up a bit on those aspects, like the message and whatnot. I think it's more fun that way.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

What motivates someone to keep toiling away in this mortal realm is an odd thing. Some just run on autopilot, content to stay in whatever lane life has for them. Others are driven, choosing their lanes, constantly changing. So on and so forth. What was Alison's greatest challenge since awakening in her second lease on life was this core issue. She used to be driven and had a purpose, but all that was gone now, left behind in a wrecked SUV on I-95. The country she struggled so hard for was now but a distant memory. Thus, Alison had fallen into the former. She never felt all there; she still felt like she was in a dream. The horrors seen infiltrating "The Library," the evil armies undead marching across the land. These past few weeks, Alison was... not there.

Thus, for the first time, to those who may have paid close attention, there was finally a small light behind those blue eyes. It felt as though the whole of that past, every experience since she stumbled out of that coffin in the woods, rushed into her at once. The sensations, the memories, the pain—it all came back to her from the simple words spoken by the young woman before her.

A genuine smile crossed Alison's face for the first time in a long, long time. Her features softened. "From what I can gather, we all arrived around the same time. Coffin, right? I was dropped in the middle of the wilderness and had to find my own way for a while. It's a real relief to meet someone like me. Well, sorta, " Alison said with a soft laugh.

Based on her voice and the way she spoke, MacKensie was French. All the more strange with her accent. It was certainly of a more southern dialect. She seems to speak the normally silent vowels, the inflection on certain words. It was more difficult, as they were both speaking the common tongue, but it was a solid guess to Alison's trained ear. "I take it from somewhere in Southern France? Probably more towards the Alpine border. Can't place the specific, but I've worked in the Southern Med enough back in our world to have an ear for it. Sorry, I have a knack for this sort of thing. It comes with my trade. But to answer your question, as far as I know, I couldn't tell you. Thanks to my friend Pete here, I only learned of what you all are recently." Alison said, gesturing to her companion, who had politely stood back.

Pete gave his trademark toothy grin and a nod. "Pleasure to meet ya girl, ole boss here was all mopy like thinkin she was the only one. Glad to see my info paid of nice like. Speakin of boss, ya owe me now!" he said clapping Alison on the back. She shook him off and gave a non commital wave, but Alison was already thinking of a way to pay him back.

Septimus gave his trademark grunt of disinterest and shut down the system. "I'll leave you two to your little reunion," he said dryly as he started to walk off. Alison called after him.

"Thanks again, old man. Tell that queen of yours that those coffee grounds were worth it. Oh, and to cut your pay in half, terrible customer service." she said as he left. He gave a dismissive grunt and waved his hand, mumbling curses under his breath. "He's a difficult asshole but reliable. His wife is a real sweetheart, though, with all smiles and apple pies. With the siege on, I doubt we'll see more of them for a while."

MacKensie spared him a brief glance before turning excitedly back to Alison. "How have you been, umm?" the question hung in the air.

"Alison, Alison Walker," she said, extending a hand. Old habits died hard. A less than zero chance of telling her real name would have any consequence here, but it was the name she kept on giving. "And frankly, terrible. The kind of crap I've had to put up with getting here..." Alision trailed off with a shared shiver with Pete.

As far as Alison could tell, MacKensie seemed excited to meet someone like her. Now that she had a closer look, she could tell she was definitely on the younger side. A bit of sadness crept in from that, someone still with so much ahead of them ending up here. If it was anything like what had happened to her, it meant that potential was taken from their world.

"You simply must meet the rest of us." MacKensie said with an eager tone.

"I'm hoping you, me, and the rest of you can figure out why we're here, what we're doing, and how the hell any of this makes sense. It's been a while since I've been to church or brushed up on my theology, but I don't remember anywhere in the bible or otherwise saying the afterlife was anything like this. Let's put our heads together and figure this out. Or, at the very least, survive this siege. Hell of a distraction to put up with while trying to solve this problem." Alison agreed, "Lead the way."

@Zool

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

@Damo021

Delta wing! Welcome and I love it!

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

It was certainly a crew... Ayvee couldn't help but be taken aback by the eccentric squadron forming in the meeting room. Listening to the squadron commander talk like a drill sergeant certainly took her back to her academy days, and if the situation were different, she'd be almost insulted by that. They were supposed to be professionals, not raw recruits, sun hat notwithstanding.

However, considering everything else, she decided to make the most sensible move anyone can make in a corporate team meeting: stay quiet and listen. As the briefing progressed to the actual job, she perked up at the idea of being stationed in Malta. She had fond memories of when her father would visit the little jewel of the Mediterranean before Heavenfall, the history, the food, and the heavenly diving locations. Ayvee hoped it all would still be there when they arrived.

Pushing that thought aside, she refocused on the mission itself. As Scott continued, she reviewed the information in the briefing folder on the tablet. Various pictures, VFR charts, and other notable details scrolled past, some of which were on the board as he clicked through the presentation.

The QRF plan sounded acceptable to her. It was a shame; being on call meant less time on the beach and no whine tastings, but that was the mission at the moment. It did bother her how weak the recon was in the area before arrival, but she supposed that's what they were there for. To that point, "Boston" spoke up. “Am I to understand Freight Train and Stingray will be performing your reconnaissance operations along with the AWACS, sir?” he said.

Avyvee nodded to that and spoke up as well. "I think that'd make the most sense." She then turned to Boston. "Is the EW and optics on Freight Train all up to date? My guidance camera is pretty high resolution, but my stealth capabilities deteriorate when I mount my ECM pod. If we're doing recon, I'd prefer to keep my cross-section as low as possible so we can pen deeper. If things go wrong, we'll need that extra jamming capability, even with AWAC's support. I'm not expecting them to have anything too crazy, but it's better to be safe than sorry until we know what bad actors we're dealing with, as you said." she finished.

@Thayr

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool

Liked the post Zool! I'll respond before the weeks end.

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Oh, and @Srpv. I forgot to mention this, but I love the GI Joe figure you used for character art. It's very fitting for the vibe, lmao. Also, he's Polish! Kolega Polak! Moja babcia jest Polką. Wiem tylko trochę. Mów w nim lepiej niż pisz.

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

The first post was made, and it left it open-ended for anyone who might want to approach her.