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Just here to have a good time.

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Will be posting today! Sorry meant to post either Friday or Saturday but had my flight block moved around so I flew both evenings.

As partial compensation, enjoy my crappy night flight pictures I took:

I will post tomorrow, thankyou everyone for the kind words, things seems to have calmed down a little on my end so I should be able to return to regular shceduled posting


Glad to hear it buddy! Stay safe and take your time. No pressure.
A nerve was seemingly touched.

The young man's reaction was clear as day, there had been much more to this incident than Alison had been told. He was traumatized by the experience, his retelling was forced, fast, and messy. So much covered, but nothing elaborated.

"So the Texan died but came back? Last I checked, that magic was pretty feared and frowned upon. Best not to press him now about it, he might just lock up if he has to remember anything further. A different angle of attack then." Alison thought, her interrogator mentality kicking in out of habit.

"I think the Academy may know more about him. Let me introduce you to Chief Shield. She is the head honcho of the Academy and a friend. If you ever need information about something, just tell her you know me, and she should hook you up with something." James finished with a shudder and a shaky breath. Alison smiled and nodded.

"Of course, I think I'll take you up on that. That's what we're on our way to do anyway right? That aside, did she try any other attempts since then on your teams' lives? My guess is that once that barrier comes down and the fighting is door to door, we're going to be separated. I'd like to know what vulnerabilities to look out for should some specialized team follow in with the attack and try to pick us off." she said, hoping shifting the focus away from that particular incident would get him talking again.

"It's what I would do. If my real threat was an elite team in the city, I'd use the chaos of the attack as cover for my hunter team. Split them up, isolate them, then eliminate them. The only way we can counter that is by staying in contact and coordinating, but without modern comms, that is going to be much easier said than done..." Alison thought to herself. The situation was rapidly evolving, and their enemy seemed to have more and more advantages the more she learned. But then a lightbulb went off. "On the other hand, the Queen never tried to slit my neck... Which means she might not know about me being a part of the team. The Whispers and Pete confirmed nobody was paying attention to our lunch, and even if they did, they'd have to be in there to hear my tale... So long as that barkeep keeps his mouth shut, I might be able to ambush the hunter team..." With that thought, a strategy began to form and a contingency began to evolve.

It was time that the Second Chance had a much friendlier shadow.

@Teyao
@Teyao

Your good man. I hear ya on that front. It can feel like a lot to juggle, but this post was great and you don't have anything to worry about.
Alison silently thanked Hernandez for teaching her Spanish. The one smart choice she made in high school. Jame's features brightened and he laughed at the sudden use of the proverb.

"Truer words have never been spoken, but yeah you are right, I am not a fan of becoming some disposable asset or tool after we are done," He said, shaking his head, "Frankly I would prefer to get everyone back home as soon as possible, some would wish to help I know but I would choose their lives over people I don't know without hesitation."

At this, she nodded. Good. He seemed to have his priorities straight then. Of course, Alison cared much for the team she had assembled during her arrival here, but if there was even the slimmest of chances of figuring a way back home, there would be zero hesitation. There was a dark, deep new threat to reality. People's very "souls" could be grabbed by unknown parties and pulled into entirely different worlds. Who knows what could come the other way?

"That's what it takes James. I can see why they picked you. In that regard, you have my full agreement and support. I have a team, like I mentioned earlier, that is in alignment with that goal." she paused and stopped walking, turning to him and holding out a hand. "Let's do what we can to get everyone home in one piece. I promise you that I will do whatever I can to get us there." she finished.

After the handshake, Alison considered excusing herself to go to the Thieves Guild and catch up on any preparations or intel she missed out on, but James piped up before she could say anything.

"So, I have an errand to run in the Academy, do you want to go too? I could present you some of the peeps I know there" he suggested.

Considering she didn't have anything completely pressing at the moment, she agreed. Seemed like an opportunity to start meeting and greeting the intelligentsia of the city. Usually, the lab coat people were the kind she thought the least about outside what fancy toy they cooked up with at Raytheon, but in this world, academics seem to correlate well with incredible magical powers beyond human imagination, so getting this free foot in the door was something Alison would not pass up. "By all means, lead the way."

As they continued to the Academy, Pete caught up with them. James may or may not have even noticed as Pete smoothly fell in beside Alison after emerging from a street corner. "Well, notice anything while I was in the meeting?" she asked. Pete gave a casual shrug.

"Nothin boss, all quiet likes in the streets round the pub. Olaf ad to deal with some fools trying to rough up some other fool, the noble knight he likes to be. Kerensa ad nothin worth reportin and my glorious self nearly was able to catch a nap. Though before I could gets some shut-eye like, then boom! Loudest gnome in all of the fackin country comes strolling up to the pub. Bastard kept me from enjoying a mid day snooze on the roof. Anyways, one em from the people you was meetin, the red eye un, scared im off and starts chattin up the elf that was with the bastard. But then the dumb kid turns down a dinner date and makes a run for it! Stood her up and left er hanging right there in front of the damn pub!" Pete said in his usual exaggerated flair.

A deep, annoyed sigh escaped Alison's lips as she was given 10% of a report and 90% of Pete's sitcom drama. She turned to James and gestured to Pete. "James, this is Pete. Pete, James. Pete here is a member of my crew. He may seem about as inbred as the rest of his fellow peasants... and he is, but enough brain cells rubbed together in there to make him useful." she said. Pete made a gesture of jabbing a threatening finger in her face before giving his crooked smile and nod to James.

"Nice to meet ya fella. Boss is a cruel woman, so you best watch yourself round her." Pete finished before expertly dodging the low elbow and fading back into the crowd. Alison shook her head, a disapproving frown on her face.

"Asshole. Anyway, I have them right now combing the town for anyone with an uncanny interest in us. I'm sure you'll get a chance to meet the other two later today. Either way, glad that my intuition was right, cause if the Witch already tried to get you assassinated, she's liable to try again. Speaking of which, you gotta tell me sometime about that. What the hell is a water ninja?"

@Zapdos@Teyao
Hey guys! Been really busy with exams and what not, but I should be able to catch up and post something tomorrow.
Hey, just a heads up, I might not be able to post anything until Saturday. I have a big test coming up that I have to prepare for.
Bit of a delay, but posted. Some spanish proverbs for James. If there was going to be one other language Alison would know, it would probably be Spanish considering her experience and field of expertise focused namely on the drug trade and cartels.
The relatively cramped conditions of the guild hall were what struck Alison first. The air was thick with the smell of parchment and a hint of ale. The Brass Monkey was more of a bar establishment first and foremost while the Guild seemed to encompass all the support needs of the official adventure apparatus of the state. It was bemusing to Alison, to see themselves referred to as "adventures". Suppose it was a better phrase than "Semi-state-sanctioned Mercenaries".

That said, the atmosphere of the guild hall was about the same as the Brass Monkey. A handful of adventures that made up the patrons were tense with stress. The siege was coming to a head soon, the preparations in the streets showed that much. Through her Whispers, Alison had caught up on what was going around town during their walk to the guild. The preparations seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but she wondered how much of the city could truly held when the walls finally were breached.

Pulled away from her dark thoughts, a little dog-like creature came bounding up to them, yapping and excited to see James. However, when Alison leaned over from behind, she watched the dog shy away and flee back to its owner.

That hurt a little.

The owner behind the desk spoke with James before finally turning her attention to her. A local with sharp ears must be one of the more exotic races Alison had heard about in this world.

"Afternoon, Alison." She gave Alison a nod and then looked back at James. Alison gave a curt nod and a smile, letting James do the talking. After confirming their intentions, she gestured to the Source Crystal scanner. It was a strange device, almost looking like some sort of crystal ball with bits of brass sticking out. Again, it confused Alison how all out of the place the world seemed in its development.

She wondered if they could set up some sort of wireless surveillance system...

She placed her hand on the crystal and smirked internally when it displayed an alias. Not even the magic ball seemed to see through her facade! That, or she was so in deep that "Alison Walker" might as well be her real name at this point.

"Alison Walker," The Guildmaster read on the system, checking a few other details before looking at Alison "You're not from here," she noted. "Have you been in Valhiem long?" she asked,

Alison simply shrugged. "I've been around for only a little bit. Lucky me to get caught up in all this." Alison joked. After a few motions on the monitor, the Guildmaster finished.

"Alright, you are now officially a member of Second Chance." The Guildmaster said and left the display up for Alison to read this auspicious message. Though she picked up on the shift in the Guildmasters demeanor. Some sort of piece of information she had seen caused her to look at Alison differently. Alison didn't like it. She may have been able to hide her real name, but clearly, she couldn't hide what she was. Cursing internally at the damn computer, she looked at the screen and began to read.

---

"Figures..." was all Alison said when she finished reading the message. It had finally confirmed her suspicions. They were being used as some sort of interdimensional last resort. Otherworld Volkstorm soldiers were drafted at random to fight in a war they didn't understand or had any stake in. Anger threatened to warp her otherwise calm demeanor, but she pushed it back down.

It was all so absurd.

Alison sighed and closed the message before turning to James. "I take it you didn't accept Miss "Rightful Empress"'s offer? Good call. So far she either isn't in control enough of her minions as she says she is or just wants to remove a potential threat in the easiest way possible. Why bother with using whatever crazy amounts of energy it took to bring us here to send us back when you could just snuff us out with a well-placed dagger or arrow?" Alison mused, crossing her arms. "Yeah, don't worry, I'm not buying what she's selling."

However, once they left the guild and away from prying ears, she leaned close to James as they walked. "That said, I think we can't entirely trust this Empire either. I think something bigger might be at play, and while they might treat us nicely while we're useful, nothing is stopping them from dropping us as well. We gotta stay close and watch our backs, kid. Take it from me, Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo..." she finished with a wink.

@Rhona W

I can roleplay an undercover belkan pilot? This is bullshit.

(I'll be posting tomorrow most likely, excited to see some action!)
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