Lewascan2

An Isekai Upon This Land of Accursed Tropes - a Naruto Mass-Isekai RP

Yusuke Uchiha CS

@Verjil

Apologies for the wait, and I appreciate your patience. Presuming this is your final version, I see nothing worth criticizing.
Approved!
You may move Yusuke to the CS tab and post when ready.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Underground complex, Lab area, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

There had been a plan.

Shit, shit shit!

And if it weren't conceited to say, Veronica would like to have thought it was a good one.

Fuck, fuck fuck!

But you know what they say about plans and first contact...

Veronica's charge briefly stalled, as the massive unknown bear immediately proved himself to be unfortunately and aggressively hostile. Nothing that large should be capable of moving that fast, was her first thought. The second concern was largely with the fact that the redheaded mage wasn't the first potential target to appear. A lot of things started happening very quickly, yet for all her experience, even with a flash of precognition, Veronica could only shamefully admit that she hesitated, got lost in her thoughts.

And that hesitation cost them. Or maybe it hadn't, and she was just blaming herself needlessly? Thoughts for later.

Varya managed to dodge the surprise attack of the giant bear, even managed to get behind it and slash at his legs, but the sudden spark of magic from the mage and the counterattack of said bear sent him flying backwards out of sight in a flash of movement. Veronica's vision flashed towards the immediate future. She saw herself rounding the corner, saw the mage slamming a prison door behind Varya, taking him well out of the fight.

Fuck, fuck fuck, we needed him to keep the frontline busy!

She could hear the bear sisters shouting something, hear Solomon calling upon one of his undead servants, but her own focus was on her own situation. Her run had briefly paused, as the vampire absorbed how fast things went wrong. Yet, her momentum had not wholly halted, and her thoughts whirled with ways to turn this to her advantage. She had paused right before rounding the corner, right before she would be in direct eyesight of the mage, and the immediate future told her-

That will work.

She slowed her pace further, lightening her footsteps from a dead sprint, silencing her passage with practiced footwork. And in the split moment that she had to react, in the brief moment the mage turned around to magically shut the cell door behind Varya and lock him within, Widernia's voice heard gloating at the victory, Veronica breezed around the corner like a whisper, passing into the redheaded mage's blind-spot. She held her scythe far aloft to her right, ensuring its bulk stayed hidden within the blind-spot as well, as Veronica circled the mage from behind, matching her turn with inhuman dexterity and grace.

And as the mage turned around to berate the giant bear and speak some strangely emphasized word, Veronica flashed her precognition again, whipping her scythe around one-handedly with inhuman strength, so that it would pass right underneath the mage's chin, blade bared before her neck... As Veronica's posture shifted, right leg raising in a snap-chambered side kick, aiming to ram her foot into Widernia's back from behind and then jerk the scythe back in the same movement to immediately behead her without hesitation.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Collab with @Letter Bee.

---

Golden light pounded the earth like artillery fire, a methodical, maniacal barrage of energy. All around Marta, the ground was being pock-marked by smoking, scorched holes. By now, the nun had been herded away from the more industrialized parts of the camp in her harried flight, leaving a trail of molten, melted craters that had eventually transitioned from concrete to dirt. A few trees had even been ignited by the superhot passage of the projectiles, and they now burned merrily, casting portions of the night into an eerie orange glow.

One shot every 2 and a half seconds, that was the pattern, like mocking clockwork, practically on the dot. Each golden beam -arrow really- of plasma speared down from above like the casual, arrogantly playful poke of a child with a magnifying glass, slowly crisping an ant under the sunlight. And, of course, all of this was accented by the ongoing unironic peals of gleeful laughter from above, as the Zodiac’s Rooster hunted her prey… toyed with her. There was just barely enough space between her attacks to dodge, to flee… but only just, such was the speed of the actual attacks themselves once launched.

It was the game of a tyrant, savoring every second of the torment and subjugation of her future plaything. For someone of the Rooster’s particular tastes, the idea of corrupting and defiling a genuine modern-day nun (even if she wasn’t presently dressed as one, a thing to be rectified) was simply too delicious to refuse. It was like waving sweet ambrosia under her nose. The fact that the nun was an actual looker played no small part either, of course, an adorably petite little thing that Ai Chen would jubilantly relish breaking into her newest pet.

This was The Rooster’s obsession, her vice, enabled most extensively by uncaring superiors as long as she continued to do her job, to provide value as one of the PLA’s greatest PR show-ponies and most formidable warriors on the battlefield. Of course, she spent as much time caring for and cultivating her happy little flock of toys as she could get away with, reigning with an iron fist as the unstoppable jailor of one of the most secure prisons the PLA had, solely by the merit of her frequent presence. Even in the heat of this madness, there was no greater concern for her than expanding her collection of playthings.

At least… up until the air began to buzz with a familiar static electricity.

Its approach had almost gone unnoticed in the darkness, the familiar sight of the roiling, tarlike ooze, as a pitch-black spear spiked out of the bubbling mass that was spreading out from the surrounding forest, intercepting the latest light arrow midair in an explosion that left the spear of darkness a melted mess that soon collapsed to the ground.

“Still crowing at the top of your lungs, I see, Rooster,” came a familiar voice, as a woman in a PLA uniform walked out of the murk of the night. Her appearance was drastically different from the last time they had met, but her voice and power were unmistakable regardless, crackling ebony ooze writhing around her feet in a bubbling carpet that was gradually spreading across more of the forest floor.

Golden eyes glared up at Ai Chen, glinting in the light of the fires on the nearby trees, as Lei Qingshe, The Snake of the Zodiac, finally arrived on the scene. In her hands, she held what appeared to be a standard-issue PLA assault rifle, a remarkably mundane weapon for a person like her.

A few things terrified Ai Chen. The scream she let out at coming face-to-face with Qingshe once more could be heard from high up in the air, so high up she was barely a dot, was a sign she had encountered one of those things. Panicking, she raised the rate of fire of her shots, upping the ante to shoot four, no, eight, no, sixteen arrows of light a second, all of them streaming towards Qingshe.

She was not completely blind. Only the extremely foolish or extremely strong - Even if it was hidden strength - defied her… requests and survived unscathed, much less turned the tables and continued to function as normal without fear of her reprisals.

And Qingshe was not extremely foolish.

So Ai Chen flew backward to keep as much distance as possible from Qingshe, all the while keeping up her rate of fire and her accuracy, even deigning to pull out a pair of binoculars from the wristband of her bikini-like outfit to further aid her already-good eyesight.

Someone who had defied her and thrived despite that. That was worth fighting as hard to survive, maybe even run away should her tactics not work.

Slave camps are a dime a dozen nowadays in this world of new warfare. If she fled now and used excuses, she could do this again.

The Snake, for her part, stared the incoming barrage dead in the face, her expression impassive and unwavering right up until impact. Qingshe’s position was briefly engulfed into a blinding cacophony of explosions, heat, pressure and light washing over the area, as splashes of plasma sprayed across the carpet of ooze, dotting its crackling ebony mass like glittering stars in the sky. By all accounts, the woman had taken the attack head on, yet…

As the flash of destruction cleared away, the silhouette of someone standing in the steam became apparent.

Qingshe stood there, her body cast in the shadow of -and hands braced out against- a giant shield, primarily black and glowing green with accents of gold. Her Noble Arm, Ouroboros, having gone unseen by pretty much anyone since her defection from China around a year ago, now raised to defend her against the dire attack from above.

Yet, she did not seem to have come out unscathed.

Steam wafted off the Snake’s body, her PLA uniform frayed. The helmet had been blown clean off her head by the explosions and now lay a ruined, slagged mess, along with the rifle Qingshe had been holding, which lay at her feet in turn. Qingshe exhaled deeply, a hiss of steam escaping her lips, as angry red burns were now revealed to crawl up her cheeks and arms -the sleeves largely burned away, small flames even dancing across parts of her uniform.

With a grunt, Qingshe lowered her shield with a heavy thunk into the ooze, leaning against it a bit, almost as if for support. She glanced over her shoulder at Marta’s position, where the nun had been shielded from the latest attack by the eruption from the ooze of an angled armor panel of steel, a wedge 16 inches thick that was now dripping with hot plasma.

“Go… while you have the chance.” The Snake’s voice was husked, as if dry as a desert, likely the result of having all the moisture in the immediate vicinity of her flash-vaporized by the heat. “Help Nil… I’ll handle this one.”

---

Meanwhile, high in the air, Ai Chen’s radio began to crackle with static, before a familiar voice slithered from it into her ears.

“Ow. Is that any way to greet an old colleague, Chen?” Qingshe’s voice came through clearly in the night air, as the Snake invaded the PLA airwaves to reach her opponent, despite the distance between them. Her words were almost playful, but her tone was flat and cold. “Why, I’d almost think you weren’t happy to see me.”

---

Elsewhere, Qingshe’s ooze was still spreading from her position, certainly slower than it could be, but not at a snail’s pace by any means, more a power walk in general. The blanket of writhing ebony curled around and underneath Marta, using the nun as a guide. Where she went, the ooze would follow and likely assist in some capacity, as golden, serpentine eyeballs began to boil from its mass to give it a better view of its surroundings.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Underground complex, Lab area, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

As she neared the end of the short passageway to the lab complex, Veronica paused, idly noting the light footfalls she was coming to associate with Varya behind her. Her attention was more focused, however, on the opening she could see branching away even further right from her position, concealing a side room. Though she'd already scried the area prior and was technically aware of the geography of the perhaps soon-to-be battle zone, there was no sense not making one final sweep.

Her Sight leapt from her position, briefly sweeping across the lab complex's interior, looking to identify the location of anyone living within. First down the side passage to the left, then looking to the greater lab area and the holding cells.

The side room to the west was empty. Meanwhile, exploring the lab all the way to the left, they will find a hall with three large cells. In that hall, a red-haired woman and a very large bear are walking toward the lab's main room and will soon be encountered by the team. Behind that unseemly pair, Cedar could be observed lying helplessly on one of the cells at the end of the hall. The main area of the lab complex, itself, the largest room -and the one the potential enemy duo was about to enter, was about 64 meters across at its widest point, from west to east, and the width was about 15 meters... a sizable space.

Her eyes widening, Veronica released her Sight's gaze. If she didn't miss her guess, the passageway she could see on the opposite side of the large room was part of the escape tunnels Jazdia was concerned about. If they waited any longer, Widernia would not only have her back to that spot, but she would have the advantage of range as a mage in this large, open room. Not that Veronica's team didn't have ranged options of their own, but giving a mage of unknown capabilities space was just begging for trouble.

Veronica murmured behind her quietly, "Spotted the mage and bear, about to enter the main lab. Quickly!" If they waited any longer, they'd lose the chance to close the distance and take advantage of the element of surprise.

Veronica slunk around the corner, finally entering the primary lab area properly, and moved back until her back was facing the far wall from the probably escape tunnel. In her right hand, her scythe began to grow back to full size again, as she braced her right foot against the wall behind her as a foot stop.

She wasn't aware of how much so, but she knew bears had fairly good hearing, so she was sure trying to sneak up on the mage while she had that titan beside her was a fool's errand, especially in a wide, spacious area like this that could better echo even the slightest sound. No, moving slowly and quietly here was out of the question, not without magic designed for it.

So, she moved, giving her allies plenty of room to move past her or to use the corner as cover, and the moment either Widernia or the large bear stepped around the far corner, Veronica would launch herself from the wall in their direction, sprinting full ahead, as her scythe finished growing to full size. At her top safe sprinting speed, she would cover roughly 40 meters of the distance in 3 seconds, beyond which there was no guarantee in her mind that the enemy would stay too surprised to act, provided they had good reaction times, as she continued to sprint. She prepared to be attacked, ready to supplement her dodging with glimpses of the immediate future.

An Isekai Upon This Land of Accursed Tropes - a Naruto Mass-Isekai RP

Yūdoku Lyco CS

@Deide

Sorry for the long wait. After having given this a look, I can easily accept it. Feel free to transfer Lyko over to the CS tab and post whenever you're ready. Just make sure to put the whole sheet in a hider in the transfer; I prefer that done for neatness.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Underground complex, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Veronica shook her head slowly at the cheeky commentary of the bear sisters, as the acquired less floppy or fleshy shields, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the theft of the guards' belts. It's not like they were incorrect after all; such a simple theft could cause unusual amounts of trouble for the victim.

---

The vampire winced, as the barred gate opened with not exactly the preferred amount of silence. She'd sort of expected it, of course, as she had been mentally bracing herself for stealth to end here and a far more direct portion of the mission to begin. Even being prepared, however, didn't stop her from wanting to cringe at the noise. Thankfully, despite her concerns, it seemed the action didn't interrupt the roaring noise of someone sawing logs in another small adjacent room.

Veronica tensed further at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the tunnel leading to the manor, only for the following conversation to make her eyes widen in disbelieving elation. That was all the guards down here accounted for, wasn't it? They'd just left this place basically undefended! She said as much in a quick whisper. "I... this is excellent fortune! Unless something has changed since I scried it, I do believe they just left this level totally undefended... save for the mage and bear."

At the sound of retreating footsteps, she finally dared to slip into the antechamber, slitted crimson eyes flicking about warily, as she made a quiet beeline for the pathway to the laboratory. "Solomon, if you wouldn't mind utilizing that... powerful-smelling substance again to ensure the last guard's sleep is far deeper, that would be an excellent way to wrap this up cleanly. I was honestly expecting a fight, but let's not waste this chance to have complete surprise on our side."

With that said, Veronica slunk into the left passageway, her pace hurried but not outright running, making sure to muffle and silence her footfalls with practiced footwork. She carefully hugged the wall without actually touching it, her scythe slowly shrinking down to the size of a sickle to avoid the thin chance of it loudly jostling against the walls or floor in transit. She still kept it in hand, however, as her other hand withdrew a trio of throwing knives. She was slightly concerned about the potential of the other larger bear in the area ahead smelling their approach, but she mentally crossed her fingers that the powerful stench of blood and chemicals in the air would have muffled and overwhelmed his senses by being at the epicenter. If not? Well, she was expecting to have to go loud at this point anyway.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Basement storage zone, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

There was a moment -just one- where Veronica inwardly tensed. The second guard was apparently more wily than his brazenly horny partner. Yet... in the end, it seemed her cover held. If only just, perhaps. Tucking her hair behind her ear and bowing again, makeing sure to give the two a proper eyeful of her cleavage with the angle, Veronica smiled shyly. "O-oh thank you, sir! Of course!" She simpered to the second guard, her expression lighting up with faux joy and relief. She very carefully avoided looking at the door that had opened behind the guards due to someone unseen, as she bent over to fumble for her scythe, again ensuring her two suckers got a decent glimpse of pale thighs and her backside.

She didn't react, as a looming shadow grew into solidity behind the two guards, shadowy limbs reaching out to manifest Solomon's gloved hands over their mouths. An offensively powerful chemical stench washed over her senses, and Veronica was both fascinated and mildly repelled by it, watching the two guards quickly go limp in her fellow undead's grasp with barely a struggle. "Fascinating..." she murmured in appreciation, watching the retreat of the cloth wads back into Solomon's robe, as the guards collapsed bonelessly. "Out for several hours, you say? Excellent. That was far easier than I was expecting, but we're not out of the woods yet. Still..." The vampire rolled her jaw in thought, taking hold of her scythe properly again and slinging it over one shoulder.

Her eyes snapped to the reappearance of Varya from the now open doorway, one brow rising. So, he was the invisible one and not the bears? Her gaze flicked to the slightly more distantly approaching bear sisters, as Varya quickly rummaged through the thugs' pockets. Interesting and useful. She would be sure to account for such an asset going forward. It was a nice feeling to have not one -but two- comrades with exceptional stealth capabilities.

Listened to Varya's brief report, Veronica chuffed quietly, receiving the key to the door below and his subservient address with a familiar squirming in her gut. Or, well, the imagined sensation of such. Even now, when it only made sense for her to take command in something she was particularly experienced with, she couldn't help but feel somewhat uncomfortable being addressed as a superior, especially amongst people who were equally deserving of respect. She'd have loved to shoot down that sort of talk, but for now... it was useful. "Thank you," she nodded, gripping the key, "your initiative is welcome. It seems the immediate path ahead is clear for now." She was tempted to scry the way ahead to double check, but she'd already done that recently. It was unlikely anything would have changed since and would be a waste of mana.

Of course, it was about this point that the bear sisters had finished arriving and were laying paws upon the haplessly unconscious guards. It took Veronica moment to comprehend exactly what they were doing, but once she did, an exhale of exasperation and reluctant amusement escaped her. Even so, as amusing as the concept of the bears lugging around their new captives in such a casually humiliating way was, practicality won out in Veronica's mind.

"As funny as that idea is," she chuckled, before her expression sobered, "we're best off leaving those two behind. Live prisoners preferred, remember? Bringing them into battle will just risk killing them for no gain, and there's no guarantee anyone else we fight will be so easily and harmlessly subdued." She nodded to Solomon. "As the good Doctor here claims, they'll be unconscious for a couple hours, plenty of time for us to have the luxury to not waste time securing them yet." She shook her head with an apologetic smile, eyeing the specific orientation the guards were held in. It almost raised a brow from her, as she somehow hadn't expected relatives of Cedar to go for something as ruthless as a meat shield. "Leave them be. If you'd like some form of protection, why not try some of the crate lids around here?" She gestured to the crates dotting the storage area. "And if those won't suffice? Well, there will surely be other 'Chivalrous gentlemen' to strap to your arms deeper in."

Glancing towards the door to the rest of the underground facility, she jerked her head leading and headed that way. "Now c'mon, enough goofing." With that said, Veronica set off quickly down the corridor Varya had scouted prior. As she had seen before in her scrying, the pathway to Cedar led soon down a flight of stairs and then a deeper corridor, at the end of which was a door with metal bars. Hurrying over to it, Veronica produced the key found by Varya and made to unlock the barrier, glancing back to do a habitual headcount of her team before proceeding further.

Once they caught up, she lowly murmured to them, "Same strategy as before, but this time I doubt we'll be as lucky as to get another set of idiots. We use the element of surprise to our full advantage. No hesitation, no quarter until the enemy is subdued. I'll take point, give them something to target." She eyed the blue-skinned elf. "Varya, I gather your magic includes some form of invisibility? Then I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting closer while the opposition is distracted." She glanced at Solomon and simply nodded with a smirk; she was sure the lich would find the best places to employ his skills without her help.

To the twins, finally, she added, "Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with your abilities, but I gather you're both mages of some stripe. I leave your utilization of them to your best judgement." She paused, an expression of concern crossing her features. "If you're not used to life and death battles, similarly to your brother, I can only further recommend that you stay careful and don't freeze. Beyond that, I'll trust your judgement. So... good luck..." She turned the key and opened the barred gate, expression hardening, as the scent of blood seemed to be stronger now than ever. "Let's save us a brother bear."

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

---

It's almost nostalgic.

That was Special Liaison Lei Qingshe's predominant thought, as the infiltration convoy sailed down the Mekong River, packed like sardines into two small boats. In the lead boat, with Noel, Myron and Ernesto, the Snake largely kept to herself, her body clad in standard military garments and gear. She was fiddling with a rifle in her lap, one she'd made herself, of course, even if it was the same as those her comrades were carrying. Today was a rare opportunity to see Qingshe actually make an effort to fly below the radar, having donned the trappings of the mundane and even going so far as to physically modify her green hair to a short, wavy jet black, no longer flying free and strikingly colorful. She looked like any other soldier you might meet, if perhaps a bit more beautiful than the average, but she'd gone out of her way to actually combat her own "perfection", deliberately applying a number of those little visual flaws that every person had to one degree or another.

She hadn't spoken much this whole time, having remained apparently lost in thought.

How long had it been since she shed the skin of an Arms Master and worn mundane garb? How long had it been since she'd actually needed to play things safe? How long had it been since she'd actually resorted to mundane weaponry and methods? It was honestly amazing to consider in hindsight. It felt like so long ago that she was just another conscripted soldier, being sent on borderline suicide missions just because she was a replaceable face in the crowd. Her country had so many Arms Masters at their disposal, that they could afford to waste them, and until she had proven her worth, she'd just been one more expendable asset at their disposal.

Those were not good times, not even the times after -once she'd officially donned the title of The Snake, but in some strange part, she couldn't help but look back on them fondly, almost like they were "simpler times". She knew that was nonsense, of course, probably some level of Stockholm Syndrome in spite of everything, but China was her home. It hurt to see what it had become these days...

As the convoy of two boats passed through the first chain checkpoint seemingly without issue, Qingshe finally put into action a plan she'd been concocting since before they'd even left. She hadn't said anything about it at the time, not back then and not in an official sense, as it was clear that -regardless of her efforts- ASEAN had severe information leaks. The enemy always seemed far too prepared, far too ready at just the right time and place, had even concocted plans with countermeasures specifically attuned to members of the Obsidian Task Force. Therefore, the only safe plan was one that was made on the spot, mid mission.

Slowly standing from her position, as the second checkpoint came into sight, Qingshe squeezed through the other people in the boat to lean over Myron's shoulder, her voice a whisper that anyone else would struggle to hear.

"Eyes forward. No need to respond," she spoke, as one hand came down to rest beneath his right arm, her oozing shadow bubbling out from beneath it into his lap, unseen. Her hand pulled upwards, withdrawing a small, circular device that looked almost like a landmine. Though its purpose was far more benign. Holding the device up just enough that Myron could glimpse it, the fingers of her other hand casually teased open a pouch, sliding the device inside. "This device will emit a powerful and secure wireless signal," she whispered. "It will be connceted solely to several other similar devices and should serve you well as a transport beacon. This one shall act as your anchor to the network, which I shall be setting up once we make landfall." She didn't elaborate further, but she hardly needed to. It would be obvious to someone with Myron's power that this would give the team exceptional mobility... provided the Snake could set up the network fast enough.

Her piece said, Qingshe stepped back and returned to her seat. The second checkpoint was looming ever closer, and her gaze narrowed at the dark bunkers and the former "comrade" she could see within the left one, The Dragon, Huo Ren.

What is he doing here? She couldn't help the thought being tinged with over frustration, lamenting the OPSEC of ASEAN once more. Huo Ren, after all, happened to be a particularly specific counter to Noel's own power. Oh, sure, there were plenty of other people and Noble Arms he "countered" simply through sheer firepower, but still, Qingshe couldn't help but think his presence here was no coincidence.

And then Huo Ren summoned a sun, and a lot of things started happening in rapid succession.

The second light bloomed in the sky, Qingshe had reflexively spread her shadow about the floor of the boat she was in, tensely staring up in internal disbelief that their cover was blown so totally and without hesitation. She barely paid attention to the back and forth between Noel and Huo, only flying into motion once Ernesto took the initiative in Huo Ren's distraction.

As the burly man had guessed, the Snake was quite familiar with handling herself, and in this moment, she dropped into her shadow near entirely, a strip of her ooze flowing over the side of the boat onto the surface of the water and flashing toward the shore in seconds. Qingshe dove under without hesitation, briefly catching sight of the other boat being catapulted towards the shore by Marta's Noble Arm.

And then, the Snake's vision was swallowed by her darkness. For a moment she was alone, able to rage to herself just a little in the privacy of her shadowy world, swimming through an endless sea of thrumming black and green ooze. Her thoughts were a whirlwind that was rapidly being tempered by rationality, as she searched for the best way to salvage this. Yes, she had considered the possibility, but she hadn't expected things to go tits up this fast!

There's a major leak! There has to be! She found it hard to comprehend that the enemy could always be this ready for them! At least she had made some preparations.. So... yes, this should still be workable. She was feeling a bit calmer now, her temper less incited by the spurt of annoyance. She was just... so sick and tired of things not going to plan. Was that so much to ask for? Maybe it was. But she was perhaps used to it by now. Regardless, this was no time for lollygagging. Every second she was here was a second she wasn't helping Task Force Obsidian survive this ambush.

---

As she carefully peeked back out of her shadow, which now composed a small puddle on the shoreline, the world Qingshe returned to was one of darkness, madness and blood. Clearly, Alonso had unleashed his power, and the results were distasteful to see, friend tearing into friend in a maddened frenzy of violence and waste of human lives. Screams of fear, rage and agony filled the night air, and the area was rapidly becoming far more akin to the gruesome sight of an open battlefield.

Noel and Myron were facing off against two Arms Masters that hadn't been there before. A trail of destruction had a been carved in the direction of the prison camps, which was probably where Marta and Nil had gotten off to. Qingshe could see no sight of Huo Ren or his sun, nor the three other members of the Task Force that had come along, so she had to assume the Dragon's absence was the doing of one of them.

Which meant she was not in a position to deal with him herself.

Lucky him. I'm not in the mood to play around today. Lips tightening, Qingshe glanced around, eyes fixing in the direction of the prison camps. She decided on her target, deciding Noel and Myron could handle themselves. Besides, if her plan went the way she was hoping, she'd be helping them regardless, even without personally aiding them in battle. For now, the priority was the mission they'd actually come here for.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere inside Qingshe's shadow, inside a vast complex of black and green cyberpunk aesthetics, there was a room. There were many like it, of course, but this one was especially set aside for more militant matters. The room was a large, circular affair, occupied primarily by a massive roundtable, lined with chairs. In the center above this table, there dominated a holographic display, upon which was displayed a running feed of information.

There was a visual display that had only moments prior shown the team's stealth being very much compromised. Another display showed a running record of every bit of speech that Qingshe heard, sorted by who had spoken it and the context, as best she was able to provide, granting onlookers a running transcript of the situation. This feed had briefly cut off moments prior, as the Snake ducked into her shadow to make evasive maneuvers, before reestablishing to the sight of overt carnage. Noel's power was in full effect, and the bloody rampage of its victims was already making mass casualties... along with even apparently revealing more enemy Arms Masters.

"I don't like this." Qingshe's voice came from overhead, as if from speakers, practically omnipresent in the room's space. "How could things go this badly already?" The feed was moving quickly now, zipping across the landscape, as Qingshe slipped between the maddened masses while half submerged in her shadow. Her gaze kept drawing towards the trail of destruction left by Marta's launched boat, only to flick over to where Myron and Noel were, as the insane enemy slaughtered themselves in droves. "Is this the power he's been talking about making use of all this time?" Her voice was quite lacking in levity, an apparent rarity. "It's quite amazingly horrible."

“First off, gonna need you to turn down the volume a tad. Hearing’s still a bit sensitive.” The Greek volunteer sat in the shadow world created by Qingshe with his Noble Arm active, scanning and compiling the information being presented as best he can. Even still, he wasn’t a genius, and some thoughts were cast to the wayside for the sake of attempting to be prepared. But the sight of the carnage wrought by the power of Noel’s scythe made his stomach turn. Thank heaven that’s on our side.

After spending a few seconds rubbing his thoughts together and praying for a spark, the beginnings of a plan came together. More a concept than anything, but a concept founded in logic and reasoning. “So, the Lieutenant’s Noble Arm is this, huh? Makes the nun seem almost pleasant.” Even as he spoke, his thoughts were branching out, trying to figure out a solution to at least a problem with the time and knowledge they had. “Three comrades and the paper dragon are gone. Four unaccounted Arms Masters appear, and now we’re getting shot at by a flying lady. Not great.”

And still, he kept looking for a way to success, regardless of the odds. It was truly all he could do. And then, a bold thought popped into his head. Three on two’s better odds when the two are green to begin with. It was not the most sound plan, or even a surefire strategy for combat, but Nico was more than confident in his swordplay. And the focus of Sunsetter only made him more sure of this tactic. Even if the battle dragged on, his absolute trump card would be enough. It had to be. “I can take the two green Arms Masters with Lieutenant Alonso and the greaser. Got a way to put me near them?”

"Hmm?" There was a note of interest in Qingshe's voice, before the volume lowered ever so slightly. "And here I was sure I was keeping things fairly mild. Enhanced senses?" She chuckled. "How interesting." The words were playful, as usual, but her heart didn't seem fully in it.

In the corner of the visual feed, Qingshe's gaze could be seen passing around the outside of one of the bunkers and ducking behind a bush, her hand reaching into view to secure a circular device to the side of the structure. This, Nico could easily identify, was one of the wireless beacons the Snake had promised to Myron to assist the team's mobility.

The holographic data feed had another display. This one was pulsing with signals on a map, the positions of all the beacons Qingshe had set down so far. One still on the intact boat she had rode on. One on the shoreline where she'd first touched down. Another on the side of the left bunker. One in Myron's possession, and another far back down the Mekong river on a distant shoreline, a prepared escape route and evacuation point to transfer prisoners to if need be.

A grim little chuckle escaped Qingshe, as she glanced back at Noel and Myron. "Yes, I can get you there easily enough." Her gaze tracked to the figure in the sky. "And I... shall deal with Ai Chen." There was a strangely vehement loathing in her tone. "It's long past time we settled things, and based on what I know of her... proclivities... I shudder to imagine what she'd be doing at a prison camp."

In the visual feed, Qingshe's shadow shot across the battlefield in a strip only inches across, the tip blooming into an opening of several feet once it got near Noel and Myron. Down inside the room Nico occupied, a section of the very air seemed to bubble and melt, creating a humming gateway to his allies.

Despite himself, Nico smiled softly, trying to seem brave in the face of uncertain odds and unforeseen events. Hearing the words of the Snake but not feeling the conviction made him want to bring a bit of levity to the moment. “I’ll tell you what: if you kill Ai Chen before I can beat these newbies, I’ll owe you a favor within reason and vice versa. Fair?”

A foolish thing to say in an active war zone with two enemy Zodiacs and god knows what else, but Nico knew how to dispel his own doubts. Stray thoughts were death, and he refused to die until he was ready for the inevitable. Even if Qingshe was a snake, she was still a comrade, and a good one at that. She stuck up for me before Mischief Reef. I’ll repay her someday. I must.

He walked towards the gateway and looked through it, gripping his Noble Arm tightly. He had to make it back, so he could sleep another night. To save someone else. To prove he could be someone reliable. “Well, there’s my stop. I’ll be back when I’m done.” As he prepped his thoughts, he whispered a thank you and a quick prayer, before leaping through the gateway.

---

As Nico finally took to the field and left her shadow, Qingshe huffed to herself, racing towards the prison camps and closer to where she was sure Marta and Nil had disappeared to. The POW camp was nearing with every step, as she had left her shadow entirely by now, the bubbling ooze racing underfoot in a small radius around her. She was still wearing the disguise she had donned prior... Though, unbeknownst to any here, this "disguise" was just a return to an old visual form, the Qingshe of the past, long before she had modified her body in her transhumanist pursuits... before she had become the Snake.

Mostly to herself, long after Nico would have been in a position to hear it, she also muttered, "Hah... don't be ridiculous. This isn't the time to be making bets." Golden eyes shifted towards the sky and the ongoing rain of light arrows, her lips curling into a snarl of disdain, as her pupils narrowed to reptilian slits. "I'm simply setting the record straight, just like I should have..."

-from the very start.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Basement storage zone, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Before she had even entered the basement, the pungent cocktail of scents wafting up from below had been assaulting and tantalizing her sense in equal measure. The full and varied scents of many herbs intermixed with the acrid stench of chemicals. And Veronica knew it was largely the influence of her vampiric instincts, but she couldn't help but feel revitalized by the scent of blood in the air, her cold, dead heart longing to beat with excitement and mouth longing to water. She felt her focus sharpening just breathing it in, her appetite rising at the temptation, and she became all the more keenly aware of the distant thunder of the guards' heartbeats, her gaze involuntarily drawing to the nigh-imperceptible pulse of their necks.

Yet even so, this much temptation was easily shoved aside with long practice, as voices unexpectedly met her ears.

Veronica expected many things going into this fight. She'd been prepared for the guards to not take the bait, but they'd bitten so hard it took her off guard. She'd been prepared for them to used ranged weaponry, but they instead resorted to approaching her in melee right away and even left their posts at the door entirely. She'd been expecting some level of magical or mundane complications in the form of personal skills or just good old fashioned wily minds, but neither guard seemed to overtly so much as suspect her presence was even malicious!

What she had not in any form expected to get was no fight at all!

Are these idiots actually propositioning me? Unbelievable.

Veronica would admit -at least to herself- that she was completely dumbfounded, and it took more effort than she'd like to stay composed in the face of such overt incompetence. Her pace nearly staggered, as she flashed her Sight again, thoughts flying, to simulate just a little extra time to think. This... wasn't according to plan. These guards couldn't be this foolish, could they? Yet, if they were...? Well, she knew all too well what they said about plans and the enemy.

And she was just as well-acquainted with adapting.

Veronica's entire body language shifted, flowing from a tense dead sprint to a half-stumble, as she feigned needing to catch her balance, allowing the weight of her scythe to swing past her to clumsily clank against a crate. Within her body, Veronica's heart began to beat at her insistence, as she let deep gasps become audible from her throat, shoulders hunching in a way that made her look just a little bit smaller. Her pace finally came to a full halt with her leaning against a crate, radiating alarm.

At the guards' words, she glanced over her shoulder, her new persona now full in place, as doe-like, half-lidded eyes met them. She deliberately fumbled with her scythe, feigning as if to lean on it for support like a cane, the large head braced against the floor, only to slip and let out an "eep", the weapon slipping from her grasp to clatter on the floor. "O-oh, y-yes, that's me, my Lady Widernia's humble servant!" she stammered, looking every bit the hapless, overworked sort. "I-I'm so sorry to barge in like this, but-" She paused to squirm and let out a whimper. "It's awful! I just got here, and someone's attacking the place!" she whined piteously, making sure to pitch her voice to cover up the sound of something her keen ears and nose could vaguely pick up being lathered on the door behind the guards. "I-I'm not much of a f-fighter, you see, e-even with this horribly cumbersome thing," she licked her pale lips, pouting them invitingly, "s-so I ran away, f-figured they'd be too busy fighting that big strong knight up there to chase me..."

Squirming in place, the pale girl finally reached up to draw back her hood shyly, velvety-red gloves tucking black locks behind one ear. A casual shrug now had part of her cloak hanging off her shoulder, exposing the red and black garb beneath. Veronica was all too aware of the way she went out of her way to make her "panicked" breaths heave her chest up and down most obviously, "accidentally" giving the guards an eyeful, as she strategically twisted her body such that her cloak fell a little further behind her, draping concealingly over the weapons still on her back, yet exposing more tight clothing and pale skin.

She watched, waited, allowing the guards to approach her without even a single speck of hostility written in her body language. Shoulders were hunched, one arm kept tucked under her ample chest to better emphasize it while clutching the opposite arm, and her eyes refused to mee the guards', constantly ducking away "shyly" and submissively.

"U-um, t-that is, I apologize again for startling you and interrupting your important work!" She ducked her head, hands rising to clasp together over her chest, as she gave them both a short, brief bow. "I-I'm pretty useless as a fighter, s-so I'm sure that scythe would be much better in s-stronger hands like yours while I'm speaking to Lady Widernia. D-do you think that would be alright?" Her tone was breathier now, letting hope intermix with desperation.

All the while, internally, the vampire's mind was coldly counting every step of the guards' unhindered approach, her Sight periodically flashing towards the near future to ensure this wasn't a ruse and that these fools weren't far more cunning snakes, just waiting for her to lower her guard in turn. Her positioning was subtly shifted all the while, her busy upper body covering for one foot sliding to rest right next to her prone scythe's center of balance. The base of the large head was slightly suspended from the ground by falling against the crate she presently leaned against, leaving space for her to slide her foot beneath it if she wished.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Location: Basement entrance, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Veronica waited for the rest of the infiltration team to gather... well, those she could see anyway. The bear sisters offered her a beaded bracelet, their wording implying it to be some sort of sight enchantment, but the vampire shook her head and handed it back. "There's no time for me to figure out how to use this properly. It's better off in your hands; I'll stick to what I'm familiar with." Besides, unknown magic could be finicky, and she had no idea if it might interact poorly with her darkvision.

The metal compass coming alive prompted her to pull it out again, nodding quietly at Jazdia's message. "Understood." She closed the compass and put it back in a hip pouch.

She took a quick headcount, nodding in acknowledgement of Varya and Solomon's presence, as one of the sister bears (she had trouble telling which until the other mentioned her name - Lily) warned her about the redheaded woman, now confirmed to likely be the same mage that captured Cedar. "I'll keep that in mind then," the vampire replied, her mind whirling. While she didn't carry any poisons on her unfortunately -something she'd perhaps be well served rectifying later, there were several less kind ways to disable a mage. Depending on the skill of the caster, of course. Her instinct would be to quite literally disarm the woman if given a chance, as she wasn't entire certain there was another way to safely restrain her. Though, that would probably kill her from blood loss regardless, so maybe she was best served going for a killshot instead. It's not like they couldn't take other prisoners, and sometimes, you just had to weigh risk against reward.

Veronica's gaze flicked to Solomon, who had finished reemerging from the shadows, nodding at his report. "So, quite possibly thralls, as I had distantly theorized. Or perhaps something else, though no other possibilities leap to mind... That sort of working doesn't seem like Delving's magic, however..." Her brow furrowing, the vampire's thoughts went down darker paths. "Perhaps it is the redheaded mage's doing?" Grimacing, Veronica let out a quiet sigh. "I hope some can be taken as prisoners. If they are merely victims in all this, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to kill them unless absolutely necessary." She shook her head. "I suppose our backs are clear for the moment, so we'll leave it to the rest to handle themselves."

Glancing down at the basement below and hearing the echoing -and admittedly mildly humorous- conversion ringing out from somewhere within, she nodded. "On which note, I'd like us to take as many live prisoners as possible." It wasn't her usual modus operandi, but the presence of potential mind manipulation making unwilling participants of some of the guards cast things in a new light. Oh, she was sure it wasn't all -or even most- of them, but it never hurt to be sure. "As for the mage and the bear? We try not to fight the bear, but don't hesitate to put him down if he tries to fight us. The mage... As much as I'm sure picking her brains would be valuable to the King, we have a mission to prioritize."

"Alright..." If she was still alive, Veronica was certain her blood would be pumping with anticipation, as she reached back and unstrapped a blood-red scythe the size of a sickle, which was already starting to grow in her grasp. "Two guards at a door, directly ahead and to the left -the north. The basement is otherwise empty. Let's make this quick and quiet." Her gaze flicked over the group, whose capabilities she still didn't know too well aside from Solomon, as the scythe finished growing to its full massive size, the familiar weight of the head now swung up to rest on her shoulder. "I'll take point," she gestured, "and run across the room to draw both their eyes and fire -if they have any ranged weaponry. I'm going to circle around them, come at them from the east. With any luck, they will both be so occupied by me that they won't see any of you coming until it's too late to react."

Pausing, Veronica let them digest that for a moment, before adding, "This should take them down as swiftly and safely as possible, and it should be broadly applicable enough to work, no matter your skillsets." She nodded, smiling confidently in her ever-presently close-mouthed way. "I'm confident in my evasive abilities, so make the most of my distraction and don't worry about me."

Stepping down the basement steps, she paused at the corner, right before she would pass into sight of the guards and the doorway they were posted at. Crouching down, she adjusted her hold on her scythe, letting it trail behind her, placing one foot on the stairs as a brace, much like a track runner would a footstop at the start of a race. She shot a brief glance behind her at the rest of the team, giving them time to prepare, before launching herself forward explosively, sprinting low to the ground. With the proper leverage to hit nearly her top speed -without overworking her muscles- right out the gate, Veronica was a brown-cloaked flicker of brown, red and black, as she cleared 13 meters in a second, 26 in two and edging towards 40 in three, straight down the center of the storage room (or as near to it as she could manage). Her run was already beginning to turn ever so slightly northward in a circuitous movement, but her roundabout pace meant it would still be critical moments before she could fully close the distance. And for that time...

Her Sight bloomed, the near future spreading out before her, as she prepared to dodge or deflect anything that might come her way, her grip on her scythe shifting in her left hand to make sure it was both readily usable and -more importantly- intimidatingly visible, angling to catch the light of whatever torches might be present to really emphasize the presence of the glinting reaper's blade, doing her best to elicit as much attention and fearful focus from her targets as possible.