Neziul
X Fiendfyre X
Sadu
Some Cole Cuts
ICanBeAnyone
piss bottle
Snowdrops
ctrlsaltdel
ChronicleMan
VixereYellow Brick
~Making Moves~
Featuring: T. Eren Glyde-Savion; Darian Slayton
Mentions: Hailey Vagabond, @Estylwen; Isabella Delacroix @Qia; Krish Zarina @The Savant
New development; assailant in Nickel intercepted. ID as Krish Zarina, leftenant of Asterion Kairo.
Roger. Continue updating.
Transmitting body cam feed to surveillance hub at HQ.
Glyde’s pace quickened on seeing Sylvia’s last message. If she felt it necessary to send her intel live then it had to be pertinent; she had yet to send him anything useless. He made his way to the heart of the police building, wherein was a large, dark room lined with rows of old computers. Beyond the dust, dirt, and minor disrepair, the desktops were all arranged in organized cubicles. However, all of the machines were powered off, and, at the moment, still inoperable, save for one screen that glowed at the center of the room.
Glyde and his initial crew had managed to get the single computer working again, though the task of connecting it to the wider surveillance system in the city had been less successful; most, if not all, of the CCTVs in Nocturnia had either been sabotaged or simply damaged in the crossfire between the city’s assortment of factions. The single working device at the center of the room had been fitted with a receiver connected to a set of body cameras that Glyde’s team had been equipped with.
He, Sylvia, and Darian could record and transmit their patrol footage back to the computer, Though the range of operation had yet to be properly tested, they could at least get a serviceable feed from anywhere within their corner of the city; their own Districts as well as Nickel, Ivory Tower, Highfair, and Newpoint all came back clear enough, though it was only as reliable as the CCTVs they were replacing.
When Glyde entered, he was greeted by a salute from a pair of new soldiers at the door, and a grunt and nod from a tall, muscular man adorned by Rambo fatigues. The latter was already standing by the monitor, watching Sylvia’s feed, and only gave Glylde half a glance before turning back to it. The Staff Sergeant took his spot next to the man, who stood over him by at least six inches. Glyde noted, as he usually did around Darian, the visible metallic hand that clenched as a tight fist, as if to remind his commanding officer that he could level him any time he wanted if the hierarchy dissolved.
“Darian.” Glyde spoke plainly.
“Staff Sergeant.”
“What’s the deal with that one?” Glyde pointed to the cartoonish woman in pink who stood out even within the blurry footage.
“No fuckin’ clue. No intel. No ID. Nothing. Just… bombs.”
“Bombs?”
“By the looks of it, she can just pull bombs out of nowhere. And not like… serious bombs… I’m talkin’ Looney Toons type shit.”
“And she did that damage?” Glyde observed the craters punched into the nearby buildings, and the cars set aflame.
“Yeah. Now that Krish fellow is standing up to her though. What should we do about her though?”
“Nothing. Nothing for the moment. She’s clearly targeting Asterion’s territory. No reason to put ourselves into her line of sight. Besides, this could be useful to us.”
“How so?”
“If she can keep things in check in Nickel for a bit longer…”
“You don’t reckon she’d be a good one to hire? Like… a mercenary?”
“God no. Too chaotic. Better to leave her to--”
“And you’ve got a problem with Mercenaries?”
The chastising drawl of a female voice spoke at the door. Stood, rather smug, in the frame was a young woman with dyed white-silver hair, clad in piercings and a punk fashion sense complete with facial piercings. She pushed off from her spot, leaned against the side of the frame and began sauntering towards the back row of cubicles.
“Hey!” One of the soldiers moved at her, “You can’t be in here!” The soldier attempted to restrain the woman only for his arms to pass harmlessly through her. He fell to the floor, dumbfounded.
“Because it would be a real shame if you did. Seeing how much money I’m being paid to help you out.”
“What?” It was all Glyde could press out in response as he turned to face the woman.
“Simple. Someone, I’m not entirely sure who, handed ME an envelope of cold, hard cash, and said to report here for further instructions.” The woman shrugged her shoulders. “So congrats I guess. You’ve just hired Anna D’Rochelle… known locally as Phade.”
“Huh. So then be it. What can you bring to the table, Phade?”
“HA!” Phade cackled mockingly. “Well for starters,” she pointed at the soldier still confused sitting on the floor. “Your boy down there couldn’t even touch me. AAAAAND.” In an instant, she had both vanished from the back of the room and reappeared in the row directly in front of Glyde’s face. “There’s that.”
“Right then.” Glyde tried to mask how startled he was by the sudden movement. “So you can move through things, and you can teleport.” He thought for a moment, deliberating hard on how much he could trust ‘Phade.’
“Yeah. I’ve got something for you. The Riverbend and Waterfront Vale Districts are home to a cult. I’ve been wanting to get more on them for a while, maybe figure out what their leader wants. But it’s been hard to get too close to him. You get the guy a cozy spot in Merryland and get what you can out of him. And, I’m sure you’re aware of the condition of your hiring… if you get captured, you’re on your own.”
“Of course. Client confidentiality is the backbone of my trade.” Phade gave Glyde a sarcastic salute. “And don’t worry, I can fend for myself out there.” Phade dropped as though riding an elevator, passing through the floor and out of sight.
Glyde turned his attention back to the monitor. A cloud of smoke filled the air in front of Sylvia’s body cam. By the look on the screen she was moving towards it. Then, as the smoke began clearing, the transmission went dark; Sylvia had gotten out of range.
Be careful. Keep your distance.
“You really just gonna trust some rando from off the street?” Darian spoke scathingly into Glyde’s ear. “Not even remotely concerned she might’ve been looking to throw a wrench in our operation?”
“If she were looking to sabotage us she wouldn’t have announced herself.” Glyde retorted pointedly, but shrugged in uncertainty. “She could have seen what she needed to see and made a run for it… and told whoever she damn well pleased. But she didn’t. Our numbers are thin these days Dar. We need to make a few gambles.”
“Yeah. I know. Just, why not bet ourselves?”
“We’ll get there. But first…” Glyde wheeled to face the wall of a man. “I’ve got a task for you.” Dar turned to him. His expression was one of tenuous obedience. “Send word to Isabella Delacroix of The Iron Rose: Del Guarde offers ground in the 93rd Street District in the name of a truce. Details and terms to be negotiated upon a face-to-face meeting between myself and Madame Delacroix.”
Dar’s face flares into shock and anger. “HOW?! WHY?!” His hands grasped Glyde at the collar, the cold metal of his prosthetic felt through the glove covering it. “Is that any way to honor the soldiers that died last time?! Jimmy… all of his guys…”
“And how would enabling further bloodshed there make it any better?” Glyde raised a hand to calm Dar. “James would want us to do everything we could to keep people alive.” His feet felt the floor beneath him as Dar lowered his arms and released his grip. “We need… at least for now, a peace accord with our neighbors.”
Darian snarled. “Alright. I’ll deliver your message. But I still want our revenge.” The soldier stomped towards the door and from the room.
“And you’ll get it,” Glyde called after him. “When the time is right.” The Staff Sergeant placed a hand to his temples and shook his head. Thank God Sylvia is more amicable. He turned and glared at the soldiers standing guard by the door. “In the meantime,” he ordered. “This place needs some sprucing up. Immediately!”
The soldiers saluted and moved swiftly on their orders. With another supply train coming in soon, they”d be able to reinforce Yellow Brick. Perhaps they could even restore it its former glory someday.
Glyde and his initial crew had managed to get the single computer working again, though the task of connecting it to the wider surveillance system in the city had been less successful; most, if not all, of the CCTVs in Nocturnia had either been sabotaged or simply damaged in the crossfire between the city’s assortment of factions. The single working device at the center of the room had been fitted with a receiver connected to a set of body cameras that Glyde’s team had been equipped with.
He, Sylvia, and Darian could record and transmit their patrol footage back to the computer, Though the range of operation had yet to be properly tested, they could at least get a serviceable feed from anywhere within their corner of the city; their own Districts as well as Nickel, Ivory Tower, Highfair, and Newpoint all came back clear enough, though it was only as reliable as the CCTVs they were replacing.
When Glyde entered, he was greeted by a salute from a pair of new soldiers at the door, and a grunt and nod from a tall, muscular man adorned by Rambo fatigues. The latter was already standing by the monitor, watching Sylvia’s feed, and only gave Glylde half a glance before turning back to it. The Staff Sergeant took his spot next to the man, who stood over him by at least six inches. Glyde noted, as he usually did around Darian, the visible metallic hand that clenched as a tight fist, as if to remind his commanding officer that he could level him any time he wanted if the hierarchy dissolved.
“Darian.” Glyde spoke plainly.
“Staff Sergeant.”
“What’s the deal with that one?” Glyde pointed to the cartoonish woman in pink who stood out even within the blurry footage.
“No fuckin’ clue. No intel. No ID. Nothing. Just… bombs.”
“Bombs?”
“By the looks of it, she can just pull bombs out of nowhere. And not like… serious bombs… I’m talkin’ Looney Toons type shit.”
“And she did that damage?” Glyde observed the craters punched into the nearby buildings, and the cars set aflame.
“Yeah. Now that Krish fellow is standing up to her though. What should we do about her though?”
“Nothing. Nothing for the moment. She’s clearly targeting Asterion’s territory. No reason to put ourselves into her line of sight. Besides, this could be useful to us.”
“How so?”
“If she can keep things in check in Nickel for a bit longer…”
“You don’t reckon she’d be a good one to hire? Like… a mercenary?”
“God no. Too chaotic. Better to leave her to--”
“And you’ve got a problem with Mercenaries?”
The chastising drawl of a female voice spoke at the door. Stood, rather smug, in the frame was a young woman with dyed white-silver hair, clad in piercings and a punk fashion sense complete with facial piercings. She pushed off from her spot, leaned against the side of the frame and began sauntering towards the back row of cubicles.
“Hey!” One of the soldiers moved at her, “You can’t be in here!” The soldier attempted to restrain the woman only for his arms to pass harmlessly through her. He fell to the floor, dumbfounded.
“Because it would be a real shame if you did. Seeing how much money I’m being paid to help you out.”
“What?” It was all Glyde could press out in response as he turned to face the woman.
“Simple. Someone, I’m not entirely sure who, handed ME an envelope of cold, hard cash, and said to report here for further instructions.” The woman shrugged her shoulders. “So congrats I guess. You’ve just hired Anna D’Rochelle… known locally as Phade.”
“Huh. So then be it. What can you bring to the table, Phade?”
“HA!” Phade cackled mockingly. “Well for starters,” she pointed at the soldier still confused sitting on the floor. “Your boy down there couldn’t even touch me. AAAAAND.” In an instant, she had both vanished from the back of the room and reappeared in the row directly in front of Glyde’s face. “There’s that.”
“Right then.” Glyde tried to mask how startled he was by the sudden movement. “So you can move through things, and you can teleport.” He thought for a moment, deliberating hard on how much he could trust ‘Phade.’
“Yeah. I’ve got something for you. The Riverbend and Waterfront Vale Districts are home to a cult. I’ve been wanting to get more on them for a while, maybe figure out what their leader wants. But it’s been hard to get too close to him. You get the guy a cozy spot in Merryland and get what you can out of him. And, I’m sure you’re aware of the condition of your hiring… if you get captured, you’re on your own.”
“Of course. Client confidentiality is the backbone of my trade.” Phade gave Glyde a sarcastic salute. “And don’t worry, I can fend for myself out there.” Phade dropped as though riding an elevator, passing through the floor and out of sight.
Glyde turned his attention back to the monitor. A cloud of smoke filled the air in front of Sylvia’s body cam. By the look on the screen she was moving towards it. Then, as the smoke began clearing, the transmission went dark; Sylvia had gotten out of range.
Assailant taking evasive action; pursuing.
Be careful. Keep your distance.
“You really just gonna trust some rando from off the street?” Darian spoke scathingly into Glyde’s ear. “Not even remotely concerned she might’ve been looking to throw a wrench in our operation?”
“If she were looking to sabotage us she wouldn’t have announced herself.” Glyde retorted pointedly, but shrugged in uncertainty. “She could have seen what she needed to see and made a run for it… and told whoever she damn well pleased. But she didn’t. Our numbers are thin these days Dar. We need to make a few gambles.”
“Yeah. I know. Just, why not bet ourselves?”
“We’ll get there. But first…” Glyde wheeled to face the wall of a man. “I’ve got a task for you.” Dar turned to him. His expression was one of tenuous obedience. “Send word to Isabella Delacroix of The Iron Rose: Del Guarde offers ground in the 93rd Street District in the name of a truce. Details and terms to be negotiated upon a face-to-face meeting between myself and Madame Delacroix.”
Dar’s face flares into shock and anger. “HOW?! WHY?!” His hands grasped Glyde at the collar, the cold metal of his prosthetic felt through the glove covering it. “Is that any way to honor the soldiers that died last time?! Jimmy… all of his guys…”
“And how would enabling further bloodshed there make it any better?” Glyde raised a hand to calm Dar. “James would want us to do everything we could to keep people alive.” His feet felt the floor beneath him as Dar lowered his arms and released his grip. “We need… at least for now, a peace accord with our neighbors.”
Darian snarled. “Alright. I’ll deliver your message. But I still want our revenge.” The soldier stomped towards the door and from the room.
“And you’ll get it,” Glyde called after him. “When the time is right.” The Staff Sergeant placed a hand to his temples and shook his head. Thank God Sylvia is more amicable. He turned and glared at the soldiers standing guard by the door. “In the meantime,” he ordered. “This place needs some sprucing up. Immediately!”
The soldiers saluted and moved swiftly on their orders. With another supply train coming in soon, they”d be able to reinforce Yellow Brick. Perhaps they could even restore it its former glory someday.
Action Taken:Del Guarde Spends 3 Wealth and 5 Personnel to Upgrade Yellow Brick from Poor->Comfortable.
Nickel
~Pursuit Through Smoke
Featuring: Sylvia Madore
Mentions: Hailey Vagabond, Krish Zarina
Smoke hung thick from the last last bomb thrown. The cloud mixed with the ink-toned smog drifting off of the burning wrecks of vehicles clogging the city and the lingering dust from the pink girl’s handywork. The veil left in the bomber’s wake was an opportunity for Sylvia, who darted out of the safety of the nearby alleyway. She cut as direct a path as she could to the opposite side of the street, finding a new vantage point out of Krish’s likely line of travel should he pursue. From a sheltered spot amid chunks of rubble she observed the girl’s beeline to Kairo Tower.
POI en route to Kairo Tower. Do not respond. Going dark.
Sylvia sent her message to Glyde, hoping she was still within range for the PDA. Tucking herself low and out of sight among the largest debris, she spared herself a moment to release her Cloaking; a moment of respite was due. Plus, the situation was chaotic enough that could, in theory, evade detection amid the destruction and panic if she needed to.
POI en route to Kairo Tower. Do not respond. Going dark.
Sylvia sent her message to Glyde, hoping she was still within range for the PDA. Tucking herself low and out of sight among the largest debris, she spared herself a moment to release her Cloaking; a moment of respite was due. Plus, the situation was chaotic enough that could, in theory, evade detection amid the destruction and panic if she needed to.