Mas Bagus

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

Jazdia squinted her eyes, a sensitive question, that was, but quickly she reminded herself that Veronica deserved to know.

"Diplomatic mission," she said emotionlessly. "We are going to Meche after this."

They arrived at the camp, and Jazdia immediately introduced the recon team to the rest of the group. Veronica went to the Thernous first, to give the old man a proper report.

"...though, I only acquainted with Miss Veronica." a chuckle escaped her. There were some pleasantries and more small talk exchanged before Jazdia approached Thernous. "I think we can keep the introductory short, eh? It is important for us to wrap this up quickly. We arrived at the less optimal hour, and assuming we strike sometime before or after dawn, we need to ensure everyone has enough sleep."

She then shifted her attention to freshly made stew. Cooked without fire, impressive.

"Everyone, can I have your attention?" she inhaled a deep breath and smiled." Relax, feel free to continue with your meal. This will be long, so I suggest you get comfy."

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

Bringing both sources of light with her, Jazdia walked that grassy hillside to intercept the recon party. Side by side they looked at each other until finally stopped right at the foothill.

"Jazdia Crystalspark," she regarded her teasingly.

"Well, well, well, if it's not Lady Veronica herself. Had I known you were that person in our schedule, we might only need to sit tight and wait. "

The purplish hue in her eyes dimmed as the fire on her arrow slowly retreated into the arrowhead, leaving only a smoldering crystal that emitted a faint light. With her natural eyes, Jazdia took one deep glance at the pale woman. Instinctively tried to verify, despite her mind assuredly telling herself that her presence here shouldn't be something surprising.

She simply overlooked this factor. Fred knows his assets very well.

"we really need to stop meeting solely under the shadow of crisis. A girl might get ideas about your work-life balance."

The woman extended her hand and grinned. A grin Jazdia once thought she might never get used to, but here she was now, unable to find a fault in such a cordial gesture. The elf answered that offer with a handshake and smiled bitterly at the remark. "Fate is never on my side."

Despite saying that, she found the words amusing, if not ironic. It also brought up some upsetting truths about her life lately. Dealing with a national crisis and averting it was part of her job. Her old job. Something he should stay away from, but she couldn't, for one reason or another... or was the reason simply because she couldn't let go of that 'desire'?

So much for being retired.

Jazdia shifted at another pale fellow with ember eyes, who had been glancing at the rest of the party for quite a while now. Before turning to Veronica again

"Now you mentioned it. I have not written you my reply about the canceled shipment. But let us speak about it later. We need to meet the rest of the team. Especially Thernous, I think you should report to him first."

Still holding her glowing arrows and lantern, Jazdia walked toward their camp.

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

The night was getting late, and according to her pocket watch, she was already there for an hour.

Looking at the camp, she saw no notable illuminations except a few spots of light from their lantern. To think that nobody disobeyed her order was rather surprising if not commendable, considering that some were not on the best terms with someone else, and the others were just in to have their brother rescued.

Back to the matter at hand. Another 20 minutes passed and the waiting had made her rather antsy. She activated the eyes and looked at the grounds beneath the hill, anxious if she missed a small detail. She could not hear the faintest of sounds, or perhaps recognize every bit of change on the soil or foliage, but she had eyes that see through the shadow, and if her target wasn't trying to be meticulously hidden, she would find them.

And she found them, a group of four seemingly conjured themselves out of the darkness. Two riders, no-- three. One was riding something resembling a lupine creature with more of its kind following behind. And beside the strange rider, unmounted yet capable of catching up with their pace on foot, was a familiar woman clad in black. Veronica.

The arrow she held gleamed with purplish light when she cast her magic into it and deliberately slowed down the process, turning the shaft into a signal torch that flared brightly.

She'd be damned if they did not see her.

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

7:32 P.M.
[Jazdia "Slyph" Crystalspark]
Kindeance Westland Province, Kingdom of Kindeance
[ONE DAY BEFORE THE DECLARATION]
____________________________________________

"That's the risk, indeed. That's why it is important to place someone on that hill to immediately spot an incoming party." she nodded, answering Solomon before moving closer to the carriage, knocking on the door, and saying.

"Remember, we are scheduled to rendezvous with the recon team today. Miss Athena, I believe some of them are your friends so I will need you to stand by here for quick recognition in case they are approaching from the road. Fredricus did not give us a proper sign or countersign we have to trust our eyes. I will take the hill for elevated sightlines. I do not recommend starting a campfire immediately until I give you a clearance. Be patient, if you are hungry I am afraid the hot meal will have to wait."

And with that, Jazdia lit one of the lamps and took it with her as she began the walk to the hill. The night was clear, and the black sky was dotted with stars and the moon shone brightly. She looked up, sniffing the air, it was cool and humid.

Then she heard something buzzed in her satchel back. Her bronze compass opened as she walked, and a certain male voice rang from it.

"See?! I was right! She has Commpass, not that ancient D-3M with that pesky range limitation."

"At least it looked more trendy, you old-fashioned oaf!" replied Jazdia. A small laughter followed suit from the other side. Jazdia let the man have his excitement for a while before pinging him back. "Very unusual of you to dial my device. What's the matter?"

There was a pause, sounded like someone clearing his throat.

"That's very rude of you to ride past Hdur without saying hi."

"Government schedule, you know how it is."

"So even Jazdia Crystalspark bowed to the might of Kindeance bureaucracy now? Wait until I tell Andrei about this!"

Wincing, Jazdia half considered closing the lid. "Cut the chatter, Baker. I don't remember you being such a chatterbox, and this is not like you at all."

"I am sorry, but I just feel so happy to hold one of these things again and make a call through. Remind me of my heydays."

"Should I entertain you with our lingo? I still remember some."

"Appreciate that ma'am, but you don't have to. I have a particular customer that wants to talk to you. Here you go, press this middle button when you talk."

There were small hangups, and several failed attempts to establish a concise connection until the voice could be heard clearly.

"Good evening, Miss Jazdia. Can you hear me?"

Jazdia recognized the smoothness and musical tone in that voice.

"Admiral Silas. What a pleasant surprise." Though she spared a line for pleasantries, the elf knew the effort he made to make this call was not for a mere novelty, so she refocused all of her attention. "I assume you have something I want to hear?"

And she wasn't wrong.

"Yes, it's about Delving Patriarch and your current mission."

Jazdia's brows furrowed in a slight disbelief, but she heard him right. "Go on."

"Under the name of Controller, Jonas Delving was scheduled to visit Stritzel's abode to oversee their current project some two or three days ago. What project, I don't know. But you are there..."

There was a small pause.

"Miss Jazdia, I know you have your orders, and I have nothing against it. But if you managed to subdue him, I beg you, please render him incapacitated. He is a desperate man, and while his sins are numerous and it's not my place to beg for forgiveness, he is still my father, and I wish to see him face a proper trial. I simply ask you to choose the least cruel option at your disposal."

Jazdia felt a sudden comprehension dawned in her. And it felt like a lowblow.

"You can do anything to ensure that he is harmless... just let him live."

"Let's put things in order first, Admiral.' She said, stressing her voice "Everything has to be crystal clear before we agree on anything. Did Fredricus KNOW this?"

A pause, anxious and undecided, lingered for a while. "He knows. I supplied him this information in exchange for clemency for my siblings."

In that darkness, Jazdia stood there with a realization for a while, glancing at the starry sky and taking a deep breath of the clean, healing scent of the forest. Unsure if she should be mad, or feel impressed by Fredricus' stratagem.

And then a weak smile formed on her lips. At least the information came not at the worst possible moment. And she appreciated it.

"I don't know, Admiral. This business about The Delving patriarch... we already have a lot on our plate."

An exasperated sigh could be heard from the other side.

"I can't promise you anything. We are here for a rescue mission, not to subjugate anyone." grimacing, Jazdia continued with a not-so-newly dawned resignation. "What's the difference anyway? If your father gets in the way, we would have to take him down. Plain and simple. But I will see what I can do."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that."

"I know exactly what you feel. But come on. Who will fetch your father and transport him to Rascade after all the effort to knock him unconscious with probably one less limb? It can't be you. No, unless Fred is insufferably stupid."

"His Highness has an Elite team for such a retrieval mission, led by the Jailer and some court wizards. It is nothing we need to worry about."

"It still takes time for them to travel from there to the Westland."

"They were already on their way yesterday. It seemed His Highness was really confident with your capability."

Jazdia was visibly shaking. "Keep your honeyed tongue behind your teeth Admiral. You will owe me greatly with this one. Twice, in fact."

"And I acknowledge this eternal kindness, and why you did to me and my sister before" he affirmed genuinely. "I will make it up to you to the best of my ability."

The lid was closed abruptly. Its owner yawned, already fed up and exhausted by the entire conversation. With a lantern beside her, Jazdia sat on the grass, contemplating her next move. Bloody Fredricus had overtaken her a few steps ahead.

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

Thernous

He slowly made his way into the snuggled part of the wagon he slept in prior, but when the came to the place, he looked at Jaz, "Are you sure this is the place, it is rather open, and in a place that seems relatively hostile? My eyesight is a bit too bad to see the landmarks of the mountain range, and it seems the closer ones I have used more recently are burned down."

@Jamesyco

"I agree." said the elf, deactivating her enchanted vision as he rode closer to regard Thernous. "I recommend we move somewhere to the north. If the recon team were tasked to be as close as possible with our target, then it would be easier to find each other in that direction."

With Jazdia's instruction, the convoy turned right and rode through the path leading to Stritzel's mansion. It was approximately one and a half kilometers away from the crossroad when they took another turn to the left, through an unbeaten path leading to the forest.

Though there were still ample treelines and vegetation to cover their presence, it was still too high profile. Though she could easily find traversable paths and turns, their carriage couldn't go any deeper into the forest.

Jazdia knew she was taking a chance to set up a meeting point in a location near the enemy's regular route. But either this or at the crossroads, or camp somewhere to the south or west. She hoped they could meet the recon team sooner. If not, they would have to spend the night here without a campfire, and that would not be unpleasant.

The elf dismounted from her horse and approached the carriage. Talking with Solomon before addressing the situation with Thernous.

"So, what do you think? Should we stop here?"

The area seemed suitable enough as a campsite. The ground was relatively flat, but it had no other natural wall save formations of trees on the west and more trees to the south. On its north was another clearing that ended in a small hill with no trees growing on its peak, a perfect spot to watch over the entire campsite and its surroundings.

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

The convoy crossed the bridge slowly, for their driver was far from experienced, and the bridge itself, not only lacked proper railings here and there but also had its deck partially destroyed on the sides.

The journey continued. It was mostly a straight path to the west after they left Fanghorn, and the closer they got to the border, the more Jazdia saw things that indicated everything had escalated. Abandoned carts on the side of the road, burned houses on the other, hanged carcasses on a tree, and a pocket of camping area made by weary refugees.

They did not stop, and their only rest was by letting their horses walk at a steady pace before being speeded up to a constant gallop whenever they passed an area Jazdia deemed unsafe.

As the sun was setting, Jazdia reminded everyone to be on their guard and checked on Erwin, to see if he was about to slump down from his horse like a sack of grain. She then had her eyes activated periodically to scan the road ahead, and slowed their overall speed to make sure she didn't overlook anything.

They arrived at the crossroads by the night and looked for a suitable campsite around it for their rendezvous point. The location was a bit high-profile according to Jazdia, but this was the place Fredricus selected for their meeting.

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

The soldier looked warily when the child and his group finally moved aside to celebrate their extra lunch. Then Erwin's queries brought back his full attention.

"Most attacks happened on the road between here and Pesti. Strangely they didn't kill the men. Just tied them up on the trees after they were done plundering all the goods. Nobody knows where they came from, but they always attack from the north. We don't have scouts here, and I can't let my boys wander into the forest chasing after them without any pointers. Can't afford to lose any able-bodied men. Our forces here are already thin as it is."

"But if you don't mind riding back toward Pesti and scouring half of the forest to find them, then be my guest. You all looked like a mean business from what I heard."

And they finally arrived at the city limit. The bridge was ahead and looked shoddily repaired after being subjected to what seemed to be a total bombardment from an artillery not yet known to men.

"And this is where we must part ways." said the soldier, turning the rein of his horse back to Fanghorn. "Have a safe journey y'all!"

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

-

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

It was 9:03 AM when the party departed. Jazdia took the frontmost position and began guiding the convoy out of that small valley and return to the main road.

The terrain was mostly flat, just like what she remembered four months ago, however, the route was significantly more curved than before, with several unfamiliar turns here and there. If one would spare a moment to look closer at the blocked road, there were some unnatural formations of barbed ivies conjoining themselves together to form a thorny blockade so thick and persistent government inspectors and travelers alike would rather open a new route to get around them.

And considering it was a newly beaten path, it was fortunate that they did't start this journey in a rainy season.

Besides the unexpected detour, there was nothing else happening. Fanghorn was ahead; soot and dried ivies were still tainting its decrepit walls, its great gate was closed, and although Jazdia could see activities inside, half of the city's population had been relocated to the field outside the wall. Sheltering in tents, or wooden hovels for those who can afford it.

The last four months hadn't been very kind to them. To say the disaster was happening at the worst moment possible was an understatement. Not only did they lose their lodging, holdings, and even loved ones in the fire, the hailstorm and hard rain that came after also damaged what was left of their food supply. Winter being just a short month after was the final nail in the coffin. If not because of Fredricus' quick response, the casualties might be more exponential.

They were welcomed by a cavalry soldier who seemed to have been informed about their arrival. He guided them to the left, through the road where the refugees erected their inadequate abodes.

"Anything happened?" he said, offering a small talk out of courtesy.

"No."

"Good then, some of our supply convoy was not so lucky."

"Why?"

"Brigands, bandits, or just hungry civilians seeking the opportunity," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We had the entire wagon raided three days ago just a few miles from Pesti, and it was the fourth accident this month. Couldn't believe it myself! How can people be so cruel as to steal food in the middle of a crisis like this? Many times me and my boys had to share our rations with the locals. We get hungry together with them, but that's the right thing to do, aye? I just hoped His Highness would assign more soldiers to secure our supply lines. But that seemed impossible eh? Day by day more soldiers are being recalled and sent either to Rascade or the Border these days."

Jazdia didn't answer, in front of them, three children and one adult woman blocked the way. One of the children, who seemed to be the eldest stepped forward and languidly reached out his hand. "Spare some gruel, Sir? Ma'am?"

The soldier rubbed his forehead before slowly walking his horse toward the children, intending to disperse them aside. "Come one Tomson, Brenda take your boys out the road!"

He then turned to the party, "Sorry you all have to see this."

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

Jazdia regarded Varya with a smile. "Good morning," and returned to the matters at hand.

"I still don't recommend it," she said to Thernous, squaring her shoulder and guiding her horse toward the group's frontmost position. "I have said all the things you need to consider, the choice is ultimately yours."

She then shifted to the two juvenile bears and sighed exasperatedly. "You two should stay inside. Fanghorn is just ten kilometers away, best not to attract too much attention from the locals."

"Same formation?" quipped Yvonne behind her. "We dont have all day, so let us depart."

"Indeed. The sooner we get on the road the better."