Mas Bagus

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

Location: Western outer wall --> inner wall, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Keeping an ear out for their replies, Veronica turned towards the inner wall and elected to begin scaling it as well. Slowly, she hauled herself up, until her eyes could peak over the top, checking to see that the way was clear.

@Lewascan2

The small space between the wall and the basement entrance was not completely clear. If one looked to the right, in another corner next to a tree to the south, one could see a guard standing by. However, his vision and attention seemed to be focused on what was in front of him.

And there he stood perfectly still, save for some periodical twitching and coughing. Probably because of the coldness of the early morning? Maybe because he was sick? One thing was for sure it didn't look natural.

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

"HAH! I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"

@A5G

The death growl in the form of a high-pitched scream assaulted the thugs' hearing, inflicting them with pure terror enough to stun them briefly. Not even darkness could conceal them from the incoming wrath of Rosenving Scion when she rushed forward to close the distance between them.

Now she got their attention, and their reloading was almost finished.
---
A smaller clamor boomed from the road behind the destroyed gate. Still in the same position and stance, Louise took aim and discharged her musket toward the frontmost thug. But the darkness failed her aim this time. The bullet flew straight, but it missed its supposed target by a few centimeters.

Not bothered to reassess her flawed aim, the squire hunkered down and reloaded her weapon.
---
Evan, either undaunted by the prospect of getting shot by standing in the open like this, or smart enough to see the opportunity to launch another offensive, walked forward. While the thugs were occupied with Yvonne, Evan created another fist of ice, smaller this time to allow precise control when he picked up the thug's torch and hurled both items toward them.

The smaller ice fist struck one of the thugs right in the face and toppled him with a nasty bruise and broken nose. His crossbow fell and discharged haphazardly once it touched the ground, with its bolt embedded in the grass not far. The torch that hurled with the ice landed just a meter ahead of them.
He attempted to move the chunk of ice he had previously launched, but it seemed the thing was outside his control, and won't budge a bit.

---
With a shield readied Athena followed suit. One thug down but there were still two more standing and ready to shoot Yvonne. The charge was arguably done in a reckless manner, and she had no means to catch up. What would she do now?

---

Jazdia emerged from her cover, shaking her head when she witnessed the sheer swaggering Yvonne displayed right now. She was all for a blaring attack, but attacking recklessly was...reckless. She pulled her bow and had one of the cold arrows fly toward one crossbowman and embed itself on his neck, killing him instantly. Almost immediately she readied for the next shot, but considering the time it takes to aim and her arrow travel speed, it seemed Yvonne would have to deal with the last one herself.

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

"Who the fuck--- Whose ass was it dares attacking our turf!"

A thunderous sound of a gunshot answered it, and despite the aggressive interrogatives and bold posturing, the thug was merely a target for Louise's musket. The bullet sped off through the darkness unhindered, and his gambeson did little to prevent the full-sized lead ball from plowing a hole in his midsection. The first casualty in this battle jerked backward and fell to the ground, expiring with blood gurgling from his mouth and nose.

The lack of light indeed slowed one's response. When the second thug heard a thud, it took him a full second to discern what in the world happened to his friend. Though he had his sword ready in his hand, whatever reactionary action he would perform was already too late. An ice fist the size of the biggest cannonball he had ever seen hurled toward him, and when he laid down on the ground with his jaw and other facial bones broken, the last thing he saw was its bluish color as the mass of ice impacted his head.

Due to its sheer mass, the ice landed shortly afterward and stopped just a few meters away from the incoming thugs after skidding for some brief distance. It startled them, but they managed to handle the situation smarter than their downed friends. Instead of blindly approaching a group of people who clearly capable of flattening their gate with a devastating explosion, they regrouped and had their crossbow readied before throwing the only torch they had toward the gate, adding more illumination to reveal the incoming attacker.

Seeing the incoming danger, Jazdia made a wide step toward the wall, just a moment before the sounds of bolts whizzed in the air. One of them hit Louise's shield with a distinctive twang, and it tumbled in the air before embedding itself on the grass next to her. The other flew past Evan's ear, while the last one darted harmlessly into the darkness.

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

Meanwhile on Jazdia's side.

The other party had made their advance, and it was time for their turn. Jazdia activated her eyes, monitoring the infiltrator until they reached an adequate distance for her to start the assault.

"let's move out," she said, gesturing her hand to point at the gate, and they followed.

When the elf walked down the road leading to the manor, she prepared her arrow. It glowed bright, temporally illuminating the path ahead of them, until she released it and had it fly straight to the gate, blasting it open in a fiery explosion.

The sudden clamor alerted the camping thugs. Some of them jumped up from their sleep, and some already brandished their weapons. As the party continued their quick advance, so did the thugs running toward the gate to welcome the gate breakers.

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

Jazdia and Veronica returned back to the group, ready to finalize the plan.

"Alright, Veronica here will lead the infiltration team," said Jazdia. Her gaze first fell on the blue elf.

"Varya, that team will need a reliable frontline, and ranger so you go with her. You will also need Doc Solomon and his expertise for this rescue mission. The Twins, you two are coming with them as well. Help them find your brother."

Returning to Veronica, she flipped open her pocket watch and asked the pale woman to do the same with her metal compass. "I will monitor your approach from the courtyard. We may have the power to see through obstacles, but it is dangerous to be entirely dependent on it. Check your corners and tread lightly at any crossroad. I strongly suggest the western wall be your insertion point."

Turning to Varya, she gave the elven man three of her explosive arrows. "Use them to defeat any insurmountable obstacle. Or to give your enemy a nasty death if you feel so inclined." Winking, she added. "Or consult with your team before use. These are strategic ammunitions, so it is wise to use them sparingly."

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

Time passed, and everyone who felt they needed to sleep finally got their rest.

The hands on her clock were clicking toward 2:30 when Jazdia awoke. The fire was still burning brightly, and although she felt refreshed and adequately charged, it would still take some minutes to fully gather her wit. After that, all was simple; after having some bites of waybread and steaming tea in a tankard, she was ready to depart.

Rechecking the map, she gave the party some time to wake up on their own. During the wait, she sorted four arrows from her quiver and channeled her magic into them. All four were the explosive kinds, with the outer coating slightly harder than usual so it could withstand reckless handling.

Ten minutes passed, and it was apparent that not everyone seemed to possess a similar level of discipline. Jazdia felt it was too rude to rouse them up one by one, and she also felt reluctant to ask Solomon or Veronica to do the deed.

"Good morning, Baron Evan. Already awake I assume?" Jazdia tried to not forget the pleasantries, smiles, and greets, but time was a precious commodity she couldn't help but be curt. "We are ten minutes behind our schedule, and I would like you to command your animal to give them a good howl.

The man only gave her a nod, but behind such a small gesture, he apparently was quite creative with his command. All Three of his canine companions gathered, and like a choir group, they started singing with unusual and off-pitch howlings that reverberated in the early morning's chilly air.

After some grunts and rude awakenings laced with displeased curses, most everyone else followed suit with their preparations not long after. Weapons, equipment, and horses are readied. The plan was set and they started riding to the north.

****

It was 4.01 AM when they arrived at the outskirts area of Stritzel's Manor.

Jazdia asked Veronica to come with her before walking toward the northernmost tree near their parking spot. Activating her eyes once revealed the bluish veil protecting the area ahead of them from any magical spycraft, and carefully she stretched her hand, feeling the magical current. Thankfully it was a passive magical jammer designed only to distort.

The second time she activated her eyes, the manor and its surroundings finally came into view. It was a two-story building, and gloomy was probably the perfect word to describe it.

Its front was on the south, straight facing the gates. The roof, while seemingly in a good condition was rather squalid, with moss hanging by its gutter and old branches strews about on its old and stained rooftails. In the middle of the roof, there was a spire enclosed only by wooden railings on its four sides.

Below, several windows showed lights behind their dusty curtain, a small ray of hope despite being surrounded by dilapidated walls that already had their plastering chipped off here and there. In the middle of the building, a wooden door sealed the manor shut from the outside world. There was a path leading to west-side of the building, and there, she saw an entrance almost as large as the inner gate itself, leading somewhere underground.

Surrounding the manor was two fortifications in the form of outer and inner wall. The outer wall was a two-meter wide, five-meter tall masonry work with parapets on both sides that seemed to have seen better days but was still a solid obstacle nonetheless, and the inner one was a pasalide made of decorated metals and brick. Both walls had gates made of irons and were quite sturdy for a dilapidated dwelling.

"The opposition seemed minimal. I only saw four patrols near the inner gate, while in the outer courtyard, there are six more thugs congregating around some sort of a camping spot."

Jazdia beckoned Veronica to walk a bit ahead of her. "I can't see anything more than what's inside their inner courtyard. Not in this distance at least. But I tell you, the veil is already behind us, and if you try to scry the entire building from here, your vision will not be impeded. Still, if Jonas Delving is really here, there is still a risk that your attempt could alert him. He might not be able to pinpoint our location that way, no, that's not how that kind of sense worked. Not without specialized talent or training. Anyway, it's your call."

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

There were several things that had been decided, and some more would have to wait for tomorrow.

There were no objections voiced, nor any contention being brought up. Jazdia felt satisfied enough with the conclusion but would still keep her ears open. Some of them hadn't voiced their opinion about the plan, and in a group with no established chain of command, disagreement could happen at unexpected times.

But the time waits for nobody. The squire lovebirds were already resting on each other's arms. The bear twins were busy talking with each other. And Yvonne Rosenving, after voicing her preference for tomorrow's assault retreated back to her spot after no one answered her call for a polearm to borrow.

Everyone else seemed to be absorbed with their own thought. Varya declared his choice, but it seemed as if he was talking to himself. Either because no one found any fault in his already sensible decision, or simply out of reluctance to make a small talk. For Jazdia though, she would rather do something to combat the coldness of night air.

There were plenty of fallen branches around, and she gathered them in the middle of their encampment. With that arranged and her bedroll already unrolled, Jazdia stood up, a small fire danced on her finger and she flicked it away to fall into the middle of the pile, igniting the branches alight and steadily.

Sitting now in front of the campfire, the elf opened her satchel back, using it as a temporal workbench as she tinkered with her pocket watch. Its needles stopped at 9:10 o'clock.

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

Jazdia was quite surprised several people in this group bothered to answer the question with such earnest manners. She thought they would scoff or at the very least joke about it like hardened mercenaries would. The lack of callousness didn't bother her, but it was still an amusing sight to see.

Returning to Veronica to address her plan B, Jazdia made it very clear that she did not share her optimism. "If Stritzel managed to escape with that bear and hide inside the tunnels-- that God knows how extensive it may be, I would not involve myself in that pursuit. It's not about finding Stritzel, it's how to reach her that matters. It would take days, perhaps a full week. And if my calendar is correct, Fredricus would declare war tomorrow."

Jazdia strode toward the carriage to fetch her bedroll, letting words of war and declaration linger so everyone knew their priority. She was perfectly aware of how cold her sentence was, and It would probably hurt the twins. But if they choose to tag along, they should know that reality and sympathy don't always go hand in hand.

"Looking at the map, what Veronica and Thernous proposed seemed sound and I would plan it similarly. But my plan would focus more on speed. For that, I am willing to bet on the chance that even if Stritzel and Jonas are expecting us, our intention to rescue Cedar is something outside of their calculation.

And for that, they will see us as enforcers, hell-bent on arresting or taking them down on Fredricus's behalf. Such posturing would draw them out, giving off the illusion that retreating and hiding into the tunnel is no longer an option. They will need all hands on deck to destroy us, because if they let us live and control the manor, it would be a matter of time until more reinforcement arrives to overrun the compound and likely their underground complex as well. There is a reason why they need all of that effort to hide themselves, and if killing us means they could extend their subterfuge for months or more, they would take the bait."

After tossing her bedroll aside, Jazdia moved back to the map and pointed at the outer courtyard. "We will make this area our battlefield. when the battle raged, the second team would infiltrate from the side. Whether it will be from the west or the east, would depend on where the entrance to their basement is located, I will update the situation periodically.

Jazdia placed a bronze polished trinket on top of the map and eyed Veronica, Yvonne, and Solomon alternately. "Stritzel had seen my face, and assuming we agree on this plan, I will nominate myself in the group that initiates the chaos. The rest is up to you to discuss."

Lowered herself to pick her bedroll again, Jazdia then warned.

"Remember, the real countdown will begin soon. We might only have one chance, and if it fails, we move on with our schedule. Any question?"

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

Jazdia's blue eyes darted at the pale man with a coonskin cap. Another eccentric fellow asked an unusual question. Not sure if he was serious or not, or if it was a philosophical question or a literal one.

But it somehow made Jazdia remember her training as a Varenheim Sentinel. Where she was conditioned to be as remorseless as possible when taking lives, betraying all the teachings and instinctual life-preservation that had been hard-wired into her species' very being since their time of inception.

Ah, how nostalgic.

"It's awful," she said. "It's like being torn apart and judged. No matter how you justify it, your mind will keep telling you there should be another way. It will be an endless battle between your conscience and your logic. Do not walk down that path if you are not ready."

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

When Jazdia counted how many people were on this team, someone interrupted. It was one of Antigone's subordinates, who for the entire duration of this meeting, seemed rather anxious to speak up.

"Can we get the guard duty as well? So we can stay here. You know, someone has to watch over your wagon or supplies."

His friend, Charles quickly added. "Don't get us wrong, we wanted to help, but I think our job's finished already after Miss Veronica reported our findings." the man tried to square his shoulder, though the vibration in his voice showed both anxiety and weariness.
"Besides, dealing with someone like Delving is a bad business and we want no part in it. Gotta say it now rather than feeling sorry later."

****

Jazdia paid the duo apprentices no heed when they spoke up about their concern. However, if one asked her, their reasoning was understandable enough.

But, she would rather let those who fancied themselves as the protector of the law do their judgment about their reluctance. With one hand holding the lantern, she studied the map, engrossing herself with remembering the important points Veronica mentioned.

"A question if you will, Veronica," she said without looking back at her. 'What is the closest distance your team managed to get to when spying on the compound?