Nimbus

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

“Copy! Either confirm exfil from bridge or send rough location if you need something drastic!”

“Roger that. We're still at the bridge; so exfil should go on as normal.”

“Yessir – evac commencing! Hold defensive positions!” Callie answered, rapidly switching channels even as she consulted her mental map of the AO and began summoning another portal. “Snake, command is pulling us out. Hold for evac.”

Seconds later, she had taken a vantage point that let her see both the Stalwart and the corvette. Charter pushed her vision out again, back towards that window. Yeah, that’s them… She brought her eye back to the ship’s window; simultaneously looked beyond that to the Supply; and focused. This would take time, non-ideal considering her allies’ position; reducing the size of the aperture would keep that to as much of a minimum as she could. She grimaced, switched radio channels back. “Portal opening in a half-minute, on my mark! Going to be a tight fit, so mind yourselves!”

For just a moment, even as she brought her will to bear, her gaze wavered from her spyglass. From here she could see over a dozen Chinese ships, and she considered taking that drastic option – indeed, going even further than she had considered. She pictured it for a moment: forming a long, bladelike portal of negligible width, cleaving the corvette apart down the middle – and then the same to the next, and the next, until the entire flotilla was split in twain. Mei’s ship would be forced to descend to rescue the sailors. It would buy the Stalwart and Supply time.

It would also be profoundly satisfying and reassuring. The control…

She shook it off. Portal-cutting so many ships to pieces could weaken the pro-military factions in the Chinese government, create a vacuum that those who argued that only Arms Masters could fight this war might step into. She’d been specifically briefed on this point. They’re already incorporating convicted criminals into their forces… If they start getting any more desperate with their choice of allies, the region could destabilise even faster than it already is.

Callie set her jaw. She had a job to do.

“Mark! Confirm when you’re all across!”

The energy drain wasn’t insignificant – a bridge of such length would always tax her – but Charter nevertheless obeyed her command. Suddenly, she noticed the wind rushing past her again, upward… Callie glanced down towards the onrushing waves. Gritted her teeth.

When the affirmation came, she closed the portal quickly. There was, after all, still one person to bring back, and for that she would still need energy. A last switch of the radio channel; a last redirection of her momentum upwards. “Hold the door, Snake; with you in about the same time.” She half-smiled, the weariness starting to seep from her bones. “Just please don’t rearrange the functions of the various parts of my face on the way, m’kay?”

…

Okay, analyse that later with everything else. Sweep for now. Intuition of her own position and velocity told her where she would need to place her end of her final portal; as part of her mind began that process to finally reconsolidate Task Force Obsidian, she surveyed the battlefield.

Nothing she saw was entirely unexpected. Ships burned where the decoy column had drawn the attention of the PLA’s initial response, though their intervention had made the fighting far less one-sided than it might have been. To the West, the other major task force was reconsolidating; in the South, the supply ships were clear of enemy interference, and – it appeared – home free. The sense of triumph was palpable as her vision traced back to Mei’s ship.

Straight onto the deck, where a corpse in a black longcoat was laid out, saltwater trickling from its mouth.

It twitched.

Caroline paled, the rosiness of her cheeks from the wind’s passage banished in an instant, overwhelming revulsion sweeping through her.

And, in that moment, her velocity just levelling out as the portal opened, she dropped gently onto the deck of the Stalwart.

She looked across towards Qingshe, forcing a grin through… Everything else. “Let’s… Let’s get going, huh?”

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

AGH, God that stung! And, okay, what am I meant to do when an assailant I don’t know has me basically trapped falling to my –

Clearly knows something about Charter’s powers –

‘father’. ‘father’. ‘father’ ‘father’ ‘father’ ‘father’ ‘father’ –

Get. A. GRIP.

The air rushing past her had slowed. Stopped. Was beginning to reverse. That put her on a timer – in somewhere around a minute or two she’d be a smear of blood and flesh being rapidly dispersed by the waves.

Unless she acted. Needs her allies absent. If I heard that voice right… “Fine, I’ll take your message,” Callie near-growled, “so get that blade away so I can take it. And do it fast, ‘less you want that one suspecting you.”

There was a slight ‘woosh’ as the sword was taken away, and the portal was closed; Sohrab had done what the daughter of his ‘Malik’ had said. A cascade of relief crashed through her, both of the trickling stamina ceasing to flow from her but, far, far more than that, of the reassertion of control over her own being. Without ears on her, Callie gasped at the feeling of it, taking a moment to just pant for breath.

Gathered herself.

Grit her teeth.

Opened up a channel back to Noel and Iker. “Back in action, command. Antiquarian wants to defect, for a sum in the billions. At least seems pliable; recommending capture if possible. Warning that she’s canny in her antique’s use, if not her negotiation. Cannot easily engage second antiquarian; requesting antique mental control to stand ready, if we have anyone. Can transport on command.” Intangibility denies most of my capabilities, maybe Qingshe’s too – need to plan in case no-one’s available. She focused on that thought, burning it into her memory, to… Report later.

A part of her mind followed through; the other part remained on the present. Rapidly, Callie demanifested Charter, slung her broken rifle over her shoulder, remanifested it, then tucked in her arms and legs, diving, diving – and up again, through another portal. That would keep her airborne for the next little while.

And she would use that while. She brought her sight back to the ship – to the man flying the bird of semi-solid darkness, still yelling at those aboard. ‘Anui-El’. Has clout, so removing him from their command structure would be effective; his Arm provides them mobility we ought to deny; and there’s no need to compromise in striking him.

Callie took a breath. Confusion and fear. Let’s sow some more of it.

Her focus divided again. Part of it remained on the man; she turned off her night vision, seeing him only by the light of Mei’s ship. Longcoat to anchor to; still yelling – good. Arm summons at least one shadow bird; possibility of countering if they can transmit themselves through small gaps and are strong enough to remain in one place against immense pressure and have limited intangibility. Part of her felt the tiniest bit of something approaching glee. Seems minimal.

The other part of her looked behind him. Gazed upon the ocean. Sought to break past the black surface, to understand that the black-blue that she saw was a function of the absorption of most other light – which meant that the blue light remained. That, of that little blue that the evening twilight allowed, some of it penetrated dozens of metres deep into the ocean before returning to the surface, to soar across the sky to, without her night vision on, eventually reach her eye.

That she could – against all her instincts – see it!

Thus, in a moment in which Anui-El was bellowing at his allies, he found himself suddenly unable to close his mouth. For that lowest point that Callie could see beneath the waves was suddenly joined by a small portal to the space within.

All of the saltwater on the other side, just as suddenly, had somewhere new to go.

And from both sides of that portal a veritable geyser burst forth.

---

Death was at least quick, though cruel and unusual, for Anui-El, Priest of Birds; not even supernatural toughness can stand the quick shock of ultra-cold water filling up one’s lungs. The rest of the ‘Foreign Volunteers Division’ visibly quailed, all except Mei and Sohrab, the former of whom just closed her lips and gestured for her Ship to keep sailing/flying towards the Diversion Fleet. For now, it seemed as though they were going to keep attacking, although if Mei’s offer was accepted, that might change.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Half a dozen elements of Callie’s mind reacted at once.

Most immediate was the self-castigation – that she had been careless, that she should have made her portal above Mei and the deck, out of reach of a close combatant.

Then came the aghast anger at the fact that the sword had, seemingly effortlessly, sliced through the barrel of her rifle – and the twinge of worry as she immediately identified the impossibly sharp weapon as a Noble Arm.

Another thought noted that she would soon crest in her altitude and, logically, begin falling immediately afterwards – and that having her primary means of mitigating falling temporarily disrupted was a significant problem.

Yet another considered the man’s… Remark. That one spiralled and spiralled through her head, warping everything it touched.

Was that why Mum – the ‘Malik’ – Myron has to know – I must not – ‘similar’, how does –

All surged up in Callie’s mind - but then another overpowered every one of them, containing them and bringing her to focused fury.

Stop this. Get him away!

A flurry of thought and motion. Callie dismissed Charter; her portal did not vanish; she winced as her body took the strain of the manifestation directly. That confirmed that it was an Arm. Just as importantly, it left a gap in her portal perfectly sized for her to raise her pistol sidearm and –

“His Noble Arm is a sword whose power is to render himself invisible and intangible –”

The sword vanished. The portal remained open.

– BANG! Callie near-growled, reholstering her pistol. Thank God he can’t – oh, God, could he force it open further? Increasingly desperate, she wracked her brain for paths out of her situation – throwing away the rifle would only put the portal out of reach and drain her; trying to interfere with the space around the portal might result in the severance of one of her limbs; calling for help might…

Might work.

It cut at her being.

“He can be kept out with Noble Arms –”

Now you say!

Callie resummoned Charter to her hand, flicked the telescope out like a nightstick to maximise her reach, stretched out the remains of her rifle to reorient the portal for the best angle to strike – then slammed her Arm down where the flat of the blade had been. If her portal was held open by a sword, let the sword become a lever and the portal a fulcrum; with them both (and hitting hard and enough times), she hoped to wrench the weapon from her assailant’s hand.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

“Once we've all organized, send us to the nearest PLA Corvette!”

“Yessir!” Now to figure out when that’ll be while falling many metres per second through the air! Callie thought, falling many metres per second through the air. She tore Charter away from the flying ship and her gaze with it, abandoning the last portal (two circles, one for the muzzle of her rifle, one for Charter, connected by a minutely thin length along the barrel) of the half-dozen she’d made to pick off as many targets as she could from a hundred kilometres away. Instead, she refocused her Arm towards the ship directly below, speaking all the while into her radio: “Antique is diving Snapper – repeat, diving Snapper!” Why would – doesn’t matter – can’t let it.

She hoped that the muffler on her radio was doing its job and that they could hear her down below, not just a torrent of rushing wind. For now, she took note of Qingshe’s requests (Okay, give me a second!) while she scanned the deck below. The flashes of heat at the stern she recognised as Nil’s staves, the air rippling with heat from their passing as they soared towards one of the nearer PLA craft in the group; the construct standing above her, echoing her shots, she recalled from a visual sweep across the battlefield at Lingayen. As for the others… Now she saw them – Noel, Nico and Indra gathering on the deck.

Then she redirected her vision across the water, to the nearest ship.

No. Bad.

“Negative on near corvette, sir – thing’s going down in flames!” Callie scanned the waters again (constantly adjusting as they rushed up towards her). Not Nil’s target – other craft in the group moving to cut them off – need dealing with – doable. “Diverting conveyance against multiple threats approaching Milkfish vanguard!”

Now – don’t push your luck, a voice in the back of head sounded. Setting her jaw, Callie brought her arms and legs together and fell into a dive, accelerating, accelerating, accelerating… Intuition built on practice told her the right moment to form first one portal, the vertigo of gravity suddenly inverting familiar and thrilling, then another to send her back up to the height of her original vantage point, flanking the lead ship of the attack group. Now another, connecting her own position to a point angled as far back as possible relative to its side bridge window, so she could use Charter to peer in...

“Looks like just officers – unarmed. Possibility of antiques but no confirmation.” She turned off night vision, then grimaced – even at this angle, interposed bodies and the reflectivity of the screens made it hard to tell their contents. “Got a wheel – could crash it into the others. Unsure on weapons control. Maybe point defence? Likely most is deeper inside.”

She breathed. Cut off the portal. Looked again through the same window from so far up above, vision projected through Charter. Closer, closer… Gotcha. Eyes on a lower corner of the back wall, where few if any would be looking. It was enough.

“Prepare to engage!”

Zooming out – holding that now tiny sliver in view – recalling their position on the Ramon’s deck – adjusting for the geometry of her fall – both locations now visible…

Energy harnessed.

One. Two. Three.

Callie felt the familiar wave of tiredness. She swivelled Charter to the Ramon’s deck, saw the last foot of one of her allies stepping through. A brief flash of light shone through the portal before she let it close.

Alright, night vision and heat vision on, let’s see what’s happ- CHRISSAKES, GIVE A GIRL WARNING!

The sloop’s deck was ablaze, her eyes struggling to adjust even after turning off the vision enhancement. The crew had remained below deck, leaving…

Huh. She wasn’t a decoy. Already wounded – good sign, with Myron’s intel. Well, if you’re going to dress for a costume party rather than the battlefield…

Callie fiddled with the settings on her radio, reaching Qingshe. “Targeting the antiquarian – get ready to catch!” If that shadow of yours is half as versatile as I’ve been told… A new portal a few metres behind Mei, positionally anchored to her undershirt, stretched once more between Arm and muzzle. Callie checked the shot through the flickers of fire – not that there would be too much need, given her effective lock on the target.

Then, deciding to make sure of overwhelming the foe’s natural resilience and whatever enhancement she may have been provided rather than risking overcautious burst fire, Callie laid her finger on the trigger of her rifle and squeezed, confident that by the time she released it the enemy Arms Master would no longer be standing – and lacking a deck to stand on.

@Letter Bee@Lewascan2@Sniblet@Creative Chaos

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Three kilometres above the combat zone, Private Caroline Lidmann lay crouched in the corner of a metal box. Strictly, the box was part of the Ramon Alcaraz below; a portal, pressed up against the angled surface of the inner side of the point of the prow, effectively transported the surface as high up as she wanted. She’d got herself there by agility, safely and rapidly conveying herself with an initial portal across the deck of the Alcaraz and then swinging through this one, using the portal’s edge and the virtual edge of the prow through the portal to lever herself up. The result? On the reverse side, only the dark and empty skies as seen from aboard the ship; on the obverse, a crow’s nest from which to scan the battlefield, one from which Callie could see nearly to two hundred kilometres away if she projected her night vision goggle-enhanced sight past any interfering cloud with Charter.

She scanned across that distance with practised efficiency. The soft, cold, familiar pull on her stamina and the resonances from feet scrambling across the deck only emphasised that her time up here was limited. Already, she knew the situation directly below her was dire; every second gained her more information but took lives in trade. Callie grimaced, pushing down the guilt and the bile – the Supply and the Stalwart were the priorities.

What she saw was… Odd. She leant into her radio, sending her intel down to the others. “Got a scattering of a half-dozen small craft, spread in a rough line from hostile base to a couple hundred clicks northeast,” she intoned, careful not to give away her own position in case there was someone else listening in who’d broken their encryption. The ‘hostile base’ was Mischief Reef, itself a couple of hundred kilometres to the southwest from her – Callie had barely made out its shadow at the edge of her vision, even with Charter’s aid. She frowned, looking at the boats, seeing the shapes of people moving aboard but… “Crewed, but look dead – no wake. Two more groups of heavier vessels, too – fifty clicks east southeast of base and a hundred clicks north-northeast of base. Northeast group heading southeast; other isn’t moving.”

Now for the more pressing matter; she zoomed away, to the ominous shape looming above the ocean. “Also, hundred clicks northeast of base and couple up – hovering antique craft.” ‘Antique’ – either the product of a Noble Arm or one itself. “Headed southeast, fifty clicks ahead of northeast group, closing with Snapper.” The codename for the Stalwart and Supply’s group. Callie pressed her lips together, turning on her goggles’ thermal imaging, scanning the deck. “Got dozens aboard – possible AMs. Looking –”

She winced as her image suddenly shone bright, rapidly bringing her hand up to switch the thermal imaging back off again. “Antique just opened up.” And God, it’s got range for something that old-looking – must be 30, 40 miles off… “Requesting conveyance orders and permission to target VIPs on antique. Recommend engaging as ordered.” Can’t throw ourselves in close to that flying ship – don’t know what it or anyone aboard can do yet, she thought, even as another part of her mind cursed the fact that she was forced to use this imprecise half-jargon lest her military ‘inexperience’ be revealed as the mirage it was. Better to hijack the corvettes and turn their firepower on their allies. Pre-emptively, she affixed Charter to her rifle. I, on the other hand, can test it.

Many Arms Masters wouldn’t die from a bullet to the head, projected across one hundred kilometres of space – but it would still probably hurt like hell.

@Letter Bee @QJT @Sniblet @Gerlando @Creative Chaos

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

“Well, I suppose confidence is an attractive trait... just as long as you know where your limits lay. As long as you avoid overreaching your expectations, I shall gladly look forward to seeing you live up to that advertisement of yours~.” The words echoed in Callie’s mind even as Qingshe continued to speak.

Callie knew a lot about Lei Qingshe intellectually, of course – she’d been briefed on her fairly extensively. Her defection and presence in the theatre wasn’t a secret to those who knew how to look. She held in her head what information had been made public about her past, her powers and her modus operandi and what little could be dredged up by US intelligence from that which hadn’t. She knew, rationally – and had seen firsthand – that this was a canny Arms Master who, like most AMs on their level, had enough power behind her to wipe out everyone in this room with a thought.

Rationally. Now, for the first time in the meeting, a part of her came to the fore to viscerally identify that the woman before her was intelligent, wilful, terrifyingly strong and, yes, extremely beautiful. Unnervingly so, in fact.

She half-remembered a story told by one of the AMCs – an upper-class boy who’d been obsessed with Greek mythology. It was about a master sculptor who’d carved a statue of a woman so flawless that he’d fallen in love with it, and so prayed to the goddess of love to make it come to life. She’d laughed at the time. Now, though, her sight drawn to that hair of immaculate jade and those cold, fire opal eyes…

Oh, God, I was flirting with her before, wasn’t I? Barely even realised it – and now she’s… Nope. Bad! Bad Callie! She blinked again, firmly, to tear her gaze away, hoping beyond hope that she was imagining the warmth in her cheeks as she gave a nod to the two Arms Masters he had mentioned. “We’ll be up to the task, I’m sure, Lieutenant.” Forcing herself to retain her newfound focus, she inclined an eye back towards Qingshe. “We should talk afterwards, in any case.” No, NO, that’s not what I meant to – ! “The three of us with you – important to familiarise ourselves with what information you have, as well as each of us with the others’ capabilities.”

Saved it.

Yep. Definitely.

She shook her head, the tiniest of motions, desperately searching for something productive to do to realign her thoughts… She scanned the upper windows again. Still nothing. Then her potential teammates… Nico was familiar to her, of course; she still didn’t entirely know what to do about Turing but he certainly seemed to have made his mind up on the subject. She could respect that decisiveness, as well as the clarity and focus she’d observed out of the corner of her eye in the past few days. Perhaps this mission would allow her to familiarise herself a little better.

As for one Sergeant Dorn… God, she’s a tall one now that I look at her, isn’t she? And with the build to match… Quickly pushing back down the part of her she was deliberately distracting herself from, the one wanting to appreciate those aspects, she instead turned to the part that had filed her under ‘powerhouse close combatant’. Hope she’s got some sort of area control to augment it. If she has – between that and Nico’s capabilities… She took a moment to re-evaluate her view of Noel. Sure, the poor boy was obviously out of his depth but he possibly did have some budding skill for the tactical side of command, if only it could be nurtured.

Though I question his judgement in bringing on… Huh.

Myron hadn’t been of significant interest to her up to now – reformed AM terrorists weren’t so uncommon these days and the stereotype he’d seemingly built his personality around didn’t exactly make him any more endearing. She’d dismissed him as one to watch carefully, for obvious reasons, and interact with as little as possible otherwise.

If the horror that had appeared on his face for a split second as she’d begun to turn towards him was any indication, he felt much the same way.

Callie’s mind went into overdrive. He knows me or something about me – not necessarily – possibly associated with the mission – can’t take the risk. Don’t have time to deal with it today. Keep him quiet until I can confront him. Use his fear – make him think I know more than I do. Can tease out what it is after.

And so, with another check to make sure that nobody was paying particular attention to her, she looked away again, pretending to be looking at nothing. She summoned Charter, rolling it in her fingers to feign idleness. In her peripheral vision, she watched as Myron hesitated, then let his gaze creep back towards her.

Whereupon she immediately swivelled her eyes to fix him with a stare and a cold smile. She formed a tiny portal inside her mouth and inside his ear. “Shhh…”

(As she dismissed it, she ignored the impulse that it would have been kinder just to ask.)

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Well, if you’ve finished trying to push every single one of my buttons… Callie grit her teeth, keeping her expression schooled in the manner of a soldier – not so hard with what military discipline she actually had had drilled into her. Certainly, the rational part of her mind said that the Chinese Arms Master had at least a part of a point – her own capabilities were hardly a plan unto themselves – but the implication behind it was hardly flattering. God. Why the hell would she want to undermine me like that? For a moment, panic at the worst case scenario filled a different corner – that she’d been compromised, exposed, she’d failed somehow without realising it – before she blinked and, in that moment of cool, encompassing darkness, pushed it away.

In any case, there was an easy way to demonstrate her utility, as she needed to if she was to retain influence here. Maybe some are asleep at home but others are certainly awake… Callie checked through one of the small upper windows (the ones that she had scanned a few times now – still no undesired eyes on the meeting), thankful that the weather had held off today and that the sky was relatively clear. She let out a breath, and a little frustration with it, then called her spyglass to her hand. Her other, she raised.

“Private Caroline Lidmann. If I may?” Allowing herself to indulge in a slight flourishing spin of her Arm to soothe herself as she stood, she brought one end up to her eye even as she formed a tiny portal over the other, connecting it to a vantage point several kilometres away through the window, high into the atmosphere.

Her grip, well-practised, adjusted the magnification to plunge her vision into the treeline below.

“About twenty klicks south, there’s a mongoose in a tree branch eight feet off the ground,” Callie announced. “It appears to be munching on an egg.” And power to you, little guy. Poor bird, though. “If I needed to, I could transfer myself or any of us to where I’m looking from, then down to the ground in thirteen seconds or so.” She dismissed the spyglass, folding her arms. “As for intelligence, I can’t say I’m an expert –” she had to fight the part of her mind laughing uproariously at that one – “but I’m capable enough to know how to spot marksmen and other threats when I’m in the field. Wouldn’t be any good at acquiring them myself if I wasn’t.”

With her point made, Callie frowned, the tactical considerations coming back to the fore. “As for planning, I’m told that the best way to beat an enemy’s to make them your friend. The second best is to turn their friends into enemies.”

“I can transport a number of us to seize the bridge of one of their major ships from our own fleet while outside their range. That should allow us to cripple their local command structure, hijack their weapon systems, sow chaos and move on to another ship where we do the same again – give them no time to react or form a coherent defence. This will open a window for the rest of us, and the assault as a whole, to act decisively, though not incautiously.” Callie raised an eyebrow at Qingshe. “No need to put all our faith in a single strike, like you say.”

She looked about her, then turned to Noel. “With your permission, First Lieutenant, and forgive me for not knowing all of our capabilities yet, I’d look to bring with me people who, in sum, can overwhelm a group of mundanes and possibly low-power NAs rapidly, quietly and without collateral damage, have an escape option in case I am compromised somehow and can interface with Chinese naval technology by NA or by mundane means if we have the intelligence to do so. Ideally the team would be small, so filling multiple roles at once would be best.” She placed a hand on her hip, looking to Qingshe once more. “If you ever got to study those systems on a naval exercise or something, now would be the time to say. Or if that green-black manifestation of yours can take control of the weapons directly – run it through the pipework or the like and we may not even have to show our hand.” Despite herself, Callie smirked a touch. “Would hardly mind having you along.”

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Callie / Henri / Nil / Nemo

@Nimbus / @Chiro / @Gerlando / @The World

“There.”

Most of Callie’s portals were small but with significant impacts. Each was positioned efficiently, as compact as it could be and as simply shaped as possible to minimise energy expenditure and thought. It had a task and it fulfilled it well.

This time, Callie reached for something different, gathering power and focus that she had only sought a very few times even in training. Her efforts now would be complete, overwhelming and devastating. Her opponent demanded it.

“Weapons ready; target soon exposed!” She broadcast her message to as many as could hear it - meaningful enough to provoke alertness but not enough to alert anyone listening in to her plan. A small part of her mind prayed it would be enough. Now - other two. “Nil, strike the north face.” That would be enough of a distraction for the target and aid the general aim of releasing pressure from the volcano (no matter her companion’s state of mind, as another part of her worried after, screaming at her to help, to care; there was a greater priority now). “Sergeant, ready. In case what she was about to do needed to be shut off rapidly, for her own safety.

”Roger that,” Henri confirmed. He kept a close eye on the happenings around him. Leonidas was kept under wraps for now. It needed all the energy Henri could muster.

Hearing she had been called Nil raised her head from her hands, there was something to shoot at, some north face of, what exactly? As Nil wondered what the target was she looked outside to see the massive volcano covering the whole view, yeah that.

Preparing her NA she hoped not to see that chaos again, hoping the earth would not move, but it was fine, even if it did there was no need to look close enough to notice, it was a big target, no need to focus.

And then the first shot was fired, then another in the same spot, and they kept going until lava was pouring out, then she moved to open another hole and another again, soon the volcano side would be riddled with holes like a colander.

All the rest of Callie’s focus narrowed in on her target. She saw her there, an arrogance in her stance, laughter issuing forth. She knew the type, had seen it in a few of the other AMCs - ones who believed that their gifts made them invincible and deserved them power above common humanity. Now, seeing that attitude writ large and exaggerated, bringing about so much death that she failed to stop...

Conscious thought, intuition and emotion married, something darker than mere anger propelling calculation and flow. Just under four seconds to release. Her intent was simple and brutal: a single, ovoid-shaped portal surrounding Tian Fei, encompassing her and placing her hundreds of metres above Lingayen, away from her substance of power and entirely exposed. Such a conjuration would drain her in moments - working in three dimensions always demanded more area, and thus more stamina than untrained people and those with minds unlike hers would expect. If it worked, however, moments would be all she needed; Tian Fei would fall into the sky and the portal could close. Watch the staff - needs to be upright to fit when -

Who?

A child, her mind supplied - a boy, projected towards her target.

Nemo felt a twinge of despair when he realised that he had been thrown so hard that he lost his grip on Noel’s wrist. But then he remembered his order to “do not despair” and the reality of the situation hit him. He had been launched at the enemy. Still though, his Vitae wouldn’t be useful for killing them like he was ordered to. Reverse wasn’t very effective at cutting things. All of this flashed through his mind as he travelled mid-air towards Tian Fei. Ultimately, he didn’t know what to do; he was being useless again. Two seconds had passed. He was stuck on a collision course and had no real recourse to stop it.

No. No! Callie’s willpower redoubled, any lapse of focus vanishing. No more harm - mine to prevent it!

Her forehead beaded with sweat, watching the boy as he flew at Tian Fei, blade in hand - black hair, sharp nose, a dozen emotions written on his face and shining from his golden eyes… It was easiest for her when bridging space to determine an intent, let the power build, slightly correct for any minor change and then release it - it allowed her to consider other things simultaneously. Now, though, there was someone vulnerable at risk - the situation was volatile, and she would not hurt because of it. Even as the moments passed, time like treacle from the vantage of her thought, Callie fought the impulse to codify the power she reached for, instead forcing it to remain undefined, malleable. Nothing was spared in the effort, drawing both from that deep burning darkness and the bright, flaring desire to protect, to help. Her victory would be total and it would be right.

Nemo couldn’t help but feel a little scared, if he were honest with himself. Though this mostly manifested subconsciously, as he put Vitae in front of him as if to block an attack and closed his eyes. The seconds seemed to slow as adrenaline kicked in, but they passed regardless.

A little longer - focus on Charter, read motion, ready to shape power - where is he - closing, closing - she does no further, not to him, not to anyone! Her lips parted, drawing breath to call to any who might answer…

The boy felt his arms shake as his sword slammed into the target he had been thrown at, still sideways in his hands, possibly breaking Tian Fei’s nose. It was unfortunate for his commander that he weren’t holding it forward, he’d realise in retrospect, but for now he was too focused on maintaining his… he supposed it would be called “balance,” despite being mid-air.

Several things, at this point, were true. Firstly: where before the gap between her target and the boy was narrowing, the impact had imparted momentum to the former while the latter steadied himself, and thus it was now growing again. Secondly: the boy had issued her a sharp strike to the head, potentially concussing, likely disorienting and certainly distracting her. Thirdly: as the human body is wont to do on impact, her target had slightly curled in on herself, reducing the area her portal needed to cover. Finally: her Charter’s might was gathered.

Callie took this all in in a moment, and knew the opportunity.

“FOCUS FIRE, HALF-CLICK ABOVE BEACH WEST!”

Space realigned and snapped into position; she demanded it so. Tian Fei vanished from Nemo’s sight; now about her was now open sky, her position tilted halfway between sideways and down to disorient her further. Momentum carried her past the encompassing portal’s bounds, loosing her in the air above Lingayen’s coastal shallows - far from aid and far from her element.

Callie’s vision swam, even as she closed the portal - the drain not so much as expected, and later she would recognise this as that strange boy’s intervention pushing Tian Fei far more quickly than gravity ever would have, but still taking its toll after so many other demands on her had worn her down. Job to do… Don’t ask others… What would not do yourself…

Blearily, she grasped at her rifle, slotted in Charter as a scope and tried to gather power to manifest a tiny portal to fire through…

And, instead, exhausted, slumped on the helicopter wall.

Next to her Nil had finished with her previous task, the volcano now being riddled with holes. No, Nil was looking for the target Callie had called a few seconds ago. The ex-Buddhist now falling through the sky, there was no doubt, must be her. Nil launched staffs at the small aerial target, if nothing else just to get a taste of vengeance.

Her aim wasn’t the greatest - maybe it was the helicopter moving, maybe it was her still dizzy head, or maybe that she didn’t try to look too closely at the target, so Nil threw many more projectiles at her target, enough to also hide Tian Fei from her sight, deliberately choosing not to look too much at her. Even if she would not hit the Buddhist, surely there were others aiming at her, but getting back at the geomancer did feel good. Forty-four. She was definitely counting this one.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Callie / Henri / Nil

@Nimbus / @Chiro / @Gerlando

Callie forced her mind into gear through the ever-growing weariness; her eyes scanned the battlefield below, searching for anything at all - ripples in the earth, the shape of the terrain, anomalies within either - all while watching for missiles, stray fire, that odd boiling in the ground and any and all other potential threats to the helicopter. As for her voice… “Sir, ma’am, ready to reposition assets on your command. And…” She bowed her head. “If you’ve any healer AMs below, we could use one right now.”

“We do,” CMS Cabral called out over the comms, “an Army Chaplain back in Lingayen, where you’re returning to - his name’s Carroman.”

“Good…” Not yet, while there’s so much earth… Her mind stalled for a moment, not entirely able to comprehend what her sight showed it: a titan, rising from the rubble and glass to stand atop a dais of melting rock.

She’s not in there, her intuition screamed - too obvious, she’s too smart - she’ll expect us thinking that - how can I - how do -

Sound from the radio - first melodic, teasing, then all at once directional and firm. Those tones recentred her, so like her days in the Cadets on a field exercise, listening to one of her teammates adapting a plan on the fly…

She breathed.

Okay.

Callie rapidly flicked at her comms, locating the channel for Qingshe. Would - it’d help see patterns in the earth - any advantage, take. “Alright, someone, I need infra - goggles, headset, anything portable. She needs an eye in the sky, I’m it.” For the briefest of moments, part of her brain cursed not having the custom attachment she’d had for her spyglass back in the US. “For the other, Nil -” Callie flinched, looking over to the girl before glancing with concern at Henri. No time, I hate it but no time…

Nil got to one of the seats of the heli and pretty much just sat there, hands holding her head but looking a lot more calm right now. She was looking around… but not in a very attentive way… and towards the helicopter’s floor; clearly she had no intention of taking a look outside for now.

When called upon Nil turned her head, as if hearing it but the extent of what she understood was uncertain as she didn’t utter a single word.

Shaking herself, focusing, Callie fit thermal vision goggles to her helmet. Benefit of having equipment from here… “Come in, Snake - I have visual on…” She shuddered a touch, brain still not entirely wanting to accept the scale of that going on beneath her. “Visual on seismic activity. Hoping to release some pressure; going to try marking our target too. Seeking confirmation: if provided, can you direct and expand your terrain effect through -”

A sudden shift - cold, bursting through the heat of the volcano, as masses of ice collided with the lava. Great blasts of sublimated steam issued forth and whatever inferences she’d hoped to draw from the flow of the lava vanished into rapidly-shifting convection currents. Situation changing far too fast - not safe up here - “God, God, right channel - ma’am, sending injured AM down now!” And, with a glance through Charter, a moment’s focus, Sophist was in the hands of a medic below and being rushed into the field hospital.

Now the next, the next! And Callie’s mind raced, as the radio screeched with commands and chaos and destruction unfolded below her. Too much… Simple and effective. Pure utility. That’s what’s needed. It’ll hurt… You’ve practised.

Back to Qingshe. If she’s got everyone’s ear, as it sounds… “Scratch that - if we’re levelling the mountainside, relay that I need someone to provide a sight line on Tian Fei from above, even just a few seconds. Get that and I can isolate and expose her to everyone.”

She looked for a moment to Henri; even as her goggles hid her eyes, her voice told the story of a young woman shaken, overtaxed, but determined. “Sergeant, this could go badly. I go down, you’d better help me like I kept you… Well, safe-ish before, okay?” A thin smile to disguise the pang, the murmur amongst the others in her head that said she shouldn’t, wouldn’t need it.

”You can count on me,” Henri promised, although he admitted to himself that he had doubts. For the last few moments, he had felt himself… lacking. Henri knew that he was only a D-class, but it was just now that he truly thought he knew the full implication. No, he wasn’t useless. With the proper strategy, they had already taken down one strong opponent. It was the same with this.

”I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“Good to know,” came the response, accompanied by a slight and momentary smile. “Not just me, mind - see to your men, Sergeant,” Callie added, a little faux-pomposity in her inflection as a part of her carved out even a little relief from the near-total focus of scanning from the heights, awaiting her chance.

”Naturally,” Henri added before leaving Callie in her thoughts to ponder his own strategies.

Meanwhile Nil was still sitting in the back of the chopper, still not getting up and definitely not looking out the chopper, this time not because she couldn’t but because she didn’t want to look at whatever was making everyone so erratic. It couldn’t be good; from her sitting position she saw an impotent Henri and desperate Callie constantly looking out for an opportunity that might or might not come. Even in this desperate moment it seems they were coordinating with someone through the comms, hoping together they had a chance; Nil was sure to have heard that voice before…

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Callie / Henri / Nil

@Nimbus / @Chiro / @Gerlando

A flare, a thunder and a force shoving them towards the grounds, it all happened at the same time, too quickly to react. The fall didn't hurt much, but it was hard to understand what was happening: flash, noise, ground not good, noise, red ground, noise, the Egyptian charred not good not good.

Then something began to move, shaking and screeching a terrible track forecasting their end being near, a constant, tremendous clamour that left no room for thinking, forcing Nil to stay where she stood, incapable of moving.

Henri was frustrated. Frustrated and fearful. For all his ability to neutralize powers, he couldn’t stop material on the move. Leonidas could work as a regular shield, but it had only one surface, while the sand was everywhere. All he could do was try and defend himself and others, and hope they’d survive long enough for the medic.

The sand prickled and glittered underfoot, silicon all but bristling in anticipation, before rippling in an odd manner of blink, as it seemed to notice something.

The faint sound of rotors could be heard flying towards them, above them, and soon enough, a Philippine Army Helicopter, a MBB Bo 105, flew high above, lowering ropes from a high enough position that the change in air pressure won’t be detected by Tian Fei, at least not immediately.

It was a decent enough stratagem. By all accounts, it was exactly what the doctor ordered to evade the terrifying terrakinetic. But the air pressure wasn’t the problem. It was that the helicopter was making any sound at all.

The earth at the base of the mountains began to writhe more violently, almost seeming to bubble… No, it was bubbling. There was a strange haze rising from the earth… Steam? As ridiculous as that might have seemed, the temperature in the area was suddenly beginning to climb, most intensely from the mountains, billowing down across the sandy beach like a scorching desert wind. The face of the mountains and foothills began to look strangely runny, even as odd tubular protrusions began to sprout across them.

At the same time, the remnants of the Philippine Army and Marines were firing their remaining artillery and rockets at the Chinese fleet, finding new courage even in the face of the renewed offensive. They had witnessed miracles - multiple ones - today, and they knew they can win this; they had won before in the Crisis of 1988, when Angelito Jaime had saved them all and ASEAN had presented a unified front.

The memory of their victory burnt anew, they just needed a new champion.

CMS Cabral’s voice echoed through the comms, “Oi! Sergeant Janssens, use your Anti-Magic to slow the landslide down! Then get up! Get up and make sure the rest of the team goes with you!”

“Yes, sir!” Henri replied, raising his shield. “Fighting in shade!”

The bubble of his shield expanded, and abruptly, the sands within 20 meters of the imperilled Arms Masters went deathly still. The sands further out seemed to flinch at that, thrashing a bit in what might have been a surprise. The writhing sands all around them lurched forward in a collapsing 2 meter wall from every direction at once, before flinching back again, as whatever mass passed the radius of Fighting in Shade slumped limply into the already stilled sands.
The glassy chime of the terrakinetic’s “voice” hummed in an eye-watering tone, like nails on a chalkboard, before a giggle like tinkling glass vibrated through the air. “WeLl NoW~! aReN’t YoU a SpEcIaL oNe?” She “giggled” again, a sudden glee practically palpable in her alien tone. “So… ThAt’S hOw YoU dEsTrOyEd HuO rEn’S sUn So SuDdEnLy, IsN’t It? WhIcH mEaNs, ThE oThErS wItH yOu MuSt Be…” The sands that had prior formed into a malicious mockery of a face twisted again, an excited sadism plain to see on the construct’s features. “ThE nUlLiFiEr, ThE pOrTaL mAkEr, AnD tHe AgItAtOr AlL hErE aT oNcE? I’vE sTrUcK gOlD!”

It was then that Henri noticed Sophist. The Agitator was in bad shape, but Henri would try and save him. Maybe the medics could patch him up together.

“Callie!” He told the other teammate, “Take Nil and climb up. I’ll be right behind you!”

“InTeReStInG pLaN~!” the terrakinetic responded idly, almost as if she could actually hear them. “I sUpPoSe I dOn’T hAvE tHe LuXuRy Of TaKiNg ThIs SlOwLy, NoW dO i?” she almost seemed to pout through that discordant noise. “RiGhT tHeN~! lEt’S sEe HoW yOu TiCk, HmMm?”

“...” Callie stood, looking now towards their companion, scorched and only mostly there - now to the earth, churning with scarlet-stained glass - now to the sky, whence the strike had come. Could have - save - how do I - must -

Tendrils of sand began to rise up like the looming tentacles of a kraken. Two. Then six. Then a dozen. All of them began to almost delicately slide up the outer edges of Henri’s barrier, carefully prodding and mapping the radius. “HrMm… TwEnTy MetErS iN aLl DiReCtIoNs… UnDeRgRoUnD aS wElL… yEs~, ThAt DoEs ApPeAr To TrAcK~! A pErFeCt SpHeRe, It SeEmS! A ReSpEcTaBlE sIzE fOr SuCh A pOtEnT eFfEcT!” The voice was commenting and logging her observations in English to the open air, almost to herself, seemingly completely uncaring of how much the enemy knew that she knew.

Henri grabbed Sophist with his free hand and ran towards the helicopter.

“Be careful with him, he’s badly hurt!” he warned the crew up above. “Callie, are you in?”

“Oh? sO tHe RaDiUs MoVeS wItH yOu?” the terrakinetic remarked. “ExCeLlEnT! wE’rE lEaRnInG tOgEtHeR!” The sandy tendrils wriggled happily, as they began to brush more boldly across the barrier. “Oh!” the horrible crackling exclaimed in realisation. “ThE sAnD IsN’T bEiNg DeStRoYeD! yEs, I cAn FeEl iT, wHaT wAs TaKeN bEiNg UnCoVeReD wItH eAcH dEsPeRaTe StEp! No, ThE sAnD hAsN’t GoNe AnYwHeRe… It’S jUsT bEeN… hIdDeN… I wOnDeR hOw MuCh YoU cAn ‘HiDe’ BeFoRe ThAt BuBbLe Of YoUrS pOpS~!”

Callie’s mind whirled, directionless. The vision of it all - the blood, the fire, the horror of it… But Henri’s words, finally, cut through.

“O-okay! Yes, sir!” She forced her eyes shut momentarily, decoupling Charter from her rifle, securing the latter and reaching out for Nil’s hand. The girl was pulled after her with little effort, following Callie in a seemingly mindless state.

How are you going to protect them?

“Going to be fine,” she told - Nil? Herself? Callie wasn’t sure. But as she began to run, to let her mind work again, to let her eyes take in the world about her, she did know how. “Sergeant!” she called ahead, slowly catching him given the weight he bore. “Just tell the heli, get as high as they can, then cancel the null when it’s safest! I’ll take us!”

”Affirmative!” Henri answered and contacted the helicopter crew ”Delay my last order. Get as high as you can and wait. We’ll teleport in.”

The crew seemed to understand the order; the helicopter up above began to gain altitude. Now for the hard part.

“Ah~! So, YoU dO hAvE tHe LiTtLe PoRtAl PeSt WiTh YoU~!” There was no doubt now. Somehow, Tian Fei could hear them, every word they were saying, despite that they were no longer in contact with the earth under her direct control, she must have had a secondary method of perception. “WeLl ThEn~! I sUpPoSe DrAsTiC tImEs CaLl FoR dRaStIC mEaSuReS~!”

At that tone of consideration, it seemed to be the sands’ que to begin bodily shoving into the barrier’s radius. Though the silicon waves immediately stilled and slumped limply upon crossing the line of Fighting in Shade, they continued to flow relentlessly, the “water level” of sand at the fleeing Arms Masters’ feet beginning to rise inexorably. And as the sand did so, the sun gleamed ominously off several surfaces intermixed within it. Despite being disconnected from her control, it seemed Tian Fei was testing the waters, funnelling 3-foot tall, hollow “sea urchins” along in her sand’s grasp, all of them formed of razor-sharp glass, as they rolled forward from all directions, shoved by the tide of sand.

Simultaneously, blades and other constructs of glass, solid visually, began to prod the barrier as well, daring past the line in various sizes. Initially, they were small and thin, and upon passing the barrier, they slumped, cracked and collapsed into the flow below, but even this was a threat -if perhaps inadvertently- in the case of those blades angled from higher up the sphere’s outside, the risk of falling razor glass prevalent. If that were all, it would have been one thing, but it wasn’t all. One blade, thicker than the rest, was extended through the barrier… and successfully pulled back. The rest of the tendrils stilled for a moment, before writhing in excitement.

“So, It’S nOt TeLePoRtAtIOn, NoR teMpoRaRy Or EvEn PeRmEnAnT oBlItErAtIoN, nOt LiKe ThE dEsTruCtIoN oF HuO rEn’S sUn MiGhT hAvE iMpLiEd… ThE gLaSs IsN’t BrEaKiNg FrOm LeAvInG mY cOnTrOl… No, It Is, BuT nOt FoR tHe ObViOuS rEaSoNs… YeS… yEs, I sEe! InTeGrItY! tHaT’s ThE sOlUtIoN! i JuSt HaVe To GeT a LiTtLe… ThIcKeR~!”

For a moment, a thought - She can hear us, God, she can - but, if she can, she needs some way to… Is she right… Her eyes cast about then, searching desperately… Then stopped. Or she senses from earth right beyond the barrier and is just that good at it. Unsure - no time!

Thus, Callie focused, willing energy forth, already visualising the portal ahead of Henri to the aircraft up above. Nothing happened yet, of course, and there laid the risk - but so long as he let go of Leonidas’ power once the three were all together, it would be momentary, and he could bring his bubble back online.

Thicker glass constructs now began to push past Henri’s barrier, blades, clubs and sturdy, well-made formations. As they moved, they were still, inert and lifeless, aside from where they rooted outside Fighting in Shade’s radius. And this time, they weren’t succumbing to the Anti-Noble Arm power. It seemed that, without being actively animated under Tian Fei’s will, and -more pertinently- held together solely by her terrakinetic power over them, they were able to pass and be wielded by her. Clumsily, granted. Blindly, seemingly also. But this time, her formations carried actual structural integrity, were designed with physics in mind and were held together purely by mundane merits.

”Okay, then.” Henri messaged, ”I will drop the nullifying field in three… two…”

Oh, God, don’t count, she’ll - no time, just ACT! “Nil, listen, please - when I jump, jump!”

“One… now!”

The field dropped; in the same instant Callie’s will, released, surged forth like the thousand times it had in the years before - practised, instinctual. A portal bridging so little distance, even person-sized, took only hundredths of a second to conjure. Henri was there already, getting through the portal at his own end; Callie and Nil right behind, Callie leaping for where she knew the portal would be just before Henri loosed the nullification to get herself off the ground in that moment of vulnerability - she looked without slowing down, brain throwing out half-a-dozen sparks of ideas against things that Tian Fei might throw at them…

And then she and Nil were sprawling on a metal floor dozens of metres off the ground, the glare of sunlight gleaming off the blades of glass that had almost sluggishly passed through where they once stood not a moment prior. And with a ripple, the sands seemed to chitter in consternation, before flashing towards the open portal like bloodhounds. “Through!” Callie called to the sergeant, already cutting the connection as fast as she could, clutching Nil’s hand in her own. The gap in space snapped shut with the ringing chime of severed glass shards and a violent spray of sand upon the helicopter’s innards. Shards of glass, now inert, crashed against the inner copter walls and shattered messily, scattering across the floor… and mercifully nothing more, aside from being a bit of a hazard in the case of a bad fall.

Nil’s head had jumped from an explosion, to the rattling of dozens of glass shards, some even sounding like… a voice, to actually jumping… or being pulled? At least the now more constant chop chop of the helicopter was a bit more bearable, or at least less unbearable.

There was some glass scattered all over the metal floor, this time small, inert and definitely didn’t rattle around like before, she raised a hand to the ear protection that had stopped working after the blast, maybe one day they’ll make them missile-proof.

Henri left Sophist at the care of the medical personnel on board the copter and took a position from where he could observe the situation below. It was all so frustrating. This was supposed to be his baptism by fire, yet he couldn’t even save all those people. He hit the floor in frustration, Leonidas in his arm feeling like a pot lid. Henri didn’t dare to activate the nullifying field. He could only use it for a few minutes at a time, and the field had already been used. Henri could feel his heart beating like crazy and sweat blocking his sight.

”Does this thing never tire?” thought Henri to himself, trying to conserve energy for an emergency nullification.

Callie, meanwhile, checked over Nil, pointedly avoided checking over Sophist… Then, in a moment of possible prescience, possible mania, possible fear, she summoned a portal, a tiny one, linking once again to high above the battlefield, gazing over it like Henri.

She sucked in breath.

The hills looked much the same - glittering with glass, evershifting, almost as a second sea roiling above the first… But now joined by a third black and green, amongst the city of Lingayen itself. It raced westward, towards the river, rushing to confront Tian Fei’s broken earth.

Qingshe was at work.