Silvan Haven

The War of the Three

@KoL

Oh, thank very much.

The War of the Three

@KoL

Understood. Ask me if you have any questions on the 1st's equipment or capabilities. On a base level you can think of them like Spartans with less individual skill but higher physical stats.

Is the NPC change going to be immediate or part of the next battle?

The War of the Three

@KoL@floodtalon@Ryonara

Saef Harken
Graveyard Proper

The Demon was tough. That massive outpouring of firepower simply seemed to annoy it even with Farris' help. Although...yes it had summoned or materialized a skull faced set or armor. It was hard to tell which from this distance and with all the magic being flung around.

As one the highly trained company ceased fire when the fiery forms of multiple Angels rose to engage their target. Saef could only guess that the flame based Angel had created elemental copies of himself or summoned help through an unknown power. The problem was an intellectual one and rendered moot moments later when alarms rang from every suit in his command. Somebody had just scanned them with a very powerful radar.

The computer's estimated guess pegged it as some kind of fast moving aircraft heading right for him and his men. Doppler analyses of the signal put time of arrival a little over a minute. Not a whole lot of time to prepare.

"Incoming Machina aerial assault. Huddle up and adjust anti-airborn fire. I will provide cover."

Not wasting anymore time he lifted his scepter for the first time in the fight. The glowing white crystal at the end shone even brighter as it collected and augmented the energy he was surging through it. Arcane symbols flashed through his mind for half a second before a bright white and semitranslucent barrier rose into being around the suddenly much closer company of soldiers. He honestly should have ordered them into a series of individual evasive maneuvers. It was a miracle that the oncoming aircraft hadn't fired on them already.

They took the aircraft under fire at fifteen kilometers, well within visual range. Without the added damage from the holy weapons it was unlikely they would do much at extreme range. Letting the eager pilot get closer first allowed for the full strength of their lasers to impact. Oddly enough despite assumedly seeing what they were capable of when they fired on the Demon the overeager pilot flew at them at a respectible but oddly slow mach 2. That bit surprised Saef, either the pilot was underestimating him and his men or Machina technology was somewhat behind in fighter propulsion.

They had poured a lot of fire downrange by the time Farris turned away from the massive battle at the center of the field. Deflecting the vehicle mounted laser with surprising ease considering how quickly the crystalline wall had been erected. As the fighter plane swept around for another pass the outgoing fire turned with it. The super fast reflexes of the soldiers allowing them to follow the wide turn of the mach 2 aircraft.

The War of the Three

@KoL@floodtalon

Saef Harken
Graveyard Proper

Once again, explosions attract attention. Turns out that the rather flashy flame angel was about as sneaky as a bag of bricks to the head. His giant pillar of light and massive amounts of fire being tossed around drew a lot of attention. As did the completely random and obviously magical storm that formed over the Basilica.

Well at least we know where some of the enemy combat power is located. Time to head right towards the highly deadly contest of who can be more obvious.

Thankfully the surrounding area was mostly free of trees. This was a massive graveyard, not a forest. Trees took up grave space. There were some larger mausoleums that blocked line of sigh but nothing too bad. It made for a quick advance as a full company of powered armor clad infantry whooshed away in a rush of quantum particles.

Magically enhanced and mechanically augmented muscles propelled the paladins quickly through the graveyard. The occasional boost from a jetpack provided extra speed and an element of unpredictability that made them very difficult targets for anyone looking for an easy kill. Onboard computers took in the data feeds from the passive sensors and automatically shared it among the company. So far the only thing showing up were the spirits and ghouls that inhabited this dreary place. Easy enough to avoid with foreknowledge of their locations.

As he ran alongside his men Saef repeatedly glanced up at the darkened skies over the Basilica they were heading for. His magically sensitive eyes were picking up a star of power within the swirling winds and pouring rain. Taking a risk he sent a mental command to his suit, the sensors in his helmet reading his brainwaves and activating the digital binoculars. The Thaumaturge momentarily stopped his charge so he could see the scene some forty kilometres away.

A Demon soared through the air above the strategically important battlefield position. He was locked in combat with the aforementioned unsubtle angel from the look of it. All nice and out in the open. Not a single piece of cover within easy reach. The distance was on the far side and the storm would have blown any unpowered physical projectile far off target. A full company of computer assisted soldiers firing directed energy weapons was a different matter though. Especially with the heavier weapons that had been brought along.

"Company halt." He called out over the comms. "New priority target. Forty kilometers ahead. Center of the storm. DEWs only, I don't trust that the rockets won't be intercepted at this range. Enemy capabilities are unknown but be prepared to book it in case they can fire back."

Soldiers around him ceased their forward rush and looked towards the now marked spot on their HUDs. Individual soldiers got into their preferred firing positions. Some stood, others kneeled. Those carrying SAWs readied them. A few glanced longingly at the anti-tank missiles carried by some members of the company. High explosive shaped charges that were magnetically launched at high speeds before igniting the onboard rocket and seeking their target out. They were highly effective weapons in the right hands but at this range Saef figured that the flying demon would be able to notice and destroy them before impact.

"Fire."

Hundreds of pulses of blessed light filled the air. Shooting towards Henry en mass. Hitting was an uncertain proposition at this range, those firing relying on their computers for the sub-milimeter adjustments needed. It was at the edge of the laser pulses lethal range as well. Some energy bled off into the atmosphere as the deadly packets traveled. Go too far and they lose too much energy to be effective.

Those problems were at least diminished if not negated when the entire formation let loose on full auto. Dozens of pulses from each infantryman and hundreds from each SAW. Heavy sniper bolts made themselves felt as well. Suffice to say that the airspace around Henry suddenly got very hot.

The War of the Three

Saef Harken
Heaven Basecamp

Saef respectfully bowed his head at Farris' words. He would gladly have her by his side in the fight ahead. The idea of leaving the fiery Angel to his own devices left a bitter taste in his mouth though. He might not be outright leaving the man behind but the chances of survival were low for a warrior acting his own.

His tinted visor turned expectantly towards Evelyn as he spoke into his comm. It wouldn't be very helpful if his troops moved out before the scouts after all.

"Get ready to move out. General Evelyn will be scouting ahead while we make our way to the Basilica at the center of this place. Gladius and Longsword that includes you. Join up with the company but keep an eye out for that sniper."

The two squads in question had been about to open up on the retreating figure of Utada with a pair of squad automatic weapons. The heavy laser weapons would have cut through the dead trees with ease. Assuming they were normal trees that it is.

Nobody had been caught in the android's trap. Since she was still well within the range of their high powered weapons there had been no need to give chase just yet. At the Captain's words though, the two squads ceased fire. A few grumbles emanated over the squad level comm net but they did as they were told. Gathering up the deployed weapons they turned and headed back to where 2nd Company, First Heavenly Mechanized Division was gathering to move out.

The War of the Three

Sometimes I wonder why I joined this game.

Then I get to shoot lasers at people and it comes back to me.

The War of the Three

Saef Harken
Heaven Basecamp

Explosions have a way of grabbing attention. Zak's blossoms of flame and the gunshots from the unknown sniper proved that once again. The noises snapped Saef's head around before he could respond to the harpy general's suggestion. His eyes flicking to the map on his HUD as he did so. One particular red dot pulsed to indicate a higher threat. It was in the woods a short distance away, his men should have caught it. Something to deal with later.

"Longsword and Gladius squads. Deal with the sniper. I'll be along shortly to assist. Everyone else start spreading out. I want to know if this is the only one out there."

The orders were sent over the company's quantum comms. Normal radios were hard locked for this mission. The Machina ruled the airwaves until the technicians back home could figure out a way to send secure transmissions. Maybe some sort of enchanted transmitter. Magic was one thing Heaven seemed to stay ahead in.

The small army moved as they were ordered. Most of them spreading out, increasing the coverage of the passive net and scanning the area with their own senses. The specifically mentioned squads moved to engage the sniper. Taking cover behind anything sturdy enough to do the job and sending a hail of fire into the woods at the red outline on their HUDs. Snow was melted and trees were shattered as densely packed and highly energetic light struck at a target that couldn't have more than twenty five meters away at best.

Saef turned back to the rest of the command group.

"We need to dig in or move out now. And I would rather not be a sitting duck for any sort of large scale attack our opponents might have up their sleeves."

@KoL@floodtalon@Banana

The War of the Three

Those are my thoughts as well.

The War of the Three

@KoL

Whoops, forgot a mention.

The War of the Three

Saef Harken
Heaven Basecamp

A flurry of holy laser blasts cut down the few extra ghosts in the immediate area. The keener eyed among those watching might have caught sight of short pulses of sunlight leaping from rune covered weapons. Small portions of the photon packets colliding with the chilly air molecules and bouncing in random directions. Not enough to lessen the impact of the weapon but it prevented it from being completely stealthy.

Saef let his men do their job, instead turning his helmeted head to scan the battlefield. There was the still steaming crater off to one side. The red headed man he had met in the library smoking a cigarette at the edge of it. In another area a dog girl so cute and happy he had to wonder why she was on a battlefield at all cavorted through the gravestones.

Not the most quiet of insertions. I hope we don't get swarmed by ghosts before contact with the actual enemy.

And then there was the person responsible for saving his world. Farris had more than earned his respect when she swept in and routed the Demons about to consume what remained of his planet. That wasn't the kind of thing you could pay back in a single lifetime. She was also looking pretty annoyed at the moment.

"My men and I would make for ideal scouts." He said, walking towards the much older ascended human. "And if we reach that basilica it would give us an effective field of fire across the entire battlefield. "