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[ANIMA]

Year 214 of the New Imperial Calendar ( Year 2556 of the Old Imperial Calendar)

 

BREAKER OF CHAINS

(Vaf, Jod, Frigid)

Spoiler

He could still hear explosions somewhere around him. It was hard to pinpoint exactly from which direction they were coming from and, to be honest, he didn't really care. There other things that concerned him more, like the incredible pain which drummed within his head, the blood flowing down his forehead which turned his vision crimson and the dumb ringing in his ears. His nose was assailed by the stench of blood, burning flesh and gunpowder, his ears kept picking up moans and screams combined with gunshots and the sound of blades hacking flesh, and his back hurt as he was carelessly being dragged… somewhere.

After some time- was it seconds, minutes, hours? It was impossible for him to tell- the dragging stopped and he felt his hands being bound. Unnecessary, he thought. He had no strength to resist anymore, his entire body was numb. He was raised to his knees and a pair of blue eyes came to his view. Everything else was blurry to him, he couldn’t see who the blue eyes belong to, but the rage with which they shone made them pretty clear to him. He was afraid but, despite his fear, almost unconsciously, words of scorn came through his mouth:

“Foolishness… Are you aware what have you done? You attacked Imperial Military base! You are doomed, all of you... More soldiers will come…”

The pair of blue eyes grew larger in his sight as their owner leaned forward towards him and uttered a single world in such a cold tone his heart stopped for a moment: “Good.”

And, then, his heart stopped for good.

Moonfall, Ushakar

In the room which was decorated by hand-crafted carpets of various colors, each with symbols and figures representing an important moment in clan’s past, and furniture with elaborate carvings of exquisite craftsmanship, two Baraki siblings, twin leaders of highly renown Fimbulwinter clan, and their Mord bodyguard welcomed an Oxidal diplomat from the Empire. With the exception of Mord, who had no need for such comforts, everyone was sitting on pillows weaved with such skill one could fetch an incredible price in Asturias, that land where tradition was lost under the wave of technological and cultural progress. Between them was a low table with various homemade, traditional Fimbulwinter snacks and alcoholic beverages.

“You see this is an incredible problem for us. Her Majesty, as Your Lordships surely already know, is right now primarily concerned with happenings in Juren and most of her military forces are being moved to Tanjen and Albaham. This leads to relatively small garrison forces being stationed in the military bases in other parts of the Empire and it would seem some inhabitants of Ushakar had decided to exploit this in order to raise a little rebellion.”

These were words spoken by the Imperial ambassador. Although his manner was courteous, there was an air of familiarity about him, as if he was in the presence of old friends. He took a sip from his cup, making a slight frown as the strong drink inflamed his throat, before continuing.

“That’s why Her Majesty decided to turn to you twin lords of Moonfall, as some of her few friends in Ushakar, for help. The Empress asks you to end this rebellion for her- how you do it is not really important- and you will be able to count on her help in the future.”

Ambassador gave a serious look both to Hati and to Skoll before finishing.

“I hope that, as her friends, you will not be so inconsiderate as to let Her Majesty inconvenience herself by diverting her fleets, which may be needed in Juren, to crush the rebellion in Ushakar.”

Soon afterwards the ambassador exchanged usual pleasantries and once more declared his hope for positive response of the Fimbulwinter twins and then left, leaving brother and sister to decide their future course of action.

 

HONEY AND BILE
(Miss, JP, Ries)

Spoiler

Magistrate of the Undolin’s College of Magical Engineering slowly walked down the spacious hallway, carrying in her hand a small envelope bearing on it a seal of the Kushrina family. She would occasionally throw a glance, maybe even stop while inspecting the envelope, and then let out a sigh while continuing on her way. It was just too hard to cope with it- some people had it too good. She spent twenty years on this college and was still far away from attaining a doctorate, let alone receive a letter bearing a seal from such a prestigious family! However, that wasn’t the worst part. What bothered her the most is the name of the receiver that was written on the envelope: Christina Makinsen. Doctor Christina Makinsen. Indeed, Magistrate would be first to admit that the young girl was a genius, there was no questioning that, but for Science’s sake! She was only 16! Magistrate was still greatly perturbed by this state of affairs when she opened the door of Dr. Makinsen's personal laboratory.

Inside she saw a short figure standing next to a large contraption. The girl, Christina, wore a special engineering costume of her own design which she used to block any misfire from her experiments. Her pair of red eyes were burning with exited anticipation as the contraption in front of her began to rise, followed by the effects of lightning and sound of moving gears, revealing its bulky but humanoid shape.

“It’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!” Christina shouts seemed to be on the brink of mad laughter.

Hearing the door close behind her, Magistrate sighed again.

The Dawn’s Guard, above Asturias
 

It was early afternoon when Annaveya entered her father’s office. That room, like always, held not even an ounce of personal touch and was instead filled to the brim with various documentation and reports from all corners of the Empire. This was Alexandrov’s working room, a place where the fate of his and many other families was decided with a stroke of a quill (or lack of it). He had another, bigger office where he received various delegations, but Annaveya was his daughter and she will eventually inherit this paper-stacked room so there was no need for pomp.

“Ah, there you are.”

Alexandrov raised his head from the report he’s been reading and welcomed his daughter with a small, but nevertheless kind smile.

“I have a task for you my dear daughter. You see, some time ago our talent scouts came across quite a genius. Her name is Christina Makinsen and at the age of 16 she has already attained the title of Doctor of Magical Automatisation. After reading her reports and her published works I have decided that our family would greatly benefit of having this talented young individual. I have sent Dr. Makinsen a letter offering her scholarship and place for her on the Dawn’s Guard. She has accepted my request and now all that is left for someone to pick her up. And that’s what I need you for daughter. Here’s her documentation.”

Saying those words he turned around and without hesitation took one folder from a shelf which, under the weight of uncountable number of them, was dangerously leaning over Alexandrov. Then he offered it to Annaveya who took it only to see a picture of a girl which looked far younger than 16. She raised an eyebrow, but her father seemed not to notice it. 

“Just in case take with you Mr. Mathias Crane and that boy which usually follows you around. I don’t believe there should be complications, but better safe than sorry. In any case, you’ll need someone to carry the luggage. I'll let you brief them. Have a safe trip!”

Spoiler

Christina Makinsen

 

 

JUSTICE COMES
(Slice, XLegs)

Spoiler

Pirates where a hazard of the job, good captain reminded himself. When you take up a job on a merchant ship you're bound to eventually, no matter how safely you pick your routes, become a target of the pirate raid. Sure, this voyage was peaceful for quite a while and captain had hoped it would’ve ended peacefully but his hopes were dashed this morning by the sight of the black flag on the approaching ship. He couldn’t quite recognize the symbol on the flag and he didn’t really need to. No merchant company used black flags, and Imperial and Ashan military ships usually had two flags- that of their nation and another bearing specific fleet’s colors and coat of arms.

Quickly the alarm was sounded and the crew began running about, obeying the captain’s directions in preparation for the incoming fight. Sailors checked their rifles and sabers, cannons were loaded, and those capable of magic began accumulating energy. Seeing his men ready captain allowed himself a smile. Today, pirates would have to earn their pay with blood.

Then, as if just remembering, captain darter bellow the deck towards the cabins of his passengers, to warn them of what is about to happen and to ask for assistance from anyone capable to fight.

Merchant Airship

Erad was sharing his cabin with an old Baraki, a plump short thing with mouse-like face. They were both awoken by the commotion coming from aboard the deck, making the Baraki look at the ceiling of their room with mixture of curiosity and fear, as if trying to see through it the reason for all the noise. As if to answer his question the cabin’s door opened and captain’s worried face appeared before the two.

“A pirate raid,” captain said. “They will soon be close enough to board us. We will try to hold them off with cannons, but ours are small in numbers and caliber, I doubt they will be much helpful.” Aware from the Baraki’s demeanor that he would get no assistance from that direction, captain’s eyes were focused mostly on Erad. “My crew is ready to fight, but we don’t know how strong the pirates will be in skill and numbers so we can use any help we can get. If you think you possess the skill sir, please come above.”

Saying that he hurriedly closed the door without waiting for answer and left the two men to make their decision.

Kryssa’s Airship

Captain Kryssa Peregris was going about her daily duties when one member of her crew ran up to her.

“Captain, we have sighted a pirate ship closing in on a merchant vessel. We are still a bit far from them and they don’t seem to have noticed us. If you wish we can both avoid them or perform a surprise attack. What are your orders captain?”

Edited by ANIMA, 04 June 2014 - 11:14 PM.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

The Western Cross

"Western Hrist Zero-One, Western Skul Zero-Nine and Zero-Seven scramble! We've got hostiles to eliminate. MOVE MOVE!" The sound over her voice echoing over the comm system that wound through The Dawn's Guard shortly precluded the sound of her footsteps racing across steel floors as she bolted into the hangar. Joined by two uniformed pilots, the run shortened into a hasty walk as they made the or way to the hangar for their respective aircraft.

"Gentlemen, we have an innocent seafarer merchant under pursuit from two pirate vessels about five minutes from our position. We will rendezvous on point one-two-six off the starboard side of the dawn before moving out to the location. Understood?" Unanimously followed by a "Yes ma'am!", the doors swung wide as she stretched comfortable leather gloves onto her hands and her aviator's cap upon her crown. Climbing the ladder and sliding into the cockpit of her sleek craft, Anna very ran through the quick series of checks before giving the thumbs up to her crew chief.

"West Hrist Zero-One is a go. Good copy for launch?" A subdued similar echo came from the two pilots accompanying her, and confirmation then came from the control tower stationed high towards the rear of the Guard.

"Scramble flight, the lanes are clear." The garbled voice echoed into her ears, though a hint of amusement would come alongside the voice. "Western Cross, good hunting and good luck. You are free to engage."

With a deafening burst of steam pressure being released, Annaveya and her two pilots were literally flung from the underside of the Guard at blinding speeds. Once the craft had gained enough distance and velocity from falling, the wings spread and drank the air and the engines roared to life as Annaveya pulled the craft back upward towards the sun. Smoothly banking around the sky borne fortress she commanded, she heard the voice of her pilots reaching her.

"West Hrist Zero-One this is Skul Zero-Nine and Zero-Seven, leveling off on your port and starboard respectively." In a rattling roar with wisps of air coming off their wing tips, both aircraft settled to level with her at each side and just behind her in tight formation. It was then that the call came from the tower concerning the distress signal.

"Scramble Flight you've got two bogeys five minutes ahead. Turn bearing Zero-Three-Niner to intercept. Good hunting and good luck."

Following the direction given by the tower, all three craft turned towards the north and banked hard to descend simultaneously. By the time that the three had descended below cloud cover, the sight that greeted them was grim. In the distance they could see three specks that were rapidly growing, two of which that were gaining on the other as pockmarks of white water indicated cannon fire.

"Skuls. Take the standard sweep formation. Zero-Nine on the nearest and Zero-Seven on the furthest. I'll take center. Copy?" Another unanimous "Understood" echoed into her ears and without another moment she dived the final distance towards the sea. Roaring across just a few feet above sea level, The Western Cross tore towards her targets and the Pirates, focused on their hopeful prize would realize her arrival far too late.

With a bone jarring rattle, the heavy machine guns on her craft peppered the first vessel, tearing apart their main sails and demolishing dozens of men and munitions in a horrific spray of blood and oil that covered their decks in slick gore. Not a split second later, the second vessel also suffered her wrath in similar fashion.

Banking hard as she tore away from them across the sky, Annaveya looked on to the handiwork of her two comrades as their own guns razed the top decks of the pirate ships. Bringing both vessels to a dead stop in the water which was their true undoing. The Air-to-Sea Skul model Kushrina fighter carried torpedoes on them.

Unbeknownst to the Pirates, two trails of bubbles announced the path of the air pressure driven devices, one each having descended from the Skul fighters. A second of silence was all that they were given before the ships each respectively were torn in half by a devastating explosion.

Within seconds after this devastation, the Pirate ships sunk.

Passing over the floundering and drowning men and women, Annaveya frowned. "Tower, this is West Hrist Zero-One. Call the imperial navy and inform them that they've got floundering rats in the water on our location. Good kills and splash two Pirate Vessels, we're on our way back."

A few minutes later as she was on approach, a familiar sight caught her eye. It was her father's ship, The Fated Endeavor flying side by side with her own capital ship. Slightly scowling, The Western Cross made a smooth landing inside her respective hangar before walking from her ship at last. Leaving notes of course for maintenance since there were a few minor differences in the responsiveness of her fighter.

Walking into her commander's quarters, Annaveya's eyes quickly found her father in the veritable mountain of paperwork he was usually buried within. So close was he to it that he had even brought it upon her ship!

Sauntering up to her father and giving him a miss on each cheek in greeting, The Western Cross then embraced the Northern warmly. Yet it seemed he was here entirely for business purposes. Informing his daughter of a new recruit of a tender teenage year. Eyeing her father with one lofted brow over her oddly colored eye before opening the file, she nodded softly in response to his orders.

"Understood papa, we'll make our way to her as soon as possible."

With her order after her father departed to return to his own ship, The Dawn's Guard made due haste towards the new objective. Over the course of two hours, plans were made in terms of how to retrieve this child. A small four seat cargo craft would be sent down with Clare and Crane with Annaveya as escort. So, once they had been drawn close enough, both ships departed from the sky and made for the university. Annaveya swept in first, and as her craft hovered in the air for a few moments, it would slowly descend before making contact with the ground. Naturally, the Cargo craft carrying Clare, Crane, and the pilot would follow shortly after her. Walking towards the wind-swept and star struck looking attendant, The Western Cross would smoothly bow before kissing each of his cheeks as well. Leaving a furious flush upon the attendant's face as her perfume crept past his senses.

In the distance looming overhead, The Dawn's Guard had begun to peek out of the clouds.

"I am here on the behalf of the Kushrina family to retrieve Christina Makensen. Where can I find her and her luggage?" Annaveya inquired politely, patiently awaiting an answer.

Edited by Feisty-Pants, 27 June 2014 - 08:33 PM.

[Johnny Paradise]

Matthias Crane

 

Matthias did not like airship travel. At first he thought it might be similar to traveling on the water, or at least similar enough to not be terrifying and uncomfortable, but he quickly learned that he was very wrong. He hoped he would learn to like it, and retained that optimism even as he hesitantly boarded The Dawn's Guard. Maybe this time would be different, and the way the scenery moved by in a blur wouldn't make him sick to his stomach.

 

Over the course of the two-hour trip, his leader Annaveya, her subordinate Clare, and Matthias himself came to a consensus on a plan of action for their directive. Also during that two hours, Matthias learned that this trip would not be the one that made him enjoy airship travel. Dull pangs of uneasiness pulsed through his stomach every time a free moment reminded him of the fact that he was so high up in the air. He was the first on board the transport, impatient to know that the ground beneath his feet was not moving. Clare, Matthias, and a pilot descended on a small cargo craft, and Matthias followed Annaveya's example, kissing the attendant they found on both cheeks, as was, he assumed, standard protocol.

 

"I can take her luggage, if you just point me in the right direction," he said with a meek smile, still unsure of how to act as a member of the Kushrina mercantile empire. He mostly just assumed that if he was polite and helpful enough, no one would criticize his lack of professionalism and adherence to protocols he didn't understand.

 

Spoiler

I didn't really have much to work with on this particular update since I'm only in the background @.@ ideally, future posts will be longer when my character is actually present :x

[XLegs]

Erad, the Purger

 

 

The sound of loud foot steps above woke Erad up. He sat up in his little bed, listening intently. People were yelling frantically up on the deck. 

 

The old Baraki he was sharing the small cabin with was also awake. He looked up fearfully at the ceiling, clearly not okay with the commotion. 

 

Erad hopped off the bed, deciding to find out what was going on. Before he could leave the room, though, the ship's captain came bursting through the door, his face worried. He explained the situation quickly.

 

A pirate ship had been spotted, and it was fast approaching them. And from the looks of it, the merchant ship Erad was on was outnumbered and outgunned. Of course. Pirates were cowards, they only attacked those they thought were weaker than them. The captain asked Erad and the Baraki to help if they could, before leaving as quickly as he had arrived.

 

Erad spent a moment weighing his options, before deciding to don his white mask. Sure, the captain might be able to put two and two together and realize that Erad was the Purger, but chancing having one person find out was better than letting the ship go down. Besides, if Erad saved the ship, the captain would probably revere him.

 

He pulled off his robe and pulled up his hood over his mask. He no longer slouched as he did when he walked around as Erad. He stood tall and confident with the mask.

 

As he grew his wings through slits in the back of his armor, he looked over at the old Baraki, who was staring at him. Erad brought his raised index finger to the mask's thin smile, signalling for the old man to stay quiet about what he had seen.

 

Erad strode to the cabin door and opened it, checking the hall quickly. As he expected, there was no one around. They were all busy preparing for the battle. He made his way up the stairs that lead to the deck.

 

He opened this door and once again checked his surroundings quickly. He couldn't help but smile to himself behind his mask. There were plenty of crew members, but they were all too busy and scared to notice him. It was almost too convenient.

 

Wasting no time, he grew his wings further, and with a powerful flap he soared into the air. As he went up, he spotted the captain and adjusted his jump so that he landed right next to him.

 

The captain whipped around, startled by the Ashan who had just seemingly dropped out of the sky.

 

"Are you the captain of this vessel?" the Purger asked, in an attempt to further convince the captain that he wasn't Erad. He spoke with a deeper voice, and with the mask muffling him somewhat, he sounded very different from how he spoke as Erad. "Your ship will be fine. I will take care of the pirates. If I have to use my magic though, I must warn you that I may need your assistance afterwards."

 

With that he jumped off the side of the ship, expanding his wings to their maximum size - giving him a thirty-foot wingspan.

Edited by XLegs, 05 June 2014 - 02:43 AM.

[Ilyse]

One could never really get used to traveling through the air unless they were bred to do so. In fact, Clare usually got sick on the airship that his boss commanded, but he did his very best to hide the thin line of sweat coming from the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and throat. Indeed, although Clare didn’t have the fondest memories of the earth, considering he had buried his own family in the very dirt that he toiled upon as a child, he still preferred the soft touch of the ground over the harsh winds of the blue sky.

 

Of course, it doesn’t mean that airship travel wasn’t enjoyable in its own way.

 

As the ship came down to a stop, Clare followed Matthias Crane and Annaveya Kushrina into a small cargo ship, and as they came to meet the attendant, Clare was the last to kiss the man on both cheeks. Indeed, his face was slightly flushed by being kissed by a woman, a man, and somewhere in between.

 

As Crane offered to take the luggage, Clare continued to stay silent. He would only speak if permitted, and indeed, it was up to Annaveya to speak for him. He was better at entertaining, after all.

[ANIMA]

HONEY AND BILE

Spoiler

College of Magical Engineering, city of Undolin, Asturias

Awestruck by the Kushrina's airships and left speechless by the greeting all three members of the group bestowed upon him, it took a while for the attendant to gather his wits. Realizing that the guests expected an answer, he shook his head and cleared his throat. His face suddenly lost its flushed color and a grave shadow fell over it. He made a curt bow lacking any pomp.

 “Welcome to the Undolin’s College of Magical Engineering, I am Mikhail Dorvas, assistant at the course of Magical Automatisation. I am afraid that you won’t be able to fulfill the reason of your visit. I'll explain everything, if you would please follow me.”  

Mikhail led them from the landing area of the university towards the university’s old building, the place where most laboratories are. On their way members of the Kushrina family could see numerous students hanging around the university’s courtyard. Here and there they could notice an open-air experiment being performed. In contrast to their attendant, there was not a trace of worry on any of the faces present.

Once inside the old building the group walked a few more minutes through the spacious, cold and somewhat dark hallway. Eventually they reached their destination: a single unassuming door which had only a metal plate with “Laboratory No.2 of Magical Automatisation” written on it as a decoration.  Assistant began explaining as he opened the door.

“Pardon me for leading you here like this, but we try to maintain secrecy in the matter in order to not spread panic among the students. You see Dr. Christina Makinsen has disappeared.”

As he finished saying this, the door was fully opened and the members of Kushrina group could see inside the laboratory, which was an utter mess. Various engineering tools and pieces of unrecognizable contraptions were scattered throughout the room. This wasn’t just some stereotypical sloppiness of a genius, there was a fight here. Assistant Dorvas entered the room and walked towards its other end before turning to again face the group.

“Magistrate Yelena Selentza, who came here this morning after she didn’t find Dr. Makinsen in her dormitory room, found the laboratory in this state. The two of us, plus some other assistants and professors, searched the college grounds but couldn’t find a trace of the Doctor. Right now a board meeting is in process to decide if this will be reported to the gendarmes, something the Lord Rector is firmly against as it would damage the reputation of the college. That is why he sent me to welcome you and explain you the situation. He hopes that the prestigious Kushrina family, which polices the skies so well, would have the resources to find the girl without getting the authorit-…”

Mikhail Dorvas was interrupted by a hand which suddenly protruded from his chest. His eyes widened almost to a complete circle as he looked in disbelief at the bloody fist. He attempted to say something, his shaking hands slowly moving towards his chest, but instead of words only blood left his mouth.

“TARGET RECOGNIZED
SYSTEM POWERING UP ..................
SYSTEM OPERATIONAL”

The hand retracted and Mikhail’s body fell lifelessly to the ground. Behind the place he stood, from what seemed to be just another pile of broken machines, torn books and tools, now emerged something which looked very humanlike, yet was obviously a machine. Sparks of lightning began to flash around its body, while its eyes were fixated on the three.

“TARGET: ANNAVEYA KUSHRINA
MISSION: EXTERMINATION”

The voice, mechanical and devoid of any emotion, resonated through the room. Electricity gathered around its feet and the machine slowly lifted itself in the air, half a meter above the ground, its eyes never leaving the group. It raised its arms, aiming them towards Annaveya.

“MISSION...
START”

With a bang its hands detached from its arms and flew towards heiress of the Kushrina family like rockets.

Spoiler

Automata

 

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Annaveya Kushrina
"The Western Cross"

The moment that the attendant took upon a far more grave composure was the moment that the merchant realized that something was amiss. Striding alongside Mikhail confidently with her fingertips intertwined behind her back, Annaveya looked on over the college's grounds in lighthearted amusement. Catching the eye of a blushing student or two, the Kushrina heiress only offered an apathetic glance in response; she was here only for a distinct purpose after all.

Their nature overall seemed relatively normal though, much in spite of the worrisome poise of their attendant. With a lofted brow, she carefully continued to observe the man until he opened the door to a laboratory.

Quickly, her eyes drank in much of the disheveled scene, darting here and there perceptively as not a single detail was missed while Mikhail went on about the missing girl. Slowly, a scowl crept up upon her lips while he explained the collegiate board's intention. They wished to keep a situation hush hush while using her family as an investigative tool? One golden and one sapphire hue narrowed at the attendant, but then widened in shock as something struck her as sickeningly odd.

Why was there a bloody fist spearing through his sternum?

Watching on as the dead body was tossed aside like a rag doll, the merchant drew upon her knife and pistol alike as a eerily humanoid machine rose from a pile of ruin and scraps. That was the detail she had missed apparently, and just as she rose her pistol to fire, the robot chained together a listing of mechanical words before mentioning her name.

It was targeting her? Half her her mind wished to inquire why, but was never given the chance as it leveled its fists towards her. Just before it fired, she had enough time to bark an order to her compatriots: "Seems like I'm the bait, gentlemen. I'll distract it, go on ahead and kill it!"

With a bang, the Heiress was forced to dive to the ground as two fists roared just over her head with the aim of ending her life. Raising her firearm sharply, she peppered the machine with resounding gunfire before scaling to a stand and without another word for the two, she ran into the hallway without hesitation.

If it was coming for her, she wasn't going to go down easily. Now...a game of cat and mouse was very much afoot.

Edited by Trouble, 06 June 2014 - 02:39 PM.

[Vafhudr]

 Hati Fimbulwinter of Moonfall

 

“I’m impressed that Lord Egon still travels, despite his age. He was one of my teachers you know, back in the capital. He was boring – he shines in discussions, but he has not talent for magisterial declamation.” Hati remarked casually as she sipped from her glass. It was a bit early for wine, she thought, but the situation called for it. War planning was best done a little drunk. She and her brother rose, followed by A’gah, and left the comfort of their island of rugs and pillows and entered a secondary room – one that was much more Spartan in furniture. A table dominated the center and the far wall was decorated quite peculiarly – it was a map of the known world, painted in exquisite details. Sure, some of the cities on it did not exist anymore, but that would be corrected – eventually. Many, many layers of paint hung on that wall. This was their War Room. The table featured a smaller map, but also pieces reminiscent of chess – except a tad larger. The central wall was flanked by two walls which doubled as bookshelves. On both side there could be found a small table and a couch. Literature for warriors – treaties on war, geopolitics, cultures and manners: all that you need to know to deal with an opponent.

 

“Right.” Hati started, circling the central table. “We now have a rebel army that came out of nowhere and destroyed the military base – here.” She stabbed a spot on the map with her finger for emphasis. The military base was “strategically” located in the middle of Ushakar, if somewhat to the east and up to the north, from which, theoretically, they could deploy to anywhere within the country in a short period of time. That mentality presupposed that the Empire’s soldiers would do the crushing – and not be on the receiving end of an attack. “The empire is unwilling to send in troops because they have their hands full. This is an excellent opportunity to show that we mean business. Of course, I don’t expect this to make us more popular with a lot of the Khans, but we never played this game to be liked, now have we?”

 

“We will need to move fast. We can’t allow the rebels to retreat from the region. The land around the military base will not allow a major army to feed itself. The castle that made up the base was long thought to be impregnable because it was basically impossible to lay siege to it for an extended period of time without complex and extensive logistics. The Oxidals solved that issue with airships. The rebels solves that problem by sacking it in the middle of the night.

 

Brother – you will leave tomorrow. It is time to test the loyalty of those connections of yours. This rebellion will show us who’s on who’s side. Go to the Khans and rally them.

 

A’gah. I have a task for you. You will take 300 men and go scout the military base and establish a foothold for us. I will join you shortly – I expect a day or two later, the time I can gather troops and settle affairs around the city. Secure the railway and make contact with some our agents in… hmm… in Astrakan. Yes. We’ll use Astrakan as base of operation. It’s on the railway line and it will allow us to deny the rebel a retreat down south.

 

All right – yes. That should do nicely.

 

The discussion continued on as the group talked about the finer points of the strategy.

 

[…]

 

A loud series of explosions filled the air, thunder on a bright day, as Hati approached the training field. The smell of burnt gunpowder hung in the air, overpowering the musky smell of grass in what promised to be a humid day. The seasons of Ushakar did nothing in moderation. Hot summers, cold winters – and violent storms rolling over the unbroken horizon. The cicadas could be heard when they were not drowned out by the sound of the shooting practice.

 

“Ha – Lady Hati,” a young woman, Oxidal by birth, came to greet her. She had a severe look on her face, though tempered by a smile at the moment, and a powerful build, easily towering over Hati’s lithe but predatory physique. “I am glad to see you. Have you come to view the progress of your men?”

 

“Ms. Springfield. Good day to you as well. Have you heard of the attack on the military base?”

 

Ms. Springfield’s face darkened.

 

“I have. Nasty business. Those rebels are fools – the empire does not forgive such crimes, and the empire as a long memory and an even longer arm.”

 

Hati smiled and turned her face away, looking at the troops – her troops, training in the distance.

 

“The empire will not be dealing with the rebels – at least, not directly. No. That task has fallen unto us, I am afraid.”

 

Ms. Springfield fell silent.

 

“This is probably going to be a full scale insurrection. They were able to take down a manned fortress in one night. They have the manpower – and probably a few powerful magic users in their ranks. It’s going to be a long, bloody nightmare. All we can hope is that we can defeat quickly and effectively before the whole country is up in arms. “

 

“Can you win, my lady?”

 

“We don’t have much of a choice, now do I? It’d do or die – shall we go check the troops?”

 

A thousand men army – trained in the latest military techniques and technology of Asturias, along with a small elite corp of 250 women to act as Hati’s personal guard. They had guns, cannons, and a train. This would be the first true test of Hati’s New Model Army. They had been training for a year and a half. Hopefully that would be enough. 

[Ilyse]

Clare just stood there as he saw the body of Mikhail Dorvas fly away into the darkness, and the machine girl that stood behind the dead body had now began targeting the boss. With that, Clare knew what had to be done: his time to fight has come. Reached to the broadsword at his hip, he drew it and threw it up into the air, where it seemingly split into seven different blades that stabbed into the ground around him.

 

"As you wish, my lord. This one shall not touch you."

 

Taking a thin sword, one that could be considered a rapier, out of the ground, Clare leaped after the machine as it launched an attack on Annaveya. Running against the wall with surprising speed, Clare kicked off the wall before jumping in between his fleeing mistress and the machine Throwing the rapier out, Clare hoped to stab it between the head and body, its steel neck proving to be the perfect place to pin the automata away from its target.

[Jod]

Skoll Fimbulwinter

Moonfall

As the ambassador left the room,Skool took a long pull from his pipe, the embers at its mouth glowing red as fresh air rushed past. It was made of a long piece of ivory, intricately carved through its sides, depicting the seven heroes of Hveodrungr.

 

As in traditional Moonfall style He was lounging one of the many mattress scattered throughout the room, covered with layer upon layer of expensive high quality furs, and littered with large silk pillows, with detailed and intricate embroidery. He exhaled a single puff of smoke and vapor, as the whisper of a grin trickled over his features, as he thought aloud, an old habit of his.

 

“Well, well” He said.” An interesting proposition our dear queen has given us” he continued as he stared thoughtfully out the large window adjacent to him, which showed the greens of the castle lands, beyond which lay the myriad of roofs of the buildings that made moonfall.

 

“This  rebellion” he said, in his usual measured pace ” I have heard talk of it from some of the traders that came our way recently, however at the time it was not as large a matter as it is now. I am surprised by the speed of its growth. On the other hand, I don not think it is impossible for the garrisoned forces to deal with this, the talk of her majestys strained resources is a joke.” He said

 

“The queen merely wants us to handle it, in order to not incur excess hostility from the Baraki peoples. It would not be good for her popularity if, her forces were viewed crushing the Baraki openly, as it is they offer their loyalty grudgingly.” He said, as pulled in another draught from his pipe thinking to himself.

 

“However the queen owing us a favor is a substantial plus and I would always prefer that we deal with our own problems, if say we were to gain a good bargaining chip more the better I say.”He said, as got up to enter the war room, along with his sister and A’gah

 

_________ _________

The River Khos

 

He stood in a large Yurt, set up near the banks of the river Khos. He had set up camp  strategically in a little patch of neutral land, where the seven khans could meet without the worries of the usual territorial garbage that took place between these men. Around the yurt were the smaller of tents of about about a hundred men and women, his personal guard. They were a small but highly disciplined force, all of which he had personally groomed.

 

He had sent his summons to the Khans six days ago by crow, out of the seven KHans he had reached, all with territory affected by the rebellion, six had agreed on meeting him. The seventh however did not seem so eager.

 

He did not expect the Khans to offer much in they way of military, however if they could provide local information as well, support in terms of supplies for their troops. It would prevent considerable attrition as well as hasten the speed of Fimbulwinter forces.

The entry flap to the yurt flapped open as Hroth, the Commander of his guard stepped inside

Saluting quickly and efficiently he.

“Sir, we have received a crow, the Khans will reach within five hours” said Hroth.

 

“Tell the men to stand in rank before our guests come within line of sight, have a squad of seven to personally escort them to me” he said. Having the men stand in rank when the Khans came would, be a show of both the training and the discipline of his men. It would also make the Khans feels as if they were entering his territory, that of a Shaman, and they would subconsciously be more submissive. They were both calculated moves one to impress the Khans, and the second to make them more pliable.After which the true show would begin..

 

"It shall be done as you wish, my khan" Hroth replied with a bow..



 

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

A'gah

 

The Mord never understood the ways both the Fimbulwinter siblings thought, he was nothing but another guard to them and yet he was treated rather differently than the rest. A position that even the heads of the respective personal guards didn't enjoy, he was literally forced to attend the political and tactical meetings that the siblings partake in. Always listening carefully to the positioning and game of wits that was on display but never speaking. It was not his place he felt, to him these both were just children and through fate he was bound to protect them from whatever horrors that spawned to bring them harm. Through them he had the opportunity to experience the joys of a family and fun that children brought. his own childhood hadn't been like it but none of it mattered. As both of them sat and mused the course of action, he stood a few paces of them. He had no need for the fine upholstery and accessories that celebrated their position. He was more used to the trials of the elements, he found a strange comfort in them.

 

Soon, he followed the siblings into the war room, a stark contrast to the opulence of the meeting room. Decked to fit everything that mattered for sound decision making. It was a place where many fates were decided, where a clever positioning of troops on the table meant that the ambitions of the Fimbulwinter were expressed with their growing might. Hati assigned him his orders. He was to carry a contingent of 300 Barakis to the Fortress and establish a foothold for Hati to exploit and rally. His orders were clear and simple, something he appreciated about Hati.

 

[....]

 

They were en route to the Fortress, a few days march from Moonfall. A'gah expected that barring any major disturbances they'll be there by the third evening. He motioned for a Baraki to come forth, he was known as a man of very few words which made each of his words carry a weight and onus that was rather immediate and telling.

 

"Captain Fedrin." came a disembodied deep grumbled as the pentagram on the Mord armor glowed a bright red, this was A'gah's way of speaking which as it can be said was a bit unsettling.

 

"Yes, my lord." came a quick reply.

 

"It's A'gah, captain. Call me that."he said before getting to business. "Anyways, send a few runners ahead to Goran heights and ask them to check in on the rumors around the taverns and the town. Such an attack will have to carry a word bite with it." he paused.

 

"We are told that the fortress was overwhelmed within a day. Now, either that is either incomplete or completely false. I want to know if there are any demons involved in the off-chance. Something as impregnable as that fortress doesn't fall even if it is understaffed." he said to a nodding captain who motioned for a two of the more lithe Baraki to come forth and relayed his orders.

 

"Send an emissary to the Blackwings, ask them for a few Dark Sorcerers if they are willing to help. Let them know that Moonfall shall extend them a favor if they help." the Baraki general looked at him a bit surprised but nodded anyway.

 

"Also inform the psychics to do routine scrying of the area we camp at. Ask them to check for any demons in the vicinity. If they find any, you all are not to engage them. I'll handle them myself."

 

"But-" he started before being cut off by the Mord.

 

"I know you all are capable fighters, but I won't risk all of your readiness on some monsters that can be avoided." he finished. The captain gave a reluctant nod and rejoined the main march. Leading from the front. He had to wait a few days before he is clear what he was dealing with. Going in blind was always a death wish and he knew that it would be foolish given the situation. A defeat means a severe hit to the cause of the Fimbulwinter.

[Johnny Paradise]

Matthias Crane

 

Matthias felt his stomach rise into his throat when a fist pierced through Mikhail's chest. He dropped to the floor a bloody, lifeless mess, and Annaveya and Clare engaged the automaton in combat. Matthias was not a fighter, however, so he didn't know what to do when Annaveya told him to kill it. All he knew how to do was heal, and it was clear from the amount of blood seeping out of the hole in Mikhail's chest that it was too late for that.

 

He forced the bile in his throat down with the rest of his stomach, swallowing hard and trying not to think of Mikhail's death until after the automaton was dealt with. Matthias had dealt with death before, and his time with the Kushrina army had shown him a fair share of combat as well; he refused to be worthless in this situation. Though he lacked actual combat ability, Clare more than made up for it. Matthias would support him taking it down, preparing to heal the swordsman in case anything went amiss.

[ANIMA]

BREAKER OF CHAINS

Spoiler

Astrakan, Ushakar
 
As basses of operations during military campaigns tend to be, Fimbulwinter’s camp in Astrakan was bustling with soldiers, messengers, traders and other camp followers. Numerous reports, coming in from all sides, were threatening to overwhelm twin Fimbulwinter Khans. It was barely a few days since the talk of a real rebellion started, yet with each report the insurrection seemed to be growing larger and larger. Just how much of the information received were wild rumors and how much actual facts, there was no way for young Baraki to be sure.

According to A’gah, the castle walls were relatively unscathed, but most other buildings appeared to be destroyed in the fighting. Rebels dug a hole, probably with magic, through the underground in to the castle’s cellar. Corpses were scattered everywhere, but one particular spot was used as execution grounds for those caught alive. Baraki corpses had the symbol for “traitor” carved on to their foreheads, but there were also many Baraki soldiers were missing.  All weapons rebels could find where taken, from rifles to artillery, as well as ammunition for them.

Somewhat more fortunate news, Skoll managed to get khans to help. Some of them, at least. Two of them, Khan of Zarakians and Khan of Holdorans, brushed off requests for help saying that they “shall not be the Empire’s catspaw!” The other four, although they agreed to help, only sent token forces under excuse of rebels threatening their own lands, which amounted to additional two thousand men. Skoll also learned the name of the rebel leader: Beyazalan of the White Flame, a lion Baraki of whom little else is known except that he is adored by the common folk.

However, what reports had in abundance were rumors. Aside from seemingly overblown descriptions of rebel army, which some say contains trolls, dragons, elementals, in some cases even demons and a Primordial, there was plethora of rumors concerning insurgent’s location, and those rumors often coincided with scouts reports. Putting various pieces together, the three of the Fimbulwinter clan managed to approximate the most likely location of Beyazalan and his men to Karadag, the Black Mountains, a large massif in the northern regions of Ushakar.   

 

HONEY AND BILE

Spoiler

College's Old Building

As Annaveya bolted out of the laboratory and down the hallway, baiting the Automata, it took flight after her, stopping incoming bullets mid air before letting them fall to the ground. Without slowing down its hands, which Claire and Matthias just noticed were connected to its arms by a wire, quickly retracted back and set themselves in place, ready for another launch.

Before it could fire them, however, a stab in the neck made the Automata pause. Small gush of shinning purple liquid appeared at the point pierced by rapier, but Automata seemed completely unaffected by it as it turned its lifeless eyes towards Claire.

“OBSTACLE ENCOUNTERED
…REMOVE”

It quickly grabbed the rapier and broke it with seemingly little effort.  Then it fired its hands once again, this time aiming them at Claire. The boy attempted to dodge it, and was almost successful, but Automata managed to grab his leg. Immediately blue sparks run down the wire connecting Automata’s arm with its hand, making Claire scream as high voltage electrical current assailed his body. However, machine was not done and its hand once again began retracting, bringing the young d’Lune into Automata’s melee range…

 

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC
(Alcruid, Jumpin)

Spoiler

The large, wooden double door with the gilded carving is opened towards the inside by the two pages dressed in the dark red suits with the shape of the Mytryan lion drawn with a silver line on their back. Once pass them, several more pages dressed in same fashion await in the antechamber, one to check the guest list, the other to announce the new arrivals, and the rest to take the coats, hats, staves and other such items and carry them to the wardrobe. After hearing their names announced, guests are free to proceed into the Royal Hall.

The Hall greets the invitees with bright lights and sound of live-played music. To each side there are five windows and between them six flags, one from each founding kingdom of the Empire. The flag of the Mytryan dynasty and the Empire itself, the silver lionhead on a crimson field, is located at the end of the hall opposite the entrance, right above the throne. The throne is empty this early in the night, but Her Majesty will appear eventually, gracing the guests with a few dances, before retiring again. Above, the ceiling is decorated with marvelous paintings.

Although the Royal Hall of sky fortress Aslan doesn't come close to matching the splendor of the Grand Palace of Ascalon, the residence of the Empress close to the Imperial Capital, it serves its purpose of impressing the envoys of soon to be or newly conquered states well enough. It is here, several thousand meters in the air, where many kings and princes of Albaham and Tanjen had officially surrendered their lands.

Hegeyasha Mountans, Juren

With slow steps, using a plain staff to feel the way, Ikanara was coming closer to her destination, the humble residence of one of her old students. She didn’t meet Senraa in years, decades even. Not since she left Kamisai, fueled by youthful naiveté, to explore the world. Although aware of Senraa’s return to the Warden Kingdom from the moment she stepped into Juren, Ikanara did nothing to contact her, expecting to be visited first. Fact that her old student retreated to this isolated place in the mountains, shunning contact with the outside world, told the Master of War much about what she may have experienced. Ikanara felt a bit guilty of what she was about to do, dragging Senraa into exactly the kind of world she wanted to avoid, but they were both Eldewar. Among their kind needs of a single person were secondary to the needs of the entire society.

She approached the small house and used the staff to knock.

Royal Chambers, Sky Fortress Aslan

Built above the Royal Hall, Royal Chambers are the Empress’ living quarters and the highest located place on Aslan. In one of the rooms here, which serves as the office, Katarina spends most of her day when on sky fortress. However, at this moment early in the night, she was on her bedroom’s balcony which had magnificent view of the land below, relaxing on a comfortable chair and savoring a cake. Next to her there was a small table with one more piece of cake on it and another, empty chair.  There were no lights in the room and the only illumination on the balcony came from the moon and the lower levels of the sky fortress.

“You are late, Monsieur Asiran. Or did you grow fond of the name Pierro?” Katarina spoke in a friendly manner, something the nobles she talked to normally would consider impolite to do when meeting someone for the first time. “Fortunately this cake isn't of the kind that needs to be eaten warm so you can enjoy its flavor fully. I should commend the cook. Have a seat.”

 The person she spoke to was hidden in the shadows. Earlier today Asiran received a message, written in the code supposedly only known to him and Marcus, telling him to come to here, undetected, around this time. Did he have to bypass Aslan’s heavy security, which was especially tight around Royal Chambers, just so he would eat cake with the Empress?

Edited by ANIMA, 08 June 2014 - 08:22 PM.

[JumpinJR]

Asiran Greyblue


“Time for cake”

Asiran had to admit he was having an interesting day, and that was saying something given his lifestyle.  

His day started as they had been for past few days, his “employer” would wake up needing something.  He’d call  “PIIIEEERROOO” in an insufferable manner.  Almost entirely to high pitched and feminine for such a large man.  Then through out the day PIIIEEERROOO PIIIEEERROOO PIIIEEERROOO PIIIEEERROOO.  His name would be called at least thirty times a day for some meaningless task or another.  It was the downside of taking the identity of a servant for a noble. 

It was maddening, the man was nearly incapable of functioning on his own and despised being alone for even a second.  The only thing worse than his neediness was his pride and his “opinions”.  He always had a comment on the political state of the world and how it should be handled.  If anyone followed his advice they would undoubtedly regret it.  Yet, for some reason beyond him, people kept asking for his advice.   

After a certain point Asiran found himself wondering if this man was secretly working against the empire, or if he was just THAT stupid.  He wasn't sure which reality would be worse.  He also found himself wondering why he was here, with this sad excuse for a noble.  Marcus had said that this man was to be watched, the only thing Asiran has watched was this man eat enough food to feed a small village.  

This question occupied the background of Asiran’s mind until he discovered a coded letter.  In his private chambers.  In a code that Marcus taught him.  From the Empress. 

Asiran grew worried.

“Well, this is unexpected.”

-------------------

Sneaking past the guards was easy, not as easy as Asiran would claim later, but easy.  He would claim it was easy when speaking with Marcus next time, if he ever spoke with him again.  Asiran still wasn’t sure what this meeting was.  Needless to say, he was shocked by the Empress’s informality... and the cake.  He was having an interesting day.

Asiran bowed, “Forgive my tardiness.  I found it surprisingly easy to reach this area, I assumed it must be a trap or test in someway.  I delayed myself searching for evidence of such.”

Insulting the Empress’s security may not be wise, but at this point Asiran felt that he should respond to her informality, with a similar level.  After all, he was currently on the balcony outside the Empress’s bedroom, at her invitation.  He was hoping he wouldn’t be executed in a few hours.  

He approached the empty chair with a slow, deliberate walk.  He made every effort to seem nonthreatening.  Which was true, given the situation he made the choice to come relatively unarmed.  He left his knives, poisons, and crossbow in a sealed box in his quarters.  Only he could open it due to a puzzle, and the handles were smeared with a weak neurotoxin that would knock anyone who handled it for too long unconscious.  Only weapons he had on him were a collapsible baton and the garrote wire.  He was beginning to regret the last one.  

He sat down.  The chair was facing off the balcony into the open sky.  One could see for miles this high up, with his eyes, Asiran could see even further.  As plain as day he saw the surrounding area for what it was.  Peaceful.  picking up his plate, taking care to not drop the fork, he spoke in low, silky voice.  

“Milady, I always grow comfortable with my identities when on assignment, but fond.  For me to be fond of Pierro La’Mont would require much more than what I’ve experience within the past few days.”  He changed his voice to match the one he used when acting as Pierro.  It was a little higher and had a tendency to drop "t's".

He took a bite, and chewed quietly, enjoying the experience.  It tasted quite good, and no hints of poison.  He didn’t expect any after watching her eat some.  Still, conformation is nice.  Asiran had a realization.  Adrenaline and excitement from sneaking in had kept him from noticing, but now it hit him.  He was sitting with the Empress in the moonlight, outside her bedroom, eating cake, speaking in a informal, some would say friendly, manner.  

Asiran turned to his Empress and bowed again while keeping his eyes trained on her.

“Majesty, why am I here?”

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Annaveya Kushrina
"The Western Cross"

Having quickly gained distance from the machine, the merchant's ears caught the s oi under of something tragic happening just around the corner. Clare had been injured, judging from the smell of burning skin and the crackling of currents, he had been electrocuted. Slowly, a seething scowl crept upward on her lips and the grip tightened down upon the knife she held.

This piece of scrap had injured her subordinate.

Clutching onto her weapons, Annaveya rounded the corner with a new fervor in determination. Orders were uttered simply in a resolute tone to the other one who remained standing. "Matthias, once I cut Clare free, pull him out and get him standing again. Throw down whatever support you can." Then, without anything further she broke into a run towards the machine.

Slipping down to her knees, Annaveya's first knife punched into the cable that was dragging Clare back to the machine. Lacerating the cord and pinning it, if not severing it completely. Leaving the edge lodged deeply into the hardwood floors, the merchant immediately swiveled about and brought a second knife from her hip to bring down into the cable reeling the second fist back.

Driving it down into the cable with enough force to leave the knife hilt deep into the floor, the Merchant swiftly rose back to her feet and continued her advance. Drawing a third knife and twirling it nimbly in her fingertips, she rose up to then engage in point blank combat with the machine. Bringing her pistol to bear at such short range, a slew of gunshots rang forward and as she drew it back and away from the machine, the pointed edge of her knife threatened to perforate its skull as it came from above.

Edited by Trouble, 11 June 2014 - 06:48 PM.

[Ilyse]

As Clare’s sword broke before his eyes, the only thought that had crossed through his mind was beating up the person who actually fixed the damn rapier beforehand, and making sure the metal that went into the sword wasn’t cheap…for free, as well, considering that Clare might want him to pay for the damn hospital bills as well. After all, that was how Clare saw warranty, and the man is going to pay his shit right up.

 

With that, Clare attempted to dodge the automata’s attack, but to his chagrin, the machine actually managed to catch him just above the ankle, which meant he didn’t react fast enough to escape. With that, Clare saw the blue sparks, and immediately knew what was going to happen, so he braced himself for the incoming pain.

 

The pain of being shocked by a small amount of voltage is nothing more than a sting that will cause you to feel numbness for a certain period of time. Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the case for Clare, who was instead treated with a humongous amount of electricity running through his body. If anything, he had to thank his overall strong constitution that his heart did not stop from that.

 

As his vision began to blur, Clare saw that the mistress was rushing over to attack the automata as it dragged him towards it, and the only thought he could think of was to try and help her out. With that, Clare gripped the broken rapier tightly and bringing it up, he ran the blade into the automata’s hand, hoping to stab what remained of the blade through all the wiring and such and trap the automata’s position, essentially causing it to lose a limb in the process, should he succeed.

[SliceAndDice]

 

Kryssa Peregris

 

"As I was going to Derby, 'twas on a market day!

I met the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed upon hay!"

 

"THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, LIE, LIE!"

 

"This ram and I got drunk, sir, as drunk as drunk could be!
And when we sobered up, sir, we were far away out at sea!"

 

"THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, LIE, LIE!"

 

"This wonderful ol' ram, sir, it grew two horns of brass!

One grew out of its shoulder blades and the other turned into a mast!"

 

"THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, LIE, LIE!"

 

"The crew of the good ship Songbird is feelin' mighty wise!

The finest crowd of sailors that ever sailed over the skies!"

 

"THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, THAT'S A LIE, LIE, LIE!"

 

A bout of laughter rippled across the ship as the sailors found amusement in their self-jest. There had been a time, scarcely three years before, when Kryssa would have tried to silence the singing that went on her ship, but that had been before she realized how much more eerie the silence made the ship's going. Or, for that matter, how atrocious the whistling that would try to replace the shanties was. There was something almost halfway poetic about them, about how the rhythm tied the men together, and the way the lyrics kept their spirits up. Sometimes, the Princess turned Captain could swear the breath of the men as they sang filled the sails further, spurred the engine farther, and made the Songbird fly that much faster. As her boots rang on the deck, she looked out across the open sky, felt the wind on her face, and smiled. This was the life she'd always longed for. In the castle, she'd been couped up, surrounded by people she did not know, always watched, and often ridiculed. But out here... out here, she was the Captain. The ship sailed on her word, the ridicule was hers to give and withhold, and the people that now surrounded her she knew and trusted, one and all. Glorious was the only word that could describe it.

 

"Gentlemen!"

 

As her voice called over the ship, the shanties stopped as every man turned and looked to her. Some turned with dread, fearing a reprimand. Some gazed with curiosity, wondering what had happened. And some simply looked on contentedly, because they knew everything was alright. Kryssa looked around, her smile still broad on her face, before beginning to walk toward the bow with deliberately heavy footfalls, as if she was tapping out a rhythm.

 

"What will we do with a drunken sailor,

What will we do with a drunken sailor,

What will we do with a drunken sailor,

Earlay in the morning?"

 

As she began to sing herself, the rhythm she'd been tapping out began to infect the rest of the crew. Men slapped buckets, pounded the railing, stamped their own feet, and the lot of them took up the chorus as they resumed their work.

 

"Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Earlay in the morning!"

 

"Put him in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him!"

"Put him in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him!"

"Put him in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him!"

"Earlay in the morning!"

 

"Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Weigh, hey! Up she rises!

Earlay in the morning!"

 

As Riley, her First Mate, took up the lead as was proper, Kryssa stood atop the railing on the bow and gazed out at the field of blue and white that stretched on forever before them. She could honestly stand there at the bow and feel the wind on her face all day long. But then, aimless voyaging wasn't what the Songbird was built to do.

 

“Captain, we've sighted a pirate ship closing in on a merchant vessel off the starboard side! We're still a bit far from them and they don’t seem to have noticed us. If you wish we can both avoid them or perform a surprise attack. What be your orders, Captain?”

 

"What do you think my orders would be?"

 

"Knowing you, Captain? You'll probably be wanting to slip under the cloud line, get right up on the rats, then broadside and board 'em."

 

"Well, if you knew what I was going to say, why come and ask me? GET TO IT YOU FILTHY DOGS!"

 

With Kryssa's words, the shanties ceased as the men set to their battle stations. The Songbird turned to the northeast and began to tip downward, sinking beneath the layer of clouds that they had been flying atop for the past several hours. The going was slow, for the moment. Being inside the clouds meant the men got cold and wet very quickly, and the helmsman had to navigate by instruments alone. But the benefit of the surprise attack far outweighed the minor discomfort and slowed pace. After some time, the helmsman signaled that they were in position, and Kryssa gave the order to activate the Thermals- a secondary set of engines on the bottom of the Songbird that, while not designed for sustained use, could use a burst of fuel to send the ship straight up. The result was the ship suddenly appearing on the side of the pirate ship opposite the merchant vessel- with cannons primed.

 

"FIRE!!!"

 

At a single command from Kryssa, the 12 cannons mounted on the Songbird's starboard side erupted in a flash of gunpowder and smoke as they made to perforate the pirate ship and stun them with the sudden attack.

 

"WELL, WHAT ARE YA WAITING FOR? BOARDING HOOKS YA SCURVY ANIMALS!"

 

At Riley's command roughly half of the crew grabbed and hurled hooks onto the rails of the ship and swung their way over. Those that possessed the physical or magical capacity simply took the gap at a leap, and in no time at all the battle was joined as the pirates found that THEY were now the prey!

 

First Mate Riley (Fox Baraki, Male)

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Alcruid]

Senraa & Chiten'ya

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

 

The day started like any other day. Senraa rose early, as early as the sun did. She did her chores and cleaned the house. The house wasn’t exactly spectacular, it was small and scarcely decorated. Only the necessary things were present, and for Senraa, not a lot was necessary. In fact, one could say the house was dull, except for one little corner. The corner decorated with colours and as messy as a monkey could make it. Senraa didn’t mind, she only cleaned the house because it was more efficient. She didn’t want to stumble over things, even though she might not have enough to stumble over. If she had to live in a dirty cave it was also enough. As long as she had something, a dry place for the little Chiten’ya. A place both of them could live in and where they could survive.

Because surviving was all they were doing. No matter how harsh the world could be, how cruel it could be. They were still there, they were survivors. Senraa wasn’t exactly sure why she was a survivor. She didn’t really see a purpose in anything, but at the same time she didn’t have any feelings for leaving this world for the next. Perhaps, she thought, it would mean the world had won. Deep inside her she still couldn’t let it win, let cruelty and chaos win from her. So there she was, and nothing else.

It was already afternoon. Water was boiling by the fireplace, Chiten’ya was already awake and Senraa was sharpening her sword again. She did this everyday, she wasn’t sure why. It was old and shaggy and one could find many cracks in this nameless sword, but it was sharp and strong enough for battle. Senraa still knew how to handle this sword unlike any other. Without breaking it, without shattering it. Chiten’ya was admiring her own image in the sword, as far as she could see it in the absence of real shine.

This was the moment Senraa heard it. A couple of knocks on the door, it grabbed her attention. She immediately turned her head. It was strange. She didn’t see who it was, no one passed by the lone window.

“Perhaps it’s just a bird, picking on the door, they do that more often” She smiled at the little monkey. Chiten’ya moved her head sideways, questioning. Senraa already knew it wasn’t a bird, she could sense the Anima, one definitely more present than that of a bird. It was a person. She narrowed her eyes. What or who on this world would come to visit her in these mountains? Maybe it was someone who needed help, some traveller who needed a bed, or perhaps it was a merchant who hoped to sell something by the door. Senraa signalled for Chiten’ya to look, when once again she heard knocks on the door. She had a bad feeling about this and something told her this was going to drag her out of her comfort zone. Chiten’ya had already climbed out of the window and seemed  to point excitedly at the person outside. Senraa frowned again.

“Whatever it is you’re trying to find, you’ll have more luck in the village below!” Senraa had nothing against people, she wouldn’t be impolite or anything of the like, but they just reminded her of everything else. As soon as Senraa shouted at the person by the door, knocks were heard once again. With a sigh she arose from her chair, taking the sword by the hilt and dragging it along with her as she approached to door.

“I’m sorry but-” She opened the door, clearly annoyed, and there behind it was Ikanara , her former teacher in Kamisai. Senraa was confused, she looked confused. “Teacher?” She said questionably. It was a question to both herself and the woman in front of her. She looked at Chiten’ya and Chiten’ya looked at her. For a few moments she just stood there, staring at Ikanara. What was she doing here? No, how did she know where to go? What was going on?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sounding of water boiling over and Chiten’ya pulling her hair to alert her about it. Senraa turned around to the boiling water and removed it from the fire. She looked in the cupboards. not like her calm, usual self, but nervously, almost neurotic even. “cups, cups, cups”... she muttered to herself. Chiten’ya pulled her clothes again and pointed at the table, where there were a few cups. Senraa poured the water in them. “Uhm…..Tea….?” She asked her teacher. Without even awaiting an answer, cups for the three of them were filled with water and some local herbs. “My apologies for the mess…. I don’t get a lot of...uhm.. visitors” She smiled politely. The house wasn't messy at all.

Chiten’ya was studying the face of the unknown Eldewar. Standing right in front of her, almost blocking her way. The monkey’s face completely turned upwards. She gently poked the legs of this unknown person, seeking to know what it was. She was curious. Senraa took a sip of her tea and sighed in relief. It calmed her down immediately. She was leaning against the wall, regaining her previous composure. There was only one chair, and she left it for Ikanara. “So…” she said with a serious face “What is the reason for your visit here?”

The person in front of her was Ikanara, her former teacher. Senraa wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or alarmed. Ikanara was one of the people from Kamisai after all. Kamisai was, as far as she knew, the best place in the world. But at the same time Senraa was wary. What would Ikanara bring in this house?

Spoiler

the tea tastes awful

[Jod]

______ Astrakan, Ushakar ______

 

Skoll Fimbulwinter 

 

The Khans, with the the commanders from their allies also stood surrounding a makeshift table in the command center of the Fimbulwinter allied camp, a large yurt in the center of the encampment. The tent was a gigantic construct in it’s own right, and was  large enough to hold the entirety of the command and support staff.

 

In front of them was a scale model of the mountain Beyazlan now occupied, there were various wooden pegs placed around the model of different color, markers of outposts and scout movements of Beyazlan’s forces. Based on newfound information, put together from the pieces they had gotten from the Khans and from the local populace, Beyazlan was using an old abandoned fortress as his current base of operations, it was well placed on the mountains, nestled from all sides by craggy mountains but one. It was an incredibly defensible position to be in.

 

They were discussing on their strategy, though it had not taken long for it to devolve with the respective commanders  arguing with each other on the better way to go about things. He sighed inwardly at their  lack of  discipline. Taking in deep draw from his pipe, he cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the men.

 

“Enough commanders you're opinions have been noted, it is clear that if we follow traditional paths of attack, we will end up in a long drawn siege situation.

 

Often times one must put his hands to the fire, to get its warmth. A risk we must take if we are to make decisive victory”

 

Then looking intently at the model, the little pegs that stood for the allied troops began to move by themselves, as he willed them. “I propose a  two sided attack, one the larger force will attack in the traditional manner, and seige its gates. However a smaller elite troop will come in from one of the mountain sides, behind” said Skoll, gauging the reactions of the commanders as they looked at the model.

 

As expected in response to this one of the commanders, Dagu, a fox baraki with deep crimson fur,  sputtered “ With all due respect, Shaman, one does not simply climb over a mountain with an army”

 

Skoll smiled, “Oh but it is not that difficult either, we will make use of the crows, have them fly up the sides and put up a ropeway, we can move a lightly armed infantry within a day.” He said, then looking to his sister.

 

“What do you think, can you make it?” he said looking to his sister and A'Gah

 

However Dagu still had msigivings to the plan, which he was all to happy to express  “ The Crows?!” He said, exasperated. “ Those carrion eaters don’t deserve to have the glory of the battle feild. They are the lowest of the baraki, and do not deserve to be treated as anything more than the animals they are! Relying on them in battle is unacceptable!”

 

Prejuduce was one of the things that Skoll had come to hate amonst the Baraki. The Crows were considered be amongst the lowest type of Baraki often ostracized from birth and treated as dirt by the rest, merely for their relation with their spirit animal. However Skoll knew them to be cunning, shrewd yet loyal, they were the only few of the baraki, and they ate food like normal baraki, and not at all like they were believed to be.

Skoll looked at the commander with a harsh gleam on their eyes “Judge not by birth but by daily might, leave judgement to He Who Watches and She Who Judges commander” He ” I will not have such words here, If you do not have a plan there is no need to speak” her reprimanded sternly

[ANIMA]

JUSTICES COMES

Spoiler

Pirate Ship

The pirates didn't know what hit them. With the thunder of the Songbird's guns, half-a-dozen pirates were put out of fight by the cannonballs which smashed and maimed their heads and limbs. Attempt at returning fire was ineffective, as the pirate crew was not prepared to be ambushed like this, and escaping was not an option as one of their engines was damaged by the cannonade. It seemed like this would be one easy fight for the Songbirds crew and merchants. Unfortunately, things are never that easy.

“Heh, this is what they call irony, right?”

Two of Kryssa’s privateers attempted to raise their weapons in ineffective parry, but they were quickly cut down by the slashes they couldn’t even perceive.

“This is fine! I was itching for a proper fight.” A man holding a katana in his hand spoke without any hint of fear for the disadvantageous position his ship and crew were in. A third privateer charged at him. “Killing merchants who don’t know the difference between a handle and a blade gets boring you know,” were the words accompanying another blindingly fast slash which beheaded the privateer.

 The man, captain of the pirate ship, looked around him and saw the fear in the eyes of the privateers while morale of his own men began to rise. A cocky smirk appeared on his face.

“So you can do ambushes, congratz, now do you have the guts to entertain me further or is that the farthest you can go?”

 

Spoiler

The Captain

 

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

Spoiler

Hegeyasha Mountains, Juren

The Master of War slowly entered the house, again using staff to find her way towards the chair. Although the expression on her face didn't change and maintained its usual serious mask, Ikanara let out a chuckle in her mind as her student blundered about surprised. She sat, lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip. If she had any criticism about the taste, Ikanara chose not to share. However, she didn't remain silent.

“You are needed child.” These were the first words she spoke.

“’If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles’” Taishu Ikanara spoke calmly, silently, yet Senraa had no problem hearing her. “We know ourselves. The Warden Kingdom is old and has seen many wars, many invasions; we improved our strengths and removed our weakness and for hundreds of years we persevered. However, this enemy is new to us. Ashans we knew and have beaten their every attempt to reclaim our lands, but this Oxidal creation which came to our doorstep, this new Empire, is a foe of a kind we haven’t faced before.”

For the first time mask that was Ikanara’s face cracked and traces of anger appeared on it.

“Juren itself is unstable because many of our Oxidals believe we should join the Asturian Empire, although I don’t understand their sense of kinship with people from the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter, really, because the King is also entertaining the thoughts of peaceful compromise between our nations and has decided to send a diplomatic mission to the Empress. Some others have suggested even more blasphemous things…”

Her lips shaped into ironic smile as she spoke and the volume of her voice heightened a bit.

“Well, let the King send his diplomats! This is why I came to you Senraa, my student. I want you to be part of the mission. Not as the main envoy, but as an advisor and a bodyguard. You have spent several years in the Empire, you know their ways better most of the people in Juren. We need to know our possible enemy. I need to know.”

She calmed down again and took one more sip from the teacup.

“So, Senraa, is our homeland’s call to duty reason enough for you to abandon this hermit life?”

Royal Chambers, Sky Fortress Aslan

Katarina didn’t answer immediately. Instead she took another piece of the cake and chewed it slowly while looking over the fence of the balcony at the lands far below.

“Padishah’s Empire," she began to speak. "The one many today call the Old Empire, covered the entire world, from Asturias to Bersara to Kamisai. My great-grandmother, Evangeline, crowned herself as the Empress and claimed her Empire to be continuation of Padishah’s. If she was right, then, as I am the current Empress, the entire world is mine by right, yet some are willing to dispute this.”

Katarina’s voice never changed, there was not a hint of anger or annoyance, just the same relaxed tone with which she greeted Asiran earlier. She took one final bite of the cake before continuing.

“There are two ways to settle disputes. Either you beat the opposition into submission and force them to accept your stance, or you reach an agreement peacefully, through talk. The Warden Kingdom of Juren is willing to attempt the latter and I am willing to entertain their attempt. Sadly, there are third parties, both within and without our two monarchies, which would rather see the Empire and Juren tear each other to pieces. That is why I will need someone I can trust to watch over the envoys from the Warden Kingdom, who will arrive on this sky fortress in several days, to make sure that no harm comes to them.”

She put down her plate and used handkerchief to wipe bits from her mouth before directing a calm gaze at the Baraki.

“Marcus spoke highly of you Asiran, recommended you as an heir to his spot in the Camarilla even. I trust his judgment as I will trust yours- if you accept what I’m offering.”

With a playful smile appearing on her face and moving her hand to offer a handshake, Katarina said joyfully:

“Friends?”

Edited by ANIMA, 11 June 2014 - 12:56 AM.