Fantasy Beyond the Witch's Corridor [Reboot] IC

[Worthlessplebian]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Pilgrim59 Remembrance Dawnsx Nano

The graceful figure of machined plates and mana-infused circuitry glissaded down the side of the building as Article squad-member, Evergreen had subdued the fleeing HVT, Nexus. Plated soles crunched the ruined sidewalk, further disturbing it. His firearm trains itself on the concrete-sunk man, who flailed and bailed about ineffable subjects which unnerved Cobra's nerveless, steel-laden audio receiver. The closest the Android ever could come to experiencing human expressions. Disgust. Revulsion. Cobra postulated this to be an after-effect of the magic fluids imbibed into his arterial tubes. A form of mystical resonance? His cold-iron fingers tightened around the grip of the rifle. "Excellently executed, Evergreen." A simple if effective commendation for the geosculptor. The Sound Specialist stops in a ready stance -- left foot in front, right back to the side, torso leaned forward with raised shoulders and rifle still aimed unerringly at their foe. A silence, profound and pressuring, befell upon Cobra and his teammates until the familiar chime of their handler spread throughout their comm-channel. The Napthra operator advised them of their next mission objective; non-lethal neutralization and securing Nexus for exfiltration from the Restricted Sector Six. A pinch of neck servos allowed Cobra to nod his head along with the shakily intonated orders when... An almost spiritual, supernatural sense of palpable wrongness consumed him. His optic-camera shifted up from his scope to his brother-bot. The lens tightened to zoom on his brother then...

CRASH

Organic instinct or machine reflexes threw Cobra away from the coruscating path of destruction from one of Nexus' arms. Sending up debris-fragments of stone, chunks of concrete, and acuminated bolts of rebar. More scratches to his paint and outer-layer of armor sheathing. The servos in his waist and knee roared, revolving Cobra into a backwards somersault onto the side of a building. His elbow punched into the vine-sprawled wall then forearm deployed with a surgically-quick snap to fasten his position. Reflexively, Cobra angled the rifle immediately towards the writhing mass of keratin, broken six-limbed abomination but hesitated to fire just yet. His robot brother/commander voiced his displeasement at their fortune of never having to arrest targets of normal/near-normal disposition. The tricky jokester that Cobra is, immediately replied with. "Brother, we're Arcarum agents. This is normal." He voiced over the squad's channel as per protocol of never outwardly declaring their thoughts during combative encounters. But as if discerning through the radio signals of their speech, one of the appendages swung at Cobra's wall-mount, forcing him to buckle down to ground level again. "At least Evander now possesses someone of mirror qualities."

With orders relayed, Cobra's legs sprang into automotive action. His torso turned at an odd angle and rifle poised to fire. But a millisecond before firing, Cobra called up the internal menus of his operating-consciousness.

// Disable secondary link to squad communications channel. Deafen primary link. Select Folder, "This is War in Style," then Select Track-40R. Play

RATATATATATA

His gun went, firing. Sleep-inducing rounds, but not done, his palm opened a welling vortex reverberating hatred condensed concussion. He blasted the sound projectile at a limb. At this intensity, the blast will paralyze the limb IF Cobra's aim is true.

Code by Nano

 

[Dawnsx]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Remembrance Worthlessplebian Pilgrim59

To ensure that Nexus would not perform a dire act in an attempt to escape, Sage watched him carefully as Lif relayed their instructions. Even then, he couldn’t help but startle when the man burst out from his earthen cage with an extra head and two limbs too many. The sight of the malformed man was… unpleasant, to say the least.

Sage shook himself out of his surprise when Nexus began hobbling closer to him. He readied his stance to counter with a spell as the abomination leapt at him, but it proved to be unnecessary. Caiman’s hulking figure was in front of Sage in an instant, his shield intercepting the sharp claws. Despite the android’s warning to stand down, Nexus followed up with another attack at Cobra.

Years ago, when Lambda-59 was newly formed, Sage would find himself distracted by his teammates' chatter in the middle of missions. It took much of his mental efforts to make sense of the banter shared by the androids, or he would be unnecessarily concerned over whether Cobra and Evander had an antagonistic relationship. Needless to say, the distraction had been detrimental to his performance, and so he’d learned to identify and tune out irrelevant chatter.

Such was the case now. Sage filed away Cobra’s comment about Evander possibly sharing the same grotesque physical qualities as Nexus to mull over later. Instead, he watched Nexus’s movements closely for an opening to subdue him.

The opportunity came sooner than expected. Cobra fired rapidly at Nexus before opening his palm in a familiar move to blast a sound projectile. Their target’s knees bent as though ready to spring away, but Sage wouldn’t give him that chance. He quickly turned his palm upwards and grasped sharply at the air. As though imitating the movement of his hand, the ground rose up to snag one of Nexus’s feet. The spell was weak enough that Nexus broke out with a twist of his leg, but the second’s delay should prove enough for Cobra’s projectiles to meet their intended target.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

Pilgrim59 Dawnsx Worthlessplebian Remembrance

The outstretched claws of the monster met metal instead of the soft flesh it expected, and its mangled body was flung backwards by the force of the android’s deflection. Despite having been thrown several meters away, it nimbly landed on its many limbs with little more than a stumble and a few shakes to stave off its vertigo. If the human who had transformed himself into a malformed monster understood Caiman’s orders to surrender, it showed no reaction to his words, instead moving to circle the agents in order to find an opening.

When it heard the sound of Cobra’s sleep-inducing rounds, the monster attempted to quickly jump to the side. However, Agent Evergreen’s trap successfully snagged one of its feet. Though the restraint had crumbled as soon as the monster moved, it nonetheless caused the monster to trip onto its side in a mess of limbs. Its mouth fell open in pain upon feeling the shock to his arm from the sound wave, yet instead of a scream, it let out an inhuman screech akin to the horribly rusted hinges of a metal door. Its attempts to get back on its feet would lead to it clumsily collapsing onto the floor once again due to failing to prop itself up on its now immobilized front arm.

However, the second it got its bearings once again, it let loose a deafening roar while sending out a wave of pressure strong enough to push back any who didn’t brace themselves. The monster began stomping, rocking its body back-and-forth on its remaining limbs, as the ground began to shake. The stones strewn about the ground rattled upon the asphalt, and soon five manhole-sized pools of molten earth would form. From within two of the bubbling pits, two streams of the viscous liquid shot towards two of the nearest targets.

- - -

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite SilverBlack BluEndings

The agent who’d been saved in the nick of time by Ladon shakily breathed out a sigh of relief. “I- I thought I was a goner there.”

As the human trained her gun back on the hamster which was moving to get up despite having been pulverized, she addressed the remaining members of her squad: “Tidewater. Gatel. Don’t push yourself if you’re injured. Otherwise hang in there. We’ll be assisting Xi-7.” Following their leader’s words came a brief “yes” from the Aegir and Human.

The giant rodent’s skull had been brutally smashed by the Dragonborn who’d knocked it away, yet the bloody mess of its misshapen head seemed to do little to deter its assault. This time, it turned its attention to Agent Ladon whose voice loudly rang throughout the intersection. Its plump body hurtled forward with a surprisingly nimble jump. Claws reached out to take a swipe at the Dragonborn, accompanied by three sharp gusts of wind from a hawk-like creature flying above.

In the meantime, the monster that Veren had crashed into bounced off of the street in a fashion akin to a rubber ball. Fortunately for the monster, its rounded and padded exterior seemed to have absorbed most of the impact, yet the singed flesh showed that the electricity had nonetheless harmed it significantly. With a roll and a high bounce, the monster was undeterred as it aimed to crush the Tenebria with its heavy weight.

The rest of the monsters appeared to possess a fair bit more intelligence (or perhaps less grit) than the two largest of the group. As they watched their comrades get sliced up by Mirin’s wind or skewered upon Levee’s spears, the remaining pack of dogs slowly stepped back before turning tail in an attempt to flee.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Claws reached out to take a swipe at the Dragonborn, accompanied by three sharp gusts of wind from a hawk-like creature flying above.

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Ladon gives a casual salute to the female agent, before he cracks his knuckles, turning back to the somehow still-moving hamster. Well, shit, these bastards were tough. Then his head raises up, spotting the hawk whirling above, showering down gusts of wind. Fuck, these monsters had aerial ones too? As much as he wanted to applaud such tactical diversity, it made this a real mess of a scra[. But then again, these kinds of messes were his specialty. As the Hamster comes in with its lashing claws, the Dragonborn nimbly steps into the Hamster's leap, before it could bring its claws all the way down. For a split second, the Dragonborn levers a chain of muscles, stretching from his legs to his hips and up to his shoulders, a single unbroken chain of force. He empowers it with a surge of lightning, all to perfect a single shining uppercut that would send the Hamster into the way of the Hawk's own attacks, his blow ramming home into the region that might be called its stomach.

'Gotcha, you son of a bitch.'

The Dragonborn yells back at the Peryton ( SilverBlack ), roaring over the din. He continues the assault, constantly breaking the Hamster's momentum with precisely timed aggression to prevent it from controlling the flow of their battle. Its sheer bulk, however, made putting it down another question entirely. Still, there was that Hawk circling overhead, and they probably needed to keep it busy. He didn't want it taking a lucky shot on one of the team-members they'd just saved with those slashing winds.

"Yo, Albus! Take care of the Hawk for me!"

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

TAGS:

Nano

Letting out a grin as she was able to rest assured that the rest of her squad was taking care of the other beast in the area, Veren stared down the meaty monster that she still needed to contend with. Now that her other teammates were in position elsewhere, she could focus on her own enemy wholesale now. She took note of how much damage the monster had taken from her initial attack, and started formulating what the next best course of action would be, taking into account its apparent advantages and vulnerabilities. A mere trifle.

"Kuhaha... Impressive! You've already outlasted the last pest I've had to crush!" Veren complimented the oversized meatball, not that she expected anything in the way of a response.

Once it came back around again, bouncing toward her with intent to crush, Veren stood her ground, waiting for just the right moment to act. If she were just a bit closer to Ladon in raw strength, she might have felt inclined to whack the beast's body wholesale with the blunt of her sword to send it flying back, but instead, she had a better idea. Observing the rotation of the airborne monster, Veren took her opportunity once she saw it present itself, and leapt right toward it, meeting the creature in mid-air and moving to stab her sword through its thick exterior, deep enough to hopefully allow her to hang onto it like a parasite or insect on a larger body, having timed her leap so that she wouldn't have been crushed into the ground once the monster hit the ground again.

With her trusty Vajra blade embedded deep into the beast, Agent Raikou channeled her electric energy once more and discharged it indiscriminately, not only giving a nasty shock to the demon's flesh but also letting her metallic blade act as a lightning rod and scorch the monster's innards as well!

Code by Nano

 

[nios]

Your Mom's:

A Hoe

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

Nano You Know Rebel

A clash, clatter, a cacophony of shrieks. The hostages kept within rusted cages broke free from the calamity.

Meanwhile, Haze took the brunt of the door’s weight. His frame skid across the floor while his arm shielded his face. With a shove, the door was discarded to the side. He hummed as a similar looking door rested upstairs at the entry point; then, he dusted himself off as he moved calmly— too calmly— with the crimson creature. The Wraith of Haze— a brooding shadow in contrast to the butler’s exuberance— revealed its presence behind Haze and unsheathed its sword. Heavy bladed, engraved with Fairy Script, doused with the souls of old foes. Haze was fixing the cuff of his sleeve as Skull’s warning transmitted.

"Oh, I do love the company,"

he laughed coolly before he approached the centipede.

A barrage of fists struck and the Wraith’s sword slashed, but nothing could get through its hardened shell. It was, indeed, a stubborn tango between a partner with far more legs and body that Haze could account for.

"You,"

Haze started as he shoved a kick,

"are being incredibly difficult."

However, persistent was he— a Hound, thirsty and foamed at his sharpened maw.

"Just like someone else I know— Keugh!"

Then, he was trapped— ensnared by the armored limbs of the abomination. His Wraith attempted to wedge between their bodies, but alas, the centipede's grip tightened until it crumbled to ashes. Unbeknownst to him, its pointed pincers aimed for his neck. A decapitated Anima was avoided that day as an alarmingly familiar object pistoled itself at the centipede's head. Black goo sprayed across Haze who managed to evade Koschei's assault. He pried himself free the moment the centipede's hold loosened and began to straighten his clothes amidst the battle. A fine line drew across his lips as he wiped the centipede's blood from his face and suit. Worsted wool tainted by a foul creature's innards would be difficult to explain to his dry cleaner. An eyebrow rose upon Koschei's comment before he smiled sarcastically.

"The whines from those feeble cats sounded far more pleasant than your yapping. Frankly, I almost miss them."

Stained worsted wool and silk were forgotten as Haze starred at the crumbled ceiling and Koschei's pursuit. A heavy sigh escaped his chest.

Noted. Heavily noted.

It appeared the report would be fairly long this time around. Haze rolled his shoulders and shook his taut muscles. A trained eye rested on the recovering centipede. In response, the Wraith was summoned once more as he waited for the centipede to fall under Koschei's trance. Haze rolled his eyes as he brought his fists up. He offered no response to the Asterid's beration as he was conditioned for far worse. He sent a look at Skull's way to signal he awaited for further instruction.

Code by Nano

 

[WinterFestivity]

Alpha-6

Scathach: Maeve Ruaidhrí

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Khocolatte (Alouette), Arkangel (Iscariot), @Admiral19 (Mordere)

Much like Iscariot, Scathach was far more measured and certain in her approach to the field, using the Aos Sí in order to provide constant vigilance as she sped onto the field with Cóiste Bodhar, her modified muscle car, rapidly closing the distance between their deployment point and the building of which they'd been called to investigate, thankfully avoiding - or flat out outrunning - any attention from the monsters roaming about the battlefield, especially due to Alouette eradicating as many as feasible, atta girl.

Upon coming to a screeching halt, Maeve was immediately springing into action as she threw open the door to the Golem-Car, speaking rapidly as she went. "Thanks to the ability for me to scout ahead and most of the monstrosities in our vicinity being drawn away to the far more appealing - and easy to get to - targets of Alouette and Mordere, and thus, promptly eliminated with exceptional efficiency, which by the way good job you two! Anyway, I didn't need to fight or even think about deploying Aibell, which is a bit of a shame, but-- It's also good, I'm going to set him to deploy here and stand as a sentry while we go on our incursion into the building. He's way too big to fit in with us, anyway."

As she spoke, she was almost a blur of motion, with her quickly making her way to the back of Cóiste Bodhar, she'd quickly open up one of the fairyscripted terminals in order to open up the trailer that had carried Aibell, revealing the quadruped golem as it lurched to life. She'd then interact with its fairyscript terminal in order to order it to watch over the area and to fire upon any designated monsters with its Magical Cannon.

Finally, she'd turn around towards the rest of Alpha-6, then towards the building. "Let's see what awaits us inside, then, yeah?" She'd then smile and head in alongside the rest of the crew, seemingly unphased by the rancid smell pervading the area like a thick miasma. Instead she was much much more interested in the heavy steel door that the prior team had left for them to investigate. "Lets see whats up with this baby..." She would then knock on the door, waiting for a moment before nodding and letting out a little "hm" to herself, promptly moving on as she began to follow a specific path with her vision.

Abruptly, she'd turn towards the rest of the team. "Give me a second! There's something on the other side of the door, we should be able to cut through it to the other side, without setting off an alarm or some sort of explosive, I just gotta get my tools." With that, she'd run off, coming back relatively quickly with a crowbar, welding mask, and a plasma cutter, looking back towards the others. "You, uh, all might wanna close your eyes, 'cept for you Alouette! It'll get real bright in a sec."

She'd then set to work, cutting a decently sized hole into the door with surprising patience and precision, avoiding any of the wires she'd perceived earlier by the flow of their manas, and once she had finished cutting into the door she would go to use the crowbar to pry it out, falling to the ground with a loud clang. Moments later, one of her Aos Si would come crawling up to her, she'd gently pick it up and go to pass it through the hole she had made, the golemdrone transmitting its visual feed to a bracelet, which promptly projected a hologram of said visual feed.

It wasn't very positive what was seen, though, as the object that had been blocking the door was revealed to be the corpse of a young woman - a Naphtra - clearly having been deceased for a few hours at the least judging by the signs of Livor Mortis, she had been wearing a ruffled yellow shirt that was speckled with bloodstains, followed by the skin on the right edge of her right hand having been badly torn with matching stains on the metal door. Finally, there seemed to be crusted blood covering her forehead and the back of her head.

Even with the grizzly news, Maeve wouldn't particularly let it slow her down, as she looked towards the rest of the squad. "I feel it may be wise to take a picture and see if HQ has anything that'll turn up as a match from any missing persons reports..." She'd then take a picture of the video feed of the girl, forwarding it to Arcarum HQ, while simultaneously engaging in one last action as she'd use a ring to cast a hearing amplification spell in order to gain any further awareness of the area, which quickly revealed something that she'd vocalize to the others. "...There's some labored breathing, someone - or something - is alive here, proceed with caution, do any of you wish to go first, or shall it be an Aos Si?"

Code by Nano

 

[Khocolatte]

Alpha-6　

Alouette; Ivelisse Ruiadhrí

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Arkangel (Iscariot), WinterFestivity (Scáthach), @Admiral19 (Mordere)

Unphased by Maeve's quick arrival as well as her fast-paced speech, Alouette gave a slight nod in response to her master's acknowledgement of her–and Mordere's–skills. Providing a brief moment of locked eye contact, Alouette would verbalize mutual respect for the fae's use of reconnaissance to facilitate the combat process.

"Lady Scáthach has done an excellent job, too, with her Aos Sí. We were able to eliminate them much faster, with the Aos Sí. The Aos Sí are most efficient," she stated flatly, believing she had been explicit enough with her praise, as Maeve summoned the giant four-legged golem. Ivelisse turned to face it, although she had to crane her neck upwards in an attempt to see its 'face'. "Hello, Aibell. It is nice to see you again," she greeted with a wave, understanding that it was not capable of speech in the same way that she was, but having the notion that perhaps it could still comprehend what she was saying. She'd always spoken to Aibell, whether or not it could actually listen, as a long-time friend who she would bump into on occasion. Then she turned back to join the others as they ventured into the halls.

Maeve was quick on all accounts: whenever she was led by curiosity and wanted to explore and learn, in how she spoke and walked and thought, how she extracted a wealth of information, and most impressively, how she weaponized that information as if she had discovered a mine of gold and was planning on how best to carry it all within a treasure chest. As always, then, she would be first to reach the metal door, figure out its mechanics, and come up with a solution to safely enter the room locked behind it.

The plasma cutter emanated a great amount of light and heat, but it was nothing that Alouette couldn't handle. Sparks flew from the metal, and if she had anything to compare it to, Alouette would be reminded of the miniature fireworks that would come out of a sparkler. It was bright and shiny, and she grew an urge to touch it, but she knew better than to get in the way of her master's work.

With a hole in the wall, Alouette could see that the room was quite uneventful, the most noticeable subject at first glance being the bloodied corpse. Then, the sound of strained breaths had drawn their attention, thanks to the sound amplification spell that Maeve miraculously pulled out while videoing the Naphtra by the door. A semblance of worry began to etch its way into Alouette, wanting not the other members to get hurt while exploring the unknown, including the small Aos Sí who was very much a cherished creation of her master's. Not even sparing a moment of hesitance, she stepped forward, gently cupping her hands around the hexapod to pick it up.

"Alouette will go. It would be the safest option."

Code by Nano

 

[You Know Rebel]

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

Nano N nios

Move more talk less Asa thought. In a slow motion reel, her eyes registered the asterid behind her, then in front, swiping her bat, a flinching anima, then a blast of crumbling rubble in another corner. Her hair calming down to all the motion, the slightly sighing woman left her bat sputtering lamely around but never bouncing back anywhere close to her. She’ll retrieve it after this short business. Although the building appeared quite run-down on the surface, it seemed the base infrastructure can still hold up some punishment.

Asa placed this concern to the back of her mind as she sprinted over to the centipede. Like what is this narcissist doing? Her silent expression wondered why he wasn’t attacking the stunned insect but fixing his clothing and hair, and even had the nerve to do so while making snide retorts. If you’re going to trash talk, then do it while still playing the game.

“Don’t AFK dude.” Asa blurted nonsensically when his eyes met hers. It wasn’t quite an instruction, but her focus was on the imminent execution. Her tall figure mounted the neck of the mutated arthropod, covering only a small third of its body, and prevented its instinctual retreat with her weight. What fight it had left resisted and waved its body in a spastic jerk, however, that was too weak to slip out the crushing stranglehold over it. Then to its bewilderment, a foreign object was shoved down its mouth cavity, its jaw shattered and useless to resist.

In a span of aching seconds, although its head gave out first, the centipede’s shuddering ligaments and peripheral nerves could still experience the gradual and unpleasant changes happening. One carapace plate bulged, then others, becoming displaced as its softer interior began to push out small nubs. Then everything happened as all impetus finished. Savage bone spurs impaled out of it with a majority mangling its head an unrecognizable mush.

Pulling out a white-pale arm dripping in black blood from the corpse, the bony layer shook off like clay, returning her limb to its normal state.

“One left.” The Naphtran said plainly, kicking a puff of wind into her prone bat, causing it to roll back towards her. A smile graced her lips to what the hunter just hauled in.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite SilverBlack

As the mop-up operation continued underway, the adrenaline that aided the remaining three Sigma-32 members in hanging on began showing visible signs of wearing off. A pounce from an oversized zombified cat caused their squad leader to sidestep, only for her knee to buckle as her muscles and joints burned from the continued abuse. From a few paces away, Agent Tidewater shot a blast of water at the brunette, shoving the woman out of the way. The Aegir had stunned his captain in the process, but anyone who observed the way the concrete crumbled and dissolved under the bloodied and chipped claws of the black cat could see that it was the lesser of two evils.

Before the cat could pounce again, Agent Martel intercepted the monster while Agent Tidewater channeled whatever scraps were left of his mana. Finishing off his muttering, the Aegir’s spell let loose a jetstream of water, tossing the monster in the direction of Agent Levee’s water spears. Though the cat had been skewered right through its sternum, its struggling revealed that it was merely trapped at best.

Suddenly, a monotonous voice commanded over the agents’ communication devices, “Squad Sigma-32, retreat. The number of monsters detected have thinned considerably. Let Agent Raikou deal with the feline. Agent Levee, accompany the retreating agents. Do you copy?” After accepting the replies of the leaders of both squads, Ein Askr gave a reminder to track down the wolves that escaped after cleaning up the area and turned silent.

Agent Levee released his hold over the watery entrapment, leaving Agent Raikou to deal with the bulky feline that looked and smelled as rotten as the other monsters. Though the exhausted Sigma-32 agents had finally left the scene, there was still more work to be done. The hairy meatball-like monster had deflated into a squishy sac on the floor upon being subject to the electrifying strike delivered right into its core. However, the cat that looked and smelled just as rotten as the previous monster deftly leapt to its mangled paws the moment it had been freed, spitting at the retreating figure of Levee.

The Dragonborn and Naphtra had seen similar results in their own part of the battle, with the former having successfully ragdolled the hamster into unconsciousness. However, a twitch of its forefoot showed that it had not yet been permanently immobilized. In the meantime, the hawk that had appeared proved to be much more of a menace with its ranged attacks and speed. Upon hearing the Dragonborn call out to the Naphtra, the hawk ceased sending wing flaps of cutting winds towards Agent Ladon and turned its attention to Agent Mirin. Without even a cry to herald its assault, the hawk sharply descended, intending to knock its hardened talons against Mirin before swiftly taking back to the safety of the skies.

Code by Nano

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe SilverBlack

With the oversized meatball finally down for the count thanks to her two-pronged attack, Veren hopped off the downed monstrosity and patted herself off in muted satisfaction. "Thanks for playing, dear, but better luck next time," she smirked, giving the giant corpse a taunting pat with her palm.

Once the following report came in over the comm channel, the Tenebria agent responded to the voice in the affirmative. "Ooh, another playmate? You are all simply too kind. Yes, this shouldn't take up much more of our time or effort, fear not," she chuckled, before swinging her beloved Vajra at the open air, letting the stains of blood fly off the blade. With the Sigma agents closer to successful extraction, it seemed she had less and less to worry about thanks to their combined efforts. Eager to take out the rest of the trash, Agent Raikou made a mad dash for her next target, hoping to make use of the element of surprise as she had done with the meatball monster as well, and then...

ZZT!

Once the demonic feline came into view, Veren's body once again surged with the power of lightning before casting her favored Godspeed spell, almost seeming to transform into a living lightning bolt for just a second as she suddenly streaked through the air and regaining her form just above the feline's head. Transferring her electric energy into her Vajra blade, Veren gripped her sword tightly and -- with gravity granting her some extra momentum -- swung the blunt of the blade right into the monster's cranium, hoping to smash it right into the ground!

Code by Nano

 

[SilverBlack]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

Fleeing already? Albus’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the monsters retreating after several of them were eradicated by the combined efforts of his wind slashes and Levee’s water spears. He stood back up straight, for a moment pondering on what the best course of action he should take next. The monsters they were dealing with were in comparison definitely not as indefatigable as the ones that the Dragonborn and the Tenebria were dealing with. Nonetheless, they were still dealt well against. Albus’s keen vision glanced over at the battles going on his side some distance away, with his two squad members seemingly having the upperhand in the battle against the hairy meatball and the zombified hamster. The remaining Sigma-32 still had their struggles, especially when another feline-like monster made its appearance. Yet, it appeared that no interception from him was needed. Soon, a string of commands entered his ears, declaring the successful thinning of the monsters, the retreatment of squad Sigma-32 accompanied by Levee, and ordering Raikou to handle the zombified cat instead…

It looks to Albus that no assistance from him is needed with his powerful squadmates and the lack of any orders and he can quietly chill in the shadows until the whole ordeal is over—

"Yo, Albus! Take care of the Hawk for me!"

Never mind.

Ladon’s loudly announced order successfully switched the attention of the Hawk from the Dragonborn to the Naphtra in the blink of an eye. Without the time to evade the sharp descent of this bird-thing, a sharp light could be seen flashing out of Albus as his body transformed in the nick of time into that of a stag, giant antlers greeted the hawk’s talons right before the monster could launch a successful attack. As the hawk then swiftly retreated into the sky, the Peryton let out a huff of smoky air from its nostrils.

It was a bit saddening that the magnificence of a hawk, whose blood also runs in this Naphtra’s body, would descend into such pitiful form.

Yet not a second more was spent to mourn over this bird’s fate as the stag would begin to paw the ground with its forefoot, eyes locked with the hawk as they both held their stance. Within the next moment, the Peryton launched himself into the sky, wings flapping backward as Albus made a straight cut through the air toward the Hawk. With his head held low, his giant antlers blocked the string of wind slash attacks all too familiar to the ones Albus made himself before proceeding to collide against the bird. The Naphtra. would in this attempt push the Hawk higher into the air until it trapped the hawk’s talon in its antlers. In a swift movement, the Peryton yanked the bird downward, switching position until he was the one above the monster, and took the opportunity to propel the beast back down onto the ground. The entire series of actions took barely a couple seconds before the Hawk’s back would crash back into the solid ground surface. The Peryton was about to open its mouth to bite into the beast if not for the sudden hesitation on the chance of infection. He did not want to become zombified himself. Instead, with the mighty strength that came with being a Peryton, the edge of the antlers would pierce into the Hawk right in its head as the rest of it trapped the bird under the stag.

Code by Nano

 

[Pilgrim59]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

( Nano ); Evander ( Remembrance ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )

The banshee's shriek forced the Goliath to divert his power southward, stemming himself firmly against the ground as he closed his distance with Evergreen. Gradually but assuredly, the robot weathered the thumps of the encroaching foe. His built-in sensors shot across his heads-up display, triggering several warnings of the nearby fountains that Nexus had fashioned for themselves. The molten innovations would become makeshift turrets, prompting Caiman to act with haste. Abruptly swinging his free hand towards the homunculus, the android grabbed Evergreen by their waist, yanking them back. Meanwhile, their chassis would rotate expeditiously, with his shield and every frame of his profile encompassing Evergreen from head to toe. As he moved to screen his squadmate from the incoming projectiles, Caiman's apex continued to track Nexus.

The splashes fell upon the robot's protective device like toxic rain, rendering the forward-layer of transparent windows inoperable in a matter of seconds. The molten substance quickly coagulated with the cold metal that he donned, tainting the reinforced shield's integrity. Fraction of the impact caught Caiman's left arm, clinging onto his cold flesh, but fulfilling its purpose of eating up a fair amount of smouldering liquid. The panels upon Caiman's shoulder slid open, as a stream of aqueous film-forming foam dispensed forth to put out the embers that caught part of his armored limb.

"Cobra, give us covering fire." Caiman relayed to his brother.

They had to regain the initiative before Nexus overwhelms them. The soundest plan was to punch through their foe's works. With Cobra giving them covering fire, that should give Caiman and Evergreen ample time to maneuver. Instead of backing away to flank Nexus, they would go for a full frontal assault to augment their combined attacks in one consecutive movement, now that their opponent's initial attacks have been mitigated. Lambda now have to adhere to the basic principle of their counterattack - speed, surprise, and violence of action.

"High-man, low-man. Just like we practiced, Evergreen." Caiman said, racking his shield upon his back - signaling Evergreen to follow the main battle tank.

His green optics glowed, as the tall robot propelled forward with haste. Lowering his stance slightly as he did, Caiman purposefully aimed for Nexus lower body part. With his fists fully engaged and locked on target, the robot was poised on delivering the full weight of his bare metal. But it was not without insurance to secure their attempt to neutralize Nexus. Rather than sasying something snappy about it, Caiman would let Evergreen do the honors. Caiman had made sure to lower his chassis slightly during his charge to make sure the shield on his back met the steepness required for Evergreen to rise over Caiman from behind. The shield would then serve as a platform for Evergreen to perform a plunging attack, while Caiman went for a low uppercut to truly secure the target against the ground - but on their terms. While they inititate such a maneuver, Cobra and Evander will be able to leapfrog from their current positions and possibly deal with the molten fountains.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

N nios You Know Rebel

Had the raccoon noticed the way Agent Skull had taken down the centipede with ease, perhaps it might have scrambled to escape back into the upper floor. However, its beady eyes were focused intently on the tasty meal present before it. Directed by the scent of Agent Koschei’s pheromones, it blindly leapt towards the Asterid, kicking up shards of cement in the air in the process. Its claws nicked the side of her face as she lowered herself closer to the ground, painting her cheek with a thin line of red. Before the blood could pool over the cut and drip down her face, it seamlessly closed itself shut as if it hadn’t existed in the first place.

With one arm bracing herself forward and another drawn back, fingers curled and poised to strike the raccoon with her palm, Agent Koschei propelled herself into the furry mass.

“As an apology for my ‘yapping’, here’s a little gift,”

she said haughtily, unaware of the way her voice was muffled and sounded less imposing than she expected due to being surrounded by a smelly wall of fur and fatty flesh. When her palm sank into its gut, the force of her blow pushed the large body away from her and towards the direction of Agent Haze. The raccoon’s thin snout reflexively snapped open, but not a single squeak came out due to being rendered breathless. The sickening crack that accompanied the blow suggested that something inside had broken.

All it would take was another well-placed stab of a sword for the beast to be sent off to the afterlife. Koschei just hoped the wretched scent of its pool of blood wouldn’t sicken her more than it already did.

Code by Nano

 

[Dawnsx]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Pilgrim59 Nano

The spurt of lava coming toward Sage caught him off-guard. He moved to conjure a barrier, but he already knew that a hastily formed shield would do little to protect him.

Yet Caiman always seemed to be a step ahead. The android pulled Sage back and employed his shield against the unconventional projectile. Though Caiman had made sure to envelop Sage completely with his metallic frame, he could still feel the heat of the lava. Had the molten substance hit Sage instead, his body would have surely been reduced to a mangled, unrecognizable mass of flesh. The thought somehow made his skin prick despite the lack of actual burns. Yet another thing to ponder over later.

Right now, he had an order to carry out. As Sage lunged forward after Caiman, chunks of earth rose up to encase his gauntlet. Using the android’s shield as a springboard, he launched himself upward and plunged down. He aimed his strike at Nexus’s temple with enough force to hopefully incapacitate the abomination.

Code by Nano

 

[Remembrance]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

HQ ( Nano ); Caiman ( Pilgrim59 ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )
Evander perched upon the building's threshold, leaning down to look upon the carnage of his group's battle. Evergreen and Caiman worked as a duo, taking the Nexus on in a cooperative dance of magic and technology. The contrast between the artificial man and the artificial mind amazed Evander, who identified as the former. Every movement carried with it a promise; the promise to subjugate the Nexus. Evander hadn't felt the need to intervene as much as he could. He had fired shots with Candar's Kingslayers, isolating the area in which the Nexus could operate. Effectively, he had limited the Nexus' actions and movement potential.

The homunculus hadn't realized his other teammate's movements, seemingly hypnotized by unnatural sounds and tunes. In a similar vein with Caiman and Evergreen, Cobra near appeared beautiful to the eyes of Evander. The sheer potency of his actions, the radical intricacies of his every move, it was intimate and personal. Cobra's artificial emotions rang out, pinging Evander's ears and flooding them with a pleasant feeling. His heart beat with excitement, his mind elated with each sensory input. He felt as though the finale were approaching, and he accepted it with delight. At last, his turn had arrived.

Fresh off the railing, Evander dove out in a flourish, his appendages reeling out in a synchronized wave. As he landed, an appendage desynchronized and grazed against the cheek of the Nexus, the force of which causing the Nexus to fall unconscious. Taking in the shock from his own landing, the homunculus noticed the lack of consciousness in the Nexus. Evander looked upon his own body, seemingly puzzled by his own biology. In what circumstance could he have said that he defeated the Nexus? It was neither the landing nor the defeat that shocked him. He merely could not understand what he had done to overcome the foe.

In spite of his own disbelief, he composed himself and turned to address Caiman. "Nexus is secured."

- - -​

There the Nexus laid, their hands and feet restrained, placed in a cell with all manner of security. Evander didn't have the specifications to understand the intricacies of what the Nexus had done, what he did know was that what happened was justified. With disinterest, the homunculus turned towards the squad leader, Caiman. "If there isn't anything else, I'll be by the roaring iron boxes. Inform me if something comes up."

Code by Nano

 

[Pilgrim59]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

HQ ( Nano ); Evander ( Remembrance ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )

Caiman got to his feet and rotated his apex towards the homunculus that bursted past him like a suppressed bullet that have yet to be caught by its lingering echoes. With the combined efforts of the entire squad, Lambda was able to neutralize the target on short notice, despite their lack of information on their opponent. It went without saying that improvising came with the detail. The peculiar process was captured by Evander's versatile body, of which had managed to follow up with Caiman and Evergreen's combined frontal assault. With Nexus out of the fight, Caiman recovered from his current posture. Steadying his gyrostabilizers, the robot scanned his surroundings to assess his comrades' conditions. Surely enough, their vitals were mostly intact on a steady, synchronized pulse. It was expected by Caiman, as they were all artificial in some way or form, and was not prone to the limitation of a human body. But beyond that, there were other factors to consider, which included their performance in combat and his team's reflection upon it. Alas, such details would come in short order when they get debriefed at headquarters. Caiman had sustained some minor damage from the spewed lava projectiles. Far from critical, but nevertheless part of the procedure for the robot to ensure his continued service in the field. While he ran a system diagnostics, Caiman broadcasted his communication to Headquarters again.

"HQ, this is Caiman. Message. Nexus is secured. Commencing SSE*. Will rendezvous with extraction team at previously-designated coordinates. ETA ten minutes. Over and out."

"Well done all. Cobra's already on security. Evander, I will need you to keep an eye on Nexus. Evergreen and I will secure any intel we can find. Let's get this over with so we can get out of here." He said to the rest of his squad mates over the internal communications channel.

With Evander presiding over Nexus, Caiman did a few hand motions towards the area where combat just took place, prompting Evergreen to start with the follow-up procedure that they were familiar with. Heat-sealing his metallic hands with plastic wraps, Caiman examined the broken ampoule and traces of its contents that have yet to evaporate. He then secured them in sample bags, while collecting the concoction in a separate vial for containment. During the tedious process, he made sure to snap a few images of the scene and the objects with his integrated camera that were backed up into his secured data. Thanks to Arcarum's integrated sattelite relay systems, it can be done within a matter of seconds. For security reasons, Caiman had also made sure to create a backup file of the images and recordings, of which were secured within his internal memory bank that fed directly into his black box. He would then place down a few markers and with Evergreen's help, cordoned off certain spots, that may still retain traces of the ampoule's content that was deemed hazardous, using yellow barricade tapes.

Having completed rounding up whatever they could find, Caiman checked Nexus's condition once more, as well as the restraints placed upon them earlier by Evander, before saddling them over his shoulder and issued his squad the go-ahead to move. They maneuvered towards the coordinates on foot, keeping a matching distance between themselves in a single-file line. It reminded the robot of the first winter the four of them spent together somewhere in the Sierra Nevada. It seemed as if they had been walking a long way since their departure from the wintry wonderland. It brought the android a certain sense of comfort that it had become a subconscious routine for Lambda. Through thick and thin, it mattered little how tiresome or tranquil their details were. So long as they were together, the non-human squad's potential would speak for itself and that was more than enough for the metal leader.

As they approached the rally point, Lambda was greeted by familiar uniforms that were idling by in anticipation of their arrival. Caiman gently slipped Nexus out of his harness and handed them, along with the gathered materials at the scene, over to the extraction team, but not before verifying their identities as the protocol often went. Caiman would radio in to HQ to confirm the presence of the alleged friendlies, before moving on. One could never be too careful, but for the robot, it was a drilled habit that all Arcarum Agents must know and practice time and again until it became a part of them.

"Caiman to HQ. Package is secured and inbound for processing by extraction team. Lambda Five-Niner is up and ready for new tasking. Requesting update on our next objective, over." Caiman phoned headquarters. While he waited for their answer, his apex was fixated upon the bleak sky - lost in imprecise thought. It was then, a familiar voice reached out to the robot.

Turning over towards Evander, the tall robot nodded and gave the homunculus a fistbump. "As you were."

At the center of the littered road, Caiman looked up at the sky once again briefly, as the four formed a distinctive cross formation from a bird's eye view. Something stirred the robot slightly, causing him discomfort, as he tried to reason with it. A fault in his old wiring perhaps? After all, he hailed from a now discontinued line of model. He wondered if there would come a time when his mileage would finally stop ticking and that he would never see the sky again.

*SSE: "Sensitive Site Exploitation" is a military term used to describe collection of information, material, and persons from a designated location and analyzing them to answer information requirements, facilitate subsequent operations, or support prosecution.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 001:

Cursed Cradle

Date:

Saturday, 6 April 2047

Location:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite SilverBlack | Pilgrim59 Worthlessplebian Remembrance Dawnsx | N nios You Know Rebel

As Lambda-59 was commended for a job well done and given their next set of instructions to head back to HQ once the mutant and other materials were handed off, a man with a visor over his eyes peered down from a location just out of the range of any detection spells.

“I warned him not to take the final dose…” he whispered. After a long pause as if listening to a long rant, the man sighed and gestured in the air dramatically. “Meddlesome? As an enlightened soul, one simply derives no pleasure in laying these noble eyes of mine upon the warped shadow of a greedy sinner scrambling to transcend the faults of his mortal vessel in an experiment doomed to- Goodness me, one deigns to entertain a crotchety hermit such as yourself with conversation out of pity and this is how you treat- Alight, alright. The stars simply didn’t favor his fate. The traitorous fool caused quite the stir, but all else is in order. He’ll expire as the prophet foretold.”

After a final glance at the disappearing figures of the Arcarum agents and the creature that could no longer call itself human, the man slipped away in the opposite direction.

===

A more thorough sweep of the area over the week following the initial incident rounded up any remaining mutants from the abandoned lab. The tissue samples taken from the mutant animals terminated by Squads Xi-7 and Nu-8 were found to have matched the mutations present in the plants found prior to the incident. Further investigation revealed that the trace amounts of the mysterious fluid, henceforth titled MAS-01, that remained in the shattered ampoule was developed from the blood of an unidentifiable organism. When comparing the fluid and the blood sample data of the mutants side-by-side, the lab discovered that its purpose seemed to be to drastically increase the amount of mana a living body can host. However, unlike drugs of similar nature found in Sinoa, MAS-01 affected creatures on a cellular level instead of directly pumping mana into the bloodstream, resulting in the strange growths found on the mutants as a side effect. Conversely, current progress in investigating the substance made it impossible to tell whether or not the physical mutations were truly side effects or an incomplete physical transformation.

Attempting to interrogate the man they captured failed to provide any enlightening details, as it appeared the drug had destroyed much of his cognitive functions. The captive’s body rapidly deteriorated over three days due to the effects of MAS-01 until the researchers overseeing his vitals recorded a time of death of April 9, 2047 at 8:08AM. The rate at which the drug overloads and destroys the body is currently unknown, but an autopsy revealed evidence that the man had consumed several doses of the drug over an extended period of time.

No further details were given in the report accessible through the clearance level of Field Operatives.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcarum HQ

Tags:

You Know Rebel N nios Nessi

The agents in Squad Nu-8 had received a message from HQ the previous day at noon to come in for a briefing by Ein Askr. No prior notice had been given, and the message failed to give a reason or any hints as to why they were being called in on a day off. All the Instructor had bothered to clarify was that the meeting itself was top secret and that it’d be wise for them to refrain from mentioning it to their coworkers.

Despite the urgent tone of the missive, the squad had yet to see any signs of the agent who’d requested their attendance despite it being ten minutes past the designated time. The corridors were unusually quiet, and the sole noise they could hear was the sound of the electrical appliances in the room running. Even by the time the clock struck a quarter past six, the mahogany door remained firmly shut and undisturbed.

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Lindrow, CA

Tags:

Pilgrim59 Worthlessplebian Remembrance

A thorough search of the Final Chapter laboratory showed no signs of any production units or data concerning the production method of MAS-01. The lab was merely a facility for tests to be run, and the vast majority of drug samples had been destroyed prior to Arcarum’s raid. Fortunately for the Investigation Department, the terrorists in charge of cleaning up the evidence had done a poor job, and Arcarum was able to trace a transport route to the city of Lindrow 40 miles away from Arcvine City. Though the contents of the cargo were unknown, the high chance of it being related to MAS-01 prompted the decision to dispatch Squad Lambda-59 to investigate the area. Even if they failed to find traces of the drug, they were obligated to uproot any potential terrorist bases regardless.

Squad Lambda-59 had been assembled at the front of Arcarum’s HQ at 6AM sharp, and after some formalities, the quartet was loaded onto the van designated for their transportation needs. Roughly an hour after their departure, the vehicle rolled to a gradual stop, and a jingle and cheerful voice sounded from the speakers scattered around its interior. Lines of text appeared and disappeared on the van’s windshield, allowing anyone interested to read along with the audio.

We’ve arrived at: Hotel Ocean View in Lindrow, CA. ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶
Trip: 1hr06min.
Zero incidents on the road reported. <(￣︶￣)>
Arrangements have been made for a four day, three night stay at the hotel. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Did you know?
Hotel Ocean View is one of the four hotels in California with accommodations for Androids built with larger frames! (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
It is said that many more cities are taking action to increase the number of civilian living spaces suitable for Androids. (っ˘ω˘ς )
Please make sure to give M.A.R.I.A. five stars to make an AI happy (o˘◡˘o)
or report any concerns to Arcarum so M.A.R.I.A. can make improvements! (o^▽^o)
Good luck out there, agents! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

The digital clock helpfully displayed on the lower left-hand corner of the windshield read 8:37AM. Lambda-59 wasn’t due on the mission site until later in the afternoon, leaving them a little over eight hours to get settled and relax or conduct any independent investigations so long as they kept their movements light enough to avoid being put on Final Chapter’s radar. The tourist decor that Lif had handed Agents Caiman and Cobra prior to their departure seemed silly at first, but a quick look around showed that it wasn’t entirely uncommon to see one or two clearly combat-oriented androids walking down the streets of Lindrow. The city did consider itself to be progressive, after all.

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite SilverBlack

After decades of working with Arcarum, Agent Levee had finally decided to transfer themselves into the retirement pool. The past rescue mission had been their last, and they’d decided to take off to explore another country before returning in a few months to return to Sinoa through the Witch’s Corridor. France, they’d said, though their reason for choosing that country in particular remained unspecified. Given the quaint nature of the Phantasma, no one pushed when they remained silent after the first round of questions. Perhaps they’d taken an interest in the country due to some movie they’d watched.

At 7:41AM, Veren, Ygero, and Albus said their final farewells to Levee as they walked past the bagcheck at the airport. Now, in the early morning as the various stores in the Arcvine Downtown began to open their doors, the three began to get on with whatever they had planned for the rest of the day. Little did they know, a young woman passing by on the opposite side of the street would end up causing all hell to break loose in the city square in the next hour. Tawny ears peeked out from the holes slit into her hat, and the hat's rim and her black mask obscured the majority of her face. However, from the way she hesitantly looked from side-to-side before briskly walking off, it was evident that something was making her nervous. She quickly disappeared into the crowd, off towards the city square.

Code by Nano

 

[Pilgrim59]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Thursday, 18 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Hotel Ocean View, Lindrow, CA

INTERACTION:

M.A.R.I.A ( Nano ); Evander ( Remembrance ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )

MENTIONED:

Lif Anderson ( Nano ); Ladon ( ThatWhichShouldBe )

Little rest were acquired by the artificial agents, although it was debatable whether they needed it in the first place. Caiman's green optics glowed in response to the vehicle's animated panels, as the digitalized voice called the robot from their brief slumber. That was to say, he was running diagnostics while they were en route to their next objective, while reviewing the clues and intels retrieved twelve days ago from Sector Six within the Restricted Zone. But that was for the brass to consider and form their own conclusions. Lambda's job, on the other hand, was simply to execute. In hindsight, it was probably better for them to carry out their missions blindly than having the revelations that ought not to be brought to light weigh upon them. While Caiman and Cobra were not susceptible to emotional weaknesses, it would certainly obstruct any judgments to be made. But that would not discourage Lambda from upholding their creed to the protection of the innocent. After all, all that was written in the snow high in the Sierra Nevada was theirs to bear.

Despite M.A.R.I.A's cheerful voice, it made the robot wondered if there were prior incidents, especially when the passengers involved were Arcarum Agents. Perhaps that was the very reason why she was responsible for logging their journey, but it did not dissuade Caiman from taking precautions. His machinery whirred softly, as Caiman stepped out of the vehicle, pulling a duffel bag over his shoulder, before turning back to prompt a transactional command upon his heads-up-display. The five-star lit up, before being sent to the receiver, alongside a sufficient amount of credits to complement their service.

"Appreciated the ride, M.A.R.I.A." He said, before securing the fanny pack against his waist. The decorations that were entrusted to Caiman soon followed, as the tall Goliath donned his straw sunhat, and adjusted the collars of his flannel. It seemed that their camouflage sufficed the basic requirements, as Caiman scanned the other tourists within the vicinity. Even prior to their departure, Caiman had made sure to repaint his entire profile beige to mask his scratched paint. With little time to prepare a replacement for his left arm and shield that sustained damage during their last engagement, it was the least Caiman could do. All thanks went to Anderson for their improvised camouflage. In fact, Caiman felt a surge of emotional confidence grasping every inch of his body. It reminded him of the time when he and Ladon from Xi-Seven spent grilling some steaks - a truly enlightening and entertaining experience for an android. The robot wondered if they were not working for Arcarum, perhaps they would have made something else entirely for themselves.

Taking the lead as the fatherly-figure of the bunch, the robot stepped up to the receptionist at the lobby to acquire their room, of which was courteously arranged by Arcarum prior to accomodate their operation for the next four days and three nights. A brief look of the place gave Caiman a general idea of the building's layout, barring some entry points that should be looked over before they conduct their mission. The tenth floor provided a decent vantage point of their immediate surroundings with a clear view of the harbor across the berthing waterway. As the squad settled within the comfort of their shared suite, Caiman unzipped his fanny pack to unveil a variety of equipment that would quickly be assembled to form a miniature hologram projector. Synchronizing his data with that of the projector, Caiman made sure to close the window blinds and opened a secure channel between them using their personal Micron Devices.

"Alright Lambda, we're on the clock. Let's go over the briefing again. One of the warehouses by the harbor is suspected to have a potential lead on the Final Chapter with possible links to the production of MAS-01. The content of the cargo is unknown and vague at best. Number of hostiles are unknown. And the area of operation may expand should we fail to close the window." The hologram lit up to show the map of the area, to which Caiman would digitally add effects to for clear emphasis of their immediate area of coverage.

"Our first job is to canvass the area, identify possible Final Chapter operatives and their collaborators, pinpoint and locate possible rally points set up by the Final Chapter. In essence, this will be a blind recon operation, so keep your heads on a swivel and try not to draw any attention to yourself." He laid out their work in order.

"Now. Onto what we know. The warehouses has something we want, so we will not move on it until we have ensured that the surrounding areas are clear of potential threats and would not jeopardize our objective. For today, we'll start our with soft recon around the hotel, and form a pocket around the harbor. I will get us a rundown list of names of those that are registered here in Lindrow and filter out any suspicious personnel from out of town. Cobra, Evergreen, I want you two to tour the surrounding residential areas and mark down all routes with the slowest police-response time as well as any trucking route that warehouse discharges often take. This will help us seal any possible escape route the Final Chapter might attempt. I heard the local donuts and churros are to die for, so do try to enjoy yourselves."

"Evander, you're on ice cream duty. Take a moped and chat up the locals for any information on any secret rendezvous points that you could take your fiancee to see the stars with. Those blindspots make excellent points for the Final Chapter to smuggle their weapons and equipment in and out of the harbor undetected. We'll meet back here at 1130 hours for lunch. Any questions?" Caiman folded his arms, then scanned his fellow squadmates for any opinion and query they might have.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The clouds were wispy, the air nice and cool on his scales. It was, by all accounts, a really fucking great day to be alive. He'd made his goodbyes to Levee, promising to visit him in Sinoa at some point, given that Ygero himself wanted to visit his native world someday. Now, the gang was all together and hanging out downtown. Ygero dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, wearing big comfy flip-flops as the large dragonborn munched on a bag of curly fries he'd bought from a nearby fast-food place. His tail wags lazily, sweeping about, occasionally diverting course to avoid smacking an unfortunate passerby in his vincinity.

At his core, Ygero is a simple existence. He was with friends, he was having fun, what else could he want? Aside from a fight, anyway, but he was in the middle of downtown Arcvine City. Unless the mother of all rifts happened, what kinda fight would he find here worth having? He looks to the companions at his side, grinning. The dragonborn raises his eyebrow at Veren.

"So, where to first, o' mighty Leader?"

 

[Remembrance]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

HQ ( Nano ); Caiman ( Pilgrim59 ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )
Evander hadn't had the most enjoyable morning. Awakening at a humid and hot sunrise with no time to prepare himself. He missed the snow that would coat and blanket the mystical lands of Rocheste. He took the knowledge and luxury there for granted, thinking himself adaptable. If he had been warned beforehand of this terrible climate, he would've forsaken the opportunity, content to stay in the cold royal libraries, lost in the forest of wisdom. Yet, here he was.

Huddled amongst his comrades, Evander was seated in the passenger seat, or as close to a self-driving truck's passenger seat as he could. His hands seemed to move on its own, playing with a plastic baggie filled with recreational herbs. As far as the non-native homunculus was concerned, these were magical euphoria herbs; inhaled through some mediums; evoking a transcendent sensation. He cherished these medicinal herbs as one of the advantages of being in this world, though he found that his usage gradually and exponentially increased as time went on. He hadn't considered it a problem, he had enough benefits as an Arcarum agent to acquire whatever reasonable material desires he wanted. It was of little consequence, he put it off for later discussion, thinking it better to address in a more calm situation.

With an absent mind, he found himself seated, rather comfortably, in a well-adorned room high up in the sky. Peering out to the vast beyond, he was shaken with a feeling of hope. Here he was, in an unknown world, yet he felt he had the semblance of a bright future ahead of him. Although his mind was absent, he got the gist of the operation. Simply, he needed to find a place that is out of the way; easily missed, and lacking in surveillance. Considering his affable and harmonious nature, he shouldn't have any trouble completing such a task.

~ ~ ~

Or so he thought. Evander had to give it to the populace surrounding the docks, none were privy to revealing locations of secretive nature. The homunculus sat upon a bench facing the wide open sea. Unzipping his baggie and relinquishing it of a cylindrical wrapped-up herb, he pondered to himself, questioning what exactly he was doing here on Earth. This was no freedom. Would emancipation ever be possible given his occupation? Somewhere in his subconscious mind, the thought of bolting out into the sea and swimming to some place far and away took hold. These questions and ideas flooded his mind. Midway through his herb ingestion, he suddenly underwent an epiphany. Bolting up and tossing his herb upon the ground, he stepped forward, crushing the mystical thing beneath his boot. There may yet be one more option he hasn't explored.

Approaching a local, he threw his arm over their shoulder, leaning in close enough to smell the mixture of musk and deodorant. "Hey pal," Evander revealed his palm, displaying a bag of unwrapped herbs, "you a local? If you are, you ain't ever had anything like this. Why don't you lead us somewhere discreet and we can get down to business?" A dangerous gamble, for sure, but given his lack of options, it was the best he could do.

Code by Nano

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe SilverBlack

Veren was honestly no good at goodbyes. In such occasions, even for such a gregarious creature like herself, she never had the right words. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Tenebria like herself had such long lives, so it wasn't like anyone was ever going anywhere back in her home village. From that lens, perhaps it was a good thing she was so abruptly snatched out of Grisea without a word. Less hassle that way, really. But as Agent Levee made their departure from the organization to pursue their own path, Veren held a somewhat wistful aura to her, try as she did to hide it. For most of her life, Veren had always left such a carefree life; even she couldn't deny that, but seeing her own subordinate -- rather, her teammate -- break off to carve their own path was something that gave the demon some pause.

If Levee wasn't satisfied with their own place in life, could Veren really say the same about her own? Was she content with just what she had now?

Well, whatever the case, she was downtown now with the rest of her squad. Blissfully oblivious to the trouble that would arise soon enough, Veren blinked as she was snapped out of her pensive stupor as Ygero spoke, and as easily as ever, she put a wry smile on her features.

"Mm, well, I was planning on going on another shopping run. Something to help unwind, of course," she said, omitting the fact that this was basically her fourth run this week. Dressed in a cropped jacket, a white t-shirt, and a pair of jean shorts, the towering woman playfully patted the back of Ygero's shoulder with her hand.

"It certainly wouldn't hurt to expand your wardrobe a bit. As a courtesy. You and Albus, for that matter," Veren went on, before giving an impish wink. "Who knows? Maybe if you're good boys, I shall let you pick out a dream outfit for myself as well. I know you've dreamt of it, surely," she grinned cheekily, leaning forward in a playful manner as she spoke.

Yes, it was just another day.

Code by Nano

 

[nios]

Your Mom's:

A Hoe

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcarum HQ

Tags:

Nano You Know Rebel Nessi

It doesn’t take a genius to judge the severity of a top secret summons. Time was precious— almost sacred to the Anima. Yet, in the span of ten minutes (fifteen if his early arrival counted), the Anima already switched from his seat and decided to lean against the wall out of anxious habit. He appeared to be ever so calm and poised amidst the unsettling atmosphere. His facial appearance was devoid of displeasure in Ein Asker's late arrival.

Ein Asker… A lot has been said about the man by agents he came across, and yet, Heath knew nothing of him. One thing was for certain: Heath was unimpressed, especially by his lack of urgency.

As he waited, a long, thin tobacco pipe hung between his lips while tendrils of gray whirled around his frame. Perhaps he took the summons's advisory to "refrain from mentioning to other coworkers” a bit too seriously as his Veil lurked amidst them. The walls have ears, or so he was told... The vagueness of their summons allowed paranoia to ransack his mind. It was enough already for the ex-butler to be overcautious about everything...

Heath feigned signs of boredom as he morphed the smoke into tiny fish shapes. The herbal-scented shoal swam around him and ventured throughout the room until they dispersed into thin air. Any Nu-8 members with him were hidden in plain sight, and so it was only him in that room— spending his leisure by smoking indoors on his day-off.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcarum HQ

Tags:

N nios You Know Rebel Nessi

No matter how many years she spent in Arcvine City, Miri had never been one to follow the rules of propriety that the United States held as a standard. To specify, she cared not for arriving early to meetings. However, the Grisean was seldom tardy and ensured she’d arrive right on time with an error margin of a minute or two at best. She wasn’t sure about the customs of Rocheste nor did she care enough to learn, but it was baffling that someone holding a high administrative position within a government-funded organization as large as Arcarum would act so blatantly indifferent towards keeping an appointment he himself had issued.

“That nervous little bird stutters more words than she speaks, but at least she doesn’t keep people waiting,”

Miri said while waving smoke away from her face. She couldn’t make sense of why Ikilen would set up a veil, but it was far too early in the morning to start a petty argument over his paranoia. She’d let his shenanigans slide this time.

“That Fae’s tardiness might as well be a statement that this ‘top secret’ mission is just another troublesome infiltration mission that no one else wants to handle,”

she complained in a bland tone albeit laced with a healthy dose of distaste. After taking a sip of her coffee, the Asterid immediately frowned down at the cup. She’d run into a random joint that happened to be open at such an ungodly hour of the day, but she was sure that she’d never pick up a cup of coffee from there ever again. Having lost interest in the beverage, she turned her glare from her coffee to the man sitting a short distance away.

“Did you do something while you were away?”

Miri’s accusation was completely unfounded given that Regal typically wasn’t the sort to go out of his way to cause trouble despite his condescending nature. Not that this defense really mattered. He had been the sole member of Nu-8 excluded from their last mission, and whatever they’d done to irritate HR that warranted their current treatment, she refused to believe it was due to damaging part of the abandoned laboratory.

Code by Nano