Mercenary on the Winds

The enemy before them looked reasonably well equipped, and were in strong positions; she needed to be very careful with how she was to engage--she wasn't the best with taking hits, and while she was confident in her footwork, she couldn't rely on it especially if the fight dragged on. So she'd have to make sure that the fight didn't last long, and that she was always in range of the group--she'd have to hope that they were more seasoned fighters than she was. Rescuing those from the wagons was a priority, but the two fighters to the east would make quick work of her, and anyone who tried to flee; they needed to clear a path first by drawing the targets to them. So what better than a light show? "I'm targeting the group to the north; we need to draw these people in, and away from the wagons!" Alouette moved northward, ignoring the man with the axe--with two allies wielding swords, he was not long for this world--instead focusing on the swordsman. "You've made a grave mistake attacking the festival," Radiant energy danced around her gloved hand, "I won't let you desecrate it any further!" Alouette moves to 4, 5 and targets Merc 3 with Black Magic casted Light!

It had been nothing but a usual night, a usual transfer; weapons, half breeds, and gold were all being prepared to be transferred back into Hecatia. Their captives were broken, and no one dared to interfere with their usual operation, so the men and women of the underground were lax. A heavily armored man paced on the outgoing pad in the lower portion of the castle, twirling his lance before the others started getting more of the half-breeds down here. Today was going to be a huge payday if all of this went off without a hitch, the other caravan had to be well into Hecatia about now and so--the man paused, as he heard hurried footsteps. It wouldn't have been too pressing if they were coming from the direction of the cells, or even from upstairs, but they were coming from the dock. The man turned, and suddenly, there was a glint of gold in his eyes, and before he could find his words, a blast of wind blasted him backwards. Miria Attacks Sword Armor 1! [14, 31] Miria connect guaranteed, for 10 damage The man turned, and suddenly, there was a glint of gold in his eyes, and before he could find his words, a blast of wind blasted him backwards. "Wh-- A-Attack! We're under attack!!" [37, 60] Miria's second attack connects for 10! Miria gains 12 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! A second gust of win struck, as the mage assigned to him also came under attack by a large, flaming dragon. Who were these people? How could they have found them?! Edit: Lani's move was adjusted, and now she is engaging Sword Armor 1 [43, 96] With a quick swing of the large sword, the man's musing were put to rest long before he could come up with the answers that he was after. Sword Armor 1 felled! Lani gains 30 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Cinead Attacks Mage 3, and his bullshit is blazing... [49, 57], [92, 3] The first swing was a warning, if the flames left on the body after it landed weren't enough of an indication, the snap of the mage's bones from the second impact would have been enough. Critical! Total of 60 damage! Mage 3 felled! Cin gains 26 exp, and +3 Brawling EXP! Cinead has reached B in Brawling! Alvira flings her ice at the door in front of her, and to her surprise, it barely put up much resistance, breaking off of its hinges from the attack. The man nearest to the cell had already brandished his weapon, a caliber higher than the two men down at the end of the hallway. "The hell is going on out ther--" Then the door in front of him crashed to the ground, a block of ice had crashed into the cell door. "Where the fuck... Hey! You two, get down here!" He moved closer to the door, "You better think twice about trying to make a break from here... Luthier might have been kind with you, but monsters like yourselves deserve proper treatment: A bed six feet under and a blanket of sand. Choose wisely..." In the cell right next door, the sound of sniffling started to grow louder as a small child began to sidle their way closer to the cell door to see what was going on. The small hood over their head kept their face obscured. What was going on this late? Had someone come to help? Had mom found her? Elsewhere in the compound, a loud, bloodcurling roar ripped through the quiet of the night. So many of the men and women of the underground found themselves caught unawares, all except Luthier. The man's face took on an element of surprise, and then back into a grin, "Well, well... It appears that I've underestimated their resolve after all. To find us here... Impressive." The man took a deep breath, as he began walking to the exit of the upper cells, "Wake UP you fools! It appears that we have guests! Expedite the transfer, tell the riders to gather what they can and to leave this place, and the rest of you... kill them all. If our captives try to give you a problem, kill them as well. There will always be more people to sell--perhaps even the ones before us." The roar was loud enough to be heard even in the highest floors of the building as a slumbering giant shuddered awake, his eyes almost distant, and his hulking body chained to the pillars. Krauser knew what was waiting for him when he explained that he had failed to capture Syndra, their main target. Luthier had been incredibly displeased with him, and so, he had been subjected to his usual regiment. By this point, however, Krauser hardly cared, or even felt the searing pain; it was nothing compared to the anger that boiled within him. Luthier had told him something that continued to fuel him that they would see the Tigers again, but he hadn't expected it would be so soon. It was perhaps an assumption that it was them, but the primal call from deep within resonated with that roar--a tiger's roar. "...Cyro. Let me down. It's them. It's them. It's them. I must kill them. I must. I must. Down! LET ME DOWN!"

"Louise." Sia's voice broke out through the heavy question. A calm, yet stern look on the captain's face, "I would appreciate it if you were not speaking back to your superior officer in such a manner. Whether or not you agree with his stance, his words carry weight... as do mine." She turned to her XO with the same look on her face, "I do believe that this question has merit. Though, to be clear, I expect everything in our power to be done to safeguard as many lives as is possible. Whether CEN expects us to prepare for combat, and to take lives is secondary to me; the wellbeing of all parties involved is first priority. If all other options fail, then, yes, a willingness to take care of the enemy in front of us is pertinent." Sia's eyes glanced over at Daeran; his response was as could be expected. A talk with him later would probably be for the best, but she had to continue here and now, first. "That said, I agree with the XO's worry of undue aspersions. The death of an enemy combatant is not the only way to subdue an opponent." Her face lightened ever so slightly, "If there was someone I was going to trust with rendering an opponent incapable of prolonged hostilities, it would be a martial artist. Still, Ensign, that does come with the understanding that Lieutenant Park is correct; you will have to be thorough if you choose that route, and that itself comes with risks. The people here are as reliant on you, as you are them; a choice you make can and will affect them." Sia turned to the hologram beside her, "The rest of you may answer as you wish, but our conversation continues to our objective. So we will heading for Remensburg, once we approach the atmosphere, I would like for all of you to be on alert just in case our approach stirs up conflict. By that point, any adjustments to your HEXes should be complete as well."

Alouette felt a magical surge from behind her, and hear the soft words of a magical chant. She whirled her head to see the princess's eye flash, and her eye glow for a moment before a chill blew past her. In but an instance, and against the warmth of summer, four pillars of ice rose out of the ground becoming a makeshift gate, and blocking the attackers from pushing forward. "Princess..." Alouette knew that Lorelei was capable of a lot, but to do something like that so quickly was something well beyond what was normal. That eye of hers continues to impress and intrigue... she's changed so much after getting that. It sounded like their opponents were going to try to break the pillars down to get inside. Alouette waved her hand, switching the electrical energy in her hand to her more native element, forming a ball of light, "You can be sure that they won't last to get through the first pillar." Alouette took a deep breath, so long as she didn't have to dig deep, she would be fine, and even if she did, she wasn't alone in this fight. As much as she hoped she wouldn't have problems and have to impose on anyone, but the lives of the Isodian people came before her pride.

Luthier's glare darkened at the Kitsune's glee over his bubbling frustrations. The most emotion that the beast had shown for anything. He tensed for a moment, paused, and then chuckled, "So you do have emotions. I guess you're slightly less of a monster than I expected." Then Luthier eyebrow rose, and then, he felt it. The change in the air. He couldn't be sure about the veracity of her claims, but something surely had changed. The rattle of her chains drew him back into reality, and then, a wide smile came across his face, "...You mean to say that the Tigers have found us? Hehe... Hahahaha!" He burst out into laughter, moving his face closer to the bars, "Move mountains will you? Well, I suppose I'll test your claim when you're burying the both of them. Stick around, Kitsune, I'll bring your loves to you, and you can watch as I break them, in front of you. And then when you break your chains in rage, and anger, I will break you as well. I admit your strength in the face of my testing is infuriating, your jabs over my frustration are annoying, but I thank you for giving me all I need to press forward." Luthier waved his staff in front of him, and the collar around Kise's neck flashed, sending magic all through out her body, "Now be silent. I'll be back for you." Jeremiah looked over his shoulder at her with a smirk, "Oh? I see we've dropped the old man allegations. I appreciate the compliment." He flicked the blade clean, "None of these of men are going to trouble me, if that was any indication of what's lying before us. However, if this is a safehouse for the underground, I expect that there will be captives to deal with. We may have to split up if we're to rescue as many as we can; I don't know what they'll do if they come under attack. For now though, you're in my line of sight, so you're under my protection--not that you've needed it so far. Your 'bouncing' hasn't slowed you down in the slightest." Jeremiah cracked a smile, Lucretia's talents made her quite the valuable partner heading into this; her medical training would help with any captives that have been mistreated, and her military training was already paying off. "Now then, onward. Stay close." Jeremiah dashed forward into the tunnel, leading with his blade. The Underground had made a grave mistake drawing his ire, and so, they were going to regret it.

Luthier rolled his eyes as he finally walked into view of the Kitsune--he knew her name, but he'd grown disinterested in using it. Perhaps there was an element of frustration on holding back, but he wasn't going to admit that. "Enough of your japes, Kitsune. I've simply come to get you prepared for transport; it is nearly time for you be carted away to a better location. One that would be more conducive to breaking you apart. I have no need of your companionship, just as you have no need of mine, or anyone else's. You're worse because you thrive off making others believe that you truly care when you would dash their lives against the rocks to prolong your own." Luthier paused on his words, frustration dripping from each sentence. Was it frustration with the Kitsune finally boiling over, or... No... The dragon is simply lying. She must have met him before this, but he can't... he wouldn't possibly know this place, he wouldn't know where to look. "Be that as it may." Luthier's affable inflection returned to his voice, "This will likely be the last time we get to speak so cordially. You'll get to meet so many of your kin in the afterlife, knowing that you gave me, and my benefactors answers to so many things." Elsewhere in the compound, a dark haired man pulled a sword out of the lifeless body of a guard, and cast him aside to join a small group of others. "Lucretia, are you alright over there? I imagine we're almost inside at this point." The information that they had acquired had been correct, it was just a matter of knowing where to look, and who to look out for. They were overconfident, believing that no one would be willing to try to strike back, knowing that they were aligned with the most powerful influences in Islexia. Unfortunately for them, what happened to them in the shadows was of no one's concern. An underground tunnel connecting to the lower levels of an abandoned castle formerly owned by a vassal of the Islexian King Serdio. How fitting that the castle of a knight to an Islexian King was now being used as the staging ground for Amaranth's most heinous organization. "If you're alright, then we'll need to keep moving. I suspect that we may actually be on a time limit." He pulled his green jacket further on, revealing the pure white blade, still tied to his side.

June 7th, 1218 PAF Location: Somewhere Near the Serdio Mountains, West of Sipa. 7PM The search was frantic. The Tigers moved like water released by a shattered dam across the Islexian plains. Breaks were short and infrequent, words were sparse, but everyone was on the same page, and of same mind. Find the Underground's base, rescue Alvira and Mikoto, and slaughter anyone who stood in their way. Kieran warned them that they were close to a transfer after which, finding Mikoto and Alvira again would be impossible. However, this time limit also proved to be their greatest ally--With the Underground focused on their contraband, their wariness about potential attackers would be lax. Then, it all fell into place. Tucked near the foot of the mountains was a decrepit stone castle. On the surface, the poorly maintained structure looked as if it was to be a relic from times long past, with tattered banners, chipped walls and surrounded by a sea of trees. Silence filled the ears of all who approached, but the Tigers held before them a shimmering crystal, and one that only grew in intensity as they drew closer. The resonance would not lead them astray. Their target lay inside those walls, but Commander Natalya was not satisfied with finding her prey. She wanted make sure that none of them escaped, none of their shipments were to leave this place. So she planned to take a page from the Underground's book; a pronged assault, one through the front, and the other from where they sent their shipments. As evening fell, everything was in place; their targets set, and their teeth bared, the Tigers became like water once more preparing to wash over the Underground... MAP 6: START! Objective: Rout Enemy! Mastery: Rescue all NPCs, and ??? Reward: Unclosed Amount of Gold, Instructors' Manual, and ???

Nita hesitated a moment when Marigold told her to take Kieran back to Eslcas. Cass was going with them, and her duty was to her; if something happened to Cass, she'd also be on the line for it. Though, looking over at Kieran, and hearing all that he had said, and been the subject of, it was probably the best thing that she could do right now. She eventually nodded, "Alright, but that means that you're watching Cass's back all yourself, so don't mess up." Nita then helped Kieran to his feet, "You're not going to make this difficult, are you?" Kieran shook his head, "If Eslcas is where I need to be for this... then that's where I'll have to go. Cass," Kieran looked over at the shark clouded, taking note of her distress with the situation. "Just do what you know how to do. Don't worry about anything else. Just blame it all on me, and do what you normally do." With their plans forming, the Tigers set out from the Sipa villa. They had to begin the search now, and make as much headway as they could before tomorrow came. They had a direction, but not an exact location. Fortunately, the efforts for the groups that chased after the attackers paid off in a way that they couldn't have expected. When they returned to their lodging, Koba and Jesse--the two directly assigned to watch over the Evokers--had a message from Tio, who had been working feverishly with the items that they had brought to her. Whether it was overconfidence, or simply incompetence, the magic that has been used to imbue the cloaks with their magical effects, and the magic that had engraved the location that the warp powder was intended to warp the user to were the same, which allowed Tio to pull an approximate location as to where the powder had sent their targets. They'd left out that Tio had collapsed shortly afterwards, but not before giving them a small crystal that would guide to the warp point and telling them one more thing, "Bring back those two, and make sure that the Underground knows that they're on Glacies's radar... and then make sure that they don't get the chance to worry about that." A small group would have to hang back with cover the Evokers, but once that was decided, the Tigers set out with their eyes set towards the Serdio Mountains. No matter what, they would have to hurry and find the Underground's base of operations in the area. If they didn't hurry, Alvira and Mikoto would be gone forever, and experience truly horrific things... Unpleasant Truths (Mild Content Warning)

Even Nita was on him. Kieran felt a pang in his chest. He couldn't let it show on his face, but surprise wriggled around inside of him. He could only half way meet Marigold's look, seeing for the first time, genuine pain and anguish on her face. Kieran turned away, opting instead to stare at the tanned woman now barking at him. It was easier to deal with that; it was what he was prepared for, what he deserved. That was more of the truth of the matter; no one else was going to care about his family besides him. Marigold's question hung over him, pressing down on his body, keeping him rooted in place. "...I expected to be like this for the rest of my life..." The man's voice quivered even as he spoke almost inaudibly. That's what kept him up. Knowing that he would only ever move forward if he accepted what he already knew was the truth. The truth that he'd known ever since he'd lost everything. Kieran turned away, and brought a hand to a face in a wiping motion before hearing the blue wolf speak up. Finally, an out to this conversation, "Yeah. You can chase them. If... if there's one thing I remember. It's that they operate on a timetable. Their base has to be relatively close, if we hurry, we can probably find it before tomorrow. They don't cart people out until Monday, and if I know that bastard, he'll take pleasure in raking every bit of satisfaction out of your friends. Harrowing to think about... but also something that works in your favor. We need to find the base, and crush all of them before that happens. Though... since it is also the day before a shipment out, I'd bet they've got other captives involved too."

Kieran let himself be ferried to the wall by Marigold, letting the mercenaries converse amongst themselves. Kieran didn't look at her, his eyes looking off into the distance as she began applying a vulnerary. "Stop your sniffling, Marigold. What you and the others do is out of necessity; Cass was ready to kill me right then, and I'm sure she's just been waiting for a chance to find a reason to do it. I'm not going to say I'm any better, in fact, I'm worse, but don't feign sympathy, or make me believe that you--" Kieran found the wall next to him struck by a sword, close enough to frighten, but not nearly enough for it to have been an attack. Standing next to Marigold now, was Nita, sword drawn, and face obscured by her dark hair. "Shut up, and let her work, Kieran. You are like the elder spirit that ties the tribe to pole amidst a rising tide." Kieran blinked, clearly trying to make sense of what the Muran swordswoman had said. Nita paused a moment, realizing that she'd lapsed back into using Muran saying, "...That is to say, you're holding us, and yourself back by not taking the chance of moving forward. You knew the underground weren't going to stop with just their target... You knew that we would have helped, fruitless as it may have been, and you know that Marigold is telling the truth. Don't you dare say otherwise." Nita's voice was firm, serious, unlike what was normal from the skittish woman.

"Be that as it may," Sia crossed her arms, and gave the group as serious a look as she could possibly manage. "We will perform our duty, and if they've accounted for our failure, or for the situation to take a turn for the worse; they'll learn quickly not to doubt. I intend to complete our task cleanly, no matter what situation arises. The outcome of this mission would be the same if I had a team of veterans, or a team of qualified rookies. If we are to entertain the idea that we may be seen as expendable by our chain of command, then we'll simply prove our case by being the ones to give the debrief when it's all said and done." Sia sighed, and then smiled, "Lieutenant Stewart is correct as well. We'll act as is requested, but the only way to make true on my boast is for all of us to keep an eye out for each other. First, and foremost, our mission is peacekeeping, and that means, to me, the protection of the Callistan people as well as CEN interests. Where we are to fall will come as we determine what is going on down on the surface." Scylla's point was also correct, in a sense. What exactly would CEN gain by using them as a sacrificial lamb? Of course, they were working with assumptions, but what exactly could be gained by sending them, potentially, to their deaths? Sia had a couple ideas, but none of them needed to be aired. Not yet, anyway. The primary idea was to deal with what they knew, and react to what they didn't.

Kieran waited for the roar, and for the barrel of the gun to be pushed further against his head, the inevitable end coming for him. The barking of the elf went almost unnoticed; he’d heard the words before, over, and over, and over in his head. He knew that Luthier would never have stopped with just Syndra. Every drink tonight had been a failed attempt to drown out the voice, but it only grew louder, and louder, until it was standing in the same room as he was. Then another voice joined the cacophony, a voice he hadn’t expected, especially attached to the person that it had been. Marigold’s hand tugged at the weapon, pleading with the Tiger, and then with him. Kieran just looked at Marigold, a glimmer of surprise on his almost emotionally dead face, “What… are you doing?” Her pleas were enough as the Tiger then pulled her weapon back, replacing it in the holster. Kieran opened his mouth at the worst possible time as he found his mouth slammed shut by an unexpected slap that would have knocked him to the floor had she not had a firm grip on his shirt. What followed was unlike anything he would have expected on a night where he had sold his soul. All of it sounded surreal, but then, Kieran used what remained of his composure to think. Syndra, the Belrose, was still here, the main objective that Luthier had. She was still present, which means that through some manner–likely the Evokers’ involvement–they managed to stave off Luthier. That single fact, that one single fact, was enough to ground the Tiger’s words in some form of reality. Kieran turned his head to look at Marigold, drinking in the downcast woman’s visage. It had been something he had wanted to see, but not once did he consider it would be because of something he’d done. Cass’s punch hadn’t hurt, the Tiger’s slap had broken the haze that had protected him, and Marigold’s pleas… felt like a dagger plunged into his back. “... … …I am a coward. I’ve always been a coward. I will always be a coward. It’s not so simple for me to just change like that. You don’t understand. Even if I help you, Luthier will come all the same. They’ll find me. They’ll find mom, and they’ll kill us both. But…” Kieran’s face took on the faintest of smiles, “I suppose… dying knowing that they might be scared of someone else could be fun… I was prepared to have you screaming, threatening me just like the elf… Yet… somehow you were even more frightening… Luthier found me at the Edge, a bar not too far from here. Don’t bother going there, they don’t know shit about where he is or where he’s gone. I do, though. Or at least, enough to tell you that Cass is right. Never went there myself, but they definitely went to the east, towards the mountains. Though… if I’m being honest, you all have your beacon already.” Kieran turned to look at Syndra, “They are here for you after all.” "No, everything is not alright. Please keep your voice down. I need to focus, and Elisa is sleeping." Tio replied without missing a beat, or turning to acknowledge what sounded like Jesse. Tio could not care less about how frustrated, exhausted, and just upset she sounded. Her mood had long since soured, and she was driven almost exclusively by worry over Alvira and Mikoto, but even that was starting to wear off. Tio shook her head, "Apologies, I'm just... I'm sure you can tell. Have the others returned yet?" Tio idly picked up the cloak that she'd been given by Ferid's group, and moved it over to the other side of the desk... when her crystal flashed. Tio flinched, eyes shooting to her crystal. Was that wishful thinking? Tio moved the cloak back by her crystal, and it shimmered again. "...Haha... Fucking dumbasses!" Tio covered her mouth, remembering that she just told Jesse to keep her voice down, but she couldn't hold back the good new. She held the cloak close to her crystal, and it continued to shimmer. It was almost a rookie mistake, or perhaps it was such overconfidence in their position that they hadn't properly separated the spell treatments. While it was difficult in their mana saturated world, all magic cast by an individual had a particular imprint that was theirs, and no one else's. Usually, it wasn't of much use due to the difficulty in pinpointing a person's magical signature, and how minute the differences could be, but there was one phenomena where a person's magical signature was unmistakable. Magical resonance, if a person, or person's have a near identical magical profile, the magic would react, often just by a small amplification of magic--though research was being done into the applications of magical resonance and harnessing it's amplification effect. The same effect that was causing Tio's crystal to react, and the dust beneath it to shimmer. While her work had gotten easier, she still needed to pinpoint the spell location that the dust was tied to. "They might have just given... us an approximate location. Almost got them..."

Alouette blinked at Ichika's frustration with Luce, but it did seem like the pair were a bit like oil and water. Luce then seriously responded, before bouncing right back into the feline playfulness that had been present the whole time. "I'll hang back, and cover you all as best I can with my magic. I'm quick on my feet, but I'm not great up close..." So long as this was a quick engagement, and she wasn't called upon too much, she'd definitely be fine. Her stamina was quite good so long as her magic wasn't being a factor. Though, she couldn't hang too far back; she was likely the only one of the group who knew where to guide people if they were caught in the crossfire, so, whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to be mobile. What is the point of this attack? Was security bolstered specifically for this reason? If so... what happened to have caused it? Security wasn't nearly this strong years ago...

Sia sighed as Alrenne confirmed her disappointment, and where she would be heading with the briefing. "I suppose it was worth a shot." Sia stood up, walked towards the front of the room, and turned to the group, "Continuing off where Alrenne started us... The situation on the ground is developing, and the mission was pulled together in precaution, given how important Callisto's materials are for the Earth Sphere. As such... our information from the ground there is limited at best, and will remain as such until we touch down. Which is why our mission is two fold... First, ascertain what is happening on the ground, and second, engage in peacekeeping measures." Sia sighed, and then continued, "We have a number of diplomats onboard, but... if I may be frank, I can't help but worry that the fact that the Dawn was sent, and with the technology and forces that we possess was on purpose. Either as a cowing force, or as one perfectly suited to engage in hostilities to defend CEN interests. I would prefer it to not come to that, but it is something to be aware of." "Now then... Our mission takes place on Callisto, one of Jupiter's many moons. One of our first orders of business will be to get in contact with Avyndor Heavy Industries as per the grant given to them by CEN, they serve as the colony's government. Callisto is an extremely important colony for CEN as it is the furthest along terraforming project that is currently underway. We have heard a number of reports of unrest and discontent with the government over some excessive uses of force via the security forces. First we will ascertain the scope of the damage regarding these claims, and engage with mediation." Sia looked over at Alrenne, "Is there more that I have forgotten to add, XO?"

Cass's reaction had been expected, almost appreciated, as she turned her anger on him. It almost didn't hurt. Her fists couldn't hurt him anymore, at least, not right now. Cass took him, and threw him to the ground, in front of the Tiger. He half hoped that she would just crush him before he could find words, just put an end to all of it. Instead, the Tiger spoke. He turned his eyes on her, "None of my... business? Ha. You know... I'd almost agree if I were anyone else. But no... No, it is my business now... because that fucking bitch brought them here. I was free of them. Free. I was a merc before this... Did what I could to survive. That path took me across them. I never wanted anything to do with them. But my family was left shattered by the collapse, my brothers and father? Gone. Our security? Gone. Mother was left broken. All I wanted was for her to be okay, but then I had to meet him." Kieran turned his head to glare at Syndra more, "I'm sure she fucking knows his name. After all, she's the fucking reason he's here. You know they've been following you this whole time, right? Because of her. They've had eyes on her since she stepped in Hecatia. He killed my former merc group. All of 'em. Because we realized what the hell was going on. Tried to do the right thing. Got us all killed." He began to laugh again, "Just shut up, Cass. Just shut up. You couldn't know anything about me. Work with the underground? I don't have a choice. I either die trying to kill a Belrose, or I die watching everything ripped away from me, again. There was no good that could have come from this. Except for a Belrose dying, and I don't even get that. Well, I'll be dead by morning, and my mother after that, so I might as well just lean into it. Yeah. I told them... what room the Belrose rested in. I did it in exchange for a promise. A promise that he'd leave my mother, and I be, gold, and their withdrawal of support from Kazran. Seemed like a fair trade for a Belrose's life. Is this the part where you shoot me?" Kieran leaned onto the barrel of the gun, "I think I'd appreciate it if you did. I don't want to see what Luthier does to all of you, and then me, and then my mother. Just pull the trigger; it would be nice to lose something of my own accord for once in my life." Past and Current Mistakes

The plan was that Tasha and the Tigers were going to go an inform Cass of what happened, and confirm their next move. They needed a location, a rumor, anything to find the bastards who had attacked them because the groups that chased after their attackers came back empty handed. No, that was a poor way to describe it; they hadn't returned with any of them, but they had returned with leads. Each group returned with an item; magical dust that Koba swore carried the magical signature of one of the problem mages, and a cloak from one of the fleeing assailants. Between worrying about Elisa, maintaining Luster Purge, and caring for the injured Tigers, Tio was on the verge of passing out. The arrival of the two new items gave her another push, especially the dust--it was almost cosmic that Koba had been there to confirm that there was magic radiating from the inconspicuous powder. The cloak was the last thing on her mind; she needed to work fast. How their attackers got their hands on warp powder was beyond Tio, but it could very quickly become their undoing. Teleportation magic was a divergent magic, notoriously difficult to properly pull off, time consuming, and any mistakes risked life and limb. Warp and Rescue were the only two well known uses of the art, and they were difficult to get a hold of, notably frail, and could only teleport a single person at a time. Any project that tried to create a mass teleportation spell fell remarkably quickly, given how difficult it was to pinpoint the location, and shift a target's form properly through space. Warp Powder was an odd, if risky, workaround. It had similar range to Warp and Rescue, but it managed to overcome the difficulties in triangulation, by using a set location; the spell needed to be prepared in advance, and the location it would place them had to be preset. It could work for mass teleportation... but the difficulties in creating the medium necessary were a large barrier to widespread usage, as well as the... propensity for failure made it unfavorable. Yet, it shone in scrambles like this, should there be a mage capable of setting the whole thing up properly. There was one thing about the powder that made it wholly inferior to Warp and Rescue, and it was that the powder had to be inscribed with one's magic, and a location. If someone knew where to look, and could acquire the expended warp powder in a reasonable time, it was possible to track the signature. She let her crystal shimmer over the powder, paying attention for a thread in the fading magic that she could pull on, one that would maybe pull the group closer to their targets, quickly scribbling down notes. You give me this opening, and I will pry that door open with my bare hands, so help me... You already fucked with the Tigers, but you also decided to play games with me, and Elisa, and unfortunately for all of you, I hate losing. She yawned, but shook the exhaustion from her head, and continued working. Hopefully they would get some info from Cass and her group, and she wouldn't have fallen asleep before cracking the powder. She wasn't going to be help to the Tigers in a physical sense, but she was damn well going to give them what she could. It was a long night. A very long night. Someone he had never wanted to see again interrupted what was supposed to be his relaxation, and asked for his assistance in dealing with someone who should have never been in Sipa. One of the accursed Belrose; one of the reasons that Islexia remained the hellscape of conflict that it was today. That man was known for his thorough work, his meticulous, painful work. Yet, when the Tigers walked into the compound, of all people who should have walked through that door, it was her. The blue haired woman, the Belrose. Kieran looked as if he had seen a ghost. At first, he had thought that the Tiger had come about her kidnapping, but if she was here... it meant that Luthier and his compatriot had come for others. He ignored Cass, staring directly at Syndra, before hanging his head, and beginning... to laugh. The laugh was a dry, painful laugh, as if he was trying to laugh through gut wrenching pain. Of course it could never be that simple. The man took a long drink from the bottle in front of him, drinking it all to the last drop, and then throwing the bottle to the side. "Yeah... I am surprised to see you. You're still alive. You're still here. What a joke." Kieran looked over at Marigold, any light completely removed from his eyes, "Hey, Marigold... When were you going to tell us that you brought the fucking Belrose right to us? The Belrose and the fucking Underground? The Belrose that are the fucking REASON we're all in this mess?!"

Louise began to reply when the door was literally kicked open by Kazue in a bid to not be late. It might have had the opposite effect as she may have been intending as everyone's eyes were now on her as she hurried inside. She really was just a delayed sort of firecracker almost as if her fuse was constantly damp, so it rarely lit, but when it did, it was as explosive, if not more, than any other firework. It took a little work to stifle a chuckle, but Louise's question made it even easier to remain focused on the task at hand, "Well... Not quite, unless the XO has received more than I have within the past couple hours, we're still about as in the dark as we were when we embarked. They were quite serious it seems like that we are supposed to investigate, and then act accordingly..." What exactly 'act accordingly' meant was going to be a matter of contention. Peacekeeping was always a dangerous word to work with; nebulous meaning based on who exactly they were intended to keep the peace for. Sia looked over at Daeran, taking note of his unease. It made sense given that it appeared that they young man was from the Jupiter sphere, and he seemed to be a similar wavelength to herself, Louise, and Leon. Finally, Esther walked in with a look of embarrassment and frustration on her face. With everyone present, there was only one more person to address, "I believe that's everyone. Lt. Commander Alrenne, we're cleared to begin... Has anything further been sent to us about the situation on Callisto?"

Luce and Ichika were both out the other door of the carriage, Ichika offering protection should she step into the fray. "I'll do what I can, just give me a moment..." Alouette finished fiddling with her supports, finding them adequately tightened, but not enough to hamper her breathing or movements. So long as she didn't have to worry about that, she was reasonably quick on her feet. The last was the flower in her hair, but there was no need to adjust that. "Lorelei, can I ask you to lead the evacuation? Luce is a mage from the sounds of it, but... I feel as if they'll need another. Besides... I bet I know this place better than either of them, and can direct people away best from in the fray. You and the civilians should be safe to the east... I won't be far away." Alouette didn't wait for a response, she had a pretty good idea as to what Lorelei would and could do. The princess's resolve would be more than enough. Alouette hopped out of the wagon and with a wave of her hand, let her magic flow through her magical circuits, wincing just a tad. Just do what you need to, worry about things later... She hurried up to the forming group, "Sorry for the delay. I needed to prepare and converse with my charge. She'll likely be leading the evacuation of the civilians, so if we can send them towards the east. There should be refuge for them there."

Sia was already in the midst of getting ready when the message came across her communicator. Shirt buttoned, jacket over top, hat on her head, and... a sigh of mild frustration. She'd spent the past two hours trying to uncover anything more about Callisto, and the situation on the ground there. Her search afforded her barely more information than had already been supplied to them. Her displeasure with the information was growing steadily; it really seemed like CEN didn't have much to go on, and that they were being sent to investigate first. By the time, she pulled herself out of her thoughts, she realized that she was almost to the briefing room. Perhaps Alrenne had received more and simply hadn't passed it along the way yet, leaving it for now. Sia stepped inside, and took note of everyone inside. It appeared as if everyone except Esther and Kazue had arrived, "Everyone." She waved instead of a salute, not quite time for one of those as not all of them had assembled. Louise had sat right next to where she was intended to sit, so she made her way over, "Shouldn't be surprised that you made it on time, but I'm surprised that so many of the others did as well."

Alouette took note of Lorelei's acknowledgement in the differences in their sensory abilities; she had sensed something on their way here that Alouette hadn't even noticed. She'd become notably more competent at it after Lorelei's eye had become what it had. However, it was the other thing that she had mentioned that got Alouette back on her feet and peering out the window again. This time, she saw exactly what the princess might have felt, and more. A bright pulse of magic, and then billowing smoke filled the area where the knights had been, followed by the clashing of steel. Lorelei seemed to have figured thing out along the same wavelength as she had. An attack?! Here?! That's... Her thoughts were ended by Lorelei proposing they evacuate, and then Luce revealing their intent to help. Alouette shook for a moment, back still to the others. An orchestrated attack on Isolde during what was supposed to be a time of joy and relaxation, and placing the civilians in danger because of it. Regardless of the circumstances, the civilians alone being endangered by the attack, meant that evacuation was not on the top of the redhead's list. Isolde, however, was where Alouette was born. Where she made wonderful memories and friends, even amidst the difficulties. Her shoulders rose and fell, "Absolutely not," as Alouette released her magic. "My first and foremost priority is making sure that you're safe, Lorelei... but I am going to help the civilians evacuate, and then figure out whose bright idea it was to attack during the festival." She turned to Luce, while making her harness and corset were in place, "I'm going with you if you plan to hel--" Except the feline was already out the door.

Tio focused on Nyx, and her healing as Syta hurried off unprompted to help with the others. Tio turned to Lani, light energy still emanating from her form, "Lani, go and help Syta with the others, I can handle Nyx here myself. Call me if something else goes wrong." It was clear to anyone present that the Evoker was fuming, only barely missing the steam puffing from her ears. At this point, there was little she could do beyond this, and hope that Versaris and Ferid brought back something, anything that they could use to tail these bastards. As much as I would like to... I don't think I'll be going anywhere with them... Accused goddess... Always causing problems, I swear to you that I will give you a piece of my mind, and I hope you don't go down in one hit, because I will have several hundred prepared for you... The following moments were frantic. The groups led by Versaris and Ferid hurried off into the night to chase after their attackers; to chase after Alvira and Mikoto. The rest of them were left to pick up the pieces, and the injured, and make their next move. The moment Natalya stepped out the door of the building into the courtyard, orders were issued with an efficiency, and edge that was unusual for the Tigers. Syndra, and Nyx both had been tended to, with Tio and Ren trading off duties for healing as the older Evoker slowly ran out of steam. Shortly there after, the groups returned, and not entirely empty handed; Versaris's group returned with an odd powder, that Koba swore had the magical signature of the mage that had taken Alvira, and Ferid's group returned with a tattered cloth, supposedly one of the cloaks of the men who had attacked, though notably less cloak like. There had been some resistance, but beyond the cloak, there was nothing that linked the men and women to anything beyond. Minor mistakes aside, they were dealing with a capable force. However, there was a wavelength that the Tigers were all slowly meeting upon, and it was quickly growing in intensity. Tio took the magical items that the groups had found, and almost immediately began working on them, despite the exhaustion on her face and movements. Leaving behind a small force to protect Tio and Elisa--Tio refused to move Elisa anymore after the ruckus, and she herself was flagging--the rest of the Tigers rallied behind their commander, and moved off to where Cassandra was staying for the evening. Hardly any of the Tigers felt the evening heat. The flames welling inside of them made anything but the cool visage of their commander impossible to feel. Tonight had been the first time that the Tigers had been attacked in this manner, and perhaps it wouldn't have been the last, but this one stung in particular. More important than anything else before was finding the men who did this, rescuing their captive companions, and then crushing the fools responsible. First, they needed to speak with Cassandra, there were answers that needed to be found first. Quickly, they found themselves approached, under the moonlight, Nita's features were easy to make out, "I knew it... I thought I heard something in the distance. It sounded like thunder, but I didn't think anything of it..." The woman shook her head, "I've roused Cassandra, and Kieran was up late, it seems... Quickly, come... I can see it on your face... You have much to say." Even amidst all of the turmoil the Tigers were encountering now, gears were continuing to turn in the darkness. Off at the foot of the mountains southwest of Sipa, sat a dark haired man, and a bubblegum haired woman. The woman was sound asleep as one should have been at this point in time, but the dark haired man sat by the small fire. Their trip over the Serdio Mountains had been fruitful in a way that he hadn't been expecting. On their way through the mountains, Lucretia had spotted an unusual looking caravan taking less traveled paths. The mountains were known as a stronghold for bandits, and other illicit activity. Lucretia's intuition had been spot on; the caravan wasn't a caravan, it was an underground shipment, weapons, gold, but far more infuriating, clouded and monsters. He had not spared a single one. All of the underground handlers were dead by the time the fighting was over. Were that the end of it, he would have been fine, except, one of the clouded that had been rescued spoke up about a compound; a place where other clouded and monsters were being held. That was almost two days ago now, and it felt like they were close to finding this place. It wasn't his objective--finding Versaris, and the Tigers was supposed to be his main goal, but if the clouded woman spoke true, there were a large number of people like her suffering at the hands of the underground. His job as head of intelligence was first christened with a pledge to the people of Lufiria, and then to their defense, finally, to protect those he could beyond that scope. Monsters and clouded already had a difficult enough time out in the world because of the actions of their ancestors, and the Holy Lufirian Empire. Even if it would have been completing his mission, both his main objective, and the one given to him by Duncan, abandoning people who could be in serious danger wasn't something he could do. Looking Serena in the eye would be impossible. Less important, was the fact that the underground clearly had a hand in disrupting his subordinate's work, and he couldn't let that go either. They needed a reminder that Lufiria was not to be trifled with, even in these hectic times. That thought brought him back to the Escaflowne, and the fact that Lucille was the one who had stolen it. Finding her now would be no easy feat, but if she didn't have the blade, she should be able to evade more pursuit, and it sounded as if she had acquired assistance. Still... Celine's final words hung over him, "...How could she have met Mercuria? How could she have even heard that name? None of that makes any sense... Haah... How is it that her name comes up during this fiasco of all times? I'll just have to confirm what I can with the Tigers. Something about this all is incorrect..." Shadows of Hecatia Auroras over Axios

Sia shot Alrenne an odd glance as he chimed in after the pilots did; they all seemed to have a similar grasp of the simulation, and Ensign Fujiwaru's solo flying. She cleared her throat, "Even if I knew exactly why Ensign Fujiwaru was selected, I would not be at liberty to explain that. The XO is correct, the fact that she was selected is what matters, and unlike the XO, I will actually side with Lt. Vhane and Silvavolke. In your element, your flying and combat skills were exemplary. However, Lt. Park is equally as correct. Your fighting capacity will mean very little if your machine is incapacitated before you can even approach; flying as a unit will help you far more than acting on your own." Sia sighed as she said her piece, looking over the other pilots, "As for the rest of you, I will compile detailed notes of the simulation and deliver them to each of you by email. Depending on what we glean from these we may schedule another simulation and take a more rigid approach." Finally, she turned to Bonner, "Lastly... the schedule for the operation." Sia took a deep breath, "That... is something that we will actually have to determine as we go. At this moment, we are about two weeks time from our destination. The situation on Callisto is developing, as in, our information as to the situation there is limited at best, and our task there is two-fold, investigate as to what is happening, and then perform our peacekeeping duties. To that end... The operation could be as short as a week and a half, or as long as it takes to deal with whatever is happening there. I wish I had something more concrete to share, and have been doing work on my end to determine anything."

Tio kept her mouth shut as Ullr, and Iris were all added to the search party. Between Versaris, and Ferid, it would be very unlikely that any of them would break the terms of the mission. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to dwell on it, nor look over Elisa as Lani hurried over to her with concerns over Nyx. "I'll be right there." Tio stood up, deeming her handiwork with Aly and Versaris as finished as she could do in the timeframe she was given. She felt faint for a moment, but quickly shook her head, "Lead the way, Lani. There isn't time to waste." She turned to Jesse who appeared stunned, and dazed in this situation. She felt bad over the fledgling knight practically being thrown into a situation that even the more seasoned knights likely had no idea to deal with. Tio shook her head again, "Jesse. I know this is new territory for you, but right now, people need your assistance. If you could help Miria, and Ren with Elisa, I would appreciate it. Remain calm for the moment. We'll figure this out, and make our decisions as they come." Tio turned, and hurried off after Lani, she couldn't wait for the rider's response. It might do to take your own advice, Tio... Your heart is pounding out of your chest, and your hands are shaking. It's not all exhaustion. Put on the mask for the moment... The Tigers need the Evoker, not the concerned, frustrated woman that you're being right now... Tio hurried past Syndra who was still sitting in the courtyard, "We'll talk later, Syndra. But I think we both know that this attack had more than a little to do with you. I'm sure when Tasha arrives we'll be off to see Cassandra, so we'll speak about it all there." Tio pushed by her frustration, and hurried inside to assist Nyx. Tio arrived in the room, taking quick note of the damage to the wall, and Nyx laying not too far from the damage. "Hell... Nyx, are you still there?" Staff glowing well before she reached her side, "Do you know how long she's been like this, Syta? Or did you just find her like this?"

Tio just remained silent, focused on healing the pair. She just needed to focus on the spell because arguing would just exhaust them. Inexperienced with conflict like this as she was, the workings of the underground, and many of their more psychotic dealings was something that she, and Elisa were fairly well informed of. More than a little frustrating for him to imply that she didn't understand, but that couldn't break her focus now. If nothing else, Versaris was absolutely serious; none of his lilt, or playful nature remained. What was present was a man who knew exactly what needed to be done, and how to do it. "One minute, I'll focus mostly on Aly, then. Koba, be sure to follow their lead, okay?"

Tio switched into more generalized healing, working on both Versaris, and Aly at the same time when Ferid walked up. She could feel her own exhaustion starting to ramp up, but that quiet anger was more than enough to keep her focused on task. "Well, if there was any doubt that this was a full unit that's more than vanished... and I think that also further confirms that they took Alvira--Koba mentioned it earlier." Tio shook her head, "I imagine it will be a little bit before the Tigers will be able to manage that... a number of them are still unaccounted for, injured, or--" Versaris stood up again, cutting her off before he began agreeing with Ferid, and organizing the search party, "Hold on a moment! Versaris, I understand the urgency of this moment, but I can't in good conscience just heal you, and then let you chase after them! Had that man attacked you with any more precision you would be in far worse shape!" Alriana seemed to take Versaris's outburst poorly, wrapping herself around Versaris's legs. Tio sighed as it seemed like Alriana was falling on her side in this matter... until she opened her mouth and expressed her own desire to follow after him. "...Were you listening to anything I just said?! Neither of you are in any condition to try to trail this group! The-- Ugh!" Tio simply shut her mouth, and continued healing the pair, "I can't with this at the moment... Sir Ferid, Koba, since I already know that neither of them are going to heed my concern, just make sure that Versaris heeds his own words, and to do the same to him if he gets any ideas. Crazy as it is... Versaris has more experience with this than I do. I'll exhaust myself more trying to argue." Tio huffed, and returned to her work. This was what she needed to do right now; securing everyone here, and making sure that everyone was still breathing was something that she knew how to handle. This attack wasn't her scope of expertise, and neither was it something she could safely help with. That thought had her grinding her teeth. The moment I get a chance to pay the underground back for this... I'll pay it thrice over...