Reclamation Postulation [IC]

[UserError404]

This is not an open RP, but thank you very much for your interest!

---------------- Year 895, 5th Era of the Menan -------------------

A bronze skinned Gazenan walked up to the bar and ordered a small glass of a brown liquid filled halfway. Taking the glass to an empty table, he slowly drank away. His fingers ran through his short dark gray, nearly black, hair as his fierce yellow eyes searched the room. He was looking for someone. A ghostly white skinned Imunan with matching white hair. Her parents were funding an expedition and he was hired to lead it and protect their precious daughter. His large muscular frame and demanding presence was noticed by many.

One such person to notice was a Brenan girl who lurked in the shadows. She watched with her piercing yellow eyes and huffed the messy streaks of her strawberry blonde hair out of her face. Streaks of green in her hair quickly fell back down as she returned to reading her book in the far corner of the hall. The pale yellow color of her skin was covered by her loosely fitted clothing.

Shortly after, a third person entered the room, this one still not matching the description of the person the man was looking for, though she was an Imunan from her looks. She walked in happily with her warm and baggy clothing that portrayed some sort of cartoon-like animal. Though her skin was a pale white, her grey hair and matching eyes were not what he was looking for. Her gaze caught his for a brief moment before she smiled and looked past him. With her hands behind her back she sauntered over to the bar and sat down. The Gazenan smiled as he drank. There was something soothing about her presence, almost like she still had that youthful ignorance. As if the world hadn't ended. As if he hadn't done his part in killing millions. He washed these thoughts away with the last of his drink.

With these thoughts dismissed, he got up to return his glass to the bar. As it exchanged hands, he asked the barkeep "Excuse me, but if you see a white skinned and white haired Imunan with..." he looked down at a notepad, "... with blue eyes, can you tell her I'm here for the party?"

The barkeep shook her head as the girl at the bar spoke up. "I couldn't help but overhear, are you by chance General Yengwayo?" she asked shyly.

Surprised, the man responded cautiously, "May I ask who is asking?"

The girl replied, "My name is Ezpalli Ocelotl and I am supposed to be setting out an expedition with a person that meets your description."

The man nodded his head, "I am General Vukani Yengwayo, pleased to meet you. From what I can tell, our client hasn't arrived yet. I have a table over there if you'd like to join me. If not, you'll know where to find me." The general walked back to his table and sat down.

Ezpalli delayed a few moments, searching the room once more before taking her cup of water and heading to his table.

The mysterious Brenan in the back of the room continuously surveyed the room in between sentences of her book. She kept her distance and maintained silence.

[abbiejlee95]

"Mother please it's not like i'm going to meet with a queen or something! I'm just meeting the rest of the Menan in my traveling party!" Zyanya giggled and easily ducked her mothers grasp. Her mother huffed in frustration and shrugged. "Fine then! Don't come crawling back to me if you meet your potential future husband with that disgraceful hair!" Her beautiful lithe form turned away with another huff and Zyanya smirked and shook her head. She ran her hands through her pure white, wavy hair, messing up any attempts her mother had made at straightening it.

She took one last look in the mirror at her small pale frame and pinched her white cheeks to assure herself she was indeed awake. "I finally get to meet them all! I can't believe the day has finally come to go on my first expedition!" She straightened the blue bow she had tied around her gray turtleneck and blinked her ice blue eyes before taking a steadying breath and marching past her still pouting Dabunan mother and her much shorter but hugely muscular Imunan father.

Her father stopped her before she could head out the door. "Zyanya my darling girl. You remember what your old dad taught you. Don't take flack from nobody! Stand your ground! Don't let them tease ya about your height or anything! Show em whose boss!" She giggled again and gave her dad a hug. He had also been teased for his height his whole life, Imunan were already shorter than all the other menan, but he was even considered short for his race. The teasing had only grown when he married a woman nearly a foot and a half taller than him. Zyanya had inherited her fathers small stature but her mothers thin lanky body. Her pure white hair and skin and her ice blue eyes added to peoples judgement. She looked like a specter. Her father always assured her she was "The most beautiful specter in the world." But that didn't always sate the sting.

She patted her dads shoulder and assured him she could handle herself, and quickly hugged her mother before rushing out the door and heading to the bar where she was supposed to meet her peers. She pushed through the door with confidence and scanned the room for the one person she already knew in her group. She spotted her cute Imunan friend and skipped over happily. "Ezpalli! It's so good to see you! It's been since our intern days in college right?" She leaned over to hug the girl and then addressed the other person sitting at the table. "Hello! You must be General Yengwayo! I'm Zyanya Istar! A pleasure to meet you!" She reached out her hand to shake his before lightly seating herself beside Ezpalli.

[Holocene]

Demos sat at the bar, slowly sipping an expensive brandy, his turquoise eyes staring at a wall, but also a place much deeper than that, a place lost to time, before everything had gone to shit. He suddenly snapped out of it, after being in that place for far too long. He always got sentimental before going on an expedition. Knowing you might die soon does that to you, he supposed.

Demos ran his hand through his short brown hair, which he never let grow more than an inch long, not that it would have grown much more anyways. Much like his olive colored skin, his naturally short hair comes from years of inter marrying among the Dabunan and Brenan populations of the region which his home country of Varac occupies.

Much like the rest of his appearance, his well toned and muscular build tells of his past, where his years of military training and his soldierly lifestyle have kept him in shape. He is average in height for his people at 7'5, but his expression and attitude make him stand out nonetheless. He often appears stoic and confident, except for those few moments like this night where he delves into the past, an exercise he knows is foolish and futile, but does anyways.

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Vel, in another part of the bar, was having a much different experience. He had arrived early, much too early perhaps, out of boredom. By now, he had had plenty of drinks, and was speaking very loudly to a Brenan woman sitting next to him, who clearly had little interest in the conversation.

Vel was young, handsome, and smart, but he made up for all of that by often making poor decisions anyways. His restless lifestyle had led him here, where he was joining a recovery team. This should excite him for a while at least.

Vel's blonde hair was messy, and growing long enough to where it was starting to get in his eyes. He was in decent shape from working as a ship hand, but overall looked a bit lanky, especially when combined with his 7'7 stature. His bright blue eyes were paired with a young face that always carried a fun loving, adventurous expression. Like most Brenan's he has bronze-gold skin.

Suddenly, almost like a revelation, Vel remembered what he had come for. "Oh, sorry to cut this short, but I've just remembered I have somewhere to be," he said, almost knocking the chair over as he drunkenly stood up. The woman seemed relieved.

Vel started wandering around the bar, looking for his group. He'd be damned if he could remember the name of who he was supposed to meet, or what they looked like though. As he was stumbling about, he accidentally ran into a large, bulky Imunan, knocking his drink all over him. The Imunan didn't seem very pleased.

"He...Hey, sorry friend. Having a bit of a problem navigating it seems. Well...I'll..uh...be on my way," Vel said, backing up.

[UserError404]

Ezpalli returned the hug "Zyanya! It has been awhile. I can't believe we are going on an expedition together!" She finished with a warm smile as the general spoke, "General Vukani Yengwayo, at your service. The pleasure is all mine miss Zyanya." The Gazenan finished with a military salute.

"Say, have you happened to meet the other half of our expedition? Our boat is leaving soon and I do hope they arrive promptly." The general looked at the large clock above the bar.

Right on time, a ruckus began to stir. A drunkard seemed to be bothering a few of the patrons and one was not about to take his behavior sitting down. The Imunan, with his drink now on his clothes, grabbed Vel by his shoulders shoved him to the ground. Standing over the lanky Brenan, the Imunan started asking for a new drink and a new jacket to replace the one he ruined. At this point, the bar grew quiet and waited in suspense for the scene to unfold. The general looked over and sighed. "Stupid drunkard" he whispered under his breath.

The female Brenan in the corner, Aleksandra Petkoska, watched the scene unfold. Closing her book, she looked at the clock and pulled out a folded up piece of paper and looked over it. "You've got to be kidding me" she said as her eyes rolled. The idiot getting in a fight was her expedition partner. Great. She began to step in to intervene and save her new partner's skin.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya sat down her glass of juice as Yengwayo asked her about the rest of the party. She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a scuffle.

She got to her feet as a big imunan began screaming at the drunken Brenan he was standing over. "Oh please do calm down everyone. It was obviously an accident!" She tried to speak sweetly but loudly enough for them to hear.

[Holocene]

Demos checked the clock. His mind had wandered too long, and now he would meet the rest of the group late. He chided himself for being so unprofessional and foolish. He quickly got up, and searched the bar, before seeing a table with faces he recognized from his briefing.

He walked over, and as he seated himself, said, "I apologize for my lateness. It will not happen again." However, his apology most likely went unheard, as he noticed everyone's attention was drawn by some sort of scuffle going on near by.

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As the Imunan shoved Vel to the floor, his breathe was taken away, as were his thoughts in the shock of the sudden violence. Even while drunk, however, Vel could keep a cool head. As the Imunan started asking, more like threatening, for a new drink and jacket, Vel replied, "Oh, I would love to, you see. But I've just spent the last of my money here tonight. I'm going on an expedition, so when I get back I'll come find you and get you those right away! Good as new,"

The Imunan didn't looked pleased with his response, so Vel sighed in relief when two strangers came over and started sticking up for him. A Brenan helped him up from the floor, and another person's plead for peace helped defuse the situation more than Vel's half-assed excuse had.

[UserError404]

Aleksandra grabbed Vel by the arm and pulled him up. When the hot-headed Imunan moved his attention to her, she was not nearly as diplomatic as the others. In one fell swoop, she kicked out one of his feet, setting him off balance, and followed up with a swift punch to the throat. The stunned Imunan went backwards into the nearest seat, coughing and gagging, but she wasn't done with him yet. She grabbed a pitcher of water off the table next to her, occupied by a young love-struck couple, and dumped the frigid liquid onto the confused brute. "There, free drink and now your clothes are clean. Unless you have something else to say, and I strongly suggest that you don't, me and my friend are leaving." Aleksandra said to the Imunan with a condescending smile.

Turning to the flabbergasted couple, she apologized "I'm so sorry for this guy's rude behavior. My knuckle-head friend doesn't know how to hold his liquor. I hope you enjoy your meal! I'll send the waiter over to get you some more water." With Vel's arm still firmly in grasp, she dragged him over to the bar and asked for some more water at the couple's table. Putting Vel on a bar stool, she sternly said "Stay right here. Don't pick anymore fights."

Walking over the table occupied by Zyanya and the others, she introduced herself. "Hey, you all are part of expedition Z189 into the Epilon badlands? My name is Aleksandra Petkoska and I will be your guide for this mission. Sorry you had to see all that. Apparently one of our party members is having too much fun."

Vukani was still shocked by the unexpected display by Aleksandra. "Yeah... Yeah, that's us. General Yengwayo at your service."

Ezpalli was about to speak up, until a voice came over the loudspeaker "Attention. This is the final boarding call for expedition groups Z091 to Z196. Estimated time of departure is in 15 minutes. Please proceed promptly to the boarding area for further instructions."

"I guess that's us! I'm Ezpalli by the way. Ezpalli Ocelotl. I guess they finally finished loading all of our stuff. Say, does anyone have any snacks for the trip? Because I bought some cookies for all of us!" Ezpalli smiled and started digging through her bag.

Meanwhile Aleksandra and the general made their way to the boarding area, Aleksandra with Vel in toe. Taking notice, Ezpalli stopped digging through her bag and got up to follow.

After the war, pretty much everywhere was left in ruins. Even among the surviving nations, certain resources have now become scarce. Things such as oil were beginning to run low. As such, few trips were made between Xydrift and Ecrith, the continent the party was headed to. A single large military cruiser made the journey every other week. Adventurers and other travelers would be uncomfortably crammed into the ship in order to minimize fuel usage. Luckily, the trip only lasted a day and a half on Ollarth, roughly 100 hours. Everyone's luggage had already been loaded along with their mission gear. General Vukani had the luggage ticket to get their things once they arrived. All that was remaining was one last bag check of their carry-ons and then they would be boarded by their group number.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya covered a giggle as she watched Aleksandra put the Imunan in his place. She then straightened up and wiped the grin from her face as she approached the table. "You didn't have to get violent Ma'am. He was calming down." She spoke as everyone gathered their things and began heading to the boarding area. "But, you are impressive nonetheless. Thank you for helping our team mate. My name is Zyanya. Very pleased to meet you." She reached out her hand to shake Aleksandra's.

[Holocene]

Vel's eye's widened as Aleksandra swiftly put the angry Imunan in his place. When she sat him down at the bar, and told him to stay, he replied by putting his hand to his head in a mock salute, and "Yes, sir Commander! No problem commander!"

He passively let himself be dragged along onto the ship with Aleksandra as they rejoined the party.

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Demos snarled at Vel, and his behavior. Men like that, with no discipline, no sense of structure and behavior, you couldn't rely on men like that to watch your back. Demos only hoped that he was a scientist, and not something important like the doctor.

Demos grabbed his bags, and followed everyone else as they boarded the ship. He quietly observed the other members of the group as they boarded. Two especially stuck out to him. One was the Brenan woman, who introduced herself as Aleksandra. She showed a particular quality of leadership, ambition, motivation. Demos liked that.

The other was an Gazenan, who introduced himself as General Yengwayo. Demos resisted the temptation to hate him. If the General was a good soldier, and did his job, Demos would get along with him. The war was a long time ago.

Among the rest Demos noticed inexperience and youth. That could be worked through. Idiocy, lack of self control, and lack of discipline, those were the real dangers.

[UserError404]

Aleksandra looked over the rest of the crew before her focus was brought to a cute little Imunan reaching out her hand. For a fraction of a second, she was stunned by her beauty, but she calmly reached out to shake Zyanya's hand. "It's a pleasure miss Zyanya. I hope I've made a good first impression. It wasn't exactly as planned, but what can you do? I was just trying to help the guy cool off." Aleksandra said as the group moved towards the boarding area.

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General Vukani got in line to be boarded. He had his passport and identification papers at the ready. It seems they were the last few to be boarded and that he would need to work on the groups punctuality as the mission progressed. At least they had a few members who could hold their own it seems. Honestly, it was too early to tell and the mission had to be done regardless. The quiet thoughts of the general were interrupted by Ezpalli's voice.

Ezpalli was behind him in line, trying to catch up with Zyanya. She discussed family, work, and the war as Aleksandra and Vukani listened patiently. The line moved fast and within ten minutes, they were all aboard the ship. One of the crew members showed them to were they would be staying. It was a large room, probably the personal quarters for the military crew who previously ran the ship, converted into a common sleeping area. The room was cramped with row after row of bunk beds. The group had their own little corner to themselves and Aleksandra quickly claimed the top bunk in the very corner of the room by throwing her bag hazardously on the bed. Ezpalli took the lower bunk in the beds adjacent to Aleksandra and the general offered the others their choice in sleeping arrangements first.

It was later in the day once everyone was boarded. Five or six hours remained before quiet time on the ship. After 20 hours or so of sleep, as is normal for Menan, they would have another full day on the ship before arriving at the port in Ecrith. The ship had a few commodities such as a small lounge area where food and drink were served, as well as an entertainment center with a few older movies pre-loaded. Of course, passengers were free to explore the ship, aside from the few areas designated as 'ship personnel only', or they could relax in their own small space before dozing off.

There were probably twenty to thirty other Menan making the same journey. A handful had moved over to the lounge area just outside the sleeping area and several others were laying on their beds doing various things. A large majority were still setting up their bed area or had wandered off to other parts of the ship.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya smiled at the tall golden girl in front of her and took a moment to enjoy her warm handshake and take in her appearance. As she released her hand and turned away, Zyanya let her eyes wander to the other members of the party. She took them all in for the first time and felt like she was in good hands. Several of the members seemed like military, and she knew how smart Ezpalli was. She did feel a bit hesitant about the currently drunken one called Vel, but she hoped he was just excited to start the mission and allowed himself to falter briefly.

She got in line to get checked in and listened intently to Ezpalli's story telling as she meandered to their sleeping area, tossing her bag on the bunk below Aleksandra, across from Ezpalli. She plopped down on the bed and stretched her arms above her head with a yawn and a small involuntary squeak. She rolled over and pulled out her journal. She intended to document as much of this adventure as possible. She scrawled a few notes before tucking her journal away and pulling herself up to look around for the others. They all seemed to be settling in so she spoke up. Her soft voice carried better than she thought it would in the metal room so the sound of her own words shocked her a bit. "Um, sorry to bother you all. But, we didn't really get to properly introduce ourselves at the bar. So I thought maybe we could play a game to get to know each other a bit better. If that's ok with you." She looked around at the others faces with innocent anticipation.

[Holocene]

Vel swayed as he waited in line with the rest of the group, but was now more quiet and reserved, fatigue setting in. He half listened to the conversations of the other group members while they awaited boarding. Once they were let on, he haphazardly handed his papers to the crewman checking, and then went to the bunks, collapsing on the first bed he saw in their assigned area.
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Demos continued to analyze the rest of his group while they waited in line. He had spent his whole life training others to be the best soldiers they could be, so when he looked at most of the rest of his group and saw inexperience, disorganization, and naivety, his mind went to how to erase that from them.

Of course few others ever matched up to the spartan lifestyle Demos had been raised in, so he had had to learn ever since leaving his home country to tolerate less organized and disciplined behavior.

Once they had boarded, Demos sat his things on one of the outer bunks in the area where their group was, and started looking through his supplies, double checking and double organizing.

He was just pulling out his firearms to clean them, when another member of the group spoke up, in a soft, timid voice. "Um, sorry to bother you all. But, we didn't really get to properly introduce ourselves at the bar. So I thought maybe we could play a game to get to know each other a bit better. If that's ok with you."

Games? What were they. children? Demos then heard Vel say, muffled by the pillow his face was planted in, "I love games!" Apparently, they were.

[UserError404]

Ezpalli was sitting up on her bed, observing the others, deciding how she would spend her time on the ship. When Zyanya suggested a game, Ezpalli was all for it. "So what kind of game are we going to play? Is it a guessing game? I'm a very good guesser!" she excitedly inquired.

From the top bunk, the more mellow Aleksandra spoke up "A game? Sounds pretty lame. Count me in!" The somewhat curious Brenan poked her head down at Zyanya from the top bunk, though her braided ponytail hung down long before her face did.

Vuhkani claimed the remaining bunk, unpacked his things, and loosened his tie a little bit. He heard the talk of a game, but didn't seem particularly interested. Not wanting to ruin everyone's fun however, he excused himself "Go ahead and start without me, I'm going to familiarize myself with the ship. Perhaps I will join you all in the next round!" The general walked out of the sleeping area and explored the lounge and surrounding places open to passengers.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya giggled excitedly and gave Aleksandra's braid a gentle tug, smiling up at her brightly. "Yay! Ok! So, lets play two truths and a lie. It's pretty self explanatory. You say two truthful things about yourself and one lie. The others have to guess which one is a lie and if you guess right you get a point and the liar loses a point. We will start out easy and say the first one to three points wins!" She scooted to the edge of the bed so she could better see everyone else. "I'll go first." She paused for a moment and put a hand to her chin in concentration. "Hmm... Ok! Number one, I am twenty five years old. Number two, I have two sisters. Number three, i'm a horrible cook!" She crossed her legs and placed her hands on top of her knees with a smile. "Ok! Make your guess!"

[Holocene]

Demos continued to inspect his firearms, watching the others gather out of the corner of his eye. Once the General left the room, Demo's curiosity was peaked, and shortly after he got up, mumbled an excuse to the rest of the group, and started wandering the ship in search of the General. It would be nice to have a chat, to understand his background and expertise, and what he thought of the rest of the group. Even if he was from Megazolis, he was a military man, and that was something Demos valued.
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Vel flopped of the bed, awkwardly landing on the floor, before then situating himself in the circle with the others. After Zyanya said her three, Vel shouted with a slur, "You only have one sister! I'm calling it!"

[UserError404]

Aleksandra responded "Well, I know absolutely nothing about you, so I'm gonna go with my gut and say number three." as she watched Vel flop to the floor. She continued to hang upside down from her bunk, examining Zyanya to maybe confirm her random guess.

Ezpalli also took a guess "Hmmm, let's see if I remember... I don't think I've ever had your cooking, but I'm going to have to go with number two!" she smiled confidently hoping she remembered the details of her friends life.

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The general was just outside the sleeping area in the lounge along with a handful of other Menan. He sat at the bar, looking around the room, from wall to wall, from person to person, from door to door. Taking note of the layout of the ship, he memorized the various exits and familiarized himself with the foot traffic in the lounge from both passengers and the crew. He was deep in thought when Demos came looking for him.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya watched Demos leave and wondered how she could pry some information out of the two quieter, more stoic members of her crew.
She covered more giggles as the others guessed and she couldn't help but be amused at Vel's drunken certainty. "Vel and Ezpalli both get a point! And i'm down to negative two! Sorry Aleksandra!

I am actually an only child. So number two was indeed the lie! In fact my parents call me their miracle child, as my mom was not supposed to be able to become pregnant. Also I am a terrible cook! Be glad you have never eaten my cooking Ezpalli! I should have remembered that you would probably remember how old I am and that I don't have any siblings. That was fun! And it's a really great way to learn a bit more about each other! So who's next? Alek? How about you go?" Her heart leapt a bit at her involuntary nickname for Aleksandra. She didn't realize how comfortable she was already getting around this group. She looked up sheepishly at the seemingly nonchalant Brenan to gauge if she seemed to mind.

[Holocene]

Demos soon spotted the General at the bar, and he made his way over to him, taking the empty seat next to him. Demos extended his hand firmly, and gave a friendly expression, "Hello, I don't believe we were properly introduced. I'm Captain Patras. It's good to have another soldier on the team."
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Vel cheered himself when Zyanya announced he got a point. "Hey, I'm an only child too. Probably caused my parents too much trouble to make them want another," Demos said to Zyanya. He was already planning his lie when Zyanya announced Aleksandra to go next. He was more excited than he should be to see if he could dupe the others.

[UserError404]

Aleksandra's arms slummed down over her bunk as she closed her eyes in defeat. She woke back up when Zyanya called her Alek. People had called her that before, but it had been a long time ago. She sort of blushed and pulled herself all the way back up on her bunk. After a short moment of silent contemplation she spoke up "Hmmmm... How difficult shall I make this? Okay, number one I was born in Epilon. Number two, I use to fly planes. And number three... I am 28 years old. Happy guessing!"

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Vukani snapped out of his own little world "It is a pleasure to meet you Captain Patras." He extended his hand to meet Demos' with a firm handshake. "I am General Yengwayo. A good soldier has discipline and virtue, something that is always appreciated in a comrade. I look forward to seeing those things in you." He turned his back to the room he was examining and ordered a drink. "I'll have a glass of your finest bourbon and whatever the gentleman beside me would like."

After receiving the drinks, the general inquired "So tell me Captain, where did you serve. You know, before the war and all."

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya covered her own blush and coughed softly to clear her throat as Aleksandra sat up in her bunk and listed her truths and lie. She thought for a moment. She seems around the age she said, but she could be lying about the exact year. I don't know a thing about her but she seems super tough and smart and calm, so she could very likely have been a pilot. And she could have been born just about anywhere as Brenan are the most common of Menan and are everywhere. This is hard! She stared intently up at the bunk above her wishing she could look into the girls eyes to try to get a clue. She would just have to make a random guess. 'Umm... Darn! I'm gonna say.... Number three is the lie." She said softly, and pulled her legs to her chest nervously. Why is my heart pounding so fast?

[Holocene]

"Whiskey, thank you," Demos said. He then returned his attention to the General at his question, "I was the commander of the Royal Varacian Hoplites, 2nd Phalanx," pride filling his eyes as he spoke. The Varacian Hoplites were legendary for their skill and training, the 2nd Phalanx only lacking in reputation to the 1st.

Demons continued, "When the war began, as I'm sure you know, our cowardly king gave our nation over to Massrend without a fight. The dishonor of this sickened me, so I left the country rather than be the slave of any foreign people. The Enveens were in dire need of experienced drill masters for their rather poor army, with the fear of the war coming to their doorstep, so that is where I went. For the remainder of the war I trained troops and readied their meager military for foreign invasion. Of course, that all changed with the bomb," Demos said, abruptly stopping at the end, stopping himself from going into territory he didn't want to go.
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Vel said, "There's no way you were a pilot! Thats the lie." She was way too fit to be a pilot. Maybe a mechanic, or a soldier. He was completely oblivious to the sexual tension going on.

[UserError404]

"A commander from Varac..." Vukani stopped to take a sip of his drink. "Impressive! You must have been quite sickened if you moved all the way to Enveen, though I guess it worked out for you in the end." The general paused as he started swirling his drink.

"Yes, the bombs certainly changed everything. I was one of the six artificers of war, a general in the Megazolis army. The only reason I survived was because I was sent to Cythetta as a..." The general stopped to down the rest of his bourbon. "Anyways, it is good to have you on our team Captain. I was just familiarizing myself with the ship." Vukani got up and began to wonder down the halls of the ship.

Without missing a beat, another Menan replaced the general next to Demos. A tall and lanky Dabunan man, probably in his early twenties. His short hair was slicked back and he had warm fur jacket on. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but over hear, you and your friend there are ex-military huh?"

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"I guess I'll make things interesting and go with number one!" Ezpalli answered.

"Number one is indeed the lie! I was born in Oudhal actually. And yes, I was a pilot before the war. I mean, I only flew a couple of times before I got kicked out, but still. Lastly, I am 28. My birthday was last month. Alright Zyanya, back to you for an update on the points!" Aleksandra once again poked her head down to look at her, the red braid falling down as she made eye contact.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya snapped her fingers and sighed in defeat. "Darn! Well at least now I know!" She again smiled up at Aleksandra who had seemed to accept the nickname she had addressed her by. "So! That means Alek and I are in the negatives. And Ezpalli has two points, Vel has one! Vel, why don't you go next?"

[Holocene]

Demos stiffened when the General said, "...though I guess it worked out for you in the end." Demos could tell that the General meant no insult by this comment, but coming from a menan in his position in the military that destroyed Demos's country, it bit with a bitter feeling.

Demos avoided showing the insult as the General continued to speak, but he was glad when the General abruptly left. His attention was diverted from analyzing that conversation as another Menan took the General's seat almost as soon as he left.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but over hear, you and your friend there are ex-military huh?"

Demos looked at him quizzically, and said, "Yes, but I'm sure you'll find many here are. What is it to you?"
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A pilot? That was cool. And she was easy on the eyes too. Vel would have to remind himself not to piss her off, at least too much. Vel said, "Damn, never would have guessed a flyer would be doing this," and then at Zyanya's instruction replied, "Awesome!"

Not having to think long at all, Vel said, "Alright. Number one, I got my medical degree in Epilon city. Number two, During the war I once had to take shrapnel out of my own arm in the middle of a battle. Three, my father owns a chain of hotels." He smiled after saying his three. Good luck guessing those, he thought.

[UserError404]

Ezpalli made her decision rather quickly. "Well, one of these is not like the other. I'll just say number three!" she waited in anticipation for the answer to be given.

Aleksandra had also come up with her answer. "I guess I'll say number two is the lie, although if you did manage to treat your own wound in battle then way to go!" Aleksandra turned to look at Vel to see what his answer would be.

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

The general worked his way to the deck of the ship. He took in the exterior of the ship and began to reminisce. It reminded him of the light frigates in the Megazolis navy. It had been quite some time since he had been home, as it was now inhabitable thanks to Massrend. But he couldn't really complain. His country did annihilate Massrend off the map. Thinking back to his conversation with Demos, he did feel some pity. They were both quite similar after all, two men who lost everything fighting for their country. Hopefully they could dismiss the fact that they were on opposite sides during the war enough to focus on the mission.

Meanwhile back at the bar, the stranger continued "Oh, to me? Nothing. I was just curious though, how do you sleep knowing you're responsible for the death of millions? You military folk are the reason we are in this whole mess to begin with. If it was me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. But I suppose taking another Menan's life is just par for the course for you psychopaths. Varacay, Massrend, Megazolis. You're all monsters. Personally, I think you should've stayed in Varac." He looked Demos over with contempt and went back to join his two companions on a couch. An argument erupted between them, and the angry stranger left the room fuming off deeper into the vessel.

[abbiejlee95]

"Ok well I guess that leaves me with number one! Ezpalli if you win this you have to give us at least one fact about yourself!" Zyanya winked at her friend before rolling onto her back and hanging her head off of the bed. Her extremely long white hair tumbled onto the floor and she stared at Vel, upside down, in anticipation. She was thoroughly enjoying this game. Mostly because she was happy to get to know the people she would be spending the next good while with.

[Holocene]

As the stranger scolded Demos with contempt, Demos took everything he had to hold himself back and not embarrass himself by letting his emotions get the better of him. As the stranger turned away, Demos's mind tore him apart. He knew the kind like that, pacifist liberal scum who thought that weakness was the way to make the world better. Menan, if you could call them that, like that had poisoned the king of Varac, and led to the destruction of his people. Varac had stood strong for thousands of years through unyielding strength. It had achieved peace, by being ready for war.

Weak Menan like that could never understand, that his country, his people, his family, they died because weak Menan had forgotten their honor, their strength, and that was the cause of the death and destruction of the world. Menan had forgotten honor, and it had been their downfall.
--------------------------------------------

Vel laughed before replying, "Good job Zyanya! I did in fact have to remove shrapnel from my arm during battle one time, as there was not another medic around. I can tell you, that was not fun! My father does....or well, did I suppose,own a chain of high end Hotels all around Epilon. And lastly, I did go to medical school in Epilon, but I dropped out, so I never actually got my medical degree." He smiled at the others, "What's the score? I'm too drunk to keep up with it."

[UserError404]

"Well it looks like it got to me after all." Ezpalli smirked as she began formulating her lie. "So, for number one, when I was a kid, I had seven different pets at one time. For number two, I graduated from the University of Impliree in Imperstar when I was 26. And for number three, I was born in Halistrand."

Well, she looks like an Imunan, so I guess it would make sense for her to be born in Halistrand. But to get into the University of Impliree, she must be a researcher if she is that smart. Aleksandra, finally decided on her answer. "Seven pets seems excessive. I say you never had that many at one time."

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

The General took in the crisp salty air and watched as the sky glowed with the brilliant oranges and purples of a sunset into the light blue of the fleeting day. Vukani always loved the sunset. Nearly his whole life, he was stuck underground. From his childhood home to military bunkers, Megazolis loved their underground caves. Any chance he got to take in the beauty of the surface, he treasured. This was not any sort of special privileged for Gazenan, but for an important man such as himself, stuck in military meetings and behind paperwork from the time he woke until he went to sleep, it certainly was a privileged. Well, he WAS important anyways. He had to remind himself that now, his rank held little meaning or power. For now, he was simply one of hundreds who dared venture into the ruined world to bring back magical pieces of rock. Chances are, he would be dead in a week or two because of the damned things. "Ain't that a bitch." He whispered under his breath. Along with a few other solitary Menan, he watched the sky for just a little while longer.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya clapped gleefully as she had finally gotten a point! "Yay! So me and Aleksandra are still in the negatives and the rest of the scores are still the same. Ezpalli is in the lead!" She listened intently to Ezpalli's facts and a grin crossed her face. I know these! We graduated from the same university. She told me about all of her pets. She's such an animal lover! So that means her birthplace is the lie! "I'm gonna go with, number 3!"

[Holocene]

After the encounter at the bar, Demos got up and found his way back to the crew quarters. This journey was starting out uncomfortably, even before he got on the ship. He hoped that was not a bad omen. He sat back down on his bunk, glancing at the other members of his group who were still wrapped up in their game.

He silently took out his firearms, and began dismantling and inspecting them, as he had thousands of times before. Ritual, order, consistency. These things were what made Demos feel safe and at home, what helped him be the person that he was. To him, these were the building blocks of society. If they were taken away, what was left?
---------------------------------

Vel thoughtfully assessed what answer was the lie, but he couldn't seem to pinpoint one, so he said, "I'm gonna go with a guess and say number 1 as well. Seven pets is quite a lot. Who would even want that many?" Vel briefly looked up at Demos as he came through. Demos gave Vel the creeps. He reminded him of those uptight Gunneries in the Marines, who were always shouting at you for the smallest things.

[UserError404]

"Excuse me!" the friendly voice of a male Brenan snuck its way into their game. "I saw you beautiful people over here and just had to introduce myself! Mirko Delchev, at your service. What are your names?"

Mirko was well dressed, wearing a black suit and tie, and very well kept. On his suit was a pin with three colors on it: red, blue, and green. This was the symbol of the Brenan religion, Trianity.

Ezpalli was shocked by the presence of the stranger, "Oh... My name is Ezpalli. How do you do?" After recovering from the initial shock, she maintained cool and friendly body language.

"The name is Aleksandra." Aleksandra introduced herself, and quickly pulled herself back up into her bunk, sort of retreating from the stranger.

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

Vukani stood on the deck of ship, holding a few pieces of paper blowing in the wind. One was an old post card that depicted the grand Disval mountains of Megazolis. The other was his mission directive and another was a list of his party members. After looking over these things, he folded them back into his pocket and returned below deck. He needed to make sure everyone on his team was on the same page. What better way to do that than with a mission briefing.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya jumped a bit at the strangers voice. But quickly recovered. She smiled brightly in his direction and stood to reach over Vel and shake the man's hand. "My name is Zyanya. Zyanya Istar. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Delchev!" She stepped back to allow the others to introduce themselves and eyed the stranger. On the outside she looked completely calm and comfortable but her heart was still beating a bit fast. She was going to keep a close eye on this stranger. She knew giving him her last name would go one way or the other and she hoped it would go the way of giving him a warning not to mess with her, instead of making him want to get closer to her.

Both her father and mother were very well known. They funded many expeditions into the wilds and had been instrumental in the research of the items of power they were searching for. They were also known for their savagery in a fight. Both of her parents had grown up in the harshest of climates and had a great deal of experience surviving attacks from both Menan and creature. She, secretly, was even more savage than her parents. She thrived in a fight. But she made it her goal to never show that side of herself unless absolutely necessary. She smiled once more and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't really like that side of herself.

[Holocene]

Demos looked up along with the others at the arrival of the stranger, though not for long. His focus was on his work. Demos did note the strangers delicate dress, however, and thought it rather strange on a ship with this sort of expedition.
----------------------------------

Vel looked up at the menan, and returned his smile. "I'm called Vel." Not as suspicious or shocked as the others, Vel did notice the symbol on the menan's jacket. He was familiar with those who pushed it, and he hoped that's not what this Mirk had come for. How anyone could follow something like that in the face of what's happened to the world was beyond Vel, and even before he had never had much use for it.

[UserError404]

Mirko happily reached out to shake Zyanya's hand. "What a beautiful name for such a beautiful Menan. It truly is a pleasure!" He pulled back a little "Wow, what a great looking group you all have here. Let me guess... You all are searchers?" Mirko finished with a warm smile.

Aleksandra stayed quite in her bunk, confident that the others could handle this social interaction.

"Yeah, I think it's something like that." Ezpalli said, beginning to feel more comfortable about this strangers intrusion.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya felt a bit more uncomfortable after the man's flattery buy kept a bright smile on her face and squeezed his hand firmly. "Yes thank you. My friends are quite lovely." She did not feel like hearing this mans pitch but was polite to a fault.

[Holocene]

Vel jokingly replied, "Well, I can't take all the credit, but I will," flashing a smile at this stranger. Now was the part where he started preaching, Vel thought in the back of his head however.
------------------------------

Demos looked up when the stranger attempted some flattery on the group. He didn't appear to be flirting with anyone in particular, so what was his game?

[UserError404]

Vukani finally returned to give his team a proper briefing. As he entered the room, Mirko caught his eye, and his expression immediately changed. He approached, clearly annoyed, as Mirko noticed him in return.

Mirko let out a chuckle at Vel's comment. "Ah, it was lovely meeting you all. It seems your commander isn't too fond of my presence. I'll be seeing you!" The man winked at Zyanya as he walked back to wherever he had come from.

The general wasted no time in addressing everyone. "Now that you've had some time to get to know one another, may I have a quick moment of your time? I'd like to discuss our mission and make sure we are on the same page." He waited to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya shivered internally as the man winked and felt eternally grateful for Vukani's interruption. She looked over at the general and smiled. "Of course General!"

[Holocene]

Demos looked up and paid attention now that the General had spoken about a briefing. Finally they could get to work. Demos was getting antsy, his last expedition had been over a month ago.
---------------------
Vel was disappointed that the fun had ended and now they would have to start discussing the mission. Despite that, he was sill excited to learn about what his first mission would be. He hadn't paid much attention before, not having read most of the documents he was supposed to have.

[UserError404]

"Excellent" Vukani began "So, as I'm sure you all read in your documents, we are heading into the heart of Epilon... Dayde. More specifically the ruins of the old capital city, Bratura. Somewhere underneath the city is a secret lab that is believed to house some files regarding a collaboration between Massrend and Epilon. We have a few leads, as outlined in section 3b, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. After we secure the documents, we await further orders. Our gear will be dropped off once we arrive. It should have the protective equipment needed to traverse the badlands as well as our weapons which we hopefully won't have to use. We will use short frequency radios to communicate during our mission and any artifacts found along the war are fair game. Just don't get greedy. I don't need any of you dying because you don't know how to navigate the effects of the various artifacts properly. Anything else I missed should be covered in sections 1 or 2 of your documents. Each of you should know your roles by now, so I expect great things." Vukani went to his bunk and began to re-read his mission briefing. Out of all of them, he would need to be the most prepared.

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

Ezpalli and Aleksandra both listened as the general spoke, Ezpalli a little more attentively than Aleksandra. Aleksandra new her job and that was what she needed to know. She had been on missions before so she new what to expect, granted she had never been to Bratura. At least not since the bombs dropped.

Just a few seconds after the general finished Ezpalli spoke up, "So, I guess Vel here is our medic. I'm a scientist who focuses on biology and the affect that the artifacts have on said biology. Sorry in advance if I slow you guys down any. I'll keep up the best I can. Zyanya, you are probably here as a scientist too right? Considering we both went to the same school."

Aleksandra listened to the conversion, her interested sparked as she waited to hear from Zyanya.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya listened carefully to Vukani's briefing. Her heart began to pound with excitement. She was so ready. She smiled at Ezpalli as she answered her question. "Yes, I am here specifically as an archaeologist. My goal is to make sure the artifacts are recovered and delivered with care. I am also on board as extra protection as we are expected to run into some difficult situations." She knew she would get odd looks from her statement but her parents had chosen her specifically for this mission for a reason. She had experience handling different types of artifacts and she also had a great deal of experience in rough terrain and difficult survival situations. She hoped she would make her parents proud. But above all she hoped she could help get every member of her team back alive.

[Holocene]

Demos made several mental notes as Vukani spoke. Seemed like a standard mission, only most of the team was green, which worried him slightly. It didn't matter, they had a job to do, and Demos would do it, and try to make sure no one died along the way.

He finally spoke up, asking, "How many of you have been into the badlands before? I just want to gather an idea of what we're dealing with."
---------------------------------------

Vel listened as Vukani spoke, and realized he didn't even know where his documents were. Hopefully no one would notice. Afterwards, when Demos asked who had been in the badlands before, Vel replied, "Oh, so NOW you want to get to know everyone else, not when we were playing our game. Well, I used to LIVE there, but if you mean recently, I have not."

[UserError404]

"I've visited the badlands a few times. I'm more familiar with the surrounding areas, but I know my way around. That's why I am your guide." Aleksandra replied to Demos.

Ezpalli spoke up next "Well, I haven't been back to Ecrith in awhile, but I've studied an artifact or two in lab before, so I know how to handle them. More or less."

Aleksandra leaned down in front of Zyanya "So you're an archaeologist? That's pretty cool. Have you ever seen an artifact in person before? Like in the wild I mean."

Vukani listened to the various conversations going on. He was somewhat comforted by the fact that at least a few people had been into the inhabitable zones before. The others would soon learn and ideally get a successful mission under their belt. Or die. He would just have to see how it all played out.

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

Several hours had passed since they boarded the boat, played their game, and had a briefing. The lights on the boat began to dim, signifying the coming of night and quiet hours. "We won't have much time after we get off the boat before we leave for the badlands. I think a good night's sleep would do everyone good, so try not to stay up all night." Vukani said as he made his bed time preparations. Shortly after, he laid down on his bunk and was silent.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya listened intently to everyone's conversations until Aleksandra addressed her. "Yes, thanks, I love it. I have traveled into the badlands several times with my father. And yes I have experience handling and transporting artifacts. My father is the head scientist of the artifact division. And my mother is one of the head archivists in the same division." She gave Aleksandra another big smile. "I'm glad you will be our guide! I feel safe when you are around." She turned to Vukani as he told them to get some sleep. "I'll try! I don't know how much sleep i'm gonna get. I'm a bit nervous. But I feel better knowing we are in such good hands." She finished with a smile for him and nodded as he laid down in his bunk.

She sighed and laid her head down on her pillow and stared up at the bottom of Aleksandra's bunk. Her heart was still pounding from anticipation and trepidation. She had indeed been with her father to the badlands several times. But they had always traveled with a large group of security officers and medics and a whole team of experienced field personnel. She had always been kept at the center of the group to ensure her safety and had never been the least bit scared for her life.

This time was very different. Her parents had never been willing to let her join a small expedition group like this before as it held a great deal more danger. The likelihood of her losing one or more of her new comrades, or even her own life, was quite high. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep breath. "Was I wrong to beg my parents to let me go? Am I making a mistake?" She shook her head, trying to ignore the images in her head of her new friends being torn to shreds or swallowed by the anomalies surrounding the artifacts. "No. This is my dream. I want to make discoveries! I want to help piece the world back together! I can do this!" She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, trying to calm her mind and get some sleep.

[Holocene]

Demos nodded at the General's advice, and put his weapons back together. As he lay down on his pillow, thoughts swirled around his mind. At least the group wasn't as green as it seemed. Demos had a feeling he could rely on Aleksandra and the General. Zyanya and Ezpali seemed to be your typical eggheads, you always had to look out for them. Vel on the other hand, Demos didn't understand how that lout had ever been cleared for a mission. They really must be desperate these days.

In the morning, he would find out. Demos yearned to be back in the badlands. In the field, danger around every corner, that seemed to be the only place he could feel alive anymore.
-------------------------------------

Vel was tired after his drinking and the long day, so he was ready to go to sleep. He lay down, and quickly fell into a deep rest. However, a few hours later, it was broken when Vel shot up screaming.

The nightmare had happened again. He looked around in a panic, breathing heavily before he realized where he was. Vel had always been careless in his actions. When he signed up for the war, he thought it would be a grand adventure. It turned out to be anything but. And now he was here. Had he made the same mistake again?

[UserError404]

As everyone made their sleeping arrangements, Ezpalli wished her team a goodnight. By this point, the general was already mostly asleep but Aleksandra reciprocated the goodnight to the others out of courtesy. Aleksandra had been with several groups before and she never really bothered to get close to any of them. Most would die in some way or another. As she dozed off, she only hoped that maybe this group would be different. Just maybe...

Ezpalli had a much harder time falling asleep. The excitement and anxiety over the mission kept her awake much later than the others. As the boat rocked slightly, she began to miss her home and her laboratory and even wonder why she decided to go on this mission. To see the world? Or what's left of it anyways. Was it really worth the danger? she asked herself before drifting off.

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

As the hours ticked by and the passengers either slept or tried to sleep, something was stirring outside the boat. With a loud boom exploded into the room and the emergency bulkhead doors slammed down, waking nearly everyone up except for Vel who had woken himself up in a panic just moments before. The boat swayed roughly as the sound of bending metal echoed along with the shouts of groggy sailors. The dim yellow lights turned off and dull red emergency lights came on.

Aleksandra shot up and looked over at the others and then down at Zyanya. "What the hell was that?" she quietly asked.

Other passengers began to get up and check the door. The Menan from before, Mirko, was one of the first to check it out and began to explain to the others "Well, it would appear we have sprung a leak. I would not worry everyone. From the sound of it, the ships crewmen are hard at work repairing the ship and we will be in port before we know it."

Faint shimmers of red light could be seen near the door of the room as water seemed to have found its way through the bulkhead and slowly forced itself into the room.

The crowd began to murmur among themselves. Words about artifacts and sinking ships began to circulate around the room.

Ezpalli grew increasingly nervous. "That's not possible. I didn't think the chaos mines were found so far north. It has to just be a mechanical issue or something." The young Imunan tried her best to mask the fear in her voice from the others.

"I have made this trip plenty of times. Sometimes things happen and panic is not going to fix them. It's best to just let the more than capable crew handle the situation and all try to relax, as the gentleman said." Vukani said reassuringly to the rest of his group. The last thing they needed was full blown panic. Besides, this was an excellent situation to see how his team would react under pressure.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya sat bolt upright as Vel cried out in his sleep. She had only just started to drift off to sleep. "Vel are you alr-" An explosion interrupted her concerned question and she sprang to her feet. She looked up at Aleksandra as she asked what was wrong and shook her head and shrugged.

As they got an explanation her heart calmed a bit but she knew there was no time for hesitation. "I think everyone should gather their things and be prepared in case we are told to abandon ship. I agree that we shouldn't panic, but preparedness is key."

[Holocene]

Vel had only just begun to calm down when an explosion rocked the ship. The lights, the scrambling of the sailors, combined with the nightmare he just had, sent chills through Vel's body, this situation far too familiar to one he had been in before. While everyone else was attempting to remain calm, Vel went into a frenzy.

He started shouting, "Where are the life jackets, everyone to the deck!" before running himself over to where the life jackets were stored, and clumsily putting one on in his panic.
------------------------------

Demos's eyes sprung open, and he immediately reached for his gun when everyone else awoke the the sound of an explosion. He got up as fast as he could, quickly dressing himself, and looking for the General. The General was busy calming the group down and telling them to wait, when he saw the group's medic, Vel start running around in a crazed panic.

Demos was not surprised the kid had panicked at the first sign of trouble, but this seemed a little overboard. It did, however, provide a good opportunity to see how the General would be as a leader in tough situations, and he watched eagerly at the rest of the group's reaction.

[UserError404]

The general tried desperately too keep everyone under control. His calm and convincing demeanor imposed itself on the leaders of the other groups as they tried to prevent mass panic. In just a brief moment, it seemed all his work had been for naught as Vel panicked and ran to the life jackets. Several others followed in suit as the frenzy spread. Vukani quickly addressed his own group, "Sorry for the rude awakening, but it seems we might be in trouble here. Miss Aleksandra and Captain Patras, please check the door and see if it is still a viable exit for us. If there is water leaking through the bulkhead, those leaving in a panic might cause the water to drown us even faster. And miss Zyanya and miss Ezpalli, if you could try to comfort the passengers and prevent further panic from spreading. I know you are probably scared right now but the only way we will survive is if we handle this situation in a calm and collected manner. I need you all to believe that and I need you to make the others feel that as well." Vukani explained to his group. He then walked over to the man who first examined the door, Mirko.

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

Aleksandra quickly jumped off her bunk and ran over to the door. Water was definitely beginning to puddle in front of it. She examined the cracks where water was coming through, but it didn't seem to be leaking at an alarming rate. As Vel ran over to the door with his life jacket and attempted to pull the emergency release mechanisms on the door, Aleksandra did her best to stop him. "Vel, listen! I know you're scared right now, but if you go out that door and there is nothing but water on the other side, you are going to kill us all! Do you understand? If you don't calm down, you are going to die. We will all die!" as she struggled with Vel, she looked over at Demos to see if he could help. "Hey Demos, can you look through the port hole? How's it looking? There doesn't seem to be too much water coming through."

On the opposite side of the bulkhead, Demos could see several of the ships crew running somewhere deeper into the ship. At the moment, the water seemed to be midway between their ankle and their knees. From his window view, he could not see any structural damage nor the source of the water.

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

As the general walked away, Ezpalli walked over to Zyanya and grabbed her arm. "I want to believe the general... but I'm scared. I don't even know what to say to everyone!" she said with tears about to stream down her face. She was hoping that Zyanya would have enough courage for the both of them in this situation. The last thing Ezpalli wanted to do was let the general and her team down, but to calm the passengers when she wasn't even calm herself... It seemed impossible.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya nodded confidently at the general's orders. She began to turn towards Vel when Ezpalli grabbed her arm. "I want to believe the general... but I'm scared. I don't even know what to say to everyone!" She could see the fear and tears welling in her friends eyes and she smiled at her warmly, placing her slightly shaking hands on either side of the girls face. "It's ok to be scared Ezpalli. What matters is using that fear as a motivator to stay alive and to keep your friends safe as well. You understand?" She pulled Ezpalli into a quick hug. "Follow my lead ok?"

She pulled away from Ezpalli and walked quickly over to Vel and Aleksandra, who were still struggling with each other. Zyanya placed a hand on Alek's shoulder to signal her to back away. She then grabbed Vel by his face and pulled him down forcefully to force him to make eye contact with her. "Vel, listen, we need you. You cannot bail on us now. You are strong enough to handle this. I believe in you. I don't know what you are thinking or feeling right now, but I know you are stronger than this. Take a deep breath and help me help you. Ok?" Her voice was warm and steady. Her calm, reaching out to others nearby.

She then turned to the others that had followed in Vel's panic and loudly but calmly repeated her message, doing her best to lay a strong hand on or hug anyone she could, trying to instill as much of her own confidence and control in them as possible. She looked back in hopes that Ezpalli was doing the same.

[Holocene]

Vel resisted Alkesandra's attempt to calm him. "We're all going to drown if we don't get out of here! Open the door!" Once Zyanya grabbed him, and got personal, Vel stopped struggling as much, but he replied, "Being strong doesn't matter if this ship goes down. Do you know what it's like, to watch a ship full of men go down, struggling to escape a massive sinking tomb? I do, and I didn't die that time, and I won't now!"

Vel was cut off by Demos, who looked out the porthole like Aleksandra had commanded. "The water's still pretty shallow, but it's rising. I don't know where it's coming from, but it if we don't leave soon, we might not get the chance to at all."

This made Vel nervous again, and he broke free from Zyanya's grip and ran to the door, but Demos grabbed him and stopped him. "We leave when the General or ship Captain order us to."

[UserError404]

General Vukani reluctantly approached Mirko and his group. "Mirko. It's been awhile. I didn't know you got back into the searcher lifestyle. Or perhaps you have another reason for being on this ship?"

Mirko stood up and mockingly saluted the general. "Oh general, sir. What a surprise, sir." he dropped the act and continued. "You know I'd love to catch up or make amends or whatever it is you want to do, but perhaps you should focus on the crisis at hand. Don't you have people to save Vukani, or is that someone else's team you manipulated to take charge of the situation?"

Vukani grew visibly annoyed by this man. "Don't think I will let you go that easy. We will certainly be continuing this conversation later. Given our past, I just had to make sure you weren't up to any trouble."

"Oh, I have no doubt we will be talking later Vukani. After you save the whole ship with your heroism of course." Mirko sat back down to rejoin his own group as the general stormed off to join his group by the door.

Meanwhile Ezpalli struggled to gather her composure. Zyanya's courage in the situation helped her to focus and she followed her friends lead as they calmed the passengers. The crowd wasn't entirely receptive to their reassuring words, but the frenzy had subsided somewhat. Many still gathered by the door in anticipation.

Aleksandra helped Demos to keep the panicking Menan from the door as the general approached, fighting through the crowd. "Captain, how is the door looking?" Vukani asked.

After checking through the window of the door himself and listening to Demos, he began giving orders once more. "I believe it would be best to get everyone to the deck of the ship, in the event that we take on more water. Ezpalli and Zyanya, can you gather the remaining passengers and inform them of what is going? The rest of us will work on the door. This is a ship of Megazolis design so the emergency release mechanism should be...." Vukani said as he felt around the bottom of the door. "...Here and here."

Vukani grabbed the lever on the left. "Demos, to mind grabbing the other lever? Ok, on three. One. Two. Three." As the two Menan pulled, the metal creaked and moaned, but the door did not budge. This would turn out to be more difficult than the general had thought.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya held back her frustration and rising panic at Vel and his followers chaos. She shook her head and gave him one last word of advice before heading off to follow the general's new order. "Vel, nobody is going to survive if you panic. You have to stay calm and think about things rationally or you will get us all killed before we even get to our destination." She motioned for Ezpalli to follow her and took one last glance at Alek, Demos, and the general, hoping she would see them all again and this wouldn't end in death and disaster.

[Holocene]

Demos nodded, letting go of Vel, "Listen to her We're getting out of here, just let us do our jobs." Demos then went and helped the General open the door, but their efforts were futile, it wouldn't budge. "Superior Megazolis engineering I see. Do we have another way to open it?"
-------------------

Vel calmed when Demos let him go, and was told they were getting to the deck. Being trapped in the hull of the ship as it went down into the depths. That thought would not leave his head, and it made him shiver. Who would hear their screams?

[UserError404]

"Aleksandra, Vel. Grab the two handles we usually use to open the door. Push up and pull as hard as you can. These knockoff designs have a habit of getting stuck when the emergency mechanisms take over. Had this actually been the work of a Megazolis engineer, we wouldn't be stuck at all." General Vukani retorted.

Aleksandra moved to help the other open the door. It took all their effort but the door reluctantly opened as the metal creaked and moaned in protest. "Ok, let's grab our stuff and let's go." she said as she ran back to her bunk and the passengers funneled out of the room through the almost knee deep water to the upper decks. She grabbed her and Zyanya's stuff, signalling to Zyanya across the room that she had done so.

Meanwhile, Ezpalli had managed to calm her nerves to an extent. The remaining passengers were gathering their things and heading to the exit as Zyanya and her had advised. After gathering her own belongs, she followed the other passengers to safety.

The General was last one out, making sure to remind his team to gather their belongings and making sure everyone had cleared the room. "Things could've gone a lot worse." He whispered under his breath before following in the other's footsteps.

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

The Menan aboard the ship stood on the deck, frightened from the events that had just transpired. After a painfully long hour, the captain of the ship emerged from somewhere below deck, his clothes soaked through and through. "Incredibly sorry to scare you all, but it seems the all clear has been given. The appropriate repairs have been made and we should be arriving in port in the next several hours. I assure you, my crew is more than competent so take advantage of the time we have left and try to get some rest. Who knows, you might need it. Anything you might need, feel free to let a crew member know and we will do everything in our power to address it. Have a goodnight." The tall and muscular Gazenan returned to the captain's quarters while the crew members helped to get everyone re-situated in their bunks.

It had been a crazy night, but they were all exhausted. Aleksandra laid back down without a sound while the general made sure all of his team members were okay. Ezpalli leaned over towards Zyanya. "Hey... um... Thanks. For keeping me calm earlier. Anyways, sleep well." She said, embarrassed, as she returned to her own bunk and tried to get some sleep.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya double checked the ship to make sure nobody was left behind as she watched the others make their way to safety. She hurried a few more groggy parties to the door and took one last look around. She looked towards the door to see Vukani waiting to make sure everyone was safe and hurriedly made her way to him so that he too could get to the upper deck. She had seen Aleksandra grab her things so she booked it out of the door.

Once they all reached the upper deck she moved over towards Ezpalli and Vel, placing a comforting hand on each of their shoulders and giving them her brightest smile. They stood there on the deck among the murmurs of the other passengers and she did her best to keep from dosing off until the captain finally came on deck and informed them that all was well.

She sleepily made her way back down with the others and gave Ezpalli a quick hug at her thanks. "Of course Ezpalli! You did wonderful! Thank you for your help! I hope you sleep well also!" She looked up at Alek who had already flopped back down on her bunk and made eye contact. She smiled and gave her a wink before laying down on her own bunk beneath Alek and promptly falling to sleep.

[Holocene]

A lifetime ago, during the war

"It feels good finally taking the fight to these Megazolis assholes doesn't it?" Vel said, sitting on his bunk across from Vidiano, and several other soldiers in his platoon.

Vidiano was Vel's best friend. Once Vel had been assigned to 4th Platoon, 1st squad as their medic, the first person he met was Vidiano, who greeted him with a disparaging insult that would mark the rest of their time together. They kept each other company and sane during the long months of garrison duty on the eastern coast, and now their Division was being sent to support landings in Megazolis.

"You shouldn't be so excited Vel, I give you 24 hours before someone shoots your annoying ass. And that's just the enemy," Vidiano replied, the others laughing.

"Fuck you asshole" Vel said, standing up, looking at Vidiano with a teasing grin, unaware this would be the last time he ever saw him. "I'll have you kn-

In only a matter of seconds water flooded the room. Vel had barely had time to register the impact of the anti-ship rocket which tore a hole in the side of the ship, sending it quickly into the dark blue depths.

Vel was in a panic. He spent much of his childhood on the sea surrounding the capitol of Epilon, and fortunately was a very good swimmer. He used muscle memory and instinct to swim to where he saw a glimmer of light, praying that it was the door. He reached it, felt the locking wheel, and used what strength he had left to turn it, forcing himself through and out of the ship.

He started swimming upwards as fast as he could, but his breath was gone. He was choking, barely able to move his arms, when all of a sudden he breached the surface, gasping as he tried to swallow as much air as he could. He had only managed to survive because fear had pushed his body to almost super natural limits.

After he composed himself, the realizations of what had just happened set in. Around him fires burned atop the ocean water on pools of oil that had spilled from the ship. Through the firelight, Vel could see a few other soldiers and crew treading the surface, or floating with a life jacket they had been fortunate enough to be wearing when the ship was hit.

"Vidiano!" Vel shouted, frantically looking around for his friend. He called out several more times, but the truth of the matter began to set in. There were very few survivors floating around him. The ship had been hit too suddenly, and gone down too fast. Vidiano was dead, and so was everyone else in his platoon.

"Vidiano!"
-------------------------

Vel snapped back into reality. Almost instinctively he had helped open the door, and then moved along with the others to the surface of the ship, where he now found himself, the Captain giving an all clear. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he did not turn to see who it was, as he attempted to conceal the tears streaming down his face. They had survived, this had not been a repeat of before.

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

Demos smiled as the General replied to his underhanded comment. It had gotten under his skin, but the satisfaction was drowned out by the present situation. Demos watched as Vel and Aleksandra opened the door successfully, and followed as everyone made their way out in an orderly panic.

He eased up as the all clear was given. He wouldn't admit it, but the whole thing had been making him nervous. Instead it all turned out to be a big nothing. He decided to take the Captain's suggestion and go back to sleep. He would need to be rested for the journey ahead.

[UserError404]

As Ezpalli lay back down, Zyanya gave Aleksandra a wink, causing her golden cheeks to blush a little. She gave her a warm smile in return before Zyanya went down to her bunk. Once Vukani saw everyone lay down, and was satisfied no one was injured during the night's events, he too fell asleep on his bunk.

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

The long hours of the night passed, and the morning light poked through the clouds. With the morning approaching, their time aboard the vessel would soon be over. The general was one of the first up among the passengers, despite the fact that he had overslept some. He did his best not to disturb the others and went out to the common area to claim himself a table, on which he laid out a map of the world, full of little markings whose meanings were likely known only to Vukani. He had three hours, more or less, before the boat made landfall and the real danger began. With his finger he traced the path they would be travelling, making sure to read every little note and decipher every single mark his finger came across. Several other papers were strew about, mainly mission papers and a few personal notes, both of which he gently pushed aside. As his finger finally found its way to the heart of Epilon, a familiar face was there to greet him. "Well good morning Vukani. How did you sleep?" Mirko began as he took a seat across from the general. "I tell you, waking up in the middle of the night really messes with my beauty sleep. Speaking of which, did you check out the damage to the ship yet? It's pretty interesting! I've seen ships torn apart by those chaos mines and it isn't pretty. We got lucky and only hit one. What? you don't believe me? Well, check for yourself. Those markings just scream chaos mines. What do you think about that Vukani? Seems like those artifacts are spreading. You and your team better be careful out there." Mirko smirked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Thanks so much for your concern. I think my team and I will be just fine. It'll take more than a little chaos mine to kill me." Vukani replied.

"Oh I wouldn't doubt it. You always were a survivor. Isn't that right? I mean how else would someone as important as yourself survive the war? As far as I heard Megazolis was hit pretty hard too. I don't see a lot of gazenan general's walking around aside from you. I wonder why that is?" Mirko said mockingly.

"I would think that you, of all people, could care less about what happened before the war. Let's cut to the chase Mirko. Why are you here? Did the Conclave send you?" Vukani asked sternly.

"Come now, it's been this long and all you want to talk about is business? You really haven't changed. Even if the Conclave did send me, do you really think I'd be discussing it with you, or anyone for that matter? The Conclave guards their business very well." Mirko said.

"Well, will you continue to bless me with your company once this ship lands? Where is your business taking you?" Vukani inquired, growing increasingly annoyed.

"Unfortunately for us both, our paths seem to be the same. At least for the time being. Like you, I will be heading south and that is about all I can tell you." Mirko got up out of his seat. "I always love our little talks. I'll be seeing you Vukani." he said as he returned to the sleeping quarters.

Vukani let out a huge sigh and leaned back in his chair. This adventure was turning out to have quite the beginning. As others began to trickle out into the common area for breakfast, he gathering up his papers and returned to his bunk to prepare for departure.

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

Roughly two hours remained before the boat was scheduled to arrive at the port. As more and more Menan moved about, Aleksandra slowly opened her eyes. Sitting up to stretch, she saw the general was finishing packing up his personal items. "How did you sleep? We have two hours until we arrive so make sure to grab some breakfast and pack up your things." Vukani told Aleksandra.

"Yes sir." she replied. She then peeked over the edge of her bunk to look down at Zyanya and the others to see if they were awake. Ezpalli woke shortly after Aleksandra but was enjoying the comfort of her bed. Aleksandra had slept well, all things considered. Ezpalli, on the other hand, was still exhausted. She barely slept after they had to evacuate briefly. Every creak of the boat and every rough wave kept her on edge and she was excited to finally be off this boat. Apparently they only had two more hours she had heard the general say.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya woke up while it was still dark and sighed as she laid there in the silence. She had barely slept. Her strong facade and support for her comrades had drained her, so she should have slept like a rock. But the nights events made it hard for her to fall into a very deep sleep.

She lay there in silence for quite some time drifting in and out of sleep but was stirred awake by the general getting up and leaving the sleeping quarters. Well, might as well get up too. Maybe I can get a chance to talk with Vukani a bit.

She slowly and quietly got out of her bed and pulled on her boots and threw her mess of curly hair up in a braided bun expertly. She was a bit chilly so she pulled a dark hooded sweatshirt from her bag and tossed it on. She made her way to the common area and spotted the general sitting, lost in his paperwork. She hesitated for a moment. Maybe I should just let him be. But I really want to have a few moments to talk to him before we get to our destination.

She took a tentative step forward but paused again as Mirko plopped down across from Vukani. "Dammit... Why him?" She huffed and pulled up her hood to conceal her distinctive pallor and bright blue eyes. She did not want to deal with the schmoozer today. She made her way to the table beside Vukani's and sat with her back facing Mirko. She instinctively trained her ears to their conversation and his attitude towards the General made her blood boil. The way he spoke was so disrespectful, condescending, and sarcastic. I knew there was a reason I didn't like him. Hes completely different in front of us!

She sat there quietly with her head on her hands until both men left and headed back towards the sleeping quarters. She grabbed a small breakfast sweet and shoved it in her mouth and reached up to readjust her mess of hair while she fast walked back to the others. She wandered in nonchalantly. "Good morning everyone! Hope you all slept alright after the nights scare!" She gathered up her few belongings while she talked and looked around at her teammates. They seemed tired.

[Holocene]

Demos woke up early, only the General beating him to rise. The interruption they had meant he was not as well rested as he would have liked to be, but it would be enough. He quietly made his way to the deck and began his morning routine. He was on the ground doing push-ups when the sun rose. He only wished he could have done a run, but the ship did not have enough room.

After he had finished there he, showered, and then found his way to the mess hall so he could refill his energy.
------------------------------

Vel could not fall asleep for the rest of the night after the accident. He rolled around on his bed, trying to keep the thoughts of death and suffering away. He both wished they could get started as soon as possible, and wanted to hold off from starting as long as possible.

He had to pull himself together. If their medic couldn't keep a straight head, what would that say for everyone else in the group. It was clear some of the others already did not like him for how he had acted when the ship was hit.

As others began to stir, it was clear he would have to get his shit together soon. But he stayed in bed, trying to avoid it.

[UserError404]

As Aleksandra looked around, she was greeted by Zyanya. "Oh, you're up early. Good morning!" she replied through a yawn.

"Well I didn't sleep much, but good morning." Ezpalli said as she got out of her bunk. "Hey Aleksandra, let's go get some breakfast. Zyanya, have you already eaten?"

Aleksandra hopped down and followed Ezpalli to the mess hall. Once they got their food, they found a free table and sat down. "Are you excited to be going back? To Oudhal that is." Ezpalli asked shyly.

Aleksandra seemed shocked at the question, but answered nonetheless. "Well, I don't know if 'excited' is the word I would use. A lot of things changed since the war. The Garden was hit pretty hard by the bomb and the fires that ensued." she said somberly.

"Oh... I'm sorry. That wasn't very sensitive of me. I just... um... Thought maybe you had some family or friends back home that you might want to see. I'm sorry. You probably lost a lot in the war. We all did. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." Ezpalli blushed as she apologized and stared down at her food.

Aleksandra giggled. "No, it's okay, really. My parents died long before the war began, but I do have some friends around the northern parts of Oudhal." There was a brief minute of silence as they ate. "What about you? Were you from Halistrand or somewhere else?"

"I was actually born in Clodhelm. My grandparents were researchers in Xydrift so I spent about as much time there as I did at home. After the war, my mother and I moved to Xydrift. My father is a solider so I don't see much of him. I hear he survived the war though." Ezpalli said. The two finished up their meals and joined the others in packing up their things.

Meanwhile, Vukani had already finished packing. As the others ate, he sat on his bunk examining his mission files and eating a small nutrition bar he had pulled from his bag.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya smiled at the others greeting and waved Ezpalli on telling her she had already eaten and thanking her for the offer. She sat cross legged in her bunk and observed Vukani as he ate.

"General Yengwayo. Sorry to interrupt your work. But I thought it would be wise for the two of us to learn a bit about each other. Do you know my parents? Is there a reason that they chose you to help head up this mission?" She shifted and pulled her hair down from her bun to play with it while they talked.

"I have been out on missions several times but this is the first time I've been with a small party like this one. I do hope I can be of assistance to you and the rest of the crew. I don't know if you've read my file but I am of more use than my appearance would suggest. I hope to be an integral part of your work these coming weeks."

[Holocene]

Demos finished eating, and then returned to the quarters to prepare his stuff. He didn't figure everyone else would be ready early, but Demos never acted by what others did. He always felt that was the difference between Varacians and other nations.

When he returned to the quarters, he saw Zyanya and the General talking. As he walked over to grab his stuff, he noticed Vel was still in bed, asleep far longer than anyone else. Demos was already growing tired of Vel's indolent, uncouth, behavior.

He walked over to where Vel was sleeping, and roughly jabbed him in his side. "It is time to wake up. The rest of the party is already eating and preparing for the mission. Do you think we will wait on you out there?"
------------------------------------

Vel stirred as Zyanya began talking to the General. He had enjoyed his brief time of quiet and being alone. He knew by this point everyone else was awake, but he couldn't force himself to come out from under his covers.

Of course when Demos's arm impacted into his side, and he heard the menan's stern voice, he knew that he was out of time. "Damnit! What the hell was that for. I'm getting up, God's sake give me a second."

Vel jumped out of bed, and reached for his things, avoiding eye contact with Demos, who intimated him.

[UserError404]

"I've met your parents on business before, but I wouldn't say I know them too well. I guess you could say my reputation preceded me. There aren't a whole lot of army generals... Sorry, ex-army generals, walking around nowadays. Or at least that's my guess." Vukani said as he finished browsing one of his papers. He then looked up and gave his attention to Zyanya as she began to play with her hair. "I have no doubt you will pull your weight. I have read all your files, as well as the others' files. Normally we would find safety in numbers, but believe me, for this mission a small group like this will do just fine. Actually, you'd be surprised how many small groups of searchers are out there trying to make a fortune." Vukani answered. Shortly afterwards, the others walked in.

Aleksandra and Ezpalli both made their final preparations as less than an hour remained on this portion of the trip.

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

A loud horn echoed throughout the ship as the captain's voice came over the loud speaker. "Good morning passengers, I hope you are refreshed and ready for your future endeavors. We will be arriving shortly, if everyone could please make their way to the deck of the ship, we will be unloading in Enveen in about five minutes!"

The passengers all began to stir as Vukani led everyone to the deck of the ship for departure. The modest city was in sight, with its handful of several story buildings standing out among the streets of small shops and homes. "It sure is something." Vukani said. "It reminds of a time when we had cities even grander than this one."

It was true that the northern nations suffered the least from the initial impact, but even they have seen a fair share of hardships. The streets were almost empty, resources were scarce, construction projects came to a stand still and buildings fell into disrepair. The economy, the people, the nations... They weren't like the used to be. The almost constant cloud coverage across the globe added to the gloom of everyday life.

A few minutes later, a large catwalk was placed and passengers were allowed to leave. On the dock right by the ship, workers were unloading cargo as baggage was handed out to the owners. "Welcome, everyone, to the Harbor of Stratlan." The captain of the ship added.

Vukani waited in the loosely formed line as the bags were handed out and both Aleksandra and Ezpalli followed in an orderly fashion. As close as Ezpalli lived to the country, she had rarely been to Enveen. She looked around at the buildings and the people going from place to place. Sure, it seemed run down, but it had been awhile since she had been in a real city. Aleksandra and Vukani seemed used to the sights, and waited in line, taking only slight notice of the structures and activity.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya smiled and nodded at Vukani's assurance. She was glad he had some confidence in her. As much as she exuded it, she didn't ever go into a situation thinking people would be confident in her skills. Probably mostly due to all the people in her life that had shot her down or overlooked her for opportunities because she didn't seem tough.

She looked over as the others filed in and smiled once more at Vukani before pushing herself up off the bed and gathering her things and doing a last check of her area to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

When they arrived in port she excitedly lined up to get off the ship and did her best to contain her child like glee at being in the city and being able to finally re-unite with her beloved weapons.

[Holocene]

Demos and Vel made their way to the deck with everyone else. Vel was eyeing everyone else in his group, but otherwise projected a sense of confidence. In his head he was still nervous about what was to come.

Vel felt strange stepping foot into Epilon again. He had only been one time since the bomb, and that had been shortly after. Only when he saw the scarred wastelands could he, and most of the others on the ship actually believe what had happened.

Demos on the other hand was ready. He looked out at the small city that had come to exist here. He had been here before, and remembered it to be largely a shit hole, but it was still civilization. Beyond it there wasn't much else. Demos took his things, although he had kept his weapons unlike most of the others.

[UserError404]

Once everyone made their way through the baggage claim, Vukani gathered his group. "Well, if everyone is ready, let's not waste any time. Our ride should already be here." he said as he led his group into the city.

Aleksandra nodded as her and Ezpalli followed. Several vehicles waited on the street with numbers displayed in flamboyant fashion. Vukani led his group to a large van, customized with military armor and camouflage. The Menan in the passenger seat noticed them, and got out to open the door. The inside of the van was open and had plenty of bench style seating. Everyone piled in, and situated their belongings. Vukani was the last one in, but the passenger of the van still held the doors open and seemed to be looking for someone else. "What's the hold up? This is all of us." Vukani inquired.

"I'm sorry sir, but we had a last minute change. We are actually expecting four more. Don't worry though, there will be plenty of room for all of you." the passenger Menan answered.

Right on cue, a familiar Brenan approached the vehicle. "No..." Vukani said under his breath.

Mirko hoped in the vehicle along with three heavily armored Menan, with visor obscuring their face. Mirko sat next to Zyanya while two of the armored guards sat on either side of Vukani and the third one sat next to Demos. "Hello there fellow passengers. We have quite a ride before we get to Almanel. That's all of us driver, let's make haste." Mirko finished by warmly smiling at everyone.

On the shoulder of each armored Menan was a pre-war symbol, a small torch inside of a triangle, that had connections to the church of Trianity. They sat silently as the van pulled out into the street and began the journey to Almanel in Oudhal.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya smiled brightly and bounced excitedly as she saw her things appear on the baggage claim and squealed softly as she scooped up her simple wooden bow staff and rose gold, Light sniper rifle. she hugged them to either side of her face, squishing her cheeks together cutely, and skipped off to join the others as they headed towards their van.

Her smile remained pasted on her face until she heard a familiar voice and watched as Mirko seated himself beside her. Great She quickly regained her composure and welcomed the other team as they all sat quietly. She gave them each a bright smile and looked over at Mirko. "Hello Mr. Mirko! Funny ending up in the same car as you out of everyone on the ship! Hope you and your crew are doing well after that scare!"

[Holocene]

Demos sat in the van, and watched as their new guests entered. At first, he was quite impressed with the soldier's firepower, but it also created an itching feeling in the back of Demo's mind, especially after seeing the General's reaction. Demos tried making conversation with the one sitting next to him. "So what's your mission? That's quite a loadout, even for the badlands."

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

Vel followed the others and looked over the armored van before entering. At least they were protected. He set his things under the seat, and watched as others boarded the vehicle. He noticed the symbols on their armor. Granted, Vel hadn't gone to church very much, but he didn't remember the church having it's own military. Still, the additional manpower made Vel feel a little more secure.

[UserError404]

The car roared to life as it pulled out into the street. Buildings and people passed by through the tinted, likely bullet-proof windows of the vehicle but there was something different about them all. Upon closer inspection, these weren't just normal buildings, but the degrading husks of grand structures being devoured by time. The people were not thriving citizens but rather soulless walking corpses. The air was thick with the presence of dread and hopelessness. This much was clear.

"Quite funny indeed Miss Zyanya. What a small world." Mirko smiled in response to the uneasy Zyanya.

Meanwhile, Demos' question was met with silence. After a few minutes, the heavily armored menan spoke up. "We are here to protect Mr. Mirko." the voice sounded vaguely feminine, but was quiet after that.

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

About 3 hours passed in relative silence before the vehicle reached the capital of Enveen, Sillaste. This city put Stratlan to shame. Huge unfinished skyscrapers struggled to touch the clouds and construction projects on the streets were postponed indefinitely. Nonetheless, the streets were lined with building after building and all sorts of menan walked the streets, some even smiling.

Almost as soon as they arrived, they were through the city. Less than 30 minutes passed before all that remained were the occasional farms among the endless prairie. "Tell me, miss Zyanya, have you ever been to the Garden in Oudhal?" Mirko asked, breaking the silence.

This question sparked Aleksandra's attention and she listened intently to their conversation. Meanwhile, Ezpalli was in her own world, listening to something on her personal electronic device. Vukani sat uncomfortably, as the guards accompanying Mirko never seemed to relax. For hours they sat, visibly on edge. Occasionally, the menan next to Demos would look over at him, sometimes for an uncomfortable amount of time.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya tried to relax and give Mirko a chance as they had a long journey ahead. She nodded and smiled as they conversed and when she was asked about the Garden she shook her head. "I haven't but i'd like to go someday. Have you done a lot of traveling? Whats your favorite place to visit?"

[Holocene]

Demos was not concerned over the soldier's rebuff, infact, it was quite like something he would have done to someone asking mundane questions. He enjoyed the silence of the ride, his own thoughts crowding his head.

But as the ride went on it became harder to focus, as a sort of tension was building up in the vehicle, and what worried him most is he didn't know why. He didn't like the way the soldiers were looking at him. There had been an unspoken hostility since the start.

Demos slowly moved his hand towards his pistol holster, and tried making eye contact with the General to see if he felt the same.
--------------------

Vel enjoyed he ride and the view. He could hardly believe this was once a country inhabited by people. His people. He eased up as the ride went on, no longer fearing for his life. They were riding in an armored vehicle with a lot of weapons, and nothing even remotely dangerous had happened yet.

He did worry over nothing these days. before the war he had never worried about anything.

[UserError404]

"It is a beautiful place miss Zyanya, I'm sure you will see it in your travels." Mirko took a deep breath before continuing. "Sadly it was devastated in the war. I think it was something like 90% of the forest burnt down, but you know what the amazing thing is? Less than a year later, the forest has already reclaimed much of its lost territory. It's truly remarkable, almost supernatural. While the rest of the world seems to be dying around us, the Garden thrives reborn. In all of my travels, of which I have had many, no place is as remarkable as the Garden." He turned to look at Zyanya with a spark of excitement in his eyes having the opportunity to tell his story. "May I ask, what is your scientific background? Perhaps you could shine some light on something for me."

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

As the tension built, the guard next to Demos finally broker their silence. "You are from Varac, are you not?"

Meanwhile Vukani sat uncomfortably between the two dead silent Menan in armor. He made no attempt to converse or make eye contact. His attention was focus solely on a series of documents he reviewed, with great effort going into shielding the content of the documents from those around him.

As the vehicle barreled down the desolate roads of Enveen's prairies, the occasional dilapidated home offered some variance among the rolling hills. After over an hour on the road, abandoned fields, uninhabited shelters, and a stirring storm were all that were seen outside the tiny windows.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya couldn't help but ease up a little as she sensed the genuine interest and excitement in Mirko's eyes. She chuckled into her hand a bit, her cute, dimpled smile scrunched up the corners of her eyes as she spoke. "I do hope I get to see this miraculous place! I am an archaeologist but I have studied other sciences and my parents have different specialties than I, so perhaps I will have some insight for you."

[Holocene]

Demos's hand moved away from his gun, as his muscles loosened up. It took him a moment to respond, as the question surprised him. "Yes. I was a commander in the Royal Hoplites before the war." Zyana seemed to be conversing with one of the strangers, and the General was busy reading over papers, although with a none too happy expression. Perhaps Demos had misread the situation.

[UserError404]

"Radioactive or acidic rain plagues us for days on end. Most crops can hardly grow with so little sunlight, not to mention the steadily decreasing global temperatures... With the rest of the world dying around us how is it that the Garden is doing as good as ever? I'm no biologist or botanist, but it seems to defy all logic! But then again, this is a strange and mystical world we live in, with the appearance of the artifacts. Just some food for though for you Miss Zyanya." Mirko smiled warmly as he turned his attention to a small electronic tablet.

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

"I see." the guard sitting next to Demos said. They then slipped him a small rectangular piece of paper which read: "Defense Division: Special Forces of the Conclave". Just below that a series of numbers were written, which Demos recognized as a phone number: 15-333-63541-0. "We could use someone with your background. After your mission, contact us. I promise it will be worth your time. Once on the line, give them the name 'Angelus'." The guard added after handing him the slip. They were then silent.

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

It had been five hours since they left the port of Stratlan before they arrived at the border of Enveen and Hasaarde. For the first time, the vehicle had stopped to refuel and exchange papers with the border guard for passage through the border. The whole ride, general Vukani seemed to become increasingly lost in his reading, purposefully trying to ignore Mirko and his guards. While the initial tension felt by the rest of the party seemed to loosen up with some conversation, Aleksandra couldn't help but notice the strange behavior Vukani was exhibiting. The man just would not relax. As everyone exited the vehicle to get some refreshments and stretch their legs, Aleksandra pulled Vukani aside. "Is everything alright sir? You seem a little, I guess, uneasy." she asked.

"Just preparing for the mission is all." Vukani replied, somewhat dodgy.

"Is that all?" she asked, still skeptical. "Well, I suggest you loosen up. We still have a long ride." Aleksandra put her hands in her jacket pockets and walked into the rest stop to get some refreshments.

Meanwhile Ezpalli happily exited the vehicle to get some snacks. "Come on Zyanya, we have to replenish our snack supplies!" she smiled and motioned for Zyanya to follow.

The stop was much needed as the guards took turns watching the vehicle and using the restroom while Mirko and the others took turns in the restrooms. The guard who sat next to Demos took care of the border passage.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya let Mirko's thoughts stew as they continued their journey. It was a good question. How was the garden still doing so well? Calculations flew across her minds eye and she put a hand to her chin in thought.

She was shocked out of her thoughts as they came to a stop and Ezpalli bekoned for her. She smiled at her friend and happily followed. Glad to strech her legs and get some air away from Vukani's never waning intensity. She glanced over at him as Alek walked away into the building and she wondered if everyone else sensed his discomfort. Not that it was hard to miss.

She shook her head and jogged up next to Alek and Ezpalli as they both perused the snacks and drinks. She smiled at them both and looped an arm through each of theirs. "Hey lets do our best to help everyone relax for the rest of the trip ok? It's been a bit tense in that van."

[Holocene]

Demos looked over the card a few times. It was appealing, the uniforms, the structure, the professionalism. It was unlike anything he had seen since the world had ended. But something stank about them. Aside from the General's disposition towards them, Mirko's personality irked Demos.

But what bugged Demos the most was that he did not know who were they fighting for. Not a nation, it seemed, but something else. Maybe a corporation? There was no honor in that. Without a homeland, or an ideal to fight for, they would be nothing more than mercenaries. But then again, was that not what Demos had become now?

Demos decided he would learn more about them. Maybe one of the other in the party knew something. He did not trust the general to give an impartial opinion. But maybe Zyanya would know.
----------------------------------

Vel was excited to stop. And got out, immediately stretching his legs. He followed Zyanya and Ezpalli after he had heard them mention snacks. He needed to befriend the others after his rough introduction, and Ezpalli and Zyanaya seemed the most likable, not to mention cute.

Vel squeezed himself between them, and said, "Alright, snack crew! I could use some good food too right now!"

[UserError404]

Ezpalli giggled at Vel's goofy and playful disposition. It was nice to have someone in the group that wasn't so uptight, aside from Zyanya, whom she already knew. The interior of the rest stop had a dated feel too it. Despite being fairly well-kept, the old Gothic architecture felt cramped and the air old and stale. The large open room was filled with isles of various candy, snacks, drinks, travel food and other necessities. A good portion of the store was dedicated to souvenir merchandise: post cards, hats, t-shirts, etc. There were also two single use bathrooms, a water fountain, and the checkout desk. Aside from the cashier, there weren't too many others. A young couple were browsing the souvenir merchandise while another older couple was eating a meal with their children. Ezpalli grabbed a soda and a variety of salty and sweet snacks before making her way to the register. Alex, who had entered behind everyone else after her conversation with the general, headed for the bathroom then grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of snacks resembling trail mix. Vukani stayed by the car while Mirko had a short conversation with the guard that offered Demos the card. After that ended, Vukani approached Mirko. "I don't know what you are planning here, but I will warn you. If you interrupt the work of my crew or try to harm them in any way, I will put a bullet in your head. It doesn't matter how many guards you have or how well armed they are." Vukani said with a stern face.

"Oh my dear Vukani, your crew is wonderful and I would never willing harm them. However, the same can be said for me. I have my orders from the church and you have your orders from the XIR. Is it so bad I wanted to try and catch up with an old friend headed the same direction as myself?" Mirko paused as his usual cheery demeanor and smile changed to match Vukani's attitude. "What happened to that girl was a long time ago. I know you think we could have saved her, but it was just not possible. Maybe you blame yourself or even me, but you have to move on. Hate me, if you must, for my work with the church but the girl is dead and there is nothing anyone but the divine could've done."

Vukani stood in silence, his hands visibly shaking with anger. Mirko patted Vukani on the shoulder as he passed by. "As one of your darling subordinates said, try to loosen up old friend." Mirko said as he walked into the rest stop. Vukani followed in suit and met with the others who were still purchasing things and relieving themselves.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya smiled at Vel's antics and patted Ezpalli on the head as she giggled before heading over to the drink machine and purchasing a soda. She had already purchased a light snack. She then decided while she waited for the others she would peruse the gift shop. She stopped as she spotted a silly looking hat with wiggly eyeballs attached to springs, and giggled before quickly purchasing it, putting it on and sneaking up behind ezpalli.

She motioned for any others that were looking her way to stay silent before wrapping her arms around her friend with a "Hey! Ya like my new hat?"

[Holocene]

Demos stayed by the van, but peered into the rest station. He scoffed. Tourism in a wasteland. He had been places like this before, but each time they continued to amaze him. This wasn't a place to vacation, it was a place of danger, for soldiers and strong Menan, not families.
-----------------------------------------

Vel paroused the snacks, and eventually chose a few sour candies. He turned to look as Zyanya snuck up behind Ezpali with that crazy hat, smiling to himself. He walked up to the cashier, and handed them his items, as well as some cash.

When the cashier went to hand him his change, Vel didn't move. His gaze was off in the distance, at nothing particular. he stood there silently, as if he had left this world for a moment.

[UserError404]

"Uhhhh... Vel, was it? You alright? Earth to Vel!" Aleksandra said as she tapped Vel on the shoulder. The old man who was running the cashier station patiently held his hand out with Vel's change. Aleksandra checked out next and smiled warmly at Zyanya as she passed by on her way to the exit, giggling and shaking her head at the shenanigans. Meanwhile, the startled Ezpalli playfully screamed "Oh no! Zyanya the mutant is going to kill me." as she wiggled out of her grasp. The cashier noticed Zyanya and spoke up after Aleksandra left. "It's not too often I have people taking interest in those old souvenirs." He said with a spark of curiosity in his voice.

"Those things have been here since long before the war. People use to stop by on their way from here to there, buying souvenirs for family or friends. Sure we've probably got it better than most up here, not being hit directly by the bomb and all, but traffic has certainly slowed down. It seems I get a lot adventurous young people like yourselves and only the occasional people on their way to visiting surviving relatives or whatever. Needless to say, souvenirs sales haven't been too hot." The cashier said. Vukani then made his way up to the register and the cashier's attention was drawn away.

"We are leaving in five minutes so don't spend too long browsing." Vukani reminded them as he bought a drink for himself.

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

After half an hour or so, everyone slowly trickled back into the vehicle and the journey continued. The plains of Hasaarde looked almost identical to the ones in Enveen and after another 3.5 hours of staring through the small windows, the scenery grew stale. That is until the occasional tree turned into a colorful deciduous forest. The trees were a welcome site to Aleksandra whose face slowly lit up as they got deeper into the forest. It meant they would soon be at the Garden. She would soon be home. After that, her job as a guide really began.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya playfully chased and tickled Ezpalli and giggled gleefully as she had as a child. She so enjoyed this girl's company.

After a few moments of play she noticed the others slowly moving back towards to van and she gave a small cute pout. She looked over at Ezpalli, "man I don't want to spend another several hours in that van with all that awkward silence and tense people." She gave a sigh and plodded back to the van. She made a point of sitting as near to Ezpalli and Alek as possible.

As the van plugged along she watched out the windows and slowly drifted off to sleep as the scenery grew monotonous. Her head falling softly onto Alek's shoulder. Her funny hat rested peacefully on her lap, eyeballs bouncing with every bump in the road.

[Holocene]

Vel was brought back by Aleksandra. He blushed and quickly grabbed his change, mumbling something as he rushed out the door. He took a seat in the back corner of the van, quietly staring out the window. He did not say much for the rest of the trip, only absent mindlessly chewing on his candies.
-----------------------------------

Demos also sat quietly as the van continued, but he was anticipating their arrival at the Garden. He was tired of all this waiting and fooling around. But he let the other enjoy this time, for once they were in the Badlands, there would be no fooling around.

But he also kept thinking about the card he had been given, peering up form his thoughts every so often to analyze the soldiers with them. It had been so long since he had felt that sense of order and discipline. He longed for it. It reminded him of a better time.

[UserError404]

As Zyanya rested on Aleksandra's shoulder and Ezpalli happily ate her snacks, she sighed and gave a hint of smile. Sure their behavior was amusing, but not necessarily fitting for a group of people about to adventure into the most dangerous part of the world. A place where, statistically speaking, only 2 of them would come back from. Nonetheless, the two did bring some much needed levity to the situation.

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

Shortly after the trees appeared, the van was stopped at the border of Oudhal in the city of Herheim. Aleksandra gently shook Zyanya awake as they exited the vehicle. This multi-level city was built into the trees of the forest, connected by a sophisticated network of carbon fiber cables. Some of the highest levels of nearby buildings seemed to be in disrepair as the trees they were connected to seemed to be either sick or dying, but the city went about its business. Grounds keepers tended to trees, people ate at treetop cafes, and many Brenan looked at peace. Unfortunately, there was not much time to explore as general Vukani moved everyone along to the next phase of their mission.

"Alright everyone, stretch your legs because we have a plane to catch in about 20 minutes." Vukani said, gathering everyone around.

"Well Vukani, I will leave you to your briefing, but first I must take my leave. Our paths split here, but I'll be seeing you all again." Mirko said, patting Vukani on the shoulder and motioning for his men to follow. As Mirko and his group moved past, the Menan who gave Demos the card gave him a quick salute and whispered, "I look forward to hearing from you."

With Mirko gone, Vukani continued, "Anyways... We will be taking a plane to Almanel, Oudhal's capital. Car routes are unreliable and will take far too long. We should reach Almanel by sundown, where we will meet an associate in the city who will provide us with some specialized gear for our mission. Now I know you are all probably exhausted but I promise, once we reach Almanel you'll have time to rest and maybe even relax. We are setting out at sunrise so you've got the evening to yourselves." Vukani finished with an assuring nod.

As the group ascended, they came upon a small platform likely used for small or private planes. Right on cue, a VTOL aircraft landed and the likely owner of the landing platform escorted everyone to the aircraft. "Yay, more sitting and traveling!" Ezpalli mumbled to Zyanya sarcastically.

Aleksandra overheard and retorted, "Just wait! Once you see the sunset over the treetops of the Garden, you'll be happy we got out of that stuffy van."

With only 6 people, there was much more space on the VTOL than in the van. Not to mention, the view was far better as the group could see through the large glass cockpit and through the partially open side of the aircraft. It clearly wasn't outfitted for commercial travel, as the seating area was partially open to the air and had 8 mildly uncomfortable seats with multiple seat belts. Everyone was equipped with a headset in order to communicate with their fellow passengers and pilots. Once the craft took off, the wind roared through the openings in the plane. Though it was loud and perhaps a little chilly, the astounding green foliage below was a sight to behold.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya groggily rubbed her eyes as Alek shook her awake. She blushed a bit as she realized she had been sleeping on the girls shoulder. She cleared her throat and feined indifference as they got out of the vehicle and parted ways with Mirkos party.

She gathered her gear as Vukani briefed them and smirked at Ezpalli as she commented on the next leg of their trip. She was actually excited to get on the plane. She had always loved air travel. She told Ezpalli and Alek as much as they boarded the plane and she trained her eyes on the landscape around them as they took off. Her heart pounding with excitement.

[Holocene]

Demos boarded the VTOL with the rest of the team, looking out at the scenery as it took off. The moment was coming closer, and the farther the aircraft flew, the more comfortable he became. He was worried about the experience of the team and their mission, but he also felt a sense of home. The adrenaline, the sense of mission, that was what he looked forwards to.
------------------------

Vel watched as the VTOL landed, the familiar sound of spinning propellers and rush of wind sending his mind back to the war. How many times had he watched helicopters land, carrying off the dead and scarred. How many time had he wondered if it would be him on the next one out.

Once he boarded however, a sense of adventure came back to him. He had seldom flew while in the military, so seeing the sights from up high was astounding to him.

[UserError404]

Two hours on the aircraft seemed to pass in the blink of an eye for Ezpalli, whose attention was on the colorful foliage down below. Meanwhile Aleksandra had a smile plastered on her face like a lost child who finally found their way home. Despite the noise and wind, the ride was relatively smooth. Meticulously scanning the horizon, Aleksandra finally saw the enormous spire made from various metals and held together by living wood. "Ah, there it is! Almanel!" she exclaimed.

The structure that was Almanel towered above the surrounding tree tops and resembled a rare and cherished flower in Amenan culture, the Crystal Goddess Espequin. It consisted of five distinct sections, starting with the colorful central spire made up of brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges. The remaining four sections were curved, pentagonal, milky white structures that surrounded the central spire and got lower with each section, almost like steps. As a whole, the shape was similar to a calla lily.

The radio quickly lit up with the voices of air traffic controllers from the city, curtly asking for clearance and purpose. The constant chatter led Aleksandra to take off her headset and stand up near the opening in the aircraft, holding onto the overhead railing for stability. Her braided hair blew fiercely in the wind as Ezpalli shifted in her seat to get a tiny bit closer to the opening. Meanwhile Vukani stood up and stood behind the pilots in the cockpit. His voice could be heard among the voices in the headset referencing the name 'Gavril Milev' and shortly afterwards arguing with the menan on the other end.

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

After circling a couple times, the aircraft finally landed on a strip near the top of the second tallest petal structure. The group did not necessarily receive a warm welcome, as they were met by at least 15 armed menan. Vukani quickly exited the vehicle to meet with the guards who surrounded them. "What is going on here? I'm on a mission from XIR. You want proof? I have the mission details here." The general began to reach for a piece of paper in his pocket as the guards reacted by raising their weapons and demanding that he stop moving. Vukani complied.

"I'm afraid your papers won't be necessary, they mean nothing to me." a voice came from behind the guards. A strong and well dressed Brenan came to meet general Vukani face to face. He stood on par with Demos and his wrinkled gold face bore many scars, presumably from years of experience. His left and leg seemed to be prosthetic metal limbs that barely showed around his ankles and wrists. Aside from that, the brenan was dressed in a black soldier uniform and wore an officer's hat.

"I'm here to meet with a menan, surely you've heard of him, Gavril Milev?" Vukani attempted to explain.

The officer, seemingly uninterested, continued. "I don't know what your business here is, but the only person you are meeting with is me. Did you really think I would let a Gazenan and two Imunan into the heart of the Garden? You spies will be executed. As for the rest of you, that all depends on how well you co-operate. Arrest them all. I want the spies brought to me for questioning." The officer then left as the guards closed in.

"This is madness!" Vukani yelled. "The war is over. Who are you? What have you done with Gavril!?" He began to walk after the officer but was stopped by the guards who began to beat him with electric batons.

Aleksandra quickly jumped out of the aircraft and ran towards Vukani. "What the hell are you doing!? We are at peace! Almanel is at..." she was cut short as a baton struck her face and she was out cold.

Terrified, Ezpalli tried to run further into the safety of the ship, but one of the guards shot an electric net, capturing her as well. A similar fate await the rest of the group as they were eventually subdued and their unconscious bodies were dragged off.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya marveled at the scenery below them as they flew and audibly gasped as she saw the towering flower like structure they were heading towards.

When they landed however her excitement turned to fear as chaos unfolded. She watched in confusion until Vukani was struck and shot out of her seat, "Vuk-" Her cry was cut short as Alek beat her out of the plane and was knocked unconscious. "Alek! What the hell is going on here!" She instinctively reached to shield Ezpalli but the guards were quicker and the cowering girl was engulfed in an electric net. Rage built inside of Zyanya but she tried to swallow it down. Whatever was happening maybe they could talk their way out.

The final straw was seeing the others resist and she let loose a gutteral cry of rage. She ducked under the reaching arm of a guard and swiped at his face, digging her fingernails into his flesh. As he cried out she headbutted him in the chin, knocking him backwards. She leapt out of the plane onto the back of a soldier that was dragging Alek away and began beating her fists into his head, neck and shoulders.

She was dragged off by another guard and struck multiple times with baton and fist but her rage and adrenaline kept her going and she sunk her teeth into the arm of the main guard that was holding her. She was struck one last time as the guards blood spurted onto her face and she finally fell unconscious.

[Holocene]

Vel's jaw dropped once he saw the tower. It was amazing, and so was the rest of the city. He was surprised he had heard so little about this place.

However, that wonderment dissipated upon landing, as he noticed a large amount of soldiers waiting for them. He backed up as Vukani became increasingly belligerent with them. Once the fighting broke out, Vel simply put his hands up as a soldier approached him. "Please don't hit me!"
-----------------------------------

Politics. It was always politics. Demos hated politics. He also hated General for his lack of preparation. To have run into something like this unaware was almost unforgivable.

But as soon as the soldiers began rounding everyone up, he had an opportunity to vent his frustration. Zyanya went into a rage before he had the opportunity to act. He watched as she took on some of the soldiers, but was taken down. Emotional and impulsive, but he was still impressed at her ability and fortitude.

He then turned his attention to two soldiers approaching him. "Touch me and I'll kill you." he said. They readied their stun batons, and one moved in to hit him. Demos grabbed his arm, and then punched the soldier in the face with his other fist, the soldier collapsing to the ground, blood gushing from his nose.

Demos hoped he didn't kill him, it certainly wouldn't award them any favor. Demos started beating the other soldier, knocking him to the ground as well, before he saw a gun pointed at his face. He sneered, almost daring the soldier to shoot him. He then felt several stun batons hit him before he too went down.

[UserError404]

Vukani awoke in a cell filled with an impermeable darkness. A green light faintly glowed above his head where his hands were cuffed together by two cuffs made of a mixture of polished wood and metal, held together by an invisible force. Much of the technology made around Oudhal was made from something called Living Wood. Even the city itself was made this way. The engineers built their metal structures into the tree at the heart of the Garden. The tree WAS Almanel, and this signature Living Wood was commonplace throughout Oudhal and especially in Almanel.

A few meters away stood Zyanya; he could just barely make out her face in the darkness. A faint light glimmered past Zyanya, another prisoner or perhaps more of his crew. Vukani pulled with all his might, kicking the wall in a vain attempt to free himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to break free but it provided him some much needed venting. "Damn it! Damn it all!" he yelled.

"Zyanya, are you there?" he asked at a more reasonable tone. "Well, I have to say I didn't see this coming. I don't know how, but it looks like that bastard is in charge. Either he won the election for the seat at the head of council or he declared martial law. Either way, we have to get out of here and find Gavril. He is, or was, the head councilman. Maybe he can shed some light on our situation." He paused to think.

“Seriously, he is a homicidal maniac. How the hell did he get control?” Vukani continued to wander. “Listen, Zyanya, if he questions you, try to be discrete. As delusional as he is, I doubt he will let us go if he knows we are headed towards Epilon, considered he thinks we are enemy spies.”

A blinding light suddenly shone down on Zyanya and a couple of guards emerged from the darkness. The green lights on her cuffs began to pulsate and her body fell limp and into the arms of the guards. Though conscious, her body was paralyzed. She found herself unable to move or speak and even breathing became a laborious task. Once Vukani’s eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Zyanya being dragged away. “Wait, she doesn’t know anything! I’m the leader, take me!” he tried to reason but to no avail.

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

Zyanya was escorted down several hallways into a small white room with a table and two chairs. Her vision began to blur as she was unable to blink due to her paralysis. After sitting her down, the guards disconnected her cuffs and then connected them to indents on the table. The blinking green light became solid and Zyanya finally regained control of her body, though her hands were fastened tightly to the table. A man dressed in an officer’s uniform, the man from the air pad, stood before her. “Welcome Miss Istar. It is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like some tea?” a guard brought in a tea set and the officer began to pour tea into two cups. The guard left through a door that was flushed with the wall and imperceptible once closed.

The commander continued. “I am very peculiar about my tea. I have it imported directly from Imperstar. You just can’t beat the minty flavor from the herbs grown by you Imunan. That being said, you do have an advantage, given that it only grows in cold, high-altitude places. Surely you must be thirsty! Roughing up my men so badly must’ve been exhausting. Perhaps the flavor will remind you of home. I do hope you find it to your liking.” The commander set a steaming cup of tea in front of Zyanya. The smell was strikingly strong, a sign of the quality of the tea. It was just like the tea Zyanya would have access to at home. “Go on, don’t be shy.” The commander urged as he began ship his own cup of tea, looking out of a large window on the opposite side of the room, with his back faced towards Zyanya.

Despite his offer, the cuffs on Zyanya refused to budge. Instead, the tea sat in front of her blowing steam into her face while the commander stood in silence, waiting.

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

Aleksandra, Demos, and Vel found themselves together in a large empty room made of a white crystalline substance, lit up by two lights resembling some sort of floor. Like Demos and Zyanya, they each had cuffs on, though they did not seem to be active at the moment. Guarding the only exit were two armored guards with stun batons.

Aleksandra began to pace in front of the two guards, both thinking out loud and trying to question the guards. “I think I remember that guy. What was his name? I think it started with a P or maybe an M. I know the council elections were set to take place, but… Such horrible timing…” She looked over at Demos and Vel. “I was here two weeks ago. Everything was fine. Chancellor Milev was expected to win the elections by a landslide… What gives?” she went back to her pacing in silence. The guards to shared in the silence. Despite having visors covering their eyes, it seemed like they were staring intently into the souls of everyone in the room. “Petras. Commander Petras was his name.” Aleksandra concluded after a while in thought.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya groggily opened her eyes to the sound of Vukani's voice.

"Zyanya, are you there?" She groaned before answering. "Yeah, i'm here. Glad to know you're ok." Vukani continued and she listened closely to his hushed tones.

“Listen, Zyanya, if he questions you, try to be discrete. As delusional as he is, I doubt he will let us go if he knows we are headed towards Epilon, considered he thinks we are enemy spies.”

She opened her mouth to respond but a light shone in her face and a jolt of energy ran through her body, paralyzing her. She gasped for breath as the guards caught her and began to drag her away. She tried to look over at Vukani as he pleaded with them but she couldn't move a muscle. I promise you general, they won't get anything out of me. Don't worry about me. She tried to convey the message with her eyes.

Through her blurred vision she saw them take several turns and they finally plopped her down and disconnected, then reconnected her cuffs. Air filled her lungs and she shot up from her slumped position with a gasp. She blinked her eyes several times to clear the blurriness and a few tears fell.

She looked up at the man that had welcomed them on the air pad as he spoke to her. “Welcome Miss Istar. It is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like some tea?” She glowered up at him, her ice blue eyes glinting in anger, but she didn't say a word.

The man seemed unfazed and continued, “I am very peculiar about my tea. I have it imported directly from Imperstar. You just can’t beat the minty flavor from the herbs grown by you Imunan. That being said, you do have an advantage, given that it only grows in cold, high-altitude places. Surely you must be thirsty! Roughing up my men so badly must’ve been exhausting. Perhaps the flavor will remind you of home. I do hope you find it to your liking.”

She stared down at the tea, trying to suppress the anger building inside her. She cleared her throat and looked up at the back of the man with a smile. "It smells nice. It does remind me of my home. I'm glad you like it. I am sorry that I attacked your guards. But, they did provoke me first by attacking my companions. I will not apologize for coming to their defense." Her soft and sweet voice did not match the fire in her eyes as she smiled up at the man, her body trembling with anger and her head pounding from the beating she had taken earlier.

[Holocene]

Demos awoke, staring at the blank, crystalline wall. His body ached from the batons, and he groaned as he lifted his head up and observed the room. The medic, and one of the more competent looking ones, Aleksandra was her name if Demos remembered correctly were also with him, but no one else.

Aleksandra began to pace and mumble about the internal politics of the region, but Demos cared not for that. He sized up the guards. Rebellion would not likely do them any good, and especially not the others who were missing. "Gods damn that Megazolian general. First were are followed by unfriendly eyes, and then we arrive into an ambush. Either someone is not telling us something about the mission, or he is utterly incompetent."

Or the gods had cursed them. Either way, they were stuck now. What happened next was what mattered. He would wait, for that was all he could do, really.
------------------------

Vel had been sitting in the room, awake, as he had not fought like the others. He kept his head down, and nervously tapped his foot on the ground. One of the guards yelled at him to stop, so he began tapping his finger on the ground instead.

This was not how he imagined his first mission going. Once Aleksandra and Demos awoke, he began to feel slightly calmer. "Do you think they'll let us go, Alek? We're both Brenans after all. Maybe one of the Councillors of this place has stayed in one of my parents hotels before the war. Surely they'll treat us well." He looked over at Demos, "We'll vouch for you too, of course!"

[UserError404]

"I understand that your time is precious Miss Istar, as is mine, so let me get right to it." the commander said as he began to reach into his coat pocket. He pulled out a small device that looked like a computer chip and inserted it into Zyanya's left cuff. She felt a sharp pinch in her wrist and her face became warm and her mind foggy.

"You see, people are so deceitful. During times like these you can never be too cautious and with the world at each others throats for so long, getting the right information out of people can be a bit tricky. But not with you of course, isn't that right Miss Istar?" Zyanya's head began to drift down so the commander gently grabbed her chin and pulled it back up with a smile.

"No, a pretty young thing such as yourself would never lie! But even so, I had to take certain precautions. You probably feel rather strange right now but don't worry, that's normal. I do hate that they call it a 'truth serum' but I suppose you could call it that. It simply makes you more... receptive to telling the truth. So now, I am going to ask and you are going to answer." The commander sat down across the table from Zyanya, now with a completely serious expression.

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

"Something strange is going on here Demos. We need to get out of here and find the others!" Aleksandra said to Demos.

"Of course we will get out of here!" she then responded to Vel. "They have no reason to keep us here in the first place!"

Everyone cuffs suddenly activated and their hands were bound behind their backs. The door to the cell then opened to reveal two armored guards, but not ones bearing the Almanel uniform. Two bullets rang out and the guards watching Aleksandra and the others fell to the ground dead. A familiar voice came from one of them. "Varacian. Come with me. The others stay here." It was the voice of the menan from the car, the one that gave Demos the recruitment card.

The other guard removed the pistols from the bodies of the dead guards and put one in Vel's pocket and one in Aleksandra's pocket. "Killing two guards and trying to escape from your cell? The two of you should be ashamed. You were probably going to get out here with no problems, but now... They probably had families you know."

The two guards from the van then grabbed Demos and escorted him out of the cell and out of the jail. The door closed behind them and Vel and Aleksandra's cuffs deactivated. Aleksandra fell to the ground, staring at the bodies in complete shock. The two were left with quite the story to explain. It wasn't long before the lights in the room turned red and at least 10 armed guards rushed into the room with weapons drawn.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanyas blood boiled as the man completely ignored what she said and got right to why she was here. Obviously this brute wanted to have an air of gentlemanly poise but he was just a pompous and self important bag of rubbish.

As he inserted the truth serum she felt a strange sensation course through her body. Her head started to droop as a wave of dizziness overcame her and the vile man put a hand on her chin to stabilize her.

She prayed to all the gods she was aware of that she could fight this and spin the truth to her favor.

She spoke, slowly and slightly slurred but still confidant. "You are right. I'm a terrible liar anyway so you didn't even need this stupid stuff. I wasn't given very much detail before I joined my party, so you won't get much out of me. But I will say you are a vile and ugly man and you smell like pickled bandinuit hooves." She punctuated her statement with a wink and flopped her head down on the table."

[Holocene]

Demos was shocked out of his anger as two soldiers burst in and killed the men guarding them. A smile came across his face when he realized who it was, but it quickly disappeared once he realized what was happening.

"Killing two guards and trying to escape from your cell? The two of you should be ashamed. You were probably going to get out here with no problems, but now... They probably had families you know."

Demos pulled as hard as he could on his cuffs, but could not break free. As they dragged him away, he shouted, "No! It is my job to protect the others and you will not keep me from that! Have you no honor?"

Demos tried using his legs to kick or stall, but the soldiers were just as strong as he was, if not stronger, and he was weakened by his beating. "No!" he shouted, trying to look back.

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

Vel stood in horror his mouth wide pen, as the soldiers entered, killed, framed them, and left with Demos in what seemed an instant.

Eve after they had gone, and the other guards rushed in, he stood motionless, trying to process what happened. He felt a gun against his head, and he looked over at Aleksandra as he prepared for the worst. He looked down the hall, and for a second thought about selling out Demos and the others, but something told him not to.

[UserError404]

Despite Demos' struggle, the two soldiers dragged him down several winding corridors. He could hear yelling from his previous cell as guards rushed past him to respond to the chaos. The soldiers kept quiet until most of the guards had passed. "I had the liberty of looking at your file Demos Patras. A man like you needs order and structure. A reason to fight. A good cause." A familiar voice came from one of the guards. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions right now, but we don't have much time. I believe you will be a valuable asset to our cause and once I have time to explain myself, I think you will, likewise, believe in our cause. Because of that, I'm saving your life. Consider it a professional courtesy. I am sorry about your associates. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." The voice finished as they continued down the halls.

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

"Come now Miss Istar. Such vulgar words to not fit a beautiful young lady such as yourself." the commander seemed somewhat perturbed by her comment. "Now, you are your parents only daughter correct? Your mother had issues conceiving if my memory serves me correct. Why would your intelligent and loving parents send their only daughter directly into harms way. Records show you came here from Enveen. Where are you headed and why did your parents, who funded this mission, send you?" Petras put both hands on the table and leaned in closer to Zyanya.

"Your crew members, I've seen their type before. An ex-Varacian military man, a megazolis army general, an Almanel native, a few scientists. A classical example of artifact hunters, although normally there are more of you. You are headed into the badlands in search of artifacts, as are most of the people that XIR sends. So why on Ollarth would your parents send you? They could've picked any one else in your place, but they didn't." Petras hesitated and straightened his posture.

"I don't have time for your games Miss Istar. What is special about this mission? Why are you here!?" the commander finished with a rather impatient tone.

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

"Be careful! They're armed!" one of the soldiers shouted as the others slowly approached. Despite the fact that their hands were now bound behind their backs, the guards were incredibly cautious. Vel was slowly approached by three guards. One of them struck Vel in the nose with his rifle. "You're a real sick son of bitch." followed by a kick to the gut. Meanwhile, several other guards approached Aleksandra. She got up and began to speak before another shot rung throughout the cell. Aleksandra screamed and fell back to the ground. Blood began to pool around her lower abdomen. The guards attention was then turned away from Vel as they all surrounded Aleksandra as she gasped for air.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya groggily lifted her head and gave a wicked grin before breaking out into laughter.

"I have no clue! I begged my parents to let me go along on a trip for years! I thought they finally just gave in! I was under the impression that this was just another normal trip! Perhaps you know something I don't know! Why don't YOU tell ME the real truth!"

[Holocene]

Demos calmed himself, surprised at the voice he heard, and the offer they made. But not for a second did he think of taking it. He instead switched his mind thinking of an opportunity to escape, and what he would do once he did. He didn't even know where they were, or where most of the team was, but he would figure it out.

For now, he needed to escape.
--------------------------

Vel, flinched as the guards approached him, and just as he opened his eyes to look at them, he saw something coming towards him. Followed were two impacts, extreme pain, and Vel bent over, holding his stomach, gasping for air. A faint "I didn't..." was cut off by a loud gunshot. Vel looked up, and saw Aleksandra on the floor, a bullet wound in her belly.


Another time, Another place

The noise was deafening. Bullets, explosions, shouting. Dirt was kicked up in the air, and rained down on Vel, his yellow complexion barely visible under the mud and blood covering his face and uniform.

"Medic!" he heard exclaimed. Vel ran behind a tank, which a group of soldiers were taking cover behind. On the ground was a soldier, a pool of red leaking form his belly. Vel knelt over him, and began sifting through his medical bag.

It didn't look good, but getting shot in the stomach never was. It was also a shitty, painful way to die. If he were ever shot, Vel thought, he would want it anywhere but there.


Here, Now

"Alek!" he shouted. He got up and tried forcing his way through the guards to her, falling to the ground next to her. He looked her in the eye, and then he told her the same thing he had told that soldier a long time ago.

"Everything's going to be alright,"

[UserError404]

"Damnit Jakov!" one of the guards yelled, presumably the captain as he began barking orders. "Get her to the medbay! If she dies, you'll be put on trial in her place Jakov. Take the other to a maximum security cell."

The guards quickly began to move, taking Aleksandra and Vel down the hall. Vel saw Aleksandra get taken into a room marked as a medical office before he was guided left, further down another hall. He was accompanied by a guard he recognized as Jakov and another. Jakov was particularly rough, shoving Vel and giving him a harsh stare.

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

"We have information from a reliable source that says you and your crew were sent here as saboteurs to destroy our lovely city. Clearly, that would be a suicide mission. This means I must be missing something here. Why would your parents send their ONLY daughter to certain death? Help me to understand so I can release you and your friends. I will ask one more time miss Istar. Why are you here?" The commander's face grew increasingly annoyed by her laughter and refusal to cooperate.

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

Demos was lead to a large service elevator in a remote corner of the building by his captors. "Sasho, call the elevator." the guard in charge ordered as they came to a stop. "Yeah boss man." the other responded and began working on the nearby panel.

A few seconds later, a deep rumble shook throughout the building. The warm yellow lights suddenly cut off and were replaced by red emergency lights. The rumbling continued and it felt as if the building was going to fall apart. "Fuck!" the familiar guard said under their breath. "Mirko, that asshole! I told him to wait. Sasho, we need that elevator now!"

"I'm trying boss man! Everything is on back up power. Hold on... Got it, let's go!" Sasho said.

The elevator door opened and Sasho got in. The other guard nodded for Demos to get in. "We don't have much time Patras. This place..."

The screeching sound of bending metal filled the hallway as the elevator was crushed by what seemed to be another part of the building falling from above. Dust filled the air as the walls began to crack under some unseen pressure. "Patras, are you okay? We have to get out of here, the city is falling apart!" a faint voice barely made its way to Demos. His bindings were freed and his captors disoriented.

This violent shaking was experienced by Zyanya as well. The commander jumped up "You are coming with me. Whatever you and your associates are playing at, you're going to help me stop it." He pulled Zyanya up by her head and pulled her along. Taking a left our of the interrogation room, they saw the hallway was completely gone. All that was left was the innards of the building and a deep hole. The commander looked in horror before turning around and going down another hallway.

When the shaking hit Vel, there was hardly time to react before one of the walls exploded from some sort of impact and he was pelted with dust and debris. Coughing and yelling echoed throughout the hallways. It seems whatever this was affected the whole building. A hand firmly grasped Vel's ankle. "First you killed my friend, now my family, the least you could do is finish me off too." Peering through the dust, Vel saw Jakov, his body crushed under a pile of rubble and his voice weak and raspy.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya stopped laughing and lifted her head to look the man in the eye as steadily as she could. "We are not here to harm your city. That I know for sure." As she spoke the building began to shake and her eyes grew wide with fear. What the hell is going on? She barely heard the commander's words as he grabbed her hair and pulled her up. She let out a little yelp and staggered behind him. The sight in the hall left her speechless. She followed along behind the commander as he turned down a different hallway. God's I hope the others are alright!

[Holocene]

Demos was shaken by the sudden turn of events, and as he watched the elevator he was about to get on suddenly be destroyed, he knew that if he was to escape, the time was upon him.

A voice, seemingly coming from a distance then told him roughly the same. He would have pondered more on the strange source of the voice that called to him, or the sudden destruction of the building, but he found his bindings freed, and burst into action.

He looked at the soldier closest to him, and gave a strong, sudden right hook to their unsuspecting face. Then, he took off running, back the way he had come, trying to keep his balance among the collapsing debris and shaking of the building. Demos had kept visual track of where they had been taking him, and now was using his memory to find his way back, even if things were looking a bit different.
--------------------------------------

Vel was silent as the guards pushed him along. Of all the dangers they were supposed to have faced, he hadn't planned on dying for a crime he hand't even thought of committing. How had he been so foolish as to sign up for this?

Vel was taken by surprise when the wall caved in. He keeled forwards as his bound hands were unable to protect his face from the dust. His head down, he noticed the hand on the leg, and heard the voice attached to it, "First you killed my friend, now my family, the least you could do is finish me off too."

Vel stammered, unable to put forth any words. He shook his leg free of the hand, and started running off in the first direction he saw open. Trying to forget what had just happened, but unable to as the continued shaking of the building reminded him.

He looked around, dazed and confused, trying to find his way back to the medical office where Aleksandra had been taken.

[UserError404]

Commander Petras reached behind Zyanya and her restraints fell to the floor. "Now is your chance to prove your innocence miss Istar. If you and your team truly had no hand in this, help me save a lot of people. We need to get to the Arboretum. This whole facility should've gone into lockdown... the parts that are left at least." He then began to make his way down the hallway, stopping to make sure Zyanya was following.

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

As Vel stumbled back down the way he came, Demos was quickly making his way back towards the cell. It was only one hundred or so feet straight down the hallway before Vel came across the medical bay. Unfortunately, the door was sealed. Aleksandra's screaming could barely be heard over the thundering sound of the destruction around them. It wasn't too long after that Demos came running around the corner to where the cell was located, and with the straight, albeit long hallway to the medical bay, Demos could see Vel at the door. In between him and Vel, the hallway was barely intact and navigating through the rubble and debris was made even more difficult by the damp floor caused by a busted water pipe and live electrical wires now exposed through the wall. However, this seemed to be the only immediate way through to where Vel stood.

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

Vukani head was ringing and his vision blurred. He was helped to his feet by someone, but he couldn't quite see who. "Sir... Are you alright?" he could barely make out.

It was Ezpalli. She was covered in dirt, but she seemed alright. "Are you okay, sir? I barely got you out of that pile of rubble. I think you hit your head." she asked with clear panic in her voice.

The two seemed to still be in the holding cell, and their restraints had been disabled in the chaos. Ezpalli helped Vukani to his feet, and the two stumbled out through the broken door. "We have to find the others, and fast." Vukani said, grunting in pain.

"I want to find them to, but how are we going to do that when we don't know where we are and the walls are falling around us?" Ezpalli asked.

"We will figure it out." Vukani said before heading down the first hallway he saw.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya shook her hands to allow her blood flow to normalize and nodded in response to the commander. "I will do all I can. I still feel a bit odd after you injected me with that weird concoction. I do also want to make sure my friends are still alive as well though, if we can get to them." She followed closely behind Petras as he made his way down the hallway.

[Holocene]

When Demos turned the corner, and saw Vel in the distance, he was relieved he had been able to remember the way back in all the chaos. He analyzed the hallway, quickly realizing making his way down could be dangerous.

"Vel!" Demos shouted, hoping that Vel could see any danger on his side.

Vel, who was banging on the medbay door, yelling for Aleksandra, turned, and seeing Demos was filled with a little bit of relief. It was good to have someone like him in a situation such as this.

"They shot Alek, shes in here, but the door's locked. What the fuck is going on?"

Demos yelled back, "We'll worry about that later. I need to get to you! Do you see any hazardous electricity or anything?"

Vel looked it over. It all just looked like debris to him, but he did notice a pool of water and a wire that was sparking close to the end.

"There's a puddle with some electricity over here, and a lot of sharp edges. Watch out!"

That wasn't as detailed as Demos would have liked, but Vel seemed panicked. He looked around, realizing that there may not be another way through. He pulled a metal pipe from the rubble, and started using it to push anything out of his way, hoping he wouldn't strike an exposed wire.

"I'm going to try to get across. Stay there!" Demos yelled, beginning his passage through. Vel tried getting a better look into the medbay to see what was going on.

[UserError404]

The violet shaking that threatened to rip the building apart seemed to subside for the time being. Demos carefully dodged his way through the rubble separating him and Vel. It was a short ten meters, but it was no easy task. The narrow spaces were difficult for Demos to fit through, but his size also helped him to move some of the deformed metal just enough for him to squeeze by. A slight shift in rubble caused an avalanche behind him, but Demos' quick reaction allowed him to avoid getting crushed. There was only one way to go now.

As Vel watched, the door to the medical bay shot open. Behind it stood a short Brenan girl in a medical uniform messing with a panel next to the door. Seeing Vel, she fell backwards on the floor and gasped in shock. Two men stood next to Aleksandra, one in a guard uniform and another in a medical uniform. The guard immediately raised his weapon and fired in a panic, his shots going wide and bouncing off the door frame on the side opposite of the girl. She screamed and the man in the medical uniform grabbed the soldiers gun. "You idiot! You'll hit Natasa!" The soldier stood down and ordered a threat to Vel. "If you come in here... I'll.. I'll shoot your friend!" There was clear panic in his voice. The chaos had broken the soldier in him.

Demos was about 7 meters through the hallway when the gun was fired. Luckily, the guard seemed focused on Vel since there was a clear line of sight between Demos and the barrel of the gun. Perhaps it was the dim emergency lighting that helped obscure him or maybe it was the guard's panicked head space. Demos now faced a pool of water and some exposed electrical wire from a portion of wall that had caved in. A large metal support beam had fallen from the ceiling above, but helped keep the rubble at bay. There was no solid footing for Demos to cross the electrified pool in the crater below. His only options seemed to be to jump the remaining few meters or pray the support beam could hold his weight as he scrambled across.

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

Petras jogged in silence. He gave Zyanya no indication of where they were going, if they were trying to escape, rescue her friends, or delve deeper into the chaos. A worried frown replaced his sly smile and the perspiration on his face reflected the red emergency lights. They seemed to be going upwards through the facility. As they passed a hallway to their right, Zyanya thought she heard someone call her name from somewhere down the hallway they just passed. It was a females voice. The hallway's emergency lighting had been knocked out and occasional sparks rather meekly try to ward off the darkness to no avail. A voice had come out of the darkness, but the darkness was not going to give up its secret identity so easily.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya panted as she followed Petras, the effects of the day's beatings and drugging lingered. She paused as she thought she heard a female voice down a hallway they had just passed. "Sir wait! I think someone just called my name down that hall! It could be my friends!" Before Petras had even responded she hurriedly headed into the darkness.

[Holocene]

"It's going ok so far, hold on!" shouted Demos, continuing to navigate his way through the hallway. His head shot up, stopping him in his tracks, when he heard a shout and a gunshot.

With the sudden opening of the door, Vel gasped just as much as the woman did, but upon seeing the gun, he ducked down, yelling "Shit!" as a shot rang out.

"If you come in here... I'll.. I'll shoot your friend!"

Vel looked up, horrified, "No one's going anywhere, just stop fucking shooting alright? We all just want to get out of here. Why don't you let me take my friend and we'll go?"

Vel really hoped Demos would hurry up.

Vel got his wish, but not perhaps how he wanted. Moments later, Demos leaped across the last gap, and went into a roll as he landed, immediately recovering and assessing the situation. He was about to use his surprise to charge the gunman, but Vel put his hand on Demo's shoulder, which threw him off.

Vel knew what Demos wanted to do, and also that either he or Alek would get shot if he did it.

[UserError404]

As Vel and Demos planned their next move, so did the Menan inside the medical bay. The soft sound of whispering lasted for several painful seconds before the male doctor spoke up. "You're right. We all should be getting out of here. If you want your friend you can take her, but you let us leave first. Stay where you are until we get done the hallway, otherwise I can't stop him from shooting some more." The doctor listened for Vel's response.

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

As Zyanya's eyes peered into the darkness she could see no one. Metal began to screech somewhere behind the walls and any sound she thought she heard was drowned out. Petras was still focused on the mission. "Come back Miss Zyanya, please! We have work to do!" He yelled impatiently into the darkness. As the sound of twisting metal subsided, She heard it again. The voice of a familiar female calling her name again. It sounded like Ezpalli. However, the emergency light Zyanya had previously been walking in prevented her eyes from adjusting to the darkness enveloping the voice.

[abbiejlee95]

"Ezpalli! Ezpalli is that you? Where are you?" Zyanya shouted into the darkness desperately, ignoring the impatient man shouting at her from behind. She didn't like the ominous sounds of metal scraping against metal. "We have to get out of here now!"

[Holocene]

Vel nodded, "We'll get out of your way, we're all cool," he then turned to Demos, "We're all cool, right Demos?"

Demos glared at him, but said, "That sounds good."

It was against Demos's spirit to let an enemy go, but he realized the usefulness of this situation. Perhaps he could follow them and find a way out of this gods forsaken place.

He wasn't sure they ever would on their own.

Vel was relieved Demos was going along, he could now only hope they would leave and hold up their end of the deal.

[UserError404]

The darkness enveloped Zyanya, and its cold grasp was reinforced by the dull creaking and rumbling of bending metal. The lights behind her had cut out, almost as if the voice was a trap set by the darkness to lure her into its embrace. There was nothing. No voice. No Petras. No lights. No sense of direction. What felt like minutes passed as Zyanya struggled to fight through the darkness, to have it surrender the source of the voice, but it refused to yield.

Suddenly an intense white light cast Zyanya's shadow down the hallway and the darkness retreated for a time. Behind her stood Petras with an emergency flashlight and a scornful look. The light casting her shadow revealed two familiar faces. Ezpalli, a little scratched and dirtied but looking no worse for wear, and Vukani, blood matting down his black hair and running down his face to an arm that looked clearly dislocated. Nonetheless, they were alive.

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

The group in the medical lab began to leave. The doctor and his assistant began to pack a few medical supplies in a small bag and made their way out of the room. The gun of the accompanying guard stared down Vel and Demos with intense focus. As the assistant passed by Vel, she paused for a moment and looked up to him as if to say something, but was hurried along by the others. The guard got several meters down the hallway before resting the gaze of his weapon and continuing on.

Aleksandra lay on the medical bed, dazed and quietly groaning. The wound had been cleaned and, judging by the empty syringes laying close by and her dazed state, some sort of sedative had been administered. Blood oozed from the wound and quickly undid the cleaning of her previous attendants. Used and unused Medical equipment lay strewn throughout the room. There was still work that needed to be done, if there were only those who knew how to do it.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya fought her rising panic as the darkness enveloped her. She pushed further into the corridor, ignoring the sounds of destruction around her. "Ezpalli! Please! Are you there?" She called out desperately.

Suddenly the hallway was illuminated and she glanced back to see an irritated Petras. She looked forward again and gasped at the sight of her friends. "Thank the gods we found you! Sir! Are you alright?!?" She rushed towards them and looked over Vukani's injuries. "We need Vel. We need to find the others and get out of here!" She looked back at Petras and her heart sank. "But... I have to help him. His people are dying! Come with us! He's our best bet right now!" She pleaded desperately with them. Though she knew Vukani would likely want to avoid Petras, she also knew he understood the dire situation they faced.

[Holocene]

As soon as the guard's gun went down, Vel ran over to Aleksandra. He observed her wounds, and sighed that she was at least still alive.

Demos stared the guard with the gun directly in the eye, waiting from him to even twitch, and as soon as the medical staff left, Demos also went into action. He watched as they disappeared into the darkness, noting which way they went, and ran over to Vel to see what was happening.

"We need to go now, how is she?"

Vel, starting to scavenging what medical supplies he could to finish what the others started, replied "We can't leave yet, she's not ready to move. The wound is still open, I don't even think they got the bullet out yet."

"We don't have time for that, we need to tail those assholes out of this place before it caves in on us."

"If we move her now she could die."

"If we stay here we will all die."

Vel looked up, putting his hand in the wound trying to locate the bullet, "You go, I'm not leaving until she's ready."

Demos scoffed, "I'm not going to leave you here."

Vel paused, then looked at Demos again, "Follow them while you still can. Find the exit, then come back and lead us out, maybe find the others along the way, if they're still alive."

"I was lucky to find my way back the first time, I don't know if I will be able to again."

"You know it's the right call, I'm good here, go, and stop distracting me."

Demos sighed, tossing around his options in his head. "I'll be back," he said before darting out into the hallway, going in the direction the others went.

[UserError404]

Once the light illuminated the hallway and Vukani saw Zyanya, he stopped leaning on Ezpalli and stood up straight with a grunt of pain. "Thank you Ezpalli, I can walk from here." he whispered to her.

Petras kept his hand hovering over his pistol until he decided if he really could trust the people he recently had imprisoned. Vukani came face to face with Petras, "Are my people okay?" He asked coldly.

"When I last left them, they were alive. I cannot guarantee what has happened to them during this calamity." Petras responded. After a moment of contemplation, he continued "General Yengwayo. The war has left us all devastated. There are those out there who wish to bring further harm to Oudhal. I'm sure you can understand that I have to take every threat seriously. If you had the information I was given, surely you would've done the same to protect..." Petras was interrupted.

"I understand that old prejudices die hard," Vukani interrupted, "So I don't need your apologies. What I need is my people and a way out of your mess."

"Fine. What I need is your help. We are almost to the antechamber. Help me find what I am looking for and I can put an end to this calamity and you will be free to leave. Immediately." Petras irately responded.

"I'm going to help you because innocent people are suffering, not because I owe you anything." Vukani said.

Petras grunted in acknowledgment and led them further into the facility. Ezpalli walked next to Zyanya. "Things are bad Zyanya... I hope the others are alright." She with concern.

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

With Vel's knowledge and the tools available, he was able to begin working on Aleksandra. The facility seemed stable enough at the moment to finish the work. First came the removal of the bullet. After that, he could disinfect and close the wound, provided the room remained stable.

Meanwhile Demos tailed the medical staff through the hallway. The group hadn't gotten too far ahead of him as he noticed them turning right at the end of a hallway to his left. Keeping his distance to avoid being noticed, he saw them enter a maintenance hallway, turn right, and take the 5th door on the left which led to loading bay. Inside there were four small loading skiffs which were designed to bring loads from the surface to the facility. As security guard worked on manually overriding the bay door lockdown, the younger female medical officer saw him peeking through the doorway and screamed. This was followed by 3 shots grazing the doorway and the sound of metal doors grinding open. A couple more shots were fired, but not at the doorway, before a skiff roared to life and flew away. When Demos looked, two of the skiffs had been taken.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya's heart pounded as the two men tensely conversed and she reached over to take Ezpalli's hand. She followed Petras as he led them further into the chaos and she held back tears as the events of the day truly began to hit her. Ezpalli's concern only made it harder for her to hold out hope but she knew she had to be strong for her friend. "You are right Ezpalli. Things are bad, but our crew is tough and resourceful. I'm sure they will make it!" Her voice was confident but her heart was very very heavy.

[Holocene]

Vel was sweating as he worked. It had been a few years since he was a combat medic, and what he was doing now was something that would have been done once the wounded reached an aid station, not something a frontline medic like him would have done.

But despite his inexperience, nervousness, and the thought of the place collapsing in on him at any second, he continued working. And all said and done, he was doing pretty good. He began to disinfect the wound and started preparing to sow it up.
---------------------

Demos quietly and with focus followed the medical team as they escaped. He made mental notes along the way of where he was going, and how to get back. With discipline and focus, he thought, it was actually possible for him to lead them out of here.

His thought was interrupted as one of the medical staff let out a scream. Demos quickly ducked behind the wall as bullets came flying at him. Once it was quiet, he looked around again, and saw that there were still two skiffs remaining. That could be useful.

He at once started his way back to Vel and Aleksandra, quickly making the turns as he remembered them.

He came back, seeing Vel still at work. "How is it going?"

Vel jumped a little bit, "For god's sake, don't scare me like that. It's going good. Did you find a way out?"

"Yes, how soon can we move?"

"I'm almost done. Gather some bandages and antiseptic for me."

Demos began doing that, ready to leave.

[UserError404]

Petras lead Vukani and the others further down the hallways for a few brief minutes before the hallway began to open up and they arrived at a large circular door that was roughly 15 feet in diameter. He held his hand against a panel in the center of the doorway and used his other to insert a key next to the panel. The door screeched to life, slowly and painfully receding then rolling to the side only slightly before the mechanisms grinded to a halt. Luckily, this was enough to slip through one at a time.

Inside was a large cylindrical room, spanning at least 30 feet high and probably equally so in diameter. Lab equipment was scattered everywhere, along with a handful of bodies. Some looked like scientist, other looked like guards. In the middle was a large, empty pedestal that seemed to connect to some larger contraption that took up a large portion of the room. To left of the entrance, a lone figure stood over some sort of control panel. Ezpalli gasped as she saw the bodies. Vukani stood alert as he slowly checked the room before checking the bodies.

Petras immediately marched over to confront the figure at the panel. "Arsov. What happened here? Where is the artifact?"

This figure, Arsov, stood over the console, staring in horror. His clothes covered in blood, whether it was his own or someone else's was unclear. "The Menan. From the church. With the suit... Angelevski, Kitanova... Jasmina, she... saved me..." he said between sporadic breathes.

"Arsov. Do you have your key? Arsov! We need to get Atropos online." Petras quickly began working on the panel. Arsov continued to hesitate.

"Arsov!" Petras grabbed the man by his shoulders. "Arsov, a lot of people have died. I am sorry about Jasmina. Truly. If we don't get Atropos online, more will die. When I tell you, turn your key and hit the alpha-scram button."

Arsov, blinked a few times and slowly began to move, inserting his key and watching the commander. After a several swift button pushes, Petras inserted his key as well. "Now!" he yelled.

Suddenly, the lights turned from a harsh red to a much brighter, yet softer green. The rumbling ceased as a faint electronic humming came from the contraption in the center of the room. The door that reluctantly came back to life and was able to open fully. Whatever Petras had done, it seemed to stabilize the facility.

"There." Petras pointed to a display on the wall above the console. "Delchev. Damn that church. We need to catch him before he gets away. Without the artifact, Atropos will fail. Arsov, keep me updated on his position!" Petras said before running towards the door.

"Wait. Delchev. Do you mean Mirko Delchev? He is here?" Vukani asked, afraid to get an answer.

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

As Vel was preparing to sow the wound and Demos began gathering supplies, the lights changed from red to green. The facility itself seemed to respond to this change and began to stabilize. For the time being, things seemed calm. As Vel looked down at Aleksandra's wound, it began to close on its own, to the point where the place the wound had been became indistinguishable. She twitched and slowly sat up. Her movements were slow and groggy, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Vel? What... Why are we in a medical bay?"

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya followed the others in a daze. "Please let us find the others." Just kept echoing on repeat in her head. She snapped out of it with a gasp as they walked into a room strewn with bodies. A hand flew to her mouth. Her teary eyes locked with the frozen figure of the man Petra's addressed as Arsov. He was covered in blood. She stood silently as the two men worked together to calm the facility. She felt her muscles loosen just a bit and realized how tense she had been from the frightening red atmosphere that had been surrounding them. The slight release of tension didn't last long as this whole plight was blamed on Mirko. Her sadness and confusion and fear all melted into one overwhelming emotion. Anger.

[Holocene]

Vel was relived when the lights changed and the facility seemed to calm down. It seemed maybe they had survived after all. But what happened next caused him to drop his tool, and stare in disbelief.

He watched as the wound closed up, and healed on its own. "Holy shit....."

Demos was busy gathering supplies as Vel had told him when the lights changed. It was good to be able to see again. He turned his head at the sound of metal dropping. "Is everything alright?"

"Vel? What... Why are we in a medical bay?"

Demos turned, perplexed. Aleksandra had seemed out of it only a moment before. But she did seem the tough sort. He walked over, and looked at the wound, now noticing what Vel had.

Vel replied, "Uh....you were shot. Do...do you feel ok?"

Demos would love to have known more as well, but he realized they were running on a different sort of borrowed time if the catastrophe was over. The place would seen be flooded with soldiers and rescue workers. They had to get out before that happened.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

[UserError404]

As Aleksandra sat up, the memories suddenly came back to her. Quickly reaching down to her abdomen, she was surprised to find there was no wound or pain. Had she been dreaming it? Vel asked if she could stand and she did so, taking a few steps just to prove she could. However, the mysterious forces that healed her wound did not clear her confusion. "Vel, Demos, what the hell is going on? Did they let us go? Where are the others?" she asked with concern, unsure if she would get an answer judging by the dumbfounded looks on their faces. It seemed her compatriots were as confused as she was.

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

As Petras headed out the door, Vukani followed quickly in suit. "I take it the two of you have a history?" Petras asked.

"We are acquainted" Vukani replied.

"Well when the two of you meet up, you can blame him for your capture." Petras sighed. "I will admit, he baited me with his lies, and now I see to what end." he said with bitterness accompanying every word.

Vukani was quiet. It made sense now, why they were captured. It seemed Mirko was using them as pawns in his game of chess. But what was his goal, and more importantly, why was Mirko following him and his crew? If Mirko was here with his church lackeys, it likely meant that an artifact was involved. Perhaps he would ask Mirko when they caught him.

Ezpalli followed the general, happy to be out of that room of death. Many questions still lingered in her mind. She listened to the brief conversation between Petras and the general before turning to Zyanya, "I can't believe Mirko would do this. He seemed... I don't know... Not like this. I wonder how all this happened. This facility is so big, it's hard to believe one man could do so much damage. Do you think the whole facility was affected? Maybe an artifact was involved, but I don't know of any quite like this..." Ezpalli began rambling, somewhat talking to Zyanya, but more so attempting to deal with the stress of the past several hours, in her own way.

Once again, Zyanya began following Petras down the long winding hallways of the facility, this time with the general and Ezpalli by her side.

[abbiejlee95]

Fighting her rising anger, Zyanya followed the others back down the hallways. She pushed away murderous thoughts of Mirko and let Ezpallis words wash over her. Her soft voice soothing her just enough to come back to reality. She quietly let the nervous girl ramble as they walked and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, leading her forward. The contact meant to sooth her friend did just as much to help her.

[Holocene]

Demos responded to Aleksandra curtly, "No, and I don't know."

He turned, facing Vel, "Vel, we need to go. Now. If the facility is back up, so will be the locals. We escape, then figure out what happened to the others. And if you see any of those religious assholes, shoot on sight. Try to avoid killing anyone else though, that will not make us friends."

The irony of what Demos said after what he had done earlier was lost on him, but Vel smiled at remembering Demos attacking the soldiers when they first arrived.

"Follow me. I remember the way out," Demos said, starting down the hallway trying to remember the path he had taken earlier.

[UserError404]

Aleksandra followed Demos as he led them down the corridor. She was impressed with his memory and navigational skills, though she probably shouldn't expect any less from someone of his background. Of course Demos was also right about the locals. As Aleksandra and the others made their way through the hallways, multiple footsteps were heard as guards and other emergency responders came up a nearby staircase and fanned out through the hallways, likely looking for any survivors. Luckily, Demos had led them into the narrow maintenance passageway before they were noticed by the responders.

As he did before, Demos took a right and the corridor was lined with several doors. He knew which one to take, but it seemed that someone else did as well. Just a few feet from the 5th door on the left, facing the group and coming from the opposite end of the corridor was Mirko and one of his armored lackeys from before. In Mirko's hands was a white cylindrical capsule roughly 16 inches tall and 10 inches in diameter. An artifact containment device. Mirko stopped in his tracks and his face distorted in confusion briefly before his eyes widened and he quickly jumped into the doorway along with his lackey. The door closed behind them.

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Petras fiercely watched his handheld tracking device and navigated the corridors seemingly on instinct alone. It was not long before the group came across several guards. Instinctively, the guards raised their guns but quickly lowered them when they saw their commander. They saluted and one of them stepped out in front of Petras. "Sir, I'm glad to see you are okay. The good news is that the facility seems to be stabilizing. However, one of the prisoners, the Brenan girl, was shot. We are still searching for the others, sir..." the guard looks over at Vukani, Ezaplli, and Zyanya. "Well except for those three. I guess you found them, huh sir?" the guard nervously chuckled.

Ezpalli's eyes widened. "Aleks..." she whispered under her breath. Ezpalli stopped with her rambling after this. Similarly, Vukani's fists clenched and his eyes narrowed with anger.

"Indeed. Thank you lieutenant. Take your men and some of the medical officers to the research sector. Several were wounded. Do you have any extra men to spare lieutenant?" Petras asked.

"Uhhhh, well most of my men are doing damage control. And the saboteurs are still at large..." The lieutenant said nervously.

Petras sighed. "I understand lieutenant. Send who you can to the maintenance sector on the 18th floor. Also, please retrieve the prisoner's belongings and meet me on the 18th floor, assuming their things have not been destroyed." Petras continued, moving towards a nearby flight of stairs. The lieutenant saluted, barked orders and began running the way Petras and the others had come from.

Under Vukani's silent facade, his blood was boiling. He was, of course, worried about Aleksandra's safety, but fear was not the feeling that was invoked. News of Aleksandra was fuel on the ever growing fire of rage. The embers crackled and reverberated the name Mirko. The scoundrel. The silver-tongued devil. The betrayer. Petras would soon face Vukani's furry for the treatment of his crew. But first would be Mirko.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya trudged along with the others, staying close to Ezpallis side for comfort. She was barely hanging onto her sanity.

"I need to get out of this place. I need to see the others. I need to see the sky. I need to sleep. My head is killing me." So many thoughts swam through her head as the commander talked to his men. But one sentence broke her.

"One of the prisoners, the Brenan girl, was shot." She didn't hear anything else after that. Her ears began to ring. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Her barely contained anger shattering her fragile composure.

She left Ezpallis side and stormed up to Vukani, gripping his shirt sleeve. Her nails dug into the fabric and her hand shook with rage against his arm. "Vukani. I'm going to kill him, the commander, the soldiers, and fucking Mirko. If you don't calm me down, I'm going to kill them all." Her words came out in a low growl. Only Vukani could hear her. But as she looked into his eyes she knew he could see her losing herself.

[Holocene]

Vel admired Demos along with Aleksandra. Something about his calm, calculated expression made Vel realize that Demos lived for moments like these, although he would probably never admit it. Vel was just glad he had someone braver than himself along.

Demos froze upon seeing Mirko. He didn't bother to look, or care what he held. He simply burst into action. Without a gun, he needed to get to Mirko before he could shoot. But Mirko did something Demos did not expect. He ran.

Demos reached for Mirko's neck right as the door closed behind him, and Demos had to stop himself rapidly to avoid slamming into the hard metal door. "I'll kill that bastard!" he shouted, looking back at the others.

[UserError404]

As Demos ran for the door, Aleksandra followed, and stopped herself just before running into Demos. "Was that Mirko?" she asked. "From the van? Is he still following us?"

Aleksandra examined the door and found the opening mechanism had been disabled, likely by Mirko on the other side. "What the hell?" she asked after playing with the door terminal. "They locked it. I need an override." She looked over at the others.

After a moment of thought, she remembered. "There has to be some sort of manual override for the door, right?" Sure enough, after feeling around the lip of the door, she found a small lever hidden in a depression on the right. The latch clicked but the door wouldn't budge. "There should be another lever in roughly the same spot on the opposite side Demos. Once you pull it, we should be able to push open the door."

As Aleksandra prepared to push open the door, she added, "Just to make sure though, this guy isn't going to try to shoot us as soon as we bust in, right?"

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

Petras continued to lead them through the facility. As the rage filled Vukani's head, he felt a tug on his sleeve, brining him back to reality.

"Vukani. I'm going to kill him, the commander, the soldiers, and fucking Mirko. If you don't calm me down, I'm going to kill them all." Zyanya said.

At first Vukani was shocked at her quiet outburst. But then again, he could empathize. "Zyanya, I..." Vukani thought about his words. "Mirko will get his punishment one way or another. Men like him always do. Actions have a way of catching up to us. Right now, the others need us. Aleksandra, Vel, Demos, and the people of Almanel. We can still make this right. The commander is our best chance at finding the others. Once we find them, he too will answer."

Vukani paused, unsure if there was even anything he could say that would be enough, "Stay with me Zyanya. We will find the others and we will get out of here."

He could feel Zyanya's anger, and it made him realize how his own anger was consuming his thoughts. Revenge was a luxury. Survival was a necessity. Survival for Vukani and his crew. As long as they kept their heads, they would make it out of here. Then, they could worry about the luxuries.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya tried to listen to Vukani's words. Really truly listen. But her anger kept bubbling over. She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep, but shaky breath. She wanted to answer Vukani back or argue with him but all she could do was nod her head and try and focus on a few of his words. She repeated them over and over again in her head to try and hold back her rage. "Right now, the others need us", "We will find the others and we will get out of here." She fought back angry and exhausted tears and prayed that Alek wasn't hurt too badly and that the others were alright. She released her death grip on Vukani's shirt and desperately reached for Ezpalli's hand to hold.

[Holocene]

Demos slowed his thoughts and watched as Alek worked to open the door. As instructed, he found the other release, and got ready to pull.

"Just to make sure though, this guy isn't going to try to shoot us as soon as we bust in, right?"

Demos replied, "He's a coward, and cowards run. I'm sure he's gained as much ground as he could while we were stuck. But I wouldn't leave yourself open, just in case."

Vel hid in around the corner, not as confident as Demos was that there wouldn't be shooting.

Demos pulled the release, and readied himself for what would come.

[UserError404]

With the sound of grinding metal, the door gave way. As Vel expected, the sound of gunfire followed. Taking cover behind the remaining skiff, Mirko took several pot shots at the doorway. The person accompanying him seemed to be working on the skiff as it faintly hummed to life before flickering out. It seemed that the remaining skiff was currently inoperable. Boxes and large shipping grates littered the room but their was a clear line of sight between Mirko and the door through which Aleksandra and Demos were coming through. Just outside the door was a metal staircase that led down to the main room. As Demos and Aleksandra took cover, Mirko called out, "You know it's a shame Demos!" taking another shot towards the doorway.

"You're a great a warrior and yet you help these backwards fools seeking the very things that destroyed our world. And for what? Money? Power? Glory? What good is any of that in a world that is dying." Mirko took several more shots at the door to make sure they stayed in place. There was then several seconds of silence as Mirko and his lackey seemed to be whispering something. Mirko then continued.

"And you Aleksandra. I would think you of all people would understand. The devastation your home has faced thanks to the power of these artifacts. Surely you can see how dangerous they are, even in the hands of your Xydrift scientists." Without looking, Mirko took three more shots towards the doorway before again whispering something to his lackey.

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

Several agonizing minutes went by as Petras lead them through the facility. Ezpalli grabbed Zyanya's hand as they continued onward. They eventually came to a squadron of guards carrying boxes. It was all of their things. As they Vukani and Ezpalli began gathering their belongings, Petras spoke up. "Now I am giving you your weapons back. I hope I can trust you to help me apprehend this saboteur." He looked wearily at Vukani.

Vukani inspected his weapon and stared coldly at Petras. "Where to?" he responded.

Petras then gave the guards orders to lock down floors 15 through 21 and they began running off in varying directions. Two of the guards followed Petras as he lead them all through the halls to a service corridor. As they entered, the sounds of gunshots were heard.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya silently nodded at the guards who handed her her belongings. She slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder and let it come to rest across her back, as it would do her little good in closed quarters. She took her worn bow staff from a guard with reverence, and let its familiarity cleanse her. She could do this. She could keep it together for her crew. If she lost it again like she did when they first landed there was no telling what these people would do. Right now these people were not her enemies. Mirko was. The snake. He was who she should focus all her energy on. She tightened her grip on her staff and followed the others into the halls of a service corridor. Where they were met with the sound of gunshots.

[Holocene]

Vel covered his hears as the gunfire began. "Shit!"

"You're a great a warrior and yet you help these backwards fools seeking the very things that destroyed our world. And for what? Money? Power? Glory? What good is any of that in a world that is dying."

Demos shouted back at him, "I don't give a fuck about the world." He then quietly cursed to himself, wishing he had a gun.

Once the shots stopped and they were left with the sound of whispering, Demos looked at Aleksandra. He wanted to see if she had a plan. Running in there with guns facing them was tantamount to suicide, but Demos didn't want to let them get away. "Any bright ideas?" he whispered.

[UserError404]

"Any bright ideas?" Demos whispered to Aleksandra. She thought for a moment. As the sound of gunshots were replaced with whispers, she peaked around the corner. "Well, if you're still trying to kill him," she whispered turning back to Demos, "that's going to be a bit difficult."

"If we can get to the supervisor station over there..." Aleksandra pointed towards the left wall, about 40 ft from the stairs, to a small room with a large glass window and a door, "...We might be able to lock down the loading bay and at least stop them from escaping." she said.

There was sufficient cover next to this door, but the plan involved a mad dash of at least 25 feet in between cover. Three more shots landed above the doorway before the whispering started again. "Unless anyone else has anything else. Vel?" Aleksandra asked.

This time, the whispering was followed by footsteps and then two more shots. It seemed that Mirko and his lackey were running. Barely peaking around the corner, Aleksandra saw that the two of them were running towards the open bay door. "Well, we better act fast. Demos, I'll follow your lead." Aleksandra said, looking at Demos and preparing.

Luckily, Mirko's new position gave him a much less advantageous vantage point on the door and his shots landed several feet to the right. "I want you all to know," Mirko shouted, "I'm just trying to make things right, for Massrend, for Megazolis, for Varac! We owe it to the people we lost, your comrades Demos, to destroy these artifacts. You may not agree with me now, but time will see me on the right side of history."

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Petras and his two guards slowed at the sound of gunshots and drew their weapons, preparing for a fight. As the guards tactically cleared each corner of this narrow and winding corridor, Vukani turned to Zyanya and Ezpalli. "I know we are all spread pretty thin right now. Stay behind Petras and please, be careful. I don't want to lose anyone." He said solemnly.

Vukani gripped his light rifle and hugged the wall, following behind Petras and his guards. Ezpalli gripped her pistol with shaking hands and nodded at Vukani. She wasn't like Demos or Vukani, she was only a researcher and her combat experience was little to none. As she stared at her pistol, she hoped she wasn't going to have to use it.

As the two guards came around the next corner, one stopped and both raised their weapons. "Sir," the guard said, "We've got three targets. They don't look one of ours. Please Advise."

Before Petras could speak, the other guard chimed in "Is that... Sir, I think those are the prisoner!"

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya positioned herself confidently behind Petras and looked as far ahead as she could for anywhere she could use for cover. But the corridors were narrow and with all the others in front of her and guns between her and the potential enemies, this was not exactly her ideal. She was best at hand to hand combat, or extreme long range of course.

She listened in on the guards and her ears perked up when they said "sir I think those are the prisoners!"

[Holocene]

"Unless anyone else has anything else. Vel?" Aleksandra asked.

Vel looked up at Aleksandra with fear in his eyes. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Demos thought it over. They didn't have a lot of time, but he'd be damned if he'd let these bastards get away. He looked Aleksandra in the eye, and said "Shut them in. I'll get to them."

Demos positioned himself next to the door, peeked in to get their position, then made himself ready to run to the nearest cover once they were distracted by the loading bay doors closing.

[UserError404]

Aleksandra ducked into the room and made a mad dash for the supervisor station. At the same time, Vel and Demos heard "Stop!" as a bright light shone down the hallway. It seemed that two guards had caught up with them. Whatever Vel and Demos had planned, it was time to act or be caught.

As Aleksandra ran, a bullet soared just above her shoulder, forcing her to take cover behind a shipping container. She had only made it half way before they caught on to her which was further than she thought she would get. But now, she was pinned down as the shipping container was peppered with gunfire. She watched for Demos or Vel, hoping they were in a position to cause a distraction.

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"Go, see if they are hurt and what the hell they are doing." Petras ordered his guards and the guards advanced.

Vukani immediately followed the guards and Petras began to object but kept his mouth shot and followed behind Vukani. Ezpalli followed too, staying close to Zyanya. She began to smile, hoping that these were in fact her teammates and they would be found in good health.

[abbiejlee95]

Zyanya hurried in behind Vukani and the guards, her heart pounding. Please please be them! Please please be ok! She kept an arm protectively in front of Ezpalli to ensure she could jump in front of her at a moments notice if something went wrong.

[Holocene]

As soon as Aleksandra ran in, a light shone on Demos. "Stop!" he heard shouted, and he acted before even thinking, diving into the doorway into the loading bay before the new guards could get a shot on him. He quickly spotted where Mirko's lackeys where at, and hid behind the closest piece of cover between them.

Shit, enemies in front, enemies in back. He looked around for something to use, he knew he couldn't stay here.

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

"Stop!" Vel heard, before seeing Demos disappear. As the light shined on him, he raised his hands in the air and said "Don't shoot!"