Reclamation Postulation [IC]

[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.
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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.

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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.
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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.

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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.
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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.

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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!"
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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.