Unto the Breach: A Gate RP (IC|Open)

[Seluca]

Kimaru Riku
Recon Convoy
Status: Deployed and Fit-for-Duty

Among the group of peacekeepers, the Japanese ranger remained in his vehicle but opened the door of the Iveco he rode in. For the short while they had been in Alnus, it was definitely a nice ride until the blockage prevented their advance. Any time he had to kill with bullets meant that they were likely littering the pristine and natural state of the world with destruction. The clean air would be replaced with the scent of blood and gunpowder, and he'd be forced to deal with more death than what had been necessary to secure Alnus itself.

Shifting one leg to push against the opened doorway's footing, Riku brought his MP5 into a lowered grip. Aiming it at the blockage or at the others with the door still partially in the way would be pointless, but it did ensure that if they were ordered to deploy and secure the area then he could hop out and raise his gun in one motion. His M24 was strapped over one shoulder, originally having been resting between his legs while they rode, and his sidearm was ready for whatever might come of this.

"Tch... you imagine they'd avoid fights." A minimal accent could be heard thanks to Japanese upbringing resulting in many being tutored or learning English, letting the MP5 rest on his thigh as he spoke up over the mic. "Surrounding area is prime for native hit-and-run. Maps aren't good here... too basic. If we dismount everyone, we need eyes around. IFV firing may cause fire and more damage, C4 even worse. Better off trying to push through it with the Bradley... or taking the quiet route. Or perhaps we want to cause trouble... my only advice."

[Zjaum]

Okoya looked over the barrier, analyzing it. "You know, Haapsalu, I could probably get over this wall myself, if you want."

Haapsalu remained in his stance, neither turning to Okoya nor diverting attention from the giant wolf. He might need Okoya if negotiations turned ugly, but the odds of the wolf being something he couldn't handle, especially with the massive foreign army at his back, was low. "All right, go on ahead if you want. Please get back here soon, though. Italica is to the north and west, so go along those roads."

North and West. Got it. "All right, Haapsalu. I'll be back soon." She had to stretch her legs to move over the top of the barrier, but, with the help of neighboring tree trunks (and a number of uncomfortable and unflattering moments), she managed to cross the barrier. She waved to Haapsalu and began her scouting journey.


Okoya was very glad to finally be walking at her own pace, but she still walked at a brisk pace, so as not to disappoint her mentor and the foreign army. The branches were less troublesome, especially at the new speed, so she had more time to observe her surroundings. She came to a crossroads, and she stopped to make sure that she was going in the right direction. She know that the one that diverged left was the correct one, seeing as she was heading north on the road, but she took a moment to look down the other, just in case.

She saw two men, cloaked in black, running across the road, from one bush to the other. She couldn't identify them, but she could be fairly certain that they were Imperial, or at least not friendly.

She had to make a choice: to continue on and find the path to Italica, which was vital information to the trip, or to warn her comrades of the scouts from the Empire.

[British Prussia]

Corporal Alexander Blake, NZDF-UN
Alnus Hill, UN Forward Operating Base

Whilst the UN expeditionary forces prepared, and moved off Alnus Base, Corporal Alexander Blake was both busy catching up with the new pieces of information he would've missed at Stockholm and training Aeneas for Alnus conditions. Blake had worked with the newly promoted Lt. Col. Aeneas, a Dutch Shepherd for almost two years. He was concerned that Aeneas' performance would deteriorate because of this world, but it seemed his performance was as good as ever. Performance aside there were still sights and senses he'd have to hone, but Blake was convinced that Aeneas was operationally ready. "Good boy." he petted his superior, giving him a tasty treat. With this done, he could focus on the new toy coming from the other side.

The wait didn't take too long. Two military trucks had come through the gate, they were carrying a disassembled item, but it would've been obvious to any human from Earth what it was. "That's a sight for sore eyes isn't it, Aeneas? It's about time..." The lead truck carried the fuselage of an NH90 multirole helicopter. Working with technicians here and Stockholm, Corporal Blake and the Alnus Team managed to spec out the NH90 for Alnus requirements. Since the Legions here didn't have any modern weaponry, all unnecessary equipment and sensors were removed to save weight and extend operational range. Largely a support helicopter, it did carry two demountable 12.7mm, or .50 inch machine guns. This would be Alnus' first air vehicle, hopefully of many, which would drastically improve their operational capabilities here, Blake had heard that the UN were also considering full sized drones for the future as well, but he had nothing to do with that.

As soon as the trucks had arrived engineers and crew moved quickly to demount the helicopter to begin assembly as soon as possible. Air trials would come next, and that would have to be done as soon as possible, UN forces were already deployed and Corporal Blake knew that air capability would be crucial as the convoy moved further and further away from the base, and closer towards hostile territories and forces.

[Malshan]

Ranger
The Thorn Barrier

Ranger kept his composure as the giant came pounding up to the wall, ignoring it as he watched the otherworldly beings' metal monsters roar to a halt some distance away. Behind his helmet, the wolfman grimaced, momentarily wondering how these newcomers could send so many soldiers out into the field without compromising the security of their base.

Then a dwarf appeared, sliding down off of the giant and approaching the Apostle. The two exchanged words in what sounded like Imperial to Ranger's ear; he wasn't used to the language since he hadn't used it in nearly a hundred years. It seemed to have changed quite a bit since then.

The two finished their conversation and the giant began picking its way across Ranger's barrier. He let it go, knowing it to be a native of the current world. It was with the newcomers that his interest and concerns lay. The dwarf approached him, turning the foreign-sounding language on Ranger's ears. He spoke in a congenial manner, seeming to greet the wolfman and introduce himself. Then he said "Alnus" - a word that sounded the same in most languages in this world - and Ranger bowed his head, stepping back and drawing an arrow from his baldric quiver. He raised it high into the air over the dwarf, then plunged it down heavily.

The arrow, matching the dwarf's spear in length, sank into the ground between the two, seeming to be a gesture of conference. Ranger released his grip slowly and stepped back. The Apostle's armor accents flared green as he drew upon his magicks, flowing the power toward his jaw and throat.

Ranger spoke in the tongue of Wareharun's Courts, sounding like little more than the wind rustling leaves on a summer day to those without a connection to the realm. His voice boomed out, reaching the metal monsters with hardly a decrease in intensity. The words, little more than gibberish to untrained ears, sounded clearly in the minds of all those present.

"Travelers from lands unknown. Soldiers of a foreign army. Come thou seeking conquest?"


A distinct feeling of invasion pervaded his mind as he felt other natives in the forest groves around him. He devoted only the minimal amount of attention to them, noting their presence as only a minute object of interest. They were human, but that seemed to be all he could tell. With a flick of a clawed finger, he sent his eagle pair off to scout the surrounding area.

[New Antonalia]

Lt. Price
Alnus Region
M3 Bradley ACAV

"Alright, load HE-F into the Autocannon and prep the TOWs, we're being ordered to move up to about 100 meters away from that roadblock. Once we get there, activate the loud speakers, I want to give the poor sonsabitches a chance to consider all their options." Lt. Price said over the internal radio frequency as his Bradley roared into gear and maneuvered around the rest of the convoy, moving up with the Iveco. "Also, should we start shooting, watch your fire, we don't want write any condolence letters."

The Bradley stopped just shy of 100 meters and trained it's 30mm Autocannon on the wall. "Captain, this is Lt. Price, we are sitting at 100 meters in front of the roadblock and have unknown combatants manning it. What are your orders, over?" He asked, radioing back to the command vehicle.

[Nations United for Conquest]

Capt. Alois Fischer
Recon-1
-50km North of Alnus, Roadblock

---

Despite the miss-match combination of nationalities present in the Recon party, there was a surpring quickness to the reaction times of every member of the convoy. Within seconds of his order, the party had dismounted, for the the most part, and had begun to setup somewhat of a defensive line containing the vehicles of the convoy. The Bradley had taken the lead position in the formation, leaving its right side to face down the path, taking up a large portion of the path. The ground around the road, while somewhat grassy, was level enough to provide adiquite space for the Ivecos to span out along the flanks. The large turret of the Bradley was the first thing to move, as its large barrel flashed in the sun during its rotation. It was facing headlong down towards the wall, threatening to obliterate anything or anyone foolish enough to make the wrong step towards the group. They had put a good distance of around 100 meters between themselves and the roadblock, but if the gaint was anything to go off, it wasn't to much of a stretch to imagine someone or something in these lands could close that distance quickly. Though it would be likely anything attempting such a move would be mowed down immediatly.

Most of the convoy had taken their positions in a kind of fanning formation to aline themselves with the vehicles, their main source of cover at the moment. The area they had picked was quite well supported, as there wasn't much cover for moving far ahead. A small forrest had begun to spring up near the barricade, but from the convoy's position there was nothing but flat plains extending until they reached the mountains to the East or past the horizon to the West. It made it unlikely any such attack would come from such locations, as while there was some grass, it barely stretched up to most of the members of the squad. And while the enemy may have tried to crawl, from what Alois had observed it wasn't the easiest thing do to with the armor provided to the soldiers he had encountered. Thus, only a few soldiers had taken positions on the flanks, making sure that there would be no flanks. If the enemy was to emerge from anywhere it would likely be from the woods directly ahead of them. The only figure near the wall appeared to be alone, but shade of the trees prevented any accurate read out of what could be lurking around in the forrest.

Those who had not taken positions off to the side of the convoy were finding whatever sort of cover they could positioned towards the front. Some had resorted to gathering themselves into the cabs of the Ivecos, leaning out of the windows, guns in hand to try and get an accurate angle on the roadblock. Most however simply had taken positions behind the bodies, or under them for that matter, with the except of the Bradley. Alois himself was positioned towards the front side of the Iveco, sandwiched near the Bradley. His rifle was laying to his side, as he was carrying a pair of binoculars, attempting to get a survey of the situtation at hand. The two natives that had rushed ahead still appeared to be speaking with the figure standing guard, or it would seem, near the base of the roadblock. It was then that suddenly one of the natives had rushed off from the others, passing over the roadblock and disappearing further into the forrest that lay beyond. Alois grinded his teeth and let out a small sigh. They were supposed to stay with the convoy, and he could only hope they hadn't done anything to rash.

The rest of the scene looked fairly normal and not much had changed. The wall itself was easier to see, as it now seemed to have warped and extended in a curse to connect with the rest of the the forrest. Infact it almost appeared to be attached to the trees, as part of the wall seemed to be murging with that of the surrounding forrest. There was no doubt in Alois mind that they were now working with some sort of magic user. No structure such as this could have been built by human hands, and looksing at the size, even more unlikely in the short amount of time it took the convoy to reach the area where they were positioned. One way or another the group was expected to arrive at this location. How it was found they were here and reported back to whatever force may have been waiting in the forrest, without a radio of course, was a topic for another moment of discussion. Yet if any such force was to be waiting in the forrest, or at least in league with whoever was incharge of creating the wall was sure taking their time in preparing an attack against the convoy. Look at his watch it was revealed they had already been waiting for around 10 minutes, and it had been around 20 since the wall had first been spotted by one the soldiers. It could be perhaps they were waiting for an open moment, but the convoy provided little support to those that were outside of the vehicles, as most of the convoy was at the moment. Just as Alois prepared to speak out a voice crackled across the radio. There was a slight Japanese accent, likely someone tacted on last minute.

Surrounding area is prime for native hit-and-run. Maps aren't good here... too basic. If we dismount everyone, we need eyes around. IFV firing may cause fire and more damage, C4 even worse. Better off trying to push through it with the Bradley... or taking the quiet route. Or perhaps we want to cause trouble... my only advice.

The man made good points, but plans were already set in motions, and even if Alois were to consider possibly using such ideas it was well past the point they could be inplemented. It was true the maps weren't good, there was little that could be done about that for the moment being. Hopefully they'd get some recon drones, or at the very least some scout helicopters up in the air soon to figure all this crap out. As much as Alois would have liked to calmly move through the forrest and keep a low profile, it looked as if such plans wouldn't work out. They had already been spotted, and had no chance of moving past this point without being seen. It may have been easier to perhaps take out the figure at the wall, but he wanted to know what the convoy was up against. The figure hadn't made an moves, nor had additional forces seemed to arrive, giving off a far from friendly, but not inheriently hostile feeling. Lowering his binoculars onto the hood of the Iveco, he reached towards his radio still positioned on his shoulder and spoke into it, "I appreacite your suggestion, but the time for quite is a bit far gone. We don't know what this wall is made of, or how its here. Better safe than sorry when it comes to dealing with the desctruction of this "thing" He took a pause, "Besides, Bradley's haven't had the best luck with barbed wire in my experience. And a broken Bradely...Lots of paperwork"

Alois barely had time to click off the radio on his shoulder when the next stream of noise came passing through. This time it belonged to the commander of the Bradely, speak of the devil, who was requesting orders for what should be the next move. The commander had told of the succesful preperations as order to see that the Bradley was in position for whatever the situtation might throw at it. The cannon at the front could easily cut down forces that may try to make a move, although the risk for potential friendly fire was high, due to the fact one of the "friendly" natives was standing no more than a few meters away from the figure who appeared to be guarding the wall. The TOW missiles, while controlable, likely wouldn't fair much better in preventing possibly friendly fire and would likely only make it worse. Thus Alois again picked up the radio, "For now, hold position and keep sights fixed on the wall and surrounding areas. If any forces try to rush us, I want to be prepared to get rid of them before they get to close to our position, over" He now returned to watching over the situtation developing at the wall. As he again focused in on the all he was able to notice some sort of a confrontation had taken place between the figure and the other native. A single arrow had been arched over the to an area roughly between the two. It was hopefully a sign of some sort of agreement, but they were too far away to understand what they might be saying, not that anyone of them was fluent in Imperial.

Immediatly after witnessing such things, Alois bit his tongue. The figure at the wall had raised his head, and extended his body as if to gather some sort of strength. Perhaps in a similar way to how he had seen althlets prepare and stretch before a match or practice. Yet as he finished his movements a loud sound pierced through the air, somehow managing to over power even the noises of his own thoughts and the crackling of the radio as someone would speak. The shear volume of the words caught him more off guard than the actual meaning, as he couldn't understand them. The sound coming from the wall sound much more like a growling or even snarling noise, than it did of a langugue, yet it felt that there was some meaning behind the sounds. As Alois looked around him there was still no sign of the translator he had requested Dima bring to him. He shook his head and let out a small grunt, looking around for the native, someone who would likely be easy to spot amoung the green uniforms of the others. He picked up the radio yet again, only a few seconds after the voice had rung out across the convoy, "Lt. Price, get those speakers up and running. I think its about time we sent out a message to our "friend." He paused for a moment turning off radio and glancing around, Where the hell could Dima and the Orisa be...

Look down at his wrist he took a look at his watch. The hands read out at 14:24. They had already spent a good twenty minutes here, and although there was still at least another good 4 hours until night fall, he wanted this situtation over with soon. All he need was the damn natives...

[Bentus]

Osira Yamasee
UN Recon Convoy
26 March 2017

---

The UN soldiers burst into action as soon as the convoy ground to a halt. Even before the Ivekos had come to a complete stop, doors were swung open as the men and women rushed into their defensive formation. Osira tried to follow the words that were being flung back and forth across the radio, but it was the still-silent thundersticks of the Earthers that told her it was not an Imperial patrol they had run into. If it wasn’t the Empire who they had encountered then, what had brought the convoy to a standstill? As the Bradley moved into position, and out of the windscreen of Osira’s Iveko, the blockade itself finally came into view. Osira squinted as she tried to make out the details of the distant object, at first not trusting her eyes.

“Ma’am, your presence is requested by Captain Fischer at the lead vehicle.”

The Green Priest nodded in silence, quickly grabbing her Taldani as she did so. Her eyes remained riveted to the twisted bark and thorns of the barrier as well as to the towering figure that stood before it. She exited the vehicle slowly, the chaotic movements of the Earthers and the yelled orders of their superiors melting away into white noise. The strange creature gripped her attention. Its armour was like nothing she had ever seen, the dull green emanating from it standing her hairs on edge. It towered over both the dwarf and the barrier, menacing in its appearance. She could feel the weight of a powerful magic, more powerful that she thought was possible, but it felt restrained, subdued beneath the surface. The magic was present, but unobtrusive, imposing, but not oppressive. It reminded her of the World Forest, that feeling of the ever present-mind in the background whenever she connected to her Taldani. It felt alive.

The sudden thwack of the arrow nearly caused Osira to jump in surprise, the sharp sound thrusting her back into the present. She looked around in confusion, as if remembering where she was. How long had she been standing motionless, lost within her own thoughts? Osira’s eyes narrowed at the distant figures in front of the barrier, the giant apparently having vanished at some point. She could just make out the length of the arrow sticking out from the ground, almost unnoticeable from so far away. She could have sworn that she had heard it strike right between her feet!

That was when the creature spoke.

It growled and snarled, its voice like that of a wild animal or a beast that haunted the nightmares of children. The intensity was immediate, the volume as if it were standing right before her, but Osira strangely felt at ease with the guttural words. The Earthers seemed as taken aback as her, having heard the exact same thing and yet perhaps even less prepared. Osira heard the Captain bark out some new orders to his men, but felt a sense of unease rising in her chest. The words and sounds of the creature had been nothing but noise, incoherent and alien to her ears. And yet she had understood.

“He wishes to know if you come as invaders.”

How had she understood? Osira could feel her nerves on edge. This was certainly not a language that she had encountered during her training as an acolyte, and yet it felt warm and familiar – even if she had no idea how to speak it. The young girl turned to the Captain.

“I do not think that he means us any harm.”

[Zjaum]

He raised it high into the air over the dwarf, then plunged it down heavily.

The arrow, matching the dwarf's spear in length, sank into the ground between the two, seeming to be a gesture of conference. Ranger released his grip slowly and stepped back. The Apostle's armor accents flared green as he drew upon his magicks, flowing the power toward his jaw and throat.

Ranger spoke in the tongue of Wareharun's Courts, sounding like little more than the wind rustling leaves on a summer day to those without a connection to the realm. His voice boomed out, reaching the metal monsters with hardly a decrease in intensity. The words, little more than gibberish to untrained ears, sounded clearly in the minds of all those present.

"Travelers from lands unknown. Soldiers of a foreign army. Come thou seeking conquest?"

Well, Haapsalu couldn't understand a word of what the wolf said, but he sure knew how to make an entrance.

Haapsalu, making his best attempt at seeming unfazed, took a brief look at the wolfman's arrow. He tried pulling it out of the ground, to no avail. He bent it ever so slightly to the left and right. The center of mass and the balance point were all off, in a way that the acute eye of the dwarf could recognize but that the giant eye of the giant could not. And don't even get him started on the spine! He looked back at the wolf, speaking in Imperial just in case he could still understand. "You have shit tastes in arrows. I presume you have another ace up your sleeve, like the eagle that just flew off there. Otherwise, we could just plow right through it!"

Then he heard Osira mumbling something in the car behind him.

“He wishes to know if you come as invaders.”

How had she understood? Osira could feel her nerves on edge. This was certainly not a language that she had encountered during her training as an acolyte, and yet it felt warm and familiar – even if she had no idea how to speak it. The young girl turned to the Captain.

“I do not think that he means us any harm.”

Ah, so that's what he meant. He looked back up at the wolf, smiling. "That's the funniest thing about them! They have people within their ranks that prevent them from conquest! Something called a "Le-gol A-ta-zjay," which makes sure that they can't harm a hair on someone's head, or at least without specific orders from a higher-up! It's hilarious!"

All this time, Haapsalu maintained a sturdy one-handed grasp on his spear, but now he sent it into the dirt. "However, I and the humans behind me would very much like to do away with this barrier. Could you retract it?"


Okoya had decided to press on, but a long walk with no signs of success or change disheartened her and forced her to reconsider her decision. She continued to press forward regardless.

She broke a branch on a tree at every crossroads at her eye level in order to mark her way back, so she was confident in her path home. She noticed, however, a cadre of fully-equipped Imperial soldiers, apparently waiting commands. Okoya knew that this spelled nothing but bad news, and she decided to rush back as quickly, and silently, as possible, before they could notice her.

[British Prussia]

Corporal Alexander Blake, NZDF-UN
Alnus Hill, UN Forward Operating Base

Watching the two military trucks come through the gate sure was a sight to behold, but something that didn’t occupy much of Corporal Blake’s time, nor the remnant forces at Alnus. Everybody did know what it represented though, the expansion of UN presence.

To pass the time, Alexander made some tea at the common area, Mariage Frères. Alexander had two selections, teas from New Zealand and Formosa. The latter was saved for extra special occasions. “Corporal, what do you think of this place, you were in Afghanistan weren’t you?” Alexander looked at the Private who’d asked. It was a fair question. “I didn’t spend much time in Iraq, I got in whilst the others were leaving. Alnus certainly seems much less dangerous, but I felt the same way about Afghanistan too...” not wanting to worry the Private, the Corporal added “I really wouldn’t worry about it, these natives don’t even know how to make an I.E.D., you’ll feel much more like a conquering colonial power, something many who went to Afghanistan would’ve preferred.”

Lance-Corporal Alexander Blake, NZDF
Operation Herrick, Afghanistan

“What’s happening?” Asked Lance-Corporal Blake. “Mate, ever since the Kiwi’s posted you here you’ve been bitching about everything.” the Lieutenant replied “You want to know? You’re a signaller, you have bloody binoculars.” Lance-Corporal Blake smiled at his British superior’s short-temperedness. “What do you see?” the Lieutenant asked Blake. “Looks like some Taliban activity, thought we knocked off all the buggers already... Doesn’t quite look like you’ve got a shot from here sir, bit far, even for you.” the Lieutenant bit his lip. “Well, we can’t let them block off the road.” the Lieutenant peered through his sniper rifle’s scope. “But yes, Lance-Corporal you’re correct, they’re out of reach.” his reply come out quite irritably. “Come on.” the Lieutenant nudged “I’ve got to get into a better position, there’s a small hill over there. Let’s go.” the Lieutenant jumped up and set off at a steady pace down from their elevated position. “Fuck, wait up!” the Lance-Corporal called after the marksman officer. He was just about to run after him when the sound of an explosion instinctively made him stop and scan the area “Mortar!” Alexander yelled. Looking at where the Lieutenant was, the Lance-Corporal could only see smoke. Fuck! Mine strike! running towards the smoke Lance-Corporal Blake spoke as calm as possible on the radio “Papa Two, this is Papa Five Bravo...”

Corporal Alexander Blake, NZDF-UN
Alnus Hill, UN Forward Operating Base

“An arrow to the leg is better than stepping on a mine. Trust me.” Alexander smiled. “Now I’ve got better things to do than just sit here and talk to men who barely even got their first stripe.” Suppressing thoughts about Afghanistan, both the good and the bad, Corporal Blake finished off half his cup and gave the rest to Aeneas, a shower and wetshave would do him good.

Alnus engineers, mechanics, and technician crews worked quickly to ensure rapid deployment of the NH90 assembling it as quickly as possible, and within hours the aircraft was ready for testing. Corporal Blake was chosen to be one of the two pilots of the aircraft, he used to fly missions on three and four-ton light helicopters. Usually the other men of the squad would pick other specialties, such as driving, or the operation of boats. Corporal Blake’s was flying helicopters, and lockpicking. His skills in combat would also be useful, if the door guns needed to be operated. This would be his first time however, operating the much larger and heavier NH90. Not only was size an issue, but also the operation of extra controls and sensors. “Corporal Blake? She’s almost ready for us now, I’m running the flight checks, if you’ll join me.” Apart from the recognisable flag on the uniform, the accent was instantly recognisable. “I’m Pilot Officer, 2LT Bruce Gosban by the way, I don’t believe we’ve met yet, I just came from the other side.” Corporal Blake stepped inside the helicopter, and made his way into the cockpit before replying. “Corporal Alexander Blake, NZSAS, specialist in a few fields, one of them, piloting much smaller and lighter aircraft.” The Australian pilot officer smiled “You can’t be all that bad, you specced her out didn’t you?” Corporal Blake strapped himself in before noticing that Aeneas had followed him inside the helicopter. “And he’s Lieutenant Colonel Aeneas, a Dutch Sheperd who really should be having any business in a test flight. Go on, get out of here!” the dog followed his master’s wishes, clearly quite reluctantly. “But yes, I did fill out the requirements. Easy enough.”

“Faster we get this done, the faster we can give the boys at the front air support aye?” Gosban observed. Corporal Blake gave a thumbs up whilst looking at the instruments. “All green here.” “Roger that soldier-boy. Engines on.” The helicopter’s rotors started to spin. “Revolutions good, everything’s fine.” “Understood increasing power. Lift.” The NH90 ascended from the landing area. “We have lift.” “20m all good mate, switching to autopilot” Immediately after activating autopilot, the helicopter began to violently lose control “Fuck she’s fighting me, countering.” “Turning autopilot off.” Corporal Blake reached for the autopilot button. “TURN IT OFF!” “Autopilot’s off. We’re too low. We need more lift!” “Let me get control first.” “What the fuck, watch your tail rotors! Tail-strike!” “I’ve got her. We've got lift. We’re good mate...”

Later.

“Err... Do you think the Colonel would notice?” the pilot officer asked. “I think he might, bro.” the roof of the Colonel’s tent had been sheared in half from the NH90’s tail-rotors, completely exposing it to the elements. “Still, wasn’t our fault, the technicians probably assumed that autopilot would work here the same as autopilot at home and didn’t bother to do any calibrations.” The Corporal commented. “Yes, that may seem to be the case, mate... Should be an easy fix. I’m sure they’re doing a complete check now...”

[Nations United for Conquest]

Capt. Alois Fischer
-50km North of Alnus
Roadblock

---

The situtation had seemed to stabilze quute a but between the time of the intal contact with the figure, somewhere aorund 14:04 hours. Since then there had appeared to be somewhat of an exchange of words between to two, bothing Alois could make out from this distance. Not that it mattered much. He assumed they would be talking in Imperial, and while he had begun to pick up scattered words here and there from the locals and the few prisoners actually held on base, for questioning purposes, but he was far from fluent. All he could do was watch and hope everything continued down the steady path it had carved between the natives. There was a moment of stillness in the air during the arrow incident, but such fears had subdoed as the pair began to discuss, what Alois could only assume was the arrow, due to the movements of the closer native seemingly struggling to free the arrow from its place in the grown. The native had shown quite a bit of strength around the base and it was almost strange to see the man struggling with what seemed to be a simple stock of wood extending from the ground. Alois glanced over at his rifle, now laying agianst one of the tires. It'd likely be simplier to remove the figure from the all and have Dima blow open a hole in the wall, but they weren't hear to hunt exotic natives, so perhaps it was best to wait, espically since the figure had made contact with them. His train of thought, however, was broken as a soft voice appear behind him.

He wishes to know if you come as invaders

The voice belong to a young girl who had found he place behind him, the looming figure of a much taller Sergeant Dima towering over her. His form was even larger than that of Alois, who himself stood at around 1.8 meters. As Alois turned to face her she appeared to be staring off in the direction of the wall, though he for some reason was unable to track her eyes to whatever target she had found. Likely as there was non. The girl seemed a little lost in her own words. It wasn't quite if as she did not fully believe in her ability to understand the topic, thought it seemed the context perhaps worried her. Maybe even the voice, which her eyes might have lead was somewhat familiar to her ears, yet her mind had yet to fully grip such a revelation. Perhaps it was a friend or a traveler she had met, but again her eyes were filled with wonder and fear, not joy or thought. It was an almost puzzling reaction to Alois. But at the very least he could have some understanding of why the creature was there. Perhaps they were entering his home? Alois moved his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by the words of girl, who had now turned, fully adressing him.

I do not think that he means us any harm

This time the words flowed stronger from the girls mouth, more confident in her abilities then at the first hearing of the figures words. Despite this, there was a bit of hesitation as she spoke. Something as if she weren't entirely trusting in her words, and equally fearful of the actions that such words might bring. It was well known the natives on the base had been weary around the armed soldiers that could be found patrolling with weapons in full view. Many of the natives on the base were survivors of the intal fighting, Alois knew for certian the girl currently talking to him was. He had seen her on the intal night of the fighting, trying to hide in the crumbling ruins of the Imperial camp, and could very well be scared of a repeat of that night. He couldn;t blame her though. He had run into soldiers with PTSD during his off time in Germany, and even had a few run ins with it himself, though they had gotten better over time. The sound was likely not something they were akin to either. As the girl finished talking Alois raised his head to meet her gaze. She was bearing down on him, serious shining out of them like rays of sun, yet the sight of fear hung behind, like a rain cloud that threatened to burst.

Alois turned to stare out at the pair of natives still dilberating near the wall. Not much had changed, luckily, still leaving him time to get things sorted out and turning his way. At least prevent anything that may result in anyone in the party reciving an unneeded injury. It was anyways guess how far the figures magic would be able to reach and at what power. The sources of magic in this word seemed to be far and few between when it came to similar spells, so to speak, and no definmative briefing had been given regarding such. Mainly because there was so little information, due in part to the Imperial armies appearing to be made up of non-magic users, with the exception of possibly Orisa, although it wouldn't seem she was part of the Imperial Army from what he was told by the others. He himself hadn't much time to speak with her, but he knew all too well from experience how important a friendly native could be in a situtation such as this, and given there were no other Imperial speakers currently with the group, he silent cursed this fact, he had to trust what she said. But that didn't mean he'd take percautions of his own to ensure nothing bad happened.

He now stood, taking another look back at the wall he now turned to face Dima and Orisa. Standing at his full height, he was required to crane hi neck down a slight bit to meet eye with the girl, though Dima was still a bit taller than him, making communication on that level much easier. He tunred now to face the young Sergeant, his face hardned like those around him, though he could detect a bit of excitement in the light grin that had grown across his face. And rightfully so, as even Alois himself was a bit excited to finally be back in the seat of combat after spending over a month sitting around base doing nothing, as strange that might seem to some of the UN personal on base. They probably simply waved them off as bloody hungry murders who the native must have been thankful the UN kept on a leash, well used to at least. He look down towards the side of the Sergeant, where a small sliver of white was poking from within. It was the block of requested C4 and by the looks of it, a fairly good chunk. Alois gave the man a simple nod, to which he provided one in return before hurrying to find a position amoung the convoy. Alois now turned to the side of the Iveco where his rilfe lay.

On his orginal deployment he had come over to Sweden with a G28 and most of his gear from the KSK still intact. He was after all just coming back from a deployment, only to be thrusted into another one. But upon learning he'd be command a regular squad, not even a fully German one, as some British and Swedish soldiers had inched their way in. Just another example of the shit show that was the UN trying to organize such a thing. It may have been better to let the Swedish Military handle more of these logistics and deployments rather than the UN, but that was just his opinion. As he learned of his new role, he had lead squads in the past, usually recon however, and was quick to change his G28 over for a better susitue of a HK417, a rifle he was still carrying with him. The team already had two snipers and the squad leader acting as one would only further complicate things. As he reached down, he flicked the release switch of the magezine, allowing to drop into his had. Happy with the ammo count he replaced it, pulled the cokcing hammer, and put the sling on. He now turned to Orisa, who had shrank a bit, likely due to his actions. He tried to put on a smile, reassuring her, and asked her to follow him as they made their way towards the Bradley. Upon arriving he instructed her to wait while he climbed on top.

The turret of the Bradley had been ordered to face off towards the wall, making the task of climbing aboard the beast a bit of a struggle. But eventually Alois managed, landing himself near the commanders hatch of the vehicle. It was alread open, likely to take a chance to flush out the smell of sweating soldiers, and to provide some air for the crew who were now trapped in the vehicle with nothing to do but wait. Looking over the edge of the hatch he could just make out the heads of a few of the crew, in particular Lt. Price, the Bradley's commander. Yelling down for Lt. Price he asked for a certian radio, "Lt. Price, its Fischer. Hand up the radio. I have a message for our friend, full volume" Within minute the small radio was handed up to him, as the Lt finished setting up whatever need to be for the speakers. Carefully climbing down he placed the radio on the side of the Bradley, then reaching into one of the pockets on his vest retrieved a small binocular looking device, and began pearing through it, letting out a statifying grunt, as he placed the small device back into his hold space. He climbed onto the front, though from it position it would be the right flank, of the Bradley. He rested his rifle to the side and now turned to Orisa who was stationed near the radio.

"I want you to introduce yourself, and that you are with us. Then I need you to repeat what I say in Imperial" He looked at her straight on, "Do you understand?" She seemed to give a slight nod of understanding and picked up the end of the mic, as she had likely seen so many of the soldiers do before throughout the base and just off hand for the mission. Alois now grabbed the rifle resting it between his legs, and turned to speak towards Orisa, "We do not wish to harm you, and will not if you co-operate" He took a pause to allow her translate the words through to Imperial before continuing. He now laid his legs out infront of him, bring one of his knees up across the other, resting the spaces created by rifles bipod he began to look down range towards the wall, getting an accurate fix on the position of the figure. Finding a resting spot on the targets head, he shifted the barrel upwards and too the right, aiming towards a large tree off to the side of the figure. With the simple pull of his ringer the air was filled with a thunder crack as a 7.62x51mm round flew down range in a wild arch far from the figures body. He now spoke quickly to Orisa, "That was a warning shot. We ask you place your weapon on the ground and state why you have stopped us. If you fail to do the next shot will not miss"

He now turned to fully face Orisa, nodding to let her now that was all he intended to say. He now lowered his own rifle instead grabbing his own radio and calmly relaying additional orders, "Kennedy, Riku, the targert is 112ms out. The wind is 2km/h coming from the East. If he raises his weapon to use, makes an attack on the dwarf or attempts to charge our position, drop him." He now raised his own rifle, centering in on the center mass of the target, awaiting its next moves, and hopefully its reply. He'd hate to have to kill the first native they came across, espically one that seemed to posses such power. It was likely there would be some kind of knowledge he possed of the local surroundings, something incredibly valuable to them at the moment. Though it was no time to take such risks, espically with Imperial forces likely lurking around outside of Alnus. Even if Orisa was truely right, it was a bit worrysome he would try to obstructe the path of the convoy in such a way, not to mention the advanced knowledge of their arrival. All he, and the rest of the squad could do, was patiently wait.

[Malshan]

Ranger
Thorn Wall

Ranger snapped his head up as he heard a thunderous cracking sound, recoiling as though he himself had been shot as he felt the projectile penetrate through a tree, and zeroed in on the source of the noise. His eyes focused on Fischer, and he spoke once more in the guttural language that came so easily to him. "Violate the laws of conference, do you? Make not enemies of the Apostle of Wareharun." The words flowed across the convoy with the same ease as before. This time, they carried a much stronger tone to them. Gone was the gentle whisper of the wind stirring the branches of the trees. These words conveyed a sense of foreboding; the whispers of wind that precedes a storm. The smell of ozone filled the air.

The wolfman yanked the arrow from the ground and laid it on the bow, not yet drawing it. He outstretched a claw, green energy flowing down his gauntlet and coalescing at the tip. Ranger gently drew his claw through the air, dissipating the energy in the form of glowing green petals. The petals alighted on an un-felt wind, stirring and flowing towards the convoy. They swirled around Fischer for several moments before passing him; the petals began caressing each of the vehicles and dismounted soldiers and natives. As they touched exposed flesh, the petals emitted a sense of serenity and peace, carrying Ranger's greetings and pleas.

Ranger dropped his claw, allowing the petals to fade away. Keeping the arrow nocked, yet undrawn, the wolfman began walking toward the convoy slowly. He ignored the dwarf, who kept babbling in that language so foreign to him. As he approached, Ranger felt the eyes of the thundersticks track him. Instinctively, his eyes flared and sparked, bleeding power as the magicks reinforced his armor. To the magically sensitive, it would seem as though the magicks tripled in intensity; wards and charms layered themselves over the armor, toughening the wood and filling the gaps between the sliding plates with resin. The sweet scent of pine filled the air.

The Apostle closed the gap to approximately eighty meters, then stopped for a moment to put the arrow back into his quiver and to sling the bow over his shoulder. It would be next to useless at a range this close anyway. With his weapons stowed, Ranger continued his slow march toward the convoy.

What appeared to be the leader kept speaking to him, its words meaning nothing to him. Suddenly, his eyes focused on something just beyond the leader. A small girl, standing behind the leader, clutching a small tree. Ranger stopped moving immediately, now at about fifty meters, cocking his head to the side slightly.

Stretching a single claw out toward the female, Ranger spoke a single word in Imperial. "Taldani." He then swapped back to his own language. "Bearer of the sacred tree, mortal acolyte to the Emerald Mother, and sapling of the Forest. Speak and be recognized. Your Mother and her servant await thee." With these words spoken, Ranger knelt on one knee, stretching out an armored paw toward the Taldani.

[Zjaum]

Haapsalu was disappointed when the wolf took out the arrow; it made a much finer resting pole than an actual arrow. Further, the petals spawned by the wolf seemed to pass him and head straight to the convoy. Even if the petals did pass by him, it would take more intricate magic than that to sway him. What did phase Haapsalu, however, was the wolf-man's gesture of fealty to Osira. He stuck his spear in the ground and leaned against it. Hmph. He's stupid enough not to know the tongue of the realm, he's stupid enough to use a bow and arrow without any proper knowledge of arrows, and apparently he's stupid enough to confuse a girl with a plant as a queen. Well, at least he's consistently dumb.

Haapsalu called back to Osira. "So, when you're done being fawned over, could you tell Sir Wolf here to lower the barrier? I'm sure the foreigners would quite like to get moving..."

At this point, Okoya returned, gasping for breath once more. Her head and torso popped over the barrier, and she opened her mouth: "Heh... heh... Sorry, I... heh..."

Haapsalu waited patiently as Okoya caught her breath. He needed something to distract him from his worst nightmare: the emotional, gullible elf-wannabe being treated at a higher status than he was. He called out to the foreigners in English: "Hello! Okoya has important news. Wouldn't be out of breath otherwise. Come, come!" Again, anything to distract.

Okoya took a few more seconds to catch her breath before speaking. She wanted to speak in English, but she didn't think she could communicate clearly, tired as she was, if she needed to translate her journey. She decided to speak in Quuzj'mit: "There is a large number of Imperial soldiers a few miles away."

"What?! What for? Patrol?"

"I don't know, but they sure are better equipped than the average patrol!"

"Well, how fast are they approaching?"

"They weren't moving when I saw them, and I don't think they saw me. Okay, I think I;ve finished everything." Okoya took another moment to catch her breath again.

Haapsalu turned back towards the foreigners. "There are a number of well-armed Imperial soldiers only a few miles up ahead. They have not marched yet, but they could soon."

He took his spear out of the dirt and readied it for action. "Okoya, you might want to get soldiers over the barrier, in case the wolf-man can't retract his barrier."

Okoya nodded and stepped over the barrier. Whatever happened, however tired she was, she knew she must be ready for anything. The past season had especially proven that.

[Seluca]

Kimaru Riku
Recon Convoy
Status: Deployed and Fit-for-Duty

With confirmation they were too close, all Riku could do was silently partake in the observations. A soft footfall sounded as he dismounted fully, the Japanese peacekeeper taking a more direct position as the SMG was let to go slack with its strap around one shoulder. An order to fire if they were threatened had come out, and the marksman was bringing the M24 around and into both hands. A check of the safety, as he moved toward the hood of the Iveco he had rode in, was all he needed. Deploying a bipod slung along the bottom of the weapon, Riku propped it across the vehicle's front and readied it. The target was using some form of magic, obvious by the strange sensations in the air. A natural peace that flowed through the nature-lover... one that he could appreciate even if he didn't understand.

"Acquired," he said with a brief press to the radio while lowering and aligning to ensure bead-accurate tracking on their assigned target as he lowered to kneel, "Range set."

Right hand flexing his grip instinctively, the left tightened a secondary grip along the vehicle. Magic was something that he knew nothing about, but it was something that this world could utilize as a near substitute for some of their modern technologies. A 7.62 could drop most men, but who knew what kind of monster the target was with magic or possibly something else beneath that skin. Even with a shot dead-center through where the heart might be, there was no certainty in his mind that his target would go down. That alone made the soldier release the vehicle and instead double-down his weapon's grip by securing the barrel from below. If he fired, he needed to be able to handle the bolt and prepare to fire again.

"These natives aren't too different than a fox... cunning and simply living in their element. It would be a shame to have to kill one like this beast of a being..." It was a mumble to himself, knowing that releasing or trying to grasp his radio would be too much motion for the prepared marksman. Even that mumble along, long as it was, forced him to re-steady the rifle and sight himself back in on the target. It was a waiting game to see if any effort was taken to pull out a weapon or if they were ordered to neutralize the different language-speaking Special Region native.

[Kassaran]

Thompson
Vehicle 3 of Convoy
Somewhere south of Italica, Imperial Lands

The world had quickly gone dark inside the back of the rearmost Iveco that the sergeant had entered. Of course, others piled on, but he was within the wire and the risk assessment for the mission was moderate, the lowest he’d seen since… 2009? Maybe later. He mentally shrugged to himself as he settled down inside the crew cabin, the ESR he had slung across his chest, he let dangle loosely between his legs where he sat. The barrel, nestled against the crook of his knee, drifted lazily from side to side like a pendulum as the Ivecos took out over the rough country. The suspension on these were considerably better than some of the technical that the soldier had ridden in on the get go for years.

As he sat there, lazily drifting in and out of consciousness in the back of the vehicle, he kept an ear out for trouble, but unless he was called on specifically, he wasn’t leaving the safety of the vehicle. He was a marksman and as far as he was considered, he’d be best used as a scout more than anything. They’d been driving for just short of an hour, maybe considerably less than that, he wasn’t sure, when the Ivecos came to a rolling halt. Debris, or some sort of washout or crossroads. To be expected as he’d been briefed. There was nothing unusual about it, the sound of some sort of distant and rumbling thunder or growling dimly made its way through the armored sides of the Ivecos, but thunder was to be expected.

Weather, however, didn’t warrant what happened next as a sudden gunshot rang out and the distinctive sound sent the sergeant’s eyes to fly open. Hands on his weapon immediately, he groaned minorly as he swung himself up and out of his seat and quickly dismounted the Iveco. Weapon dropping into place to level at the beast standing at the front of the convoy, he pushed the surprise at the sheer titanic size of it out of his mind. It was, undulating, with energy. It was the only way to describe the inhuman movements and the green aura it shimmered faintly of. He quickly flicked his trigger hand to undo the safety. Weapon was hot yet nothing chambered yet.

Getting his bearings, the Dwarf was just past the beast, some twenty or some yards? He factored in the distance of the wall past the dwarf where the giantess was plodding about. Not much further. A massive bow sat in the hand of the beast and a similarly large quiver sat perched on its back. The armor appeared wooden, interesting, but nothing to be worried about as he pulled the zero on his rifle to the beast’s approximate distance. The captain atop the APC was busy shouting into the loudspeakers, but the dwarf apparently had lost control of the situation. The beast, moving up and past the dwarf, lifted a clawed hand and from about it, leaves of verdant hues seemed to drift on a non-existent wind.

As the beast walked forward, the leaves drifted towards the convoy, wafting in and out of the vehicles and pushing past each soldier. Some sort of magic again? Fuck this shit, this was a bit too much for the Sergeant. Even as he felt unease about the unnatural sight of the leaves, the sense of overwhelming calm and serenity began to come back over the veteran. He shuddered somewhere inside, he wasn’t calm right now, yet he couldn’t help but be calm. There was some sort of ominous sense of his own emotions being overridden and it was all due to the beast before him. Focusing, he began to think on the mission, his mission. Finger, gently tapping across the space atop the magazine well, it almost jumped to the well itself when the magic-weaving monster moved forward.

The sound of his bolt being pulled back and snapping back into place as he moved forward, he recognized the Imperial civilian girl whom had come along was in the open, next to one of the sergeants and another scout, the Japanese fellow if he recalled correctly. It was as the beast came to a stop and levelled a single gnarled hand in the direction of the girl that he cast a look at her and back towards it. Taldani. It was the name of something apparently associated with the green-skinned girl. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, had she brought on the beast?

Letting the weapon fall from high ready into a flat trajectory aimed for the center of mass for the beast, he pushed up and next to the scout, tapping him on his shoulder as he made his way around and under the barrel of the man, dropping to a knee in front of him, partially moving to put himself between the girl and the beast. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t going to attack without him putting up a fight. The Captain Fisher was on top of the IFV, the presence of it was comforting knowing that it alone probably would be all that was needed to ensure victory against the single undeclared, but the kneeling creature was still giving him something of an uneasy vibe. Would they actually be able to drop the target?

Head never leaving its place against his stock, heavy barrel levelled and centered on the beast, he suddenly heard the dwarf calling back from his spot over by the hedge, the giantess was now stepping over it and also beginning to head this way.

‘ There are a number of well-armed Imperial soldiers only a few miles up ahead. They have not marched yet, but they could soon.’

An encampment they’d not yet engaged? A rallying point for survivors? Deserters? They’d been briefed, or at least the agents deployed with him to Alnus, on the likelihood of the current political effects of the armies decimated in Stockholm, and around the GATE. If the information was anything to go on, they’d be rallying right now behind whatever warlords or commanders hadn’t been struck down by some or any miracle and preparing to strike again. Whatever the case, the need for a surgical strike could be present, if the soldiers did indeed present an encirclement threat once they entered the woods. The forest could be crawling with Imperial spies, never mind more of these beasts that seemed to be obsessed with entering and impeding the progress of the recce.

“Captain? We’ve not got a lot of time here to be playing these games with Groot over there.”

[Bentus]

Osira Yamasee
UN Recon Convoy
26 March 2017

---

Osira blinked, her eyes widening in surprise at the Apostle’s sudden action. She stood, frozen in shock at the dual revelation of the Apostle’s true nature and its gesture towards her. A wave of confusion washed over her features, her mind crashing to a halt as it struggled to interpret the input from her senses. She had felt the surge in energy as the creature had strode towards the convoy, seen the readied bow that hang a mere arm’s reach on his back. She had been terrified, certain that she would be caught between whatever powerful magics the warrior wielded and the weaponry of the UN. Instead, the Apostle had knelt. It had spoken.

Taldani.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Osira forced her paralysed limbs into action. Realising that she still held the voice-box from the Captain loosely in her hand, Osira lifted the device to her lips.

“We are all honoured to be in the presence of an Apostle of the Gods.” She spoke with words that she didn’t recognise, her mouth moving of its own accord to convey the meaning behind her thoughts. Before she continued, Osira bowed deeply, painfully aware of the immense power that the being before her must have at its disposal and how insignificant she was standing in its gaze. “My name is Osira Yamasee, of the Green Priests of Omashu. This is Captain Fischer of the U.N. He and his friends are visitors from another world, having ventured from the Gate at Alnus. I apologise for their actions and they do not seek conflict with yourself or your Mother.” Osira shifted uneasily, debating whether to pass on the Captain’s words in case they upset the Apostle. “They ask that you place your weapon on the ground, or they will assume that you mean to do harm.”

Osira had never been an especially devout follower of the Gods. She had paid tribute to the Shrines of course, and had attended the annual festivals in their honour, but she had never felt especially drawn to the strange, aloof beings that watched over the world. The Order taught that knowledge was the ultimate truth and accepted believers from all walks of life, but it was inevitable that worship of the Mother still dominate their ranks. As Haapsalu shouted his warning about the Imperial force, Osira felt the pressure of time begin to weigh down upon her. If the Imperials stumbled upon the recon force, then there would certainly be a battle. Swallowing nervously, Osira remembered the small idol of the Goddess that sat in her family home. The rituals and tributes had been chores and routines, never had she once expected to meet an Apostle face-to-face.

Overhearing Thompson’s comment to the Captain, Osira turned to look towards the Earther with a scowl. “He is not a Groot. He is an Apostle of Wareharun, Goddess of Nature and the Forests.” She turned to look towards Fischer with an almost pleading expression. “Sir Fischer, he is incredibly powerful – you mustn’t fight him or you will anger the Gods. Please tell everyone to lower their weapons, he doesn’t mean to do us any harm.” She turned back to the wolfman.

“Great Apostle, they are explorers and wish only to proceed with the permission of Wareharun. It was not our intention to disrespect the Goddess if we have in any way transgressed.”

[Malshan]

Ranger, Apostle of Wareharun

Ranger bristled as the convoy leapt into action, resisting the urge to arm himself once more. But he relaxed despite himself as the Forest around him rustled gently in the breeze, reminding him of the long years spent hibernating, of the peace and serenity he'd felt over the millennia while Wareharun kept him safe from harm within one of her children.

And then the bearer of the Taldani spoke in the language of the Courts, seemingly in awe at the ease of the words flowing from her mouth. Ranger cocked his head and swiveled his ears forward to catch the sound as it echoed, amplified by that strange little metal beast, off the walls of the Forest around them. The small human introduced itself and spoke of its Order. Ranger was well familiar with it; the Taldani were widespread, comprising nearly a third of the World's trees. The wolfman himself had visited their capital on several occasions, though he assumed the guise of a simple traveler for the period. Thanks to the widespread binding and use of the Taldani, the language he spoke was almost instinctively understood.

Needless to say, it was one of his favorite settlements to visit.

Ranger shook himself free of his memories, focusing on the human's next words, listening to it ask him to disarm. The Apostle raised his head, leaning it slightly to one side as he thought for a moment. Perhaps a demonstration was in order.

The wolfman unslung his bow slowly, lifting it with a single paw up to head height of the human leader. The bow glowed as Ranger channeled the verdant energies of the Forest into it, causing the weapon to dissolve into a variety of brightly colored moths and butterflies. As he released the bow, he reached down and grabbed a vine that lay on the path. As he lifted it, the vine stiffened and grew and, within seconds, had created a replica of the bow he'd carried moments before.

This weapon too, he released, this one transforming into a flock of finches. He did not create another one.

Ranger stood now, towering over the humans. He waved an armored paw, causing his armor to shimmer and melt away, bark rotting and falling to the earth beneath him. His helmet was the last to go, cracking in two and falling from his head. At the same moment that happened, a pulse of energy spread outward from him, causing the growth of wildflowers along the sides of the path.

Ranger bowed, mirroring the Priestess's motions.

"The Mother accepts your pleas and issues a single instruction. All those who travel here must take care to take life only when none can be saved. The Forest has been wounded by your incursion. You have harmed the Mother with your magicks of fire and destruction. But she is vast and will heal with time. Future deliberate harm will be met with preventative measures. Future harm will set the world itself against you and your kin."

The Apostle to the Goddess Wareharun turned, then, to face the great wall of thorns. He raised a paw and spoke in his native language, praising the Forest for responding so quickly. He thanked Wareharun for her favor and bade the wall to dissolve.

The thorn wall creaked and groaned as it shuddered into motion. The thorns shriveled and softened, falling to the ground as the long branches and vines retreated into the Forest around them.

Ranger stepped off the path then, retreating into the Forest. His form appeared to simply dissolve, yet his presence remained, watching.

[Zjaum]

Haapsalu watched the scene ahead with a slight grin. Ah, so that's what kind of a bow it is! A fake bow! That's the best kind of bow, you know.

He watched as the bow, the wolf-man, and the thorn wall alike all vanished before his eyes. That was surprisingly convenient, but there was a much more interesting threat down the road aways. He walked a ways past where the old thorn barrier was, looking around. In his past, he had both set up and defended against ambushes. While the Empire didn't generally have the subtlety to plan an ambush, Haapsalu wouldn't put it past them. Regardless, there were a number of good spots around to hide. The wolf-man probably used one to escape.

Haapsalu found a couple good spots by the side of the road. He pulled his spear from the ground and called back to the group. "Yes, that was quite a... pleasant diversion. Now that we know that he's not going to hurt us anytime soon, who here would like to help fight off the actual threat?"

Okoya crouched down. She wasn't able to witness most of the conversation, nor could she hear it, but the magic she saw was pretty at least. Now she needed to focus more on helping her friends.

[Vahltunskhja]

Sergeant Arsenault
UN Reconnaissance Mission - Special Region

---

"Vous avez fait des amis avec un loup-garou. Bein sur, sacrement..." Césaire let out the breath he'd been holding and a small chuckle as the wolf disappeared into the woods, letting his C7 slump down in his arms as he rose from his position behind one of the Ivecos and began making his way over to the Bradley where the commander was perched. An Imperial Army had been easier to face down than that Wolf, and he was glad that hadn't gone south - their Terps had no small part it and made sure to give Osira a relieved smile as he walked past.

"Jesus Osira, I didn't catch all of that but whatever it was you said it was just right. I bet ya things would've gone differently if you hadn't been here - he certainly took kindly to your Taldani." Certainly more helpful than whatever it was the Dwarf was doing... he'd watched Haapsalu tug at the Apostle's massive arrow with trepidation, wondering if that was a part of some kind of Special Region greeting ceremony or he was just goofing off while they were trying to communicate with a powerful being that could've killed one or all of them. He still had reservations about them all coming along, but he had to admit their help was beyond vital and they'd already proved it to him.

Apostle of Wareharun, Goddess of Nature and the Forests. That sounded more than a little important, and not someone to get on the bad side of. It didn't help that it looked like he'd been powerful, like something out of the pages of myth and legend - practically a demi-god himself. A knot still sat in his stomach from when he'd first seen him, and wondered if all that glowing tree armour had been ceremonial or if there was more to it that met the eye. Would his rifle have actually done anything? Those leaves were unnerving, even if they'd been meant as some symbol of good will, and all the magic tricks with the bow and birds and flowers would've been a lot more enjoyable if that same incomprehensible power couldn't turn around and kill him.

The road was clear now, and according to Okoya there were Imperials around here. There was a bit of time at least to process what had just happened and touch base with the Captain as to where they stood now.

"Captain Fischer?" Jean-Pierre called up to the man atop the Bradley. "Between the Green Priests and Osira's new friend it's lookin' like the local religious beliefs are pretty nature-centric -"

He nodded back at the vehicles where the lawyer who'd come was before continuing. "- he'll tell ya that places of worship which constitute cultural and spiritual heritage of peoples are protected under international law; it's starting too look like forests are roughly close to churches around here. We won't be able to stop hostiles from hiding in the trees, but we can at least limit damage to the environment as much as possible, treat them like we would a church or a mosque."

Personally he had his doubts about that happening, but this revelation meant several things, all of them good; they'd learned more about this world's cultures and spiritual beliefs, they apparently hadn't pissed off whatever magical forest deity inhabited the Special Region, and the people back on Earth he was willing to bet wanted desperately to get their hands all over a world full of untapped natural resources weren't going to allowed have their way this place. At least not if they wanted a giant wolf man killing them all the second they brought out a chainsaw. He was more than a little happy about that last prospect, as he'd been worrying about what kind of damage Earth's industry could do to this place if the UN didn't nib that shit in the bud. He was no David Suzuki, but hell, the last thing the Special Region was smoke stacks and clear cutting, and the less impact they had running around here the better.

Of course more restrictions on engagements could endanger the peacekeepers, but that was the chance they took - surely this Apostle guy would understand if they had to defend against forest ambushes? 5.56 rounds didn't do too much damage to trees, so as long as they didn't open up with the .50 cals and the heavier stuff... it wasn't like they'd need those against bows and plate armour. If they even nicked a leaf would he be back to chew them out?

[Nations United for Conquest]

Capt. Alois Fischer
Recon-1
-50km North of Alnus

---

The past fe minutes had been, unexpected, to say the least. Some how, with only a single shot being fired, and not a single soul stepping past the protective barrier of the convoy, save the two natives, every had gone to shit. Before, Orisa, their interupter could even sound off a single word towards the now wolf in appearence, creature, it had already begun to move on their position. For its own luck, and likely that of the convoy, it was seemingly smart enough not to directly charge at the convoy. Maybe Orisa had been onto something with her intal words towards the figure. Though it was less of a figure and more of a beast. As it approached it was easy to see it easily towered over even some of the taller members of the group, even that of Sergeant Dima, likely the tallest man in the convoy by Alois' eye. He was well built and covered from head to toe in, or rather paw, in some sort of shinying coat of fur. It seemed to catch and flutter in the wind, almost like the tinsel he had hung with his sister around their christmas tree, at least before she went missing and he was deployed to this place. Neither of the two was religious but there was always something about the season that forced them to take up the old, westernized tradition. Yet in the beasts case that's where the pleasentries would seem to end. Past his large build and shyning fur, laid the face of a killer, quite literally. His face in some sort of twist fever dream possed what outlined to be that of a human, caught and covered beneith the mighty jawline of a wolf like creature. Large ears and snort sprouted from the beasts head. Elsewhere large paws replaced those of hands, giving him the look as if he wore two great catchers mitts upon his hands. Likely the making of a top pick back in America, as baseball wasn't very popular back in Germany. At least the beast seemed to have the deceansy to wear clothes, though it was more armor than anything. Great plates of what could be nothing else but wood covered the beast's body, linked over one another like the scales of a lizard. Despite being wood it gave off an earthly glow, a deep green sort of aura surrounding it in a similar way to the massive wall that still stood erected in front of their pathway. Alois hardly even had a chance to move when a familar voice called out from to his side.

Captain? We’ve not got a lot of time here to be playing these games with Groot over there

Never lower his weapon, Alois cocked his head to his side, only to catch sight of Thompson standing to his side, weapon readied and pointed out towards the direction of the beast. He remembered the man from the meeting only a few hours earlier in the day. If he recalled correctly he was quite the source of controversy among the briefing and several members of the convoy. Word had leaked he had been brought over on special orders from the US governement. A move that was more than likely some sort of long winded string pull to exhert some direct government influence into the mission. If any country were to undertake such a decision, and risk, it would no doubt be the US. They likely had some sort of mission for him, what it could be, Alois could only begin to ponder. And the current moment wasn't the best for such an event to take place. He had originally planned on sitting down with the man before hand, just to make sure everything was straight with his priorities on the mission, and that he understood that this mission came before any his government could think of, personal or otherwise. Alois doubted he was the only one here to loose someone on that fateful day. But so far the man hand't caused any problems, and had been upholding orders just fine. As he looked over the man, his eyes were caught on the man's rifle, prompting the second reason for the excitment around the man. It would appear, though he had never heard of him in his time working with Americans, Thompson appeared to be quite a hit with the American service men around base. Though he had never directly asked, it had been revealed to him that Thompson had earned quite a name for himself. Doing what, he could not recall. Hopefully such skills could be used later. But the man had brought up a fair point. He had no desire to spend all day defusing this situtation as if it were some sort of bomb, no matter how much it may have seemed like it. Using the Bradley still wasn't fully out of his mind. Luckly before he had a chance to make such a decision Orisa spat out words in the direction of the Beast.

The words of the native seemed to have a strange, almost soothing effect on the beast. Is once large and rough form began to skrink a bit. Shoulders relaxed and arms lowered Alois watched in fascination as the beast cocked his head and moved his ears in the same manner a dog might if confused by the actions of its master. It made sense in a way. Orisa seemed to have some sort of controlling effect over the beast. Whether that was through her own conscious doing, or a respect shared between some sort of unknown native culture, he couldn't tell. At the very least she had managed to get the beast to stop its path towards them, and held fast its position in the road. He could only stand in wonder, casting a glance at Orisa, who seemed somewhat rightened by her own words. Perhaps then it was some sort of multally understood respect of the natives. What relationship they shared he could only wonder. It was a bit understandable, anyone might be a little frightened to come into contact with such a beast, whether or not they were the natives of this land. And in truth, she was a bit young to be on such an operation, though there was little they could do about such now. They need and interputer, and so far it seemed to have gone well. Still she stood there, hands clutched tightly around the small black mic, running up to the radio box resting on the side of the IFV. He only wished he could understand what she was saying, though it was decided that perhaps a nod of approval was the best course of action, ignoring the fact she was presently fixed on the beast that stood in the distance. He could sense the uncertianty drifting around her, as much as she might not realizing she was doing such. In a way he was almost caught off guard when she suddenly spun around to stare down the recent arrived Thompson,

He is not a Groot. He is an Apostle of Wareharun, Goddess of Nature and the Forests

A small grin cracked across the usually stone face of Alois as he watched the young girl furrower her eyebrow at Thompson. It was quite a sight to see, the small girl staring down the much larger Thompson as if he were some sort of young kid that had made stupid comment in class. And perhaps she was onto something. There was no way in hell she'd know what a Groot was. Alois himself only knew from Charlie, who unlike Alois, spent much of his spare time indoors, catching up on the most current things. Groot, much to Alois dismay, had been a wide spoken topic for Charlie for a great period of around a week or so. He could only imagine what the young girl most of thought the word ment. And he figured if she ever did learn the true nature of Groot, she'd likely be more upset than she was know. She was rambling about some sort of role, saying the beast held some importance in the Forrest, and at the very least in the girl's own sense of traditional values. The thoughts passing through Thompson's must have been the same, though with a slight bit of annoyence. How much of it was carried over from being stopped by something such as this, he could only guess. He was nearly about to make a comment upon the scene when Orise spun for a second time, focusing in on him

Sir Fischer, he is incredibly powerful – you mustn’t fight him or you will anger the Gods. Please tell everyone to lower their weapons, he doesn’t mean to do us any harm

With one look at her face, his expression immediatly returned to its more normal, and German, silent and stone expression. There was a great bit of trembling on hanging on the words as they quickly rolled out of her mouth. Something was wrong, it wasn't hard to tell. Her face told a smiliar story, as her once furrowed eyebrows ahd turned raised high and arching over her eyes which had grown wide. There was a hint of worry and fear sitting in them. Some of it was likely fear for what consquence attack the beast could bring on, yet another part also seemed to hold onto a deeper fear. A fear of the convoy, and more importantly the men and women that rode upon it. She was likely fearing what could come from another fight, one she'd be caught in the middle of with nowhere to hid. At least this time, however, the guns wouldn't be pointed this way. Almost as quickly as she had spoken she had turned to face the beast, still standing towards the front of the convoy. She stood very still for a few moments, obvisiously collecting her thoughts as she thought of what to say. He hadn't given her an additional commands, and likely wished to find words that would prevent anything serious from happening. After what seemed like a few minutes he watched as she puffed her chest, taking in a large breath of air, and spoke several soft sentences into the radios mic. And thus there he was left wondering what she had said and what actions it could bring from the Beast. All he could do was watch. The next few minutes, however, seemed unexpecting. Even to Orisa.

Alois watched in relief was the Beast slowly bent down, placing a knee upon the earth, and placed his bow upon the ground. It was no doubt a sign of good will, and hopefully one signally that they would be able to pass through without further incident. They had already burned more than enough time here, and there was no desire to wait any longer. Yet the Beast's next actions completely caught him off guard, and likely that of even Orisa. The strange green aura that seemed to float around the Beast's armor decenced, almost as if through his very body, and onto the body of the bow, soon covering it in the same green light. Then in an instant he raised the bow high above his head, grasping it to face directly towards Alois' head. He instictively raised his rifle directly up to its firing position, and could hear the clinking of metal and cloth throughout the convoy as each member raised their weapons in a similar manner. Then as quickly as the beast had raised the bow, it seemingly dissolved only to be replace by a great swarm of moths and butterflies that flew off into every direction, as if a rainbow had suddenly appeared over the beast's head. It was through some stroke of luck, but more than likely shock, that non the snipers released a bullet straight into the the beast's head. For better or worse they had held their fire from the beast. Surpsingly however the Beast immediatly dropped to his knees once again, promting another chorus of metal and cloth as the members of the convoy turned to keep their sights traced on the Beast's large form. In a way similar to the bow trick, or whatever it was to be called, the Beast once again focused some of the green aura onto a nearby vine, and in an instant had returned to to the shape and size of the previous bow. However, this time the trick carried a lessened effect, as no magician should ever use the same trick twice, least he wishes the auidence to catch wind of his true actions. Rather than turn his attention to th flock of birds that had misteriously appeared in place of the bow, Alois instead focused his attention on the center mass of the Beast. Though he appeared to be non-human, there was only so much room for important things such as organs, and 7.62 to the lung would likely be more than enough to keep the Beast down for a good amount of time, never mind the other members of the convoy, all traced on his body. Then the Beast defied expectations again. He foolishly returned to his feet, only for the green aura to slowly cover his body. Alois watched in disbelief as it slowly dissovled the Beasts armor, and even more suprisngly as it began to dissolve the Beast itself. As its form physically faded into the green mist, there was a fade growl from the Beast not unlike the previous messages.

Like most of the convoy Alois simply stood staring off in the direct of the Beast, who had been there one moment and then gone the next. He continued to watch as the once might wall of green faded slowly back into the earth leaving nothing but some leaves and branches scattered across the road. Most of the faces of the convoy bore the same experession of disbelief, and for an instant the whole convoy seemed to sit still, and for some reason he still couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. After what seemed like years he turned his attention back down towards Orisa, who stood stunned as did the convoy, though Alois could notice there was a slight bit of relief shone across her body. It was if some heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders and she were readjusting to standing without the added weight. In his own sense he too was releaved. They had gotten past their first encounter with a native, though it had not gone as smoothly as he had hoped, nor had it gone as badly as be believed it might have gone. Alois simply stared down at Orisa, who herself was still staring out at the area where the Beast had once been standing. He looked down hard, hoping to catch her eyes when she eventually would turn to translate the Beasts last words. He could tell she was shaken up, but before he had a chance to get a good look at her, there was some shouting erupting from the far end of the road, near the entrance to the forrest.

There are a number of well-armed Imperial soldiers only a few miles up ahead. They have not marched yet, but they could soon

This was bad news, and probably not the best time to get it. Though in a way it had to be better than half way through the narrow road that seemed to twist and turn through the forrest that lay ahead of them. Imps alone weren't much threat to the group, at least not in the numbers the natives had described. Any force big enough to prove a problem for the group would have already left signs of their present, and likely wouldn't be spending time idling along. There was still around three hours or so until nightfall, and although they may not have had watches, there was no doubt in his mind that they had nearly the same time telling ability and would have a rough estimate about how much longer they had. If they truely intended to attack Alnus or the group in present, they would be marching. Their stopage meant more than likely they were planning something. The addition of well-armed soldiers only complicated things. Deserters likely wouldn't waste time with such a mission, they'd be too busy trying to loot whatever village or town was the closest, and it was even less likely they were headed for Alnus. There was also the problem of learning what exactly well armed ment, though in Alois' mind it likely boiled down to the force being regulars rather than militia or even a mixed group. Which in another light might also explian the reason for their sudden stop; they were waiting. There was no doubt in Alois' mind the group had been spotted, the path leading from Alnus was large and open in almost every direction, save the mountains to the east, and there were only a few roads in each direction. To the natives, the one's with home field advantage, it wasn't hard to think they had likely spotted them much earlier. All this together spelled out only one thing; ambush. It was a wise strategy, as the road ahead would provide trouble for any force, and despite their superior vehicles, the convoy was no exception to this rule. Without even thinking Alois once again sprung into action. He reached for the radio on his shoulder and began speaking into it once again

"This is Captian Fischer. We've recived intel that there is an enemy force number somewhere around thirty or more by what it sounds like." He paused for a second searching the faces that were litered around him, "I want Thompson and Riku into the forrest to scout out the enemy postion. Fan out North-East about 3 klicks out. Stay low and do not engage unless nessacry. Report back what you find ASAP." He paused ot catch his breath, "I want the rest of you to hold position. We have some time before recon or the enemy arrives. Rest up, and prepare for likely combat."

He watched as Thompson and Riku gathered gear and began to move out towards the entrence of the forrest. The other members of the convoy quickly hopped into action, some of them returning to the Ivecos, likely hoping to find a quite place, if that was even possible, to catch up on a little rest or perhaps just relaxe after the tense past few minutes. Others might be trying to reconcile with what they saw. Alois himself was never a religious man, but what he saw certianly raised some questions about the "magic" of this world or so it was called by the natives. More than likely most had taken the time to simply refile themselves full of small snacks or water, and prepare their defenses against any possible combat. However, still there stood Orisa, somewhat oblivious to the commotion running all around her. Alois was nearily about to leap down from the IFV when another soldier walked up to his position, greeting an oblivious Orisa, as well Dima and himself. He was an olderman, the scars of life dug deep into his face, an obvious sign of many years of hardship, but experience as well. Yet despite such, he carried himself almost gingerly, a polite smile crossing his face as he moved to speak with Alois. They were nearly the same height, but Alois was still require to look down upon him from his position. He was going on about something pretaining to one of the UN desk jockies they had brought along. The ugly thought of this being a UN run operation seeped back into his head, filling his mouth with a bad taste.

Between the Green Priests and Osira's new friend it's lookin' like the local religious beliefs are pretty nature-centric - he'll tell ya that places of worship which constitute cultural and spiritual heritage of peoples are protected under international law; it's starting too look like forests are roughly close to churches around here. We won't be able to stop hostiles from hiding in the trees, but we can at least limit damage to the environment as much as possible, treat them like we would a church or a mosque

Alois listened to the man carefully. The Canadians didn't nessacrily have the hardest accent to understand, but english wasn't his first langugue and he struggle to hear some of the sland that had been thrown into the man's speech. Through and through it appeared to be relating to one of the many international laws of warfare. More specifically the one pretaining to religious buildings and their treatment under law, something that had been constantly brought up during some of his breifings back when he was still deployed in the middle east. Despite such warnings indivisual cases sometimes came down to breaches, some even on his orders, but nothing bad had happened as a result, to the buildings, himself, or the men under his command. Still, they were to be respected, and it was understood, espically with a UN officer breathing down their neck, they would. Despite agreeing nature seemed to hold an almost religious type value to likely a large group of people, the mention of a nature goddess ment they had several different realms of prayer, asking to avoid forrests was a bit too broad of an enforcement. Cracking a slight grin he turned to face the recently arrived Sergeant, "Well if that was the case the whole of Arnus would have been arrested as war criminals." He paused hoping the man would catch sarcasm under his accent, and German persona. "But I understand where you're coming from, and your heads in the right place. Now I'm not saying that we're going to go around felling forrests, but I can't afford to hinder the mission or the safety of the company by treating all places of nature as if they were a religious building. I'm not going to make promises I can't keep-" He paused sounding out the name written across the man's chest, "-Sergean Arsenault." With the matter of the Sergean settled, for the moment at least, he hopped off the IFV, making his way over towards the position where Orisa still stood. Letting out a slight huff, he rested a hand on her shoulder, nearly covering the whole thing. She wasn't terribly big after all, and was much short than Alois. "It doesn't matter what he said at the end." He paused for a moment, "You did a good job. Get yourself some water and some rest." With he gave her a light pat on the should and returned back to the forward Iveco, now rested on the right side of the road, to gather up his maps and other gear. To prepare to move out or dig in. It really depended on what news the scouts returned with.

[Seluca]

Kimaru Riku
Recon Convoy
Status: Deployed and Fit-for-Duty

"As you say."

The response had come after the orders were finalized, Riku hefting his weapon up and with a sigh. Things hadn't at least resulted into the utmost possible of disasters, but he knew that the enemy was nearby. If there were thirty or more, he only had to avoid getting caught and even someone of his caliber could turn these locals into mincemeat. If they gave him an answer, his bullets had their names.

His SMG was carefully brought back and his gear secured into place. From his pack, the man spent more time fixing the suppressor of his rifle into place. The camo-pattern of his uniform would have to do in place of camo netting or a prepared suit. Even some basic netting could at least make him a hard-to-spot ghost in the woods. Even in a distant land, the forest was like a second home to him. And without even a look to check on Thompson, the Japanese peacekeeper hefted his rifle into his right hand and start off and into the treeline. Three klicks meant that he could run for one, then go low for the next. If the enemy was trying to be stealthy, then he'd spot them first... but if they were moving fast, it'd give him time to respond and vanish from their path. Leaving the others behind and vanishing into the treeline, however, he decided to heft the rifle up into both hands and lower his stance early. A light tap to ensure the safety was on, he fanned out toward the east-northeast flank.

"Low strides, Riku," The man whispered as he moved, raising his weapon to scan through the brush as his steps gently crushed the grassy earth, "Identify... relay."

With luck, he would be the first to make contact and provide another reason to trust him in the deeper territory perhaps on his own... hopefully without having to release his rifle and grasp the strap-fixed submachine gun to take on an entire group of enemy soldiers. Massacring them, even if they were soldiers, wasn't ideal to efforts to properly map and chart the area. Dead soldiers meant angry families who would rather close their doors than aid the Peacekeepers in their tasks.

"Riku to Captain, swapping to radio silence. I'll report when I find something."

[Second Helghan Empire]

Specialist Martin Karev

A quiet throat clearing from Martin followed by an audible sound of spitting out excess fluid from the sinus could be heard as Thompson and Riku moved to do their task. Martin would have liked to go with them but he recognized the fact he couldn't offer much help to the scouts in their own element. Martin rose from his position near the Bradley and hung his rifle loosely from his shoulders but kept it against his chest and ready. The beast that had been in front of them moments ago still had him slightly on edge, and with the possibility of Imperial soldiers the thought that the creature and the Imperials were together and waiting to ambush the convoy. Martin approached Captain Fischer and saluted ensuring to show respect to his superior even if they were from different militaries.

"Captain, with your permission I would like to attempt to set up one of the High Altitude Radio Balloons. They can act as repeaters for my SHF radio and give us contact with Alnus hill even when we get a few hundred miles away from there." Martin purposefully kept the part about it possibly not working for a myriad of reasons out.

[United Islands of Polis]

Dimitri Aleksandr Zubarev
Reconnaissance Convoy (Currently Halted)
Special Region, Area Unknown

As soon as he saw everything unfold from the slit of his helmet's balistic face plate, he couldn't believe that the bipedal wolf had turned his bow into a bunch of butterflies and moths along with his backup bow which he made out of thin air, Dima had simply flipped the face plate up in disbelief, then in in moments the wolf just walked off into the forest and disappeared, or perhaps some magical form of active camoflauge but he wasn't going to jump into that science "And I thought Saint Peter's Basilica was the largest place of worship, apparently a forest beat it by a few hundred kilometers." Dima said as he laughed at the thought.

As soon as the ordeal was over an one of the butterflies had landed on the barrel of his LMG, the orange and black combination was fairly attractive "Davay, uletay seychas" (Go on, fly off now) Dima said as he shook the LMG, making the insect flutter away, he reached for one of his pockets and pulled out the detonator which he switched off and put back in the same pocket, but the tension came back with information about an imperial fighting force not far from here, he flipped the face plate down and went to the back of the Iveco he drove and replaced one of the box magazines he had with one filled with AP rounds.

He walked up to a rock near the road and clicked a button on his grip and out came the bipod legs which he set on the rock, he pulled the slide of the LMG back, now he was sure the weapon was loaded, he checked his sidearm too, pulling out the Gsh-18, pulling it back to see the round being ejected, he picked it up from the ground and stuffed it back in the magazine before putting it back in the pistol and putting it back in its holster "Captain, I think we should arrange the vehicles to provide more cover for us." Dima said from his position, voice muffled by the face plate.

[Zjaum]

Haapsalu and Okoya looked on and listened over the murmurs of the foreign army. There were things discussed of which they had no knowledge. "Permission to release the flibbertigibbet." "All right, but make sure the Doofenschmirtz is attached when you do so." "We might lose boppity-bop if we stay here much longer." "Swapping to thingamabob for now." For all that the two weeks living amongst them had taught them, they still had much, much more to learn.

Haapsalu made dozens of mental notes, trying but only meagerly succeeding in making sense of the whole mess of dialogue. He was addicted to knowledge, especially because he wanted to find use for some of the information he found. He who controlled the power of the foreigners would control the world, after all. Okoya, meanwhile, became confused, then bored. She'd expected the foreigners to be much more exciting in preparing for battle, given their military might. The Imperial preparation for war was much more majestic, with speeches, fantastic displays of magic, and a proud display of marching soldiers. Here, it was just stuffing metal parts into metal holes, putting on plant-fiber clothing, mumbling to each other, and the like.

Bored out of her mind, Okoya caught Haapsalu's attention. "Say, Haapsalu, I'm going to scout out the Imperial soldiers again. I didn't get a very good view the first time."

Haapsalu finished his mental note and turned back around. "Wait, Okoya, don't let yourself get caught-" Okoya had bounded off before he could finish his sentence. Curious; Okoya rarely acted with such impetus. Haapsalu was both miffed that Okoya had rejected his advice and risked the discovery of the foreign army and proud that she was able to make her own decisions.


Okoya braved the lashing branches but was easily able to retrace her path through the broken branches. Upon returning to the site of the soldiers, she saw a large battalion, donned (or donning) green cloaks over shiny metal armor, testing spears, bows, and swords alike. She couldn't tell if they were camping or preparing for battle, but this too was far less fanciful than the typical Imperial army. Many of the soldiers seemed grim, perhaps because of recent news, but more of them seemed to be singing Imperial war songs, and she could only barely make out the lyrics.

Then she heard the soldiers shout: "Look! In the distance, direction of Alnus! A giant!" "Yes, I see her! How did we not notice this before?" "She'll reveal our plans to the enemy! After her!"

Okoya cursed herself that she was too careless in hiding, but she knew that she had to run. As half of the men mounted their horses, she called upon her thieving days and began to sprint back.


Haapsalu finished writing in his notebook the accounts, from his perspective, of the technology of the humans. At this moment, he could faintly hear Okoya, running towards them at incredible speed and shouting in English: "They are at the heels! They find me! They are angry! Help, please!"

He could hear the distant galloping of horses, as well as the stamping of human boots. There was an army a little ways away, and they all had to be ready. Haapsalu readied his spear yet again.

[Kassaran]

Thompson
North of Recon Site Alpha
South of Italica, Imperial Lands

The apostle as it appeared to be disarmed itself, the action never triggering Thompson's finger, but a thought did cross his mind as it again summoned a new bow. Illusions? Or was it changing the very nature of nature about it. It didn't matter, the small green-skinned girl apparently wasn't too keen on him using any demeaning sounding nicknames for the beas and it'd be better of he just concentrated on keeping the convoy alive. She didn't say it couldn't die, which kept his weapon trained squarely on the beast until it merged back into the woodline. He hated having to just sit here and listen to some wolf wearing 'magical armor ', but with it gone, he looked back to the Captain for his orders.

Scouting, it was of course going to be next on the objective and as he broke towards the woodline, he watched his Japanese counterpart break off to the east. He shrugged internally as he broke left and moved to the northwest. The world around him soon became primeval woodland and he pulled his eye pro out of the pouch on his flick. The FLC had harday anything and the velcro strips kept everything in relatively good position as he pushed through the soft and verdant foliage. Minutes went by of moving up along the road as he kept just off to the side, only to suddenly drop to a knee as the one called Rikku radioed in.

Nothing, nothing in his direction. Now, while Thompson hadn't pushed deep into the woods, he didn't necessarily want to with whatever that beast had been looming around. On the other hand, the Imperial battalion, or legion, or whatever order of battle they'd chosen to organize themselves into, would likely not be using the woods to travel. Why would they? There was no precedent for someone ambushing them from the roadside and all of their contact with UN forces had been at Alnus Hill... overwhelming slaughter for practically zero casualties in recent fights.

So, as he noted in the distance, a patch of moving mass running towards him, his rifle went clean up and his scope hovered over the retreating figure. Shadows playing at the corner of his eyes he figured, because the shape looked like the giant they'd been travelling with. Surely she wasn't trying to get in front of the scouts themselves? His own going had been slow, but his gut told him that maybe he should hold tight, and so he did. Prone supported was a position he favowed greatly, and slipping into it on a raise in the ground overlooking a long enough stretch of road to afford him even a view of the forward Iveco. It was a low mound, but one her favored for a sniping position.

Then came the chaos he'd expected. The giantess came running out of the woods with Imperial cavalry at her heals. It took him a second to read the panic on Okoya's face lest he would have shot her there. For all he knew she'd led the Imperials as a spy to the convoy. The speed and stride of her run, coupled with the panicked looks she continued to give towards the rider's behind her, told him all he needed to know as he flipped the safety and rechambered his rifle.

"Fisher, this is Thompson, callsign Aegis. Eyes on hostiles, counting over one dozen moving fast in pursuit of native guide. Distance is one kilometer. Engaging."

Windage accounted for, distance and speed set, Okoya and her lumbering form served as an excellent reference point on the horizon, even in the wood line. His index finger depressed and the rifle snapped off a round downrange. He could see the waves coming off of it as it traveled through his scope and watched as the pressure wave dipped into nothingness and a rider's right arm and chest exploded outward in a spray of blood and bone. Not a difficult shot, but he wasn't exactly pleased with the circumstances as he loaded another round and jammed the bolt back into place.

"One."

Scope drift put him square on a rider approaching Okoya, a long pole arm threatening to cut her heels. The rifle cracked again and thunder ripped through the forest as the round went into the cavalryman's center of mass and kicked him up and off the back of the horse, tumbling to a stop to bleed out and become corpse number...

"Two."

Already some distress could be seen in the pursuant riders, but they pushed on. The chamber ejected the hot brass into the greenery around him and as Thompson loaded another round, he pulled a bead on a cluster of riders in formation. The horses were moving fast, but consistently straight and so he pulled a bead again on the lead horse. Adjusting right, he pulled the trigger again and time and experience rewarded him with the beast's right shoulder erupting into blood again as the .300 caliber rounds ripped apart muscle and skin tissues with ease, digging in and biting through the dense muscles, sending the rider airborne and the horse down sideways.

The sudden failure of the beast’s leg sent it hard right when it crashed into the ground and it quickly tumbled into another two of its fellow mounts on the narrow road. The rider from the original beast had already been trampled to death likely by the rider's behind him, but the last mount to be tripped up by the shot horse was slowly getting on his feet. No matter, the next round was already chambered.

"Three."

Next was a heavily armored cavalry man on the far side of the road. He'd less than two hundred meters before the beasts would be upon him, he popped off his next round, watching it hit the man center of mass, but he did not fall. The next round did the trick. Blood pouring from the gaping holes in his stomach as the rider slumped off of his horse, his corpse tumbled to the side of the road.

"Four and Five, Aegis is winchester rounds. Reloading. Your go Rikku."

When the rider's would go to pass him, he would be reloaded, but he wouldn't be using his ESR as he unstrapped his Service pistol and preared for close quarters fighting.

[Monfrox]

Valentina Richter
CIA Paramilitary Officer "Other Government Agency" Operator
Alnus Hill, UN Established FOB
"The Special Region"

The flights and subsequent rides had been hell. From Grozny to Langley AFB and then back over towards Sweden made for a lot of jet lag. Valentina was on a special assignment, codenamed "Operation Whiteout", straight from the Deputy Director herself. Word out on the street was some crazy Roman Legionnaire looking guys went on an old-fashioned pillaging in Stockholm which, if it wasn't for the news coverage and the UN undertaking, she'd think was a giant hoax. Those kinds of things just didn't happen, not in real life anyway. Sure there were books or other works long those lines, but this was now part of reality. And like any part of reality that not much is known about, you sought to learn and understand what the hell it was. That was the main point of the operation, at least. Get in, find out what the Special Region is, and find out how these gates can be opened up to their world. The last thing America wanted was another crisis like the first one, especially one on her soil.

Valentina got word down from the DD about how another CIA agent was already embedded within the first UN company sent in, but that his objectives were different. She wondered if this was some infighting between higher-ups. Still, she was now undercover. She would try to play the part as much as possible, but there would always be those who were suspicious of some "Other Government Agency". While it was the most common term for undercover CIA officers out in conflict zones, there was no real way to tell. She could just as easily be a contracted PMC or something of the like. Plausible deniability was the name of the game, and she'd have to watch her tongue a lot despite being among allies. For now, she stood with her hand up to the bill of her patrol cap and another on her hip, looking out around the surrounding base area. Quaint. A real deployment base, though maybe a bit more like an inbetween from an outpost and FOB. It was hastily constructed and showed it, but that didn't mean much to the locals. It was all weird and new to them anyway. The barriers would be a great help, though. They were designed for modern protection to a combat zone, but that just meant all the better against people who were still in the medieval age of weaponry.

The CIA Paramilitary Officer walked on through the base, carrying a duffel bag full of a lot of her gear, as well as extra clothes and other things. She had some stuff in her assault pack as well, but this was for living in the base. She found her way to the female's barracks tent, claimed an empty cot, and got her belt on. She wasn't expecting to be sent out, but she laid her chest rig out along with her rifle just in case. Her belt, a Wilderness Instructor belt that was rated for over 5,000 lbs of stress, had two double pouches for her speed-loaders that she used for her revolver, an IFAK (she had another one in her pants pocket), and of course her 44 in a holster on the right side. It was minimal, and that was the good thing. She had her karambit in the back, concealed but easy to reach. She decided to take a leisurely stroll around the base for now, taking the time to enjoy the actually fresh air that wasn't tainted by the scent of metal and gunpowder.