Technologic Arcanum (IC)

by **Higher Japan** » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:44 pm

As he laid on the floor, he could feel his life coming back into his body as the woman next to him cast more magic on him. Grateful that she did not notice who he actually was as he could feel the gaps on his mask slowly get clogged. As he slowly got up with the help of his wand and scythe on his back as he lifted his wand up, casting a powerful healing spell to reinforce the barriers as the cracks slowly repaired by themselves, although it would take a while for it to be fully recovered. As he slowly stood to full height, which revealed his suit that had chains and rings linking it through out with a green aura flowing through them.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alastor Plagueios. If you're from the Imperium , then you'll know who i am. Either way, we need to move. The gunshots are close by and i doubt that we could put up much of a fight," He said, using his scythe as a walking stick. "I need to go to the Technocrats, i believe that their technology can help me with my wounds."

by **The Templar High Council** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:29 am

Sprinting away from the blaring sirens on the Technocrat side was one man, half his body glinting in the light from the metallic limbs he bore. Addison Young was on the run, away from the technological empire he formerly called home and towards... something. He hadn't figured out that far. All he knew was that people in the Technocracy wouldn't be convinced to fight the Technocracy, so he'd have to find outside assistance...

Bullets tore through the air, some hitting the ground near where his feet just lifted off moments ago, others aimed at other targets. Addison turned over his shoulder and threw up a bright orange barrier made of linked hexagons, keeping the bullets from making contact as he ran around the ruins of a bombed-out building. "This could have gone better..." he said, the voice of a soldier who lacked a commander's tone said under his breath. It was plain to see that Addison wasn't anyone special in the Technocrat ranks, aside from his mechanical enhancements, as he peeked back around the corner at the Technocracy side of the Neutral Zone. The man had yet to notice that the cover he was using was already in use, by at minimum a pair of Technocrats and a trio of Magi; he was too busy watching out for more gunfire to notice.

by **Tomia** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:33 pm

Jessica
Jess was surprised by Valerius' response, she had always had a fight to the end mentality. She was confident in her abilities as well, and while that could get her in trouble sometimes she was sure she could beat these magi grunts. "Sorry, just assumed you fought at a distance. I took you for a shoot lightening bolts out of the sky kind of guy." She told him when he corrected her about her plan. She turned her focus backed to the fight, slashing and hacking at the enemies surrounding her, all her senses working at full capacity to ensure she wasn't flanked. She suddenly ducked and rolled onto the ground to avoid a blast of fire that soared past her, singeing the side of her helmet ever so slightly. She then did a back flip, landing behind the attacker and stabbing him through his back with her sword.

They were making progress in thinning the horde of attackers before them, but then Jess heard something that caught her attention. Alarms from the nearby building made her turn to that direction, as she saw scores of technocrat soldiers flood the area. Now that there was fighting in the neutral zone, this place was about to become a war-zone.

"We need to get out of here, now." She said to Valerius, changing her tone from before. She was confident, but not suicidal. "This place is about to be a battlefield and we can't be caught in the middle of it."

by **Evil Dictators Happyland** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:58 pm

(OOC: Didn't see this thread at first. Oh well.)
(OOC 2: This post starts a bit before current events so that I can actually be a part of things.)
(OOC 3: Upon review, even after condensing the battle scenes, this is a huge wall of text. Let me know if I got my continuity wrong or if I should change something.)

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 5:24 pm

Atlannia wrote:---

The Republic of Atria wrote:---

Higher Japan wrote:---

The Templar High Council wrote:---

Evil Dictators Happyland wrote:---

Artemis was happy to see that calling out to the two strangers hadn't been a bad idea. One of them rode on the back of some sort of stone construct in order to arrive quickly at the wounded man's side, and as the girl began tending to him, the redhead backed off as requested, positioning herself next to Jaime again and waiting to see what became of the wounded man. Seeing how the blonde Magi quickly healed the more superficial wounds and patched up the stranger's armor, she smiled. "Healing magic is always an interesting show." She remarked after the healing was over, and watched with interest how the man stood up and continued fixing himself afterwards, introducing himself to the Magi present. He requested to see a medic, but she didn't have any training on that field herself, and she didn't think Jaime did either, though she didn't know for sure.

Either way, there were suddenly more important things to worry about, namely the fact that the Neutral Zone was apparently about to become a warzone. The fighting going on nearby was likely to be the primary cause: both sides wished to apprehend fugitives and were unable to do so, not to mention they came into direct conflict with each other, which undoubtedly meant that both sides had likely called for support. She wasn't going to hold it against the fugitives, since they only wanted to defend themselves, but it was still a hassle.

"Alright, everybody, calm down. I know this isn't an ideal situation, but panicking isn't going to get us anywhere right now." She said to the group. They were most likely worried about the fact that they might be caught in the middle of a large battle, since they were all renegades of some sort, and thus unlikely to be sheltered by the faction they had left. "I know some of you may have just left your respective countries, but does anyone here have any idea of where we might be able to hide? If not, I know a place some distance to the north of here. We'll likely have to fight our way through to reach it, but once there we should be safe." She spoke. Despite her easygoing demeanor, she wasn't sure if she was fine with sharing her hideout with people she had only just met, but she was also not going to leave them to get slaughtered out there.

"I should be able to support you all from afar, that's my specialty after all. You won't need to worry about me, I'm practically an expert at hiding and surviving on my own. But if what we want is to make it to the hideout without anyone dying, then we'll need to know each other's abilities." The soldier stated, before taking her railcannon off her back and holding it up with one hand. "I'm a sniper and an assassin. I've lived out here for the past year and my armor has a built-in cloaking device, so like I said, you don't need to worry about me, I'll be providing support from a distance."

After she had explained what she could do, she walked over to where a new Technocrat was looking out of his cover in fear, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you help us, handsome man? You look like you're afraid of the Technocracy getting their hands on you, so it looks like you're in the same boat as the rest of us." She told Addison, before looking at Sigma and waving her hand at him. "You too, Mr. Robot! You'll have plenty of time to look over Mr. Plagueios there if- I mean, when we make it to the hideout."

by **Higher Japan** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 6:03 pm

"Indeed, we need to move now. And thank you for that." He said as he tried to bow, but eventually couldn't due to the bulky mid section. In the distance, he also heard the fighting before the alarms as he looked into the distance. He could see with the aid of his suit that they weren't far away, and that casualties were getting higher and higher before he stopped. As he looked through the bag that he had hastily packed, he quickly gave a quick overview of what he had left. "I only have enough medicine to treat any gunshots for 3 people, enough to heal any common to uncommon ailment for at most 4 and one last bottle. The contents were built upon my sins against humanity."

As he finished, he kept the items before he took out a map as he continued. "If i told you what i had done before i came here, would you still stay with me. You never did question it after all, why would a doctor like me, be running from guards to the neutral zone." He said before eventually laying the map out as he muttered something, causing some extra markings to appear as he squatted down and pointed to somewhere, although it was within the territory of the Magi. "This is a suitable location as well, the basement and cellar can only be unlocked by me. And it's loaded up with medicine. There's only one last problem. It is where my sins manifested into this." He said as he pulled out the small green vial.

by **Brusia** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 6:52 pm

Dr. Galen Salk

Galen had a shot lined up on one of the Imperium soldiers attacking them, but just before he squeezed his rifle's trigger a mage teleported next to him, startling him and causing him to pull to the right. His shot missed it's target but impacted a pillar next to the mage, causing the balcony he had been standing under to collapse on top of him. The doctor just shrugged at the enemy's bad luck as the mage next to him erected a barrier, then turned towards her and said: "Is there some rule in the Imperium that states you're supposed to sneak up on people without warning? Because a friendly 'hello' seems like a much easier way to greet people." When the young woman stated her master was going to create a distraction and that they should hurry and escape, Galen stepped close to her so that his shield generator would protect the woman as well, adding an additional layer of defense, then replied: "Well, you won't get any argument from me; I'll follow your lead."

by **Evil Dictators Happyland** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:01 pm

Higher Japan wrote:"Indeed, we need to move now. And thank you for that." He said as he tried to bow, but eventually couldn't due to the bulky mid section. In the distance, he also heard the fighting before the alarms as he looked into the distance. He could see with the aid of his suit that they weren't far away, and that casualties were getting higher and higher before he stopped. As he looked through the bag that he had hastily packed, he quickly gave a quick overview of what he had left. "I only have enough medicine to treat any gunshots for 3 people, enough to heal any common to uncommon ailment for at most 4 and one last bottle. The contents were built upon my sins against humanity."

As he finished, he kept the items before he took out a map as he continued. "If i told you what i had done before i came here, would you still stay with me. You never did question it after all, why would a doctor like me, be running from guards to the neutral zone." He said before eventually laying the map out as he muttered something, causing some extra markings to appear as he squatted down and pointed to somewhere, although it was within the territory of the Magi. "This is a suitable location as well, the basement and cellar can only be unlocked by me. And it's loaded up with medicine. There's only one last problem. It is where my sins manifested into this." He said as he pulled out the small green vial.

"I'm pretty sure the reason none of us asked about your past was that we were a bit busy getting shot at, if your experience with the neutral zone has been anything like mine.
I get that you think you've done something nasty in the past. Something that has colored your perception of the world and made it seem like you can do no good. If you want to feel like that, fine. I can't stop you, and I won't try. But you've gotta remember that whatever you did... the people we're trying to escape, they've done worse, and given free reign, both of them would destroy and reshape this world.
So, you're fine. Just put that green stuff away. I believe I am not the only one who doesn't want to know what it does."

(OOC: After reading Alastor's backstory, I realized that he's basically Magic Sigma. Or, more accurately, Sigma is Robot Alastor, since Alastor was made first. This was unintentional, but given that if anything, what Sigma did was worse, I have a convenient excuse for why Sigma couldn't care less about Alastor's "sins against humanity".)

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:31 am

Tomia wrote:---

Underneath his black helmet, Valerius simply raised an eyebrow at Jessica's statement. Why she had come to the conclusion that he was some sort of Elementalist or other long-range Magi, he wasn't sure, given how he had only demonstrated close combat abilities so far. Either way, this was another thing that he did not care to question at the moment. There was something far more important to focus on, namely the horde of Magi loyal to the Imperium that was trying to surround them. With that in mind, he said nothing else and simply jumped back into the fray. The enchantments on his armor granted him superhuman abilities, and the fire and lightning of the enemy soldiers only fueled them further, allowing him to dash back and forth through the battlefield, sending his foes flying, though he was careful to not overexert himself and keep his energy reserves at a reasonable level, in case something went awry.

When the alarms went off, he realized, much like Jessica, that the situation had just become a lot more dangerous. Stopping next to her just in time to listen to what she had to say, he nodded. "I need to take us back to Kiris. She'll get us out of the crossfire, for a moment at least." He said, before looking directly at the Technocrat girl and sighing. "I doubt you'll be able to keep up, so you'll just have to bear with me while I do this." He stated. Then, he picked her up princess style, ignoring any protests coming from the swordswoman and dashing towards Kirisvala and Galen faster than the Magi troops could chase them.

Brusia wrote:---

"Um, sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I thought it would be better if I got here as quickly as possible, and a teleportation spell was the quickest way." Kirisvala explained herself, not wanting to come across as rude. However, there were clearly better things to worry about, and so, instead of continuing to talk, she grabbed one arm of the combat medic and one arm of the rock-clad Magi, being careful not to hurt them with her cursed gauntlets. She was about to cast another teleportation spell in order to get herself and the two renegades to safety, so that her master could retreat as well, but before she acted, she noticed something that made her hesitate. Namely, that rather than moving away from them to distract the enemy forces, Valerius was now headed towards them. The fact that he was carrying Jessica did not help dispel her confusion.

A few moments passed, and Valerius landed next to the three, letting down a Technocrat who was rather eager to get her feet back in the ground. "Kiris, change of plans, we all need to get out of here immediately, this place is about to host a bloodbath." The Enchanter spoke, nodding in greeting at the two men his apprentice had been protecting. But instead of acknowledging his words, the Healer simply stared nervously at Jessica, glancing once or twice at her master as if to inform him of the source of her apprehension through her eyes.

"But master, she..." The girl said, trailing off but clearly referring to how the swordswoman had attempted to kill her not too long ago. Hearing this, Valerius sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I know. But she seems to have had a change of heart and it would not be fair to leave her here in the middle of so many enemies. Rest assured, I'll be the first to take her out if she tries to hurt you again, but for now, I need you to trust me." He spoke sternly, grabbing Jessica's arm with one hand and placing the other on Kirisvala's shoulder, in preparation for the teleportation spell. Seemingly convinced or at least soothed for the time being, the young Healer nodded and then focused, pronouncing the teleportation spell that would get them out of the line of fire, at least for a moment.

Higher Japan wrote:---

Evil Dictators Happyland wrote:---

"I like you already! Robots weren't nearly as smart back when I was a little girl." Artemis remarked after having listened to Alastor's words and suggestions and the response given by Sigma. After complimenting the automaton, the sniper turned her attention to the masked man. "Look, what the robot just said is true. I know for a fact that the Technocracy has done some horrible things, and so has the Imperium, I'm sure. Everyone here, except perhaps some of the younger men and women here, has a bit of darkness in their past. Or a lot. This is coming from a state-sanctioned murderer, mind you." The redhead said. She was clearly not thrilled about having to talk about that, but it seemed necessary.

"But just standing around and moping about it isn't going to do anyone any good, unless you want to die, but in that case you wouldn't have called for help in the first place." She told the healer, before crouching next to his map. "So instead, we should keep thinking of what to do. Now, I'm happy you brought a map, that makes things simpler. The safe house you mentioned is in Magi territory, though, so I don't think it's viable to try to go there. One or two people sneaking through the border is one thing, but a large group like ours is unlikely to make it there without being detected, not to mention that, if they're half as smart as they claim to be, the Imperium will have strengthened their border's security by now, since there's conflict here in the Neutral Zone." She explained.

"Since we have the map, though..." She continued, pointing at a spot some distance away from Alastor's marks. "I'm pretty sure we're around here. Right in the middle of the warzone, unfortunately. The place I suggest we head to is..." She trailed off once more, pointing at another spot in the map, slightly to the west of their current location and some distance to the north. "Right here. We'll need to fight our way through both armies, lose any pursuers, and then regroup - there's an old cathedral where we can do that. If we make it there, I guarantee we'll be able to hide until the fighting subsides."

Just as she finished explaining her plan and was about to ask if anyone had questions or a better idea, a group of five people suddenly teleported to the area where the group was in. One of them, a girl with a black helmet and gauntlets and a white and red robe, staggered back and nearly fell to the ground, but she was caught by a man in black armor.

"No more group teleporting spells for now, or you'll get too worn out." He said to her.

"Hello! You're those people who were fighting all the way over there just now, aren't you?" Artemis asked them. She had been able to make out some of their features when she observed them earlier, thanks to her prodigious eyesight, so recognizing them was a simple matter. Without waiting to hear the answer, she continued. "We were just planning how to get out of here and to a safe place without dying. You want to join us?" She asked them. Valerius and Kiris looked at each other for a moment, and then the man in the black armor spoke.

"As long as it doesn't get us killed."

by **The Republic of Atria** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:58 pm

Jaime

As he was about to speak several more people showed up. Both Magi and Tech. Normally he would object to this many people grouping up in the middle of what was about to be a warzone, but he really didn't have the time to complain. The sound od the gates opening on both sides struck his ears. Artemis seemed to have a plan, which at this point was better than nothing. "She's right. If we stay here much longer, were going to be outnumbered and outgunned very quickly." He said, drawing his guns. "Alright. Artemis suggested north would be the best direction. So that's where we're headed. Move in pairs unless you really know what you're doing. Move fast If ou don't want to get caught. Lord knows what they'll do to you if that happens."

It wasn't going to be pretty, that much was for sure. He was vaguely aware of the northernmost. There wasn't too many people up there. Poorly guarded by both sides. I'd nothing else it would make a temporary. "Pair up! If you don't have a buddy, find one. I don't want to hear that your second half is from the opposite side. You can bitch about it later. This is life and death. You've got 10 seconds before-" He was interrupted by several bullet striking the ground barely a few feet away. "8 Seconds!"

Gav

He was far too young to be making life and death decisions. Gav wasn't known for making the best decisions when he had time to think about it, and now he had seconds to figure out how he was going to move forward. Luckily it seemed that the Techies were more than happy to take charge of the situation, which actually thinking about it, made him even more wary. They seemed far more confident than anyone else did. Maybe that was just the way they were trained? Or was it a trap? Neither were good things, but if it was a trap, it couldn't be worse than what the Imperium would do to him if he got caught. The woman with the sniper insisted that she would cover their escape and the man with the dual weapons said that her lead them out and to find a partner.

He turned to Vespera. While he knew very little about her beyond the fact that she seemed to not be good at giving explanations for what she wanted, it was better than nothing. "Y-you've got a better idea of what you're doing than I do." This couldn't be more awkward if he tries to make it so. "Work together until we're not going to die?" A brilliant way of phrasing what could be his final request.

by **Atlannia** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:10 am

Vespera Welkynde

Vespera sighed and massaged her temples with both hands. While she had been focusing on her patient all of these people and, and robots had turned up out of nowhere! Literally in some cases! It was enough to make her miss the discipline and rigor of the military, well not really. But listening to all this bickering was going to drive her insane so Vespera was rather relieved to hear that the plan involved splitting up into pairs. She had decided she could more or less tolerate the first of these strangers she'd met but she was less certain about some of the others. In particular the name her patient had given was bothering her, though Vespera couldn't remember where she knew it from it gave her an uneasy feeling. Still any plan was better than no plan and no plan was better than standing here and waiting to die, she could settle the issue of her fellow travelers later.

"We should have a countersign," she said, loudly enough for the whole group to hear. "If we're splitting up we might bump into each other in the dark, or in disguise. Or someone might just forget what everyone's faces look like, we haven't know each other very long. What about, I don't know, 'Technology' and 'Arcane' if anyone ever needs to confirm that their dealing with another member of... whatever this is, the challenge will be a sentence with 'arcane' in it and the reply will be a sentence with 'technology' in it."

The Republic of Atria wrote:He turned to Vespera. While he knew very little about her beyond the fact that she seemed to not be good at giving explanations for what she wanted, it was better than nothing. "Y-you've got a better idea of what you're doing than I do." This couldn't be more awkward if he tries to make it so. "Work together until we're not going to die?" A brilliant way of phrasing what could be his final request.

"Fine, let's go," said Vespera bluntly, before turning to the technocracy women who had come up with the plan they were more or less following. "You wanted to know what we can do right?" Vespera raised her left hand and it glowed briefly with a calm green light. Before long everyone in the gathering had a small ball of the same green light orbiting them, it glowed brightly to being with but then faded rapidly until it was only visible if you strained and knew what to look for. "It's a delayed action healing spell," Vespera explained matter of factly. "It will activate automatically if you get injured. It's not especially powerful though so don't rely on it too much. Well hopefully nobody will need it at all."

Without another word Vespera turned and mounted her summon once more, departing and plainly expecting Gavlan to follow. "I think it would be best if we circle around a bit and try to break through closer to the Imperium side. WIth any luck we can avoid the brunt of the fighting and the frontline troops," she said conversationally, before frowning as something ocurred to her. "Oh, do you want a ride?" she asked, gesturing downwards at the creature she was riding. "I can summon another one."

by **Indo-pasif archipelago** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:18 am

The fight between the Imperium and the Technocrat had never interested Calvert.

While he did work to supply the army in his past, and done deeds for whichever faction pay the most, he had always been a neutral player in the field, the rogue pawn in the chessboard, the third party that indirectly affects the grand scheme of the war. The mages and soldiers might be respected as heroes by their respective faction, but in the end they are merely tools to serve the whim of the higher-ups, which in turn is the pawn of the person on top of everything. Only God knows why they bother with it. Upon his eyes, the war is nothing but extraneous expense. Sons and daughters die unnecessarily, leaving grieving family on their wake. Citizens left in poverty as their golds are taken to fuel the ongoing conflict. Advancement hindered by the forced hatred between tinkers and clerics. Potential wasted to the stubbornness and ego of both governments.

Not that it matters to Calvert now.

Years ago he chose to detach himself from the alignment with either side. Traded his comfort for his freedom, or at least that's what he always told himself. That he does this for his own freedom, so he no longer have to sit and obey the laws. In the Neutral Zone only the law of the jungle applies. Those who want to survive need to prey upon the weaker one. Some chose to become a free merchants, trading all kind of goods from the most basic to the less legal. Other become bandits, petty thieves that is a scourge to both side and the merchants. With exception to the professional criminals and thieves kings, they actually fare worst than most.

Calvert like to see himself as the first kind, albeit not the typical one. Going by the name 'Bonesmith', he sells fine weaponry and armour. His main commodity however, is service. Ranging from simple bodyguard duty to expensive assassination tasks. Merchants and criminals alike sought for his service and for each service completed his price and notoriety increase. While he is rather uncaring on the nature of his target, recently he had been interested with the rogues from either side of the war. A bunch of which he had been following for some time.

He didn't even noticed them at first. The moment one of the Mage teleported away though, his innate instinct kicked in and pointed him towards their general direction. He chased after them, enchanting his boots so he could walk faster and much more silent. Suddenly the alarm from both side blared to life, signaling the upcoming battle that will soon be fought upon the Neutral Zone. Calvert wasn't entirely sure why the Imperium and the Technocrat chose to fight now, but he was certain it was related to the fleeing rogues. After a few minutes Calvert reached a convenient spot to watch over the group. The alarm had died off for now and the group teleported once more and found another band of rogues not far from them. It was at this moment both side decided to rain hell over the Zone. As the group ran, Calvert pursued them while maintaining his distance. The bullets and projectiles bounced over his robe as the adaptation enchantment kicked in, providing toughness and lesser invisibility for him. Calvert knew he shouldn't messing with other's businesses, but this matter is far too interesting to be left alone.

by **Brusia** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 2:43 pm

Dr. Galen Salk

Galen felt a little dizzy for a moment after they had completed their teleportation, having never teleported anywhere before, but he quickly recovered. He turned towards the girl who had initiated the spell to thank her for getting them out of there, but as he did he saw her stumble back and fall into the arms of a man in black armor. He quickly darted towards her and scanned her with the medical tool on his wrist. As he did, he noticed how young she was, maybe only 17 or 18, and was impressed that someone so young was able to use such a powerful ability. After the man in black armor told her not to use any more group teleportation spells or she'd be too worn out, Galen finished his scan and stated "He's right. I'm no expert on magic, but your epinephrine and norepinephrine levels are dangerously low, and I'm guessing it had something to do with that spell of yours." He reached into his medical kit and pulled out a container with a hypospray and a number of tubes filled with different liquids. He loaded one of the tubes into the hypospray, and injected a portion of the contents into the young woman's neck saying: "This should help get you back on your feet, but you'll probably still feel a little weak until your hormone levels have returned to normal. Until then, you should probably stick to walking to get around like the rest of us mere mortals."

Galen listened as some of the others began formulating a plan of escape, and after it was decided that they would head North in pairs, and were given 10 seconds to find a partner, Galen turned back towards the young woman and stated: "Unless you've already got a partner in mind, I'd like to travel with you and keep an eye on those hormone levels. They should stabilize on their own, but I'm not sure how magic might affect them, and if something does go wrong I'd like to be close enough to do something about it."

by **Palmyrion** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:20 pm

Somewhere in the Technocracy
One week earlier

Three men were beating up a woman at a dark, dank alleyway in the Technocracy. The woman was able to fight off some of them, but eventually got cornered by the three much larger men – and proceeded to undress her.

Oblivious to them was that there was a witness to all this crime; he was walking to home down the street, exhausted after a 12-hour shift demanded by his boss. His boss didn’t care if he graduated or not, and whether or not he would resign from where he worked as a working student during his pre-graduation years. Beyond his eyes and into the ethereal depths of resided the disappointment of the Technocracy: the increasing crime rate, the extreme hatred they bred against the Imperium (to the point of harboring, and at worse promoting, genocidal opinions), the widening wealth gap (he was on the lower thirds of the Technocratic socioeconomic stratum), and now the increased militarization; he was already getting the ire of the Technocracy for not signing up for potential conscription – and that meant his social security benefits were severely reduced, entrenching him deeper into poverty.

His name was Jehiel Malan, one of the people who fled the Imperium when they banned technology within its realm. While he had grown a massive hatred for the Magi who practiced Satanic magic (they killed his parents at a time when anti-Christian sentiment in the Imperium was at its highest), he had otherwise no hatred for the other Magi, all of whom the Technocracy did its best to paint a strongly negative image of. He was tired of Technocracy propaganda broadcasts that fed him what he considered “false news” – all these propaganda that highlighted the crimes of the Magi Imperium and the shortcomings of its socioeconomic system, all the while properly ignoring the shortcomings of the socioeconomic order it had set up in its borders. While he’d seen a lot more, this was already the peak of his anger: it dawned on him that the Technocracy was already ignoring the inflating crime problem within its borders, and to make matters worse he recognized these men trying to rape a woman: the same ones who raped his fiancée, yet weren’t apprehended no matter how many times Jehiel reported them (and to make it even worse, Jehiel was given a warning not to keep doing this, lest he be punished for false testimony).

At that point, already deciding to put the Sword of Lady Justice into his hands, he grabbed one of the men, just as he was about to penetrate the now-undressed woman and start raping her, and held him in a lock. At this point the man was now struggling to get his neck free of Jehiel’s arms. ”Rape the woman, and this guy dies!” he screamed. Not one of them were even frightened – they even held an assuring face when they said these equally assuring words to their less-fortunate friend, who was struggling in Jehiel’s arms: ”Don’t worry mate; we’ll get done with this girl, and we’ll see about this prick of a noob. Hah.” they said as one of them tried to penetrate the woman. At this point Jehiel snapped the neck of the man – but instead of snapping the neck of the man, he unleashed a swarm of nanobots to initiate a chain of accelerated apoptosis in the man’s internal organs. This would rapidly liquefy the man’s organs, and the liquefied organs were being held compressed at the same time by the same nanobots. Once most of the organs were liquefied, the nanobots depressurized the liquid at an instant, making the man implode into a frothy mess of blood, ground flesh, and liquefied organs.

The two guys who started raping the woman felt this frothy mess splash onto their back. Looking back, they saw their enemy covered in their comrade’s ground flesh, blood, and liquefied organs. This didn’t daunt them that much, as they charged at Jehiel – but Jehiel with his martial arts training blocked each successive blow and sent them flying with each finisher punch (his strength at that time was augmented by nanobots). He looked at the lady, before scurrying away after he noticed a CCTV hanging from above, monitoring the surroundings – and the crime scene.

Little did he know that what he just did made him a fugitive in the Technocracy.

Present day

Jehiel woke up to the crackling, soothing sound of his pregnant cohabitating fiancée (3 months pregnant) frying some eggs and hotdogs in the double-sided pan. His fiancée was finally getting the gist of using the double-sided pan, and he could smell the morning’s awesome greetings whose wafts went all the way from the kitchen to the bedroom. He immediately arose from the bed and walked to the kitchen, where he hugged his fiancée from behind and said a pleasant, albeit sleepy ”Good morning babe”, while taking care not to squeeze her too tightly – lest the baby be squeezed out and end up being born prematurely.

His fiancée responded with a soothing ”Good morning babe. Like my cooking?”. Jehiel knew that she cooked quite nice; while Jehiel was used to living on his own since the age of 13, he appreciated life more when his fiancée moved in with him, and the soothing, crackling sound of her pleasant-smelling culinary masterpieces was one great part of the reason. Even more so was the fact that this woman stayed despite the fact that he was on the run from Satanists – and now the Technocratic government, seeing that he had taken justice into his own hands and brutally killed three men who tried to rape a girl. Apparently the girl developed a bad case of PTSD after she saw one of her assailants explode into a mess consisting of ground flesh, liquefied internal organs, blood, and bone fragments, courtesy of Jehiel’s nanobots.

”I wake up to this every morning. I look forward to this every lunch. I hurriedly go home for this every dinner.” he said, half-jokingly; somehow his girlfriend knew that he said it half-jokingly: ”You must be kidding, eh babe?” she said after chuckling. ”I guess not.” Jehiel replied with a loving tone as he proceeded to fill a large bowl with two helpings of oatmeal and hot water, while mixing a large cup of powdered milk and a large cup of coffee.

Sooner or later, breakfast was ready. His fiancée laid the day’s breakfast on the table – Jehiel had ten hotdogs and 5 helpings of scrambled eggs, with his fiancée 3 and 2 respectively, and eating only one helping of oatmeal. Jehiel cut up portions of the hotdogs and scrambled eggs, eating them as viands alongside his relatively bland oatmeal. He stared at Felicia as he ate a spoonful, and hurriedly looked away as Felicia responded with a loving stare; apparently Jehiel was back to his usual habit of looking at his crush then looking away. For Felicia, Jehiel was a rather voracious eater – but she understood when Jehiel explain that much of his cells were basically “manufacturing and maintenance centers for a horde of nanobots he wields to his own pleasure”, and thus had significantly larger nutritional requirements than a normal human’s cells to function properly.

Sooner or later the meals were done, and the dishes were to be cleaned. Jehiel spared Felicia the trouble of having to wash the dish by washing it himself. While Jehiel was washing the dishes, a few police sirens rang out a few stories below.

”Really, babe? I know I can hide your crime of taking justice into your own hands, but you disobeyed my advice of being on the run again and again.” Felicia spoke, her tone embellished with a sullen anger. Jehiel didn’t care about finishing the dish and started to don his armor, pack 3 days’ worth of clothing, grab his weaponry, and ask Felicia to ride on his back before they made their rather desperate escape.

”Ellie-babe, get on my back, we’re outta here” Jehiel nervously spoke, with a hastened tone. Felicia grabbed the clothing that she packed up in preparation for living on the run, then went up on Jehiel’s back; Jehiel in return had his nanobots carry her with a lot of stability, especially now that she was 3 months pregnant. They immediately headed out the door, encountering a few policemen climbing up the nearby flight of stairs. Jehiel aimed at haste and fired 3-round bursts at the policemen.

”Great, babe, now we’re pinned down?” Felicia angrily exclaimed as Jehiel continued firing at the policemen. Jehiel didn’t mind about his fiancée exclaiming as he hurriedly went up the flight of stairs.

”You know how to shoot, babe?” Jehiel ludly asked Felicia as he ran up the flight of stairs, vigilant yet calm to keep his fighting spirit in order.

”I can. Decently.” Felicia replied loudly amidst the gunfight as Jehiel went up the stairs; she thought, the police have landed on the roof, we’re fucked.

”Grab my pistol, start shooting the police.” Jehiel said, and Felicia hurriedly took his holstered pistol and shot at a police officer that was about to unload a few bullets into Jehiel.

”Good timing, babe, love you.” he lovingly replied as he finished his reloading. ”Love you too, now get us out of here!” Felicia worriedly exclaimed.

Jehiel reached the rooftop of the building. He saw two tilt-rocket aircraft approaching the rooftop, and he immediately ran and jumped towards one of the aircraft and slash it in half with the assistance of his nanobots and his katana. His high jump made him land on a rooftop at the opposite side of the wide road, and he continued free-running across the rooftops of the Technocracy. He felled a few Technocracy soldiers here and there while free-running across the rooftops, and even downed another tilt-rocket aircraft. As he approached the edges of the city, he knew that he was running out of rooftop, and made his highest and most dangerous jump to date.

He placed his nanobots on full lifting power, which gave him the sufficient thrust and lift for the most dangerous jump he’s ever done, while making them alter photons so he would be invisible. He flew his highest for the first time in his life, and never had he felt this free – and threatened. He approached the wall that separated the Technocracy and the neutral zone, and changed his stance into a flying kick as his suit A.I. warned him of imminent impact with a Technocracy guard stationed on top of the wall – and Jehiel did give the guard a rather hard flying kick to the face as he flew fast and hard into the buildings of the neutral zone. Jehiel continued to fly fast until his suit A.I. warned him of imminent impact.

”Brace for impact!” Jehiel warned his rather anxious fiancée, now starting to scream, of imminent impact with a building. He soon commanded his nanobots to slow his impact and shield him from the effects of such a hard one, with Jehiel now posing with his fists aimed forward and some nanobots creating a wall in front of the fists for drag – but the slowing down wasn’t enough to prevent a rather stellar landing, as Jehiel smashed through 7 buildings; the only thing that gave his fists instant rests were the alleyways and streets that separated the buildings, with Jehiel landing in the seventh.

”Ugh. Hopefully you’re OK, babe.” Jehiel said as he rose up from his stance and brushed some dust off his armor, with his nervous fiancée now breathing rapidly and palpitating. Jehiel knew this could end tragically in a miscarriage; he immediately used his nanobots to calm down his very anxious fiancée in mere seconds; meanwhile Jehiel didn’t mind about the scratches and bruises he gained, as well as the rising pain that welled up in him due to the force of the impact. Felicia immediately hugged Jehiel, her breathing and heartbeat now having slowed down to a safe rate.

”Overwatch, report.” Jehiel summoned his suit A.I. ”That was a hard landing, operator. How can I serve you?” the A.I. replied. ”Get me an escape route from this building. Technocracy guards may be searching for us this time.” Jehiel continued. ”As you wish, Operator.” the A.I. replied. In no time Jehiel’s HUD was already displaying the escape route from the building, assigning him a checkpoint far from the building and far away from the walls that separated the Technocracy and the Neutral Zone.

His fiancee rode on his back again, and Jehiel faithfully followed the visual directions of Overwatch, navigating towards the checkpoint as fast as he can. His fiancée was now getting anxious again, already losing trust on Jehiel at this point; they were alone in the cold, dead, dark, Neutral Zone; though she’s heard of people successfully escaping into the Neutral Zone, she thought they were all dead, and she was fearful of this fate befalling her and Jehiel.

”Babe, tell me how are we surviving here.” Felicia anxiously asked, her voice garnished with a sprinkling of anger and disappointment. ”Trust me, Ellie-babe, I’ll find and make ways.” Jehiel reassuringly replied, despite his tone being quite bland. In no time Jehiel saw a few figures from afar, which were highlighted by Overwatch and displayed in his HUD. Jehiel called their attention and asked of their identities: ”Hello? Who’s there? I escaped the Technocracy!” he shouted to the figures who soon noticed him, as the pain began traveling from his fists to the rest of his body. He didn't mind, since his nanobots began working to reduce the pain he was beginning to feel.

by **The Templar High Council** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 10:54 pm

Zarkenis Ultima wrote:After she had explained what she could do, she walked over to where a new Technocrat was looking out of his cover in fear, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you help us, handsome man? You look like you're afraid of the Technocracy getting their hands on you, so it looks like you're in the same boat as the rest of us." She told Addison, before looking at Sigma and waving her hand at him. "You too, Mr. Robot! You'll have plenty of time to look over Mr. Plagueios there if- I mean, when we make it to the hideout."

The Republic of Atria wrote:Jaime

It wasn't going to be pretty, that much was for sure. He was vaguely aware of the northernmost. There wasn't too many people up there. Poorly guarded by both sides. If nothing else it would make a temporary. "Pair up! If you don't have a buddy, find one. I don't want to hear that your second half is from the opposite side. You can bitch about it later. This is life and death. You've got 10 seconds before-" He was interrupted by several bullet striking the ground barely a few feet away. "8 Seconds!"

"Same boat?" Addison said with a start, looking back to see the crowd gathering behind the makeshift cover. "Oh... looks like I'm not the only one who wants to run away, and hopefully not get shot." From the sound of the conversations happening amongst the rag-tag group's ranks, they were planning to flee somewhere to the northwest as a group, to hopefully sort out something more permanent for the situation at hand.

"Yes, so... leaving!" Addison hopped away from the cover and towards a Technocracy soldier, who had a number of blades sheathed against her body. "I'm all for that. Don't have the firepower on hand to deal with both sides crashing over a piece of rubble in the middle of the NZ." Addison stood beside Jessica and crossed both of his arms across his chest, waiting for everyone to get ready to move out. "You uh... want to pair up?"

by **Tomia** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 2:19 pm

Jessica
Jessica shouted in surprise and protest when Valerius suddenly picked her up and rushed them past the horde of magi troops that were forming a battle line against the Technocrats. Soon they arrived at where the others outcasts and fugitives were waiting for them. Jess quickly jumped out of Valerius' arms, glaring up at him when she was on her own two feet. "Thank you... But don't ever do that again Magi." She said before hearing Kiris address him. Jessica understood why his Magi apprentice wouldn't want her around, but she hoped to make amends.

"I regret trying to hurt you." Jessica said sincerely. "When you're on your own and on the run, you can't take the risk of trusting strangers. But I see now that you and your mentor are not the enemy. I hope you can see me that way in time." She reached out her hand, "I am Jessica by the way, it is nice to meet."

After greeting Kiris she was suddenly greeted by someone she hadn't seen before. She looked him up and down, studying him. He was about her age, and he had a mechanical arm and was carrying two guns along with him. She didn't want anyone slowing her down, but having backup might be a necessity in this situation. "Fine, come along, but don't get in my way. We're not going to have much room for error." Without even giving him a chance to reply, Jessica bounded off towards an abandoning building that would provide cover, expecting Addison to follow her.

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:38 am

The Republic of Atria wrote:---

Atlannia wrote:---

Palmyrion wrote:---

After making sure that all of the new arrivals were more or less integrated, Artemis was content to take a step back for a moment and let the former Reaper take care of the commanding stuff. She had never been very eager to be the one to give out orders, not in the past and not now, in particular due to her specialty and the solitary life she had held throughout the past year, but her military training ensured she could do so, if absolutely necessary. Still, now that Jaime was taking care of things, it was no longer necessary, and she was content with that, though she suspected she'd have to get bossy again later on, when they all made it to the hideout, since there were some things she'd rather not have them mess with.

"I know what I'm doing, so I suppose the pairing up bit doesn't apply to me. I'll keep an eye on you all and try to make sure you're not killed, but you'd do well to act as if I wasn't here at all. There's no guarantees in the field of battle, so do what you must to stay alive." She said to the group, her usual playful tone becoming serious towards the end. Afterwards, she listened to a suggestion given by a Magi, and a rather young one at that. Hearing her out, the redhead smiled. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, girl! I'm sure you'll go far. That's a very good suggestion, I don't think we'll need a callsign, but if we do, having it could be the difference between life and death." She told the girl, hoping everyone had heard her, since she had no time to make sure given how they needed to get moving right away or be caught between the two warring factions.

Turning away from the group and facing a nearby building, the sniper bit her tongue hard, wincing, blood quickly beginning to seep out and leaving a coppery taste in her mouth before Vespera's delayed-action healing spell kicked in and cured the small injury on her tongue, the near-invisible light orb disappearing soon after. Though she would have much preferred to accept the additional safety provided by the spell, she simply couldn't afford to do so. She was a sniper, a Phantom as her former allies and enemies used to call her, so she couldn't accept anything that may increase the odds of someone spotting her, however small that increase could be. Certainly, if she was hit, the spell would have helped her greatly, but the entire point was that she needed to avoid getting hit at all costs. Her enemies wouldn't be able to harm her if they couldn't see her, after all.

Before she could actually get going, however, she heard and spotted more people, this time a man in armor with a clearly pregnant woman riding on his back. At this point, Artemis was beginning to feel exasperated at the constant arrival of newcomers. Sure, she didn't want anyone else who arrived too late to die in the crossfire, but if they didn't get moving right now, then they would likely suffer that fate as well. Thus, looking at the two, she shouted.

"This area is about to become a warzone. If you want help, go to the old cathedral in the north, follow someone if you don't know where that is, and make sure not to lead any Imperium or Technocracy soldiers there. If someone speaks to you with a sentence that has the word 'arcane', you reply with one that has the word 'technology'. Got it? Now get moving!"

And with that, the sniper jumped high into the air, using her jet boots to make it to the rooftop of the building in a single bound. However, if anyone had been observing her, they would notice that as she reached the rooftop, she simply disappeared without a trace, becoming completely invisible.

Brusia wrote:---

Tomia wrote:---

Both Kiris and Valerius had watched, the former with some apprehension and the latter with both caution and curiosity, as the combat medic hastily approached Kiris and pointed his wrist at her. It didn't seem to be causing any odd effects, or anything at all, so the girl soon relaxed, though she, like her master, remained quite curious about the medic's procedure, and while she was a little shocked when he suddenly injected something into her neck, she didn't feel bad afterwards. In fact, she was starting to feel better, slowly but surely. Much like the medic stated, she didn't feel quite like she could begin casting complex spells such as group teleportation again, which his master had already warned her of, but the steady waning of her fatigue was certainly nice.

"Thank you. I'll be sure not to show off too much." She replied with a soft smile and a small dose of sarcasm.

Once Jaime began shouting orders at everyone, telling people to pair up if they didn't have a lot of experience, Kirisvala immediately looked towards her master, but was addressed by the combat medic before she could speak. Listening to him, she smiled a bit once more, appreciative of the fact that he showed concern and kindness towards her despite the fact that he was a Technocrat, though she was unsure of whether to accept his offer.

Fortunately for her, the decision was made on her behalf, which she realized as Valerius put his gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder and spoke to her. "You should go with him, Kiris. He will most likely be able to keep you safe and sound better than I, and he has shown himself to be trustworthy." He stated, nodding at his apprentice. However, she looked up at him, her face showing that she was now somewhat nervous.

"But, master, what about you? Will you be alright? Do you intend to go with someone else?" The girl asked him, to which he simply shook his head.

"No, I'll be going by myself. It's not the first time I've been alone on the battlefield, I can take care of myself. I also believe that it would be more helpful for the group as a whole if I distract the enemy and help you escape more easily." The enchanter stated, before looking around for a moment, and then back to Kiris. "You shouldn't worry about me. To tell you the truth, I'm more worried about you all. Most of the people here appear to be younger than me, and I don't know how well they'll do in this situation. That's why I'm going on my own, and I why want you to go with the medic. He seems experienced, he will know what to do." He told her, and then nodded towards the Technocrat, before beginning to walk northward.

Just when Valerius left, another person approached her, this time someone she still felt uncomfortable about. The swordswoman from before, the one that had attempted to kill her. Her master had told her that she had nothing to worry about, that the other girl had a change of heart and that he would take care of her if she tried something again... but he had just left, and though Kiris knew that she was amidst friendly people, she still couldn't avoid feeling unsafe around the Technocrat soldier.

However, what she said made the healer pause her suspicions for a moment and listen. She was not keen on trusting the other girl so soon after her attempted murder, but it was true that being a fugitive was an incentive for paranoia, and every word that the other girl spoke sounded quite sincere. In the end, she decided, it was probably fine if she gave the swordswoman the benefit of doubt. They were going to take different paths in a moment, and the next time they met, they would be surrounded by friendly people again, so she reasoned she did not need to feel in danger. Thus, she nodded at the Technocrat's words, somewhat reluctantly. "My name is Kirisvala Sarafan. Nice to meet you too." She said, but at the sight of Jessica offering her hand, the girl simply held her arm with one of her clawed gauntlets and looked down as if in shame.

Before the silence grew too long and awkward, Kirisvala turned around to face the medic once again. "We should get going, or we'll never make it to the hideout. I'll follow your lead." She stated.

by **Brusia** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 4:41 pm

Dr. Galen Salk

Galen grinned a little when the young woman stated that she'd be sure not to show off too much, though she probably wouldn't be able to see it through the dome of his helmet. As the girl considered his offer, Galen returned the hypospray and its accouterments to their rightful place in his medical kit, then turned his head towards Valerius when he began to address his apprentice. Galen was impressed that the man was willing to head out on his own to distract their enemies and improve everyone else's chance of making a successful escape; such honor in a man who was supposed to be his enemy helped to remind him why he'd decided to defect from the Technocracy. When Valerius told her he wanted her to go with Galen and nodded in the doctor's direction, Galen nodded back and stated "You have my word, I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe."

After Valerius left, a young Technocrat woman approached Galen's new partner to speak with her, and not wanting to eavesdrop on them, Galen scouted the area ahead while they chatted. In spite of his best efforts, he did overhear a part of their conversation, and learned the young woman traveling with him was named Kirisvala Sarafan. After their conversation finished, Kirisvala suggested they get going, and Galen nodded in agreement; after double checking their surroundings, he pointed to an area ahead and said "That path looks clear, let's head out that way." He then darted out from his position and ran a short way along the path he suggested before stopping for a moment to make sure no one was trying to shoot at him. When it seemed the path was indeed clear, he reached out his arm and signaled for Kirisvala to follow him so that they could begin their journey North towards the unknown hideout...

by **The Templar High Council** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 9:38 am

Tomia wrote:Jessica
Jessica shouted in surprise and protest when Valerius suddenly picked her up and rushed them past the horde of magi troops that were forming a battle line against the Technocrats. Soon they arrived at where the others outcasts and fugitives were waiting for them. Jess quickly jumped out of Valerius' arms, glaring up at him when she was on her own two feet. "Thank you... But don't ever do that again Magi." She said before hearing Kiris address him. Jessica understood why his Magi apprentice wouldn't want her around, but she hoped to make amends.

"I regret trying to hurt you." Jessica said sincerely. "When you're on your own and on the run, you can't take the risk of trusting strangers. But I see now that you and your mentor are not the enemy. I hope you can see me that way in time." She reached out her hand, "I am Jessica by the way, it is nice to meet."

After greeting Kiris she was suddenly greeted by someone she hadn't seen before. She looked him up and down, studying him. He was about her age, and he had a mechanical arm and was carrying two guns along with him. She didn't want anyone slowing her down, but having backup might be a necessity in this situation. "Fine, come along, but don't get in my way. We're not going to have much room for error." Without even giving him a chance to reply, Jessica bounded off towards an abandoning building that would provide cover, expecting Addison to follow her.

Addison turned with Jessica and started running, slightly behind her from the delayed start but managing to reach the building undetected all the same. Addison ducked down as they arrived, drawing his submachine gun and snapping the stock in place. "So northwest. I assume you know where you're going, look like some sort of deniable-ops type. Just hope this isn't one of those ops and I can trust you to not stab me in the back." Addison spoke cynically and under his breath, not knowing who else was in the Neutral Zone and listen in to them.

"You're faster, and I've got the guns. I can cover you while you move up, just keep leap-frogging up the NZ. Unless you have a better plan?"

by **Tomia** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 8:50 pm

The Templar High Council wrote:Addison turned with Jessica and started running, slightly behind her from the delayed start but managing to reach the building undetected all the same. Addison ducked down as they arrived, drawing his submachine gun and snapping the stock in place. "So northwest. I assume you know where you're going, look like some sort of deniable-ops type. Just hope this isn't one of those ops and I can trust you to not stab me in the back." Addison spoke cynically and under his breath, not knowing who else was in the Neutral Zone and listen in to them.

"You're faster, and I've got the guns. I can cover you while you move up, just keep leap-frogging up the NZ. Unless you have a better plan?"

"Head Northwest, regroup with the others, don't get killed." Jessica said as she leaped behind the ruins of an old shop to avoid gun fire. She then raised an eyebrow when he commented on her looks and being able to trust her. "I was, once, but not anymore. And believe me I'm not what you have to worry about right now." She said, glancing towards the battalions of technocrat infantry that were now pouring in to the neutral zone. She listened to his suggestion about what they should do, admittedly she was impressed. He candidly expressed each others strengths, and suggested he cover her as she charged forward. "That works, but you'll need to make sure not to fall too far behind. it won't be long before both sides have this place surrounded." She told Addison, before unsheathing her swords and running forward towards the cover of an old news stand. She came up behind two unawares Magi guards, slicing each of them across the back before they could even respond. That caught the attention of one of their squadrons however, and soon magical blasts were flying in Jessica direction. She ran across the street and dove behind a brick wall just in time. She was now pinned down however, and she looked over towards Addison, hoping he had gotten in position to give her cover to move.

by **The Republic of Atria** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:23 pm

Atlannia wrote:Snip

Gav

That went much easier than expected, Vespera didn't even hesitate. Even though Gav saw first hand that not every Techie wasn't an emotionless killing machine, he didn't exactly feel safe with trusting his life to them right out of the gate. That would take at least another day. Vespera suggested a plan and since Gav wasn't exactly the best idea generator around, he figured it would be best to go with her after she finished demonstrating a delayed healing spell to a techie. He had a few healing spells, but they were usually direct or lasting. He would definitely be asking her for lessons assuming he survived to the end of the week. "Since I don't have any ideas, I will be following you." Thankfully in the event he did get injured, she was quite a competent healer, so at the very least he felt a little bit safer. "I've got some pretty good lightning and ice spells." He said trying to justify his existence. The former was great for doing damage, and the latter great for defense. Of course he had never actually used his magic on a person with intent to kill, but there was a first time for everything.

Jaime

When he yelled about people getting into groups unless they were really sure about what they were doing, regardless of which side they were from. Half to bolster teamwork and cooperation for the next hellish while, and also because he didn't have enough information on the magi to properly integrate them into a proper plan, but it wouldn't do him any harm to assist the group of Magi. Obviously the woman seemed more confident in what she was doing than the male, but she looked younger, which was either the reason why, or a bit of irony. And it would actually give him experience with their magic first hand. That hopefully doesn't wind up into him being exploded again. That was an experience he definitely did not want to repeat. "I'm coming with you two." He said to Vespera and Gav. "No offense to you, but I'd rather not leave the medic defended by someone squeamish. At least until he toughens up a smidge." He may have sounded a bit harsh, but it was true.

Gav wanted to object, but the techie was right. "I want to object, but you're right."

"Thought so." He said and followed the woman.

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:11 pm

Brusia wrote:---

Hearing Galen's suggestion of which path to take towards the hideout in the North, Kirisvala nodded at him and then watched him take point, waiting for his signal before catching up with him. Fortunately, by this point she had recovered enough to be able to run, which allowed her to quickly reach the combat medic. After that, the pair quickly rushed from cover to cover in an attempt to make it through to the hideout while unseen. Galen had thus far been rather kind to her, and she knew that what Valerius said about him being experienced was true, so she had no issue following his instructions all throughout. Fortunately, for the most part they managed to avoid being spotted by hostile patrols from both sides, making things a lot easier.

Eventually, however, the pair came upon a skirmish between Imperium and Technocracy troops, both sides fighting fiercely. It was apparent that the two factions were attempting to secure the perimeter, which meant that, regardless of the victor, Galen and Kiris would be trapped soon if they didn't move or do something. Thus far, they had managed to avoid being spotted even as they peeked out of cover, with both faction's soldiers too busy attempting to kill each other to notice them, and that gave the young healer an idea, albeit a risky one. After mulling it over for a bit, she spoke.

"Mr. Medic, I can try to teleport us past the battle, but I fear I might become more of a hindrance if I do." She said, her insecurities showing through the serious facade she was trying to put on. "But... this is going to sound crazy, but I have an idea of how we could get away from here." The girl spoke and pointed at the warring factions. "If we charge through, right now, we might make it through without too much trouble. They'll be too busy to notice us when we're heading their way, and when we're past them, they'll be too busy to give chase." She stated and turned back to Galen. "It's risky, but I think it's our best chance to get away. I can reinforce your shield if you don't think it can resist, but whatever we do, we need to do it soon."

Tomia wrote:---

Unbeknownst to either Jessica or Addison, while a group of Magi soldiers pinned the former down with basic blasts of magic, there was an Elemental on a nearby vantage point, charging up an explosive fireball perfectly capable of destroying the brick wall that Jessica hid behind, and then some. Once the spell was fully charged, however, and right as the Elemental let it loose, a bullet from very far away left a large hole in the chest of the Magi, whose fireball veered away from Jessica, out of control. It soon slammed right into a large building that began to collapse, its rubble slowly beginning to cover up the path that led north. Of course, there was still the matter of the Magi who were pinning down Jessica with their magic blasts, but both she and Addison were presented with a prime opportunity to leave their pursuers behind a wall of debris.

"You're welcome, boys and girls. Now get moving." Artemis muttered under her breath as she slid another round into her weapon, at the same time standing up and running to the edge of the rooftop before jumping off, landing on another nearby rooftop only a moment after an artillery round had reduced the previous building to nothing. While she had technology that muffled the sonic boom produced by her railgun, she still had to be wary of attempts to clear the way for large amounts of troops or vehicles. Settling into her new position, the Phantom took aim once more, this time against her former allies.

by **Atlannia** » Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:04 am

The Republic of Atria wrote:"Since I don't have any ideas, I will be following you." Thankfully in the event he did get injured, she was quite a competent healer, so at the very least he felt a little bit safer. "I've got some pretty good lightning and ice spells." He said trying to justify his existence. The former was great for doing damage, and the latter great for defense. Of course he had never actually used his magic on a person with intent to kill, but there was a first time for everything.

The Republic of Atria wrote:"I'm coming with you two." He said to Vespera and Gav. "No offense to you, but I'd rather not leave the medic defended by someone squeamish. At least until he toughens up a smidge." He may have sounded a bit harsh, but it was true.

Gav wanted to object, but the techie was right. "I want to object, but you're right."

Vespera Welkynde

Vespera also wanted to object and wasn't going to let a little thing like someone else being right stop her.

"First of all don't lump an invoker in with something ridiculous like a medic. Medic's and healers stem the tide, Invokers shift it." The words were spoken almost automatically, as though they had long ago been memorized and came forward reflexively in response to Jaime's words. A subtle expression flitted across Vespera's features, as though she wasn't quite satisfied with the words but she shook her head and it was gone.

"In any case I can look after myself, so worry about your own safety! I'll heal your injuries but not if they're from doing something stupid!" With that the young woman was moving again. her summoned mount advancing at a brisk pace and simply assuming the other two were following her. It was something that Vespera had observed pretty early on into her time on the front. In the swirling chaos of war people will follow anyone has a plan, even if the plan is as simple as "we'll go this way" a direction is better then nothing after all.

"If you two break us through their line, I can leave behind enough summons to slow down their pursuit somewhat" Vespera said, swiveling around in her saddle to address Gavlan and Jaime as they traveled parallel and opposite to the advance of the Imperium forces. They were skirting dangerously close to the enemy positions and every so often a few fireballs or lightning bolts would be hurled their way but the bulk of the soldiers ignored them, wary of splitting their forces to pursue what might simply be a diversion into the rougher terrain. At least to start with, eventually someone on the other side decided to deal with the small party of three before they did something surprsiing and a small party of magi on the outskirts of the formation peeled off to engage them.

"I was hoping to get a little further," Muttered Vespera, pressing her head down into her mountn as a bolt of magic soared over her head. "Oh well, your turn," she said to her companions, as her hands glowed with a healthy green energy, reinforcing their defenses with a temporary barrier.

by **Brusia** » Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:55 pm

Dr. Galen Salk

As Galen peered up from their covered position, he tried to work out a plan to get past the warzone directly in front of them, but wasn't having much luck. Fortunately, the young woman in cover next to him had managed to come up with something. Galen listened closely as Kiris outlined her plan, and though rushing through the battlefield wasn't exactly appealing, it was better than anything he could come up with. After letting out a brief sigh, Galen replied: "Alright, we'll try to rush through, but make sure you stick close to me while we're running; my shield will be able to extend around you to keep us both safe, but its range is limited. If you can keep it reinforced while we're moving, it should be able to shrug off anything they can throw at us. Just to be on the safe side, I recommend we wait for a lull in the fighting before we move." After a couple minutes passed, the Technocrats and Imperium soldiers had killed enough of each other that the fighting started to die down abit, so Galen turned to Kiris and asked: "You ready?"

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 6:29 pm

Brusia wrote:---

After having told the medic her idea, Kirisvala waited for his opinion, as he was the more experienced of the two. Fortunately, he seemed to approve of the plan, adding a few suggestions to it to make it run more smoothly. In particular, she was glad that his shield could provide protection for the two of them, as that meant she only had to focus on reinforcing it, rather than maintaining and reinforcing two separate barriers as she ran through the battlefield. She didn't know how effective the plan would prove if they waited for a lull in combat, but, again, she opted to defer to him, as he had far more years of experience under his belt than her. Once the combat medic was done speaking, the girl simply nodded to convey that she agreed with his suggestions.

A few minutes passed in silence afterwards, minutes that the young healer tried to use to steel herself for the coming challenge. Despite having more or less managed to keep her cool thus far, she was hardly used to live combat situations, having only found herself in the frontlines at her age due to her wish to help her master avoid an unjust fate; she knew, however, that she could not hesitate when the moment came for her to play her part in getting through the battlefield. Thus, when Galen called out to her, asking if she was ready, she nodded at him once again, a resolute look on her face. She followed his lead, jumping out from behind her cover and bolting towards the other side of the battlefield right after him.

The Magi and Technocrats present, tense and combat-weary as they were, took a couple of seconds to notice the two renegades attempting to cross the battlefield, giving them a precious advantage, but soon bolts of lightning and bursts of plasma started battering on Galen's shield, and that was when Kiris jumped to action. With one spell, she created a magical barrier around the technological one, and used more spells to restore and reinforce it whenever their enemy's attacks proved too much for it to hold; for anything that went past it, however, Galen's own shield proved to be more than enough to protect them. However, it was taxing for the young woman to maintain the barrier; not to the point of making teleportation a better choice, of course, but it was tiring to do while trying to keep up with Galen physically.

For all their trouble, however, both Galen and Kiris managed to make it through the battlefield safely, and just as they had predicted, the Magi and the Technocrats were in no position to pursue them, knowing that if one of them decided to give chase, the other would take advantage of this to rout them. Even then, the pair ran a couple of blocks further in order to put some more distance between them and the enemy, before pausing at last. When they finally stopped and found another suitable cover to hide behind, Kirisvala slumped back, leaning against a wall and trying to catch her breath before continuing, their charge through the battlefield having taken quite a bit of energy out of her.

Technologic Arcanum (IC)

Who is online