Fimbulvetr [ATTN:Mystria|Invite Only|FanT]

[Malgrave]

Penguin City, Silverdale

Lena Wozniak pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to relieve some of the stress and discomfort that she was feeling before looking at the clipboard in her right hand, the doctor understood the history of her patient but it helped to remind herself of key facts prior to speaking with them, a key factor when dealing with so many patients and something that helped her ignore the cold sterile environment she was working in.

Ania Szwarc, a Soldato serving in an infantry platoon attached to the Second Infantry Division that had been assigned to assist in the evacuation of refugees travelling from the remote villages and individual households outside of the protection of the city, the Soldato had been evacuated after a rather brutal ambush of a refugee column that resulted in the loss of 12 conscripts but due to the combined use of her ancestral abilities they had been able to repel the attack without losing a civilian, however, such strain wasn’t recommended and her body was slowly shutting down.

Lena muttered something incomprehensible to herself in Malgravean Ancient before entering the tent and taking a seat besides the Soldato, the Malgravean understood that her patient knew that she was going to die, and she knew that simply ignoring the situation at this point was a disservice to the patient.

“How are you today, Ania?” Lena said, making sure to slow her pace of talking so that the Soldato could understand her as a common problem with long-term or excessive use of ancestral abilities was the subject struggling to hear Malgravean Ancient heard at the regular or fast pace usually spoken.

“I guess I am just waiting for the end,” Ania said as she positioned herself to look at the Doctor that had been assigned to her case, “...and I suppose I am rather scared? I don’t think anyone knows what really happens to us after we die.” the Soldato said, of course, other peoples had some idea of what happened after death but for Malgraveans under a different belief system altogether it wasn’t really the same.

“Really? I don’t think you have anything to be scared of, Ania.” Lena said, the Doctor suddenly reminded of how much her patient sounded close to a child, of course, a portion of it was down to her overexertion of magic impacting her brain but she also understood that it was down to the fact that the Soldato was quite young, barely 18 years of age when she had volunteered to be transferred to the unit escorting refugees due to her status as a noted talented medical student and healer back in Omsk, “You don’t remember what they taught you in the ASG centre back at school?”

Ania just looked confused at Lena’s remark, “I guess I am just worried that everything will turn black and I will become nothing.” the Soldato said repeating a common fear of Malgraveans that thought they hadn’t done enough to reach ascension.

“It is said that the Ancestors watch over us at all times, Ania, and while they don’t interfere I know that they look positively upon acts of solidarity and heroism,” Lena said repeating what she had been taught from a young age at the ASG centre in her home city of Pakosc, “Your ability to raise that defensive barrier while under fire saved the lives of over a dozen of your colleagues and protected the column from attack, and then what did you do? You saved the life of those two injured Silverdaleans despite the impact that it had on your own health. You have nothing to worry about, Ania. I am certain that you’ll find your place with the ancestors.”

“Oh,” Ania said, almost as if the Soldato was surprised that her own actions on the field would qualify as acts worthy of being called heroism, “I just couldn’t sit by and see another Silverdalean family become mourners but I just did my duty.”

“In performing your duty in adverse conditions you also performed a heroic act, Ania and I know that the Ancestors watching over would’ve judged it favourably,” Lena said hoping her words would comfort the soldier.

“In that case, I don’t have anything to worry about?” Ania said, the Soldato smiling and visibly relaxing upon seeing Lena’s nod, “Do you think that Sahaeli, Virgil and Amelia will get together in the new season of Adventurer High?”

Lena laughed at Ania’s sudden change in direction, an action that caused Ania to join in briefly uplifting the mood of the ward with the sound of happiness, “...yes I think they will get together quite soon, they love each other very much.”

[Rohane Alista]

OoC: Written with Malgrave and Dornalia

New Snowdale, Icy Shores, Silverdale
1700 hours local time, +3 Days

The city was in complete and utter chaos. Any semblance of order had collapsed with the appearance of the kaiju and the teleporting battle mages, as Garyx’s forces flooded into the streets and the fighting became street to street and home to home. Ironically, fires burned, both magical and not, across the city, as random buildings suddenly flashed up with gunshots or magic. Indeed, there was no longer a single quiet place in the entire city, roars of monsters and cracks of sniper rifles accompanying the fierce winds and rhythmic ra-ta-ta of assault rifles.

It was in this chaos the small, makeshift squad Commander Niwscky had put together moved through the streets. They moved slowly and carefully, retreating to the inner city which seemed to still be mostly in allied hands, sticking to shadows. Of course, such a technique could only work so well in an area so chaotically filled with combat, and the squad kept running across enemy forces and being forced to either divert or fight their way through; somehow no one had been wounded in action yet, but Dunn’s rifle had been broken and he was down to just his pistol and sword.

It was as the squad encountered another group of hostiles, this time three yetis and several snow creatures Niwscky didn’t know the name of, that one of the first buildings to completely collapse in New Snowdale came down. A large building near the outer edge of the city, several stories tall and already on fire, seemed to get hit by a rocket, and with a creak and a huge groan, gave way, collapsing under its own weight and falling to earth. A wave of dust and snow was created, filling the nearby streets, where unfortunately the squad found themselves. A little more fortunately, they were directly outside a hotel of some kind, and quickly forced their way inside the building.

All four members of the crew collapsed against the door as the building shook, taking a moment to breathe, then moving through the hotel itself, hoping to find a way out, when they heard the sound of rifle fire coming from somewhere in the building and went to high alert.

In the early days of the fighting in New Snowdale, the Territorial Defence Force had taken over a number of buildings both to serve as overwatch for snipers and spotting teams and to provide logistical support for other operations, with one of these buildings being a private hotel that had been commandeered by a portion of one of the local artillery units and a few of the magi-capable strike teams, with footage from a mixture of drones flooding into the building used to coordinate close artillery support and provide real-time information to strike teams organising missions beyond that which could be performed by ordinary conscripts, unfortunately the rise of the kaiju and the battlemages had meant that the building needed to be evacuated but the remains of MalTec computers and other infrastructure to allow high-speed information indicated its purpose.

If the Rohanians were familiar with the sound of foreign service weapons then they’d recognise the distinctive crack of the AR-2 bullpup rifle, the longtime rifle of the Territorial Defence Force make its presence known in one of the conference rooms of the building, the sound joined a few moments later by the soft thoom of ancestral abilities and the crack of another series of shots from an AR-2 rifle.

“You need to keep calm, Soldato. I can’t exactly treat you if you are moving around like a little kitten on her first day of school.” an authoritative voice said in Malgravean Ancient from inside the conference room.

“Technical-Corporal,” a young voice replied most likely belonging to the Soldato in question, the voice becoming even more needy, “... but Ylenia you’ve never been stabbed by a snowman before.”

“Katia...” the figure named as Ylenia said with a deep sigh, “If you were paying attention then you would’ve been able to avoid getting stabbed by a snowman. Just consider yourself lucky that I was watching out for you.”

“I know.” Katia said with a sigh of her own, “I was just making sure that the last messages recorded by the local conscripts were safely stored in the database back in the Research Colony.”

“It is why I am not completely tearing you apart, Soldato.” Ylenia said, although her voice had taken on a more pleased tone compared to her earlier authoritative one, “Just continue holding still, ok? Good.

It would be that scene that the Rohanians would stumble upon after coming across the conference room, the AR-2 of one of the other Soldatos raising for a brief moment before falling once the soldiers were recognised as Rohanians.

“I am afraid we’re not taking reservations at this time, Rohanian, but I wouldn’t be opposed to lending some assistance so that we can return to civilisation,” the Technical-Corporal said as she finished tying off the bandage on a fellow conscripts shoulder, the Soldato rising and giving her fellow Malgravean a small hug before joining the rest of her comrades.

“Not exactly looking for a reservation,” Niwscky responded in common, giving hand signs to his squad that caused them to lower their guard, just slightly. “I prefer my vacations in beautiful locals, not warzones. Are you all capable of moving? We’re trying to head for the inner city, our latest intelligence is that it remains safe. For now.”

“I think only the Imerians would consider this to be holiday suitable weather, so nobody civilised.” Ylenia responded signalling for her conscripts to get ready to move, “Soldato Fermi here picked up a light injury from one of the snowman, certainly not a sentence I expected to say when I got called up but we’re good to go.”

“I am hearing conformational reports that the inner city is still being held by allied forces, and well I’ve heard rumblings that a plan is forming to take out that large monster and the person behind it,” the Lance Corporal said adjusting his glasses as he checked over some reports that were coming through on a small MalTec device before shoving back into his pack.

“In that case it seems like the ideal moment to get out of here,” the Technical-Corporal said earning the agreement of her comrades, “I trust that you are prepared to lead the way Comrades?”

“Just be alert,” the Rohanian commander replied, relinking with his squad and leading the Malgraveans down to the lobby. “We’re still in the thick of the battle where we are, and with this many people I don’t think we’re going to be able to sneak by nearly as many hostile forces. Dunn, take point! Saliba, Mornol, I want you in the middle of the squad, providing focused fire where it’s needed. I’m trusting you to fill out the rest of the positions and watch our backs,” he said, looking directly at the one who seemed to be commanding the Malgraveans. “We can trade names while moving, make it easier to communicate.”

When he was finished, the Rohanians got into their assigned positions, before Sergeant Dunn Led the way through the backrooms, into a kitchen, and out the back door. The sergeant checked both corners before leaving the hotel, her commanding officer close behind, and back into the streets. It looked like even the short delay that their stop in the hotel had brought significant change; the snow was thicker, and more of it was being lifted and blown about to obscure vision. Along the streets themselves, the facades of some buildings had collapsed, and in some areas roads and sidewalks had been torn up or blown to pieces, a chaotic reimagining of the once peaceful city.

By now the sun had begun to set as well, lending a new found sense of gloom to the general sense of doom hanging over the city, but silence did not come with the oppressive darkness; the sounds of Malgravean and Rohanian artillery firing what seemed non-stop still came from the inner city. The stronghold, the barriers protecting what civilians had refused to leave, as well the supplies and evacuation routes of the locally deployed armed forces, apparently did still stand.

Ylenia nodded signalling for the rest of her squad to get into position around the Rohanians, a rather easy affair as beyond basic training and the combat experience that they had earned recently in Silverdale they had also seen action in Crystal Spires as part of the continued anti-monster patrols

“Ylenia Alessandri, Technical-Corporal,” the young neko said introducing herself to the Rohanians as they moved through the hotel.

“Katia Fermi, Soldato,” the earlier injured conscript said in accented common, her slightly pointed ears given away her partial elven ancestry.

“Ernesto Turati, Lance Corporal,” a young man said, his wiry frame and glasses strongly hinting that he came from Epping and had been assigned to the unit due to his technical expertise

Park Yeong-Suk, Soldato,” a young conscript said her more poetic accent and increased confidence around the colder weather compared to her colleagues indicating that she came from around Omsk, a region of Malgrave which was considerably colder compared to the rest of the country.

“It is known that the creatures are stronger in these conditions, so remember to keep a lookout for hostiles,” the Technical-Corporal said, “If we can move under the noise of our artillery fire that will help matters but if we can’t remember your training and our experience in Spires and stay calm,” the neko said speaking mostly to her own soldiers, “Yeong-Suk, are you still good to go?”

Yeong-Suk nodded, a small ball of fire emanating from her hands as she used her ancestral abilities, “I should be good for a few hours without resting, Technical-Corporal, although I can’t say how they’ll act near the Rohanians,” the magi-capable conscript said before taking the chance to ask them, “Do you have an anti-magic field? If I have to use healing magic it will be kinda awkward if it doesn’t work.”

It was Lieutenant Mornol who replied, her voice soft but still able to cut through the background noise. “All Rohanians have the field,” she said, adjusting the weight of her sniper rifle. “None of us are AMTF, so it’s fairly minimal. You should be able to heal each other, at least, but in combat you might be better off using a gun, since magic might weaken passing through our ranks,” she explained further.

“She’s correct, and I’ll account for it,” Niwscky continued. “Commander Niwscky, by the way. It seems like I’m the most senior officer here, so if you don’t mind, I’ll give orders until we link back up with the main force,” he finished, not really looking at the Malgraveans he was talking to, eyes ahead on the dark alleyway they were passing through.

The commander threw up some hand signs, causing the Rohanians in the group to instantly fall silent and lift their weapons, shifting into high alert. He looked around the edge of a surprisingly whole building, then turned back, leaving Dunn to watch the corner, and whispered commands to those following.

“Alright, we’ve got a group of hostiles ahead,” he spoke softly. “Big one, there’s no way we’re sneaking past. Right now they’re focused on the other side, and appear to be taking fire, but we need to get to the other side of where they are. Mornol, take Saliba and Fermi up into that building, find a firing position. Fermi, watch their backs, I want them free to provide covering fire. Make sure to secure your egress.”

“Turati, Yeong-Suk, I want you two to remain at this corner and wait. We’ll use radio frequency 38.3, and when I give the signal I want you to open fire. Make sure to remain in cover. Dunn, Alessandri, come with me; we’re going to cross the street to provide fire from another angle. Make sure to watch each others backs, everyone,” the commander finished handing out orders, quickly tapping Alessandri and Dunn on the shoulders before quickly and quietly moving through the rubble to the other side of the street, taking position behind some abandoned sandbag fortifications and waiting for the rest to move.

Mornol nodded, Saliba replying with a soft affirmative, and they headed into the building. They climbed a few floors, finding it to be an empty office building of some kind, though the cubicles were in extreme disarray where they weren’t outright destroyed. It was dark, and they moved slowly, Saliba taking point, then suddenly opened fire with his MBR-19 and shouted to the other two. “Contact! Hostiles, in the stairwell!”

“Alright, backoff and lights on!” The lieutenant, as the highest ranking member of the detachment, gave orders, quickly turning on her own lights and keeping her head on a swivel, as Saliba did the same.

Yeong-Suk nodded in confirmation, the conscript focusing on using her AR-2 rifle instead of her ancestral abilities, such techniques could be relied upon in the future if the situation got considerable worse but in the meantime the Malgravean trusted her rifle and the knowledge passed onto her by their new Rohanian friends.

“Understood, Commander Niwscky,” Alessandri said falling in with the Rohanian, the Technical-Corporal hadn’t really been assigned to lead an escape mission but a series of unfortunate incidents and the strange ice magic had resulted in her being the senior member of her team and she was quite relieved to note the presence of a more senior Rohanian commander.

Fermi meanwhile simply nodded in confirmation and joined her new Rohanian colleagues, the conscript had been slightly injured earlier due to an unfortunate incident with a snowman but she was capable of fighting and she remained in the back of the formation to provide cover and support as they travelled through the building, the Malgravean attaching her trusty bayonet to her AR-2 rifle and following the Rohanians in turning on her lights.

Saliba took point again, heading slowly up the stairs, checking corners made easier by the lack of walls in the staircase. Mornol was a few steps behind, and Fermi behind her, allowing Saliba the room to back off if needed, but it seemed a wasted precaution, as Saliba’s rifle muzzle flashed again, and the sound of another one of the snowman-creatures collapsing could be heard. By now, the small fire team was getting up to the 4th floor, and Mornol silently indicted they begin looking for a position. Saliba nodded, slowly opening the door to the main officer of this level, finding an abandoned building with broken windows and snow slowly building up inside, but also a commanding view of the streets below.

“Alright,” Mornol finally spoke, dragging over a desk and flipping it over to use as a rifle rest, “Fermi, watch our backs. Alright, set up,” she commanded both the Malgravean and the other Rohanian before switching to her comms. “Commander, we’re in position. Slight resistance encountered and neutralized.”

“Good work,” Niwscky replied, leaning over the sandbags and sighting in a target. “Alright, squad; you may fire when ready. Remember, we need to clear the way through.” As soon as he had finished speaking, the commander opened fire, catching the attention of the creatures on the other end of the street, but not before his bullets ripped through a Yeti’s chest, killing it. Dunn followed, lighting up a snowman as the hordes began to split, half charging them and the other half still trying to break through the makeshift wall at the end of the street.

Fermi followed the instructions of her Rohanian colleague, the Malgravean being able to utilise the enhanced vision and hearing facilities that were offered by her MalTec Ascension to protect the sniper from any attacks from the rear, the conscript calling out and eliminating a snow creature that had been successfully hiding in a growth of snow.

Ylenia didn’t need to be told twice, the neko getting into position and firing off rounds from her AR-2 utilizing its in-built scope to maximise the hits being levelled against noted weak points in the ice creatures with another yeti falling under the combined assault.

Yeong-Suk and Turati meanwhile had kept silent in position until they were instructed to take action by the Rohanians, the two Malgraveans had positioned themselves in a strong location and when the time finally came for them to act the crack of their AR-2’s was met with the departure of a few of the ice creatures, the snowmen almost sounding surprised as to the sudden arrival of the new fighters.

From the building, there was a loud crack and a flash of light, and a yeti’s head exploded; a successful shot from the sniper of the squad. The ice monsters found themselves in disarray as Malgravean and Rohanian fire poured in from multiple directions, tearing them to shreds, and that was before the finishing blow; when the top of the wall suddenly lit up with heavy machine gun fire. In moments, the crowds of monsters were downed, and the way was clear, at least for now.

Commander Niwscky waited a moment, then stood and waved the others out of cover and into the street as floodlights on the top of the wall lit up. Shielding his eyes with one arm, he used the other to wave in the general direction of the lights, and was rewarded with a creak as a hidden door in the wall began to open. The commander waited until all were accounted for, and lead them inside.

“Good work, everyone. Glad to have had you along, TDF,” he said to the Malgraveans. “Let’s all go get some rest. I think we earned it.”

Penguin City Trenches, Icy Shores, Silverdale
1700 Hours local time, +3 days

The artillery bristling on the walls of the city was a distant rumble this far out, drowned out by the smaller artillery pieces installed in the first trench itself, as well as the various other sounds of battle. The incendiary ammunition, however, was not drowned out at all, exploding in brilliant flames when it hit down, taking out scores of the icy horde, and yet it barely left a dent in their actual forces.

On the ground, in the trenches, machine guns roared, the anti-magic plating that had been constructed between the lines slowing down many of the smaller monsters and allowing machine guns and rifle fire to rip them to shreds, while mortars, small artillery pieces, and man deployed explosives were used on the larger, tougher enemies.

Still, while the Rohanians held back the first wave, they wouldn’t have been able to do so without their Dornalian allies; for every Rohanian machine gun crew, there was a Dornalian ensuring they had their ammunition in a timely manner. For every shot a Rohanian mortar sent down range, a Dornalian rifleman fired an energy beam through a monster’s head.

But it wasn’t enough. At first, the rare monster would make it into the trench and be swiftly dispatched, but with time more and more began to come, and trench fighting erupted. Shotguns, swords, and submachine guns occasionally erupted, the close defense weapons of the trench chewing up their foes. The trench held, occasionally only just, against the waves, and the second and third trench lines remained mostly inactive, contributing only artillery.

Then the kaijuu had appeared; it would be wounded by artillery fire, then heal. It would be wounded by gunfire, then heal. As it roared and ran, it was barely even slowed by the concentrated fire of the trench, nearly reaching the city itself before the concentration of the combined artillery and air strikes finally drove it back some; it retreated temporarily past the trenches, but soon enough it was back, and with it, the hordes became stronger, and more determined.

It was almost a miracle, frankly, that the first trench had even held during the creature's first assault, if you asked Captain Malik in’Lani of the 4th AMTF squad. But it was already clear they wouldn’t be holding again as it began to charge forward, and so he turned to his squad. “Alright, get your gear and hit the tunnels. We’re retreating to the 2nd line. Spread the word,” he said, turning to flag down a Dornalian officer who was also in the small dugout that had been created as a forward command post for this sector of the 1st line.

The Dornalian officer would be familiar to Malik. After all, no one could miss the giant, distinctive profile of a Model 500 Performance Center revolver in all it’s stainless steel glory, its 10.5in barrel looking comically oversized when compared to the officer’s more sensible M3 Blaster rifle on her shoulder. And yet the officer was firing away with the hand cannon, one handed with various expletives in concert with some other Dornalian Marines.

The funny thing was, the woman was dressed differently from the Marines around her, and this would definitely give her away to Malik. For while her Marine escorts had the usual Liberator Power Suits which covered the user in a powered suit of armor that looked rather humanoid, the woman wore what looked like a more mundane armored suit retrofitted with some modifications out of a Sci-Fi video game with an M1 Helmet on her head, and with the suit bearing the rank pips not of the Marines or the Army, but the telltale low-vis logo of the CRE’s Postal Inspection Service.

Turning around, the woman, ginger hair and all, looked Malik square in the eye and went, “Malik? How’d you get here?” Pausing, she then opened her cylinder and executed a “stressfire” reload by tipping her revolver barrel up to the sky, slamming the ejector rod with the palm of her free hand straight down, then flipping the revolver forward and quickly pushing in a speedloader before tossing it into her pocket and closing the gun up. Then, continuing, the woman went, “No matter. What’s up?”

“... why are you here seems like a better question to me, Millie. This is a battlefield! Well, fuck it, I suppose you’re the most senior officer here, right? We’re falling back. I’m sending the notification that our sector is lost to the rest of the trench, can you relay it to the Dornalian commanders for me?” Malik asked, suddenly lifting his rifle and firing a short burst through the small loophole in the pillbox, taking out an elemental trying to send a blast of magic through the hole.

Millie fired another shot at an incoming ice monster also, and then said, “Got it. Standby.”

Pulling up her Do Anything Phone, she radioed command by saying, “Section Actual, Section Actual, this is Courier Zero One. Be advised we are pulling back, sector is lost to the rest of the trench, I say again, we are pulling back, sector is lost to the rest of the trench. Please advise.”

The Do Anything Phone squawked.

“Courier Zero One, acknowledged.”

As the order was given to fall to the second line, Millie turned to the Marines and went, “Let’s go, jarheads, we are LEAVING!”

“Right behind you!” was the reply, as Millie turned to Malik and said, “Right. Order’s been given. Let’s hustle.”

“Grab anything important you can, let’s not leave our intel behind,” Malik warned, his squad already grabbing Rohanian computers and files, while Malik himself used his own radio to echo Millie’s call. “Trench Command, this is Eliminator Alpha, reporting Sector 13 lost. Repeat, this is Eliminator Alpha, reporting Sector 13 is lost. Pulling back.”

There was a reply on the radio, but it was impossible to hear as the wind suddenly picked up massively. Outside the dugout, Garyx’s forces flooded over the trench wall, engaging in close quarters combat with Rohanians and Dornalians alike, and the roar of the kaijuu reverberated over it all. Malik opened fire as a Yuki-Onna broke down the door, lighting it up with incendiary rounds and blasting it out of existence while the entire bunker shook.

“Millie! Toss me that!” Malik shouted to her, pointing in the direction of an odd, bright red plastic gun on the table behind her as he continued to fire out the door. “And then get the fuck outta here, we’re about to be frozen!”

Millie nodded, grabbing the plastic looking gun and tossing it to Malik before hottailing it with her escorts. The escorts’ blasters began to crack and send bolts of energy fire downrange as all manner of ice-based horrors began to invade. Millie recognized the faint smell of ozone that came with any blaster attack, and Millie soon joined in with the thunderous BOOM of her revolver, its muzzle flash and cylinder gap flash making for quite the scene as an ice creature exploded when one of the shots connected.

Around her, Millie saw Marines falling back, along with the later Army units in their T-60 power armor suits which had come after the Marine Corps did. The icy hordes and their kaiju friend were not making things any easier, as the party proceeded onward.

Malik caught the device by its muzzle, then spun it in hand so he had it by the grip, and gritted his teeth. His squad had already fallen back into the tunnel attached to the pillbox, providing covering fire for Millie’s detachment to do the same. Outside, snow and sleet began to drive down, but Malik fired a burst out the door and ran after it, into the wild weather. He slung his rifle to his back, drawing the sword all AMTF members were given, and slashed a snow soldier in half with it, then took a moment to observe.

Around him, Rohanians were following, or sometimes proceeding, their Dornalian comrades, filtering off into bunkers and from there into the tunnels between the trenches, but many were still fiercely fighting. He watched as a member of the Rohanian army dropped his rifle, drawing his sidearm and putting a bullet in the head of a yeti, then got swarmed by snowmen, and another as a Dornalian in power armor grabbed a wounded Rohanian, an officer of some kind by the insignia on her uniform, hauling her out to the trenches while both fired at an uncountable mass of rage and ice.

The Kaijuu stepped, approaching the trench again, and the ground shook; a damaged pillbox on the far end of the sector collapsed under its own weight, and Malik raised his arm. He pointed the plastic gun skyward and pulled the trigger, a small explosion going off as a streak of light shot into the air. He didn’t wait around to find out how high it flew, turning and running back into the dugout, and lobbing a grenade behind him as a present, before ducking into the tunnel with the rest of his squad.

Millie followed Malik’s team with her escorts into the tunnel, going, catching her breath slightly, “Helluva reunion, huh? One moment, I was on Silverdale itself, next moment, I was reassigned here. So, yeah.” Pausing, she said as Section Actual and others reported on the progress of the Dornalian withdrawal to the second line, including the sounds of gunfire as well as other chatter.

The Marines next to Millie raised eyebrows, but one glance from Millie reminded them that they knew better than to ask questions of their new friend with security clearances higher than theirs. Turning to Malik, Millie asked, “So, what’s with the flare?”

“Hell of a reunion, yeah,” Malik replied distractedly, pulling down a heavy steel trapdoor, sealing the tunnel behind them. “We were instructed to fire the red flare off, if we lost a trench sector,” he replied, hurrying after the rest of the group, his own radio going crazy with incoming reports and the sound of ceaseless gunfire. “They wouldn’t even tell me why, and that means it’s something they really only want the big wigs to know about, I guess.”

The tunnel shook, packed snow falling to the ground, and on the soldiers hurrying through. As they went, Malik would occasionally stop, activating a trap here or closing a barrier there, until finally, shortly they exited into the second line, he pulled another steel door shut behind them and punched in a code on a pad. “Well, they’re not getting through this tunnel, at least,” he said, as the edges of the door began to glow bright red, and soon had welded themselves to the frame, rendering it a wall instead. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I could feel it every time that damn monster took a step.”

Millie nodded as Malik triggered the traps and sealed off the tunnel, and also discussed what he knew about the red flare. Millie could only go, “Agree. Sounds like things are getting crazy out there and above. Lead the way.”

“Alright,” he nodded, opening the hatch to the second trench, where their ears were immediately assaulted by the firing of a nearby missile artillery piece, and the roar of the kaijuu, closer than comfortable. He climbed out of the hole, helping his squad, and Millie’s, out after him, and turned to look. The ancient beast was halfway over the first trench again already, the winter hordes starting to appear around its feet again, and though the sky had now gotten mostly dark, it was still clearly visible from sheer size.

In the air above it hung a bright red flare, not the one Malik had fired, but slightly off to the right of where their sector had been, slowly falling to earth, to join the other slowly falling flares in the area. Suddenly, Malik’s radio came to life with one message, as did the radio of every other Rohanian commander in ear shot.

“This is Nexus, issuing new orders! All units within the second trench, proceed to the rear of the trench and hunker down inside fortifications. Repeat, all units within the second trench, proceed to the rear of the trench, and hunker down inside fortifications, effective immediately.”

A similar order soon came over the Dornalian comms.

“All units, this is Section Actual. Seek shelter immediately within safe areas within defense lines; do not come out until authorized. I say again, seek shelter immediately within safe areas within the defense lines and do not come out until authorized. That is all.”

Millie raised her eyebrows, as did the other Dornalians with their comms. The Dornalians in the second line could be seen taking to shelter immediately, with Marines and Army and others joining their Rohanian comrades within the shelters.

“Sounds serious,” was Millie’s reply.

Rohanian forces were seen flowing back into dugouts, bunkers, and other fortifications in the rear of the line, with the AMTF squad following the order as well, heading immediately for a bunker in the back of the line, as Malik gestured Millie and crew to follow. “I have no idea what that announcement was about, but you’re right, it does sound serious,” he replied, shaking his head. “They must be about to do something really wild…”

No sooner had everyone gotten inside the bunker and closed the door than the rumble of many multiples of jets overhead could be heard, then silence. There was a roar from outside, and Malik looked out the bunker’s loophole, making sure to fix his goggles so he could hopefully see through whatever was going to happen as the sound of more jets overhead began.

Millie, meanwhile, got inside with her team and other Marines, and before long was also looking outside through the viewports. The sounds of aircraft could be heard, both Rohanian and Dornalian. A lot of both could be heard, and then the roar--prompting one of the Marines to ask, “What the fuck was that?!”

“Looks like they hit the Kaijuu with some air-to-ground missiles. Won’t stop it, but it’s not moving right now. I think some Dornie planes just dropped some kind of cluster munition into the monster hordes, there were a lot of little explosions just now,” Malik informed the rest, looking up as much as he could when he heard and felt an almost unsettlingly deep rumble. “That might be a B/A-20, those’re brand new, never before used in actual combat,” he rattled off, watching as the plane was joined by over a dozen of the same type, racing across the sky.

Millie looked outside, and saw the Dornalian planes--streaks from both missile and aircraft alike were seen. She narrowed her eyes and went, “Looks like they scrambled the Marines and Navy--CF-01s, Mjolnir-Valkyries--er, F-45s--and others. Looks like they’re hunting skyborne baddies. Or were.”

Pausing, Millie then asked, seeing the Dornalian planes break and begin flying around in combat air patrols while the B/A-20s went to work, “Why’re the Marines and Navy breaking off though? I know my Marines, they don’t tend to break unless someone’s told them to do s--oh, right. The B/A-20s you mentioned.”

Millie had a distinct feeling as to why they were being called in…

“Yeah, the B/A-20s. They’re headed right for-” Malik began to reply, before he recoiled and grabbed Millie, backing them both away from the window and throwing them both to the floor, but not fast enough they wouldn’t both see the start of what was happening. The Rohanian bombers began dropping a continuous line of bombs, though it was too far and dark to pick out the type or even size, until they began to land right in front of the second line; then it became readily apparent what type of bombs they were as massive fireballs rose into the sky.

The rumble of the planes didn’t fade, but now it felt like a seismic event had begun, the entire earth shaking like an earthquake had arrived just to make everything worse, and the light of the uncountable fire bombs was so bright that even with closed eyes, in a bunker, on the floor, Malik could still see it slightly. It felt like all the sound and air in the world had been swallowed up, before it returned in a solid wall, a roar of superheated fury like the dying bays of an ancient dragon.

From the posts on the walls of Penguin City, it would be a different view, though soldiers in that location had also been instructed to hunker down. As the massive wave of air pushed out, it shook the walls lightly, causing galewinds to briefly whip over the top, but most were too captivated by the sight to notice. Where once had been snow, storm, trenchworks, and approaching horde, for what looked like a mile beyond the second line it was only a sea of bright, intense, undying flame, the brightest white most of the soldiers had probably ever seen in their life, and the snow did nothing to dampen the flames.

The Dornalian soldiers, no matter where they were, rode out the storm generated by the massive series of bombs being dropped. The men reacted in various ways; one of the Marines near Millie crossed herself and began muttering an old prayer in Latin as the winds howled and the light grew bright and the ground shook as if heaven itself was coming down from above.

From their positions in the air, the Dornalian Marine and Naval Aviators which had scrambled to perform an air superiority mission had a front row seat to the action. The men and women flying in the planes now realized it was probably a good idea that they backed out to the distance they were at. There, they witnessed the B/A-20s drop a massive amount of ordinance, resulting in a massive firestorm and blast rising from the blast sites, all around, blanketing the desolate Antarctic wastes in a massive cacophony and to-do full of sound and fury, only this time it signified something.

One of the Aviators from his CF-01 uttered one simple word.

“Jesus.”

Radio chatter meanwhile noted that an additional flight of Dornalian air ordinance would be coming soon to provide further mopup and air support--as soon as the Rohanians had finished, of course.

They would soon show they had, the massive B/A-20s turning slowly and peeling away, headed back to the Silverdalean mainland, leaving the destruction behind. Multiple flights of F-19s formed up to escort the bombers back, and Rohanian ground control gave the all clear to the Dornalian mop-up squads.

On the ground, Malik’s radio crackled, and soon the same voice as earlier was speaking. “Prepare to secure the second line. Repeat, prepare to secure the second line,” was the brief order given, prompting the captain to stand and help Millie up.

“That was… something. I understand why they ordered us all to hunker down, now. Even in here I can feel the heat a bit,” he said, looking out to watch the bright white flames. “They have to have killed that thing, right?”

“One would hope. One would hope,” were Millie’s words as she got back up. Then, came another noise. The familiar howl of jets and the hum of repulsorlifts. Millie perked up now, and said simply, “More vehicles. Dornalian, this time. I wonder what they want?”

MIllie wouldn’t have to wait long to figure it out, for she began hearing loud CRACK sounds from the air, followed by a pronounced ZING and a loud THOOM as shots began connecting with the ground. Millie realized what they were.

“Gunships! Fuckin’ Navy gunships! Hot damn!” was the profane, but truthful utterance of one of the other Marines in the bunker, as Section Actual ordered them to retake the second line.

Outside, any Rohanians and Dornalians would be treated to a sight no less impressive than that of the B/A-20s’ onslaught.

Flying in the air were several large formations of Pelicans and other Dornalian air vehicles such as Raptors. But these planes weren’t carrying people. No, they bristled with munitions of all sorts, some with rather large cannons sticking out of their sides, some with an almost absurd amount of ordinance on their wings. Perhaps intending to show off to someone, the Dornalians flew in such a manner as to show off their might, eager to clear the way.

Flying from the south and coming in hot, they had dipped in altitude by the time Millie and the other Allies had come out, and began attack runs, breaking into smaller formations while covered all the while by the air units already flying. One of the Pelicans flew low over the trench line on a strafing run against a horde of ice zombies which somehow survived, and Millie could swear that from its frame one could hear, if for a brief moment...music.

”...with a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound/he pulls the spitting high tension wires doooown….”

Millie’s eyebrow was raised, as she uttered, “Not my ideal choice of music, but it works.” The Pelican then flew forward, and unloaded a massive series of blue bolts from its nose, some rather substantial ones which flew forward and slammed into the earth with the massive results of what happened when an unstoppable force met with an immovable object, and a consistent staccato yet buzzing CHUNGCRACK-CHUNGCRACK sound of a gauss minigun firing out of the nose, along with the usual panoply of rockets.

Indeed, as Millie could tell, the Dornalian Navy and Marine Aviators were now declaring an open hunting season on any stragglers. As the sights cleared up, she saw distant forms in the heavens unleashing what looked like white hot rain upon enemy forces, punctuated by massive bolts from the sky that slammed into the ground with a massive burst and a substantial tremor. Meanwhile, forms great and small moved like locusts, swarming on aerial enemies and unloading the finest Dornalian ordinance on enemies on the ground alike. All the while, the radios chattered, with Dornalian aviators and Marines communicating with Dorns and Allies alike, to coordinate the increasing metal maelstrom in the skies above.

As the Dornalian planes and gunships finished their runs, the reason for their coordination became clear; as if in one last exclamation of “and stay dead, motherfucker!”, missiles slammed out of the sky, not the small kind mobile missile platforms fired, but the large, highly destructive type that came from a Rohanian arsenal ship. Some of the fires had finally been put out by the constant barrage, but between the Rohanians and Dornalians, what had once been the outer trench was now little more than a wasteland.

It was a good day to be on the side of those defending Penguin City. It was a bad day for those attacking it.

All the while, Millie wondered if the thing was dead…

[New Dornalia]

OOC: Done in collab with Silverdale.

IC:

General Hilda turned to Cameron when she brought up the question of vulnerability to anti-magic weaponry. “These Hunters should be effective by anti-magical weaponry, yes. Given their enigmatic nature and rare encounters to the special forces, we have limited knowledge on what would be most useful. Of course, any nullification may dispel any abilities they’d cause.”

Cameron nodded, and went, “I ask, because I know my people have access to antimagic systems.” Turning to Plo and Aoyama, Cameron added, “Mind, these are both magical in nature and mechanical. Either way, we should be able to use those to help suppress the worst of the enemy action.”

Aoyama, the woman with the hime cut, nodded and went, “Yes. Frankly, I would advise the use of Empowerment--er, I mean, magical, based countermagic wards. Individuals such as myself and Madame Plo are quite magically active, as I imagine many of your forces and our colleagues will be. I can prepare warding sigils using my onmyodo skills, for this purpose. It would not do to suppress friendly magical actions even as we suppress those of our enemies.”

Plo’s reply was to add, “Of course, that does leave the fact the enemy will still attempt to hide in the bushes and strike from ambush. If I were them, I would no doubt be seeking any number of angles from which to harass and harm my opponents--especially by deploying heavy assets where one would least welcome it.” Plo spoke as if from experience, with a matter of factness and a tone which suggested confidence in her judgment.

“Remember that the enemy has the home field advantage. This is their turf. Beware of nature mages, like druids, as they’ll ask that bush if someone passed by their field. Hence, our time frame is four to five hours to complete this task before resistance becomes overwhelming for any meaningful escape.” General Hilda said.

Thunderhammer laughed. Turning to Plo, she then said, coarsely, “You hear that? They have druids--those who speak to trees! I told you the trees would be speaking fairytalk!” Leaning in and shaking her axe-shotgun for emphasis, Thunderhammer added, “I’d say that’s less verbal diarrhea and more common sense.”

Plo said nothing, except to glare at Thunderhammer and to push her axe-shotgun aside with deadly earnestness.

Staying on topic, Cameron then added, “Well, then we will need to work quickly. Do we have boats or flat-bottom skiffs, or even airboats with appropriate concealment wards to evade the enemy?”

General Hilda gestured for a unicorn pony to carry up a brief case for the teams to see. When she opened it, there were small magical metal boxes with engraved text and a boat icon. “Each team will receive a standard issue folding box. Upon command by word, this box will transform into a boat to escape into the lagoon itself. It can transform to carry two squads, or fifteen people in total.”

Ms. Aoyama nodded, looking at the box, and sniffing the air a bit, before going, “The box has powerful magics. It will be most useful for the adventure ahead. Portable, enchanted...I like it.” The ever judgmental Ms. Plo nodded in agreement, going, “Very useful” briefly as the team looked impressed. Ms. Cameron meanwhile went, “Good thinking. Thank you.” Pausing she then went, “Right. So, how will we recognize President Fluffykins as the Genuine Fluffykins, once we locate her? And, what high value targets can be expected in the area? I know some of my personnel can use a variety of detection spells to find fakers, but what else would be a way to distinguish Fluffykins from a fake?”

“It’ll be a simple task to identify Fluffykins: her cutie mark.” Hilda tapped the remote controller for an image to be projectiled on the white board. It was a legal scroll tied together by the national silverdalean colors, and held together by a fluffy bunbun pin emblem. “It’s unlikely there are changeling agents working for Chancellor Emerald. However… I supposed simple questions would work. Ask any possible faker ‘what do you think about your father’ and Cynthia. Oh my…” Hilda then mused. “You won’t believe how angry and passionate she can become when the subject is about Snugglekins and his policies. I recommend boasting about how good he is and the faker doesn’t explode like a volcano, then it’s a fake Fluffykins.” The swanling went through a few meetings with President Fluffykins and the poor sap who praised about Snugglekin’s military leadership against the rogue Leopard Sealling Terrorist cell. ‘The one good thing, but that’s not enough!’ would Fluffykins spat out.

The Crew nodded, with Cameron going as she committed the information to memory, “Well, I figured I’d ask. Given what we know of them so far, I wouldn’t put it past them to use changelings and infiltrators to try and stymie any recovery effort.”

Thunderhammer for her part nodded, uttering bluntly with a roguish sense of amusement, “Got it. Press on the daddy issues switch, and the real Fluffykins explodes. It’s not a bad idea.”

Cameron, for her part, facepalmed and said to Hilda, “I must apologize for my colleague. She can be a bit blunt for her own good sometimes.” Thunderhammer’s reply was a simple, “Eh. I call them as I see them. Besides, it’s not a bad thing. It means, as our hosts have said, that we can tell who is the real Fluffykins, and who’s faking it.” Turning to Hilda, Thunderhammer then said, growing serious for an instant, “So, we get Fluffykins out of there alive, and also any high value targets alive. What if we run into Emerald? Do we stun her and take her too? I just want to confirm that. She seems like someone rather dangerous.”

“High Command is wary of any purse to the great fairy at this time, but if you manage to encounter her and are able to capture her, then do so. It is a secondary objective at best, as we’re concern of the full capabilities and magical power she possesses. Emerald is a powerful mage and a fey, so it is reasonable to assume that she is dangerous.” Hilda said.

Cameron nodded and looked at the others in the team, where there were nods all around. Even the normally snarky Thunderhammer didn’t say much. Aoyama then said, “We will be careful then. We are confident in our abilities, but prudence dictates we must focus on the mission to rescue Fluffykins.”

Plo then interjected, “Besides, we do have anti-magic measures….as much as it pains me to say it. Anyway.”

Cameron then went, “Is there anything else we need to know? I assume that once we retrieve Fluffykins, we’ll signal for extraction. Do we go through the swamp again, or another opportune site?”

“We’ll send a stealth airship to rendezvous at the swamp, or another location. The airship will improvise if a site is compromised.” Hilda said.

Nodding, Cameron replied, “Sounds lovely. I think we won’t have any other questions. I assume when we go in, it’s radio silence, everyone moves on their designated targets, and we go home with a President safe and sound.”

:Looking at the others and finding no commentary, Cameron then went, “I think we’re good on our end. If there’s anything else, I’ll let you know.”

“Godspeeds and good hunting for you all.” Hilda salutes to the group.


Marine Point, Fairy Council
1 hour before midnight

In the midst of the wartorn Fairy Alliance, the council retreated into the small and pompous rich town of Marine Point. Based nearby the lagoon, it was well off with grand mansions, and lovely trees for many of the people to enjoy themselves. As if the war was not present at all, nor felt. Beyond the patrol of fairy soldiers, and armedboats that moved across the lagoon. It was heavily forested, with twinkling lights from the trees. All was covered by snow, and the rare hour for moonlight to shine upon the bodies of water. All its residences were well stocked, and there were many boats at the marine for them to to easily escape into their yachts.

There, the largest of the mansions, Emerald Foundation, lay at the northwest district of the town near the lagoon. It was a three story home that was twisted with many trees longside a natural and red brick home. Vast gardens were now empty and covered with snow. There was a great pool with winter flowers in the center, shrouded by trees, and lent out by a riverway to the wetlands towards the lagoon. Naturally this was the most heavily armored at the piers of the docks and water entry way, where small fairy soldiers were at watch. On the left of the compound was the plaza, maze, and swimming pool with a large guardian tree. Even an old classical staircase that went down to the basement. On the outside, it was barred by fences with withern thorns. While not as obvious, any attempts to break in and out must pass through the many magical security systems, and be wary of those yet unseen. As the wild hunt has not begun yet.

As it so happened, war would be coming to the Council and its preserve on Marine Point.

Ms. Cameron and her crew were currently riding on the magic skiff provided by Hilda’s people. Clad in camouflage paint and cloaking devices and wards aplenty, the Wrecking Crew would move silently across the swamp, with radio silence and weapons ready.

The deployment plan was simple. There would be three other units moving across the lagoon with them in similar skiffs and stealth settings, a mix of Dornalians and Silverdaleans. This would form the main strike force. The goal was to disembark near the Emerald Foundation and proceed overland to the manse itself, to find Fluffykins. Aiding in this effort were elements which had silently pulled into the northwest of the town itself, acting as a reserve/blocking element to prevent reinforcements from aiding the defenders of Emerald Foundation. Mostly Dornalian Marines and others moving quietly and stealthed similarly to the main force moving in the swamp.

The protocol was simple. Do not touch the trees. Do not make noise. Do not do anything to draw suspicion. The talking trees bit had made an impression on Cameron, enough that she did not wish to have an army of Ents and their Druid handlers chasing them like flies on crap. Not to mention, the Predator stalking these woods.

Cameron looked around, and kept an eye out. Aoyama had, through sign language and light taps, confirmed that she didn’t see anything yet. Still, Aoyama had confirmed that there were definitely presences in the woods and the swamps, as had Plo.

Cameron looked at her rifle, and then looked at her chest rig. Would it be enough? Of course.

As Cameron scouted out the outer parameter, she can see a small band of fairies to little blue penguins at work on one of the tallest trees. She noticed that the head penguin was dressed in a leafy outfit with faire wings, and a second fairy was more arctic in white. One of the least defended areas, or what it seems, had some humanoid face that gaze at a small gated passage. The enemy doesn’t seem to know the presence of the oncoming attack.

Cameron nodded, and continued to hold her weapon close. Through gestures, taps on the shoulder and sign language, the party soon noted the humanoid face.

Now, Cameron had to make a decision. To make the landing, or to bypass a potential trap?

Quietly, Cameron poked and gestured to Plo to see if she could detect anything like traps. Passively of course. No need to give the game away.

Plo closed her eyes and began to get in touch with the Force, to see what she could detect, if anything.

As Plo tapped into the Force, she can sense the wide expanse of life itself! As she began to seek for traps, there were other emotions that can be felt. In the grand dinner hall of the first floor of the mansion, there was a thirst for thrill of the hunt and impatience. Such multiple presence stalked and awaited as a cocky and high mighty joined in. Yet there was another, if more stronger and unyielding pull into the darkness of the mansion. Something that dwelled it in and screamed in a perpetual state of frost. There were many, many, beings who suffered the same fate. The least but equally painful was a hidden chamber of ice and death in the underground that claimed lives before. There was also a mist of wonder and whimsical freedom in the center of the fairy foundation of something more carefree… yet tempting to go! Beyond that, Plo could detect many traps from across the house as some sort of alarms, and spells to trigger only once. There were even a few ‘tricks’ for the dead ends at the maze. But the nature of the traps itself is unknown beyond cold, fire, pain, fear, destruction, and maybe more.

Plo quietly signed to the crew what she had seen in the Force. Cameron nodded--this is why it paid to have an experienced Dathomiri Witch on board. After all, Plo just discovered that there was a plethora of hostiles within the complex, not to mention any number of traps. These things were communicated however they could be communicated to the others, and Cameron nodded as this was done.

The enemy seemed to have its traps mostly focused around the house and within the house itself. It would take a deft mixture of magic suppression and counter-magic to survive.

At any rate, the main strike force was moving to the shore now, and looking around, the coast seemed to be clear for the moment…..or was it? At any rate, Cameron gave the order to begin moving to the shore, so as to land and collapse their boats into a more manageable package.

As the main force arrived on the shoreline and approached the mansion slowly, there seemed to be some whispers amongst the trees. As if something awoke a creature or tree being in the patch of woods nearby the mansion. The blue fox peaked her head and looked a little alarmed. “Sssh, careful.” Suicune pointed to a strange shuffle of tree holes that seemed to appear but disappeared in one corner. “One of the trees is magical in nature. In fact, it might be a fey in disguise as a tree, so be careful.”

Cameron nodded, and signed out to Suicune, “Thanks for the heads up.” She then gestured for everyone to keep up the use of cloaking devices or stealth spells, what have you, and proceeded to turn to Thunderhammer and Aoyama, signing for them to investigate. The two nodded, and Thunderhammer and Aoyama approached where the fey had been detected with their weapons at low ready. Thunderhammer felt particularly confident. The fairies may have been tiny, but so were birds and clay pigeons--and a shotgun could make quick work of them with some skill.

Cameron followed behind, as the others kept watch for enemy movement. Cameron too had her weapon ready, along with an antimagic projector under the barrel. Aoyama could be seen sniffing the air slightly every so often, not so loudly but enough to get a sense of where the bad guy was. All this, while the Allies remained cloaked….

The tree that the group approached was an ordinary pine tree that at first was nothing out of line. All except on how its roots were a little too close to one tree and seemingly hovered over another hole. The branches animatedly shook widely to warn the people for a second. All until the tree began to morph and burst out into leaves! The lady, a humanoid straight out of some Arthurian tale, whose graceful golden hair was that of a grateful queen, stood in the tree's place.

“Oi! You have some death wish or something? One more step right at… Oh that patch of dirt to Emerald’s territory would get you killed.” The nymph said.

Thunderhammer was the first to speak, in a low whisper and with a derisive snort.

“Yeah? What’s it to you? What’s going to get us killed there, huh? You can’t leave us hanging after being so generous, now, with your warning.”

Aoyama and others looked alarmed that Thunderhammer took the initiative, but Cameron gestured for them to hold.

“Oh I don’t know. Say, a loony fairy who can freeze you and toss you into some people's collection to be forgotten and only be used as a showcase perhaps. My patch of woods are a lot better than whatever Emerald set, but… Ahem, you’ll only have to know that a good friend got iced and well… I doubt you’ll survive to spread that information.” The Nymph said.

“My friend,” Thunderhammer said with a crooked grin, “I come from a land of ice and snow, from the midnight sun and where the hot springs flow. I can handle a little cold.” She then gestured with her head to Aoyama and snarked, “I am not sure she could, though.”

Aoyama glared, before Thunderhammer continued, “Anyway, my friend. You say your woods are better than those Emerald has set? In what way? And what proof do you have?”

“Tck! It’s obvious that my woods blossom with wonderful lilies and flowering trees in the spring rather than some garden controlled house by a mad lady. Pass that stream from the mansion, you won’t become a doll, and be actually free.. Well at a time.” She frowned deeply. “ Now given this whole rebellion ruined the island, Emerald is cracking up to be a dictator. I’m a mer guardian of the land, and one misstep would prove to be a disaster for me and the woodlands nearby.”

Thunderhammer nodded, and snarked back, “All well and good if we were going for best in show at a gardener’s exposition. But I was more referring to things like, no traps, or no landmines, bad things which hurt people. I presume your woods have none of those bad things Emerald’s goons put in them, do they?”

Aoyama and the others looked at Thunderhammer, and gestured for her to tone it down a bit--gestures which were ignored. Cameron for her part was at least glad Thunderhammer hadn’t blabbed about why they were coming to visit.

“No landmines! Outside of a wild animal and prankster fairy, nothing like a hunter’s trap. Now… I guess you’re interested in breaking Emerald’s house, since you've probably not much time left. I Medraut, I know what happens to people I shared before but I guess I can’t help it! Emerald annoys me greatly.” The nymph siad.

“Shared before, my friend? Go on? What do you know about the house?” Thunderhammer asked, performing an old law enforcement trick and latching onto something actionable that Medraut said. “I mean, if it helps, we don’t think much of Emerald either, me and my sisters and brothers.”

“A few magical girls came in, and either disappeared into Wonderland or got frozen. Either way, this place is a cramp pack with fine magical security, but there are gaps between places that Emerald loves to idolize at the garden. You can teleport there, but don’t try teleporting inside the house. It’ll toss you to some hole where it freezes people.” The nymph siad.

Thunderhammer nodded, and asked further, “Gaps between places where it’s safe to be teleported? I see.” Thunderhammer had a feeling about the answer to this next question, but she then asked, “Okay. What if we have things to counter magic. Would that help deal with entry into the mansion? And what if we try to sneak our way inside the house--would that trigger the freezing too?”

“That wouldn’t be the case inside of the mansion. It’s a specific room underground that does it, but outside of that, I haven’t snooped inside of the mansion. I won’t be present here if I did. As for counter magic, I say you try out your own methods. I haven't poke the hornet’s nest that much.” The nymph siad.

Thunderhammer nodded, and said, “Okay. Anything else we should know?”

“Well… Be careful and don’t look at the mirror pool! You’ll face your shadow.” The nymph said.

Thunderhammer nodded, and said, “Thank you, friend Medraut. You are good people.” Tipping her head, Thunderhammer explained everything to Cameron, which lead the commander to go, “Good thinking. Okay. We’re going to infiltrate the Mansion. Stay sharp for any traps. We need to search for Fluffykins. No teleports--they have some kind of magic that forces you into an icy room. There may also be other HVTs, but right now, we want Fluffykins. Move carefully.”

Following Medraut’s advice, the party began going through Medraut’s woods to approach Emerald’s house. They looked for a way into the house still, going from that angle….

Between them and the mansion was the barred fence itself. There were thorny vines that wrapped around the metal bars that coveted around the house. Outside of the obvious guarded paths, one at the south, close to the main entryway was seemingly loose and melty partially to open up a hole.

Cameron motioned for the team to pause, and gestured for Aoyama and Plo to see if the loose entrance was booby trapped. Aoyama herself approached the loose area with some trepidation, checking for any traps. Assuming there were no traps, then it would be time to open a hole--which was done by Thunderhammer hacking open the entrance with her axe head, to Aoyama’s dismay.

Cameron would ignore Thunderhammer’s grin, and motion for everyone to come inside--assuming again, that Aoyama had not found any traps.

There weren't any traps that triggered as the entrance opened up, thankfully. Although as they took a look closer to the garden nearby, outside of the fields, bushes, and pavilion, there was a statue of Emerald whose’ eyes seemed to dart around lively at the plaza nearby the pavilion. As if the statue itself was a sentry unit.

The party moved slowly, their cloaking devices on as they moved through the shadows to avoid disturbing the sentry. They didn’t need to have any complications. Not now. The party kept an eye out for any other threats besides the statue, with Cameron, Aoyama, and Plo being especially vigilant.

As they moved towards the main pathway, they could see a direct route to the main door of the mansion, and another to the side where the basement was located on the left. It seemed to be clear, although there was another garden as a detour at the left.

Cameron gestured for Plo and Aoyama to look at the garden, to see if there were any threats. The two nodded, and taking cover, peered into the garden to see if there were any dangers--be they from traps, statues, or worse, actual guards.

As they went into the left garden, there were no guards on patrol. However as they moved nearby the pool with koi fish, one crystal clear water pool that was separated from it seemed to speak to them in their minds! As if one of their deepest fears to a form of temptation attempted to draw them towards the pool from such whispers and echoes. Not helped as some magical hallucination made the pool fish’s head morph into their loved ones the longer they stayed around this selection of the garden!

Aoyama gasped--but Plo put her hand over Aoyama’s mouth, shaking her head and giving the Orderwoman a glare. Nodding with her head, the two moved back to rejoin the rest of the party. Plo signed what they had felt, and Cameron nodded. Cameron signaled for The Crew to follow her to the basement, while another group would move to try and access other parts of the mansion in their search to secure it and find Fluffykins.

As the Crew reached the door to the basement, the cheerful door seemed to be normal. In fact, unlocked! The only reason not to open it and enter was a sign with a happy flower that reads “no trespassing!”

Cameron gestured for everyone to stack up. Cameron herself opened the door slightly, gun at low ready for any shenanigans as she peered inside slightly.

The staircase was dark and seemingly absent of any light. It was quite long, as if it goes two stories down. The first being just a storage. Yet as the door was open, a ‘ping’ noise rang.

Cameron quickly gestured for the others to back up, as Aoyama used the Force to toss whatever pinged down the staircase! Cameron seemed disappointed in herself, thinking, “How the hell did I miss this trap!?”

Aoyama can sense that the trap was a mere alarm in nature, which only alerts one creature in this mansion. Yet the screams of the frozen grew stronger as it pointed down into the basement itself!

Cameron got a nasty look from Plo, before Aoyama and Plo stopped. They seemed to strain to listen to something coming from the basement--something only they could hear. Cameron poked Plo and signed, “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s not an explosion,” Plo signed with her hands. “It’s a screaming. Do you hear it?”

“No.” Cameron then asked, via sign, “Is there anything down there, besides what you saw earlier?”

Plo paused, and closed her eyes for a second to check….

Plo can hear tons of screaming of all forms of creatures! An echo of perhaps one was entombed to continue it for all to hear. A cold existence.

As they used the force, a buzz of squeckish fairies can be heard barking orders and a statue began to move from another part of the garden. There was a small window of time before the guards would approach them!

“Shit,” Cameron said to herself. WIth no time to waste, Cameron motioned to the others to activate any anti-magic they had, and to proceed into the basement. Thunderhammer took point with her shotgun at the ready, and the others began moving single file, closing the door as they moved down the staircase….

As the Crew walked down the long staircase, the lights flickered on by their presence to reveal the source of the screams. A collection. A grand exhibit with pathways to many ice pillars. Perhaps up to a hundred or more were present. Everfrozen even at room temperature with its crystal clear: people. All trap in the state of horror as they’re entombed in ice.

There were fairies, fey, monsters, cute creatures, people all kinds! Heck, the dornries can even name a few like these cute yellow mouse pokemon to a green ogre. Yet as they can examine from the labels on each statue’s pedestal was each one’s name and reason from traitor to collectable. In the center of the galley were ‘leaders of the world.’ There were many fey of the fallen Fairy Alliance presidents, a Dwarven King, a Drow Pirate Lord, one former president of Silverdale, and two Silverdalean Presidents. One was President Marco Peakie, and the second Fluffykins De Rose. The last one: Song Hui.

Cameron gasped and muttered, “Son of a bitch.” Aoyama and Plo looked somewhat perturbed at the sight--Aoyama more than Plo, whose expression was best summed up as “Well, then.”--and Thunderhammer herself went, “Well. That’s something you don’t see everyday.”

Cameron went, remaining calm, “Well, we found Fluffykins. Problem is, she’s a meat popsicle along with a lot of other people.” Looking around the room, Cameron went, “There’s gotta be a way to unfreeze these people.” Turning to Thunderhammer and another member of the Crew, Cameron ordered, “See if you can find anything mechanical.that’s keeping these people in stasis.” Turning to Plo and Aoyama, Cameron went, “See if you guys can find anything either. The rest of us will keep a lookout. We’ve kicked the hornet’s nest, people--there’s not much time.”

Plo and Aoyama nodded, and any bickering from before disappeared as professionalism took its place. Plo began trying to use her peoples’ equivalent of Detect Magic to seek out what was keeping these people entombed in ice, and Aoyama began trying to do likewise. As she did so, Aoyama sent out a psychic ping to all the frozen ones.

“Don’t panic! We’re going to try and get you out. Who or what is keeping you trapped?”

Rambling and shrieks were the answer for most to them!

“It’s the winter bell!” Fluffykins shrieked out. “It’s going to fly by just to continue this bloody spell!”

Plo can detect a powerful aura of a leviating bell that moves across the room and chimes to continue the icy imprisonment! As such the silver belly continued to float, the basement door was slammed right open!

“C’mon fellows! We got some rats to flush out!” A fairy guard said.

“Okay!” The pink fairy said!

One of the fairy guards cast a pink mist to act as a smoke scream to enfog the stairs, while another whistled for summonable K9s from hell to appear! The buzz of fairies began to swarm in as the fiendish dogs rushed down to attack anyone close!

Cameron and company immediately took up positions. As the dogs came close, they would be greeted by a wall of weapons fire, with Cameron going, “WEAPONS FREE!”. Thunderhammer in particular grinned with a feindish glee, declaring with pride at the turn of events, “Good! I was getting bored!” and discharged a couple of blasts from her shotgun at the hellhounds before beginning to hack at another with her shotgunaxe.

Plo meanwhile, motioned for Aoyama to defend the others as she began to hunt the Winterbell. Pulling out her lightsaber, Plo began to follow the aura. It wasn’t quite like tracking the damn poacher that shot one of her Rancor babies, but it was something close. Plo soon began to track the bell, and prepared to use some of her peoples’ magic to destroy the bell. She would have to work quickly. Even as the Crew tried to counter the assault in standard fashion, there wouldn’t be much time.

As this occurred, Aoyama soon began firing long bursts into the Fairies and hellhounds, tossing a few--well, they looked like playing cards, but they were really pieces of fu paper printed on stiff business card stock, perfect for forming short-ranged munitions. In this case, magic jamming munitions!

The hellhounds quickly disappeared from both the firearms and magic jamming, as their magical components vanished away. A stream of magic missiles and projectiles from the fairy guards fired back at the Crew in return. Yet as the magic jamming disrupted the pink smoke and caused it to disappear, the fairy guards quickly began to be picked off slowly by the far more skillful fighters.

“Pull back!”

The Fairy guards quickly retreated back to the exit way.

Without missing a beat, Cameron ordered the Crew to begin to push forward, firing bursts as she motioned for the Crew to push on. “We’ve gotta get out of here and regroup with the others! Move!”

Plo then said,”Not before we free the prisoners! I’ve found the source of their torment--it must be banished!”

Cameron paused for a second, and then said, “Well, banish it quickly. Because we’ve got a situation here!”

At that, Plo began tracking the bell intensely, and began using her magic--she cycled through a mixture of detect magic, Force Pull, and some lightsaber action and any number of banishing spells--to try and intercept the bell before it could escape, so she could break it and release the prisoners. Plo did have antimagic weapons on her person, but she preferred to try things her way before using those tools. She never did like those cold, mechanical things.

All the while, the Crew began pushing forward, covering Plo’s efforts as they moved to beat back the Fairies. Thunderhammer taunted the fleeing fairies, going, “Don’t run! You haven’t given us a fight yet!”

Plo’s force powers proved useful as it drew the bell closer for a good hot blade of plasma to strike it down! As the metal melted away, the ice pillars slowly began to thrall by the local temperature. All was well, until the taunts by Thunderhammer brought the attention of a bigger fish.

A rift opened up to show the insides of the house within the gallery itself, and out came the hostess of the mansion itself. A large green haired humanoid fairy who was elegant and alluring, yet her fim expression tossed away the pretense of madness to a cold death glare. She snorted as she looked at the group of Dornies.

“You have such a long way for a fight. To die here and join my collection was an ever poor decision on your part. Of course, your friends won’t last long as the Wild Hunters will soon collect their trophies.” Emerald said.

Cameron refused to answer the taunts with anything but a simple raise of the eyebrow, a realization that this may be their HVT, and a simple command of, "Take her down, now!” The others understood--this was Emerald, and someone worth taking alive if possible.

At that, the Crew simply opened fire on the hostess of the Mansion with any less-lethal items they could draw and deploy while breaking into cover, such as flashbangs, as Plo decided to warm the temperature of the room a bit to further thaw out the Menagerie. During the sudden yet not entirely unexpected hail of less-lethal weapons fire--which included the direction of anti-magic fields on the taunter herself to suppress whatever magical abilities she had--Cameron then turned to Thunderhammer and said, with a sigh and a mixture of amusement and parental dismay, “We need to have a long talk after this. A very long talk.”

Thunderhammer, loading in some ominous looking green shells, laughed and went, “Yes, I know, I know, but hey. Think of it this way. Now we can bag another entity!”

Cameron didn’t oblige Thunderhammer ,as Thunderhammer began firing beanbag rounds at the fairy.

The Great Fairy laughed as the free of the bullets were either deflected by magic or cracked upon her hardened skin. Yet upon a closer look, the anti-magic bullets and fields are quickly draining away such protection. Emerald swiftly made a goofy hand gesture and toss was sent to Thunderhammer first, and she was soon plagued by one of her ‘funnest’ inside jokes that wanted to make her laugh on the floor. Emerald then breathed out a sheer cone of cold magic upon the team as she tried to take cover behind the orge!

Cameron shouted, “BREAK BREAK!” as the team scattered into cover to evade the cold blast. Of course, when Thunderhammer got into cover--through the help of Aoyama, who continued to throw anti-magic cards at Emerald--she was busy with a belly laugh and incoherent rambling in a mixture of Russian and Old Kadrian. Cameron shouted at Thunderhammer, “Get it together, Thunderhammer!” The Bonk-Elf didn’t quite respond, so Aoyama slapped her hard to try and wake her up.

As for the others they continued their use of less-lethals to try and get Emerald into unconsciousness, while Plo got into position near Cameron. Plo was not impressed.

“What happened to pushing forward?”

Gesturing with her head to Emerald as she reloaded her magazine, pulling out specially marked bullets with the Ghostbusters logo on them, Cameron said, “As you can tell, we’ve run into some issues with the management.”

Plo looked up, and then got back behind cover. “Indeed. Quite a number of issues, it would seem.”

Plo then pulled out a small grenade, asking bluntly, “I take it we’re going to try and take her alive?”

“Yeah.” Was Cameron’s nonchalant response.

“Would be better if we just killed her. Still, if you insist….”

She then pulled the pin, shouted, “FLASH OUT!” and tossed it at Emerald.

“There we go. This should disorient, deafen and blind her, if only for a few moments,” Plo indicated with a shrug. “Still, it should be enough.”

As the bullets dispelled her protection from bullets, and another dried out her hardened skin, the fairy roared in angerish. She stomped her foot on the ground with magical energy to raise a stone wall in one side of her flank, and quickly fired rays of magical energy bolts at the Crew.

“You’ll never take me alive interloper!” Emerald roared! All as the flash bang rolled down under her feet. “For every ounce of pain you cause, your punishment will be ten fold-'' The burst of light caught her off guard and lost her senses!

Plo and Cameron looked at each other, and Cameron shouted, “NOW!”

The Crew leapt out of cover, and rushed Emerald to a woman to try and knock her to the floor. Thunderhammer, who had by now recovered from her laughing fit, rushed to join them--she had a device which produced rather strong and flexible binds around the hands and feet of the captured to minimize their escape. Meanwhile, Cameron shouted to Aoyama, “Get me a control sigil! Keep her suppressed!”

Aoyama nodded and soon, assuming the party had taken down Emerald, would slap what seemed like a sticky note onto Emerald’s forehead--a Daoist control sigil, the kind normally used to control geung-si, Chinese hopping corpses. As it turned out, it was pretty good for controlling enemies as well, and in theory this would control Emerald. Barring that, Cameron had what looked like a syringe ready to go. Meanwhile, Thunderhammer would work on Emerald’s ankles and wrists, working her over like a common criminal as she quipped, “I appreciate the joke, my friend--but you’re the punchline!”

Cameron then looked at Plo, and said, “Check on the hostages. Make sure they’re alive!”

The Dathomiri nodded, and sure enough, would go and check on the hostages…

The Crew’s attempt to restrain a great fairy twice their size wasn’t a walk in the park. Emerald thrashed her limbs, attempting to slam any unlucky member aside! At best a kick in the gut for Cameron as they pinned her down. Naturally, her instincts tried to open up a portal to escape, but as the runes were placed… a portal opened on the floor and exited out to the ceiling! Emerald fell down as the door destabilized, and crashed down on the floor! It seems the sigil suppressed her power.

At the hostages, the icy prison thawed out further to become shushy. Yet it'll take more heat to free them entirely.

Cameron then nodded, and sighed with a smile, “Well. That’s a new experience.”

“Not as new as gradually unthawing a menagerie of hostages. We will need more heat though, to truly free them,” Plo said.

Cameron then said, tossing Aoyama a chocolate bar. “Help Plo unthaw the hostages. We need them warm, and alive.”

As the two began to work using heat sources mechanical and magical to unthaw the hostages, Cameron had some sentries watching for more interlopers, while Cameron herself and Thunderhammer watched Emerald, to make sure she didn’t do any funny business.

The increased heat completely thaws out the now dazed, weakened, and confused hostages.

“Oof!” Fluffykins’ face crashed onto the ground. The annoyed pegasus then looked up at the Crew . “W-why thank you… Miss… Excuse me but who are you?”

The Dathomiri Witch looked at Fluffykins, and said simply, “We’re here to rescue you, that’s all that matters.” Helping Fluffykins up, Cameron added, “We’re Dornalians, if that helps, but I’m not sure how much we can say besides that.”

Plo and Thunderhammer looked at Cameron, who then said, “Well, okay, most of us are. Anyway, we’re here to get you and the others out of this hellhole.”

Thunderhammer added, “And to bring this one in too!” As Thunderhammer said that, she gestured at Emerald, all hogtied and ready to be moved.

“It’s about time!” Fluffykins barked up. She then turned to Emerald. “I told you I ensured your downfall, bitch.”

Cameron nodded, saying out loud, looking at Emerald, “She remind you of your daddy, by any chance, Madam President?”

“Oh hell no! My dad was an idiot, but was too dumb enough to capture a dwarf or do this stunt!” Fluffykins said. She then turned to the penguin president “And… By the goddesses, Peakie is alive!?”

“A-Alive. Why of course I am alive. It’d take more to take down the president of Silverdale.” Marco Peakie rebutted.

Emerald began to laugh. “It won’t matter now, fools! You may have won this little battle, but your life will be a living nightmare. As I am the Fairy Alliance, every one of my agents will stalk you down, and the Wild Hunt will mark you as a worthy game. You won’t even make it alive from here! Not you, the ex presidents, or any one of you worthless trash! The new age will be better off with none of you alive.”

Cameron said, “We’ll see about that.” As she pulled out her radio, Cameron asked, “Plo, make sure Fluffy’s got her...cutie mark, was it? It’ll verify she’s the one.” She then spoke over the comms to the waiting elements outside.

“Baseplate, this is Homewrecker Zero One. Repeat, Homewrecker Zero One. We have the packages. Advise as to Exfil, over.”

“Homewrecker Zero One, this is Baseplate Actual--did you just say packages? As in, more than one?”

Cameron then said, looking around the room as Plo inspected for a cutie mark on Fluffykins, “You heard correctly, Baseplate, I’ve got a lot of HVTs we need evaced from here.” Looking down at Emerald, Cameron then said sarcastically, “Including one particularly ornery one who won’t shut her trap.”

“Copy, Homewrecker Zero One. We’ll have exfil prepared for you outside. Get out of there, ASAP.”

“Copy, Baseplate Actual.”

She then called any of the other Allied forces going around the building.

“All units, this is Homewrecker Zero One. We have the packages. Exfil immediately. Over.”

“This is Blue Fox Squad. We have secured an exit way to the waterway. Over.” Suicune said.

As she continued to call other teams, a booming horn was heard from the outside of the mansion that traveled through a half a mile. There was an eerie presence as the winds began to shift to the north.

“This is Task force PONY one. We have noticed some activity- Oh gods… I’m hit! I need backup. Repeat I need AAH-” The first channel went silent. A crack of gunfire can be heard and then silent.

At that, Cameron radioed back, “Pony One, this is Homewrecker Zero-One, where are you? Reply!”

Nothing. Not even on the transponder. Cameron’s face narrowed, not amused by the change of events--first with an ominous sounding horn, and now with a violent attack on the Silverdaleans.

“Well, shit.”

Turning around, Cameron said, “Right. We’ve got a situation. Wrecking Crew, we’ve got HVTs in tow, so I’m not sure we can move to provide support. But I know someone who can.” Turning to Plo and Aoyama, Cameron asked, “Can you get Forcemessages to the Marine blocking elements in the Northwest of the Town?”

The two nodded, and Cameron said, “Good. Tell them about Pony One--they’ll need to relieve them and help them out--assuming any survived. Give ‘em a ring on the comms as well, in case.”

As the two did that, Cameron ordered, “Right. Ladies, gentlebeings--we are leaving. We need to meet up with our escorts, they will get us back across the swamp. Move quickly, stay close to us, and we should be set. Any questions?”

“Just one question: how fast is our escape craft going to be?” Fluffykins asked. “Given this whole town and the Wild Hunt is after us, we better have something useful here.”

“Pika (Nope)!” The mouse creature said.

Cameron went, “Well, fast enough--plus, assuming we can get out quietly, that’s better. I mean, we do have stealth technology, plus other means. It’ll keep them off our backs for a little while.”

Looking around, Cameron went, “Right. Let’s get going. Everyone form up around us, stay close. Thunderhammer, Smithson, get the HVT. And someone put rigging tape over her mouth too--we don’t need her big mouth exposing our location.”

Thunderhammer laughed. “No need to tell me twice.” With that, Thunderhammer produced a roll of duct tape from nowhere, pulled off a strip, and then put it over Emerald’s mouth, going, “Sorry, my friend. But we need you quiet.”

After that, the whole group set off. Cameron’s goal would be to get to Blue Fox Team, and quickly. Along the way, Cameron radioed, “All units, this is Homewrecker Zero One, be advised, we are engaging in exfil and rendezvousing with Blue Fox element presently. Repeat, we are leaving and rendezvousing with Blue Fox. All units within the mansion, form up on Blue Fox.”

The Crew would begin their escape, moving as quickly and carefully as possible.

As that occurred, the Marine reserve element would begin moving to provide assistance to Pony One. Moving in the dead of night, they raced quickly to link up. What would they find?

When Marine reserve element approached the location of Pony One, they quickly discovered the lifeless bodies of the squad members lying on the ground. A branch broke as a shadowy humanoid rushed by. Before the unit could react, a magic arrow flew at the Marine leader’s head!

As the Crew began their escape, gunshots came from the other side of the mansion as a grenade launcher blasted away the golem. There were fights from the guards from the other teams from a squad of NAVY PENGUINS. Yet the Crew caught a glimpse of a door open inside the mansion and a buzz of an alarm that speaks “security breach! Magic defense anti-teleport trap offline.” Then a scream of one of the soldiers inside was taken out.

The night creatures began to chatter to something in the darkness, and eyes from the unknown simply watched the Crew!

As the Marine commander fell down, his XO, dragging his commander’s body into cover, went, “Fuck, get to cover! NOW!”

The Marines soon got into cover, and began breaking out the scanners to figure out where their opponent was. Meanwhile, those who were Ordermen began to employ Detect Magic spells of all sorts, be they the Force or something other, to find their prey in conjunction with the more mechanical things. The acting commander meanwhile, radioed Baseplate and Homewrecker.

“Baseplate Actual, Homewrecker Actual, this is Gnasher Acting Zero One. We’ve come under attack by an unknown entity. Pony One is down, repeat, Pony One is down!”

All the while, Cameron’s team and their charges were moving. They were glad for the actions of the Navy PENGUINS, but Aoyama and Plo didn’t like all the chatter. Plo herself looked around, and went, growling almost, “Something’s watching us.”

“Shit. Everyone, go into silent mode. And keep pushing! Protect the VIPs!” Cameron said, as she motioned for the crew to turn on their Stealth Man cloaking devices, all while Plo and Aoyama began casting spells designed to obscure the Crew and their charges from sight. They had to get to Blue Fox, and fast!

As the Marines use their detect magic, they can sense a powerful magical bow to the east of their direction. If one turns there, they can see a lithe humanoid with glowing green eyes, knife ears, and horns. They couldn’t tell what it was as it spoke a sylvain tongue and gestured a spell to be cast upon them! A poisonous purple cloud arose to arise 20 feet up and circle around, capable of killing anyone who stayed too long inside of it!

The Navy PENGUINS and the rest of the special forces rushed towards an entrance opened up by the foxkin who awaited. As they awaited for the Crew to come over, arrows began to fly right at the squads! The soldiers tried to take cover and avoid being hit, but the uncanny accuracy for those out in the open! As soldiers were either injured or killed to scramble for cover, the direction became clear. One of the Wild Hunt creatures was in the trees, at the south where the mirror pool was located, and another somewhere in the pool arena!

For the Marines, the situation was clear. They had to get out. Now. As such, the XO ordered, “Fall back and regroup! GO!”

As the Dornalians retrieved what remains they could of Pony One, the Marines began to open fire on the creature they managed to detect. Short controlled bursts began to ring out in the direction of the creature, as did magic attacks from any Ordermen inside the Marine units. The main objective was to fall back and fight the creature on their terms.

All the while, Cameron ordered her team and their charges into cover. The presence of enemies pinning down the Allies was not a welcome prospect, and if what Gnasher Acting Zero One had said was true, these people managed to slay an entire Silverdalean formation. So, Cameron had to think quickly. She then said to the PENGUINS’s leader over the comms, “What direction are they shooting from? We need to get suppressing fire on them so we can get out!”

The marines focused fire upon the Wild Hunt creature, which forced it to try to retreat as bullets gaze and to a few shots on its chest. Out of some ‘Matrix’ movie, it tried to act upon such a stunt to evade the rest of the bullets… Only to get shot down!

“They’re shooting from the kio fish pool!” The penguin squaddie leader said. The HVTs and others began to panic as some tried to break formation and head out to the nearest exit! Most headed for the Blue Fox one, while the others who went to the tree one… only made the tree pissed as it tried to smack them with its branches!

PENGUINS began to open fire at the enemy’s direction, trying to suppress down the Wild Hunt!

On cue, Cameron muttered an annoyed, “SHIT!” as some of the rescued hostages began to break and tried to run for cover. Even if they got to the Blue Fox raiders, Cameron could sense she was losing momentum, and lost momentum meant lost control over very panicky recently rescued hostages.

At this, Cameron thanked the PENGUINS for their help, and then ordered her team, “LET’S HUSTLE! Fire on the trees!”

Before long, The Crew and their charges began moving, darting from cover to cover whle protected by the suppressing fire of the PENGUINS. The Dornalians in turn began opening fire to suppress the archers and also to hit the tree. Plo herself finally employed her Viper DMR, sending shots downrange which slammed into the tree with great explosive plasma jet force. All the while, the team began moving forth, suppressing and shooting at the enemy as Cameron moved to protect the hostages which tried to rush to the tree, shouting, “GET TO THE EVAC ZONE! QUIT SCREWING AROUND!”

Meanwhile, the Marines themselves policed their wounded and policed the bodies of Pony One, and the Hunter, before beginning to fall back. Baseplate ordered them to fall back to their exfil position, in order to get out alive. This they began to do, keeping their heads on a swivel to avoid further bullshit.

As the tree exploded, the archer jumped down and performed a superhero landing on the ground! While impressive it may be, the tree truck squashed the creature like a bug! The last archer blew horn as it and the scout began to make a tactical tree.

The path was open!

However, as the hostages and the rest of the special forces began to withdraw, they could hear waves of vehicles, trees, and a helicopter fly in the air. The reinforcements, an enemy company station to protect the city, poured out their stream of fairy soldiers, druids, and treefolk to chase them down!

There was one positive note. The friendly nymph saw the captured Emerald, and in a moment of bravery, she summoned in some friends to help out! Out of the shadows, three mighty Owlbears across to go after the incoming fairy soldiers. All added in with the blonde hair’s special spell: a cloud that cast lightning on the foes. “Go! You can thank me later!”

“Thanks!” Cameron shouted, as the Crew and their Charges got onboard the Blue Fox evac units. The Marines meanwhile would begin exfiltrating as well, with the help of both Silverdalean and Dornalian units.

When everyone was onboard, Cameron motioned for the Blue Fox unit to get moving, posthaste! As this occurred, the exfiltrating Dornalians kept an eye out for anyone else.

The Blue Fox Unit quickly jumped aboard! As they began to provide cover support, the Silverdalean healers began to treat the wounded from any injuries. At the distance, the fairies began to engage the Owlbears. Sadly, it was a one sided fight as the creatures did what they could before being overwhelmed, and the nymph disappeared from site.

All the while, the Dornalians tipped their heads in respect. Cameron could even be heard to say, "Godspeed, friend. Godspeed."

She then turned to Fluffykins and the Hostages, and said, "You folks okay?" The look was one of concern, particularly for Fluffykins. She then asked the President, "How's that cutie mark going?"

All the while, the other Dorns kept an eye out for trouble…

“Huh?” AS the group checked her flanks, it was the real and authentic cutie mark. “Hey! Just because I’m an ex-president doesn’t mean I’m a shapeshifter!”

"Sorry. Just had to make sure, Madame President," Cameron said. Thunderhammer chimed in with a somewhat coarse, "I mean, we had to make sure. Or the boss likes to stare. I dunno."

Cameron's reaction was a flat "What." Shaking her head, Cameron then went, "Right. We'll get you and the others back to Silverdale. Don't worry."

“Please do so! The sooner we’re out, the sooner we can sort this bloody mess with Peakie.” Fluffykins then noticed the white haired equloine human in a suit, and groaned. “Seriously? Did Emerald went out of her way to destroy the last attempt of unionification between the Fairy Alliance and Silverdale? That’s great.” She then sighed. “I guess Miranda can have fun with this.”

"Well, the fact is, we have Emerald all tied up at the moment, and she's not going to hurt anyone for a bit." Cameron said all that, even as Aoyama cautioned "Just don't remove the fu paper stuck on her forehead. It is a powerful control sigil, keeping her docile."

Emerald shook as she cursed the Crew!

Fluffykins made a devious grin. “Well, she’ll be paying for her crimes. All of them. Soon enough. I doubt the council can hold their own without their precious chancellor around. I can see it. All of them panicking as the sunsets on them.” She then looked back at the Crew. “Anyway… Thank you for saving me! Not to mention the others too!”

"Anytime, ma'am," Cameron said, extending a hearty handshake to the ex-President. "The name's Cassandra Cameron, by the way. I work for other government agencies within the CRE, as do my colleagues. Well, most of us do. One is a contractor for them, the other is on loan from the Commonwealth ICBA." The use of the buzzword "other government agencies"--traditionally a euphemism for ERIS--did not go missed by the Crew.

Fluffykins shook Cameron’s hand. “Well, I’ll give my thanks to the CRE. Right now, let’s go home.”

Thunderhammer proclaimed, “Here here!” And then, from nowhere particular, brought out a bottle of a greenish alcoholic beverage. She then proclaimed, “Complements of the Commonwealth ICBA. Greensap Ale. Made on my homeworld. It is the drink of champions! A toast--to the brave ones, and to the ex-Presidents!”

Cameron then laughed, and gave Thunderhammer a look, wherein Thunderhammer said, “Perhaps we’ll open this back at base.”

And with that, the raid was over.

[Dyste]

(OoC: Collab with LK and Glaristant)

Conflict Zone,
Southpole

In the valley of the Lost Giants came a squadron of helicopters and pegasi fliers that bace themselves against the bone chilling cold. The period of clear night sky gave the teams a glance at the hot zone across the valley and glaciers. Patrols to entire army groups off undead restlessly storm the land form what it appears to be long old permafrost cyclopean architecture that was sparse across the region. Although one that appeared to be a mountain, was some other kind of monument that was cursed by its appearance.

“Welcome to Antarctica ladies and gentlemen.” General Arthurus spoke up in the radio comns. “I’ll not lie, but your chances of survival are small. Most will turn into blocks of solid ice, and some will reanimate as living corpses. But I’ll use all my talents as a general and holy warrior to ensure that you’ll be remembered, and perhaps be lucky enough to survive. This mission is vital for the survival of Silverdale, and the greatest of rewards is earning a medal as an honorary hero! Now prepare yourselves. We’ll smite the undead fiend that awaits, and save our lands from their presence.”

Tynah Blackfang was with her own small squad of her elite knights, trained and handpicked by her for this dangerous mission. “Oh, please, do not worry about me, General,” she said in a confident tone, “I have overcome my fair share of perilous adventures over my long life.” Ever since her actions in the events that founded the Dragon Sea Alliance, she had her own long history of adventures, one of the few to rival her father, the Adventurer King Tyroth. Grasping at an item on her cloak, it was not a Mr. Moocow’s Burger this time, but rather a gem that gleamed like platinum; something she rarely brought out, but she felt it was time for her to use it.

Veleon stood at the back of the craft with the members of Squad Argent, the lot of them seemingly unperturbed by the General’s proclamation about their chances of survival. If anything, the members of Squad Argent seemed somewhat encouraged by the low probability of them making it through the missions. Veleon herself seemed unfazed as she adjusted her snow pale white armor before giving Arthurus a gentle smile as she spoke, “General, you need not worry about our resolve. I assure you that both my men and myself have accepted that this may very well be where we meet our ends, and as such we have prepared accordingly. Still...it is not as if this is the first time we have been potentially going to our graves.”

The members of the Squad murmured, with names such as Galway, Falkenberg, and Terminus until they heard Veleon clear her throat at which they went dead quiet, “Nevertheless, I appreciate your pledge and will hold you to it. With that being said, I do have a request for the two of if you are open to hearing it. Should the worst come to pass and I or my men are not able to return...I trust you can ensure this returns to either my daughter or Lady Brasa?” Veleon motioned for the lamia soldier at her side to hand her a long silver tube, which she opened to reveal a polished bluish silver staff crowned with a royal blue gem that seemed to give off a faint glow.

“Why yes, I’ll make sure it is safely returned.” Arthurus said.

The squadron of helicopters approached the grand mountain with the monument built in the side of the mountain. The skeletal creatures and communist zombies rose up their heads as the attack copters fired their missiles to cause massive damage in their defensive position. Havoc was brought upon the dead as the creatures scramble to raise up firearms to fire back. As the attack copters provided fire support, the first transport helicopters hovered over to safe position and opened up for both spells, machine guns, and grenade launchers to blow shit up! As ropes were pulled down, a team of flying penguins took to the sky and used their firing bending powers to blast the dead!

“Well, well, looks like we have a little welcoming party waiting for us, GHAHAHA!” Tynah smirked as she attached the platinum gem onto the clasp of her cloak. Spreading her wings, she took to the air, and concentrated her energy within the gem. Raising her fist for a strike, she slammed it down, and in spite of being several dozen feet in the air, the impact of her blow managed to reach the enemies below, causing a crater where she had ‘struck’. Around her, her knights, empowered by her attacks, used their breath attacks on their weapons in order to charge them with that element to strike; one of them, a gold-scaled spear wielder, threw a javelin made of lightning at the horde, while another took their blade and swung it to cause a blast of fire! The Highwing Spellblade Style, as it was known, combined the natural elemental abilities and strength of Draconids into devastating strikes, but they were further bolstered by the aura that the princess was radiating, empowering their blows further.

“Indeed it does, sister. Squad, what say you to showing them a Reinvelian welcome?: Veleon thundered as she took to the air, all the while reaching into her cloak to withdraw a pair of bombs which she tossed below her. She dove to pair of large skeletal creatures that were moving to attack one of Tynah’s knights, quickly decapitating them with her axe as she landed with a heavy thud. At the same time the bombs she had tossed hit their mark, consuming a dozen zombies they exploded in twin pillars of brilliant blue flames. She chuckled as she heard what sounded like a crack of thunder above her, only to see two the heads of two skeleton warriors explode in a burst of bone in a steel as their bodies fell limp to the ground, hearing a familiar voice echo “You can thank us later, your grace. Preferably with some Azire!”

At the same time she saw half a dozen arcs of silver flames launch from the hovering choppers, with them cutting through the hordes of zombies with ease as they twisted and turned at the whims of their casters. The casters were soon joined in their attack by the riflemen of the Squad, the familiar bellow of their rifles echoing in the air as lines of green lines of fire cut into the creatures not yet felled by the casters. While most of her squad seemed to prefer to engage their enemy at a distance, there were two like herself who had joined in the melee unfolding in the LZ. The pair, red and gold scaled tanagers respectively, parried the strikes of two burly skeletons that had attacked them with lethal looking claymores. The gold scaled tanager used his acid breath weapon to dissolve the one skeleton’s weapon before he impaled it with his falchion, while the other was knocked backward by the force of a slash from the other skeleton. Veleon sighed as she pointed her axe at it, launching a golden orb of light at the beast, consuming it as it exploded, “Ah, just like old times! Would you not agree, sister?”

Tynah took out her golden axe, firing a blast of energy at another undead monstrosity, “Why, yes indeed! I do hope the Silverdaleans are able to keep up with us, though; they do not have the likes of Lila with them this time!”

As the teams clean up the chaff of the undead, a great undead ice giant emerges from the underground passage of the ruins with a massive ice spike club. As it was about to approach Tynah and Veleon, trio of pegasus warriors, Arthurus alongside a silver haired elf and man, swooped by to attack! The arctic elf attacked from the left side with her lance to holy smite the creature and broke its leg off! The human dived right down at the right to slice off its arm! Finally, Arrthurus holy lance impaled right through the head! “Triangle attack!”

The ice giant groaned as it collapsed, and the pegasi trio landed. The rest of the undead were destroyed in the landing zone, which allowed the rest of the squads to land, with Hilda ready to search for other entrances across the mountains. The glamorous celestial full plate armor of magic arctic elf approached Tynah, and tcked at the girl. “I hope we managed to impress you two with our technique. Although it is a simple classic from the old days, something useful in this moment of time. Anyway, I’m Lyclyn from the Mystic Guardians.

Tynah herself landed alongside her squadron of knights, a few minor scuffles but otherwise in good condition, “It has been some time since I have seen a Tenma Knight in action, for certain. I knew an ancestor of the current Sweetpuff line…” she recalled the knight having a very similar name to herself. “... ah, but where are my manners?” The princess put her arm to her chest and bowed her head. “I am Tynah Blackfang, Princess of Dyste. Lyclyn, hm? You certainly seem like a strong warrior for certain. Perhaps when we finish our mission here we can have a chance to spar together.”

When hearing about the organisation that Lyclyn mentioned, the princess knew of it immediately, “The Mystic Guardians, eh? That order of warriors that Silverdale created to combat threats from various realms? Actually… I wished to join myself, but Commander Darkfire forbade it.” She knew one of her other half-siblings was able to join and was currently working along the Arctic Knights and Black Army. “Hmph… well, it looks like we are working together now, thanks in no small part to my father and Princess Snow’s efforts.”

Veleon moved to her sister’s side, all the while the members of Squad Argent took up position behind her, with the majority of them being uninjured apart from a few minor dings. Veleon for her part seemed rather impressed with the performance of Arthurus and her companions in how they made short work of the ice giant, “Well done you three. I must say that was quite a masterful display, especially that use of Holy Smite. I daresay you might even be a match for some of my organization’s top paladins.”

Veleon gave a slight bow as she listened to Lyclyn, “It is an honor to meet you, Lyclyn. I am Veleon Blackfang, Grand Duchess of Glaristant and Grandmaster of the Arnwehr.” She gave Lyclyn a gentle smile as she listened to her speak, “Ah you’re with the Mystic Guardians, eh? I have heard a fair bit about your group from some of my men who have crossed paths with them during their missions on the outer planes. I assure you they were quite impressed by what they saw. At any rate, I must admit I never expected we would get the chance to work with you but it seems that my father had other plans in regards to that.”

“Spar?” Lyclyn gave an innocent look at Princess Tynah. “Oh, it’ll be lovely if your strength continues to impress me.” She teased. As if some trigger switched on, she became more friendlier! “Pardon me, but it is a delight to work with you both. I am an experienced member in the Mystic Guardians and a paladin of Mythra, I may match some of Veleon’s knights. Of course, it's a young order in comparison to the centuries of planar travel the Glaristant possess.”

“Even so, I heard that you saved the Shadow Plane and Gameindustri, no small feats!” Tynah remarked. “Not to mention working alongside Princess Snow; I once met her when Flora and I were in an arena in the Ice Kingdom. She seemed nice, if a bit shy… but that was a long time ago,” It having happened centuries earlier, prior to Snow’s disappearance, “I can certainly tell your prowess by merely seeing you battle, Lyclyn. A mix of strength and grace that is rare to match; if someone like you was part of my adventuring party, I would be certain you would be able to stay on par with the rest of us. Of course, so long as you avoid arrows, GHAHAHA!”

“Forgive me for being blunt Lady Lyclyn, but you are more than just a mere match for some of my knights. Your actions on the Shadow Plane at the very least are worthy of commendation, especially if what I heard from an old subordinate of mine is true.” The tanager remarked, all the while trying not to laugh at the thought of the enthusiasm the old fetchling had expressed in his letter to her about the actions of the Guardians on the plane. That being said, what truly interested was that she was a fellow paladin, as well as follower of the same deity her bondmate followed, “That makes sense, I had guessed you were at the very least tied to Mythra given that you have a similar aura to my bondmate Pyra. Forgive me for asking, but you are an empyreal knight as well, are you not?.” The tanager chuckled, trying to hide her excitement at the opportunity to fight alongside a fellow empyreal knight, “Er…At any rate, I am looking forward to seeing you in action Lyclyn, but just be sure you don’t rush head long into the thick of things like Tynah here.”

“That I am Lady Veleon.” Lyclyn patted her chest. “The sacred light of mythra transformed my heart as a celestial being, and my pegasus descended from such a realm. As a divine knight of the skies, Mythra can aid me in battle and I can summon such beings in battle.” Lyclyn nodded. Lyclyn was aware such summons in this place have a low chance against a heavy firefight, but that won’t mean her companions have to fall first! “Oh, and hopefully the arrows won’t be baneful to the angels and celestial rocs as well.”

As the party chatted up, Arthurus approached the trio. “I have something to ask of you all. A quest. Ahem, as she secured one of the main entrances of this mythic ice giant ruins, our teams will split up to search for other entrances and passageways. I know that from archaeological reports of this region, there is an underground tunnel system that seems to be somewhat connected. There may be dead ends, which we need to find other viable routes to the source. I recommend that your teams search the main entrance here. Lyclyn, alongside the First Order Squads will provide aid.”

Arthurus then added. “If we find Thanatos’ Necropolis, one of our teams, possibly you, will engage him, while the rest will disrupt any vital tunnel systems and key places. I’d also advise that a secondary objective is to retrieve any artifacts, mythic items, and intel that would be useful.”

Hearing about Lyclyn’s abilities reminded Tynah about someone she had heard about from her friend Reina. Perhaps it was the same person? “So, searching, eliminating and looting? Sounds like a fine quest, General. I shall perform it to the standards of the House of Blackfang.” Pulling out a blank scroll from her cloak, it formed ink lines showing the basic outline of a map. “This shall allow us to keep track of our progress and not stumble into dead ends more than once. Coupled with communications, we should avoid getting lost within the tunnels.”

The discussion that Veleon had with Lyclyn was quite interesting to hear, with her interest in particular being piqued by the details of her becoming a celestial being and her mount. While she herself was on the same path Lyclyn was, Veleon knew she was far from reaching the level that her fellow knight was on. The Grand Master listened intently when Arthurus interjected into their conversation, making mental notes about what lay ahead of them, “ I see. The mission itself sounds rather standard, but the presence of this Thanatos and his forces complicate things. Heh...sounds like a fitting mission for us General. You have my word that we will not fail.”

The tanager barked an order to the red and gold scaled tanager paladins from earlier, with the two pulling out five black orbs with what appeared to be a golden eye in the center. They hovered forth from the pair’s hands as Veleon barked “Ar Aghidah”, flitting between the members of the team as one of the tanager pulled out a tablet showing views from each of the drones, “Between my sister’s map and the drones, we should be able to avoid running into any trouble with either dead ends or potential ambushes. Additionally, these drones do have a limited ability to detect trace hints of magic which might aid us should we come across any relics or mythic items. Not to mention they will allow us to mark locations of interests while covering more ground. Speaking of General, I must ask…”

Veleon’s expression hardened as she recalled the risks that awaited them, with the thoughts of losing her students or her sister weighing heavily on her, “If one of our teams should happen to locate the Necropolis, would you be opposed to said team marking its location and falling back to allow a team consisting of myself, Tynah, Lady Lyclyn and you to engage the threats located within? Forgive me, but I am of the opinion that while our forces on the whole are skilled, none of them aside from the four of us possess the necessary skills nor experience to engage a Lich.”

“Hm, it might be wise to do so. Of course, we’d need a few teams to block or hold any incoming undead if we engage him.” Arthurus said. “Now, let us make haste and find Thanatos.”

“Fair enough, I will have both of my teams be ready to assist in dealing with barrier detail if need be. Meaher and Colquitt.” Veleon turned to the tanager from earlier speaking to them in a somewhat motherly tone, “ I trust you two to keep your respective teams intact while you search the tunnels. I know you are confident in your skills, as you have every right to be, but do not take any unnecessary risks here as I do not wish for us to add any more names to the Cenotaph in Aegir. Now go and show these Silverdaleans and Dystans why the Knights of Turvess are among the finest in both the mortal realm and the Outer Planes!. Faugh en Bellach!” The two tanager and their half dozen team members shouted in unison “Faugh en Bellach!” saluting their Grand Master as they moved out. Veleon turned back to her sister and companions, grinning as she spoke “Yes, let us go. Let us show this abomination that the House of Blackfang is not to be trifled with! What do you say, sister?”

“Of course, sister!” Tynah punched her fist into her open palm. The Draconid Princess turned to her knights. “Bolster the other teams and remember the techniques I have taught you; if any of you fail to give your all, I shall subject you to my training course from the start all over again!” The knights gulped at this notion; the princess’s training regiment was known to be the hardest among all the knights, hence why very few ended up choosing to be her subordinates, “But of course, if you have learned well under my tutelage, there should be no problems, yes? I expect to see you all at the end of this quest. May your lives be blessed with longevity and good fortune.” Her knights gave a salute to their princess and captain. “Now then, I believe we have a Lich to dispatch. I have already fought a kraken, hydra and marilith, so this should complete the set, GHAHAHA! Forwards, my friends, and remember to stay close enough to me to allow my aura to bolster you!”

The descent into the mountain was a labyrinth of itself. It seemed as the ice giant place was designed as a tomb, or a complex network of houses, to grand stretches of caverns. Naturally there were dead ends left and right, which cost time, and faced with lesser undead that was easily dispatched. However, as they moved down the dark caves, they saw a chamber of ‘failed’ liches, whose bodies were long decayed and useless to be risen as a mindless undead minion. Yet they were all headless, as if there was one attempt of renewal. The rest was mostly dusty with many shelves carved in the wall. There were three dominant skulls with jewels embedded in their eyes.

The one of their jaws raddled in excitement!

As the skull jumped forward, its eyes shined and a deadly gaze at one of the Argent Members. The ghastly skull shouted, “YOUR SOUL IS MINE!” The poor soldier instantly collapsed as their soul was absorbed into the skull’s jewel! The worst part: the other two became animated as well!

Between Tynah’s magic map and Veleon’s drones, much of the area had been mapped out as they went through the area. Tynah’s map had magically filled in details as they traversed the area, allowing them to avoid backtracking or getting caught in any loops. Most important of all, it would help them when they would have to depart the cavern. Most of the enemies were weak enough to fall after a single blow from Tynah’s punches, never even having to resort to using one of her many weapons. That said, it appeared that they finally had encountered a foe that required a little more…

The princess’s eyes narrowed as what she saw, growling, “I thought perhaps I might have gone a little easy on you for a challenge, but after that, I grant you no mercy.” Tapping the sash across her chest, she pulled out a large mace made of pure mythril. It gleamed with an energy that seemed to be specifically made for destroying the undead. It was clear that using it on an undead of lesser caliber would have been destroyed instantly by such a thing, but here, it was just what she needed. She slammed the ground, the shockwave emitting causing a blast of the energy to sweep towards the undead!

Veleon said nothing as she saw her soldier’s soul be devoured by the skull, instead she drew a shining adamantine rapier with an intricate handguard inlaid from within her overcoat. The rapier began to glow as the Grand Master uttered a rapid series of prayers, the light growing to a blinding intensity as she finished the last of her pleas as she leveled the blade at the skull, “Forgive me sister, but as Grand Master I cannot allow such an….abomination to escape without punishment for what it is done. Now as for you….In the name of Brasa, I command thee, PERISH!” Veleon roared as a beam of white light launched from her blade toward the lich colliding with the undead alongside Tynah’s energy blast. The twin bursts of energy detonated as they collided, consuming the lich within a pillar of blinding white light. As Veleon dealt with the demi lich, the two lamia spell casters signalled for the remaining Argent members to fall behind them, all the while drawing circles around them and their charges. The non lamia members of the squad opened fire at the two remaining skulls with both spell and shot as they did their best to avoid becoming its next victims.

“Mercy?! Haha, you’re all full of yourselves, you self-righteous MORONS-” The demilich’s mockery was cut short as the energy blasts struck down the creature. It screamed in agency before its skull was disrupted and broken apart into many fragments! As it does, the soul gem fell onto the ground, and was soundly intact.

As the First Order members fired back and prepared their spells, one of the demiliches used a powerful telekinetic blast to toss the squad away onto the ground! It was then quickly taken by the Glaristants’ combined efforts, and shattered apart. Arthurus and Lyclyn leaped forward as the last one flew into the air, and drew out their holy swords. The aasimar was one that was silver and holy, designed to eliminate the evils of the undead, and Lyclyn’s sword of a magic frost steel blade. “By the light of Mythra, grant me your strength.” Lyclyn shouted as her sword ignatized with holy power. The two knights lunged forward and delivered a blazing light of the x cross slash smite!

“NOOOOO!” The demilich crumbled apart in agony and finally exploded into tiny pieces.

Tynah placed her weapon to her sash, making it vanish into the pocket dimension the sash appeared to contain. “Turn to ash, foul creature.” She said with no joy or excitement in her voice. “I give no quarter to beings such as you. … my apologies, sister. I should have reacted quicker in order to prevent it from doing that to your comrade.”

Veleon said nothing as she sheathed her weapon moving to collect the soul gem from the fallen demilich as the surviving Argent members secured the room. “May the abyss consume your wretched soul, you abomination.” Veleon said, her voice echoing with barely contained contempt as she poured Holy Water over the creature’s remains before muttering a spell of dispel evil, “Such creatures deserve no quarter, only annihilation….that is all they are fit for. I appreciate the apologies sister, but the fault lies with me on this not you as I failed to take into account what we were facing. With that being said, this is fortunately something that can be remedied.”

Veleon drew the silver staff from earlier from her back, the staff emitting a pulsing blue light as it was held over the soul gem, “Aeary Meagher, 0200 hours July 21st, 1863, Stier, Reinvel.” The soul gem disappeared as the body of the golden scaled tanager from earlier reformed, sans power armor all the while Veleon smiled in relief, “There, good as new. Hopefully this will be the last time we have to use this today.”

Arthurusu examined the three ashes of the skulls, and the bodies of the other fallen liches in the room as Lyclyn helped out the other soldiers. “I cannot be for sure that there’ll be more demiliches down in the caverns. They may have been sent out in the field or a few more inside. However, I doubt this may be the case. This room seems to be storage for less favorable members of Thanatos cabal.”

Tynah frowned at Veleon’s usage of the staff, knowing how much stamina it could take from her. What’s more, her usage of it was dangerous with her new powers. “Hold on, sister, I shall help you.” She took the Gem of Bahamut and held it with her sister, healing her. “Fortunately our lineage allows us both to take the effects of this gem; were it someone else, I could not offer this assistance.”

The princess then reattached it to her cloak, “Hm, so there might be more potentially on the way, then? I highly doubt Thanatos would simply let himself be unguarded, however powerful he might be. That said, if there are others, we will likely need to take them out too, so we need to be careful about draining our resources before we reach the lich.”

“I appreciate the help, sister. Using Iolite was admittedly foolish, but it was regrettably necessary. At any rate I concur, we cannot be sure if we will encounter any more demiliches or worse creatures as we delve deeper into the tunnels. I would be surprised if there are not yet more demiliches or far more unpleasant creatures or traps lying between us and the necropolis. So it would behoove us to not waste all of our resources here, especially not when they might be needed later on.” Veleon gave her sister a nod at her healing, all the while motioning for the other squad argent members to sanitize the remains of the other demiliches, “General and Lady Lyclyn, I do not suppose you were able to glean anything that may help us reach the necropolis from those reports, were you? Either way we need to be on guard.”

“I am afraid not.” Arthurus admitted. “There isn’t a clear report on what lies within this cavern and how to reach it. So, we have to be vigilant as we descend further in.”

“The most I can gather is from the map we have compiled so far,” Tynah pulled out her map, having been magically filled in as they traversed the area; the princess was notoriously inept with using spells directly, but she used her fair share of magical gear. “But all I can say is that they are likely keeping their best for deeper in, considering we mostly fought rejects and weaklings so far.”

“I figured as much, but it did not to hurt to ask. I am afraid my drones have not been able to discern much of what lies ahead either, as it seems something from deeper in the cavern is interfering with their datalink. It might be Thanatos or it could be something that could pose an actual threat.” The tanager rolled her eyes at her sister’s comment, “Aye they are rejects yes, but do not forget even the rejects here can cause you quite the headache if they catch you off guard sister.”

“I’ll be on the lookout for any stronger undead.” Lyclyn said. “Given we passed the rejects, the stronger of their types may be not as far from here.”

“Excellent,” Tynah said, the Draconid’s eyes flashing as she grinned, the battlelust coming forward, “I have more than enough weapons in order to deal with them.”

“Splendid. Between the four of us, we should have no problems dealing with whatever “strong” undead Thanatos has waiting for us.” the tanager smirked as she rested her hand on her rapier’s hand guard, all the while she gave her sister a knowing look.

The group exited the room and descended further down into the icy passage way. As they continued there were many man made earthworks of something almost a century ago for another era of war. As the remains of the ruby insignia marked on the walls, and empty rooms of a once company station here. Lyclyn raised her hands as they moved closer to a grand open chamber where an ice arch awaited farther down the tunnel. There was a grey undead woman who awaited.


“Oh ho ho! So you have passed the failure chamber of my former students! Surely, you’re above the average undead hunter. But I, Darkness, am not afraid of a little cute princess.” Darkness said.

“‘Darkness’, Really now?” Tynah growled, a smirk on her face, “Did your parents look at you and decide to name their sweet little girl that, or did you go through a phase? Oh, trust me, I know all about that one, my eldest son wanted to be called ‘Hellclaw Darkfang’ for a time. But no matter, whatever your name might be I do not intend to fall here.” She focused her aura into a burst, giving her allies a significant boost to their strength and defence. “Now, let us see if you can give me any sort of challenge.”

Veleon chuckled at the women’s name, struggling not to burst out laughing at the woman, “I have seen undead that have a flair for the dramatic, but one with a sense of humor….Now that is a rarity indeed! Really Darkness as a name….How absurd.” The tanager’s smile faded as she felt her sister’s aura empowering her, all the while she called upon her own holy powers as she prepared for battle, “You will learn fear by the time this is over, you wretch. Be it at the tip of my blade or through our powers, you will know it. Now come….let us see if you can withstand my divine power.”

“Oh ho ho! You may laugh, but I return to put the band back together!” Darkness snapped her figure and moved awayed.

In the arena chamber in the left second of the Necropolis, a new van of the once lost rock and roll skeletons returned. However, unlike the incident in Silver City, the new band recieved a hardcore update as they existed the vehicle.. Reinforced with metal alloys, spiky hair, and magical battle axes, they towered over the group in about ten feet. The lead of the band carried a necro-machine gun.

“Now destroy them! Make them pay for laughing at the great and mighty Darkness!” Darkness cried out.

“It’s come for Metal’s Skull comeback!” Metal Skull 2.0 shrieked. A track of hardcore rock played as the lead skeleton began suppresesive fire of sharp bone projectiles as the other metal skeletons moved towards the flanks!

“Oho! Is this the new fad in music?” Tynah hadn’t been keeping up with music trends since that phase her honorary niece became a grunge star. “I hear that they sometimes call a guitar an ‘axe’... well, sorry, but I cannot play this as one,” pressing the form of an axe, she summoned her first true weapon, Aurik the Golden Axe, the sibling to Argente. “It only knows the song of pain!” The princess swung the gigantic axe to cause a blast of wind to blast against the bones, spewing a breath of fire across the blade to add a fiery effect. “I shall not be asking for an encore!” Tynah leaped into the air, smashing down on one of the skeletons.
Veleon could no longer resist breaking into full blown laughter as she beheld the “band”, their get up having been her breaking point. She was somewhat aware of the era that the skeletons were trying to emulate, an era whose fashion she preferred stayed dead and buried, “No sister, if anything it’s a blast from the past...albeit from an era I’d rather forget. Still….if you want to see some real heavy metal….”The tanager threw her rapier towards one of the skeletons, the blade pinning one of the skeletons to the ice walls behind it as it screamed in pain from the weapon’s divine blessing.

Upon seeing Aurik, Veleon smirked as she summoned the other half of legendary twin axes. She swung the axe, an arc of silver lighting launching from it as her frost breath intertwined with it “It seems a duet is in order….and I cannot not think of a finer one to sing than one that sings of Ice and Fire!” While Veleon and Tynah engaged the skeletons up close, one of Argent’s snipers, a female sylph named Aliya, took aim at the lead skeleton. Her pale white rifle cracked as she fired three successive shots, nailing the skeleton once in the head and twice in the hands as she tried to down him.

Metal Skull 2.0’s head exploded in half and his hands crumbled. As his weapon dropped, the creature laughed. “Ahaha! The new and improved Metal Skull will never die!”

“Sorry to break it.” Lyclyn rushes over and slashes the skeleton’s head off. “But the show's over!”

As the body collapsed, the head became very chatty as it sang to boost its allies! As Tynah smashed one skeleton down, the other two became more hardy and boosted to attack her and Veleon. As Arthurus rushed down as her team plans boosted her with speed by magic, Darkness waved her finger as an icy glow arose from her right hand. “Oh don’t get cheeky! By the walls of the forgotten realm, arise pillars of ice!”

The arch entrance was suddenly shut off by ten feet thick pillars of magic ice, separating the rest of the team from the action!

“Hm!?” Tynah was taken aback at the pillars of ice, “Do you think you can keep me contained like this? HYAH!” Using a strike she had learned from her sensei, she struck at the air, the gem on her cloak glowing as a chunk of the ice tore apart. However, it was nowhere near enough to get through. “Hmph… no good, it will take me some time to break through, and we cannot afford to keep our eyes off the enemy in front of us.” She summoned her next weapon, a scimitar wreathed in flames, before dashing at one of the remaining skeletons.

“Perhaps we should try a different method than brute force…..” Veleon said, dodging a sword swing from one of the remaining skeletons before decapitating it with a mighty swing of Argente. Kicking the undead’s remains aside with barely concealed contempt she examined the damage Tynah had done to the ice wall. Despite it doing only minor damage to it, it seemed as if the blow had created a number of small cracks in the ice. She chuckled as she called forth the two lamia spellcasters from her squad, Saiana and Leina, who watched as Veleon made ten different marks on the wall that were spaced about four to three feet apart. Veleon pointed to them and spoke, “I want you two to use you flames to bore into the walls at these locations and I’ll handle it from there. If I am right this should get us through with little trouble.”

The two nodded as they began to melt away the ice, creating a number of borings at the designated points all the while Veleon proceeded to place a number of explosive charges in the completed borings. The three dove behind a nearby rock wall as Veleon shouted, “The rest of you, get down!” The sound of the multiple detonations reverberated throughout the room as the ice wall was consumed in a vortex of flame, all the while Saiana and Leina launched a barrage of fireballs and a flame arc at the wall respectively!

The ice wall was consumed by the flames and shattered into dozens of melted pieces. As it melted away, the skeletons gave a brave attempt to tank and hold off against their enemies blows. Including a few parries and slashes back! However, it was too much as they quickly fell down.

“Welp! The triple is the charm!” Darkness shrugged. “But that’s all fun and games until…” She held up her hands to conjure up a burning fire sphere. “Someone gets burned!” She tossed the fireball right at Tynah and Veleon!

Tynah was the first to react, “Watch out, sister!” She spread her wings and shoved aside Veleon, before flying up in order to take the brunt of the fireball herself! She pulled out a trident of water in order to blast away part of the fireball’s power, before bracing in order to take the blast herself! Falling to the ground, the princess was hurt, but not out, “Gah… come now, see, I am still useful for something…”

“Huh…..Tynah what are you…?!” Veleon growled as she sprinted to her sister’s side, just barely managing to catch the princess before she hit the ground. She placed a hand on her sister’s wound, her hand glowing a silver light as she began to heal her sister’s wounds, “Sister, you incorrigible fool. I….Thank you. Just next time, try to be more careful next time. After all, next time I might not be here to fix you up.”

Veleon gently helped her sister to her feet, all the while giving her a gentle smile. She knew Tynah would want to help deal with the undead, but was hopeful she at least had the sense to not strain herself in her wounded state.“Is that the best you can do you two bit hack? A simple fireball? I have seen novices fresh out of the academy that are more threatening than you.”

“Oh? Well let me show you my true power!” Darkness bounced away and summoned a skull guitar. “By the claws of death’s hand, I’ll summon your presence to rid the world of these two.” She began to play the guitar and manifest a skeletal phamtasal creature above her. “By my guitar, the power of the reaper will take your show away to the rivers of the death.”

The lich began to jam out as the skeleton creature let out a ghastly roar! By the passing sound waves, a slight visible force of reapers began to wave their scythes out forward to cut down anyone in their path! Lyclyn popped out a handy pair of bat wings to grab onto Arthurus to lift her up to evade the attack! Although the general's armour was severly cutted deepy down!

In spite of her wounds, Tynah was able to take flight to avoid an attack, concentrating on her gem in order to heal further from the fireball, “More music, really? I think I liked the previous band’s performance, if I am honest… but no matter, I have a special treat for your spectral friend.” Pressing another image on her sash, she pulled out a crossbow, a make far too large for a human to wield. Instead of loading in a bolt, a ghostly green bolt was loaded into the crossbow as she took aim and fired at the phantasm!

Velron was clipped by one of the scythes as she took flight, suffering a nasty gash across the front of her armor. Wincing she flew towards the lich and drew her rapier, casting holy smite on the lich as she landed, “You know, I have to hand it to you….I used to be quite a fan of rock, but I would dare say you have spoiled the genre for me. Regardless, I think it is time for your final curtain call, wouldn’t you agree?” Veleon struck one more with another blast of Holy Smite from her rapier, following up with a point blank range blast from her shotgun towards the lich’s face.

The two attacks broke the evils of rock and roll as the lich collapsed! As the now missing head of a body lies motionless, a ghastly laugh echoed throughout the air. “Oh well! You can’t harm me with those mockeries! This is only a mere setback! Now, my husband won’t be as merciful!” The voice disappeared.

Tynah went back to the ground and caught her breath, “Phew… that was… more painful than I would like to admit…” concentrating on her gem to heal further, it was clear her wings were a bit more damaged, and likely prevented her from doing any elaborate maneuvers for a while. “I suppose she might be Thanatos’s wife? Well, even evil undead creatures need love, I suppose… ghaha… sorry about worrying you, Ey-erm, Velly…”

“Just….wait until...we find that phylactery of your’s, then you’ll be ...in for a world of hurt. Whew That last attack of hers...was mighty painful.” Veleon croaked as she fell to the ground, leaning up against a nearby pillar as she tried to mend the gash across her stomach. It was rather deep, but it seemed that her armor had absorbed the brunt of the damage. That being said it was still rather painful, with the tanager struggling to move without a great deal of effort, “I...suppose...so. It would not be the...first time...I have ...seen an undead with a mate. And don’t worry, sister….I am just glad...you are okay. And sis…Feel...free to use that name, if you..’d like. Also….” Veleon gestured to Arthurus and Lyclyn, “We...need to find...her phylactery soon...otherwise she will just reform and all of this...will have been for naught.”

“I’ll send out my team to find it. I doubt it’ll be an easy task, but they’ll do it.” Arthurus said. She then turned her direction to the soldiers to boss them around.

Lyclyn flew over to the tanager and pressed her hands against the gash. “Don’t worry, I got you covered.” Her hands began to glow as a serious healing began to mend away the gash. “There, you should be okay.”

Tynah, having mostly healed up aside from the wing damage, likely requiring treatment outside of the regular type, “Hmph, they are not as heavily built as most of a Draconid’s body, so they are a little more vulnerable to attacks like that… speaking of which, Lyclyn, I noticed you have a nice little pair of wings too! Sort of like mine, only smaller, naturally.”

“Ah there we go….You have my thanks, Lyclyn. Oh and generally if need be, feel free to make use of my men to help in the search.” Veleon gave her a faint smile as she struggled to get to her feet, still feeling somewhat sore from the hit, “Interesting….they certainly are rather cute...er nice pair of wings, even if they are smaller. Is it that an ability you acquired or did you inherit those wings? “

Lyclyn became silent for a second and then made a poker face. “Oh, I was born with it. They’re quite helpful at times. But enough about me, we have one more challenger ahead of us.” It was Lyclyn’s kind way to say ‘that’s all for now.’

“Fair enough,” Tynah shrugged, they reminded her of the ones two people she knew had, but she wouldn’t pry into that. “I suppose Thanatos is even stronger than his wife, based on what we know, so we should be ready for this.”

Veleon shrugged, not wishing to pry any further on the matter, “Aye. It is likely to be a gruelling fight with him at best, possibly even deadly for some of us if we are not prepared. Still...I do not know about you sister, but I am looking forward to it….after all it is not often one gets to fight a foe as a dangerous as a lich.”

Arthurus gave a stern look at Veleon. “Be ready. This creature will not hesitate to destroy us… Outside of the usual monologue. Typical for a lonely being.”

As the group exited the arena and moved to the main courtyard, the main ziggurat awaited. A massive global map image of the south pole and Silverdale on top of the zigguard. If they move forward and climb up the stairs to the summit, Thanatos begins to make his speech.

“Ah, you have defeated Darkness...Yet you proved yourselves to be less than a true dragon and take the cuts. Imagine what it'd have happened if Tyroth heard you fell Tynah, and then witnessed a video of my triumph over his daughter. All to become a ghoul.” Thanatos laughed.

“But enough of this… You came so far to defeat me? The master who goes beyond what the druidic circles forbid. What Queen Aurora forbade. To forge a better magi, and save the souls of knights passed their bodies' expiration. Oh how foolish. Now she is dead in ice, and Silverdale has become so bitter. Tell me, why do you wish to save a land of weak and pathetic creatures? Surely, you wish for all the hated stuff in that land and the world to be gone? Why oppose Garyx who can wipe the slate clean?”

“You will not harm a scale on my sister’s head, let alone anyone else here, you miserable abomination.” Veleon spat as she eyed Thanatos, all the while pondering his words,”I cannot speak for my sister or the General and her companion, but I have come to defeat you for two reasons. First and foremost is that you and those under your command represent a perversion of the natural order….Nay you are an affront and mockery to all that lives and as such you must be annihilated. More importantly….”

Veleon’s eyes narrowed as she drew her falchion pointing it at the lich as she bellowed, “I will not allow an ally...nay friend of Glaristant to suffer the same tragedies and endless suffering that both the people of my ancestral homeland and my domain endured at the hands of one like your master. Nor will I You claim that your master represents an opportunity for renewal, a chance to wipe the slate clean. Bah….No all that the likes of you and your wretched master offer are the death of not only this land but life itself, which is something I cannot abide.”

“Death of life itself? Oh please. The Four Nature Goddesses won’t care if Silverdalean civilization dies tomorrow and its entire people. That’s the ‘natural order.’ Garyx wished to end this vile rule and those who proclaim to be ‘righteous and pure’, only to be the bigger fools in the end. Once all of those of hate are no more shall a new form of life begin without the hate in an orderly, eternal, ice realm where her children and I will live in peace.” Thanatos said.

Suddenly, a roaring laughter filled the room, “GHAHAHAHAHA!” The laughter came from Tynah, sounding much like her father did, “Wow, you really have it all, do you not? A lair in the middle of nowhere, an ominous name, a monologue about how your plans will cause a new way of life that will be far better than our current one in spite of most of the problems being caused by you in the first place? I love it! Oh, trust me, Thanatos, you do not know how long I have waited for something like this!” She was enjoying every second of this!

“Do you even know how many times my father has dealt with people just like you? Oh, trust me if you had indeed slain me, you would have to deal with him, and someone like you? No, no, no, you are hardly special in your goals! But do you know what always happens with people like you? They lose. It is almost like you are almost asking for failure! I look forward to personally smashing your skull in with my hands and ending your idea of ‘peace’!”

“And your ‘noble goal’ brought calamity to countless of the knights of Silverdale to a state of torment.” Arthurus said. “You haven’t given them a choice, and instead turned them into monster ghouls or weapons with the aid of your cabal. Now you're a mere monster who cannot see beyond your ambition.”

“Yes, I have everything after I was shunned away by judgemental fanatics like Arthurus. Now, my dream to clean this world will continue… starting with you and your friends.” Thanatos said. He then casts a spell as all the skeleton dots on the map start to advance towards the necropolis. “Even if you slay me, you’ll never stop Garyx!”

Another spell was kicked in as he walked on multiple sides of left and right! As if she became disjointed, blurry, and appeared in four places at once.

“That remains to be seen, but I can assure you of this….You will not live to see your plan through to fruition” Veleon bowed her head and uttered a rapid series of prayers before slamming an open palm down on the stone floor below her. A tetrahedral glyph formed, pulsating with an azure light as a silver scaled tanager with resplendent wings wearing glistening white armor emerged. The tanager moved to Veleon’s side, with him giving her a muzzle rub with his hand as he spoke, “I was wondering when you were going to call on me, Knightling. I was beginning to worry you had forgotten me after all this time...Oh and I see you have brought your sister along as well and to top it off, you brought me back in time to kill a high level undead. Truly this is shaping up to be a great day.”

Veske laughed as he drew a lethal looking silver zanbato as he prepared to engage Thanatos alongside his former student. The members of Squad Argent meanwhile took up position around the room, with its tanager members opening up on the lich’s copies with their heavy machine guns and missile launched, attempting to draw his attention away from their fellows. Aliya and the team’s other sniper positioned themselves on a ledge overlooking the chamber, lining up a shot on one of the copies and firing several rounds.

“Well, well, Veske, I was wondering when my sister would call upon you,” Tynah remarked; she had missed seeing the tanager around. “Now, while my own form of backup will not cause a heart-wrenching reunion, I shall offer my own form of assistance with the coming tide!” Out of her cloak she pulled out a horn wrought with mythril, a present from her father upon becoming a Royal Knight from his own personal collection. It could only be used once every seven days, but now seemed as good a time as any for this as she spoke a word in Draconic and blew the horn!

Upon doing so, five specters in the form of Draconid warriors appeared! “Go defend the passage from any uninvited guests,” the princess instructed them, the specters guarding the way down. “Fulmine, Redwing, with me!” She pulled out Aurik as the three of them fired blasts of energy at one of the Thanatos copies.

Thanatos blur magic seemingly dodged away the first sniper shots and a few machine gun bullets, although a few punched through his undead body. This didn’t faze him much as he began to spin and teleported away to the left corner of the arena. “Enough interruptions!” He slammed his land on the ground creating an icy magical girl. Massive Ice spikes arose across the top of the ziggurat sound, the main foes to form a protective barrier away from the Argent members. “As for your guards…” His hand generated an orb of frost to toss at Tynah’s. As it would hit them, it bounces back and forth to deliver massive ice energy attacks until the ten one hits and disappears.

Arthurus drew out her pistol to shoot at the lich as she tried to flank him, while Lyclyn focused her holy magic to summon a celestial and divine T-rex!

For the rest of the teams outside of the barrier, the hordes of the undead alongside the undead ice giants began to flood from the other passages! Ready to attack anyone who threatens Thanatos!

Tynah’s summoned specters fought valiantly against the undead, though while they could handle the weaker forces, the giants proved to be too much, one being crushed by a club! Thankfully, they weren’t really alive to begin with.

“Hmph, you really think that shall work against me this time!?” Unlike before, Tynah was ready for this ball. She pulled out an oversized club, seemingly more fit for a frost giant than her, but her titanic strength made her able to carry it with ease. “No more giant elemental orbs for me today, I have had my fill!” When the orb was launched at her, she swung the club with immense force to push it back, continually doing so until it was gone for good. While the impacts cause some of the icy energy to hit the trio of knights, it blocked a lot of the worst effects of it.

Veske chuckled as he watched Tynah bat the orb aside, all the while he and Veleon charged forward toward Thanatos. “Now that is keeping your eye on the ball, Ty. Now I cannot speak for the rest of you, but I had my fill of the cold in Reinvel….How about we heat things up a bit, hrm?” Veske chuckled as he conjured two columns of fire that arced towards the lich, the flames seeming to be imbued with the faintest hint of divine energy. Veleon rolled her eyes at the comment, at which Veske retorted, “Come now, Knightling….Do not tell me you lost your sense of humor during my absence? You used to be quite the…” Veleon shot him a dirty look as she moved to attack the lich with Argente in one hand and her shotgun in the other. She opened her assault by launching a golden blast of energy at Thanatos with her axe, while following that up with two blasts from her shotgun to the Lich’s hands.

She was soon joined in her attack by Veske who by now had drawn his katana, the blade radiating a white followed up Veleon’s attack with a series of rapid slashes at Thanatos. Veleon took another shot as she fired at Thanatos once more, all the while calling out to her sister, “Sister….I could use a hand up here when you have a chance. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss out on a chance to help us put down this blowhard, do you?”

“Did you really think I would allow you to do this without me?!” Tynah pulled out the Liquid Metal Flail, a replica made of her father’s famous weapon. That said, the name was meaningful, as the chain moved more like fluid as she swung it in the lich’s direction!

The lich’s body shifts rapidly as it dodges away a few of the attacks as he bats the orb, and takes other slashes . Just as they tried to corner him, he spined away and teleported right behind them! He appeared worn down… But as he chants, he begins to duplicate himself into five! The T-rex bit down one of them, but it disappeared into smoke.

Arthurus roared as she charged right towards the real one in the middle with her sword, but as she did so, all of the images raised their fingers and screamed “prepare to die!” A powerful beam of greenish energy struck the aasimar down to the ground! She screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

“NO!” Tynah was unable to stop the attack on General Arthurus, and now that might’ve been her last. All because they couldn’t find the real one in time… she had enough of this, she knew she had to stop the lich. She wouldn’t lose another comrade ever again, there was enough of that already in this war and her life. “ENOUGH! I do not need any weapons to stop you, lich! I told you I would smash your skull in with my bare hands and that is what I plan to do!” Channeling the energy of the Gem of Bahamut, she slammed the images with the blasts the gem’s augment caused, rushing forward with no hesitation at what attacks came her way, and struck with all her might with an attack aimed straight at Thanatos’s face!

“Damn it” Veleon muttered as she raced to Arthurus’s side laying her hands on her as she tried to stabilize her, hoping she wasn’t too late. She channeled what energy she had left into her, cursing as she got no response from the general, “Looks like I have no choice but to use it….still even Iolite might not save her at this point.” Veleon pulled Iolite from its case, chanting a few words of prayers as she passed it over Athurus, motes of white light falling from the staff's blue gem as its magic ensconced her. Veske for his part cursed as he saw the general go down, but decided to leave tending to her to his former student. He roared, stretching out his hand as he cast hold monster on the lich, hoping to prevent him from evading Tynah’s attack.

Thanatos laughed ominously as he tried to grab onto Tynah with his hand! Only for his face to cave in and explode as Tynah delivered ULTRA DRAGON PUNCH. As his body fell down, a dark soul arose from it. “Ahaha! If I can’t kill you personally I’ll be taking you with me- Wait no!!”

A massive explosion shook the cavern as the voice of Thanatos screamed!

As the radio turned on, it came from the first order squad. “This is Delta Squad. We found and destroyed the phylactery. Only there was one and we cannot confirm if it is Darkness. Yet I think we triggered a spell.”

As the undead began to crumble around them to become mere corpses, the entire chamber began to shake and magical explosions were denoted across the cave! Shards of ice from the ceiling began to fall! All as the general slowly breathed form the touch of lolite. “So…” Lyclyn gave a careful look at the group. “Any bright ideas to escape?”

“Thank Brasa, she’s alive.” Veleon muttered as she stowed the now drained staff, all the while Veske took the general in his arms. Upon hearing Lyclyn’s question, Veleon reached into her cloak and withdrew a tarnished silver scroll which she tossed to her, “Aye. I am not sure where we will end up given the nature of this place, but we should be able to use the Path to at least get somewhere safe. Lyclyn, just unfurl that scroll and think of a destination. Lady Brasa will handle the rest.” Veleon rose to her feet, stowing her equipment as she and Veske moved to be with the rest of the group, “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

Tynah, for her part, helped Veleon walk, knowing that using that staff took a toll on her sister; of course it was an urgent matter, but this likely would require more treatment than Lyclyn’s healing or the gem could offer. “Take it easy, sister… you and the general will have to rest after this. But for now, let us get out of here. I have some rib boxes with your name on them, after all…”

As Lyclyn picked up the spell and gathered everyone nearby, she read its words and opened up a gateway for everyone to escape. The rest of the forces rushed out of the caverns as the chamber was consumed by fire and the cavein of stone and ice. Where did Lyclyn and the rest of the gang go? Anywhere but here! Ironically enough, they ended up in the Boneyard! But as for the Winter War...

Thanatos is no more. Across Antarctica, all of his undead bound to the lich began to crumble away into lifeless bodies. The armies who fought in life in the civil war and rose again in the winter war were finally put to rest.

[New Dornalia]

Dragon Fight

A splash of icy liquid-like blood sprayed across the dornie mecha, as the creature shrieked in pain! As it was being grappled down by such wrestling movies, it was unable to continue its flight. It began to fall down into the whiteout abyss. The white dragon flailed its wings to batter the jet, as its jaws madly attempted to bite down vital components of the plane itself!

The ‘Night King’ climbed up upon his dragon mount to get a good vantage point at Chesie herself. She can see the man as a strange creature of snow, yet some crystallize gaze of pure hate from its deep blue eyes. Its hand gestured for his magical powers to conjure up four massive stalagmite-like icicles to form in midair to become lances. He grabbed onto the newly formed weapons, and held onto the dragon dearly as he tossed those ice spears right at the cockpit of the mecha itself!

Some time before Tynah and company helped take down the lich causing all these problems, there was a much more intimate, dangerous fight going on near New Snowdale.

What looked like a well-executed move out of the pro-wrestling playbook was now escalating into a much more drawn out, violent fight to the death. It was a duel you couldn't really make up, frankly. On one side, there was one of the finest mecha the Dornalian military-industrial complex could produce and field in the hands of Marines, Sailors, and GIs. On the other side was an ancient and very malevolent and hungry ice dragon, commanded by an angry presence who was just as malevolent.

The fight was getting violent now. Cherise grabbed harder when the creature tried to bite, and slapped and punched the dragon repeatedly with her free arm. If Cherise had any free leg movement to spare, and if she had spurs, she would have used them. Alas, being trapped in a DDT which was hurtling towards the ground left not much room for kicks. The blood began freezing and icing over the mecha, although it was no great impediment.

What was a great impediment, however, was the summoning of ice missiles, sent hurtling towards her cockpit. Out of instinct, Cherise quickly diverted power to the thrusters, and sent the riotous assembly into a barrel roll screeching to the left, to move the whole fight out of the way of the icicles--or perhaps to roll the dragon in such a way so as to ensure it took the icicles in center mass. On top of that, Cherise also activated her shields, focusing around the cockpit.

All the while, the mecha continued flying to earth...and Cherise continued to monitor that as she fiddled with the thrusters and controls to the tune of an unhappy HUD.

Inside the cockpit, the Lieutenant could be seen working all manner of joysticks and controls, translating fury and a determination to resist into physical force. At least Cherise was gradually dragging down the creature to a spectacular demise, aided by the wonders of physics. Then again, the Dornalian jet at some point would need to release its grip on the monster, to avoid bringing harm to itself.

[New Dornalia]

OOC: Post was conducted with the help of Malgrave and Silverdale.

IC:

New Snowdale, Silverdale

Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min looked at the unfolding situation with quiet discomfort, of course, the neko had been a member of the Territorial Defence Force for the past few years and understood that casualties and injuries were a part of war but that didn’t mean that she had to be comfortable with the idea, and through her experience and training she had quickly come to the understanding that whenever a commander got too comfortable with seeing reports of wounded or killed soldiers that it led to preventable losses of life such as the clusterfrak that was Operation Swift.

In the moments following the decision to withdraw the self-propelled MalDef artillery units from the field they had come under renewed attack from the strange horde, and while the units of artillery maintained a group of conscripts to protect them from harm, the sudden appearance of such threats combined with the strange and effective ice magic meant that around two dozen soldiers had been effectively put out of action through injury and by last estimates 8 had been killed.

It would mean that the pre-recorded messages made by the conscripts prior to entering combat operations in Silverdale would be sent to listed family members, a rather touching addition to the workings of the Territorial Defence Force but certainly nothing that compared to being able to see and feel your loved ones in the flesh after a tour of operations. Ji-Min understood such a feeling all too well, from the joy that she felt when she was able to see her daughter once more after a troubling tour of duty as a young officer sent to Crystal Spires and she desperately wanted to hear how Eun-Yeong had fared at the snow festival or how she was going along with her dream of becoming the fastest neko in the world like her hero Celeritas.

Yet Ji-Min couldn’t escape the fact that the current threat approaching New Snowdale combined with the orders given to her by her superior officers increased the chances of that dream becoming a reality, as the 3rd Infantry Division had been given orders that summed up to forming a defensive line near New Snowdale, assisting the flow of the civilian population onto a mixture of military and seized civilian ships/aircraft and promptly holding such defensive line at all costs until said evacuation was completed and considering the damage said large creature was soaking up preventing it with conventional arms would involve a large number of casualties.

Ji-Min did have one rather large advantage that she didn’t have a few days earlier, however, as more recently the Dornalians had sent over a small team of soldiers empowered with ancestral energy and that combined with those under her command imbued with defensive barrier abilities resulted in a plan forming in her head, and was the prime reason that she was travelling in-person to see the Commanding Officer of the local Dornalian forces, as experience told her that the more eccentric plans often required direct face-to-face contact to be presented without sounding completely crazy.

Lieutenant Colonel Marlene Abboud, Colonial Republican Army, was the CO in question Ji-Min would be seeing. As was standard among the Abboud Family, she had a mug full of the notorious sports drink known as Corvid Cream, and was pouring over some displays from a small holographic projector.

The Dornalian was the head of the Dornalian team in country, known as Task Force 20. TF20 was a lead element assigned to go ahead along with the Malgraveans, partly to provide coordination with Dornalian support assets and also partly to get stuck in--they were special operations team members, after all. Abboud herself followed a proud tradition among the Abboud Quintuplets and joined an aspect of the Dornalian Government. In this case, she was Army, all the way, and it reflected in her choice of kit. This included cold weather gear and an M1 helmet wrapped in a winter camo covering, and a T-60 power armor suit with some winterization elements on it. Most interestingly, the T -60 suit had any number of markings and sigils upon it, which suggested her allegiance to the Church of St. Megumin--practitioners of Bayhem at its most explosive.

Looking up, Lt. Col. Abboud stood up, and dramatically saluted Ji-Min, and declared in a manner the theater mavens would call “hammy”, “Junior Colonel! How may I be of assistance!?”

Ji-Min returned the salute in turn, and added her own small bow to the greeting process as she prepared herself to describe her plan, the Junior Colonel had heard rumours about the Church of St Megumin from her colleagues following an incident in the Research Colony where a few followers of the group had successfully managed to chain together several large explosive devices to clear up a space that was going to be the spot of several new apartment complexes, a heck of an explosion that was apparently widely shared on social media sites and a crazy stunt that had cleared up months of delays from the housing project and had saved the state a substantial number of resources.

“Lieutenant Colonel, as you are aware this city and by extension the wider civilian population is under threat by a rather large ice monster, and while I normally would have dealt with the situation through the deployment of specialised thermobaric and other rounds enchanted with ancestral energy that isn’t possible with this creature,” Ji-Min said using the holographic display to highlight several rounds impacting the ice creature with little to no impact, “I have heard rather optimistic reports that the efficiency of these rounds could increase the closer the creature gets to the city, however, I am not inclined to believe such optimistic visions for the future and that is where I believe we can come to an arrangement.

Ji-Min then arranged the holographic display to showcase a simulation of the destruction that could be theoretically brought against the city by the creature if it wasn’t destroyed in a timely manner, with the losses incurred by the Territorial Defence Force and the wider civilian population being displayed in the top right hand corner.

“I understand that you’ve been given your orders, however, for the 3rd Infantry Division our mission is rather simple. We have been tasked with assisting the evacuation of the civilian population, and until that happens the defensive line must be held at all costs,” Ji-Min told her Dornalian colleague, the image of the monster shrugging off artillery rounds springing to her mind, “If we cannot destroy that creature within a reasonable timeframe quite a substantial number of my comrades will die upholding that mission, and while death is something that can’t be avoided in war it is something that I would like to limit if at all possible.”

Ji-Min then made a few other movements bringing up a number of magi-capable conscripts that she could effectively pull from duties in other operations, and one of the small specialised units that had been sent over from the Royal Marines to provide defensive barrier support against enemy artillery fire, with one of these individuals entering the room and saluting the Dornalian and Malgravean respectively.

“Technical-Corporal Saveria Agresta? I understand that the 3rd Mechanised Division has been sent to the Silverdalean mainland, however, I trust that you’ve been informed of the general basis of the proposed operation here.”

Saveria nodded in confirmation, “It is true that the 3rd Mechanised Division has been assigned to the Silverdalean mainland, however, in recognition of this situation I have been transferred here along with the rest of my section.”

Saveria then arranged the holographic display to showcase an animated model of the creature, a few seconds later an extensive barrier wrapped around it in a bubble followed by a large explosion that was directed downwards to the ice creature resulting in it being transformed into a puddle.

“I have worked alongside Dornalians in the past so I understand that you are rather talented when it comes to destruction magic and explosions, just as we in Malgrave are known for our barrier magic and ability to heal ourselves and others,” the Technical-Corporal said nodding in the direction of the Dornalian, “If we are able to feign weakness in one specific section of the city defences then we should be able to lure the creature to that portion of the small, as I imagine that such a beast isn’t completely mindless or is being controlled by someone that won’t be able to pass up the chance of an easier chance to enter the city.

The Technical-Corporal then used the holographic display to highlight the size of the ring and the number of explosives that will be needed to fully encompass it.

“In that case we can hide several bundles of thermobaric artillery shells in a broad circle around that point, and then when the creature enters the circle of destruction you can unleash the power of explosive magic and we can detonate the artillery bundles. It is then a matter of containing the explosive forces and directing them downwards to create an atmosphere close to a destructive blast furnace that should transform any ice monster into a puddle, now such a task is a dangerous prospect due to the risks involved in regards to physical overload but as the alternative is massive harm to the civilian population I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks.”

The Dornalian nodded, and then, sipped her Corvid Cream, letting a palpable silence fill the air for a few moments. Abboud swished the Cream around her mouth, and then swallowed it. Then, she put the Cream down. All the while, she had an intense, thoughtful gaze. Then, Marlene began to speak dramatically, with theatrical flourishes with her hands.

“You came to the right place, my companions! For I, Lieutenant Colonel Marlene Abboud, being a Crimson Demon, is indeed a proud expert on Explosion magic! This plan is a most excellent plan, for it takes our peoples on the path of explosions together into glory! For this day unto the ending of the world, the one great, brave constant which will ensure the survival of men and women alike and the continued existence of Bayhem--that most sublime, glorious state where everything truly. Is. Awesome--is the path of explosions! Great Megumin’s cap, let it be ever thus!” The last part finished with a sort of unusual hand gesture in front of Abboud’s face which appeared to be a peace sign in front of her eye with a dramatic pose, before she leaned forward and put her hands on the table, gazing intently at the Malgraveans.

“Beyond that, your plan is indeed sound. Your magical barriers should suffice indeed to contain my explosion magic, which will resemble an atomic explosion but rest assuredly has no such FOUL contaminants such as gamma radiation, thus making it perfectly safe, and focus it onto the FOUL beast which would DARE bring harm to our peoples. How strong and sustained can these barriers be though?”

Ji-Min’s eyes grew to comic proportions as she heard the response to her plan from the Dornalian, the Malgravean had heard that the Dornalian people were a rather eccentric group of people, however, to see it in the flesh was another thing entirely, although the Junior Colonel was quite glad that she had managed to stumble across such an eccentric individual in the middle of a war zone and during an hour of great need as she suspected that someone with a more restrained personality or a lessened love of explosion magic might of thought differently about her plan and such a situation would most certainly result in the deaths of her fellow conscripts.

“It seems that we are quite blessed to be under the Great Megumin's guidance and protection then, Comrade Abboud,” Ji-Min said bowing slightly from thanks, “I will make the required preparations to thin our existing defences on a certain segment of the wall, and communicate such a desire securely with the Rohanians and transfer the artillery shells needed to aid your explosion magic.”

Saveria meanwhile copied the unusual hand gesture, the Malgravean finding it to be a rather cute movement and one that she was hopeful would grant herself and her fellow magic-users the strength needed to contain the powerful explosion magic without suffering from complete and total organ failure.

“It depends on how powerful the explosion is and how study this creature is against our combined strength, Comrade Abboud,” Saveria said becoming deep in thought, “If this explosive force is as powerful as your claim though I predict that we’ll be able to hold the barrier somewhere between two and three minutes before we’ll need to recharge our magical batteries so to speak.”

One of Abboud’s adjutants nodded, “We can rig up some shield generators also to focus the blast in case your magical batteries run out.” The adjutant evidently failed to grasp the use of metaphor, a topic leapt upon by the Lt. Col. herself.

“CONFOUND IT, Herman!”, the Lieutenant Colonel said as she quickly whipped her head around at the adjutant. Aggressively pointing at Herman to emphasize the point, Abboud said with a loud shout, “The woman clearly indicated she was speaking in metaphor!” Turning around, Abboud then said, as Herman shrugged nonchalantly, “Three to two minutes sounds like a most cromulent measure of time. I have not scientifically evaluated the resulting blast yield from my explosion magic, but others’ explosions have been put to the test and most assuredly have NOT been found wanting for yield, concussion and sheer heat generation! I do not have the figures on me, but take heart, dear hearts--I can deliver an explosion which doth MAKE THE PILLARS OF HEAVEN SHAKE!”

The last part was said with a clenched fist over her heart, and a dramatic stand-to attention, as if portraying a knight-errant about to embark upon a glorious quest. Then, Abboud added, quickly, “Anyway, do let my people know if you need any additional shield projectors.”

“It would be a wise precaution to have these shield generators in place to ensure that no civilian is accidentally caught up in the middle of our military operation,” Saveria said bowing to the adjutant that had made the suggestion, “I will note that if need be I could extend the life of this proposed shield to around 5 minutes, although I highly doubt that we’ll need to have the protective bubble up for so long it will mean less reliance on these shields which could potentially be harmed by military actions.”

“I am quite thankful for the assistance that you have provided for this operation, Comrade,” Ji-Min said, struggling to contain her excitement, “...perhaps after this successful operation you could enlighten us about this Megumin and her adventures? I would be quite interested in hearing about how she came to master this explosive magic, and how you came to be such a talented and faithful follower of her guidance.”

Marlene grinned the widest, most excited grin she had ever grinned. The other Dornalians were not usually the most receptive of her ideals, but to hear someone eagerly wish to hear the wisdom of St. Megumin sent Marlene over the metaphorical moon.

With a leap in the air and a “squeeeee!” sound, Marlene coughed and then dipped her head, outstretching her right arm and bending her left arm inward, before she looked up with a gleam and a big, goofy grin at Ji-Min. “Thank you! YES! I would be HONORED to share with you the wisdom and glory of Saint Megumin--The Great Waifu, She Who Walks With Explosions, and The True and Sole Inheritor of Bayhem!”

Coughing and then growing serious for a second, Marlene went, “But of course, after the operation.” Turning to Herman, Marlene shouted, “HERMAN! Call forth Warrant Officer O’Donnell, tell him to prepare ALL the shield projectors POSTHASTE!” Forming a clenched fist and holding it dramatically in the air, as if milking a giant cow, Marlene proclaimed, “THE GAME IS AFOOT!”

Herman nodded, going with a look that was used to this, “Will do, ma’am” before making some calls.

It had taken a great deal of coordination with the Rohanian allies and several conversations with more senior officers in the Territorial Defence Force and the Royal Marines, however, Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min had eventually managed to convince a segment of the defensive network protecting New Snowdale to be weakened, an act which both allowed other sections of the defensive line to be strengthened and would hopefully increase the odds of the creature being guided to said particular area.

In the build-up to the start of the operation the creature had been continuously tracked by units of MalDef Guardians, the drones sending on information tracking the predicted path of the creature and allowing the next phase of the plan to fall into place, namely the presence of a team of combat engineers from the TDF and Royal Marines that promptly got to work buying as much explosive material they could get their hands on from thermobaric self-propelled artillery shells to left-over landmines everything was being utilised to assist the Dornalians in their mission to destroy the creature.

As this was happening, Technical-Corporal Saveria Agresta was focusing on getting her section of ancestral-capable soldiers into action, the Royal Marine had finished her usual preparations to ensure that the soldiers under her command weren’t unduly strained before entering combat and had even gone a bit further giving the an additional supply of the empowerment polenta that her government had commissioned from the Dornalian Republic, as one of the old sayings went an army marched on its stomach and her comrades would certainly need all of their strength for the battle to come.

Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min had otherwise been focused on arranging other aspects of the upcoming battle, as the Dornalians had so kindly offered to supply shield generators for a portion of the operation this made them targets for rather rude teleporting mages and all manner of beasts that had been summoned over the course of the internal conflict, and so defensive trenches and other defensive platforms were quickly formed around these shield generators filled with a platoon of conscripts that had orders to protect them during the upcoming battle.

Meanwhile, Marlene had been preparing to initiate the explosion spell. She had been working for a while, sipping from her ever present supply of Corvid Cream and planning the Dornalian response to the kaiju now threatening New Snowdale. Logistics with the Malgraveans had taken up much of her preparations--Abboud’s people worked overtime getting Marine, Army, and Navy transports to move the required materials into play, including Seabees--what other would call combat engineers--and Marine combat engineers into position to get everything set up for the Great Gamble.

All the while, Marlene was praying and focusing on preparing for the Explosion Spell. The Explosion magic would require not just calories, but also some downtime. She knew that one of the great drawbacks of the spell was that it fatigued the user mightily after use. Hence, her adjutants and her team were preparing appropriately. And given the fact the spell could cause a mighty explosion, it was good that measures were taken to minimize the collateral damage.

Marlene then, sipping her beverage, met with Ji-Min as she struck a heroic pose, going, “How goes the preparations? Our foe approaches, but I am ready as I am sure those under your command are ready.”

Ji-Min lightly bowed towards her Silverdalean counterpart in way of greeting, “I am quietly confident that the preparations are going according to plan, Comrade,” the Junior Colonel said bringing up a holographic display of the locations where the additional explosives were being placed, “I have ordered that specialised thermobaric and enchanted artillery rounds be placed in this provision to grant a little more assistance to your valuable explosive magic and increase the change of this ice creature being turned into a puddle,” Ji-Min then moved the display to showcase the location of the shield reactors, “We are quite thankful of your offer of assistance in the form of these shield reactors, especially as ancestral abilities or the magical arts can be quite detrimental to the health of a Malgravean. It is understood that these will be targeted by the enemy though and for that reason I have ordered that a few squads of conscripts be sent to guard the reactors from harm during the upcoming battle. If all goes well we should create quite a sizeable explosion.”

“Most excellent!” Marlene said with zest. “I shall have my men assist yours as well. There is no reason why your fighters should brave the upcoming maelstrom alone.” Gesturing to Herman, the adjutant nodded and set off to translate his mistress’s whim into action.

“Meanwhile,” Marlene continued, “I have been preparing my explosion magic. I have enlisted assistants as well to aid me, for the spell is quite potent--and it often induces fatigue in its performer.” Pointing to the T-60 suit she was wearing as they spoke, Marlene then added, “But fear not! Whilst I am inside this mechanical monument to magnificence, I shall remain on my feet! Besides, this suit provides an additional advantage as well, for the sigils on the armor shall aid in the summoning of this most egregiously explosive and effluent EXPLOSION SPELL!” Then, as if imitating the Blackfangs themselves--and indeed, she likely was!--Marlene then let out a hearty, “GAHAHAHA!” in a joyful, thunderous tone that Brian Blessed could appreciate.

Marlene of course, left out the part where she hoped to remain steady on her feet after the spell was used, but well, that’s why Herman was there. And those bars. And the polenta. And also the Corvid Cream! And of course, the T-60 suit itself, which was bedecked with all kinds of symbols which were beginning to glow with a faint blueish tint.

Recovering, Marlene then said, “Hopefully, the foul creature goes where we wish it to go. Thus, our efforts would be doubly effective!”

Ji-Min looked over the T-60 suit with approval, the Territorial Defence Force didn’t employ power armour during operations but in recent years they had been made aware of its effectiveness in combat operations and even search and rescue missions and she understood that part of the reason for the recent re-investment in Tesla-based weaponry and defensive platforms had come from a requirement to counter the deployment of power armour.

“It is quite a fearsome piece of engineering, Comrade. We are quite fortunate to count on it for your protection during the upcoming battle,” Ji-Min said only lightly wincing at the sudden increase in volume, such a gesture was quite popular in places like Dyste but not quite common in Malgrave to say the least, “I have worked with the Rohanians to ensure that a segment of the wall is weaker compared to others so I trust that the creature will fall into our trap, after all even a beast will go down the path of least resistance and if it is being controlled by someone else they won’t be able to pass up the chance of an easy victory.”

“Good thinking! No creature so base and vile would ignore an obvious opportunity. And something about its movements so far suggests it neither possesses the cunning needed to escape the trap, nor the wisdom to recognize it is being baited. Though we should expect the unexpected, as always, from the forces of Darkness.”

Marlene was confident and proud as ever, and asked, “Right. Where could that rascal be….”

The rascal in question came ever closer to the denser areas of New Snowdale from the south, and was unavoidable by its sheer colossal size. An advancing glacier beast with the armies of the snowmen presses forth their assault on the city. A flurry of blizzards to the wrath of lightning from the sky, alongside the shards of icicles casted from long distances to batter the defenses. All with the beast’s cracks its jaws open to release another ice beam to blast away structures of the city in about every ten minutes.

Ji-Min muttered something in Malgravean Ancient to herself as she continued to watch the drone footage pour in from the MalDef Guardians, although the footage at this point had declined quite a bit in quality due to the increased distance required to prevent any air frames being shot down from the variety of lightning and icicles being focused on the city of New Snowdale.

Yet even with the declining image quality the Junior Colonel knew that she had reasons to be thankful for the Dornalians as the shield generators previously bought out of storage for back-up assistance in the upcoming combined arms operation could be focused to protect the remaining civilian population from these attacks, although the Malgravean could already see the reports sliding in from an unfortunate company caught up in the middle of a blast while returning fire on a group of monsters with early communications estimating that somewhere between 20 and 30 conscripts were out of action from a mixture of injury, death or the strange ice prison.

“It looks like things are getting quite interesting,” Saveria said with a slight smirk before turning towards her section of 7 magi-capable Royal Marines

“We are going to be containing the combined explosive power of several bundles worth of thermobaric artillery and extremely potent explosive magic here. It will be quite a strain on your ancestral abilities, so for the love of the ancestors if you feel yourself getting dizzy or suffering from a nosebleed stop what you are doing and report to the nearby medical tent. It has specialised healers that are trained with dealing with the early problems associated with ability overuse, however, if you strain yourself too far nothing will be done,” Saveria said repeating the same message that she had told her soldiers quite a few times in the past, the art of ramming the details home until it became second nature, “In part due to the assistance from the Dornalian Republic we have reserve shield generators that should be able to assist, so don’t pretend that by ignoring your nosebleed for a few seconds that you’ll be doing good because you’d be wrong, however, If it does reach an overload point and these shields cannot be accessed as the oldest person here and as your CO I will be taking responsibility for the remainder of the defensive barrier as I am the most likely to take the additional strain without immediately dying.”

In response the Royal Marines saluted and bowed to their Commanding Officer, although a few of the soldiers were rather uncomfortable with the prospect of their Technical-Corporal potentially taking on the entire strain of the defensive barrier orders were orders and they were hopeful that the creature would’ve been eliminated long before that point.

Meanwhile, Marlene could be seen briefing her team, going, with her hands behind her back (which were occasionally moved to emphasize a point), “Gentlemen! Ladies! You are about to engage in the most significant magical action of this war so far. The lives of many depend on the actions you undertake here today. Those with knowledge of Explosion Magic as well as the wherewithal to support those who do know stand alongside their Malgravean sisters in arms, against an abomination which dares to consume all in its path in frosty perdition.”

The commander paused, and shouted, “DENY THEM THIS! GIVE THEM ONLY YOUR CONTEMPT! YOUR RIGHTEOUS FURY! YOUR RESILIENCE UNDER STRAIN! FOR IT WILL NOT BE IN VAIN! TO QUOTE A MAN OF THE PAST, THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE! THIS FAR! AND NO FURTHER!”

The Dornalians began to quake with enthusiasm, going “Yeah!” “Preach, sister!” and “Whoo!”, the fury of Marlene’s speech energizing them for the task ahead. She then continued, going, “I see now, we are all of one mind--one purpose--and one single determined AIM! WE WILL END THIS CREATURE! WE WILL MAKE IT PAY FOR HARMING THOSE UNDER OUR PROTECTION! YOU KNOW YOUR PLACES! FOR THE REPUBLIC! FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT FIGHT! FOR THOSE YET TO BE BORN WHO SHALL BE BORN THUS, BECAUSE OF THE STAND WE MAKE TODAY!”

Marlene turned to the horizon, and pointing her finger dramatically at the horizon, Marlene first sipped some Corvid Cream, and then let out a mighty shout.

“NOW GO DO THAT VOOOOOODOOO…..THAT YOUUUUUU DOOOOOOOO…..SO WELLLLLL!!!!!!!!”

A mighty shout of “URRRAAAAAAAH!” from the fired up Dornalians resulted, as the Dornalians began to prepare for the fight to come, getting into their proper positions.

Marlene herself turned to the horizon, and downing her Corvid Cream and tossing the bottle into an appropriate receptacle, she clapped her hands together, a hungry grin upon her face.

As the Glacier Kaiju approached, the very ground itself began to quake. Entire ice stabs began to morph and twist into pillars of spikes, and the ice men cometh. Figures as shape as perhaps the the most despised imagination to their force within the blizzards. The worst part was the squad of ice beings that advanced with the Kaiju materialized from icy crystals to reveal their ice-like heavy power armor made of mysterious magitek components, and carried ice-projector beam cannons.

They have evolved!

As Kaiju marched forward and stomped numerous buildings, the icemen charged forward to cast as many ice spells from rays, illusions, and powerful ice magic at the front! The worst came from the new appearance of the power armored fiends that began to blast their sub-zero ice cannons at the Dornalians!

Ji-Min was slightly surprised at the evolution of the kaiju threat and the surrounding monsters, however, the Junior Colonel couldn’t help but be reminded of a quote that she had heard earlier from an officer that had served during the height of the civil war, the notion that a plan that assumed that the enemy wouldn’t do anything to try and counter your agenda wasn’t really a coherent strategy at all but a daydream.

In response to this development, the Junior Colonel moved to enact her own counter to these developments, as the MalDef Mouse self-propelled artillery units previously deemed ineffective against the large monster could now be used to great effect against the smaller ice monsters attacking New Snowdale, with the specialised thermobaric rounds being guided in via the MalDef Guardian drones flying nearby.

In addition to this the stationary defences positioned early by the Malgraveans also came into effect, as the emplaced landmines would start to be detonated by unfortunate monsters and the stationary tesla coil networks would start to unleash waves of powerful electricity towards the foes wearing the power armour, all while the hardworking conscripts of the TDF continued to open fire with smaller mortars and small arms.

Of course, not everything the Malgraveans were doing could avoid the reality that warfare was a deadly affair and the Junior Colonel continued to receive tricking reports of soldiers being injured and killed in action, with early estimates putting the losses somewhere between one and two company’s worth of soldiers.

The Dornalians meanwhile, sprung forth into action. Though small in number, Task Force 20, like many Dornalians, had enough ferocity and firepower to punch above their weight. It helped also that the Allies had air assets to lend a hand in fighting back any enemies that got too close. But, first things first. TF20’s personnel were trained for more aggressive direct action, but Marlene’s orders were clear--hold the line to protect the ritual and the civilians at all costs.

Luckily for all involved--well, maybe not for the Ice Soldiers--aggression could be defensive as well as aggressive. And even with TF20 Operators being painfully frozen into popsicles--casualties were beginning to mount, the Dornalians merely rallied and began to fight back.

The Ice Soldiers would be met with a variety of defenses and weapons. Although other weapons such as shotguns and explosives (mines, grenades and all) would be deployed to shred apart the Ice Soldiers, the most prominent aspect of the Dornalian defense would be the spectacular light show coming from their lines. Namely, the darkening sky would glow with dazzling energy fire that cracked and zinged its way into the enemy ranks with great rapidity and diligent aim. Not only would the blaster fire come from the M3A1 blasters the operators had, but also from their larger M5 Repeating Blasters both manually operated and also set up on sentry emplacements crafted by the Seabees.

One man dressed in T-60 armor could even be seen responding to a particularly tenacious group of Ice Soldiers in a typically DOrnalian fashion. Rushing to the front holding, using a chainsaw grip, a particularly large energy-based monstrosity. Placing it on a snowbank as a rest, he shouted, “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

A group of Dornalians parted ways, one with a ”CHINGADA!” as the weapon fired forward in a bright ball of green light after a loud REEEEEEEEEEEEEE sound and a CRACK. Hurtling into the enemy lines like a finger of divine vengeance, the frenetic ball of plasma-ball lightning crackled and sent waves of heated lightning at the Ice Soldiers, hitting them with plasma, electricity, fire, and a whole lot of destructive madness. Of course, it would also cause direct damage at the enemy who made contact with the ball too.

In the meantime, the snowbank upon which the BFG was emplaced was much diminished from before the initial firing, and steam could be seen rising from vents on the gun.

Of course, the Ice Soldiers wouldn’t stop, and the operator of the BFG said, “I hope the Colonel gets this shit done.”

Of course, the Colonel would. Abboud could be seen eyeing down the Kaiju as it approached in the distance. Radioing Ji-Min, she said, “The beast is in our sights. On my command, trigger the trap.”

After a few moments and getting line of sight, Marlene doffed her helmet, revealing her hair which was now arranged in long, flowing black locks, downed another bottle of Corvid Cream, stretched out her hand, and said, “Let it come down, Ji-Min! LET IT COME DOWN!” While the Malgraveans did their thing, Abboud would begin doing her part…..

Pointing at the creature--as if imitating her father’s taunt/morale boosting tic for when he was going to hit a homer--she then made a clenched right fist with her hand, and began to speak dramatically, and quietly….at first.

”Oh Gods and Goddesses, hear my call! I beseech you each and every one, for your righteous fury to be brought upon this field!”

As she began to speak, Abboud’s armor began to glow a bit more brightly. Marlene began to raise her clenched hand higher, along with her tone of voice. At the same time, as if from out of nowhere, dramatic music would begin to play.

”Bring thou your powers upon this field, and bring divine, infallible justice across the boundary upon this ABOMINATION which now infests your sight and threatens to bring forth desolation UPON ALL THAT WHICH IS GOOD!”

The suit would begin to glow even brighter. Marlene’s tone became more frenzied and impassioned. Those around her noted that she now pointed accusingly at the Kaiju, as her speech grew furious and her volume grew even louder.

”LET THIS BE A FURY UNCHAINED! LET THIS RIGHTEOUS ARDOR SWEEP ASIDE ALL THOSE UNHALLOWED BEASTS WHO WOULD BRING THEIR MALEVOLENCE UPON US! LET THIS HORROR KNOW THAT IT FACES ITS BETTERS! ITS MORAL BETTERS! ITS TACTICAL BETTERS! ITS STRATEGIC BETTERS! ITS BETTERS IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM!

Marlene now grew even brighter, and now it shone like a sun upon the desolate night. The music swelled with a grandiose tone. A sudden breeze began to flow as a strange void began to open in the sky, sweeping aside the snowstorms and the clouds for a moment as a bluish light seemed to come down from the heavens to her position, and dramatically whipped her hair around. She also struck a more dramatic pose, one which seemed to challenge the very existence of the creature with her body. All the while, the T-60’s management systems began to beep and glow ominously, giving out messages such as “Vital Signs Erratic” and “Temperature Levels Critical.”

Marlene, now swept up in her frenzy, neither complied with the signals, nor cared for their existence as she continued to shout.

”AND LET THIS HORROR KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT IT TRIES, NO MATTER WHAT VAIN, MALICIOUS INTENTS IT MAY ATTEMPT TO PROSECUTE, IT FALTERS AGAINST US! FOR JUST AS ONE CANNOT STOP THE TIDES, THIS HORROR CANNOT STOP THOSE WHO ARE JUST!”

The action now reached a crescendo, with the suit giving off all kinds of audible klaxons and warning signs as Marlene’s eyes began to glow with unearthly energy. Those around her could see that she was bathed in a blue light, with a blue halo and a blue aura around her which crackled with energy. Amazingly, surrounding electronics were still working, but that wasn’t the concern of the DOrnalians. The concern was for their leader, who, after a dramatic pause raised her hands in the air, with blue discs out in front of them upon which strange symbols appeared which now began to crackle and spin.

After what appeared to be eye contact with the horror, Marlene let out one final, triumphant shout.

”EXPLOOOOOOSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Abboud promptly, in the direction of the beast, executed a motion which appeared to send her head into the bent crook of her left arm, which was now extended upwards along with the right. The energies flowing within her shot back up into the heavens..

...and then proceeded to land directly on top of the Kaiju with a beam of blue light.

What happened next was visible from as far as Penguin City, and if any friendlies were in orbit, they would be able to see a massive explosion near New Snowdale. The Dornalians certainly were able to.

It was just as well that defensive barriers utilised by the magi-capable Malgraveans went on as fast as possible to contain this event and the inevitable aftereffects of an explosion, which was good.

Because then, when several pulses and the beam came swiftly down, a massive explosion rocked the zone where the kaiju was. What sounded like several huge, almost comically exaggerated thunderclaps emerged from the blast zone, along with a massive series of blasts which initially coalesced into a large cloud mixing dust and snow. Joined by whatever explosion magic the Malgraveans would perform and the ordinance laid in the region, the kaiju would then be enveloped in a massive pillar of fire which seemed to reach into the sky, dispelling the cloud and lighting up the dim evening with a second sun.

Although the concussion wave of the blast would be helpfully contained by the additional technological shields, the event’s seismic consequences would be felt as a minor rumble emerged outwards from the blast zone. All the while, Navy Seabees and other Allied teams in the area manning the shields were pulling out all the stops, ensuring that the shields didn’t fail, which would obviously cause the explosion to harm those it was not meant to harm. Still, their systems would be blasting alert signals as well and warning klaxons, in an attempt to warn the operators about the fact that while the shields were holding, they were taking on a lot of force.

All the while, Abboud stood firm, though now mainly because the suit had locked itself into place. Which was good, because she had never felt more drained in her entire life. It was as if she needed a nap--but she also needed an entire buffet’s worth of General Tso’s chicken as well. The medical monitors on her suit were beeping wildly, complaining about everything from heart rhythms to blood sugar and other such vitals. The medics and Navy Corpsmen began moving Abboud away, with Herman’s remote controls able to make the suit move to a safer spot.

All the while, she radioed Ji-Min weakly, “How goes the war?”

As the pillar of fire struck the kaiju, a cry of thousands of icy beings bellowed across the field as destruction awaited them. The great glaciers shattered apart from the outer edges, and the rest disintegrated from the epicenter of the explosion. The flash of the almighty explosion consumed all of the ice monsters closed by, as nothing left stand. Those that survived became AFRAID of the mighty power that their foes possessed.

The commander being, which can be best described as SnowSchwarzeneggers from that terrible movie, screamed out. “Argh! My ice won’t be melted today! Retreat!”

The lightning storm and blizzards began to vanish, and so too did the remains of the Icy Hordes who began to make their retreat.

A monumental cheer erupted across the defensive frontier as it became clear that the forces previously hellbent on destroying New Snowdale had been so awed by the power of the combined Dornalian-Malgravean offensive operation that they were now retreating, a flurry of excited communications being exchanged between various conscripts of the Territorial Defence Force as operators of MalDef Guardian drones continued to guide long-range artillery strikes into the backs of the retreating creatures, the blows ensuring that their withdrawal from the field of battle would continue to be a costly one and hopefully deter offensive operations for a while longer so that the evacuation could be continued under more peaceful circumstances.

Saveria Agresta could be seen leaning up against one of the sandbag installations that had just a few moments ago served as vital cover for parts of the shield generators, the Technical-Corporal wiping away the remnants of a heavy nosebleed and wincing in pain as the impact of using such advanced ancestral abilities had started to kick in, with a few of her colleagues receiving more advanced treatment in the assigned medical tent just a few minutes into the city itself.

“It looks like we put some fear into them, Marlene,” Saveria said with a tired chuckle, the Royal Marine was quite proud of the women under her command for being able to put up a strong enough defensive barrier to contain Marlene’s powerful magic, although she understood that folks that she didn’t really want to think about would soon be analysing the ancestral abilities used by the eccentric Dornalian to try and add it to their own arsenal and develop counters to fight against those using it, “I just wish that it didn’t come with the worst hangover that I have had since graduation.”

“You certainly made them regret the day they ever decided to attack the people of New Snowdale, Comrades,” Ji-Min said over the radio, the joy and pride in her voice quite evident, “We are just trying to mop up the retreating monsters now, and we might be able to send a brief offensive skirmish later to double down on the fear factor, however, that is no concern for either of you since you’ve both earned a rest from that display and while I can’t order you around Colonel I believe that your counterparts will say the same thing.”

Marlene weakly replied to the two, “Indeed, brave sisters. We….fought well this day…...now, I must rest.” She flashed a proud smile at Saveria, declaring, “Convey my thanks….to your comrades...they have walked the path of Explosions, and are worthy heroines for the ages.”

Eventually, Marlene seemed to close her eyes and fall asleep, and Herman was ensuring Marlene’s suit took her back to a field hospital. There, her suit was opened and she staggered out, barely getting onto a cot with some help from the medics. Before long, a bottle of Corvid Cream, plus what appeared to be a bowl of Comrade Angelini’s Empowered Polenta was produced, and the Colonel began to eat and drink.

As this occurred, the men and women of Task Force 20 began to cheer alongside their Malgravean colleagues. Handshakes and bows were exchanged, and also the odd hug. Hardened professionals that they were, TF20’s operators were sapients with their own emotions and physical needs, and right now, they were both glad to see the enemy go--if vigilant--and also in need of rest and food.

So, the field kitchen began bringing up a supply of hot meals for everyone involved, as a sort of muted celebratory dinner. There was a war on, and indeed, members of TF20 continued to maintain their vigil as the Icy Horde fled from the scene. It was a simple dish--Fettuccine Alfredo, made in the traditional method without cream but rather with the simple emulsion of starchy pasta water, cheese, and also lots of butter--served with the usual fruit juice and some other simple sides, but it was food that everyone could agree upon.

Marlene herself had a plate, and pronounced it good.

[Legokiller]

As winter rages onward across the Fairy Alliance and Silverdale, the Dark Snakes, the orchestrators to build a new world in their image, fell. One for the name of Garyx. Another for herself and liberation of a dark deity. The last mad scheme for a Greater Fairy Alliance. All, alongside their associates, crumbled into dust. Those associated in its cabal seemed to either hunted down or cut ties to fade into the darkness.

A glimmer of hope as the moon and the auroras shine in the dark nights of the blizzards. The eye of the storm hovers the war-torn lands...

Penguin City

The Destroyah marched forward and stomped its way into the trench battlegroup. Its mega stomp feet caused the ground to quake and a fissure to break apart the nearest strongpoint. A tank stationed became its chew toy and split apart from its teeth. Even the mightiest of blows slowly regenerate!

All until the firebombs began to rain. The herald screamed from the first payload and unleashed an icy beam to interrupt the bombers and firebombs in midair! A futile attempt as it panicked and tried to escape, but the firestorm consumed all! A massive shriek came forth as its body began to melt like snow, and more and more came! An enormous thud of the beast collapsed and then turned into ash.

As the lights dimmed away, only a bare carcass of the beast lay. It was the same fate for the undead menace as it crumbled away from the sudden loss of magic and the coalition's superior firepower.

The hordes began to withdraw as the flames warded them all. As the continuation of a push back from the coalition, the dornish forces watched as their damage to the weakened undead began to suddenly crumble. As the creature's bodies lose the magical binding tied to Thanatos, no further damage can be done from liveness beings. Thus the northern sector was secured from any future incursions of the undead menace.

---

As winter's wrath diminished at this small moment in time, millions of the state's inhabitants and folks formed the territories and beyond in a mass exodus out of the South Pole section of Silverdale. To avoid the horrors and tragedies in the past quickly, it was impressed by the media and Marshal Gwnyie. As the ocean routes in the channel between Windrun and Icy Coast were open, the largest operation was performed in the nation's history alongside air routes. Yet as great cities were emptied from its civilian population, a unique challenge emerged.

The safe harbor settlements in Silverdalean began to be overburdened by the influx of refugees. The quota for the Malgravean refugee resettlement of six million far succeeded it.

Winter Palace, Silverdale

President Miranda Songbird returned from her tour in numerous cities to boost the people's morale, and recently the showcase of Mobile Exo-Force of the Silverdalean Army or MESA for short. A display of Silverdale's Regiments with power armor and mecha units that she piloted one to go out into the battlefield. The TV played the footage with the highlighted message of 'we'll continue forward, and with a new upgrade, we will win!' All will help the unique flip around one cute pink one, and a fancy humanoid mecha unit!

In the Strategery Room of the Robin, the Silverdalean leaders gathered. The generals, the general staff, cabinet members, advisors, and others came to speak of the next step to win the war. That not present in person said from the tv screen and other means of communication, from tech to magical means.

"I can confirm that the frontline in the Icy Coast, albeit with difficulty in the harsh winter and monster attacks, endured long enough for the greatest evacuation in Silverdale's history." Gwynie said from the second monitor. "This way, we avoid similar tragedies to repeat themselves like the fate of Noelledale and Snowdale." The tragedies of the two cities occurred in the Civil War's divided conflict as all the great works and crisis made them unprepared, and in the matter of a short time, both cities transformed into an icy tomb. Only Penguin City survived the onslaught, while many towns suffered similar fates to ruination.

The Emperor Penguin General, General Kaiser of the 3rd Arctic Division, then spoke up. “We saved many lives, but the majority of my home state is overrun by monsters. Suppose we follow this phase of our next strategic development. In that case, we face abandonment to regroup in the mainland or hold out in the major cities. I’ll say this once again, we cannot allow ourselves to abandon New Snowdale and Penguin City. It’ll be seen as a major blow in morale, despite one strategic success, and our people will be seen as beggars to spread out in foreign lands. I may remind you all that not all will be as generous as Malgrave, as our people who took refuge in Altea suffered a poor fate and were confined into ghettos.”

Miranda gave a solemn nod. “That is something we must avoid as well. Outside of Malgrave, the Dragon Sea Alliance and perhaps the IUEF can help with our efforts to manage refuge centers for the rest of the states at home, not overwhelmed.”

“True Maiden President.” Empress Snowbreeze, the new Secretary of State and a humanoid emperor penguin, spoke up. She’s considered the ‘not silly gamer’ to some. To others, the rep of the spirit of Silverdale’s democracy and spread of the nation’s interest. “Rintyar and Rohane Alista are the most viable candidates for our proposal for a quota. However, I fear that Rintyar may not provide adequate living standards to our people, given the state of their leadership. This is very concerning as our people are not adapted to the tropics and heat in the surface world. If many lived in tents, we might expect diseases from the jungles to spread fast. All the more reason I am not keen on their media circus to slander our people if it comes to it.”

“This is why we must strike at Garyx sooner than later!” General Cassie Loveheart, the pinky Equloine human, spoke out. “I say we discovered her lair and deployed a nuclear strike to end her once again. I know if General Arthurus was present, she’d agree with such a plan.”

“It’d be unwise to do so.” Oliver Songbird spoke up. “Our fortune will be slim as Garyx may have adapted to survive unscaled from the nuclear strike that destroyed her. The one that performed the final blow was Big Waddle, an atomic bomb.”

“Silverdale did create larger megaton weapons, alongside our allies possessing far grander WMD.” Miranda spoke up. “That’s a mere coin flip. Ahem, Nico, you have an idea we should attempt, yes?”

Secretary of magic, Nico muttered as she straightened up. "W-Why, of course, maiden president. Beyond the Elements of Harmony, there are a few solutions. Garyx's power will deplete if harmony is restored and spring approaches. This is… long, and we may wish to speed things up. So, there is the ritual to call upon the goddesses to strengthen Garyx's imprisonment's seals upon the quest with my sister Lux to follow such agreements. Of course, we can send a team to either do the seal of binding itself or fight her in such a tomb… It's dangerous, which is why we need to use the Light of the Aurora to draw the fifth harmony upon the land and healing."

The Light of the Aurora? Hold on, won't that staff just kill anyone unworthy? I mean, it absorbs the life out, folks!" Miranda said.

"Yes, but if I'm not mistaken, there are a few suitable candidates I know who can use the staff. Like the legendary emberkin like Queen Mythra of Alista or Lady Pyra." Nico said. "Trust me, those two still exist. There is also Stephanie Sunheart, the Herald of Oracle, but she's hard to reach. We can request for others, but those are the ones who were known to use the staff or can potentially use it."

"Queen Mythra? Well, I did see someone just like her not too long ago… So it can't be hard to find." Miranda Songbird noted. Then again, Mythra might still be dead! "But do we really need that item? I mean, Captain Anterson said there is always another way."

"Indeed…" Nico said. "If we consult the others, we may find another method."

Fairy Alliance

The urban brawl within the tree city of Emberfell came to an end as the Presidential Forces pushed out the Council Forces out of the city. In truth, the pressure from the Silverdalean and Dornish forces that arrived on the theatre forced the withdrawal. All alongside the Council's disorder as Chancellor Emerald, once one of the greatest of them, were captured and exposed as a ringleader of a corrupted industry and kidnapper of foreign leaders.

In fear of being an illegitimate government, the Council controlled lands of the island and forced a massive propaganda campaign. Not only to slander President Venus as a tyrant for the bloodthirsty and unthinking mobs, but also as the foreign 'peacekeeping force' as a disguise for an invasion! An act to conquer and oppress them with a corrupted government that carries more for money and evokes the rule of law.

Only the gullible will be such a lie for the masses of the fairies—just another reason to fight on.

Dragon Fight

The fight began to turn in Chesie favor as the snowman who tried to hold onto the dragon was unable. With the quick barrel roll, the man fell down into the whiteout abyss! The dragon roared as it let out one last icy breath of devastation as the two crashed into the mountainside of the South Pole. The dragon became a massive icy splat upon the rock and ice upon contact! Alongside the rockslide and ice that smashed any remains of the beast. The last thing the creature could ever hear was the strange and ghastly music from the Donrie's mecha!

[Legokiller]

OOC: Collab with Mal

Nina and the rest of the Silverdaleans would be able to get a good look of the city of Cerne itself from the outskirts of the international airport, a series of high-rise commercial buildings taking prime focus in the centre of the complex as an outer-ring of dense residential complexes seemed to dot the rest of the city interspaced occasionally with room for important public buildings such as hospitals, school's and parks which were used to promote exercise and healthy living as part of the fight against MIDD.

A major difference between life in Silverdale and the Research Colony would be the rather noticeable lack of suburbs, the Malgraveans considered low-density housing arrangements to be inefficient, costly and harmful to the broad principle of social solidarity which promoted a spirit of togetherness in the community, so a majority of the population in the Research Colony lived in large high to medium-rise apartment complexes which could be seen from the international airport.

In addition to the city itself the Silverdaleans would be able to see the coastline, as Cerne backed off onto the Gulf that separated the landmass of the Research Colony with the Kouralian mainland, with shipping seen passing between the active trade links that had been forged between Kouralia and Malgrave in the past twenty years, a new addition being the progression of the high-speed rail lines that now progressed towards the coast and continued travelling in specialised tunnels to Kouralia with separate tracks for passenger rail and freight rail as per Malgravean transit regulations.

“I suppose the housing arrangements typical in Malgrave might also be different to that in Silverdale?” Ji-Eun mused as the bus started to travel on the autoway proper, “I understand that quite a few people in Mystria tend to live in individual housing arrangements, however, in Malgravean society we tend to live in large apartment complexes with a few additions like Pioneer and FDY centres ”

“Oooh! So it's like going to be like our old apartment with cool music bands!” Nevada jumped up. “I hope we get the Techno-Penguin Union band again.”

“Ne-vada!” Snowy, the equal in height of Nevada, and a pigtailish blue haired girl, jumped up in annoyance. “The Techno-Penguin Union band was so annoying! I even have to scream at them to shut it down.”

“Seriously?” Lillie sighed. “If you two keep up like this, one of you will have to sleep on the couch.”

Nina nodded along as she looked at Ji-Eeun. “Ahem, we used to live in an apartment complex community as our individual home was being built in the Icy Coast. Isn’t that right jack?”

“Oh yes. I remember it. It wasn’t as grand than the other one nearby, but it was a lot cheaper in rent.” Jack said. “Even if a little small.”

“Hm, surely our apartment unit will fit our family’s needs. Of course, I am curious about the apartment policies and rules that we’d have to be aware of.” Nina said.

Ji-Eun paused as she contemplated the information, the notion of an individual housing unit was still quite rare in Malgrave and was either a sign that the owner was foreigner or someone with rather high status in the country such as a Paragon but the Malgravean understood that the Malgraveans were rather unique in this regard and that the Silverdaleans had more widespread individual home ownership.
“I understand that these apartments are quite adept at containing noise from private conversations and music but if you have such an issue in the future you should address the apartments Social Solidarity Officer,” Ji-Eun said addressing the first issue around this Penguin Techno Union.

“I don’t think that Malgrave has any rules and regulations in regards to staying in an apartment that will be different from Silverdale, the information on recycling products should be visible on every floor alongside the chute for sorting and the more specialised vacuum tube for food waste collection,” Ji-Eun explained, “In each apartment a resident is elected to serve as Social Solidarity Officer and a proportion of residents are elected to serve on the Social Solidarity Council, these officials help coordinate with the offices of the Gabriel Narutowicz Pioneers, the Free Democratic Youth and the Ancestral Study Group, coordinate with other apartment complexes during important occasions such as Ancestor Day and address complaints raised by residents. If you have any specific issues I will be glad to address them though.”

“An elected Solidarity Officer?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t an issue per say, but I am curious if there are more requirements to be elected in such an office.”

“I am of the understanding that the nearest equivalent position would be an Apartment Manager?” Ji-Eun said, remembering something from a Dornalian TV series she watched that had a kobold manager, “It is just a requirement to be a resident of that specific apartment complex and to gain the popular support of the residents.”

“Oh, I see.” Nina gave a curious nod. “Now, are other refugees like ourselves joining up in this apartment?”

“You are quite correct, Comrade,” Ji-Eun said trying to remember how she had been advised to phrase the next sentence by one of her superiors, “It is due to the prudent long-term planning of local engineers that the number of apartments available in the colony is far higher compared to the number of migrants and natives so I suspect that the number of Silverdalean refugees in this apartment block will outnumber those, and from the locals it will be a mixture of those with Kouralian and Breheimian heritage.”

Nina gave a curious look. “Oh, Kouralians and Beheimian folk? We haven’t met those human people before. Outside of the latter being more hardy up in the north pole. I shall do my best to greet them as our new neighbors. I just hope they won’t feel overwhelmed by the influx of newcomers from another part of the globe. Change can be frightening, but I’m not afraid of it.”

“Kouralia and Breheim isn’t comprised solely of humans, Comrade, although I suspect that some minor culture shock might happen as the Breheimians have a different culture compared to that of the Silverdaleans,” Ji-Eun said referencing the fact that the Breheimians tended to be more prudish compared to the typical Silverdalean, “It will be quite an experience to settle here in Malgrave but I understand that the Ministry of Social Solidarity has increased their presence here in the Research Colony to assist refugees such as yourself.”

As Ji-Eun spoke the Silverdaleans would be able to see the apartment complex that they’ll be staying in for the indeterminate future, a wavy structure around 1 kilometre in length and around a 12 storeys high complete with facilities for childcare, medical affairs, security operations and the earlier mentioned volunteer organisations like the ASG, a wide public park falling opposite the apartment complex providing a place for children to play and other apartment residents to exercise, although beyond the trees the Silverdaleans would be able to spot the pattern repeating until it approached the more dense areas of the centre of Cerne where more high-rise apartment complexes replaced what the Malgraveans considered to be low-density housing arrangements.

In a few moments the bus had successfully parked in an appropriate location, and Officer Cadet Sabina Campo could be seen working with other Silverdalean families and their TDF guides accessing their luggage before they trundled off to their apartment building.

“You are quite fortunate to be located in these low-density arrangements, Comrades. It means that you get access to these new public parks.” Ji-Eun said preparing to help the Silverdalean children leave the bus, although considering that she was only 20 years old she suspected that she had spent less time on the earth compared with the Silverdaleans

“It’s a short walk from the apartment, I see.” Jack nodded. “Well, that’s a plus. Although I feel that it’ll be quite a long jog just to explore this rather.. Well planned and organized city.”

Nina closed her eyes as she began to focus her natural worlds to feel the surrounding landscape, and the trees. “Hm, true… Although the forest is converted into a mere garden that lost its once splendor. Of course, the local squirrels seemed to be a-okay and the pruners removed the sickly plants.... Or so it may seem.” Nina blushed a little as she looked at Ji-Eun. Pardon me, but I’ll investigate the park once everything is arange. Alongside… Well the playgrounds.” She knew that Nevada would have a keen eye on it!

Ji-Eun’s right eyebrow raised slightly at the comments from the Silverdalean, the conscript understood that the Silverdaleans were connected to nature but seeing it in action was something else entirely, “It is central government policy to retain a certain percentage of local foliage when constructing new apartment complexes, and as that can be combined with public health guidelines and national defence regulations on exercise that means that these public parks are quite an effective use of space. I suppose they can be called the Malgravean version of these suburbs?”

As Ji-Eun spoke the line out of the bus continued to move in an orderly fashion, and eventually the Silverdaleans were united with Officer Cadet Sabina Campo, the young conscript once again bucking national stereotypes as the strong Malgravean lifted the suitcases out of the bus with ease.

“In a lower story building, it can be considered as a suburb, yes. Of course, what people from my home would consider a suburban home is a single building with its own little bit of land to express their own unique identity. Alongside a row of buildings, depending on the community of course.” Nina then smiled. “Our home was a well built and designed one in the south pole, with both ice and metal. Not to mention a little pool to swim, and a canal that goes to the sea.”

“It is quite hard to imagine such a large grouping of individual housing units, quite an inefficient usage of land at least by Malgravean standards,” Ji-Eun said with a shrug as she guided the Silverdaleans towards the far-right hand of the apartment complex, a tower which stretched outside of the apartments to connect the elevators with the various floors of the building while also serving as a utility building for the maintenance staff, “I suppose that the living arrangement here will be quite different to that of home but I do understand that the nearby community centre has a decent swimming pool and it is only around 10 minutes travel time on the shuttle bus that buzzes between this residential sector and the first of the cultural centres.”

“Ten minutes?” Snowy whined. “For a decent swimming pool? Is there at least a waterslide there?”

“I understand that they are constructed to a common template so they should have varying sized pools for different age-groups alongside a more traditional public bath and spa treatment for additional health benefits,” Ji-Eun said rather confused by the last term, “...a slide of water?” the elf said briefly tapping her ear for a few moments, “...oh scivolo d'acqua?” the conscript said briefly switching to Malgravean Ancient before switching to common, “I can’t really say if they’ll have a slide but my local one in Aurora does so I imagine that it could have one.”

“Lame!” Snowy shouted.

“Ahem!” Nina gave a light pat on Snowy’s head as she stepped up. “Pardon my daughter Lt Ji-Eun. She can be rather abrasive. Now, we’ll check on the cultural centre and make our own little discovery in due time.”

“By the way, for this Cultural Centre, does it have a gym by any chance?” Jack asked.

“I don’t think the community centre will have gym facilities, Comrade but you should be able to find a variety of privately-owned gyms that should have free membership schemes that you can apply with through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Solidarity,” Ji-Eun explained to the Silverdalean, “I think the most popular chain is a Dornalian brand but I can’t quite remember the name of it at the moment.”

“A public owned gym? Well, I suppose I’ll look into it.” Jack said.
“Now Ji-Eun, shall we take a tour into our apartment unit?” Nina asked.

Ji-Eun nodded guiding the Silverdaleans into the elevator which rose gently to the floor that had been assigned to the refugee family, the conscript pulling out a physical key and using it to unlock the door before passing it to Nina.

“You might be surprised that we still have physical keys in Malgrave but it is really the most efficient system since electronic locks can break and are subject to power failures and other such issues,” Ji-Eun explained as she opened the door.

In typical Malgravean fashion the doorway opened to a small box shaped hallway which served as a point for people to take off their shoes and coats and store them in specialised containers which the Sub-Lieutenant proceeded to do.

After waiting for the Silverdaleans, Ji-Eun opened the door into the apartment proper, with the apartment following the standard arrangement of an open living room arrangement complete with a sofa and a couple of love chairs situated near an open fireplace with a tv and entertainment system, with the kitchen located in the upper left-hand corner only separated by counter-tops which served as a small bar area to give people an additional area to eat breakfast.

“I am not exactly familiar with architectural terms or interior design but in here you should be relax in here, the furniture and electronics have all been provided courtesy of MalMart and MalTec as part of the resettlement programme so you needn’t worry about that,” Ji-Eun said allowing the Silverdaleans to get settled before indicating to a small hallway beyond the kitchen and the living room, the conscript signalling to the first door on the right, a bathroom with a toilet, shower, wash basin, bidet, cupboards and a small heated towel rack.

“You have a small bathroom here, quite a simple affair but it contains the essentials for your hygiene needs,”

Ji-Eun then moved to the second room, a small box bedroom with in-built wardrobes alongside a couple of beds, two desks and a small tv and entertainment system.

“It is a rather standard sized bedroom in Malgravean culture, quite comfortable to rest in although we typically spend a majority of our time with the local Pioneers, Free Democratic Youth or the ASG.”

Ji-Eun then moved slightly to open another room that essentially copied the last room, although it only had one bed and desk compared to the last one, and was designed for a slightly more mature child.

“I believe that this room is designed for assisting studying, the desk chair should be designed for maximum lumbar support and the internet connection in this room might be a tad stronger to help students research material online.”

Ji-Eun then moved to the room opposite, a far larger room that contained a double bed complete with bedside tables for lamps, a more complex in-built wardrobe complete with a lighted mirror to assist both Silverdaleans in picking the best outfit and a rather advanced entertainment system.

“I hope that this is a suitable arrangement for yourselves to live in over the next few months and possible years,” Ji-Eun said, the conscript moving over to another door at the far side of the room opening it to reveal an en-suite bathroom complete with a bath in addition to the facilities in the last bathroom

“In Malgrave we also understand that children can take a considerable time in the bathroom, and I believe studies have shown the relaxing powers of a bath, now if you have any questions about the apartment I will do my best to answer them.”

“Ooooh!” Nevada snickered as he predictly claimed his spot in the smaller room for the twins, and pulled out an Maltec video game, Battle of Pakosc: Heroes of Yesterday, from the magic backpack. “Thank goodness there are so many of the same consoles here! This is going to be great.”

“It seems I’ll have my own private room again. Oh thank goodness…” Lillie sighed in relief. “Pardon me, but I need to unpack.”

“Well, I do have an important question.” Nina said. “Are there any policies regarding pets and animals here?”

“You have a pet?” Ji-Eun asked curiously, “If you have a small cat or a pet bird I believe that will be quite acceptable providing that you’ve got the appropriate facilities for it, and of course you contact the local vet to get it scheduled up for regular checks.”

“We used to have a pet.” Jack interjected. “Our poor husky… Well Husk, got separated when we escaped and sadly we lost him to a monster.”

Ji-Eun bowed to Jack, “..oh I am sorry to hear that your Husky was lost during the evacuation, my condolences. If you get a new pet though I believe that the apartment has a small facility that can handle small check-ups and the city proper has facilities for any larger operations that need to be performed,” the Malgravean said before adding, “You should also be aware that MalMart did supply some essential items for the household including long-term food items, however, if you wish something specific I do recommend attempting to meet with one of the local residents here and travelling to the local MalMart. I believe that the residents have volunteered to help Silverdaleans get used to the new environment and it would start ties with the community.”

“Oh that’ll be lovely.” Nina nodded. “Pardon me Jack, but could you handle the unpacking while I meet with our new neighbours?”

“Why sure.” Jack said. “Once I’m all done, I’ll text you on some ideas to explore the city.”

“In that case I believe it would be prudent to visit the nearby ASG facility as that serves as a meeting ground for residents,” Ji-Eun said indicating for Nina to follow her, the Malgravean elf putting her shoes back on and leading them once more to the elevator, although instead of travelling to the ground floor they went down to one underground.

Ji-Eun stepped off into a large open assembly type hall outfitted with one side of the room outfitted with rows of comfortable looking chairs akin to a theatre or cinema experience complete with a stage at the end of a room that looked like it could be converted to a cinema if the need arose, while the other half of the room was filled with tables and bench type chairs for eating and in the top-right hand of the room the Silverdalean would be able to see an open-segment of the wall that allowed her to see into a galley kitchen which was currently filled with around a dozen Malgraveans all working in various parts of the kitchen.

“You are in one of the most important rooms of the apartment, Comrade Nina, a minor outpost of the ASG. It isn’t as complex as a proper centre as it lacks proper facilities to research ones connection with the ancestors but it serves as a meeting spot for the local residents association and it hosts collective meals which take place during important holidays such as Ancestor Day, and it is where the Pioneers and Free Democratic Youth showcase performances on stage for the entertainment of us all.”

As Ji-Eun explained the function of the room to the Silverdalean, a small neko approached the duo prepared to pounce on them before she was scooped up in mid-air by another neko.

“...Luna Caivano, what have I told you about trying to pounce on people?” the neko said in a typical motherly voice.

“I was being a tiger!” Luna said with a pout

“Oh? I was going to prepare some ice cream for tonight but as pouncing tigers can’t eat ice cream I guess I will have to put it away,” the older neko said, returning her attention to Ji-Eun and the Silverdalean and introducing herself with a bow.

“Claudia Caivano, apologies for the interruption, Sub-Lieutenant. It is just that Luna has been a little on edge since we’ve decided to move to the Research Colony until it becomes a bit safer in the mainland.”
“It isn’t a problem at all, Comrade,” Ji-Eun said returning the bow in kind, “I was just showcasing the benefits of this community centre here.”

Claudia and Ji-Eun’s conversation seemed to attract the attention of another Malgravean, a young human woman with short black hair and striking purple eyes.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you are serving as some manner of guide. I take it that the person travelling with you is one of our new Silverdalean residents?” the woman said, bowing to everyone in way of introduction, “I am Sara Agresta, a member of the Social Solidarity Council here. I hope that you’ve received a fine welcome so far.”

Nina gave a small little deviant eye when Luna Caivano pretended to become a tiger. All before she returned to her normal act as a motherly dragon elf. “I am Nina Snowclaw, a druid and teacher from Silverdale. It is a pleasure to be in this apartment’s common area… Of course, I’ll be happy to display one of my magical abilities to become a tiger, if it doesn’t alarm you.” She paused for a second and gave an innocent gesture. “Sometimes I like to be silly as well.”

Luna tugged on her mother's arm and gave her a pleading look, the expression saying more than the little neko could say with words.

Claudia simply sighed and smiled softly at her daughter, although a little part of her also wished to see transformation magic in action as it was a subject that she had only heard about in relation to Dystans, Silverdaleans and Kouralians.

“You may, Comrade Nina. Just try and make people here aware that you are using ancestral abilities to transform into a tiger so that folks don’t get scared.”

Nina took out her personal holly to whisper a few chants upon it to make her voice… to do something. The truth of this spell became more evident as she gave a joyful pose as she announced, “transformation magic coming in!” As to show off, she pounced up as a poof and radical transformation turned her into a white tiger.

Nina the tigress then speaks up in a rather odd but clear common tongue for all to hear, “What do you think?”

“It looks quite wonderful, Comrade Nina,” Claudia said lightly applauding the transformation, the act repeated by a few curious people in the room that had turned to watch the display when the warning was given.

Luna meanwhile tried to pet Nina’s fur, positively overjoyed that someone had been able to transform into a real tiger in her presence, “I like this new kitty. Can we keep them?”

“I think they need to return to their own children at some point, Luna,” Claudia said rubbing her daughters hair affectionately, “Perhaps they can all come with us as we go to the local MalMart? I was hoping to pick up a few things for a celebratory meal we’re going to be holding to thank the ancestors and those in the Territorial Defence Force, Air Force and Royal Navy for ensuring your safe passage to the Research Colony.”

“I was rather hopeful that such an offer would be made, Comrades,” Ji-Eun told Claudia with a smile, “Do you know how good the local MalMart is in providing meal items for meat eaters? I believe that quite a few Silverdaleans are somewhat dependent on it as a food source.”

“It should have a fine selection of products imported from Kouralia,” Claudia said, “You know how those Kouralians and Breheimians can get if they are told that we don’t have any bacon around.”

Nina allowed Luna to pet her smooth fur, and purred a little. All until the part as a pet came up,and Nina gave a gentle ‘nudge’ away from the neko, and transformed back into her elven form. “I recommend a careful bond with a tiger Luna. Although be warned that such majestic beasts are no meager pet, and can b e rather dangerous if treated as a household cat.”

Nina then looked at Claudia, and gave a curious look. “Well, I’d be keen on fish, seafood, and bacon. Us elves from Silverdale are quite the meat eaters ourselves.”

Luna nodded listening intently to Nina’s lessons, although she certainly had no desire to pet every creature since she had heard tales from her mother and aunt about the types of dangerous creatures that lurked in Crystal Spires and the danger that they had caused for curious ill-prepared travellers and naughty nekos that had forgot to do their maths and Malgravean Ancient homework.

“In that case you should be in luck since the shelves should have a decent variety of seafood and some meat selections, the fish comes from a freeform fish farm that was constructed in the colony around ten years ago and I have heard that Kouralian meat products are quite delicious, although I can’t say myself,” Claudia said, as a neko she had eaten a lot of the fish produce but not the bacon or steaks.

“What type of food do Silverdaleans consider to be acceptable to eat at social gatherings?” Sara asked Nina, “I imagine it would be nice if we could prepare some local Silverdalean dishes to make people feel more at home, especially if we could make some sweet treats for the kids and those that are still kids at heart.”

“Well, there is the famous potato fish pie that is rather a delight for parties.” Nina explained. “Of course, while I recommend this being light, I know fry potato chips with sour cream or melted cheese can work as well. There is also some good pumpkin pie, nuts and fruit salad as well. Oh, and the Bite Bowl of chucks of fish and seafood with fruits and veggies: a Penguin City delight. Although, if this sounds too heavy on meat, I recommend cheese potato dumplings.”

“I imagine that the fish pie will be a treat for the neko population here and others inclined to fish,” Sara said with Ji-Eun and Claudia nodding in confirmation, as Luna started talking about something called swimbold.

“It would be prudent to add dishes like arancini, suppli or a nice chickpea fritter,” Ji-Eun said, mindful of those that didn’t eat meat or wanted to explore some traditional Malgravean dishes.

“I have a recipe for some Aurora-style tuna, marinated in a mixture of local and foreign spices and grilled before being served with a nice sauce,” Claudia offered before quickly adding, “I know that they would’ve had a fresh delivery of tuna in from some of the local fishing cooperatives.”

“That sounds delightful.” Nina nodded. “I’d love to try out the Aurora-style tuna dish.”

[Glaristant]

OOC: Collab with Legokiller and Dyste


Galway Line, 10 Kilometers Outside the Outskirts of Silverwoods City.

The wintry winds of the blizzard howled as the snow swirled around the skyscrapers of the Silverwoods city, all the while one could make out the distinct bellow of the Glaristanti artillery on the outskirts of the city as the muzzle flashes of rifles could be seen on the slopes of the fortified hills that lay to its south. The smell of gunpowder and brimstone filled the as the soldiers fired desperately into the hordes of monsters that rushed toward the trenches, emptying magazine after magazine into the onrushing throng of beasts as they fell in droves. Despite their best efforts, the soldiers failed to push back or kill all of the abominations, forcing them to engage with their pistols and trench knives as the horde broke through the walls of the houses they were holed up in.. Hours passed as countless Glaristanti troops were torn apart or frozen by the rabid horde, with them only being pushed back at the eleventh hour by the timely arrival of Reinvelian and Silverdalean reinforcements from the rear. “Forward ya dogs, unless ye wish to see our comrades be monster fodder!” a shark like woman with flowing blue hair and draconic horns, clad in a grey overcoat with an underlying black uniform cried, leaping onto an ice elemental’s back as she cried out. The shark dragon climbed up the creatures back, just barely hanging on as she decapitated the beast with her cutlass. The shark dragon chuckled as the beast fell, all the while a squad of soldiers behind her downed another one of the beasts with a combination of fire spells and multiple shot gun blasts as the echoes of exploding bombs could be heard in the distance.

The shark dragon, or Besara, as she was known to her troops offered her hand to one of the glaristanti troops as she watched the rest of her company along with the Silverdaleans push the ice elementals out of the trench. She sighed, taking a drink from her flask as she watched the creatures be repulsed, albeit barely. It had been this way for the past five days, with the combined forces of Glaristant, Silverdale, Havoc Company, and the Black Army just barely managing to hold their lines against the seemingly endless hordes. “Aweigh anchors ye lot, lest ye wish to be on burial detail when we get to the next trench line. Check yer ammo and let’s go!....Eh...what it is lass?” Besara said as she was cut off by a newcomer.

A tall, muscular Bovinian, even moreso than Besara herself, leaning on an axe nearly as long as herself spoke up. Tysteus was on loan from the Order of Mythic Guardians on behalf of her commission with the Black Army, “Hey, Bessie, how long can we keep this up? If we just keep fallin’ back, we’ll soon enough have nowhere else t’run. We ain’t gonna be able to hold th’line forever.”

Besara shook her head as she watched her troops and the Glaristanti forces clear the remainder of the trench all the while occasionally having to duck as the tank behind her fired. She knew full well that Tysteus had a point, as between the losses they had taken and the seemingly limitless forces of the enemy, the would end up breaking sooner or later. Taking another swig from her flask, she spoke, “It….it be tough to say, Tysteus. I would like to we could hold em’ for at least another week, but….given our current predicament….I don’t know lass. Hopefully between the mission your sisters are taking care of down at the South Pole, and the reinforcements from Reinvel and Silverdale that be arriving soon, we will be able to hold on. It just all depends…”

“Yeah, I hope those two are doin’ okay,” Tysteus sighed, seeming a little more down than her usual boisterousness on the battlefield, “Of course, it won’t matter ta us if we can’t hold on long enough,” She downed ale from a drinking horn she carried, it filling up by magic whenever she wanted. “I mean, th’two of us, we’re tough and all, but we’re only two people and not everyone else is as much, and they never stop coming; even Brasa herself wouldn’t be able to hold off the forces forever.” She knew the goddess due to the half-dragon being friends with her own mother. “I mean, it’d be nice if we could push back, but I don’t wanna risk everyone else for nothin’.”

“All depends on… By our mother’s name, you need to stop this lone wolf heroism.” The smaller but equally tall pink haired Bovinian spoke up as she returned form the first aid campsite. Richelle was not in a good mood from a few things! One was that love angel dodo who she had to pay overtime, and second was her sister Apis who got a little TOO distracted with a witch ‘assistance’ to move them out to safety. “By that outlook, you two will land right on my tent and have to wait for days for proper treatment!”

Tysteus rolled her eyes and sighed at her older sister, “C’mon, Richalle, what do you expect? Battle’s in my blood, I’m the daughter of a warrior goddess and a legendary adventurer. I can’t exactly turn these feelin’s off, y’know. But I’m not gonna be riskin’ everyone’s safety just for some glory, I’m not selfish! But if it comes to th’point where we can push back, y’know I’ll do whatever to help stop ‘em. So don’t worry your head off, sis; I’m sure Apis is given’ you enough headaches as it is.”

The shark dragon chuckled at the two, all the while motioning for some of the remaining havoc troops to proceed further down the line, “Forgive me lass, I cannot help it. Between my halves, I have a penchant for heroics! Still with that being said, I assure you neither Ty or I will be landing on yer tent if we have our way, lass. Now….Less worrying and more fighting. After all, we have a job to do here!”

“Ugh!” Richelle crossed her arms. “You better not-”

The sky began to darken as lightning crackled across the clouds, and thunderous booms shook the ground. Richelle ears rose up as a massive dragon stomp landed onto the ground nearby! It was difficult to see from the encroaching blizzard, but something seemed to watch them right there! “Fresh and Holy beef…” An icicle yet deep and loud voice spoke up from the fog.

“Oh great!” Richelle then whistled. “Felicia, I need your assistance!”

“Well now, things just got a lot more excitin’!” Tysteus grinned, gripping her greataxe. “I think it might be time to go all out today!” She casted a haste spell that allowed them to move faster. “Guess here’s our chance t’either hold the line or t’push back.”

Besara let out a chuckle as she heard the dragon’s massive stomp, all the while she could feel the draconic blood within her burning with its arrival, “Indeed they are lass! Now we have a challenge befitting our status. Just try not to get in me way, alright Ty?! GAHAHAH!” Besara smirked as she drew a wicked looking cutlass from its sheath,"Still….I doubt either one of us want to be keelhauled by Ma-er Brasie when we got home, Narris. So perhaps we ought to try resolving this without killing yonder dragon." Besara spoke to herself as she eyed the dragon,"Oi, ya lily livered wyrmling. I don't suppose ye be in the mood to parlay, are ye?

“WAIT JUST A MOMENT!” Richelle groaned in anger as the two disappeared into the whiteout.

As the two entered the blinding fog, only Besara could see through the streets and buildings of the place more clearly. At the two story log cabin Logging Restaurant, Besara can see a gargantuan white dragon with a sickly crown scaly head, carefully watching the two from one eye and another focused on the fortifications ahead. Its claw gestured forward as it murmured a few draconic words to Ty and Besara, “Allow your fear and hatred to arise from the depths of your dreams!”

Tysteus had to stay beside Besara, as the snowfall clouded her vision. Once they reached the dragon, it had used a spell in order to cause an image before her; her sister, only as a more demonic-looking Bovinian instead of the sweetheart holy-looking one, who roared at her. “Dammit!” The warrioress gripped her axe as she charged at it. “I’m not gonna let ya tell me what I can and can’t do!”

Besara was blinded by the fog as the pair stumbled through the heavy snowfall, it gradually clearing once they reached the dragon. Within moments she saw a towering human with ashen skin clad in charred armor beneath an ethereal white cloak standing before her, his empty eye sockets looking at her as it pointed a blood soaked lance at her. Her grip tightened around her cutlass as her hand went for her estoc, all the while she growled at the creature, “You were supposed to be dead…..Diega and I saw to it centuries ago. How in the nine hells can your wretched hide still draw breath!” The shark dragon charged the creature, cursing under her breath as she stared daggers at him.

The figaments of their fears spoke nothing as they went forth to deliver an unnatural blow at the two and then parry! The dragon crackled as it cried out, “Yes, allow your fear and anger to fester. Let it all out!”

The demonic cowbeast grinned at Tysteus, while a voice was heard in her head, “So this is what you fear, hm? Your family turning against you, and your love of battle turning you into a monster? For all your talk of being a badass warrior, you are just a scared girl who runs away from home every time you think you don’t belong!”

“N-no!” Tysteus scowled, speaking aloud to nobody in particular, “It ain’t like that! I fight for ‘em, and while I go out on solo adventures a lot, I always go see my family and help ‘em when they need it!” She swung her axe at them, unable to land a solid blow.

The knight bellowed as he parried Besara’s blades with his lance, following it up with a forceful punch to the shark dragon’s gut. She nearly doubled over in pain, only just barely managing to avoid being impaled on the wraith’s lance. The human glanced at her, blood red motes of light appearing in his empty sockets as he continued to attack the shark dragon, laughing manically as he did so, “Six hundred years, countless lifetimes, endless miles for you….yet you have not changed girl. You still remain the powerless elflet you were all those centuries ago, unable to save your flight from my righteous fury. For all your talk of overcoming your past and the countless number of my kin you have killed, you have achieved nothing. Am I wrong girl?”

Besara growled as she struck back with her cutlass, the wraith easily deflecting the slash and sending the blade flying in yet another parry. He struck fast, his armored fist closing around Besara’s neck as he flung her to the ground as she choked out, “Y--you’re wrong. I’ve...I’ve only grown in that...time...GAH” She grunted as she felt the heavy weight of the creature’s iron boot pressing down on her chest, “Lies and falsehoods, as expected of a child. You are NOTHING, little one. When will you learn….cheap tricks and mere magic will not erase the past. So embrace your fate and realize that your path ends here.”

“Ty!” The real Richalle accidentally bumped into Tysteus and noticed how she fights off a vague shape of an evil version of herself. Not to mention the other vague shape that Besara swung wildly. “Excuse me, but what is going on here? Is this some evil trick.” She then pokes at her angel pal.

“Knowing the works of Garyx, a set up for the curse to be bestowed upon your friends.” Felicia explained.

“Curse, what curse?” Tysteus said. “Well, clearly you’re my sister, not whatever that thing is… ugh, so it’s like an illusion of some sort? But it was able t’harm me… what the hell is goin’ on?”

“Whaa...bloody curse are you talking about?” Besara choked out as she felt the “creature” continuing to press down upon her, “Ye be mad...if you think this is….not...real. What in...Besmara’s name is going on.”

The two horrors of their deepest fears vanished into thin air. “Oh I see… A phantasmal killer.” Richalle frowned. “That’s um… Yes, we’ll talk about it later.”

The Dragon growled as it raised its head. “No interruption! The truth of Garyx reveals what you fear and hate the most. Now you must DIE!” It lower and stretch down to unleash a polar vortex of the mightest breath upon the group!

“GAH!” Tysteus braces herself for the cold, “No, I’m not gonna let ya hurt my sis or anyone else again!” She focused her anger and rage into energy, as draconic horns and scales formed on her body. While she was still battered by the raging winds, she appeared to still be standing, “Got too much ta live for to fall to ya; even got a new sis to care for!” It appeared that activating the draconic blood improved her vision as well, getting a better look at the dragon, “Huh, I suppose if the spell was used on you it’d make a mirror since your biggest hatred must be lookin’ at yourself!”

Besara for her part took shelter behind a broken wall, still being battered by the winds but avoiding most of the cold. She hissed as she sheathed her estoc, all the while reaching into her coat to withdraw a black pistol with a silver dragon’s head inlaid. Sliding the magazine home, she took aim at the creature, all the while bellowing, “Sorry lad, but it will take more than a little frost to kill this dragon! After all, I am not going to let meself be done in by some hatchling, especially not when me bondmate and me daughters are waiting on me.” Casting her gaze towards her companions as she bolted towards Tysteus she spoke, “Not a bad idea, Ty. Perhaps ye and I can keep this wyrmling’s attention, while yer friends over there try to give this wee beastie a taste of his own medicine. Do ye think ye lot can handle that while Ty and I keep him distracted?!”

Felicia and Richelle stood like icymen, but seemed completely unharmed! In fact, there was a bluish magical aura of a shield around them. “This is a big risk… But I’ll try!”

“Foolish dragons.” The White Dragon spook up. “Your temporal families will fade away, and you’ll curse yourself by the whims of causality. Even the immortal who escape it shall know FEAR AND HATE!” The dragon casted the same spell, but this time on Felicia!

“You silly dragon, this won’t.” Felicia’s eyes widened as she saw a vague chocolate rohanian king or something else, singing the worse melody. “Oh no… Not this dreadful and unloving monster!”

“... okay, what in the world is *she* seein’?” Tysteus seemed a little worried. “Y’can’t believe in it, Felicia, it can’t hurt ya if you don’t believe in it!” For her own part, Tysteus grew in size, still smaller than her foe, but enough to get a better look, “Hey, wanna know some fear and hate yourself? How ‘bout when I BASH YER FACE IN WITH MY AXE?!” Tysteus dashed towards the dragon with a mighty swing of her also enlarged axe.

“Shut yer gob, ye overgrown lizard. Honestly, were I not staring right at ye, I would say ye be a cornerian for how much ye boast.” The shark dragon took aim with her pistol and fired off a rather large round at its head, all the while taking flight towards it with her newly appeared wings. She landed on the creatures back, embedding her blade between its scales as she hung for dear life, all the while trying to keep it focused on her, “Now let’s see what ya got!”

The White Dragon shrieked as the huge bull woman towered over the logging building and brought down her axe through its thick and well armored scales down to its flesh! As it burned, the bullet did inflicted damage as well to the head! All with a pillar of flame that struck its rear from Richalle’s magic! “No, you will not defeat me!” The Dragon lunged forward to take a bite on Tysteus as its wings began to fly!

“Uh… There is no such thing as a chocolate monster!” Felicia said.

The Dragon seemed to be afraid by a vague shape of an… alpaca? It seemed to curse in terror as it tried to ready another cold breath!

“Really now, I think you need a new thing ta be fearful of!” Tysteus grabbed the dragon’s jaws on the bite and held them open, enough to breathe a breath of darkness into its mouth before it could use its own breath on her. “A little gift from Papa for ya!”

“Really, lad? An alpaca….surely ya jest.” Besara chuckled as she moved towards one of the dragon’s wings, emptying her revolver into the root of its wing. Smiling she drew her estoc, driving it deep into the holes created by the rounds, cleaving through tendon and muscle until the blade was wedged deep inside before following up by slashing through the other wing root, “Aye...that should keep ye from going anywhere, ye overgrown lizard. Let’s see you fly with those wounds.”

The dragon felt a little explosion rupture within as it lost balance and crashed into the log building! The whole building crumbled apart and became engulfed in fire as both Felicia and Richalle used their magic to spark the timber! Despite all the damage, the almost defeated dragon was not done yet! Lightning strikes began to hit around the battlefield from the sky, as the dragon aimed the tip of his wings to fire lightning bolts at the two dragon ladies!

Tysteus was caught off guard and was hit with a bolt going straight through her! “Urgh… damn you… think a little… lightning… is gonna harm me?” She pressed the wound with her free hand as she gave herself a bit of healing, coughing up some blood, “Lemme gave ya something that’ll really shock ya…” Roaring with a force that shook the ground around her, she stomped the ground with a force enough to cause the rest of the building to fall down!

Besara grunted as she took the full force of the bolt, stumbling as the electricity coursed through her. She roared as she pulled her Estoc from the dragon’s wing root, slicing through it as she moved back towards the creature’s head, “Ye know...it is going to take more than that to kill me. Now let me return the favor!” Besara breathed in deep before exhaling a cloud of frost over the dragon’s remaining wing, completely encasing it before,firing at it with her revolver shattering the built up ice into the dragon’s wing membrane.

The two dragonesses delivered the final blow as the dragon shrieked as it was entombed by the flaming debris of the building! As its wing broke, the being said “Aaah! You’ll never… Defeat Garyx!” A fiery explosion consumed what remained of the dragon as the two won against a heavy spearhead of the monster horde!

Tysteus ended her rage as she collapsed on the ground, “Haaaaaaah… told ya, sis, we could do it…” the extra exhaust from her rage had worn her out, but it appeared that they had won. “Hopefully I can get a nap in soon…”

Besara managed to make her way out of the burning building, collapsing next to Tysteus as she reached for her flask, “Aye...A nap does sound nice lass...especially after the beating we took fighting that beastie. Still….I ain’t looking forward to heading home as me bondmate will not be happy we killed a dragon, but I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Richalle gave a worrisome look at the two as she can hear the oncoming next wave of ice elementals closing in! “You shouldn’t fear about the death of a clear as day evil dragon of Garyx. No words can change the spawn of her children. Which ahem…” Richalle grabbed on two Besara and Tysteus arms and pulled them out! “I’ll take you back to the camp. With that dragon gone, this wave might be the last before we can push them out.”

“Allow me.” Felicia said as she approached a group of smaller ice elementals to a towering huge ice elemental that jumped from the snow! “Let me talk about the power of love from my goddesses, and…” Felicia spoke up a powerful LOVE word in Celestia that its magical voice was so strong that the ice elementals shriek in pain! So much that all of them shattered into crystalline piles!

“Wow, no wonder Brasa likes havin’ ya around, Felicia,” Tysteus got to her feet, patting Richalle’s arm, “For all the silliness you’re a pretty strong angel, huh?”

“Aye, she be one of Brasie...er Lady Brasa’s strongest angels. She is quite impressive, at least from the few times I have seen her.” The shark dragon chuckled as she watched the ice elementals crumble, “Not bad, not bad at all lass. I’ll be sure to let our lady know how well ye done here today.”

“Oh my, this adoration of being the highest of the angelic choir may be undesiring! There are elders and even archangels that are stronger than a simple loving messenger of the divine. But I’ll humbly accept the praise.” Felicia said.

“Aw, c’mon, even messengers are important,” Tysteus said, “Mom likes having cute moocows to give messages! But speakin’ of that… so I’ve been kinda wonderin’ ‘bout that whole thing it did t’us… those images, I mean…”

Besara patted Felicia on the back, giving her a warm smile, “Lass, ye be too modest. Ye need to remember messengers still serve a vital role for our patron and other deities, both on and off the battlefield. So don’t hesitate to take pride in ye role!” The shark dragon nodded at what Tysteus said, “Aye….that twas some right foul magic that craven beast used. Brought back stuff….I’d rather forget. Ye don’t happen to know what was do either of ye lasses?”

“I’ll take satisfaction in the love I've made and the boons from my goddess.” Felicia then gave a fiery look. “But the horror of the unloving chocolate monster was awful! It tastes poorly as the chocolatte monster’s flesh will nullify and send your soul to oblivion.”

“Uh, I haven’t seen anything from such magic.” Richalle frowned. “Which.. Ahem, Tysteus, what did you see?”

“Um, I saw a demon cow from it, and, well,” Tysteus seemed a bit sheepish, surprisingly, “It kinda looked a bit like you. I mean, it’s not like you’re scary unless you’re really mad or anything, but… umm… but what about you?”

“Ty, you don’t need to be scared of some evil version of me.” Richalle gave Ty a hug. “Look, I know I can get mad, but I care for your well-being.”

Ty hugged back, “Yeah, yeah, I know, but… y’know, sometimes I can be worried about goin’ off without ya. But with our new baby sis arrivin’, I wanna try and be a good big sis t’her. But what did ya see, Richalle?”

“I haven’t seen anything.” Richalle said. “Maybe a wisp of some vile father of mine, but I knew it wasn’t real.”

Ty patted her older yet shorter sister’s head, “Well, either way I know I’m gonna stick with ya far th’next while. Hey Besara, d’ya mind if after this whole war’s done, we spend some time in Brasa’s realm with our lil’sis?”

Besara gave Tysteus a toothy grin as she spoke, “I don’t see a problem with it, Ty. Quite the contrary actually, as I’d imagine Brasie would quite like to host one of Daisy’s kids, especially if they’re there to see one of her kids. At any rate, I’ll see if I can arrange it with her once we be done here.” Besara was cut off by the sound of two attack helicopters bearing the glaristant emblem roaring over head, raking a ridge a few miles distant with cannon and missile fire all the while artillery could be heard in the distance.

“Why of course.” Richalle answered.

As the great dragon of the horde slain, the group can see Apis alongside members of the Star Coven of witches and other Silverdalean forces who came from the left to push forward. A swarm of falling stars and guidance bombs fell into the ranks of the monsters to disrupt them enough for the reinforcement to help push them out of Silverwoods itself!

[Dyste]

(OoC: Co-written with Glaristant)

Crescere Palace, Glaristant

The normally lively residence of the Grand Duchess of Glaristant seemed to have been overtaken by an atmosphere of apprehension, evident in the increased security presence and the closure of the expansive grounds to the public. Black armored guards and grey armored vehicles patrolled the grounds in regular intervals, while one could see heavy weapons and their crews keeping a silent vigil on the roof of the silver palace building. Inside the palace, things were no better as the staff tried in vain to maintain a normal atmosphere, but needless to say it was a futile attempt with the heavy presence of Glaristanti troops and constant patrols by armor clad Graveck operatives. Unbeknownst to all but the highest ranking of the palace’s staff, the extra security was not due to a resurgence of the widely known Glaristanti paranoia nor due to the ongoing war in Silverdale, but rather due to a summit between the leaders of Glaristant, Aravea, and Dyste on the recent developments in their war torn southern ally. In an oaken paneled room with four towering windows bedecked with paintings showing Glaristanti troops and trophies from past centuries, a pale skinned noble with almost crimson red hair clad in a verdant green overcoat and navy slacks eyed the gathered leaders around her. The woman, known to her family and friends as Laoisha, took a sip from her mug of coffee before clearing her throat to speak, “My apologies for the increased security presence, but given the recent attacks here and the ongoing incident in Silverdale I could not afford to run the risk of something happening to any of us. Now I trust you lot are ready to begin?” Laoisha’s purple eyes narrowed as she looked towards a colossal black and gold scaled draconid sitting across from her, before casting her glance to a smaller but more muscular water and dark draconid to his side, “Grand...er Your highness, if memory serves you had a proposal you wished to share with myself and our honored guests from Aravea, no?”

Tyroth Blackfang had been managing matters from behind the scenes in the Winter War, allowing his daughters their chance to shine on the battlefield. That said, he had not been idle, instead coordinating aid for the forces with his many contacts. “Indeed I have, Laoisha. The efforts of the various members of the Dragon Sea Alliance have been a great help in the Winter War, but we have also gotten aid from nations outside our group. It has resulted in cooperation between Mystria and beyond, that I wish to continue going forward. But for now, the forces in Silverdale can use all the help they can get, especially against the giant monsters that have appeared throughout the land. If they are not dealt with, they may reach beyond Silverdale to our neighbours and even our own lands. Naturally, we cannot allow this to happen. As such, I hope to coordinate efforts between our forces.”

Laoisha had spent much of the time between Veleon’s’ departure and the present doing much the same as Tyroth, coordinating the deployment of forces to Silverdale and working with the Dystan king to ensure smooth cooperation between the two nations. She admittedly wished her mother had stayed behind to help manage things back home, but at the very least it would give the heir apparent to the Glaristanti throne some experience for when she took power, “Aye. Your efforts on that front may very well make it possible for us to turn the tide there, and possibly more if we are lucky. As for myself, I do have some news, both good and….” The emberkin sighed, giving Tyroth a concerned look as she took yet another drink, “Unfortunate news to share with the lot of you. That however can wait until after our guests from Aravea share the wonderful news they have brought along with them for this meeting.”

The hitherto silent water draconid chuckled as she gave her dark draconid companion a knowing glance before she spoke, “Well it’s an honor to see you both again, especially you Tyroth. Bahamut knows it has been far too long since Frenze and I last were able to see you, although we had admittedly hoped it would be under different circumstance. That being said, I trust this will make up for it.” The water draconid reached passed a folder to both Tyroth and Laoisha, all the while a hologram of a fleet of sleek destroyers, a carrier, and cruisers appeared from above the gathered leaders, “As of yesterday, the Rikstag has approved our request to deploy elements of the Marinen...er Imperial Navy’s Third Fleet and the Seventh Airborne Corps to assist in the battles around Silverwoods City. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that Frenze and I have managed to convince the Rikscouncil to released several billion Thalers...er Silver pieces for the war effort as well, to be used for whatever the Silverdalean or allied forces need.”

The Dark Draconid next to her had a very similar scale pattern to the king, and for good reason, “Indeed, Sasha was quite persuasive, Grandfather,” he patted his wife’s hand, “I just hope my mother has not been too reckless with my aunt’s forces.”

Tyroth sighed, “Well, Frenze, I hear that Tynah and Ey-erm, Veleon were off dealing with the lich who was the right hand of Garyx and the linchpin of her undead forces. By our reports, said undead have stopped, so it is likely they were successful at that.”

Frenze smiled, “Ah, it is times like this I wish I was still in the military myself, but alas, we will have to use the forces we have amassed for this.”

Sasha returned the pat as she chuckled, “Indeed, I was vorel. Those stuffy old windbags on the council needed a bit of coaxing yes, but one little speech about repaying our debt to you and that was all it took. I might have to keep that in mind for next budgetary meeting with them...might make it go a bit easier. I am sure your mother and Lady Eyvel are fine, vorel. After all it isn’t like the two of them haven’t been through worse. Between your mother’s various adventures and Lady Arnheim’s service during the Great War, I doubt even a lich would be able to do any lasting harm to them..”

Laoisha’s stonefaced expression morphed into a frown at Sasha’s comment, her eyes showing a tinge of sadness as she spoke, “I...I...hate to say this, but Princess Tynah and my mother...er her grace have been declared as Missing in Action following a mission to the South Pole. I cannot be certain, but there is a not insignificant possibility that your mother and aunt may have perished during their mission, Frenze. I….I am sorry. I have Veckne looking into it, but as of yet we have not been able to either contact them or find any trace of them.”

Sasha tightly held her husband’s hand, giving him a worried look as she listened to Laoisha in disbelief. She herself couldn’t believe it, as after all if someone as strong as Tynah could perish in such conflict, what hope was there for the rest of them. Not to mention there was her worry over what this would do to her beloved’s sanity.

Frenze went silent for some time, not speaking at all. Tyroth looked concerned for his grandson, and seemed to want to speak, but felt it might not be helpful. After some time, he spoke up, “Tell me this. She had Flora with her, right?” The princess’s Royal Consort was a Spirean catfolk and constant partner during her adventures. “And if so, did you find any traces of her?”

Laoisha sighed, closing her eyes as she spoke, “I do not know if she had Flora with her or not, but regarding your second question….” The emberkin tapped a series of buttons on the control remote before her, causing the projection to shift to what appeared to be pieces of black leather armor resting on the snow, “A search team deployed to the area in the forty eight hours following their disappearance recovered these armor fragments alongside a silvedalean and Glaristanti corpses.”

Frenze looked it over carefully, and suddenly started laughing, “GHAHAHAHA! Oh, do not worry, Laoisha, they are alive. I can be assured of it.”

“That is… the armor that Flora wears when she travels with my daughter,” Tyroth thought. “If I recall, it was made that when a fatal blow would be taken, the armor is destroyed but it protects the user…”

“Exactly!” Frenze said, “See, if my mother, aunt, and Flora were dead, we would certainly have traces of their bodies alongside this armor, yes? But no, only the armor is here, with no signs of Flora herself! And if Flora is alive, so is Mother! And she would not let her sister fall either. So clearly they must have not perished there!”

:”I see. In that case….” Laoisha closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, tapping its arm rests as she thought, Indeed. Had either my mother or Lady Tynah perished, we would have surely either recovered their corpses or heard word from our patron about their demise. Given that neither has occurred and bearing in mind Mother’s….penchant for meticulous mission preparations, it is likely she had an argent scroll with her….Meaning she and her companions likely escaped to one of the outer planes in the nick of time. While this is indeed good news, it leaves with the issue of determining on which plane they ended up. I can check with the Orrery office in Veckne to see if they can pinpoint their location, but it may take some time.”

“Do what you can,” Tyroth said, “I would like to find them as soon as we can. I know both will likely wish to get back into the action as soon as possible. And speaking of Brasa, perhaps her agents might be able to find them quickly.”

“Aye….Knowing Aunt Tynah and mom, the two of them are likely quite eager to return to the front lines.” Laoisha shook her head, recalling the days she had spent arguing with the Grand Duchess on the matter, “Honestly….this is precisely why I did not want either of them going. Too much of a risk of them either dying or getting trapped somewhere for my liking. Regardless, I will speak with Lady Brasa as soon as I can on the matter, as well as utilize what resources I can spare to find them, Rest assured, your graces….they will be found.”

Sasha for her part gave Frenze a smile, seemingly happy to see her husband in a better mood, “We are in your debt, Laoisha. Knowing that Tynah and Lady Eyvel are alive is a great relief to both Frenze and myself. Honestly….I shudder to imagine how we would have handled the news ourselves, let alone how we would tell little Loz about his grandmother’s fate had the worst come to pass.”

Frenze gave his wife a hug, “Thankfully we do not have to, Sasha. That said… I should remind you of what kind of people my mother and aunt are. They are my grandfather’s children through and through. The thrill of a challenge is in their blood, and they shall go against any odds. They have overcome far worse than being trapped in another plane of existence, and I am assured they will make it out okay. After all, we will need Mother for Loz’s birthday party, will we not?”

Laoisha watched the water draconid empress chuckle as she embraced her husband, all the while she struggled not to laugh at how cute the two draconids looked. She was happy to see it had worked out for the pair, having been somewhat concerned at how they would take the news, “Alright you two, I hate to ruin your moment but we still have a few matters to attend to. Now with that out of the way, let us move on to the recent victories by the Fifth Brigade and Havoc Company in the Riverdale Campaign. As it stands, Allied Forces have managed to halt the enemy’s advance in the area...for now at least...but they will need reinforcements soon.” The meeting continued on for another two hours as Laoisha, Tyroth, and the two Aravean rulers hammered out the deployment of new forces, discussed new battleplans, and the overall strategy in the coming weeks. All in all, it served to fill the emberkin with a sense of hope she had not had in weeks, with it seeming like things were at last taking a turn for the better.

Elsewhere…

Upon a dusted hill, a Draconid much like Frenze and Tyroth stood, looking out towards the horizon, “Hm, I do not see anything this way… why did we have to come here of all places? Flora, any luck yet?”

The Draconid was joined by a pink-haired catfolk, purring as she went by her princess’s side, “Nothing much, Your Highness, but don’t worry, no doubt they’ve sent out a search party for us. Hopefully we can get back before all the fighting’s over… but you owe me new armor for this! I didn’t trek through all that snow just to lose my favourite suit!”

[Legokiller]

As the winds of winter began to strengthen once more and howled across Snowy Light, a
melody was played. A cute but one in tone of it can hear: the reckoning. Sounds of ice broken down across the sheet of ice. A cry for the lost chains to be destroyed. A hunger for revenge.

Time was of the essence.

In the Robin Room within the President’s Palace, the president invited the nation’s allies for a special conference for the next phase of the war. At this time, the Oracle and Defender of the land, Lux the dragon elf with snow white hair, came at her request upon Nico. The two were at odds for a second, although mostly for unprofessional teases and annoyance!

Divisional General Yoon Se-ri bowed slightly at the Silverdaleans present in the room before taking her assigned spot in the meeting, as the Commanding Officer of the Malgravean contribution to the Silverdalean war efforts she had been instructed to meet with the Silverdaleans and her allies to discuss a coherent joint-strategy.

In addition to the Division General, the Malgravean government had also sent an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist with the coordination efforts between the varying nation's taking part in the meeting.

“Comrades, I am Divisional General Yoon Se-ri of the Territorial Defence Force,” Se-ri said introducing herself to those in the room, “I am hopeful that we will all be able to work together in the spirit of cooperation and professionalism to help the Silverdalean people emerge from this crisis in a safe manner.” the Divisional General said directing the last part of her comments to the antics of the Silverdaleans.

“I am Seo Yi-kyung, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Yi-kyung said, with those with knowledge of recent happenings in Mystria recognising her as the Ministry Official that represented Malgrave during press briefings as part of the Mystrian Prosperity Conference, “I understand that this will be mostly a military affair, however, I have been instructed by the Prime Minister to help facilitate cooperation between all nation's here and remind everyone of the assistance that can be provided by the Department of International Development Assistance and the Ministry of Social Solidarity.”

Behind President Miranda of Silverdale stood one man who stuck out from the rest of her guards. Though he was not in explicit combat gear, it was easy to tell he had a bullet proof vest underneath his uniform, which was of a different make and type than the rest of Miranda’s guard. This difference was made more obvious by both the patch on the right shoulder, reading AMTF, and the ribbons on his chest, but if anyone had missed this was a Rohanian AMTF captain, they wouldn’t after he briefly snapped a salute to the Rohanian generals who soon entered the room.

The generals, for their matter, quickly returned the salute, then took their seats. After all had gotten organized and the Malgraveans had finished speaking, the more senior of the two stood and introduced himself. “Greetings. Many in this room will already know me, having worked together before,” he opened, looking to the Silverdalean, Rintyari, Dystan, and Glaristanti components in particular before continuing. “But for the rest, I am Field Marshal Ælfric Strider, in overall command of Rohane Alista’s three armies in Silverdale. My companion,” the red haired man turned to his right, indicating the greying man sitting next to him, “Is General Riley Armotiv, head of Rohane Alista’s Military Intelligence branch. We hope to come up with a fruitful, coordinated, plan of counter attack here, but one of the first things we need to address is appointing an overall commander of all allied forces, in the Rohanian opinion.”

The largest figure in the room was a Dark Draconid with the signs of surviving a great deal many battles, his well-worn cloak having marks tallying the amount of missions taken, and his black scales roughened and scratched from skirmishes. “I am Ares Darkclaw, the leader of the Black Army,” he spoke in a deep, booming voice, “I have been coordinating all the land forces of Dyste in the battles on behalf of His Majesty, in lieu of Princess Tynah who had been chosen to be part of the force to neutralise one of Garyx’s main generals. Reports have shown that her team has been successful, but we have currently lost contact with her. As we are making efforts to locate her, I shall be acting as Commander of the Dystan Forces alongside Admiral Nialis Kevelle.”

Ares gestured to his side, where a blue-scaled Draconid wearing a long dark blue coat sat, though those more knowledgeable about magic were aware that he wasn’t physically there; this was a mental projection made by the powerful psychic, “The Dystan Royal Navy has been working nonstop to combat the sea threats of Garyx’s forces and preventing them from going through the Dragon Sea with the aid of other naval forces, but unless we manage to stop it at its source I am afraid eventually it shall be too much for even us.”

Yoon Se-ri bowed slightly at the Dystan Admiral in a gesture of recognition and gratitude, the Divisional General had read reports from her colleagues in the Royal Navy indicating the powerful psychic abilities of the Dystan and the role that it had played in helping coordinate actions between the various naval forces clearing shipping lanes and engaging in anti-monster activity.

“I have been told to direct the deep gratitude of the Malgravean Royal Navy towards your efforts, Comrade Admiral,” Se-ri said, although she didn’t mention the multiple statements from sailors proclaiming that they would buy the next round of drinks for a Dystan sailor on shore leave, “The Malgravean Royal Navy has been engaged in protecting the flow of supplies and refugees in the shipping channels between Silverdale and Malgrave, however, we have also broadened our scope to include anti-monster operations following the transfer of two carrier groups from combined arms training in the Research Colony.”

Yi-kyung then stepped forward, the foreign ministry representative bowing slightly to the Dystans before speaking, “I understand that you will be leading your own efforts to locate Princess Tynah, however, let it be known that the assets of the SIS are also at your disposal should they be required.”

Meanwhile, the Dornalians had made their entrance. In particular, a pair of Dornalian officers entered the room, taking their seats and listening and taking notes while others spoke. One was General Curwin, the military attache and ERIS Chief of Station. The other was a man in his forties but with a cavalier air about him that made him seem a bit younger. Wearing a Dornalian Navy winter uniform with double breasted black and gold coat and peaked cap, with the rank badges signifying he was an Admiral, the Admiral’s nametag would identify him as a man named “Kreuger”.

When all had spoken, Admiral Krueger spoke first, doffing his cap.

“Thank you one and all, my name is Admiral Joseph Harriman Krueger, Colonial Republican Navy, and this is my colleague, General Jonah Curwin, Colonial Republican Army. I believe the Silverdalean Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows who General Curwin is; he’s the military attaché to the Dornalian Embassy in Silverdale.”

Curwin added, cryptically, “A position which allows me access to...individuals with particular sets of skills from other agencies within the Dornalian Government along with the military.” Turning to the Dystans, Curwin said, “I should add that individuals and subject matter specialists from said other agencies would also be available to assist in the search for Princess Tynah at this time.” The tone of voice suggested Curwin had some inkling of the Tynah’s importance--and also had some desire to cooperate with SIS.

Krueger went, with a cough, “Anyway, in regards to bigger matters, I am the overall commander of Dornalian forces in this theater of operations. That includes, but ain’t limited to, the operations by Dornalian forces ongoing in concert with Rohanian, Malgravean, and Silverdalean forces in the South Pole region, in and around New Snowdale and Penguin City. We’ve been pretty good about the logistics so far of getting refugees and so on out of harm’s way and also delivering aid and relief supplies where needed from both government and private organizations such as the Order of the Vanguards.”

Curwin then replied, “Not to mention, successfully rescuing a number of hostages in the Fairy Alliance in concert with Silverdalean forces, including former President Fluffykins and then some.”

Krueger then continued, “Right. Anyway, the Dornalian military as well as Curwin’s ‘other government agency’ colleagues are up for expanding the scope of activities. For example, helping to keep the sealanes clear, et cetera. But yeah, I agree--we should appoint an overall command to keep the effort against Garyx unified and efficient. I imagine we could have a Silverdalean be the ‘supremo’ in charge of operations, unless anyone else has any other ideas.”

President Miranda Songbird quickly reacted and smiled at the allies who came here. “As President of Silverdale, I am happy to work forward with our allies in this time of need. There is the whole upcoming doom we must discuss, but we can work on who’s the commander of this affair. Now, I have no doubt that my nomination for this coalition leader from our side will be obvious.” Miranda gestured for the snow white-haired marshal on the second monitor. “I shall appoint Marshal Gywnie Goldenheart as the ‘supremo’ for this operation.”
Marshal Gywnie Goldenheart, decked in a heavy winter coat in the middle of her officer tent in the south pole, gave a light bow. “Why thank you, maiden president.” She looked at the rest of the group. “I am Marshal Gywnie Goldenheart, the leading commander of the Silverdalean Army. I’ll be brief on my long military career as it spans centuries long. Yet I am one of the leaders in the civil war who fought against Garyx seven decades ago and operated on the Arden Line to this day. By this line and thanks to our efforts as an alliance, we saved many lives in the state that was previously hit the most by this winter war. As one of the longest leaders in the army, I shall continue to work and be efficient in our efforts, which includes a strategy with one of our leading experts to defeat Garyx and shorten this war before the arrival of spring.”
Ares gave a light smirk, “Ah, as it happens I was going to suggest Marshal Goldenheart. She has been a major military leader for even longer than I have, and she was raised in both Silverdale and Dyste. As it stands, the Goldenhearts have had an illustrious history as part of military service in Silverdale, and she learned both from them and strategies in her time in Dyste. I can think of nobody better to head this coalition.”
“And just on a side note, for those of you concerned with the Princess’s fate, as well as those of her companions, General Arthurus of Silverdale and Lady Veleon of Glaristant, we have evidence that they are indeed alive, but have been teleported out of the area. Dystan and Glaristanti intelligence have been pinpointing their exact location in order to retrieve them, so they may be able to rejoin the efforts as soon as they can.”
“It is quite pleasing to learn that Princess Tynah and her companions have just been teleported to another location,” Yi-kyung said with a small smile of her own, “I understand that the Glairistanti intelligence services and the SIS have cooperated on undertakings in the past, so on that front we remain willing and able to lend assistance should it be required.”
Se-ri meanwhile nodded her head towards the Silverdaleans, the Malgravean understood that the Silverdaleans had the benefit of local knowledge and experience on their sides and she wasn’t inclined to fight a losing battle in the name of nationalism.

“I must concur with the Dornalians and Dystans that a Silverdalean would be an ideal choice for Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Silverdalean Theatre of Operations, the experience that you have in fighting Garyx in the past will prove invaluable plus it will provide a morale boost to Silverdaleans during a crucial moment.

I will say that the continued evacuation of the civilian population around the South Pole must be a priority, as while the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions have been given orders to hold the city at all costs until said evacuation is complete I would prefer to avoid large-scale loss of life.”

A pure pulse of magic formed within the room, disrupted slightly by the presence of the Rohanian’s present, but nonetheless powerful enough to create a hologram of the Land Admiral of the Rintyari Imperial Marines present elsewhere.

“I apologize for the delay.” An elder Drow woman spoke, uniform in as perfect a condition as the situation allowed for. “We’ve been distracted by the enemy, we can communicate now.”

Without missing a beat, she turned her eyes towards Miranda, tiredly scanning the room. “I am Land Admiral Wierleck of the Rintari Imperial Marines, Miss Songbird. Our defenses are holding at Chen, but the situation has only gone from bad to worse here. The Empress can only commit so many forces before weakening our ability to respond to Thalassian aggression too drastically however. While I do not wish to abandon Chen soon, I do not think it would be wise for us to hold out forever with our current resources, and with the current weather, evacuation will be difficult.”

“The 3rd Army is making utmost pace towards Chen,” Marshal Strider informed the Rintyari. “We’ve heard of your need for help and reassigned them. In addition, Task Force Sea Dragon, which was operating off of the north shore of Silverdale, is returning to Rohane Alista to escort the deployment of the 4th Army. We would appreciate Dystan help with that escort,” the Marshal spoke now to Nialis’ projection. “It would potentially mean we need not go the entire distance to return. Either way, I had planned to propose a Silverdalean head of the coalition, so the appointment of General Goldenheart to Supreme Commander has our consent. Armotiv?”

“Right,” the older looking man replied, pulling out files. “This addresses the Malgravean concern; our reports indicate that those concerns are not only valid but perhaps more extreme than they had expressed. The populations of Penguin City and New Snowdale must be evacuated completely ASAP, as the ability of the coalition forces to continue to hold the cities is under serious doubt, and frankly, the 2nd Army is disinclined to continue to try holding Penguin City.

“The defense of Penguin City has inflicted significant losses on our foe, but it’s inflicted significant losses on us, as well. I obviously don’t have Malgravean or Dornalian numbers to hand, but the Rohanian 2nd Army has already suffered almost a third in casualties when accounting for all Killed, Missing, and Wounded in Action soldiers. In addition, it is becoming difficult to continue to ferry supplies to New Snowdale especially; Task Force Jacobi Turak is running constant and consistent missions both to support ground movements and keep the channel clear, but is becoming overwhelmed slowly but surely.

“I know this is something of a blow to Silverdalean pride, but we must abandon the Icy Shores region for now. Consolidating our defences on the mainland is our best chance to be capable of surviving until we have the means to actually win.”

"It is regrettable, but I concur with Her Armitov that the most logical option at this time is to withdraw from Icy shores for the time being. Given the heavy losses coalition forces sustained in the past few weeks, we can ill afford any further engagements there,” a blue scaled tanager wearing a grey officer’s uniform with the crossed swords and silver star of a Glaristanti Lieutenant General said, all the while scanning the notes that lay before him. The general, known as Gerhard Pearse spoke up once more as he looked to his Rohanian counterpart, “With regards to the Rohanian Second Army Marshal Strider,I am able to detach the ninth and twelfth brigades from my corps to mitigate some of the recent losses the second army has taken. It will impede the defense of Silverwoods and Riverdale in the near term, but it will ultimately be offset in the coming days with the soon to occur arrival of the 9th Airborne Division from Reinvel.” Speaking of Riverdale and Silverwoods, we have managed to hold the line there despite heavy losses on the Galway line outside the city, in no small part due to the valiant efforts of the 3rd Mechanized Division, Havoc Company, and a detachment from the Black Army. Still...the situation is tenuous at the moment, but if things hold as they are we should be able to launch some small counterattacks ”

“In recognition of the strain placed on the military forces protecting the city of New Snowdale and Penguin City the Malgravean government has seized a large portion of aviation and merchant assets from MalTra to engage in the evacuation of the civilian population alongside with current military assets, however, the fact remains that we can only evacuate so many people at a time due to the logistical constraints placed on us all.” Seo Yi-kyung said, showcasing her own predictions from her MalTec Ascension device.

“Both the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Division have suffered quite substantial losses while defending New Snowdale and Penguin City, especially due to the recent attacks by large monsters supported by battle mages and undead hordes and while both assaults were eventually repealed they did manage to cause quite a bit of damage. It is estimated that the 2nd Infantry Division has suffered losses of around 10% while the 3rd Infantry Division has endured losses of around 15% through deaths, injuries and those missing in action.” Yoon Se-ri said her face rather solem as she remembered reading the reports flowing in, “I am quite confident that both forces present in these population centres will not abandon their duty as to do so would be to shame themselves in front of the ancestors, however, I would like to avoid another Operation Swift hence my proposal that the evacuation be a priority.”

“Us Silverdaleans desire to avoid a disastrous campaign like Operation Swift, and given the circumstances alongside our invited expert, then we must follow through the evaluation of Icy Shore.” Gywnie explained. “As our forces completed the protection and evaluation process of settlements and towns across the state, our divisions from the Arden line will be moved to the cities to bolster its defense temporarily until being relocated into the mainland.”

“There is a critical step that is under consideration at this time beyond mere survival, but the goal to achieve victory upon the icy hordes. As allies, we’d need to discuss it and select the most effective one possible. At that end, we must be aware of one key part of this strategy. Hence, the presence of Lux Nagaheart.” Gywnie then gestured to the long-haired dragon elf in an elegant winter puff dress.

“I’m so glad to be here!” Lux spoke up. “I am Lux, the Oracle and Guardian of the lands of Silverdale. A speaker to the goddesses, and yes, I must bring in some bad news. Which let us get to the point.” Lux became serious in her expression as she looked at the group. “The chains of Garyx’s icy tomb are about to be broken and once this occurs her thirst for revenge will come to the heart of Silverdale itself. If we are so lucky, this may be a month or so away from present time. Once Garyx breaks free, she’ll not repeat the same mistake as before and go straight ahead to eliminate the goddess of Spring in the state of Derpshire.”

“That is quite troubling,” Ares said rather bluntly. “From what I am aware, if said goddess is indeed eliminated, this winter may never end. Messing with the seasons can wreak havoc with other natural forces, such as the elemental Crystals,” he spoke of the ones that were situated in the Cornerian Lands, believed to govern the powers of the elemental forces in the area, “And may corrupt them if not properly managed. It could lead into a new ice age if Garyx is not stopped.”
Krueger raised an eyebrow.

“Woah, woah woah. Slow up. Let me make sure I grok the situation. You mean to tell me that an ancient, malevolent ice deity is going to soon break out of her prison, and that she has the potential to force the world into a new ice age through seriously messing with natural forces and killing the Goddess of Spring?”

Curwin whispered into Krueger’s ear, going, “Admiral, that is what we learned from the briefing, I don’t think we need to ask--”
Krueger then replied to Curwin, cutting him off with a wave of the hand and a simple,“General? I’ve got this.” Turning to Lux, Krueger then went, “Well, what’s holding her chains together? What’s to say we couldn’t fix them and make it so Garyx can’t break out?”
Pearse sighed as he shook his head, “Figures, we cannot go six months without some blasted arch demon or evil deity putting my men in harm’s way. Nevertheless, this Garyx you speak of needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later, preferably in a manner that will ensure she is permanently neutralized. Now with that being said, I assume there is some means by which we can either strengthen the seals on her tomb or banish her from the mortal realm permanently? If the latter, my government is willing to provide you with the means through which you might be able to perhaps trap her on one of the outer planes or in the abyss should we not be able to renew her seals.”

“I assume that the Silverdaleans that were challenged with Garyx all those decades ago had a sufficient reason for containing the creature as I suspect that it was or is too powerful to simply kill in a conventional manner,” Se-ri said looking at the Silverdaleans for confirmation, “I must concur with the Dornalian recommendation that the chains holding this Garyx be strengthened if possible, as while we may be unable to hold her forever any additional time we can purchase will be more time that we can make preparations to defend this Goddess that will be their first target.”

“On that front I believe it would be wise to research the Glaristant recommendations of a way to eliminate or contain this Garyx by sending them to a plane of existence where they can direct no harm to us or by sending them to this Abyss and the full resources of the Research Colony stand by ready to assist with this collaborative effort.” Yi-kyung said, putting forward her opinion on the situation.
Lux looked at Krueger and gave a nod. “The chains that binds Garyx was a measure created by Princess Snow to hold her soul. A sort of imprisonment per say. However…”

“The last time Silverdale and I did this before was the engineered Atom Bomb to destroy her physical body, and for the Princess Snow to perform that ritual. It was a terrible battle and the set up cost many lives…” Gywnie then looked both surprised and confused by the mention of banishment to another dimension. “But banishment to the Abyss… Is that even possible Pearse?”

“That could be possible!” Lux spoke up. “But we can strengthen the chains before they break.”

“It is purportedly possible, but do bear in mind the only account of such a feat being performed is derived from a somewhat incomplete and fragmented text. Furthermore, I could not tell you the exact means by which it could be accomplished as it is outside of my area of expertise. However, I can have one of the Arnwehr members I have on my staff to speak with you on it further once we have concluded this meeting. If you wish to know my recommendation, I believe it is an option worth pursuing but only after we have exhausted all other more practical options such as strengthening Garyx’s chains or more conventional means. Regardless of what method you choose to pursue, I will ensure that you have the full cooperation of both my forces and the Arnwehr in this endeavor.”

“I will mention this.” Ares spoke up, “Even if we did indeed banish Garyx to the Abyss, it is certainly possible that there might be a way to bring her back. As such, I recommend even if we do so to find other means to compound it, such as strengthening these chains. That said, it will not do for us to have to deal with this again in another century or so. Whatever happened between now and then, it seems clear it was not sufficient to keep Garyx sealed.”

“Then this experimental plan may become a last resort if all else fails. “Gywnie then mused. “A similar conclusion was made by the Golden Herd to imprison Verdin within the Golden Polis and disappeared to another dimension. Yet that tale ended with a collapse of one great regional civilization, and that is something we should not repeat.”

“That’s close to a game over mission.” Miranda scoffed. “So, the best idea is to say… Deploy a special operation force to go to Icy’s Prison and strengthen the chains right?”

“That’d be a dangerous course of action, maiden president. The Icy Prison of Garyx is within an uncharted region of the south pole, and the special operation force may have to face Garyx herself to completely strengthen the chains. This however yields a positive outcome as a greater destructive force won’t be brought upon the nation.” Gywnie explained.

“This needs powerful magic and miracles to perform the reinforcement of the chains, and perhaps a spell of serenity or a claiming force like music to place Garyx in a state of slumber.” Nico interjected. “Furthermore a divine blessing of the gods can truly upheld the chains for millennia to come.”

“If I may suggest something,” Ares said, “If we are able to get Princess Tynah back from wherever her team ended up, she may be a boon for this task. Not only is she one of the strongest fighters in not only Dyste, but dare I say Mystria as a whole, her ability to empower nearby allies may prove critical. Either way, I can offer anyone from the Black Army’s forces to aid in this special operation if need be. When choosing a team for any mission, it is vital to pick the right people for the job. Find those with the skills needed to complete the mission and the will to execute it.”

“Regarding the Princess, I do have some good news on her fate. As of an hour ago, Veckne has managed to pinpoint Lady Veleon and Princess Tynah’s location in the outer planes after a rather exhaustive search. The plane on which they and some of their companions ended up is known as the Boneyard, a realm in which the recently deceased await final sorting to their eternal destinations.” Pearse passed a tablet to his aide who carried it over to Ares, “The plane in question is somewhat difficult for mortals to access, but we should be able to modify our interplanar network to allow a rescue party to access it. Speaking of which, I have a team on standby that is ready to assist in rescuing the two of them when the time comes. You need only say the word and they are your’s.”

“As our fellow general Arthurus may be lost with Princess Tynah as well, then Silverdale will help assign a few Mystic Guardians in this task Ares.” Gywnie added.

“If you someone to assist in this operation to rescue Princess Tynah and her companions from this Boneyard realm then I believe that the SIS would be of invaluable assistance to your mission as they have an agent that has become quite familiar with travelling these planar regions,” Se-ri said, the Divisional General engaging in a few motions with her military version of the MalTec Ascension, the vision of another Malgravean entering the room.

“Greetings Comrades,” the Malgravean said bowing to those present, “I am Agent Molnar of the Special Investigative Service, as of this moment I am currently engaged in tracking down and assisting my daughter and her companions but I have been made aware of the situation and I believe that I could lend my assistance to this rescue operation,” Molnar said purposely keeping her expression blank to hide her surprise at the presence of certain individuals in the room, “I must also say that my daughter and her companions would prove quite important during this operation to contain Garyx, as the Dornalians will be aware my daughter, Stacey-Lynn Odajima is a capable user of ancestral abilities. If we are able to utilise them with the magical boon provided by Princess Tynah then I believe that we stand a high-chance of success.”
Curwin nodded, simply going, in his own way, “I have a team of specialists--including some of those with what my people call Empowered abilities--who may likewise be able to participate in this endeavor. They are not currently engaged in operations, and have proven themselves useful against other similarly Empowered opponents.”

Krueger then raised an eyebrow, going, “General, we’re among friends here, you know that right?” The admonition carried with it an implicit command to reveal the name of the crew, before Curwin said with a sigh, “I am aware, Admiral. Besides, I suppose it would expedite things.”
Pulling out a small device, Curwin then pushed a few buttons upon it, and soon projected the image of a redhead with an athletic build and the BDUs of an A Squadron operator--though her countenance suggested otherwise. Additionally, another image appeared which would be familiar to Molnar--and certainly her splitting image.

General Curwin said gruffly, “Ms. Cassandra Cameron, Lieutenant Stacey-Lynn Odajima, this is General Curwin. Your presence is requested, and you can consider everyone in this room read in.”

The two saluted, and Ms. Cameron said, eyeing the assembly, “How can my associates and I help?” Stacey for her part looked about and said, looking at Molnar, “Mom? What’s going on? Business?”

Gywnie Goldenheart was curious about this strange reunion of family members as of late. Surely, this lightens up the day with a strange yet powerful Malgravean spy mage. “Ah, greetings Lt. Odajima. You made perfect timing for your Task Force to receive an urgent rescue mission.” Gywnie then followed up. “As Lt. Odajima is a part of one Mystic Guardian Operations to fight against planar threats and other dangerous tasks, with National Heroes like Glacia and Rosario, they’ll be of great help to rescue Princess Tynah, Lady Eyvel, and General Arthurus in the Boneyard. There are other soldiers who may be with them like Lyclyn who needs to be found and rescued as well.”
“I have heard of the successes of this Order,” Ares remarked, “If I recall, it includes warriors from across Mystria and beyond. Glacia Invernos has particular fame as one of the few remaining knights of Queen Aurora and the head of the Arctic Knights; she accompanied Princess Snow to meet with King Tyroth, which led to my group being hired for the Winter War. I believe I can put my faith in them to find the princess and her sister.”

“The successes of the Mystic Guardians have reached the ears of myself and my colleagues in the Arnwehr, with many of us having been quite impressed by their actions in Gamindustri and their part in saving the shadow Plane.. With them on the job, as well as the assistance of the teams we are sending….I am certain that Lady Tynah, the General, and her Grace. With that being said…” Pearse eyed Stacey and gives her a nod, * “If your team needs any assistance, be it material or in intelligence support, we would be more than happy to provide it.”

“Just business today, Stacey,” Molnar said her voice becoming audibly lighter and her demeanour switching from controlled neutral to quite pleased, “I have heard tales of the efficiency of this Glacia, and well as Rosario’s boss I know that she is also a competent addition to any team. I will be available to assist you in any rescue operation and assault on the compound of this Garyx, after just having reunited with my daughter I am not going to let some evil creature take her away.”

“Technically that evil creature is my aunt.” Lux quipped.

“Ouchie.” Miranda flinched. “So er you like bothered by that fact by any chance?”

“Nah.” Lux shrugged. “I accepted that cruel truth of the matter. The realm of primordial deities can be awful to the world of men, and it is tedious to change Garyx’s mind. If not impossible. Although it is a colorful discussion as a frozen hearted being, have some patience for it.”

“Irredeemable monster….” Nico muttered. She then looked sheepish as she looked at the others. “Pardon me, but I believe with Lux’s aid, we can get the blessings of the four goddesses of the ritual of imprisonment. I suppose a further success is the separation of the elf that is bound to her, given the material from the video.”

“Excellent.” Miranda then followed up. “I believe with these two plans and the cooperation from our friends, we can totally pull this off. Gywnie, this should be enough to perform those missions right?”

“There are enough resources we can pool to complete the two tasks together for our final goal.” Gwynie said. “If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. Otherwise, beyond this session this hour, we’ll draw out further battle lines and strategic positions for our lines. This includes the new frontline in Windrun and Glacier Mane in the next hour.”

“I shall trust in your plan,” Ares spoke up, “If we are able to rescue the princess, no doubt she will aid you going forward, and together we can win this war.”

[Malgrave]

OOC: written partly with Silverdale, thanks Lego!

New Snowdale, Silverdale

Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min sighed as she read the increasingly depressing reports in front of her, the neko rubbing her forehead in order to relieve some of the tension that had formed over the past few hours, of course, in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the large ice creature a sense of jubilation had flowed around the encampments of the 3rd Infantry Division, however, as the reports of injuries and losses continued to flow in that atmosphere had turned rather sour, and indeed only the presence of officials from the Ancestral Study Group had been able to raise morale amongst the conscripts.

Yet in spite of the fact that over one thousand of her fellow conscripts had given their lives to defend New Snowdale and the same proportion had been wounded the Junior Colonel knew that they wouldn’t be able to withdraw until the last civilian had been evacuated from the region, and even then the reports that were flowing in from the Royal Navy suggested that such a departure was becoming even more dangerous by the day.

It was this deteriorating situation that led to a concerned communication from Divisional General Yoon Se-ri, the individual in charge of the Malgravean contribution to Silverdale.

“Junior Colonel? I must say that I have been quite concerned with the reports I have been receiving over the past few days. Is the 3rd Infantry Division up to the task of securing the evacuation?” Se-ri said, the Divisional General getting to the point as soon as her holographic image appeared.

“We have suffered quite a few losses over the past few days, Comrade General, however the 3rd Infantry Division remains committed to ensuring that the civilian population of New Snowdale are evacuated safely,” Ji-Min replied before quickly, “If you could provide some manner of reinforcements though that would be quite welcome.”

“I am afraid that due to the deteriorating situation on the Silverdalean mainland and the increased presence of monsters on the high seas we can’t send a large number of reinforcements, however, I believe that we should be able to work together with the Dornalians to ensure that you receive a regiment of reinforcements which should go some way to covering the losses you’ve endured,” Se-ri said, the Malgravean already working to get the appropriate request sent off to her counterpart in the Dornalian Republic.

“I understand, Comrade General, even those limited reinforcements will have a great impact on the morale of the division.” Ji-Min said already picturing the renewed celebrations that would occur once the news broke.

“I am pleased to hear that, Junior Colonel. Just when do you think that you’ll be able to enact the final phase of your operation in New Snowdale?”

“I understand that the evacuation of the civilian population is virtually complete, Comrade General. As soon as that has been confirmed we should be able to oversee the evacuation of the Rohanian and Dornalian contingent here.” Ji-Min said.

“It is good to hear that, Junior Colonel,” Se-ri said, the Divisional General looking at some of the reports that had been delivered regarding the civilian evacuation, “I am certain that you’ve read the strategic assessment of the evacuation strategy,” the Divisional General said pausing slightly until she received positive confirmation from her colleague, “...but I will repeat that it is of the utmost importance that we continue to utilise the superior transport capabilities of the Dornalians for the foreseeable future, as while nationalistic desires might prevent others from taking the most optimal path forward it certainly won’t restrict us here.”

“Of course, Comrade General,” Ji-Min said agreeing with her superior, “I have been in consistent contact with the Dornalians since the start of our operations here and I have indicated our request for emergency transportation in the future,” the Malgravean said before quickly adding, “I have also made the Rohanians aware of our intention to hold the line here and passed on our recommendations based on our strategic assessment, however, I am not altogether certain that they’ll abide by such an option.”

Se-ri frowned at the latter admission, “It would be quite the disaster if the Rohanian Army was decimated during this evacuation, Junior Colonel. Let’s hope that they reconsider their position when confronted with the evidence, as they are certainly needed to take part in future operations on the Silverdalean mainland,”

Fjord Skadi, Silverdale

It had been a challenging time for the Royal Navy since the start of their intervention in Silverdale, as not only did the force had to contend with the increased risk posed by monster attacks but they also had to deal with the threatening weather, as the freezing temperatures, rough seas and icy waters threatened both crew and equipment.

In spite of the tough conditions against them, the Royal Navy had persevered utilising a combination of conventional arms and targeted magic to cut through the icy conditions and provide a safe harbour for shipping in the region, and limit the flow of monsters attacking positions on the Silverdalean mainland, a task that had been greatly assisted due to active psychic cooperation between the Dystan Navy and their Malgravean counterparts.

Yet the professionalism of the Royal Navy couldn’t avoid the inevitable fact that ships were getting damaged during these operations, and as a result, the Malgravean government had requested usage of the naval facilities at Fjord Skadi to organise important maintenance and repair operations. It also meant that the Royal Navy could engage in crew rotation without requiring the ship in question to return to the mainland, a measure that was already standard practice during peacetime operations but expanded upon during conflict due to the physical and emotional strains placed upon crew during combat operations.

HMNV Mistral was just one of these vessels, the Karlino-class Frigate had suffered extended damage during previous engagements, however, the arrival of reinforcements from the Research Colony had meant that these issues could now be fixed and a hive of activity could be seen around the ship, as everything from speciality cleaning crews to typical engineering teams went to work ensuring that all traces of the unfortunate remains of the sea creatures were removed from the ship and that damaged equipment was either repaired or replaced in time for the ship to rejoin active operations.

Frigate Captain Ornella Pesaro sighed as she watched the spectacle from her temporary office, the building she was in having been affectionately named the Ice Cube due to the antiquated heating system that had quickly proven to be the bane of many engineers until a local Dornalian engineer had managed to figure out a quick-fix using a paperclip and some fancy ancestral energy.

Before the war, Ornella had been told that the building had served as some manner of office for the service industry, however, it had been quickly commandeered by the Royal Navy to coordinate the administrative and strategic aspect of their operations in Silverdale, as while many liked to imagine that naval operations were focused primarily on combat it required a lot of administrative work to be truly effective.

“You do know that you’ll be back on the Mistral in a few hours, right?” a voice behind Ornella said, the figure wearing the uniform of a Corvette Captain, “When that happens you will be kicking yourself for not taking a chance to relax, tea?” the figure said carefully pouring the contents of a teapot into a cup

Ornella took the offered tea with gratitude, the jasmine-blend was originally from Crystal Spires but had become incredibly popular in Malgrave due to its recorded health benefits for those with MIDD, “I understand that Yeong-Suk and I was able to get a few hours sleep earlier. I just feel quite comfortable here watching the repairs, don’t you feel the same way about the Maestoso?”

Yeong-Suk idly nodded in agreement as she took a seat next to her colleague, “I suppose there is something relaxing about watching the ships but after growing up in Aurora I know that you can’t will on a faster turnaround time,” the Malgravean said as she looked out on the ships undergoing repair, a majority of them were frigates and attack submarines but at least one Paragon-Class Fleet Carrier was undergoing major repairs, “I am more curious about the new arrivals scheduled for today and how they’ll cope with the reality of war.”

“I understand that those being cycled in today have prior combat experience so they’ll handle it better compared to others,” Ornella said, the Frigate Captain referring to at least half a dozen individuals that had been sent back to Aurora to receive mental health treatment following particular nasty encounters with some of the more evil creatures lurking in the depths, “How are you faring?”

Yeong-Suk chuckled lightly at the question before responding, “I would say altogether I am doing quite well, Ornella. I have quite a proficient crew on the Maestoso, although it has taken some getting used to having a psychic link with a dragon.”

It was now Ornella’s time to laugh, the Frigate Captain covering her mouth with a gloved hand as she lightly giggled at a recent memory, “I didn’t think it would be possible for Dystans to be loud in psychic links but they managed to find a way,” Ornella said with a smile, “It has been quite invaluable in striking against those cursed monsters though.”

“You are quite correct, Ornella,” the Corvette Captain said stealing one more look towards the port before turning her attention more fully towards her counterpart, “I am rather tired of talking about conflict though, so let us talk of more pleasant things, so have you heard the latest rumours around Ancestral Guest House...”

Ice Haven, Silverdale

In the weeks leading up to the outbreak of violence in Silverdale, the Malgravean government had started to prepare for an expeditionary force to send to the region, with the 3rd and 5th Corp being activated for deployment on the Silverdalean mainland, however, such a process took a considerable period of time and this combined with the forces that had to be retained in the Research Colony meant that only the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Division could be initially deployed in the opening stages of the Malgravean operation.

As defensive operations continued in New Snowdale and Penguin City the 3rd and 5th Corp had eventually leaped into action, with the assets of the Royal Navy, the Merchant Marine and MalTra working together in impressive fashion to funnel the large number of troops and equipment that were required to support such military endeavours, with the 3rd Corp being immediately dispatched to assist the ongoing defence of Ice Haven.

In line with their general orders, both the 7th and 11th Infantry Division of the 3rd Corp had quickly gotten to work assisting the defensive efforts of their Silverdalean allies, with experts from the 2nd Engineering Brigade working to construct lines of trenches, new artillery positions and layered lines of mines to deliver valuable blows against the enemy and reduce the harm that could be levelled against allied soldiers and civilians.

In addition to bringing units to bolster the defence of Ice Haven, the 3rd Corp had also been tasked with coordinating several new counteroffensive operations designed to keep the enemy on their toes and give the defenders a bit of a break, with elements of the 3rd Artillery Brigade and the 9th Armoured Brigade working together to deliver calculated quick blows against the ice monsters before withdrawing behind defensive lines.

General of Corps Chae-Won Orsini backed away from the holographic display, a faint smile on her face betraying the more neutral tone that she was putting forward.

“You see, Comrade? I predict that the next few days and weeks will be quite a painful time for us but I assure you that the 3rd Corp shall do everything in its power to defend Ice Haven from attack,” Chae-Won told her Silverdalean counterpart, “...if only we had a special operations team to help us even the odds.”

Colonel Rudolph, a chirper Reindeerling buck who was slim and well built for a ‘air dasher’ with a lighting nose, gave a small smile to Chae-Won. “Comrade, I am glad to say there are special operation teams still open for redeployment to this lovely state. The 1st White Beret Battalion can be moved here to help conduct special operations to monster hunts. If we need something truly heroic, then I believe the Mystic Order can send a team to aid us, alongside superhero members of the Defenders to help as well.”

Chae-Won inclined her head slightly towards her Silverdalean counterpart, “It is quite fortunate that those in the 1st White Beret Battalion will be able to assist our operations, Comrade Colonel,” the Malgravean said her eyebrows rising in surprise at the latter revelation from the Silverdalean, “You have contact with those in the Defenders and the Mystic Order? It would be quite something if we could count on their support during a quick counter-offensive, at that point I would feel more confident lending units of the 3rd Corp for such an endeavor.”

“As the Defenders are in cooperation with the Armed Forces at this time, I believe such support from them is guaranteed. The Mystic Order however might be difficult at this time as I believe they’re restructuring… Or we'll go into a hidden forest patch for a new base. I can’t say for sure, but there should be a team who would accept our request.” Colonel Rudolph replied.

“If the Defenders are now working under the Silverdalean Armed Forces it would be prudent to call for their assistance during such a time, as I understand that the superhero team even has a speedster neko with Malgravean origins,” Chae-Won said remembering the numerous comics and short animated sequences that had popped up in her home country around the speedster neko and her Dornalian colleague, “I do not have personal contact with the Mystic Order, however, I believe that one of our intelligence figures has been able to contact them and should be able to rely our request for assistance.”

At that point Chae-Won motioned to the computer display before her, the MalTec computer showcasing the most recent intelligence from the region, a combination of information from satellite, drones and soldier reports.

“I have access to quite a wide-range of information here, Comrade Colonel, however, I have also learned that without local information that both the obvious and obscure can be underestimated or passed over. Just what can you tell me about the threats that we are going to face over the coming days?”

As Chae-Won uses her computer to gather the recent intelligence from the region, there were oddities beyond the usual stray ice monsters that attack the coasts. As if shadowy dark goatmen in the borders of the Reach, to the local cavaren of ‘friendly’ ice sprites. There was speculation of demons to the Host of Avala itself that comes to the state.

“As you may be aware, Ice Haven is the southernmost point to the Snow Sea and has a short distance from the South Pole. As history shows us, the state is one of the most affected lands of Silverdale, so we should expect the same pattern that’d repeat. I understand the navy has dealt heavy blows against the danger of monsters, but when the Long Night begins, I believe an ice bridge will be formed once again for all sorts of monsters reported from the South Pole. Hopefully, the Frozen Heart mare won’t appear once more to attack us… She's a powerful ice alicorn and the leader of the Snowmen.” Colonel Rudolph shivered. As if the presence of her is one being that shakes his heart to the core.

“If they advance in a similar fashion to their earlier offensives against those stationed in the South Pole then I believe that we should be in a better position to defend ourselves here,” Chae-Won said showcasing an image of a row of artillery placements being operated with the Malgraveans, with the addition of nearby alert troops to defend the crews if they came under attack from teleporting mages, “It has been recognised that teleporting battlemages pose quite a threat to rear-guard units so we’ve increased the number of protective units in this region in an attempt to counter that potential threat, including the deployment of our own soldiers capable of using ancestral-abilities.”

Chae-Won then moved over to Colonel Rudolph, the General of Corps placing an outstretched palm on the Silverdalean’s chest and using some of her own ancestral abilities to calm down his worried nature.

“You needn’t worry about this Frozen Heart, Comrade Colonel,” Chae-Won said with a slight smile, “You have quite the capable group of soldiers here, and remember that fortune favours the bold. If we could directly challenge this Frozen Heart then I believe this Mystic Order would be more willing to render assistance to our cause.”

“The Mystic Order should be able to handle this Frozen Heart, intend.” Colonel Rudolph spoke calmly. “While this defense line will be useful, I’ll make sure the second line of defense at the state’s border is prepared. We’ll have to face the enemy in all three coastlines, and hold Icicle Fall.”

“It shall be a difficult situation, Comrade Colonel, however, I am quite confident in the preparations that we’ve made for this battle, especially as the 7th Infantry Division that will be stationed at this secondary defensive line is regarded as being quite lucky,” Chae-Won said with a confident gaze towards her Silverdalean colleague, “In the meantime we’ll just have to look towards the guidance of the ancestors and the gods.”

[Legokiller]

❄️Icy Prison, ????
South Pole❄️

In the first age. The time of the primordials. The two snow ladies watched as the evergreen realm of Arcadia. Oh that dreadful day. She remembered it well. On how naive the snow lady Avala was. A period of calm and tranquility in the midst of winter. For a form of ‘love’ for nature. To coddle life.

No.

Before life must come destruction. It was the way from each calamity on the earth, to the point of extinction of many, for the next cycle of life to come. That of the strong and who can thrive can come from stagnation. Yet when the time came for Garyx to bring the next ice age, her sisters denied to give some ‘love’ to mortals that they freely ignored until some marvel deed came. Garyx was to free them from it… Yet she was ultimately defeated by her sisters and casted out into the icy abyss. Locked away for unto eons.

The icy chasm of her prison is weakened by every clawed mark by the great icy dragon. Time was short as even the elven body that Garyx was reborn struggled to manipulate the blizzards from her long hated enemy Avala. Even the discord of hatred weakened as the delusional Silverdaleans who revere nature that her wicked sisters created, and stepped away from the misdeeds of Cynthia and others. Yet the chains of the Icy Prison were chipped away with a few seals and barriers left to break free.

As the long night, the time of revenge will come. As she gazed upon the world, she called forth her greatest of wintry power to open a way forward to the Reach and commanded the White Dragons to go forth. Where the Battle of the Gods will begin!

---

USS Harmony,
Snow Sea

As the sun held above the icy seas echoed a sense of peace amongst the days of light. One that brought hope upon the crewmen of the USS Harmony Aircraft Carrier and its naval group from the constant battle. As its aircraft and operations destroyed the worst of the beasts and prevented further destruction upon the coastlines of the city. It was tiresome work, but the crew bonded as family in this crisis.

Such mortal bonds will be put into the test as the sun sets, and the long night begins. The Polar Night, where the sun lights briefly in the lands of Silver, while in the South Pole is covered in darkness for many weeks. A dark omen for those who remembered the terrors that stalked the night.

The dark blizzard, one that cracked with the dark primidroil energies of Garyx, struck forth upon the seas to rage violently. As the great waves crashed upon the decks of the carrier, an icy lightning bolt hit the water to freeze over the carrier itself. As the sea around the fleet turned into thick sheets of ice, the Harmony's crew did their best in order to perverse its craft and break free.

Yet the echoes of dragons and the legions of the ice monsters came forth. As the sea ice became wide and stretched across the waters, with channels and great blocks of ice, the hordes from the South Pole found its bridge to the mainland at the state of Ice Haven itself. The Aircraft Carrier Group, alongside other naval squadrons and task forces of the Silverdalean Navy, now entombed.

In a dire position, Admiral Bea of USS Harmony ordered the preparations to seal off all entrances from the deck upon their ships. All they can do is to barricade and armed themselves as the ice monsters ravage any who they can reach. The aircraft carrier itself can continue forth to produce heat, and with hope… the supplies will last long enough for rescue.

---

Icicle Fall

As the storm gathered into the Arctic Elf Homeland of Ice Haven, Lux traveled to the sacred grounds as her sister moved to Derpshire. It was the affairs of the land and its spirits that Lux was in charge of protection. As such, in the midst of the blizzard, she traverses through the woodlands to find the host of Avala, alongside others who were invited.

In the opening patch of snow under the great fir tree was the caravan of Avala. A nomadic band of fellow wintry spirits and druidic followers who came with a white ice herd of animals and other arctic creatures, with the led silver sleigh pulled by reindeer. The elven like yet pale ghosty snow woman inside a heavy parka dwelled upon the sky as Lux approached. Studious as she ordered the animals to stop.

“Hello!” Lux gleefully approached Avala and waved wildly. “Missed me?”

“Of course, Lux. You came just in time.” Avala smiled. “Our little meeting with the Winter Star is about to begin.”

A wintry gale swept through the area, as a figure emerged from the winds, a larger woman with somewhat darker skin, elven ears and flowing white hair, but was most distinguished by her draconic features, with silver horns, wings and a tail behind her. “Well now, you decided to show up after all. I was worried perhaps that you had other plans.”

Avala rose up from her sleigh and waze down to approach the dragoness. As she took off her colorful hoodie and whipped out her cyan ponytail, a warm fuzz arose as she gave the stranger a hug! “You have eluded me for quite sometime Chione. It is unfortunate that the world of men and dark actors sent the land into chaos. Nevertheless, you have come here as requested.”

Chione gave a smile and returned the hug to the lady of ice, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it, Avala? Obviously I’ve changed quite a bit; a lot of my followers call me Brasa when I’m like this, but Chione’s fine with me too.” She opened up her wings, “Sorry if I’ve been a little busy, but a lot of my warriors are fighting in this war, including some of my most treasured followers, so I had to offer my guidance. That said, of course I’d have some time to talk to you… and see how perhaps this all happened?”

“It is the folly of those who once again believed the power of my entombed sister would strengthen and break their weakness by destruction. It is nothing new Brasa. King Charlatan tried to build off of hate and supremacy of one being. Blackclover sought renewal of nationalism and evolution. Cynthia sought godhood and destruction. All failed as their hate consumed them and winter was unleashed as Garyx attacked once again. All with those who followed me and my sisters who failed to halt these idols until it is too late. The image of Cynthia is burned down… However beyond defeating my sister, I see not much reason to help civilization as I fear the same mistake would be repeated as even a greater disharmony would grow after this war.” Avala said.

“Ah yes, spoken like someone who lives in isolation with her little tribe rather than ruling a land,” Brasa frowned, “I understand your concerns, but I don’t live away from the people, I live with them. I know that there are bad people out there, I’ve encountered and even fought some,” she had met with Cynthia a few months prior to this, and it had been her hope to perhaps help her atone, but given her recent demise, that plan was dashed, “I’m planning to help the people directly with harmony. I have already saved Glaristant with my efforts, and I can help do it with Silverdale. There’s risks involved, yes, but what would you rather do, just go away with your tribe again?”

Avala gave a cold stare at Brasa, unamused by such comments. “As I always done: heal the land and confront my sister. The people on the other hand are ever changing with nations come and go in the passage of time. You may enjoy their lives, but you'd outlive them and their whole civilization.”

Brasa huffed a bit, but then she thought for a moment; she had heard of some of Avala’s past. “Because that’s happened to you, right? You had people you cared about deeply and lost them? So have I, Avala; I’ve lost children, lovers, friends… but I never closed my heart to others. Know why? Because there are always more out there; maybe a friend passes, but you know their family, or a child you have to remember your lost lover. It’s not weakness to care for others, Avala.” There was something else she had also realised, “Perhaps you are also worried you’d lose to Garyx in a direction confrontation? You don’t have to do it alone, y’know? There are many warriors here who could help.”

“Sure, my husband got corrupted and I killed in the dragon wars, and my sister began a hermit.” Lux gave an awkward pause for a second. “It was painful… However, outside of that mess of a nuclear bomb, Nico and I are one of the two beings who can help.”

Avala was a little flustered when Brasa mentioned her lost one and the prophecy. “It’s my responsibility by tradition of us Seasonal Sisters. I aimed to avoid a greater calamity of Garyx to directly assume control of winter and bring a greater extinction of the majority of life across the world…” She then froze and stared at Brasa for a second. “One to avoid a sudden loss of loved ones. You may have known that I lost my poor Jack in such a tragedy… However I understand that with you… No, I’m not sure if we can have that special night and fight side by side again.”

“And why not?” Brasa winked, “I’m sure you’re still quite sweet underneath the cold exterior. My warriors from both my land and Glaristant are fighting with all they can now, and I hear you’ve blessed a set of warriors yourself to help out, like that cute elfie who has my husband’s blade and her nice sister. Surely we two must do our part to help out too, right?” She took Avala’s hands into her own, “Wouldn’t you like to do that again?”

“I’ve gifted warriors who can endure winter and chaos, yes, and summon others to defend the land.” Avala then looked at Brasa carefully. “You undergo an unfamiliar metamorphosis, and many hearts beat together. Yet…” She took a deep breath. “It’s still you inside… So yes.”

Brasa took Avala into an embrace and gave her a kiss, “Aw, that’s the Avala I know! Yes, I am still Chione, regardless of anything else. Together with our followers and the likes of Luxie… heh, one of my top followers is also named that, but I think perhaps she was named after you… erm, sorry, lost track of things!” Brasa was just a little flustered from seeing Avala’s willingness to cooperate, “Ahem… as I was saying, let’s bring the true winter back to Silverdale.”

Avala huddled up and kissed her love dragon. “Why of course Brasa.”

“Hmm, well Avala, I suppose given Brasa and Chione’s presence in Silverdale it won’t be horrible.” Lux then gestured. “Now, about the chains to the Icy Prison? We’d need your blessings to help strengthen and seal it away.”

Avala nodded as she blew a flurry of snowflakes at Lux, and reform into a hand size snowflake. “Place this on the cracks of the chains, and it’d reform what was withered away.”

“Thank you lady Avala. Now I’ll assure you that the people won’t doom themselves with the same mistake. I’ll keep an eye on Ms. Songbird as I smell an odd vixen around.” Lux said.

Brasa blew a kiss, the energy forming onto the snowflake, “And a little extra reinforcement from me, Luxie. My warriors will help keep an eye on things while Avala’s work on their own mission. Now, Avala, sweetie, I hope you’re ready for us to team up again, I’ve learned a lot of new things since last time!”

“Then you must display these new found abilities.” Avala gestured over to the sky as the cries of white dragons that approached the caravan.

“Guess these dragons will have to meet their new Queen!” Brasa laughed, having higher spirits about the upcoming conflicts than before.

[Glaristant]

Sector Isvanel, Boneyard

The night had been one of merriment and celebration for the party as they danced, feasted and drank to their heart’s content, with the festivities lasting well into the early morning hours. For the members of the Mystic Guardians, their objectives successfully completed, it was time to return to Snow’s Palace for some well earned rest and relaxation. By contrast a few of the party’s allies had a far more difficult mission waiting for them in the next section of the boneyard. As the sun began to rise over the plaza of the Aterian court, Kyara sat waiting for her team by the entrance to Asyn’s realm, colossal silver gate emblazoned with a white dragon’s head with twin sapphire orbs. She could hear the faint roll of drums and the wail of a lone bugle echoing out over the wall, to which she could hear a few of the dead answering with their names and ranks.

If she recalled correctly, those who replied would be among the honored few petitioners who would meet with Asyn today to have their eternal fate decided. She sighed, “Hopefully, mother and Aunt Tynah haven’t joined their ranks by now. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see once we pass through to find out. Speaking of….” She looked up to see a few individuals approaching her, with her in particular focusing on seemingly hung over Ivrea who stumbled as she made her way to the gate. The still partially inebriated dragon elf collapsed on the bench next to her niece, occasionally taking a swig from a bottle full of an orange fluid that smelled vaguely of citrus and berry.

The duo were joined by a human-looking woman with black hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a dark blue garb; she seemed to be a bit out of breath, “Sorry for the wait! I got here as fast as I could; I couldn’t let Ey be rescued without me!” Karla Dragonlover was one of the Glaristanti Grand Duchess’s most trusted retainers, but due to matters at home, she had not been able to join her in the mission at the South Pole. “Good thing I was able to travel via Glaristant’s own network… please tell me I’m not too late.”

Karla Dragonlover was then joined by the duo of old war buddies from centuries long back in the ‘Revenge of the Shadow Dragon’ campaign. “Joy to be praised, friends!” The bubble gum long wavy haired catwoman pounced up towards the group. They can see the tannish woman was wrapped in a flexible black body skin armor, which was admittedly skimpy in comparison to the others. Yet she was still dodgy and flexible as her prime age as a catfolk. “I came here just in time to save my lovely princess.”

“That and she’ll need rescue from her sweet wife.” A small laugh came from the red priestess of Camille as she approached. They can see she wore red coated power armor, provided from her status as a noble woman of Glaristant, and carried a powerful flame sword on her side. Yet despite the somewhat threatening knight, Pyra’s kept her helmet off for her scarlet bob hair to flow. “I’m Lady Pyra, Marquess of Comberth. I hope I can assist you all today.”

They were then joined by a goatwoman wearing a white robe with red fringes, wielding an icy glaive, “Um… sorry if Glacia can’t join us, she’ll need a bit of time to rest. But maybe I can help in her stead? Oh, I’m Talva for those of you who don’t know me.”

Kyara chuckled as she saw the gathered group, seemingly somewhat amused by them, “Lady Karla, you needn’t worry as you have arrived just in time, if a bit early. Oh and of course it is good to see you both, Lady Flora and Maquess Pyra. I trust you were able to settle things with the Council before you left?” The tanager bowed to the three, before giving Talva a salute, “Aye. This is Talva. She proved to be quite the asset during Ivrea and I’s mission to help some silverdaleans rescue one of their Generals from Isvanel. Between her and you three, we should not have near as much trouble completing our mission than if it was just Ivrea and I. Speaking of…”

Kyara nudged the sleeping dragon elf, causing her to stir. She glared at the tanager before speaking, “Oh yeah….So I was able to talk to Issy last night about where the two of them are. From what he said, it sounds like the two of them are holed up in the middle of the Caligra Barrows. They’ve got a small underground settlement there where a few patronless souls are hiding from Asyn’s agathions there. Seems they’ve sheltered the two for the time being and from the look of things it seems like they’re not safe for much longer. Especially not with Asyn more or less having lost it with that demon horde cutting through her realm and sacking the tombs of her petitioners.”

Kyara spoke up again, “So yes, as you can see. We’ll be going into a rather hostile section of the Boneyard this time, with the agathions likely not to be as friendly as Isvanel’s servants are right now. So with that being said...we have two possible ways we can go about this. We can either try to negotiate with Asyn and her servants to allow us to extract them from the barrow or sneak our way in and force our way back to either Glaristant or Isvanel’s section. I am fine with either approach, but do be aware the presence of those not of the Asynite faith and oathbreaker will likely weigh against us in any negotiations.”

“W-well, I cannot say I am a member of the Asynite faith…” Talva’s lip quivered, “I am a cleric of Lady Avala, and, well, I do not believe any of us are of Asyn’s faith? You are a paladin of Brasa, Lady Pyra is a cleric of Myt-,erm, Camille, and, well… maybe we might have to take the more forceful approach? But what do you all think?”

“None of us are a member of the faith of Asyn, and with a paladin of Brasa around our chances of diplomacy might be small.” Pyra commented . “Then again, Eyvel turned away to become Asyn’s champion and became Brasa’s faithful. It’s a very slim chance.” She then smiled. “However, I may help convince Asyn to avoid any unnecessary trespassing and violence to rescue our beloved ones. There isn’t any bad ties between me and my goddess with Asyn, so she may listen to what I must say.”

Pyra then gave a glance at Karla. “Of course, I believe you have some good ideas to help convince Asyn to allow us to rescue our sweet Eyvel.”

“Well, naturally I’m in favour of stealth,” Karla winked, “I can turn myself invisible and sneak my way through, but that only really helps me. Combined with some smoke bombs, we should be able to use stealth, but only if you all can keep up with me.”

Ivrea smirked as she nodded in agreement with Karla,”Aye! Quite naturally I am in favor of stealth as well, especially given I did just sneak into her realm...So it should be no challenge at all!” She pouted when she saw Kyara rolling her eyes, “Fiiine, I guess we can also try Lady Pyra’s idea as well. Between my sed...er skills with diplomacy and Lady Pyra’s we should stand a good chance with that idea as well.”

“I concur with Pyra on this given that myself, her, and Talva aren’t really suited for stealth. While however small the chance may be, if we are successful in pursuing a diplomatic solution we may be able to extricate mom and Aunt Tynah with little in the way of losses.” Kyara said as she moved towards the gate. She looked towards Pyra and Karla, chuckling at the former’s comment, “Don’t worry on that end. I guarantee you Lady Karla has quite a few ideas tucked away for just such an occasion! You wouldn’t believe just how many preparations she has made in case you or mom end up needing to be rescued.”

“While it is a shame that the rest aren’t masters of stealth, I for one can traverse and blend in the environment. Not to mention make cat-like steps with no noise. So I’m your girl on this task as well.” Flora said.

“Oh?” Pyra’s eyes widen for a moment. “Then I guess Karla will show me such contingency plans in motivation when the time comes. Now, I suppose we’re in an agreement that we’ll solve this by diplomacy means yes? If so, I believe Kyara can show us the way to Asyn’s domain.”

“Sorry about that,” Talva blushed, the pudgy goatwoman being clearly not fit for stealth herself, “But I can indeed help with diplomacy. I admit that I have heard of Lady Flora’s prowess before; during that meetup between Cornerian and Dystan arena champions, she trounced all her opponents. If things go south, I’m glad to have her here.”

“Pyra might be selling herself short,” Karla winked, “Alongside Flora she fought alongside Ey and Tynah many times in the past, so if it comes to that, they’ll be really helpful to have along. I just hope I’m not a burden myself.”

Kyara nodded as she nudged Ivrea, the dragon elf huffing as she moved down the wall several dozen feet until she was out of sight from the guard tower. Clapping her hands and slamming to the ground a shimmering white portal large enough appeared for the entire party to pass through! Ivrea was the first through the portal followed by Kyara who looked back toward the party, calling out before she passed through, “Well? Come on we have a Princess and a Grand Duchess to save, so hop to it!” As the party passed through the portal they could see Ivrea and Kyara standing next to an iron monument depicting all manner a giant dragon with wings spread apart, under whose wings a a number of figures of tanager, sylph, and lamia clad in armor and wielding all manner of weapons marched away from a crowd of people bidding them farewell.

The pair looked out over a vast field of towering marble spires, polished silver tombs, and rows of simple iron grave stones between which flitted innumerable orbs of multifarious colors. To their north they could see a number of silver scaled draconals and kobolds working furiously to try to right several toppled monuments while others appeared to survey a scorched area with countless half melted graves, all the while they could hear the wails coming from a swarm of red orbs hovering above the charred graves. On the horizon they could see a series of towering silver spires gracefully rising from what looked to be a walled town beside a crystal like lake. Kyara chuckled as she looked out towards the castle, “Welcome to the Asynite section, or I suppose it would be more accurate to call it Mund. Right now we are in the fields of Valor, the resting place of those who died in Asyn's service."

Ivrea shook her head as looked at the horde of fluttering red orbs as they began to swirl around the draconals, their chanting growing louder, "Looks like the demons passed did a number on the graves of those petitioners. Must be quite angry if they're willing to harass the keepers like that."

“Oh, so this section was hit by demons too?” Talva gave a short prayer, before looking up, “I’d hope that things will be better now that we drove away their leader, but there could still be threats around.”

“At this point it’s not the demons I’m more concerned about,” Karla said, looking over at the celestials, “Let’s try not to ruffle more feathers than we have to.”

“Aye on both counts. From what I’ve seen this one of the more intact sections of Aysn’s realm, with most of it having been fairly badly damaged by the demonic incursion. Anyways, I’d rather not push our luck here, especially not with those draconals...let alone the petitioners….” Ivrea was cut off as they saw a trio of two avorals and a draconal clad in silver plate armor and wielding a mix of halberds and wicked looking sabers making their way towards the party. Without hesitation, Iri muttered a quick incantation as she held Kyara and Talva’s shoulder, causing them to disappear as she whispered, “Sorry you two, but we can’t risk either an oathbreaker or one such as you being caught. Pyra, I am going to need you and Karla to work your magic here to see if we can win them over. They’re going to be grilling you, but given your celestial blood and ties to Camille you should be able to convince them we mean no harm. Same goes for you, Lady Karla.”

The dragon elf went quiet as the draconal moved toward the party, his eyes seeming to regard the three women with barely hidden contempt. “Halt….you mortals trespass in the realm of Lady Asyn, Goddess of Time. Why do ye tread through the realm of the dead when ye are neither celestial nor petitioner?”

“Greeting servant of Asyn.” Pyra bowed as she allowed her fiery wings to spurt. “I am Pyra Arnhiem, high priestess of the Light Mother Camille and a celestial Emberkin. We have come to have an audience with Lady Asyn as it regards to both the wellbeing of our family and the faiths that bond between us. It’s a grave matter that required us to enter this realm.”

Karla seemed a little more nervous, but she allowed her own feathery wings to appear, “Yes, and I am Karla Arnheim, servant of Glaristant’s rulership. We have heard that the current ruler of Glaristant is being held here, and we wish to discuss matters with the Lady Asyn.”

The draconal said nothing as he listened to the pair, a smile cracking his otherwise stoic facade as he heard the name Arnheim. He gave a hearty laugh much to the surprise of his two subordinates who looked towards each other and their boss in confusion, “Oh is this not grand, Varna and Taisch? Here we are just having a debate on how best to deal with those interlopers and now a solution plops itself right into our laps. Truly this is a most auspicious day.” The servant bowed as his own golden feathered wings unfolded from his back, “I am Seylon, Warden of the Fields of Valor and servant of the Lady of Time. Be at ease as you are in the company of a friend who seeks the same you do. Based on your name, you are Lady Eyvel’s bondmates I presume? If so then you have arrived just in time as Lady Asyn has sent a detachment of her knights to clear out the barrow in which she and a princess of Dyste are being sheltered by a band of lost souls. Provided you are willing to help me convince Lady Asyn to stay her hand, I will take you to see her and hopefully you are able to change her mind as….right now she is seeking to level a harsh punishment on your beloved for her past sins.”

“We are her bondmates and wives, yes.” Pyra then nodded with a bright smile. “In fact, given our goals are in line, we’ll happily help you convince Lady Asyn to change her mind. Surely you’d agree this little incident does not desire a harsh punishment.”

“And what of the princess?” Karla asked. “We have with us here her faithful servant from Dyste, and surely Asyn is not wishing to harm one of Bahamut’s chosen warriors?”

Seylon nodded as he and the other two knights turned on their heel, motioning for the party to follow behind them, “Indeed. My...mistress is admittedly somewhat dogmatic in her view of Eyvel’s past sins, but I do believe speaking with the two of you will help convince her. And I am glad to hear it.” Seylon chuckled at the mention of Tynah, “Ah yes, the Princess of Dyste. She is of less concern to Asyn than the oathbreakers, but my mistress did specify that the knights were to bring her back to the palace unharmed after the lost and Eyvel were dispatched.Regardless if you are able to convince Asyn to stay her hand against those in Barrow, I am willing to bet she will allow the Princess to go with you unharmed. Now...I am sorry to cut our conversation short, but time is of the essence. So please if you would, follow me….”

The party made their way out of the Fields of Valor, occasionally having to dodge the souls of angry petitioners who tried in vain to attack them(with Seylon occasionally having to stop to repel them.) They passed through the countryside of the realm seeing the occasional slain servant or damaged town before at last they found themselves at the gates of the silver palace they had seen from the graveyard. The gate to the palace opened to reveal a cathedral like grand hall with with polished silver and golden fixtures, massive stained glass windows depicting an ever changing array of scenes(from knights doing battle, the asynite faithful, the goddess meeting with other deities, and even as of yet to occur events), and all manner books fluttering about. At the far end of the hall lay an iron font from which could be heard countless voices speaking at once, all the while the party could the souls of dozens of petitioners hovering above it as they awaited their judgement. Yet as they made their way to the font they could hear the heavy metallic foot falls rapidly moving toward them, causing them to look up to see a towering platinum scaled tanager flowing white hair scrutinizing them. The white armored behemoth’s azure eyes seemed to regard them with a hint of curiosity, all the while Seylon and co knelt as he spoke, “My king, I beg your forgiveness for this intrusion but I have brought guests who seek your favor. They wish to earn the right to retrieve the oathbreaker and the princess of Dyste who inhabit the Caligra Barrow. Will you hear what they have to say, your eminence?”

The goddess knelt and eyed the party, all the while with a snap of her fingers she caused the invisibility spell Ivrea had placed on Kyara and Talva to dissipate. Her eyes narrowed as she beheld the tanager and goatwoman, “It is not enough that an oathbreaker and mortal trespass in my realm and defile the resting place of my most cherished servants. Now...now you bring yet another faithless one into my very court during a petitioning? Surely you are either quite bold or very foolish, mortals. Normally I would see you suffer a stiff penalty for such transgressions, but given what you are here for...I am willing to make an exception this time provided you can make a convincing case as to why I should permit you passage through my realm. Now...you, emberkin, plumekith, and beastkin, state your case.”

“Why thank you Lady Asyn.” Pyra gave a light nod. “This is a bold move for my case, as I respect the boundaries and laws of your realm, and would not trespass without a good reason. In this instance, I must plead my request as my wife and Deirifain did no ill-will for an accident out of their control.” Pyra then added. “As I was informed from what happened in Silverdale, the two were in the depths of an underground lich’s lair on its way to being collapsed, and they had an injured general at hand. From this desperation, they used an unpredictable spell called ‘Anywhere from here’ that tosses them to this Boneyard. I assure you that the natural of this spell is… random to say the least. As they can just as landed in the depths of the Abyss, to the Utopian Realm of Mechanus, the lustrous lands of Light, the elemental planes, and others with bonds of peril. This spell would’ve been cast with such acknowledgement from them as it was an emergency to save their lives.”

Pyra gave a sharp gaze at Asyn as she thought of her words carefully. “As my wife and Deirifaian lacked any means to escape back in the planes and the demonic invasion that occurred, they’re likely forced to seek shelter in the barrows until rescue. Despite her oath broken to your faith, she’d not cause any defilement to your realm and would wish to avoid any damage to your loved realm. As such she’d be innocent and warrant no harm upon her wellbeing. As for us…” Pyra then said. “I myself, alongside my companions, will respect the laws in place and restrain from any loot to disruption of petitioners to your faith in order to rescue Eyvel and Tynah to bring them back to Earth. It’ll be swift and painless.”

Karla gave a bow to Asyn, “Indeed, our only wish here is to retrieve Lady Eyvel and Princess Tynah, and be on our way. Regardless of how you may view them, they happen to be chosen warriors of Queen Brasa and King Bahamut, respectively, and any harm brought upon them would cause them grave concern. Of course, alongside Lady Flora, they are amongst the strongest warriors in the region, but even here the longer they wait, to more peril might become unto them.”

Talva, for her part, bowed to Asyn, “My apologies, Lady Asyn, but my companion felt my presence would be troubling. That said, I am a cleric of the Lady of Winter Avala. In my dreams I have heard messages from her, and it is clear that if we are to triumph against the forces of Garyx we need their aid. The continual winter will spread beyond Silverdale until it consumes the world unless she is stopped.”

“Nya, and the mortal realm needs all the heroes it can get!” Flora spoke up. “My sweettail Tynah may thirst for challenge and battle, but many of those fights are there! Not in the act to cause trouble in your soil. So there is no need to get feisty while we picked Tynah up and her half sister over this incident.”


Asyn said nothing as she listened to the quartet, her golden orbs seeming to pierce each of them as they made their case, “I am admittedly less concerned about the manner that brought them here than I am about their continued presence in a restricted portion of my realm, even morseo given that they have taken refuge with a band of malcontent souls. It is my fear that they may have fallen for said band’s….treachery and may seek to defend them. In which case, I have little recourse but to resort to less than diplomatic means to drive them out.” The goddess laughed at Pyra’s mention of innocence, “Oh your wife is far from innocent, my little peri blooded mortal. That tanager of your’s is soaked in the blood of thousands that perished either at her hand or via the blades and bullets of her men, a total which mind you does not include the lives her rule has taken over the past twenty years. Lie to yourself if you must, but do not lie to me. Regardless….There is truth in your words in that she knows better than to try and harm my realm, as even one as foolish as she is not so witless enough as to defile my realm.”

The goddess closed her eyes as she listened to Karla, all the while Seylon moved to her side and whispered something in her ear, “Ah, I see. While I am not fond of that supposed Mother of Dragons, I am well aware that she and Bahamut’s chosen play a key role in that which has yet to unfold. I have been observing the events of the past few weeks with a keen eye and know well enough what awaits should you and your cohorts fail. A frigid world of endless ice and marauding soulless monstrosities battling what few embers of civilization manage to cling to life in a futile struggle. Your errand I will not hinder, provided you are willing to agree to the task. In exchange for granting you passage through my realm, I wish to see you cleanse the souls that lie within the barrow. Many are unable to move on due to the lingering pain and attachments to their mortal misdeeds. Do this and you will prove your sincerity to me.I trust this arrangement is acceptable?”

“Eyvel is innocent in the case of this little incident, but I know she isn’t a saint.” Pyra witted. “She did unsavory deeds, yes. But I won’t abandon her because of it as she means so much to me.” Pyra then pondered about the little task. “This is most acceptable, yes. I’ll see to it that Talva and I purify their souls, in exchange for passage.”

Talva bowed her head, “Indeed, Avala’s cleansing gale will be up to the task of purifying souls. And if we run into any problems, Lady Flora’s prowess in battle is sure to help; aside from the princess, she has never lost a match.”

“Very well, it is decided then. I will have Seylon lead you to the barrows to complete this task, as well as rescue your comrades. May you be successful in your endeavor and do be warned….I will be watching. Now go and best of luck” Asyn said as she dismissed the party, all the while returning her focus to the petitioners who awaited her, before turning back to Pyra, “Fair enough, I suppose. Perhaps...perhaps you will end up proving me wrong about her.”

[Dyste]

(OoC: Second half of the previous post, co-written with Glaristant, Malgrave and Legokiller)

Seylon for his part rejoined the party and began to guide them out of the palace and towards the barrow. The journey itself took several hours, with the path to the barrow taking the party through verdant lowlands of Asyn’s realm, passing yet more countless marble and granite monuments before passing over an arched stone bridge into a thick copse of trees. As the trees thickened a dense fog began to roll in, all the while Seylon withdraw a blue lantern from within his cloak as he motioned for the party to follow behind him, “My apologies, but mortals can become fairly easily lost on the path to Calirga. Doesn’t help that the thickets here to tend to have some of Ithreia’s pets prowling about. Just stick behind me and we’ll make it through…Watch out!”

Seylon and Ivrea ducked as three gyrfalcons with bodies as white as snow dove towards them, just barely missing them before swooping back over the rest of the party before Seylon drove them with a burst of azure flame from the lantern, “This is part of the reason why her grace tends to take umbrage with you mortals venturing outside the Aterian court as the wildlife in this area is all too eager to target you. Regardless….I must say I am quite impressed that you lot were able to convince her. I had figured she would have expelled you from the realm or at the very least turned you down. In particular you three….” the agathion pointed to Pyra, Talva, Flora, “Seemed to have made quite an impression on her. It’s not often she takes a shine to mortals, but you three are among the rare few to have that honor. Whether it was your devotion or the spark of wisdom within you, I cannot say, but well done. Ah...here we are.”

The party after having walked for what seemed to be an eternity at last emerged from the fog, their eyes drawn to a towering stone edifice flanked on either side by two weather looking figures of a tanager knight and a mage. The colossal statues were separated by an imposing stone staircase leading to an iron gate bearing the sigil of Asyn, all the while one could hear faint whispers coming from within. As the party neared the steps, Seylon halted and spoke, “I am sorry, but this is as far I can go. Deep within you will find Princess Tynah and Lady Eyvel, but do be warned there is something foul within its confines. I am not sure what, but I can detect it from here.”

Kyara for part seemed somewhat unfazed by the agathion’s warning, eyeing the barrow as she pondered what lay ahead. Looking back to Pyra she spoke, “It looks we have our work cut for us in the barrow, ey Mom? Anyways, I can just barely make out Aunt Tynah and mother’s presence from within, but there’s something getting in the way of it.”

As Kyara finished speaking a new voice could be heard nearby, quite confident in tone and clearly of Malgravean in origin albeit one that sounded closer to pre-exodus recordings instead of that of the current era

“I certainly hope that you weren’t referring to me when you mentioned that foul aura, Comrade” Molnar joked idly cleaning something from a small fighting-dagger before she returned it to its storage location with a sigh recognising the seriousness of the situation in front of them, “I....understand the pain of losing a family member, so I will do my best to aid you in this undertaking. You said you sensed some interference near your mother and Aunt Tynah? Can you describe it?”


Talva meeped, “O-oh, there you are, Molnar! … for a moment I thought perhaps you went back with Mom and the others…”

“No, I knew she was following behind us the whole time,” Karla rolled her eyes, “I’d be a pretty poor ninja if I didn’t notice that.”

“... should you even be telling us that, then?” Talva blinked. “Well, I am certainly glad we have more help, since Mom’s team had to leave. But sorry, getting off track there…”

Molnar blinked for a few seconds as her focus switched between the pair, the Malgravean had worked with foreigners for quite a while now but occasionally their different mannerisms tripped her up.

“I recognised that you seemed quite focused on reaching your final destination, reasonable given the stakes,” Molnar said, a gentle smile on her face as she appeared to be more carefree and relaxed compared to earlier, “I didn’t want you to get caught out so I merely provided an overwatch service, apparently one only detectable by your ninja here but that is quite understandable as they are masters of being unseen and seeing the unseen.”

“Right now we have to determine what foul entity is between us, and our final destination. Kyara, do you have any clue on what it is and capable of?” Pyra asked Kyara.

“No, while your aura is less than ideal you are far from possessing the repugnant presence this entity carries.” the tanager gave Molnar a smile before turning to Pyra, “As I said, I cannot quite make out what it is exactly, but it seems to be some sort of wraith. If I had to hazard a guess it most likely a spirit of vengeful follower of asyn or a corrupted petitioner. I have encountered something similar in the past which was...able to manipulate the minds of those it encountered, but...aside from that I do not know. We’ll just have to be careful, Aun..er Lady Pyra. Same goes for you Aunt Karla”

Ivrea for her part seemed unconcerned about the entity, with her instead making her way to the entrance of the barrow and kicked down the heavy iron door to it. A deafening wail could be heard coming from the barrow’s depths all the while a booming female voice shouted, “GAHAHAHA! "Foul Creature! You cannot withstand my strength!" The dragon elf chuckled at the voice, “Well now, seems like sis is alive and well! Come on, let’s go!” Ivrea took off into the barrow with her .45s drawn all the while Kyara cursed, “Damn her.”

“That wraith doesn’t scare me!” Flora chuckled as she pounced forth into the Barrow. “Tynah, here I come!”

“Well-” Pyra blushed. “Those two had a lot of energy.” she then spoke up. “Alright, let’s stick together and catch up with those two. A single wraith won’t hold up against us.”

“Perhaps, Aunt Pyra but we shall see. Regardless, let’s get moving.” Kyara said as she drew her falchion, leading the remainder of the party into the barrow. As they made their way through the barrow’s antechamber, a dusty room filled with statues of the tanager kings, murals of tanager knights, all the while they could hear the retorts of Ivrea’s pistols from deeper within the barrow along with the continued roars of Tynah. Deeper and deeper they delved into the depths of the catacombs, all the while their vision began to dim as the torches lining the tunnel’s walls faded into a pitch black nothingness. The party could feel the temperature becoming bitingly cold as they could feel the wind picking up, as what had been a slight breeze turned into a howling gale.

They wandered in the dark for what seemed like hours, their only relief from it being the occasional glimmer of light from the passing souls of angered petitioners, until at last they saw the pale glow of a green flame flickering up ahead. “Oi...looks like we’re near the end of the catacombs. It just has to be.” she said as she heard the cries of Tynah and Ivrea growing louder as they passed through the flame, only to emerge into the charred remains of a formerly lush garden. Looking up they could see the burning remains of what appeared to be the Crescere Palace in Glaristant, it’s stately verdant jade walls covered in layers of black soot as flames could be seen burning out of control through its blasted out windows. Kyara’s seemed taken aback at the site of the seared ruins of her former home and the carnage around her, but said nothing as she led the group onward. The party made their way through the cindered ruins of the garden, stepping over countless scorched corpses and weapons as they followed the sounds of Tynah’s voice, until at last they were finally able to see Tynah atop the blackened ruins of the Palace’s chapel’s roof. She swung her signature golden axe, Aurik, at an ashen skinned batlike creature with wicked razor like talons. The creature struck back with its free hand while in its other it cradled the mangled body of a lithe yet toned human girl who looked rather like Molnar.

At the foot of the chapel next to its great silver doors they could see Ivrea staring down an individual clad in a flowing red dress with fiery red bob hair, said individual's eyes glowed a fierce shade of crimson. At her feet lay the motionless body of a black and copper scaled tanager who appeared to be clutching a soot covered medallion with an emerald embedded in its center. Upon seeing the corpse, Kyara’s eyes widened, “M...mother?! What...what ...no this can’t be...I...we would have felt her if she was dead” Upon hearing the tanager Ivrea glanced back towards her and shouted, “Oi! About time you lot got here, but looks like we’re a tad late….That being said...at least we can put down her killers...Look out!” the dragon elf ducked as she crimson haired woman launched two searing jets of flame, one towards her and the party. Ivrea for her part narrowly avoided being consumed by the flame, while luck seemed to favor the party as the other jet went wide and missed them. Kyara, who just barely managed to pull herself together, shook as she looked towards Pyra, “No….mom...it can’t be. and...Is that Aunt...Pyra”

Karla helped Kyara duck away, “C’mon, Kyara, you know that can’t be her! She’s with us right now! You can’t be fooled by such an obvious trick! But… is it?” Karla couldn’t tell if it was real or not!

“I would say… more like an illusion… albeit an effective one,” Talva said, still concerned that in spite of the intent being fake the actual attacks could still be real. That said, she easily could tell it was an illusion.

“It is a rather strange situation that we find ourselves in, friends,” Molnar said switching terminology as she didn’t know how comfortable her companions would be with being referred to as comrades.

Molnar moved to comfort Kyara in some manner and investigate the scene, however, her movements were stopped when her gaze fell upon a body of an individual that looked quite like the Malgravean, “....Stacey? It can’t be true...I would’ve protected you,” the Malgravean said her voice breaking slightly before she turned and bowed to the group, “...I must learn this myself.”

At the end of her last comment Molnar transported herself to the top of the chapel roof, the Malgravean moving with quick precision to unleash a barrage of attacks against the monster using her skills in telepathy to physically crush the limbs of her opponent and elementals to slash away with fire and ice

“I swear that I will get retribution for the crime that you’ve committed against my daughter in this life or the next,” Molnar said as she aimed to link up with Tynah and aid her in her fight.

Flora pounced and rolled out of the way of the flames of fire in order to climb her way up the walls to the rooftop! All determined to give a good kitty punch against this ‘Stacey’ who was engaged with her mother.

Pyra on the other hand was taken back as she witnessed the Crescere Palace consumed by an inferno of her… creation. “No… This can’t be...” She yelped as the flame jet crashed into her and tossed her aside. Her flesh was more hardly against the flames, but it did leave a mark on her armor.

Pyra’s doppelganger chuckled as the flame jet tossed her other self aside, all the while she used her free hand to suspend the unconscious form of eyvel in a wreath of flamel, “How quaint….you think this is just an illusion, don’t you? Well me, ...I am afraid this is very real….Watch…” The doppelganger let loose fiery serpent from her left hand, it wrapping itself around pyra, all the while she moved towards her other self. As the snake bound the Marquess, she could feel its heat searing through her armor as its outer layers slowly burned away, “You have kept me at bay for more than five hundred years now, despite my best efforts to force you to see reality. Surely you must know that despite how much you may wish it, you cannot deny that the life you have lived here with this loathsome creature has been in contrast to what it is you truly want. You wish to be free of the restraints Camille, Eyvel, and those in Glaristant have placed on you, to give in fully to the desires within your blood. This is what you’ve craved for centuries, to be free to fully give yourself over to your deepest urges. Now you have the opportunity to do so, why not take it. All you need do is just dispose of the last thing holding you back…”

Kyara for her part glared at her mother’s body, all the while occasionally casting glances to Pyra, “You can’t buy into what she’s saying Aunt Pyra….You know very well that you left that part of you behind centuries ago after you met mom and you two built a life together. Surely the bond you two built and the family you have together is far more powerful than whatever your periblood is offering…”

“I may have wished for freedom to burn my pains away… But this is not what I truly wish for!” Pyra cried out. As she used her magic to perform pyrotechnics, her eyes analyzed the fiery serpent structure and snapped her figer to cause it to turn it into smoke. As landed on the ground, she shook her mind as such a ridiculous urge to destroy and cause pain was nonsense. That was when she saw the truth of the room and her evil self disappeared from her eyes. She also noticed what Molnar and the others were fighting.

“Guys! That isn’t Stacey! It’s some draconian being.” Pyra cied out.

“O-oh, of course,” Talva gasped, but her common sense won out; she knew it couldn’t be Stacey, she had been with them prior before withdrawing with Glacia’s group. With a short prayer, her body became like an ice statue; much like Princess Snow, the priestess could take on an icy body, protecting her from weapon attacks and the cold. Summoning a gale around her, she brandished a glaive made of holy ice, ready to take on her foes.

The draconian narrowed its eyes as Talva took on her icy body, all the while a red mist rolled out from behind it. The mist swirls around Pyra, Karla, and Ivrea, completely enveloping as they become bombarded by past memories of the destruction of her home for Pyra and the awakening of her powers, to the failed mission she had undertaken with Eyvel to hunt down the vampire which had killed the duchess’s closest subordinate interspersed with images of her broken body. The two screamed as the images swirled around them, while Ivrea for her part said nothing through the mist as she seemed to be completely petrified. The draconian chuckled as it saw its handiwork, all the while it summoned forth a number of ashen scaled tanager clad in gray uniforms and armed with lethal looking rifles with dagger like bayonets.

They took up a crescent formation around the draconian knight as they leveled their weapons at the party, all the while the party could feel a foul, almost repulsive aura emanating from them. “One must truly marvel at how easy it is to sway the souls of the dead to turn against the living. Simply bend the truth a tad and it works wonders. Now, where were we...Oh yes” The draconian knight chuckled as it sheathed the falchion it had previously been using, summoning forth a tarnished silver axe in its place, “With those three little pests dealt with, I can give you lot my undivided attention. And I must say it seems I’ve lucked out in getting my choice of potential hosts now that wretch has served her purpose. The question is who to pick….The warrior brat of Dyste, the arena kitten, or the goat maid. Of course, I could always take the wretch’s daughter as well….Tough choice…”

“Host? To you!?” Flora made a gagging sound as if coughing up a hairball, “Sorry, but I’m not interested. I made a promise to my princess to stay by her side, and I don’t intend to break it.”

“O-oh, my apologies,” Talva blushed, “But… I have too much to live for to be used by you in such a way. After spending so much time away from my family, I have just reunited with them, and I cannot allow you to ruin that.”

The two were joined by a roaring laugh, “GHAHAHA!” As Princess Tynah held up her own axe, Aurik, “Did you really think you could take my consort or my niece after tormenting my sister for so long? You are as foolish as you look, it seems! Come now, to battle! We cannot allow the others to wallow in despair while this being tries - and fails - to take us over!”
Pyra yelped as the images of her worst moments flashed before her eyes, and flinched back. “By Camille…” She paused as she tried to straighten. “That was a good jump scare!” It’s been centuries since her youth and she wasn’t haunted by the events in the distant past. Yet her sharp eyes focused on the red mist as she used her magic to analyze its structure and use a dispel magic to vanish a key component of the mist’s liquid to vanish away. AS she got a clear few of the dracon, she drew out her flaming blade. “However, it was a cheap trick that even the muses like Thalia would have thought of something better fiend.”

"I would not be so quick to boast if I were you, Peri blooded. After all, that trick served its purpose in keeping you distracted just long enough for me to contend with your two friends there. Ladies, if you will….kindly dispose of the emberkin.” the draconian smirked as she watched Karla and Ivrea move to engage Pyra. Ivrea for her part took aim at Pyra with her .45 pistols, targeting her hands and head with a few rounds before following up with a blast of cold breath. Karla meanwhile disappeared in a puff of smoke as two smoke bombs detonated around the emberkin. Through the smoke, two short swords slashed at Pyra’s stomach before being followed up with a flurry of punches.

As her puppets engaged Pyra, the draconian and her troops moved to contend with the remainder of the party. The front row of tanager fired a volley of silver bolts from the rifles towards Flora and Talva, with two of the bolts managing to hit their mark as the tore through the pair’s armor! Flora was hit by another bolt as the tanager wraiths reloaded, all the while the draconian breathed an arc of cold breath at Tynah before locking at axes with the princess, “Torment her? Hah...you truly didn’t know your sister did you. Fool, I merely subsisted off the turmoil she had created for herself. Between the self loathing she had for the mistakes she made that killed these souls here and her failure to kill the vampire that claimed her daughter’s father, she provided me more than ample sustenance with the torment she put herself through. She was an ideal host during that time….but that damnable dragon queen saw an end to that. Still….it seems like your niece will make a more than adequate replacement…”

Flora tried to use her incredible dodging skills to avoid the bullets, but there were too many even for her to avoid them all. Talva meanwhile wasn’t much of an evader, but the armor she wore under her robes didn’t seem to protect her.. But the icy body did manage to lessen the blows upon her body. Flora hissed, “H-hey, no fair! Okay, that’s enough, I’m gonna have to come over there and knock some sense into you! With a flip, she got into the middle of the troops, attacking the wraiths with a flurry of blows, while Talva focused on healing the wounds caused by the attack.

Tynah, on the other hand, had a different challenge ahead of her as she had to brace herself for the draconian’s attack, “Oh wow, you must be rather foolish to try and cross weapons with me! It appears you have not learned much from being inside my sister’s head if you think your tricks shall work on a foe such as me! What was it she said about me? Oh yes… I am too stubborn to know when to quit.”

Pyra used her fiery wings to soar up into the air to do her best to dodge the bullets, and land down to cast a jet of fire to counter the cold breath! Yet as bullets struck her arm, she was unable to defend much against Karla’s blows! “Ack!” Pyra tumbled over from the last of the blows. “By the warm lights of Camille, go your violence. Peace and community triumphs over violence. Hear my words!” Pyra said as she gestured out the sign of peace as her cast spell magic at Ivrea and Karla to cease further attacks!

Ivrea and Karla fell still as the spell washed over them, the two saying nothing as they ceased to move. While Karla more or less remained still, Ivrea by contrast struggled to move before at last breaking free from the effects of Pyra’s spell after a few moments. She closed the gap between her and the emberkin, muttering a few words in draconic as she hurled two pale white orbs at Pyra. The orbs impacted at her feet, causing ice to begin growing at a rapid rate around her.

“Admittedly you are stubborn yes, but that was not what I was referring to when I said you did not know your sister. ” the draconian muttered as sof her tail to glow in a sickly green flame, before striking Tynah in the stomach with the flaming appendage. A deep gash opened across the site of the strike, all the while the draconian took the opportunity to get in one more strike at Tynah’s right shoulder with her flaming tail. Yet another deep wound opened across Tynah’s scales as the knight began to push her back, “Princess….Do not insult me, I know you well enough to know that you tend to rush head long into battle without taking the time to assess your opponent. It was always a flaw of yours, one your sister made due note of. Honestly, do you think she or I would be stupid enough to go toe to toe with you without a plan?”

With that the knight whistled as two more tanager soldiers appeared on a ledge above the pair and took aim at Tynah, with one managing to land a clean hit on Tynah’s muzzle despite the other missing. The draconian chuckled once more as she broke the blade lock and swung her axe towards Tynah’s left arm as crimson aura began to surround her, emanating a palpable feeling of evil from her, “I call upon thee, thy foul entities and unholy denizens of the abyss. Grant me your strength in my hour of need. Aid me as I seek to drive out this bringer of light from my home.” she cried as the axe head cut deep into Tynah’s limb. The creature moved to make yet another strike against the princess with her axe, but was halted as she was struck by a shotgun blast from Kyara, who shouted, “Get away from her, you craven!"

“GAH!” Tynah felt the pain on her limb, dropping Aurik in the process, but grasped the jewel on her cloak when Kyara gave her an opportunity to breathe; the axe wound had closed up. While still injured, she gave a grin to the creature, “Oh, I understand my sister better than you ever could, foul creature. She can be stubborn, self-righteous, manipulative, vindictive so intent her way is right; long before you festered, she complained about focusing some of her talents on healing instead of slamming things with Argente. But she was always the daughter of Tyroth Blackfang, and even in her darkest moments she was looking to protect people from the likes of you. Now, myself on the other hand, I am not subtle in the slightest; what you see is what you get. Of course, that does not mean I am without tactics or strategy, as anyone caught in a pincer attack might realise,” the gem on her cloak glowed brightly as she threw a punch at the creature, the shockwave from her attack blasting right towards it, while on the opposite side, a pink-haired kitty popped up to smack the being from behind!

Unlike the other members of the party, it seemed that the wraith had a special foe in mind for Molnar. She finds herself under attack by two foes, the vampire from earlier and a decrepit version of her daughter armed with her trusty type 56.. The pair move to engage the SIS agent, with Stacey opening fire with her rifle as the vampire flanks her to attack with its lethal looking claws. Additionally, two of the tanager soldiers take potshots at Molnar trying desperately to hit her with silver bolts from their rifles, but missed.

“You have severely miscalculated if you think that trying to trick me with images of my own daughter will make me weaker,” Molnar said, the SIS agent muttering something to herself in Malgravean Ancient as she prepared a magical counterattack of her own, “I have already inflicted enough pain on myself for my failures, now it is time for you to reap what you’ve sown here today.”

At that point Molnar would move herself out of harms way before unleashing a sphere of radiant light that would explode between the vampire and the fake version of her daughter.

Pyra grunted as her feets were tied down by Ivrea’s magic and she had to think fast! As her body heat, even as a peri blood, would have to contend with the ice biting cold. “Foul magic.. Begone from my love and friends!” Pyra tossed a small fiery orb to disrupt Karla and Ivrea to hopefully dispel the magic that allowed the wraith to control them! Of course it’d remove her spell on them as well. That was reasonably what she could do before her upper body was encased with ice!

Talva looked up at Pyra, having been too focused at figuring out where Flora had gotten to that she had overlooked the peri’s predicament. “Really now…” Talva’s eyes narrowed, “Using an ice attack when a priestess of the Lady of Winter is present?” Stepping forward, with her icy body the goatlike tiefling seemed completely unaffected by the icy gale, as she used her powers to summon a blast of winds as hot as a furnace to melt down the ice, albeit making sure to be careful to not affect herself in her current state. “Just because I am a cleric of Lady Avala does not mean I lack ways to turn up the heat.”

The wraith roared in pain as it felt the pincer attack from Tynah and Flora, all the while she hissed out as she staggered backwards, “DEAL WITH THEM YOU, WORTHLESS FOOLS! I will not perish before I take that damnable niece of your’s” The tanager turned their guns on Tynah, Flora, and Talva, affixing sharp dagger like bayonets as they prepared to charge, all the while the row behind them whispered in hushed tones as the muttered a prayer. The rear row fired several bolts of crimson lances at the trio, of which three struck Tynah and Flora. The bolts pierced the two’s burned through the princess’s scales and Flora’s armor, leaving behind deep wounds on the pair while Talva managed to avoid the volley. The front row of tanager charged forward at a blistering pace as they converged on Flora, with two of them managing to pierce the sides of the cat kin as their blades dug deeply into her.

The draconian’s hand was enveloped in a pale purple glow as she chanted in abyssal, before calling out to Tynah, “I may perish, but you will lose…...ARGH!” The draconian was cut off as she was impaled by Kyara’s falchion, with Kyara grinning in glee as she watched the draconian begin to slump from the wound, “May….the abyss take you all” the creature muttered as she slowly began to dissipate, all the while the tanager soldiers began to fade as well. Kyara spat on the creature’s fading remains, as she hissed out, “Good riddance to you and your corruption. May Lady Brasa and Asyn punish for what you did to my mother and aunt, both today and in the past.”

Ivrea soon came to her senses and rushed over to Pyra’s side as the winds dissipated, “No...no ...Lady Pyra...forgive me. I..I don’t know what came over me there. One sec I was here and then I just blanked out. I didn’t hurt you did I? And are you alright Lady Karla?”

“Karla and Pyra? What are you doing here?!” a stern voice called out,from behind the pair, as they looked up to see Eyvel limping over to them, using Iolite to support herself, “You...the two of you could have been killed in coming here….Still even if you violated my orders..I am glad to see you two are safe. And sister…” the Grand Duchess looked to her sister and daughter, “Dare I ask what happened while I was out?”

“It’s not your fault Ivrea… Just one second.” Pyra muttered as her head was about to be frozen over! With a depth of breadth, Pyra’s eyes began to burn brightly as she chanted celestial worlds to channel her magic in order to transform into a living blaze of fire! The ice melted away as the elemental pyra jumped out. “Oooh that’s better… Now please don’t worry about myself. A number of bullet wounds and injuries on the abdomen is something I can heal up.”

Pyra then jumped as she saw Eyvel! “Eyvel, you’re alive!” She approached Eyvel. “Now hold still please. I am quite on fire right now…” She then hovered her hands over Eyvel to heal over her wounds!

Karla came to her senses, “Argh… damn, I can’t believe I feel for that. If Lux found out I got tricked by that, she’d never let me hear the end of it… oh!” She gave Eyvel a glomp, “You’re okay! Sorry about that, but after I heard you and Tynah were lost, I had to jump in to help… not that I was much help after what they did, argh…”

Tynah, for once, didn’t seem her usual jovial self, instead holding a gravely injured Flora in her arms, “Flora! Please, you cannot fall here! Someone, help!”

The cat beastling coughed, but gave a grin, “Aw… c’mon… can’t let you.. Have all the fun…”

Talva used some healing on the catfolk, “It appears she happened to take a brunt of the hits… Pyra, a little assistance? Either way, I think with some time in healing, she will be okay, but she will have to withdraw from the war effort for now.”

“Aw, no fair…” Flora pouted, “C’mon, I can’t let my princess fight by herself…”

“Flora.” Tynah said in an unusually stern tone. “Once we are done here, I will send you back to Dyste in order to rest up. I cannot allow you to continue fighting as it is. Consider that a royal decree.”

Eyvel grunted as she felt her wife glomp her, but nonetheless managed to regain her composure quickly enough to return her embrace. The tanager gave Pyra a knowing smile as she spoke. “ Well I’d say your hot, dear but I think it would be a little too literal in this case. Anyways..I….Well had it not been for you two and the rest of the group, I might very well have perished. And there’s no need to apologize my nightingale and firefly….you both did the right thing, even if it was somewhat reckless. All that matters is that you two are okay. That being said, once we are done here….I am taking the both of you back to Glaristant for some well earned rest. ”

“Well done, well done indeed, Mortals.” the party could hear several claps coming from the entrance to the room as the sound of clanking armor could be heard as well. The party turned to see Asyn scrutinizing them, her focus seeming to linger on Kyara and Tynah the most, “I had expected at least some of you to succumb to that wretched wraith, but it seems I was wrong. Not only that, but you managed to set the souls she had corrupted at ease and more importantly. You managed to free my erstwhile follower of the shade that has plagued for a generation. For that….you have earned my respect.”

The goddess smiled as she gave Eyvel nodded, causing the tanager to blush. She took a on one of the ledges near the party “Now between the wraith, the incursions by that accursed Blossos, and the chaos on my home plane of Avalon...I find myself spread rather thin, something which has not been helped by the death of the Warden of the Boneyard. It is with that in mind, that I must ask one more request of you. Given that you lot have proven yourselves more than trust worthy both through your actions here and in Silverdale...I am willing to offer one of you the chance to become the next warden of this realm, a deity who is in charge of overseeing the souls of the dead here if you will. Alternatively if you are not interested in this position, feel free to recommend any candidates who would better fit the position if you know of them.”

“Believe me sweet tail, I won’t do a reckless mission such as this without backup and a lick of intel. Thankfully Silverdale provided me with said report and I won’t stand by while you’re right here Eyvel. As for our state… Unfortunately I have a feeling this won’t be the last mission, so we should rest up and meet with Mythra back in Snowy Light. I reckon a small stop to her cafe is needed.” Pyra winked.

When Asyn came to give the offer of godhood, Pyra simply shook her head. “I believe someone else would be far more qualified than a mere high priestess of Camille such as myself.”

Ivrea for her part shook her head, “While I am flattered at the offer, I am not ready to accept such a proposal at this time. Besides, being tied to this place would kind of get in the way of my adventuring!”

“I barely was able to help to begin with,” Karla sighed, “Besides, Ey needs me too much to take such a role.”

“Oh, um…” Talva’s icy form dissipated as she turned to normal, “I cannot accept such a role, for my own duty is with the Lady of Winter and her Oracle. Besides, if such a role does come, it would not be in this form.”

Tynah was holding Flora, who was taking a catnap from the battle, “My apologies, but I am ill-suited to such a position; I am a warrior and adventurer, not to mention the future queen of Dyste,” she gave a smile in Eyvel’s direction, “My role in this world is bound to Dyste and Bahamut, not to here.”

Eyvel leaned against Karla, blushing slightly at Pyra's comment, "It is a tempting offer, but I am afraid I will have to decline. After all, it would not do for a Grand Duchess to abandon her post, especially when her people need her. And yes, my sweet ember, we will most certainly visit your sister’s place when we’re done here.”

Molnar meanwhile bowed in thanks towards Tynah and those that she had fought alongside, “It was a strange experience but a pleasure to be able to render assistance to you in this fight.

At that the Malgravean seemed to contemplate Asyn’s offer before gently shaking her head, “It is quite an honour to be even considered for such a blessing, however, I do have a job back home as the Director General of the soon to be reestablished International Operations Committee. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to hold such a position and then spend a majority of my time attending other duties, and I imagine that the Boneyard would also suffer if I were to spend a majority of my time in Malgrave.”

Kyara said nothing as she thought over Asyn’s offer before at last giving her reply, “I...I will accept your offer, your grace. I know I have had my shortcomings in the past, but you have my word that I will not fail either you or Lady Brasa as the new Warden of the Boneyard.”

The goddess nodded at the party’s responses, with her seemingly quite pleased by Kyara’s, “All reasonable answers, if a little disappointing as each one of you would have made for an interesting Warden. No matter I suppose. Anyways, very well, Paladin Cavil, I shall accept you as my Warden. Know that you have a difficult path ahead of you, but fear not as I will guide and shape as you grow to fill your new station. And do be aware that you will likely be require ” Asyn snapped her fingers as the portal opened behind her, “Now dear mortals, I must be departing soon as there much I need to teach my new warden and little time in which to do it. This portal will return you to the Palace of the Ice Alicorn whenever you are ready. As a final note, I will as reward grant you free access to my sector of the Boneyard and a standing invitation to my realm of Avalon for a reading of your futures. Oh and Kyara when you are ready...meet me at the Aterian court. There we will begin your instruction. Farewell, mortals and know I will be watching you from here on out.” The goddess turned and disappeared in a flash of brilliant blue light.

“It’s….hard to believe that’s finally over and to have started down the road to becoming a goddess…” Kyara shook her head, still seemingly in disbelief, “Still….maybe with this new position I will be able to better aid you all in some of the more difficult battles that are sure to lie ahead. Of that you have my word…” Kyara said, giving the rest of the party a salute.

“Oh and before I forget….I wanted to thank you all for risking your lives in coming here to rescue my sister and I, as well as for putting you through that battle with that wretched creature. Had it not been for you all managing to best it and talk down Asyn, we may very well have ended up trapped here. And yes….” Eyvel gave her wives a smirk as she embraced them, “I owe you two something special for having to pull me out of the fire yet again.”

“Oh?” Pyra gave a smirk as she transformed back to her normal form. “Well a good trip to my sister’s cafe is all I’m asking for.”

“How about I get my family over for a nice meal?” Karla chuckled. “I promise Dad won’t be the cook this time, not after what happened last time he tried to experiment with a meal…”

“I… thank you for inviting me to this rescue,” Talva gave a soft smile, “I know I’m fairly new around here, but I wanted to prove my worth to our squadron in place of my mother’s usual duty here. Shame she missed a chance to meet the famous Adventurer Princess, but I think she’ll cope when she finished her recuperation at our base.”

Molnar smiled softly at the group before bowing once more, “It was a simple decision to take part in this rescue mission, especially as Silverdale needs all the heroes it can gather,”

Pyra and the rest of those present would then be given a small holographic card from the SIS agent.

“If you need to contact me again in a future emergency just use the information on that card and you’ll reach me,” Molnar said tapping the location of her MalTec Ascension implant in her head, “It works with a wide range of technology-based communication devices and ances...magical-based communications.”

Tynah accepted one of the cards, “Well, certainly if you need me, you should all know where to find me. Now, I need a chance in order to get Flora some rest, then I am going back to the battle! I heard there is an evil dragon that needed some punching, and I shall be remiss not to lend my aid!”

Flora purred as she cuddled in the princess’s arms, “C’mon, you need to let me come along, too; I just need a little nap and I’ll be as good as new…”

“Do not worry, Flora,” Tynah nuzzled her, “I will need a moment to recuperate, possibly spend a little time with my sisters and niece. Even famous warriors need a little downtime, GHAHAHA!”

[Legokiller]

OOC: Co-written with Dyste
Everpine, Peppermintia

In the movies, the march of nature was a triumphant and turning point for the heroes! All to fight and save the day! That was only in the films.

The first push to secure the beach from the spirits of Medeina was successful and gave the forces time to regroup. However, the oncoming tide of waves of monsters showed the weakness of the trees. As they’re supposed to hibernate and conserve energy through the winter, their activity became sluggish and prone to freeze over by the chill. As the next waves, the larger ice monsters targeted them to chop down on such vulnerabilities.

In the moment of peace in a tree fortress holdout in the forest, the remaining forces took a new defense for guerilla warfare and navigated throughout bunkers and the sewers in the war torn city. As the last of the people were evacuated, Alicia’s company and other Silverdalean Forces left the task to delay and sabotage any key dens the monsters would use to lick their wounds. Thankfully, with a group of heroes amongst their mists, the town and the nearby forces have not fallen by the snowstorm forces.

Shana was glad to have gotten a moment’s respite from the battle, but she knew there was still far more work to do in order to keep this area safe. “Sometimes it feels like it never ends, does it?” She slumped by a chair, even her usually cheerful disposition seeming to fade. “I hope my sis knows what she’s doing…”

“Brrr!” Sunny waggled her tail as she overheard Shana’s complaint on the war. “Well the history books DID say that it took three years with entire long months with short summers and a post clean up afterwards in the past war.” She then lowered her eyes for a second. “Back then, your sister had to retake parts of the mainland from baddies and the ice monsters alongside the south pole. A lot of hard work I’ll say, so patience is needed dear!”

“I know, I know, who do you think helped out on intel from our clan?” Shana gave a slight smile as she offered her favorite fox to sit beside her, “I tell you, it wasn’t as easy getting as it is today; took me months to get caught up then. But I was hoping we’d learn from our past mistakes, Sunny. The longer this war keeps up, the more people are gonna be caught in the middle of things.”

Sunny bounced over next to Shana and pulled out one of the spare woolen blankets for them to bundle up. This one was a winter fox theme with blue and white color patterns. “That’s why we have to keep on moving and fighting Shana. Even when the sun is absent in the sky, we have to continue and prevent it. Why even dwell on the past anyway?"

“Sorry, Sunny,” Shana cuddled up with the fluffy fox, “I just… well, in my line of work and with how long I’ve lived, I’ve lost a lot of people I’ve cared about, and, well, times like this I tend to dwell a bit too much on it. But I know I should focus on what’s ahead of us; there are people in the here and now who need our help. And, well, even when the sun’s absent I still have a sunny fox right here!”

“That’s the spirit!” Sunny nodded. Of course Shana could tell that Sunny wasn’t able to understand the pain over the century from her little smile. The fox woman didn’t intend to keep her focus on it as Sunny then said. “While Miss Cortez is busy picking out a new magical girl attire, there is a new guest coming here who wants to see us! A lil bird told me that of course, and birds aren’t wrong about it.”

“Well, as long as those birds are little ones, I suppose that’s true… I’ve dealt with my fair share of bigger ones that aren’t trustworthy,” Shana was all too familiar from her dealings in Corneria. “I am glad Alicia’s getting more into the idea of a heroine of justice; I think it might help her get a better path in life. Ah, but I suppose we should welcome our guest, shouldn’t we?”

“Oh sure!” Sunny then whistled for the guest to come inside.

The door opened up for a petite dragon elf to step right inside. Cloaked in a heavy white fur and wool cloak alongside an equally big white button coat that covered over her knees, the girl jumped up to Shana and tried not to lose balance. She was quite heavy in the center, judging from the bulge, and took off her hoodie and pink heart beanie to show a messy lime green hair lass with an unkempt ponytail. “Ah! I expected as much for two fluffiers, alongside one cute Brasa aspect, to be soft with Tiki.”

She then gave the two a hug! “Hello! I’m Lucie the Druid.”

Shana patted the dragon elf on the head, seemingly a little cheered up, “Nice to meetcha, Lucie! I’d tell you I’m Shana Goldenheart, but.. It appears you might know of us already, if your little comment is anything to go by.”

“Aye! Tiki told me all about you, alongside a little shrine with your presence inside. I am a bit of a fan of Leora… Of course the green and natural world is always in my heart.” Lucie then patted Sunny’s ears.

“She is quite cute as one idol! Hopefully one to give a good example.” Sunny said.

“Oh really, hm? I suppose you’d like to meet Leora, then?” Shana winked, before she concentrated. Suddenly, the aasimar had been replaced with a humanoid dragon with radiant scales, retaining the golden hair of Shana but longer, having the look of a celestial dragon, “Leora, Avatar of Brasa, graces you with her presence!”

“By Leora’s boobs! I mean… Heheh! You look glamorous my dear!” Lucie then sat down next to the dragon goddess. “So, I think you’ll be the right being to help out!”

Leora blushed by that remark, but she was glad this indeed worked without the need for her sister’s presence, even if she didn’t feel as strong as before, “Oh really now? Bear in mind I’m not at Brasa’s full power, this is just me tapping into the same divine energies that make up her. That said, if you feel like I can help you out with your problems, I will be glad to do so.”

“Great!” Lucie cuddled up with Leora, which Sunny gave a cautious look at the elfie, and then said. “Well, I came as both a Cuddlekins Druid of Fire, and a friend of Lux the Guardian, to request your help. I know this sounds a little silly but hear me out… I need your help alongside Tiki to wake up the Medenia to get her blessings.” She then clarified. “As usual, the other seasonal goddesses beside Avala are asleep for Avala and don't like being rudely awakened. To make matters worse, there are some troublemakers around who want to keep her asleep longer than usual. So… Ahem, we’d need you and your friends' help as you’re the sneaky girl.”

“Oh really?” Leora accepted the cuddles, her dragon form did have some fluff to it so she was naturally quite cuddly. “Lux, huh? … ah, right, that one,” She for a moment was thinking of her friend who now served as one of Brasa’s top servants, “Oh, they’re asleep right now? Well, don’t tell my sister about this, she’ll use it as an excuse to slack off more than she already does,” she laughed, “But I understand, we’ll need to act as a little wake-up crew and punish some baddies with a little holy justice. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it Sunny sweetie?”

“It sure does Shana! A misfit group who needs a swift kick in the rear, while making sure summer will return in a timely manner!” Sunny nodded. “And yes, I’ll be going Lucie.”

“Oh that’s great!” Lucie then patted herself. “It’ll make things a lot less risky for myself.”

Of course, after all Sunny can’t get to the best beaches without the summer rays,” Leora teased, “So we’re definitely in, Lucie. Brasa herself has managed to get Avala’s own help, so I need to do my own part to save Silverdale and show Brasa’s ideals to the land.”

“Great! Then I hope you girls get ready! I’ll be leading you guys through the nature paths and hop on a train to where the goddess is located. Unless you have something special to go faster before the end of the day.” Lucie said.

“Honestly a little train ride doesn’t seem so bad,” Leora said, “Could give us a little chance for cuddles, after all… of course, there’s Brasa’s realm to reach places quicker, but unless we have a shrine close by both here and there, it’ll be tricky for even me to use it to move us quickly.”

“Not to worry! Us druids have good shortcuts.” Lucie nodded. “Now, when you’re ready, just follow me to the nearby Oak and we’ll get started.”

“Gotcha!” Leora stood up, “I can let Avvy and Mira handle things here while we go out, but… Alicia, sweetie!” She called out. “Wanna have a little adventure to try out your new outfit?”

“Shana?” Alicia poked out from her quarters to look at Leora. She held the door to cover herself, outside of her head. “Wait… Who are you?”

“Oopsie, sorry!” Leora looked a bit sheepish, before turning back into Shana, “I suppose you hadn’t seen that before, sweetie… it’s my form I take when acting as Leora, the Avatar of Brasa. Since unlike some of the other aspects of her I can’t turn into a dragon naturally, they allowed me this in order to spread her message even when by myself.”

“A-are you pulling my leg or you’re an actual goddess? Saying such things make one a delusional wizard and quite hubris.” Alicia said.

“Well, it’s more I’m an aspect of one, sweetiekins,” Shana smiled as she concentrated and turned back into Leora, “I’m basically her representative on this plane, and hold a part of her power with me. Of course, part of it comes from the same bloodline you yourself are part of, and certainly you have seen shrines to Chione?”

“I have.” Alicia nodded. “Visited one and I do consider her as my goddess… But ahem… I think this new outfit is too...a little showy like that dumb pigeon angel called Prismatic Light Warrior.”

“Well, once we get a chance, I’ll introduce you to Mom-erm, Chione,” Leora chuckled, “I did promise that after all, but we’ve got to make it through this first… but c’mon, let me see it, sweetie. I’m sure it’ll look good on you, you’re a Goldenheart after all!”

“Can I legally change my name to that?” Alicia timidly asked.

“C’mon girl, just show us your new outfit!” Sunny called out.

“If you show us you’ve become a good heroine, I’ll put in some good words with people I know for that,” Leora winked, “But please, show us, sweetie.”

Alicia steps out of the room to show off her new attire. “This is Chione’s Milky Luna attire!” As she whips out her icy elven skin, blush of Chione, the two can see her cleavage open cow prints from her thermal icy bodysuit. There were even some ivory bull horns tied on her silver snow pigtails. “Both the cow and elf combined!”

Leora looked over Alicia’s new form, and smiled, “Ah, you certainly have the Snowtear and Goldenheart charm down,” she walked over and gave her a hug, “I love the moocow parts! Of course, simply looking the part is one thing, but acting like it is another. Are you ready to show that you deserve to be a member of our family, sweetie?”

“Why of course! I’ll do it. Even when it means abandoning my old life, this renewal will be perfect.” Alicia said.

“Goody! I think ‘Alicia Goldenheart’ sounds much better anyways,” Leora gave a wink. “Alrighty, I think I’m good to go. Sunny, if you’re ready too, we can head out; we can have more snugglefox time later.”

“Alright! Tiki should meet us at the halfway mark, so let’s go!” Lucie said.

The druid led the group down the Tree Fortress to one of the tallest spruce trees in the grove. A bird flew by the girl and seemed to talk with her as the elf placed her hand onto the trunk. “Hmm…. The roots of the forest will lead us out of town, but I know there is a lot of monster activity. So you better be prepared for anything.”

She then chanted in the tongue of the forest. “By the roots that bind the land, open the path forward.” A tap of her hand to a whip of a magic chalk opened up a light door into the tree itself! “Uh, I think we may have to deal with some of them as they have a scent for newborn life my goddess.”

Leora enjoyed seeing the druid at work, having known about their skills of traveling by nature. “Oh, I expected as much,” Leora sighed when Lucia mentioned the monsters, “It can never be that easy, huh… well, let’s stay on our guard, then, taking a different route would take too long, but we might have to bust some heads.”

“WEll I hope it doesn’t come down to it! I am a little worn down, but I reckon we’ll be a-okay.” Lucie then gestured for the party to get inside of the tree!

“Well, let’s see where we’ll go then…” Alicia said as she opened up the door and went into the tree itself. Sunny gave a curious peak and then jumped in! When Leora jumps in, her eyes were led by Lucie to go through the maze of trees that she can sense and just think about going to the next one!

Naturally Lucie led the group to one of the ancient druid routes outside of the city in the north, where a special gathering of ‘stride trees’ that acted as portals to one part of the forest to another. It was more focused around the town’s trees to get around easier, but the longer ones were through the forest and more slower. Yet in the last jump from one tree to the next, a foul aura of evil was near within the whiteout!

“Leora, this should be the site!” Sunny jumped out of a spruce tree to land on the ground and quickly picked up one of the fallen branches from the snowy floor. Her eyes were sharpened and pointed right towards the direction in the dark forest. The white fog blanked anything in the forest, but one with a keen sense of the detection of evil can pick up a strong presence amongst smaller and weaker signals. Their beastial maws echoed throughout the eerie snowstorm.

“Well now…” Leora’s instincts could easily detect the evil surrounding them; it was something she had felt many times, both as Shana and as Brasa. As a divine dragon, she had a natural inclination towards fighting against such creatures, to the point she actually felt a bit excited about doing so! “Hah, well now, these things think they can stand up to us?” She casted a holy aura around them to protect her allies, “Don’t be afraid, they’re no match for us.”

“Heheheh.” Lucie gave a poker face. “I know you’re up for it, but I… I just support with my carefully designed fire magic in the back.”

“Well you better hide in a tree to be the back as they’re trying to swarm us!” Sunny cried out.

“I keep the rear guard then.” Alicia said.

In the distance, two beady red eyes pierce through the fog as it stared right at Leora! She can tell this spider monster was one of the strongest as it whipped its tendrils and stomped its spidery legs forward to attack the dragon! All the while, other evil beings try to surround them!

“Well now,” Leora smirked, “I’d ask if you kiss your mother with that mouth, but you probably ate her or something like that,” she seemed surprisingly calm in this battle, as she dodged the first few attacks while barely moving. “Come on, you have such poor form, try this out!” She breathed a radiant breath at the spider monster.

The spider monster shreiked as the breath melted part of its legs away, and tried to strike back with its three stingers at Leora! All the while, flying squidish monsters try to ambush the group with their pincers and wands! Of course Sunny just lightens up her large stick with holy magic and batted the monster away, as Lucie uses control fire magic alongside Alicia’s flames to fight them off!

Leora now actually made more of an effort to dodge these attacks, one barely missing her, “Hmph, seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet?” She created a series of shuriken made out of light energy, and tossed some at the flying monsters, all the while backing off from the spider monster, “I suppose not… oh well, guess I’ll have to dispose of pests the old-fashioned way,” rushing forward, she caused a few afterimages to obscure her charge as she went for a holy smite on her foe!

The spider monster cried out in agony as Leora struck its vital abdomen, and was about to be defeated! The creature did what it knew best and tried to escape by some planar teleportation!

“Oh no you don’t!” Leora laughed, “I can’t have you leaving us like this! Here, have a farewell present!” Charging up power, she let out a finishing move, “Love Dragon Buster!” Having a little influence from her older sister, she made a blast of energy in the shape of a dragon soar at the creature!

The spider monster krooked as it exploded into pieces! As the battle closes, Leora can hear ‘Chione Fire and Ice’ that consumed the rest of the squids, and Sunny using one as a volley ball to finish the rest! It was a little trivial as these monsters were easy picking.

“Now, I say we look around further.” Alicia spoke up. “These squid qlippoth are likely to have collected a bunch of folks to use as slaves for… I am not even sure!” Her eyes sharpened. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t abandon fellow Silverdaleans here.”

“Ugh, they can’t just leave us all alone, can they?” Leora sighed, “... okay, I sound too much like Marron there. Of course we should help; we can’t be good heroines if we didn’t, after all. For all we know they might even be tied with what’s happening with Medenia.”

Leora overheard the sounds of confused and frightened people who muttered a few words across the forest at the southeast. A prayer of ‘oh goddess please help’ to ‘buy the forest, I think some soldier is after those monsters!’ A small blessing, if a little curse to have a super hearing such as this one!

Leora’s ears twitched, “Well then, I think I hear voices in the southeast. I suppose this form does have some more uses than just making me fluffier. Now c’mon, don’t want to let them down, do we?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help… Which.” Lucie’s eyes peeled at the sickly trail the large monster left. “Quick follow me!”

“I can smell… Okay those are definitely people!” Sunny said.

The two navigated through the snowstorm of the forest to find what appeared to be three dozen Silverdaleans, and the remains of a few of the same slain monsters nearby. Most of them were crowded in a circle, seemingly lost all common sense and couldn’t navigate through the forest themselves. Sunny gave a close examination on one of her fellow foxkin to see the marks made by those pincers.

“Oh I see what those naughty beings have done… They have sapped away any sense for them. Lucky for myself, I know just the trick to heal them… Even if that requires the remaining… is it one dozen? Ugh math.” Sunny then snapped. “Yes, a quarter of them require help from others.”

“So the last nine of them will require help, huh? … hey, my sheepy lover is a math teacher, I got all the lessons,” Leora winked, “So let’s see what we can do. Evidently someone can fight at least if they were able to fend them off.”

“I can help too!” Lucie spoke up. “I volunteered with enough refugee camps and some military units to help with this problem. Now… let’s set up a campfire, and help them out.”

“Well, I suppose you and Alicia have some fire in you,” Leora winked as she made sure to keep everyone together. “Sorry, by the way… I know we’re supposed to be seeing the summer goddess and all, but, well, at least we’re having a good time thanks to your tree striding.”

“No problem! And don’t worry about the train ride, it’s on overtime.” Lucie said.
“Now allow me to whip out a fire.” Alicia said.

“Good girl,” Leora herded the people together; having sheep daughters she was used to such a thing. “I can cast a holy ward to protect this site, but strong enough foes can break though, so be careful.”

In a short matter of time, Alicia gathered up enough wood and used a basic flare spell to cause a fire while Lucie setted up an invisible barrier to protect the people from wild animals. As the people gathered about, Sunny placed her hands on each patient’s head to use restoration magic to heal away the ill damage from the monsters.

As they did so, Leora can hear someone approaching from the north!

Leora aided Sunny in the efforts to heal the people; though her own magic powered from Brasa’s faith was potent, it wasn’t as refined as Sunny’s, so she took a slower time. That said, her ears twitched, “Hm? Seems we’ve got company, people.”

“Oh my! I think I’m hearing…” Sunny paused as Leora and the others can hear some communication link within their minds from someone else!

“This is Captain Esper Windheart of the 2nd Magi Airborne. Is anyone behind this barrier? Over.”

“Oh…” Leora put her hand to her head, turning back into Shana, “This is Shana Goldenheart, Special Agent. We put this barrier up for civilian protection. Over.”

“Why thank you Shana. My team was about finished with our search and destroy mission against the Qlippoth, and we should be able to handle the civilians here.”

A group of combat medics led by a heavy winter cameo combat mage outfit human with green curly hair approached Shana. “Huh! It appears that luck fell into our favor. I suppose this shortens my line of work, but those monsters are difficult to defeat. So, did any of you manage to kill the ringleader? The spider-looking monster.”

“Well, I suppose I managed to kill something like that,” Shana winked. “It was really nasty looking, and it tried to teleport away, but a little Goldenheart power was all that was needed. But I’m real glad you came; my little team can fight off nasties fine, but handling this many civilians was getting to be a bit much. I suppose you were the ones who handled the others?”

“Rooted out the stragglers. Not something to brag about really but…” Esper then puffed up her cheeks for a second, and then sighed. “Ahem good work Miss Goldenheart. I suppose you’re treating the others with first aid as well?”

“The cute foxie here might not look it, but she’s really good at healing magic, and I’ve got a few lessons myself,” Shana nodded, “Of course, your assistance here is appreciated; even for us this is a lot of people to check.”

“Hm, of course.” Esper nodded. “We have vehicles and an ambulance coming this way as well. So none of these poor folks won’t be sitting out here in the cold. I do thank you for the work given here Shana.”

“She had help as well!” Sunny spoke up. “Not to mention I restored some lick of common sense so they can follow trusted soldiers.”

“Yup, all of my team helped out, from the dragon, the foxy, and the moocow,” Shana giggled, “We were on our way to handle a different mission, but we couldn’t let these nasties keep roaming about. In that case, I’ll let you handle the rest here; we should be getting on our way soon.”

“Fair enough. Safe travels friend.” Esper said as she gave a salute.

Shana gave a salute; she was too used to making fun of her sister with one that she almost did the mocking one! “Ahem… so, sweetie…” she brought Alicia closer. “How did that feel for you? Fighting the nasty monsters and saving people?”

“Naturally I feel good about it.” Alicia then rose up her brow. “Why did you ask?”

“Well, y’know, if you’re gonna be a magical girl heroine, that’s a large part of what you’ll be doing,” Shana chuckled, “Of course, I’m not the expert in the family in that sorta thing, my big sister Sandy knows more… and of course Mama. Just keep that feeling with you; if you want to show them, they’ll be able to help you be the best icecow you can be when you get to meet them!”

“Oh, if I am lucky to meet them, then I shall show my power to them.” Alicia grinned.

“That’s the spirit, sweetie!” Shana gave her a hug, “And hey, do good enough and I might even share a few of my own tricks with you. Sandy never got the hand of the tricks Marron and I did, but maybe you’ll have a knack for it.”

Alicia paused as she thought about the little tricks Shana can perform. “If you say so Shana. I hope this won’t twist my back… But ahem, we should continue our mission and talk about this later.”

“Very well, sweetie,” Shana turned back into Leora when out of Esper’s sight, “I won’t make you do the hard stuff. Now, then, I suppose we have a train to catch.”

Summer Retreat Grove, nearby Snowy Light

Night approached the group after their long journey and delays across the ‘safe parts’ of Silverdale. Even in the evergreen dew of the valley in the hour of peace and quiet under the night sky couldn’t ease the pain from the lights of civilization. A glimmer of a haven, even in the distance from a hill in the far horizon could be easily sniffed out. It was a grand issue as many civilians live in a harsh time with delays in the airport, and entire stadiums to shelters packed with refugees across the country.

As the party left their little cozy cabin campsite at what remained as a shelter for the druids and campers, Lucie bounced up to her cuddly dragoness goddess. “Here’s the dealio in this patch of forest. Medeina made her residence in one of the secluded domains in this valley like a bear to hibernate during the winter. We should be, by luck, use the druidic pathway to reach it there. However, even for us Cuddlekin and other druids, this will be a challenge as no doubt her little guardians to other creatures and plants will guard it. Not to mention some other monsters.”

“Uhuh.” Sunny nodded. “But it won’t be a threat to the Avatar of Brasa most likely not! Still, that sleepy head put too much trust in… Well not be super protective like my good sunshine goddess, Avala to do much this war!”

“It’s the folly of mortals that caused it mind you Sunny. So we better fix it… Alongside reform you too.” Lucie pointed at Alicia.

“Yes yes, you don’t have to make it difficult as it is Lucie. You can’t imagine how your whole social media and circle collapsed while on the train ride itself.” Alicia huffed.

Leora had a chance to relax and consider things on the journey, allowing her to clear her mind and get more used to having this form long-term. At times she had considered casting aside the form of Shana, but that self had its own uses throughout her work. That said, this seemed like a time for her full strength. “Ideally I’d like to avoid harming too many of Medeina’s guardians, though we might have to show our strength. And for what it’s worth, Sunny, Brasa herself is dealing with the whole Avala thing. Turns out my mother has a bit of history with her, as it were. And as for you, Alicia, the public can be very fickle, but they’ll get a chance to see how you’ve changed in due time.”

“Oh that’s lovely!” Sunny then lowered her expression as she became serious. “ Now… Don’t get me wrong, strength is lovely and all, but we aren’t brutes! We have to show love and caring to pass the guardians to see Medeina herself.”

Alicia then gave a small look at Leora for a second and nodded a bit. “A genuine will be difficult for those people… Of course I can present myself as looking better than my naysayers.”

“Just keep on the path you are going on, sweetie,” Leora smiled, but Sunny’s advice made her remember; she might’ve been focusing a little too much on the powers this form gave her. She let out a sigh, “... yes, you’re right, Sunny. I am the avatar of a love goddess, after all, and I should remember to act like one. Be tough with those who deserve it, and show kindness and love to those who need it. Isn’t that right, Lucie?”

“Uhuh! Which now… I suppose we should try to show such love and give a good wise reason why she'll give us her blessings.” Lucie said. “As your presence is around my goddess, this might be a little easier for us to do!”

“C’mon, we’re friends here, right? Just Leora will do,” she seemed a little embarrassed, but offered a snuggle, “Unless you got worn out on this on the train ride over? Even if I’ve given you my blessings, we can still be friends, right?”

“Friends?!” Lucie gasped. “Why of course! You’ll be… my Special Goddess Friend!”

“Special Goddess Friend Leora, at your service,” the divine dragon gave a bow before hugging Lucie, “Honestly I’m still getting used to all this myself, but if I can help give you support as both your goddess and your friend, well, I suppose I’m doing something right.”

“Heheh.” Lucie cuddled back. “You’re making the right step. Just remember not to get this whole goddess deal over your head. Sounds a little odd, but developing like Imerian Pride with godhood is a terrible idea.”

“Oh, I know,” Leora winked, “After all, I’m mostly at the whim of Brasa and all, I’m just a fraction of her essence; without it, I’m just a cute ninja lady wearing a dragon-shaped suit. But it’s enough to offer you my support like this, and to help in this little quest.”

“Great! Now, follow the lil wood elf here through the forest. As in simply follow me and we’ll be there in no time.” Lucie said.

“Good grief. For a second I almost got confused that she was an actual wood elf… or is that merely a title that elves in the forest uses.” Sunny said.

“It’s somewhere in the middle.” Alicia explained. “As the origin of the two elven races came from elvenfolk who were intune with the forest. Even now, both people do exhibit traits towards the fey and close to the forest like that… Oh no… I think like that infamous Leafa.” Alicia shivered by both the night time cold and distant memory of one naughty piece of history.

“Leafa, you say?” Leore recalled from her knowledge of Brasa’s faith of a nun by that name, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t who Alicia was talking about. “‘Infamous’ is something I believe members of our family sometimes get saddled with, Alicia, so who knows, she might be more like us than you think,” she teased.

“I am not one hundred percent sure she’s like the Snowtear family. Leafa is far more selfish and loves for her own desires than the acts of heroism.” Alicia said. “But we can talk more about this in a later time.”

“Fair enough,” Leora admitted that she didn’t know everything about Silverdale’s history. “Even Marron is a pretty heroic figure when she puts her mind to it, though she does sometimes need that little push. But don’t we all sometimes? Remember, Alicia, there’s nothing wrong with having your own wants and desires, just so long as that doesn’t come at the expense of doing your own duties as a hero.”

“I won’t ignore my desires to be a hero. It’s… It’s complicated.” Alicia then crossed her arms. “Now, shall we move out?”

“Oh, of course,” Leora had gotten a bit too caught up in the conversation, “And don’t worry, you’ll get to meet Auntie Marron too once we’re done. Let’s get moving.”

“Now… Right this way!” Lucie gestured for the group to follow.

The trail beyond what the visitors were intended to go through was harsh and difficult. As snow was deep and high, Sunny almost sunk right down into its chill. “Careful not to make any loud or physically big disturbance.” Lucie said as she led the group down through a slope to the bottom of the valley. “It might cause an avalanche.”

“Considering not all of us are really dressed for the winter to begin with, we definitely don’t want that,” Leora said softly. Even she found herself having issues walking in this heavy snow. “This is why I usually take my visits to Silverdale in the summer.”

“Call it special magic alongside my fluffy winter coat is up.” Sunny pointed out.

As the party trek further down the evergreen forest to the base of the valley, the wonders of nature can be still found in the shelter of the trees and the burrows of the ground. As they slowed down to avoid disturbance for a bear that nestled within the truck of the tree, to the entrance of a rabbit’s warren. This careful placing avoided even other strange terrors that growled in the dark night. All to arrive at the mouth of two large stone pillars that head an arch for the entrance, twisted and covered by many roots and snow. There were many engraven runes and symbols on each side of the pillars

In the pitch darkness of the cave, the twinkle of gems and light shined through it. Although one of the gems' eyes pierced back all who dares to gaze into the cave itself. It watched the group who approached. The trees moved with the wind and wood crackles as Lucie reached the entrance. “Ah, we’re here!” Lucie laughed.

Leora’s eyes could see in the dark fairly well, but the extra lighting was still nice for her. “Well now, seems we’ve got ourselves a dark ominous path ahead of us. I hope nobody’s too scared!” She teased.

In the depths of the crystal cave of roots and soil lied a charming humanoid woman who glared right at the dragoness. As there was no reason to hide anymore, she cautiously approached the party at the entrance. She appeared unarmed, with nothing up a thin crystalline vines and fur that wrapped around her curvaceous sides and ample chest, hinted of no weaponry. Not even her whip like pink hair that waves behind her back showed any hidden weapons. Yet Lucie was both at all and a little nervous by her presence. Even if all she gave was an indifferent look with sharp eyes that examined them.

“Oooh I see now! It’s Pink the Dryad. One of the most powerful magi and brawlers of summer. I say she’ll give you a run for your money Leora.” Lucie said.

“That’s only when I am in my guise for boxing and bear wrestling in the public Lucie.” Pink gave a sigh. “Now then, what brings you here to this sacred grove, Cuddlekin? Surely a lair for a dragoness is roost is already occupied by my sisters and pack, alongside my maiden.”

“Well, we had luck so far, but we need to see the goddess. Not only is it important for the land itself, but also relations with a goddess outside of the family.” Lucie explained.

Leora didn’t seem particularly intimidated by the dryad, but she also knew not to underestimate her. She gave a bow and smiled, “Greetings, Pink. I am Leora, Avatar of Queen Brasa, the Dragon Goddess of Love. As Her representative, I wish to meet with Lady Medeina.”

“Dragon goddess of Love? As in the actual Dragonlover’s patron? Or this is a mere title as a trick.” Pink lowered her brow at Leora. “The forest has heard of Brasa’s words, but we’re skeptical if you’re truly her representative or a mere crafted poly from your kin.”

“Ah, so you have heard of Brasa, then,” Leora winked, putting her arms in a heartlike shape, causing an image of a heart to appear, “C’mon, I’m totally the real deal! The body of an aspect of Brasa empowered by her divine power. That said, if you wish for me to prove it, there are a number of ways I can.”

Pink gave Leora a curious look. “Please, amuse me with your divine power.”

“Alrighty… I am certainly a powerful warrior, but Brasa’s most powerful weapon is her charm,” She blew a kiss, then powered it with divine magic in order to surround herself with a glowing energy causing a large charm aura nearby her! It appeared even the local fauna were not immune to the effects, as a passing deer seemed enthralled.

Pink’s eyes popped up with hearts as she held her hands together and approached Leora. “Oh dear… My apologies, my sweet dragoness of love! There is always room in the cave for someone like yourself. The goddess will be happy about it of course.”

Leora laughed as she offered Pink a hug! “Oh, how wonderful, sweetie! Let it be known that you have Brasa’s thanks.” She was a little nervous about using Brasa’s charms at full strength, but Pink did want a taste of her divine powers.

Pink gave a bear hug on Leora, and tested how squishy the dragon was! “Mmm… Now let’s get inside. You’ll get frostbite my dear.”

“Yes yes. Please be careful with my dear!” Sunny said.

“Uh, why of course Solaria.” Pink nodded.

Leora was surprisingly squishy for a dragoness, but that likely was on purpose. That said, she was surprised how strong the dryad was, as she meeped a little, before gaining her composure. “O-oh, yes, let’s get in. We can always huddle up for warmth arctic elf-stype if you’re worried about us getting too chilly,” she teased.

“Then come on in.” Pink then gestures for Leora and the others to follow inside the cave.

Leora gestured to the others to follow her, “By the way, sorry if I went a little overboard there, even I get a little overwhelmed by these powers. But let’s be careful.”

“Don’t self destruct on us Leora.” Alicia teased.

When the party descended into the cavern, its nature became apparent as it was a maze with many dead ends to other hibernating creatures of the forest. One of the most noticeable of which is at the entrance of the cave was a great taiga manticore that slumbered, and a chamber filled with swarms of bats. Deeper into the cave was entire undergrowth with many dryads asleep within the tree trucks themselves, like a wooden sculpture built on top of the wood. There were other passages and roots, with wisping sounds and eyes that gaze upon them. Some unnatural, yet unable to move as runes halted their assault. Only the squeaks of the mice were the most audible as they went to the great wooden gates at the heart of the cave. It appears as if they reach down the mountain itself, yet light shines from the magical flowers alongside the buzz of bees within the warmth of summer.

“We’re here.” Pink said. “Now be very quiet.”

Leora silently nodded; with so many creatures hibernating during winter, a rude awakening was likely to leave many in a sour mood. Making too much noise would be as bad as making an avalanche earlier would’ve.

“I’ll be quiet as a mouse.” Lucie said.

“Good.” Pink made a sly grin. Alicia looked wary at the dryad as a sense of a deviant nature arose as they entered the chamber. Inside it was a great heated hot spring in the center with a ring across a great garden of summer flora of Silverdale to even carefully cultivated tropical plants unforeseen anywhere else in the region. In the center of this great summer green house was a great and giant chocolate lily flower with a flowery bed. There were viney steps that lead to the fairy-like divine entity with green-yellow hair who slumbered behind a heavy wool blanket and rested on a soft pillow.

Leora couldn’t help but smile seeing Medeina sleeping like a rather normal person would, in a way it made her feel more endearing. That said, this was a lovely chamber, one that seemed perfect for such a being as her. If she had the time to spare,she’d want to learn more about the flora displayed here, but they had another mission in mind for now.

“WAKE UP MEDEINA!” Pink shouted at the goddess. “WE HAVE VISITORS! NOW GET YOUR ASS UP!”

Medeina flexed out her insectoid emerald wings as she jumped off from the stigma of the flower and flew up to look at Pink. “What now, pink! Garyx hasn’t broken out free, so don’t-” Medeina then gave a sharp eye at the party, and brushed her hair to the side. “Why do you disturb my slumber on this long night?”

Even Leora seemed to lose her composure, having been taken totally aback by Pink’s sudden wake-up call. “I thought we were supposed to be quiet… ahem.” The divine dragon blushed looking at the rather cute goddess, “Ahem… hello there, and thank you for seeing us! I’m Leora, Avatar of Queen Brasa, and we were hoping to have a meeting with you.”

“Aye! And as a daughter of Solis, Solaria Brushtail, we wish to discuss the state of the land with you.” Sunny said.

“For an audience with me?” Medeina crossed her arms as she handed onto the petal of the flower. “If this is for a little proposal for a date with Brasa, then see my sister Avala. Otherwise, speak now as my patience is limited.”

“Don’t worry, Brasa’s already dealt with that part,” Leora chuckled, being fully aware of what the rest of herself had been up to, “But no, we’re seeking your blessing in order to help us end this war and help bring an end to a supposedly endless winter.”

“An endless winter? You truly believe this tantrum of my accursed sister lasts for an entire ice age?” Medeina shook her head. “The folly of Cynthia and her followers will crumble, and the hatred of the land will dissolve as a wildfire loses its fuel. My sister's wrath will fall as the land comes together than fighting to the bitter end.”

“Excuse me? Garyx will go out with a bang than a whimper in this situation, and she may be aware of this fate just as yourself! Even now, she’s likely clawing and biting her way through her cell to break free! I mean, any prisoner like that Baneguin is likely going to do that then await their end.” Sunny countered.

“Really now, stopping Garyx is our plan,” Leora said, “But without the aid of you and the other seasonal goddesses, many more sacrifices will have to be made. And if things get worse, we might not even have the chance to fight back.”

“The folks in civilization had a desire to live and undo the actions upon the ‘greatest’ of their leaders, and made sacrifices to hold themselves for sometime.” Medeina then crossed her arms. “However, even if I grant you my aid, how will you make sure the Silverdaleans won’t repeat the same mistake with idolihood and technological ‘progress’ brings another era of strife upon the land?”

“If you are asking I can say with absolute certainty this won’t be repeated, I cannot,” Leora shook her head. “As part of Brasa, I can guide people to a better way, and there are other emerging deities with similar values to pass on to the Silverdaleans. There is always risk in everything, but that’s why it’s best to teach them not to make the same mistake rather than assuming they won’t learn.”

“Well I can’t say the whole mistake would be doomed to be repeated.” Lucie then gave a chirp. “However, we can move forward and teach a new way of harmony with love and attention, even in this changing world.”

“Yes, and I have… Ahem pruned away my roots with those who arisers from hate and selfishness.” Alicia said.

“Hm.” Medeina gave a careful eye at the group and thought about it for a moment. “Good. Remember that even if Garyx is resurrected, it is the wrath and hate that fuels her from the land she swore to destroy the most. As the mortals, alongside other animals who share this emotion, deliver this source.”

“I understand, and Brasa will teach the ways of love… mm?” Her dragony earfins twitched. “Oh… I think we might have company. They think they can sneak from a ninja? Don’t make me laugh… even for a fellow ninja I can sense that. Be on your guard, people!”

“Huh?!” Sunny jumped as a whistling burning shuriken forged from hell itself missed Leora just barely!

“Sharp as ever, Shana.” A humanoid figure dropped away from one of the roots of the ceiling, and slowly approached from the shadows. “Then again, a dragon goddess is so pretentious. It sickens me.”

Leora had to dodge the shuriken with reflexes most beings, dragon or not, lacked. She had taken a moment to consider the voice of the mystery figure, “Well now… that’s a voice I haven’t heard in a long time. I thought you had perished in a fight against my sister. Or perhaps you did and have been brought back by our foes. Now then, why don’t you show yourself, Nero?”
The ninja known as ‘Nero’ existed out of the shadows. She appeared as what she was left off, if the red eyes and the visible scars of her beheading were left open. Yet Leora can tell that she was empowered by demonic energies, as small horns to a bat-like wings on her back, and an ace tail that whips was visible. “My patron lady found my revolution to be tragic enough to present a new offer: eliminate her foes and be successful with my revenge. All with the added little bonus of reviving one without a soul as a reward. I bet that silly Brasa and her love quest can’t do that, don’t you agree?” She stared.

“Your ‘Dragonlover’ schemes and interloping of my forest had gone long enough.” Medeina then looked at Leora. “Don’t entertain this foolish demon. Hunt him down.”

“Revenge, eh? It wasn’t like I was even there, but I suppose you were never one to pay attention to what matters,” Leora sighed. “You don’t have to ask me twice, Medeina,” before creating shadow copies of herself, she encircled Nero, each one creating a shuriken made of light, “Return from whence you came!” As all of them threw their shuriken in the direction of Nero!”

The shurikens assaulted Nero, with the true one landed right on her tarnish ninja attire’s slash! Nero grinned as she made a ninjutsu and vanished in thin air.

“Did you get her?” Lucie asked.

“That won’t be easy-” Sunny ears rose up as she heard a whistle of Nero. “We’ve got trouble dear!”

As the door opened widely, a stream of demons began to storm the cave and caused a roar from the manticore at the entrance. Yet the more pressing damage came as demonic gnome ninjas began to jump out of the shadows across the caverns and chambers, straight for the party. Worst of all… One of the screams was out of place, and it was an ice dragon from the distance… Coming fast!

“Just how hard did you fall to team up with gnomes, Nero…” Leora frowned, “And a dragon too, huh… but I’m not letting that stop us! That of you with fire powers, got ready for a barbecue on that fake drake; Sunny, Pinky, let’s kick some gnome behinds.” Using her powers of radiance, she caused a blinding light in an attempt to stun the gnomes!

The demon gnomes shrieked as the painful light stunned them long enough for Sunny to use her divine magic of the sun to burst faster and punch the crap out of them! Pink screamed as she used ice and fire enchanted punches to charge into the gnomes in back to beat them up as well! Alicia simply looked at the vexed fairy woman, and then said. “Hey, aren’t you going to defend your home or something?”

“You expect mother nature to stand idle?” Medenias' eyes shined as she planted her feet down. “The forest hears my call! Destroy these fiends!”
As the gnomes were slowly recovering, the entire roots, vines, and even trees began to animate and attack them! They can hear the shifting roots, dryads awakening, even the animals begin to swarm and attack the monsters! “I stand corrected…” Alicia shrugged as she went in to attack the gnomes!

“You don’t understand my pain Leora!” Four Neroes appeared around Leora to try to slash her with a cursed wyvernslayer blade. “To suffer in the depths of hell while your family enjoys the pleasures of life.”

Leora dodged one of the blades, but found herself being hit by two others as she shrieked in pain! That shock was enough that she turned back into Shana, “Okay, fine, if that’s how you want to play it…” while weaker now, she wasn’t specifically vulnerable to that blade like this, so it was mostly a even trade for her, “And whose fault is that, Nero!? You were the one who got exiled for your own actions! And then you sided against the Dragon Sea Alliance and my sister!” She grabbed the last copy’s sword with her own hands, before giving them a Snowtear-style strike in return! “And I’ll have you know, we all worked hard to grant us the life we have, even Marron!”

The clones of Nero burst into smoke as the real one smacked a side! Yet her moments were sharp as she rolled back up, and swung her blade right at Shana! “Oh please. That nonsense is what a rich lass would say. You met the right people to grant you those abilities in life.” She then strikes again! “There’s nothing I can do to undo that! However my goddess understands what is life to be downtrodden by the powerful. Your goddess merely wants to turn people into her playthings.”

Shana jumped back, trying to keep her composure in spite of her current state, “Maybe I have, but I’ve worked on teaching others the skills they need! Shame you were born a little too early to be my student; I could’ve taught you a lot, Nero.” the second strike hit her, but it was less painful than the first two were, “But it’s your goddess that is treading on everyone; Brasa isn’t perfect, but she wants to make people happy and offer them a chance at bettering their lives.” She powered through the pain and lunged forward with another strike aimed straight at Nero’s face!

“Argggh!” As Nero howled in pain, she went for a stab right at Shana’s leg!

“Your thirst for revenge ends here!” Sunny cried out as she slammed against Nero’s side with her rear! Nero tumbled away onto the ground, seemingly motionless for a few seconds. “Sorry for allowing that vile snake to harm you dear!”

Shana’s reflexes seemed a little stunted; perhaps it was her current condition? Or she was getting a bit too much hubris from being Leora? She had been taken down to her knee when Sunny went in for the attack, “Thanks, my sweet foxy.” Shana reached over to kiss her. “After this is done, we’ll have to celebrate… but for now…” she looked towards Nero, “Still got a little family baggage to take care of…” She took out her wakizashi; she preferred using her light magic from her dad’s side of the family and the fighting style from her mother, but she did carry a weapon just in. “Sorry, Nero, but I gotta end this…”

When Shana approached Nero, she saw the sack of hay sticking out of her neck and…. A decoy scarecrow body was placed where Nero should be! “Oh no! I think she did some ninja trick-” Sunny gasped for breath as a blade stuck out of her belly. “. . . I don’t feel. Ow ow ow!” Sunny collapsed from shock as Nero whipped her blade. In the distance, Alicia seems to be in trouble with the gnomes as Pink easily slams them.

“SUNNY!” Shana, who even during all this had maintained a mostly calm demeanour, felt anger and rage, “Okay, Nero, I was very close in wanting to give another chance, but… no, I’ll end this now…” she turned invisible with a flash of light, and went to the other side of Nero, taking her blade and doing a stab into her chest!

“Hahaha- Argh!” Nero dropped her blade as she looked at Shana. “Y-You suffer just as I… When I lost…” Nero eyes widened as Lucie rushed over to patch up Sunny. “Damn... I forgot about your adoring fan….”

“C’mon, that’s what being a team is about, Nero,” Shana said, still looking angry in spite of everything, “I think you forgot about that when you got exiled. I don’t need to do everything, they make up for my own shortcomings. That’s the true power of Brasa, too; for all her faults, her aspects cover the weaker points. But you… you don’t have anyone to depend on anymore, do you…”

“You don’t have to patronize me…” Nero coughed. “I am too far gone… perhaps in the next life it won’t be like this… But I accept that your goddess is stronger in that regard…”

Most of Shana’s anger subsided at this point, whether out of pity or exhaustion, “Maybe next time, you’ll be able to turn things around, Nero. But for now, it’s farewell… perhaps if I had been better, I could’ve tried to redeem you, but… seeing how many blows I took there, I’m not strong enough yet. If anything, I can thank you for that, if nothing else.”

Nero didn’t say a word as she closed her eyes. As she fell, one of the last gnome ninjas sounded the word to retreat! Yet the demon was cut down by a bear pill-dive maneuver by Pink, and the roots crushed the last of the evil survivors.

“We cannot undo what choice this unruly being of chaos has done Leora.” Medeina then crossed her arms. “It’s best to give what love she desired before moving forth. Now, there is one reward I must grant you for this act.”

Shana took a breath in, turning back into Leora, “My apologies for that moment of weakness, Lady Medeina; I can be a little too sentimental at times…” case in point she went over to Sunny, picking up the fox and holding her in her arms, “Are you okay, my love? I still owe you my special reward of my own, though perhaps we can hear about our host’s first.”
“I… Um…” Sunny blushed as she slowly recovered. “ A little foxnap is in ordered. Please dearie, I am fine. It’s not like in that one video game where a… never mind.” Sunny knew that was too disheartening to mention that.

“Yes yes.” Alicia grumbled as she was beaten up quite hard by the gnomes. “Medeina, we need your blessings to put Garyx in her place.”

Medeina flicked her hands to create a flowery vine with a hot aura around its buds. “This will reinforce the chains. If that fails, don’t discount it as useless. This will truly bind down Garyx even in flight, long enough for the final blow. This does pain me, but there is little to be done about it for our relationship.” She then looked at Shana. “Still, Brasa’s presence is welcome to this land.”

Leora accepted the gift, still having Sunny in her arms. “Thank you very much, Lady Medeina. Speaking as part of Brasa, she had been a bit worried about the new presence of her in these lands; this war seems to be bringing out others with a divine spark in them. I cannot speak for the others, but I for one am grateful to showcase Her virtues and prowess today. And… I understand that much of the role falls not just to you, or even me for that matter, but everyone who is fighting against the forces. I’m just glad I got to play a part in it all.”

“Now, there is one last hunt we must attend too.” Medeina said. The roar of the dragon approached, as Pink readied herself.

“Ah, never getting a rest, huh?” Leora gave a smile. “I suppose I’ll have to teach this dragon a little lesson myself. Sunny, dear, please take a nap; Lucia, make sure she’s okay. Alicia, sweetie, you had enough, or want a little more action?”

“I can handle a bit more of a fight.” Alicia said.

“I’ll take good care of Sunny!” Lucia said.

Leora gave Sunny a kiss before setting her down, “Okay, Alicia… this day will be remembered as a lot of things, but among those, it’s the first true battle of the new heroine of the Goldenheart family… we’ll think of a cute name for you soon enough, but for now, let’s kick some dragon tail.”

[Rohane Alista]

OoC: Written with Malgrave

New Snowdale, Icy Shores, Silverdale
0600 hours local time, +5 Days

Lieutenant General William Alderbracht sighed, pinching his nose as he read the latest repeated report from the Malgravean contingent in New Snowdale, claiming that their “strategic assessment” showed the Malgravean 3rd Division was the best force to stay behind for rearguard duties. Of course, every assessment Alderbracht had seen indicated the direct opposite; the Malgravean force was too small, too wounded, and too dispirited to actually manage to hold the line long enough to evacuate the significantly larger Rohanian corps in the city, which was also filtering back with even more heavy equipment.

With a groan, the Lieutenant General made a quick call to his assistant, organizing a meeting with the commander of Malgravean forces in the city, then resumed his work. It would be some time until the meeting, and there was a need for significant effort to organize the retreating mess that was the 2nd Army, 3rd Corps.

A few hours passed until Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min entered the room, as while the Lieutenant General was busy dealing with the withdrawal of the 3rd Corps, the Junior Colonel had spent the last few hours helping organise reinforcements that her division was receiving from the mainland.

“Comrade General,” Ji-Min said, the neko bowing to the Rohanian in the traditional manner before setting up a small communications device that broadcast the image of another figure in the room who bowed to those present in manner of introduction, although the individual in question was wearing attire more suitable of a civil servant to that of a military commander.

“Greetings,” the holographic figure said, “I will assume that not everyone here is aware of my identity or my purpose for being here, so I will say simply that I am Seo Yi-kyung and I am here to ensure that we can reach a suitable beneficial arrangement.”

“Yes, quite correct,” Ji-Min said with a slight smile, “I have been led to believe that you have some minor disagreements with the strategic assessment created by the Ministry of National Defence and the Special Investigative Service that calls for the 3rd and 2nd Infantry Division to cover the withdrawal of the Rohanian forces operating in New Snowdale and Penguin City, and so I am interested in hearing your viewpoint on the situation.”

“Minor would be a way of putting it, Colonel Ji-Min,” the Lieutenant General replied. “But, unfortunately, I do not feel safe discussing our military planning in front of a party unknown to me. Miss Yi-Kyung, if you could please give me your credentials?”

“As I said earlier I am here to facilitate communication between Malgrave and the various nations involved in the current theatre of operations here,” Yi-kyung replied, “In terms of official positions I am the Director General for Mystria in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is why I was assigned the mission I stated earlier by the Prime Minister.” the Director General said before adding, “...now you confirmed some disagreements with the strategic assessment that has been put forward by Malgravean forces, so to copy a Dornalian phrase I think it would be prudent to have all our decks on the table and for you to explain these issues so that they can be addressed and resolved.”

“... All your cards on the table. Why would you have multiple decks on one table?” Alderbracht sighed, recalling just why he had put off this meeting until it was impossible to justify doing it any longer. “Anyways, yes, we have objections. Starting with what we agree with… we have already drafted up our own formal request to borrow some Dornalian transports to make our lives a bit easier. But everything else… we can’t agree to. The Malgravean 3rd infantry division is much too small and far too wounded to serve as a rearguard; even if we were to agree to it, the 3rd corps would end up needing to fight its own rearguard actions just to clear itself out of the city. It would be more efficient and effective to evacuate all Malgravean forces ASAP, and let the 3rd corps fight all of the rearguard actions. Then the 3rd infantry division, which being smaller is more mobile, can link up with forces in mainland Silverdale to refresh defenders there while the 3rd corps can fight a unified, fully coordinated retreat.”

“It is quite a strange saying albeit one that has gained quite a lot of popularity amongst those employed in my line of work, Lieutenant General,” Yi-Kyung replied, “As for your objections I believe that your estimation of the fighting capabilities of the 3rd Infantry Division is quite outdated as we’ve already made movements to replace previous losses that were incurred during previous defensive engagements and are quite prepared to engage in the rearguard action required to allow the safe withdrawal of Rohanian forces in the region, as I believe the Junior Colonel can confirm.”

Ji-Min nodded in confirmation, “It is the reason I was slightly delayed to this meeting as it has required a bit more organisational work to facilitate the smooth transition of reinforcements with the evacuation of wounded personnel,” the Junior Colonel said, “It is indeed the heightened mobility of the 3rd Infantry Division that makes them quite capable for this assignment, as noted in our strategic assessment the time it would take the 3rd Corp to withdraw would put them at greater risk during their own withdrawal whereas a smaller force such as the 3rd Infantry Division wouldn’t face such issues, especially as we have been working quite closely with local Dornalian assets to ensure that said evacuation can be achieved in an efficient manner.”

“It is the issue of mobility that does concern our Prime Minister, as it would be quite the disaster for ongoing operations on the mainland if the 3rd Corp was lost or greatly diminished during this fighting withdrawal,” Yi-Kyung said before quickly adding, “If those of the 3rd Corp wish to assist the 3rd Infantry Division in their rearguard actions before being withdrawn under the protection of the Territorial Defence Force and Dornalians I believe that would be a suitable compromise arrangement, that would allow for both protection and mobility.”

“Your greater mobility is a hindrance to a rearguard action of this kind, not a help,” Rohane’s Lieutenant General pinched his nose lightly. “If we were trying to retreat across open ground into a secure location, I would grant you that your mobility would be extremely helpful. But we’re not. We’re attempting to hold a defensible space in a delaying action, which means that mobility is wasted because we don’t wish to be moving rapidly; indeed, the Rohanian force’s heavy armor and deployable heavy armament is ideal for a slow fallback exactly like that.

“To be honest, I don’t want to lose the 3rd Corp either, but I also am aware of what our orders were and we anticipated heavy losses. We are prepared for the cost; we have been from before we landed,” William leaned forward. “The 3rd Infantry Division, however, can be saved in its entirety or near enough either way, though it’s clear to me that conflicting doctrines are unlikely to make this an agreeable decision, so I have a counteroffer. The 3rd Infantry Division can, during the fallback, assist the 3rd Corp as we make our way out to allied transport, including of course the Rohanian ones, with the aim of slowly extracting platoons and companies of both the 3rd Corp and 3rd Division simultaneously.”

“It is that heavy armour that makes the 3rd Corp so unsuited towards the planned withdrawal action, Comrade General, as once the holding force has completed its initial objective of securing the withdrawal it needs to be able to retreat within a rapid timescale in order to prevent itself from being annihilated,” Ji-Min told her Rohanian counterpart, “It will take some time for Rohanian forces to be evacuated considering their size, however, once that happens the 3rd Infantry Division will be far easier to withdraw from the theatre of operations and less likely to give the enemy time to prepare.”

Yi-Kyung then spoke up, “It has also been made quite clear that the loss or partial loss of a singular infantry division would be more acceptable compared to the complete annihilation or partial loss of an entire Corp, Lieutenant General. Junior Colonel Yi Ji-Min and those under her command are quite prepared to pay the price to ensure the protection of those that have protected New Snowdale so valiantly.”

“It is the way that duty falls and I trust that my counterpart organising the evacuation of Penguin City shares the same feelings and is following the orders that they received at the start of their deployment to the letter,” Ji-Min said, “In my honest opinion though it would be more prudent to have the 3rd Corp take part in a fighting rear-guard action, with the final piece of the evacuation being managed by perhaps 2 divisions as I believe the Director General for Mystria hinted at earlier with her proposal.”

“The heavy armor is both faster and sturdier than an infantryman, as well as more expendable, in the end,” Alderbracht countered. “But that’s beside the point. I am not questioning your honor, Junior Colonel, but your tactics. Respectfully, the wishes of your Prime Minister and Director General in no way play into my decision making here. I have made an offer of a coordinated, combined pullout that is acceptable under my orders and strategies, and which should with agreement allow us to save as many as possible on both sides overall. Of course, we will likely have to fold some units into others simply to consolidate the command structure and prevent confusion, but I have no issue with folding Rohanian units into the Malgravean forces, or the opposite, during the withdrawal. Do you?”

“I believe that assessment would be correct if we were evacuating across a small river or a wide stretch of land, however, we are evacuating across an incredibly dangerous stretch of ocean which will require us to evacuate via aircraft or naval vessel and that means that heavy armour and even artillery become a disadvantage, and then the proper mode of thinking comes from the perspective of how you say paracadutista or fanteria leggera”

”..pedites levi? Yi-Kyun told Ji-Min in Malgravean Ancient, “I believe a proper translation would be light infantry or troops of parachutists?”

“...yes so once you think from the perspective of light infantry or troops of parachutists then you understand that having this heavy equipment becomes quite the burden, now I am not opposed to having Rohanian units or Malgravean units fold into one another during such an operation but it would need to be an engagement fought on the divisional level not with the heavier equipment that would be attached with the 3rd Corp and I hope that you can agree with such a tactical assessment, Comrade General.”

“I can’t fully agree. We aren’t dealing with a paratrooper insertion or a light infantry maneuver, and we would need to escort out soldiers on the same transports as the heavy material either way. I will grant that I don’t wish for a majority of the armor to remain for the last wave,” the Rohanian man lifted his hand to cut off any protests. “But some of it should leave in the final wave of naval evacuations, at the least, if for no other reason than to provide moving cover to what will likely be a rather harried exit. Rohanian transport craft can handle that easily enough, I’m not asking you to risk Malgravean lives or material on it,” he breathed slightly heavily through his nose.

“Regardless, we seem to be agreed on the necessity of folding our command structures into one, temporarily. I will keep the armor platoons largely out of that and attempt to prioritize their retreat, but we will have to combine infantry where possible I believe. If, as I believe, you are the highest ranking Malgravean officer on site, my proposal is that you and I work together directly from now until the evacuation is finished, Junior Colonel.”

“If you cannot be convinced about the impracticality of using heavy armour in such a manner then I won’t force the point, Comrade General, as for the transport situation that seems quite agreeable,” Ji-Min replied content enough to drop the matter.

“It is the expectation of my superiors in Epping that the appointment of Marshal Goldenheart as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Silverdalean Theatre of Operations will help facilitate smoother communications between those present in Silverdale, as I understand this situation has highlighted the problems associated with attempting to put so many different military forces together,” Yi-Kyung said

“You are quite correct, Comrade General,” the Junior Colonel said, “In terms of combining units the Territorial Defence Force has some experience in this matter from both the civil war and through military exercises with the Kouralians, so I believe we’ll be able to create a rather smooth transition whenever the need arises.”

“As does the Rohanian military from internal exercises of the DSA, but doubtless we will still have things to sort out. Regardless, we should combine our forces now, and ask forgiveness instead of permission,” Lieutenant General Alderbracht smiled wryly. “It’s more effective that way. I’d like to combine ASAP, though. I got an updated report not 30 minutes before you walked in… between Rangers and radio operators, we’ve managed to locate isolated pockets with Rohanian or Malgravean presence throughout New Snowdale. I want to see if we can’t make a quick push to absorb those back into the ranks before we begin a proper retreat… at this point, I must ask that the civilian representative leave. We’re moving on to discussing military tactics and some highly sensitive information I wouldn’t be allowed to air in their presence.”

Ji-Min smiled at the Rohanians saying, “I do have a certain amount of operational freedom to ensure that I am able to carry out my orders, Comrade General. I am quite certain that we can manage to organise a quick offensive to rescue those...improperly placed units and return them to their ranks, and one that front I believe I have some specialists from the Royal Marines that should be able to help us.

Yi-Kyung merely bowed to those in the room before speaking, “As Director General for Mystria I do have clearance to speak and be present during talks on military operations, however, due to other classified engagements I must depart anyway. I wish you luck in your operations, and may the ancestors watch over you and your comrades, Junior Colonel.”

Ji-Min bowed and returned the communication device to her pocket.

“So what do you wish to discuss that couldn’t be talked about with the Director General in the room?”

“Technically speaking,” the man replied, “I shouldn’t be telling you, either. This is internally classified information… which I’m sharing with you under my authority by calling you my staff officer, if anyone asks. There are two main groups I want to reconnect with. One is the Rohanian forward firing base, which has apparently withstood the ice monsters and is still standing with artillery in good shape and all. I think it should be clear why I want them back,” the general brought up a holographic map on his desk, pointing to a large square deep inside enemy territory, halfway to the city’s edge. “They’re lined up here. This is the one I think will take more effort, due to how large the amount of people and material to move is. The second one is over here,” he now moved to indicate a rather large and intricate building of marble. “This is the New Snowdale National Museum building. We have gotten absolutely nothing in terms of radio chatter, visual signalling… nothing. But that Ranger squad I mentioned? When they were doing recon they took note of this building.

“A large amount of winter creatures seem to be outside, but they’re constantly attacking the building, and the Rangers reported occasional gunfire from within striking some down. We believe it may be held by Rohanians, Malgraveans, or a combination of the two, who decided to hunker down there for some reason… this is the highly classified bit,” Alderbracht scratched his chin. “Among the assets I had coming into New Snowdale was a single AMTF squad. I have lost contact with them since the assault on the city grew worse, but I find it hard to think they’ve died. The AMTF are Rohane’s most elite, hardiest, and most… special… soldiers. They’re nigh irreplaceable, and if they’re in this building I absolutely need them back in our hands, plus whatever or whoever it is they’ve stayed to protect. I don’t believe an AMTF squad would struggle to push through the hordes and reach us even if they were outnumbered.”

“In that case I am quite thankful that you’ve decided to share this information, Comrade General,” the Junior Colonel said looking at the holographic image put forward by her Rohanian colleague, “It is quite fortunate that this Forward Operating Base managed to survive the onslaught of monsters, the Territorial Defence Force should be able to launch a small counter-offensive operation to give those at the FOB a chance to join in with our efforts and engage in a small organised withdrawal from the general region, although any information you could get on the numbers of Rohanians still within in the FOB would be quite welcome.

At the latter admission Ji-Min withdrew her own MalTec device, the Junior Colonel displaying her own map of the region including the area around the museum in question.

“I mentioned earlier that I can call upon some specialists from the Royal Marines to render assistance during this phase of the operation, however, as you shared some information you didn’t have to earlier I will also engage in a bit of openness. It is quite likely that the AMTF team is fighting alongside a Special Operations Section or SOS from the SIS that were assigned to track down an important package, now sadly the contents of said package are quite above my level of clearance but I think the saying catching two fish with one bait comes into play here,” Ji-Min said the holographic image splitting up to showcase some basic information on the commando training endured by the Royal Marines and their combat record in Crystal Spires over the past few years, “the Royal Marines are well-trained professional soldiers and essentially their own Special Operations Unit. I am confident that they'll open up a secure channel for your AMTF unit.”

“The problem, of course, is that the AMTF unit is quite capable of opening their own secure channel. If they haven’t… well, the optimistic view is that their messages are being magically suppressed. We can send in a joint task group of our best, then,” the general nodded. “Malgravean Royal Marines and the Rohanian Dunedain Rangers can link up and move together, liberating the building during the wider push. If the SOS does, somehow, get contact out, let me know, of course. Though I am a tad uneasy with the SIS, it is what it is I suppose… we should begin planning the combination of forces for New Snowdale while we have the time.”

New Snowdale, Icy Shores, Silverdale
1400 Local Hours, +5 Days

The snow swirled around the Rohanian man as he resecured his helmet, stepping into the Malgravean section of the outpost. Luckily he had been told which commandeered building he should head to, a small stone building that was probably a condo in more peaceful times, where he knocked on the door. As he waited, Commander Niwscky adjusted his gloves slightly, grumbling softly about the cold.

Commander Niwscky wouldn't wait long for the door to open, the Rohanian Commander being met with an effective wall of heat as he was allowed entrance to the commandeered structure, for as much as the Rohanian disliked the cold weather the Malgraveans despised it with equal ferocity and it hadn't taken them long to improvise an improved heating system using a combination of engineering and magitech.

If the Rohanian was expecting some sort of formal greeting at the door then he would've been disappointed, as instead the Rohanian was pointed in the direction of an area of the former real estate agents office that had been transformed into a command centre of sorts by an unnamed conscript that proceeded to return to their previously assigned duty coordinating the duty roster for the remainder of the week.

If the Rohanian Commander was familiar with the rank insignia and structure of the Royal Marines and Territorial Defence Force then he would be able to spot the Senior Officer in Charge, a neko with a name badge identifying her as Elisabet Ojeda.

"Commander," Elisabet said greeting the Rohanian with a basic salute conferring with her colleagues for a few seconds in Malgravean Ancient before switching to accented common, "I understand you have a bit of a subitis on your hand," the Sub-Colonel said with a smile, "In that case, you can consider the assets of the Royal Marines at your service here."

“Senior Officer,” the man replied with a nod, something hinting at a weak smile on his face. “I have come to pick up the rest of my squad for the operations to come. Thank you for the offer, but I think other than the time it takes my assigned soldiers to arrive, I don’t have the time to enjoy your heating system. Do you have the briefing? If not I believe I have a copy on me, somewhere.”

“I understand the situation that your comrades are in, Commander,” the Sub-Colonel said, a nearby Soldato making a series of movements that brought up a holographic display of large square situated inside enemy territory close to the city’s edge, “It shall be a tough endeavour, however, we have managed to formulate a plan based on the information we’ve received from your superiors that will be greatly assisted by any further information that you can provide on the impacted Rohanian forces,”

Elisabet then took over the computer display herself, with the Sub-Colonel making a few motions until the holographic display changed to showcase a sausage-like extension making its way from the current position of the Royal Marine battalion to the Forward Operating Base being managed by the Rohanians, although the Commander would also be able to see a number of offensive lines emanating from the base from a light infantry battalion and mechanised infantry battalion of the Territorial Defence Force in a complete separate direction although also heading into enemy territory.

“In light of the time that it will take to evacuate the Forward Operating Base our assessment of the situation has concluded that the establishment of a secure withdrawal corridor between this FOB and our current location would be the most prudent situation, of course, any plan that assumes on the enemy not countering our move isn’t a plan but a fantasy arrangement so we’ve also taken not to launch a few assaults towards the suspected locations of senior hostile commanders,”

Ojeda then lifted another holographic image, a 3d model of two aircraft, the first was a small to medium sized gyrodyne aircraft while the second was a far larger heavy-lift helicopter outfitted with quite advanced medical technology.

“It is quite important that you are here because you can provide us with some important information that your superiors haven’t provided us so far, namely if this facility has equipment for the landing of helicopters or if we’ll have to make our own arrangements, the smaller aircraft is known as the Avro Bohr and is approximately 18 metres in length and has a wingspan of fifteen metres, it can carry twenty five wounded soldiers with the appropriate level of medical attention. The Avro Meitner is quite a bit larger as it is around 38 metres in length and has a wingspan of 67 metres, however, it has a far larger capacity in return as it can carry around one hundred wounded individuals with advanced medical care that is quite similar in capacity to a small mobile hospital. As part of our proposal we endeavour to use around twelve Avro Bohr’s and anywhere up to 5 Meitner’s to both facilitate the evacuation of any wounded Rohanian soldiers and insert supplies and reinforcements so that this FOB has a greater chance to survive until the main advance meets their location.”

“Ah, you don’t have the latest briefing then,” Niwscky replied with a small sigh, digging out an usb stick from his coat and handing it over. “That has the details, you can look through it, but I have bad news for your dreams of aerial aid. The winds being reported from the site are too intense and chaotic for flying craft. I believe the exact words used to report were ‘category 3 blizzard’. We suspect that there are enemy mages in the area whipping up the spell, but we have no info what-so-ever about their location, strength, number… this will probably need to be a ground based operation. Otherwise, your plans match up with ours, though that’s really above my paygrade.”

“I believe I have been reliably informed of the weather conditions, Commander. It will be rather difficult to conduct this operation in such windswept darkness but I will check over this additional information” Ojeda said as she inserted the USB into a specialised port that had been configured to deal with the Rohanian interface, “Yes, this does look familiar to what I saw earlier. It should be quite an eventful experience, however, we have quite an advanced landing system through our experiences of landing within the more remote blizzard-prone regions of Imeriata, plus the Avro Bohr’s should be able to install additional landing beacons and temporary weather control devices that should make it easier for the larger Meitners to take off,”

Elisabet then highlighted a small object that looked like a cross between a traffic cone and a tesla coil. “If we plant these devices near the landing site then we should be able to establish an area of localised weather control long enough to establish this air corridor,” the Sub-Colonel said with a smile, “...now what can you tell me about this FOB in terms of numbers? How many Rohanians are we expecting to see on site and in what condition do we expect them to be at this present moment?”

“Listen, you’re really asking questions above my paygrade,” the commander shrugged. “I was just supposed to be here to pick up the rest of my squad, to be honest. I’d suggest you ask those questions of my superiors. Can you please notify the soldiers assigned to Squad 34 that I’ve come to retrieve them?”

“I wouldn’t think such information would be beyond your paygrade, Commander, especially given the mission at hand but I shall endeavour to obtain this information through other channels as knowing the number of Rohanians present at this FOB and available facilities is quite important information,” Elisabet said, the neko suppressing a sigh as she signalled for a nearby Soldato to send off the request for information.

Elisabet simply nodded at the rest of the Rohanians comments before speaking, “I understand that your Squad 34 were notified of your arrival when you entered this building so they should be with you quite shortly.”

“I’m not in overall command, just of a small squad,” Niwscky shrugged yet again. “Thank you for your assistance, Senior Officer. I will gather my troops and be on my way, then.”

“...right,” Elisabet said reminding herself to mention improvements to Rohanian-Malgravean cooperation in the future, “May the ancestors watch over you and your men.”

[Glaristant]

Cowritten with Legokiller

Sky Home Grove, Silver Mountains

The bitterly cold winds cut through the snow covered forest as a band of three figures clad in flowing white cloaks at last reached their destination. What had once been a verdant glade that bloomed with color, be it crystalline trees with leaves every hue of the rainbow to glass like water that seemed to shimmer like diamonds, was now little more than a smattering of ice and snow covered dead trees. The once seemingly endless flocks of song birds and small groups of squirrels, foxes, and rabbits that populated the glade were now either gone or frozen corpses. One of the figures pulled back her hood, revealing a pale skinned woman with fiery red eyes and long flowing snow. She shook her head as she looked at the devastated glade, seemingly saddened by its current state.

The woman, known as Aoife Snowtear, had travelled here alongside her companions to seek the aid of the area’s goddess in their plight, “It is a terrible shame that this dreadful winter has reached even here. I had thought that between its distance and the wards that had been placed here it would be safe, but it seems I was wrong. Ugh….damn, it means I have to revise those protective charms once I get back to the Institute, which means more work...er” Aoife growled before muttering under her breath “Of course I’d pick up her laziness from being fused with her. Damn it, sister...”

“Centuries since we last met, I never thought a family would practice the arts of fusion to the point of sharing a deep bond between each other. Although I do see that part leaking into your being from the unique conditions of the spell.” Nico commented. She knew off hand how youthful Marron was like half a millenia ago when she was a child, and she hadn’t changed at all! “Uh… I am sorry about that Aoife.”

“Eh.” The arctic blue alien elf from Chione jumped up. “You don’t have to be mean to Marron you two. Besides, fussing about the period of winter on this side of the planet is a tad silly Aoife. The land of Silverdale is next to on the latitude of the south pole after all.”

While some of her family was more familiar with the arts of fusion, Aoife herself had only first been subject to the spell only a few months prior. As such she was still getting accustomed to the effects,“The leaking of parts of my fusion partner’s beings into my own is admittedly something I am still not quite used to, Lady Nico. Yet when compared to the many benefits it can offer, it is a small price to pay. Still….I would like to be able to at least run some further tests on the side effects of the spell before I try it again. Anyways I digress, we had best prepare you for your council with Airius, Lady Nico as given what is at stake we cannot afford for this meeting to go poorly.”

Aoife shook her head at Milky’s remark, “Milky, you know very well that despite her….-penchant for indolence, I do treasure Marron. As for the winter, I suppose you have a point but even still….this place should not be so desolate even in the dead of winter, especially given how in the past Airius has gone out of her way to keep her holy sites pristine.”

“That’s...” Nico thought for a second to give the correct term for this otherwise complicated situation. “Shall I say ‘easier said than done’ Aoife. That’s what Miranda would phase it… Ahem, our mothers are goddesses, and while Blanca may ease the tension with her chill nature, Airius can show a hot temper despite the cold wind streams.”

“Nah, it cannot be as bad as Hera.” Milky Way laughed. “It’s not like you burn down a whole castle or anything.”

“. . . “ Nico paused for a second. “Let’s try to get to the center of the grove itself. It should be at the summit of this mountain.”

“You need not mention if you so desire, Lady Nico. During my time observing this land prior to my arrival, I happened upon a number of records as to what happened to you during some of the military actions you were involved in….er my apologies” Aoife averted her eyes, seemingly a bit ashamed at having brought it up.

“It was.” Nico interrupted Aoife. “The Silverdalean Civil War was the conflict that defined and transformed many lives into something new… and something others wish to forget. I… prefer we don’t speak about it… At least until we get to the summit.”

“As you wish, your grace. Er...let us get moving.” Aoife said, snickering at what Milky had said. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she too had issues with her own powers in the past. The aasimar led her fellows to the center of the grove, using telekinesis to clear away a number of felled trees and ice shards that blocked their path until they at last reached the edge of the grove.

As they steep further up the grove towards the summit of the forested mountain, they can see a gathering of stones shrouded by a thick fog that emitted from some worldly large pillar. A pillar that casted a shadow upon the group, crackling with electricity and gleaming with neon-lights. The gush of wind began to peak up as an eerie chirper of something machinatical spoke with the sky itself alongside the boasts of a pony. All coming from the direction of the altar itself.

“Is that… a robotic entity?” Milky Way spoke up. “I fought against omegaton before and this aura radiants like what he was… except something worldly from him.”

“What….A robot entity in a place such as this? Most curious…” Aoife said as she scrutinized the pillar, not quite sure of what precisely it was, “It seems like it, but I can’t be entirely sure, Milky. Lady Nico, have you an idea of what is going on with that pillar?”

Nico closed her eyes as she focused her attention to the pillar itself. “It is omitting a form of a smoke screen to hide whoever is inside of it. However, I can sense its magical and technological machinery is aware that we’re present… Analyzing us. It’s truly a powerful magitek object, but I do believe it’d become hostile if our intentions are known to it. I suppose a little wind magic is needed here.”

“Aye...Consider it done, Nico.” Aoife said, chuckling as she summoned a blustery gale that blew forth and into the fog!

As the gale swept through the fog itself, a whistle passed by the great monolith and close by the destroyed altar was a mechanical construct that towered over the group. It towered as one of the tallest draconid, with a sickly mockery of the furious dragonkin, with ebony paint work that endured even the greatest of lightning strikes. Yet its red lights turned to examine the newcomers as it spoke in a sickly cold tongue of air towards the wind itself.

“In mother’s name….” Aoife whispered as she beheld the construct, seeming both fascinated and somewhat unnerved by it. She had seen and even participated in the construction of lesser constructs during her tutelage at the Jarlsberg Institute, but had never seen one this peculiar before. She tried in vain to decipher what it was speaking, but was unable to understand its tongue.“I am sorry, but I cannot quite understand what it is saying. From what I can tell, it….It almost seems to be mocking the sky or cursing us. That is all I cannot really make it, that is unless either of you two understand it.”

“I understand this… dreadful being's tone.” Nico sharpened her eyes. “It’s a creation from the outcast one from Mechanus, here to mock my mother’s failed attempt to stop its master’s return.”

“Oooh, I see now! An outcast is now in outer space and Airius is stuck on Earth, unable to do anything about it.” Milky Way said.

“Ah, I see. Mechanus huh? Admittedly, I’ve never heard of that particular realm, but it must be quite the place if it can produce constructs such as this.” Aoife said as she continued to scrutinize the creature, seemingly quite fascinated by it despite the revulsion she felt towards it. Shaking her head she looked to Nico, “My apologies, but these sorts of creatures fascinate me….I have heard tales of this outcast from my mother and my own studies of the outer planes, particularly about how he has stood in opposition to your mother. Yet with that being said, do you think this construct has done something with Lady Airius?”

“Doubtful.” Nico replied. “It’d delife this grove yes, but as for…”

The draconic construct turned its gaze upon the party, and erected a great curved phase blade at the left side of its arm! It began to approach the group.

“I think we better study the robot after we dealt with it.” Milky Way said.

“Agreed. It’s a shame we may have to dismantle it, but it appears we may not have any choice.” Aoife said, her expression hardening as she cast Icy Prison causing s walls of thick ice began to entomb the deconstruct. “I doubt that will hold it long, but it should give us some time to at least prepare.” Aoife said as she clutched the polished sapphire pendant around her neck, all the while a gleaming light pulsed from it that enveloped her. As the light faded, Nico and Milky Way could see that Aoife had transformed into a draconic humanoid woman with shimmering silver scales and icy blue eyes.

“You aren’t the only one who can take a punch!” Milky Way grinned. “Chione blessings, come forth!” An icy cold whiteout and light consumed the princess to undergo a swift metapohsies. As she danced and turned, her flesh became tempered by the subzero cold as ice blocks formed on her arms and limbs. As she became one with winter as its elemental, her hair grew to flow long and elegantly. When she landed, she readied her arms and body in a study stance against the construct who wailed at the icy prison. “Now we can show it what we’re made of!”

Nico gave a chill grin as she lifted up her dragonstone. “It’s only nuts and bolts.”
“Uh, sure but stay focus.” Milky Way said.

“... Right.” Nico snapped back in focus as she used her dragonstone to transform into a great featherly snow white dragoness lady!

At this point, the blade of the machine pierced through a part of the Icy Prison and broke another hole! It’s red eyes stared at the group as it began to charge up a heated laser attack at Aoife.

The now draconic Aoife laughed heartily as she watched the construct charge up its laser blade, all the while she gave a mighty flap of her wings and flew high into the air. Crystalline blades, lances, and daggers of ice formed in a ring around her, their tips sharpening into lethal points as she chanted in draconic, “Kornari di wer xarzith, nymuer sia relgr persvek sia klewkin di rigluin!” At the last word, the weapons launched toward the construct at blistering speeds before impacting the ground around the creature. The impacts kicked up a thick cloud of snow and dust, making it hard for Aoife to see if she had actually managed to hit the creature. She shook her head as she created an icy short sword in one hand and a buckler in the other as she hovered above the impact site, “What a sloppy performance, what with how far the spread was on those impacts. Ugh...Master Sarisa would have my head if she saw how poorly I executed that attack.”

As the dust began to settle, a couple of blasts of intensive heated lasers went straight into the air towards Aoife! The draconic construct smashed its way out of the icy prison, as the lance and blades were embedded in its armor, while the daggers were shattered on the ground. “Language: common, confirmed. Mission: destroy.” Its bladed arm slashed forward at Milky Way, but the icy girl quickly jumped to the side!

“Well well! Looks like it has the parts to talk to us!” Milky Way then punched at the robot’s arm to cause it to flinch, as Nico breathed out a blast of light breath at it! The machine seemed to be injured on the left arm, but it was nowhere near finished.

Aoife threw up a shield of icy white light in front of her which managed to block a few of the blasts, but soon fell under the sheer power of the lasers with one of the bolts managing to hit her in the wing. The draconid tumbled through the air as she struggled to stabilize her altitude, just barely managing to avoid slamming into the icy earth below. “Alright you mechanical abomination, let me show you why you do not trifle with the Sage of Creation!” Aoife dove towards the creature, landing feet first with a heavy thud before she moved to slash at the being’s injured limb with her icy blade. As she attempted to cut into the limb, her tail hardened into an icy spike which tried to drive into the leg of the creature!

The weakened limb was sliced away and collapsed onto the ground itself! As the machine backhanded Milky way to the side, it tried to kick Aiofe within the pierced leg from the icy spike!

Aoife was caught off guard she felt her tail being yanked by the creature’s kick, causing her to yelp in surprise! Aoife called out in draconic, causing the ice to melt as her tail was freed, before she rolled backwards to avoid a followup kick. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled a massive blast of frost that barreled towards the construct, as she roared“Take this, you clockwork abomination!”

The construct abomination began to freeze over, allowing Nico to crackle loudly as she channelled a fiery dragon from her tome and hands. “MELT AWAY YOU MONSTER!” The dragon roared as it struck at the frozen chest to pierce a hole through it! The robot shuttered for a second as Milky Way got up, and blinked a few signals for the monolith to open wide and fire a green beam to repair the machine’s injury!

“Oh I’m not allowing that to happen!” Milky Way leaped forward as she blasted a cold beam at the monolith to freeze half its side to cut off the repair beam. “Quick, finish it off Aoife!”

“You would have made for quite the interesting specimen, but alas you leave me no choice….” Aoife said as she frowned, all the while an icy lance formed in front of her. She took the lance in hand, muttering a few words in draconic as she launched the spear toward the construct with a gale like wind, “Let’s see you survive this!”

The lance ripped the machine’s head off, and it began to glow red alongside the monolith!

“I think it’s gonna blow!” Milky jumped away as there were a few seconds to react! All with Nico trying to fly away.

Aoife rapidly flapped her wings trying desperately to escape the oncoming explosion! She flew in front of Milky Way and Nico, throwing up a globe of white light around them as the construct exploded, “GAH! Take cover behind me you two!”

The two taken over behind Aoife’s light protection as the machine and the monolith was consumed by a light blur of intense heat before it exploded! Many bits and pieces of the former machine, monolith, to even the earth itself scattered across the mountainside. All with the former summit now a dark charred stain with no trace of the former holy site itself. Nico made an uncomfortable laugh with both pleasure, and as her grin frowned with horror, she looked at Aoife.

“Oh no… I let myself go…” Nico muttered as a sharp gale passed by.

Aoife shook her head as she landed before Nico and Milky way, seemingly upset by the destruction that lay before her. Turning back to her normal self, she looked to Nico with an expression of confusion and concern, “.....Nico, what in Brasa’s name is...Are you alright?….”

“Eh-” Nico paused for a moment and shook her head. “I haven’t done anything… It’s only a… tendency. Like a scary quirk.” She then rose up and turned up the mountain as dark clouds gathered with harsh winds coming down. “Nevermind me, there is someone we have to see. I hope you do have a good explanation, although that monster may have placed us and my mother in a difficult position.”

“I...I see.” Aoife nodded, still seemingly a bit uneasy with Nico’s tendency, “Er….anyways….Yes, I have a few ideas for an explanation if need be. That being said, I will see what I can do about mending some of the damage done by the construct after our business is concluded here.”

A blast of lightning crashed down onto the ruins of the grove, and a thunderous boom shrieked across the mountains. As snow began to roll down in the distance to unleash a furious avalanche, a new elven figure that took the likes of Nico approached with anger. “Must you disappoint me once again? To play at the hands of an ancient enemy?” She crossed her arms. “How shameful.”

“Hey!” Milky Way jumped up. “Don’t jump the gun and blame us for not knowing that evil robot would do such a thing, that’s unfair!”

“Of course it’s unfair. That’s the way Nebula wished to set up such desecration to this wonderful mountain.” Airius then raised up her figure. “That doesn’t excuse your naivety, child of Chione.”

“Forgive me for interjecting, Lady Airius but I think you are being somewhat too harsh on my sister. After all, we were unaware that the abominable construct we were facing would detonate in such a violent manner nor did we know we were falling into a trap. Such criticism, while understandable is not….helpful in this case, Airius.” Aoife said in a somewhat icy tone, all the while she gave Airius a slight bow, “I am not sure if you remember me from our last meeting, but if not then allow me to introduce myself. I am Aoife Snowtear, daughter of Chione, goddess of the arcane, and aspect of Brasa. If you’d like, perhaps after our business is concluded here, I can see what I can do to help aid in reconstructing your holy site here. Consider it….a gesture of goodwill from both myself and my family.”

Airius’s gaze turned to Aoife, and gave a stern look at the half-one. “An aspect of Brasa? Your forms have grown wide and met my sisters…” She then hmphed. “I apprentice the warm gesture Aoife. As the scorn earth provides nutritions for the seeds to sprout. Yet its roots will spread…” Airius then looked at Nico. “Surely, Brasa’s excesses haven't affected you. That’d be rather more troublesome given your position.”

“I-I met one of Brasa’s forms, but Aoife showed respect and curiosity than… Nevermind.” Nico shook her head. “I’ll do better next time and use my magic to prevent a denotation like that monster.”

Aofie gave a wry smile as she listened to Airius, seemingly somewhat amused by her stern look, “Yes, our...or I should say Brasa’s various aspects have been fairly active in Silverdale. I must say it’s been quite the treat getting to meet your fellow sisters, but I’d have to say of all them the meeting with Avala was easily the most intriguing. I hope our meeting will go just as well…”

At Airius’s and Nico’s comments, Aoife couldn’t help but give a slight chuckle as a small grin spread across her face, “I suppose I can understand where your concerns with our...er Brasa’s..indulgences, even if they are somewhat misplaced. While I’d be lying if I said Brasa does not engage in such behavior, we at our core are driven by a desire to aid those in need wherever they may be found. Be it through battling evil on behalf of the downtrodden, taking the less fortunate under our wings, or through diplomatic meetings like this.”

“Brasa’s intentions and deeds proved themselves thus far to combat against Garyx, and even took the less fortunate under your wing.” Airius then gave a careful look at Aoife for a second. “Hmm, my sisters showed a positive outlook as friends and we wish for the natural world to continue to flourish alongside its critters like the people, then you’d fly alongside even the great wind dragon. That said, I want to know how you aim to maintain a state of peace, and help heal even my child here. As the battle against the vile requires restrain from the crave of their bloodshed, and rebuild there after.”

Aoife gave Airius a slight smile as she pondered her response, all the while her red eyes shifted to one gold and the other purple, “Yes, they have indeed. Between the tenderness I shared with your winter sister and the meeting my other aspect Leora had with your spring sister, we have established quite close bonds with them. I hope to achieve the same with you, my dear. That being said….” Aoife’s smile faded as she heard her fellow goddess’ question, “My plan is to gradually turn the land’s inhabitants to the path of Harmony and love by working through both my agents, my allied deities, and my adherents to ensure that understanding blossoms between the various states and factions of Silverdale. Whether it be through drafting agreements between the mortal governments of the land, building close ties with the Seasonal goddesses and fostering cooperation to respond to crises which plague the land, having my aspects work as advisors to the land’s leaders. Or in the case of your daughter….”

A snowflake the size of Aoife’s head formed in her left hand, an image of a young raven haired woman meditating next to a crystal like lake, “I am sure you of heard of young Charlotte, yes? She is the reborn Cynthia who has spent many lifetimes under a terrible curse dooming her to a life of evil. Yet by coming to me and becoming one of my wards, she has set herself on the path to healing and freedom. Now I do not intend to have your daughter walk precisely the same path, but if you’d allow it I am willing to have either Leora or Aoife act as a guide for your daughter. To observe, mentor, and guide her away from her more violent impulses through training and mediation...and more if need be. It will take time, but like Charlotte and another adherent of mine, Nico shall one day too be fully healed of the scars of her past.”

“Cynthia?” Airius exhaled a hot temper and showed a sign of pity for How poor of you to mendle with fate and allow your indulgence to land in this peril Brasa. Surely, you know better to evade such temptation. Now the torch is passed and what you stole will bring the Lady of Desire shall reclaim what you covet. There’ll be little harmony with Charlotte. Only ends in tragedy and blood upon a demon god. Cynthia’s true mother: Enta. Her power turns the humble into prideful and the already decadent people to despicable people. As the same with animals that lost to their indulgence to more excessively and destroy all in the natural world. There’ll be no freedom, only discord. So no, you won’t have my approval of this Aoife. Nor you’ll harm my daughter.”

“Harm me?” Nico shook her head. “No. If what Aoife speaks is true, then even a daughter of a great monstrous entity and exhibits darkness can escape for it. I believe… even the same for me as well. I know my way of pacifism may not be shared, but a fellow child of the goddess, even in another environment, can change for the better. I understand that this and other variables can lead to this path.”
Airius frowned and crossed her arms. “Look Nico… Given your position and… You may allow Aoife to be friends. I won’t stop you. However, I have my doubts that Charlotte can escape her fate.”

Aoife sighed as she looked Airius in the eye, her own eyes returning to their normal crimson color as she spoke, “ I can understand your reluctance to trust in Brasa, especially given the rather dubious reputation that she has cultivated thus far. Yet with that being said, I will say that in spite of her tendencies she has defied fate to bring lasting peace and healing to those who follow her, be it in Chione, the outer realms, or here in the materium.”

Aoife summoned yet more snowflakes, each depicting scenes of Brasa nurturing her followers or one of her aspects conversing with a new petitioner, with one even showing her healing a mortally wounded dragon like creature in a ruined cathedral, “For all of her hedonistic tendencies, Brasa at her core is a mother goddess. Whether it is her own children or those that have given themselves over to her, she watches out for and protects all of them all the same. From my own experiences as part of Brasa, I can assure you that she will give her all to ensure that both Charlotte and Nico are healed from the respective curses that haunt them….as well as given the guidance necessary to find permanent peace….even if it means she must contend with the evils of Cynthia’s mother and Nico’s own past.”

“There is a chance, as my priestess Julio almost managed with one previous incratination of Charlotte as Carine. However, as Etna’s demons destroyed Carine, and I fought a grave forest fire and vile fire demons… This chance to save Charlotte is rather slim, and even then you’ll face the wrath of hell itself.” Airius then grumbled a few words as she glared right at Aoife. “Accept this burden and all what it entails Aoife.”

Aoife gave Airius a bow as the snowflakes disappeared, “Very well, Airius. On behalf of Brasa and my fellow aspects, I shall accept this burden no matter the cost that may come with it.”

“Uh…” Nico then spoke up. “Sorry mother, but there is another request I must ask! I know this is a grand request, but on behalf of Silverdale, we need your blessing to fight Garyx and seal her away.”

Airius snapped her figure to create a swirl of wind to create a white woodstaff that scorndel at the edges by lightning. “This shall paralyse even the greatest of dragons like Garyx. This may afford you the time necessary to reseal her. However, its charge is limited and will fade away once its energy is exhausted.”

Aoife nodded as she took the staff, seemingly a bit relieved that Airius had given the trio her blessing. Though she was loathe to admit it, Aoife had been somewhat concerned that her earlier outburst may have cost them their only chance at it, “You have not only mine, but Brasa’s thanks for your aid in our endeavors, Airius. Between the powers of you and your sisters, as well our efforts we may yet be able to stop the calamitous tide Garyx and her ilk represent.” Aoife’s expression brightened as she looked toward the goddess once again, “Airius….I do apologize for my harshness in what I said earlier, particularly on the matter of your daughter and Charlotte. If you’d allow it, I would at the very least like to offer you my or Brasa’s aid whenever you require it….as a gesture of goodwill.”

“When the season of autumn arrives, I shall request aid upon Brasa and her companions within the worlds above the stars. As upon our little tradition, Avala shepherds the land, which your hands are tied with hers.” Airius then nodded. “I’ll forgive your transgression from this incident. Now, remember to set a good example Aoife, as I’ll keep a close eye on you.” As she finished her last word, her solidified form disappeared into the wind itself like an air elemental.

“Pew.” Milky Way sighed in relief. “Good thing I didn’t handle that negotiation. Otherwise we’d have to tumble across the mountain side.”

Nico glanced over to Aoife and shivered a little. “You’re willing to teach me from your goodwill? I… suppose I should thank you once again Aoife. This was… a rather difficult task even for me to face my mother, or any of my aunts, to request it.”

Aoife shuddered as she watched Airius disappear, seemingly a bit relieved she was gone, “Aye...That could have easily have taken a turn for the worse, especially had you not spoken up when you did Nico. Still...at least we were able to turn the negotiations around at the end…” The aasimar nodded at Nico’s question, giving her a warm smile as she placed her hand on Nico’s shoulder, “Well of course….Putting aside the promise I made to Airius, I would gladly guide you given that you proven you are friend to both me and my family time and again since I..er we met you all those centuries ago. Oh and you needn’t thank me, as I should be the one thanking you. Had you not been there, I doubt your mother would have been willing to hear milky or I out...particularly after that last bit there.”

“Eh-” Nico jumped up. “Why-... I appreciate it.” She awkwardly admitted. “Once we settle and rest for the night, I do wish to ease my mind and share a few of my… unpolished studies Aoife. Alongside a small request I have as the Secretary of Magic to further cooperation with the Jarlsberg institute. Unless, you have anything else in mind?”

“Eh, I say we watch a movie before going out to fight some monsters.” Milky Way said.

Nico rolled her eyes. “I’m a pacifist.”

“Ooh! Sounds like it will be quite fun, Nico. I would love to see some of what you have in those studies of your’s, perhaps we could even compare our respective studies afterwards. Oh and as for the Institute, I am sure our director will be open to the idea, especially given we have cooperation agreements with the Jultora Institute and a few other states in Mystria. ” Aoife put her finger to her lips as she pondered Nico and Milky’s quips, “Well...I’m admittedly more of a scholar than a fighter, Milky...but a movie might be nice. Hrm….perhaps we could always check to see if we can recover any samples from the grove before we leave.”

“Why sure… I think there may be some scrap from the model we may recover. If my prediction is correct, then that robot might be an advanced construct from the Ex-Machina.” Nico said. “Yet, there could be other forms of metals to forging techniques used from this reality. Oh, there are some possibilities from it.”

“Eh, probably!” Milky shrugged. “Besides… I don’t think it can be used for anything as useful, so let’s head on out.”

“

[Legokiller]

????, Warren of Spring
Silverdale

Within the undergrowth of Silverdale, through the uncharted mountainsides and hills lies the frozen caverns and warm burrows of the Warren of Spring. A sacred place where fresh cold water melts and freezes in the cycle of the seasons. Its animals gathered in their respected dens, nuzzled from the sheer froze of the surface. As the rabbits bounce across the tunnels to gather the slightest of nurturing food from the land and within the depths of the Warren, the dragoness descended down into the depths.

The sleeper within the heart of the warren was a grumbly rabbit. As the primordial being of spring, the winter-coated rabbit folk beastling-like creature was unhappy as Lux chirped into the otherwise cozy lair. “Pardon my intrusion, my dear Dahlia. I came to request aid from you to stop end Garyx’s wraith, as it’ll delay spring.”

Dahlia stomped her feet. “Of course it’ll delay the beauty of spring. A longer delay to a permanent ice age is no good for this land to the south pole to flourish Lux. You know how dreadful that is?”

“Aye! Snowball fights are good and all, but with tons of monsters running around with no sight of spring, that’s no good.” Lux giggled. “I must ask, do you wish for any changes for the people of the land?”

“Pff, just fight hard and kick Garyx’s ass.” Dahlia witted. “While my sisters may be mere dummies for more demands, my servants will help. As for a little gift.” The rabbit goddess handed out a small rabbit's feet to Lux. “This will make your day lucky… and well quake the earth itself to pin Garyx.”

“Ah! Why thank you, Dahlia.” Lux giggled. “I’ll make sure this will happen.”

---
Sometime Later

“Nico Nico!” Lux bounced over to the Inn’s lobby where the pink-haired elf flinched at the site of her sister.

“Please call me Secretary Nico.” Nico sighed as she adjusted herself up. Only the warmth of the fireplace in the otherwise rural and wooden cabin gave some sense in an otherwise madness that her now goofy sister wanted to do. Yet as her eyes looked at the approach of her sister, Lux held up the white rabbit paw.

“I got it, Nico! Which… I think that’s the last one.” Lux giggled.

“Oh, it is.” Nico smiled. “Brasa, Shana, and I were able to successfully obtain the other blessings, and we should be able to do this sister.” She then looked confused. “Although… I really should be doing this trek myself. I know Maiden President is sending Mystic Guardians to the South Pole, natural heroes no else, while I cower away to collect these trinkets. I suppose this is my path.”

“Nah.” Lux placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We did important work and saved a lot of time for those guys. For them, these blessings will be shipped over and they don’t have to worry.”

“Eh, that’d be correct. Then again… it shortens the journey in some way. Besides, I don’t think folks like… I think Tynah is with them… Oh right! I know without a good fight, she might be bored by such item gathering.” Nico giggled.

“See! Don’t worry about it. Now, I suppose fate will decide if we’ll be lucky and Garyx returns to her long slumber or a greater battle shall come.” Lux said. “But let’s not trouble ourselves now Nico. We need to ship this to Brasa, and she’ll deliver this to the team.”

“Okay!”

[Glaristant]

Ice Palace

Collab with Dyste

The early morning hours of a normal day in the Icy Palace of Princess Snow were usually a time of rest and quiet for its inhabitants, with most either being asleep or quietly preparing for the day to come. Yet for two of its denizens, it was time that was spent honing their considerable martial skills in the training room. The sounds of their sparring, be it the clanging of steel or thuds of one or the other impacting the floor, could be heard echoing down the halls from the training room. The door to the room opened as Tynah and Flora could hear a chuckle., “You do not take a single moment to rest do you, sister? Even after five hundred years you still always start the day with training…” Standing at the door was a black scaled draconic woman a little shorter than tynah, wearing a grey suit and a green overcoat with twin shoulder boards bearing a single silver star.

The princess of Dyste was training alongside her favourite sparring partner and consort, the Spirean-born catfolk Flora. “C’mon, Tynah, don’t go easy on me!” The pink-haired catfolk whined. “I can totally handle anything you throw at me!”

Tynah had mostly stuck to unarmed combat with her partner, not wanting to fight too hard with her, “Are you sure about this, Flora? I mean, you had a pretty nasty wound from your rescue of me and my sister…”

“Oh, c’mon! You know that after a nice catnap I get back on my feet!” Flora stuck her tongue out. “Besides, the blue-haired elfy let me relax in her special hot spring, and that healed up any pains I had!”

“If you say so,” Tynah smirked, “Then I suppose I must go all out then!” Winding up a punch with the power of the Gem of Bahamut, she noticed her sister enter, and ended up punching a dent into the wall with her blow! “Oh, Eyvel! Are you alright? I thought you were still recovering from everything…”

Eyvel chuckled as she watched her sister dent the wall, “Careful, sis! I don’t think the Princess or the rest of your friends here will appreciate their training room being wrecked..” Eyvel’s smile seemed to dampen at her sister’s question, “Oh...Well...not quite. The doctors back in camp told me I really overdid it with using Iolite twice, to the point that I’ll still be out of action for at least another week or so. That being said….I wasn’t going to let some fatigue stop me from giving you my best before you lot head off to deal with that blasted Garyx.”

Tynah sighed, “I have warned you about using it too much… but saving the Silverdalean general was definitely a good call. Apparently it was thanks to her that they have managed to deal with gaining some power in order to help them for this trek.”

“Oooh, yeah, we’re going to the South Pole again!” Flora shuddered a bit, “So cold there… can’t they ever have an evil lair in hot springs?”

“Sadly, not everyone thinks like you, my dear,” Tynah brought Flora in with a hug, “Apparently I shall be going with Glacia and her team into the icy prison in order to stop this fake princess and rescue a queen, or something like that.”

“I...I suppose it was, even if it leaves me stuck back in the rear with the command group while you lot get to be on the front….taking all the glory. Still...if using it meant you all have even the slightest improvement in your chances on your mission, then it was worth it.” The tanager sighed as leaned against the wall Tynah had dented, reaching into her cloak to pull out a silver case. She shook her head before tossing it aside, all the while a smirk spread across her face at Tynah’s remark, “You never do bother to fully read the intel briefings for you missions do you sister?”

“Come now, I always left that to you. Or Melux, before he went and got busy with that whole project of his,” the princess scoffed, “Shame, he would have made a great adventuring partner!”

“C’mon, you still have me for that!” Flora flicked her tail. “But with you back at command, I feel more comfortable doing this, Ey! I’ll make sure to beat some heads for your sake!”

“Ugh….C’mon sister. Part of being a leader is making sure that you have the necessary info about the dangers your troops will be facing in the field, so as to avoid unnecessary losses. Between Scarscale’s lessons and observing me leading my brigade, you’d think you’d have picked up on that by now..” Eyvel chuckled as she rolled her eyes, “Hrm...well since Melux and I are typically too busy nowadays to fill that role, I could always have one of my aides make sure you’re listening. Ooh...that might even be a good job for Tarkven. Anyways, I know Flora and I appreciate you doing that. If I can’t be out there with you guys, at least you two can bust some heads for me.”

“I understand, of course, but you know me, sister,” Tynah said with a smile, “I tend to work better in the moment, analysing my foes as I fight them, and finding their weak spot. This is the type of mission I am best for!”

“Don’t worry, Ey,” Flora said. “I’ll make sure she pays attention. I mean, unless I get distracted, but when does that ever happen?”

“Very rarely, Flora. With you being by Tynah’s side, my worries about her admittedly less than they would be if she were going alone. Besides, between you, my daughter, and Ivi….I think she will be in good hands.” Eyvel said, giving the catkin a faint smile,as she nodded at Tynah’s remark, “That I do, sister. I know that even despite your tendency to be somewhat brash….you do have a knack for reading the tide of battle. That being said….there is something else I wish to discuss with you before I depart. You have heard what has happened to our sister and my daughter, yes?”

“Ivrea and Kyara, you mean? I heard that they’ve gotten some extra power from some special wish, yes?” Tynah nodded, “It reminds me of the time Flora and I got powers from that holy artifact…”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t just a power boost, silly dragon,” Flora winked, “Apparently they’re going around calling themselves goddesses or something. Well, they should be careful about that, it’s bound to bring them some attention, some they may not like…”

“I am sure they can manage it,” Tynah retorted. “Besides, they can call on me if they run into any trouble!”

“Aye. I am still unsure if I believe their claims about having achieved divinity, but all the same it is hard to deny they have definitely changed as a result of it. If it is true, then it will definitely result in them getting some unwanted attention. Yet…” Eyvel reached into her general’s coat, withdrawing a finely cut purple stone that seemed to pulse with a faint white light, “I don’t know if I’ve shown this to you before, but this little stone is all that I managed to recover from Veske’s killer after I finally tracked it down. If you remember it can be used to summon a shade of the soul inhabitating it to protect the wielder. It may not be much, but I do think it would prove to be quite useful for Ky and Ivi….Plus having my him there would at least give me some more peace of mind, knowing that someone I trust is watching over you three.”

Tynah accepted the ring and gave her sister a hug, “In that case, sister, I believe Veske will be watching over us. Do not worry; I shall be able to return this to you when we return. And we will; I have too much still to do in this world, Ey. Including being the next queen of Dyste, GHAHAHAHA!”

Eyvel returned the hug, all the while giggling at her sister’s remark, “I’ll trust you to keep that promise, sister. After all, it would not do for the potential future queen of Dyste to perish on the battlefield…Still I guess that would pave the way for me to take the throne in your place. Hrm...Queen Eyvel, that does have a nice ring to it, don’t you think sis?”

“... okay, now I have to return,” Tynah grinned, “If only to keep your claws off my throne!”

“If your father even decides to retire, which who knows,” Flora yawned, “Maybe a couple more centuries and you’ll find out?”

“GWAHAHA….We’ll just have to wait and see, sister. In all seriousness though, I am holding you to your word sister. Brasa knows I cannot stand to lose yet another loved one in battle.” Eyvel said, as she watched the door to the training room open to reveal a black scaled tanager clad in a gray suit and black overcoat. The tanager gave a slight bow to the trio as he spoke, “Mistress, forgive the intrusion but General Pearse has requested your presence in Riverdale at once...Your highness and Lady Flora, I should have known that it would be you two that my lady had wanted to see. I trust you have been well since I last saw you some….thirty years ago?”

“Has it? I’ve lived far longer than most kitties would’ve, so I kinda lose track of time…” Flora wasn’t quite sure.

“Sounds about right to me, Morgan!” Tynah nodded, “I trust you are keeping Ey in line?”

“I have tried, but she has seemingly been quite insistent on ignoring my advice against joining in on missions while she is here. That being said, I have managed to at least get her to agree to some basic precautions to ensure her safety while she is on the frontlines.” Morgan said, seemingly somewhat exasperated, “Perhaps, Lady Flora. My memory of the last few decades is rather spotty given I spent much of them in Elysium.”

“Well, I am glad she has you here to help her at this moment; until she fully recovers, I do not want her to be in too much danger,” Tynah said, uncharacteristically serious, “I had to talk to her already about going on this trip without her, so please, keep her safe, Morgan.”

“On that you have my word, your highness. After all, it would not do if I allowed my contractor to come to harm. More importantly however...Please for both Ey and I’s sake, make sure that you and my daughter come back alive.” Morgan said somberly as he took Ey’s hand and began to lead her toward the door, all the while Ey gave her sister a final smile, “Just remember to kill a few of those monsters for me, sister. Farewell and safe travels.”

“And to you as well!” Tynah waved as they left.

“So, um…” Flora looked at the wall, “Are you gonna fix that?”

“Erm… I am certain they will not mind!” Tynah said. “Now, come, we must get ready too!” As she spread her wings and flew off!

“H-HEY!” Flora growled, “C’mon, get back here! Ohhh, you’ll be in trouble, Tynah!” Causing the catfolk to dash after her!

[Glaristant]

Outskirts of Silverwoods City, Riverdale

Cowritten with Dyste

The battles in and around the city of Silverwoods had continued to rage for the better part of a month since the arrival of Glaristanti and Aravean forces, with each contingent having taken heavy casualties. As she looked out over the ruined city, barely able to see through the blinding blizzard, Eyvel could not help but feel her heart sink. Too many of her men had perished in the defense of this place, all for a battle that was looking increasingly likely that they would not win. To her it hearkened back to the Siege of Oured, where she had led thousands of valiant souls to an early grave at the hands of Svjean shells and bullets. She spat as she fell back below the ruined concrete wall that made up part of her observation post, looking towards what remained of her command staff. All were in various states of injury with the lucky ones having only a few bandages whereas most, including Eyvel herself, had limbs in slings if not missing one. All told, the battle had pushed all of them to nearing their breaking points. Yet for Eyvel, it was even worse as she had to fret over the fact that her family was delving into a veritable hell to bring an end to the war.

Yet as memories of her daughter leaving Glaristant flashed before her mind, the tanager noticed the blizzard beginning to die down as she looked over the city. Not only that, but the sounds of rifle and cannon fire seemed to fade as the radio behind her crackled to life. From the stream of transmissions coming in from the various allied units, it seemed as if the hordes of ice elementals they had been facing had just crumbled or faded away. Disbelief turned to jubilation as Eyvel could hear faint cheers and roars coming from the streets below, all the while she gazed back to see faint smiles spreading across the faces of her command staff. Most seemed to either be in shock at the sudden reversal of fortune or relieved, the fatigue finally hitting them as the full exhaustion from their long fight setting in. The general herself merely turned to rest against the wall, allowing herself a small smile as she pulled out a silver lighter and cigar. Lighting it, she took a long drag as she watched two of her staff began to sing, as they were soon joined by the rest“D'ainneoin ár dtuirse leanfam an tslí!” She didn’t know whether it was the memories she had of that song or her elation at their victory, but she could not help but sing the refrain, “Over the hills and valleys, we shall march to the end of our journey! All...all as we remember those gone by.”

The tanager’s smile faded as her mind turned to thoughts of her daughter and sisters. Clearly they had been successful if the elementals had retreated and the storms had let up, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they had escaped. To her the latter had seemed likely, given the prison mission had seemed to be a textbook suicide mission. Between the presence of dangerous inmates, Garyx herself, and who knows what traps, it seemed that even seasoned veterans like Tynah or Kyara stood little chance of making it out alive. The tanager could feel tears beginning to well in her eyes as she thought of the last time a family member hadn’t made it home, all the while she choked out, “Veske….please...tell me you kept them safe….I can’t bear...the thought of burying them.”

The duchess could feel a gentle breeze coming from the far end of the rooftop, looking up to see a white door appear in one of the walls. The wind picked up as it opened, revealing two figures, one a silver scaled tanager wearing white armor with a similar build to Eyvel and the other a brawny draconid with a black and gold scale pattern who towered over the duchess. The silver scaled tanager smiled as she beheld the duchess, directing her companion towards her. The confused duchess seemed in shock as she choked out, “S-s-sister….and Ky...Kyara?! Is that really you?!”

“GHAHAHA! Come now, do you really think this would be my last adventure? After everything that has happened with us, I would have hoped you had a little more faith in your elder sister!” Tynah said as she patted Eyvel on the back.

“Sis….Tynah, you’ll forgive me if I was worried. You know that after what happened with Veske, I...am always somewhat worried when one of you goes off to face a dangerous mission, especially one that involves a foe like Garyx. Still…” the general rose to her feet, embracing her sister, “I’m glad to see you made it back safely. I...trust you were successful?”

“Why not wait for the official news to come out?” Tynah grinned, “Or do you believe I would leave a job half-done? I am not Marron, after all.”

“Given your penchant for battle sister, I have no doubt you were in the thick of things….nor would you allow a foe to escape….So going by that I am assuming you were successful. And no….unlike Mari you wouldn’t leave a job half done.” Eyvel said as she embraced her sister, “Just...just don’t let her know I said that though. Last thing I need is either her or Brasa riding me again. That being said...I have got to ask, did Ivrea make it out alright, sis?”

“Depends on the type of riding I suppose, GHAHAHA!” Tynah slapped Eyvel on the back, “Oh, Ivi? Of course she turned out alright, ever since she is going around calling herself a goddess she has been coasting on that. I will say, between that cuddly elf and the penguin, she has found herself a fine team.”

“I think you know very well what I meant, sister. Honestly my and mari’s...Never mind” Eyvel blushed profusely, as she gave her sister an indignant look, “Regardless, I am glad to hear Ivrea pulled through. Given her penchant for recklessness I had figured she would have gotten herself into trouble. Still knowing she is working alongside Memphis and that Arctic Knights Captain gives me hope she’ll turn out fine, goddess or no.”

“I mean, you do not have to take my word for it,” Tynah gestured Kyara over, “You were there too, after all; with a team like ours, we could not have failed, right?”

Kyara hesitated for a moment, her blue eyes locking with her mother’s golden ones as the two tanager stared at each other. She said nothing as she stepped forward, all the while she withdrew a silver amethyst ring from within her armor. Tossing it to her mother, she spoke, “Ivrea did well enough for this mission, particularly given her lack of experience. For the mission overall, we were successful and able to carry it out with no casualties….Grandmaster. We did have some close calls, but thankfully we pulled through in the end.”

Eyvel for her part, seemed to regard Kyara with an icy gaze as she listened to her report. She caught the ring, slipping it back onto her finger as her cold facade dropped with the slightest hint of elation, “Well done, Knight Captain A...Cavil...I would have expected nothing…” The tanager paused her voice seeming to waver as she continued to scrutinize Kyara, before at last looking down to her lighter. Lifting her cigar back up to her muzzle, she lit it and drew a long breath in. Smiling she tossed one and her lighter to Kyara, a tear welling up in her eye as she spoke,” Well done...my dear Ky.”
Kyara gave her mother a smirk as she caught the lighter and cigar, all the while letting out a hearty laugh. She lit up, as she looked to her mother, “Seems like you won, Aunt Tynah. I guess that icy heart of her’s has finally melted after all….Still, It’s good to be back, mom...even better to see that you made it through.”

Eyvel merely smiled as she moved to embrace her daughter, all the while a few tears could be heard impacting Kyara’s armor. Kyara in turn embraced her mother, resting her muzzle on the elder tanager’s neck as she whispered, “I missed this...and you mom.”

Tynah gave a huge hug to both of them, “Heh… I suppose my plan worked after all. After all, an adventure was what brought me together with my sister!”

“Sister, I love you dearly, but there are times you need to just shut up and enjoy the moment.” Eyvel said as she gave Tynah a boop with her tail, “Still….I’m not going to complain about the results….and Thanks. Had it not been for you...I don’t think we would be here, let alone like this.”

Kyara shook her head at her aunt’s remark, all the while enjoying the hug, “You know she means well mom, even in spite of her….quirks. Still….I’m glad your plan worked Aunt Tynah. Had you not been here, I...I don’t think I could have mustered the courage to do this.”

Tynah counterbooped, “If you do complain about the results, I can take them back! Besides, it is not like our adventures are over, not for a long shot! … but even we need a rest sometimes. My kitty Flora knows this, too.”

“I’d like to see you try, sister. I may not be the soldier I used to be, but with my daughter I am sure I could prevent you from doing so.” Eyvel smirked, before chuckling, “Regardless, I think after all you have been through...and the battle I’ve been waging….We have earned a rest. I know it’s not Castle Dyste or Crescere, but we’ve got a decent enough recuperation facility set up at City Hall. So….how about you two, a couple of days of R and R? General’s orders GHAHAHA!”

Kyara chuckled, giving a mock salute, “Yes sir! Sounds like a plan, mom.”

[Rohane Alista]

OoC: Written with Silverdale

There was a knock at the door to the command room in the Presidential Bunker, which soon opened to allow a single man to enter before closing. Field Marshal Ælfric Strider, overall commander of Rohanian forces in Silverdale, saluted those gathered in the room before approaching the table, setting a briefcase down on it, in front of him.

“President Songbird, generals,” he greeted them. “I bring a proposal for you. I have recently received a message from His Eminence… I believe we have a way to destroy the ice bridge that the vast majority of the monsters seem to be using to cross into the Silverdalean mainland.”

“A solution?” President Songbird perked up as she returned the salute. “Is this a game changing maneuver-” She coughed. “I mean, do tell Marshal.”

“Rohane Alista has developed an…” The Marshal paused for a moment before continuing. “Experimental weapon, staged on a satellite. We believe it could obliterate the ice bridge, but… it is, in effect, a new generation of WMD. We don’t want to deploy it without explicit permission, just in case. Needless to say, this information is all at the highest level of secrecy.”

“A satellite weapon?” Miranda raised her eyes. Sure, it sounds like a game changer to shift the tides! But what if this weapon is similar to the Greater Pony Herd’s nuclear space platform? It is not something she’d approve. “I must ask one critical detail of this weapon, Strider. Is this a form of a laser-space cannon or a kinetic base one?”

“To share the details, I need you and your people to swear to secrecy,” the marshal replied. “Not that we don’t trust you, but this is a highly experimental technology, and we don’t want word of it becoming general knowledge yet.”

“We’ll keep this matter top secret Marshal. As the president of this fine country, I’ll make an oath to keep what we exchange between us.” Miranda replied.

“Alright,” Ælfric nodded, opening the briefcase. “It is a laser-based heat ray system, modified and powered up from Rohane Alista’s Orbital Solar Energy Collectors. It follows much the same principle- big satellite collects solar energy, sends it back planetside- but instead of releasing a slow, focused, and continuous trickle of energy, this platform collects large amounts, then releases them in a burst that lasts a few seconds to half a minute at most. In effect, this is like taking something and plunging a massive, super heated knife through it, but… even more dramatic. It leaves behind no radiation pulse once the heat energy has dissipated, however.”

“Intriguing.” Miranda nodded. “Are there any videos that demonstrate the weapon’s full devastation that you’re willing to show me? I do want to make sure this laser cannon can slice through thick ice sheet at the ice bridge.”

“No,” was the blunt reply. “There’s only been one test firing done, and it wasn’t recorded. You needn’t worry about the ice bridge, though; this weapon is its natural enemy. Even magically reinforced ice shouldn’t be able to withstand this, as it’s basically channeling the heat and power of the sun itself. And even if it did fail to destroy it, we’re certain it would weaken the bridge to the point we could handle it through conventional means.”

“This sounds to be the right solution to eliminate this ice bridge Marshal.” Miranda nodded. “I’ll give the approval and allow this to occur. That said, we do wish that the laser cannon doesn’t target any assets that are entrapped within the ice bridge itself.”

“We’ll do our best; the plan was to target a section in the open sea anyways,” Marshal Strider replied. “We’re going to launch the attack immediately, if you don’t mind. I have everything I need here already,” he continued, grabbing a small, one-eared headset from out of the briefcase, which was connected by a wire to the inside, and then glancing at Miranda. “I assume you have some form of screens in here, right? We can set it up so you can see the view from the satellite on one.”

Miranda pressed a button on her desk for a plasma tv screen to arise from a bookshelf in the left side of the room. “You can set it up from right here Marshal.”

With a nod, Ælfric connected to the tv, then hit some buttons in his briefcase and began speaking into his headset as an image showed up on screen, of clouds and vast blue ocean, though one could see the eastern coast of Rohane Alista in the far left of the screen. “Firebase Sierra Echo Charlie 9-9-3 Bravo, this is Scathach Actual. How read?”

The other people in the room wouldn’t hear a response or notice anything on the screen just yet, but up in the station, orbiting high above the planet, the comms would crackle as the marshal’s voice came through, prompting an astronaut to float over and respond. “Scathach Actual, this is Firebase Sierra Echo Charlie 9-9-3 Bravo, we read you clearly.”

The voice crackled back over comms again after a brief moment. “Good. Firebase, we have new orders for you. Head to the coordinates uploading, and prepare a firing solution. Passcode is Alpha 9 Hotel Fox 4.”

It would take a few moments, but another astronaut put in the code and nodded at the one on coms, checking a small computer and then inputting a course on the navigation systems. The view in the bunker changed as the satellite’s thrusters activated, and in mere moments the coast of Rohane Alista faded out of view as the blue and white of ocean and clouds filled the screen. After a few moments of blank blue, the view from the satellite shrunk as part of the screen was taken up by a technical reading of the station itself, displaying what looked to be an intricate mirror system on the top unfolding, as the bottom split apart into several pronged arms.

“The station is collecting energy and preparing to fire,” Ælfric explained to the rest of the people in the bunker. “The mirrors actually catch the sunlight and reflect it into the collecting lens, while the prongs will help to focus the energy… or at least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Miranda then added. “So, it’d be fully charged once the satellite rotated around the globe to reach its target, right?”

“As I understand it, yes, it should be charged by the time it reaches its target, though if the target is closer to its starting location, it may need to hang in place and charge for some time,” the marshal confirmed. “I don’t believe that will be a problem here, as it will need to head from the equator all the way to Silverdale, which is quite the distance, though of course the satellite is moving quite swiftly.”

As he spoke, the Marshal indicated a meter next to the technical diagram that was slowly but surely filling up. “That is a measure of how much energy has been captured so far. As you can see, it’s already over a quarter full. Frankly… this will be my first time seeing it fire as well, so I’m curious to see what it can do.”

“Same goes for me as well. I hope its power is far more impressive in reality than a small radius in a strategy game.” Miranda then coughed. “Now, how long will this station charge up? Also what’s its official name?”

“I’m not at liberty to disclose either of those things,” Strider replied apologetically. “You’d need clearance straight from the Joint Senates or His Eminence themselves for technical details. I think your officials should be able to get into contact if you’d like them to, of course,” he continued. “But not from me, sorry. What you see here you can take as a display, however; the charge is already over 60 percent, for example, and I think that’s the northeast coast of the GFA coming into view on the screen.”

“If its shape is a curved nine, then that’s definitely the northeast coast of GFA.” Miranda explained. “And yes, our people call it nine island.”

The screen did indeed show an island that looked something like a number nine, though it seemed tilted as the satellite passed over it on a diagonal angle and continued on its way, soon leaving the island behind as Silverdale’s northern coast began to appear. “We seem to be almost there… and power is over 75 percent. That should be enough to get the job done, but we’ll likely be close enough to hit 100 hundred percent when it’s in position. A few more minutes, at current velocity…”

“Marshal, do you care for a drink or some popcorn for this moment?” Miranda asked.

“Uh, no thank you, Madame President,” Ælfric replied with a blink. “Please feel free if you would like to, however. I think it is time I spoke with the crew again,” he finished as he put back on his headset, and began speaking into it. “Firebase Sierra Echo Charlie 9-9-3 Bravo, how reads power and pathing?”

In space, the same astronaut as before once again answered the hail. “Scathach Actual, Firebase Sierra Echo Charlie 9-9-3 Bravo reads full power, no pathing errors. We will be reaching our firing zone in one and a half minutes. Are we clear for immediate fire?”

“Please hold, Firebase,” Marshal Strider responded, turning to Miranda. “Madame President, are there Silverdalean or allied assets in the region of the ice bridge that must be evacuated?”

“By this time, the evacuation of one of our carrier strike groups should be completed. Alongside other assets that are undergoing at this time.” Miranda said. “I am sure we’d be able to save them.”

“Alright, Madame President,” Ælfric nodded, going back to communicating with the satellite. “You may fire when in position, Firebase.”

“Affirmative, Scathach Actual,” the astronaut replied, giving a thumbs up to his comrades as the satellite began to slow significantly. On the screen, down in the hidden bunker under the Winter Palace, the southern coast of Silverdale slipped by as the huge ice construct spanning the gap between Icy Shores and the mainland came into view. The image shifted a few times as the satellite seemed to align, then hung for a few moments in tense silence.

Miranda asked one of her assistants to fetch some popcorn and soda as she looked at the icebridge with intense interest. The assistant came back with said snakes as soon as he could!

There was a silent stillness to the scene, when a small red laser appeared in the screen, fading out of view well before reaching the surface, and then disappeared. “Firing,” the operators on the satellite spoke matter of factly into their comms, something Field Marshal Strider relayed to the rest of the bunker. It would be another second, then suddenly the screen was filled with red, everything else completely blocked out by the bright, vibrant red for almost 15 seconds before it began to pulse then fade away. What was left behind was a huge mass of what looked like clouds covering the area the weapon had just fired on.

“Madame President,” Ælfric spoke up. “We’ve got a plane prepping to do a fly-by examination. We’re unsure how long it will take for the… steam… to clear, but hopefully we should begin getting preliminary damage reports soon.”

Miranda took a sip from her soda can as she nodded. “Oh, a close up? Ahem, There should be enough air support to keep our trip safe marshal. I know Gwynie is focused on the State of Ice Haven.”

“Well, we won’t be going personally, unless you’re looking for a photo op,” the marshal replied with a blink, Miranda’s personal guard making himself known for the first time with a strong shake of his head. “It’s a spy plane, to capture us images. It seems the steam is clearing, however,” he motioned to the screen, where indeed the sky was slowly growing clearer, from the center out.

The first thing to notice was the lack of anything at all like the ice construct that had been crossing the ocean where the laser had fired, but the second to notice was a lack of water as well. As more steam cleared, the marshal gasped and drew a sharp breath through his teeth, his eyes going wide. Where there had been ice and ocean was now a huge whirlpool, twisting at huge speeds as the water slowly made its way back into the empty region. A few chunks of ice could be seen being pulled off the rest of the bridge, drawn into the swirling currents and dashed to pieces by the force of the water.

“By the goddess….” Miranda's jaws dropped as she witnessed the massive whirlpool and the destruction that awaited! She began to hear the fall of entire ice chunks from the ice bridge that was pulled away into the whirlpool, and other magical explosions from the cut tendril. As if a critical support link was broken, the northern half of the bridge that lead to mainland Silverdale began to shatter as fissures arose from the pull of the ocean’s current, while the southern half, while the edge began to crumble, was unaffected. As this occurred, entire hordes of ice monsters fell from its edges towards the whirlpool!

“That’s… a significant level of destruction,” Ælfric muttered. “I had no idea it was that powerful. I don’t think the bridge will be troubling us anymore, at the least,” he finished as the whirlpool began to slow, water having filled in much of the void. “I wonder how much destruction that caused to Garyx’s forces? I imagine it was significant.”

“Total pwnage for one.” Miranda pointed to one of the shattering ice sheets as it crashed into the ocean. “And that’d cut off their large numbers, and our fleets can clean up the remnants at sea.”

“Total… pawnage?” the Rohanian commander seemed confused but just shook his head. “Regardless, I agree. Once the seas calm, the Rohanian fleets will move back in to eliminate any stragglers and reestablish the line. After that, I think we have a path to victory.”

[Dyste]

(OoC: Co-written with Legokiller)

Dragonlover Safe House, Outskirts of Saint Monica
Silverdale

Beneath a unimpressive, if a little tacky, suburban one story house on the edge of the warzone of Saint Monica lies a secret little dojo within the basement. The switch-a-roo dojo where the simple style of the ninja village can turn into a full on ninja arsenal with a tactical map of the whole city of Saint Monica. As one of the many hideouts in Silverdale, the sheep holy warrior decided to use it here as it was closest to a great search and destroy mission, alongside intel, to gather on the snowmen themselves. A dangerous task set by the high ups in Silverdale and Dyste to do, but nothing Sharena the Fourth can handle. Or was it? Baa!

Sharena sighed as she felt her body may have been softened as she trained and exercised for the task at hand. Hence the blonde haired sheepling needed to call her mother and friends to do this mission!

Maybe it was her focus had been slipping, or her senses not at their best, or maybe it was just that the person sneaking into the basement was simply too good even after all this time. Either way, Sharena the Fourth got glomped by a woman with a similar build and look to her, just with shorter hair and no sheep traits! “Hiya, my dear sheepy! Seems I can still sneak up on you after all this time!”

“BAA!” Sharena groaned as her mom sneak hugged her! “I was only distracted! Next time, it’ll be different.”

Sharena the Third, or ‘Shana’ as everyone called her, giggled as she fluffed the sheepling, “Aw, c’mon, you like our huggles! Now, c’mon, you asked for my help, so I came with some aid!”

“Salutations!” Sunny waved as she bounced over! “Nice to see you again Sharena! Perhaps Shana Jr works too.”

“Shana Jr? You don’t need to tease me Sunny.” Sharena chuckled as she fluffled up. “Sorry about that mother. It’s the cold and a little ill-prepared tea that made me tense up. That and this mission.”

“I mean, in a way you are Shana Jr,” Shana teased, hugging Sunny as well, “But c’mon, you don’t need to worry; after all, you’re a great ninja, taught by one of the best in the clan at that.”

“That is true.” Shana Jr let out a sigh of relief. “I have proven myself to the clan and my goddess that I’ll be the light in the shadows, and strike when my foes are blind. That helps but… Ahem.” Sharena then straightens up. “I am facing a powerful snowman rumored to be a demigod or a king. A far more powerful one than anything I encountered. A little nervous on this mission. That is all.”

“It’s okay, my sheepy,” Shana smiled, “It’ll be a strong opponent for certain, but you’ve got Solis’s own daughter with you! And of course, people say I’m pretty good too, dunno if that’s true or not. But if you’re worried about things, remember that a true ninja doesn’t need to be stronger than their opponent, just craftier!”

“Baa!” Sharena growled for a second and then nodded. “Yes mother that is true! I do need to be craftier and well… take advantage in the chaos of war. Of course, a herd is able to tackle a wolf rather than one sheepy.”

“That’s a good girl,” Shana patted her on the head. “So what do we know about our target? Certainly you’re not going in without some info.”

“CODENAME: ICE KING?” Shana Jr rose her head. “That’s what the Silverdalean intel calls him. A humanoidish, but more pure ice elemental with incredible power. It appeared from a blizzard at sea from a speedy ice sheet and attacked the city itself. A wizard from out of this world and well very angry, and well… some divine being too.”

“Oh dear.” Sunny shook her head. “This is no good Shana. Such a villain will lay waste to this city in a matter of days.”

“Great, another city destroyer? Thought I’d have been done with those by now,” Shana sighed, “But c’mon, if it’s an ice elemental, we know what to use against it… and even if it isn’t, we’ll have some tricks up our sleeve. Sadly I dunno if I’ll be able to use my secret weapon after that visit to the summer goddess, but that isn’t a reason to give up now, is it?”

“Nope!” Sunny winked. “That is why we’re here Shana. To fight evil whenever it appears. A little thankless job at times. However.” Sunny made a sly grin as she looked at Shana. “As a little goddess, you can make it thankless to be thankful by cute followers like Lucie. Just remember the name of protection and being better than a mere criminal who gives false security.”

“Heehee, of course! Granted, I don’t want to rely on Brasa’s powers too much and get soft like this, so I’ll make sure to save it for when I need it. Besides, I’m not sure Solis is that fond of it.”

“Isn’t that two different matters?” Shana jr asked. “As you’d need to fight evil with said power of Brasa, Solis will approve of it. Not the whole relationship with Brasa herself.”

“Okay, okay,” Shana sighed, “This is a circumstance I need to use my full power, so I’ll use it.” Concentrating, the ninja’s body turned into that of the holy dragoness, “Avatar of Brasa, the Holy Dragon Leora is here to save the day! … heehee, not bad, hm, Sheepy?”

“You look adorable mama!” The sheepy ninja bounced onto Leora! “So big and strong. I think… I think we can do this now with a superheroine here.”

“Aye.” Sunny then thought. “Perhaps it’d be time to use my goddess power to become a super fox angel. Although that’s for a little later.”

Leora hugged her daughter, “Heehee, I’ll have to think of a special role for you, sweetie. And a super fox, hm? I look forward to seeing that, Sunny,” she winked. “Alrighty, now I suppose we’ll need to have a plan for this?”

“Well… I do have a plan.” Shana Jr then dotted her eyes to the map and then snapped. “I think the best way is to lure him into a trap. Like a little challenge that damages his ego or something. If those strange snowmen have them.”

“Ah, hubris, a common trait of those with divinity,” Leora chuckled, “Not that I’m immune myself to such things, though it can be displayed differently between us,” while she didn’t say it out loud, she had felt some pride from the praise her daughter had given her before, “I think this’ll work nicely, my dear.”

“Okay! Which… Um mama, you don’t mind being the one, alongside Sunny, to lure him out?” Shana Jr asked.

“Putting you mother in danger, I see?” Leora frowned, before letting out a laugh, “Oh, sure, I’m tough enough for that! I just expect lots of sheepsnuggles afterwards as tribute to my services! Whaddya say, Sunny, feel up to a little challenge?”

“I’ll be totally up for that. Just add a little sheepsnuggles for me as well and that’s a done deal.” Sunny said.

“Oh, alright!” Shana Jr answered.

“Then it’s settled!” Leora patted Sharena on the head, “Now, while we do this, I suppose you’ll be dealing with this trap, hm?”

“You forgot my greatest ninja trick?” Shana Jr raised her eyebrow and then playfully winked. “Well I do a ki charged sneak attack when the ice king is distracted.”

“Of course, sweetie,” Leora smiled, “What a sneaky sheepy you are.”

“Heheh. Just do your best and make some noise.” Sharena said. “We’ll meet around the frontline, so I hope you're ready for this show!”

“I aim to be a star,” Leora winked. “Now, c’mon Sunny, we don’t wanna leave our captive audience waiting.”

‘Got it!” Solis jumped.

----

It didn’t take an hour to find trouble as massive pillars of ice darted an entire avenue within downtown Saint Monica as both ice monsters and soldiers fought each other in the gruesome battle. As a towering ice elemental collapses from an anti-tank rocket, a boisterous laugh of a villainous ice being, elderly in a king robe, blasted an entire blizzard across a fortified cafe! Its shivering absolute cold and energy froze away the horrorifed soldier, as they turned into ice popsicles!

“Run you fools!” He mocked at the sight of the poor Silverdalean forces. Even as an Aurora Tank rolled in to face the king, he scoffed at the sight and tossed an ice ball at its cannon! Just before it can recalibrate, the whole front of the tank was engulfed in meters thick of ice!

“Well now, seems we’ve got ourselves a wannabe king, Sunny,” Leora flexed, “But ego or not, it seems to be causing problems for the front lines.”

“Aye!” Sunny then pumped her fists. “It’ll be time for Super Fox to shine!” She then uttered. “By the light of the sun, grant me its power!”

Sunny levitated for a moment as entire white wings spurted from her back and a light halo floated above her head. She was a little more light footed as her tails glew as the sun, and her eyes shine. “Okay, let’s go Leora.”

“Gotcha, Super Fox!” Leora spread out her wings and glowed alongside the foxkin, “This’ll no doubt draw some attention from our guest. Let’s pay him a visit.”

As the two went ahead to visit the vicious Snowman king, Sharena kept in the shadows as she maneuvered across the building to get a good vantage from one of its floors. “Just keep him distracted long enough.” Sharena whispered in the comms channel. “I’ll be ready in a few moments.”

“Gotcha!” Leora flew upwards, finding a spot mostly free of combat, “Hey, Ice King, wanna test yourself against a dragon queen? Or do you think you’d melt under the pressure?”

“And the chosen warrioress of Solis!” Sunny made a superhero landing at the snow covered pavement!

“Dragon queen?” the bearded snowman royal flew upwards from the ground. “Haha, how funny. You think some little dragon form can protect you from the true ruler of the plane of ice? Nope! You’ll be a frozen dragon like the rest!”

“Oh my, such a toughie… or at least you talk a good game,” Leora teased. “But maybe you’re just bluster. Why don’t you prove it, so-called king? Or maybe I’m too hot to handle!”

“Your ‘true kingship’ is false as you're a mere monster for Garyx. Prepare to be melted away!” Sunny said.

“Stupid angel. Stupid Dragon! You won’t get away from our revenge!” The Snowman king blasted an icy beam into the air, which dispersed into a shower of icicle towards the two. “I have waited long enough to destroy those who humiliated us!”

Leora breathed a light breath onto some of the icicles to melt some, before dodging back to try and avoid the others. “C’mon, that your best?” She created shurikens made of light and tossed some at the king.

As Sunny tumbled away and kicked a few of the icicles back at the Snowman King, the mage roared as a few of the light shurikens hit his icy robes. “You asked for this, witch!” The king flew up to fire an icy beam at Leora!

Leora breathed her light breath, softening the ice beam, and while it did lose out in the struggle, the weakening meant it was more like being hit by a large blast of snow! “Oof, chilly, huh? Guess you’re great for cooling drinks at barbeques.” She fired her own beam of light from her hands!

The snowman king tried to counter with a magical barrier before Sunny flew up to him and kicked him in the chest! As he was interrupted and the fox jumped away, the light beam hit him! “Argh!” The king flew away for a moment, injured from the impact of the blast! However the elemental was more sturdy than a mere mortal as he flashed away from sight!

“Careful!” Sunny cried out as the snowman knight teleported behind Leora, and blasted another polar ray at the dragon queen! As the fight continued, Sharena moved closer at one of the broken windows at the left building of the avenue, studying her target!

“GAH!” Leora couldn’t dodge out of the way of this one as she was blasted back, her wings frozen enough that it impaired her flight, “Heh, not bad, but if you think think that’s enough to take me down, you’ve got another thing coming,” she leaped with powerful leg muscles at the ice king, swiping with her claws at him.

“Ah!” The snowman king fell down into the ground, which both Sunny delivers a switch smite kick and Sharena jumps up to deliver a burning shuriken at him! The elemental king seemed to appear to be down into his little crater, but his hands gripped onto some magical item.”

“Well now, seems you’re as squishy as you look,” Leora smirked, “Not so tough now, are you?”

“Hahaha-” His body began to glow brightly. “But with this-” He held up an orb with a dragon skull that bit down on it. “My goddess will make me stronger to destroy all I hate- Rawr!!” With a blast of light, the once wizardry ice elemental transformed into what it appeared to be a large and towering icy elemental dragon! One with a furious cold body, with jagged fangs, and a swirl of a cold aura around him. The divine being roared as he then screams many curses at the group. “Once it was done to us it will be paid tenfold. A single life for a death of all! You will pay.” It laughed as it's forward claw strike at Leora!

“Well now, this was unexpecte- WHOA!” Leora only barely dodged out of the way, “So you think your hatred can overcome the Dragon Queen of Love and her Avatar? I can’t let that happen. Let’s do this!” She struck back with her fists, powering them with light as she punched at the massive dragon.

“Let me join in to-Eck!” Sunny was batted away by the dragon’s tail! As Leora’s punch cracked the ice on its leg, the snowdragon king roared at her! “DIEEE!” It breathed out an ice breath at Leora! Before it struck her a little sheep girl RAMMED her away and quickly evaded the ice breath.

“Baa! Sorry, but won’t let that happen!” Sharena said.

“OH!” Leora looked up, “Aw, my sweetsheep, you’re such a good daughter! Now let’s give this loser a family beatdown!” She grinned as she summoned a blade of light, jumping to the side and striking at the snowdragon!

“Right!” Sharena jumped up as the dragon roared in pain and used a ninjitsu to make four shadow clones.

“Loser!? I am a king! Rawr!” The snowdragon crushed one of the shadow clones as Sunny began to punch at the dragon at the right side with many blows, as Sharena weakened him with many sneak attack shurikens! Yet this big chunk of ice, as it breaks slowly, appears to become a little more unstable!

“Silly dragon, you’re no real king,” Leora made herself invisible by being the light around her, finding the weakest point in the ice and hack away with her light blade, heat radiating off the light in order to make her strikes more effective. “If you were, you’d know there’s more to ruling than just being strong! You need to care for the concerns of the people and be an exemplar to them. You’re nothing more than a block of ice not fit to cool my fridge!”

“That’s a terrible pun- Aaah!” The snowdragon roared in agony as the sheepgirl climbed on his back. “There is service to the divine will to destroy the enemy! All must serve or be frozen away-”

“Sorry, but this ends here!” Sharena the sheepgirl delivered a special sneak attack at the holes at his back and side with many flaming shurikens that destabilized the dragon!

“No… No… NOOO!” The snowdragon bursted into an explosion of cold energy and wild mythical energies! All going into Sharena as she flung upwards into the sky.

“SHARENA!” Leora managed to break free her wings from the ice with much struggling in order to fly up to her daughter’s side. “Hang on there, mama’s here!”

Leora scooped up a barely conscious sheepgirl who appeared scratched up from the shards of ice explosion! Yet it wasn’t the cause of injury as she screams likely as if her entire soul seemed to be attacked from the pulsing energies of Garyx and the Snowman King’s own spirit.

Leora slowly took Sharena to the ground, hugging her, “C’mon, sheepy, I’m here with you. Listen to my voice… I know this is a lot,” her own first time doing something like this had gotten her bedridden for a few days, “But you’re a strong girl, you’ve always been! So fight it off, Sharena! Nobody controls your body except you!”

Sharena’s eyes turned bright white as she struggled to fight off the very being! As a tug of war, Sharena prayed upon all her strength to fight off the waves of agony and anger. Ones that he had against Leora herself for how long living and destined to perish away as a non-aasimar. Yet there was the love she felt, and the sweet times she had that pushed through the dark thoughts, and purged the snowman king away.

As the sheepgirl slowly breathed in, her hair began to shine golden as her body underwent transformation to adjust to her new energy. As to adapt and unlock what her mother and ancestors of the celestial world had. Sharena looked at the dragoness in her golden eyes, and then tilted her head. “Did we win, mom?”

Leora sighed in relief as she hugged Sharena, “We have, my dear sheepy. And it seems you might’ve gotten a bit of a boon from your victory, too. How do you feel?”

“Ugh!” Shana Jr groaned. “I feel like I have a big headache! That being just gave me the worst trip with all my negative emotions coming out, and some whispers of some ‘destroy all from what wrong them.’ A crazy grudge and all. Also… I feel a little younger too.”

“It’s okay, Wooly; you sometimes get those feelings when this happens, but they go away after a bit. Well, except the younger bit; that’ll stay with you! Now like your mama you won’t age like normal anymore.”

“What?” Shana Jr raised an eyebrow. “Are you pulling my wool mother?”

“No, I’ve done that plenty enough that I’d think you’d be able to tell,” Leora teased, and winked, “I’m not sure just how much it’s affected you yet, but you have mythic power now, like your Auntie Marron and I do.”

“Oh, that sounds great! Oh I wish it’s like the whole Bahamut trial rather than this event.” Shana Jr sighed. “Anyway, I’d love to deduce this mystery and maybe talk with many sheepies, but we should report our success.”

“Right you are!” Leora turned herself back into Shana, holding onto her daughter, “We can see about doing that afterwards, but one thing at a time. After all, even a little goddess like myself needs to respect the protocol.

“Aye… Little goddess.” Shana Jr booped Shana’s nose. “Well, you're a cutie for one. Perhaps I’ll be an adorable one too!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Shana chuckled. “We can be a fun team together if that happens! Whatever way, though, I must ask you this, my daughter. Please remember to use this power for good; don’t end up like the Ice King or Garyx did.”

“Okie!” Shana Jr nodded. “Anyway, you wanna go or stick around to play as Leora? I think those penguins will like it!”

At the tank, two penguins and a human were busy ice picking the tracks to break the tank free!

“Well now, I think Leora would like to play,” Shana once again called upon the powers of Brasa to become Leora, “After all, there’s always more work to do, it seems!”

And so Leora was faced with much busy work around the battlefield! As in unthaw a tank, a bunch of soldiers, healing, and other tasks and fights. Sunny merely giggled as she helped alongside fled off a few ice monsters for Leora to finish up. After all of that, a lot of soldiers and local folks seemed to believe she is a dragon queen goddess! Or well more to praise Leora’s name instead of Brasa!

Leora had to remind people that she was merely one of Brasa’s aspects, but could accept followers personally. But after all that, she needed a break, “Phew, so much done during this war… After all of this, I’ll need a break. Sunny, Sheepy, when this is all said and done, let’s get a vacation, I think we’ve earned it.”

“Hmmm yes.” Sunny sighed.” That includes from the more dramatic moments. Anyway you wanna visit the Dystan beaches?”

“I’d love that but I wanna master what ties I have with the heavens and my new power.” Shana jr said.

“There’s no reason we can’t do that on our break, sweetie,” Leora patted her daughter on the back. “After all, Sunny and I both had to do the same when we got our powers.”

“Okay.” Shana Jr puffed up. “Now let’s get some snooze.”

“Gotcha,” Leora chuckled. “Next time, I’ll let you do some of the heavy lifting… metaphorically, I mean. In the meantime, let’s kick back and relax… and I’ll count you if I need to sleep,” she winked.

“Haha, how funny. Well I do have shadow clones for that!” Shana Jr said.

“And a fluffy tail.” Sunny then pouted. “Of course I hope you aren’t too exhausted from this fight my dear.”

“Physically I’m not too bad, but mentally… whew, I think I’ve spent too much time teaching and not been on the field much,” Leora sighed, “It’s all been such a rush. Maybe I need to start being more active again after all this; besides, I have to show a good example to Saya, too. But at least I’m not alone.”

“Aye…” Sunny then got an idea! “Oh! How about we visit Ninja? See Saya and how she grew, and help with the others on the field. Would that help?”

“Oh, sure thing!” Leora said, putting her arms around the other two, “That’d be fun. What do you think, Sheepy?”

“That’d be great!” Shana Jr answered.

“Gotcha!” Leora relaxed her powers, turning back into Shana, “Then it’s settled; let’s go see our favourite piggy and the others; even after the war’s over there might still be cleanup to handle, and there’s nobody I’d rather handle it with.”

“Aye! Just don’t get slothful like the lazy dragon Marron.” Shana jr giggled as she gestured for the group to head on back. At this point the soldiers nearby appeared to push the monsters further back to sea. As with the king’s demise, the snowmen seemed to make more foolish charges at the front and fell easily to Sunny and crew!

“Oh don’t worry, with helping Alicia become a heroine of justice and you with your new powers, I think I’ll have my hands more than full.” Shana might not have had everything go right in this war; several fronts had to be abandoned, and struggles happened everyday, but she was still happy with her accomplishments with her friends and family.

[Legokiller]

(OOC: Co-written with Ara, Dyste, and Malgravean)

As Fimbulvetr continued onward, one of Silverdale’s bravest heroes alongside other volunteers, selected by the President and the Mystic Order, embarked on a journey behind enemy lines into the uncharted realm of Antarctica with Princess Snow at hand. From the mountains of Icy Coast, the journey took twelve days through the dark. A great monstrous owlbear was slain, alongside others to brace through the snowy barren lands and icy ravines. As they passed miles from the coastline to the heart of the south pole to reach the liar and HQ of Garyx. Her prison.

In a goal to open the path for a team, defeat Frozen Heart, and perhaps Garyx herself… It is a daring mission. Yet as they did so, another team was sent to try and ambush Frozen Heart to weaken or best case, eliminate her. It was a dangerous task as an oracle can predict what moves they planned…

The Frozen Heart Ambush, Orca Touch Fjord
Glacier Mane, Silverdale


In the secluded fjord that overlooked a great glancer and the mountain isle of the tip of the state itself lies one of the beachheads of the ice monster invasion. With the light of the moon partially covered by the harsh stormy clouds that darken the snow covered rainforest, the track was perilous. Already the outpost and small defenses were overrun and burdened in snow. Its defenders shattered as the howls of Garyx’s wolves stalked the forests. There was little strategic value to protect this part of the National Park of Orca’s refuge in the grand scheme of the war itself. Yet in this enclave lies the staging ground of the villainous leader of Garyx’s Hordes.

Frozen Heart

The elegant winter coated yuki onna sighed as she used her magic to style her loops of her hair and white ponytail as she opened up a book for the aasimar haired high priestess to overlook. Jiggle knew this was a mess caused by Princess Snow in desperation to be at two places at once and shunned the darkness within her to Frozen Heart. It was a little difficult to explain as the assembly of heroes came, and the truth must be known. Beyond the worlds of divination, only Jiggle and Snow herself knew of this monster that was made. The one who terrorizes the lands of Silverdale in an attempt to forge her own queendom from its ashes.

“Lady Jiggle?” An arctic elf with light hair spoke up; she was one of the new priestesses of one of the newfound deities that had emerged from the events of the war. She wore light white robes over her somewhat heavy frame, “Are you sure that this plan will work?”

“Hey, c’mon, don’t jinx it, Zima,” Tysteus sighed; after her battles prior, she had been assigned to this job, “This ain’t a case where th’plan’s th’only part that matters. Ya gotta get your head in th’game, th’others are countin’ on us here.”

“She has a point you know. We start doubting the plan now, odds are it will end up falling apart later, Zima.” A sylph with indigo skin said as she checked her rifle. She wore a set of white armor shrouded beneath a white cloak. She had only recently joined up with the team, having signed up at the behest of her former friend turned goddess, “Still...I guess it’s too late to start worrying about our chances now. Just got to trust in our skills and Lady Jiggle to pull us through.”

“I’ve calculated our chances and risks, which led me to conclude that it’d work. Not without risk, hence I have to put myself in the open to draw Frozen Heart out. She may… have a chance to injure me or worse, but any small victory she achieves and froze it will draw her out to change us.” Jiggle said. “I am a queen in the Elemental Plane of Ice and she’s my rival alongside the Frost King Juniper. I’d answer more of your questions if you inquire, but note that once we focused her attention on me. As in I’ll go out ahead first, you can surprise her with your counter attack to weaken her and force her to retreat.”

“This is rather risky Jiggle.” Richalle spoke up. “I do trust Tysteus abilities, but what if you get killed?”

“Aye.” Mythra crossed her arms. “Unless you have some insane plan, I’d prefer to minimize our casualties.”

“Oh I’m no fool about it. I have a contingency spell in mind, and this complex magic requires your assistance. I require you all to play the part.” Jiggle winked.

“Huh, so that’s our plan, then?” Tysteus said. “No offense, but ya seem kinda scrawny compared t’me, surely I’ve got the best chances of bein’ safe against this…”

“Not necessarily,” Zima shook her head, “If it was purely a physical encounter, that would be one thing, but with her array of spells, there is much Frozen Heart can do. Remember, she has most of the same abilities as Princess Snow does, and few can match her divine magic; I’m nowhere near that level yet, sadly.”

“Why must you insult Jiggle on her appearance, Tysteus?” Richalle sighed. “I mean she’s a powerful wizard from what I learned in my prior visits to Silverdale. So we must trust her judgement on this matter for an effective means of an attack on Frozen Heart.”

“Aye, I can attest.” Yoko crossed her arms. “Her bait will work wonders.”

“Pff, I agree with Tysteus.” Apis, the more brawny of the more feminine sister spoke out. As she swung her battle axe behind her back, she then said. “With a few ice protection spells, we can beat up the fake ice princess and send her back.”

“Oh sure.” Jiggle huffed. “And you’d be dumbfounded once you discover when you face an embodiment of winter’s spells passing through by a merger resistance to ice magic. I recommend you follow my path to ensure your survival.”

Apis rolled her eyes in both annoyances that she is partially right. She then leaned over to Tysteus’s ears. “Hey, I have an idea. Once those two have their little talk, we can jump her.”

Tysteus’s ears twitched as she grinned, “Yeah, that sounds great!” The Bovinian snickered, “We’ll get ‘em that way!”

“It’s a bit simple, but it should be effective.” Fiadh said, giving a slight grin, “Still, try not to run head long into her line of fire, Tysteus. Last thing we need is for you to end up being a beefsicle.”

“Ughhhhh, fine, fine,” Tysteus brushed that off, “But I’m tellin’ ya, if it gets t’be too much, I’m gonna go in!”

“As the daughter of the storms, I’ll do my part in this role. As the heroine who’d jump in the moment of danger is what I do best.” Ophelia, the human girl with storm giant powers boosted.

Molnar noted the details down, and planned to make sure to use illusions to sabotage what Frozen Heart could do.

“Oh, look who it is, Tynah’s little sparring partner,” Tysteus smirked at Ophelia. “Hopefully ya do better here than you do against her!”

“Come on, be nice,” Zima sighed, “It’s good to get all the help we can get. Even as a proud warrior priestess, I know that Lady Glacia values teamwork in battle.”

“Hmph. How disheartening to bring such a tale before the battle of lightning and cold could begin.” Ophelia shook her head as she moved next to Zima. “However my beloved elf, I’ll aid you and everyone to stop this frozen hearted fiend.”

“Naturally,” Zima moved over and gave Ophelia a blessing, hugging her to give a boon in power, “A little gift from the Goddess of Affection for you, to let your glory shine.”

“Oooh, how wonderful Zima.” Ophelia chuckled.

“Ahem.” Jiggle then turned to the party. “Unless you wish to call me in my proper name Jingle.” She retorted. “I jest. If you have any questions, please do so. Otherwise, we’ll begin our ambush operation.”

“So will this Frozen Heart have anyone with her?” Tysteus asked. “I mean, like evil minions or th’like?”

“As expected, there’ll be ice monsters from those Ice Elementals, Ice Trolls, Snowmen, Wendigos, to even dragons. I cannot say for sure on which types beyond this range of foes.” Jingle said. “Worst, she could summon my kind of Yuki Onnas to aid her.”

“A challenge, but one we’ll handle together,” Zima focused herself, “Of course, we can even the odds a little with summons of our own. Perhaps even my goddess will bless us with one of her own servants for this.”

“Ugh….I hope not. My squad got torn apart by those accursed wendigos back in Silverwoods, so I’d hope we wouldn’t run into em during our mission here.” Fiadh said, shuddering, “I do have to ask though….Given where Garyx is imprisoned isn’t it possible that we may have to contend with a few of her lieutenants that may have escaped confinement?”

“Wendigo? A creature born from such darkness shall certainly pose an issue to those that are easily shaken,” Molnar said, taking down the information, “I understand that they are quite vulnerable to fire though, so perhaps a good fireball will see to them.”

“That’d be correct Molnar.” Jiggle smiled. “The fire element alongside intense heat sources will greatly damage and bring fear to them. Of course, the world’s material component isn’t entirely fire itself, thus we’d need to be mindful when we traverse the forest and where we step on. As even the smallest of elementals will jump from the snowy ground.” Jingle then turned to Fiadh, and tcked in annoyance. “That I’ve no definite answer. If my lady discovers this is the case, then I’ll confirm it. Now let’s focus on the matter at hand.”

Fiadh growled, before muttering out, “Fair enough, I suppose. At any rate, you were saying, Lady Jiggle?”

“By my estimate, by following my plan, we may have the best success. Keep it mind it’d only work by the element of surprise and me drawing out Frozen Heart into a monologue before we attack her in full force. I’ll take a hit for the group and Mythra can tend to my wounds to fake my death. Granted, we’ve had to be careful as it’d fail if the monsters snuff you out. There are other reasons, but we need to weaken Frozen Heart in one good blow to force her to retreat.” Jingle said. “That said, we must go.”

---

The ambush site was at the bank of the fjord beside a frozen creek. Beyond was the chain of coastal islands formed from the once grand ice sheet years ago. Yet at this little site, there were traits and sides of monsters that stalked the land. The mere sight of grand icebergs that magically appears to steer itself beyond the usual drift showed a sigh of intervention. In the distance was a flying ice being who’s glow seemed to manipulate the floating ice. With a large quank and cracking noise, the great iceberg crumbled away to release another monstrously of ice elementals to head to the shore.

Perhaps a sign of Silverdalean weakness? Jiggle wasn’t too convinced as this national park had sacred groves, spirits, and other preservation goals to destroy by mere firebombing. A mere barbaric suggestion for the locals who’d prefer to make bunkers in more populated and mountainous sites. As the forests, snow piles, abandoned cabins at the campsites, and even a little treehouse will be enough to give concealment from the creatures and the alicorn. Jingle sighted as she prepared one magnitated word spell to shake the mountains!

“FROZEN HEART!”

As the snow maiden shouted, the trees terrible as mumble qualms of snow avalanche fall from the highground to disrupt any burrowing beast. As the diast began to settle, it took a few moments for the distant light to fly over to the shore and impose her dominance over a petty mage-queen. A dark armored ice pony with many spikes on its flanks, and heighting pose, the living ice pony’s sharp eyes and unkempt hair stared at the more elegant lady. She scoffed as she looked at her and laughed. “You know how this would end Jingle. This was inevitable.”

“Like the classic novel of Frankenstein. I created a monster and the world twisted my creation to become a haunter I must destroy. A bit of a shame as a mere accident from the mirror pool’s water to produce a more… functional and duty-bound princess led to this.” Jingle’s sharp eyes looked at Frozen Heart. She didn’t admit it to the others, but as Aurora and Snow disappeared to be useless, Jingle wanted to save Silverdale with a better Snow… But instead resulted in a minion corrupted by Garyx.

“How pretentious as ever Jingle.” Frozen Heart retorted. “Mere destruction of you and this nation is a step for my grand goal of what I desire most: my queendom. As you came here alone like a fool, or with an expendable band. That won’t stop me.”

As far as the others went, Zima has made sure to give blessings to help protect them, but she would leave most of the heavy lifting to the heavy hitters. Tysteus, for her part, merely grumbled about having to wait for the time to strike instead of jumping in like she wanted to.

Fiadh, for her part, kept silent as she watched Jingle and Frozen Heart as they spoke. She prepped her rifle and scrolls for when it was time to strike, but at the same time couldn’t help but snicker at the irony of the situation.

“Oh you're quite assumptious on my position to stop you.” Jingle teased. “Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll stand idle and allow you to continue your reign of terror.”

“Don’t twist my mind Jingle.” Frozen Heart’s horn began to surge greatly as she blastes up a blizzard across the surrounding arena with halt raining down to even the hidden party! To make matters worse, swirls of snowflakes began to summon up huge elementals nearby Jingle’s side. All with the cries of the wendigos as battle is afoot. “I’ve the hordes of Garyx on my side.”

“Pss sis.” Apis poked Tysteus. “C’mon, let’s bash that pony before she accidentally hit us first.”

Tysteus gripped her axe and felt her draconic blood boiling, “Let’s beat her down, then!” Feeling the full powers well up inside her, she launched her attack, going straight after Frozen Heart!

“Well, so much for a surprise attack, then,” Zima sighed, nevertheless using her magic to help protect the two.

Apis rawered as she charged in and chopped off an elemental’s leg for it to collapse! All for Tysteus to jump and land a heavy blow onto the Ice Pony’s barding armor. “Guh-” Frozen Heart then snorted as she looked at the bull. “Of course…. Well you dumb cow, here’s your reward!”

The alicorn’s horn charged up with intensivity ice magic and blasted the cow demigoddess at point blank! In a matter of milliseconds, Tysteus was encased within a crystalline icy prison where all her joints were locked in place. Yet she was still alive, as the magic merely preserved her alive and her anger of what Frozen Heart had done to her!

“Of course this happens,” Zima facepalmed seeing Tysteus fall into a trap, if she wasn’t frozen in place she would’ve expected choice words from the Bovinian, “Let’s try to avoid that at least,” she said, brandishing a blade to fight an elemental, channeling it with holy power.

Fiadh hissed as she unfurled a scroll of symbol of sleep, casting it on the monsters moving to attack the rest of the group. Once the spell was cast, the sylph took aim with her rifle and fired several bursts at creatures, “Damn that stupid cow. If she hadn’t rushed in like that...ugh….”

“TYSTEUS!” Richalle roared as she charged into the fray and used her magic to set ablaze her greataxe to smite down an ice elemental! Yet by her shock, Fiadh’s little symbol of sleep didn’t faze the ice elementals at all as they’re immune to sleep. Which one of them bashed the priestess aside. All as a kitsune used an invisibility spell to get by the now rising tide of new ice elementals coming from the snow!

“Oh dear oh dear.” Frozen Heart clapped her hooves. “I struck a nerve. How terrible. You should have cower away.”

“Enough of this-Ah crap.” As Jingle focused her shout magic to shatter parts of the ice elementals for a clear shot, the Alicorn was about to cast another powerful spell. That was until a blast of hellish fire rays struck her armor and partially melted it away! As she howled in pain, Yoko stuck out her tongue.

“What? Are you gonna monologue all day Princess-'' Yoko gloated. She then yelped in horror as the response from the enraged Alicorn was another powerful beam of ice right towards her face! The kitsune natural jump was caught and shared the same fate as Tysteus!

Fiadh smiled as she saw some of the elementals fall to her bursts, but was nonetheless taken aback as she saw Yoko succumb to Frozen Heart’s attack! The sylph used one of her scrolls of contagious flame on the elementals around her, trying to slay as many of the creatures as she could, “Ugh….You can say that again. At this rate we’re going to end up being the last three left if we’re not careful!”

Zima enchanted her weapon with a holy fire to melt down ice elementals, striking through the creatures in an attempt to melt them. “Gah, we’re losing members fast at this rate. Whatever you do, try to avoid that attack!”

“I’ll certainly keep that in mind,” Molnar said as she took at quick glimpse at the ongoing battle, the Malgravean understood that the fight would be tough, especially with the risk posed from trying to engage Frozen Heart and her minions at the same time, “Lets see if we can deal with these annoying minions first.”

Molnar concentrated for a few seconds before unleashing a glowing ball towards a large group of the summoned creatures, the radiant orb exploding with the power of a small sun as it settled amongst the foes.

“You wish to destroy an entire country because you’ve had a slightly difficult life?” Molnar said subtly placing a wall of force between herself and Frozen Heart, “Haven’t we all had difficult lives at some point? I was forced to abandon my child but you don’t see me trying to destroy a country, such weakness will really be your downfall.”

“Weakness?” The alicorn beelined around Molnar, furious as many of her minions were consumed by the sun and the allied attacks. As the ashes of the fallen and a moment of light resistance, Frozen Heart glared right at the Malgravean. “I was created to rule, yet I was rejected! I’ll take it by force, even when it means the destruction of everything.”

The Alicorn blasted a cone of sharp icicles and snowflake projectiles that covered the battlefield, injuring both cow demigoddesses greatly at the blast! Yet at the epicenter was right at Molnar and her barrier.

Molnar scoffed at Frozen Heart, “If you were truly worthy then your first response to rejection wouldn’t be to destroy those that you seek to represent,” the Malgravean said as her barrier was greatly damaged by Frozen Hearts attack, “I am curious as to how you’ll be judged by the ancestors.”

At that comment Molnar briefly left the protection of her weakened barrier to fire a stream of holy water towards Frozen Heart.

“Who the hell are the ancestors-RAGH!” Frozen shrieked in pain as the stream of holy water splashed against part of her icy ‘skin.’ She then glared right at Molnar as her glew red. “Enough of you!” Her horn intensity flared up as a snowflake circle lightened up under Molnar. With a blast of polar energies going upwards to the sky, a great polar night pillar beam crashed right on top of Molnar! The barrier caved in and collapsed as an explosion of a frosty mist blew across the battlefield. As it settled, Molnar was alive and well as a human popsicle! Cursed as a similar fate as Tysteus and Yoko!

“Oh no!” Zima gasped, it seemed Frozen Heart has captured three of them! She was holding off the elements fine, but she knew she was no match from Frozen Heart herself, “Lady Jingle, if you have any other plans, now is the time!”

“By Ithreia no….” Fiadh choked out as she cut down another elemental with a burst of rifle fire. Fiadh cast flaming arc to take down another group of elementals, “That witch just took out three of our best, lass…..Zima be right in that now’s the time to switch to another plan!”

“Guh, I’ve an improvise plan. Once I shout, I want everyone to focus their attention on Frozen Heart. Overwhelm her as the best you can.” Jingle said. She hmphed after she recovered from the scrap and decided ‘enough is enough’ with these small fries. With a few mutters, she then spoke up a single shout in the icy tongue of the plane of ice. A powerful word that echoed in a howl and eerie tone of a great word of power, one beyond others, to stun what remains of the ice elementals in place! It was a great word that Jingle seemed to become mute from it!

Frozen Heart wasn’t too fazed by it as she healed up from the burns of the holy water and scoffed. “That’s it, time to end this-”

A flash of light came from the forest as one cleric took the time to make her own interest. As the sorceress Ophelia zip around like a bolt of lighting and zap elementals away with her magic, Mythra floated up with all her shining glory as a high priestess of Mythra. A large being with a pure humanoid body of light and flowing hair, and emerald eyes of a celestial being that glared right down at the rather puny alicorn. “You aren’t the only embodiment of your element lass. As Mythra blessed me with her light, her guidance granted me this power to kick your ass in her name.”

“We’ll see about that!” Frozen Heart groaned.

Both Mythra and Frozen Heart flew up 10 feet in the air to charge up their magical powers to unleash beams of pure polar cold against the burning heat of Mythra’s light! As the beams collided against each other, both ladies concreted all their abilities to overpower each other! All enough time for Richelle to help use her healing magic to get Apis up, and the others to attack!

Zima, for her own part, prayed for her goddess’s aid, and attacked Frozen Heart with a blast of divine fire, “May the holy flames purge your sins, vile mockery of our princess!”

Fiadh, for her part switched out her standard ammo for explosive rounds before lining up her sights on Frozen Heart’s wings. She took careful aim, before at last opening fire on the alicorn in three controlled bursts as blue flames enveloped the rounds, “Let’s see how you like this, you twisted fiend!”

“And this!” Richelle roared as she muttered a few words for a ghostly ally of a great bull warrior to swing its greataxe at the alicorn’s side! As the flame blast and explosions broke the alicorn’s focus and about to fall down, the beam of light crashed right down into her entire well being. Frozen Heart fell down the sky and crashed into the snow, burned and partially melted away from the blasts!

“Damn…” The weakened pony eyes then shot up as she used her telekinesis to have the frozen statues of the parties’ allies to prevent Ophelia from finishing her off with a lightning blast! “You’ve beaten me this day, but I’ll come back to conquer this land!” With one last burst of magic, Frozen Heart and the three imprisoned friends were teleported away. All into Garyx’s prison where the second team aims to finish the pony off for good.

The rest of the ice monsters were finished off from the chains of lightning Ophelia crackled from her hands, and Apis’ spells to awaken a few trees to strike at the burrowed elementals with its roots. Time was bought to recover and escape from this monster hole!

“Come on….let us get out of this hell hole.” Fiadh muttered, seemingly a bit ill at ease at leaving the others in Frozen Heart’s clutches.

“Our time here is done!” Zima didn’t like leaving the others, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it here, “Let’s move out, now!”

“Yes…” Richelle then sighed as she pulled Apis’ left ear. “Once we’re back safe I have a few choice words for you.”

“Ow.” Apis hmphed as she was pulled away.

“I...I… Need a second.” Jingle felt quite hoarse from the shout. “A-Almost destroyed my...G-Give me a few minutes.”

“Another brilliant calculated risk huh.” Mythra sighed as she helped Jingle out to safely.

Ophelia then zapped up to Zima to give her a hug. “A little small in my role Zima, but one day I’ll show you how a star like myself can shine. But c’mon, let’s go!”

[New Dornalia]

ooc: done with Legokiller and Malgrave

IC:

HMNV Mistral, Snow Sea.

In the opening days of the unrest that troubled Silverdale, the Malgravean Navy had been instructed to prepare to assist the magically-attuned nation, and indeed for the past few days, elements of the Royal Navy had been engaged in a continuous back and forth battle with a multitude of monsters in an attempt to secure the sea lines that presently existed between various parts of Silverdale and the Malgravean mainland and to slow the tide of monsters that were making their way from their icy tombs to Silverdale proper.

In order to achieve this goal the Malgravean Navy was being continuously fed intelligence from a variety of sources, from eye witness accounts from sailors on merchant and combat vessels, footage from cameras attached to specialised reconnaissance drones and naval aviation to footage rolling in from specialised military satellites and individuals with especially attuned ancestral-abilities, and of course cooperation with Silverdalean and allied naval commands in the region.

It was this mixture of intelligence-gathering that meant that the Royal Navy was quick to know about the formation of the ice bridge between the territory near the Icy Shore and the Silverdalean mainland, a phenomenon known in Silverdalean circles as the Polar Night and one that was quickly deemed to be a threat to ongoing operations in the region, and it also meant that the Royal Navy was aware that the USS Harmony and her escorts were supposed to be in the area impacted by this icy bridge.

In short fashion the HMNV Mistral was assigned to escort the HMNV Esbo and HMNV Noux, a couple of Omsk-class Icebreakers, a new generation in ship-design that combined classical Malgravean magical knowledge with more recently embraced ancestral ability enhancements to the performance of the ship.

Frigate Captain Ornella Pesaro maintained a neutral expression as she took her position deep inside the Internal Command and Communication Centre of the Mistral, the Captain looking upon the rather relaxed image of the CO of the Maestoso.

“It is quite a pleasure to be able to see these new icebreakers in action, Captain,” Rhee Yeong-Suk said, the Corvette Captain appearing rather relaxed, the woman even holding onto a cup of tea from her position in the IWCCC of the Maestoso.

Ornella shook her head at the antics of her colleagues, the cup of tea being a constant presence even during the earliest days together at the naval academy in Aurora,

“I imagine that our superiors will be quite pleased to receive such a favourable report on their efficiency given the number of resources that were spent on their development and construction,” Ornella said, “In any case, we’ve got to rescue a few of our Silverdalean comrades from the perils of the deep.”

“It is quite a dangerous operation, Captain,” Yeong-Suk said briefly placing down her cup of tea to face her colleague in a more serious manner, “It seems as if those poor Silverdaleans are being assaulted by ice monsters as well, a low number at the moment but if we don’t intervene in a timely manner they could be overwhelmed.”

Ornella sighed at the mention of ice monsters, the Frigate Captain had grown to hate the creatures not just due to the fact it meant she had to deal with the awful cold conditions but also because it had damaged her beloved ship and the crew that she was tasked with looking after.

“In that case, we’ll need to give these ice monsters a little welcome package courtesy of their friends in the Royal Navy,” the Frigate Captain said referring not just to the artillery that was packed onto the ships in her squadron but also the helicopters.

--

As it turned out, the enemy would not only receive a package from the Malgravean Royal Navy but the CRE’s Navy as well.

To make a long story short, Dornalian air assets had been flying in support of the Allies since the beginning of operations. This was not only in the form of relatively mundane logistics operations--the unsexy but vital operations required to keep a relief effort and war machine going in the frozen conditions--but also the much more interesting combat air patrols which were targeted to provide help for ground and naval forces--in this case, the Dornalian “strike packages” had been bombing seaborne nasties in support of the Mystrian partners--and to intercept airborne gribblies.

For this particular occasion, Admiral Kreuger’s men had been given a task--namely, to help relieve the Silverdalean Navy assets stranded by the sudden emergence of an ice bridge between the Icy Coast and the Mainland. The good Admiral knew a threat when he saw it; Mr Skinner’s reports confirmed the obvious.

As such, the job had fallen to the Navy and Marine Corps to provide aid to the Royal Navy’s operation. The Royal Navy relief expedition would also be accompanied by Navy and Marine aviators focusing their arsenals upon the ice gribblies, as well as Dornalian Navy Seabees (those comically named Naval combat engineers) and Marine/Army detachments designed to help get the Silverdaleans out.

So, with that spirit in mind, Lieutenant Cherise, fresh from her duel with the dragon, was now aloft again in her Mjolnir-Valkyrie again for another mission du jour. This time, she was riding escort for one of several strike packages filled with air support craft which would provide aid to the Mals. There was a certain beauty about the planes riding in formation--the Valkyries providing escort, the Pelican-Thunderbirds in the lead and the gunships riding in the middle with their ugly, but effective cannons ready to rain nasty fire from above in lazy left-hand pylon turns, followed by more Thunderbirds.
The transports with the Dornalian groundpounders were also out there somewhere, but for now, Cherise had to focus on her own job. And so she scanned the skies, waiting for the signal that their Malgravean allies were ready, to begin their work.

Ornella Pesaro nodded as she noted the arrival of the Dornalians, the Frigate Captain was well aware of the assistance that their airborne assets had given to both her colleagues in the Territorial Defence Force through logistical support and her fellow sailors through the interception of airborne threats that posed a grave danger to the Royal Navy.

Yet the arrival of the Dornalians did nothing to distract the Frigate Captain from her overall mission, and the Malgravean kept sharp attention on the image of the HMNV Esbo and the HMNV Noux as they made their way towards the ice ahead of the HMNV Mistral, a couple of helicopters belonging to the fleet tracking threats with their 30mm cannons as they followed behind.

The Site of USS Harmony,
The Ice Bridge

As the roar of the ocean and the chunks of sea ice to mountainous icebergs became accumulated to the defying ice bridge of Garyx. A great ice shelf with twisting spirals of great pillars to entire plains and canyons, with the greatest depths between the sea to be as great as 350 meters, this formidable terrain was all striking. As the surge of mystical energies that radiates from the ice boosts of great magic that pulses throughout the shivering landscape. In this climate provided camouflage and a route for the ice monsters to burrow in the snow, and move throughout the spiralling roads of the canyon to their destination on the mainland.

As this evident to impossible task to crack the ice in a timely manner, the crew in the now frozen tombs of the fleet huddled within their vessels. Even the attempt to icepick and melt away was futile as what remains of their equipment were buried under the foot of ice monsters that stalked the ships itself. A pack of white feathered and dangerous versions of dinosaurs, as the frozen rex, its icicle-raptors, yetis, and ice elementals worked their way to peak, and ambush anyone who dares level the belly of the ship. Only a signal came from the emergency room of the carrier to reach out to anyone who is nearby.

HMNV Mistral, Snow Sea.

As soon as the emergency broadcast from the USS Harmony was picked up by the HMNV Mistral, the crew of the vessel kicked themselves into a higher gear, as from harsh experience the sailors of the Royal Navy knew that such a method of communication meant that the Silverdalean vessel was in trouble.

In short order, the helicopters tasked with escort duty were sent further afield to provide fire support to the USS Harmony and her escorts, with a couple of additional helicopters from the fleet taking over the duty of protecting the HMNV Esbo and the HMNV Noux as they cut a path through the ice.

“It appears that the situation on the USS Harmony is rather dire, Captain. I shall endeavour to optimise the efficiency of or troop insertion,” Rhee Yeong-Suk said through her connection to the ship, her expression typically calm in spite of the fact the Frigate Captain knew her counterpart was likely thinking of her younger sister who had suffered in a major naval accident a few years ago.

“Good. I trust that the Royal Marines should be able to provide some valuable relief to those trapped on the Harmony and her escorts,” Ornella said, a small smile forming on her lips as she watched the helicopter carrying the platoons move closer to assist the Harmony.

“I also suspect that they’ll be pleased to get some assistance fighting the elements, Captain,” Yeong-Suk said shaking her head at the icy temperature, “I have also communicated our planned response to the Dornalians, so I am hopeful that they’ll provide some manner of fire support to our insertion.”

As it so happened…..the Dornalians received Yeong-Suk’s message, along with the distress signal from the USS Harmony. Yeong-Suk and Ornella’s opposite number in the Dornalian Navy, Captain Kalina McCoist--a feisty redheaded woman with cat ears and a tail currently riding onboard a Pelican along with the rest of the Dornalian air armada--replied back with a simple, enthused, and very Scottish, “This is Ghost Rider Zero-One. Be advised that we can provide fire support for your plan…”

Looking over at the tablet she had in her lap and giving it a few taps and flicks, McCoist added, “...and ground support as well. I’ve got a unit of Seabees--” McCoist paused, and added, “Er, Combat Engineers, not actual bees, but yeah, they’re ready to help free the Silverdalean ships.” Continuing on, McCoist added, “Also, riding alongside of us and plenty of grunts and crayoneaters who want to get stuck in. Does that fit within your plans, over?”

Yeon-Suk and Ornella inclined their heads downwards in the typical greeting, although the latter spoke first.

“It sounds agreeable, Captain. It is our immediate concern to eliminate all hostiles within a reasonable distance of the USS Harmony and her escorts so that we can prepare the evacuation of wounded individuals to a safer environment,” the Frigate Captain said not commenting on the strange crayoneater term, “I’ll patch you through to the CO of that unit now.”

At that point Ornella made a few gestures of her own, the Frigate Captain bringing up the image of a small Malgravean woman, a serious expression on her face despite her relatively youthful appearance.

“Lieutenant Jadzia Chlebek here,” the Malgravean said her rather thick accent indicating that she had been raised in Pakosc, “It will be a pleasure to work with the Dornalians on an operation like this, once we reach the USS Harmony we’ll be able to determine if it is safe enough to make an insertion by landing on the flight deck but if that is unoperational we’ll have to find another way to drop in.”

“We have been working together with the Silverdalean Navy for quite some time during this conflict so Naval Intelligence has managed to assemble...or draw together a painting of sorts of this class of vessel,” Yeon-Suk said stumbling over the translation of a few words, “If you can’t gain access through the flight deck then this points on the superstructure may be your only shot of gaining access, a bit of a risk dropping directly into the Internal Command and Communication Centre of the Harmony but that is your best shot if you can’t gain access to the runway.”

“Aye, acknowledged,” McCoist said, with a nod. “We can land on the deck, that’s one way to relieve them. Either way, there’ll be quite a lot of firepower being dropped around the Harmony and their friends to keep the bastards off of them.”

Pulling up a holographic map of the terrain, McCoist added, “Now, if I may--I was also thinkin’ that we can do a bit more to help, if possible--I know we’re here to relieve the Harmony, but well, we can also, if possible, land around the sides of the Harmony and the other ships, and attempt to use drills and judicious use of explosives and Empowered abilities to break the ice, such that the Harmony et al can break through and get out of the ice. Hence, the Combat Engineers I’ve brought onboard for this mission--and of course, enough forces to cover the whole thing.” With a pause, McCoist added, “Any objections? I mean, I’m all ears.”

“We have a couple of Avro Wasps following alongside that should be able to provide immediate fire support with their 30mm cannons and rockets, Captain,” Yeon-Suk said showcasing an image of the small helicopters

“After we secure the Harmony we’ll be able to render our own form of fire support for your combat engineers, both in the form of machine-guns and mortar support but also from our own soldiers with ancestral-abilities,” Chlebek replied referring to the two 60mm mortar that were carried by Royal Marine platoons, “Just let your crayoneaters know that they’ll be seeing the professionals in action.”

McCoist’s reply was a laugh, adding, “Aye, aye. Well, they’re a competitive lot, so that’ll get them going even more. But yes, we’re to secure the Harmony, and then we can focus on digging the ships out. Good plan. So, when do we start?”

“HMNV Esbo and the HMNV Noux are moving into position as we speak, however, due to the sheer thickness of the ice they are going to have to move at a significantly slower pace compared to usual even with the assistance of ancestral abilities,” Ornella said with a frown, “As for the remainder of the operation it is ongoing. It shall be around 10 to 15 minutes for the helicopters to reach their location, but we’re confident they’ll be able to prove effective in their task. How are your forces doing, Captain?”

“Aye, we’re in the air already--an entire great big armada ready to go. We should be able to arrive around the same time, assuming my people keep pace with yours. Pelicans move pretty fast after all. Either way, we’ve got the skies covered with multiple strike packages, and we’ve got enough on the ground to make a difference.”

McCoist shared some imagery with the Malgraveans, namely in the form of real-time updates showing the Dornalian air assets converging from multiple directions. McCoist then said, “Right. Now, I have to get back to business. I’ve got a big honkin’ air assault to manage from the thick of it.” Gesturing to her Pelican, McCoist replied, “I’ll be in contact with you lot.” Turning to the Pelican, she then said, “Tally ho!” as she got onboard the Pelican, and the vehicle began the process of lifting off.

“Good to hear, Captain, ” Ornella said as she took in the images being sent to them by their Dornalian counterparts, “We’ll monitor the situation in real-time and inform you of any sudden change.”

At that comment, the voice of Lieutenant Jadzia Chlebek crackled over the radio, “Let’s get ready to rumble.”

Sometime Later,
Ice Bridge

The situation at the Carrier Strike Group began to turn dire. A quick recon mission was able to sight a dozen Frost Giants in the far south, wielded heavy stone weaponry seemingly designed to break through hulls of ships, and finished their work to hack apart an unlucky fishing vessel. As the giants were drawn by the echoes of CIWS shots from one of the Destroyers against the swarms of monsters, perhaps a few hours are left before the swarm over the fleet.

The Frost Giants and their compatriots would soon face another foe. Namely, the Dornalian air armada began their offensive in earnest.

It began simply with the various attack formations, which were making their way closer to the Silverdalean fleet’s ships, descending closer to the surface of the Ice Bridge. Flying over the peaks and valleys of the infernal ice, they soon got closer to the enemy. The Dornalians would come in coordinated numbers. They wouldn’t blacken the sky and bring shade to the people below, but well, there were plenty and that was enough. If there were any Silverdaleans, they’d recognize the telltale shapes of Dornalian aerospace craft--Pelicans of all sorts, Mjolnir-Valkyries, etc.

“Coming up on the Silverdaleans now, Captain! There’s a lot of assholes down there--and also we’ve spotted some Frost Giants down the line. Orders?”

McCoist’s comms awoke with the good news--something which she admittedly already knew given her little do-anything tablet.

McCoist then, poking the tablet, ordered, “All units. Begin the Hat Trick. I say again, begin the Hat Trick.”

The enemies on the ground would soon begin to be subjected to the sort of ungodly, nasty din which accompanies any commencement of hostilities. Well, not the usual sort of din.

It would begin simply with the playing of music. A time honored Dornalian tradition. The speakers themselves looked to be hastily rigged up to the Pelicans flying in on attack runs, but well, they would play nonetheless.

And play they did, blaring out one of the fiercest, angriest guitar solos ever recorded.

The music was not just for show. For the speakers themselves would project such sonic waves as to actually cause painful physical effects on the enemies who heard it. This would be repeated en masse, with the intent of disorienting the hordes and pushing them back, hopefully herding them into more convenient firing angles and approaches.

Then, the music, as it played, would be joined by a substantially increased level of violence. For the Pelican-Thunderbirds would begin opening their bomb bay doors, and disgorge precisely aimed bombing strikes which were meant to slam into the hordes of gribblies outside the ships and not so much harm the Silverdaleans.

The sky also lit up also with phaser fire aplenty, producing a dazzling multicolored light show as phaser beams arced about with varying degrees of precision and force against the gribblies below. If the gribblies were on the decks of the ships, then a lighter phaser setting was used. After all, it wouldn’t do to damage Silverdalean military equipment and personnel. To the gribblies outside the fleet, meanwhile, much more deadly phaser fire and proton torpedoes were also thrown into the mix, flying to the ground like angry balls of light.

In addition to being attacked from the sky by the Dornalians, the monsters assaulting the beleaguered Silverdaleans would find themselves facing off against the firepower of the Avro Wasp, with a trio of medium-sized helicopters engaging with the creatures through a mixture of 30mm cannon fire and select runs with rocket munitions that utilised magically enhanced rounds selected to deal maximum damage against the beasts.

A few moments later the Dornalians would be able to spot the arrival of another combatant to the area, although, unlike the Avro Wasps and the Pelicans the new entrants to the scene were entirely unmanned, with those familiar with the Malgravean military being able to recognise them as MalDef Guardians, the drone platform unloading a barrage of targetted missile strikes against the largest of the frost giants as they circled ahead providing additional support to their colleagues before being replaced with additional units they were trickling in from land positions.

Then, while the Pelican-Thunderbirds continued to fly about, firing phasers and blaring the infernal music, the Pelican-Tomahawks flew in.

With the painful music still playing--now moving to another fast moving, interminable guitar solo--the Pelican-Tomahawk gunships soon took center stage, as the Pelican-Thunderbirds began to peel off in other directions nearby.

Flying in lazy, left hand circles as promised, the gunships began to throw down their own withering fire against the ice monsters great and small. Bursts of buzzing gauss fire from miniguns streaking to the ground were joined by the occasional pronounced sound of the 40mm railcannons going off in a pounding staccato drumbeat, sending a particularly pronounced streaks down at large targets or large formations below, slamming into the ice pack and leaving craters behind. For creatures like the Frost Giants, they would be subjected to the 100mm railcannon, sending massive slugs slamming into them--or trying to anyway.

Corvette-Captain Rhee Yeong-Suk smirked as she watched the unfolding battle from her position within the IWCCC of the HMNV Maestoso, the Malgravean had read a few reports of the rather impressive performance of her Dornalian counterparts but to see it first-hand was another thing entirely,

"It is most unfortunate that we couldn't arrive in time to save all of the ships present," Yeong-Suk said, her smirk disappearing as she contemplated the loss of life, "...make a note to track down the family of the crew involved and recommend that the Ministry of Social Solidarity cover the cost of their afterlife ceremony and living arrangements for the next few months."

"I'll note that down and send it back to headquarters after the battle, Comrade-Captain," a young neko assistant said from her position in the IWCCC.

"In the meantime, we need to ensure that their sacrifice hasn't been made in vain," the Corvette-Captain said bringing up an image of the battle that was streaming in from one of the MalDef Guardians, "We are within suitable firing range for our main armament, no?"

"Affirmative, Comrade-Captain," an elven ensign said stationed alongside the area that dealt with the ships various weapons systems.

"In that case, let us give a small greeting to those frost giants," Yeong-Suk said, a fresh smirk appearing on her face as she watched the ships railguns unleash their fury on the giants.

All the while Cherise and the other escorts would aggressively patrol the skies, firing on any opponents that would get in the way of the Pelicans’ and their allies' work.

As a mixture of fire rained down on the attacking ice monsters a couple of the Avro helicopters made their way towards the deck of the besieged Silverdalean aircraft carrier, a soft glow emanating from the aircraft as they engaged magical-enchantments to wipe away any ice impeding their planned landing area.

Lieutenant Jadzia Chlebek and the rest of her platoon didn't even wait for the helicopters to fully touch the ground, the Royal Marines disembarking with a ferocious speed to clear the immediate region of threats.

"Sergeant Lowwe," Jadzia said gesturing towards a puffin-beastling exiting one of the helicopters, "Let's get ready to support our position here."

At Jadzia's order the puffin-beastling sprang into action organising the establishment of the machine-gun positions and the light-mortar teams which set to defend their evacuation point.

“I’ll try and speak to the Silverdaleans,” Jadzia said using her own communications to try and contact the local Silverdalean forces, “USS Harmony this is Lieutenant Jadzia Chlebek of the Royal Marines, we are currently stationed on your flight deck. We currently have the facilities to evacuate 8 critically wounded, however, we have larger air assets on the way that can transport 100 wounded sailors. What's your current status?”

The blaze of a sudden assault and the cries of monsters that were obliterated from music of war caused a sudden commotion within the vessels of the ships themselves. As monsters rushed forward to face the Malgraveans on the flight deck of the USS Harmony, a shrieked of a raptor cried from the bridge as shots of shotguns and spells broke out from the crewmen. As the chaos continued as monsters panicked, and went to hide within the snow itself, one of the servicemen activated the CIWS of the carrier as it readjust and pointed its cannons right at the helicopter!

“STAND DOWN! STAND DOWN!”

A cry echoed as the CIWS cannons turned aside to help suppress the monsters outside. As the ships and its crewmen begin to fight against the monsters, and use the ships weapons to make a push, it seems to clear the disordered horde. As the Ice Giants shattered or fell, a few made a valiant attempt to toss chunks of ice boulders right at the aircraft. The assault appears to be in their favor as another great t-rex falls as the admiral reaches the comms.

“This is Admiral Bea of the Carrier Strike Group Harmony, reporting in.” Admiral Bea gave a light sigh of relief. “I am glad you arrived in this dire moment, as the crew was on edge and the monster stalked the halls of the ship. As for the status of the fleet, the supply ship is overrun with monsters, with pockets of crew and heavy injured folks are held up, while the Deliverance holds the most injured. About a hundred or so reports. However, this vessel’s aircraft are mostly intact, and beyond a few mending, we can use its craft to help with the evacuation.”

Meanwhile, as that occurred, Dornalian Marines would follow soon after the Malgravean landing party. McCoist’s Pelican could be seen quickly dropping off the Scotsneko, as well as an appropriate amount of Marine escorts. They would soon be followed by other Marines and a few Army units.

The Marines themselves, along with McCoist, wore the Marines’ Liberator armor--a humanoid suit of armor whose svelte yet mechanical frame contrasted against the ice and the brightness with matte black and low-visibility markings--as well as every fourth Marine wearing a slightly bulkier suit. A few Army men in T-60 armor and larger X-01 suits with heavier blasters showed up as well. All of the Dornalians had blasters, and all of them moved against the gribblies, firing blasters and using stun grenades and so on.

McCoist would hear the Silverdalean update, and thus radioed back, “No problem. We’ll help get the rest of ‘em out.” Then, coughing and speaking to the other Dornalians, she crudely stated, “Ya hear that, lads? Help those people out!”

All the while, the Dornalians would continue to provide air support. Plus, true to McCoist’s orders, the ships named by Admiral Bea would soon see similar attempts to land and board the ships, similar to the landings on the Harmony. The infantry would be disgorged from their transports, and the sight of blaster bolt streaks, flashes, and other actions to slay the monsters would be seen by all and sundry.

The Dornalians would find the effects of their heated blasters done sufficient damage to the cold monster as it easily damaged to melt them away. However, unlike the other monsters, the elementals weren’t affected by the stun grenades at all. While the open deck of the carrier proved to be easily secured, the other forces head to face the close combat quarters with lingering monsters in halls to sections barriaraged off away from the many ships. The most heavy resistance came from the supply ship as powerful ice trolls prepared ambushes within the lower decks for all to step in.

“I am thankful for the information, Admiral,” Lieutenant Chlebek said breathing her own sigh of relief as she watched some of her colleagues enter the ship itself, the soldiers tasked with assisting the Dornalians and the local Silverdaleans take full control of the USS Harmony so that it could return to operational status, “If you’ve still got individuals capable of flying these airframes then once we’ve taken full control of the ship they can help with the evacuation of wounded and non-essential personnel.”

As Lieutenant Chlebek was speaking additional reinforcements could be seen heading towards the locations mentioned by the Admiral, the majority of these heading towards the supply ship with orders to take back control of the ship from the monsters assaulting it through whatever means required.

“It is nice to see you in person, Captain,” Jadzia said bowing slightly in greeting before forgoing a Malgravean tradition by offering the Dornalian a hand of hers to shake, “We have larger transport craft coming in to take the wounded away, however, they’ll be a few minutes away. You think your boys have the stomach to hold the line until then?”

McCoist grinned heartily, and laughed as she loaded a fresh power cell into her blaster and took the outstretched hand with her own in a hearty handshake, going, “The stomach? Lassie, we have the spleen, the stomach, and even the Goddamn kidneys! We’re in good working order, and there’s plenty of fight left in us yet.” The tone seemed to relish the challenges being faced by the Dornalians, especially given the radio chatter indicating a tough fight ahead. McCoist would also hastily add, “Oh, and yes, we could also bring in some transports of our own to help the Malgraveans as well.”

And a tough fight it was, for the Silverdalean vessels-turned-icy-castles forced the Dornalians into fights where the monsters were often at breathing distance.

The supply ship saw the most dramatic combat, though fierce firefights would erupt wherever the Allies went. There, the Dornalians found themselves forced into slow, intense room-to-room shootouts as the ice trolls began to fortify. The routine was the same. You had squads of Marines and Army teams stack up, some sort of magical or technological or both scanner trying to figure out if there were friendlies or hostiles in a room, then toss in a flashbang and begin clearing. Some shotgun blasts here. The crimson red streaks of blaster bolts bringing forth light into darkness there. And so on.

The movements were routine, but so was the tension. All the magical senses and technological gizmos available to the Dornalians didn’t relieve the gnawing sensation that permeated the air inside of the vessels--a kind of spine-tingling, metaphorically electrifying sensation that had everyone on edge. The fact the Dornalians were working on a bit of a time crunch and having to discern between friendlies and enemies in tight quarters made things just that much more difficult, although judicious use of magic and situational awareness would help things.

It was quite fortunate that the Dornalians and Malgraveans had worked together on numerous military operations and training exercises over the years, as the pair worked together in an attempt to assist the Silverdaleans with their fight against the horde of ice monsters that were using the ice bridge to attack their vessels, of course, the height difference between the average Malgravean and the average monster was quite stark from time to time, however, the use of flashbangs, grenades and strong ancestral abilities sort to aid them in their fight with the Dornalians.

In addition to the fighting that was being done on the ships, the Malgravean forces present would also continue their air and naval assault on the ice monsters from outside the ship, as from simple rocket artillery and 30mm cannons to the railgun artillery stationed on the ships of the Malgravean fleet the hostile forces assembled on the outside would start to get an unfortunate reality check on the capability and professionalism of the Malgravean navy.

The situation was made more difficult by the Ice Trolls which had fortified themselves inside the supply ship. Those would be much more stubborn creatures that would cause a lot of trouble for the Allies, being 9 to 10 feet tall hunched over. For those, the bigger guns would be needed--single-use disposable gauss guns meant for dealing with bunkers and armored targets, grenades (incendiary and otherwise), DMRs firing plasma jet rounds, and the bigger repeating blasters, and the odd meltagun. But would it be enough?

The Ice Trolls attempted to use their close combat attacks to eliminate as many allies as they could. Yet when the introduction of the heat based weaponry and meltaguns easily melted away the ice trolls like solid ice. It wasn’t before long that the bulk of the threat was eliminated within the cargo ship itself .

“It seems that we’ve got the cargo ship secured, Captain, although now we’ve got to ensure that we can maintain the hold,” Lieutenant Chlebek said, the Marine keeping a track of the operation using the military variant of the widespread MalTec Ascension.

At that Lieutenant Chlebek sighed as she sent a message to the soldiers on said ship., “Yes, that means you’ll have to remain with the cargo ship for a while. Just set up those Tesla canons alongside the defensive quarters

The Dornalians would hold their position likewise, fortifying the ship and setting up defensive positions as they took stock of their losses and finished their cleanup efforts, along with trying to help out any surviving SIlverdaleans inside. There weren’t too many losses, but the Dornalians still encountered casualties.

The main task was still ahead though, as even with the firepower brought to bear by the Allies, there was still the matter of the enemy. And so, the order went out, with a heads-up given to the Allies, that anti-magic would be deployed.

Namely, what looked like speakers would be set up around the perimeters, facing away from the Allies to the foe, which would be playing all kinds of music. As this occurred, the music would begin to have...deleterious effects upon the monsters--even beyond those from being blasted and subjected to air support….

A roar from a t-rex’s breath of ice faded away from the tone of music before it was blasted away from the sheer array of heavy weaponry to turn it into chunks of ice. In a short matter of time, the stragglers of the enemy army broke formation and retreated away for a small time. This brief moment of respite won’t be long. As in the far distance was another wave of more dangerous monsters, with some towering as great mammoths and divisions of heavy armor vehicles from another extra dimensional world. All complete with a barrage of icy artillery that crash between the ships.

In the brief respite afforded to them by the withdrawal of the hostile forces, the Malgravean forces present got to work, not just erecting Tesla-based defensive platforms but also ensuring that their wounded and fallen comrades good be extracted from the battlefield, with six wounded soldiers and one deceased soldier being taken away by rotodyne.

“Admiral, do you know how many of your ships have operational weapon systems?” Lieutenant Chlebek asked as she looked over the situation with her MalTec Ascension, “I know that the Maestoso and Mistral will continue to lay on fire on the enemy from their weapon systems but an increase in firepower would be welcome, especially against the artillery being presented by the enemy.”

As Lieutenant Chlebek spoke, a few of the helicopters seen earlier could be seen starting their own attack runs on the approaching hostiles, the Avro creations focusing their fire on the incoming vehicles and hostile artillery pieces.

“You’ve gotten yourself into quite the situation, Lieutenant,” Frigate-Captain Pesaro said, her voice appearing as if she could hear that the Lieutenant had just been talking about her vessel a few moments ago, “We are directing fields of fire onto this new threat, however, I do have some good developments and bad developments to this scenario as the Dornalians would say, the bad news is that due to the rate of hostile artillery fire the extraction of your forces will have to be delayed by a few minutes.”

“...and the good news?” Chlebek said, not at all surprised about the delay since she understood the risk posed to an extraction by such artillery.

“You should have rolling air support in around two minutes,” the Frigate-Captain said, “All thanks to naval aviation, of course, but I suspect that they’ll be in for quite a bad time soon.”

The Dornalians likewise began to fortify their positions further in the respite given to them by the enemy, though their efforts would be joined by more conventional barriers and repeating blaster posts and maybe the odd shield. McCoist’s reports would encourage the Dornalian Navy and its air armada to join in the Malgravean effort to begin resupplying the ground forces and evacuating the wounded, as well as begin to rotate out existing combat air patrols with fresh pilots and machines to continue the air support.

That being said, the counter-fire from enemy ice artillery was an unwelcome development as even with the advantage of fancy future shenanigans, the ice artillery being tossed every which way in between the ships made it hard to make predictable landing zones. Still, the Dornalians would continue to contribute air support, with all manner of fighters and the Valkyries lighting up the sky with many, many missiles, flying in the air, seeming to dance and swarm onto any number of opponents. All the while, the anti-magic fields were taking shape, even as the Dornalians also began to scan and set up the foundations for breaking the ships out of the ice.

“Our ship’s system weapons are operational, but they’re short on ammunition. We’ll figure all we can to help change the tide.” Admiral Bea replied.

As the Silverdalean vessels began to unload what’s left in its silos to fire many missiles at the upcoming horde, many of the chaff of monsters were destroyed by the combined allies attack. As even a great mammoth that took a number of missiles before it shattered apart. Yet the difficulty came from the enemy armor, as shards of ice crystals fired against the Dornish aircraft and missiles, to magical darts launched to intercept and destroy the upcoming missiles.

The Silverdalean missiles flew up to help neutralize enemy artillery casters and pieces, and eliminated a number of the vehicles alongside the horde. Only a small force of monsters continued the march, while the remaining enemy tanks and vehicles began to fire its magical and regular shells at the allies defense. The anti-magic fields nullified the absolute cold freeze shells, and what kinetic impact it had was similar to a dummy round.

“Your contribution to the fight is quite welcome, Admiral,” Lieutenant Chlebek said as she witnessed the aftermath of the Silverdaleans counter-attack on the approaching horde, with such an effective strike certainly reducing the pressure on local Malgravean naval units to provide the fire support.

Lieutenant Chlebek then tapped the side of her head a few times, the Malgravean cycling through communication channels before she began to speak again.

“Major Filippi, can you hear me?”

“I hear you loud and clear, Lieutenant,” Major Filippi said, “I heard that you’ve got yourself in quite the situation and require naval aviation to bail you out....again.”

Lieutenant Chlebek gave a good natured sigh at her colleagues' antics, the Malgravean having been involved in a fair few operations with the Major over the past few years, “I trust that you’ll be able to hit the target from range this time? I don’t want to have to come rescue one of your flyers that thought they’d reenact a raid from the 30s.”

Major Filippi just chuckled briefly in response, “I should have known that you weren’t going to let me forget about that incident,” he said, the conversation broken up for a few seconds as the Major spoke to those in his squadron, “You should have a gift of cruise missiles in a few minutes, Lieutenant. Thanks to the Dornalians we’ve been able to target the vehicles that appear to be on anti-air and artillery duty so after that Major Rudaski’s squadron will be able to give you closer support, just remember to buy me a beer and arancini when you get back.”

“If they hit their targets, Major,” Lieutenant Chlebek said as she watched the swarm of missiles head towards their intended targets, “Just have a safe flight back to base.”

The enemy armor unit continued its counter react against the swarm of missiles, yet their diminished strength only cut down a few missiles before it devastated the rest of the unit. As the vehicles were damaged and eliminated, the remaining horde of monsters burrowed up or retreated for a small time. For a moment in time, a period of peace can be relied on.

“The fleet will scramble any available helicopters and transport aircraft to aid in the evac Lt Chlebek. Of course it'd be small in number.” Admiral Bea said.

“Any assistance that you can provide is extremely welcome, Admiral, ” Lieutenant Chlebek said quite surprised at the revelation, “We had expected your aircraft to be in a state of disrepair so we have a few engineers that should be able to work with your people to increase that number to its maximum potential.”

Meanwhile, the Dornalians were continuing to defend their positions, for even the cold-freeze shells were still lethal even while magically suppressed and the enemy was throwing up armor and anti-air defenses which caused a surprisingly high amount of difficulty. Luckily, the Malgraveans had deployed cruise missiles, guided by Dornalian pilots amongst other available sources, and with all of their powers combined, the Allies managed to buy some time for an evacuation.

Of course now, it was time to evacuate. So, McCoist radioed her side and uttered a few buzzwords and other military speak. Putting her comms down, McCoist added, “I mean, let’s not forget the Dornalians. We’re helping out with the medevac and anythin’ else as we speak. I’ve also got our people tryin’ to dig the ships out if they can and helpin’ to fix up anythin’ they can. Though I did order another group of transports to help facilitate evac.”

Sure enough, McCoist would point an index finger skyward, as the sound of Pelicans and other craft began to be heard in the distance.

Alongside the Pelicans the Avro Albatross came into sight, the massive helicopter could handle around two hundred wounded individuals with appropriate medical support and equipment fitting of a small hospital, with 10 Albatrosses of the 1st and 2nd Heavy Transportation, Logistical and Construction Support Squadron lending their support to the operation.

It wasn't just the Avro Albatross the smaller Avro Bohr could be seen, in a medical configuration the aircraft could only carry 40 patients, however, with around two dozen gyrodyne aircraft the odd looking craft could be focused on evacuating sailors from the smaller vessels to allow the Albatrosses to focus on the capital ships.

As the Pelicans approached the flight deck of Harmony alongside the many helipads of the ships, the first wave of evacuees were the severely wounded and injured from the medical wings of the ships. There were about dozens, to even ice blocks of folks that awaited thawing at Derpicorn. The most eventful of the rescue was the spark of infighting at one of the Silverdalean helicopters that the captain of the Harmony attempted to sneak out while dressed up as a sailor. Naturally the admiral detained him, as in literally tacking the man, to prevent his escape. Afterall, the captain is the last to leave the ship!

Otherwise the next wave was smooth with many sailors and pilots flocking up for their next turn. There was a glimpse of peace at hand. Only the stray monsters that lure the ground bear any threat!

The Dornalians for their part would continue to usher the evacuees onboard, moving them on with good order and quickly attending to the worst wounded first and then moving down the line. Meanwhile, the Dornalians would continue to hold the line as needed, even as they kept the antimagic up. The Seabees of course, wondered if they could dig the Silverdalean ships out, though they weren't having much luck especially with time not on their side…

As hours passed for the Malgravean and Dornalian forces to evacuate the majority of the crews from its vessels, the last wave was the officers and the captains themselves. It was the last wave and simplest. Yet a shriek from one of the monsters from the south, a great mammoth-like creature, trampled across the ice as its frosted eyes looked away to go south. In the north to the group, a pillar of light and heat struck down the northern section of the ice bridge itself!

The ice began to quake as the nearby destroyer began to title starboard left! A massive rupture as cracks began to form across the bridge itself! The rush of the ocean, like the greatest of floods, pushed into the great gap in the middle of the snow sea. As the clash of metals, ice, and impact of aircraft from the lower hanger continued, the edges of the ice bridge itself in this sector began to break apart! The rage of the seas pushed forth to break this wrathful divine construct to fall apart.

McCoist--and pretty much every pilot in the area--began radioing updates to the Dornalian command. There was a palpable sense of surprise at the whole development, as people wondered quietly what was going on. Was there divine intervention from some Silverdalean goddess with large tracts of land? Was it an orbital weapon being fired danger close? Either way, this was not something the men on the ground expected.

The evacuation would wrap it up on the Dornalian side, as the Dornalians got onboard ships and aircraft to get off of the now crumbling ice in an orderly manner, while they tried to help keep the Silverdalean ships safe.

***

“Huh.”

Admiral Kreuger sipped from his flask full of Rohanian whiskey as he saw the orbital scans from the Dornalian Embassy in Silverdale. The imagery being projected in front of him showing massive energy signatures hitting the ice bridge was greeted with a stoic, cool expression as the holographic image of his second in command, Herschel Skinner, narrated what was going on.

Amidst all this, Kreuger asked, politely, “Skinner, did you hear anything about this development?”

“No, Joe,” Skinner said with a shake of the head.

“I see.” Sipping his whiskey, Kreuger asked politely but sternly, “Is the evacuation complete?”

“Just in time, Admiral. McCoist and the local forces report things are all set on their end--no word on how the Malgraveans and Silverdaleans are doing.”

Kreuger nodded.

“Do we know where this sudden burst of energy came from?”

“Well, if I had to guess, sensors picked it up from some sort of satellite in orbit.” Imagery of the satellite was projected onto the holographic projector, and Skinner continued, “This is the one. We’ve got guys trying to figure out who it belongs to, but it’s definitely not ours, and it’s not Silverdalean, and not Malgravean.”

Kreuger nodded once more, and sipped his whiskey. He had his suspicions, but he didn’t want to say them out loud. The Admiral then went, “Skinner, do me a favor. Send two messages on the classified line. One to the Silverdaleans, asking what just happened. And another to every relevant intelligence agency in the Republic asking why the hell they didn’t know the Mystrians had developed an orbital superweapon--or if they did, why the fuck were were not told.”

Skinner could tell immediately that Kreuger was quite surprised and irate all at once, and Skinner nodded in reply. “Yes, J--I mean, Admiral. I’ll send the messages immediately.”

“Thanks, Skinner.” Pausing, he went, “Oh! One more. Contact the Dornalians doing the evacuation, ask them how they’re doing.”

“Roger, Admiral.”

“Good man.” Kreuger then closed the comms, and sighed, rubbing his temples.

***

McCoist’s only reply to the inquiry from Mr. Skinner would be, “We’re fine, thank you! Just wrapped up evacuation here. The whole fucking ice bridge is collapsing, we managed to get out by the skin of our teeth, and I’ve got a bunch of fookin’ Army men here that can’t sing, but otherwise we’re okay here.”

In the background, Skinner could hear an old chant, one sang rather badly, as McCoist shouted, “ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING! COME ON, YOU LOT! WE’VE JUST WON HERE!”

”Though the straits be broad or narrow, follow we will,
Follow we will, follow we will,
If the straits be broad or narrow, follow we will,
We will follow in the footsteps of the Corps!”

***

“Just as our forces were completing their evacuation mission, a directed energy beam struck the ice bridge and started a chain of events that resulted in it's complete destruction.” Katia De Campo said, highlighting the position of the extraction team and the impact energy of the energy blast on the projected map.

“Did we receive any casualties from this weapon, Minister?” Nadzieja asked, looking upwards from her notes.

“I understand that two sailors received minor injuries due to the sheer light of the beam, however, following treatment they are expected to make a full recovery.” Katia replied

“Do we know who fired this weapon and if they attempted to contact our forces before this incident?” the Prime Minister asked

“As of this moment, we don't know who fired the weapons platform, however, preliminary news reports from Silverdale suggest that they were informed of the attack, although that is speculation based on the speed of the cover story,” Katia replied.

“It certainly isn't a Dornalian design as I received communication from them inquiring if the blast came from us which I denied, ” Eliot said indicating that the response to the crisis involved multiple departments, “At this point I recommend having a stern talking with the Silverdaleans, the use of such a weapon close to our forces without prior warning is concerning, to say the least.”

“Agreed, ” Nadzieja said, the Prime Minister quite disappointed in the action, “I will open up communications with the Silverdalen President and express our deep concerns.”

“Just another thing, Nadzieja, ” Claudia said, the Minister of Science and Engineering taking over the display to show data collected from the region from decades of exploration from scientific submarines and other instruments, “I suggest that we also send a scientific and diplomatic mission to the region, at the moment we don’t know how the blast impacted the local ecosystem and seaborn community, so I suggest we be ready to help.”

“You bring up a good point, Claudia, ” Nadzieja said, pleased for the intervention, “I will also authorise the use of a mini-submarine squadron to investigate the region, now this will be a joint mission between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Engineering, any questions.”

Claudia and Eliot both shook their heads, although the latter interjected again,

“I have had some time to look at the scans sent to us by the Dornalians and I must say that the technology looks quite similar to the solar collector technology we possess which is probably why the Dornalians suspected us in the first place. If we gather a list of nation's that have this technology I am certain we will be able to find the owner of the weapon.”

Nadzieja nodded before turning to Aurelia Wyrzykowski, the Minister of State Security, “Let us see what the International Operations Committee can do, have them organise with environmental organisations and report back to us as soon as possible.

“Of course, Comrade Prime Minister. I'll also liaise with the Dornalians to coordinate our efforts so we won't step on each other's fingers.” Aurelia said.

“Good, we wouldn't want any unfortunate injuries.” the Prime Minister said, completely failing to understand her Minister's misuse of a Dornalian phrase, “It seems we've got a job to do so let's do it.”

At that comment the Malgravean cabinet members set off to complete their various tasks and hopefully uncover the truth behind the orbital weapon platform.