[RP] Arcane Machina: A Broken World

Zephyr noticed that Ralph had broken off from the rest of the group heading slightly off. Giving a quick glance behind him at the others, he shook his head before following the man, keeping up with the machine he was in. He landed quietly just after Ralph had ejected, watching him and listening to him as he sat at the water's edge.

"Was there anything you could have done?" he asked. "Don't look from ahead but look from then - was there anything you could have done to save them? Can you look back and say that you, with the knowledge you had then, could have done something that mattered? Or were you just as powerless? I watched many creatures die in the labs. But I lacked the knowledge to save them. Often I lacked even the awareness of their existence. Am I at fault for not doing something when there was nothing I could have done?"

The chimera knelt beside Ralph.

"You do not fear magic. You do not fear me. You only have the natural fear that should be within us all - the fear of death. You fear that we can kill you. And I can. I can turn your very blood against you. Lock your limbs and toss you into this ocean. Fill your lungs with blood and watch you drown. Make your brain explode in your own head. But you aren't afraid that I have such power - you're afraid that it will kill you. We are fragile - there are many things that can kill us. You have merely focused on a single thing."

Zephyr quickdrew a pistol from his belt and placed it gently against Ralph's head.

"Right now, I don't even need my powers to kill you; a flick of the finger and you're dead. And yet... you feel the same fear, don't you? That is because we are all mortal - even gods like myself. We all die and we know this; we simply fear that it will come earlier than we hoped."

He dropped the gun, placing it back in his belt.

"If there was nothing you could do, do not blame yourself. Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end; it matters not who you are; Death awaits you. Keep those words in mind for your life and you will find that the darkness around you does not encroach nearly so much."
 
Hearing the oncoming jets, the winged woman suddenly twisted her body in a sharp left yaw, barely avoiding collision with her panicked rescuer. Once straightened out, she glanced back to see what he was fleeing so quickly from, but didn't see much that could potentially threaten their escape, aside from two new people who were boarding the suits. Was there another threat that he wasn't telling them about? Were the reinforcements for the convoy already upon them?

The woman looked forward, calling out to the man despite him being long out of earshot. "Slow down! I can't fly that fast, jackass!" Without warning, the other winged escapee darted well ahead of her as well. "Fuck's sake, even he's faster than I am," came an exasperated sigh.

Regardless, she tried to beat her wings harder in hopes of being able to pick up more speed. A few dead feathers had fallen off thanks to such heavy flaps. She already felt weary, but she couldn't stop now. Those damn scientists never wanted to keep her in peak condition in that lab. Never wanted to give her a glimmer of hope for escape. She can only hope that this isn't some twisted dream...


-=====================-​


Back at the chateau in Dusk Shallows, Miss Sawyer continued to monitor the situation from the dining hall. Her gaze was fixated upon multiple holograms of various Ragnum suits, each one displaying the vitals of their respective passengers. The intoxication levels of the female occupant was alarming. In all honesty, Mitula wasn't even sure how the woman was still able to function. Granted, she acknowledged that the woman was an Arcane, but her liver must've been shot all to hell. The other young chap was also panicked, but was yet another Arcane Gifted. He couldn't be ignored. Not when Marko's forces were going to descend upon the freeway like vultures.

As much as Mitula wanted to praise Elise for being able to control the situation thus far, even she didn't foresee the extra passengers or their volatile nature. Her stomach churned in worry, feeling it was her fault for narrowing her Vision and potentially blocking out these two newcomers. Fearing the convoy may have been bugged, Mitula tried to hold her tongue as long as she possibly could in order to avoid being identified. Ralph's departure from the convoy wasn't what she would call smooth sailing, but what was important was that he, the targets, and a couple more Arcane Gifted were evacuated from the freeway.

Her heart plummeted when sudden bright lights filled Ralph's screen. Fire. Streaks of fire. Flying flames that sent Ralph's vitals into a frenzy as he descended onto a panicked state. From what she could pick up from the other screens, the human had flown well ahead of the Arcanes he was meant to be rescuing, going well out of sight. Ralph's screen showed an impact with a sandy shore, accompanied by dismantling of the suit. Although he was doing what he could to calm himself down, Mitula knew that his methods weren't exactly functional ones. Her stomach dropped when he called out to her at last. That same pitiful tone he gave her way back when...

At last, Mitula spoke up. "Elise, control the situation. I'll speak with Ralph."

With a sigh, Madame Sawyer reached up to Ralph's screen. With a simple tap, she enabled the audio connection. At long last, Mitula's voice crackled through to Ralph's suit.

"Deep breaths, Ralph. I'm right here," she began in a nurturing tone. "Slow and steady. Clear your mind. Center yourself."

With a pause, she took a moment to keep an eye on his vitals once again. Several seconds of peace would be enough to allow for his heart rate to slow and his blood pressure to stabilize. However, before she could comfort him further, she soon discovered that Ralph hadn't reached the shore alone. The crimson-winged arcane was now before him. Her brows furrowed. This was fairly unexpected. Mitula listened and waited with baited breath as he went on, even going so far as to aim a human weapon at his rescuer.

Much to Madame Sawyer's relief, the weapon was put away. With a sigh, she finally spoke once again. "Ralph, you're almost out of the woods now. You've broken out the one before you and Shen, and you're saving two other lives. This is already far more than I've asked of you and I'm proud of you for doing so."

There was a hesitant pause. "...however, there is one more thing yet that I need you to do before you bring them here. Listen carefully, for this is very important. While you were breaking Shen out, I picked up on a device embedded into the back of her neck, just under her hairline. From what I can tell, it's about half the size of your thumb and there are wires going into her vertebrae. I don't think she realizes it's there. You'll need to cut the device out, disable the GPS, and bring it here." Another pause. "If you need to, tell her The Watcher knows its there."

At long last, Shen managed to catch up. She circled around as she descended, nearly stumbling on the sand upon landing. The woman was out of breath as she scowled at the two of them.

"Would it kill ya to slow down?" she panted, resting both of her hands on top of her head in order to help open up her lungs further to catch her breath. "I know we're in a hurry, but goddamn. I'm not that fast."
 
"Welcome to Faiz Industries' newest model, Ragnum 251, little boy! I apologize for the mess, your sponsor does have a bad habit of not cleaning up after himself! Hey you look kind of cute! Can we keep him, Ralph?"



It was all quite a rushed experience, something straight out of an action flick. These suits, this suave guy, the vans... Fucking hell, it was a something. Nexus really couldn't decide whether it was good or bad karma that he fell from the wall- especially when he felt that suit encapsulate him- somewhat creepily.


This experience was only made much more unnerving by the semi-robotic voice inside the suit. Nexus guessed it was designed to be more friendly that some sort of strange bloke-ish voice... But it didn't help with his fear, at all.


“Am I going insane, or did a computer just call me cute?!”



Of course, Nexus had heard a voice capture system. A coded input-output program which had a designated set of responses to different, common questions and phrases in the English language... but this, this was way too advanced for that. The light fraction of programming knowledge that Nexus possessed diverted his mind to the hypothesis that this was some advanced A.I.



But who'd be really smart enough to build something like this... cyber-woman? Especially with that mad personality. Fuck... How rich was this guy? He'd heard the Faiz corporation's name mentioned but this couldn't possibly be from them, could it? These questions would need to be answered later. Though, Nexus eventually returned himself to the present time: He was locked in this suit! However much he struggled, he couldn't move the limbs or even change courses.



Though... That didn't even seem close to the problems the armoured guy-supposedly named “Ralph” was currently dealing with.


Where the hell did that fireball come from?


Nexus barely got to register that thought, as Elise the nymph-O-tron decidedly gave the attacker an earful. Rightly so, as 'Ralph' seemed to crash into the sea, from the stimulus of the attack.




"Listen, woman. I understand humans have done ill wronging to you. But take into consideration that Faiz Industries would never …
...


"However, If you make attempt to trigger Ralph Faiz's Rhabdophobia on purpose again, I will not hesitate to open this suit mid-flight in the Oceans and drop you in it or throw all this suit's weaponry against you. I do not care how strong or potent your magic is,"

…



“Do not scare my boy, because he is trying his best to cope with his issued and help you in spite of his condition. I have my moments of temper so don't make me reg-”


Nexus then proceeded to scream, interrupting what the A.I would've said with his own panic-fueled rant. The thoughts that ran through his brain were obviously eccentric and just a little bit further than bat-shit insane!


“Elise..? Elise?! Computer?! What the hell is this? Some sort of capture device? Oh shit... Don't tell me I'm going to end up as a program's pet... I'm not dressing in leather, or pvc, or wearing a mask... Nope, no. Nada. No... I don't want to be a pet...”



Nexus would've hung his head in complete and utter shame, but the damned suit wouldn't even give 'em that. He was locked in this course, on his way to some unknown destination with some sort of extraction force behind, a crazy A.I. and a pilot who can't even fly his own suits properly!



“...Fuck me and my nosy ways...”



He muttered, ruefully. His thoughts slowly slipped to the pilot, Ralph. Why wasn't he getting up? His anger slowly transmuted to concern. What the hell had bugged out in that suit? All Nexus knew was that it would be futile for him to be saved if someone else died in his place. A life for a life is never a good trade.


“E-Elise? What's going on with the pilot guy?.. Is he dead?”


Nexus couldn't tell from the visuals. The audio feed was on the blink as well... Nexus had already begun thinking of revenge... He was going to fry that fireball bitch to a crisp. No good deed goes unpunished took on a whole new meaning now.
 
Agdnilan barely had any time to recover when the suit ejected her from it's contents, while not a very far distance only two feet the sudden lurch was more then enough to unsettle her given her condition. The mechanical female voice then went into a huge ramble that Agdnilan couldn't begin to process, in fact it started to giver her a headache a headache and make her feel even worse.

"You didn't have to do that! Goodness sake!" Was one of the last comments she full heard before things became more painful for her.

"Listen, woman. I understand humans have done ill wronging to you. But take into consideration that Faiz Industries would never harm you unless you commit terrorist acts, use our technology or your magic to harm other Arcs and Humans within our protective borders. We are part of the Futurist Party and are heavily against Korma and Dogma's cruelty. I empathize with your plight, Dear...But it doesn't mean you're the only one in emotional pain! He has been hurting and fearful of magic since he was a child because an Arcane Gifted killed his parents," She heard the phase woman and something about futruist then empathize and plight. At this time she began to hold a finger up and get a stern look in her face.

"Don't you understand? We all have our demons, and that boy's demon is his irrational fear of you all but he will risk life and limb to save you regardless of his mental state! I will let this unruly behavior slide because you can't understand him yet," Now her head started to throb even more and she brought her left hand to it and held it there and shaked her head lightly like trying to get something out of her hair.

"However, If you make attempt to trigger Ralph Faiz's Rhabdophobia on purpose again, I will not hesitate to open this suit midflight in the Oceans and drop you in it or throw all this suit's weaponry against you. I do not care how strong or potent your magic is," "Do not scare my boy, because he is trying his best to cope with his issued and help you in spite of his condition. I have my moments of temper so don't make me regret ever taking you along with us after what he had done to save you. Do I make myself clear?" Now the mechanical tone getting to much the last word she heard was Rhabdophobia before she brought down her left hand to cover her mouth and using her right hand which she was first attempting to point at Elsie waved in a hurried manner. Agdnilan didn't have much time to turn around and run a little distance before she started to puke heavily, unfortunately this was in front of the other suit so if any one was in it they got a full view of her puking right in front of them. Agdnilan cleaned her mouth with her tattered sleeve before turning around to face Elsie once again, though stumbling a little in the process from her little moment there. Most of all the events that happened on the bridge just now were a blur, the only thing she clearly remembered was walking up to the suit and asking for help.


"Promise me you won't scare him like that and we are good," At this Agdnilan looked at the suit confusingly raised an eye brow but before she could say more the suit continued to speak some more.

"Please leave us and proceed to the beach quickly. I wish to talk this young lady down from compromising Ralph before we depart,"

"Madame, please look after Ralph while I talk with this unruly child. We are far from any tracking devices and it is safe to speak," Agdnilan grew upset at being called unruly here, she though it was highly uncalled for given some of the manners some of these people displayed. If someone was going to show attitude and disrespect and she responded in turn with something to show them they were wrong in a sense, how was that being unruly?

"One more thing...Why in the gods are you drunk? I understand it is stressing to be out there with fools hunting you down but woman, please! CONTROL YOUR DRINK! Your magic show is going to cost us this mission to fail!" Finally she said one last comment which hit a most sensitive nerve with Agdnilan, and that was her cost. Though this suit couldn't have any idea why she drunk the fact that she implied it was something she would so willingly do upset her a great deal. Now sensing a moment to talk she tried to respond to as much of this suits inquires as she could.

"First I am sorry, I can't promise you anything to something I have no idea what I did that you seem to consider wrong. So if it was something I did to upset you I will apologize. Now if you would be so kind then maybe you could answer some questions for me. One what did Do that seems to upset you so greatly, and is that what you are asking me not to do again? Second what is the futurist thing you were talking about and what did you mean by empathize and plight? Also can you tell me what Rhabdophobia is exactly? Lastly this isn't a question but it's to answer yours *Agdnilan's tone grew a bit more bitter here unintentionally* it's not my choice to be drunk as I am at times nor really my choice to drink. I must be the laughing stock of all the Arcane gifted ever because it seems I am the only one who has to pay a cost for using their powers. For some inexplicable reason I am compelled to drink after using my powers, and if I don't drink in enough time after using them, they seem to go out of control and I lose some control of myself."

With that being said Agdnilan saw the spark on her finger and quickly dismissed it and to prove her point she waited about a minute until she started getting a slight headache and began to shake her head. She drank the last bit of her wine and put the flask on her belt.

"See I am forced to do this for using my powers, it's like some sick curse."
 
Elise only facepalmed the suit as she saw the poor woman vomit at Ralph's latest model. He's not going to be happy when he finds out his state of the art suit is in shambles, not to mention that an Arcane is seeing all this with her locking the suit. It seemed that she was not paying attention to her intoxication levels to the point that her lecturing would have resulted in such brutish display. Elise's optics immediately switched to her pink hue after ranting at the young girl. Now the suit she controlled that booted Agi out was fidgeting and had the body language displaying concern.

"Uhmm...Would you like some water or anything?" She asked worryingly. The suit had a built in water system to help dehydration in prolonged combat. Looking at her eyes and scanning her body language as well as the levels of intoxication, she was relieved that the hurling she had done had gotten most of the liquor out of her system.

"First I am sorry, I can't promise you anything to something I have no idea what I did that you seem to consider wrong. So if it was something I did to upset you I will apologize. Now if you would be so kind then maybe you could answer some questions for me. One what did Do that seems to upset you so greatly, and is that what you are asking me not to do again?" Elise then massaged the temple of the Ragnum's long cranium helmet before explaining to her.

"That would be not casting magic around the man who was talking to you earlier, specifically," Elise clarified, impatient in tone.

"Second what is the futurist thing you were talking about and what did you mean by empathize and plight? Also can you tell me what Rhabdophobia is exactly?"

"Ugh, dear! If you know your world politics there is the Human Purity Party and the Futurist Party! Korma and Dogma are part of the former, and we are part of the latter! To teach you the rest would take me hours and we don't really have time for that! Rhabdophobia is a heightened fear of magic or magical beings! The man who you shot your magical flames at is terrified to death with them and hasn't recovered from it!" Elise further explained in a teacher-like manner, with her tone growing to her prior friendly nature. It seemed this poor young Arcane was captured by Korma and experimented upon and in hindsight, was wrong to boot her out of the suit she was controlling in such a manner.

"Lastly this isn't a question but it's to answer yours, It's not my choice to be drunk as I am at times nor really my choice to drink. I must be the laughing stock of all the Arcane gifted ever because it seems I am the only one who has to pay a cost for using their powers. For some inexplicable reason I am compelled to drink after using my powers, and if I don't drink in enough time after using them, they seem to go out of control and I lose some control of myself."

Elise stopped her rant and was speechless. How could they not have noticed sooner that this Arc had another strange and mysterious anomaly? Could this be the reason why she was hunted? Other than Shendra and Zephyr, Korma has kept a very profile on how many Arcane Gifted individuals were imprisoned in the dreadful location called Area 23, to be mocked and displayed like zoo animals and further experimented for the rest of their lives. It's owner and creator, Dr. Alfred Hobbs, was said to have a very sharp disdain for them and was one of the founding members of the Human Purity Party. Now Elise felt really bad in pressuring this young lady and how Ralph was acting towards her.

"See I am forced to do this for using my powers, it's like some sick curse."

The armour resealed its weaponry and reached out its hand.

"I...I am exceedingly sorry for all that...My scanners never pick up the typing or category thoroughly," Elise explained.

Before she was about to begin comforting the poor girl, her scanners were picking up wild readings behind them from the freeway.

"Uhh...You wouldn't happen to mind setting our differences aside right this moment? My alarm protocol systems have picked up a large hunting party from where you escaped from and are now descending on us like ants," Elise advised Agi as she immediately shifted the suit to accomodate her once more.

"Step in. I won't let you go. Never again. The suit is Arcane conductive wherein magic can be used so go loud, " Elise said in a very comforting tone towards Agi. She had better hurry, for who knew what weaponry these individual's carried.


Elise had a hard time calming Nexus down, it was even as Agi vomited at the coveted Model 251, did she not bother to tell him about the contents spilled on the exterior. The boy's distress was even harder for her to control as she tried to empathize with Agi outside of the suit. Much to her amusement, she picked up this golden line from the boy trapped with her in the 251.

“Elise..? Elise?! Computer?! What the hell is this? Some sort of capture device? Oh shit... Don't tell me I'm going to end up as a program's pet... I'm not dressing in leather, or pvc, or wearing a mask... Nope, no. Nada. No... I don't want to be a pet...”

"I am not a capture device, boy! And please refrain from calling me "Computer", that is so old fashioned. You and your silly fantasies! So cute... As adorable as a kitten you may look, no I am not making you into an SnM pet, I'm here to save you. It is my duty," she said and flashed an LOL sign at the HUD of the suit. It would be unwise to simultaneously laugh at Agi and this boy, and she saw a very good alternative.

“...Fuck me and my nosy ways...”

"Not quite, for if you remained out there, the government would have caught you and most probably ended up in Korma forever. They have the worst customs ever, so I wouldn't recommend taking up residence there, you foolish dork," Elise said before flashing another LOL sign at the HUD board.

“E-Elise? What's going on with the pilot guy?.. Is he dead?”

"No, kitten. Ralph Faiz, the owner of this suit and Faiz Industries' CEO...is having and anxiety attack due to his fear of Arcane Gifted and magic - weren't you paying attention, foolish kitten? Pipe down, I don't want you blasting magic around like that again," Elise flashed a "frowning" face of her's at him, displaying a gorgeous looking woman in her 20's. This would make him no doubt struggle less within the suit as she tried to reach out to Agi on the other end.

It was not long before she returned back to him. "Ummm...Kitten? I'm releasing the suit's lock so you can move, we need you sort of. Don't be shy to use your magic, I was only kidding. You see, the hunters who tried to bring that poor girl back to Korma is here to collect her and as per protocol 29-922 of the Futurist Party, we have the authority to repel antagonizing individuals from harming an Arcane Gifted. You are free to use whatever arsenal we have in this suit. Should I guide you through the built in manual on this software for perfect suit control...?" Elise asked. Naturally a crash course was not going to cut it, it takes years to master a Ragnum's flight power and its weapons to be used fluidly in combat but she had very little choice. If they got Agi and this kitten-boy, she would never forgive herself or be allowed to control a Ragnum suit on her behalf ever again.


"She's over here boys, our scanners detect the alcoholic trace comin' down there!" Ben, the hunting leader of the group had mentioned to his lackeys as they approached in a large group towards the Korma Southern Forests where Agi and Elise were bickering. Weeks and days they had tried to find this Arc, for she fetched a high bounty from Dr. Hobbs in Korma. He could be set for life, able to pay for a larger guild of Arc hunters and perhaps capture teenagers as well. Korma was not civil when it came to kidnapping youngsters, for they fetch a handsome price. He readied his shock rifle and net guns, for she was supposed to be brought in alive for the triple bonus offered in her bounty.

His hunting party divided themselves and stealthily made their way downwards, just ahead of the Southern Forest was the High beaches of Korma, she had nowhere to run and from what they gathered, the prisoners escaped from the freeway could be banding with her as well. Pitiful fools would never know how state of the art their Arc capturing weapons were made -

Wait. A suit?! A Ragnum made by Faiz Industries!? This ... This was not part of the plan. Two suits, probably the other being empty, was standing idly while the other seemed to be staring their prey down, before eventually opening up. They cannot meld together, it's impossible to get their prize money out once in that suit!

"Go loud! Go loud! We can't let her suit up!!" He said hurriedly as his team of armed hunters with their electric rifles and and tranquilizers began aiming at Agi while the suit was oddly in line, blocking his team of snipers from shooting her.

"Fuck...!" a sniper swore, Ben beckoned his team to carry all shock rifles and break the suits, if they were going to have to get the mark, then they had to break her only means of escape. They all assumed a breach formation as they began to rush against Agi and Elise's controlled suit.

"Hurry the hell up, woman! Don't you want to live?! To see the world beyond this hell hole!? Take the suit! Let's fight together!" Elise yelled at Agi. It was do or die and she could only do so much until the Arcane entered the suit to be under her full protection.


Ralph heard Mitula's voice and was pleased as he finally found the peace he needed and his anxiety finally reached down before leaving his mind. He only sat there as he viewed the scenery while trying to find words to thank his aunt as the Chimera experiment landed next to him and questioned him.

"No...I was too late. Too late to save my love, Marigold. In the end, she died a weapon, the one thing she hated becoming thanks to Korma. On the other hand, I was too young, 8 years old as the fault terrified me by turning a woman into a Lamia and killed my parents. I was powerless in all situations. With all my suits, all my knowledge, I couldn't save any of them," he said resentfully.

Hearing his Aunt's soothing voice and the disciplined tone of this Arc made him balance out his fears. Confronting it was difficult, even his words about death and how it terrified him in the form of magic being brought to this once logical word made sense to him. He was merely using their existence and the existence of unanswered magic as an excuse to escape the trauma of a near-death experience as well as the guilt of outliving the person he loved dearly.

His serene nature was slightly tinged as a pistol landed in his head. Normally, he would counter with a suit, but even bare as he was, he sat there ready to accept death. Perhaps he had lived too long, and this boy's idea of conquering this fear is by confronting the source of it: Death. Unexpectedly, the boy stored the gun back to its holster, before advising him the unlikeliest of advises. Ralph quietly smiled as his Aunt and this boy's words encouraged him to finish this off and steel his heart even harder. Center of peace came to him, as his emotions returned back quietly, ready to face the unpredictable world of magic and science once more.

"I'll keep those words, kid. I'll be only positive on it, knowing in my heart that after death, I can probably see Marigold once more. You as well, Aunt, I can manage from here," Ralph said.

"Never again, will I let them suffer. I've hidden in my own shadow for too long, If things are gonna change, I gotta change... myself," Ralph said as he assured both that he is ready to confront the future and accept magic and its wondrous beings into his life in order to really start respecting the wishes of his parents and dearly beloved. Fixing his face and coming out of his stupor after all that talk, he was ready to listen to her reluctant request.

Addressing his Aunt's request and seeing Shendra emerging from the woods and flying high into the sky to land near them, he looked at the winged kid. "You wanna hold her down? We ain't leaving till we get that bug out of her body," he advised while picking up his eyeglasses and controlling the 249 to shoot its forearm gauntlet up to his hand. As the winged beauty descended to scowl at them he approached her with a scowled look as well as he armed the gauntlet while intimidatingly raising it at her.

" I kinda agree that we're in a hurry, that's why we're going to play a little game called "Operation". You have a bug in your body, lady and Aunt Watcher advises us to remove it before we lift off. I'm pretty sure some jackass placed it behind your neck during those shitty days in Korma. Well they ain't controlling your life anymore. Kneel over, girl, I'm taking it out before Marko or Korma comes after us. According to Aunt, is below your hairline and around the back of your neck," He said as he charged a gauntlet to a minuscule 0.3%, intended to cut the steel fusing the device to her body. He signalled Zephyr to try and pin her down without flapping those wounded wings. "I promise this isn't gonna hurt but you need to stop flapping those wings," Ralph said as he cautiously approached her, she was heavily armed and he was armed with but his gauntlet.
 
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"DAMN YOU EH!"

Highmind was screaming at the top of his lungs, watching as Eh ran rampant in his workshop, throwing the mess of papers into further disarray. Eh didn't stop running and causing as much as trouble as he could to provoke Highmind. Eventually, Highmind had to step in, and he did, getting into a fist fight with Eh. Rosetta sits amused in a corner, watching the two with a melancholic smile. Although the two were angry at the other, they couldn't ignore Rosetta's expression, ceasing their hostilities momentarily to resume business for the moment. An awkward atmosphere descends, and for a moment, silence reigned in the usually noisy workshop.

"It's not a bad thing, eh," Eh offered, his tone betraying the optimism of his words.

Highmind buried himself in his work, the numerous technological fragments coming together in a systematic way that only he knew. It seemed like he had little care, but Rosetta knew better. He knew not what to say, and in most of these rare occurrences, he would seek to appear busy to stave off the awkwardness. Rosetta looked to Eh, nodding wordlessly. It wasn't a bad thing, that much she knew. "But I'll miss you guys," she said, looking at the television screen which still screened the surveillance of the earlier incident.

Highmind looked up from his work briefly, then resumed his pretence. Eh scowled as he glowered at Highmind. Rosetta got up, picking up her bags as she did. "I'll go check if the ride's arrived, eh?" Eh said, as he hurriedly exited. They had arranged for a comfortable ride to the Saevitian-Dogma borders. From there, the Lord President's escorts will arrive to fetch her to Dogma. Rosetta will truly be on her own there... Once again. It was a thought that instilled much dread in her.

"Stay safe."

Rosetta looked over to Highmind.

"It's been... about 4 years now? I cannot even remember. You have learned much since then, more control than before. And now you have this armour to further enhance your abilities. Helps that I taught you how to fix this armour, huh."

The two held gaze. While Highmind's remained firm and resolute, Rosetta's was hesitant. Tears welled up, threatening to flow freely had she not held back.

"Anyway, you know my number, that idiot Eh's too. You should be able to charge it yourself too regardless of where you are. Call us when you get there."

Rosetta nodded, walking towards the exit. She stopped short of the doorway, turning back to run into Highmind's embrace. "Tsk, damn smoke, gets into your eyes every time," Highmind muttered, patting Rosetta on her back as he struggled to keep in control of his emotions.


"It's just you from here on eh," Eh said.

Rosetta nodded, as she stepped towards the coast. Saevitia being an island isolated from the main continent and Dogma being the leading power on that main continent meant that the borders was the sea separating the two. And it was here that the Lord President's escort would bring her to Dogma. Rosetta could only wonder what could she expect. She had heard plenty about human technology, and have seen plenty on Highmind's surveillance videos, however, she had never seen one in reality.

Now was the time...

Turning back to face Eh, Rosetta nodded again. Eh kept an expressionless face, turning away to return back to Saevitia. What he had meant to say, he had already said. The only thing left to do was part, but the two knew it would not be permanent. Or rather, it should not be, and Rosetta was determined to make that the case. She turned back, standing firm against the coastal winds; a solitary figure on the coast.
 
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"I can do more than hold her down," Zephyr said with a smirk, extending a hand, palm up, his gaze fixed on Shendra. "Consider this your first step if you truly want to reform yourself and conquer your fears."

The chimera flexed his fingers and felt even more the rivers of crimson that flowed through Shendra. All it would take was a simple flick and he could have it erupting from his veins, splattering the sand with gore. Oh yes, it was a great power he had at his fingertips, one that would bring his enemies to their knees, but for all the pain he could bring, he was also able to help. It wasn't his first inclination, at least not usually, but here... this man needed this and so did the prisoner.

"Do you feel it, prisoner? That your body is no longer your own? That someone else controls the strings you dance on?"

He flipped his hand and slammed it downward with force, bringing Shendra to her hands and knees, he head forward with the nape of her neck bared.

"You've seen a part of what I can do; now you see even more. The first brought you to the brink of disaster. With your new resolve, where will a second taste bring you?" he asked of Ralph. "Before you is a young woman bound by magic in a very vulnerable position. Will you show cowardice or perform the surgery you need to?"

Zephyr gave a dark laugh.

"And you, my fellow winged escapee... This will hurt; I can't numb the pain, but I can prevent there from being more than necessary. And keep all of your precious lifestream inside of you, much to my own dismay."

Zepjyr's face took a bit of a downcast look then.

"Hopefully, everything will turn out all right."
 
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"H-Hold on. 'Operation'?" the winged woman stammered, her feathers puffed out once again. Was she right all along? Was all of this just a trick to observe how she reacts to an escape attempt before transferring her to another lab? If so, where was she really, then? The sand beneath her shoes felt real enough, but... no, this had to be some kind of hallucination. This had to be some sort of sick joke!

She had to get out of here. Had to find some way out of this mess. Yet her body seized up, ignoring all notion of fleeing. All that time stuck in the labs must have softened her nerves. This had to be fear taking over. And that winged fellow. Who talked him into participating in this? He was an arcane, right? What sin did she commit towards him to make him side with a human like this?!

Her amethyst eyes danced between the human and the crimson-winged one. While her mind was racing, the questions spouted by the winged man had locked her attention. What was he going on about? Did he know about her pre-Awakened days? Was that why he was assisting with this procedure?

"What are yo-? AH!"

Without warning, the convict's knees buckled and gave way beneath her. It wasn't instinct that made her hands fly out before her and catch herself before falling flat on her face. Rather than folding against her back, her wings were suspended on either side of her. Her body was moving on its own! It wasn't a feeling she was completely unfamiliar with, but something just felt... wrong about this. As though the very veins within her body were betraying her. As though her vessels were what was manipulating her bones rather than her muscles and tendons. Normally, fear would force her heart to pound faster and adrenaline to pulse throughout her system. Yet strangely, it felt as though someone had reached into her chest and was pumping the chambers of her heart manually.

She tried to lift her head to see what was going on, but her body refused to obey. Her long, fiery red hair was now a curtain that obscured her view. Fear crushed her stomach and her mind raced faster. What kind of cruelty was this?! First they tease her with escape, then they force an Arcane to aid in a procedure with no anesthetics?!

Yet what she didn't know was there was a slight bulge on the back of her neck, about the shape of a lozenge and no longer than an inch or so as it followed her vertebrae. The bulge itself was topped with a vertical slot. Several thin wires were visible through the skin as well, though looked like they were flexible. The slot had several contacts inside of it. Clearly, something small was meant to be plugged into it. From the redness directly around the hole, it must have been used frequently whenever she was knocked out.

An involuntary defeated whimper escaped the prisoner. At least something had to escape today. She could do nothing to help her situation. The winged one before her had seen to that. Her welling eyes shut tightly, fully expecting the operation to be slow and agonizing.
 
Ralph glared at Zephyr as his gauntlet charged up, seeing the magic in action sent a little discomfort up his spine that he was shaking a little, but the winged woman needed him. He felt the cruelty she endured just by the whimper she let out as she remained helpless by exposing the device at the nape of her neck. He took deep breaths and focused on his center, resolve was hard to find when you've been struggling to keep it intact for so long. He caressed Shendra's hair gently and kept her hair off from the nape.

"I promise I'm not doing this to hurt you. So don't cry or anything... You'll see in a moment," he told her reassuringly but with a shaky voice as he leaned and arm at her back and shakily turned his glasses on, it magnified the device's wiring and sent a scanned analysis to the suit.

Ralph never seen such an advanced device used to hold off a magical being before, its make and build pierced straight into her flesh and even fused some of its wiring unto her flesh. His fear was fading as his emotions slowly turned to fury for the cruelty that was going on in Korma, The Futurist Party was ever so in a civil unrest with the Human Purity Party due to how they forcefully handled Arcane gifted and subject profiled criminals to Area 23, said to be the hell of any poor individual cursed by this world's Arcane anomalies. His focus has returned as he magnified his eyeglasses to scan the device. It had a set of wiring that mapped out to the other portions of Shendra's vertebrae. Watching it carefully and careful not to trip any killswitch attached to the device, he allowed time for his glasses to scan and study the technology.

It made him angry how someone so callous could do such a thing to a living being, be it human or Arcane. His attention now brought him out of his stupor as he pinpointed a finger with the charged laser and allowed it to cut a piece of wiring attached to the device as pointed by his glasses.

"There we go... " Ralph said quietly as the laser cut through the wiring quietly, each guide by the scanner's glasses telling him which one to cut without it straining her. Beads of sweat trickled down his temple due to the stress of the request, the task of cutting out his aunt's niece's bug and the fact that he is being exposed to magic. His thoughts trickled away from the idea of magic, as his focus would be lost.

A tense atmosphere was between the three of them, and almost after an agonizing two minutes, the device slipped out of Shendra's neck and fell unto Ralph's free hand. However, he had to neutralize it via an emp as he heard a dangerous beeping emitting from his hand, landing it against his Ragnum gauntlet hand, he emitted a small electromagnetic shock as the device stopped functioning altogether.

"I got it. Release her, kid!" Ralph told the boy using his powers, unable to bear seeing Shendra suffer in that way.

"Sorry th-that had to happen. As you can see, you sort of left in a rush. They're taking every measure to trace your whereabouts and won't stop until you'll be experimented until you are dead," Ralph said as he dangled the remnants of the bug at his armed hand. "Now you believe me?!" he shakily said while giving her a concerned look, still unsure how she was able to not detect that her body was being monitored or how did his Aunt detect such a device.

His helmet began emitting an emergency beacon within its confines as he can see it not too far from where he conducted the operation. He bit his lips as he can hear laser shots from within the forest...

"Collision imminent," Elise notified Mitula via her communicator as the remainder of the suits had now approach the path of the oncoming fleet. Each one of their cores has now been outfitted with a deadly explosive set by Elise to release an extremely unstable blast that would shake half the fleet and delay their arrival. On the other end, a fleet of 34 mech strong was fast approaching, some with tools use to contain Arcane Gifted while others with weapons to kill and destroy the threat that jeopardized the convoy.

"10 seconds...9...8...7...6," Elise said. The suits were now glowing and boosted their speed to an even higher rate of travel, the fleet could see faint signs as some prepared to engage.

"5 seconds....4...3...2...1...Commencing self destruct sequence. Cores raised to an unstable 200% output," Elise said, now they approached with a blinding light that almost sends some of the pilots in disarray. There was no countdown that followed, only a large explosion caused by Ralph's remainder suits that acted almost like a small scale nuclear meltdown that destroyed almost 40% of the front line and crippled or destroyed the weaponry of 80% of the fleet, it resonated loudly against the skies that linked Korma and Dogma, shaking the trees as the recoil of the explosion travelled violently across the air around the epicenter of the impact.

"Damage control! May day May day! Damage control! We have an untold number of destroyed Mechs! Standing by for further orders!" A panicked pilot of the fleet called as his other abled comrades helped to salvage whatever remained or what was utterly destroyed in an unexpected display of destruction. Mark would no doubt be beyond furious once word reaches his ear.

"Target(s) impaired. Returning to prime directive," Elise advised Mitula, referring to her babysitting job back in the forest.
 
~~~~~
Child
~~~~~



​
Sieghilde was plugging in as many auxiliary systems up to Child. Streams and streams of data poured through her display as she monitored Child's conditions. She has stabilised, but her condition was still not out of critical. Prolonged loss of artificial limbs was not a good idea, particularly one with pain and nerve splicing as deep as hers and in her profession. Ghost limbs can often happen and the psychological effect is that the patient becomes muddled and her motor capabilities with that limb drastically falls. Those that go through such a phase requires both retraining/ rehabilitation and psych sessions for them to realign their minds that they still have function of their limbs. Sieghilde needs Child to not fall into this state. She is a VSC agent and, as bad as it is, a product, an asset. She barely hangs in there in terms of worthiness and if she requires extensive periods of rehabilitation, Sieghilde wasn't sure whether the Council would keep her.

Thankfully, unbeknown to Sieghilde, Child's mentality is much stronger than that. Closing her mind to all thoughts besides the light above herself, Child essentially sent herself into a coma of sort, cutting off all thoughts and concentrating on her breathing. In a spiritual sense, she was in a zen like state. Sieghilde was taken aback by the relatively stable brain reading. Not taking any risks and taking advantage of her current sedated state, Sieghilde injected a slow acting sedative, just so that she remains in this state until they were within a compound

ETA on base?

Ten minutes at best.


Faster. Have them prepare emergency aid the moment we land and wake up the damn engineers. I want them awake and ready.


Yes Ma'am
 
This was all so fast, so hard to understand. They were going have to stave off a platoon of “Hunter”, and it was up to Nexus and some random alone to stop them. . It was all becoming clear: climbing that barrier was the worst mistake of Nexus' life. It was either dissection by the government...Or slavery, with a lewd A.I. as a mistress. A rock and a hard place didn't describe this situation.


But, what was the point of worrying? Of crying and allowing it to take you over? Nexus wasn't going to let this hold him back . Hesitation didn't save lives.


In all honesty, Nexus barely paid attention to what Elise said- he was way too focused on what was to come. He expected tracker dogs, infantry... He wasn't getting out of this without fighting, which just happened to be on the mind of this A.I.


…


"Ummm...Kitten? I'm releasing the suit's lock so you can move, we need you sort of. Don't be shy to use your magic, I was only kidding. You see, the hunters who tried to bring that poor girl back to Korma is here to collect her and as per protocol 29-922 of the Futurist Party, we have the authority to repel antagonizing individuals from harming an Arcane Gifted. You are free to use whatever arsenal we have in this suit. Should I guide you through the built in manual on this software for hunter
…


What? Nexus was to PILOT this thing, and use his magic at the same time? His magical ability wasn't... Disgracefully bad, but he hadn't mastered any of those transmutation skills yet. On the other hand, he knew next to fuck all about this suit and how it operated. It didn't seem like something you could wing either. Obviously, he was going to need that manual.



“Erm, errr... Yes. Yes. YES. Guide me through it... And I highly suggest-and hope- you have some sort of insulating features on this... war-suit. I'd rather not short out my ride to safety. ”


Then, the bullets hailed from the forested area above. It seemed as though the party had already arrived, and begun to take aim at that alcoholic. Were they not here for him as well? Nexus had first come to the conclusion that they'd come after the pair of them... but the way in which the fire was focused, Nexus wasn't even a factor in the plans.



“Wait.. Wait. This is good. Elise... Can you help pilot this towards the western side of these guys?”



Perhaps a flank was in order. Any person- militant or not so- could tell when the environment was against you. You're never going to get out of a murder hole like this without either a miracle. Obviously, these suits were like tanks in streamline form. They could probably handle a beating or twelve... but the humans inside? Like a knight in his suit of armour was more likely to die from the trauma taken to his suit, Nexus and this other girl would be in the same situation.



Using his basics of operating light machinery(A lawn mower) and the tutorial he'd managed to pull from some file system, Nexus managed to get his suit to move in a westerly direction, semi-distracted by the spinning electrical blade he'd been crafting in front. Obviously, his intention for stealth would've probably been ruined by now, as a hunter(maybe two) realised that his suit wasn't unoccupied.



Though, even if something gave and the two could get out of this murder-hole, Nexus and- so he assumed- the other girl could barely make out where these mercs were firing from. Nexus came to the conclusion: Why not take out their cover? Without that- and being on the high vantage point they were- it'd be a breeze to snipe them from the skies.



So, as bullets rung against the suits outer shell- the vibrations running through Nexus' body- he released the electro saw. It migrated up the hill, slicing through trees as it passed. With each tree it lost momentum- as you would expect- so Nexus followed it up with two weaker versions.


By now, the projectiles were having a slight effect on Nexus. Obviously, he was in any sort of flesh wound damage, but the g-force from both the suits movement, when coupled with the rapid pinging of rounds- certainly began to impact on his stomach. He'd already begun to feel queasy.


But, the saws had made their way up the hill. The front line of trees facing Agi and the other suit would've been felled -or near enough to it- by now, which would either force the Hunters back or persuade them to come from their cover.


“..Is there any way we can burn those trees?..”



Nexus asked, half to himself, half to that damn program.
 
Zephyr held Shendra tightly in his grasp, not allowing her to move even a fraction - the slightest mistake on the part of Ralph could easily sever her spine and render her worse than dead so it was up to him to minimize that risk as much as possible. Even still, he found himself holding back the tides of blood that threatened to seep through where she had already been cut and now that the wires were becoming detached, he wable to feel them, not as a border but as an infection that lingered in her system. As the full layout of the wires was mapped out he found himself disgusted by the thought and even ran a cursory check through his system as well, his blood pulsing through muscles and organs to examine each and every crevice and orifice, single cells of blood willing to shred themselves upon the wires just to find them. He found nothing though - apparently his incarceration in that device had allayed their suspicions enough. Or maybe his laid back demeanour before hand, before they knew what he could do.

Feeling the wires and the device slip from inside her past the blood walls that prevented her from bleeding out, he let them flow, only allowing just enough to well up and seal the wounds, the rest sliding past the scabrous tissue easily now. With a swipe of his hand, he relinquished control back to it's original master, the iron taste of blood coming forth to tempt him.

"You will be fine now. You would have been fine even if there was nothing there - you're own blood would've risen against him, marshaled by myself of course. I've seen enough innocent creatures tortured at the hands of humans but prudence was necessary here - if there was a tracking device, they would find us both and out of all of our interests, I felt it necessary to hold you down. You wouldn't want to escape, just to be put back into a cell would you?"
 
The winged one's influence upon the woman's blood even kept her from opening her jaw and mouth. Her tongue was stilled, rendering her unable to tell the human to keep his filthy hands off of her. The question of 'why' would not rest in her mind. Why were they doing this? Why were they teasing her by bringing her out all this way? Why can no one keep their hands off of her?!

Hearing the high-pitched whine of the laser, she was fearing the worst. The concentrated heat piercing through her flesh made her stomach churn as she seethed in pain, for she was unable to tense up her muscles. Even with the prisoner's blood under the influence of another, her feathers still stood on end. She clenched her teeth together and prayed that such an ability won't be used for more lecherous intentions. Having control over her own body taken away was violating enough!

Already, she was feeling dizzy and lightheaded. The throbbing pain, her high stress, her controlled blood flow... all she could concentrate on was her own unnatural heartbeat. Let the steady thumps fill her ears and drown out what was going on around her. While the pain couldn't be ignored, it was all she could do to attempt to numb her mind to everything else.

Suddenly, her pulse picked up in speed and her body seemed to lose whatever balance it had been forced into before. Though the burning pain stopped, the scruff of her neck was still throbbing and aching. The woman's eyes snapped back open as she sunk to her knees and elbows. But now wasn't the time to stay still. Not if she wanted to stay alive.

At long last, she was able to move her own limbs. The woman made a mad scramble away from the both of them, pulling out her shotgun as she stumbled by the suit. With her wings finally folded against her back, she turned around in a crouched position, shakily aiming her weapon at the both of them. Her heart pounded hard in her ears, barely taking in the words from either men.

The emergency beacon startled the poor woman, making her jump and shuffle away from the suit. Was it going to spring up and ensnare her, too?! There was just no chance for a real escape, was there?!

"Shen, put that away!" came a stern voice from the suit.
The woman stared. That voice... "...A-Aunt Mitula?" Her eyes narrowed as she hastily added, "What kind of trick is this?!"
"No tricks, dear," Mitula sighed. "Put down the gun."
Though doubtful, Shen finally lowered her shotgun. "Where are you? Are you all right?"
"I'm just fine, Shen. I'm at the Haven. Ralph is here to take you home safely," came a reassuring reply. "Once you're here, I'll explain what I can."
"What about Kaya?" Shen asked, her wings twitching uneasily. "Is she all right?"
There was a pause. "...I don't know, Shen. I haven't found her yet." Though the winged woman looked devastated, Mitula continued. "More importantly, we need to get you two out of there. The other two Arcanes are engaging enemy hunters in the woods. That should be enough of a distraction for you to get a head start."
Shen looked over beyond the trees. "...but if they need the hel-"
"No, Shen," Mitula interrupted sternly. "We need to get you home in one piece. We can't risk you getting caught again."

Shen's teeth clenched together. As much as she wanted to help the other Arcs, she knew that Mitula was right. She wasn't in any real condition to put up much of a fight. Even then, with her shimmering wings, she would be one easy-to-spot target. And a big one at that.

Finally, her eyes rested on the human. "...Ralph, is it? What would you have us do, then?"
 
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Ralph massaged the temple of his forehead, relief that Aunt had to intervene. With the poor treatment those Korma fucks have done to Shen and this boy, it was no surprise she found him so distrustful. To them, there was no Futurist or Human Purity civil wars, just humans who was competing to be the dominant races of the planet. His dead dream was far beyond him saving it, the death of Marigold was the nail that made him realize this world was far too shattered to bring back as one from almost a century ago.

After Shendra addressed him, he regathered himself. A group of individuals threatening the others were at the forest, given the boy's top condition and Shendra's poor ailments and her being an even obvious target for whatever is at the woods, he decided that it was impractical to bring them back to where they escaped from. His decision came to a close as he eyed the forest with intensity.

"Kid, take her and get out of here. I'm having a drone guide you both," he instructed without looking as he armed his advanced eye glasses and approached the scattered empty suit next to Shendra. He pulled a small object and outfitted a red orb from his pocket unto a socket within the advanced machinery as holograms poured unto the tiny contraption.

"Aunt, I'm sending a drone to guide them, you're in control after a mile as this armour's range isn't going to keep it afloat without a based server, patch your code unto 0192834 of Ragnum Model 249 manufacturing code 230889. A miniaturized Ragnum core has been outfitted unto the drone for long sustainability to prevent it from short circuiting," Ralph instructed her as he uploaded the path to Dusk Shallows on the tiny robotic device. The device came to life as it floated and curiously looked at Shendra before scanning it and zoomed around Shendra buzzing joyously.

"Be patient with it. I understand you dislike machines, but its far from harmful," he addressed Shendra as the drone nuzzled at her cheek before flying up high and began glowing green and displaying a path in the skies towards their intended destination. The glow was far from visible to any other parties due to the size of the drone and would only be seen by the two individuals due to its encryption data blocking out satellite imaging or infrared scanners. The path was safe.

"Follow that drone and don't look back. It's guiding light will fade after a minute," He told the both of them before looking back into the forest. The drone emitted a chirping tone as it was beckoning the winged beings to follow it as the path and route to Dusk Shallows was clear for them. It began flying slowly in a buzzing tone following its own path, leaving a trail of green light behind it as it began to ascend through the sky and flew towards Dusk Shallows. He approached Zephyr and handed an ear piece to him for communication purposes.

"Keep it with you and don't let her out of your sight. We're still on dangerous skies," Ralph instructed the wing boy before looking back at the chaotic forest fight behind them.

"I have some unfinished business to take care of," Ralph said as the suit armed itself around him, before doing so, he placed the bug that he retrieved from Shendra unto the empty port where the drone came from at its chest and closed it. The 249 sealing him within as the HUD fired up.

"Give me some good news, Elise!" Ralph asked the AI. He tested all laser tech within the gauntlets and checked anti-personnel missiles from his shoulders, thighs and forearms, checking if all are in able working conditions. He was going to make short work with a quick burst, before the fleet recovered from what he can see it had been almost 3 minutes since they stopped but he isn't going to give them enough time to reach here and find them still within range.

"Good?! Don't be too optimistic! These kids don't know how to pilot any of our suits!" Elise stammered. She sounded stressed as lasers continued to fire within the forest and blaze of magic began erupting around the forest. He fired up his boosters as he left the two winged individuals to clean up the remainder of their trail still locked in the forest.

"As expected. Ragnum piloting isn't as easy as it looks," he said justifiably as he flew into the fray, ready to finish off everything in the span of a minute.
 
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It wasn't the first time a weapon of any sort had been pointed at Zephyr-needles and other such instruments were just as good. Or the whip. They had used that often on some of the more unruly experiments, especially the ones who had been violent. It had been used on him several times to coerce his cooperation until its effects were relatively pointless. He stared down the barrel of the shotgun, his breath even and his eyes unafraid. There was little point in trying to speak to Shendra further-if she hadnt heard before, she still wouldn't. As the voice from the helmet seemed to calm her down and the shotgun was lowered, he maintained his gaze on Shendra. When she deferred authourity to Ralph and was told to escort her, he transfered his gaze to Ralph and scowled.

"It's not kid; it's not boy; it's not Lyserg; it's Zephyr. Always was my name."

Zephyr took the earpiece from Ralph and slipped it into and over his ear, the rubber catching for a second on the pointed tip.

"I can come back if you need me - you don't really go that fast. I'll see her there at the very least. If you've not caught up, I'll radio before winging back."

He looked over at Shendra, cocking his head as he took a quick scan of her vitals.

"You won't be in top form but you'll be able to make it. Don't push yourself or the cut will reopen and I'll have to seal them again. If the worst comes, I can carry you."

Zephyr flapped his wings experimentally, hovering a few feet in the air.

"You're the injured one - whenever you're ready."
 
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Although still a little shaken, Shen heaved a sigh of relief once the human and his suit flew off. Ralph had one thing right; ever since her stay in Korma, she had become more wary of machinery. But did he really have to send them off with a probe that knew nothing of personal space? She had put up with more than enough of that to last her four lifetimes.

Shen stood and holstered her shotgun for now, looking back across the water. "I'll be fine," she lied, still feeling sore from her neck to her wings. She brushed the sand away from her jumper and feathers with merely her hands. Her feathers were settling back down once the human was out of sight; a clear sign that she was becoming calm once more. "Just... don't manipulate me like that again. Please."

Those wings stretched out to feel the wind once more. There was no time to relish in the breeze upon her feathers, they had a probe to follow. Shen pushed herself off of the shore with a leap and was airborne with merely a few quick flaps of her wings. She easily climbed twenty or so feet above the water as she flew after the bot. For the most part, once enough height was attained, she was simply catching the wind upon her wings and gliding over the waves. Sore or not, she had to keep moving. Had to keep going. Had to get the fuck away from the mainland.

As the forest and shore grew smaller and smaller over the horizon, Shen soon became glad that the probe up ahead was still there. It had been many years since she last visited Dusk Shallows. Yet this entire time, her aunt never told her about any other cousins she had. Ralph was an entirely new face to her. He didn't look like any relative of hers, yet he also referred to Mitula as 'Aunt'. Sure, her previous visit was brief, but no mention of this human? Really?

There were far too many questions buzzing through her head. Shen was finding it difficult to keep a straight course as her mind wandered. Thankfully, she caught and corrected herself before leading herself astray.
 
As Agdnilan went to step back into the suit that previously threw her out she picked up her flask that she dropped as she was ejected from it, she also grabbed her other flask from her waist belt in preparation for what she was getting ready to do. As much as she was getting over it from before she decided to to let her fear guide her actions some more now at this point, mostly because she didn't want to be captured and sent back to those labs. The suit finally finished the fitting on Agdnilan once again but leaving the face plate off so far and before it could begin to cover her face she spoke out.

"Please leave the faceplate cover off, I will need it off for what I need to do"

Elsie gave Agdnilan a confirm through the ear pieces in the suit and then proceeded to give her a rundown of where the hunters forces were located, Agdnilan then sighed for what she was about to do. A whole week of running from them and constant drinking and now after her brief sick spell she was somewhat back to normal and yet here she was getting ready to drink again. So shaking her head she uncorked both of her flasks and got ready for what she needed to do. Setting the flasks on the ground she summoned a large fireball in both of her hands and threw it at the group of the fallen tress, the fire spread through the tress and as such she manipulate the fire to grow both taller and wider which made a wall of fire in front of the hunters. The fire wall was at least ten feet high and went on for 25 feet in both directions. Not letting up and giving them a chance to back up she quickly conjured up some storm clouds that followed the path of the flame wall path wise. Concentrating she made lightning pour down from the clouds not even leaving much space between the storm or the firewall, they was maybe about 3 inches of space between each trap and the hunters. With that being down she picked up her flasks on the ground and quickly drank both of them the end result was her being extremely dizzy and beginning to sway. She spoke to Elsie the best she could.

"Can you please use the auto-pilot for this suit and get me out of here please?"
 
" No need. Just go and don't look back, I need her safe," Ralph ordered Zephyr as the boy advised if he could rejoin them while he entered the battle. Upon arriving, the unsightly view of a fire wall conjured by the drunken Arcane twisted the CEO's stomach, he hastily shook off his impeding fear by firing a shot at an incoming hunter trying to get Agi from behind. The blast tore through the hunter's head at 20%, killing him instantly as laser and blood poured at the forest floor.

"I don't have time for this shit," Ralph said angrily at the hunters with enhanced voice manipulation while he ordered the suit where Agi is in to leave with her cargo inside. Elise complied to both Ralph and Agi's request, locking the Arc within the suit, Elise autopiloted it out of the forest with haste.

"Full power activated, advancing forward," Elise said as she drove the suit out of sight to where Ralph flew from.

He gestured the broken 251 containing the young boy who needed help to evacuate as well while the fire continued to blaze against the forest, as thunderstorms cackled. The boy was facing a pack of strays who were not caught by the blast sent by the Arc. Ralph hastily flew upward and dove above the conjured magical epicenter to where the boy was being cornered and fired a blast of lasers clocked at 20%, bisecting and beheading most of them, the gore filled forest was dyed in blood as he landed on the puddle and looked at the 251 containing the boy.

"Party's over, kid. Let's beat it," Ralph ordered Elise and Nexus to leave. The faster they cleared the area, the better it was for them.

"Let's go, kittnen~" Elise sung as she locked the 251 and like Agi's, piloted it out of the scene without another word, leaving Ralph alone at the forest with at least a dozen bodies either burnt or cut apart by his intervention. He flew upwards as he scanned the surroundings while the fire continued to blaze on, smoke pouring as well from the distance in the free way with the destruction almost extending a mile. Once he knew the area was clear of any witnesses from the hunting party, Ralph hastily departed from the forest.

"Mission Accomplished, Aunt," Ralph said as he ensured all 4 individuals that he had encountered were seen safe and sound. They all flew upwards from the distance, towards the clouds as the leading drone led Shendra and Zephyr to their intended destination. As they picked up altitude, Ralph felt that this was just the beginning of their problems.

The incident was archived as the first of many towards reuniting Futurist Party members and showing proof that the Purity Party's harsh treatment of Arcane Gifted had now come to light.

"Aww come on! It was barely a scratch!! What are they waiting for!? the fucking Carnival?" Marko yelled at the war room as the mech fleet was still gathering their troops after the nearly catastrophic explosions upon impact of the suits rendered the fleet immobile. Marko gritted his teeth, the longer they stayed like assholes trying to fix whatever these wild suits have done to his fleet, the faster the terrorists responsible for this insult would slip from his grasp.

"With all due respect, Lord President, we cannot move forward without -"

"Fuck that! Arrest this bitch for treason! Tell the fleet to get moving or I'm calling Korma to fix this clusterfuck!" Marko yelled at the analyst as Agents began pouring to take the analyst in for speaking up against Marko, she was silently escorted while he chattered his teeth while looking at the stupid fucks trying to help each other from the blast of the strange objects. The deranged President sat back as he grumbled like an angry child, this was a rather unexpected blow to his ego. With all the power he has gathered all this years, it was incomprehensible for him to encounter such a tactical foe.

Another analyst came up to Marko and bowed. He ignored the attending individual as he coughed to gain the Lord President's attention.

"What the fuck do you want this time?" Marko hissed.

"Well, Lord President. We have salvaged a black box just now from the destroyed Mecha that had engaged the mysterious object and -" the analyst threw a holographic node down showing the object for Marko to look "-Make no mistake sir, this Ragnum. This brand, belongs to the Futurist Party's manufacturing company: Faiz Industries," he said.

Silence fell.

Marko's eyes widened in terror as he looked at the node, showing a barely visible holographic image of the well known design. It's creator may not know him now, having changed his appearance all these years to hide his true identity, but he knew the suit very well. A ritcus grin crept up the Lord President's mouth as he brooded. He knew who orchestrated this, and how he was going to flush her out or force her only family to suffer heavily.

"Aunt Mitula...So that's what you were after," Marko hissed as he viewed a file depicting Shendra and the Experiment. If she wanted to play this little game with him using his big brother to bully poor little brother, then so be it. The high hand was still his.

The Analyst just had his ear on his headset before nodding. "Confirmed, Lord President, one Agent survived the massacre. A Cyborg Operative from Korma under the VSC's wing," he advised. Marko sighed, debating with these fools, let alone one of their prominent members Dr. Alfred Hobbs, was going to be a fucking chore to release the Agent for questioning.

A VTOL hovered as it dodged the treacherous seas, to have the Lord President escort an Arcane to Dogma raised further doubts towards his leadership. The pilots wondered what they were doing, flying all the way to a restricted area designated by Korma as highly dangerous and prone to be turned into Arcane Gifted. As a precaussion, they were wearing suits imbued with anti-exposure properties to just be allowed to fly out to such a hostile area. Afternoon was approaching, and the incident of the free way was almost 4 hours ago.

They finally caught eye of their intended passenger. An emissary, the individual who the Lord President had requested for the Purity Party's plan to bridge the gap of peace between humans and Arcanes. It was a very controversial process that was largely derided in Korma, the only nation that had loathed the Arcs and treasured human's purity to its greatest appreciation.

"Target located, beginning approach," the pilot said as the VTOL began to land steadily near the individual.
 
"Finally," Rosetta muttered, scowling as the VTOL approached. What would have been curious interest was now replaced with indefinite annoyance. Perhaps it was Eh's knack for setting things up as early as unreasonably possible, or perhaps it was the human's utter disregard for the Arcane Gifted. Either way, leaving her to wait for almost an hour staring at the calm sea left her with an especially sour taste in her mouth. Still, Silvana's words were not far off from her mind. Ultimately, like it or not, she represented the Arcs of Saevitia now. It would do her no good to start an incident the instant they meet.

The VTOL hovered past her, and over an empty patch near her. Rosetta did her very best to push away all semblance of annoyance that previously manifested as she approached the VTOL. She stopped short of the vehicle though, realising that she knew not how to open the door, if there were any in the first place. This was unlike the designs that she had seen in Highmind's lab; in fact, it was entirely different. Not wanting to seem clueless, however, she opted to wait as the pilots, realising she wanted to be fetched, finally knew better than to continue waiting.

And that was how Rosetta learned the door was by the side. It popped out from the side and slid open, an uncanny innovation that impressed Rosetta. The pilot, however, seemed stunned. "U-uh, are you the Emissary," asked the man, who sounded relatively young. Rosetta couldn't tell, given the fact the man was all suited up in some unnecessarily clunky clothing. In his defence, he was probably well protected from whatever he wanted protection from - though what exactly he could want protection from was beyond Rosetta. After all, with even a snap of her finger, she could easily kill this man. The protection was probably not meant against her.

Realising she had been self-absorbed in her own thoughts, she quickly replied," Yes."

"O-oh, sorry, we were later than scheduled. Because we--"

Although mildly pleased that the man had the sense to apologise for his lateness, Rosetta was loathe to hear any form of excuses at this point.

"No matter. Let us away."

The man seemed taken aback, the second time since their encounter, but he caught on quickly. He ushered her into the VTOL, showing her to a passenger seat. The VTOL was rather spacious, with numerous seats lining the sides. No doubt this vehicle was meant to fetch more than just one individual. Nevertheless, she was glad she didn't have to stare awkwardly at another human, or make awkward conversation. Just as that thought left her mind, the door slid shut, and a mechanical sounding voice began to speak.

"Greetings, Emissary. Welcome on board our humble ride... Uh..."

Rosetta's eyes widened with amusement. So this mechanical voice belonged to the pilot! Why hadn't Saevitian inventors think of that? Then again, on Air Galleys, being relatively open and all, it was probably not that hard to simply relay orders and instructions verbally. Still, it was an interesting innovation that she decided she would relay to Highmind.

"We estimate about... Hey, Rob, how long? Oh? Okay... We estimate about 30 minutes. Oh, before we take off, please put on the headphones. They are right behind your seat."

Rosetta glanced behind her, immediately seeing the conspicuously placed headphones. She put it on.

"There is a microphone on that headphone, so if you speak, we can hear you. Feel free to talk to-- I mean, feel free to speak to us if you have any instructions or queries."

But Rosetta had no questions, she couldn't wait for the take-off, to know what it would feel like to be flying in a human invention. Highmind once described it as an amazing experience; that one's belly lurched and if you had people that feared heights beside you, it would be even better. It was a pity that no one was beside her, but she looked forward to that so-called belly lurching.

... Which didn't happen. The VTOL lifted off, hovering up to a sufficiently high altitude before moving off into the skies.

"Wow, Rob, I didn't know they have beauties in this sort of place. I thought we were going to fetch some squid-faced old dude! You should have seen her."

Rosetta was silent. She knew not what to say to that, if it was even meant for her ears.

"Dude, you do know you haven't pressed the mute button?"

An awkward silence deepens the already awkward atmosphere. "Y-yeah.... Uh, Emissary, hope you're not taking offence, I didn't know there were humans living in Saevitia."

With one brow raised, Rosetta replied," I am an Arcanian Gifted... Not human."

"Oh. Sorry, it's just that we've been told that most Arcanian Gifted would have a deformity of some kind, or are not human-looking."

"You have been taught wrong then. Some Arcanian Gifted are human-looking, like myself."

"I see."

The awkward silence returns, though this time, it appears it is here to stay.
 
The winged woman had no idea just how long the mainland had disappeared from sight. All she knew was she was flying further and further away from that accursed city. Further away from a society entirely dependent upon machines to function. Further away from the cold, unfeeling eyes of human and mechanical scientists alike. Most importantly, away from their icy tools and unforgiving tests.

Yet despite knowing she was leaving behind a hellish prison, Shen still couldn't bring herself to so much as smile to celebrate her freedom. Something about all of this just felt too good to be true. Even if that bug had been removed from her, she still didn't feel safe. Her incarceration was likely what kept her nerves rattled and her wary mind in a constant state of unrest. The exhilaration of liberation may have lifted Shen's spirit, yet her heart remained heavy.


-============-​


Madame Sawyer waited with baited breath as she watched her monitors. Three screens displayed those within the Ragnum suits, still giving a constant readout of their vitals, showing a visual display of what they were seeing, and allowing her to listen in on the ongoing discourse. A fourth screen had no visual display nor any vital charts, but it allowed her to listen to the winged male through the earpiece. A large fifth screen displayed a large map with Dusk Hallows nestled in the center. Faint, tinted blobs encompassed airspace owned and operated by either the Futurist Party and the Human Purists. Even with Ralph's confirmation of the evacuees being escorted out, Mitula was hesitant to reply.

That is, until the specks of the active Ragnum suits finally flew out of Purist airspace and out into the open. With a sigh of relief, a smile finally curled her lips. At long last, they were safe.

Mitula reached up and activated the audio feed for the suits and earpiece. Her chest puffed a little in pride as she took a in a deep breath.

"Good morning, fellow Gifted souls," she began in a warm, welcoming tone. "I realize it is still a little early in the day for such a commotion, but such measures were necessary to ensure your safety. Fear not, for you are being taken to my private Haven, away from the cruelty of the Human Purist Party, where you shall meet me in person. Once you arrive, be sure you thank your rescuer, Ralph Faiz, for none of this would be possible without his help." Mitula paused, glancing at the clock. "Your estimated time of arrival is 10:15 am. Elise will see to it that you land safely. A hot, hearty breakfast awaits you all, so I hope you're hungry. I'll see you at home."

With that, Mitula disabled the audio feed for all but Ralph's screen. She sat more comfortably in her seat, her hands folded over her lap. "Ralph my dear, I know this was a lot to ask from you, but I cannot thank you enough for doing this. You have no idea how proud I am of you. If there's anything I can do in return, you need only ask."


-============-​


At last, Shen was able to spot something growing in the distance, beyond the flying droid. A familiar archipelago clustered in the waters ahead. She knew the isles well enough: Dusk Shallows, aptly named for the lagoon facing out toward the west. The chateau built over the lagoon was a lavish home to one of her very few surviving relatives.

A knot started to form in her stomach. As likely as it was for her aunt to have already seen - or foreseen - what she looked like, Shen still felt nervous about seeing her face to face. It had been years since her last visit and she had radically changed after her Awakening. Would she still accept her as she is now? Her aunt may have been an Arcane herself, but after being frowned upon by so many thanks to her abilities, apprehension clutched at her throat and heart.

That combination of shame and fear of another family member rejecting her had muddled her mind so much that she was hardly putting much effort into her flight. Her wings were still catching the winds and allowing her to glide, but her speed was becoming considerably slower than her initial burst to escape the Korma highway. Worse yet, she was still aching. Shen couldn't really decide if the largest root of her pain came from the restraints used upon her for the transport, the cut upon her neck to extract the bug, or simply the wind upon nubs of growing down feathers jutting out of raw skin. Just for the sake of observation - or some sick, sadistic game at her expense - the scientists at Korma had plucked and ripped out her beautiful golden feathers one at a time. They had left enough for her to work with and it was hardly noticeable for those who hadn't seen all of her feathers grown in, but it was still enough for the sharp, salty wind to strike her sensitive flesh. The mere memory made her blood boil.

But no. That's only a memory now. The world is left behind and home lies ahead.
 
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