Plots: Serious, silly, random, oh my!

[Keeper]

G'nichi's Home

"Stay out of his sight. He's an inquisitor." G'nichi hisses to the hounds as he steps outside.
A moment later he finds himself face to face* with the smaller dragon-man. The charred armor is honestly a bad sign. He probably considers himself an iconoclast or something.
"Come now, brother. Resorting to violence already? Do the scriptures of Bahamut not demand that redemption always be offered no matter the foe?" He even talked to Page for a while before he tried stabbing her and she was torturing millions of souls. Well millions of copies of like, 12 souls but still.

*G'nichi is not actually face to face he's actually around the side while a very real illusion walks up to the 'purifier' and talks for him because G'nichi doesn't think this guy will be smart enough to question it.

[Rebonack]

[G'nichi's Home]

There's no sound from the yeth children.

At all.

They seem to have grown very still all of a sudden, mostly because this guy approaching their friend looks like a very bad sort of unfriendly. Hopefully none of them decide to do anything rash.


[Fox Quest]

"Of course, of course, I'll have one of the plant assistant managers provide you with a tour. Did you have a particular time in mind?"

Right now.

Because of course it would be right now.

[DeBunny]

[G'nichi's Home]

"'For where the fell dragon dwells and her schemes quicken, the blade of purity must be swift and decisive.' Die, heretic."
Yeah. Nah.
It's pretty clear right away that G'nichi isn't going to talk his way out of this one.
This guy is one of those crazed, "anything-at-all involving Tiamat is grounds for execution" types.

Also his axe is on fire now, springing ablaze as soon as its off his back and in both gauntleted hands.

On the bright side, he definitely doesn't question the illusion thing, given he breaks into a quick "totally going to slash you in half in a second" sprint towards the fake-G'nichi the moment "die" passes through his fangs.

[Morty]

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

"Gotcha gotcha. You get many... problems? Threats? Here 'round the mountains?" Makes sense that hunting wasn't as big of a thing anymore, to her anyways. Another marvel of the Nexus to the bird is the widespread availability of seemingly any kind of food. Be it through technology or magic, farming was a lot more efficient here than it had been back home.

Once they enter the larger space, Kestrel audibly gasps in amazement, taking in the sights. This was nothing like the little village she had grown up in. Maybe it was mundane, simple and boring to the goblins that lived here, going about their daily lives, but it was entirely unique to the birdgirl.

"The usual. Wild animals. Troublemakers. Poachers. Illegal loggers." Krivka lists out various rather mundane problems that she and other wolf-riders are on lookout for. When Kes gasps in amazement, she smiles. "I'm glad our home is impressive."

Kes, for her part, is attracting some looks, as most of the inhabitants have never seen a bird-girl. A wolf cub outside the pens is also unusual.

[Zefir]

[The Demons' Lair]

Like before, Mia is led underground, beneath the streets of Inside, through forgotten sub-basements and abandoned catacombs.
Unlike last time, they head a different direction. Towards the center.

As they walk along, Sophia shows Mia a machine.
"Do you know these?" It's an old cell phone. The kind that flips open. "They're our favorite sort of machine."

[The Demons' Lair]

"Yes I am familiar with them." Her world had those even thought it was a tech oriented world they barly had more advanced phones. Mostly for the simple reason of saving resources and so people kept repairing or upgrading them.

"Anything wrong with them?"

[Keeper]

G'nichi's Home

"Oh you're one of those." says the illusory G'nichi as he's cut in half and poofs into mist.
"You give us paladins a bad name. Charging in for some righteous murder at a moment's notice." says a definitely real G'nichi to the dragonborn's left.
"Folks like you are why people think we're stupid. And trust me I don't need anyone's help making people think I'm stupid."
This is of course the point where the actual G'nichi attempts to cut the back of the purifier's leg with his actual real sword from behind this now-dissipating veil of the Wand.

[bc56]

Fox Quest
"Now would be perfect," Jade replies unsurprisingly. She wants this done as soon as possible so she doesn't have to worry about it, and she hopes some of that comes across to Boiler.

So without further ado, she'll probably be shuffled out of the office and to the production facility... Which is probably not in this building.

[Meowmai]

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

Ah. So no like, demonic invasions or anything exciting. That was probably a good thing, though, if more boring. "It's really cool!" Kestrel affirms. The layers of houses carved into rocks, the many bridges between everything, it all fascinated her. She hoped she'd get a chance to explore it, whether now or later when she returns with Silver for those mentioned check-ups.

She did start to notice the looks she was getting, and suddenly felt very self-conscious. She did her best to smile and wave at anyone she noticed staring at her, but looked a little awkward. Kestrel really wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was nice in a way, but a little discomforting in another. "So, uh... your daughter. She wants to become a wolf-rider like you?"

[Meowmai]

[Feline Family Friction]

Starlight Industries. Another day, another tech company promising a wonderful vision of the future that was utterly full of shit. And yet, as these things always did, they had accumulated significant funding and influence. They were a darling startup in the eyes of many investors. All lead by their charming, charismatic executive, Hamish Constell.

Elizabeth planned to change that. Her, and her crack team of friends.

... Well, they weren't really her friends. And they weren't really her team either. In fact, she knew basically nothing about these people. But they had come to her, after the same data she was after, and really, it was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss.

If she had known who these people really were, she never would have teamed up with them.

"Hurry up, how long we gotta wait!? It's boring as fuck out here!" April's voice crackled over the radio. Elizabeth hadn't seen her, their getaway driver, but she seemed to be pretty bubbly for the most part. As time passed though, she had gotten increasingly impatient.

"Oh shut up, like you have it bad! You're not the one crawling through these fucking vents! Why couldn't Elena do this shit anyways? She's short enough." Snikt was a brown-furred ratfolk. Elizabeth had no idea what his usual job or skills were, but like most of them he was sneaky. And, more importantly for this job, he could easily slip through the ventilation systems of the building. He was usually pretty quiet, but April seemed to get on his nerves.

"Yeah, good luck talking her into those vents. You're here, she's not, get over it." Zarra was an intimidating drow woman, and acting as the leader for this operation. She was confident, cool, and collected. There was something in her eyes that unsettled Elizabeth, though she couldn't quite place what.

"You're smaller anyways, dipshit."

"Yeah, yeah. Going quiet now. Almost there." There was a few minutes of silence, and Elizabeth started to get anxious. Had something gone wrong? But then, their earpieces crackled to life again. "In position, you're good to go." With that, the catgirl turned to the drow besides her. She nodded, and they moved on.

The plan was pretty simple. Elizabeth had gotten them inside, and ran interference while Snikt snuck through the vents into the security hub. Once he took control, Elizabeth and Zarra would make their way into the server room, and she'd get to work. A few others had joined them, acting as guards, more on precaution then anything. Their presence worried Elizabeth. Why were they even needed? This was supposed to be quick and silent, and the plan was to bail if they got caught, not fight. But she wasn't in charge here, and so they stayed.

So far, things were going without a hitch. Here she was! Elizabeth couldn't believe it. This company had been a nightmare to try get anything on until now. But here she was, standing in a Starlight Industries server room. Time to get to work. Elizabeth cracked open a case, revealing a few screens, a keypad, some strange looking cables and plugs. With careful consideration, she took one of these plugs, and connected herself to the servers. She tried not to look at the unconscious guard Zarra was dragging away right now. She couldn't let herself get distracted and worried, not when she was so close to achieving her goal. The catgirl began to type. "Uh... alright everyone. Um. Should be smooth sailing from here. Gonna be a while though. Starlight knows what they're doing, and, uh, well, there's a lotta data to sift through."

Unbeknown to all of them though, they had left more clues than they realized. No alarms had been tripped, that was true. But a few things were... off. The building was supposed to be mostly empty today, maybe asides from a few security guards. But the electronic door they had entered through, visible from the street, was shuddering open and closed. Whatever Elizabeth had used to force it open had seemingly screwed with its systems. Another thing. Elizabeth, Snikt, and Zarra knew how to be stealthy, but the armed mercenaries who had joined them? Less so. Someone peering through the windows might catch a glimpse of them moving about. And to top things all off? A body, slumped against the windows on the higher floors. Was it unconscious, dead? Or just an employee taking a really weird nap? It was hard to make out, and most passerby's would almost certainly miss it. But it was there, nonetheless.

[Arkhosia]

[Feline Family Friction]

The streets have been rather quiet today - which isn't a surprise. It's a bank holiday here in Inside, and few people are particularly willing to volunteer and head back into the office on a Sunday anyways. It's entirely possible there would have been no one to spot the signs that something's amiss and interfere, were it not for one unfortunate fact.

Blanche gets really antsy sitting at a desk all day.

Overall, her recent promotion has been nothing but positive - Blanche really feels like she's contributing to help make a difference now that she's assisting with staff and supply organization, helping newer members settle in and even offering advice to the Commanders when they request it. There's a lot to do, and so many ways to ensure VIGIL is the best it can be for the Nexus at large. But that kind of stuff demands a lot of clerical work, and after a full three days of reading reports and signing requisitions, she's really needed a chance to stretch her legs and simply do something.

So after volunteering for a shift patrolling Inside, Blanche finds herself walking through one of Inside's office districts, clad in her usual armor and baggy jacket with a rifle casually slung across her shoulder. She turns the corner, watches her breath come out like a cloud in the fall morning air - and narrows her eyes, squinting into a window above. Is that a body?

Turning and surveying the building, Blanche starts to approach... and then pauses for a moment, noticing a vague movement within the stuttering doorway. That looked like body armor. She reaches up to a commlink in her ear and mutters, "Yeah, something seems up where I am on Technology Street. Going to take a look."

Walking up to the entrance and placing a hand on one of the sliding glass doors, Blanche leans in, looks around and does her best impression of a concerned citizen, even as she quietly unclips the clasp on her holstered pistol and angles her body to hide the hand at her hip.

[DeBunny]

[G'nichi's Home]

The purifier doesn't seem terribly interested in bantering, only contributing enough to make his initial point clear.
Though he does growl a bit as G'nichi hacks his sword at the back of his legs, the blade making a pretty terrible screeching sound as it cuts across the metal plates on the back of the splint covering.

It probably should have just skated over them entirely, but there's a pretty deep cut in the metal.
Part of G'nichi's new dragon strength? The purifier's armor being terrible? Both?

In a mildly showy response, the dragonborn half-falls forward, before violently spinning himself around with the axe outstretched, leaving an large bloom of flame in its wake.
The maneuver is predominantly to get out of immediate swording range and put G'nichi in axe-blade range. (though G'nichi's size is such that the two are pretty close to the same anyway)

[Recaiden]

[The Demons' Lair]

"Yes I am familiar with them." Her world had those even thought it was a tech oriented world they barly had more advanced phones. Mostly for the simple reason of saving resources and so people kept repairing or upgrading them.

"Anything wrong with them?"

"Oh, no, nothing wrong. These are good. We've actually made another version of them, to help my flightmates. But they're good for other purposes too. Things that use wheels and gears are actually harder for us to work with."
As they continue deeper through the underground, they reach the end of the artificial catacombs and reach tunnels dug by demonic claws. A spongy purple mesh covers the ground, and luminescent blue plants sprout from the earth and walls. If Mia has any silver, it should glow even brighter - since the demons' base is actually one big demon.
"Machines for transportation in general are difficult for us, i think."

[Meowmai]

[Feline Family Friction]

Elizabeth's eyes flicked back and forth between screens as she worked. Starlight's cyber-security was good, she'd give them that much. It was why she'd needed to break in with this group. All of her attempts at social engineering had failed, as had any of her more direct attempts. But now? With a bit of time, there was nothing they could hide from her. "Shit man, they've been keeping a lotta stuff under wraps, haven't they?" She muttered to herself. Tax fraud, obviously, there always ways, but as she trawled further new things caught her eye. Faked reports, under-the-table lobbying... all this stuff was normal but- wait, had they been blackmailing officials?

Snikt's voice came through the earpiece once more, derailing her thoughts. "Thought you said nobody was working today, we got a civ poking her head through the door."

"They're not. Team one, make sure she doesn't interfere. Be. Careful. Don't cause trouble we don't need." Zarra's voice was firm.

"Copy that, moving to check it out. Over." A fresh voice chimed in. One of the hired guns. He moved as bid, doing his best to stay out of sight. Blanche would hear footsteps, and a few seconds later, a figure would try peer around the corner at her.

From Blanche's current position, not much would be visible of the man, but he was definitely in body armor. And given the sound of things clinking and swaying as he had approached, she could probably guess that he was armed. Whether with lethal or less-lethal weapons, it was hard to say. She'd need a better look to confirm if he was security or an invader.

[Arkhosia]

[Feline Family Friction]

Blanche's ears flicker and she turns towards the source of the noise, straining to pick up detail... something heavy, maybe against the chest? A rifle? And that light, hollow clinking noise she's hearing - her brows furrow. A gas grenade maybe? Certainly not the kind of armament you usually give a security guard. Unless she's mishearing something like an empty canteen. She can only guess so much.

"Oh, hey. I was just in the area, and - is everything alright in here? The lights aren't on, and your door don't seem to work." The catgirl leans against the frame of the now-open door and jerks her thumb casually up at the room inside. She tries to throw on a friendly smile, but Blanche was never good at lying, and its hard to exactly conceal the analytical way she looks the figure up and down.

[Morty]

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

Ah. So no like, demonic invasions or anything exciting. That was probably a good thing, though, if more boring. "It's really cool!" Kestrel affirms. The layers of houses carved into rocks, the many bridges between everything, it all fascinated her. She hoped she'd get a chance to explore it, whether now or later when she returns with Silver for those mentioned check-ups.

She did start to notice the looks she was getting, and suddenly felt very self-conscious. She did her best to smile and wave at anyone she noticed staring at her, but looked a little awkward. Kestrel really wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was nice in a way, but a little discomforting in another. "So, uh... your daughter. She wants to become a wolf-rider like you?"

Krivka takes advantage of Ruboda forging ahead to speak quietly to Kestrel. She sighs.

"Yeah. She'd always loved wolves, since she was little. And then her mother went and married a wolf-rider. I mean, I enjoyed the chance to bond with one of my step-children, but her enthusiasm gets the better of her sometimes."

[Zefir]

[The Demons' Lair]


"Oh, no, nothing wrong. These are good. We've actually made another version of them, to help my flightmates. But they're good for other purposes too. Things that use wheels and gears are actually harder for us to work with."
As they continue deeper through the underground, they reach the end of the artificial catacombs and reach tunnels dug by demonic claws. A spongy purple mesh covers the ground, and luminescent blue plants sprout from the earth and walls. If Mia has any silver, it should glow even brighter - since the demons' base is actually one big demon.
"Machines for transportation in general are difficult for us, i think."

[The Demons' Lair]

Well if i recall right her sword has simular properties, but the sword doesn't differ her kind from demons. Same type if you want to say so. Since its shafted it doesn't show the light.

"Are those plants on purpose?" Mia asks. She got her own lightorb with her, likly just a hovering light. "And I understand why it may be hard. Most vehicle I know are made for their owner. With your physiologie it's a bit hard to use them. You would need to fit them for your needs."

[Keeper]

[G'nichi's Home]

The purifier doesn't seem terribly interested in bantering, only contributing enough to make his initial point clear.
Though he does growl a bit as G'nichi hacks his sword at the back of his legs, the blade making a pretty terrible screeching sound as it cuts across the metal plates on the back of the splint covering.

It probably should have just skated over them entirely, but there's a pretty deep cut in the metal.
Part of G'nichi's new dragon strength? The purifier's armor being terrible? Both?

In a mildly showy response, the dragonborn half-falls forward, before violently spinning himself around with the axe outstretched, leaving an large bloom of flame in its wake.
The maneuver is predominantly to get out of immediate swording range and put G'nichi in axe-blade range. (though G'nichi's size is such that the two are pretty close to the same anyway)

G'nichi's Home

G'nichi takes a step backwards, avoiding the axe from biting into his neck but standing quite untouched by the flames.
Dragon, after all.
"Are you quite done?" he asks in annoyance, waving his wand at the dragonborn. A number of grasping vines erupt* from the ground, attempting to tie up both of his arms*.

*They're not real of course, but the wand is very good at making things that are not real act like they are.

[Meowmai]

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

Nodding along, Kestrel realized she had no idea what to say in these sorts of situations. She was barely in her twenties, and knew nothing about parenting. Maybe it hadn't been her best idea to bring this topic up. But, well, she had, so she might as well try. "Gets the better of her? In what way?" The birdgirl realized with an internal sigh that she was no stranger to the same thing- how often was it she had gotten into some kind of tricky or awkward situation through her own enthusiasm?

[Feline Family Friction]

Of course. Of course it couldn't just be an stress-free job. Someone had to show up. Hopefully the others would be able to handle it. It should be simple to, but despite that, Elizabeth found herself starting to worry, and did her best to pick up the pace.

The figure across from Blanche leans out a little, eyes narrowing- and then, when he sees her equipment, he shifts back. "I thought you said they were a civ! She's armed!" He hissed into his earpiece, trying to keep quiet enough to avoid Blanche overhearing him.

"What!? Shit." Snikt had not been able to make out the details through the poor camera quality, it seems.

"Yeah. We're uh, doing fine. This is private property, you should leave." The man leaned out again, still trying to keep himself mostly obscured, and his voice tense. He was trying to play along, but it didn't sound like he much believed her. Was he waiting for her to drop her guard?

[Recaiden]

[The Demons' Lair]

Sophia nods. "Yes. Lots of us still need light to see, so these sprout all over down here."
She skips ahead - her kind of demon mostly walk on their toes, as it happens - further into the tunnel, silently warning the others to expect Mia and be nice.
"As for making vehicles to fit us, it's hard, because, well, we have lots of different physiology." For example, the demonic guardian beast in the room ahead, which they're walking past. Over a dozen feet long, looking like a cross between an anteater, a crab, and a bunker.

[Arkhosia]

► SHOW SPOILER

[Feline Family Friction]

Of course. Of course it couldn't just be an stress-free job. Someone had to show up. Hopefully the others would be able to handle it. It should be simple to, but despite that, Elizabeth found herself starting to worry, and did her best to pick up the pace.

The figure across from Blanche leans out a little, eyes narrowing- and then, when he sees her equipment, he shifts back. "I thought you said they were a civ! She's armed!" He hissed into his earpiece, trying to keep quiet enough to avoid Blanche overhearing him.

"What!? Shit." Snikt had not been able to make out the details through the poor camera quality, it seems.

"Yeah. We're uh, doing fine. This is private property, you should leave." The man leaned out again, still trying to keep himself mostly obscured, and his voice tense. He was trying to play along, but it didn't sound like he much believed her. Was he waiting for her to drop her guard?

[Feline Family Friction]

"Private property? Since when did that matter?" Blanche cocks her head. "I didn't think people were banned from the entrance lobby, especially when the door is wide open." To prove her point, she steps right on in, leaving the door to judder behind her... and when she looks back at the man, her eyes narrow.

"Besides, I don't think you're supposed to be here either." She rests a hand on her hip. "So, would you mind telling me what you're doing here? Because you certainly don't look like a security guard."

[Morty]

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

"She doesn't get that being a wolf-rider isn't all fun and games. It's a lot of hard work." Krivka's ears flick up and down. Seems goblins express emotions with them. "And not everyone passes the tests. I just worry she'll end up disappointed." She signs. "The trials and travails of raising kids."

[Meowmai]

[Feline Family Friction]

"We're closed today," he replied back, but it quickly became clear this strategy wasn't working. Things were rapidly not going as planned. "What we're doing here is none of your damn business. Whoever you are, you should leave."

To emphasize his point, the man stepped out, confirming Blanche's suspicions. This man was no security guard. He had no uniform, for one thing. And one expected different things from a guard. A taser, maybe a pistol, perhaps some cuffs or pepper spray. Not a smoke grenade, not body armor this heavy, and certainly not the SMG held tensely in his hands- ready to be raised at a moments notice.

[A Curious Canine Conundrum]

"I uh... well I guess I relate... found out myself that chasing your dreams doesn't always turn out as you imagined it." Kestrel took a hand away from patting Silver to scratch the back of her head, a little awkwardly. As a young kid she had imagined the life of an adventurer to be a lot more glamorous and heroic as it had turned out to be. She certainly didn't realize how damn hard it was. It was rare that things worked out for her as well as they had today. "But... that doesn't mean she shouldn't try."

[Arkhosia]

[Feline Family Friction]

Blanche's eyes dart across the figure and their equipment, taking in and assessing armor and armament in a rapid notice. Her whole body tenses. A hand hovers by the holstered pistol at her side. "I'm with VIGIL. I'd consider taking your hands off the weapon if I were you, before you make a move we both regret."

[Meowmai]

[Feline Family Friction]

A beat. There was a clear moments of hesitation from the man when Blanche reveals who she works for.

"Shit, did I hear that right? She's with VIGIL! Were they tipped off!?"

"What!?" Zarra and Elizabeth both responded in union. "Deal with her, now. No time."

Orders were orders. Theres a moment where the man across from Blanche steps back. "Right. Okay, yeah, just..." his voice was strained, his body was shaking, and for a split-second the catgirl can probably see what's coming...

He raises the gun and fires.

[Arkhosia]

[Feline Family Friction]

Blanche's eyes flash in alarm and she crouches, then dives for the cover of a low couch, bullets shredding through the air above her head. She draws her sidearm and flicks the safety off in a flash, the movement swift as reaction before she fires of a trio of shots at the hired gun's head.

[DeBunny]

G'nichi's Home

G'nichi takes a step backwards, avoiding the axe from biting into his neck but standing quite untouched by the flames.
Dragon, after all.
"Are you quite done?" he asks in annoyance, waving his wand at the dragonborn. A number of grasping vines erupt* from the ground, attempting to tie up both of his arms*.

*They're not real of course, but the wand is very good at making things that are not real act like they are.

The wand has a very double-edged relationship with the narrow-minded.
On one side, the target is unlikely to be able to broaden their perspective enough to question its illusions, making them highly effective.
On the other, this makes it much easier for the target to engage with the illusions in the context of their presented existence.

There's a frustrated grunt from the dragonborn as the vines snake around his arms, before he shows why his armor is so charred looking. A deep breath is taken and he points his mouth down, expelling the flames of his golden-scaled heritage all down his own form and the vines that bind him.

He doesn't think the vines are fake.
But he does think they're quite flammable.

It is thusly wreathed in flames that he readies himself for another go at G'nichi.
"I'll not be done until the fell dragon herself is a corpse, heretic."

[Keeper]

G'nichi's Home

G'nichi can't help but stare at the man with continued disbelief.
"She is a corpse you bleeding moron. The artifact I'm stuck with has a shard of the dead goddess Tiamat, whose entire cult revolves around being dead. Absolutely no relation to the very living five-headed Tiamat, Fell Dragon and General Ruler of Evil. Did you do any research on this or did you run out here the second you heard the name?"

He leans forward.
"And don't you dare tell me 'oh it's the same name so it's the same thing' or should I assume you're the same as those folks who go around shouting at dragons?"

[DeBunny]

[G'nichi's Home]

"Even in accursed ignorance of her schemes and lies, you propagate evil and the world must be purified of your stain upon it."
So it's not technically a "same name, same dragon" sort of argument.
He's just flatly accusing G'nichi of being gullible about the already-a-corpse bit.

The irony.

This seems like a pretty good time for him to make a deceptively quick blow towards our hero's stomach with the handle of his axe, though. Presumably with the intention to stun him long enough for a proper blade-side strike.

[Keeper]

G'nichi's Home

"IGNORANCE?!" G'nichi's nostrils ignite into tiny pilot-lights. The final illusion around him shatters, and the butt of the axe smacks into G'nichi's armored cuirass. It staggers him but not as much as he expected from what he thought was an unarmored target.
The inquisitor may not expect G'nichi's form to ignite with a shining aura, the platinum symbol on his armor glowing.
"You, who strike down the just in ignorance do Evil's work for it. You, who would cut down a friend from paranoia have no place in Bahamut's light. I abjure you and your hate."

The light may be surprising.

What's also possibly surprising is G'nichi dropping both his artifact and his sword and stepping in to close with the inquisitor, where his axe's range will work against him and G'nichi's brute strength will be his advantage.

It is not advised to let a dragon the size of G'nichi grapple you.

[Meowmai]

[Feline Family Friction]

A burst of sudden, loud violence. A spray of blood. A thunk and clatter as the body fell to the floor. And then, for a brief moment, silence. Blanche's bullets had found their mark.

The sound of gunshots echoed through the building, reaching the ears of those in the server room. Elizabeth's mouth was dry. Shit. Shit shit shit. This wasn't supposed to go this way, nobody had been supposed to get hurt! The catgirl stares, frozen, feeling unable to move while her mind raced with panic and guilt.

"Man down!"

"For fucks sake. All teams, move to intercept, now!"

While the voices of the hired guns acknowledged the order, Elizabeth just weakly shook her head, finally remembering how to move and scrambling to pack her gear. "No, n-no, this wasn't the deal, I'm out, I-I'm fucking ou-" She was cut off as Zarra turned in a flash towards her, and with a sudden flick sent a knife thudding into the ground besides her feet.

"No, you're not. Do your job, or I promise you, the VIGIL woman is the last person you need to worry about." The drow's voice was cold and flat. Elizabeth stared, shaking, in horror at the knife before her. Her heart pounded in her chest. What the fuck had she gotten herself into!?

"... R-Right. Right, yeah. F-Fuck..." Swallowing anxiously, now ever-so-aware of Zarra's watchful gaze, Elizabeth resumed her work.

"Aww, how come the mercs get to have all the fun?" April spoke up for the first time in a while. Fucking hell. Just who were these people?

Blanche would be given a moment of respite. Time to prepare. But it wasn't long, as she'd soon hear the sound of several pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching from deeper in the building.