All posts by ShinJae

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #041

Duard’s luxurious black Qian Fission slipped through the air with the speed of the best military stunt crafts.  This multilevel aircraft was his home away from home. It was as soft on the inside as it was intimidating on the surface.  Soft tan cushions and carpeted floors made this craft a flying apartment. The envy of all but the elite.

He sat comfortably in a rear compartment of the craft viewing West Drop’s city cameras and reading stories of semi-current happenings in the city.  He didn’t drive. He didn’t need to drive. The Fission, like most elite level air cars, could fly itself. He only gave the destination and speed. After that, eventless flights were all but done.  

There was an interesting news feed about some criminals ambushing fighters bound for a tournament.  Duard’s only wish was that Jaquan was one of the unfortunates. It would serve the ignorant ruffian right.  An arrogant prize fighter fooled and slain by thugs? He’d be revived of course, but with the loss of his pride and hopefully, some of his precious gear.  Brisa, of course, would be safe from that threat entirely. However, she had probably found herself a whole other set of problems.

What ditch could his sandwich-girl possibly have found herself in?  Lost?  Of course; and broke no doubt.  So, hungry too? Possibly.  She obviously didn’t have enough money to manage a call to headquarters.  And since she needed money for a call, her handheld must be out of power, broken, or stolen.  It was slim odds that she’d find and cling to him as he searched the city for Jaquan. But, if Brisa was lucky and begged correctly, she’d be allowed to follow along again.  Of course, he’d ditch her unless she had gathered some useful information in her misadventures.

Duard’s focused went back on the news story and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  It was shamelessly biased toward the “brave” and “intuitive” actions of West Drop’s Security force.  The animated photos clearly showed a different story. The intuitive security forces waded cluelessly through the huge pile of stolen equipment.  A pile too large for an intuitive police force to allow.

As the police waded through the gear, they separated some of the more impressive items into a second pile.  The reputation of the West Drop Police Force suggested that this pile would be the “lost” equipment that would later be “found” on the black market.

Two familiar looking people stood in the background looking incredibly bored.  Not at all surprised at the scene, they obviously had been there the longest. Possibly, giving their testimony to a tired detective.  If any intuitive work was done, it would have been through them; the ‘helpful citizens.’

Duard took a quick glance through a window.  The sun was setting quickly as his airship flew over the ocean.  In a few short minutes, the ship would prepare for the final leg of the journey.  

Duard headed for the showers and then to the supply closet.  There was work to do. He’d need to be rested and clean to withstand West Drop.

#1 – Opportunity #40

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #038

Truly thankful that the toilet room was clean, Insula sat and quickly pulled up the holographic map on her handheld to see her student’s progress.  Metcalf was moving fast, really fast, but randomly through the business district. There seemed to be a general purpose to her progress. She was meandering towards a housing area nearby.  Insula thought back to the large equipment moving with the bot patrol.

So, that’s where they were going.

Metcalf’s blip kept moving, speeding through the streets and alleys.  She occasionally seemed to fly over buildings as she backtracked and moved in large circles.  Apparently, she was eluding captors. The Commoner peasants Insula has employed as speeder controllers have been the best for years.  Metcalf would have to be better than most to escape them.

Insula’s eyes glued to the image.  Her student’s progress was on the line.  So far, she had little to worry about. Metcalf wasn’t slowing even after sprinting for so long.

Then the blip stopped moving.

Insula held her breath as it stayed in the middle of an intersection.  Metcalf apparently was caught for a few seconds and then sped quickly on a direct route towards the convenience store.  

According to the map, Metcalf was still a ways away.  Had she been sprinting for the last few minutes? If so, it was a few minutes more than she had run in training, but tests were tests for a reason.  Metcalf’s increased stamina was a positive result.

Guesstimating Metcalf’s arrival time, Insula got up truly in a hurry.  

#1 – Lost and Found #37 

 

Champions of Battle: AD7 – Awakening #042

Tirzah looked down on Sanity from the window in her office.  The guild tower provided a grand view of the people and warriors outside.  The vantage point was helpful, but the window itself displayed additional information about the people below.  Different color bars showed health, rage, and fatigue, as well as nameplates and average gear level, for each person.  The information moved with the people as they carried on their daily lives.  People behind buildings were displayed as outlines.

There were many people training – of course, they were always training in Sanity.  Rage and fatigue bars fluctuated; outlines danced; fiber training targets shook, broke, and were replaced.  Unsalvageable targets were used as mulch.  Constant training was how Sanity stayed ahead of its rivals.

Tirzah swiped her finger along the glass, and the entire image shown through the window moved.  The city panned around in the window until AD7’s name came into view. It took a while to find her, despite her short name.  Luckily, her bars were much smaller than most.

With another swipe, the window centered and focused on AD7 and Keyanna near the Training Square.  AD7 sat on a bench looking sad with a pair of nunchaku cupped in her hands.  These weren’t AD7’s signature weapons.  The guild crafters and enchanters painstakingly searched through recordings and made sure to replicate her weapons perfectly.  There must something wrong.

“So, what should we do?” said Carver Lang, leader of Pure Wealth.  His sub guild shared responsibility over Sanity.  AD7’s welcome was a big event, but the thought of breaking into Rubin’s Trail was much less welcome.

“We are going to help her,” Tirzah commanded, “We need her.  She needs us.  And, she’s as good as any other citizen of Sanity.”

“I’m all for helping allies.  I mean, allies are allies.  But can we trust her to stay an ally, after we’re done?”

“Well yeah.” Cyd didn’t know exactly why he was there.  It was only the three of them.  Not even the Sanity’s mayor had been invited.  He did know one thing though, “I’ve met her.  She’s cool.”

“She has amnesia and doesn’t have the suit,” Carver rebutted, “That suit beat back an advanced military force and built a fortress complete with death machine factories.  Can we trust her with it?”

“The rejuvenation left her a bit confused, but she was perfectly rebuilt and preserved,” Cyd replied.  “Her personality is the same as it would have been if she still all of her memories.”

Tirzah stayed at the window and nodded in agreement.  The cozy room was well furnished.  Cyd and Carver sat in large soft chairs apart from each other but facing Tirzah.

“The suit didn’t go crazy until she died,” Tirzah added, “She controlled it before then.  She’ll controll it again.”

Carver knew when he was outmatched.  Usually, he would try to argue with Tirzah.  This time, there was an expert present.  His personal reasonings were invalid.  There was a bright side to all of this though: AD7 could help improve their technology a great deal and therefore bring more money to the city.

“Ok then.  How will we get into the facility? It’s better defended than the palace.”

“Can’t know for sure.  We need scouts,” Tirzah scowled slightly, “Our droids keep getting spotted.  Luckily, they were only the basic ones.”

“Rubin’s machines are better than yours … ours anyway.  Their scientists would just throw them away.”  It was taking some time for Cyd to get used to his new situation.  He had been at the Rejuvenation Center for so horribly long, but now his life was new, different, exciting.  So let’s be exciting, “So… road trip?”

There was silence in the room.  After a few seconds Cyd thought he had said something very wrong.  Then he realized that everyone was taking his idea seriously.

Tirzah was the first to speak, “I see your point,” her voice serious.  “We need to see everything for ourselves.  But, we’re not going anywhere, until we’re all ready.”

Tirzah hadn’t taken her eyes off of AD7 and Keyanna since she had first spotted them. AD7 had gotten up from the bench and started her basic nunchaku training.  Basic training with nunchaku.

Recordings of her past battles showed her leaping through battlefields fighting armored vehicles with long chained meteor hammers.  A recording displayed her effortlessly throwing her enchanted weights around; leaping to avoid heavy weapon fire; pulling her chain to retrieve the weight from one destroyed tank; and attacking another tank all in a single effortless motion.

Now, AD7 handled nunchaku.  Light but powerful weapons in skilled hands but her hands had become unskilled.  She was more of a danger to herself than to the target.  Tirzah only hoped that training would eventually bring back battle knowledge.  Hunger recalled the memory of a restaurant, so not all of her memories were gone.  Perhaps, it would be awhile before her other memories return.

They’d have to wait.

She’s not ready yet.

#1 – Awakening #41