Witchers of Nifelheim - Finale

Rain stares out at the horde for a moment. She inhales Nifelhimes cold air before looking back into the oasis.

Rain pulls out an empty vial and hovers over where Kaz had died and fills it with a mixture of water and ash before corking it tight and silently flying back to the top. She lands next to Ursula, "Are you ok? How are you feeling?" She looks over her daughters armor, "We're... uh..." she places a hand on her shoulder before cracking a smile, "We're going home." She looks back at Squiggles, "Squiggles!" She calls, "...You feeling ok buddy? You ready to go?"

Circi apon being free from darkness looks around. She casts wall run, and quitely walks up the wall of the oasis before stopping just at the top and looking down at it. Her gaze locked onto where Kaz had once been. She just stares at it for a long moment before turning around and shifting her weight forward to regular ground. Circi quitely takes a place beside Adam, the aura surrounding her was awkward, like she suddenly didn't know what to do with herself, "You did a really good job Adam..." she says, "...better than me." She looks to her son and ruffles his hair slightly, "Im proud of you... I always have been."

//Be'er Sheva feels like a ghost town, there's nobody on the streets and maybe two cars on the roads. Its really really quiet most of the day. We got shelled by rockets last night, while I was at work, but the rockets got all shot down by the Iron Dome defense system.
All hail the Iron Dome!! ^^




"Uh... thanks," Adam awkwardly smiled and looked to Circi "You did... really good too... I didn't know you could turn into a wicked wolf" he giggled "...I tried to be like you..." he looked down, smiling "That's what gave me the strength to fight on."


Squiggles and Ursula soon came rushing toward Rain, all peppering her with excited exclamations about the battle and talking in unison, their words blurring together until you could barely understand them.



Rose sighed with a smile "Thena..." she looked down, then away somewhere "Witchers were trying to find a way to separate from Parasites for over a millennia.."

She paused for a moment, then smiled to you "But if you're willing to look, I'll help you."




Viki took hold of Twilight's hand, using her help to get on the fox "I... can't believe this is real." She looked around, watching the Horde. "Did this really just happen?... Are we.. actually going home?"



In shellshocked silence, the Witchers climbed back on the foxes and broke into a gallop. Out of the 50 Witchers, only 14 had survived. They rode beside you in silence, in disbelief, their minds still replaying the last battle with Kaznachey, unable to process the events.

The Horde parted it silence, providing you a corridor to the East, the Parasites watching you with their beady, orange eyes and none of them moved as you rode through. Several minutes later, it was over. The orange carpet of the Horde continued to glow on the horizon, slowly disappearing from view and you wondered, how long it will be, before they start moving again.
















Castle Lieselotte

14 Days Later



Ryuuken and Bastila stood on the edge of the wall, watching the black horizon. It was the dead of night and it was difficult to see anything so far away, especially with the ambient lights of the capital city, swallowing everything around them.

The walls of the city were manned by hundreds of Witchers, dispersed evenly around the perimeter. The castle was on maximum alert readiness, not only against the Horde, but in preparation for whatever awaited them on Kepler.

The soldiers stood in full ceremonial armor, their shining helmets reflecting the fires of their burning swords. The banners of Lieselotte castle, together with those of Nifelheim kingdom danced high in the wind, hanging from massive poles. It wasn't just an intimidation tactic, it was a declaration - We have survived, We are strong, Do not cross us.



The streets in the city below were mostly deserted, the people hunkered down in their homes, in preparation for the Great Migration. No one knew what it would feel like, will it be a rocky ride, with earth-quakes and belonging flying off shelves, or a peaceful transition, flashing by unnoticed in a blink of an eye. But some stayed in the streets, walking down the avenues still decorated from the festival, their heads lifting up to the sky, looking, searching the stars, wondering if one of them will be their new home. Or, rather, was the home of their forefathers.



The clock-tower at the heart of the city rang out, reverberating over the castle and Ryu looked at it from the wall, for what must have been the hundredth time.


"T-minus 30 minutes until Migration." He quietly said.

"Stop looking at it." Bastila firmly said "You're just winding yourself up. They'll make it."

"They should have arrived days ago," Ryu winced "Something must have-"

"Stop." Bastila frowned at the horizon, still trying to make anything out in the blackness of the landscape at night, amidst the forests and the snow covered mountains "They'll make it."



A gust of wind blew by, making the banners rattle. The Witchers shifted and shuffled in place, sore from standing perfectly still for so long. Beads of cold swear poured down Ryu's forehead as he squinted at the shadows on the horizon and glanced back at the clock-tower again. When his eyes returned to the landscape, he thought he saw something and leaned on the wall with both hands.

Bastila winced, weary of him taking an accidental tumble down the 20 meter wall and tugged on the back of his sweater.


"I see something!" the boy called, squinting and straining his eyes.

"Ryu..." Bastila looked at him almost with pity "...you said that two hours ag-" the woman paused, now noticing the same silhouettes atop the snow-covered hill that Ryu did. Several more minutes passed, before it became certain. Fox riders, over a dozen of them, galloping at full speed toward the castle so fast, they were kicking up the snow tens of meters into the air in their wake.


"...there's between... 12 and 18 foxes." Bastila bit her lip in concentration "I can't tell for sure, they're riding too close together."


"Only 18?" Ryu's expression darkened considerably "...50 foxes set out on the mission... and where are the Griffons? I don't see them anywhere."

"Ryu" Bastila placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to steady him to brace the horrible news but Ryu shook her palm of "They're fine... they have to be!" he bitterly winced "...our family!"

"There's nothing we can do. It already happened." Bastila replied, her voice hollow "Whatever happened, happened. We can't change that... all we can do is welcome the living, and remember the dead."

"Basti.." Ryu's voice broke, his eyes filled with tears and he almost broke down, when Bastila elbowed him in the ribs, frowned and tilted her head back, to the hundreds of Witchers who manned the walls behind them. It was important to keep the appearances and signal confidence and calm, lest the panic would spread, and Ryu composed himself quickly, returning the stoic mask to his face with a deep, slow breath.



It was several more minutes later, when the echo of Lightning's piercing shrieking reached the castle. The girl was frantically waving her arm in hello and the triumph in her voice was unmistakable. Then, and only then, did Ryu allow himself to relax and smile.




















Fox Team

T-minus 10 Minutes Until Migration





"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYY!!!" Lightning was yelling hard enough to make you go deaf, shining with glee and frantically waving her outstretched hand, left and right. Even 10 kilometers away from the castle, you could see she was causing quite the commotion on the walls, which were all manned by silhouettes of Witchers in ceremonial armor.

The foxes were sprinting so fast, their tongues were sticking out, panting so hard you could almost feel their lungs contract and expand with each breath, just below you. You galloped atop them faster than you ever did in your life, the freezing Nifelheim wind lashing away at your face, as the paws of the foxes kicking up snow up to 5 meters into the air behind you.


"There isn't much time!" Zoy winced, leaning low and pressing her body onto the back of the fox, to prevent the wind from lashing away at her "The Teleportation Field only extends 4 Kilometers away from the Castle! If we're not inside by-"


"We'll make it!" Kaylee yelled over the wind, her scarred eye no longer hidden by an eyepatch, as she sat behind Zoy and held the girl for support to stop her from flying off the fox mid-run "...we have to."


The Castle was drawing closer, painfully slowly, as you galloped down the snow covered slope of a large hill, past the rivers and forests, past the small farms and villages left quiet and empty, the windows dark, the chimneys and campfires just barely smoking. As you raced through the snowdrifts, holding tight to the blue fur of the fox, your mind began flooding with memories of this place.


The first time you ended up on Nifelheim, inside an armored Hum-vee, in the ruins of the Ashra Castle Town. How you met Ursula for the first time, how her timid and shy personality slowly shifted to confidence as she trained you, taught you what it meant to be a Witcher. How you saved her and Rain from a horrible death by the lake.


How you met Tim Lemeshev for the first time, in search for material to construct your first Witcher swords. How you met and fought Alder and his Marauders for the first time in the depths of the forest.

How you met Twilight's twins for the first time, in the mist covered swamps. How they were very much alike, and very much different, at the same time. How they covered for each other's weaknesses, while amplifying each others strengths, pushing each other to greatness.


How you met Zoy and Bastila at the prison far north, their personalities spikey as hedgehogs, that slowly, gradually, became more and more sociable, approachable, warm, as they clashed with you time and time again, because you were there. Because you didn't give up on them, didn't let them wallow in grief and self loathing, how you pushed them to go past their trauma, to become strong, someone who could in turn, help others, just like you had helped them.


So many memories, more than you could recall in a moment, more than you could write down in a diary, or explain to someone in the span of a day, who hasn't experienced it. And its barely been 1 year. But it felt like a lifetime.




"We're not gonna make it." Zoy said, her voice uncharacteristically calm, as you neared the Suppression Obelisks, standing guard around the castle, her eyes locked on the giant hands of the clock-tower.


"Cancel the Dark Machine sequence..." Viktoria mumbled, then screamed louder, waving her hand to the folk on the walls
"CANCEL THE DARK MACHINE FIRING SEQUENCE! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"


"WE CAN'T!!" Bastila's frantic shriek echoed down from the walls "ITS ON A TIMER, DOWN IN THE DUNGEONS! THERE'S NOT ENOUGH T-"

You saw Ryu dart frantically off the wall, sprinting down the steps heading deeper into the castle town.



"He's not gonna make it, there's less than a minute left." Zoy said. Her voice was too calm for the situation, as the foxes frantically galloped toward the castle, with the last of their strength, stumbling over rocks, bruising their paws in the process, but not stopping, never stopping their mad charge to the castle.


"...its gonna really suck if we survived through all that, just to die to something like this." Ursula wistfully said.

"It... doesn't matter." Zoy looked back at her, and releasing a small, sad smile "Humanity will Migrate. Humanity will survive... they'll carry on... even if we don't make it... We saved them... that's all that matters."



"No." Kaylee gritted her teeth, as a stray tear streamed down her scarred eye, her gaze lowered, obscured in shadow "No, I REFUSE!" She screamed, startling Zoy "WE DID NOT COME HERE, JUST TO LET YOU DIE! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!!! I WON'T!!!"


An explosion of teal colored magic erupted out of her chest, blasting away the snowdrifts and wind, swallowing you whole for a moment and you felt the effects of healing magic. The foxes howled and barked, beginning to sprint as if on second wind.



"...its coming..." Zoy quietly whispered "My god, there it is! I never thought I'd actually see-" her voice became drawn out and swallowed, by the sound of spilling energy in the distance.



A blinding flash of white light appeared at the top of the Teleportation Tower, at the heart of the city, shining so bright as if a new star was born. The white light reflected off the foxes, off of your clothing and skin. Off of the faces of your friends, loved ones and children. The white start shined so bright, it reflected inside their eyes.


They all watched it in awe, as the star flashed and began to expand, swallowing, first the tower, then the royal castle, then spreading quietly across the city, enveloping everything in its blinding white glow.


The city vanished in its brilliance, then the city walls and all those who manned them. And the white glow continued to expand across the fields surrounding the castle. You knew, it was going to stop expanding, eventually. The only question was, will you be swallowed in it as well, or will the brilliant glow vanish, just at the edge of your nose, leaving you behind on this frozen planet, this teal, snow covered planet that was slowly reduced to a smoldering, ash covered husk, by the carpet of Parasites that now covered 90% of its surface, only to be wiped out of existance by the Dark Machines energy, that was set to detonate, several seconds after Migration.


The white flash grew brighter and brighter before your eyes, until it was all you could see. You grasped the reins of the fox hard, and clutched to your children, afraid to let go, afraid to ever, ever let them go to the abyss. You closed your eyes, hearing their breath, and hoped, pressing your heels into the sides of the fox, to make it run even faster, your hand, releasing another healing spell in their back.

You hoped. You h-




















Planet Kepler
Paldenia
34 kilometers off the capital city.
October 31st
02:34 Local time.




Councilor Firewing slowly walked across the dimly lit room of her command room, the walls  filled with monitors, with dozens of soldiers in uniforms feverishly hunched over their consoles. The room was dark, with only the monitors providing a soothing blue light source in the room.

At the center, stood a giant black table, projecting a holographic map of a desert, hugged from one side by the sea. A lone, transparent tower stood at the center of the image, right in the middle of the hologram.

Councilor Mercer adjusted her graying, shoulder length hair and hunched over the hologram, her eyes locked on the tower. Another wave of mental attack washed over you, making everyone in the room, grunt or moan in pain, momentarily hunching over, before it passed and everyone went back to work, as if nothing had happened.



"...the 6 remaining towers are consistently emitting a pulse of Dark Energy-" Dr. Zarovee continued his briefing, his imagine invisible, only his voice coming over the communication console on the table "Our science team believes these pulses are whats causing the Mental Breakdowns around the globe.

Now, these pulses have been increasing in frequency over the past month. And in the next several minutes, the pulses will be emitted so frequently, they will actually reach Singularity."


"What does that mean, Doctor, exactly." Mercer exhaled, fatigue and frustration beginning to seep into her voice.

"It plain terms, it means the pulses will be emitted so frequently, they will turn into a single, continuous pulse that, well, presumably will not stop. It will be the culmination and, perhaps the whole purpose for the towers appearance." Dr. Zarovee concluded with a sigh:

"I'm afraid if that happens, a continuous pulse of Dark Energy will cause a permanent Mental Breakdown in 75% of the population of Kepler. Namely, those closest to the 6 towers around the globe. The death toll will be in the billions, I'm afraid. " Zarovee sighed and audibly rubbed his forehead:


"I'm sorry Councilors, but my recommendation remains unchanged. Given that we are minutes away from Singularity and with no other viable options, I believe you must destroy the towers, or face a very real possibility of humanities extinction."



"How can we destroy the towers?" Mercer retorted, no longer attempting to hide her frustration "I thought you said they were invulnerable!"

"Well... yes, at this moment in time, anyway." Dr. Zarovee uncomfortably said "The towers we're seeing now are transparent, because, well, they're not towers, per se. We're not seeing them, we're only seeing their after-images. Like a blur, in the wake of a waving hand. Something that used to be there, but is there - no longer. We can no more destroy them, than we can destroy wind. The towers are literally, not there.

But once they reach Singularity, perhaps..." the doctor heavily sighed "We will go mad, there is no doubt about that, so we won't be able to function, we won't be able to trust ourselves to complete the mission.

But if you set your artillery weapons to fire automatically on a timer, perhaps they can destroy the towers, moments After singularity, even if we are incapacitated. Perhaps, the towers will become vulnerable after their Singularity is complete."




"We tried that with the tower in Astera," Mercer hissed, walking away from the console and briefly making a fatigued eye-contact with Firewing "we lost a third of Astera's whole fleet in that attack!"


"I don't know what else to offer you, Councilors..." Zarovee sighed, fatigue also beginning to show in his voice, and no wonder, he was awake for the past 48 hours, as were you and Mercer "...only that we are 1 minute and 45 seconds away from Singularity."


Mercer exchanged another weary look with you, shook her head, then lifted her arm up, speaking into the Data-pad strapped to her forearm:

"Its me. Set the timer to 30 seconds after Sigularity. Incendiary and Armor piercing rounds. Fire everything."


"Uh.. Councilor-" Zarovee's alarmed voice called "We might not survive 30 seconds of a Mental Breakdown! Even if it ends after 30 seconds, with the towers destruction, there's no guarantee we won't become permanently insane by that point-"


"Its done!" Mercer cut him off "...I'm not shelling a target I can't see, without having all information available."

"...very well, Councilor." Zarovee audibly shrugged on the other end of the console, he sounded like he was checking out, resigning himself to whatever fate Mercer had driven him into. "God help us all."



"Ma'am!" A soldier called from a nearby console, looking over his shoulder at you and removing his headphones from one ear "Singularity in T-minues, 5, 4, 3, 2....."



Mercer braced the guard railing around the holographic table and exchanged looks with you for a moment.



"1.



Mark!"










A brilliant flash of light shined on the holographic table, at the top of the tower, so bright you no longer needed the hologram to see what was happening. The light shined through even around the edges of the armored plate, sitting over the northern window. Slowly moving around the table, Mercer flipped a switch on the console and the armored plate slid down from the window, revealing a brilliant white star atop a dark tower, some 20 kilometers away, in the desert.


The star became brighter and brighter, until it swallowed the tower and began to expand, devouring more and more of the sand dunes around it. Mercer covered her eyes, shielding herself from the light, as it swallowed everything in its path, creating a white dome of light, forever expanding.


"...is this how humanity ends?" Mercer quietly asked, not realizing she was speaking aloud. But just as the words left her mouth, the white dome of light abruptly stopped its expansion, and lifted, like a silver dome over a dish in a restaurant. Revealing a massive, incomprehensibly large, medieval city underneath.


There was a marvelous castle, and noble districts and parks and high luxurious avenous and residential areas that must have housed thousands, hundreds of thousands.

And soldiers. An army of soldiers manning the walls, all around its perimeter. Their medieval armor and weapons seemed so out of place here. And for some reason, the city was surrounded by Obelisks, dark giant rectangular Obelisks evenly spaced around the city, featureless and dark in every way.



The image was so sudden and so out of place, everyone in the command room just stared at it, agape, in disbelief and completely dumbfound at what they were seeing. No one spoke for several moments, except Dr. Zarovee, who's frantic yells about the Dark Energy fading and the Mental Breakdowns disappearing around the globe, went largely unheard.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the windows. Nobody spoke. Before Mercer frowned and squinted, slowly approaching the window.


Something was happening at one of the walls in the city. Some sort of commotion among its soldiers, but they were so far away, they appeared only as dark silhouettes in the night. Then a light lit up, a torch perhaps, or something else, burning, then another.


Someone was holding two torches on the wall, or two burning objects, one in each hand, you weren't sure. But this silhouette started waving them in extremely precise, measured patterns, repeating patterns, too deliberate to be accidental.

Mercer grabbed a pair of binoculars from the nearest soldier but all she could see was a dark silhouette waving two burning objects on the wall, some 20 kilometers away.



"Corporal! Run that pattern through every language recognition software we have!" Mercer barked "They're trying to communicate!"

"Roger that ma'am, stand by." The corporal directed one of the command posts external cameras at the city in the distance and pressed a few buttons on the console, letting the program runs its course, then her frowned, and re-checked something.


"...ma'am, there's not hit in the system. However," he looked up at her, then at Firewing "These signals kinda remind me of the old flag-signal language the Union navy used. Its and old tradition, something sailors have been using for millennia, even before the radio was invented. You typically use differently colored flags for that, and with different patterned triangles on them, but if you use your imagination, you can kinda find similarities between those signals and what we're seeing here," he gestured at the camera image on the console.


"Ancient navy signals, what the f-" one of the other soldiers subconsciously blurted out, before Mercer's voice cut through him

"And?..." Mercer prodded "assuming that's the language they're using, what are they saying Corporal?!"

"Stand by," the man squinted at the console and started to rapidly write down the translation with a paper and pencil, even as his eyes remained glued to the monitor:



"Requesting communication.
Message Repeat.
I Am.
B. Four. Zero. One.
Requesting communication.
Civilians in theater of operations.
Friendlies in theater of operations.
Hold Fire.
Requesting Communication.
Message Repeat.
I Am.
B. Four. Zero. One-"



"ITS THE AWAY TEAM! HOLD FIRE, HOLD FIRE NOW!" Mercer barked into her Data-pad so suddenly you almost jumped out of your skin, most soldiers in the command room did. "ABORT! ABORT THE ARTILLERY STRIKE! COPY?! ABORT!! ABORT NOW!! CONFIRM, HOW COPY!!! ABORT NOW!!!"


A fraction of a second ticked by, which felt like eternity, before the artillery officer's voice rang back from the Data-pad:

"Abort.
Abort, Abort, Abort.
Artillery team copies all, all hands standing down. Guns tight. Abort, Abort, Abort."



"Fuck." Mercer exhaled a sigh of relief and fell hard into a chair next to the holographic table, its blue light reflecting off of her aging face.

"...ma'am?" The Corporal by the console asked.

"Its them." Mercer faintly smiled "I don't know how, but its them." she looked in the eyes of the Corporal, reading his confused expression and smiled wider:

"B-401 was the call sign of the Heavy Cruiser B-401 Bodewig, the ship that averted a great disaster in Adelheid." she smiled and tilted her head at the medieval castle in the distance:

"Its crew went to the other side of the portal... its them in that castle right now." she brightly smiled.






















Kepler Homeworld
Somewhere in the southern hemisphere.
Lieselotte Castle
Local time and date: unknown.





"Umm, Kaylee?" Johan uncomfortably adjusted his scarf, loosening his shirts collar, and tugged at the girls shirt, to safeguard her from plummeting off the wall, as she frantically waved two torches around:

"They um. They have gunships? And tanks, and heavy artillery... like, a LOT." the batpony said, watching the night covered sand dunes, were close to a thousand armored vehicles stood.



"Your grace!" Larsen ran up to Zoy and saluted "We are surrounded on all sides by Machine Folk! Heavy siege weapons - 1000 strong! Metal birds - 100 strong! Foot-soldiers, estimated at least three legions! We believe their base of operations is that ugly castle of metal, some 20 kilometers south of us! The area is a desert in 3 directions with a sea, or an ocean hugging us from the north! Temperature is... close to 30 Celsius ma'am!... its... hotter than Satan's sauna in here!"


"Keep the personal comments to yourself, general." Bastila released an exasperated sigh.

"...is this our homeworld? Really, really?" Ursula asked, watching the stars that looked all different from Nifelheim and tugging at Rain's sleeve "Is it really?"

"Yaaaayy..." Viki said without much enthusiasm, standing next to Twilight and sourly watching the Paldenian tanks in the distance "..we get to see it for 5 secondssssss..... before we're all reduced to ash....."


"They can't see me right?" Rose asked, tilting her head toward Thena "Local human's can't see Parasites under the Kepler's sun, right?"


"Those are some very quaint metal creatures." Rolo commented, tapping Rogue on the shoulder and pointing at the few dozen jets circling above some 30,000 feet in the air.


"Yeah... those are heavy bombers... packing some very heavy and precise ordinance..." Johan said, cringing quite heavily "If they start throwing bombs and missiles at us, we'll be dead before we realize what happened."

"I've literally no idea what you just said." Lightning said, looking up "Like, I've no idea what any of those words mean."




"Wait!" Kaylee stopped signalling and squinted at the sand dunes on the horizon "...I think I see a hum-vee driving in our direction... It has a white flag!" she looked back smiling "They're sending someone to negotiate!!!"

"We better get down there fast," Johan swallowed "Before someone gets itchy on the trigger and turns this into a god-damn explosion party."

As soon as they arive Thena rather unceremoniously starts to drop her weapons and the bulkier parts or her armor on the ground. She also takes back her cloak and has it on and wrapped around her body within in moments.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to wait back here and let someone who isn't about to vomit from panic take the lead" Thena pulls up her hood and wraps the cloak tighter.

Twilight looked around, knowing for some reason, this was exactly what was waiting for them. Not in detail, but the fact that this could get very ugly very, VERY quickly.

"Yeah, this isn't exactly what we call 'welcoming' here. To put in your terms, we're surrounded by weapons who can fire level 5 or 6 magic at will, from across a map. We're lucky they haven't start peppering us yet."

Something of a smile gets onto her face. "Still, I'm feeling glad we've made it back to Keplar. Things might finally calm down a little again."

She made ready to make contact. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting."

Rain squints into the distance before giving Ursula and firm nod, "Yeeeahh... this is our homeworld. But... not our country, or our climate." She stares off into the distance, "Thats my sisters city!" she points, her gaze moving to the General Witcher next to Zoy "We... must beeee... South! We landed in the desert!" she glances over at Viki, "I uh... I would certainly hope that the people of our homeworld would think twice about bombing an entire city that appears out of nowhere." she rocks back and forth from her toes to her heels, "Then again! We did bomb that one obelisk, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised."

She glares around at the tanks and military hardware surrounding them, "I dunno... I think we could take em." she shrugs.


Circi smiles at Adam, "You just be careful what you pick off of me. Im not without flaws."

Circi stares over the desert, "I dreamed of a place like this once only this one is... Tan and sandy... instead of gray or white like Nifelhimes." she glares up at the sky, "Shifting from ice cold to this hot by the way... I think I can feel my body going into shock like a fish. Please tell me its not all like this, because i'll admit it right now. I preferred the snow and trees of Nifelhime.





...



Fire quitely listens to the two bickering. Her stance, her gaze, both tireless. She watches the room, and the monitors before finally coming to a stop at the table, "If I stay sane i'll restrain you both, dont worry." she says quitely before wincing at the flash. Theres a soft pair of clicks as Firewing blinks, not for any biological reasons, but more that she was checking to see if she was still sane. Her eyes click to the window. The faint Cybernetic amber glow in her eyes made invisible through the sudden intense light above the tower. Her mouth slowly drops in awe, "Hoooly shit..." Her voice comes out at low volume before she zooms her vision in. She listens close to the translation before her ears perk with a motorized whine, "They... Did... It?... In two days?" She seems completely taken aback, "Insane... Unbelievable! That has to be a new record for saving the world!" she looks back into the room, then back out, then back in, "Pack up. lets go!" she snaps, "Hold your fire! Do. NOT shoot the teleporting city please!" Fire barks to her platoon at the pillar, using her built in communicator.

"It's not over yet, we still have that wayward glystaria on the loose who made it here before we left for Nifelheim to deal with..." Rogue says,

"And we need to find out if Kaz was telling the truth about her plan to send glystaria over in the red orbs as well.

Busy, busy, busy."

"Hmm" Rose murmured, watching the military encirclement in the distance as she walked over to Thena and dissipated in a shower of sparks.


"We should meet them half-way, come on!" Kaylee waved flying down into the castle grounds and sprinting toward the Foxes stables.

"OPEN THE GATES!" Zoy barked from the wall and the massive, 15 meter tall reinforced door at the main entrance to Lieselotte shook off its dust and began slowly rising, creaking its metal joints and rattling its chains.



"Psst... mom, there's no such thing as Level 6 magic." Viktoria conspiratorially leaned closer to Twilight and whispered, covering her mouth so her lips can't be read "Level 5 is the highest possible spell."


"You should move to Verria," Zoy said, briefly looking at Circi, before returning her gaze to the army on the horizon "Its below zero Celsius there, pretty much all year round."


"The Red Orb!" Viktoria grimaced, nodding to Rogue "We have to warn them! Or the Parasites will devour this planet, just like they did Nifelheim!"


Speeding down the steps of the wall, you descended onto the stables together with Kaylee and saddling several of the strongest and meanest looking foxes, you galloped out onto the desert dunes. Not used to the heat and sandy texture of the ground, the foxes uncomfortably howled and barked, but kept going, heading straight for the humvee that was driving toward you in the distance.

You started to sweat from the uncomfortably high temperature in the air, a feeling you had forgotten completely and the air was soon filled with the smell of a sweaty dog, as the foxes below you panted from the high temperature.


Minutes later, you finally met the Hum-vee half way, 10 kilometers away from the Paldenian base and 10 kilometers away from Lieselotte. There was no one else here, but you and the hum-vee, but you still had a gutural feeling that you were being watched, VERY closely. By either snipers, hiding in the dunes, or from stealth helicopters hovering somewhere in the darkness, or both, but you could just feel your head right in somebodies crosshairs, as you hopped off your fox and rapidly approached the stopped hum-vee.


Its doors opened and several special forces soldiers popped out, assault rifles drawn and relatively lowered, encircling Councilor Mercer and Firewing, before all of them approached.

Firewing wrote:"If I stay sane i'll restrain you both, dont worry." she says quitely before wincing at the flash.

Mercer gave you a thoughtful sideways glance, as she exited the hum-vee and quietly murmured:
"Its strange but, none of the people with prosthetic bodies were affected by Mental Breakdowns. For some reason, the souls of those who were placed in cybernetic, robotic bodies, never experienced Mental Breakdowns. It's almost like they're immune. I never understood why."



Mercer strode toward the fox riders in a business-like, brisk pace, as much as was possible to do across a dune. She was visibly steeling herself, gearing up for some sort of extremely tense negotiation or confrontation. Finally stopping in front of you, some 5 meters away and surrounded by special forces in full gear and assault rifles in hand, she slowly raised her open palms, revealing there's nothing in them, before she began speaking in a very slow Soren.


My name is Councilor Katherin Mercer, I am the representative of the ruling government of this planet. Allow me to-" she paused, suddenly blinking extremely hard and staring at you, one by one. Her mouth falling agape, as recognition finally dawned on her.



"Oh my.... GOD......" she exclaimed, all show of ceremonial decorum fading instantly, replaced by complete shock and bewilderment:

"Twilight?.. Rain?... Rogue?.... Kaylee???" she looked at each of your faces in disbelief "Oh my god, what happened to you?!?... who are these people?!" She looked mouth agape, in dumbfoundedness at Circi and the rest of your children.


"...What are you wearing?" she looked at your harsh winter gear and Witcher armor, Mercer's eyes growing progressively wider and more bewildered with each passing second "Why are you eyes glowing??... Kaylee, what happened to your hair?!?


"It... grew?" Kaylee mumbled "I guess?..." the girl was also looking a little rattled by the plethora of questions raining down on her "...I might have spent a whole year without a proper haircut.. ehehe..." she shyly stuck her tongue out and scratched the back of her hair.

"Kaylee you've been gone for 5 hours!" Mercer screamed in shock "I've sent you guys off, 5 hours ago!"

"What? No, that can't be right... a whole year passed-" Kaylee bit the side of her index finger in thought, her eyes rapidly searching the ground "...only 5 hours passed on Kepler.. this whole time? Its like we barely left... people here might not even know we've been gone..."


"According to our astronomers calculations," Zoy quietly said, her face remained unkind and frowning, as she fixed Mercer with a heavy stare "1 Day on Kepler equals exactly 4.7 Years on Nifelheim."


Mercer noticed the girl and looked at her clearly for the first time, studying her facial expression and features: "...what the hell is 'Nifelheim'?"

"...a Prison Planet where you Exiled us!" Zoy hissed through gritted teeth.

"Zoy, please, this isn't the time." Kaylee placed a hand atop Zoy's clutched fist "We talked about this, Keplers governments didn't do this. Kashiwagi Brice did."



"...Kashiwagi... Brice?" Mercer's confusion was increasing exponentially "...the billionaire?"

"Yes. Where is he, right now?" Kaylee took a step closer, making the special forces around Mercer make a subconscious twitch with their firearms. "Please, it is extremely important! The fate of humanity is on the line!"


"W-well..." Mercer sighed, trying to think, briefly closing her eyes under the strain to remember "...I believe I saw a report that he took a private jet to Tesia, right to its capital city Beusoleil, a couple of hours ago. The main headquarters of his pharmaceutical corporation is there. A massive 100 floor mega-tower, all of it filled with his labs and offices, the entire building is his. I believe he was heading there."


"Okay, lets see, lemme think.." Kaylee winced hard "If 1 Day is 4.7 Years on Kepler, that's... about 56 months for one day... and... um... Kaznachey said she delivered the Red Orb to Brice exactly 3 months ago. Which means...."


"If Kaznachey delivered the Red Orb to Brice 3 months ago," Zoy interjected, still frowning at Mercer "Its means Brice received the Orb exactly 1 hour and 16 minutes ago, on Kepler." she blinked "A Parasitic outbreak has been raging on Kepler for 1 hour and 16 minutes. That is a very long time. A single Parasite is enough to cause the death of a planet. Let alone a dozen Ancient ones packed in an Orb."


"Orb...what are you talking abou-" Mercer tried to interject, loosing the thread of conversation completely, before Kaylee interjected:

"Councilor, please! Have there been any strange reports from Beusoleil in the past hour? Reports of strange attacks? Mental Breakdowns? Invisible enemies?"

"Well... there were reports of Mental Breakdowns all across the globe, for the past month, but those were caused by the towers." Mercer looked up at the Teleportation Tower at the heart of Lieselotte:
"But Beausoleil, specifically?..." She frowned, thinking "...I think I saw a report of mass riots all across the city, breaking out in the past hour, but the report was so scattered, no one could coherently explain what's happening."


"...its starting." Zoy grimly scowled "...the outbreak. Kashiwagi must have built a portal in Beusoleil, maybe even inside his corporate tower. And used the Red Orb there. If we don't contain this, Kepler is... FUCKED." She bared her teeth in frustration "Kaznachey was right. Our homeworld is burning."


"Now I understand why she took out all those Castle towns in the West." Kaylee grimaced and looked at Mercer "Councilor, please show us the current world map, with the placement of all surviving Teleportation Towers."


Mercer was still completely lost in the conversation, but tapped her Data-pad and showed you its screen.












"I knew it!" Kaylee scowled, baring her teeth "Kaz deliberately took out all the Castle Towns around Beusoleil, so there won't be any Witchers around to contain the outbreak!"

"Can someone please explain to me, what the hell you're talking about?!" Mercer exclaimed, loosing patience and picking up on the alarmed atmosphere in the air.

Thena does still end up coming dispite her intial statement not to. She looks nervous at first but a switch flips in her expression and manerism once Mercer starts to lose her patience.

"Councilor, there is a race of beings called Glysteria that have an uncontrollable hunger and a rapid self reproductive cycle that is exponential in it's growth. They will also bond to the souls of people and take over their bodies in some cirumstances. Thankfully this possession isn't a complete gaurentee and those of us with the glowing eyes either had a stronger mental fortitude and maintained control or more ideally convinced the Glysteria to work with us as allies and friends. We're called Witchers."

Thena steps up to explain

"I know this may sound insane, but Kaylee, Twilight, Rain, and Rogue will all back this up including the grave threat that Kepler is in."

"Hold up." One of the special forces soldiers asked, a Major, judging by the three stars on his shoulder pads: "What was that, about the invasion of the body snatchers?"

"Um.." Kaylee uncomfortably swallowed, as the Major began slowly raising his assault rifle "..we probably could have phrased that better..."

The Major's rifle was now pointed right at Thena's center of mass. The other soldiers began slowly rising their rifles and getting in between you and the two Councilors, shielding Mercer and Firewing.


"Okay.. um.. lets... calm down.. a bit," Kaylee called raising her open palms and starting to sweat "Maybe something got lost in translation.."

"Nah, I heard you just right." The Major scowled "You said the word 'Parasite', several times, and now I'm hearing something about body-snatchers?"

"...if someone calls me a Stomach-Worm again, I swear to god," Squiggles audibly mumbled, frowning and baring his mandibles. The Major looked in his direction, clearly didn't see him, and decided one of the humans had said it, before shifting his eyes back to Thena.

All 6 soldiers present were now aiming their rifles at you: "Glyst-aria... that's what you said." The Major continued, frowning and pushing back Mercer and Circi:
"Glyst. That word means 'Stomach-Worm' on Verrian. A form of P-"


"God damn it!" Squiggles loudly swore, making the Major twitch and point the rifle in the giant spiders direction. The soldier scanned the air for several seconds then returned his rifle to you.


"So there's a Parasitic life-form that can body-snatch its victims, taking control of their bodies, is that correct?" Mercer gravely asked "And those who got taken over, get a special glow in their eyes?" She slowly scanned everyone present, verifying that indeed, everyone present had glowing eyes:

"You understand... how this sounds..." She blinked very heavily "Tell me again why you wish to travel Beusoleil?"


"...we're fucked." Alyx quietly murmured.

"Shh!" Viki glared at him, before shifting her eyes to you, then to Mercer "Eh.. ehehe.. maybe if you can give us a chance to explain it better?..."

Mercer narrowed her eyes. The Paldenian soldiers around her are getting twitchy.

"Oh course, the most flawed explanations go out first..." Twilight sighs.

She steps forward, where it becomes apparent to those that knew her before how much she had changed too. Scars on her body, increased muscle mass, a better posture, and a height increase of several centimeters. "I suppose the trait of the glowing eyes needs to be explained. Let's start with clearing up the air. The 'parasites' we're talking about are not wholly biological in nature, as the naked eye can't see them and  they target the soul, rather then the body. Any symptoms the patient experiences physically are more from the effect on the mentality of the infected person, rather then actually appearing from a disease. Hence, why most people eventually go berserk."

She folds her arms. "There's something to be noted though. Since the 'parasite' targets the soul, there's no physical remedy that can be applied. It's all up to the mind. Once infected, the invader tries to wear down the patient's mind, until they give in. However, it is possible to make someone face that 'parasite' in a battle of wits, and overcome them. The parasite will then be locked inside the soul of the human, and the human gains powers from them. That human has been dubbed a 'witcher', and you may have seen one already. If you recall, a few days ago there was someone we took into custody. A sea pony capable of wielding magic attacks and regenerating from fatal wounds. Those kinds of benefits are given by such a parasite, provided the human survived."

She blinked deliberately, to draw attention to it. "If you want to use the glow of the eye to discern who has been affected, I need to warn you. Those whose eyes glow red, have been taken over. Those whose eyes glow their own color, are witchers."

She looks in the direction of the city. "In order to combat the epidemic raging there, we must go. There's a ritual that makes the chances of survival from it significantly higher, and any free roaming parasite is naked to those who haven't become witchers."

Then she looks back to the officials. "There's something else you must know. This race of 'parasites' are as intelligent or even more so then humans, and from the moment they bond with you they know what to use to wear you down mentally. Kashiwagi Bryce hasn't been infected, but has been contacted, and fooled, by a very clever parastie. Lured in with honeyed words and using terms he could understand, that monster made him into a pawn for his plan, to unleash this invasion. Bryce believed he would help this way. Sadly, it only enabled what's terrorizing Kepler for the gains of the mysterious invader."

She lowered her arms. "I know the tale sounds tall, but allow us to prove we're not pulling this out of our asses. We have the ability to deal with these enemies far more effectively, since we have the knowledge. What will you- Hey, you!" She suddenly points to a soldier. "Gun pointed at me! Don't leer at my daughter with that thing!"

She let out a sigh. "Sorry for that. Anyway, will you accept our help on this matter? We only need to go there so we can do our thing."

Rain glances around at all the weapons pointed at them before quietly casting a low level AOE shield for her team. Her eyes fall onto mercer, "We've been through some bullshit. We've fought for our lives though 6 months of wilderness and savagery. We've seen the worst reality could ever offer." She glances at her daughter, and a soldier aiming his weapon at her. Rain gently places her hand on Ursula's shoulder and brings her back a couple of steps, "In this time we've become superpowered killing machines. Defenders of humanity. Hero's from another world." She glares at Mercer, "I dont think you understand how much these people rightfully distrust us. According to them, we've been bombing their city's, murdering their people, all for some orb that turned out to not be what it was originally meant to be, a false answer to a premeditated plan." She lets out an exasperated chuckle, "Mercer... Every second counts. If you take whatever aggressive action you might be considering just know you will be fucking the entire world and yourself. You shoot, there will be horrors beyond your comprehension, and that's not up for debate."

Fire looks over thr group, "Im not sure what to make of it..." as Rain casts Fires eyes hone in on her but she doesn't say anything right out, "That... uh..." she rubs the back of her head.

"So... your telling me... That you guys, apon going through the obelisk, entered this... 'Nifel-ham'. Took on what is essentially, parasitic soul ghosts for magic powers, honed these powers throughout half a year, and somehow made it back." Fire pauses for a moment, "I... uh... I'm not sure what to make of that." She shakes her head.

Rain blinks at her sister, "If you have any doubts its me, our father almost got buryed alive by slipping into a sinkhole leaving dear mother to dig him out... Also... Banana."

Fire shrugs, "Sounds like them." Fires looks to mercer with a reserved smile, "Special family secret word and all."



Circi glares at the soldier menacing her and her son with a Rifle, "You better make it count... Better kill me in one shot." She says to the human.

Rain looks back at Circi and the soldier and suddenly calls out in alarm, "Do NOT shoot her! Her blood is poison!" There is genuine Alarm and fear in her voice.

Thena doesn't say anything more, but it's clear to everyone looking at her that she regrets opening her mouth and whatever confidence she had has vanished.

"I know what this all sounds like, but there's one simple foolproof way to prove what we're saying is true" Rogue says to Mercer,

"Wait a couple of hours until lots of innocent people start dying, cut down by invisible foes you can't see or shoot.

I'm sure I speak for all of my companions when I say that we have no objection to remaining here under observation until then, there's just nothing beats the satisfaction of saying we told you so as the world burns around us."

Rogue wrote:"Wait a couple of hours until lots of innocent people start dying, cut down by invisible foes you can't see or shoot.

I'm sure I speak for all of my companions when I say that we have no objection to remaining here under observation until then, there's just nothing beats the satisfaction of saying we told you so as the world burns around us."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm." Mercer breathed, her tone ice cold "Nor do I respond well to threats." Her piercing stare was drilling holes in your head, as she shifted her gaze between you and Rain:

"You've been on the other side for too long. Perhaps you need reminding that tens of thousands of people on Kepler have lost their minds to Mental Break downs, over the past month. Killing their own loved ones or comitting suicide, all because of those towers." She tilted her head at the Teleportation Pillar:

"And now you're siding with them" Mercer's voice was deathly quiet "and I am to take them at their word?... That is not a reasonable thing to ask."


"...we.." Zoy looked away, horribly wincing and taking hold of her elbow "..I didn't know..."

"Excuse me." Mercer's voice had gone eerily quiet.

"It wasn't supposed to happen." Zoy looked at the towering Obelisks surrounding Lieselotte "The Mental Breakdowns are caused by Parasites. Its how they render their victims defenseless, before they strike. Their influence can extend kilometers into the distance. It must have seeped to your world, through our Teleportation Pillars. I thought..." she looked down "I thought the Parasite Suppression Obelisks we built around our cities, were suppressing the Parasites influence, I mean, none of our citizens in the castles were affected...

But I guess they... we, developped a certain level of immunity to the Breakdowns, by living on Nifelheim for a millennia.

But some Parasitic influence was still sipping into our cities. We just didn't feel it... but you did, on the other side."




"So thousands of people died on Kepler, because of your oversight or misscalculation?" Mercer bitterly asked.

Zoy didn't answer right away, bitterly looking away into space. Before she had a chance to respond, Kaylee stepped in:
"We can assign the blame later. Right now, we have a security risk that demands immediate attention."

Rain wrote:Rain glances around at all the weapons pointed at them before quietly casting a low level AOE shield for her team.

The shield itself was mostly invisible, but its materialization caused a very much visible flame of teal magic to erupt and suround you all in its glow, not to mention your hand gestures and the teal flame in your palm didn't go unnoticed.

The next second the air erupted with frantic screaming, as both sides stepped in to contain the near inescapable shooting match.

"STAND DOWN!"
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
"HOLD FIRE!!"
"ITS JUST A PROTECTIVE SPELL!!"
"ON YOUR KNEES, HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!!!"

The soldiers barked at you aggresively, frothing at the mouth and for a split second, you read fear in their eyes. Their screaming interjecting between Mercer screaming attemptes to move the barrels of their guns downward and Kaylee's paniced shrieks as the girl ran in front, shielding you with her body and holding both hands raised.


"On the ground!" The Major barked, sticking the barrel of his rifle right into Kaylee's forehead "ON THE GROUND NOW!!!"

"Nobody cast anything!" Kaylee said, glancing sideways at you, without moving her head, desperation ringing in her voice "There's enough tension and cause on both sides, if we provoke a shooting match here, we'll drag the planet into another world war, one from which no one will recover! Please!..." she looked pleadingly at the Major "Every single action each one of us takes at this moment, will be studied under the microscope for years to come. This may be the most important negotiation of our lifetime, one that may decide the future of millions. Please..." she begged, her eyes filling with tears:

"Don't be the one to start a bloodbath that will last for generations."


The Major scowled at her, holding the gun to her forehead for several painfully long moments, before lowering his rifle just slightly and stepping away.


"For gods sake, there are probably snipers pointing at each of our foreheads dead-on, right this second," Zoy quietly whispered "don't do or say anything that may provoke them, or a lot of good people gonna die."

Twilight wrote:What will you- Hey, you!" She suddenly points to a soldier. "Gun pointed at me! Don't leer at my daughter with that thing!"

The soldier immediately pointed his rifle at your head, percieving you as the bigger threat now. They seem really on edge.

"...Twilight," Mercer began, trying very hard to sound calm, as if she was talking to someone who lost touch with reality "...your daughter is an infant... remember? That woman cannot be-"

"I Was an infant.. ehehe...." Viki sheepishly smiled "...eighteen years ago............ time difference, remember?.."


Mercer blinked slowly, her expression changing as she surveyed every person in the group, before her eyes settled on Zoy and she gestured:

"I suppose you're the great grandaughter of Zoy Belkin then."

"I'm not Zoy Belkins grandaughter. I am Zoy Belkin." The girl replied, crossing her arms.

"Of course you are." Mercer said, checking out of the conversation.

Twilight wrote:
She let out a sigh. "Sorry for that. Anyway, will you accept our help on this matter? We only need to go there so we can do our thing."

"You're telling me you've all been infected by a Parasitic life-form." Mercer slowly repeated, visibly trying to process the information "...And rather than let it devour you, you managed to establish some sort of symbiotic relationship with it? Giving you access to magic and regenerative abilities?"

"Correct." Kaylee uncomfortably nodded.

"...and what does the Parasite get out of it?" Mercer asked, squinting in suspicion.

"Food." Zoy simply replied "When we kill other Parasites."

Mercer squinted harder, trying to read your expressions "...and what was that about body-snatching?"

"Its not as subtle as it sounds." Kaylee uncomfortably shifted "Parasites kill their victims by attaching to their souls and literally devouring them from inside. The side effects are apparent and immediate. The victim, at that point, ceases to exist. Only a cadaver remains. A walking corpse, controlled by the Parasite inside. Within 5 days, the corpse will progressively and visibly rot, until it finally crumbles to dust, and the Parasite moves on, in search for the next victim."


Kaylee waved across the gathered group "As you can see, none of us are showing signs of rot, in fact, our wounds are actively regenerating. That is the effect of the synergy with our Parasite."

"Can the synergy be broken?" Mercer asked, drilling you with a piercing stare.

Kaylee heavily swallowed, watching the assault rifles pointed at you "Under certain, very specific circumstances... its possible. But even then, the previously mentioned side-effects will become apparent."


"...you people are ticking time bombs." The Major scowled, baring his teeth. His finger on the trigger tensed.

Zoy zeroed in on him with a very cold stare "...Correct. We are also your best hope for survival." She shifted her weight, crossing her arms and her frown became colored by a smug smile:
"I wonder how it makes you feel... knowing the people you exiled and actively tried to kill, are now your only hope for survival."

"Explain." Mercer grimaced, keeping herself composed enough not to openly scowl.


"Parasites are spectral creatures, alien." Zoy continued "They cannot be harmed by conventional weapons. They are invisible to the human eye. And they multiply rapidly by mitosis. As far as we know, they can only be killed by a Witcher..." Her grin grew more smug, before it faded away:
"Councilor Mercer. We have reason to believe a Parasitic outbreak has erupted in Beusoleil, one hour and 16 minutes ago. Your armies aren't prepared for this, they have no idea what they're dealing with. Thousands will die, before you'll manage an effective response, and by then, it will be too late for Kepler."

She took a step closer, making the soldiers flinch, pointing the rifles at her. Zoy seemed unperturbed:

"I've seen it before, Councilor, when the people of Ragnveig were Exiled to the other side. I know what's coming. And I know the sad end that awaits, should the Parasites escape containment.

The Planet of Nifelheim is lost to us now... reduced to a burning husk. We fled to Kepler, but there's no where else left to flee. This is our final stand.

Like it or not, Councilor, we both get to live on this planet now, and we won't have much of a planet left, if we don't contain this outbreak."



Mercer frowned at her for the longest moment, a thousand different thoughts running almost visibly in her head, before she quietly spoke:

"This conversation isn't over. It is meerly put on hold for now. At some point, we're going to have to talk about accountability for the innocent lives lost to Mental Breakdowns."

"As well as the accountability for our unlawful Exile and the genocide unleashed upon my people." Zoy locked her icy gaze on Mercer, speaking through gritted teeth.


"...very well." Mercer grimly nodded "I will provide 6 VTOLs to take you and your men to Beusoleil. 2 of those VTOL's will be manned by Union special forces."


"That is a waste of aircraft space, Councilor!" Zoy angrily gestured "With respect to your soldiers training, they will be useless against a spectral creature they can't see or touch! That valuable aircraft space will be better used carrying as many Witchers to Beusoleil as possible! In fact, I wish to request enough aircraft to transfer at least 1000 Witchers to Beusoleil from Lieselotte asap!"


"That will require time, General." Mercer frowned at Zoy "All I have here at a moments notice, are the 6 VTOL's that worked as my personal transport and escort. I'm giving them to you, because that's all I have. And I'm sending two of them packed with Union soldiers to act as observers, to verify your claims and ensure you're working in our best interests. Asking us to blindly trust you at your word, after so many of our people died due to your Towers, is unreasonable. It is the best deal I can offer you."
Mercer said, crossing her arms.

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Rogue wrote:"Wait a couple of hours until lots of innocent people start dying, cut down by invisible foes you can't see or shoot.

I'm sure I speak for all of my companions when I say that we have no objection to remaining here under observation until then, there's just nothing beats the satisfaction of saying we told you so as the world burns around us."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm." Mercer breathed, her tone ice cold "Nor do I respond well to threats." Her piercing stare was drilling holes in your head, as she shifted her gaze between you and Rain:

"You've been on the other side for too long. Perhaps you need reminding that tens of thousands of people on Kepler have lost their minds to Mental Break downs, over the past month. Killing their own loved ones or comitting suicide, all because of those towers." She tilted her head at the Teleportation Pillar:

"And now you're siding with them" Mercer's voice was deathly quiet "and I am to take them at their word?... That is not a reasonable thing to ask."

"Well sorry, I find it hard to take people seriously when they're pointing guns at me" Rogue retorts.

Kaylee Brown wrote:Mercer frowned at her for the longest moment, a thousand different thoughts running almost visibly in her head, before she quietly spoke:

"This conversation isn't over. It is meerly put on hold for now. At some point, we're going to have to talk about accountability for the innocent lives lost to Mental Breakdowns."

"As well as the accountability for our unlawful Exile and the genocide unleashed upon my people." Zoy locked her icy gaze on Mercer, speaking through gritted teeth.

"...very well." Mercer grimly nodded "I will provide 6 VTOLs to take you and your men to Beusoleil. 2 of those VTOL's will be manned by Union special forces."

"That is a waste of aircraft space, Councilor!" Zoy angrily gestured "With respect to your soldiers training, they will be useless against a spectral creature they can't see or touch! That valuable aircraft space will be better used carrying as many Witchers to Beusoleil as possible! In fact, I wish to request enough aircraft to transfer at least 1000 Witchers to Beusoleil from Lieselotte asap!"

"That will require time, General." Mercer frowned at Zoy "All I have here at a moments notice, are the 6 VTOL's that worked as my personal transport and escort. I'm giving them to you, because that's all I have. And I'm sending two of them packed with Union soldiers to act as observers, to verify your claims and ensure you're working in our best interests. Asking us to blindly trust you at your word, after so many of our people died due to your Towers, is unreasonable. It is the best deal I can offer you."
Mercer said, crossing her arms.

"Then we will just have to fit as many Witchers as we can on the four choppers available to us" Rogue says, looking at Zoy,

"Time is of the essence here. Beusoleil is completely defenceless, better to send some Witchers now and then some later, rather than wait for enough craft to become available to carry everyone.

And we do need Kepler to trust us, having a few observers see us in action will go a long way towards that, even if they can't contribute to the actual fighting."

Rain waves her hand, "Whatever..." she glares at mercer, "...Send us in to find out whats going on, and then threaten us the moment we return. As if we haven't put our necks on the line enough." Her lip twitches as she holds her tongue from what she really wants to say, "...5 hours ago we blindly drove into the obelisk and this is how we're greeted on return." She scoffs, "...Really makes you think how clueless we really were 6 months ago."


Fires eyes click to Mercer a moment then Zoy, then back. She didn't like the fear in her soldiers eyes, not at all. "YOU CALL YOURSELFS SOLDIERS?! STEEL YOURSELFS NOW MAGGOTS!" she roars in militaristic fury at her panicking soldiers, before turning to address her fellow counselor "Mercer..." she says quietly, her tone turning like the flip of a coin as she rests a hand on Mercers shoulder, "This situation appears to be much more complex then we imagined. I understand your tense because of the mental stress thrust apon you." She glances up at the city, her voice calm, collected, and gentle as she try's to be a voice of reason, "They teleported a city into the middle of the desert, god knows how many more people are in there. I'm not interested in a war on the sands Mercer If what they are saying is true, and they do have these powers... perhaps we shouldn't be provoking them like this?... hm? Let alone an entire civilized city? The fact they have a city that large at all is worth note that there is far more happening here then we were ever aware of is it not?"

Thena didn't seem to react at all to the screaming after Rain cast her spell. Infact she's been staring into the distance and it's unclear if she is even paying attention anymore.

"It will have to do for now." Twilight says. "Let's get moving, the sooner we're there, the sooner we can say how bad the situation is."

Twilight turned to those who are witchers. "Okay, on our way there, I want someone to cook us some heightened senses, some scans to hit the enemy, maybe some other spells as well. Equip yourself with tools for communication, we need to keep everyone updated on the situation at hand."

She then speaks to everyone. "For this mission, I want people to keep a cool head, and disclose facts, the situation, and strategies. That means no jokes, jabs, threats, or passive agressive remarks. We all want the same thing, to keep the world and humanity safe. Once this fire is under control, we can work out the details."

She then stretched her muscles. "Get ready to move out, everyone. Let's show them the power of humanity."

Rain wrote:Rain waves her hand, "...Send us in to find out whats going on, and then threaten us the moment we return. As if we haven't put our necks on the line enough." Her lip twitches as she holds her tongue from what she really wants to say, "...5 hours ago we blindly drove into the obelisk and this is how we're greeted on return." She scoffs, "...Really makes you think how clueless we really were 6 months ago."

"Send you? I didn't send you anywhere. You volunteered." Mercer replied coldly "In fact I expressly advised you NOT to go, because I was worried you'd contract a lethal alien virus." She looked you in the eye and you thought she was studying the glowing irises "It looks like that is exactly what happened."

She crossed her arms, shifting her weight "But your children went missing on the other side, so I had no right to stop you. And since you were going anyway, I thought I might as well equip you with everything I had.

Don't misunderstand, what you did was brave, and I appreciate your sacrifice and the selfless desire to gather intelligence on the other world and rescue your children. What I DIDN'T expect, was for you to side with the people, who caused the deaths of tens of thousands of our people! By intent or... miscalculation." Mercer looked with disdain at the Teleportation Tower.

Zoy looked away grimly, avoiding eye contact.

Firewing wrote:"They teleported a city into the middle of the desert, god knows how many more people are in there. I'm not interested in a war on the sands Mercer If what they are saying is true, and they do have these powers... perhaps we shouldn't be provoking them like this?... hm? Let alone an entire civilized city?

Under your stern frown and steel voice, your soldiers collectively gathered themselves and their training kicked in again. They deliberately forced themselves to calm down and point their weapons at the ground, calm but still ready for action.

Mercer subtly covered her mouth so her lips can't be read, and whispered to Firewing "There is a lot more happening right now than meets the eye.

Diplomacy and negotiation are like an elaborate dance. Both sides are prodding each other, testing each others limits. Provoking the other to tip their hand. By confronting each other head on, the sides slowly reveal their cultural norms, their morals and values, what they are, and aren't likely to do.

The threat of force is a common tool used in negotiations, to coax the other side into doing what you want, withought actually engaging in violence and suffering loss of life.

It is important to establish early on that you are not to be messed with, or the other side will walk all over you. It is becoming clear now, that these... Witchers... value human life, thus we can negotiate with them under terms we both understand. Thus, avoiding an armed conflict is in the interests of both parties.

But we must also have accountability for the loss of life on both sides, or our people will riot. Thus it is necessary to establish an inquiry, with both sides present, in the near future."


Mercer briefly exchanged looks with Firewing, still whispering and covering her mouth "Most of what is said here, is an elaborate act. Zoy understands this as well..." she subtly glanced at the short blond girl "...which is why she's pushing back, acting as the collective voice of her people, who were hurt. Because she represents them. Careful to maintain her bravado and threat of violence, while stopping just short of crossing the edge into war. It is how politics were conducted for many millennia."









Mercer lifted her left arm and rolled up the sleeve of her dark business suit, revealing a mini-touch-screen computer strapped to her forearm. Tapping a few buttons she spoke and you noticed a wireless earpiece in her ear:

"Its me. Bring the six birds over to my location asap. We need emergency transport to Beusoleil."

"...what is that?" Sasha asked, staring with a level of wonder at the tiny flat computer screen from afar.

"Its... called a Data-pad," Kaylee quietly said "Its... sort of like a communication crystal, with unlimited range and many other functions."

"Like what?" Ursula cocked her head.

"Er... calculator?... a writing scroll... a portable library.." Kaylee awkwardly said in thought.

"Wicked." Sasha said, her eyes glowing "Where can I get one?"

"You're all going to be equipped with Data-pads to stay in contact at all times." Mercer said, watching the horizon as several trails of jet engines appeared in the sky, taking off from somewhere behind the dunes in the distance.


"Rogue, Rain, Kaylee, you had firearms training so you'll be provided with assault rifles before you depart."

"Ma'am, we appreciate the thought but assault rifles are useless against Parasites." Zoy said courtly.

"Take them anyway. There may be a human element at play." Mercer pressed "You said it yourself, Kashiwagi Brice is likely involved and he has a private army at his back. I'd rather you take the weapons and not need them, than get pinned down by heavy long-range fire."


She shifted her steel gaze to Kaylee "Can I assume you're back under Union chain of command, Captain?"

"Of course." Kaylee furrowed her brow a little, as if the implication that she could ever desert her duties was offensive to her.

"Thank you." Mercer nodded "Captain Brown, you're ordered to assemble a small team of 10 soldiers, proceed to Kashiwagi tower in Beusoleil and apprehend Brice for questioning."

"Yes ma'am." Kaylee briskly saluted, then looked at you, meaningfully. She looks like she'd be more comfortable embarking on this mission with you.


"Hold up a second!" Zoy stepped in front, frowning and shielding Kaylee with an outstretched hand "Kaylee Brown has officially joined the Witcher order in the Kingdom of Nifelheim! Just as everyone present here! Which means they're under my command! You can't just boss my people around!"

"Are we going to have a problem here?" Mercer squinted at the shorter blond girl with a cold deathly stare, to which Zoy responded by baring her teeth and horribly scowling.


"Mmmmm..." Lightning released the sourest smile you ever did see "Dick measuring contests. My faaavorite." she said on Nifel, drawing a few glances from the Union soldiers.


"Everyone, this isn't the time!" Kaylee furrowed her brow, collecting her fist "There are no sides here! We're all human! And when the Horde comes, it will come for all of us!"

"Pffffffffine." Zoy turned away, crossing her arms "But I'm going with Kaylee. I don't care what you say."

Mercer visibly resisted an urge to roll her eyes "That will be Kaylee's- I mean Captain Brown's call."

"...why are you on a first-name basis with the king of your world?" Zoy quietly mumbled to Kaylee on Nifel, looking sideways at Mercer.

"She isn't a king.. exactly... ehehe.." Kaylee replied in Soren, seemingly deliberately so the others will understand "She's one of 22 elected leaders that govern our world."

"...elected?" Zoy raised an eyebrow "..you mean.. trial by combat?"

"We don't um... do that here..." Kaylee sheepishly smiled "Its more like... the people voted for their representative."

"Voted?... based on what? Superior fighting technique?" Zoy asked in mild confusion, just as a series of heavily armored Vertical Take-Off and Landing craft began circling overhead, their engines blaring and drowning out the conversation as they adjusted their engines into a vertical position and began to descent around you.


Soon they touched down, with dozens of Union special forces pouring out in full combat gear. They began to approach without much ceremony, fastening Data-pads to your forearms and handing out earpieces, showing you how the devices worked very briefly and often too fast to remember anything for those who never held an electronic device in their hand.

"I'll keep you posted on the world events on your way there." Mercer said, holding away her locks of hair so they won't be blown in her face by the roaring engines "God speed."

"Democracy is more of a popularity contest kind of thing" Rogue explains to Zoy,

"Every few years, an election is held, and each citizen has the right to attend a voting centre and participate, but there is no obligation to do so.

At the voting centre, they are given a piece of paper with the names of the candidates on, and they put a tick in the box next to the person they want to have the job, based on the policies the candidates promote.

Whoever gets the most ticks wins, and then everyone has to do what they say until the next election."

Rain pauses a moment, "Excuse me its been a long time since we crossed over so the details are really hazy..." she shrugs before continuing "We found our children... by the way..." she wraps an arm around Ursula and gives her a Squeeze, "The data pad is a lot like my phone, kaylee put it pretty well actu-" she cuts herself off as if coming to a sudden realization, "Wait... Alien virus? I almost forgot about-"  


Circi raises her hand, "You called?" She gives a devilish grin to Mercer. Her pitch black eyes falling onto the counsoler with a turn of her head. "They have the alien parasite." She corrects, "I have the alien virus. Dont worry, im not a body snatcher. Im undead technically." She cackles as she takes the data pad from the soldier whos surely terrified to touch her after her admittance to having a virus, and prepares (with some glee) for the Keplar soldiers to practically part like a wave in her wake.  


Rain glares at Circi a moment before her gaze returns to Mercer. She quitely draws her phone, unlocks it, and tosses it to her, "Flip through my images and weep that you'll never get to experience your very own, real life, dungeons and dragons adventure with your children and you tell me which side you would take later." She sighs, as this realisation suddenly melts away all her anger for smugness.  


Fire nods slowly, "I see... I had not realized this was the tactic..." her eyes click to her soldiers, "It would seem then... the thing truely out of hand would be my soldiers..." she closes her eyes before standing up streight. Its a couple of seconds before she starts barking orders "LINE UP FOR LAND TRANSPORT! NOW! MOVE IT!" She barks at her soldiers, "YOUR LUCKY THE GODDAMN WORLD IS ENDING OR WE'D BE MARCHING THROUGH THE DESERT! THAT OUGHTA PUT SOME IRON IN YOU! WHERE ARE THE TITANIUM BALLS I EXPECT OUT OF YOU HUH I EXPECT UNFLINCHING RESOLVE IN THE FACE OF DEATH, BUT YOU CRACKED-" Fires collective drilling and reeming fades into the background as you begin to focus on other things.

A solemn gaze goes to the direction of the Wither city of Lieselotte, a hint of concern on Twilight's face.

"Hmmm..."

Twilight then walked to Councilor Mercer. "I would like to request a short detour for one of these ships. I shall climb on board of that one." She looks to the city again. "There's someone I must pick up there, someone important to me, and inform the people there what has happened."

She then looks back at her. "Perhaps you'd like to join me. While there, you can see with your own eyes how someone who grew up on the other side looks like. How the people of Nifelheim lived. It might provide valueable understanding for negociations going forward."

"I'll join you as well, I left all of my combat gear back there. I didn't think we'd be fighting so quickly" Thena speaks up while still still staring into the distance

"Kepler's kings are elected based on popularity?? Not on who's the best soldier??" Zoy asked, her expression bewildered and almost deflated "Wow, Kepler doesn't have many wars, does it. Sounds like your life is honey."

"...not... exactly.." Johan elusively commented with a sour expression.

"...are you sure this Mercer king isn't a soldier?" Zoy asked, skeptically raising an eyebrow and switching to Nifel again "...there's some muscle on her and her stance indicates she learned some form of self defense.. she's not lacking a spine, that's for sure."

"Well..." Kaylee fidgeted "She used to be an admiral in the Asteran Navy, before she was elected to Council."

"Really." Zoy gave a sideways glance to Mercer "...mm. Maybe she won't be completely useless." she said on Nifel.


Mercer furrowed her brow "..that's a very peculiar language you're using. Almost sounds like a variation of the one they speak in Obsidian Cliffs. 90% of the words are so different, I can't make heads or tails of them... but the other 10%..." She gave Zoy a disintegrating stare.

Zoy blushed from shame and looked away, her arms crossed.

Circi wrote:"They have the alien parasite." She corrects, "I have the alien virus. Dont worry, im not a body snatcher. Im undead technically." She cackles as she takes the data pad from the soldier whos surely terrified to touch her after her admittance to having a virus, and prepares (with some glee) for the Keplar soldiers to practically part like a wave in her wake.  

"Charmed." Mercer said neutrally, watching Circi as if she didn't know what to make of her, as the Sinner made her way to the VTOL. The crowd of soldiers indeed parted in her wake, mostly concerned about the black eyes. It seems the fact they couldn't see your irises and therefore couldn't tell who you were looking at, at any given time, unsettled them the most.

Rain wrote:She quietly draws her phone, unlocks it, and tosses it to her, "Flip through my images and weep that you'll never get to experience your very own, real life, dungeons and dragons adventure with your children and you tell me which side you would take later."

The battery on your phone was long dead, but the memory card was likely intact. The phone didn't looked damaged at any rate. Mercer caught it, a little off guard for a moment, then looked at the device pretty seriously and passed it to one of her men:

"Extract any data you can from here." She quietly said.

Firewing wrote:"YOUR LUCKY THE GODDAMN WORLD IS ENDING OR WE'D BE MARCHING THROUGH THE DESERT! THAT OUGHTA PUT SOME IRON IN YOU! WHERE ARE THE TITANIUM BALLS I EXPECT OUT OF YOU HUH I EXPECT UNFLINCHING RESOLVE IN THE FACE OF DEATH, BUT YOU CRACKED-" Fires collective drilling and reeming fades into the background as you begin to focus on other things.

Under your incessant screaming, the soldiers compose them selves rather quickly, form up, salute and then sprint for the VTOL's in peak silence and discipline. Ryu whistled in surprise and nodded a few times in approval.

Twilight wrote:"I would like to request a short detour for one of these ships. I shall climb on board of that one." She looks to the city again. "There's someone I must pick up there, someone important to me, and inform the people there what has happened."

She then looks back at her. "Perhaps you'd like to join me. While there, you can see with your own eyes how someone who grew up on the other side looks like. How the people of Nifelheim lived. It might provide valueable understanding for negociations going forward."

"It will have to wait." Mercer released a small sigh of regret. "But I appreciate the invite and I would very much like to visit these newly arrived cities in the future, in order to build a strong relationship of trust and understanding.

For now, however, we must sort out our priorities. From what you explained, containing the outbreak in Beusoleil is of the highest priority and to that end, every Witcher will be required. In that light I must ask if your detour is vital, for this part of the plan. Or if this can be delayed until later."


Mercer shifted her weight and you noticed the dark circles under her eyes, her fatigue showing for a brief moment. She looks like she hasn't slept in 48 hours.

"...if you truly believe your detour is vital, then do not delay any longer. Proceed with it quickly and then rejoin the rest of the VTOL's in Beusoleil. Godspeed." she locked her steel gaze on you.


Kaylee straightened up and saluted, before sprinting toward the VTOLs. Zoy locked eyes with Mercer again and very visibly resisted an urge to stick her tongue out to the Councilor, before running for the transports again.


Upon boarding the craft, the soldiers offered you tactical gear. From bullet proof vests filled with various types of grenades, to helmets, to Data-pads, and finally three assault rifles for Rain, Rogue and Kaylee.

Pulling back the charging handle on her rifle and ensuring there's no round in the chamber, Kaylee pointed it down and looked through the laser sights at the floor:

"M4A1 SOPMOD 2, been a while since I shot one of these." she said, her good eye partially visible through the scope, as she flopped the rifle over her back, letting it hang down from a strap.

"Don't you have to re-qualify at the shooting range every 3 months or so?" Johan quietly asked.

"Once a month" Kaylee corrected with a nod "But that was 13 months ago."

"Just don't shoot yourself in the foot," Lightning cringed at the gun. She looks more than a little unnerved by the weapon "...or me, in the back, for that matter."

"Just remember basic rules for fire control," Kaylee nodded "Don't fire the weapon if there's an ally within 3 meters in front, or to your side. If they're any closer to you than that, they may move in an unpredictable fashion and walk into your line of fire, and you won't have time to re-adjust your aim, which may cause injury. Always move away from your allies before taking a shot."


Settling into armored seat and the soldiers helping you fasten your seat-belts, the collapsing door in the side of the aircraft unfolded down from the top. The engines roared louder and louder until you suddenly felt lightheaded and felt your feet press into the floor. A brief sense of vertigo washed over you, as the aircraft pushed you upward and took off, making you queasy in the pit of your stomach for several seconds, before you grew used to the feeling.


Down below a vast desert was opening to you, linked to a dark sea. Dunes upon dunes of seemingly golden sand stretched in 3 directions around you. On one side, the city of Lieselotte brightly shined its lights in the darkness, unfolding across the dune with its massive towers and countless buildings sitting around the castle in an ever expanding circle.

And just opposite of it, maybe some 200 kilometers away, an incomprehensibly large mega city had sprawled up from the sand. Skyscrapers of metal with hundreds of floors, search lights piercing the clouds and neon lights, so many lights, it was like a sea of diamonds, glowing in the middle of the desert, the Capital City of Paldenia. Sitting opposite and in very close proximity to Lieselotte.


"...I wonder if there will be tension," Kaylee quietly asked, perhaps echoing your own thoughts "...this isn't the only geographical location where the people of Nifelheim suddenly materialized inside foreign borders... they're need food and water... they'll need land...  I wonder if there will be conflict, or if the people will find a way to move forward together.."



The VTOL finally veered to the right and the shining cities faded from sight in the windows, replaced only by a fast approaching cover of clouds. The VTOL was ascending to well above 60,000 feet. A few seconds later it shook, violently, making Viktoria scream in alarm, her palm involuntarily grabbing Twilight's hand and you felt Viki's nails uncomfortably dig into your skin, as the girl grasped your palm with a death-grip, shivering and wincing, keeping her eyes firmly shut.


"Please remain calm," Kaylee's voice came off colorless, as she looked at the night sky through the window "...we just accelerated past the speed of sound. The aircraft should stop shaking soon.." she said melancholicly, as the blue curve of the planet began to appear below, as you rapidly left the clouds down below you and raced away from the rising sun in the East.



"...this is Brown, what's the ETA to the target?" Kaylee numbly asked, pressing an index finger to her earpiece.

"5 hours, 16 minutes" a distorted voice echoed in your head, making Ursula yelp and jolt in her seat. You couldn't see the speaker in the compartment with you, so it must have been the pilot up in the cockpit, hidden from view by a reinforced door. The sound of roaring engines somehow came off louder on his end.


"5 HOURS?!" Zoy screamed out on autopilot, exchanging a bewildered glance with you "Are they taking a piss? There won't BE a Beusoleil in 5 hours!!"
She violently tapped her earpiece "Can't this bucket fly any faster?!"

"Ma'am, this is the most advanced aircraft we had on hand, and the closest one to your position. We're cruising at Mach 1, attempting to go any faster may result in the aircraft breaking apart."

"God damn it!" Zoy swore in Verrian. "That's why Kaznachey took out all the Witcher Castle's in Beusoleil's vicinity... by the time we get there.."


"That fucking whore.. " Ryu gritted his teeth, scowling "She's dead and she's still finding ways to fuck us over..."


"...there's nothing else we can do." Kaylee replied in a colorless voice, leaning against the large, rectangular window, her expression growing emptier by the minute "...rest for now... you'll need it later... prepare for prolonged combat." without looking, she pulled out a combat knife from her vest and absentmindedly grabbed hold of her long silver hair.

With a single, violent slash, she cut through a third of it, leaving a long messy hairline. Zoy heavily sighed and undid her seatbelt, before quietly approaching and falling into a seat beside Kaylee:

"...let me," Zoy quietly asked "...you'll make a mess of it."

Kaylee winced, stubbornly pulling away from Zoy at first, before her fatigue showed on her face and she released the knife into Zoy's grip. The blond girl stared at Kaylee's empty expression reflected in the window for a brief moment, before she began to carefully cut down Kaylee's hair to shoulder length, as neatly as a combat knife made for murder, allowed.






























Tesian Airspace
Beusoleil
November 1st, 2067 P.I.
03:25 Local Time,


5 hours 24 minutes after Migration






You saw the black columns of smoke rising toward the night sky, long before the Capital City of Tesia emerged on the horizon. Dozens of fires burned across the city, skyscrapers with chunks of them missing, melted away by projectile explosions the nature of which you couldn't determine. Whole apartment buildings on fire, burning in the night like a blinding torch.

Dozens of civilian and police helicopters circled the airspace, with an occasional pair of combat jets buzzing the city above, but even those numbers seemed minuscule, horribly outmatched and insignificant compared to the vast size of the city. It sprawled out across kilometers in every direction, housing no less than 5 million people. And the pockets of fire burned across its entire space.

Bursts of machine gun fire were clearly visible in the night, shooting out whole clips of 50 and at times 100 bullets at once, firing at unseen targets in the sky. Up from above you saw pockets of paratroopers, pockets of tanks, driving across city avenues at full speed shooting at something, before a wave of a hundred orange Parasites would descend upon them, ripping the tanks barrels off and devouring the drivers, while they were still alive, descending upon the foot soldiers, dismembering them, devouring them in seconds.

The Parasites were disorganized and they traveled alone, or in pockets of several dozen, or hundred, their presence was seen or felt across the entire city. There was no single area to contain, no point of origin. The entire city had become a battleground, with parasites, soldiers and civilians all mixing and blending together, until all you could see was a chaos of warfare, fire and automatic bursts of machine guns.



Kaylee gave the order to deploy the other 5 VTOL's so quietly, you barely heard her voice in the earpiece. The other five machines peeled off from the convoy, circled around the cities perimeter and began to descend, onto rooftops or big city streets. You saw the Witchers and soldiers piling out into the streets, so far away now, they seemed little more than dots to you, so small, insignificant, in this vast, burning city.

But none of them wavered. The last you saw of them, was the soldiers charging right into the thick of a Parasite horde, before they all vanished from view behind another skyscraper. Your VTOL continued on into the night, avoiding the random bursts of assault rifle fire and columns of smoke in the night.


6 more fighter-jets buzzed above you, uncomfortably close, unloading a carpet bomb run across a kilometer long avenue that was filled with hundreds of Parasites, their orange, screeching bodies consumed by the searing flames and vanishing from sight, as your VTOL veered out of the way of the bombing run.


You began to descend. A dark tower locked clear in your sights now, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city, at least 100 floors, standing amidst dozens of similar towers that were perhaps slightly more or less tall. A massive logo on the side of the tower read:


'KASHIWAGI PHARMA INCORPORATED'



The blue neon sign melted right in the middle, and several letters, where a truck-sized fireball had come through, leaving behind a crater of molten steel beams and concrete. The skyscraper was mostly dark, only a rare few windows still had a dim orange light burning inside them, from an office lamp left untouched, or a deserted lounge somewhere.


The VTOL made a slow circle around the tower, searching for visible hostiles but seeing so signs of life, before finally making its way to the massive helicopter landing platform built on top of the roof, just in front of an expensive reception lobby, which was seemingly made entirely of wall-sized windows of glass.

Hovering for several seconds above the landing platform, the VTOL folded its side-door into the ceiling, allowing the Paldenian forces to stick their guns out and scan the area, sitting just on the edge of the door, before the VTOL finally landed. Its massive engines and rudders heavily roaring.

The landing platform on the roof seemed deserted, but not un-visited. The remains of an expensive, luxurious helicopter still burned just on the edge of the roof, the platform bearing the ugly skid-marks of its tires. The aircraft so bent out of shape by some unknown force, it almost folded in half at the center. Only unrecognizable charred bodies were visible inside.


Flooding onto the platform, you began your approach to the rooftop's lobby, its automatic glass doors cracked and stuck in a sliding motion, opening and closing half-way again, over a dismembered body of a woman in an expensive business suit, who's entire bottom half was missing, her guts sprayed across the floor, eyes frozen in terror.


The 4 Paldenian soldiers who accompanied you spilled out and began tactically approaching the door, you and Kaylee falling in beside them, the purple girl's expression was a mask, a mix of horror, anger and resolve as you moved to the doors.



"Welcome to Kashiwagi Pharmaceuticals, where we create a brighter future, together." An unnervingly pleasant voice of a woman played out of the speakers, as you stepped through the doors.


The lobby reception office was beautiful once, expensive, spacey with a tall ceiling, the night sky visible through the glass roof. Large potted plants by the walls, furniture of polished high-quality wood, numerous historical paintings fillings the walls, most of them originals, belonging in a museum.

Holographic, transparent, rectangular TV screens, very thin, and very tall, that stretched like columns from the floor, to the ceiling. Those in front, displayed the animated logo of the corporation, a few green leaves in front of a lab coat, worn by a pleasantly smiling woman in glasses.

The TV's in the back, however, displayed a different picture entirely. A haunted, haggard, disheveled looking man in a lab-coat, seeming much older than his age. His short graying hair a mess, drenched in ash and sweat. His glasses cracked in one lens, bent, as he stares seemingly right at you, the tears on his cheeks now dry, as he releases a bitter sweet smile, staring emptily, eerily, as you approach.



"...-Because... we would do anything for our children... wouldn't we?" his voice boomed so loudly across the lobby, it briefly put you into a stupor. It was coming out of every speaker, not just on this floor, but from seemingly every speaker in the building. His bitter-sweet smile grew wider, as fresh tears flowed down his cheeks. He nodded to himself and reached with a giant hand forward, as if trying to grab you through the TV screen.

"This message will now repeat." he clicked something off-screen, something you couldn't see and the image on the TV's all flashed, resetting to the same man, sitting in that same dimply lit office room, in that same chair. Only there were no tears in his eyes, yet.


You looked under your feet and finally noticed the blood stains, massive puddles of blood that smeared the lobby, dispersed here and there. A bloody hand-print smeared on a cracked TV screen. Somebodies shoe. A pile of documents covered in coagulated, dry blood, making the papers stick together like glue. A dismembered hand with no body. Somebodies purse.


You saw the glass doors on the far side of the lobby slide open, and heard a consistent crunching sound, as several pairs of paws began to tap on the floor, their claws sounding in a staccato. Before four orange parasites rounded the reception desk, staring at you with their rabid, insane eyes. There was no conscious thought there. Only desire. To eat.


They looked like wolves with the spikes of hedgehog covering the entire lengths of their backs. Their maws more akin to the jaws of a centipede, their bodies glowed orange. One of them stopped chewing on a dismembered hand and let it drop to the floor, before the creatures charged at you on all fours, each one no taller than a meter in height.

Kaylee Brown wrote:"...there's nothing else we can do." Kaylee replied in a colorless voice, leaning against the large, rectangular window, her expression growing emptier by the minute "...rest for now... you'll need it later... prepare for prolonged combat."

About halfway through the journey, Rogue has a thought, and tries to levitate his rifle using telekinesis, to see whether native magic may be possible again now that the global madness had abated.

Kaylee Brown wrote:You looked under your feet and finally noticed the blood stains, massive puddles of blood that smeared the lobby, dispersed here and there. A bloody hand-print smeared on a cracked TV screen. Somebodies shoe. A pile of documents covered in coagulated, dry blood, making the papers stick together like glue. A dismembered hand with no body. Somebodies purse.

You saw the glass doors on the far side of the lobby slide open, and heard a consistent crunching sound, as several pairs of paws began to tap on the floor, their claws sounding in a staccato. Before four orange parasites rounded the reception desk, staring at you with their rabid, insane eyes. There was no conscious thought there. Only desire. To eat.

They looked like wolves with the spikes of hedgehog covering the entire lengths of their backs. Their maws more akin to the jaws of a centipede, their bodies glowed orange. One of them stopped chewing on a dismembered hand and let it drop to the floor, before the creatures charged at you on all fours, each one no taller than a meter in height.

"Here we go again" Rogue sighs, and casts Lightning at the closest parasite.