Entwined Into Chaos

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

With the Magic Council declaring that they would be assisting the Ishgar Symposium with its security needs, the world was now turning all eyes to the mission that was about to unfold before their very eyes. This was, by no stretch of the imagination, a huge undertaking; giving Bellum and Pergrande third-party support in their negotiations to end this massive conflict was certainly nothing less than a declaration of support for the cessation of hostilities. If that was not an efficient way to get one’s support across, nobody else knew. Most of the guilds had decided to respond favourably to the request for assistance, of course. It fell within the purview of the vast majority of Fiore’s guilds to help out with maintaining the peace of all lands, foreign and domestic, as giving peace to the world was a kindness that simply could not be overlooked.

To that end, Morgana had been deployed as part of the multi-unit team representing Meliora Vitae’s Relocation and Dispatch division. While this was outside of their normal monster-taming duties, this was certainly within the bounds of the guild’s overarching requirement to vie for peace wherever humanly possible. A number of guild members had been deployed to Felidae City in order to ensure that the local populace did not come to harm - this was their primary mandate in maintaining the balance of the world and thus they would fight to help those in need. The one downside was that with Felidae being so expansive and so many people cheering in the streets to celebrate the historic moment that would change the balance of the world, the defence of the city was having to be stretched considerably. Some of the strike teams had been left to their own devices, though given communications tools. So too had they been deployed alongside members of other guilds - and, fortunately, that meant that there was ample opportunity for guilds from all walks of life to cooperate. It was absolutely the perfect cover for Uriel to tag along with his partner, which meant that they would be able to face the exigence of this operation together. Sabertooth, similarly, had sent a sufficient number of its members to the area as independent operators, so that they could support the more large-scale and dedicated deployments, such as the Rune Knights’ barrier teams, or the medical teams that seemed to comprise a multi-guild operation.

In this particular case, Morgana and Uriel were now holed up on the ground floor of a building in the middle of the city, where a number of people from different guilds were spending some downtime. They themselves were working, however. This command post was in the far west of the city, where there was considerable foot traffic to monitor as the people went about their daily business. Many of the city’s revelers were currently congregating just out the front, where they were screaming, cheering and celebrating the momentous peace treaty that was to be imminently signed; the fact that there were so many out the front made it hard for the guild personnel to enter and exit the building in a hurry, but that was fine. So far, all things were quiet on the western front.

And I feel terrible just for writing that.

At this point, Uriel and Morgana were seated at a table, listening to the people come to and fro within the building. Plenty of allied guild members were coming in, whether they were Fairy Tail mercenaries, Rune Knights guardians, or even other Meliora Vitae operatives waiting for someone to come along - most of them had stories, a few words to share, or some insights into the layout of the city and the lay of the land as it currently stood - some people had some great ideas as to how to move around the crowds. Uriel considered it wise to be listening to the counsel, even if he was currently seated at a table with his beloved, cradling a takeaway cup of tea in his hands. Everything here was able to be disposed of in moments just in case the worst was to come to pass.

In their ears were earpieces, linked to the Vitae net; while Uriel was with Sabertooth, Morgana had managed to secure him one for reasons, which meant that he was now sitting there and able to hear what the scouting teams were saying. The idle voices every few minutes were a good indication as to the activity levels of the city anyway.

”I think this is all rather exciting anyway,” commented the noble. ”Our first time serving in a large-scale operation, away from home… it’s actually rather quite nice to be able to do something to help.”

Uriel was thrilled, if truth be told. The fact that he could make himself useful on their first outing, where the guilds were willing to take on the assistance of all of its members, was a refreshing change of pace. The Ca-Elian military would never have allowed something like this to transpire and the noble knight was glad of the change. Being out in the world, seeing new places, being able to give his experience to them - that was precisely the thing he had left his homeland to do in the first place. This was certainly the way he wished his life to be. Part of him wished for some excitement, of course, but peace was a far better option for the day’s events no matter how they turned out.

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

"What look?" Uriel shot back almost immediately, knowing full well that there was in fact a look of bemusement on his face at the fact she was spending more time enjoying her tea than she was doing anything else. It was rather adorable, if truth be told. The fact that this operation had the potential to be incredibly stressful and she was there focusing on her cup of tea was one of the many things he was enamoured with. There was a certain aura around her when she was steeped within her world, so completely enthralled that she became one with the tea.

He smiled, casting his eyes to and fro about the room, contemplating their situation. It was rapidly approaching the nominated time of the Symposium, where the guild guards were going to be expected to be on high alert. All personnel were going to have to put in considerable work safeguarding the populace; every person inside this room was going to likely need to put in some work today, once they needed to deploy. There was no need currently to do so, particularly when they saw no need to terrify an innocent populace, especially one that trended towards neutrality in times of strife. These people were not warriors. These people did not seek to be involved in the ideological war of magic and technology, where the Bellans and Pergrandians clashed over their divided views of the extremities of their beliefs. Uriel was here to ensure that such conflict did not conflate to such an extent. These innocents did not deserve to know the pain of war. Nobody did.

”Victor two-two - three hostiles spotted with explosive device in sector two-two alleyway. Engaging.”

That was the voice of Rhace Tarrin in their earpieces. Both Uriel and Morgana had met the man long before any of the three of then had ventured to the shores of Fiore; his sword style was legendary amongst Ca-Elian nobility and the stories of the Tarrin family serving kings and queens of times long past were still held as royal historical fact. Why the family had elected to retreat to their little island keep and offer their knowledge to all who proved their worth was beyond many, but Uriel and Morgana were nonetheless thankful that there was a familiar, friendly face amongst her guild - it meant that Uriel could rest easy that she would be well looked after.

However, something he said had him on edge. The fact that they'd heard about an explosive had Uriel's guard up already. He, like many others, were now casting furtive glances around the room, gauging the reaction from the others present. If danger truly was present, then the guild teams were going to be called to action far sooner than any of them had anticipated. So too was he concerned for the health of his countryman, as Rhace was a valuable asset to not only his homeland but his guild. His sword skills would keep him safe, surely. Wouldn't they?

"I hope Master Tarrin will be fine," the Ca-Elian knight murmured to his beloved.  "We are too far out of position to support him. Let's keep an ear out. This cannot bode well."

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

”Usually my foot, Morgana, I am always your number one choice,” he told her, before leaning across the table with a devilish smile. ”Especially if I have to remind you that your feline qualities are showing.” That would stop her dead in her tracks, he knew, for there were ways to convince her to cooperate without having to push too hard to get her to obey. Not that doing so was ever particularly problematic, but at least this was one way to handle it. Her occasional obedience was nice to have in public, after all.

More importantly, however, Uriel could detect the rising worry in his beloved’s tone, and writ upon her face– rightly so– was now contorted into a face of concern for her fellow guild-mate. Never mind that they had known Rhace for far too long to begin with, and the scion of the Tarrin family had always gotten along so well with the two of them, but this was something else entirely. If Morgana had contemplated that this was the course of action that she wished to take, then so be it; he would not argue with the healer’s decision. This was one of her tasks as set to her by the guild, and it would be her responsibility to see to its execution. Uriel was here to support her, not the other way around.

”Do it, Mor,” he said, pushing up from his seat. ”Maybe we should go and find out-”

To accentuate his sentence, or more accurately to interrupt it completely, the tumultuous noise of an explosion split the heavens. It was a loud thunder-crash, intermingled with the sound of metal raining down, a sound that was so self-evident that there was no escaping what its true nature was; so too moments later was it joined by a second. And a third.

Rhace had been right. The insurgents had explosives. And more than one, it seemed.

What had been joy in the air turned to panic as the screams of the civilians all across the city began to join the chorus while yet more detonations followed along, the unholy cacophony now the mutated, twisted corpse of joy formed into terror.

As Uriel pushed himself up from his seat, confusion and rage now upon his face in equal measure, he looked to the others in the room who were having a mixed bag of similar reactions. Orders were now streaming in from operational headquarters, which effectively all said the same thing: all units were to immediately deploy to the city and calm the general populace, ensure their safety, and deal with the insurgents to the best of their abilities. It was going to be a tall order. The identities of the attackers were as yet unknown but they were primarily suspected to be Joyan natives. Likely upset by the fact that foreign powers had intruded upon their soil and were now a threat to their sovereignty; which, as well aware, was not the case– but angry radicals rarely, if ever, saw reason. This was suddenly gone from a walk in the park of an operation to one that was not only layered, but incredibly dangerous– for the guilds and the general populace both.

The phoenix knight turned to his beloved, ”You might want to get that shuttle for Master Tarrin,” Uriel said, before a shimmer of white around his body formed the heavy-duty phoenix aegis, and to his hand the spear of his duty; already brimming with the energies of his magic coursing through it as if by veins, he was prepared to undertake the harsh reality of his duties: destroy the enemy, rout them, and defend the innocent from the peril that now gripped them. It was time to move out, to ensure that the Joyan populace did not suffer the rage of the others.

He reached his hand to her, clad in mighty steel.

”Come, my love. Duty calls.”

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

Morgana had done her duty to their fellow Ca-Elian, it seemed; while there was little in the way of actual responses, the fact remained that she had called for Rhace to have his rescue organised. In the back of his mind, Uriel needed to ensure that this was followed up at a later time. After all, if his ass was not pulled out of the fire this time, who knew what would befall him in future? There would be no place for doubt when it came to the lives of their fellow guild-mates. Well, in Uriel’s case, he was not a member of Meliora Vitae, but at the very least he felt for his fellow countryman. If nothing else, it would make Morgana’s life a little easier down the track knowing that she would have a friendly face to rely on when it came to guild work that she might have undertaken in the future.

Their fingers intertwined, Uriel stepped forth through the doorway to the place that they had been stationed, and with cerulean eyes cast his gaze about the streets of the city that had been so ravaged by the scenes of destruction. Multiple black tendrils of smoke rose towards the heavens, darkened plumes tained with the acrid stench of burnt rubble, motor oil and melted steel. People were now stampeding every which way in order to take shelter somewhere, anywhere, that they could hide from whatever it was that was bringing this chaotic nightmare to life. These people were terrified. They had no idea where they were going, no idea what to do - they just needed to get away from whatever fresh hell this was, and they needed safety and security.

Uriel swore, in that moment, that he would find and vanquish whoever was responsible for this particular fresh hell.

The heavy-plated footfalls of Uriel Tyrae echoed around the streets, the servo motors of the phoenix aegis whirring with every step; magically-charged energy cells powered the man as he stepped out into the fray, eyes scanning left and right for any sign of whatever could have caused the explosion. The problem itself was laid bare before them, a few hundred metres to their left, down one of the main thoroughfares of the city. Someone in their infinite wisdom had to have attached an explosive device to the underside of a car and set it off that way; the vehicle in question was now belly-up with a giant chunk cut out of its underside, as if that had been the point of origin for the detonation. Charred metal and components were strewn around the street accompanied by the tell-tale shards of glass from when the windows had blown out from the inside of the car. Some of them were now twisted and rapidly-cooled lumps, some were simply tiny chips from the windscreen. So too had one of the doors blown off, the hinges sheared completely cleanly as it tried to resist the sheer pressure created inside the vehicle’s cabin.

There was no body. Thank the Goddess that the car had not been occupied when the chaos began.

Wordlessly, Uriel was already making his way towards the wreckage. First priority: search for nearby survivors, or anyone requiring first aid after coming into contact with the explosive vehicle. Second priority: hunt down those who had been responsible for this mess. Given how recently the detonation had actually occurred, then the culprits had to be close by. Either their ego would demand that they would watch the explosion with their own two eyes to report it to whatever master they served, or the detonator required to set off the device would have been reasonably short-range. A professional bomb could not have worked here - this would have likely been a rushed home job, fabricated with components that were available locally, so that the suspicions of the authorities were not tipped off.

He cast a gaze over his shoulder, to his beloved partner. ”Mor, the second you see anyone hurt, go to them - I’ve got your back.”

From here, realistically, Morgana would be in charge of triage and healing efforts. No doubt others from the building would be following in their footsteps in order to execute the mission that they had been given, but at this point as far as the phoenix knight was concerned, it was the two of them alone. She would be free to carry out her duties however she saw fit, and Uriel’s sole purpose would be to protect her as she did so. It was the way they lived. It was how they functioned. He would not have traded any of it for the world - but perhaps he would have traded this day for a far more peaceful one.

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

Uriel watched on as Morgana summoned her star globe. It was a relatively new item for her, for she was only now coming in to her own with her magic. The globe itself was a transcendental item that shone with the inner light of the moon, to which Uriel and Morgana were finally coming to understand that provided some of the source of her magical power. Reading the stars, using their alignments, and drawing on the shining beacons of light that reached the heavens - this was her power. To be able to draw on such power that she could heal the denizens of the world with it, well, Morgana was finally able to use the outer limits of her abilities. It was certainly a change from her more humble beginnings, where her abilities were very basic. Ca-Elum was only very marginally magical, with barely a three percent birth rate of mages; most of those had been bred into nobility and with very good reason. Both the Tyrae scion and his lover were blessed, and the stars were in fact aligned for them.

Perhaps that, too, was their fate.

Her sudden words snapped him out of a reverie that had him smiling at his love, for she was showing proficiency in a way that she had been so hesitant to display previously. A summons to action, where Uriel had his attention brought to a figure skulking nearby, gave him sufficient reason to focus on the target that was before him. This one, tall, lanky, thin and clothed with a black cloak and hood to hide his features, poked his body around the corner of a building to survey the damage that had been done to the area before he hid himself once again. However, he had not been quick enough to prevent the two Ca-Elian nobles from detecting him, which gave the phoenix knight cause to give chase to the enemy that had rather suddenly exposed himself to his enemies. That was the only way Uriel would have to think in order to survive this day: those who would sow discord and chaos could only be thought of as the enemy, and not as people potentially of this city. Otherwise, he would not have the courage to fight those who would resist.

"Stay here!" he commanded of his beloved, before he blinked out of existence before her eyes to move towards the corner at which the enemy had vanished around. A moment later he reappeared, armour whirring with magical energy as he reappeared in realspace a moment later, the long glaive in his right hand whirring with azure ethereal energy transferred from the power systems in his gauntlets. He would give chase to the interloper, who was now moving down the shadows of the alleyway at high speed. Uriel was going to have to make a move rapidly, if he was to catch and interrogate their new 'friend'. They needed some information as to why this whole thing was happening as it was, but Uriel intended to avoid harming the people of this city wherever humanly possible. It was not the chivalric way.

A second shift across space, and Uriel appeared directly in front of the target. The pommel of the phoenix spear slammed into the ground, sparking energy from the tip of the blade.

"Going somewhere?" Uriel asked nonchalantly, before the spear began to point towards the enemy. It was, at its heart, a pure intimidation tactic. Scare the man, force him to talk that way - it was likely the best way to handle this situation.

The man shrieked, before he began to run back the other way towards the entrance he had come from in the first place. Uriel had to chuckle to himself. Poor fool. He was just going to end up trapping himself in a snare of his own creation while he tried to flee. The knight wasn't about to play with his food-- yet. No, it would be far easier to have him spill the beans of his own accord. Uriel would have far preferred this not to come to blows, but if it could not be helped, he was prepared to face the reality of that situation. After all, he was as heavily armoured as a battle tank. If he couldn't take a hit from the rabble, what good was he?

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

The sudden appearance of the ice wall told Uriel two things about what was transpiring. First, Morgana had successfully looked after her patient to the best of her ability, which was a wonderful thing to know - there would be no loss of human life here on their particular watch. Second, Morgana in her infinite wisdom was absolutely done with today - and it was starting to show in the noble woman’s demeanour. She was not tolerating any more of the crap that was going on around her, which was probably going to mean that it would escalate ever so slightly in just a moment–

Yes. There it was. Her binding water whip. He wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

”Candy cane,” Uriel said, trying his best to stifle a laugh and failing absolutely horrendously at it. ”That’s a bit rich.”

However, though they had successfully apprehended this particular person and now had him bound in place for interrogation, Uriel found himself wondering exactly what was going to happen. He had yet to need to swing his spear in defence of the people; Morgana had already seen to the offensive needs around her, which was an interesting change of pace. Now that she was coming out of her shell with respect to her magic, it was a refreshing thing to see that she was comfortable being able to utilize all of its properties, both offensively and defensively. Not only had she gone straight from healing to blocking and attacking, she had done it with barely even a thought in her mind. For her to have matured in her craft so quickly made him an extremely proud partner. She’d done well. Better than she knew. He’d have to talk about that later that evening when this mess was all over– if they even made it home that night. There was a solid chance that they’d be stuck dealing with this for quite some time. If they got to an actual comfortable bed that night, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

Uriel’s heavy, plated footfalls brought him closer to his quarry, the echo of steel on concrete loud and powerful as it resonated off every building in the alleyway that they occupied. Methodical, rhythmic - it was a timed, perfect gait, slow so that its ringing struck fear into the heart of the enemy. This, too, was a practiced skill. All of the weapons that the phoenix knight had available, both physical and psychological, would need to come to bear here in this situation. If Uriel could avoid a physical confrontation, he absolutely would. If not… well, as always, he was prepared to discharge his duty as a true knight.

”Now, let’s have a little chat, you and I,” he began, the timbre of his words falling dark as he spoke with only measured tones. ”I would know the identity of your master. And perhaps what you hope to accomplish with this little stunt of yours.”

Bound, panicked and unable to flee the situation, the man before Uriel Tyrae was caught with fear just as much as he was stricken with anything else - there was little to no pain that he had been inflicted, but the way that these two had engaged him spoke to a terror deeper than any physical wound could have possibly inflicted. They had done this on purpose, with great intent. They were here to cause their own problem. Interrogation– as simple as that sounded– was a likely outcome. How much would he have to suffer at their hands? Would they hurt him? Would they torture him? The way this man in armour was carrying on– gods, you couldn’t even see his face!-- it sounded like there was going to be an entire inquisition!

So caught, he shrieked in terror.

“I- I- I don’t know what to tell you!” he yelled, trying anything to get out of the precarious situation that he was in. “I don’t know anything!”

”Is that so?” Uriel countered, lowering the tip of the spear as he approached so that its point was aimed directly at the man’s throat. [color=gold]”Your spying on a bomb site, and subsequent egress from the area, suggests otherwise, my friend. Do you care to share why you acted so suspiciously?”[color]

“I- I dunno, man! Come on! I really don’t!”

The lies dripped off his words as honey from a beehive.

In response, the phoenix spear sparked to life, crackling eldritch blue as it arced with energy almost reminiscent of electricity. ”Last chance. Why. Were. You. Here?”

“I- I- I- I- okay, okay, okay!” he finally stammered, to which Uriel smiled behind his masked face. “Look, someone paid me to plant that bomb, alright? I didn’t know what was going on, only that it was a lot of money! Please! I have a wife and children to feed!”

”And you thought committing an act of terrorism would get you sufficient funds to keep your family fed and away from poverty,” Uriel commented, dryly. He had little time for acts such as these. Yes, it was incredibly unfortunate that men still suffered these conditions, but when the law was broken so flagrantly, what else could he do? He was oathbound to uphold the law. There was no other solution here other than to take this suspect into custody, especially after he had confessed to committing the crime.

He looked to his partner. ”Mor, bind him, and let’s call a shuttle. We’ll take him in. Perhaps we’ll go pay Master Tarrin that visit ourselves if we have not been allocated transport for him.”

Uriel Tyrae

Entwined Into Chaos

Between the two objectives that Morgana had stated to her earpiece, a crackling voice came back– it was incredibly faint, barely enough to be heard and understood, but it was nonetheless there. “Acknowledged. Shuttle inbound to your coordinates, operative.” It seemed that they could, in fact, spare a shuttle for the task of collecting these two. Thank the goddess for that, Uriel thought to himself. It wouldn’t be an easy sell were they to have to walk these two back to the nearest command post; Uriel did not relish walking a prisoner through an active combat zone and there was no way that this woman could be moved that much in her condition. With a critical care patient that was going to require a form of immediate assistance that simply could not be provided without a stable environment, moving her too much was a risk - perhaps one a little too risky for the current situation.

It was at that moment that the dull roar of an ion engine could be heard piercing the sky; it was a particularly unique sound, one that was unmistakable. After all, not only had Morgana and Uriel arrived earlier that day aboard the same kind of transport, there were only a handful of them that even existed in Earthland, being unique to Meliora Vitae and the gigantic airship that they all lived upon. The large black shadow began to loom over them as it cleared the buildings to come to the centre of the nearest intersection, which was the only area large enough for the sleek transport to descend from the heavens and settle just off the surface of the asphalt street.

Seated at either end of the rear boarding ramp were guild agents carrying rifles, and they both recognised Morgana on sight; waving over the blonde woman, they signalled to her that they were on the way to come and assist her to get her critical care patient on board. It had to be done using hand signals, for the engines’ roar was a little too loud to shout over. With that, the two men slung their weapons over their shoulders and dashed across to assist Morgana, bringing a portable stretcher with them - it wasn’t much more than some fabric between two metal poles, but it would suffice for the task. They were there to help her load, so that she could take care of the woman as best she could under the circumstances.

Uriel, meanwhile, was forcing his erstwhile captive to walk at spear-point. After waiting for the shuttle to load Morgana’s quarry, Uriel ensured that the prisoner was next; carefully, he was brought aboard and made to ride in a jump seat, where Uriel could monitor him through the rest of the flight.

”Thank you for the ride, gentlemen,” Uriel said to the two troopers as he doffed his helmet. ”We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

“Not a problem, boss. We’re actually on our way to get to Operative Tarrin right now,” one of them said as he strapped back in for the next part of their flight. True to Morgana’s request, the shuttle had been called - and it just so happened to be this one.

”Wait. You are?” Uriel stated, openly shocked by this. ”Have we heard from him?”

To hear that one of his allies was still in danger was an unacceptable situation, but if any ship could get them, it was this one. The phoenix knight looked to Morgana, and then frowned. If Rhace was still in danger, the scion of the Tyrae family and his beloved were duty bound to go and collect him.

”Let’s go get him. That daft little prat is going to get himself killed without a helping hand.”

With that, the shuttle dusted off from the tarmac, shooting up into the air. No doubt Morgana would be busy taking care of her patient, which freed Uriel up to assist Rhace when they reached his last known location. Sure enough, as they performed their first flyover of the place they had last caught his communications, there he was; it was the black-haired son of one of Ca-Elum’s most famous swordsmen, collapsed on the floor… and bleeding. By the same token, a heavyset leonin male was also on the floor next to him, but his wounds were far more severe. He appeared to be clad in a strange set of tunics and robes, but it was clear that this man had been Rhace’s enemy - and it would be a difficult moment to reconcile without the Tarrin scion’s help.

The shuttle descended, and both of the agents helped to grab Rhace back aboard - and Uriel, without hesitation, plucked Rhace and put him on the nearest rest bed so that he and Morgana could take care of him to the best of their ability. They would not let him die.

Nor would they let Rhace ever hear the end of this.

However, that was in fact their cue to leave; with three agents aboard, a prisoner for extraction and an incredibly serious wound to treat, it was far more prudent for them to return to the SS Endeavor and act there. Uriel agreed with that assessment. THis place was no longer safe, and returning home to execute their duties seemed like the more logical step. Morgana and Uriel could plan their next steps from the safety of the arboreal airship.

As they left Joyan airspace, Uriel could not help but reflect on the nightmare below. The chaos and carnage that had erupted from such a simple diversion had grown to engulf half the city in the chaotic tempest.

None of them could have predicted the utter hell that was about to come next.