Zarinia and Tonya are heading to the surface via dropship. Zarinia asks curious “So the members of Neru’s Squad are special?” Tonya nods “With the technical exception of Corporal Bair though as she is a Void Elf and that comes with its own advantages.” “Like?” “Void Elves are invisible to an Ascended’s most trusted senses, and perhaps some Oni’s though that is untested, and even some what we use to think were fool proof life sensors. Not to mention the fact that void elves don’t even need to breath and would be unaffected by the divine radiation of a Divine Waste. Though the not breathing part is something even most Void Elves don’t know.” “But it looks they are.” “Something they do unconsciously to fit in better though with a bit of effort they can stop that process.” Zarinia waits for a few and asks “What about Proto? I don’t think I ever seen a human with that color hair or eyes.” “Ah she is also uniqe but isn’t officially a part of Blackfire. Though I hope she does join. She’ll be sparing with Neru after the rest show what they can do” “Why the major?” “Only person on staff that’s her equal physically. Proto isn’t used to holding back from my understanding” Zarinia says nothing else but is even more curious than she was earlier.
After a while the drop ship lands near others by a clearing between a forest and a canyon. Upon exiting the dropship Zarinia sees that two of the squad members are finishing getting ready to spar. A red haired female Sarange with captain’s bars and a female human that has light blue dyed hair and appears to be specialist and currently wearing a rather cocky grin. Tonya says “You will be seeing things today you may not have known to be possible but will be vital to know on this mission.” Zarinia says somewhat skeptical “Ok but this better leave me in awe with how much you are talking this up.”
Tonya nods then says “Captain Yamata! Specialist Takada!” The two women tense up upon hearing their names ready to give their best performance Tonya's shout was quickly replaced with the music that suddenly roared outwards from two crimson spheres of energy that Yamata had summoned with a lightning-fast flourish and sent screaming across the field at Takada, who's arms were rapidly thickening and bubbling into a black metallic mass. Takada's bubbling arms reshaped quickly into a pair of three-foot long blades that lashed out to destroy the incoming spheres, causing the music to sputter and loudly crack before sharply dissipating. Yamata capitalized on the fractured sound made from the destroyed spheres to boost her own speed and cover the distance between herself and Takada, leaving a startled Takada only a split-second to reform an arm blade into a defensive chitinous shield and block the oncoming physical assault that sent Takada sliding backwards with enough force to rip up the ground. Yamata's musical aura begins to hum with a new frequency as she is lifted off the ground and into the air causing Takada to grin before shouting "Flying are we!?" and draining the essence from nearby trees, via thin spikes that had exploded from her own body, to grow a pair of wings and match Yamata in the skies above the sparring ground. Yamata forged a blade of acoustic energy as Takada was flying towards her and both fighters proceeded to crash into each other and exchange an untold number of powerful blows filling the air with an echoing chorus of song and black steel. After a few frenzied moments Takada manages to overpower her opponent and send her flying into the distant woods. After not seeing her opponent leave the woods she lands concerned before realizing that her landing made absolutely zero sound and that the fight was still on. She begins to quickly scan both ground and sky for her silent opponent when she receives a fierce blow to the back that knocks her down and results in her being pinned to the ground. Takada then reaches behind her and taps on Yamata's side to signal her surrender, her wings' stolen mass reverting back into tree trunks that slam onto the ground “I yield damit. I hate it when you do sound absorption. It’s so dam disorienting.” Yamata grins “Don’t feel too bad specialist. You lasted longer than normal. Also, your biomass absorption seems to have sped up. Been practicing?” Zarinia is more then shocked as she asks “Bioweapons?” Tonya says “Not quite…well Takada might be but part of what you seen her do she was capable of before joining. Though they did go under an augmentation of sorts of their own free will knowing full well the danger. But I’ll explain more after the next two sparing sessions.” Takada and Yamata walk up to Zarinia and salute. Takada says “Specialist Maki Takada.” Yamata sounds off next “Captain Junko Yamata.” Both then say “Reporting for duty.”
Zarinia nods as the two relax and watch as woman with white hair and blue highlights who images shimmers a bit as ice blue demonic looking wings ‘appear’ on her back. An Ice Sekro or ‘succubus’ as some crueler people might have called her. The opposite side stands a morna dwarf that appears wider then normal and kind of heavier. Tonya says “Corporal Kuwata! Corporal Strongpike! Now!” At the match's start Strongpike vaults into the air leaving cracked earth behind him and uses the weight of gravity to land a massive initial blow, only to have his target blow away as snow on the wind, Upon realizing he fell for a decoy he grunts "Damn, fell for the snow image, so where is she rea-" his words are cut off into a startled yell when Kuwata lifts him up into the air by his underarms and is summarily tossed towards the tree line like a dwarven rocket. Strongpike sticks the landing after being thrown and uses the moment to rip up and hurl a full-grown tree at the ice sekro Kuwata, who then proceeds to deflect with a wall of frozen air conjured with alarming speed. Kuwata brings the block down to the ground with her and creates two clones in the process who all leap over the block of ice in unison and surround Strongpike. Strongpike smiles and bellows confidently "The ice decoy only works once" as he strikes a mighty blow in her center of mass causing the illusions to disperse and making Kuwata crumple who taps out in the following pin. Strongpike helps her back on her feet they present themselves. Kuwata says “Corporal Renka Kuwata.” Strongpike says “Corporal Gavrick Strongpike.”
They are then dismissed as Neru and Proto take the field. Zarinia notices Proto has her weapon with her. “Uh Tonya? Is it okay for Proto to be armed?” Tonya says “It is. Oh, and you might want to brace.” Zarinia is confused by that as Tonya says “Proto! Major Kirigiri!” Proto unfurls her weapon into a scythe as Tonya finishes “Try not to leave too big of a crater.” Light begins to bend around Neru into the shape of armor, sword, and shield before fading into solid orange metal. At the same time the air behind Neru shimmers as if a mirage is fading to reveal the wings of an angel coming off her back as both launch at each other, the ground denting where proto was, at blinding speeds. Their weapons clashing against each other as a shockwave erupts from the first blow taking Zarinia by surprise, but she manages to stay standing as shockwave after shockwave rolls over which each blow the two combatants continue to clash. She is having a hard time keeping up with the fight as both Proto and Neru move faster and faster causing the shockwaves to come at an ever increasing pace. Sparks flying every time they clash though soon even the sparks don’t help Zarinia keep track as the light reaches her eyes after another clash and shockwave has happened. This goes on for some time till Neru is seen flying in the air above as Proto is now seen once more as well. Trees begin to uproot and float into the air and they angle at proto as Neru angles her sword. Proto begins to spin her scythe fast enough for one to mistake as a propeller. As Neru brings her sword down the trees launch like giant spears at Proto who is undeterred as she keeps swinging her scythe she easily cuts the flying trees out of her way as she uses others to begin jumping up to towards Neru, though all Zarinia can make out is some trees turning to saw dust and others violently slamming straight down to the ground before a familiar shockwave rolls across the air again. Shockwaves proceed to rolls over the air and then the ground followed by the largest and most intense shockwave yet causes the ground to roll like waves. When the dust settles both are breathing heavily in a 15ft crater. Tonya says “All right that’s enough. I’d call that a draw.” Neru’s armaments become light once more and dissipate as proto folds up her weapon. Both jump out of the crater.
Zarinia says more than a little surprised “You have Ascended working for you?!?!” Tonya says “Just Neru.” “How!?!” Neru speaks unsure how much she wishes to share “Some…events caused me to lose faith in Zelda, events Tonya helped me with, and since I was born an Angel, I can’t be descended. Tonya was willing to hire me.” “And anti ascended task force?” “Already existed though it was my honor to start leading.” “And proto?” proto says “Even I’m not too sure what I am. Their scanners say I should be an Ascended, but I don’t register as any of them exactly. What I remember before they stumbled upon me is being experimented on, anger, and then a long period of Isolation.” Zarinia asks “And the other four?” Tonya speaks “Well some of Maki’s powers were hers well before she joined us, and she doesn’t like talking about how she got them all we know is it wasn’t her choice. Other then that she’s human.” Neru says “As for the abilities they displayed. They are kind of ‘artificial’ Ascendori.” Zarinia asks “kind of?” “They didn’t start off as Ascendori though any test would show them as such.” “How?” “Not something I want to go into details on but none the less it’s extremely dangerous with a not insignificant chance of failure even with those that would be compatible as it does overwrite half of their genetics. But as you can see to those willing to take the risk it means standing somewhat of a chance against Ascended, don’t need to fear divine radiation, and greatly increases and expands their natural abilities. Kuwata, as I’m sure you noticed, is a Sekro. Though unlike others of her kind she can now use her pheromones to induce any emotional state, including helping someone calm down from a panic for example. Or freeze the very air near her.” Zarinia whistles “maybe this gig isn’t as mad as I thought. Why do you need me?” Tonya says “Proto is the only one with any real combat experience against Oni or dealing with Divine Waste. Though she has no leadership experience and until we found her didn’t even know divine radiation was a thing as she doesn’t need special shielding for it.” Zarinia nods “Whereas I have both. All right makes sense.”
