Parallel: The Legion

Chapter 5: Stormranger

Two days, it's been about two days since she last heard from Ryder. What intrigued Raisa though was the man that talked to them in the first place could it be their CEO?. She paced around the room she was provided. Ever since they arrived her worry only grew for her small family. Of course it was a heavy weight on her but she had to deal with it. That wasn't high on her priority list. Between the three of them, she was the soldier. She left command to Ryder and support to Genevieve. She sighed heavily as she reminisced about their time together in King's Journey. All the battles, bar fights, brawls..all of their friends, no, family in the Wardens of the North. She took a deep breath and expelled it as she stopped in front of the mirror. It was at anxious times like these that she wished he was there.

"My name is Raisa Zakrevsky...I am the Prophet's right hand..the blade and the shield, the Vanguard." She released another breath then composed herself. Her bright blue eyes contrasted against her black hair which caused her to smile. A joke between them. Finally she looked over at the Full Dive device tucked into the the floor. They were given the basic specs, everything they already knew, and a pat on the back. She played with her necklace before tapping the button with her foot to make the device rise. Slowly it went up and position itself until everything was locked in. Raisa gently lay down into the machine and quietly it came to life.

The darkness took over for a little while until the war unfolded in front of her eyes. Delves against the coalition forces.. They didn't stand a chance.. Soon she flew over a great stretch of land and squealed as a basilisk stared at her. It roared and growled as it surfaced where a city was defending itself against orcs and bandits. A girl riding on a...the only way she could describe it would be a blue hellhound while being escorted by another..

"Intriguing is it not? Different events, different purposes, different outcomes, yet the will of the fighters is not broken." A man wearing full steel armor appeared, his cape tattered from years of combat. "Valerium..home of the most versatile warriors in Drakase."

"Who are you?" Her sixth sense did not see him as a threat. She relaxed and walked closer to the man old enough to be her father.

"Apologies. I am the Former King of Valerium until I was killed by my council." The man answered gruffly, the rage evident in his voice.

"How long has this been going on?" She replied calmly as she processed what the factions were attempting to do. Battle lines were formed at the southern gate and running at them were orc berserkers..

"This is the second day. What is your name warrior?"

"Eclipse my liege." As she said that, the customization options finally came up. Hundreds of races to choose from in the beast category, a few dozen from the humans and a handful from the elves. Immediately she spotted what she wanted. A half-elf. She selected it and the features were placed on her body. She looked down with a grin and saw her reflection.

"Are you satisfied Eclipse?" The ghost asked as he watched the battle unfold.

"I am, it was an honour to meet you my lord." She gave him a respectful bow. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Make your mark on this world." He clasped arms with her until she was placed inside the city walls along with other new recruits. The battle raged outside and an officer stood in front of them.

"Your courage will be rewarded by the opportunity to fight by the side of your brothers and sisters!" They were each given a cloak and a set of the standard armour the Valerians had. "Owls head for the range, Bears stay here, Rams to the stables."

She quickly equipped everything from her inventory. On her spaulder was an owl. She tilted his head and looked around seeing that her and the other archers were wearing the lightest armor, more like a cuirass really. They were given a few potions which she quickly stashed. Eclipse's eyes brightened as she saw the bows. Instead of the standard wooden limbs, these ones were essentially blades. The arrows that came with them looked to be just as deadly with the iron shaft and the steel arrowhead they lovingly called the Ripper. Their group was split in half, one went on to send arrows down the range, and her group who was taught how to fight using the bow itself.

"Think of it as two swords, with a metal thread that can give you ability to choke someone." The one sentence alone made her grin. Back in King's Journey right along side her shield was a twin bladed glaive which she threw at her enemies or she cut them down like the Sith. They went through about another hour or so of training with both uses of the bow. When they were finally given a break, she grinned at how her stats were already and how she was going to set it up. Her Stamina was higher than both her HP and MP. Good, for both extended battles and quick escapes. She swiped her hand down and viewed her attributes and her inventory.

Name: Eclipse

Race: Half-Elf

Profession: N/A

Class: Waywatcher

Current Level: 3

STR: 5

PER: 8

END: 6

VIT: 5

AGL: 7

INT: 8

9 Skill points available.

How did she want to want to build her character? She sighed like she usually did when Sera started to hunt down the poor men who fell under her charisma. Often, Ryder and Raisa would just watch her completely hypnotize groups and obey her every command. She put 4 points into Agility, 2 points into Vitality, another 2 points in Endurance and the last point into Strength. Her HP began at 60 and her MP was at 150. Those will do for now. She began pacing back and forth with her fellow recruits watching her. Not wanting to really talk to anyone else, she just took her stance and began to train. Her movements became more and more fluid as she kept repeating the steps. Soon, her whole group started to train as well. When the other Owls returned, they rotated between the range and the courtyard. The officers watched as they began to create new forms and techniques to make their attacks increasingly efficient, especially when they're with other Owls.

Skill Learned: Blade Dancer(3.7%)
Passive

Mesmerise your enemies as you slaughter their allies. Let your blade become an extension of your body. Train to increase Attack Speed.

Skill Learned: Ranger(2.0%)
Passive

Arrows come and go, both from you and shot at you. Everything is a target. Draw speed and Target acquisition increase as the skill progresses.

Skill Learned: Power Shot(2.1%)
Active

Pierce through the hearts of your enemies, let their bodies fall from the velocity of your arrow.

Now that that was done, she sat down as they began to get their assignments. Their regiment was just over a hundred, divided into units of 25, which was further divided into 'squads' of 5. Mirana's unit and another unit were joining up with the assault of the enemy base. A general call was heard throughout the training segments. All the new recruits, deemed worthy by their instructors assembled in the staging area. At the front stood General Nagash, flanked by two warriors. To his right stood a man in full Valerian armour armed with a sword on his waist, holding his helmet with his left arm, hidden by the shield. To his left was a warrior shrouded in mystery. His light plate armour had a darker shade to it, and instead of a helm he wore a hood hiding his face with shadow. Across his back was a belt of daggers and horizontal on the small of his back was a short sword.

"Alright, you have your assignments. You have been trained to fight. One thing they don't teach you here is how to make the tough choices. That all depends on your morals." He spoke with such authority that each soldier was stunned into silence. "Look to your brothers and sisters. Tomorrow, you will all be fighting beside each other. Tomorrow, you will become the blade and the shield of this city." He stepped down from the stage and started to walk amongst the soldiers. " You all know your tasks, strike with vigilance, protect whoever you can." The general patted a few soldiers and clasped arms with a few. Finally he stood before Eclipse who gave him a friendly smile and a straightened up her posture. He grinned at her and a few others snickered. "Get some rest, spend time with the ones you love. Bring honour to your homes."

"For Valerium!" Maddox shouted from the stage and the chant rang through the ranks. Meanwhile Kovac inspected his fellow player. He let a small smile form on his face. Welcome to the crucible Raisa..

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