Cordelia Jenkins's Story

The Raid

Some starting plot points

-A Resistance espionage squad has been deployed to the Fujiimatsu Mechanical factory to glean vital intel about the rumored Corrupted superweapon.

-After the Resistance squad has breached the factory and searching for the intel that may or may not be there, corrupted units around the city begin forming a perimeter around the factory and is closing in to cut off escape. Corrupted stealth bombers are already flying through the skies.

-Some of the heroes arriving to Throst are teleported right into the heart of Fujiimatsu Mechanical Factory(Heroes could be teleported elsewhere initially.)

-The Corrupted leaders knew the Heroes would be teleported to Fujiimatsu, Resistance units are only there by coincidence.
Their orders were to allow no one to leave the factory alive. Troops will be positioned around the factory to gun or cut down anyone that leaves; stealth bombers will bomb the factory to erase any evidence.

-Operation takes place at night when factory workers are preparing to go home.

-Not all characters have to be on the scene.

-Heroes, could post about events leading up before their teleportation to Throst.

-A door of light transports the heroes to the new world

The roleplay is officially open.

Push-up, relax, push-up, relax, push-up, relax…

Her breathing was even, and her muscles were burning with power. If not for the concentration, Cordelia felt natural in this state.

At the top of the humongous pillar of stone high up in the mountains, Cordelia’s feet pointed straight into the air. Her legs were unwavering as she stood on the first two fingers and the thumb of each hand. The high-altitude air currents only served to up the ante for this feat of physical endurance.

Push-up, relax, push-up, relax, push-up, relax…

Cordelia had been up there for half an hour. The two hours beforehand involved her climbing the spire without a tether. She wasn’t in any real danger. She spent all her mornings like this. Every time she would return home to enjoy a cup of tea, and then she would get on with her day. The sun finally peeked over a low mountain, signifying that it was time for Cordelia to head home. After lowering herself, she bent her waist to allow her legs to reach the ground. She stood up slowly to allow the blood to spread out evenly once more, and she massaged her wrists.

It was going to be a wonderful day. Cordelia could hardly wait to continue her teaching the children of the town she moved to. She pulled the brain-sized rock off of her jacket and coat, and donned both layers before clambering backwards down the spire. She made it half-way when the nearby farm’s rooster emitted a shrill cry that flowed through the mountains like a stream. Cordelia knew that by the time she returned to town, the sun’s rays would be fully on the town’s nearby farms.

Once she touched down on the ground, she began her morning sprint back to town. Her lightweight boots pounded against the dusty road as she reached inhuman speeds. She darted expertly along the curving mountain road until she rounded the tallest mountain, where the town was situated in a position situated near a glacial waterfall, where only the most suicidal of bandits would ever consider raiding- even if Cordelia didn’t live there.

Due to the highly defendable position and the water source, the small town knew little else but peace. The monk was probably the only living fighter in the entire town, though she did teach the children and those who wished to become stronger to help around the town.

The mountain town overlooked a huge expanse of plains, where the majority of Cordelia’s students lived. The outermost farms were bathing in the sunlight, but it wouldn’t be until noon that the sun would reach the town itself. It was more populous than Cordelia’s old hometown, but it was equally as quiet, waterfall notwithstanding. Most of the town’s early birds were the miners and blacksmiths. The only other ones awake were the significant others of said early birds.

Cordelia wished good morning to the other early birds of the town as she made her way to her tavern. The tavern was always open, and was run by a couple whom Cordelia employed, in the event she had to leave for whatever hero-like reason. They greeted her. “How was the morning routine?” The woman, Kella, asked as the man set a kettle of water on the potbellied stove.

“Fantastic, as always,” Cordelia responded. On the shelves behind the counter, besides a barrel of ale, were many glasses and cups. Most of the cups were of Cordelia’s collection- inherited from her parents so long ago. Half of them were ugly mugs, but she treasured them dearly.

Three of the cups were in the hands of patrons having breakfast before joining their friends down in the mountain mines. They too greeted the most powerful person in the entire town. No one was disrespectful enough not to. If not for the obvious law enforcement provided by the kingdom, and her position as a hero, Cordelia would be the mayor of the town. Even if she could, Cordelia wouldn’t have wanted to be the mayor anyway. She was most comfortable as the owner of a tavern and a member of the fighting team that saved the land.

The boiling kettle was emptied into a tea pot with tea leaves within, which was then poured into a cup. Cordelia’s tall, muscular frame sat firmly on the comfortable stool, and the male worker served the cup of tea. “Thank you, Gerard,” Cordelia said before picking up the cup to drink. The warmth of the water and the vitamins of the leaves brushed away all the cold and signs of weakness she had felt while up on the spire. Once she was finished, she relaxed in the chair for a while as the warmth passed from head to toe, and back up again. She felt her chi expand and contract in rhythm with her breathing. “That’s the stuff,” she murmured.

The wood paneling creaked as two of the patrons finished their breakfast and headed out the door, leaving their utensils behind for the tavern workers to clean up after them. Rude, possibly, but it did give the employed couple something to do. The town was indeed ungodly peaceful.

Every day was the same ever since Cordelia and Co. rid the world of the Corruption. Being a patient woman with interests beyond fighting, Cordelia did not mind the lack of fighting. She wasn’t sure how her old companions fared since they went their separate ways. There was always a part of her that wondered how they were doing in their own little corner of the world.

Cordelia finished her own drink and set the cup on the counter. She then rose and fastened the buttons on her cloak. “I’m going to head down to the farms,” she informed the couple.

“Alright,” Gerard called from the kitchen, “See you this afternoon.”

Down at the farms, there was a large chapel that served two functions: paying tribute to the Goddess whom blessed their town with Cordelia and her power, and a school for the children to learn. Cordelia taught these children, as well as everyone else in the area, the martial arts that had been all but lost when Cordelia’s hometown was destroyed.

As she approached the chapel, she was approached by many children- excited for the continued opportunity to learn from the tall monk.

“Hello Miss Jenkins!” The children greeted in semi-unison.

“Hello, children,” Cordelia returned the greeting, “Here early, aren’t we?”

“Yeah!” one of the kids chimed, “We can’t wait to beat up bandits like you did!”

Cordelia laughed, “My forms aren’t just for fighting you…” She paused when she saw a little girl hanging back behind the crowd. The girl contrasted sharply with the farm kids. She resembled a flawless diamond with golden-white hair, and a snow-white blouse. “… know…”

The children noticed Cordelia’s concerned look, and they all turned to the little girl.

“What’s wrong?” one child asked. Evidently, the children couldn’t see the girl.

Cordelia reached into her cloak, and fished out an old envelope. She crouched down to the eldest child and handed him the envelope. “I want you to take this to your teacher. It is very important that Mrs. Miller reads it.”

“Yeah, sure Miss Jenkins,” the child replied, equally concerned.

“Run along now. You’ll be late for class, and you know what happens to those who are late.” Cordelia teased while flexing her neck muscles to appear more intimidating. The ground around her seemed to crack as her chi burrowed into the pockets of air between the dirt road. The children screamed and laughed as they scattered on the way to the chapel.

Cordelia watched them leave and then turned to the snow-white girl who remained. “How can I serve, O’ Goddess?”

The Goddess informed Cordelia on the events that had been happening on another plane, a world called Throst. Cordelia had never heard of it, and she found it unlikely that anyone in her known world knew what it was.

“I wonder how the Corruption appeared in this Throst place…” Cordelia pondered, “Or if there are other worlds they could appear in…”

“That is a question to which I know not the answer,” The Goddess replied, “However, there is little time. An old friend, Markus, has already been sent over. I am using my power to send you and your old allies to Throst. You may be separated, but not by much distance. You will need to regroup once you make it through.”

“I understand,” Cordelia bowed. The Goddess then vanished. In Her place, a monolith of light stood tall. Cordelia approached the solid white portal and stepped over the hard-to-see threshold.

The cold morning mountain air switched out with a dank, metallic metallic air. Cordelia’s cloak fluttered wildly as rapid air currents threatened to carry her into the sky. In front of her was a full-armoured knight with a curved, single-edged, long-hilted blade in one hand. In the other hand was a device that Cordelia had never seen before, but the knight appeared to wield it not unlike a crossbow, with some sort of trigger mechanism by the hand.

The knight-like man was standing in a claustrophobic room. His left and right flanks were covered by two doors that gave Cordelia a high-altitude view of some sort of cold gray building. The way the air currents lowed through the tiny room reminded Cordelia of old flying machines back home.

“Another one?” The armoured swordsman questioned more to himself than anyone else in the tight quarters. Before Cordelia could converse with the figure, it rose the slender blade and lunged.

Cordelia triangle-stepped right to both dodge the thrust and also close the distance. With her left hand, she snapped a powerful vice-grip onto the grip. The swordsman seemed surprised, but tried to raise the device to point the device’s slim tube end at the woman. With her right hand, the monk swatted the device away just before the pipe blasted light and heat with a split-second flash of fire. Behind Cordelia, some kind of metal bolt impacted against the wall of the tiny room, and ricocheted further behind her.

Her chi felt incoming movement from behind, so she tugged with her right hand to pull the swordsman towards her. With her right hand clenched into a fist, she slammed the swordsman’s shoulder with tectonic force. The swordsman emitted a cry of pure agony as the plating of the suit crumpled and crushed inward, sending a disgusting spray of blood escaping insurmountable pressure. The strange device was flung down the tiny room, where it struck the flying machine’s pilot in the temple. The pilot exposed that vulnerability when he turned to see where the shrill shriek of despair was coming from.

The swordsman also lost grip of his blade, which Cordelia commandeered. She spun around and managed to parry a strike from the approaching second swordsman at the last possible nanosecond. The second swordsman also had a strange device, but a part in the middle was smouldering from a very fresh hole that had bore into it. The swordsman opted to toss the now-useless device and dedicate the strength of both arms to his blade.

The swordsman was clearly very talented. His form was solid and the strikes were very strong. Cordelia, however, could run circles around the heavily armoured foe. Once she had parried the swordsman into a solid opening, she closed the distance and thrust the blade forward twice. Both thrusts connected and pierced the weaker points in the armour- namely underneath both shoulders. The arms- now rendered useless- forced the swordsman to drop his blade.

By that point, however, the entire room began to rumble. The precious seconds taken by the stunned pilot had started the flying machine into a tumbling free-fall. Cordelia could not see from the interior, but the machine spun around, causing the soldiers on the cables to be sent swinging around like an amusement park ride. The pilot recovered quickly from the blow and tried to regain control, but the flying machine was spinning too fast at that point. The soldiers on cables were forced to eject from their harnesses before the official “safe” height and plummeted towards a hard landing in a hot zone.

Meanwhile, the flying machine’s tumble increased in intensity. Cordelia and the wounded swordsman were forced against the wall of the cabin by the inertia. The unconscious one, however, was flung out of one of the two open doors to fall to his demise. Cordelia’s immense strength allowed her to grip tightly on the frame of the door, where she threw herself out of the flying machine.

It was a good twelve feet before she would hit the building’s rooftop. The flying machine passed by her. The wing missed her by inches, and the vehicle crashed and burned through the roof. Cordelia landed on the rooftop a second before the roof around the flying machine began to crumble like the sand of an ant lion's lair. Even with her speed, Cordelia couldn’t escape the sinking rooftop. She slid down the rapidly cracking slab of concrete and metal, avoiding bits of flying debris as she did so, and leaped through an opening within the tornado-shaped avalanche.

The flying machine erupted into a blast of heat and slag that soared back out of the hole, or were deflected away from Cordelia by the tumbling gray fragments of roof. The monk landed, allowed her legs to buckle, and tucked herself into a ball. She rolled to negate the force of the landing that would have otherwise caused damage to her legs. Her cloak was covered in dust and light cuts. There were two heavier cuts that bore through the leather, but neither reached any of the clothing underneath, much less her skin.

When she rose, Cordelia saw a familiar male form with a huge sword heading towards a large door. For the first time since she arrived, she smiled that warm motherly smile of her's. “Markus!” she called as she walked away from the now-settling metal and concrete avalanche and spreading fire. She stepped over an unusually small crack in the floor that she recognized as Markus' handiwork. Cordelia mentally noted the unusual size of the fissure, as it was comparatively tiny. “Long time no see, kid!” She teased.

((double-post. Silly site went down as I was posting. My bad.))

Escape and Respite
--The Goddess appears before characters to tell them to get to the roof ASAP

-Two Resistance Extraction Craft arrives at the roof of the factory to pick up everyone:survivors, resistance agents, heroes, anyone who is not corrupted. You can choose which one you want to board

-Characters cover the escape the best they can

-Heavily armored Resistance Extraction craft will be able to sustain quite some damage, but heroes will protect it from as much damage as possible. The corrupted will be firing everything on site at the Extraction craft.

-Characters do not have to escape by the Extraction craft, but It will be hard to otherwise.

-Corrupted stealth bombers will level the entire factory, even with their soldiers in there. Characters escape bombing by a hair

-The craft will take everyone to resistance Headquarters

-Heroes will be shown to a room and detained for a while but the situation will be explained to resistance leaders by character witnesses and heroes themselves.

-Heroes allowed to leave resistance HQ to explore city/look for other heroes.

You do not have to rush to get through all this, I am only posting this for future reference.

Markus looked back, somewhat surprised, but at the same time half expecting that the Goddess would send others. "Oh, Gorilla Woman. Let me guess, that thing sent you too?" Before Cordelia could respond, the Goddess appeared before the two of them, telling them to get to the roof and, basically, get the hell out of dodge. Markus sighed and looked over at Cordelia, unsure of how to treat the new companion. "I take it you were filled in more than I was. That woman, never telling me anything, but expecting me to just go swinging at whatever she deems worthy." Clicking his tongue, Markus began walking again. "I don't know why, but I'm weaker here. At least magic wise, and my strength and speed seem to be off. I don't know if it will take time to adjust, or if it is that way permanently." Markus same to a dead end, a hallway running across from the one they were just walking down. There was a sign that said "Roof Access," and one that said "Street Exit".

Markus turned back around to Cordelia, pointing in the direction of the roof. "You were there, but lets recap. If we head this way, there should be people waiting for us to get out of here. Can you get up there and help get those people to safety" Markus looked in the other direction, the path that led to the street. "If she saw fit to send you, that means the others might be here as well, maybe even on the roof. But, if anyone was taken someplace else, I have to find them." Cordelia could probably tell Markus was just using this as an excuse. He wasn't the type to "play well with others" and always preferred to try and conquer quests on his own. "Plus, you're better with people than I am, so I have a feeling if anyone can get the good guys in this world to trust us. Its you. I would probably end up getting us into more trouble." Without waiting for a reply, Markus began making his way to the street exit. "Don't die." With that he continued on his way. His interaction with Cordelia was short to say the least, but he knew he would be seeing more of the monk in the future. That woman could never leave well enough alone after all.

Better with people? Yeah, that was absolutely true. Cordelia’s ego would’ve taken a liking to the petting if it hadn’t been focusing on the utter destruction of the flying machine, and how amazing that was. Part of her wanted to complain about having to go back up to where she just came from, but the evacuees needed protection.

“Same to you, Markus,” Cordelia snapped back. She meant it, considering Markus admitted that he felt weaker in this world. Though physically she was fit as a fiddle, she wasn’t sure if the new world affected her abilities in any way. She didn’t want to discover anything that was off in a combat situation, so she decided to stick with what she knew worked: the enchanted equipment, and her tough-as-steel fists. She then broke into a powerful sprint up the stairs labelled “Roof Access”.

Two more soldiers- possibly ones that evacuated from the destroyed flying machine- ran into Cordelia. Though surprised, they managed to snap their weapons at the ready. Cordelia, however, closed the distance before either could fire their ranged weaponry. The sword she had commandeered had been broken in the collapsing section of roof. She thrust the half-foot segment of blade that remained into the shoulder of the first soldier, and followed up with a shotgun-like kick. The second soldier, astonished by the feat he had just witnessed, was stunned.

Cordelia took advantage of the extra time to turn the kicking leg out, and then spinning on her other foot. The swinging leg slammed into the soldier’s helmet, which dented from the sheer force of the blow. The second soldier was sent tumbling after the first one.

Cordelia righted herself with a flip. Half-way through the flip, when her arms were close to the ground, she managed to grip one of the soldier’s swords with three fingers. When she righted herself, she had already adjusted the grip of the blade, ready for action. She also picked up a sheath from one of the bodies. She secured the blade in its home and continued her sprint to rendezvous with the people on the roof.

She made it to the roof in time to see two unusually large flying machines on approach. There were five more soldiers lying in wait, hiding from the vehicles’ view behind large obstructions of metal that looked to be for ventilation. They consisted mostly of the rest of the team that had evacuated from the flying machine that Cordelia took down. (Though Cordelia didn't know that tidbit.)

The monk, however, was too far away to close the distance to render their ranged weapons impractical. She instead backed away downstairs to take cover from the incoming enemy fire. Chunks of concrete and heated metal shards spat from the roof access wall and door frame. Cordelia backed her way down the stairs, which provided far superior cover than the half-foot wall that was being whittled away at a rapid pace.

The soldiers, however, had inadvertently telegraphed their presence to the transport vessels, rendering their planned ambush worthless. They probably got reports of a deadly unarmed combatant from the old flying machine somehow, and made her a priority target over the large transports. In her current position, Cordelia was ahead of the evacuees. Her chi felt incoming presences, though they were not as large and cumbersome as the heavily armoured soldiers that lay in wait on the rooftop. She brought the sword out and pointed it up the stairs. At the same time, she turned her head slightly to watch her back. She hugged the left-side wall as she did so in order to get the best field of vision.

Corbin was rushing for the evac point along with Elena via the Fire Escape when time seemed to slow down and eventually freeze, yet Corbin could still move freely.

"What the hell..?" He thinks out loud as a girl in white appears before him. "Greetings Corbin, or should I say the Blue Mist of Throst."This girl says to him, as he feels nothing but power eminate from her, no Thermal trace at all. "What... What are you? Who are you? Corbin begins to ask before she speaks again. "I am the Goddess, but that is not important at this time. What is important is that you escape this place with the Heroes who I have sent here to help you. She says as his mind immediately flashes back to the man and the door of light. "Yes, him and others like him. Now, I must go, my power wears thin. She says as she begins to disappate "Wait, I have so many questions!" He calls out as she vanishes and the world returns to normal. "Corbin, are you alright?" Elena asks as she looks back on her brother as Corbin shakes his head. "Aye, Im fine. But others on the roof arent, lets move." He says as he pushes forward.

As he clambers onto the roof, he notices 2 bodies being pinned down by Resistance fire in the stairwell, not Corrupted nor Innocent, but he knew what they were in the back of his mind. "Hold fire! Hold your fire you dumbasses!" Corbin screams at the Resistance soldiers, pushing their weapons down. "B-but Sir, they..."A Private tried to speak before Corbin shot him a look that would make Satan nervous, quickly shutting up the other soldier. "Listen here Private, you and these other chucklefucks just fired on our allies, and if you hit one so help me God I will kick all of your nuts up to your throats and tear em off myself! Is that clear?" Corbin says, absolutely livid as the other soldiers quickly nod in fear. "Good, now get in the choppers and prep for exfil, Im going to chat with our new friends." He barks as the Resistance members scramble, as Elena just stands there, shaken as her brother never gets visibly angry.

Corbin walks over to the stairway, weapons holstered and sniper on his back. Using the thermal lens of his helmet, he distinguishes the 2 are still there. "Listen, I dont know you two, and you dont know me, but if you want to serve your Goddess in mortal form, I highly suggest you come with me before this place is turned into rubble." He calls out down the stairs as he notices more activity from the Corrupted coming towards them.

Venelope spent the rest of her day doing her normal work routine which mainly was her patrolling the area she had been assigned to years before and a lot of paperwork. Paperwork isnt something you really think about when youre planning on becoming an officer for the government, but it is a huge part of everything done in most peoples life. The time felt like it was crawling as it got closer to calling it an end and start getting ready for the meeting at the factory. She had been notified that there would be a raid at an older factory, why theyre not sure, but the Resistance would be there and thats all she needed to know. Her mission was a simple and easy one, its just a bit delicate and she would need to be able to have a lot of will power. She was going to cover as a normal citizen at the factory while the mechs were attacking, then stick with them for as long as she can.

Vene got off early so she could go over the simple plan and get into her civies, also into the factory so she could find the perfect place to be when things went down. The most important part was she needed to be able to identify herself to the A.I. that was inside the factory, it was on the Corrupted side but its best to make sure it doesnt try to end her while the Raid is going. Simple procedure, all she needed to do was send a small frequency when she entered for a few seconds so she could be committed to the memory as an ally. She did this using the small device in her arm that worked as a little computer that they had set her up with along with many little things with her arms and legs. When the Raid went down she hid away or at least enough that it looked like she was a normal citizen scared out of her wits and afraid for her life. She followed a pair of people who she was sure was part of the Resistance, listening to them chatting until they got to a fork in the path, the man went one way soon after and the woman went another. Vene chose to follow the woman since the man sounded like he was going to get more people, whic ended up being her best bet seeing that people seemed to be attacking the woman as soon as she got the door open. Vene was sure she heard some yelling but it didnt matter, she had to make sure that they would pick her up and take her with them. So when the woman began fighting she moved, a surge of energy bursting through her as she walked calmly towards the roof entrance. Everything around her was still, there only being a small sign that anything around her changed its position.

Veneolope looked around at the scene, the Corrupted looking as bad as believed and Resistance being as heroic as citizens made them out to be. The fight was an interesting one, at least in the speed it was going now, she could see the bullets as they hung in the air. They moved the smallest bit as they made their way to the target they were aimed at and not being able to control herself Vene moved some. She spotted a few people on the fire escape when she went over to look over the side to see how tall this building was. It had nothing on her building but the view was still nice as she looked off into the distance. Really she should just kill everyone here and now but she couldnt hold onto this for much longer and she needed to find a place. There was one part of the roof that she could hide on, she could tell them she thought the roof would be safe and that it had been closer than the street had been. Tucking herself away she let the energy go and the world sped up again, to anyone else she wouldnt have even been a blur when she had been moving. After a moment she let out a frightened scream and she curled her body into a protective ball, she couldnt get tears to come out but besides that she felt that she was a fair actress.

Her blade remained unwavering as she pointed it up the stairs, ready to catch any of the five knights who may have been dumb enough to give chase. However, the incoming fire faded away. She figured the knights were focusing their attention on the larger vessels that were approaching. She knew that if the knights were smart, they would have one of them keep an eye on the door. The last thing Cordelia wanted to do is telegraph her position again, else it make her actions more predictable. She decided to wait for whoever was approaching that her chi detected.

When she looked back once more, Cordelia spotted a man and a girl when they rounded a corner to ascend the steps to the rooftop access. Cordelia held up a free hand towards them to silently indicate them to stop. Her left hand kept the sword pointed upstairs, away from the incoming individuals.

The first two appeared to be a little girl and a man with some kind of prosthetic arm. Cordelia had never seen technology like this before. This world was very strange indeed, but the monk knew her fists proved stronger than the advanced-looking armour of the knights she had beaten so far. These two did not look like the soldiers Cordelia had fought. The girl was clearly a non-combatant, while the man’s armour looked vastly different. Unlike the bulky armour of the knights, this man’s armour was relatively tight-fitting. Considering he’s escorting a girl, it was safe to assume they were not on the same side as the knights who were attacking the approaching transport vessels.

The second appeared to be some kind of soldier in a suit not unlike the knights, but with a distinct lack of heavy metal plating or circuitry. The visor design was also very different. If he hadn't mentioned something about an evacuation, Cordelia would've thought the third individual was one of the knights.

“There are five knights lying in wait up there,” she told the non-knights, “I can’t reach them with their long-ranged weapons pinning me here.”

She then heard a scream coming from somewhere on the rooftop through the slightly more open door on the roof access. By the Goddess, did the knights hit an innocent up there?

“If you have anything long-ranged, I need at least a full second of cover,” she told the armoured individual who was carrying the girl.