1¢op
1¢op knocked aside the swords then stepped inside the reach of the blades. She couldn’t help the smile from cracking her poker face when she knew she had him. She drove the short ends of both nightsticks into HacNslash’s chest. Blue lightning arched out from the tips of the nightsticks and for a moment his chest was internally lit up like an X-ray, his rib cage reviled. 1 kill +1 xp. 1¢op was elated; she had never experienced anything like this, never expecting that she would be successful right away. She was winning, and she was having fun. 1¢op has started her journey expecting to hate it, but this was great.
The sun was shining, with a few clouds lazily making their way across the vast blue sky. She stood still and closed her eyes while the wind played with her hair. With the city at her back, gently rolling hills covered with grass and small flowering bushes spread before her. Small waves lapped on the shore of a large lake to her left. Way off to her right there was a shadow that she thought might be a forest. Now she was alone. Alone, except for the body and a small statue.
After looting the body, pocketing the well-earned 10AU. 1¢op turned her attention to the statue. This one was unlike the others she had seen. Instead of depicting the deathblow, this statue was of her, and it was holding out a scroll. When she read the scroll and saw that she had leveled up, she actually laughed, out loud. She was still chuckling to herself as she drew out her second skill. She had picked an offensive skill for her first skill, so this time she went defensive. She also knew that she had a few minutes, the mind behind her eyes had an important call. Quickly she sketched out what she labeled the static shield. The idea being, the energy absorbed by the shield would be released by the lightning strike making it more powerful. She figured out the Token just in time, placing it on the ground and then stepping into the light it generated.
Saved.
The alarm of the incoming call was gentle, lightly tugging her away.
Penny opened her eyes. There had been a message. It dictated the time of the call and one direction: take the call sitting in front of a mirror. The sender of the message was noticeably absent, but she had a pretty good idea of who was behind it. So she was not surprised that Agent Ness was looking back at her from her mirror when she opened her eyes. That Agent Ness was being reflected in her mirror that was a surprise.
“Hello, Agent Lopez.” Agent Ness started, “enjoying the game I see.”
She recovered quickly, “Yeah, and this mirror trick is also pretty cool.”
“Isn’t it, this is my first time trying it. The limitation of the TAP is that it can only display what you can see. The thing I really like is that this is data being sent, not a phone call or video chat that can be tapped or hacked. Most importantly I control the encryption, who can view the conversation. So say what you want, this meeting is completely secure and confidential. Not even ZED Inc. can access this call. The more I mess around with the TAP the more I learn. You like AntruA? You just came from the game to take this call didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I am really enjoying the game. I really do like the TAP in general,” Penny replied. “I was able to set an alarm so that it pulled me from the game when you called. The timing was good, I just leveled up.”
“What?!” Agent Ness seemed genuinely surprised; it was the first time that Penny had seen his know-it-all facade shaken. “Level two already, how many kills did you need? “
“Three,” Penny had a hard time keeping her satisfaction out of her voice. “Also I made like forty bucks doing it! Well thirty-seven to be exact.”
“Do you know what you need to get to level three?”
“I really have no idea, five maybe.”
“Hmm that seems low to me, but I only have one kill. I guess I have a ways to go.” Agent Ness said, “I had a few bad battles. There was this guy who ambushed me, then I went after him and he killed me a second time. Sneaky bastard,” he stopped speaking, like he was still thinking of how he could win those fights. Penny waited; he jumped from topic to topic so quickly she had no idea where the conversation was going. Suddenly he started speaking again, “so after getting killed twice, I went looking for a clan. Do you know what I mean by a clan?”
Penny thought for a moment. “Not in a video game context, but a clan is like a large familial unit.”
“Yeah that’s about right. It is a term that has been around in video games pretty much as long as people have been playing online. A clan is a group of people that you game with. It can become a social network but more importantly you can work with them to help you become more powerful. You can go on missions together, they protect your back. The other benefit is financial often you can trade items and get really good value though the clan. I have found it helpful to join one when playing, particularly when starting out in a new game. In many ways it has always helped me feel that I am getting the most from the game. Games without clans have always felt a little empty to me.”
“So you found a clan.” To Penny it sounded a little like he was trying to justify himself.
“Yeah, I mean they are not calling themselves that but it was the easiest way to describe them. They are calling themselves the Red Army. The leader, RotheRed, claims that they are in a death struggle with the Blue Army, not the most original, but this guy has some interesting ideas about the game. He was talking about building an army and taking over towns, renting out buildings and setting up shops. The financial implications are huge.”
“He wants to charge rent for something that is already free?”
“It’s not free, there is just no economic system in place yet. As the early adapters to the game, we get to form the system; why not be part of it from the beginning.”
“So you want me to go and find the Red army and join them?”
“No, I want you to find and join the Blue army. I want you to do that, partially because I am curious to see how these armies are going to work. For example if the Red Army organizes into large military units, will the Blue Army follow suit. I want to be able to establish whether the two leaders are actually working together or are they really competing and if so for what. If, like RothRed said, these armies are going to be dictating policy, I want us as close to these generals as possible. We need to find out how this game is run. Only then will we be able to see the criminal activity I know is here.”
“You think that the companies are behind the clans, or whatever?”
“Armies. There is no way of knowing, that’s why we need to join, to infiltrate. Of course they won’t tell us anything at first. These people are worse than the Illuminati when it comes to keeping secrets. But if we do well, if we work our way into their organization, we will get to the heart of this conspiracy.”
“And you think that this will lead me to my husband.”
“Right.”
“I’m skeptical, I have seen no sign of any crime. It just seems like a video game.”
“I know, but I’m sure it’s there, we just need to be patient and keep our eyes open. I have been playing video games for a very long time and this doesn’t seem right, it’s too good to be true. It’s fun and all but I am sure that there is something going on here. Let’s talk a little about the fact that they pegged the in game currency to the USD. You can’t tell me that couldn’t lead to at the very least some laundering. Look, you’re getting paid to play a videogame, it's every teenage boys’ dream job. It’s not like you’re not having fun, if it helps you find your husband, even better.”
“Not that I really want to be compared to a teenage boy, but I see your point. So have do you have any idea where I find the Blue Army. How does one get into these clans anyways?”
“RotheRed said the Blue Army was somewhere to the East of Orup. It would make sense for you to find the leader of the Blue army east of there, maybe. I don’t think getting in will be a problem. I am only guessing based on my experience but RotheRed is trying to grow the army as quickly as possible, I mean he’ll take anybody.”
Agent Ness paused for a moment, giving Penny a moment to see the sense in that, considering that they had taken Agent Ness who had only won one battle. Before she could think of a comment to make on that he continued. “I think that we should meet like this once a week to check in, good? Great. Then if there is nothing else.”
As in their previous meeting, Agent Ness’ dismissal was as complete as it was sudden. Penny sat looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was surprised by how happy she was knowing that she was doing better than him. It probably wouldn’t last for long she told herself. Penny thought about the Blue army that she was supposed to join for a few more minutes before she decided to go back into AntruA. The best way to find out more was to go to the source. Penny closed her eyes.
1¢op stepped off of her token and picked it up. Reaching into the pack at her hip she pulled out a strip of parchment upon which her map was recorded. At this point it was a lot of blank space, with a little spot of color at its center. Squatting down she rolled it out across her knees and then pulled on the image, zooming in on the spot of color, the only part of the map that she had explored. Which seemed to be less than nothing considering the amount of zooming in she had to do to get any detail.
After a fair amount of pulling her current location filled the parchment. She was a little west of the city of Sha. Sha sat on the edge of a body of water but how big of a body was not yet clear, its other shores as yet unexplored. 1¢op had been moving along a road that followed the water’s edge west, out of the city. Her last battle had taken place at a point where the road started to turn away from the lake. There was even a little X marking the battle on her map.
She knew that she needed to find Orop but she had no idea where it was in relation to her current location. Judging from how small the part of the map that she had explored was, Orup could be anywhere. It gave her a thrill to think how big this land could be, but in terms for finding a specific location the task seemed impossible. There must be a search feature, a way to find places not yet explored. Even though she had very little experience in AntruA everything had been pretty straightforward. Maybe if she just played around with the map she could figure it out. She first used the pinch and pull method she zoomed out so that she could still clearly see her location as well as a fair amount of empty space. She looked at the parchment for a few minutes and could see nothing that would help, no search bar, nothing.
In despair she used her finger to write ‘Orup’ on the blank part of the parchment. The word flashed, made visible on the map. Then the image shifted. Automatically zooming out and scrolling to the west, then the word moved, started to shrink. Eventually settling on the map indicating the location of the yet to be discovered city. 1¢op was elated not only had she worked it out but also, if as she had been told the Blue army leader had left Orup heading east, if that was true he would be coming to her. She tried to guess the distance to Orup by judging what she had discovered. It was far, but not too far, maybe two hundred miles or so. It was a lot of space to cover and if he had stopped walking due east she might miss him. However it was all she had to go on, so what the hell, and it would be an adventure. Better start walking.
It was a great day to walk. With Sha to her back the road lead through a large grass field, the light wind creating waves that seemed to move with her. Bushes spotted the fields, some with flowers and one that seemed to have purple berries, adding texture to the grassy plain. As she walked the lake fell behind her to the left. Trees became visible in the distance to the right. The forest had a pull that 1¢op felt like a magnet, almost a palpable, physical, call to adventure.
1¢op knew she was on a mission so she resisted the urge and held her course. She had thought that walking for a long time would be boring, but the weather was so nice. She was enjoying the hike itself, the sway of her hips and the swash of arms, the rhythm of her pace. Quickly her body settled into the movement, her pace becoming automatic, allowing her mind to wonder. It seemed a little curious that the area she was in was so devoid of other players. Most likely people were still exploring, or fighting, in and around the towns that they had spawned in. That’s what she’d be doing if she wasn’t on this mission. It was almost as if the game read her mind because it was then she noticed a figure a ways down the road.
As 1¢op got closer she saw that it was a large centaur. He was big. Really Big. The shoulders of the horse came to about her head. The human body, was all abs and pecs with massive shoulders. Arms like her legs terminated in two fists the size of her head. The head that sat atop all this muscle seemed small in comparison with shaggy hair hanging over his eyes. He was certainly menacing, though of questionable brightness. Around his arm was a blue ribbon. 1¢op hoped that this was an indication that he was part of the Blue Army. She approached him carefully noting the information that scrolled across her vision.
AwholeROD
Level 2
Wallet-0AU
Calmly, he faced her. Then he spoke. “I have one question to ask you.”
“Uh, Ok.” 1¢op said. She found that she had automatically pulled her nightsticks and dropped into the ready position. When he spoke she relaxed a little, keeping her arms up in almost a boxer’s stance.
“Red or Blue?” He asked. If he noticed that she was in battle readiness, he didn’t show it.
“What?!”
“Red or Blue. Which color do you like better, Red or Blue?”
“What happens if I say red?”
“You are my enemy and I will squash you like a bug.” At least he was honest, thought 1¢op.
“Ok, and if I pick blue?”
“Then you can join the Blue Army. We will fight for rank, and I will squash you like a bug.” “You’re consistent, I’ll give you that. I have always liked blue, but why should I join your army? What is a fight for rank?”
“Fight for rank? Oh yeah. When I win I become lieutenant. No more questions now. Either we fight as enemies or we fight as soldiers. Either way we fight.” With that AwholeROD rolled his shoulders and brought his fists mirroring 1¢op’s readiness.
“I don’t think I see the difference, but I like your honesty. I would be proud to beat you as a soldier in the Blue army.”
“Good,” AwholeROD relaxed a little, “Now place your Token by the side of the road.”
“What?” 1¢op was genuinely surprised the request seemed to come from out of the nowhere. “My Token, Why?”
“So many questions. When I squash you, you will respawn on your Token. Then I will take you to the army. Ok? No more questions? We fight now.”
1¢op dropped her Token on the side of the road, then thought of one more question. “Wait, I do have one more question. Just one more then I promise we will fight.”
“One more question and then I squash you like a bug?” There was a hint of hopelessness in his voice.
“One more.”
“Promise?”
“I Promise.”
“Ok, ask your stupid question.”
“Where is your Token?”
“Duh, it’s at the secret base.”
As soon as those words were spoken, both 1¢op’s and AwholeROD’s eyes lit up, hers with glee, his with despair.
“Argh, you tricked me! All those questions! Now we fight, prepare to feel like bug, being SQUASHED! Hammer Fist!” He unleashed a wild punch. 1¢op had been contemplating the secret base and was almost caught off guard. Just in time she activated the static shield, bringing her arms together in front of her with the nightsticks protecting her forearms. The blow landed.
The hammer punch was immensely powerful. As the static shield absorbed the force of the blow it transferred it into electrical charge, powering up her nightsticks. The blow was so powerful that not all the electricity could be absorbed. It crackled and snapped, blue sparks chained up her arms and arching into the ground. She could feel it tickling her forehead and temples as it ran through her hair. The blow had not knocked her over but when the shield stopped sparking she was a good six feet back on the path. There were two skid marks in the dirt and little fires smoldered in the grass at the sides of the path
1¢op did have much time to recover AwholeROD had quickly closed the gap and the next punch was already on its way, aimed at her head. She leapt to the side to avoid this blow. He turned to follow her, swinging wildly. She thought about making a stand and trying to block another punch but she was not sure the nightsticks could hold any more electricity. They were humming a little and kept throwing off sparks, little lightning bolts that trickled down her arms. She wasn’t sure what would happen if her weapons overloaded but she was sure it wasn’t good. 1¢op knew that she was overmatched while attacking head on, she would have to get behind him. Maybe that would even the odds.
She timed the next punch, dodged below it, rolling. She came out of the roll and immediately dove forward into another somersault. This took her under the massive centaur, and as she emerged she spun to her feet so that she was facing the horse’s hindquarters. Only to be greeted with a hoof heading towards her head. She spun on pure reflex; barely dodged the kick. Using the momentum of the spin 1¢op drove her right nightstick into his hip, triggering half of its charge.
KA-ZAP.
The hipbone glowed blue through the hide momentarily. AwholeROD bellowed in pain and almost went down as his back legs collapsed. 1¢op knew that this injury would only slow him down temporarily. Taking advantage she quickly vaulted onto the stunned centaurs lowered back. As soon as her weight hit his back, AwholeROD went nuts, bucking and thrashing his arms. He was doing everything he could to throw her off his back. 1¢op held on with both arms and her legs wrapped around his massive chest. Struggling to hold on to her nightsticks and the thrashing centaur it flashed through her head that dropping her weapons would be the equivalent to losing the battle. She was forced to hold on with her forearms, her knuckles white as they strained to hang on to the nightsticks.
Her left arm, wrapped around AwholeROD’s neck, was really the only thing keeping her mounted. She was trying to use her right arm to hold on to his massive chest. It wasn’t working, every time he bucked her arm would flop around. AwholeROD was getting frustrated and made a massive leap arching his back as he tried to fling 1¢op over his head. She was flung up in the air, her left arm locked in its death grip was all that kept her from being thrown. As she regained her seat she hurried to bring her right arm back around his chest.
It was almost an accident. Afterwards she would swear that she used the momentum, controlled it. People who would watch the battle later would say it was an accident, or luck, if there’s any difference. Regardless of how it happened it worked. Her right arm came in at the wrong angle. Instead of gripping his chest the tip of her nightstick struck his side. 1¢op released the remaining charge.
KA-ZAP.
AwholeROD shrieked. His rib cage glowed blue, sparks jumped and skipped between his ribs. His whole body stopped, frozen as the electricity tried to find the ground through his body. 1¢op did not waste the opportunity. Releasing her grip on his throat, she drew back her left elbow, and then drove the nightstick into the back of his head.
KAAA-ZZAP.
The shrieking stopped. 1¢op dismounted as the body collapsed. The first thing she did was to pick up her Token, she felt protective of it. She looked cautiously around. AwholeROD had told her that his Token was at the “secret base” but not where the secret base was. She waited, assuming someone would come and get her shortly. Hopefully the base was close, she didn’t want to wait long. She looked to the forest, it seemed like the most likely place for a secret base. Just staring at the tree line quickly became boring so 1¢op looked around for a distraction.
Her eye was drawn to the statue, a spot of darkness among the bright colors of the green grass and the flowers. It was the final moments of the battle depicted in dark polished stone. The detail was exquisite including little lightning bolts dancing between AwholeROD’s teeth, his head back and mouth thrown open in a silent scream. 1¢op reached out to feel it. The battle leapt to life before her eyes, watching her victory she felt a shiver run down her spine. Then she was presented with the option to rate the battle her immediate reaction was to give it the thumb up, but then she hesitated. What would people think when they saw that she had rated her own battle, what was the correct etiquette? She did it anyways, screw what people thought. She gave her fight the ‘thumbs up’.
“Squash who like a bug?”
When the statue grew she couldn’t help yelping, first because it startled her, then because it was so cool. Then she was a little ashamed and looked around to make sure that there was nobody around to witness her behavior. When she saw the gnome on the a little ways down the path, she flushed with embarrassment. It took her a moment to realize that there was something off with this gnome. He was ragged, wearing faded pants and a tattered red vest. The point of his hat was bent. On his back there was a large bag, it looked heavy as the poor gnome was bent under its weight. The gnome stared back at her, frozen like a deer caught in headlights. The sound of hooves sound faintly from the direction of the forest and the gnome moved all at once, making a frightened scramble off the path into the tall grass.
1¢op almost went after the sad little gnome. Maybe she would have, if it wasn’t for the mission. Instead she turned towards the approving hoof beats. She was expecting AwholeROD, hopefully with some direction, so she was a little taken aback to see that he had someone on his back. A tall willowy elf with a short spear with a leaf shaped blade. The blade flashed blue in the sun, below it hung a blue pendant with two white stars. He wore a long flowing tunic, colored a deep ocean blue. As if summoned a gust of wind caught the tunic; it billowed revealing a spark of blue. As he stopped in front of her she could see the spark was a reflection off his armor, shirt of many small blue steel plates. The armor was beautiful catching the sun and throwing it back.
LeBlu
Level 3
Wallet-50AU
LeBlu’s stature was thin and tall and he had a serious narrow face. It was a face that commanded respect with eyes that flashed with intelligence. It was not hard to see him as a general. He strode to the statue and put his hand on it, 1¢op was suddenly very self conscious that she had rated her own fight. LeBlu stood still intently staring at nothing, his face displaying nothing. When he stepped back, 1¢op was surprised to see the statue grow a few more inches, he had rated it! In just a few long strides he was on her. Thrusting out his hand out. Reflexively she took it and returned the firm handshake.
“I’m LeBlu, Leader of the Blue Army. It’s wonderful to meet you, and that, that was some fight. You told ‘Rod that you would join the Army, but I bet you have many questions. Let me get this out of the way, if you want you’re in. After watching the fight I am fully prepared to offer you the position as lieutenant in My Army.
“We’re going to walk to the forest over there, and I will try and answer all your questions. You will have until we reach the tree line to decide whether you will join the army or not. If you decline my offer, we will fight.”
Without waiting for her answer he turned to AwholeROD.
“Hey. Rod! Do you remember your orders? Remember, Red or Blue, right?”
“I got it Boss.” AwholeROD sounded sulky. “Challenge everyone. Ask them one question, Red or Blue?”
“Good.” LeBlu turned back to 1¢op. “Are you coming?”
“I’ll hear what you have to say.” 1¢op walked past AwholeROD as he flared his nose and stared daggers at her. Thinking of the power of the Hammer Fist 1¢op figured that for the sake of the mission she would take the higher road and keep her mouth shut. Which it was hard considering all the taunts popping into her head tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Don’t worry about him. Rod is just upset that you beat him and that he won’t be lieutenant.” LeBlu said as they stepped off path into the broad field between them and the forest. “So what do I call you?”
“Call me Penny. What do I call you?”
“If I can convince you to join the Blue Army, you can call me Sir.”
1¢op was about to say that she was in. But she stopped, she was curious to know more about the Blue Army. Just because it was her mission to join the army didn’t mean that she had to make it easy for him. LeBlu might even get suspicious if she didn’t ask any questions.
“I’m not sure where to begin,” she said, “I mean, what is the Blue Army? I get that there is a Red Army and that they fight. But why do they fight and for what?”
“The simple answer is that we fight for no other reason than that we think that Blue is a better color than Red, and for no greater glory then proving it. The more complete answer is more selfish, I have accepted a challenge from an old friend to raise an army and to conquer AntruA. The Red and Blue is just symbolic. To be honest I don’t really know what it is going to shape up into but right now my goal is to build an army and use it to take over a town.”
“Okay and why should I help you in your personal quest? Take over a town? Why would you do such a thing?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not willing to go into detail until you have agreed to join.We are getting close to the forest, hence running out of time. Just know there are strategies that I am not willing to disclose with someone who has not sworn allegiance to the Army. I can tell you why you should join. As a soldier in the army you will have access to all the information that the Army acquires. There will be discounts on equipment you buy from our stores. I have also set up training programs. Maybe most importantly I offer financial gain. Not only will you keep a percentage of the loot you win on expeditions. Also there will be a monthly wage, depending on the amount of profit the Army generates. We have reached the forest now, so I need your decision.”
“This is color wars, like from summer camp?”
“Yes! that’s exactly it.”
“Ok, I’ll do it. I’m in.”
“Do you swear allegiance to the Blue Army and to me as its Leader?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to follow all of my orders and to follow all the rules of the Army?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to hate the color Red and all it stands for, and to brutally strike down and Red soldier you see.”
“Hell Yeah!”
“Great! Here’s your armband.” LeBlu held out a blue band with a single white star in the middle. “This not only shows that you're a soldier in the Blue Army, it is also your badge of rank. As a lieutenant you answer to only to me. You are the fourth lieutenant in the Blue Army. All lieutenants are equal in this Army, you answer to me, not each other. One last thing. As a member of the blue army make sure that you keep your arm band visible at all times, so that all may respect your rank and know you for a soldier of the Blue Army. Now follow me and I will take you to my secret base.”
At first there was no visible path forward. The trees stood menacingly close. The undergrowth was full of vines and dead sticks, making for very difficult footing. Low hanging branches seemed to reach for 1¢op, catching at her hair. They had only gone a few steps and she was so focused on not tripping she almost bumped into LeBlu when he stopped. When he shouted, she almost jumped out of her skin.
“BABY BLUE COME BLOW YOUR HORN
THE SHEEP'S IN THE MEADOW
THE COWS IN THE CORN!”
The forest moved, pulled back, the sinister feeling dissipated like fog. The sun now filtered through the leaves, dappling a lovely little path leading into a small clearing. Two majestic trunks rose from the ground, A small lodge with moss growing on its roof was nestled between the large roots of the trunks.
“Welcome to my hidden tavern, Bluetopia. I have big plans for this place, Big plans. For now this will have to do, come in and I’ll explain everything.” LeBlu held open the door for 1¢op then held out a chair for her. It was only when he was seated across from her that he spoke again.
“So, here we are, my humble headquarters. You see this room, good now you’ve had the tour. This place really is a godsend, it gives me a town that I can start fresh in. I get to form it, more importantly the people in it. I’m being very open with you because I think you’re smart, I want to trust you.”
“You can. Truly. I follow orders, even if they don’t really make sense, and I can follow my own initiative if you need. Can I ask you some questions”
“Yes please. Speak freely.”
“How strong is this army, for that matter how strong is your enemy?”
“Those are good questions. I have no earthly idea how big the Red Army is now. As for the Blue army, you make eight.”
“Eight?!”
“Everyone has to start somewhere.” LeBlu sounded a tad defensive, “I know you have other questions.”
“Sure, how did you find this place?”
LeBlu took a few moment to think about this. “It was more like it found me. I had recruited my first four. I had been directing a two of them to head into the woods to try and find a clearing or any place we could set up camp. When I ended the briefing, I turned to find a table right at the edge of the trees, on it a scroll on which I wrote down the password. Then there was all this. AntruA is so cool.”
1¢op had to agree, “last question. What is this master strategy you keep talking about?”
“Another good idea,” LeBlu beamed, then with a serious look he continued. “Its pretty simple right now, I just don’t know enough about what my enemy is up to. Right now I am trying to focus on recruiting quality over quantity. Having a loyal, elite, core will give me lots of flexibility for down the road when we have more complete understanding of what we’re facing.
“My plan has three phases each with multiple goals. Phase one goals are recruiting, building up this base, and exploring I’m calling it Operation Fiddlehead. You are joining at the genesis of Operation Fiddlehead. You have already seen the how I’ve structured recruiting. I plan to add at least two more gatekeepers like AwholeROD. After the gatekeeper I decide where to assign each person. Two of the other recruits are staying with me here to better understand how we can build this into a fortress. There are two more out on a scouting mission. Similar to the mission I’d like to send you on. But before you go There’s someone I want you to meet.”
As 1¢op got up from the table she asked, “Operation Fiddlehead sounds good, but what is Phase Two?”
“Well my dear, you have to have a major clearance to get that information. But don’t worry there are no majors in the Blue Army yet, if things go the way I’m anticipating you will be one well before we are ready to execute Operation Bluegrass.” LeBlu said this as he opened the door opposite of the one they had entered. This door opened onto a large space framed by four massive tree trunks way above their combined canopies marked the borders of the space. Outside the borders forest created a formidable barrier. At the far end of the clearing two characters fought, A young woman sat at a table by the doorway.“Come,” LeBlu said, “let me introduce you to your partner, Shegami.”
SHEgamI
Level 2
Wallet-2AU
Slender and svelte, She had fair skin, with light freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her hair red hair was a combination of curly and straight. Her face was pretty, but it was her piercing light blue eyes with long lashes, they were almost other worldly, that demanded attention She was dressed in leather, a red vest on top and tight black paints with red thread. There was a quiver hanging on the back of her chair and a short curved bow, lay on the table before her. She stood as they approached.
“This is Penny, you’re going be working together for your next mission.” 1¢op could see herself reflected in SHEgamI’s eyes when they turned to regard her. “She is the ranking officer, she makes any important decisions.” LeBlu turned to 1¢op, “I teamed you up because I think that your skills will complement each other well. I leave it up to you how you choose to command.”
“Ok,” 1¢op said, “but I think at this point I could use a partner more than a subordinate, is that ok?”
SHEgamI smiled and held her hand out, They shook hands. “Nice,” LeBu said as he rolled his map out on the table. “First,” he said, “touch your maps to mine and we’ll sync up our information. When this was done he continued, “now this mission is very important, and will require a high level of discretion. It’s imperative that I learn what the Red Army is doing. I know that they are somewhere to the west of Orup. I’m looking for any insights on how they are organized and what activities they are doing. Your mission shouldn’t have much effect on Operation Fiddlehead, but it will be crucial in how planning Operation Bluegrass. Good luck, I’m counting on you both” With that dismissal he turned and walked back into the building.
