Jefferson City 3: Charlie - The Ranger

With a fist to her mouth, Helle coughed. The next second, Commander Jenkins stepped forward and raised his hand to catch the attention of the mass before him, everyone in attention stopping all action to focus forward. Helle would then step forward, her presence demanding the respect of everyone before her as her emerald eyes glowed underneath the rising sun. Hands behind her back, she opened her mouth and began her introduction and detailing of the events soon to unfold.

"Men! Today we find ourselves in yet another possible catastrophe. Before us lies an unknown entity, created by a sudden influx of untamed Reishi that has now formed a dome around Jefferson City. As some of you know, prior to this event, there was an incident following The Vandenreich's reclaiming of North America that involved the last remnants of the Demonic invasion. We have reason to believe that this is related, so we must stress that all proceed with caution and be prepare for combat. As it stands, there will be three teams, each given a third of the city to survey. Our duty is to find what is causing this anomaly and to detain it. Each and every one of you have been given a post and a commander to follow. Meet with your leading commander for further instruction. Dismiss!"

Helle finished her words and took a step back to allow Commander Jenkins to step forward and begin directing everyone.

"Members under my command remain here. Everyone else head to your proper area."

And as those members filtered out, those assigned to Charlie made their way towards their spot. However, they'd find no one there. A few moments would pass, murmurs going on about the lateness of their commander until the loud roar of a lion echoed through their ranks. Suddenly a shadow dashed between the current soldiers, slippering through their numbers until it launched up towards the small stage.

A man with long flowing blonde hair and bulky build rose from that shadow as it fell from his form, turning with a large grin of egotistic proportion.

"The sneakiest prowler of the Tog! Commander Joker Lion! At your service!" He yelled as he made a pose with his hand splayed forward.

Her eyes were drawn to the city itself as she listened to the briefing, giving silent condolences to those who may have fallen within. What terrible luck for a city, she wondered if it was a curse or just pure bad luck; either way, she doubted anyone would be so trustworthy of rebuilding here ever again after a third brush with tragedy. Slow blinking, she'd await her assigned squad to be called, her feet moving her to the designated space with anyone else splitting alongside her.

Immediately, she detected some familiars amongst them, in particular two - Kokuto was virtually impossible to miss, his presence always stood out like a sore thumb to her, not that she blamed him. Didn't know him too well but she certainly didn't feel concerned about working alongside him at all, he was just another dependable soldier of the Vandenreich. However, her attention did turn to Daniel; she was surprised to see him here. Worried, to see him here. Definitely in the group of someones she's keeping track of throughout.

...Huh, other groups seemed to be getting briefed by their commanders by now, where was theirs? A gaze lazily floated about, at least until her senses picked up an incoming presence, a wondering of if something from the fog had moved to ambush them... Only to be quickly reassured into a slightly annoyed slump by the rather flashy appearance of their commander.

Ah. Peachy. Oh well, might as well take initiative.

Emerging from the crowd and clearing her throat, she'd address the bombastic blonde man with a tone of respect and professionalism, "Commander Lion, sir, I have the ability to discern potential threats despite the fog. May I take the lead and be everyone's eyes as we traverse? I'm certain finding the source of this shouldn't be too much trouble."

He had heard of the events of Jefferson City, to be standing nearby, and to be about to embark on what could be a dangerous journey into the city plagued by tragedy he couldn't help, but feel a little concerned. Nothing, but bad things had happened here since somebody had turned this place into a ruin, and he doubted that was going to change any time soon. As a new solider in the rank and file of the Vandenreich his concerns of being the weak link in the unit were easy to confirm, at least from his standpoint, but he would make up for that with effort. He had been selected for this mission and he would not disappoint them. He spotted someone he knew in Liltotto and he was tempted to wave at her, but she clearly saw him, and had said nothing to him. In fact he could sense a bit of worry being directed his way, which was only natural, as she knew about his shooting problem, but this time he had his spells to rely on. Hopefully his spellcraft would at least be useful here.

After a waiting a while for their commanding officer to arrive, Daniel began to feel a bit uneasy, and even joined in a bit with the chatter with other soldiers as to what was going on. He wondered just what sort of commander would leave his troops in suspense, but that wonder was quickly answered as a rather flashy man appeared as their commanding officer. For a few short seconds Daniel wondered if it was joke as he stared at Commander Lion and his pose. He had expected a stern commander, someone much like the people who had given the debrief earlier, but this guy was a completely different type from the ones he had seen before. He shook his head, he knew better than to judge a book by its' cover, and instead refocused himself on the task ahead. No matter how his commander acted, he was still a commander, and that was a position of respect and respect he would receive.

He saw Liltotto step out of the crowd and offer her services to help them traverse the fog by being their eyes. He still had no idea what their particular squad's objective was, but it put him at ease that she was there as a familiar face there to kind of lead the way.

"Sir, I'm Private Cross of the Albedochiffren, I would like to offer my aid through my spellcraft, and my understanding of the medical equipment I brought for field use back from the City. I may not be much of a fighter, but I can serve in that capacity, sir."

Stepping out from the line of normal soldiers, Daniel had a look of determination on his face, and in a way was aiming to also show Liltotto he had grown a bit since their last interaction. That he was capable and that she shouldn't be so worried about him, but also he wanted to step forward to prove something to himself. To prove that he was indeed worthy of being a Quincy and that he wouldn't be scared or uneasy about what he lacked anymore.

As he was called to his assigned squad, Kokuto didn't waste time in moving to the dedicated space. His eyes traveled lightly to see the others that had followed -- only recognizing one: Liltotto. He didn't know much of anything about her, but, he knew she would, in all likelihood, be a dependable comrade. The other one, however, was different. He didn't even know the guy's name, much less what he was capable of.

Before he had a chance to probe the matter, he heard a loud roar echoing through the ranks, noticing the shadow flicker between them, and a unit of a man bursting out of it with dramatic, egotistical flamboyancy. Tog? Todgestalten? This guy? He looked like he belonged more with the Sternritter, and Kokuto found himself raising an eyebrow in response to the proclamation, though it seemed like some of the crowd weren't too terribly surprised.

As his two other companions made themselves and their skills known, Kokuto took a minute to process the information. So, Liltotto was wanting to act as surveillance, and this Daniel kid seemed to specialize in spellcraft and medical. Not really too unexpected, given what he knew of the division he came from, they were the tech people, after all. But, nevertheless, he made a mental note to keep an eye on him in particular. By his own admission, the guy wasn't much of a fighter, so, maybe it was a good thing he was here.

With both of them making their own introductions, Kokuto took a set of steps forward to emerge from the crowd as the gentle sway and clinking of the handcuff and their chains around his wrists sounded out lightly throughout the crowd. Though, with his height, it wasn't exactly like he blended in.

"Kokuto Rooks, Sternritter Personnel. Spear and shield, I take hits and hit back even harder. Here to try and make sure we don't leave with less than we started with."

"Bwahahaha!" Lion laughed out as three of his subordinates stepped forward with introductions. "I like you three! Letting the big man know what's up. However-"

He smiled down at them, a sudden edge to his eyes, a lion viewing nothing but prey.

"I already know everything about each and every one of you guys. Our job's simple. We're the undercover agents of this operation. We're, as you'd call, supports for everyone. You may notice that our group is the smallest, but that's because each and every one of you were specially picked by me."

He raised his hand and shadows began to emerge from the space between his fingers as if he had forced that darkness to become blatant. That darkness then leaped from his hand and onto the ground before forming into a door made of pure black nothingness.

"My power is called black transit. It's the ability to transport a person or object anywhere that I've scouted before. It can even transport a person to an individual. Each operative has a badge that contains my energy, allowing me to transport anything they need to them. That is our job, back up!"

Now some people actually seemed to groan at the idea of being nothing more than a group of supports that are only needed when things get too tough. However, Lion's sharp gaze shot out, silencing the crowd.

"We will be the eyes and ears of The Vandenreich, staying out of line of sight and making sure each other squad knows what's up before they encounter any danger. With that said, I've already linked us to the inside of Jefferson City. If there are no questions, let us begin our assignment."

A calm step back was initiated as Liltotto reentered the unit with the clarification, uttering a 'my apologies' for being so hasty before being briefed on their movement roles. Opening another snackbar, she'd listen to the explanation of both their expectations as well as their commander's ability - ah, so that's how he appeared out of nowhere like that, she had heard of someone possessing such an ability but she hardly expected to see it in action today. Now that she really noted it, there was a faint scent of his energy all around her... Hardly intrusive enough to gunk up her senses, but she'd know well to filter it out now.

A simple "Yes sir!" was given in response to the end of the briefing. They were already running late, they might as well get moving.

He had been handpicked? Taking a step back and raising a hand to his chin he felt an odd sense pass over him that he hadn't really felt before. One that brought a weird smile to his face that other soldiers could see if they dare looked at him, though he could tell that the others were more into their own thoughts about the mission, and what was going on than caring about his facial twitches. He had been recognized for his abilities, his growth, and his talents. Recognition usually had cost him money or some kind of favor outside of working for the Vandenreich, but here he had been recognized for his abilities, and his skills. That was a weird, new, and exciting feeling for him that he couldn't help, but feel inclined to meet in kind.

The commander's recognition would not be misplaced and he swelled with a bit anxiety in how he could meet these new set of expectations. He could start by being the best version of himself that he could be.

"Yes, sir!"

He said enthusiastically, thinking about how he could support, and help his fellow faction members as they all planned to go to the center of the city. A bit of fear crept to the edges of his mind, after all this was all new to him, and they didn't have much information about what was going on in the city, let alone in its' center. Yet, at least he wouldn't be truly fighting on the front lines, but providing back up and support. That was something Daniel knew he could do and he would be proud to do so.

Specifically picked? Him, specifically picked to be an undercover agent and support? That had to be a mistake. There was nothing about him that was good for either of those things. Part of him had suspicions, and another part of him doubted his superior. But, he was far from someone to lose his temper, much less voice his concerns, no matter what he felt. Kokuto's eye twitched lightly as he silently moved back to his position.

Despite his disagreement with his placement, Kokuto did find the officer's power interesting. It was simple, but still had a wide variety of uses, but what particularly interested Kokuto was the possibility to transport someone to another. If things went south, that could be useful to make up for his lack of any supernatural speed. So, maybe there was some use he could have in this assignment after all.

But, a thought also came to mind -- this guy was a member of the Togestalten, and they were meant to be the eyes and ears for the rest of the Vandenreich. He took a look at his hand, a brief, small plume of flame flickering to life, feeling the heightened heat gently brush against his face. No better time to test and experiment than today, while it was still on his mind.

"Alright then. Let's move!"

With his order, his men filtered forward, each one stepping through the portal after he had. That's when they'd be dropped into a parking lot, cars sitting idly with barely a trace of life around. However, despite the natural world feeling dim, any Quincy would feel the fragrant scent of Reishi all around them, tickling their nerves like taunting gnats. The city is livid with this sensation, the sky a swirling mass of reishi that swirled like a nauseating painting.

"Form a perimeter around us," Lion ordered, a few men suddenly vanishing as the small buzzing a radio found its way into everyone's ear, like an invasive parasite. Someone else's ability is at work now, but that's not important as Lion nodded his head.

"All clear," He announced, holding up a fist before pointing forward.

He began to move, information being fed to everyone of the lack of anything around them. The buildings had nothing to note, the streets were empty of anything, and the skies lacked any life. Like a held breath, the tension is vivid.

The hairs on her neck stood for a second - an unfamiliar sensation spooked her before realizing it was just a communication device being transported to her ear. Ugh, a little warning would've been nice; she was about to bite. Even getting close to the fog put her on edge, any unexpected things were getting swift retaliation. It was really, abnormally saturated here... But it didn't stop her sense of smell from discerning things in the slightest. Her other senses were much better than her eyes here, overall it was something she was personally learning... Though an old feeling of yearning and appreciation for the gift of sight writhed to the surface.

A perimeter she prowled, keeping her senses open as she tried to pick up scents outside of ensuring her comrades were accounted for... Anything that was of the people from here were old, yet new? While she was at it, she tried to determine if there was a current to this Reishi, whether or not the scent was bellowing from someplace else...

If something was to approach, she'd likely be the first to know.