Vitae Memorandum

61-Crystalline Blossoms

After having finished dinner, everyone stashed away the facility at a sheltered point along the wide path. From there, it was only a short walk further to the citadel, so everyone prepared for their departure.

The Embers and Seekers had returned in time for everyone to set out, having ruined the pass behind them. Such destruction would take a long time to clear, let alone to repair, but it would otherwise present a considerable risk for the citadel. The Reavers had also returned from their trip, having scouted ahead just in case conflict had arrived before them. The Wardens had been responsible for ensuring everything within the facility could manage itself for a time, although the facility staff would still have need of visiting the citadel for additional supplies.

From here, everyone would travel forward as their four original factions. Even though all four groups knew the first destination was the citadel, the plan was to then split up from there to provide support as needed. Thanrie would be returning with her brother, acting as one of the Seekers, and Zyuixqs would be joining her in much the same way. Qheria would be going with her mother and the Reavers, whom Rhyde had also decided to go along with. Mhyl would be with Chyurae as she blended in with the Wardens, still otherwise under Aelyiq's command. Lwyn and Yuxzn would be staying with Ehryinae's Embers. Everyone else would remain at the facility, to keep it staffed and maintained, with the smith himself generally in charge.

Thanrie was still slightly disappointed, leaving the facility behind after it had been outfitted so well. The thing was pretty much their weaponized supply vault.. which was probably a good reason to not scare everyone here with it. They also knew there would be two fronts to fight from, picking one side and making a mess of everything along the way just wasn't much of an option. Still, they were leaving it in good hands, the smith was still going to remain hard at work at making further creations in their absence. This would then end up being a sort of secret laboratory they had hidden away, making even more secret weapons. Nothing about it was a total loss.

Qheria travelled alongside Rhyde, who was getting used to his new power armor. Rhyde wasn't nearly as natural at piloting the thing as Zyuixqs was, but he was stubborn enough to get the thing to listen to him eventually anyway. Because it responded mostly to the motions of it's pilot, Rhyde still had to do all the walking motions just to get the thing to its destination, it wasn't like riding along was giving him the lazy way. In fact, he was being stubborn in that regard too, making the whole trip harder by bringing the thing along, just so that he could get used to it. Zyuixqs however had agreed with the idea simply in the principle that they had no better way to transport such heavy equipment, himself also in the armor beside Thanrie. As long as both of them held back to not cause any undue alarm, everything would be okay.

Yuxzn himself also had his new weapon, which it seemed could be collapsed and set to his back like a bow. It was still much heavier than a bow, but he had already gotten used to it after their trip. He was still waiting for a chance to test it, to confirm his own ability with it. He took a moment as they travelled to compare it to Lwyn's crossbow, which was also kept on her back. The crossbow itself seemed like a blend of everything his bow and his new railgun had to offer, although being much faster to fire overall than either. By nature, it didn't have even half the power of the railgun, but he knew she didn't fully depend on it's natural ability anymore. Her gift gave her an edge even he did not have.

Mhyl was still worried about bringing Chyurae along, himself still without any weapons. He still had his tools, but those would serve little purpose in the middle of a battle. However, she herself was familiar with being left to help in a battle while having no weapon, she knew what that felt like. She also knew he was very sneaky, which would help him look after himself if things got rough. She suspected he would make a great scout or messenger, if nothing else. Mostly, she wasn't willing to underestimate him, considering how skilled and helpful he had been in the past. She could still remember suffering against him in Footsphere.