Goldenblade's Mission

Goldenblade has invited the two sneakiest people she knows to her Academy, where upstairs in the main building is ... well, right now it's mostly like a sitting room, or maybe a briefing room, though the table is secondhand and the chairs are mismatched. "I'm glad I could get you both to come," she says, smiling as everyone enters, and she lets everyone get settled. There's a pitcher of water, and a few tumblers, and she pours one for herself, and one for each of the others, then takes a seat, herself.

"So," she says. "You both know about the big undead incursion going on?" she asks, getting straight to the point.

    The Baroness has been meaning to visit the academy for some time now. As one of those who contributed, she's delighted to see Goldenblade's vision come to life. Wake herself has only recently completed a massive effort of her own and while she's not sure she's entirely back to normal, she feels better able to simply appreciate the beauty in what she sees as opposed to feeling a constant need to alter her clothing for it.

    Speaking of which, the Right Clothes today consist of a simply white dress of modest cut but flattering form. Though it is simple, the design is rich with elaborate lace and sparkling pearls.

    When the Baroness enters the room, she glides into a curtsey, "Hello, Goldenblade! I will always do what I can to come when you call."

    The topic, though, seems far less pleasant than she had hoped. "Certainly, I'm still involved in organizing its destruction, though frankly I haven't heard much as of late, and my own attempts to discover the enemy's base ended in dangerous failure."

    Akatsuki is here. One moment she wasn't and then in the next she simply appeared, settled into a seat, in formal seiza style, in her usual ninja outfit; hands resting on her lap.
    "I was at the meeting of the three alliances." She says. "I know that pushing back the undead was tasked to Amaltha of the Scale Emblem Alliance, while Wake was tasked with the informational aspect of hunting down the undead."
    Funny... She wasn't SEEN at the meeting of alliances. At least not until much after Shiroe's collapse.
    "Information on my end has been lacking, as well, though I believe the villages are no longer under threat of undead attack for now."

Goldenblade was at the meeting Akatsuki mentions, too, but she's not surprised to have missed Akatsuki. She's never seen unless she means to be. "It's just so," she agrees about the hunting down bit. She smiles to Wake as she bows, and she ahhs about her activies. "I was meaning to help clear out your castle, but I've been so busy here," she explains helplessly. "If there's more to do, I would love to help." She nods about the enemy base, and says, "That's exactly what I wanted to talk about."

"I think we all know that at least one player has been captured by the undead," she goes on. "I'd heard that some time ago. But I only just recently learned that the player didn't respawn. that's very concerning for me. Two possibilities come immediately to mind: that the player is locked in, with the undead controlling him and him just forced to watch, and that the player of the in-game character has died." She sighs. "There's no way to tell, I think. But I also don't know if anyone has tried to rescue that player. Or if that doesn't work, to kill the undead that the player has turned into and hope the player respawns."

    "We only know that the player was under control when last seen and that no respawn has occurred. When we were scouting the enemy we encountered something called The Binder," says Baroness Wake. "It compared black and apparently was responsible for the enslavement of that adventurer."

    She sighs as she settles into a seat. "As for the castle, it is still being cleared. My work has been focused mainly on gaining the rights to it, which has now been achieved. So I can finally say Baroness Wake is an official title."

    The dire situation prevents her from relishing that. "So you would have us seek out this one, kill it, and hope the player returns. The army is massive. I don't know how we can find just one at this point."

    "I recall this topic was raised at the meeting of alliances." Akatsuki notes. "Still, that doesn't make it any less concerning." She says, features hardening into a slight frown as she begins to count off on her fingers.
    "What caused their transformation."
    "Why did they not respawn?"
    "Are they still alive or not?"
    "Where are they being held, if so."
    These points are all raised as the miniature ninja takes a slow breath.
    "All information we currently do not know." But she purses her lips. "If the undead that player was transformed into could be found, perhaps we can work out the answers to those questions. I assume that is what you are intending?"
    "Congratulations on formalizing your title." That was to Wake.

Goldenblade nods to Wake about the Binder, and that the player was under control last anyone saw. "I had heard that also," she agrees. She bows in her seat as Wake mentions that she is officially Baroness Wake. "Congratulations," she says, pleased. And Akatsuki sums up our knowledge succinctly, leaving Goldenblade to simply agree, "That's about the size of it."

Wake's question, then, is met with a nod, though she hedges, "I think the question of attack is entirely dependent on the situation in which we find the player and what else is going on. If we can capture, immobilize, and drag off the player without engaging any enemies, that is my ideal scenario. Which is part of why it's the three of /us/ having this meeting. If it's not possible to engage the player without everyone else getting involved, or if they con too high to risk, then we'd sneak out and add the information to what we already know." She looks back and forth, and explains, "I know it's a PVPer that got captured, and I don't know if their guild has even tried anything. But if it were me, I'd sure want someone to at least try. Not risking our own lives, of course. But we ought to at least look around. We could turn back if it got -too- hairy."

    The Baroness inclines her head, "I appreciate it, honestly. It has been a considerable amount of effort to get this far. The title in this case means I have to devote myself again to this unpleasant work." She lids her eyes a moment, thinking swiftly through options.

    "I would suggest we approach this as an assassination, with the hope that if things go completely smoothly, we try to extract the enemy without killing it," replies Wake. "Above all, we need to determine if respawn works after this possession, and while I would like to have our specialists check the subject over, that is a nice to have goal, not the primary one."

    "Mmmmm." The taciturn ninja spends a beat in silence after a thoughtful sound, lips still edged downwards into that faint frown. Lavender eyes regard the other two for a long moment of thought. On the one hand, the three people in the room right now are perhaps the most specialized stealth experts the Alliances have. On the other hand, the plan itself is inherently incredibly high risk, with no gaurantee of reward.
    She rubs her chin.
    "No plan survives contact with the enemy." Akatsuki points out harshly. "It will not go smoothly, regardless of how much we plan ahead in advance. "Even the three of us will be certain to face extreme odds and high difficulties. "However. That does not mean it is impossible."

Goldenblade winces as Wake suggests assassination as a first priority, but she doesn't argue against it. "That seems reasonable," she agrees. "And yes, that," she means whether the player respawns or not, "is exactly my concern: whether or not the player respawns. We may wish to have a team in the temple where we expect the reapawn, in case they respawn as undead. Away from their support, a good group of players ought to be able to accomplish more than three assassins. That is, of course, if they respawn in a player church and not in some monster graveyard." She can only shrugs to that.

She nods gravely as Akatsuki mentions the risk, and about plans not surviving first contact. "Boy howdy, I know that for a fact," she smirks. "What I'm hoping to do, though, is to find out if you're both willing to even try it. That's the first question, of course. I know it's risky. It'll be the riskiest thing I've done in the game, I expect. And we'll need to have some sort of prearranged back door out. Fast horses waiting closeby. I don't know, I heard there were recall tokens once upon a time, something like that would be ideal. But if we can arrange it, even getting a look close-in may have value to the alliances, even if we can't attempt a strike."

    The Baroness steeples her fingers, "Among our plans, ladies, we need to include more than just fast horses." She narrows her eyes and looks over the women she is speaking with. It is a considerable amount of time before she is willing to go on. When she does, the direction is perhaps unexpected.

    "What kind of work did you do? I mean, away from this place," says Wake. Her tone is softer, quite different than usual. Whatever is on her mind, it's bringing a sad expression to her face.

    "Definitely more than fast horses." Akatsuki agrees with Wake, arms folding across her chest. "Assuming we even go that far." Added as an afterthought.
    Keeping a temple team ready is one thing, but managing an escape after a daring enemy capture or assassination is a whole other world of planning required. Nevetheless, the miniscule ninja slowly shuts her eyes in brief thought.
    "I might suggest a diversion of some sort be employed. This is no longer a game anymore." She does point out. But she does not say she is backing out.
    Lavender eyes shift sidewards to Wake for a moment, at her question. She assumes it's intended more for Goldenblade, but that doesn't stop her eyes from falling half-lidded as she looks back on her school days prior to getting caught in the world of Elder Tale.
    "... I was a college student."
    Boy she sure doesn't look old enough to be one, though.

Goldenblade nods about planning for more than fast horses, insisting, "That was just an example of a thing we'd want." She meets Wake's steady gaze, then hrms at the question, puzzled. "I was a bricklayer, before I retired," she says succinctly. "This is the first computer game I've ever played, so I don't really know how things work. That's why I'm asking what I'm asking. If you two don't think it can work, I'll give over. But I had to ask, didn't I? Some poor kid's stuck there, where ever that is. I don't like leaving them. Not if I can help it."

She nods at Akatsuki being a college student. Height and age of course don't go together once you're an adult, and though short people sometimes seem young, it's not necessarily the case. She quickly agrees, "A diversion would be an excellent way to draw off more of their forces, and to divert their attention to another target entirely. That's an /excellent/ idea. We could slip in while their attention is on the assualt."

    "It is absolutely critical that if we face the binder, we are not taken," Wake says quietly. "We will need a way to ensure we can drive ourselves to respawn as a means of last defense. I was thinking something like a cyanide pill."

    She looks at Goldenblade and Akatsuki appraisingly, "It's important that we are very clear that this is no longer a game. We are trapped here. The Binder, at the very least, can enslave us indefinitely. We are not sure what the experience is when this occurs. We don't know if, after we kill the enemy, it will lead to a respawn or.. something else. This drives my earlier question. I don't know how many players we have with direct experience laying their real lives on the line. One cannot be sure how they will react in that situation without proper training."

    Wake is right though. This is no longer a game, and the thought of committing suicide rather than being captured is... A distressing one to say the least. But if Akatsuki is actually distressed by the thought or not, the quiet Assassin does not show it.
    "Mn." Her first response is little more than a small, thoughtful, noise, fingers clenching to her knees before she finally looks up.
    "If it comes to that, I would much preferrably take my own life than be captured." She admits. "But."
    Here she pauses, letting that 'but' hang in the air for a heavy moment as her expression hardens once again.
    "A ninja does not know the meaning of 'failure'."
    "Provided with a proper plan of attack, a diversion, and a means of exfiltration, I am willing to see this through."

Goldenblade winces as Wake mentions the good old reliable cyanide capsule, but that's what Goldenblade remembers from the Cold War-era spy movies. "Actually that sounds like a good plan, too," she murmurs hesitantly. "Better than being captured." As to no longer a game, she says, "Oh, it's still a game. Just a very serious one, with consequences." She shrugs to Wake about actual experiences and training. "I'm a bricklayer, but working on high buildings on a tiny platform made of boards concentrates you quite sharply," she explains. "And then again, I got caught up in that Sarin gas attack in the subway, back in the nineties." She's referring to the Aum Shinrikyo incident. "I managed to carry someone out of it, though. I figure I must have been close to the edge of it. Luckily, we'd recently had refresher training on toxic gasses." Always a danger in construction.

She nods as AKatsuki mentions the needs, and all three she agrees with. "Still, if we have all those things set up, I would like the cyanide capsule as a backup. Just in case."

    "Before we put ourselves in any danger, we need to find out where the creature was last seen and seek some kind of lead on its position. How will we even identify it at this point?" The Baroness wishes she had more answers.

    The serious tone is shaken off with a smirk, "I have never lost an operative, and I don't plan on starting now. We have a lot of work to do in just finding this needle in the undead haystack." Which thankfully means there's little reason to run off and throw themselves into grave danger.

    It's... Well the suicide option certainly is an option.
    "I would rather not have to resort to that if we do not have to." Akatsuki admits. "But I understand it as necessary." She says.
    Again her lips purse.
    Never before has she even had to risk her life before. Most 'college students' would be in over their heads right about now, and Wake certainly sounds like she has... Experience with such things. And Goldenblade has clearly been hardened by heights and terrorist attacks.
    For all her inexperience though, the miniscule ninja does not act as though she is out of her element.
    "We should begin scouting the enemy encampments that we know about and work from there to find our target." She suggests. "It would be a start, at the very least and we can always reconvene with our findings."

Goldenblade nods as Wake defines preliminary actions. "I agree, that sounds like things we'd need to get sorted out before we start." She arches a brow at having never lost an operative, and wonders, "Were you some kind of spymaster, then?" That certainly trumps anything she could bring to the table. But it also makes her feel a bit more confident that the right people are planning. She nods at finding things first, and that's something entirely outside her area of expertise.

Or is it? She peers at Akatsuki, and admits, "I could probably help with scouting. It'd be good to know where things are," she agrees. "Finding out when and how they move is essential." She nods about it being a start. "Got to start somewhere, right?"

    "I can agree with that. Having attempted this recently, I will stress that you be cautious. The patrols were considerable and even one of them would have squashed me like a bug in a battle, much less been weak enough to be killed before it could raise an alarm," explains Wake.

    "We will certainly avoid death if we can, but take that option before we are taken by the Binder. I'm not sure where to even find the right poison for our uses." She doesn't enjoy speaking about it, or thinking about it, but there's a certain vague familiarity with the topic. "In any case, I think we know what we're about. And I finally feeling like I have a team interested in doing real intel. Along the way, please take note of enemy movements you might see, or numbers, equipment, all the detail you can commit to memory. It can tell us a story about what they intend."

    The Baroness readies herself to leave, explaining with a sigh, "I wish this were easier, but at least it will be interesting. At this time, however, there is another appointment I must attend to. Perhaps they shall prove related, in the end."

Goldenblade rises with Wake and Akatsuki. She nods vehemently about being cautious and avoiding death. "Amen to that," she agrees. But as to where to find poison, she says, "I'll bet Prophylaxis can come up with something." He's the only medical person that she knows, but he seems pretty reliable. She seems pleased to be included in Wake's team, and nods about intel. "Do you know if the enemy can listen to our chimlink conversations?" she wonders. "If not, we could have people copying out our verbal reports as we make them. We could even call for a relief force, if only to distract an enemy so we can all get clear." She nods about wishing it were easier, but chuckles. "Interesting? Definitely." She bows her head as Wake excuses herself, and wishes her, "Good luck."

Where did Akatsuki go? She must have been done with the meeting also.