3-2: Observation

Lyra took the weapon. Not that she could do anything else, given her predicament... Well, what little she understood of it, at least. The humanoid-... no, the person had chosen her, for whatever reason, and had deliberately separated her from the rest of her companions.

At first, she tried to get some sort of response from him, shouting countless questions at the mysterious mummy with clear rage. In return, he merely chose to watch her, silently regarding her words without a second thought as he led her through the halls. And when the being finally decided to respond, she knew her questions fell on deaf ears; Rather than address her outburst, her jailer merely spoke at her, its posture showing absolutely no regard for her previous words.

Either it couldn't understand her questions, or it simply didn't care. And as a result, she had been no closer to reaching an answer than when she'd started.

So the rest of the trek had been in silence, for the Sentry had no choice but to mutely following the mummy. She had tried to take in her surroundings, to understand more about her situation, to gain some hint as to what was going on, but that only left her with more question. From the constantly shifting gears to the docile grimm that had wandered the halls, the only thing that came to Lyra's mind was how different her captor was. Not only that, but the building itself had been so utterly changed that she no longer recognized their path.

When they had finally reached their destination, the deer-faunus had caught sight of the lone Boarbatusk, and quickly came to her own conclusion. After all, there were few reasons people kept grimm and prisoners. Lyra gritted her teeth, her thoughts instantly shifting to that of her allies, wondering if they'd eventually meet the same fate that she was about to. Yet, the echoing sound of shifting gears took her attention away from such thoughts, and the sudden appearance of her blade only served to confuse her further.

Which brought her to her current situation.

Even now, she couldn't understand why she had been given her blade. Part of her wondered if the mummy was simply a sadist, who wanted to see her struggle before she died. However, a larger part of her mind, as well as a good chunk of her instinct, told her that he was seeking something else entirely. Why else would he go through all the trouble of keeping them alive and fed? The Captain even said it restored the building's utilities, which made absolutely no sense to her.

Her eyes fell on the weapon, tracing her fingertips along the edge of short sword—still sharp, and well maintained with those familiar grooves in the blade. The sentry gave a few hesitant swings, checking the balance of her weapon, only to find that it truly was her weapon. This made even less sense; Why would the masked figure give back to her? After all, if he wanted her to suffer and die at the fangs of grimm, he would've left her with a broken tool at best.

And yet, it returned her blade, even going so far as to restock the embedded dust vial.

... No. It didn't matter. This entire farce wasn't Lyra's concern anymore; She came here for a reason, and she intended to see it through. And if their captor decides to make it easy for her? Well, she'd have to oblige, wouldn't she?

Without another moment of hesitation, she charged forward, both her hands gripping her weapon as she lashed out. The Sentry winced a bit as she felt her wrist, still bound by handcuffs, protest at the sudden movement, not quite able to hold her blade the way she intended. Still, it was more than adequate, her aura flaring out to fill the blade with strength, as she brought it down right at her target's-

Her eyes widened as she felt the shock of impact, reverberating through her arms as she watched her weapon stop in midair. Rather than strike at the mummy's neck, it fell short, struggling against a faint light that hung in the air between her arms and her target's head. Lyra tried to push the blade further, but it was to no avail, serving only to draw more attention to the glowing red that had surrounded the mummy.

That's when she knew a frontal attack wouldn't work. The Sentry quickly withdrew, hopping back as she kept a hand on her blade, preparing for the inevitable retaliation as she began plotting her next action.

And yet, instead of a counterattack, the mummy chose to laugh. It was a chiding voice, one filled with equal parts mirth and dismissal as he let out an exaggerated sight, before speaking out once more in that unknown language. Though she couldn't understand his words, Lyra clearly understood his intentions, as the masked figure held up a hand in front of him, a single finger sticking out as he wagged it at her. As though she were an unruly child, rather than an armed adult.

... She... wasn't expecting that.

Before she could question it further, the mummy made another gesture, and the handcuffs that were locked around her wrists broke apart. Just like that, he freed her of her bindings, letting the useless scraps of metal clatter harmlessly to the floor. And throughout the entire exchange, he kept a lax posture, not once worrying about another sudden attack. This time, the Sentry was too surprised to even strike at him, confusion apparent on her face as she glanced from mummy to manacle, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Which gave the masked figure plenty of time to position himself outside of the cage.

Lyra realized this particular detail too late, not noticing the metallic mummy's position until the door closed, locking her inside the room of clockwork with nothing but the creature of destruction. She was trapped this time, stuck inside a metallic enclosure with a beast of grimm that was slowly rising to its feet. And as much as she would've liked to protest, the deer-faunus understood that she had no choice in the matter. Once more, she gripped her blade, turning to face the boarbatusk as she glared at her opponent, waiting for it to strike.

A distant bell tolled, echoing throughout the entire building.

The Sentry instantly felt the Boarbatusk's crimson eyes rest on her, the bone-white mask devoid of expression as it snorted, pawing against the ground. No longer was it content to simply watch the Faunus, as the beast curled in on itself, slowly building momentum before shooting forward.

Lyra quickly hopped to the side, a simple maneuver that confounded the simple beast of grimm.

Rather than try to correct itself, the boarbatusk barreled straight into the metallic door, the ringing sound of impact filling the room. To her surprise, the Sentry noticed the door was mostly unharmed, marred with only a slight dent, the far material sturdier than anything she had seen before.

And if she wasn't in the middle of a fight, she would've wondered about that. Instead, the Sentry noted the oddity in the back of her mind, her focus already turning to the stunned Boarbatusk. She drove her blade forward, striking at the beast's side in a powerful thrust, her aura strengthening the metal as it slide between the creature's bone plates.

Her opponent squealed in pain, twisting away from her before she could do too much damage, her strike shallow. Once more, the boar monster curled in on itself, ready to barrel into the faunus. And, once more, she dealt with its simplicity, landing three more hits in the time it took the beast to collide against the wall.

The immature beast proved to be an inadequate test for the experienced Sentry, and it never got a chance to make the third attack. Before it could curl up for the third time, Lyra dashed forward, her Semblance flaring as fire wreathed her legs.

And he sound of a distant clock echoed out, another ominous toll.

She ignored the sound, focusing instead on her target. The floor beneath her exploded as she kicked off the ground, flinging herself towards her foe in a single stroke. Part of her wished that she had enough control to activate her Semblance again, but the rest of her told herself that it wasn't necessary, as the faunus brought her blade to bear. A trail of fire was left in her wake, the very air bristling as she drove forward, her the short sword aimed directly at the open space between Boarbatusk's armoured mask and its plated snout.

The pained shrieks of the beast, coupled with an explosion of pitch-black smoke, signaled the Sentry's victory. And she might've even allowed herself a bit of pride in her actions, if it wasn't for the fact that she had an audience.

There was no mistaking that clap, slow and methodical as the mummy returned. Lyra grit her teeth, turning around to face her jailer, only to find herself staring directly at a clock. One of those older ones, made obsolete by the advance of technology.

Her jailer's clap matched the pace of the clock, and Lyra couldn't help but stare at the at the antique relic... No, it wasn't an antique. Just like the rest of this building, it was a deliberate creation by this armoured mummy.

Which meant that there was a reason why it was ticking down from two minutes.

Winter Schnee narrowed her eyes.

Honestly, if it wasn't for her superior's orders, she would've passed by this place entirely. Even if she was closer in affiliation to Atlas than to her father's company, she was still a Schnee by name, and a name that prominent brought unwanted attention. It was no secret that many competitors held contempt for all associates of the Schnee Dust Company, especially since SDC was far more prosperous than any other singular entity.

At least, that's what she thought. And yet, the amount of security gathered here at this lowly mining base was something even her father's company would've been hard pressed to rally together, at least in such a short amount of time. From what she understood, the order for mobilization only occurred a few days ago. Despite that, base already looked as though it was prepared to strike into the grimmlands.

During her Bullhead's approach, she saw the sheer number of personnel conducting training drills by the mining camp's walls, each carrying as much discipline as an Atlesian soldier. Distinct squads, visible chains of command, and a near-constant workout for people on rotation meant that the people were ready to act at a moment's notice. Coupled with the fact that there were more than enough security officers to escort three separate supply convoys, and it was clear that this particular operation was no run-of-the-mill event.

And that was just the human element.

She counted no less than three Bullheads packed with undeployed combat droids in the time she had spent grounded here, with a fourth one already on its way. Numerous technicians were running between tents, no doubt checking up on more robots that lay hidden from her eyes. And this was to say nothing of the large artillery platforms that were deployed in the base, massive quadrupedal dust batteries that were most certainly illegal were they to belong to any other group.

The sheer magnitude of this operation was boggling, and the logistics were just as extensive to match. Even now, convoy vehicles were entering the camp, dumping off their cargo of munitions and dust to the facility as quickly as possible before driving off, simply to make enough room for the next truck that followed. Honestly, she could scarcely imagine the amount of oversight that was required to ensure something this hectic ran smoothly.

Thankfully, she didn't need to. Instead, her only task at the moment was to make these observations, formally notarizing them into a report directed to her superiors. Once she'd finished with that task, the huntress would finally be able to prepare for her own mission, which involved recon. Not subversion or sabotage. They were very specific about that particular instruction, a change that was a far cry from her previous orders that involved neutralization or capture.

And Winter had no doubt that these changes were the result of politics, but she paid them no mind; All that mattered was that she had her orders, and that she would perform them.

Perhaps that was why she allowed herself some amount of pity for the commander of this camp, as the Veteran had the unenviable task of dealing with politics from within and from without. Even from her spot in the storage bay, she could hear the conversation that was taking place, as the man spoke with his own superior. Unlike her Atlesian commanders, however, the person in charge of the Veteran was likely someone more business-inclined... At least, that was Winter's hypothesis, as the security officer had to explain far too many aspects of basic logistics to the person on the other end of Scroll.

"... As I've informed you earlier, it'll take at least three more days for the rest of the supplies to even arrive. After that, we'll need another day minimum to ensure everything's in order." To his credit, the Veteran's voice was level throughout the entire exchange, even as he repeated the point for the third time. Yet it seemed as though his conversation partner wouldn't accept that answer. "... No, sir. I'm afraid we cannot start our campaign by this weekend. ... Yes, that was my initial estimate, but that was before the-... Yes sir. As you say, sir."

Her eyes narrowed as the huntress processed that information, quickly taking out her own Scroll. Judging by that little conversation, Rhinestone Industries was planning to move out in a few days. That was... ahead of schedule, and something she certainly needed to report. Winter was in the middle of writing out her message when the Veteran decided to peek his head into the back room.

"Hey, before you go ratting things out on Jimmy, you mind doing me a favour?"

The bluntness of that particular statement was more than enough give Winter pause. Not that her face showed it, with the only indication of her confusion being a single raised brow. The Atlesian operative turned towards the Veteran, not quite sure what to expect as she gave her response.

"... What?"

"You know, a favour? That thing where you do a quick task for me, in exchange for goodwill and-"

"I know what a favour is. What I do not understand is why you wish to ask one from me." Winter was not amused, her words quickly cutting off the older man's as she let out a tired sigh. She still couldn't believe that this person was an associate of the Colonel's, but chose to stay her tongue on that particular bit.

"Well, you see, I'm guessing you heard my entire conversation, right?" The huntress could tell that wasn't a question, as the security officer kept his gaze fixed squarely on Winter. Of course, she didn't back down, her eyes looking back at the Veteran's in a challenging stare. Jared, for the most part, eventually shrugged it off as he decided continue with his request. "So here's the thing: My boss is kind of an idiot, and refuses to back down on her stupid order unless there's valid cause for concern."

"And how does this relate to me?"

"I'm getting to that." The Veteran gave a tired sigh as he turned his attention back to his Scroll. He tapped the device a few times, accessing a particular document before turning over the display to the huntress.

What she saw surprised her.

"See, James told me all about your mission, so I have a rough idea of why you're here. Rather than interfere though, I'm going to help you. Since you're one of those fancy operatives, you'll be fine with scouting out their base, right?" Another rhetorical question, but one that Winter still answered with a nod. "So, what I want you to do is to scout it out tonight. I'll even lend you whatever you need to get that thing done... so long as you don't plan on flying there and landing in the middle of it."

"... I see. Then you'll use the information to determine whether you should attack as instructed, or if you should convince your superior of how foolhardy it is."

"Yep. That's pretty much it." He gave the Atlesian operative a quick nod, already turning his attention back to his scroll as he began issuing out some orders, no doubt related to his position. "So yeah, go make your reports on our robots and whatever. When you're done, come find me and I'll introduce you to the quartermaster."

And with that, the man left the Bullhead. Winter turned her attention back to her supplies, her motions still for just a few moments as she contemplated what had just occured. Despite his attitude, the base commander was surprisingly helpful. Perhaps it wasn't a bad thing that her orders forced her to introduce herself.

Nox watched.

He watched as his little test subject stared at his creation, though he was unsure of why she chose to stand there. Perhaps the woman wasn't feeling fatigued from that battle? Though, to be fair, it was resolved quickly, and the little shadow boar didn't get much of a chance to test Subject #4.

That's not to say that the run was fruitless; far from it. That little test gave the Xelor a chance to watch the subject invoke its natural power. And just as the case with Subject#1, Nox saw first-hand as the mysterious energies made their presence known.

At least... that's what he thought he saw. There was something about his observation that seemed... off, however.

"Did you feel that, Igole?"

Nox turned to the shadow beast at his side, the same wolf monster that had followed him throughout the complex. Or, perhaps it was a different one; he wasn't quite sure. Still, rather than consider that particular juncture, Nox shrugged it off, resolving to simply make a collar for Igole later. No, he had something far more important to worry about at the moment.

The Xelor's gaze turned away from his test subject, focusing instead on his Dial, looking through one of the many Noxines that now filled his complex. Once again, he invoked his power, channeling raw Wakfu through his dial, igniting the Crystal within as he felt the energies surge through him. Just as before, he asserted his dominion over time, the very air surrounding his base bending to him.

Yet, it was not time that knelt to the Xelor, but something else entirely. Nox wasn't too sure what that meant, and he slowly shifted his attention back to his current spot as he stared at the shadow wolf.

"...Good boy. You understand too, don't you? It seems those crystals... changed something. They're quite different from the powders, it seems. A similar kind of power, but something very different..."

Once more he invoked his power, another spark of Wakfu shooting through his Dial as he paid closer attention. This time, he chose to focus on what changed, as his area of influence began flickering with an unknown energy. But, just as quickly as it appeard, the sensation faded into the air... No, that was not quite accurate. It would be wrong to say that power faded. It never could fade in the first place, as it was a simple instantaneous flicker of his power. A single spark.

... Interest.

Through his power, a fire was born, that same fire that he burned into his Noxines. By itself, it couldn't explain everything, but the Xelor was certain that it accounted for a small part of his newfound reach. Nox's eyes narrowed as he focused his attention on one of his other workbenches... Perhaps he should work on the collar right now after all. He never paid much attention to his automated clockwork processes before, and this discovery had some interesting implications.

As soon as that thought ran through his mind, his alarm clock echoed out, and Nox turned his attention back to Subject #4. He wasn't quite sure if the woman had opted to rest, but that wasn't his problem anymore; He gave her ample time to collect herself, and he could not afford to dawdle simply because the locals were incapable of keeping a schedule. So, he merely withdrew the clock, before instructing one of his armatures to bring in the next test case.

Within a few seconds, three clockwork arms descended from the ceiling, dropping a shadow bear into the center of the arena. He was certain he heard his test subject yell out in surprise, but he ignored that part. Either she'd grow accustomed to the routine, or she'd be yelling a lot throughout the rest of the testing phase.

Kind of like what she's doing right now, really. The Xelor watched with subdued interest as Subject #4 charged straight at the shadow bear.

Unlike the boar from earlier, this particular opponent was more adaptable, reacting far more accurately as it warded off her initial strike. Nox found its movements just as surprising as he did with the test subject; it was not quite the directionless beast he assumed it to be, as the bear brought up a plated forearm to deflect the blow.

The subject followed through with another attack, dancing around the bear as she tried to strike at the weaker points in its guard, only for the beast to compensate with swift motions of its own. It wasn't enough to fully protect it, but the creature did a well enough job to avoid the deadlier strikes.

The Xelor smiled beneath his mask. It was a shame he didn't have Wakfu to spare, as he would've appreciated the chance to experiment on these beasts. They were far more promising than his Grambos, after all, and even if they weren't intelligent, they followed him for whatever reason. Maybe he could make use of the leftover powder fuels to come up with something else.

Then again, he'd have to ensure their loyalty first. Nox began seriously considering the merits of his leash idea; After all, beasts only need basic conditioning, and his powers did offer him a fair amount of control. Perhaps he'd be able to direct them the same way he directed his Noxines in the past. Best case scenario, he'd have more durable, if less intelligent, minions to keep an eye on his more fragile constructs. Worst case scenario, he'd gain more understanding on these creatures. Either way, he-

A sound echoed through the room, and Nox quickly turned his focus back to his subject.

Yes... This was what he was waiting for; The whole reason why he took this particular Subject in the first place. Nox invoked his dial once more, this time using the Wakfu directly, feeling time slow to a crawl as he watched the phenomenon unfold. He kept his eyes, as well as the eyes of the Noxines that dwelled in the room, firmly on Subject #4, making sure to catch every detail as she activated her weapon.

First, he saw the familiar flash of mysterious energy, that all these locals seem to hold, flow into the vial of powder. From there, the powder itself quaked, as the power from earlier shifted through the green granules, before bleeding into her very weapon.

Then, the blade simply shattered, no longer directed by physics, but by that same energy that the woman has used to ignite the green powder.

Nox committed the flow to memory, from how the light warped around each metallic fragment, to how it pulled it through the air, tugging and forcing against gravity as the blade shards formed into a coherent whip.

He was still no closer to figuring out what that power was or how it worked, but that little display was still insightful for the Xelor. After all, while he may not be able to manipulate that particular energy, he could manipulate his own powers in a similar manner. And that demonstration gave Nox an interesting idea... After all, he too had a blade.

And with that, Nox smiled beneath his mask. What other interesting things will he learn from this?