General Karma Novak stands stoically near the center of what used to be a soccer field. Not that anyone would be able to recognize it as such now. This isn't one of the massive structures used for professional games, but instead a small field that was once used by the nearby high school that now also stands in ruins.
Nature has reclaimed much of this place from humanity, as it has in most of Japan. The ruins of the high school are covered in moss, and sapling trees sprout up all over the surrounding area. Only the soccer field, with its artificial turf, has been spared the effects of the rampant growth. Although the old lines of the game have long faded from the sun exposure, Karma’s team of inscribers are hard at work drawing out different lines, and these aren't for any game.
With the destruction and reclamation of nature all around her, Karma stands calmly in her stark, pressed business suit. Her eyes scan the field, tracing out the lines of the complex inscriptions her team has been laying down all afternoon. Intricate geometric shapes, undulating lines, and interlocking circles make up a massive inscription drawn out using powdered silver. It's honestly far more complex than anything Karma can follow, as she's never been trained as an inscriber. Yet, for the team of carefully picked experts, an inscription this simple is child’s play.
The sun beats down, and a cool, pleasant breeze blows across the field as Karma watches the inscription near completion. She wishes they could conduct this summoning in the safety of the GDF Headquarters in Shinara, but it's imperative that no one but her most trusted learn about the events of the discussion to come. If someone unauthorized or, stars forbid, the media, gets wind of what is happening here, the result could be a worldwide political catastrophe. No, this information needs to stay at the highest levels of the GDF, at least until it can no longer be hidden.
Sadly, that level of informational security means going somewhere no one sane would go for the summoning. Luckily for Karma, she brought some rather exceptional young people to act as her guards. While the two sentinels she’s taken on this mission aren't necessarily authorized to hear this information either, they are the two most powerful people in all of Japan. They've been a necessary inclusion, protocol be damned.
Karma looks over the unfinished inscription again before allowing her eyes to drift skyward. A glowing pink shape approaches the field at a startling speed, soaring through the sky as if the wind itself bows to her. Karma grits her teeth; if one of her sentinels is approaching, then they are running out of time.
The pink speck in the sky quickly resolves itself into the form of a young woman with brunette hair tied back in a practical ponytail. The woman wears what appears to be sleek modern body armor, but instead of the usual black or gray, her armor is an incandescent pink color with black accents. The black parts of her armor are covered with small shining pinpoints of light that shift and glow subtly, reminding Karma of the exposed night sky.
Behind the young woman, two elegant wings of beautiful pink and violet feathers are spread. A single pump of those wings is enough to propel her through the sky at speeds that a fighter jet would envy.
The young woman is Audrey Solara, better known by her nickname, Stardust Angel. Audrey has been the rising star of Shinara’s sentinels ever since she gained her powers. Now, she rivals the most powerful in the world for strength. And while it's for this strength that she is admired, only people who knew her from the start, as Karma has, understand the trauma acquiring it required.
Audrey lands hard beside Karma on the field moments later, her feet leaving deep indentations in the turf. As she straightens, her wings dissolve off her back into motes of shimmering pink and violet stardust, like nebulae shining in the night, until they swirl and fade away.
“Ma’am,” Audrey says, nodding her head to Karma respectfully.
Karma allows herself a slight smile before speaking. Any respect from Audrey is hard won, as she is not the type to respect any authority but her own. “Report, Sentinel Solara,” Karma orders, keeping her fondness from her words. She's a professional, after all; she can't show favoritism to her subordinates — even if she feels it.
“Ma’am, there was a large group of weak volcora to the northeast heading in our direction. I dealt with them, but stronger volcora will be coming. This far north of the front, I’m wary of getting the attention of the horde,” Audrey says. Despite her own stated wariness, she doesn’t show a hint of fear. If this were her first time north of the front, she wouldn’t be on this mission.
Karma frowns at the report; they came all the way out here to avoid attention. However, if they need to retreat early, they'll have to risk a less secure area. All she can do now is hope they’ll have enough time.
“Have you heard anything from Kayne?” Karma asks, inquiring into her other sentinel guard.
Audrey and Kayne are both very similar and very different. Both are highly powerful and somewhat volatile individuals. The distinction between them lies in trust. For Audrey, it's very hard to earn her trust, but once you have, she will quite literally die for you. Kayne is a different beast entirely. Where Audrey puts her faith in individuals and cares little for the GDF as an organization, Kayne follows every rule to the letter. Audrey would still follow Karma if, for some reason, she were removed from her position, but Kayne would not. The only reason he follows her orders is because of her position; as soon as someone else takes over, his loyalty will switch to them immediately.
While Karma trusts both of them equally on paper, she admits a preference for working with Audrey. While the young woman is less experienced — and quite a bit more eccentric — she's also the one who has your back no matter what.
Karma is broken from her thoughts as Audrey speaks, “I haven’t heard from him, no. I doubt Wonder Boy got into any trouble, though. Astra, have you heard from him?” Audrey turns to the side as she speaks as if talking to empty air. If Karma didn't know better, she would think Audrey was having a mental break. However, she’s spent enough time around sentinels to know what one talking to their familiar looks like.
It’s at that moment that Audrey’s familiar, Astra, decides to make herself known. With only a brief shimmer of light, a beast straight out of a fantasy book appears beside Audrey.
Astra looks like someone painted a black panther with the colors of the night sky and then added some fantasy flare for good measure. Astra’s sleek coat is so inky black that it seems to devour the light near her, causing anyone observing her form to see her as slightly hazy — as if she isn't quite real. The only points of light on her are the same stars and swirling nebulae that adorn the black parts of Audrey’s armor. That, and Astra’s burning pink eyes, a match for her partner’s. To top it off, the panther on all fours stands a head taller than the two women, making the already intimidating sight all the more potent.
Neither woman flinches at the appearance of the beast, however. For Karma, it’s a measure of her experience and familiarity with Astra in particular. For Audrey, it’s the simple knowledge that her familiar would never hurt her, and nothing would ever change that.
[I have not received any communications from Kayne’s familiar since we departed,] states a purring female voice. Astra’s fanged mouth does not move as she speaks, transmitting her thoughts directly into the minds of the humans.
“Can you ask for an update?” Karma questions the beast, managing to keep her voice calm even as Astra begins to pace around them in a slow circle. A predator stalking its prey.
Astra’s large, feline head dips in a nod as she pauses her circling. She stays frozen in place for a few seconds before continuing. [Erebus states that they are keeping watch a few miles south of here. No issues to report.]
Audrey smiles softly as her familiar stops beside her, reaching up to scratch the massive panther behind the ears as if she were a house cat. “I’m sure Kayne is having a grand old time keeping watch. Maybe some solitude will dislodge the stick up his ass. Want to call him back?” she asks as Astra begins to purr loudly.
Karma glances to the side to look back at the inscribers, only to see them packing up their things. The massive inscription on the old game field has been completed, and the head inscriber is approaching.
After taking a moment to consider, Karma shakes her head. “No, tell him to reposition to our northeast and slow down any retaliatory force heading our way.”
[Consider it done,] purrs Astra, who has laid out on the artificial grass to make it easier for Audrey to scratch the elusive parts of her head and back.
For a moment, Karma considers trying to reprimand the pair for not really paying attention in hostile territory but quickly discounts it. It’s not like Audrey would listen anyway, and at this point, it’s best to just keep on the good side of the powerful individual. While Karma is technically in charge of all of the sentinels in Shinara, forcing someone who can level a building in mere moments to comply with orders is easier said than done. Especially with the older and more powerful sentinels, Karma needs to stay on their good side as they are the ones to enforce the rules on the younger ones. Even a weak sentinel can be a walking natural disaster.
Instead, Karma turns away from Audrey and Astra and to her head inscriber, who has just arrived. “Are we ready, Ratchet?”
The massive man nods, “Yes, ma’am. The summoning is ready to proceed,” he says in his deep baritone.
For such a well-studied man, Ratchet looks like he spends more time at the gym than the library. Built like a brick house, Ratchet stands at nearly seven feet tall, with a bald head, dark chocolate skin, and a short beard peppered with gray. Despite not having any magic of his own, there isn't a sentinel in Japan that would dare piss him off. Not because they were afraid of him, mind you; he's the one who makes all of their toys. Having that privilege revoked is a bigger threat than a court-martial.
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Karma nods, then gestures to one of the waiting transport carriers just outside the field, “Have you and your people load up. We will be departing as soon as the meeting has been facilitated, and I don’t want anyone unauthorized hearing this one.”
Ratchet nods, turning away to round up his people and shepherd them onto the transport. As he leaves, Audrey speaks up. “You want me to make myself scarce as well, boss? I can go annoy Kayne for a while.”
Karma shakes her head, “No. While you technically aren’t allowed to hear this, I need you and Astra with me in case the Centurions try throwing their weight around. Just do your best to forget what you hear, and don’t mention it to anyone.”
Audrey nods seriously, “Yes, ma’am,” she responds quickly. Audrey knew well that her inclusion in meetings such as this was dependent on keeping her mouth shut. She was here to be the muscle, not the brain.
A few more minutes tick by as Ratchet works to clear the field, but soon, the only ones still present on the old game field are the two women. Karma sucks in a deep, steadying breath. Despite her outward calm, she's nervous. She needs this meeting to go well… Japan needs this meeting to go well.
Audrey steps up behind Karma, ready to support her superior officer however necessary. While Astra appears to have vanished once more, Audrey knows she is stalking near the edge of the field, ready to jump in if anything goes wrong.
Together, Audrey and Karma walk to the edge of the massive inscription. Ratchet has already primed it to activate; now it just needs the final push. The silver lines carefully drawn out across the field practically hum with power. All that's needed now is for the price to be paid.
Luckily, for a short summoning to facilitate a meeting, that price is relatively small. Still annoying, though. Karma extends her hand over the edge of the outer line of the inscription, producing a small knife with her other. In a swift, practiced motion, she slices a thin line across the palm of her outstretched hand before squeezing it in a fist until the blood welled and dripped down onto the glowing silver lines.
Karma grits her teeth through the process, yet she knows she has to endure this for the magic to work. It isn't the blood the inscription needs, not really. Any kind of trial would work as long as it's sufficiently difficult. Overcoming pain is a quick trial to perform and one that is always easily at hand — literally. It's why it works so well for magics with a relatively light cost such as this. Besides, Karma has sentinels under her command with healing powersets; they are rare but very useful for things like this.
After a few more moments of blood dribbling down Karma’s hand, the inscription’s threshold to activate is crossed. The lines of the intricate diagram begin to hum audibly as a being much more powerful reaches out from elsewhere to accept their invitation. The ground under their feet trembles, and the lines of the diagram start glowing a bright white color as the summoning is facilitated.
Truthfully, the work done by Karma’s people on this side of the summoning is the easy part — an invitation extended, to either be accepted or declined. The one truly facilitating the connection is the near-deific being on the other side. A centurion, and not a weak one. Karma suspects that only Audrey knows just how far above her this being truly is.
Soon, the lines of the inscription are glowing too brightly to look at, nearly outshining the sun in the sky. Karma is forced to look away, but even so, she feels the presence of the new arrival like a tidal wave slamming into her.
The aura bears down on those present like a wave of sheer domination; Karma immediately falls to her knees, unable to withstand the pressure of being in the presence of a being such as this. Audrey, however, stands firm, her incandescent pink eyes hard as flint as she regards the being emerging from the light. While even she feels like a mouse standing before a lion, she is not so easily cowed.
Almost as quickly as it arrived, the presence vanishes, leaving Karma to grit her teeth once more as she stands to regard the ambassador of the Centurion race.
The centurion before her has a quadruped body similar to that of a canine, with fur the color of shimmering gold, an elongated snout, and four extra-long fangs descending down past its black lips. The creature’s most striking features, however, are the twin antlers rising up off its head. They twist and rise in intricate patterns that seem to hint at arcane origins that neither Audrey nor Karma can unravel.
Light shimmers and warps around the creature, making its golden fur shine even as parts of its body ripple in and out of visibility. Looking at it is like looking at a road scorched by desert heat that emanates and distorts the light around it.
Twin golden eyes bear into Karma from the creature’s impressive height of at least 10 meters, with an extra couple of meters added on top of its impressive antlers.
Karma meets the eyes of the terrifying — yet vibrantly beautiful — creature above her. Then, she dips her head. “Ambassador, thank you for answering our summons,” she says, keeping her voice calm and her tone even.
The creature dips its head in turn. Like with Astra, its voice echoes out into the minds of those present like a golden sunbeam. [I thank you for hosting, General. It is good to have a physical body again, if only for a time,] the centurion says, its deep masculine voice smooth as honey. [And please, call me Ambrose. We have met enough times to drop the formality.]
Karma nods her head smoothly, mentally scolding herself for failing to honor Ambrose’s request from their previous meeting. Truthfully, it’s hard not to show respect to a creature so dazzlingly beautiful, hard not to show a hint of the inferiority she felt looking upon its golden form.
“Of course, Ambrose,” she responds, seemingly easily. “Have you been made aware of the circumstances that have led to this meeting?”
[The overview, but not the fine details,] Ambrose says. [Your Volcora problem is becoming untenable?]
Karma nods gravely; the Volcora have been a blight in the world for over a hundred and twenty-five years. The appearance of the first Volcora having forever altered the course of the world’s history, proving definitively that magic existed and is not friendly to mankind. At least, not at first.
It had started slow, with weak volcora appearing now and again. Troubling, but more on a philosophical level than a physical one. Over the years, the number and strength of invading volcora increased, but mankind’s preparedness and knowledge of magic had grown faster, and they could keep up with the threat.
Over time, though, it got to the point where ordinary munitions and soldiers were not enough to keep up with the supernatural threat the Volcora posed. It was then that humanity made contact with the Centurions through means that Karma didn’t fully understand. With their newfound allies, the Sentinel Program was born.
With Earth’s current magical climate, a centurion can only exist for a very short time before being forced to return to their home dimension. However, by forcibly binding the souls of a newborn centurion with a young, compatible human, they could empower both. The newborn centurion would gain the physical body that its species craved, and the human would be empowered to protect their people against the rising Volcora threat.
“It is,” Karma tells Ambrose. “We have come to the conclusion that some kind of threshold has been crossed. Both the number of volcora invading and their relative strength are rising faster than we can deal with. We are beginning to take heavy casualties just to defend our existing territory, not just amongst our normal soldiers but also our sentinel forces.”
Ambrose bobs his massive head in a nod and begins to pace with slow, lithe motions. [This is very likely a result of your world reacting to what is to come,] Ambrose muses, thinking out loud. [As our worlds draw closer to convergence, the Volcora will be more active in trying to stop the process. This cannot be allowed.]
Ambrose stops, his golden eyes locking on Karma and freezing her in place under their weight. [Your world cannot be allowed to fall to the Volcora. We will send you more of our young to act as familiars. Create more sentinels to withstand the tide.]
Karma shakes her head, using all of her willpower to break free from the centurion’s golden gaze. “Another wave of sentinels will only stem the bleeding. It will not be the kind of solution we need.”
[You only need to stand strong for another year, maybe two,] Ambrose says, [After the convergence, your world will find balance once more.]
“Even still, if this escalation continues and we keep bleeding sentinels, then I’m unsure we can make it another year,” Karma says.
Ambrose’s eyes flick momentarily to Audrey before returning to Karma. [And what if all of the new sentinels could grow as fast as your guardian there. An increase in quality rather than quantity.]
This offer has both Audrey and Karma opening their eyes wide with shock. Never before have the Centurions hinted that they can make stronger sentinels.
“That… could work, I suppose,” Karma manages tentatively. “I was unaware such a thing was possible.”
Ambrose lets out a huff of breath that echoes around the ruins. [As with yours, not all of my kind are born as equals. Some carry seeds of great potential. To put it in terms you would understand, the princes and princesses of my people. They are few, but they would perhaps mean the difference between success and defeat.]
Karma nods slowly, thinking it through. If Ambrose could truly provide familiars that could grow to be as potent as Astra, then they perhaps could survive the tide. She would have to find exceptional young people to bond them with, though. The best of the best, with an incredible attunement to magic and great potential of their own.
“That could work, so long as you also send some more standard familiars to fill the ranks,” Karma says.
Ambrose nods, [Consider it done. Although, I will warn you. The more remarkable familiars I send you will not be as amenable to being told what to do. Help them find a bonded partner that feels right to them. Do not feel as if you can make their choice for them, however.]
Karma wants to laugh — as if any familiar was amenable to being told what to do. What he’d just described was very similar to the GDF’s existing process; anything else would have the new familiars throwing a fit. How much worse could these special familiars be?
Discarding her mirth, Karma keeps a straight face as she responds, “Of course, we will do all we can to aid them.”
Ambrose pauses in the conversation to glance down at his body and gives a deep sigh. The rippling heat haze around him has grown worse now; more of him is invisible than not. [I’m afraid that the time I can spend in this world grows short. After the convergence, we will be able to offer aid more directly. Until then, however, you must hold on.]
Karma bites her lip; Ambrose’s words are a cause of deep concern to her. The Centurions have only explained this convergence in vague terms but have universally considered it a good thing. She understands enough to get a general idea of what would happen, but even that slight understanding gives her pause. The motivations of the Centurions have always been vague; only recently did they even reveal that the reason they wanted to come to this world was so they could have physical bodies. Yet, it is what they would do once they've achieved that goal that worries Karma the most. With the motivation, the Centurions could make the Volocra threat seem like child’s play in comparison.
Karma bows her head to Ambrose, “Thank you again for meeting with me and for the aid you have provided. We will expect the new familiars to arrive in the coming days,” she says, even as Ambrose’s body begins truly fading from existence.
The centurion bows his antlered head. [And to you, Karma. For allowing me to feel whole once more, if only for a moment,] with those words, Ambrose vanishes into motes of golden light.
The glowing silver inscriptions flash gold before they, too, burn away into golden light. The only remnants of the meeting are the blackened remains of melting plastic turf where the lines of silver had once been.
Karma turns to Audrey, who has been standing silently behind her for the entire meeting. “Call Kayne in,” she orders before gesturing to the blackened remnants of the inscription, “and destroy this field. I don’t want anything left behind that shows what we were doing here. If the Volcora realize we are using the threat of them to hide our actions, they will start laying ambushes.”
Audrey nods easily, “Yes, ma’am. Kayne and I can fly ourselves back to base after. No need to wait for us. Get yourself out of here before the Volcora converge.”
Karma offers Audrey the first earnest smile she’s allowed herself since leaving Shinara. “Thank you, Audrey.”
With that, Karma turns back towards the transport and strides towards it, her mind already whirring with plans. She envisions a team of new sentinels with the most potent familiars the Centurions could offer and guided by her best and brightest. She would craft them into elites amongst elites and pray that they would be enough.
