Johannes Volkner bid farewell to his life. In the room reserved for entering the Distortions, the walls were as stark white as they'd been the first time everyone had rallied to enter one. Wordlessly, the newcomer woman had walked up to the doorway, as if waiting for the connection to finish, before casually striking the side of it with the handle of that cursed, wrong sword. Johannes could hear Suzuka muttering something under her breath, but the only words he caught were 'dumb skank', and he decided not to interact with that particular line of reasoning. Instead, he took a single step forward, watching and waiting for what felt like hours. It was hard to tell time in the room, as long as nobody spoke... There was no real exterior indication of anything, besides their continued breaths.

  Soon enough, or maybe after what really was a long time, the basalt door once more began to light up, each symbol and rune reaching their apex shortly after the one prior. In less than half a second, the entire outline of the basalt door was lit, before the shimmering, bright orange plane of energy appeared once more. Johannes couldn't help but feel that it looked just a little darker today, though he was unsure if it was really any different, or if that was just because of Flash of Inspiration continuing to blare in his head not to enter the Distortion. To leave, even run from Heliopolis itself if he had no other choice. The mysterious newcomer and her Servant were the first to enter, and Johannes hardened his resolve at that, gently grabbing Suzuka's hand.

  "Hey, Suzuka... We're going, okay?" He couldn't help but notice that even she'd been quiet recently, though she nodded lightly at his words and ran in alongside him. Did she know, already? Did something about his demeanor tip her off to the warnings he'd been given about what was ahead?

  Those thoughts were cut short as the scenery around them suddenly changed, pulling them into a wide open field, in a surprisingly warm climate. It was hard to call it hot, but it was warm enough, and so very humid, that Johannes could instantly tell it was sometime in the summer. The grass under their feet was a deep, cool shade of green that Johannes found himself almost mesmerized by. It was much less vibrant than back home in Germany, yet what the grasses lacked in vibrant, warm embrace, they easily made up for that with the cold and solid texture.

  Far beyond him, he could see the figure of Mount Hwaak, looming over the world like a giant even past the horizon line. He had held his breath without realizing it, and only finally released a breath after seeing that several of the others had made their way to the Distortion as well, quickly joining the group once more. Wilhelm was the first to actually speak.

  "I'll never get used to that... This is Caller 012, we've touched down at a safe point. Requesting verification." He had taken some small pendant out of his jacket, which Johannes quickly identified as a comms device... And felt profoundly stupid for not having gotten one of his own that could link back to base through the Distortion. Then, he realized that frankly, all of Heliopolis's members should have something like this. Why had the higher-ups only given them out to select members of the team?

  He couldn't hear the reply from the higher-ups on the other end, but he assumed it came through easily enough, given that Wilhelm didn't seem distressed or agitated. Yoshinaka, meanwhile, had already stepped forward, pointing towards the distance with one gauntleted hand.

  "Exactly, I don't think I'll ever be used to this. I don't suppose that mountain is related to our objective?"

  His head had turned back for several seconds, and Johannes briefly thought the question had been asked to the wider group before he realized what Yoshinaka was really doing. He was counting everyone present, making sure nobody had been left behind or appeared elsewhere within the Distortion.

  Wilhelm held one hand up, as he spoke into the communication device once more. "Copy that. Proceeding with caution. It's the safest conclusion that we'll be heading to Hanyang, which is near that mountain. From what the head just reported back, though... We have an incoming group, including at least one Spirit. Maybe we should have some of our own Spirits scout them out, do some recon? Yoshinaka isn't fast enough to perform that easily without being spotted, especially the part where they come back before the group arrives."

  By now, everyone had more or less walked into a smaller area to hear the discussion. The next to speak was the mature, blonde woman who had only recently appeared.

  "Sasaki could manage it. He's probably the fastest one here, and he has a solid grasp of stealth tactics."

  Quinta was about to speak up, before Joan took a step in his direction and spoke. "Hey, 'doctor'. Do you have any 'specific rules' for me on this mission, too? Or should I take the silence as you allowing me to do as I wish, guided only by the Lord?"

  He coughed slightly, but refrained from backing down. Narrowing his eyes, he actually met Joan's gaze. "For now? Only kill those who try to attack us first. Since we have company incoming, you might not have to wait long." The man crouched down as he spoke, carving what seemed to be alchemical symbols into the ground. Johannes couldn't tell each one apart, but he recognized the general layout of them.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Looking to Wilhelm and the older woman, Johannes cleared his throat lightly. "If you're considering reconnaissance, I'd advise against it. If they're an enemy, sending a recon group that isn't capable of remaining fully hidden means that they'd be capable of picking them off, and divides our strength. If they're neutral, sending a recon group means we lose the advantage of showing a strong but non-aggressive position. It invokes hostility and wariness automatically between our group and theirs."

  Pacing slightly, he placed his gauntlet to his helmet as he continued to look around. "So, I personally think we should welcome them. Otherwise, we should expand our recon to three Spirits. I have faith in Joan, Aylin and Martin's abilities to defend our position if they manage to slip past the recon group and surprise us, and in Suzuka, Sasaki, and Yoshinaka's capabilities to hold back a group of enemies and quickly regroup with us should they be caught and attacked."

  He couldn't help but feel that he needed to take charge. The awful feeling from Flash of Inspiration hadn't faded, and indeed had intensified. There was a solidly high chance it was because of the ones coming towards their location. No matter what, they had to find a way to get through this scenario, and he already began pouring magical energy into his armor. From the main reservoir of his body, energy began to flow into his defensive array, readying it ahead of time in case the worst should come true.

  Aylin had crouched down by Quinta, and set up some kindling and sticks to make a campfire, having lit it by now. Johannes couldn't help but wonder what a campfire would do for them, but suspected it was in some way tied to her own magical abilities. As she worked, she chimed into the conversation.

  "If you were all willing, I could go on recon duty. I'm not the fastest, but I do have rituals to escape and to quickly hide my own presence that would make me better at scouting."

  Martin nodded, before adding his own two cents. "If you're looking for someone to scout ahead, or examine the potential mountain escape routes, I'll have to volunteer myself. My speeds might pale in comparison to Sasaki's, but I'm still rather speedy. Besides, leaving me out wouldn't reduce Heliopolis's fighting strength by too much." His eyes were closed, and he slowly breathed in, as if simply enjoying the air around them as they talked tactics.

  Johannes couldn't help but glance down as he realized his left arm was hard to move. ...Ah. Suzuka was clinging onto it, and he had been so wrapped up in the discussion he didn't even notice. She looked up to him from his shoulder, a light smile tracing her lips.

  "I mean... Joan probably works best solo or almost-solo anyways, right? You’d better not expect me to leave you alone so soon, Johan~★" ...What did he tell her about weird rumors? He stopped pacing, so that she could hold on a bit better, but he couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be much clingier since their talk.

  "Of course not, Suzuka. After all, you're not the type that would work well at actual recon, even if you'd hold back the enemies well. You do best with plenty of support, and..." A light blush covered his cheeks as he quieted his next few words, trying to stop anyone but herself from hearing him. "Besides, I promised you, didn't I? I'm going to watch over your next fight, and support you properly."

  Aylin gave Johannes a glaring look, but didn't comment on the situation. Instead, she continued the tactical discussion at hand.

  "I think Martin should stay behind. While the sun is up, I'm as fast as he is, and while he's good at supporting others, I can support just as well. Myself, Yoshinaka and Sasaki should be fine enough to handle the recon. Right, Martin?"

  Martin gave her a nod, and Yoshinaka slowly stepped forward. "Very well, I can agree to that formation... Wilhelm, you have no issues, yes? I assure you, this is a good plan."

  Wilhelm glanced back, eyes shaking slightly. "I'd recommend sending Martin instead of Yoshinaka, if we're sending Aylin. They'd be able to support each other directly that way, and if they need to make a quick escape, they're used to communicating with each other quickly and efficiently. Something tells me the other party isn't likely to be immediately hostile, but there's a higher likelihood of our stagnant group being attacked while the recon squad is away. Yoshinaka's skills are more necessary in that situation, and it'd be smarter to have him here as a mainline defense."

  Johannes couldn't help but let his jaw drop a bit as Yoshinaka fired back, watching as the Spirit and Caller debated with each other.

  "While I get the idea, it'd be much better if you sent me. Wilhelm, while Martin is likely more than capable, I believe I would be able to play diplomat or mediator more easily. Not only that, but you would be able to use the Command Array to pull me back much more quickly. In other words, it's able to protect us in both the best and worst case scenarios. What say you then, Wilhelm? Do tell." His voice took on a bit of a smug tone towards the end, and Johannes understood what he was doing soon after. It was a test, no doubt. Seeing how the man who summoned him could handle tactical decisions, and strategic arguments with his allies and even those who are arguably his subordinates.

  Looking away, Johannes stopped paying such attention to them, as he couldn't help but notice Aylin talking with the short man that they'd all called Sasaki.

  "I can't help but realize, you haven't actually voiced your opinions. Do you even want to run reconnaissance? We can always take others if you don't, you know."

  Johannes's own face tightened up slightly as he watched. It was a nice offer for her to make, but... What was she doing here? Did she realize that she could lead them to just bickering more until the other group arrived, and squander their chance at recon at all? The man's hand was lightly resting on one of his sheathed blades, his expression serene. In quiet words, he spoke, and even Wilhelm and Yoshinaka went silent to listen.

  "If it pleases you, I'll go. I am but a Spirit, after all. However, if you prefer someone else, I will remain. Either way, I have no complaints... Simply decide, and we shall move."

  Finally, he stepped away, and Aylin followed him. Soon enough, Yoshinaka followed, leading to the arguments and discussions finally closing out.