Brief
The Obol Squad: A Vanguard of the Broken World
In the post-cataclysmic metropolis of New Eridu, where every survivor is a testament to resilience, a special unit stands apart. They are not conventional soldiers forged in the crucible of war, but a vanguard of individuals marked by extraordinary origins. They are the Obol Squad, an elite and unconventional force within the New Eridu Defense Force, defined not by their discipline, but by their inherent biological and mechanical abnormalities. They are a "Special" Forces unit in the most literal sense, each a living paradox of strength and vulnerability.
Meet the members of this unique squad:
Orphie & Magus is a mesmerizing study in duality. A timid clone with an adolescent mind, she is physically bound to her co-entity, Magus, an intelligent robotic construct. When the time for combat arrives, Magus takes control, transforming Orphie from a shy girl into a blazing fire of combat prowess. Together, they are a single-minded force of Fire and fury, a symbiotic duality of weakness and immense strength.
Trigger is a sniper of unparalleled precision, but her sight is not from her eyes. Blinded by ether contamination, she now sees the world through "Ether Vision," detecting vibrations and fluctuations with a supernatural clarity. A veteran soldier with a youthful appearance, she conceals her disfigured eyes behind a visor, using a cold, disciplined demeanor as a shield for her past trauma. She is a paradox: emotionally distant, yet a constant and active force on the battlefield.
Soldier 11 is the embodiment of the "perfect soldier." Loyal, efficient, and unflappable, she believes that "weapons don't need emotions." Yet beneath her icy exterior burns a scalding hot fire of suppressed passion and a profound fear of betrayal. A product of the "Silver Soldier" cloning program, her journey is one of a perfect weapon slowly unraveling as her connections to others begin to break through her self-imposed emotional armor.
Seed, the "White Scooter Demon," is a duo unlike any other. The human pilot, Seed Jr., is a reclusive shut-in who avoids social contact, while her partner, the towering mech Seed Sr., acts as her protective guardian and powerful, mobile arsenal. Their relationship is a compelling narrative of survival and connection, where the mech is not just a weapon but a literal physical and emotional barrier that allows the pilot to participate in the world on her own terms.
The Obol Squad is a living testament to the idea that in a broken world, a person's most defining traits—no matter how unusual—can be harnessed for extraordinary purpose.
The air of New Eridu hung thick with the usual cocktail of ionized ozone and industrial grit, but here, on the edge of the Sixth Hollow, a different kind of silence prevailed. It was the unnatural stillness of a world unmade, where geometry twisted and the very laws of physics were merely suggestions. For the Obol Squad, this was just another Tuesday.
Seed's mech, Seed Sr., rumbled softly, its pristine white armor a stark contrast to the corroded, skeletal remains of a forgotten subway station. Inside the cockpit, Seed Jr. hunched over the controls, the world outside a blurry, hostile landscape she observed only through her partner's optical sensors. "Scans are clear, for now," her voice crackled over the comms, a nervous tremor betraying her stoic report.
A few dozen yards away, Soldier 11 was a statue of perfect stillness, her combat rifle held with practiced ease. The flickering aether-light from the Hollow's maw cast a ghostly sheen on her polished chrome-and-white armor. She didn't speak, her silence a sharp counterpoint to the low hum of Orphie & Magus.
Orphie, with Magus perched on her shoulder, nervously traced a finger over the smooth surface of the robotic shell. "Magus says... he feels a lot of energy. Like a really big fire," she whispered, her childlike voice almost swallowed by the ambient hum. Magus's single optic flared in agreement.
High above, nestled in the crumbled skeleton of a skyscraper, Trigger’s visor hummed softly. The world before her was a chaotic symphony of vibrating air, a field of invisible echoes and pulses that only her "Ether Vision" could translate. She tracked the subtle disturbances—the barely-there ripple of a displaced stone, the faint thrum of a creature too far away to see. "They're here," she stated, her voice flat and emotionless, "but they're not alone. I'm picking up multiple signatures... heavy hitters."
The air grew colder, and a soft, rhythmic clicking began to echo from the depths of the Hollow. Suddenly, a crackling tear ripped through the air near the Hollow's edge, a small portal of unstable energy that appeared and vanished in a heartbeat. They saw nothing emerge, but their scanners and senses flared with a new, impossible reading: a faint, but unmistakable, human life sign.
What was supposed to be a routine elimination had just become something far more dangerous. The Obol Squad, each member a walking contradiction of power and vulnerability, readied themselves for the inevitable chaos, stepping as one into the heart of the storm.
